#drew this in 15 minutes while trying to calm myself down

[cannibalisticcorpse]

couldn't put it on MY shirt... so i put it on his! (or, he put it on his... and also ran out of thread lol)

@hobbitsdoitbetter

context here and here

[stunpointe]

Lord Morpheus has been in my life for... well, my entire life. He's my patron, so of course he has. As a baby, my nursery was themed after sleep and dreams, which I find to be the cutest coincidence.

I was around five years old when Morpheus first made his presence known to me.

Hella long story below the cut <3

From the ages of about three to seventeen, I struggled with horrible night terrors due to trauma, and on the night we met, I had woken up from yet another night terror. At this age, I'd usually immediately run into my grandmother's room and sleep in her bed because I was too afraid to sleep by myself. This time, I had woken up in a cold sweat, thrashing in my bed, and just as quickly as it happened, it was gone. I felt this wonderful sense of calm, and I let myself drift back to sleep.

I dreamt of this beautiful garden, shrouded in night. I wandered the grounds of the garden until I found the center of it, which was a gorgeous fountain. It was barely running, but it was absolutely stunning. I sat on the ledge and looked around. I was completely alone. I sat alone for a few minutes until I heard footsteps. I lept to my feet and started to panic because I was a really anxious kid. Those footsteps grew closer and closer, and I felt paralyzed. A tall man in a long black cloak came into my vision from the shadows, and suddenly, every part of me relaxed. it was like my soul said, "Oh, it's just you, that's fine," and i sat back down on the ledge of the fountain, and he approached and sat next to me.

He looked at me for a moment, and I looked at him. Eventually, he asked, "What are you doing here, little one?" and I shrugged and scooted closer to him, feeling immensely comforted by his presence. He allowed me to rest my head on his arm and eventually shifted and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back for what felt like five or ten minutes, then asked him who he was. He said, "My name is Morpheus — you must remember that, can you do that for me?" I nodded, and he nodded back and said, "I also want you to remember that I'm always here for you, should you ever need me."

Fast forward around five or six years later, I got into witchcraft, and from there, hellenistic polytheism. I was doing research on the gods, making notes of each of their domains, and that's when I stumbled upon the name Morpheus. The memory of that dream from when I was barely five crashed into me like a train. He was real. I didn't know what to do next, but the only thing I could think of was to use my tarot cards, gifted to me by my sister. It was the wildwood tarot. I asked Morpheus if he was still with me. The first card I drew was the four of stones, which symbolizes protection in this deck. I can't remember any other cards, because it was such a long time ago, but I was thrilled. This was the first deity I'd made contact with, and he confirmed that he was still in fact with me after all these years. We talked every day, and he gave me guidance and helped me learn how to read tarot without guide books.

We've spent the past 15 years together, he's been my guide through every difficult moment in my life, and I'm so grateful for him.

In 2018, I met my ex-fiance. I was pretty far along on my spiritual journey at this point, and I felt more connected to Morpheus than ever. Our bond was growing stronger every day. He was my rock. Shortly after entering a relationship with my ex, the flame that drove my practice died out. I was lost, and I'd lost almost all connection to my spiritual gifts. I did all the tarot readings I could, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Morpheus assured me that nothing was wrong, but he did eventually break the news that he was stepping away from my practice for a little while.

Now, I had just moved to Pennsylvania with my ex, in my first apartment by myself basically. I was six hours away from my family, I was too disabled to work, and surviving off $150 dollars a week from the covid funds. I was without insurance, rationing my insulin, and running out of food. I obviously fell into a very deep depression. I missed Morpheus' presence in my life so much. His absence left a gaping void in my life that I tried to fill with any and everything.

I eventually had to move back home, being unable to afford my rent, and my ex had gotten fired from his job because of his own health issues.

I tried to navigate the next chapter of my life without Morpheus to guide and comfort me, and it was incredibly hard. Not too long after moving back home, my mother announced she was moving to Iowa. Again, being too disabled to work, and with my fiance having health issues as well, we had no choice but to go with her. I was now seventeen hours away from my family and trapped in a tiny bedroom with my fiance and two dogs (my mother has birds who scream very, very loudly and attack me, so leaving my bedroom wasn't really an option unless I was getting food or showering). I was even more depressed than I was in Pennsylvania.

After about a year of being in Iowa, I felt Morpheus' presence again. I immediately did readings with him, and he confirmed he was back to support me. He said stepping back was necessary for my growth. I didn't care; I was just happy that he was back. Around this time, the song "So Good" by Halsey came up on my Spotify every single day. I didn't know what to make of the message at that time, but again, I didn't care. That flame that drove my spiritual practice began to spark back to life, and I was determined to get it back to a burning flame.

But I couldn't. Morpheus was still with me, but my practice felt like it was lacking. It's like he was around, but not an active part of my life anymore. I figured that it was what being in Iowa did to me. I figured it just wasn't a good place for me to be, and that's why I was still struggling so much.

Fast forward again to 2024. My ex had come into a large sum of money, and we decided to use that money to book it back to the East Coast and get an apartment with our best friends.

Immediately after moving back to the East Coast, my ex cheated on me with my childhood best friend, who also cheated on his own fiance with my ex. I once again fell into an even deeper depression. I didn't think I was going to survive this time.

That's when Morpheus stepped back into my life for real, and we started making progress again. He asked me if I'd be interested in training to be his priestess, and I said yes. I now feel his presence in everything that I do. Synchronicities have been falling into my lap, little blessings began happening in my life again, and my practice is once again a roaring flame.

Morpheus explained that my relationship with my ex was toxic, manipulative, and kept me trapped in a cycle of dependency, blocking my spiritual growth. Since my ex left me, I've unfortunately been trapped in the same apartment that my ex cheated on me in with him and my ex best friend. it's been incredibly difficult. This journey has not been easy, but every day is starting to look better and better. I'm moving back in with my mom in May because she's moving back to the East Coast. I've got a job I love. I have my practice back to what it was before my ex came into my life.

I asked Morpheus about the song "So Good", a few weeks ago and he explained that he was trying to empower me to leave my ex by making his presence known again and giving me that message, but it didn't work. I was too blinded by love and hooked on his breadcumbing.

All this to say, I feel like my life is truly beginning. I feel like I've found my purpose again.

Morpheus has taught me my worth. When my ex left me, I was desperate to keep him in my life. I begged, pleaded for him to stay, and Morpheus stepped in and put a stop to that REAL QUICK. He's taught me that I never needed my ex, he just made me believe that I did. He's taught me to stand on my own two feet, taught me that healing is possible, and I can do it on my own. I'm learning new things about myself and my own strength every single day, with Morpheus as my guide and biggest supporter. I've also started branching out and working with other deities again, and I've rekindled my relationships with Lord Apollon and Lord Dionysus.

My training as Morpheus' priestess has started, and he wanted me to start this blog as a devotional act to him and myself, to document my journey and share the beauty of our bond with others and hopefully inspire them. I want to say it's never too late to heal. It's never too late to start over. Take life at your own pace, and don't panic if your practice stagnates. It will come back to what it was with time and growth. For me, it took the deepest pain I think I'll ever endure: the complete and utter betrayal from my fiance and best friend. That's what it took for me to make a change, but I did it, and I did it scared. Trust the gods, trust the process. It will get better.

And praise Lord Morpheus. I'd be completely lost if it weren't for him. I'm so thankful to have such a loving and patient god as my patron, and I wouldn't trade the bond we have for anything in this world. Thank you, Morpheus, for being my rock, my anchor, and my guiding light in the darkness. You've shown me the beauty in life, shown me just how strong I truly am, and for that, I'm eternally thankful, and I will spend the rest of my days devoted to you <3

[lloyd283]

I made a Trollhunters asmr idea about Jim gaining PTSD from the other 'timeline' and claire's trying to help him.

Here you go!

[Soft spoken on a rainy night]

Hey, i came down as soon as i could. Jim, is everything okay, or 'crispy'? Can't believe i said that.

(-)

So, i hear you can't sleep recently, can you? Well, whilst i was babysitting enrique, i found methods to help someone sleep or calm themselves in a book. Lovely artwork, isn't it? They worked on enrique, so hopefully i can do the same with you.

[Personal attention, caring]

Jim, you seem dazed, sad and a little tense in your hands. Did Steve punch you again, that brat? I always hoped he'd become a better guy, but only assistance may make that happen.

Right, just going to check your head like your mother does. Yeah, a fever like head and slightly faster heart rate. Everything else seems fine. We can rule out steve. Next is, a, massage. I hate doing this.

Could i check your arms and lower legs please. They are tense. Think of your phone, but the metal is your body. May i remove your jacket for a back and shoulder massage?

"Jim so owes me a massage one day, this is tiring." Not even that?

Wait, i heard you run at night in the forest from your mother, who's concerned. Is it because of your dirty trainers? I know how to shoe shine myself often, given i wear these boots often or in the 90%s of the time, or my trainers for gym class, heck i sleep sometimes in them (s3 e4)

Little fun fact: i had to make my own trainers with specialist help because i didn't like the concept of laces and not being able to lace any up or trainers in general. You could say a forger helped me.

Not even a nose boop? Why can't you tell me what's wrong.

[Claire, I'm remembering a reality which i rewrote and I'm panicking. Forgive me, I'm going outside.]

Jim, wait! Jim, it's slinging it down and I've no umbrella on me as my parents took them for tonight. I'm soaked, your soaked, could you please come inside.

[I know you believe me to be a kind fearless person but this, this is scaring me. In the other reality, i punched steve to protect my friends. I became a Trollhunter and battled trolls and monsters. Enrique was taken, and i risked everything to bring him back. I almost lost you and you almost lost me. My dad abandoned me, so my mentor became my father figure. You had shadow magic that almost killed you, claire but you were fierce and great. Douxie and merlin called you fair, and no one knows who that dress in the muesum belonged to. Toby died defeating a titan and i had to rewrite the story. I'm afraid that despite passing it to toby, it'll all happen again. And i don't want to lose anyone else!]

Jim, your mantle you had made you who you are today. It ain't that far fetched, i thought i remembered things in my dreams. Drew in my book. I love you, here and there, I'd change nothing if i could. Someone once told me, you aren't alone for someone else is feeling like you.

[Kiss]

We're soaked so much, it feels weird, but it feels good kissing you out here. I wouldn't mind kissing a while longer.

[More kissing, passionate in a way] [sitting under porch about 15 minutes later with a baby monitor app on her phone and a blanket covering them. Claire has her head on Jim's shoulder]

[You're the best thing that's happened to me, apart from probably Toby's support.]

Heh. That's about right.

[You're a fantastic girl you know and we're lucky to have each other]

Awwwwww, jim.

[s1utforronweasley]

1 STEP FORWARD, 3 STEPS BACK // D.M

[female reader, based on the Olivia Rodrigo song 1 step forward, 3 steps back]

Called you on the phone today

Just to ask you how you were

All I did was speak normally

Somehow I still struck a nerve

It was a cold winter morning and the weather made the tip of your nose turn red and made your fingers feel like ice. You tightened your scarf and rubbed your hands together, trying to create warmth, as you walked across the courtyard.

Finally approaching the great hall, your eyes scanned across the bustling room, until your eyes finally fell on a very familiar mop of platinum blonde locks.

You made your way over to your boyfriend and sat in the free space in between him and Theodore Nott. You placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as you sat on the bench. "How are you this morning, Draco?" You asked in your usual soft tone

Unfortunately, all you got in return was a look up and down, a deep sigh and watching wipe the spot on his flawless face you had just kissed. You pinned it on his bad moods that seemed to be a lot more frequent than usual.

You blinked back the tears brimming in your eyes and turned to talk tho Theodore instead. He was always perfectly kind to you.

You got me fucked up in the head, boy

Never doubted myself so much

Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy?

I hate that I give you power over that kind of stuff

When you fist joined Hogwarts, you always had a smile on your face and a spring in your step. You were the type of person people naturally gravitated towards, always very forgiving. You couldn't care less what anyone else though.

And even though you may not have noticed at first, the person you once were slowly changed once you began dating Draco Malfoy.

You found yourself staring in the mirror for a few minutes longer than usual, comparing yourself to other people, even your own best friends. You were slowly changing your ways all so that you could please your boyfriend as much as possible.

Although you would never admit it, you hate that he has power over that kind of stuff.

'Cause it's always one step forward and three steps back

I'm the love of your life until I make you mad

It's always one step forward and three steps back

Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand

No, I don't understand

Sometimes, when Draco was in a good mood, you would go for picnic dates by the black lake, where you would lay together in the sun. Talk, laugh eat and sometimes lay in a comfortable silence.

However, the next day you would come crashing back down from cloud nine when you would walk into the great hall and be ignored or find him with his arm around another girl, the same angelic laugh suffocating your senses as yesterday. Only this time he wasn't laughing with you. You didn't even know he was laughing at you.

You were always walking on eggshells around Draco, always double checking what you were about to say in your head before speaking aloud.

Sometimes you would be hanging out with his friends, sitting as close as possible to eachother, laughing and joking. This bliss would last until you would say something wrong. He would kick you out your own common room, telling you to "go to bed." because you've "ruined the fun again.". Sympathetic smiles offered from his friends.

You never understood him, and you soon came to terms with the fact that you probably never would.

And maybe in some masochistic way

I kinda find it all exciting

Like, which lover will I get today?

Will you walk me to the door or send me home cryin'?

Before Draco, your previous relationships had been predictable. You had always craved something more, someone who would keep you on your toes. That's exactly what Draco Malfoy was.

Whenever you went out with him, you never knew exactly which Draco Malfoy persona you would be meeting today. Would he cherish every moment with you and let you fall asleep in his arms or treat you like dirt under his shoe and send you home crying.

No, it's back and forth, did I say something wrong?

It's back and forth, goin' over everything I said

It's back and forth, did I do something wrong?

It's back and forth, maybe this is all your fault

Months into your relationship with Draco, your best friend also got a boyfriend. You saw the way she was treated. Hello and goodbye kisses, sweet nicknames, holding hands and whispering "I love you" whenever possible. Soon enough, you saw the true colours of your relationship.

This were the events that lead you to the point where our knuckles met the hard material of Draco's door for the last time.

He swung open the door, wearing only a pair of black joggers, his hair was wet and messy and his featured were as defined as ever. His attractiveness only making your job harder.

"Come in."He said in a monotone voice.

"No, it's okay. This won't take long."

"Alright, have it your way then." He muttered.

"We're over." You watched as the colour drained from his face and the cocky look on his face changed to a more vulnerable one.

"No. Wh-what do you mean. Y/N/N, you know I lov-"

"NO." you shouted. You drew in a breath, calming yourself down. "no Draco. You don't get to say that now. Not when I've loved you with everything in me only to get nothing back. So please, don't tell me you love me, because nothing can take back what you've done to me."

You shoved the box you were carrying in your arms into his chest, causing him to stumble back a bit.

"I hope one day you find someone who waits around long enough for you to get your shit together, because merlin knows I couldn't. Have a nice life Draco."

You turned around. took a deep breath and began to walk back down the hall, before his voice stopped you once again.

"Y/N." He spoke. "I um, I really am sorry. For everything. I hope you find someone who treats you properly, because merlin knows I couldn't." He repeated in a whisper.

You mustered up a small smile.

——————

That was 15 years ago. Now, you were sitting with your little girl on your knee, both dressed in dark green gowns, with your beautiful. loving husband, Theodore Nott sat next to you.

You were watching Draco Malfoy marry Astoria Greengrass, a stunning woman who waited around long enough for Draco Malfoy to learn to love properly.

It was 9 o'clock when you and Theo decided to leave. You walked up, hands linked together as per usual, while your daughter slept peacefully in his arms. You walked up to the newly wed couple and Theo immediately fell into a hushed conversation with Astoria, leaving you and Draco to chat.

"Y/N"

"Draco."

"It's great to see you again."

"It's great to see you again." You both spoke at the same time, causing you both to laugh, quickly followed by shushing noises from Theo and Tori.

"You deserve this Draco. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you Y/N/N, I wanted to thank you, for making me see my mistakes. Without you I don't think I'd be here right now, married. So thank you, really."

"None of this was me, Draco. It was all you."

You held eye contact for a few seconds before you both pulled eachother into a tight hug, staying there for a minute or so.

"Love you, Y/N/N."

"Love you too, Draco."

"Stay in touch?" He asked.

"Of course." You replied.

You pulled Astoria into a hug, congratulating her on her marriage, telling her to keep in touch, before Taking Theo's hand in your own. He gave you a quick kiss before leaving the wedding, with a guarantee you would be falling asleep in his arms.

[wonder-kid-pugh]

Waiting Long Enough - (Rose Lavelle x reader)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!! I was thankfully able to finish this late last night (sorry I was busy and only got to post it now). I'm working on another one but I'm not sure if I'll get it finished for today but I'll post it as soon as it's done. But for now I hope you enjoy!!!

The idea of soulmates is great. Scratch that it's euphoric. I mean imagine having someone who was literally made to be with you. Someone to be there for the good and bad days. Someone who does the little things for you just cause. Someone who gives you that sense of calm when the world might be falling around you. The perfect partner who knows you better than yourself sometimes.

In theory

The idea of soulmates is brilliant. But there's the small fact you have to consider. The fact of you have to find them first.

That's the part Rose struggled with.

Now they did have some help. Everyone had the day they meet their soulmate tattooed on their wrist. So you could imagine the feeling when Rose's tattoo told her she would meet her soulmate on Valentine's Day of all days.

Rose couldn't believe her luck. It seemed like something out of a movie. When she was younger she would always imagine these romantic chance encounters that would lead to her meeting her soulmate. Like something out of a fairy tail. How she would meet her soulmate and would be swept off her feet for the love holiday and fall in love.

The thought of it sounded perfect except for one thing......

The tattoo told you the day....not the year

So it was a repetitive cycle of heartbreak as Rose would wake up excited for Valentine's Day only to be disappointed when she wouldn't meet her soulmate. She tried to stay optimistic but it was hard when year after year pasted only for her to remain single on her own having no one to celebrate the holiday with.

Now it wasn't fool proof. I mean there was plenty of other situations where the soulmate tattoo failed. There was Lindsey and Sonnet for example. Obviously they had both met at camp but they had never expected it to be one of their teammates. And Sonnett still to this day would have thought her soulmate would have been that girl at the coffee shop if it wasn't for a friendly game of Truth or Dare at a team bonding session which she was dared to kiss her the blonde colorado native which revealed their initials which burned underneath their tattoos.

It also didn't help that this year Rose had to spend Valentine's Day in camp surrounded by couples.

"Who shit in your cereal?" Kelley laughs as she see Rose glare at the Valentine's decorations that littered the meal room. "Shut it" Rose mutters as she stabs at her breakfast with her spoon. "What's up Rosie?" Alex asks as she sits beside her best friend. Sonnett laughs, "Yeah you don't look really in the loving spirit".

Rose just rolls her eyes, "Well excuse me that I don't feel up for celebrating Valentine's Day when I'm the only person on the team who hasn't met their soulmate". Mal gives the girl a small smile, "Sorry Rosie". Alex gives her a sympathetic smile, "I know it sucks but you shouldn't let that get you down. Who knows? Maybe today will be the day you meet them?".

But Rose lets out a sigh as she plays with her food, "I rather not get my hopes up only to be disappointed. Like every year". "Well what are your plans for the day?" Mal asks trying to stir away from the conversation of Love which was clearly upsetting the girl. Rose just shrugs, "Probably the same as every year I'll probably end up just watching TV and drown myself in junk food and wait until the day passes".

Sonnett scoffs, "How are you planning on meeting your soulmate if you don't even leave the hotel?" Rose just gives the blonde a look, "That is rich coming from the pair that thought that having the same tattoo was a coincidence. If it wasn't for Kelley daring you to kiss each other at Truth or Dare you idiots still wouldn't know". Sonnett pouts, "Harsh". Lindsey shrugs, "But true".

Kelley points her fork at the blondes, "I still expect to be godmother of your first child.....or your child be named at me I'm fine with either".

While the two blondes blush furiously, Kelley turns back to Rose, "They are right though". Rose just glares at the defender as she raises her hands in surrender, "Hey how do you expect the love of your life to find you if you don't even give them a chance?"

Rose huffs because as much as she didn't want it admit it, Kelley was right. The chance of her soulmate finding her while she was couped up in her room feeling sorry for herself was very unlikely. "Well what do you want me to do? Walk around wearing a sign saying, "Are you my soulmate?""

Kelley shrugs, "I mean if it works..."

Alex sighs and shakes her head, "And you were doing so well..." Kelley looks at her best friend hurt, "Hey!" Mal turns to Rose, "They're right you should do something tonight". Rose bites her lip she knew her teammates were right but after years of searching she really didn't feel like having another let down. Mal puts her hand on the midfielders shoulder, "Look some of us were planning on going to a club tonight. You should come with us".

Rose frowns, "I don't know Mal". Lindsey jumps in, "C'mon it'll be fun! Worst case scenario you don't meet them and you have a good time with us. Best case scenario you find your soulmate and you thank us forever".

Rose bites her lip as she thinks for a second before sighing running her hand through her hair, "Fine what do I have to lose". The youngsters cheer as Mal wraps her arm around her, "Tonight's gonna be fun!" Rose sighed

She could only hope so

...........

Rose soon realised early on that her friends were wrong. They had barely been in the club and hour and she had already lost her friends. Granted they had lost Lindsey and Sonnett 15 minutes after entering the club. Rose rolled her eyes thinking that they were no doubt making out in the bathroom right now or worst not that Rose wanted to think about the later.

All she knew is that one second she was dancing with Mal and the others and the next she suddenly couldn't see anyone. She felt like she had searched the entire club but couldn't find any of her friends.  Rose pushed her way through the crowd hoping to find someone at the bar hopefully (she knew there was a 50 percent chance Kelley would be there) only to be disappointed when she didn't find anyone.

Rose let out a sigh as she slips her phone out of her to text the girls but before she can even switch on the phone she feels someone sliding up to her. A bit too close for her liking. "Hey there". Rose looks up to see a man smiling at her. Rose had to hold back a wince as he looked her up and down with what could only he described as a predatory look. Rose could only give him a small smile before turning away slightly trying to text one of the girls. But obviously he didn't get the hint as he just leans closer into her, "You here alone?"

Letting out a sigh she turns back to him, "I'm sorry but I have to go". She pushes her way back to the entrance before leading the club. Rose starts to text Mal that she was leaving to go back to the hotel when she bumped into someone.

"Oof" she grunts as she stumbles backwards from the collision. But before she could fall arms wrap around her steading her. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry". Rose shakes it off, "It's fine. I wasn't looking where I was going".

But when Rose looked up she let out a small gasp

As blue met green it had felt like the world had stopped. It was like Rose had temporarily forgot how to breathe as she looked into the stunning green eyes that peered down at her. And they would have no doubt stayed like that if it weren't for the shout behind her.

Rose couldn't help the groan as she turned to see the same guy from the club had followed her out. He gives her a grin, "There you are!" Rose sighs before speaking bluntly, "Look I'm sorry but I'm not interested". The man didn't look a bit deterred though as he just shrugs with a smile, "You sure I can't change your mind?" Before Rose can even think about saying anything she feels someone wrap their arm around her waist, "I think she's okay". I look behind me to see the same person from before that I bumped into her.

The guy looked a little taken back before he shakes it off, "Well if you ever change your mind you know where to find me". He sends the soccer player one last wink because strolling back into the club. Rose scoffs before smiling at her saviour, "Thanks. I don't think he would have left me alone if you hadn't stepped in".

But the stranger just shyly rubs the back of her neck, "No worries. Consider it an apology for barging into your earlier". It was this time that Rose got a good look at her saviour. She was seemed to tower over her. Not as tall as Sam but still tall. She was wearing jeans paired with a tight muscle tee which showed off her biceps. But what drew Rose in was the soft green eyes. They were so gentle and caring.

Rose suddenly realised that she was staring and blushed brightly already feeling the heat pour off her face, "W-well uh t-thank you for the help. I'm sorry for bumping into you". She gives me a smile, "I-its no problem".

Rose bit her lip playing with her phone before smiling at her, "Uh well I better go". Rose was silently hoping she would say something to stop her from leaving but she only nods. The midfielder gives her one last smile before brushing past her. She couldn't deny that the simple contact sent shivers up her spine like a shock of electricity.

But Rose had only made it about 5 steps before she was called back. Rose had to bite her lip to try and stave off the smile before she turned back around. The girl was sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "Uh do you mind if I walk you back? Just so I know you get there safely". But she immediately starts to stutter, "Uh unless that's weird. Yeah that's weird I-I'm sorry. Feel free to tell me to get lost".

But the poor girl was cut off by Rose giggling, "Yeah I would like that". She grins as she falls into step with the soccer player as they start the trek back to the hotel. It's quiet for a moment before the girl speaks up again, "I never got your name?" The midfielder smiles up at her, "Rose". She starts to chuckle making Rose tilt her head at her, "What?" She shrugs, "Nothing just that my name is Daisy". Rose couldn't help but snort, "Seriously?" She nods, "Seriously".

After that the conversation just flowed. The two were able to talk about anything and everything. Rose talked about soccer and her love of dogs which sparked off Daisy talking about her job as a vet. She even showed Rose some pictures of the animals she helped even if Rose mainly focused on the dogs.

But sadly it seemed that their time was up as they came up to the hotel. They stopped at the entrance neither knowing what exactly to do and both hoping to find some way of making this run longer. "Well this is me" Rose says quietly. Daisy just rocks on the balls of her feet, "Yeah.."

Rose bites the inside of her cheek hoping that something anything would happen to prevent her from going inside just yet. Rose had never felt more connected to anyone like this. Sure she had met people that she thought could have been her soulmate but none that gave her butterflies like this. But part of her held back scared of yet another failed attempt which she couldn't help after years of false hope.

But before she could even think of anything to say it was Daisy who filled the silence, "I-I know we've only met but c-can I try something?" Rose just silently nods as she watches the girl nervously step towards her. The soccer players breathe hitches as the taller girl cupped her face in her hands. But she couldn't help but lean into the warmth of her hand. Daisy searched her eyes looking for any bit of hesitance or doubt but when she found none she started to lean in. Both of them slowly started to lean until their lips met in a sweet and gentle kiss.

The kiss was unlike anything the girls had ever felt before. It would have gone on longer if no doubt for the burn they both felt on their wrists' making them pull back. Rose smiles down at the D.C now tattooed on her wrist forever more before looking up at her soulmate, "You don't know how long I've been waiting for that". Daisy just chuckles as she pulls out her wallet, "I always carry this in my wallet. It always felt right, I just didn't really know why until now".

Rose scrunches her face until Daisy hands her a  pressed flower....a rose to be exact. Rose smiles brightly before leaning back up to press another kiss to her lips. And that was the start of the story of Rose and Daisy. And their blossom relationship.

[plainlo-inthemorning]

A Loki TVA/Lokane fic. Rating T.

Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 (of 6)

Shine a Light, part 5

He is aware that the love of his life is digging her fingers into his arm and saying his name.

He is aware of Stark standing to his other side, visor off, speaking to someone on the phone. His voice is hard.

But most of all, Loki is aware that all their lives were just changed by a great big terrifying rip in the seam of reality.

Neither Jane nor the Avenger could possibly be completely sure of what they saw. Loki, as much as he desperately wants to, harbors little doubt.

The man he held in a death-grip only minutes ago and who just now disappeared through a doorway conjured out of thin air was somehow … himself.

Another him. Just as the man had said.

After witnessing from afar the double kiss Jane, Loki, who was coming back from a swim, had been more than ready to skip past introductions and just sever the intruder’s head from his body.

But as soon as he had laid hands on him, a torrent of images had flooded his mind �� chaotic, confused images that seemed to span past, present, future and beyond.

The shock had made him lessen his grip and the double had used his (his!) magic to throw him off.

With some distance between them and Stark suddenly there as well, Loki had tried to let his rage quell the dizzying realization. Unsuccessfully.

He is still shaking, clutching a dagger in each hand. He drew them instinctively as the other made for the door.

He should have caught him!

“Loki! What did he say?!”

“What?” His thoughts are racing in too many directions to hear her.

“The … man, what was he saying to you?!”

Jane is looking up at him with those beautiful brown eyes, worry and urgency all over her delicate features. Though not fear, Loki notes. His ever-brave wife. Both her hands are now clamped around his wrist.

That thing kissed her.

The daggers disappear and Loki wraps both arms around the mother of his unborn child, almost crushing her to his chest while still staring at the spot where the double vanished.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, love”, he murmurs. He suspects things are very much not okay.

So does Jane, of course.

“Loki, was it … oof, not so tight … “

She wriggles against him, and he remembers his amor. And her condition. He immediately relaxes his arms a bit while letting the leather and metal melt back into the clothes he wore before: Black jeans and a fitted, dusty green t-shirt (his “rockstar outfit”, Jane had called it, when Loki first started switching up his human wardrobe some years ago now). Drops of saltwater still cling to the ends of his slightly curly raven locks.

“Tony! Jane, Loki! What on Earth was that?”

Pepper jumps out of the car parked in front of the house and runs towards them. She must have seen everything as she drove down the road following her flying husband.

“The verdict’s still out, Peps”. Tony nods at Loki. “You wanna chip in here? I just called the boy-scout at headquarters and told him to be on guard for one of the magician’s interns playing a prank”.

Loki shakes his head slowly.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think Stephen had anything to do with this”.

“You’re right, I didn’t”.

All four of them turn around to see the sorcerer step out of a swirling ring of light, his cape billowing around him. The mahogany floor and paneled walls of his Manhattan mansion are briefly visible behind him before the portal closes with a hiss of little sparks.

Strange is wearing an even sterner expression than usual which only adds to Loki’s growing sense of dread.

Tony, however, groans loudly.

“Dude, really? Couldn’t you at least have let us have dinner before party crashing? Not shaming your bachelor lifestyle or anything, but this was couples’ night!”

“Tony!” Pepper hits her husband on the arm.

Strange ignores him.

“I’m afraid the arrival of your surprise visitor indicates that a set of … unfortunate events have been set in motion”.

As always, his voice is as even as if he was reading the weather forecast, but by now Loki has learned to differentiate the (very) subtle nuances between scorn and sincerity. Strange places his hands behind his back and regards them coolly. “I’ve had Wong reach out to Doctor Banner and director Fury. They should be here shortly. Stark, you may want to-”.

Tony narrows his eyes, lip twitching.

“Hey, Bleeker Street, you know I have low tolerance for you showing up and barking orders without giving two f**** for context. How did you even know that something was going down here? By all means, don’t keep us in suspense until the cavalry gets here”.

Strange doesn’t answer, but the way his eyes dart to Jane sends needles through Loki’s heart.

“Let’s go sit down, shall we?” With one eyebrow raised, Strange puts on a suave smile and gestures towards the house. The effect is a little startling.

Jane ducks out from under Loki’s arms. “Jane, don’t you want to-“. She brushes him off.

“Yes, good idea, Stephen. Let’s go sit down”. She motions for Strange to follow. “Welcome to our home. I was actually making drinks before, but I think I need to add a bit more kick to them…”

Her voice is oddly calm, and Loki fights the urge to grab her and magic them both far, far away, not caring that she would be furious with him for making decisions on her behalf.

He’s brought back to the present by an even odder sound as Strange actually chuckles.

Loki is not sure he’s ever heard it before. Then again, it’s not that he really knows Strange when it comes down to it. Like Tony, Loki finds the wizard exceedingly arrogant.

Pepper is the first to follow Jane and Strange across the lawn while Loki and Tony hang back.

“Real ladies’ man when he wants to. Who would have thought”. The billionaire superhero scoffs. His suit has folded itself off and into a briefcase next to his feet.

“Tony-“

“Uh oh. First name basis. So this really is an emergency”.

Loki faces his friend. Often in the past years, as they’ve grown steadily closer outside of “work”, he has secretly marveled at how long they’ve come since someone threw someone else off a building after being called a diva.

And attacking a city with an alien army.

Jane always insisted the two “hotheads” (her word) had a lot in common when not trying to murder one another (be it with weapons or sarcastic commentary), and Loki has to admit she was right. The metal man is fiercely intelligent, and Loki has been enjoying the quick-witted snark between them infinitely more than he ever valued the company of Thor’s band of gullible warrior groupies on Asgard.

“Well?”. Tony is regarding him with eyebrows raised, expectant. “Give me your take on this cause I’m starting to put together some rather outlandish theories myself here that I’m kinda hoping you’ll thwart ASAP”.

Loki draws in a deep breath.

“That thing with Banner at the tower two years ago-“

“Fuck!” Tony exhales, exasperated. “I knew you were gonna say that”. He squints into the distance towards the ocean, his mouth a tight line. It’s a rare day that Tony Stark is caught under a clear blue sky without sunglasses but for once he doesn’t seem to notice.

Loki takes a step closer to him and lowers his voice so they won’t alert the others just yet.

“I told you then and you didn’t want to listen! Everything about Bruce’s story was off. I know he didn’t remember much after Steve took him down, but you all pretty much accused me of trying to get back at him for, well, you know what, and I kept telling you I thought someone had gotten to him! Now-“

Loki searches for the words. It’s beyond absurd.

“That man was a version of me, Tony. I have no idea how, but I felt it. I saw into his mind. It was filled with images from my past and then … other, recent memories. Dark ones. He came from nowhere. Literally. It didn’t feel like a place. I tried to discard it as a trick, you saw that, but…” Loki runs his hand through his moist hair. “Stephen obviously felt something tear open too. And that is not a good sign”.

He has Tony’s full attention.

“Tear open? Could this other you be associated with your old boss? With Thanos?”

Loki winces.

“No, I don’t think he’s involved”, he says sharply. “But I can’t be sure …”

Tony catches his tone pats his shoulder. “Okay, okay. Shake it off. Didn’t mean to suggest anything. Let’s say he’s not. I’d much prefer that, at least until the wizard presents us with an even uglier imminent threat to the universe. Which, judging by the fact that he’s even here, willingly sipping cocktails in your kitchen as we speak, he probably will”.

Tony throws his hands up with a dramatic air.

“And here I thought the most challenging part of this weekend would be to convince you two to come see Hamilton with us in the city next week!”

“Who’s-“

“Never mind. Did you get a look at that gadget your guy was holding? Boy, he looked like an office slave who’d slept under his desk for a month before getting fired, didn’t he? Were you ever into accounting yourself by any chance?”

Loki shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. Immediately he sees the image of the double kissing Jane, his arms wrapped firmly around her supple body. Rage rushes right back through him and his eyes snap open.

“Stark - I can’t. But yes, I did notice the device. It looked like a phone”.

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think it was the new iPhone”.

Tony shakes his head.

“The two of us and we didn’t take him down. Fury’s gonna have our badges”.

//

The director of SHIELD and Bruce Banner arrive barely 15 minutes later through a portal in the middle of the meadow-like lawn, following Wong and both looking grim and out of place as they weave around patches of wildflowers to reach the porch.

“Gentlemen, I trust you’re well”. Loki greets the trio with an only vaguely sarcastic nod as he holds open the screen doors to them, like a good host. Despite what some may still think, he can behave.

He could have just used magic of course, but he figures Banner is freaked enough as it is just by being here. The scientist hasn’t spoken more than five words to him since 2014 and at least three of them were expletives.

Once inside the small living room, Bruce goes to stand by the window and busies himself polishing his glasses with a little too much vigor than seems warranted.

He avoids Loki’s eyes but looks up and smiles wearily as Jane comes over to say hello.

Fury leans against the doorframe to the hallway and crosses his arms, face a closed book, and, by the sound of it, Tony is going through the cabinets in the kitchen trying to find something to spice up Jane’s pre-dinner cocktails.

Pepper is talking to Strange and Wong on the blue IKEA couch (assembled by magic after the attempt to go at it “as a team” turned into a shouting match), and Loki is about to politely ask Strange to please spit it out right this minute, when Jane is next to him, taking his hand.

“We need to talk. Now”.

Her voice is low and steady but her eyes insisting. She squeezes his fingers.

He squeezes back. “Come”.

Loki looks to Fury but he’s focused on Strange who’s listening very closely to something Wong’s saying.

Not letting go of Jane’s hand, he turns towards the kitchen. In the doorway they pass Tony who’s now holding what appears to be a glass of scotch. He must have given up on the gin and tonics.

“Hey, where are you two going? Forget about playing hosts okay, let’s just get started with part two of the evening’s entertainment”.

“In a minute”.

Jane pushes past him, ignoring Tony’s look and dragging Loki with her.

She closes the door behind them.

“Okay, so…” Jane looks around nervously in the small kitchen with the rustic white fronts and old brass handles. She loves that kitchen. They haven’t changed a thing since moving in. Loki reaches for her, but she takes a step back. “Jane, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have gotten there faster. Did he …“

“I need you tell me exactly what he said to you”.

She is absentmindedly opening and closing her fists in the way she does when that brilliant astrophysicist mind of hers is working out an intricate problem in the lab.

Or, Loki knows, when she’s about to deliver him bad news.

He clears his throat. “He said he was me. And that something big was happening”. There. “And then he said he was sorry”.

Jane studies his face.

“That he was sorry? For what?”

“He didn’t say. He stepped through the door”.

Jane is quiet and now it’s Loki’s turn to try and read her expression.

“What did he say to you? I assume he pretended to be me …?”

Jane holds up a hand and bites her lip. Loki swallows.

“Loki, when we were staying at the flat in London, after we defeated Malekith…”

“What?” Loki furrows his brow in confusion. “Why are we-“

“The poison from the monster’s blade, it had you slipping in and out of consciousness for days. You were so feverish…”

“Yes, I know. I was there”. Loki’s blood is slowly turning very cold, but he musters a smile. “And you were amazing, love. Although some might say you took adv-“

Jane interrupts him in the middle of his blossoming smirk. A slight blush appears on her own cheeks.

“Yes, um, it’s not about that day”. She gives him a stern look. “The other day, later, when Thor left after you two went and had your, um, talk … there’s something I need to tell you …”

The door to the living room opens behind them.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, Doctor Foster, I would very much like to hear this too”.

Stephen Strange steps into the kitchen. The door closes behind him.

Part 6

[lag1995-fics]

Hello!! I love how you write your stories! Is it okay if I request a story about Peter figuring out he can move/control metal while hanging out with the other x-men? And he accidentally makes them all start floating (because he's controlling the metal in their clothing) and everyone is trying to get him to calm down? Maybe even throw in some dadneto?

Hey Love ❤️ really sorry about the wait work has been a real bitch lately. I promise I haven’t forgotten any of you.

Magnetic

Pairing: mostly just dadneto but it does have a pinch of cherik because it’s canon in my mind

Words:1220

Warnings: my language but that’s about it

Summary: Peter becomes a human magnet 🧲

Masterlist

///::::///

Peter didn’t get upset often, he was the type to bottle his emotions until they exploded from the internal pressure. He had been shoving down his feelings about Erik for over ten years now and unknowingly shoving down his secondary mutation from manifesting along with said emotions. But like with all things emotions can’t be stamped out they will come out sometime if you don’t deal with them and it’s usually at the worst moment possible.

Peter’s moment came in a petty argument with Scott. Something a twenty six year old shouldn’t be doing especially with someone nearly ten years younger than them. It wasn’t even a good argument; it was over something as asinine as whether Peters silver pants were lame or not.

Peter and the kids had been chilling in one of the common areas. The kids pretty much flocked to Peter like a cool older brother. It had made him uncomfortable at first, he didn’t want to be that guy who hung out with teenagers. Adults that hung out with kids were weird, he was much more comfortable hanging out with Raven. He just wished she would drop the whole you should talk to your dad thing.

“Nice pants” Scott had scoffed at the speedster who only raised his eyebrow at the kid.

“Thank you, I spray painted them myself,” Peter informed him, his eyes twinkling. This only seemed to piss off Scott even more, he wanted to argue and it seemed like Peter wasn’t having it.

“Oh we can all see that” Scott scoffed and Peter felt a small thread of irritation run through him. Scott was notoriously a shit stirrer and liked to get under people’s skin.

“Nobody likes a bully, Scott,” Jean said without looking up from the copy of Hamlet she was reading. Scott looked properly chastised after being called out by his girlfriend. Peter knew that wouldn’t keep his mouth shut long.

“Yell nobody likes looking at a metallic eyesore” Scott laughed and Peter could feel his irritation building up. Jean huffed and got up just in time to drag scot away. It was too late though the emotions had already started to bubble up and instead of word vomit all the loose metal in the room started to levitate.

Once the objects were floating they started shooting towards Peter causing him to make a very “manly” squeal of surprise. Jean and Scott who had been in the doorway about to exit stopped to stare.

“What the hell” he yelled, unable to unstick any of the metal that had become attached to his person. Peter could feel the panic and anxiety start to build up which only threw his new found powers even more out of control. He tried shaking at superspeed to get the metal to fall off.

“I’m gonna go get the professor” Kurt declared with wide eyes when he saw that Peter was not in control. Kurt was gone with a bamf up to the professor’s study. Unfortunately for Peter or some might say it was fortunate, his father Erik happened to be up there playing chess with the professor.

***

*BAMF*

Erik blinked in surprise when the blue child teleported directly into Charles’ study. His surprise quickly turned to irritation, he was reminded again that this was a school and there would be no peace. His irritation then turned to slight guilt when he saw Charles’ worried face.

“What is wrong my boy?” Charles asked the nervous blue child. He couldn’t be more than 15, still all gangly limbs and awkward stares.

“It’s Peter, everything is sticking to him!” The frazzled teenager yelped. Erik felt an inexplicable rush of concern for the silver haired mutant. He had grown to like the boy in the brief time that he had known him.

“Kurt would you be kind enough to take us to Peter” Charles’ voice sounded right like he knew something and wasn’t sharing the information. Kurt nodded, taking each of the men’s arms. With a bamf the three were in one of the common rooms.

Erik for all that he had seen in his life could honestly say he had never been more stunned. There standing by the sofa was Peter covered in metal odds and ends looking completely miserable with a teaspoon stuck to his cheek. Erik stared mouth agape at the sight before him.

“It seems Peter has manifested a secondary mutation” Charles' voice brought Erik out of his stunned stupor. Peter, who had only just noticed the two new arrivals turned lobster red with embarrassment and began frantically shaking his limbs trying to dislodge the metal from his person.

“Peter, you need to calm down, only that will free the metal, Charles' voice cut through the chaos. Peter froze resembling a child with their hand caught in the cookie tin.

“Students please clear the room please,” he continued and the students dutifully filed out of the room leaving just Peter, Charles and Erik. Erik took the time that Peter was standing still to study the boy with his new knowledge. He hadn’t noticed before, his shock of silver hair and loud clothing drew one's eye away from his facial features. Peter had a very familiar face, he had Magda’s smile. He also had Erik’s nose and his Mama’s eyes. Erik was floored how he could have missed something so glaringly obvious.

Peter was his child, his adult child. He had missed out on his child’s entire life. He refused to miss a minute more he would be there for Peter no matter what, the Brotherhood be damned. Nothing came before his family, not even mutant kind.

Peter was following Charles' instructions , breathing in deep and holding them before letting them out. Slowly the bits of metal began to drop from Peter’s body.

“That’s it Peter, find your happiest memory” Erik suggested, coming to lay a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Peter’s breathing stuttered at the physical contact but quickly evened out again. It took Erik and Charles another fifteen minutes but soon Peter was completely calm and a pile of metal lay at his feet.

“Peter, can we talk?” Erik asked, Peter’s eyes went wide but he nodded. Charles excused himself without a word and Erik made a mental note to confront his lover about keeping things from him.

“So...what did you want to talk about?” Peter asked laughing nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“You said something to me ten years ago, with the chaos I didn’t have time to give it thought,” Erik started and Peter made an audible gulping noise in the back of his throat.

“Huh? Did I, about karate I think?” Peter deflected, uncomfortable with the building tension.

“No Peter, I think you know what I’m referring to. You mentioned something about your mother knowing someone who could bend metal.” Erik stated pointedly but not unkindly.

“Uh yeah” he rubbed even more furiously at the back of his neck.

“Yes and now you are experiencing a secondary metallokinesis mutation. Tell me Peter, was your mother’s name Magda?” He asked and Peter could feel all the emotional walls he had built crumble.

“Yes” Peter answered looking anywhere but at his father. That’s why he didn’t see it coming when he was suddenly wrapped in Erik’s long armed embrace.

As always thank you for reading. Feel free to drop an ask.

[shirophic]

close nights | mm!naegiri fic

here’s the mastermind!naegiri fic i promised  BAAHAHAHA VERY INSPIRED BY SONGS AND THERES A FAMILIAR QUOTE AT THE END IM PRETTY SURE MOST OF YALL HAVE HEARD ngl i feel like it went too quick but honestly idc give me feedback warnings: mentions of death, blood, stabbing, major character deaths

The night was cold, colder than usual.

Kyoko Kirigiri entered the security room, sighing as she sat down in the cool, blue chair. As she scanned her eyes across all the different cameras, quite a few things were on her mind. The 4th trial had ended, with alter ego’s death replaying in the minds of the students. Despair rotted within the students as fear shook them. Alter ego was their only hope, and now they were crushed.

Kirigiri watched as Asahina sobbed in her pillow, Hagakure trying to calm himself down, Togami reading as if nothing happened, Fukawa having a panic attack... Kirigiri bored her eyes into each of the footage from the cameras. Careful trying not to miss anything. Up until she reached a certain CCTV footage caught her eye. 

A boy holding up a sign. The boy was Makoto Naegi, Ultimate Lucky Student. Kirigiri knew better than that, she was the Ultimate Detective for a reason. She knew that talent was a deception, after all, what kind of talent is the “Ultimate Lucky Student”?

Kirigiri knew his real ultimate was despair, a sickening depth of darkness, tearing down others. 

To put it down to simpler words, It was his specialty.

Kirigiri never really understood the reason for despair. Sure, without despair there is no hope, but what was the real meaning behind it? Her ultimate was the Ultimate Detective, aren’t detectives supposed to be fighting against despair in the name of hope? Oh well, she was pretty much forced into this.

Turning her attention back to the green-eyed boy, she noticed there were words on the sign, with a grinning Naegi as he tried to stand tall enough to show the message.

“What an idiot. How did he become the Ultimate Despair again?”

The sign said “Come meet me in our special spot! Wear something pretty!” with a lopsided smiley face.

Once holding it for about 10 more seconds, he ran with the sign. Kirigiri had no idea what he had stored in that deceptive of a mind, but probably something not good.

- - -

As Kirigiri strode over to their “special place” Naegi was setting up something. Something like a room filled with candles and roses.

Rose petals and rose vines adorned the walls and floors. Candles were set up as yellow light shown in the darkness. Vodka and other drinks were lined up on a table, all set up for the night. Sure, it was cheesy, but something he put too much effort in. About a minute passed until Kirigiri arrived, Naegi staggered to fix his tie and suit, waiting at the entrance. As he looked up to meet with her eyes, he paused in amazement.

Kirigiri was wearing a deep purple dress that went just above her ankles with long gloves. Purple heels allowed her to have a little more height against Naegi. And her hair was up in a ponytail, with a purple bow to match. In all words, she was stunning. Naegi stood there agape as he looked at Kirigiri (respectfully of course.)

“Well? Are you just going to stand there looking like a reincarnation of Kuwata’s hair? Or are you going to explain what this is?” smirked Kirigiri, Naegi could have sworn he saw Kirigiri blush.

“Ah yes of course..” Mumbled Naegi as he looked down. “I.. I wanted us to take some time alone with each other, seeing as we get too caught up with the killing game and making sure none of them finds out about… about us..” spoke Naegi, softly.

Kirigiri’s smirk softened, seeing a side she saw many times, but not like this. Was this a confession? Perhaps a prank? She had known the boy for far too long to just not expect this wasn’t one of his other little pranks.

“Well then… In that case, let us take some time with each other.”

With that, Naegi and Kirigiri spent time talking and letting out their struggles. “It’s hard to keep track of what I've said and what I've not! It’s like I have to create a mental script..”

“You.. don’t have a mental script?” “You do!?”

As the night went on, Naegi played some music.

“Oh.. Isn’t this Lacrimosa?” questioned Kirigiri.

“Yea! Sometimes it calms me down when times are rough for me,” exclaimed Naegi.

Kirigiri didn’t respond as she looked like she was lost in thought.

“You’re thinking about your past again, aren’t you?” whispered Naegi.

Kirigiri turned to glance at Naegi, a stoic but slightly saddened expression on her face, “You.. You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself perfectly fine, just some… memories.”

Naegi examined Kirigiri for a while before standing up and lending Kirigiri his hand.

“Hey, I’m no doctor or therapist but, maybe a waltz will get it off your mind,” suggested Naegi.

Kirigiri opened her mouth for a bit, but completely drew a blank. Eventually, she surrendered and took Naegi’s hand.

They danced to Lacrimosa until it came upon an end.

Naegi slightly lifted his head to Kirigiri’s lavender eyes, yet couldn’t make out what was in them, sadness? Regret? Anger? He’ll never know.

-

Kirigiri had many thoughts as she slowly danced with Naegi, but she held them off for the time being, as they both wanted time together. And she didn’t want her depressing thoughts to ruin it.

-

Kirigiri and Naegi made eye contact as their thoughts disappeared, only focusing on each other now.

-

Kirigiri suddenly stopped, being aware of her surroundings and what she was doing - dancing. And with whom she was dancing with. “I.. Don’t you think it’s a bit… well, late for this?” Kirigiri questioned, “I wouldn’t want to be caught, god knows what they’re up to…” Naegi paused and chuckled for a bit. “We’re the ones in charge, aren’t we? Where is their god now?” Kirigiri looked down, not saying anything. “Where is their god now?” typical Naegi…” “if you don’t want to do this right now, why not grab a drink with me?” Kirigiri looked at Naegi with slight amusement, “why the niceties now?” but gave in, as her throat ached with thirst.

Naegi laughed quietly, then led Kirigiri to the food and drinks stand. Naegi grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured 

“Hm, don’t you think we’re too young to be drinking?” “We’re 18 now, did you forget? Oh yea, Junko erased your memories as well.”

Kirigiri got lost in thought as she remembered the previous ultimate despair Junko Enoshima was the previous despair. Keyword: previous. Naegi and Enoshima had been partners for quite a while, a feared duo. After “The Tragedy” and after class 78 got converted to a new school for a safe shelter, Enoshima and Naegi were already putting their plan into action. They made sure everything was sealed and “safe” and after about a year, Enoshima forced them into the killing game. Unbeknownst to the other 15 students, Naegi was also in this plan from behind the scenes. And after the first death (Ikusaba), Naegi and Enoshima got into a fight.

- - -

An angry Naegi burst through the doors of the security room, opening to a gleeful-looking Enoshima.

Naegi never had any thoughts on Ikusaba, she was just another pawn in Enoshima’s plan. But she always had to make things complicated for him.

“Enoshima!” Naegi yelled, “How could you just let Ikusaba die like that? Do you know how risky that was.. If they found out-”

“Which they won’t, honestly Naegi you’re too paranoid,” Enoshima said unbothered. “And If they did I’m sure you can just kill them off like a fly.” 

Naegi had a dark look on his face, “And what would be the explanation for that? Tell me.”

“I-”

“Oh! Togami just pissed me off! So I killed him in cold blood, upupupupu!”

Enoshima took a stand, an annoyed look displayed on her face. 

“Look Naegi, if you’re just going to argue about the past, fuck off, it can’t be changed and you know that.”

Naegi quietly chuckled, which turned into full-on laughter.

“AHA- HAHAHAHA, you think I’m just going to accept giving up like that? Well unbeknownst to you, Enoshima, I have a few cards up my sleeve as well..”

Naegi swiftly threw a card at Enoshima’s face, giving a fresh cut to her cheek. Enoshima looked at Naegi in disbelief, gently touching her face.

“H- How dare you,” Enoshima said, bewildered.

Naegi looked at her in amusement, “Was that not entertaining for you enough, Enoshima?”

Enoshima growled, spitting at Naegi. 

“Fuck you,”

“Pay me.”

Naegi quickly moved behind Enoshima, slicing the back of her neck, then putting her up against the wall with a knife under her chin, complimenting her facial features.

“Well now, the shorty finally decided to grow some balls, huh?” Enoshima teased, wincing as the cut behind her neck burned.

“You know damn well I grew some balls ever since I even started our little plan. Have a nice time in hell, Enoshima.” Naegi sneered, looking up at the despair twin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be saving you a seat.”

Naegi then sliced her neck, pink blood dripping from the knife and onto Naegi’s hand.

Naegi hummed, dropping Enoshima on the floor, disgust filling his senses. “As much as I love bringing people into despair, the stench of blood is disgusting.”

Naegi then washed his hands and ordered monokuma to clean the mess up before heading towards his dorm room, pretending as if nothing happened.

- - -

“Hello? Earth to Kirigiri?” Naegi waved his hand in front of Kirigiri’s face.

Kirigiri was brung back into reality, realization striking her that she was lost in thought. 

“O-oh, Naegi. Sorry, I was lost in thought… again.” Kirigiri said rather embarrassingly, glanced at the shot she was holding, and gulped it down.

“It’s okay Kirigiri,” Naegi spoke as he had doubt in his eyes. He then took a shot, shaking his head.

“Hey Kirigiri, I know I invited you here myself but, there’s another place I wanna show you, care to join me?”

Kirigiri pondered for a minute, should she really go with a murderer who killed the ultimate despair only just to become the ultimate despair himself? Kirigiri sighed, he couldn’t kill her because of her secret anyways. Kirigiri remembered how desperate he was to know the secret.

- - -

(beginning of chapter 3)

Naegi whined as he followed Kirigiri around pleading. 

“Oh Kirigiri pleaaase!” he begged, “Let me know your secret!”

Kirigiri stopped and looked at Naegi, “why do you want to learn my secret so much?”

Naegi scoffed, “Well obviously because you’ve mentioned it once before and never told me! I thought I was your best friend..”

Kirigiri shook her head and continued to walk towards the physics lab, a click in her steps.

- - -

Oh well, it’s not like she has much of a choice.

Kirigiri sighed and followed Naegi, hoping that it would mean something good.

- - -

Naegi led Kirigiri up to the roof of the school, looking back from tie to time with a smile on his face.

Once on the roof, Naegi invited Kirigiri to sit down. The area was outgrown, plants growing everywhere. Fires all around the building, blazes and flames of fire all around the base of the school, the sun setting with a red aura.

Smoke filling Kirigiri's senses, she coughed. “W-Where are we Naegi?” she said as she looked at Naegi. Naegi’s face was lightened with red, orange, and yellow hues as he grinned down upon the world, eyes sparkling with delight.

“We’re.. We’re at the top of the world,” Naegi smiled.

Kirigiri glanced at Naegi with a confused expression but stoic eyes as she looked Naegi up and down.

“Quit the act, why did you bring me here?” Kirigiri demanded.

Naegi turned around, surprised. “Kirigiri, I just wanted to spend time with yo-”

“Stop, I know you’re lying to me. Spit it out.”

Naegi sighed with an annoyed tone and looked Kirigiri directly in the eye.

“I want to know your secret.”

Kirigiri was disappointed, but not surprised. Naegi was an awfully ambitious person and would go to extraordinary heights to get what he wanted, but Kirigiri was awfully stubborn.

“And exactly why should I tell you? For all I know, you could kill me instantly after.” Kirigiri doubted.

“Well for one, you can get out alive!” Naegi laughed, “But you’re not getting away this easily, Kirigiri.”

Kirigiri carefully examined the options she had; A: make a run for it, B: punch him and run, C: tell him and live. She knew with plans A and B he could easily either send monokuma after her or just kill her himself. And with plan C he could also be lying. So in all, it’s a win-lose situation.

Kirigiri sighed and made up her mind.

“I’m not telling you, whether you kill me or not. And besides, even you don’t know the secrets of this school, you need me.”

Naegi examined her closely again, then swiftly took out knives, throwing them all at Kirigiri. Which she dodged them all, even catching one. She threw the knife aside and stepped forward towards Naegi.

“You know you need me, you can’t do anything without me. Give up.”

Naegi growled, “shut up, shut up, shut up!”

With a few knives cutting Kirigiri’s dress and skin, she fell on the ground, backing away from Naegi.

She winced in pain as she looked up at Naegi, her vision blurring as she tried to make out what to do. Naegi stopped in front of her, playing with the knife in his hands before kneeling down in front of her face, lifting her chin up with the knife.

“You know Kirigiri, you’re an intelligent person with lots of room for improvement. I never wanted to come to this conclusion, but if you’re not going to work with me here, we’re going to have a problem.” threatened Naegi.

Kirigiri glared up at Naegi, keeping full eye contact.

“I’m not giving in, no matter what little tricks you have in store.”

Naegi rolled his eyes in annoyance, then putting his knife hard against her neck, “if you oblige, I’ll make your death quick and painless, if you don’t - well then you’re gonna have a fun time suffering.”

Kirigiri stared at Naegi in silence watching as her blood dripped down from her neck and onto everywhere.

Naegi then grew tired of waiting and sliced Kirigiri’s throat leaving her dead blank face the last expression she’ll ever make again.

He then stood up and started walking towards the exit down back to the school, when he heard something.

“I-Ikusaba… she’s alive, an…” Naegi whipped around, anxious, as he urged Kirigiri to continue. “And… she’s o-out for you..”

Naegi was stunned into silence. Ikusaba.. was alive? And she wanted vengeance? Naegi was very confused about this whole proposition. This was Kirigiri’s secret? Naegi then looked at Kirigiri again waiting for more information. But to no avail, Kirigiri’s eyes rid of the light and grew dead.

Naegi then started pacing around, wondering what to do next. Should he try to find Ikusaba? Should he kill Ikusaba once and for all? Should he-

Naegi was then interrupted by a figure in the shadows. He turned around to look who it is, but he couldn’t make out who it was until they stepped into the light.

“Naegi,” a cool monotone voice spoke, “We meet again.”

The figure then stepped into the light - a face known too well.

Mukuro Ikusaba. The other despair twin. Also known as the ultimate soldier. The last time Naegi and Ikusaba met was when they were putting the plan into action and putting the students in the classrooms. After that they barely interacted.

Naegi knew Ikusaba was dangerous. Her talent gave it away, after all. She knew tons of different strategies, and while Enoshima liked to say that the strategies were hers’ - spoiler alert: they were not.

Turning back to reality, Naegi began thinking of different tactics to well ah, slaughter his close friend.

Ikusaba read Naegi like a book, and took out her dagger - to which Naegi replied to taking his own out as well.

“Impressive, I saw what you did with Kirigiri. You’ve worked on your reflexes.” complimented Ikusaba. “But you’re no match for me.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Alright, let’s dance.”

[eleanor-devil]

Boruto: Sacrifices [Remade] | Chap.20 - Team Konohamaru's New Member?

Written by: Eleanor-Devil & @mirage-05​​

Prologue | Chap.1 | Chap.2 | Chap.3 | Chap.4 | Chap.5 | Chap.6 | Chap.7 | Chap.8 | Chap.9 | Chap. 10 | Chap.11 | Chap.12 | Chap.13 | Chap.14 | Chap.15 | Chap.16 | Chap.17 | Chap.18 | Chap.19 | Chap.20 - You’re here

And he had thought the day couldn't possibly become more challenging. Ichiro had just left the office, and he was just as much of a head case as he was the day before. The only difference was that now that he was officially the leader of the Sarutobi - which honestly was a concept Konohamaru was still trying to wrap his mind around - the teen had to act more reserved and respectable around him. Deep down, though, he couldn't help but feel like this was eventually gonna brew a rebellion sooner or later. It would take only a spark. So he was going to act very careful, so as not to make any mistakes. In other words, it was a battle of wills between himself and the clan's next heir. Lost in his thoughts, Konohamaru raised his head as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." A chuunin walked into his office, a folded piece of paper in her hand. "Konohamaru-san," she said with a small bow, holding the paper out to him. "Lord Hokage wanted me to deliver this message to you." The brunet took the message. "Thank you." As the woman left, he quickly unfolded the paper and took a look at the handwriting. In a minute, he lowered his head in his palm with a sigh. Yep... this day indeed couldn't have turned out more challenging. ...

"I don't understand..." Sarada said with a small frown as she was walking beside Boruto. "Why would lord seventh ask to see us now?" "He didn't specify the details." the blond said, although he sounded a little... concerned, the Uchiha noted. It had been a little over a week since their friend fell into the coma, and they had never received a call from the Hokage's office since then. So both of the children were understandably... a little nervous. Although, as much as she couldn't put a finger on it... There was something different about Boruto, it was as if he was... expecting something, or else plotting something. She didn't know what that could possibly be but sometimes... the kind of determination and devotion scared the girl. Still... Sarada chose not to voice any of her thoughts as they came in front of the Hokage building. ... "WHAT?!" Naruto sighed and closed his eyes for a moment at his son's outburst. "Just calm down and listen, Boruto..." "Listen?! What is there to listen to, dad? You are telling us that you are replacing Mitsuki in the team!" "I am not." his father said patiently. "This is only a temporary mission. The boy who will be accompanying you has his own team..." "Then he should be sent with his own team!" "They are on a different mission right now." Boruto snorted out a sarcastic laugh. "What kind of a tactic is that dad? Since when have you been mix-matching teams?" "Lord seventh, please... I don't think we're really ready for a mission right now." Sarada said. "I might have reconsidered my decision if the situation wasn't urgent." The Hokage's voice was soft but it was obvious that he wasn't going to give in. "The ingredient you must recover is extremely rare and can only be collected at this time of the year, and since his grandson is the only one who can truly identify it... Teuchi-san asked for him to accompany this mission." Boruto crossed his arms and turned his back to his dad, his expression still very cross. "Find another team, dad." "Boruto..." "No, I'm serious dad!" the boy snapped, turning back furiously. "No matter how you cut it, it will still feel like he's just there as a replacement! And he will never be as good as Mitsuki!" He had to take a pause, breathing heavily because he had just delivered the speech in one breath. "Why are you doing this to us...?" he asked finally, his tone broken. In his eyes, this was nothing short of a betrayal. Naruto sighed again before getting up from his seat and approaching his son. "Boruto, Sarada... I know it's hard for you both but please have faith in me... I'm not doing this to replace Mitsuki at all... It was bec-" "Will there be any other missions like this?" his son cut in abruptly, his tone still tense but a careful look in his eyes, almost... calculating. It caught Naruto off guard for a moment, but he was quick to brush it off. "Not if there's another emergency, no." "Dad, this isn't the answer we're looking for." "But I can't give you guarantees on a matter that's out of my control. But... next time, I'll try to arrange a three-man mission, okay?" Sarada sighed a breath of relief at that, she wasn't really keen about this mission either... Boruto looked at his father for a moment, and Naruto saw that the look in his eyes, that calculating look, stayed in place... Was he... planning something? Before he could elaborate on it, though, Boruto huffed and unfolded his arms, bringing one of his hands to stretch his neck, avoiding his eyes. "Okay, okay... I'll do your mission." ... When they finally walked outside, they found their sensei was waiting for them... talking with the boy that would be 'accompanying' them. The first thing that could be said about him was... well, he was quite plain-looking. He had a thin build, not exactly skinny but not with many muscles to show. Blond, shoulder length hair framed a tanned face with brown eyes. He looks too much like me, Boruto decided as soon as they saw him, adding to his grumpiness. At least their original team had color variety. Seeing them, the boy broke into a pleasant smile. "Hello! Nice to meet you, I'm..." Boruto raised his hand to cut in. "I don't do introductions. We're only here for the mission, and that's that." The newcomer was clearly taken aback. "Uuuh..." "Boruto, be nice to him." Konohamaru said seriously. "This is Beika, and as you both know-" "I'm sorry, was it 'baka'?" "Boruto..." the brunet had a slight frown on his features now. "Eh? No, it's 'Beika', as in... baker?" "Are you trying to tell me-" "Why," Konohamaru cut in, loud, sensing that this wasn't going to end up well. "don't you quickly introduce yourselves before we start, too?" He looked pointedly at his two students. There was a moment of silence. "Uchiha Sarada." the girl finally spoke, and while her tone wasn't as hostile as Boruto's, it couldn't be clearer that she was not interested either. "Uzumaki Boruto, but you can just keep it in mind as 'stay away'." "You know," and finally... there was a frown on Beika's face, too. "You really don't have to take that tone with me." "Whatever." "Beika... let me have a quick word with these two." The boy nodded silently, his eyes still on the Uzumaki as Konohamaru drew the two friends away. "Now, listen to me," the jounin told them when they were out of earshot. "Beika didn't choose to be part of the team for this mission, Teuchi-san didn't specifically ask for our team to take it. Do you see where I'm going with this?" "He might be... as unwilling as we are?" Sarada asked. "That wouldn't be how I put it, since he's actually showing some effort to act as part of this team." Konohamaru cut in quickly when he saw Boruto was about to say something. "I know what you feel, but this is how it works in the shinobi world, sometimes you have to work with people other than your teammates. Especially after you become Chuunins.” At this point, he looked meaningfully at Sarada. “And well... since this is a very basic mission, I'm pretty sure it won't take too long. So please... behave." he finished, especially looking at Boruto. "Doesn't mean I have to enjoy it," the blond mumbled. The jounin sighed. "Boruto... Lord seventh arranged this mission so you two can ease your minds a little. It's temporary, Beika won't be here all the time for all the possible missions, and I know you better than this. So please..." "...behave. Yeah, okay, got it Konohamaru-onii-chan." Boruto said finally in a resigned tone, and this time the old epithet made the brunet actually smile a bit before ruffling his hair light-heartedly. ... "So... where are we headed to?" Beika smiled a little as he heard the noticeable change for the good in Sarada's tone. "We are headed to a small village on the other side of the hills a few kilometers away from our southern border." he replied. "The ingredient we're searching for must be of their native origin..." the girl deduced. "Yes, indeed. Actually, its origin is the snow country, but in this certain time of the year it can be-" "Yeah yeah, we got it, cut it short will you?" "Boruto, don't make me repeat myself." "What? I didn't say anything!" "Look, it's not my fault your friend isn't here." Beika started in a tone that was obviously trying to stay calm. Nobody said anything for a moment. "This... really isn't the best topic to bring up..." Sarada said, sweat dropping by the side of her cheek. It looked like the boy was going to say something else... but then he decided against it. They continued down the pathway, not speaking much with each other after that. ... They reached the village in about an hour. It was like they had stepped into another reality. Since it was the beginning of April, the weather was growing milder in Konoha. Certainly not this cold - at all. The place gave the friends the feeling that they had just stepped into a freezer. A middle-aged man with a pleasant expression greeted them at the entrance. "Welcome to Kanabiri," he said warmly as they came to a stop in front of him. "Sorry, we couldn't give you a warmer welcome... Got it? Warmer - because of the weather!" They tried their best not to look too awkward as the man laughed heartily at his own joke - all but Beika, who sweatdropped. "I see you still haven't improved your humor skills, Oyayama-san." "Beika, my boy," the man put a hand on Beika's shoulder, and with his size, the blond looked even smaller. 'What a joke,' Boruto thought grumpily. "It's been a while! Tell me about your grandfather." "He's doing quite good, thank you." "I thought you would come with the dog girl and that perma-grin boy?" Boruto and Sarada just looked at each other, trying not to roll their eyes. This team sounded weirder and weirder each passing second. "No, we got separated. This is Uzumaki Boruto, Uchiha Sarada and Sarutobi Konohamaru-sensei." Oyayama shook their hands in turn. "Nice to meet all of you. Please make yourselves at home while we make the last preparations. There is a small celebration going on right now in the village actually." And sure enough, they could hear music coming from not too far away. "Thank you, we will enjoy that." Konohamaru said pleasantly. Well... Boruto had other plans. ... They had been enjoying the celebrations - which were apparently for a wedding that would take place in the evening. She was trying to be open-minded about Beika, coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't his fault what they had been going through, and finding out that he is actually a person whose conversation she could enjoy. But of course Sarada noticed the absence of the familiar presence of her childhood friend. "Umm, sensei..." she approached Konohamaru, trying to be discreet about it. "Do you know where Boruto is?" "Hm? No, I haven't seen him in a while," the brunet replied, but he didn't seem so worried about it. "I wouldn't worry, though, he's probably somewhere around the village." "True... I just..." the girl bit her lower lip. "What is it, Sarada?" her sensei asked, still not really concerned but slightly bothered by her behavior. "Something just doesn't feel right." she concluded a little bit sheepishly. Before Konohamaru could say something, Oyayama approached them. "Konohamaru-san, everything is ready to go." "Thank you for your cooperation," Konohamaru said, and then looked around. "Now if we can find Boruto..." "Oh, he's not here." Oyayama's daughter chirped in from beside him, which left everyone baffled for a second. "What do you mean?" Sarada asked, immediately going into alarm mode. "He said something about a secret mission," the girl continued brightly, not aware of how they suddenly became tense. "Kaa-san was teaching us about some herbs and he asked about... umm, the name was..." "It was the Okanouchi flower," came a female voice behind the girl as her mother walked forward. With that word, Oyayama turned to look at her, a slight frown on his face. "Wait, I thought that flower went extinct a few years ago?" "That's what I tried to tell him," the woman replied, looking at her husband. "True, the plant's healing substances are still used as components of all kinds of medicine, but it's not as effective as the original. The plant itself..." "Healing?" Konohamaru asked, his eyes widening. "That was its main purpose, yes." Sarada didn't need any help to catch up to her sensei. "Sensei, we need to find him..." she said, worry evident in her onyx eyes. It was taken to a different level now - she was hoping that they would find Boruto before he had to suffer a big disappointment. "And we will." the jounin said firmly. "Ma'am, any ideas of where he could go to search for this... plant?" "Wait, do we need to find him immediately?" Beika asked, frowning a little himself. "I mean, it's not like he's in danger, and we need to take the ing-" "Are you seriously even comparing these situations?" the Uchiha asked unbelievably. "Well I'm sorry but there IS a reason why the mission couldn't be postponed." "Well I'm sorry to say that right now, I don't give two-" "We can arrange for the ingredients to last longer," Oyayama put in helpfully. "Thank you, we will take it," Konohamaru said before turning to Beika. "I understand your concern, but we don't leave anyone behind. I'm pretty sure this is not your sensei's way of teaching, so do comply with us." When the blond didn't say anything to that, the brunet turned to Oyayama's wife. "Please give us more information about that location." ... He was getting close. It was more of a gut feeling rather than actually knowing the territory. It felt like he couldn't do this wrong, he couldn't have mistaken or miscalculated anything, this was the chance he was waiting for, the thing he had planned all along. Of course, Boruto was quite aware of the fact that he was going to hear from Konohamaru-sensei for abandoning a mission, but he didn't really care right now. Realizing that he had almost reached the mountain top - his destination - the blond started paying closer attention to his surroundings. The plant in description sounded quite... plain, except for some details. It was a brilliant cyan in color, but the trickiest part was the leaves. From noon to two pm each day they were glowing with a barely noticeable hint of gold. It was fifteen minutes to two, so he had to be quick. Luck was by his side. He indeed came upon a cluster of light blue flowers by the riverside he was climbing. Coming to an immediate stop, excited, Boruto knelt down. These weren't the flowers he was looking for. This continued on for a while as the blond continued moving up the mountain side, looking at every group of blue flowers he could find, growing more and more desperate with each one of them. There was always something missing, something wrong that disqualifies the plant as the one he needed. "No..." he mumbled as he picked another flower, turning it in his hand to look at every detail. "No, no..." In his frustration, he tore the petals apart. "Boruto...!" he then heard a voice. He immediately jumped back on his feet and sprinted forward again, he didn't want to be interrupted right now! He still had a little time... "Boruto!" a different, more commanding voice then sounded, but the blond still acted like he couldn't hear any of them. It was finally someone grabbing him, tight, from behind that forced the pre-teen to stop. However, Boruto didn't stop trying to move out of his sensei's embrace. "Let me go!" he yelled in frustration. "Boruto..." Konohamaru's voice was decidedly soft. "I'm sorry kid..." "No... if you just let me go, we still have time..." Boruto tried again, growing desperate. Why couldn't he understand?! Time was precious - they couldn't afford to lose any! "Boruto... what you're looking for is extinct, you can't find any by just looking around..." "I can!" the boy yelled again. "Just - just let me go, I know I can fix this, Konohamaru-nii-chan, PLEASE!" That was when his eyes landed on his female teammate, and hope was rekindled in him. "Sarada... Sarada, you - you know this is real - you read about it right?! You believe me, right?!" There was nothing but sorrow in the girl's eyes, it was hard for her to watch her friend in this state... "Boruto, I-I'm sorry... Sensei is right... Okanouchi went extinct-" "No! Just - dammit!" the blond started heaving in deep breaths, coming closer to hyperventilating. "Please... we don't have time... we don't... we..." Konohamaru just hugged him tighter with his words. "Are you dense?" The voice was harsh, no sympathy whatever in it. Konohamaru felt Boruto tense in his arms, but none of the members of Team Konohamaru said anything. "What were you thinking, endangering a mission to chase after something everyone knows is gone for good?" Their blond companion was seething... not the cheerful boy they had seen in the beginning. "Beika," the jounin was frowning now. "It is not your place to tell Boruto off, I will do it myself if I find it necessary." "Well I'm sorry but when will it be necessary?!" "Don't take that tone with my sensei..." Boruto said in a low voice, frowning slightly. "I mean yeah, I got it, you somehow believe that I'm here to take your friend's place but you know what? I didn't want any of it! If I could, I would go with my friends! And maybe next time you should tell your friend not to make such dumb deci-" Konohamaru was too concentrated on holding Boruto. It didn't even register to him that someone else moved first. WHAM! Both the boy and the jounin's eyes widened a little at the usually calm Sarada's reaction. The Uchiha was practically shaking with fury as she continued looking at Beika, her hand with which she pulled the punch still in the air. The boy was also looking at her, appalled, one hand on his cheek. "You... I've had enough of you!" the girl exclaimed, her tone furious and heated. "Do you have even the slightest idea of what it means to have someone you hold dear in a very critical condition and you don't know what will happen next?! Do you know what desperation feels like?! Do you even have a heart?!" "I-" "Save it. I want nothing more than to complete this stupid mission so I will never have to see your face again." "I bet you were one of those who kept harassing Mitsuki." Boruto said, his tone just as cold. "Excuse me? I wasn't even in Konoha this past week!" "Yeah, right." "That's quite enough." Konohamaru's voice cut in, serious and stern. "We end this mission right now. We're returning to Konoha and... I don't think I have to say that my report is gonna be full of disappointment. I expected much better from all of you." The genins didn't say anything to that, but none of them were looking at each other... ... "Log, I understand your concerns but... you know as well as I do that this is not the first time Orochimaru-sama disappeared for this long." Karin was sitting in one of the lounge chairs in the attendance room, one of her hands resting on her growing belly, her red eyes on the young man standing in front of her. The oldest son - or in this case, clone - Orochimaru created was clearly in distress - although he didn't show any physical signs of it, the redhead knew him long enough to know. "I know that." Log said curtly, tense. "But something is wrong... Don't you think he would be back from Konoha by now? A week is too long for a village that supposedly doesn't trust him." The woman sighed at that, the young man was indeed talking about her worries in the passing time... In all honesty, she had been restless for a couple of days, too, pacing around, constantly sighing... It had only been for her boyfriend's sake that she had been trying to keep it under control, what with Suigetsu warning her from time to time to not get overly-stressed (who would have thought he could become such a good father even before the baby was born anyway)... But the worries were there, hidden deep. "Well...?" Log was impatient, her silence was clearly frustrating him. Karin closed her eyes for a minute before opening them again and getting up. "Follow me." Together they walked (or in Log's case, stormed) towards the exit of the hideout. Juugo and Suigetsu were outside, doing some spar out of boredom, because without Orochimaru here, there wasn't much to do other than the routine things, which didn't take much time. "Juugo," she called, walking up to them and crossing her arms as a serious expression crossed her face. "This is getting ridiculous, we want to know right now what is taking Orochimaru-sama so long. Do your thing." "My thing?" the orange haired man straightened up from his spar position. "What do you mean Karin?" "She is being paranoid... again." said Suigetsu, looking at the pregnant woman. "She thinks that something happened but I've told her a thousand times that everything is fine, it's not like it's the first time Orochimaru leaves without saying anything..." He looked at Log. "Have you been feeding her anxiety, kid?" That earned him a glare. Pregnant or not, Karin's temper was still there and... you could say it was ten times worse because of the mood swings. Suigetsu only knew what was coming when he felt something hit him hard on the head. "I dare you to call me paranoid again, Suigetsu! Do I have to remind you that I'm carrying YOUR baby?!" "Hey!" the white haired man quickly stood up. "Do I have to remind you that you agreed with having a baby too?" "Cut it out, you two." Juugo said, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Now that he thought about it... Yeah, he would say he had stock in the worry department himself. Orochimaru had said he was going to meet Mitsuki... and since he wasn't allowed in Konoha, him being away for a week, well... It was not exactly comforting. He sighed. "Alright, I'm gonna try to learn if there's anything new from the birds." "Bird-whisperer," Suigetsu said in an undertone, to which the orange haired man just rolled his eyes. Then the white haired man looked at his girlfriend. "Look, go inside and settle down, will you? We will tell you if we learn something new." But the red haired woman was not about to do it so easily. "Suigetsu, I am not leaving until Juugo says something... I am worried about Mitsuki and if you try to hide anything from me, I swear I will track Orochimaru's chakra on my own." And there she was trailing again... Juugo was not listening to the couple anymore, he was staring at the sky as he waited for a bird to come. And it did, not one but two of them who landed safely on his hand. His dark orange eyes stared at the birds as they began chirping. The couple and Log watched on, not interrupting anymore as he listened to whatever the birds were chirping about. Suigetsu noticed it first, though, being nearer to the man, when he noticed his eyes widening slightly. "Good lord..." Juugo whispered to himself, his free hand balling into a fist. Hearing the man's words, Karin quickly approached him, worry suddenly filling her eyes. "What? What is it, Juugo?!" her voice sounded more anxious than she had actually wanted to show. "What happened?" Karin suddenly coming to the point of freaking out, Suigetsu felt the need to once again intervene, although he knew very well that it might end up in blood, and he was worried by Juugo's reaction himself. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy." he said, trying to calm her down. "Suigetsu, I swear something will break if YOU don't drop this attitude, and I'm not talking about pregnancy issues," Karin snarled. "What did you learn, Juugo?" she insisted, turning to the orange haired man. "Just spill it already!" Log, who had been silent for a while, finally burst out. The taller man allowed the birds to fly away before he dropped his arm, Karin noticed how his eyes hardened more than ever as he turned around to face them. "Something... really bad happened to Mitsuki..." The whisper was all the contrary to the man's hardened features... the whisper came out barely making it to the other two's ears... Karin hadn't really noticed that she had forgotten how to breathe, stuck in the endless moment of Juugo's declaration as his words echoed in her mind. Suigetsu was staring at Juugo, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just said, but his mind and body sprang into action when he saw Karin swaying on her feet. He caught her before she could fall to the ground. "Hey, easy, dammit..." He looked up at Juugo again. "Wha... what happened?" "He..." there was a lump in his throat. "He was attacked on the way here... the birds said that those who attacked him were going to attack Konoha. He engaged them into a fight and... got really hurt." He eyed Log and an already weakened Karin, he didn't know how to say the rest... but he had to. "He is in a coma..." With that, the older brother didn't even stay to listen for more... In less than a second, without saying a word to them, he had sprung to the trees, disappearing out of sight. When she heard that last word, Karin couldn't hold it back anymore. A sob escaped her mouth as she brought her hand to her mouth, tears falling down her face. "I knew it... I knew something happened, I knew it..." she whispered to herself, shaking slightly with the sobs. She had felt her heart tug a week ago, she didn't know why but she immediately felt it was about Mitsuki, something in her heart and head had immediately thought of the light blue haired boy that she had practically raised as her own child... and now she knew it was true... As she wiped her tears away and slowly released herself from Suigetsu's grip, she took a few steps before looking at the two men. "I want to go there." she said. "I want to go to Konoha." "We can't just show up at the border and demand them to let us see him, we are not allowed into the village, either..." Suigetsu said, as much as he wanted to go too, there was something called being reasonable. "I would like to see anyone denying me the right to see my baby boy," Karin snapped. "We are going to Konoha, now, and that's that." Juugo didn't say anything, Karin was already acting like a mother, it was just instinct and he knew nothing would stop that woman from going to see Mitsuki. "Very well, let's go then." They would think of a way to get inside the village somehow... Of course it would not be as easy as the last time they had done it was back when the Great Fourth Ninja War was happening.

[alonely-dreamer]

The Valuable Sun | Chapter 22 (The End)

Summary: Witches never die.

Pairing: Eric x OC

Warnings: 18+

A/N: Please, note that I am French so there might be some mistakes here and there.

Words: 6228

Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21

Adapting to being a vampire wasn’t so hard for Brooklynne. Perhaps because she wasn’t really a vampire, but rather a vampire-fairy hybrid who, aside from being immortal, was as human as she used to be.

She didn’t fear the sun, she ate human food and didn’t have to rely on blood to survive. The hardest part of her transition was that everything was heightened. Her sight, her hearing, her strength… She was faster than lightning, and, since apparently it was a hereditary talent, she could fly, like her maker. A talent she’d have to learn to control, and a talent which Pam was jealously unequipped with.

To the rest of the world, Brooke was just another mortal, weird like her sister, maybe gifted with telepathy for those who believed in those sorts of things. But to her family, to her loved ones, she was the strongest creature on Earth, and, therefore, the weakest.

Eric’s worry was loud and made him even more unpleasant than before. With other people, that is. He took extra care of Brooklynne, who felt like a little girl again, who wasn’t allowed to leave her house because she’d get too distracted to even remember her own name.

Fortunately for her, Eric could not control her days, which she spent with her sister at Merlotte’s. It had been a week now, since she had become a vampire, and the only abnormal behavior she showed was an extreme appetite. She could not stop eating, and she almost emptied Sam’s kitchen, not that he would ever complain about it.

“Look at you,” Arlene said as she walked behind the bar to grab a bottle of alcohol. “You wouldn’t be expecting a happy event, would you?”

Brooklynne almost choked on her chicken wing and Arlene laughed as the hybrid coughed and wiped the mess she had made.

“What? No!”

“I’m just kidding ya. I know you can’t get pregnant. Not while you’re with that vampire of yours…”

Brooklynne watched the waitress walk away and disappear in the hallway, leaving a wave of disapproval behind her.

“Fuck you too,” she mumbled under her breath.

“What was that?” Sookie asked, approaching her with a plate she put down on the bar.

“Nothing.”

“What did Arlene want?”

“To make sure I knew how much she hates my kind.”

“To be fair, you’re the first and only one of your kind.”

“Wanna join me?”

“No, thanks,” she swiftly dismissed the mere idea, “hey, isn’t Eric supposed to be here already?”

“Yeah. I guess there was an emergency at Fangtasia. He’s not answering my texts.”

“Well, that’s weird.”

“Not really,” she shrugged. “It’s Halloween. He says there’s always some shit happening on Halloween.”

“When did you start using those words?” Sookie sighed. “You weren’t always so vulgar.”

Her sister laughed. “Sorry. I’m just repeating what he said.”

“Anyway, I have to take out the trash before I leave, want me to drive you?”

“Sure, why not? I’ll join you outside.”

Brooklynne finished her plate, then her drink in one go, before leaving some cash on the bar. She walked across the restaurant and exited through the back door. There, she found her sister and Holly talking about Marnie. Brooke rolled her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey, Brooklynne.”

“What’s up Holly?”

“Oh, nothing, honey. We were just talking about… well… we just have a bad feeling, is all.”

“It’s probably nothing,” Sookie waved it off.

“Yeah. We’re just spooked because it’s Halloween and all.”

Screeching tires drew their attention towards Tara’s car who had just parked in a panic. Brooklynne didn’t know if it was the previous spooky talk, or just Tara’s look as she ran towards them, but she was starting to have a bad feeling as well.

“Tara?” Sookie called. “Tara what is it? What happened?”

“She’s back!”

“Who’s back, honey?”

“Marnie.”

“Marnie’s dead,” Brooklynne rolled her eyes. “I should know, I killed her myself.”

“She killed Jesus,” Tara started crying. “I think she’s inside Lafayette.”

Sookie turned slowly towards her little sister, who oddly appeared to stand taller than her for once.

“Don’t look at me, I’m no witch. I wouldn’t know the first thing about getting that bitch out of Lafayette.”

“No, Brooke… Eric’s not answering his phone.”

If Brooklynne ever doubted her heart was still beating, she sure had the answer now, as it felt like it skipped a beat as she realized what her sister was saying.

“No,” she scoffed in disbelief. “He’d kill Lafayette on the spot.”

“I’m gonna try to call Bill,” the waitress said as she took out her phone.

Brooklynne shook her head, maybe to try and throw the mere idea of Eric being in any kind of danger away, as she took out her own cellphone.

“Bill’s not answering,” Sookie said, now even more panicked than before.

“Eric either…”

“Well, do we know where they could be?” Holly asked.

Sookie took a deep breath as she remembered what Bill had told her earlier: ‘I’ll be waiting for you at home. My men will let you in.’

“Yes. We do.”

 ***

 Vampires were supposed to heal fast. So fast that they could barely feel pain. Which is why this headache was doubly irritating for Brooklynne. Between the busy minds of her sister, Holly and Tara, whom she was riding with, her own head felt like it was about to explode. Filled with worry and incomprehension, she kept asking herself if she should just get out of the car and run to Bill’s house on her own. She’d already be there.

“You can’t. If Tara and Holly find out you’re a vampire, it won’t be a secret anymore.”

“Who cares at this point? Eric could die any second now!”

“Pam might already be there.”

“If he wanted either of us there, he’d had already called us. Which means he’s in real danger, Marnie is not kidding around, she’s aiming to kill!”

“Don’t remind me. I’m driving you to her!”

“She won’t have a chance to hurt me. She’ll be dead before…”

“You can’t kill her like last time, Brooke. She’s inside Lafayette. We need to trust Holly, she knows how this works.”

“No, she doesn’t, are you listening to her? She’s got a bag full of salt and a mouth full of ‘maybes’. What if she has no clue how to deal with this?”

“Either way, we’re not killing Lafayette.”

“If killing Lafayette is the only way to save Eric, I will do it myself.”

“Are you hearing yourself? You’re talking about killing Lafayette! Our friend! Tara’s cousin!”

“Sorry, Sook. But it’s not a hard choice. Not even a little bit.”

Brooklynne did her best to shut her sister’s disapproving thoughts out of her head, she knew it all already. Of course, she wouldn’t be happy about killing Lafayette. Of course, she’d rather Holly’s plan worked. But if it didn’t, if she had to choose between watching Marnie/Lafayette kill Eric or kill her/him herself, she wouldn’t lose sleep over it. She stopped for a second, a very brief second, and wondered if she’d had thought the same as a human/fairy. If she had been in that situation a month ago, what would she have done? She knew what she would have done. She’d have been too weak to fight off Marnie. She’d have been too weak to save Eric.

She wasn’t going to be weak tonight.

“Any of you got a mirror?” Holly asked as she did the inventory of her Wiccan first aid-kit.

“You ever done this before?” Sookie asked as she handed her a small mirror she found in her purse.

“Goddess, no,” the waitress replied as she shoved the mirror into her bag, next to the salt and the sage. “Usually, I just light a candle and ask the spirits to make sure my boys don’t end up in jail or knock somebody up.”

Sookie could hear her sister scoff and roll her eyes next to Holly, a “what did I say?” echoing inside of her head.

“But so far, that’s worked out okay.”

“Maybe you’re just a good mother,” Brooke mumbled.

“Oh, thanks honey.”

Brooklynne frowned as the mother of two gave her a nervous smile, her lack of faith in her Wiccan religion completely oblivious to her.

“Sook, you can’t let them hurt him,” Tara begged. “If Bill and Eric find out Marnie’s inside Lafayette…”

“I have a feeling they already know…”

Tara stepped on the accelerator. They were only a couple of minutes away. Brooklynne kept trying to reach her maker through their bond, but the silence she was met with only helped widening the pit in her stomach.

Tara stopped the car at the gates of Bill’s property and the four women jumped out of the vehicle, Holly, her bag of magic tricks on her shoulder.

Brooklynne, though she had been patient until then, didn’t even think twice about disappearing on them as soon as she smelled wood and straw.

“Eric!”

She found them tied up together to a pyre, half naked, silver chains around their bare chest.

“What are you doing here? You need to go, now!”

“Are you crazy? I’m not leaving without you!”

“Brooklynne!” Sookie called as she caught up to her sister, Holly and Tara behind her.

“Are you kidding me? You didn’t think to tell us you were a vampire?” Tara started to yell.

“She can’t be, she was at the bar all day long!” Holly said, confused, and a little bit scared.

They didn’t get the time to argue about it any more, however, as Marnie appeared before them.

“As your friend Lafayette would say, what goes around comes around, bitches.”

“I’m gonna kill you, you crazy bitch.”

“You already have,” Marnie replied with surprising calm. “Thank you for coming.”

Marnie/Lafayette raised a hand and waved it once to the left. Brooklynne felt her feet get off the floor and was sent flying across the garden where she collided with a tree.

Eric and Sookie called her name, in useless worry. She was back up on her feet in a matter of seconds.

“Lafayette!”

Tara received a deathly stare from the dead witch inside her cousin, and she gulped.

“… and Marnie. Please, don’t do this.”

“After all they’ve done to you, you protect them?”

“Killing Bill and Eric isn’t gonna make any of that go away.”

“Revenge will never bring you peace,” Eric told her.

“There can’t be peace until there is justice for me, for Antonia, for all the women you tortured and burned for centuries!”

Taking advantage of the moment, Holly started drawing a circle of salt around the pyre as Marnie had her back turned to her.

“All to repress a magic that’s older and more powerful than your very existence.”

“Marnie, what will this serve?” Bill, who saw Holly and understood the plan, asked, to help distract her. “There are millions of us, more being made every night. You cannot win.”

“I’m already dead, vampire. Thanks to you and your friends, I have nothing left to lose.”

Marnie lowered her head and raised her hands in the air as she casted three more words “incendia of sanctimonia”.

“No!” Brooke and Sookie screamed as they tried to make their way to the now burning pyre. But the fire Marnie had just started only grew bigger as they reached it. Brooklynne dragged her sister away from it as Tara joined them.

“Stop it,” she yelled. “It’s still Lafayette!”

“I don’t care,” Brooke growled as she raised a hand, a blinding light coming out of it, hitting Lafayette/Marnie in the chest, pushing them far away. It didn’t stop the fire, to her biggest disappointment.

Holly finished the circle of salt, joining them back to her starting point, as Marnie sat up, now, neither looking like Lafayette or herself, but with a painted face of some sort of creature.

“Give me your hands, now!”

Hesitantly, Tara joined the three women in a circle, taking the hand of the two sisters in her own. Immediately, they started chanting.

“Spirits who watch over us, friends, family, ancestors, guardians of the gate, with this rite we evoke thee through the veil of Samhain, we call thee forth.”

Again and again, they chanted, keeping Marnie out of the circle, however, doing nothing to stop the fire that was burning the two vampires next to them.

As the dead witch growled and the immortals screamed out of pain, spirits appeared in the cemetery near them, walking the earth once more, to join them in their battle. Sookie kept an eye open on Bill, while Brooklynne focused on Eric, doing her best not to break the circle and jump in the fire herself to get him out of there.

“Marnie.”

The summoned spirits stood in the forest, behind Marnie, calling her, only one, however, getting her attention: Antonia.

“Marnie.”

Lafayette’s face changed back to normal as the painted face of the creature disappeared, Marnie, making her way to the ghost of her former partner.

“My sister.”

“You came back to me…” she said, and the witch smiled. “I knew you would.”

Antonia’s eyes moved from Lafayette/Marnie to the burning pyre, and from where she stood blew out the fire as easily as she would have blown off the candles on a birthday cake.

“Antonia, no!”

Brooklynne didn’t wait one more second as she made her way to her maker, ripped off the silver chains tying the vampires to the still hot death trap. Eric’s knees were too weak and she caught him as he fell. However, no one was there to catch the King, who fell off the pyre and onto the hard ground. Sookie was quickly by his side.

“Are you okay?”

“Crispy.”

“Why the hell didn’t you call me? Or Pam?”

“So you could have burned with me? Not a great plan.”

“Not asking for help isn’t a plan at all!”

Off the pyre and back on the ground, Eric enjoyed the feeling of his burning bare feet on the cold grass. Brooke helped him kneel down.

“What the hell am I supposed to do without you? Don’t you dare die on me now that I’m immortal!”

“I’d rather die knowing that you’re safe, than die after watching you get killed.”

“And I’d rather die than spend immortality without you, so don’t you ever do that again!”

“Alright. I’ll try not to get burned alive by the crazy ghost of a witch again. That I can promise you.”

“Shut up and drink,” she rolled her eyes as she kneeled beside him and offered him her wrist.

The witches were still talking on the other side of the circle, and whatever Antonia was saying, Marnie didn’t want to hear it.

“All creatures have their purpose, even vampires.”

“How can you say that? They murdered us!”

“Their cruelty served its purpose: to bring you and I together. And now I am here to take you home.”

“I’m not finished yet.”

“Oh, yes you are.”

That voice. Brooklynne knew that voice. She turned her head, but whoever it was, she was hidden behind the pyre. However, Sookie could see her perfectly.

“Gran?”

“Holy Goddess.”

“Holy shit.”

Eric released Brooke’s hand so that she could get up and see for herself, Adele, her grandmother, make her way to Lafayette, put her hand in his mouth and reach down his throat. She took out a black fog which she threw away behind her. Once it reached the ground, it turned into Marnie.

“I don’t wanna go. I am not ready. Please!” she begged as she stood up.

“I was trapped between world for 400 years… lost and driven mad by my rage. I do not want that for you.”

“And what about what I want?! Nobody cares what I want! All my life, I’ve been afraid. And who wouldn’t be? With dead people murmuring in my ears, making me deliver your messages… making me into a freak! A creepy, pathetic, terrified mess muttering to herself in the corner.”

“But that is not who you are anymore.”

“No. That’s right. I’m not afraid anymore. I’ve got real power now. And you want to take that away from me?” she cried. “You want them to win?”

“Oh, Marnie,” Antonia said as she took Marnie’s face between her hands, “Marnie, can’t you see? Life is pain. But soon, all you have suffered and feared will be meaningless. You will be at peace. But them…”

“… they’ll be stuck here. Forever.”

“And there is no victory in that.”

A tear or two fell down Marnie’s cheeks as she screamed. “Oh, this fucking sucks.”

“Come on.”

Antonia took Marnie’s hand and led her down to the forest where the other spirits were waiting for her. Adele followed them.

“Gran!”

Sookie and Brooklynne called after her, hoping to make her stay.

“Please don’t go,” Sookie cried.

“I have to, dear.”

“I’m so lost without you. I don’t know what to do.”

“Yes, you do. Look at your sister. She’s got it all figured out,” she said as she smiled, proudly, at Brooklynne.

“Oh, Gran… I’m so sorry.”

“For what, dear?”

Brooklynne sniffed and shrugged, hoping her grandmother was proud of her, of who she had become.

“Answer’s where it always is. In your heart. Being alone, it ain’t nothing to be afraid of, my girls. We’re all alone, at the end.”

She smiled at them one last time before joining the spirits back to the cemetery and her granddaughters watch her leave them with tears in their eyes.

Brooke felt a hand slide on her waist, and she took it, as Eric pulled her towards him.

“No offense to your grandmother, but neither one of us will be alone at the end.”

Brooke chuckled as she wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand.

“This is the worst night ever.”

“Well,” he said as he turned her around and wiped one last tear with his thumb, “the night is still young.”

 ***

 Eric had no idea how right he was. Well, maybe he did, a little. He knew what was coming. For him, for Bill. For Brooklynne. They were coming for their heads.

He hadn’t said a word, but Brooklynne knew too. She wasn’t used to being able to read his mind, and it mostly just happened, she couldn’t control it. He was thinking about it, so hard, as he was drinking her blood, in Bill’s living room. She could hear her sister break up with Bill in the other room, and she just wished she could tune them out. Hearing Bill cry made her feel sick.

“Are you sure they’re coming after you too? It wasn’t your fault.”

“They don’t care. I was caught on camera.”

“They destroyed all of that footage.”

“There are witnesses.”

“Glamour them.”

“It’s too late.”

“Then we should leave. Now.”

“And go where? They won’t stop until…”

“Brooklynne.”

The vampire-fairy hybrid turned to see her sister enter the room. Her eyes were red. And wet.

“I’m going home.”

“Okay. I’m staying here, with Eric.”

“You should go with her. There’s no reason for you to be here when…”

Brooklynne shot him a look that told him all he needed to know. She wasn’t going anywhere. She’d save him. Or die trying.

“Have a good night, Sook.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” her sister nodded as she waved, before she walked away.

“The AVL doesn’t know I’m a vampire. They can’t kill me. It’s against their own rules.”

“If you get in their way, if you show them what you can do…”

“Eric,” she stopped him, taking a step forward and placing a hand above his, “either we’re leaving town, or we’re staying. But we stay together.”

Eric sighed, defeated.

“Like you said, neither of us will be alone at the end.”

 ***

 Bill was back to being a cold bastard when he joined them in his living room. He sat in an armchair next to them, and they all kept a dreadful quiet as they enjoyed the last hour of their life.

Bill had nothing else to lose. He had just lost the only thing he wanted, the only thing he needed. Without Sookie, he had no reason to live. He wouldn’t fight the Authority, if they came knocking on his door with a true death warrant. Eric thought about his human life. His immortal life. Godric. Pam. Brooklynne. He thought about the life he had and the one he would never get. The life he dreamt of having with Brooklynne, and the one he could never give her. But Brooklynne wasn’t done fighting. She had barely started. She’d use all of her powers to kill them all, if need be. She felt strong enough. She never even took the time to ask herself if she could.

When the cars arrived, disturbing the silent night as they drove on the gravel driveway, they all felt like time had stopped. Like it was all decided, and they would either leave the house alive, or not at all.

Brooklynne suddenly felt like she had forgotten so many things. Her siblings. She should have said goodbye to them. But instead, she let Sookie go without even telling her she might never see her again. She was almost certain Eric was thinking the same way about Pam. But he knew if he had let her know about any of this, she’d had come, and he couldn’t do that to her. She deserved better.

At least, Bill had said his goodbye.

“This is it,” the King of Louisiana said as he straightened his suit.

“It’s been a crazy thousand years.”

Brooklynne scoffed dryly.

“I thought immortality would last longer.”

They followed Bill as he took the direction of the front door. He opened with a polite smile, a smile Brooklynne had dubbed “Bill’s political smile”.

Nan Flanagan was standing on the porch with a handful of heavily armed men and she looked pissed. She looked furious.

“Ms. Flanagan, we’ve been expecting you.”

Eric and Brooklynne appeared behind their king. It somehow seemed to make her angrier.

“Hi, Nan. And gay stormtroopers.”

Eric’s ability to make stupid jokes in moments such as this one was one of the reasons Brooklynne loved him so much.

“Perfect. Two birds, one stone,” she said as she entered the house, taking the direction of Bill’s office, followed by her guards.

Though Eric stayed silent, Brooklynne could feel his relief. Whatever Nan’s orders were, Brooklynne didn’t seem to be included in them.

The couple stepped in the crowded office, joining Bill’s side.

“The Marnie situation has been resolved, if that makes any difference,” Bill said.

“Ding, dong, the witch is dead,” Nan replied with a tone so sharp it would have given the true death to any vampire who got too close. “Yippee.”

“His Majesty showed great leadership in extremely perilous circumstances. You should be kissing his ring.”

“Why bother when your tongue’s already so far up his ass?”

Eric contemplated his options as his desire to kill the bitch grew stronger. Brooklynne was glad he controlled himself.

Nan gestured her guards to close the door and they stood before it, blocking the only exit. Brooklynne looked up at Eric who seemed to be as nervous as she was. This meant nothing good.

“I wish for one fucking night you could experience the litany of bullshit I’ve had to deal with. Then you’d have some idea of how little I give a fuck about your small-town witch infestation, or your whole backwoods kingdom, for that matter.”

“For someone who cares so little, you seem awfully pissed off.”

“Do I, Bill? Maybe that’s because I quit my fucking job!”

“You quit the AVL?” Eric asked, as baffled as Bill was.

“And the Authority.”

“No one quits the Authority,” Bill chuckled nervously.

“Quit, fired, same difference!”

“We assumed we were the ones to be terminated.”

“Oh, there’s been an order issued on your heads.”

Hearing those words, Brooklynne instinctively seized Eric’s hand.

“My last duty was supposed to be delivering the True Death to both of you. Of course, I realized I’d be next.”

She sighed, trying to control her anger. Failing.

“I have been alive for eight hundred and sixteen years. I refuse to be retired like a fat first wife!”

“Let me make sure I got this straight,” Eric said. “You’re mutinying against the American Vampire League and the Authority?”

“And you expect us to join you?”

“We won’t be alone,” she assured them. “There are factions inside the regime who have never been completely on board with the current agenda. Sheriff Northman knows what I’m talking about.”

Brooklynne frowned. So did Bill.

“What’s in it for us?” the Viking asked, undisturbed by the accusation.

Nan laughed. “Aside from surviving the night? How about your little fairy toy over there? And her sister.”

Their silence and cold stares didn’t faze her.

“Oh, come on. The mind reading, the microwave fingers? You didn’t think I knew what you were? There are at least a couple thousand vampires who would do almost anything to get a taste of your blood.”

“They’re welcome to try,” Brooklynne smirked.

In the next second, she had seized Bill’s paper knife and cut the throat of all of Nan’s human guards. Eric had wanted to do it, but she insisted, as it was her sister she was protecting.

“You’re a vampire?” Nan gasped, looking at her like she was an alien. Which… she was.

“Don’t. threaten. my sister.”

Bill armed himself with the fancy stake that was on display behind his seat, and stabbed Nan who exploded on the spot. There were pieces of her everywhere, the vampires were covered with her blood. Brooklynne took what looked like a tooth from her hair and threw it towards the pile of blood at her feet. She grimaced, then sighed.

“Can we leave now?”

 ***

 Leaving a voicemail to his progeny, Bill didn’t help Eric clean up the mess he had made of Nan Flanagan. Brooklynne stared at the fake window as her maker made sure to get rid of any evidence that would work against them in case of a trial. Though, if they ever got caught, they would not get the luxury of a trial. Their fate was already sealed, killing Nan was just going to buy them a little bit more time. Or so they thought.

As soon as they stepped out of the house, they fell into a silver trap. They were surrounded by a dozen heavily armed men who threw silver nets at Bill and Eric. They both cried out of pain and Brooklynne’s first instinct was to help her maker, but she was quickly pinned against the wall with unhuman strength.

The soldier took off his helmet and stared at her, right in the eyes, as he said: “go back inside, sit down and forget this ever happened”.

Her eyes grew big as she realized he was trying to glamour her. She could see in the corner of her eye that they were taking them away, towards the trunk of their black vehicle. There were too many soldiers there, all wearing protection gear and weapons that could kill a vampire in a second. She did her best to put the loud voice inside her head to rest. It killed her to ignore it, it almost destroyed her to not try anything to help Eric, but she knew if she tried anything, if she showed them she couldn’t be compelled, if she showed them what she really was, they’d either kill her or take her too, and she would never be able to help anyone again.

So, she did as he asked. She went back inside Bill’s house, sat on the first armchair she could find, and watched as they drove away.

She got up as soon as she was certain they wouldn’t be able to see her follow them. She stayed far enough away, running fast, faster than she ever thought she could run. She even tried to fly, but to no avail. She followed them out of Bon-Temps and into an empty road. It was the middle of the night, so there was no one else there, but vampires.

She tried to think of a plan, of a way to get them out that wouldn’t get her and them killed. But there was no way she could free them without alerting the Authority soldiers.

But, suddenly, the black van in which all of the soldiers had gotten into took another road. It confused Brooklynne for a second, until she realized they were probably going back to their base, which meant Bill and Eric were going somewhere else. Somewhere like New-Orleans, to the Vampire Authority Headquarters.

She ran even faster now, so she could catch up to the single car, in which Eric was trapped. She positioned herself in the middle of the road, in front of the vehicle, but far enough away so that they could see her before driving into her. She rose a hand and the brightest light came out of it, blinding the driver. He immediately, out of instinct, turned the wheel, causing the car to roll over three times before it stopped in the field on her right.

She rushed towards the trunk which was already half opened. One kick was enough to open it wide.

“Brooklynne,” Eric breathed out as he crawled out, “what are you doing?”

“Saving your life? You’re welcome. Come on.”

They helped Bill out but didn’t get the time to do anything else as a vampire, whom Brooke recognized to be the driver, showed up behind them, holding a gun, no doubt loaded with silver bullets.

“Who wants to die first?”

Eric pushed Brooke behind him, screaming at her mentally to run the second she can, to not think twice about it. As soon as he turned into a pool of blood, she had to make a run for it.

But he wasn’t the one who exploded into a disgusting pile of bloody body parts.

A woman stood where the vampire used to be a second before, his spine in her hand.

“You, Hayes,” she said, looking down at the pile of blood, “you die first.”

“Nora,” Eric breathed out.

Their savior threw the spine on the ground and shook her bloody hand, trying to get the remaining pieces of Hayes off of her skin.

“I had arranged for our car to be conveniently ambushed when we hit 310,” Nora said, she had a British accent. Our attackers were going to take out my driver there. Unfortunately, wonder woman over here came 12 miles too soon.”

“Um… sorry?”

“Don’t be. It was badass.”

“Eric, you know this woman?” Bill asked.

“Yes. She’s my sister.”

Brooklynne thought she had misheard. Eric never mentioned a sister. She felt confused and… betrayed?

“Your sister? You have a sister who works for the Authority?” Bill says, both surprised and suspicious.

“I’m a Chancellor,” she replied proudly.

“I don’t understand,” Brooke said. “If you knew they were coming for Eric, why didn’t you warn him?”

“There was no time. The Guardian wanted Nan followed to make sure she carried out his orders. I saw an opportunity to save Eric, so I took it.”

“So nobody in the Authority knows about your relationship?” Bill asked.

“And they never will. We were only connected through out maker, Godric. And Godric is gone,” she said with obvious sorrow.

“As a Chancellor of the Authority, you’re taking a huge risk,” Bill continued, still not trusting her fully. “Why would you choose to…”

“Because I’d do anything for Eric.”

“And I’d do anything for you,” the Viking said as he took a step forward.

He went to hug his sister, whom he apparently hadn’t seen in decades. She smiled as she hugged him back. Brooklynne thought it would have been nice to know he had someone he cared about so much other than Pam. Though she could understand why keeping their relationship a secret was for the best, perhaps he could have trusted her enough to share that secret with her.

“And,” Nora continued, “because you did what you did protecting us from the necromancers. That we would reward you for it with the True Death speaks volume about how out of step the Authority’s current agenda is.”

So, Nan knew. Nan knew of Nora and of her relationship with Eric. Which meant Eric did keep in touch at least a little bit. Brooke tried to keep her anger to a minimum.

“I’m not alone in this belief.”

“Factions within the Authority?” Bill asked, making the connection with the information Nan had given him earlier that night.

“Mm-mmh,” she nodded. “So, who’s wonder woman?”

Nora looked at the fairy with interest, but Brooke didn’t answer, uncertain of how much she should say. She turned to Eric for guidance.

“Nora, this is Brooklynne, my progeny.”

“A pleasure, I’m sure…” Nora mumbled thoughtfully. “What is she? She smells amazing.”

“She’s…” Eric pondered. “… complicated.”

“Right…” she said, suspicious. “And I suppose that light is part of the… complications.”

“What light?”

“The light that came out of your progeny, causing Hayes to drive us into this field.”

Eric looked at Brooklynne with regret. She exposed herself to save him, putting herself in danger.

“Like I said. It’s complicated.”

“Well,” she sighed, resigned to stay in the dark, “’complicated’ is an improvement from that whore you keep around.”

“Nora!” Eric hissed, threateningly.

Brooklynne frowned. Perhaps her contempt for Pam was what kept the two apart for so long. She couldn’t help but wonder if Eric trusted any of them. She thought she knew him, but she just realized she had many, many things to figure out about him still. The fact he kept her true identity from Nora meant he didn’t trust her entirely either, or perhaps, it was just the Authority that made him nervous. But finding out about Nora’s existence that night rose many questions that she didn’t have time to ask at the moment.

“Help me turn the car around,” Nora asked Bill. “Let’s see if it can drive us somewhere safe for the day.”

Eric gestured Brooklynne to follow him and they made their way to the road in silence. She tried hard not to explore his thoughts.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a sister?”

“We don’t tell anyone we’re related. It’s for everyone’s safety.”

“Okay. Why didn’t you tell her who I was? She thinks I’m a vampire.”

“She saw your speed and strength, she already knew you were a vampire.”

“But you don’t trust her enough to tell her the truth.”

“She works for the Authority. If she ever gets caught for being ‘against the current agenda’ she’ll get tortured and asked about everything that she knows. I told you, you can’t trust anyone.”

“So what? I’m just supposed to pretend to be a vampire now? To sleep all day? Pretend I don’t eat human food?”

“Only around Nora, which you won’t be for long.”

She sighed. “Right. So… what do we do now?”

“We do nothing. Nora will get Bill and I out of here. We’ll have new identities, we’ll be safer once we get out of the country.”

“What? What do you mean? I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

Brooklynne gasped as she took a step back. It felt like a slap in the face.

“The Authority has no knowledge of your existence, there is no warrant out for you arrest, you can go back to Bon-Temps, be with your sister.”

“No! No way.”

“Brooklynne.”

He put his hands on both her shoulders as he looked down at her.

“It’s not safe to come with me. They will hunt me down until they catch me.”

“So?”

“So, you’ll be safer in Bon-Temps. Stay with Pam. I’ll be in touch, I’ll call, I’ll…”

“Eric, I am not going back to Bon-Temps without you. I’m not going anywhere without you. You promised! We promised.”

“The life that’s waiting for me is not worth living.”

“No life is worth living without you, how many times do I have to say it?!”

“Brook-“

“No! I have no life without you, Eric. You are my life. You gave me immortality and you better be sure I’m going to spend it with you. You will not abandon me here!”

“Brooklynne,” he sighed as he brought her to his chest.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head as he hugged her.

“This isn’t what I wanted for you.”

“I know. But it’s better than nothing.”

He backed away and placed his hands on both sides of her face.

“I love you,” he said as dark red tears appeared in his eyes.

She gave him a sad smile. “I love you too. More than anything.”

He leaned over to kiss her. His lips capturing hers like it was the first and last time they would do so. He held her tightly to him, as to stop her from slipping away.

He released her reluctantly, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs, and returning her sad smile.

“Forgive me.”

She frowned. But she didn’t get the time to express her confusion as he swiftly twisted her head, breaking it in a horrible sound that will haunt him forever.

The end… ?

**********

Tags: @thepoet1975 @nerdysandwichqueen @catchmeupimgettingoutofhere @raegan-hale @colie87 @heavenly1927​ @abbey7103​ @with-love-maddie​ 

[underworld-of-imagines]

Darkness - Spencer Reid

Prompt: You’re blind and live with Spencer.

TW: Burns, pain, blindness

A/N: Hey guys, so this has been the first thing I’ve written in a while. I got a new job, so writing has been few and far between lately. This was just an idea of something I could write without too much trouble because I have experienced temporary blindness. I hope you guys enjoy!

A gentle melody danced through the air, the speakers of Spencer’s old radio gently cracking as the song became louder towards the chorus. Your hips swayed to the beat, a soft hum passing your lips as you mimicked the familiar tune. It was one of your favourite songs, something you played to go along with whatever you were doing, reminding you of happiness and home. You could almost imagine the colours that came through the speakers and danced along with the soundwaves.

Almost.

In reality, you had long since forgotten what colours looked like, having been many years since you had last seen them. Leaving you to your very powerful, yet also weak imagination, to imagine the colours that once dominated your life.

Now, you were permanently blind. A genetic curse that ran in your family, blinding only the most courageous of the bloodline. At least, that’s how your father explained it to you when you were only 9 years old, and almost entirely blind.

When you first met Spencer Reid, you were in a coffee shop, trying to find your way towards the counter. He blurted out random facts about blindness, astonishing you with his genius, whilst drinking coffee together.

One year later, you were officially a couple (though you had been living together since before he asked you out officially).

Now, you tried to take care of the apartment, and contribute to your part of the costs.

Admittedly, sometimes that got really difficult to manage. Like tonight, for example. Spencer had been on a case for the past week, your nightly calls with him showed how much the case was weighing down on him. He spared you of many details, trying to keep your child-like memory of humanity intact. But sometimes it got hard for him, like this case, making you feel useless to his humanity-saving crusade.

So, you decided to attempt to make him dinner. His favourite spaghetti bolognese. It wasn’t too hard to make, mostly everything was prepared, and you had taken extra time to listen to the ingredients and instructions. Everything had to be perfect.

Sighing, you desperately tried to find the diced carrot in the fridge. In an attempt to make your life a bit easier, Spencer had started to cut up the fruits and vegetables he bought – for “safety” as he called it. Honestly, it warmed your heart that he cared so much. Admittedly, yes, it was disabling, but you also didn’t care as it reduced your risk of cutting your finger off by accident.

You dumped a cup of diced carrot into the sauce mixture, the aroma of the bolognese sauce filling your apartment as you reached for the wooden spoon to carefully stir the sauce again. Not much longer and I can start the pasta, you thought as you placed the spoon gently on the side.

Holding your hand out to your side, you guided yourself around the island counter, feeling carefully for the bar chairs that were often haphazardly left out. One too many times had you stubbed your small toe on the wooden chairs, which always resulted in violent swearing, and Spencer trying to give you first aid to help with your bruised toes. To you surprise, you had yet to break a toe on a random piece of furniture you kicked, though you crossed your fingers and knocked on wood.

A loud ringing brought you out of your daze, the alarm for the pasta sauce had already gone off, indicating that it was time to start cooking the pasta.  “Siri set a timer for one minute,” you commanded as you placed the pot of cold water on to boil. Your phone beeped in response, and you could barely hear the soft ticking over the sound of the music that still emanated from the radio.

Spencer was due to be home any minute, and you couldn’t wait to hug him again. When you were in Spencer’s arms, it always felt like home, in the best way possible.

Listening to the timer go off, you smiled to yourself as you felt around for the pot, before pouring the pasta in. Setting another timer for eight minutes, you stirred the pasta and sauce quickly before going to sit back down on the stool.

Faintly, you could hear car horns and just a general bustle from the streets below, nothing really new, and a sound you had grown accustomed to over the years. A light elevator ding could be heard from out in the hallway, and your heart raced with the thought of it being Spencer. But alas, it was not as no sound of the door opening came as you waited patiently.

Once the timer went off, you toddled back to the stove, carefully turning off the knobs before grabbing the pot of pasta. Draining the pasta was always a challenge, as you couldn’t be sure of where the strainer was in the sink, and Spencer usually helped with this part.

Scalding water landed on your hand as you poured the pasta into the strainer, making you drop it out of shock.

“Fuck!” You held your hand tightly, wrapping your shirt around it to try and stop the burning sensation.

“Y/N!” Spencer yelled out as he walked in the door, you could hear him drop is bags before running over to you. “Give me your hand, you have to run it under warm water,” he urged, trying to grab the burnt hand from your tight clutch. Reluctantly, you let go, allowing him to guide you to the sink before turning on the warm water.

“Hold it there, I’ll go get the first aid kit,” he instructed. The warm water burned your hand even more, making tears well in your eyes at the pain. “Just keep holding it there for about 15 minutes, I’ve got burn cream and bandages for once it’s done. I also found your Panadol from the cabinet; I’ll get you some.” Spencer explained. Usually he was very reluctant to give you Panadol, simply due to his own experience with his addiction. But whenever he did, he watched carefully to make sure that you wouldn’t have a bad experience.

“Spence-” you croaked, your voice cracking from the pain.

“It’s okay darling, you’ll be okay.” He soothed, his hand gently stroking your hair. “I’ll finish dinner, don’t worry.”

A while later, he guided you over to the table, the plates already served and laid out for you. Your hand now wrapped in a bandage, burn cream applied thanks to Spencer’s very thorough first aid.

“How was the case?” You asked after a few minutes of silence.

“It was okay, we managed to catch the unsub before he killed another victim.” Spencer said in a quiet voice, he didn’t like talking to you about cases, it was two separate worlds, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“That’s good, she’ll be okay right?” Spencer hummed in response, one that you knew meant eventually. It always warmed your heart to know that the victims would be okay, eventually.

*****

“I hate going away,” he broke the silence as you laid next to him in bed.

“Why’s that?” You asked, resting your head and bandaged hand on his bare chest.

“Because it means leaving you. And I’m always terrified that you could get hurt, like today. Or something else could go wrong and I wouldn’t be here to protect you.” Spencer’s chest wracked as soft sobs started to fall from his lips.

“Spence-,” you soothed, rubbing your hands through his hair gently. “Accidents happen, even to people who can see. Yes, I am a bit more accident-prone than most abled people. But I can still take care of myself when you’re not here.” His head rested gently on top of yours, tears soaking your scalp. “If it makes you feel better though, I do like when you’re here to help me out. Especially tonight, I don’t think I would have been able to do any of that without your help.”

Spencer drew in a deep breath before speaking, “that does help, thank you.” You continued to run your hand through his hair, rubbing his scalp gently. His hair was soft between your fingers, his curls catching gently as you brushed them out.

“Can you read to me?” You asked once Spencer had calmed down a bit.

“Of course, Y/N, what story do you want to hear today?” Spencer shuffled a bit, and you could hear rustling from his bedside table, which was often covered with books and papers.

“Can you read some more Harry Potter to me?” Before you went blind, you loved the Harry Potter series. You had even managed to read the first book by yourself, before you lost your sight completely.

“Of course, we’re up to book 3 now, I’ll just go grab it.” Spencer didn’t read a lot of newer fictional books but kept a bookcase of them for you. Some were even in braille, so you could read them yourself. But it was your favourite when Spencer read to you.

“Okay I got it,” his soft footsteps padded through the room, back to his side of the bed. Laying down, you got comfortable on his chest again as he opened the book.

“Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways.”

[let-me-love-you-loki]

An Ending Within--Ch. 15

Chapter 15

           I sat down slowly on the sofa in my therapist’s office. It had been a while since I’d seen her, and it felt weird to be there again. She looked me over with her wide, knowing green eyes as she took the seat a few feet away.

           “How have you been?” she asked, opening a notepad on her lap and tapping her pen against the side of her knee. “It’s been a while.”

           “Yeah, things have been busy.” I sank back against the cushions, stretching my leg out in front of me.

           Her attention followed my movement. “You’re wearing your brace again.”

           I sighed. “My leg has been giving me some trouble. Not a lot, but Dr. Thurman wants me to brace it for a while.”

           She nodded. “Are you wrestling?”

           “Not as much as I’d like. But there’s not a lot for me to do right now.” I sighed. “It’s frustrating, but I’m staying busy. I’m teaching more classes at the school. I have time with my daughter.”

           I was shutting down. I knew the feeling. She could see it too.

***

           “Have you seen that pumpkin-headed dipshit?” Jericho asked as he passed by me backstage.

           “Who?” I looked up from the book in my lap. I’d gotten to the venue earlier than usual and was waiting for hair and makeup.

           “Omega,” he replied, plopping down on the edge of the table in front of me.

           I shrugged. “He’d probably in a meeting with Tony or the Bucks.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “If you find him, tell him I’m bored as hell. I want to get in the ring as more than just Inner Circle eye candy.”

           “Black, you’re definitely not just eye candy. But you’re right. Time for you to get those wins under your belt.” Jericho nodded. “Santana and Ortiz are going after the tag titles. I want my belt back. And it’s only right that you get the women’s belt. Inner Circle are going to run the championship scene.”

           Blink. The heavy thumping of my heart against my ribs. A knot in my throat that made it hard to breathe. Flashes of memory raced through my mind. The Hounds in the center of the ring, holding every title the brand had to offer.

           “Hey,” he said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. “Anybody home?”

           My pulse thundered in my ears, an echo of my sudden desperate trip through time. Ice slid down my spine as I forced myself to consciousness.

           “Do I need to get Mox?” Jericho asked worriedly. His normally ruddy face had gone pale. His eyes were tight with concern.

           I shook my head slowly, trying to catch my breath, to force the world upright on its axis. “No,” I said at last. “I’m okay. You just reminded me of something.”

           His eyes softened. A faint smile tipped the corner of his mouth upward. “I know we’re not the same, but we can still be your family. You’re not betraying them by becoming one of us.”

           Laughter spilled past my lips. “What if I don’t want to be Inner Circle for good? What if I want to go Elite? Or Nightmare Family? Or Dark Order? Or maybe I want to just run my own game.”

           Jericho laughed, but his sounded worn at the edges. “I’ve known you for a long time, Black. And I know that you do exactly what you want to do for exactly as long as you want to. Until you decide to bail, you’re Inner Circle. And that’s family.”

           “Oye, mamí!” Jericho and I both turned at the sound. Santana and Ortiz sauntered their way down the hall toward us. Ortiz grinned. “Long time no see, princesa.”

           Santana leaned his forearms on my shoulders and rested his chin on the top of my head. “How’s the leg, reina?”

           I glanced down at the black and red brace. “It’s good. Brace is basically just precaution these days. Most of the time anyway.”

           “You sound pissed off,” Ortiz observed as he sat on the floor nearby. “Run into the EVPs already today?”

           “She wants to hit someone,” Jericho replied for me. “I’m on my way to track down that pumpkin-headed dipshit Omega to get her a good booking.”

           “Chris, I was joking.”

           He grinned and pushed off from the table. “But I wasn’t. Better warm up.”

           I watched him slip down the hallway shouting for Kenny. Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to Santana and Ortiz. The first swept around me and hopped up onto the table vacated by Jericho.

           “We can pick a fight with Dark Order. They’ve snatched Ana Jay,” Ortiz said with glee. “The two of us—” he gestured between himself and Santana—“can take Silver and Reynolds.”

           “Or Uno and Stu,” Santana added. His tag partner nodded, pointing back at him as if it was a genius idea.

           I couldn’t help but smile indulgently. It reminded me of the moments when I sat back and watched Jon and Seth banter and bicker backstage. A stab of homesickness swept through me. The strangeness was that it wasn’t for a place, but for a moment in time. I missed the feeling that I’d had when the Hounds were together… that moment on the dock behind my parents’ house where I first felt like I was one of the pack.

           Jericho’s words flitted through my mind. Maybe they weren’t the same as Roman, Jon, and Seth, but I could find a new home in AEW. I could make myself another family—not to replace the Hounds. Nothing could ever do that.

           “Those are the only ones we can pick a fight with?” I asked, tossing my book on the table beside Santana. “The women’s division here is… severely lacking.”

           Ortiz and Santana looked sideways at me. “Ah ah, mamí, I know that look,” Ortiz cautioned, getting to his feet.

           I pushed myself to my feet, taking a minute to get my balance. Then I turned on my heel and stalked down the hallway toward the EVP offices. I ignored the faint tingle in the back of my knee as I practically ran.

           I knocked hard on the door of the office. My heart clawed up into my throat. Shuffling echoed from the other side.

           The door swung open and Nick Jackson grinned at me, his blue eyes bright. “Hey, Black. What can I do for you?”

           “I need to talk to Omega. I’m bored as hell, and we’ve got to do something about this women’s division of yours.” The words spilled out before I could stop them. Probably should have thought carefully about what I was going to say before I practically insulted one of the guys who signed my checks.

           Nick’s eyes went wide, but the corner of his mouth twitched up. He stepped to the side and gestured me to come in. My stomach turned upside down. I thought I was going to puke.

           Kenny sat in a folding chair with a laptop open on the low table in front of him. He looked up as Nick shut the door behind me. I watched Kenny’s brow furrow, his blue-green eyes searching my face.

           “Jericho’s already been here,” he said without preamble. “The show is full tonight.”

           I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to my good leg. The brace felt stifling, as if it were an anchor that was dragging me backward. My heart was desperate to get through my ribs and out of my chest. “Tonight’s show is full, Next week’s show will be full. Dark is full. You brought me here to wrestle. To compete. But I’ve spent the last year being basically a valet for Inner Circle. I’ve had three matches, Omega. THREE! That’s bullshit. And you know it.”

           Kenny’s eyes went wide as he sat back in his chair. “You have one women’s match on Dynamite and one on Dark, if we’re lucky. And if the match lasts five minutes, that’s considered a long one. If I wanted to sit on the sidelines, I’d have stayed with Vince. At least there I could get a match or a promo or something.”

           Someone snickered behind me. I didn’t turn to see who it was. I kept my gaze locked on Omega, hoping that he’d know how frustrated I was with the way I’d been treated in AEW. There had been so many promises about how everything would be better than what I’d known. I’d left everything behind for the vision of a new wrestling promotion that was going to bring back the fun, the storytelling, the focus on providing fresh content. Jon had begged me to take the contract, gushing over how fantastic it was. But of course, he was a guy. And the men’s roster was bloated.

           “What do you want me to do, Black?” Kenny asked, his voice gruff. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You want me to shoehorn a match in the show tonight? You want some TV time, is that it?”

           Rage. Frustration. Desperation. A pure sort of anger that came from someone being purposefully obtuse.

           “No, Kenny. I don’t want ‘some TV time.’ I want what you promised me. I want you to get your shit together and actually pay attention to your women’s division.” I drew a deep breath through my nose, desperate to calm the burning in my veins. “If you don’t, I want out of my contract. And I’m not bluffing.”

           I turned on my heel and walked back out of the room. Nick caught my eye as I passed. He winked, giving me a thumbs up. I gave him a faint smile in return before I pulled the door shut behind me.

***

           Sefina grinned as Kevin and Prince played in the floor around her. Her eyes had darkened to a chocolate brown that matched Seth’s, but her hair was a lighter brown that looked like melted caramel. I smiled at her, tucking whisps of hair behind her ear as the two of us sat together in front of the sofa. Kevin slipped and slid across the hardwood and plopped across my daughter’s legs. She carefully ran her fingers through his fur.

           After a moment, she tipped her head back and looked at me. Her smile was slightly sad. “Want Dada,” she mumbled.

           I looked at the clock, realizing that Seth would be in the middle of a live show just then. It would be two days before he came home. “Me, too, baby girl. Me, too.”

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[katherinemallory]

#6 A sign from the stars

You can find the previous chapters here: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

In the last few days it seemed I hardly recognized myself. One Friday I stayed at the MI6 Headquarters much longer than usual, because I needed to finish all the work before the weekend. I wanted to prevent anyone from bothering me on one of my free days, so I did everything I could to make sure I didn't forget about anything. It was getting dark outside the windows, as 8 P.M. got closer, so I drew the curtains before I sat in my armchair.

I was trying to relax and regain the energy. I've just finished preparing some of the documents I had to deliver directly to M, but didn’t intend to go there just yet. I needed a short break. I waited there for 15 minutes, doing absolutely nothing, apart from listening to the cars that were passing by the MI6 Headquarters outside the window. Then I locked my office and went to the last floor.

I was wondering whether Eve would still be working that late in the evening. My assumption was that she would stay in the building as long as Mallory was there. But with Mallory... you could never know for sure. No one was fully aware of his schedule... perhaps for safety reasons.

The corridors on the last floor were empty and it felt like the whole building has been abandoned. You could hear quiet phone conversations from behind the doors, but that late in the evening it felt a bit as if the ghosts had invaded the place.

I knocked on Eve’s door twice, but didn't hear that welcoming voice in response. I was extremely tired, barely could see anything with my eyes, and I wanted to go home so badly, that I ignored the basic savoir-vivre rules and went inside even though I had not been invited.

There was no one sitting behind Eve's desk. The lights were off, and with all the important stuff left on the desk I felt like a burglar.

Great, I thought. There is no one around to assist me. I can't leave these documents here, not making sure they would go directly to Mallory... but I can't step into his office either if he's not here!

To me it seemed like he wasn't there. The omnipresent silence suggested that the office was empty, but I didn’t have much choice. Damn it, I'm going to check if the door is open...

I placed my hand on the doorknob and pushed the famous maroon door. To my surprise, the door has opened, but no one greeted me, which meant I've just broken into M's office.

The interior looked quite mysterious. Just as in the previous room, the lights were off, but the office wasn't covered in total darkness, as someone didn't draw the curtains next to the M's desk. The city lanterns’ light was trying to reach the book shelves behind the desk. For a moment I wondered what kind of books does my supervisor enjoy the most.

I went straight to his desk, my moves being extremely clumsy. The only thing I had in my mind was to do it as quickly as possible and leave. 

When I stopped in front of the desk and placed the documents on it, I felt my heart *racing* in my chest. I tried to remain calm. Calm down, Kath. You *had* to deliver this directly to Mallory... and you just did it. Calm down. There's nothing wrong with you being alone in your supervisor's office. I had trouble with convincing myself of that. That is probably why I didn't hear someone coming inside.

I didn't hear the footsteps. I realized that someone has joined me only seconds before being hugged from behind. I felt the warmth of a man’s body.

"Someone has broken into her supervisor's office?" whispered a pair of lips that gently kissed me on the neck, refusing to wait for my response.

A familiar voice had come from the lips that kissed me. I knew exactly who that man was.

"I came to bring you... the documents... you had asked for... earlier today... sir," I said, staying still: having M's desk in front of me, and unable to see the face of the man who was still holding me in his arms.

"Thank you, Katherine," he replied, while he moved his hands to my waist. "But it would be a waste of time... to come here only to bring me documents."

He kissed my neck once again, this time more predatory, and turned me around.

At first, I only saw his silhouette in the office's darkness, but soon recognized Mallory's face thanks to the dim light coming from outside the window. I was both astonished and thrilled, and, as a result, unable to move. He held me tight in his arms, looking deeply into my eyes.

"I *couldn't* wait any longer," confessed Mallory and smelled my hair. "Since your first day in the section I've been thinking about you..." he made a pause and hungrily glanced at my lips. “So I stepped in when I saw you here. I just hope..." he whispered, "... I just hope you're okay with that."

I couldn't believe my own ears, but I knew exactly *what* I wanted to do and *how much* I wanted to do it. I seductively bit my lower lip and then slowly raised my right hand and caressed his cheek, admiring his face for a brief moment.

"The feeling's mutual, sir," I said breathlessly and kissed him.

My hands laid on his chest, impatiently exploring his body in the dark. He continued to kiss me passionately as he lifted me onto his desk, while I started to unbutton his shirt. We got lost in the moment completely: he, caressing my hair and my back, and me, sitting on his desk, with my hands taking off Mallory's braces...

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

I opened my eyes, as the alarm clock rang. I looked around, expecting Mallory to be lying in my bed next to me, but I was the only person in the room. So, that was only a dream... such a shame, I thought, as I touched my neck as if I were a man who intended to kiss me. 

I wasn't in the good mood. Who would like to come back to reality after such a night? But I got out of bed to turn the clock off and to check my phone. Still no response from 007... You have really screwed this up, Kath.

I wasn't sure how many days or weeks have passed since my failed mission and the infamous conversation I had with Bond. I stopped to count them.

The life in the double-0 section has slowed down, but there was one thing to look forward to. All of us had to attend a one-on-one meeting with M who has been trying to figure out if there's a leak in the section.

I looked at my wall calendar only to discover that today was the day of mine "interrogation" with Mallory. Maybe that's why I had such a spicy dream tonight... cause my heart gets crazy before our every meeting... And let’s be honest Kath, your subconscious wants him *really* badly. 

The truth was that I missed Mallory dearly, as I haven't ran into him in the recent days. It was an uncomfortable feeling - to miss someone you don’t know much about, but at the same time be aware of the fact that this *someone* makes you unable to sleep at night. I found myself regularly thinking about his mysterious green eyes and dark brown hair. I *loved* looking at him when he was giving orders to other double-0s, talking to Eve, or even just wandering around the corridors. The way he moved like seemed fairly attractive to me... Was I being ridiculous? Was I really in love with him? I wasn’t sure, but I was *craving* for my next meeting with Mallory.

I was nearly ready, drinking my everyday cup of Earl Grey and eating breakfast, when my phone rang unexpectedly. I had to stand up to pick it up.

It was Eve. Did the hour of my "interrogation" change?

"Hello, Eve, what's up?"

She sounded a bit strange, as if she was afraid to tell me why she has called me.

"Hi, Kath," she said in a faint voice. "Have you... left your apartment already?"

"No," I replied. "But I will do it in 15 minutes time."

"Well... in that case... don't leave your place then."

The way Eve said the last few words made me feel really worried.

"Why so? Eve, what is going on??" I said nervously, but determined to uncover the truth. "You sound differently than usual... did something happen??"

"Y-y-yes," faltered Eve. "Do you remember our last conversation about M when you said..."

"Yes, I remember," I interrupted her. "Though I’m not sure what that has to do with this..."

"Well Kath... I'm really sorry to tell you this, but... 003 who had his meeting before you... he tried to assassinate M."

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed and fell on the couch. I began to tremble. "He tried to do WHAT...? Is M alright???"

"He was taken to the hospital a while ago," responded Eve. "A stab wound to the left arm. 003 attacked M with a letter opener from his own desk..." she made a pause and then sighed. "It was really awful, Kath. I was behind the door and could do absolutely nothing! I didn't even know something was going on there! M must have pressed this button under his desk to signalize emergency... the guards came into the office very quickly and took 003 to the isolation room but... M's arm has been already covered in blood. When I saw him I nearly fainted... and then I thought of you... since you feel something for him..."

"How serious is his injury?" I asked immediately, being surprised by my ability to remain rational.

"I have no idea, Kath. But I'll keep you posted."

"Thank you so much Eve... I really appreciate that you've called me..."

I suddenly realized that something was not right. Again, I was surprised by the fact I was able to think straight in such an emotional situation.

"... but Eve, why you've told me to stay home? I can come to work and continue with the documents..."

"No, Kath, I'm sorry, but you can't," she said. "003's last mission was set in that area in Australia where Abbruscato wanted to buy mines... and since you and Amanda were both so close to him... you're first ones on the list of suspects. I'm sorry, but..."

She didn't have to explain this to me. This is how the world of espionage looks like.

"... but we're under arrest," I said calmly as I opened the curtains, and looked through the window to see the street. "The guards are coming right now, aren't they?"

"Yes, they left a while ago. They will stay at your door until the investigation's over."

I became quiet. 

"Katherine, are you still there?"

"Yeah...” I answered, staring at the street and tucking the hair behind my left ear. “Thank you, Eve. Thank you so much," I said briefly and I hanged up.

After a while, I was sitting on my couch, looking on my cup of cold Earl Grey. 

I didn't want to talk anymore. To anyone.

Just as in my dream, I couldn’t move. It seemed like I lost the ability to feel anything because of the unexpectedness of the news. If someone came to me and wanted to hurt me in any way, I wouldn’t care at all. I just wanted to know how’s Mallory.

So this was the real meaning of my dream... It was a warning. A prediction. A telepathic sign from Mallory? A sign from the stars telling me something terrible has happened to the man I love?

Wait, did I just think that? Did I just call Mallory the man I *love*?

***

To be continued.

[soranihimawari]

sketchbook & coffees

this is a part of a time stamp draft i had in my drafts for a while. after several revisions, i opted to continue using asahi as an inspiration behind this piece. 

summary: yn is an artist. her club project for the annual ‘local artist fall soiree’ is sketches of the young and old in miyagi. when the model the club had lined up for the month cancels, she asks her classmate, azumane to “borrow” his hands for the project.

warnings: anxiety/anxiety attacks, how to cope when having one in public/public setting (let me know if my tw tag is operating please)

genre: fluff with healing/romantic comedy at the end (classmates to lovers?)

rating: pg-15+ (for the anxiety scenes)// A.A.F [azumane asahi fluff]

[20:45]

the pencil scratches against the rough page delicately tracing the outline of the shadows of your lover’s hand. somewhere in the distance, you hear the faint sounds of the city coming to life for the first time since the sun has set. the neon lights of the corner shops in front of the local bogedas in roppengi reflect the golden flecks on your eyes. you enjoy the company of the man sitting across from you, his silent stare causes you to empathize with him and as a show of gratitude you pause your drawing of his hands for a moment and smile. he asks if he can move his hands now, to which you nod. his cherrywood dyed hair is brushed to one side, only tied by a thin pink elastic you leant him earlier that day in class. you had slipped him a note in his locker right as classes were ending, knowing he had practice for the volleyball club later. you, whose handwriting he could never forget for peer review essays, asked if he would mind getting coffee with you one day when he was free. you mentioned you had an art project for your club due that month and the model they were going to try to invite for said project had backed out (due to personal reasons); although you weren’t sure why he seemed more flustered, you dismissed it as being nervous since most thought the art club drew semi-nudes, but that wasn’t the case. you explained your senior project was sketching different body parts (clothed or not was at the level of the model’s comfort) of both the old and the young. you had a sketch for every part you needed except for the hands. hence why you suggested the coffeeshop down the street from your mother’s job. with the date and time set, you are now sitting across the table with the ace of your school’s volleyball club.

he offered to pay for the coffees when you had arrived to the cafe, but you insisted on paying him back with tickets for the exhibition as well as a pack of hair ties for his time. what you chose to ignore was the way his friends (and teammates) would tease the tall lad about the way you made his heart soar whenever you were within a three foot radius. he always wanted to play his best for himself, yet he couldn’t help to recall all the times you tried to encourage him after he was completely shut out from date tech the season prior. you knelt down in front of his desk and rested your chin on his desk before spewing some words of advice: “a scientist never repeats the same experiment twice if the results are the same, azumane.” you knew of his anxieties about rejoining the club after the spunky first years showed up outside to corner him and ask if he still wanted to rejoin. you gave him an encouraging thumbs up when he saw you walking down the hall with a broad grin, how could he say no to them? 

as you were putting the finishing notes on the gesture drawing of his hands, you heard him inhale sharply. you glance up quickly, not sure if he was exhibiting any other signs of a panic attack, but you wrapped your hand around his palm for stability. even seated down as you were, you realize how erratic his hand had begun to shake from staying in one position for so long. he began to slowly hyperventilate as the espresso machine went off and the night crowd began trickling into the small shop. attacks, especially for him, were far and inbetween, and you recall the first time you helped him through one: 

you were in the science lab stock room and the door closed on you both. he began to get this panicked look in his eyes; it was not an easy expression to forget. unaware of how to handle the situation properly back then, you tell your classmate to close his eyes as you lifted one of his hands by his wrist and placed it near your neck pulse point. you were a lot more calmer then, thus instructing him to breath in and out with every thump his fingers felt. 

“how do you know this will work yn?” azumane said. his voice was rattled with fear and his eyes looked every which way but down at you. the closeness of it all was what got to him.

“i know it’s a lot to handle right now, but do your best and trust me,” you said. you were stern in your disposition and once he took you up on your advice, you both rode through his attack together. your lips grazed his wrist before asking him if he knew anyone who could help him through an attack. to be quite frank, after you two exited the room, you asked to speak with the teacher after class. when you explain your thoughts about how worried you were for him, the teacher suggested in the next staff meeting to have at least one member (including yourself) in all of azumane’s classes the following year considering what had transpired in her lab supply room. you were lucky the school staff cared about their students’ well being and had implemented a ‘buddy’ system for those who experienced similar issues. you don’t let asahi know about this set up and you both were elated to know you were in the same class again for senior year.

more often than he would like to admit, he thought about that day, because it was the day he changed your contact info in his phone to ‘my wisest yn-chan’. although, one practice early on in the season, noya noticed his friend’s phone going off right as practice was wrapping up and that was the day when the rest of the crows got their ace to admit how he truly felt about the “wise yn-chan”.

you gave his hand a firm squeeze as if to say, ‘i’m here for you. calm yourself, just for me, please.’ 

“asahi, it’s all right,” your voice is like finely spun sugar to him. “focus on my voice and breathe with me this time, ok?”

you don’t know the power you hold over his heart just yet, but you had an idea once he began to breathe in rhythm with you. his knuckles which had turned white when you held his free hand, began to relax more once you helped him through the worse of it.

“i-i’m sorry,” his voice was small. he was as gentle as they come, but he was still the frightened boy from your second year science class. truthfully, he didn’t want to have an attack when he was having such a lovely afternoon with you; all he really wanted to do was enjoy some time with you ever since you explained why you wanted to meet at the cafe. now that he was a bit embarrassed by his handling of his own attack because it had been so long between his last anxiety attack, yet he thanked whatever gods were nearby for having you there with him.

“don’t worry about it,” you said. then a coy smile carved its way across your features. you realized he was becoming more flustered, so you release his hand from yours. you ask several follow up questions to him after the last remaining bits of the attack subsided and as you talk through him, you noticed how much more calmer your voice makes him. if you thought he didn’t have a crush you prior to today, you were proven wrong the moment he used both of his hands to reach for yours before you packed away your things. he muttered a “p-please don’t go just yet,” but when you studied the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his eyes telegraphed his plea of ‘i might have another one when you’re gone and i’m still not used to handling one by myself yet.’ 

the action alone startled you at first, granted you have known asahi since second year (through walking the same route with him home from school prior to the science lab incident), but this was the fifth time you helped him through an assortment of anxiety ridden attacks (and you didn’t mind it at all since he was the only one of the third years who didn’t share a class with either the captain or vice-captain that year). you tell him to close his eyes as his breathing returned to normal again and when a familiar tune came on the playlist for the cafe, you started to hum the opening bars. you weren’t a hero perse, but you were pretty damn close especially for the classmate sitting across from you. when you feel his grip relax, you don’t dare to let either of his hands return to his side of the table. 

roughly twenty minutes later, you and asahi roam the streets of roppengi heading back to the train platform headed for the miyagi stops. you still hold his hand, wondering how long would it take for him to realize you had felt the same about him since the start of the semester. asahi walks you to your father’s house a few blocks away from his when you return back to the safety of your hometown.

“azumane,” your voice is resilient in it’s unwavering support. the gentle giant had begun to turn around mentioning he’d see you the day of the art festival (you had planned on going together originally, but that changed as soon as you teased him for labeling himself as your date. you mentioned you liked the color of strawberry ice cream since his blush reminded you of it in the fluorescent light inside the train).

“hmm?” he asks, taking his hands out of his jacket pocket. you dropped your school bag on the porch before you pulled him into a hug.

“ack!” he exclaims right as he felt your arms wrap around him with your face turning to one side against his torso. he chuckled nervously before hugging you back; he bent down slightly and rested one of his cheeks atop your head. your shoulder length hair danced in the nightly breeze against the nape of your neck.

“i’ll always be here for you; i believe in you doing your best,” you say suddenly thus causing your soon-to-be-boyfriend(?)/crush to nod. “now come on, get yourself home and i’ll see you next friday at six.” 

you release him from your embrace, backing away slowly to create some space between you two, and with what found courage he had stored in him, azumane extends his hand to grip your shoulder lightly. it was a slight warning before you shut your eyes quickly blinking as you felt his breath tickle the side of your face. whatever he whispered to you made you more flustered than you already were. he left soon thereafter with the widest grin.

***

“woah woah woah,” noya said. the libero casually glanced up and down at his best friend who was dressed in business casual clothes after the team caught wind of their ace having a date on a friday night. azumane decided to wear navy slacks and a dress shirt with a belt and his hair was left down (noya’s idea). the ace knew his friends from the club would help him give some encouraging words of wisdom about fashion sense and style, but since he wanted to impress you a little, he wanted to stop by the gym where you had agreed to meet up prior to you arriving on campus.

“noya,” azumane began. he breathed a sigh of exasperation. “do you think this is too much?”

“you’re going to an exhibit by the art club, right?” sugawara inquires, walking around his friend before said friend gave him an approving nod. “you look fine.”

low whistles were heard from tanaka as well all the while the first years along with the single-second year bachelors just laughed and made a few kissing noises up until both sawamura and ennoshita told them to quit it.

on the other hand, none of the boys, with the exception of their managers noticed you in the doorway of their gym. you chose to wear a form-fitting azure cocktail dress with peep toe heels. your dress had pockets, so you had a pair of flats tucked away there. you opted to wear your hair in a messy side braid and all talking ceased as soon as your shoes made contact with the gym floor. 

“holy crap,” kazuhita whispered before he elbowed ennoshita who then turned red in the face. you walked a little taller that day and the quieter the team got, the more the nerves came back to asahi’s mind. the first years as a whole were frozen for a second suddenly blushing like mad.

“literal goddess!” tanaka said nearly crying as you winked at him and noya. to be fair, they almost passed out. sugawara and daichi suddenly froze up finding various details around the gym suddenly very interesting so they weren’t caught staring at you. honestly, what else would you expect from the crows of karasuno?

“stop making fun of me, guys. i just want tonight to go smoothly,” asahi’s voice said. there was a hush over the gym and judging by hiw quiet his usually talkative teammates were being, he got more nervous about the date he had with you.

 “wait, why is no one talking?” he asked, after re-fixing the feather shaped cuff link on his shirt. you were standing a few paces behind him, pondering if the ace knew just how effortlessly handsome he was.

“probably because they saw me walk by,” your voice had a lilt of laughter in it. what asahi imagined you would wear versus what you were wearing in real time, clearly outweighed his imagination tenfold. the dress hugged you in all the right places causing you to spin around, slowly, just for him. who knew you had that figure tucked away underneath the girls uniform was beyond the members of the team. as you complete your semi-spin, you walk up toward asahi with an amused expression meeting his flirtatious stare (the rest of his face telegraphed a slight case of nervousness, but he had his brain keep his eyes trained solely on your movements. probably didn’t help he was restraining himself from asking you to skip the soiree because he’s be far too invested in leaving you breathless).

“you clean up well,” you tease, poking his chest. you laugh at how his feigns surprise before leaning down and whispering his reply.

“so do you,” asahi’s voice is dangerously low. far lower than what you’re used to hearing in class.then again, it was mostly due to you showing up in that dress. she’s really pretty. is this really y/n-san? hold on, is that a new lipstick color? 

“ready to get out of here with me?” you ask, extending your hand out for him, which he gladly takes. 

he leads you out of the gym, but before you cross over the threshold of the gym, you say over your shoulder: “don’t worry guys! i promise i’ll have him home in time for morning practice!” 

“you better!” sugawara yelled before he noticed you laughing at how quickly asahi’s hand held yours a little tighter. 

before the evening’s event draws to a close, you ask one of the wait staff to take a photo of you and your ‘friend.’ you stand side by side and before the shutter closes, you give him a peck on the side of his face leaving an imprint of your strawberry pink painted lips. it was the best image you have of you two together from the local artist fall soiree mostly because of how wide the ace actually smiled.

--end--

[foreverfangirlalways]

The Astronomer and The Florist (Chapter 15)

Chapter 15 Title: Royality Wedding

Summery: Patton and Roman’s Wedding Day

Ships: Analogical & Royality

Warning: Nervousness, mild panic, tears

-let me know if I need to add more warnings-

( HAPPY BIRTHDAY to @thefingergunsgirl​! I hope you enjoy this fluffy Royality Wedding (can you spot the part where your fic inspired me?)  and a special thank you to all my friends who did wedding planning with me, especially @kawaiikat54​ and @five-falseh00ds-ph0nated​ for shopping with me )

*here is a collage of the wedding*

<the wonderful and fabulous @franticfandomfanatic​ drew Roman in his wedding dress, and I just had Link it! The picture is fabulous and exactly how I envisioned Roman looking in his dress! https://franticfandomfanatic.tumblr.com/post/621142753920860161/i-drew-something-from-foreverfangirlalways>

—-

*BEEP BEEP BEEP* Whack!

Patton sat up and stared at Virgil. “Did you just whack me and my alarm clock at the same time?”

Virgil grinned, and raised the pillow over his head again. “Yep! And I’m about to do it again if you don’t get up within the next 5 seconds. It’s your wedding day!”

Patton lunged and tackled Virgil in a hug, and Virgil fell to the ground. “Oh my gosh I am getting married today! Common Virgil! We have to go get dressed! And eat! And go to the Venue!”

Patton started dragging Virgil and he busted out laughing. “Well hopefully not in that order, and Patton, this is my house! Stop dragging me, I know where we are going!”

-_-_-_-

Meanwhile, Roman woke up a slight different way.

“Oof!”

Logan glared at an excited Roman.

“You have five seconds to get off me and tell me why you deigned to wake me by jumping on me, or Patton will find himself a widow very early.”

“Logan, Logan, Logan!” Roman said, bouncing off Logan and spinning around the room. “I’m getting married today! No time for sleep, we have to get ready! We have to be at the Venue in 4 hours! There’s so much to do! Let’s go!”

Roman started pulling Logan, and Logan just sighed, exasperated but with a fond look on his face.

“Just because this is your house doesn’t mean you get to drag me everywhere! Now, the makeup artist will be here in an hour, so let’s go ahead and eat breakfast while we can.

-_-_-_-

Once everyone was ready and fed, they all headed to the Venue. Roman and Logan stayed in the Bridal Suite, and Patton and Virgil were in the Groom’s Suite.

“Roman! If you get water on that dress I will kill you!”

“Logan, it’s water! And my dress! Now stop delaying and go get dressed!”

Logan crossed his arms, and Roman glared. “Do not test me, I will go Bridezilla on you. Now go. Get. Dressed.”

Logan scoffed, but went to go dressed. Roman let out a victory whoop, and Logan grinned at finally getting Roman to calm down.

-_-_-_-

“Patton, I don’t know about this. How did I let you talk me into this? This was a bad idea, I look-“

“Finish that sentence and I will physically fight you! I’m sure you look wonderful! Now let me see!”

Virgil walked out from behind the changing screen, and Patton squealed.

“You look awesome! I love it! Ooo! Spin spin spin!”

Virgil smiled at Patton’s begging and did a little twirl.

“Ah! I love it! This was a great idea! You look adorable in your blue skirt, and the red vest was a good choice!”

Virgil looked at his vest and smiled. “Yeah, Logan suggest that wear matching but opposite outfits. He picked out the vests. Roman got the skirts.”

Patton laughed, grabbed Virgil’s hand. “Holy shit, I’m getting married in 30 minutes!”

Virgil stared open mouthed. “You just cursed. And yes you are! You look amazing! Baby blue is definitely your color, and I love the bow tie!”

Patton giggled and took a bow. “I’m gonna be Roman’s Prince Charming!”

The door open and the new person smirked. “I’m glad you said that, because I can make a fabulous dramatic entrance now.”

The man with a bright yellow shirt and black suit walked over and and kneeled in front of Patton.

“The esteemed groom Roman asked that I present the most handsome prince in the world with his final gift to you before you are to get married.”

They all looked down at the blue crown that was sitting atop a decorative pillow.

Virgil asked “So Janus, how much did he pay you to say exactly those words?” at the same time Patton clasped his hands together and squealed.

“Aww! That’s so sweet! And cute! And I love it! Please tell him I love it and can’t wait to see him in the one I sent him!”

Virgil and Janus stared. “The one you...?”

“Yeah! While you were changing I sent Remus to Roman with a tiara I bought him. I thought it could be his ‘something new’!”

Janus laughed and Virgil shook his head in amusement. “Y’all are too perfect for eachother. Janus, since you are already here, I need your help. Common, time for finishing touches!”

-_-_-_-

“Alright Roman. You are dressed, hair styled, makeup done... I think you are ready. How do you feel?”

“I feel great Logan! A little nervous, but I look prefect!”

“Ohh, do you now?” Ask a man standing in the doorway. Logan narrowed his eyes and Roman rolled his.

“Yes, and my dress already has the perfect amount of red. So for the last time Remus, I am not putting fake blood all over myself for my wedding!”

Remus scoffed. “Who said anything about FAKE blood? And also, that’s not what that is about. Don’t worry Logan, I’m not going to try anything again, so no need for a glare. I came to bring you this.”

Remus held a tiara up from behind his back. Roman gasped and Logan chuckled.

“Patton gave it to me, telling me to give it to you and say some love speech that sums up to be ‘I love you and you are gonna look hot in this’ more or less.”

Logan laughed. “While I am sure that is not what Patton said, I know that if anyone had any doubts that y’all are perfect for eachother, the fact that you both secretly got crowns for eachother is all the proof they would need.”

Roman beamed and Remus set the tiara upon his head. “It’s almost time for me to walk you down the aisle little bro, are you ready?”

“Yes,”Roman said while nodding. “I’m marring the love of my life with my best friend by my side and my brother giving me away. I can’t wait!”

10 minutes later Logan and Virgil walked to their spots, and Patton was standing next to the officiator.

The opening notes of ‘I See The Light’ from Tangled are heard, and everyone stands up. Roman walks down the aisle, arm in arm with Remus.

Patton is bouncing on the balls of his feet, using all of his willpower to not rush to Roman and profess his love right then.

Remus walked Roman all the way up to Patton and clasped their hands together.

“Listen Pattycakes, you make Roman cry even a single tear of sorrow, I will make sure you push up some lovely daisies.”

Remus than pat Patton on the head and walked over to sit by Janus. Patton looked unnerved but Roman just shook his head and smiled.

“Well then! I believe that is my cue to start the ceremony!”

Everyone chuckled at Emile’s words. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bare witness to the union of Roman Royal and Patton Hart. If anyone has a problem with this union, then I don’t know why you came to their wedding.”

Everyone chuckled again, and the grooms shook their heads lightheartedly.

“Now, I have been told that the grooms have written their own vows for eachother? Roman, you may go first.”

Roman smiled and squeezed Patton’s hand.

“Patton Morales Hart, ever since you sat beside me at the movie theater and cussed out Hans in ice cream flavors, I knew you were the one for me. You are sweet and gentle, but will also threaten people and chase people around with a weaponized tennis racket. You are my favorite sight to see, and the best thing to wake up too. You are my soulmate and help me be the best person I can be. I love you and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” Roman then put the ring on Patton’s finger and kissed his hand.

Roman started crying about midway through his vows, but he never let his voice waver and powered on. Patton had a few tears streaming down his face and smiled brightly.

“Patton, you may now try and top Roman’s vows. Good luck!”

Light laughter was heard all throughout the crowd, and then Patton opened his mouth.

“Roman Cretivies Royal, I would first like to say congratulations on your nuptials!”

Roman huffed a laugh and shook his head, smile never dimming.

“In all seriousness, I knew I wanted to marry you from the moment you offered to take me out for ice cream after watching Frozen and proceeded to tell me how I should be treated like a true prince, and to always tell the Han’s that I will ‘kick their rocky road.’ There is no one else I want to dance around the kitchen with, embarrass our friends with, or make bets over how fast said friends will get together with. By the way, you still owe me ten bucks.

But I will let you keep the money in exchange for your undying love and support, because you have always had mine. I am so excited to spend every day making you feel as special as you have made me feel. We have been great boyfriends, and now we get to be fabulous husbands.”

Patton places the ring on Romans hand and bows. “A gorgeous ring for a gorgeous guy.”

At this point there wasn’t a dry eye for a two mile radius. Not being able to hold back, Roman pulled Patton into a rib-cracking embrace.

“Of course you have my love and support, now let’s officially become husbands!”

Emile clapped his hands. “Alright! Roman, do you take Patton to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do!”

“And Patton,  do you take Roman to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do!”

“Perfect! By the power vested in me, you may now kiss the groom!”

Roman dipped Patton into a kiss, and then Patton spun Roman around.

“It is my honor to intrude to you, Roman and Patton Royalhart!”

Everyone cheered, and no one stopped smiling for the rest of the day.

Patton booped icing on Roman’s nose.

Logan and Virgil both gave embarrassing but adorable toasts.

Roman glided across the dance floor with Patton for the first dance, and then with Remus for the brother brother dance.

Patton friendly intimidated Logan when Virgil caught the bouquet.

Logan places a flower from the bouquet behind Virgil’s ear.

Virgil kissed Logan after a slow dance, and Patton and Roman then dragged them to go take pictures at the photo booth.

After the night was over, Roman and Patton were sent off to the airport in a limo, to head to their honeymoon destination.

Virgil and Logan went home, changed into pajamas, and fell asleep cuddling.

Taglist-

@dragonwithproblems​

@five-falseh00ds-ph0nated​

@thefingergunsgirl​

@kawaiikat54​

@sanders-sides-with-quinn​

@007ardra​

@yikesdodson​

@nerdycupcake559​

@softestvirgil​

@teacupfulofstarshine​

@impatentpending​

@star-crossed-shipper​

@ravenivy2079​

@rainbowemonightmare​

@ladyartemisia28​

@moose-boi​

@resident-trash-goblin​

@parx-boiiz​

@ninathepancake​

@kuroyurishion​

@funkyfreshfatherfigure​

@pattoncake-and-eyeshadow​ 

@drewwwbydoobydoo​

@sure-i-exist​

@sophiexteresa​

@glitched-cookie​

@wellhellothere09​

[aqvarius]

[WALKTHROUGH + REVIEW] Masquerade Kiss: Yuzuru Shiba Season 2

Expectations:

I just want to start off by saying that the prologue is absolutely outrageous. There are probably so many targets that hang around the EAC headquarters, especially since HQ is presumably 3 miles within the UN Headquarters and let’s not pretend that there isn’t at least one target going to work there everyday. I actually spent 30 mins on google maps street view trying to find exactly where this location is supposed to be modelled after so I could find all the companies and buildings that have potential targets and then just gave up lol. BUT either way, I refuse to believe that a top international intelligence agency would just go WARNING WARNING and go into emergency lockdown because a target entered a 3 mile radius of HQ. Ridiculous. Also, the letter from the EAC even in the Yuzuru prologue also calls her Arisa Mifune which is her Kazuomi alias lol.

EDIT: I found the location of that background which implies that EAC HQ is modelled after 2 Hammarskjold Plaza or somewhere near (which is right next to the British Consulate btw, how did MC not see that on her way to the building. Also conveniently near something called Japan Society.). Note the octagonal-roofed thing on the bottom left, the general shape of the building, the covered part of the building lobby, the blue sign (afaik street signs in NYC are green) and the position and shape of the building down the road. And I know I’m taking this whole thing way too seriously, but Jeffrey Epstein had a mansion about 2 miles away from here so this whole 3 mile emergency alert thing is just ridiculous. Sure, Epstein probably never existed in the world of Masquerade Kiss but come on, it is highly unlikely that not a single target lives, works or passes by for a kebab within a 3 mile radius of the EAC HQ.

With that out of the way, let’s talk Yuzuru. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was going to even play Masquerade Kiss ever again. I like most things about the game but Love Choice is honestly just a turn off and the only LC game that I am genuinely drawn to is actually Destind. But then I had 287 unused hearts because I bought a bunch of hearts with the intent of playing Kyogoku’s route in Romance MD (and then I didn’t because I actually just don’t like that game) so I decided to give it a shot. I actually (surprisingly?) prefer Kazuomi to Yuzuru as a character, but I like Yuzuru’s MC more than Kazuomi’s MC and I was intrigued that Voltage would push this whole love quadrangle thing. We’ve seen hyper-jealous Yuzuru before in a substory so I think I went into this route more interested in the plot aspect and to see how they would develop the kind of strange relationship between Yuzuru and his MC. I genuinely enjoyed Yuzuru’s S1 MS a lot and wanted to see how he and his MC would grow as a couple. Also I wanted to play it in order to write a review to bring some traffic back to my semi-hiatus stagnant blog lol. Please give this a like/reblog please I’m begging you please :’(

Keep reading to the walkthrough and review. I’ve calculated a way for you to get to EE with all CGs (50 hearts saved), SHE with CGs (83 hearts saved), or a cheapest overall option to SHE (107 hearts saved).

Stop scrolling after the walkthrough and guide if you haven’t yet played and don’t want the route to be spoiled.

Walkthrough:

Story 1:

Yes, we should keep an eye on him.

No, it’s not necessary

Story 2:

“You came to be with me.” (Love Meter +1) (6 hearts)

I can’t say.

Story 3:

I sign without hesitating.

I hesitate for a moment.

Story 4:

Text Yuzuru.

Don’t text him.

Story 5:

I’ll sign it. (Love Meter +1, CG) (13 hearts)

I’m not going to sign a New York contract.

 Story 6:

Casually intervene. (Love Meter +2) (11 hearts)

Pretend not to notice.

Story 7:

See him out without asking what’s wrong.

Ask what’s going on.

Story 8:

It’s payback time. (Love Meter +1, CG) (16 hearts)

Don’t do anything.

Story 9:

Start touching him. (Love Meter +2) (12 hearts)

I can’t interrupt.

Story 10:

Seduce the info out of him. (Love Meter +1) (8 hearts)

Try to force it out of him.

Story 11: (second chance)

Gently ask about it. (Love Meter +3) (18 hearts)

Now is not the time.

Story 12:

“I’m thinking about you.” (Love Meter +3) (13 hearts)

“Nothin’.”

Story 13:

“It was fun.”

“It was relaxing.”

 Story 14:

Apologize and keep talking. (Love Meter +1) (7 hearts)

Ouch. I have nothing to say for myself…

Story 15:

Play dumb: “What are you talking about?”

Ask: “What if I am?”

Story 16:

Find out if he’s jealous. (Love Meter +2) (18 hearts)

Don’t ask any questions.

Story 17:

“I’ll stay ten more minutes.” (Love Meter +2) (14 hearts)

I have nothing to say.

Story 18:

Ask about his Texas accent.

Don’t ask about it now.

Story 19:

Call out to Yuzuru.

Let him go.

Story 20:

Put up a strong front: “I’m okay.”

Tell the truth: “I’m not okay.”

Story 21: (second chance)

Ask Yuzuru why he did it. (Love Meter +3, CG) (25 hearts)

Don’t ask any questions.

Story 22:

“Not as stubborn as you.”

“You already knew that.”

Story 23 (useless):

Trust Yuzuru and don’t go. (Love Meter +1) (13 hearts)

Right now, I have to go to Jeremy.

Story 24: (second chance but she saves him either way)

Rush over to protect Yuzuru. (Love Meter +3) (19 hearts)

I can’t get there quickly enough.

Guides:

I calculated the cheapest ways to get to Eden End and Super Happy End with CGs and without CGs. Just opt for the heart scenes that I’ve highlighted in each guide below.

Click the read more below for my review. Stop here if you haven’t yet read the route because there are spoilers galore.

Review:

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this route. As I read through, I thought the pacing was excellent and I was really drawn in by everything about it, especially the relationship between Yuzuru and his MC. It has definitely been a while since a LC route really captured my full attention. However, upon rereading my notes and writing this review, I do have quite a few issues with it, particularly the plot. I’ll go through the things I enjoyed about the route first and then discuss what I find to be its limitations.  

So Yuzuru is great in this route. We get a far more expressive and soft Yuzuru. We get to see the most charming side of Yuzuru again, his childlike passion for engineering and innovation. This, in my opinion, is Yuzuru at his softest and most appealing, when he is genuinely passionate and not just doing the hyper-organised scheduling thing (although naturally most of this is hidden behind a heart scene). Sometimes it’s nice to remember that Yuzuru is human.

He’s definitely more playful with his MC in this route, even going as far as to blur the lines between work and personal life a little bit in a way that I found quite unexpected. There’s a lot of flirty banter between them, as well as just little suggestions of flirtations here and there in their body language – in front of people too! Scandalous. It almost reminds me a bit of Kazuomi and his MC, which is definitely a pleasant surprise. A lot of these scenes are hidden behind heart scenes, which I’ll get into later, but I will say that these cute and suggestive moments between the two are probably some of the best moments of the route, and part of the reason why it was so easy to keep reading.

I’ve mentioned this before but Yuzuru’s MC is my favourite version of the Masquerade Kiss MC. She’s great in this route too – cool, calm, great at her job. I also love that she likes Night at the Museum? Lmao me too girl. She has such trashy taste in movies and it’s a cute quirk that definitely makes her more relatable within the sensational premise of the game. Personality-wise, I think they did a good job at bridging the professional and personal aspects of her personality too, making her read like someone who has different personas that are different aspects of the same person. You definitely get a sense of the conflict within the MC when she has to extract information by using her sExUaLiTy when her boyfriend is watching on lol, even when they kind of make it out like a game. It is interesting and quite novel to see a Voltage MC successfully pull off a honey trap on a guy who kind of repulses her. We get snippets of it in other games such as Her Love in the Force but HLITF MC is always careful to keep boundaries so we never get to explore the full potential of the jealousy that can crop up in such situations. MK MC goes above and beyond to give us (and Yuzuru) a show. With that being said, I do feel like they kind of drew back from it a little by having Jeremy be super forward with his affection so the MC just has to respond, keep him on the hook and pull back every now and again, rather than actively needing to pursue someone to obtain information.

I also really enjoyed that moment when Yuzuru tells her to shower before going to his bed to wash off “Mia.” It solidifies that he’s really in love with her and not her charismatic, flirtatious hostess alias. Throughout the route, the blurring of the personal and the professional is definitely a theme that we see cropping up in the lives of both the MC and Yuzuru. It’s something that I find particularly interesting and I’m glad they picked this developmental direction since both Yuzuru and his MC are notoriously bad at mixing those two worlds, with both of them consistently and repeatedly picking work over love. We also get to see Yuruzu and his MC almost working together at times, which I adored. At times, they feel like a team. As always, they have tons of sexual and physical chemistry but they are slowly building up on the emotional chemistry and communication issues which is so crucial for character and relationship development. 

The SHE and EE in particular has some incredibly cute moments. Yuzu’s MC describing them as part of a machine is *chefs kiss* incredible. Their sex scenes are intimate, loving and incredibly romantic. Yuzu preparing his NYC home for MC? Adorable. And, most importantly, him not only tolerating but welcoming his MC’s “bugs” in their relationship? That’s character growth babey. 

With super long LC routes, I always get tired about 7 chapters in and give up and then have to come back and finish it later. However, this route sped along. The pacing of this route is pretty quick and snappy – in fact, I wouldn’t have minded if it was actually longer? Developments tend to happen pretty quickly, there are plenty of moments between Yuzuru and the MC that keep the story moving, and there’s basically very little, if any, ‘downtime’ in this route. Because they are constantly in the club or at Yuzuru’s place lol.

The writing/language quality is great. I felt genuinely tense every time Yuzuru and the MC almost got caught in the club and even more so when the MC went to Jeremy’s home. I couldn’t spot any significant typos or coding errors. The readability of this route is definitely top quality.

Moving onto my gripes with this route, I would say that they have to do mostly with flimsy plot, characters being reduced to plot devices, and lack of relationship conflict.

Firstly, something that I always find a bit off about the premise of EAC is how public their relationships sometimes are and how the MC’s private life even works. Yuzuru literally gets swarmed with people in the prologue asking for autographs and photos and yet later in the route can somehow go on a public date to busy tourist spots in central NYC with a spy? (That being said, I refuse to take that prologue as canon because of how sensationally ridiculous it is.) Let’s not pretend the EAC isn’t watching them lol (they even imply multiple times that this is the case). Is she not worried that Jeremy or Grace or any SHIBA or Space Crystal employees or any of the numerous powerful and dangerous people who frequent Freja will spot them together? There is no way she looks significantly different as Mia than as herself unless she’s wearing prosthetics or can turn off her star aura like Britney Spears can.  Also, is the MC supposed to be mixed? No one has any questions about how a native Japanese woman can get away with being called Mia Knightley?

They also set up this tension of something happening to the MC without Yuzuru ever knowing which never really plays out. There’s a brief callback to it but it’s more about the MC finding an excuse to see Yuzu. I thought the drama would have more to do with the MC having to keep secrets from Yuzu and disappearing but that never happens and so the repeated mentions of this particular source of anxiety don’t really amount to anything. I also wish they made better use of the stun bracelet! I think it would have been cool if that was what took Jeremy out. Symbolically, it could have worked as a physical manifestation of Yuzu’s trust and support of his MC and her job helping to protect her against the Big Bad.

Okay so my main issue is about the villains and the flimsy plot. Jeremy and Grace were such wasted villains!! If this guy went crazy and murdered 3 people… how did he manage to not only reinvent himself but in fact become a very high profile tech executive with more or less the same name? Imagine if Elon Musk was actually a crazy murderer who used to be called Elon Avrevic… there’s no way that he would be able to bury this, especially if he came from nothing and had no connections during the time in his life when he committed these murders. If there are actual criminal reports about his crimes that can be accessed by the EAC and SHIBA, how did he not get taken in for life after murdering 3 people? Why is he even free in the world? It’s such a big plot hole to me… doesn’t have the same fingerprints? Did he get such extensive plastic surgery that he’s not recognisable and also burn off his fingerprints? Evidently not, since the MC can recognise both him and Grace from childhood photos!

I also didn’t think his motivations were really that convincing. We get a throwaway line about his alcoholic father killing his mother because she tried to leave him, but in general they set Jeremy up with so much potential as this psychopath who hunts a very specific type of woman but then they just kind of throw it away with him just going crazy and shooting people because he just wants “girls and money”. Nooo Jeremy they did you so dirty!!!

I just think they built him up as this incredibly dangerous and manipulative predator but then just made him a standard alcoholic incel. He could have been such a good villain. He could have maybe drawn the MC in with sob stories about his mother and actually made her doubt her instincts with his charisma and vulnerability, with it turning out that the whole time he was just luring her in, instead of just relentlessly hitting on her and then getting carelessly drunk and going crazy. He spends so much of the route attempting to play and get with the MC and then just throws it all away by getting pissed and letting her basically have free reign of his apartment? I just don’t buy that a co-founder of Space Crystal would get to the top without being more clever, suspicious and manipulative – especially since he murdered 3 women and still is somehow a free man, ‘disguised’ as a very successful CEO?  Also, if he really just wanted girls and money, there were a thousand other ways of doing it. He could have been so clever and instead they just made him have occasional psychotic breaks with no discernible trigger. Disappointing.

(On a side note, they made his house look weirdly similar to Epstein’s manor. Or maybe all Upper East Side homes look like this, I have no idea. I did look around on Google Maps and I guess a lot of the homes in this area are kind of similar.)

Grace is also a wasted character. She kind of feels like a MacGuffin just to have this love quadrangle in order to play out the jealousy plot but ultimately plays no significant role. Actually, both Grace and Jeremy basically just act as jealousy plot devices, only the jealousy plot isn’t strong enough to actually threaten Yuzu and his MC’s relationship (except for one moment which to be honest doesn’t even play out like that because of jealousy and rather because Yuzu is trying to protect his girl).

Speaking of that moment, I thought that Yuzuru’s “push the MC away plan” could have been stronger. I feel like it’s not like him to do make such a basic attempt at fooling his MC. It might have worked in a different game but all of the MK guys usually know that they can’t trick their MC with cheap Harry and the Hendersons plots and they tend to not disrespect her enough to try. I know that as readers, we enjoy not knowing what the love interest is up to because it ups the tension and drama but I feel like there was a way of having that insecurity and conflict play out while keeping everything a mystery and making better use of the characters. Like maybe it could seem like Yuzuru is running into Grace’s arms after finding his MC in a compromising position with Jeremy when he’s actually doing his own covert investigations and making plans to foil their ultimate plans. Or maybe even working with Grace to take Jeremy’s wild country-bombing plans out. That way, we would prolong the jealousy/love quadrangle plot with the MC stressing about Yuzuru and Grace’s relationship, especially when she already doesn’t trust Grace. It would also make better use of Grace as a character and her position as both someone with a ginormous crush on Yuzuru and as Jeremy’s ‘partner’. If Grace also ended up betraying Jeremy to help Yuzuru and the MC, we could also have had some extra heartbreak about Grace having to betray the one person she has always had in her life (and maybe some extra backstory about Jeremy going nuts as part of having to protect himself and Grace from their parents and the world). #voltagehireme lol. I also find it highly unlikely that Jeremy managed to set up this whole missile-launching phone app business under Grace’s nose, especially when Yuzuru knew about it. Also, the idea of an American attempting to launch a missile to destroy the whole of Japan is a bit… on the nose lol.

The season isn’t really driven by relationship conflict even though they were pushing the whole jealousy line in the marketing. In the end, I don’t think the route is as much about jealousy as it is about trust – but then again, Yuzuru has always placed ultimate trust in his MC even in S1. I can see this being an issue for people who went into this route wanting genuine conflict in their relationship so that they can overcome and work through it to develop. There’s only a little bit of conflict towards the end when the MC goes to Jeremy’s home, and then that kind of gets discarded pretty quickly anyway. They just happen to be better at communication this season, and a lot of that is because of Yuzuru going out of his way to keep tabs on his MC. This is probably what makes the route so easy to read, because Yuzu is more open. However, because of this, while it is great that their communication as a couple improves, it may not necessarily feel that earned? With that said, credit to the writers for making Yuzu more open without making it feel jarring or like he’s had a sudden personality change.

And on another note entirely, I wish there was a bit more detail about the three “S”es and more involvement from Kazu and Kei, who basically just make gratuitous appearances in this route. Learning about them making Takoyaki together at Oxford is such a cute detail and also such an international student in the UK thing to do. Find me one Asian student studying abroad in the UK who hasn’t collectively cooked home food in halls with friends from their country (it’s always hotpot for me lol). I wish there were more moment with them actively involved in helping the MC.

Finally, I have my usual issues about the Love Choice system. If you play the route for free, you get very few cute scenes between Yuzu and his MC, miss out on some major character development moments (esp that planetarium scene) and you get a fade to black ending in the Normal End. Personally, I started playing Voltage in the early 2010s so I don’t mind fade to black endings, but I think the mature/sex scenes are what a lot of MK readers are here for, so it’s a shame that there isn’t even a kiss scene in the NE.

Overall, I would say that the chemistry between Yuzuru and his MC is what keeps this route going and flowing. I would recommend it if you just adore Yuzuru, want to maximise time with him and don’t really care much about plot. Otherwise, while their relationship is brought to new levels, it does not happen because of the plot as much as Yuzu’s response to events we don’t necessarily see, and it does not necessarily feel that earned because the plot doesn’t really put their relationship in that much jeopardy.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually really enjoyed reading this route – I found it super easy to keep reading, and Yuzu kept me hooked. I also love Yuzu more than ever. I think it’s a similar situation to Takane’s route, where the route made me love the love interest more, but has an average/flimsy plot. I imagine that his PoV will reveal more about those events that make him go out of his way to keep an eye on his MC, but as a standalone route, I wish there was more actual relationship conflict leading to more development.