#earlier i managed to sneak past her and get a treat ball she was looking for

[jugsjules]

Having a bunny who is bossy and independent but who also has cataracts is hard bc sometimes you will look at her and know she is lost, and you might even have a good idea of where she is trying to go/what she is looking for, but you also know she does NOT want your fuckin help, mind ur gd business. If you even think of trying to herd her towards her destination, or just handing her the thing she wants, she will get mad and stomp off and you will have to go apologize.

[xmyshya]

Congratulations p.2

summary: His assumptions hurt you both. Is there still a chance for you? genre: angst, fluff (happy ending) warnings: car accident, poor writing betas: @miki-snake​ special thanks: Miki for giving me ideas on how to continue. This wouldn’t be finished without you! a/n: Part 2 to my first ever fic. Click here for part 1. wc: 2.4k

It was driving him insane. She was driving him insane. YOU were driving him insane. But it wasn’t your fault, no. He put himself into it, and he knew it. That’s what made it even more unbearable. But he already made a promise, he couldn’t back down. So now he was sitting during his lunch break with a girl he exchanged you for. Just because he didn’t want to assume things, but also because he DID assume things.

For the first time in his life, his own observational skills failed him. This is exactly why he didn’t trust his little voice telling him you were not okay. He hoped that glint disappearing from your eyes was just his imagination, because you were still smiling so beautifully. That your voice wasn’t cracking every time you spoke, as if you needed a second to adjust and calm yourself. How could he make things right again, how could he…

“Are you listening to me?” Ah, right, he wasn’t alone. “You haven’t even touched your food, want me to feed you? Open wide and say aaaah.”

“Sorry, I’m just not hungry.” He answered after staring blankly at her.

“Hmm? Okay, so like I said....”

He rubbed the top of his nose. Her neverending blabbering almost melted with the background noise. It’s not like he hated her, didn’t even dislike. She was just a part of the crowd, one of many that never understood his jokes, never showed interest in his passions (and also didn’t have any he could get interested in), always looking for acknowledgement of everyone around. So unlike you. You, you, YOU.

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

You spent most of the lunch breaks outside lately. Somehow the sight of that girl sitting at the same table as Kuroo, looking at him with her glowy eyes and glued smile was unbearable. Ever since that evening being in the same room as them felt suffocating. You didn’t know why. Actually, you did but still tried to push it in the darkest part of your mind. You can’t think that way, not anymore.

You sighed and packed your half-eaten lunch, making your way towards the classroom. Seeing her figure in the hall already caused your body to relax a little. You couldn’t help but think that she was everything you were not. Tiny, cute, with shiny hair, dark eyes, always wearing some kind of make-up, popular. FEMININE. A perfect girl for Kuroo, as you tried to tell yourself for the past few weeks.

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

This longing was unfamiliar, but he had a feeling it would be a frequent guest in his chest. He hasn’t noticed how he was staring at the door until you appeared in it. When your eyes met and you smiled at him… he could swear his heart clenched. This was too much, more than he could handle. And judging by your sparkless eyes, you weren’t feeling any better.

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

You didn’t expect Kuroo to look in your direction. What you expected even less was that you looked at him. At his eyes, to be exact. His beautiful eyes that remained golden, even though the whole world around you was reduced to monochrome. This realisation made you smile uncontrollably, despite having another creep in… that they weren’t supposed to be looking at you.

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

By the time he packed his stuff and looked at your desk, you were already gone. Instead, another female was standing beside him, happily chirping about going home together.

“Sorry, I can’t do this.” He found himself mumbling, not entirely aware he did out loud.

“What did you just say?”

She didn’t seem sad or hurt, no. She seemed annoyed. Mad. As if her little plan was just ruined.

“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t pretend anymore. Sorry.” He repeated, this time louder, more firmly.

He watched her storm out of the classroom until Yaku patted him on his shoulder.

“Congrats on growing some balls, Rooster”.

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

You kind of felt proud at how you mastered sneaking out of the classroom lately. If you did that quietly enough, no one would notice, and no one would accompany you. It was only you and a colourless city, bathed in a colourless sunshine, filled with muffled sounds.

That’s why you didn’t even notice reaching an intersection until you were on it. Or more precisely, until you heard someone shouting your name. You turned to check who this voice belonged to, but stopped halfway locking your eyes with a car, muscles tensing as if preparing for the impact.

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

Kuroo ran out of the school premises and saw you from a distance. You were far, but with his long legs and athletic ability, it shouldn’t be too hard to catch up with you. He was getting considerably closer, and felt relieved when lights signaled stopping… BUT YOU DIDN’T.

He didn’t remember ever running that fast, in his whole life, but it was still not enough, there was no way he would reach you in time. Just like there was no chance of the vehicle halting, despite brakes pushed to the floor. If only he left earlier, if only he ran faster, if only he… he could have saved you.

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

The only thing you saw after opening your eyes was his face. His ebony black hair stuck to his forehead. His eyes darkened to caramel shade and filled with tears. His sleeve trying to absorb some of it as he rubbed it against his nose. You wanted to wipe them away with your hand, but you couldn’t move it. You could only stare.

Next time you opened your eyes he was gone. You must have made a sound, because right after opening your mouth Kuroo reappeared in your sight. He was saying something to you, but you couldn’t hear. The ringing in your ears was successfully blocking everything else. You saw him reaching his hand out and brushing hair out of your face, and then it all turned black.

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

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

Everything hurts. There’s a steady beeping noise somewhere near your head. Or at least you think it’s near your head. You’re trying to open your eyes, but the sharp light burns into your irises. Your tongue feels like sandpaper in your mouth, and the first try to say something ends in a coughing fit.

Someone squeezes your hand, but you’re too blinded by the lights to see who it is. A moment later a straw is gently pushed in between your lips, and you suck on it. Water never tasted that good. You only manage to whisper a weak “thank you” before falling back to sleep.

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

Suspended between dreams and reality, you hear voices. Voices that can’t be louder than whispers, and they’re not aimed at you, but sound as if they’re calling you nonetheless. This time there’s no sharp light threatening to burn your eyeballs, and instead, you’re greeted with a dimmed sunlight. Must be an evening or at least late afternoon then. You turn your head in the other direction, and whispers suddenly stop. Owners of the voices look at you timidly and then at each other with anger.

“You woke her up, you moron!” One of them whisper-shouted.

“Me?! Are you fucking kidding me?! I wasn’t the only one blabbing!” Hissed the other. He was also the first one to approach you and take your hand into his. “H-how are you… feeling?”

“Uhh… dizzy? Confused… and tired.” You mumbled, painkillers still dulling you a little.

“Why… why’s he here?” You whisper to your brother sitting right next to you, pointing at Kuroo with just your eyes.

“Oh, don’t think about it now, you need to rest. But just know that he was here every day, and he was the one who saved you, pretty much.” His hand now stroking your hair. “You can relax now, it’s all gonna be okay.”

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

It feels good to be back in your room, and to have Kuroo beside you. Even if all he did was tutor you about the things you missed. Luckily most of the damage was caused by shock, and not actual impact, so you were released quickly. Still, you were advised to stay home for some more time, and that’s exactly what you were doing.

And if that was the reason why you were currently alone in your room with your neighbour… no reason to complain. You still haven’t asked him about what happened then, you couldn’t find the courage to. Not when he has so much worry in his eyes, and not when he is getting uneasy every time you give as much as a grimace.

“You know, you don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass.” He freezes. There’s a shadow creeping on his face. “I won’t shatter, I promise”.

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

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

Your brother was hesitant about your request to go back to school. Most of the accident consequences were gone now, and Kuroo also managed to catch up with his tutoring. There was absolutely no reason not to. He glances at you the whole way from the gate of your house, you pretend you don’t notice. It goes well for most of the day, you’re able to focus, only suffering from a mild headache sometime before the last period. Until you hear THAT, at least.

“It’s all your fault, you bitch!”

You look up and squint. Oh, it’s her. Right when you managed to forget she existed.

“Could you please leave me alone?”

Headache now worsening due to a slight rise of stress in your system.

“Everything was perfectly fine! Until you jumped in front of that car, and snapped him from me!”

You want to ask her about it, but she’s already gone. Maybe you should have listened to your brother. You also don’t see her interact with Kuroo ever again, except for glowering, but you don’t mention it.

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

He wanted to talk to you. He really did. But every time he was about to call your name, it got stuck in his throat. After all he had put you through, was he worthy of saying it? Of being close to you? It was all his fault. If only he had paid more attention, he would have known you would reject Bokuto.

If he had been more courageous, he wouldn’t have distanced himself after the festival. If he had run faster, he would have caught you in time. No, he wasn’t worthy. He promised himself he would watch over you from the sidelines, making sure you were always safe, but never putting you at risk of hurting you again.

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

You tried to reach out to him. You really did. But every time you tried to approach him, he walked away to talk to one of the friends he spotted. Every time you looked at him, he averted his eyes from you. He came up with last minute excuses, when Bokuto asked both of you to hang out. He did respond to your texts, but his replies were short, emotionless, forced.

So, after some time, you stopped trying. Only sending him a weak, polite smile, as you passed him in the halls, in the streets, on the stairs of your house when he visited your brother. Each one of those smiles feeling like a knife pushed deeper and deeper into your heart.

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

He was relieved, grateful almost, when you stopped chasing after him. Each time he heard your voice, felt your presence, heard someone mention you… was piercing his heart like a million needles. Each text from you brought tears to his eyes, and darkness to his chest. So when it all stopped, he hoped he would find some peace. Yet somehow, each one of your dutiful smiles pained him even more.

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

Days were much brighter and warmer. Not really surprising, it was the end of May after all. You were being pulled by your brother through the streets of the very lively city, towards the place where the crowd concentrated. He had insisted you wore a yukata, as a way to bid farewell to your teenage years, and welcome supposedly adult university life. He was telling you to hurry, that you’d be late, but these geta shoes definitely weren’t comfortable. Luckily, it wasn’t very far from your home.

You noticed Bokuto from afar, his huge stature towering over the crowd and salt-and-pepper-like hair making it hard not to. As you approached him, he pulled you in a tight hug, his whisper “glad you made it” drowned out by the noise. You glanced over his shoulder, noticing the boy he brought with him. Judging by his expression he was forced to come too and had no idea you’d be here.

“Ah! Taiyaki!” You exclaimed as your face lit up.

It was one of your favourite festival foods. Kuroo tried to grab you before you ran, but he was too late. Again. And again his mind was invaded with a whirlwind of thoughts. You could be swept away by the crowd. You could hurt your feet. You could faint. You could be approached by some suspicious people. Or you could be back safely, a wide smile adorning your features, as you bit into the fish’ head.

Late in the evening, your feet started to remind you how much you had walked in the past few hours. Trying to find a spot to sit and rest, you didn’t even notice that you separated from the group. Not until you turned around to say something to your brother, but you only saw Kuroo settling next to you.

“Where’s everybody?”

“Huh? Right behind…” His eyes opened wide with shock.

There was nobody behind him. It was just you and him, for the first time in a long while. You used to feel comfortable around him, comfortable enough to just sit in silence, shoulder to shoulder. But now it was deafening, making your mind spiraling, lungs short of breath. You desperately needed to say something, anything… and then the first round of fireworks shot.

“Did you know that fireworks are red thanks to strontium salts?”

His heart skipped a beat when he looked at you. At your relaxed face, astonished eyes, gentlest of smiles. Of course he knew, but hearing it from you made it magical. Your voice made it magical.

“And they’re green because of barium compounds, blue due to copper and…”

He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. You were so beautiful when you turned your head to look directly at him, cheek sliding into his palm, colours dancing on your skin. Tetsurou couldn't help himself. Not when his heart was overflowing with so much love he had tried to suppress for so long. So when he leant in and kissed you, none of you knew if the fireworks were shooting in the sky or in your hearts.

“Congratulations!” Bokuto and your brother shouted, as your lips parted.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 106

I know I’ve been on a fluff kick lately, and I’m not even remotely sorry. This chapter started out as an excuse to re-visit an offhand comment from a previous chapter, and ended up with Sophia having the kind of night off I wish I could have.

Thanks go out to @baelpenrose (beta and also creator of our favorite teacher-cum-warlord-cum-teacher), @charlylimph-blog (because no one else could have created the ball of chaotic friendliness that is Charly, nor her strong, silent, and charming partner), @werewolf2578 (because I will never not love Maverick), and @creakingcryptid (for donating faerself and Antoine early on to the cause, and putting up with me in real life.  This entire story, from chapter 1, would never have happened if not for faer, and I’m not even remotely exaggerating about that).

“Lift the right corner a bit more,” Tyche called out. “Yeah - Dammit, Arthur, that’s too high. Bring it down a bit more.”

“Do you want to swap?” he quipped, dropping his side of the large, white sheet to exactly where it had been before.

Ignoring him, Tyche asked Maverick to lower his corner instead, to much greater success. At least satisfied with the results, she turned to me and made a ‘ta-da’ gesture towards their work.

I shook my head at her. “And we need this why?”

“Movie night,” she reminded me needlessly.

“Eyeah. It was kind of my idea.”

“And none of us have been to a proper movie theater in ages.” She had a point there.

“Do we even have a projector?” Maverick asked, grinning, as he walked up.

Arthur, right behind him, grinned almost malevolently before Tyche cut him off with a glare. “I told Charly we were doing a movie night,” she offered by way of explanation.

“She insisted she had popcorn covered,” Arthur ventured carefully. “Do I even want to know?”

Eyes wide, I turned to him. “She didn’t tell you?”

He shook his head. “I asked what that meant, and all I got out of her was a maniacal laugh. By any chance, does she always carry around a cartoon-villain moustache in case she needs to twirl it?”

“And cat ears, yeah,” I confirmed absently. “She really didn’t tell you?”

“I just asked if she got the consoles to actually make popcorn that wasn’t better used as packing material,” he admitted.

Maverick erupted in laughter. “You are in for a treat.”

“Will it poison me?”

“Doubtful,” Tyche shrugged regretfully.

“Hmm. Pity.”

Trying to get somewhat back on topic, I pressed on about the projector. “So, you told Charly we were doing movie night this week, so she is going to… obtain? Steal? Jury-rig a projector?”

“I try not to ask, unlike some people,” Tyche arched an eyebrow defiantly. “Gift horses, mouths, you get it.”

“I doubt she’s stealing one,” Maverick offered. “She’s an engineer. Pretty sure she already had one she made, or is finishing one up as we speak.”

Fair. “What movie did we end up agreeing on?”

Maverick and Arthur answered in unison. “Star Wars.”

“Nuh uh. Nope,” my sister argued. “Repo! The Genetic Opera.”

“I’m with her,” I jerked my finger toward the person not insisting I watch a movie about a war in space while actually on a spaceship.

We continued arguing good-naturedly while getting non-popcorn snacks and drinks together. Arthur, to no small amount of surprise, was putting a very impressive amount of thought and consideration into the arrangement of blankets and pillows on every conceivable seating surface in my living room - some of which I didn’t even recognize and probably didn’t want to know where he got them.  At some point, Derek and Sam arrived, judging by the latter sitting happily next to a moving lump in Arthur’s careful construction and petting my cat.

About the time snacks were ready to be carried into the living room, the door opened to reveal Conor, who abruptly stopped to remove his work boots.  Unfortunately, he was knocked down by a clattering intruder behind him and saved only by the - no joke - knee deep ocean of bedding.  A hinged brass lid and a metal piece of something went flying past his head, revealing the intruder to be Charly. “Hi, guys!” she waved cheerfully. “Don’t worry. Coffey has the projector.”

White teeth flashed in a dark, handsome face as the man in question held up the device. “Her hands were full,” he shrugged before glancing past Conor. “You take movie nights seriously,” he added with an approving nod.

Charly, who I couldn’t remember having even seen wear shoes, had already scrambled over Conor’s laughing form so that she could grab the lid and basket, which she brought along with the enormous pot into my kitchen area. “Popcorn,” she declared, gently slamming the pot on a heating surface.  “As promised. I’m thinking green today.”

“That’s not popcorn,” Arthur pointed out, curiosity etched into every bit of his face.

“Duh, Mr. Farro,” she sputtered. “It’s how we’re going to get popcorn.  The consoles never season it, and it’s always stale, or soggy, or just… not good.  So. I made a whirlypop.” With a clatter, she patted her copper contraption. “It makes absolutely perfect kettle corn, every time. And I can make it whatever color I want, too.”

“It’s really good popcorn,” I confirmed. “She brought some to your fight with Jokul.”

“Of course she did,” he sighed. “I thought you said no selling tickets and no concession stand for that?”

“Doesn’t mean she can’t bring her own, screaming blue popcorn with her,” I held up both hands in surrender. “I couldn’t argue with the logic, and she was the only person there with popcorn, can confirm.” 

When I glanced back at her, I saw what I pretty much expected to see: her handy cartoon-villain moustache was pasted firmly on her face and she was twirling one end in what could only be described as a dastardly fashion. Arthur, on the other hand, was almost sputtering. “I - how? I was facing you, Charly. How?”

“Don’t ask, you probably don’t want to know,” I sighed with a wave of my hand. “Besides, I’m reasonably certain the answer involves a collective hallucination, blood sacrifice, or time travel.”

“Two out of three,” Charly nodded, sounding impressed but not clarifying any further. “So! Everyone ready for- oo! Mini pizzas! - popcorn and Master and Commander?”  A collective groan went up at a third movie being added to our ongoing argument over what we had agreed to watch. “What!? It’s my favorite!”

Maverick explained the conversation we had earlier to those who arrived after. Even having nine people voting now didn’t help: we were still split evenly across all three movies.  In the end, we agreed to take a run at watching all three, but that led to another discussion - what order?  We knew the odds of getting through all three were slim, and nobody wanted theirs to be left out.

Sam finally interrupted us. “If we don’t stay awake through all three, can we watch the last movie on another night?”

My jaw clicked shut mid-argument. Tyche tilted her head, “That makes entirely too much sense.”

With that anticlimactic resolution, we quickly took votes to determine which movies were most popular.  In the end, we ended up with Star Wars first, Master and Commander second, and Repo! last, much to my and Tyche’s chagrin.  At least we weren’t the only ones who voted for it, so I was mollified. Somewhat.

While we were hashing all that out, Charly somehow called upon the popcorn deities and managed to fill nearly every bowl and bucket she could find in my quarters with a rainbow of fluffy kernels. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure how she managed to make that much in roughly fifteen minutes, and when I asked, the only answer I could manage to get from her was “Two out of three, like I said.”

I wasn’t asking after that, because I wasn’t sure I wanted to know if blood magic was involved, honestly.

Antoine arrived right as I was trying to figure out how to fit on the couch, where Maverick and Conor were cuddling and hogging the whole damned thing.  Unfortunately, between the immense quantities of popcorn, blankets, pillows, and people strewn everywhere - and somehow my Christmas lights were carefully hanging from the ceiling, which I had a sneaking suspicion was Derek’s doing - our poor resident therapist looked a bit confused.

I couldn’t help but grin as I waved at the chaos. “Welcome to movie night, apparently. You can sit anywhere except there,” I explained, gesturing at a particular pile of blankets.

“Why not - ah….” he trailed off in understanding as a hand darted out of the ‘pile’ to snag a mini pizza.

“Eyeah, only Mac can sit there, I think. And nobody better be feeding him pizza?” I warned. “Whoever does gets to keep stinky cat for the night while he has tummy trouble.” Turning back toward the couch, I stuck my lip out in a pout. “Where am I supposed to sit?”

“We’re comfy….” Conor whined, hiding what was probably a grin behind Maverick’s head. Rather than sitting up in any capacity, the two were laying down along the entire length of the couch, both their feet sticking off. There was maybe two inches of couch between them and the edge.

While my attention was focused on my boyfriends, two strong hands grabbed each of my arms and tugged me down. With a yelp, I fell across Charly and my sister, both of them giggling. Deliberately, Charly started to pet my hair as clumsily as humanly possible, and the scowl I directed at her set Tyche off in hysterics. When I opened my mouth to protest, popcorn was thrown in.  With another scowl, I surrendered to being draped across both of their laps, with a fluffy blanket spread over me from somewhere.

I still sulked, and ignored that I probably looked like a particularly perturbed cat.  With much determination, I managed to keep a scowl on my face until the first movie started rolling.  It was hard to stay even faux-upset after that, as what ensued was the most laid back night I had enjoyed in longer than I could remember. Seats were stolen every time someone got up for any reason, snacks were eaten and refilled, popcorn got everywhere….

It. Was. Glorious.

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[second-chance-stray]

RP Log: Bertram helps Cravs with a bug problem. They meet each other, but fail to connect the dots... 

Cravendy Hound pants heavily as she BOOKS it, sprinting away from a swarm of bugs and microchus that nip at her heels. She hadn’t even been doing anything prior - just going on a walk by the stream. Just enjoying the crisp, cool air. But it would seem that the elementals had had enough of her target practice, and now the woods don’t seem as peaceful as they were in the past.

Bertram Windshadow had been attempting to do the very same with his own time on this particular day. There were always a myriad of things upon his mind these days. It did him good to simply step out and move without particular direction and unrestrained pace. Wherever to the wind lead him. That is, of course, until he spied a roegadyn woman being harried by the denizens of the Black Shroud. 1/2

Bertram Windshadow came to a stop within the canopy of a moderately sized tree before dropping down to the forest floor so that he could get a better assessment of the situation. He wasn't about to leave someone in trouble . .. in trouble. 2/2

Cravendy Hound stretches her arm back, aims her gun at her pursuers, and fires a couple of rounds. Some of the shots hit microchus, splitting them from the mob momentarily...though, with every one that was dispatched, two would spring from the bushes and take its place. Meanwhile, for the bugs, I simply present to you this question...have you ever fired a gun at a housefly? Would that work? The answer is no. No, it would not work.

Cravendy Hound: “Godsdamned, bleedin’ flyin’ pieces of shite! Overgrown spinach!” Cravs swats at the air as bugs relentlessly buzz around her. In an attempt to get them off her back, she jumps off the side of the cliff and into the river...however, she misjudges the depth of her target. It’s much too shallow to keep the bugs away from her. And now, she’s drenched AND annoyed.

Bertram Windshadow watches quietly for a moment as the stranger attempts to ward off the pests with her firearm. An attempt that causes the highlander to wince slightly just before she plunges herself into the drink . .. well, at least as much as she could manage in the relative shallowness. 1/3

Bertram Windshadow could only assume that the single-minded focus of these creatures could only come from one place. She'd done something to annoy the Elementals. Not enough to rouse them to outright *anger*, but . .. enough to peeve them. It was an easy mistake to make and Bertram figured they'd more than learned the lesson no need for further assault. 2/3

Bertram Windshadow reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a small orb. With a firm press, and a quiet click, it began belching out a stream of smoke or fog. The man then quickly rolled it in the direction of Cravendy in the hopes of helping disperse the swarm of bugs! 3/3

(Cravendy Hound) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ )) (Bertram Windshadow) (( *dies* This was what was *exactly* what was playing in my heat. ))

Cravendy Hound is too busy swatting away the bugs and plant monsters to notice the source of the sudden smoke, so she thinks it’s the Elementals toying with her further. Her confusion serves to make her even angrier. “If yer gonna kill me, just do it an’ be done with it!” What follows is a long-winded, story of a swear that ends with a coughing fit.

Cravendy Hound - The smoke, meanwhile, does disperse the bugs. They now hover at the edges of where the cloud stops. You can’t see through it, though you can certainly hear all sorts of things happening beneath its foggy exterior.

Bertram Windshadow bobs his head to the side slightly and makes his way forward at a slightly accelerated pace, breaking his way into the opaque cloud and speaking so that he can make his presence known. "I don't think you're going to get killed today, stranger, but we should probably get you closer to Gridania ..." He calls out before attempting to reach out and touch Cravendy's arm to let her know where he is.

Cravendy Hound: “Who, in the name of Llymlaen’s left teat, are you?!” Upon being touched, she instinctively aims her gun right at Bertram, and then glances to the side. “Behind ye!”

Cravendy Hound - Her aim shifts ever so slightly, from being pointed at Bertram’s forehead to something else entirely. The shot rings out, wind brushing dangerously close to his ear, and then sinks directly into a microchu that had been sneaking up behind them. “Gods, ye...let’s get out of ‘ere.”

Bertram Windshadow winces visibly -- or invisibly given the current circumstances -- at the sound of the gunshot so close to his ear. The ear on that side of his head was nothing but ringing in the moment and he could barely make out the latter half of her speaking. My this woman was an aggressive one. Some dots were starting to connect regarding the Shrouds current state of upset. 1/2

Bertram Windshadow called out in a voice slightly louder than necessary, "Let's get out of here," he echoes her sentiment without realizing it. "They're just going to keep coming if you fight them like that." 2/2

Cravendy Hound nods. She had no desire to let the ‘friendly, forest friends’ have their way for any longer. “Gridania’s a tad far...But Hyrstmill’s just a rock skip away. Let’s find a ‘ovel to ‘ole in and be done with this.”

Bertram Windshadow has to strain to hear the suggestion, but he calls out with an affirmative sound before reaching in to the same pouch again to remove another sphere. With a 'click' the smoke begins to spew and he pivots on a heel to face the direction of the small outpost. As he does he throws his arm back and then swings it forward; throwing the smoke-spewing orb like a bowling ball. In its path it leaves a trail of smoke. "That'll hopefully then thin the herd and give us an opening!"

Cravendy Hound stares curiously at the orb, and then back to Bertram. It clicks in her mind. The smoke? Not the Elementals. This guy. This...stranger, who happens to have smoke-spewing orbs in his possession. Questions would have to wait until after they weren’t being hounded by angry flies and grass. She makes a break for Hrystmill, coughing all the while.

Bertram Windshadow set his pace to match Cravendy's as he kept himself in her wake. He felt compelled to keep an eye out for anything that might lunge at the woman while she was making a break for it. This wasn't exactly what he was expecting to do with his day but it certainly beat being stuck in his own head. "Just keep running they'll break off eventually!"

(Cravendy Hound) LOL I'm seeing an unintentional, but reoccuring theme...in an earlier rp, cravs sucked in a feather and had a coughing fit. After this, she's gonna be super hoarse xD )) (Bertram Windshadow) (( Hahaha! It helps in sounding grumpy!! )) (Cravendy Hound) let's move to hrystmill! :3 )) (Cravendy Hound) LOL 6-pack a day scratchy voice. "WATER..." ))

Cravendy Hound - As they run, they can hear, but not see, the monsters pursuing close behind. But eventually, as Hrystmill comes into view, the noise grows fainter and fainter. In reclaimed silence, the sound of hearts pounding and panting breaths come back to the forefront. Cravs lets out a long groan and falls to the ground in a kneel. She beats the dirt twice with her fist, gets back up, and faces Bertram. She has no idea what to say.

Cravendy Hound: “.................So. That ‘appened.”

Bertram Windshadow eases as the sound of pursuit fades a quiet breath draining from his lungs as he finally gives himself a moment to glance over his shoulder. It hadn't seemed like they were in *mortal* danger, but it was hard to say when an elemental would decide to be a little extra cranky at any given moment. He dusted his hands off on his legs as he shifted his attention back to Cravendy. "Sure did ..." he answered, allowing himself a quiet laugh before bobbing his head to the side.

Bertram Windshadow: "I hope they didn't get any nasty bites in ..."

Cravendy Hound: “Couple of bruises and scratches, but nothin’ major. Gods, first dodos, now bugs and bloodthirsty flowers.” She lets out a long sigh. The world was conspiring against her, which...well, was fair, as she had a lot to answer for. But she wondered, why now? Why not before, or later? One thing is for sure, though. She’s thankful that this stranger was here to help out.

Cravendy Hound sizes up Bertram. He looks kind of familiar, but she shelves that feeling off to the side. “Thanks for ‘elping out. I’m Cravs. And ye are?”

(Bertram Windshadow) (( Would Bertram know that nickname? I don't *think* he would, but I figured I'd check before having him be oblivious, hahaha (Cravendy Hound) hmm I mean, she refers to herself as such, but idk if others would to her?? haha )) (Cravendy Hound) up to you really :P )) (Bertram Windshadow) (( I think Lin has only said Cravendy to him! So I don't think he'd make the immediate connection! Not yet anyway! ))

Bertram Windshadow bobs his head to the side slightly, "I can't pretend to know *why* but I think you did something to upset the elementals," he offered quietly as he finished dusting himself off and glancing around Hyrstmill, ". .. they can be a bit sensitive about how you treat the forest." He pauses for a moment before dipping his head toward the woman. "It's nice to meet you Cravs. Most folk these days call me Windshadow."

Cravendy Hound brings a hand up to her face and covers it in thought. Upset the elementals...no. Her target practice? She had thought since it was an accident, it’d be fine, but perhaps not. Blast it all, now she’d have to get a conjurer to help her apologize to those, frankly, eldritch spirits.

Cravendy Hound: “Windshadow. Now that’s a title -and- a mouthful...any reason why people call ye that?” Her brows knit together and her eyes narrow. He clearly wasn’t your average adventurer, judging from his gear. “That yer secret, crime fightin’ identity or somethin’?”

Bertram Windshadow blinks in surprise, though not that one could tell from behind the visor, at her comment. He'd never really thought about it like *that* before. There's an awkward pause before Bertram's hand rises up to the back of his neck and he shook his head. "Oh, no. It's nothing like that," he responds with a laughing tone, "It's ... an epithet. A Gyr Abanian thing."

Bertram Windshadow: "I can be ... pretty fast when I need to be. Quiet too."

Cravendy Hound just realizes that she’s smiling. Everything that had happened in the past hour. The smoke, the running...and now, Windshadow standing here, as polite as could be. He was an amusing enigma to her. “No need to be bashful. If people call ye something like that, then I doubt ye only go ‘pretty’ fast. But can ye outrun a chocobo? I’d be willin’ to bet against ye.”

Cravendy Hound laughs - the challenge only half serious. “But seriously. Ye saved my ‘ide back there. What can I do for ye...’ow about round of drinks on me?”

Bertram Windshadow can only laugh a bit more fully at the prospective challenge, his head shaking slightly as a smile finds solid purchase upon his lips. "Depends on the terrain and distance, honestly. A 'bo's going to out last me in the long run on flat ground." He shakes his head gently, as though he was dismissing the thought as overly self-indulgent. He cleared his throat at the new offer. "I ... " he pauses, tilting his head to the side, "... I wouldn't turn down a drink or two, no."

Bertram Windshadow: "But I'm just glad to have been at the right place at the right time."

Cravendy Hound scratches the back of her head, amused by how seriously Windshadow is taking the chocobo challenge. She can hardly imagine what it’d look like for a hyur to move that quickly. Would he send himself sailing forward like a rocket, or would he just move his limbs -that fast-?! Either way, she steps over and playfully bumps his shoulder with her fist. “I know a spot nearby that serves a solid Mun-Tuy Brew. Over ‘ere.”

Cravendy Hound would bring the two of them to an unassuming establishment. When she enters, she dips her head towards the Elezen barkeep, who returns the gesture. By the time Cravs takes a seat, the barkeep has already set out two cups and a bottle of brew on the table. The usual.

Bertram Windshadow laughed -- albeit a bit nervously -- as Cravendy bumped his shoulder gently while passing by while making her way further into the town. He certainly couldn't complain about a good drink of mun tuy so he followed behind her whilst glancing around the village with a thoughtful expression. He didn't say too much on the way but, as he settled in before the second cup of drink, he couldn't help but ask. "What had you out in this neck of the woods anyway?"

Cravendy Hound has already finished a cup and is halfway through pouring herself another glass. She places the bottle back to the center of the table with a satisfying, though loud, thump. “......Ye’d be surprised ‘ow far those critters chased me. That said, I come out ‘ere now and again. Nice trees, nice folk.” She clears her throat, and then says in a slightly lower voice: “The drinks not bad too.”

Bertram Windshadow might have -- perhaps -- been attempting to discern what the woman might have down to agitate the elementals, but ... he didn't seem like he was about to start prying where he wasn't invited. It didn't seem like he was Like That. Instead he bobbed his head forward and began a much more *measured* approach to his drinking. "I find it similarly calming. Spend time up in the boughs can really help clear the head when you're feeling a bit overwhelmed."

Cravendy Hound raises a brow. “So, ye run really fast, and ye have orbs that shoot out smoke. What are ye, some kind of courier? If ye feelin’ overwhelmed, then just tell the big man to stuff it. Don’t work so much.” She lifts her cup up with a grin. “Lifes too short not to indulge in the good stuff.”

(Cravendy Hound) lmao I can't get over how these two haven't connected the dots )) (Bertram Windshadow) (( It's *pretty* great! Hahaha. ))

Bertram Windshadow tilts his head to the side slightly as he listens to Cravendy's Words of Wisdom. He sips upon his drink thoughtfully for a moment before giving a concessionary bob of his head. He certainly found himself dwelling on the bad recently. Though it wasn't quite related to work as she might be assuming. Given his effective unemployment at the moment. "... I suppose that's true." He murmurs quietly, maybe more to himself than to Cravendy proper, "Is that what you were doing out there?"

Cravendy Hound leans back on her chair, feet propped up on the table. “Chin up. Ye seem the earnest type. Try at somethin’ long enough and it’ll change, eventually.” She takes another sip and listens to the sound of the waterwheel turning on the river. Windshadow’s second question gives her pause. “What? Was I...out ‘ere to indulge, ye mean?”

Bertram Windshadow quietly nods his head in response to her further words of assurance -- though it seemed difficult to determine how they were received behind the vidor -- before she asked her clarifying question. "Oh," he cleared his throat and shook his head, "Well, that or just ... enjoying the 'good stuff' as it were."

Cravendy Hound smirks, and gestures to the alcohol on the table, as if that was answer enough to his question. The two made an interesting drinking duo, and Cravs found herself drawn to her withdrawn, fast-running companion. When they eventually parted ways, she let him know that he was welcome to swing by for another round of drinks...or perhaps, she would find him, and make good on her bet that he could outrun a chocobo.

[thisentertaining]

Instinctual - A Spirit’s Instincts

Aang should be the one taking care of a sick Katara and Sokka, not Zuko, but the airbender insisted that he be the one to find the medicine.

Now it's been hours, and Zuko is painfully aware that there is a Fire Nation Stronghold nearby that he hadn't been able to warn Aang about.

When the lights of Pohuai light up in victory, he knew what happened without having to be told that Aang had been captured.

Now Zuko has a decision to make.

Could he allow his maybe-friend to be captured by the Fire Nation?

Or was he ready to be the traitor his father had branded him as.

Read on Ao3

“Water.” Katara rasped as Momo stared at her with large, green, uncomprehending eyes. The lemur held up another, distinctly non-water, offering and the girl shook her head wit ha cough. “No, water. Wa-ter.” She enunciated, and the critter chirped at her before darting away once more to grab some other type of useless junk.

“Wait, Momo don’t-“ Zuko cursed as he stalked across the campsite, full waterskins and cooking pot in hand. He groaned. “Katara, stop sending the lemur out for things. I literally left five seconds ago to go to the stream.”

The girl blinked at him, deliriously repeating “Wa-ter.” As though she hadn’t realized that she was not still talking to the lemur.

Zuko sighed heavily and shoved the waterskin into her hands. “Yeah, yeah. Water.”

He then made his way over to Sokka, who was yelling about how dare they treat royalty like this, he was the king of all earthbenders and demanded respect to be shown. Zuko just rolled his eyes and forced a new water skin into his hands as well. At least the other boy wasn’t so far gone that he didn’t recognize that. Instead, he upended the skin, practically dumping it on himself in his haste to drink. Zuko groaned and refilled the waterskin with one of the extras and dunked a few pieces of cloth into the cookpot before laying strips across the Water Tribe teens’ foreheads.

He signed heavily as they finally settled down, slipping into a light doze. Aang should be the one doing this, not him.

“But noooo,” Zuko spoke aloud to himself, a nasty habit that he had picked up in the cave, when some days that was his only chance to hear a human voice. …which had honestly been preferred to the days when the freedom fighters actually talked to him. He’d managed to mostly hold back during their travels so far, but with Aang gone and the other two incapacitated, he didn’t see much reason to hide his frustration behind pursed lips. “Aang just had to go to the apothecary.”

The teen’s voice went  high, mocking for a moment. “‘Oh Zuko, I can go much faster cause I’m an airbender and can fly around, we need to get them medicine right away bla bla bla, watch me twirl around on my stupid ball of air.”

“Aang, is that you?” Katara rasped drowsily, but Zuko ignored her.

Zuko resumed his normal speaking voice. “Well how did that work out for you, Aang? Cause that was HOURS AGO!” He shouted to the sky. He collapsed to the ground with an indulgently dramatic huff and tried to ignore the fact he was only so angry because he was worried. Aang should have been back forever ago, the apothecary was literally close enough to see, even if he had to get ingredients for the medicine it shouldn’t have lasted past the time that the sun set. Something was wrong. Something was very very wrong.

But Aang was the Avatar, what could honestly be a threat to him?

Aang was horrendously untrained and naïve to the ways of the current world. What wasn’t a threat to him?

Zuko glanced uncertainly at his companions. They were adamant that the Fire Nation was after them.  He knew that Father would want to stop the Avatar, especially one so clearly aligned against the Fire Nation, but in the week or so that he had been travelling with them, he hadn’t actually seen any evidence of that. He half thought that they were more biased and paranoid than actually in danger. They weren’t exactly lying low, if the Fire Nation were actually after them, they would have seen them before, right?

He should have told them about the stronghold.

He’d forgotten, okay?

“I haven’t had geography classes in years.” He argued to the empty night sky. “And Sokka hoards the maps, I didn’t know we were this close. Why doesn’t Sokka’s map have anything important on it.”

He knew why. It was an old map, not from before the war, but not much later than that. And it focused more on trading routs, hunting grounds, and good fishing spots rather than towns and buildings. The Pohuai stronghold was one of the first Fire Nation territories built in the Earth Kingdom, but it still wasn’t old enough. It also wasn’t big, and that was by design. If the Earth Kingdom didn’t realize it’s significance, then the Yuyan archers could practice in peace before being sent to wreak destruction on the battlefield. Regardless, it hadn’t even been mentioned on the map, if Zuko hadn’t finally recognized the shape of the apothecary university, none of them would have had any idea.

It wasn’t his fault.

Was it his responsibility?

Zuko groaned and dramatically kicked at the sky. This… this would be a turning point, wouldn’t it? This wasn’t a few traitorous thoughts whispered to himself in a cave. It wasn’t a burning resentment for the man who led his nation (who had led his family). It wasn’t helping a collection of refugees that the Fire Nation probably didn’t even actually really care about. It wasn’t blabbering potential state secrets about the inner workings of the Fire Court to a peasant on a sinking boat. It wasn’t even tagging along with the Avatar, an enemy of the state.

If he actually did something now, it would actually be treason. He would actually deserve the sentence that had been given to him. He would deserve his banishment, be a criminal.

Was he willing to do that, for some kid he barely knew?

He didn’t want to be an enemy to the Fire Nation. He loved his people, their passion and drive. They were his, his by right of birth. They always had been, even back when he though he had no chance at being Fire Lord. He wanted to protect them, had always wanted that. That was why he was in this mess in the first place.

Unease stirred within him. It was hard… nearly impossible to protect his people in a war such as this, when it was an entire world against them. The purpose of the war was good. If the Fire Nation were truly the most advance amung the Nations, it was good of them to spread their culture and technology, but was it worth all… this?

He thought to the refugees fleeing from their home with all of their belongings strapped to their backs. He thought of a blacksmith who didn’t question the thought that he had been captive and tortured by the Fire Nation as a child. He thought of the tremor of Katara’s voice as she spoke about her mother and her struggle to work her bending without a master to so much as offer advice. He thought of how Sokka told him about the men leaving him to protect his village when he had been barely trained.  He thought of how sometimes, Aang would go quiet, petting Momo or Appa with eyes a million miles and a hundred years away. He even thought about Jet, living in the trees to protect dozens of orphans whose parents his people had killed.

He knew the answer.

Nothing was worth this. Even if his people had won there would be no peace. The other nations would not actually benefit from their advancements in technology, their culture. They would be cowed and afraid, hateful of the new ways of life simply because they came from their oppressors. This war could not share the Fire Nation’s greatness, only destroy it.

Could he betray his Nation in order to save his people?

Zuko cursed, punching at the ground and accidentally hitting one of Momo’s ‘offerings’ and sending it flying with a clatter. He looked up to find it and froze when he saw a mask by the light of the moon. The Blue Spirit. One of Mother’s favorite characters.

Suddenly, a flare of fire from the direction of the Stronghold tore his attention away from his thoughts. He eyed the torches, and knew with a sinking feeling in his stomach that they were a sign of triumph, of victory. It was a display put on to celebrate something amazing.

Something like catching the Avatar. Like capturing him. Keeping him trapped and scared, away from the sun in a dark hole somewhere.

Without thinking, Zuko pulled the mask over his face and grabbed his dual dao. His earlier musing and doubts had fled his mind completely, overtaken by one clear thought. He would not let Aang go through what he did. No one would be held captive on his watch. Not again.

And if it was the Blue Spirit committing treason and not him, maybe he could convince himself he was still loyal.

_____

Zuko sincerely hoped that the Fire Nation’s most secure stronghold was harder to sneak into on a normal day, because if not he had no clue how they had not lost the war decades ago. It was the speech, right? Everyone was listening to whatever general or official had orchestrated the capture of the Avatar and that was why it had been so simple to sneak in, right?

He really really hoped so.

Honestly, he shouldn’t be complaining. He’d wanted to get in without detection, and he had. He had just… expected it to be much more difficult, but with a single rope he’d managed to safely scale the walls, and now he was in the ventilation system, and other than the distant roar of a speech being made, he hadn’t seen a single person.

If he actually thought anyone expected him to sneak in like this, he would have thought it was a trap. However, as it was he doubted anyone in the Fire Nation thought he was alive, much less helping the Avatar.

He made his way through the fort, uncertain at first where to go until he found some guards at the entrance to a hallway. Considering they were the only guards he’d seen, it was pretty reasonable to guess that they were protecting something important. Someone important.

Zuko took a deep, calming breath, almost like one of his meditation exercises. These men would be firebenders, and he wasn’t anymore. He only had his swords. He had training though, and hours upon hours of practice. He could do this.

The teen maneuvered himself above their heads and, with a final steadying breath he silenced the part of him who was screaming at the thought of attacking Fire Nation citizens who were just doing their jobs. Then, he dropped. As always, he was grateful to have studied the dual blades. He dropped in the middle of the two men, one sword in each hand, and managed to hit both men simultaneously on the back of their head, sending them to the ground with gentle thumps.

His heart pounding, his breath racing, the teen looked at the two unconscious guards. It was too late now for second guessing. He found a closet a few yards away and began the arduous task of dragging the heavy men inside, hoping that no guards would be less suspicious than unconscious ones. He didn’t expect them to wake, but gagged and tied them up regardless before looking around the supply closer. Huh. Supplies.

The teen grabbed a length of chain and a bucket of mop water, just in case, before rooting in the men’s pockets. Most firebenders wouldn’t be caught dead with a secondary weapon, it was considered a sign that your bending was too weak to be relied upon. Luckily, the Pohuai stronghold was one of the few exceptions. One did not become one of the most secure forts in the world by sacrificing practicality for pride.

They didn’t have swords, but the men had throwing knives tucked into their belts and Zuko took those as well. Looking around the closet, he didn’t find much else that was useful but, remembering a scene from a play that used a similar trick, he grabbed one of the helmets before he shut the door.

The teen tip toed through the guarded hall. Whenever he came to an intersecting hall or turn he lay on his stomach and stuck the blade of the knife out far enough that the shiny metal reflected the hall. Finding no one, he continued on until finally the flat of the blade showed four men standing guard at a door. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Zuko prepared the trap. He hid the bucket of water behind a decorative pedestal and identified a pipe in the wall strong enough to support the weight of several people.

Then, with a nod to himself a scowl behind his mask, the teen gently rolled the stolen mask into the hall. He held his breath, hoping against hope that act IV, scene 4 of The Spirit’s Boil was accurate. He had to fight not to cheer as soft footsteps came his way.

Finally, his knowledge of Fire Nation theatre was coming in handy.

He crouched behind another pedestal and waited, listening to the steps growing closer as the guard neared. Finally, he turned into the hall. Zuko immediately jumped up, dodging to the side to evade a flash of flame, winding the man with a punch to the stomach and knocking him unconscious with another hit of the sword hilt when he folded over. Working quickly, Zuko chained the man up so that he was hanging by his arms on the pipe, but by then he heard a pair of footsteps coming his way. They were no longer risking coming one by one.

He scrambled up the wall to sit crouched in the crook of the ceiling, chains in hand. These men were much more prepared than the former guard, rushing the hall as a team, firebending stances at the ready.

They were shocked, however, by their dangling companion and dropped their ready poses. Holding himself to the wall by three limbs, he used the other to wrap the chain around one man’s hands, then pulled and dropped, sending the man careening into his friend then crashing into the ceiling. The move had knocked both men unconscious as well.

Three down, one to go. Zuko grabbed the bucked and started into the hallway, deciding that the risk was worth going on the offensive. It was good he had, for the man had grabbed a warning horn and was prepared to give warning of the danger. Zuko pulled one of the throwing knives out of his pocket and sunk it into the horn, with the man dropped with a cry of horror.

He was much better than the others though, and quickly worked past his shock and moved into a stance that sent fire flashing at Zuko. The masked teen flung water from the bucket, dousing the flames. He was upon the other Firebender before the man could counter and spun in a move designed to break someone’s root. Traditionally the move would have been performed with a blast of fire, but the bucket worked well enough.

The man landed flat on his back and, unable to get his root back, could not fight with fire as Zuko knocked him out as well. Zuko breathed deeply as he eyed the fallen man. If anyone was on the other side of this room besides Aang, he had lost any hope at the element of surprise. He could only hope that the fact that no alarm had been raised meant that he was alone.

The banished prince slipped into the room, swords raised and Kata started to intimidate any enemies left in the room.

Aang started screaming.

Zuko hadn’t thought this through.

“Shut up!” He hissed, then finally took in the scene in front of him. Aang was chained to the walls far more securely than Zuko had ever been. His limbs were stretched out, preventing him an inch of freedom to be used to bend. Zuko felt his hear beat erratically, eyes locked onto the bits of metal digging into the younger boy’s wrists. Trapped, unable to bend, surrounded by enemies, away from the sun. It was- it was too much. (It was too familiar.)

Zuko gripped his swords, wanting nothing more than have an enemy to fight, something to defeat. The torches once stuck in the walls had mostly burned out and the room was too dim. (It was too familiar.)

Aang kept babbling, kept screaming, a grating noise. It was enough to break him from the fear pounding in his heart. (It was unfamiliar.)

“I said shut up! Do you want to get caught?” Zuko asked harshly, parched lips making his voice even raspier than normal. He yanked his mask half off to reveal enough of his face to set Aang at ease. The boy immediately brightened.

“Zu-“

“Shut it! Don’t say my name.” He commanded, finally having enough control of himself to stalk towards Aang. His heart was pounding again as he neared the chains, but with the swords in hand and facing someone else, he was able to do for Aang what he had never had the tools or the angle to do for himself and smashed through the chains, freeing his frien- freeing the Avatar. “Now lets go, we don’t have much time before someone realizes somethings wrong.”

“Got it! Wait! My frogs! Sokka and Katara need to suck on them to get better.”

“That… sounds fake.”

“That’s what the healer said would work!”

Zuko growled. “We can get new frogs Aang. We need to go.” Zuko grabbed the back of the boy’s cloak and, tugging him along like a cobra-cat carries her cobra-kits, dragged him past the bound and gagged guards that were slowly starting to awaken.

“Woah…” Aang breathed as he saw the guards. Zuko said nothing. What was there to say? He had betrayed these men, his people, for Aang. He didn’t want to talk about it.

The speech must have ended at some point, as guards were once more starting to patrol. Zuko and Aang had to move silently through the ventilation/sewage system. Zuko was grateful for the mask that hid his identity. Even if he was spotted, at least there would be a few moments before anyone knew what the former prince had stooped to.

He watched for a break in the guards and nodded Aang through, saying nothing as he pointed at the rope that had miraculously not been spotted. They started climbing and Zuko allowed a single, hesitantly hopeful thought that they had actually done it.

That was, of course, the moment that everything went wrong.

Alarm bells sounded when they were halfway off the floor, and a guard quickly spotted them and commanded that the rope be cut. Zuko soon found himself plummeting to a ground that was too far away. Aang created a cushion of air that saved them from a gristly fate of broken limbs in the center of their enemies (his people. When did they become his enemies?)

Zuko’s feet softly hit the ground and he rose with his swords ready. He pointed one blade at the door, an obvious exit but any attempt at subtlety was long past. A voice overlooking the battleground called out news of the Avatar’s escape.

Zuko’s heart went cold and he nearly turned in response. He knew that voice: Zhao. A minor noble whose family money had bought him a fancy naval position, and whose ruthlessness and aggression had maintained it. The man was ambition in the worst way, whats more he was favored short term solutions and did not care about the costs it took to achieve his goals.

He was cruel.

He’d been at the Agni Kai.

He’d smiled.

Was this the person who was after Aang? If so, their caution, their hatred, was warranted. Zhao exemplified the worst traits of the Fire Nation, and held none of their best.

Apparently, under his father’s rule that was enough to rise to Admiral.

He almost paused then and there, ready to face a man he remembered as a cruel bully, but Aang had run past him as he slowed. “Follow me!” The younger boy crowed and Zuko brought his mind to the matter at hand. This was the important thing, not a three-year-old personal rivalry. He had to prioritize rescuing Aang, anything else could wait until he had more time to think things through.

Well, if the opportunity presented itself to do something he would take it of course, but for the moment…

The pair fought towards the door, Aang with bursts of air and Zuko with furiously flashing blades that fought weapons and bending alike. Unfortunately, the stronghold was staffed with a literal army, and while Aang had supernatural speed, Zuko’s stamina was still lacking from his time in the cave.

He found himself surrounded as Aang ran towards a closing door.

Zuko grunted as his blades bit into spear after spear, mowing down the weapons of the mob who surrounded him. He didn’t dare cry out to his friend. He had started this, and he would see it through. Aang would get out, regardless of what happened to him. That was what he came here to do, if Aang got out then he was successful, regardless to if… regardless of whatever happened to Zuko. The teen did feel a stab of bitterness as yet another person apparently deemed him undeserving of help.

Suddenly, a bust of wind as powerful as a tornado sent the men in front of him flying. He jumped just as another burst sent the men behind him flying back as well. With yet another burst of air, Zuko found himself flying onto the stronghold walls, barely biting back a yelp as he stumbled to his feet. Okay, he wasn’t sure he liked that.

No, he knew. He didn’t like that.

… he did kinda want to do it again though.

Men surrounded once more and he slashed with his blades, holding them off until Aang could airbend over the wall as well. The younger boy wrapped his legs around Zuko’s waist and spun a staff- where had he gotten that- furiously above them, which somehow allowed them to hover in the air.

“Thanks.” Zuko grunted as he slashed at the spears thrown their way. He was glad the Yuyan archers hadn’t made an appearance yet. If they did, this rescue would immediately become an arrest.

Or an execution.

“We aren’t out yet.” Aang said with uncharacteristic grimness as his makeshift form of flying faltered and the pair stumbled onto the secondary wall. Immediately they were besieged by more soldiers, and the pair fought side by side once more, one with bending one with blades. Zuko was frantically trying to think of plan ‘B’ when Aang ran past and handed him a pair of ladders with the command to jump on his back. Zuko followed suit without thinking.

He definitely didn’t want to ever do the ladder thing ever again.

It worked though, at least until a firebender caught wise enough to set their ladder on fire, mere seconds before they cleared the final gate.

The pair ended up sprawled at the floor of the final gate, imprenetrable feet away from freedom. Firebenders surrounded them, attacking as one with their flames. Zuko moved into a useless blocking pose, but Aang pushed him back and sent a protective wall of air around the pair of them before the blow could land.

“Hold your fire!” A voice shouted, and Zuko looked over Aang’s shoulder to see Zhao walking towards him. A lifelong petty dislike brought a bad taste to his mouth as the man approached. “The Avatar must be captured alive.”

Now, Zuko had a lot of bad ideas in his time. The decision to rescue the Aang may have even been one of them. Putting his blades to his potential-ally-maybe-friend’s neck was undoubtably one of the worst. He’d acted without thinking, the man’s command triggering in his subconscious before his mind even connected the dots.

They wanted the Avatar alive. Maybe they even wanted him alive more than they wanted him in their possession. It was the only chance they had.

He was going to take it.

Aang shot him a terrified look. “Uh, Zu-“ He began to whisper. His voice was far too quiet for any but Zuko to hear, but the prince cut him off just in case.

“Trust me. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” The words were barely a breath, completely hidden by his mask so Zhao wouldn’t even know that he spoke.

After a moment, Aang gave an almost imperceivable nod as Zhao watched them with an ever-deepening scowl. After a stare down that seemed to last for hours, Zhao commanded, “Open the gate.” Every word seemed to be torn from his lips, filled with reluctance and simmering hatred.

One of his men questioned him, forcing the man to repeat his command, just as reluctant and angry. “Let them out. Now.”

Slowly the doors behind them started to open, and Zuko walked backwards, careful not to actually place his blades too close to the airbender’s neck as he pulled Aang with him. Zuko’s heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest as he pulled the boy behind him down the path leading away from the fort. “Hold on.” He breathed. “Just a bit farther and I think we’re in the clear.”

“Okay.”

Okay. The boy just said, Okay, As if it was that easy to trust someone with swords held at your neck.

As though it was that easy to trust Zuko.

The boy saw a dark something in the air shooting towards him, had the barest thought, oh, there’s the Yuyan archers, then there was a brush of pain before the world went dark.

___

Zuko tried to meditate as the two water tribe teen choked on the frogs. He didn’t see Aang get the frogs, but apparently the Avatar had dragged his unconscious form around half the forest after one of the archers had knocked him out. At least he’d had the presence of mind to grab the swords and mask.

He never wanted to be weaponless again and the mask would be necessary if he planned to continue…

To continue being…

To be a traitor.

He had done it. There was no denying it: he was a traitor to the crown.

But then, did a man such as Ozai deserve a loyal son?

No. But the people of the Fire Nation deserved a loyal prince, and he would be one. He just had to figure out what that meant.

He looked at the child who had willingly risked his freedom and safety many times over to get his friends the frogs. The boy who had come back for him when freedom was in his grasp. At least it seemed like he had a good teacher.

Though, that could have been the concussion talking.  

[captainillogical]

Distant Lands Ch.4

Stranded on a planet with toxic conditions and nothing but the clothes on your back, your only means of survival lies within the gem that got you here in the first place.

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants​

Several times you wake up in the middle of the night, and Spinel is holding you closely. You keep falling back asleep in hope she’ll shift or move during the night, so you can take your chance to sneak away. Eventually you wake up again, and surprisingly she’s not holding you, but instead softly pressed against your side.

You can hear her breathing in even intervals, and you think she’s actually asleep. Huh. So this one sleeps. The only other gems you know sleep are Amethyst, and Steven, although he’s half human so he gets an excuse. You test how much of a light sleeper she is by shifting slightly away from her, careful to not disturb her. Her breathing is still the same, so you guess you’re in the clear.

You sit up carefully, and glance at Spinel’s sleeping face.

She’s.. weirdly peaceful, here. Her face looks soft, and her hair has fringe framing around the sides of her face, like her pigtails are getting loose. You watch her gem raise and lower slightly, in tune with her breathing. With the fire long gone, the only light is from the moons above, some of the light seeping through the cracks in the stone. You realize you’ve been staring at her for a while, and move to get up quietly. 

Carefully watching her as you move away, you rub your arms from the cold as you walk outside the ruins. It’s freezing. Not that you’d admit this to yourself, but you’d rather be next to Spinel right now as she’s your only heat source. At least she’s useful for something.

Once you’re outside, you look up to observe the moons. It’s so weird seeing this, honestly. You fill your lungs with the cold, crisp air, and set out to one of the taller hills you saw by the lake you were at earlier. Should only take you twenty minutes or so. You hope Spinel doesn’t wake up while you’re gone, but if she does, you could always say that you left to go to the bathroom or something. You should be back in less than an hour. It’s seriously so cold that you have to keep warming your hands with your breath, and even that’s not doing much. You make quick pace to try to keep yourself warm, because you’d rather not freeze to death out here.

You’re only a couple minutes into your small journey when off to the side of the path ahead of you, you see some rustling in the underbrush, and make a full stop. You hold your breath in to make sure whatever it is, it moved on its own accord, and not because it saw you. You think you see a creature’s feet moving around, so you stand very still, hoping it’ll leave quickly.

It seems a lot more of the creatures come out in the evening, for some reason, and hide during the day? They can’t all be nocturnal. You watch it rustling in the bushes for a few moments, before popping out onto the pathway you’re standing on, about twenty feet in front of you. It’s uh.. It’s weird. It’s canine in nature, and looks kind of like a hyena. There are lots of stripes on the side of its flank, and they look to be three-toed. This guy also seems kind of small - about 2 feet in height, almost like it’s a baby. 

You hope it’s not a baby. Its mother better not be nearby. 

Almost like it knows you’re there, it snaps its head to you, and it SCREECHES loudly. Oh fuck this, you are not sticking around for whatever comes to this things aid. You break out into a run, the creature squawking and jumping out of your way as you run past it - and you keep running without stopping. You’re gonna book it to this hill, and not look behind you.

You’re completely out of breath when you finally get to the hill, but thankfully nothing had seemed to chase you. Not that you had turned around to check. There’s a single large tree on this hill, and you can see quite a bit of the view around you. You can see your ruins, and the lake, and you can also see another structure in the distance by the edge of the jungle, next to those rocky chasms. You should go check that out later. Maybe you can find something useful there, you hope.

You pull the matching keychain out of your pants pocket, and place it against the base of the tree, off to the side. You cover it in a bit of grass just to be safe. You don’t want any of the animals here to walk off with it, or worse.. destroy it. You click it on, and watch the tiny light blink twice, meaning it was on and active. Cool.

Standing up, you look around you again to take in the view before leaving. It’s weirdly.. pretty out here at night. You can spot glowing bugs flickering around the edge of the lake, and in the trees. It reminds you of the times you used to see fireflies in the dead of summer, and all of a sudden you’re extremely homesick. You miss Steven, and you hope he’s okay. You hope the rest of the gems are, too. 

How long will it take for them to find you? Where even are you? How far away from Earth? You don’t even know what star system you’re in, considering you don’t recognize any of these constellations like.. at all. Maybe you’re lucky, and this planet is vaguely neighboring the milky way. You wish you had some form of control over this situation.

It’s quiet and cold, and the bark of this tree feels slimy to the touch, so you stop leaning against it. It’s time for you to leave and get back, anyway. 

Several feet behind you, you hear a twig snap, and you freeze on your feet.

Oh.. oh god. You’re gonna need to think fast, considering you have no idea what’s behind you, and you don’t know if making any sudden moves will make it attack you.

Heart beating loudly in your chest, very slowly you attempt to move your face to glance at what's behind you, but you find yourself slammed against a tree for the second time in 48 hours, breath leaving you instantly. 

"YA TRYIN' TO LEAVE ME HUH? WELL I'M NOT LETTING THAT HAPPEN." You hear Spinel before you can even look at her. Your head hurts, as it got knocked against the tree as well, and you're seeing stars for a second before you can find your bearing.

"Spinel, I wasn't trying to leave!" You manage to choke out.

"And why the HELL WOULD I BELIEVE THAT? ALL THE WAY OUT HERE." She presses you harder against the tree, trying to make her point.

“I told you. There’s literally NOWHERE I'D BE ABLE TO RUN TO, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!” You are sick and tired of her treating you like this. You're tired of being physically assaulted every time she decides she wants to. She’s so fucking obsessed with the idea of you running away from her.

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Her face contorts with fury, her hands shaking in anger against your shoulders. 

You're done with this situation. You attempt to bring your arms up, and with as much strength you can muster, you place your palms on either side of her gem to push her off of you. She steps backwards in shock, not exactly expecting you to fight back.

"I'm sick and fucking tired of you ASSAULTING me whenever you think I'm doing something wrong! How in the deepest pits of HELL you think we can be friends is BEYOND ME!!" You spit out at her, hands balling into fists.

"I SHOULD'VE KILLED STEVEN UNIVERSE LIKE I PLANNED BECAUSE IT WOULD'VE BEEN EASIER THAN DEALING WITH YOU!" She screams out, and you've had it.

You've punched her in the face before you could think about the consequences of your actions, white hot fury the only thing running through your mind. She stumbles, hand clutching her cheek, and the look in her eyes makes you want to run.

"Doesn't feel great, does it now?" You bring your eyes to hers in an unspoken challenge. She stares at you, both of you unmoving for several long seconds.

Faster than you can blink, she whips her fist at you, and you barely manage to dodge it as it whizzes past your face.

"God you're such an awful friend. Where I come from, friends don't fucking hurt each other!!" You yell at her, and bring your arms up so she can't get to your face. "You're supposed to be NICE to me!" 

"Dealin' with you has been a miserable experience!!" She wipes her mouth, and looks like she's about to attack you again. "I have done NOTHING but help ya, and all ya seem to be able to do is COMPLAIN!"

Ohhhhh my god she doesn't fucking get it!!! You're absolutely about to lose your mind with her. 

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!? ALL OF THIS IS AGAINST MY WILL!! I FUCKING HATE YOU! I'M NOT YOUR PET SPINEL, I'M A REAL PERSON WHO HAS FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS!!!" You can't even seem to hold back anymore. Everything flies out of your mouth without any consideration behind it, but it’s been coming for a while. She's visibly shaking with anger.

Spinel comes right up to you and you attempt to guard yourself from any further violence with your forearms, but she grasps your wrists with each of her hands. 

"The feeling is mutual." She replies in a low voice, and pulls you to her chest. You can't seem to look away from the anger in her eyes.

You struggle in her grip, and you can't seem to get your arms free from her grasp. You're starting to panic that you're trapped, and she's so close to your face you can feel her breath on your lips.

While all of this is happening, you are starting to realize everything is super quiet around you. Unnervingly so. 

And then, underneath your feet, you feel the ground shake.

"Uhh," You manage to say out loud.

Spinel drops her arms from yours and looks wildly around you two as if there's some physical monster nearby.

“What’s going on?” She asks you, like you somehow know more than her in this situation.

“Fuck if I know!” You reply, just as the rumbling stops abruptly. You look around, and things seem pretty unchanged. Okay.

“It stopped. Huh.”

“Weird. I wonder if the quakes here are like the ones on Earth.” You contemplate out loud. Silence befalls you two, mood from earlier completely vanished, and you take this chance to take a couple steps away from her.

“Hm.” She probably hasn’t a clue as to what you’re talking about.

There’s a strange whirring noise coming from what sounds like 60 feet away at most. Spinel’s gaze meets yours, and her facial expression changes to one of confusion. You have no idea what you’re hearing, but it stops after a few seconds.

“I have no idea what that was.” You say, and turn to follow the direction of the noise. It seems to be right around the bottom of the other side of this hill.

“..ya gonna follow that noise? What if it kills ya?” You hear her take a couple steps, following you. What the hell, why does she care?

“Look, that was really weird okay? We’ve been here for a bit but we’ve never felt or heard that before.” You’re making your way around the hill, climbing over several large rocks that seem to block a lot of the way on this side. You haven’t seen this many rocks all in one area at all so far. 

Spinel easily follows you, and it only takes you a minute to reach the bottom. 

“Uhhh.” She says, and you’re about to say the same thing.

The two of you come face to face with another one of these.. caves. Holes. Tunnel? This is super fucking strange.

“There’s another.. hole here?” You hear yourself say. “Why? Are you sure gems didn’t do this?” “Yeah, I’m sure no gem did this.” She peers into the darkness, and takes a step in.

For some reason sirens go off in your head, and your hand snaps out to Spinel’s wrist. She turns to look at you with a raised eyebrow.

“Let’s not blindly go solving all our mysteries tonight, maybe?” The hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you pull her out into the moonlight. 

“You’re the one that wanted to come here.”

“And I’d also like to leave now. This place makes me super uneasy.” “Why? It’s just a cave.”

“It just gives me the creeps, okay? Let’s leave it at that.” You say as you turn around to leave, and hike it back up and around the hill. It’s cold as fuck, and when you get back up to the tree, you can see most of the jungle has now a thick layer of fog upon the ground.

“Ugh. I’m pretty sure I know how to get back.” She says, and you follow her in the vague direction that you know is the ruins. 

You're both pretty quiet on the way back, and once you're a good hundred or so yards away from the hill, you feel the ground trembling again. She looks at you, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"So soon again?" 

"Yeah, weird.." You reply, looking back towards the hill. The quakes stop after a good couple of seconds, and you shrug.  "If this planet had any volcanic activity I feel like we'd be able to see any mountains nearby, but I've seen nothing. And I've tried scoping out this place as much as I could earlier."

"I haven't seen any either." She regards you, and turns to keep walking. "We can figure out that later, anyway. It's cold and we should be getting back." 

It's almost like she cares about you.

You're back within twenty minutes, and you pass out fairly quickly all things considered. 

-

Morning hits you like a slap to the face. 

Like.. literally.

You feel a sharp pang along the side of your face, and Spinel is shaking you awake.

"Will ya get up? Somehow you reopened the cut on your face while sleeping last night, and it's bleedin' all over now."

You sit up, and cup your face with your palm, to your immediate regret. You pull your hand away to feel the wet of your blood on your skin, and see red streaking against your open hand.

“Ohhhh this is just my luck.” You say, and move to stand up. Immediately you’re feeling a bit lethargic, and sit back down on your pile of bedding.

“Can you sit still for a second?” Spinel moves away to grab something off to the side that you can’t see, and comes back into view shortly after.

She’s got crudely smashed bits of greens in her hand, and dips her thumb in, bringing bits up to your forehead. She smears the salve against your skin and you wince a bit, feeling the chunky solution against your face. 

“What are you doing?” You ask her bluntly. You’re confused as to why she’s even trying to help you.

“Making sure you don’t die of something stupid.” She says, biting her tongue between her teeth, getting the last bit against the edge of your eyebrow. She pulls her hand away, doing a once over glance upon your face. “Seems good enough for now.”

You look away, and mutter a quick thanks to her.

You still can’t trust her, despite this. 

But.. regardless of things, it’s probably in your best interest to go bathe. The water source you found yesterday -  the lake, is your only option at this point.

“I think I’m gonna bathe myself. You’re not at all welcome to join, but you’re probably gonna come anyway, no matter what I say?” You ask offhandedly, getting up and stretching your legs.

“Ya think I’m gonna let you go off alone, considering what happened last night?” She replies, making sure to lock eye contact with you. You shrug in reply.

“Figured I’d ask.”

You get up, wincing at your skin pulling on the corners of your face. Shit, she’s right. It hurts, but there’s not much you can do about it. You’re trying to not be pissed and start another fight, considering she’s the one who did the damage to you in the first place. You’ll find the time to bring it up later anyway.

You stumble out of the ruins, discombobulated at the lack of decent sleep and blood loss, and  walk towards the lake you discovered yesterday. 

It’s sweltering out, and it takes you a while to get over there. You grab a piece of fruit to eat on the way out, and Spinel follows you almost like a lost puppy to your destination. You don’t find yourself caring as much as you did earlier in the week.

Considering it’s been a couple days since you’ve been on this hell planet, you think you’re doing pretty okay, all things considered.

Once you reach the lake, Spinel wanders off to explore the edges of the plant life dipping into the lake. 

You.. obviously make a point to be away from her in general as you undress yourself. You’re aware enough to feel disgusting compared to your normal hygiene, and slowly wade into the lake, covering yourself in as much water as possible before she can even glance at your naked body. 

You sink until you’re level with the water’s surface, letting the water flow around you, reaching your shoulders. It’s a little chilly, but you've dealt with worse. You can manage. The water flows around your body, reaching your shoulders. You can feel the plants around your feet cling to your legs, and you struggle to shake them off. Obviously you have no soap, but you busy yourself washing off your built up sweat and dirt.

You look around you, realizing it’s been quiet for a while. You can’t see Spinel anywhere. Did she.. leave you alone? Holy fuck, thank god. 

Something touches your leg that’s clearly not a plant, and you nearly scream. You kick whatever it is, and it grabs your leg. You actually scream this time, and Spinel pops out of the water fully clothed, glaring at you.

“What was that for?” She spits out angrily, water dripping down her hair and face. 

“Why the fuck would you scare me like that!?” You quickly cover your breasts, heartbeat speeding up. No one’s ever seen you naked in broad daylight like this. 

“Was just lookin’ at somethin’ shiny at the bottom. Turned out to be a rock, much to my disappointment.” She gives you a look over, eyes trailing along your naked skin. You sink further into the water.

“Hey, can you not stare? A bit self conscious here, Spinel.” You try not to sound agitated, but you were hoping for some privacy.

“Self conscious? Why?” She raises an eyebrow in confusion.

“I’m naked in broad daylight. Could you like.. Go over there?” You make a point to look over to the shore. She doesn’t quite follow. She’s either actually oblivious, or obtuse on purpose. 

“I think I’m fine here.” She replies blunty, and you internally scream.

Whatever. You turn around and go back to washing yourself, attempting to ignore Spinel’s presence. Sinking down and submerging yourself completely, you do your best to scrub out any dirt and sweat out of your hair and scalp, already feeling a hundred times better than an hour ago. You come back up for air, gasping a little as you were holding your breath for quite some time. Water drips down your face, and you wipe your face off and squeeze the water out of your hair. Thankfully, the stuff on your forehead is still intact, albeit soaked now. 

You feel a hand on your lower back, and you freeze.

“What are you doing?” You say to Spinel, and feel her fingers graze your skin a little lower, and you shiver involuntarily.

“What’s this?” She presses her hand into your skin. She’s probably talking about your scar on your lower back, now that you remember.

“It’s a scar. Also, can you not touch me?” You swim a little further, but her hand stays put on your back.

“What’s it from?” She asks, completely ignoring what you just said. It was from that one time you failed to protect Steven properly, but she doesn’t need to know that. Her fingers curiously trace the jagged line across your skin that you know is there.

“None of your business. Now hands off.” You curtly reply, and grab her by the wrist, stopping her from touching you. Her eyes trail back up to yours, and she fixes you with a.. challenging look. Several seconds pass, and none of you move. She jerks her hand free, and turns around to swim back to the shore.

Okay.. what the fuck was that. You try not to think about it as you finish up, and when you turn to head back to shore, you don’t see Spinel anywhere. Whatever, better for you anyway.

You grab your clothes, and struggle to put them back on since you’re still kind of wet, even in this sweltering heat. It’s extra hot today, and you’re considering just hanging out in the lake to cool off all day.

But.. you have several things to do, including acquiring more food, and finding a way to store water somehow. You almost fall over trying to put your pants back on, and hear a snicker from a dozen or so feet away.

Spinel’s leaning against a tree, and watching you in amusement. Bitch. You glare at her.

You finish buttoning your pants, and huff out a sigh. You turn to leave, and you don’t wait for her to follow you.

-

A few days pass, and you manage to gather a few different types of fruit, discover two more water sources, and explored a bit more of the jungle that you hadn’t been to. You’d like to set out to that structure you saw a few miles away, but you’d prefer to be a little more prepared, and you’re almost set. You should be able to go out either tomorrow, or the next day if everything goes right.

You’re hoping it’s an intact gem base, honestly. You’re anxious about there possibly being not only supplies that you could use, but also maybe a way to send Steven and the gems a message. Or some tech to make a ship usable if there’s one? There’s a little bit of hope.

You managed to reach a small truce with Spinel. It took quite a long discussion and you almost socked her in the face again, but you both came to the conclusion that no matter what you do, there isn’t really a way for you to escape even if you tried. So she doesn’t follow you absolutely everywhere now. You still don’t know why she’s so.. adamant on you not leaving her alone. Clearly, she can deal with shit by herself, and doesn’t need you for anything. She doesn’t even like you as a person, so what’s her deal?

Spinel is probably back at the shelter, doing who knows what. She said she’d be going out to find something specific later, but if you’re going to be honest, you didn’t really care so you didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to what she was saying.

Currently, you’re out again gathering more supplies for the fire. The last two days have been extra cold at night, and the only thing keeping you from freezing to death is an active fire, and Spinel. Not that you’d admit that to her. She doesn’t need to know.

It’s extremely hot out today, and you’re sweating just.. existing outside right now. This might be the hottest day you’ve had so far on this planet actually.

You’re out in a different area of the jungle this time, in a completely unfamiliar area. You know at least the direction you came from, which is what’s most important. You’ve also managed to find a way to bring back a large amount of wood and sticks via tying them up in vines, and strapping them to your back. You feel resourceful, and you’re kind of proud of yourself.

You spend an hour or two foraging, and you aren’t exactly paying attention to much around you when you’re realizing that the temperature is cooling quite rapidly. Which is strange because it's not quite evening yet, but late afternoon. You look up at the sky to see dark, giant clouds rolling in, and quickly pack up what you were grabbing. How did you not notice the weather changing? 

You hike your makeshift pack over your shoulder, and quickly walk back to your ruins. You do not want to be caught in the rain, as you don’t have a change of clothes.

Less than 5 minutes pass, and already it’s starting to pour. Shit. You hear thunder rolling in the distance, and take a couple deep breaths. You hate storms. You’re actually completely terrified of thunder and lighting, but you’ve kept that hidden your whole life. Not even Steven knew.

It’s nearly fucking freezing now. Lighting is crackling all around you, and you’re shaking in terror, not from cold. You’re completely soaked to the bone. You pass by a familiar area and turn heel, and your foot slips out from under you and you drop to the muddy jungle floor like a sack of bricks, soaking your entire front, and getting mud all over yourself. You groan and wipe off your face, and about 20 feet to the right there’s a flash of light, and a tree nearly explodes from the lightning. You scream out in surprise.

Oh god, you’re nearly about to fucking cry.

The rain is coming down hard and fast, and you’re also being pelted with ice. You’re shaking so hard from the cold, and also fear, that you almost fall down again. You keep running out of pure adrenaline at this point. The storm is so fucking loud, it’s like being inside an airplane turbine.

Running the direction that you know is home, you do your best to keep the pack of wood steady on your back, as you need it now more than ever once you get back. You only had so much left from last night. The trees were swaying violently in the wind and rain, and you have to shield your face constantly from incoming branches.

Another five minutes pass, and now you know you’re completely lost. You might’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere back there, but you wouldn’t be able to tell now as the wind is blowing everything all over. You wring your hands anxiously, frozen for a moment while you think of what to do. You’re so fucking cold you feel like every bone is shaking in your body. The ice rain pelting your face, and the wind making you colder, it’s taking everything in you to not start crying. 

You can't just stand here forever, but you don't want to fuck yourself over even more by heading in an even further direction.

Your breathing picks up pace, and your chest is starting to hurt. You can feel yourself start to hyperventilate.

Suddenly, you feel a hand wrap around your arm, and you yelp out loud.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Spinel shouts at you, almost quiet against the wind. You steady yourself, and bite back the tears that almost started to spill. Thankfully you know you look like a mess already right now because of the storm.

“I got lost!!” You shout back, determined not to show your earlier emotions, and despite your quaking. 

She’s also soaking wet, with her hair plastered to her face, worry obvious in her eyes. She doesn’t look bothered at all by the weather. 

"Are you okay!?" The worry coming out in her voice, she leans closer to you.

"I'm fine!" You choke out. "Let's just get back already."

She nods, and leads you back a different direction from where you came. It only takes you two another ten minutes to find your way back, and you're relieved to finally see your shelter.

When you get inside, you dump your pile of wet wood over by the rest of it. You're dripping everywhere and shivering uncontrollably, and with shaking hands you try your best to wring your clothes out. 

Spinel's trying to make a fire, and you've never felt more grateful for anything in your life. She turns to you and cocks an eyebrow.

"Ya gonna freeze to death if ya don't take those off." She says, eyes trailing the dripping clothes on your body.

"I'll be fine." You say, and still try to wring out your clothes. "I just gotta sit by the fire and I'll dry off eventually."

Lighting cracks outside, and you almost jump. Spinel watches you curiously, much to your aggravation.

"Not before your body's temperature drops so much it dies." She gives you a look. "I'll be fine, because I can do this," There's a glow of light around her, and a flash, and now she's completely dry. You forgot gems could do that. "But you can't. So, off with the clothes."

You glare at her. "No."

"Do you want me to be the one to force them off 'ya?" She glares back, and you force your mind to NOT go there.

"Touch me, and you die. The clothes aren't coming off. I'm fine." You're trying to stop your body from shaking so much visibly, and failing.

Spinel finally gets the fire going, and walks over to the wood pile to put some extra on top. You scooch closer to the heat, trying to get yourself to dry quickly. She steps back over to you, and gives you a long look.

"Are we doin' this the easy way, or the hard way?" 

"We're doing this the uh.. 'let me do what I want' way." You cross your arms, unmoving in front of the fire.

"Hard way it is." She says with a tisk of her tongue, and leans into your personal space, grabbing the hem of your shirt immediately. You yelp, and slam your hands down, forcing her hands away.

"Dude. It's fine." You say through your teeth, wanting nothing more than to be dry and home in your bed right now. 

"It ain't. Give up already." She grabs your arms with one hand and lifts you shirt up. The wet fabric clings to your skin, and you hear some threads snap. 

"Okay stop. Fine! Let me do it." You huff out in irritation, not wanting her to literally rip your clothes apart. These are the only ones you have.

You carefully peel off your shirt, and can see Spinel watching you.

"Can you fucking not?" You spit out, cold and miserable right now. She scoffs and turns around. You take off everything but your underwear, because that's a thin piece of fabric anyway and you're not going to be absolutely ass naked right now. You grab the largest leaf in the pile to kinda cover your torso with, and sit down as close as you can to the fire.

"Don't sit so close ya' burn yourself." She says, after a few moments of quiet. Well, silence actually, considering the raging winds outside.

"I'm not an idiot." You grumble out, and she snorts at that. If you weren't so cold right now, you'd punch her.

The fire warms your hands and feet, but the rest of your body is still violently shivering. At this point, burning yourself might be your only chance at warmth.

She looks at you for a while, sighs out loud, and pulls you into her arms. You struggle, and she holds you against her tightly.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now!? Let me go."

"Nah. Ya' gotta get warm somehow." She replies and squeezes you closer, much to your aggravation. You sigh and decide to deal with it. She's right, but you will never admit this to her.

Silence befalls you two, and you're lost in thought while shivering for a few minutes before she speaks up again.

"Scared of thunderstorms, huh?" You look up to glare at her, and she looks slightly smug. You'll murder her later.

"I'm not scared of them, asshole. They're just loud and disconcerting." You hiss out at her, gripping your leaf. It doesn't really help, but you want it anyway.

"Oh, sure." She simply replies like she doesn't believe you at all even though she has no reason not to, and GOD she's infuriating. 

"Yeah, well, you're scared of being alone." You narrow your eyes at her.

Her eyes snap to yours, and emotion passes that you don't recognize on her. She masks it quickly.

"No I'm not." Her eyes seem to challenge yours for a second, eyebrows furrowing.

"Then why are you so obsessed with me potentially leaving you?" You say all casual-like. She just stares at you for a solid couple of seconds.

"That's none of your fuckin' business." She snaps her mouth shut, and her eyes purposefully look to the other side of the room.

What the fuck is her problem.

You sigh, deflating a little now that your body temperature is starting to rise, though you're still dripping. The storm died down a little, wind still howling in the distance albeit quieter now, and you can hear your own heartbeats. 

You don't know what you're going to do the rest of the evening, but this storm might've fucked your plans to go out to the structure tomorrow. You're seriously frustrated that life keeps throwing a wrench into your plans continuously. Maybe the jungle and mud won't be so bad in the morning? You can hope.

You're also worried about the wound on your face. You've been cleaning it to the best of your ability, but it still hurts a lot, and you're worried it's getting infected. Fuck your shitty luck.

It's kind of a bit dark out now, and the you can see the silhouette of your shadows against the concrete. Watching the fire flicker your shadows, you glance back over to Spinel's face, to see her only an inch from yours and staring at you intently.

"U-um." You manage to stutter out.

She kisses you.

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Island hopping for gyroids

It's been busy these past few days, traveling from one island to another, staying undercover, and retrieving gyroids. Jamie's on a big gyroid mission so she recruited me and two old friends I haven't seen in forever. Tagging along with Jamie on her adventures are always fun, especially when it involves traveling and high stake escapades.

Joining us are our old friends from Wizpire - Alex and Holly. I haven't seen or spoken to them in years so it was nice catching up with them. Being with them again almost feels like old times, except everything's a lot different now.

Holly used to drop by Wizpire once in a while to donate paintings to the museum but since her garden in Camellia really took off, she's been super busy. Holly's latest project involves putting together rare hybrids to make even more rare flowers. She also teaches online classes on interior decor for the Happy Room Academy.

Last I heard from Holly was a couple years ago when she was living in Airy. She was a well known patron at the museum much like how she was in Wizpire. Holly was also seeing Sam, though they drifted apart about a year later. Sam's a good guy and a dedicated father, but I always felt that he and Holly were incompatible as a couple. They're both old fashioned, though I think Holly's more progressive while Sam's more traditional. There's also the fact that it shouldn't be Holly's job to coddle him when he puts his foot in his mouth, which I'm pretty sure was the source of their conflicts.

Right now Holly has no time for romance. In fact, after being with Sam, she realized that she has no interest in it at all. Holly always figured that she'd be into a romantic relationship when the right person comes along, which obviously turned out to be false. There's nothing wrong with having no desire for romance. From experience, coming to the realization that it's okay to be who you are is a freeing thing. It's also good to know that you're not broken or messed up just because you've never had a crush or experienced attraction towards someone.

I'm glad that Holly's out there living her best life. She made the decision to move to Wizpire on a whim and never looked back. Before that she had an unfulfilling corporate job that constantly stressed her out. Finally, she had enough and took the plunge. Now look where she is, donating to museums, growing a garden, being a seamstress, and teaching interior decor!

Alex has kinda dropped off the face of the earth since leaving Wizpire. She's always busy, hopping off from one thing to another - that's just the way she is, you can't keep her in one place for too long. From deep diving in the Cavernous Seas, racing down Rainbow Derby, skydiving at the Double Helix Nebula, to making treats at the Land of Sweets - Alex has done it all!

Right now she's been staying in Charma making scooters and bikes. After that she plans to move to Etienne Falls to dig up fossils and other hidden treasures. Alex runs a travel blog called Girl on the Run and at this point I think she's traveled to over a thousand different places. As much as I enjoy traveling, I don't think I can keep up with her lifestyle. I like trying out different things and going on adventures but I also need downtime where I can do nothing without feeling like I'm wasting time.

So we've been busy traveling to various islands to retrieve lost gyroids to take back to their respective homes. Some places are easier to access than others, and no two islands are alike so we have to be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

The first island we stopped by was Banana Bay, where we went digging at the beach. There, we found a couple gyroids, some old tech, and a couple of rusty keys. Since we needed the keys to get access to an old hideout where the other gyroids were hidden away, Jamie took them to a friend to get them cleaned up. While we waited for the keys we had coconut banana ice cream with bubble waffles, a local treat that was perfect after a long morning of digging in the sand. By the time we were done, they keys were ready to go.

As expected, the old shack was armed with security robots. No one really runs the place anymore except the machinery. The tech may be outdated by over twenty years but the alarm system's still up and running so a simple slip up can put the entire place into lockdown and get us into a heap of trouble.

I was given the task of unlocking doors and disabling cameras. I'm no hacker but the tech is pretty primitive - meaning easy to figure out. All you have to do is solve a bunch of puzzles to get into the system and most of them aren't even that hard. Meanwhile Alex came up with strategies to evade the robots while Jamie and Holly split up to retrieve the gyroids.

The robots were more of a nuisance than a challenge to get through. The blue ones with the giant red eye creep me out though. I made the mistake of looking into one of them and instantly regretted it when a giant four headed spider peeked through.

On day two we went to two islands that were side by side to each other - Teal and Turquoise. In contrast to the sunny beaches of Banana Bay, Teal Island was a snowy forest. In order to get in the caves we need stones to unlock the passageways and pickaxes to get through caved in areas.

We happened to arrive after a big blizzard so that complicated things a little. Light snowfalls made it a bit hard to see, which means we have to be extra careful. Wolf tigers roam the island and they're aggressive as fuck. Ice balls will do the trick when you need to subdue them, but you have to be quick because they can sneak up on you when least expected. Jamie and Alex have dealt with their share of wolf tigers so Holly and I were well covered. Those creatures are scary fast and sneaky.

Walking into the caves was kinda like heading towards a death trap. Along with the wolf tigers, we also have to worry about falling rocks, scorpion bats, and mega tarantulas. While preparing for the mission Holly made us gloves and masks so we won't hurt ourselves with the sharp rocks and dust. I had some of Em and Ludwig's light formula so we used those as flashlights.

As soon as we got what we needed, we headed to the neighboring island of Turquoise. Since we were a little traumatized by the caves, we hung out at the motel and went sightseeing. I found a cute stationery shop called Milk Clouds and bought some washi tapes, stickers, and a notebook. Alex bought a bunch of scented candles from Petrichor Gifts, Jamie treated herself with a lovely handmade silk dress, and Holly bought some handwoven fabric and starflower peach seeds.

Then off we headed to the long abandoned labs in the far end of the island. Jamie rented a plane so we can get there instead of having to go through a dense jungle. We had to land on top of a cliff and then parachute down in order to get to one of the entrances.

Although the lab is pretty much abandoned, it's home to many hostile creatures so we have to be careful if we encounter them. They could care less about the gyroids - and could've made our job a million times easier if they helped us out - but alas we have to that ourselves. Jamie managed to talk to a few of them beforehand and they pretty much just said as long as we stay out of their way then it's good. Do what we have to do and get out. Fine by us.

So that's what we did. There wasn't even that much to look for anyway, and some of the gyroids were in such a bad state that we didn't even bother. I mean it was expected that we can't save everything, still, it's sad that some things will remain lost forever.

Thankfully, the rest of the island is nothing like the hostile creatures residing in the lab. I think I was more traumatized by them than the cave. I try to see the good in everyone but you gotta listen when the warning bells go off in your head. I'm sure a few of them have some good inside them but it's the power hungry and abusive ones who run the place, so you can't let your guard down.

Day three - earlier today - was the final stretch. First, we swam to Crick Island - as in we scuba dived there. Planes can't access it so we have to travel underwater. The island has no residents but it's heavily guarded as it's full of stolen artifacts. It's run by a secret organization that Jamie's been trying to hunt down for years, only for them to elude her as soon as they were within her grasp.

The underwater passages are full of security robots that go off if we bump into them. They only move around the same place so they're easy to bypass. Problem is the water  makes it hard to move - unpredictable currents and such. Luckily we're all pretty strong swimmers, but those currents can get pretty rough. Getting thrown into a tangle of weeds is much better than accidentally hitting a robot, no matter how frustrating it is to get out of a sticky situation.

From there, we were able to infiltrate the pyramid lab. Alex was tasked with unlocking doors and disabling security, Jamie did the navigating as she knows the ins and outs of the place pretty well, I evaded the robots while Holly kept a lookout for guards. Since the lab is far from being abandoned or run down, we had to be stealthy and clever.

Then it's back to the underwater passages where we swam to two more secret labs - radium and ionic. I have no idea if the names mean something or they're just random. Had a few close encounters where a guard could've walked in on us but thankfully we managed to steer them away easily. I don't mean to judge but their snobby attitudes just scream pretentious assholes - not the kind of company I'd wanna get stuck with if caught.

Now we're back in Banana Bay, taking it easy before having to do inventory on what we found. It's been a lot of fun but I think that's enough high stakes adventure for me. We're leaving tomorrow evening so Jamie and Alex will go off their separate ways while Holly's gonna be staying at the camp for a couple days before heading back to Camellia.

Gonna treat myself with bubble waffles and coconut banana ice cream - we sure as hell deserve it!

[naptoons]

Pretend- richard camacho

Theme: fluff and angst I guess

Warnings: mild language & alcohol reference.

A/n: I love writing imagines that are a mixture of fluff and angst. And I’m sorry all my imagines are the same. This has not been proofread

Richard was your bestfriend, a bestfriend that you liked. Their were moments when you thought he liked you. But you soon realized Richard is just a touchy person by nature. He can’t talk to anyone without using his hands. You were sitting at one of their music video shoots. Watching Aaliyah. Holding her in your arms you bounced your leg up and down as she was falling asleep. Zoning out you didn’t even notice Richard sneaking up on you. His hand trying to grab Aaliyah from your arms. You pull her away ready to fight the person. Until Richard busts out laughing.

“Woah, mami chill you’re really cute when you’re angry” Richard plays off,handing his daughter to him you scoff “I’m sorry I scared you mami” he kisses your head softly. Saying nothing you just sit down afraid your rambles would pull at the seams. “Hey you alright?” Richard asks his tone changing to a deep vibrato.

“Yeah I’m fine, just tired” you answer and truth be told you were, playing with Aaliyah on set and waking up early. Your shift was insane last night you had to cover for a co-worker. Sleep wasn’t a thing for you. Richard grabs your hand helping you from the chair “Cmon, lets get you somewhere to rest” Richard mumbles, you guys go in the dressing room where there is a couch as soon as you three enter the room, the boys say hi to you again and exit the room. He puts Aaliyah in her bed that his managers bought for her. You sit on the couch laying your head against the arms, but Richard comes from behind you and cuddles you.

“Don’t you have to be back for shooting?” You ask curiously

“No, we have a break now” Richard mumbles in your neck “so let’s take a nap”

Twenty minutes later, the swinging of doors and shouting from his managers wake the both of you guys up including aaliyah. Rolling your eyes you sit up rubbing your eyes. “Richard! We’ve been calling you for fifteen minutes, it’s time to film again” the manager then looks at you with a disgusted face “and you can you go home please you’re distracting my client” they argue, before the words could fly out your mouth Richard defends you.

“Don’t talk to her like that, but you also do realize we’ve been on set since earlier this morning, we need breaks” Richard aggressively argues “if she doesn’t stay I’m walking off set” Richard walks past the manager and I grab Aaliyah trying to rock her back to sleep.

“You really think you’ll have him? He’s too busy and you’re way far from pretty for him” a girl from the set smiles, not really taking in her words, you just continue to focus on Aaliyah.

Hours later it was aaliyah’s turn to head with her mother, Richard asked you to accompany him because Aaliyah whined to see you one last time. “Bye lovely” you smile, Aaliyah smiles waving at you and giving her dad one last kiss.

Seeing Richard with his daughter just made you fall more for him. You just imagined for that second. What if all the gestures he did was real. What if they were done everyday and not the heat of the moment. You’re dealing with facades and living in weird alternate realities. You’re pretending it’s okay when he tell you about his hookup stories. You pretend how excited you are to hear about your sudden interests in a girl. You love Richard You do. But hearing this breaks you down inside. Not wanting to look at him you turn around heading the the car trying to hold the tears in your swollen heart together.

He’s talking to someone new, you couldn’t interfere with that. You snap the seatbelt on, hearing nothing but the ringing sounds in your ears. Your hollow heart whistling with the crisp winds. Searching for your headphones a hand grabs yours. “Y/n?” Richard softly pleads

“Yes?” You answer quite calmly

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been acting standoffish all day” Richard pushes

“Yeah I’m fine Richard, like I said I’m just tired, I covered for two people last night” you remind him of your internal crisis.

“You know you can tell me anything right?” Richard reminds you, he was always the type to ask about your day, listen to your heart pouring out the toxic chemical of a bad day. Was there to give you back rubs. Cuddles. Whatever physical medicine to cure your pain, Richard was there.

“Yeah I know, lets go we don’t wanna be late for your friends party!” You say with enthusiasm.

Arriving at Richards friends house his hand is on your lower back while drinking whatever was in his cup. For some odd reason tonight he didn’t want to leave your your side. His excuse was “I don’t want someone to offer you a drink, these people may try any slick shit” but you knew better than to grab a drink from a stranger. You see that same girl from set. She smiles walking up to Richard. “Hey care for one dance?” She smiles, Richard is hesitant at first but you push him towards her, while poking his ego.

“Scared to dance with a woman? I thought you were the king of that” you smile as they walk off into the distance. You’ve pretended so long it became your role. It was like coming to a movie set and just reading a script. It became natural to you. whenever someone asked “who’s you dream boy” your mind always went to Richard. Could you admit it out loud? Never. When you’re looking for love you pretend it’s him. And it’s a love that seems to never end. Watching how he connected with the girl on the dance made you instantly regret it.

You just couldn’t pretend anymore. The mask on your face began to crack, trailing the shards of pain and tears along with you. Escaping through the swear bodies and clouds of smoke, the first empty room you could puzzle out was the one you would let it all out. Your tears not even letting you make it to the bed. Your back slamming against the beds footboard. Your knees balled up to your face. Washing away the light makeup you’d applied.

You just wanted all this make believe to be reality. “Y/n?!” The voice causing your hairs to trickle up your arms. “Go away” you muffle through the fabrics.

“Yeah right like I’ll listen” Richard, removes your arms out your face, see the glistening shine on you cheekbones. “So are you really going to tell me what’s going on?” Richard places each of his legs on each side of your frame, pulling himself in closer, holding your hands. Kissing your knuckles softly. Your tears come back up from each tender kiss.

“You gotta stop this Richard, please it’s actually painful” your voice rubs dry.

“I’m trying to help you baby”

“Stop treating me like I’m your girlfriend knowing you don’t want me to be!” You cry, pulling your hands away your face turnt towards the wall. You can’t bear to look at him feeling embarrassed and emotional. “You don’t love me in the way Richard, but I do, I really do, but I couldn’t pretend anymore, I didn’t mean to tell you this way but here it is” you end that sentence sarcastically.

“And what valid proof you have that inquires I don’t feel that way too y/n?” Richard asks hinting a tint of frustration in his voice, turning around his eyes were darted on your frame. “Tell me since you know so much y/n, tell me since you automatically know how I feel about you” Richard calms down, his fingers against your cheek as you try to stop the tears.

“I love you y/n” Richard adds, in sudden shock your eyes widen and you freeze. Time suddenly stop making you think this was a dream, closing your eyes with your head down you felt a warm kiss on your cheeks “look at me baby” the voice pleads. Raising your head up you look into Richards, oh how they reflected a glass mirror.

“I want to be with you, not the girls I’ve hooked up with, or the girls from set, I want you and only you” he soften his tone

“You could have any other girl, they’re prettier too so why don’t you?”

“Yeah they may be pretty, but so are you, my heart wants you not just for the outside the inside too, most of them are rotten on the inside not you” before you could say any further Richard makes you swallow your words fusing your lips together. Something you wished forever to happen. His hand on the nape of your neck. Your body changing from frigid to cozy. Slowly Richard pulls away but not before he leaves one last peck upon your lips.

“We should go back to the hotel, I want to cuddle and watch movies with you” Richard looks into your eyes you smile scrunching your nose up at him “now I can finally tell how much you hurt my fucking heart being beautiful”

“Shut up” you push him slightly.

When you guys got back to the hotel ate pizza and played board games, now the both of y’all are cuddled in bed. Talking to his daughter that FaceTime him. “Did you finally tell y/n?” She smiles “si mi amour, she’s right here babygirl” he puts the camera on you, smiling sheepishly “hi lovely”

“Daddy makes you happy?” She asks smiling

“Yeah he does baby, but you make me happier” you joke Richard gives you a side eye , giggling your nerves you kiss his hand softly. “I miss you!!” Aaliyah says jumping up and down you guys talked to her until it was her bedtime. Your leg was tosses against his waist as you trace the outlines of his tattoos. Rubbing your back with his hand he pulls you in closer.

“I hope you’re ready for the million pictures and videos I will take of you” Richard speaks softly “just to show you how beautiful you are”

“You’re so soft Richard”

“It takes a real woman to make a man soft, I love you”

“I love you more”

[jaspers-levis]

The New Boy

Happy Pride month! I completely forgot to post this back when I finished, but better late than never, right? Please be kind in regards to my portrayal of the trans experience. I identify as my birth gender, so it was a different experience for me to write as a trans boy. I hope that I got somewhat close to what that experience may be!

Also, no matter who you are, you are deserving of love, respect, safety and happiness. This blog, although twilight themed, is always a safe space. If any of you need someone to talk to, my inbox is always open. Just because I may not know the full experience of what you are going through does not mean I cannot sympathize and offer comfort. We are all human beings on this planet together <3

Reader request by @eatmoarveggies

A new trans boy joins Forks High

“Can’t believe mom’s stupid job landed us in this stupid tiny town,” you muttered to yourself at the stoplight (the only one) on Main Street. Rain lashed at your windshield in an unrelenting stream, perfectly reflecting your mood. Not two weeks ago you’d been laughing it up at a cafe table in the sun on the California coast with your friends, planning a weekend getaway trip the last weekend before school started. Now you were driving as slowly as a snail through the pools of water covering the roadway in your crappy silver toyota, for once glad your mom hadn’t let you get a convertible. 

You glanced at the clock, realizing that if you continued at this pace you would be pushing the bell when you arrived at school for your first day, and inched the gas pedal down a notch. Stupid dumb rain. Sighing, you finally made the turn into the Fork’s High school parking lot and pulled into one of the last spots available. You reluctantly shut off the engine and checked your backpack for your school welcome packet. Unfortunately they’d written your birth name on each form, rather than the name you’d chosen for yourself two years ago when you realized you were a boy. Even after all this time, the deliberate refusal to call you by your correct name still rankled.

Annoyed, you ripped your school map out of the packet and slammed the folder shut before hopping out of your car and dashing for the main building. The offensive welcome packet served as a good shield against the downpour and you managed to get to the office with your carefully styled hair still in place. “Hi there, honey,” a generically pretty middle-aged receptionist greeted you. “How can I help you?”

“I’m supposed to register for classes? I’m Y/N, from California,” you told her, setting your stuff down on the counter. 

“Hmm…” she clicked industriously at her computer for a few moments. “I’m sorry hon, I recognize the last name but not the first.”

Sighing internally you muttered that it might be under your birth name, not your actual name and she instantly brightened. “Oh! Of course, here we are. Such an interesting name for a young girl. Is it a nickname?”

“No, I actually identify as a male,” you stiffened, resigned to an entire day of misgendering if the rest of the staff and students here at Forks High were as thick as this lady. “Thank you for your help.” You grabbed your schedule out of her hands and made a beeline for the door before she could say anything that was clearly already on the tip of her tongue.

On your way out, you opened the door right into a slim, dark haired girl who immediately dropped all her books and tripped over her own untied shoelace on her way to pick them up. “I’m so sorry!” you apologized, kneeling to help gather her books.

“Hey don’t worry about it!” she said cheerfully with a wry smile, shoving up the sleeves of her plaid shirt. “My mom always says I’m a walking disaster. Edward, my boyfriend, says if there is even the slightest change in elevation I’d fall.”

“I had a friend like that back home,” you return her good natured smile and help her stand. “My name’s Y/N.”

“Cool, I’m Bella,” she shook your hand, not missing a beat. She did eye you curiously but didn’t say another word on it, besides wishing you luck on her way to her first class. Hm. Maybe Forks wouldn’t be as bad as you’d thought…

And you were deeply wrong. Every single teacher called you by your birth name and when you corrected them whispers circulated amongst the class for the better part of the period. At least one person made a pointed remark about your physical appearance within hearing range each class, and one girl openly asked you what you had “down there” in between classes. Things only got worse when you asked if there was a private changing room you could use before gym. The instructor laughed before realizing you were serious and begrudgingly offered you a cluttered storage room next to his office. “I don’t like offering special treatment,” he groused as he unlocked the door. “Don’t mess anything up in here.”

You sighed and changed quickly, emerging to find a group of teenage boys, seniors and juniors mostly, waiting for you. Gritting your teeth at the sharp jump in your pulse, you tried to push through them. One of them caught you and shoved you, hard. “So what are you, really?” their leader asked, scowling. “You can’t seriously be calling yourself a boy, you look like a fucking girl. Or are you one of those gays too?”

“That’s none of your business,” you mutter, trying to get past them again. This time you were thrust against the wall so hard your head knocked against the cinderblocks painfully. 

“Like hell it isn’t!” the leader growled in your face, pinning you against the wall. “You just want to get in the boy’s locker room for a sneak peek, is that it? We’ll give you a sneak peek right here!”

You spat in his face in retaliation and he threw you to the floor in anger, where the rest of the boys surrounded you in an instant, ready to beat the shit out of you. Curling into a ball, you sent up a prayer to whatever god was listening that it would be over soon. 

After a moment, you uncurled yourself when not a single kick landed. You looked up to see the largest senior boy you’d ever seen standing before you looking scarier than hell as he stood off against your tormentors. A statuesque blonde girl stood next to him, shaking with fury and shooting daggers at the boys. “Don’t ever fucking come near him again,” she spat, taking a step forward. 

“What are you gonna do?” the leader sneered, crossing his arms.

“You don’t even want to know, bro,” the enormous boy said, laying a restraining hand on the girl. “Get the fuck out of here before she loses her temper.”

The boys turned and ran at the look on the girl’s face.

“Hey man, you okay?” the large boy turned and reached out a hand to help you up. His skin was shockingly cold for such a large dude… “My name’s Emmett, and this is Rosalie. We heard the commotion and came to see what was going on.”

“I’m Y/N,” you stammer as Rosalie turns her fearsome gaze at you. 

“If those boys, or anyone else even so much as LOOK at you funny, you come find me or one of our family. We’ll take care of it,” she said fiercely, her golden eyes frighteningly intense.

Emmet gave Rose a look and sighed. “Y/N… you’re new, right? You met our brother’s girlfriend Bella earlier this morning. Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too…” you said haltingly, uncertain.

“Ignore Rose; she won’t bite...well, you at least,” Emmett joked, patting you on the shoulder and leading the two of you back to the gymnasium. “But seriously, if anyone is nasty to you again, we’ll help you out. No one should be treated like that!”

“Why are you helping me?” you asked, apprehensive of these beautiful strangers and their generous offer of aid.

“Those guys are all assholes,” Rosalie growled, sending a terrifying glare in their direction across the gym floor that sent them scattering like cockroaches under a light. “I hate them.”

“Well, that, and we don’t like bullies,” Emmett shrugged. “What you have in your pants, who you are or what you look like are your business, not anyone else’s. Who the fuck cares anyways?”

“Way too many people at this school,” you mutter as the gym teacher approached, explaining the activity for the class. You didn’t get a chance to talk more with Rosalie and Emmett during class, but afterwards they invited you to sit at lunch with you and their family. Maybe things really wouldn’t be that bad if you had a couple of supportive friends like the Cullens...

[anotherredwoodoriginal]

Imagine you’re Clay and Gemma’s daughter and you and Juice really like each other but you need your parents’ and Jax’s blessing to be together.

“They’re going to find out eventually, you know.” You say to Juice as your fingers trail the lines of the tattoos on his chest.

Juice sighed and looked down at you. You looked so beautiful like this; head on his chest, a long leg thrown over his thighs and your body barely covered by a sheet. He was so lucky to have you, and he thanked the stars every night that you wanted to have him too.

When he first met you he was smitten immediately, but he also knew you were the daughter of Clay and Gemma, the Princess of the MC, the forbidden fruit.

No matter what he did though he just couldn’t seem to stay away from you. Not when you would always hug him hello, and hang around TM to keep him company when he was working late. Through all of the time he spent with you, how could he not catch feelings? Especially when you insisted on helping him fix whatever car or bike he was working on and then passed him a wrench when he asked for a ratchet driver. How could he not fall for someone as beautiful and enthusiastic as you?

He remembered the first time he kissed you. You were helping him so you had some oil on your hands. You wiped at your face and the oil smudged your cheekbone, and he just…couldn’t stop himself. It all seemed to happen in slow motion but the moment his lips touched yours it all sped up. He was kissing you. You were kissing back. And then he remembered exactly who he was kissing and he sprung right back.

He couldn’t kiss Clay and Gemma’s daughter, Jax’s sister. What was he thinking? He would be killed sooner than he could say SAMCRO. Somehow, you managed to convince him to keep kissing you, keep seeing you and that’s how your secret relationship started.

Four months later, and no one had found out yet. You were almost caught by Chibs once, by Bobby a couple times, but you managed to keep the secret going. At first you loved it, the thrill. All of the sneaking around was hot and the excitement of knowing you were doing something (someone) you knew you weren’t supposed to be doing. The sex was incredible and, at first, that was enough. But now…now you wanted something more.

You had to sneak around just to have coffee together. If you stayed the night at his dorm you had to sneak in after midnight and leave by five am and you were starting to wonder if the secret was worth it. Juice was worth it, you knew that much, so you kept it going. But you wanted more.

“I know,” Juice finally replied, bring a hand across to run it through your hair, “we’ll tell them tonight, at family dinner,”

Two hours later and you were back at home, helping your mom in the kitchen, where you should be. You knew that tonight was the night your dad would find out you were with one of the Sons. He never really wanted that for you, but then again, he never thought any man would be good enough for you.

You thought you would feel more apprehensive, knowing that in just half an hour all of this could blow up in your face. You weren’t scared though, you weren’t even worried. You knew it’d all work out eventually (your parents could never really say no to you, anyway).

If anything, you were only worried about how the guys would treat Juice once they knew. they were going to give him so much shit and you knew how sensitive Juice could be. You would get though it together.

“You’re quiet over there, babe,” Gemma commented from the other side of the kitchen, “got something on your mind?”

“Oh, no.” you lied and shot her a smile to ease her mind, “I’m fine, mom, just peeling potatoes,”

You could basically hear the judgemental look she was giving you. “Hmm, right,”

The doorbell rang just as you had finished mashing the potatoes. Knowing it would be Juice since everyone else had arrived earlier, you removed your apron and rushed to the door with a call of “I’ll get it!”

It was harder than you had expected not to kiss him the moment you opened the door. The second he laid eyes on you his lips spread into a wide smile. It was goofy and bright and everything you loved about him.

“Hey,” he said, still grinning stupidly.

“Hi,” you greeted back. “Come in, everyone’s already here. Mom is just setting the table,”

He walked inside, giving your hand a light squeeze as he went past. It was brief so not to be noticed, but it was enough to make butterflies erupt in your stomach.

You followed him until you reached the kitchen, where you helped Gemma bring the food out to the table. You could see him there, laughing with the Sons. You hoped they would all keep laughing like that after dinner. You didn’t want to cause problems, but you weren’t going to keep hiding any longer.

Dinner went off without a hitch, mostly. You had kept nudging Juice to speak up, say something, but he stayed quiet. Whenever you went to say something, he would interrupt and change the subject. You were getting annoyed, but his hand on your thigh was calming enough that you didn’t say anything until dinner was over.

“I’ll clean up,” you said, standing from your chair and beginning to collect empty dishes. “Juice, wanna help me?” You added pointedly.

He nodded, looking a little scared of you, and followed you into the kitchen.

“What the hell was that?” You snapped once you were away from prying eyes.

“What?” He asked weakly, setting down the plates.

“That, out there. You didn’t say anything. I thought we agreed to tell them tonight?”

“We did! It just…the timing was never right,”

“And it never will be as long as you want to keep hiding. I told you, I want a real relationship now. I mean, I could…I could be your old lady one day,”

He glanced around and swept in to kiss you. “I want that too baby, I do,”

You smiled.

“Okay, let’s go,” he continued. “We’ll tell them right now,”

He took your hand and led you back outside to the dining room.

“Everyone, Juice and I have something to say,” you announce as you come back into the room.

All chatter stops and it’s dead silence. You look to Juice, and he looks over at Gemma and Clay who are waiting expectantly.

“I wanna date your daughter,” he blurts. your jaw drops. Was he serious? “I mean…can I? Is that okay?”

‘And it just keeps getting worse,’ you thought.

Clay crosses his arms, his perpetual frown only deepening as he leans forward in his chair. Juice gulps, his hand tightening around yours.

“You want to date my daughter?” The question was more of an accusation, but Juice barely lets down.

“Yes…please?”

“You’re really here,” Jax chimed in, “telling me you want to fuck my sister?”

“No! Well - yes, but that’s not-”

“It’s not like that,” you explained before Juice dug himself into an even deeper hole. “We like each other and we want to be together, properly,”

“Why should we let you?” Gemma asked.

“Because you want me to be happy?” You offered.

“And I swear, I’ll treat her really good,” Juice added. “I’ll take her on dates, pay for her shit, if she has to go anywhere I’ll make sure she gets there safely. I’ll-”

“You really got some balls,” Jax cut him off, standing up from the table and walking slowly toward Juice, “Are you stupid?” He asked, puffing his chest out and standing threateningly close to Juice. You were ready to intervene at any second. “Because I know, in fact, we all know,” he waved his arm in a gesture to the rest of the Sons who were sat at the table, watching eagerly. A smile broke out on Jax’s face, “you two have been fucking this whole time,”

Juice blanched. “W-what?” He stammered.

Oh no. You had wanted to tell them yourselves. Now you were worried. Scared, even.

And then, the table erupted in laughter once more. Tig was slamming his fist on the table and chanting “did you see your face?”. Happy was smacking Kozik between bursts of laughter. Opie was bent over clutching his stomach. Even Gemma was laughing as she reclined in Clay’s arms.

“Did you really think we didn’t know?” Clay questioned. You don’t think you’d ever seen him laugh like this.

Jax clapped a hand on Juice’s shoulder. “Juicey boy, if I didn’t approve of this, you wouldn’t have balls right now,”

“Wait, so…it’s okay?” You asked.

Gemma shrugged. “We want you to be happy. Besides, Juice is like a puppy,  there’s nothing he could do to hurt you, babe, and if he did, well he can be put down just like a puppy too,”

‘Got it,’ Juice noted.

“Well, now that the show’s over, can we get some dessert out here?” Tig asked. You rolled your eyes at their childishness but nodded nonetheless.

“I’ll go get it,” you said.

Before you left for the kitchen, you turned, ignoring everyone’s eyes on you, and kissed Juice like you hadn’t kissed him before. The chorus of mocking awwws and gagging noises followed you into the kitchen but you didn’t care what they had to say. You had Juice now, no more hiding. The only people who mattered were okay with it and that’s all you ever needed.

[writer-k-pop]

Fear

만약 내가 이 직업은 얻지 못한다면? What if I don’t get this job?

Description: You’ve just had an interview with Bridge Company, the company of your dreams. But after the interview, your fears of failure start to cascade into your mind. The fears and ‘what ifs’ are all you can think about, even though you and Wooyoung are about to make your relationship public. Warnings: None Genre: Angst Word Count: 1.7k

Ateez Masterlist | Masterlists

Pulling back the covers on the bed, I look towards the closet where Wooyoung is changing. My mind debates whether or not I should talk to him. I tell him everything but I haven’t told him about the thoughts that have been running through my mind recently. My therapist has helped relieve some of the thoughts, my mom as well, but the bigger ones are still sitting there in my mind.

I know I have to talk to him, it’s the only way I’ll feel better. I know that. But every time I think about admitting what’s been going on to him, I tear up with the fear that if I say it out loud, it becomes real, it becomes a slap in the face, a punch to the gut.

“(Y/n)?” Wooyoung walks out of the closet in his favorite set of pajamas, “You alright?”

I quickly nod, “Yeah, just thinking about tomorrow.” I muster up a small smile and climb into bed. Blinking away the imminent thoughts, I settle into the sheets.

“Tomorrow...” Wooyoung thinks, climbing into bed next to me. “Ah, announcing our relationship to the fans?”

I hesitantly nod in agreement, not wanting to reveal anything.

“Are you nervous?” Wooyoung asks, “We can postpone it if you need. Company said that this was up to us, remember?”

“I remember,” I tell him, “I mean, I’m a little nervous, but who wouldn’t be?”

“True.” Wooyoung agrees, “I’m sure ATINY will love you though. I’ve slowly been slipping in comments and questions at fansigns and their answers were really positive. I think they’ll love you. Who wouldn’t?”

“My dream company.” The words slip out before I can catch them and I pray Wooyoung didn’t hear me.

Wooyoung turns his head towards me, “What did you say?”

I shake my head, “Nothing.”

“Are you worried about that interview you had last week?” Wooyoung remembers, “I thought you said it went well.”

I sit up in bed, already feeling the tears build, “I did.”

“But...” Wooyoung encourages and sits up beside me.

“But, god, I don’t, I just,” I stammer out, unable to form the correct sentence.

“What’s going on?” Wooyoung asks, his voice soft.

I take deeps breaths and avoid looking at him.

“I have to admit something, Wooyoung.” I stare at my hands, my heart pounding in my chest. “It’s been bugging me for a little time. And it’s nothing to do with us, it’s my thoughts.” I quickly add, knowing where this could sound like it’s going.

Wooyoung sighs, “I know something’s been bugging you.” He reveals and it hurts a little more knowing that he knew something was off. “I didn’t want to say anything until you said something first.”

I nod, silently thanking him for the time. “I just, okay.” I verbally prepare myself, “I’m scared, Wooyoung.” I let the shaky words rattle out and the tears take that as their signal to fall. “What if I don’t get this job? Bridge Company has been my dream company for years, I’ve pictured myself working there and just, what if it doesn’t happen? What if I’m turned away from the place I’ve been dreaming about?” By this point, I don’t think my words are cohesive with the amount of tears falling down my cheeks.

Wooyoung grabs my hand and rubs circles with this thumb.

“You would think I would have an alternative plan but I don’t. I have no idea what I’m going to do if this doesn’t work out. What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?” I continue to ramble out everything that’s been plaguing me for the past month. “And even our announcement isn’t worrying me because I have no room to worry about it. I’m just so scared that this won’t happen for me. I want it so badly that I’m scared to put all my eggs into that basket incase it falls through. But I don’t know what else I’d do if I don’t get this job.”

“Hey,” Wooyoung wraps me in his arms and I cry into his chest, “Hey, it’s okay. I know how hard you’ve worked for this.” He rubs his hands up and down my back while my hands cling to him. “It’s a valid thought to be wondering about this. But those what if’s aren’t going to help. You’ve done literally all you can to be the best candidate. Don’t think I didn’t see you up late at night working on your portfolio and your projects. Don’t think I didn’t feel you sneak out of bed in the mornings to check the computer for openings. All the work you’ve put into this is evident in your work and I’m sure they saw it in your interview.”

My cries has slowed but tears still slip out.

“You know I used to want to be a dance teacher.” Wooyoung continues, his voice smoothing over my frazzled edges, “I thought that was my dream job. I wanted to work for this really famous studio back in my hometown. That was my dream job at my dream company. But it changed. The studio closed a year before I became a trainee. When that studio closed, I thought my life was over. Completely.” Wooyoung chuckles to himself, “I even thought about running away and living in the forest alone.”

Though tears are still escaping, I smile at the thought of young Wooyoung being so angry that his plan of action was to run away to the forest.

“Once that door closed, though, another opened and it turns out it was just as good, no, it was better than what I thought my dream job was.” Wooyoung reminisces, “It wasn’t at the company I had originally wanted but I got to do my dream job and I got to do it even better.”

“But that’s for you, Woo.” I nestle deeper into his embrace.

“It’s similar though.” Wooyoung argues, “Why do you want to work at that company?” He asks.

“I’ve told you already.” I try to stonewall him.

“So?” Wooyoung challenges.

I let out a sigh, “Cause they do what I’ve been studying to do my whole life and they treat their employees really well compared to other companies in this field.”

“So you want to work for this company because they have your dream job?” Wooyoung clarifies.

I ponder the statement before nodding. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Then chase the job, not the company, (y/n).” Wooyoung instructs, “Companies can change but the job is what you’re good at, that won’t change.”

I stay silent, not wanting to accept what he’s saying.

“And if Bridge Company doesn’t hire you, then they’re missing out on an extremely hardworking who would be willing to sleep in the office to finish a project.” Wooyoung states, “It’d be a mistake for them to not hire you. And if they do, well, their mistake will become another company’s miracle.”

“You’re starting to sound like a prophet.” I giggle, listening to his heart beat.

Wooyoung laughs and squeezes me tighter. “You’re the only one who can make me sound like that.” He runs a hand over my hair, “Are you feeling better?” He asks.

I nod, “Yeah, a little. I’m just still so nervous.”

“I know. It’s really nerve wracking having to wait for results like this.” Wooyoung agrees.

“It is.” I nod, “And hold on, you’ve been talking about us to people already?” I accuse him, remember things he said earlier.

“Like you haven’t been dropping hints in your posts with us.” Wooyoung challenges back.

I pull back, mouth agape, and shove his chest. He laughs and simply wraps me in a hug again.

“You’re going to get the job. I know it.” Wooyoung whispers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“The announcement video is live.” Ateez’s manager announces to the room as the nine of us sit around, munching on lunch.

“And now we wait.” I murmur, shoveling some noodles into my mouth.

“Stop being pessimistic.” San complains, pointing an accusing knife at me. “Everyone’s going to love the news.”

“Plus you’re already our friend and we’ve shown you a bunch so it’s not like you’re a mystery person.” Mingi adds, “You’re (y/n) and people know you already.”

“Let’s hope that’s a good thing, Mingi.” I comment and my phone begins to vibrate with a call. “Excuse me.” I tell everyone and venture to the hall to answer the call.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hi, is this (y/n)?” A female voice on the other end greets

“Yes, this is her.” I confirm my identity.

“Hi, (y/n). This is Casey from Bridge Company.” She introduces herself and my heart beats against my chest like a wrecking ball, “I’m just calling to let you know that we would love to have you as part of our team. How soon are you able to start?”

I am stunned silent for a few seconds before remembering she asked me a question.

“Oh, I can come in on Monday.” I answer.

“Monday? Perfect. I’ll see you then.” Casey states, “Congratulations and I look forward to working with you.” She adds.

“Thank you.” I answer, unable to calm the smile on my face, “I will see you on Monday.” We exchange goodbyes and then the call ends.

I did it. I got the job.

With the smile still plastered on my face, I walk back into the room.

“Who was that?” Jongho asks as I let the door close behind me.

I can’t seem to formulate words, but my smile tells Wooyoung everything he needs to know.

He jumps out of his chair, knocking it over and comes running over to me.

“You got the job!” Wooyoung screams, “You did it!”

San gasps, “The job you interviewed for last week?”

I nod, happily.

“WOAH!” San exclaims, clapping along with the other members, “Congratulations!”

“When do you start?” Hongjoong asks.

“Monday.” I finally find my voice.

“They must’ve wanted you bad if you’re starting that soon.” Yeosang throws a thumbs up at me.

“Of course they want her, she’s amazing.” Yunho shoves Yeosang.

“Thanks guys.” I thank them and sit back down in my seat.

Wooyoung gives me another hug, “I told you you’d get it.” He murmurs then presses a kiss to my cheek.

The room fills with groans and gazes divert everywhere but our direction.

“She’s my girlfriend.” Wooyoung whines, “I can give her kisses if I want.”

“We let him announce his relationship to the world and all of a sudden, it’s PDA central wherever they are.” Seonghwa teases.

[msjr0119]

Why me?

Part 14b - The Ball

Riley is forced out of Cordonia unknowingly to her friends, and moves back to New York.

She is later faced with her past from Cordonia and is hiding a few new secrets. With the help from her New York friends and friends from Cordonia will she escape her current situation and find her happy ever after?

Tags- @burnsoslow @carabeth @annekebbphotography @kingliam2019 @choiceslover-24-7 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @pedudley @insideamirage @duchessemersynwalker @bascmve01 @captain-kingliamsqueen @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @drakesensworld @ladyangel70 @drakewalker04

*******

“I believe I deserved that...”

“No shit Tariq! Where have you been? Why didn’t you ever confess to what truly happened that night? A text could have been from anyone! Why are you here now? I came back to try and find you to ask, no beg you to make a statement! I didn’t expect you to actually show up... do you know what it’s like to have people bitch about you? Twisting things to make you look like a bad person.....”

“Riley calm down please! I told you the other day we’d try to find him and ask him to come. And Tariq has done a statement already. I’m so sorry Ri, this is my fault. I should have told you earlier, I regret not having the time to do so.”

Liam interrupted with regret in his eyes. Tariq now looking down towards the ground, nodding in agreement to the kings words.

“Lady Riley, I am so sorry for all the hurt I caused you. It’s no excuse but Constantine forced me out of Cordonia. And I feared coming back. It was him who told me to send a text and ensured me that it would be the end of this. He promised me that you wouldn’t get hurt.”

Riley now felt guilty, the king Father had treat Tariq the same as he did her. They were both forced out of the country- by him.

“I’m sorry Tariq. I didn’t realise he did that to you. So the statement? Are we both in the clear now Liam?”

“The statement will be released tomorrow, and as far as I’m concerned, yes. The truth is out. And I have done my own statement about how awful my father treat you both. On behalf of myself and Leo, we are both sorry.”

Riley nodded to them both, Drake still holding her protectively and Olivia giving Tariq looks that could kill.

“Brooks, stay with Olivia and Hana. Looks like you could do with a drink.”

*****

Drake walked over to the bar, quickly glancing back to make sure Riley was okay.

“Bonjour Drake.”

For fuck sake. What does she want?

“Kiara, Countess Madeline.”

“Here Drake, there’s a whiskey for you. And a mojito for Riley. It’s Kiara’s way of apologising to you both- isn’t that right Kiara?”

“Oui Madeline. I’m sorry Drake.”

“Erm thank you. I’ve got to get back....”

Madeline smirked as he walked away, before turning to Kiara.

Kiara looked heartbroken that the two commoners were madly in love and back together.

“Kiara, get your shit together! Remember the plan.... Lady Riley won’t be here much longer. And he will be yours again. If the plan fails, King Father will expose your secret even if he is still in the cells....”

****

The night continued, everything went much smoother. Everyone was enjoying each other’s company. There was more dances, Tariq and Riley had cleared the air and Liam and Olivia showed a bit of affection towards each other - this was now the court gossip but neither cared what other people thought.

Drake was sat next to Riley, feeling drowsy but at the same time felt very turned on sat with this beautiful women next to him. He placed his hand on her thigh, and started kissing her passionately. Before Riley pulled away and whispered to him.

“Drake, it’ll be over soon, then we can sneak upstairs. Your room or mine?”

“I.. don’t... care. I’d have you here... now.”

“Walker are you drunk? How much have you had?”

“Not a... (hiccup)... lot. I ... swear Riley.... I need to... go... to the little... boys bathroom... care ... to ... join me?”

“O Drake. I think you’ve had more than your letting on. I’ve never seen you this drunk before! Go to the toilet and I’ll say our goodbyes on behalf of us both.”

“Okay. I love you Brooks! Meet... me... at the... stairs.”

Riley laughed at him- she knew that she was going to spend the night babysitting him. She kissed him on the cheek before he stood up to leave.

****

Drake managed to get the toilet, the room was spinning. He wasn’t usually this much of a lightweight. As he finished, he barely walked over to the stairs, constantly losing his balance before he saw her waiting.

“Brooks, c’mon, we’re... going... to ... my room.”

He grabbed her hand and led her to his room. Pushing her onto his bed, he passionately kissed her. He wanted more but started feeling dizzy, the room was a blur.

“Come on Drake, lets get you in bed.”

“I’m.... sorry Riley, I’ll.... make.... it up...to you....tomorrow.”

She slowly undressed him, tucking him safely in his bed, before undressing herself. She positioned herself next to him, placing his arm around her body. Grabbing her phone, she took a selfie of the two of them before pressing the record button. He started to stir...

“I love you Drake.”

“I love you... too..”

Drake had now started snoring, and was fast asleep, that is when she stopped recording.

I wish that was true Drake. I’ve always loved you and always will even though your heart is with Riley.

******

“I’m sorry Li, Drake is really drunk. He’s in the toilet. I’m meeting him at the stairs and are probably going to be babysitting him tonight.”

“It’s fine Riley. Don’t worry about it.”

“If I was you Riley, I’d play hard to get.”

“Olivia, no way am I sleeping with him in that state.”

The friends then hugged each other. And bid their goodbyes. Riley had said goodbye to Hana and Maxwell before saying goodbye to Leo and Beth.

“So, I guess I’ll see you both at your wedding next time?”

“Of course Ri, it’s been so good catching up.”

“See ya later squirt, you’ll have to show me your stomping ground with Beth. Hey Ri, are you okay?”

Riley suddenly had a stabbing pain in her stomach, Leo noticed her smile turn to a grimace.

“Yeah, I think. It’s my stomach.. it’s ... it’s hurting....”

The colour from Riley’s face faded, just before she collapsed- Leo quickly jumping in to catch her.

“Riley? Riley? ..... Beth go and get Liam and Drake!”

Beth ran off searching for the men, a crowd started forming around Riley and Leo. Leo began to get frustrated with people not giving Riley any dignity or privacy in her current state. He scooped her up in her arms and began to head towards the door where Bastien would be standing with the other guards.

“Fucking move out of the way Madeline!”

“O my. What’s up with her Leo? Where’s her darling Drake?”

“I don’t know! MOVE! She needs to go to hospital.”

Leo forced his way around Madeline effortlessly carrying Riley over towards the door. Madeline smirked, knowing exactly where Drake was and who he would be with.

Well done Kiara! The king Father would be proud of us both.

Bastien ordered an ambulance to be called.

“Leo! What’s happened?”

“I don’t know Li, she was talking to us and before she collapsed she complained about her stomach. Where the fuck is Walker? He’s not in the toilet anymore! Beth has searched everywhere for him!”

[drrameyfanpage]

Just a Walk in the Park: Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

How in the world they all managed to get off at reasonable time on Saturday night was beyond Alexandra. Part of her hoped the party would be delayed another weekend, the other part wanted it over with.

She couldn’t help but to smile at Elijah. He was the most excited and had been talking about it nonstop. For him she was glad the party was happening but other than that she rather curl up in her room with a good book.

“It’s almost time.” Elijah all but clapped. Landry stood behind him looking terrified.

“It’s a good thing I cooked some things in advance last night.” Sienna said setting out a fruit platter and homemade pigs in a blanket alongside freshly made cookies.

“Do we really have to have this many people come over? Think of what it will do to our carpets.” Landry said starting to pace.

“What about the carpets?” Jackie asked carrying in bottles of alcohol.

“It’s just that if the carpets get ruined we won’t get our security deposit back.”

Jackie gave him a look. “We’ll have them professional cleaned before we move out which won’t be for a hella long time.”

“Here have a cookie.” Sienna shoved one into Landry’s hands.

“I’m glad at least 2 out of my 4 roommates are down to party.” Jackie said giving Alexandra pointed look.

She sighed and wondered back to her bedroom to shut and lock the door. There was no way she was about to have random coworkers wondering through her room.

The party was slow to start. She could tell Elijah was feeling down about it but then the surgical interns showed up with a keg and other doctors who Alexandra had never seen. Now someone had dance music blaring and there seemed to be a random beach ball making its way around the small space.

Bryce wondered over to her as she grab a few cookies before they all disappeared. “Hey!” He said throwing his arm around her. “Nice party.”

“It’s not really my party but thanks.”

“We should do a shot together.” He gave a boyish grin.

She felt guilt bubble up inside her as Bryce led her to part of counter covered in a million alcohol bottles. Had this been 2 weeks ago, she would have welcome his attention and looks he had been giving her all night. 2 weeks ago she would have been flattered and surprised someone like Bryce was even showing interest in her. 2 weeks ago he would have been attractive in her book. 2 weeks ago was a long time ago now.

“What’s you poison?” He asked interrupting her thoughts.

“I’m not drinking.” She said loudly to be heard over the music.

“What! No, come on. Just one with me?” He smiled, and she bet it had brought many girls to their knees and at one time maybe her. Not tonight though.

“I’m sorry. Look I need some air.” She started to move away from him.

“I can keep you company.”

“I’m sorry Bryce.” She put hand on his shoulder before dropping and it and walking away.

She slipped into her room grabbing her wallet and Ethan’s jacket. It had become her jacket of choice in the last week. She had even passed Ethan in the hall wearing it, he smirked as she passed talking to another doctor. She locked the door behind her before making her way towards the front door.

“Tell me that you have secret meet up with Bryce.” Jackie said coming up beside her.

“No.”

Jackie sighed. “He’s been looking at you all night. He’s not really my type but he could be fun and you need to loosen up.”

“I’m going outside.” Alexandra pushed past a tipsy Jackie.

She wondered down a few stoops before plopping down on one. She turned her phone over in hand a few times. There was no way she could call her dad, he would know right away something was up. Her best friend was out of the question that would just make her more homesick.

Her phone vibrated in her hand causing her to jump.

‘Having fun?’

She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. ‘Not really’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

“What are you doing with your free Saturday night??”

They hadn’t texted before but earlier in the week he suggested exchanging numbers for work purposes.

‘Exciting stuff.’ He wrote and she bit her lip as she read it. ‘Reading.’ He followed up a moment later.

‘That sounds perfect right about now.’

‘You can’t sneak off into another room?’

‘hahaha’ She wrote. ‘Good one.’

‘That bad?’

‘Worse.’ She could hear music and commotion from where she sat.

‘This is a chance for you to get to know the people you work with.’

“Great…”

The phone start vibrating telling her she was getting a call. Dr. Ramsey appeared on the screen. She debated answering it. Hearing him might break her. She ignored it. ‘Too loud to hear you.’ She wrote him.

‘Of course.’

The conversation stopped after that. She stayed sitting on some random person’s stoop and put her head and her hands. She planned to stay there until the party started thinning out and she didn’t think that would be anytime soon.

A little while later a car pulled up but she didn’t raise her head. This was it either she was going to be thrown from her hiding place or murdered. Her dad would be so disappointed if she ended up murdered and in Ethan’s jacket.

“You know that whole my dad’s a cop may have stopped me from murdering you but I highly doubt it will stop some stranger.”

She didn’t know whether she wanted to cry or throw herself at him. Though she hadn’t looked up, she knew he was now crouched in front of her. “Come on Rookie, let’s get out of here.” He pulled her hands away from her face. Her eyes were red rimmed but she didn’t allow the tears to fall. “Come on.” He said gentler.

She stood and allowed him to guide her to his car before pulling the door open for her. Her lip trembled as he got in. After he pulled away from the curb, he reached over and took her hand.

“You shouldn’t have come.” She mumbled. “What if someone saw you?”

“First overall by the sounds of that party, everyone’s drunk and probably won’t remember a damn thing tomorrow. Second, I was paying attention.”

She nodded and brought her free hand in a fist to her mouth. Her grip on his hand tightened and he managed to maneuver the car in downtown Boston on a Saturday night one handed.

“Alright, Alexandra you need to tell me what’s wrong.” His tone becoming serious, almost angry. When she didn’t say anything, he spoke again. “I swear to God if someone did something inappropriate to you at that party.” His grip on the steering wheel tighten, turning his knuckles on that hand white.

She shook her head quickly. “No one did anything.” Though she was extremely touched that he seemed ready to turn the car around and kick someone’s ass.

He relaxed only a little and glanced at her.

“It’s just…” She fumbled over what to say. “It became the last place I wanted to be.” She pulled her hand out of his to rub both of hers over her face. “How pathetic? Even Landry had gotten into the party and he had been worried about the carpet. While I couldn’t even stand to be there. Bryce had tried so hard.”

She missed the look of annoyance that crossed Ethan’s face at the mention of the surgical intern. “I can take you back and you can give it another go.”

“No.” She said quickly. That was the last thing she wanted. She took a deep breath in through her nose. Ethan’s now familiar scent taking over her sense of smell. It calmed her and she settled into the seat. “Where are we going anyway?”

“I thought maybe we could go walk along the waterfront. Have you eaten?”

She shrugged. “Off and on. Sienna cooked a ton of food.”

“We can grab ice cream then.”

“Oh!” She pulled two cookies from the jacket pocket.

“Sienna also made these. They’re amazing, try one.” She held one out to him.

He took it carefully. “I don’t normally eat in my car.”

“Oh, I can put them away.”

“Back into my jacket pocket?”

“Oh, good point. I’ll have this dry cleaned before I get it back to you.”

“It’s a raincoat, don’t worry about it.” He took a bite of the cookie before she could take it back. “Your right, these are amazing.” He looked over at her and found her carefully eating hers. He didn’t say thing and instead pulled into a parking garage near the waterfront.

“What if someone see us?” She asked as he held her door open for her.

“I doubt on a nice night like this anyone is paying attention. I’m not worried.”

She hadn’t been down to the waterfront yet and tonight it was alive with people soaking up one of the last nice evening before October would be there. They walked in silence for a while before he pointed out a small popup ice cream stand.

“I believe it’s my treat this time.” Alexandra said turning to look up at him.

“I don’t think so.”

“We agreed.”

“Yes, but I brought you out tonight, so it’s my treat. Next time you invite me out and I’ll let you pay.”

She grumbled at him but still let him pay. She even ordered extras sending her $7 ice cream to $12. He rolled his eyes at her as he caught on. After he paid he grabbed his ice cream and a bottle of water, slipping the water into his pants pocket.

It grabbed her attention and realized he was wearing jeans and said jeans were incredibly tight as there was no real room for a bottle of water in his pocket. He paid no attention to her as he took a bite of ice cream. With his attention elsewhere, it gave her a moment to look over him. He wore a black fitted t-shirt and leather jacket. It gave him an irresistible bad boy look. She wondered how one man could look so good in anything he wore.

“So,” He unknowingly pulled her attention away from his body. “Are you going to tell me why you didn’t want to party, when only a week ago you were telling me about making friends?”

She shrugged and took a bite of her double chocolate candy pieces covered sundae. “I was never really a partier in school. When I did party usually it was with my few close friends.”

“I never had time for parties in school or even here at work.” They walked over to a bench looking out at the harbor. “I find it a nuisance when I must attend work parties.”   `

“Does that happen a lot?”

“I imagine it will now that I’m the head of the diagnostic team.”

“Surely Dr. Emery must know you don’t like parties and wouldn’t force you to attend.” She didn’t like thinking or talking about Emery and Ethan together but part of her had a lot of questions.

He let out humorless laugh. “If anything she’ll force me to go to more than necessary.”

“Why?” Alexandra pushed.

He sighed debating whether or not he wanted to have this conversation. “Part of what made us not work in the beginning was her overly social nature. She wanted to take me everywhere, show me off like I was some prize to be won.” He sounded biter.

“Prize to be won? I don’t understand.”

Ethan set his cup of ice cream between them before picking up the water he had set there. He took a large sip before replacing the cap. “I don’t talk about Harper to really anyone. My family knows some details but not everything.” He looked Alexandra in the eyes. “I’ve already put a lot of trust in you with what I’ve already told you.”

“I know.” She reached over for his hand that was on his thigh. She covered the top of his and he stared at it for a moment before letting his fingers close around hers.

“Not to sound full of myself but when I started at the hospital I had fellow interns and nurses all trying to grab my attention. I didn’t have time for that. I could have easily had several one night stands but that wasn’t the man my parents raised. It wasn’t who I wanted to be anyway. Fast forward to being a resident and somehow I grabbed Harper’s attention. You know she’s about 2 years older than me.”

He shook his head and angry look crossed his face. “I was stupid. I thought Harper was different. I thought we had the same morals.” He paused. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. Harper’s a good doctor and I don’t want you to think anything less of her.”

“If you don’t finish, I’m just going to make up my own assumptions and isn’t that worse? You don’t have to tell me but whatever happened I’m not going to think less of you.” She spoke softly to him. She wanted to reach out and hug him but held back.

“Maybe I should have started by telling you this first. I had a serious girlfriend in college. When I got into medical school, it really put a strain on us. She wanted more of my time than I could give and I wanted her to understand. It ended after my first year with her cheating on me with a good friend of mine who was also in medical school. Her reason was why could he give her time when I couldn’t.”

“Ethan.” She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. It was one of the first times she had said his first name.

“So needless to say school than work took over my life and I’m more than fine with that. Now we’ll fast forward to Harper. I hadn’t worked with her all that must but she was attractive and older, so I thought that meant more mature.”

He leaned back against the bench and looked towards the sky as she still rubbed the back of his hand. Her hand was warm and he briefly wondered if all of her was that warm. “We went out a few times. I didn’t want to be public or anything. At first she respected that, then we showed up to a party with coworkers and that’s when people started rumors. We fought over it and I gave in. In a relationship you’re supposed to give and take, so I gave.”

“And gave. By then we had been dating almost a year. I felt more like an expensive bag on her arm. It was clear that I was going to go somewhere in my career and she wanted to be there. Then Christmas came and my mom wanted to know if I was bringing her home. No, it was too soon and I wasn’t sure of my feelings.”

Ethan looked over at Alexandra. Her blonde hair glowed softly in the lights from the city. She stared at him intently but there was no judgment on her face. If only she wasn’t competing for a spot on his team or younger than him.

“She didn’t ask either. We spent the holiday a part with little communication.”

“You just said she wanted to be there in your life.” Alexandra said confused.

“She did but only because my career was going somewhere. Harper wanted to claim she had some influence in it. I came back from Christmas and it was like we had broken up. A month went by before she showed up at my door. I was stupid, I should have told her it was over but I let her in.” He sighed angrily.

“She broke up with me the following week. Stated something about being too different. I wasn’t social enough. That was probably true, but almost immediately she was seen with one of the senior doctors at the time who had recently gotten divorce. He gave her career the step it needed. He let her in on research he was doing, gave her priority to surgeries.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind Harper is a good doctor. I would trust her in the OR with my life but she only made to Chief so young because of this guy’s helping hand.”

“Are they still together?”

“No, he ended up remarrying his wife and moved to Myrtle Beach where he has his own practice.”

“So with it being on again, off again I’m assuming there’s more to the story.”

He looked uncomfortable. “I don’t often admit I’m stupid but as I’ve already said I was stupid. About a month before the chief position was announce, she came back into my life. Wanted to make a go of it again. To be honest I don’t why I got back together with her. I wasn’t in love with her or anything. So we got back together and then they announce who got the position. We’ll obviously I couldn’t date my boss, so I broke up with her.”

“It looked like there were still feelings there on her part the other day” Alexandra pointed out.

He shrugged, “Maybe.”

“Thank you for telling me. I promise it won’t get out.”

“I know.” He said before standing up. “Let’s walk. Tonight is too nice to be stuck in the past.”

They walked slowly as they talked. Ethan telling her funny stories from being an intern. At one point they ended up holding hands, neither commented nor let go. After a while the city around them seemed to be winding down and they made their way back to his car.

[tuffin-tuffmuffin]

Resistance, Part 3

Finally.

The Viper expected to be restrained, which the humans accomplished with duct tape binding around her wrists and covering her mouth, but she was surprised to see the rebels that attacked them joined the two XCOM soldiers as prisoners. Under the watchful barrels of four shotguns trained on her, the Outpost Safari militia led Natasatch and Malcolm back to the village proper.  

Scanning the town as they arrived, Natasatch surmised it had to be a successful settlement, as far as shantytowns go, and she counted over three dozen humans peering at her from alleyways or from second story windows. Even thoroughly defeated, every human she looked towards averted their gaze or took a step back. It seemed that the trigger-happy citizens had already played their hands, to use the human expression.

They stuck her in a square room, with gray walls, a bare mattress, and a tiny gated window that even a neophyte had no hope of fitting through. All she could do was wait, watch the dim sunlight finally fade, and wonder what came next. Her thoughts immediately went to Malcolm. Her friend was led down a different direction when she reached the jail, and naturally worst case scenarios filled the void he left. Maybe he collapsed and died from blood loss the moment he stepped out view. Or they took him to a ditch and shot him in the back, and she was just waiting to be sold to a black market merchant. Or… Or…

Or maybe they took him to the infirmary, her logical side told her. Natasatch shook her head, as if the motion could toss the thoughts from her mind. These humans weren’t like the ones that attacked her, the fact they hadn’t shot her immediately was proof of that. At least for the moment, Natasatch felt herself calming, and while the thoughts of worry never stopped, they at least dropped to whispers. But while she could try to relieve some of her stress, there was nothing she could do about the boredom.

She had counted the bricks in the room twice, the number of cracks on the floor thrice, and had watched the sky shift from a dark blue to a slightly darker blue. She’d long curled into a defensive ball, torso in the center and her head underneath the top loop, ready to fight or doze off at a moment’s notice. A decent effort at trying to hold the worries back, but between the optimism that she’d been borrowing from Malcolm, something had to give.

Just as the voices of doubt started to end, new voices took their place, but these ones weren’t products of her imagination. A creak of metal turned her red eyes front, and Natasatch jolted upright. Her sudden motion must’ve startled the new arrivals. There was an unarmed human female halfway through the cell door and an armed human male right behind her, and both were mid-recoil at the Viper’s sudden burst of movement. If the humans came to execute her, they were vastly under-equipped.

She held eye contact with the woman for a second, and with no more movement from the Viper, the woman saw fit to finish stepping inside. She managed to compose herself before she addressed her prisoner.

“Sergeant.”

A day’s worth of tension left her with a single sigh of relief. “Yes,” Natasatch offered back.

The human female relaxed as she witnessed the alien do the same. It also gave Natasatch time to examine her a bit more closely. As tall as Natasatch could stand, the woman was short, shorter than average for her species. A short bush of gray hair sat atop her head, contrasting with the wrinkled deep brown of her skin. From her ears hung a set of shiny rocks, the fanciest thing about her rather plain wardrobe. Still, she moved like a woman decades younger, stepping forward and offering a hand with surprising dexterity.

“I’m Denmother Aida,” she said, in an unfamiliar accent. “It’s good to meet you.”

Natasatch slipped her thin hands around Aida’s and shook firmly, completing the human ritual. The Viper’s dour look remained, however. Aida continued, “I’ll cut to the bone, Sergeant. We, the good people of Outpost Safari, are terribly, terribly sorry what happened to you today. No XCOM personnel should ever be attacked by anyone calling themselves Resistance, no matter what they look like.”

Natasatch’s features softened at the apology, but a few echoes of anger and worry resurfaced.  Her subsequent question sounded more like a demand, “Where is Malcolm?”

Aida looked a little surprised at the choice for a first question, but she had an answer. “Your friend is fine, I promise you that. He’s being treated for his leg and arm injuries, and an antibiotic treatment for dragging his wound around in the mud. It would do no good to have an XCOM soldier survive all that just to die by an infection, yeah?”

“It took you a while to realize we were XCOM,” she said, slightly accusatory.

Den Mother Aida allowed her shoulders to sag. “Yes… The blame is on those who attacked you, Sergeant,” she began to explain. “Our former communications officer was one of the men who attacked you. XCOM thought ahead to inform us one of their soldiers was an alien, but that info never reached past him. And he obviously didn’t report in your emergency, but instead alerted a few other troublemakers.”

“You know of this how?” Natasatch asked.

“One of the attackers confessed everything. I assure you, they will be punished accordingly. Even Miss Ackers, despite her age.”

Aida must have been referring to the human child the Viper subdued, and her blood boiled at the memory of the attacker that came closest to killing her friend. However, she would have more time to stew outside, and out of confinement. The Viper nodded, and asked, “Now, am I free to go, Denmother?”

“Yes, but first-”

“I would like to leave and see my friend,” Natasatch interrupted. Between the harrowing day and the agonizing wait, her patience was dangerously low. “And you just said I was allowed to leave.”

“You are, not as such.”

The Viper narrowed her eyes, sizing up the room. The elderly woman hardly seemed to be a threat, between her frailty and already standing next to an alien shocktrooper, but her shotgun-toting guard just outside the room still worried her. If these human continued to change their minds, a hostage would do well to-

Aida stepped aside and gestured to the door. “Very well. We’ll take you to the infirmary, Sergeant.”

Natasatch blinked twice, and her hood dropped in confusion. “Wait, are you allowing me to leave or not?”

Aida tilted her head. “As I said, you can leave, not as such.”

Admittedly, Natasatch had only been studying the English language for less than a year, but even she knew that grammar was off. “What did you just call me?”

“Your name, Sergeant?”

“Natasatch,” Natasatch informed her.

“Not as such,” Aida insisted.

“Natasatch,” the Viper corrected.

At this moment, the guard stepped in, chuckling to himself. His weapon was slung over his shoulder, to her relief, and he spoke in a voice with intonation common to other pale-skinned humans on the Avenger. “Miss alien, if you’re going to make our Denmother feel bad about her accent, try not speaking in thick Brazilian.”

“I’m not Brazilian, and I don’t have an accent.” Natasatch felt she was on the receiving end of a joke, both humans starting a belly laugh together. She could only roll her eyes and settle on asking Malcolm about it later. He was from Brazil, after all.

After the laughter ran its course, the guard led both the Viper and the Denmother out of the cell and to the lobby door. However, the door grunted in response to being pushed open, and all three crossed the threshold into the room to find a very familiar looking human on the floor, pointing a handgun in their general direction.

Natasatch raised an eye ridge as the weapon lowered. “Malcolm, what are you doing?”

“Uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was hoping to rescue you.”

“You’re supposed to be recovering, Mister Silva,” Aida said, looking bemused. “And staying off that leg, not sneaking around.”

“Well, I think I did pretty well, despite everything” Malcolm responded, as he looked at his bandaged leg and winced.  “Got all the way here and nobody noticed.”

Their escort spoke up as well. “Well, you didn’t have a guard posted outside the clinic, and nobody was looking for you, on account of you not being under arrest anymore.”

Malcom was pouting quite heavily at this point, so Natasatch intervened. “Malcolm…” she said, softly. The human looked to her, his mood instantly brightening. “…That was rather foolish of you.”

Malcolm pouted even heavier than before.

“But thank you, my friend.” She added, as she helped him to his feet. His head was angled downward, and a rush of heat came over his face as he suddenly kept unbroken eye contact with her. “Why haven’t they given you a new shirt yet?”

The rest of the night was uneventful, which was exactly how Natasatch wanted. The two XCOM soldiers elected to stay the night in the cell, which was already pretty defensible, and Aida allocated a few extra sentries. Natasatch insisted the cell door remain open, however.

The worst had passed, it seemed. As soon as they awoke, Natasatch and Malcolm made their way to the communications center to get in contact with XCOM. The Viper relayed their encounter as truthfully and factually as possible to the bewildered comm officer on the other end, and Malcolm chimed in with his first-rate medical treatment. Current orders were to sit tight until the Avenger returned as soon as possible, which still left at least a day of downtime for them.

Natasatch would have felt alone and defensive a few hours earlier, even with Malcolm hobbling alongside her, but the atmosphere of the town was almost unrecognizably welcoming. Citizens still gawked at her from her peripheral vision and whispered amongst themselves as she browsed the marketplace, but when Natasatch made eye contact they instead gave weak smiles and tiny waves. When she passed vendors offering food and salvage and assorted oddities, the humans were quite insistent on offering free samples of flavorful snacks and trinkets, enough so she had to ask for a bag to tote her gifts around. Unexpected treatment, certainly, but she much prefered unsure hospitality over outright hostility.

Natasatch heard a sharp whistle, and turned her head to find a familiar small human hobbling their way. Denmother Aida approached the two, with a bright smile and hands wide and at her side, and the Viper was treated to the bemusing sight of two lanes of foot traffic clearing to make way for a single elderly human.

“Hello, my dear friends,” Aida started once she was an arm’s length away. She pointed a digit at the tote bag in Natasatch’s hand. “I can see already that your day is off to a great start!”

“That’s for sure, Miss Aida,” Malcolm responded, his signature smile back on his face. “Far, far better than yesterday.”

“It was hardly a high standard to clear,” Natasatch added dryly.

Both of the humans chuckled at her quip, but Aida’s laughter was accompanied with a slight wince. Natasatch tilted her head a bit, noting the Denmother’s forwardness and closeness. The VIper could tell it was a forced comfort, not the familiarity that someone like Malcolm had. It was subtle, but she noticed how Aida’s weight was on her heels, and the way her eyes would flick to Natasatch’s tongue whenever she tasted the air. She thought better of mentioning it, though, content to continue the conversation.

Aida resumed again, “I’m glad you get to see the real Safari today, Sergeants. We pride ourself on our friendliness and tolerance to all friends of humanity, even if a few of us sometimes forget, and need to be reminded.”

Natasatch picked up on her phrasing. “I don’t believe you explained how exactly your…” She paused, trying to think of a diplomatic way to describe their attackers.

“Hooligans?” Malcolm offered, with a twinge of irony.

“Yes, Hooligans. I like that!” Aida added.

“As you wish. Well, how are these hooligans to be punished, exactly?”

The woman rolled her shoulders as she responded, again vaguely, “Publicly and seriously. I could explain, but it’d be easier to show you. Trust me, my alien friend, we don’t want a repeat of the Gulag.”

A moment of confusion let the Denmother realize that Natasatch had no idea what she was referring to, just as Malcolm rescued his friend from her ignorance. “The Gulag incident was a few years back, in an abandoned Old Russian prison-turned-settlement. They were doing pretty well for themselves; isolated, had agriculture, well-armed and well-fortified, and contributed plenty to the Resistance despite half the population being the original inmates. Probably was kept together thanks to their leader, an ex-Russian Mafia kingpin.”

“You trusted them, despite their criminal backgrounds?”

“You’d be surprised, Natasatch. Nearly everyone in XCOM has a story, and not always one they’re proud of,” Malcolm interjected. He softened immediately, adding, “After all, aren’t we all criminals in the eyes of the only government left?”

Natasatch rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant.”

“I do, and you did have a point, actually, but in a roundabout way. From what I hear, that kingpin I mentioned was untouchable despite being Russia’s Most Wanted before the war, at least until a Spetsnaz team, Russia’s special forces, nabbed him when he was out of the country. Coincidentally enough, the leader of that same team, Captain Yuri, was one of the first to join the new XCOM. Bradford himself said that almost half of our guerilla playbook came from that man’s training regimen. And after a decade and half of keeping the Resistance in Asia kicking, by sheer dumb luck, Captain Yuri led a routine mission to pick up supplies from the Gulag, which was being run by the man whose criminal empire he toppled.”

“I take it the Gulag’s leader murdered the Captain as soon as he recognized him.”

Malcolm nodded gravely. “And only him. He justified it as ‘settling an old score,’ then let the rest go with the supplies and half over again ‘to compensate for the inconvenience.’”

“Despicable,” Aida added, genuinely disgusted. Natasatch inwardly agreed. Casually trading lives for resources was something she expected from ADVENT, and at least they were smart enough to cover it up.

“So, what happened next?”

“Bradford XCOM-municated him.”

The Viper had picked up enough knowledge about the English language and human humor to groan audibly at her friend’s wordplay.

Aida picked up where Malcolm paused for her reaction. “That is an accurate statement, jokes aside. Bradford made the Gulag an ultimatum; exile their leader or else, and when they didn’t, he immediately announced that XCOM revoked their promise to protect that settlement. That’s all he did, but word spread in the Resistance. The Smuggler’s Underground blacklisted them, meaning no trading at all, a huge chunk of the settlers packed up and left, and ADVENT moles scrambled to turn in the Gulag’s location without fear of being discovered. Within a week, death squads turned Koslov’s fortress into rubble, and he himself was executed live on the ADVENT network. A grim lesson on what it means for XCOM to turn your back you.”

Aida took a full step forward, surprising Natasatch.  Whatever cracks in her composure that emerged over the course of her explanation, the Denmother forced them away. “Which is why the good people of Safari would never do anything to provoke XCOM.

Natasatch released a short, reflexive hiss as she felt a sharp poke at the tip of her tail. She turned in one fluid motion, spotting another juvenile human scampering away, dropping a stick that walloped her as he ran. Further ahead were two other juveniles goading their friend on, who were also sprinting away when they saw the Viper glaring. Her predatory eyes narrowed as the pranksters dived around the corner, attempting to dodge the tongue lasso that never came, and undoubtedly off to boast about having touched the scary alien and lived. Ultimately harmless, but irritating nonetheless.

The Viper turned back around, and viewed a look of horror on Denmother Aida’s face. In fact, much of the nearby foot traffic had stopped the moment her hiss escaped. All of them couldn’t possibly have missed what provoked it, yet all eyes were on her as they braced for her reaction.

They were waiting a while. Eventually, Natasatch rolled her shoulders in the human way and posed the undeniably human question, “What?”

Aida began, “Sergeant, I’m so sorry –”

“It is fine, Denmother,” Natasatch interrupted.

“Nothing to worry about, really!” Malcolm jumped in. Perhaps his eternal optimism would defuse the situation. This was her human friend in his element, after all.

“Yes, but I cannot –”

“It’s fine. Really.” The Viper stated again. “It was merely a harmless prank. I believe you are overreacting.”

As she finished her sentence, a thought struck her. Wouldn’t this be the proper reaction for these humans? Had that juvenile tried this stunt on a typical Viper officer, he would have been cut down by a green plasma beam before he made it four steps away. Perhaps these humans have seen exactly that, she imagined.

One human asked the one question on every other human’s mind. “Is she gonna be fine?”

Malcolm chose this moment to interdict directly. Her human friend wrapped his bandaged left arm around the she in question, pointing at her with his right. “Look, if Natasatch here says she’s fine, she fine! You never needed to worry at all. She’s perfectly friendly when you get to know her.

The alien smiled a human smile, genuinely from the praise. She clasped her hands together, trying to look as innocent as twelve feet of genetically engineered combat machine possibly could. From what she could observe, it was working.

“See? Harmless!”

Tension released and life returned to the market street. Aida excused herself with an apology, promising to give those children a stern lecture, and pointed the two in the direction of the market’s center, a mere two aisles over. Another vague promise, “You don’t want to miss this!”

Natasatch was starting to despise Vagueness.

“Yeah, I hate it too.”

The Viper turned to Malcolm with a ponderous look. “Did I say that out loud?”

Malcolm smiled. “Nope. You just flex your hood a little when you think about something you hate. Like vague assurances.”

Natasatch’s hand idly rubbed the scales on her hood, feeling lean muscles rippling with no conscious input at all. She never noticed that. “Interesting. Well, vagueness awaits us, Malcolm.”

Neither Natsatch nor Malcolm had to wait for long to see the surprise. At the center of the marketplace was a raised platform, with five odd devices erected on top. Each of the devices held a human in an uncomfortable forward lean, which kept their heads and hands visible and restrained. All of the humans bore a sheet of cardboard with writing, hanging as a necklace would. She looked left to right, not recognizing three faces in a row, until she reached the one with an eyepatch. Then Natasatch understood.

“A stockade! Ha!” Malcolm commented, chuckling on each word. “Or was it a pillory? Ah whatever! Did we time travel back to a hundred and fifty years ago or something?”

All of the captive faces turned upwards at the sound, eyeing the new arrivals. Two of them looked away once they identified them. The sole eye of Eyepatch met Natasatch’s scrutinizing gaze, but the vengeful look of the yellow-haired child drew her attention more. Unlike the others, a crude gag covered her mouth, and the need for the device shown as she began to struggle and yell muffled vitriol in her direction.

“Yep.” Eyepatch responded, in a tone of defeat the Viper knew well. “Laugh it up, Sergeants. You earned it.”

The Viper gave a pleased prrum at this appetizer for justice, but her amusement was matched by her curiosity. Smirking the whole time, she asked, “I expected you all to be punished, but not as… whatever this is? What is the purpose?”

“Bublic humiliation,” one of the other rebels added, not bothering to raise his head. From the slurring and the bandage over the bridge of his nose, this was likely the attacker who Malcolm personally disabled.

“I think I get it, Nat,” Malcolm said, turning to her. “Life out here in the free zones is tough. You’re always low on everything, scavving constantly, wondering if tomorrow’s going to bring an ADVENT kill squad…”

“If I recall correctly, this was your life before XCOM, Mal,” Natasatch observed. Malcolm nodded.

“Still is, kinda. You learn to rely on other people, like sharing your already scarce supplies and stuff. But the only thing you never run out of is human dignity. We’re all in this together, and everyone feels proud of that.

Natasatch turned back to the stockade, finally reading the signs hanging from the rebel’s necks. ‘I tried to murder XCOM soldiers,’ they all read. How embarrassing. Taking away whatever pride they had in being a part of this community, exposing their crime for their fellows to turn up their snouts at. The Viper witnessed ADVENT public executions of lawbreakers, and though this punishment was expressly non-lethal, she could see the parallels. Still…

“An amazingly light sentence for attempted murder,” Natasatch quietly commented to Malcolm.

He whispered back. “Outpost this size, losing even a single person is bad. Guessing if they learn their lesson, they’ll be allowed to stay.”

“Serves us right, I figure,” Eyepatch announced, regaining both of their attention. The blonde girl paused her thrashing long enough to shift her glare to him, and then went back to her tantrum.

The Viper tssked. “I do wonder where your remorse was last evening?” Natasatch dryly commented, moving herself closer to the platform.

He winced at the remark, then added, “You just missed it, snake lady. You know, they were still gonna take our side after they caught you both. Choosing between their own people and an alien? Hardly a question, until I came clean.”

“You sold us out, Rick!” The broken-nose rebel accused.

“And you lied to me, Kriss!” Eyepatch – or ‘Rick,’ she supposed – shot back. “You knew they were XCOM, even the snake. They radioed it to you. And Ro, how did she know exactly where they’d be? I should’ve know something was up before they… you-”

Rick stopped shooting accusatory looks between his fellow rebels, and looked at Natasatch directly. Her eye ridge raised as he said, calmly, slowly, “You still didn’t kill anyone, Viper. Even when you honestly should have. I mean, most of you are still evil aliens, but you? You’re alright.” Rich moved his hand forward, locking his fingers and raising his thumb. An offer of a handshake, but still shackled to the stockade. “I’m sorry. Really.”

The Viper leaned back, folding her arms over her chest. “I am still new to human culture, I admit. I can believe that you’re truly sorry. But I also know you can’t expect to be forgiven for attempting to murder Malcolm or myself with a just an apology.”

The eyepatched man winced, as if she had just sunk her fangs into his flesh. Humorous, since the exact opposite happened, with the rough bandages around her palm evidence to that. His head drooped further, and he admitted, “Yeah. That’s fair.”

“Besides,” Natasatch offered, “It is Malcolm you should be thanking. If he hadn’t – Malcolm?”

Her friend was right next to her, yet he was also a thousand yards away - metaphorically -, staring at the thrashing young female. Natasatch could tell Malcolm hadn’t registered a word either of them had said. She was just about to lightly tap his uninjured shoulder when he jerked back to reality.

“For fuck’s sake, Sam!”

“Hmm?” asked one perplexed Viper. She tried, and failed, to parse the outburst. A few heads in the marketplace turned, joining those who were already observing the scene.

A moment passed, and with a modicum more restraint, Malcolm started directly at the yellow-haired female. “You’re… Rochelle Ackers.” She stopped struggling. “Sister to Corporal Samuel Ackers. I know you. I’ve seen you before. He has a picture of you taped to his bunk’s walls.” Once again, the girl was paralyzed, wide-eyed and staring just as she did when Natasatch terrified her. “Goddamnit, that’s how.”

The Viper quickly racked her through her memory, recalling… Yes, she knew the name of Ackers, another XCOM soldier. Her only memorable interaction the man leaving game night in a huff on account of her presence. He still avoided her since, and she felt no impulse to reach out to him, but what he was being accused of went beyond a mere frosty reception.

But, it would make sense, she supposed. Malcolm would would be the type to never give up trying to reach out, and would have certainly invited Ackers to their waterside fun. That meant he would know she would have been outside the Avenger, and had time to pass the information off to others. They couldn’t possibly have known she and Malcolm would end up staying behind, but their misfortune was a boon for their ambushers.

Or not, looking at the rebels in the stockade. Silent. Worried. But her mirth at their punishment was secondary right now.

More firmly this time, Natasatch placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. He accepted the touch for a moment, and then shrugged it off. Her human was flush, hot with emotion but at an impasse for action. She quickly slid around him, so a very concerned alien filled his field of view.

Natasatch began, “My friend, it’s okay…” Her sentence stopped there, which surprised even her. What to say? Between the two of them, Malcolm handled the talking and reassurances. Not her. A dozen phrases started and stumbled in her throat, with nothing but silence emerging. She was at a loss.

And so was he. Malcolm gave her a sympathetic look before he returned to his fuming. “Nat, it’s really not. I… I gotta talk a walk, you know?”

I don’t know. “Yes,” she lied. “It’s a human thing, correct.”

Malcolm nodded. She added. “I should come. You… look like you need support.”

“I can handle myself,” her bandaged, painkiller-laden, bruise-covered human friend told her, as he slowly hobbled away.  

She sighed. Her worlds failed her, but at least Natasatch could assume no human at Safari would dare move against her or her friend, and she would have no trouble tailing him. “How long will your walk last?”

He didn’t answer.

It’s been literally two years since my last update. I’m sorry for being so quiet on the issue, but the wait was unfortunate yet necessary. To paraphrase a quote from Writing Excuses, the thousand wrong words you have delete later are a thousand words you needed to write on your way to craft the proper thousand words. Tens of thousands of words and other projects’ worth of experience later, I finally have something I’m happy to continue the story with. You’ve all waited long enough.

Shoutout to @tehangryxeno​ for helping with editing and pep talks, and to everyone that checked in to make sure I knew you hadn’t given up on the story. Image credit to @jamdrawers​. Check them out.

Chapter Index

[diaryofasupergroupie]

Groupie Initiation (pt. 2)

My awakening of the previous night brought me into a state of need and urgency. I remember not being able to believe that people behaved like that. People would meet each other open the doors of the tour van and ravage their lips. I was never religious but getting kissed like that made me believe in sin. The school girl I still was left me replaying the words from the previous night over and over in my head. We have more shows this week, you should come. How dare he invite me to a world I knew nothing about! How dare he kiss me like I was a woman and then leave without telling me an address, a number, a time. At the start musicians will expect you to do all the leg work. You are a complete nobody no matter how pretty or funny or outrageous you are. They are a whole lot of somebodies – an immediate power imbalance that nobody in the scene wants to talk about.

I searched Myspace – now you have an insight on when I entered the scene - and I rifled through magazines and found their gig – a bus ride away. My sense of danger has never been good. Taking risks comes natural to me. I caught a bus that night all fishnet stockings, borrowed heels and hopeful eyes. I didn’t have my bus fair home. I didn’t tell anyone where I was really headed. All I brought was my cousin’s lipstick and a lighter. It was going to be a conversation starter with L and then the whole band. We would all joke about it and then D would kiss me again. The mind set of a teenager that obsessed with music and this new scene she had found was making her delusional. These were all also things no one should ever do. Each one of them could get a fourteen year old girl who wore her heart on her sleeve killed – besides maybe offering D a lighter.

I found the venue and headed in the equally dank, dark, grimy shoebox of a place without any ticket or money. My little heart was pounding and the only thing pulling me forwards was the way that the music had touched my soul in a way nothing else in my short life had. The man inside asked for my ticket. He was a huge bouncer like man that scared the life out of me. I actually came to know him quite well later – he was old Army and has three kids, two in university. I probably took a deep breath or maybe I stopped breathing all together. Most likely the latter, I used to panic a lot. “My tickets are inside.” I squeaked out and he let me past but regarded me with dangerous suspicion. I had broken the first barrier but I didn’t know enough about getting to the band to know what the next one was. Even that wouldn’t fly if I tried to enter the scene now.

Roadies were setting up onstage and were shouting orders while the early fans waited. They were barking at each other and flitting past security and through a doorway. They all had stickers on with their name written in scribbles. Tour laminates only really took place when bands start progressing. When they’re not big enough the expense is always too much. I didn’t have one of the stickers so I hung around the stage. My head went from side to side like an animal with paranoia someone was going to kick me out and leave me wanting. Eventually a group of them went backstage and I followed close behind. The best way to get back your first time is to blend. But that wouldn’t be possible now, security is so much tighter. You need to know someone to get back there. That’s why you can’t use this post as a guideline. It’s a lot harder now and you can’t just sneak backstage, especially if you’re not in a shoebox of a venue.

I followed the group of men wearing tired clothes and the door opened. Out walked D and L. D saw me and grinned. He was never charming back then, he was unapologetic. He called out to me and gave me a hug making the frenzy of anticipation that had held me all day get loose. Then I was pulled back and the big tough bouncer type looked down on me. I felt like all my hopes had been scattered, all my wishes had been dashed. I was here. I had everything in my grasp. “She’s with us.” D said. I felt like I had really achieved something. He let me go and I clung to D like a toddler clings to its mother. He gave me a quick kiss to remind me I was here and it wasn’t all just something I had made up in my head.

He took me to a room where the band were and I knew it was real. It’s a hard thing to describe to someone who has never been backstage, even in those tiny little rooms in those tiny little venues. Backstage isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. This time I’ll talk about that room and not the ones you get in arenas. It was tiny with a table for booze and some fold up chairs in the corner. There was a bowl of skittles balancing on an abandoned kick drum that someone was pouring cheap vodka into. The people are packed in like sardines and you can feel everyone’s breath when you make your way forward to get a drink. D poured me some vodka with soda and I took an unhealthy gulp. I had only drank a handful of times before. There were band guys on one side of the room, girls on the other and the odd one had fought through into no man’s land. It was like a school dance, except much edgier.

D asked me what I thought and I didn’t know a cool way to say everyone here were beautiful people who drank and smoked and did other equally rebellious things while I was pretending to be one of them secretly thinking about my curfew. I told D that it was cool but I had done this tons of times. He called me a liar. Everyone in the scene knows everyone, even the American girls know the British girls. I didn’t know that then though. He called over one of the girls in no man’s land and she was my first every experience of what a groupie was. There are different kinds of groupies, two kinds were there that night. There are those who wear tight dresses, too much make-up and are there to sleep with the band. Today they would just be called band whores – them suck off the band to name drop type girls. Then there were the other girls – the flower child, psychedelics, no bra, dreaming of the 60’s type girls. She was one of them girls who walked on air, that Woodstock type. She was a magical pixie with red wavy hair that brushed her waist. She was like Ariel on acid. Her skinny arms wrapped around me and pulled me to her chest engulfing me with her free spirit she would throw around like confetti and that clung to everything around her like glitter.

Her name was V. She was fifteen pretending to be eighteen. V linked arms with me and led me through the mass of bodies. She had a line of blue WKD bottles that were entirely reminiscent of a certain time and a certain place. In my ear she whispered a commentary to the backstage debauchery that in retrospect was very timid compared to what it would be like when the crowd changed later. There were girls standing in one corner who looked glamorous and alluring with long eyelashes and breasts that filled out their bras. They were with another band, a much bigger band. They were the old ones who were retiring. Groupies have a sell by date with anything over twenty eight getting thrown in the used pile. Everyone talks about the size of Connie Hamzy’s balls but no one actually wants to be her – on her knees, sucking off the singer, guitarist, drummer, bass player, tour manager, roadie and intern at the age of fifty. V and a couple of other girls were the next generation. They were first generation – groupies who didn’t know anyone. First generations are the ones who made their way backstage because of their own resilience. They were committed to the cause.

I said earlier that backstage isn’t a place it’s a feeling. Backstage is loud music, free beer and freedom. It is dancing on tables, junk food mixed with spirits, girls being pulled onto the knees of men who have guitars resting on the other. Backstage is the spirit of the music industry, the good parts without any of the deadlines or trivial interests. I was fourteen and out of my depth but I knew backstage was a place filled with geniuses and their muses doing what felt good because it felt good. That is why you can’t separate sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. You do what feels good. It is a selfish place.

D pulled me out with him when he went to go out. The older girls were watching me like disapproving mothers. D was their son and I was his shiny new toy. Who knew when he would use me and get bored? If you let them they will. He pushed me against the wall of the corridor in front of everyone and kissed me as he did before. His lips were against mine and everyone saw. God, I thought I had made it. I felt so important. He treated me rough and did what he wanted, no wonder I was always left wanting more. I was a girl who had been raised to take a peck on the cheek and he was showing me the reason we were born with lips. Deep in my stomach I felt a knot and it loosened when he pulled away. I tried to catch my breath but I would have given it all to him. He kissed me again which such vigour. I felt needed. There was so much need in between our lips.

Then he was grabbed by his shirt and pulled roughly against the opposite wall. L pushed him forwards and away from me leaving me exhausted and panting with no one looking up or even caring about the obvious display of blooming womanhood. V grabbed my hand and took me out after the band and to the back of the venue. Now girls stand side stage but back then they stood at the back unless they were brought on stage by the amp or behind the drummer. She didn’t say anything to me while the band played. We were one in the same, I found my soul sister. I didn’t talk or move. We felt the music and it went from the stage deep inside of me bringing feelings of unbridled ecstasy. To feel the music deep inside of you and get lost in it while the men who play it lose themselves too is goosebumps over the skin and sharp inhales leaving you breathless. To know those men know you and could be getting lost in you is selfish joy and school girl daydreams.

The gig had good music that had hot and sweaty bodies crashing into one another. V took me backstage and D came to me in the corridor. He was sweaty and his hair fell into his face as he pushed me into the pathetic excuse for a green room and pulled me down onto his lap. He pecked my neck which is daring and exciting when kisses have only been had on the lips. He tried to put his hand inside my tank top and through the attention and groupie baptism I had the sense to bat his hands away. He listened as he would always listen and kept me on his lap while the next band played. There were feet on the table and the bowl of skittles and vodka was being passed around but his arms were around my waist in ownership and this new girl wasn’t up for anyone. He had called dibs on the virgin pretending to be something she wasn’t.

The clean-up after was quick and all the other girls were drunk. A paid for a taxi back to our city for V and I. Before we left D gave me a quick kiss and took my number where he definitely saved my name followed by my city. The words he said ignited a need in me like he did the night before. “You’re different, you should keep coming to shows.” You can’t get a taste of being in the music no matter how briefly and just go back to drinking in parks and on the street. The music and the men who make it works its way inside of you. It did me, and I never could get it out.                 

[gripefroot]

Up to Snow Good

It’s Tony that opens the door after Bucky knocks; a festive headband of dancing snowmen set firmly in his dark hair, and peering with a lifted brow over the rim of his matching snowman sunglasses. 

“You’re late,” he says. 

“41 said to come whenever we wanted,” 28 says sleekly, and Bucky stiffens as her hand in the back pocket of his dark jeans squeezes slightly. 

“You literally live an elevator trip away,” Tony deadpans. “And dinner was over three hours ago. What took you so long?” 

“None of your business,” Bucky growls.  

“No,” 28 says wickedly, and her eyes come alive with mischief. “Let’s tell him.”

Tony chokes, and opens the door wider. “Forget I said anything. Come in. I suppose there are still some cookies. 41 made us leave some for you two.” 

“Where’s the baby?” Bucky demands as 28 tugs him over the threshold. His firm, icy-blue glare stays on Tony’s face, which Tony doesn’t feel he entirely deserves - but then the enormity of the winter wonderland stalls him in his tracks, and 28 tries to pull him further, but he doesn’t move. Just staring. 

Sam had described the living area of Clint and 41’s residential apartment as, “It looks as though Christmas threw up in there. Several times.” 

Sam wasn’t wrong.  

“Why is there glitter everywhere?” Bucky blurts. 

“Why are you asking why?” Tony retorts, coming up behind them. “This is 41 we’re talking about, here.” 

“There she is,” 28 coos, and that jolts Bucky from his haze - she bends over Clint, perched on a tinsel-covered chair with lopsided elf ears on his head. The red and white striped bundle goes straight into her arms. Bucky makes himself move again, a little wobbly with his stomach doing a hundred cartwheels at the pretty curl of his girl’s lips as she kisses baby Candy’s plump cheeks in greeting. 

“Hey, nasties,” Sam calls out from the couch, where he lifts a glass of eggnog in a toast, giving quite a good view of his sweater - literally dripping in ornaments. Balls of all colors against black cashmere. Bucky scowls, and lifts his hand to cradle Candy’s sweet, soft baby head to stroke her silky hair.  

“Shh, she’s sleeping,” 28 whispers, and casts Bucky a secret smile that makes him feel hot head to toes.  

“28,” Steve says in a strained voice. He’s beside Sam, looking uncomfortable in a massive-printed reindeer whose red nose blinks feebly red on his chest. “Are you those reindeer on your sweater…” 

“Fornicating?” she chirps with a smile, glancing up at him. “Yes.” 

“Who even says fornicating?” Sam wrinkles his nose.  

“Everyone said fornicating in the thirties,” Bucky says. 

“Your sweater isn’t very festive, Barnes.” Nat walks into the living area, eggnog in each hand. Bucky wonders if she’d been kind enough to bring some for them - but no. She sits on the edge of the coffee table, and starts drinking from one. 

“Don’t ask,” Bucky says.  

“Why’s it tucked in?” Sam presses.  

“Don’t. Ask.” Then, “My turn.” 

28 smiles her brilliant smile, and willingly surrenders the aptly-dressed Candy as Candy Cane into Bucky’s arms, and he grins at the slight, warm weight in his arms as Clint sighs from his chair. Crumples up like a deflated balloon, with a baleful and minorly frightened stare at Bucky as Bucky sinks onto a footrest, insistently blowing bubbles for Candy’s benefit despite the fact that she slumbers on.  

“Where’s 41?” 28 asks with a frown. It’s Sam that jerks a thumb over his shoulder, over the edge of the couch, as a guilty squeak confirms the general direction. Just a moment later a crooked Santa hat peeks over - sequined, of course - and 41’s guilty face with just a bit of chocolate at the corner of her luridly-red lipsticked lips.  

“I told her the advent calendars are a chocolate a day, not a calendar a day,” Steve sighs. Gets a whack on the head with an empty cardboard calendar for that one, and wrappers litter onto the couch. With a clearing of her throat and a great amount of attempted dignity, 41 gets to her feet, straightening the sparkly silver tinsel of her sweater as she glides, chin high, back around the couch to join the party.  

“Christmas tree camouflage,” 28 jokes, and 41’s face splits into a smile. Twirls a bit, to show off the flickering lights woven into the tinsel.

“Do you like it?” 

“Love it.” 

“Is it my turn to hold Candy, yet?” Tony asks, a half-eaten candy cane hanging from between his lips. 

“No,” Bucky snaps.  

“Can we open our presents yet?” Sam asks. At this, Clint and 41 exchange a look - 41 sitting herself down on the armrest of his chair, and his hand daringly sneaking around her waist. Bucky is, after all, occupied - now burbling to the still-sleeping Candy about how cute her outfit is and what a doll she is in stripes. 

“Yes,” 41 says, but it’s almost a question. Then she brightens, leaning forward to grab a half-drunk cup of eggnog from a side table, slurping it down in one go. “Not enough whipped cream,” she grumbles, as Steve pretends to gag. Then, much more animated, “Yes! Let’s open presents.” 

“I did not know there would be presents,” Tony comments. 

“Well, you didn’t have to bring any, silly,” 41 chirps. Bounces over to the tree flashing rainbow colors - highlighting ornaments of doughnuts and ice cream and candy and a Santa or two thrown in for good measure - Sam tries to convince Natasha to refill his eggnog, and 28 grins as she settles in behind Bucky on the footrest. Close. Very close. Chin on his shoulder, peering down at Candy’s closed eyes and pursed baby-lips as Bucky strokes her chin with one flesh finger. 

“You don’t have to romance the baby while she’s asleep,” 28 murmurs. 

“Shh. I don’t care.”  

An assortment of wrapped packages are thrown across the room - 41 digging them from beneath the tree, everyone saving their drinks with cries of protest. Bucky, of course, throws an arm around the baby and growls a growl that makes shivers crawl up 28’s spine - but has probably made enemies pee their pants in the past.  

“Squirt, you almost hit Candy,” he warns, and there’s devilish danger in his low voice. 

“Oh - sorry.” 

Natasha managed to catch a few of the presents - piling them on the table as 41 returns. While everyone else leans forward, 28 notices the candy bowl, brimming with festive Kisses and Snickers and Reese’s, being pulled closer to 41 with one finger.  

“Steve,” Sam reads a tag, and tosses one to Steve. Next - “Bucky.” 

Sensing danger and a complete breakdown of all good feelings, 28 sticks out a hand to catch the gift - the messy bow barely tickles Bucky’s cheek, and Bucky’s head tilts slowly to regard Sam with a cold glare.  

“You could’ve hit the baby,” he repeats menacingly.  

“It’s fine,” 28 assures him with a nudge of her shoulder. Tucks the present into his elbow with a kiss to his whiskered cheek. Something odd is going on - she might normally have responded with a joke about Sam perfecting his aim, and as much as she wouldn’t have meant it - the sight of a sleeping baby cradled so perfectly in Bucky’s hands...the light in his eyes when he combs over her hair (again)... 

Is it getting hot in here? 

“Okay,” 41 beams across the room, once everyone has a brightly-wrapped present in their hands. “Open them!” 

It’s apprehensive delight in most faces - but when the paper falls away it’s…

“Is that me?” Sam asks, mildly-repulsed, as he holds up a knitted...Falcon doll. 

“Yes!” 41 claps her hands, barely forming words around a mouthful of chocolate. “Clint made them.” 

“Clint made them?” 

28 is quite proud of her own doll - complete with thigh holster - and as Bucky remains distracted tickling Candy’s toes (how Candy is still sleeping is a mystery), she light-fingers Bucky’s present from beneath his arm to open herself. The knitted Winter Soldier is cuter than he ought to be.  

“Clint,” 28 declares. “You captured Bucky’s angry eyebrows perfectly.” 

“Thanks,” Clint says with a growing smile, and then Bucky lifts his head with a scowl, and Clint pulls a red and green striped pillow from his side to hold in front of himself like a shield as he sinks further into the armchair.  

“Cute,” Tony admits, and leans over to set his Iron Man in the middle of the coffee table. “I need more nog.”  

The other dolls join his as their owners/doppelgangers go off in search of more drinks and treats. 28 leans over to arrange hers and Bucky’s - in a very inappropriate way, of course, but cleverly mimicking the reason for their tardiness to their party. And if Bucky would look over, a question for later. 

Sam does a double take as he stands to make for the kitchen - and then pretends to gag. “Nasty,” he says vehemently, and reaches over to turn the knitted Falcon away from the scene. “Cover your eyes, bruh. You do not want to see that. Worse than the reindeer fornicating.” 

“For-knit-cation,” 28 corrects him with a beaming smile, and 41, absently straightening Clint’s elf ears, laughs loud enough to make Candy squirm, and Bucky huffs in motherly frustration.  

“Quiet!” he snaps, glaring all around - Clint tries to hide around 41’s tinsel sweater, and Sam just shakes his head as he leaves. “The baby is sleeping. And watch your language.” A peek over his shoulder, and 28 smiles at the crease of his brows. “And you, babe - you can’t say ‘fornicate’ around a baby! Pun or not.” 

“She’s asleep,” 28 points out as a reminder. Shifts in her seat - it really is getting hot in here, no? Or is it just her? 

“Doesn’t mean her ears aren’t working!” A pouted lip - her eyes shift down, and she remembers kissing those precise lips just an hour earlier - and Bucky lifts Candy slightly with a reproachful look, as if to scold her. It doesn’t work - mostly it just makes sweat break out on her forehead and the back of her neck.  

“Bucky,” 28 says firmly, crossing her legs. “I need you. In the bathroom.” 

“I’m holding the baby. Can’t it wait?” Already he’s shifted the baby in his arms, to press nuzzling kisses to her cheek, as she continues to suckle sleepily on her candy cane-striped pacifier.  

“No,” she says faintly.  

“Hungry?” 41 rustles the half-empty candy bowl in their direction.  

“Not for candy,” 28 sighs.  

"I'd like to hold my daughter,” Clint pipes up. To which Bucky hisses.  

“No.”  

“C’mon, Bucky,” 28 urges, panting a bit for breath as she pulls the neckline of her sweater from her throat. “Let Clint have Candy.”

"There's a bowl on the table,” Bucky snarks.  

“Good one,” Tony remarks with a handful of toffee.  

“We’re out of Reese’s,” 41 says woefully.  

"Bucky,” 28 tugs the hem of his sweater out of his jeans - and snakes her hand up his bare back as he gives a yelp of surprise. “I need you in the bathroom. Immediately.” And with that, stands, takes a deep breath, gives him a pointed look as his mouth falls open in surprise, and stalks away a bit stiffly. 

“Okay,” Bucky says, and whips around. “Here, 41. You can have Candy.”

“I’ve had a lot already - oh. Ok!”  

Clint gets the almost-empty bowl of wrappers, and 41 doesn’t waste time snuggling her daughter with a kiss or two. Bucky clears his throat, standing with a quick look around - Steve and Tony and Clint not looking his way, and Natasha giving him a wolfish wink as Sam rolls his eyes.  

Bucky scuttles away.  

"I thought it would be better when they were hiding anymore,” Sam sighs as the bathroom door down the hall slams shut.   

"So, who wants to listen to some music,” Tony remarks, wandering over to the television stand to start poking at some electronics. “Normally I wouldn’t suggest it, but I’m on my fourteenth candy cane, so why not?” 

“Don’t blame it on the candy canes, Tony. We know you just want to cover up any noise from the bathroom.” Natasha settles in on the couch between Steve and Sam, feet propped up by the knitted dolls on the coffee table, including the fornicating ones. Likely a prophecy of what’s happening in the bathroom at that precise moment.  

“I hope 28 isn’t sick,” Steve comments with a frown. “She seemed pretty feverish. Agitated.” 

“I’m sure Bucky will help her out,” Natasha says dryly.  

“Maybe some earplugs,” Sam suggests. “Those two should come with a basket they hand out before they run off to get into each other’s pants.”

“Oh,” Steve says.  

The television flickers to life - Tony stands back, remote in hand, and a glaring black of Jingle Bell Rock thuds from the surround sound. Clint shudders in surprise; Tony squeaks, Sam lets out a curse - Natasha doesn’t even blink, and to add to the general distress of the uproar, the pacifier falls from Candy’s lips, and her eyes pop open.  

A wailing cry fills the room as Tony finally finds the right button to turn the volume down, all while cursing his own outdated tech, and 41 stands to bounce the baby a bit as she offers the pacifier again. But Candy isn’t having it - face screwed up and angry-red, while Sam suggests a movie and Tony argues back about just a few minutes of music, and Steve asks loudly if they can turn it off while Candy calms down -  

Running footsteps from the hall. Belt jingling as he manages to yank up the zipper, Bucky’s hair definitively roughed up now, his emerald-green sweater loose and untucked -  

“It’s okay, Candy baby,” he coos, rushing straight for 41, and bemused, 41 surrenders her unhappy daughter into Bucky’s arms. “I’ve got you, girl. Uncle Bucky is here. Those meanies woke you up, huh? I’ll get them for you, baby girl. I’ll make them pay.”  

“Um,” Tony says. 

Blank silence in the room, as Bucky coddles Candy as she starts to quiet, big eyes riveted on his face. Everyone else is staring at him, too. Natasha tosses some popcorn into her mouth, the only other noise besides Bucky’s soft voice. 

“Is that - mistletoe?” Steve ventures.  

“Yes,” 28 says, without her uncharacteristic smile now as she turns the corner, arms folded in front of her chest with a cross expression on her face. Not as disheveled as Bucky is, but her eyes are blazing heat. Annoyance, perhaps. “Yes, there is mistletoe at the hem of Bucky’s sweater. Yes, it hangs in front of his crotch. Yes, I bought it for him.” 

“I’m so glad we don’t keep secrets anymore,” Natasha says dryly.  

“I wish we kept secrets again,” Sam sighs.  

Candy’s face crumples again - but not to cry. A collective breath is held in the room, and Bucky’s brow creases in worry - but then, a rumbling wetness as she squirms in her blanket, and a ripe scent sends Bucky’s head jerking back in revulsion, and Steve covers his nose.  

“Merry Christmas, birdbrain,” Bucky breaks the silence as Natasha sniggers behind a hand, and 28 rubs her temples. “Here, you can have your daughter back.”  

Clint’s mouth opens and closes, clearly unsure of what to say, but he accepts his daughter into his hands, and chokes when she gets close, gurgling with pleasure now that her discomfort is solved. 

“I’m so generous,” Bucky says, and smiles.