#guys this may be the most ridiculous thing I've ever written

[whatisamildopinion]

Our first Hiatus Poll Fic is up!!! I don't know if this is what you guys were picturing when you voted for this but I giggled a lot while writing it SOOOO. Here we are.

If you are a newbie to Aasimar AU, this one does not require reading the other fics first, because it's mostly freshman year canon compliant. The formatting of this will work much better on a computer but it can be read on a phone as well.

As usual, snippet under the cut, and enjoy, my lovelies!

justfig>;p

[Photo ID: The entrance to a club, backlit by neon lights and fire pouring out of a broken window. Fig, Fabian, Gorgug, Adaine, and Kristen are all dimly haloed by the light as people flee in the distance. They are covered in blood and scratches. Fabian is obviously pulling broken glass out of his hair. Fig has a lit clove in one hand. In the back third of the picture there is the shadowed outline of a person, no features visible except for two glowing, slitted eyes.]

♡ 84 🗨 22 🖝         

Liked by greatcaster and others

justfig>:p I give the black pit a 4/10 because the drinks were fine but the vampires sucked. I’ll come back someday to improve the music too

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                            slfaeth Fig, you could at least send me a message if you’re not gonna make it home. 

                                                        justfig>;p fuck off mom

                            priscillababe fig there are creepy eyes in your photo why are there creepy eyes in your photo

                                                        justfig>;p that’s just riz, don’t worry about it, he’s super cute actually

                                                                                    blessedbees can confirm, not scary, just super adorable

[unholyhelbig]

It's been a year since any vampire Kate 😭

Title: I Don't Bite [Part Eight]

Ship: Female!Reader x Vampire!Kate Bishop

Wordcount: 2297

Warnings: Mentions of sex, blood, Tony Stark, and horrible grammar.

[A/n: I straight up hate this, but I've written myself into a bit of a corner and think that you guys deserve an ending to this one soon, so here's an update! I do have more ideas for Vampire Kate just not... this]

Read from the Start | Read my stuff on AO3 | Leave Requests

There was a staleness to your home after three days of being abandoned. The sun was filtering through rolling dark clouds, a coldness filling your bones. The place you’d resided in for the last year didn’t feel like yours anymore.  A smudge of dark brown blood against the doorframe to the bathroom was the only trace that Kate had ever stepped foot here.

Her car wasn’t in the driveway. Your fingers trembled as you struggled to open the door. Bobbi and Jemma’s home was eerily quiet, as if it had been abandoned long ago. The lights leading up to the front door were the only sign of life. Your heart was pounding in your throat by the time your back pressed against the inside of your door.

It may have been foolish to return here, but you simply had nowhere else to go. The worry you held for a woman that you had spent a single night in a dingy hotel room with, was alarming, if not understandable. You were willing to risk your job for her safety and risk your life for the same.

You pulled a mug from your kitchen cabinet and filled it with lukewarm water, gulping it down without regard for the moisture that soaked into the collar of your shirt- Kate’s shirt- that you were reluctant to take off despite it being wrinkled with wear.

���You have no survival instincts, do you?”

The voice startled you, water sputtering from your lips. You coughed at the unfamiliar feeling of drowning is the most trivial regard. Your intuition kicked in, finally, and you grasped the largest knife from the butcher block by the sink. You held it between you and Jemma, her eyebrow raised.

“What do you intend to do with that thing? Stab me?”

“If I have to, yes.”

She was leaning back in one of your kitchen chairs, her legs crossed with an elegance that always accompanied her. For a moment, you considered asking how she got in, but it would be easy for a SHIELD agent to do so, and you decided not to waste your breath. Despite yourself, you were in awe of the still and calm nature she exuded.

“Y/n, we both know you don’t have it in you.” She stood and walked to the side of the counter, all the while, your grip tightened on the steak knife, the tip twisting in the air. “Maybe you do. I keep telling Bobbi not to underestimate the power of infatuation.”

“Are you even a biochemist, or was that a lie too?”

“Oh no, I’m quite gifted in the field. I’m a woman of science, and so is Bobbi. It’s why they put the two of us here in the first place, to understand Kate. What she is and what her intentions are.” There was a hint of honesty to her voice that you were inclined to believe. “SHIELD’s job is to minimize civilian involvement in the unknown. Neither of us wanted to see you get involved.”

Your arm was starting to ache, the knife between the two of you faltering before you regained your grip, steeling yourself. A laugh threatened to bubble from your chest. This was all ridiculous. There was a spy in your kitchen hunting a vampire. Just last month you wouldn’t’ dream of holding a blade between yourself and Jemma.

She was packing though, and the gesture made you feel just a tick better than if you were empty handed. “Civilian involvement, Jemma, I’ve heard all about Tony Starks ties to you. SHIELD is all over his documents, it practically bleeds ignorance.”

Jemma drummed her fingers against the granite of the counter, letting out a heavy sigh. Her eyes flicked to the front door, and then the glass of the back. She had an eye on all of her exits, and that made a deep seed of worry settle in the pit of your stomach.

“We’re not the bad guys here, Y/n. You’ve worked for Tony and Pepper for what? Ten years now? That must build some type of trust. Stark may be daft sometimes, but he doesn’t’ back ideas he doesn’t believe in. You know that.”

You did know that. Though you had started out fetching coffee for Pepper, you’d soon climb the ranks from an intern to a personal assistant that was not only privy to the companies’ deepest secrets, but the sharpest decisions. Tony, despite his peacocking, was a good guy that you’d put your confidence in.

“Bobbi, she’s good but she’s rash. I tried to talk her out of cornering you like she did. But despite her brashness she has a point. You’re putting your faith in the wrong direction.” Jemma gently pushed your hand down, moving the sharp end of the knife to the floor. She didn’t’ attempt to pry it from you. “There are things in this world, y/n, that need to be researched to be understood.”

Jemma asked you where Kate was, and your eyes darted down to the blade before retuning it to the wooden block with ease. You told her that you didn’t’ know, that Kate had left you in the hotel room for your own safety. The biochemist seemed to believe you in earnest.

She squeezed your shoulder once before slipping out the back door. You made a point to flip the deadbolt the second she took a step onto the grass. Your mouth was incredibly dry again, eyes clenched shut in an attempt to unscramble your thoughts.

You were growing exhausted with the light B&E, climbing the stairs with a heavy disposition. You’d have to return to the office tomorrow to face Pepper with your bad decisions, maybe even Tony if he had caught wind of your unresolved issues with SHIELD.

You needed to wash the filmy hotel soap from your skin, the sweat that soaked into the fabric of your shirt during your conversation with Jemma. You flicked on the water, letting the room fill with a dense steam before stripping down to nothing but your bra and underwear. You drew in a dense, warm breath.

There was a cool touch against the bare skin of your back and a yelp escaped your lips. You turned quickly, using the back of your hand to slam blindly against the stranger. Your knuckles made contact with something hard and icy.

“Okay, I deserved that. Nice right hook, darling.”

Kate’s smooth voice settled into your veins, the steam from your running shower made her eyes look glassy, but they were filled with relief. You couldn’t’ say the same. Instead, you frowned and gave her a shove, the punch to the face not seeming like enough.

“What the hell, Kate! I thought you’d gotten yourself killed. Leaving a cryptic note like that and having me foot the bill for the motel? Dick move.” You shoved her again but took a step to keep the gap between the both of you minimal. “Don’t try to stop me. We’re a little too far for that, don’t you think?”

This time, when you moved to shove her again, her cool fingers wrapped around your wrist. She held your still with minimal effort, pulling your forward to slot against her body. Kate smelled like the earth, like blood and the cleanliness of detergent. She was taller than you, only by a few inches, but it was enough for your eyes to flick up.

The pads of her fingers moved down your bare spine, sending shivers across your body. Each time you thought you were done, each time you thought that the mess you had gotten into was slowly fizzing to an end, Kate would waltz in with her suave confidence, her frigid skin, her kind eyes that betrayed her true nature.

“I meant what I said,” She whispered to you, “I wanted to come sooner, I did, but something tells me Jemma left behind a few gifts. They can’t hear us over the water.”

“You do have a plan, then?”

“Not quite.” She sighed out, pressing her forehead against yours “But I needed to see you. Your lack of clothing is just an obvious bonus.”  

She must have heard your heartbeat pick up, because Kate had a cocky smirk against her lips, tempered gray eyes clouding with lust. Despite the innate danger of simply being in her presence, you couldn’t deny your want for her.

Kate’s fingers ghosted your jawline “I can smell how much you want me, pet.”

You groaned at the words, blood blooming in a brilliant red against your cheeks. You hid your face in the crook of her neck out of embarrassment. It was infuriating, the power she had over you. But in this moment, you’d give everything up for her; your job, your home, your life if she asked.

If it were anyone else, her assuredness would infuriate you. But instead, her words, the edge of affection in her voice, made you tremble with need. Kate chuckled and the sound vibrated against your cheek.

“No reason to be shy,” Kate gently pulled back, guiding your eyes back to her.

She looked down at you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. You weren’t quite sure who closed the distance between you, and in that moment, you didn’t care. Her lips were soft, and tasted slightly of salt. Kate made a quiet noise, brushing her tongue against your bottom lip.

Her nails raked up the bare flesh of your thighs and you gasped into her mouth at the sensation, allowing her entrance, her tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth as her fingers ghosted your ribs, the sensation making your stomach flutter.

“Is this alright?” She pulled back, and you whimpered at the loss of contact, suddenly ashamed of the effect she had on you. Kate was smiling in a way that conveyed triumph. “I promise, I’ll be gentle.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Katie.”

There was a soreness to your body that lulled you into taking the elevator up to your floor the next day. Kate, had in fact, broken her promise four times and that was enough for you to consider cashing in on the vacation days you’d built up. If it weren’t for the bloodthirsty spies, or the less bloodthirsty vampire, debacle you would have done just that.

“Well, you have a bit of pep to your step this morning Miss Y/L/N.”

“Good morning, Mr. Stark”

One of the reasons you didn’t’ take the elevator was that Tony Stark took the elevator. You’d rather dash up flights of stairs and work up a sweat than suffer through a few minutes of small talk with your boss. Especially during current circumstances.

He was dressed casually, a T-shirt and jeans, telling you that he had spent most of his morning in the lab. A cup of coffee was in his hand, steaming and filling the small space with the thick scent.

Kate had littered your collarbone with dark purple blotches, and you had let her. Ther was something intoxicating about feeling her sharp teeth brush against your skin, never breaking it but marking you all the same. You tugged the lapel of your coat, covering whatever had slipped through your collar.

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with your new friend, would it?” Tony asked.

You drew in a sharp breath and suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here. You were between floors in the elevator, the world whistling by at your back. The city looked so small as you glided towards the main office where Pepper was located.

Tony turned quickly and hit the button for the elevator to halt to a startling stop. He spilled a few drops of coffee but didn’t’ flinch as the hot liquid dripped down his hand, instead he wiped it away and gave you a deep stare. Your back was already pressed against the cold glass.

“Relax, kid, I just want to talk.”

“A lot of people just want to talk lately, and frankly I’m getting sick of everyone cornering me like this.” You said, hands gripping the railing. “Stark, I’m claustrophobic.”

“This will only take a minute.”

“If you’re going to tell me to give up Kate, forget it. I’ve heard it before, a-lot. But from where I’m sitting, the only people that are a danger to me is you and your secret organization, with your spies and your tech and your-“

“Y/n, I agree with you.”

He’d cut you off with a simple sentence. Your heart was pounding and you were white-knuckling the railing. You narrowed your eyes at him, lifting a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. There was a level of trust here, sharing a small space with an Avenger. The cockiest, most impulsive one, but an Avenger all the same.

“What?”

“I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life, and I’ve spent years trying to remedy them, protect the world from myself more than anything.” He frowned into his coffee, not looking you in the eye. “There are some people out there that without a doubt, don’t deserve a second chance. But neutralizing someone before they’ve gotten a first? That’s not how I run things.”

“You can call them off, then?” You asked.

“It doesn’t’ work like that. I work for them, not the other way around. I can make a few calls, but I can’t promise anything. I just…” He hesitated, chewing the inside of his lip “You’re like some weird, fucked up daughter to me, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Or undead, or whatever comes with what she is.”

You pried yourself from the railing and embraced him. He let out a startled breath but eventually relaxed into the hug, rubbing his hand against your back. “Alright kid, alright.”

[mycupofteafanzine]

My Cup of Tea contributor announcement: part 2!

We are excited to share our list of writers and cosplayers in the zine! You can also find our artists here. See below the cut for links to their socials and their answers to the question: Why do you love Martin?

Writers

milkteamoon | tumblr Ao3

I really love how contradictorily human he is! He's a little guy. He's kind of a bitch. He wants so badly to be the sensitive artist type and yet will encourage murder against those whom he perceives to have wronged him at the drop of a hat. He's incredibly kissable and should be kissed by anyone and everyone, I think, for his health.

crescenttwins | tumblr carrd

Martin is this lovely exploration of a person who is deeply affected by trauma but still ends up able to be kind at the end of it.

Morning Softness | tumblr

He’s just such a great complex character. He does his absolute best in a job he’s not at all qualified for, determined to go above and beyond so no one will complain about his work ethic, even when the demands placed on him are ridiculous or dangerous. He’s anxious but he’s also brave and stubborn. He’s jealous and bitter and petty and sarcastic. He’s kind and optimistic and gentle. He’s a poet. He’s incredibly practical, and is better at showing care to others through his actions than his words. He holds onto guilt because he’s convinced it helps him do better. He tries so hard to be needed because he thinks it’s the only way anyone would want him, and he feels like it would be manipulative of him to expect or even want anything in return. He makes an effort to care about others and help in any way he can, even though it is an effort, even when it isn’t returned.

Pine | tumblr

In "Big Picture," Martin says to Simon Fairchild "I think our experience of the universe has value. Even if it disappears forever." I think it may be the most hopeful statement in TMA (not that it has a great deal of competition!), and I thought about it a lot while season five was airing. (And I love, too, how Martin may have been a hypocrite about it, unwilling to let the universe disappear.)

Saint | tumblr Ao3

Golly gee what a question. I guess the biggest thing is I love how full of seemingly diametrically-opposed contradictions he is: his genuine sweetness and kindness vs his very serious desire to see the violent death of people he's perceived to have wronged him, his dorky poetry vs the fact that he's the kind of person to use the word "ontological" in casual conversation, his capacity for love and compassion vs his proclivity for isolation. Also he has the best voice.

Cosplayers

Shashamisen | tiktok

He hit me as the most human-like character to me. Blame it on the beautiful voice acting or the discreet complexity of how his character was written, but I started loving him for how much I related, and stayed for the cutest awkward love I've ever seen.

Bow | insta tiktok

The obvious reason is that I see so much of my current, but especially younger, self in him, but I also love him because to me, he is the character in TMA who goes through the most growth and comes into himself. I love seeing his journey of self discovery and emotional strength.

Kaedan | tiktok

He became a comfort character immediately. His patience, his sweet nature, the way he stutters when he's flustered (just like me,) it all felt like a cool breeze in the fire that is the horror that is TMA. His life and traumas mirror my own, and the way he comes out of it with kindness and an unexpected fierceness is amazing to me. The way he underhanded Elias AND Peter impresses me constantly.

Alex | tumblr tiktok

He is my husband and I adore him.

Slush/Hailey | insta tiktok tumblr twitter

To me, he is the heart of The Magnus Archives! Martin is always showing his most human side to those around him and never lets the horrors around him stop him from being a good person. Like so many on this zine, I see a lot of myself in Martin Blackwood. There's so much of myself I see in him, yet there's so much more I want to be. He's kind and thoughtful. He's soft, but he finds his courage and shows that he can be quite tenacious and clever! He's constantly underestimated, especially by himself, but shows them up with confidence and sass. He doesn't let the horrible things that have happened to him make him hard and is never afraid of being his true self. I also find our relationships with the Lonely incredibly similar. Essentially, it's been quite a long time since I've found a character that is so much like myself, and gives me hope that I can also make the same changes in my life as him to grow and become a better person. Hopefully that doesn't include being stalked by a worm lady.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Cracks In a Bottle

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Twenty-Five

A JSE Fanfic

Man it feels like forever since I've written the kids. I missed them. Can't believe we're already halfway through the winter arc! The gang has figured out what that weird doll does, and it's really cause for concern. They try to find some way to get rid of it, but everything ends up in dead ends, and JJ is starting to get frustrated with all this. Meanwhile, Christmas and exams are fast approaching, and the kids have to deal with that before they're able to really do anything.

More of this AU | From the Start | Read on AO3 at CrystalNinjaPhoenix

++++++++++++++++++++

“That is the most messed-up thing I’ve ever heard,” Jackie said.

The whole gang was gathered at Zelly’s, which was pretty much empty besides them. The shop may have served hot chocolate in the winter, but it was better known for its ice cream, so summer was always busiest. That should have meant the kids were more comfortable talking about their adventures since no one could overhear, but something about the empty area made them all uneasy. Their words echoed more.

“It’s so messed up!” Chase agreed in a whisper-shout. “Are you two really sure that’s what the doll is doing?”

Marvin and JJ nod in unison. “We tested it out twice,” Marvin said. “I mean, I guess you could try it for yourself if you want. Are you okay with that, JJ?”

JJ hesitated, then nodded.

“Wow. Okay uhh...” Chase bit his lip, thinking. “Do the chicken dance.”

JJ stiffened. And then, despite clearly not wanting to, he stood up and started to do the chicken dance. Chase couldn’t help but laugh.

“You can stop!” Schneep hurriedly said.

JJ stopped and immediately sat down, face red with embarrassment.

“Chase!” Stacy glared at him.

“Huh? What?” Chase blinked, confused. “Nobody saw besides us.”

“He didn’t want to do it!”

“Yeah exactly—that’s how I knew it would be magic.”

“You did not have to laugh, Chase,” Schneep pointed out.

“Sorry... It wasn’t funny, it was just...” Chase gestures vaguely. It was a little funny to see JJ do something ridiculous he wouldn’t usually do. But this was serious time. “So, uh, guess we really gotta get rid of that doll, then? Do you have it?”

Nodding, JJ took it out of his bag and put it on the table between his and Marvin’s hot chocolate mugs.

“Huh... you’re right, it does look... bigger.” Jackie reached over and picked it up. “Less skinny.” He gave it an experimental squeeze. “You didn’t feel that?” 

Not at all, JJ said.

“Okay.” Jackie nodded. “Well we definitely need to get rid of this now. I think it’s safest to take this home with me and put it in the fireplace. I doubt this thing is flameproof.”

I’ll probably need to come with you then, JJ says. So it won’t disappear and return to me.

“I can keep a good eye on it,” Jackie promised.

JJ stared at him. You have to blink eventually.

“...Well that doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Jackie muttered. “Alright. You can stop by my house sometime. When would be good?”

Marvin frowned. “Mam and Dad aren’t gonna let him go to a friend’s house while exams are getting so close.”

“You don’t have to tell them where you’re going,” Jackie said.

“Okay lemme say that a different way,” Marvin said. “They’re not gonna let him go anywhere that isn’t school soon. We were lucky that we could come here.”

JJ nodded. We said we were going to the library.

Schneep frowned. “I really do not like your parents.”

“Yeah that’s fricked up,” Chase added. “Uhhh... can you guys sneak out or something? Or, uh, get your grandma to take you somewhere? She seems nice.”

JJ and Marvin glanced at each other. “We’ll see what we can do,” Marvin said slowly. “Anyway. Uh, have you guys heard anything else about the greenlight shit?”

“Nope,” Stacy said.

“Which I find strange,” Schneep said. “We were hearing all sorts of rumors during the summer. But nothing now.” He leaned forward. “I think that the Circle is doing something.”

Chase sat up straight to attention. “Like what?”

“I am not sure exactly. But we know that these monsters come from the Fissures, yes? Or, if we believe Anti, they are coming from this ‘dark place’ that the Fissures lead to. And we know the Circle is keeping an eye on the Fissures and the... Anom...Anomalies.” He looked around. “Is that right?”

“Yeah, that’s the right word, Schneep,” Jackie assured him. “So, you think that the Circle is... what, sealing up the Fissures?”

“If they could do that, they would’ve sealed up the one under the planetarium before Anti collapsed it,” Stacy pointed out.

“Yes, I agree,” Schneep said. “But they must be doing something. Ja?”

“That makes sense,” Marvin said. He growled. “Man, I wanna go right up to these Circles guys and give them a piece of my fucking mind.” He conjured up a little tower with his greenlight, glowing and translucent. Then he punched it and knocked it over, where it crashed into pieces upon hitting the table, then disappeared.

“You’re getting really good at that,” Chase said, impressed.

“We can’t just go confront the Circle,” Jackie said. “We don’t know what they’d do. We do have to find some way to take care of them, but—but we have to be sneaky about it!” He sighed. “Winter holiday is fast approaching. We’ll... start doing more then. We can think of stuff to try until then.”

JJ frowned. He stares at the doll sitting on the table, the doll that looked so much like him.

He didn’t want to wait until winter break. He wanted to take care of this now.

++++++++++++++++++++

Mrs. Karter was the Chemistry teacher, meaning her classroom was on the third floor with all the other science classrooms. JJ’s last class of the day, Physics, was also on that floor, so he decided to just head straight there. Well... not straight away. He wanted to give the students who had that class time to clear out. So he waited around as long as he felt he could, then headed down the hallway. He found the classroom easily enough, peeking inside the open door—

Not all of the students were gone. River Bailey was inside, talking with Mrs. Karter.

JJ froze.

A minute passed, then River turned away from Mrs. Karter and caught sight of JJ. “Oh hey!” He waved. “Jameson, huh? Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you.”

JJ shook his head. No, it’s not like— He started to sign, then froze again, realizing that River probably wouldn’t understand.

River blinked slowly. “Oh yeah... you don’t talk. Sorry, I, uh, can’t understand that.”

After a split second hesitation—should he get his notebook out and try to talk for real?—JJ just smiled and nodded, trying to tell him that it was alright.

“Yeah. Sorry.” River looked slightly embarrassed. “Uh, well... do you have Chemistry? I’ve never seen you in my class.”

JJ shook his head.

“Oh. Man, I could’ve helped you with stuff. So what d’you need to talk to Mrs. Karter about?” River asked. 

Mrs. Karter had noticed JJ as well. She was staring at him with a hard-to-read expression. Then, when River turned around to look at her, she smiled. “Mr. Jackson’s brother is in my class. He must be here to help him in some way.”

“Oh yeah, of course.” River smiled at JJ. “See you around then?”

JJ nodded. His face felt really hot.

“Kay. Bye!” River headed off. JJ watched him go, turning to follow him with his eyes until he was out of sight. Then he spun back around to face Mrs. Karter.

“Nervous?” she asked. “You look frozen with fear.”

He was pretty sure it wasn’t fear. But this wasn’t the time to address it. He took a deep breath and stepped farther into the classroom, putting his books down on a desk so he could sign. But then he remembered that Mrs. Karter didn’t speak sign, so he took out his notebook and wrote, What did you do to me?

Mrs. Karter blinked, looking confused. “What do you mean?”

With the doll!

“Doll?”

JJ looked around. He knew by now how the doll worked. All he needed was a compartment or something—there! He walked over to a closet in the back of the room and opened it. Sure enough, there it was, sitting on a shelf. He grabbed it and walked back over, putting the doll on the desk.

Mrs. Karter glanced down at it, still confused. “Huh?”

I got this doll for some award or something, JJ said.

“...Congratulations?”

JJ shook his head, biting back a frustrated growl. The Circle gave it to me, didn’t they?!

Mrs. Karter glanced around nervously. They were alone. There was no one else in the classroom, and no one in sight in the hallway. “If they did, I was not informed,” she said quietly. “And why would they give you some doll?”

Because it’s a weird magic doll! Ever since I got it, I have to do whatever people tell me to! And no matter where I leave it, it appears next to me again!

Mrs. Karter blinked. “Really...? Fascinating. What a strange Anomaly.” She poked the doll, then glanced at JJ, as if looking for his reaction. A strange curiosity came into her expression. “Jameson—”

JJ recognized that tone. She was about to tell him to do something! Quickly, he clapped his hands over his ears and ran out of the classroom without even bothering to pick up his books.

++++++++++++++++++++

“That... might not have been the best idea...” Jackie said slowly.

I guess I didn’t think it through, JJ said curtly.

“I didn’t expect that from you, JJ!” Chase laughed. “You’re like—smart and stuff.”

JJ stared at him without saying anything. Chase’s laughter slowly died. You and Schneep didn’t have to come, you know, he finally said.

“We thought it would be better this way,” Schneep explained. “In case something happened there would be more people to help.”

The boys were all gathered at Jackie’s house. His dad was at work, but he could be back soon, so Jackie had explained their visit away by saying the kids wanted to look at more Caverns and Creatures stuff. Which... wasn’t technically a lie. They did want to look at more C&C stuff. But they all agreed it wouldn’t be fair to do more without Stacy, who was busy today because her sister had a dance recital. “I don’t wanna see a doll burn anyway,” she’d said. “Just text me when it’s done.”

JJ nodded slowly. He turned back to Jackie. Can we just get this over with?

“Right.” While JJ and Marvin explained what happened with Mrs. Karter, Jackie had been busy stoking the fire. He poked the logs with a fireplace poker. “I think it’s hot enough.”

“It’s fire, of course it’s hot enough,” Marvin said. “But I guess the doll is magic so like I guess hotter is better just in case it’s more, like, durable than a normal doll. But I don’t think you can get that hot with a normal fireplace. I think you could cook over fireplaces in the olden times though so maybe you can? JJ what d’you think?”

JJ shrugged. He took the doll out of his bag and handed it over to Jackie. “Thanks,” Jackie said, and carefully balanced the doll on the fireplace poker, draping it across the metal so its legs and arms dangled. Then he slowly inched the doll towards the flames... and tossed it into the fireplace. It landed right in the center of the burning logs.

“Where do you get firewood, Jackie?” Chase asked curiously. “Does your dad go out into the woods to chop it?”

Jackie laughed. “No, you can just buy firewood at the store. Don’t you ever wonder what those stacks of—”

“JJ!” Schneep gasped.

JJ had suddenly fallen to his hands and knees. His skin was growing red, and he blinked tiredly as droplets of sweat fell into his eyes.

“What the hell?!” Jackie gasped.

Everyone’s attention snapped back to the fireplace. The doll had caught on fire, flames licking at its yarn hair and cloth hands. Marvin lunged forward, reaching out his hand. A length of green glowing light wrapped around the doll like a lasso. He grabbed onto this greenlight rope and pulled. The doll tumbled out of the fire and onto the stone hearth around the fireplace.

Chase took his hat off and tried to fan air towards the fiery doll. “No, air makes fire bigger!” Schneep shouted.

“It does?! But you blow out candles!”

“Wait here!” Jackie got up and ran into the kitchen. He was only gone for a minute, but in that time, JJ fell to the floor, gasping. Marvin knelt by his brother’s side, sparks of greenlight flickering around his hands as he tries to come up with something to do. Chase and Schneep looked around the room wildly, trying to figure out some way to help!

Then Jackie returned, dumping a bowl full of water onto the doll. It splashed wildly, some getting on Chase and Marvin, but the flames went out instantly. JJ gasped, rolling onto his back to look at the ceiling. “JJ! JJ!” Marvin shouted. When JJ didn’t respond, he got up in his face and began signing. J-twin! J-twin!

JJ took a deep breath. I’m fine, he signed slowly.

“Wh-what was that?” Chase stammered. 

Schneep rushed over to JJ’s side. He presses two fingers to his neck, then put his hand an inch above JJ’s mouth—which JJ looked really confused about. “Y-your heartbeat and breathing is fine, but your skin is really hot,” Schneep said.

“I thought you guys tested if it would hurt him,” Chase said.

“We did!” Marvin said. “I guess our tests weren’t good enough. I mean... I guess we were too scared to try anything really bad. Like the, uh, fire.”

We should have at least stabbed the doll, JJ said, then sat up.

“Nooo!” Marvin said, looking like he was about to cry at the mere thought of stabbing the doll—and therefore, his brother.

Jackie picked up the doll. It dripped water onto the hearth. “Uh... guys? This is weird.” He showed the doll to the boys. It was... unburning itself. The damage was being... healed? 

Marvin blinked. “What the fuck? I-its greenlight is spiking!”

That’s so weird,” Chase said.

“W-well at least the damage done by the fire will not continue to hurt JJ,” Schneep said.

JJ stood up. He glared at the doll, frustrated. Then stomped over and snatched it from Jackie’s hands, shoving it into his bag without caring about getting his other belongings wet.

“.. Okay, then,” Jackie said.

“What’re you so angry about, JJ?” Chase asked.

JJ glared at him.

“Dude, there’s a magic doll making him do what people say,” Marvin said. “And it can’t be destroyed. Shit sucks.”

“Uh... right.” Chase nodded slowly. “I-I would be angry, too, I guess.” But for some reason, he didn’t expect JJ to be angry. 

“What do we do now?” Schneep asked worriedly.

“There has to be some way to get rid of it,” Jackie said, determined. “Marvin, can you drain its greenlight?”

“I think we already talked about that,” Marvin said. “I can’t. But...” He sighed. “Maybe I just need more practice? I wish I had more time to do cool magic shit with all these exams and holiday stuff. But I’ll do everything I can, JJ!” He held out his hand to JJ. He took it, and Marvin squeezed his hand tightly. “Everything!”

“Yes, we will do everything too!” Schneep agreed.

“We’ll find out more,” Jackie said. “Maybe if we can find Anti or more Circle stuff—”

And then his phone started to ring in his pocket. 

“Damn it,” Jackie whispered. He took the phone out and answered the call. “Yeah? Oh! Really? No, I’m not busy. What is it? Yeah, I remember. I’ll give it to you after class tomorrow. Hey, I’m a man of my word! You know me! Well it won’t take long to say over the phone.” He paused. “Sounds good. What is it?” Another pause. He nodded. “Thank you so much, Celine. We’ll meet up at the front entrance after class.” Then he hung up.

What was that about? JJ asked.

“My friend Celine.” Jackie grinned. “She found Jack’s address. It’s 5 Windscape Lane in Miryburgh, Ireland. She’s gonna write it down for me and hand it to me tomorrow, too.”

“Oh shoot!” Chase took his own pocket out of his phone. “We gotta call Stacy!”

“What do we do with this address now that we have it?” Schneep asked. “Do we mail him?”

“No, he could ignore a letter,” Jackie said. “We have to find some reason to go over there and talk to him. All of us. Maybe—after Christmas? While we’re still on holiday?”

“Sounds great!” Chase said excitedly. 

In fact, he was so excited, that he didn’t notice the way JJ’s shoulders slumped. But Schneep did. He looked over at him. “Is everything alright, Jameson?” he asked.

JJ nodded. 

“...okay,” Schneep said quietly. “Let us know what we can do, ja?”

We can get rid of the stupid doll, JJ said.

“That’s... going to be difficult,” Jackie said slowly. “We clearly can’t destroy it, and it might just keep teleporting to you if we, like, bury it or something. I think the best thing we can do is have Marvin practice on taking out the greenlight. If we’re really sure it won’t work, then we start trying things desperately.”

JJ nodded slowly. I guess we just... go home now.

“Man. I don’t wanna go home.” Marvin sighed. “It’s all studying there all the time. But I guess we have to go home eventually. Ugh. Fucking exams.”

The more time passed, the more Chase felt exams looming over his head. When they got home, Mom insisted that he reviewed some of his notes. “You don’t have to do much, just read through them occasionally,” she said. Unfortunately, Chase often had no idea what his notes meant. He wrote down ‘color is banned’ and ‘you can’t say things how they feel’ in his English notes for a book they read that semester. How was he supposed to uncode that? 

He was worried about JJ, too... but at least the doll situation wasn’t hurting him? And JJ seemed okay. A little frustrated. But okay.

It was probably fine. He could focus on school for a while.

++++++++++++++++++++

But focus soon became difficult. Because, only a couple days after they tried to destroy the doll, Chase and Schneep’s relatives started coming into town.

It started with their grandparents—Grandma and Grandpa Walker, Mom’s mom and dad. Chase was in his room, taking a break from reading notes to idly bounce a ball off a wall, when he heard the front door open downstairs. He paused, listening to the voices that followed, and the moment he realized he recognized them he shot out of bed and rushed down the hall. He knocked on Schneep’s door. “Schneep! Schneep Schneep Schneep Schneeeeeep!”

After only a little bit, Schneep opened the door. “What is—whoa!” Chase grabbed him by the hand and yanked him down the hall towards the stairs. “Chase! What is it?!”

“They’re here!” Chase only said in response. The boys ran down the stairs and stopped in the front hall. 

“Chase! Henrik! Is that you? When did you both get so tall?” Grandma stepped past Mom and over to the boys. “Oh, you both are so grown up!”

“Grandma!” Chase let go of Schneep’s hand and flung his arms around Grandma. She smelled like vanilla—she always did, since she likes to wear perfume a lot.

“What, nothing for me?” Grandpa asked, still standing by the door.

Chase laughed and ran over to hug him, too. Grandpa always smelled like some sort of product. Dad had said it was “aftershave” and that he’d explain it to him when he was older. “I didn’t know you guys were coming so soon!”

“We wanted to be here in case your mom wanted help with anything,” Grandma explained. “And to check on you two, of course! It’s been a year since we’ve seen either of you, since you didn’t come to the reunion this year.”

Mom laughed awkwardly. “Well, uh... we were... busy.”

Both Grandma and Grandpa nodded, looking serious for a moment. Chase had never noticed it before, but Grandma really looked like an older version of Mom. She had the same build, face, and eyes, but everything was a bit softer. There were obvious differences, too. Her white hair was pulled back in a bun at the base of her neck, and she always wore a floral-pattern shirt. But if Mom put on a wig and makeup to look like wrinkles, they would be almost the same. Grandpa, on the other hand, looked quite different. He was short and round, his gray hair shaved shirt to bristles. Much like Grandma, he always wore the same type of outfit, his being striped collared shirts made of a smooth fabric. And his cane, of course. But if Chase squinted, he could see that Mom and Grandpa had the same eye color.

“Did you have any trouble with the flight or the city?” Mom asked.

“Oh none at all, Jessie,” Grandma said. “Slept like a pair of logs the whole time we were on the plane.”

“Though we did have to get used to the rental car,” Grandpa chuckled. “The steering wheel is on the wrong side!”

Chase laughed, then looked back and noticed Schneep hadn’t said much. He was standing in the same spot, looking at the gathering like he wasn’t part of it. “C’mon, Henrik, say hi to Grandma and Grandpa!” he encouraged, walking back over and taking Schneep’s hand for support.

“Ah... h-hello,” Schneep said quietly. “I-it is good to see you again.”

Grandma leaned over. “How are you, Henrik?” she asked. 

“Good,” Schneep said. “I am good.”

“Hmm. We’ll be in town all the way until the 28th, if you ever need anything from your grandma and grandpa,” Grandma said.

“And we have something for you—both of you.” Grandpa reached into his pocket and. “We had to exchange everything in the airport, I hope that this is how much I think it is.” He shuffled over and held out some bills to the two of them, taken from his wallet.

“Oh wow, thanks!” Chase said, taking the twenty-pound note offered to him. This was the most money he’d ever had!

He glances to the side and saw Schneep’s eyes go wide as he also took a twenty-pound note. “What is it for?” he asked hesitantly, looking it over like he expected it to be fake.

“Can’t we just give gifts to our grandchildren?” Grandpa winked. 

“You can think of it as an early Christmas present if you want,” Grandma added. “There’s more coming on the actual day, of course.”

Schneep nodded slowly. “Th-thank you.”

Mom smiles a bit, then looked at Grandma and Grandpa. “Where are you guys staying? There are two hotels in town, I could’ve—”

“Don’t worry about it, Jessie, Kathy helped us figure it all out,” Grandma said. “It’s a place called the Blue Blossom. It’s lovely.”

Mom nodded. She glances at Chase and Schneep. “Well... would you two like them to stay for dinner?”

“Oh, we’d hate to impose—” Grandma said.

“It’s fine, Mom. It’s your first night, it’s the least I can do. If the boys are okay with it.”

Chase was immediately excited, but before he answered, he looked at Schneep. “What do you think?” he asked.

“Ahm...” Schneep paused, thinking about it. Then he nodded. “Y-yes. F-for a little bit, that sounds great.”

“We’d love it, Mom!” Chase said, bouncing on his feet.

Mom smiled gently. “Alright. I’ll get started, you all settle down.”

Chase and Schneep spent the rest of the evening talking with their grandparents, telling them all about the past year—or, not all about it. They obviously didn’t say anything about the greenlight and monsters and stuff. But they talked about everything else, about school and games and making friends. And about Christmas, of course. Chase wondered how many relatives would be coming to the party. Would it be everyone, as usual?

Besides Grandma and Grandpa, the Christmas party usually included Mom’s brothers—Uncle Bob and Uncle Terry—and their wives—Aunt Kathy and Aunt Eva—and their kids, Chase’s cousins. Corinne and Madison were Bob and Kathy’s daughters, and they were both older than Chase, with Corinne being around Jackie’s age (but, in Chase’s opinion, far less cool) and Madison being a bit older. He thought that Madison was also getting married soon...? He never really paid attention to that stuff, but her boyfriend, Zeke, had come to the last two parties. People would usually get married after that, right? Then there were Terry and Eva’s kids—Bella and Jordan were a bit older and younger than Chase respectively, then there were Theo and Tommy who were much younger, and baby Paige, who had been tiny at the last party and in Aunt Eva’s belly at the one before that.

Man... laying it all out like that, Chase wondered if their house was big enough for all those people. Not to mention that his dad’s side of the family might be coming, too. The Brody family was a lot bigger than the Walker family; Chase wasn’t even sure he’d met all his relatives on that side. Their house would be packed.

Well... at least two people wouldn’t be coming for sure. He overheard Schneep talking with Mom one night. He didn’t mean to! But he had to go to the bathroom, and that was next to Mom’s room, and Schneep and Mom had been talking with the door open. He’d heard Schneep ask if it was alright if Aunt Maggie and Uncle Albrecht didn’t come.

“Of course it is, Henrik,” Mom assured him. “If you don’t want them there, I won’t invite them.”

“But... w-wouldn’t the rest of the f-family want to s-see them?” Schneep asked nervously.

“Honestly, Henrik? A lot of the family hasn’t been... well, your parents haven’t exactly been popular with everyone ever since you came to live with me and Chase. Besides, they didn’t hang around the party much, did they? I don’t think people would really miss them.”

“...if... it is okay...” Schneep whispered. He continued to talk some more after that, but he got quieter, so Chase couldn’t hear. Not that he wanted to. He was done anyway so he hurried back downstairs to play some video games.

Ah, thinking of Schneep brought Chase back to the present as he realized that he’d been quiet for a while. Schneep was sitting at the end of the dinner table, next to Chase, looking down at his plate as he ate. Chase looked over at him, catching his eye, and smiled.

Schneep relaxed a little and smiled back.

++++++++++++++++++++

Finally. Finally. Exams were over! They were done, finished, in the past! The moment Chase finished his last essay, only a few minutes before the time limit, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He always thought that the exams themselves weren’t as hard as the weeks leading up to them... but that didn’t mean he liked sitting at his desk all school day and getting pencil smudges all over his hands as he scrambled to remember every fact and skill he’d been taught. 

Once the school day ended, Chase hurried down to the ground floor of the school. They’d all agreed to meet at the front entrance after exams were done. Schneep and Stacy were already there, hanging out in the small entrance hall. Kids were constantly leaving the school, gusts of cold air coming in through the doors as they all chattered excitedly about what they’ll do during the holiday. “Chase!” Schneep waved, hopping up and down to try and get his attention over all the taller students passing by.

“Hey!” Chase hurried over. “So did you guys get done early, then?”

“Mm-hmm.” Stacy nodded. “Y’know I hear that they’re gonna change the policy about letting kids leave early if they finish early.”

“Really? Booo.” Chase frowned. “Why would they do that?”

“I think ‘cause they think kids will hurry through so they can leave. And not, like, actually do their  best.”

“Well that’s a sucky idea!” Chase said. “What if someone finishes their test early, and then since they’re stuck in the classroom, they help the kid next to them cheat?”

“Who would do that?” Schneep asked.

“Uhhh... well I would! If I ever... finished early.”

After a minute, JJ and Marvin appeared, coming down from the nearby staircase and weaving through groups of kids towards Chase and the others. “Hey,” Chase said. “Soooo. How’d it go?”

“Uh... fine,” Marvin said. “I really hate sitting in classrooms, but at least it’s quiet during exams. That way I can concentrate a little bit better.” He jerked his head towards JJ. “JJ finished early but he waited outside my class.”

“I was wondering why you weren’t here,” Stacy said to JJ. “I should’ve guessed that you would’ve done that, but I didn’t know it was allowed.”

It’s not... if you get caught, JJ said.

The others laugh. “I should have waited by your classroom, Chase,” Schneep said.

“Nah, we agreed to meet down here, you didn’t have to,” Chase said. “Well anyway. Now we just gotta wait for—”

“Oh heyyyy! Chase Brody and Stacy!”

Chase stiffened. He saw Stacy do the same. They both turned to the side, and saw her. Heather Westing and her two sidekicks with the curly hair and black braided hair. They hadn’t seen much of her in the past month. Well, they’d seen her, just in the halls and other classes and stuff, but she hadn’t bothered them. Maybe Heather was also busy studying for exams. Or maybe she hadn’t wanted to approach the group since Marvin told her to “fuck off” last time she talked. Either way, it seemed she was ready to talk to them again.

Schneep sighed. “Just ignore her,” he whispered.

“Hey Stacy!” Heather said, grinning as she and her sidekicks approached. “What’re you going to do for Christmas break?”

“I dunno,” Stacy said, not looking directly at her.

“Your birthday is coming up soon too, right? Maybe your parents can get you glasses that aren’t tacky!”

Stacy reached up and self-consciously touched the corner of her pink glasses.

“Hey, leave her alone,” Chase said defensively.

Heather gasped. “Oh my god, Chase Brody, you really do have a crush on her!”

“What?!” Chase gasped. “N-no I don’t!”

“Oh so you’re saying that you wouldn’t ever get a crush on a girl like her, then?”

“That’s not what I—”

Heather gasped dramatically. “Oh my god, are you saying that you’d never have a crush on any girl?” She laughed. Her sidekick with the braided hair laughed too, but Curly Hair hesitated for a moment before joining in. “I can’t believe that you’re so—”

Smack! A notebook hit Heather in the face, causing her head to snap back. Her sidekicks cried out in shock. Even Chase blinked in surprise. He looked back and saw JJ, breathing heavily, standing there with his arm extended. Stacy and Schneep looked as shocked as Heather’s sidekicks did. Even Marvin was surprised.

“I-I-I—” Heather’s mouth opened and closed as she stammered. “I-I’m going to tell my aunt you did that! She’ll arrest you!” Then she turned and ran, her sidekicks coming with her. Some other students nearby stared, having seen the whole thing. They stared at JJ with wide eyes, but slowly moved on.

“Holy shit, JJ,” Marvin said. “You didn’t have to throw something at her.”

JJ lowered his arm. He took a deep breath, then grabbed his notebook from the ground and put it back in his bag. She sucks, he said shortly.

“Well... yeah.” Marvin agreed. “But like... y’know. You okay?”

JJ nodded.

“That was too far,” Stacy muttered.

“What did she mean, her aunt would arrest us?” Schneep asked.

“Her aunt’s the mayor,” Stacy explained.

Chase blinked. “Wait really?”

“Yeah. Why d’you think she keeps getting people to hang out with her? And feels like she can just... say stuff like that?” Stacy went quiet, her expression strangely thoughtful. “You kinda just like... get used to her being like that... but it’s not like... normal.”

A moment passed. Chase cleared his throat. “I didn’t know your birthday was coming up.”

“Yeah, it’s on the third.”

We should get you gifts! JJ said, quickly moving on from what just happened. Are you having a party?

Stacy laughed. “I dunno. Last year, when I turned twelve, we had this biiiig party where all my family showed up, it kinda tired me out.” Her smile faded a bit. “Besides, I, uh... I dunno what we’d do. A few months ago, Heather suggested that we all go see this movie that came out in November for my birthday, but I hadn’t read the book it was based on yet, and my parents wouldn’t let me check it out from the library cause they said it was too grown-up, so that uh... kinda led to everything that happened.”

“What book was it?” Marvin asked.

Stacy narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re gonna laugh. I’ve heard all the boys laughing about it.”

“No, I won’t laugh.”

Schneep nodded. “You are our friend, we will not laugh.”

“Well...” Stacy shifted on her feet. “Have you guys heard of Twilight?”

The four guys all shook their heads in unison. Then JJ said, Oh, actually I’ve seen that on a lot of displays in the library. It’s the ‘hands holding an apple’ book.

“I guess that makes sense that none of you would know. You guys don’t really read that stuff mostly.” Stacy paused. “It’s... about this girl who falls in love with a vampire—”

“A vampire?!” Chase gasped. “Oh that sounds so cool!”

Stacy laughed. “Right?! Heather was always talking about how great the romance is, and I was always like ‘the vampire part sounds so much cooler!’ The movie came out in November and it looks pretty cool...”

They stood by the doorway, chatting for a couple more minutes, until the older kids started coming out of their classrooms. Their exams went a bit longer than the younger years’ did. Soon, Jackie found them. “Standing right by the doors? You know it’s cold this close. Just get, like, a couple meters away. Lean by that wall anywhere.”

“Jackie!” Chase said excitedly. “Hey!”

Jackie laughed. “Hey, little man. You guys were talking about vampires?”

Stacy nodded. “I, uh... was talking about how I wanted to see the Twilight movie.”

“Oh cool. My friend Mincy saw that a couple weeks ago. She’s a big fan of the books, and said it was pretty good.” Jackie grinned. “But like... it’s probably not for everyone. I don’t think most of you would like it.”

“Vampires are cool,” Chase said.

“Yeah, uh... I’ve been told the vampires aren’t the main focus, surprisingly.” Jackie shrugged. “Anyway. How have you all been? Did you do good on your exams?”

The group started to walk out of the building, talking about their exams. Stacy was sure she did good enough, Schneep and JJ were confident in their results, Chase said he did okay, and Marvin said he probably did okay. “What about you?” Marvin asked.

“Eh... good enough, probably,” Jackie said. “I’m not sure I did that great with the science stuff. But everything else was kinda easy. Now.” The group was outside now. It was cold, but there were less people around to listen. Jackie glanced around and asked, “What are our plans for winter holiday?”

“Well... we’re gonna be busy with our family Christmas party.” Chase gestured at himself and Schneep. “But we can try and listen around for more weird stuff in the meantime.”

“Family party, huh?” Jackie nodded. “When? My family’s party is Christmas Day evening.”

“Ours is Christmas Eve,” Chase said. He looked at Stacy and the twins. “What about you guys? Do you have plans?”

Stacy shook her head. Marvin and JJ glanced at each other, then looked back and shrugged. “Probably some stuff on Christmas Day,” Marvin said. “With like... opening presents and church stuff.”

“How about we take the next week or so to do Christmas stuff and listen for any weirdness?” Jackie asked. “And then, sometime during the week before New Year’s... we somehow convince all our families to let us go to Ireland to find Jack McLoughlin?”

JJ frowned. Do we HAVE to wait that long to do stuff?

“Well I mean... we don’t have to,” Jackie said. “But I don’t think any of us will be able to get away from our families easily during the season. It’s only a few days, really.”

“Yeah, I never realized how close school went to Christmas,” Chase said. “Why did we even come to school today? We could’ve done all this on Friday instead of coming back for one Monday and then leaving.”

“School’s weird.” Marvin shrugged. “It’ll be okay, JJ. We need time to figure out what to say to Mam and Dad anyway.”

“Yeah, don’t worry!” Chase added.

JJ’s expression suddenly brightened.

“O-or worry as much as you like!” Schneep quickly added. He looked at Chase. “The doll, remember?”

“Huh? That counted?”

Apparently it did, because the brightness was suddenly wiped from JJ’s face as the worry returned. He took a deep breath and pushed it back in a more natural manner. I suppose we did bring up waiting until after Christmas in the first place.

“I really hope your friend is right about Jack’s address,” Stacy said.

“Jack?”

That voice!

All of them spun around. They saw a shadow hiding in one of the windows. A shadow that resolved into a familiar face. Anti, staring at them from inside one of the classrooms. He looked... paler than usual. And then he disappeared.

“...he heard us,” Schneep said.

“Uh, well... w-we don’t know if that’s a bad thing,” Chase said. “We don’t... know what he really... thinks about Jack. Honestly, we don’t even really know if Jack is involved or if him looking like Anti is just a really weird coincidence.”

The group stared at the window silently for a moment. Then there was a honk! sound and they turned around again. Marvin groaned. “That’s Dad. He’s waiting for us.”

“Come on, Jameson!” Mr. Jackson shouted.

JJ stiffened and started walking over. He looked alarmed for a moment as his legs started moving, then he turned back to sign to the others as he was forced to walk. Talk to you later!

“See you!” Marvin added, hurrying over.

“See you!” Chase waved, and so did the others.

“Aunt Jess is probably also waiting for us,” Schneep said.

“Yeah, and my parents, too,” Stacy said. “I can’t keep them for too long cause we have to pick up my sister after this. Bye, guys. See you later.”

“We’ll talk later,” Jackie said. 

The group hurriedly dispersed. After seeing JJ just suddenly walk away, Chase could understand why JJ was so anxious to solve the doll problem. Why he didn’t want to wait until after Christmas.

But... it was probably fine, right? Nothing bad would happen in the next few days. They could enjoy the holidays, and then get down to business.

[edwinspaynes]

who do you think the dbda (the main four) would like the most and the least out of the tlh gang, and why?

who do you think the cat king's fav would be?

(hope u have a good day 🫶)

this is so amazingly fun because i'm currently writing a crossover fic about these characters! i've written some of their interactions, so i'll answer this ask with supplemental snippets from the case of the five half-angel curiousities!

edwin's favourites are alastair and cordelia.

cordelia, because she reminds him of niko in some ineffable way...

Edwin was fairly certain that the enchantment was either made by someone extremely stupid or extremely malicious, but he was not about to say that. “We know next to nothing as of now,” he said. “A good detective must assess all the facts before drawing conclusions. Luckily, I am good at that, as is the friend we are meeting.” “Friend?” Cordelia was smiling. “Yes. Niko. Do you recall when I told you that you were reminiscent of someone? I was speaking of her.” “She sounds lovely, then,” Cordelia laughed. Alastair rolled his eyes.

and alastair because they share a sense of humor and are gang on matthew sometimes for fun:

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Cordelia said. “Tell me the oddest thing about the world today, something that I’m unlikely to know.” Edwin considered this. “Have you ever been to a Primark?” “What is a Primark?” Cordelia’s voice was curious. “Ridiculously inexpensive clothing store. I am certainly fortunate that I can conjure up whatever outfit I wish with ghost magic; the living sell the lowest-quality things and get excited over them in a way that I simply cannot understand.” Alastair nodded along with him, a superior expression on his face.

(and later also because they have a lot of poignant conversations about, like, edwardian homosexuality...)

charles's favorite is thomas initially and he becomes close with matthew as well as thomas.

charles about thomas:

“Bet,” Charles said. “And also, I like the look of them. Especially the tall guy. Thomas. They’re all solid lads, don’t you think?” “I’m quite honestly concerned about their newly acquired feline friend,” Edwin mused, “but yes. They’re altogether inoffensive. The girl as well. I rather like her. She’s oddly charming.”

charles and matthew:

“I burned it to the ground, if you must know. My school, I mean,” Matthew said, deciding to leave out the fact that he had only made an impact within the South Wing. “Considering what you have just shared, perhaps you would like to know it. I ought to be ashamed, but I was thirteen. And am still rather proud of my ability to create explosives at such a tender age. Such takes far more analytical abilities than you might think.” “I know. I can make Molotov cocktails,” Charles said approvingly. Thomas spoke. “What’s that?”

niko gets along really well with cordelia

<3 :

“I think we should just call the ‘item that underwent factuari’ a ‘factuari,” Niko said. “Do not be silly,” Edwin chided, giving Niko an affected but pointed look. “Factuari is a verb, not a noun. You cannot change parts of speech simply out of personal conveience.” “I’m going to anyway,” Niko said, and because Edwin could not be mad at Niko, he smiled as when rolling his eyes. “I think I will, too,” Cordelia agreed, and Niko looked at her with an approving grin.

crystal immediately adores james, but unfortunately that's in an upcoming scene. they do have an entire chapter to themselves, though, with a little bit of cordelia.

as for the cat king, well, someone i love very much wants to learn how to pop into existence with a chandelier over his head... but i haven't written this chapter yet <3

and a bonus <3

“So,” Edwin said, “what year were you all born? I estimate that we’re likely around the same age, and am quite curious.” Cordelia clapped her hands. “I thought we may have lived during similar time frames as well.” She looked delighted. “I was born in 1886, and Alastair in 1884. I died in 1964; he and Thomas in 1965.” “Both of them?” Edwin asked curiously. “Do you know how some married couples expire within hours of each other?” Cordelia’s eyes were shining. “Well, both Alastair and I did, with James and Thomas. An odd coincidence, but…”

[at-weeb96]

I saw your ask game post, so I wanna ask these two:

Favourite moment in the show

Favourite "Important" headcanon (ex: Finn and HW eventually hooked up)

Favourite "Unimportant" headcanon (ex: Marceline and PB pulled a few strings to make the former happen)

LONG POST

ooh this is an interesting one. I have a lot of thoughts on this so strap in and buckle up my dude

Favorite Moment- Since I already said Varmints was my favorite episode and there are so many good character moments in the series, I'll have to go with the ending montage and PB and Marcy's reconciliation in the RC Mines. The ending montage just warms my heart to know there are still adventures to be had with our favorite characters and that our own interpretations and headcanons can take shape with the stories not shown (although they may have changed post DL and who know what's to come with F&C)

Now for the moment from my fav episode. This scene is what made appreciate PB's character and made her my favorite AT character. We see Peebles at her lowest point when she is no longer in control of her life and pushed away those she tried to trust and form relationships with.

First her "family" betrayed her and she was forced to "lobotomize" them to keep them from hurting her and her brother Neddy (if you remember, her hat was once a piece of Gumbald's merchandise) Then when she found someone to share her life with, she (Marcy) ended up "betraying" her too (and wrote a banger of a diss track in the process) And then she was betrayed by her own people and forced into exile from her home by that dilweed KOO (and even stole and wore her clothes that creep)

And the final nail in the coffin is when the Varmint Queen/Mother (whatever you wanna call that body-horror nightmare) traps her and Marcy in the mines and Marcy puts on her go-to coping mechanism and starts jokingly ridiculing Bonnie for the umpteenth time, PB can't take it no more and lets her emotions and insecurities pour out. But what does Marcy do? She listens to what her friend/ex has on her mind and tells her she has nothing to apologize for cause she's been through a lot of stuff too. And after all that, they finally understand each other better and reconcile their strained friendship (and eventually their love for one another)

And that's why those are my favorite moments from AT. Now after that long ramble, I can now answer the other things.

Important HC -I think when Jake died, since Finn took it really hard and become depressed like that scene in The Music Hole, PB and Marceline started being around him more becoming his supportive older sisters with BMO as his emotional support robot. (his mother Minerva would video chat with him every once and a while since a small human colony was established in Ooo like in the Season 11 comic issue)

Eventually Bronwyn would be interested by the stories of the adventures of her late grandfather from Finn's friends and wanted to explore the lands of Ooo and beyond with him. At first he was hesitant of adventuring without his bro, but PB, Marcy, Minerva, and Simon encouraged him to take her on adventures since Finn was instrumental in the betterment of their lives. And that's why she is with Finn post Obsidian (unless F&C contradicts this)

And finally Unimportant HC -Since it's shown in Obsidian that Simon most likely owns DB Guy's Tavern, Finn, Jake, Marceline, PB and everyone else we know and love from AT hang out and discuss their past and present adventures and their lives with each other each week.

Thanks so much for the questions. That was probably the longest ramble I've ever written online. Almost makes me want to colab with other AT fans on stuff, if I can get past my laziness and procrastination. I also want to shout out these other tumblrs who have made me the AT fan I am today (perhaps I should join discord again?)

@gunterfan1992 @uncivilizedelk @sometipsygnostalgic @j4gm @teethcritter @lobster-lover @loffican @marcydaydream @squeempus @crochetwithcat @artsywak @eeveryadventuretimes @oli-the-cat @ptoodle and @jacketpotatoo

❤Love you all, especially you @leironth (thanks again for the awesome ask)

[vacantgodling]

Tell me about the most ridiculous occurrences and most terrible arguments (on- or off-screen) in Sixteen Candles and Celestial Weddings! - @void-botanist

thank you for asking rose!! <3

i don't have much written for celestial weddings and a lot of it is gonna be more sappy and romance, not so much ridiculous happenings so i'm gonna p much just focus on sixteen candles for this LMAO.

a lot of sixteen candles i do "technically" want to rewrite, just to align more with the developments i've made, though i think a lot of the convos may still be the same lmao. so from my old draft some of the most ridiculous arguments/occurrences are:

getting upset with ranger for fucking the CEO of the bar he works at and (1) not telling anyone where he was (2) being gone for the entire weekend without anyone knowing where he was (this wasn't them being upset that he had sex but more like we were worried about your safety also..... fucking your boss is.....)

ranger and roger fighting over whether star wars or star trek is better:

Hanger Rick (ranger): eowugfdsfnrjwkfktnejekdntjejeje kill me (roger): FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME Hanger Rick: F I G H T M E VaniVee (vani): ???? What’s happening??? Why are you two fighting??? Nanette: From what I understand, Roger said that Star Trek was better than Star Wars and the two of them have been arguing ever since. VaniVee: For an hour??? :00 kill me: from what you understand??? kill me: NAN YOU’VE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME Nanette: I stopped paying attention because I don’t have an opinion.

if roger can outdrink ranger (he can't. no one can. its ungodly how much liquor ranger can put away)

this entire bit:

Nanette: The secret’s out Ranger.  Nanette: You are an alien. Hanger Rick: gasp Hanger Rick: all this time i never thought anyone would find me out… kill me: Oh my god. Hanger Rick: YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nanette: I don’t have to. The government will accept a dead specimen just as much as a live one. Hanger Rick: nan how… how could you?! Nanette: -cocks gun- Sayonara, Mr. Alien.

ranger and tucker are the most likely to bitch at each other about things and one of the things they constantly bicker about is spelling. tucker misspells stuff on purpose specifically because it gets on ranger's nerves

Park Hanger (ranger): SPELL MY FUCKING NAME RIGHT YOU ASSHOLE sunbolian 689 (tucker): ;D Park Hanger: DON’T YOU FUCKING WINK AT ME

and speaking of the two of them, whether channing tatum or chris hemsworth is better:

Team Thor (ranger): this fucking idiot thinks that channing tatum is better than chris hemsworth Team Thor: he is fucking MISTAKEN Magic Mike 4ever (tucker): DAS BULLSHIT ND U KNO IT RNGR downtown blues (roger): Are you fucking kidding me?

and speaking of roger, a more serious argument/discussion they got is over roge's internalized homophobia :((( his family sucks bad and he's internalized a lot of stuff (but all his friends are queer, and he himself is questioning but he just struggles with it)

the boys (ranger/roger/tucker) arguing about tucker's very obvious but thank-god-vani-is-oblivious crush thats 13 years and counting (also for context, they all have sleep overs quite often)

sigh (roger): Oh, so, what would you call her sleeping in her panties and one of your shirts that you LEFT AT HER HOUSE BEFORE AND NEVER GOT BACK TUCKER????? range rover (ranger): TBH I THOUGHT YOU GUYS FUCKED BUT YOUR AGGRESSIVE NECK SLITTING MOTION TOLD ME OTHERWISE range rover: ALSO YOUR SEVERE LACK OF HICKEYS. Vani’s Romeo (tucker): OMFG Y WOULD WE FCK IF U GUYZ WRE ALL DERE????????? range rover: listen. don’t let us stop you from getting a good dicking

but also tucker and ranger get into a huge fight about how well they know and care about each other (its a lot of backstory but the two of them are the biggest hotheads so they tend to get into it the most often)

"magnet-ologist"

who cares you know who i am anyway (ranger): we all remember your shitty braces roge tarvak gilfensparrow (tucker): i rmbr wen u got ur braces stuk on a magnet gena rose brought 4 career day who cares you know who i am anyway: lmao wait why the fuck did gena rose bring a magnet for career day  who cares you know who i am anyway: is the magnet her father?? what?? tarvak gilfensparrow: lololol she said da magnet was her mthr tarvak gilfensparrow: waz suppsed 2 represent hr or somthin cuz hr mum waz a magnet-tologist Nanette: Is that even an occupation? tarvak gilfensparrow: lmao idk return of the sis (roger): The technical term is probably “geomagnetist”

so those are all the big ones i think! i know there'll be more when i revamp this properly <3 i love these idiots

[yourladystar]

Star's Engage Catalogue Day 34 (part 6)

Time for the second half of my final team.

I wasn't sure if I was gonna keep Pandreo around, but he just refused to stop being useful. His staff utility and magic prowess make him a force, even against high res units. Celica really helped to make him even stronger, and Warp Ragnarock is so much fun to use on him.

He's also just such a hoot. He's such a departure from other priests and holy men we've seen throughout the series, yet he still retains the thing that made them great characters: humility and compassion. His methods might be unorthodox, but he always does it to help others and give them hope when they think there isn't any. And considering what he and Pannete went through as children- seriously, I did not see that coming- it makes it all the more impressive that Pandreo became such a bright beacon of prosperity.

I've seen people say that Timerra struggles to keep up with the enemy and not be as useful as she seems. Either you guys are exaggerating or I just got lucky, because Timerra kicks so much a** it's ridiculous! Her build lets her tackle anything and Ike letting me just throw her into a pack of foes and nuke them out of existence is some of the most power-trippy fun I've had.

The same could be said for her character. Out of all the royals, she's got her sh*t together the most, but she's still not a flat character. She cares for her people and her country and strives to be a good queen. Also, it's nice to have a black female princess who can kick a** and give you a fun time. And I'm saying this as the whitest Puerto Rican ever!

Ivy is another heavy hotter that never stopped being useful. Her promotion giving her staffs only gave her more utility. She had some Emblems I played around with before I went with Camilla. She just seemed like the perfect fit for a character that's basically the antithesis of her.

And that's especially so in her character. The fact that all the advertising made us think that Ivy was going to be this alluring and deadly confident queen only for her to be a shambling stumbling mess of a girlflop was genuinely the best thing they did. It only made me love Ivy more.

Despite coming in so late, Veyle proved to be immediately useful. The dagger and tome she comes with are more than enough to carry her to endgame and Corrin is surprisingly useful on her, especially since it gives her access to all the Dragon Vein effects.

If you've been keeping up with this series, you know how my affection for Veyle and her run as an unwilling villain grew with every chapter she was a part of. She truly is one of Engage's best-written characters.

Out of all the units I expected to bring to the last chapter, Boucheron was the biggest surprise. He definitely got speed blessed, because this man can double a lot more than you think a warrior should and hit like a truck on both attacks. Lucina is not the best option for him, I would have given him Leif if not Rosado, but he is fine enough as is.

Out of everyone, his character is probably the least notable, but he's not bad. He's just a simple down to earth guy with simple ambitions, and the supports of his I read were very nice and comforting.

Fogado may not have been as stupidly strong as Alcryst, but his mounted utility gave him his own niche to fill. And he can still pack a punch when he needs to. Again, Tiki wasn't the most optimal choice for him, but giving him some one-range options comes in handy. And you can't go wrong with seeing someone turn into a dragon.

Fogado was also an interesting character to learn about. His fun-loving and laidback attitude was cool, but learning about his fears and anxieties about his position and kingdom and how he tries to keep them buried to keep his people calm- Mmm! I love it when simple characters have hidden depths!

And last but certainly far from least, Diamant. Like Alfred, he also had a rough patch during the midgame. But once I stopped being stupid and learned to work with his strength he became a very durable and hard-hitting front liner. Roy really is best suited to him and Hold Out has saved him on many occasions.

And surprise surprise, Diamant is a really likable and interesting character. Having him be the opposite of Alcryst, where he appears unshakable and unbreakable on the surface but is an anxiety-ridden mess internally, but learns to be more open about his weaknesses just cements why I love my Brodia boys so much.

[mydetheturk]

WEIRD WRITER ASK THING:

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

3: I don't really have a "ritual" beyond "I need to have some sort of music based audio going on in the background" I pick playlists ive made in itunes based on what i'm working on (i have like. 4 trigun playlists and i need to work on making more).

10: There are scenes in published fiction that have haunted me (See: "There are other worlds than these" from The Gunslinger by Stephen King) just as there's scenes from fanfic that haunt me ("“Jesus, Nico, what did they do to you?”" from Come and See by avoidingavoidance (i don't know if they're on tumblr)

thigns that haunt me from my own writing include this line from the original version of the "wolfwood's haunted by the narrative (dark tower inspired?)" fic im working on (don't worry about it): There's not a saint for fucked up, probably going to die young gunmen like Nicholas, but there is one for lost causes, and oh, how Nicholas is a lost cause.

"haunting" Means to me... something that sticks with you. its a piece of writing or a particularly poignant image or a haunting refrain that comes to you in the middle of the night when you're trying to sleep and you want to weep. (things that haunt me: the acknowledgment of someone being Hurt, after having nobody acknowledge it for so, so long)

16: i routinely use magic the gathering cards as bookmarks, so frankly that's the weirdest thing I have personally used. HOWEVER. I work in a used bookstore and lemme tell you. The Things People Put In Their Books. Money. Letters. Someone found a check once. Ive found tax documents.

Guys. Please. As someone who works in a used bookstore where people can sell their books. Please. Please make sure you flip through your books to make sure you get everything out of them.

28: As for most delightful character i've ever written.... god, i gotta say any time I get to write some of my own ocs. There's no joy like carving pieces of yourself out and giving them to some little guy you've made. Out of my own OCs... Mary's a fave (She started as my Saints Row boss and Evolved from there); FInn's a delight (New Vegas Courier, sweet sunny boy fulla angry); Sable is just. I love him so. (an MO of mine - Fucked Up Assassin Gentleman).

and then. There's Quincy. Quincy is one of my most beloved OCs. I initially jokingly named my Ralts in... i wanna say X or Y? Quincy and he turned out to be my MVP pokemon as he grew up into a gardevoir and i just reused the name and psychic abilities when I replayed Knights of the Old Republic later that year so he ended up (Spoilers for KotOR) Revan. He's evolved since then to just be a Ridiculously Overpowered DILF whom I Love; he has issues but i have poured so much love into him and i have made him so kind and so gentle and so full of love and i just. don't mind me im gonna weep over my own oc now. (if you know me at all, these characters may or may not show up as background characters in fics. keep an eye out!)

Ask me more questions from here!

[seyaryminamoto]

Leap of Faith: Sokkla Saturdays 2022

Day Nine: "Blue looks good on you"

On FF.net//On AO3

A/N:

And once again, we reach the end of our Sokkla Saturdays.

The story I'll present this time won't be as lighthearted as many I've written for this event since its inception. The source of this darker storyline, however, comes from a train of interpretation, headcanon and belief that I've seen growing stronger in fandom as of late: the belief that Zuko shouldn't forgive his sister, shouldn't help her grow, shouldn't have any role in her potential redemption.

While I don't focus primarily on Azula and Zuko's relationship and its healing during my stories, such themes are typically implied or implicit in my work while I focus on the storylines I do want to explore. Nevertheless, the notion that Zuko, someone who benefited so much from forgiveness and who has outright stated to Ozai that the Fire Nation's new era should be about "peace and kindness", should in turn allow his sister no peace and offer her no kindness has been rather disturbing for me, to the point where I wondered how to convey my opinion on such beliefs...

This story has shaped up to be one of my best ways to do so: what would Azula's post-canon story look like if her brother chooses to follow the rather aggressive fandom take where he should imprison her and demand that Aang takes away her bending, basically declaring that she deserves the same level of punishment and mercilessness as his father does?

Evidently, this is but one possible way in which such a storyline would proceed, other people can just as well imagine it in different ways, goes without saying. This, simply, is my personal idea of how to go about it. And while the focus on this story is not on Zuko, I suspect it will be clear that his actions and refusal to forgive are the core reasons for why this story happens as it does.

The last thing I'd like to say is that I actually don't believe canon Zuko would act this way, no matter how conflictive and contentious my relationship with his character may be. This is not the way I'd want to write Zuko on any given day, and I frankly do not understand how anyone can advocate for Zuko to be so embittered and cruel while being his fans... though, it's also worth noting that it's probably just a very loud and very small minority of Zuko fans, since most the ones I've met and seen don't stand by this belief at all. Much like my past "dark Ursa AU", which is also a characterization for Ursa that is very distant from canon and from my personal interpretation of her character, this is simply an exploration of narrative possibilities and more of a criticism of that vocal and volatile faction in Zuko's fanbase than it is of Zuko himself. On the bright side, this dark headcanon that certain people in the fandom are wildly militant about has allowed me to build a story I'm actually quite proud of... and I really hope you guys will enjoy it, in its many ups and downs on its way towards providing a resolution for Azula.

Hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading my stories for this year of Sokkla Saturdays.

The ceremonial robes hung heavily and unpleasantly on her shoulders. It was far too much fabric, and she could swear they hadn't been washed properly after whoever had last worn them before her, going by how stiff they felt. If she so much as tried to firebend while wearing this ridiculous outfit, the blue garments would catch fire in a heartbeat, same as the white-and-cream cape over her shoulders. It didn't matter how she shifted the damn outfit, though, it just didn't fit right…

"How did I ever let you talk me into this?" she hissed at the man standing beside her in the dark atrium that would lead them into the ceremonial hall. It didn't surprise her at all that he would smirk deviously at her. "Quit looking at me like that. One would think you're enjoying seeing me in this ridiculous, old-fashioned outfit."

"Aw, and here I thought you'd be stoked about wearing matching clothes with your uncle…" he teased.

She scoffed, shooting him a dangerous glare… one that he fielded with a smirk once again. It was as if he weren't even slightly afraid that she might lash out at him… that she might slap him, punch him or set him on fire. It could have been nice to not be deeply feared for once… but he annoyed her deeply with his antics. If he weren't so irritating, she'd actually be much more appreciative of his reckless trust in her…

For that very trust was the sole reason why she could be here right now, staring at the closed door of that damnable ceremonial hall.

"Why did you do this?" she asked, letting out a deep sigh. He shrugged. "Don't just shrug, damn you: tell me the truth. You could have stood aside and done nothing. Everyone else did exactly that. So why not you? Why did you decide to interfere?"

"Interfere? Is that really the word you want to pick now?"

"It is. Answer the question. And tell me why, of all things, you decided this was the right fate for me instead."

He breathed deeply. His blue eyes met her golden ones. For a moment, she seemed helpless, lost, confused about her place in the world… just as she had been when he had found her anew, in the wilderness of distant Fire Nation islands. When he had convinced her to trust him… when he had brought her back home, expecting a far better outcome than the one she had been dealt.

She had told him she wouldn't return to the asylum under any circumstances… he had promised he wouldn't let that happen to her. When everyone stepped back as Zuko condemned his sister, though, Sokka stepped forward, honoring his vow to ensure her worst nightmare wouldn't come to pass: the only amendment to the sentence Zuko had allowed, then, was prison… as well as the removal of Azula's bending abilities.

Her horror at that notion had been palpable. Both Azula and Sokka had argued against that punishment too, only for everyone else present at the Fire Lord's court to echo it as the safest choice going forward. Even those who seemed uncomfortable, like Aang, like Ty Lee, had kept their mouths shut. There was no curtain of fire… but Sokka had the distinct feeling that Ozai's shadow had not left those halls in the slightest if this was how his son treated his enemies.

She had been dragged to a dungeon afterwards.

That night, Sokka broke her free.

He kept true to his promise and escaped with her, and he only had one plan in mind – a risky one, to be sure, but it was his only immediate solution for her troubles, the only way to ensure they'd escape Zuko's jurisdiction, as well as secure Azula's life and bending:

She would join the Order of the White Lotus.

"You're aware of the reasons. You're not dumb, so don't play dumb," Sokka said, bumping her hip lightly with his own. "A bunch of former Fire Nation soldiers, your uncle included, are part of this organization. They were remorseful, they were allowed to fight against the Fire Nation during the end of the war and they were forgiven for their past crimes because of that. I'm not saying you'll get the same treatment… but if they earned that much leniency, I can't see why you can't be given a chance."

"Well, apparently, my crimes against the world order are far steeper than theirs ever were. I'm sure you've heard everyone say as much, haven't you?" Azula said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Sokka said, glancing at her with unease. "A siege intent on starving a city and razing it to the ground sounds a lot darker than everything you ever did."

"Does it, now?" Azula said, dismissively.

"I'm just saying… we've all had blood on our hands in different ways. And I assumed Zuko, of all people, should know the value of forgiveness by now," Sokka said. "But nothing anyone says can sway that guy when he gets an idea in his head… and I suppose you and your crew of dangerous friends were a bit too much trouble for him."

"Hardly my fault that he can't keep up with me," Azula huffed.

"Well… you humiliated him in front of his entire nation. About five times."

"Serves him right."

"Not sure the White Lotus will appreciate that attitude," Sokka smirked. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"If that's the case, why are you smiling?"

He winced at her spot-on assessment, and it was Azula's turn to smirk at him after he reacted to her words. His cheeks flushed slightly, and he shook his head.

"To be honest? I just… have the feeling that my persistence at helping you has caused Zuko to want my head on a stake every bit as badly as he wants yours," Sokka said. "And it's kind of wild to think that he made the most of other people's willingness to forgive him, only to decide to be merciless with his own family, in turn. I mean… he did a lot of shitty things to us too, back in the day. I'm not saying the stuff you did wasn't harmful and dangerous, but… even when you went on that weird kidnapping spree, you didn't do anything to hurt any of the children irreparably. Though… why did you do that?"

"The kidnapping spree?"

"Yeah. I mean… I'm not sure what that accomplished, beyond taking one more step in making your brother believe you were unforgivable. But I mean… even if that's what you wanted? You probably could've gone about it way differently."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I mean… there had to be some way to get that done without having to take care of a preschool class, I mean."

Azula actually laughed at his words. She shook her head as Sokka smiled, and she shrugged carelessly – the White Lotus cape rose and fell when she did as much.

"So, your concern is not on a moralistic level… just in regards of practicality?" Azula asked. Sokka snorted.

"You're someone geared towards efficiency above all else. Don't act like that's not the case anymore," he said, poking her shoulder with one finger. "If you wanted to mess with Zuko, there were many ways to do it without putting in half as much effort to organize that whole situation."

"Maybe you're overestimating me, then," Azula said. Sokka scoffed and shook his head.

"Sure am, Miss 'I took over Ba Sing Se with the subtlest coup in known history'…"

"And that's a good thing now?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka shrugged.

"It's not as bloody as killing thousands of enemies and leaving them to drown in the middle of a considerable ecological disaster, so… I have to hand it to you, your approach to victory was disturbingly efficient and not as chaotic as my own."

Azula gritted her teeth, glancing at Sokka in perplexity. He bit his lip.

"A lot of us did terrible things in the war, and you can say they were for the right or the wrong reasons, depending on who it is… depending on who won. I've reached the conclusion that I don't regret doing everything I did to win the war and defeat your father… but sometimes I wish, anyway, that I'd done it differently. For a while, I disregarded Aang's moral code as a simple difference in culture… until I was the one with so much blood on my hands. The one waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweat because… because I'd keep thinking about all the soldiers and engineers and just regular people I killed with my actions. Maybe I didn't do it personally, maybe I didn't drive a knife through their hearts… but it doesn't change that I'm responsible for their deaths, too."

"Is that why you joined the White Lotus? To atone?" Azula asked. Sokka sighed.

"At first? Nah. I just wanted to stay active, to feel useful, to do things and work to fix more of the world as best as I could… but the more those thoughts plagued me, the more help I needed. I went to Aang, to my sword master, Piandao… their wisdom helped in some ways, but they both believed, too, that I had to find my own answers. And I'm still looking for them…"

"And somehow, that quest for answers convinced you to help me?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. "Or, well, what passes for help in your weird head. These clothes are still ridiculously unwieldy… it's like wearing a blanket."

"Bear with it for a few more hours, damn it," Sokka chuckled. "But… yeah. I couldn't have lived with myself if you'd been killed by bounty hunters. I couldn't have lived with myself if you had been forced into the asylum again after you told me you'd sooner die than go back there. And… I couldn't have lived with letting Aang take your bending by Zuko's demands solely because he's scared of you. I might be making a terrible mistake here, Azula… but I'd rather mess up by trying to do something that feels right, deep in my gut, rather than messing up by doing something that feels wrong while just hoping my choice will be validated eventually if you ever try to do something really mean to someone or another."

"So… it feels right to give me a chance to become a White Lotus agent?" Azula asked, still skeptical as she stared at the large door before her: the symbol of that White Lotus tile her uncle ever favored looked far more menacing there than on a simple board. "Do you have wild expectations about how I'll become a poster child for world peace just because I joined your gang of war veterans looking for a purpose in life? Because that's not very likely, if you must know…"

"Heh, guess that's not it… but I do hope you can find a purpose," Sokka said. "I want you to have the second chance all these guys got… that even Zuko got, no matter if he's unwilling to extend that opportunity to people he should care about. I mean, however fucked up your relationship may be… you're still his sister. I keep trying to imagine how I'd act if it were me and Katara, and I just… I don't think I'd ever have it in me to give that order. To say the things he said to you when he sentenced you. I'm not expecting him to become best friends with you… but that extent of mercilessness is not what I believed he would adhere to once he became Fire Lord. In fact… he always talked about becoming a Fire Lord of peace and kindness. How the hell is he planning on doing that by locking up his family members if they displease him?"

"Well, it's one way to go about it… a rather contradictory way," Azula said, with a weak smile. "You really don't owe me anything, though. You didn't have to go this far just to give me a chance to find a purpose. Most people wouldn't… as evidenced by the fact that no one else did."

"Maybe I want you to be the one who owes me," Sokka smirked deviously. Azula huffed. "Thought about that?"

"Now I see. I was about to get all mushy… but I suppose I understand what your game is now," she said, glaring at him sideways. Sokka chuckled, hands on his hips.

Sounds within the chamber gave away that the door would open soon. Sokka breathed deeply, nudging Azula gently again.

"Ready, then?"

"I don't think so, no," Azula said, gritting her teeth. "What does this ceremony entail, to begin with?"

"Hey, now, I can't give away their secrets…"

"Oh, you're such a pain," Azula hissed, and Sokka chuckled again before smiling fondly at her.

"I may be, but, for what it's worth?" he said. She raised an eyebrow, skeptically, in his direction. "Blue looks good on you."

Her lips parted, though she didn't say anything. Her cheeks flushed, and Sokka smiled at how curiously innocent the woman beside him looked in that very moment. When was the last time anyone had addressed a compliment to her? When was the last time she had heard kind words, altogether? When was the last time anyone had offered her a helping hand when she had needed it?

The torchlight within the room bathed them as the doors opened. Sokka jerked his head towards the doors… ushering her to join him inside the ceremony hall where, flustered and uncertain as she felt, Azula would officially become an agent of the Order of the White Lotus.

...

Even when coated in red, the black blade was unmistakable. Sokka wasn't alright, he realized, for he couldn't possibly be laughing about this if he were. He shouldn't be so amused after that brutal fight against a gang of deadly brigands, on a battlefield with countless wounded and only a few survivors…

But his hand wrapped around that handle, which he had crafted himself. His fingers tightened around it, and he threw his head back with the loudest cackle of laughter: he swung the sword to the side, and it slid cleanly across the air as the blood that clang to it splattered on the ground.

"Gotta… clean it properly. And hone the edge, I bet… but it's Space Sword. It's Space Sword, Azula!"

She let out a dismissive huff, glaring at her partner as she stood near the survivors of the bloodbath they'd been dragged into, survivors she had been restraining with sturdy chains: their latest mission had been dangerous and deadly. It hadn't taken her long to realize that being capable of terrible things wasn't merely an additional personality perk for agents of the White Lotus… but rather, it was a necessary one. Their harshness, their efficiency, was simply repurposed for whatever their leaders deemed to be the right causes.

Today, that cause had been a growing gang of organized crime in the northwestern Earth Kingdom. They had started by extorting travelers… by now, they had become a scourge upon the villages of the area, frequently pillaging farms and homesteads to steal whatever they cared to. At first, their quick rise had seemed incomprehensible, for the Earth King should have been able to send troops to deal with a threat like this one… then, reports that the leader was the wielder of a black blade explained why they hadn't been stopped for well over half a year.

Sokka had been looking for that sword since the end of the war – now, ten years after the last time he'd held his weapon, he nearly sobbed amid laughter as he gazed upon his Space Sword, finally returned to him.

"Will your sword be worth the existential crisis you'll get over today's massacre?" Azula asked, knowingly: it was hardly the first mission that had turned into a bloodbath since they'd begun working together, two years prior. In that time, she had gotten to know Sokka far more intimately than she had expected to… and she had even spoken with him a few times about his fears and dread whenever he had sudden panic attacks in the middle of the night.

"I… I hope so," Sokka said, glancing at her from over his shoulder.

Telling himself that violence had been the only way to stop their foes typically soothed him for around two hours, then he changed his mind and hated himself for it for four. It wouldn't be easy to cope with the numerous deaths they'd caused… but Sokka expected that his relief upon regaining his unique, extraordinary weapon wouldn't dwindle anytime soon.

"Well, whether you're right to hope so or not, we'd best get going. We both look like a mess," Azula said, shaking her head. "We have to turn over the survivors to the local authorities, don't we?"

"We do, we do. And we should probably bring the big boss's corpse to prove we're not talking out of our asses," Sokka agreed, sighing at the notion of carrying a dead man all the way to Garsai, the nearest city.

He stood up, and only then did Azula truly process that he was covered in blood. She flinched upon noticing that some appeared to spill from his breastplate, and she immediately feared that it might be his… but he moved smoothly, as though it weren't. They had taken a few scratches and bruises during the fight, but nothing should be a major injury…

But Sokka was still covered in blood. He had handled the worst of the battle and now, standing strong with the corpse fiercely clasped in one hand, the sword in the other, he appeared much more imposing than Azula had ever seen him as. She swallowed hard and nodded as he approached, firmly.

"Either way… we did our job, and you got your sword. All is well now, right?" Azula said. Sokka smiled and nodded. "Though… you really shouldn't smile that much when you're covered in blood. Doesn't suit your, uh, aesthetic."

"Oh. I'll make sure to look insolent and cranky, then," Sokka said, clearing his throat before staring Azula down with feigned coldness. Azula chuckled for it, despite herself. "And you shouldn't be laughing either… you're covered in blood as well."

"Most would say that this is my natural state, seeing as I'm supposed to be the deadliest, cruelest royal there ever was," Azula said, dramatically. Sokka smiled. "You, though? I suppose it's weird that red…"

"That… what?" Sokka blinked blankly. Azula bit her lip as she turned away from him.

"That red looks good on you," she mumbled so quietly her words were impossible for Sokka to infer or decipher.

"What? Hey! I didn't catch that!" Sokka squealed, marching alongside her towards the cluster of survivors from the criminal organization. "What did you say? Azula!"

"I said nothing important, now shut up and hug your sword again!" Azula huffed, cheeks tinged red – uttering that phrase had been a terrible mistake on her part: Sokka would likely ask her over and over again until something else distracted him, so she'd have to think of how to achieve her desired purpose…

But for now… for now, Sokka looked happier than he usually was. He gazed at her with grateful eyes, even if his gratitude over retrieving his sword was rather odd, considering what they'd had to do to obtain it.

Still… giving him a hand with this complicated mission had been okay.

In fact, giving him a hand in their previous missions had been fine, too.

She didn't know yet if he had succeeded at providing her with a purpose through their work… but she found herself making decisions she never had before. She had become his confidante much as he was hers… they could speak about their turbulent thoughts for hours on end at night, both in their own beds while they recovered their strength after hard days. During the first year, neither of them hadn't contacted anyone outside the Order, namely so Azula's presence among them would remain unknown to the Fire Nation and to anyone who wanted her dead… now, on the second year, Sokka had reconnected with his family briefly and confirmed that Azula's brother wasn't bound to have changed his mind about taking her in amicably again.

And so, they were each other's sole source of stability. They were partners, already so experienced at fighting alongside each other that they knew their tactics and techniques by heart. Their bond meant something, even if Azula didn't know what its meaning might be just yet. It wasn't a grand purpose, no… but finding out where this path would lead them was, at least, an entertaining distraction. One Azula would continue making the most of, in the hopes of finding the answer she was seeking through their adventures…

...

The isolated cabin in the depths of the Earth Kingdom mountains hardly seemed welcoming, but it was the sole choice of refuge they would find that day: Azula kicked the door open violently before pulling Sokka into the building.

"W-where is this…? What…?" Sokka mumbled, shivering as Azula wrapped her arms around him tightly, sharing her body heat with him.

That heat was the only reason why he had survived their latest, catastrophic mission: a firebending criminal had been on a murder spree in the Earth Kingdom. The White Lotus had described him as a serial killer, specifically drawn to attacking families – namely, to attacking the parents of any children he could get his hands on. The children usually went unharmed, some succeeding at finding help… others failing to do so, depending on how distant their home might be to the nearest villages. The White Lotus had determined an intervention was necessary, dire, even… and they had sent a team that now boasted of three years' worth of field experience, and with a talent for handling the more gruesome, unwanted missions that most other people didn't want to undertake.

The toll that such missions took on their souls was difficult to gauge most days. At times they handled their work swiftly, safely, and if their actions warranted it, they'd reflect on their choices later, sometimes together, sometimes by themselves. Their attempts to clean up their devastated world were exhausting, thankless: most their work was under tight wraps, and even Sokka's closest friends knew very little of what his duties as an agent demanded of him. Slowly and surely, Azula became his closest friend instead. They lived the same life… they stood together, back-to-back, against every threat in their path. They suffered together, they rejoiced together, they lived side by side…

And that also meant they had to fight against unsurmountable odds, with no manner of backup, to defeat dangerous threats such as the wretched serial killer whose corpse sank into the depths of the frozen lake. That was where Sokka had finally succeeded at slitting the bastard's throat, nearly decapitating him with Space Sword's sharp edge.

Azula hadn't been there on time: she had been the shield to the mother and son who had nearly become the next victims of the killer in question. Her firebending was superior to that of the enemy, but the man had the advantage of knowing the territory far better than they did: He even had traps prepared in the area that had slowed down and even split Azula from Sokka briefly.

She had urged the mother and the son to run to safety – the woman had taken a burn on her right arm right before their arrival, but she obeyed Azula's words and ran as fast as she could go with her terrified, crying son holding her unharmed hand. Sokka was then left to fight the killer alone for far too long, without Azula's help in fending off the flames: she didn't expect him to be unable to win without her, but, it would be that much easier for Sokka to end the man's reign of terror in these mountains if she muffled the enemy's fire…

She arrived just in time to see Sokka's best idea to defeat against the man's uncontrolled, dangerous firebending output, was to push him to walk on the surface of a frozen lake. Azula screamed for her partner just as Sokka slashed at the ice underneath his enemy: the firebender fell into the frigid waters, but he caught Sokka's ankle with a hand, dragging him underwater with him.

The amount of power Azula unleashed then, melting most the ice and warming the water, was unlike anything she'd done until then: within a minute since Sokka went under, she leapt into the water too… and a hand had clenched hers before long. Her attempts to light a fire in the water didn't pay off, of course, but flashes burst from her free hand nonetheless, allowing her to confirm that the hand gripping hers belonged to Sokka.

They had climbed out of the frigid lake, and Azula had swum them to safety. Sokka struggled to breathe, face pale, lips purple, and the cold air made matters worse for him. Azula had been affected by the cold water as well, but on a lesser degree thanks to her bending: she raised her temperature deliberately while holding him, and she continued to do so as she guided Sokka right to the humble cabin near the lake… she suspected it was the home of the mother and son, and she certainly hoped they wouldn't be all that upset about them taking refuge there after they'd saved their lives.

"Come here… come," Azula huffed, dragging Sokka to the empty fireplace: she dropped him there, tossing logs into the fire and casting her flames on them quickly. Sokka shivered as he sat on the floor… and he continued to do so as Azula grabbed his parka, forcing it off his body.

"A-Azula…"

"You're a lot more experienced in frigid weather than I am. Help me here, will you?" Azula hissed.

He swallowed hard as he raised his arms slightly, allowing Azula to yank his clothes off forcefully. Little by little, she removed his garments – his boots were soaked through, and she had no choice but to rub her warmed hands over his toes to ensure that frostbite wouldn't settle on him. Little by little, every clothing item was gone until he was down to his underwear… which was also soaked.

"Well, either you take that off or you let your dick freeze," Azula said, point-blank. Sokka winced. "Don't… don't tell me you're embarrassed in front of me, damn it. We're not trying out clothes after going shopping, Sokka, we're literally trying to save you after you nearly froze in a damn lake…"

"I-I'm… allowed to be shy about… about showing my half-frozen dick to a pretty girl, aren't I…?" Sokka chuckled, though his teeth chattered as he did. "Y-you sure…?"

"Fucking hell, Sokka, I'm not doing this to harass you: we're saving your life," Azula huffed: she reached for his hips and undid his fundoshi quickly, tossing it aside without looking at his groin. Instead, she kept her eyes set on his. "There. I saw nothing. Though… you should look, actually. You know, in case it already froze and fell off?"

"Uh…" Sokka swallowed hard, doing as he was told – Azula eyed him with a worried frown, raising her warm hands to his hair, where frost still clung to his half-undone wolf's tail. "Heh. Guess it's still there? N-no idea if it works, though…"

"Well, sit closer to the fire and hope it thaws completely soon," Azula said. Sokka actually smiled a little at that idea. "You really shouldn't have been so reckless…"

"I didn't… didn't know if you'd arrive any sooner. I'm sorry…"

"If I hadn't, you'd be dead by now," Azula said, point-blank. Sokka swallowed hard and nodded. "I can't have you dead, alright? I… I can't. So… if I have to choose between letting you freeze to death or holding your naked body to warm you up, I'm choosing the latter. It's nothing personal."

"Right, that doesn't sound personal at all," Sokka said, with a soft chuckle… though his eyes widened when he noticed Azula was stripping as well. "W-woah…"

"If you ogle me, I'll ogle you," Azula warned him. He chuckled, but he closed his eyes under her threat regardless.

"Fine, fine. Though… I might really warm up faster if I watch you doing that, heh," he said. Azula scoffed, pulling each garment off her body systematically – and reminding herself, through the process, not to look at Sokka anymore than he was looking at her.

Her bending had helped, for her humid clothes weren't as dangerously cold as Sokka's… but using her bending to aid him rather than to constantly combat the fabric's humidity would be a better way to spend her energies. So, once she had removed everything, Azula breathed deeply and closed her eyes. Her hand found his thigh… and to Sokka's utter surprise, she climbed over his legs so she could press her torso fully against his.

"Um…"

"Yes, yes. This is new territory for us," Azula said – she wasn't about to let him get funny ideas in his head… at least, not like the ones that had crossed hers already. This was a necessity, nothing more… "Where do you feel… well, colder? Or rather, it might be more important to ask if there's anything you're not feeling right now. Your legs, maybe? Your toes, still?"

"They came back after what you did before…" Sokka said, swallowing hard. Azula nodded, rubbing his back with warm hands next. "Hmm. You're too rough…"

"I'm not a masseuse. I'm allowed to be rough," Azula retorted. He laughed, dropping his head on her shoulder as she continued to work over his body with her bending. "Your fingers?"

"Stiff… but they're still there," Sokka said. Azula swallowed hard.

"Well, I will regret this, but… put them on my body. I'll warm them up further that way."

"Regret it… why?" Sokka chuckled, as he raised his hands to obey her last command. "Think I'm going to take advantage of that offer to touch something I shouldn't?"

"I know you will, rather. It's going to be… unpleasant to be touched by near-frozen hands, and I will wince, and you'll laugh about my reaction for years. So yes, I will regret it," Azula concluded. Sokka smiled sadly, even if she couldn't see it, as their eyes remained closed.

"What if I promise I'll behave…?"

"I won't believe you."

"Am I that unreliable?"

The question took her by surprise. She was tempted to look at him… but she settled for shaking her head as she tightened her grip around him. Sokka breathed deeply, whispering in her ear:

"Okay… I'll do it now. I'll be good, I promise."

Azula gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the cold… and it truly felt like being touched by solid ice when his hands fell upon her hips. She gasped, pressing her body into his, amping up her fire, strengthening her temperature… and Sokka responded by raising his head, pressing his brow to hers.

"You okay?" he asked, without a smidge of humor. Azula swallowed hard…

"It's… it's better now."

"Did it hurt?"

"Only when it started, but it's… better. It's…"

Both stopped on their tracks upon replaying their exchange in their heads for a moment. In unison, they opened their eyes to find each other's face closer than usual, closer than ever…

And then they laughed, brows still pressed together as Sokka's hands slowly leveled their temperature. Azula boosted her bending again, breathing out slowly against Sokka. His own breaths brushed against hers… and somehow, the moment of intimacy suited them just right. Perhaps it suited them far too well, Azula thought, for her body was reacting in ways it probably shouldn't have, considering they had been in mortal danger mere moments ago…

He twitched underneath her. Rather, his manhood did.

"U-uh, that…" Sokka said, grimacing as Azula raised a questioning eyebrow. "Look, give me a break here: you're naked and sitting on my dick. I'm just saying…"

"Imagine your luck… getting a woman to sit on you, naked, to save your life," Azula huffed. Sokka couldn't hold back a light smile… one that brought her attention to his lips. "You're feeling better?"

"I mean… there's a naked woman sitting atop me to save my life? Does it get any better than that?" Sokka asked, amused still. Azula huffed.

"I meant your temperature, fool," she whispered, taking his face delicately in her hands. "Your lips are still… kind of purple."

"Uh… well, they do feel a little cold, I guess, but…"

She silenced him with a finger… then with two. Sokka blinked blankly, staring at her questioningly at first… then lowering his gaze as best he could, watching as her fingertips trailed from one corner of his mouth to the other: warmth seeped from her fingers indeed, providing him with a source of welcome heat that was aiding him in his recovery, just as well.

"Better?" Azula asked: her voice was strangely softer now, far subtler than usual…

Perhaps even slightly affectionate.

Sokka's eyes rose towards hers: her golden gaze, ever so sharp and determined, so guarded and observant, had changed in nature slightly now as her other hand rose to his neck. The fingertips trailed still over his lips, over each soft ridge of his skin, smoothly warming him further…

He wanted to answer… but words failed him when he tried to part his lips. The very attempt to do so resulted in him brushing her fingers with his mouth…

Azula slowed, but she didn't withdraw her hand. They gazed into each other's eyes wistfully for a strange, confusing, intimate moment unlike any they had shared until then.

He did it again. This time, with much more intent than before.

His lips puckered out slightly, ever so slightly, pressing a kiss upon her fingertips.

She let out a slow breath – she didn't pull her hand back at all. He did it again, and again, and suddenly it wasn't her bending's doing that her body heat would rise. No… it was as though his choices were bending her own fire out of her control.

And she liked that sensation.

She lowered her fingers, trailing then over the stubble of his chin before replacing them with her own lips.

It was as though a dam had broken down, shattering under an onslaught of passion neither one had truly allowed themselves to be conscious of. A passion they had nursed and shared for three years, building it and strengthening it with every new day of working side by side to protect a world where she didn't belong… a world where he had found no true peace. The depth of understanding between them rushed across their bodies, paired with a primal urge where their lips found warmth through reckless, constant contact, as did their tongues once they dared take their initial exchange further. His hands rose to warmer parts of her body… and that same gasp, the same exclamation as before, took on an erotic meaning Sokka suspected hadn't been her intent at all.

But he touched her, kissed her, buried his face in her neck and chest, caressed her back, fondled her rear… just as she ran her hands over his chest and arms, trailing her lips down his collarbone, bucking her hips against his hardening shaft. His hand slid and dipped into her wet folds, and Azula moaned as she thrusted into it with abandon, providing him with even more heat… as he provided her, in turn, with tingles of pleasure that saw to the racing of her heartbeats.

All previous rules, either implicit or explicit, were gone now: they could gaze at each other if they cared to, and Azula warmed her hand before wrapping it around his shaft. Sokka groaned against her lips, and Azula kissed him again to ease him… failing to do so, of course, for he was further stirred and strengthened by every caress they shared.

He kissed her deeply anew: they swayed back at first, only for Azula to tilt him down next, pinning him down on the wooden floorboards. Sokka grunted for it, hands sliding down to palm her buttocks smoothly. Her lips trailed over his shoulder, down to his pecs, and she dared slip her tongue out to tease his nipples: they were terribly cold still, so she warmed them with her breath and lips, tickling them with her tongue as Sokka groaned in delight, still kneading her rear while the heat rose between them. Azula rose back to his lips after his nipples were warmer anew… but it was Sokka's turn, it seemed: he rolled them on the floor, and they landed even closer to the fire now as he dove upon her chest with far more energy than Azula had thought he had left in him. He sucked eagerly, tugging on her mounds and prompting them to bounce with momentum as he switched from one to the other – she trembled as her legs intertwined with his, hands smoothly touching as much of his body as she dared. No longer did she ask him about which of his body parts were still cold, which ones might need more attention… for their rational thoughts had been set aside for now. All reason had escaped as instinct and need, as emotion and lust, blended into one, unleashed in the form of a tryst they had never planned on…

All their barriers and boundaries had crumbled now, all limits they'd abided by in their professional relationship and personal friendship… and an unusual warmth was taking the place of the perpetual unease in the hearts of the two jaded warriors. It was relieving, comforting, exciting… it felt like coming to life, even if they'd only found that sensation after yet another dark, terrifyingly close brush with death.

Azula spread her legs, hooking them over his hips, conveying a powerful message Sokka obeyed at once: his manhood parted her folds slowly as it slid through her opening, and she gasped for breath across her moans, hands sliding through Sokka's moist hair. He kissed her heartily, his body as good as crushing hers as he slid deeper inside her…

"I'm not… s-still too cold, am I?" he whispered against her lips. Azula's chest heaved as it pressed against his, her fingers gripping his hair, undoing what was left of his wolf's tail. "B-because you feel…"

"Too… too hot for you?" Azula asked, with a slight smile. Sokka chuckled in response, closing his eyes as the warmth enveloped him smoothly.

"This is… it's the right way to chase away the cold. Definitely," he declared before leaning in to kiss her anew.

She didn't let him control their tryst for much longer: Sokka found himself underneath her before long, trapped between her body and the floor as she grinded atop him slow and delightfully. The sense of urgency had dwindled away, diminished into nothingness, for now she devoted herself to further boosting their shared heat. Their hands, their lips, the most intimate joining of their bodies… it was a natural outlet to so many things they had been holding in, for far too long. Instead of unleashing their frustrations against the world by fighting villains and miscreants hellbent on causing damage, instead of breaking their souls further by committing to a cause that further fractured their souls, no matter how painful it could be to live their lives by the philosophy of kill or be killed…

Instead of further spiraling into darkness, as they'd done for three years, suddenly their descent slowed that night. They were still enveloped by darkness in countless ways… but there was something beautiful within that darkness all the same. They had found something worth clinging to, something worth protecting not solely because of a professional partnership, or because of practicality… the bond between them had long outgrown such rational concepts.

Theirs was a bond of respect, mutual understanding and acceptance. Fights weren't beyond them, of course not – they had been arguing about countless things ever since Sokka had first found Azula and brought her to the Fire Nation, after all –, but with each new day spent together, it became that much easier to see the world through each other's eyes. A blinding fog had faded from view, letting them feel real if just for that unusual, extraordinarily intimate moment they shared. Excitement pulsed through their systems, as the aching need for each other was quenched smoothly through the rushing arousal that prepared to be unleashed…

Their cries were even more urgent as they reached their culmination – Azula trembled violently as her body struggled to grapple with the waves of pleasure she was utterly unused to. Sokka, as well, gasped for breath, eyes closed as he finished deep inside her… a worrisome choice, but one he would only ponder after their minds returned to reality. For now, all they would do was pant heavily, brows pressed together as the heat that rose between them finally eased up, evening out as they grappled with the reality of what they'd done.

"S-Sokka…" Azula whispered, breathlessly.

He responded with a quick kiss – all her attempts to reason with their choices crumbled after he did as much. She kissed him again and again, and they rolled on the floorboards anew, tangled together, finding it was exactly how they wished to remain.

They didn't bother finding anywhere safe to sleep – instead, they fell unconscious by the fire, holding each other tightly, more intimately than ever before. They would only wake up by morning, when the voices of the cabin's owners drifted in from a distance, and the two struggled to compose themselves, if only by putting on basic layers of clothing before rushing to the door that neither the mother nor the son wanted to cross, out of fear that the killer would be within their home.

Once the White Lotus agents stepped out into the open and explained matters, the grateful, wounded mother offered them fresh clothes to wear, the only thing she could do to pay them back for saving her life. Thus, Sokka ensured to head into town later, buying new clothes for both himself and Azula, and a large stash as well for the mother and her son. Saving them from a mad murderer was only the first step towards making life easier for people who lived as good as in the outskirts of society… and his job with Azula had become, whether intentionally or not, about protecting such vulnerable people.

They didn't bring up their heated night of passion at all through the day. Tension hung between them as they began their slow trek down the mountains… a trek they wouldn't be able to finish in one day. Another town, further away, provided them with lodging in an inn…

Sokka was startled when, upon entering their room, he found a double bed at its center, rather than the two individual beds they always asked for.

His heart started beating faster – Azula had been the one to request the room this time, not him, so this was her idea, her initiative and…

Her arms wrapped around his waist from behind, and she pressed her head to his back.

"Azula…" he called her, almost breathlessly.

"We don't have to if… if you'd rather not. I only… it's only… well, I…"

She didn't need to give him any explanations. He hadn't asked for them.

He turned in her arms, kissing her fiercely: her first moans of the night paid him back for his affection immediately. She hugged him with arms and legs alike once he lifted her from the floor, and they fell into bed together, tightly wound up around each other once more.

...

It had been a long time since he had last visited Ba Sing Se… it had been fifteen years since the war had ended. Somehow, it felt like longer still.

He knew he didn't look as dignified as he should have when marching up to the Earth King's Palace, and the guards had nearly turned him away at once – his specific request to speak with the Avatar and his sister, currently being hosted by the Earth King, was the only reason why they had given him a chance to be anywhere near the Palace. Katara had rushed to him at once, though, wrapping her arms tightly around him, and Sokka smiled as he pat her back gently.

"You're… oh, you're here, you're alive, and you're the worst! Why don't you write more often?!" Katara nearly screamed, as good as fisting his shirt before hugging him again. "Six months and we hadn't heard anything from you…!"

"Sorry, Katara… White Lotus missions are a little challenging," Sokka said, with a sad smile. He hugged her back, though he smiled at Aang when he approached as well.

"It's good to see you again, Sokka," Aang smiled kindly.

"Are the little rascals doing okay?" Sokka asked, marching into the Palace with them. "Kya not giving you too much trouble, is she?"

"Oh, not that much, no," Katara smiled, walking beside her brother. "You're way more stressful than either of our kids… and that's saying something, considering they're as wild as they care to be. Sokka, I get that you can't just reveal what's going on with you all the time, but at times I think…"

"You think… what?" Sokka raised his eyebrows. Katara huffed, shaking her head.

"It's just… sometimes I worry that she might do something to you."

Sokka's stern frown surprised Katara. She winced, unsure of why she felt like withdrawing her previous words… they weren't a lie, she was worried about her brother, she didn't trust Azula any more than anyone else did. He had been traveling with her for seven years by now… and while Sokka was still in good shape, he grew more isolated and spent less and less time with his friends than ever before. Was she wrong for worrying? Was she too protective of her brother? Whatever the case might be… she was worried anyway.

"You don't have to look at me that way, Sokka, I…"

"Don't. It's the same thing every time, and honestly, I'm tired of having this discussion, Katara…"

"I just don't like the fact that you keep vanishing for months and it almost feels like she's isolating you from everyone else somehow," Katara said, shaking her head and clutching Sokka's strong arm. "It's not fair that you have to live your life this way…"

"I chose this life, Katara," Sokka said, point-blank, staring at her sternly. Katara winced. "Whereas she barely had a choice on the matter, so if anything, I'm the one who's been unfair to her. Don't…"

"You know that's not what I mean…"

"The job entails what it entails. Simple as that, and honestly? That's why I'm here today, too: I'm not here to join the King's party," Sokka said, with a heavy huff as they stopped by the stairs that led into the main Palace building.

"You're not?" Aang frowned, stopping with one foot on the first step. "But Sokka…"

"I'm not invited, am I?" Sokka said, with a dry grin.

"Kuei would welcome you if you wanted to be part of this, Sokka. And I mean, since you're already here…" Katara said, but Sokka shook his head.

"I'm not here to join any parties… and frankly, neither should you," Sokka said. Aang frowned.

"It's not really a party, you know?" Aang said. "It's a diplomatic meeting, Sokka. We have to work on strategies to further strengthen and unify the Earth Kingdom…"

"And the biggest threat to that plan is literally under Kuei's own palace," Sokka said, bluntly. Aang frowned. "Look… the White Lotus has believable information that indicates Long Feng and the Dai Li will do something to sabotage these talks. Kuei can very well handle this elsewhere, or postpone the event… anything so long as he doesn't gather all the Earth Kingdom's leaders here just when his biggest foe could strike at any moment. So…"

"Believable information… how?" Aang asked, frowning. Sokka sighed.

"I'm not exactly at liberty to say, but…"

"Is it her? Any of her old Dai Li pals told her?" Katara asked. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"She has no contact with anyone from her past, so no, it's not her," Sokka huffed. "If I had to guess, they've got someone else infiltrating the Dai Li and they're feeding information to the Order. I don't know who it is, but I do know that you're better served warning Kuei against this threat."

"Well, we'll warn him… but Long Feng is under many layers of protection, Sokka," said Katara, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think he'll be able to get out and cause trouble anytime soon. So…"

"Just… warn them? Make sure they take proper security measures and all?" Sokka said, sighing and shaking his head. "I'll be on the lookout for any sketchy Dai Li members myself, but they're bound to attack two days from now, if the information I received was accurate. So… at least make sure they're ready by then. Okay?"

"Two days?" Katara said, with a grimace. "Well, full moon's tomorrow, but maybe I'll still have some of the effect of it in two days, if I need to fight at all?"

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Aang sighed, though he smiled at Sokka. "Thanks for warning–… uh, where are you going?"

He had already turned on his heels, and Katara's placid demeanor switched to alarm because of it.

"Sokka?" she called him. Her brother glanced at her over his shoulder.

"I'm not staying here, I said. Booked a room in the Lower Ring," Sokka said. Both Katara and Aang balked upon hearing that.

"Sokka, come on! We can talk to Kuei…!"

"You should stay! We have so many stories to tell you…!"

"I'm sure he's going to say it's fine…!"

"Bumi and Kya have barely seen you lately, come on…!"

"Hey!" Sokka raised his voice, prompting the other two to quiet down, if reproachfully. "I'll be back to check on you and the kids tomorrow. But all I really wanted to do right now was tell you guys about this problem. Tell Kuei, convince him that he can meet with me tomorrow… but I'm not going in there just like this. He'll probably want me ousted from the city as soon as possible anyway, happened the last time we had an assignment in Ba Sing Se…"

"And you got in anyhow this time?" Aang asked. Sokka huffed.

"Beats me why the White Lotus leadership decided we were the ones for the job this time. They secured our way in somehow," Sokka said, shaking his head.

"So… she's here too? In the city?" Katara asked, skeptical.

Sokka nodded: the steel in his eyes said she was not welcome to follow him, to not even think of so much as moving a finger in Azula's direction. Uncomfortable as that made her, Katara sighed and shrugged.

"Fine, then. We'll… we'll set up a meeting for you and the King tomorrow or something. Go," she said, shaking her head and going back up the stairs. Aang grimaced, recognizing his wife's mood quickly.

"Katara…" he sighed: Sokka felt a pang of guilt of his own at his sister's dejected response… and yet he didn't yield any more than she did.

"See you tomorrow, then," he said, curtly.

With that, Sokka marched out of the Palace anew. He didn't feel good about leaving things so badly with his sister… but he knew there would be no other outcome in that particular conflict. Telling Katara that Azula wasn't the girl she'd been in the past – and for that matter, he wasn't that boy anymore, either – was not enough. Telling her about how many people they'd helped, about how many times they'd faced deadly peril to fulfill missions, about how much work Azula had undertaken to restore peace… all of it meant nothing to her, for she always fixated on the wrong things. Maybe one day Katara would change her mind… but maybe she wouldn't. And at this point, Sokka had been through more than enough hardships to let himself waste away with worry over his sister's behavior. There would be time to fix things between them later.

The inn where they would stay wasn't too crowded – the owner was a member of the Order, too. Sokka greeted him curtly before rushing up the stairs, his heart already lightening as he approached their assigned room…

He pushed the door open to find a beautiful, dark-haired woman who pushed herself up from the bed on impulse, still groggy after taking a long nap while she waited for him to return.

"I'm up, I… I wasn't trying to be lazy. Done unpacking, so I just… napped," Azula said, excusing herself without any need to. Sokka couldn't hold back a fond smile as he closed the door behind himself.

"I feel like I could go for a nap myself," he said. "But someone's looking gorgeous so… I think I'll tire myself out with her some more first, if she's willing."

"Hmm? Gorgeous?" Azula asked, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Found another girl in another room, maybe…?"

"I found my girl in my room, but she's being silly as usual," Sokka huffed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her up to a standing position. Azula smiled, shaking her head as she closed her eyes, dropping her head on his shoulder. "You're gorgeous. Accept that reality already."

"I don't feel gorgeous when I've just woken up from a three-hour nap… or however long it was," she said, rubbing her face against his shoulder. "What time is it?"

"Around seven, I think," Sokka said, rubbing her back reassuringly. Azula hummed, nuzzling his neck.

"How did it go?" she asked. Sokka sighed and shrugged.

"Same old, same old. Katara's still being a pain about you…"

"Heh. Despising me is an international pastime, didn't you know?" Azula said, caressing his chest gently. Sokka growled, raising her head and kissing her rashly. She chuckled at his reaction. "Sokka…"

"They better go on and play at that when I'm not around, then. I'm not listening to any slander about you, not now, not ever," Sokka hissed. Azula hummed playfully, letting him pin her down on the mattress as he climbed over her. "I'd rather flee from Ba Sing Se through its sewers ten more times than humor their bullshit."

"Even if that means I won't sleep with you until you stop reeking of sewer shit?" Azula smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You bathed around ten times across three days to get rid of the smell that time… you'd better do it a hundred times over if you really intend to stay true to that vow."

"How about I don't go through any sewers and I sleep with you anyhow?" Sokka smirked, burying his face in her neck. Azula laughed, closing her eyes and throwing her head back as Sokka delighted her with his mischief.

They had slid smoothly into the habit of intimacy. At this point, they never stayed in rooms with single beds anymore, not unless they were at the White Lotus headquarters for longer than usual – and even then, they would simply sneak into each other's rooms whenever they felt like it. The Order's leaders had to know of their relationship – at least, it was a certainty that they'd learn of it now that they were staying at an inn manned by a White Lotus member, too. If they had been subtle enough to keep it quiet during their visits to headquarters – though they rather doubted it –, that subtlety would be certain to end now…

But somehow, that hadn't worried Azula in the least when she had chosen this room earlier that day. Somehow, she hadn't betrayed even a smidge of concern about their relationship being discovered. Instead, she gave herself to him heartily that night, ever thrilled to hold him tightly as their sweaty bodies collided in passionate lovemaking, as they always did. If it didn't worry her, then it wouldn't worry him, either… at least, that's what Sokka thought after a couple of rounds of heated sex.

As passionate as she had been that night, there was some manner of stronger affection in her smiles this time. Instead of the wary distance she usually clung to, no matter how many times they had been intimate, today she seemed to have let go of all such reservations… to the point where, even as they lay on their sides, with Sokka hugging her gently from behind, Azula clasped his hand and led it up to her breasts, eliciting mischievous laughter from her clever lover.

"Someone's particularly indecent today," he said, kneading her mounds softly. Azula hummed, stretching her neck and providing him with a perfect opportunity to nibble on her pale skin.

"Someone's ready to humor my indecency, so… enjoy it, won't you?" she said, turning her head slightly to kiss his lips promptly. "You seemed to be in a dark mood, after all… I thought some fun at my expenses would ease your troubled mind."

"At your expenses?" Sokka smiled. "Almost sounds like you didn't enjoy it too."

"Oh, I certainly did, but… your peace of mind worries me more," she said, pressing her brow to his. "What happened at the Palace? You delivered the warning? Do you expect they'll heed it?"

"I hope so," Sokka said, sighing. "It looks like they'll set things up so the King will agree to meet me tomorrow. I'm not sure if Kuei's going to be receptive to anything I say, though… not sure anyone will be. It doesn't matter if everything we say is White Lotus information… they refuse to trust it simply because it's coming from us, of course."

"Simply because I'm involved in this, rather," Azula said, with a sigh. "If you were alone, this wouldn't be…"

"Don't talk like that. Don't say that. I'll never walk alone… not as long as I can walk beside you," Sokka whispered, pressing his brow to her shoulder.

"I know… I know. Not willingly, anyway," Azula said, with a slight smile. "Meaning I'll have to escape from you somehow, if I hope to help you be taken seriously by those fools, huh?"

"Don't even think about it," Sokka grunted: his hand squeezed her breast, and he tightened his other arm around her waist. Azula hummed appreciatively as he devoured her neck again.

"So possessive…" Azula smirked. Sokka growled threateningly before diving into her neck even more enthusiastically. "How ridiculous is it of me to find you even more appealing when you're being so unreasonable?"

"Very ridiculous, I'm sure," Sokka said, and she could feel him smiling against her skin. "Call me a clingy moron if you want, but… I need you. I don't know if you need me too, but… I know I need you. Nobody gets me the way you do. Nobody listens the way you do. Nobody inspires me as much… nobody gives me purpose the way you have. At this point… I'm sure I need you way more than you need me."

"Do you, now?" Azula whispered, turning around in his arms so she could face him directly. Sokka offered her a guilty smile. "Hmm. Maybe you do need me more than I need you. How very foolish of you to land yourself in such an unfavorable situation."

"It is, huh?" Sokka smiled sadly.

"And you put me in an awkward position as well," Azula sighed, running her fingers through his hair as she gazed into his eyes intently. "However shall I handle all this power you've granted me over you, Sokka?"

"Keep doing it the way you have over the past years and we'll be fine," Sokka smiled, pressing his lips to hers softly. "I… I love you."

It wasn't the first time he'd said the words – no, that had happened after another life-or-death mission where he had yanked her back to safety after she wound up dangling off a cliff by one arm, while the other dangled broken and limp on her side. It had taken her quite a few months to recover from that particular fight… as well as to process the confession that had shaken up their relationship deeply.

He said them sometimes, and he never seemed to expect to hear them back. Even if he hesitated before uttering them, he simply seemed to feel the need to utter that phrase. It soothed him, much as their lovemaking did. It felt right… and a part of Azula knew she'd feel the same way if she spoke them back to him. If she told him she felt the same way…

She hadn't done it before.

Maybe she could do so now.

Her fingers trailed over his face as she responded the way she always did: with a deep, heartfelt kiss. With gratitude and appreciation of his deepest emotions. With her cherishing of him, on every possible level…

"I love you too."

Maybe he should have known, then, that something wasn't quite right. Maybe he should have picked up on the signs, on the strange hints she had dropped for him earlier in their conversation, masqueraded behind dark jokes.

But his foolish heart, often so battered and broken by the hardships he had faced, came back to life with full strength, racing madly as he smiled at her. She returned the grin… and before she knew it, she was receiving him fully inside her as he made love to her anew, without relenting with his frenzy of kisses, rejoicing in the fact that she loved him. That she had finally said those words too, and that they were, yet again, equals within their circumstances… equals in their love.

Foolish thoughts pertaining marriage, retirement, who knew if even children, came to mind. They were hopes and dreams he hadn't let himself cling to, for he always thought he wasn't done atoning, wasn't done grieving and processing the most difficult choices he'd made, the darkest sacrifices, the cruelest kindness he had bestowed upon his countless enemies. But a world without enemies could be within reach in the future. She loved him… and that meant they could have a future together. They'd have a future…

Those thoughts accompanied him as he drifted into sleep peacefully in her arms.

He woke up alone on the next morning.

Her things were still in the room. She had dressed up and left at some point through the night… and in his placid relief about what had happened between them, Sokka hadn't noticed she was gone. He hadn't woken up with nightmares, with dark thoughts, with anxiety that wouldn't give him a moment's respite… all because of her. Because her words had appeased him, because he had clung to a hope, a belief that they could outgrow this period of their lives and build something truly beautiful from it…

He found her letter on his nightstand shortly after waking up. He rubbed his eyes violently, forcing them to focus on her handwriting, fear gripping him as he hoped it would be a simple note conveying she had gone shopping, or that she'd needed to sort out something menial with the innkeeper… but the length of it immediately revealed otherwise even before he started to read it.

Seven years of your life. You have given me that many, and that is far more than I expected to live at all after Zuko pronounced his sentence. For I did live… I lived in ways I never had before. I hope I helped you feel the same way.

But now I set you free. Your life is yours again. Rejoin your sister and the Avatar, all your friends… even my brother, if you so choose. You've done more than enough… more than anyone else ever had. You gave me purpose… and now I hope to return the favor by setting you free from all the expectations and demands of our professional partnership.

Thank you for the life you gave me. Thank you for loving me – no one else ever had. I'd never known what it felt like... what it would mean to be loved for real. Thanks to you, I understand it now. It was a feeble, fickle dream for one like me… but a dream I clung to all the same until you made it come true.

I fear that your love awoke my own. Believe it or not… I do this because of how I feel about you. Because of what I've learned by your side. Because this is the person I need to be now in order to save a world that will be as thankless to me as it ever has been to you.

Love is powerful, it seems… powerful enough to sacrifice everything for. So many have said that love is the true purpose of life… I disregarded those claims, failed to understand them, until I came upon you. Until I knew I never wanted to lose you. These feelings you've awoken in me… they will always belong to you. One day, perhaps when you're old and rusty, our spirits may find each other again, if there's such a thing as an afterlife. If there's not… then I suppose I will simply hope you live your life as best you can, and that my absence won't hurt you as deeply as to lead you to join me at once. Live… and when the time comes, rejoice in our common destiny. In knowing you'll be wherever I will be, oblivion or no.

I love you. Thank you for teaching me how to say those words. How to write them to you, too. I'd never done this before. I'd never loved anyone before.

Thank you.

I love you.

Goodbye.

...

She knew these catacombs. She knew this undercity. Her greatest achievement during the war had been attained there… so it seemed fitting, then, that the last piece of her atonement would bring her back to where so much had begun.

The truth about their mission had been a secret for Sokka. He hadn't known… she hadn't been allowed to share it. The leaders of the Order had conveyed far more information to her than they had to him… information that revealed the first stage of the Dai Li's plan would be set in motion that night, once all of Kuei's closest allies had arrived for his diplomatic meeting. Thus, the best way to stop it would be by striking well before they could make their move.

If only she hadn't taken so long with that letter, she might have been there earlier, before dawn… She sniffed, wiping the tears off her face as she progressed further, deeper into the catacombs: she was close now. She could hear the voices, the footsteps…

"… We have waited for this moment, Lord Long Feng. We apologize for our delay, but…"

"Apologize for your treachery. Throwing your lot with that wretched child Princess… it took too long for you to understand that only I would be able to rule this city. Only I am deserving of control and command over the Dai Li's forces."

"Yes, Lord Long Feng."

"All of you! As one!"

"Yes, Lord Long Feng!"

She breathed deeply as the former Grand Secretariat gave another self-congratulatory speech. The highest ranked among his minions revealed their strategic plans, which they would set in motion by sundown. Then, Long Feng took to rallying them yet again and the group of a hundred Dai Li, maybe less, answered Long Feng with firm voices when he expected them to do so, once the last of his speech was over…

And then a singular applause, slow and sarcastic, rang across the catacombs.

At once, the whole group turned towards the sound. She didn't step out into the open right away… electing to speak, instead.

"A most inspiring, eloquent speech. Have you rehearsed it many times in your prison cell? Even the inflections of your tone suggest you've practiced countless times to perfect your pretense, Long Feng."

"You…" Long Feng's brow furrowed: his hair was graying by now, especially after the long imprisonment he had been subjected to…

All of which Azula noticed as she stepped out into the open, with a satisfied smirk and a fireball of blue flames in her hand.

"Sad as it is… practice does not make perfect. Not where there's no potential worth perfecting, to begin with."

Long Feng would do it. He would waste his time and immolate his forces to destroy her… she could see it in his eyes. In the crazed, furious eyes that locked on her figure right before he raised a hand, pointing in her direction before bellowing his order for the Dai Li who had willfully returned to him:

"KILL PRINCESS AZULA, NOW!"

...

He had no time to waste. He had boarded the first train, rushed to the driver's cabin and threatened him, blatantly, to not stop at any stations and to take him to the Palace at once: a deadly black sword to the neck ensured his demands would be satisfied without question.

He arrived in a rush, racing past the guards who, this time, weren't as twitchy about letting him inside the Palace. He ran faster still across the stairs, rushing into the building…

A building that was trembling, a fact he only noticed once he slowed down to find his bearings and figure out where his sister and Aang might be.

"Fuck… fuck!" he roared. Whether the information the Order had given them was faulty or not… it had begun. Long Feng's forces were taking action.

He rushed into the Throne Room instinctively, and he nearly let relief wash over him upon finding that not only the king but his sister and her husband were within the room. The last two turned towards him: Aang had been about to use his seismic sense, judging by his position, but Sokka had interrupted him.

"Katara… Aang!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Sokka! Sokka, there's some sort of earthbending…!" Katara started. Sokka snarled as he turned towards Aang.

"Break the floor and let's make our way down! Now!" he said. Aang's eyes widened. "The Dai Li were coming, they were going to use the undercity to free Long Feng, they…!"

"What?! What manner of wild tales are these…?!" Kuei gasped, nervous on his feet. Aang raised a reassuring hand in the man's direction before stomping on the ground indeed…

He frowned… then his eyes widened.

"They're there. T-they're really underground," Aang said, meeting Sokka's eyes in horror.

"What?!" Kuei gasped.

"The vibrations are really earthbenders… they're fighting someone. Something. I…!"

"It's Azula!" Sokka exclaimed: Kuei's bad mood and utter shock only seemed to worsen then. "Aang, for everything you hold dear, every damn thing you owe me: split the ground open and help me save her!"

"T-that's not…!" Kuei started – of course he would argue against it, of course he'd let her sacrifice herself and save his own hide… for all that mattered was that he'd have the opportunity to gather his guards and put a stop to the Dai Li's schemes thanks to her sacrifice.

She had immolated herself by triggering the Dai Li, and Long Feng, into wasting their time fighting her, at first, rather than waiting to set their actual plan in motion and murdering the king.

"AANG!"

Sokka's harsh, cold urgency convinced the nervous Avatar to disregard the King's feelings: Kuei had nothing to do but yelp as Aang tore the floor apart, breaking a whole chunk of it… and letting it drop, heavily, atop a cluster of Dai Li forces, fighting harshly underground.

With that, the quaking stopped.

Dust rose everywhere in the Throne Room in the wake of the Palace's floor's heavy collapse: even if the broken floor hadn't been a wide area, it had crumbled in such a way that the earth and rocks had crushed numerous earthbenders beneath them. Aang gritted his teeth at the realization, immediately hoping they could be saved… but no such thoughts concerned Sokka as he jumped through the dust cloud, as he sortied past crushed and burnt corpses, frantically searching for one person, and one alone...

He found her through her cough: some of the debris of the collapsed tunnel had fallen near her, hiding her from view. He rushed in that direction, hacking away at any Dai Li agents who rose back to their feet, no doubt willing to fight still… and he refused to give them that chance. Not right now. Not when…

He finally came around the cluster of debris, and he found her huddled against it.

"Azula!"

His voice caused her to react at once. She raised her head… but her eyes seemed not to find him in the darkness of the catacombs, especially after the ceiling had collapsed upon the Dai Li in the middle of their fight.

"Can you hear me? Azula, can you…?" Sokka dropped heavily on his knees, sheathing his sword and cupping her cheeks carefully. "Azula?"

"S-Sokka…" she coughed again…

A trickle of red spilled down her lips.

He could barely see the magnitude of her wounds here. He couldn't grasp it properly right now, with such poor lighting… he snarled, tears of despair and anger burning in his eyes, in his throat…

He slid his arms underneath her body, hoisting her carefully against his chest. His sister and Aang had entered the tunnel as well, deeply confused, no doubt horrified by the severity of the conspiracy Sokka had warned them of, and that had struck before they were ready to defend against it…

"HELP!"

Sokka's voice brought both of them to glance at him in sheer panic: the broken woman in Sokka's arms bled from numerous wounds, and she seemed to have fallen unconscious by now. Tears streamed down his face as he rushed up to his friends, driven by an adrenaline, a need so much stronger than any he had known… a need to protect and save the woman he had wanted to spend his life with.

"Katara…!" Aang gasped: his wife was far from appreciative of Azula… but she didn't hesitate to uncork her waterskin, letting her glowing water bathe the fallen princess's wounds.

The light the water elicited shed even further light upon how damaged her body was: one of her legs appeared to be fractured. Her flank bled profusely. Her breathing was heavy, labored…

If they didn't do something, fast, she would die.

"Sokka, bring her here! Come!" Aang urged him, and the non-bender obeyed at once.

Katara continued to heal the wound on Azula's flank as best she could while Aang catapulted them upwards once more. They would urge Kuei to send his forces underground later… right now, Azula's life hung on the most dangerous thread of all.

Ba Sing Se was, thus, a pandemonium on that day. Numerous arrests were made, Long Feng was found crushed to death underneath the collapsed debris in the tunnel, guards rushed in and out of that hole, dragging all survivors out of the cavern while knowing, too, that several were likely to have escaped…

That would have surely bothered Azula, had she been aware of it.

Together, Aang, Katara and Sokka had taken to healing her as best they could. Sokka offered as much assistance as possible, mainly by slowing down the bleeding with a tourniquet in her leg, by applying pressure on her flank's wound, too, while Aang ensured to help Azula's breathing, keeping her body's system going even when it seemed moments away from giving out. Katara healed as much tissue as she could, and Sokka sought fresh water for her frequently, carrying more and more buckets for Katara to continue with the process of healing the firebender, removing whole shards of rock and debris that had been embedded in Azula's body throughout that battle.

But it wasn't enough. As exhausting as a whole day's worth of surgical procedures could be, there was no guarantee of success after all those hours of working to save Azula's life.

"It's too much damage," Katara told an anxious Sokka, who shook his head, rejecting her words. "I… I can't patch her up if she doesn't have enough chi to be patched. Her energy is basically… seeping out through her wounds, okay? Even with your efforts Sokka, some blood is still leaking and I can't…"

"Then stop the bleeding yourself," Sokka hissed. Katara scoffed.

"I've tried, but…!"

"Bloodbending!"

His declaration startled Katara: they had a few hours left before it was nighttime… but it would be a full moon that night. She had mentioned it yesterday… though not in connection to a skill she had never wanted to use again.

"Use it… to stop the bleeding! To help her!" Sokka pleaded. "Katara, please…!"

Katara snarled: she had never wanted to bloodbend again. It was one of the worst things she could do with her bending… but couldn't she kill people with ice or water, even with steam, just as well as she could with bloodbending? Couldn't she hurt others regardless of the bending power she used?

Just so… could she use bloodbending to save a life, rather than control it or take it?

"I… I'll try, but I don't know if it will work. It's still early, so…" Katara said: Sokka nodded, trembling as he gave Katara some space…

It didn't work for well over an hour. She resorted to some more waterbending healing instead, keeping Sokka pressing the severe, hemorrhaging wounds with cloths while she tested it again, until…

Until she finally found control, grip, within Azula's body. She gasped… and then she focused.

She mended the flank's wound, the more urgent one, first: it was clean now, so all they needed to do was stop the bleeding, heal the blood network underneath Azula's skin, bridge the tissue… and she did so with bloodbending. Once the damage was mostly amended, at least, as well as it could be, Sokka helped her stitch the wound. Then, she did the same with the leg – the ripped skin fell into place smoothly, so Sokka could proceed to stitch that, too. By then, exhausted and anguished, they still didn't know if she'd make it: Katara pumped Azula's heart through her bloodbending skills, offering it more strength than it likely had left while Aang still bent the air in and out of her lungs…

"We… have to stop doing it eventually. She has to be able to breathe and her heart has to beat without help," Katara said, looking at Sokka sternly. "Sokka…"

"I… I get it. I get it. You did… a lot of work. Thank you. Thank you," he said, gritting his teeth as he leaned close to Azula's limp, bloodied form.

He hovered by her ear, tears spilling down his cheek: deep dread nestled inside him as he spoke softly, as if expecting neither Aang nor Katara would hear him, even if they were, naturally, within earshot.

"That's about… about enough of scaring me shitless, you hear me?" he said. "That letter… that's no way to say goodbye, okay? It's not. So… come back to me. Come back… and say to my face that you don't want to be by my side, if that's how you feel. Say it and I'll let you go… I'll let you do anything you want. I won't… w-won't make you stay by my side anymore if you don't want me to, Azula, but just live. Just… just live. I can't… I can't lose you. I can't live on if you're gone, so don't even ask me to try… because I won't bother. So please… live. Live, my love, just live…"

He cried, and he pressed his lips to hers – he received nothing for an answer. He pressed his brow to hers… and his hand fell upon her left breast, where her heart had been beating so fiercely merely one day ago. Merely one night ago, when he had last given himself to her…

He sensed it when Katara started letting go. When Aang stopped pouring and withdrawing air from her lungs. Her breathing grew slower… her heartbeats fainter.

They didn't stop.

Her heart, weak, still beat when Katara stopped bending completely.

Her lungs still took in air, if less if it, when Aang stopped bending, too.

Sokka trembled as he gazed at her helplessly. He swallowed hard as tears of uncertainty now spilled down his face… as he pressed a soft kiss upon her shoulder.

And now, all he could do was wait.

...

"… hey, hey, it's okay. I'm here, I…! Katara! Katara, she's coming to, she's…! Oh, please, don't go, just stay with me…!"

...

"Azula? You… you hear me? Can you hear me? Azula…"

...

"… he can fuck himself."

"Sokka, he's the king, this is his palace, at least have enough sense not to insult him in his own home…"

"She's barely breathing and he wants to kick her out? He's a piece of shit, and I'll say it to his face just as I'll say it to you. She deserves better than this. She saved his pitiful hide, nearly died for him, and he's still throwing fits. Piece of shit…"

"Sokka… oh. Sokka, she's conscious."

"Azula? Azula…! Oh, spirits… stay with us, okay? Drink… drink some water. Katara, please…"

"On it, I'm on it…"

"You'll be okay. You'll be okay. I know this is weird and scary… but you'll be okay."

...

"Toph's made it. We can bring her over to Republic City safely now."

"Shit… thank you. Thank you. I… I know I've been unbearable for the past week, but… thank you."

...

The drift back into consciousness was gradual, interrupted, inconsistent. Sometimes she could stay awake for minutes… sometimes, she'd merely hear a few words before losing the battle against her exhaustion once more.

By the time she finally had a better grip on reality, the voices of children laughing rang somewhere in the place she was in. She opened her eyes with difficulty… to find herself in a wholly unknown location.

The only familiar thing in it was the man sitting by her bedside, hand holding hers.

He was unconscious, too. Pale, gaunt, dark bags under his eyes. In however long it had been since their last moments together, he seemed to have aged about ten years… she didn't want to imagine how much worse she looked, truth be told.

She tightened her grip on his hand. He snapped awake immediately.

"A… Azula. Azula…" he gasped, rubbing his eyes with his free hand before leaning closer to her… before smiling, and with that, the burden he seemed to carry lifted, if just slightly. "Oh, I missed your beautiful eyes. Azula…"

He kissed her, and she couldn't say a word before he stepped away from her, calling for his sister. The waterbender showed up shortly afterwards, healed Azula as best she could all over again, and tasked Sokka with feeding her and ensuring she remained hydrated. Her presence daunted Azula… even if she sensed little hostility from the woman as she treated her. Still…

Still, there was too much Azula had to answer for. Too much she hadn't told Sokka, and that he surely would be cross about once she did. She didn't feel strong enough to speak… but she also feared speaking at all, knowing there would be consequences once she did it, immediate ones, at that.

Consequences she had meant to escape in a cowardly manner, for she hadn't known what else to do. Not anymore, anyway.

She recovered steadily for a few weeks: in that time, she grew familiar with the voices of Bumi and Kya as they screamed and played all over Air Temple Island. In that time, she grew used to Aang's presence as he visited her, eager to help her recovery through spiritual meditation techniques he taught her… it helped, certainly, for she fell asleep without fail through most of them. She grew more comfortable with Katara's visits, too, as she provided Azula with healing sessions that served to diminish the worse of the pain – for it felt worse every day, no matter if she was supposed to be recovering. Her leg, stuck in a cast, was uncomfortable, stiff, and more than anything, painful. Her flank ached with every breath she took, and she had no idea how much blood she had lost, for it felt like it had been too much, going by her constant exhaustion…

The one thing she didn't need to get used to, of course, was Sokka: he was with her constantly, holding her hand, brushing her hair, speaking of anything and everything that crossed his mind. He had a knack, of course, for telling her she was beautiful – she showed her personality in spades to him whenever he did that, leveling a sharp glare in his direction for it and prompting him to chuckle as he kissed her brow. He also kissed her lips often, with no regard as to who else might be in the room… he didn't care if they found out, then. If anything, perhaps he was keen on reveling their relationship to everyone… a wrong choice on his part, she feared, and yet she was powerless to stop him. The affection in his behavior almost felt like that of a husband, Azula suspected, no matter if she had never experienced marriage before…

She didn't know how much time had passed since her fight against the Dai Li and Long Feng when she finally dared speak again. Her first words came in the wake of another of Sokka's kisses, one she reciprocated lightly.

"I have no idea if this will help you heal, but… Aang says love is the best medicine, apparently?" Sokka had said, playfully. "Still, if you want me to stop, just blink twice or so. I'm being an idiot and I just… I've always liked kissing you. But if you need me to stop…"

"Don't…"

Sokka's eyes widened. Azula swallowed dryly, with difficulty, before her raspy voice left her throat again.

"Don't stop."

Sokka's eyes, tearful, closed as he leaned in again and again, kissing her repeatedly, holding her affectionately – he was a strange balm against pain, for as long as his lips brushed hers, her wounds fell to the wayside. All thought of pain would be easier to ignore… as long as he continued to offer her his kindness this way, nothing else seemed to matter.

But unfortunately, something still did.

About a month since she first spoke, Sokka seemed to have enough of mysteries and of being in the dark about what had happened in Ba Sing Se. He sat by her bedside that evening, holding her hand as he always did… but a deeper, darker atmosphere hung between them, and not only because night was falling.

"They… gave you other orders, didn't they?" Sokka asked. Azula swallowed hard. "I'm sorry to bring this up now, but… it's been three months. They haven't reached out with new missions… haven't tried to contact me at all, even when it's plain and clear that I'm here, at my sister's place. If no one else, Iroh could've reached out to me… and he hasn't. You were reckless… but you could only afford to be because you knew something I didn't. Right?"

Azula breathed deeply: the pain in her ribs stung her for it, but she lowered her gaze in obvious guilt. Sokka stroked the back of her hand gently with his thumb.

"I'm not mad at you," Sokka whispered, cupping her face with his other hand. She shut her eyes tightly upon hearing those words. "I… I could never be. I just… I just want you safe. I need you safe, and… and whatever you decided to do that night, we could've done it together. We could've succeeded together… but that wasn't what they told you to do, was it?"

Azula swallowed hard again. Her grip on his hand tightened as she refused to meet his gaze, eyes still closed.

"I… am a liability," she said. Sokka frowned. "You'll say otherwise, you'll say you need me… but the world doesn't. Nothing I do is ever enough… nothing I dare do would ever be enough. You've given me chances on top of chances to help me prove myself, to change, to put my darkness to better use… but Zuko still wants me imprisoned. Kuei likely grieved when he learned of my survival, for I'm sure he would have rejoiced if I had died. My being here… it makes no sense either. Zuko's going to… to issue some demand to the Avatar so that I'm delivered to him, isn't he? And then everything we've avoided for the past seven years will happen anyway. I…"

"You were headed to your death," Sokka said, firmly. Azula gritted her teeth. "That letter you left me… it allowed no other interpretation. You… you were ready to die, Azula. But I'm… I'm not ready to let you do that. I don't think I ever will be. I… you're…"

"Sokka…" she said, finally opening her eyes to find him covering his mouth with a hand – his face was flushed as tears bloomed in his eyes at the very notion of losing her. "You could've had… a much brighter life than this if it weren't for me. You've given me seven years… the darkest and yet greatest seven years of my wretched existence. That's… that's seven more years than I ever thought I'd get. Seven more years of actual… actual life rather than imprisonment. I'm grateful for it… of course I am, Sokka, but I can't… I can't do this to you anymore. I can't… can't let you waste your potential when you could be living a better life if only I weren't…"

"I chose this life. I chose you myself," Sokka said, his voice strong, no matter if it was charged with tears. "I didn't know all along that it'd come to this… that I'd love you like this. But I chose you… because I don't care about becoming the poster child of politics in Republic City, or the next chief in line of the South Pole if I can only become those things by forsaking you."

"I… I'm not worth this much, Sokka," Azula said: tears were blooming in her eyes as well. "Anyone would tell you… anyone would know I'm not. I've done… heinous things. I just… I just…"

"You've done brilliant things too. I've seen many of them myself," Sokka said, firmly, cupping her cheek again. "You're worried that I won't live up to my potential? Well, I won't let you die without making sure you can live up to yours."

"This world… doesn't want me. I have no place here. I have no place anywhere," Azula said, shaking her head lightly. "I don't belong… anywhere. And I've dragged you into it for too long, and even if you say you chose me, Sokka, this isn't… it isn't right. It isn't fair. I… I love you too much to let you do this to yourself any longer, okay? Just… just stop. Stop fighting for me. I'm not worth it."

Sokka's frown nearly hid his eyes behind his heavy brows. He shook his head, disapprovingly, in utter disagreement with her words...

He released her hand and rose to his feet.

"You don't get to decide that," Sokka said, firmly. Azula swallowed hard as she gazed up at him. "Neither do the White Lotus, the Fire Lord, the King of Ba Sing Se or the King of Omashu…! None of them get to decide you're not worth it. Because as long as there's an idiot stubborn enough out there to see you for the incredible, inspiring, extraordinary woman you are… as long as that happens, it means you do have a place in this world. It means you have a place by my side. I've lost… I've lost enough as it is. I've broken my soul a million times over just to save a world that only keeps getting worse and worse. I'm… I'm tired. I'm done cleaning up everyone else's messes from the shadows. They, Azula... they're the ones who aren't worthy of us. Of everything we could do. Of everything we've offered them. I'm done being taken for granted. I'm done being the wall they rest on, the wall that gets shot full of arrows while everyone else sleeps soundly behind me. And if you have no place in this world… then neither do I. And that means we can go on and build one for ourselves, together."

She sat in silence, watching him with reluctance, with uncertainty. Sokka swallowed hard as he leaned over her again, pressing his lips to hers.

"I love you," he said, firmly. Her heart, so weak, tingled upon hearing those words, knowing them to be true. "There's something I have to do now. I'll be back as soon as it's done."

"Back? Sokka…" Azula trembled, raising a hand to clasp his shirt. "Don't. T-take me too, don't… don't leave me here. Don't…"

"You'll be okay. They'll look after you," Sokka said, kissing her brow. "I have to do this. For the both of us."

Azula gritted her teeth but didn't plead again. She clung to him with more strength than she knew she had left in her… she dragged him into her bed with her, and Sokka held her as she wept until she fell asleep.

On the next morning, it was Azula who woke up to find herself alone.

...

"Sokka… we can explain."

"Fuck your explanations: you sent me with my partner to Ba Sing Se without telling me your entire purpose was to have her killed?!"

The White Lotus's leadership had changed very little over the years – a new member had joined the group, though he was as good as a total stranger to Sokka. The familiar ones, Jeong Jeong, Piandao, Iroh and Pakku, gazed at him with remorse – it was stupid of Sokka to wonder if the old king Bumi would have, perhaps, agreed with him, were he still alive… but he wondered about that, nonetheless.

"The Princess… is a highly dangerous individual," said the newcomer, whose name always slipped Sokka's mind – and after this, Sokka was even more keen on making sure he'd never remember it.

"No fucking kidding: I've fought by her side for seven years, I know exactly how dangerous she can be," Sokka hissed – and that danger made her the greatest partner he could have asked for.

"It's not so simple," Jeong Jeong said, with a heavy sigh. "The Princess joined us to atone for her actions during the war. Most of that atonement has been handled in secrecy, with missions meant for stealth, to settle gruesome affairs that cannot be handled through more diplomatic means. The two of you have handled yourselves well… but try as we have to convince the Fire Lord and the Earth King of the value of the Princess's actions, they remain unmoved."

"Have you actually tried?" Sokka asked, glaring at Jeong Jeong. "Or is this an excuse to pretend that you guys have done far more work to help her than you actually did?"

"Sokka…" Iroh sighed. "I understand how difficult it is to accept this, but the truth is that the world leaders at large have pressured us for years to hand her over. The Water Tribes weren't impacted by her choices personally, no, but the leaders in Republic City wish to ensure she faces justice too, just as all war criminals have, and…"

"Oh, have they? Last I knew, Grand Lotus, you own a teashop in Ba Sing Se even when you led the siege that meant to starve a city and then raze it to the ground," Sokka snapped. "Piandao and Jeong Jeong? You two were part of the Fire Nation war machine as well, and nobody's asking for your heads on stakes anymore. Zuko had a change of heart in a matter of months… and everyone accepted him no matter how much harm his chase of me, my sister and the Avatar caused, not only to us, but to the rest of the world. I… I'm not pretending her actions were any less harmful than they were: but after fifteen years, seven of which she has spent giving her every effort to fulfilling your missions and proving she isn't as far gone as everyone pretends she is, she's still a menace that needs to be destroyed while the lot of you get away with a slap on the wrist? And then you push her to die to atone for her sins? That's how it works?"

The group fell silent. Sokka's chest heaved as he glared at each of them in turn… as Pakku swallowed hard.

"I fear the fallen Princess may not be more harmful than any of us are," the waterbender said. "But politics work this way, Sokka. It's gruesome, unpleasant… cruel in many ways. Fear… that's what guides King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko to make the choices they have. We have made efforts to help… but they refuse to heed our counsel altogether. Azula's orders were different from yours… so that you'd be spared. She asked for that, personally. Without her, you'll be able to reclaim all the privileges you lost because of your association with Azula. All the opportunities that have been denied to you… they'll be back on the table now, Sokka. Zuko will be open to reconciliation with you if you only…"

"Who the hell told that bastard I wanted to reconcile with him in the first place?" Sokka hissed. Pakku sighed. "What makes him think I need him in my life at all? I don't. I'd choose her over him without question. What kind of brother makes it his purpose to destroy his sister's life? What kind of Fire Lord does he expect to be if this is what his attempts to 'reconnect to the goodness of his family' amount to? Fire Lord Ozai would be so fucking proud of him if he knew Zuko's making sure to let his resentment, jealousy and rage at Azula guide him… I bet he actually is proud. Sounds like the Fire Nation hasn't changed as much as it should have if that's the kind of guy who leads it."

"Sokka… Zuko is better than that," Iroh said, shaking his head. "He's complicated, yes, difficult when it comes to Azula, but that doesn't mean…"

"Shut up," Sokka hissed. Iroh frowned. "You… you're not blameless. And you're as biased as I am, if that's what you're going to say next. You've given your dear nephew every chance to live and thrive and make something of himself… while you sent your niece to die in Ba Sing Se to save the King's life. The very king who wanted her dead so badly that he still doesn't fucking realize that she's the only reason why his city didn't wind up in Long Feng's control all over again while his corpse was bled dry and made an example of in the gates of Ba Sing Se's Palace. So…"

"Sacrifices have to be made in order to keep the world safe. That is the crux of your role in the White Lotus, and it always has been."

Jeong Jeong's intervention startled even the other leaders of the White Lotus: his eyes were firm upon Sokka, unyielding… merciless.

Where Sokka was initially filled with cold dread upon hearing those words, a rush of wild anger took its place in a matter of instants.

"Is that so?" Sokka asked, trembling.

He pulled something out of his pocket, tossing it in the air. The White Lotus tile flipped multiple times as it rose higher, and it continued to spin as gravity reclaimed it.

Then, it split in half as Space Sword swung through it vertiginously quickly.

The two shards of the tile fell at either side of Sokka. His furious glare didn't leave the stunned Jeong Jeong, not even for a second.

"Keep them," Sokka said, gesturing at the shards with the tip of his sword. "Make sure they serve as a reminder of what pieces of shit you all are, the next time you decide someone else's life is worth sacrificing for the greater good of a world that's just as worthless as the whole lot of you are."

For a moment, no one moved. No one spoke. It seemed as though they expected that blade to slay them, next… but Sokka sheathed it, instead. He shook his head before offering them a curt bow of his head, so light it almost felt insignificant.

"I hereby resign from my post in the Order of the White Lotus… as does Azula."

"Sokka, wait," Piandao said, swallowing hard as he stepped forward. "I know this is a grave situation, but…"

"She will be helpless without us," growled Jeong Jeong. "The White Lotus's protection is the only thing keeping her alive and safe from the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation's demands…"

"Oh, rest assured: I'll be the one to protect her now. From everyone who means her harm," Sokka hissed, glaring at each of them in turn. "Whether from cowardly heads of state… or from cowardly old men who want everyone else to do their dirty work only to kill them whenever it suits them. We don't need the White Lotus… maybe we never did."

He didn't listen to any other pleas as he marched to the door, turning his back on the initiative he had devoted over ten years of his life to… the initiative through which he had, admittedly, found a way to save Azula from the devastating fate she was likely to face at first.

But not like this. No more. He had grievances, struggles, trauma he had barely even acknowledged after the countless criminals and threats he'd been forced to kill… he had given the Order far more than he ever should have. A world as rotten as theirs didn't deserve to take as much from him as it had… and he refused to let it steal the woman he loved. He had lost enough… he had lost enough.

He wouldn't lose Azula.

...

"How's it feeling?" Katara asked. Azula, tense and uneasy, didn't reject the waterbender's healing upon her flank's wound – it always helped smooth over the pain, which was finally starting to dwindle.

"It's… it's better. Slightly," Azula said, curtly. Katara sighed.

"It was a lot of damage. That we kept you alive is… is nothing short of a miracle," Katara said. Azula gritted her teeth.

"Why did you?" Azula asked. "You… could've let me die. Should've, if you ask the world leaders, so…"

"I… I don't turn my back on people who need me. Even if it's people I'm not fond of," Katara said, swallowing hard. "I suppose I… I really could have told Sokka I wouldn't help you. I could have refused, and… and I wouldn't have a brother anymore, I suppose. He would have never had anything to do with me again… and he would have been right to feel that way."

"Would he?" Azula said. "Aren't I just… more trouble than I'm worth?"

"I would've thought so before this," Katara said. "Though if I said that to Sokka, he probably would have never spoken to me again. I told him to give up on your jobs for the White Lotus many times. He's been weighed down by it for even longer than he's been with you, you know? I have no idea what the hell they've tasked the two of you to do… but I do know it's taken a toll on him, a really bad one. And I just… I wanted him to be okay. To be happy, to have a better life, and I thought his strange sense of responsibility towards you was stopping him. I guess… you thought so too? As far as I've understood… you just went on this mission on your own, expecting to die? Thinking… that you might set him free if you did?"

Azula breathed deeply and shrugged slightly. Katara gritted her teeth.

"Nobody needs me. He thinks he does, but… he's wrong," Azula whispered. "He's… in love with me. Hell knows why someone would do such a thing as falling in love with me, but… he is. He cares. He cares too much for his own good. He could have anyone else. Someone who wouldn't cause him to get exiled by proxy from virtually all nations…"

"He cares too much, then… and do you?" Katara asked. Azula winced. "Do you love him too?"

Azula's lips trembled as she tried to hold back the tears. She covered her mouth with a hand, as her throat seemed to thicken…

"You do, don't you?" Katara said: her eyes widened as Azula covered her face fully with her hands.

"He… he's too good for me. He deserves better than me… he should know that. He should accept that, but…" Azula said, trembling violently.

"He… he deserves better than everything he's had to face in life," Katara said, softly, gritting her teeth. "He's become so… ruthless. So cold. For a long time, we've pretended it's your fault, that you're the one having so much influence on him, hurting him, and he's too stubborn to admit it. But… I guess we had it wrong. You weren't the one who was breaking him, but… but the one keeping him together. The one giving his life meaning when he lost sight of it. You say he doesn't need you, but… after everything that's happened lately, I don't want to know who my brother would be without you."

"Sokka… Sokka would be okay without me. It would hurt, but he would…" Azula said. Katara shrugged.

"I would've thought so too… because he was fine after Yue. He was fine after mom died. He was fine after… after everything, felt like," Katara said, shaking her head: Azula eyed her warily, and Katara breathed deeply. "But he wasn't, was he? He just… bottled everything up. And I was too blind to see it. He was my brother, so… I just took for granted that he'd be okay. His heart was strong, I never questioned that… but maybe I assumed it was stronger than it was. Just… just as everyone assumed you were stronger than you were, too. Is that why you two… why you came to understand each other this way? Why you worked together for so long? Because, somehow, you're the same? You've been sidelined in the same way?"

"I… I don't know. And honestly… you don't need to pity me or compare me to him, I… I'm not like him," Azula said, swallowing hard. "If I were… I would've made something better of myself. I drag him down, doesn't matter if he can't see it. I'm… stunting him. I'm keeping him stuck in a place where he shouldn't be, all because he decided I deserved a second chance while the rest of the world is sure I don't. It… it convinced me that I don't, too, so… why waste away trying to save me? Tell him… convince him. Tell him to stop. I'm not worth it. I'm not…"

"You sacrificed yourself in such a way that you nearly died to save the city you once conquered," Katara said, frowning. "Zuko… he sacrificed himself to save me from your lightning that time, remember? It was like… like he was making up for all the times he had been the one to attack us, to chase us, to hound us: what you did was fundamentally no different. So… I don't know, Azula. Maybe…"

"Maybe I've changed?" Azula scoffed, glaring at her. "I… I haven't. Not nearly as much as you could think I…"

"No… maybe you haven't," Katara said, gritting her teeth. "But maybe it's the first time I'm looking at you for who you are, and not for who I've been led to believe you to be."

Azula froze: she stared at Katara's eyes… eyes that were kinder than before. Not as kind as Sokka's, no… but they were strikingly similar to his, nonetheless.

"Don't… don't you start too. Bad enough that Sokka thinks I�� that he somehow convinced himself I'm a better person than I am, you can't…" Azula said, shaking her head. Katara sighed, shaking hers too.

"Don't worry, I am second-guessing myself about that too, every bit as much as you are," Katara said, with a weak smile. "Look… it's just not fair to you that we've never let you prove yourself at all. We were always ready for you to turn on us, to hurt us, to be a hazard somehow. I guess… maybe Zuko worried us less because he wasn't as smart as you."

"Huh… and now you compliment me."

"I suppose," Katara laughed softly. "He was a dangerous firebender, yeah… but the rest of us were growing stronger, too. If he'd done anything out of line, we would have stopped him. With you, though… I guess we felt like you'd be able to defeat us all. And if you say you could have…"

"I… might have, before."

"Oh, shut up," Katara huffed. Azula smiled slightly. "The point is… maybe we've seen you and treated you as a threat for too long. Maybe… maybe it's time to see you for who you really are. To let you make your own choices. And if you fuck up… well, you'll face the consequences. But if you don't… maybe the rest of the world will finally see what Sokka saw. Because… he did give you a chance. And he doesn't regret it."

"He… he should," Azula said, gritting her teeth. "He should. He could do better…"

"Maybe… but he's in love with you, and he definitely disagrees on that front," Katara said, with a sad smile. "I'm sorry if we've caused you more anguish than you should've felt… I know I've been harsh with Sokka about you, and… I never really tried to see your side. If my behavior had anything to do with your choice to die in the hopes that you might redeem yourself by it, and to set Sokka free from being your partner, too? Well… I'm really sorry. I don't know if it did, but…"

"Not as much as you might think," Azula said. "My orders were… they were clear. I agreed with them."

"Well… then I hope I can help Sokka out by convincing you that they weren't worth agreeing with," Katara said, swallowing hard. "I mean… it'll be weird, having you for a sister. But it might be fun… right until you and Sokka start plotting and scheming to prank me with one thing or another, of course. You'd think I have plenty of practice because of Toph, but honestly…? You're never ready for that sort of thing."

"And you're telling me this so that I can start plotting as much already?" Azula asked. Katara smiled slightly. "You're terribly masochistic, if so."

"I… I guess I'm just feeling weird about all this," Katara said, biting her lip. "Thinking that… that even if indirectly, I might have led someone to think they were better off dead? That all of us might have…? We're just… demanding that you redeem yourself, with no clue of how you've gone about it, how many other people you've saved the way you saved Kuei. At this point… aren't we the ones who should do better by you? Redeem ourselves, in your eyes?"

"I doubt that," Azula said, frowning. "You're not not to blame for this. Whatever I've done, whoever I've become, your opinion on the matter… it has nothing to do with my choices. Redeeming yourself…? You don't… you don't owe me anything. Nobody does."

Katara smiled. She raised a hand to clasp Azula's, gently, as the other retained the glowing water over Azula's healing wound.

"If that's truly how you feel… then I'm afraid you're already a way better person than I thought you were. So thanks for proving me wrong," she said. Azula raised her eyebrows.

"Huh… was that some sort of test, then?" she asked. Katara chuckled, shrugging enigmatically. "To find out what kind of person I really was? Heh. And then you think I'm the one who schemes and connives…"

"Well, I never said I didn't do it sometimes, too," Katara pointed out, smirking. Azula scoffed… though she smiled slightly, too.

She couldn't remember the last time she had genuinely smiled at anyone other than Sokka.

...

"How is she? Has she made any progress?" Sokka asked Aang anxiously: the Avatar had surprised him by picking him up at the shores of Republic City once he arrived, and Appa sped away towards Air Temple Island now. "Her wounds…"

"They're healing. And she's doing a little better, yeah," Aang smiled reassuringly. "You'll see it for yourself in just a bit."

"I… thank you. I know I've been… kind of a dick this whole time," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry for that, Aang, I just…"

"You don't have to apologize. You were doing your best to save a life," Aang smiled, glancing at him from over his shoulder. "And I think… maybe doing that has saved you too, more than working for the White Lotus ever did."

Sokka frowned at the remark: he had certainly done his best to help Azula… and only then had his work with the White Lotus started to gain true meaning, in all its darkness. Only then, when he had a partner who lived and fought alongside him, had he found the purpose he had long failed to understand…

Appa groaned as they came closer to the island: the temple was still small, built with architecture meant to honor the Air Nomads. The natural courtyards were pristine, peaceful, even when two kids liked to run across them wildly… but right now, those kids ran past two grown women who were taking in some fresh air, too.

Sokka's breath caught: Katara was pushing a wheelchair through a courtyard, while telling Bumi and Kya to not run so recklessly, it seemed. And the one sitting on that wheelchair…

He could barely breathe as they landed: he leapt off Appa's saddle and rushed to that wheelchair: Azula's eyes widened once she saw him, a burst of relief in her golden gaze… as well as some apprehension, knowing he had meant to do something he might regret in time.

But he regretted nothing: his hands cupped her cheeks as he reached her, dropping on his knees before her as he laughed in tearful relief. He pressed a few brisk kisses upon her lips, without so much as saying a word… and Azula clutched at his arms once he embraced her, hoping to keep him with her.

"It's done…" Sokka whispered. Azula swallowed hard. "It's over. We're… we're not agents anymore. We're not theirs to control anymore."

"But…" Azula gritted her teeth as Sokka pulled back, with a gentle smile. "What now? W-what will we do now? Sokka… I can't go back to the Fire Nation. Zuko will go to war with the United Republic, w-with your sister, with the Avatar, if I stay here…"

"There's one place that will take you. One place where you'll be safe," Sokka smiled, his brow pressed to hers. "Once you've healed… that's where we'll go."

She didn't ask where. She didn't need to, not solely because she already suspected what Sokka's intent would be… but because wherever he would lead, she would follow. Wherever he wished to go, she'd make sure to be with him. Whether she had a place in this world or not, she didn't know yet… but he meant to build a place for her by his side, and that was enough for Azula.

...

"I know this is crazy. I know you might think I'm rushing in on things that I shouldn't be reckless with… but I've made my choice, Dad. I just… I hope you can accept it."

Hakoda frowned. His son knelt across him in the sitting room of the largest government building of the South Pole, his home. Sokka hadn't visited it often since he had joined the White Lotus, and he knew coming back this way was hardly the best way of going about things… but he hoped his father would understand, regardless.

"There's… a bounty on her head," Hakoda said. Sokka flinched. "One in the Earth Kingdom, dead or alive… another in the Fire Nation, which seems to prefer her alive. Republic City harbored her for… six months, you say? And now it's in the middle of a political turmoil because of it. So… you've turned to me. And you hope that I'll help you sort this out… but I'm not sure that I have the power, no matter how much stronger the Southern Water Tribe may be compared to what it was during the times of the war, to withstand the combined might of the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation's rage."

"I'm aware of that," Sokka said, breathing deeply.

"And you're still hoping that we'll harbor her safely here, regardless," Hakoda said.

"I'm hoping… that you'll welcome the woman I intend to marry."

Hakoda frowned. Sokka shuddered, raising his gaze nervously towards his father.

"Zuko's claim on her is staked firmly on her belonging to the Fire Nation. I know she feels her connection to her nation has been destroyed, made worse by Zuko's behavior and rejection. She may be a Fire Nation citizen, technically… but she finds no true belonging there, not when her own brother seems to want her locked down without her bending and forsaken for good. The Earth Kingdom has failed to capture her simply because the White Lotus protected her, which means… the White Lotus had some power over the circumstances as a neutral party. The Water Tribe would be a neutral party, just as well. When I ask her… if she says she'll marry me, Dad, it means she'll be Water Tribe by marriage. She will be my wife. I… I know how difficult this is to accept, I know why you'd feel apprehensive about it, but I swear to you… I love her. I love her madly. I never thought I could need someone the way I need her. Life here won't be easy…? Well, it wasn't while we were on the road either. So… we can adjust, we can help, we can…"

"Sokka…"

"Please. Please. I… I beg you. Not just as your son… but as a member of this Tribe. Please… let her build a home here. Let us build a home here. W-we'll help with whatever you need… we'll protect this place. If Zuko fucking tries to reach into the Tribe to find her, I'll chase him away myself. But please…"

It was likely unnecessary to as good as grovel on the ground before his father. To beg and plead… when his father wasn't bound to show him as much mercilessness as Zuko and Kuei would. But he was his only choice… for, without Hakoda's help, Sokka and Azula would have nowhere to go. Nowhere to run, nowhere to live… nothing left but each other. They had certainly lived that way long enough… but it would be far more difficult, far more dangerous, without the White Lotus's support. Sokka knew that leaving had been the right choice, for their protection had been a matter of convenience… withdrawn as soon as protecting Azula had grown to be more difficult than letting her die.

So this was their only choice… their only hope.

"Sokka… sit up, please," Hakoda said, his voice deep and serene. Sokka obeyed, gazing at his father helplessly. "You… you have been through too much in your years of serving the White Lotus, I can see that. There's… a pain, a vacancy in your eyes that wasn't there, not even after fighting in the war. My son… you have a place here, and you always will. You can heal here… you can find safety in our home. I will be with you, and I will protect you… and I will extend that protection to the woman you wish to marry, should she agree to your proposal."

Sokka's heart jolted in his chest. Tears of relief spilled down his face as he smiled… and so did Hakoda, reaching over to take his son's hand in his.

"I will accept your offer to help us… for we will need help fending off the Earth King and the Fire Lord's likely outbursts once they learn she is here," Hakoda said. "Even if you're the one pleading for her acceptance, and for her to become part of the Tribe… we're certain to have trouble once they assume she's using us as a shield. Do you have plans on how to handle this problem?"

"I… I don't," Sokka admitted. Hakoda breathed deeply and sighed.

"I saw her just now, with Bumi and Kya," he said – the sounds of their voices drifted from the lower level of the building, as well as the voices of Katara and Aang, who had traveled here with them. "I may be wrong… but she doesn't feel like a dangerous killer to me."

"She… she is one every bit as much as I am," Sokka said, gritting his teeth. "The only difference is no one wants me dead… and that I was born in a better place than she was."

"Fortunately, we live in a world where your place of birth doesn't have to be your place of death… but is she alright with never going back to the Fire Nation? With never going home?" Hakoda asked. Sokka bit his lip.

"I don't know… I really don't know," he said. "Though… she no longer calls it her home. Hasn't for a while now."

"Well… I hope she'll feel differently about the Water Tribe," Hakoda said, with a gentle smile. "But if she doesn't… we'll still arrange matters to free her from their demands. I can't guarantee that there will ever be a pardon… but I do believe there's hope yet that Zuko might see sense."

"I don't know about that…" Sokka said, but Hakoda smiled at him.

"Zuko's adamant about not giving Azula another chance… so don't be as stubborn as him, son, and give him one yourself," he said. Sokka winced. "If we play our cards right… he might finally come around."

"And if he doesn't?" Sokka asked.

"Then we'll still keep her safe here, provided that it's where she wants to be," Hakoda said. Sokka gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Thank you… thank you, Dad. I… I know I can count on you, but the last years have been…"

"Don't worry about it anymore, son," Hakoda said, smiling as he closed the distance between himself and his son with a tight hug. "We're family, you and I… and if she is your family too, then she has a place here and always will. I promise."

Sokka wept in relief in his father's arms, letting himself be vulnerable for a good, long moment of relying on someone else for strength. If his father agreed… then the hardest part was over. They'd have a home… a place to live in, as long as Azula wanted it too.

He found her downstairs shortly afterwards, and she seemed wary at once when she noticed he'd been crying. He held her, hugging her, reassuring her that everything would be alright, while Hakoda took to setting up the next meal, aided by Aang, Katara and their children.

Sokka took Azula out into the icy streets anew while the others worked. His hand held hers as he guided her to the frozen shores: what had once been a small village was a thriving city these days. Azula's nervousness upon being anywhere public, without hiding her identity, was palpable and understandable, too. Sokka smiled kindly at her, squeezing her hand and leading her to a beautiful cliff, from where they could see the sunset in the horizon… a sunset that would last multiple days, of course, the way it was in the South Pole, right until daylight fled entirely for the next six months.

"I know it won't be easy for you to live without sunlight," Sokka said. Azula breathed out slowly, the air white and foggy before her lips. "And it's really cold down here, but…"

"We've done well fighting off the cold in the past," she said. Sokka smiled and nodded. "Maybe we can do it again."

"Maybe," Sokka whispered, his mitten tightening around Azula's hand. "You really want to stay here, then? For the foreseeable future, at least?"

"Would you wish to stay here from now on, too?" Azula asked, puzzled. Sokka swallowed hard and nodded.

"I believe so," he said. "I never thought I'd come back permanently like this, but… I think I need this. I need to be here for some time. It feels… safer, I suppose. I just figured that you might feel the same way about the Fire Nation. So, if you do…"

"I don't."

Sokka's words faltered as he gazed at Azula. She turned towards him, eyes heartfelt and honest.

"The Fire Nation never… never made me feel the way I have while I've traveled with you. We were homeless… sometimes aimless. But we had each other, and that was enough. It was all I needed, even if I didn't realize it right away. I thought I… I thought I cared for my country, for my people, but after everything that's happened, I feel like I've been estranged from them for too long to feel like that bond still exists…"

"Azula…"

"So… I don't need the Fire Nation. And if you do need the Water Tribe… if they're better to you than the Fire Nation has been to me, then all the better, Sokka," Azula whispered, gazing at him earnestly. "I… I will stay with you, for as long as you want me."

"I want you forever," Sokka said. Azula's eyebrows rose: it wasn't as though he had ever said anything to imply otherwise, but his earnest words surprised her all the same. "I know I always will. You're my partner… my companion, so dear to me I can't even fathom a life without you. That… that you made me fathom it at all with what you did in Ba Sing Se was…"

"I'm sorry for that, Sokka, I… I didn't want to hurt you, I wanted what was best for you, but…"

"You are. I don't care if other people disagree… you are what's best for me," he whispered, brushing her hair from her face gently. "You remember the day I found you? When you were deep in that forest, when we fought…"

"I… I nearly set your hair on fire," Azula said. Sokka smiled and nodded.

"And I ripped your fancy cloak…"

"It wasn't fancy, it was already tattered…"

"And I stepped on you."

"You did. You certainly did. And then I screamed and slapped you across the face for it."

"Admittedly, the scream was so loud it hurt more than the slap, and that hurt too," Sokka chuckled. Azula smiled, biting her lip. "After we'd fought… after you were too tired to keep going, I realized you hadn't eaten in days."

"And you shared your jerky," Azula remembered. Sokka smiled. "It… wasn't that bad."

"You said you hated it, though…"

"And then I ate most of it, so what does that tell you?"

"That you were desperate for food?" Sokka asked. Azula grimaced but shrugged. "We talked properly for the first time that night. You told me why you wouldn't go home… why you couldn't go back. You said you feared you'd lost the right to even call it that… and I blindly promised you that your brother would take you in, since he'd been forgiven for his mistakes in the past. You… you told me you'd accept any fate other than the asylum. I promised I'd ensure that wouldn't happen… because I believed, plainly, that Zuko wouldn't do that. But then… he tried. And then he went and found a worse alternative, too. An alternative that implied you were… that you were as bad as your father. As unforgivable as him, in his eyes. If any of us had thought the same of him, the Fire Nation wouldn't have a Fire Lord. And believe me… he gave us plenty of cause to think so. I had my grievances with him… but I decided to withhold them for the sake of our common goal, at first. So I was blinded by idealism, by hope…

"And then he threw all that hope in my face," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I… I could've done nothing. I could've said nothing. I could've cowered away from the wrath of a man I thought was my ally… my friend. But…"

"But you broke me out of prison instead. And then ran off with me," Azula whispered. "I… I really feared you'd double-crossed me at first. Then, I heard you swear you'd help as they dragged me away. I wondered if… if you'd be truthful, and you were. I… I think you're the only person who hasn't lied to me, Sokka."

"And I'll gladly be the only person who never does," Sokka whispered, pressing his brow to hers. Azula swallowed hard and nodded. "On that day… I broke you free from the world's cruelty as best as I could. I meant to protect you, to shield you, to stand by you, come what may. And now… now I offer you the same thing, but in a different land, in a different world. This time… I offer it to you in the Water Tribe. I offer you safe harbor… a place where I'm sure you'll be protected. No disloyal leeches will use you and toss you away once they decide you're spent. No fearful heads of state will turn you into some bogeyman for them to project their fears and horror. You'll be safe… you'll be free. And if… if you wish to spend that freedom with me? Then…"

He breathed deeply, taking her hands in his, raising them to his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss upon her mittens, upon her fingers, and Azula's heart pounded as his heartfelt eyes gazed deeply into hers.

"Would you be my wife?"

Azula gasped. Sokka smiled kindly, brushing her hair away from her face as he held her closely now. Tears burned in her eyes as she gazed at him with gratitude… though still, with a smidge of fear.

"Is… is that what this was about?" she asked, with a slight smile. "Once I marry you, I… I will become part of the Water Tribe? This is how you'll save me now? After… after having saved me as many times as you have…"

"You've saved me just as many times, if not more," Sokka said, earnestly. Azula let out a soft laugh… though she shook her head and gazed at him meaningfully.

"But… but why did you?" she asked. "It… it would've been so easy to give up, to forsake me. Anyone else would have… everyone else did. You didn't have to save me as many times as you did, Sokka… you don't even have to offer me what you're offering. I… I wouldn't be so unreasonable as to ask this of you. So… why?"

"Why?" Sokka swallowed hard. "I suppose… it's because I took a leap of faith."

Azula's eyes widened. He smiled, caressing her face gently anew.

"I thought… there was more to you than what everyone thought there was. That night, when I found you… we had that chance to talk, and I could feel it. I could sense it then, that… that you weren't simply the backstabbing manipulator everyone had led me to think you were, that I had convinced myself you were until then. I knew it was a gamble… I knew you might abandon me and go your own way if you felt like it. But I wanted to believe in you… believe that, with a better purpose, you could take all those things that made you a terrifying foe and become an extraordinary ally, instead. I… I wanted you on my team. I wanted you on my side. I didn't want to fight you anymore… and I hoped neither did you."

Azula swallowed and nodded. Sokka kissed her brow softly.

"And… time proved me right. There was so much more to you than any of us knew… so much more than I could tell, even on that night. So… it's like you saved your best for me. And now? Now I hope everyone else will see your best, too. Some already started to. So… how about we show them some more of what we're made of? How about we continue to be a team, just… a married one, now?"

Azula smiled, clasping his hand in hers. She leaned up, pressing her lips to his quickly.

"A married team, then…" she said. Sokka bit his lip. "Sounds… sounds about right."

"It does, doesn't it?" Sokka chuckled, cupping her face delicately. Azula's eyes flooded with tears again, something that appeared to happen far too often as of late…

"Are you sure about this? About taking the risk in your hometown, keeping me here even when Zuko and Kuei might still cause trouble?" she asked. "Would it be safer if we just lived elsewhere, or…?"

"My dad says he'll stand by us no matter what," Sokka whispered. Azula's breath hitched. "You have a place here… and you'll fit in easily in no time, too. Besides... blue looks good on you, remember?"

He smiled warmly upon saying those words – his first blatant attempt to flirt with her. Azula's heartfelt smile matched his as she laughed softly over that memory… over how he had repurposed it now. Her resolve was even more easily built as she gazed at him, as she let herself think back on their journey together…

She breathed deeply, heart soaring as she finally gave him her answer:

"I… I want to be your wife. I want you to be my husband. I… I'll marry you. You're crazy… I love you. And I'll marry you," Azula said, between tearful laughter.

Sokka chuckled too: his tears spilled down his cheeks as well as he held her tightly, as he hugged her as strongly as he could while the orange sun sank slowly, beautifully, in the horizon of a world that suddenly seemed a lot less merciless than it had been after a hundred and sixteen years…

...

He hadn't visited the South Pole in a long time, and it looked profoundly different from the old village it had been back when he had last left those shores. It was a city now, perhaps small, but a city all the same: Zuko breathed out slowly as he marched across the icy streets, eyes set on the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.

"Chief Hakoda," he said, bowing and offering the older man a proper reverence. Hakoda bowed his head, offering Zuko a light smile that waned once Zuko got to the point immediately. "Where is she?"

"Oh… are you in a rush?" Hakoda asked. "I was in the middle of something when I heard your ship was arriving… can you wait about thirty minutes, perhaps?"

"I… if I must," Zuko said, apprehensive. "You're certain she's secure? That she has no means of escape? Prison hasn't contained her in the past…"

"I assure you, she's being watched right now," Hakoda said, nodding promptly in Zuko's direction. "There's no need for you to worry. She has been weakened by the dark period, so her bending has been limited by the circumstances. She has also been recovering from severe wounds, so…"

"Severe wounds?" Zuko asked, frowning. "The ones she sustained in Ba Sing Se, is it? Hasn't she recovered from that yet?"

"Not fully, I fear," Hakoda said, with a deep sigh. "At any rate… half an hour and I'll be ready to handle your business, Fire Lord Zuko. I assure you, it won't take me much longer than that."

"Fine. I'll wait," Zuko said, frowning. Hakoda smiled.

"Please do. I'll be back shortly."

With that, Hakoda took off… and Zuko was left to stand, alone, in a street of an icy pole.

He was uncomfortable immediately – his visits to the poles had never ended well. But that discomfort increased when, after around five minutes since Hakoda's departure, Zuko heard cheering and applause drifting from the direction the Chief had left. He scowled, at first determined to stay put… but soon, his curiosity got the better of him.

He followed the direction in which he'd heard the noise, though it had fallen silent for now. After navigating a few smooth streets, he came across what he realized was a large gathering at what might be the very center of the town…

It was a joyful gathering. Everyone in attendance smiled… and Hakoda presided whatever this meeting was, grinning kindly as well. From this angle, Zuko couldn't really see the two people near Hakoda properly. Judging by the feeling of the place, the words he was hearing…

It was a wedding.

He frowned as he heard a familiar voice: the man of the couple was speaking his vows. The woman had her back to Zuko, so identifying her would be impossible, but him…

"… I'd say I've changed, but honestly? I feel like I'm far more authentic to who I truly am than I ever was before I met you. You've challenged me since the first day, and I know you'll do it until the last… all I hope is that this last day is so far away that we barely need to think about it at all, going forward. Because, as hard as our journeys have been, I want to continue charting my course with you. I want to enjoy my every adventure with you. And I really don't know what this new adventure is going to entail… but that's part of the fun, isn't it? So… I vow to make sure our days are bright, no matter how dark the sky might be. I vow to give you reasons to smile, no matter if the world tries its best to break us. I vow to take care of you, to provide for you, to offer you my shoulder if you need support, my ear if you need someone to talk to. I offer you everything I am… because I know you'll cherish me for it. You already have, on every day I've spent with you. I love you… and I always will."

The serious words could have been out of place for the man speaking them… but that man wasn't the casual goofball Zuko had befriended long ago. His jaw dropped as he understood what he had nearly interrupted, what he had dragged Hakoda away from…

Hakoda was officiating Sokka's wedding.

But… who was Sokka's bride?

His eyes shifted towards the woman: clad in traditional attire for the Water Tribe, with an ornate, beautiful cape, she had long dark hair and a slender physique. She sat across Sokka, her back to Zuko… but her bearing was familiar, somehow. His lips parted, his eyes widened…

"Well… you're keen on making me cry, I suppose," she said, and the public laughed at her words…

Zuko was floored where he stood.

He couldn't process those words. Couldn't process any of those words as an aversion, a fear, an irrational rejection pulsated through his body…

It was her. It was Azula… and she was marrying Sokka.

How could she…? How could he be so stupid? She was going to kill him as soon as he lowered his guard, she would backstab him, destroy this town, ruin every bit of progress the Water Tribe had made over the last decades…!

"There's so much I could say. So much I should say. But if you don't mind… I'll start by saying thank you."

Those words, spoken in his sister's voice, felt wrong. Zuko's rampaging thoughts stopped as he scowled, immediately distrustful of them…

"Where the world turned its back on me… you were the only one who refused to give up on me. The only… the only person out there who believed I deserved a second chance."

"Not true," Sokka responded, with a gentle smile and a caress of her cheek. "It wasn't a second chance… because no one had ever given you the first one, to begin with. So… this is still your first chance, in fact. Rejoice in that, love."

Azula laughed at Sokka's interjection, as did most of the crowd: her hand clasped Sokka's, and Zuko felt that urge of panic again… that need to intervene, to warn Sokka away from her, she'd burn him…!

But she didn't burn him.

She leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"Fine… a first chance," Azula agreed, with a light chuckle. "I didn't know what I was getting into when I first let you drag me halfway across the world, multiple times, in a matter of weeks. But you found a broken woman with no hope left… and you helped her piece herself together again. You stood by her, you supported her, and you taught her what love is, for no one else had done it before you dared. Through your actions, through every single choice you made… through all of them, I found peace and clarity where none had been possible before. You gave me every opportunity to become whoever I wanted to be… and that's what I'm doing today: I want to be your wife. I want to belong with you forever. And I want you to belong with me just as much. I… I'm sure I have a long way to go… I still have to adjust better to the Water Tribe, I do, but… but I actually like it here. I found a place here… belonging I'd never felt anywhere else. I will continue to do better in the future… I will keep fighting to become the person you believed I could be. Because, say what you will… I can still be better. I can still do better. One day, I hope, I'll feel fully worthy of the affection and kindness you've given me. I firmly believe that."

"And I firmly believe you already are," Sokka said. Azula smiled.

"You're too biased… and that's wonderful about you, for sure," she said. "I never imagined someone would believe in the best of me as much as you do… and so, I will believe in the best of you as well. I will protect you, fight for you, care for you and offer you a heart that… a heart that never had known love until I found it in you. You've given me so many new beginnings… and I can't wait to see where this one will bring us. I know… I know it will be someplace beautiful."

At that point, Zuko couldn't keep listening. He backed out before Azula continued, deliberately forcing himself not to focus on her words, putting as much distance as he could so he wouldn't have to hear them…

She was marrying Sokka. Hakoda had called him here, summoned him on that day, to show him this. It had been deliberate, of course… Azula would be safe now. She would be protected from being held accountable for her crimes by the Fire Lord, whose primary claim over her was due to her belonging to the Fire Nation. But if she turned her back on the Fire Nation and became Water Tribe…

That Azula might find a loophole was no real surprise. Of course she would. This was all a scheme, there was nothing more to it, she was using Sokka and…

The scene he had witnessed played in his head again. The words his sister had spoken…

She had never spoken that way before. He wanted to think she was lying… but it didn't really sound like a lie. As difficult as it was to accept that, it didn't…

"Zuko?"

He turned abruptly when he heard that voice calling his name: his eyes widened when they fell upon the cloaked, bald and tall Avatar.

"Aang…" Zuko said, frowning. "You… of course. Y-you're part of this too, of course, you… I guess you're just going to say I should stop, huh? Same as you did when you harbored a… a Fire Nation fugitive in your home. You…"

"Zuko…" Aang sighed, shaking his head. "What are you even trying to do?"

"At this point?" Zuko said, glaring at Aang. "I… I want to tell you, and everyone else, to watch your backs. To stop giving her chances because she'll take your trust and twist it into cruelty. She's going to destroy you… she's going to…"

"She's had around six months to do that in the South Pole," Aang pointed out: Zuko winced. "And Katara and I hosted her in Air Temple Island for six months before that, as you know…"

"Behind my back," Zuko growled.

"She's great with Kya and Bumi," Aang said, with a gentle smile: Zuko's eyes widened. "And she'll be their real aunt starting today. The kids are stoked about it."

"W-what are you talking about? Aang…!"

"I'm talking about your sister."

The word struck him deep, hard, in a place he hadn't realized he still had in him. He couldn't interpret that low blow yet, not easily… but Aang made it that much easier:

"You don't have to get over it," Aang said. "To overcome your resentment, your rage… you can let it consume you for as long as you live, if you want it to. You don't deserve to suffer over your family, no… but you're allowing your fears to cloud your judgment, Zuko. The woman marrying Sokka today… she's not the person you've convinced yourself she is."

"How do you know that? How do you know she's not just going to wake up and kill him as soon as…"

"They've been together for around eight years, they spent many of those on the road. She would've had every chance, every tool, to do it then," Aang said, bluntly. Zuko frowned. "She didn't, though."

"So… what, her kindness amounts to not doing the wrong thing one time?" Zuko huffed. Aang grimaced.

"Not just the one time, clearly… but what you've said is the same line of reasoning why Sokka and Katara didn't want me to forgive you all those years ago, you know?"

Zuko froze in place. He wanted to say it was different… to reject Aang's words. But the Avatar's dark eyes deterred him from doing so as they gazed at him with remorseful kindness…

"Don't forgive her if you're not ready. No one is expecting you to do so," Aang whispered. "But… don't get in the way of her peace, would you? For as long as she's here, the Fire Nation won't have to worry about her. I don't ask you to forgive her… just to let her be happy, now that she's actually found happiness and love when she had thought none of that would be in the cards for her."

"She…" Zuko nearly sounded like a drowning man as he stared at Aang in disbelief. "Happiness? Love? She…"

"She's done better for herself. She has made amends for so much, even if some people don't like to admit it," Aang said. "She sacrificed herself to save Kuei's life, did you know that?"

"I… that's not the way I heard it."

"Then I'll have to tell you the story," Aang said. "That one… and a few others they told me, too. Brace yourself…"

As much as he interrupted at times, Zuko slowly drifted into silence as Aang explained as much as he could about Azula and Sokka's work as White Lotus agents. After a while, he said nothing more. Shortly afterwards, a celebratory cheer rushed through the town, and Aang grimaced as he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the celebration.

"Damn it… guess I missed the ending," he said, with a sad smile.

"Go, then… congratulate them, I guess," Zuko said, rubbing his brow with his fingertips. "I… I need time to think."

"Well… take it. But Zuko… please, make a decision that you'll be able to live with," Aang said, raising his eyebrows. "You've been Fire Lord for half your life now. You've done pretty well at it, too. No one's going to take that away from you… she'll be here, with her new family. You don't have to be part of it if you don't want to be… but I really hope you'll understand how much this means to them. Please… think on that."

Aang gazed at him meaningfully before walking away. Zuko shivered, and not because of how ungodly cold it was. His eyes followed Aang all the way to the celebration area…

Happiness? Peace? Had Azula truly found those things?

It was stupid of him, he knew, to feel jealous over that. He had no reason to be, he was Fire Lord! That was what she'd wanted all her life, that was all she had chased, and…

And she had spent the last sixteen years without a crown, without a title, losing all privileges and even the bonds she had clung to. Sokka, somehow, had taken a chance on her… and this was the outcome for it, apparently. She was happy… she was safe with him. She avoided capture…

Much like he had avoided being trialed by Earth Kingdom authorities once he became Fire Lord. And before that, he'd lived as a refugee among them, and they'd never known who he was.

His fists clenched as he felt himself shatter under the weight of a dark awakening: he had seen her sitting there, with Sokka, speaking words he had thought her utterly incapable of… but she had spoken them anyway. There had been no smidge of dishonesty in them. He always had thought she lied about everything, and he wanted to think she was lying now, too…

But why did he want to think that?

Why did he want her to scheme and plot? Why did he want her to show her true colors… when maybe her true colors were the ones she'd shown tonight?

He hadn't spoken to his sister in over six years. He had no idea she and Sokka were in love… at first, he thought that explained matters, but he didn't know, not for sure, if Sokka had been motivated by a romantic interest in Azula all along. Maybe not… maybe he simply cared.

He cared for Azula… where no one else ever had. The way Iroh, Ursa and Mai had cared for him when he thought he had nothing left in life.

But… this wasn't about him. It was Azula's story, Azula's struggles, Azula's pains and joys and...

And it wasn't about him at all.

Her happiness… didn't include him.

A sudden rush of loneliness struck him then. He should have felt free… he didn't have to help Azula pick up the pieces of her life and find a way to start over. He should have been grateful… but he wasn't. Why? Why did it bother him? Why did it feel unfair when he'd had a good life for years, when he had become an accepted, respected world leader, when he had so many good things going for him…?

Why, then, would he suddenly feel cheated? Why would it feel like Azula had taken everything she once had claimed Zuko had taken from her?

His friends were hers now, to a point where she had even married one of them. She found a home in a place she had never been meant to belong in… Zuko had never found a way to truly belong anywhere while he had been on the run. She had found happiness, and…

And was Zuko truly happy now?

His chest tightened. His head spun. His heart sank…

"Ah, do excuse me! It took me some time to wrap that up… but it's done now," Hakoda's voice reached Zuko, and he turned towards him with a mournful, if slightly accusatory stare. "Now, then, where were we?"

"Don't… don't play dumb. I… I get what you were doing now. I see. Well… well played," Zuko said, his voice unstable. Hakoda raised his eyebrows. "You… you wanted me to see them, didn't you? To realize… that I have no right to interfere. That if this is what they want to do with their lives… you'll protect them and make sure they can do so?"

Hakoda's easygoing demeanor shifted slowly into complete seriousness. He nodded slowly, and Zuko stared at him in chagrin.

"How… how can you trust her? Are you sure this is the right call?" Zuko asked. Hakoda shrugged.

"I am. I've grown to know her better across the past months… and I really am, Zuko. Whoever Azula once was, I cannot say for sure… but right now, she's my daughter-in-law. She's a member of this tribe."

"She's my sister," Zuko said, frowning.

"Is she?" Hakoda asked. "And what does that mean for you?"

"It means…" Zuko started… but he faltered upon hearing the question.

He didn't know how to answer that. He truly didn't know how to answer that.

Hakoda smile sympathetically, clasping Zuko's shoulder firmly.

"Fire Lord Zuko… I appreciate your visit. I can offer you a drink, even some food if you'd like, but ultimately… I'll never let you take one of my people if they don't want to go with you. It's that simple."

"Not even if it's… her?" Zuko asked. Hakoda shook his head.

"She's part of this tribe. She's my daughter-in-law," Hakoda repeated. "Her past does not determine her future… no more than yours did."

Zuko gritted his teeth, lowering his head. By then, more footsteps were heard… and this time, he had the feeling he'd be better off leaving. This was a battle he could never win…

But it was only a battle because he had made it so, wasn't it?

"Zuko? Dad…!"

Sokka's voice struck Zuko painfully. He raised his gaze… to find the man who had once been one of his closest friends was flabbergasted by his presence. Moreover… the dark-haired woman with him stared at him as if she'd seen a ghost: neither one had known Hakoda had planned this.

"Uh… surprise, I suppose," Hakoda said, with a weak smile. "Zuko had no idea you were getting married today…"

"And I had no idea you'd invited him," Sokka said, frowning.

"He didn't… invite me for that," Zuko said, gritting his teeth as he lowered his gaze. "I…"

Sokka was wary. He stood in front of Azula… as though shielding her from her own brother.

One time, long ago, he had protected Sokka's sister from Azula, when the firebending prodigy had been at her worst. He had jumped in front of a bolt of lightning meant for Katara… and he had survived the blow while Azula, ultimately, took a fall from grace, one from which she hadn't recovered for more years than Zuko knew.

Was that what Sokka had been doing over the past eight years? In breaking Azula out of prison, in helping her avoid capture, in bringing her with him to the Water Tribe and finding a loophole to keep her safe from Zuko's wrath… had Zuko been the merciless one this time, leveling lightning at his own sister, while Sokka shielded her from it as best he could?

How had things grown so complicated, chaotic and muddled? How had he become the problem, when he was supposed to embody a solution? Was this what the light and darkness of his own lineage entailed?

He didn't want to be that brother anymore. He couldn't find any reason to be scared of her… not now, when he felt like he'd looked at her for the first time in ages. Her eyes met his as she stepped to the side, apprehensive and wary…

She feared him. She dreaded that he'd act out… that he'd ruin her big day.

His fists tightened, and he turned towards her.

"Are you… happy?"

His question wasn't sardonic, skeptical or cruel. Azula hadn't noticed, until that moment, that she always expected Zuko to only speak to her to mock her rudely, or to be as confrontational and hostile as could be. This was a welcome change… if a little confusing. Still… she nodded. He seemed to wince upon seeing it.

"Happier than I thought I'd ever be," she admitted. "If you really must know. Zuko…"

"Great, then. That's… that's good. Make sure to… to cherish it. Congratulations," he said: his words weren't insincere, just as they weren't as honest as they should have been. The turbulence in his heart continued to hurt him deeply, to shake him and muddle his feelings…

"Zuko," Sokka called him, and Zuko frowned warily at him. "What were you hoping to achieve here?"

"I…" Zuko started, but his words faltered: he was here to capture someone… someone who was no longer harming anyone. Someone who had countless people on her side, somehow… someone in whose life he had no right to interfere. Maybe he never had that right, to begin with.

So he made up his mind, in a heartbeat. Perhaps he'd regret it soon… but he hoped not.

"I'll end the manhunt for you," he said, glancing at Azula, whose heart tightened upon hearing those words. "I… I have no power over you now, so… it makes sense. I'll try to… to convince Kuei too. Might fail, but…"

"You don't have to do that," Azula said. Zuko shook his head.

"I… I should. I want to. I will," he decided, glancing at her with unease. "I… I'm sorry. I have a lot to think about, but… I'm sorry, Azula."

He didn't go in-depth about that apology, but he bowed his head in her direction before turning on her heels. Sokka frowned as he walked away… Azula clenched her fists, and while fearing she might regret this, she still stepped forward.

"You can come again, once… once you feel like it," Azula called for him. Zuko slowed on his footsteps until he reached a halt. "If you feel like it, rather. I just… just thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks," Zuko said, curtly at first… then he glanced over his shoulder, meaningfully. "Is it… is it alright if I bring Izumi one day?"

Azula's eyes widened. Izumi… the new Crown Princess, Zuko's heir. She swallowed hard and nodded.

"If you want to. If you feel like it," she said, simply.

"Then… I'll think on it," Zuko said, offering her a weak, halfhearted smile. "Goodbye, Azula."

Maybe he wouldn't do as he said he would. Maybe he would never come back. But if this was the last time she'd see her brother… at the very least it hadn't ended with a shouting match, with violence, with threats of executions or imprisonment. Azula could only be grateful for that as her brother faded from view.

"And now… explain what made you think this was a good idea, Dad," Sokka grumbled, wrapping an arm protectively around his wife's shoulders. Hakoda smiled and shrugged.

"I hoped Zuko would learn better than to keep hounding your wife forever," he said. "It's long overdue, after all."

"I guess, but still… that's one hell of a risk you took there," Sokka sighed, turning towards Azula and cupping her face. "You okay?"

"I'm… fine. Better than fine, I suppose," she said, smiling at him with unabashed satisfaction. "It's… over, feels like. No more running away from Zuko… it feels surreal to realize that's actually over."

"Well, when you look at it that way, it is a pretty good wedding present, I can't lie," Sokka said, with a weak smile.

"I don't think he'd ever apologized to me about… anything, before. I don't really know what the apology was for, to be honest, but…" Azula said, shrugging and turning towards Sokka. "But it feels like I'm finally free for good, huh?"

"As you should be, my beloved, beautiful, clever wife," Sokka grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist and hoisting her gently in his embrace.

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, their brows pressed together as Hakoda, beside them, chuckled and marched back to the celebration area.

"I hope she's also a good dancer, along with all those things…" Hakoda teased them: Sokka gasped happily, and Azula's eyes widened.

"I don't think I am," she said. "You know that's not very common in the Fire Nation…"

"But we're not in the Fire Nation, are we?" Sokka smirked. Azula snorted. "Come on, I'll teach you to dance! It'll be grand!"

"I should've already been taught how to dance before we got married… why didn't you explain this before? We could have practiced together…"

"Oh, no need for practice! You'll get it right just fine, you'll see…!"

"If I end up humiliating myself for your amusement during our wedding, I'm definitely going to hold that against you forever, you dangerous husband, you…"

Sokka laughed as he and Azula followed Hakoda indeed, trading quick kisses just as they would once they joined the dancing groups that were reveling and rejoicing in their love. Aang and Katara had taken to dancing too, though with their children rather than with each other for now. The loud, fun music had an infectious rhythm that Sokka teased Azula for, pulling her in for a joyful dance unlike anything she had experienced before.

Whether their moves were always right or not, she couldn't tell: all she knew was that they kept up with each other constantly, laughing together as they learned their way around this new challenge, small as it might be. As push and pull might, they would sway to the music's beat between laughter and gratitude, for their journey together would continue, safe and soundly, after today's ceremony, after Azula had joined the Tribe… for the two of them had built a new home in the Southern Water Tribe, a home they meant to cherish forevermore.

A/N:

Thank you again for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the many stories that were part of this year's Sokkla Saturdays!

[thisisawonderfulusername]

let's save the world

season two, episode ten

five hargreeves x reader

summary: you finally manage to actually save the world.

warnings: not proofread, cursing, violence, ridiculous amounts of fluff (i had a hard time writing it because i kept on smiling too hard lmfao), probably some other stuff, tell me if you see anything

word count: 7.4k (that's 13 pages on google docs!)

a/n: wow. i never thought i'd be able to finish this series after the long break i had, but i'm so happy i got my motivation back because- wow. this is the longest thing i've ever written, and i'm so proud of it.

i left the ending open, without them seeing the sparrows yet, because i don't know yet if i will continue this when the next season arrives. it all depends on what you guys want- and if i disappear again lmfao

anyways, a lot happens here- including what we've all been waiting for. but yeah, i hope you like it, because i sure do.

“authorities are asking for help identifying several persons of interest at dealey plaza at the time of the assassination. the fbi believes they may be have been acting in concert with the alleged shooter, lee harvey oswald.”

your arms are crossed over your chest as you watch the television, where the grainy image of an older looking man reads from his script. the picture begins to change, starting with the mug shot of oswald, before moving on to the others’ faces.

“vanya hargreeves, wanted in connection with the deaths of several fbi agents inside the federal building at dealey plaza.”

the mugshot from when vanya was taken in. it switches to the picture of diego’s own mugshot from his time spent in the mental institution- you had forgotten that that happened.

“a cuban exile known only as diego-”

“cuban?” diego mutters out loud.

“-who recently escaped from the holbrook sanitarium.”

now a picture of luther with the man he previously worked for appears. “a bare-knuckle boxer with suspected mafia ties who fights under the alias ‘king kong’. when you glance over at the large man, you can see him roll his eyes.

“allison chestnut, a negro radical responsible for instigating and organizing the recent riots at stadtler’s lunch counter.” the picture shows her standing with the protestors outside of the mentioned location, holding one of the many signs.

“and finally klaus,” instead of a picture of him like the others, the tv shows one of the paintings of him from when he was a cult leader, “a controversial cult leader and known tax evader.”

“the fbi is asking the public to be on the lookout for an unidentified boy and girl” a picture from when you were looking over the fence at what was happening appears, both of your looks of shock, “who they believe are being held hostage by the suspected terrorist network.”

“well, it’s true.” five speaks from where he stands as the report continues, “i do feel like i’m being held hostage most days.” he glances around at his siblings.

“you can say that again.” you mumble, mostly to yourself. they all seem to ignore your guys’ comments.

“i hate that photo.” diego states, still staring at the television.

allison is in disbelief, “they’re saying i instigated the riot?” her hands clap together quietly as she looks away, “that’s unbelievable.”

“look, the good news is that we restored the timeline, and we stopped doomsday.” luther cuts in, trying to lighten the mood up. “so-”

“yeah, a bunch of goddamn heroes,” diego states, “we let kennedy die.”

allison pushes away from the railing of the staircase, “yeah, and now we’re officially the most wanted people in the world.” you see klaus making his way down the stairs, “the fbi is after us, the dallas police, the secret service. it’s only a matter of time before they hunt us down here.”

“where are we supposed to go?” you question, an eyebrow raising at her. what was the plan now? was there anything to do? were you just supposed to wait around until the government finds you, maybe try traveling back in time again?

klaus puts his hand up in front of him, making his way down the final steps. “i have this yurt just outside reykjavik. we could totally lay low there. folks there are a little weird, but lovely.” he shrugs.

“hey, numbnuts.” five cuts in, “hiding isn’t gonna make a difference here. the commission will hunt us down wherever or whenever we go.” you run a hand down your face, feeling the frustration wash over you.

“he’s right.” diego states, and you look at him with furrowed eyebrows, “they’ll never stop.”

you take a short breath in, “uh, i’m sorry, but since when are you an expert on the commission?”

“since i got back from there.” he tells you, his gaze on the ground.

“what?” five questions.

“yeah, they headhunted me, offered me a job.” he confirms, “full time with benefits, which i had to turn down.”

“they headhunted you…” five states, “...the village idiot.”

diego looks genuinely offended, “what, am i not allowed to be headhunted? only you two, the almighty, need to be in demand?”

everyone is clearly fed up already, allison taking a seat on the steps and klaus turning away from the argument. “listen, diego, you’re not exactly commission material.” you explain, “you’ve got an… obstinate nature to you.”

“who do you think it was that figured out vanya was the one that causes doomsday and stopped it? me.” he pushes away from the pillar he was leaning against, getting closer to you, “that’s who. i figured it all out on the infinite switchboard.”

“you were on the infinite switchboard?” five questions.

“hell yeah,” diego confirms, “and i made that machine my bitch. yall need to recognize that i got shit going on yall don’t even know about.” he is basically towering over your thirteen year old body, and looks around at everyone else.

allison looks at him, surprised, “oh i’m sorry. you’ve got things going on?”

“this isn’t helping.” luther mutters.

“look, i met the resistance in their secret lair. all right? i went through orientation and i passed and i stopped doomsday.”

an argument breaks out between the siblings and you roll your eyes, not believing what was going on.

between all of it, when luther is laying out that all of you need to move, and diego is disagreeing, vanya comes down the stairs. “i’m leaving.” she tells everyone, and it stops the talk as everyone looks at her.

“what?” you ask in confusion, “to go where?”

“sissy’s farm. something’s wrong with harlan, and i need to help him.” she explains.

“vanya, we need to stick together, okay?” luther steps towards her, “now more than ever.”

“that’s why i’m telling you this. whatever is going on with harlan, i think i caused it.”

god, another thing that she did that contributed to the shit happening. you couldn’t care less about some random, mute kid.

“how?” luther questions.

she looks around, almost hesitating. “he drowned, and, uh, somehow i was able to bring him back to life, and now it’s like we’re connected.” luther asks what it means, which you’re also wondering, but she has no answer. “i don’t know, i can’t explain it. but, i know that he needs my help.” she takes a moment, “and i need your help too.”

“i’m scared.” she tells you, “and for the first time in my life, i don’t want to do it alone. i want my family by my side.”

diego has his arms crossed over his chest as he slowly moves towards her, “look, i’m sorry.” he tells her, “we have other priorities right now.”

from your side, five speaks up. “diego’s right. for once. we need to make our stand here and now.”

the woman looks around at all of you, and you could see that she was close to tears. you felt bad for her, but what diego said was true. “okay.” she breathes out shakily, “i guess i’ll see you when i see you.”

she leaves the room and you bite your lip. vanya was so sweet, and you felt so bad for brushing her off like this. but it was some kid, what was the point?

“we should help her.” klaus breaks the silence between all of you, his lips pressed together, “like you said, we have to stick together.”

“go ahead.” you wave your arm towards the door, “go help her. i just don’t see the point. he’s a kid who’s got something weird going on, it’s probably just… the flu, i don’t know.”

he sighs, “i don’t think so.” he shrugs, “but if you guys aren’t going, fine.”

he leaves the room through the same door, and the others all look around at each other.

“he’s got a point.” allison says softly, and you sigh.

diego looks to her, “let’s go then, i guess.”

they make their way to the door. you see five look at you out of the corner of your eye and you turn your head to meet his gaze.

“you want to go, don’t you?”

“kinda.” he mumbles to you.

“because they’re your family?”

“because they’re my family.” he confirms, and you sigh.

wherever five goes, you suppose you’ll go to. that’s how it’s always been. so you push away from the wall your leaning on and make your way out of the building with him following close behind. you hear a groan from luther and something about, “i guess we’re doing this.” as he follows a bit further away.

the door closes behind you as you see diego and allison get into the backseat, and you head towards the front seat, opening the door. poking your head in, vanya looks at you, “look, you guys don’t have to-”

“i’m only here because five is.” you sigh, looking at close, “children sit in the back.” he nods, hopping over the seat and you slide onto the middle of the long seat.

five sits next to you, shutting the door. “you owe me one, sis.” he tells vanya.

she’s stunned as klaus settles in between the two behind you, looking around at the people who joined her in the car. “guys, i don’t know what to say.” the smallest hint of a smile is on her face.

a second later, the trunk door falls open and luther climbs into the open space as the back of the car sinks down, hitting the ground, kind of ruining the sweet moment. everyone looks at him and he sighs, “anyone makes a fat joke, i’m out of here.”

and so, vanya starts the engine and pulls out of the alleyway, the tailpipe of the car dragging along the road. you suppose this is better than waiting around and trying to think of something better.

-

when you get to the farm, pulling into the long driveway, you realize you may have been wrong about the kid. over the barn, there is a giant cloud, and in contrast to the green fields surrounding the house, there is snow coating the ground.

“you think whatever’s going on inside is causing the cold front?” diego questions, raising his voice to be heard over the crackling of the storm as everyone gets out of the car.

“well the correlation is high.” five tells him.

a woman comes running out of the barn with a shotgun, pointing it at the group of you. vanya is yelling out to her.

“get back!” she shouts, cocking the gun, “all of you, just get the hell back!”

“sissy!” vanya, who is standing far closer than the rest of you, holds her hand out, “what’s wrong?”

the woman’s eyes dart between her and the rest of you, “carl.” is all she says.

“what did he do to you?”

she shakes her head, breathing shakily, “he’s… he’s dead. harlan tossed him aside like a rag doll, same way you sent those policemen flyin’.” she explains, “what did you do to him? vanya, what the hell did you do to my son?” she asks her.

“we don’t have time for this.” diego begins to move forward, but sissy points the gun at him.

“where you think you’re going?”

he holds his hand out, “to help your son.” he grits out.

“look, sissy, i found my family.” vanya tells her calmly, motioning to the group, “these are my brothers and my sister. and uh- his girlfriend.”

your eyes widen slightly at her remark, feeling your face begin to warm, “hold on, we’re not-”

“oh, you may as well be!” klaus cuts you off, and you sigh. you want to look at five, to see his reaction, but you’re scared that he could be looking at you. so you keep your eyes straight ahead on the armed woman.

her breathing is heavy as she looks at vanya. “were you lyin’ to me the whole time?” she asks.

“of course not.” vanya breathes out, “look, i didn’t know who i was. but i do now. and we are not the monsters that they say we are. we did not kill the president, we are not terrorists. we’re not here to hurt anyone.”

“then…” sissy stares at her, the gun is no longer pointed at all of you, “who are you?”

“the only one who can help harlan.” she answers, and sissy nods hesitantly.

it seemed to get to her, because without saying another word, she allows all of you to rush past her to the barn, behind vanya as she pulls the door open.

you’re met with a swirling vortex of energy, harlan floating in the center. shit, whatever vanya did really messed him up.

as you all gather around, vanya is yelling, trying her hardest to be heard through the whirlwind, but it doesn’t seem that anything will get through to him.

as she takes a deep breath and takes a step into the spiraling energy, klaus calls out to you guys. everyone looks to him, standing at a hole in the barn. “who are they?”

you all join him at his side. “one’s the handler, the other’s diego’s girlfriend.” five informs him.

“lila. that’s my ex-girlfriend.” diego corrects him.

“you know what?” luther joins in, “doesn’t matter. they both look angry.”

allison stares at the two, “yeah, these two have that effect on people.” she waves towards you and five. your face scrunches slightly.

“we’re gonna go find out what they want.” five tells all of them, “you guys stay with vanya and the kid.”

“i’m coming with you too.” diego tells him, and the three of you move across the barn to leave through the door, passing by the still floating boy.

as you cross over the line of snow that lead into the grassy fields, the handler chuckles. “i love the smell of that fresh country air, don’t you darling?” she questions lila.

“makes me want to vomit.”

“all right, what do you want?” you question shortly as the three of you stop in front of them.

lila’s gaze could cut through you if given the chance, “to watch you suffer.”

“what about me?” diego asks, seeming offended for some reason.

she looks at him, her eyes furrowing, “you’re not even worth my wrath.”

“easy.” the handler intejects, “we’re here on official business.”

five straightens his posture slightly, “and what business is that?”

“as the head of the commission, i’ve decided to eliminate the criminals responsible for the assassination of the former board of directors.”

you glance at five as diego chuckles bitterly, “yeah, right. we didn’t kill the board.”

“uhm, actually, diego,” you clear your throat, “that’s not entirely accurate.”

“you didn’t tell them.” the handler states. neither of you answer, “oh, guys.” she pouts her lips.

diego leans towards his brother, “five, what did you do?”

“what i had to to get my family home.”

“until somebody reneged on our deal.” you add in, glaring at the handler.

“somebody wouldn’t have reneged on the deal if somebody could’ve met a simple deadline.” her voice is annoyingly condescending, “alas.”

“you set us up to fail.” five remarks.

“you set yourself up to fail, friend.” she shoots back. “you and your brothers and sister, and of course your little girlfriend.” you roll your eyes at the continued speculation of your relationship with five, “kinda the running theme of your little life, isn’t it?” she laughs.

diego looks at him, “dude, i can’t believe you killed the board of directors.” he seems to be stuck on that fact, “you have no idea how messed up the commission is right now.”

“messed up, who’s saying that?” the handler questions, concerned.

“everybody.” he answers, “christ, even the janitors think it’s going to shit.”

lila decides to join back into the conversation, “that’s not all they’ve killed.”

you all look at her, apparently none of you knowing what she’s talking about. “what are you talking about?” you ask in confusion.

“don’t play dumb, you prepubescent piece of shit.”

“enough.” the handler stops the argument before it can even start, and it seems suspicious to you as she sets her briefcase down. “the point is, all of you are going to die today, hmm?”

“oh,” diego tilts his head ever so slightly, “well i don’t like your chances. eight of us, two of you.”

the handler looks at him with a sly smirk, “you know what, you’re right. let’s change that.”

she lifts her hand up, snapping her fingers together, and not even a second later there is hundreds- thousands, maybe- of commission agents popping into the field in a blue haze. the three of you look in shock as they continue to appear as far as the eye could see.

you let out a shaky breath. damn, how are you going to get out of this?

“what are we going to do now?” diego asks quietly.

“well, we have to choices: fight and die now or run and die later.” five answers, “either way, we’re food for worms.”

he looks at the two of you, “preference?”

you look at the two of them, shrugging your shoulders, “i wouldn’t mind a few more minutes, breathing through these old windbags a bit longer.”

“all right.” the handler interrupts your conversation, “let’s get this over with, shall we?”

she lifts a red cloth into the air, and your eyes widen as you take a few steps back. “run!” five shouts, and you turn on your heel. you’re surprised you don’t fall flat on your face with the first few steps you take, and as you run next to the two boys, you hear the yelling of the commission agents.

they begin to fire, and you feel your heartbeat speed up. you watch as luther, klaus, and allison jump behind a barrel of hay to escape the bullets. you feel five grab onto you and you are on the snowy ground a moment later.

“i feel like i’m gonna puke!” diego groans.

“no time!” you shout back at him.

you take cover behind the wheel of a tractor and you suddenly feel a stinging pain in your thigh. looking down, you see blood beginning to soak through your clothes and you groan. the same leg that had been pierced with glass now, presumably, has had a bullet go straight through. “shit!” five looks at you, and before he can say anything about it, you rip off a piece of your shirt to wrap around it and stop the bleeding, “i’ll be fine.”

he looks to diego, “what now?”

diego has to curl up to fit behind the wheel with you two, “we blink into the house, man!” he yells at him.

five grabs onto the both of you, and instead of being teleported through space again, all that you see is the blue glow around his hands. nothing happens.

“shit, i’m out of fuel.” he breathes out.

diego looks at you two, “go! go, i’ll cover you!”

“diego what are you-” you try to speak, but he simply yells at you to go again. five grabs your hand to pull you up from the ground, and you do your best at running as diego steps in front of the gun fire and slows the bullets in the air. you manage to get up the stairs of the porch and five pulls you into the house as you fall to the floor, the bullets firing resuming as it breaks the glass of the windows.

you crawl under the table next to five, covering your head as you breathe heavily. you think this might be the moment that you actually die, until it all stops. the gunfire ceases and you’re left in a ringing silence.

you lift your head in confusion, poking your head up through the window as five stands up and looks out. all of the agents are dead.

but in the center of all the bodies on the ground, you see your former employer and her daughter standing unscathed. there’s a glowing orb around them that falls a moment later.

suddenly, lila begins to float up into the air, just like vanya, and your eyes widen.

“get down!” you practically scream, dropping back down to the floor and covering your head. the ground shakes and you can hear the energy wave that pushes past you.

luther falls through the ceiling in the living room and you stare at him in disbelief- not at him, but at what just happened.

“luther, are you okay?” you ask urgently as you use the table to push yourself up and stabilize as he lies on the ground in dust.

he groans, “oh, i think i swallowed my tongue.” he rasps.

five stands over him, rolling his eyes, “luther, if you swallowed your tongue, you wouldn’t be talking, you big moron.” he holds a hand out to him to help him up, “come on, on your feet.”

“what happened?” you ask out loud, “how the hell did she do that?”

five looks back at you, “she must’ve redirected vanya’s energy wave.”

“yeah, i know, but how?” you repeat your question.

he’s about to answer, but before he can, the bricks of the chimney begin to crumble. “luther, watch out!” he shouts, pushing him out of the way just before they all fall- right on top of him.

“five!” luther calls out to him, dropping to the ground to start pushing away the bricks.

you look with wide eyes, almost not believing what you just saw. five- he just got smushed by a ton of bricks. it feels like you might break down, but you quickly move towards the pile of rubble, falling and ignoring the searing pain in your leg as you begin to help him move everything.

“oh my god,” you breathe out as you frantically push bricks out of the way, feeling tears begin to fall down your face.

you hear what would usually be five blinking into a room, and your head whips around, hoping that he managed to get himself out, but instead, lila is standing there.

luther quickly stands, “what are you?”

she looks at him, “someone who wants to kill your brother.”

“well, that’s understandable.” luther shrugs, “diego can be a lot to handle.”

you look up at him, “she’s talking about five.”

he glances to you, “him too. but, unfortunately,” he looks back at lila, “they’re family, so you’re shit out of luck.”

he goes for a punch, but you’re surprised when she grabs his hand and holds it back with no problem. he struggles against her, “how is this possible?”

she grins, “you’ve got to believe in yourself, big boy.”

a second later she throws him and he crashes through the wall. you can hear allison outside, calling for him. with all your strength, you push yourself off the ground.

when she’s still distracted, looking out of the hole in the wall at allison, you take your chance. you’re weak, you know it. the wound in your leg slowed you down and made it hard to walk much, but you wouldn’t let her win this.

you grab at her waist, arms quickly wrapping around her as you use all of your strength to pull her back and slam her onto the ground. it takes a moment for her to process the quick change in position, and before she can stop it, your flaming fist is flying at her face.

you get a good punch in before she grabs for your wrist, her skin igniting with flames. so she could copy your powers. that explains that giant shock wave and how she threw luther, the biggest guy you knew, through a wall.

“that’s cute.” she laughs devilishly, before all of a sudden she’s the one on top. you groan in pain as you feel the sharp pains in your thigh. “where’s the help of your boyfriend when you need him?” her hand curls around your throat, cutting off the flow of air.

“screw… you…” you breathe out with all that you have left, and the last thing you see is her maniacal grin.

-

when you come to, the house is empty, and through the hole in the wall, you can see that allison and luther had moved from where they previously were.

you take in deep breaths as you push yourself up from the floor, gritting your teeth at the pain you feel.

you glance around, seeing that the pile of bricks had been disturbed- five wasn’t there anymore. there was the possibility of his safety. you limp out of the house as fast as you can, and you see the rest of the siblings gathered around diego, helping him out from under the tractor you had been hiding behind. when he gets up, he goes for a high five with luther, who is just confused. “team zero!” the man shouts, “yeah, unstoppable!”

you stop beside the group, bending over slightly to press your hand over your wound. “has anyone seen five?” you question, gaze passing over each person.

“i don’t know, he’s around here somewhere.” luther answers as everyone glances around. he looks to diego, “by the way, your ex-girlfriend can blink like five.”

“yeah, that bitch just rumored me so i couldn’t breathe.” allison added.

klaus waves his hand around, “yeah, and destroyed like, half the farm with a shock wave. so unoriginal.”

“if she can do everything we can, then she might as well just be one of us.” vanya shifts her weight.

suddenly, the siblings go quiet as they look around each other, shock written all over their faces. “no.” luther mutters, “no, there’s no way. it can’t be.”

you look up at them, “it’s a reasonable conclusion. there’s me, i’m like you guys. i just… didn’t grow up with you.”

“she’s right, we need to consider that there’s more out there.” vanya nods along.

as they begin to talk about how their dad could be lying, about what she could do and how she could copy your powers, you notice something in the barn.

blue flashes of light.

your eyes widen, tuning the rest of their conversation out as you begin to hobble towards the building, getting in through one of the holes large enough for a small person to fit through. you didn’t have time to use the door, and this way, you could get behind lila.

as you get in, she has her boot on five’s throat, watching him struggle. “doesn’t feel so good, does it?” she mumbles to him.

your eyes darken as you move towards her, seeing red. you hear five rasping, “eat shit and die.”

it’s your perfect moment, as you tackle her. her balance was already off, seeing as she had one of her feet up.

she rolls on the ground as you fall to the side, scrambling to your feet. you were ready for this to be over. “let’s finish this thing.” you breathe out, knowing that five would have to do most of the work here. you would barely be able to move quick enough to fight- you only got lucky with her being distracted both of the times you managed to get her down.

“no,” lila sniffles, looking between the two of you, “you’re going to suffer for what you did.”

five lowers his fists, looking at her in annoyance, “lady, i got no idea what you’re talking about.”

“ronnie and anita gill.”

he shrugs, “mean nothing to me.”

her head tilts to the side, “nineteen ninety-three, east london. you hog-tied them,” she pointed a finger at you, “and you shot them in the head.” she moves it towards five.

you stare at the ground for a moment, before you remember what she’s talking about. “the flower merchants?” you uttered, looking back up at her.

five looks to you, his eyes widening for a moment before he looks back at lila, “they were your parents?”

she nods, “and they never did anything to anyone.” you can see the tears gathering in her eyes, “they didn’t deserve to die like that.”

“you’re right, all right?” five tells her, “we killed them. but we killed a lot of people over the years.”

you gulp, “it was all just a job, all right?” the pain in your leg is starting to become unbearable- but it’s not exactly possible for you to sit down and take a break. “that was never personal. it’s never personal.”

the woman laughs, “‘never personal’, my ass.” she steps towards you, “yeah, i’ve killed. it’s always, always, personal.”

“that’s why you’re not cut out to be an assassin,” her head turns towards five at his words.

she pulls a knife from her boot and you immediately tense, focusing your attention away from your pain as she inches towards the two of you, “bet your life on that?”

you nearly fall as you try to move back, “look, you wanna blame someone?” you ask, her gaze shifting to you as she continues to move towards you, “blame the handler, all right? she faked the kill order.”

“bullshit, i saw the kill order!” her voice raises, “aj carmichael ordered it, and you carried it out.”

five is holding his hand up, trying to keep her from stabbing you guys right then and there. “lila, listen to what i’m telling you, all right?” she stares into his eyes, and you can barely breathe, “the handler gave us the kill order. she came on the job which she’d never done before.”

you take a short breath, “you’re commission.” you state, “you know execs never go on jobs. but that day in london, she was there. ask yourself why.”

the knife lowers, but her deadly gaze never wavers. “don’t try to muddy the waters.”

five shakes his head, “i never realized what she was up to at the time, but now it all makes sense.”

“what?” lila asks the question that you’re thinking. your mind is going into overdrive trying to think of why she would send you that order. until it hits you.

“she never cared about your parents.” five tells her, and it confirms that you’re on the same page, “she was looking for you.”

you can see lila beginning to realize what was actually happening. but she still doesn’t want to believe it as she whispers, “why?”

“because you’re one of us.” diego’s voice cuts through your talking as the rest of five’s family comes into the barn. “the handler stole you, lila.” the knife is back up again, pointed at him as he speaks, “just like our asshole father took all of us.

“no. it’s not the same thing.” she continues to deny the truth that is staring her in the face.

“you’re right.” diego leans forwards, “because he didn’t have our parents murdered.” he holds a hand out in front of him, “listen to me, lila. you were born october first, nineteen eighty-nine. same as all of us.”

“stay back!” she suddenly shouts, causing everyone to jump back. you nearly lose your balance, but luckily five is there to catch your arm.

diego’s voice raises as he tries to calm her back down, but she’s still unbelieving. “i trusted you. i got you a job, i even introduced you to my mother, and then you took off on me.”

“because i needed to save the world!” he argues back, “she’s using you, lila. the handler.”

“you’re wrong.” she pushes, “she raised me. she loves me.”

“yeah, you know what?” luther suddenly speaks up from the side, “love shouldn’t have to hurt this much.”

the line is cringy. it takes everything in you to not make fun of it- but lila doesn’t mind. she fakes a gag, pointing a finger in her mouth.

the big man sighs. “all right, i tried.”

“he’s right.” five says from your side, “we have to kill her.”

“hey! five, stop.” diego quickly holds his hand out, “i got it. hey, lila.” her head whips back around to him, “truth? she’s dangerous. and you’re scared of what she’ll do with all that new power. that’s why you dragged me to the commission.” he is closer to her now, and you think he may have gotten her to understand. “because i know what it’s like to love dangerous people. difference is…” he looks around at all of his siblings, all who also seem to be impacted by his little speech, “they love me back.”

lila backs away, “shut up.”

“the only thing she loves is power.” he continues, “now, the minute she can’t use you, she will turn on you, and deep down, i know you know that.”

her knife is pointed towards his throat. “you don’t know me, diego.” she tells him.

it feels like you’re watching a movie as he inches closer to her, “don’t i? i know that we can be your family. if you just let us.”

a tear finally falls from her eyes as she begins to look around at the others, who give small smiles and nods. she looks to him, and before she can say anything- gunshots.

your head darts towards the doors- but it’s too late. the last thing you feel is the sting of bullets entering your body before you fall to the floor.

and then everything’s black.

-

“i know that we can be your family. if you just let us.” as diego speaks, you notice that five suddenly isn’t at your side anymore.

you see him blink by the door, seeming shocked as he pats his body. he looks to the entrance and your gaze follows before your eyes widen, seeing the handler with a gun walking in.

before she can pull the trigger, five grabs her arm, bringing it behind her before being able to pull the weapon from her hand.

her hands are up in the air as he points it at her. “it’s true, isn’t it? what five said.” lila asks as she looks at her ‘mother’. the handler glances to her, but doesn’t say a word. “answer me!” she yells, “is it true?”

there’s a moment of quiet, before she opens her mouth. “well-”\

before she can say anything to worm her way out of this, to manipulate the woman, there are suddenly bullets pelting through her.

she grunts as her knees hit the ground, and she looks up on final time before falling onto her side, blood spilling from her mouth.

you see behind her the one remaining swede.

in the silence, lila begins to move, and luther lunges forward. “the case!”

before he can get to her, diego steps in front of him, tumbling to the ground with the big guy as lila grabs the briefcase the handler dropped and blinked away.

the silence returns as five cocks the gun he holds, standing in front of the swede. everyone looks to the two standing off against each other.

slowly, five lets go of the gun. you feel your breath catch in your throat. “enough.” he says as it clatters to the ground.

the blonde man is silent for a few beats, and you feel like your heart might pound out of your chest. after a few seconds, he says something you don’t understand before dropping his gun as well.

he slowly backs up a few steps before turning on his heel and taking his leave.

“oh my god.” you breathe out, feeling like everything came rushing back to you as you limp forward. it takes you a bit, but you get to five, wrapping an arm around him to stabilize yourself. he looks at you, and you can see the relief that flooded over him.

“who the hell was that guy?” klaus motions to the door, before everyone hears sissy calling out from below.

your head turns as everyone rushes towards the old, wooden stairs, and you sigh. before you can try to move on your own, five puts his arm around your waist, allowing you to lean on him. “i got you.” he whispers.

for the millionth annoying time, you feel a flutter in your heart, but you ignore it as you whisper back a thanks.

he helps you down the stairs as vanya pushes past the swirling energy around harlan, speaking to him frantically. “whatever it is i gave you, i can take it back, okay?”

the rest of you watch as she takes a breath and you see an orange glow on her hands as she places them on harlan.

after what feels like forever, the energy surrounding him disappears, leaving a silence that overwhelms you.

everyone looks at the little boy, not knowing what to expect- but expecting it. he looks around at all of you, before his mom stumbles towards him, wrapping her arms around him.

-

five helps you limp towards herb and dot as they meet you halfway, stepping over the dead bodies of agents.

“herb, dot.” five greets.

diego is a little more friendly, saying “sup, herbie?” and then they have some sort of elaborate handshake… when did that happen?

once they’re done, the short man looks between you all, “i can’t believe it.” he states, “is she..?” he swipes a gloved hand across his neck.

“really dead this time?” you finish his sentence.

“oh yeah.” diego answers.

“now that the handler’s gone,” five speaks, “what happens at the commission?”

herb seems to be nervous to tell you all- and you start to think it might be bad news. after encouragement from dot, he finally tells you, “we need to elect a new board of directors.” that was your doing, “but, until then, i… uhm… i’ve been voted in as acting chairperson.”

his smile is huge as dot claps beside him. “no shit,” diego nods his head, “congrats, herbie. that’s huge.”

“i’m so goddamn nervous!”

“you’ll do fine.” you tell him, the hint of a smile on your face- but it’s more of a grimace.

he thanks you, and there’s only a second of quiet before five breaks it. “herb, we need a favor.” he nods, telling him he could offer anything, “a briefcase. to get back home, where we belong.”

it had been such an eventful… hour, or so? that you forgot entirely that you weren’t in your time. herb points a finger at him, clicking his tongue as he and dot slowly turn to look at their dead colleagues. he motions around at all the briefcases stranded on the ground, “take your pick.”

-

the sun had set. everyone had said their goodbyes- allison left raymond a note, luther tried to call jack ruby but had no answer. vanya said goodbye to sissy before the mother drove off with her son, going god knows where.

and you limped out to the back porch after calling the diner you called home for a while, dropping onto the steps next to five. they had asked where you went, why you were known as a hostage on the news, if it had to do with ‘that boy who stole you away from us.’

you couldn’t explain much, but you told them that you loved them and would miss them. it wasn’t a lie. you knew that you would think of them, always.

five gently grabs your hand, pulling you out of your thoughts as your head turns to him. there’s the smallest smile on his face. “we saved the world.”

hearing those words- man, you never thought you’d hear those words. it brings a smile to your face. this time, everything you did was for a reason. you failed so many times to get back to your time, back home, but it wasn’t going to end the way it did last time. the world will be kept in one piece.

you lace your fingers with his, “we saved the world.” you repeat, almost inaudible. “that is- if the other one isn’t back on when we get back.” you chuckle softly, but it’s a bit nervous. what if that did happen? god, you don’t know if you’d be able to handle that.

“let’s hope it’s not.” he sighs, his thumb soothingly rubbing circles on your hand. “i’ve been thinking about what- well, everyone’s been saying.” he tells you after a moment.

many things rush through your mind about what he could mean, but you won’t jump to conclusions. “they’ve been saying a lot.” you chuckle.

“about us.”

“oh.” your gaze drops to the ground, and yeah- they’ve said a lot about the two of you. “yeah, they’re a bit-”

“-i like you.” he interrupts, “more than a partners saving the world way.”

your face begins to warm in the chilly air as you smile at the ground. “that’s not normally how people say it.”

he chuckles, “well, it’s what applies to us.” he softly pushes your chin up so your eyes meet again. “you don’t have to feel the same-”

before he can even think any longer about not feeling the same- my god, how long you’ve felt that way- you lean in to catch his lips in yours. it’s quick, but it’s enough for your heart to basically jump out of your throat. “god, hargreeves, of course i feel the same.”

your mind falls back to your night at gritty’s- the night you took out many of the commission’s men after they interrupted your confession. but then, you thought the feeling was old. you thought that after being away from him for forty-something years, they were gone. these past weeks have proved you wrong- so wrong.

“well that’s good.” he smiles, “it would be weird for you to kiss me if you didn’t feel the same.”

you slap his arm lightly, “quit being annoying.”

“all right, fine.” he laughs, “only if you kiss me again, though.”

rolling your eyes, you lean in once again- your lips only ghost over his before- “called it!” klaus’ voice cuts into your sweet moment.

looking at him with a glare, five sighs, “klaus, what are you doing?”

“telling you that we’re ready to leave.” he points his thumb behind him.

you sigh, “all right. let’s go.”

it’s a bit rough for you to push yourself up from the stairs, but five is quick to help you up and wrap your arm around his shoulder. you guys make your way through the house, the others following behind you.

“guys, these two lovebirds finally kissed!” klaus claps his hands together.

“klaus, are you kidding me?” you glare back at him as five fiddles with the controls on the briefcase.

he tries to look all innocent, “i mean, you did. i saw it!”

you can see the rest of the siblings grinning and you ignore it, turning your head towards the briefcase to focus on that instead.

“okay, everyone ready?” five questions, ignoring everything that klaus had said. it became a second nature for him.

everyone gathers around, “yeah, let’s do it.” luther answers.

“okay.”

everyone grabs onto each other’s hands, looking around at each other, ready for what comes next.

“wait!” everyone looks at klaus, who stands there for a moment before running out of the circle to grab one of those cowboy hats that rested on the porch.

diego leans towards five as the man runs back, putting the hat on. “fifty bucks if you leave him.”

he runs his fingers over the rim of the hat before joining hands with luther and vanya.

you close your eyes as five activates the case, blue energy surrounding you before you disappear from the farm, reappearing in the umbrella academy. everyone stumbles back, and since they’re not use to the effects of time and spacial travel, they have to take a moment to gather themselves.

“wh-what day is it?” luther points to a newspaper on the table and you lean forward grabbing it. “april second, twenty-nineteen.” probably the biggest smile you’ve had in years appears on your face, “the day after the apocalypse.”

“wait, so we stopped it.” allison looks around.

vanya looks at her in surprise, “oh my god, so it’s over?”

“did we…” klaus whimpers, rubbing his head, “actually succeed at something? that’s incredible!”

everyone laughs, and you look at five. “we actually did it.” you say, only loud enough for him to hear as everyone celebrates, talking about drinks.

“we did.” five smiles, and this time, without caring about his family seeing, he kisses you.

you’ve never been happier.

-

wow i made them kiss, about damn time

taglists

main: @horrorklaus @megasimpleplan4ever

tua: @rasberrymay @noodlextrash @atomicpillar @malfovs @andreasworlsboring101​ @lunylovelovegood

five taglist: @anapocalypseinmymind @five-hargreeves-official @insatiable-ivy @coffee-e-addict @xplrreylo @fandomfreakff @colie-babi @flowertoty @avovada @badwolf00593

let’s save the world: @aspiringwriter1 @thetrashypanda423 @lilacs-lavender @wow-lookit-all-the-fandoms @ohmyitsfaith @xplrreylo @fandomfreakff @onedollarduck @sleepygal124 @faith-quake @stripedchickens @youcandalekmyballs @pettyjayy @libidinexx @bts-chub @theoriginalkat @flowertoty @whenyouwantdeath @ot7purple @purblerain @megasimpleplan4ever @whenyouregrungeaff @dumdumsun @malfovs @hxney-lemcn @frnks-stuff @imwaytootires @avovada @badwolf00593 @dumdumsun @zero2461

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

[befehlvonganzunten]

just wanted to ask how you are and what you think about the euphoria s2 finale? ♥️ i saw it yesterday and i don't know how to feel

hey anon!

i am currently not well™ but it has nothing to do with euphoria. i guess i liked season two as a whole but to me season one will remain the superior season. the finale felt kinda lackluster to me and i don't really know why. like, there were parts that i really enjoyed and parts that left me feeling indifferent, which is a rare thing when it comes to how i feel about an episode of this show. if we're talking about all of season two, here are some of my thoughts:

1. rue - still the most well-written character of the entire show with one of the best, most realistic and most tragic arcs i've seen in a long time. i'm happy that she's trying to not destroy herself and her relationships anymore and i hope we'll see more of her doing her best to stay clean (beyond the rest of the school year) in season three. i just want her to be happy and healthy and safe.

2. jules - she was one of my faves in season one and she still is one of my faves but i'm kinda disappointed with how little she had to do in season two and i think it's weird how quickly people decide to hate her. she's flawed like everyone else in this show but to me it seems that some people just really love to hate her whenever she ends up making a mistake.

3. nate - the prospect of him getting a redemption arc in season three bothers me to no end. yes, he's traumatized and i can empathize with that a lot. yes, even the worst characters probably deserve a chance to redeem themselves to some degree. HOWEVER: the fact that he called the cops on cal doesn't make him an overall good guy all of a sudden. like, remember that he threatened maddy with a fucking gun two episodes ago??? remember that he treats the women in his life like property??? remember that he's a horrifyingly skilled manipulator in general??? no??? bc i do. his trauma may explain his behavior but it sure as hell doesn't justify it.

4. maddy - don't know if i've ever said it here or anywhere else but she is my no. 1 fave of the whole damn show. i love her - always have, always will - and like rue, she deserves the world and more. the END.

6. cassie - i guess she stole the show this season ... in a very annoying way. it's interesting that the stuff she had to go through in season one wasn't really mentioned in season two - at least not verbally. idk. she felt like a different character right from the beginning of season two and i'm not sure what to do with that atm.

7. lexi - the unsung hero of both seasons. was her play ridiculously cool? yes. was it also problematic? yes. do i care about her little romance with fez? nope. do i care about her friendship with rue? ABSOLUTELY.

8. kat - who??? like, where was she in the last couple of episodes? they really pushed her into the background this time and i don't like it at all.

9. fez - no words, tears only.

10. honourable mentions: ali (another fave of mine, i hope we'll see more of him in the future), ethan (underrated as fuck), elliot (overrated as fuck), gia (i need an episode that is focussed on her), faye (i had a feeling she'd be a good one in the end), suze (the comic relief i didn't expect but desperately needed), leslie (she's trying her best, okay?) and ashtray (my heart is broken).

TL;DR: i don't know what to feel either but this ask was a great distraction, so thank you for that <3

[rewritingrobinhood]

Click HERE to download the script for S03E04!

This is the fourth episode in our Series 3 rewrite, based on the fifth episode called "Let The Games Commence." We have retitled it "Thicker Than Water," to reflect what became a near-total overhaul of the plotting and character arcs. Read more below:

Lindsey and I affectionately call this episode "The Lion Episode." If you have seen it, you know why (and if you haven't, I thank you for visiting what must seem like an extremely niche and unnecessary project blog - because, of course, it is). The entire episode building up to Guy unleashing the saddest, most emaciated, jowly old lion onto the Gang is possibly the single most ridiculous stunt the show ever pulled, and not only makes Guy look stupider than usual, but also doesn't jive with the new, high-production-value, slightly less tongue-in-cheek vibe of Series 3. It always felt like a Series 1 stunt, but obviously all of the Series 1 budget went to endless duplicates of cargo pants and pleather trousers, and possibly also Marian's single acceptable red dress.

So, the lion had to go. We have also done away with the subplot of Little John befriending the orphan children and Bertha. So, what is left? The answer, of course, is Isabella.

Isabella, to us and to many fans, is a very painful sore spot, and one of the most annoying and frankly insulting character arcs I've ever encountered. I've previously mentioned that we are discarding her villain arc and romance with Robin – and thankfully, mostly due to Lara Pulver, there is still a complex and engaging character beneath the misogynistic, lazy writing. A survivor of abuse who has escaped her captor, but also a Gisborne through and through, ready to work the angles when the opportunity presents itself in following episodes.

Guy's new arc is also something very precious to me and Lindsey personally. We were not only disappointed when the series continued to handle his redemption badly (or not at all), but also are aware that Richard Armitage felt very negatively about how the character was written following Marian's death – without dignity, or growth, or kindness. Our rewritten arc is our offering to what could have been – a man in a position of power who has done selfish, damaging things, who begins to take responsibility for his actions and understand the role he plays in a system of injustice – and who will eventually make the selfless choice to help tear it down.

In terms of Guy and Isabella's relationship, we have scratched out – with extreme prejudice – the plotline in which Guy sold his own sister to her abuser as a teenager. This was yet another nail in the coffin of any potential redemption for Guy – a character they still wanted us to feel bad for and want to be redeemed! It seems Mssrs. Allan and Minghella leaned quite heavily on Richard Armitage's greasy-haired sex appeal to sway viewers to his side, and…it worked. Of course it worked. Because we are here writing him to be a good guy because we feel bad for him. Well...shit. Regardless. It feels good to write something genuine and plausible as a love letter to Richard's passion for this show, and this character, and – in a way – for Marian, whom he loved.

Robin is also struggling here, not with feelings of attraction for Gizzy's long-lost sister in a horrible yellow velour renfaire gown (if i may shill my own redesign here...), but with feelings of purposelessness and impotence. What is the point of their work if it cannot sustain itself past Robin's own lifespan? What good is a hero, or a legend? Or a leader, for that matter, if he is the lynchpin without which everything falls apart? What does real, revolutionary change look like? How can he build it from a place of selflessness, rather than personal redemption?

Finally, I realized it's been six years since Lindsey and I embarked on this ridiculous project (four since I released the last script…whoops). I also realize that, even if the first episode script has 759???????????????????????? downloads, the audience for this is extremely small. And I'm honestly okay with that. This has become a project where I, Abigail, can learn and flex my writing skills in a very safe sandbox, and have a bit of relaxing and satisfying creative time tinkering with something I know can be done better. I thank everyone who's stuck with us so far, and I will make no promises – but I do hope to keep going with this as long as I can, or until the series reaches its end, even if it takes years. I enjoy coming back to Rewriting Robin Hood. And while it's probably high time I stepped out of this comfort zone and worked on some original things, I love having it on the backburner. I've grown a lot as a writer even between the scripts I've released, and I hope you've all enjoyed reading them and stepping into this idyllic little fantasy world where the show………was actually good?

This Has Been An Ambush...

Love,

Abigail

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

This is totally cool, lol! That's why I tagged you, I like different perspectives 🥰 and I adore lesbian Jenny

I've been thinking a lot about Jenny's character and sexuality lately since I'm in the middle of rewatching the show. I totally agree that she's attracted to women and most times she pursues guys it's mainly to increase social status and not because of genuine interest. Nate always felt different to me, though. Like, the two times she really pursues him is in season 2, when she's being homeschooled and trying to make it as a designer, and the end of season 3, which is after the whole Damien drama and she's just looking for someone who cares about her and respects her (I know you said once that it doesn't even feel romantic here, which I also agree with, poor girl just needs a connection). I do really see how it can be interrupted as comphet, though. Like she feels like she's supposed to be attracted to Nate because who wouldn't be?

I think the reason why I lean the other way is probably just projection. Jenny's been my favourite GG character since I first watched the show when I was 12, partly because I relate a lot to her, and since I'm bisexual... Add that plus the fact that I totally have had a crush on Nate and of course I'm gonna ship them. I've been relating to Jenny even more this time around cause I dropped out of school this year, so her season 2 arc really hit close to me. So this made my jenate feelings come back tenfold and also made me that much madder at Rufus, lol. I just wanted to go through the screen and shake his shoulders like "There are other paths than the one you want your daughter to have, not everyone has to go through life like society expects you to let your daughter carve out her own unconventional path you fucking idiot!" Luckily my parents have been way more supportive.

Mainly I just see Jenny as bi with a strong lean towards women, but I like to think about lesbian Jenny, too. It wouldn't exactly be the first time I had contradicting headcanons.

I don't know I just think it's really cool that different people can have such different interpretations of the same character. I think that's what's so interesting about fiction, to see how we view things differently depending on how we view and relate to things based on our own experiences. Tumblr can be so focused on hating people who disagree with you, but I like following people with different opinions, it helps me understand people better.

Yeah, I'm glad you tagged me!! back in November, some anons were mean to me about shipping Jenate (me??? who literally does not even - anyway) and ever since then I've been trying extra to ensure that Jenate shippers feel welcome on my blog - you may already know this, because I've brought it up before, but I'm saying it here to let you know that every time you tag me in your Jenate edits I get so happy that you're sharing something you're so passionate about with me!! I'm also a big believer of like........ making the content you want to see (a big part of why I even learnt to gif is because nobody was giffing Dan & Nate, and I was like...... that's the content I need, so if it's not already existing, I'm gonna make it happen!) so regardless of my feelings it's always so cool to see the way you conceptualise JN + their feelings re: each other, and your choice of scenes + lyrics (??? I'm not actually familiar with where you got the words for your edits, they're likely songs I haven't heard, haha) is just so interesting & good!

OH my full Jenny & Nate feelings are a lot more complicated than just comphet on Jenny's part. I feel like..... neither of them was romantically/sexually into each other? and that is kind of the appeal to me? I've always interpreted Nate's interest in Jenny during the s2 arc as sort of like - everything in his life is so unstable and undetermined, and here is Jenny who is so clear on who she is and what she wants, and he admires and respects that, and he wants to be there for her and support her, so when she kisses him he just sort of lets her take their dynamic wherever she wants to? that is very much the vibe I got. You already know how I feel about lesbian Jenny, I mean, you quoted my meta right back at me :'))

but I DO agree with you that Nate is different from the other guys to Jenny. JN have this really specific kind of honesty to them - well, when Jenny wasn't spiralling and trying to get power and acting out, and when the writers actually cared? I still think that NJ had the potential to be a SOLID dynamic but the writers made it sorta unhealthy on the show :(( - but I've spoken abt moments like in seventeen candles and the empire strikes jack before, where they're both able to be emotionally vulnerable around each other in ways we don't see them be with anyone else. I've even compared that to what I like about Derena, whom everyone knows I ship in every possible way, haha. But there's something about characters who trust each other and allow themselves to be honest with each other in ways that they wouldn't otherwise EVER be - especially with characters like Jenny & Nate who have spent so long trying to seem fine and okay even when they're really not.

I honestly really like the idea of queerplatonic Jenate - they're life partners, they're each other's rock, they're each other's person - but it's not romantic OR sexual - and for Nate & Jenny, whose adolescence has involved navigating other people sexualising them so much + not having the best track record with romantic relationships - for them, I feel being qpps gets REALLY interesting, because you get all the perks of a relationship without the romantic/sexual obligations? (obligations isn't the best word, but i don't know what else to use here? LOL) and that's something i love to explore.

I feel like book Jenny was bi! The way she gushed about Nate, whom she canonically had a crush on, and the way she gushed about Serena were EXACTLY the same. Also YES I love multiple headcanons always, it's a lot of fun seeing people explore that!!! I know people who have aroace readings of Jenny, or aro lesbian / ace lesbian readings of her, and I find that really cool, too!

I also definitely get you about relating to Jenny a lot, and feeling that kind of connection. It's similar to how I feel about Dan, and .... explains a lot of my contradicting dair views, actually. A few years ago I had a seriously intense crush on a girl who was... a lot like Blair, in many ways. I spent a ridiculous amount of time writing poetry about her, etc etc, but I never actually acted on it. If she'd fabricated schemes that involved us kissing, though..... I don't know. I don't think I would've denied it if I'd felt like I actually had a chance. I think we just had a case of bad timing, & I like to think in another universe, maybe we were actually together for a bit. I'm glad that your parents are supportive of you and better than Rufus! <3

I think that's what's so interesting about fiction, to see how we view things differently depending on how we view and relate to things based on our own experiences <- THIS exactly! this is a big part of why that "proship" is in my bio. like this is exactly what it means to me and how I conceptualise & understand it!!! Like you, I also like engaging with people who have different understandings and opinions of the characters -> it definitely helps you make new friends you would otherwise not meet by staying in your bubble, & from a fandom point of view, it also helps you develop a more nuanced understanding of a character. Some of the best written Jenny Humphrey I've read was in Jenate fics - and I've had people who don't even ship Blenny tell me they liked the way I wrote Jenny in my post canon blennyfic, so... idk. it's loving Jenny hours - each and every single iteration of Jenny!!!

[daisylincs]

Today is, officially, the last day of 2020 - so it's literally just in time that I'm getting to @aosrecweek's amazing challenge. But that does go to show the nature of this crazy year a little bit, right? Time has just been INSANE, and I honestly cannot believe it's so close to over.

That said, I want to put it out there that everyone - absolutely everyone - who created something in this mad year, is a SUPERHERO. Like. We could have hidden away in dark corners, curled into little balls, and lost touch with our creativity entirely - but instead, we made some of the most fantastic content I have ever seen. And, excuse the language, but that is fucking amazing, of each and every single one of us. We're bloody INCREDIBLE, you guys. We really are.

Now, the rules of this challenge dictate that I've got to start with some of my own things, then repeat with the same number of creations by other people. So I'm going to do that, and I apologise for the sheer length (and self-plug-iness) of what is about to follow - but, bloody incredible, remember? I really mean that. 💜💜💜

My Own:

you could call me babe for the weekend - 19k of Spideychelle being oblivious, mutually pining IDIOTS while being snowed in. And, you know, fake dating. (This thing was SO MUCH FUN to write and though, yeah, it got completely out of control, as evidenced by the 19k, I still really love it.)

'tis the damn season - my first attempt at writing a multi-chap, and, yeah, it only has one chapter as of now, but I really love said chapter. Basically, it's Daisy and Mackelena being friends, and honestly just the BEST friends - I adore the style I managed to achieve in this thing. Plus, the Skimmons I have planned up next is going to be da bomb.

the closest thing - Philindaisy plus fake family. Also; amusement parks. And for a fangirl like me - well, it was pretty much a dream come true to write!

oh valley of plenty - in this fic, I basically told myself, so AoS won't give us Huntingbird in the finale? Fine. I'll just do it myself then - in the fluffiest way possible. And that's exactly what I did - making them, and their kids, be best friends in Perthshire.

maybe life should be about more - a very angsty Skimmons and Daisy-centric AU, focusing on the internalised homophobia Daisy has experienced through her life, and shaking it off (and eventually, y'know, getting together with Jemma.)

and it's dark in a cold december (but i've got you to keep me warm) - Fitzsimmons just make such a supreme pairing for hurt/comfort, what with how insanely well they understand each other and care about each other, so I'm really glad for the Fitzsimmons Secret Santa giving me the chance to write this! Basically, this follows our science duo through a stressful mission on Christmas Eve (so yes, it's a mission fic!!) and realising that the two of them can do anything together.

july second - ahhh, one of my personal favourites to write! Daisy birthday surprise fluff will always be top-notch for me, especially for all the team-as-family fluff you can add in, especially especially that this is set in Staticquake times! Also, it's from Hunter's point of view, which will forever be the most insanely fun thing to write, I do think.

i just wanna be with you - man, I'm such a big royal fan, so getting the chance to write a modern royalty AU for my OTP was nothing short of amazing!! This is Princess Daisy and her fiancée Lincoln Campbell at their official engagement interview

see the line where the skye meets the sea - shameless season 1 bby Bus Kids fluff, featuring movie nights, singalongs and... so much fluff your teeth will rot. Also I'm really freaking proud of the pun in the title okay

'cause all that you are is all that i'll ever need - Huntingbird waking up together fluff (because, fight me, Huntingbird in their sweet moments is one of the sweetest things you will ever get to read or write.) This is also my, fluffy, take on the origin of the Franny's Saloon keychain.

we love you, we love you (and we hope you love we too) - aha, my first polyship fic! Also my first try at some actually fancy HTML formatting (forever thanks to Kat for explaining.) Both of these things combined to form a fic that even I think is ridiculously fluffy and funny, and kinda amazing, at that.

and man I don't know where the time goes (but it sure goes fast like that) - Another Bus Kids movie night fic, but this one set post-season 7, and reflecting on how far they've come. A little bit more hurt/comfort-y than it's pure fluff prequel, but still super fluffy and soft. And, of course, with a happy ending.

she shares my dreams, i hope that someday, i'll share her home - snowy Fitzsimmons fluff, complete with them falling in love at the Winter Olympics, as you do.

then you walked in and my heart went boom - 16k of Dekesy for the wife, and remarkable for that, because literally a month ago from this, I hated Dekesy with my entire soul. Then I started reading Kat's fics, and, well, fell in love with them... so much so that I wrote sixteen thousand words of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, bed sharing holiday fluff for them.

a love like that - a Fitzsimmons Cinderella AU, featuring my two favourite science babies, in true science bby style, falling in love over science and how stupid the whole courting thing is. Also, Daisy makes a brief appearance, and she's the freaking best.

ever after - ah, probably the one single fic I'm proudest of. A post-season 7 Daisy character study focusing on her emotional rollercoaster re: losing her family/things never being the same again, which just achieves... an emotional level that I have never managed to replicate again. I was full-on sobbing while writing it, and, guys, it also part-holds the Closest To Making Kat Cry prize.

blue - Daisy character study spanning snapshots of seven seasons, and before - but tied together by something blue in every moment. Researching for this, and finding all the blue moments, was very interesting, and immensely satisfying, especially since all the moments where a little bit of blue was present actually combine to chronicle Daisy's journey on the show remarkably well.

who is that girl I see - the one time I decided to write straight angst, and straight angst with no happy ending. Melinda May post-Bahrain, folks.

take my hand, take my whole life too - aww, the first thing I wrote that I really and truly loved. A Staticquake and Fitzsimmons Actors AU, featuring a proposal on set and INCREDIBLE amounts of fluff and softness.

hold out your hand, 'cause friends will be friends - the wife's favourite, and, as second fics go, pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. It's a Soulmates AU for Staticquake and Mackelena, with the focus being on DaisyMack friendship, and lots of denial, angst, and guilt about finding their soulmates. (They figure it out eventually, don't worry - it's me, of course I made them happy.)

Fitzsimmons + Fake Dating moodboard - Fake dating will always be FAB, and picturing it out in a moodboard - especially for my clueless bby best friends in love - was the best, and super satisfying.

Staticquake + Orange moodboard - One of the cooler ideas I had for Trick or Treat (which I still have not finished, heaven help me) was to make a series of moodboards for my OTP plus different colours. This orange one is just so light, and cheerful, and happy, and honestly I kinda adore it.

This Philindaisy + Family Moodboard - making moodboards can be insanely frustrating when you just can't find the photo that fits exactly right. With this one, however, I found all the pics I needed pretty insanely fast, and, better, the whole thing just worked, and really nicely so, too.

This Bus Kids + Baking Cookies moodboard - there's absolutely NO faults to be found with tiny, adorable Skye, Fitz and Jemma concocting choc chip cookies - but I'm actually doing a tiny cheat here, because, cute as my moodboard here is, the accompanying fic by my love @eowima is the SWEETEST and best thing you could ever wish for!!!

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - Day 3 of Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week focused on an emotion, and I picked confidence and power, because honestly, it's nothing short of amazing how confident and powerful our gorgeous girl has become.

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - One of the times I wish I could gif, because this quote about struggling though never giving up just suits Daisy perfectly. The photos I found are cool, though, and I mean, it's Daisy, so that's already absolutely fabulous.

Other People's:

I managed to find twenty-six of my own things that I liked enough to put up there (because, yes, I'm that big a dork, 26 things for me being 26 is the way to go :D) Anyway, now that gives me the amazing chance to spotlight twenty-six of my favourite creations by my FANTASTIC mutuals! 😍

To start, my wife - Kat said I couldn't put everything she's ever written on here, so, ugh, I guess I'll just do my top five then. *grumbling* Everything by Kat is on here in spirit, though!!

Chasing Cars (even after the story ends) by @aleksandrachaev - the epic Dekesy roadtrip AU and incredible Daisy character study itself, which, I do believe, finishes today!! Words aren't enough to describe how freaking AMAZING this thing is, or how spectacularly well characterised. Just: if you haven't read this yet, you are missing out. You will laugh, you will groan, you will want to wrap Daisy in a very tight hug, and you will probably cry, too. This fic just has it all, really!

there goes the maddest man this town has ever seen by @aleksandrachaev - the post-season 7 Deke-crashes-the-Framework-Zoom-call fic I didn't know I needed (but spent the next two weeks rereading every single night.) It is absolutely INCREDIBLE, with all the Deke & Team feels we missed in the final outro scene, and honestly just the most fantastic writing. I cannot recommend it enough!

To Box It Up And Start Again (everything must go) by @aleksandrachaev - bloody hell, this BROKE me. Deke never really got to say goodbye in canon, but Kat gave him the chance to do it here. And, my freaking GOODNESS, she made it so incredibly bittersweet and heart-shattering. 10/10

i am a leaf on the wind by @aleksandrachaev - a little bit of a stretched-out, reflective moment in the season 7 finale. As Daisy lingers on the edge of death, she reflects on all the lives she could have had - and, man, what a study in bittersweetness!! This entire fic is utterly incredible, and something I think all Daisy fans should read.

Falling Into Place by @aleksandrachaev - here's a tiny cheat from me (sorry, babes, lmao) because technically this isn't one fic, but a series of three. Way too amazing to miss out on, though!! Set mid-season 7, this has the Chronicoms go after a young Mary Sue Poots to kill Quake before she can become a problem for them. They stop the Chronicoms, yes, but not without a TREMENDOUS dose of feels and hurt/comfort. There's also a wonderful little dose of Dekesy friendship, and then an adult adoption (!!) that honestly made my entire day to read. Actually, that's true for the entire series - I really canNOT yell about it enough!!

destroyer of worlds by @bobbimorseisbisexual - a study in incredible parallels between Jiaying's daughters. Utterly breathtakingly done, this will give you ALL the feels for this small and complex Inhuman family.

Muscle Memory by @robotgort and @bobbimorseisbisexual - a Huntingbird!! Bones!! AU!! And also a collaboration between two of the most fabulous Huntingbird authors in the fandom - honestly, what more can you ask for?! This will make you laugh, and gasp, and wince, and keep you guessing at each new plot twist (and also screaming at your screen for Hunter and Bobbi to get their acts together and TALK ABOUT IT.) In short: it's completely and utterly amazing, and I cannot, cannot recommend it enough!!

You Belong Among the Wildflowers by @libbyweasley - a freaking incredible Scis & Spies Regency AU! I only just started reading, but I was hooked all the way through, especially on the way Libby writes all four characters' complex relationships (and their attraction, and their history!) Everything about it is just completely stunning, and I for one cannot WAIT for these beautiful idiots to figure out they all belong together.

Family Snapshot by @tomatobookworm - if it's family fluff you're after, especially Staticquake family fluff, look no further! This tremendously soft and utterly amazing fic follows a day in the lives of a pregnant Daisy and her husband Lincoln, and their not-so-little family of Inhumans, both adopted and biological. There's also shopping with Grandma May, lots of feels, lots of shippiness, and just AMAZINGNESS all the way through!!

Best Day Ever by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - Jemma and Daisy want to adopt a pet, and make a very special trip to Wisconsin to do it. Also, whether he knows who he is or not, Jemma has an important question to ask Cal - and just, AHHHH, everything about this is utterly stunning! For starters, Aubrey's writing is FANTASTIC, and the scene she sets is absolutely beautiful, and so very bittersweet. I was actually misting up a little with happy tears towards the end of this - really, I cannot recommend this enough, to any Skimmons fan.

so why don't we go somewhere only we know by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - more Skimmons (platonic this time, though), more hurt/comfort, and, yes, again, more absolutely INCREDIBLE writing. This one is canon compliant, following a shaken Jemma struggling to sleep after Maveth, and how Daisy finds a way to help her out. Incredibly sweet, tender and BEAUTIFULLY written, this one was an instant favourite the moment I read it!

Unspoken by @anxiouslynumbme - a birthday fic for yours truly, and, honestly, one of the most STUNNING Staticquake introspectives I've read. It follows Daisy and Lincoln in a beautifully tender missing moment in season 3, with them both realising their feelings, and just... AHHHHHHHH, everything about it is utterly incredible!! I cannot, cannot recommend this gem of a fic enough

the thing about water droplets and ruffled hair by @que-mint-tea - here's another fic that proves, once and for all, how good Kat's Dekesy is, because it managed to convert T to write some Dekesy smut. And, oh my GOSH, what Dekesy smut - so goshdarn angsty, but so FANTASTICALLY characterised and written that it leaves you more than a little breathless, and gaping at your screen. The first chapter initially left us on the most HORRIFIC cliffhanger, but then T fixed it, and it's just... this thing is really a whole new level of emotional writing, raw and gripping and intensely perfect for both of these characters. My haw still drops whenever I think of this thing, and how utterly AMAZING it was, so yeah. Fic rec!!!

beautiful stranger, there you are by @justanalto - I do believe I still owe Serena a long and very gushy comment on this thing, because, MAN, does it ever deserve that!! Pipsy and fake dating, with the most HILARIOUSLY incredible writing, plot and characterisation, and honestly just a giddy "askhdfkhsfh" whenever I think back to how much I enjoyed it. Yup, it was that good.

Jumping to conclusions by @eowima - a very special one, because it marks my love Océane's first venture into writing AoS fic! It's an AU of 1x06 (the Fitzsimmons episode of s1) where Fitz does actually jump out of the plane to save Jemma. Realisations of feelings, and some of the most genuinely FANTASTIC Fitz characterisation I've read in a while, follow - and, yup, I was shouting at my screen for them just to get together already. Amazing stuff, really!!

Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit by @eowima - okay, this. This. Another gift for me, and one that I will probably treasure forEVER, because it is just?? so?? utterly?? perfect?? Just for starters, the title is a Hamilton reference - and then the theme of Hamilton references continues into the fic itself, I'm delighted to say. There's also the most BEAUTIFUL, playful Skimmons friendship, and teasing, and then of course the bet about who can make out with their crush first... Staticquake & Fitzsimmons perfection. And all rendered in Océane's delightful, best-thing-ever-to-read writing!! I'm going into a giddy keyboard smash just THINKING about this, so yeah, cannot recommend it enough.

lullabies and clear blue skies by @springmagpies and @bobbimorseisbisexual - okay, I never thought I'd catch myself shipping FitzBobbi, let alone shipping it this hard, but... wow. Maggie and Al teamed up to completely blow me away, and MELT MY WHOLE ENTIRE HEART with the sheer cuteness of this!! It features Fitz, Bobbi and adopting two daughters, and it's just the most tender, beautiful development through that little family - I love it so, so much.

We made all the wrong choices by @browneyedgenius - the winner of the AoS Angst War 2020, how could I not include this one? It is such a well-deserved win, though, whoa - I was sobbing, full-on sobbing, at least twice while reading. It follows the season 5 team through the events of the time-loop, after they failed to save the world - and, oh my gosh, it ripped my heart right out of my chest, but beautifully so. Everything about this fic just hits so hard, and it's written so well - yeah, really a most AMAZINGLY deserved win, for an utterly SHATTERINGLY incredible fic.

I threw stones at the stars (but the whole sky fell) by @nazezdha321 - this is Z showing us all how to write a backstory for a minor character, and write it so well that everyone's hearts break all over again when she dies. This one is about Victoria Hand, and it builds a stirring and profound childhood for her, also making her rise through the ranks of SHIELD and just her entire character mean so much more. Really, fic-wise, this is goals, and I take my hat off to you, Z, 1000%, for writing it.

in which the universe is put together by @besidemethewholedamntime - Rebecca's emotional writing, particularly Fitzsimmons' emotions, is incomparable, and she proves it all over again in this fic. If follows Fitz and Jemma before, after and during the bloodwork, and I just... wow, honestly. The emotion!! And the characterisation!! Absolutely stunning, and honestly all I could wish for in a we-had-time fic.

Agents of SHIELD Season 8 by @egumal - THIS. This, this, this, oh my gosh - as fix-it fics go, this has to be the most spectacular one I have ever read. What it does is find a way - a potentially canon compliant way, too - to bring back Lincoln Campbell, and reunite Staticquake. Basically: just about as season 7 finishes, the Astro Ambassadors get an unexpected visitor from another timeline, who asks them to come help out against Hive. Case in point, Daisy meets her lost love again (... but he has no idea who she is) and also has to relive the Fallen Agent drama. It all gets even more complicated when Kora restores Lincoln's memories, and Daisy meets the full team Deke has assembled around him in the 33 years (for him) that they've been apart... in short, this is one of the most thorough, well-written and downright SHOCKING plot-twist-wise fics that you will ever read, and honestly, saying "I can't recommend it enough" is an understatement. This thing is thd BEST, plain and simple!

Black Roses aren't real (but you and I are) by @ohwriteiforgot - ahhhh, a fic that will always have an incredibly special place in my heart, because it introduced me to one of my best fandom friends. The main focus is on Clintasha, it's true, but it's also a crossover with AoS in the sense that Clint was adopted by Coulson and May. Also, Daisy is his little sister, and their bond is gold. Also - there's Staticquake!! And flower shops!! And rivals to friends to lovers!! All I'm going to say is, what more can you ask for?!

A book to shield my story by @maybebrilliant - Staticquake High School AU, ahhhhhhhh!! There are only two chapters out so far, but the way this is shaping up is making my DAY - with Daisy as the new girl who meets Lincoln and his group of friends, and, though her foster parents are absolutely shit, starts to find actual happiness in a school for the first time in her life. Also - THE REFERENCES. Guys. I'm crazy for those, and in this book, so are my favourite dorks, Daisy and Lincoln - and let me tell you, it's nothing short of the best thing ever.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @heysteverogers - AoS really has been the most INCREDIBLE journey through the years, but what's really made it special is the company - and that's summed up perfectly in this gorgeous gifset. Also, the graphics on this are just, ahhhh, stunning - I'm in awe, and I've spent very long periods of time just looking at this thing in a state of heart-eyes.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @jemannesimms - combining Auld Lang Syne and the final scenes of my favourite show was a raw emotional - but utterly brilliant experience - for me. It's just so absolutely beautiful, and perfectly suited to the team, and their goodbyes!! Breathtaking editing work here, too.

This Daisy as Peter Parker and May as Tony Stark moodboard by @agentsofcomedyandchaos - ahhhh, a crossover of two of my favourite fandoms!! And what a lovely one, too - the colour scheme, quotes, and just the whole FEEL of this is absolutely genius, and I am guilty of being inspired by way too many fic ideas by it. Stunning stuff!!

And... whoa, that was long, but I really do feel that we deserve a bit of a proper pat on the back after creating such magical content in such a messed up year. So that's the note I'm going to leave you with for 2020, my friends: hell-year or no, look at the absolute beauty we were still able to create!! We really are freaking amazing, guys.