#have been working on a very large fanfic project for the past few days that i started ages ago

[mybreadsmybutters]

funniest thing about taking creative writing classes is i ALWAYS get feedback like “wow your characters Voice is so strong” which is hell when my number one favorite thing to do is imitate other peoples writing styles

[plasticfangtastic]

Dairy Girl-- Part 2

A Homelander x F! Reader fanfic

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to post this and hope the lenght is enough of an apology, yeah this is gonna be liek 4 parts i got too engrossed btw. hope yall like it here's the previous chapter:

Synopsis: In order to provide a constant supply of fresh breastmilk for Vought’s number one hero, Vought has had to get quite nifty in order to prevent this secret desire out the press and the public– you have unfortunately discovered the truth.

Tags: Stockholm Syndrome, abusive dynamic, Homelander being Homelander, dub-con, dark, mild smut, breastfeeding kink, kidnapping, child-death mention tw, cheating tw, set in s4 but canon nothing, slow burn.

word count: 3.4K

Part 2– Calf

As he’d mentioned before the house was an escape proof cage– every window had its hinges super glued or welded shut, glass panels thick enough to prevent shattering but thin enough to allow sound in. That night as he’d left you for the first time you kept your composure, perturbed more by the earlier events that nothing had time to sink in, you venture across the 3 bedroom home, each room old taken straight out from a vintage furniture catalog, the master bedroom smelled just like your grandmother’s, the bathroom walls covered in tacky pink tiles that you told yourself will never get used to.

By the time you explored the whole building you understood the following: The size felt deceiving, without a way to see the outside this building could’ve been 35 floors high and you wouldn’t know, the east-wing of the building at the opposite direction where you’d emerged was cut off from you by a thick metal door, an eye-scan request made its unpickable lock, looking at how it cut on the hardwood floors you’d guess this is where in the kitchen and perhaps the garage and entry hall could be found, this overall felt like an architectural nightmare, the only other oddity of this was the piles and piles of bottled water– Vought branded water… you much rather drink Dasani than this crap… It was by far the worst one in the supermarket.

There were indeed no phones or even ethernet ports on the wall, the TV was bolted in its place and so was the VHS player (and all the furniture too), there were at least 350 titles on the walls (something you bothered to count on day 5), an extremely old vinyl player your only other company... whoever had supposedly lived here was a big fan of Cab Calloway, ABBA and Bruce Springsteen, here you and Bruce could become intimate friends it seems after all you had all his vinyls, alongside an expansive jazz assortment, nothing in this selection went past 1989.

You also learned a very useful fact on day 3 you stared at one of the 18 cameras that you’d found.

“I really want some Mcnuggets! Like just a 12-pack and a large Sprite! Maybe an Oreo Mcflurry too!” You yelled into the camera waving your arms as if the circular lense would reply somehow.

Barely few minutes later the air was filled with the roaring sounds of a bike burning tires seemed the forbidden end faced some road which made you giddy, about 50 minutes later a small door at the door itself opened smoothly where the first strange hand you’ve seen in the last 3 days popped-out leaving a bag with a familiar logo… it wasn’t maccas tho, it was Vought-a-burger which was okay but that wasn’t the point, you picked your meal and your oversize ice-cream and drink and begun connecting lines– Your prison was in Pennsylvania, based on the area code on the phone number on that old pizza box, located close enough from both a pizza chain and on a 15 to 20 minutes drive from a Vought-a-Burger, the library held no maps for you to try to find your location but give or take about an hour or two by foot from any civilization… Yet as you drank the mostly melted caramel churro sundae you smiled thinking of how to steal a bike.

That Night you picked two tapes from the wall not caring one bit about what you were going to see, you stared at the camera.

“Hey can one of you check like an underrated 80s movie list from IMDb ‘cuz I seen a few of these already… at least bring me something new!” 

As always no response was ever given, you dragged your feet towards that ornate bedroom of yours, pink walls, flowery quits, a matching chaise lounge, a hardwood coffee table bolted to the ground and your private TV and VHS player, it took you an hour to remember how to use these thing that second day here. You put on a movie, curling in your bed in the dark, smelling the sweet flowery smell of fabric softener, this didn’t smell like home, pillows too soft, mattress too soft everything here was made to bring you comfort but it was making you feel like a squatter.

The cold light of the screen enveloped every surface and you slowly faded away as ‘Lady in White’ began to wrap up, eyes glued to the screen so firmly you screamed when the faint red light peeked from the corner, clutching the quilt across your body as the red faded away and all you saw was a vaguely illuminated shape.

Blurry colors with no clean shapes, standing facelessly enough blue to let you see it was humanoid, Homelander creeped closer, his body blocking the light and like a shadow he devours everything, he turned around to pause the player, draping his gloves on the dumb box as he turned around once more, your heart caught in your throat, each breath quick and sharp as he took another step closer, hushing softly and he’s there swallowing you whole he kneeled into the bed the mattress squeaked and chimed sinking under his weight pulling you in, only the faint outline of gold eagles and soft blonde locks told you with absolute certainty that he was here… that 3 days ago you indeed met The Homelander, far from the pretty blue-eyed hunk from the movies more ghoul.

You swallowed as his head rested on the pillow next to your hips, his nose burying in the cushioned pillowcase.

“I was busy with work” He mumbles softly, staring at you with the same playfulness of a guilty pet owner who’d ran out of their cat's churu treats– "I promise to visit, I got you something… left it downstairs for you.” 

He stared at your white knuckled hands and without uttering a word you understood his demands, fingers moved by psychic force alone, you welcomed him into your lap as you came undone, burying your digits into his hair, soft like cotton, so smooth you dreamt of cat’s bellies as you scratched him, he took the remote from under you lifting you with so much ease your brain struggled to compute it at first, the movie played and all he wanted was petting.

“Security told me you’ve been good… nothing crazy… am glad, "he said with a tired tone.

“What good would that do me…?” You replied with your eyes focused on the screen.

If you wanted to survive I had to get on his good side, no? you though

“I like it when you people understand your place” He chuckles softly.

‘You people’? You could easily discern the meaning behind his words by tone alone, your finger stopped suddenly, his eyes flaring up immediately.

“I think this would be more productive if you told me exactly what’s going on… I won’t try to run or scream… am just confused and scared…” you spoke bluntly as his gaze met yours in the dark.

“This is my private speakeasy and you’re the bartender… tap too… is hard being on top… and I want some relief… and a sanctum–

“To express your socially unacceptable inclinations/interests? Fair enough I can imagine the press would eat you alive if they found out you liked breastmilk.”

“You’re cute and smart too.” He pushed himself into your stomach, your body sinking to the shape he wanted, holding you tight– I’ll be a good owner and let you asks me absolutely anything you want”

“Why me?”

“Dunno.” His lips tightened into a flat line– the doctors picked you, I asked for a good provider… but all the women downstairs and you did have one thing in common” He sounded awkward as he spoke listening to your increasing heartbeat– you kept producing… I asked to have easy access to my treat but somebody downstairs came out with all of this” his hand lazily gestures around– bit extra I know.”

How simple, he didn’t even care about this to begin with, glaring at him gave you no answers or comfort.

“My family…?”

“They think you killed yourself, I've been told… your ex-hubby been on twitter acting holier than the virgin mary, absolutely devastated for likes” You bit your lips, face scrunching up ready to shout and cry– everybody suspects he murdered you even the cops”

“I'm going to kill him!!” Your tears flowed regardless – god fucking dammit!”

Your whole body rejected the news, twisting your stomach and filling you with needles

“How would you do it?”

“Bash his head in with a hammer…?? I don’t know but fuck him! I wasted 5 years of my life with that bastard!” You cried.

Homelander buried his face into your stomach, hiding the smile on his face. as you cursed outloud for a little bit, he paid no attention to your words.

“Sorry…” You cleaned your tears trying to stop this embarrassing display, the mere thought of him acting like he cared made you sick when he wouldn’t even come to his own son’s funeral– are you gonna hurt me?” you cleaned your nose against the pillow.

He moved so quickly before you knew it he’s face to face and even in this dark room only lit by rolling credits he appeared serene as a painting… It makes your blood run cold.

“Why would I hurt my comforter?”

That night he only slept for a couple hours, never moving from your stomach, holding you regardless, he snored softly, mumbling half-spoken words, lips twitching and brows furrowing, you petted him gently watching his hardened frown melt.

Some days he’d come once, others he’d come five times and then there were the days were you didn’t see him at all, leaving you awkwardly aware about how odd these exchanges felt… for it never felt truly sexual, your fears of molestation and ‘real’ assault dissuaded as you accepted that all this man was doing was come here to whine and bitch about work and suck on your titty– like right now, Homelander has been shouting, talkign so much shit about his coworkers you started to wonder if it was made up for nobody could certainly be that allegedly incompetent, about how stressful it was to do 20 plus media interviews all day, about hoq\w his latest film “Justice Serve” was a fucking nightmare already despite being only half-way thru pre-production.

“Do you even know what it's like to deal with idiots who think they’re better than you because they have an award!?” He put your nipple back in his mouth with a frown– who does Villeneuve think he is” He mumbled into your skin.

Yet he didn’t only bring petty grievances and thirsty lips– he showered you with gifts, perfumes you couldn’t pronounce filled with soft fragrances: sweet but not sugary, warm tones without too much spice. Brought you beauty products to pamper you… to watch you play with from the many cameras in the house, and dressed you like a doll in clothes you honestly wouldn't have bought in the first place, too flowery and tradwifey.

You did so with a fake smile, you’d be pretty for him if you must, keep your tongue in-check and swallow the ever increasing knot in your throat for he at least wasn’t loud towards you, he didn’t yell, he didn’t make scenes… you were just living like his newest pet.

His miniature cow standing in the living room instead of the evergreen pastures outside, VHS tapes and steel food trays made your fence.

You keep busy cleaning this house making stories of who had lived there, Bruce the only one who spoke to you.

Analysing the house inch by inch, there had to have been a spot they’ve missed you kept thinking, you figured that somehow they monitored your sleep cycle, only entering to remove dirty clothes and trash in the death of night, they knew if you were obviously awake, on day 14 you stayed up till around 5 am and not a peep was heard accross the house but as you woke past noon all your trash had been cleaned up, on day 16 you stayed awake all day felt sick passed out and same thing, you would find a way out, you would force them to take you out, all the furniture was glued in its post but if you had to cause a fire you fucking would… as you stared at your clean bedsheets you figure you could force them to come in and drag you outside but as you postulated the possibility of a faux-suicide attempt Homelander’s face flashed accross closed eyes– dare dissapointing him and lose all the goodwill you’d been building, trust, even presents more extravagant than anything your ex ever did.

Had he not kidnapped you, hold you against your will in an underground bunker, used you as a milk fountain and terrified the fuck out of you with his invisible steps in the middle of the night you would had found him charming… endearing even… at least he was still handsome… frightening but handsome.

Day 18-19-20 were the worse so far, days went by and your isolation only grew he had not come by, your meals delivered so quietly you missed them and found them cold, birds either too loud or gone but Homelander never came, every hour the anxiety only grew as you found your throat aching to speak with somebody other than a non-present 80s musician.

You made a stack of the movies you’ve seen yelling to the camera demanding more to watch, abandoning the cause to focus on the obscene collection of Danielle Steel books in the library… at least 30 books, at least it was a distraction as you woke up for the third day in a row without hearing from Homelander. 

You talked to yourself, prettier views didn’t make up for human interaction, you had isolated yourselves before… you didn’t eat, shower, answer calls, simply left yourself to rot in your bed, sinking deeper and deeper into your mattress, the calm heartbeat of the machine keeping you alive until the phone battery died, now here you were curling in the couch feeling that endless void inside you screaming back at you, nothing to distract you from it any longer.

How ironic that those days locked in the basement had been the firsts since the funeral that you’d hadn’t thought about it.

Now every sleep came with dreams of distant cries, empty halls that cooed back, and a sense of urgency as time slipped from underneath you, nothing here smelled like him, yet in your sleep you held your pillow as you once held him, swearing it smelled like him, in the silence the singing birds sound like babies, but there’s nothing but creaking floorboards, old pipes and foreign ghosts in this place.

In this endless silence your mind told you this was limbo, jazz solos disguised the pandemonium of a silent afterlife, but as your heart anguished once again you buried yourself in paltry distractions, reading out loud as to keep your vocal chords warm and delude yourself that there was some company in here, mostly to hide the nonexistent crying.

It took you by surprise when half way thru ‘The Ghost’ you heard the buzzing of the steel door, your ears perked up stretching your neck before falling into the floor, shaky knees picked you up once more with a brave kick, quick steeping into the living room– Homelander stood staring at the messy pile talking to the camera to have this sorted and for the first time since you’d been here you sawn another human, who answered his call almost immediately, a man in kevlar rushed in his gun bouncing on his back alongside a young man dragging an ikea bag.

“Homelander!” Your voice was hoarse but he still turned to smile at you.

“We got you some new movies Ms. L/N” The young man spoke dropping the bag with a heavy thud.

“Watch it!” Homelander growled and you saw a slight stain dribble down his pants– just go wait in the library kitten while these ones sort this out for you.” 

Your feet moved anyways, too excited by the presence of new faces, had he not cleared his throat you would’ve said anything just to make sure this wasn’t a dream, you looked away and that big steel door was wide open, an armed guard by the exit tho… it was an office, painted white with cool fluorescent lights. 

Run, the voices scream.

Run.

For fucks sake run!!\

but...

You stay still.

It’s a test. Run and die, run and he’d snap your spine in thirds before you understand what happened your brain would be separated from your cranium no doubt, you swallow and take a step back, slow heavy agonizing steps lead you to the library.

Homelander’s gaze softens as he watches you sit by the unlit fireplace, he follows you soon after leaving the staff to work behind, you lift your head with a stiff neck, your tongue swollen inside your mouth, he smiles gently dropping to your level, carrying a small box.

The pretty bow doesn’t catch your attention in the least.

Not that dashing smile and ever so blue eyes either.

He tickles your nose without touching.

Chamomile and oat, a pale scent, subtle and clean…

As he scoot closer to you urging you to take the meaningless box held by nude hands, he pets your chin, leaving you to catch nutty tones… his hands smell of almond oil and cream.

He’s talking as he guides your hand into opening the present but you aren’t hearing a single word spoken… all you care about is his aroma…it invides you carving an aching hollow chest, making you dizzy and the world is squeezing your whole body with a thousands of pounds of violent force but you’re still held in one piece, wrapping your neck with the necklace he’d got you, touching every exposed inch leaving traces of sweet almond on you, resting his chin on your stiff shoulder so close whispering sweet nothings to you… hair smells so creamy… milky coconut, it makes you ill– You could name every brand he wore if asked.

“You like it?” He asks into your neck.

‘Like’ what? You guessed he meant the necklace.

“Where have you been?” You asked, wanting to think of anything but that bitter scent.

He pushes you down into the carpet, your hair drapes everywhere so he moves it to give himself no chance to pull it, you can’t even argue but your surprise and discomfort still paints your face, before you can say anything he drops his head on your stomach, nuzzling your dress and pulling your hand towards his head.

“I don’t want to talk about it” his muffle words sound angry, he whined into your stomach a quiet order demanding affection.

Obeying orders before he could whined even more for now you wanted silence again.

Staying like this for as long as he needed, leaving you to speculate what brought him such distress that caused him to abandon you as a result, a part of you stared in awe as you realized you how long this man could stay still without making a sound for.

How long did you lay there in a shared repose that your eyes shut? you wondered as the orange glow of afternoon sun warmed your cheeks, his hand cleaned a falling tear off your face as you woke up with a headache.

“Had a nightmare?”

Your hand unconsciously pulled him close to you, burying his face under your chin he’d awkwardly smiled as he adjusted to your demands, talking to you but it was white noise, your kept him still bridging an arm across his neck locking him in position, your other hand buried in blond, closing your eyes as you got high on shampoo.

In your mind much like your dream you hold him so close, he was plump and giddy, his hair more than a thin tuff, you laughed with him, as you dried his back, you swore to never love the scent of coconut, you held back your pain as you held him with all your might.

“I don’t want to talk about it…”

[thegirlwholovesficcharacters]

𝐀 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐇𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍 The Marvel cast x Org teen femreader!

Part 1: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Summary: ❝Rhiannon Hart's life as she used to know it was about to change. She was a young actress in progress from a small town in Minnesota playing small roles from a very young age, After months of her latest project, Rhiannon thought she would continue with her daily routine, concentrating on her studies and resting. Until her representative gets her an audition with Marvel Studios, for a new character. After her audition, Rhiannon didn't believe she could be selected to play the new character, until Kevin Faige contacts her to give her the good news...❞

Part 1 of a series. Words: 1.661 Warnings: Angs, fluffy, silly things. Bad parents. A lovely and supporting grandma. She is just a girl wanting to be something in her life. This fics is was created for fun, nothing serious, also this fics is set in 2015, before the filming of Captain America: Civil War.

Autor's note: Hi! English is not my first language, and I apologize if there are any grammatical errors, you may find translation errors since I have little knowledge of English and mostly use Google Translate. I was also planning to move the fanfic to A03, but maybe I'll do it later. It's a little short ,but i'm gonna try to do the next chapter a little longer.

Hope you like it!

Rihannon knew the process of every audition she had ever had in her life, each audition had led her to have a small role as an extra character who only appeared for a few minutes, or a secondary character who only appeared for a short period of time in several series or films, whether they are films on the small screen or recognized TV series.

But no audition compared to the one she was going to have right now.

It's not every day that your agent gets you an audition to play a new character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Not much was known about the new character, apart from confirming that it was going to be a female character, the mysterious announcement about the casting for that new character had been announced the same day that Marvel confirmed that they had opened casting for a new Spider-Man interpreter, and that excited all the fans including rhiannon.

It had been confirmed that the new mysterious character and Spider-Man would have to be close to adolescence and that they would be something like a duo, a friendship that would form unexpectedly and not at all romantic, just platonic.

And that drove the fans crazy, forming theories about whether he was Black Cat or some villain or antihero from the Spider-Man universe.

But many fans corrected them by saying that the mysterious character could be a friend of Spider-Man and Peter Parker, based on what Marvel Studios announced.

Everyone had their suspicions and theories, and yet weeks after its announcement, Marvel still did not reveal anything.

Wiping the sweat from her hands on her flannel shirt, Rihannon stood in front of the door of the large building in front of her, her head unable to question herself and create scenarios of what could go wrong at her audition.

She loved his job, she loved the world of art and acting, but she never imagined auditioning for one of the largest film companies in the world. There was a second when she thought about leaving and not attending the audition.

But she couldn't.

Not after how hard her representative fought to get her an audition, knowing how much Rihannon loved the Marvel universe and her dream of being part of the Marvel family one day.

She couldn't disappoint her representative, neither her grandmother, and much less herself, she had worked very hard to get to where she was, it would just be one more audition, just like the other auditions she had had in the past.

Right?

Ignoring the small mess of nerves building up in her stomach, she took courage and opened the door to enter the large building, she stopped for a second to admire her surroundings, noticing the walls decorated with giant paintings from Marvel movies, several statues of the more iconic characters, she continued admiring until her bluish eyes found the silhouette of a woman sitting behind a desk.

Knowing that it was the receptionist, she grabbed the strap of her backpack and walked quickly towards the woman, feeling her nerves eating away at her for a moment.

Upon being in front of her, the receptionist, sensing a presence, looked away from her computer screen, and looked curiously at the young woman with blonde, curly hair, almost impressed by the deep blue color of her eyes, noticing her shy aura smiled kindly at the young teenager, rihannon returned the smile shyly.

━━Hello sweetie, how can I help you?━━She asked softly, Rihannon opened her mouth and closed it instantly when she felt nervous.

━━I-I, uh… I came for an audition, with Mr. and Mrs. Russo. My name is Rihannon Hart━━She spoke quickly, feeling her cheeks heat at her stutter. But that didn't seem to bother the woman, who just smiled sweetly and nodded.

━━Of course, you're on time. If you allow me, I'll make a call to notify the auditioners━━━At her words, the girl quickly nodded, letting the brown-haired woman do her job.

She stepped back from the desk a little while watching the receptionist pick up the phone and dial a number.

━━Hello, sir? Miss Rihannon Hart has arrived for her audition, should I tell her to wait in the room or…? Great, I'll tell her. See you later sir━━When she hung up, the receptionist smiled at her as she got up from her seat━━Mr. Russo said that you can come and audition now. I'll guide her to the audition room━━She speaks, Rihannon nodded following the woman from behind.

On her short walk to the elevator, Rihannon began to play with the rings that surrounded her fingers in an attempt to distract her nerves. On the one hand she was nervous at the idea of ​​giving a bad impression to the directors and on the other hand she was relieved to Having memorized the entire dialogue of her script, she had been day and night reviewing each word and practicing her lines with her grandmother that she was sure she would do well.

Well, her grandmother and representative were in charge of letting her know that she would do it well.

She was so deep in thought that if it weren't for the kind woman at the reception, she wouldn't realize that they had already reached the door of the audition room.

As soon as she opened the door, Rihannon followed her, from her place she could see the Russo brothers and Kevin Faige himself talking to each other, and she felt the tingling in her stomach reappear.

━━━Gentlemen, Miss Hart has arrived for her audition━━━The receptionist's voice caught the attention of the three men, as Rihannon saw them approach, a small smile formed on her lips.

━━Hello, a pleasure to meet you━━She said with a small smile and stretched out his hand towards them.

Both directors and the executive director smiled instantly, from her place Rihannon could see a small shine in the eyes of the three men in front of them, she avoided furrowing her eyebrows at the emotion in their eyes.

Anthony Russo was the first to shake his hand with hers, sporting a smiling smile.

━━━The pleasure is ours, miss hart. Your agent has told us a lot about you━━He commented almost excitedly when he had her in front of them, Joe and Kevin Feige nodded at his words.

━━I hope for good things━━She spoke in an attempt to joke, which made the three men laugh. Kevin Faige nodded without removing his smile.

“I promise you it was, Miss Hart,” he assured, earning a genuine smile from the girl.

━━Is it okay if we start with the audition? You can take a few minutes if you want━━Rihannon quickly denied before speaking.

━━No, I think I'm fine. But you can call me rihannon, of course if you don't mind━━She said.

━━Of course. I guess, Rihannon, you've already read the script━━Seeing her nod, Anthony Russo smiled with his brother━━Great, we'll guide you to where the test will be done.━━Obeying the directors, Rihannon said goodbye to the receptionist and smiled at the Seeing her murmurs a soft "good luck" with her two thumbs up.

━━So miss hart, your agent, alice. You told us about your latest work in Teen Wolf, right?━━In response to Feige's question, Rihannon smiled and nodded, remembering with adoration her participation in her favorite series.

━━Yes, my participation was short, but I enjoyed the experience━━She responded softly with a smile. Feige and the brothers looked at each other and smiled.

━━One of my daughters loves that series, and I must admit that they adore her character in the series━━Joe commented, making a small shine appear in the young actress's blue eyes.

━━Really? I'm glad that your daughter liked it━━A smile took over her when she knew that one of the director's daughters liked her performance in the series

She did not often hear adulation about her participation in Teen Wolf, given that her character only appeared for three episodes and then did not appear again. She had played a girl who was the daughter of a retired werewolf hunter, who saved Derek Hale of an enemy shooting him with a shotgun and joining the pack for a short time, her colleagues and director of the series had congratulated her for her work, and her skills in the few stunts she had performed at the time.

Her grandmother was the most excited to see her granddaughter in the series, as was her friend Lucy, but no one other than the two of them congratulated her except for a few classmates from her school.

Upon arriving at the testing area, Rihannon allowed herself to admire the place, observing in detail the black walls, the lights that hung from the ceiling and the lamps that surrounded the small recording set, in front of the set there was a camera and three seats , in which she assumed the brothers russo and kevin feige would be sitting.

Seeing the young woman admiring the set, the CEO approached her.

━━You can leave your backpack there, if you want. We'll start in a few minutes━━He pointed to one of the empty chairs not far from where they were, with a small nod, Rihannon thanked him with a small smile and walked away to rest his backpack on the chair.

After a few minutes, Rihannon was in front of the camera - still off - while the makeup artist finished her work before she could perform her audition.

━━Forgive me for saying this, but you look like a badass Barbie━━At the comment of the makeup artist, named Ruth, Rihannon let out a small laugh as she felt the corner of her lips rise upward.

━━Thank you?━━She dubiously acknowledged his compliment with a small smile on her face. When she finished, Ruth said goodbye to her with a small smile and wished her good luck.

━━Are you ready, Rihannon?━━Listening to one of the Russo brothers, Rihannon took a deep breath and then nodded.━━Great, the camera is already on and will start recording in 3…2…1━ ━━Seeing the red light of the camera, the teenager looked forward, feeling her facial expression become serious.

The first dialogue was heard through the voice of Kevin Faige.

And that dialogue would only be the beginning of everything.

[deityoftherain]

her beloved immortal - Katherine/Lizzie Empires S1 Fanfic

Rating: Teen

Relationship: F/F

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 1,173

Summary: Katherine and Lizzie are hanging out in Katherine's room, creating bracelets and loving each other dearly. As they talk, Lizzie reveals a large part of their shared past...

[Deleted Scene/Alternate Ending to "her beloved mortal" that I ended up not using]

This was written for @belovedgamers as a treat through the @mcyt-summer-of-yuri exchange!

Here's the Tumblr post for the original: https://www.tumblr.com/deityoftherain/754681162396532736/her-beloved-mortal-katherinelizzie-empires-s1

If you like it, please consider reblogging, kudosing/liking, and/or commenting :D

Katherine never thought of her life as dull or unfulfilling before, but, ever since Lizzie entered it, she has felt so genuinely blissful. It was like a piece of her soul had been returned to her, snapping in place and fitting perfectly. Waking up every day knowing that Lizzie was never too far away made her stomach flutter pleasantly with butterflies and her face warm like a candle’s flame.

It was stereotypical, sure, but Katherine already had countless sketches of possible dress designs for their own wedding, and she would be lying if she said she hadn’t written their names together with a heart countless times on her journal’s pages. Every moment Katherine spent with Lizzie, the more she fell head over heels for her. Katherine was sure Lizzie felt the same.

The two women sat criss-crossed on Katherine’s bed as Lizzie taught Katherine various ways to make bracelets. Katherine had known some basic techniques growing up, sure, but never to this level and certainly not with these techniques.

It has only been a few months since they met, but Katherine felt right at home with Lizzie. It was like they knew each other for lifetimes. They exchanged much about themselves, sure, but the way they acted suggested that their knowledge about the other ran much deeper than what they would have gathered in these months.

In addition to Katherine’s work as a seamstress, she also had a passion for making plushies. The plushies were more for fun or to donate to children in need than they were for money, but Katherine found great pleasure in making them. Katherine wanted to make Lizzie a plushie, but she only briefly wondered what sort of plushie she should make. It just came to her that Lizzie would be ecstatic with an axolotl plushie, though she had this innate gut feeling that Lizzie would love whatever she made either way. Katherine could almost hear her reaction as if it were a memory.

“Look at you go!” Lizzie clapped her hands together as she cheered, proud of Katherine successfully getting down the technique. “Aw, it turned out so cute!”

Katherine beamed under Lizzie’s praise, unable to hold back her smile even if she tried. “I just had a good teacher.”

“Nonsense,” Lizzie dismissed. “You are very talented in the art of the craft, always have been. You can do anything you put your mind to. Your creativity is one of the things I love about you.”

That was another thing. Lizzie always talked like they’ve known each other for a long time. It often felt that way to Katherine as well, but, in actuality, it had only been a few months. Granted, they spent a majority of their free time together during those months, but still.

“‘Always have been,’” Katherine repeated, with a slight tilt of her head. She had to admit, she was curious why they felt so natural together. It made her mind wander to several different possibilities, unsure what would be considered too insane and unrealistic. Magic wasn’t her strong suit, but it did exist. Technically, anything was possible to certain limits. “We haven’t known each other very long, yet you talk like you’ve always known me. Tell me, have we met before and I don’t remember? Do you believe I have some sort of childhood amnesia?”

Lizzie’s lip darted out briefly to wet her lips as she thought of what to say. “I wanted to tell you the truth, but I was worried it was too soon. I didn’t want to scare you off.” “You won’t scare me off,” Katherine promised, scooting closer to Lizzie so she could set her hand over Lizzie’s.

Katherine knew she shouldn’t let herself promise such a thing, but something within Katherine knew Lizzie would never hurt her. It wasn’t a hunch or a suspicion, but a fact that her mind was positive of. It was so infused with truth that Katherine couldn’t even think of denying its validity.

Lizzie turned her hand around so their fingers could intertwine with one another. She brought Katherine’s hand up to her lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. “Katherine, you are my soulmate in each of your lives. I knew the moment I saw you at Gem and Pearl’s wedding that I had found you again.”

Katherine’s eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t pull away. If someone else told her this, she may have called them crazy and told them to stop messing with her, but, from Lizzie, it made sense like it was a typical and normal thing. “Each of my lives? What about yours?” “I’m immortal,” Lizzie admitted. “I was once mortal, we both were in our first life together. At least, I believe I was. You were dying in my arms and my grief was great. Something inside me seemed to unlock. I had power pumping through my veins that I was unaware of before. Our souls yearned to stay together, and so they did. Even as I was accepted among the ranks of the gods, I could feel a pull toward you. Once I realized your soul reincarnated, I made it my mission to seek you out in each life. Falling in love with you over and over again is my reason for continuing on. I never get bored with you by my side.” Katherine didn’t speak for several moments, needing time to process what she was being told. Lizzie’s words were genuine, she knew that much, but it was a lot to unpack. Still, Katherine had never been one to dismiss the idea of love outlasting lifetimes and other fantastical ideas.

She used her freehand to cup Lizzie’s face, looking into her eyes as her heart fluttered with warmth and love. “I believe you.”

“You always do.” Lizzie leaned into Katherine’s hand, seemingly melting into it. “And you have no idea how happy that makes me.” “I may not know everything, but what we have is too otherworldly and true to deny.” Katherine directed her cupped hand to tuck some of Lizzie’s pink hair behind her ear fin. They were close now, so close that Katherine could smell the distinct scent of ocean water and bubblegum. Those scents were muddled together, creating what was so obviously Lizzie, her Lizzie.

Before either of them truly knew it, their lips met together, fitting perfectly in place as if they were made for each other. The kisses were soft yet passionate, almost electric as life sparked within Katherine. Each kiss brought with it a flash of a memory from a past life, the memories both foreign and familiar.

Instead of scaring Katherine off, the memories from her past selves only confirmed all that she already accepted as fact. Katherine deepened the kisses, pulling Lizzie toward her until their bodies were flushed together. She climbed into her lap, legs wrapping around Lizzie’s torso. It had been far too long since they were able to be this close and they were going to take full advantage of it…

[centipede-anon]

AA Gui///lty Ge///ar vore jumpscare!!

Full fanfic under the cut

The past few weeks had been grueling for Zappa as he has managed to start attracting spirits on accident again. However, unlike that of S-Ko and the other spirits he had been possessed with before, this one was actively malicious towards him. The other spirits did hurt him, yes, but they seemed to only hurt him by accident, taking control of his body to annihilate those they deemed as dangerous or a threat to the host. This new spirit that’s been following him actively attacks. It’s been on and off however, the spirit wanting to keep him on his toes. Zappa’s quite literally been around the world now and yet, this beastly spirit has tried to kill him again and again. He can’t keep running forever, eventually, he���d run out of energy. 

But he doesn’t wanna give up just yet, so he’s seeking out the person who helped him in his time of need last time when he was having some ghost problems, Faust. He hasn’t heard much from the man despite quite literally helping save the world with him last time. It’s only been a little over a month though, so it’s not like he hasn’t seen him in years or anything. Still, he’s heard from or about everyone else he worked with. Apparently Sol and Ky were near immediately back on the whole killing ultra powerful beings that were near godlike again- though this time it was The Original, now apparently calling himself “Happy Chaos”. A bunch of the others from last time were also helping them out as well, but Faust was mysteriously missing from it all. There was something about a girl named Delilah that he helped out in, but not much else after.

He doesn’t really know where Faust would be, since he likes to wander the world, so now Zappa’s just hoping that he’ll find him somewhere. So now, he was in the middle of some desert, super dehydrated, and with no idea where the next town will be. He had the smarts to bring a jug of water before he came to the literal desert, but he ended up drinking all of it within the first 2 days. The sand was getting into his shoes and really irritating him, but if he took off his shoes to get it out, then he’d burn his feet from the rest of the sand that was constantly in direct sight of the burning hot Sun. It’s been about 4 days now, he’s absolutely exhausted, near death with the dehydration and starvation combination. Wobbling a little he starts to feel his legs give out, walking for 4 straight days has given him a good workout but also the threat of snapping his legs in half. Nothing should have broken his fall but the sand, and yet, when he collapsed and looked up at the hands holding him up by the shoulders, it was none other than the very same spirit he’d been running from.

Zappa tried to scream, but his throat had become so hoarse that all that came out was a small croak. He tried struggling with the little energy he had left as the spirit opened its large mouth, taking up its whole face and filled with rows and rows of teeth, seemingly wanting to chop his head off and grind it down to a thin paste with them. He closes his eyes as he starts to accept his fate, knowing that there would be no escape from the horrors that awaited him in a few seconds. Suddenly though he heard something along the lines of bones cracking and popping and the feeling of a different, much larger, spider-like set of hands grabbing him. Suddenly he was being pulled in 2 different directions. Eventually the new set of hands won over. He slowly opened his eyes, scared of what he would see when he did only to see… Faust? He looked odd, almost like a corpse. Before where he had on very colorful yet formal attire, clad with striped patterns on his pants and crosses on his arms, he now simply wore some surgeon scrubs with some very nice sneakers and belts on his forearms. His limbs were also cause for concern as they seem to be much thinner than usual, almost like he hasn’t been eating for about a week or 2, not only that but his fingers seem to be incredibly exaggerated, going far past what the normal human should have. That explained why it felt like they were 2 massive spiders.

“Faust?” Zappa asked, cautiously, “Is that really you?” The change in his appearance was so drastic, Zappa didn’t even know if this was Faust anymore. For a second, he had the terrifying thought that maybe Faust had gotten lost in this desert as well and was also on the brink of death, at least until he realized they somehow weren’t even in the desert anymore, instead being near a lake somehow. Faust most likely used his spacial deformation technique to teleport them there. He also noticed he was now sitting on Faust’s lap as Faust was sitting on his own legs. “Original focus…” Faust choked out, “... Needed to, save someone.” That was enough for Zappa, he immediately crashed his head onto Faust’s chest, just happy he could rest for a minute and that his possible savior had arrived. His feet ached and the soles of his shoes were coming apart.

“I was actually looking for you all over, I’m really glad you came, especially at that exact time! You saw that spirit, do you have any idea how to get it off my tail! You were able to “cure” me from most of them last time so…”, he kinda trailed off at the end, seemingly getting embarrassed of his own speech and request. Faust looked upwards and squinted lightly with his one eye, like he was thinking before saying, “Yesss, I know cure…”, Faust nodded weakly. “Alright, let's get going, we need to get your medical supplies right? I mean you don’t have your case of medical supplies you usually have”, Zappa said, excited that he was finally able to leave this malicious spirit behind hopefully.

Zappa stood up, or at least tried to. Faust’s hands were wrapped around him firmly as he pulled him back down to his knees. “Wha- Faust, do you have your supplies here?” Zappa was confused, but he wouldn’t doubt he could use his spacial deformation to pull out random stuff. Still, he squirmed lightly in his grasp, a little uncomfortable. “Have cure, stay still…” Faust started pulling Zappa closer again, though this was less so the tight grasp he had on Zappa earlier to pull him away from the spirit and more like a weird sort of hug. “Huh- I-I don’t understand, don’t you need me to be at least a little further away so you could actually see me?” Zappa said, a little bit of panic seeping into his voice.

Faust looked down at him, “Know how to cure, don’t need to see… get host away from spirit, not other way…” This made sense to Zappa but it was just the same thing he’s been trying to do for the past few days. “I’ve been doing that, I wouldn’t have been in the desert if I wasn’t trying to get away”, Zappa was really panicked, but he knew he was in good hands. Still, Faust’s methods always made him anxious. “No, you trying to get ghost away, not host away…” Faust pulls him upwards a little, “Let me show you, cure…” Faust opened up his mouth wide and stuck Zappa’s head inside. He starts struggling immediately, but Faust manages to swallow him down incredibly quickly. He could hear Faust’s heart beating very faintly and his esophagus pulsating around him. All Zappa could think about was why Faust would do this, he helped him get rid of the spirits the first time and helped save the world when the Japanese were turning into antimatter gears. He had said something about “curing” Zappa so maybe he wasn’t thinking straight, which wouldn’t be too crazy considering his physical state. Yet, it still didn’t make sense to Zappa…

He feels an intense pressure before being released into what was presumably Faust’s stomach. He started struggling but felt too weak to really do much of anything. So, Zappa just broke down. All this time he spent running from his demise and he ended up dying to someone he had considered a friend. He knew that nothing could save him now. He suddenly felt a slight pressure on the outside and it rubbing slightly. He had assumed it was simply just his hand rubbing. “Safe now… host away from spirit”, Faust said. He felt Faust standing up and start to move. Zappa didn’t say anything, at this point he just accepted his fate and tried to fall asleep so he hopefully didn’t have to feel any of the painful digestion.

Except, Zappa woke up, not in pain, but quite comfortable actually. “What..? I’m still… alive?” Zappa’s voice was hoarse since he just woke up. He heard the heartbeat still along with now the gurgling of a stomach and the popping of bones. “Told you, safe, away from spirit now”, Faust said quietly. He seemed to be tired himself. Zappa was confused, “But- how- what? I’m not dead? How? I’m literally in your stomach.” “Moved hazards out of stomach, safe to sleep in now…” Faust replied. Well now he was even more confused, with the amount of weird magic Faust knows though, he doesn’t even bother to question it anymore. He probably should’ve expected this outcome if anything. “Here, food…” Faust said, before he heard a few gulping sounds. Out of his esophagus came a bagged sandwich and a thermos of water. Zappa had gladly gulped down almost all of the water immediately, thirsty from not just the desert, but also because he had just woken up from quite the nap. After he started chowing down on the sandwich he was given. It tasted like the best meal he’d ever had, that was most likely just because he was terribly hungry though.

“So, I understand I’m apparently safe in here but what about after. I can’t exactly stay here forever… at least I hope I don’t have to”, Zappa said between bites of his sandwich. Faust stopped for a moment before he spoke, “Going to remove spirit, like last time… find cure, be quick”. No other words were spoken as Zappa was just glad he was able to go back to his normal life, well as normal as it will get, after all, S-Ko was quite keen on staying with him so he still has her with him. Although she isn’t nearly as possessive in both literal and figurative ways, she still exists. Hopefully though, this spirit is less inclined to him. There’s never any guarantee, though he trusts in Faust since all of the other spirits that were haunting him had left his body after Faust’s treatment. So, with knowledge that he will hopefully be safe, he decided to simply go back to sleep.

He woke up abruptly to the feeling of him falling. When he opened his eyes he saw he was in the woods with Faust standing over top of him and what looked like a portal closing. “Spirit cleansed…” Faust rasped. Zappa simply looked up at him wearily and stood up a little. “I want back in.. I’m tired”, Zappa awkwardly grasped at Faust’s bag, trying to pull his head down so he could climb in his mouth again. Faust obliged, seeming lightly annoyed that he had to swallow him back down again immediately after spitting him out, yet also kinda content with it, he was quite hungry since he didn’t actually eat any food. Faust really needed to work on the whole taking care of himself thing. So he gulped Zappa down again like how he does to those donuts he likes so much and Zappa goes back to sleep, content with his newfound safe space.

[agaveblue]

[Fanfic] Android and His Oseram - Chapter 1: The Android

Decided to crosspost my fanfic on my sparkling new fanfic account! I'll post up the entire chapter if they can fit as well as the AO3 link.

---

Title: The Android and His Oseram

Chapter Title: The Android (Chapter 1) Summary: A thousand years since the world ended. A thousand years until Oseram delver Gildun accidentally stumbles upon a deactivated CyberLife RK800 android called "Connor", buried deep in the crumbling ruins of the Old Ones, in a discovery that'll send him into the Forbidden West. Together a man and a machine fail upward.

Crossover canons: Horizon games / Detroit: Become Human

Main characters: Connor (DBH) and Gildun (Horizon)

Chapter 1 - The Android

This Old Ones ruin looks like many of the others Gildun has already run across, with strange, often downright bizarre architecture accompanied with designs that he can only guess at their purpose. Cables and hard angles. Signs of metalwork that no Oseram forge can duplicate. The dull creaks of the ruins settling, days or years from finally collapsing on themselves. The steady, distant drip-drip-drip of water leaking somewhere from compromised hulls as the outside world creeps in, as vines and undergrowth venture deeper where even a delver can’t go. 

The good news is this ruin doesn't have the immediate signs of machines prowling inside with their usual tell-tale blue gleam. Okay, so maybe there's a yet in there but Gildun's anything if not optimistic.

Incidentally he's also adept at running.

"You'll be fine!" Gildun mutters to himself. "Even checked the door was propped open this time!"

Aloy's been gone for a few weeks but the invaluable lessons she imparted remains, with Number 1 being Don't Lock Yourself In Again. It's a lesson that Gildun's taken to heart as he double and triple checked the door was propped up open by a rock large enough to work him into a sweaty, gasping mess by the time he finished shoving it into place.

All that noise and still no machines coming to investigate. No clicking or armor scraping or bouncing blue glows of metal eyes waiting to turn alert-yellow or danger-red.

In fact the only direct glow can be found at the very bottom of the ruins, after navigating shattered shafts and crumbling stairs, past a door with the faded all-caps print of STORAGE. Past crates of parts, weapons, and long-expired food stores, the source can be found in a corner. Half-hidden, covered in cobwebs, is what appears to be a man-sized object slumped on its side, the statue sprawled from a broken crate in a curious fetal position, and wearing a strange cut of clothes that almost looks like it's real.

Correction, he thought it was a statue at first, between the dust and the cobwebs and the fact that it's highly unlikely anyone could be living down here. But there's a - a light, small and red, a tiny thumb-sized, weakly pulsing circle that's just…just…

Well, it's just begging to be touched.

So he does. Gildun reaches out and presses a finger against the red mystery light.

The "statue" whirrs, twitches, and suddenly sits up in one smooth motion, still wearing a shroud of grim cobwebs thick as an Oseram funeral veil. Gildun isn't even aware that he's yelped - and yes, it's a full-on yelp, no two sparks about it - only that he's fallen back on his behind with a gloved hand clapped tight over his mouth as he peers at The Thing, wide-eyed, and trying desperately not to choke on his own spit.

The red light flickers from red to gold to the all-too familiar blue of a Machine as what appears to be the statue's head swivels toward Gildun. For a second he has the rare, maybe not so foolish thought that he should stop poking things.

That thought flies right out the window as The Thing speaks.

"Recalibrating visual and auditory sensors…complete."

- It-it speaks! It actually speaks!

"Unable to sync time/date. CyberLife servers unavailable for patching. Memory corrupted…checking partitions."

Not only does it speak, it sounds just like a man's voice! 

Gildun's hand drops to reveal his gape as he watches The Thing miraculously reach up and begin to brush away cobwebs, feathery green-gray moss soft as silk, and ancient dust. The gape only gets bigger as a young man's face emerges from the veil of the Old Ones just as his - its? his? - voice did mere seconds ago.

"...Apologies for the delay in introducing myself. My name is Connor, I'm the andr - "

Gildun can't hold it back anymore, the words exploding out in a squeak. " - You have a name?!"

Connor, whatever or whoever he is, nods, his dark head still wreathed with debris that he's still combing out with long, elegant fingers that look like they belong on a Carja noble who hasn't worked a day in his life and has the missing calluses to show for it. His hair’s cropped too short, though, and there’s a total lack of decorative face paint or fancy-pants jewelry. The whole time that strange light throbs in a glowing circle stamped above his right brow and for a feverish second Gildun wonders if maybe Connor's Banuk. No, he doesn't look like any Banuk I've seen, he thinks, and he finds that the strange tattoo Connor wears is downright distracting now that he thinks about it. 

Try as he might, his eyes keep darting up to the damned thing.

"Yes," says Connor, "unless you would prefer my serial number but I find most humans prefer vernacular names for convenience. What's yours?"

Before he can think better of it, "Gildun. …Wait, what?"

Connor only tilts his head, the gesture almost bird-like as he continues cleaning himself off with efficient swipes of his hands against his emerging shoulders and torso. 

Gildun has to forcibly pull his eyes away from the hypnotic blue tattoo yet again.

"Let's wheel the cart around: what do you mean, humans? Serial number?"

The young man pauses in the middle of fussing with a curious strip of black cloth seemingly tied around his neck like a leash cut short. It doesn't appear to be tied to anything else, which turns the "maybe he's a captive?" thought to ash. 

"Humans. Homo sapien. What you are," Connor adds like that clears it all up; there’s something vaguely patronizing in his unassuming voice. "All androids such as myself have manufacturing serial numbers, as you can see right here."

Now he taps himself and Gildun realizes with a start that even his strange clothes - tailored in ways he's never seen before, unidentifiable fabrics in grays and black - is glowing, too, this time with a bright aquamarine band looped around an upper arm, a matching triangle gleaming against his chest, and angular, boxy white glyphs scrawled across as well. These he recognizes: Aloy had breezily pointed them out before, said they were Old Ones numbers, and left it at that as if wasn't the most fascinating thing you could casually drop in a conversation.

"I'd like to look around if you don't mind, Gildun."

"Uh, sure, go ahead - h-hold on, wait just an honest minute now! What's an android?"

Connor stands to his full height, towers over the poor Oseram delver still sitting shell-shocked on his butt, and says, patiently, as if it should be perfectly obvious to all parties present:

"A humanoid robot, Gildun. In layman’s terms, I'm a machine."

[kittyball23]

Chapter 3 - Stories From the NSA (an Incredibles fanfic)

There were several reasons why Downburst did not have a particular liking toward Frozone.

For one, he was much more well-liked and well-known in the Supers community. Where Downburst sat in the back end of the NSA board room during meetings, Frozone took the front end, greeted with high-fives or pats on the back. The Super’s open and relaxed vibe he gave off was much more poised rather than his own bumbling and awkward self.

Second, Frozone's powers were much cooler than his - and not just because of his literal ice-making powers - no, but his actual powers made him stand out and were far more useful than his. While Downburst could manipulate atoms, it was difficult to do anything too massive, like recreating a brand-new motorcycle out of scratch – a project that he had been trying for so long to accomplish, but still was unable to get it right. Tires would end up too large. Handlebars would be backwards. Pedals would jut out of the seat. The seat itself would be upside down. Downburst could just sigh at how unsuccessful each attempt turned out, feeling terrible for being unable to make his friend Elastigirl’s dream of having her very own ‘Elasticycle’ come true. All in all, he could likely say that the most useful thing he got out of his powers was the capability to heal minor injuries. He supposed it was in part to his practice in civilian life as Dr. Adam Scott, a PhD in medical dermatology who was widely referred to due to his ability – spoken on the hush of course – to fully heal his patients of whatever issue was plaguing them just by simply placing a hand over the affected area and letting his powers handle the rest.

But perhaps the biggest reason he'd held such a strong distaste toward Frozone, was the fact that he had gotten the opportunity to work with her - Blazestone.

Downburst had admired her since the day he'd first joined the NSA, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He first caught sight of her when she entered NSA headquarters just as he was getting briefed by the head agent Rick Dicker on the types of missions he would likely be involved with. She'd sauntered past Dicker, interrupting their conversation to boast about how she had apprehended several criminals just that morning. She had swung out her arms enthusiastically, her excitement causing sparks to fly out of her hands. Dicker had dodged in time to avoid them, but a few embers clung to Downburst’s suit. He quickly swiped them off, the heat easily seeping through the material and stinging his skin underneath.

"Oh whoops! Sorry about that kid," she apologized, wiping some of some of the leftover embers that still clung to his head. "Can't help myself when I'm fired up!" And with that, she'd swung back around, blonde ponytail bobbing lightly as she strolled away to join some of the other Supers. Dicker had continued speaking to him, but his mind had remained on her for the remainder of their conversation. Her long lashes and slender form, not to mention that spunky attitude, had him feeling all warmed up inside just like her pyrotechnic ability.

Upon timidly asking Dicker if he could potentially be teamed up with her, the older man shook his head, explaining that Blazestone in particular had to be carefully monitored and was already placed with a more experienced partner who would be able to do just that. Downburst raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering both why such a lovely superheroine who seemed to be dedicated to her work would need to be watched and also who was the lucky one who’d gotten chosen to be with her. But he needn’t wonder for long. He could see Blazestone reach a group of Supers further inside the facility, one of them in a blue-and-white suit high-fiving her. Frozone. Each hissed in slight pain, Frozone when her scorching palm hit his, and Blazestone when his icy palm hit hers. He could hear him congratulate her for her successful apprehension, and also remind her to next time include him as it was a team effort. And that’s when Downburst knew, and felt what had once been a slight pang of envy within him increase tenfold.

It became even worse when he’d began hearing the rumors start floating around about the pair. He first heard it in a whisper from fellow Super Gamma Jack, who’d claimed to have accidentally eavesdropped on the two of them planning out a date. Another time, the Super Hypershock claimed to have seen them holding hands. And still another time Mr. Incredible, Frozone’s closest friend, had claimed that they had “a special thing going on” with each other, perhaps beyond their professional relationship.

Downburst had held onto a shred of hope that it wasn't true, but he was proven wrong. He'd been on his way home late one night after an unsuccessful day in crime-fighting, when he'd thought he heard voices coming from a nearby alleyway. He approached the alley quietly, in case they were criminals attempting to remain unknown. As it turned out, that was far from the truth, for the sight before him was on he'd wished he hadn't witnessed. Despite it being dark, he knew it was them - Frozone identifiable with his slim build and Blazestone with her signature high ponytail - their bodies close together and their lips locked in a passionate kiss. 

He was baffled, crushed, and hurt more than anything. Downburst hurried off after that, double-stepping his pace and not wishing to stick around and see anymore. He was grateful they didn't notice his presence, for he wouldn't have known what explanation to give for just watching the pair. He slammed the door to his small apartment shut, landing on his sofa with an unceremonious thump , attempting to gather his thoughts. 

He sighed, forcing back tears of frustration and slinking further into the seat cushions, wishing they could just swallow him up whole. It should have been him . He was no stranger to hearing about their arguments - her fiery attitude and Frozone's laid back behavior would often clash and make work out on the field a difficulty. They should not be sharing any kind of romantic connection with such a rocky relationship. He, on the other hand, would treat her like a queen. He held no kind of animosity against her. If they worked together, he would easily listen to her and not question any kind of plan since she was the more experienced one. 

But, that had not been the case. Dicker had specifically paired the two together in an attempt to get her to work better in a team, as he later learned. It was assumed that Frozone's cool would make for a good balance against her heat. And the man was right... for the most part. Because the fact was that she wasn't his type, and he wasn’t hers. So when did this happen? he asked himself, scrambling for some sort of answer. How did it happen? And why, oh why, did his unwavering crush for the beautiful Super woman have to be unrequited?

He sat there, mulling over these questions and trying desperately to ignore the gnawing pain that began at his chest and spread downward like an incurable aching, until eventually his eyes grew heavy and he succumbed to sleep, feeling much more content when he did so. Because it was only in his dreams that he could escape the reality of the situation and instead envision himself in the ice-Super's place. Well-liked by fellow Supers, skilled in his powers, and admired by Blazestone, the one woman who had taken his breath away and had stolen his heart.

[catz4ever]

"Edge of Darkness"

Chapter Seven: "Shadows"

Happy Foundation Friday kids!

As promised, here is chapter seven. This is by far the longest and most intense chapter I've written so far. That being said, here are a few warnings:

**TRIGGER WARNING. IF YOU SUFFER FROM ANXIETY OR PTSD I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND READING THIS CHAPTER. THERE ARE SOME SEVERE AND EXTREME PTSD EPISODES INVOLVING HALLUCINATIONS, VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA***

*EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING. THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THE EXPLICIT CHAPTERS OF THIS FANFIC. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*

@omg-hellgirl @coopsgirl @purplerainiris @0chemicalwaste0 @billyblackbirdrusso @bang-kim-bap @briefgalaxycat @bellevox @lafleurose @designfailure56 @curiouswildi @icarus-waxenwings @monmonuwu @etherealoscar @werewolfhybrid @potato-dragons @pigilene @gedebe @clementine-starling @levikra

As always, I welcome any and all feedback from readers so please comment on this post or feel free to message me!

Please be patient as I add tags!

*****LAST WARNING FOR PTSD TRIGGERS AND EXPLICIT CONTENT*****

The moment you were sharing together quickly ended as you heard the thud of heels echoing down the hall. Day quickly ceased kissing you and grabbed your hand, pulling you down a side hallway, out of sight.

"Demerzel," he whispered to you as he glanced around the corner, "we've lingered here too long. There is a small passage down the hall to the left. Go down the stairs to the main palace, by the gardens. I'll see you tomorrow. Quickly! Go!"

Without hesitation you turned and ran, letting go of his hand. Glancing back, you saw him smirking as he fixed the locks of disheveled hair on his head before rounding the corner to meet Demerzel. You clutched your new case closely to your chest as you ran, a large smile spread across your face. The voices of Day and his Android reverberated off the walls of the empty hallway and you heard a bit of their conversation as you hid behind a pillar to catch your breath.

"You are required, Empire. The galactic council requests your presence immediately. There have been further developments in regards to the whereabouts of the Invictus," she said, her hands neatly folded and resting on her waist.

"Very well. I will adhere to their request," he responded, his arms crossed in annoyance. Demerzel leaned to the side and looked past Day down the dark hallway you were hiding in, acting as if she had seen something.

"I must admit, I was not expecting to find you here at this hour, Empire. Is everything alright? I thought I heard another voice here with you. May I inquire as to whom you were speaking with?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"It was just the hologram computer responding to my commands. I was checking Arcturus for any further Anacreonian activity," he explained, turning off the device.

"I see. My apologies, Empire. I was only curious. It is my duty to serve Empire, and to insure all is well," she replied, bowing her head. Day raised his hand with two pointed fingers as if to forgive her.

"It's quite alright. I appreciate your concern for my well-being, Demerzel. Come, I mustn't keep the council waiting any longer," he said and disappeared around the corner. Demerzel paused for a moment and stared down the hallway, and you could feel her eyes searching. You dared not move or breathe for fear of being found. Finally, the loud clack of her heels followed the emperor and she faded into the darkness. Quietly, you made your way down to the end of the hall and found the stairs Day had spoken of. Gradually your surroundings became more familiar as you approached the grand hall where the double doors to the throne room stood.

Walking past another pair of large doors down the hall, you could hear panicked murmuring as the council eagerly awaited their emperor. Peaking through the small crack in the doors, you glanced into what looked like a giant courtroom with marble chairs encircling a large black table. A large chair was placed at the head with the imperial insignia on the back, which you guessed was where Day would sit. Suddenly, you heard the footsteps of Day and Demerzel quickly approaching from a distance. You darted around the corner and listened to make sure no one saw you. Thankfully, they were already conversing and we're completely oblivious. You could hear the voices of Dawn and Dusk chiming in as they walked up to the courtroom doors. Peaking around the corner you watched them with great curiosity. The Emperor and Demerzel entered the room while Dusk stood and spoke with Dawn.

"You can watch from the balcony. You must learn how these meetings are held and pay attention to Day. When you are on the middle throne, this will be your responsibility," said Dusk, placing his hand on Dawn's shoulder. Dawn nodded and stood there as Dusk entered and closed the doors behind him. A guard was placed at the entrance for security and Dawn made his way to where you were standing. You tried to move quickly but he nearly ran into you and you startled him.

"Doctor! I'm so sorry I didn't see you!" he said apologetically, calming himself down.

"It's ok! I shouldn't have been eavesdropping. I was on my way back to my room anyways," you replied, smiling at him. Before you could turn to leave, Dawn gently took hold of your arm, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Would you like to watch the council?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I...I don't know. I'm not even supposed to be here in the first place," you said, looking around nervously.

"You can sit with me on the shrouded balcony. No one will know you're there. They can't see up there and you'll have a good view where you can hear everything. I'm not allowed in as I have not come of age and I don't have a say in the proceedings of the council or their decisions. I know you're just as intrigued as I am. Wasn't your home attacked by the Invictus?" he asked. You nodded with a small frown on your face and glanced down at the floor.

He took your hand and pulled you towards a tall side door. You reluctantly followed, occasionally glancing over your shoulder to ensure no one was trailing the both of you. When you got to the top of the stairs after walking through the door, you entered a large dark room, almost blue in color. A transparent screen of electricity covered an opening that looked out into the courtroom. The council members all stood until Day sat down, and then they followed suit. You sat down next to Dawn and listened intently as the meeting began.

"This had better be an urgent matter to disturb me so late in the night," said Day, a tone of annoyance in his voice. One of the councilmen stood and began to speak.

"Indeed it is, Empire. We have received word that the Invictus has been spotted close to Thespis earlier this week. It is stagnant and has locked on to the planet's gravitational pull, allowing it to freely rotate with the system. We have received multiple transmissions from Imperial outposts for assistance," he said, pulling a large hologram of the system into view in the middle of the room.

"And why was I not made aware of this discovery when it first transpired?" said Day with an angry scowl on his face, clearly irritated.

"Many apologies, Empire. We wanted to make sure it was the Invictus we picked up on the outpost's radar before briefing you," said the councilman. The emperor slammed his fist on the table before standing up.

"Our galaxy's most powerful weapon is in the hands of war-hungry Anacreonians, and it took this long to receive confirmation of the identity of this ship?! Don't you think any large craft floating in space above an inhabited system is suspicious activity in it's own right?!" he yelled, "what if it was flying above Trantor? Would you take your time then?!"

The councilman seemed shaken but continued, his hands crossed behind his back as he spoke.

"Absolutely not, Empire. This is a new development and it takes time to relay information from the outer rim. The council requests we take action and respond to the call for assistance. Send in imperial reinforcements to investigate and reprimand the Anacreonians where they float in space," he said looking over at Day.

"Have the weapon systems been active since it's appearance above Thespis?" asked Day, stroking his chin in curiosity.

"No Empire, the ship itself seems to be in hibernation mode. But no action has been taken since our sources recognized the craft as our own," he explained, rotating the image with his hands and zooming in on the planet of Thespis. You could see the rings of the Invictus spin slowly as it floated in space, criss-crossing the length of its multiple circumferences in front of one another. The particles of the hologram were silver and sparkled in the eyes of all who looked upon it. Thespis was a pale green in color and the wispy clouds swirled softly in the atmosphere as it rotated, the large craft copying its movement. Day moved in closer to the image suspended in the air and squinted.

"Is there anyone aboard the ship, councilman?" he asked, looking over at the man, his face still in a twisted scowl.

"We have picked up on heat signatures of several aboard the ship," he answered zooming in on the image of the Invictus. Several small human shaped red specks could be seen glinting randomly throughout the craft, each dancing in its own space.

"How many?" the emperor asked, looking up at the hologram.

"No more than 50, Empire. More could be hidden in the ship's hull but we have no way of telling for sure," he answered, spinning the Invictus slowly for the emperor to see. Day started to pace around the table, making a point to look each councilman in the eye. He had his hands folded together behind his back and the blue flaps of his robe gently swayed as his long legs carried him while he walked. His hair, although slicked back, had allowed one strand to fall to the side of his face when he had stood up in anger. You marveled at him, admiring his smooth movement as he almost glided around the table with an arrogance and grace that only he could do. As you stared, you focused on his perfectly formed face and remembered the sweet taste of his lips and the smell of his skin whenever he touched you. Realizing you were losing your concentration, you regained your composure and continued to watch. Day stopped at the foot of the table and looked out sternly at the council before him.

"Less than 100 men on our stolen craft and you want to send the entire imperial military to retrieve it and rescue Thespis in hopes that they will remain docile?" asked Day, lifting an open palm at the image of swirling particles.

"It is most imperative that we act quickly to ensure the successful capture of the Invictus before it launches an attack," he explained.

"Do we have a recording of the transmission?" Day asked, bringing his hand to his face again. The man nodded and brought a new image into view. The form of a man with wavy hair appeared within the dancing particles of the hologram. The image faded in and out as if the transmission was continually interrupted. The councilman allowed the recording to play and the image began to speak.

"Admiral Ryker Thatch requesting immediate support and imperial military assistance on planet Thespis. We are under threat of attack and require reinforcements as soon as possible...I.." it said, and suddenly, the recording skipped throughout the rest of the man's transmission so his words were bits and pieces of incomprehensible speech. Listening carefully as the councilman replayed the message, something seemed off. The accent was not of Thespian descent, nor was it Trantorian. The dialect was all too familiar as you had heard it on the day your planet was attacked. Although they tried to mask it with an electric drone, you identified it immediately. The image was disorganized and grainy in nature, so any chance of confirming the admiral's identity was impossible. This man was from Anacreon, and everything inside you knew this was a ploy. You wanted so badly to storm into the courtroom, but knew you couldn't. Before you even finished that thought, Day spoke as if he had read your mind.

"How do we know this recording is not some kind of trick meant to draw us out?" he asked, glancing over at Dusk.

"There is no way to know for sure, but the message seems genuine and the Invictus is physically looming over Thespis," said the councilman. Dusk stepped forward and spun the image of the craft and planet back into view.

"There is no question regarding the action we should take. If we don't act now, we may lose the Invictus for another few weeks. That's a risk we cannot take," said Dusk, zooming in on Thespis. Day's expression changed from concerned to angry within a second.

"Sending the entire imperial fleet to outer rim is a far greater risk, dear Brother. Your quick response to any conflict is to conduct a slew of violence and destruction in your wake. Or did you forget the chaos you allowed when you decimated half of the populations of two previously peaceful galactic systems?!" Day yelled at his brother, pointing a finger in his face. Dusk turned red and responded with just as much rage.

"What other choice do we have, Day?! Our greatest weapon is within our grasp and you don't have the wisdom to see it!" Dusk snapped back, leaning in closer to his middle brother's face.

"I am aware of the importance of securing our ship, but we must also be wary of any hidden intentions. This hologram is poorly recorded, clearly designed to make the image of this man unrecognizable. There is no way we can confirm or deny that this is a true cry for help. I will send a portion of our fleet in for assistance, but we need to ensure that Trantor is protected above all else," said Day, calming down as he finished his sentence.

"Are you daft?! It will take more than half of the fleet to secure the Invictus, infiltrate it and bring it home to Trantor. You'll leave our men without the numbers they need," said Dusk, crossing his arms.

"My intention is not to secure the Invictus but to investigate why it's there and why it's been silent for days. A small fleet of ships will be sent in advance. If it's manageable and the Anacreonians cooperate, I will send in a greater number of troops to assist in securing the ship. With fewer craft in space, it will be easier to make the jump if this is indeed a trap. The dispatch of 5 imperial warships granted to the council, no more, no less," said Day and he reached for a small computer pad laying on the table. Pressing a few small buttons on a hologram of a chart, he placed his hand on the pad as it read his fingerprints. The computer spoke and echoed throughout the room.

"Voice recognition needed for military clearance," it said. Day brought the thin device to his face and it scanned his features while he spoke.

"Cleon XIII," he responded and a green light illuminated his face after he spoke.

"Cleon XIII. Voice recognition successful," it said as it repeated the recording of his voice when it read his name,"Grant military action to outer rim. Is this command approved, Empire?"

"Yes, initiate dispatch of the imperial fleet, craft numbers A10-A15," said Day, and a green light flashed again.

"Confirm initiation of military fleet dispatch," it said.

"Action Confirmed," said Day and the screen turned a bright blue before it shut off. The men around the table exchanged confused expressions of disbelief while Dusk glared at his brother. Day smugly grinned and looked around the room.

"Please ensure my orders are carried out in a timely manner. The next time important information regarding the Invictus from this council reaches my ear with any delay, I'll consider it an act of treason. Do I make myself clear, councilman?!" Day yelled, the vein in his neck popping out.

"Yes, Empire," he said bowing in reverence. Day raised a hand and waved it nonchalantly.

"You're all dismissed. Good evening, gentlemen," he said and stormed out of the room.

"Good evening, Empire," the men said in unison. Dusk briskly followed Day out of the courtroom. You looked over at Dawn who raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Seems like a good plan to me," said Dawn, a shy smile forming on his lips.

"It is indeed. And a smart move by Day to make sure his planet has enough protection. Dusk is too eager to show military might without thinking about the finer details," you said, smiling back at him. Dawn tilted his head in the direction of the back of the room.

"A rather reckless approach," said Dawn, almost laughing.

"Reckless indeed," you said in response.

"Come on, let's get you out of here before someone discovers you," he said and led the way out of the viewing room. You followed him until you both came upon the large stairway that ran up to your room.

"Thank you for sneaking me in and allowing me to observe with you, Dawn," you said, waving goodbye as you approached the door.

"It was an honor, Doctor, it was nice to not be alone for a change" he said, waving back. You stepped into the room and got ready for bed and carefully placed your new case on the dresser. As you drifted off to sleep, you pondered all that had happened that day. The meeting made you nervous..you felt like something was about to happen. It was the same feeling you got days before the Anacreonians attacked Arcturus, and it made you uneasy. Soon your mind went blank and your eyes closed as exhaustion overtook you.

As the morning of the next day came, you dressed in your white uniform and boots to prepare for the hours of work ahead of you. Your heart fluttered as you remembered the sweet gestures Day had showered on you the night before. His thoughtful gift and the viewing of your planet's hologram in the imperial tower were fresh in your mind. Making your way out the door, you walked down the long hallway that led to the gardens. It was on the way to the staff section of the palace and you enjoyed the scenic route. As you traveled across the garden, one of the staff approached you, a worried look on their face.

"Excuse me, miss, are you the new imperial doctor here on the palace grounds?" he asked shyly.

"I am," you replied, "how can I be of assistance?"

"One of my colleagues has accidentally fallen off a ladder while trimming the vines along the walkway. Would you mind tending to him?" he asked.

"Of course! It's no trouble!" you said with a great deal of enthusiasm. You followed him across the long lawn where the fountain bubbled a gentle pool of water down its many levels. A view of the archway of vines was visible and you saw a large man laying on the ground clutching his arm. You approached him cautiously and calmly.

"I found her, " the man said to his injured friend. You knelt down next to him and examined his injuries.

"I, I think my arm is broken," he muttered to you, looking up with a pained expression. Taking a closer look you could see a small point of bone forming a small bump under the skin. Bruising and excessive swelling had begun already and you guessed he was probably right.

"It does seem broken. Does everything else feel ok?" you asked, carefully looking him over. He nodded and winced as he did so. You took off your outer jacket and helped the man sit up. Taking the arms of the garment, you wrapped them around the injured gardener and tied it into a sling over his shoulder.

"You'll want to visit the hospital as soon as possible so they can set the bone and cast it so you can heal," you explained, assisting the man as he stood up. Noticing that his forehead was bleeding, you searched your case and found the sanitizing pen. Carefully you cleaned the deep cut with a clean piece of gauze and sprayed it. The man yelped in pain as you did so. You cupped his chin on your hands and smiled.

"I would have them check for a possible concussion as well," you said as you applied the cauterizing instrument to his cut. As you finished, the small shadows of two small ships flew low to the ground above you and sped off to the inner city of Trantor. Moments later you felt the ground shake and a loud boom could be heard across the grounds. A plume of fire and smoke formed a mile or two behind the palace.

"What was that?" the injured man asked.

"I'm not sure. Look after him will you?" you said. You spun around quickly and sprinted off in the direction of the palace. All you could think of was Day and if he was safe. Your heart raced and adrenaline pumped forcefully through your body as you entered the main doors. Running down the hallways of the palace you saw groups of guards and soldiers marching quickly in disorganized formation while they shouted orders frantically. Confused staff members were screaming and crying, only adding to the chaos. You made your way to the throne room and burst through the entrance, panting and nearly out of breath. When you saw Day bent over a table with his shadow master and his two brothers beside him, you sighed in relief. More imperial staff were in the throne room, running back and forth with various cases and bags. You walked over to the table but before you could get close, two guards stepped in front of you and crossed their weapons. The blue glint of Day's armor reflected the sunlight as he looked up to see who they were holding. He raised his arm with his two fingers and waved.

"Let her pass," he said, and leaned back down to the table. Walking up to the men, you observed all three brothers and a similar look of worry and disbelief emanated from all of them. All three of them looked up at you at the same time.

"What is going on? What happened?" you asked, urgency in your tone.

"We're not sure," said Day, studying the map hologram of Trantor on the table,"but we believe we know who is responsible."

Dawn ran up to you and spoke with a tremor in his voice.

"Our sources in the city are telling us it was an Anacreonian attack," he said, his eyes glistening with fear.

"Quiet," said Day sternly, not lifting his eyes from the table.

"Anacreonians?! What are they doing here on Trantor?" you asked, getting closer to the emperor and Dusk.

"This is none of your concern, doctor," said Dusk, shooting you a foul look of annoyance.

"Am I not a citizen of Trantor? It's as much my concern as it is yours," you replied, a sharp tone in your voice.

"Indeed you are, but these are imperial matters better left to the Empire," said Dusk in a surprisingly calm manner. As the three brothers gathered back around the table, a guard burst through the door, his armor burnt and his eye bleeding. He bowed in reverence before waiting for permission to speak.

"What news of the explosion? Where in the city was the attack?" asked Day as he continued to scan through the map on the table.

"Streeling University, Empire," he said, coughing from smoke inhalation. For the first time since you entered the room, Day glanced up from the table, a look of utter shock on his face.

"The university?..." he asked.

"Yes, Empire. The main campus has been completely destroyed. Parts of the dormitories are on fire and several students are trapped in the rubble," he responded, breathing heavily.

"How many people?" he asked, stepping away from the table.

"The exact number is unknown, my guess is over 5,000 are either dead, missing or injured," said the man,"we are sending staff over to the site to assist in rescue as we speak, Empire."

"5,000?..." asked Day, walking over to where his brothers stood.

"Yes, Empire. We fear they were originally aiming for the palace. Anacreonian soldiers were spotted in the side streets before the blast," the man said, trying to keep up with the blood oozing from his eye. Without thinking, your instincts as a medical professional took over and you spoke.

"Permission to join the rescue party, Empire" you exclaimed, in an almost military drone. Day looked over at you, an expression of disapproval in his eyes.

"Absolutely not," he said and waved to dismiss you. A small bout of anger began to build and you approached him yet again.

"You hired me to work as an imperial physician, correct?" you asked.

"I did, yes," responded Day, still avoiding eye contact.

"Then let me do my job. I can help those people, and you know I can!" you said coldly. For a moment, Day looked at you, and when your eyes met you could see true concern and fear gleaming in his irises.

"No. It's too dangerous. We need you here in the palace, doctor," said the emperor as he walked over to where you stood, "we don't know if there are more Anacreonians posted at the University."

"Then send someone with me for protection," you said, crossing your arms.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but, surprisingly, I agree with the doctor on this one, Brother. Perhaps we should allow her the pleasure of assisting us," said Dusk, "she has military experience and is familiar with the risks of open warfare, is that not true, Dr. Sterling?"

"Indeed I am. Please, I want to help. Serving Empire to the best of my ability is my only intent," you answered, looking up at Day. He forced a small smile and nodded in approval.

"Permission granted Doctor," he said and motioned over to his shadow master. Obretch walked forward and glared down at you as he stood next to Day.

"My shadow master will go with you and ensure your safety," he said. Obrecht slightly bowed at Day and shook his head in agreement.

"It would be my honor, Empire," he said, bowing in your direction.

"I welcome the protection. Thank you," you said nodding your head in approval.

"How soon is this team leaving?" you asked, looking back at the injured man.

"In only a few minutes. You'll need to suit up if you're coming along," he explained,"I can lead you to the armory, it's in the lower levels of the palace."

The man motioned for you to follow and you obliged Obretch close behind, keeping up with him as he limped out of the throne room. Weaving your way through groups of anxious people, you could see true terror in their eyes. Once you reached the armory, the injured man walked up to who you guessed was his commander. The gentleman in charge turned in your direction and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"And who is this, captain?" he asked rather gruffly.

"This is Dr. Sterling. Empire requests she join our party for the rescue. She is a physician," Obretch said, quickly jumping in before the man could speak.

"Very well, if the emperor commands it," the leader replied,"grab yourself some gear if you can find any that fits you."

You glanced around the room and saw several beautiful uniforms. Before you could decide which one you wanted, Obretch approached you with a white padded battle suit. It was feminine in appearance, and delicate looking, but simple and practical. It wasn't bulky and the protective armor was a beautiful off white color. There was a small auburn cross on the sleeve with the imperial insignia encircling it.

"Here. This was worn by physicians in the past. It will have to do for now," he said, handing you the uniform. Taking the gear, you found a slightly hidden part of the room to put it on. You removed your clothes down to your undergarments and carefully dressed yourself in the new uniform. It was light but very malleable, which allowed the wearer a great deal of flexibility when it came to movement. The armor padding was thin and it hugged tightly to your torso as you secured the straps. The top of the tunic had a small white garment overlay that could be used as a hood. Pulling your boots over the pant legs, you rejoined the group, already prepped for departure. Holding tight to your small bag, you made sure your new case of medical instruments were secure.

"I need you all to listen up!" yelled the commander,"the explosion has torn apart much of the support structure of the building. Every step you take must be careful and precise. Consider everything in your environment unstable and dangerous. Our task is to rescue and remove anyone trapped in the rubble. Keep your eyes open for Anacreonian soldiers and ensure that your weapons are fully charged at all times. I have no idea what to expect when we arrive, but I do require that you prepare for the worst. I need you all to report to the main landing bay at the back of the palace in ten minutes. Make an effort to arrive on time. We will leave without you! Dismissed!"

Once the commander had finished his briefing, the soldiers scurried out of the room. As you began to leave, the injured man stopped you with his hand and pointed to a small storage unit in the corner of the room.

"You may find some helpful medical supplies over there. Feel free to help yourself!" he said, motioning for you to walk over. When you opened it, you found piles of gauze and bandages, a display of various needles and medications. Grabbing a handful of supplies and the entire collection of needles, you organized them in your bag. Obrecht walked with you until you reached the landing pad, the same one you had arrived on when first coming to Trantor. Standing to the side, lined up perfectly next to each other were Day and his brothers. The frantic chaos of the soldiers seemed to fade as you approached him. You stopped in front of the Emperor and he moved his finger, summoning you closer. When you reached him, he looked down at you, expressionless. Glancing to your right shoulder, he lifted his arms and secured the straps holding the armor that you had missed. He forced a small smile and you returned one in kind.

"It suits you...the armor…," he said softly, examining the rest of the outfit. He walked behind you, and found another strap you neglected to secure and pulled until the padding was snug against your back and the upper portion of your bosom. He then turned to a servant who handed him a long belt with a small phaser tucked in a holster. Raising his eyebrows, he walked back up to you, holding the belt in his palms.

"May I?" he asked. You nodded in approval and he leaned down, looping the belt around your back, his lips inches from your own. Your eyes met for a brief moment and you could see true concern in the deep green hue staring back at you, almost begging you not to go.

"Thank you, Empire," you said as he fastened the buckle on your abdomen. He smiled again and came up to your ear so only you could hear him.

"Promise that you will return to me," he whispered, his breath tickling your neck. Turning your head you looked at him, your heart racing as you thought about the danger ahead of you.

"You have my word, Empire," you said in response. You wanted so badly to kiss him right there in that moment, longing for a small taste of comfort. His expression changed to a sly grin as if he felt the same way.

"Very well then. Obrecht, watch over our doctor," said Day, a stern undertone in his voice.

"With my life Empire," the shadow master replied and bowed.

"If anything goes ill during your excursion, send for me and I will bring a second group of men to your aid," said Day and motioned for you to board the ship. You and Obrecht both nodded and made your way up the ramp. Day stepped back in line with his brothers and watched as you boarded the transport ship. Sitting in a window seat, you buckled yourself in and looked outside. The blue metallic shimmer of the Emperor's tunic glistened like glass on the landing pad. He caught your gaze and gave a quick wink in your direction. You smiled while putting your palm on the window and watched his figure grow smaller and smaller as the ship lifted off of the platform.

During the ride to the location of the university, you mentally prepared yourself and inspected your pack to make sure everything you needed was there. Soon, the billowing black smoke from the explosion clouded your vision as you approached the demolished building. With a quick release of pressure the small ship landed, sending dust and smoke swirling around the engines. The doors opened and you followed the men out onto the ramp.

When you looked out on the desolation before you, your heart sank. Mangled bodies lay sprawled out across the rubble, dripping blood onto the ground beneath them. Papers from the university's library glided down slowly from the sky, falling like dead leaves in autumn. The smell of exhaust and burning flesh was overwhelming and you wrapped the loose fabric of your tunic over your nose and mouth. You looked at Obrecht and saw the same somber expression on his face. With the shadow master close by, you began searching for any survivors. Body after body you examined, checking for a pulse, with no avail.

Every few minutes you could hear the crumbling building cracking under its own weight. The fire that had started engulfed most of the student living quarters, making safe entry impossible. A few younger adult women ran out of one of the entrances, cuts on their arms and faces. You approached them and offered your assistance, which they gladly accepted. Cleaning their larger wounds, you worked quickly so they could clear the rubble. When you had finished, you heard a loud crash as a large piece of the building's stone ceiling crashed to the ground. Various students and professors exited the building, ash and dirt caked on their faces. Screams could be heard all around you, but one caught your attention: it was a child. The high pitched crying was coming from the building before you, partially in flames. You followed the cries through a small archway that had remained after the attack. The debris allowed a small opening and in a corner you saw a small boy, no older than four years of age laying over two lifeless bodies. He screamed and sobbed, soaking his face with tears. You approached him slowly and reached out your arms, noticing that he may have injured his leg. He was frightened at first so you checked for a pulse on both of the bodies whom you guessed had been his parents. No vitals were present and your eyes began to water slightly. You got closer to him and offered your embrace.

"Shhhh...it's ok...i know you're scared and I know you're hurting, but I need to get you out of here before this building collapses on us," you said softly, drying his cheeks with your sleeve. He reluctantly crawled into your arms and you held him close to your bosom. As you walked with him tight in your grasp, you could have sworn you saw a few quick figures run past your peripheral vision in the dark. When you reached the archway, you could hear a high pitched beeping from a distance.

Realizing this was the chime of an explosive about to go off, you cradled the boy's head and ran as fast as your legs could carry you. Seconds later the whole ground shook violently and a bright flash shot up from inside the burning building, the shock wave sending you flying. Crawling through the debris with the boy still in your embrace, you found Obrecht who pushed you against the wall out of harm's way. Almost immediately you heard gun fire across the street break into a wild frenzy. Flashes of red lit up the rolling smoke from the burning building as the imperial soldiers returned fire. Your ears were ringing so loud it was hard to hear yourself think.

"They knew we were coming," he said, taking the boy from your grasp,"I've already notified Empire and he has been dispatched. Stay here. I'm going to get him safely on board the ship and then I'll come back for you."

You nodded and watched as his form faded slowly into the smoke. Across the way, you could hear voices speaking Anacreon as they made their way up the street. As you sat there, staring at the cloud of debris and smoke before you, suddenly your vision flashed and you saw a quick glimpse of desert sand. Everyone running past moved in slow motion and the image kept shifting from your current view to flashes of Arcturus. Gunfire loud in your ears, you could still hear a small voice shouting through the noise.

"Rayla! Rayla, where are you?!" a young man screamed. You looked around at nothing but sand and stood up, the voice still calling out to you.

"Jamie?!!!" you yelled back, and stood up from where Obrecht hid you, walking toward the cries for help. The heat of the fire felt just like the burning rays of the sun. You looked down as your vision flashed again, revealing a soldier, badly maimed and dying reaching up for you. His face morphed into Jamie's and kept switching rapidly until the image of your brother stayed. You saw his bleeding shoulder, his arm missing and his charred face twisted in pain. Soon the skin on his face melted away, revealing the rotting flesh of a corpse. The sight made you fall backwards in fear as you yelled in terror. The streets surrounding the university slowly changed into the debris from the attack on Arcturus. You spun around as gunfire flew across your view and men shouted in Anacreon and the common tongue of your own people. Everything slowed down again and your ears filled with a deafening ringing noise, the voices fading and slurring their words together as if time was lagging. You smacked the palm of your hand aggressively against your forehead trying to wake yourself from this nightmare.

Another explosion went off and you continued to stumble forward, almost crawling. Soon the noise and commotion around you increased in volume, the world around you spinning out of control. Voices and gunfire repeating themselves in your head. Still seeing the desert you looked up and saw the spinning rings of the Invictus as it warped into lightspeed from your planet's atmosphere. You were having trouble catching your breath and began to panic. The gunfire around you on Trantor continued but you were visually seeing the desert of your home. Blurs of men, women and children ran past you, terrified as Anacreonians fired and plowed them over with their phasers. Blood spatter covered the sand as they fell. One of the soldiers walked up to one of the fallen Arcturians and shot them in the back of the head before running off. The flashes became more rapid and you crawled across the ground, seeking shelter from the chaos. You knelt in the middle of the street, covered your ears and screamed at the top of your lungs, tears streaming down your face. You could hear the hum of a large craft as it entered the once pristine courtyard of the university, but to you, it was just another Anacreonian ship. Still sobbing, and now laying in the fetal position on the ground, you felt yourself being forced to your feet, an armored arm tightly clenched around your neck. Your vision continued to flash from your home to the streets of the university while he held you. The cold steel of a phaser touched your brow and a man yelled at you in Anacreon. You fought back hard and struggled against his grip. When you didn't answer him, he tightened his hold around your throat. Quickly realizing you couldn't understand him, he changed his language.

"Where is your emperor at, huh? Hiding in his palace, drinking wine while his people suffer and his great city sits in ruin?" he asked, pushing the tip of his weapon harder onto your skin. Terrified and spent, you spoke in a whisper.

"I….I don't know where he is…," you answered, barely holding onto consciousness. Suddenly you felt the Anacreonian gasp and sputter as an invisible force violently split his throat open. He released you as his body fell to the ground and he reached for his throat to stop the bleeding. As if from thin air, the form of Obrecht came into view as he switched off his invisibility device. He changed from a silver opaque color to his regular form and wiped the dripping blood from his dagger. You stepped back, still seeing the sands of Arcturus on the ground below your feet. Taking the phaser from your belt, you loomed over the man, blood gushing from his jugular. You pointed the weapon, and suddenly, in a fit of rage, fired rapid shots at his head, screaming and crying simultaneously. With violent and merciless precision, you fired rounds of gunfire until the man's head was a pile of blood and flesh, his skull split open and smoking from the heat. Still screaming, you continued to pull the trigger until the weapon stopped firing and the phaser paused and began to recharge. The ringing in your ears intensified once again and you stood there, phaser in hand, shaking. Your vision began to flash back and forth between both worlds, but through the chaos, you heard a familiar voice in the distance. It was soft at first but grew louder as the one speaking approached you. As they came closer, you spun around in their direction and pointed the charged weapon at their torso. As you did so you could hear the weapons of the Trantorian soldiers charge around you.

"Rayla...put the gun down...put it down…," a man's deep voice said. Although your vision wasn't clear, a tall blue figure with dark hair came into view. His features were blurred and his voice sounded muffled. Raising the weapon up again you challenged him.

"Don't come any closer!" you screamed, keeping your finger on the trigger as you cried.

"It's ok…... I'm not going to hurt you," the man said, slowly lowering his weapon until it fell to the ground, and raised his hands to the side. You could hear the soldiers around you lower their weapons as he motioned for them to follow suit.

"Where's Jamie?! WHERE IS HE?!" you yelled, your cheeks sore from crying.

"Jamie isn't here, Rayla. He's gone," the voice said. You realigned your grip on the weapon and stepped towards the towering figure.

"You're LYING!" you replied, still sobbing as you stood there.

"Rayla, you're not on Arcturus, this isn't real...please... listen to me…," the man's voice said in response. You closed your eyes as he spoke and shook your head, trying to free yourself from this reality your mind had created. You could hear footsteps as the man inched closer to you with caution.

"I don't believe you…I don't even know who you are," you replied, afraid to open your eyes. The ringing in your ears intensified once again and the man's voice echoed inside your head, familiar yet distant. You felt a warm breeze as the figure's breath danced along your skin. Shivering in fear and confusion, you stood there, hands shaking.

"Yes you do…" he said softly. Almost immediately after he spoke, you felt the warm flesh of a large hand touch the side of your face. His thumb gently caressed the skin of your cheek, catching the tears still falling from your eyes. The smoke from all of the explosions swirled around the both of you, shrouding the view of the men. Your breathing was heavy and sweat poured from your brow as you stood there. His touch was not foreign to you, but out of fear, you squinted and pointed the weapon at the side of his head.

"Shhhh...it's ok…..it's ok," he whispered. Without warning, you felt a soft pressure as the man brought his lips to yours in a sweet and passionate kiss. You fought him at first, but each time he moved his mouth against yours, you gave in a little bit more. Memories flashed in your mind and a voice rang in your head. Promise that you'll return to me. The same phrase repeated over and over in your head and you saw quick glimpses of the past. They began to run together as if you were flipping through the pages of a book. Suddenly, the images stopped, the ringing in your ears ceased and when you opened your eyes, your vision sharpened and Day's face slowly came into focus. As reality set back in, you gasped in shock and your shaking arm quickly dropped the phaser and let it fall to the ground. Tears began to stream down your face and you began to weep.

"Cleon?..." you said, your voice trembling as you spoke,"I... I'm….I'm so sorry...I...I..don't know what came over me...I wasn't in my right mind..."

"Shhhh….shhhh….I know…."said Day, holding your face between his hands. You immediately wrapped your arms around his neck in an embrace. He in turn, held you close to his chest, one hand cupping the back of your head the other around your waist. As he planted a tender kiss on your head, you could hear him start to quietly cry. You bent your head back and looked up at him. His kind green eyes looked down at you and he forced a smile as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

Feeling your strength beginning to wane, your knees started to buckle, but he caught you before you hit the ground. With one arm under your legs and the other securely supporting your back, he carried your exhausted body back to the ship. He stopped for a moment and looked back at two men kneeling on the ground, their hands in cuffs behind them.

"Shroud these prisoners and lock them up. I'll deal with them later," he said, an angry scowl on his countenance.

"Yes Empire," said Obrecht, forcing the Anacreonians to stand.

As the emperor walked with you in his arms, you kept eye contact and smiled, grateful to be free of the prison your mind had created. His expression changed to one of relief and compassion and he grinned back at you. Once he boarded the ship, he let you sprawl out so you were relaxed while still seated on his lap. Resting your head against his shoulder, you watched out the window as the bright lights of the night sped by after the ship took off.

"You're safe now... I'm here…" he said softly into your ear. Once again he supported your head with his hand and held it close to his chest. The rest of the journey back to the palace, you slept soundly in his embrace. When the ship finally landed, you were half awake, the voices around you familiar and comforting. Day carried you into the palace and made his way to the grandeur of his large bed chamber. You could feel him lay you out on his bed, the soft silk of the sheets like velvet against your skin. There was a timid knock at the door that caught his attention. He touched the side of your face, and before his hand left your skin, you grabbed it, keeping him glued to your cheek. He sat down on the bed and looked at you kindly.

"I promise I won't go far. I'll just be at the door," he said, releasing his hand from your grip. You nodded and relaxed as he got up. You listened and could hear the timid voice of your handmaid at the door.

"I brought these for my lady. I figured she could use a fresh change of clothes for the night," said Esme, handing Day a neatly folded pile of linen.

"That is very kind. Thank you," said Day, tucking the clothes under his arm.

"How is she? Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"She's resting right now. I assure you, I'll keep a close eye on her tonight to make sure she's safe and comfortable," he replied and smiled back at her,"if I require anything else I promise you'll be the first one I send for."

Emse bowed in the doorway and left, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. Before Day could close the door, a young man wearing a medical coat approached and handed the emperor a small vial.

"Empire, you requested assistance with Dr. Sterling's condition. These are relaxatives. If her hallucinations or manic state return, 5mg should calm her down," he said. Day took the syringes and the vial, concern on his face.

"I'm not sure if she'll let me use a needle on her if the occasion arises. Is there an alternative method I can try to ease her paranoia?" asked Day quietly.

"Well, a source of familiarity does ease the effects of onset paranoia in regards to post traumatic stress. Something that gives her great comfort that is absent from the source causing these episodes, could be beneficial," the man said in response. Day smiled slightly and nodded.

"I see. Thank you medic for your assistance," said Day.

"You are most welcome, Empire. Should you need anything else, I'll be on call for your services," the medic said, and bowed in the direction of the emperor before he turned to leave. Day closed the door behind him and set the supplies on a small table next to his bed. Returning his attention to you he sat down on the side of the bed near your waist. He caught your gaze and smiled. You returned a shy expression of gratitude, face covered in dirt and blood. He turned his focus to your arm and lifted it gently. You winced at the movement as he brought your hand into his view. Two of your fingers were bent almost sideways, clearly dislocated and swollen. Concern swept across his face and he shifted his vision to you.

"I'm going to have to force these back into place or your hand won't heal properly," Day said. You gave him a look of dread but nodded in agreement. He helped you sit up, pressed his forehead to yours, and looked deep into your eyes. You gave him permission as you closed your eyelids, preparing for the pain. Taking a firm grip of the first finger and your knuckles he quickly shifted the digit up and sideways. Cracking as it went, the joint painfully popped back into its socket. You whimpered loudly and allowed a couple of tears to roll down your cheek. He paused for a minute before taking the next finger in his grip. His bicep flexed and he swiftly forced the finger up and in, popping the last joint into alignment. You opened your mouth in agony but could only exhale as no sound came out. Day tenderly pulled you to his chest and held you, rocking side to side, allowing you a moment to cry.

"Th...th…. thank you," you said through your tears,"I... I'm so sorry you have to see me like this. I don't understand what's wrong with me."

He took your injured hand and kissed it softly to comfort you. One side of his mouth curved in a small smile and he spoke quietly to you.

"It's no bother at all. It seems something awakened old fears of your past. The mind can be a truly terrifying place when we lose control. What happened today was not your fault and I think no less of you because of it," he said, cupping your chin in his hand.

"How did you know kissing me would snap me out of it?" you asked curiously.

"I didn't….," he replied, a somber expression on his face," but I had to try something. Talking you down wasn't working."

"I could have killed you, Cleon. What if I had pulled the trigger?!" you asked, raising your voice slightly.

"I knew you wouldn't," he said, chuckling to himself.

"You must have a lot of faith in me then to trust me so much with your life," you replied.

"I do," he said, smiling at you, causing you both to laugh. He took your hair out of it's twisted bun and let it fall freely on your shoulders. He combed his fingers through your hair, fixing the stray strands.

"You look terrible," he said laughing as he spoke.

"Thanks for that," you said sarcastically.

"Perhaps a warm bath would be beneficial," he replied. You nodded in agreement and he stood up, making his way over to the same large pool you had used to ease his fever. With a few quick presses of a button on the control panel, the empty basin began to fill with warm water, the steam rising slowly to the ceiling. Day walked back over to you and reached for your hand. You gladly placed your palm in his and he helped you stand up. Once you reached the edge of the pool, he assisted you in removing the charred gear and clothing from your body. Standing there shivering and naked, you watched as Day removed the outermost section of his robes and then the blue tunic. His toned torso exposed to you, he swept you off your feet and waded into the water as he held you in his arms.

Setting you down on the bench underneath the water, he reached for a small cloth and lathered soap within it's fibers. He waded behind you and took the cloth to your back allowing the warm suds to slide slowly down your skin. You exhaled with relief as the warm water streamed down your spine while he bathed you. The tense muscles along your shoulders relaxed and you rested your head on your crossed arms as you leaned on the ledge of the table. In-between rinsing the soap from your skin, you felt the soft touch of his lips from time to time. You turned around to face him and he raised the cloth to your face and began the tedious task of removing the caked on dirt and blood from your complexion. He was so careful with you and handled your head with such delicacy, as if you were made of glass. He set the cloth aside and cupped a small amount of water in his palms before letting the warm liquid trickle down your face. He smiled at you and his eyes glistened as he stared at his handy work.

"Now that's better, isn't it?" he asked, and he kissed you gently on your forehead.

"Much better, yes," you replied. Your eyes wandered and observed every detail of Day's form. His kindness to you was genuine and comforting. You could feel passion growing in your belly as you stared at him, his muscles moving as he breathed causing ripples to form in the water. Despite what happened that evening, you wanted to forget it all. The terror you experienced hours before began to fade. You wanted him, you felt safe with him. With an almost seductive breath, you held his jawline in your hand and began to kiss his lips with your own. The tender kiss grew into a passionate desperation, and soon your tongue entered his mouth. He happily allowed you entry and moved his lips in a damp hungry cadence. Soon, you were straddling him, his hands tangled in your wet hair as you continued to kiss him. The hardening of his arousal grew and you could feel his trousers tightening against your clit.

Before you could undo the buckle, he lifted you up from the pool and placed you on the edge, your legs parted before him. Despite being submerged, he could see you were hungry for him, the folds of skin swollen and slick, begging to be touched. He took your legs and bent your knees so they rested on his shoulders. He teased your pearl with the tip of his tongue at first, swirling it continuously in a circle. Soon he buried his nose in the dampening skin of the top of your hood and took the folds of your aching clit into his mouth. Sucking and kissing the outer walls, he caused you to moan and you caressed the back of his head in response. As he continued, he reached up and pinched at the hardened tip of your nipple. Biting your lip, you could feel his tongue lapping up the sweet nectar dripping from the opening of your clenching walls. He drank you in as if he was enjoying a tall glass of wine, small moans of pleasure escaping his lips. Still kissing the wet folds of skin, he took two digits and forced them into your tightened walls, tickling the little ridges with his finger tips. Moving them in and out, soaked in the clear fluid of your arousal, he continued to pleasure you. Your pearl, throbbing with desire, grew more sensitive each time he teased it with this tongue. The warmth grew and you could feel yourself nearing your peak. He removed his mouth and aggressively stroked the tender bump with his thumb until it contracted and you screamed in pure ecstasy, clenching a section of his hair. He laughed as you came and kissed your thighs with a smile on his face. Lifting you from the ledge, he wrapped your legs around his waist and brought you into the water with him once more.

"There she is, there's my woman.....," he said, planting tender kisses along your neckline. You laughed with him and held on to his neck as he sat down on the bench.

"And what are you to me then, my man?" you asked, a mischievous grin on your face. Day returned the same hungry expression and sighed deeply.

"Ooooh….. I like hearing you say that. Perhaps I am…"he said, winking at you. Sitting there, straddled on his lap, you let your hands wander down his abdomen to the clasp of his pants and gently caressed his trapped arousal as the buttons loosened. Day titled his head back and sighed happily. As you reached behind the fabric of his pants, the thick shaft of his swollen cock met your fingertips. He glanced down, his lips expressionless and his eyes lustful, full of hunger. You carefully freed him from his trousers and gently began to move your palm up and down his throbbing shaft. You met each other's gaze and he watched you as you teased the head with your thumb. He let out soft airy moans with each stroke. You moved closer to him so your clit was barely touching his arousal. The corner of his mouth curled as he took notice. You could feel yourself growing wet again as your hand twisted around his shaft, gently grazing the veins visible on the skin. He became harder and you could feel him start to move his hips in a rocking motion, increasing the speed of his cock as you pleasured him. His breathing increased, but he didn't let you finish him. He took a hold of your wrist, gently stopping its motion, and smirked.

"No, I want you," he said seductively, and lifted you from the rear so you could support yourself on his shoulders. He slowly lowered you down onto him and moaned loudly as he parted you and penetrated the folds of skin between your legs. His warm and hardened length fit perfectly as you began to ride him. He took one of your breasts to his mouth and sucked the hardened nipple and bit down. It hurt, but in a surprisingly wonderful way and you moaned as he continued. The sound of your whimpers and sighs echoed with his and bounced off the walls in a beautiful chorus of pleasure. The water of the pool splashed softly as your hips rose and fell from the surface. He stood up suddenly and made his way to the stairs, his warm cock still inside you.

You kissed him passionately as he climbed the stairs, water dripping from your entangled bodies. Instead of the bed, he walked over to his balcony and pulled the thin curtains so no one outside could see. He approached a large table at the entryway to the balcony and violently knocked off the candles and books that lined the surface. They crashed to the ground as he set you down, the height just enough for him to comfortably thrust into you while standing. With your legs parted and your feet still around his waist, he moved his hips and entered you, now enlarged and throbbing.

Supporting your body, you placed your palms on the table and watched him with hungry eyes as his cock thrust into you repeatedly. Your clit responded in kind and you could feel the walls tightening around him, wet and warm. He gritted his teeth, moving faster, feeling your arousal lubricate him. The loud noise of your skin clapping with each thrust resonated in the night. He wrapped his arm around your back and placed his other hand on your breast, fondling the stiff nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He looked down at you, a desperate fierce hunger in his eyes.

"Perfect," he said through a long and passionate moan. You moved together in a perfect rhythm, sweat beading on your skin, muscles flexing and contracting as you made love to one another. Soon, Day slowed his hips down and switched to deep hard thrusts, each one making him whimper louder with each return. His breathing and moaning became indistinguishable and he suddenly increased his speed. You felt a growing pleasure building along with him and held onto his shoulders. He screamed as you came together, his cum spilling out as his cock pulsated within you. You moaned with him, your aching walls finally feeling a climatic release. He continued to twitch, emptying the rest of his seed inside of you. Panting, you both looked at each other and exchanged expressions of pure satisfaction. He chuckled and lifted you up, carrying you over to his bed. He kissed your forehead tenderly and helped you dress in the soft clothing Esme had brought for you. He left you laying on the bed while he found a new pair of pants to put on. Taking your medical bag, he reached in and found some long bandages. He walked over to you and took your two injured fingers, wrapping them securely together with the bandage. Pulling back the silk sheets, he positioned himself next to you and caressed your cheek. You smiled at him and rested your head on his shoulder.

"What if it happens again, what if I have another episode tonight?" you asked, fear in your eyes. Day looked deep into your eyes, a reassuring look on his face.

"I'll be here to comfort you and help ease you back to reality, you have my word," he replied, removing some damp strands of hair from your face. You felt yourself begin to shiver and you became anxious, looking around you as if someone else was there.

"I...I don't know if I'll be able to sleep…," you said, almost crying. Day exhaled deeply with concern. He reached next to the bed for the equipment the medic had given him.

"I can administer one of these to calm your mind, it may ease your thoughts enough to help you sleep," he said, showing you the vial. You took it from his hand and grabbed one of the syringes, handing it to him.

"If you don't mind, I would be most grateful," you said and offered your bicep to him. He filled the small syringe with the medication and inserted the needle into your arm. When he was finished he placed the supplies back on the table and rolled over to hold you in his arms.

"Thank you…, it was a welcome relief to experience some normalcy after what happened today," you said, taking a hold of his arms as he pulled you closer to his torso. You turned around to face him and smiled.

"Of course. I'm so sorry this happened to you," said Day sweetly kissing the surface of your lips,"But I promise, no one is going to hurt you while I'm here."

"How can you promise that to me?" you asked, tears welling in your eyes. He rolled over momentarily and reached for something at the headboard of the bed. Holding his imperial amulet in his palm, he opened the latch and placed it on your wrist. As he closed it, you caught the faint glint of gold as an invisible shield flashed across your body. He raised his eyebrows and let out a small laugh.

"You have to learn to trust me. I won't let anything happen to you. The only one touching you tonight is me," he said, winking at you. You laughed quietly and buried your head carefully under his chin so as not to activate the protective field now surrounding your body. The horrible visions from earlier were gone and you could breathe easily. His heartbeat lulled you off to sleep and you held tightly to him. Your feelings from the night he showed you the hologram began to grow. The terrifying shadows of your past fled when Day held you, as they do when the light of the rising sun peaks over the horizon. He was more than a lover to you now, much more. You sighed softly and breathed him in as you both gave in and fell asleep.

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Twelve Months - Good Omens fanfic

Happy 31st Anniversary of Good Omens! :D

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I have posted a slightly-sad, slightly-sweet Wake the Snake fic on AO3, because our demon has been napping for a whole Twelve Months, and sometimes Angel gets a little lonely!

Thank you all for another fantastic year in this fandom!

--

Twelve months.

Aziraphale pushed open the door to Crowley’s flat, a simple shopping bag tucked under his arm.

The lights were still off, the curtains drawn in the awful empty room he called a study. Nothing had changed.

He passed through the enormous, rotating section of wall and into the solarium. This was still bright—many of the plants flourishing despite being unattended so long, despite clearly not having enough water. A few had started flowering. They waved their branches at him as he entered, perking up eagerly.

The angel waved back, but first he peeked into Crowley’s bedroom.

He was still where Aziraphale had left him, on his last visit a month before. Bright red hair spilled across black pillows, grown into a stringy mop. Duvet pulled up to his messily-bearded chin. One hand curled up beside him on the bed.

Still asleep.

With a sigh, Aziraphale crossed over to the plants, who greeted him excitedly, unfurling their newest leaves, a few vines hanging down to brush his face.

“Hello, my lovelies. How are you all doing? Look at you, grown at least a foot since I saw you, I’m sure. And you! What beautiful pink buds. Very impressive.”

He didn’t think Crowley would approve of how he spoke to the plants, but the poor things had been so distraught on his first visit, straining to keep upright, trying to hide their yellowing leaves. So much healthier now, much happier for just a bit of attention. He picked up the watering can and gave them all a quick splash. He didn’t know how much water each needed, but it didn’t seem to matter.

“You keep it up, dears. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Picking up his shopping bag again, Aziraphale headed down the hall to the kitchen. The kettle sat on the island where he’d left it, and he quickly refilled it and set it to boil. While he waited, he pulled his latest creations from the bag: a small pumpkin spice cake from a recipe he’d been perfecting since fall, a lemon coconut cake, and a few apple cinnamon muffins.

Two plates—a muffin for each, a slice of the coconut cake for himself and the pumpkin spice for Crowley.[1] The rest went into the refrigerator, where they would never go bad or stale.

Aziraphale put the plates onto a tray, along with forks and napkins. Next he found two mugs and pulled the little tin of his second-favorite tea out of the bag just as the kettle boiled.

For himself, a teaspoon of the expertly blended leaves, steeped for exactly three minutes, resulting in a pale brown tea with a slightly spicy aroma. For Crowley, he dropped a tea bag into boiling water and let it sit until it was almost black.[2]

He carried the tray back to the solarium and selected a bright red-and-gold tulip that was nearly vibrating in its eagerness to be noticed. A moment to assure the other plants that they were still doing fabulously—particularly a self-conscious little succulent that had rather drooped over the winter but was making a fine recovery—and he once more headed into Crowley’s bedroom.

Crowley had rolled over, and now sprawled on his back, sleeping soundly. He’d apparently kicked a bit, too, as the blanket had slid down past his stomach. Aziraphale smiled as he set the tray on the chair he’d brought in some months ago and got to work.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, dear,” he started cheerfully, carefully rearranging the objects on the little bedside table. “I have a few things for you again, I hope you don’t mind.” Just enough space to slide the mug and the little plate. Perfect.

“I received a package from Tadfield again. Everyone wrote a note and then gathered them all together, really quite clever. They’re all doing well, if a bit bored.” The table was nearly overflowing with little items now, brought in by Aziraphale to cheer the place up. Framed pictures of their human friends, quarantining with their families, clustered in one corner so tightly you could hardly see them anymore.

He pulled the latest out of the shopping bag. “Anathema has started a garden,” he explained, pausing to show the photograph to Crowley’s sleeping form. It showed the witch, kneeling outside her little cottage, working on growing several rows of herbs. “I got the impression she was off to a rough start, but she hopes to send us some mint in the next package. Although Newt warned me not to expect too much, as they’d already forgotten which patch is mint and which is oregano.” He set the picture with the others, and slid the potted tulip alongside it. “I’m sure she could use some advice from you, when you’re ready to share.”

“Nnnnh.” Aziraphale spun eagerly, but no, just Crowley shifting in his sleep again, rolling onto his side.

The angel paused to pull the duvet back up to Crowley’s chin, tugging it straight and smoothing a hand down his back. In a way, his friend was nearly unrecognizable, with that hair and ridiculous beard, but in another way looked the same as ever. That was always Crowley’s way, of course, constantly changing yet somehow always the same.

He lingered, taking in the shape of that face, leaning close, lips hovering above his cheekbone—

Aziraphale pulled back, quickly digging into his bag again. “Oh! Ah, the, um, the children have been making projects for their art class. This past month was sculpture, and they sent us some. Look!” He pulled out four little figures of oven-baked clay. “Ah, young Wensleydale has made a very clever model of a train car. Brian’s is…abstract.” He turned the next a few different ways. “And Pepper’s is, ah, either a very complex symbolic representation of the Patriarchy, or…a troll, I think.” They just fit on the edge of the table, all in a line, a very mismatched tableau. The fourth, on the end, was the best, in Aziraphale’s opinion. “Adam made a little Dog, and it’s very well done, don’t you think?” The canine figure posed with one leg raised and head cocked, ready to play, but the shadow it cast was just a little too large, too ominous, for such a small creature.

With a sigh, Aziraphale shifted the row this way and that. “I sent a letter to Warlock, over in America, but haven’t heard back since Christmas. I believe they’re very busy with something. Politics. You know how it is.” When the Dowlings had left England, they’d planned to return for a visit the following summer. A global pandemic had had other ideas.

“In any case, that just leaves Tracy and Shadwell. I understand he’s decided to hate the concept of literacy this month, so no word on how his war with the squirrels is going. And Tracy has declared she will spend the summer making a fairy garden. I thought her sketches looked very promising, and she promised to send us an update in June. I’m sure you’ll find it charming.”

“Hrrrrm.” Crowley sank under the duvet, nestling down a little deeper. Aziraphale smiled, settling into the chair with his plate and mug.

“Things are loosening up again,” he explained, taking a bite of cake. Delicious, if he said so himself. Sharp and not too sweet. “People are getting vaccinated, shops opening up. It’s really a lovely breath of fresh air, at least when you’re not wearing a mask.” A long sip from his mug, then he held it, fingers tapping. “It’s been nice walking through the park again, just in time for the baby ducks. And that record shop at the corner, they’ve had some wonderful new additions. Which reminds me.”

Putting aside his mug, Aziraphale dug through the bag again and pulled out a handful of square plastic cases. “They had a whole shipment of those little records the Bentley likes. Modern music. I picked out the ones with the rudest names. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.” He pulled out the first disc and placed it atop Crowley’s phone. The device blinked in confusion a few times, then obediently copied all the music.

“Of course, it’s not all good news.” He stacked the rest of the discs atop the phone and returned to his tea. “Reopening means the customers are coming back. Yesterday, this one individual spent almost an hour browsing the same three shelves. And then he tried to make off with one of my books.” Another long sip. “Granted, he offered to pay, but still. What sort of establishment does he think I’m running?”

Aziraphale paused, waiting for Crowley to respond, not that he ever did. The demon’s eyelids moved a little, but no more.

Sighing, Aziraphale turned to his muffin. “You know, many times in the last year, I’ve wished you were there. Particularly during reopening phases. You could have posed as a customer, and then I’d be able to tell people I was at the capacity limit. Oh, and the people who would call to try and buy my rarest books. Collectors, or so they claimed, but then they just turn around and sell to anyone for twice the price! I’m sure you’d have some biting things to say about such people.” He smiled at Crowley’s sleeping face. “I’ve missed that, and your jokes. Rather more than I expected to.”

When his plate and tea were finished, Aziraphale set them on the floor and reached again into the bag. “Now, I have been attempting to teach my computer how to use the internet. I think it’s going quite well. Adam and his friends gave me a ‘homework assignment’ to find articles on recent news events, and I made the most wonderful discovery. Did you know that humans now share their news through humorous pictures? I printed out my favorites to show you.”[3]

He flicked through a few. “Ah, to start with, a few months ago there was this American politician with amusing mittens who showed up everywhere for a few days. It was extremely droll.” He leaned closer, holding them up for Crowley to see. “Ah, a few more from America. The murder hornets arrived, though by that point everyone had forgotten them. The election became increasingly confusing, and it all ended in a parking lot. For a little while everything was ‘This-or-That Total Landscaping,’ and before that everything was cake.” He showed a few extremely clever illusions. “I did try to make my own, but couldn’t manage it without miracles, which I felt was cheating.”

Really, leaning like this was starting to strain his back. Aziraphale shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, the better to share his pictures. “Ahhh. Also for a time everyone’s calendars were stuck on ‘March.’ And then earlier this year, a group of people learned how the stock market works, but sadly not how to spell it. The whole situation seemed very much like the sort of thing you’d be involved in. And…Oh, this angel from a television show was sent to Hell for…reasons.” He glanced at the shape beside him. Crowley had curled in slightly, pressing against Aziraphale’s back. “Yes. Various reasons. And then this musician, I suppose, went on his own. Both had many people extraordinarily upset.”

The next few images would really tickle Crowley, if he could actually see them. “The biggest news is that a large ship got stuck sideways in that canal in Egypt. Stopped half the world’s shipping for a few days while they dug it out! I’m sure you would have liked that very much. Exactly your sort of trouble. The humans were all very excited.”

The final photo was another of the ship, an image Aziraphale had made himself, printing out a blank version and writing on it in felt-tip pen. The hull of the enormous ship was labeled, “An eternity putting up with the tedious bureaucracy and frequently conflicting commands of my superiors until I begin to doubt my own judgement and sanity,”[4] while the small digger working steadily beside it was “Crowley.”

Aziraphale watched the demon beside him, not really expecting a reaction, certainly not getting one. He reached over, brushing brilliant hair back from Crowley’s forehead. “I think you’d have had rather a lot of fun last year. Or perhaps you’d have been upset you could only watch from a distance. Or…”

He’d leaned much closer than he’d intended, hovering just above Crowley’s forehead.

“Well!” Aziraphale stumbled to his feet. “I suppose that’s just about everything.” He picked up the tray from where he’d rested it on the floor, starting to re-load it with everything he’d brought in. Crowley’s cake and tea sat untouched, as always, but Aziraphale wouldn’t dream of skipping them. “We’re all very optimistic for the summer. Two months and everything should be just…just tickety-boo. Perhaps we can go for that picnic soon, if…yes…”

They’d made such plans for 2020. All the things they would do now they were free. Plans, and other thoughts carried in their minds, possibilities that would play out in their own time. Not too fast, just a slow, steady exploration of everything they could be…

“Well. Pleasant as that idea is, best not to—to plan too much, as the previous year made fools of us all. I just…” He turned away from the tray and watched Crowley sleep, hands clasped before him. “I miss you terribly. And I wish…very much…”

He picked up his shopping bag. One item still inside. The same one he’d been carrying for months, trying to find the courage to bring it out.

With a shaking hand, he reached in and drew forth a soft hand-made doll. He’d spent much of the winter on it. Simple white cotton for the head and body, wooly curls for the hair, and stiff white lace for the wings. Dressed in waistcoat and bowtie made from Aziraphale’s favorite tartan.

He still wasn’t sure why he brought it. He’d stitched several little toys, particularly a lovely black-and-red serpent with gold button eyes that had watched him from the sofa since November. But this, for reasons he couldn’t articulate, this one was for Crowley.

“I, ah…” He shuffled closer, doll clutched in both hands. “I made, um…” Back to the edge of the bed, one hand fumbling across the duvet. “…thought you might like…”

Crowley’s face stood out in stark contrast to the pillow, pale skin and bright hair. Aziraphale wanted to drink it in, memorize every detail, to hold him over until next month. The curve of his nose, the sharp angle of his cheekbones. His lashes flickering as his eyes moved. His lips, pursed ever so slightly…

“Bless it, Angel, are you going to kiss me or not?”

Aziraphale gasped, pulling back from the bright gaze of slit-pupil eyes. “You—you’re awake!”

“Nnnh. Half.” Crowley shifted, head moving across the pillow, eyes threatening to shut again. “Wouldn’t miss your visit.” One hand reached out, plucked the doll from Aziraphale’s unresisting fingers. “For me?”

The angel nodded. “If…if…you like it…or I could—I could just…”

Without a word, Crowley pulled the doll under the duvet and curled up, tucking it under his chin, a faint smile on his lips.

“If you were awake you—you should have said something! I’ve been going—going off like a fool all this—oh!” Aziraphale could feel his face turning hot as he recalled a few times his tongue had been a bit too loose for propriety.

“Mmmmmh.” The golden eyes were shut again.

“Crowley?” No response. “Crowley!” Aziraphale scowled. “Anthony J. Crowley, if you’ve fallen asleep again, I swear, I’ll—”

He’d do what? The angel fumed, but what could he really threaten? To stay away? Never.

“Alright then, I suppose I’ll see you in June. I’ve had several new requests for extremely rare manuscripts and I need to go pen some responses reprimanding these vultures for their cheek. I can—”

“You can stay.”

He spun around. Crowley had one eye barely cracked open. Gently, he pulled back the duvet, showing there was just enough space for Aziraphale beside him.

“I…I couldn’t.” But he stepped forward, not back. “I have business tomorrow, things to—”

“Just tonight then.”

His fingers brushed the mattress and pulled back as if burned. “You—you don’t really mean this, you’re just talking in your sleep.”

“Nah.” Crowley settled the doll by his pillow, making space. “Why else would I give you my key?”

“I…to…water the plants?”

“They take care of themselves.” Crowley held open his arms, eyes shut once more. “I missed you, too.”

Well. What could he say to that?

Aziraphale took off his shoes and slid into bed, into Crowley's arms. They wrapped around him gently as Crowley wriggled closer. “Mmmm. Y’r softer than the doll.”

“Oh.” He’d been called soft many times, generally as a way to imply he was a failure as an angel. But just this once, it made him feel rather pleased. “Soft is good?”

“Verrrry good.” Crowley twisted a bit, trying to find a comfortable way to rest his long limbs, and finally settled curled up against Aziraphale’s chest, tucked below the angel’s chin with a leg hooked over his knees.

The angel smiled. “And you’re…you’re noodlier than a stuffed snake. Err…”

A chuckle, just a stirring of breath across his throat. “Can’t wait to hear the story behind that.” Crowley nuzzled against his shoulder with a sigh. “Good night, Angel.”

Aziraphale swept the brilliant hair back again and bent down, pressing his lips to Crowley’s forehead. A soft, gentle kiss that made his friend smile a little more broadly. “Good night, my dear.”

Crowley drifted off again, burrowing close, as the angel continued to gently tease the back of his hair. Perhaps, he thought, perhaps tomorrow's work wasn't so very urgent. Perhaps a bit of rest would do him good. And perhaps...

Well. Don't plan too much. But for the first time, Aziraphale felt a bit of optimism about the coming summer and its possibilities.

“Sleep well, Crowley.”

[1] Crowley had invented pumpkin spice, and Aziraphale assumed he must like it. In truth, Crowley despised it, and regretted every autumn how it took over the entire world. He missed apple cider season. [2] Aziraphale had suspected since the early 1950s that Crowley secretly took his tea with several lumps of sugar, but would continue to pretend he didn’t know until Crowley confessed. Considering current circumstances, that was unlikely to be any time soon. [3] Aziraphale’s fax machine, revived after over three decades of disuse, had been somewhat confused to be asked to perform any task at all, much less to print memes onto photo paper with perfectly balanced color; but like the plants and Crowley’s phone, it couldn’t stand to disappoint the angel. [4] It was possible he hadn’t quite mastered this new form of communication.

[zerokogane]

I need to scream about certain fics so here are some of my favorite persona 5 fanfics (be warned most of these of not all are going to be shuake and ongoing)

Pt 2 https://zerokogane.tumblr.com/post/652917516478349312/lappel-du-vide-xov-persona-5-archive-of-our

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26995579

Ongoing, shuake, rated M, 300k+

Description:

What do you mean?” Ryuji tilted his head.

“It’s called Just Die. It reduces the SP needed for Insta kill skills like Mudoon or 'Please Die for Me' to zero.”

Ryuji and Ann blinked and blinked again trying to figure out what Morgana is trying to say. He watched as the gears churn in their head and they come to an epiphany, their faces growing horrified at the implications.

“Wait, you are saying. Joker can insta-kill literally everything in this palace. WITHOUT using SP at all?!” Ryuji clarified in astonishment because there is no way there isn’t a catch to this. “Without repercussion?!”

“Yes. That is exactly what I’m saying.”

Or the NG+ au where Akira knows more than he lets on, the Phantom Thieves start to suspect one of their own, and Akechi is in for a wild ride.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767610

Series 6/7 completed, no ships, ratings vary per part. 700k+(all 7 parts)

Discerption or first part in series :Forewarned

When Akira Kurusu is ten years old, his parents die in an accident.

One year later, he comes to Inaba. He doesn't expect to find family there, and he doesn't expect to find a hidden world of monsters inside the TV.

He finds both.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21227510

Shuake, ongoing, rated T, 300k+

Discerption:

In the Present...

...Akira and Goro are the famed Detective Princes of Tokyo! They've solved countless crimes and brought justice across the city, gaining allies and confidants wherever they've roamed! As election season approaches in the distance, and ominous warnings are whispered into their ears, will they be able to weather the storm to come?

In the Past...

...two young boys, abandoned by society and family alike, find each other. Will they be able to handle everything else they find, in the years to come?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23989186

No ships, ongoing, rated T, crossover with bnha(sorta ? jokers in their universe but he doesn’t know why ) 280k+

Discerption:

“Foolish mortals!” Yaldabaoth’s shadow fell over them like a death shroud, “The sin of rebelling against a god is severe. As punishment, I banish you to other worlds unknown!”

Something changed in the air, like the snap charge of electricity after a thunder strike. No, this was more than that. The world shifted and changed and contorted, the weave of fate was unnaturally pulled by the God Of Control, creating fractals in the flow of time and space.

Joker’s teammates gasped as bizarre, otherworldly doors came into existence.

One, a pair of silver doors with alien markings, cracked open just a hair to reveal a large, terrifying eye. Another, a glowing paper door that would be at home in any vintage Japanese mansion. The third, a grand golden gate decorated with eyes and horned demons, bubbling black sludge dripped from its maw like tar. The final one was a fluctuating cloud of purple and black mist.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656152

Shuake, ongoing, rated T, 250k+

Discerption:

From a young age, Akechi Goro was forced to accept that life is not fair. When the world is full of injustice and seems determined to throw that in your face at every chance it gets, what are you supposed to do? Sometimes you just need to tear the whole damn system down.

Meanwhile, Kurusu Akira just wants his friend back. He never meant to become a delinquent, much less the leader of the Phantom Thieves, but he supposes he’s never been very good at staying out of other people’s business.

(A soulmate au where writing gets transferred to each other’s skin. As a result, they become long-distance friends… until Akechi lets his jealousy and anger get the better of him, that is.)

( if you turned off by soulmate au’s trust me it’s good and it’s not as big part of the story as you would think, or not used in the “normal” way....idk your just gonna have to trust me one this one if the story sounds interesting cause it’s really good rant over)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26781733

Ongoing, shuake, rated M, 300k+

Discerption:

"Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds."

In which Goro Akechi joins the team during Kaneshiro's palace arc instead of Makoto.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30827231

Ongoing, will be polythieves but we don’t know the specifics yet, rated M, 29k+

Discerption:

Yaldabaoth had been told of the Mythical Trickster. He had laid out the plans for his game expertly, all the pieces and threads in place, ready to pull the Trickster into the trial that would determine humanity's fate.

His plan, however, did not account for what he actually received: Twin Tricksters.

No matter... surely, this would not lead the game too astray. Would it?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19818682

Ongoing, no ships with Akira but there is ann/shiho, rated M, 44+k

Discerption:

When Suou Akira is arrested for a crime he didn't do and sent to Tokyo for probation, all he wants to do is live as quietly as possible and return to his family in Sumaru City. Of course, things don't work out the way he wants them to.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31362848

One-shot completed, shuake, rated T, 7k+

Desertion:

'Akechi takes back his initial thought about this being an absolute pleasure to watch as the man, who was only a few mere feet away from Akira, whips his hand and flinging the freshly brewed two hundred and five-degree boiling hot coffee straight into Akira’s face.

Directly hitting Akira’s Glassless bare face.'

Or the one where Akira deals with a nasty, entitled customer and Akechi is perpetually in denial.

(For Akeshuake Hurt Comfort Week, Day Three, prompt: Illness/Injury!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30837995

One-shot completed, Shuake, rated T 21k

Discerption: Pretending is part of Goro's daily life, masks hiding his true intentions and feelings are things he uses very often.

However, the idea of lying about his relationship status never occurred to him.

Yet, now he is in a "relationship" with Leblanc's barista to trick his colleague and the therapist who doesn't know that they don't know each other.

And between medical appointments, dates, and his personal investigations, Goro must now manage the storm that is his emotions when it concerns Akira Kurusu.

Where is the line between pretended and true love after all?

or

A Fake dating couple therapy story where Goro and Akira use lame excuses to date.

[theherocomplex]

Hey! Love your writing and hearing you talk about writing, so if you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts: how do you balance between working on your original stories and your fan fiction? Is it pretty easy for you to switch between projects as you work, or do you have to partition them in some way?

I thought a lot about this ask, because I know my writing has shifted -- slowly, but massively -- over the past few years. When I look back over my writing from 2013-2016, I was mainly writing fic, so I didn't have to switch between that and original fiction, but my original work -- where my heart really lies -- was always at the back of my head, lying fallow.

But, during part of that 2013-2016 period, I was writing three longfics (Gates of Summer, Ghost, and A Lesson in Drowning) at once, and it taught me something about myself that I've tried to stick to in the time since: I do not function optimally as a writer if I'm constantly switching between projects. This is...proven by the fact that I'm only just now finishing A Lesson in Drowning, and I won't be finishing Ghost (though that has more to do with the fic itself, rather than the environment/circumstances I was writing it in).

So, moving forward into today, when I'm peeling away from having fanfic be the majority of what I write (my current 2ha fic will be my last longfic ever, I think), I typically focus on one large project at a time. There's something really satisfying and intimate about spending a long time on one story, and really getting to know it and move through that particular world. You get attuned to its rhythms, as well as to your own as a writer (I think these rhythms change depending on the project, which is another reason why focusing on just one piece at a time is so helpful -- you don't get to create and maintain a sustainable, productive rhythm when you're jumping back and forth).

I do reserve the right to take a quick break from a larger project to write something smaller (it's how most of my short stories get written!), but i find it really fulfilling now to just...sit with one story for a long time, even when it frustrates me.

Right now, I'm wrapping up ALID and also working on the 2ha longfic, which is really reinforcing the whole "work on one thing at a time" idea. I thought I could spend one day a week focusing on doing my beta's corrections/final edits on ALID, and use the rest to work on the 2ha longfic, but I really don't deal well with switching between big stories, so progress on both projects has been very, very slow.

I think that's why NaNo has usually been such a success for me (NaNo 2020 being the exception, which...hey, it was 2020!): I am encouraged to focus on one thing at a time! I really hope I get my stamina and focus back in time for this year, so I can get back on track. And, with luck, I'll be able to wrap up the revisions for ALID in the next couple weeks, and then I can just focus on the 2ha longfic.

After that, I plan to spend some time prioritizing what I'd like to get down, as far as original fiction projects go. I know now I need to focus on one story at a time to make measurable progress, and to create something I'm pleased with, but I'll also need some time to finish the mental switch between fanfic and original work. With fanfic, we have the scaffolding already in place, as well as the advantages of a built-in audience and some material to work with, but original work is all on us, and I'll definitely need to recharge before putting all my focus on that. Another lesson learned, from trying to switch between fanfic and original fiction!

Thank you for such a great question! I hope this helped, and I'm happy to expand on anything here! <3

[imtryingmybeskar]

Tumblr Writer Q&A

I don't remember doing this before, so I'm gonna take @chaoticgeminate mention as a tag 😘

1) How many complete fics/one shots do you have that you have not published (yet)?

None. Though I do have three completed chapters of Starman ready to go...

2) How many WIPS do you have right now?

Uhhh. At least ten 😬

3) Do you take writing requests or write original ideas, or both?

Both.

4) If you do take requests, how many do you currently have?

One. From @galacticgraffiti and I am about a third of the way through it.

5) How many fandoms do you write for?

I write exclusively for Pedro Pascal characters (so various fandoms), though if I ever have more time to devote to writing I'd love to write for Doctor Who too.

6) Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you no longer write for?

No, writing fanfic is a relatively new thing for me.

7) Do you write for ships, reader inserts or other?

Started with reader inserts, I'm writing my first OFC right now.

8) Niche fandoms/characters you write for?

Some of Pedro's roles are niche outside of the fandom I guess. I would imagine Bloodsucking Bastards isn't that well known.

9) Do you read fics as well as write them?

Hell yes. There are so many talented writers out there and I thank them all for sharing their beautiful stories with us for free! At the moment I'm finishing up @chaoticgeminate 's wonderful Marcus Moreno story Epiphany.

10) What is your favorite genre to write for?

I adore all kinds of Sci-Fi. I would love to get better at writing horror because I love that too and I think it's difficult to get right. Most of my stories have a romance background because I'm basically just projecting my Pedro fantasies to the world at large 😅

11) What is your favorite trope (to read/write)?

I'm getting more into writing tropes. I love AUs (writing and reading).

12) What do you do to get motivated to write?

The desire comes upon me and I do it. If I don't feel motivated I do other stuff until I do again.

13) Is there a trope/genre you like to read, but not write?

A/B/O. I never used to like it but I've read a few excellent ones. Shout-out to @ezrasbirdie for the excellent Devil's Backbone series which was the fic I read that made me get it. I dont think I could do it justice if I tried to write it!

14) Any characters/fandoms you want to write for that are never requested?

Nah, I stick to my Pedro characters and that's who the requests come for 💖

15) How long have you been writing fanfiction?

About a year.

16) Did you read fan fiction before you started writing?

Yes. My first foray into fanfic was stuff about the Marauders from Harry Potter many years ago.

17) Do you only post on Tumblr, or any other sites as well?

I post on AO3 first, then Tumblr.

18) What do you personally consider the word counts of “Drabble”, “One shots” and “fics”?

I am very flexible with all of this. I never go into writing with an idea of how long it is. It takes as long as it takes.

Having said that, a drabble is probably less than 1k words, one shot between 1k and 5k and fics...they go on as long as they go. Most of my fics are multi chapter.

19) Which do you prefer to write more? HC, drabbles, oneshots/fics, multi chapter stories, other?

Multi chapter stories because my writing is kind of organic and grows (out of control most of the time). But I do enjoy writing oneshots from people's prompts/asks. It forces me to think about things in different ways. It's partly why @writer-wednesday is brilliant.

20) Are there any stories you have discontinued? If so, why?

No.

21) What is one of your main “pet-peeves” as a writer on Tumblr?

I use Tumblr exclusively on mobile and let me tell you, writing that way is not great. Mostly because my fingers are clumsy and large.

22) Do you write a particular time of day?

I work shifts so I can write any time. Today I was writing at 10am and 1pm at work on breaks. In the past I've written while chapters at 3am.

23) Do you listen to music, ambiance/noise, etc to write or do you need silence?

I don't NEED silence, but I don't deal well with ambient noise. Occasionally I'll listen to a few songs before I start writing to get into the mood I want to.

24) Do you outline your fics at all before writing?

Usually I'll have a couple hundred words which will outline future things I want to put in, major plot points, dialogue that I want to use, phrases that I like the sound of, words which evoke certain emotions in me that are relevant etc. It looks like word vomit on the page, there's no structure to it. With Starman I have a little spider diagram that I refer to. That's new.

25) Do you post your writing as soon as you finish it, or do you schedule it to come out at a specific time/day?

Starman is the first thing I've tried to stick to a schedule for, and I got so excited about it that I've already posted one chapter early. I'm not doing well with that particular discipline 😅

No pressure tags for @galacticgraffiti, @littlemisspascal @just-here-for-the-moment

[limepigeon]

@crownleys organised an evening of writing sprints over at the Zombies, Fanworks! Discord tonight and here’s what I wrote! I can’t remember if I’ve ever written fanfic for the ZR fandom so it was great fun! Of course I had to write something about everyone’s favourite Radio Boyfriends. Thanks again for organising this Emma! Title: Get it out (or Jack helps Eugene deal with his emotions in a Jack way) Fandom: Zombies, Run! Words: 1,432 Warnings: None Set during Season 1 Notes: I’m sorry if there are spelling/grammar errors in it, I wrote it in two hours and gave it a quick little edit/proof reading but some things may have slipped by (they usually do haha).

Eugene hardly ever gets angry. He doesn’t cause any scenes. If anything he prefers keeping any arguments under a tightly shut lid. Let it simmer for a while until it either fizzes out or boils over. Tonight is the third sleepless night, caused by an unusual large horde taking their sweet time dragging rotten feet across the vast meadows outside of Abel. Everyone is on edge, sure, but Jack and Eugene are the ones trying to keep morale up. “And that’s day three…” Jack sighs into the microphone, “still no signs of stopping. I’m sorry folks but this thing seems to go on forever. Just kilometer after kilometer of endless zombies, all the way to the horizon. There are some places where you can’t even see the ground! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many in one and the same-“ He’s interrupted by an exasperated groan. “Will you please shut up?” Eugene’s voice is harsh. There’s none of the usual warmth that makes even the coldest of nights comfortable in his presence. He’s rubbing his temples slowly, his eyebrows drawn together tightly. “I’m sorry?” Jack doesn’t even try to not sound offended. “Is my voice bothering you?” “Little bit, yes” Eugene says without as much as looking at Jack. “Too bad, ‘cause this is our job, talking is my job.” “Well, your job is drilling a hole through my skull.” Eugene puts his forehead in his palms and stares at the small red light indicating that they’re still broadcasting. It’s been on for what feels like hours. “Put on a song” he says. “But we have to send out Dr. Myers report on-“ “Put on the fucking song” Eugene demands, punctuating each word harshly, and Jack barely has the time to switch on the CD before Eugene rips his headphones off his head and lets the chair slam into the ground as he stands up.

“Hey Gene, what’s the matter?” Jack reaches out for Eugene’s shoulder but he moves out of the way.   “Aren’t you sick of this?” Eugene mutters while keeping his eyes fixed at the ground. Jack sighs. “Well, it would be nice if they left so we could get some proper sleep, yeah” he says. “I don’t mean the zombies” Eugene says, “I mean all of it.” He seems to lean onto his crutch more than usual. His whole posture seems off. The air outside is chilly now that the sun has set, even though it’s summer. “Gene, I get it, it’s okay to be upset about this, everyone’s-“ Jack gets interrupted again. “I’m not upset Jack! I’m fucking pissed!” The shouting takes Jack by surprise. He can’t remember the last time he’d seen Eugene like this. At least not since… He shakes the past out of his head. “Oh, okay then, uh...” It’s all he can manage. “About what?” “Everything! All this bullshit! We’re just sitting here, talking shit that doesn’t even matter! People are dying out there Jack, and what do we do? We joke, and we laugh, as if that’s what the world needs right now! We’re just…! I’m- I can’t-“ His words get jumbled before his voice cracks. “Hey, hey love, it’s okay” Jack grabs Eugene by his arms “it’s okay.” “I’m just so tired, I don’t know what to do.” Eugene looks into Jack’s eyes, probably for the first time for the entire evening. There’s pain, sure - there always is during hard nights, but there’s something else. Something stuck deep in Eugene, aching to get out. Jack wants to tell him he’s talking shit, that their job is important. That Eugene is important, and not just to Jack. But he knows that’s not what he needs right now. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Jack heads into the tiny shed used for their broadcasts and is back outside in less than a minute. There aren’t many hills in Abel, which is quite ideal when putting up the makeshift homes for newcomers to the township. The radio tower, which has been there long before Jack and Eugene arrived, stands just about a hundred meters away from Janine’s farmhouse at the highest point of Abel. “It’s freezing Jack, what are we even doing here?” Eugene complains. His good leg has started aching from the climb and he didn’t bring any mittens either. “Something that always makes me feel better when I’m angry” Jack smiles. Eugene raises an eyebrow to show his skepticism. “Oi, don’t give me that look! I promise, it’s nothing dirty!” Jack jokingly punches Eugene’s shoulder and Eugene sighs. “You know I love you, but you know what your problem is, Gene? You’re always so bloody calm and collected. When was the last time you just let it all go?” “I, uh” Eugene starts but quickly falters. “Jack, what are we doing here?” His voice grows a bit more cautious. “We’re going to scream” Jack looks at Eugene almost triumphantly and Gene can’t help but laugh. “Oh, you’re serious?” Eugene’s has something akin to terror creeping onto his face when he realizes Jack is in fact not joking. “Dead serious, my man” Jack says and slaps Eugene’s back. “Now go on!” “I’m not going to scream” Eugene protests and he looks like he’s about to turn around to start the journey down the hill. He’s not prepared for the sound and his whole body tenses up in reaction to it. It’s loud, but different from what he’s heard during his time outside the walls, or in their tent at night when his partner wakes him up in a sweat-drenched panic. The scream now is lighter, not nearly is dreadful as the ones Eugene is used to. Afterwards there’s an almost as loud burst of laughter. “What the hell, Jack?” Eugene exclaims as he spins around, only to find Jack almost doubled over. He smiles at Eugene with a wide grin which is incredibly infectious. “Your turn” he says once he’s managed to catch his breath, only a little hoarse. “Come on.” He reaches out his hand towards Eugene, who with the help of his crutches moves closer to Jack. He can’t help but smile.

Janine tends to stay up late. Tonight she’s found something else that needs repairing. The radio has been on for the last couple of days, she likes to keep herself updated on the situation and maybe especially so at night. She barely listens to the song playing, only annoyed at how it interferes with the updates on the horde. Then it abruptly stops as Jack’s voice replaces the tunes. “Very sorry listeners, but I have some urgent business to attend to! We’ll be back shortly, in high spirits! Stay safe!”   She looks out of the kitchen window as two figures make their way up the hill towards the farmhouse. For a second she dreads the possibility of an unannounced drop by but as they start moving towards the radio tower her shoulders lowers again. She follows them with her gaze and even by just the light of the full moon she recognizes Jack and Eugene. Curious by her nature she opens the window just a crack, letting the summer air creep in. She moves some dirty dishes from the counter to the sink and brings her project from the kitchen table. Before the end of the world she had the TV on while working, not as company of course, Janine de Luca would like you to know she was not a lonely woman. It is the same now. She doesn’t watch the two men out of loneliness; she simply wants to know what’s going on in their lives. What Jack Holden and Eugene Woods do when no one else is around, when they are comfortable just the two of them. She’s seen the way they look at each other and lets her mind drift to an imaginary future where maybe something like that could, perhaps, be possible for her too? The first scream almost makes her jam the screwdriver into her hand. She curses loudly while looking out of the window bewildered, and then sighs when she watches the two men up on the hill. The second scream comes a few minutes later. It’s different. Unfamiliar and filled with more emotions than Janine thought possible to fit inside of a person all at once. It lasts at least twice as long as the first one and ends almost in a wail.

The calm silence lingering afterwards lasts for a couple of minutes, until it starts up again. Then the screams starts mixing together with laughter until there’s only the latter left. Janine shakes her head, thinking how everyone in Abel must be just as startled as her. Then she smiles.

[shadowmayura]

I didn’t think I’d be doing this, but it’s gotten to the point where some things have to be said.

Someone from my past has been making vagueposts about me lately and I can’t allow it to go unaddressed any longer. They are disingenuous and at times downright false, and they imply a certain type of relationship that simply did not exist.

If at this point you don’t know exactly who and what I’m talking about, please scroll by. I’m not going to be mentioning her by name and I’m not here to drag additional people into this big mess. This is solely to address any misconceptions for those who have already seen this person’s posts and are left confused by the strange phrasing and missing information.

(TW: harassment, emotional abuse, stalking, vomit)

This person and I met online in the spring of last year. Soon after, she confessed to me that she had a crush on me. I wasn’t interested for a variety of reasons (distance, not knowing her very well, and a lack of attraction on my end) and I gently let her down but suggested that we could still be friends. At no point did I promise a romantic relationship with this person.

We got to know each other better as friends. For a while, it was genuinely fun. I did not harbor any romantic feelings but I did enjoy being her friend. But in the summer, we began to spend more time together, and that’s where it started to go wrong. In reality, it was gradual, but it felt very sudden because the realization that things had changed came all at once. Her flirting had become a lot more aggressive and she was implying to other people that there was something between us. Playful teasing had turned to something far more demanding, and we were talking to each other nonstop, up to 10 hours per day every single day. When I realized how drastically our interactions had changed, I tried to pull back. I became very uncomfortable with how much couple-like behavior had emerged on her side when I did not want to be in that kind of relationship.

My decision was met with a lot of resistance. She was upset at me that I wanted to cut back on the amount of one-on-one time spent together, and she also was upset when I took a week-long break from Discord as a whole. We had our first argument over this. I thought we reached an understanding, but at the end of the conversion, she expressed her need for significant quality time between us, leaving me feeling like I hadn’t been heard at all. It’s worth noting that I hadn’t cut her out entirely at this point. We were still talking almost every day, but we weren’t on voice chat for hours on end any longer. I just wanted interactions that were closer to a normal friendship rather than a romantic relationship that I had never consented to.

It got worse leading into fall. The flirting continued and escalated. She drew “friendship portraits” of the two of us with strong romantic undertones. As she continued to push, I drew back. She didn’t like this. I was met with passive aggression when I tried to set boundaries and put a comfortable distance between us.

September is where it reached a head. On September 17th, she coerced me into a video chat that essentially served as an intervention for my choice. I had a bad feeling going into it, but she insisted that we video chat rather than text chat. I reluctantly agreed under her false pretense that it would be a conversation solely about fandom matters, but within 5 minutes, she was crying on video. I became very uncomfortable and I continued to look at a document on my computer so she could compose herself. She calmed down, but as soon as I claimed to be done looking at it, she turned the crying on again.

For about an hour, I was berated. She was crying and yelling, not allowing me to get a word in edgewise. She was, once again, very upset with me that I had been pulling away from her. I desperately wanted to leave the call, but I knew that there’d be hell to pay later if I did. I forced myself to sit through the whole thing. When she was done, I was shaking. She expected me to speak but I was unable to form words for several minutes and I was additionally berated for not saying anything, even though I had already been cut off many times. When I was able to pull myself out of the state I was in, I told her that our interactions had become far too romantically-focused for my comfort and that I didn’t want her to flirt with me anymore. I then ended the conversation as quickly as I could.

I vomited several times after we hung up and was shaking for hours. I couldn’t sleep that night. A few days later, I lost clumps of hair. It is stress-induced alopecia areata that I’m still receiving treatment for. I don’t say any of this to garner sympathy, but I want to emphasize that this was not a conversation that I look back on fondly. It was traumatic. This unfortunately is relevant later.

At this point, it is safe to say that I did not want to associate with this person any longer, but this was not an option for me. There were fandom commitments that tethered us together, and I knew I’d have to weather out the storm. If I didn’t, I would tear friend groups apart, drop commitments that I cared a lot about, and potentially ruin both of our reputations in the community.

I tried to maintain some distance without angering her significantly, but it was all downhill from here. She continued to disrespect my boundaries and push me romantically. Flirting occurred less commonly in private chats since I would shut it down, but in public spaces, she continued to flirt with me, and I felt pressured to allow it in order to avoid awkwardness in group settings.

Her romantic interest turned into obsession. She became fixated on my Tumblr posts and Discord statuses, accusing me of referencing her when this was seldom the case. Jealousy arose about my friendships with other people. She didn’t trust me to make my own decisions with my friendships and disrespected my decisions when I made them. There was also a huge increase in emotional manipulation and guiltbaiting. Whenever calm and rational criticism of her behavior was given to her, she would exaggerate and call herself a terrible person so that the criticism would be dropped in favor of coddling and comforting her. It was impossible to bring up serious issues without her playing the victim.

She also became increasingly hard to deal with in a team environment. I often felt as if I was being disciplined for not loving her in return. My ideas were constantly nitpicked and shot down. I was condescended to. I began to feel unwelcome in group spaces because of these behaviors. I felt like she was pushing me out of public spaces in hopes that I would flee to private ones, though I tried to avoid that as much as possible.

In November, a flip switched. The romantic harassment almost entirely vanished and all her interactions with me became unkind. In some ways, it was refreshing because the worst of the stalking subsided, but the hostile environment was not easy to deal with. I retreated from fandom in order to avoid it as much as possible.

Finally in December, my fandom commitments finally ended, giving me the ability to end my friendship with her. Right before this, she spoke negatively of me in some public ways. One of these actions I cannot name here because it would reveal her identity, but it spoke ill of a community that I oversee.

The worst, however, was a fanfic that she published several days before I cut her off. She projected her and I onto the main couple of the fic. I was cast as Gabriel and she was cast as Nathalie. The further I read, the more sickened I became as the references became more overt.

Near the end of the fic, Gabriel and Nathalie have a huge argument. I was shocked to find exact quotes from our September 17th video chat in the dialogue of the fic. They were large sections of our conversation. At the end of their argument, Gabriel admitted all wrong and they make amends. As a couple.

I felt ill reading this. I still feel ill thinking about it. I hate that one of the most traumatic conversations in my life still exists on the internet for anyone to read, twisted into a scene that is meant to be read as good and romantic. I am reminded of all the harassment that I endured and I hate that that is a feeling I now associate with one of my favorite ships. There are other creators involved as well whose work has now been tainted by these real-world associations that had no business being in a fanfic.

After this, I cut her out of my life entirely. I was considering less drastic options, but this was the last straw that I knew we could not come back from. I removed her from several of my social circles and blocked her on all social media.

Before I blocked her, I sent a letter explaining in explicit detail why I would be cutting her out of my life. Despite this, she has recently claimed that she was never given a reason.

And that’s where we are now. My life has been more peaceful since December and I have begun to come out of my shell. For a couple of months she left the situation alone and that was fine with me. I was happy to peacefully coexist as long as I wasn’t having to interact directly.

However, my friends began calling my attention to recent posts on her blog that implied I had destroyed her mental health. Some of them have since been deleted. While I was willing to let the first one slide, these posts have increased in frequency while pushing an increasingly false narrative. I don’t enjoy the implications that I did something horrible to her by not consenting to a relationship.

I’m sure she will disagree with my take on things, and that’s fine. If she disagrees with my reasons with cutting her off, that is her prerogative, but I cannot allow her to claim that I didn’t give any reasoning when she did receive it through multiple channels of communication.

And I hope I haven’t gone a step too far in revealing that this person was in love with me. I debated not including it, but I’ve realized it’s an unavoidable issue that is central to the entire situation. At the root of it, I was romantically pursued and harassed. I cannot defend my reasons for cutting her off without disclosing the base motivation for the majority of her actions.

So that’s my story. I’d ask those who read this to please refrain from engaging in any harassment. This post has not been made with the intention to hurt her, as can be evidenced from months of me holding my tongue. I really did try to let her preserve her dignity, but I was left with no other options after being smeared multiple times. My purpose here is transparency.

I genuinely do wish her well, for both our sakes. I really hope that this will finally end her obsession and allow her to move on. But whatever happens, I refuse to be a doormat any longer in this situation.

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: Family - 2

The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 2319

Warnings:  Sex talk and pregnancy, light angst

Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family.  When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.

Chapter 2: Envy and Guilt

“I’m sorry, but I’m what?”  Natasha asked, and all at once, it hit me exactly what Wanda and Natasha being pregnant meant, and I felt my heart sink.

Wanda wouldn’t be so bad.  She’d worry about her powers, but she had always liked them, and I knew that one day she’d want to carry her own.  She loved being a mother.  She was a mother right down to her core, and while this was an accident, she would never think it was anything but a happy one.

Natasha was a whole other story.  The Red Room had messed with Natasha’s reproductive system.  She could get pregnant naturally; it was just improbable.  However, she could never carry a baby to term.  I could see the faint thread starting to form with the embryo growing inside her, letting me know what this little pseudo-life form would one day be part of our family.  I felt like that must mean something.  Those threads didn’t connect to everyone.  But if I was wrong, there was going to be a day in the next few months where we were all left grieving if there was no way to counteract what they’d done to her.

There was also the dumbfounded look of shock on everyone’s face.  I’d hoped and believed that we were in a different place now.  We had children.  We were parents.  We were good at it.  Having more children would be an exciting thing, and they all looked panicked.  I had visions of this playing out just like it did last time - everyone running and leaving Natasha to just deal with this alone.

I also had this selfish melancholy coming from this place of loss.  Tony had just asked if I’d have his baby, and now I wasn’t going to get that.  I couldn’t get pregnant now that we were expecting other babies.  I had let myself get excited about going through a pregnancy where everyone was there and onboard and taking care of me, and just like that, it was taken away.

“You and Wanda are both expecting,” Thor repeated.  “I’m sorry, did I ruin the surprise again?”

Clint got up and moved to Natasha’s side, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

“Thor?”  Steve asked gently.  “Was this you again?  I mean… did your powers slip?”

Thor shook his head.  “I swear, after the last time, I have been extra careful holding them at bay.  I had assumed you must have planned for this to happen.”

Wanda shook her head quickly and ran her hands over her stomach.  “I was taking the pill.”

“And we’ve all been using the injection,” Bruce added.  “Which with Natasha’s…”  he trailed off and furrowed his brow.  “...condition.  Should have meant no accidents.”

“I’m sorry,” Thor said.  “I didn’t mean to be the bearer of bad news.  I truly thought this was planned.”

“Maybe… maybe there was something about the bonding?”  Sam suggested.  “There were a lot of strange things that happened.  Perhaps there was some magic involving conceiving heirs?”

“Then why aren’t I pregnant too?” I asked in a small voice.

Clint took a seat and pulled Natasha down in his lap as Tony moved beside me and wrapped his arm around me.

“I don’t know,”  Thor said.  “Truly.  I can perhaps work out when it happened and who are the fathers?  If you’ll allow it?”

“Yes,” Natasha said quickly.  “Do that.  Because… because I can’t…  I can’t lose …”

Clint pulled her close, and Natasha melted into him, squeezing her eyes shut like she was trying really hard not to cry.  It broke my heart to see her so fragile.

“I’d like to know too.  Steve, are you alright with knowing who the biological parents are?”  Wanda asked.

Steve nodded.  “With Elise, I was worried it might create friction knowing.  We know now that’s not the case.  If knowing helps get to the bottom of this, then we should know.”

Thor put the kids down on the ground and approached Natasha first.  He knelt on the ground in front of her, putting his head on her stomach and his hand on her side.  There was a slight crackle of light, different to his lightning power but similar.  “It is new,” Thor said in a low rumble.  “Barely the size of a seed.  A month?” He paused and closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side.  “I believe this child was conceived after the bonding ceremony.  The father is Barnes.”

“Me?”  Bucky said softly.  “Really?”

“I’m sorry, James,” Natasha said quietly.  “I didn’t mean…”

Bucky moved quickly to her side and held up his hand like he was going to touch her before dropping his hands again.  “Don’t be sorry, Tasha.  I know we have things to worry about, but I’m here.  So we have a little super-soldier.  We already have a god.  We can handle it.”

Just then, I felt something that I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.  I was jealous.  Natasha was going to get everything I hadn’t, and even if she did end up losing this baby, everyone was going to be here for her.  They were going to dote on her and reassure her and let her know how much they loved her, and despite the fact it was over four years ago since I had gone through my pregnancy, the trauma of it reared its head like an angry snake and bit me.  I felt guilty for it too.  Natasha had been one of three people who had been with me from the very start, and she deserved to have everyone there for her.  I just wanted to have had that too.

As Clint, Natasha, and Bucky sat cuddling on the couch, Thor moved to Wanda and crouched in front of her.  He put his forehead against her stomach and hand on her side, and that soft glow happened again.  “Yes.  At the same time.  After the bonding,” he said.

“So, it was something to do with that?”  Sam asked.

Thor pulled back and looked up at the sky.  “Heimdall, I require the assistance of my brother.”

“Maybe if it was Asgardian magic, you don’t have anything to worry about, Nat?”  Clint suggested, sounding a little hopeful.

“If it was Asgardian magic, why is Elise not pregnant?  She was the one that had sex with Thor,” Natasha asked, almost accusatorily.

“Well,” Bruce reasoned.  “You weren’t on birth control, and Wanda’s was hormonal only.  Elise has an IUD in.  Perhaps she did have an egg fertilized, and it just was unable to implant because of the obstruction.”

The theory added to that upset, guilty, jealous feeling I had.  The thought that I could be where Wanda and Natasha were now, getting the attention and love while expecting, just how Tony wanted, but instead, I was sitting on the outside looking in while the trauma of my past kept bubbling up, made me angry at myself.

“I can’t… I can’t go through another miscarriage,” Natasha said.  “It’ll kill me.”

“We’re all here, Tasha,” Bucky said.  “Last time, you were practically alone.  Now you have all of us.”

Loki shimmered into the room and looked around in distaste; his eyes lit up when he saw the twins, and they ran at him, going straight through the hologram of his body.  He crouched down, chuckling softly. “I’m sorry, my darlings,” he said.  “I’m not really here.  Just a projection.”

“Uncew Woki,” Pietro pouted.  “I wanna hug you.”

“I know,” he soothed.  “I want to hug you both very badly, but I’m needed on Asgard for now.  I promise I’ll visit properly as soon as I can.”

Pietro pouted and folded his arms over his chest, and Loki looked over at Thor.  “You requested my assistance, brother?”

“I was hoping if you could find out whether there was anything to do with the bonding that had to do with … fertility.  Or conceiving an heir,” Thor explained.

Loki turned and looked at me with his eyebrow raised.  “Another accident, Elise?”

“Not me,” I said, and gestured to Wanda and Natasha.

“Well, well, well,” Loki jeered.  “Even more children.  How exciting.  I will see what I can find.”  He crouched back down and looked at the twins.  “New brothers or sisters for you.  Aren’t you lucky?”

“Weely?”  Riley asked.

“Oh, yes.  You’ll be sure to be very kind to them, won’t you?”  Loki said.  “Even if they stab you.”

Pietro’s eyes went large, and Riley started giggling.  “We wiwl,” she said nodding.

“Then I shall see you two soon, my lovelies,” he said and gave them a wave before turning and promptly vanishing.

While they had been talking, I had noticed that while the threads to Natasha split into two, there now seemed to be three connecting me to Wanda.  “Thor?”  I said, quietly.

Thor looked over at me with concern etched on his features.  “Yes, my queen?”

“Is Wanda having twins?”  I asked.

He smiled and ran a large hand over Wand’s tiny waist.  “Oh, yes,” he said.  “Identical twins.”

Wanda blinked at us both.  “I’m having twins?”  She asked.  “Really?”

He smiled and nodded.  “Oh, yes.  Three new lives will be joining us.  It’s good news, isn’t it?”

There was almost a ripple through the room while people decided if they were allowed to be excited or not.  I could feel the mixed emotions.  Fear was there.  I didn’t know whether it was because of being worried about Natasha or just the idea of more kids.  Mostly though, they were excited.

“You never said who was the biological dad with Wanda,” Sam said, sounding a little hopeful.

Thor grinned and patted Sam’s thigh.  “Why, it is you, my bird.”

Sam wrapped his arms around Wanda and peppered kisses on her face.  “You hear that?”  He asked as Wanda started giggling.

“Wow,” Steve said, shaking his head.  “I guess we have some things we need to organize.”

Tony brought up a screen on the coffee table and started typing up a message.  “I’ll call in Doctor Schroeder again.  She’s an expert on the genetics stuff.  Maybe if you do still need help, she can do some kind of gene therapy, Red.  We’ll make sure it all goes okay.  And the new place has more rooms for kids.  I … well we… I had wanted… hoped…”

Steve smiled and rubbed Tony’s shoulder.  “I know what you mean,” he said.  “It’ll be nice having a few more of them around.”

It started to feel like I couldn’t breathe.  The jealousy I was feeling was starting to get oppressive.  The stronger that feeling of envy over not being able to get that from these people who were all so excited right now, the guiltier I felt because Natasha and Wanda had been there for me the whole time when I was pregnant. They deserved to have everyone be there for them.  I started feeling sick to my stomach and hating myself for these thoughts I  was having.

Wanda looked at me and tilted her head, and I knew she had seen it all, which only made it worse.

“Elly, sweetie. Come here,” she said gently.

I shook my head and got up.  “I just… I just need to use the bathroom. I’ll come back and snuggle with you both in a minute, okay?” I said, trying to make myself seem extra cheery.

I walked out of the room, trying not to rush, and as soon as I was in the hall, I ran to the bathroom, closing the door behind me and sinking to the floor sobbing.

A moment later, there was a gentle knock on the door.  “El, sweetheart.  Let me in,” Steve said quietly.

I got up slowly and opened the door, and he stepped inside.  “I just - I didn’t want Nat to feel worse,” I said, the tears streaming down my face.

He pulled me into a hug and held me against his chest. “It’s okay, honey.  You’re allowed to feel your feelings.”

“I want more kids.  I do.  And I’m happy.  I can see the threads to those babies, and I just… I think it’s going to be fine, Steve.  And they deserve that.  Nat deserves that,” I sobbed, burying my face in his chest.

“But you wanted that too,” he said softly.  “I know, sweetheart.  And if I could go back in time and do it all differently, I would.  You did nothing to deserve how we treated you back then.”

I started crying harder, and I clung to him.  “I thought I was over it.  I thought I’d moved past it.  We were happy.  But Bucky just moved to Natasha.  He was so happy.  And… he couldn’t even… look at me…”

“I know.  I know,” he soothed.  “I don’t know if it’s any consolation, but he wouldn’t have been able to do that if it wasn’t for the fact we’d already been through this.  And El, as strong as Nat is, if she were the one that got pregnant first, it probably would have killed her.  She couldn’t do it alone.  Not with everything else.”

“I know.  And that’s why I feel so bad right now,” I sobbed.  “And today… Tony asked me if I’d have another.”

He pulled back and looked down at me, cradling my jaw. “Oh, honey, maybe you still can?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head.  “I can’t take this from them.  And there’s three coming.  I can’t… I can’t.”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead and pulled me back into a hug.  “It’s okay.  It’ll be okay.  You feel as sad as you need to.  We’ll be here for you with that too.  No one thinks you don’t want those babies.”

I relaxed against him and let myself cry myself out.  I knew I’d have to go back in there again, but at least I knew that I wasn’t alone when I did.

// NEXT

[tara-the-quiet-bookworm-2016]

His Dark Obsession (Yandere! Kamski x Reader.) (Chapter One)

Summary: You were the one that got away. The only woman Elijah Kamski ever loved, he thought he could move on, focus on building his company, but despite this you still haunted his thoughts even as the years past. He knew he couldn’t live without you, and he wouldn’t. He was going to do everything within his power to make you his, and his alone. Whether you wanted to or not...

Authors Note: Woo *Wipes head.* I must say it’s been a long while since I’ve written anything yandere, and I kind of miss it. But never less here is my newest Yandere fanfic featuring Elijah Kamski. As you guys are well aware by now I will list any trigger warnings that will be in the chapters in the authors note but since this is just the first chapter there will be nothing overly triggering. Aside from some obsessive thoughts, and mentions of alcohol use. 

Now I know that’s really nothing to write home about but if nothing in this fic is your cup of tea then this is where we part ways but I will remember our time fondly. Now that we got that out of the way here is the first Chapter to His Dark Obsession. Enjoy!

Chapter One.

“I love you, Elijah.” You whispered, a sad smile on you lips, your fingers brushing against his cheek, his hand gripping your wrist. “But this isn’t going to work.” You said, pulling away from him. 

“Please,” Elijah pleaded, tightening his grip on your wrist. “Please, whatever I did to make you want to leave I’m sorry. Please, I need you...”

Shaking your head you backed away from him, a sad look in your eyes, your dress billowing in the wind as you walked away from him into the night. Your name on his lips as he called out to you. Tears spilling down his face as you left him alone.

“Please, Y/N. Please come back to me.” He sobbed, dropping to his knees, as thunder rumbled over head. Another plea spilling past his lips.

***

It was always the same dream. Elijah thought as he roused. Greeted by his darkened room, sweat had matted his hair to his face, which he pushed away as he propped himself on his elbows, thunder rumbling as he looked out the window. Rolling out of bed Elijah opened his curtains, and was greeted by another rainy day. Big, fat raindrops splattering against the window as he rest his forehead against the cool glass.

It had been years since you left him, years since he was left alone begging for you to come back to him, and yet even to this day you still haunted his thoughts. Thoughts of the past, thoughts of what could have been. He was never able to forget you. There were times when he would find himself watching you through the eyes of your android as you went about your days or working from home. You were a Technical Analyst for Cyberlife. That was how he had first met you. How you had become one of his few friends, and as you can imagine his feelings had grown stronger as the years went on. 

As time went on the two of you grew closer, until you were finally together. And for Elijah he foolishly thought the two of you would be together forever. However that was not the case, as you left him only after a year. Stating that it wasn’t working out and you wanted to work on your career. Though Elijah knew the truth, as you relationship went on he noticed the way you looked at one of your fellow colleagues, a young blonde woman with wire rimmed glasses that constantly slipped down her nose. Elijah wasn’t blind he could tell when things were about to fall apart. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less when you did break things off with him. Of course it didn’t help that he all but begged you to come back. 

But that was all for naught as you left him weeping in the rain as you left with your young woman, not once looking back. Shaking those thoughts from his head Elijah pushed those thought to the darkened corners of his mind, as he moved to his desk, booting up his computer. That had been years, years that have come and gone and not a single word from you. He should have given up on you years ago like Gavin had told him too when Elijah first told his brother what happened. His brother, however hadn’t been the most supportive of him in his state. Merely rolling his eyes at him as he shoved a glass of whiskey into Elijah’s hands all while telling him to move on. That if you didn’t think that being with Elijah was worth your time than you shouldn’t be worth his. 

Easier said than done. And god knew Elijah tried, he tried to fill void in his heart with work, with women, with anything to distract him from you. But none of it seemed to work as you always haunted his dreams. Especially tonight, Elijah turned towards his window once more as thunder rumbled over head. He knew he couldn’t continue to live like this, pining for a woman that didn’t want him. He was above this, he was Elijah Kamski for god sake, he could have anyone he wanted, so why not you?

Elijah blinked as that thought popped into his head. At first he was shocked at the thought that flitted through his head. But then as he sat before his computer he found the idea... Appealing. Biting down on his bottom lip Elijah powered on his computer, an idea forming in his mind, he would get you back, maybe not in the most conventional way of wooing someone, but it was better than nothing. Typing on his computer he brought up your profile, you smiling visage making his heart skip despite the image featuring the woman you left him for laughing with you. 

Scowling slightly Elijah scrolled through your page, getting an idea of what your life was like, posts about your daily life, about your work, at first Elijah thought that he wouldn’t find anything he could use when something caught his eye. It was one of your most recent posts. 

From a few weeks ago, it read: Ellen and I just bought a new android, everyone meet Katie!” Elijah arched an eyebrow as he read it. First off he never knew you were someone who would post constantly on their profiles about such... mundane things. Secondly he kicked himself for not remembering your...girlfriends name, Ellen. Of course that name sounded familiar and not because she was the one who stole you from him. But because when he was still with Cyberlife, she was one of those up- and-coming types that had been the top of her class in... Elijah gnawed at his lip as he wracked his mind for what she was in before giving up. It wouldn’t matter in the long run, eventually you would be with him once more, and she would just be a footnote in your and Elijah’s history.

But you did just purchase an android, an AP700 if the picture that followed the post was any indication Obviously your previous android had no longer been of use to you hence why you purchased a new one. No matter he could easily hack into it the same way he did with the previous one. Just to see how you were doing. And what better way that to do that than through the eyes of your android? Nodding to himself Elijah liked that idea, typing a few more commands into his computer he quickly typed a code into his computer, and before he knew it he was looking through the eyes of your android. 

Though there wasn’t much to see as it was still pretty late, your android, Katie, as you called her was stationed at her charging station in what he could only assume was the kitchen. Using your android to look around he caught sight of you sitting at the kitchen table. Glasses perched on your nose as you glared at your laptop, gnawing at the tip of your pen as you no doubt worked out some problem in your head. You always were the night owl, if the cup of coffee that had no doubt long since gone cold sat at your right elbow. 

You looked exactly as you did years ago. Your hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing a shirt two sizes too large and sweatpants. Something you wore often when you worked from home, or were lounging around the house. It looked like things never changed with you. Elijah thought, the corner of his mouth turning upwards at that. 

Resting his head in his hands he sat there watching you, watching as a strand of hair fell across your forehead, and he wished he could reach out and tuck it behind your ear as he used to do. Remembering how soft your hair felt, the way you would sigh as his fingers brushed against your cheek, loving how you would lean into his touch whenever he did it.

“Elijah?” A soft voice spoke up, jerking him from his thoughts, making his whirl around in his seat to face Chloe. 

The blonde android arched an eyebrow at him as she moved further into the room glancing at the man seated at his computer. “It’s five in the morning, why are you up?” she asked.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Elijah said, as he quickly powered down his computer. Hoping that the android didn’t catch on to what he was doing. “So I figured I’d do some work, on a project...”

Very convincing. Elijah mentally scolded himself as he got up from his seat, a faint smile on his lips as he moved towards the blonde android. Watching as she looked up at him expectantly. But far from the truth, as he looked down at her a thought formed in his mind, one in which you would eventually be his once more, whether you want to or not...

“In fact I have a task for you...”