#her telling Conrad ‘you didn’t hurt me you wasted my time’ | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

borntoocry · 1 year ago

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just be yourself.

playlist: end, be yourself, skyline to, Siegfried, dear April by frank ocean. drew Barrymore and supermodel by SZA. liar, big man, little dignity by Paramore. demi Moore, ICU, you missed my heart by Phoebe bridgers.

synopsis: if you have watched the summer I turned pretty, this is a take on the Conrad and belly argument on the beach ('I THOUGHT YOU KNEW!'). Ellie ghosted yn after something personal happened and she never even said goodbye. yn is now at a party with Ellie there, hugged up with another girl. yn and Ellie's cousin, Finn, spoke for a while after her and Ellie stopped talking... but the love wasn't reciprocated.

warnings: yelling, drunkness.

this story is told using 'I' pronouns, even though this is a yn story.

I was drunk and sitting across the firepit from Ellie. She had a cold beer in her sweater-wrapped hand and was shivering, teeth clattering as she sipped the cheap drink. I thought it was funny–how she settled for cheap beer but never cheap weed.

I sipped on my oddly flavored tequila-cranberry juice and watched her talk to her friend next to her. She was gorgeous: ginger with freckles dancing across her body behind the fire. People might’ve thought she blended in, with all the red, even the sweater on her body; but I thought she stood out.

I might’ve been biased, though, because I had been staring at her all night. Before I even started drinking. She sat beside Ellie once I plopped my ass onto the cold steel chair and as I drank more and more, I could feel her body burn into my eyeballs.

She looked good with Ellie. I could tell they were talking because The Girl had her arm hooked in Ellie’s and she wasn’t moving it.

A body pushed itself next to me and I straightened myself out. I gripped my cup tighter and looked at them. I didn’t really need to look to know who it is, though, because the cologne overtaking my senses only belonged to Finn.

“Hey beautiful,” he sayid.

I nodded. I didn’t usually reply to these things with a blush and awkward stutter, I just answered. I felt bad for doing it, but my emotions did not match those that I had in the pool after Ellie’s graduation party. That night I kissed him because Ellie said she couldn’t date me any longer. And Finn… he hugged me as I cried and carried me into the pool as if to wash me of the pain. He felt safe, it felt as though he could care for me. And I could care for him back. But as time moved forward and Ellie’s smile grew wider, the sore patches beneath her eyes disappeared, and her shoulders no longer slouched like a sad face, I wished for her back. I thought that since she was better, the idea of taking me back would present itself.

However… Ellie was perfectly fine now and in no visible need for my return. Which, ouch, that hurt. Seasons had passed and the summer glow remained on her skin.

“You doing okay?” Finn asked as he took my cup and slowly took a sip. His face cringed and he smacked his lips in disgust. “You’re drunk.”

I nodded. “Sorry. Just a rough night.”

Finn nodded and watched my hooded eyes move from him to the girl across from the fire pit. I could feel his disappointment slapping my face but I said nothing–because… what was there to say? I knew Finn wasn’t oblivious to my feelings towards Ellie, but I was sure he hoped they’d go away at some point–it had been a while.

“You’re wasting time,” Finn had finally said after a minute.

My eyebrows jerked together. “What?” I asked.

“You’re wasting time trying to get her to want you back,” he continued. “Not just your time, but mine too.”

I didn’t know what else to do but nod. I just sat and moved my head up and down. My feelings at the time weren’t functioning the way they usually would. I felt bad, but I wouldn’t feel terrible until the next morning. I guess that’s why I would drink more than usual.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I turned to face him and all halted emotions started up again. The realization that Finn had truly been affected by my inability to like him hit me like a bus. I opened my mouth, ready to delve into my apology, but Finn stood up.

I stood up as well, following not only him and his path across the fire pit, but his–no, my–drink in his hand. I wobbled across the uneven grass and tried hauling him back as he grabbed Ellie’s shoulder.

“Hey!” Ellie hissed, yanking her shoulder back. “What the fuck? Your nails–”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

I stayed back an inch and hugged myself as tightly as possible, restricting my air flow. If I died, things would be much better–like not hearing this conversation or seeing how it’d go down. Ellie and Finn were cousins, and if they ever argued, it’d become a tad violent. Not physically, but loudly enough to be considered slapping and punching words.

Ellie scoffed and looked over at me. I looked off to the side. “Wh–Does this have to do with her?”

“It depends,” Finn replied. “Did you cut her off when life for you got too hard without a proper explanation or did you keep her around and explain everything to her?”

Ellie finally let go of the ginger wrapped around her arm like a koala and stood up to face Finn. “Get out of it. That conversation was between me and you, not me, you, and the rest of this party.”

“Well you should have explained everything to her,” Finn exclaimed, turning to point at me. “YN deserved an explanation, and she still does. Yet you haven’t given her one. If you had done so months ago, she would be the one hugging you, not that ginger.”

I shoved Finn and he looked down at me, his eyes watery as though he wanted to cry. I looked down again. “Stop being mean.”

He scoffed. “YN,” he whispered. “She’s being mean.”

I dug my nails into my skin and looked someplace else–the girl behind Ellie, also in a confused and emotional state. She had never been humiliated in front of a party, I was sure. “She doesn’t know anything,” I replied.

“You don’t either.”

“Yeah but it’s different.”

Finn scoffed again and ran a hand over his wet eyes. Tears stuck to his eyes and he wiped them on this white sweater, staining it. “Ellie could have you right now. You wouldn’t be fucking with me to get over her if she would have just explained.”

I couldn’t speak properly to save my life. A ball of nerves was lodged in my throat and a nest of wasps was tucked neatly inside of my stomach. If I spoke, or even opened my mouth to speak, it would crash and kill me.

I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak. Bad decision. I couldn’t say a word, the only sounds coming out of my mouth were broken mewls. I was pathetically crying.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and dropped the mascara covered hand against my thighs, digging into any bit of skin I could catch. I tried to move away and never hear of this conversation for the rest of my life, but as I tried to move, Ellie walked over as fast as she could and dragged me back over. She pulled me closer than I stood before, and I looked up at her with my wet cheeks and black-smeared eyes.

“I just wanted you to explain,” I whispered.

Ellie’s eyes dropped to the floor and I watched them linger on my arms. Crescents dotted them and she gulped. She didn’t hold onto me anymore, she let me move back. I thought it was due to the fear that she had done that–the nail digging–but then I realized it was the effect her presence had on me. I was anxious of her words, how they would be spat out, who she would direct them towards, if they would kill me, that I had begun the process of killing on my own.

“Do you love her?” Finn asked, staring so deeply into Ellie’s eyes that she had to blink, the burning setting tears to her eyes. “Not the girl behind you, but the girl in front of you. Because I do,” he continued, “even though I know she doesn’t love me back.”

“Finn,” I whimpered as I looked at Ellie. She looked back and gulped.

“Yes,” Ellie muttered.

I walked back and almost tripped over the firewood running away from Finn and Ellie. I drunkenly wriggled my way through the people inside and once I reached the porch, I darted towards the lake at the end of the road. I ran past cars–although I didn’t know how I was running so fast while alcohol freely swirled in my stomach and the cold air panged my face–and as I got to the cul de sac, I knelt over and heaved. I wasn’t sure at first if it was the kind of heaving that led to vomiting, but I quickly answered my own question as I began sobbing.

I sobbed and the hot tears stung my frozen cheeks. I held my stomach and sobbed in the middle of the road, where someone’s BMW was parked to my right. Poor BMW, having to hear a broke college student cry broken tears. I covered my mouth to not wake anyone with fragile ears and stood up as quickly as I could. I walked to the bench beside the lake and looked at the water. The sound almost sent me to sleep until the crunching of cold grass interrupted my eyelids.

I glanced behind me and froze. My neck crunched as I turned back around. “Hey,” I sighed.

She nodded towards the seat and I shrugged. She slowly walked towards me with her hands in her pockets, but instead of taking the seat to my left, she kneeled in front of me. Her hands slipped out of her jeans and grasped onto mine.

“You left,” she said.

I nodded. “Yeah… But you did too…”

She opened her mouth to speak but said nothing. She simply looked at me and gulped.

“I wanted an explanation for your disappearance and I got nothing. You left me and I had nothing. I tried to figure it all out–I tried to figure you out, but I gave up. You can be a hard person to read.”

“I thought you knew,” she whined.

“No,” I cried. “I have been walking around trying to figure out what happened–If I was to blame, if I just couldn’t support you how you wanted me to. I knew something had happened but I didn’t know what! How would I know?”

I was shaking now, not from the cold–though it should have been–but from the anger welling up inside of me over the past few months.

My hands, icy and pale, reached out and grabbed onto Ellie’s face. “How would I know?” I cried to her, repeating myself over and over again. So she could hear me. Hear how badly I wanted to know what shredded her mind. “I loved you. But…” I gasped, my head dropping down and tired of holding itself up. “I loved you so much. I do… love you so much. But how would I have known, Ellie?”

A tear rolled down her face and her body fell forward onto my lap. My hands moved to her neck and hers rolled up onto my back. She sobbed onto me, and the feelings bubbling in my stomach shooted out of my mouth. I cried alongside her and no longer cared about the floating words in the sky–the one’s begging Ellie to eat them and speak them. I should have, but my focus was on the warm feeling washing away the cold in my veins.

Ellie croaked, her cries washing out just as the cold did. I lifted her head up and cradled her face between my hands. She winced. “When Joel got sick,” she said, sniffling, “I didn’t want anyone to know. I would have done anything to hide that from any and everyone.”

I sensed her following words. She wasn’t going to tell me from the beginning. And as I sat there and watched those words leave her lips, the anger was wrung out of my body. I felt as though crying alongside her, but my eyes were frozen and all I could do was wrap my arms around her and pull her up onto the bench. I held her against my body and didn’t let go until she gasped for fresh air.

“I didn’t mean to push you away,” she whispered. “I wanted to speak to you. I wanted to allow you in and tell you about Joel and how close he was to dying. But every time I typed out a text to ask if I could come and talk to you, I shut down and threw my phone across the room. After five times, I stopped trying.”

I sat still, not saying a word or thinking of any, at that. I was mute and thoughtless, just a body with its mind crawling out of a hole it dug. Ellie had given me the reason I had been searching for. However, I had thought that once she’d given it to me on a plate, all of her factors in the shape of sides, I would ask and ask until she was the mute one–still and brainless.

Minutes had passed and I hadn’t spoken a word yet. I assumed Ellie gained suspicion as she wrapped an arm around me and dug her fingernails into my side. I picked my head and body up and looked at her, a faulty smile painting my face. “Sorry,” I said. “Just trying to process.”

“I know this is unforgivable,” she said, her voice congested from the crying. She sniffled. “I should have told you. I should have let you in. If I had known you wanted to know about what had me pushing you away from me, I would have pushed past all of the overthinking.”

I shook my head and anxiously swept my hair away from my sticky face. “If I wasn’t stuck thinking you hated me or something, I would have fought for just a word with you. I would have knocked your fucking door down. I love you, Ellie, I shouldn’t have been so clueless.”

Ellie’s cold hand grabbed onto my chin and turned my face towards her. I wanted to shut my eyes, shut her out of my line of vision and just think about the fucking galaxy and my lack of importance in it; but her thumb glided across my wet eyelids and pleaded for their opening.

“We can’t keep blaming ourselves for this if we want to move past it,” she chuckled, her hand still caressing my face.

I nodded. With my wet lips and needy demeanor, I slowly moved into her and kissed her softly. I wanted to taste her, in a non-erotic sense. I wanted to taste her sadness and anger, her anxiousness and tears. The kisses turned into pecks and as they passed, our lips met different areas of our faces: cheeks, ear, neck, shoulder. We then hugged tightly and continued kissing one another’s shoulders.

“I missed you,” she whispered to me, followed by, “I’m sorry.”

And I said, “I’m sorry too. And I’m sorry… too.”

And we laughed the pain away until we sounded like hyenas.

#ellie williams tlou #elliewilliams x reader #the last of us #oneshot #ellie williams #ellie williams x you #ellie williams headcanons #lesbian romance #ellie williams fluff #ellie x fem reader #ellie x you

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bellyfisher · 2 years ago

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oh my god, my head hurts

read on ao3! 1.7k

summary: hurt/comfort fic. belly does something stupid as a gotcha to conrad. conrad does everything but says he actually cares about her. two idiot teenagers in love.

title from My Head Hurts by Little Hurt

for @kristtta i hope you like it!

Conrad always told me he would teach me how to surf while we’re at the summer house. However, I’m definitely not high on his priority list considering it’s been three years since he promised to teach me. Conrad much prefers to hang out with Red Sox Girl and drink himself to death these days.

I decided I was going to take matters into my own hands. I mean surfing can’t be that hard, right? Cousins isn’t known for its roaring waves. Thankfully, Susannah has an entire collection of surfboards ready to be used.

As I walk to the shed I hear somebody calling to me, “Hey Belly, what are you doing?” I turn around and it’s Jeremiah jogging to catch up with me.

“Oh uh I just figured I might go surfing today.” I shrug. I try to act nonchalant I can’t have Jeremiah running to tell Conrad. Although, I don’t know why I care so much since he clearly doesn’t either.

“But you’ve never been surfing before?” Jeremiah scrunches his face up in a quizzical way.

“Yeah I know. I was just going to take it easy. Just sit on the surfboard and get a feel for the water. I don’t think I’m gonna hit any waves.” I start spilling out. I hope Jeremiah doesn’t notice how nervous I am.

“Oh okay! Did you want me to come with you Bells?” Oh sweet Jere, always looking out for me.

“Nah that’s okay, I just kind of want some alone time.” I tuck my hair behind my ear as I walk in the shed to grab the surfboard.

“Alright, well let me know if you need anything. See ya later Belly.” Jeremiah taps my arm to say goodbye and I give him one last smile as I walk towards the beach.

I start to feel nervous, my body shivering. If anybody asks I plan on telling them I’m just cold. That’s believable in the summer, right?

Once I’m at the beachfront, of course Conrad is there with Red Sox Girl sitting on a beach blanket together. He’s too busy sucking her face off and I hope he doesn’t notice me. I start to quicken my pace, I don’t want a Conrad confrontation right now. He can be so condescending without even admitting why he cares so much.

“Oh is that Belly?” I hear the girl’s voice say. Shit.

I keep walking trying to reach the water before Conrad notices but of course Conrad, filled with athletic God genes, is up and running towards me. He’s already next to me, “What the hell are you doing, Belly?”.

I roll my eyes, “What does it look like I’m doing, genius?”.

He forcefully grabs my arm and turns me around, “You know I said I would teach you.”

“Yeah well we all say a lot of things. Clearly you didn’t mean it since you’ve been too busy sucking face and getting wasted everyday. It’s been three years, Conrad. I'm taking matters into my own hands.”

“You don’t know how to surf Belly! This is crazy! If you do it I’m telling Laurel!”

“Yeah well have fun telling her while I’m already out in the water!” I didn’t realize how loud I was.

“God why do you have to be such a brat!” He knows that’s my trigger word. I yank my arm out of his and run into the water. He wouldn’t follow me, I know him. I sit on the board and look to shore and sure enough he’s already back with Nicole.

Now I’m not sure what to do. A few small waves come and I don’t move from my sitting position. I’m terrified to be out here now but I’m not getting out until Conrad moves from the beach. I don’t want to hear his smug ‘I told you so’ but he won’t stop looking at me. God he can be so infuriating.

I’ve been sitting out in the ocean for about 20 minutes and the weather is starting to get rough. I need to head to shore but I’m still seething at Conrad. I thought things were changing between us this summer. When we had that moment while I was night swimming, I thought he would seek me out to teach me to surf. Typical Belly, expecting the best out of people who don’t care.

Fueled by anger, I test myself to stand up. I can still feel Conrad staring daggers at me. This will show him I’m not a baby anymore.

I stand up okay, definitely wobbly. A small wave comes and knocks me off the surfboard. It wasn’t too rough so I’m able to come back with no issues. I look towards the shore when I sit up on the board again. Huh, Red Sox Girl was stalking off. I wonder what Conrad said to piss her off. I figure I’ll give standing up one more go and I’ll go back to shore because the weather is cooling down and frankly I’m tired of being out in the water. Conrad be damned I don’t care.

The waves have gotten bigger and choppier while I sat gaining the courage to try again. I can see Conrad trying to yell something at me but I can’t hear him over the wind.

I stand up on the surfboard again. Just as wobbly as the first time. Conrad has walked right to the water, standing on the edge his feet half in. He’s not taking his eyes off me, he looks angry but also scared?

It happens in slow motion. A huge wave comes crashing from behind and I’m not expecting it. I slip backwards on the surfboard and into the water. I cut my leg in the process but I don’t feel it because the snap in my neck is what grabs my attention. And then I’m in the water. I’m telling myself to kick up, get above to the air. My body can’t move. I feel myself sinking lower into the ocean. The choppy waters moving me from side to side. My head is feeling faint from the lack of oxygen on top of my injury. I feel an arm around me, pulling me to the surface. My guardian angel coming to rescue me.

I gasp for air when I hit the surface. I think I can feel tears forming in my eyes. I can feel myself being dragged to shore.

All I can hear is, “I’ve got you Belly.” But it’s barely above a whisper. I think I might be hallucinating. Once we get to where he is able to stand up, Conrad lifts me bridal style like I don’t weigh a thing.

“Conrad?” I mumble. Still reeling from what just happened.

“Hey don’t worry Bells. We’re good now, we’re good.” He says it like he’s trying to convince himself. I can feel his feet running and yet he still doesn’t seem out of breath. The next thing I know we’re at the house and he puts me down on the couch, “I’ll be right back I promise. I’m going to grab a first aid kit.”

I know Conrad moves fast but I’ve never seen him move that fast. He’s back by my side before I can even notice he’s gone, “Where are moms?“ I manage to wince out through the pain. My head is starting to feel better but my leg is in severe pain. I have a large gash on my calf which I know is going to scar.

I can’t help it, I start to cry, “Where does it hurt Belly?” I can sense Conrad’s anxiety skyrocketing.

“J-just my leg, but now I’m going to have an ugly scar!” I cover my face with my hands.

“Hey, scars are badass. Doesn’t matter what stupid thing you did in the process.”

“Stop I only did it because I didn’t want to hear the I told you so’s from you.”

“I know. That’s my fault, I’m sorry. I should have taken you out with me to learn by now. I’ve just been distracted.” Conrad looks away from me, that’s how I know he’s at his most vulnerable.

“Conrad, whatever’s wrong you can tell me.” I touch his face. He looks so young and scared right now.

“Belly- I can’t. I need to take care of you right now.” I can feel electricity pulsing through my body every time his hand softly touches my leg. Conrad works fast to cover the bleeding, “Don’t go to sleep okay? You might have a concussion.”

Conrad gets up to leave, I grab his arm, “Please stay.” I look up at him.

He nods, “Okay.” He sits on the couch and puts his arm around me. I nestle my head into his shoulder and he starts running his hand through my hair.

“I’m serious, if you don’t want to tell me what you’re going through you should tell someone. Maybe Steven?”

“I’ll be okay, Belly. I’m the oldest, I’ve learned how to be strong.”

“You shouldn’t have to be strong all the time.” I look into his eyes, I want him to know I mean it.

It feels like forever as we look at each other. I think I’m starting to imagine things as I can see his face moving closer to mine. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up. I start moving my face closer to his until we’re kissing. Conrad is soft and gentle, careful not to break me. I start to deepen the kiss and Conrad responds in kind. I start to forget all about the gash in my leg until I want to reposition and suddenly I cry out from the pain.

Conrad pulls away faster than lightning, “I’m sorry.” He rushes out.

“No don’t be sorry! I did it to myself. And it was worth it anyways.” I taper off towards the end

“Maybe I should go.” Conrad starts to push himself up again and I pull him right back down.

“Stay until at least the moms get home please.” Conrad nods at me and I go back to my head on his shoulder. Conrad turns on the TV to some made-for-TV movie. We sit in silence.

Once moms get home, Conrad fills them in on what happened. He doesn’t look at me the whole time. Once my mom comes over to check me out, Conrad walks away, how he’s so good at that I’ll never know.

What just happened?

#also i might make a taglist if u guys want 🫣 send me a message or ask if ur interested #belly x conrad #belly x conrad fic #hurt/comfort fic #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp #bonrad #literally my two favorite idiots!#tsitp fic #belly conklin #conrad fisher

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gimmethemprimals · 4 years ago

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Shaded Skies

Word count: 11,080

Warnings: Body horror, violence, mentions of death, dissociation

(The google doc for this story is available in a l*nk in reblogs/notes as well!)

Skybreak had wasted too much of his life for this. The Tempest Spire wasn’t safe. But when things fall apart in front of him and not a single one of his efforts succeeds, he has to do something. Anything.

Section I

“Oh, Skybreak, I wasn’t expecting to see you here!” Mel cheerfully said, watching as a grey Ridgeback slowly approached her. He said nothing in response, instead stopping just feet before the Arcane Pearlcatcher. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity, her tail flicking back and forth. They stood upon a large balcony that overlooked one of the many courtyards of the Tempest Spire, Mel leaning on the stiff metal railing.

Skybreak’s expression was stormy, to say the least. The two stared at each other for several seconds, Mel quietly waiting for a reply. When more time passed without any conversation, she cleared her throat. “....Well? Are you just going to stand there?” She chirped, seemingly unbothered by the other dragon’s silence.

He narrowed his eyes. But he let out a sigh, and finally began to speak. “....You have a lot of audacity.”

A look of surprise flashed over her face, and Mel raised a hand to her chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She seemed quite genuine in her reaction.. but this seemed to aggravate him even more.

“Really? You’re just going to stand there and talk to me like you don’t know why I’m here?” He growled, taking a step forward towards Mel. There wasn’t just frustration or anger in his voice- there was bitterness. An intense, and overwhelming bitterness. It was still growing as well.

Mel’s large ears were pinned to her head, and she nervously glanced around. Standing up straight from the railing, thoughts began to run through her mind as she spoke again. “Skybreak, I understand that you’re angry. I’m so sorry if any of my past words or actions have ever hurt you.” Despite her soft and kind voice, Mel’s body was tense.

The moments of silence were complemented by the booming thunder from the stormy skies above. Seeing that Skybreak wasn’t going to respond, Mel continued to speak.

“You should remember from our last… misunderstanding that I mean absolutely no harm! We can resolve this with words, and maybe if I can… learn what’s bothering you, we can become friends again!”

“....again?” Skybreak hissed.

Mel stared at him with wide eyes. “Yes! Again! We were friends once, were we not? I remember when I was first promoted to Administrator, you came along to help me with my new position! I thought you were a rather great friend, and your affinity for Arcane magic was amazing! But after that one office party, you just seemed to… drift away from me. Did I do anything back then to anger you?”

Skybreak took a step towards the smaller dragon. “Did you do anything to anger me….. What a question,” he spat. “I saw something, Mel. I saw something that night that still haunts me.”

He took another step. “Do you know what it’s like to see a dead body, Mel?”

Mel’s breath hitched at the words. “W- What?”

Skybreak’s lip curled. “I noticed that you had disappeared after a couple of hours with a group of other exalts. At first, I really thought nothing of it but- but when the party ended, and I was making my way back to my living quarters… I know what death smells like. I had just been hoping that perhaps it had been an unfortunate animal, or maybe someone had forgotten to clean up their meal, but when I went to investigate the hallway that it was wafting from…” He seemed to cringe as the memory came back to him.

“....Oh. It was you who found it.” She just barely let out a whisper as she spoke.

“...It? Mel. That was a dragon. They had a name. Oliver Reesedrake. All their magic was gone when I found them, it was like something had somehow ripped it all out of their body. Like someone had ripped it out. I didn’t… I didn’t know them that well but I still… I still worked with them. I still…” Skybreak quietly trailed off. The thoughts that he had repressed for months ripped through his mind. It was as if the rage he carried had all been snuffed out like a candle.

Mel blinked. Despite what the dragon in front of her had said, she didn’t seem to have been fazed. But as he looked up at her again, her expression softened.

“Skybreak..”

The flame inside of him ignited once more. “I still knew that they were a good dragon. It took me a while to recover from seeing that. But I’m telling you about this because I thought about that day a lot. I thought about it then, and I still think about it now. And I realized something. Oliver was one of the dragons who left the party early with you.” He almost snarled the last sentence out.

Mel was left speechless as Skybreak continued. “When I described Oliver’s body to Conrad, he just… stared at me. Then he told me something very interesting. A corpse should still have the remains of magic for a very long time after a dragon has died. Even those who have passed from Magical Decay, they still have something within them that remains. A dragon who has died with all their magic missing is a tell-tale sign of something else. A clear sign of the Shade. But the Justice Department couldn’t do anything about it. Conrad tried investigating but- even Shade Management couldn’t find a trace of foul play. But I wasn’t satisfied. I couldn’t just- brush it off. So I started doing my own investigating.

You know what was curious? I realized that Oliver hadn’t been the first exalt in the Tempest Spire or Lightning Farm to have died like this. No explanation, no reasoning, only limp bodies with no traces of magic left inside of them. What was also curious? This only started after you joined the exalted forces. I found more and more things that didn’t make sense- but when I brought it up, nobody listened. Nobody listened when I told them it was suspicious. Nobody listened when I screamed that you had done something, that you were somehow connected- nobody listened until I was stripped of my title and demoted. They still aren’t listening to me.”

The Ridgeback went silent.

Mel struggled to find the words to say. “I… Skybreak, I’m so sorry. The shock of going through something like that must be terrible. Trauma like that can mess with a dragon’s ability to think logically. If I can just speak to you about this more, get you someone to explain everything to, then maybe we can resolve this properly.”

The seemingly kind reply sent Skybreak into a rage. “...Resolve this properly? Resolve this properly?! I know I’m not going crazy, I know that I’m thinking logically, I know that I’m right.” He got closer to her, Mel being unable to back up any further against the railing.

“I did not throw away my job, my friends, my reputation, JUST for you to stand there looking like a complete and utter idiot!” Skybreak pounced forward and violently grabbed Mel by the collar of her coat, the other dragon letting out a yelp as she struggled against the large Ridgeback. With her feet barely touching the ground, she managed to partially spin them both around and unleashed a large blast of magic to push the two of them apart.

Skybreak slammed into the metal railing with a loud crash, and Mel just barely kept herself upright as she recoiled from the spell. She breathed heavily as she watched the Ridgeback recover from the hit, neither of them speaking for several moments. She glanced down at the courtyard, and around the walls, wondering if any dragons down there had heard the blast or if any security cameras had caught the unfolding scene. It seemed as if the looming thunder had muffled it, as she saw no exalts looking in their general direction. She couldn’t be sure about the cameras though.

She was taken out of her thoughts as Skybreak slowly began to get up again, finally rising to his feet. He looked down at the ground but haggardly raised his gaze to look up at the Pearlcatcher. The air seemed to grow colder as she watched him. She couldn’t tell if the look in his eyes was one of desperation… or…

Skybreak let out another growl. “I’m not done, Mel. We both know that you’re a walking and talking lie,” he began to approach her again. “You aren’t the dainty little Pearlcatcher that everyone thinks you are. You’re not the kind Oversight Administrator, you’re not the trustworthy Arcane dragon, you’re not-” He took a moment to let out a humorless laugh.

“YOU’RE NOT EVEN A DRAGON! YOU’RE A CREATURE OF THE SHADE!” His voice strained as he screeched the last sentences out.

Mel’s face fell as she looked at the poor excuse for a Ridgeback in front of her. Her ears were pinned down to her head in reaction to the noise that Skybreak had created. The panicked expression she had on her face for the duration of the confrontation slowly melted into something blank and unreadable.

“...Huh.”

Confusion crashed over Skybreak at Mel’s simple response. He stopped in his tracks entirely, staring at her with bewilderment on his face.

“I didn’t think you’d ever actually say it! Everyone said that you were insane for accusing me of being some sort of-” she took a moment to snort, “Shade beast, but I didn’t know you actually believed it! I just thought you had some ulterior reasons to hate me!”

Before Skybreak could respond, she took a step forward instead. “You’re the only one who’s been able to figure it out so far! Does that make you feel special? I think I’d feel special.” She was practically rambling at this point. “Everyone else said that you were insane! Or well, an idiot. But they seem to be the idiots here, huh? Idiots living in blissful ignorance at least.” Her voice was… joyful.

The Ridgeback in front of her began to back up, swearing once he became aware of the railing behind him. He looked around desperately, wondering if anyone could see what was unfolding on the terrace. How was nobody watching this? He was just about to call out to the dragons below, get their attention, make sure that-

“Do you really have nothing to say? You should be happy! I just confirmed a theory that’s ruined your life from trying to prove it!” Mel’s tone was mocking.

Electricity sparked from Skybreak’s hands. “Why would you tell me this? You’re- you’re lying! You’re lying to have me attack you and- and get me arrested! You just-” He was frantic, he couldn’t believe a single thing that Mel was saying. He didn’t want his theory to be true. He never wanted it to be true.

Mel let out a laugh. “Why am I telling you this? Oh, you poor sweet fool, I suppose you can at least figure out that any sane being wouldn’t just… unveil their secrets to any other living creature. But that’s the thing. Living creature.”

While usually quick-witted, the onsetting panic within Skybreak slowed his ability to interpret what the… Pearlcatcher… was saying. His eyes darted around- he wanted to run, wanted to escape… but there was no escape on the balcony. Just the courtyard below.

“Aww, look at your face! You look like a newborn hatchling..” Mel took a step forward. “If I must explain it to you... “ Mel’s body seemed to fall apart at the seams as pitch-black tar seeped from her eyes and mouth, her draconic form dissipating within a matter of seconds. What stood in its place was a horrific amalgamation of flesh, blood, Shade, and other body matter. Its eyes turned pitch black, the stitches that held together the bits of skin and scale looked as if they were going to rip apart as it fell onto all fours.

“You’re going to die here.”

Section II

“You’re acting like I’m going to die right here and right now!” Alatus chortled, the elder Guardian’s laugh deep and hearty.

“I was just saying! You complain so much about the other Executives and your meetings that I’m starting to wonder exactly why you haven’t retired yet.” Conrad playfully pushed against Alatus’s side as they walked together, the grin on his face increasing his punchability 10 fold. In retaliation, Alatus lightly smacked Conrad’s back, the small Ridgeback almost stumbling forward before catching himself.

“H- Hey!” Conrad loudly yelped. Alatus just chuckled to himself as he watched his subordinate’s face flush with embarrassment. “I didn’t even hit you that hard son! You oughta get some strength in your legs before a gust of wind blows y’over!”

“I’ll have you know that I exercise every day-”

“Well, y’certainly don’t do it enough!”

Conrad rolled his eyes, smacking Alatus back on the arm. “Some of us haven’t had 4 centuries to work on their muscles!” The Guardian blew air out of his nose but said nothing in response.

“Anyways, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted-'' Alatus let out a noise of protest but the Ridgeback simply ignored him. “You always leave those ‘Productivity Meetings’ looking like you just stepped on a Quillrunner. I’m starting to doubt that you guys actually do anything productive in there, honestly.”

“Oh please, you don’t seem to exactly appreciate your fellow Directors either, and If you think I’ve stepped on a Quillrunner, you should really see Aster,” Alatus mused. “He’s always sparking with electricity whenever the slightest thing ticks him off- It’s a wonder that he hasn’t blown Kairan or Phorcys up yet. But sometimes I can’t help but agree with him when it comes to those two.”

Conrad showed a sarcastic look of shock on his face. “You? Agreeing with Aster? By the clouds, I can’t believe it! What next?”

Alatus stared at him with mock anger, “You really enjoy testing me kid, huh? You better get that mouth shut before we get to Aster’s office, he’ll find out some outrageous way to fine your agency before you can even say ‘Hey’”

“...Wait, we’re heading to the Oversight Wing?” The Ridgeback stared at him in momentary confusion.

“Well, technically we’ll be droppin’ by my office first, but yes. I need to get some… paperwork to Aster.”

“Paperwork? You could’ve just grabbed an intern and sent em on over if it was just paperwork.”

Alatus sighed as Conrad stated the obvious. “I need to discuss some topics personally with him. Also, I need to take care of some.. other things as well. Those interns need a break anyways, it’s peak dry season and I’d rather not have to deal with filing another workplace injury report… which Aster would probably badger me about regardless.”

The Ridgeback nodded as Alatus spoke, taking a moment to think. “Pff, alright. I suppose you’re not as buddy buddy with Aster as I so ‘rudely’ presumed. That’s got me thinking, do you even like any of your fellow Executives? Seems like a no to me,” He guessed.

“I don’t exactly get along too well with most of them, but I don’t hate all of them. Yilses and Delyin are alright… and did y’forget about Nerevar? He’s like a son to me!.... A son that doesn’t know when to shut up, but a son nonetheless,” Alatus snorted. Conrad raised an eyebrow.

“Are you talking about Nerevar, or me?” Conrad tested, an amused look on his face as he nudged at Alatus with his elbow. Alatus couldn’t help but laugh at the Ridgeback’s comment.

“Well, I could say that it could definitely apply to both of you! Or at least, you when you’re not shaking in your boots tryin’ to interact with anyone who isn’t me,” Alatus teased.

The gray Ridgeback went red once again as he hastily attempted to defend himself. “Hey! That’s not true, I have other friends y’know! And I’m not that anxious, I’m just aware of myself when I’m interacting with others.”

Alatus raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Aware of yourself. But please, enlighten me on your friends? No, Nerevar does not count before you try to include him.” Conrad seemed to wilt upon the denial of Nerevar.

“Well- I mean…. there’s Vavin?”

“Your boyfriend also does not count.”

Conrad withered more, “… um, Isolt?” Alatus continued to stare at Conrad, an expectant look on his face. The Ridgeback’s face was hot as he continued speaking. “Oh! There’s also Skybreak… but uh. Hrm. I can’t think of anyone… else. Fine, fair play.” He stared off, a mix of frustration and embarrassment flushing through him.

Alatus seemed satisfied with the Ridgeback’s answer… but there was an aura of awkwardness seeping off of him. “Hrmph, see? I’m not judgin’ you for not having a ton of friends, I just think you need to be aware of yourself sometimes!....” He trailed off.

Conrad was snapped out of his momentary embarrassment as he noticed his boss’s own uneasiness. “...Alatus?”

The Guardian glanced back over at him, seeming to be debating internally over what to say. “Sorry son, I’m just thinkin. It’s just that you brought up Skybreak. You two are still friends?”

The Ridgeback was now just… confused. “Um, yes? Why wouldn’t we be? I actually just spoke to him this morning before work started.” He tilted his head curiously as he peered at Alatus. His boss looked away, his tail was swaying back and forth as he thought about what would be best to say.

“Well. I thought that after everything… involving Skybreak, that perhaps you two should have drifted apart?” His tone was a fair bit more... serious now.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Conrad stared at him quizzically. He had never been the most aware dragon in social situations.

“Well… all those incidents surrounding him son. At first, I just felt sorry for him. But now…?” Alatus was pensive. “Well, I gotta say, I’m surprised that you’ve kept up that friendship with him.”

Conrad couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Alatus, I’ve been friends with Skybreak since I became an exalt. Just because he got… demoted or something doesn’t mean that I’d just drop him like… that.” He dug his claws into his palms nervously.

Alatus let out a sigh. “Son, it wasn’t just that he got demoted. I could care less about that. But you can’t be that oblivious to the reason why. You know Phorcys, she wouldn’t do something like that unless things got… bad.”

“.....He’s a good dragon Alatus.”

“And I’m not saying he’s not a good dragon on the inside Con. But I might’ve been able to respect him a couple years ago, nowadays? Not so much. He’s been spiraling for awhile now.”

They had both slowed to a stop, the two of them staring at each other awkwardly. Conrad bit his lip as he took in the Guardian’s words. “Of course I know that Alatus! But I just… I don’t think I could ever bring myself to just… leave him. Especially when he’s like this.”

“Con, you gotta look out for yourself sometimes-”

“I am Alatus, I’m a grown dragon, I know how to deal with my relationships. Kinda. But you have to trust me, Skybreak is just…”

“Making bad decisions? Going down the wrong path?” Alatus grit his teeth as he interrupted from where Conrad had trailed off. “Conrad I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve seen dragons like this before. It never ends well. It won’t end well for you either if you continue to just act like everything is fine and dandy with him.” A chord seemed to have been struck inside of Alatus.

“But those are your experiences Alatus-”

“Yes, my experiences. But do I have to remind you I’m nearly 20 times older than you? I’ve seen a lot more. It never ends well.” The elder Guardian almost growled as he spoke. But upon seeing the nervous look on Conrad’s face, he suddenly became aware of how he towered over the Ridgeback.

“...I’m sorry Conrad, I know that I’m probably not helpin’ by acting like an elderly Thunderstomp. But remember what I said son. I wasn’t lying when I told you that it never ended well for me at least. Or for some of the dragons I used to know.”

Conrad sighed, “Yeah, yeah. Just trust me Alatus, Skybreak will be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

Alatus looked at him incredulously, but rolled his eyes. “Alright, whatever you say kid. Now c’mon, let’s get going. We’ve got places to be and dragons to bother.” Thus, they went off on their way again, the previous topic having been abandoned. But that didn’t exactly mean that it had left either of their minds.

Eventually, they found themself in the Security Wing of the Spire. Conrad waited patiently as Alatus took a moment to fumble with his keys before entering his office. Despite how close he was to the Guardian, he had never once stepped inside the room. It was almost an anomaly to him, and was probably just as strange to any other dragon in the Spire. Most reasoned that the Guardian just didn’t want anyone to see the mess that had accumulated over his centuries of work.

Few exalts passed by, some giving respectful nods to the Director as he awkwardly waved back. But as he leaned against the wall, he couldn’t help but think about Skybreak again. They had met up that morning- an hour before Conrad had even started working. Conrad had almost forgotten the last time he had the time to talk to Skybreak for an extended period of time.

It was nice. It was casual. They were just in Conrad’s office, talking. It wasn’t about anything in particular. But Skybreak seemed to be distracted during most of it. Conrad closed his eyes, trying to think back on what exactly the other Ridgeback had been talking about. He had asked Skybreak about his plans for today, right? A lot had happened today. It was difficult to recall the exact conversation.

Right. Skybreak took a weird amount of time to respond… and then he just told him that he had something big brewing. It was weird, wasn’t it. Sky wasn’t an Administrator anymore, he was a Manager. What on Sornieth could Skybreak have been planning? Wait. Skybreak might have been attempting to redeem himself, perhaps talk to Phorcys? Conrad hadn’t gotten a clear answer before the topic changed. Maybe Skybreak was going to reconcile with Mel.

His train of thought was interrupted when the door to the mysterious office swung open, Alatus stepping out. With the door closing just as fast as he had opened it, the Guardian made sure to lock it as well. Conrad looked down curiously at the unlabeled folder his boss had been carrying. He hadn’t been caught up in any of the ongoing projects in the General Department for a while now.

Alatus took notice to the look on his subordinate’s face. But before Conrad could start to question him, he shrugged his shoulders. “Nothin a Director needs to know about,” he said, “Executive work son, you’ll learn about it if we ever need to get your agency involved in the General Projects.” Conrad shot him another look- before noticing what else the Guardian had been holding. His curiosity transformed into confusion as he stared down at the spear that Alatus wielded in his left hand.

“What, are you askin’ about this?” He stared down at the old and battered weapon like he had been the one to ask a question about it. “I’ve been meanin’ to get this repaired, it’s an ancient thing like me. I used it when I was Captain of the Guard, which was what, 200 years ago? I think it deserves a bit better than to sit there gaining dust on my shelf,'' Alatus huffed, “Anyways, I need to get this file down to Aster before he chews me out for being 2 minutes late.” That seemed to temporarily silence any questions from the younger Ridgeback, despite feeling slightly unnerved by the sight of the weapon. Thus, the two went on their way to travel to the Oversight wing.

The two walked in silence. Both him and Alatus were deep in thought now. It was a comfortable silence at least. Well, sorta. Conrad couldn’t help but keep glancing over at the old Guardian. It wasn’t impossible to reason that Alatus had gone through a lot through his centuries of existence. But just what exactly had been plaguing him? Conrad had never really known about the history of the Tempest Spire. He had heard whispers and rumors of events that had happened decades ago, but he never really cared to know. Well, until now. He’d have to take a trip down to the record rooms eventually he supposed.

Alatus seemed to be thinking just as intensely. Conrad couldn’t interpret what emotions were going through his head. I mean, he never could in general. It was just one of those traits that the Guardian had. As Conrad took his gaze away from the other dragon, he suddenly became aware of the strange path they had taken through the hallways. He paused to stare- wait.

“Um, Alatus… this hall leads to Maintenance. The Oversight Wing is in the west, why are we going in an entirely different direction?” The Ridgeback was more than confused by the logistics of their walk.

Alatus let out a quiet laugh, “Just a shortcut kid.”

“But how would it be shorter than getting through-”

“If we go directly, we’re going to end up in one of the main halls. Do you really want to get caught in the rush? Especially since it's lunchtime, dragons are going to be walking and forth between the cafeterias and their workrooms,” Alatus explained.

“Ah, that makes…. A lot more sense. I still don’t know how exactly we’ll get from the cafeteria to Oversight, but whatever.” “Just don’t question it son, I know this place like the back of my hand. I’ve walked through these hallways a dozen times!”

But before Conrad could respond, a cacophony of noise crashed through the air. It was nearly impossible to distinguish each sound from another.

Conrad nearly jumped, the two of them freezing in place. Alatus let out a grunt as he whipped his head towards the source of the noise. Conrad took a moment to follow… The Tempest Spire was a loud place already, what with the constant booming thunder and the loud population of workers... But this felt different. It had been nearly impossible to distinguish each sound from another. There was screaming, was that the crash of metal? Conrad glanced over at Alatus, the two making eye contact for a split second.

“What was that?” Conrad asked, rising terror in his voice.

Alatus’s eyes widened as he took a moment to think. Conrad’s question was left ignored as the Guardian immediately made his way towards the direction of the sound. Conrad took a moment to follow after him, taken off guard. Alatus led them down the hall, glancing over at a small group of exalts they passed by. “Hey! Where did that noise come from?” He barked.

They were taken off guard by the sudden appearance of the Executive, taking a moment to gape at the Guardian. One Wildclaw straightened their posture and shakily pointed a claw down the hallway, “Uh- I think it came from the outer courtyards, we just left the cafeteria, Sir!” The other three nodded to confirm the Wildclaw’s statement.

Alatus let out a huff, “Outer courtyards... that might be a problem for us,” he said as he continued on his march. Conrad hastily followed after. He felt unnerved that he hadn’t heard anything else since the first loud crash. What could have happened? The two emerged into the main room that connected into the cafeteria… and the balconies. Conrad was on high alert as he glanced around, trying to take in everything. There were no exalts around- had they been the first to come to the noise?

Conrad didn’t have time to answer that as Alatus suddenly bolted through the balcony entrance, nearly stumbling as he ran after. He slowed to a stop once outside, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. They stood upon the far right side of a terrace. Conrad could bet that it would have been one normally populated with exalts on a late-night break. But now there was only a single Pearlcatcher standing there on the opposite side from them.

He let out a silent gasp as he stared at the condition of the balcony. The tough metal railing that had surrounded the platform looked as if a wrecking ball had crashed through it, with a section of the floor having been wiped out as well. Wisps of Arcane magic floated through the air around the destruction. Conrad could only guess that it had been the remains of an unsuccessful spell. Or at the very least, a spell that had been cast far too late to do anything.

His eyes darted back to the lone dragon, squinting. It only took a moment after for him to process who it was. Mel Runeshell. A Maintenance Administrator, and a dragon who for all intents and purposes had never gotten herself into much trouble. Well, except for when she was dragged into it by someone else. She turned her head to face Conrad and Alatus, terror in her eyes.

Alatus opened his mouth, just about to interrogate her- before the words died in his throat. Something seemed to have caught his eye. Conrad stared at him quizzically, taking a moment to follow the Executive’s gaze. When he did, he felt as if he had been punched in the gut. Down on the courtyard grounds laid the still figure of an all too familiar dragon. Skybreak Asterope. Former Oversight Administrator… and one of his closest friends. Conrad ran forward to what remained of the ruined railing, staring down in horror.

A handful of exalts roughly surrounded the Ridgeback, horror or shock on their faces. The remains of the balcony laid next to him, and Conrad could see the same wisps of magic flying around. There was a large dent in the ground underneath him, seeming almost too large for the Ridgeback to have created alone. As Conrad’s brain took in the details, he thought hard to connect the dots in his head. Then it clicked.

Mel and Skybreak had gotten into a fight. That was easy to understand. But in one way or another, Skybreak had been thrown off the balcony. He could only assume that Mel had unleashed a blast of magic... that would explain the damage sustained against the structure, and the wisps that continued to float around. Alatus seemed to have processed this as well.

Turning his attention back to the terrified Pearlcatcher before him, Alatus let out a roar. “What happened here?!” Mel began to look even more panicked as she desperately attempted to find something to say. “I- I didn’t mean to! I thought-” Dread filled Conrad as he listened to Mel’s cries, his gaze still locked on Skybreak.

Alatus’s eyes narrowed, “You didn’t mean to? You flung him off the balcony!”

Mel stumbled over her words at the Guardian’s aggression. “I- I HAD TO! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, I-”

Before Mel’s panic could continue, Conrad let out a gasp. Every dragon turned their heads back down to the courtyard grounds as they followed his gaze. Audible shock could be heard as they looked down in a combination of relief and terror. The previously still Skybreak had begun to stir. Mel inexplicably appeared even more terrified than she had already been. The Ridgeback slowly rose from the ground. Wide eyed and panicked, he looked up at the balcony…yet somehow, he seemed entirely unharmed. But a strangled noise came out of Conrad as he saw something horrifying.

Inky black tendrils dripped off of Skybreak’s body, harshly fighting the remains of Arcane magic surrounding him. It seemed to come right from the Ridgeback. Conrad could recognize the Shade from a mile away. All logical thought was thrown out of the window as he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation as to what he was witnessing. Skybreak looked just as horrified. Before he could speak a single word, Mel started screaming.

“LOOK! HE’S A CREATURE OF THE SHADE! HE- HE TRIED TO KILL ME!”

Everything around him slowed down as Mel screamed out exactly what Conrad had been thinking. Skybreak couldn’t… no, he couldn’t!.... But there was no denying the presence of the monstrous abyss upon the other Ridgeback. Conrad began to shake. It didn’t make any sense. He’d known Skybreak for countless years. He didn’t see anything, he had never seen any signs. For the Stormcatcher’s sake, he had met with the dragon that very morning! He was the Director of Shade Management- if any dragon could’ve recognized the clues, it should have been him! Why wasn’t it him! It-

Conrad was thrown back into the real world as the sound of thundering lightning shot through the air. He let out a silent scream as he realized what had just happened. Alatus had flung his spear at Skybreak. The other Ridgeback let out a shriek as the electrified blade just barely skimmed past his face and slammed into the ground behind him. The impact into the ground caused the weapon to practically shatter, the blade stuck deep within the terrain. Bright crimson spurted from Skybreak’s cheek as Alatus let out a roar that made Conrad’s blood run cold.

“DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY YOU FOOLS, CHASE HIM!”

Section III

Oh, Skybreak was a fool. Blood roared in his ears as the sound of yelling, screaming, and footsteps took over his senses. The fresh wound on his cheek shot pain through his face, a grimace forming on the Ridgeback’s face. But he didn’t have time to focus on the superficial cut. Thoughts raced through his head, but they weren’t complete. He couldn’t answer how, or why, or even what. He could only run.

He dashed through the courtyard as dragons chased after him, the reality of the situation fully dawning on Skybreak. Magic surged through his hands, and he hastily threw out a spell into the crowd. He didn’t care which spells, he just needed to keep them away. He needed to keep them away to have a moment to just think. If he couldn’t, he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to get to the end of the day still breathing. Blasts of lightning tore through the air, getting so close to him that he could’ve sworn he could smell the singed fabric of his coat.

The Ridgeback cringed as he unleashed a blast of magic directly into the crowd. He could see that it had directly slammed into several dragons. By the Stormcatcher, he prayed that they were okay. He didn’t want to hurt any of them! He just wanted to protect himself! But he couldn't feel regretful now, not when his own life was on the line. He heard screaming. Was it one of the dragons he hit? He didn’t know, nor wanted to know.

But he was still making ground. His gaze sharpened as he focused on his one and only goal. The gate entrance. If he could make it through the large wall that surrounded the courtyard, he could possibly make it out to the Lightning Farm. The watchtowers wouldn’t be occupied at this time, Conrad had told him so that very morning. Skybreak tensed. His heart hurt as he thought about Conrad…along with the look his friend had given him just moments earlier. What did he think of him now? Was he terrified? Could he even believe what was happening?... Did he feel betrayed? Skybreak let out a shout as another spear flew past him. He couldn’t focus on his emotions right now, or else he’d be dead by the hour.

He cursed himself for how rusty his magic casting was. Although he had always detested his Arcane spells, it was currently the only thing keeping him alive. Or at least the only thing keeping him alive for just a couple seconds longer. The crowd of dragons chasing him seemed to grow even larger. He swore. These were dragons he had worked with before. Dragons that should’ve respected him as their Administrator once! Dragons he had happily talked to, joked with, even dragons he had fought with. But now he couldn’t even tell their faces apart. He didn’t particularly want to know who was surrounding him either.

His heart sank as he realized his chances of escape were becoming smaller and smaller. There were so many dragons around him now. How did he even end up in this situation? What happened. Skybreak was being chased. Everyone around him wanted to kill him. He winced. The concept felt so foreign to him. They thought that he was Shade touched. It seemed so absurd. Like a silly tale that would be told to a hatchling. But it was a terrible truth that he was currently living through. They wanted to kill him because of that beast, Mel. If that even was her real name. If only he could have explained his side of the story before Alatus attacked him, if only he had never confronted Mel, if only he-

He let out a blood-curdling scream as a burst of lightning violently crashed into his face, Skybreak stumbling onto the ground from the impact. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t- everything went white. He desperately searched for something to anchor himself onto, but there was nothing but the dirt ground. Pain thundered through his skull- it hurt, it hurt. It hurt more than anything else he had ever experienced in his life. His ears were ringing painfully. The impact to the ground had practically knocked all the air out of his lungs- could he even breathe?

He forced his eyes open- he couldn’t see out of one of them. But he could see enough. Red. The first thing he saw after the blinding whiteness was red. Was it blood? His eyes darted up and he nearly let out a scream as he realized the situation he was in again. The world seemed to slow down. There were so many dragons. He had to keep moving, he had to keep running. But there was no way that he could have possibly recovered from the blow in time. Still struggling to breathe, still unable to hear anything, still enduring the pain that screamed through his head. He had to get moving. He couldn’t- He couldn’t-

Section IV

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This couldn’t be happening. Could it? Conrad couldn’t move. He was frozen in place. The world seemed to slow down as chaos incarnate unfolded below him. He saw Alatus’s mouth moving- was he talking to him? He couldn’t hear a single thing the Guardian was screaming. He could only assume that he was being told to do something. Do anything.

But he didn’t want to do anything. Conrad closed his eyes. If he tried hard enough, maybe he’d be able to convince himself it was just one big and terrible nightmare. A nightmare that he’d wake up from soon, and be able to see Skybreak again in his office. It would be nice. He would feel shaken at first, but then overjoyed when he realizes that it was all just a dream. He’d just be able to move on with his day, and his life. Maybe he’d eventually forget that he had ever even dreamt it up.

He didn’t get the luxury of dreaming now. He opened his eyes again, overwhelming dread crashing through him as his wishes were dashed. Both Alatus and Mel had left the balcony. He didn’t know where they had gone- did Alatus rush Mel away? Why didn’t he drag Conrad along? But that wasn’t the focus of his concerns, really.

He felt like he should be screaming in anger right now. Maybe he should be running inside- look for Alatus. Or maybe he should be helping the exalts below him, casting spells and warning dragons. But he didn’t feel any of that. It was too surreal now. Why couldn’t he get himself to do anything? A small part of him shouted. But he barely moved a muscle.

He should’ve been feeling a lot of emotions right now. Fear, rage, betrayal even? Anything would’ve been better than the void that filled him. He had never experienced something like this before. He had to do something. Conrad, do something. You’re a Director, do something. You’re supposed to be defending the Spire. You’re not supposed to be sympathizing with a Shade infected dragon. Do something. You can do something. Anything. Just don’t stand there.

But he did just stand there. He just stood there and watched. He watched as Skybreak ran and ran through the courtyard. Conrad cringed as he watched Arcane spells slam into the crowd. Was this really the Skybreak he knew? He would have never hurt his coworkers. Or at least never would have hurt them normally. Of course, this wasn’t a normal situation. Would Conrad have done this if he was in Skybreak’s place? The logical part of his brain screamed at this question. He never would have been caught up in the magic of the Shade. He’s supposed to be defending against it. It was an idiotic question.

Conrad gripped the railing of the platform so hard that he thought his claws would fall off. He began to wonder how everything would end. His breath hitched as he realized something horrific. This wasn’t the Southern Icefields. There would be no capture here, no containment. There would only be blood. There would only be death. When he gained the position of Director of Shade Management, he thought that it was the only logical thing to destroy any traces of the Shade. Why risk the chance of escape? But now Conrad desperately wished that they had been within the Icewarden’s domain. Skybreak might’ve had a chance of surviving.

But then Conrad saw something that made him want to explode. A Lightning spell shot through the air- and right towards Skybreak. He watched in horror as it slammed violently into Skybreak, the impact throwing him across the ground. Conrad screamed. He desperately wanted to run down somehow and help him- Why did he want to help him? But his heart sank even further as he realized what exactly this meant. The exalts chasing his friend had the perfect opportunity now to kill Skybreak. If the spell that hit him wasn’t going to do the job at least.

Conrad’s blood ran cold. This shouldn’t have happened today. This should’ve never happened in the first place. He had seen Skybreak that very morning. The other Ridgeback had been smiling. He looked so content. But now, he was only able to see him from afar, and Skybreak was writhing in pain. He didn’t want to see one of his closest friends be killed in front of him. He let out a cry as the dragons took seconds to reach Skybreak.

But he froze as he saw something that made his heart soar. A blinding flash of magenta magic surrounded Skybreak. The blast practically caused the exalts running towards him to go flying. Magical smoke flew through the air, covering up any visibility in the courtyard. Conrad could hear dragons shouting. But soon enough, the magic dissipated just as fast as it had appeared.

But once it did fade… a silence fell over the crowd. Skybreak Asterope had disappeared. All hell broke loose upon the collective realization. Conrad could hear nothing but the cacophony of noise that had erupted. All that remained of Skybreak’s presence was the remains of shade, blood, and arcane wisps. The Ridgeback had teleported away.

Conrad stood on the balcony, quiet as can be. He knew that he should have been terrified. If this had been any other situation, he would’ve been running back into the building and screaming his lungs out. Yelling warnings to others. It was supposed to have made him scared. A Shade-touched dragon on the loose. A dragon who was already confirmed in his mind to be a dangerous and powerful threat.

But…. no. He didn’t feel anything like that. He wasn’t even afraid anymore. No, no.

All Conrad felt was relief.

Epilogue

“Well I definitely can’t say that y’all should feel relieved by how everyone is reacting, but it could be… worse,” Vavin muttered. The large Ice Gaoler skimmed through one of the many newspapers strewn across Conrad’s desk. He sat in his own chair- one obviously made for breeds much smaller than him. But he seemed comfortable enough. Conrad stared at him in his own large chair, a tired expression on his face. He rested his chin upon his folded hands, looking as if he hadn’t slept since the 1st Age.

Vavin glanced over at the Ridgeback, the harsh expression that he typically carried on his face softening. “Erm. You okay?” He quietly questioned. Conrad simply sighed in response. Vavin muttered again, something about dumb journalists. He grumbled as he crumbled up the newspaper he held, attempting to throw it into the small trash can on the other side of the room. He swore when it hit the rim and bounced onto the floor.

“At least news hasn’t broken out internationally yet,” Vavin commented.

Conrad slowly sat up straight in his chair, taking a moment to stretch before responding. “Keyword is yet. Even if Kairan and Mydryin and whoever else try to keep it secret- it’s not going to work.” He let out a groan as he thought more about their situation, “I’m not looking forward to when Ice learns about it. We’re going to have the Wardens breathing down our necks.”

Vavin let a puff of air through his nose at the comment. “I feel like you forget I’m an ambassador sometimes. But yeah, you’re not wrong about that, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a whole lot more Gaolers over here in a couple of months. And aren’t our Wardens already doing that?”

Conrad groaned again.

“..I’m not making the situation better, am I?” Vavin sheepishly asked.

“No. But you’re not making it worse, you’re just stating a fact. Not a fun fact, but we’re going to have to deal with it eventually. I guess. You guys just don’t know how not to get your claws into everything, huh?” He teased.

The Gaoler in front of him laughed. “Hey, don’t lump me in with all of those dudes. You’re right, but still.” He trailed off awkwardly.

Before Conrad could think up another response, his eyes suddenly locked onto his desk. Vavin stared at him in confusion at the sudden pause in conversation. Conrad’s eyes narrowed as he leaned over in his chair to examine one of the many newspapers laid upon his desk.

He hastily snatched the paper up, shaking it out as his eyes darted around the pages. Vavin raised an eyebrow as he watched the Ridgeback. He rolled his eyes before hopping off of his tiny chair, approaching behind Conrad to catch a glimpse at what had distracted the other dragon so easily.

His heart sank when he caught onto what he had been reading. Conrad grit his teeth. “Is Conrad Silverlyfe fit for the role of Director of Shade Management?” He spat out the title of the article as if he had just had a bite of a rotten fish.

“After the incident involving former Administrator Skybreak Asterope caused rising panic among the public over the threat of the shade, countless rumors and questions have arisen.” A flame of anger sparked inside of Vavin as Conrad continued to read the distasteful.

“....Many of these emerge specifically after multiple witness accounts claim that Silverlyfe was present during the incident, and was seen standing in the same position the entire time up until Skybreak’s escape.” Before Conrad could continue reading, Vavin ripped the newspaper from his hands, staring at it in fury. The Ridgeback let out a noise of surprise, staring at him in bewilderment.

The Ambassador’s eyes skimmed through the rest of the article, his short mane of fur fluffing up. “What on Sornieth are they implying?!” He barked.

Conrad looked rather disheartened at the sight of the Gaoler being so angry over the rest of the article- what could it have been saying? “I knew something like this would happen…”

When he was finished, Vavin furiously crumpled up the newspaper in his hands and threw it as hard as he could towards the trash can. He let out a slew of swear words that likely would have made the Icewarden cringe when he missed. It would take a couple more moments until Conrad felt that Vavin was calm enough to start speaking again.

“...What else did it say about me? I’m assuming it… wasn’t great,” Conrad inquired, anxiety spiking in his mind.

“Well APPARENTLY they’re saying that you’re incompetent or something, and that you’ve been doing nothing- EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE BEEN AND THEY DON’T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT ITS NOT LIKE WE CAN REVEAL INFORMATION LIKE THAT-” Vavin snarled, “and APPARENTLY they have the audacity to say that you might have been ‘working with Skybreak’ OR SOMETHING DUMB LIKE THAT!”

“Did it really say that?” Slight horror peaked over Conrad’s face at the thought.

“....Well not EXACTLY, but that’s basically what they were implying! These dumb ‘witness accounts’ keep saying that you were friends with Skybreak prior to this- this incident or whatever!” Vavin violently gestured with his hands as he ranted and raved, frost flying off of him.

Conrad sighed. “There were.. a lot of dragons there, Vavin. They’re not lying when they say I just stood there doing nothing.”

Vavin let out a huff.

“Also, a lot of dragons know that I’m- I was close friends with Skybreak. It’s not… a wild assumption for some to think that I could have been working with him. I’m not- I mean, you know that, but I… understand why they’d think that.” He quietly explained. “Anyways, the Daily Strike is one of the most dramatic newspapers we have this side of the Expanse, they’ll do and say anything that means that they’ll get more readers.”

“Why is the Daily Strike even allowed to print?! It’s always spouting useless conspiracy theories and like, the worst news ever!” Vavin snarled. Conrad would be lying if he said he didn’t feel just as exasperated. “They’ve been running for a century now, Vavin, I don’t think anything could stop them from publishing now.”

“Stupid newspapers…” Vavin seethed. His large fluffy tail whipped around haphazardly, nearly knocking off several items from the bookcase placed behind Conrad’s desk. The Ridgeback couldn’t deny that it was comforting to see Vavin so angry over something like this.

“You don’t have to feel angry for me, y’know.”

“I’m not feeling these emotions for you- Well they’ve been caused by you? But these are my own feelings! And they’re telling me that this entire situation is really dumb and stupid! Honestly, I don’t get why they’re roping you into this-”

“I was there, Vavin.”

“And? So were dozens of other exalts!”

“I’m literally in charge of Shade Management.”

“Well they must know that this place isn’t exactly funded!”

“...No, they don’t. That’s kinda the whole point.”

Vavin let out a growl of frustration as he began to pace around the room. Magical flurries flew from his fur, luckily disappearing before it hit the office floor. “Well- I don’t understand why they should be roping you into this when Skybreak is the bastard who did this! They should be focused on that pile of yellow snow or something!” He stopped in front of Conrad’s desk as he faced the Ridgeback again.

“Vavin…” Conrad winced at the mention of Skybreak.

“He just- he just betrayed you! You trusted him and he did that! Who knows what else he was planning. Maybe if he was successful and killed Mel, he would have gone after you next!”

Conrad wilted. “I… I know that.”

“I can’t believe that he’d just- AGH! You deserve so much better than… this.” His expression softened. “You shouldn’t have been dragged into all of this. It’s dumb.”

“Why?”

Vavin paused at the question. “What? Conrad, are you dumb? You’re my… let’s just say… friend.” Conrad almost snorted. “Shut up- and the thought of that piece of shade hurting you in any way- it makes me feel like i’m going crazy!” He froze once he realized what he had just declared, staring at the other dragon in embarrassment. He let out a deep sigh as he tried to calm himself down again.

“I care about you a lot. I mean, if I didn’t, that’d make this relationship sorta awkward. But whatever, I stand by my point. You deserve better than this Conrad. Not even focusing on Skybreak. Just this whole big dumb situation.” He closed his eyes, taking a moment to just focus on breathing. He didn’t particularly want to burst into anger again.

“...Thanks,” Conrad awkwardly said.

Vavin rolled his eyes. “That isn’t a thing you generally thank people for Conrad, but you’re welcome anyways. I’m just being honest, okay?” He moved around the desk again, approaching the back of the Ridgeback’s chair. He set his hands on Conrad’s shoulders as he leaned over him. Conrad awkwardly stared up at him, a smile growing on his face.

“I think this is the most affectionate you’ve been in awhile.”

“Oh shut up.”

“I’m just saying,” Conrad gently teased. But before Vavin could come up with another retort, a knock at the door interrupted both of them. The Ice dragon hastily pulled away from Conrad, turning his head towards the noise. He nervously glanced over at him, letting out a swear.

The Ridgeback let out a quiet groan. He didn’t particularly want their alone time to be interrupted.

“It’s open!” He called out.

The door slowly creaked open to reveal an Arcane Pearlcatcher. She peeked her head inside, her eyes widening once she noticed Vavin. She readjusted her glasses as if she was hoping that the Gaoler was just a smudge. She pursed her lips, appearing almost disappointed that Conrad had not been alone.

“Oh- Mel, it’s nice to see you!” Conrad anxiously exclaimed. Vavin grit his teeth. Swiftly, a smile appeared on Mel’s face as she waved to the two drakes. “Hello Conrad! It is a pleasure to see you, and er…” She turned her attention to the Gaoler, her snout wrinkling.

“...Good to see you as well, Vavin. What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same of you…” He growled quietly.

“What?”

Conrad cut in before Vavin could reply again. “He was just here to collect some paperwork is all, and we got distracted with some conversation.” Vavin swiftly nodded to confirm Conrad’s statement.

“I was just about to leave anyways,” He murmured. Conrad stared at Vavin in confusion before nodding as well. Mel seemed satisfied with the explanation. The Gaoler swiftly collected the newspapers strewn across the Ridgeback’s desk, shooting Conrad a look of annoyance. He could only shrug. Vavin promptly whisked himself past Mel and out of Conrad’s office, an unreadable expression on his face.

Mel looked back towards where the Ice Ambassador had gone in confusion. But she shortly turned her attention back to Conrad. “I can’t say I was expecting him to be in your office. What sort of stuff was he collecting?” She mused aloud.

“Erm…”

“Oh, you don’t have to answer! I get it, classified information and stuff like that. I must snoop in what you two were talking about though, I never took Vavin as the one to take to small talk.”

Conrad took a moment to think. “We weren’t… talking about anything in particular. I suppose he was just in a good mood today, hah.” He set his hand on the back of his neck, swearing internally. He hoped that he was at all convincing. He was never that great at lying.

Mel didn’t seem phased though. “Huh. How fascinating, he always acts like he just got into a fight with a Yeti- or should I just say that he acts like a Yeti?” She chuckled to herself.

It took everything inside of Conrad not to defend Vavin. “So, why are you here anyways?” He questioned.

Mel didn’t seem prepared to answer a question. “Oh! I was just.. Coming here to check on you, I don’t think we’ve spoken since the incident! How are you?” Her surprise was masked by the cheerful tone in her voice. She casually waltzed over to Conrad’s desk, leaning over and placing her hands onto it.

“Er- I’ve been doing okay. As well as I could be honestly… but uh, honestly I should really be asking you how you’re doing! I’ve been so caught up in my work recently and I was hoping to try and talk to you, but then plans fell through and I-”

“I’m fine darling! You didn’t have to worry about me!”

“I just… thought you would have been affected by… y’know.”

She froze up. “Oh. Oh right. Well um, I’ve been handling it quite well. I’ve been talking to some dragons and… I’m still figuring things out, hah. But let’s not focus on that, I didn’t come here to feel like a scentless Tundra!”

Confusion washed over Conrad. How was Mel so nonchalant about this? Was he overreacting? He must have been overreacting. Even the dragon that had almost been killed that day didn’t seem as bothered as he was. Was he thinking too hard about it? He suddenly felt guilty. Well, more guilty than he already was.

Mel stared down at the mess of papers and office supplies strewn across his desk, letting out a tsk tsk tsk. “It seems like you haven’t been faring too well..” She seemed almost bored as she spoke.

Conrad suddenly became aware of the complete mess that his office was. He was never the most organized dragon, but after everything? It looked as if a pack of Wind Spirals had organized a race in there. “I- I mean..”

“Oh, I wasn’t meaning to be rude! I fully understand, you must be under a lot of pressure right now, right?” She seemed genuine enough, but her eyes continued to shift around the room. Conrad reasoned that her eye for organization must have been screaming. She was an Administrator of Oversight after all. He was hesitant to respond.

Mel continued to speak, “I mean, the entirety of Security and Justice look like they’re running around like headless gryphons! The Guard don’t seem to be having a great time either, some of those folks look like they haven’t slept in ages!” When Conrad still didn’t reply, Mel rolled her eyes. Wait, did she just roll her eyes at him? He couldn’t tell if he had just imagined it or not.

Conrad felt like he had to speak now. “We have no witness reports whatsoever. It’s just a guessing game at this point. He could be anywhere within the Lightning Farm and we wouldn’t know.”

“Hrm… that’s pretty bad, huh. I mean, he’s a threat to national security! I haven’t been here too long, but the Shifting Expanse has had multiple incidents like this happen within the last half a century, correct?”

The Ridgeback nodded awkwardly.

“Well, that’s not a good look for us. I would know, my folks in the Starfall Isles didn’t exactly think too highly of Lightning.”

Conrad wilted as she said exactly what had been plaguing his mind. Or at least, it was one of the many, many thoughts that attacked him daily. But he had been successfully avoiding it for the longest time, why did Mel have to mention it now..?

“I don’t think we’re going about this in a smart way regardless. Although obviously, I’m not in Security or Justice. I think I’d go mad if I was in Justice actually-” She snorted, “But they’re just basing their searches off of assumptions. I doubt they have any trails to follow. I’ve heard they’re even thinking of going through the Beastclan sectors, isn’t that crazy?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Well… what if I told you… that I had some info about where Skybreak could be,” She cooly said, her tail swishing back and forth.

“What? Are you serious?” Disbelief filled his voice as he almost jumped out of his seat.

She chuckled. “Why would I be joking? This is a serious topic, Conrad.”

“How did you- That’s so important- you-”

“Well, let’s just say a little storm seeker told me that Skybreak might not be in the east anymore.”

“Not in the east- why would Skybreak-”

“Skybreak isn’t dumb. You and I both know that. He.. he was brilliant actually,” She let out a sigh as she recalled a specific memory of the Ridgeback. “He would know better than to stick about in some of the most densely populated areas in the Expanse.”

“It hasn’t even been that long since the incident, where could he have possibly gone?” He interrogated.

“Plenty of dragons catch rides on the cargo trains y’know. It’d take less than a week to get to the Highland Scrub if he planned it out. For the Arcanist’s sake, he might even be in the Scorpion’s Den at this point!....” She let out a deep sigh. “But for the Stormcatcher’s sake… I might know the specifics.”

“I- Why are you telling me this?!” He blurted out. “I’m just a Director- You should be telling this to Alatus, or Mydryin, or even just the Captain of the Guard!”

She exhaled. “You see… I don’t think they would listen to me. I wouldn’t blame them. I’m just an Administrator- I’m not even in either of their departments! I’m just a random Oversight Exalt to them. I don’t know what sane dragon would listen to me. I don’t have proof either.”

“I- what? No proof? What do you mean?”

“I have a reliable source but… I can’t tell you who. I can’t tell anyone. I just know the information.” She crossed her arms across her chest in embarrassment.

“Why not?”

“I don’t…” She trailed off, grimacing.

Conrad attempted to wrap his head around the implications of what Mel had said. Had she been silenced? Wait. Who on Sornieth had given her the information in the first place?... Was Skybreak working with someone still inside the Spire?

“I’m sorry for asking, can you just- please, just tell me what you know!” He blurted, eyes wide and almost wild.

“Well, I-” Mel’s eyes flicked to something behind Conrad’s head. Something in her expression appeared to harden. “I’m afraid I have a meeting to attend.”

Conrad stared at her in disbelief. “What?” He whipped his head around to see what she had been looking at- it was a clock. His heart dropped as he processed what she had meant.

Mel glanced around the room before slowly beginning to make her way towards the door. “I have a meeting with Aster in a couple of minutes- you know how he gets- I can’t be la-”

Conrad lurched forward, desperate to block her way. “Wait! You can’t just-”

“I need to go, I’m sorry,” Mel pushed past him.

“This is too important!” Conrad attempted to follow her. “Your meeting can wait, this is the security of our nation at state!”

Mel shot a curt smile over her shoulder. “Apologies, Conrad. But this is Aster we’re talking about. Find me later.”

With that, she swept away, and Conrad was left standing with his hand half outstretched.

He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Mel had just left. Did she not understand the severity of their situation? He swore as he began to process it all. By the shade, why would she drop a bombshell like that and just… leave? Conrad sat back down in his chair, the silence that had fallen over the room almost felt suffocating.

What was he going to do now? He sat there, silently deliberating his options. He didn’t know how much time had passed with him simply ensnared in his own frantic thoughts. There wasn’t much room for reasoning now. Not after what Mel had said.

Suddenly, an idea shot through his mind. It was sharp and clear, a new presence among the muddled and messy thoughts that otherwise swirled through his head. His head jerked up as he realized what he had to do.

He swiftly jumped from his chair, determination flaring in his eyes as he looked around the room. He ran around his mess of an office, eyes darting around as he searched for…. something.

He had to find it. His eyes lit up as he found exactly what he was looking for nestled in an unlabelled cabinet. He pulled it out, staring at it as he thought. It was two envelopes. He looked back at his desk, swiftly pulling out a pen and two papers. He took a moment to plan out what exactly he was going to write, but it clicked within seconds.

He wrote hastily, his normally incredibly neat and tidy handwriting turning into chicken scratch. It was good enough. The dragons he was addressing this to would understand it, he was sure. He started the 2nd letter as soon as the 1st one had been finished. He hadn’t felt this energized in years.

Soon enough, both letters were done. He promptly shoved them into the envelopes, taking a second to think of somewhere to place them before sliding them under the pile of paperwork on the side of his desk. Somewhere nobody else would see them. But somewhere he could remember.

Conrad sat down again. The assurance he felt moments earlier slowly faded away as he was left with the overwhelming silence that was just him, and the room. But this time, his head was clear. There was now only a single thought that reigned in his mind, one that he knew was going to change things. If he couldn’t get himself to do anything during the incident, he sure as hell was going to do it now.

He was going to find Skybreak himself.

#flight rising #fr #fr writing #my writing #fr lore #tempest spire lore #executive #alatus #conrad #beldam #skybreak #shade #long post

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fablesrose · 4 years ago

Text

All Over Again

Sequel to Going Through the Motions

Summary: Y/n left to find herself, but how is Dean holding up?

Word Count: 1,936 👀👀

Pairing: Dean x reader, platonic!Sam x reader

A/n: The beginning of this is pretty much crack, but it turns to fluff. Prequel was written for @msmarvelouswinchester‘s 500 followers writing challenge and it was requested that I write a part two, so here it is!

Masterlist ~ Going Through The Motions

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

Dean stood in the library leaning against a table. In his hand he held a frame with Y/n and himself making a goofy face at the camera.

He smiled bitterly, shaking his head. He couldn’t help but whisper to himself, “How was I such an idiot, to believe that you, out of all people, could ever love me?”

“Did you just say what I think you just said?”

Dean’s head snapped up in surprise to see Sam standing in the doorway.

“What do you mean?”

Sam rolled his eyes, “Really Dean? Really?” He walked closer, “The day she left to go on that hunt, she literally said ‘I love you,’ and you completely ignored her. Then, you never answered any of her texts or phone calls. And then, you track her down and tell her that she better not love you because then it would be awkward between you because you don’t feel the same way and that she is just going to leave anyway.” By now Sam stood directly in front of Dean, and was looking pretty annoyed.

Dean looked back down at the photograph, “I messed up, didn’t I Sam?”

“Big time.”

“Wait,” Dean looked up, puzzled, “how do you know what happened in the motel?”

“For one,” Sam deadpanned, “you asked me to grab snacks from the vending machine right next to her room. For two, she always leaves a window open so it’s cold enough for her to wear a sweatshirt. And three, you should know better than anyone that motel room walls are paper thin.”

The tips of Dean’s ears turned red. He tried to play it cool, but Sam could tell he was embarrassed.

“Can you read me the last text she sent you?” Dean asked meekly.

“Sure,” Sam pulled out his phone, “Uh, she sent the winky face with the tongue sticking out like three times.”

Dean stared at him blankly, “What? No, she didn’t send that.”

“Oh! You meant the day she left.” Sam started to scroll up on his phone. “Yeah she didn’t send that the day she left.”

“What other last text would there be Sam?”

“Uh the one I just read you that she sent yesterday?”

“Wait, what?!” Dean reached for the phone, “Just out of nowhere?”

Sam moved his hand out of reach, “No, she texts frequently.”

Dean rubbed his face with his hand, “You mean you’ve been talking to her for six months and haven’t even had the thought of telling me?”

“Well, she says that she’s tried to call you but you never pick up so...”

Before Dean could defend himself his phone rang. As soon as the name flashed on the screen Dean reached to try and ignore it before Sam saw it on the table. But it was too late.

Sam rolled his eyes as Dean fumbled with it, “And there you did it again.”

“I would just rather talk to her face to face, okay? Do you know where she is?”

Sam’s phone received a text, “Fifteen minutes away.”

“What!? Why!?”

“Did you forget my half birthday?”

The door opened loudly cutting off whatever Dean was going to say.

“Happy half birthday dear Samuel Gregory Winchester! Happy half birthday to you!” Y/n sang with a flourish as she entered the bunker with plastic bags in her hands.

“Hey! I thought you said fifteen minutes?” Sam rushed to take the bags from her.

“Well then it wouldn’t have been a surprise!”

Sam laughed, “You’re too good to me,” he bend down to kiss her cheek which she received with a smile.

Y/n rummaged through the bags that Sam had placed on the table in the library, “So I picked up some take out from that noodle place a couple towns over...” She pulled out boxes, “Alright, so for Sam I got extra veggies, for Dean Matthew Winchester I got extra meat and super saucy, and for me, whatever the heck I wanted.”

Dean caught the box Y/n slid over to him, “Pretty sure those aren’t our middle names.”

“Your middle names are whatever I damn well want them to be.”

Dean swallowed quickly and turned to eat his noodles.

Conversation started up between Sam and Y/n, but Dean mostly stayed quiet.

“So you’ve been doing okay out there? On your own?”

Y/n smiled and Dean couldn’t help but stare.

“Yeah, it’s been great. Had a couple of ghosts, a pretty bloody vamp case. Nothing too serious or difficult, but it’s been good to get on the road again.”

“And…?” Sam tried for a bit more information.

“Yes Sam. I know why I’m still doing this.” She tilted her head to the side with a roll of her eyes.

A couple of hours later Y/n stood from the table saying she should leave.

“It’s getting late, why don’t you stay the night?” Dean spoke up.

Y/n placed her hand over his on the table, “Dean Conrad Winchester, I appreciate the offer, but I have an appointment I have to keep.”

Dean nodded.

She gathered up her fewer belongings then what she walked in with and headed towards the door. She stepped out the door, but stuck her head around the door frame, “Bye! Love you!”

Sam waved, “Love you too!”

Dean froze. Again.

Before he knew it the door was firmly shut behind her.

“I just messed up again.”

“Yeah, yeah you did.”

A week went by and surprisingly he hadn’t gotten a call from Y/n. She usually called once a week. He noticed, of course, but he just couldn’t push himself to answer. There was some part of him that worried that him not answering would lead to her downfall. What if she was hurt and in desperate need of help? But every week the phone would ring again, and his tension eased, but still he wouldn’t pick u the phone.

This time. This time he told himself that he would answer.

But the call never came.

That made him worry.

He left it be for a few days, but eventually he couldn’t wait anymore. He had to talk to her. He had to make sure she was okay.

So he packed a bag, asked Sam where she said she was, and drove off. Luckily she was only a days drive away. He arrived at her motel in the evening when it was just getting dark. All he could think about was how he was going to have a do-over. He knocked on the door and waited for a minute. Nobody answered so he pulled out his lock pick kit, he made quick work of it and entered the room.

He saw her clothes bag next to the bed and all of her research spread on the desk. The rest of her gear wasn’t in the room so she must be out hunting. Dean decided that he would wait for her to get back to talk to her, but he paced around the room for about five minutes before he couldn’t wait any longer. He’d waited for over a year to tell her, a whole six months going to waste without her, he needed to talk to her as soon as possible.

He rummaged through her research to see that she was hunting a werewolf. She had a map of the area with a red circle placed in the local woods.

So that’s where he was headed.

He drove down a dirt road until he came upon a car that he knew too well. Y/n’s car was also a classic and she loved it almost as much as he loved his own. He pulled up behind it and got out to try and find her in the dark woods.

He must have been hiking for an hour following tracks, both human and not when he started to hear the cracking of brush. He abandoned the tracks and followed his ears, seeing if he could head off whatever was running. His gun, loaded with silver bullets, was drawn as he ran, keeping his eye out in case of a target.

It didn’t take long for him to see the werewolf crashing and weaving between the trees. He took aim and took a shot. To his surprise he heard a second shot so close in timing to his own that he didn’t know who shot first. Once he saw that the monster didn’t rise again he looked to his left to see Y/n panting with her gun pointed at the body.

Dean didn’t take his eyes off of her as he stalked to her position. She only looked up at him when he was a few feet away.

She spoke with a quiet exhaustion, “Hi.”

“Hi, I love you.”

Her only response was a shocked blink.

He took a step closer, “I love you.”

She looked up through her sweat soaked lashed, “Say it one more time.”

Dean then put his gun away which made Y/n realize she still had hers in her hand as well and put hers away. Once Dean had both his hands free he took a half step closer and traced her shoulders gently.

“I love you.”

Y/n licked her lips, “I love you too.”

Dean’s hands then found her waist and pulled her close. He dipped his head to meet his lips to hers. At first he thought he would be gentle, but once he felt her, he couldn’t help but push a little harder. Sooner than he would have liked Y/n pulled away with a gasp which reminded him that she had just been running from a werewolf.

She licked her lips again which made Dean want to kiss her even more. She smiled slyly before saying, “You could have called.”

Dean matched it, “But if I called I couldn’t do this.”

He brushed his nose along the underside of her jaw, leaving warming breath on her neck. He left soft kisses as he trailed his nose to her ear. He walked her backwards, carefully making sure neither of them tripped on the thick bushes. He eventually made his way back to her lips. Once he got there Y/n hooked her arm around his neck to make sure he didn’t go anywhere. Her fingers softly traced his jawline subconsciously as her other hand gripped his shirt. This drove him on to quicken his pace to press her against a nearby tree.

Once her back hit the trunk she arched into him with a gasp and twisted out of the kiss. She winced and Dean looked down at her in confusion.

She twisted to look at the tree which shifted Dean’s eyes to see a jagged knot right where he pushed her.

Dean pulled Y/n close and buried his face in the crook of her neck and kissed her there. “’m sorry.”

She ran her fingers through his hair as he traced her spine with the tips of his own.

“It’s alright.”

They stayed like that for a minute, just feeling each other, holding each other.

Dean was the first to lift his head, “We should head back.”

Y/n kept her eyes closed, “’mkay. We should burn the body though.”

“We can do that in the morning.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They started to walk back towards the dirt road and their cars, arms linked around each other as they went.

“Besides, your motel room looks pretty cozy.”

Y/n bumped her hip against him, “Dean Lawrence Winchester, you are such a creep.”

“Please stop doing that.”

Y/n gave him a smug smile, “You love it.”

“I love you.”

“I’m never going to get tired of hearing that.”

Best Buds: @kitkatd7 @snarky--starky @confetti-its-an-imagine-blog @kaogasm

Requested/showed interest to be tagged in Pt 2: @vicmc624 @anon1person @msmarvelouswinchester @sherlockholmesmypiratesociopath

#dean x reader #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester #dean #sam winchester #Going Through the Motions pt 2 #crack #fluff #happy ending #platonic!sam #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural x reader #dean fanfiction #fanfic #All Over Again

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annakie · 5 years ago

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An Annotated Mass Effect Playthrough, Part Nine

Previous Posts: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Wheren we run out of sidequests, so we head back to the Citadel already.

With the quest log pretty empty, I didn’t feel like flying around the galaxy hoping to bump into something Hackett wanted me to do already, so let’s go finish up some of those loose sidequests and pick up some more!

I didn’t grab a screenshot of this, but one of the mods (faster elevators maybe? Or MERe? IDK!) COMPLETELY removes the scanning component from getting on and off the ship.

I don’t remember the exact origins of this, but one tick Annakie Shepard has is... she really really fucking hates being scanned. And it probably was because of how long the scanning bit of getting on and off the ship here took, but I used to always try to outrun it if possible, or at least put up the effort. I’m so glad it’s not here at all.

The only acceptable scan is Chakwas scanning her for medical reasons, and even that is just barely ok.

Anyway, here we are, freshly not-scanned, heading right down to C-Sec to... oh no what’s this?

Ah. Yes. Mikhailovich. Here for inspection.

One of the reasons I cheat in Paragon points is that it’s nearly impossible to ever make Mikhailovich happy unless you don’t come back to the Citadel for a very long time. So maybe I could have gone to Noveria and done the Paragon Point Cheat, but one cheat or another, doesn’t really matter.

The Mikhailovich encounter is another one of those things that didn’t have to be in the game, but is great worldbuilding. Not everyone agrees with the Normandy being built, or the turian design, etc. Mikhailovich is right that some of the things we built here could have been tested in a lab, you know. It was a huge chunk of money, but it’ll be wrong later in thinking it’s a waste. He also again shows that people aren’t sure that working super close with the turians is a good idea, which, again, he’ll be wrong about, but it’s a good thing to see differing opinions on a lot of things.

Anyway, I like this bit not only for that reason but to see Kaidan’s salute.

Finally, after lingering at the dock for who-knows-how-long while the Admiral inspected our ship, we get down to C-Sec, ready to...

Oh what’s THIS now?

Time for another interview, this one a little more voluntary.

Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News.

She’s a character I have very mixed feelings about.

On one hand, well, I used to love to punch her out. And now I never do.

She’s clearly digging for an angle here in her interviews. She’s reporting for humanity, not the council races or galaxy as a whole. But answering her diplomatically here, she’s another character who questions you and what you’re doing, but doesn’t actually step over any lines. It’s more when you get testy with her here, she gets touchy back.

It would be a shitshow with the fanboys I think if you took out the option to hit here. But wow that moment... didn’t sit right, especially when it was an MShep doing it but it’s not a great look for Femshep either. Nobody should hit ANYBODY unless it’s actually necessary. Getting your feels hurt by a few tough, even unfair questions... does not call for punching.

Especially today when we’re already getting scary close to losing freedom of the press. Being diplomatic with her really nets the best responses in 2 and 3, as well.

And maybe if we hadn’t just gotten raked over the coals by Mikhailovich it’d be less grating to then get questioned by a reporter. But I find it interesting how the game keeps pushing and questioning Shepard, and maybe even trying to find holes where maybe Shepard or the Alliance isn’t completely right, or could be questioned.

Damnit, Chorban and Jahleed. Just kiss, already, neither of you are trying to kill the other!!

I do love that Chorban figures everything out based on your scans... just like... a couple of years too late. Anyway, I already finished all the scans, no way I’m not finishing this quest with Chorban for that sweet XP.

And YOU, using a girl with no undercover experience and putting her in Chora’s de-- what’s that? Conrad dies if I end this quest early? SIGH.

Also... Gideon Emery. So you’re fine. All is forgiven. I’ll do your dirty work.

Helena Blake! I DEFINITELY won’t forget to go speak to her, get back on the Normandy, do another planet quest, realize I didn’t speak to her, then go back to the Citadel just to actually pick up this quest, then pretend later on in this update that I remembered to speak to her all along!

I mean, speaking as if I were someone who hasn’t played the next two games, this is DEFINITELY SUSPICIOUS right?

I guess in a way, we did pull our gun on Conrad all along.

Just give me the damn mods.

Honestly, I love this part of the quest because you can COMPLETELY fuck up by being too goody-goody. I have probably had to reload after mindlessly clicking paragon answers more times than I care to admit. This time, I remembered to not obey the law.

The second reason I wanted to come back to the Citadel is that after one planetary mission, Morlan’s Iconic Armor shop (which, again, is thanks to ME1Recalibrated) sells special armor for Kaidan, that looks like his ME2 armor, so he has his own unique look.

A picture from later, once the armor texture is loaded correctly. (Turns out it required a restart.)

I LOVE IT. Thank you, MERecalibrated team! Welcome to Kaidan’s look for the rest of the game.

Let’s head up to the presidium!

Whoops, shoulda brought Ashley along. I’m sure whatever he wanted to talk about can wait til later.

BTW, that gif isn’t sped up.

If you don’t have the console enabled and aren’t setting your out of combat runspeed to at least 800 whenever you’re anywhere you have a lot of running to do, then consider doing so. I’ve found 800 is the perfect amount of fast without leaving me slamming into walls constantly

The annoying thing is that every time you have a major area transition or have to reload the game, you have to do it again, but after the first time it’s 4 keystrokes.

` then up arrow, then [enter], then ` again.

Also your companions may fall behind, but that’s only an issue for the places they have ambient dialog. So mostly I start using it on the Citadel after going everywhere once, and then most of the time on the Normandy and sidequests.

Oh let’s talk to this nice lady. Oh no, her sister has been kidnapped, how sad!

Well, the poor woman deserves my help, I’m sure it’s all on the up-and-up. Sure, I’ll rescue your sister! I’m glad we have this friendly relationship that will be profitable and non-lethal forever!

You DID know that Anderson and Udina comment on each major mission afterwards, right? It took me more playthroughs than I care to admit to discover this.

Also, this is a kind of humanizing moment for Udina here. He tells us how the council isn’t happy that we lost the prothean ruins at Therum, then Anderson stands up for us (we love you, Space Dad), and then he actually really backs off and says in a much softer tone “I know, I know. But we all get judged on how you behave.”

And again, we’re not meant to love how he says it, but um, Udina is right. Everything we do has repercussions throughout the Citadel, and sometimes the Galaxy.

Poor Liara, the only one left without an iconic armor in ME1.

Also, like Tali earlier, she hilariously has lines in quests we turn in or make updates to that she has no business knowing about. I guess she read all the questlogs while traveling back to the Citadel.

While we’re here on the Citadel, let’s take a flycam visit around to the edge of the room, shall we?

So we’re heading out, towards this building, past the Mass Relay sculpture.

What you can see as soon as you’re near it and then over it, is that that building hides the seam where the water meets map.

From just beyond it, there’s the apartment-looking building, for whatever reason you can see through the textures on the other side, leaving just the roofs/floors visible (the slats).

It took quite a while to go this far, but eventually, you can find the invisible wall where the cars spawn from, and not long after, the map ends. The map is very curved, btw, that’s no illusion. There’s no chance you could see this far without flycam.

Looking back, you can see the bridges in the distance, but the Relay sculpture and where Shepard is standing is very far away, quite difficult to see even if the full-sized screenshot.

I love how huge these maps are. It makes the illusions really work and the sense of scale works BECAUSE it is actually just... that big.

Well, back to smaller issues.

Again, a great quest not only from a memorability perspective, but a worldbuilding one.

How does religion work in this galaxy? Well, some people still have it. Enough that there’s laws in governing how people are able to spread that religion. I think that the council actually enacted a fairly sensible law here -- they cannot allow zealots to take over near the seat of government, but also people should be free to worship as they please.

I myself am a person of faith who, despite being brought up in a HIGHLY Evangelical movement, now very much believes that people should be able to worship as they choose, (or not at all!) but also that faith is a private matter and shouldn’t be forced on others.

So yeah, the hanar is being unreasonable, but should still be spoken to with respect. It’s good that this particular hanar takes it well.

I am honestly dying to know how the hanar deal with the absolute proof that the Enkindlers were just... people. I mean we saw the one hanar in ME3 react to Javik, but you have to think that the religion as a whole must get shaken up a great deal after the game ends.

Also... seriously read Mass Effect: Annihilation (the quarian ark book).

Anyway, I like resolving this peacefully and getting the hanar to leave peacefully. Calling someone a big stupid jellyfish is hilarious in the moment, but not so nice once you think about it.

Ah, Michael and Rebekah.

I love this quest because... it’s not cut and dry.

I don’t think either of them is wrong. I think they’re facing a tough choice and they both have good points.

For a long time, though, my response has been that it’s Rebekah’s body, her choice.

But the funny thing was, this time when I was playing, I didn’t see this as just an allegory to a woman’s right to choose. From Michael’s POV, it’s more of an allegory to Anti-Vaxx. Obviously back in 2007 when the game came out Anti-Vaxx wasn’t nearly as much as a concern as it is now, so I love that this small part of the game actually grew more meaningful over time.

Yes, there’s a SMALL chance you could hurt the child from the procedure, but a greater chance of harm if you don’t. I had a harder time choosing this time, like, oh, am I going to lean a bit more towards being pro-choice, or pro-vaxxination? I’m pro both of those things??

I still sided with Rebekah. Mostly because I know the kid turns out OK either way.

Well, for a couple of years, at least.

Emily! You changed your clothes! What’s that? You want me to plant bugs? Won’t someone notice?

Guess not. Not even this bug.

I’m sad that this is the last we’ll see of Emily Wong face to face. But hey, a good reporter, and good person. :salute:

Kahoku... thank you for finding out about Cerberus and telling us. The first time we hear the word I think, in the game?

You will be avenged.

Welp time to head up to the ship and go off on some sidequ--

I mean... Uh, time to go talk to Helena Blake, OBVIOUSLY.

(Also Liara you cannot climb that wall, stahp.)

I love them having just a bad bitch like Helena with her sneaky-plan to kill her business partners so totally above the board by Shepard, but hey, she’s just a concerned citizen giving tips to law enforcement, right? She’s awful, and she knows it, and she’s cool with it.

Well, since Ashley magically appeared in the party without me going to the Normandy AT ALL, as long as we’re here, let’s go talk to Samesh Bhatia

A great moment for Ashley, remembering her friend, and treating her husband with so much care and kindness. OBVIOUSLY we can do this very easy thing for him.

Fuck, this just got a lot more complicated.

I love this quest because it puts you between a rock and a hard place. Again, neither side is wrong. Samesh SHOULD have his wife’s body back. But it IS important research.

For a long time, I didn’t give a shit about the research and would get the body back, no matter what.

But so many more lives are saved with the research. So this time I ask him to understand, and he does. But it never sits quite right, either way.

As my other SciFi favorite franchise* reminds us in one of its most poignant moments... Sometimes the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the one.

Okay now we’re heading back to the Normandy for the first time this update, and next time, back out into space!

*Star Wars is a Space Opera, not SciFi.

#mass effect #kaidan alenko #liara t'soni #ashley williams #conrad verner #bioware #gaming #video games #annakie's mass effect stuff

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seelaa26 · 4 years ago

Text

6. I Warned Myself

“Do you remember when you said to not tell anybody? ‘Cause if you do, I’ll be the first to put my hands around your throat. I warned myself that I shouldn’t play with fire but I can tell that I’ll do it one more time”

As usual, I always arrived at the lab about ten minutes before my shift started so I had time to leave my things in the locker and go to the break room to make me a coffee, and if I was not alone, socialize with my colleagues. Sara was usually the first one to arrive, so we met in the break room, but this time, it was Catherine who was there.

-¡Hey, Cath! –I greeted with a smile as I walked toward the coffee machine to make myself one- Coffee?

-¡Hey Laura! –She greeted back a few seconds later- No. Thank you.

Catherine was sitting in one of the chairs and with her phone she was trying to call someone but apparently that person didn’t pick up the phone which led her straight to the voicemail.

-Are you okay? –I asked without knowing how she was going to take the question- Can I help you with something?

-Don’t worry, it’s just.. –she blew and put her hands in her head- Lindsey had a ballet performance today and I couldn’t make it in time, so the teacher called her father and now he’s with Linds and I don’t know.. I’m not calm knowing the mess Eddie is.

-Why don’t you take the night off then?

-I can’t, it’s Nicky’s night off and we’d be two people short –She breathed and tried to calm herself- Besides, we’ve got a 445A in a business building.

-What? A bomb?!

-Yes –She nodded before looking at her phone again for the last time- Sara and Grissom are already at the crime scene so we should be probably get going.

We picked up our field kit and we both climbed into the SUV that Catherine was driving. Apparently, the crime scene wasn’t far from the lab but still, we had to cross busy streets.

-You know, this is my first case with bombs.

-Yeah? You like them?

-No, I hate them –I explained myself- Besides leaving the scene in a mess, everything’s burned and in a thousand pieces. It’s a lot of work and usually I don’t mind it, but I just hate everything that goes BOOM.

Suddenly, a car coming from our left almost collided with us. Catherine stopped on the side of the road since we were both scared and with our hearts beating way too fast.

-Are you okay? –She asked putting her hand in my arm- I’m so sorry Laura. I just, I didn’t saw the red light and kept driving..

-Cath, Cath.. –I did the same and held her hands to calm her down- It’s okay. Nothing happened so don’t waste time thinking about it. Do you want me to drive from here?

She nodded so we switched places and a few minutes later we arrived at the crime scene. We met up with Brass in the front of what used to be the doors to the building. He filled us in.

-We’re all clear to go in, but here’s what we got. Couple of head wounds. Elderly guy had his arm torn off. The only fatality so far is Jake Richards, a security guard. Body’s still inside.

We turned our flashlights on as we walked through the lobby. Grissom and Sara were kneeling down besides the body. We made our way toward them and put our kits down as we looked.

-How big you think this bomb was? –Brass asked.

-It’s not the size of the bomb –Sara answered- It’s the overpressure in the air around it.

-The Van Gogh Effect in stereo, both ears –Grissom pointed his flashlight at the dead man’s head- A perfectly symmetrical amputation. Means he was looking directly at the bomb when it went off.

-Smell the sulfur? –Catherine sniffed and took a small sample scraping of the black stuff on the body - Light this, please.

-Gunpowder –I concluded when the black powder on the knife exploded- Well, we know the propellant.

-The dirty little secret of bombs is how easy they are to make and use –Grissom stood up- Our murder weapon’s here someplace in a thousand pieces. We have to find it and put it back together again.

-Bombs explode. Weird thing is their components survive the explosion. If we can piece together this bomb, we’re closer to finding who did this.

Using a magnetic device, I started gathering the minute pieces of metal in the debris. Sara and Catherine started bagging other pieces of metal and Warrick took photos of the whole crime scene. A few hours later, we returned to the lab and Catherine, Sara and I looked at all the bomb pieces we gathered spread out on the table in front of us.

-So all of this stuff is from a five-meter radius of the point of origin? –Sara asked surprised.

-Yep –I nodded- Graphic explanation of why I hate bombs.

-How could the victim possibly be in one piece?

-Vacuum effect –Catherine explained- The air is being pushed out so fast when the bomb detonates there’s a calm at the center.

-Did you figure out what this “FP” stands for? –Sara picked up a gear piece.

-I ran it through the ATF’s bomb database but no profile.

-So our bomber’s a newbie. Does he fit Grissom’s wack job from the bomb site? Dominic, the security guard?

-It’s too soon to tell.

Apparently, a security guard from the building in which the bomb had exploded had approached Grissom to offer his help. He was a fan of bombs. Speak of the devil.. Grissom walked into the room carrying something.

-I found something interesting –he showed it to us- Looks like a balance wheel from a clock. Bomb was time-delayed. This is a piece of a timing device.

-What about the orange stuff? –Sara asked.

-Heat of the explosion must have melted whatever it is all around the wheel. What’s orange and melts?

-I would have to investigate that –she answered with a smile.

-Hey, guys –Nick walked into the room and looked at Grissom- Can I steal you for a minute?

-I thought this was your day off.

-We’re kind of busy here, Nick.

-Yeah, I know and I’m sorry, but I don’t think this can wait.

Grissom and Nick left together, Catherine joined them a few minutes later and neither of them returned. Obviously something had happened and sooner or later we would know. Meanwhile, Sara and I discovered that the piece that Grissom had found belonged to a snoozewell and we discovered which one was, so we called Brass to track the sales of the specific snoozewell. It didn’t take long for Brass to appear in the lab with one of his ironic one-liners.

-Don’t you love the smell of sulfur in the afternoon? –he asked leaning against the door frame- You might want to take a tour of Dominic Kretzker’s house. I tracked down the sale of SnoozeWell clocks. 926 credit card purchases in the last three months in Clark County; 7 to Dominic Kretzker.

-This guy either has serious problems getting up early or he is the person we are looking for –I mumbled as I approached Brass- You comin’ Sara?

-No, I’m going to stay here and help Warrick with the “FP” initials.

We headed to Grissom’s office and once we informed him, we set out to visit our suspect. Brass told me how intense he was, but I didn’t check it until I saw that he was waiting for us on his porch. He had a police scanner and that’s how he knew we were coming.

-What can I do for you guys?

-Dominic.. this is the type of device that was used to set off the Hansen bomb –Grissom showed him a picture- We have proof that you purchased the same make of clock. Want to show us that clock of yours?

-Okey Dokey –he said with a welcoming smile- Come on in.

We walked into the room. Dominic walked over to the table where there was a file box filled with stuff on the floor. He put the box on the table and picked up the alarm clock. He gave it to Grissom.

-The timing device is still intact.

-Yeah, ‘cause I haven’t made the bomb yet.

-Look what I found, sulfur –Brass handed us the piece he found with globs of melted orange on it- Is this from the Hansen bomb?

-Sure is.

-You keep your key piece of evidence that could nail you? –I asked surprised.

-That’s sentimental. Historical. I collect souvenirs.. that’s my building, you know. I mean.. that was my place of employment –he started to get nervous- If I had anything to hide, I’d hide it.

-Well, maybe so but you’re under arrest.

Brass cuffed him and put him in the car.

-I can’t tell whether he’s brilliant or..nuts –Grissom said to me as we watched them get into the car.

-Yeah, me either but I’ll tell you one thing; I like him, he says “Okey Dokey”.

***

Back at the lab, Grissom and Brass interrogated Dominic, while I went to see Sara and Warrick, to check how they were doing with the initials. On my way, I was stopped by Catherine.

-Hey Laura, can I talk to you for a second?

-Yeah, sure –we stood to one side of the hallway to not block the way- Everything okay? Have you been able to talk to your daughter?

-Yes, Eddie finally picked up the phone. Lindsey has a ballet class in a few hours and she wants mom to take her so.. she’s not mad. Thanks for asking –Catherine gave me a warm smile- Look, a prostitute has been found dead by strangulation in her home and someone from the team was with her last night.

All my systems automatically thought of one person. Showing up at work on a day off and wanting to speak to Grissom urgently.. Warning signs. Just as quickly as I knew it was him, that quickly I was disappointed. Nick and I didn’t meet because he already had plans with a friend when he really had a date with a prostitute. He lied to me and that’s what hurt.

-Nick –I guessed and Catherine nodded as a confirmation.

-Ecklie, the day shift supervisor, is assigned to the case but they will pass it on to me. I wanted to talk to you because I may need help.

-Count me in, but why me? –Catherine didn’t answer, she just looked at me- Because I’m the rookie, right?

-We need everyone working the bomb case.. –She explained and then suddenly, she greeted someone with her hand and headed that way- Oh, hey, Conrad, Grissom’s at interrogation but I need to speak with you.. about Nick Stokes.

Ecklie seemed like he wanted to talk, but since he didn’t know me he looked askance at me indicating that he wasn’t going to talk if there was someone unknown there. I took the step and introduced myself.

-Let me guess, about his involvement with a dead hooker?

-Come one, the hooker was a person. Her name was Kristy Hopkins.

-I realize that, thank you but his prints were all over Kristy Hopkins’s house. Let’s see wine glass, bedside table, bed frame..

Ecklie was giving us a visual image when Nick appeared on the scene. He stopped as soon as he saw that we were talking with Ecklie. We exchanged a look and after taking a deep breath, he approached.

-Nick, I don’t think you guys should be talking –Catherine advised.

-It’s no big deal. What’s up, Ecklie?

-I need a DNA sample from you, Nick. We found a condom, used.

-I assume you’re trying to prove Kristy Hopkins and I were sexually active last night. My DNA will match, no warrant necessary. I have something else for you –Nick handed Ecklie a piece of paper with writing on it- A license plate number. Vehicle belongs to Jack Willman. Had a fight with Kristy outside the Orpheus last night around midnight.

-Well, I’ll look into it but come one.. your fingerprints, your DNA.. that’s what’s going into evidence. I don’t want to believe a CSI could commit murder. Hell, I don’t even want to believe that a CSI could sleep with a hooker.

-You know what? –Ecklie’s way of talking pissed me off, so I had to say something- Nick’s private life..

-Is no longer private –he interrupted me- I’m sorry if you guys don’t like where the evidence is pointing but show me otherwise. In the meantime, I have a protocol to follow.

-Look, I’m going to get O’Riley to track down this Jack guy for questioning, but I am out on a limb for you here, Nick –Catherine said, and then she and Ecklie left together.

Nick put his hands on his waist and turned to look at me. His gaze was saddened and concerned. Mine was hurt and pissed off.

-Can we talk? –he asked me as my phone rang.

-Gotta go –I read the urgent message from Brass- There’s been a second bomb.

***

We made a quick little briefing after visiting the second crime scene, because it was raining, we collected the most important things and returned. Sara discovered that the orange stuff was actually orange polyester from a jacket. I ran a search looking for disgruntled employees in The Hansen Building and I found Norman Stirling, a former manager. Warrick investigated the initials and found out that they were made by an electric etcher. The manufacturer said that this etcher was only used for training purposes and Las Vegas School District was the one who bought it and Stirling’s son goes there. Last by not least, the second bomb was not remote, so Dominic was ruled out as a suspect because he was in custody. Grissom let him free to go with an advice; “Next time try not to be quite so trusting. You don’t need to be a hero”.

While Brass was in charge of finding and bringing both the father and the son for interrogation, I received a message from Catherine telling me to meet her at the DNA Lab. When I arrived, she was already there.

-How you doing, Greg? –I greeted him.

-Worried about Nick –he answered me and then looked at Catherine- It’s not your case, much as I want to help, no can do.

-That’s my case for the next twelve hours. Ask the Sheriff.

-I would never doubt your word –Greg opened the freezer and took out the envelope. He removed the slide and put it under the microscope- Nick’s little soldiers, all yours.

-Thanks Greg –Catherine looked through the scope and indicated me to look too- When did you say this sample was frozen?

-10.15 AM, why?

-What do you see, Laura?

-These guys are all heads, no tails –I answered.

-Kristy’s time of death was 6.00 AM. It takes about seven hours for bacteria to eat away at the tails..

-.. Placing the time of ejaculation at 2.00 AM –I finished.

-It doesn’t disprove Nick’s presence at the time of the homicide.

-You could be a little more supportive –I told Greg and then realized something- Do we have the murder weapon?

-No, we don’t –Catherine denied with her head- She was strangled. If Jack killed her, it had to be something of convenience. I’ll go to the crime scene and have a look around.

-Catherine –I stopped her and gain her attention- What happens if we don’t solve this in twelve hours?

-They are going to arrest Nick –She answered honestly- If Nick’s arrested, it’s not going to matter that he’s cleared later. It’s automatic dismissal.

***

Catherine left to find the murder weapon and with the bombs case we were waiting for the father and son, I took advantage of the break to make a coffee. I really needed the caffeine. I put the phone on the table and went to the coffee maker. I leaned against the table while I waited but then I heard someone enter the room and close the door. I knew exactly who it was.

-Can we talk now? –I didn’t ever bother turning around- I’d like to explain.

-You don’t owe me an explanation.

-I know, but I want to –he made a small pause- Look, I don’t want you to think that I lied to you because I didn’t.

-What do you want me to think then? –I poured the coffee and turned to look at him- Nick, the fact that you slept with a hooker and she appeared dead hours later.. I’m confused, because I was starting to know you and that doesn’t sound like the person I thought you were.

-I wasn’t her client and I’ve never used that kind of services.. –he breathed and gave a step closer- I knew Kristy because of this job, I helped her a couple times before and..

-Helped her? –I interrupted her- Nick, are you aware of what you’re saying?

-I know, you listen, please –he gave me puppy eyes and I couldn’t resist them even though I tried- What I told you yesterday was the truth, I met this friend of mine and we watched the game then, when we were leaving the place, I ran into her then I drove her home and.. well, you know what happened. We had this chemistry, you know?

-Yeah, I know.

I nodded slightly and kept my gaze steady to make him understand that my answer referred to what I had begun to feel for him. Luckily or not, I could tell that he understood, but I couldn’t read further.

-I’ve been wrong about a lot of people in my life and I’ve played their game, but that has helped me learn to know when someone is double-edged.. and you’re not –Nick raised his head and looked at me surprised- I never thought you killed her. I know you didn’t. You don’t have to worry about my thoughts of you, they haven’t changed. I doubted, yes but I still think you’re good person, not a killer.

I smiled at him and for a moment I could see relief in his eyes. Then I got up to leave, but when I was at the door, he spoke.

-Thank you, I really needed to hear that.

***

Catherine sent me a message saying that she had found the murder weapon. She compared the cord from the curtains with the markings found round Kristy’s neck and it was match. Now, all we needed to do was look for fingerprints or a piece of evidence that indicated that Nick didn’t kill her.

-Hey Cath, that was fast! –I met her at reception.

-Yeah, everything for Nicky –The clock from reception chimed, she looked around at the sound and checked it. She realized how late it was- Lindsey. The ballet class.

-Catherine, go. C’mon.

-I..I have to examine the murder weapon. Nick’s case is running out of time.

-I’ll do it right now, don’t worry –She looked again at the clock- Go.

-If you have any doubt, call me! –She said while she was leaving- I owe you one.

-No, you don’t!

I walked down the hallway with the evidence bag in my hand, ready to apply everything I had learned, when Grissom crossed my path.

-I was about to page you –he said- Norman Stirling and his son are at the interrogation room. I was wondering, since you’ve been with us for a few months, if you wanted to do your first interrogation.

Dilemma. Grissom had just offered me to conduct my first interrogation and I really felt prepared to do it but then I looked at the bag in my hands, and I couldn’t. Proving Nick’s innocence was more important than taking another step in my career. So, I had to refuse. Running against the clock, I looked for fingerprints on the cord, but there weren’t any. Then, I had an idea.

-Kristy Hopkins was strangled with this sash –I dropped the cord out onto the table in front of Greg- It’s fingerprint-free, but the force of the pull would have scratched off epithelials from the killer’s hands, right?

-Abraded, yeah.

-And you can extract DNA from epithelials?

-If they’re fresh enough- Greg took a swab from the cord and put the sample under the microscope- Epithelials are affirmative. I’m just going to need something to compare to.

-I read on the file case that Jack Willman has a prior for sexual assault, so his DNA is on file.

***

Nick was pacing the floor when I walked in the break room. When he saw me, he stopped and bit his lip. He was very nervous.

-Where’s Catherine?

-She had to leave, but don’t worry, I examined the murder weapon.

Nick nodded and tried to calm himself down. I was surprised.

-What? You’re not worried that the rookie examined the piece that can send you to jail? –I joked.

-No, I trust you.

Nick was playing with his hands and even though he was almost going to have a breakdown, those words came out naturally and calm. He was telling the truth. He trusted me and knowing that just made me grow my feelings for him.

-Jack Willman killed her.

Nick sighed and smiled as he walked towards me to give me a hug.

-Thank you.

His arms around squeezed me a fraction tighter and we both breathed more slowly. His embrace was warm, and his big, strong arms seemed very protective when wrapped around my body. The world around me melted away as I squeezed him back, not wanting the moment to end.

-Hey.. I’m just doing my job.. Besides, if they’d send you to jail I wouldn’t have my promised dinner.

-Laura –Grissom’s head popped out- The kid confessed everything. He put another bomb at Summit High School, we are going now to deactivate it. Though you wanted to come.

-Right behind you –I nodded.

-By the way, about that dinner.. –Nick made a pause- Anytime.

I smiled at him and followed Grissom. When we arrived, Grissom stopped the car and we ran out with the other officers. The students were running out of the school. As the last of them leave, Dominic exited the building carrying the package. He had the bomb in his hands.

-Dominic, stop! –I yelled- Stop right there. Put it down!

-No, it’s all right –he smiled- Everyone’s safe.

-No, no, no –Grissom yelled back- Drop it. It’s active!

Suddenly, Dominic stopped smiling and from his face I could tell he heard the clock timer ticking. Dominic looked down at the package in his hands. As we watched, the bomb exploded and we were thrown back by the impact of the explosion. Grissom checked on me a few seconds later, when we were able to sat up. Dominic gave his life for the students. He was the hero he always wanted to be.

#csi #csi las vegas #gil grissom #catherine willows #sara sidle #warrick brown #nick stokes #george eads #fanfic #csi fic

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whirlybirdwhat · 5 years ago

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the accomplice of human restlessness

Ao3 - Follow up to Compass Left Behind! Find it in my writing tag whirlywrites ! Zoro & Luffy, Gen, first meeting, reincarnation/modern au, see ao3 for warnings!

"The sea has never been friendly to man. At most it has been the accomplice of human restlessness." ― Joseph Conrad

Zoro knows Luffy for six and a half days before he agrees to run off (and search) with him.

Or, in a more accurate wording, it takes six and half seconds for Zoro to know he would follow Luffy to the ends of the universe if he wanted to venture there (because the Earth was way too small for the thing. that they shared.)

It all starts like this -

(And it never, ever ends.)

Zoro is walking home from school (which he skipped, half way through the day, because he could not take Mr. Morgan’s bullshit for one more goddamn second-) when he sees him.

He’s slight and thin, with far too many bruises covered tanned skin, and suspiciously young to be sitting in the driver’s seat of a custom Camaro (which is sitting crookedly on the side of the road) like that. But when he looks up at Zoro, red hoodie falling off his head and revealing his face and the scar sloping under his eye, Zoro’s breath is taken away.

This boy (his captain, his king) is not weak in any sense of the word.

And the smile that he gives him, full of sunshine and without any of the weary dread that shines in his in his eyes, is all that it takes for Zoro to fall.

Zoro slings his bag off his shoulder and throws it in the backseat of the car, sliding into the passenger seat.

“Where to?” He asks, all too trusting, all too insane.

The boy next to him places a straw hat that was previously resting on the dashboard onto his head. “Nowhere yet.” He says with a laugh, starting the car. Zoro nods, and off they go, to the abandoned parking lot on the edge of town, where they eat cheap shakes that they didn’t really pay for and don’t talk at all (they don’t need too) until Zoro has to wander home.

Before he does he asks the boy his name, the second words they shared that day.

“Monkey D. Luffy,” He says, smiling, the setting sun casting shadows onto his face. “Ah! But don’t tell anyone okay? I’m just Luffy.”

“Aye, aye Captain,” Zoro says, for no reason at all other than it feels all to wrongnot to say it. “The names Zoro. I’ll see you around?”

Luffy doesn’t answer as Zoro walks off, but that’s okay.

Zoro already knows what he means.

Koushirou asks him only once about what makes Zoro so happy on the first day that this miracle happens and Zoro tells him, trying to convey what makes Luffy so Luffy, what makes him finally find direction and fill that aching. inside.He doesn’t know if he succeeds, but that’s okay. Koushirou never needed to know anyway.

(This time around, Koushirou is the man who adopted the rising kendo star in order to train him further. This time around, Koushirou stops training him when his real child (Kuina-) dies. This time around, there is no promise to be the greatest because swordsmanship is only a competition now, not a way of life, of death. This time around there is only loss and the ache of a compass spinning wildly around with no direction.)

The day after, Zoro doesn’t even bother going to school. Instead, he wanders over to the abandoned parking lot and through the open window of the car (did he have no self-preservation?) shakes Luffy, who was sleeping in the backseat, curled up into a little ball with his red hoodie acting as a weak blanket, awake.

“Wanna spar?” He asks to bleary eyes, heart jumping at the sudden light in them when Luffy agrees.

Zoro brings out his practice bamboo swords and Luffy brings out his fists. They fight for two hours, two hours of sweat and some blood and the absolute freedomthat comes with finding someone who won’t hold back against you, whounderstands-

Eventually, the human need to eat interrupts their conversation of fighting, and together they dine and dash at the local chain restaurant, laughing all the while. Zoro doesn’t comment on the nostalgic, sorrowful look in Luffy’s eyes and Luffy doesn’t comment on the understanding and elation in Zoro’s.

It’s a good thing.

A great thing.

They don’t spar again after that, at least on this day. Instead, they talk.

“Where’ you from?”

“Fuusha City. Its far away from here. Why’s your hair green?”

“’Cause it looks cool. Where’d you learn to fight?”

“…Around. How old are you?”

“Sixteen. You?”

“Fourteen.”

“And you’re driving the car? Damn, how’d you not get caught?”

“Shishishi- I don’t know. Maybe I’m just lucky? Why do you use only two swords?”

“Because-” And any answer no matter how sensible suddenly sounds wrong.“Huh.”

Luffy nods and that’s that.

Zoro spends all the money he had saved up for a motorcycle and picks up a third sword on the way home, saying nothing to the woman who runs the store as she worries over the supposed cursed sword (She looks so much like Kuina it hurts but the ex-marines shop is the only one with good swords around here.)

In the mirror at home, ignoring Koushirou’s critical looks (though he never mentions it he doesn’t like it when Zoro skips school) he practices his swords, changing the style drilled into him by Koushirou and placing a practice sword in his mouth.

Its new and shaky but sword fighting has never felt so right.

The third day is raining, and while Zoro has a flashing concern for the boy with only a car for a home, he goes to school.

He has few friends there – most are either scared of him or hate him – but its tolerable. Koby, pink haired and a Marine-hopeful, is scared of him but hangs out with him anyway. Zoro doesn’t claim to understand it, doesn’t even care, but there’s not a lot to do in Shells Town and it’s better to have someone to do it with.

“Where’d you go yesterday?” Koby asks, used to him skipping but, for some reason Zoro can’t understand, is always worried that he’ll skip on accident because he got lost. (Lies, Zoro claims, the streets move and you people give horrible directions, but can’t refute the fact that he once ended up the next town over on the fifteen-minute walk to school)

Zoro shrugs and bites into his sandwich. “Around. Met a guy.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.” Zoro doesn’t offer any more than that and Koby, while wary, doesn’t push it. Instead, he looks him up and down and smiles. “What?” Zoro asks suspicious.

“You seem happier. More… something.” He says, and immediately flinches when Zoro casts him a look that says it all. The heck?

(Inside, there’s a whisper within Zoro that says Of course I’m happier with him. He’s my captain, my king. But he doesn’t hear it.

Even if in this life it’s still true.)

Later that night, amidst the pouring rain, Zoro attempts to go to sleep.

In the end, its futile, as his chest and ankles and eye ache as they always have, in a way unexplainable even to the best doctors, keeping him awake.

And…

There’s somewhere he needs to go.

So he goes, swords and a warm blanket in a bag on his back, slipping out the second story window and onto the tree next to it as rain crashes down on his shoulders. It’s a 25-minute bike ride, which takes longer in the pouring rain, but eventually he makes it to the abandoned lot on the outskirts of the town between the mountains, where the only car is an old flame detailed Camaro sitting alone in the lot.

Zoro knocks on the window in a session of quick motions. Inside, Luffy is almost how he found him yesterday morning, curled into a ball with his hoodie as a blanket. The only difference is this time, he’s awake, eyes wide and trembling, and sitting up with his arms wrapped around his legs.

When he meets Zoro’s eyes there is a dull recognition before he is scrambling over to unlock the door and haul Zoro in.

“Hey,” Zoro says softly, feeling as if he spoke too loudly the world would shatter around him.

“Hey,” Luffy says back just quiet, huddling into Zoro’s side, not even noticing the damp clothes.

It’s funny, Zoro notes, that if anyone else had touched him so casually he would have shoved them away in a heartbeat.

Zoro has a feeling (a knowledge) that Luffy doesn’t care much for rules of any kind.

Allowing Luffy to lean into him, he reaches down to where he slung his bag and takes out the blanket within, thankfully still dry. He takes a moment to wrap it around them both, and then, to the rumbling music of thunder and rain, talks.

What Zoro tells Luffy is this.

He’s an orphan, a foster child, tossed around and forgotten about for the majority of his childhood – he can’t even remember the place where he began now. There were good homes (Zoro you want to play with us? Oh – that’s a swordfighting contest, you want to watch it?) and bad homes (Zoro you aren’t allowed to eat – waste of space – sit out in the yard til I call you in)but none of them permanent - until he landed himself in a kendo competition near his Sensei’s home. There, his Sensei adopted him in order to further his skills after seeing his talent.

His Sensei had a daughter who he ignored, even though her talent was even greater than Zoro’s, all because she was a girl.

Zoro had trained with his Sensei, with Koushirou, hoping he could find whatever was missing from him when he picked up a sword. He never found it because two years after Zoro’s adoption, Kuina slips and falls and dies on some stairs right in front of Zoro, and Koushirou, although he does not blame Zoro, stops training him in his depression.

It’s been a year since then, and Zoro has kept it up but felt that his swordsmanship never felt as liberating as it should.

“Until,” Zoro finishes his story softly, “I met you.”

And in that sentence and meeting of eyes is a complete emotion of I understand, me too, it’s okay, you are not lost anymore, come with me – all things that could never be said otherwise.

Then it is Luffy’s turn to talk and Zoro hurts but does not pity because Luffy would never want that.

(Later, he’ll wonder if he’s the only one Luffy’s told the entirety of his past too. If he’s the only one who knows that Luffy used to have two brothers (one lost to a horrific car crash and another to a gun fight), had a bar for a home and a gang for a family, a jungle for a playground, a terrorist for a father and a piece of shit for a grandfather. He’ll wonder if he’s the only one who will ever know the secrets that bled onto a kitchen floor, the secrets of a familiar scar beneath an eye, wonder if this will be a story told only in the rain in a Camaro filled with aching wounds.

He’ll wonder.)

They fall asleep to the dwindling pitter patter of the rain, soft smiles on their faces as Luffy buries his head into Zoro’s shoulder and Zoro snoozes into a face full of black hair.

The fourth day of their meeting starts in a lethargic haze – the kind that comes with a great burden being eased suddenly and the exhausted triumph of its over with.

This haze also disappears when half way through the day, after another spar, a nap, and a dine and dash, Luffy asks Zoro thequestion.

A question, Zoro knows he should have the answer too, but can’t bear to say it all the same.

He doesn’t sleep in the car with Luffy that night, and instead goes back to the house where he and Koushirou stay.

(He can’t seem to call it home anymore, and really doesn’t that answer Luffy’s question more than anything else?)

Zoro’s earliest memory is of shining blue waters and a painted sail hanging over head. The voices around him are muted but there is something soft, almost like grass, beneath him and a warm sunshine on his face.

It’s a nice memory, but one Zoro cannot pinpoint, because according to the records, Zoro showed up one day, two years old, on an old woman’s doorstep, wearing clothes that reeked of hay and farm life.

Certainly not a life at sea.

Zoro has never even seen the sea, except in that memory, a memory that has felt more whole than he has ever been in his entire life.

He’s an orphan, people call him a loner, a lone wolf, his Sensei calls him antisocial and his few friends speak for themselves.

But – Zoro doesn’t see it that way. He thinks he would be a loner, content to get lost in the wilderness and find his own path, if not for the fact that he was incredibly certain something was waiting for him.

Looking at Monkey D. Luffy’s smile, he thinks he found it.

After Luffy asks the question, Zoro disappears back into his old routine for one day. He goes home, trains, eats dinner with Sensei (which is always a quiet affair) and then goes to sleep. The fifth day, he wakes up and heads to school, Johnny and Yosaku running into him along the way and picking him up (You were heading in the wrong direction big bro! It’s funny – they’re two years older than him and traveling instead of going to school but he’s still their big bro Zoro) He sits through classes and naps in the ones he doesn’t like or simply can’t understand, and eats lunch with Koby in the back of the cafeteria. He sends one last glare to the bully who used to always pick on Koby, and goes home to train and eat dinner with Koushirou.

Then – he falls asleep to the thought of it was nice to see them all one last time.

He wakes up on the sixth day and immediately packs his bags with the necessities – katanas, cleaning kit, clothes, phone, one blanket, and all the cash he has.

(He thinks about taking the photo of him, Sensei, and Kuina, on the day of his first championship win, but decides against it.

Like before– the past should not bind them.)

He pulls the tracking chip Koushirou had put in his phone out, and uses his debit card to get even more cash before tossing it away. Then, duffle bag over his shoulder and half a day wasted, he heads over to the abandoned lot, where Luffy is still sitting on the hood of his car, looking out to the endless horizon of gravel and sun and sky, straw hat firmly on his head.

He’s waiting for an answer.

The bag dumped in the backseat and the maniacal grin is answer enough, and the straw hat placed firmly on a green haired head is just confirmation of the fact.

Yet, Luffy asks as he’s sliding into the driver’s seat. “Ready to go Zoro?”

A question, asked under the hot sun and in an open lot, just like before. Phrased differently, but the essence of the original question still echoes in his voice

“Hey Zoro. Come with me?”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

Six and a half days after Zoro meets Luffy, they set out roaring down the streets and leaving the small valley town of Shells Town that Zoro’s been trapped in half his life behind without a second thought or not explaining where he is.

There are no promises, no dreams, no oaths sworn or battles won. There is just the fixing of an internal compass, finally directed to what truly matters (them all together again at last) and the slow filling in of an aching heart.

(People say he’s always been lost, but maybe it was just he wasn’t meant for where he was – was meant for his side, his captain’s, his king’s side instead)

It’s a good life as any, and - riding in a beat-up Camaro with the windows down, music blasting, and a license-less kid driving them - Zoro’s more content than he’s been in a long, long time.

#roronoa zoro #monkey d. luffy #koushirou #one piece coby #koby #how do u spell his name #yosaku #Johnny one piece #one piece #op #fanfiction #Nearest Thing to Dreams Au #whirlywrites #gen

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tiny-maus-boots · 5 years ago

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Wild West AU ch 13

A/N: Many many many thanks to my bestie @chloes-yellow-cup who listens to me bitch about writing, betas my work, pats my head and tells me my words are pretty and then posts on ao3 for me so I don’t delete my work immediately after posting. She’s amazing and I love her.

Aubrey

She didn’t want to leave Stacie behind but she didn’t dare look back at the other woman. One sight of Stacie standing alone on the bluff would keep her from doing what must be done. Aubrey sucked in a deep breath and slid through the narrow fissure into the dark cool interior of the mountain. She could hear the sounds of people laughing and talking, even the faint sound of someone playing a fiddle, but she couldn’t see them and the ledge was far too narrow for her to lean over. She only had one option really, to climb down into the mess hall and search for Kat and Emmy.

Carefully and as quietly as she could she eased down the ladder and peeked around the edge of the wall. Plenty of Jesse’s boys were sitting around drinking, completely unaware of what rode their way. If they knew, if they had even the hint of suspicion they would all be armed to the teeth and ready for a fight. Aubrey hummed softly to herself as she considered how helpful that may be for their retreat. A thick, hairy paw landed on her shoulder and instinct took over.

Aubrey whirled and yanked the body close to her, close enough to bring her elbow into the face of the man that dared grab her. The pained squeal he let out was too loud and too obvious and she kicked at his knee to drop him enough for her to wrap her arms around his neck in a choke hold Avery had used on her far too many times as children. “Shhhhhh. Sleep.”

She waited until she felt the weight of his body sag against her before she released him and pushed him away roughly. It was just another nameless man on Jesse’s team but one she didn’t need touching her. Cautiously she slipped out of the shadow and crept around the edge of the mess until she reached the cook area. With a sigh of relief at not being seen she ducked into the alcove and grabbed a gunny sack from the work table.

“Aubrey? What are…oh Lord. Who’s dead?” Kat’s voice lowered as she spoke, trying to keep secret any bad news she expected.

Aubrey swallowed hard and shook her head. “No one yet. But a whole heap of us any minute if I don’t get you and Emmy out of here right now.”

“What do you mean? What’s going on?”

“Mama! Mama they have him! I know they do!”

Before she could explain Emily came careening around the corner into the small room, nearly colliding with Katherine in her haste. They both turned to her confused and alarmed by the trail of tears sliding down Emily’s face. “Who baby, who has…oh no…”

The question didn’t need an answer. They knew who Emily meant. Her Deputy Benji was the only ‘him’ that Emmy ever spoke of. And the only other person that could cause this much distress in the younger Junk woman. Aubrey slapped her hand down on the table and shook her head in frustration. He wasn’t important to them now. Not now that the plan was underway and he’d given them all the information they had ever asked him for, but he was theirs, for better or worse and they couldn’t let him rot in Penitence. Especially when he was so important to Emily.

“The Army is a little more than a league out by my best guess. There’s no time to waste, I need to get you two out of here and we’ll worry about the good Deputy later.”

Emily’s back straightened even as she clung to her mother and she turned her gaze on Aubrey. It was fierce and determined and despite the fact that she wasn’t going to allow Emmy a say in things, she was proud of her grit none the less.

“I’m not leaving without Benji.”

“Emmy…” Kat tried to console her daughter but Emily was having none of it.

“No! I’ll be damned if I let that sonofabitch Sheriff hurt him so if you don’t want to help me fine! But I’m not leaving without him.”

Aubrey’s lips twitched with the effort not to smile at Emily cursing and dropped her head to hide her face. She couldn’t even find fault with that kind of loyalty because it was the same thing that bound her to Stacie. And the same kind of love and loyalty that bound them to Chloe and Beca. She’d die before she let any of them suffer at the hands of the Sheriff. Or her brother. It was a sobering enough thought and she nodded quickly.

“Alright Em…alright. We’ll get him but not this second. First we run. Then we fight.” Kat gave Emily a reassuring squeeze and the younger woman nodded hesitantly.

Aubrey reached out and gripped her shoulder trying to convey sincerity of her words. “We won’t leave him behind. I promise. But we aren’t any good to him dead or caught ourselves.”

When she was sure she wouldn’t get any more guff she peeked back out to the mess and nodded. It looked as if no one were the wiser. Kat moved in close, standing at her shoulder eyeing the people littered about the room. “Not all of them are Swansons. Not that any of them are innocent, we’re all hiding here for a reason. But not all of them are caught up in your war Aubrey. You let them face the Army without warning then that blood is on you. All four of you.”

Damnit. She knew Kat was right and had already been trying to decide if she should warn them or not. Aubrey gave a nod and pushed back. “You and Emmy take the ladder up to the tower. Stacie is up there waiting for you, y’all get. You hear? All three of you. You get to the girls and you get the hell out of here.”

“Aub…”

Kat opened her mouth and Aubrey shook her head, green eyes narrowing as her stubborn streak took hold.

“I said git. Now.” Kat knew trying would be useless but Aubrey could tell she wanted to argue until she had no breath left to speak. Just as they were about to turn and walk away Aubrey almost lost her resolve, reaching out to stop Katherine from going further. “Tell her…anything you have to. Anything to get her to go. So long as you tell her...tell her I loved her.”

And she did. She loved Stacie with every single part of her being. There was not an ocean she would not cross, not a mountain she would not climb, nor an army she would not face for Stacie Conrad. There was nothing to her without Stacie and she desperately hoped that one day Stacie would forgive her for dying. Because she wasn’t going to survive what was coming. Probably no one left in the caverns would.

“You’re not dead yet so you can tell her yourself.” Kat’s no nonsense tone made her smile a bit sadly but she gave a nod. It was easier to just let Kat believe she was going to be fine. “You’re gonna fight until you’ve got nothing left to shoot at Aubrey. Because that’s who you are, and because you know she needs you still. So you aren’t going to die.”

And with that she shoved the shotgun she had kept stored on a high shelf against Aubrey’s chest and pushed Emily out to the main hall. The cold metal in her hands helped settle her and push back all the regret and doubt that lingered in her mind. There was no time for that, there was only time for action. Aubrey ducked down the hall to the cave where they kept all their supplies and filled the sack with as many shells for the shotgun as she could find.

The blonde worked furiously, rummaging through boxes and bags until she came across a large crate with a bold letter S painted on it. Aubrey kicked over a few tarps and baskets until she found the pry bar and wrenched open the lid. A slow smile graced her face, widening until a chuckle spilled out of her mouth from deep in her chest.

“That’s my girl….”

Quickly as she could she packed what she dared take in the sack and hoisted it carefully over her shoulder. The shotgun rested against the other and she slipped back down the hall as quiet as a church mouse. Emmy and Kat were nowhere to be seen but she suspected they were already gone up the tower. Someone came around the side of the wall blindly and ran into her. He smelled like sweat and dirt, which wasn’t uncommon, but his soft doughy body bounced off hers and she knew who it was immediately.

“Hey…Aubrey. What the…what are you doing here?” Bumper gave her a confused look then frowned. “What’s all th…ow!”

There wasn’t really time to explain so she shoved him out of the way and walked into the center of the main hall. It seemed almost as if no one noticed her at all the way they all just kept on. With a growl she placed the sack on the ground and climbed on to a table currently being used for a game of cards. Aubrey pulled off a glove and raised her hand to her lips to blow out a shrill whistle that silenced even the furthest corners of the cave.

“Listen up. The Army is damn near here. I reckon they’ll cut y’all down just as soon as look at you. You’ve got half a tick to get armed before they ride through the pass.”

Bumper rubbed his shoulder from when she’d pushed him into the rough wall and strutted forward, chest all out like the Beale family prized cock. “So you say. How would the Army even know where to look?”

They weren’t going to believe her. They might even shoot her just for thinking it let alone saying it so she decided to avoid a direct answer. Aubrey took a breath and shook her head. “Because a traitor went and told them where to find us.” It was the best she could do to not outright name him but the way Bumper watched her made her think his mind was on who exactly had told.

Someone else pushed forward from a back table, his voice more of a growl than a human sound. “So what? They want your lot, not us. We should just string you up for them.” It started a round of agreeing laughter but she noted that Bumper was not at all laughing or participating in the joke.

He took a step forward and kicked the chair nearest him. “Y’all shut up now. You think the Army is gonna care about who they shoot? Ain’t we all guilty of something, somewhere?” They ignored him mostly, a few of them maybe listened a little more intently. But for the most part they didn’t care what Aubrey had to say and just assumed ignore her rather than try to argue. Ignore them both. Idiots.

“You’re right about that. They’ll shoot first, the bodies can be sussed out after. Army policy.” He gave her a nod as if he expected that and looked around. There were a lot of men and women in those caverns yet. A few of them looked close enough to believing but they didn’t have time to convince them all. “You can stay if you want to, but if you leave now you might ma…”

The rushed clatter of hooves almost to the mouth of the cave brought all their attention up. There was a tense frozen moment before she leapt down from the table and kicked it over on to its side. The first shot zinged by a group of men to ricochet off the wall and find its home in the face of one of the men still sitting in his chair, cards grasped in his now lifeless hand.

“DOWN!”

They were seasoned fighters, all of them. They knew how to hold themselves in a gunfight. And they knew how to recover from surprise. But it still wasn’t quite fast enough to evade the first few sprays of bullets into the room. Bumper’s heavy body ducked down behind the table with her and she gave a mild grunt. “Told you so.”

“Yeap.” He hefted the shotgun she’d put down earlier and rested it on the edge of the table before pulling the trigger. “I knew it too. You can be a real bitch but ya ain’t no liar.”

It was about all the compliment she would ever get from Bumper so she took it for what it was and let him keep the gun. A bullet winged by her hand as she tried to reach for the sack, finally grabbing it and pulling it toward her cover.

“That’s almost sweet Bumper. Dingo’s been having a real nice effect on you.” He gave her a snort and fired again, taking down a soldier trying to run at them. Around them tables turned over and people scuttled for hiding spots as best they could. Most of them already firing into the void, hoping to hit a target. It was a foolish waste of ammo but she wasn’t about to caution them. A bottle rolled toward her over the uneven ground and she picked it up. It was still mostly full and she smirked. “Stay here.”

“Got no place else to go, Posen.” She dug some shells from the sack and put them near his knee with a pat to his shoulder. It should help him give her some cover. Aubrey scooted out and lunged for another rolling bottle. It was too hard to grab more than a few since most of them were just broken bits of glass and trickles of whiskey scattered on the ground. Another volley of shots peppered the wall just above her head and she tucked down and half crawled back to the table.

It was loud, so loud, with shots echoing in the cavern, too loud to focus on any one area of danger. So she put all her attention to yanking the sleeve off her shirt to tear into rags. She doused them with a little alcohol and stuffed them into the necks of the bottles she’d scavenged. “Hey Bump…”

“Yeah?” He didn’t look at her for longer than a second before firing on another soldier. Bumper Allen was not the person she wished she was back to back with in a gunfight but he wasn’t so bad at the moment. She maybe even felt like they had an understanding between them. Enough to for her to trust him more than she had ever trusted Jesse. At least. Right now.

“Lay out some cover fire for me will ya?” He gave her a nod and loaded the shotgun as she worked to frantically light the rag with her flint kit. It lit up in a brief blaze and she was grateful when it caught fully. Bumper rose slightly and started to shoot into the soldiers spilling into the cave like a swarm of insects. They ducked and scattered from the buckshot but she was right behind Bumper, her height making it easy to throw the glass bottle with all her might to smash against the entrance to the caverns. Fire licked up the wall, consuming the alcohol that had splashed everywhere. Some of it splashing the nearest men and making them scream in pain. Bumper crowed in delight and not for the first time she was reminded of a rooster. She ducked back down and tried to light a second one as he reloaded.

“Got two left, they don’t last long but it will distract them so we can move from here.” He nodded at that but said nothing and she took that to mean he understood her meaning. But just to be on the safe side she continued. “I’ll let these two fly, we bug out. Meet at the train if you survive.”

“You think I might die?” Yes. But she didn’t want to say it so she shrugged and looked around the side of the table to gauge when to throw. It was enough for him and he gave another grunt. “Was it Jesse?” Aubrey turned back to him and gave a short nod making his scowl deepen. “No, ma’am I’m not dying today. I gotta have a little vengeance before I see my maker.” He thumbed back the hammers and raised the gun. They might not be friends, hell they really didn’t even like each other, but it was the most they had ever respected one another she thought.

Aubrey looked at her last two bottles and shook her head. If she was going to die like a sinner she might as well die sinning. She pulled the cork out with her teeth and spit out before taking a long deep pull of the bottle. It burned something harsh and she passed him the bottle for his own drink. “Remember. Get to the train, Dingo’ll be there.”

He nodded and passed the bottle back. Aubrey took another drink before putting a rag in the top and lighting both bottles. They rose together, him in front shooting a line of fire across the entrance, her behind him a lit bottle in each hand. Aubrey didn’t even think, didn’t hesitate, she launched the bottles toward the targets and ducked back down the second the smooth glass slipped free of her hands. A tongue of flame licked up the walls, some of it catching the support beams that kept the entry arch open. That was it for her, she had nothing left to try so she swept up the sack and bolted for the back ladder.

Climbing up it might have gone a lot faster if she didn’t have to lug the sack and the weight cost her some time. Too much time it seemed. A bullet whizzed past and for a minute she didn’t realize it had ricocheted back and struck her. But the liquid fire that raced down her leg as she slid back down the ladder gave her an all too painful signal that she was hit. The burn in her flesh when she moved made her bite her lip. Climbing the ladder was out of the question now. Somehow she’d known she wasn’t going to make it back. Even as she left Stacie’s side to slip into the mountain, she’d known. Aubrey sat up slowly, inching herself to the minimal cover of a few busted chairs and the dead body of another of Jesse’s boys that was slumped over them.

She was going to die there and she knew it. Aubrey reached into her vest pocket and pulled out the last stub of her cigar. It was crushed to pulp and she muttered a very un-lady like curse and tossed it away. The body of the man jolted with the impact of another bullet and his coat fell open, a brand new cigar dropping out of it to the ground beside her. The blonde smiled and grabbed it, biting off the end. “And even in my dying moments he shineth his mercy and light upon me…Thank you Lord.”

If only her father were here to see her now…

Aubrey swallowed thickly at the rise of emotions that swelled up in her chest. She would have wanted him to be proud of course but he never would be, he would never love her. She didn’t regret that in the least however, her only regret was that she wouldn’t get one more kiss and one more night in Stacie’s arms. The only heaven she ever knew. She lit the cigar finally after a few failed attempts, hands too slippery and shaky to hold the flint, and leaned back with a sigh. At least she knew love. At least she knew hope. And soon she’d know peace. The smoke curled around her head as she dug around in the bag until her blood slicked fingers curled tightly on the hard cylinder. They’d all know peace now.

It was too hard to strike her flint now, so she used the end of her cigar to light the fuse on the stick of dynamite and laughed when it sparked and started to fizzle. The whiskey and shock of her wound must have made her damn near delirious because she laughed again before rising in a wobble to her knees to chuck the stick as far as she could across the cave. Another bullet took her in the shoulder and her knee gave with the pain, her vision going gray and blurry at the edges. She was vaguely aware that she was on her back staring up at the ceiling waiting for the blast as the blood seeped far too quickly from her rapidly cooling body but she hadn’t the will to pull herself together. Aubrey blinked a few times then smiled when the ceiling transformed into the shape of Stacie’s face.

“My angel…”

She knew Stacie wasn’t there. But she saw her none the less and thanked God for giving her that one last view of the most beautiful creature she’d ever set eyes upon. Her gloved hand reached up weakly to touch that divine mirage before her eyes closed and her hand dropped limply to her chest.

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kkoehn17 · 5 years ago

Text

I just want everyone to know that as I typed this I was eating popcorn. But not just any popcorn. Microwave popcorn. But not just any microwave popcorn. A bag of PERFECTLY POPPED microwave popcorn.

That’s right folks. I have achieved perfection. I did not burn a single kernel, nor leave a single one unpopped. I have officially peaked.

So…yeah.

Anyway.

Here are some of my favorite things from May and June:

Podcasts

I have always loved Lauren Conrad, all the way back to her days on The OC. So when I heard she was starting her own podcast, I was pretty much immediately sold, especially if it was going to include helpful tips from people she admires, because then maybe I could take those tips and use them to turn into Lauren Conrad. Not really. But kind of, you know? (find it here)

The Wild is one of the more unique podcasts I’ve found. It follows the adventures of ecologist Chris Morgan as he tracks animals and explores nature in the Pacific Northwest. It’s cool to listen to each episode and visualize the landscapes he describes all while sitting at my desk or making my morning commute. (find it here)

Books

I want to say I was completely shocked by how much I loved Uncommon Type, Tom Hanks’ book of short stories, but, like, it’s Tom Hanks, so of course it was going to be wonderful and charming. I listened to the audiobook and it was honestly like hearing Woody tell me bedtime stories…during the day…that didn’t make me sleepy. All I’m saying is it was great. (find it here)

I’m not all that great at reading suspenseful books because I don’t have the patience to wait for the big reveal at the end. But somehow Kate M. McManus makes the surprise ending in both this book and One of Us is Lying tolerable to wait for because the characters are interesting and relatable and I can never figure out which way the twist is going to, well, twist. (find it here)

Movies

Unicorn Store is the story of a failed artist who moves back in with her parents and takes an office job before being contacted by a man who claims to work for the “unicorn store” and offers to give her a unicorn. My summary makes it sound vaguely creepy but it’s not. I actually LOVED this movie and already know I’ll add it to my shuffle of movies I like to watch on lazy days. (find it on Netflix)

Booksmart is Olive Wilde’s directorial debut that was getting so much hype when it first hit theaters. People were calling it the new, female version of Superbad, which, after seeing it, I can understand why. I recently watched it on Netflix and not only laughed through the entire thing, but danced. This movie has a badass soundtrack, y’all! I highly recommend it for any and all of these reasons. (find it on Netflix)

TV Shows

I have pretty much recommended The Society to anyone who will listen—mostly for selfish reasons, because I just want to have people to talk about it with. It’s an apocalyptic, Lord of the Flies-esque show that follows a group of teens who have to figure out what to do after their entire town disappears. (find it on Netflix)

Dead to Me was recommended by my roommate and though I was slow to start it, once I got going I couldn’t stop. It follows a woman whose husband is killed in a hit and run accident, and her friendship with a woman she meets in a grief support group afterwards. I laughed and gasped through the whole thing and already can’t wait until season two. (find it on Netflix)

Music

I haven’t really been listening to specific albums over the last two months but I have been finding a lot of songs that just make me want to JAM. So, in case you’re in the market for some bops, pull these guys up on Spotify, stretch a little, and then dance your heart out.

1) Too Close by Rainsford

2) Dancing on My Own by Elle Fanning

3) Thief by Ookay

4) Walk Man by Tiny Meat Gang

5) You Need to Calm Down by Taylor Swift

6) Truth Hurts by Lizzo

7) Look What God Gave Her by Thomas Rhett

8) To Whom it May Concern by Sam Spiegel, CeeLo Green, Theophilus London, Alex Ebert

9) Imagination by Foster the People

10) Boys by Lizzo

Birkenstocks

After years of thinking about purchasing a pair of these, I finally pulled the trigger at the beginning of this month and BOY WAS I WASTING TIME NOT OWNING THESE. I’ve already broken them in so they officially have that comfy footprint in the sole that is like a hug for my feet every time I put them on and did I mention you are wasting time not owning these?! They are a little on the pricey side for my usual shoe purchase but they are worth every penny. (find them here)

Double Lacrosse Ball

After my brother starting playing lacrosse, my family discovered the wonder of rolling out our back muscles with a lacrosse ball. So when I found this on Amazon—a double lacrosse ball that does twice the work in half the time—I knew I was on to something. If you’re someone who struggles with tension in either your back or shoulders I highly recommend one of these! Plus, they’re cheap! You get a set of two for just over ten dollars. #blessed (find them here)

Have anything you’ve been loving over these last couple months? Let me know! My Amazon cart is always open…

See my previous favorites post here.

May/June Favorites I just want everyone to know that as I typed this I was eating popcorn. But not just any popcorn.

#advice #birkenstocks #blogging #books #booksmart movie #dead to me netflix #double lacrosse ball #environment #Favorites #fun #lauren conrad podcast #life #may and june favorites #movies #the society netflix #the wild podcast #tom hanks uncommon type #two can keep a secret book #unicorn store movie

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sserpente · 7 years ago

Text

It’s never too late to love (Part III)

Back when you were only a teenager, your entire life changed in but a single heartbeat—as a victim of a terrible plane crash caused by a raging thunderstorm, you seek refuge in a cave inhabited by a pack of wolves that decides to accept you as one of them. For seven years, you adapt to their habits, their behaviour and their communication, giving up entirely on being rescued until one day, a man shows up in your cave. He introduces himself as James Conrad, promises to bring you home. Who is this handsome stranger? Can you trust him? And will you learn to understand these flustering feelings you have for him when you look into his beautiful blue eyes?

A/N: Try listening to “Heart by Heart” by Demi Lovato. It’s perfect for this story!

Words: 1763

Warnings: none

Find Parts I and II on my masterlist or read it on Ao3!

The next day, both James and your mother accompanied you to the dentist, the three of you led by your psychologist. The procedure took several hours, leaving your mouth sore and numb and you swore you felt sorry for biting the dentist at first.

He ranted something about you not being allowed to eat for two hours and after returning to your room, where you were met with a young woman introducing herself as Clary, a hairdresser.

Now, you were fascinatedly playing around with one of the soft pillows on your bed. While Dr Drake suggested giving you some alone time for yourself to sort your thoughts, James had insisted on staying—much to your mother’s dismay.

You still treated her like a stranger, even if slowly, you started warming up to her again. She failed to encourage you the way James did, who kept refusing to leave your side for whatever reason but at least, she stopped glaring at you in this hurting and disappointed manner. It felt good.

It was half past two now and time for you to eat. The doctors said it would be best for you to start with soups, given you hadn’t had proper warm meals in years and it would take your stomach a while to get used to human nutrition again. You didn’t complain. Even though most of the food they brought you tasted strange compared to the berries, mushrooms and meat you had eaten throughout the last couple of years, it did not taste bad.

You definitely could get used to it again. Your only problem was your stomach seemed unable to contain more than only a few spoonsful of soup before protesting, telling you indignantly it was full.

“(Y/N), you need to eat more, you know you need to get stronger again.” James began softly. You tilted your head in silence. I want to eat more. I just can’t.

It was remarkable you still managed to hold cutlery and eat with it—apparently, it was like swimming or riding a bike. Once you knew how to do it, you never forgot it again. But then, why did you not remember how to form words?

Dr Drake and Dr Kensington, a linguist who was to teach you how to speak again, was to remedy just that. After finishing your meal and watching a patient James encouraging every spoonful of soup you swallowed, they both entered your room without knocking first, the linguist introducing himself politely.

You liked him, your first impression of him a lot more positive than what you had felt for your own mother. Unlike her, he did not seem to judge you either, barely interested in how your brain worked and instead, determined to help you learn how to speak again.

“So, (Y/N), may I call you (Y/N)?”

You nodded approvingly. Dr Kensington smiled. Apparently, this was a huge step already.

“I would like to ask you to come to my office. You will be able to talk again in no time, (Y/N).”

James knew immediately what it was that you requested him to do when you reached for his arm and squeezed it gently.

“Of course I will join you.”

Smiling, you both entered the small office. It was sterile, impersonal, the desk neat and tidy and on the wall, a couple of signs listing the alphabet. It was odd. You recognised the letters—every single one of them. You were even able to read the words spelled out in the title.

How was this possible?

Dr Kensington explained it would be best to start pronouncing vowels again first. He quickly learned you remembered the letters and the sound of them, so when he began pointing at various letters and spoke them out loud for you, he asked you kindly to try and copy the sound.

James held your hand tightly under the desk, never ceasing to comfort you. Squeezing it a little, you opened your mouth and took a deep breath. The sooner you learned how to speak again, the sooner you would be able to talk to James.

For some reason, this was the most important aspect of these sessions. You were so grateful for him you wanted James to be the first one to hear you speak again—and for that, you would practise day and night for hours on end.

“’A’, (Y/N). Try to say ‘a’.”

His blue gaze was curious. Not expecting but fascinated. The sound left your lips a little distorted, not quite resembling a real ‘a’ but still, not too bad for your first attempt.

“Great, (Y/N), you’re doing great. Try to say it again.”

“You can do it,” James added gently.

And so this continued until you were familiar enough with all the vowels of the English language. Dr Kensington ended his session after one and a half hours, sending you back to your room with a small success and for the first time, even your mother was delighted, smiling contently when the linguist reported your progress.

This was how it could work out. If this was how you would get back into the world, adapting to human life again, you were going to be happy. Hopefully, James would stay as well. As soon as you could talk again, you would ask him to.

One and a half weeks later, your progress was already tangible. You had mastered the pronunciation of all letters of the alphabet by now and even if James hadn’t been able to join you for each session with Dr Kensington, it was still refreshing to be able to speak more and more with every day that passed.

“What about your name, (Y/N)? Can you tell me your name?”

You tried, forming the sounds slowly—only in your opinion, it didn’t sound like your name at all.

“That’s good, that’s good, (Y/N).” Dr Kensington exclaimed. “You will make it. What about James, the man who rescued you, can you say his name? James?”

This time, you put even more effort into your words. The result was acceptable—yet you still sounded like a baby speaking its first words.

“That’s very good. You have improved a lot. In a few more weeks, it will be like you will never have stopped speaking in the first place. Maybe we should call it a day now, it’s late, and you need your rest. Would you like me to walk you back to your room?”

You nodded. You preferred James over Dr Kensington of course but as long as you couldn’t phrase questions about his whereabouts, you would also accept the linguist. James had not disappointed you thus far. Every night, he joined you, seemingly knowing exactly you did not want to sleep alone.

Perhaps the doctors and Dr Drake would not approve on this new habit but you could tell he never wasted a word on it. He did like you, maybe a lot more than he let on, you could sense it. The way his blue eyes sparkled when he was around you was all but thrilling and touching and you longed to tell him what he meant to you.

With your heart beating faster and your palms getting sweaty in his presence, you slowly began to realise what was happening to you. Something you had last experienced when you were fourteen years old, dating your former boyfriend. It was falling in love.

Wolves did not fall in love, not romantically. They deeply cared for each other and protected their offspring with their lives but still, the main purpose of copulation was to produce descendants. With James, you wanted so much more than that.

You wanted to touch him, to feel him, to become one with him. You caught yourself dreaming of it when you fell asleep curled up next to his warm body every night, without being able to wrap your finger around what exactly it was you wanted from him.

You knew how sex worked—just because you and your former boyfriend had not taken this step yet, it did not mean you were entirely innocent, it was just… human affection was so different from what wolves did to show each other their love.

You were insecure about your own body, the weapons of a woman and intimacy it scared you. It was a huge step for you already to sleep in the same bed with him, to be this close to another human—the one species you had lost all trust in when you realised there was no one coming to save you from the cave.

How would you even approach something this intimate? Besides, you didn’t even know if James liked you back the way you liked him. Jesus, it was already hard getting used to the feelings of proper clothes on your body, how would you work on these flustering feelings now?

It would take you weeks to speak again, what if he wouldn’t wait that long and leave you? Not because he grew tired, you trusted him to care about you enough to not do so lightly, but did he not have obligations too? A job or other duties he needed to attend to? Was he even expecting something from your mute relationship, friendship, whatever it was?

If only you could talk already.

Flinching, you tensed when you heard footsteps just outside your bedroom. They were calm and calculated as they approached the door, opening it so quietly you held your breath.

James thought you were asleep already, that he would only check whether you were safely tugged into bed and not slumbering curled up like an animal on the ground tonight. Maybe this was another reason for why he stayed with you every night. Did he really care this much? Would a man care for a woman this much if he wasn’t romantically interested in her?

The sparkling in his blue eyes… were you interpreting it correctly?

He smiled when he found you awake, sitting on your bed with the blanket barely covering your legs. He entered without hesitation, approaching your bed and taking off his shoes. It had become so normal for him to join you—it was an act you appreciated so much it made your heart skip a beat.

“Did you wait for me?”

You nodded eagerly, reciprocating his cordial smile—it was infecting, after all. I can’t fall sleep without you.

He had barely climbed into bed when you pounced on him shyly, placing your legs over his and snuggling up to his warm chest to listen to his heartbeat.

A/N: *sigh* Part IV, the final part, should be up in a couple of days!

If you liked this story, would you care to support me a little by buying me a cuppa? I would appreciate it so much! ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

#captain james conrad #captain james conrad imagine #captain james conrad x you #captain james conrad x reader #tom hiddleston #kong skull island #kong skull island imagine #it's never too late to love #part iii #captain james conrad smut #james conrad #james conrad imagine #james conrad x you #james conrad x reader #james conrad smut

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ca-mo-mi-lla-blog · 5 years ago

Photo

Sunset

Ghislaine Tinte

Angelene Go

Elyssa Madayag

Zheanne Claire

Danielle Reloza

CHARACTERS

Nepthys Korhonen - a 27 year old high class standing woman, strong willed, beautiful, confident and the childhood sweetheart of Blaise.

Blaise Conrad - a 29 year old man who is a son of a wealthy family. Ambitious, good looking, strong willed.

Oliver Jensen - a 28 year old man. Brother of Olivia

Olivia Jensen - a 25 year old woman and sister of Oliver

TIME

The time is set in modern times.

PLACE

Europe. Paris, France

SCENE 1

Afternoon. Near sunset time. The splash of water can be heard from the beach and the noise from the birds. There were coconut trees nearby with small stones and seashells on the sand. A two-storey house with an elegant design can be seen on the background.

Two shadows of children can be seen, with a bicycle between them and the constant chatter of the two.

BLAISE

(stern)

Hold the bars properly and balance your weight.

NEPTHYS

(nervous)

But what if I fall? Hold me properly when I pedal

BLAISE

(annoyed)

Just do what I say first. I’ll hold you properly don’t worry.

NEPTHYS

(softly)

Ok. I’ll try it.

Nepthys pedaled her bike after three pedals she hit a rock and crashed on the ground

BLAISE

(worried and annoyed. Helped nepthys up when she crashed.)

Nepthys! Are you okay? Shouldn’t you already know how to use a bike at this age? You’re old enough.

NEPTHYS

(annoyed)

Well, I’m sorry this is the first time that I got out of music class. I think I just wasted your time, I’m going---

BLAISE

(cut off Nepthys. Holds her arm. Flustered)

No! Wait, I’m sorry I didn’t know. Can we watch the sunset before you go back?

NEPTHYS

(confused. Stared at Blaise blankly. Nodded)

Ok. Just for a few minutes then.

BLAISE

(excited. Grins at Nepthys)

Isn’t it beautiful? I’ve been wanting to see it together with you for a long time. You know even though you’re rude sometimes I still like you.

NEPTHYS

(Blushing and stutters. Huffs)

W-what? And I’m not rude!

BLAISE

(smiling softly. Grab her hands and took her pinky)

Then can you promise me---

SCENE 2

Back at present time. The place is still the same but now they are much older. Both of them are in the beach watching the sunset together. The wind was blowing Blaise and Nepthys hair.

BLAISE

(softly)

It never gets old watching the sunset in front of you house even though many things change.

NEPTHYS

(chuckles)

Everything changes Blaise. You just can’t see the small changes because you focus on the bigger one’s.

BLAISE

(laughs)

Are you implying something?

NEPTHYS

(serious)

No. But that is the reality we are facing.

BLAISE

(serious. Looks at her in the eye)

In your eyes, did I change that much?

NEPTHYS

(softly)

Do you still remember when we are kids--

BLAISE

(interrupted her. Serious. Faced his body towards her)

Even though we’re still kids back then, and even though people might say that it’s all just puppy love, my feelings for you are true Nepthys and I intend to make that promise come true.

NEPTHYS

(looks at him in the eye. Secretly doubting him)

I hope that you really won’t change.

BLAISE

(widen his eyes. A bit panicky)

Nepthys, I--

His phone rung. He took his phone out in his pocket and stared at his phone for a second.

NEPTHYS

(bored)

Whose that? Why won’t you take it?

BLAISE

(he clicked his tongue.)

It’s just Oliver. I can take his call later.

NEPTHYS

(squinted her eyes at him.)

Oliver? The Oliver Jensen? Since when did the two of you became close to the point of exchanging numbers?

BLAISE

(lick his lips. Shook his head)

My dad and his dad are friends. Naturally I would encounter him. Besides I’m also working with him for a new project.

Blaise phone rung again. The two of them stared with each other for five seconds and Blaise answer the call. He turned his back towards Nepthys and walk a few steps away from her. Nepthys stood still while her eyes stayed on him.

A cold breeze past when Blaise drop the call. He walked towards Nepthys with the glow of sunset on his back. He stop in front of her and raise his hand into her hair.

BLAISE

(smiling apologetically)

I’m sorry. I need to go back. Oliver wants to talk with me regarding our new project.

NEPTHYS

(sighed and hold his hand while smiling)

Go. I’ll just contact you again.

Blaise nodded and walked away from her.

SCENE 3

Evening. At the office of Oliver Jensen. He sits behind the table with papers on top while he reads some of it. The lights are all turned on and there is soft music playing. There was a knock on the door. A woman opened the door with Blaise behind her. He step inside the office, closed the door and walked towards Oliver.

BLAISE

(annoyed)

So, what’s the is it that you wanted to talk about our project? Hurry up I want to go home.

Oliver put the papers down. He raised his head and looked at him. He leaned back in his chair with his chin in his hands.

OLIVER

(chuckles. Smirk)

Annoyed that I interrupted your little date with Ms. Korhonen? Sit down first before I tell you the news you’ve been waiting for.

BLAISE

(annoyed)

Make it fast.

OLIVER

(serious)

Good news is the project will go as we wanted. And you’ll get the shares that you want. But there’s something that you need to do after this.

BLAISE

(surprised. Curious)

What is it?

OLIVER

(serious)

Mom and Dad wants you to go to our house this Friday for dinner together with your family. And you don’t have the right to object or else your shares will be lessened.

Oliver sits back and crossed his arms in his chest. Blaise stared at him for a long time and sighed. The atmosphere that was tense before was now calm.

BLAISE

(helpless)

Ok. I’ll tell Mom and Dad as soon as I got home. And you’re too cruel to threaten me with that.

OLIVER

(laughs softly)

I also don’t have a choice as mom and dad also used the same method with me. Just make sure to come. Ok?

Blaise stood up and walked towards the door.

OLIVER

(softly and quietly)

I’m sorry.

Blaise paused and looked behind him. The soft music playing while Oliver sits on his table with his two hands in his pockets.

BLAISE

(confused)

Did you say something?

Oliver shooked his head. Blaise took hold of the knob, opened the door and step outside the office.

SCENE 4

On the house of the Jensen family. On the table is Blaise, Oliver, Olivia and their parents. The atmosphere is a bit constrict. Only sounds are the clanking of the utensils. Until the mother of Blaise wiped her mouth and cleared her throat.

MOTHER OF BLAISE

(happy)

It was a rare chance for us to see each other again. By the way Blaise, did you already prepared everything?

BLAISE

(confused)

Prepare? Prepare what?

MOTHER OF BLAISE

(happy)

Of course your marriage with Olivia! What a silly child. I thought Oliver already told you seeing that he personally told you about this dinner.

BLAISE

(angry)

I’m not getting married with her! I can’t and will never hurt Nepthys!

FATHER OF BLAISE

(angry)

Sit down and mind your manners! This is for your future and you will be married to Olivia whether you like it or not. Or else you will be kicked out at the house of Conrad.

Blaise stood up and look at Oliver with fire in his eyes. Oliver lowered his head. Blaise then looked at Olivia and pursed his lips.

BLAISE

(cold. Serious)

I would never love you even though I am tied with you. My heart only belongs to one woman.

Blaise looked at them one last time before he walked out of the dining hall and slammed the door behind him.

SCENE 5

Months passed and there was little communication between Nepthys and Blaise. Now Nepthys is in the building of the Jensen family for a meeting on one of their collaborative works. Nepthys walked in the conference room. A long table in the middle with seats surrounding it. She took a seat in one of the chairs.

Oliver stood up and started talking about their new project. He stands in the middle with a presentation on his back. Suddenly the door opened and Olivia stepped inside.

OLIVIA

(warm)

Brother, have you seen Blaise? He’s not answering my calls and I just want to give him his lunch.

OLIVER

(nervous. Darting eyes)

Uh, Olivia why don’t you step outside first? I’ll just call him for you.

NEPTHYS

(flat-toned. Serious. Narrowed eyes)

Blaise? Who are you to him to call him like that? On top of it bringing lunch? Just who are you?

Loud footsteps. The door was slammed OPENED. Blaise stood on the doorway breathing heavily. All of the people inside looked at him.

BLAISE

(apologetic)

Sorry, I’m late. There was heavy tra--

Olivia cut him off sentence and hug him. Blaise was shocked and couldn’t move. Oliver widened his eyes and looked at Nepthys. Nepthys clenched her hands as all the other people hold their breaths.

OLIVIA

(whining)

Blaise, why aren’t you answering my calls? It hasn’t been a year yet since our marriage and you’re already turning cold.

BLAISE

(irritated)

How many times do I have to tell--

Nepthys cut him off and stood up. Blaise saw her and his eyes widened. Fear visible in his eyes.

NEPTHYS

(angry, hurt, jealous)

So this is the reason why you haven’t been calling and coming to the house. You’ve found a new woman.

Nepthys laugh sarcastically. Blaise took Olivia’s arm on him forcefully. He walked towards Nepthys. Nepthys took a step back and stared at him with tears on her eyes.

BLAISE

(begging)

I can explain. Please Nepthys, I--

Nepthys took her bag and walked towards the door and stopped. She looked back and stared at his eyes. Blaise has tears in his eyes, with his hands clenched on his side.

NEPTHYS

(flat-tone)

Don’t bother. I thought you would never change. I thought we can make the promise we made when we are kids come true. You were the one who said it to me. It turns out you are a liar.

Nepthys walked out of the door.

SCENE 6

Two days later. A charity ball hosted by the family of Nepthy’s. Evening. The place is filled with sophisticated ambiance. There was soft ballroom music playing in the background. Warm light filled the place. It was filled with distinguish people from businesses. The family of Conrad and Jensen is also present. Blaise is staying with the Conrad family.

NEPTHYS

(smile. Lighthearted)

Good Evening aunt and uncle, may I talk with Blaise for a moment?

Blaise parents nodded and let them off with a smile. They walk towards a secluded balcony. Nepthys closed the door behind them and walked towards Blaise.

BLAISE

(begging. Sorry, felt crying)

Nepthys, I swear I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t want to hurt you. I will find a way out fo---

Nepthys grabbed his tie and closed the distance between them. Their lips touching each other as she pours out all her bottled emotions this past few days.

NEPTHYS

(aggresive. Serious, smirked)

Shut up. I know that something else was involved. And I’m particularly confident that you won’t fall for a girl like Olivia. After all, I captured your heart the very moment we cross paths.

Blaise teared up. He hugged Nepthys hard and placed his head onto her shoulders. They stood there for at least five minutes before Blaise released Nepthys.

BLAISE

(relieved)

How are you these days? Is uncle and aunt alright? Please tell grandpa I’m sorry for not visiting lately.

Nepthys encircled her hands on his neck and made the foreheads touch each other. She whispered the words and afterwards bit his neck.

NEPTHYS

(serious)

Mhm, I’ll tell them. But did you kiss her? If you did let me tell you that you will pay if you did.

Blaise shooked his head and held her hand. Nepthys smirked and tightened her hold on his hand. Afterwards, they entered the ball room again. This time Olivia step in front of them with a drink on her hand. Olivia gripped the neck of the glass tightly as she stared at their holding hands.

OLIVIA

(loudly)

I didn’t know that the precious daughter of the Korhonen family is a home wrecker and blatantly displays it.

Nepthys let go of Blaise’s hand and step forward. Chin up with her eyes downcast looking down at Olivia. After her first sentence, she took a step towards Olivia and bent down to her ears to whisper the next line. After that she walks out. The people around stared at them but the night continued like nothing. Blaise stayed with his family the whole night.

NEPTHYS

(sighed)

You should be careful with your words Ms. Jensen. People might mistake you for being the home wrecker instead for stealing what’s really mine. You’re not the legal wife and will never be.

SCENE 7

Morning. The door was opened with a BANG. The father and mother of Blaise jump in fright while he stride in full of confidence.

BLAISE

(serious)

I will divorce Olivia whether you like it or not.

FATHER OF BLAISE

(angry)

Do you really intend to cut your ties with your family? Is that woman more important than us? Why can’t you understand that we are only doing this for you?

BLAISE

(serious)

I have been with Nepthys since I was a kid and both of you know that she is special for me. Whether it is for me or for your own benefit, I would never marry a woman whom I know I will never become my best.

FATHER OF BLAISE

(angry, shouted)

Get out! You are no son of mine. And remember this, you will never get help from us ever.

Blaise nodded and walked out of the room. As soon as he step out of the house, he saw Oliver’s car parked in front. Oliver’s car was gray. As soon as he saw him he took his glasses off and wave at him. Blaise walked towards him but stood only on the driver’s side.

BLAISE

(frowned, confuse)

What are you doing here?

OLIVER

(sighed. Calm)

I thought I would take you back to your princess to end all this mess. And consider it as a payback for what I did.

Blaise looked at him silently. He walked around and opened the door at the shotgun seat and got inside the car.

BLAISE

(impatient)

Then hurry up, I don’t want Nepthys waiting for me.

The car pulled up at the house of Nepthys near the beach where they always go since they were kids. Dusk. Blaise got out of the car and was greeted by the sunset.

OLIVER

(softly)

Blaise, I’m sorry.

BLAISE

(laughs softly)

At least you realize that I really belong to one woman only.

OLIVER

(chuckles)

You’re crazy.

BLAISE

(smiled)

Maybe I am.

Blaise walked towards the house of Nepthys. Nepthys was standing on the patio watching the sunset. A wind blew her hair and revealed her serene face. Blaise walked towards her and hugged her from behind.

NEPTHYS

(softly)

What took you so long?

BLAISE (sighed)

Just fixed some minor things.

Nepthys brush her hands into his hair. She turned around and hugged him putting her chin in his chest. They both stared at each other while in a hug. Nepthys softly closed her eyes.

NEPTHYS

(softly, crack at the end)

I love you. Make your promise come true this time, please.

Blaise hugged her tightly.

BLAISE

(serious, loving tone)

I will. You will always be my one and only forever.

credits to pinterest

#creativewriting

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