#how the hell am i gonna write a fic where their arm Remains injured for a long period of time (like a week

[hershelchocolate]

Oddly enough I feel like now is the perfect time to write my next Lyf fic. I've been wanting to do it for a while, but Whisper Court has kept me too busy to write anything else. Now that that's mostly done, I'm free to write some fic and my cold is mostly gone so my brain isn't melting anymore

I'm still hurt I am still Injured but oddly enough. It makes writing the fic I have in mind more appropriate. I just still, after all this time, cannot come up with an excuse for why Monsters Lyf would be injured for multiple days in a row

[fionajames]

Hiiiiii!!!! I haven’t requested in a hot minute! Anyway, what’s up how’s life?

Request: okay, so I read a fic about this made up mission where Torrent Company was on, they jumped out a high window and Rex and a few others were badly injured and put into a coma or something. Is it possible for me to ask if you could write a little something similar where there’s a dangerous mission and Cody is super worried about Rex because he comes home all broken and barley conscious and it’s like Rex wakes up and is kinda like “why am I here, Cody I’m fine. It’s just six broken ribs, a concussion, and a broken femur” and Cody is all like “Rex, I order you to stay down.” ???

Okay, wow that was long, but is it possible if you could write something similar to it? Pretty please with sprinkles on top?

Thank you so much!!!! Love ur work ❤️-Sha 🫡

three broken ribs, a concussion, and a broken femur

hi sha! thats ok! lifes pretty.... bad? its pretty egh. sorry this took me so long to do, ive been busy :(

sorry if any medical info in this is incorrect! im not a doctor. ive never taken a medical course. im a silly child writing fanfiction.

Rex didn’t remember much from the actually battle, which wasn’t surprising. He remembered the explosion of pain that had filled his body after the building he was in had collapsed, but not much else. He, however, did remember waking up on the Medbay, medics around him rushing to aid him. Kix was beside him, shouting something at someone else, but Rex couldn’t understand what. His head was pounding and his ears were ringing. 

“Kix?” He managed to croak, and the medic turned to him with a horrified and worried expression.

“It’s gonna be fine, Rex, you’re going to be fine,” Kix told him quickly, and although his words were muffled, Rex could still understand him. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Put him under a general anaesthetic!”

Rex wasn’t sure why he required a general anaesthetic like Kix had said, but he didn’t have any more time to think when a needle was inserted into his arm.

-

The next day, Rex was calmly sitting on the Medbay cot, drinking a glass of water. They’d done something to his ribs - he wasn’t sure what, he didn’t want to know - but couldn’t give him a compression wrap as it came with the risk of restricted breathing or even partial lung collapse.

He’d broken a femur as well - that hurt like hell - and had a concussion. The concussion was a numbing, aching throb that he despised. Never again, did he want a concussion.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Cody, with a rather irritated look on his face. “Rex!” He shouted angrily, strolling to stand next to his brother. “I told you to get out of that building, and look where you ended up!” 

Rex glanced around in confusion, then at himself. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?!” Cody shouted in exasperation, running a hand down his face. Maker, he thought. Skywalker must be rubbing off on him! Well, at least he’s not as bad as General Kenobi. Obi-Wan had returned back to base a few months ago with six broken ribs, a broken arm, broken leg, concussion and wrist fracture. “Look at yourself!”

Rex did as he was told, but still remained confused. “Cody, seriously, I’m fine!” He scoffed. “It’s only three broken ribs, a concussion and a broken femur! That’s not bad!”

Cody looked like he either wanted to punch Rex in the face, or cry.

“You damn fool!” He shouted, sinking to sit on the cot next to his brother, face in his hands. “Rex, you idiot. You could have died!” 

“But I didn’t,” Rex grinned playfully and Cody choked out a frustrated sob. 

“Rex,” he sighed. “Your going to be the death of me.”

“Not if I’m dead first.”

“Don’t say that!” 

“Fine, Cody.”

hope you enjoyed!!!!!!!!!! requests pleasE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[damejudyhench]

Many thanks to @captastra @strangefable @jumpship90 and @kourumi for your writing prompts from the “touch” meme! They went together really nicely, so I’ve combined them into one fic. I hope you enjoy 😊

the prompts were:

2. Running fingers through hair

16. Massaging them

17. Holding the other’s chin up

32. Caressing the other’s back

34. Washing the other’s body

this is so indulgent to me, it’s sfw but I’m still sitting here like 😳😳😳

tags: canon-typical injury, blood, mention of corporal punishment, bathing kink, lying

Max took forever in the shower. It was a fact of life, a law of nature, as inevitable as gravity. Whether it was a trauma reaction to his time in Tartarus, his determination to prove that if cleanliness was next to Lawfulness then he was the most Lawful person on board, or simple vanity; once he was in there, it was almost impossible to get him out. Nyoka, the newest member of their crew, could pound on the door all she wanted; she might as well be cussing out gravity itself.

So Pearl let him be for longer than she might have, but eventually concern started to nag at her. Max was hurt; a larger than average mantis had caught them unawares while they were scavenging the canyon that lay outside of Stellar Bay. They’d all been left worse for wear, but Max had taken the brunt of it, and he’d staggered back to the Unreliable with his face pale, swearing through gritted teeth as he clutched his arm to his chest in the position of maximal stability that signified a fracture or worse. He might need her help. After a few cautious knocks on the bulkhead, followed by a few less cautious, Pearl used her Captain’s override and pushed inside.

Max rounded on her like a wounded animal cornered in its lair. Shirtless, his injured arm strapped against his chest, his other hand held his razor. His jaw was still more than half covered in shaving foam, and she could see a fine thread of bright red blood trickling down the skin of his throat.

“Yes, I am still using the bathroom! Architect forfend someone on this ship might actually possess any standards of decency…”

Screw him.

“Mind you don’t cut yourself,” she snarled back, and left him to his own devices.

Around five minutes later, as she lay on her bunk scanning through an old data pad, there was a knock at the door. Max stood in the gangway, his towel draped around his neck, a sheepish expression on his face.

“I apologise… and I would appreciate your assistance, Pearl. If you’re not too busy, of course.” His tone was courteous, but his face was tight and drawn, and she knew he must be in pain despite the strapping.

“Any time, Max.”

In the shower, she took the towel and the razor gently from his hand and set them on the sink, then turned to face him. His shoulder was bruised an ugly purple and red, fading to deep brown beneath his collarbone where it was dented and distorted. It looked sore as hell, and Pearl sucked her breath through her teeth in sympathy.

She pushed him gently back until he was sitting on the toilet, then took his canidfeather brush and applied a new coat of lather to his face. She shaved him with slow, even strokes, pausing occasionally to grasp his chin and tilt his head from side to side and then back so that she could check her progress. Max looked throughout as though he wanted to say something, but as in love with the sound of his own voice as he was, he kept still to avoid injury.

When she was done, she wiped his face clean with his towel and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Max got to his feet and shuffled toward the shower

“Of all the damned bones one might break, this has to be the worst… I can scarcely do anything by myself,” he grumbled.

“It’s the most commonly broken bone in the body,” Pearl replied mildly. Max had hang ups about injury, about physical weakness. He took it as a sign that he was straying from the path; or worse, that his path lead to destruction. Pearl knew because she’d been raised that way herself. Those who were meant to survive, survived.

That was how her job had worked. She’d treated those whose benefit to their corporation had outweighed the cost of their treatment. Of course, ultimately it was down to the Plan who survived and who didn’t, the corps were kind of a middleman, but the OSI said that was ok because the corps being in charge was down to the Plan too. It was a whole system based on a lie so obvious she couldn’t understand how she’d once believed it, or how so many people still did. Including the man in front of her, who was self conscious about asking for help when he’d broken his collarbone.

She locked the door, unfastened his pants and eased them down over his hips along with his shorts. She made a neat pile of his clothing, then reached for the sling that held his arm.

“You want to take this off or keep it?”

“I’d rather it remain dry.”

“Ok… you ready?”

She let Max brace himself, with his good arm supporting the other, then gently released the sling and added it to the pile. Max flinched, but nodded when she glanced at him. Pearl activated the shower, sending warm water streaming down over his body. She smiled at the sight of him. His hair fell forward into his eyes, and he gave a deep sigh of pleasure.

Pearl stepped back and frowned. It was going to be tough to wash him properly without getting herself soaked in the process. And Max hadn’t been able to shower for a few days, which would have been a torment to him. If she was going to do it, she ought to do it right. Besides, it wasn’t as though they hadn’t seen each other naked before. She undressed quickly, adding her clothing to his own, then bent to pick up the soap and the washcloth. Max’s eyes were wide, and whatever he’d wanted to say before seemed to have gone from his mind entirely. He saw that she was watching him, and hurriedly looked away.

The air was warm and steamy; the water pleasant on her skin. She soaped Max’s shoulders, his chest, carefully avoiding the injured area, then worked her way down his arms. His muscles were tight beneath his skin, and she dug in a little and squeezed, working out the knots in his body. He had thick, strong fingers that were just long enough to be elegant, she thought as she washed his hands. She went to her knees to do his legs, and noticed that his cock twitched a little, but when she looked up at him his eyes were closed, and he seemed quite lost in the moment.

“Spin around,” she said, getting back to her feet. Max frowned, and he once again avoided meeting her gaze.

“I’ll be fine now. Thank you.”

“What? You’re kidding. There’s no way you can use that fancy stick with the sponge on it… I’ll do your back, I don’t mind.”

Max gave a pointed sigh and turned, but she noticed the droop in his neck, the way he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Strangely, he looked frightened.

His broad back was a lattice of scars, and Pearl brought her hand up to her mouth to avoid gasping or otherwise making a sound.

“I haven’t seen it in a while… is it still as bad as I remember?” Max said bitterly.

“They did this to you? In prison?”

“Where else? I can’t remember what I did to earn it. I was hardly a model prisoner, not at first anyway.”

“It’s just scars, Max. You’ve got those grazes on your chest, some on your legs… it’s not that different.”

“It is different,” he hissed. “Because they broke me.”

“They… broke you?”

Max looked away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You were in prison for heresy, right? And look what you did as soon as you got out. You went straight after the journal, just as heretical as you were before. They didn’t break you.”

On impulse, she hugged him. Her arms around his waist and her chest against his back, both of them slippery with soap.

“You’re stubborn, Max. They could drop Groundbreaker on your head and you’d get up and keep right on going after the Equation.”

He laughed, a sound that was rare and delightful in its rarity, and relaxed beneath her touch as she ran the cloth over his back.

“You have a way with words, Pearl. And you may have a point. Nevertheless, I must ask that you don’t tell the rest of the crew.”

“Your secret’s safe with me… now sit down for this last part.”

Max settled himself on the tiled floor, bracing with his good arm. He leaned back against her legs, a pleasant sensation with his warm wet skin and the solid weight of him. She ran her fingers through his hair, rinsing out the worst of the sweat and the dust, then reached for the elegant glass bottle she’d had her eye on ever since the first time she’d set foot in his cabin.

Max’s voice carried a tone of warning. “That one’s  expensive, you only need a purpleberry sized amount - a fucking purpleberry sized amount, good Law!” Pearl laughed and ignored him, pouring the rich, sweet smelling shampoo into her palm. She lathered his hair, breathing in the scent of lavender and nearmint and Max. His hair was thick and soft, and he groaned in pleasure as she alternated between running her fingers through it and massaging his scalp.

When he was clean from tip to tail she helped him to his feet, let the water rinse over him. Finally, with a nod that mixed pleasure and regret, he was done. She towelled him off and helped him dress and reapply his sling, ran a comb through his hair. She doubted it was to his usual standard, but it kept it out of his eyes.

“Good as new, Max. So listen… our field guide, Nyoka, she’s got something she wants to do that she needs a crew for. If we help her out, she’s gonna give us a big discount in return. So I figure we do her thing, let you rest up, then once you’re all healed we can head out. I’ll find my broker, you can find your… scholar.”

“My scholar,” Max murmured. He took her hand, and for a moment Pearl was again convinced that he was going to say something, but instead he squeezed her tightly. “Thank you, Captain.”

[tansypoisoning]

Scrappy Doo

You got in trouble often, and it showed. Worse than every bruise and cut, though, was your front door neighbor’s concern. He didn’t know you; he was too busy to know you. You wished he would stop pretending he cared so you could move on with your life in peace, and never have to deal with intrusive thoughts of what it would be like to have a room in his heart.

Me, writing fluff? More likely than you think (and yet not that likely). This is my entry for @jtargaryen18​‘s “30 Days of Chris” I’m just trying to branch out a little, and since J’s fics tend to end up being really sweet even if they don’t start that way… Well, I thought I’d go for some sweetness too. Ended up calling out myself in this xD. Anyway, I would appreciate if you guys let me know if you think this is okay. Don’t judge the name too harshly please xD

Fandoms: MCU

Genre: Fluff? Hurt/Comfort? Things you wouldn’t expect from me, I guess.

Ships: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count: 3166

Warnings: Mentions of violence and injury, some blood, non-graphic descriptions of wound dressing

The bits of bandage and specks of blood in the sink were piling up worryingly fast. You had looked at them to take your eyes and mind of the gash in your arm, but you reckoned you should’ve just closed them.

“One of these days you’re going to lose your head,” The woman in front of you grumbled as she weaved needle and thread through your flesh “and I’m not going to put you back together, I swear.”

You tried to tell her ‘If anyone could it’s you, Molly’, but the stiff thrown pillow stolen from her couch so you’d have something to bite muddled the words to the point none of them were recognizable.

You ground your teeth on the linen with every new puncture, your fingers gripping the edge of the counter like a lifeline. It hurt, but you’d be okay. You’d been through worse. Your love of hiking, parkour, urban exploration, political activism and doing good recklessly (emphasis on the reckless bit), meant you often found yourself beaten and bruised and wounded and just fucked up in general, but it was all worth it. Just last week you’d rescued a woman’s purse! Molly didn’t share your enthusiasm.

“I should really charge you for this,” she complained. She said it every time you showed at her doorstep, and every time she would put you back together free of charge.

Nick by nick, all your wounds were dressed and you were good to go. You dropped the pillowcase in the washing machine before making your way to the door.

“Seriously, you gotta start being more careful.” Your friend called. “I get that you can’t always help it, but…. jumping on a rusty ladder, are you kidding me?”

“I can’t make any promises!” You smiled sheepishly and she rolled her eyes “Thank you, Molly. I really appreciate it.”

She sighed, but her lips curled upwards nonetheless “Yeah, I know. I expect to see you again in a week.”

“You know I’ll visit regardless!”

“Hopefully not bleeding!” She yelled just as you turned around to jog back to your apartment complex just across the street. The walk was familiar, if a little uncomfortable. Your bruised legs hurt as you climbed up the stairs, but you were smiling all the way.

You had just shoved the key in the lock when the door across from your place opened, and someone behind you sighed.

“Again?”

You whirled around on the balls of your feet, arms raised in preparation to salute the other person on the hall with you.

“Hello, captain!” You greeted cheerfully, resting your hand against your forehead.

Captain America’s look of disappointment could make just about everyone wilt, and you weren’t the exception. In fact, maybe you were even weaker to it than the average person.

“What happened this time?” He asked.

“Urban exploration,” you said, your voice losing a considerable amount of volume and enthusiasm “I was on some ladders when they broke down.”

The lines of his forehead deepened. No, this wasn’t disappointment; it was concern. That was somehow worse.

Who the hell was he to be concerned about you? He didn’t know you; he was too busy to know you.

“I’m okay, though. Nothing broken or anything.”

“You got stitches.”

You shrugged. “Stitches, schmeeches.”

He didn’t find it amusing. “And you’re still going on these expeditions alone.”

“Well, who else am I gonna do them with?” Most of your friends lived too far away, and the ones who lived near had no interest in your little misadventures.

Steve didn’t answer. He likely didn’t have an answer, but he also didn’t have the decency to wipe that look of faux worry off his face.

“And how are your expeditions on the culture going?” You used his silence to direct the conversation to a more pleasant topic.

You didn’t know much about Captain America – he didn’t really let himself be known – but living across from him had given you some insight on his life. Given he’d been stuck on ice for seventy years, it was no wonder he’d needed help to acclimate to the radically different world he had woken up in. He got used to the social and political changes with surprising ease, and it didn’t take him long to acquire a passable understanding of current technology. What he struggled with was pop culture.

You had been his media dealer for a few months now, supplying him with an endless stream of movies, series and music (some of which of questionable legality, but he didn’t need to know that). He had told you of his difficulty finding some of the things people had urged him to look into, and you offered to help him with that. You used the opportunity to introduce him to some things that you liked, because it was always nice to have another person to talk to about these things.

“It’s been going,” he said, and you were happy to see his expression softening “slowly, but it’s been going. Thank you for the Prince songs, by the way.”

“You’re so welcome,” you answered with a grin. He had initially given priority to media other people had suggested to him, but he’d been getting around to your things in the last two months or so “Have you watched Mr. Rogers Neighborhood yet?”

“Not yet.”

“You really should. Fred Rogers might be the one person who beats Steve Rogers at the whole ‘being a good human being’ thing.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m putting it off,” he smiled, but it was short-lived as he stopped to clear his throat. “I gotta go now.”

“Okay,” you nodded and stepped back to press your back against the wall. The hall was almost too small for the two of you. “Gotta rush to save the World, huh?”

“Something like that,” he said as he moved toward the stairs, but he turned back to you as he reached the railing. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

You recoiled at his words. “Sure.” You answered stiffly, then rushed to open your door before he could say anything else. You didn’t need this. This fake concern, those empty words… You much preferred hostility, that was at least less confusing, less painful.

It really was stupid of you to nurture such a silly crush. Steve was just your front door neighbor. The sooner you accepted that, the better.

Molly wasn’t home, and she wasn’t picking up her phone. Where the fuck was she? It’s not like she had an obligation to help you out, yes, but… She always did help, and now she had to pick the worst possible moment to go M.IA.

The walk up to your apartment was familiar and painful. You were worried about your right arm; it wouldn’t move, and whenever you tried to touch it, it hurt. Could it be broken? You hoped not, but if anyone could be sure, that person was Molly. And she always picked up.

Your key was in your backpack, so you had to take it off before you could open your door. You tried to be quiet, but when the strap brushed your injured arm you couldn’t help but yelp.

Your neighbor’s door opened instantly, and at such a speed you felt the air in the room being rearranged. Steve’s gasp behind you only made you feel worse.

“What happened to you?”

“Nothing,” you sniffed “I’m fine.”

“No you’re not.” There was a pause and then a hand was at your right arm, squeezing it as if to turn you around. You were loathe to show any weakness in front of him, but it hurt too much. You howled, tears slipping from the corners of your eyes, and Steve let go. He walked around you, coming to stand in front of you. He didn’t look angry at all, just deeply concerned.

Great. You didn’t need this shit on top of everything else.

“Steve, let me get into my home.”

“Where’s Molly?”

“I don’t know,” you whined. It was getting harder and harder to keep the little composure you still had “Please let me in, Steve.”

“I’m taking you to the hospital.” His voice brooked no arguments, and something about it was too much for you.

You broke down with one sob, then several more, and the look on Steve’s face only grew more worried. “I don’t know if I can afford it.”

“I’m paying,” he said, and you were about to tell him no, but he didn’t give you the chance: “This is serious. You can’t wait this out. I’m taking you and I’m paying for it. Do you need me to carry you or can you walk on your own?”

You wiped at your tears with your good hand and nodded. “Yeah, I can walk.”

You followed Steve out of the building, pausing ever-so-often. Steve would wait for you whenever you did, not once complaining or frowning. He helped you into his car and buckled you in.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” He asked once he’d settled in the driver’s seat.

“I don’t want to.”

He took a deep breath as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t press the issue. You didn’t want to talk about the incident, but you didn’t know what else to talk about, so you kept quiet. Steve didn’t speak much either, occasionally asking you for updates on your state, but otherwise letting the radio do the speaking for you. The songs playing were ones you’d recommended to him, you noticed.

The trip to the hospital was longer than the waiting in the lobby, and thankfully that wasn’t very long. Steve remained outside while you were being patched up. You were glad for it. Having to explain your wounds to the staff was already bad enough, you didn’t need him to hear it as well.

You left the hospital in bandages and with a cast on your right arm. Despite the weight of the plaster, you felt a hundred times lighter, knowing you’d gotten the care you needed for free. Steve didn’t share your enthusiasm. He sighed when he saw you walk out of the room, and you felt your smile slip just a little.

The two of you were quiet when you entered the car. Steve drove in absolute silence for about two minutes before you thought to thank him – and you really were thankful, but thanking him almost seemed a waste. He looked so frustrated, just like everyone else when it came to you. Reckless, hasty, imprudent, you should just know your limits and not go past them. You should just stop doing the things that made you happy and the things you felt were needed because you would get scratched in the protest. That’s what everyone said. You couldn't imagine a super-human who put his life in graver danger every day being any more understanding.

You were about to bite the bullet and thank him, but Steve opened his mouth before you could: “You’re kind of like Scrappy Doo.”

“What?” All your previous feelings of goodwill vanished from you like the air in a popped balloon.

“I started watching some of the cartoons you-”

“I’m surprised you’re even here if I’m such a burden.”

It was his turn to look incensed. “What are you talking about?”

“Scrappy Doo. Am I seriously that much of an annoyance to you?”

“No!” He took his eyes from the road for a brief moment to direct them at you. “I was making a reference. Isn’t that what people like to do nowadays?”

“You compared me to a character everyone hates.”

“I don’t. And I don’t know why anyone would.”

“That’s not-” Your words didn’t come to you as fluidly as you would like them to.  “It doesn’t matter. He’s an annoyance and only ever makes things worse.”

“Is that what you think of yourself?”

“No, that’s just what everyone else thinks of me.”

You looked at the rear view mirror to see him frowning. “Who told you that?”

“You don’t have to tell me anything.” Of course he didn’t. If you were a nuisance to normal people, imagine how pathetic you must’ve seemed to someone as strong as Steve.

“I-” Whatever he was going to say he interrupted with a shake of his head and a sigh. “I shouldn’t say you remind me of Scrappy Doo. Rather… you remind me of me.”

It was your turn to frown. “You?”

“Before I was recruited for the serum program, I used to be very small. Short, frail… that didn’t stop me from getting in trouble whenever I saw injustice. I thought it was wrong to let bullies go unchallenged, even though I knew I couldn’t win. I always had to get rescued, but I kept doing it because I knew it was the right thing to do.”

“And then you got jacked and that helped a lot.”

He laughed. “I’m way better at doing helping out nowadays, but even so… I don’t think you’re an annoyance. I worry about you because I used to get in the same sort of trouble. I ask you to be careful because I’m afraid you won’t come back home one day.”

Your heart leaped in your chest, and then you remembered you had been there before. That wouldn't be the first time someone pretended to care for you on a personal level, then abandoned you when it wasn’t convenient anymore.

“You don’t really know me, Steve. I get if you’re worried about me just like you’re worried about everyone else, but I would rather… It feels fake, you know? Like you’re just helping me because I’m right there, and if one day I didn’t come home you’d just go on worrying about everyone else.”

“No, I-” He started, then cut himself off to huff. “I can’t talk about this while I’m driving. Hold on.”

You were quiet as Steve turned into a side street, darker and quiet than the one you were on. He looked around until he found a place to park, and then turned to you once the engine was off and the key was out of the ignition.

“I do care about everyone. If I was neighbors with someone else and they got hurt as often as you, I would worry and I would help them however I could, but I wouldn't feel the same way I feel about you. If you suddenly didn’t come back I- Why would you think I don’t care?”

“I just don’t see why you would. We only talk when we meet in the hallway, and you don’t look at the things I reccomend you, because you never talk about it.”

“I was watching Scooby Doo when you showed up.” Steve said, and there was an edge of frustration to his voice “Whenever I’m home I’m looking at the things you gave me. I don’t have as much time to learn about the things you like as I wish I had. I don’t have as much time and energy to know you as I wish I did. And you-” He stopped himself and shook his head. “Nevermind. I don’t want to do this when you’re injured.”

“No, tell me.” You and Steve were finally conversing rather than exchanging pleasantries. Now that you were being honest with each other, you didn’t think you could go back to how things were before. “I told you I wanted honesty. And whatever it is you’ve got to say, I bet won’t hurt more than this fucking thing.” And you pointed at your injured am.

He hesitated. He looked back and forth from you to the windshield, then swallowed hard before proceeding. “You put up a wall. I couldn't get you to talk to me about your injuries for months, and every time I ask you to be careful, you brush it off. It’s like you don’t want me to know anything about you.”

You considered his words for a second, then your own feelings for a moment longer. You couldn’t pretend it was just because you didn’t want to be a burden. “This is going to sound weird, but I’m scared I can’t trust you?” You turn to him. His brows are scrunched together, and he almost looks to be in pain. “I know, right? If you can’t trust Captain America, who are you gonna trust?” Your chuckle sounded hollow to your years.

Steve shook his head as his right hand moved from the wheel to latch onto your left wrist. His hold was gentle, and you knew you could pull away if you wanted to. You didn’t want to. “I thought you disliked me.”

His words sent a shock through you. Dislike him? How could he think that when the truth was the exact opposite? Then it dawned on you that you really had avoided him. Whenever he tried to get you to open up you deterred his efforts, like you really didn’t like him, like you didn’t want to know him. You did, you just… You were just afraid of what could happen if you let him in too deep.

“That’s funny.” You said, even though it wasn’t. “I was so scared you wouldn't like me, or you would stop liking me, that I didn’t even give you the chance to do that.”

He was quick to respond: “No. I could’ve talked about different things-”

“It wouldn’t have worked.” You said. The words came to you easily, products of an epiphany rather than a thought. They’re not a product of your own reason, rather a universal truth. “It’s not your job to chip at my barriers. I was avoiding you, I was fighting this. Why would you keep pushing if I gave nothing back?”

“I don’t know why you put up walls.” Steve’s fingers skimmed against your skin. Was he still afraid his touch wasn’t welcome? “You must have your reasons, and I’m not going to ask them. I want to be someone you can trust, but I can’t make you trust me. Do you think… Do you think we could make this work? I’d like to get to know you, if you’re okay with that.”

You pulled your hand from his. His shoulders slumped, but he looked up when you entwined your fingers with his. His surprise was evident, and behind it, subtler, there was something else. You didn’t know what it was, but something in his expression sent your heart fluttering.

“I would like that too.” You said, smiling at the same time he did. “And you can let me know when you’re free so we can watch some series together, and you can explain to me how the hell you don’t hate Scrappy Doo.”

He laughs and squeezes your fingers in his. His touch is reassuring, and you feel nostalgic. You remember your childhood bedroom, and being snug under covers while a hand ran through your hair. Safe. That was the last time you had felt this safe.

[croatian-nt]

To the beat of my heart

Summary: Dejan just wants to talk to Luka and apologize for being stupid enough to get a yellow. He gets more out of it than he planned

Pairings: Dejan Lovren/Luka Modrić

Word Count: 1952

Warnings: shouting, fighting in general actually, making out, heavily implied sex, some angst(not much I promise)

Notes: Okay so I needed to write a vent fic after the last match because I was pissed as hell so this happened despite me trying to finish another project xD. Big shout out to @lovren-la-vida-luka for editing this at the last moment. Andd that would be all, I hope y’all enjoy :D

Dejan took a deep breath, debating if he should knock on the door or just enter.

Fuck it, he is not gonna be happy to see me anyway.

And with that Dejan pushed the door open, revealing Luka lying on the bed. The scowl that was etched on his face turned into a glare when he saw Dejan entering.

Luka specifically told everyone he wants to be alone after the interview to the press. Not even Dalić dared to stop him when he stormed away, despite limping a bit. But Dejan was never good at listening to instructions. 

"Get out." 

Luka wasn't looking at him anymore, his gaze was focused somewhere about Dejan's shoulder, as if he was invisible. 

"Sorry can't do. I am not letting you beat yourself up over this in the silence of the room."

Luka's eyes snapped to his, and Dejan felt breathless for a moment. How could someone look so beautiful while being so angry? Luka was forest fire and Dejan, a frozen animal, too caught up in the beauty of the destruction to realize he could get burnt. 

"Who says I am beating myself up? Maybe I am here so I don't take it out on everyone and point each and every mistake they made." 

Dejan swallowed, speechless at this reaction of the usually kind captain. 

"Especially you. So get out before I start talking because I could talk all night." Luka's words were dipped in poison, obviously used to push him away.

Dejan crossed his arms across his chest and held Luka's gaze.

"Go on then. I can take your insults. I am still not letting you bottle everything up."

Luka clenched his jaw and sat up. Dejan was immediately by his side.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to get up you injured your leg-"

Luka got on his feet and, with a strength Dejan forgot he possessed, pushed him away. Dejan stumbled, his back hitting the wall roughly. He looked down at Luka, startled by the outburst.

"Why the fuck are you always so stubborn? Everyone tells you to be careful and not get a second yellow and you argue with a referee. I tell you to leave me alone and you walk into my room. Do you ever listen Lovren?! 

They are standing chest to chest and Luka's eyes look like liquid gold under this light and they are burning. Dejan feels like his throat constricted and he knows, he knows Luka doesn't mean these things but it still stings.

Something in Luka's expression changes, his anger dims a bit and he takes a step back.

"Go away Dejan, before I say something I will really regret." 

Dejan bites his lip as he debates if he should leave or… take a leap of faith. He goes for the latter.

He takes a step closer to Luka and gently tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. Luka's hand shoots up and grabs his in a steel grip.

"What do you think you are doing?" 

Dejan doesn't shy away from Luka's gaze and just leans a bit closer instead. 

"Tell me you don't feel the same way I do. Tell me you didn't just bite your tongue because you'd rather bite it off than see me hurt. Tell me you really don’t want me here and I'll walk out of the door and we'll never mention this again."

Luka watches him for a few long, long seconds. And then just when Dejan is about to urge him to say something, Luka lets go of his hand and grabs his shirt instead, yanking it down, and their lips clash together almost painfully. 

He pushes him back to the wall, not breaking the kiss and Dejan gasps. Somewhere in the process, Luka bit his lip and all Dejan can taste is the copperish taste of blood, and Luka. And he gets lost in the feeling of Luka kissing him, until, as abruptly as it started, the kiss ends.

Both of them are breathing heavily as they stare at each other, and it's hard to say which one of them is more shocked by Luka's decision.

"This is a bad idea." Luka says, looking away.

"Probably." 

Dejan traces Luka's bottom lip with his thumb and Luka shivers.

"Then again, it seems like today is a day made for bad decisions." 

Luka looks up to him, both amused and experated. He shakes his head a bit and sighs.

"Oh to hell with it."

And with that, Dejan is pulled into another bruising kiss and soon enough, Luka is tugging at his shirt. Dejan had to backtrack a bit there.

"Are you sure about this?" 

Luka rolled his eyes as he tossed Dejan's shirt to the floor and leaned against his chest. He gently put his hand over Dejan's heart and blood rushed to Dejan's face as he realized how fast it was beating. 

"Well you said today is the day for doing bad decisions and you are the stupidest thing in the room so..."

Dejan laughed, hiding his face in Luka's shoulder. "Well at least I was not stupid enough to ruin the moment." 

"Oh, shut up," Luka said, kissing him again.

And Dejan really didn't talk for quite some time after that.

Luka was slowly tracing the tattoo on his arm with his fingertips and Dejan knew that could easily lull him to sleep. He was starting to feel the ache in his muscles from the game, now that the adrenaline wore off. However, they still needed to talk about this.

"So now, before you tell me this shouldn't have happened and that you are the captain and as such you should be objective, and kick me out-"

"I wasn't going to do that!" Luka interrupted, shooting him a glare.

Dejan raised his eyebrows.

"Oh fine!" Luka nervously tugged at his hair, "I thought about it, but we both know you'd be too stubborn to actually listen, so it's pointless isn't it?" 

Dejan flashed him a grin and pulled him closer.

"Correct."

Luka huffed, pretending to be angry, which he ruined with affectionately kissing Dejan's jaw.

That is, however, before he turned serious, looking up at Dejan’s strong features with an expression with a fond sadness.

"I didn't mean those things I said earlier. I mean...you are an idiot for getting a yellow because of arguing but you didn't deserve me yelling at you the way I did. I’m sorry." 

Dejan shrugged, carefully avoiding Luka's piercing gaze by playing with his hair.

"It's alright. I mean you weren't wrong with anything you said." 

Luka sighed, shifting a bit away so he could catch Dejan's gaze. Dejan felt trapped, terrified of Luka reading through him and desperately wanting him to do so. Caught between those two clashing wishes, he couldn't look away.

"You know you are allowed to show you are hurt in front of me, right?" 

Dejan forced a laugh, and rolled his eyes at Luka, who didn't look impressed in the slightest.

"Oh com'on Lukita! If someone is hurt here that's, you. I was so scared when that guy fouled you..."

"I didn't mean physically hurt. At least not only that."  Luka interrupted his rambling, and Dejan lowered his gaze on his hands, fidgeting.

Luka didn't say anything for a moment, as if he was debating something. He leaned in and kissed Dejan again, but unlike their previous kisses, this one was slow, and comforting in a way. 

When they pulled away, Luka had a thoughtful look on his face. Dejan really wasn't about to ask, because if silence stretched long enough, maybe Luka will drop the topic. 

"I kind of knew that this," Luka gesticulated at the space between them, "would happen eventually."

Dejan stared at him for a moment, trying to understand where exactly Luka was going with this. 

"I knew I had feelings for you and, while I like to think I would be able to say no if I thought that was for the best, the more time passed, the more I realized you were a weak spot for me."

Luka played with his hair, obviously nervous about telling him all this, but continued.

"And I know you don't like him but Sergio helped me deal with my feelings once I actually talked about them. Which is why I am telling you this. Because I trust you and I wish you'd trust me with talking to me too, even though I won't force you."

Dejan dropped his head onto Luka's shoulder, hiding his face in his hair. Luka let him have a moment, gently stroking the nape of his neck. 

Maybe it was because of how perfect the moment was, or maybe the realization that if Dejan really didn't want to talk, Luka wouldn't force him to, but Dejan realized he also had something to say, and he was no longer afraid to say it. 

"It's just that...I feel like I can never do the right thing in the moment where I need to make a split decision. I envy you with how you control your feelings and objectively look at everything but I can't do that and I'm just..."

Dejan ruffled his hair, searching for the right words. Luka put his hands over his and squeezed it in silent reassurance. 

I'm just scared that one day I will cross the line of things that should never be done and I will be done for. And you will be done with me."

Dejan heard Luka's sharp intake of breath but he didn't look up. He wasn't ready to face Luka's eyes peering into his soul just yet. 

But Luka was having none of that, and he lifted his chin before kissing him. His lips were insistent and he continued kissing him until they were both breathless. 

When he finally did pull away he immediately caught Dejan's gaze, those amber eyes burning, burning down whatever remained of the wall Dejan had built when he first fell for the beautiful man in front of him. Suddenly, his face flushed as he realised he’d once again gotten a little too lost in those eyes, but the embarrassment was soon replaced by a warm contentment spreading through his chest into his stomach as he realised he never again had to worry about Luka noticing.

"I don't always control my feelings,” said Luka, breaking through Dejan’s train of thought.

“I wish it was that easy. And I admire how passionate you are about things you care about. So yes, maybe you are reckless sometimes, but", Luka put his hand over Dejan's heart, which picked up its beat, "that's because you care. Sometimes it may seem like too much but it's never a bad thing. Never. Okay?"

Dejan nodded, not finding words good enough to express how he felt. He wished the beating of his heart under Luka's palm could speak. If they did, they would never stop for as long as he lived, and that's precisely how long he would be thankful Luka existed and, by some weird twist of events, actually felt the same way. 

It didn't feel realistic, being this lucky. And since Dejan couldn't speak to express it all, he did the next best thing. He kissed his lover again and hoped it would be enough. 

If he was lucky enough to have Luka for the rest of his lifetime, maybe he’d eventually find the words he so desperately needed. Until then, he would just have to make sure Luka falls asleep to the beating of his heart and somehow gets at least a piece of message he wanted to give.

I love you. That would be enough for now.

Taglist:

@lovren-la-vida-luka

@mvsicbookfrxndom

@kjldrv

@igecko1320

 @lovrenfc

@sad-forest

@roseszymczak

@snakesandcherries

 @domo-no-domo-yes

@asensihoe

@mrsmodric

@lukamodrix

@zadarskabagudina

@tinymodric

@childsmokers

@buttlyfly

@flemishyugotalian

@living-lovren

@arduango

@winters-chiid

@modrickrama

@thelobster41

[flyswhumpcenter]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me requests according to this marvelous card! (Red cross is the completed prompt, dark red crosses are already completed fics and mint lambda-ish signs are prompts I’ve gotten requests for already).

What's that? I've already written a glorified 70K-word Peregrine fic? Psh, you can't have enough Peregrineshipping in your life, stop dat.

You know my friends have my back when they can guess what combination I'll immediately want writing for. Cookie's been a genius there, considering he's picked a very cool prompt + my Arc-V OTP, whose themes and characters just match it perfectly. I'm flabbergasted at how quickly he's come up with it after I shared my card in our Discord server. It's short, it's harsh, it's been a while since I've written like this. The context isn't obvious, not even to me, but I'll say that it's some canon divergence, it's maybe not even the real show's settings. I just wanted to write a scene like this that isn't a dead giveaway for Black-Winged Icarus's events, it's kinda hard.

May be OOC, proceed with caution.

--------

Empathic Dissonance

Summary: Serena is trying her best to make her duo work one way or the other, but Shun's having none of it.

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Ship: Peregrineshipping (Serena/Shun) (pre-relationship)

Wordcount: 1.1K words

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo

AO3 version available here.

--------

“Don’t you fucking dare pity me!”

 His words are harsh, piercing through her attempt at a monologue like a spear through a papier mâché cast. She’s trying to reason him, but it’s clearly not working, and the way he presses the wounds against his chest don’t reassure her. Not that she isn’t injured either, as she’s taken some hits, but that’s besides the point.

 “Kurosaki, that’s… That’s not what I meant to do!”

“You don’t even know what my people’s gone through! Don’t you dare look at me like I’m some defenceless chick who’s fallen off the nest, I know what I’m doing! We don’t need someone from Fusion to tell us how poor we are when Fusion’s the reason this madness started to begin with!”

 He’s furious, she can sense it from his tone alone, the words are just giving him a reason to be this infuriated. He’s spitting out all of his anger at her, and some blood with it. She doesn’t know what to say: she’s never been a smooth talker. How’s she supposed to have him calm down so they don’t get killed?

 “I see it in your eyes! That stare who’s trying to empathize with something you can’t relate to! Have you been tracked down night and day, wondering if you were gonna see the sun rise again, if there even was a point to all this misery?! Have you contemplated ending it right here and there because there was nothing better to come?!”

“No.”

 Her sudden response interrupts his flow like a barrage in the middle of a tempestuous river.

 “No. I haven’t been through the same experience as you, Kurosaki. Frankly, I wish it on nobody, not even my worse enemy. I’m not pretending like I can anyway, because I’ll never be able to relate. I’ve been luckier than you, this much I’ll admit.”

Serena takes a breath. In truth, she wants to cry; but crying in front of a warrior like Kurosaki is likely to anger him even further, which they really don’t need right now considering he’s bleeding out, they’re both injured and exhausted, and this is where they’re supposed to rest so she can do something about that wound he’s insisted on not feeling.

 “I just want us…” To get along? That sounds cheesy. “Never mind. I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry for representing what you’ve been through. I can’t pretend like I know how hard it is, but I’m certain it is.”

They stare at each other in silence. She swallows her tears, he gulps down some of his anger, breathing finally evening out.

“I know you don’t want to be pitied by someone like me, someone who’s from the enemy’s side.” She looks at his calloused hands, then back at her smooth ones. “I’ve never known war until recently. I’m not a warrior like you are; yet I know warriors hate pity, because I’ve been raised along them, like the orphan I’ve always been. But, even knowing that… I still try to sympathize. I just don’t want to see you like this, in pain from all meanings of the term, wallowing in your misery. This isn’t how you’ll fix anything.”

She has to show herself as strong, so she has to hurt him in some way. She simply didn’t expect the thought of doing that to hurt this badly.

“You’ll have to open yourself to others if you want to save Ruri.”

 She also doesn’t expect him to almost kneel to the ground, eyes almost rolling back in their sockets, until he catches himself on the wall and glides against that instead.

 Serena doesn’t think: she rushes to him, already getting out her first-response materials from her pouch. He doesn’t look as angry as he is pained, so she uses the commotion and his general confusion to both of their advantages, taking this opportunity to check on his wound. It’s less deep that she thought it’d be, making her sigh in relief, as it’s a mere slash that he’s just let fester around. To be fair, they had to run away from soldiers, so it wasn’t like he could have stopped and put some bandages on that cut. Still, neither of them wants to let that get infected – the lessons she’s gotten on that were scary enough for her not to see that happen – so she quickly patches it up as well as she can.

 “Why? Why the hell are you doing this, Serena?” He asks in a much lower tone, as if his voice doesn’t want to rise.

“We’re comrades.”

“You’re… you’re serious?”

“Of course I am. Do I look like I’m kidding? What do you think I’m doing?”

“Fair enough.”

 She tears herself apart again to look at her bandage placement. It’s a fairly pristine white against his bruised and scarred skin, but she tries not to let the embarrassment of having half-stripped a guy she wants to get along with get further inside of her than her ears and cheeks starting to burn spontaneously.

“Here you go”, she says with a small smile of satisfaction. It’s like seeing work well done, even if that’s the least she could do for him.

“…thank you,” he tells her, his tone still quieted down.

“It’s nothing.”

 He’s still upset, she can tell with how his hands twitch, but he seems calmed down enough for her to remain sitting in front of him. Still, when she tries to look into his eyes, he’s the one who looks away until she feels two arms pull her against his chest and she doesn’t know what to say or think about it all. The hell’s happening? What’s taking him all of a sudden

Still, she said they were comrades, so she’s content staying there and trying to complete the weird embrace he’s triggered, even if she has no answer to the questions starting to grow inside her mind like weed quickly appears in humid spaces after the rain.

 Serena then remembers she reminds him of Ruri, and she guesses that’s why he’s hugging her so suddenly, the guy who must feel too lonely to even say it out loud and instead spits in the faces of whomever has a hunch on that theory. That’s, however, only until he says this one thing that gives him away way more than he probably thinks.

“I… guess don’t mind you, Serena,” he whispers under his breath like a confession that he doesn’t want to hear himself say.

Is this him admitting they are, indeed, comrades? She hopes it is, for them, for her, for him.

“I don’t mind you either.”

 She may not be able to pity him for his trauma as a teenage soldier, but she can at least sympathize with his loneliness, the girl who’s always been protected in a tower of ivory.

[ka-za-ri]

s i n k (Ignis x Reader)

Genre: Tooth Rotting Fluff Rating: SFW Pairing: Ignis x Reader, slight Noctis x Reader Wordcount: 11,288 Suggested Listening:  【美人魚 Mermaid】- JJ Lin and 【美人魚 Mermaid】- Jay Chou Tagging: @hypaalicious @roses-and-oceans @sweetchocobae @itshaejinju @thirsty-angst-lord (Did I miss anyone????? I think that’s everyone that’s said this is ok)

Notes: ALRIGHT, BUGGLE THE FUCK UP Y’ALL. YOU’RE IN FOR A LONG RIDE. Basically, happy 800 followers, @hypaalicious !!!! Have a present! I gotta hand it to this extra af sis that forcibly dragged my muse right into Ignis Hell. I wouldn’t be writing if it weren’t for her. Fun mini-game in this fic, see how many Toku references I’ve made. L M A O. 

"If you receive a little kindness, give them a large serving."

At the age of six, you had declared that Noctis Lucis Caelum would be your best friend for life because you were the same age as he was.

"You know, I really am a prince."

"Right, and I'm a mermaid princess," you shrugged and stuck your tongue out at the raven haired boy as you waded through the tide pools together. "Here's your crown, my Prince," you sneered, wrapping a long strand of seaweed around his head and admiring your handiwork, much to his dismay.

"But he really is..." Ignis tried to interject; however, you shut him up by throwing a sea star his way.

"And I turn into a mermaid when the moon's full," you shrugged, sitting down and lazily splashing your feet in the cool water, much to Ignis' exasperation.

Three days prior, you all had been strangers. You first laid eyes on the raven haired boy while combing through your favorite tide pools. Foolishly, he had gone in without shoes and cut himself on a broken shell. Doing what any six year old child would do, you panicked and frantically searched your knapsack for something to stem the bleeding. To your dismay and your relief, you found your favorite kerchief at the bottom.

"You owe me a new one...." you grumbled more to yourself than him. You carefully waded through the pool of water towards the crying boy, all the while keeping an eye out for any urchins or broken shells. You picked up his foot to get a better look at it, wincing when he only cried harder now that a stranger was prodding at his cut. Gritting your teeth and trying your best to not let your temper get the better of you, you were not as gentle as you could have been in brushing off the sand on his foot before tying the kerchief around it to stop the bleeding. Perhaps there was a little spiteful part of you that may have tied the knot a little too tight.

Not that he really noticed, considering he hadn't stopped crying since you first laid eyes on him. All your hopes and dreams of a peaceful afternoon in your favorite hiding spot were ruined by him.

Okay? If I was like him and I got cut, what would I want?

It only took a few brief seconds to take on the best motherly air you could muster as you sat down next to the boy and pulled him close to you for a hug. Wrapping your arms around him, you rubbed small circles on his back as he continued to hiccup and sob. It probably doesn't hurt anymore; maybe he's scared? "It's okay..." you tried to reassure him as best as you could.

After what felt like an eternity, or whatever the equivalent of counting over fifty was, his crying subsided; and all that was left were the hiccups.

"Better?" you asked with hands on your hips, watching his actions closely, internally praying he wouldn't start crying again.

"Better," he muttered, wiping the last of the tears from his face.

"Good," you sighed and backed away from him a little, letting him have his space now that he had calmed down. "Are you new here? I've never seen you around before."

"I don't get to go out a lot..." he admitted sheepishly.

"Well, you're here today, so I guess I'll give you a tour of my secret hideouts! Don't tell anyone else though, okay? It wouldn't be that secret anymore if you tattled." You held out your hand, hoping he'd take you up on the offer to wander the tide pools together. As much as you enjoyed having peaceful afternoons to yourself, it was always more fun when there was someone else to explore with.

For the first time that day, you saw him smile; and he gratefully took your hand in his and pulled himself up. His eyes were still slightly bloodshot and puffy from crying; however, you could see how clear and blue they were. Like deep water...

You had to take a moment after he stood up to really admire how pretty his eyes were. When you noticed he was rather uncomfortable at how closely you were looking at him, you paused and instead took a second to look down at his feet. You rubbed your chin thoughtfully, mimicking what your father did whenever he was deeply pondering how to stretch the last of the salted fish your family had stocked up. You shifted back and forth, chewing your lower lip thoughtfully while looking at his injured foot. "Hmmm...."

"What? What is it?"

"You don't have any shoes. How are we going to go wandering if you don't have shoes? You're gonna get cut again."

"Oh... Yeah..." He looked like he was on the verge of tears again.

No, no, no, no, no, not again, you thought, once again panicking and looking around for a solution to your problems.

"Oh! I know! Here! Take mine!" you said, pulling your sandals off your feet and handing the wet shoes to him. "I know this place like the back of my hands! I won't need them, and I'm pretty sure they'll fit you."

He took the shoes from you graciously when he realized all wasn't lost after all. To you, his expression as he struggled with the straps while he tried to secure them on his feet was the funniest thing you had seen all day; and you struggled to keep yourself from laughing at him again. "Here. Let me help..." you said, kneeling down and helping him put your shoes on. "Where did your shoes go anyways? Did you come down to the beach without them?"

"No... I put them somewhere so I could get in the water, but then I got lost and I forgot where I put them."

"What were you doing? Sleeping?" you asked, sliding the last buckle in place. "There. Done," you said, standing back and admiring your handiwork. His feet were just slightly too big for your shoes, and his toes hung out the top. They weren't perfect, but they would do the job for the time being.  

"Thank you..." he muttered, unable to look at you out of sheer embarrassment. "I'm Noctis Lucis Caelum. I'm six years old and I'm a prince."

You let out a loud laugh at his statement. "There's no way you're the prince. You look like you're the same age as me! If you're the prince, then I'm the princess of mermaids."

"No, really! I'm a prince!"

"Okay, prince. Keep up, because this royal tour started a long time ago!" you teased, taking off to the nearest pool while he trailed behind you.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent with Noctis going from tide pool to tide pool, poking anything that looked soft with a curious finger and prodding anything that looked sharp or hard with a stick. Noctis remained relatively quiet throughout the whole time, letting you do the talking and only asking a question here or there when he couldn't identify something. You took great care to make sure that your paths were mostly clear of sharp debris. You hadn't realized how late it got until you noticed that the tide was starting to come in as the sun dipped closer to the horizon.

"I hafta go home now, Mom probably wants me to help with cooking dinner before dad comes home."

"Oh... Okay..."

You looked at Noctis' crestfallen face and pouted. "Where do you live? I can walk you home before I go."

"I---"

"Noctis! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" a voice cried out from afar. The two of you looked up and you saw a tall, imposing man with another child in tow.

"Cor! Ignis!" Noctis grinned and ran towards the two new strangers. Realizing that you were the outsider in this situation, you idly rifled through your bag to make sure you had all your belongings before making your way home.

As you were ready to head back, you were stopped by a soft tap on your shoulder. Turning around, you were greeted by stormy green eyes behind a smart pair of glasses. Sandy hair framed a face too solemn for a child of his age; and you wondered briefly how much older, if he was even older, than you he really was.

"I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. My name is Ignis Scientia. Please accept my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience our charge has caused you." He spoke in a brilliantly beautiful accent and well practiced cadence. Part of you had the urge to look behind his ears to see if he had any gears sticking out. The way he spoke seemed so rehearsed, you were partially convinced that he was actually a robot. "We will attempt to take full responsibility for his reckless actions."

"Uh... yes?" you asked, looking at him quizzically. "I don't really get it but, okay? You should make sure he cleans up his cut."

"His cut?" he repeated.

"Yeah, when I found him, he cut his foot. You should make sure he gets it looked at so next time he comes here he won't have to borrow my shoes," you explained.

"I... I see. I... I apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experienced regardin---"

"Is he gonna come back again?"

"Pardon?"

"Noctis, can he come back again?" you repeated.

"I... S-s-suppose?" Ignis started backing away from you slightly as you planted your hands on your hips, waiting for a sufficient answer that would please you.

You automatically deemed his stuttering answer as not good enough.

"Hey! Noctis! Will you come back again? There's still more places I gotta show you!" you shouted past Ignis' shoulder, waving to him with the widest grin you could muster. Ignis seemed to be the kind of guy who was always straight laced and wouldn't let Noctis have fun. You were going to do your damnedest to ruin his day. From that moment on, you vowed to do everything your tiny hands could to make sure Ignis wouldn't get his way.

If he's gonna ruin any of Noctis' fun, I'm gonna ruin his day right back.

"Okay!" he agreed readily at the aspect of seeing more hiding holes you had discovered. He trailed slightly behind Ignis as they left, limping slightly from the ill fitting shoes he wore and the probably irritating cut on his foot. You truly hoped that you would see him again.

Three days later, much to your delight, Noctis made another appearance; though this time, he came with Ignis in tow. Noctis had mentioned something about having Ignis around to keep an eye out on the two of you and making sure that you were safe for his training. Much to your dismay, try as you might to lose him, he always found the two of you right as you were about to do something less than safe.

With your wisdom at its finest at the age of six, you had determined that Ignis Scientia was to be your eternal mortal enemy with his cold, green stare and mechanical speech patterns.

~~~

You had just turned seven when you realized that patience was a virtue you lacked and one that Ignis had in overabundance.

"Dad says this the best place to fish!" you announced, stopping at a little end of a tiny, rocky peninsula. Ignis and Noctis followed precariously behind you as you set your pail down and made yourself as comfortable as possible on the flattest rock. You were grateful that it was still warm from being in the sun. Having a numb and cold butt were not on your list of things to-do that day.  "Last time we were here, he caught a whole bucket of fish," you bragged, swinging your legs over the edge of the rock.

"I'm having a hard time believing that this would be an idea place to catch fish," Ignis countered once he and Noctis had finally caught up with you. The two of them were slightly winded from navigating the rough, unfamiliar terrain.

You shrugged and continued fiddling with the end of your fishing line. "Okay, well next time we go fishing, you go pick a place and we'll see how may fish we get then."

Noctis laughed and took a seat next to you. "I don't know what kind of training Ignis goes through, but I'll bet you that he'll talk to the fish and make them swim to the spot that he picks."

You nearly had a fit of giggles at the thought of prim and proper Ignis whispering secrets to fish and sweet talking them into gathering in one place. "What would that even sound like?" you asked between laughs. "Would he just stick his face in the water and start blowing bubbles, hoping they'd listen?"

"Who knows? Maybe he'll cast a spell on them and hypnotize them to move."

"Oh! What if he starts scolding them and lectures them on their swimming posture!"

It was Noctis' turn to laugh as the ideas became more ridiculous. "He'd tell them to eat more vegetables and to follow him to this magical spot where there's a whole salad waiting for them!"

You glanced over at Ignis as another fit of giggles hit you. You noticed that he still hadn't taken a seat at that point. You also noticed his brow twitch ever so slightly in annoyance and deemed the slight reaction a victory in your favor. You mimicked the way he pushed up his glasses with a grin and stood up to see what he was doing. "Well? How would you do it?"

The older boy shrugged. "It wouldn't be anything as magical as you say. It's actually a matter of researching the best location and understanding the general habits of the wildlife in this area. By studying and logically ded---"

"Okay! That's enough of a lesson for today, Professor," you interrupted. "Enough talking, more fishing. If you catch more than me today, I'll give you my title as princess of mermaids."

"Wait, but Ignis is a boy, wouldn't make him a prince instead?"

"But I'm giving my title to him, so it'll stay princess. Thank you."  

You had started to moderately tolerate Ignis; however, whenever he went off on a tangent, you found it hard to follow; and it typically dampened your mood. Instead, you focused on changing the subject to keep the ambiance as positive as possible. It was summer, and you honestly didn't want to think about long words or anything related to school. Summer only lasted a few months, and you were determined to make the most of it. You rarely got to see Noctis during the school year. That and the seaside where you lived was less than a pleasant place to visit once the weather started to get cold.

To you, it was clear that Ignis was much better at school than you were along with ninety percent of the rest of Eos. The way he acted and the way he presented himself spoke volumes of a proper upbringing and a life full of big words and studying. He carried the burden of adult responsibilities before he even lived life as a child it seemed. Though, part of you also chalked it up to him being older and enjoying listening to himself talk about the things he read in some book.

You wedged your fishing rod in between a pair of rocks and decided to let the fish do their thing while you explored the craggled rock forms of the peninsula a little further. You made a makeshift basket with your top as you gathered strangely colored pebbles and shells that caught your fancy. Every now and then, you'd look back at your fishing rod to see if it was twitching. Much to your annoyance, nothing had bitten on your line.

Noctis had taken it upon himself to lay back and take a nap right on the rock while Ignis sat straight backed and staring right out into the sea. To your surprise, he was rather invested in fishing. He watched his line intensely, and any was constantly adjusting it to make sure the conditions were right for his prey.

I swear, he can't be human. How is he not bored to death... you wondered as you sat back down next to him. To your surprise, during the time you had spent exploring, he had nabbed two fish; and they were flopping listlessly at the bottom of the bucket you had brought.

"Wait, but how? I haven't even gotten anything yet..." you grumbled, sitting back down. You looked from the bucket to him and back at the bucket.

Ignis glanced over at you and shrugged slightly. "I guess your father was right to say this is a good place to fish."

You sniffed, looked back at your fishing rod and pulled it from the ground. "You just got a head start," you grumbled, "I'm still going to beat you."

"Of course. I'd hate to take your title away from you."

"Hmph. Just you wait, Ignis!"

You hadn't realized how bad you were at waiting until you earnestly sat down to fish. You quickly found yourself bored of sitting and waiting for the line to react. You didn't find watching the ocean any more entertaining to you considering you saw it on a regular basis. You went through a mental game of guessing how many waves would roll into the shore by the time you had your first catch. When you had counted past twenty, you were ready to call it quits and started to get restless again.

Now, you could see how Noctis could have gone and taken a nap. The sun was warm, and the ocean provided the perfect lulling background noise that matched his slow, even breathing. You didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but you realized his fair complexion wouldn't do too well with too much sun. He's hopeless alone...

Sighing, you stood up and made your way over to Noctis to unceremoniously drop the wide brimmed sunhat you were wearing over his sleeping face. You got nothing more than a grunt and a small involuntary twitch. "Eh, better than getting sunburned," you said before gracelessly seating yourself next to your line that still didn't have a fish at the end of it. What am I doing wrong? I've changed the bait at least four times now. How does Ignis do it?

Again, you were rudely reminded at how bad you were at being patient as you chucked your line out again with new bait. This time, you kept on stealing side glances over at Ignis, trying to match his movements and what he was doing. You noticed how his slender fingers twitched every now and then, coaxing the bait to move and look more lifelike. You watched as he manipulated the line with the barest flutters of movement to tempt unsuspecting prey to him and reel in yet another catch.

As much as you didn't want to admit it, he was doing a much better job at this fishing thing than you were. Try as you might to match his movement and mannerisms, he seemed immaculately calculated and perfect compared to your rather crass and overly energetic actions of occasionally jerking at the line and making the bait bob up and down. You weren't one to like admitting defeat, but there was no way you would be able to catch up to his count by the end of the day.

"You're giving up?" he asked after you gave a rather earth shattering sigh when your line was still empty, and he had netted his fifth fish.

"Well, there's no point in catching up and beating you," you grumbled, "You're gonna fill the whole bucket on your own. You don't need my help. When we go home tonight, you can tell your mom and dad you're a mermaid princess now." You shrugged.

You were slightly startled when you heard Ignis laugh for the first time after you had announced your defeat. It was a delightful sound and something you wanted to hear again, often if possible. "I'm not sure if my mother and father would approve of such a title. I'm already to be the prince's royal advisor."

"Oh... Okay then..."

"I'll still tell them about today. It's rare that I get to have such a pleasant time outside of lessons and training."

"Your parents must be super strict if you think sitting all day and fishing is a nice time," you mumbled, poking at your fishing rod's slack line, your disinterest in the waiting game that came with fishing clearly showing.

"It's... nice. I get to think and listen to my own thoughts instead of having to listen to a lecture," he explained.

"Oh..." From the sound of things, he was still attending lessons and lectures even during the summer. Having a day off seemed to come few and far between for him, and you felt rather horrid for making fun of him earlier. Quick, think of something.

"Hey, Ignis. Tell me a story," you demanded, taking the gloomy mood into your own hands and flinging it into the ocean.

"A story you say? What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"I don't care, what's your favorite one? With all the thinking that you do, I'm sure that you've got plenty of stories saved up there," you teased as you poked at his head.

"Hmm, I can't say that I have any that really come to mind..."

"Well, then come up with one. I'm sure you're smart enough to do that."

"I suppose I can do that much for you. Let's see..."

You watched as he closed his eyes to think of what to say. Again, you found yourself counting the waves cresting at the shore while you waited for him to start. He sat so still and quietly, you honestly thought he had fallen asleep after you had lost count of the waves twice.

"Uh---"

"Once upon a time, long, long ago, before Eos was named as such, there lived a beautiful mermaid princess..."

"Uh huh! Keep going!"

The rest of the day was spent listening to Ignis' soothing voice as he spun a world filled of wonder and adventure from nothing. He kept you enraptured until Noctis awoke from his nap, grumpy and hungry.  Ignis Scientia was a wizard with words, and you didn't mind losing more fishing contests if it meant you could listen to more of his stories.

~~~

You were officially eight years, three months and two and a half weeks old when you first stepped foot into the citadel.

You weren't quite sure what to make of it when Cor had knocked on your door earlier that day asking for your attendance. Seeing the rather stern man at your doorway, it wasn't surprising to you that your parents panicked. He did seem to impose a rather intimidating aura about him. Having seen Cor before, you knew he generally meant no harm from what Noctis had told you before.

"Hi, Cor! Where's Noctis?" you asked, bouncing on the balls of your feet, trying to look behind him to see if Noctis was hiding.

"Noctis isn't here. Actually, we're going to go see him at his home. I asked your parents to pack a bag for an overnight trip," he explained much to your delight.

The car ride to Noctis' home was much longer than you had anticipated. Quite frankly, you weren't sure how deep into the heart of Insomnia you were after you had counted no less than fifty sky scrapers. Even through the quiet hum of the car engine, you could hear the bustle of the city outside. The seaside seemed like a barren wasteland compared to the grand city made of dark stone and stardust.

When the citadel was within sight, you gasped at the great size of the building. The fact that Cor kept driving closer and closer to it had you confused. When the front gates of the citadel were visible, it dawned on you that Noctis wasn't lying about being a prince.

By the Six... I was wrong this whole time...

You suddenly became much more timid at this realization. You had made fun of Noctis, poked at him, and probably hurt his feelings. The delightful thought of a comfy sleepover was quickly replaced by the thought of standing before Noctis and his father, having to explain your actions to them. Astrals above, I'm going to get killed here. They're gonna find out all the bad things I did to Noctis and then they're gonna kill me for them.

Cor was ever the gentleman, letting you out of the car once it came to a full stop in front of the citadel. You didn't realize how terrified you were until you reached over to grab your knapsack, and your hands could barely feel the weight of the bag in your hands. You gripped onto the strap as hard as you could to keep your hands from trembling anymore than they were at that moment.

You were relieved, to say the least, to see Ignis' familiar face at the door once Cor had left you. You thought for sure you were going to die alone. At least having Ignis witness your death was a small comfort. You did your best to put up a brave face and a bright smile, though judging from Ignis' strained expression and from what you could catch in the reflection of his glasses, you had given him more of a grimace than a smile. You could tell from the way he pressed his lips into a thin line and the way his shoulders shook, he was doing his best not to laugh at you.

"Follow me," he said, after a brief moment of silence, "Noctis is waiting."

Seeing Ignis in this fashion and setting, you were quite in awe with how well he fit into the environment. His stance, posture, stride, even his blinking seemed to be honed and practiced to be precise and articulated perfectly to the atmosphere. It was as if he himself was a part of the citadel. You found it hard to follow his wider strides as the two of you walked down the long corridors. His shoes clicked at a perfect tempo as he walked ahead, while your footsteps seemed to echo too loudly against the walls in an unseemly fashion.

You wanted to call out to him to wait for you, but a part of you kept you from doing so. It was as if the solemn air of the citadel itself made you want to stay quiet and do your best to keep up. The sound of your footsteps was too loud, too out of place here. Though you were going to fall behind, you found yourself tiptoeing behind Ignis, barely daring to breath too much for fear of disturbing the peace.

It didn't take Ignis too long to pause and look back when he noticed a change in your walking pace. He caught you in mid creep as you gingerly placed the ball of your foot down for the next step. Your eyes glued onto the marble floors, silently willing them to stay quiet as you slowly made your way to your destination.

"What... are you doing?"

His voice startled you, making you yelp and lose your balance causing you to gracelessly onto the ground. The contents of your bag scattered themselves about. Astrals above, I'm going to die. Ignis is going to be the one who kills me. I haven't been here for five minutes and I've made a mess of myself. You panicked and scrambled to gather your belongings, shoving them back into your bag.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, kneeling beside you to help gather your belongings. "I can understand if the situation is rather intimidating..."

"No, why would I be nervous? I'm completely fine. What makes you think I'm nervous? I have no reason to be nervous," you muttered to yourself, closing your bag once all your belongings had been retrieved.

"Well, for one thing, you haven't been able to look me straight in the eye and insult me as you usually do since you came here."

"Whatever, Noctis is waiting. Don't you know it's rude to keep the prince waiting?"

You could see the smallest trace of a smile on his lips as he stood up and waited for you to follow suit. As he turned to lead you further down the long hallway, you could have sworn you had heard him whisper, "much better." However, you brushed the thought aside and chalked it up to your overactive imagination having a field day.

~~~

" You weren't kidding when you said you were a prince..." You were struggling to keep your breathing even when you finally finally got to Noctis' room. I thought that corridor would never end. How do people get from one place to another in a day in here?

"I didn't have a reason to lie," Noctis mumbled from his seat. He shifted uncomfortably fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Okay, and I had no reason to believe that a kid my age, crying because he cut his foot was actually the crowned prince," you grumbled as you set your bag down. You immediately noticed the wheelchair Noctis was in; however, you couldn't bring yourself to ask about it or his time in Tenebrae.

"Fair enough."

The silence between the three of you felt stifling. As if your nervousness propagated itself, you did the only thing you could think of to cut the tension; and that was making a fool of yourself with any and all questions that came to mind.

"So, like, what does a prince do all the time in a giant castle like this?" you asked. "Like, how many rooms are there? Who lives here? What do all these people do? Does everything echo in the hallways? How do you not go crazy when you're running? Have you played hide-and-seek with other people yet? Will that get you in trouble? How does a prince get in trouble? Is that even possible?" You got to a point where your nervousness took over and you kept spewing questions to keep yourself from crying for your mother and wanting to go home. Regardless of your best efforts, the tears started falling; and you could hear your voice crack as you continued to ramble.

To your surprise, Noctis burst out laughing at your rapid fire questions.

"How about we start by making you less freaked out about visiting," he suggested after his laughter died down. You were glad to see that he was still able to laugh despite the seemingly solemn and gloomy atmosphere. It was his turn to calm you down from your nervous fretting.

"Okay, and how do you manage that?"

"Wanna see this book I got in Tenebrae?"

"Yeah!"

The rest of the day was spent cooing over his thick picture book filled with constellations and stars. The two of you spent the hours pointing out small details in the illustrations and scrawling your own renditions of the elaborate drawings on a separate sheet of paper. The tension and anxiety melted away when you came to accept that even if Noctis was the prince, he was first and foremost your friend that you were most grateful for.

~~~

You had realized the predicament you were in when it was much too late. When the lights were turned off and the quiet of night finally settled around you, you noticed the your most precious stuffed tonberry was no where near you. It wasn't as if you were afraid of the dark; however, having that small piece of home and comfort near you in a strange place would have definitely let you sleep easier.

You laid on the bedroll, staring at the ceiling, trying to will yourself to sleep; but it wasn't working. Counting chocobos hopping a fence did nothing to calm your thoughts either. You found yourself tossing and turning while the time passed and as Noctis slept like the dead in his bed.

"Can't sleep?" Ignis' voice came as a quiet whisper from the other side of the room. You sat up from your spot and looked around to see if you could spot him.  Did I wake him up? I didn't think I was making that much noise...  Squinting against the darkness, you could make out his faint outline and noticed he was indeed awake.  

"Not really..." you confessed. "I guess I'm not used to sleeping in strange places...." It wasn't a complete lie, but you also weren't about to tell him that you couldn't sleep without a stuffed animal though. You had had enough embarrassment for the day.

"Is there something on your mind? Is it too dark? Are you uncomfortable?"

"No, I'm fine sleeping in the dark. I'm just... not used to sleeping here," you explained, resting your back against Noctis' bed frame.

You heard him shuffle about for a brief moment. Straining your eyes and staring at the spot where you thought he was at, you were startled, to say the least, when you found him next to you a moment later, settling down to sit down next to you. How in the name of the Astrals did he move in the dark so quietly?

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked, settling down next to you.

"What's there to talk about? I'm just... Having a hard time falling asleep..." you reasoned. "It's not every day you get whisked to a castle to have a play date and sleepover with the prince and his future royal advisor..."

Ignis let out a low chuckle. "Well, I guess it has been quite an eventful day for you, hasn't it."

"Yeah..."

You let the silence between the two of you linger for a moment, focusing on the darkness around you and hoping it would lull you to sleep eventually.

"Hey Ignis, will you tell me a story?"

"I don't see why that would be a problem...Once upon a time..."

"Hey Ignis?"

"Hm?"

"Can I hold your hand until I fall asleep? I don't have TonTon with me an---" Try as you might, you couldn't quite finish your sentence while you stifled a yawn.

"Of course," He murmured, taking your hand into his before going into his story again. "Once upon a time, long, long ago, they say where there is light, the shadows lurk and fear reigns. But, by the blade of one, brave golden knight, all of mankind was given hope..."

You didn't quite remember what the story was about since you fell asleep quite quickly after he started his tale. What you did remember vividly was how warm his hand was and how comforting it felt as he rubbed small circles on the back of your palm while he spoke of a world made from his own imagination.

When you woke up, you were pleasantly greeted with the warmth of Ignis’ hand still around yours and the softest, most gentle smile on his face.

I should get him to tell me stories more. You thought, admiring how beautiful the morning was.

~~~

At the age of thirteen, you witnessed first hand what envy felt like when Ignis Scientia could butcher a fish better than you.

What was originally supposed to be a day playing and fishing was ruined by temperamental summer storms. You had barely reeled in your first catch of the day when dark storm clouds swept in without much notice. At first, you wanted to ignore it, hoping they would blow over without actually doing anything; however, after the first few fat raindrops came down, you knew it was time to seek shelter or look like drowned rats for the rest of the day. The three of you barely made it back to your home before the rain really started to come down.

"Well, that was close," you sighed in relief and swiftly closed the door after a loud crack of thunder sounded, making you jump slightly. "Glad we're not out there for any of that."

"Yeah. Nice place you've got here," Noctis commented, already making himself at home and peering at all the decor.

"Well, it's no castle--"

"Come on, you should know me well enough by now to know I don't give a damn. Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean I can't appreciate someone else's home. Oh hey, what's this? This is pretty cool," Noctis said, picking up one of the trinkets you had brought home from your many excursions. "It looks like a coin, but it's not like any money I've ever seen before..."

You peered over his shoulder to get a better look at what he was holding onto and grinned when you saw that he had picked up one of your prized treasures from the beach. "Yeah. I found that a while back. It's cool, isn't it? I'd like to think it's part of a big stash of these things at the bottom of the ocean. Sometimes, when the sun's super bright, you can hold it up and see the sun shine through it!" you explained excitedly, taking the coin in your hand and mimicking the pose you would strike. "When that happens, you can see the bird that's carved on here really clear! I have no idea what it’s made of, it’s like, a gem or something! It's super cool!"

"I'll have to come back when the weather's nice to see that for myself then," Noctis chuckled and flopped himself onto the couch to play on his phone. "How long do you think the storm will last?"

"Hopefully not too long. You know how summer thunderstorms are." You shrugged. "I'd say, make yourself comfortable, but it looks like you're fine without any prompting," you teased. "Mom and dad are visiting grandma today, so you don't have to worry about anyone freaking out."

"Well, I wasn't going to worry in the first place."

"Of course not," you muttered, turning your attention back to the bucket with the few fish the three of you did manage to catch before the weather had taken a turn for the worse. "I'm gonna go and get these cleaned out so they don't go bad," you announced, taking the pail and heading towards the kitchen.

"You shouldn't have to dirty your hands on such a menial task," Ignis chided, taking the bucket of fish from your hands. "I'll take care of everything from here."

"Nu uh! You forget, my dad's a fisherman. I can clean a fish just as good as any adult. I've been doing since I was little anyways."

"Just because you've been doing it since you were young does not mean that I can't help you."

"You're in my house so it should go by our house rules. And anyways, you guys are guests. I can't have guests doing the housework."

Noctis let out a laugh from the corner of the couch he was reclining in. "Let it go, Ignis. You can't win this one."

Ignis let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. But at least let me watch. I feel like this would be a good learning experience."

"Fair enough."

You led Ignis back to the kitchen and pulled out the small boning knife that fit your hand the best from the drawer. You dumped the contents of the bucket and sighed looking at the meager catches. Well, better than starving I guess...

"So, first thing you gotta do is gut the thing. Because the insides can make the fish go bad super fast," you said, puncturing the stomach of one of fish and dragging the cut down the body. Using your fingers to coax the organs out of the body before rinsing it out. To you, it seemed like a normal, almost every day task, the mortified look on Ignis' face told you he hadn't expected butchery to be so gruesome.

"Is it always like that?" he breathed, eyes wide and pupils dilated slightly.

"Uh... yeah? I mean, that's what cooking's like. Didn't you say you were learning how to cook for Noct?"

"Yes, but... I have only dabbled in baking. This is different."

"Yeah, this is about as different from baking as it gets. You wanna learn? There's another fish in here and you can follow me. You don't have to if you're squeamish."

"No, no, I'd like to try this. Can I use your knife?"

"Uh... no? This is my knife. Dad gave it to me when he taught me how to do this," you said, lovingly rubbing the handle of the knife with your thumb. "I have an extra one you can have though!" you exclaimed, remembering the one you had received as a gift from a family member for your birthday.

"Are you sure? I would hate to take something from you."

"You're not really taking anything away if I'm giving it to you, right?"

"Well, if you insist... It's a rather... odd gift though."

"Well, if you're going to just use it for cooking then I don't mind. Grandma always said, a knife can only bring happiness when used in cooking," you explained sagely before beginning your demonstration. "Alright, so you wanna grab the fish like this, and you wanna just stick it right up in there and go all the way down," showing Ignis the motion before actually doing it so he had an idea of what he was doing.

You had to admit, for someone who was just exceptionally uncomfortable about you dismembering a fish, Ignis was learning quite quickly and taking your lesson in stride. Once the three fish were completely cleaned on the inside, you moved to showing him how to behead and fillet it. This was the part that you enjoyed the most. You had a satisfied grin on your face as your knife cut cleanly through the bones, making a chain of chimes as your blade slid down the side of the fish.

"See? It's easy. Now you try it."  

If you hadn't seen first hand how nervous he was before your lesson, you could have sworn Ignis had been bluffing about being scared about butchery. He handled his knife with confidence and grace, matching the cuts you made with the surety of someone who had cut up hundreds of fish in their lifetime. By the time his knife made the last cut, you were thoroughly impressed and more than a little envious on how much neater his fillets had come out compared to yours.

Maybe my knife was dull...

"G-good job... wow... you're a pro at this..." you said, straining to keep your voice positive. "Is there anything that you can't do?"

"A great number of things. I can't control the weather, I can't make Noctis eat his vegetables, and I can't get over how utterly unpleasant the feeling of fish guts are."

You laughed at his shudder when he emphasized how much he detested gutting the fish. "You'll get used to it."

"When I do, you'll be the first to know about it."

"I'll hold you to that."

"It's a promise then."

The rest of the evening was spent lecturing Ignis in the hundred and one ways to prepare seafood while he took copious notes for future reference. For once, you knew more about something than he did, and you could feel your pride swell like the raging, stormy sea outside.

Maybe it should rain more often when they visit. It’s nice like this… just the two of us…

~~~

When you had turned sixteen and two thirds, you may have developed an inkling of feelings past a general animosity for Ignis.

Summer months meant seeing Noctis and Ignis more often at the beach.

Most of the time, it was a race to see who could find the strangest thing in the tide pools. Sometimes, it was fishing for dinner to bring back home. Rarely, it was time to play on the shores and chase the waves as they came crashing in. Typically, the tide pools where you first met kept your interest far better than the sandy stretches of beach. Still, it was nice for a change of pace to walk barefoot along the warm sand, your pockets filled with pretty shells and stones you'd find along the shore.

Days like this, Noctis would float in the water listlessly, enjoying the gentle rocking of the waves as he drifted in and out of consciousness. You always made a point of keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't float too far off. Though, with Ignis around, that wasn't too hard. That left you with plenty of time to yourself to enjoy the warm sand beneath your feet and to dig holes.

It never was about building castles or mounds that interested you when you were on the shore. It was about using your hands to dig the deepest hole you could muster. The feel of the wet sand underneath your fingers as you dug gave you a gleeful sort of thrill. Times like these, you'd get elbow deep in digging your hole, enjoying the sting of sand beneath your fingernails while the sun beat mercilessly on your back. Sometimes, you would find a long buried shell or trinket while digging; but really, you just enjoyed the feeling of moving sand around with your hands.

"You know, you should probably cover up your holes once you're done. It wouldn't do if someone tripped on them," Ignis commented once you were about five holes in and working on your sixth.

"Well, I'd like to think that people who come to this beach have good enough vision to avoid giant holes in the ground," you shrugged. You sat back from your current project, stretching your arm a bit and resting your back. You had lost track of how long it had been since you had started digging and hadn't realized how sore your muscles actually were. "And anyways, they'll fill right back up when the tide comes in."

"I'm glad that you have the foresight to know that they'll be covered up, but you'll get burnt if you stay out in the sun much longer."

"I'll be fine! I never get sunburned. I just get.... crispy."

"Too much sun isn't good for you. You have to look out for your own well being."

"I'm fine, Ignis. We haven't even--- Ahh! Ignis! What are you doing!?"

Any argument you had was swiftly cut off as he easily picked you up by your waist, hauled you over to the water and gracelessly dumped you into it without a second thought. As impressive as it was that he had picked you up without a care, you were more overcome with the feeling of rage with his rather crude method of getting you to not get sunburned. You struggled for a moment in the water to gain your balance; and when you came to the surface sputtering and coughing, you were ready to fight Ignis Scientia for being an insensitive jackass.

"Your shoulders were getting rather red. I'm simply helping you cool down."

You could have sworn there was the barest trace of a smirk on his face as you glared at him. "You could have just told me."

"I did, and you didn't want to listen to me. So I took matters into my own hands."

Literally.

"You could have still given me a warning," you grumbled.

He looked annoyingly impeccable, knee deep in water, staring into the distance to make sure Noctis hadn't floated too far off. His hair was only slightly tussled from the sea breeze and the occasional dip into the water he would take. It was rather aggravating how matter-of-fact and straight laced he was taking, what was supposed to be, a relaxing day at the beach. If you weren’t already peeved at him, you would have loved to take a longer moment to admire his austere stature and handsome features. However, the rage that was already in you from being unceremoniously thrown into the water washed over you like a wave.

"Hey Ignis!"

"Hm---MRrrjghho?!"

Any reply he had planned was swiftly knocked out of him as you tackled him into the water. Stop looking so perfect all the damned time. It's not fair to mediocre people like me.

His flustered expression and frantic search for his glasses, which you had graciously snatched off his face right as he hit the water, were well worth whatever retaliation he could come up with after your outburst. "Revenge is a dish best served chilled," you teased, holding his glasses hostage and sloshing your way back to the sandy shore as fast as you could.

"Indeed."

How the fu---

Even your thoughts were cut short when Ignis seemed to appear magically beside you; and again, his arms were around your waist to throw you back into the ocean. You clutched onto his glasses for dear life, knowing if they were to be lost at sea, you would most probably lose your friendship with him. "Not fair!" you accused, "You have longer legs!"

"Yeah, and he's also got military training," Noctis provided, having stopped his happy floating time to see what sort of ruckus you had started.

You pouted when you realized how utterly defeated you were. You held up Ignis' glasses as the white flag of surrender and noticed again the smirk on his face when he took the glasses back from you. "You shouldn't pick fights you know you won't win," he lectured, pressing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Ignis. I'm going to wipe that smug ass attitude off your face if it's the last thing I do. It's not becoming of a Royal Advisor to be a jerk."

"I'm not in a position at this time to have to worry about the proper decorum involved with being a Royal Advisor. As Noctis has decreed, today, I am relaxing at the beach."

"Oh my god, Noctis, where the hell did you get this guy from and can you return him?"

"I ask myself that almost every day," the prince shrugged, trudging through the water and back towards where you had stashed your shoes and towels. "What time is it? How much longer can we stay out?"

"Well, judging by the sun's position, I'd say it's about four in the afternoon, give or take half an hour. We should have quite a bit of time left before we have to head back for the day."

"I'm gonna go and get something to drink. You guys want anything?"

"Soda! Any flavor as long as it's cold!"

"I'll be fine without anything. Would you like for me to go in your stead?"

"No worries, Iggy, I'm not so pampered that I need you to go get drinks for me," he scoffed before heading off in the direction of the nearest drink stand.

"Iggy?" you repeated after Noctis was out of earshot. "You're really okay with that as a nickname?" You crossed your arms across your chest and raised an eyebrow at the rather whimsical sounding nickname given to the rather strict young man in front of you.

"I'm not in control of what nicknames I'm given," he mumbled, not quite meeting your eyes. You could make out the barest trace of a blush across his cheeks.

"Mind if I call you that?" you asked, leaning in towards him and looking up at his face. You were determined to engrave his flustered face in your mind until your dying breath. It wasn't often Ignis showed expression; and when he did, it was rather a treat.

"I-If that's what you want, I suppose that's fine."

"Sounds great, Iggy," you teased, emphasizing his nickname and relishing in how it fell from your lips. The syllables felt comfortable and inviting, much less formal and stifling like his full name.

"And what about you? I hardly think it's fair that you're going around and calling us nicknames while you don't have one yourself."

"I don't need one. I'm fine the way I am."

"No, no, I insist."

"Fine then. What do you want to call me instead."

"Hmm... How about, Princess?"

"Ignis!" You could feel your face flush red, and it wasn’t from sunburn.

"Well, I mean, you declared yourself to be one the first time you met Noctis, so I don't think that's really a stretch of the imagination."

"That was ten years ago! You're not supposed to remember things like that!"

"Well, it's my duty to recall small details. You never know when they'll come in handy."

You wanted to melt into the water and disappear from your embarrassment. To think that your brash, childish declarations from years and years ago would be used against you like this. It wasn't fair.

"Well then, Princess. I do suggest we head back, I see Noctis has returned with your drink."

"Iggy, I swear, you call me that in front of Noct, and I will personally make sure that I'll make the rest of your life a living hell. Gods, this is so embarrassing."

"Oh, Princess. I wouldn't think of doing such a thing. I'll keep it just between the two of us," he said, giving you a rather mischievous wink.

For the rest of the day, you found it hard to look Ignis in the eye and did everything in your power to enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze without having to converse with him. You had already tired out your arms earlier from digging holes; so you resorted to your other hobby at the beach, chasing the gulls and sand pipers until your lungs ached and your legs burned from running. Every now and then, you'd attempt to corral the birds to fly in the direction of the boys; but it never ended up the way you planned.

You kept your game up until the sun started to sink past the horizon, setting the sea aflame. At that point, you were too tired to do much else other than sit on the beach towel you had laid out and watch the sun set until it was time for the relaxed day to end. Somewhere in between counting the birds on the shore and the waves that lapped at their tiny little feet, you had fallen asleep thanks to how tired you were and how comforting the summer sun was against your skin.

The scent of sea salt and verbena gently woke you from your slumber. You groaned slightly when you realized how sore you were, though the pain was quickly forgotten when you realized you were piggy backing on Ignis.

"We're almost back to your home. You can rest a little longer if you'd like."

As much as you wanted to protest, Ignis was warm and you were tired. Unconsciously, you buried your head against the crook of his neck to get comfortable and fell quickly back to sleep. As you drifted back to sleep to the rhythm of his footsteps, you could have sworn you heard Ignis murmur something into your ear, but brushed it aside as part of your imagination. Either way, it was nice to think that he cared for you enough to say it.

"Sweet dreams, Princess."

~~~~

You had just turned eighteen years, five months and twenty days when you realized Ignis Scientia had the most beautiful hands in all of Eos.

Having lived by the water for your whole life, you would have thought that the sea life and you would have reached an understanding at this point. You had pretty much understood the routines and the reactions most animals would have whenever a human approached; and through the years, you had adapted from experience to respect the life around you to maintain respect in return.

This was not the case with jellyfish.

What was supposed to be a harmless dip turned into a rather foul afternoon for you. The only warning you had was a feel of something cool brush against you before a mess of thin, tangled tentacles wrapped around your leg and continuously shot burning pain through it.

All the splashing and screaming in the world didn't seem to make the pain better in any way. The thin tendrils clung onto you even as you ripped the jellyfish off of you and flung it as far as you could. You couldn't see very well through your tears and dragged yourself back to where you had laid out your towels for the day.

As calmly as you took most of your cuts and scrapes at the beach, this was in a pain category all on its own. The burning sensation felt like it spread up your leg and was relentless on your frazzled nerves. You frantically searched around for something, anything cool to help with the burning. Through your panic, you had barely registered Ignis having come to your side. His hands were already on your affected leg and gently tending to the red marks starting to appear.

"Well, that's a rather nasty sting you've got."

"That much I figured. What else is new. Is water wet?"

"Well, if you have enough energy to sass me, then I guess you're not in dire need of medical attention."

"Iggy, I'm going to die, aren't I?" As much as you hated to show any sort of worry in your voice, it honestly was the worst pain you had ever been in; and you weren't quite sure you were going to make it past this scenario.

"Shhh, it's okay. Just focus for a second. Let me see your leg," he explained calmly, reaching over to touch at the quickly swelling marks on your skin. "Just focus on listening to me for a bit and not the pain."

"O-Okay..." you sniffled, wincing at the contact whenever he pressed on a sensitive spot.

"Once upon a time, there was a castle, a great grand castle atop the tallest mountain in Eos. No one knew when it was built, nor who lived in it. But, some say, you can hear the sound of violins playing at night..."

His fingers continued to press and pick away at any remaining tentacles on your leg while his voice took you to a land filled with stained glass creatures dancing in a castle built from his imagination. The pain that was there quickly disappeared as he continued his tale and pulled a small potion from one of the bags you had set aside. You sighed in relief when you felt his deft fingers spreading the cooling liquid along the swollen red trails left from the jellyfish.

"Better?" he asked after he had made sure you were no longer crying, and the marks had significantly gotten less red and puffy.

"Mhmm. Much better..."

"That's good," he murmured, gently patting your head. "You did so well."

"Thank you. You saved my life."

He let out a gentle laugh. "If something as small as that was going to kill you I would have hauled you to the nearest medical facility already. I can’t do much about the scarring though.”

The scarring, I can deal with. What I can’t deal with is how you’re actually a Saint to me.

"Hey, Ignis?"

"Yes?"

"What happens at the end of that story? You didn't finish."

"Ah, well, you see... Once the evil King and Bishop were defeated by the Shining Emperor, the Queen was rather lonely, so she searched high and low for a worthy suitor," he continued, settling down next to you. You watched as he formed a mound of sand and started to shape it.

"So did she ever find anyone?"

"Ah... Yes, she did, but he was in love with another person..."

You were entranced as he continued the story of heartbreak and betrayal while his hands worked at the mound to build the castle he spoke of at the beginning. Honestly, you lost track of what the story was even about. Instead, your interest was more focused on the way his hands moved and seemed to create something from nothing, just like his words.

"And so, they lived happily ever after atop the grand castle," he finished as soon as he put the finishing touches on the sand castle he built.

"You're magical, you know that?" you said after a moment of awed silence from admiring his work.

"Well, I do know magic, I'm not sure how it's relevant to this conversation though."

"Iggy... Nevermind. Tell me another story though?"

"Ah, sorry Princess, but I'm fresh out of them. Why don't you tell me one for a change."

"Hey! That's not fair, don't put me on the spot like that!" you exclaimed, jabbing at him with your elbow.

"You've put me on the spot a few times now, so I'd like to think it's quite fair," he reasoned coolly, knowing he was right.

"Ugh, fine. Just... Give me a moment to think."

"Moment given."

You let the silence fall between the two of you, watching the sunlight dance off the ripples of the sea. Well, here goes nothing. "So, once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a man and a woman, deeply in love. But one day, on the day of their anniversary, the man disappeared from the woman's life and memory...."

"Hmm, well, now that's a fascinating concept..." he quipped before you quickly shut down any additional interruptions from your spontaneous story.

"It wasn't until years and years later, did they meet up again. But by that time he had changed a lot and all she had were vague memories of the time she spent with someone very dear..."

For the first time in your life, you found out what it felt like to have the undivided attention of Ignis Scientia and you wanted to keep that feeling for the rest of your life.

Maybe I should come up with stories more often...

~~~~

You were twenty when you understood the pain of heartbreak.

News of Noctis' engagement to the Oracle spread fast. It was honestly all you heard about in your day to day life. You found yourself glancing over to the calendar in your living room, counting the days to summer, realizing this one would be the loneliest one you'd ever have. Having seen your friends every year was a comforting routine you had fallen into, and knowing that they would be leaving right as the seasons changed tugged at your heartstrings.

You didn't want to imagine how empty your summers would be without them. Just the mere thought of loneliness during the long days was enough to put you into a constantly dazed state. It was as if you were moving in a dream with no end in sight. Though you rather liked to take life slowly to enjoy the little moments, time seemed to drag on slower and slower as the date approached.

It's not fair. They're leaving in a week and summer starts in two.

You were surprised to hear a soft knock at your door a few days prior to when Noctis was to make his leave. Opening the door, you were surprised to see your friends there.

"Well, this is a surprise," you said, stepping to the side to let them in.

"Come on now, you really think I'd leave without at least saying good bye to the person that didn't believe I was actually a prince for the first two years of our friendship?"

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope. And I'll never forget the kindness you showed me when I was a crying brat," Noctis said, a small smile on his face as he reached out to you and pressed something into your hand.

Looking down, you gasped when you recognized the embroidered edges and soft texture of your favorite kerchief from the first time you met. Any blood spots had been cleaned from it, but the printed fabric had become worn and frail with age. "You still have this?" you breathed, rubbing your finger though the soft fabric and reminiscing about your first, fateful meeting.

"Yeah, I just... Never had a good time to give it back to you," he said sheepishly, rubbing the nape of his neck. "I figured it was a kinda 'now or never' thing with the whole marriage and all."

"Noctis Lucis Caelum. You are the worst at returning things," you said, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You had thought for sure the scrap piece of fabric had been long discarded since you had given it up.

"Yeah, well. You have it back now..." he mumbled, "Just... stay out of trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

For the first time since you heard about his engagement, you laughed. "Me? Stay out of trouble? If the Oracle knows what I know about you, then I should be telling you to keep your nose out of things. Bring her back and I'll have a nice chat about all of your embarrassing stories."

"Astrals, you never change," he chuckled, "Well, hopefully all your stories won't scare her off."

"I'll make some up for you to do that then," you jested in return.

"My liege..." Ignis warned, bringing the friendly banter to a full stop.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, we're kind of on a time crunch. I gotta get back before it's too late."

"Oh... Okay."

"I'll wait in the car, Specs! Don't take too long with your good byes!"

"I'll be right behind you," he replied stoically.

You waited until you heard Noctis close the car door outside. The silence between you and Ignis felt heavy, much heavier than the feeling of knowing that your friends might not come back. You fidgeted with the kerchief in your hands, not daring to say anything. You worried that if you were to start talking, all the words you had held back would spill; and the tears wouldn't stop coming.

What felt like an eternity of silence, Ignis simply offered a slight bow before making his way to the door.

Wait, no. Not like this. I have so much to tell you. No, no, no, no, no."

"You'll come back, won't you?" you asked, your voice cracking and the back of your throat burned from holding back your tears. "You'll come back again? During the summer?"

He paused and turned from his spot. Though the sun was setting and casting long shadows which obscured your face somewhat, you didn't doubt he could see the tears that started to silently fall from your eyes. Dammit, I didn't think I was going to cry.

"Of course," he reassured, stepping forward to wipe away a tear with his thumb.

"And when you do, it'll be like old times, we'll run through the beach and chase the birds there until we're tired."

"Yes. We'll do that." His hands cupped your face, again, wiping away your tears which at this point refused to stop falling.

"And we'll sit and watch the sunset and stay out too late."

"Mmhm, that sounds like a lovely time."

"You'll come home back to the castle and live life peacefully like all the happy stories that you used to tell me."

"My dear, you're the only castle and happy ending I'll ever need."

- Fin - 

[ilosttrackofthings]

Ruins of the city post hive wardsimmons, please.

I know I’ve been a little loose with prompts lately but this one is definitely the worst. This fic is absolutely not what this anon was hoping for - and not just because this was a (very very old) smut prompt and I’m not writing smut anymore. But as I’ll never fill it otherwise, you get this fic which I hope you will all enjoy.

Notfor the first time in Grant’s life, pain wakes him up. Better thannot waking up at all, Victoria used to say.

Hewas injured in the attack on the TV station. He hopes it was worthit, hopes he gave Skye and her people enough time to get where theyneeded to be.

Hopeshis Skye is gonna come back once they’re gone.

Hecringes against the bright lights overhead and drops his focus to thefigure wrapping a bandage around his left arm. She’s a lot lessshiny and blinding than the fluorescents. She’s also someone heknows.

“Simmons?”he asks, sitting up so fast his blood rushes out of his head. Ifshe’s here when she’s supposed to be in that other world … Doesthis mean they didn’t make it? Or is she the real Simmons back nowthat the other one’s gone?

“Liedown,” she says,pushing at his shoulder. “Good lord, you’re as bad as he was.”

“He?”he asks. He can guess who she means, but his heart is sinking alreadyand he really hopes she’s gonna prove him wrong.

Shemeets his eyes. “The real-” She bites her lips briefly, thensays, “The other Ward.”

Hedrops his head back onto the pillow, only to immediately regret itand twist his neck awkwardly so he can see her around his shoulderwithout looking into the lights. There’sa cot an arm’s length away with a sleeping woman in it and he cansee another two down past his feet. He wasn’t the only one injured in thefighting.

“Soyou didn’t make it.” So much for that plan.

She’sback to wrapping his arm, her hands gentle but practiced. Her eyesdon’t leave her work. “Oh no, we did.”

Hiswrist flinches in her grasp and pain lightnings up his arm. Heignores it. “Then how-”

Shesighs heavily, and a world’s worth of tension leaves her shouldersalong with it. Whatever it is, she’s been carrying it around for awhile, the whole time he’s known her at least.

“Idon’t know for certain, as I’d have to be on the other side toverify my theory. But Jemma Simmons—the one who belongs in thisworld—died years ago, in the wake of the Cambridge incident. Andwhile I was able to successfully replace her in this world, I believemy body, left behind in my world, suffered some … rather permanentside effects.”

Helets that sink in for a second. “Because she was dead, you died.”

Shenods once. “Much like Director Mace. He died here, therefore hedied there.”

“Andyou knew this?” He thinks about Skye, how relieved she obviouslywas to have found Simmons, how they clung close to each other in thebase, how Simmons was the only thing outside of Hope that could makeher smile. How is Skye gonna feel making it back home and finding outher best friend is dead?

“Isuspected,” Simmons admits. “But I had no concrete evidence andit hardly mattered. The mission parametersremained the same.”

Toget everyone home, even if she couldn’t go with them. He canunderstand that. “You said they made it?” he asks.

“Yes,”she says, obviously relieved they’re talking about someone otherthan her. “Everyone went through. With the exception of Mack,unfortunately. He wants to stay with his daughter.”

“Heloves her,” Grant says, repeating what he said that day all of thisfinally came out. It feels like a lifetime ago.

“Yes,he does.” No argument, no hesitation, just a little bit ofresentment. And no wonder. This is her life now; real or not, it’sall she has, and she’s gotta get used to that.

Hetries to sit up. She tries to stop him, but even sporting injuriesover half his body he’s still bigger than her.

“Youshould rest,” she snaps while he looks past the sea of beds to thewall and the familiar skull and tentacles smiling down at them.

“Simmons,where the hell-”

“It’sfine,” she says,pressing a hand to his good arm. “From what I gather, your littlesiege spread very far very fast and with Madame Hydra dying and-”she closes her eyes- “and Fitz returning home, there wasn’t muchin the way of direction from the Triskelion.”

“Wetook the Triskelion,” he says in awe. They’re in the cafeteria,he sees now. This is insane.

“Tri-Antoine is currently commanding SHIELD’s forces holding the baseand directing the civilians who’ve joined the fight. There’s sometalk of a council forming to take leadership now that Mace is gone,but Antoine thinks—and I agree—that it’s a terrible idea.”

“Personalexperience?”

“Agreat deal of it,” she says dryly. She looks down at her hands—orhis and hers, since they’re sitting knee-to-knee and kind oftangled together.

Whatevershe’s thinking, she doesn’t want to say it, and he’s got hisown questions he needs answered, so he gives her an out by asking,“Where’s my phone?”

Shefrowns at him, eyes trailing over all the places his head is achingworst of all. She’s got a look he takes to mean she’s considering thepotential for brain damage.

“Iwanna call Skye—my Skye—see if she’s-”

Simmons’expression steals the breath from his lungs. She shakes her headslowly, words stumbling out. “Oh no. No, I- I’m sorry. They’re gone.They’re all gone.”

Hischest constricts painfully, the fear he’s been pushingaside the last few days rising up to the forefront of his thoughts.“Yeah, but that was your people. My people-”

“Mypeople were always meant to replace their avatars here,” she saysslowly, apology in every syllable. “They’re not coming back.”

Hisvision blurs and he shuts his eyes tight. She keeps hold of his handseven when his grip has gotta be bruising, doesn’t complain once.Which is bullshit. He lost his girlfriend, something he knew waslikely to happen—either because of this or because the real Skyerefused to accept he was SHIELD—but Simmons has lost her wholeworld, her whole life. And it was a damn good one too, if in herworld Hydra’s dead and buried. But she’s the one comforting him.How messed up is that?

“You’regoing to hurt yourself,” she says softly, forcing his left hand toloosen. “Your stitches will pop if you keep holding on like that.”She runs probing fingers over the bandage she set earlier, sendingsmall bolts of pain along his arm. He grits his teeth and bears it.

“Wereyou a medic?” he asks. He never bothered before, but now he’sstuck with her, he should know if this Simmons has differentcredentials than what he saw in the dead one’s file. “Overthere?”

“Asfar as you were concerned I was,” she says with a pointed frown.“Or not you,obviously. Him.”

“Theasshole.”

Sheseems torn between reassuring him and laughing, so she just nods.“I’m not certified by any means, but when he and I were on a teamtogether I was the closest thing we had to a medical officer. Heforced me to learn quickly.”

“I’llbet.” If he’s anything like Grant, he was a pain in her ass.

Hersmall smile grows smaller while she stares at the bandages. She’sgot that look again and this time he knows she’s gonna say whatshe’s thinking.

“Antoinehas already made it clear he has no intention of remaining in charge. AndI could lay out my reasons for being against a council, butit seems needless when thegeneral consensus among the troops isthat Mace would have wantedyou to replace him.”

Grant’smouth drops open. He snaps it shut just as fast and runs his goodhand through his hair. “I- I, uh-” It’s not really a surprise.Antoine said as much on the bus ride back to the base after Macedied. It’s just that hearing it from Simmons… “And what do youthink of that? If you’re right, you’re the only real person inthis whole world—other than Mack. Am I seriously who you wantrebuilding your afterlife?”

Shetakes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly, keeping him insuspense. “You’re not him,” she says finally, and he knowsshe’s not talking about Mace. “But you are at the same time. The good parts, I hope. Heled Hydra for a time. Perhaps you could do better with SHIELD.”

He’sgonna have to ask her about that sometime—or not, he might not wantto know just how bad his double was—but for now there’s work todo.

“I’mgonna need help,” he says. Hegrins. “Someone with experience taking Hydra down?”

Shemakes an attempt at smiling back. “We’ll see how long I can putup with you.”

Hestands and, with a little help from her, makes his way through therows of beds to the elevators.