#i don't wanna i don't wanna! i want to fall to the floor unresponsive. i don't fucking wanna!!!!

[mechaffeine]

I often wish that people would walk on ahead without me. Leave me behind as they keep moving forward into the future.

I'm not fast enough to keep up, and it hurts to be trying to save up enough energy to keep talking, to disappoint so many people by being unable to keep up all the time with everyone. I want to. I can't. So I wish everyone would keep walking and let me fall to the wayside.

Others who have the energy to talk will be there. People who can keep up. Wouldn't everyone be better off with friends who can keep up with them?

I wake up with one fleetingly bright glimmer of energy, yellow gold luminescence in my brain— and before I have even made it to work it is fading. How the hell am I supposed to do anything?

Carving pieces out of my skull and saving the fatty tissue for later where I burn them all in one motion, and not having time to let this flesh recover, let anything heal or mend, before I have to do it again and again and again. How much of my flesh do I have to burn before I can fucking rest? I don't have very much to begin with.

One hundred messages begging me to speak and I sit in silence. I'm not good. I'm not kind. Stop telling me I am what I am not. I'm bound by rules like some fucking construct, a toy and a tool but not a person, not person enough to be good or kind. When does the marionette get to rest, when do my strings get cut, when do I get to sit motionless evermore?

[athailandsquid]

a thailand squid - addiction and it's vices ft. someone you know

prologue

you promised me you wouldn't do that,

put that down that's too much,

c'mon man,

no...that's too much,

your going to die c'mon,

...

they pass away,

you promised me that you wouldn't do that anymore,

you were the only thing that I had,

I don't wanna lose you too,

I don't want to lose you.

an unforgiving itch turns to itches, itches to stitches,

stitches to plant seeds, runny nosebleed, I hold it,

stop your going to over do it, says your friend,

warm hand covered in my gentle red pool shower,

a red ocean in my hand gurgling misery and pain,

running nose, it's snowing today didn't you see,

blood dripping from a passage used to take air,

gurgle, gurgle gurgle, swallow that iron salt,

salty nutty flavor,

red misty plumes, dark red, phone ringing,

ring,

ring,

ring,

ringing,

"the person you are trying to reach right now is not available, please leave a voice message after the tone"

monotone technology mocking your losses, beep.

sustained panic uncertainty around every corner you grab the phone and break it across the floor and yell,

a longing loud exerted scream within a suburban home, walls empty and falling to the knees,

you yell the name of the person missing in question,

his name yelled, her name yelled, why, why ,why,

it's 3AM,

no response,

officer at door, paranoid shaking

the door swings wide open wishing it's your friend,

hello Mrs. ___

hello Mr. ___

this is the moment,

___ has passed.

found in a position, sleep

unresponsive cold to touch, snow flakes, snow

gazing at the car ceiling, watching heaven,

___ is gone Mr.___

___ is never coming back Mrs. ___

time standing still, you take a breath,

you sink to your knees and scream as loud as you can,

scream, scream in a void,

choking on ones own salvia and anxiety, anxious,

you regroup your strength barely able to stand,

greyed face, pale lips close the door,

closing a chapter to someone you once knew,

they aren't coming back, they never will, motionless,

you lost them, they are flying somewhere now,

throat tenses,

tense, tense, swallowing pain, never again,

addiction and it's vices,

"You told me no, you promised me, you took yourself away from me, I want you back you have no idea how much I miss you, how much I want you that I need you god you don't know you don't knowwwww" - you

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1041 - Initial Thoughts

A week removed and the world has gone to shit, but at least there is more One Piece, so let's for a moment forget about real life and get down to business with this chapter

Spoilers for the chapter, support the official release too

Pudding got a 2-for-1 slap on the cover story, smacking some taste out of her would be brother-in-laws for bullying Sanji

Zunesha has indeed come to fight alongside Momo, which Yamato takes as further evidence that Momo is Joy Boy, but Momo not knowing the full details feels like an important thing

Sneaky Oden tearing out the Laugh Tale pages of the journal, gotta keep it a secret, but we do still not know why Momo feels like he cannot die yet

It is understandable that Momo has doubts about opening up Wano, Oden wanted to do this mainly for Joy Boy, but there's a lot more implications right now given the WG are officially sniffing around and not just sending CP0 to do dirty deals

Momo does ask if he's a coward for this hesitation, I don't think so, not agreeing with your father and formulating your own views from experience isn't cowardly

The victor card goes to Raizo as he finally collapses from the fire

And Jimbei is here to collect him, so Raizo may indeed survive

Preparations? What Preparations!?

Now back to the bastard Orochi, who's having a bit of a panic since MegaForehead hasn't come back

Hiyori decides this to be apt time to play her Shamisen, which Orochi takes disdain to

The roof however collapses over him, which is kinda fortuitous

It turns out Hiyori put a sea prism nail in him to prevent him from transforming and breaking free (finally calling back to that), while finally revealing her hand as Oden's daughter

But we've now swapped over to Izo's last stand, and it does look like it's curtains for him sadly

Izo may've been Shigan'd but he also shot the lanky one, causing White Eye to admit that Izo took down one of his own

Lots of people shitting on CP0 for this and not praising Izo enough I think, I mean Izo is still a Yonko Division Commander

Turns out the lanky one was called Maha

But new orders are in from the Gorosei: Kill Luffy

Naturally, White-Eye wants none of that sauce going down at the top of the dome

Drake is still alive too, Ancient Zoan Durability and all, but I still don't fancy him beating White Eye, in fact I still wanna hope he's Luffy's relative in some way

Izo may be down but there's an important factor still: Usopp and co are also somewhere in the basement

Maybe he can pick up Izo, maybe even avoid CP0 to add to his legacy

A Carrot appearance too, but it's just them leading Neko away from the edge because the floor is crumbling

Franky has also grabbed Zoro mid-fall, but he's unresponsive

Trust Nami to end up in the bathhouse XD But she is with Tama and Marco treating Hihimaru and Komachiyo, also showing no sympathy for Zeus' grieving over Big Mom

What makes Marco say that? Onigashima the most dangerous place on the planet?

The roof is very much crumbling as a spent Law and Kid look up above

Kaido meanwhile senses it though, Big Mom being defeated, and he's pretty pissed at that

Luffy meanwhile fits the time to praise Law and Kid for their efforts

Ooooh sneaking in some flashbacks, that's when you know the end is near, the mid-battle flashback is coming

Hmmm, I wonder what she meant by that? 'First time teaming with Rocks?' did Rocks often do team ups I wonder?

Looks like Linlin was a bit of a big sister model once upon a time

And it is another Yonko whose fire in their eyes petered and their smile corrupted

Nostalgia has gotten the better of drunk Kaido, who weeps for BM's defeat

But Luffy has gone into Snakeman

Hydra is his latest move, Magellan must feel remembered XD

This is where Luffy draws the line with people following their dreams though; if it causes great harm to innocent people he will put you in the ground

'One Last Go' is interesting wording, as if there's something else he could try, but it is telling that he uses Gear Fourth given how once it's finished Luffy will be out of it, this is his final rally

And it's those 4 great words: No Break Next Week

Well this was a whirlwind of a chapter, you can really feel Oda ticking off the list of things that need to be done before the climax

At great expense of Denjiro and Kawamatsu being AWOL though, and whatever happened to Inu. But Raizo looks to survive thanks to Jimbei, Izo meanwhile I'd like to have hope for but in all likelihood his journey ends here protecting his family. Brook didn't get too much in this raid either, nor did Carrot which is a huge shame to me.

Effectively, anyone outside of the main dome is in danger, which means everyone is going to have to converge right underneath the final battle.

As I said, Drake probably doesn't have a chance against White Eye, but I kinda hope there's a way to keep him away from Luffy, not that he wants to get involved but I feel like he will be forced to try anyway.

We STILL don't know what happened with Zoro, but I still don't buy he's dead, hell Hiyori playing Moon Princess is probably gonna trigger Enma again, and Zoro will just awaken screaming bloody murder before passing out again. I was a little let down by Orochi's setup though, it helps to constrict him yes and it's kinda ironic that he contributed to it, but it's also lucky of Hiyori that it happened so she could monologue, can we just kill the damn cockroach already?

I'm curious to what Raizo has planned, and a lot of other things, but it looks like we're setting up the final stages of the Raid at the least, we'll probably get a Young Kaido flashback in between. I do worry however that Snakeman will run out before Kaido does, the dude is very durable after all, but we're all pulling for Luffy to do it.

[ruinsofxerxes]

You gonna taunt us with your unfinished fic in the tags 😭😭

LOL SORRY BRUUHHHHH. But for real, after I wrote those tags I went searching through my laptop, and found the two chapters I wrote back in 2014ish!!! Like I said, it’s totally unfinished, and I haven’t even looked it over since I wrote it so there could be typos and I have completely forgotten what even happens in these chapters but if you wanna read it, here ya go lol.....rip to this fic.....it would have been fun......the one that got away............ . . .. ........ .. .

1. Chapter 1 Edward awoke, and this time it felt different. He had a vague sense that this was not his first time regaining consciousness. He could remember in memories so vague that they were nothing more than notions that there had been a long stretch of dark unconsciousness that had been punctured by short bouts of unintelligent wakefulness. This time was different; even in his unalert, half-asleep state, Edward could feel things he hadn't before. The room was quiet, wherever he was. The bed thin but soft nevertheless as was the flimsy sheet that covered him up to the chest. The word safe came to mind and, for some reason, that was more of a relief than a given. There was a small creak to Edward's left. His ears were easily able to place the sound, and Ed felt himself fill with even more relief. "Brother?" Alphonse's voice inquired far too hopefully. Ed hadn't realized he had done anything to give away that he was awake. He was still coming to himself, and his eyes still closed. Perhaps he had made a small noise upon awaking, or maybe Alphonse realized this time it was different, just as Ed had. Maybe, judging by that hopeful, almost disbelieving tone in Al's voice, he had been watching his brother sleep. When Al spoke next, his voice had drawn closer, his armor clanking further as he bent over Edward slightly. "Ed?" His voice faltered with uncertainty when Ed didn't respond. Ed was still in a daze even though it had been several minutes since he was sure he was definitely awake. He had to be on some sort of medication. Ed had been hospitalized enough in the past few years to know damn well what it felt like to be drugged up on pain killers. Which begged the question: what the hell happened to him? Ed forced his heavy eyelids open. He blinked the sluggish feeling away, and his view was overtaken by his brother's helmet staring down at him. Once Alphonse saw his brother's eyes open, his shoulders sagged visibly with relief. "Brother, are you okay?" Edward stared at his brother for a moment with growing concern. He was slightly disappointed as well but a reason for that emotion was not making itself known. "I'm fine, Al," he stated flatly. He didn't feel any pain at least. Grogginess aside, he really did feel fine, but he couldn't think of a reason why Alphonse would ask him such a question, and that worried him. Edward glanced around himself to find he and Al were at the hospital. Ed wasn't surprised considering the previous information he had gathered, but it unnerved him regardless. He looked back at Al, who was watching over him, his body language obviously on edge, as if he believed Ed could fall back into unconsciousness at any moment. Ed took in his brother's armor body and, with a start, a small snippet of memory came back to him. That's right, Ed thought. They had been chasing another lead on the philosopher's stone, hadn't they? But Al was still in his armor. He didn't seem overly eager to tell Ed whether or not they had been successful in their search either so Edward knew they had failed to find the stone. It wasn't a very promising lead anyway. It had brought them to some backwater town neither of the boys had ever heard of in the middle of the Eastern area. Ed hadn't had high hopes, but the realization was discouraging anyway. "I-I'm glad you woke up," Alphonse continued quietly, not meeting his brother's gaze. "I was getting worried that you wouldn't…" His fingers twiddled with the pages of the book sitting closed on his lap. It was a thick, old and battered book no doubt gotten from the East City library in order to pass the time that Ed's had been dead to the world. But just how long had he been gone? Ed craned his neck slightly to look at the cover; his heart leaped as he saw the title said something about comas and other similar medical conditions. How long had he been out if his brother was reading up on something so grave? "Al…what—what's wrong? How long was I unconscious? What happened? We didn't find the stone, did we?" Ed pushed himself up slightly but fell back into the pillows heavily. His balance was off and something wasn't right. Ed clutched at his right shoulder, suddenly struck with the realization. "And where's my arm? What happened to my arm?" His automail arm was completely gone, leaving nothing behind but an empty shoulder port. Without a moment's hesitation, Ed flung off the thin, white sheet covering his legs to reveal that they were both present. Ed exhaled his held in breath, his eyes sweeping over the nicks in his prosthetic and the bandages and gauze covering his flesh right leg. "Brother, stop. Calm down," Alphonse said, trying hard to stay calm himself. He reached over, gently taking his brother's shoulders in his large gauntlets and forcing Ed to lay back down. "Al, what happened?" Ed repeated. His voice was still slightly panicked but he made no move to struggle from the suit of armor's hold. After a moment, Alphonse let go and sat back in the hospital chair. "Ed, it's okay. You're going to be alright. We got you to the hospital early this morning, and you've been falling in and out of consciousness ever since. That's why…I was worried, I didn't know if you'd stay awake this time." Ed searched his brother's face but found nothing in the expressionless mask. He only felt marginally better by what Al told him. "Did something happen to me when we were looking for the stone? It was another false lead, wasn't it?" Alphonse looked up then and stared at his brother. He was quiet for a moment, and Edward shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Ed…the stone wasn't there at all. It was all a trick, we got ambushed shortly after we arrived. You…you don't remember that?" Ed shook his head slowly from side to side, staring at his brother in disbelief. He pulled the blanket slowly off himself more gently this time and gave his body a cursory glance. His legs seemed to have gotten the worst of it if all the patches were anything to go by. Part of his left forearm was wrapped up as well. Feeling his face tentatively with his only hand, Ed found nothing more than a bandage on his cheek and one hidden under his bangs to cover his right temple. As Edward patted himself down, Alphonse had spoken up again. "The doctors said you might suffer memory loss. I was hoping you wouldn't…" He shifted in his chair. "You were showing signs of hypothermia and your body was going into shock when we found you. It's a good thing we found you when we did. I don't…I don't know what would have happened if we had come any later." Edward paused his examination at the sudden thick emotion in his brother's young voice. Alphonse had pulled his shoulders in and was staring down sullenly at the book clutched in his hands. Ed's lips pulled down in a tight frown. He had screwed up once again, and Alphonse had received the worst of it, having to sit without pause by his brother's bed, not even knowing whether or not he'd wake up. "Sorry…" The word slipped out guilty before Ed even realized he had said it. He leaned over awkwardly and patted Al's large hand, even though Ed knew he couldn't feel the gesture. "Sorry I worried you." Al shook his head. "It's okay, Brother. It wasn't your fault. And you're okay now, that's what's important, right?" He didn't seem too convinced. Ed wasn't either soothed by the words much either but he didn't say anything. Ed drew his hand back after a pause and settled into the pillows. "Was I really that bad off? Did you really think I was in a coma?" He nodded toward the book when Alphonse glanced up. Al looked down at the object in question as if he had forgotten it was there. His hands gripped at the edges in thought. "This actually wasn't for you…" Al shifted uncomfortably as if he didn't want to relay the information he obviously knew. Al seemed to be handling Ed gently now, as if the loss of his memories from whatever had happened made him fragile and one more bad thing on top of it all would make him bow and break under its weight. "Who…" Ed asked gravely. He stared Alphonse down, making it evident that he didn't want to be fed sugar-coated half-truths. "You probably don't remember," Al started, squirming, "but the colonel was there too." "What happened to him?" Ed voice had hushed considerably. "We don't know. It seems like he got hit in the head somehow and probably had a concussion…the doctors aren't sure if he'll wake up. Or if will be any time soon." Al's voice tapered off. "How do they not know what happened to him?" Ed asked, getting frustrated with this entire situation and the doctors' incompetence and his own lack of recollection. "You were there, weren't you? Don't you remember?" "I…Brother, we got separated when we were ambushed. I went and got help as soon as it happened but by the time we found both of you, you were in terrible shape. With the colonel unresponsive and unable to tell us what happened to him, it seems you're the only witness. But now, with your memory..." "This is ridiculous." Ed was struck with a sudden rush of restlessness. He hated hospitals. He hated being sick or injured. He had to get out of this confining bed and this building with its thick, anesthetic smell. His feet touched the linoleum floor before he even knew where he planned to go. He just knew he had to get out of there; he had to find the colonel at least. Ed needed to see the man with his own eyes. Surely he was somewhere stuck in this hospital along with Ed, whether he was conscious or not. Alphonse grabbed Ed's arm gently before he could make any headway for the door. "Brother, you can't. You need to rest." Ed halted and stared at his brother in slight confusion. Couldn't Al understand what he was feeling? How helpless he felt? Lying around in a hospital bed wouldn't do anyone any good. Ed tried willfully to get his gaze to convey that in a way he knew his words couldn't. "The doctors need to come check up on you first," Al said more to himself than to Ed. He knew his brother well and he knew Ed hated sitting around idly. Al almost let him go, but he kept his grip firm, knowing Ed's wellbeing should come before his restless attitude. "You just woke up. I know this is frustrating but you can't just go running off." Ed frowned but he looked at the armor, silently knowing Al was right. "Brother, please sit back down. I'll try to tell you everything I know, okay?" Ed shifted his weight from foot to foot. Finally, he relented; he was more tired and out of sorts than he would willingly admit. Besides, hearing any information he could was better than running off cluelessly. The young alchemist flopped back down on the mattress, and Alphonse helped pull the blanket up around his brother. "Can you tell me the last thing you remember?" the younger boy asked as he settled back in his chair. Ed stared down at his blanket covered feet, thinking. "We were on the train, I think. You were complaining about losing at cards once again and you called me a cheater—" "You are a cheater," Al pointed out. "That was once when I was twelve!" Ed defended. "Anyway, we were on our way to the town of Awrosut after Mustang had given us another lead on the stone. And that's all I can remember besides waking up a few times before now." Alphonse listened quietly and nodded once Edward fell silent. "You…you missed a lot," Al decided, slightly exasperated. He took a deep breath that held no air and sighed, the noise echoed inside his hollow armor. He began to tell Edward everything that had happened, and Ed felt a heavy weight begin to settle down on him and its pressure began to smother him. 2. Chapter 2 Edward's head tilted slightly to the side as he stared down in pensive thought. It had been days since he had first awoken in the hospital, but Al's words still haunted his mind. They hounded him every waking moment as Ed tried desperately to piece together an unsolvable puzzle. If only he could just will his mind to remember. Then they wouldn't be in this mess. But he couldn't. And they were. There was nothing anyone could do about that. What Al had told him hadn't helped much either. It gave Ed a general sense of what had happened but not even that story could spark back any memories that could help either himself or the colonel. According to Alphonse, it had begun early in the morning last week when the brothers had gotten off the train in the small town of Awrosut. As Al described it, Ed could vaguely see the village in his mind's eye. But that was still a blur and what Ed did remember was more of a feeling than actual images. If someone asked him to draw out a visual of the town, Ed doubted he would be able to. Regardless, Ed acknowledge that that was true and could halfheartedly agree with Al that that is what had happened. He did it more to satisfy his brother more than anything else; Al had incessantly asked throughout his story re-telling whether Ed remembered certain details or not. More often than not Ed would nod or answer with a shrug, even if it wasn't true and his memory of anything after the train ride was still swimming in an unrelenting fog. After that, they had gotten off the train and promptly run into the colonel on the platform. What dumb luck, Ed thought with an eye roll. He could only imagine what his reaction had been when he and Al had run into the old bastard out in the middle of nowhere. Mustang had been in town to catch a connecting train back to East City. Now that was something Edward actually did remember. The colonel had been out of town for most of the week prior, at some important meeting in Central he had been called upon to attend. Al then told Ed that they had been approached by a man that had heard the Elric brothers would be in town. Ed had no idea how the man knew them or how he knew of their location or their reason behind the visit. Apparently the colonel was just as confused about that development as the brothers had been. But the man was a local and he seemed to know his way around better than they did so a flimsy trust formed quickly. The man raddled on as he showed them through the small town. Apparently it was much to Ed's chagrin that Mustang followed them since the colonel's train wasn't due for a while. There had been supposed rumors concerning the warehouse district part of town which resided next to a large river on the outskirts, and that was believed to be where they would uncover the stone. Ed knew now the stone, just like the rumors, had all been a lie to get them there and catch them off-guard. They had been ambushed as soon as they entered the first warehouse. The man had turned on them without hesitation as that had been his plan all along. Ed had no doubt he must have been working with others, but Al said he was the only one the three of them had fought, and lost, against. Edward stared down at the colonel now. Idiot. If Mustang hadn't stuck his nose into their business he never would have gotten caught up in all of this; he wouldn't be lying unreachable in a hospital bed with no improvement in the last several days. He might not have been damned so easily. Ed couldn't help but feel angry at the man before him now. He had never been too fond of the colonel. He was jerk to Ed even during the best of times, but that didn't mean Ed ever wanted anything bad to happen to him. As much as he hated to admit it, he respected the colonel and in some twisted sort of way, he was fond of their bickering and silently supportive relationship. Of course he would never admit that out loud but Ed supposed it was okay to think it here in the silence of Mustang's room, where only his own thoughts gave him any real company. As Ed pondered the event that had led them both here, he couldn't help the tugging in the back of his mind. Really, it all seemed rather convenient. That he and Al had been in such a remote location and had run into the colonel of all people. Ed remembered now how bad of a feeling the whole town had given him, but it had been buried under a desperate hope that this lead would heed real results for once. He had been such an idiot. This had all been set up to hurt him. For what reason, Ed wasn't sure. It couldn't have been for ransom since they had tried to kill him, Al said. Maybe they were jealous of his status and power at such a young age; maybe his alchemic abilities threatened them. Ed wasn't sure he would ever know the reason and that unnerved him. The thought of hearing the truth somehow unnerved him even more. And if the colonel had been there, was it possible he had been set up too? No, no, that was ridiculous. He had an actual reason for being in town; it was nothing shady like Ed and Al's lead. Ed pushed the conspiratorial thoughts out of his head. He still wasn't in his right mind. He was still shaken up by the incident and still healing; none of his memory had yet to make a reappearance. It wasn't good to be jumping to conclusions, especially in such a fragile state of mind. Ed shook his head, physically trying to break up the train of thought. It was the colonel's own stupidity and his own carelessness that had gotten him jumbled up in the brothers' predicament. And now he was the one paying for it for trying to protect them. He was never supposed to be a factor. Ed still wasn't satisfied with that thought, but he dropped the subject anyway. It had been days now that Ed had been stuck in the hospital and the colonel hadn't improved at all. At least he hadn't gotten worse, Ed countered. Ed had found himself drawn to Mustang's room several times since he had awoken. Ed tried to tell himself that was only because it was the only place he could get away from the smothering doctors and nurses and Al, who was always fussing over his wellbeing. But that wasn't all of it. Ed was concerned. He'd never really worried about his superior before but now that seemed to be all he was thinking about. Ed felt guilty about the entire thing too. Maybe if it hadn't been for Ed's carelessness, the colonel wouldn't have gotten hurt. So some form of self-imposed penance made him feel obligated to stand watch in the colonel's room, watching like a hawk for any sign of improvement. Hawkeye was there a lot of the time as well. It seemed she spent all her time not spent filing paperwork at the office here in the colonel's room. Ed tried telling her early on that she didn't need to worry and watch so closely, the doctors would take care of everything and she needed to take care of herself first and stay rested. She had just smiled sadly with a deep sort of understanding in her eyes and told Edward he should take his own advice. After that they didn't talk much. At the times when they were both in the room they would sit silently, not staring directly at the colonel but not really looking at anything else. Ed still preferred the times when Hawkeye was busy with work. He preferred the silence. It was calming considering all the restless thoughts and noise that went on in his head as he struggled to fix this seemingly hopeless situation. Stepping into the colonel's room was more serene than Ed first thought it would be. But the doctors didn't come by as often as they did with Ed, and the small sounds of the hospital could easily be shut out behind a closed door. The room was white and bright, it was calming and not overbearing like it seemed to be in Ed's room. Ed knew that was just his mind playing tricks on him, but he didn't really care. The sooner he got out of the hospital the better. Ed hated the feeling that came with being injured. He hated being treated like an invalid and being treated like a fragile little boy. He could see the pitying looks the staff gave him and he could only count the minutes until he escaped from their gaze. But leaving the hospital also meant leaving all this. Ed glanced around the room, reluctant to leave its calm space. He was schedule to be released today and he couldn't have been happier when he first heard that news. But something kept him rooted here. Leaving the hospital seemed to Ed like he was giving up somehow. It felt like everyone was moving on with their lives while the colonel was just left here without a care. Ed felt like he was abandoning his superior when this man had been the only one to share to some degree what he was going through. Even if the man had yet to regain consciousness, Ed felt a new connection between them since they were the only two to go through the whole dilemma. Ed could almost hear the smirk in Mustang's voice if he could hear Ed's thoughts now, smugly asking Ed where the sudden sense of loyalty had come from when he had almost never followed his orders before. "Brother?" Edward jumped out of his chair at the entrance of a new voice. He turned around swiftly, embarrassed, as if his brother could hear his thoughts. Alphonse was standing at the threshold to Mustang's room. His imposing armor barely fit in the doorway. He held Ed's suitcase in one hand and had his brother's signature red coat draped over his arm. "Are you ready to go?" he asked quietly, as if not to disrupt the room's serenity. "I…uh, yeah." With an exhale, Ed glanced at the colonel's still form one last time. He tried to act casual as he stood up straight and turned away. Of course he'd come back and visit. Even if Mustang didn't make for good company at the moment. Ed wasn't giving up on that old bastard just yet. He wasn't abandoning the colonel, Ed thought even as he headed for the door. Even if he was leaving, he would still work hard and he would save Mustang if no one else was going to do anything about it. Ed was the one who had gotten him into this mess, and he would help him get out too. Ed was never one to give up, and he wasn't about to start a streak of cowardice now, especially not when the colonel's life hung in the balance. "C'mon," he said, reveling silently at the strength in his voice, "let's go."

[finnwolfhard7137]

The Heart of Mine-

Miles Fairchild × Reader

Chapter Five: The Warning

Chapter Six: The Nightmare

Word Count 2,071

Warning: Angst, mentions of death and blood, fluff at the end.

_____________________________________

You are in a very deep sleep. Dreaming a dream that feels so real. It is just you and Miles in the mansion and every room is pitch black. You can't see and you can't feel. You scream and scream for Miles but he doesn't answer. You make it to the east wing of the house and that is where Miles is. He is laying on the ground, unresponsive. You move and shove him but he isn't waking up. You roll him over so that you can see his face and when you do, you see a massive spider crawling out of his mouth.

You scream and try to help him but it is no use, he is already gone. You try and try to wake yourself up but you can't. Why can't you wake up?! You run to the corner of the room and huddle yourself into a ball and cry. Why can't I wake up!? 

Miles "BABY!? BABY!! WAKE UP! WAKE UP" 

Your eyes open and you see Miles shaking your shoulders to wake you, "Wh- WHAT!?"

Miles "Baby..you're awake!! Look at me, look at me! Breathe!" He grabs your face so that you stop freaking out and looking at your surroundings. 

"Oh my god!" You yank Miles into your chest and hold him tight. You have never had such a dream that felt that real before. You hold him as close to you as you possibly can, feeling like if you let go that he would disappear. Flora comes running into the room.

Flora "WHAT IS ALL THE SCREAMING!?"

Miles "She-Y/n had a nightmare, Flora. Everything is fine. Go back to bed okay?" 

Flora "Can I do something to help?"

"You can give me a hug, lovebug." She runs to you and hugs you long and hard. You are so glad to be awake from that nightmare. 

Flora "What was the dream? You were screaming so loud."

"I...I can't talk about it yet, sweety. How about in the morning I will tell you all about it okay?"

Flora "Okay. Are you sure that you are okay?"

"Yes. I'm up now, I'm fine. Go back to bed, I love you."

Flora "I love you too. Good night, Miles."

Miles "Good night." Flora leaves the room and you pull Miles into you again. You are so grateful to have him in your arms right now. 

Miles "Babe...what happened? You were screaming..and crying in your sleep! I was shoving you to wake you up but you wouldn't wake up! I even slapped you and nothing...what happened?"

"It..it felt so real Miles."

Miles "Tell me."

"It was just me and you and everything was black. I couldn't find you for the longest time but when I did, you were on the floor. You weren't responding so I rolled you over and-"

Miles "what?"

"There was a sp-spider crawling out of your mouth! When the spider was out, you were...bleeding. Miles you were gone and I lost you. I couldn't save you, I couldn't do anything so I crawled to the corner and screamed. It-it felt so real."

Miles kisses you to stop you from telling him anymore, "It was just a dream, okay? I am right here babe. I'm not going anywhere."

"I-I can't go back to sleep..I can't fall back into that dream Miles-"

Miles "It's fine. We can stay up the rest of the night if you need to."

"Can you just hold me? Please?"

Miles "Of course, come here." He moves you so that you are completely on top of him. "Better?"

"Mmhmm keep talking, please. I wanna hear your voice." He held you close and tight in his arms. He let you cry out the last of your tears and rubbed small circles around your back to try and calm you. He talked to you about anything and everything. He told you endless stories about his childhood, his parents and his friends. You feel your eyelids grow heavier and heavier as he continues to talk. Soon, you drifted off to sleep.

__________________________________

By the morning, your head was pounding. Your eyes were puffy and your voice was raspy from screaming and crying. Miles woke up before you to bring you some medicine and a glass of water to help a bit. 

Miles "Here, this will help."

"Thanks. I feel terrible."

Miles "It's alright babe, you'll feel better later on during the day. Just give yourself some time, you went through a lot last night."

"Yeah. Shit…"

Miles "What?"

"Flora. I told her that I would tell her in the morning."

Miles "Y/n, you don't have to tell her if you can't. I'm sure that she will understand."

"I'll probably just tell her the minor details and not what really happened."

Miles "Okay. Do you wanna get some food?" You agree and you stumble to the kitchen where Mrs. Grose and Flora are.

Mrs. Grose "My god, what happened to you last night? You look like you got ran over by a bus!"

"Thanks Mrs. Grose...good morning too you too."

Miles "She had a bad nightmare, try to be more sensitive." 

Flora "Did you fall back asleep?"

"Yeah, but not for a while. It was a long night."

Miles "Yeah but all of it wasn't bad.." you remembered the night that you and Miles shared before you both fell asleep. It was so passionate, so amazing.

"Yeah, I loved that part of the night but not the dream." 

Flora "Will you tell me now?" You nod and tell her some of the events that took part in your dream. You leave out the part where her brother dies because you didn't want to put that vision in her head. "Wow...no wonder you were screaming."

"Yeah. I'm alright now, so don't worry."

Mrs. Grose "I guess the warning put your mind in a dark place, Y/n. Try not to think about the bad and focus on the good."

"Yeah, you are right. It is hard not to worry when your life is in danger constantly.."

Mrs. Grose "I won't let anything happen, Y/n. It is because of me that he is after you so it is my duty to protect."

Miles "Haven't I told you before? You've done enough."

Mrs. Grose "I don't need to protect her, Miles. Hell I could do what Quint asks of me but I will not. I choose to protect her."

Flora "Well...I'm bored." You can't help but chuckle at her way of breaking the tension. 

"What do you wanna do today?"

Flora "Anything!!!"

"Miles...any suggestions?"

Miles "Hmmm...we could go out for some ice cream-"

Mrs. Grose "NO!"

"What?"

Mrs. Grose "NO..You aren't allowed to leave."

"What are you talking about? It's just to get ice cream.."

Mrs. Grose "No..Flora especially isn't allowed to leave, isn't that right Flora." All she does is put her head down and shakes her head yes.

"Flora...is there something that you need to tell m-"

Mrs. Grose "Y/n..she isn't leaving this house. And that is final." 

"Miles?"

Miles "We will figure something else out to do."

"Why isn't she allowed?"

Miles "She put in her head that if she leaves those gates that the same thing that happened to our parents will happen to her."

"Oh my god."

Miles "Yeah. I've tried to talk her out of that mindset but it hasn't worked so far."

"Why would she do that to a seven year old girl?"

Miles "Because she is an old lady that has fucking issues!" You take a deep breath and pull Flora onto your lap.

"Hey, what would you like to do today?"

Flora "Can we go horseback riding?!" Your heartbeat starts to race inside of your chest. You remember that the last time that you went horseback riding, you were thrown off of your horse.

Miles "Flora...you know what happened last time."

Flora "I know but it has been so long since we last rideddd!!"

"Uhh okay. Let's do it, go on. Get your shoes on." 

Flora "YAY!!" She runs off and you stand up to run after her.

Miles "Babe...what are you doin'?"

"She wants to, Miles. She can't leave the house, this is the funnest thing that she can do."

Miles "But you got hurt!"

"I know but I love her, I know that you do too babe. If it starts to feel off...I'll get off immediately, okay?"

Miles "You are riding with me then."

"Flora can ride by herself?"

Miles "Yeah, before you came along it was just me and her for a long time. She rode her horse and I rode mine. She knows what to do."

"O-okay."

…

Miles' horse is way larger than Flora's white horse, so he helps you up and then gets up after you.

Miles "You good Flora?"

Flora "Yeah!! Let's go!!" You laugh in his back and lean your head up against him.

"She loves this."

Miles "I know she does..she's been riding ever since she could walk."

"You're kidding!"

Miles "Nope. This is what she loves." You nod and watch Flora laugh as she rides off into the distance. The sun is shining and the breeze is warm and comforting.

"Mmm I needed this."

Miles "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Just us and Flora, outside and enjoying the weather as best as we can...it's nice."

Miles "Yeah...I love you babe."

"I love you too."

You rode with them until nightfell struck and you had no choice but to go inside. The temperature dropped and you all were in spring clothes. 

Miles "Come on, Flora! We gotta go in."

Flora "Uhhh okayy."

"Don't pout, lovebug. We can ride again tomorrow if you want too."

Flora "Promise??"

"Promise, promise."

__________________________________

Your headache came back as soon as you stepped foot inside of the house. It's like the energy inside is draining you. You take off your boots and lay down on the couch. You shut your eyes for a split second before Flora pounces on you.

"Oww!" She giggles and puts her head on your chest.

Miles "Flora...easy."

Flora "Read to me?" You think about it for a moment and finally agree. Miles looks at you like, what the hell? But you just shrug your shoulders and get drug into Flora's room.

"Same book tonight?"

Flora "Nope! A new one!" She hands you a book with colorful flowers on it and crawls into bed. You start reading when she cuts you off. "Are you really okay?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

Flora "Just...when you come inside you act like...dead." Oh my God she noticed..

"My headache just came back, sweetheart. You know how headaches are don't you?"

Flora "Yeahh they suck."

You chuckle and give her a kiss on the forehead, "See? I'm good. Come on, it's past your bedtime.."

…

Miles is in bed waiting for you to come join him. His hair is messy and his clothes are changed into comfortable ones. When he sees you, his whole face lights up.

"Hey."

Miles "Hey, is she asleep?"

"Yeah. She is worried about me, Miles."

Miles "What are you talking about?"

"She asked me if I was okay...she told me that I looked like I'm dead...when I came in from the ride, it felt like the life was sucked out of me. Miles..she is noticing." Miles gets up from the bed and walks over to you, cupping your cheeks into his hands.

Miles "She just loves you, Y/n. She doesn't want to see you be sad or worried."

"I try so hard not to let her see me when I am stressed or...worried. It's just hard sometimes."

Miles "I know. Babe...you don't need to worry, you aren't going anywhere and neither am I." 

"Yeah.." He sees the doubt in your eyes and places a soft, sweet kiss to your lips. 

Miles "Please don't worry, okay?"

"I will try...another kiss?" He chuckles and pulls you in for another kiss. You wrap your arms around his neck as he moves his arms around your hips. He swiftly picks you up and places you on the bed. You giggle in the kiss and you melt under his touch.

Miles "I love you so much."

"I love you more."

Miles "mmm not possible."

_____________________________________

@moriartysringtone7137 @jk97-wolfhard @axrso @btsarmygirl417

[jinmukangwrites]

I know this says it's for newer content creators, but honestly? I wanna do this.

Warnings: blood and description of injury!

-o-o-o-o-

Dick knew the place would blow a half second before Jason did. He knows this because suddenly, Dick rushes away from the bomb he was trying to disarm and dives towards Damian, grabbing onto the brat with a fierceness that Jason's only ever seen in him when something is about to go horribly wrong.

Jason doesn't think. He just moves. He turns and rams his entire body weight into Tim who's just behind him and earns a surprised squawk just before the entire world erupts into flames. He can feel his eardrums burst with the force of the explosion, and he's knocked off his feet, just barely managing to keep ahold of Tim as he's thrown forward. Pain lashes through his legs and feet as the flames expand, licking his lower body as if trying to get a taste, testing him out and trying to decide if he's worth fully consuming.

He's been in an explosion like this before. He tries not to think about how he didn't survive the last one.

The explosion finishes just as quickly as it began and he groans, trying to ignore the pain as he tightly wraps his arms around the warm body below him, curling over the younger vigilante to protect him from any falling debris or from more flames, and it takes him a moment to realize that his name is being screamed.

He can hardly hear a thing it's all ringing and muffled, and he can feel a warm liquid travel down from his ears. Yeah. His ears are definitely damaged.

He blinks his eyes open, sucking in a breath and coughing as smoke and dust invades his lungs. He squeezes his eyes shut and loses all progress, curling tighter around the small form below him.

He has to protect him. Has to protect Tim. He can't die like Jason did. No, no one deserves that. Least of all Tim.

There's pounding on his chest all of a sudden and Jason grunts because ouch. He cracks his eyes open to deliver a glare at the perpatrator, but he stills as he sees Tim pinned below him, his face covered with ash and dust, lips moving like he's screaming something that isn't reaching Jason. Of course it isn't reaching Jason, his ears are bleeding. He almost wants to yell at Tim to shut up and sit still and let me protect you when Tim points to the side. Jason instinctively follows the direction and his eyes widen by what he sees.

The crumpled form of Nightwing, body lifeless as Robin desperately struggles beneath him.

Well heck.

Jason coughs and struggles to scramble off Tim, and the moment Jason is just barely off the younger vigilante, Tim is already rushing towards Dick and Damian, running on his hands and knees and stumbling the entire way. Jason notices the burns on his legs, the material of his suit melted to the skin.

Jason is almost afraid to look at his own legs. He pushes that aside and rises slowly to his feet before he limps over towards his brothers and helps Tim shove Dick's limp ass off from Damian.

Damian's yelling, Jason can tell. Cheeks puffed out and the whites of his mask blown wide as his mouth moves rapidly, jolting out of the hold Tim tries to put him in like he's close to having a seizure of some sort. Tim lifts his hands and tries to calm Damian, his mouth moving slowly and dramatically and Jason realizes it's so Jason can read his lips.

"We need to get out of here," he says and Damian starts yelling again.

Something crashes behind them, Jason can tell by the way the floor rumbles below his feet, and he decides they don't have time for this. He pushes past Damian and Tim and grabs Dick by one of his arms. He ignores the melted fabric of Dick's suit and the red, blistering skin showing out of holes in the fabric around his back and legs. He ignores the blood trailing down from his left temple and how half of his mask is destroyed, showing one lazily opened eye that's unresponsive towards the world.

He ignores Damian grabbing at his waist and Tim struggling to stand so he can get a grasp of Dick's other arm.

The building is falling apart, and Jason knows full well that it isn't usually the explosion that kills it's victims. It's the destruction that comes afterwards.

"We need to go, now!" Jason yells, and his voice sounds odd to him, almost like he said it plugging his nose underwater. He doesn't hear what response Tim and Damian give, but they're moving forward together now, dragging Dick's dead weight, towards where the exit should be.

They avoid burning chunks of debris and they have a few close calls with falling bits of roof and support beams, but they eventually manage to stumble outside the building and into the cool night of Gotham, where arguably clean air reaches their lungs.

Jason feels the world rumble below him, and he turns his head just in time to watch the entire warehouse crumble. His legs lose strength and he crumbles too, bringing the rest of the family down with him. Dick lands awkwardly on his lap and Damain's weight press painfully into his legs. Tim lays gasping on top of Dick, like he's close to panicking.

Jason moves his hand towards the emergency signal in his belt and he presses it, releasing a breath and his arms move almost against his will to cradle Damian's head to his chest and pull Tim closer into the huddle.

Dick is still unresponsive, but at least he's breathing, and that's all Jason can handle before he passes out.

-o-o-o-o-

Jason comes to in the cave. He feels floaty and far away, and even as he creaks his eyes open just enough to sorta see, he feels like this is all a dream. He struggles to turn his head towards where he feels a small pressure sinking the mattress of his cot down and his lips twitch when he sees the greasy and long hair of none other than Tim Drake. He's in a padded folding chair, leaning over the side of the matress and curling his head into the crook of his arms. He doesn't stir when Jason does, and Jason assumes he's completely knocked out.

Besides a few bandages here and there, Tim looks fine, but Jason knows his legs are probably a mess. There's an empty cot to Jason's side where Jason assumes Tim is supposed to be laying. Leslie will probably yell at him later for getting out of bed, but for now Jason forces his hand up to land on the top of the boy's head. He ruffles his hair and when Tim only shifts sleepily he turns his head to the other side of him.

Dick's definitely looking worse for wears, but his face is relaxed and his breathing deep and slow. Jason wonders briefly where the little demon brat is but then he sees the small form curled up to Dick's side like a cat.

Jason's sighs and relaxes back into his pillow, carding his fingers through Tim's hair for just a second more. Sleep claims him, and he falls asleep knowing his family is safe.

Prompt #1 : “Boom.”

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