#i saw her for just a few secs and yet she captured both me heart and soul

[aria0fgold]

Loving p3 so much like the way Yukari treats Kotone like awwwwW?????? It's so sweet she just latched onto her like a bestie in the short time they've been with each other. Also the way she treats Junpei is SOOO FUNNY like, put her in the same room as Kotone and Junpei and she literally just "Ugh, you?!" to Junpei and yet she turns around to Kotone all "Hey :D" Love that for you Yukari.

[herstoryheaven]

Descendants James Hook x Reader: The Pirate And The Mermaid

Request: Hi, I love your imagines so much that I was wondering if you could do an imagine where Uliana finds out that Hook is dating Ariel's sister and makes him choose the VK group or her by making the reader walk the plank and if hook saves her (which he does) and convinces Uliana that she's nothing like Ariel and is perfect for him. (The other 3 vks already know that they're dating except for Uliana and always help Hook sneak around to see her without Uliana knowing until one day she finds out)

Reader: Female

Word count: 3786

Average reading time: 13 min 45 sec

Category: Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: None

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Disclaimer: All events portrayed in my stories are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental. Any actions or behaviours portrayed by the characters may differ from reality and cannot be connected to any actual person. This work is purely fictional and intended for entertainment purposes only.

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James Hook walked around the grounds of Merlin Academy, his dark brown hair messy yet perfectly styled, a confident smirk playing on his lips. But beneath that confident facade, his thoughts were elsewhere, focused on one person in particular.

You, Y/n, the youngest daughter of King Triton, were waiting for him in the secluded corner of the academy gardens. It was a secret place, known only to a few, where the wildflowers bloomed in brilliant colors and the trees provided a perfect cover from prying eyes. This hidden haven had become one of the many places you would meet, a place where the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of you in a bliss of stolen moments and whispered promises.

James spotted you before you saw him, your vibrant hair catching the sunlight as you idly plucked petals from a daisy. He paused for a moment, just to admire you, the way the sunlight danced across your features, the serene expression on your face as if you had no care in the world. It made his heart swell with a warmth he had never thought possible for someone like him. You were his light, the beacon that guided him through the dark seas of his life.

With a silent grace, he approached, his footsteps nearly soundless on the soft grass, until he was right behind you.

“Princess.” he whispered in your ear, his voice a velvet caress that sent shivers down your spine.

You jumped slightly, your hand going to your heart as you turned to face him, a smile spreading across your lips. “James, you scared me.” you said, playfully swatting at his arm.

He chuckled, his arms already slipping around your waist, pulling you flush against him. “Can’t help it, love. You’re just too easy to sneak up on.”

Your laughter was like music to his ears as you rested your head on his chest, reveling in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “If only everyone could see this side of you. They’d never believe the fearsome Hook has a soft spot.”

He tilted your chin up, his eyes capturing yours, the mischief that usually danced in them now replaced by something much deeper, much more sincere. “That’s because this side of me is only for you, darling.”

Your heart fluttered at his words, a warmth spreading through your chest that made you feel like you were floating. You leaned up, your lips meeting his in a kiss that was both sweet and intense, a reflection of the emotions that swirled between you. His hands tightened on your waist, pulling you even closer as if he could never get enough of you, and for a moment, the world ceased to exist, no prying eyes, no judgment, just the two of you, entwined in your own little world.

But as much as you cherished these moments, you both knew they couldn’t last forever. Merlin Academy was full of eyes and ears, and there were those who would do anything to tear you apart. After all a royal and a villain simply couldn’t be together, that is nkt gow it's supposed to be. The thrill of secrecy was always tinged with the fear of discovery, and yet, it only made your time together all the more precious.

As if sensing the shift in your thoughts, James pulled back slightly, his thumb brushing over your cheek as he gazed down at you with a mix of love and concern. “What’s troubling you, love? You’re too quiet.”

Before you could respond, a soft rustling in the bushes caught your attention. Out of the shadows stepped Morgie, his eyes scanning the area before he spotted the two of you. He was a loyal friend, always looking out for you, even if it meant risking his own neck. With his tousled hair and mischievous grin, Morgie was the perfect accomplice to your secret meetings.

“You two better wrap it up.” Morgie said, his voice low but urgent. “Uliana’s searching for you.”

James groaned, reluctantly releasing you but keeping one arm around your waist as if he couldn’t bear to let you go completely. “Can’t she take a break from being such a buzzkill?”

Morgie shrugged, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting Uliana to appear at any moment. “Not when she’s determined to keep you close, Hook. You know how she is.”

Your smile faded as worry crept into your heart. Uliana had always been a thorn in your side, ever since you first arrived at the academy. She was ruthless, cunning, and had a grudge against your family. It didn’t help that James was her first mate, a role that made your relationship all the more dangerous.

“I can handle Uliana.” James said, sensing your unease. He tried to reassure you, but you could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hand clenched at his side. “She’s all bark and no bite.”

But you weren’t so sure. “Just… be careful, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”

James softened at your concern, brushing a strand of hair from your face with a tenderness that belied his fierce reputation. “Don’t worry about me, princess. I’d walk the plank a thousand times if it meant keeping you safe.”

Your smile was small, but genuine, though the unease in your chest remained. You trusted James, but you knew how dangerous Uliana could be. And you had a feeling she wasn’t going to give up easily.

Just then, the shadows seemed to grow darker, and a chill breeze swept through the garden. From the corner of your eye, you saw the air shimmer as Hades appeared with a dramatic flair. His blue flame-like hair flickered as he greeted the two of you with an amused smirk.

“Well if it isn’t mt favorite lovebirds.” Hades drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. “You two do know how to pick the worst places for a secret date, don’t you?”

“Relax, Hades.” James replied, though there was a note of irritation in his voice. “We were just leaving.”

Hades chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous light. “Good thing I found you first. Maleficent’s already weaving a little distraction for Uliana, but it won’t last long. You’d better make yourselves scarce before she catches wind of your little affair.”

You glanced at James, who nodded slightly. It was time to go, but the thought of parting from him so soon after you’d just found each other again left a hollow ache in your chest. As if reading your thoughts, James leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Meet me tonight.” he whispered against your skin, his breath warm and comforting. “At the docks. We’ll steal a few hours together, just you and me.”

You nodded, unable to find your voice as you were overwhelmed by the tenderness in his words, the promise of more time together keeping your spirits afloat.

With Morgie, Hades, and Maleficent covering your tracks, you and James managed to slip away from the garden unnoticed. But as you disappeared into the shadows, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this fragile happiness was standing on the edge of something dangerous. Uliana was relentless, and you knew it was only a matter of time before she made her move.

-----

That night, as the moon cast a silver glow over the academy grounds, you quietly slipped away from your dormitory. The corridors were silent, the shadows long and dark, but you moved with a purpose, your heart racing in anticipation. Every step you took towards the docks felt like a step closer to a dream, one where it was just you and James, away from the prying eyes of the academy.

The docks were deserted, the water gently lapping against the wooden planks. The air was cool, carrying with it the scent of the sea, a reminder of home. You pulled your cloak tighter around yourself as you scanned the area, your breath catching when you saw him.

James stood at the edge of the dock, his back to you, gazing out at the horizon where the sea met the sky. His tall, lean figure was silhouetted against the moonlight, and for a moment, you simply admired him. He seemed to belong here, in this quiet place, where the only sound was the rhythm of the waves and the beating of your heart.

“James.” you called softly, and he turned, his face breaking into a smile as he saw you.

Without a word, he closed the distance between you, wrapping you in his arms the moment you were close enough. You melted into his embrace, the world falling away as you buried your face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent of salt and leather.

“I missed you.” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the gentle sounds of the sea.

“And I missed you, princess.” he replied, his voice warm and soothing as he held you close. “Every moment we’re apart feels like a lifetime.”

You looked up at him, your eyes locking onto his. “Then let’s make the most of the time we have.”

His expression softened, and he leaned down to capture your lips in a tender kiss. It was slow and sweet, a promise of the love that bound you together despite the dangers that lurked in the shadows. James’ hand gently cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing over your skin as if memorizing every detail, every curve, as if this moment was all that mattered.

When he finally pulled away, he didn’t go far, resting his forehead against yours. “I wish we didn’t have to sneak around like this. I want to be with you all the time, without having to look over my shoulder.”

You sighed, understanding his frustration. “I know, James. But as long as Uliana’s watching us, we have to be careful. I don’t want her to hurt you… or us.”

His jaw clenched at the mention of her name, a flicker of anger crossing his features. “She won’t win, Y/n. I won’t let her come between us.”

“I believe you.” you whispered, wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him closer. “I just wish there was a way to keep her from interfering.”

James was quiet for a moment, then a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. “There might be a way.”

“What do you mean?” you asked, curious.

He grinned, the roguish smile that always made your heart skip a beat. “I’ve been thinking… if we can keep her distracted, give her something else to focus on, we could buy ourselves more time. Hades and Morgie have already agreed to help.”

Your eyes widened in surprise and excitement. “You really think it could work?”

“With a little help from Maleficent’s magic, we can keep Uliana running in circles.” he said, his tone filled with confidence. “She’ll be so busy dealing with false leads and wild goose chases that she won’t have time to spy on us.”

A thrill of hope surged through you. The thought of being able to spend more time with James, without constantly looking over your shoulder, was too tempting to resist. “That sounds… perfect.”

James leaned in, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispered, “And in the meantime, we’ll keep meeting in secret, just like this. No one will know where or when, only us.”

The idea of these secret meetings, of stolen kisses under the watchfull eye of the night, sent a shiver of excitement through you. You nodded, unable to contain your smile. “I love it. I love you.”

He pulled back slightly, just enough to look into your eyes. “And I love you, darling. More than anything.”

The night passed in a blur of whispered conversations and stolen kisses, the two of you wrapped in each other’s arms as you sat on the edge of the dock, your feet dangling above the water. The moon watched over you, a silent guardian of your secrets, as you shared your hopes, your fears, and your dreams of a future together, one where you could love each other openly, without fear.

Over the following weeks, the plan was set in motion. Morgie and Hades, along with Maleficent’s and her magic, created a series of distractions that kept Uliana busy. They spread rumors, created illusions, and sent her on wild chases that led nowhere. Each time she thought she was closing in on you and James, she found herself frustrated by some new trick or misdirection.

Meanwhile, you and James continued to meet in secret. Sometimes it was the docks, other times the hidden grotto of the academy, or even the deserted beach beyond the forest. Each meeting was a new adventure, filled with the thrill of secrecy and the joy of being together. You cherished these moments, the way his hand fit perfectly in yours, the way he looked at you as if you were the only person in the world.

One evening, after narrowly escaping detection by Uliana, you found yourselves in the old library, tucked away in a forgotten corner surrounded by dusty books and ancient scrolls. The air was thick with the scent of aged parchment, and the flickering candlelight cast a warm glow over the room.

“I think we’re getting better at this.” you teased, leaning against a shelf as James approached, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

He chuckled, brushing a lock of hair away from your face. “Maybe, but I’d still rather we didn’t have to sneak around at all.”

You reached out, taking his hand in yours. “One day, we won’t have to. But for now, I’m just happy to be with you.”

He smiled, his thumb gently caressing the back of your hand. “Me too, love.”

And then he kissed you, slow and deep, the world outside forgotten as you lost yourself in him. Time seemed to stand still in that moment, the only sound the soft rustle of pages as a nearby book caught the breeze from the open window.

You pulled away, breathless and smiling, you couldn’t help but feel that maybe, just maybe, things were finally looking up. You had each other, and with the help of your friends, you were outsmarting Uliana at every turn.

The days turned into weeks, and your secret meetings continued, each one more precious than the last. You cherished every stolen moment, every whispered word, knowing that as long as you had James by your side, you could face whatever challenges lay ahead. And as you stood together, hand in hand, looking out at the moonlit sea, you knew that your love was something worth fighting for, something that could weather any storm.

Throughout these weeks, the tension between James and Uliana only grew, casting a shadow over the secret moments you shared with him. The hidden grotto beneath the academy was your favoriteplace to go with him, a place where you could escape the pressures of the outside world and simply be together. The water there always glistened with an ethereal glow, the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the rocks soothing your troubled hearts.

-----

One evening, after most of the students had retired to their dorms, you and James retreated to the grotto. The air was cool, and the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the stone ceiling bathed the cavern in a soft, silvery light. Your tail, shimmering with iridescent scales, dipped into the water as you leaned against James, his arm wrapped securely around you.

But the peace of the moment was shattered by the sound of footsteps echoing through the grotto. You tensed immediately, recognizing the rhythm and weight of those steps. James’s eyes met yours, a mix of fear and resolve in his gaze as you both realized who it was.

Uliana emerged from the shadows, her lips curled into a malicious smile. The moonlight highlighted the sharp angles of her face, giving her an almost otherworldly appearance. “Well, well, what do we have here?” she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. “James Hook and his little mermaid.”

James instinctively moved in front of you, his hand hovering near the hilt of his sword. “Uliana, this doesn’t concern you. Leave.” he commanded, his voice steady but filled with underlying tension.

But Uliana wasn’t interested in leaving. Her eyes were locked on you, a predatory gleam in them that sent a chill down your spine. “You’re just like your sister, aren’t you?” she hissed. “Always getting in the way, always thinking you can have everything.”

You straightened, refusing to let her intimidate you. “I’m nothing like Ariel.” you replied, your voice firm. “And James isn’t yours to control.”

Uliana’s smile widened, her eyes narrowing with cruel delight. “Is that so? Let’s put that to the test, shall we?” She turned to James, her expression hardening. “You have a choice, Hook. Stay on my crew as my first mate, or keep playing house with the little princess. But you can’t have both.”

The ultimatum hung in the air like a blade, sharp and dangerous. James’s loyalty to his crew had always been a defining part of who he was, but the bond between you had grown stronger with each passing day. The thought of losing him, by being forced apart by Uliana’s twisted games, was unbearable.

“James…” you whispered, your voice trembling as you reached out to him.

He turned to you, his eyes filled with anguish. “I…”

Uliana’s voice cut through the air like a knife. “If you won’t choose, then I will. Either she walks the plank, or you do.” Uliana made a wooden plank appear with her magic, at the edge of the grotto right above the stone cliff and dark restless sea.

A cold dread settled over you as you realized the gravity of what she was asking. James was a pirate, bound by the code of the sea, and to defy it would be to betray everything he had ever known. But to agree to her terms would mean leaving you to a fate you weren’t sure you could survive.

“Do it, Hook.” Uliana taunted, her voice laced with malice. “Show me where your true loyalty lies.”

James’s eyes were filled with desperation as he looked at you. “Princess, I’m so sorry.” he whispered, his voice thick with regret.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you took a deep breath. You knew what you had to do. “James, I trust you.” you said, your voice steady despite the fear gripping your heart. “But if I’m going to walk that plank, I need to do it on my own terms.”

With that, you closed your eyes and concentrated. A tingling sensation spread through your body as you focused on changing your form. Your tail, shimmering with iridescent scales, began to shift. The transformation was always a strange, almost disorienting sensation, but you had done it enough times to control it with precision. Your tail split and morphed, the scales dissapearing and smooth skin taking their place until you were standing on two legs, your mermaid form replaced by your human one.

James’s eyes widened in surprise and admiration as he took in your transformation, but there was no time to dwell on it. You stepped forward, your legs unsteady on the rough stone, but your determination unwavering.

Uliana’s eyes glittered with a twisted pleasure as she watched you approach the plank. “So brave, little princess. Let’s see how brave you are when you’re staring down into the depths.”

James grabbed your hand as you stepped onto the plank, his grip strong but trembling. “I love you, Y/N.” he whispered, his voice filled with pain. “Please, forgive me.”

You squeezed his hand, a silent reassurance that you understood, that you didn’t blame him for the impossible situation he was in. “I love you too, James.” you whispered back, your heart pounding in your chest.

The cold wind whipped through the grotto as you stood on the edge of the plank, the dark water below swirling threathingly. You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for what was to come, when suddenly, James’s hand shot out, grabbing your wrist and pulling you back into his arms.

“No!” Uliana shouted, her eyes wide with rage. “What are you doing?!”

James held you tightly, his grip strong as he faced Uliana. “I’m choosing her, Uliana. I’m choosing love over loyalty.”

Uliana’s face twisted with fury. “You fool! She’s just like her sister, just like Ariel! She’ll ruin you, just like her family ruined mine!”

But James shook his head, his voice calm but firm. “She’s nothing like Ariel. She’s brave, kind, and loyal. And I’d rather face the consequences than lose her.”

For a moment, Uliana looked like she might strike out in anger, but then she seemed to reconsider. She glared at you both before finally turning on her heel and storming out of the grotto, her footsteps echoing in the distance.

The moment she was gone, you collapsed against James, your legs shaking with relief. He held you close, his hand stroking your hair as he whispered soothing words in your ear.

“I’m sorry, darling.” he murmured, his voice filled with regret. “I never wanted to put you through that.”

You looked up at him, your eyes still wet with tears but filled with love. “It’s okay, James. I know you did what you had to. And I love you all the more for it.”

He smiled, the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders as he kissed you deeply, the taste of saltwater and tears mingling with the sweetness of your love.

Meanwhile in the shadows, Morgie, Hades, and Maleficent watched, their expressions a mix of satisfaction and amusement. They had followed Uliana just incase things would get out of hand. However you and James managed yourself just fine. Morgie’s eyes gleamed with a dark, almost predatory interest as he observed the raw emotions playing out before him. Maleficent, ever the queen of darkness, merely watched with a knowing smile, her eyes glinting with a mixture of approval and intrigue. Hades leaned against a wall, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he pulled Maleficent into him.

The three of them had always known that love could be a powerful weapon, and tonight, it had proven to be the most powerful of all. As they faded back into the shadows, leaving you and James alone in the grotto, you knew that this was far from over. The battle had only just begun, but as long as you had each other, you were ready to face whatever came next.

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Copyright: All stories contained herein are the intellectual property of the author. Unauthorized copying, reproduction, or distribution of these stories, in whole or in part, without explicit written permission from the author, is strictly prohibited and may result in legal action. Respect the creator's rights and creativity. For permissions or inquiries, please contact: herstoryheaven@gmail.com.

Request Guidelines: When submitting a request, please ensure that your request does not contain any explicit sexual content or graphic depictions, and avoid any form of extreme violence or graphic descriptions of violent acts. I appreciate your understanding and cooperation in maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment for all readers. If you're unsure about your request or want to request about someone I haven't written about yet, feel free to ask me anytime.

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Requested by: @Superrocker01

[onlydreamofmysoul]

Let Them Eat Cake: The Final

We made it! I want to thank you guys so so much for the fantastic support you've given this story, it means the world to me. Bake Off has a special place in my heart and so does this fic, so its been so great to share it with you all!

(Links to all previous chapters can be found pinned on my page under 'Let Them Eat Cake' or pop over to my AO3 - link in bio)

Without further ado, I give you... The Final!

This week on the final of The Great British Bake Off…

“It looks like you’re having a smashing time.”

“Tell us about your first kiss.”

“And the winner is…”

Remus Lupin was having a nice morning.

There had been nothing of interest to note, however he didn’t have an alarm blaring and he was warm and snuggly, so all in all, he took it as a win.

Until one Lily Evans took it upon herself to sneak into his room and throw herself on him like she was a kid on Christmas morning.

“Finals, finals, finals!” She exclaimed, managing to find a tone that was somehow both singing and chanting all at once.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Remus groaned, covering his eyes with his forearms. “Can I go back in time and just never apply to this fucking competition?”

Lily rolled off him, her big green eyes staring at him concerned. “What's the matter? Do you not want to be here?”

Remus peeked out at her. “No, I don’t want you to be here.” He smirked as she rolled her eyes, flopping back on the pillows next to him.

“Asshat.” She grumbled, hitting his shoulder with a light ‘thwack’. “I was worried for a sec.”

Remus grinned at her and then stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, only the sounds of their breathing and his heartbeat in his ears to keep him company.

Finals, they had made it to the finals.

He still couldn’t quite believe it. “Welcome to the finals.” McGonagall had said to him just before he left the tent, the words playing over and over again in his head, as clear as if she had said them yesterday.

(Which in fact, she had. This was the first time Remus would go to the practice tent and Tonks wouldn’t be there, but there was still an undeniable elation blossoming in his chest).

Five days until filming resumed. Six until the winner was announced. It didn’t seem real.

(But if this were a fantasy, Remus never wanted to return to reality).

“So where’s Sirius on this fine morning?” Lily asked, breaking the silence. Remus turned his head to look at her, completely relaxed and sinking into the bed. It would seem his lazy morning mood had seeped into her instead of her vibrant energy going to him.

“We’re not together every night.” He said, looking at the freckles splashed across her nose. They were darker now than they had been when they arrived. “We’re taking things slow.”

Lily just stared at him sceptically.

“It’s true!” He defenced. “We are!”

“You’re such a bad liar.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

Remus groaned and smacked her with a pillow. Victory.

“You never answered the question.” Lily said, muffled under the cushion. Or maybe victory had another champion in mind.

“Okay yes, he’s here most nights, but it doesn’t feel fast.” He defended, and it was true. Somehow it felt almost like they had known each other forever and yet still there was the thrill and excitement that came with everything being so new.

“It doesn’t seem fast either.” Lily reassured. “Maybe for others it would be, but I think it’s right for you two.”

Remus let out a little breath of relief. He hadn’t been worried exactly, but his thoughts had slipped in that direction a few times. More than anything, he just worried about scaring Sirius off, while still feeling secure in himself? Remus really didn’t know, the emotion centre of his body was really sending out mixed signals these days.

He had just decided to say fuck it to logic and stick to how he felt. And he felt good. Really good.

“Not that this little revelation wasn’t nice,” Lily said, “But you still haven’t answered the question I asked. Little tip? If this baking thing doesn’t work out, definitely don’t become a spy. If you were captured you’d accidentally reveal all the information without them even having to ask you.”

Remus groaned. “I hate you. He and James were hanging out last night.”

Lily grinned, satisfied and gave Remus another little shove. “Okay, come on I wanna go bake.”

“You’d think you’d have enough baking for a lifetime.” Remus grumbled but he got up all the same. In actuality, now that he was awake, Remus too was buzzing to get into the tent and get to work. “What’re you planning for this week?” He asked as he threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, having taken a shower the night before.

“I can’t give away my secrets!” Lily teased, holding open the door as Remus grabbed his key and they both swept out of the room and down the plush carpeted corridor.

“You are aware I’m gonna find out either way right? Cause if you still haven’t grasped that concept then I’m a little worried to be-”

“Oh hush,” Lily laughed, pressing her palm to Remus’ mouth. “I’m still not a hundred percent sure to be honest.”

They stepped outside, the cool crisp air falling over them, revitalizing them. Remus tucked his hands into his pockets and felt his shoulders hunch a little. His lungs liked the cold, the rest of his body - not so much.

“I’m not sure if I know what I’m doing either.” He admitted. “I have a few ideas, but none of them feel quite right, you know?”

Lily nodded as they reached the practice tent, pulling open the door. “Yeah I think that’s my issue too. There’s suddenly so much pressure and nothing I consider seems to be good enough.”

Remus sighed as he pulled two aprons off the hooks and tossed one to Lily. “I suppose we’ll have to figure it out.” He said, before taking out the recipe cards he had brought with him and began flicking through them for inspiration.

Five days. He could do this.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” Remus said with a grin as he trod through the grass, rounding the big oak tree to see Sirius waiting on their swing.

“I know,” Sirius drawled. “It’s almost like we planned it.”

Remus smiled, sitting by his side, holding the rope in one hand as he held out a Tupperware encased offering. “Want some cake?”

Sirius took the box gladly, his hair tied up but the wind had claimed a few loose strands, whipping them around his face like a dark halo. “Always. What kind?”

Remus tucked one foot into his chest, resting his cheek on his knee as he studied the other man. “Try it and find out.”

Sirius' lips quirked at Remus’ teasing tone, looking at the deep brown colour that really could only be one flavour. “Elderflower?” He joked.

Remus laughed and took a bite himself before holding out to Sirius. “Yes,” He said, completely deadpan. “That’s exactly what it is.”

Sirius smiled and kissed him, biting his lip as he pulled away. “You taste like chocolate.”

Remus flushed. “Don’t you mean elderflower?”

Sirius chuckled, rocking the swing a little more, tilting his head back to look at the twisting branches above them. “Look,” He murmured, pointing to a clump of twigs high in the tree. “A bird's nest.” Remus followed his line of sight and watched as a bird swooped overhead and landed in it gracefully.

“That was kinda cool.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t shit on us.”

“Sirius!” Remus exclaimed, elbowing the other man as he laughed. “Let’s hope your hair can take the hit and shield us.”

“Oi! My hair is what should be protected at all costs, it’s a national treasure. You know, I think I should replace you with Tonks, she knows the importance of hair care.”

Remus smiled, resting his head on Sirius’ shoulder, the fabric of his jacket soft against his cheek. “Tell me something I don't know about you.”

The wind whipped through the branches, but Remus wasn’t cold pressed up against Sirius. The tree sheltered them from the worst of it and the weather was slowly getting a little warmer, daffodils springing up all around the tent. There were many things Remus had always wanted but never saw himself actually achieving. Coming to bake off was one. Making it to the final was another. And perhaps the most notable - finding someone who might love him as much as he loved them. And yet, here he was with all three.

“When I was a kid, I used to want to be a dog so bad, I was always getting in trouble for wearing holes in my pants because I would crawl instead of walking normally. I even refused to answer to ‘Sirius’.”

“Oh yeah?” Remus asked, amused. “What was your alter ego’s name then?”

He could hear Sirius’ smile even if he couldn’t see it. “Padfoot. He was this big black dog. I got the idea after I read about ‘The Grimm’ in one of my cousin’s books and I guess it kind of stuck.”

“Padfoot,” Remus repeated, unable to stop himself. “I like that.”

“Your turn,” Sirius urged, nudging Remus lightly. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

Remus’ heart fluttered, stomach rolling a little, he had news for Sirius, and had honestly engineered the entire conversation just to tell him, but now that the moment was here, he was getting nervous.

“I’ve been offered a job in London.”

Sirius froze under Remus’ cheek. “In London?”

“Yeah.”

“London, England?”

Remus chuckled as he sat up to look at Sirius’ stunned face, grey eyes wide, lips parted. “Yes, London, England.”

Sirius blinked. “But I live in London.”

Remus pursed his lips, trying not to smile too much. “I’m aware of this, yes.”

“You… we… we’d be living in the same country. In the same city.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Remus motherfucking Lupin, that's the best thing I’ve heard all week.”

“Your flour is about to tip over.” Tonks commented, carelessly filing her nails over facetime as Remus ran around his station, trying to do several things at once.

“Oh my god Lupin, you’re a disaster, how did you even get into this competition?” Tonks teased as Remus caught the flour but promptly dropped it on the flour, a white cloud erupting, coating everything in a two meter radius in powder.

“Not very helpful.” Remus grumbled as he shook flour out of his hair and grabbed a cloth to wipe down the counter.

“I wasn’t trying to be helpful.” Tonks paused and looked at the recipe Remus had sent her. “You’re gonna need at least double the vanilla extract than what you have there.” Remus grabbed the recipe and looked it over, seeing she was right. “See?” Tonks said gleefully as Remus scratched out the original amount. “That was me being helpful.”

Remus rolled his eyes, but blew her a kiss, wiping the dusty screen of his phone which had not escaped the great flour disaster.

“Come on,” He said as he walked with his phone to the store room, as if Tonks had any other choice than to accompany him. “We’re gonna get some more flour.” He set his phone down on a shelf as he looked for the right flour, Tonks chatting away. If Remus closed his eyes he could almost pretend she was right there with him, the pair of them practising for whatever challenges they were soon to face.

“So where’s Lily on this fine evening?” Tonks questioned. “Don’t you two usually practice together around now?”

“Yeah,” Remus grunted as he picked up his phone, tucking it under his chin with his hands full. “But she was busy tonight.”

“No fucking way, she’s with James?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure.” Remus admitted, “But she sounded pretty suspicious.”

“Ooh.” Tonks gasped and Remus began carefully measuring flour and continuing where he left off. “All the Bake Off love this year.”

Remus laughed as he folded in his sugar, putting the batter in the oven before beginning to prepare the icing. “Oh hush you.”

Tonks just winked, sticking out her tongue. “You know you love me.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased as punch to welcome you to this year's Great British Bake off; the final!”

Sirius groaned, head tipping back at James’ enthusiastic introduction. “You did not just say ‘pleased as punch’.”

James feigned being hurt, placing a hand over his heart. “What would you prefer? Pleased as pudding? Pleased as pie?”

Sirius looked straight into the camera, his face blank but his amused eyes giving him away. “Someone please give me a new co-host, I can’t take this anymore.”

James laughed as he threw an arm over Sirius’ shoulder, the two of them easing the nerves of everyone in the tent tenfold. “Don’t worry Sirius darling, you haven’t got too long left with me because, like I said, we’ve reached the final!”

Remus smiled, hiding the hands he was wringing together under the table. It was the weirdest feeling - he was at once completely calm and so incredibly nervous. He couldn’t help but giggle at the antics of the infamous marauders and recalled that morning, lying in bed when Sirius had queried how much bullshit he’d be able to spout without any prior preparation. Remus had told him to go get ready but had promptly led them to activities that were in no way helpful to the rest of the day's events.

(It had been a good way to start the day though).

McGonagall and Dumbledore stood at the front of the tent, looking out at the eerily empty work stations, only three now filled. Remus and Lily were in the front two and Kingsley had come up to slot in behind Lily.

“We have a very exciting two days lined up,” Sirius said as he clasped his hands together, a natural in front of the cameras. Our bakers have no overall theme, so we’re going to get to see a little splash of everything!”

“For our signature challenge, our bakers have been asked to bake something that fits in with the theme of ‘final’’.” James said, taking his turn to speak again. “It can be anything from a cake inspired by the final book in a series or the last thing you had to eat, because tonight, there are no limits other than your imagination.”

Remus snorted and Sirius’ eyes found his as he elbowed James lightly. “Dramatic much.” He drawled before rubbing his hands together gleefully. “Are you ready?”

“On your marks,”

“Get set.”

“Bake!”

Remus hadn’t realised how much he would miss Tonks in the tent. He had missed her all week, but it wasn’t as if they ever had much chance to chat while they were filming, so he had thought it would be a little easier. But the tent was unusually quiet without her clattering at her station, inevitably breaking at least one piece of crockery per challenge.

“It’s too quiet,” Lily murmured, echoing Remus’ thoughts. “I almost feel like we’re not allowed to talk.”

Remus chuckled, remembering exams in home economics when he had been in secondary school and the teacher who would happily dole out zero marks if she so much as saw your lips move.

He grinned, taking a bowl he didn’t need from his station and ‘accidentally’ dropping it on the ground, the ceramic splitting with a loud crack.

“Oops!” He said loudly, glad he hadn’t ever tried to go into the theatre business, he was truly a terrible actor, and ran to grab a broom, not without winking at Lily who blew him a kiss.

“Much better, thanks!” She yelled after him and he just chuckled, disposing of the broken bowl, but not without slipping a shard into his apron pockets to take home with him as a little reminder.

Sirius meandered over after a little while as Remus put a tin in the oven to cook the soon-to-be sponge fingers for his tiramisu.

“You seem to be having a smashing time.” Sirius teased, his eyes alight.

“James already made that joke a few weeks ago.” Remus said laughing as he poured double cream into a bowl. “It’s really not that funny.”

Sirius just stuck out his tongue and moved to the next station, but Remus knew that had it been just the two of them, it was far more likely that Sirius would have taken much offence to the attack on his sense of humour, and a good snog would have been needed to make up for it.

James arrived no sooner than Sirius had left, peering into the bowl of ingredients that Remus was whipping, looking very much like he was contemplating dipping his finger in for a taste.

Marlene arrived, camera on her shoulder, surveying Remus’ station, sceptically watching Remus grate his dark chocolate.

“So Remus,” She began, fiddling with the lens to zoom in on his hands. “What has tiramisu got to do with the ‘final’ theme?”

“Well,” He said, suddenly feeling shy, wishing he didn’t have to explain. “Tonks, Andromeda Tonks, that is, had been planning to make a tiramisu for this episode, but she unfortunately was eliminated last week, so instead I’m making it.”

Some of the crew members cooed softly and Remus rolled his eyes, even as he blushed. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a big softie.” He glanced at Marlene once, smirking, then returned to his work, “Now fuck off and let me get on with it.”

“One of these days, Remus motherfucking Lupin,” Marlene grumbled as she walked away, not before snagging a square of chocolate to munch on, “One of these days I’m going to get you back.”

Remus’ dish was made pretty quickly, the most important part was leaving it in the fridge for as long as possible, so as soon as he had carefully layered the sponge and cream and chocolate of course, he set the fridge to the lowest temperature and put the big dish in. He had an idea of how he wanted to present it, but that all depended on whether or not it would be set properly.

He cleaned his station and set up everything he needed for when the dessert was set, but that only took ten minutes. Watching Lily and Kingsley rush around their stations while Remus had nothing left to do made him feel like he was back in school, the horrid panic of completing a test, thinking it was easy, then looking up to discover everyone else was still working intently. He put himself to work to avoid the fluttering in his chest, different to the loved up buzz he had been experiencing recently, no this tightness was more akin to the ‘oh no have I had ten shots of espresso’ variety. Remus wasn’t the biggest fan.

He made tea for the crew, including the judges and presenters, checked the progress of his dish, then made himself walk away from the fridge, lest he open it too often and slow down the cooling process. He chatted with Lily a bit while she worked and did an interview with James and Sirius, some more filler content now that there weren’t nearly as many bakers to keep up with, but the airing time of the show hadn’t changed.

“Need a hand?” He offered, turning to Lily who was crouched by her oven, gazing intently at her cake. “Nah I’m good.” She said, not looking up, “I don’t have anything to do until this little guy is cooked.”

“They never tell you how much waiting around there is.” Remus groaned, hopping up on his worktop. “I have been just sitting here for the best part of over an hour and I bet none of this is going to make the final cut.”

“You’d be right there!” Marlene chimed in, passing them on her way to video whatever complicated technique Kingsley was currently demonstrating. Remus raised an eyebrow at Lily, sighed and jumped off the counter. “I’m gonna check on my cakes now, thank you very much.”

Remus both loved and hated how there was no official ranking for the first challenge. He definitely loved it on days where he hadn’t done very well and didn’t want his failings it be broadcasted even more than they already had been, but today, with only three contestants left and the competition tangible, he wanted to know how much more impressive his next two bakes were going to have to be.

He supposed it didn’t really matter - he was going to do his very best no matter what.

Lily had made a cake shaped like a knitted hat, the piping terrifyingly realistic, in commemoration of the last hat her grandmother had made before she passed away. Kingsley had a coffee flavoured graduation cap to honour his girlfriend who was in her final year of college.

“We’re a bunch of sentimental saps.” Lily muttered to them both as they all walked out of the tent to go for lunch, the judges' praises ringing in their ears. They all seemed to be standing on equal footing for now.

“I know,” Remus groaned, throwing himself down on the grass under the sun. “I should have just done like, the final countdown or something.”

“Tonks is never gonna let you live this down.” Kinsley piped in.

“God, don’t remind me. I might just have to kill her before the episode airs, you know, save my reputation and all.”

“Oh, a spot of murder, how lovely.” James chirped as he and Sirius arrived, having been sent to retrieve all of their lunches, the three bakers claiming that they were too tired and as they always fed everyone else, it was time to switch it up.

James passed out sandwiches, pulling them from a bag, while Sirius handed Remus a salad.

Remus kissed Sirius on the cheek, “Thanks sweetheart.”

It took Remus a moment to realise what he had done, a moment more to remember that it was only Kingsley who hadn’t already known about their relationship. Kingsley who was looking very nonchalant and in no way surprised.

“Oh,” He said between bites, looking at Remus and Sirius’ panicked looks. “Was this meant to be a secret?”

Remus just burst out laughing, any tension that had appeared, vanishing in seconds. “I suppose we’re not very good at hiding it, huh?”

“Oi, speak for yourself.” Sirius jostled as he unwrapped his sandwich. “I’m an excellent secret keeper.”

“Alright everybody, welcome to the technical challenge of this year’s final!” James reintroduced them, everyone having returned to their stations, fresh aprons tied around their waist and judges standing at the top of the room watching over the proceedings.

“For our last technical challenge, the judges are asking you to make a classic sponge cake, but with a little twist.”

Remus eyed the mysterious pile of ingredients under the cloth on his table. He both loved and hated that blue and white gingham pattern, hated it because he wasn’t the biggest lover of surprises, and loved it because… well, because it was cute.

(Not every answer was super deep. The Pinterest boy in him was in love with the entire aesthetic of The Great British Bake Off).

“Our lovely judges have also requested that you make at least twelve meringue kisses to top your sponge cake.”

Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise - it wasn’t like the judges to add anything to something as classic as a sponge cake, but who was he to question? This was the final, anything was possible.

James and Sirius chattered on for a few more minutes, and then they were off, the three contestants whipping off their gingham cloths like a magician unveiling his assistant. Remus barely glanced at the vague recipe before setting off to make the meringues first. Their small size was deceptive and that’s why Remus thought the judges had included them - but they would take the most time to bake and cool.

He set about whipping egg whites and sugar as Marlene arrived by his side, taking a moment just to pan the camera over everything he was doing.

“Meringue kisses,” Marlene said, with a smug sounding tone. “Such a cute name. Go on Remus, tell us about your first kiss.”

Remus laughed, caught off guard, nearly spilling the extra sugar he was adding to the bowl. “Alright, which first kiss do you want to hear about? Cause technically I have a few.”

Marlene giggled with him and Remus felt like he was a schoolgirl, chatting about boys and kisses, like they were the beginning and end of everything. “The very first one.”

Remus could help but laugh again, shaking his head fondly at the memory. “It was awful.” he said, chuckling to himself. “I was thirteen and I kissed this girl called Mary on a dare.” He paused to look at the camera more directly. “Mary if you’re watching this, I’d apologise but we both know I’m right. That was a shit kiss.”

Remus grinned as he realised Marlene was going to let that explicative slide for the purpose of the story. Victorious at last.

“What about your other ‘first’ kisses.” Marlene prompted, overall looking thoroughly delighted by the stories. Remus paused for a moment to stop his mixer and run a spatula around the edge of the bowl to ensure everything was mixing well, before turning the mixer back on and stepping back.

“Well my first kiss with a boy was a year later and since my previous make-out experience consisted of the one kiss you already know about, I think it’s fair to say; that was pretty crap too.” He grinned at Marlene and started measuring the butter for his cake. “But it did solve the whole ‘sexuality crisis’ thing I had going on, so that was fun.”

He deemed his meringue mix whipped-enough so he carefully spooned batches into an icing bag and began piping tiny amounts onto a baking sheet.

“Then I suppose, there’s your first kiss with someone who really matters,” He said carefully, not looking up from his work. “With the person who’s so amazing that every kiss feels a little bit like the first one. Kinda makes you feel like every other kiss you’ve ever had was just practice for this exact moment.”

Remus was aware that his cheeks were a little pink, but then again, when were they not?

“And you’ve found that person?” Marlene asked softly, as Remus piped his last little swirl. He didn’t have to think about it, but he did suppose he should tell the person in question before quite literally broadcasting it to the nation. So instead he just winked.

“Sirius,” Remus said softly, later that night as they lay in bed, a movie playing in the background, Remus’ adrenaline still high from winning the technical challenge. “I know it’s early, so I'm not expecting anything back but since I might have just heavily implied it on national television I figured I should probably tell you that I’m in love with you.”

Sirius’ head didn’t move from Remus’ chest, instead he reached out and grabbed Remus’ free hand, pressing his knuckles to his soft lips. “I know.”

“You do?” Remus asked incredulously, trying (and failing) not to splutter.

Sirius chuckled, his voice deep. “Yeah, you said it in your sleep last night. Plus, I watched over the footage from today and I saw.”

Remus blushed. “Oh.”

Sirius twisted in his arms so Remus could finally see his eyes. They were sparkling and a playful smile twisted on Sirius’ lips.

“I love you too, you know.” Sirius said casually, as if commenting on the weather. Remus let his head drop back onto the pillow as a whoosh of relief escaped his mouth. Sure he hadn't expected to have Sirius say it back but this feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

“Well no, I didn’t, actually.” Remus quipped, much to the ceiling’s amusement. “But it’s good to know.”

Suddenly Sirius was leaning over him, his hair falling around their faces like a dark curtain. “So are you gonna kiss me or what?”

Remus bit his lip, failing in his attempt not to smile. “Nah,” He said, a blatant lie as he raised himself onto his elbows and pressed their lips together. Sirius twisted so he could support himself on one arm, cupping Remus’ face with the other. “I loved what you said earlier,” He murmured against Remus’ lips. “About the first kiss thing. And I really, really love you.”

Remus just grinned against Sirius’ lips and pulled him closer. “Love you too. Now shut up and kiss me.”

“What’re you looking all smug about?” Lily teased, bumping their hips together as they strolled down to the tent. Remus had so many reasons for the butterflies in his chest, he could hardly stop his hands from shaking, but the smile hadn’t left his face since he woke up.

“Oh you know,” He said, waving his hand in feigned nonchalance. “I’m just a boy in love.”

“Fuck off, you said ‘I love you’?” Lily asked, her voice going up an octave.

“Mhm,” Remus confirmed, nodding. “So now you need to woman-up and kiss James fucking Potter like we both know you’ve wanted to do since the first day.” Lily looked as if she might protest, but Remus cut her off. “We both know I’m right. Plus, it’s fairly obvious that the feeling’s mutual, so for the love of all things holy, put the rest of us out of our misery and just snog the poor bugger.”

Lily laughed, even as she blushed and tried to shrug Remus off. “You know,” She started, shooting him a glare that was in no way intimidating. “I’m really not sure I like ‘in love Remus’.”

Remus just winked and kissed the top of her head, smirking wickedly. “I think we both know that’s a lie.”

“It’s here, the final.”

“We’ve already completed half of the final James.”

“Yeah but this is like… the final part of the final.”

“Someone please tell me why I’m friends with this bloke.”

“Oi!”

“Anyways!” Sirius interrupted. “I suppose James wasn’t fully wrong. We made it to the final stretch.”

“It’s time,” James took over, “For my personal favourite challenge. The showstopper.”

Sirius clasped his hands together in front of himself and Remus had to stop himself from staring at the movement. “For our final showstopper, our judges would like to see you recreate a memory.”

“It could be anything,” James continued, “From a chocolate Easter egg to a fondue waterfall, but it has to be your own memory and most importantly, it has to be edible.”

“Otherwise; we’d be the Great British Fake Off.” Sirius quipped and everyone in the tent collectively groaned, which only seemed to spur Sirius on even more.

“If our bakers are ready, I think we’ll begin. Ready Prongs?”

“Ready Pads.”

“On your marks,”

“Get set,”

“Bake!”

And maybe for the first time starting a challenge, Remus’ hands didn’t shake.

“Wotcha-makin?” Sirius asked, leaning around one side of Remus as James curved around the other.

“Cake.” Remus replied, not looking at either of them as he carefully evened out the batter in his tin before popping it in the oven. He then turned to face the two presenters, giving them exactly thirty seconds of his time for a round of rapid fire questions before he had to rush straight back into his work.

“What are you making?”

“A swing in a tree.”

“What kind of cake are you working with?”

“Mostly chocolate, but I have a few other elements working in.”

“What’s the memory you chose?”

Remus smiled softly. “One of my first real kisses.”

Sirius and James thanked him and left again, allowing him to get back to work. Remus had already filled Sirius in on all the details of his cake, he had even checked that it would be okay to use that idea in the first place. Sirius had just kissed him in response, enthusiastically and at length. The bakers had given all their details to the presenters and the camera crew before, so they could insert a voice-over effect to inform the audience of what was happening as the contestants were even more busy and focused than usual and weren’t giving too many interviews.

Remus had chosen several circular cake pans, in a range of different sizes and was going to stack all the cakes they produced on top of one another to create the tree trunk. The top of the tree was going to be made of a mix of white chocolate melted over Rice Krispies (with a little dash of green food dye thrown in) and moulded to look like the leafy crown of a tree in the summer. The swing would be the hardest to add, made of carefully moulded chocolate, Remus would have to be careful not to make the seat too heavy so that the ‘ropes’ and the actual tree itself would support its weight.

After taking all of his cakes out of the oven and setting them out to cool, and creating the swing set, Remus made the chocolate buttercream icing that would decorate the tree trunk. He carefully layered his cakes, using a knife to cut off the rough edges and make the cake slope gently upwards before slathering on thick layers of icing. Taking out a small, delicate knife, Remus carefully cut lines and patterns into the icing, aiming for it to look like the bark of a tree. Finally satisfied, he began melting the white chocolate to make the tree top.

“Looking good Re!” Lily enthused from behind her, forearms splattered in icing as she decorated her own cake, a letter with a bright red seal. Kingsley was working away too, apparently recreating the cover of the CD he bought the day his daughter was born.

“Celine Dion,” He had told Remus yesterday, chuckling. “I had never listened to her before, I don’t even know why I bought it, I just left the hospital with a need to celebrate and the music shop was the first place I came across. But what do you know? It turns out that my little girl loves it.”

Remus grinned at the memory, sweet even to him and admired Lily’s cake out loud. “It’s the acceptance letter to my college,” She was explaining to the camera. “I got a full scholarship, so it’s pretty special.”

Remus turned his attention to his now-melted chocolate and added the green carefully, not wanting to make it too light or two dark. He had found that five drops got him the colour he was looking for - the pale chocolate requiring that little extra for the colour to darken. He then added the cereal and stirred it in together, folding it in with his spatula.

He gave his hands a thorough wash again as he waited for the mixture to cool just enough that he could mould it, but not so much that it set, and got back to work, spooning the green mix on top of his tree trunk until there was enough for him to start shaping it. He attached the chocolate swing very carefully as soon as he was satisfied and brought it straight to the fridge to set.

And then he was done.

He looked around the tent, thinking surely this couldn’t be it, he must have something more to do, but no, there was nothing left. His cake was made and decorated and now only time could tell what would happen next.

Feeling a tad useless, Remus set about cleaning his station and clicked the kettle, fulfilling his tradition in providing the crew with tea. He had just made his own one when James announced the official ten minute warning. They were nearly done.

Suddenly Remus’ heart was in his chest. He had been impeccably calm until this moment, a fact that had surprised him but he hadn’t questioned as it was much easier to bake when your hands weren’t shaking and your heart wasn’t thundering. But all the adrenaline rushed into him now as he realised that one way or another, he was finished with the Great British Bake Off.

At the ‘two minutes’ call, Remus took his cake out of the fridge and gave it a final look over. He tweaked the carving in the tree trunk and double checked that the swing would hold its place and then Sirius asked everyone to step away from their creations.

Dumbledore and McGonagall re-entered the room. Remus’ pulse matched every step they took.

“Kingsley,” They called, and the man in question carefully walked his cake to the table at the top of the tent. Remus watched as the judges 'oohed' and 'awed', admiring the level of detail, right down to the serial number Kingsley had apparently memorised.

Lily went next, her piping skills on display, demonstrating her lovely cursive handwriting that read her own name and an edited home address, signed and sealed by the headmaster. In their practice bakes, Remus had seen many versions of the cake on display but he had no doubt that this was her best work yet.

Finally it was Remus’ turn, and he walked up to the front carefully, trying to keep his breathing even. He had a mental image of himself falling and his cake going everywhere but he batted it out of his mind. His cake was the tallest by far and god, he could only hope, the best.

Sirius caught his eye as they cut the cake and winked. To anyone else, it would look like a presenter trying to calm the nerves of a contestant, but Remus heard the words that had been whispered to him that morning as the sun rose.

“You’re gonna win this.”

Remus had blushed and batted him away, but Sirius had looked at him earnestly. “No, Re, seriously. They base these things on who does best that week. And you’ve already won the technical. If you go and blow them away today, just like you always do, you’ve got this in the bag.”

Remus blushed and hit his face in a pillow but he linked their legs together.

“Besides,” Sirius teased, rolling on his back and tucking his arms under his head. Cocky. “You’ve already won the best prize.”

Remus had playfully kicked his ankle and Sirius’ resounding laugh still echoed in his ears.

“Ah, Mr Lupin,” Dumbledore began casually as he picked up a knife, perhaps unaware that he held Remus’ future in his hands. “This is rather impressive.”

Remus swallowed as the slices were cut and set onto plates. “Thank you.”

“You have no adventurous flavours for us I see,” McGonagall observed as she picked up her fork.

“No,” Remus confirmed. “Chocolate is my speciality, and well, I wanted to keep it simple.”

That seemed to be all the commentary they wanted as they both nodded with a small smile and took a bite.

“Excellent Mr Lupin.” McGonagall said. And that was it. They were done. The judges thanked them all and retreated to the back room to do whatever it is the judges do and make some decisions. The cast broke into a round of applause and Remus tugged Lily under his arm, Kingsley joining the little hug soon after.

“Can you believe that’s it?” Lily asked them and the two boys just shook their heads.

“No more non-stop baking.” Kingsley sighed. “I don’t know if I’m sad or relieved.”

“Both.” Remus laughed. “Definitely both.”

“Okay you lot,” James interrupted. “We have a little something for you outside.”

They all grinned. As loyal bake-off fans, they all knew what was coming. They walked outside the tent to picnic tables set up and laden with the cakes they made that day, along with all the eliminated contestants of that year and the families of the finalists.

Remus beamed at Tonks before sweeping his mother up into a hug.

“I’m so proud of you!” Hope said to him as she gripped him close. Remus chuckled as he bent to half his size, squeezing her just as tight. “Thanks Mam.”

“Now introduce me to this man of yours.” Hope teased, speaking low even though the microphones were elsewhere and they were surrounded by noise. Remus flushed, but he beckoned Sirius over with a tilt of his chin, so subtle no camera could have caught it. Remus had told his mom about everything and she had been begging for more information, only just stopping short of looking up celebrity gossip, although she did send Remus one or two pictures of Sirius on red carpets with the caption ‘your children would be beautiful’.

Sirius looked more nervous than Remus had ever seen him, holding his hand out to be shaken, but Hope just pulled him into a hug.

“It’s lovely to meet you Mrs Lupin,” Sirius said, looking a little surprised as Hope cupped his face in her hands and gave him a proper look. Remus hid his laugh in his elbow as Hope patted Sirius’ cheek fondly. “You’ve got good taste.” She said to him, tilting her head towards Remus, who blushed.

“The best.” Sirius agreed.

“Remus!” Tonks yelled, tired of being ignored and pulled Remus’ attention elsewhere. “Your cake was brilliant!”

Remus laughed running his fingers through his hair, the pink staining his cheeks permanent it would seem. “Thanks Tonks.”

The bright haired woman just grinned and wrapped an arm around Remus before cheerfully introducing herself to Hope. Sirius excused himself as he had to go with James to chat with the judges and Lily joined them with her parents, Kingsley standing with his family and talking to Fabian about knitting of all things. They sat in the garden, the sun shining bright, a few fluffy white clouds lazing their way across the sky. They chatted about everything and nothing as they munched on an endless amount of cake, Remus just sipping on tea as he hadn’t had the foresight to make anything gluten free. He was distracted, Lily and Kingsley were too and everyone around them knew it, not minding when they drifted in and out of the conversation. As nervous as he was, Remus knew this moment right here was his favourite, living his literal dream, surrounded by friends and family. That even gave him a sense of calm.

Until the presenters and judges emerged from the tent, all wearing welcoming smiles that revealed nothing. They stopped at the table draped in a pristine white cloth and topped with three beautiful flower bouquets and an engraved glass cake stand. There was no big cash prize in the bake-off, and Remus loved that. It made it all the more endearing to him, and it only allowed for the most passionate bakers to enter, the ones who baked for the love of it, not for money.

For once, James and Sirius were quiet, not needing to grab anyone's attention as the focus was already entirely on them. The three remaining bakers lined up before them as they had previously been instructed by the crew, and then the judges began speaking.

“This year, we had the most wonderful collection of bakers,” Dumbledore started, having to pause already as the applause had already commenced. “And our finalists even more so. I do believe this was the most difficult final we’ve had to judge in a long time, isn’t it Minerva?”

“It was,” McGonagall agreed, nodding. “We had a truly fine selection and the most beautiful array of cakes today. But in the end, there can only be one winner.”

Remus was certain everyone in attendance could hear his heartbeat. Lily’s hand was clammy in his own.

“It is with the greatest pleasure that I can announce that this year’s winner of The Great British Bake Off is…”

James and Sirius picked up a bouquet of flowers each, as did Dumbledore, McGonagall presenting the cake stand. Lily squeezed his hand, and Kingsley’s on the other side too he was sure.

“Remus Lupin.”

Remus blinked even as Lily threw herself on him in a bone-crushing hug, the judges approaching him to present him with his prize. Distantly he saw Sirius and James handing flowers to Kingsley and Lily, but he was in a daze. Dumbledore kissed him on the cheeks and McGonagall shook his hand with a knowing wink and suddenly Remus’ arms were heavy with flowers and expertly crafted glass.

Kingsley shook his hand, patting his shoulder in congratulations and James pulled him into a little side hug. Remus beamed at them, the crowd still cheering and clapping behind him as he reached forward and grabbed Sirius’ shirt, pulling him in for a kiss.

The crowd roared behind them and suddenly Remus realised where he was and what he was doing as he pulled away. “Shit, I’m sorry.” He said frantically. “I wasn’t thinking, I fucking shit- Christ- sorry!”

Sirius laughed and wrapped an arm around Remus’ waist. “I’m not. I love you, and I don’t care who knows. Now shut that filthy mouth of yours and kiss me, you absolute wanker.”

So Remus did.

The newspapers the next day had many headlines, but Remus’ personal favourite? ‘BRITISH BAKE OFF - STAR AND BAKER!’

THREE MONTHS LATER

The bakery was loud and busy and completely hectic and Remus loved every single second working there. Not a day went by that he wasn’t teased about his bake-off status and he was working on his degree here in London. Basically his life was everything he ever could have dreamed it would be.

“Remus, there’s someone here for you!” His co-worker, Katie, called from the front of the shop and Remus grinned, not even bothering to take off his apron as he wiped his hands against the fabric, opening the door with his shoulder, thanking Katie for the message even as his eyes scanned the shop floor.

Sirius.

Standing there in his leather jacket, his hands tucked into the pockets, motorcycle resting outside the door. “Hey,” He greeted, with a lazy smile. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Remus nodded before freezing. “Wait no, I have to ice a few more pastries, they’re our best-seller.”

Sirius rolled his eyes laughing. “Oh,” He said, waving it off. “Let them eat cake.”

FIN.

[harrystylesgoldencreature]

Baby, You’re Perfect

Chapter Four- Awaking 

******* WARNING!!! this chapter contains hints of domestic abuse!*********** Sorry this chapter is quite long, but I felt like I needed to put it all in one!******

...................................

The next day, I found myself laying in the bed of my hotel room. We had a brief break from the tour so I decided to try my best to relax and think things over. I was left utterly confused as to what happened, after I kissed Harry.  

I decided to give him a bit of space. I figured it was for the best, since I didn't know what I would say to him anyways. It was beyond stressful. I couldn't seem to get him off of my mind. Ever since that very first encounter, he seemed to be all I could think about. It was both frustrating and refreshing. 

 His perfect smile could light up an entire room. His goofy personality was the absolute best, and it never failed to bring a smile to my face. He had a certain way about him that just drew me in. I loved watching him interact with his fans. He never failed to make each and everyone of them feel special. He made sure to give them all his undivided attention. His personality was one of his most impressing qualities he had. He also looked like he was created by God himself. There wasn't a single flaw on his body, even though he did have four nipples. God really had taken his time, when creating Harry.  

I had just gotten out of the shower, when I heard a knock at the door. Putting on a robe and trying to towel dry my hair, I went to answer it. Expecting it to be Harry or another member of the team, I made the mistake of opening the door without looking. Making my heart stop completely, it was Jackson standing in the hallway. I froze in my spot.

He was radiating anger, and his hands were balled into fists. His eye was black and swollen, from where Harry had punched him. Not liking the wild look in his eyes, I tried my best to shut the door. Putting his foot in the doorway, he stopped me before I could get it all the way closed and forced his way inside...

…..................

Harry

Harry's head had been spinning ever since the kiss. It had been two days since it happened, and it was all he could think about. He couldn't quite understand what happened, nor could be explain his actions.  

He had been waiting for that moment for weeks now, and yet when it came it just didn't feel right. He didn't want to be her rebound from Jackson. He wanted to be more than that. He wanted to be the only one she wanted, and the only one she thought about. She was certainly the only one he could think of. There was a brief break between shows, so he had plenty of time to think things over. 

Although, he had spent the entire break trying to drown his sorrows, he was still losing his mind. For the most part, he stayed in his hotel room. He had to admit that he was avoiding Layla. He wasn't sure what he would say to her once he saw her again, however that was the only thing he wanted more than anything in the world. He couldn't stand not seeing her bright and smiling face. It was the only thing that seemed to make his day complete. Without her, his mood had turned sour. He couldn't even recognize himself. It was like looking at a stranger in the mirror.    

The short break came and went, and he knew that he would have to explain his actions. He knew he couldn't avoid it forever so he decided he would talk to her after the show. He picked this time so if it went badly, he could escape to his room. He knew he was being a coward, but he couldn't handle it if she didn't feel the same way about him as he did her. It was tormenting him, on a daily basis.

He was a nervous wreck all day long. His hands and legs were shaking, and he hadn't been able to sit still. He knew he was driving his crew crazy, but he just couldn't seem to help it. It had now been three days since he had last set eyes on Layla, and he was getting beyond restless. It had been a very long time since anyone had made him feel this way. It was unnerving.  

He had been pacing around backstage, when he got even more unsettling news. 

“Hey, Harry. You got a sec?” Jeff called out. He looked worried, and Harry knew he wasn't going to like what he had to say.   

“Yeahh.. What's up?” He asked cautiously.

“So.. There's been a slight change in plans tonight. Layla seems to be feeling a bit under the weather so we wont have anyone to take pictures for the show. I can see if I can get one of the other crew members to do it, if you'd like.”

Harry was lost in thought. It wasn't like Layla to not show up for work. Even when he was trying his best to avoid her, she was always there. He could only guess that it was his doing that made her decide not to come. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He was keeping her from her passion, and he hated himself for it. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. 

 “Harry?” Jeff asked, after a moment of silence.  

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “That's fine. We don't have to have pictures of every show.”

Jeff gave him another worried looked, as he walked away from him. All Harry could think of was Layla. He needed to talk to her, and he wanted to make sure she was okay. More than anything, he wanted to make things right. He hated feeling like it was his fault for her not being there. He knew she loved being behind the camera. He could see it in her eyes, every time she capture a picture she liked. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but hers are completely priceless.

…...........

I knew I should be at the show, and I hated more than anything that I couldn't be. Things had been insane the last two days, and I knew that no one needed to see me like this.  

I had stayed in bed the majority of the time. I couldn't even stand looking at myself in the mirror, let alone leave the room. I knew I couldn't hid for forever, but I was determined to do it as long as I could. I needed to at least stay out of sight, until I was better.  

I had just began to dose off, when I heard a knock at the door. The sound made me jump and then wince in pain. Slowly, I made my way to the door. Putting my hand on the doorknob, I froze in place.  

“Who is it?” I called out weakly.  

“It's Harry. Can we talk?” He asked hopeful.  

My heart stopped, as my eyes automatically filled with tears. I wanted more than anything to be with Harry, but I couldn't let him see me this way. It would destroy him, and that was the very last thing I wanted to do.  

“I'm sorry, Harry... I can't right now.” I told him just above a whisper.  

“Layla, please! I just need to talk to you.” He begged.  

“Harry.. Please.. Go away... I just can't do this right now.” I begged him, trying my best to hold back a sob.  

He seemed to sense my discomfort, so he reluctantly walked away. Turning my back to the door, I slid to the floor. Laying my head on my knees, I sobbed. It killed me to know I was hurting Harry, but I knew it was for the best. If he saw me like this, I wasn't sure what he would do.

…..

The next few days were the same. I stayed in my room and refused to be at the shows. I knew I couldn't keep up this behavior for long, before they had to replace me. I also knew that no one needed to see me like this. I'm sure they all understood.

The only person I had spoken with was Sarah. She had been amazing and sworn to keep my secrets. She assured me that she would speak with Jeff and make sure my job was waiting for me. I knew she would have to tell Jeff what happened, but she promised me that he wouldn't tell Harry. I also let her tell the other band members. I knew they would all start asking questions as soon as they did see me. I wanted to avoid this, as much as I possibly could. Harry was the only one left in the dark.

It had been extremely difficult to come to terms with everything that had happened. Although it killed me, I still refused to see Harry. I couldn't bare the thought of him seeing me so fragile and broken. It was the very last thing I wanted, and I wish I could explain that to him. I hated keeping this from him, but I knew it was a conversation we needed to have in person. He needed to hear the story from me, however, I just wasn't quite ready for that.  

Tonight was the last show in this city, so I knew I had to be on the bus and ready to head to the next stop. Deciding to stay hidden, I made my way to the bus when the concert was still in full swing. I knew it would be deserted, and I knew I could sneak on unseen. Rushing to my bunk, I laid down and waited. My heart beat pounded, as I waited for everyone returned.  

…..........

Harry

The show finally came to an end, and now it was time to head out to the next town. Harry had been a complete wreck the entire night. He wasn't sure if Layla was coming with them or not, and the thought was torturing him. He didn't know what he would do if she wasn't there. It had now been five days since he last seen her, and they didn't part on very good terms. It was all he had been able to think about. If only he had kissed her back, maybe she wouldn't be freezing him out now. 

Sarah was waiting for him, as soon as he walked off of the stage. 

 “We need to talk.” She told him, getting straight to the point.

 “What is it?” He asked alarmed. 

He had known that she had been meeting with Layla, and he knew that she had known what was going on. Although he had begged her, she refused to tell him what happened. It had been the most frustrating part of the entire ordeal. He just wanted to know what was going on.

 “Just come on!” She said pulling him into his dressing room.

Inside he noticed Jeff and the rest of his mates. “Is someone going to tell me what's going on?” He asked distressed. 

“It's Layla.” Sarah said with a sigh. 

“Are you finally going to tell me what happened?” He asked annoyed.

“Not quite.” She said guilty. 

“What the fuck! Why not?!” He yelled throwing his hands up. 

He usually wasn't the type to let his anger out, but now he just couldn't help it. He hated being mad especially at his mates. They were his best friends, and he knew they didn't deserve his anger.

“Harry, just listen please!” She said sighing. “Layla's been dealing with quite a lot these past few days, and she wants the details of what happened to be kept private. I'm not going to go against her wishes, however I will tell you she's going to need some space for a little while. Now she has agreed to still come on the road with us, but you might not be seeing much of her. At least not for a few more days, that is.”

Harry grew even more frustrated. “Why won't you just tell me what's going on?! Why won't she even talk to me? Did I do something?” He rambled.   

Putting both her hands on his shoulders, Sarah tried to calm him down. “Harry.. honey.. Please trust me when I say this.. This has absolutely nothing to do with you. When she's ready, I'm sure she'll talk to you. However, believe me when I say this, with what happened she's going to need some time. She's a very strong young woman, and I'm positive things will get better. But it is going to take some time.

“Okay..” Harry said defeated. He wasn't sure what else to say. He knew that he would be clueless until Layla finally let him in. 

“And Harry?” Sarah said, as she started to leave. “When she does come to you, please keep an open mind. She's been through a lot, and she'll need you to be the strong one.”

…...................

Hours later, I was awoken by the rumble of the bus coming to life. Without making a sound, I stayed in my bunk. Sarah had promised to ask everyone to keep their distance, and I knew I could trust her with it. 

 Against my better judgment, I had decided to let Sarah in. I knew that I had to tell someone, especially if I wanted to keep my job. Sarah and I had become good friends, in the last few weeks. I was sure that she wouldn't betray my trust, and she assured me that she wouldn't be the one to tell Harry. She had truly been amazing, and I owed her everything. 

 I had known, since the moment it happened, that I would eventually have to tell him. However, it was a lot easier said than done. I knew that Harry would always be there for me, but this wasn't something I was prepare to share with him. Not just yet anyways. It made me feel weak and powerless. I had never wanted Harry to see me in that light. 

  As the bus started to silently roll forward, I could sense someone outside my bunk. My heart stopped, as goosebumps rose all over my body. Without taking a look, I knew it could only be Harry. I knew he wouldn't be able to stay away, and yet I silently wished he would. It would have made things so much more easier, if he would have just kept his distance. 

 Although I knew I would regret it, I cracked open the curtain. I only opened it slightly, so that he wouldn't be able to see in. The bus was dark so I felt safe to do so. Slowly I reached out and took Harry's hand. He sighed and wrapped both his hands around mine. Bringing it to his lips, his kissed my hand softly. 

  “Layla..” He whispered. It was a silent plea, and I knew I couldn't avoid him any longer. His breath was warm on my cold skin. Closing my eyes, I sighed. My will was wearing thin, and it took everything in me to stay hidden. I wanted more than anything to jump into his arms. 

  “Harry..” I sobbed quietly. 

“It's taking everything in me not to pull back this curtain and take you in my arms.”

“I know..” I told him fearfully. “But.. I really don't want you to see me like this.”

“Layla.. Please tell me what's going on. It's torturing me, not being able to help you.”

“I'll make you a deal.” I told him quietly.

  “Anything!” He agreed right away. 

  “If you promise not to ask any questions, I'll let you in. I promise I'll tell you everything, when I can talk about it. However, right now, I really just want you to hold me. If that's okay that is..” I told him hesitantly. 

  Harry was quiet for a moment, as he thought this over. 

  “Okay. I think I can live with that. As long as I can finally be with you, I can wait as long as it takes.”

Holding my breath, I pulled back the curtain.

Harry's eyes seemed to widen ever so slightly. It took him a moment to regain his composure, but thankfully he didn't say a word.

Hesitantly, he crawled into bed with me. Being as careful as possible, he pulled me into his arms. I wrapped the blanket over him, as I laid my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. Being in his embrace, I finally felt safe. 

 Sighing contently, I listened to his soothing heart beat. Harry started to hum softly, as he ran his fingers through my hair. Finally at peace, I drifted off to sleep in his warm and loving embrace. 

  Finally asleep, my dream turned into the nightmare of that day.

….............................

Jackson had a murderous look in his eyes. I could tell he was beyond pissed. He didn't like being undermined. He always had to be the one in power, and when Harry had stepped in it fuelled his rage further. I knew that wouldn't be the last time I saw him, but I didn't know he'd come back so soon.

He didn't hesitate, as he launched his attack. Slamming the door behind him, he jumped me. Trying my best, I kicked and punched at him. It was a useless attempt. He was to much stronger than me, and I knew I was making things worse. Not wanting to give up, I fought on. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. 

 “You stupid bitch!” He yelled. “Did you seriously think you could get rid of me? I told you, I'm not going anywhere!” He yelled and cursed, as he continued his attack. 

As I dove in and out of consciousness, I prayed. I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen the most. It was either for Jackson to stop his bitter attack or for God to just take me from this cruel and hideous world. 

 The only thing that kept me holding on was Harry. I pictured his beautiful and smiling face. It was the only comfort I could find, as I laid weakly on the floor.

I could no longer feel anything. I was numb to the pain, almost cold. I briefly wondered if this was what hell would be like. I wondered what on earth I could have done in a past life to have deserved this kind of torment.

I could slightly make out someone banging on the door. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming it or not. The sound seemed faint, like it was far away. 

 As I drifted in and out, I could see someone barge inside. Jackson was forced to stop his brutal attack, and he fled the scene. As the attack finally ended, the blackness had taken over completely. For this, I was eternally grateful. Although the bright colors that danced behind my eyelids brought peace, I knew it wouldn't last. I could still sense the chaos that was unfolding all around. 

 People scurried all around, urging me to come back. Come back to the cruelness. Come back to the pain. I willed them to go away, and I wished I could tell them to just let me die. I wanted to just slip away into the darkness. It had all become to much to bear. The other side had to be better than this life, I thought to myself.

Although I could no longer feel anything, I knew there were people everywhere. I could sense them coming and going, every few minutes. 

It wasn't until the next morning, when my body finally began to respond. My entire being seemed to ache, and I felt like I had been hit by a train. There wasn't one inch of my body that felt normal.

It took me a few moments, to force my eyes open. I could tell they were swollen, even without touching them. Looking around, I could see a ton of wired and tubes. My heart monitor beat steadily, telling me I was still alive. Nervously, I took a look at myself. My left arm was in a cast, and my right arm held an iv. The rest of my body was hidden by blankets. Although I couldn't see it, I could sense my injuries were far worse. I couldn't force my body to respond to my will. It felt oddly heaving, and it hurt to even breathe. 

 As tears started to slowly stream down my cheek, a nurse walked in. She was in bright pink scrubs and had her hair tired back in a ponytail. She was all smiles, as she walked to the monitor. 

 Finally noticing my eyes were opened, her smile brightened.

“Well good morning,” she said in a friendly tone. “I'm Monica, and I'll be taking care of you for the day. Before I go and find the doctor, is there anything I can get you?”

“Could I have some water please?” I asked just above a whisper. My throat felt swollen, and it was difficult to force the words out. 

 “Of course!” She said before leaving the room.

 It was a few moments, before she came bouncing back into the room. She had a cup in her hand, as she made her way to the bed. Against my better judgment, I tried to sit up. 

 “Easy now! Let me help you.” She stated sternly.

Being as gentle as possible, she helped me sit up. She tried her best to help make me comfortable, and assured me she would be back with some pain medicine. Handing me the water, she scurried out of the door once more.

It was mere minutes, before an older man opened the door. He looked to be in his early fifties, and had that professional look of a doctor. 

 “Hello there,” he said with a warm smile. “I'm Doctor Henderson, could you tell me what happened?”

I sat staring at him in horror, as the images of the night before came racing back to me. Sensing my discomfort, he slowly made his way to the bed. 

  “Okay never mind on that one. Lets start with something a bit easier. Could you tell me your name?”

“Layla Blackwood.” I croaked out. 

 “Excellent! And could you tell me your date of birth?”

“June 5, 1995.”

As I gave the doctor my complete medical history, I forced the water down my sore throat. Once wet, I found it a bit easier to speak. 

  “Well from the looks of your injuries, it looks like you've had quite the accident. Do you think you could tell me a bit of what happened?”

 “It wasn't an accident.. Me ex.. He...” I couldn't seem to form the right words, as my mind struggled to comprehend what took place.

My heart started to race, and the monitor started to beep uncomfortably. Taking a worried look at me and then the monitor, he placed a hand on my shoulder. 

  “Layla, it's okay!” He stated sternly. “You're safe, and he can't hurt you anymore. I promise you that.”

Although his words rang true, I couldn't force myself to calm down. I felt overwhelmed and terrified. All I wanted was for this nightmare to be over, and more than anything I wanted Harry to be here. I knew he would keep me safe.

Nurse Monica walked back in, and handed the doctor a few different needles.

“I'm going to give you something to help relax you a bit. It will also help with the pain I'm sure you're in.”

The effects of the medicine were almost immediate. I could feel my body slowly begin to relax, as my eyelids grew heavy. 

 “Is there anyone you would like me to call?”

“Pleaseee don't. Can't seeeee me.” I slurred, as the darkness overtook me once more. 

 That day was all a bit of a blur. Dosing in and out of consciousness, I could barely understand what was happening around me. I vaguely remembered the two officers that stood in front of me, as I tried my best to recall the events that took place. Knowing my state, they didn't press for to many details. Promising to find him, they let me be. 

I also learned the full extent of my injuries. My left wrist was broken in three places, but it wouldn't need surgery to fix. It seemed as if my entire body was black and blue, my injures were pretty severe. I also had a cracked rib that was making it difficult to take in a deep breath. 

 “You're extremely lucky,” the doctor had commented. 

 Lucky, he said. My ex had beaten me for God only knows how long and done unspeakable things to me, and I was somehow lucky. The word bounced around inside of my mind, as I tried to come to terms with it. I knew the doctor was only doing his job, however I wanted to scream and yell at him for even considering me to be the lucky one.

That night, I was finally cleared to go home. It took a long time of debating, before I decided to give Sarah a call. 

 Although I hadn't been a part of the team for very long, Sarah had always been extremely nice to me. She had welcomed me aboard, from the very first day. I knew that I could trust her with all of this. I knew she could keep things quite, until I could figure things out for myself. 

Sarah picked me up from the hospital, without question. She was perfect and didn't try to pry. She knew I would tell her, when I was ready. 

Informing me that Harry was at the gym, she took me straight to my room and helped me into bed. 

She was the first person who didn't look at me with pity. The first one who didn't ask a million questions about what happened. It was as if she had known everything from the start. 

She spent the better part of the evening with me, as I struggled to get my story out. Holding my hand, she remained silent as I finish telling it. Between sobs, I forced the words out. 

Hating Jackson with everything in me, I described his bitterness towards me. I had never seen him that angry, that cold. It was as if he had been taken over by a demon. 

He hated being overpowered by Harry, and the more he thought about it the more he took it out on me. He was truly evil, and I hated even talking about him.

Sarah had stayed with me, until I had finally fallen asleep. Feeling drained and defeated, I fell into a deep fitful sleep.

[sablelab]

Covert Operations - Chapter 120

SYNOPSIS: It has been a couple of days since Jamie and Claire were admitted to Med Lab when Madeline decides to make a visit to ask about their progress. She visits both patients and once she has gone Jamie organises to visit Claire in the dead of night with Fergus’ help.

Chapter 119 and all other chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

THANK YOU all for your continued support of this story. Much appreciated.

CHAPTER 120

As he walked out of Med Lab, Dr Jeremy Foster stopped in his tracks upon seeing Madeline as it had been a couple of days since either of Section’s leaders had last visited their two operatives. He had kept them well informed as to Jamie and Claire’s progress and was not surprised that Section’s second in command had finally decided to pay a visit to Medical. He hoped that the reason why Madeline was here was because she and Operations had reached a decision about downtime now that they were showing signs of improvement.  “Dr Foster I’m glad you’re still here.”  He gave her a nod of recognition.  “How are the patients?”  "The patients are not in the best of moods I’m afraid. Claire is getting bored and Jamie is … well … Jamie.” Madeline was not at all surprised that James Fraser was far from being a model patient. Section’s top operative was loath to be incapacitated at the best of times and no doubt he was ready to get out of Med Lab.  “Tell me about their progress.” Jeremy Foster held nothing back, knowing that Madeline wouldn’t expect anything less. “Superficially, both Jamie and Claire look as though they are well on the road to recovery. They both have had their intravenous drip removed and their hourly observations reports have been sound. Overall, I’m pleased to say that both of their physical injuries are healing quite nicely.”  “What’s Jamie’s status?” “Considering the state under which he entered Medical on his return from the mission, Jamie has indeed made excellent progress over the last couple of days. He has improved significantly but, as you know Madeline, this is not totally unexpected. James Fraser always seems to heal quickly due to his superb physical conditioning and training.” “Anything else?” “Although his blood pressure is a little elevated, I’m not concerned as his other data has been good. Since his blood transfusions, his anaemia has improved, his wound seems to be healing satisfactorily and there has been no infection. Jamie is still on pain relief as his injury will be tender for a while yet. He also doesn’t have complete mobility back in his shoulder. Unfortunately, this could take some time. He will definitely need some rehabilitation and physiotherapy to help build up his core strength.” He gave Madeline an earnest look before adding, “Despite his operation, Jamie seems to have fared the better of the two.” With her non-verbal reply, Dr Foster was unable to gauge Madeline’s reaction to this current news about Jamie’s condition as her expression was unreadable. No doubt she was mentally weighing up this information and ticking the boxes in her head as to her next plan of action. Glancing at her he reiterated his point once more, “I am pleased that Jamie is showing improvement each day, but I am somewhat concerned about Claire.” This time Madeline answered looking at him for clarification, “Meaning...?”  “It’s the wounds I cannot see to treat that worry me. Physically, although Claire is recovering well, I’m concerned about her mental wellbeing and I’m also worried about her emotional state of mind. She still bears the scars of her captivity. These physical marks are a constant reminder of what happened to her. Under the circumstances it is little wonder that she is emotionally drained. Having been subjected to the kind of prolonged torture she endured, there is no way of telling as to the impact that being incarcerated has had on her psyche.”  Madeline was well aware that the situation that Claire had faced could cause depression and anxiety and given the nature of her personality, succumbing to either of these conditions was feasible. Although Section operatives were trained to deal with such emotions, maybe, just maybe, given Claire’s state of mind and the severity of her afflictions that her wounds were deeper than first expected. Reluctantly she too had come to the same conclusion. Having done psyche evaluations on Claire in the past, it was possible that this mission had had a far greater effect than what her capture and torture by Red Cell had done to her on a previous mission.  She listened as Jeremy Foster continued. “The kind of torture Claire experienced often causes severe mental scars that are much slower to heal than the physical ones you can see. As doctors, we don’t know the damage that has been done to a person's spirit or to their subconscious often until it's too late.” “Yes … I can see your point.” If what Dr Foster had told her was true any psyche analysis she’d planned would need to be postponed until Claire was mentally better. There was no way that Operations would tolerate an operative who was not 100% ready and able to be sent back on such an important mission to capture Sun Yee Lok once and for all. There was much on the line for them. Colum in particular had already given them a succinct directive. It seemed she had few options but she would need to discuss her findings with Operations after her visit. To bring an End Game to this troublesome triad group, they needed Jamie and Claire to be functioning at their optimum level as they were crucial players in the final scenario.  “When can they be released?”  The doctor considered the question for a brief moment before replying, knowing that his answer may be crucial to the decision that Madeline and Operations would make about Jamie and Claire’s recuperation.  “I want to keep them both in for at least another twenty-four hours. If they continue to show continued improvement, I see no reason as to why they should stay under observation any longer than that. May I add that rehabilitation away from Section One would be the preferred option for the maximum success in their recovery. I think you will find that they will bounce back much better if you and Operations decide that this is the best course of action.” Madeline was stoic in her demeanour and did not comment on what Dr Foster had said but merely replied with, “I’d like to see them for myself now.” Comprehensively put back in his box his replied, “Of course. But I wouldn’t stay too long … Claire still needs her rest.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ When Claire Beauchamp heard the electronic “whoosh” of the automatic doors opening and the sound of high heels echo in her room, she immediately knew who had entered. The footsteps came closer and she sensed her visitor’s presence as she stood at the foot of her bed. She was sure that Madeline was scrutinizing her up and down with those unforgiving dark eyes making her own assessment as to her condition. Opening her eyes Claire met the intense gaze from Section’s second in command.  “Dr Foster said that you're doing quite well.”  Claire sat up a little and folded her arms across her chest in a defensive manner as she met her leader’s probing look. “I've been better, but I'll live.”  Madeline gave her a wry smile. “I'm sure you will. You’re looking much better than the first time I saw you.” “Thank you.”  “How are you feeling?” She asked, although her attempt at motherly concern fell on deaf ears.  Claire turned and glanced at her. Madeline looked like any concerned parent for their child, but she knew otherwise. Her superior never did anything out of compassion and she doubted the sincerity of her words and the smile she gave her. Claire was wary of Madeline’s intentions. There was always an ulterior motive and her visit here was no exception. 

Why was she being so nice? Was she baiting her so that she would drop her guard and say something she shouldn’t? You could never tell with Madeline, but what did she have to lose? 

Seizing the opportunity presented to her Claire smiled back and asked nonchalantly, “So … when can I get out of here?” “Probably in a day or two, but that decision is up to Dr Foster.” “Oh …” Her superior noticed Claire’s eyes widen with unspoken questions. She guessed that they were concerning Jamie’s discharge as well.  “Would that be a problem?” Madeline’s eyes focused on Claire’s face trying to read her reaction to her statement.  “No …That’s fine. I’m going a bit stir crazy not being able to do anything. I’m so ready to get outta here.”  Madeline walked closer to the head of the bed. “Yes ... I’m sure you have, but that will change soon enough. Let’s hope Dr Foster thinks you are well enough in a day or two shall we. Until then I guess you’ll have to amuse yourself, I’m afraid.” She smiled at her again. “I’m sure you’ve had some visitors … that should have help with the boredom.” “Murtagh and Fergus have been here.” “Yes …” Madeline’s eyes zeroed in on Claire’s. “… I know.”  With all the surveillance cameras in Med Lab closely monitoring personnel twenty-four hours a day, Madeline was just reminding her that she knew who, when and how often they had visited. To rub salt into the wound knowing that her words would cut Claire to the bone she added, “I’m sure Jamie would have been here as well … If he’d been able.” Each word Madeline had just spoken was like a bard to the heart. Pressing her lips together, Claire closed her eyes thinking of Jamie in ICU. The pain, of not being able to see him, cut deep. Murtagh had said he was doing fine but until she had seen him for herself then she would not be at peace. Claire fought to keep her composure at Madeline’s well aimed taunt. She of all people knew what they’d both gone through on the mission yet she took satisfaction in her vindictiveness coated with concern and veiled kindness to push home a point.

How could she have forgotten that there was always a hidden agenda to what Madeline had to say? Section would always be the winner. There was no room for all the qualities she tried to hold onto because Section wanted to browbeat them out of her.  Madeline scrutinized the emotions that crossed Claire’s face. The tell-tale swollen vein in her neck was a dead giveaway that her heart rate had accelerated and her face had lost its colour. There was something between the two operatives that went beyond mentor and material, and knowing that they were to have some downtime together was gnawing at her craw. It would only strengthen their bond and this could affect their performance in the field. Operations would not tolerate collusion between two operatives … especially their two best field operatives. It could put Section at risk.  Yet when Claire looked at her, her composure was evident. She smiled brightly. “I'm sure he will … when he’s able. Maybe I could visit him instead.”  “Yes … no doubt you are keen to see how he is too.” Noticing that Dr Foster had re-entered the room, Claire put her hand across her mouth stifling a yawn and hoping that he might intervene and cut short Madeline’s visit. He caught her eye and came to her rescue. “I think it is time that the patient got some rest Madeline. Doctor's orders." Without turning around she acknowledged his request, “Of course.” She smiled once more at Claire then gave her shoulder a light tap. “Operations and I will drop by tomorrow to see how you're feeling. He’s anxious to check up on you as well.” “Thank you.” Then turning towards Jeremy Foster Madeline uttered her next command. “I’d like to see Jamie now.”  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sound of the automatic doors opening registered in James Fraser’s mind, but he didn't bother turning his head around at the sound. He knew who it was. There was only one person that he wanted to see ... and it certainly wasn’t Madeline. Obviously she’d been told his recovery was better than the doctors had expected. No wonder she had felt compelled to come down to check on him to see if that was true. If there was any chance of him returning to the Rising Dragons mission quicker than expected then Madeline would grab it with both hands. He’d improved day by day; his strength was gradually returning and he’d finally turned the corner. This Intel would be most pleasing to Section’s leaders as the more time Sun Yee Lok and his triad were left to their own devices to restructure once more, the smaller the window of opportunity Section had to contain them while they were still vulnerable. Regrouping and rebuilding the triad was a possibility not to be taken for granted. The more the Rising Dragons grew in strength the more Section would be on the back foot. Resources were already stretched to the limit with other pending missions. If the Rising Dragons triad reinvented itself by amalgamating with other triad groups, this could mean greater problems also. Hence, Section wanted an End Game to happen as expediently as possible and for that they needed both he and Claire. Jamie also hated being in Med Lab any longer than necessary and Madeline knew this only too well. Was she here to say he was getting out of here? If so, then what about Claire? When would she be out of medical too?  It had been several long, miserable days since he and Claire had been taken into Med Lab and he was determined to see her now he wasn’t hooked up to all the equipment and monitors. Although Fergus and Murtagh had been making visits to see Claire in shifts and had given him progress reports on her welfare, it was not enough. He needed to see her for himself. He had little concern for his own welfare when the person he cared most about was but a heartbeat away … but now Madeline had turned up un-expectantly. He hoped her visit would be brief.  Her footfalls stopped and Jamie could hear her speaking to Dr Foster for a short while. He assumed she was going over the doctor’s notes on his condition. He closed his eyes knowing that Madeline would soon come nearer. He braced himself for her visit. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Jamie was surprised that Operations wasn’t with her. No doubt Madeline was here to ascertain what the chances were of his release from Med Lab and his recovery timeframe back to mission status. As he lay in bed waiting for her to finally speak with him, Murtagh’s words suddenly echoed in his head from his and Fergus’s visit earlier this evening. “I see you have finally decided to visit Claire tonight. I was wondering how long it would take.” But he had also uttered some concern. “Do you think that a wise move in your condition?” His condition was of no consequence. All that mattered was his Claire. He would know soon enough for himself, then he would be satisfied. Jamie had planned to see her as soon as everything was quiet for the night. More than likely Madeline had already paid a visit to Claire’s bedside and now, her impromptu visit had put a damper on his plans for the time being. It was inconvenient but not a total set back. He would prevail when he could. Jamie had arranged for Fergus to deactivate the surveillance cameras in Med Lab but in particular his and Claire’s room for a while and replace them with a recorded feed when he said so. When Operations and Madeline monitored the tapes, as they would, they would find that he was still in infirmary and everything was normal. They would be none the wiser that he had been to Claire’s room and seen her. Instead they would be watching the feed that Fergus had instigated without knowing anything had occurred between the two operatives. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “How are you doing?”  The sound of Madeline’s question roused Jamie back to reality. He turned his head and looked at Section’s head strategist as she approached his bed. “I’m fine.” Jamie’s answer was nothing more than what she would have expected. Madeline knew exactly how he was doing. Dr Foster had told her. She’d read his files to clarify his observations, she and Operations had watched the surveillance tapes. They knew everything they needed to know.  “Good …” She gave him a cheerful look then added. “Claire is recovering well also. That’s good news? Is it not?” Madeline knew Jamie wouldn’t react to her question; she was not surprised with his response. It was good news … in fact it was great news but he certainly wasn’t going to say that. The mission had brought him and Claire closer together to the point where he was now unable to deny his feelings. Unequivocally, irrefutably and completely he knew that he loved her.  “Of course,” he responded with his customary laconic reply.  Jamie’s eyes were vacuous in response not wanting to give his superior any more damning evidence of his feelings regarding Claire Beauchamp for her mental file. His show of concern when he bought her into Medical on their return from the mission was already damning enough. No doubt, it had left Operations and Madeline with just enough uncertainty for them to jump to conclusions about a relationship between the two of them. It would now be necessary for him to negate any thoughts they may suspect of a greater attachment between himself and Claire more than that of mentor and his recruit. Diffusing their attention away from any hidden agenda they may have about them and solely back onto the mission’s end game was his plan. Later that night … Madeline had long gone and Jamie waited until the night medic had finished his last observations and had also left before making his move. Seizing his chance and unable to fight the urgent need to know of Claire’s condition for himself any longer he contacted Fergus. “Covered?”  “Yeah, they're watching the feed; they think you're in ICU.”  “Good.” “The Med Lab staff don’t check on the patients when they are asleep unless they buzz Jamie, so … how much time do you need?” “An hour.” “The tape runs another three hours, but you won’t need all that time. “No.” “If there is any problem … Murtagh and I will cover it.” “Good. How is the feed? Is it clear?”  ”It’s fine. You’ll have plenty of time. I’ll put the cameras back on real time when you’re ready just let me know and I’ll do the adjustment.”  “Thank ye Fergus.” Gingerly Jamie got out of bed thankful that the cumbersome intravenous drip had been removed from his arm this morning. Steadying his body and ignoring the dull ache in his shoulder, he made his way to his Sassenach’s room.  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ In the quiet of Med Lab, James Fraser stood like a looming sentinel in the doorway of Claire’s room. It was empty except for one lone cot, but his eyes immediately zeroed in on his love. His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes caressed Claire from head to toe as she lay in bed asleep.  As he slowly walked over to her bed, he couldn’t look anywhere else but on the reposing form of the woman he loved. Moving closer to the bed he was able to observe his Sassenach much better while his eyes took inventory of everything about her. Jamie catalogued every inch of Claire’s exposed features riddled with the evidence of what she had suffered for the Section. He missed nothing. Although her face had been cleaned up, the extent of the injuries she’d endured were still clearly evident. Her beautiful, porcelain skin was riddled with dark lesions that had bruised her delicate face. Jamie studied her more closely. Claire still had deep circles under her eyes and she was far too pale for his liking. Madeline had said that she was recovering well, but to his eyes Claire was not. Any abrasion or blemish that marked her flesh was a kick to the gut for him and a firm reminder of what had happened to her. Now that her lacerations were more pronounced, he could see the lingering result of what was done to her.  He felt physically sick to his stomach for what his beautiful Claire had suffered. Vivid images coursed his mind of their captivity at the monastery. His Claire bore the noticeable scars of the incarceration and torture she’d endured from Jonathon Randall. In time her physical wounds would heal and fade but it was the scars he couldn’t see that worried him more. Claire’s psyche would have taken a telling blow. Without a second thought, he vowed that he would avenge what the Rising Dragons had done to her. Caressing her once more, his lips wanted to kiss away the marks on her face and obliterate any sign of her torture. His feelings ran deep for this woman, deeper than he ever thought were possible and a longing so intense for her overpowered him. Jamie’s body shook with the desire he felt … a feeling so profound and strong it overwhelmed him.  Claire Beauchamp was his everything.  James Fraser ached for the woman who had his heart. She took his breath away. Claire was his lifeline … she was the only ray of sunshine in the hell hole of Section One. She brought lightness to his dark world and made his life worth living. Before Claire, he just existed; his life ruled by Section’s mantra. Missions were the means to an end and if he died what did it matter? Section had trained him to be the penultimate cold operative who killed without compunction.  He was an emotionless, cold-blooded killing machine who had merely been existing in this hell hole that was Section One. His life before Section had ceased to exist. He was emotionally dead and cared not if he lived or died. Not only was he dead to the world he once knew, but more importantly he was dead inside. He cared nought for his own wellbeing and emotionally he was devoid of feelings for others.  However, this mission had helped him realize something that was pointless for him to deny any longer.  Because of Claire … he wanted to exist. She’d made him feel things he had buried deep inside, stirred emotions he had long ago denounced. Claire made him come alive. She had changed everything.  He couldn’t live without her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~to be continued FRIDAY 15th May

[angedemystere]

My Rewatch of Les Miserables, 1998

Ah, yes, I have decided to revisit that much panned film version, directed by Bille August and starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes (and Hans Matheson and Toby Jones thrown in for good measure). This movie holds a complicated place in my heart by being the adaptation that introduced me to Les Miz, inspiring love for these characters and spurring me to look into the musical and the Brick itself .... only to then earn my distaste for all the inaccuracies from the original text.

So, now that I’ve revisited it with fresh eyes and a barometer by which to compare it to other adaptions, is it as bad as everyone says?

Well ... it depends.

Let’s start with how this stands as a movie.

First, the cinematography. In terms of setting and sets, this film is gorgeous. It starts with nature scenes (opens early on with a shot of the river ~ooohh~ foreshadowing) and provides a strong sense of location and space. Now I think in certain urban scenes, especially when the story moves to Paris, there’s a lot of washed-out grey that kind of blends together. It does have a purpose: to portray the desolation plaguing the poor that’s stirring l’ABC to action. Even so, it can be harder to focus on the details when color blends too much. Other than that (and some not necessary close-ups), the filming is dynamic, easy to follow, and overall really nice to look at.

Next, the script and pacing. The scenes within themselves are for the most part effective at getting across character and important information and making interactions feel natural. (The one bench scene between Cosette and Marius might be the exception - can no one write romantic banter well? Or is this true to how awkward romantic banter is in real life? Tell me, I have no idea). Of course you’re dealing with characters like Javert (and lovestruck teens) who make natural dialogue a challenge, but in the movie’s first half, there’s a strong reliance on exchanges from the book itself to make it work. 

Pacing within scenes keeps at a steady clip while giving time for important moments to breathe. But then the movie has to deal with time jumps, which can be awkward since we the audience are forced to reorient ourselves. The first jump works better because we’re meant to feel some suspense about what’s happened to Valjean between his encounter with Bishop Myriel and his being mayor. We instead meet Javert and follow him to his new post in Montreuil-sur-Mer I’ll ... get to that later. When he’s introduced to the mayor, we realize it’s Jean Valjean! That’s pretty satisfying. This movie most succeeds in the first half in giving us enough about Valjean, Javert and Fantine to get who they are, what their situation is and why we should pay attention. 

The next time jump brings us to 1832 and teenage Cosette. This time we’ve missed out on seeing Valjean and Cosette’s relationship grow, and not a whole lot is shown to solidify what their relationship has been like in the convent and what they stand to gain or lose by leaving that environment. We do get some insight, just not as much as I would’ve liked. 

Now, how are the actors? Everyone does at least a decent job, even sometimes a brilliant one. Liam Neeson brings warmth, shy awkwardness, and humanity to the character in ways that feel genuine. The awkwardness is most endearing when he’s interacting with Fantine, which is a deviation from the novel that I really don’t mind because, damn it, they’re just so cute! Speaking of which, this addition of a mild Valjean/Fantine romance (don’t worry, it’s as raunchy as kindergartners holding hands) actually plays a role in how Valjean handles Cosette and Marius’s romance. There’s a bit of lampshading when Cosette acknowledges that she has pretty strong feelings for a guy she’s known only a few weeks and it’s not rational, but her feelings are no less real. And Valjean respects those feelings because he experienced them in his own way with Fantine.

Hang on ... hang on a sec ...

Okay, I’m fine. BBC 2019 miniseries, eat your heart out.

Uma Thurman captures Fantine’s vulnerability without overselling it. She pleads for her case while flip-flopping between honest frustration and appeasing servility. But I must ask this: when her hair was cut, why wasn’t it cropped shorter? Maybe a clause in her contract? Also, no tooth removal. The filmmakers probably wanted Fantine to still look attractive enough for the little romance budding between her and Valjean. Points off for accuracy but still effective in pathos.

I remember not being a fan of Cosette when I first saw this film, not through any fault of Claire Danes or the writing but because I cared more about the Valjean-Javert dynamic than her romance (not predictable of me at all). And she can be pouty, but that poutiness is often justified by her cooped-up existence and a desire to live more freely. I also have renewed appreciation for the fact that Cosette 1) stood up to Valjean when he slapped her, especially given her abuse at Mme. Thenardier’s hands, 2) stayed fairly calm while lying to Javert’s face, and 3) held Javert at gunpoint while she freed Marius. For her sheltered upbringing, girl’s got nerves of steel.

This Marius, while still foolish (slipping out of the barricade that he’s supposed to be in charge of to visit Cosette and being not at all subtle while stalking her), has more sense than book!Marius. Granted, he’s undergone a fusion with Enjolras, but I understand the decision, which I’ll address shortly.

And Javert .... Javert is probably the hardest major Les Miz character to pin perfectly in any adaptation. This is for a couple reasons. One, because films have limited time, certain scenes that can establish an otherwise unseen facet of a character are often cut. This frequently happens with Javert’s later scenes: the police station (where he burns his coattails) and the Gorbeau house (twice - one when he’s disguised as a beggar, the other when he jokes about offering his hat and rebuffs Mme. Thenardier’s assault with his “claws of a woman” comment). Two, his frequent run-ins with Valjean are altered from being coincidences to international face-offs orchestrated by him, making him much more fixated, even downright obsessive, about catching Valjean. On both fronts, Rush’s Javert suffers from these cuts or alterations. But when it comes to the performance he delivers? 

This is the silhouette of a man who makes criminals wet themselves.

Is he my definitive Javert? Oh no. That dream has yet to come true for me. But I rank him in my top five preferred Javerts. I do have issues with some of his actions, like toppling the mail coach (just .....why?), smacking Fantine, and pointing a gun in Cosette’s face. That’s the wrong kind of asshole or creep for him. I do think it interesting, on this rewatch, to be reminded that this Javert’s mother was a prostitute, and when Fantine is harassed by Bamatabois and then retaliates, he first holds back from interfering (and stops the captain from interfering) and then “takes care of this” by slapping Fantine when she tells him the gentlemen started it. I don’t see Brickvert doing any of these things, but the purpose of this moment is to give us a glimpse into the depth of his hatred for the class of people his parents came from. We don’t know why he hates them so much apart from his overall moral and philosophical perspective, but you can’t help but wonder about what he experienced in his early life that would make him act violently toward a woman with the same occupation as his mother, but ONLY when she lashes out (understandably) at a member of good society. This outburst could also explain why he fixates on Valjean, a thief like his father. It’s not just his commitment to his ideals; he’s living a morality play with his parents as the criminals he needs to punish in order to prove he’s not one of them, that he’s risen above them, that he will not and CANNOT fall to their level. The fact this movie captured that nuance and had it carry out in subtext is a credit, even if I don’t agree with all the actions this version has him do.

No surprise that, given how much attention has clearly been given to Javert’s character by the film, this adaptation chooses to keep the center of narrative focus on Javert and Valjean, sacrificing a lot of other characters in the process. Eponine? Gone. The Thenardiers overall, gone in the second half once Valjean has rescued Cosette (except for Gavroche, but you wouldn’t know he’s a Thenardier in this). The Les Amis exist as a collective but have no individual identities apart from Marius and, arguably, this movie’s Enjolras, who is reduced to a team lieutenant and stripped of all other book!Enjolras characterization. Again, a good chunk of Enjolras’s charisma and commitment to the cause is lumped into Marius. The writers were likely interested in making Marius a more dashing love interest. This doesn’t always jive with the moments he’s actually Marius: stalking Cosette, writing her pages of love letters, ducking out of meetings early to see her when he’s supposed to be heading the planning of the uprising. The clash can be distracting. Still, Matheson tries to balances these two sides as well as he can.

This is where a lot of Les Miz fans have or will have problems with this version. If you’re anything other than a fan of Valjean, Javert, Fantine or Cosette, you’re going to feel deprived. I don’t actually consider this a major flaw of the film because the filmmakers were at least consistent in their focus, preferring to develop a few characters than stretch too thin with more characters who would have ended up with shallow portrayals anyway. But I will highly suggest that if you’re a diehard Les Amis or Eponine fan and are annoyed when adaptations reduce those characters, you might want to skip this version.

Now that the issue of character omissions or reductions has been dealt with, let’s get to what I have problems with that are actually on screen:

Valjean’s outbursts toward Cosette - this aspect of his character isn’t as prevalent as I remember, to be fair. There is one scene where he snaps at her as a child (and he immediately apologizes) and two scenes where he yells at her as a teen and/or hits her. Nonetheless, the notion that physical assault was necessary in his character toward Cosette of all people--please no. There’s no reason for it. In fact, there’s better reason to go against it to show contrast with how Valjean reacted to stressful situations in the past. Yes, those knee-jerk reactions can be hard to shake, but Cosette’s presence in his life is meant to show how much he’s grown. Granted, Cosette acknowledges that his outbursts are out of character, that he’s “acting so strangely,” and we do see tenderness between them most of the time. Still, it taints the relationship when his and Cosette’s book relationship, while plagued by secrecy, is entirely wholesome. Any hint of violence makes me wary of when Cosette says she needs to be there for him after learning about his past and plans to flee the country.

Javert’s suicide - again, more on Valjean’s end. Obviously this version is different from canon; Javert makes it seem like he’s going to murder Valjean and let his body fall in the river, only to free him and do it to himself, and Valjean is there to watch. And he fails to attempt saving him, which, given his actions at the barricade and the kind of man he’s become, comes across painfully out of character. So does the glee he expresses when a man has killed himself in front of him only a minute ago. Maybe if Javert had said something or done something to make saving him impossible or clearly against his wishes, Valjean’s inaction would’ve been more understandable. I do also question Javert’s wisdom in killing himself in front of a man who tried to save him mere hours ago. Why did he not consider that Valjean might try rescuing him again? Well, he seemed to make the right call.

Both of these choices point to an attempt to make Jean Valjean more flawed. This is a conversation the fandom has had before, and the question of slipping in a sharpness to redeemed!Valjean has come up in other versions, even some actors’ portrayals in the Broadway show. I see the argument on both sides--he’s human, he suffered years of conditioning that turned him hateful and willing to harm others. But it should be noted that, while Valjean is physically capable of throwing someone around like a sack of potatoes, he’s never demonstrated an inclination to do so, not even from what few details we have of his life in prison. The movie adds that violent edge to Valjean’s narrative, from when he first hits Bishop Myriel on the head to smacking Cosette in the face. Javert gets some of this treatment, too--never shown violent behavior in canon, smacks around Fantine and manhandles Cosette in the film. Maybe the filmmakers were worried a modern audience wouldn’t find a nonviolent ex-con and a non-violent policeman believable. Yeesh.

All right, some minor issues:

The changing of names - Montreuil-sur-Mer becomes Vigau. Fauchelevent becomes Lafitte. Champmathieu becomes Carnot. What’s going on? Were they scared of pronouncing French names longer than two syllables? Oh, and Valjean as the mayor never has a name. He’s just “monsieur le maire” wherever he goes. You think his alias is M. Maire? So he became Maire Maire? No wonder he was pushed to take office.

Child actors - they aren’t great. Hardly any get dialogue and it’s no surprise why. For those who do, it’s obvious they’re being prompted offscreen. The kid playing Gavroche is the exception and there’s too little of him.

Illiteracy - eh, I kind of give this a pass. It’s not book canon that Valjean is illiterate post-Toulon, and I don’t remember if book!Fantine is illiterate, but it gives them a little bonding moment and gives Neeson the opportunity to show off his first-grader-concentration face when he practices his cursive.

Having addressed the big (and not so big) problems of the film, were there good parts in terms of adaptation? Yes--I think Neeson and Rush have a scintillating Valjean-Javert dynamic. I like how they have some understated snark jousting in the Vigau scenes. The 2019 series wishes it could achieve that level of sniping. But then, Brickvert wasn’t very subtle when he brought up how he knew only ONE man, one CONVICT, who could lift the cart, and Valjean is trying to deflect or ignore him while Fauchelevant is being crushed. Maybe not book-accurate, but entertaining as hell.

Also, while I don’t ship them, the Valjean-Fantine scenes were cute and made my heart squeeze. I know it was gratuitous. Their bond provided a little spot of light in their miserable (hah!) lives.

Also also, I like Javert’s informant in the 1832 scenes. He’s funny, cynical (he complains how nauseating Cosette and Marius’s romance is and swears off having daughters), committed to his job (he catches a cold from watching Cosette and Marius in the rain on Javert’s behalf), and respects Javert without being afraid of him. They even walk together to the barricade so Javert can get in and not draw suspicion. And for some reason he doesn’t have a name! Guys, if you like Rivette from the BBC series, let’s give this unnamed informant some love. I want a buddy cop series with him and Javert.

To wrap this up, I’ll say that Les Miserables (1998) is certainly flawed as an adaptation. Jean Valjean and Javert get injected with violent tendencies, Fantine stays prettier than she should, Marius and Enjolras have undergone fusion, and 80% of the book characters have vaporized or barely exist as bit parts. But I wont say stay away from this abomination because it’s not abominable. It’s ... ok. It’s serviceable in capturing the main plot arc of Les Miserables and a couple of its crucial themes. I think Les Miserables is one of those books where you’re probably not going to get the screen adaptation you want, so maybe watch a bunch, pick a few that least offend you, and fuse them together into your own imagined adaptation. With luck, the components are more cohesive than those of Marijolras.

[newcaptainofsquad9]

I’ll Stay By Your Side~Mason Weaver x fem reader (Kong: Skull Island)

Pairings: Mason Weaver x reader, James Conrad x reader(mentioned/past relationship)

Summary: The reader is an anti war journalist who joins Mason, James and the Sky Devils unit to investigate skull island. Mason has been flirting with the reader the entire way there, much to James’ annoyance and the reader’s amusement. Abruptly, with Kong and the other monsters making their presence known, Mason desperately finds herself wanting to ensure the reader’s safety and her affections.

Word Count: 2,107

Writer’s Note: I recently saw Kong: Skull Island and thought it was a pretty good monster flick. I honestly wanted to make more fics about Brie’s other character’s besides Carol Danvers and here’s the first and hopefully not the last. I don’t usually write smut, but it kinda happened. Not too explicit, but smut nonetheless. 

Warnings: Slight Smut, please don’t read unless you are 18 and over!

“I’ve read countless number of your articles,” Mason says with a small grin. 

Her words eased you a bit, but you still held onto James’ arm as the helicopter took flight. He gave you a once over before raising an eyebrow. 

“You still don’t travel much, do you dear?” he asks. 

Your grip on his arm loosened as you took a deep breath. 

“Is she OK?” Mason asks while leaning your way. 

You nod as James puts a hand on your knee. 

“She finds heights daunting,” he says.

You push James’ hand away quickly. 

“I’d feel much better if--there wasn’t a way I could look towards the ground,” you groan, gesturing to the opened parts of the heli. 

“I could have sat at the end,” Mason says, “if you knew she was afraid, why didn’t you opt for her to sit in the middle?”

You watch James catch Mason’s glare before she looks back to you. 

“And what? It’s my fault I didn’t cater to Y/N  when I’m on a serious mission?” James counters.

“Well, she’s your girlfriend isn’t she?”

Once Mason’s question left her mouth, your face burned as you shifted a bit away from James. 

“I’m not his girlfriend anymore,” you mutter. 

James scratches his neck, looks to you quickly before turning his attention back outside. You keep your eyes down and focus onto the notepad that’s in your jacket pocket. It takes a moment to cease the trembles in your hand prior to you jotting a few notes down. What you didn’t notice was Mason’s lingering stare. 

The island was breathtaking. Your heart pounded at the forestry that came to live under the perfect rays that the sun released. Birds soared and sang as they flew from one part of the island to another as Mason lifted her camera up to capture a few moments. You giggled at one of the smaller birds lagging behind as Mason turned towards you, taking a few photos of you. You leaned back into your seat and pouted playfully. 

“Why take pictures of me when this island is so gorgeous?” you asked.

Mason grinned and shrugged.

“Why not? Both are pretty gorgeous,” she said.

James rolled his eyes while all you could do was turn your attention away to hide your blushing face. Abruptly, the first helicopter fell, then the next. Trees, giant, hairy limbs and a bone curling roar was all you heard. 

“The fuck was that?!” The pilot screams. 

James stands.

“Get us out of--”

The roar rips through the skies again as the helicopter turns at a speed you weren’t ready for. Your body felt light as you held onto the edge of your seat. Mason’s body collides with it as she holds on tightly to you. 

“H-Hang on!” she rasps.

Her hands shook as much as your own, but you trusted her as you kept your eyes down. All you hear are the pilot’s desperate cries, the continuing roars and the chopper descending fast.

“Y/N! Y/N!”

You blink rapidly, vision returning to you a little blurry. Mason and James stand over you with cuts, stray blood and sweat clinging to their skin. 

“Oh thank God,” James breathes.

Mason breaks into a gasp as she brushes a piece of hair out of your face. 

“How are you feeling? Can you stand?” she asks. 

You wobble to your feet, staggering only for Mason to put an arm around your waist. Blood trickles down your forehead and land on your shirt. James and Mason look to each other, then back to you.

“Maybe we should lay low,” Mason suggests, “she doesn’t look so good.”

James bites his lip and shakes his head. 

“We’ve got to keep moving, it’s dangerous and we need to find the others,” he says. 

“Do you not see her!” Mason growls. 

You put a hand on her shoulder. 

“No, M-Mason, he’s right. We’ve got to keep moving,” you mumble. 

Mason’s eyes soften as she pulls on the sleeve of her button up. She nods to James.

“Keep her steady for a sec, will ya?”

James nods and comes over to put his hands carefully on your sides to hold you steady. Your eyes meet his and you can’t help but remember how he used to hold you, kiss you and caress you when you were afraid, fearing the changing and yet still conservative world. Mason rips the fabric of her sleeve off, stepping back over to you and places it against your forehead and ties it around your head. James takes a few steps back while eyeing you carefully. 

“There,” Masons says, “that feel a little better?”

You nod and take a slow, yet staggered step. Mason, immediately at your side. 

“We won’t move far,” James reassures, “we’ll find somewhere to lay low--all right?”

Mason nods, looks expectantly to you while tightening her grip around your waist. 

“Y-Yeah, I trust you not to lead us into another monster,” you say. 

James gives you a sharp nod and a tiny grin prior to leading you both further into the jungle. 

“You still with me Y/N?” Mason asks.

You nod. 

“I-I’m not sleeping, just quiet,” you whisper. 

Mason grins.

“Got anything on your mind you’d like to share?”she asks.

“No,” you say, “just thinking about how we’re going to get out of this mess, whether or not I should quit journalism and get a real job.”

“It is a real job Y/N,” Mason mutters, “your stories have touched many people, that’s how I figured out about Vietnam.”

You chuckle at her words. 

“Says the war photographer who’s so close to her Pulitzer,” you say.

“Hey,” she warns, “you have a better chance of getting it than I do.”  

“Yeah right,” you scoff, “people see the horrors of war, they’d have a better time believing it than reading it nowadays, that’s for sure.”

Mason shrugs, “not if you’re the one writing it. And we’ll get out of this.”

“What makes you so sure?” you ask, finally glaring at her.

“We’re both anti war activists, “ she says in a matter of fact tone, “we’ve revealed lots of horrible shit to the world, even stood against it when people don’t listen.” 

You stay quiet and it makes her turn fully towards you. She stops moving with you and takes your face into her hands. 

“Are you all right?” she asks softly. 

You can’t help but get lost in her deep brown eyes, perfectly curled brunette hair and the way the sweat went down her chest. She wasn’t the only woman you had attractions for, but you had only dated men. James and your high school boyfriend being to only two. 

“Y/N,” James called your name, “are you good?”

“Y-Yeah, yeah let’s keep going,” you babble while pulling away from Mason, being able to walk and stand on your own surprisingly.

James stopped in his tracks abruptly. There’s a crunch of twigs and leaves underneath you as people emerge around you with fierce stares and spears. Mason takes your hand and pushes you behind her and James. James holds his rifle up, pointing it at the strange people around you.

“We don’t want any trouble,” he warns, “back way, and put the spears down.”

The people look rather tribal, painted in similar markings and dressed in similar robes. They move in unison, making a way for the three of you to pass, only for an odd man to walk out. His beard long, curly and grey, hair wild. He has  an aged military uniform on. 

“Oh, God, finally, “ he gasps, “they said you’d come.”

He gestures to the people with spears as you, Mason and James exchange confused glares. 

“Ah, I’ve been stuck on this island for over 29 years, I’m 45th Pursuit Squadron, Hank Marlow. Served back in ‘45.”

“You’ve been stuck on this island since 1945?” James asks.

Hank nods sharply.

“You guys look a bit worse for wear, how about you guys follow us--if that’s ok,” Hank says to the people around him.

They only stare at him, a few of the older ones before nodding. 

“All right! T-That’s great!” Hank cheers, “best we get there before sun-down, don’t want to be out here when the sun’s down.”

James looks to you and Mason for reassurance. 

“I-It’s all we got,” you whisper, “he seems like he knows this island best.”

Both James and Mason nod before the three of you follow him.

The small civilization Marlow and the natives kept was the perfect place for you to slow down and set up camp for a few days. Mason helped you to the tent the both of would share, staying with you. 

“Go, take more photos, I’ll be fine,” you say.

Mason shakes her head.

“Nope, not getting rid of me that easily. Besides, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh,” you say, trying not to act too surprised. 

“Yeah,” she says, sitting on the cot beside you, “what’d you see in that British asshole anyway?”

“W-What? James?” you ask.

Mason nods, “uh yeah. You both seemed pretty close.”

You glance down at your shoes. 

“We were. I guess it was the accent and how sweet he was. Still is at times, but he was so consumed with work--we both are,” you admit.

“His accent’s not that great,” Mason grumbles. 

You notice her frown. 

“You don’t really like him, do you,” you say. 

“I don’t like the looks he gives you,” she says before growing quiet. 

“Oh, are you jealous?” you ask with a tiny grin.

Mason shakes her head.

“No, I mean-yeah but you could do so much better,” she rambles. 

“Oh, and you’d be much better?” you joke. 

Mason blinks and slides closer toward you. She takes your hand, intertwining it with your own. 

“Could I show you?” she whispers, pulling you towards her. 

You shiver and nod, tilting your head. Mason takes initiative, meeting your lips in a kiss. Her lips are soft and firm as she moves her hands to your cheeks. You return the kiss fully, resting your arms around the back of her neck. She pulls back only a bit to look at you, eyes searching for something. 

“What is it?” you ask desperately. 

Mason reaches to push a strand of hair behind your ear before biting her lip. 

“I, I want to try something--with you I mean,” she says quickly. 

“Oh,” you say, quickly catching onto what she’s suggesting. 

“I  just want to kiss you again,” Mason admits, “and just feel you--only if you’d want me to that is.”

You grin nervously and pull her into another kiss. 

“Yes, b-but what do I do, I’ve never--”

Mason silences you with a kiss. 

“This is about you,” she whispers against your lips, “let me focus on you.”

You nod as she kisses you with more passion, hands rubbing down your sides and gripping your hips. A breath escapes your lips as you tangle your fingers in her curly hair. Her mouth moves to your throat, placing kisses along your sensitive skin. One hand stays on your jaw while the other moves lower, down your shirt, touching your chest a bit before her fingers rest on the belt of your cargo pants. 

“Mason,” you moan. 

Mason leans back up to kiss you again, deeply this time. 

“What do you want me to do?” she rasps.  

“Keep going,” you whisper. 

Mason nods and presses a quick kiss to your cheek and then another one to your lips again. She keeps the kiss going as she fiddles with your belt, taking it off and undoing the buttons. You waited for her to off your pants, but she didn’t. She only reached down, rubbing her fingers in your rather sensitive region. Your hands clutch onto her as her lips trace the underside of your jaw. She does this for a few moments before slipping her fingers under your underwear, making you jerk with pleasure. Once she eases you, she starts a slow rhythm. 

“M-Mason,” you groan as you wrap your arms around her. 

“I-I’m here,” she breathes, “tell me, let me know.”

“I-I’m close,” you groan, burying your face into her neck. 

Mason speeds up and moments after you feel a wave of pleasure wash through your entire body. She cuts off your cry with a kiss, her fingers slowing as her pace decreases. You sigh as she removes her fingers. 

“How was that?” she asks with an attentive look. 

You answer her with a deep kiss. 

“Amazing,” you say. 

Mason grins smugly. 

“Better than him?”

You only bring her back to your lips as your make-out leads to much more that night.   

[readbeneaththelines]

Dancing On My Own

I just had to write this… I love this song, and it is so heartbreaking. Sooo, ofc I had to write something that goes along with it.

Characters: Dancer!Jimin x Dancer!Reader

Genre: Angst, nothing but pure angst, injury to reader

word Count: 2037

Song: Dancing on my Own by Robyn/Callum Scott

Somebody said you got a new friend

Does she love you better than I can?

There’s a big black sky over my town

I know where you’re at, I bet she’s around

After five years of being Jimin’s dance partner, and three years as his girlfriend, you knew him like the back of your hand. Or, so you thought. So when wekks of him staying at the studio until the early morning hours, and the influx of meetings, you began to feel something was amiss. 

Chorin: are you coming to the club tonight?

Y/N: I think  i will stay home and wait on Jimin

Chorin: Girl… whatever… love you bye

Y/N: Love you too boo  bye

You curled up on the couch, still in your dance attire from teaching classes all day. You had your favorite bottle of wine sitting on the table beside you, third glass in the works. Your head was a tad fuzzy, but you really wanted to wait up for him. 

Chorin: He’s here!

Y/N; Who? Where?

Chorin: Jimin! At the club

Chorin: Y/N I think you need to get here

Y/N: I’m tired. Are you sure its him?

Chorin: I’m not that drunk Y/N! Yes I’m sure and I don’t think he’s alone

Your heart sank. You had your suspicions, but you didn’t want to believe them. At that moment your world was turned upside down, the darkness outside matching your pain. Thunder crashed in the distance, the beating of your broken heart able to be heard over the loud, resounding cracks. You thought back to when this all started. It was when she arrived. The new dancer to your company. Jimin had hired her to help lighten your instruction load, and she really was a talented dancer. At first you had dismissed their friendly banter, chalking it up to him making her feel welcomed. A few times you would see them working on a choreo together, and the way they moved was all to familiar for your liking. But yet, you still dismissed it. He loved you, and he would never cheat on you. You kept telling yourself that, over and over, wanting desperately to believe it.

And yeah, I know it’s stupid

But I just gotta see it for myself

After Chorin’s last text, you needed to see for yourself. Finishing the glass of wine in one gulp, you grabbed your keys, slid on your shoes, and headed out the door. You weren’t going to let yourself feel anger, just yet. You wanted to see it first hand before you let yourself feel anything. Pulling into a parking spot at the club, you exited your car and strode quickly to the doors. There was less of a line, considering the late hours, but you had to find a way in. You texted your best friend.

Y/N: I’m here. Can you get me in?

Chorin: ofc give me two secs

Just as you put your phone away, you were being led in. Chorin was part owner of the club, and you had no problem getting in anytime you wanted. 

“Y/N, hun. I had to let you know.I’m sorry to drag you out her so late.” Her face was etched in regret and sorrow. “Where is he? Are you really sure it was him you saw?” She nodded apologetically. Lifting her hand, she pointed toward the dance floor. “He’s out there, dancing.” You cut her off. “With her.” Another sad nod. 

You weaved your way through the sea of sweaty bodies, the scent of salt and liquor filling your nostrils. Then you saw it. His arm stretching over his head. You knew that arm and hand anywhere. That arm had held you so many times before, that hand had touched you a thousand times over. But now, it held another hand. 

I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh oh oh

I’m right over here, why can’t you see me, oh oh oh

And I’m giving it my all, but I’m not the guy you’re taking home, ooh

I keep dancing on my own

You made your way to the outskirts of the crowd, climbing the few steps to the upper level, and out of the glaring lights. You watched as he pulled her close, his hands splayed across her stomach as he mimicked her movement behind her. That all to familiar way they were in synch made your heart pound and your soul die. Closing your eyes, you remembered when he danced with you like that. How your bodies were as one when you danced together. Opening your eyes slowly, you now knew why you had spent the past few months dancing the same motions on your own. Because now he was dancing them with her. His lips that always had always kissed you good night were now kissing another. Tears filed your eyes as you watched them walk off the floor to a round of applause. He scanned the crowd and smiled at his admirers and then at her.

I’m just wanna dance all night

And I’m all messed up, I’m so out of line, yeah

Stilettos and broken bottles

I’m spinning around in circles

You had seen enough. Stromning out of the club, you ignored Chorin’s cries of your name. You slid in the drivers seat, not knowing where you were going, just knowing you didn’t want to be there. You stopped at the nearest liquor store, grabbing two bottles of their most expensive whiskey. There was one place you knew no one would be. The studio you shared with him. You nearly jumped the curb as you peeled into the lot, not caring to keep your car between the lines. Fumbling with the keys, you finally opened the door, heading directly for the main studio room.

You unscrewed the top on the bottle, tilting it up to your lips and throwing your head back. It burned as the liquid traveled down your throat. Anything to numb the pain, anything to forget the memories. You danced, the volume at full blast as music filled the room. After the first hour had passed, you went to take another swig of your ‘heartbreak remedy’. When nothing landed on your tongue, you threw the bottle down, shards of glass scattering everywhere. Looking down at it thoughtfully, you imagined that each glimmering shard was a piece of your heart. Thrown and shattered because it was empty. Empty.  Broken.

You danced to your heart’s content. Leaps and twirls that made your already scattered mind spin round and round. You could recall the dances your performed with Jimin at Charity events. THe way he would spin you like the tiny ballerina in your childhood music box. Alway precise, always perfect. The way he would hold you close, as you both glided across the dance floor, every eye on you in adoration. You stopped, but only long enough to open the second bottle. You no longer felt the burn, you were almost there. Almost numb enough to not feel the pain that tore at your soul. You steps were now faltering, clumsily stepping into the broken glass on the floor beneath your feet. At least you were so far gone you couldn’t feel them cutting into the soles of your bare feet. 

So far away but still so near

The lights come up, the music dies

But you don’t see me standing here

I just came to say goodbye

As Jimin stepped off the dance floor, Chorin was there to meet him. He wasn’t sure which came first, the sting of her hand across his cheek or her screaming at him. “You son of a bitch!” Jimin stood there, stunned. “Do you have any idea what you have done? She was here! She saw everything. You asshole. Did you hear me? Everything!” Jimin was still a bit confused from how Chorin was acting, until it dawned on him. You had been there. You had seen everything. Every. Little. Thing. He left the woman standing, dumbfounded, as he sped past Chorin. His feet carried him as fast as they could. He climbed into his car, hitting speed dial on his phone. Of course you didn’t answer, why would you. He drove to the one place he knew that you went to for an escape. The place he always did too. When he pulled up, he could already hear the music blaring through the window of the main studio. Hanging his head low, he knew he had to face you. He had to try to explain. Had to do what exactly? How does one tell someone they loved, that they were having an affair? How do you tell that person that the other one meant nothing? How do you tell them you regret what you did, only probably because they got caught? How do you not break them anymore than they already were? He didn’t have the answers, but he had to talk to you. 

Fear filled him when he saw you through the observation windows. There you were, swaying mindlessly to the music, bloodied footprints scattered all around the wooden floor, another half empty of liquor in one hand. He watched, frozen in his place as you spun into the broken fragments that represented your heart and more blood flowed from the bottoms of your feet. He opened the door, flicking the remainder of the lights on. You tripped over your own feet when the sudden brightness startled you. From the corner of your eye, you captured a blurry figure running across your field of vision. Squinting, you tried to focus on the person that had turned the music off. 

“Y/N!” you knew that voice, but you were so drunk by now you couldn’t remember your own name practically. You felt two strong hands lift you up and carry you to the far wall. You couldn’t help but laugh as those same hands picked up one foot. The audible wince meant nothing to you. “Y/N, what have you done?” 

Recognition flashed, and he came into focus. Your laughter immediately turned to tears when you saw the look of worry etched across his forehead. “Don’t touch me. Don’t you dare touch me with the same hands that touched her!” You screamed, kicking at him with your splintered glass filled feet. “Just leave, Jimin. Go home with her. Take her to your home, cause it is no longer my home.” Your sobs echoed of the walls as you fought of his hands as he tried to help you. “Y/N! Your feet are bleeding and full of glass. We need to get you to the hospital.” You couldn’t believe he was even considering taking you anywhere. “We? We are not doing anything. You, on the other hand, you are leaving. I never want to see your face again Park Jimin! I never, ever want to hear the sound of your voice in my head again. You, you are dead to me. Do you hear me? Dead. I don’t give a fuck if I ever dance again!” You took a deep breath, calming yourself enough so he could understand you next words. 

“I don’t care if I never dance again. Because if I’m not dancing with you, I don’t want to dance on my own. Goodbye Jimin.” You turned away from him, burying your face in you hands as you pulled your knees up to your chest. “Y/N, please, just let me explain.” Through the small space you had created you screamed back at him once more. “Leave Jimin, and never come for me again!” 

With a heavy sigh, he stood up, walking to the door. He took one last look at the shattered glass and then at you. One the reflection of the other. He called Chorin on his way out, making sure she came and took care of you. Just as the front doors closed behind him, he heard the music start up once again. This song that belong to the two of them. Your song. He knew that you would never dance to it again. Because you would never dance on your own again.

[eternaljouska]

Redamancy, Chapter 2 - Lee Jihoon

Pairing: Husband!JihoonxReader

Genre: Angst, the tiniest amount of Fluff (hopefully)

Chapter: one | TWO | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | end | epilogue |

Word Count: 2.9K

A/N: Thank you for everyone who have read the first chapter. I’m extremely thankful for the reception this story got so far. Alright. There are a lot of tears, but enjoy!

–

It’s been two weeks since Jihoon exhausted his tear ducts in the watch of Seungkwan that night and his two other members on the next. His eyes are heavy and barely open. The moment when they involuntarily close is rare, only for a few hours in every two to three days. He hardly eats; his main nutrient intake is caffeine. Well, yeah, nutrient. And this is very disconcerting for his members. Seungcheol, their leader, took this upon himself to report to the company so that they would release Jihoon from any creative obligations for the time around. And Soonyoung, being the other witness to Jihoon’s breakdown, contacted Jihoon’s mom in hope that she would be able to coax her son to eat and take care of himself and his children.

Jaemin and Jimin stayed at Seungkwan’s for the first two days. At first, they were excited, but when their grandmother picked them up, they couldn’t help but feel a little bit anxious. Jaemin expressed his worry out loud as the three of them entered their silent house, “Where’s Mom?”

Mrs. Lee took a long breath, contemplating to make up some lies before she relented and chose to let the boys know her version of the truth. “Jaemin, Jimin, dear, your mom is in the hospital. But, she is okay. She is just tired. She will just sleep for a few weeks in the hospital, and then she’ll be home again.” She gave them the most sincere smile she could muster as Jimin started to sob.

“Is it- Is it because of u-us? We always ask Mommy to read. We always ask her to read us some- some story before we sleep. W-we ask Mommy to sing also.”

“Jimin, dear,” Mrs. Lee began again with tears in her eyes.

“Jimin gets bad dreams whenever Mommy reads about the Big Bad Wolf. And- And Jimin would look for Mommy. She’s always on the couch. May-maybe Mommy has bad dreams too. And Daddy is not home yet to keep Mommy safe. W-we shouldn’t ask her to read the Big Bad Wolf.”

Mrs. Lee reached for the boys and hugged them tightly. “Shh, dear, this is not your fault, okay? Your mommy will be okay. She’s not having a bad dream this time. That’s why she sleeps too soundly. Don’t be sad or angry because she sleeps too much, okay?”

Jaemin, who started to cry at the proposal of Jimin’s idea, slowly recovered and put a brave expression on his face. “It’s okay. Mommy can sleep for as long as she wants. I won’t let the Big Bad Wolf disturb Mommy.”

“Is- Is Daddy with Mommy, Grandma?” Jimin added, “I-if we can’t fight the Big Bad Wolf, and- and he would come to Mommy’s dream… If the bad dream wakes her, she’ll need Daddy.”

Mrs. Lee tries to swallow her sob, but she fails. She knew how rare it was for her son to be home, and she knew that you’re very understanding about that. But it hurt her enormously to know that even their youngest child needed to try to understand and accept the absence of his father. “Your daddy never leaves her side.” She chuckles in between her sobs. “That’s why I’m here. You boys are smarter than your daddy. Your daddy is so scared that the Big Bad Wolf will come he doesn’t even leave your mommy to eat or take a bath. I have to scold him like a little boy.”

The two boys laughed at their grandmother’s comment, and Jaemin raised his hands to wipe Mrs. Lee’s tears with his little fingers. “Don’t worry, Grandma. We are smarter than Daddy.”

“Grandma,” Jimin called out. “But can we see Mommy? We promise we’ll be good. We won’t be too loud.”

“Soon, dear. Soon.”

Mrs. Lee brought the boys to the hospital a few days after that, on Saturday, the supposed deadline for Jihoon’s demos. He naturally forgot about them. For God’s sake, even his kids slipped out of his mind until he heard the excited voice of Jimin calling for him.

“Daddy!” He ran with his arms wide open towards Jihoon who instinctively dropped down from his chair to kneel and catch his son in a hug. Jihoon tried to smile and wear his happiest face, but his red eyes didn’t escape the attention of his extraordinary boys.

Jaemin released his grandma’s hand and walked slowly towards Jihoon, “Are you okay, Daddy? Is Mommy okay? Did the Big Bad Wolf come?”

A single line grew in between Jihoon’s eyebrows as he looked up to his mother, who only stared back at him as if she’s going to cry. “Did the Big Bad Wolf come, Daddy?” Jimin repeated.

“No. No, the Big Bad Wolf can’t go inside the hospital. No need to worry.” He raised his hands to pet his sons’ heads. He only knows a little about the Big Bad Wolf. That’s a recurring role in many of Jaemin’s bedtime stories, and probably Jimin’s too. He just assumed that you still read them stories even when he never helped you with it anymore.

“Then it’s okay. Grandma also said that Mommy sleeps in the hospital so that the Big Bad Wolf won’t disturb her. And now you’re here. So if Mommy’s having a bad dream, she doesn’t need to be afraid. Just like when Jimin has a bad dream from the Big Bad Wolf, and he stays with Mommy on the couch,” Jaemin said.

A single tear escaped Jihoon’s right eye, and before his kids question him further, he enveloped both of them in his tightest embrace, which made the two boys chuckled. “Yes, Daddy’s here.” He kissed the crown of their heads and whispered to himself, “I am here.”

Jihoon was sleeping when he feels the slightest movement on your fingers that he holds. He jerks up from his seat, his heart bursting with hope. “Y/n. Y/n? Baby, you awake?” He leans towards you, speaking softly while caressing your cheek. He waits for a few seconds, but when only the clock answers to him, he rushes to the door in search of help. “Doctor?! Nurse? Anyone!”

He sees two nurses: one then follows him inside, and the other goes to get the doctor. Jihoon explains that he felt your finger moved when he was asleep. The doctor’s arrived not so long after that. He does some IV, pupillary, and other check-ups as Jihoon’s eyes go back and forth from your face to the doctor’s. His heart is beating so fast that he thinks he might need some check-ups himself. He bites on his nail, a habit he unknowingly took from you. And all of his worries at the moment are washed away as the doctor turns to him with a small smile, “She’s out of the coma. But remember, Mr. Lee, when she wakes up, you might need to give her time to adjust first. Her brain has shut down for quite some time. Don’t forget that she might also need to relearn a few things.”

Light catches Jihoon’s eyes as he smiles, “Yes, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.”

“Alright. I’ll leave you then. Call for me when she’s conscious.”

Jihoon acknowledges the doctor and takes his chair closer to your side and sits down, hands clutching your right one. He kisses the back of your hand a few times before he moves to give a lingering one on your forehead. “You’ll be okay, baby. I’ll be here when you open your eyes. I’ll be here.”

Jihoon is struggling to keep his eyes from closing in the wee hours of the next morning. He promises you he’ll be there when you wake up, and he means it. Although he’ll still be technically seated by your side, he refuses to enter the dreamland and miss the flutter of your lids, which is happening right this moment. The chair produces a screeching sound when Jihoon jumps out of it. One of his hand reaches for your cheek while the other one stays on yours, his teeth biting on his lower lips. His eyes are unblinking now, the drumming of his heart a faithful accompaniment to the unimaginative lyrics of ‘please’ in his head.

The movement of your fingers is minute, but he notices. He tightens his hold on your palm and voices his pleas, “Come on, Y/n. Open your eyes for me, baby. Please.”

And you oblige.

A relieved sigh escapes his lips, along with a chuckle, tears brimming over the edge of his eyes. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

You blink and then frown.

You fail to process anything around you, and you try to speak but your jaw is too stiff, and your mouth is too dry. Again, Jihoon notices your struggle. “Shh, it’s okay. Wait here for a sec, okay? I’ll call the doctor.” And with one last teary look at you, he disappears outside your room.

Your left shoulder throbs. Your head throbs. But the rest of you are numb. Your mind is numb. You are freezing, but you can feel the sweat starting to trickle down your neck and back. A tremble starts on your fingers and spreads like a wildfire to slap your whole body awake, your breath becoming shallower as the second goes. Jihoon’s panic face is the last thing your eyes manage to capture before they give up and yank you back into the dark.

Faintly, you hear him screams your name. You feel exhausted, and within the haze, you wonder why there’s only Jihoon in your room. You feel like giggling as you remind yourself to ask him that when you wake up again later.

You’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last five days. It’s normal, the doctor said, when Jihoon vigorously convinced him that he hadn’t dreamed of you waking up—he saw your eyes opened. And just like that early morning, he holds your hand tight and close to his tender lips when your lids flutter open once again. Jihoon gasps out your name as you squint your eyes due to the brightness of the white room.

You feel a bit better, your body still numb but you can process your surroundings. You try to move your head to look at Jihoon only to see tears in his eyes. “Hi,” he whispers with a small smile.

And you feel like giggling again. You remember your question from when you heard Jihoon screamed. You’ll ask him, but first, “Hi.” Your voice is hoarse, and Jihoon is quick to give you a glass of water while helping you to raise your head.

“Better?”

You nod before you clear your throat and say, “My shoulder.”

He chuckles a little, “It’s okay. Take it easy. You had a fracture, left shoulder and arm. The doctor said you’ll recover in about six weeks, or about three weeks from now.”

You nod again. “So I guess, I was out for three weeks?” And you see Jihoon’s expression turns somber, so you refrain yourself for asking what happened. The most important thing is that now you’re okay, or at least you will be, in three more weeks. Instead, you opt to ask him the burning question in your head. “Why are you here alone?” To your surprise, Jihoon’s face contorts, and he breaks down in tears.

“I’m sorry, the kids are at Seungkwan’s since last week. Since it’s closer. I’m so sorry, I-I just can’t leave you alone.”

“Shh, now. It’s okay. I’m okay, shh.” You free your right hand from Jihoon’s and bring it around his figure. “Shh, it’s okay.”

“I was scared. I am scared, Y/n. I thought… I thought you’re gonna… And it’s all gonna be my fault.” He sobs into your neck, your hand moves from his head to his shoulder as you remove him from your embrace.

“Your fault? What… What happened?”

“You- you were in a car accident, and it’s- It’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Y/n, I’m sorry.”

“Please, I don’t… I don’t get it. Why? Did- did you drive?

He shakes his head once and looks down to his hand. “Then it’s not your fault. It’s okay.”

You search for his eyes, but he continues to shake his head. “No, Y/n, you don’t understand. We- we fought. I used your car, and you asked me to pick up the kids, and I- I was still mad, and- and you took the cab, and you had an accident, and it’s all because of me. I- I should’ve just picked them up, but instead I… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Oppa, look at me. Calm down. Calm down.” You raise his chin with your fingers so that you can meet his eyes.

“Please, please forgive me. I couldn’t imagine living without you. I couldn’t imagine never be able to apologize to you. I’m a jerk. I’m the worst. I should’ve just picked them up. They’re my kids, too. And now I left them with my mom at Seungkwan’s. I’m such a jerk. I’m-“

“Hold on,” you cut him in the middle of his speech. “Stop right there. What did you say?”

Jihoon is lost. He was so caught up in his remorse and apology that he can’t understand why you stopped him or what you’re asking him. “What?”

“Your kids? They’re your kids, too? Who… What are you-“

“What?” Your question throws him out of balance, his own question coming out as a gasp, and he can’t seem to make his brain to work.

You and Jihoon look at each other with deep frowns on each of your foreheads. The sound of the clock’s hand is deafening, and time flows leisurely as your lungs try to outspeed it. “I thought- I thought when you said the kids are at Seungkwan’s you meant the other members. But- Oppa, I- I-“ Your head aches, and the time is now running with your lungs. You keep calling out for Jihoon, but you can’t hear your own voice.

Jihoon, on the other hand, is looking at you as if you’ve stabbed him so that he can’t follow you to your race. Tears are streaming down his face as he struggles to form his sentences. “Baby, you don’t… you don’t remember? They’re our kids, our boys, Jaemin and Jimin, uh?” He looks at you, but you don’t know anything he’s saying. You shake your head while he continues to prod on you, “We- You asked to name our youngest after BTS’ Jimin. Do you remember?” He chuckles in between his own sobs, but it only makes your breathing harder.

You can see the pain in his eyes when he sees you keep shaking your head in tears, your lips mouthing his name. “But- but you remember me, right? Right? We- we married eight years ago. Baby, you don’t-“ Jihoon stops himself when he heard you wheeze. “Shit. Take a breath, please. Please, please, it’s okay. Take a breath. Doctor! Please someone, nurse! Doctor!”

Jihoon sits outside, placing his head on his left palm as he searches for Seungkwan’s name on his contact list and calls him. He picks up on the second ring. “Hyung? Hyung! What happened? Why are you crying? Hyung?”

For a few moments, only sobs are audible from Jihoon’s side of the phone. Until he cuts Seungkwan’s panic outburst with his broken voice, “She- she’s awake. She’s alive. She’s alive, Seungkwan.”

Seungkwan lets out a loud sigh, “Oh, God. Thank God. You scared me, Hyung. I thought something bad happened. How’s she?” He waits for Jihoon to respond, but the latter only sobs harder. “Hyung? Hyung? You can stop crying. She’s okay now. She’s awake. Hyung, she’s okay, right? Hyung, talk to me! Hyung!”

“She- she- she doesn’t remember. Seungkwan, she doesn’t-“

“What?!” Seungkwan is silence for a good second. He audibly takes a long, shaky breath as he recalls the day you’re admitted before he weakly continues, “So the prediction’s correct, huh?. I’m… I’m sorry, Hyung. What did the doctor say?”

“He’s inside. With her.” Jihoon runs his fingers through his hair. He grits his teeth when he speaks again. “I know something’s off when she called me oppa. She never does after we’re together. What am I supposed to do, Seungkwan? I can’t- I’m so stupid. So so stupid. I should’ve-“

“Hyung! Stop that! You should stop blaming yourself. What happened, happened, and it’s not your fault, okay? The doctor said it’s temporary. We can help her remember.”

“But the doctor doesn’t even know how long temporary’s gonna be! It can’t be forever. Seungkwan, it can’t be. She can’t live without remembering any of these. And I-“

“Hyung!” Seungkwan snaps at him. “Listen to me. You can’t be like this. Not when she needs you. You have to be strong for her. How… What is the last thing she remembers, do you know?”

“She knows me, us Seventeen. She thought- she thought I was talking about you guys when I mentioned the kids.” At this point, Jihoon’s sobs have subdued. He stands up and watches the doctor talking with the nurse.

“Okay. She’s not far behind, I hope. At least we’re not strangers to her. Now, we need to know what year she thinks we’re in. I’m on my way. Take care, Hyung.”

Jihoon ends the call and faces the doctor, “How is she?”

–

[kiwi-cake]

Spoiled (Sugar Daddy!Calum) part 8

A/N this has got to be the shortest time between updates ever for me! Enjoy! Happy Holidays!

masterlist

read part 7 here

or read part 1 here

You practically darted out of the room, hurrying up the stairs to the part of the house that split into two wings. Whatever Michael had said on the phone must have done the trick, because as you approached the landing, Calum was rushing out of the forbidden hallway, Charlotte trailing closely behind him.

“Hey, bunny.” He perked up grabbing your hand and squeezing it tightly before letting it go and hurrying down the stairs. His behaviour was certainly a stark difference from last night. It was almost as if the tension between the two of you, which you had found so troubling, was insignificant to him. But on the other hand, his recent gesture had made you feel guilty. Over the years Calum had done nothing but look out for you, he always had your interests in mind, and here you were about to snoop through a room he specifically asked you to keep out of. He had full trust in you, and you were about to betray it.

Actually, if he really trusted you, then what could be so bad about you knowing his occupation. And in fact, as the memory of him hardening against you, and scolding you just before you fell asleep flooded your mind, you thought it couldn’t be you that had put him in a good mood. All you had done was made him cross, maybe she had done something to cheer him up instead. Confliction ruled through your mind as you pushed forward, through the hall you were once welcomed down, and into the cool, modern office.

You had kind of hoped that all you need would be sitting right on top of his desk, but he was smarter than that. Even when he was leaving his office unattended for just a moment, he had taken the time to slide any files into a drawer. You weren’t sure how much time you had, so you ran around to the other side of the desk, and hastily gripped one of the handles, but it didn’t budge. Locked. Of course it was locked. You pulled the other three drawers and found them all to be locked as well.

But surely there was something else in this room that you could work with. You moved across the room and began pulling at the handle of every file cabinet, hoping one of them would give way to you. But there had to be something in the room you could work with, or why would he keep you out? You circled the room, trying to pull your brain out of its slump and work with the adrenaline coursing through your veins, your heart was beating quickly and you had no idea how much time had passed since you entered the room.

If there wasn’t anything you could grab now, you’d just have to do all you could to help yourself succeed in the future...like the door! If you could find a way to make the door open for you later, you could come back when you were sure he was out of the office, maybe you could find a key while he was sleeping? He always slept more than you do, but he had to sleep at some point. Pulling a few paperclips from his desk, you bent them so that they were as dense as possible then shoved them into the grove in the door, where the lock clicked. Testing your work, you pulled the door and watched it shut slowly. When the door made contact with the frame you heard the sound of contact but no click, meaning it hadn’t locked. Now as long as the door was shut with some urgency, the sound of wood hitting wood should mask the sound of the lock, or in this case the absence thereof.

Happy to have accomplished something you open the door, only to immediately catch sight of two figures turning into the hallway. Thankfully your body finally decided to respond to the adrenaline as you quickly made your way across the room, the carpet of the room capturing the sound of your feet hitting the ground. The filing cabinet in the far corner of the room offered just enough room between it and the wall for a person to slip through, and you planned to take full advantage of it. You pressed yourself between the two objects, thankful to see that the height of the cabinet surpassed you and adequately concealed you.

You tried to slow your heavy breathes as the loud sound of footsteps neared. Your quick thinking had bought you time, but not safety, how the hell were you going to get out of here? Listening anxiously, you suddenly picked up on the sound of a third, frantic pair of steps running down the hallway.

“Wait!” echoed through the hall and you immediately attached the voice to Michael. All footsteps stopped, just before reaching the door. “It’s just a form, I need it signed before I can continue, can’t do anything without it, I need you to come downstairs again for just a sec.” You heard Michael project, he was speaking so loudly you wondered if he was trying to make sure you heard it. A moment later you made out Calum’s reluctant response and retreating footsteps. You pulled yourself out from the cabinet and crept towards the door. You waited for the footsteps to descend the last steps, before throwing yourself out the door and nearly running straight into someone.

Backing up quickly, you locked eyes with Charlotte, who had been standing by the door waiting with her arms crossed.

“What the hell? Oh..this is too good. You’ve resorted to snooping.” She teased but you were still thinking on your feet.

“You can’t prove anything.” You spat, composing yourself and cooly, but as quickly turned on your heel, strutting, rather quickly, out of the hallway, and up the second flight of stairs towards your bedroom. Closing the door behind you, you pressed your back against the door trying to catch your breath. She had seen, clear as day, she had seen you running out of that office. And you knew she was going to snitch, she had no reason not to, but you also knew that what you had said was true; she had no proof.

You waited by the door for a moment, both to calm yourself and be sure that Calum was back in his office, before opening the door and making your way downstairs again. Maybe Calum would believe Charlotte when she tells him about how she saw your panicked face as you dashed out of his office, maybe he wouldn’t, but you knew that either way, he wouldn’t confront you yet. You padded down the first set of steps and turned your head, happy to see that his doorway was in fact closed, and made your way back downstairs, finding Michael in the kitchen. He was sat with cheek in palm looking all to interest in you.

“Did you make it out?”

“Barely.” You responded plopping down on the barstool.

“Did you find anything out?”

“Well he locks all his drawers, and he didn’t leave anything out so...no. But I did mess with the lock so I can get in again if I can get the keys!” You offered hopefully.

“Boo.” he sighed. “You should’ve grabbed his laptop, I could get into that easily.”

“No.” You shook your head, “His laptop wasn’t in there, but even if it was, he’s observant I can’t take anything he’d notice.” You thought carefully for a moment. “Is there any way you could access his computer...from outside his computer?”

“Well, I could always bring in an empty laptop and try to wirelessly copy his data onto it...But that takes time, and I’d have to be in range.”

“Great so let’s do that.” You jumped.

“We can, and that’ll answer that question about his occupation, but his love affair is still a mystery.” he reminded me. “You’re not going to get any information on that one unless you catch him in the act, or maybe if you can get on his phone.”

“I’ll never get his phone.” You groaned.

“Are you above spy cameras?” he asked.

“Certainly not.” You smiled.

yooooo things are about to get crazy! Please please send feedback!

liz

[leal-5]

Tomb of Time Destiny: Chapter 16

Erza POV

We were walking with Natsu and Gajeel the next morning, telling them of Phantom Lord’s layout from the inside when the guards called down to open the gates. Simon wanted Jose to believe that he could have the Fairy Tail so we could attack Phantom Lord. If war came, they were ready for that, too. Years of having to hold back, of not being able to invite full-on war, was about to end. Fury and greed could have their full sway.

And it all hinged on the crazy arrival of four girls from the twenty-first century. Go figure.

We all paused and watched as an old, hunched-over man came limping into the courtyard, pulling a mule, which in turn pulled a cart loaded with hay. Two guards moved in on the old man to search his robes, but as soon as the gates screeched closed behind him, he lifted his hood and straightened and someone else rose from underneath the hay cursing and shaking hay out of his hair. The guards took a step back and laughed.

It took a sec, but then I knew.

It was Jellal and Gray in disguise.

Jellal grinned at the knights while Gray annoyedly pulled hay from his hair while saying something I couldn’t quite hear. Natsu laughed loudly while pointing at Gray, clearly trying to taunt him. Gajeel rolled his eyes but approached his siblings nonetheless.

Jellal's father and Simon entered the courtyard from the Great Hall.

I tapped Juvia's hand twice and she nodded. Simultaneously, we turned on our heels and fled in opposite directions.

I thought I was ready to see Jellal. I wasn’t.

Also, Jellal's father would totally freak if we didn’t stay as far apart as possible. It was also best Juvia stay away from him too, his dad could think she’s trying to get us together. Simon had tried to tell him of what was to come, of a potential attack, of reinforcements … that it was all because us, really, and it seemed to send the old man over the edge. He had become more serious and calculating.

I heard Jellal call out my name- I all but screeched in terror- but I continued my escape. I would see him later. When I got myself together. After he’s had the chance to say hello to his siblings and Simon. Or maybe I wouldn’t have to. Maybe I’d do my part, They’d do theirs, and Juvia, Lucy, Levy, and I could just get to the tomb and get the heck out of here.

“Erza,” he called, sounding exasperated, still coming after me.

I paused and slowly turned.

We were alone in a corridor.

He ran a hand through his blue hair, and it flopped right back into place. His hand fidgeted with the hilt of his sword as he moved toward me, unsure of himself- had I ever seen him unsure of himself?

“Is everything alright, Jellal?” I asked, and I immediately felt like slapping myself.

“Everything is fine,” he said eagerly, taking my words as welcome, still approaching. “A false rumor of an attack has been spread. The town soldiers moved out this morning. Jose will think it’s a sign that this is the night to attack. He’ll think the town’s soldiers are distracted, not waiting less than half an hour away to come to our aid.”

I really wasn’t concentrating on what he was saying. All I could think about was him, here, so close. In his enthusiasm and excitement, he had moved but a foot from me. I continued to retreat until my back bumped up against the end wall. I looked back in surprise and then to my door, then to him. He stared down at me, as if recognizing, for the first time, how he affected me.

“Jellal, Jose will have spies out, in all directions. If he catches word that there are reinforcements…” I said, my panic rising.

“No,” he said soothingly, face alight. “Jose will only hear what we want him to hear.”

“If he catches your messenger…” I swallowed hard. “Jellal, he has my sisters down in his dungeon. He threatened to do horrible things to them.”

The muscles in his jaw tensed, and all trace of anticipated glory disappeared in his concern over my sisters. I couldn’t look into his warm eyes any longer. They were covering me, pulling me in. I looked down. I felt the heat of a deep blush climb my neck as I try to steady my breathing.

Jellal reached out and took my face in the curve of his warm hand. He waited until I looked back up to him. “So the warrior is not made of stone.”

Stone? Stone? He thought I was made of stone?

He lifted his hand to brush my bangs out of my eyes and leaned down to look into my them. “You are courageous, Erza. And clever. And strong. Both you and your sister. Remember that, in the thick of battle. You can use all three. And Fairy Tail will see to it that neither Jose nor Mard Geer ever has the opportunity to harm either you or your sisters.”

They were brave words. But only words.

And yet I wanted to believe them then. I needed to believe them.

But we were much too…close.

“All right,” I said. “Thank you.”

Hands off me, buddy. Remember, your heart belongs to someone else. And my heart is apparently… stone. -w-.

(A/N: I kid you not, I almost passed out when I made the following scene so beware.)

I was starting to squirm out of his magnetic pull when he moved an arm around me and tugged me closer. “Erza,” he said lowly, raising his hand again, this time to cup my face and brush his thumb softly on my cheek. A million thoughts raced through my mind as I failed to comprehend what the hell was going on. “There is something I must know,” he said, “something I’ve been wondering about for days.”

“Well, I suggest you talk to Levy, she can most likely help you on whatever you need. She’s read ton of books on all sorts of stuff and could probably help you get a head start on indoor plum-”

He leaned down then and kissed me, effectively silencing me in my rant. It started softly at first, then deeper, searching. I knew I should stop him, push him away, but at the moment I couldn't even remember how to breathe! His lips were so soft and warm I forgot everything else. When he stepped back he looked as dazed as I felt. He rubbed his lower lip with the pad of his thumb, still staring at me intently, as if reliving our kiss and then his eyes sharpened again with a glimmer of victory. He nodded at me. “I was right.”

I put a hand to my forehead and shook my head, frowning more as his smile grew. “No, Jellal. This, this can’t happen.”

“Yes, yes, it can,” he said, grinning, pacing in his excitement.

“Jellal-“

“No, we'll talk tomorrow. When we conquer Phantom Lord and free your sisters. You’ll see, everything will be fine.”

“But Carmen-”

“We are friends, but there is nothing between us. She will understand.” He interrupted.

He looked at me like he totally saw the total opposite end of the spectrum between us. No, no, no, this can’t be happening. Not here. Not now. He couldn’t break up with Carmen for me! Just when I was about to disappear. He would be crushed when I went home.

“So Carmen will recover. But what of the alliance? Fairy Tail is vulnerable out here, on the border. You need her family behind you, Jellal. Remember?” I shook my head. This was crazy. He’d gotten totally off track because of…me?

He shook his head too, slowly. “We just find another way to strengthen Fairy tail. Capturing Phantom Lord will solve many problems.”

I blew out my cheeks. He’d really thought this through. And he was making this so much harder… “Jellal, there is a lot come. Let’s see if we both survive and then we can talk about if it is wise-“

“Wise?” he asked, taking a coil of my hair in his hand and running his fingers down it. “No, this is most definitely unwise,” he said, leaning in until my back was against the wall again. “But sometimes the heart tells us to go where the mind fears to.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I’ll see you in an hour. I need to talk to Simon and my father. Unless you want to join me.”

I shuddered, thinking of Jellal's father. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t think your father would appreciate seeing us together. I’ll stay here.”

He nodded, waiting for me to look at him fully in the eye. “My father will come to see this as I do, Erza.”

“You don’t understand,” I said in exasperation. “This is all happening so fast and right before when all hell breaks loose.”

He smiled and kissed me again, then was off, striding down the hall. “It is happening at just the right time. All of it,” he said, lifting out his arms in exuberance. “You’ll see. You’ll see!”

He lifted the latch and pushed the door outward, letting in a brief burst of sunshine before it banged shut behind him, leaving me in the relative darkness.

“Great,” I muttered to myself “Just great, Erza.” I leaned against the wall, trying to get my head around what had just happened.

How had everything been in perfect just a half hour before?

Because right now, our grand scheme seemed to be in shambles.

I was at my bedroom door, trying to focus enough to open it and lie down for a few minutes, when the courtyard door banged open and Juvia appeared at the end of the hall. “Erza! Erza, come quickly!”

I frowned and rushed down the hall. “What is it?”

“It’s Simon,” she said, almost in tears. “He’s collapsed.”

We ran to the courtyard together. Three Fairy Tail knights were carrying Simon toward us. He was in the midst of a full-scale asthma attack, each breath a horrific seal-like bark. “Take him to his sitting room,” I said.

Juvia looked around for servants, then instructed, “Boiling water, buckets of it. Fresh, lightweight cloth, never used. Lemon, mint, caraway, fistfuls of it. As fast as you can!”

I glanced at Jellal's father, who looked like he was going to have a heart attack now. I called out to Jellal. “Your father get him to his quarters, we’ll send him word.”

Jellal followed my gaze, nodded once, and was off. We raced to follow the men and soon as they had Simon laid out on the wooden settee, I told them to take off his shirt. The muscles between his ribs contracted with each breath. The poor man was working as hard as he could just to inhale one more time.

I took his right hand with my left, and leaned down so he could see my face. “We will help you, Simon. Hold on. Just concentrate on each breath. Do not give in to the fear. Slow it down. Slow it down.” I took a breath with him, staring into his eyes, willing him to match my pace. “You can do this. One breath at a time. In… and out…”

I felt more than saw Natsu move into the room. I took comfort in his presence. But I continued to concentrate on Simon. “Do not give up, Simon. You have come so far. You simply overtaxed yourself. It will be all right, I promise. One breath at a time. There you go.”

I turned to see the three knights, staring at me with wide eyes, and others in the doorway. “Find out where that water is!” I yelled. “We need the boiling water and cloth now!”

The three closest scurried to do as I bid, breaking up the crowd in the hallway. But then the servants were there with the water.

“Tell me what I can do,” Gray said lowly, at Simon’s head, trying not to interrupt our process. There was fear in his eyes, the first I’d ever seen in him.

“Boiling water, two buckets on each side of him. Use the cloth to make a tent above us. Try and seal us in, as best you can. And have them fetch more boiling water. We need steam. Constant steam.” Juvia said.

Gray rose and barked orders.

A maid arrived with the herbs Juvia had asked for.

“Quick as you can, everyone tear all that into piles.” Juvia said while showing them how.

Simon was mouthing words, trying to tell me something. I shook my head furiously. “No. It can wait. Do not try to speak right now. Do you hear me? You breathe, and that’s it. In… and out.” I was about as tender as a drill sergeant. But he was seriously freaking me out. People still died of asthma attacks in the twenty first century. How much harder was it to keep them alive in this dimension?

In two minutes, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel had the cloth spread above us and water inside. It didn’t take long for sweat to drip down my scalp and back, but we weren’t leaving Simon. Not that I could. The man gripped my hand, so hard it scared me all the more. As weak as he was, if he held me like that, he was afraid, deathly-literally-afraid.

Gray was there, on the other side of our makeshift tent. “The herbs are torn, Juvia. Now what?”

“Mix them with olive oil, into a thick paste. Quickly.”

I watched in horror as Simon’s eyes began to roll back. “Simon!”

They slowly rolled back to focus on me.

“Stay with me, Simon. Stay with me.”

His eyes remained locked on mine.

Jellal came under the tent, staring at my flushed, sweaty face, then at his cousin’s, which was almost blue from lack of oxygen. New buckets of water were slid under the tent, the cooling water removed.

“Go over there,” I said to Jellal, nodding to the other side.

I looked back at Simon. “Jellal is here. Juvia and I need to pack your chest. Jellal will hold your hand.”

Jellal gently took his cousins hand from mine, moving it to his side. Simon’s eyes shifted to his cousin, as hungry for encouragement from him as he was from me.

None of us wanted to be alone when we died. A chill ran down my back at the thought, even though it was hotter than hell in there.

“Simon,” I said, helping Juvia apply bunch of the herbal slop- heavy with mint, caraway and lemon- over his chest. “Just focus on breathing. Breathe!” What were we doing? We were guessing at an old recipe of our guardian, hoping we had remembered it right. Hadn’t Levy had a major asthma attack? And hadn’t she put this on her?

I studied him as we placed handful after handful of the stuff on his skin.

We might finish him off if he’s allergic to any of this stuff, but we were desperate. There was nothing left for us to do. We couldn’t just sit there and watch him die.

It took about ten minutes for Simon’ grip to loosen a bit and his face relaxed a teeny bit. Juvia and I all but fainted with relief. I squeezed Juvia's hand when I heard her sniffle and we leaned on each other for support. Simon’s cousins visibly relaxed when they saw our expressions of relief.

“Go get some fresh air, you look like you’re going to faint.” Gray said to us. “We’ll stay with him.”

We nodded and I pulled Juvia from under the edge of the cloth and looked around the room, to a sea of waiting faces. “It has receded a bit,” I said, sinking to a chair beside Juvia. “But keep the boiling water coming. Constantly.” Three set off to do as I asked. Another brought us a cup of cold water, and we gulped it down. Then when we felt more calm we returned under the edge of the tent.

“I think he’s breathing a bit easier,” Natsu said.

I studied the side of Simon’s ribs, where herbs and oil streamed down, and watched the muscles. Just a tiny bit less desperate and lurching. He still sounded like a sick seal, gasping for every bit of air he could take in, but any improvement was a small victory. I into Simon’s eyes. He didn’t look quite so close to giving up, but he was still working so hard… and he was again trying to form words. He looked at Jellal this time.

Jellal rose and leaned closer to him, closing his eyes as if to concentrate on deciphering what Simon was trying to say.

“Jellal,” Juvia complained in a whisper, “he shouldn’t try to speak.”

Jellal held up a finger. After several long minutes, he said something back and lifted his face.

“What’d he say?” I asked.

“He said to carry on with the attack. To leave him with a sword in hand, in case they breach this corridor.”

The knights in the room, clearly hearing Jellal’s words, all cheered.

I put a hand to my forehead. How could we leave Simon struggling like this?

“There is no choice,” Natsu said, reading the question in my eyes. “The plan is already in motion. Your sisters are counting on us to rescue them in a few hours.”

I dragged miserable eyes to Simon and then back to Natsu again.

We might save Levy and Lucy- I really hoped we would save them- but if the Phantom Lord breached this corridor, we would lose Simon.

[nyctolovian]

Ch1

A/N: Heya! I’ve been really tired the past few days but i managed to get off my ass to post this lolllll. Once again, special thanks to @lunasloveliess, @oorubixoo, and @alunaii for helping me to beta-read this!! :)

I originally planned to post a new chapter once every Tuesday but god thats too tiring and i have a life (+ other wip to work on) so.... theres a change in plans! It will not have a fixed schedule but I’ll still try to keep it regular! dun worry!

Okay so we get to the next fun part of torturing Lance even more (i mean,,, thats the entire point of this fic tbh) 

WARNING: Graphic depiction of violence

Lance woke up with a groan. His entire body felt sore. And his head! He rubbed the side of it, and hissed at the stinging sensation.

“What the– What happened?” Gingerly, he pressed the painful spot. A bruise?

He was in a well-lit room with tables and chairs, which were haphazardly shoved to the sides of the room, toppled or broken apart. There had been a struggle or fight or something.

The smell of iron was heavy in the room.

Lance sat up and saw a Galra soldier on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. There was no way she was still alive with that much blood and the flap of flesh dangling at what used to be her throat.

Lance seized up as memories surged back. The distress signal, the capture, the attempted escape, the millions of bottles, the monstrous creature.

Why wasn’t he dead?

He lifted his hand saw it was caked with blood. In fact, both hands were. He felt his throat constrict.

But his hands weren’t wounded. The blood was from elsewhere.

Lance ran his tongue over his lips and cringed as he tasted blood. “Where the heck did that come from?” he muttered to himself.

He did a quick scan of himself. There was no gaping wound or anything of that sort. His back felt like there were glass shards in it, but that was probably because there were glass shards. Otherwise, he was only bruised and battered with a few shallow cuts, most likely from the glass as well.

Did the creature spare him? For what reason?

Maybe it didn’t spare him, so much as it had only sought vengeance from the Galra. It was hard to imagine anyone who would be thankful for being cooped up in a liquid-filled vessel.

But what was he doing here? Did the creature bring him here? For what?

Lance sighed. He decided not to question it. He was alive. That was all that mattered now. That and how he needed to get out. The others must be worried sick.

He rose to his feet, grunting in effort. His vision blacked out for a moment, and Lance had to stretch out his arms to keep himself steady. His sight gradually cleared, although he remained light-headed. The burning sensation in his back intensified, the glass shard relentless, as every other part of his body was aching dully, as though he had been thrown against several walls.

He stumbled out of the room and winced. The corridor was drenched in blood and littered with mauled bodies.

Some of them had their necks ripped through like the Galra in the room. Others had large gash at their torso, their ribs torn apart and left open. The occasional body was missing a limb or two, which could usually be found a couple of metres away, in its own pool of crimson. There were some bodies which were twisted unnaturally, bones snapped in two like toothpicks.

The corridor walls were scratched up and bathed in dark red. Certain parts were slightly charred. They were marks made by Galra blasters.

Then, there were the claw marks on some of the walls. Those clearly were not Galra.

He shuddered.

Jesus. That creature must have gone straight up mad to wreck the place like this. The place reeked of fresh blood and death.

Lance really was lucky to be spared from the massacre. Somehow.

He tried not to breathe in the scent of blood, but it was soon apparent that it was unavoidable. With a resigned sigh, he walked through the corridor, carefully avoiding the corpses.

He needed to find his lion and bayard. Then, he’d get out of here.

Soon, Lance reached a forked road and frowned.

Which way to turn? None of them felt like the right choice. He didn’t even know where he wanted to go in the first place. How on earth would he know if he should turn left or right?

Let’s try left.

He turned that way and continued down the long corridor. Not like he could make an informed decision at this point.

There were several other turns, and he trusted his gut feeling to direct him. It came to him quicker than usual.

Was he becoming another Keith Kogane? Maybe trusting instincts wasn’t that bad since Keith’s premonitions proved right.

After about five minutes of stumbling through the corridors, Lance noticed a familiar yellow figure on the floor. His breath caught in his throat as he dashed and skidded to his knees, uncaring that they would surely be bruised later. “Hunk?!”

He wasn’t… was he? It couldn’t be!

Fingers shaking, Lance held a hand in front of Hunk’s face.

He felt breath! Hunk was breathing!

He nearly collapsed onto his unconscious friend. “Oh, thank goodness.” He pat Hunk several times. “Hunk? Hunk? Wake up.”

When he didn’t respond, Lance’s heartbeat picked up again. He did a quick check on his friend. Hunk didn’t seem to be sustaining any major injuries. Lance turned his unconscious friend onto his back and checked his breathing closely. It seemed normal.

Nothing about Hunk raised any alarms; his life probably wasn’t in danger. Lance patted Hunk’s head, and reassured that he was fine.

The fact that Hunk was mostly unharmed supported Lance’s theory: the monster only attacked and harmed the Galra. Anyone else was left largely unharmed.

His stomach twisted in sympathy for the monster.

That poor fella. It must have been hurt so, so much for it to want vengeance this badly. His heart ached for the tortured soul of the creature, even if it was a scary monster.

With a grunt, Lance grabbed Hunk’s arm and threw it over his shoulder, hissing in pain.

The glass shards. They shifted in his back, digging into his flesh.

Steeling himself, he tried to stand up but tumbled down after every try. He panted with effort. Lance’s head spun violently and his hand shot to the floor to steady himself. It took a few seconds for the world to wobble back in place.

Maybe he had lost more blood than he thought.

Slowly, he placed Hunk back down before scouring through the corridor and the surrounding rooms. Luckily, there was a trolley nearby. He pushed it beside Hunk before half-rolling, half-lifting him onto it as gently as he could.

Lance had to get back to the lions. He sighed and began to push the trolley. When they arrived at a crossroad, Lance peered down all three corridors. This place was a damn maze. He pursed his lips in thought.

Straight ahead?

Lance grunted as he leaned on the handle of the trolley and pushed forward.

Somehow or another, Lance managed to find the lions quickly but their barriers were activated. He knocked on Yellow’s particle barrier and called, “Hey, buddy. Could you open up?” After a small hum of greeting, the yellow lion lowered its barrier and open its mouth for Lance to trolley Hunk in.

He lifted the large guy with a Herculean effort and propped him up on his seat. As a safety precaution so the other boy wouldn’t go tumbling to the floor when they lifted off, Lance strapped Hunk tight with the seatbelt.

When Lance straightened up, he swore he felt his skin rip further. He hissed in pain. To top it all off, his back felt wet. Whether it was blood or cold sweat, he really didn’t know.

Lance sighed loudly. The damn glass shards. He wanted to reach back and just yank them all out. That, of course, would do nothing but make more blood gush out.

Besides, he had better things to do than make his injuries worse.

Slowly so he wouldn’t aggravate his back, he got off the ship and nodded towards the two lions. “Wait for a sec. I still need to get the bayards and armour and stuff. Keep him safe, ‘kay, big guy?” he said, patting Yellow’s leg. “You too, Red.”

When he sensed the soft rumble of acknowledgement from the two lions, he headed back down the hallway, hoping he’d be just as lucky while finding where the bayards and armour were kept.

Walk straight and a fork right up ahead… Turn right.

He turned and continued staggering through the corridor, sighing.

Just a little more.

He made yet another turn at yet another crossroad. But as he walked round the bend, he was hit by a distinct and unwelcome smell.

The rotting stench.

The more he walked, the closer he got to the laboratory, it seemed. The odour only grew stronger and stronger. Truthfully, he didn’t want to go anywhere near that lab. However, he had a strong unexplainable feeling that this was the right direction, so he didn’t turn back.

When he made a turn again, he saw the swinging doors at the end of the corridor. It was the corridor from before. It was empty, save for the spot near the swinging doors, where a large bulge sat in the dark.

Lance pursed his lips. There was a strong urge to investigate it.

You wouldn’t like what you’d see. No point looking.

He pulled his gaze away, focusing on the walls instead. After walking slightly further, he found himself staring into a room. A quick glance was all Lance needed. He spotted their bayards and armour hanging on hooks that weren’t far from the entrance.

Unlike the corridors that smelt like rotting death, this room already reeked of fresh gruesome kill. It was a literal bloodbath in there and Lance hadn’t even stepped in yet. Fortunately, it was dark. He really didn’t want to see more dead people than he must.

Lance glanced at the piles of bodies in the room and did a quick count. It was the same number of druids that had cornered him a while ago.

With a shudder, he turned away, biting the inside of his cheek. The stuff they did was pretty messed up, but surely they shouldn’t have to go through such violent deaths.

No, they did. They would have used you like an experiment if they hadn’t died.

Lance shook his head to clear it. He didn’t want to dwell on that thought. It was too frightening to think about that while standing amongst piles of corpses.

Get what you need and leave.

He steeled himself, held his breath and stepped through the doorway. Quickly, he grabbed the bayards and armour before darting back out into the corridor. Immediately, he put his helmet back on and switched on the communicator.

“Hey, guys?” he tried. “Anyone online?”

“Wait. Lance?” He heard Keith say in disbelief. “Is that Lance?”

Lance laughed at the little crack in his voice, and his chest warmed up at the familiarity of his teammate’s voice.

“It’s him, isn’t it? It’s Lance!” Pidge screamed. “Quiznak, you’re alive!”

There was a flurry of cheers and screaming and talking all at once. Lance couldn’t catch a word they were saying amongst all the noise. “Guys. You need to talk one by one. Can’t understand a word,” he said, a sigh in his voice.

He dropped to the floor and propped his head up on his knees. Feeling a little cold, Lance hugged his legs tightly. His eyelids were heavy with lethargy.

“Shiro and I lost all contact with you!” Coran yelled first.

“I could sense your lions moving away from Regeunde. But I couldn’t do a single thing!” Allura cried. Her voice was wracked with panic and guilt, trembling violently. “I tried to go back to the castle as fast as I could, but–”

“We couldn’t move out of the base! Security was tight and we had to follow for the sentry’s cycle, so we were moving at snail pace. But we’re heading back in now,” Pidge stuttered. “We’re so sorry!”

“Nah. It’s alright now.” Lance chuckled weakly. “Sorry for worrying you guys.”

“Are you okay though, Lance?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah, ‘m fine. A little beat up, but fine. How long has it been?”

“Three vargas!” Keith shouted.

“Geez… No need to yell… My poor ears, Keith. Definitely felt a lot longer than that though. My throat’s all dry.”

“What happened?” Pidge asked. “And where’s Hunk?”

“Apparently, the druids were ordered to stop Voltron from forming. Got dragged into their ship. Hunk’s knocked out or something. He’s in Yellow so he should be safe. Should still check up on him when we get back,” he mumbled. “They’re definitely planning something. Turns out you were right, huh, Keith?”

There was a curt hum from Keith.

Coran said, his voice more composed than before, “I am able to locate you through your communicator now.”

“Hang in there,” Keith said, firm and reassuring. “We’re nearly in the castle.”

Pidge said, “The Galra will most likely have a plan ready if we come to rescue them. We need to be careful.”

Lance bit his lip. “Whatever they’ve got up their sleeves, it probably won’t work now. The entire ship’s wiped out.” His hands were cold and stiff so he rubbed them together.

“What?”

“I’ll… explain later. I don’t feel good talking about that… now,” he said, glancing around the eerily quiet corridor. “Anyway, I’ll try to move away from the ship in the meantime. In case there’s, like, a booby trap or something.”

“Right,” Allura said. “Do stay safe, Lance.”

“As you wish, princess!” Lance said playfully, even adding a small superfluous bow despite his lack of an audience.

The groans and sighs came nonetheless.  

“Just hurry up,” Keith grumbled.

“Alright! Lance out,” he replied before switching the communicator off.

With sore limbs and an aching back, Lance struggled to get back on his knees. When he did, his eyes were drawn to the large bulge right in front of the swinging doors to the laboratory once again.

It sat there, ominous and unmoving, but Lance couldn’t shake off this lurching feeling in his stomach. He had to look at it. Yet, something in him kept warning him that it wouldn’t be a good idea.

It wasn’t moving anymore. Surely it was dead. Why was he so terrified?

Of course you’re afraid! It’s a body! How could you not be? You should just leave it alone.

No, it wasn’t that he was scared of the body or its death. There was something else about it. Something was very off. If he took a closer look, he should be able figure it out.

But perhaps you are better off not knowing.

Maybe.

Still, Lance found himself inching closer. His heart slammed against his ribcage, and his breath was shallow and fast, not unlike that of a terrified rabbit. He activated his bayard and his breath hitched at the transformation. His hands were tightly curled around the gun as he slid his left foot forward, then his right.

A single look was all it took.

He jerked back. “Ay dios mio,” he breathed.

That bulge. It was mangled, resembling a crumpled paper ball rather than the limbed creature it had been.

But the dark green scales and sharp claws were unmistakable. Its head had been ripped off and was sitting wide-eyed beside the body. Still and unseeing, as though paralysed with shock.

It was the monster from the lab.

Lance broke into a run. With what little strength he had left, he dashed him to the lions— to safety.

He didn’t have the courage to look around now. Not when bodies of the Galra were scattered over the floor— disfigured, mauled, destroyed.

As soon as Lance made it to his lion, he fumbled for the buttons and managed to take off. His legs were jelly and his heart was beating quickly, but whether from running or fear, he didn’t know.

When he tried to sit down, pain spiked through his body. Glass shards. He let out a groan and remained standing.

Lance tapped the button at the side of his helmet. “Hey, guys. How much longer are you gonna take?”

“We’re almost there, Lance,” Allura’s calm voice came in. “Wait for us outside the ship. We should be there in a tick.”

“Okay. Thanks, ’llura,” Lance mumbled as he shuffled his weight to his other foot and switched the intercom off. He was way more exhausted than he had thought. “Okay, Red, m’ buddy,” he said. “We gotta drag Yellow and Hunk out. We should be able to reach the rest that way.”

Lance managed to complete that task with a combination of nudging and tugging and dying noises. As soon as they were out, the space in front of their lions folded into itself, and the Castle of Lion winked into existence.

He heaved a huge sigh of relief. His legs buckled and he barely caught himself in time.

Careful!

As he lowered himself, he was careful not to hurt his back any further and lay on his side, tired and sleepy. Every part of his body was aching.

He felt Red being dragged and he looked up to see Blue pushing him and the black lion grabbing Yellow with its massive jaws. By the time Red had landed securely in the castle, Lance was curled into a foetal position. His eyelids were closed and he could feel himself slipping. He managed to open his eyes enough to see the interior of the hangar.

Just a short nap. After that, he’d wake up to make sure Hunk was fine. His eyelids fluttered shut again.

A loud “Lance!” woke him.

Someone touched his shoulder and he hissed in pain. The hand was quickly removed.

“Oh gods. Lance? Are you awake?” Allura asked, tapping his arm frantically. “Please be awake.”

“Hm?”

She let out an audible sigh of relief. Her voice grew a little distant as she turned away from him to speak into her intercom. “Tell Coran to ready the operation table. Bring a stretcher to Red’s Hanger. Lance has lost a lot of blood.” After a brief moment of silence, Allura’s voice was directed to Lance again. “Alright, stay awake. Open your eyes,” she said.

“’m sleepy, princess. And everything kinda hurts,” he mumbled. “Gimme five more minutes.”

“Lance, stay with me. Just open your eyes a little longer,” Allura said as she conducted a check on Lance’s body.

With a groan, Lance forced his eyes open. His vision was blurry for a moment. Then, his eyes found iridescent blue ones and locked on to them. “Y’know, princess, your eyes are really pretty,” he blurted. “Anyone told y’ that? Like jewels.”

“Alright, Lance,” Allura said absently as she ran her hands over his limbs to check for wounds. She let out a soft curse when she saw his arms. “Do you know how badly you’re injured?”

“I know I have glass in my back,” Lance replied.

“Glass?!” Allura cried.

He tried to turn to let Allura see it, but the movement sparked a sharp pain through him and he let out a gasp, too tired to do any more than that. “Ah, fudge ball,” he whimpered. “Didn’t hurt so much jus’ now…”

“Did you jostle it while on the lion?” Allura peered over his shoulder and winced. “Oh, this is much worse than I thought. There’s so much– Why didn’t you say anything?”

Lance shrugged slightly, causing more pain to spike through him like an electric current. He dropped his head against the floor and breathed heavily, trying to steady himself.

Stay awake. She wants you to stay awake.

But surely a short little nap would be fine–

“Lance!” Allura called again. “Stay awake, alright? Stay awake. Help is coming.” She placed a reassuring hand on the back of his.

Lethargically, Lance nodded but he was losing focus. When he found himself staring at blobs of blurry colours, he shook his head and tried to concentrate on Allura.

“’s Hunk okay?” he asked.

“What? Oh. Keith and Coran are attending to him right now.”

“But is he oka–”

“Princess Allura!” Shiro’s voice came. “I have the stretcher.” His worried face hovered above Lance’s. “Hey, Lance. Hang in there.” Shiro gave him his worried-dad smile and Lance returned it with a tired one.

Allura hoisted Lance up and placed him on his side on a stretcher.

“Make sure he does not roll. His back is full of glass. We do not want it to be pushed in any further,” she told Shiro as they strapped Lance securely to the stretcher.

Just as he began to close his eyes, she pat his cheek. “Stay awake, please.”

“As you wish, princess,” Lance mumbled with a quirk of his lips.

Quickly, the two of them carried Lance out of the lion. They ran into Keith, who had just sprinted over from the direction of the infirmary. He matched the pace of Shiro and Allura as he gave them a quick rundown. “Hunk’s fine. Coran ran a check on him in the healing pod. Only bruised and slightly concussed. Nothing too bad. Put him in the healing pod for about two vargas and he’ll be fine.”

“That’s good,” Lance muttered.

Keith shot him a look filled with both rage and worry.

Lance gave him a sheepish grin.

With a groan, Keith squeezed his eyes shut and tore his attention away from Lance. He turned back to Shiro. “The operation room and Coran are free. Pidge prepared the room and some blood bags already.”

“Good,” Shiro replied.

They reached the operation table. As Shiro laid Lance onto the operation table, Allura explained the situation to Coran, “There are multiple glass shards in his back and burns to his arms.”

“Can I sleep now?” Lance mumbled. No one seemed to hear him over the loud clangs of preparation and rapid dissemination of information and instructions.

Try to stay awake.

But he was so, so exhausted.

Just a little bit longer.

Lance still found his eyes blinking slower.

“First degree burns, I believe,” Allura continued. “Multiple wounds to his arms and legs. Blade wounds. I can’t see much of his skin beneath the suit, but there seem to be many bruises.” She pulled at a cut in the suit and exposed some of Lance’s skin to Coran.

Coran winced. “He’s very pale. He must have lost a lot of blood.”

Eyelids heavy, Lance let himself slowly drift away. No one was replying him anyway. “G’night,” Lance mumbled, closing his eyes.

For some reason, Lance was aware that he was in a dream. He wondered if this was one of those lucid dreams Rachel had once talked about. He had never had one before. However, something felt a little different. Because this dream… didn’t feel like his.

His movements weren’t fully under his control. It was as if his actions and feelings and thoughts while in this state were shared with someone else.

In the dream, he was in the druid’s lab again. This time, he was in a jar on the shelf. It was difficult to see anything outside the jar. There was a white rectangle, probably a jar label, obscuring his vision. Behind him was a white wall, and to his sides were similar jars.

Each jar contained a blue and green creature that looked like half-developed foetus, except with a long tail that was twice the length of their body. They had small jagged mouths and two pairs of beady eyes. The twitch of their eight legs, and the slow movement of their feelers were the only indicators that they weren’t dead as they floated about in liquid.

Though they didn’t look alive to Lance either.

When Lance focused on the reflection on his glass jar, he realised he looked just like them. His wrinkly skin was dark green with splashes of bright blue.

His eyes travelled to the creature on his right, who had the most brilliant shade of green on the tip of their tail. They looked rather lethargic with their feelers drooping and head slightly bowed. As though sensing someone watching, they lifted their head, and beady eyes looked back at Lance. Despite never meeting such a creature before, Lance recognised their small tail movement as a greeting. He returned the gesture politely and watched as the other creature shook with joy, a momentary relief from the tense lifeless atmosphere of the room.

Then, there was a click. With a flick of his tail, Lance swirled in the jar and peeked through a thin gap under the jar label. An involuntary shudder ran through him.

Druids.

They got to work. Some prepared the laboratory table and equipment, but Lance’s attention was drawn to the druid approaching the shelf he was on.

His eyes made contact with the creature on his right again. Their tail shivered as they floated backwards in the fluid. Fear.

He glanced around. Everyone else was shaking in terror. He looked forward again to see the druid considering them all as though they were canned soup at a supermarket.

The druid’s arm loomed in Lance’s direction. With a squeak, Lance squeezed his eyes shut and curled into a ball. For several seconds, nothing happened. He worked up the courage to open his eyes again.

The spot on his right was empty. Alarm surged through his body, and he launched himself to the side of the jar. The druid was walking towards the table with a jar in hand.

A flicker of brilliant green.

“Fivirion!” The name slipped from his mouth. The name associated with that beautiful shade of green, something in his mind supplied.

Fivirion swivelled in the jar, and their eyes stared into his. Fivirion was frozen in place.

There was a violent, wrenching tug in Lance’s gut. As if there were millions more memories between them, and this was the final sliver of a moment left that they could ever share.

Lance felt his body press against the glass of jar and his voice screaming Fivirion’s name over and over and over.

A druid twisted the jar open, and Fivirion was poured into a light blue tray. There was sufficient light for Lance to catch their silhouette in the tray, flickering and writhing about frantically.

“Vree! Vree!” they screamed, and Lance felt his voice yell with greater urgency, “Fivirion!”

He moved back and slammed against the front of his jar. His heart was beating a thousands beats per second. He was on the verge of combusting with panic. Desperate, he swished in his jar and jumped to hit the jar cap.

It wouldn’t budge.

Fivirion’s screams morphed into a screech. Lance plunged to the bottom of the jar to look through the gap.

The druid used a pair of tweezers to seize Fivirion. Dread wracked through Lance’s body with fearful familiarity, despite never having seen it before. The druid swished Fivirion in the liquid of the tray for several seconds. When he was done, they were no longer screaming.

There was the occasional defiant twitch. But the druid had them under control.

The druid picked up a small needle and drove it into them and Fivirion spasmed for several seconds before falling deathly still again.

Lance pressed his body against the glass jar again, a sense of defeat washing over him.

A large creature was rolled into the lab. It was heavily sedated, its eyes only open a fraction, allowing its bright orange eyes to peep through. Its huge furry body slumped heavily against the cage it was in.

Lance felt faint. His breathing was heavy and his head felt light.

The druids opened the top of the cage and shoved the creature about roughly as they readied it for their procedure. When it was hooked onto a monitor and several tubes, they began the operation.

They shaved the back of its head and carefully made a small hole in it. Using the pair of tweezers, they picked Fivirion up and inserted them into the creature’s skull.

By this point, Lance could watch no longer. He curled into himself and squeezed his eyes shut.

He’d be lying if he said he knew what exactly was going on.

But he knew it was very wrong. The millions of indecipherable feelings, which welled up inside him and made his feelers shrivel, told him so.

[ebachan]

Miraculous Magic – Chapter 5 - Circus

The night is upon us and two phantom thieves will cross time and space to meet in an adventure. Kaitou Kid and Kaitou Joker will clash in an attempt to gain Butterfly's Heart exhibited in Suzuki's Sky's Museum located on the 150th floor of his new Babylonian Skyscraper. Who will win the heart? Welcome to the shining night!

Cover by: @deepfaceglitter

Story by: @ebachan

Special thanks: @animemoonprincess

[103rd floor – Big dance floor]

Joker finally stopped, catching a breath. He looked at his treasure, juggling with it while whistling. He was in a good mood as he taught that Copy-jerk a lesson about being a phantom thief.

“That was awesome!” exclaimed small kid with a glasses.

Joker turned and thought: ‘Isn’t it?’

The kid came bit closer having a big smile and happiness in its eyes. “You have beaten the bad thief!”

Joker immediately looked proud, if he had Pinocchio's nose, it would be really long right now. “Naturally, he is a just cheap copy-jerk! Someone like him, can’t be compared with me.”

“Really?” made few steps toward him.

“Who knows? Maybe when you grow up a bit, you can be a phantom thief too.” Joker playfully stroked Conan’s hair while walking away. “See you, I have a job to finish.”

“But I want to show you something,” Conan turned around, knelt, rotating and then pressing a button on his shoe and sparks appeared. Joker was still walking away but his instinct started tingling.

“Watch out!” shouted Kid, that run into the hall.

Joker looked back, seeing soccer ball appearing in front of small detective and being kicked in the next second with tremendous strength and speed. The ball aimed at his chest. Joker’s face was horrified, in the last second he bend backward making a bridge. The ball hit the opposite wall creating a cobweb of cracks as far as the eye can see.

Kid sighed in relief. He may have a bone to pick with Joker, but he knew too well, how being hit with this Soccer ball from the hell, can be painful. And he still wanted to settle the score himself. Conan made quick side steps having both thieves in his field of vision. Joker sat down, looked at the wall and back at the kid.

“You see? Stop playing at a thief and a detective,” suggested Kid. “You have no chance against a great detective,” he smirked in Conan’s direction who answered with an annoyed look.

“Your trick with restroom wasn’t half bad, but I saw better from you.” Conan would probably say something more, but he was suddenly upside-down. “Wha-!!”

“That’s awesome!” shouted Joker with big sparkly eyes. “How it works? I wanna steal it!”

“You-!” Conan needed only a sec before restoring his composure and took his watch, ready to put Joker to sleep. However, Joker has proven to be better than expected and dodged the needle.

“Hey, hey, that was dangerous. You are full of surprises. Who are you?”

Conan slowly stood up. “Edogawa Conan, a detective.”

“Great detective,” added amused Kid in a sarcastic tone.

“I don’t care. I have stolen the treasure just like I promised.” He took it out and shown it to them.

“There they are!” shouted guard and many others appeared behind him.

Both phantom thieves started to run with guards at their tails. Soon it looked like a wacky chase from a cartoon. Joker was running here and there, moving from one floor to another.

“This is worst then with Ali Baba!” shouted Joker frustrated, when he met another group. “So annoying!” he threw smoke cards and took another hallway.

“Fire!” shouted tall man, and two men pressed triggers on their special guns shooting nets. Joker avoided them by jumping at a statue standing along the wall.

“Am I an animal, or what? Uwah!” He jumped at the chandelier, dodging another net and swung from one chandelier to another like a monkey.

Jirokichi meanwhile took a private elevator and went down, giving his men orders while checking his smartphone to see actual situation. ‘I won’t let them escape!’

Joker thought of escaping thru balcony using balloon gum, but the helicopters were too close, so he had to run. For few secs, he lost all pursuers and he could catch some breath in yet another big hall. “How many of them are here anyway? This place is absurdly huge –wheeze–” He looked around. ‘And where is that Copy-jerk? Must have lost him during the chase.’

“This is as far as you go!” shouted Jirokichi and from all the entrances rushed guards in black suits, gas masks with dark lenses and were pointing at Joker with guns.

“What are you? Mafia?!”

“No worries. Those are just BB bullets.” Jirokichi snorted. “Because of you, I lost the chance to capture Kid.”

“That’s not my problem. And shouldn’t you be more concerned about me? I have stolen the treasure, not that Kit!(*)”

“I don’t care! Kid is my target, and I’m making his capture the perfect finale for my biography, so stop getting in my way!” Joker’s face bit darkened. “Just quit this, and I may put in a good word for your parents, so they won’t punish you that hard.”

“Unbelievable, you are still underestimating me.” Joker spread his hands. “I’m Miracle Maker. Pinch like this is nothing to me!”

“Give back the diamond!” shouted angry Jirokichi.

“You want this?” Joker took from his jacket the said item. “Then catch!” He threw it up and all eyes couldn’t help to watch it. From the gem gushed sudden light.

“Fool, we have dark glasses, you cannot blind us neither put to asleep! Keep calm and find him! As a kid he can’t disguise himself as an adult!” barked Jirokichi, but then he felt something hit him in the forehead. “What?” Objects were falling down.

“What are these!?” gasped one man once the light was gone and others soon joined him.

“Eh?!” Jirokichi was speechless. The floor was covered by countless Butterfly's Hearts. Guards were perplexedly picking up the fakes, trying to make sense of it. Jirokichi was looking everywhere, but Joker was nowhere to seen.

'Piece a cake,' thought Joker as he was hiding behind a big vase located near the exit. No one noticed him slip behind them. He checked the treasure in his jacket's inner pocket, and run thru corridor. He thought he is okay, but at the corner he ran into one guard, knocking him to the ground.

He thought he will sound the alarm, but the guard wasn’t moving at all. ‘Phew, he must have hit his head against the wall. Lucky,’ he continued to run. Once he was gone, the guard stood up and smirked.

‘Got it.’ It was none other then Kaitou Kid in disguise as a guard. In his palm, he had Butterfly’s Heart.

[Control room]

Ai was watching the monitors. She almost felt bored. ‘Well, I don’t want to rip my skirt for the second time.’ She checked a monitor connected to a further camera on the edge of the building, showing an empty corridor. Most men were focusing on the floor where phantom thieves appeared.

‘Well, the second thief looks at least capable of running.’ She glimpsed a movement on one of the monitors. ‘Who is it?’ It was a small figure of… ‘A ninja?’ she thought skeptically. ‘Is he a cosplayer?’ The small boy looked at both sides, before running, while holding a round object in his hand. ‘Is that!?’

[45th floor]

Joker rushed out, realizing he should include elevators in his plan. He hid in the toilet to catch a breath. “Man, they are so annoying and persistent. And that old geezer has too much money! Hiring so many guards. My legs feel like they are made of lead.”

“Check all the rooms!” shouted male voice.

“Eeep!” murmured Joker as someone was opening the door to his hideout.

“Don’t leave even a leaf unchec—huh?” It was a man in his thirteens with a small mustache wearing a light brown suit with a dark blue tie. He was staring at a young woman in front of a basin.

“P-Perv!” she screamed.

“Ah-Ah! I’m sorry!” He quickly closed the door, leaving.

“Inspector Nakamori!” shouted one of his loyal men.

Nakamori turned back, seeing the woman running out of… men restroom.

“W-Wait!” shrieked Nakamori and jumped at the woman. “I have got you now, Kaitou Kid!” He tightly hugged her legs looking up, making her fall, except the figure inhaled like a balloon, giving everyone scared look. The balloon burst in a loud POP, revealing jumping Joker.

“You perv!” shouted back Joker.

“That’s not Kid!”

“I’m Kaitou Joker! The Miracle Maker!”

“And here I thought, I finally got him!” Nakamori had tears in his eyes.

“Shut it! I’m better phantom thief then that Copy-jerk!” yelled Joker.

“Catch him!” ordered Nakamori and his men get moving.

“This is getting annoying!” Joker was reaching his limit unless he can rest at least for a bit. ‘I can’t go on like this for much longer.’ The phantom thief reached the dead end on the balcony. Helicopters were gradually moving down, making escape thru sky impossible.

“That’s as far as you can run!” reminded him Nakamori.

“And now to the yesterday forecast,” replied Joker sarcastically. He was annoyed by this constant chasing to no end. “I can see that.” Joker looked over his shoulder.

“Then give up,” Nakamori took out handcuffs.

“Who do you take me for? I’m phantom thief, a miracle maker! Running from cops is nothing to me!”

“Didn’t you just say you have nowhere to run?” reminded him Nakamori.

“Sheesh, if there is no path before me…” He jumped back at the stone railing. “I’ll just make one!” Nakamori’s face got longer by horrified expression as Joker did back-flip, jumping to his certain death. All policemen ran to the railing.

Joker turned, facing the fast approaching ground, chewed some gum, and blow it to the size of a big balloon. Joker jumped at it, cushioning his fall and safely landed. He thought he is safe, but two policemen ran to him.

“I can’t believe one of the thieves is just a kid!”

Joker was silently growling.

“Hey, kid, what do you say? Wanna take a ride in a police car?”

“Yeah, we will turn on the siren for you.”

“Ride in a car?” Joker looked happy. “Yes! I wanna ride a car!”

“Wanna pick one?”

“I already now, which one I want.” Joker made innocent smile. “Road Joker!” he shouted into his communicator inside of his wrist watch. Soon policemen heard a roar of the engine. A mostly blue car with big KJ on the bonnet slowed down in front of Joker. The thief jumped inside, and a ninja driver stepped on it creating a lot of dust. “Take care!” Joker waved them goodbye and sit down. “Nice timing, Hachi.” The ninja boy nodded. “Let’s wrap up this show with a big bang!”

Nakamori was shouting orders to his radio, and countless men were gathering around the main exit Joker was heading to.  Hachi stopped in front of the human mass that scared him.

“Mr. Joker! This is bad!”

“No worries,” Joker jumped from his seat landing at the boot lit, putting one knee over the other, looking overconfident and arrogant.

Soon appeared Jirokichi. “You little brat!” he gasped. “I’m soo~ putting you behind the bars and in my biography!”

“Pff, can’t believe it took you so long to accept me as the greatest phantom thief.” Joker looked rather pleased and irritatingly. Young thief waved with his hands, and many cards fell on the ground.

“What is this supposed to mean?”

“Being you, I would watch your steps,” Joker smiled and threw one such card in the air where it exploded.

“These are bombs?”

In the crowd was standing Kid. ‘Oi, oi, isn’t it a bit over-kill?’ Yet he was curious how is Joker going to run away.If it was him, he would use smoke bomb, but with the car, that opinion is no good. ‘So, show me your miracles you are so proud of.’

Joker looked at his wrist watch. “Whoa, it’s already been almost one hour since I came here. Time sure flies,” he said jokingly and with a big childish smile.

“Did you really think, these cards can keep us at bay?” shouted Jirokichi. “My men have BB guns, net shooters and…” The sharp sound was heard as a real bullet, pierced the front tire.

“Mr. Joker, it’s flat!” shrieked Hachi.

Joker slightly snorted and bit his lip.

“… now you can’t use that car. So give up.”

“Give up? Being in the impossible situation?” Joker was clenching his fists with lowered head. “That’s perfect!” His face brighten. “That’s why I love being a phantom thief!” He jumped at his feet. “Who will get the treasure? Will I be able to turn the table? It’s so exciting!” Joker took a small device from his pocket. Men took aim at him, but no one dared to pull the trigger. Hitting him was one thing, but if he would fell on the bombs, it would create a big accident.

“It’s time for the final countdown!” He pressed a small button and on the huge screen above the main gate appeared number three.

All, who saw it, were stunned and most of them scared.

“What do you –?” started Jirokichi.

Two.

Joker’s grin was so big and evil.

One.

Kid gulped, and Conan was using his special glasses radar to examine Joker’s nearest surrounding.

Bang!

With a loud noise and whistling, the top of Babylonian Skyscraper was lit by numerous fireworks. All heads turned that way, and their eyes reflected the spectacular show.

“Oh, no!” It took Jirokichi several seconds before remembering Joker, but it was too late.

His car was lifted by four balloons and propeller was seen in its exhaust.Joker was waving at them.“It was fun. I’ll surely come for another piece of your collection. Au revoir! Welcome to the shining night.”

“Shoot!”

The cards at the ground released smoke revealing they were fakes bomb all along and inside of the park were bursting balloons with confetti, firecrackers and other noise things causing quite a havoc.

“Damn it!”

Helicopters tried to follow Joker, but the fireworks were shot below them making pilots to hesitate and blinding them. This gave Joker enough time to fly to his airship Sky Joker, that he hid in an old hangar at the bank of a river. Soon the airship took to the sky disappearing.

Conan sighed. This time he felt like the fifth wheel as the conflict was more between two phantom thieves.

“So they got away,” commented it Ai coming to him.

“Ah.”

“It’s hard to believe,” she looked at the still continuing fireworks. “But he left beautiful sight.”

“But Butterfly’s Heart has been stolen. If it is returned it was Kid, but if not…”

“Disappointed?” Ai looked at him, “That it wasn’t our favorite phantom thief that won?”

“Don’t joke,” Conan’s face looked sour. “I will arrest both of them. And what happened to you?” Conan examined her dirty clothes and face.

“I just tripped...” muttered Ai mysteriously with a light smile.

“Like seriously?” With this, they headed to Jirokichi that was now furious.

(*) Joker intentionally says Kid's name the wrong way, it’s not a typo ;-)