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astaroth1357 · 4 years ago

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Lucifer? I Shrunk the MC…

I thought of the title and was like, “And I’m gonna not do anything with that?” Experimenting with format. Feel this one is a hot mess but, oh well, it was fun to write and that's what I care about.

Scene:

Satan scrambles around his room, knocking over stacks of books and flinging others this way and that. All the while he can't quite stop himself from rambling, "Okay, don't panic. I know I can fix this. I have a spellbook around here somewhere… No, not this shelf… Hold on."

Meanwhile, MC is sitting on the pillow to his bed, practically engulfed in it because they're now only 3 inches tall. The result of yet another enchanted book mishap. This time it was an old tome left on the ground that they happened to trip over. As they watch Satan shuffle urgently through his bookshelves, they sigh and prepare themselves for yet another misadventure. It took five days for the last enchantment to wear off so they may as well get comfy…

"Take your time…"

Reactions:

Lucifer

His immense displeasure about the whole debacle cannot be understated.

Honestly, why doesn't Satan take better care of his things?? He should at least try to keep the powerful items out of the walkways!

Gets into a 3 hour screaming match when he sets Satan's punishment as giving a fourth of his book collection to the school library. Fully expects to find his things "mysteriously" cursed for the next few months.

He does find tiny!MC pretty amusing though.

If he thought they were fragile and helpless before well… now they can hardly lift a fork.

Makes triple sure that his brothers understand that if they're not careful with them, punishments will be extra severe.

Quadruple sure with Mammon.

Doesn't mind carrying tiny!MC places, mostly on his shoulder.

Lets them whisper jokes and funny asides in his ear during particularly dry meetings.

Mammon

First, he laughed because this shit is funny. Not only did Satan fuck up but the MC is now the size of his index finger! He could punt them like a paper football! (not that he ever would)

Next, he immediately starts trying to figure out how to use their new size in his schemes. He's talkin' infiltration baby!

Whether or not tiny!MC goes along with his less-than-legal ideas, he sort of loves that they're so small now anyway.

1) He can carry them around on his head or on his shoulder which is just convenient AND highlights that they're his to other people even more.

2) Watching them trying to do normal things is just hilarious! They get winded from just trying to use a pencil to write a sentence on normal sized paper.

3) Will never admit it, but the feeling of their tiny little arms hugging his cheek is one of those things he never knew he needed until now.

Leviathan

Almost choked on his drink when Mammon plopped tiny!MC on his computer desk.

It was like someone made a little figurine of them! But this one could also walk around and say nice things to him!!

A little disappointed that it's practically impossible for them to play games like this, I mean they're smaller than the controllers.

Totally makes up for it by getting them to pose with his figurines. He never thought he'd be able to get a snapshot of MC and Ruri-chan together like that! It almost makes his figure look life-sized! If only…

Lays a pillow on his lap and lets them nap on it while he games. Can never bring himself to wake them up so he'll stay in place long past the point of being comfortable just so they can sleep soundly.

Didn't notice he accidentally knocked them over into a Beel-sized popcorn bowl (which is more like a popcorn cauldron) while they were having an anime marathon. It took five minutes to hear their little shouts and he had to fish them out. Thanked their father that Beel hadn't actually joined in that night because they may have been gobbled up….

Satan

Is really, truly, genuinely sorry that he shrunk the MC...still thinks it's bullshit that he has to give away his books though.

Tries to make up for his mistake by helping them with whatever they need. He'll take notes for them in class, prepare finger food so that they have more manageable portions, and does all the "heavy lifting" for them when he can.

Continues to assure them that the spell is only temporary but also consults Solomon and pours over as many books that he can find on the subject just to make sure. He loses a bit of sleep over this.

Is the first to step in if he feels like his brothers aren't being careful enough around them. He already feels terrible that he got them into this mess, the last thing he wants is to see them get hurt over it too.

Treats them extra gentle, like they're made porcelain, the entire time. He won't hold them with a clenched fist so he lets them sit or lounge on his palm when they travel.

Chucked Levi out a window and into a tree after he heard about the popcorn incident.

Asmodeus

Adores tiny!MC, they're so freaking cute like this!!

Takes it upon himself to help them with the more intimate things, like how are they going to bathe or change clothes??

Goes out and buys a bunch of doll furniture and tiny outfits like this whole thing won't just wear off in a few days.

Pretty much sets up a little dollhouse in his room for them to use when they just want to be around things their own size.

Takes a shit ton of pictures though, them trying on the outfits, using the furniture, just being super smol and adorable, it doesn't matter he is all over this!

Lives for tiny kisses. It's like getting brushed by a feather on your cheeks, nose, and fingers!

Beelzebub

Would die for tiny!MC in a heartbeat and is not ashamed to admit it.

He saw them happily chowing down on a grape about the size of their head and that was it. He was done. Ready sign his life away to this bite-sized human being.

Loves to bring them tiny snacks or break off a piece of what he's eating and watch them try to eat it. All food looks so much bigger in their little hands that he briefly considers having Satan shrink him too. Belphie talks him out of it, something about the blackhole in his stomach collapsing in on itself...

Was really cautious with them at first, though, considering he was already a lot stronger than they were to start with and suddenly they got a lot more fragile. But the MC eventually assures him that they have faith he won't hurt them.

Still the most anxious of the brothers about it. He always makes sure to watch where he's going, triple check beneath his feet, and slow the pace of his eating down enough to process what goes in his mouth BEFORE it gets there.

Is also glad he wasn't there for the popcorn incident. And got Levi out of that tree.

Belphegor

Very conflicted about it honestly. On one hand, they're too small to sleep with anymore. He could roll over and suffocate them. But on another they're just so… cute.

...And so terribly easy to mess with now. He could knock them over if he blows hard enough, never mind poking them.

One morning he was feeling particularly malicious and put their little shoes at the other end of the dining room table. That amounted to like a two-mile jog for them. He couldn’t help but laugh at their tiny fists hitting his palm when they finally got there.

After Satan cursed his favorite pillow to scream every time he put his head on it he stopped being so mean.

Made up with the MC by sacrificing some of his pillow stuffing in order to make them a tiny bed he could carry around. If he couldn't sleep with them, he could at least sleep near them.

When that wasn't enough they made him do laps around the House with Beel. It was around the time that he was about to collapse into the flowerbeds that they found Levi dangling from that tree. He'd have laughed if his sides weren't already splitting… So much... running...

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me luficer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #honey i shrunk the kids?#poor satan

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tnystrk-exe · 4 years ago

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Repentance

Your choices led you here.

AN: Honestly I couldn’t get the idea for the last scene out of my head.

“Alright team,” you heard Cap through your ear piece, “time to go home.”

And you did. Without a second thought.

Tony had sent out a relief squad and different aids for people. He had hoped to help. There was no after party this time around. But you understood why. Especially after finding him in his lab, staring longingly at a bottle of scotch, a screen of names scrolling past. The mission had put him through enough to want to cancel his promise of good behavior.

You walked over to him. Replacing the bottle with a cup of coffee you had brought down. “Tony, you did what you thought was right.”

“That’s not enough for them… their families. For what? A fucking whim of ours?”

“I know,” you sighed, walking over to a sink and pouring out the bottle, “I think about it too. What we could have done. What shouldn’t have. But in the moment with you, Bruce, and I all in the lab it felt right.”

“You saw the recording of New York. How couldn’t I try, something? Anything.”

A shiver went up your spine as you remembered the helmet’s footage. As much as the team had done. It would have all been over if that ship had touched ground. “We need protection,” you confirmed, “but maybe not an A.I.. Honestly, we’re probably just going to have to rely on finding good people. You should look for them instead of…”

“Are you still going to that memorial?”

“Yeah, but not as an Avenger.”

Then it all happened. After Sokovia, you all knew in a way that pulling at the right thread would tear the fabric of the team apart. Too many conflicting thoughts. Placing blame on one another. The Accords. Not wanting to be held down by a contract even though you could work your way through to the top if you could play your cards right.

None of you had ever imagined it would end like this. Broken apart. Teared open and bruised.

You had found Tony using the suites intertwined tracking systems. A tape played on repeat. The Winter Soldier, murdering two people. On a second viewing, you finally realized who exactly they were. Bile rose up your throat, you needed to find him. That just left finding him as Steve had left him. Cut up, tears- that you wouldn’t dare mention- streaked his face as he angrily shoved off pieces of his suit. A wound he had tried desperately to heal ripped open again with betrayal to act as salt.

You didn’t take away his bottle that night. Hell, you joined him.

“I’m still against this, YN,” Tony sighed, looking at you with that tired look of his, “Why?”

“I don’t know, Tone. It just feels like something I need to do. For myself more than anything.” You placed the last of your things in the suitcase. “As much as I hate what he’s done. There are things I can understand.”

“He broke us apart.”

“We were already divided. As much as we tried to be a family, do all this shit together… The second there was pressure we went into our normal fractions. Honestly, it’s a damn wonder we trusted Double Agent over there.”

He nodded, understanding that you had made a couple of points. “That was a bad call, but hey you can’t win everytime. ...I’m glad you chose this side if anything.”

“Yeah sap, what would I do without your cash?” You joked, “We’re in this together old man. Thick and thin. You know that. Anyways, by the time I come back, I fully expect a ring on Pep’s finger.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hap’s been waiting for you for the past hour. Get going, come back safe and all that jazz.”

Walking through the prison was nerve wrenching. Honestly, even though you had planned out the trip, you really didn’t expect him to agree to the visitation. You followed the guard down the long, dim corridors, not knowing exactly what you’d do or why you were there.

“Here you are. Everything is being monitored.” With that he opened the door and slammed it shut behind you.

“Zemo,” you greeted when you laid sight on the man.

“Avenger,” he said it more as an insult, “To what do I owe the displeasure?”

“I owe you an apology,” you stated simply, “I really am. What you went through, it wasn’t anything I expected to happen.”

“I can accept it if that's what you wish, however what use does it have for me, really? You people do as you wish without a thought of what happens to others. People get hurt and killed. Then you’d all go home, back to your obnoxious towers and celebrate that none of you were killed. How many have taken your place?”

“That’s fair,” you nodded, looking at the ground, “I deserve that.”

“Did you celebrate the destruction Tony Stark created?”

You laughed humorlessly, “He always gets all the credit for that, probably because of the tin foil wrapping. It’s a shared burden, I’m afraid, Bruce and I worked just as hard to create Ultron. No. We didn’t celebrate.”

“Then we’re even. You took my family, I tore yours apart.”

“It’s not the first I’ve lost. Knowing my luck it isn’t the last.”

He tilted his head, signaling you to go on.

“We were some dumb kids at the time, maybe 16 or so. The community we lived in was an absolute shithole. Things would get swept under the rug. People would get hurt, killed, used for fun, just because that’s what people felt like doing. So what are a group of good for nothing orphans going to do, none of us really had much hope. We became vigilantis of sorts using ourselves as bait regularly. Did what we had to do. But we were young, dumb and things always have a way of catching up with you.”

“I’m very sorry for the pain you experienced in your youth.”

“Like you said…” you shook away the memories,you weren’t here to rehash those years, “The point is Zemo, I need you to know I do feel for you. I’ve looked into you and you were a good man, probably still are under all the pain. When we made Ultron we had hopes for the best, after what happened in 2012, we all knew something bigger would happen. Tony and I share that, we get paranoid, but how can’t you be when shit hits the fan like that,” you snapped, “It was just a matter of how, when, if we’d be prepared… and in all of that we failed. So honed in to the details of what we could do, we were blinded to what we would cause. Zemo, no amount of forgiveness would ever clear me of the guilt of just how badly we failed you.”

Zemo stared at you, searching for any sign that this was all just a show. When he finally decided you were sincere he gave you a nod.

“There’s something I want to ask of you…”

That’s how you found yourself in Zemo’s family grave. Each step brought you closer to three of the deaths you helped cause. His son was in between his wife and father. The bag of sweets at your side was held limply as you found your way to the right grave.

“Hey, buddy,” you set the Turkish delights on the grave, “Your father said he’s sorry, he couldn’t do this for you this year. But don’t worry, I’ll pick it up for him.”

A shuddered breath escaped you as you thought about the child in the ground. Only able to conjure up a picture of a younger looking Helmut Zemo. A soft round face, light brown hair that was combed neatly just to be messed up seconds later, eyes that questioned everything in the world around him. He should’ve been wreaking havoc, running throughout the home with his father chasing after the excited child. Instead of here, where your choices had placed him.

Sitting down on the ground you fished out the book Zemo had instructed you to get, “Now, I believe your father said he had been really excited to read this one to you. It was one of his favorites.”

#Helmut zemo #tfatws #helmut Zemo x reader #zemo x reader #baron zemo x reader

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lilquill · 5 years ago

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On Representation, Diversity, and “have characters of color just don’t write about the experience of being a person of color”

Alright. I’m gonna piss a bunch of people off and also confuse a bunch of well-intentioned white people because I don’t think that you can write about a character of color without talking about the experience of being a person of color of a certain culture.

Seriously. There’s so many conversations celebrating how people have narratives where it “doesn’t matter” that one of their characters is a person of color and that their characters’ identity as a person of color “doesn’t affect the storyline” or whatever.

I’m going to cut right to the chase here: as a reader and storyteller of color, I’m not a fan of narratives where race doesn’t affect the story.

My race and culture and ethnicity ABSOLUTELY impact the way I perceive the world around me! For instance, many South Asian families bond with lively debates and discussions and lovingly roasting their family members. The way that I develop positive relationships, often with a solid dose of conflict and loudness and argument, is therefore fundamentally different from the way a white person would develop relationships; in fact, many white people are intimidated by how loud South Asians like myself are. We’re dramatic and loud and love jokes with wordplay! That’s just how it is and it means I form bonds with people differently.

I also have different values. White people are often more individualistic in culture, with more weird distant formal bonds with their parents (shit like referring to their parents by first name or, on the other end of the spectrum, calling their dads “sir”???) as opposed to the more comfortable and closer bond I have with my parents, where my family is all up in my shit literally all the time LMAO.

Literally white families are SO DISTANT to the point where white people consider practices like co-sleeping with your young child, something very common in South Asian families, to be child abuse?? Like, as if keeping your baby in a crib in another room where they’re not close to you and it’s harder to hear them isn’t dangerous but apparently suffocating a child while sleeping (which is very rare especially since co-sleeping is a practice that has gone on for MILLENNIA) is the bigger threat here??

White kids might perceive that as invasive or a violation of their privacy; I don’t perceive it that way because of the way South Asian families are structured. There’s a stronger emphasis on closeness with family. Of course, there are situations of kids being estranged or difficult family relationships or child abuse in South Asian families as well, but family is more valued in my culture.

The plants I put in my garden are different because of my identity; flowers like bela (Arabian jasmine) and bougainvillea and roses and gladiolus and marigolds and such things are what I’m fond of because of biases based on what my parents and grandparents like. I even once grew nenua (a type of squash). (I’m gonna get my hands on a raat ki rani soon I hope!!) And, of course, not every South Asian is partial to these flowers, but there’s definitely a cultural aspect as to why I personally like them!

The colors and patterns I gravitate towards are also different! I’m not a big fan of western “neutrals” and I find bright colors more appealing, especially because hey, those vibrant shades look better on brown skin! And GUESS WHAT, part of why the western world gravitates towards neutral colors in formalwear is because of colonialism and a disdain for the vibrant colors and dyes that colonized countries used. I love wearing jhumka earrings and statement necklaces and bright, vibrant jewelry as well. Now, obviously, this isn’t the case with every South Asian, but there is certainly some level of impact on these choices from my culture and upbringing.

Hell, even the food I eat is different! I drink chai in the evenings. I gravitate towards spicier dishes and better seasoning. I don’t eat meat other than fish/seafood and chicken and occasionally turkey because of cultural stuff, though ofc lots of South Asians are vegetarian and on the flip side lots of South Asians DO eat red meat and stuff.

And this isn’t even universal to ALL South Asians by any means, because my parents are specifically Hindu and from northeastern India and I’ve grown up in California! And there’s so many other details I could go into but for the sake of not writing a twelve-page essay I’m stopping here.

Basically, my point is, I don’t want representation where race “doesn’t matter” to the story. Race impacts so many aspects of my life and how I perceive and interact with the world around me.

It’s ridiculous to me how so much “representation” is basically just starting with a default of a white character, making her brown, avoiding the stereotypes, and that’s....it. It doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel authentic to take away cultural impacts on your characters. People start with white western archetypes and tropes and try to mold them to fit characters of color, instead of starting off with an authentic character of color, and it really, really shows.

Especially because Tumblr and writeblr are such white spaces, and also because culture is usually picked up from the environment as opposed to online, the conversations centered around “representation” are always about “don’t do x stereotypes” as opposed to how to actually learn about other cultures and actually....write a character of color. So many of y’all only know how to NOT write a character of color as opposed to how to ACTUALLY write a character of color.

I see so many lists of tropes and things to not include in stories, and not enough things about values and family structures and food and fashion and ways of developing relationships and all that fun stuff that will shape who you are as a person.

And some of y’all don’t even TRY to, I dunno, engage with the culture of your character of color to actually write them. For instance, if you’re writing a South Asian character, go explore South Asian cinema! Go make South Asian friends who can tell you little details about their lives as they, y’know, exist and are your friend! In general, explore the movies and literature and music and dance types and food and drink and whatnot of the culture your character is from! Form relationships with people of those cultures; it’s the internet! I know this is a super white space but there’s PLENTY of poc on here! Make an effort, not just to avoid harmful stereotypes, but to write a character of color whose identity actually MATTERS.

When I’m reading escapist fantasy/sci-fi/romcom/etc. literature where characters aren’t being hurt by racism, I don’t want a story where RACE doesn’t exist, I want a story where RACISM doesn’t exist. I want cultural understanding, empathy, and compassion!

I don’t want a role a white character would play just switched out with a character of color.

For instance, in the movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Lara Jean’s identity as East Asian is reflected in her fashion choices; book author Jenny Han lent inspiration for this. The Yakult drinks she likes, inspired by Korean tastebuds, plays a role in the story, too. These are details that don’t necessarily heavily impact the plot; it’s a fake-dating high school romcom. But they make a more real, fleshed-out character. They’re little details, little in-jokes and references, showing that the character’s race and culture actually MATTER to the story.

There’s a part in Pacific Rim where Raleigh Beckett, a white man, is frustrated with Mako Mori, a Japanese woman, for not going against the wishes of her father figure, Pentecost. When he tells her she doesn’t have to obey him, she responds, “It’s not obedience, Mr. Beckett. It’s respect.” This depicts her cultural understanding of family and respect; her relationships and her responses to things are impacted by her culture.

This is what I’m talking about! In order to write an actual character of color, you MUST write about their experiences to a certain extent. Of course, don’t make your characters of a certain culture a monolith in terms of personalities and responses and all that, but understand how they may be similarly impacted by their identities.

Now, don’t write a whole damn novel about a character coming to terms with their racial identity and coping with racism, but you absolutely MUST holistically incorporate their identity into your narrative.

Otherwise, it’s not actually representation. It’s you essentially writing a racebent white character. It’s you using a white default and trying to adapt it to totally different experiences.

#i hope this made sense!#representation #diversity #representation matters #writing characters of color #writing south asian characters #writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #sakshi speaks #i might add more to this post later <3

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t-lostinworlds · 5 years ago

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Extra (Tom Holland)

A/N: What is this? I have finished something? Me?? posting?? A FIC? WHAT? Is the world actually ending!?!? I think I’m funny but I’m not, clearly. Glad to be out of my writing rot tho aha. Hope you guys like this one!

Pairing: Tom Holland x Singer!Reader

Summary: You get a sweet but very extra surprise on your birthday nearing the end of your show.

Warnings: Fluff and my usual typos

Word Count: 5.5k+

Masterlist in Bio

-:-:-:-:-

The sound of your phone just going off uncontrollably was what woke you up, and you were completely sure that it wasn't your alarm.

You squint your eyes at the bright glare of the screen, a huge contrast to your still dim hotel room. You literally had just woken up hence why the curtains aren't open yet, it's still a bit too early after all.

Flicking the ringer on silent, birthday greetings and messages from friends and families were still flooding through, your phone now vibrating instead of your loud ringtone, giving your ears a break.

As you read through and responded to all of them, you couldn't help but feel a little down after you realized you haven't seen his name yet.

Of course you feel grateful for all the sweet messages everyone has sent you, your heart is melting from all the love. But there's that slight disheartened feeling that you can't seem to shake, slight worry that your boyfriend might have forgotten about your birthday.

You haven't heard from Tom since yesterday morning, which now makes it almost a full day. After he texted you that he was going to be doing a lot of stunts and is probably going to be super busy, he then just disappeared, not even slipping in a text good night. You did let it pass though, because he might have been quite knackered after the shoot.

Message to Tom: Good morning bub <3 Just checking up on you since you haven't read or replied to any of my messages at all. Hope you're okay and haven't injured yourself Thomas. I really miss you a lot and I love you loads x

Your frown could only deepen as you hit send, still no response nor any sign that he's got your messages whatsoever.

Normally, it wouldn't really be a big deal but the last you've seen him in person was three months ago. He was busy shooting the third installment of Spider-Man all while doing a few projects on the side. And you, well, you're touring around the world.

You could be patient and blame it on the time difference why he hasn't greeted yet, but he's just behind a couple hours. Tom has made it a habit of always greeting you at midnight no matter what and where, he's just cliché like that, and it was definitely passed midnight in New York.

God, you sound so much like a whiny and ungrateful brat, but you can't help it, you just miss him so much.

Maybe you've gotten so used to always spending your birthdays with him so the first time that you're celebrating it from different parts of the globe, it does makes you sad.

You did try to make ends meet, but a week before today, he's brought you the news that he can't fly out due to conflicting schedules with some of the actors he's working with, and that it's critical that he's there on the day. To be the leading role of a gigantic movie, asking a few days off is never that simple.

On the other hand, you have a show today and tomorrow, so flying to him isn't exactly ideal either. You understand of course, you are sort of in the same line of work, but still, it doesn't make you feel any less gloomy.

With one big stretch, you placed your phone back on your side table as you slowly got out of bed, opting to go and take a shower to then head down and meet the crew for breakfast.

Maybe you'll hear from him later in the day.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon and still not a single word from Tom.

You were growing worried because it was so unlike him to be very cut off and silent.

Did he lose his phone?

You tried to contact Harry—who's with Tom currently—but he too wasn't responding. Everything was just off and odd altogether, the tiny pit in your stomach only growing bigger the more you worry and think about where your man is.

"Have you heard from Tom?" You asked with furrowed brows the moment Molly, your manager approached you on stage. Your hand found its way to fish your phone out of your pocket to check it for the umpteenth time, but still, no sign of him.

You were finishing up your final soundcheck before you were off to a mini get-together—snacks and drinks included—with some of your fans. It was your alternative to a meet and greet because you'd rather hang out and have real conversations with them than the whole quick snap and go.

She shook her head at you all confused, a slight glimmer in her eyes that you didn't quite catch. "Uh no, why?"

You sighed. Tom doesn't really contact your manager unless its important matters, so you don't even know why you're asking, maybe you've just grown desperate to hear even the smallest thing from him, just anything. "Never mind. Is it time?"

"Yeah, they're all waiting for you."

You simply nodded as you followed her off stage, handing the guitar over to your guy on the way.

Walking through the hallway, you kept your head down, eyes glued to your phone as you respond to more messages from people, but also checking if Tom has come back from ghost town.

You were aimlessly following Molly to wherever room or space they set up the get-together in, just watching her shoes and never looking up from your device. That, until you heard a few shuffling of rushed feet and a door being slammed shut.

"What was that? And what's in here?" You asked, eyes now trained on a door of what looks like another dressing room. Molly continued walking, so you kept following but with your gaze still glued to the door, curios as to what's going on inside because you definitely can hear a bit of ruckus.

"Oh just the staff, that's one of their rooms." She answered casually, not even bothering to give you or the room a glance.

"Is it weird if I just go inside and say thank you? Would that be too... intrusive?" You pondered, halting in your tracks as you contemplated on knocking. You just wanted to extend your gratitude for all their hard work, but you aren't sure if they were comfortable with you suddenly just strolling in.

"It's not weird at all hun, but you've got a schedule." She smiled at you sweetly, nodding her head towards the direction of the get-together.

"Oh right, yeah, let's go."

You gave the door one last look before turning on your heel to follow Molly once again, up until you reached another space covered in curtains. And the moment your bodyguard pulled it open, wide smiles on faces greeted you as they all sang in tune.

"Happy birthday to you!"

You laughed as you shyly shook your head at them. Warmth coated your whole body in an instant as love and pure adoration radiated off of the space, off of your fans.

You did as much as wave your fingers in the air as they sang, serving as a conductor because for the number of years you've been on this earth, you still have no idea what to do when people sing the birthday song to you.

* * *

"I can't thank you guys enough for being here with me tonight. You guys have been so incredible, you always are." You breathed out as your voice echoed throughout the whole arena. You looked at the thousands of people who came tonight to see you perform with a proud grin, their energy never wavering as they sing your songs back to you from each melody to lyric.

Adrenaline was pumping through your veins as you tried to catch your breath, taking the water bottle off of the floor and lifting it up to your lips to have a quick drink.

"Now, give me everything you've got for this last song alright?" You spoke into the mic once you've rehydrated.

"Wait, wait. Don't you guys agree that Y/N is killing it tonight?" Your pianist, Sara, interrupts, the crowd cheering in agreement at her input. "And judging by today's occasion, I think we all owe her a little song." She added, earning a hearty laugh from you as you brought the mic back to your lips.

"You guys don't have to—"

"Happy birthday to you!"

The song was played no matter your protest, Sara leading the crowd as she plays the tune on her keys, the rest of the band following suit.

Your laugh bounced off the walls as you stood there in complete awe. It was a beautiful sight to see, the crowd all singing in unison, lights up in the air as they pour all their heart to the simple yet special song. The song still filling you up with joy and warmth despite having heard it countless of times for the whole day, and the fact that all these people were there for you? It was definitely the icing on the cake.

"Thank you so much you lovely people, y'all are making me emotional. And they say the best way to spend your birthdays is with the people you love and the ones who love you, and they were absolutely right. I'm so blessed to have you guys tonight, because I do love you all very much." You stated fondly the moment they finished with a loud cheer, a hand placed right atop your heart as you feel it grow ten times its size.

"Y/N, we've got another something for you." Sara spoke before you could even get another word out, hand gesturing towards the large screen right behind you.

"Oh god, is this mission make Y/N ugly cry today?" You laughed, turning around just in time too see the tour artwork turning pitch black to then be replaced by a huge countdown.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

The crowd roared in delight as Mr. Niall Horan joined with Lewis Capaldi appeared on screen, large pints of Guinness on hand with their arms around each other as they give you their birthday greeting.

"Happy birthday Y/N! But since we're halfway across the world, we'll be there with you in spirit. Also, Lewis and I decided to celebrate anyway so cheers to you and have an amazing day." Niall chuckled as he lifted his beer up. "I'll make sure to have a good drink for you Y/N! We miss ya and we love ya!" Lewis added with a cheeky grin, and you couldn't help but shake your head at the two with a big smile of your own.

You've worked with them both on a few songs, and both were the funniest yet sweetest gentlemen you've met in the industry, especially when you put the two together.

Both of them emptied their glasses as they bid their goodbyes, Niall's loud laugh echoing throughout the arena when Lewis spilled before they disappeared on screen.

The crowd went even louder once Shawn Mendes' pretty face appeared on it next, sporting his usual bright smile as he gave you his short but sweet greeting. "Happy birthday Y/N! Wishing you all the best in life since you deserve all of it! Can't wait to work with you again soon! Have fun on your birthday honey!"

You shook your head in disbelief. An amused smile was plastered on your face, still unable to fathom that a few years ago you were a huge fan of him. And now you can say you've worked with him, even call him a friend. Funny, how the universe works.

Alessia Cara came up next with a smile, wide and bright, you're heart melting to see one of your greatest and closest friends. She's just a pure and kindhearted soul, a rare beauty. "Hey there you lovely and amazing woman! Happy birthday! I miss hanging out with you a lot but I shall see you soon! Keep conquering the world Y/N! I am so proud of how far you've come and you deserve every bit of success that comes your way. Again happy birthday! Have an amazing one and I love you!" She blew you a sweet kiss and waved you goodbye, tears already brimming in your eyes at all the love and appreciation thrown your way.

Next were Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, who you've grown close with through no other person than Tom. Both were clearly on set sitting on directors' chair in their characters' outfits. Both looked a little tired but they still greeted you with wide smiles nonetheless.

"Happy birthday Y/N!" They screamed in unison. "We wished we could be there with you to celebrate your birthday but you already know how these things go." Z pouted, Jacob copying her as well and you couldn't help but giggle. "But soon when we get a break we will catch up and celebrate your birthday." Jacob added with a knowing grin. "Anyway! Duty calls so enjoy your birthday and have great one! We love you!"

Then friends and family came up on screen, ones who you've missed most having been away from them for so long and that's when you felt your heart ache a little. Happy tears were brimming in your eyes as each of them shared their lovely messages, saying how proud they are for how far you've come. And when those words come from the people who you truly care about, it means the absolute world.

The next person to share their video message didn't help with the tears either, a hushed sob escaping your lips the moment you saw his familiar face.

The crowd behind you screamed at the top of their lungs the moment Thomas Stanley Holland appeared on screen, handsome face sporting that sweet and charming smile as he sat in his trailer wearing his Spider-Man suit.

"Hello darling. My love, I'm so gutted that I'm not there so celebrate your birthday with you. If I could teleport myself by your side right now, I would in a heartbeat, but anyway, happy birthday sweetheart!" Tom exclaimed joyfully, grin all beaming and you couldn't help but miss him even more.

"Oh, where do I start? Well, I can start by saying how proud I am of you, so so proud of the gorgeous, powerful, strong and successful woman that you've grown to become. You've worked so hard to get where you are today and it fills me with so much happiness knowing that you're out there traveling the world and doing what you love the most." The crowd cooed at Tom's sweet words, your heart was already melting at the seams as more tears threaten to spill, and he wasn't even done yet.

"You deserve the whole world if not more with how kindhearted and compassionate you are. And gosh you make me feel so happy and loved. I feel so lucky to have someone like you in my life, I can't even begin to describe to you exactly how much, and if I tried? Then we'd be here for hours on end. And lastly—because I'm being called to set right now, if I wasn't I'd be talking about how amazing you are some more—I am truly, madly and deeply in love with you Y/N. You are my world and I hope I make you feel loved every single day, because you truly deserved to be."

"Tom they're waiting for you."

"Yeah, just one more minute." Tom calls out to someone off shot before his eyes landed back on the camera, staring straight at you through the screen with a guilty smile. Guilty because it pains him that he's not there with you. "I love you dearly, and I miss you so much. I'll make it up to you I promise. Once again, happy birthday to my beautiful girl and I shall see you soo—"

All of a sudden the screen went static, Tom's words being cut off as you heard nothing but white noise. Then everything just went black, the whole arena dark as the night as gasps of surprise and screams of panic echoed throughout its walls.

Tell everyone to stay calm Y/N, we're fixing things up.

Your sound guy spoke in your in-ear. You nodded despite the fact that they probably can't see you due to the darkness. Turning back around to the audience, you spoke into the mic. "I'm sorry guys, just technical difficulties. Just stay in your seats in be calm, the lights should be back on in a minute."

And as if on cue, the crowd screamed as the power turned back on. However, after a few seconds, they turned unusually rowdy, too rowdy for it to be only that reason. Slowly you got the feeling it wasn't only because of that, judging by the volume and power of their cheer, and by a few fans pointing at the stage as if they're seeing something you aren't.

For a split second, you met eyes with Molly who was right by the side of the stage. She had that all-knowing grin on her face as she pointed towards something behind you.

Confused, you turned around, jumping in sheer shock when you were met by a hanging, upside-down person dressed in a red and black Lycra suit, face all covered with a mask making the identity of the person pretty much unknown.

Your heart beat quickened as you stumbled back on your feet at the sight of the person, your brain registering it back to a specific boy—one who you saw on screen minutes ago wearing the exact same outfit—even if there was no confirmation as their face wasn't even shown. Your whole body was trembling from surprise, excitement but also worry that it might not be who you think it is under that mask.

Emotions were all over the place as you stared right at upside-down, masked-face of Spider-Man who held a birthday cupcake in hand.

"No, no, stop, please, is this a prank?" You croaked out, shaking your head as tears started to escape your eyes, question a must because you're having a really hard time believing what you're seeing.

It's been a long day, you just really wanted to make sure that what's happening is real and not just a figment of your imagination. You had to make sure that it wasn't the desperation of you missing your boyfriend painting pictures in your head. Not only that, but to really be sure that it's actually him under that mask.

"Guys! Don't even play! Please don't get my hopes up. That's a stunt double right?" You asked into the mic as you looked at your band and the rest of the crew for answers, who gave you nothing but wide smiles. You just feel like it would be too good to be true, and you really don't want to face disappointment if it wasn't him.

On the other hand, out of all the things they could have done to prank you, why would they choose this? It's a bit cruel to prank someone on their birthday now doesn't it? Especially when it involves playing with their emotions?

Unless, it's not a prank at all and you're getting way too ahead of yourself.

Mr. Spider-Man beckons you over, finger pointing at your hand to which you held the mic. With tears already clouding your vision, you moved closer slowly.

Reaching a close enough proximity, you had one hand over your mouth to silence your whimpers as the other lifted the microphone up to where Spider-Man's mouth is supposed to be. And the moment he spoke, you've lost any sense of control over your emotions or your sanity, his voice just too familiar for it to be someone else's.

"Why don't you take off the mask and find out yourself darling?"

You shook your head at the upside down boy as joyful tears streamed down your face, shaking hands lifting up to hook your fingers on the edge of the mask, pulling it down and removing it fully to reveal the face of the man you love.

"You sneaky bastard." You laughed tearfully, Tom only grinning at you all proud, his face now turning redder as the seconds pass by, being upside-down and all.

"Happy birthday sweetheart." He chuckled, offering you the cupcake, which you took gladly, balancing it with the mic on your hand. You were unable to form any more words as you stared at Tom, still unable to believe that it's actually him, and that he's here, in the flesh.

The crowd started to chant the word "kiss" over and over, making you throw your head back in pure laughter.

"We should do the kiss." Tom wriggled his eyes brows at you, mischievous smirk in play and you couldn't stop your eyes from rolling at your boy. But still, you gave in anyway as you cupped his face softly, your heart skipping a beat at the feeling of his warm skin against your palm.

You brushed the tip of your nose with his with a hum, moving closer until there was no space between you two as you captured his lips in yours, all while trying to manage the whole upside-down situation.

Tom sighed in pure satisfaction to finally feel your lips on his after months of being deprived from it, your touch making him feel like he's floating, which says a lot given the fact that he was already hanging mid-air all while being upside-down.

The kiss didn't last long though, too many prying for you two to cherish the moment. The crowd, on the other hand, cheered in amusement at the extremely cliché but sweet gesture, you and Tom giggling between the kiss at the loud support.

"Okay, I'm actually getting dizzy now." Tom laughed once you pulled away, hand gesturing for you to move just a little bit farther, and when you did, he flipped himself right-side-up with ease. A few guys then rushed on stage to help him with the wires, and once they were off, Tom turned to you with a sweet smile, face coated with wholesome contentment to finally see you in person again.

"You're actually here." You whimpered, fresh tears wetting your cheeks some more once he stood right in front of you.

"Aww darling, come here." Tom cooed with a soft chuckle, arms wrapping around your frame as he held you close to his chest, pressing a sweet kiss on top of your head. You couldn't contain your sobs as you buried your face on the crook of his neck, the smell of his perfume filling you up quickly and it only made your grip around him tighten.

You just miss him so damn much, and to actually have him here on your birthday, to be holding him so close after months, it was making every fiber of your being emotional.

"I haven't missed your birthday, not a single one, ever. Why would I start now?" He whispered against your hair, swaying you from side to side in a comforting manner, a soft sigh coming out of you as you felt your heart grow with even more love for this man.

"I still haven't decided if I hate you or love you for doing this." You giggled with tiny sniffles, pulling away to get a proper look at his handsome face, the face that you'll always be glad to see. Hate because he almost gave you a heart attack and for making you worry about him for being gone for a day, and love because, well, he's here now isn't he?

Tom only shot you a wink. "I'll tell you all about it later." He says, hand reaching down to take the microphone from you.

"Hey everyone, I'm Spider-Man." The crowd roared at that, Tom laughing in pure glee, all proud of his choice of words as he slings his arm over your shoulder and pulled you to his side. "I just want to thank you guys for supporting this amazing woman right here. I've been watching the show from the very start and you guys have been incredible."

Tom turned to look at you lovingly, smile coated with delight and adoration, voice layered with nothing but certainty. "I love this woman a lot, so thank you for making her dreams come true and for making her happy."

With just that, you were able to conjure even more tears as you looked at Tom all adoringly with a small pout. The boy stared at you with just as much love, cooing at your reaction as he gave you a soft kiss on the forehead.

How have you managed to get so lucky?

"Right, I'm done crashing your show so take it away my love." Tom finished as he handed the microphone back to you. Giving you one last warm squeeze and a peck on the lips to match, Tom was then waving goodbye to the audience and disappearing side-stage to watch the rest of the show.

Taking in deep long breaths, you turned to the audience with a laugh. "Okay, wow. Mission Ugly Cry is a success then. I haven't see him in months okay I couldn't help the tears."

"I wasn't expecting that at all as you can probably tell by my reaction. How am I supposed to top that now?" You rubbed your temple in feign worry, the audience cheering you in mere support.

You were still sniffling from all the crying along with your throat being little dry. And you were thankful for waterproof mascara otherwise you would've looked even more horrifying.

"God I'm such a mess, can I have some tissues please?" You asked, looking around the crew for help as you attempted to wipe off the tears with your fingers.

Instead of the staff, Tom ran back out with a box of tissues and a bottle of water in hand, making you shake your head in utter hilarity at how corny he is. You couldn't hold back your laughter when he handed you the box of tissues, pulled a couple pieces and held his fingers under your chin as he wiped your tears for you, all gingerly as if he was retouching your make up. After that, he opened up the water bottle to help you drink, then fixed your hair up jokingly and squeezed your nose playfully right after.

Once he was done with, he gave you a chaste kiss on the cheek, waving one last time at the crowd before returning back to side-stage.

"My new assistant everyone." You joked, keeping your eyes on your boyfriend with a grin you can't seem to wipe off. Tom mirrored your expression as he gave you two thumbs up in support for the last song, and with that you turned back to the crowd with a deep, satisfied sigh.

"Right, let's go out on a high note."

* * *

"Absolutely killed it." Tom praised, engulfing you in a warm embrace the moment you got off stage, a soft thank you coming out of you as you squeezed him back.

On your way back to your dressing room, You kept each other close, his arm slung over your shoulder with yours around his waist as you walked through the hallway.

"I'm not leaving your side by the way. I missed you too damn much and I'm not going to waste any second by being a little far from you." Tom shot you his best puppy dog eyes combined with a cute pout, a sweet giggle escaping your lips that made Tom's heart melt ten times over. "Well, I'm not complaining."

It wasn't that long of a walk from the stage to your dressing room but you had time to kill, so you turned to look at your man with a curios glint in your eyes.

"Tell me how you've managed to pull off this extremely over-the-top surprise? I mean, you could've just showed up in my dressing room and I would've cried just as much." You pointed out. Not that you didn't like what he did, you loved what just happened, every second of it, but you cannot deny that what he did was as extra and cliché as one can be.

Tom shrugged with a chuckle, "I know. But I wanted it to be special, you deserve nothing but. And you've got to admit, dangling upside-down in the middle of the stage during your show, all while dressed as Spider-Man is pretty impressive. Plus, we did the kiss. I'd say it's an amazing birthday surprise."

"It is amazing. I just happen to forget how extra you are sometimes." You teased. "I am, but you love me for it." Tom retorted back with a smirk, causing you to roll your eyes with soft laugh.

"Yeah, I do. Thank you so much bub, you always make my birthdays memorable." You sighed, wrapping both your arms around him with a smile full of gratitude. Tom planted another kiss on your forehead, a bright smile on his lips to match yours as he hummed. "Anything for my angel."

"Now, details Holland."

"Right, managed to pull some strings a a week ago and was able to ask few days off, so the whole conflicting schedule wasn't entirely a lie but it wasn't as serious as I made it out to be. Flew out last night right after the shoot. I couldn't handle just lying to you which is why I didn't respond to any of your messages in case I slip up. I'm sorry about that love."

"And then out of nowhere I thought how awesome it would be to pop up as Spider-Man in the middle of your show and do the famous kiss, so I asked Marvel a favor and thank goodness they let me borrow the suit. Called Molly to tell her about my plan, she helped quite a lot. Arrived here earlier this morning, did a test run with the wires and all that while you were still back at the hotel. Changed into the suit to then wait for the time. Oh! And if you actually looked up from your phone earlier down the hall on your way to your get-together, the whole surprise would've been ruined."

You gasped as you smacked his chest lightly. "That was you! I knew something was up." You felt really played, knowing you could've seen him if you did as much as peek up from your phone. But then again, it would've ruined the whole thing, and you really don't want to change anything that has happened today, so you're glad you didn't.

Tom could only laugh at your reaction, giving your pout a sweet peck before continuing. "The video messages were planned a long, long time ago but we made a few edits at the end of my bit to make it dramatic and here we are now."

And just as he said those last words, both of you now stood in front of the door of your dressing room. If there's one thing you always tend to be surprised about Tom, it's his impeccable timing.

"You are something else Thomas." You gushed, referring to today's escapade and just in general. You really are so lucky to have someone like him in your life, so thoughtful, caring, kind and just all around amazing.

You don't really know what came over you but the moment he opened the door to your dressing room and are your way inside, just knowing that you two were finally alone, you grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him down, crashing your lips on his as you pushed him back against the door, closing it shut in the process.

Tom chuckled lowly at the sudden change in mood, hands taking home on your waist as he relished the taste of your lips, one he's missed so bad.

The thick fabric of his suit was starting to irritate him for he just wants to feel your skin on his fingertips, especially after so long of not having to touch you. It got on Tom's nerves even more when he felt it grow even tighter than it already is.

And when you started to nibble on his bottom lip as your hands inched down his body slowly, Tom groaned, pushing you away gently, just for a little room to breathe. "Darling, it's very uncomfortable, borderline painful when I get hard in this suit, you know that." He grumbled, brown eyes a shade darker as his grip on your waist tightened.

You giggled, recalling all the times you've teased him whenever you came to visit him on set. "Hmm, let's get you out of it and go back to the hotel then."

Tom's bottom lip got caught between his teeth at your suggestion, your insides churning as he looked at you lustfully, a deep rumble erupting from his chest when he said,

"We definitely should. After all, this isn't the only surprise I have in store for you sweetheart."

-:-:-:-:-

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silverwhiteraven · 4 years ago

Text

Borne of the Stars - Chapter 14 - An MLB Kryptonian AU

Tag List: @eve-valution @weird-pale-blonde-person @kris-pines04 @soulmate-game @abrx2002 @amayakans @vixen-uchiha @heldtogetherbysafetypins @raisuke06 @dorkus-minimus @mopester-is-here @moonlightstar64 @annabellabrookes @toodaloo-kangaroo @the-navistar-carol @elspethshadow @chocolatecatstheron @ivymala07 @maribat-is-lifeblood

[ Summary: Author is Back! The Heroes now meet. They also meet their first Akuma. ]

[ Posted on A03 ] [ Chapter 1 ] [ Chapter 13 ] [ Chapter 15 ]

Marinette was falling.

Well, falling as much one could when holding on for dear life to one end of a magical yo-yo that acted as its own weird grappler mixed with a trapeze. Neither of which she had ever used in her life.

First time for everything she supposed, though she also hoped this wouldn’t end with lasts, either.

Speaking of firsts being lasts, she realized her latest upswing was about to turn into a crash course collision with a black clad figure floating in the open air. As she yelled a terrified “ Look out!! ” at the person she didn't know was friend or foe, she really did wish this would be her one and only time her bad aim with a yo-yo ever turned into this situation. She really doubted it, though, but a girl can dream.

She barely saw a flash of blonde hair and green, green eyes turn towards her in shock before they slammed into each other, and fell several meters to a high rooftop below with mutual ‘ oofs ’ and wire wrapped around them. They rolled to a stop, Marinette resting awkwardly atop the other who had her back to the roof.

“I am so so sorry!” Marinette immediately apologized as soon as breath was back in her lungs. “I’m really new at this, I-” She was interrupted and silenced a moment later by a laugh and green, feline eyes looking into her own from below.

“Don’t worry about it, little lady,” the girl clad in black soothed reassuringly, her French accented. “I know a thing or two about knocking everything over when you first start out. I’d make a great practice dummy if you ever need it. Now, let's get out of this- uh…” She looked down, confused, at the string around them as she gave her arms a tug. “Wow, this stuff is stronger than I thought.”

Marinette could just feel the yo-yo string staying firmly tight with every tug, and realized she still had one end of it in her hand. “Oh! Let me just-” One tug, and the yo-yo came zipping around them and back into her hand. She was up in an instant, backing up with a flush of embarrassment on her face. “S-sorry, again, I’ll get better at this soon.”

The other girl just grinned, revealing pointed canines as she stood up as well. “Take your time, I can carry us both for as long as we need until you’re ready.”

A distant rumble caught their attention, and the blonde girl went tense and turned back to Marinette.

“Let’s make these introductions quick. I’m Oncilla the Black Cat,” The girl in black said, a hand over her heart and the other behind her back, taking a rather formal looking bow. “You must be the Ladybug I was told to expect?”

Marinette gaped like a fish for a moment before nodding quickly. “Oh, yes! Ladybug, yeah, you can call me that, not many other options with this costume, huh?” She joked nervously with a glance at her red and black-spotted hoodie.

“It suits you, Buggy,” Oncilla said with a grin, then walked over to the edge of the roof towards where the noise was coming from. Marinette- Ladybug- followed, fidgeting the yo-yo in her hand. “We should get going,” Oncilla added, squinting into the distance. “If there's anything I know, it’s that the damage only gets worse with time.”

“Experienced?” Ladybug asked, looking out over the edge nervously.

“Very. You?”

Ladybug laughed nervously once more. “Only with classroom bullies. This is…”

“Bigger, yeah. But think of it this way,” Oncilla turned to Ladybug and set a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “In a classroom, you're both on equal footing. Out here with villains? The field is bigger, but being Ladybug means your footing is the same, too. And you know what else you have that they don’t?”

“What?” Ladybug asked curiously.

“Back-up,” Oncilla said confidently through a big grin. “Bullies never have many friends, and villains are nothing more than slightly bigger bullies with even bigger heroes to oppose them. Trust me, your Ladyship, we got this. ”

Ladybug’s shoulders relaxed, and a grateful smile spread on her face. “Thank you. Having friends to back you up is always a good choice. Glad to have you as one of mine.”

Oncilla beamed at her. “Let’s head off. I can fly, but since you can’t, I'll stick with you. I've learned my lesson with going in head-first without my team, I won’t be teaching that to you on our first day together.”

“I appreciate it, considering I’m still not used to this yet at all,” Ladybug showed the yo-yo in her hand. “Catch me if I fall again? I don’t think ladybugs land on their feet…”

“‘Course,” Oncilla answered, then pulled a silver staff from behind her back. Not only did she plan to stay by Ladybug, she also seemed to be planning to forego flying so she could keep the same pace. Ladybug appreciated the gesture, and with a toss of her yo-yo and a step off the edge, she was off towards her first ever in-person super-villain, partner close behind.

Their travel wasn't long, though it felt like forever to the poor Ladybug, who was holding any more panicked yells from escaping. She really hoped she would get used to this soon, she really did.

They found their villain near the Eiffel Tower, the large monument clearly being the Akuma’s goal.

“They're trying to get a higher vantage point,” Oncilla fills in as Ladybug notices the Akuma was only floating so high off the ground. One of the Black Cat hero’s feline ears was flicking, cluing the other into Oncilla’s enhanced hearing as well.

As Ladybug turned back to look at the villain, squinting at them, she could have sworn for just a second she heard the Akuma muttering to themself. Maybe she got her hearing enhanced, too, just not as much? She supposed it went along with the themes, really.

“So how do you usually handle this kind of thing?” Ladybug questioned without moving her eyes from the target. She also kept them moving closer, though slower to keep from rushing or alerting the Akuma.

“Observe, strategize, attack, and don’t ever hesitate. Waiting is only good if it lets you get information, otherwise that’s just stalling, and stalling is bad if you don’t want extra collateral damage.” Oncilla was clearly concentrating well on the situation, looking and sounding perfectly in her element. Ladybug felt out of place, but she still held to the hope that she could fill her new role without any classic Marinette-clumsiness getting in the way.

“Observe…” Ladybug mused. “I saw earlier from my own, uh, high places, that all the glowing street parts popping up are a big, connecting map. The roofs of some buildings are even getting marked with icons.”

“Oh, I noticed that too, a... friend pointed it out to me,” Oncilla nodded. “But why turn the whole city into a giant map?”

Ladybug shrugged. “Maybe they got lost, couldn't find a place to ask directions?” She tapped her chin, thinking more. “I also saw a few odd things while I was swinging around. A few miscellaneous places had markers on them, almost like pins in a personal map rather than existing landmarks. They could be caused by the Akuma’s personal interests in those places?”

“Sounds reasonable. But in that case, they already know the layout of the city. Again, why a map ? Maybe...”

“They're tracking something?” Ladybug filled in.

“Exactly!” Oncilla snapped and smiled at her. “Maybe a bit more like a GPS system. Or a treasure hunt. They don't know where the thing they're looking for is, but they know it’s going to be marked on the map. So, they need to get somewhere to be able to see the map best.”

“Like a really tall tower in the middle of a lot of shorter buildings,” Ladybug finished, then looked onward, past the Akuma, to the Tower itself.

“Let’s intercept them at the base,” she suggested, ��If we can't stop them there, we can at least follow them up and see where they go from there.”

“Smart,” the other replied. “Let’s go.” And with that, Oncilla was running and pole vaulting towards the Tower, skirting far around the Akuma to avoid notice, Ladybug close behind with her yo-yo.

The two heroes got to the base of the Eiffel Tower before the Akuma did, though not by long. However, the Akuma seemed not to notice them, eyes locked on the upper levels. That is, until a violet glow ringed their mask, and their eyes snapped downward to the duo, before their previously pensive expression warped into a cold sneer.

“The Ladybeetle and Black Cat! You finally arrived!” The Akuma spoke loudly, impatience thick in their tone.

The two dropped into defensive stances at the recognition, Ladybug’s more sloppy and unpracticed than Oncilla’s. Ladybug thought to herself that she should really take more fencing classes as Marinette. Maybe Kara and her friends could assist, too? Not the time to think about this! She self reprimanded, turning her focus back to the villain.

“What about us?” Oncilla taunted, bringing the focus of the Akuma to her.

“I am Atlas, and in exchange for your Miraculous, I shall be able to find what I have lost with the gift I have been granted. So hand them over.”

“Yeah, no,” the Black Cat wielder continued, “These aren't toys to trade like Halloween candy. We keep them, and you get lost.”

"No! Give me your Miraculous and get out of my way so I can get back to finding my things!" The Akuma bellowed at the heroes.

"I'm sorry Atlas, but we really can't do that," Ladybug chimed in, looking conflicted. She wasn't used to this, it was only her first time as a hero, let alone negotiating with a super-villain or a possessed civilian. Yet, there was something here she did know how to do.

"But!" She interrupts the Akuma as their face contorts into a deeper scowl, their body crouched and coiled, ready to jump at them. "But, maybe we can help?"

"Help?" Atlas became confused, and the butterfly-shaped glow returned. They waved it away with a shake of their head, "Quiet, Hawk Moth, maybe she can help you with this, too."

"Yeah- Yes! I can try to help, what is it you lost, maybe we can look for it." She glanced back to the other hero, making sure she was on board. Oncilla shrugged, relaxing from her previous stance and restraining herself from jumping right into fighting.

The Akuma looked thoughtful before answering.

"Well, at first, I just lost my pens,” the Akuma recalled aloud. “But then..." Their expression contorted in pain as they remembered their moments that led to their Akumatization.

"I lost a lot, actually," they amended. "Today was rough, a lot went bad. I just wanted to relax and work on my calligraphy when I was finally home. But I couldn't find my pens, or my backups... God, I found my good paper with spilled ink! " Their voice rose again, the anger and frustration growing and radiating from them like a toxin. Ladybug kept herself from recoiling and held herself as steady as she could, listening.

"I'm probably the one who spilled it when I left this morning, hell, I probably forgot my pens in the locker when I emptied it, or on the subway like a freaking idiot . I keep doing things like this, losing everything . I can't keep anything straight, I can't remember anything right, I can't do what's expected of me! " Tears streamed down their cheeks now, and their cries had risen to a yell.

"I need everything mapped out for me because I'm useless without that!! So just, HELP ME , or GIVE UP and GIVE ME THE MIRACULOUS!! "

The butterfly glow returned, and only a split second of unheard prompting had the sorrowful and angered Atlas attacking the heroes off-guard.

The two heroes jumped apart, dodging the first attack. Oncilla was quick to engage Atlas in close combat while Ladybug recovered herself.

The fight moved away from the newer hero, and in an attempt to get herself closer, tossed her yo-yo into the beams of the Tower. It stuck and pulled her up, but she failed to get it back down, and ended up hanging from the string a few meters in the air. Looking around to see if there was anywhere for her to safely fall to, she realized, even if it wasn't much, she could see things better than from the ground.

“Oncilla!” Ladybug called out, and saw the other hero’s feline ears twitch towards her in acknowledgment. “I need to get higher, I have an idea! Can you handle them for a minute more?”

“Of course!” came the response. “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, I got this! Go!”

With a quick, hard tug, and another throw of the yo-yo as she fell, Ladybug was heading up the Eiffel Tower.

As she swung to the peak, she called out, “ Lucky Charm! ”

#Borne of the Stars #maribat #Krypto-Mari AU #marinette dupain cheng #kara danvers #miraculous ladybug #dc super hero girls #black cat kara #kryptonian au

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dat-town · 4 years ago

Text

fallen kingdoms sequel: rising courts

Characters: fae!Changmin & You

Setting : fae au, royal au

Summary: You should have known better than to trust faes. Yet, you seemed to forget how cunning creatures they could be. You couldn’t defeat them at their own games. [continuation of fallen kingdoms]

Warning: mentions of violance, war

Words: .6.3k

Dedicated to my dear @restlessmaknae to whom I wish the happiest birthday ever and to have her dreams come true ♥ #BethDay (credit to @lily-blue)

You swore you tried to adjust back to your mundane human life after getting back from the fae land but it was harder than you had thought. After experiencing the wonders of that world, this realm felt duller and emptier. You missed having magic and nature constantly around you so much that sometimes you found yourself wandering through parks for hours searching for miniscule signs of the footsteps of fairies. But the news about kids getting lost near the riverbank or coming back traumatized stopped, so it must have meant the gate was still sealed and everything was slowly back on its track.

Despite the magic on the borderline between the two worlds, you believed you could stumble upon something to feel closer to their world because the faes you had befriended in the Dawnblooming Court found little windows in the invisible wall between the Earth and their kingdom. At least you were sure that was the reason behind the sudden blooming plants in your apartment. Even your most sensitive plant that was on verge of dying suddenly came back to life and the fireflies outside of your window reminded you of a green world and smiles that tugged on your heartstrings.

You barely spent there days but it felt much more and out of all the things you suddenly missed, you had been missing Changmin the most. His consideration, his soft smiles, and even the mischievous glint in his eyes when he was being funny. You wished you could have gotten to know him better even though you were well aware that he was way out of your league. He was a king after all, a royal, a fae blessed with eternal life. So no, you weren't delusional, you knew his smiles weren't supposed to mean anything, that there was no future for the two of you. Yet, it didn't stop you from daydreaming.

Maybe it was because of your eagerness, that was your downfall. How naive you were and how much you wished for a reason, or even an excuse to go back. So when a letter made of pergamen miraculously appeared on your dinner table from thin air, you merely gulped at the sight and grabbed it with both hands, keen on doing something, anything. You folded the letter out, so you could read the pretty handwriting. Its content was sparing words yet those had terrible impact on you, sending your heart to palpitate.

Changmin is in danger. We need you. Please come. We will be waiting for you.

You didn't even think, you didn't need to. You got up, dressed up comfy and left your apartment, going back to the park by the Han river, following the same path you had taken with the dethroned king all those weeks ago. You knew that if weeks passed in the human realm, it meant months in fae land, so a lot must have changed. And it seemed like, things weren't back on their track as you had assumed, not entirely and you were willing to help with anything you could.

It wasn't easy to find the entrance. You thought it would be but the trees must have had some kind of charm on them because you lost your way in the woods multiple times before you found the familiar little fountain by the rocky hill. You fished out the golden coin Changmin had given you and took a deep breath before you threw it into the pool. Everything that followed fell like déja vu: the water filling up the tank, the crack in the rock, the wound on your palm, the pull from the other side.

But this time, you were alone.

There was no Changmin there to protect you when you were surrounded by shadow soldiers and Mavoc, grinning devilishly at you.

"So we meet again," he stepped closer and you wanted to pull away only if the closed gate behind you let it. "Lovely of you to come back after leaving without a goodbye. I have been waiting for this for too long," he said sweetly and blew some kind of pollen into your face that made you weak in the knees in an instant.

Then, everything went dark.

Faes couldn't lie, you knew that. That was one of your advantages as a half-human. However, you were stupid enough to not think of the possibilities. After all, Mavoc didn't lie. Not exactly. Changmin was in danger just not the way you imagined. Maybe he was in an even bigger danger because of you. Because you were a liability, you knew that and you hated it. You didn't want him to come and save you. You didn't deserve that after walking into a trap oh so naively.

However, it seemed like Mavoc had other plans. For one, this time, you weren't alone when you woke up. You weren't even in a cold iron cage. You were tied to a chair, sitting across the pointy eared monster drinking something that you hoped was red wine. He seemingly had the time of his life, while your head ached and the ropes were uncomfortably digging into your skin, burning your fragile human vessel when you moved.

"I underestimated you last time, I won't make the same mistake twice," the fae explained to you, elbows resting on the table as he leaned closer. He smelled like blood and death, like rotting trees. You gulped to suppress a disgusted grimace.

"What do you want from me?" you asked, voice wavering more than you wanted although you were determined not to give him what he wanted.

Mavoc looked you in the eyes, dark irises reminding you of moonless, hopeless nights.

"Oh I have big plans for you! You will be the queen on the chess table, darling," he laughed but you hated every echo of it. Turning your head, you saw the shadow soldiers by every gate and window of this hideout. It was dark, only lit up by the fire cracking a few feet away from you but it didn't warn you up enough to stop the shiver.

"How?" you gritted your teeth. When Mavoc smiled, you hated it.

"You will be the one who helps me destroy the king at his own coronation," he laughed, looking down on you. "Because Ji is just as stupid and naive and weak as you. He trusts you and that will be his downfall."

Oh. So Changmin was getting crowded again? That was the only positive thing you gathered today. Everything else scared you to the core.

"I would never."

"Oh, of course, you would. Otherwise, I will kill your family back home and make a slaughter out of the coronation," Mavoc threatened but you doubted this was his only chance. Why didn't he send an assassin if he wanted to kill him with the crown on his head? Why did it have to be you? There was something he didn't tell you, something crucial why it had to be you and not just some random fae girl. You were deep in thought when the dark fae across you let out a scoff. "Come on, don't act as if you were so close. You only met once. And he was the one telling your mother not to come back ever when she got pregnant with you."

This burnt the words onto your tongue. He couldn't lie, you reminded yourself and you knew that Changmin knew your mother from before, before she had left this realm. Was this why? Because she wasn't welcomed? That was why she couldn't even visit Sangyeon, your uncle? But Changmin hadn't even been a king then... right? It couldn't have been that he was dethroned so long ago and he wanted to get it back now. Maybe he was just trying to protect your mother because no, he couldn't have been the bad guy in the story, you refused to believe that.

"You are just twisting the truth," you accused Mavoc of choosing his words wisely to make you believe what he wanted without saying that out loud. This was the closest thing to lying he could do. It made you feel conflicted, just as his calmness.

"There's no need," he shrugged but you refused to believe him. Your faith in and loyalty to Changmin seemed to surprise the fae though. "Hah, you are an interesting one, aren't you? A human in the humans' world and a fae among us. Spectacular. No wonder Changmin wanted to keep you for himself. One of a kind toy you are for sure," he said, wondering aloud and you hated the way he talked about you and you hated the assumption that the boy with sparkling eyes you had once sat on your couch thought the same. If he was, then he wouldn't have let you go, then he wouldn't have cared about your safety.

"I don't care what you say, I won't kill him. I can't. I'm no trained fighter and my reflexes are slower than his. This is the worst plan ever," you said confidently. These were stupid excuses. You wouldn't have killed him even if you had a chance. It was too absurd, you weren't a murderer and you wouldn't have become one. You merely hoped that your mother could get to a safe place and the others expected something like this at the coronation. They had to, right? This is a big thing, they must be super careful and that must have been why Mavoc wanted you to go: because you could get in and because you could lie about why you were there. It wasn't a bad idea to begin with but it was a crazy one and it absolutely didn't take your human heart into consideration. That you cared too much to kill, that you weren't his puppet, his plaything whatever he thought.

"You just need to pour this into his drink," he put a tiny glass jar on the table. "We will take care of the rest. You will just smile and knock your glass to his in congratulations," Mavoc rolled his eyes as if it was absurd of you to even consider that he wanted you to kill Changmin. Oh right, he probably thought you were weak too. Well, if caring about people and having beliefs were being weak, then so be it.

"How do you know that I won't betray you?" you raised a brow, hoping to find loopholes in his plan. A way for you to escape. If they wanted you to get into the castle alone then there would have been nobody around you, nobody to follow your steps. Or was it naive of you to think that he would let you go alone? But if he wanted to make Changmin believe that you came back on your own because of the coronation, then that wouldn't have made sense.

"I don't trust you, so I will have my eyes on you, I can promise that. One wrong move and more faes will die than necessary," Mavoc said and you finally understood why he wanted to get rid of Changmin quietly and by you. If you killed him with the poison and then denied your wrongdoings by claiming you were controlled by him, then nobody would have believed you. Not even a single soul since unlike others, you could lie. So if they blamed it on you, he would still have had a handful of powerful faes on his side. He would probably act as the hero of the night, being Changmin's old commander, claiming it was all because of you, a human witch that the king lost his trust in him.

So no, you wouldn't help in that. You wouldn't let him destroy Changmin. But...

"I don't care about faes here. I just want you to leave my family alone. That means, my parents and Sangyeon, too," you said firmly trying to negotiate, trying to buy yourself more time, trying to save those close to you. Or rather: everybody from such a monster.

"If Changmin gets out of the picture, I will be too busy to deal with anything else than your pitiful family, you can be sure of that," Mavoc said with a grin but you shook your head disapprovingly. You needed him to say it, with words. Otherwise there was no guarantee he wouldn't kill you or anyone else. But if he promised then according to the fae rules, he couldn’t go back on his words. It didn’t mean that they would be safe from him, but it would have made you a bit more relieved.

"No. I need you to promise me. Promise me that you won't hurt them."

"If you make the king drink what’s in that glass, then I promise I won’t bring harm to your family. Otherwise, I can’t promise anything," he nodded at you with his lips in a firm line then crooked an elegant brow at you. “Do we have a deal?”

"We do," you gritted your teeth. You didn’t really have any other choice. He might not have been capable of manipulating and hypnotizing you because of your fae blood but he could have kept you in a dungeon for all your life until you rotted away. That much of a time would have been only a dust grain in his much longer life. And you needed to get away in order to warn Changmin and the others about the attack. If you seemed cooperating enough, maybe you could have turned that to your advantage. Maybe acting like a fragile human being fearing her life could help you for the first time in your life.

The dress Mavoc had gotten you was dreamlike, it took your breath away. It was unfair, the silky touch of the heavenly material, the lightness of it and the way it sparkled under moonlight. It fit you perfectly, which must have been some kind of fairy magic because there was no way he knew your measurements. Two fae girls even helped you with your hair, so by the start of the show, it fell to your shoulder in soft waves and pearls with flowers in a high bun.

Mavoc seemed to like the irony of something pretty killing Changmin. On the other hand, you weren't so eager about that. You still couldn’t figure out how to pass the message to Changmin without being too obvious about it and hopefully without getting your family into trouble.

You were just about to go, the fae palace of the Dawnblooming Court standing tall and white in the middle of the forest only a bit away. It looked magnificent in all its shine. Greenery running down and the moonlight reflecting on its walls. You could see families of faes arriving at the royal residence, handing their invitations to the guards by the door. Mavoc told you that you wouldn’t need that and for once, you hoped he was right. You hoped that the boys you had gotten to know a few months ago didn’t forget about you either.

“Here are the two drinks. This one is the poison, the other one is a simple sleeping powder. You should pour them into the raspberry ale and drink the latter, so they wouldn’t suspect you,” Mavoc told you and you were surprised that he even thought about that. But with a dry throat you’d rather not say anything and just nodded. You took the small glass phials and hid them in the secret pocket of your long and layered skirt. “And don’t forget: we will be watching you, so don’t you dare spill the beans.”

How could you have forgotten that?

“Understood?” Mavoc leaned forwards and you turned your head away. Didn’t he know that you could lie? So you just shrugged before nodding.

“Yes.”

With sweaty fingers and heart hammering, you couldn’t have thought of anything else while you were walking towards the big gates. You could hear eerie yet hauntingly beautiful music coming out of the palace and you felt as if just by one look at you, everybody could get see through you. You didn’t know what to expect, but when you reached the guards, you wouldn’t have been surprised if they wanted to check your belongings looking for weapons or anything that could have hurt the newly crowned king.

“Invitation?” One of the guards looked at you and you were taken aback by the emerald green eyes he had.

“I don’t have one,” you admitted truthfully but before you could have added anything else, the fairy shook his head and pointed away.

“Then you’re not welcomed, sorry. This is a closed ceremony,” he told you firmly but you weren’t going to give up that easily. You needed to meet Changmin and tell him that he was still in danger.

“I’m Lee Sangyeon’s niece. He said I’m always welcomed in the palace,” you argued and the eyes on you narrowed questioningly before he turned his head and with a swift hand movement he sent away one of the lower ranked guards.

“We need to confirm that,” he said and you straightened your back, waiting patiently but nervously while others were let inside. You needed to suppress the urge to pick your nails and show your very much not fairy self, so you let out a relieved sigh when you saw Sangyeon approaching. Finally! He was going to know what to do in this mess of a situation. You whipped your head towards him when he called your name with a bright smile on his face, waving at you and telling the guards to let you through.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re here! Changmin will be so thrilled! How did you know that the ceremony would be today? Gosh, you’re really pretty, I feel like a proud uncle for re–” he started to get really excited as you were walking inside and you grabbed him on the arm to halt his hasty movements. It was kind of sweet that he trusted you so much even though you appeared without as much as a warning sign but you wanted to yell at him for being so naive. He should have known better that Mavoc wouldn’t just give up like that.

“Can we talk alone for a bit?” you asked him in a serious tone and Sangyeon looked at you worried this time. But he nodded and led you away from the ballroom, into a room that smelled like lilies.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” he asked you and you gulped down your nerves before mustering up your courage to tell him all about Mavoc’s plan and asking him to let Changmin know and play along with the plan.

“The truth is I wa– I...” you coughed because your throat started to scratch. Suddenly you couldn’t breath, your lungs felt on fire. What the hell was going on?

Sangyeon looked at you with question marks in his caring brown eyes and you had a hand on your throat at the unfamiliar and scary feeling just before realizing what was happening.

Oh… you were a half fae after all. You might have been able to lie but you were supposed to keep your promises. At least, it seemed like that the promises made to faes definitely counted and now you couldn’t tell anything about Mavoc’s plan to your friends. This ruined your entire plan and at the thought you fisted your hand in frustration.

“I just missed you all,” you changed what you were going to say with a sheepish smile and it made Sangyeon grin.

“You’re cute,” he remarked endeared before telling you a dozen stories about what had happened in the meantime. Things had been looking up since Changmin got supporters from anti-Mavoc faes within the kingdom and apparently, he made peace with the Daffodilden Court and was going to marry their princess, Narcissa, in order to establish a long term alliance. When you heard him say that, you didn’t know why but you felt disappointed. Come on, as if there had been anything more between you just because he had joked that you should come back to check on his iron dungeon. But to mask your weird feelings about this situation, you pulled a smile and hoped it was believable enough.

“I’ll let Changmin know you’re here,” Sangyeon told you once you reached the ballroom and while he was away, you were thinking hard how else you could cross Mavoc and his evil plan. You saw some faes dancing some kind of loose dance, others eating fruits and drinking by the table. Some of them seemed familiar, others didn’t. You wondered whether Mavoc’s men were among them. After all, he must have planned something after you would give the king the poison. He must have been close, too.

“What a pleasant surprise,” you heard an amused voice say next to your ear and turning around you faced Changmin, smile bright and dimples visible. His hair was still as burgundy as ever, eyes sparkling just like the stars you had seen on your way there and the glass crown on his head looked like it belonged there.

“Better than your last visit to me,” you reminded him and you couldn’t help it, despite the absurd situation, you reciprocated his smile.

“Oh, you wound me,” the king put a hand over his heart but let out a chuckle. You knew he wasn’t mad at you and admittedly, him fainting on your doorstep wasn’t the best entrées ever. But if he knew why you were there, then he might not have agreed.

“Congratulations on your coronation,” you told him because you knew how hard he must have worked to get here and unlike his first coronation which was basically forced because he was the last of the Ji clan.

“Thank you,” he smiled down at you and even just this, a smile and him looking at you like that, made your heart flutter. You were a lost case, even worse now that you knew that he was engaged. “I’m really glad you’re here though. Was it one of the guys who invited you?”

You could have lied, you knew but you didn’t have the heart to.

“Something like that,” your mouth twitched and you almost fell onto Changmin when a waiter walking around with the drinks bumped into you from behind.

“Are you okay?” The king steadied you with a held on your elbow, looking at you with worry in his pretty eyes.

“My apologies. Is everything alright?” The waiter rushed to your help as well but there was something dark in his eyes, something that made you uneasy. You felt like throwing up when you realized you had seen him at Mavoc’s hideout. His tray had exactly two glasses of ale on it. You gulped. It was a reminder, a warning, a threat all in once.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” you lied and let Changmin lead you to a side table a bit away from the crowd. The waiter kept apologizing to him and it was the opportunity you realised: the glasses were on the table and Changmin wasn’t paying attention. You even felt your skin prickling as if you were being watched and against your better judgement, you took the phials out of your pocket and quickly poured their blue contents into the dark pink drink. You remembered all too quickly that the lighter coloured liquid was the sleeping powder while the other darkened even the ale’s original colour.

“It’s really okay, Changmin, nothing happened,” you put a hand on the fae’s shoulder in a reassuring manner. He still seemed worried but got relaxed under your faint touch and forced a smile when he turned to look at you again. The waiter dissolved into the crowd in the meantime.

“Sorry, I’m just still anxious about Mavoc being free other there,” he sighed and the familiar name sent creeps down your spine. When he reached for the drink closer to him on the table, you didn’t think, you acted on impulse.

“Let me have that, it has more ice,” you said and got the glass in your hand quicker. Changmin just laughed off your silly explanation but didn’t protest. He took the other and the two of you clinked your glasses. At that point, you just wanted to get over with it, so you drank in big gulps as if you had been thirsty for quite some time now and when you drowned all of it down, so there would be no drop left, you grabbed on the edge of the table. In the meantime the dumbfounded king in front of you only managed a few sips.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, feeling something heavy on your chest while dizziness took over your head. You felt unwell right away but before you would have blacked out, you still saw Changmin’s eyes go dark, hands trembling so hard he dropped his drinks. You fell onto the floor with full of glass pieces and the king saw nothing but red.

Silence fell onto the Dawnblooming Court’s palace.

Everybody stopped doing what they were in the middle of and their heads snapped towards the source of the clattering noise. What they saw was their new king on his knees next to a girl in a gorgeous dress lying on the floor, unconscious, around her shattered pieces of glass and red rose thorns blooming.

“Who was it?” The king roared but nobody answered. He looked absolutely mad and it took Sangyeon to rush up to him, putting both of his hands over his chest to stop him from going closer to the guests as he was searching for the culprit.

“Changmin, calm down. Tell us what happened,”

“The waiter! Get that waiter here,” Changmin swiped his advisor’s hand away to go after the fairy who had bumped into them earlier. But his guards were quicker, so Juyeon and Sunwoo were already dragging him back to the ballroom. The king wasted no time to grab him by his collars and sneer at him through his gritted teeth.

“What did you give to her? And why?” he questioned in an authoritative voice.

“I didn’t give her anything. The drinks on the tray were the same as anyone else’s,” he said defensively and everybody around them knew that he couldn’t lie. Yet, Changmin didn’t believe him and a few surprised gasps were heard as ivy thyrses were creeping up around the boy’s body, tight against his chest.

“It’s not the time, Changmin. We should bring her to a safe place,” Sangyeon tried to calm him down with a hand pressing on his shoulder and pointing at you, however, the younger didn’t budge. As if there was nothing else he could focus on other than revenge and anger. He had this sick urge to kill this boy in front of him, to fill his chest with roses until he choked on petals.

“Something’s off,” Chanhee murmured as he looked at the alarmed guests. They were whispering among themselves. Changmin’s most trusted supporters were looking at him with doubt in their eyes and by the end of the table, there sat the princess of Daffodilden Court seemingly unimpressed by the turn of events.

“It must be Mavoc’s doing,” Sangyeon murmured under his nose, so that only they would hear. “She wanted to tell me something before but then she seemed weird, as if she was hurting. Maybe she was tricked into coming here.”

“But why?” Sunwoo furrowed his eyebrows, still holding onto the waiter firmly.

“Guys, this isn’t the most important now. We should find out what’s with her,” Joonyoung reminded everyone and the royal advisor was quick to agree. Two faes were carrying his niece’s unconscious body to one of the guest room’s while Changmin looked at the verge of breaking from the inside, it was almost like watching a lava boil. As if he could erupt anytime. He seemed even more hot-tempered than he usually was: he snapped at them for being slow, for being too rough with you or even just for staring too hard. Sangyeon found his behaviour strange, too.

“I’m going to kill Mavoc the next time I see him,” Tke king hissed and following his footsteps, withering flowers bloomed. That wasn’t normal either. So when they arrived at the infirmary, Sangyeon told Hyungseo about it who hummed to himself and nodded in understanding. After he diagnosed that the unconscious girl was merely sleeping with a great amount of jasmine in her system, he turned to Changmin who could barely sit still.

“Here, drink this. You will feel better,” Hyungseo pushed a glass of suspiciously looking green drink into the king’s hands. The royal looked disimpressed until Sangyeon promised him to search for Mavoc and his comrades, then he took the drink and gulped it down.

“So, can we go?” He started walking towards the door but then his steps got wobbly and he had to hold himself by the edge of a bed, faltering for a moment before falling head first onto the mattress made of soft plants. Everybody looked shocked, only Chanhee let out a laugh.

“He will sleep it off,” Hyungseo shrugged nonchalantly.

When you came to your consciousness, you were lying in a bed of flowers in an unfamiliar place but it was a lot more comfortable than the one you remembered being at Mavoc’s place. You felt as if you had been sleeping for days, so when you opened your eyes, at first you thought you were still sleeping. In the bed next to you, Changmin slept soundly but alive and breathing just as you did. His eyelashes casted a light shadow over his rounded cheeks, his lips rosy under the candlelight and your first thought was that he was unfairly pretty.

But then memories came back rushing to you and with a gasp you sat up in the bed, still in the dress that dark fae got for you.

“Oh you’re awake, good,” Sangyeon hurried to your side.

“What? What happened? How is Changmin?” you asked with an aching heart. You couldn’t have forgiven yourself if he had gotten hurt because of you.

“We figured out that Mavoc had been behind it all and we managed to find him. Your pearls helped too,” your uncle smiled at you kindly and you were glad that your silly idea to drop the accessories from your hair one by one on the way to the palace from the hideout could help. “And you know how he is, he told us how great his plan was: that he knew you wouldn’t betray him like that. He switched up the contents of the phials after showing them to you. That’s why you got the sleeping powder and Changmin some kind of potion that blinded him with anger. I mean, it was a fairly okay plan since he knew that if he died just like that, the court would have mourned him and searched for the culprit. But like this, they lost their trust in him after he almost lost his mind seeing you faint.”

Listening to the story, you suddenly didn’t know how to feel. You were relieved that Changmin was physically okay but at the same time, it seemed like you were just like a pawn on Mavoc’s chess board playing based on his plan until the end.

“I’m so sorry,” you whispered but Sangyeon was quick to reassure you that it wasn’t your fault.

He told you that it was probably all actually the Daffodilden Court’s plan all along because all of a sudden they wished to dance back on their agreement about the peace. Along with dozens of complaints about the king’s unstable state and aggressive actions at the ceremony, there came the message from the neighbouring kingdom that Narcissa not only didn’t want to marry Changmin anymore, but they showed support towards the previous general, Mavoc, and they demanded the new king to step down from the throne if he didn’t wish to engage in war.

It was a whole lot of information and you only let a smile paint your lips when he mentioned how funny it was when the angry bean Changmin fell down like a bag of potatoes when Hyungseo’s potion hit. It sounded funny but soon enough, after eating and drinking some, you drifted back to dreamland.

By the time, you woke up again, it was daytime and the boy next to you was awake. Awake and staring at you to be more precise, only getting flustered because he was caught red-handed and clearing his throat he quickly looked away. You didn’t call him out though, after all you had done the same.

“Good morning,” he smiled at you as if nothing happened and you realized that he wore more comfy clothes by now but he looked really nice in a simple white shirt too.

“Good morning to you too. Are you okay? Did Sangyeon give you a briefing too?” you wondered aloud and sat up, so you could talk more comfortably. Weird, you had never woken up next to a boy, even if you weren’t sharing one bed now, but it didn’t feel wrong, not at all.

“Yeah and honestly, I should have known better. Narcissa was being weird about this engagement her father forced us into. But I wouldn’t have thought that she would become allies with Mavoc,” he sighed and even though he didn’t seem careful, there was less grieving in his eyes than what you had expected.

“Aren’t you… sad about what happened?” you asked quietly, tentatively.

“I’m rather disappointed. If I was a great king, my people would know I’m not like this, they wouldn’t turn their backs on me because of this. So I’ll be working on that from now on, to become a king that his people can trust unconditionally.”

It was a good attitude but you wanted him to know that he was still a good person and a good king.

“It wasn’t your fault,” you reminded him and Changmin must have seen the determination in your eyes because he didn’t even protest.

“And it wasn’t yours either,” he let a kind smile paint his lips.

This time you were sure that his gaze lingered on you longer than it was necessary. You must have looked terrible, tired and ridiculous in your bedhead. Yet, he looked at you as if you were a miracle in his magical world. However, you didn’t want to delude yourself and didn’t dare to hope. It didn’t make sense anyway.

“I wish you wouldn’t have to leave again. I missed you,” Changmin spoke up, breaking the silence and his words were soothing like a cold breeze in the hot summer, yet your heartbeat picked up its pace and you felt a blush creep onto your cheeks.

“I missed you, too,” you admitted with a shy smile which made him unroyally giddy. His glittering eyes narrowed as he smiled wider and you knew that you would like to see it more.

“Can you stay a little longer this time?” he asked gently, not forcefully but there was no way you would have told him no. You couldn’t.

“Yeah, I can,” you told him, thinking just a little longer to yourself but all that magic pulled you in.

You made a home in the fae land while the king with his smiles made a home in your heart. You got friends here and Sangyeon was your family, finding a way to communicate with your mother when you wished. The atmosphere in the kingdom was still tense, on the verge of a war, but with your nursing skills, you could be useful in the infirmary next to Hyungseo who taught you about the herbs and magical potions which you really enjoyed. In your free time you explored this world, sometimes alone, sometimes Changmin showing you his favourite places, telling you stories and before you knew a mortal year had passed.

It took three in total for the war to end, to declare peace, so that the kingdom would be at peace. You learned a lot about fairness and consideration while you were watching your friends going off to fight. You spent your nights fearing for their life but at least you could be there, helping, instead of being at home, unknowingly. Time had passed faster here though, and one thing became evident with the amount of years rushing by you: at the fae land, you didn’t age either. It must have been because of your blood, so sometimes you even forgot that you hadn’t fully belonged there.

“But you do! You belong here,” Changmin protested one time you were out on his balcony, looking at the fireflies. He was very fervent about this topic. “It’s you who always reminds me why this place is worth fighting for. Don’t look at me like that! I mean it.”

“But the boys...” you shook your head in disbelief.

“They keep me going forward but you, you give it meaning. Faes tend to forget not to live on autopilot after centuries but you made me want to live so that I could share it with you,” he bursted out and your mouth fell agapé, looking at him in shock. You blinked wondering whether it was a dream and you held your breath as the king leaned closer, eyes fluttering closed.

“Oh my sparkles, sorry guys, I’ll be back later,” Youngjae yelped and walked backwards comically after seeing you move away after his sudden entrance and he wasn’t discreet at all: you could hear him yell about what he had seen in the corridor until Sangyeon made him shut up.

With flushed cheeks you looked at Changmin and you both chuckled before he took your hand in his, reassuring you once again that you belonged there. And in his arms, watching the stars above, you really felt like it. You found home.

#the boyz scenarios #the boyz imagines #tbz scenarios #tbz imagines #stories #fae au #fantasy au #royal au

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badass-women-league · 4 years ago

Text

TIVALI

PART 26 - Annoyingly charming

Ziva walked out of the building and to the table to join the rest of the team. Ellie waved at her as she saw her coming closer. She was sitting on the picnic table. Ziva waved back at her and noticed Tony and Nick, sat at another table. They were facing each other. McGee was standing next to them with his watch in hand. Ziva sat next to Ellie and gave her the food she had ordered. Ellie thanked Ziva. Ziva asked: ⠀

-“what are they doing ?”⠀

-“brain freezing…”⠀

-“oh my god…again ? ⠀

-”Yes.. again. Nick claimed that the last time Tony’s drink was not as cold as his and the results were skewed”⠀

-”When are they going to stop their stupid contest ?”⠀

-“when one of them will be designated as the best of all Gibbs’ agents” ⠀

-“How is this even relevant ?” Ziva sighed “who is winning ?” ⠀

-“Tony won the ‘paper ball basketball’ and the ‘pizza speed eating’ and Nick won the ‘paper plane challenge’. McGee is trying to determine who has the most resistant brain”⠀

Ziva rolled her eyes and bitterly said: ⠀

-“They have no brain!”. ⠀

Ellie asked: ⠀

-“how did you manage to work with two men for so many years ?”⠀

-“men ? I was working with two teenagers. One with raging hormones and the other one was playing ‘elf lord’ online” ⠀

-“did I ever tell you that I really admire you” ⠀

-“several times yes” ⠀

They both laughed while Tony and Nick were moaning and holding their heads to soothe the pain of their frozen brains. ⠀

Tony was awakened by the sound of someone searching through the drawers in the kitchen. He grumbled and grabbed his pillow to cover his ears. This was supposed to be his sleep-in morning. This thought made him realize that the house was supposed to be empty. Ziva was gone with the kids for a couple of hours. If Ziva was gone with the kids.. then who was turning his kitchen upside down ? He jumped from the bed and walked to the window to check the cars. Ziva’s car was gone and his was still there. He slowly walked to the wardrobe and grabbed an iron box. He unlocked it and grabbed his old gun. He loaded it as he walked down the stairs with only his boxers to cover his body. He made sure to be as quiet as possible. He stopped behind the wall and peaked inside the room. He couldn't see anything as the intruder was kneeling behind the countertop. Tony rushed inside and raised his gun in the intruder’s direction: ⠀

-“FREEZE ! HANDS IN THE AIR ! NO SUDDEN MOVES” ⠀

Tony’s jaw dropped as he saw a woman, probably in her sixties, stood up in front of him. She frowned at him and started to shout in a language that Tony didn’t understand. He did not understand it yes.. but he knew it. She was shouting in Hebrew and she was obviously very upset. She threw a pan lid at him, then a spatula. Tony lowered his gun and apologized: ⠀

-“wait… stop…” ⠀

She kept shouting incomprehensible things.⠀

Tony dodged a ladle and said: ⠀

-“please we can work this out ok. I am Ziva’s husband, this is my house”⠀

As he dodged another kitchen utensil, he heard the front door unlock. He thought ‘Thank god Ziva is back’. ⠀

As Ziva walked in with the kids and her arms full of grocery bags, she froze when she saw the scene in the kitchen. Her eyes stopped on Tony’s gun. She dropped her bags on the floor and rushed to the still shocked woman: ⠀

-“Oh my god Tony what did you do !”⠀

-“nothing ! I woke up and someone I didn’t know was in my kitchen” ⠀

Ziva hugged the woman and after saying a few words in hebrew she turned back to Tony:⠀

-“I left you a message on your phone”⠀

-“I thought someone was trying to rob us, I didn’t check my phone” ⠀

-“This is Nettie.. my aunt, Tony !”⠀

-“Yes ! Thank you ! I figured it out when she started throwing things at me while she was insulting me in hebrew...I thought she was supposed to arrive this weekend” ⠀

Ziva sighed:⠀

-“Nettie surprised us this morning by arriving early to have more time with the kids. You know what.. I am sorry. This is my fault, I should have told you before leaving. I didn’t want to wake you up.” ⠀

She turned to her aunt and explained the big misunderstanding. The two women talked for a minute and laughed. Tony who was still standing in the middle of the kitchen in his boxer said: ⠀

-“you’re mocking me right ? I can understand that you know” ⠀

Ziva walked to him and landed a sweet kiss on his lips: ⠀

-“actually no, my love. Nettie was telling me that she thinks you are a pretty handsome man and that even though this is a pretty weird first encounter she thinks you are a very brave man” ⠀

Tony said:⠀

-“I love her already..” ⠀

Nettie winked at Tony. He awkwardly smiled and suddenly felt like running upstairs to put on some more appropriate clothes. ⠀

It was good to be reunited with her aunt. The last member of her former life. Ziva, Nettie and Tali had spent the entire afternoon cooking food from Ziva’s native land. For Tony’s greatest happiness. His stomach was full. Nettie looked at Ziva and said something in Hebrew that made her laugh. As she saw Tony’s confused face, she explained:

-”She said: ‘The way to a man's heart is through his stomach’, this is something my grandmother used to say”

He stood up to gather some dirty plates from the table and said:

-”your grandmother was a wise woman”

-”we all are..” and she smirked at him.

Nettie had brought some gifts for the kids and some old pictures in her luggage for Ziva. Ziva was looking at some when Tony passed behind her and as he looked at the picture he said:

-”Is that you ?”

He pointed at a toddler in a woman’s arms. Ziva said with a proud smile:

-”yes, it’s me and my mother..”

-”wow she was a beauty”

Ziva chuckled:

-”Flattery would not have gotten you anywhere with her. She was the real mama bear. She raised 2 kids in a conflicted country and an absent husband and never once complained about it. She was a real force of nature. I’ve never seen her cry or show any sign of weakness and she would have had thousands of reasons to lose it”

Tony sat back and said:

-”I wish I could have met her”

-”she would have loved you”

-”you think ?”

-”yes.. Well, maybe not at first. My mother was always very distrustful at first, even more when it came to her children. You had to earn her trust and it was nothing like shooting fish in a tank”

-”reminds me of someone.. ”

Ziva smiled. Tony added:

-“it’s a barrel by the way..”

She looked confused:

-”What ?”

Tony smiled at her wife stubbornness to use american idioms and said:

-”nevermind”

Ziva continued:

-”but then she would have seen you with the kids and she would have loved you like her own child”

A particular picture drew her attention. She picked it from the pile and said:

-”oh my god. I did not remember I gave this to Nettie”

Ziva looked at the picture and said to Tony: ⠀

-”I thought those pictures were all gone in the fire”⠀

She gave the picture to Tony. He took it and recognize instantly what was on this picture. Tony asked: ⠀

-”How far along were you ?”⠀

-”3 months I think” ⠀

Tony could not get his eyes off the picture. A little smile appeared on his lips. A pride smile mixed with some regrets. He said:⠀

-”Tali come here”⠀

The little girl ran to her father and sat on his lap. Tony said:⠀

-”I’m gonna show you something. You remember when we showed you that picture of Adam, when he was still in Ima’s belly ? Well this, my dear, is the first picture of you” ⠀

He showed the picture to Tali and the little girl chuckled: ⠀

-”no it’s not” ⠀

She first thought that her father was messing with her. Tony continue:⠀

-”yes it is. You were still in Ima’s belly and you were not bigger than this.” He used his fingers to show her how little she was at that time. “Look you are here” ⠀

He pointed at the fetus on the ultrasound. Tali grabbed the picture and looked at it with rapt attention. She was holding it very close to her eyes. She asked:⠀

-“this is me ?”⠀

-“yes! My little girl, not bigger than a peach and now look at you. My baby is in 3rd grade” ⠀

Tony tickled Tali’s side. She laughed and said:⠀

-”Yes ! I’m a big girl now” ⠀

Tony chuckled:⠀

-”Hold on Wendy ! You are not in Neverland yet. Until I say so, you are still be my little girl who needs her dad to push her on the swing, who still gets mad when she has to wear a band-aids, who…”⠀

Tali shushed her dad by putting her hands on his mouth to stop him. Tony laughed and kissed his child on her forehead. He will always have this particular relationship with her. A relationship acquired through the difficult times of being a single father. She had showed him the right way. She made him feel complete even though one half of him was gone for an indefinite period. He discovered through her, what it felt like to be someone’s everything. It had been scary but such a cathartic experience. ⠀

Ziva was in the kitchen. She was preparing dinner. Adam, who was now 18 months old was running around. Ziva was keeping an eye on him while she was cooking. He was seeking Ziva’s attention, sitting in the middle of his mother’s path, touching forbidden stuff and climbing furniture. She said: ⠀

-”Adam sweetheart, Ima is busy here. Go see Aba. I am sure he is doing something fun with your sister.”⠀

Adam shook his head and said:⠀

-”nah!” ⠀

He was still in his ‘Ima only phase’ and unfortunately he was as stubborn as his mother. Adam was looking for every way that could get his mother’s attention until he grabbed the table runner on the dining room table. Ziva saw him and said: ⠀

-”Adam don’t”⠀

He pulled it. ⠀

-”Adam. Don’t make me come over !” ⠀

He pulled it once more and Ziva saw the vase on it swaying. Ziva sighed and walked to him. She frowned and said: ⠀

-”Adam Jethro DiNozzo !” ⠀

In the living room, Tony and Tali were watching a movie when Tony heard his wife calling his son. He looked at Tali and asked:⠀

-”Did she just called him by his full name ?”⠀

Tali nodded. Tony winced and said: ⠀

-”He must be in a lot of trouble then” ⠀

He stood up and walked to the kitchen. As he entered he saw his son, sitting on the floor looking at his mother with the most charming smile on his face. Ziva said:⠀

-”Don’t ! Stop using your father’s smile against me ! It’s not working anymore” ⠀

Tony chuckled, grabbed his son and said: ⠀

-”She is lying. It’s working. Admit it Sweetcheeks, there is nothing you can do about it” ⠀

Ziva was in a terrible position. She was facing her husband and son, both smiling in the most charming way. She was disarmed. She gave her husband a gentle slap on his buttocks and said: ⠀

-”get out of my kitchen, both of you, before I decide to ground you both !” ⠀

Tony smirked and, before leaving the room, said to his son:⠀

-”come on buddy, let’s go somewhere else where people appreciate The DiNozzo charm to their true value”⠀

#ncis #tiva #tony dinozzo #ziva david #tali david dinozzo #cotedepablo #michaelweatherly #tivali #fanfiction #ncis fanfiction

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beastlywritings · 4 years ago

Text

CH 2

Pairing: Eskel/OC (Lae’elan) AFAB NB (but gender doesn’t come into it until later)

Summary: After having a rough night of ignoring desire, Eskel is convinced to let Lae’elan tag along. She shows she’s worth the pains and adorable to boot.

Rating for this chapter: PG-13 for sexual innuendo and suggested sexual acts, as well as talk of masturbation TW (this chapter): manipulation, self consciousness about scars and appearance, eating fish raw, sexual thoughts of another person and feeling icky about it, masturbation mention, cruel self-talk, gratuitous use of italics for thoughts

AN: betaed only for grammar and spelling, but not content. If you wanna gimme some concrit, I’d be grateful; this is my first time posting fic in years and I’m rusty as hell. Hold on to your pants, kids, this whole fic is gonna be a saga. Also I know Lan is a mary-sue. I’m well aware. Deal with it. She’s bits and pieces of me and my ideal self.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics. Eye ones were custom, swirls were premade. Go visit them! Awesome work.

Eskel brought himself back to the world an hour before sunrise proper. The urge to just run and avoid the shapeshifter flitted through his mind as he looked across the banked firepit at her sleeping, thankfully humanoid, form. He shook the thought away, running a hand through his hair. No, she’d been nothing but kind and good conversation; she deserved a good-bye at the very least.

Don’t run from a good thing like Wolf did, he scolded himself. She wanted to stay with him. Why, he had no clue. Surely he wasn’t that good of a conversation partner, he reiterated his thoughts from the night before.

Leaving the clearing and walking a few paces, Eskel moved behind a bush to relieve himself. He considered how quickly he was adapting to having a campmate that was not one of his brothers. He’d immediately offered to hunt for her, had done his best to entertain her, and now he was not only leaving the clearing to piss, but also hiding himself from her potential gaze to preserve modesty while he had his dick out. It had been shockingly easy. He remembered Geralt complaining at how annoying it had been to get accustomed to camping with Jaskier.

Don’t get used to it. She’ll leave you soon enough. Her proposal. What was he going to say? She’ll want an answer soon as she wakes, no doubt. What could she possibly want tagging along. Must have some ulterior motive.

But what if she doesn’t? What if she only wants some companionship like she says? What then? Do I want someone trailing along beside me? He made his way back, head more full of questions than when he left.

Rummaging through the saddlebags slung over a hefty branch to find the jerky he’d stashed, he considered his next move.

Last night was nice, he conceded, breaking his fast. He watched her for a minute, her breaths even and the rise and fall of her chest calming. I’ll ask what she’s after. Besides, she’s not like Jaskier; can probably hold her own, protect herself. He realized he’d just argued in her favor. Wiping a hand down his face, he wondered if this was how Geralt had felt like in Dol Blathanna all those years ago.

A rustle, and an uptick in heart rate and breathing. Eskel would get his answers soon enough; Lae’elan was waking.

She roused with a large yawn, not bothering to cover her mouth with its curling tongue and sharp teeth. Blearily, she noticed Eskel looking at her, arms crossed as he stood leant against a tree.

“Mornin’ Eskel,” she smiled, rubbing her eyes before shaking her head like a dog. Her long ears made a plap plap plap noise as they bent and slapped against her head. She looked much more alert now.

“Mmmm there, that’s more like it,” she said, getting to her feet, “So did you think about my offer?” she asked, stretching out her back with arms over her head. Eskel watched her and hummed.

“And your answer?” she asked, rolling her eyes fondly.

“What do you want tagging along with a witcher?” She sighed at his question as he eyed her suspiciously.

“I come out of nature every so often, typically for a single day to get my fill of actual conversation. Normally,” she said, taking a few steps towards him and crossing her own arms, “I’m stuck talking to closed-minded humans about mundane shit and politics,” she winced at the word with obvious distaste, “Normally, I have to hide what I am. Normally, I’m sick of humanity after just a few hours and I fuck back off to wander the woods as a creature. You, Eskel, you’re interesting, I can be myself, and, most of all, you’re kind,” she finished, shrugging. He narrowed his eyes further.

“Look, I’m not saying I want to stick to you forever like your brother’s bard; I’ll get sick of having hands and human niceties just as I always do,” She wiggled her fingers for emphasis. Eskel couldn’t stop the snort that escaped at that. “I’m just intrigued that I don’t find myself sick of them yet. That hasn’t happened in quite some time,”

“You know travelling with me would be dangerous. I don’t skate around the monsters; I head straight for them. And you’d be expected to pull your weight.” She laughed, tilting her head back.

“Monsters don’t scare me, witcher. I’m sure I’ve likely killed almost as many as you and without getting paid. And it would be no more dangerous than my normal existence,” she chuckled, coming closer again. She noted that Eskel straightened up a bit. “And like last night, I wouldn’t dream of mooching. You’d be surprised at how much I can do for you. I’m a shite cook, but I can hunt bigger game much easier than you in a quarter of the time, and find roughage on top of that. Could keep you well fed. I can mend and embroider passably if you supply materials. I can keep watch if needs be, act as a nursemaid if you get hurt, and hell, if you wanted a break I could probably either help with big hunts or just outright do your small contracts for you. You can even keep the coin; I’ve no need for it, that’s for sure,” she finished, making sure to leave out the option of being his bedwarmer as well. She didn’t want to push too much after last night.

“Sounds too good to be true,” Eskel pushed himself off the tree, “Means it most likely is. What’s in it for you?” he jutted his chin out at her.

“Companionship from the first interesting person I’ve met in years, a little extra adventure…” she said. Eventually the information I’ve been searching for my whole life over, she thought. Ah fuck, she couldn’t help it. “And honestly, there are a few other benefits,” she smirked, eyeing him up and down. She hoped that the flirting covered up the lurch in her heart beat. “What can I say, you’re eye candy, and I don’t deny myself looking at pretty things,” she hummed. His nostrils flared, but not in anger. He was scenting her. She knew herself well enough to know he smelled the faint traces of lust coming off her. She was banking on it. He looked conflicted. Fuck, too far? she questioned herself.

“You keep… What’s so--” he grunted, frustrated with himself, with his difficulty voicing his thoughts. “Fine,” he sighed, “You can come with me, but I warn you, I bump elbows with humans quite often. Towns and cities alike.” He looked her up and down, still trying to figure her out, assessing her.

“And at those junctures you’ll either be rid of me, or I can keep your horse company in the stable. I make a fine barn cat,” she smiled, approaching the big black warhorse.

“Wait! He--” Eskel put out a hand to stop her, but she held her own towards Scorpion and he came sedately to her hand to be pet. Eskel was shocked. He barely let stableboys pet him after taking care of him for a few days. Lae’elan chuckled.

“Another thing about me?” she said, petting down the stallion’s face, “Is that all animals love me.” Scorpion snorted, demanding more nose pets. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Eskel’s head tilt and his brows pull together, confused and bewildered. It was clear he’d been expecting a violent reaction.

“He-- He never-- He hates being pet by strangers. Can’t count how many times he’s bit stableboys,” he muttered.

“With me, you’ll never be bothered by another wolf pack, bull moose, or rutting elk again,” she hummed, continuing her petting session but looking straight at Eskel.

“Can you…”

“Talk to them? In a manner of speaking. I more… mentally order and they either acquiesce or get ornery before eventually giving in. Some creatures are more… suggestable,” she sighed, trying to collect thoughts in a sensical manner, “If you mean actually having a conversation.... Most animals communicate with body language. If I have the same body, I can speak their own tongue directly at them, easy. In a humanoid form, less so. I can alter my vocal chords for certain things that have more vocal elements of communication, like that crow last night, and for howling to wolves, and a few others. I sat my ass down and learned the vocal parts of the language fully for those.” Scorpion nipped at her hair and tugged and she laughed brightly.

“Cheeky!” she hummed, petting him, “I think someone’s ready to go if you are.” She blew a raspberry at the horse and he knocked her with his massive head. She even allowed herself to be moved.

At that, Eskel began loading up his horse, shaking his head in disbelievement.

“So,” she began, “Where to?” They’d been on the road, walking in relative silence for a bit. Eskel eyed her paws from where he sat astride Scorpion.

“Nowhere in particular. Next town’s a few days away; check the notice board there,” He glanced down again. She was still very much not human.

“You’re staring. Don’t worry, I’ll change as soon as I hear anyone coming,” she smiled up at him, “You don’t need to worry about me. No one’s caught me in decades. I’m careful,”

“Hence the stalking me for a day,” he joked, smiling. It wasn’t particularly comforting that she had been caught, period, but he supposed he was careful and had gotten ambushed all the same in the past.

“There’s your sense of humor! Knew you had one!” She kidded. Eskel smiled a tiny bit more at her jabbing back. “But yes, I’d rather not get hunted down and caged for a menagerie or a mage’s whims, so caution is my code.” His small smile made Lae’elan’s even brighter. She couldn’t help it; it was such a cute smile, and a good look on him.

Eskel was amazed at how well she kept up with him, walking alongside the horse. She never seemed to get out of breath or slow, keeping perfect pace, her paws propelling her along quickly. She was sweating a fair bit, but then again, he was sweating some as well despite not exerting himself.

And she was alert and adept as she led on, too. She’d put a hand on his leg in the stirrup suddenly and he watched as she shifted, the horns and ears melding into a human form, her eyes dulling to a whiskey brown. Her paws turned to normal human feet, the toes peeking out from under the dress when she walked from his perspective. Others would likely see her whole foot, the skirt landing at about ankle height. The sight was discomfiting, though he couldn’t place why exactly.

“What--”

“People. A cart,” she said, under her breath. He listened, but didn’t hear anything; the place where she’d touched him felt like it was buzzing. He realized it had been the first time she’d touched him. A few seconds and he heard them, the humans on a cart, from around the bend.

Her hearing is better than mine, he realized, surprised. She was silent, not looking in their direction, only straight ahead. The merchants scowled at him as they passed each other, Eskel steering his single horse closer to the shoulder. He knew they could both hear the slurs and spitting coming from the occupants. He watched her, and saw she didn’t react until they were past, and only then a hardening of the eyes. Once they were a few minutes behind them, and they made no signs of following them, Lae’elan shifted back. Again, watching the change so closely made him uneasy, making his eyes ache as if he’d been staring at a book for hours.

“Try not to watch so much,” she suggested, catching him blink a few times, “Give you a headache if you watch too closely.”

At around noon, Eskel began to pull over into the trees at the side of the road. Dismounting, he asked,

“Don’t suppose those ears of yours hear water?” He couldn’t hear any himself.

“Mmmm,” she hummed, listening for a second before pointing forward and to the right a bit. “Yep, not much, but there’s a trickle that-a-way,” Eskel looked a bit skeptically in the direction she pointed, and, focusing, he couldn’t hear the breathing or shifting of bandits, and so found no reason to doubt her. After a minute of leading Scorpion into the woods, he began hearing the sounds of water as well.

They found it was a runoff from uphill, barely trickling down from a recent rain. Eskel was glad they’d filled canteens from the stream Lae’elan had found last night before they’d moved on, and that it wasn’t so hot that they’d drank much at all. The water was gritty with sandy dirt, but clean enough for the horse as he bent his head to drink. Eskel drank a bit, but elected to not waste time trying to refill the little space in his canteen.

“Have to keep our ears out as we go along,” he grunted, standing. The shapeshifter was sipping, mouth to the water rather than using her hands, when the wind changed. Her head snapped up and a wide smile lit up her face.

“What’s your opinion on raspberries?”

“Why?”

“You can’t smell ‘em?” she asked. He gave her a blank look. “Damn, alright, wait here. I’m gonna go get us some lunch,” she laughed, skipping off into the trees.

Eskel laid back in the shade and watched the clouds, waiting. It couldn’t hurt; they were making good time. A few minutes later, he turned to the sound of twigs snapping and reached for his swords before stopping. He was getting to know her pleased giggle quite well, he realized as the shapeshifter broke through the cover of the trees. She was still in her base form, her dress pulled up to the length that would be mid-thigh level on a human to create a pouch. The pocket of fabric was heavy, laden with berries. Her fingers and lips, he noticed with a chuckle, were stained red and purple. He focused on that rather than the fact that he was rather close to seeing too much of her for his comfort.

“Found some blackberries, too!” she said, sounding pleased as punch, “Here, help yourself! As you can see, I had a few already,” She hummed and plopped down next to him, thankfully obscuring her legs beneath the rest of her dress.

“Quite a haul,” he noted, smiling as he took a handful of the black berries. Popping a few in his mouth, the tart-sweet taste burst on his tongue. They were warm from the sun. He hummed in enjoyment.

“Raspberries are my favorite,” she admitted, shovelling a handful of the red fruit into her mouth and grinned, chewing, “Didn’t have breakfast like an idiot, so a roadsnack was overdue.”

“There’s no way you’re gonna eat all of those,” he shook his head, “You’ll make yourself sick,”

“You’d be surprised. Takes a lot to fill me completely. This,” she said, circling a finger around her hoard of fruit, “I can put away no problem.” She hoped he caught the double entendre. “I can eat half a deer in one sitting [i]easy.[/i] Both halves if I haven’t eaten in a day. But I did get a bunch of them for you, too. Wasn’t sure how much you could put away,” she shrugged, popping back another handful of mixed berries. Eskel was careful to take mostly blackberries, and found himself a little embarrassed at the realization he was leaving her favorites for her.

They finished the berries, to Eskel’s surprise, and he found himself pleasantly more full than he normally would be, but not overfull. He’d eaten quite well in the past day. Maybe she is a good idea, afterall, he mused, looking down at his companion, who smiled up at him, one eye closed to the sun’s glare. Eskel felt his gut clench, pleased. Or maybe not. Taglist: @its--fandom--darling

#Eskelxoc #Shifterverse #mywriting #the witcher #witcher fanfic #tw3ff #oc fanfic #witcher oc #Let! Es! Fuck! Monsters!#ch 2

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capricornus-rex · 4 years ago

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Two Sides of the Coin (11)

Chapter 11: Innocence, Lost and Found | Jidné Sheedra x Cal Kestis

Summary: Hell-bent on exacting revenge and retrieving the Holocron, the dreaded Darth Vader is now on the hunt for the young Jedi Knight, Cal Kestis. Under the assumption that he still possessed the artifact, while fueled by the intrigue of the boy’s strength and skill with the Force, the dark lord hires the bounty hunter, Jidné Sheedra, to track him down and have him delivered alive. However, the task becomes a trial for young Jidné, as she faces a conflict that tests her beliefs of a scarred past she had hidden for so long.

A/N: The header was supposed to be a Spotify link but it looked so inconsistent with how I usually lay out my fics here that my OCD kicked in and jumped ship lmao anyway, the mood song I had in mind for this chapter was “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from Hercules UwU Also, sorry that this chapter went a bit beyond my usual word count, I got carried away with the fluff ;;A;;

Also tagging: @berenilion @stellar-trinity @silver-is-in-too-many-fandoms @peterwandaparker @cal-jestis @justtinfoley @fallenjedii @queen-destenie @calgasm @sweeetteaa @calsponchoemporium @superwarsofthrones @ayamenimthiriel

Also in AO3

Tags: Fem OC, Jidné Sheedra, Force-Sensitive! Fem OC, Bounty Hunter! Fem OC, Jedi! Fem OC

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 | Previous: Part 10 | Next: Part 12 | Masterlist

11 of ?

Whether or not Jidné knew, Cal heard her squeals’ echoes in the distance as she sprinted away. He smiled to himself, even after her sound had died down. He could’ve sworn he felt his heart slow down and then make the biggest thump that he thought it’d burst right through his ribs. He clutched his chest where Jidné’s hand lay just mere minutes ago.

Cal let out a sigh and threw himself backwards to the soil, a bed of grass cushioned his fall and now he’s facing up at the first stars of the evening sky. He used his hands as a pillow for his head while BD-1 snuggles to his side.

“Beee, trill?”

“Yeah, BD-1… I feel great!” Cal laughed.

He stared up at the stars and counted them silently; however, the longer he stared, the more he remembered Jidné and everything the two of them did together. The faintness of her shy giggles lingered behind his ears, parts of his skin where Jidné had touched burned and tingled; he intentionally kept his eyes closed after blinking to reimagine those dark, soulful irises staring back at him accompanied by the coy smile that curled along her lips.

His free hand cupped his mouth as he remained lying on the grass, fantasizing of the kiss that almost was; more stars and fleeting comets riddled the deep blue sky, silver plumes of clouds loomed in front of the platinum moon. He exhaled nasally and closed his eyes again, his mind replayed the moments of their interactions these past few days. His mind repeated the last thing Jidné said before she said good night and left.

“You always seem to have a way of finding me,”

That sentence circled his mind the whole night and reminisced the moments where they found each other in the uncanny of timings—it all began when he followed the sound of her voice, ever since then, he always stumbles his way to her and he’ll be greeted with the same warmth from the same, kind smile. Over and over, his head replayed the image of her—in every angle, in every silhouette, and in every light; his fingers slowly curled inward upon the fantasy of feeling her tiny hands nestled between his roughened hands and the way she held his hand to use her Force Shroud on both of them when escaping the bounty hunters who chased him in Diitana.

Cal wondered if the Force had willed the two of them to meet. He wished that the Force would speak in words to tell him straight in the face—or at least send a sign, even if technically that’s not how the Force works.

His hand wandered to his chest again, feeling for his racing heartbeat and clutching the fabric of his jacket to calm down the swirling storm within his ribcage. He coaxed himself to stand up and return to the Mantis, when he did come back, he was greeted with teasing glares from the crew.

“Well, you seem to be in high spirits at such an untimely hour,”

“Is that bad?”

Cere shook her head while smiling, she mouthed “No.”

The redheaded Jedi slept through the night with butterflies in his stomach and a smile he couldn’t completely wipe off of his face even if he wanted to.

Jidné had returned to the confinement of the Scarab. ID-3 hopped out of her shoulder and hovered about, meanwhile she pressed her back against the cold metal door as she caught her breath—parched and wheezing from the panting and the in-between giggles to herself.

She patted the body of her jacket and remembered the shard she picked up back in the Mantis. She fished it out of her pocket and held the shard between her fingers.

“ID-3, can you analyze, please?”

The droid obliged, a small tray slid open from its body where Jidné gingerly dropped the shard in, ID-3 hovered to the computer along the walls of the lounge and plugged in his port connector. An image of the shard larger than its actual size appeared as a projection, inscriptions and panels of information flashed on the screen—attempting to decipher what this shard had when it was still whole was a bit of a stretch, but Jidné’s resourcefulness as a bounty hunter came into play.

“Beeep, chirp?”

“This shard could be only the shell part; but it’s sizable, it could be part of the core—then the contents would still be intact… some of them though,” Jidné thought out loud, nipping the tip of her thumb as she pondered. “But what if I could…?”

The words trailed off, but the idea remained. She debated against herself regarding the reality of her idea.

“Trill, beee?” ID-3 inquired, noticing the apparent silence from his owner.

“Would meditating even work…?”

Nonetheless, she gave it a try. ID-3 relinquished the shard out of his compartment and handed it over to Jidné. For the rest of the night, in the solace of her bedroom, she meditated deeply on that little emerald shard not bigger than Cal’s second kyber crystal. Behind her eyes, she could see a map of sorts, she recognizes the planets on them but got confused when she found two planets of two different systems near each other, tiny inscriptions grew in size until they were readable—the Aurebesh danced and flickered in her eyes until they stayed put to make the words.

The words turned into names of planets and of people, she caught a glimpse of a child using the Force—she could feel the child’s fascination with their newfound ability, despite not fully grasping their capability yet. Jidné questioned the Force in her mind why did it show her a child using the Force to play.

Her eyes shot up, unable to make of what she saw in her visions.

“What does it have to do with a kid? Unless…” Jidné pondered briefly, and then dismissed the thought. “That doesn’t help in clearing things up. I should go to bed.”

ID-3 trilled in agreement, sprinkling in some teases—pointing out how Jidné blushed fiercely when she was together with Cal.

“Can you not, you little saucer?!” Jidné screeched quite defensively.

The disc-shaped droid laughed—a robotic croaking of a single note, nonetheless a cheery one. Jidné snatched her droid into her arms and hugged him as their laughing mingled. She and ID retired to the captain’s quarters; Jidné shed off the cowl and jacket, leaving out the tank top that she wears underneath it, and pulled away the boots from her feet before bringing them up to the bed.

Jidné spaced out staring at the ceiling, absentmindedly she rubbed her hands together, feeling for Cal’s touch. She sighed and closed her eyes, remembering the sensation simply through touch.

“His hands… are so gentle,” she muttered, lightly clenching her fingers and rubbing the back of her hand until she drifted off to sleep.

Cal woke up hopeful the next morning. He was like a child again—incapable of hiding his excitement and eagerness while moving with such haste. When he joined everyone for breakfast, they watched how chipper the boy is as he scarfed down his breakfast in ten bites or less.

“Kid, kid, don’t you want a glass of water first after gobbling up your food all at once?” Greez beckoned, handing over Cal’s glass to him before the young redhead could get any farther from the table.

“Can’t have you choking on your words and breakfast at the same time when you face Jidné,” Merrin blurted, sipping on her cup of tea.

“No, I won’t choke!” Cal rebuked.

“Uh-huh,”

Regardless, Cal did take a gulp of water from the glass that Greez had offered him. He stood from his seat at the table and beckoned BD-1 to come along, the little droid hopped on over on his shoulder as he went down the stairs until he disappeared from the Mantis.

East of Diitana is a forest, a few miles away from where he and Jidné first met. He brushed his way through the shrubs. He used his climbing claws to scale the great trees to get a better view of the lay of the land, he pushed away curtains of vines that blocked his way to the next branch until he got the topmost of the tree he climbed up on.

The next thing he saw took his breath away—the expanse of Ombari from what ought to be the highest vantage point he’s ever been on. Green and orange clashed, evergreen treelines touched with the red mountain ridges of the badlands: a dramatic contrast of colors of terrain.

“Wow, would you look at that!” Cal gasped.

“Triiiiiiilll!!!”

He scanned the red plateaus, mountain ranges, and mesas that walled the continent from the next land mass beyond. On the other side continued the lushness of Ombari’s land—a meadow that stretched wide with rich green grass for the herbivores to graze on, a great lake and waterfall could be seen at the farthest end.

The wind blew in his freckled face, the cool breeze ruffled his soft locks and swayed them as if they danced along with the current. He closed his eyes and tilted his head up, savoring the fresh air while being on top of the world. His heart couldn’t take the excitement, it stormed within his chest as he panned his head from west to east of the entire planet.

“Come on, BD, let’s go around some more!”

“Beep!”

Climbing up the great tree was a challenge, but the hardest was finding his way back down. Perched upon on the thick, sturdy branches, Cal strategized how he’ll get back on the ground that’s about twenty feet below him. He spotted coiled vines dangling from the treetops.

“I sure hope this works,” Cal uttered to no one in particular.

The boy thought he could make the jump and grab a vine to slip his way down, he instantly regretted it the moment he was suspended in the air—he desperately clawed the air in the hopes of catching at least a single vine. It was too late for him to catch one using Force pull, in turn, it’s the vines and lianas that caught him! During his fall, some of the snapped from the impact, others wrapped around him in different portions of his body; they tangled and coiled around his legs as he fell.

While he was saved from an apparent fatal head and neck injury, poor Cal dangled with his head just three feet above the forest floor. The flap of his poncho flopped upside down, obscuring his entire upper body. He grumbled, flailing around helplessly as he tried to reach for the vines that snaked around his legs, unfortunately, his poncho didn’t budge.

“Well, this is just spectacular!” sighed the upside-down Jedi in great vexation.

On the other hand, BD-1 wasn’t the one who’s got their legs stuck around tree vines. He hopped down from Cal in the first few minutes he got himself suspended with his head pointed down.

“BD-1? BD, who’s coming? Who’s there?”

He craned his head and saw a pair of boots peeking under. Two hands hiked up the hem of Cal’s poncho to reveal his face.

“Hey,” Jidné greeted casually. “How’s it hangin’?”

“Hah! Ha…” Cal half-heartedly chuckled. He playfully crossed his arms. “Oh, you know, not falling far from the tree.”

They concluded the exchange of tree and hanging puns with laughs. It pained them that giggling it away felt like the best resolution for both of them.

“Alright, I’m gonna cut off the vines for you,”

Jidné lets go of the poncho while Cal repeatedly barked “No!” and “Wait!” in the same sentence. His hands blindly pawed the air in search of Jidné, but she had already stepped away to a safe distance. She lobbed her weapon at the vines, the blade fanned through the air until it severed the vines a few inches above Cal’s legs—the boy’s body anticipated a fall, instead he felt like he’s floating. He finally pushed away the poncho that obscured his face and found Jidné’s free hand directed at him, she’d caught him using the Force and gently laid him down while her sword hand caught the returning lightsaber after she threw it.

“Thanks,”

“No problem,” Jidné shrugged her shoulders and gave him her hand to bring him up to his feet.

Cal dusted off the leaves and specks of dirt that clumped on his clothes; he got flustered all of a sudden when he saw Jidné bringing her hand close to his face and was proved otherwise when she picked out a leaf that got caught in his hair.

“You okay?”

Cal nodded and then the bounty hunter tilted her head back, emphasizing on the height of the tree in which the Jedi fell from.

“What were you doing up there, anyway?”

“Oh you know, trying to get a better look of Ombari—in a certain point of view,”

“Did you find anything interesting?”

“Glad you asked!”

Instead of answering her directly, he takes her by the hand again and led her to where the meadow ought to be. Cal could feel Jidné’s grip tighten around his and even if she may not feel it—he squeezed it back; together, they followed an invisible path that perhaps only the two of them could see. Bushes and shrubs snapped and rustled when the Jedi and bounty hunter shouldered their way through, dried and withered leaves crunched and got whisked into the air by their heels, and the dewy mist cooled their pores as they dashed.

At the end of their run, their finish line was the seemingly endless vastness of the meadow. They scanned the sights as they caught their breaths. Long-stalked flowers, as well as the grass, danced pliantly in the direction of the wind. The faint crash of the waterfall in the lake echoed and mingled with the bellowing of the grazing herbivores.

“Oh my…” Jidné gasped. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Over here, Jidné!”

Jidné was startled to find that Cal had run off a few meters away from her already, she raced and caught up to him. Both of them frolicked gaily, drawing attention from the grazing animals that they passed by, their droids hovered and fluttered about like mechanical butterflies while following their owners. BD-1 and ID-3 scanned the grazers for their databanks.

“What is it, BD?”

“Trill, bee!”

In translation, BD-1 told Cal about these grazing animals—the Q’aval, a docile animal that can easily be domesticated for labor such as pulling carts or serving as mounts, though in the wild, they can be quite a handful to tame and they pack a mean kick especially with their hind legs.

Cal decided it was a good idea to approach one of them amongst the herd. At first it whinnied and slightly reared when the animal saw the human boy approach it. He cooed “It’s okay” in soft whispers repeatedly while cautiously stepping towards the Q’aval, the gentle pat of Cal’s hand calmed down the majestic, hooved beast and nickered softly.

“There we go,”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jidné warned.

“It’ll be okay,” Cal reassured her while petting the Q’aval’s long, downward muzzle.

He noticed that Jidné stood there frigidly while examining the animal, he noticed the nervousness conflicting with the fascination in her face.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t bite,”

As much as Jidné wanted to pet the Q’aval too, her hands trembled profusely as she hoisted them to the level of the animal’s muzzle. Cal carefully took her hand and guided it towards the muzzle, his free hand then found the small of her back to comfort her. Her slender fingers came into contact with the curve of the animal’s jaw and by impulse, she petted it in a smooth pace.

The Q’aval quickly warmed up to Cal and Jidné, nudging its head closer to them to demand more pats and they gladly obliged. In the right timing, Cal quickly mounted the steed, it reared for a few moments as it was startled by the sudden weight that bore on its back; Jidné kept her distance from the Q’aval that bucked and kicked even though Cal was continuously petting its broad neck.

“Wanna hitch a ride?” Cal blurted.

Jidné scoffed a chuckle, resorting to petting the animal’s neck, “Is it safe?”

“Sure, do you trust me?”

The girl’s head jerked to Cal. There’s the child-like yet tender gaze looking back at her, the gleaming emerald eyes that always had a natural allure that she couldn’t take her own eyes off of them, and then the coy and inviting smile to top it all off.

“I do,”

She approached him, he extended his hand to which she gladly takes. With a sudden might, he hoisted her to the back of the Q’aval with him; out of instinct, she snaked her arms around his waist to keep herself balanced upon the mount. BD-1 gently perched upon the animal’s mane while ID-3 returned to Jidné’s shoulders. Cal licked his lips and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

“Don’t ever let go,”

Jidné intertwined her fingers much tighter together and buckled closer to Cal.

“I won’t.”

“Good.”

A gentle yet abrupt kick spurred the Q’aval to gallop across the meadow. The animal’s speed was breathtaking yet empowering; their hairs danced in the wind as they ran towards the never-ending horizon. Neither of the two Jedi have ever felt anything like this—it was simply astonishing!

The Q’aval made for the hills, as if in an attempt to show them the greater breadth of the planet. To their surprise, they’ve been revealed the coastline of Ombari’s main continent—black rocks framed the deep blue ocean with ivory seafoam that striped its waters, a shore of golden sand lined the beaches from one rock formation to the other. Cal felt Jidné rest her chin upon the edge of his shoulder.

“Oh wow…” she gasped, the sight of the coastline had stolen all of the air in her lungs in wonderment. She swooned. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

Cal could feel her smile at the same time their fingers intertwine.

They returned to the meadow and dismounted the Q’aval which they thanked with a lot of pats before it returned to its herd.

They refreshed their parched throats with the sweet, cool water from the lake and rested by its banks. They settled atop the peak of another small hill where they can see the whole view of the animals and the waterfall. Jidné stretched out her legs on the earth and propped herself leisurely on her elbows while Cal drew his knees close to his chest where he can rest his arms.

“I never saw myself being in a situation like this,” Jidné initiated.

“What do you mean?”

“Back then, I barely had the time to explore in the same way as this. I understood that Master Anesh just wanted to keep me within a safe distance, but I felt like I kinda missed out on how worlds really looked like.”

“Well, we managed to see how Ombari really looks like,” Cal chirped.

Jidné turned to Cal and shot him a smile, “You’re right about that.”

“Actually, it’s really nice to lay low for once,”

“Oh? You hiding from someone?”

“Well yes… but actually no,”

The uncertain n tone in Cal’s voice made him sound like he’s questioning even himself. Jidné tilted her head and shot him a look to go on and say what he meant.

“These past few days, Inquisitors and Imperials have been chasing us back and forth for a Holocron,”

“The Inquisitors, I’ve heard about them,” Jidné trailed. “What do they want with a Holocron?”

“Well, it contains the list of all the Force-sensitive children,” Cal looked at Jidné in the eye. “The next generation of Jedi.”

Jidné’s heart raced. She put two and two together. Everything that Cal just said gave light to what she discovered last night.

That explains the child I saw! In her mind, she exclaimed.

She figured the Holocron was the second thing Vader needed—she remembers their negotiation back in Modala, the calm yet demanding tone of the dark lord thundered in her mind and rumbled her heart. She zoned out, staring back at the flawless green plains, letting the two facts sink into her.

“Are you searching for the children now?” inquired a curious Jidné, there was an ulterior motive between her words that Cal may or may not have hinted.

“No,” the boy simply shook his head. “Even if we did find them, the Empire will come after them. The same way they’re after us, I think.”

Her heart sank further in, Cal’s last sentence hit her close to home. The same goes for them back when they were younger—when they were still Padawan learners—it’s unimaginable to think that these children, who have no idea what they’re capable of in the first place, be suddenly robbed of their homes and families simply because they were Force-sensitive, all for the sake of the Empire’s exploits.

“So, the only way the crew and I thought would keep them safe is…” Cal trailed off. The fact that he destroyed a Holocron felt like a sin for once, even though he seemed confident about it when he had done the deed. “Is destroying the Holocron.”

The cogs in the bounty hunter’s mind turned so relentlessly that sparks sputtered in the tiny gaps in between. She masked her surprise with a straight face and pensive eyes, on the inside, she’s already drafting her progress report should Darth Vader come in contact with her.

Cal took notice of her silence, he examined the girl’s stoic expression: eyes lost to the endless meadow, lips slightly parted with the words dripping at the edge, and the gentle rising and falling of her breast as she breathed.

“You did the right thing,”

“For a second there, you looked like you just heard me confess a crime,”

“Well, I was never told that there was a law that destroying Holocrons was a criminal offense!”

The two traded glances and ended up in giggles, returning their gazes at the meadow and counting the Q’avals that grazed the tall grass. The day was whiled away with their banters of their childhood. They may have been worlds apart, but the stories that were so alike with another had linked them.

“You know, it’s funny,” Cal began.

“What is?”

“We’ve probably never even met along the halls in the Jedi Temple, yet somehow I find it easy to talk to you about these sorts of things. It’s like I’ve known you all my life,”

Jidné reciprocated the sentiment. Her thoughtful eyes smiled back at him, she plopped her back flat against the soft earth to hide her cheeks in their blushing glory. Cal started plucking the tiny flowers that dotted the plains and surrounded them, he adorned her dark hair splayed on the grass with white and pink buds while his free hand dared to caress her cheek—the back of his fingers stroking and tracing the suppleness of her face down to her jaw.

His touch was received with the upward curl at the corner of her lip, in return, Jidné plucked out a blade of grass and drew invisible lines over his scars—tickling his neck, cheek, and the bridge of his nose, counting his freckles with the pointed end of the stalk, her thumb softly brushing against his lip to find the tiny nick on his lower lip. Her slender fingers combed away the stray locks that draped over his forehead, revealing another slit that cut through his eyebrow.

She could only imagine what kind of stories these marks have to tell her.

Evening fell upon the two youngsters, Cal promptly stood up.

“Let me take you to your ship. Is it still in the badlands?”

“Sharp memory,” she blurted.

Cal offered Jidné a ride on a Q’aval before it got any darker. By default, she wrapped her arms around him again and he welcomed her embrace, Cal spurred the animal and in obeisance to its rider, the Q’aval reared and galloped through the plains, they passed by Diitana and crossed its bridge until they’ve arrived in the badlands.

Jidné did some backseat driving, directing Cal where to go until they found the trenches and he caught a glimpse of the Scarab’s hull. Both of them dismounted the animal, Cal got a closer look of her freighter—he recalls scrapping a similar model back in Bracca.

“You could have stayed the night at the Mantis, you know,” the Jedi initiated.

Jidné pursed her lips, “It looks like a full house in there.”

“Nah, you fit right in,”

“It’s fine, Cal,” she insisted politely.

“Well, if it’s not too much to ask—let’s do this again some time?”

Even in the night, the girl could always spot the twinkle in Cal’s clear jade eyes; he didn’t need any more words, his fond puppy-eyed gaze was enough to get her heart going—though, she wondered if he was aware that he made her feel that way.

“Don’t look at me like that,”

“Why not?” he cooed back.

“Because I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to say no,”

Cal chuckled nasally. He took out a flower that he had tucked underneath the straps of his armor and wore it on Jidné’s hair, wearing it into the braid that crowned the side of her head.

“Then I can wait for that yes,”

He leaned in and planted his lips against her cheek. He found her standing there, apparently taken aback by the gesture, when he looked over his shoulder.

“Good night, Jidné.”

“Good night, Cal.”

The animal reared once more and Jidné watched the boy ride into the distance, leaving plumes of dust in his wake. Her heartbeat synchronized with the hooves of the Q’aval as he departed. Absentmindedly, her fingers fondled the petals of the flower pinned into her hair while looking into the now-empty desert.

An epiphany threw its way into her—it felt like something invisible had tackled her into submission and punched her in the gut so violently that she arched inward for a bit.

“Shit…”

“Cheep?”

“This never happened before… No… It can’t...” she turned to ID-3 for some sort of affirmation. “Can it?”

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gaamagirl565 · 4 years ago

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Matters of the heart S3 ep1

Matters of the heart Season 3 Episode 1 Outrun the shadow {OPENING CREDITS}

Narration: As winter draws near and the green of summer fades the world enters a time of sacrifice. The leaves release their grasp on branches and flutter to the ground to feed the soil of the earth. In return, the earth produces plants to feed the animals. Everything in our world sacrifices every day. And although Humans may be at the top of nature’s chain, We are not exempt from sacrifice. {Fade down to Isaiah looking conflicted as he watches men working in Old Corona’s graveyard with Gaia next to him} Lily: Isaiah? Isaiah: Oh! Hey guys… Akina: You okay? Isaiah: what? yeah, I'm fine why? Nathaniel: not going to lie... You look like you just watched a group full of Orphans get hit by a carriage. Isaiah: that's a lovely image... but no really I'm fine it's just... a little weird to be watching people remove a tombstone from the graveyard with my name on it. Nathaniel: at least we're prepared for the real deal now! we have the stone and everything! {Akina kicks him} Nathaniel: Ow! Lily: what we’re trying to say is we're glad to have you back. Isaiah: I'm glad to have you guys back too… Akina: Awww! {lily blushes and Nathaniel gags; cut to Varian’s house where Zapada is attempting to feed her son with Verbena next to her} Zapada: Sterling, please do not fuss! Verbena: hehe! Fussy baby! Eugene: At least you know he’s truly Varian’s kid...Stubborn to the end! Varian: har har...can we get back to business? Rapunzel: Sorry Varian but he’s sooo cute! Lance: he really is! Adira can we have another baby? {Pan to Adira having her earring pulled by her 1-year-old son} Adira:....no. Varian: ….okay yes my son is incredibly cute but we have a serious issue here. Eugene: alright fine...you were saying? {Varian lays out a map on the dining room table} Varian: We know that the cult’s hideout was near the mountains in an abandoned mine. the entrance to the mine collapsed when we were leaving but I doubt that'll hold them. they could be on their way here right now we need to make a battle plan. Rapunzel: I'm not normally one to be negative but what are we going to do? I don't have my hair anymore and you told me that they basically made a corrupt version of the Moonstone using only a Shard from its remains. do we even know the full extent of their power now? Varian: that's the tricky part... we don't. my family and I hightailed it out of there before they could do anything. Lancel: What does this mean for Cassandra? {Varian bites his lip and looks at Eugene who nods} Varian: Cassandra... her mind has completely been taken over by the power she possesses...Her original conscience is gone. {Rapunzel gasps and tears up} Eugene: oh no...Sunshine c’mere… {he holds her close} Varian: i’m sorry Rapunzel… {Isaiah rushes in with the others and accidentally hits Ruddiger with the door} Isaiah: Dad! Do you Smell that!? {Varian sniffs the air and his eyes widen} Varian: sulfur... Eugene: cannons...something’s coming... {Zapada instinctively clutches Benny and Sterling; Varian and Eugene run out to the road; at the entrance, Larkspur stands with a cold staring purple-eyed Cassandra and an army of cult members behind her} Larkspur: Hi! Hope you don’t mind but I thought I’d just drop in...and take what’s mine. {Rapunzel stands in front of them} Rapunzel: You aren’t taking anything from us! Larkspur: AWWW! That’s so cute! Like you have a choice. Oh, sweet Vessel! Show them we mean business. {Cassandra steps forward} Rapunzel: Cass! Wait! It’s me! fi-AHH! {Rapunzel is pulled out of the way as Cass Forces a contorted discolored rock from the ground} Eugene: oh no… Isaiah: Dad w-what is that? {Varian’s eyes dilate in horror} Larkspur: Like I said...We’re not taking no for an answer… {She turns to her army} Larkspur: Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Corona! Some of you have been here before but- {She gasps as an arrow zips past her and hits a cult member killing him; She turns around and sees Adira with her bow at the ready} Larkspur:...ya know what? Screw the speech! ATTACK! DESTROY ANYONE YOU SEE! {The army cheers and charges; People begin running screaming} Isaiah: Dad!? Nathaniel: MOM! {Everyone runs to gather their families; The cult starts throwing small orbs; once they hit the ground a gas flows out choking various people; Isaiah watches his father fight with the king and queen and out of the corner of his he sees an orb head for Nathaniel’s family} Isaiah: NATHANIEL! {He is hit directly and begins coughing and sputtering; Isaiah covers his nose and mouth and runs out to help him to his house; in the confusion they here people grunting and shouting in pain; The cult have begun targeting civilians with their swords} Rapunzel: We have to get everyone out of here! {Varian, Eugene, and Rapunzel help various villagers to run into Varian’s house and barricade the door} Varaian: Zapada Grab the kids! Lets get everyone to the escape route! Zapada: come on children! {Varian leads them to a hole in his office} Eugene: seriously? Varian: It leads to the underground tunnels of old Corona! we can escape to the forest through here! Isaiah: but we'll be leaving everything! Rapunzel: We have to… Varian: Women & Children First! {Isaiah helps Lily and the royal siblings into the hole and then helps Nathaniel} Varian: you next buddy! {Isaiah climbs down into the dark dirt tunnels; he slowly helps people into them; Once everyone is inside Varian himself climbs into the hole taking one last look at his home before the main door starts cracking open; he grabs the lid to the hole and covers it as he descends into the tunnel.} Akina: it’s really dark down here Benny: clearly you've never been to the dark Kingdom. Villagers: what do we do now? how do we get back to the surface? our home is gone! what about everybody else in the Kingdom!? Rapunzel: everyone calm down! I'm sure our Royal engineer has a plan! Right? Varian: of course I do I didn't just build this thing for kicks. the tunnel itself is about 5 miles long and at least out into the forest. the exit is in a campsite that I have spent time creating in case the should ever happen. when we get there we can set up camp as for the rest of the people in Corona... we can only pray for their safety. Perhaps at a future date we can save them. {the small crowd murmurs to each other; Varian takes out small glowing orbs and passes them around} Eugene: everyone Stay Together! Varian will lead the way. {They begin walking in the direction they’re being lead} Benny: ‘Saiah? are we going to be okay? Isaiah:.... yeah totally! there's one thing I know about my dad is he has a plan for everything. even the worst-case scenario. Akina: Mama I’m frightened… Adira: we’re alright small one Lance: yeah... the important thing is we're all here together. {As they walk small rumbles shake the tunnels but Rapunzel encourages them to keep moving; Varian looks over a map with his glowing orb before pointing down a corridor; Everyone follows; Cut to Lily’s brother Cyrus running a hand along the dirt wall} Cyrus: I'm simply amazed Mr.Varian... how did you manage to carve these? Varian: there were already tunnels here from when I was younger I just simply expanded them so that they would run into the forest. I figured it was a good idea to have an Escape Route. especially one that they wouldn't be able to find. Cyrus: still this must have taken years! Varian: I began Construction once I returned to Corona shortly before Isaiah was born. I figured if I was going to stay in Old Corona they would end up coming for me at some point. I wanted a safe way for my villagers to escape. {A thud and is heard followed by a shattering of glass and a scream; Eugene whips around to see a woman on the ground; he runs over} Eugene: what's going on!? Child: My mother! S-she fell! She isn’t saying anything! {Varian runs over and kneels next to her} Varian: ... flip her over! {They do so and reveal reddish-purple dots on her skin} Varian:...was your mother sick before!? did anything happen during The Invasion I could have injured her in any way? Child: no! She was fine! She wasn’t even injured in The Invasion! we only got hit by one of those weird ball thingies! Isaiah:... those gas bombs! If she was near one when it blew then, you don't think that maybe… Varian: those bombs must have been filled with some sort of biological compound... it's making anybody who came into contact with the gas sick. Rapunzel: a lot of people here were exposed to those. Eugene: everyone check yourselves for reddish-purple spots! {The people look at themselves and several shout in fear as they look at their spotted skin; Nathaniel looks at his wrist in fear and dots cover his arm} Rapunzel: okay calm down! if you were sick we will find a way to get you treated we just have to find out what exactly this is! Varian: Rapunzel that's easier said than done without a lab. in the time being we have to make it to the campsite we use whatever medicine we have to try and get you better until then we'll have to observe your symptoms. Villager 1: how much longer to this campsite? my wife is very sick! Varian: we just passed the north corridor so I'm guessing we should be there within the next 10 minutes. in the meantime everybody please try and stay calm. {everyone moves on} Lily: Nathaniel are you okay? {he holds up his wrist; Akina gasps} Isaiah: don't be scared, Akina... I don't think it's contagious otherwise we'd all have it by now. Lily: what about you you ran to the gas cloud that he was in! Isaiah: Nathaniel and everybody else experiencing symptoms had a direct hit or breathed in a lot of the gas. I had my mouth and nose covered when I went to go grab him. Nathaniel: Stop! let's do what they told us and stay calm. I don't know what this stuff is going to do to me but we shouldn't focus on that. we have bigger fish to fry. come on… {He walks ahead of them} Benny: Isaiah? Can I have a ride? Isaiah: you tired? Okay… {He bends down and lets her climb on his back; they keep walking to they see a light peering through the top of the tunnel} Varian: Angry? Cat? {a rope is dropped down} Varian: again Women & Children First! { everyone begins climbing up the Rope one by one; finally Varian pulls himself up} Keira: welcome to the upper world! Varian: you've been waiting for years to say that haven't you? Cat: she really has you have no idea… Keira: we did exactly as you said we saw the commotion from our treehouse and opened up the tunnel. Lance: thats my girls! Eugene: is everything secure? Cat: yeah Varian: and how is...he doing? { Cat looks distressed for a moment and kiera puts an arm around her} Kiera: he's not doing good to say the least… Cat: we have him in the camp right now resting but his wound recently got infected. The Physician helped some with the internal damage... but he said ultimately there's not much you can do. we just have to hope he makes it through this. Kiera: nevermind! we have some visitors in the camp… Varian: Visitors!? WHO!? {Cut to the camp with Varian walking in; pan to hector sitting with his daughter Juniper and son Bjørn} Varian: Uncle? Adira: Hector!? Hector: hello sister… Adira: what are you doing here? Juniper: it was so weird! dad said he had to come here! Hector: something happened... and judging from what I'm seeing something big. I felt a familiar feeling... but this time..it was evil. Adira: they took The Shard of the Moonstone and they corrupted it into a new stone. trust me I felt it too. Bjørn: What happened to all these people? Varian: we don't exactly know yet. Eugene: okay attention everyone! all those who are sick please rest until we can find a designated area for you everybody else start helping set up camp Villager 1: but what about us!? are you sure they won't find us here!? Varian: as of right now all the cult knows is that we disappeared inside my house. They have no knowledge of the underground tunnels nor do they have any knowledge of this campsite. soon strict rules are going to be enforced in order to assure everyone safety. I know the situation isn't ideal and I prayed that it would never happen. Villager 2: isn't this basically your fault!? you should have been protecting us from these people! {The crowd shouts in anger; Isaiah puts Benny down and runs over} Isaiah: knock it off! Varian: Isaiah? Isaiah: there was no way my Dad could have stopped the cult from doing this! with or without the Moonstone Shard they would have attacked eventually just as they have before. instead of blaming other people for what happened, we should focus on Surviving! Rapunzel: Isaiah is right. getting angry will solve nothing. please everyone just started helping set up camp once we get a new sense of normal it won't seem so bad I promise. {The crowd disperses} Isaiah: phew… Varian: Thats my boy! Zapada: Copilul meu, that was so brave! Isaiah: I couldn't just stand there and let them bad-mouths my family. the cult members are insane plain and simple once they have something in their head it can't be stopped. Zapada: I'm going to go help the other women set up. Isaiah, would you mind taking your brother for a bit? {she hands Sterling to Isaiah} Isaiah: what do you say little guy? you ready to spend some time with your awesome big bro? Sterling: ppthh! Lily: Ha! Isaiah: I'm choosing to take that as a compliment… {Isaiah walks around camp watching the sick be tended to and tents being set up} Isaiah: and I got so used to sleeping in a bed again as well… Benny: speak for yourself! this is my element! {They look over and see Cat walk into a ten that was already set up} Isaiah: what is she doing? Benny: ooohh spy time! Lets go.. {They sneak up to the tent and look in; Noremoth lies on a makeshift bed with bandages wrapped around his torso; Cat dips a cloth in water and puts it on his head} Noremoth: ghh...h-hey.. Cat: hi..just rest okay? Noremoth:..you got it..boss. {She chuckles} Cat: just sleep okay? {Start the song “twisting trees} {Catalina} Deep in the forest, the flowers bloom Don’t fear the dark The moon will rise soon Let the breeze caress your face And fall into the branches embrace Twisting trees keep me safe Twisting trees I fear not this place As they cast their shadows below The moon it rises ever so slow It’s face of Ivory glowing above It bathes the land its pure white love fall into the branches embrace Twisting trees keep me safe And fear not this place. Oh, fear not this place. {end song; Isaiah walks away with Benny and Sterling} Isaiah: He's not looking good… Benny: well that wasn't fun that was just straight-up depressing... {Isaiah sits up against a tree with Sterling} Akina: you okay? Isaiah: Oh...hi Akina... yeah I'm fine just... rough way to start a day. Akina: yeah... never thought I'd see Uncle Hector here. What do you think they meant by saying they sensed something? Isaiah: promote my grandpa told me your mom and…” uncle” Hector used to be part of a group called the Brotherhood. from what he told me they were loyal to the moonstone given that this new corruption is made from A Shard of the Moonstone I'm guessing they felt a disturbance or something when it was corrupted. it's the only thing I can think of. Akina: We're going to take back Corona right? I like it there! Isaiah: don't you worry we're not just going to sit back and let this happen. we're going to take back our Kingdom… Lily: good luck with that we’ll need a small army. Akina: I heard the grown-up saying that too! something about we're going to have to go around asking other kingdoms to join the fight! Isaiah: well yeah... you think they're just going to stop at our kingdom? we're going to need to ask for help from a lot of peo-... wait...I GOT IT! { everyone in the camp jumps out of surprise} Isaiah:... oops! sorry!... anyway I need a piece of paper and a quill. Lily: one second I saw some by the supplies! {She runs over and grabs the items before handing them to Isaiah; Isaiah leans against the tree and begins writing his letter} Isaiah: S.O.S...Corona compromised. please help. your former Cabin Boy Isaiah... okay it's written! but how do we send it? Lily: I... I have an idea… {Cut to Hamuel hanging upside down from a tree branch} Isaiah: you can't be serious… Lily: hey my grandfather and Dad have been exchanging letters for ages using this bird. Isaiah: this bird has to be at least 15 years old! maybe more! on top of that look at him! {Hamuel falls to the ground with a pained caw} Isaiah: HMM!? *points at him* Lily: I know it's not ideal but he's gotten the messages there every single time. Benny: I'm surprised he hasn't taken the messages to the north pole rather than the dark Kingdom. {Lily attaches the letter to Hamuel’s leg} Isaiah:... I can't believe I'm doing this I'm talking to a bird...Hamuel listen very closely to me I need you to find a ship called the SS. Salvador. Take this note to the captain. and if you fail...uh...Draki will eat you. {Draki hisses and wiggles his tail} Lily: Isaiah no! Isaiah: Isaiah yes! { He lets Hamuel go; cut to Corona Castle; Larkspur walks into the throne room} Larkspur: I can't believe I'm finally here… Vergus: yes mistress you finally made it. Corona is destroyed and at our feet. and soon we will find The Alchemist and where he is hiding. Larkspur: look at this place... such power wasted. {She goes up and sits on the throne} Larkspur: hehe!! I've waited for years to sit on this chair! I was kind of hoping that the king and queens heads would be under my feet as well but you take what you can get. Vergus: shall we start moving on to the other kingdoms as well mistress? now that we've taken down Corona we can move on to others and spread our message! Larkspur: everything is finally coming together… Vergus: Mistress? {begin song “i don’t care”} {Larkspur} You know some time ago I was just a little girl I was hopeless, aimless, nameless But then a dream had struck my mind It was brighter than any kind And now that dream is mine Just look now where I walk A hall of Kings and Queens And all it took was some blood and a bit of screams! Well, I don’t care, If it isn’t fair! This land is mine Let’s not waste our time! Let’s make them bleed! Oh let’s make them bleed! Ohhh...he chose his path and ran away Even when welcome to stay… He chose...to Betray~! But I don’t care! I’ve let down my hair! This land is mine! Oh, finally mine! Now to make them bleed Oh let’s make them (x3) Let’s make them bleed! {End song} {END CREDITS}

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel’s tangled adventure #Rapunzel #Varian #Eugene #fanfic #TTS #RTA #tts oc #rta oc #Isaiah #catalina and keira #Noremoth

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gvnbreaker · 5 years ago

Text

CHARACTER SURVEY || Aja Hyskaris

@yascaret edited/removed some of the questions to make this more FFXIV-friendly. I made a few of my own changes as well.

RULES. Repost, don’t reblog! Tag 10! Good luck!

TAGGED BY. @yascaret and @wood-warder

TAGGING. If you’re reading this, you’re tagged!

BASICS. FULL NAME : Aja Hyskaris

NICKNAME : None (yet?)

AGE : Appears around late 20s/30 by hyur standards

BIRTHDAY : Midsummer

GENDER : Non-binary; she/they

ETHNIC GROUP : Viera (Rava)

NATIONALITY : Ivalician (?)

LANGUAGE / S : Common

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Homosexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Homoromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS : In a relationship with Lofn Yascaret & Pjel Qoet

HOME TOWN / AREA : The Hyskarian Deepwood, Golmore

CURRENT HOME : A small house in Shirogane.

PROFESSION : Mercenary. Bounty/monster hunter & occasional bodyguard.

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Vibrant red, wild, curly, falling to mid-back; undercut. Sideburns and widow’s peak.

EYES : Amber.

FACE : Square with a sharp jawline. High cheekbones, thick, arched eyebrows, and a prominent, aquiline nose. Often smirking insufferably or flirtatiously, prone to great expressiveness and wide smiles but just as easily brooding. Sharp teeth.

LIPS : Full. Her smiles are crooked to begin with and deadened nerves on the left side of her mouth add to the effect.

COMPLEXION : Deep brown with warm undertones, lighter palms and soles of her feet, a lighter smudge underneath her nose and around her nostrils. Freckling around her shoulders, arm, the tops of her thighs and her lower back.

BLEMISHES : None of note.

SCARS : Covered in scattered scars of varying age, depth, and severity, particularly on her left side and near her prosthetic arm. Ceruleum burns on torso; old, ringed scar around throat; vertical scar on left corner of mouth; small scar across nose; edge of left eyebrow; three scars beneath right eye.

TATTOOS & PIERCINGS : Blackwork tattoos around forearm and legs, among others (design with art to come); white tattoos (curve, three dots) beneath eyes; Several gold rings along outer shells of ears; gold septum ring

HEIGHT : Just under six fulms, not counting her ears.

WEIGHT : Average.

BUILD : Muscular and stocky, with broad shoulders tapering to a strong waist and thighs. [body type reference]

FEATURES : Her left arm, from the start of the bicep, is a mechanical prosthetic, appearing to be of magitek-or-close make.

ALLERGIES : None that she knows of.

USUAL HAIR STYLE : Worn loose and wild, not so much a style as a thick mane.

USUAL FACE LOOK : Bare-faced, wearing tinted red pince nez. Smirking, grinning, flirting--generally looking like a complete asshole.

USUAL CLOTHING : Loose, open shirts, trousers, long coats, heavy, knee-high boots, leather jackets.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Imprisonment, isolation, drowning, Garlean war machina.

ASPIRATION / S : Stability, helping others, belonging. In her younger years, she had romantic visions of knighthood, but those have since quieted with the years.

POSITIVE TRAITS : Adventurous, Passionate, Brave, Charismatic, Strong, Empathic

NEGATIVE TRAITS : Cocky, Bull-headed, Self-destructive, Reckless, Impulsive

MBTI : ESFP

ZODIAC : Leo

TEMPERAMENT : Sanguine

SOUL TYPE / S : Warrior

ANIMALS : Wolf

VICE HABIT / S : Brooding, drinking to excess, recklessness, impulsive decisions, using sex as validation.

FAITH : She spares it little thought.

GHOSTS ? : Yes.

AFTERLIFE ? : Maybe.

REINCARNATION ? : Hopefully.

ALIENS ? : When she met her first hyur man, she knew aliens were real.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : Garlemald bad, fuck cops.

EDUCATION LEVEL : Average for a viera of her village. She's taught herself to read between the lines better after being conned out of a full hunt reward once or twice in her early days in Rabanastre.

FAMILY. FATHER : Fleeting contact a lifetime ago.

MOTHERS : Still in the Wood.

SIBLINGS : Several, no contact. She was close with one, but has made peace with never seeing any of them again.

EXTENDED FAMILY : Still in the Wood--as far as she knows.

NAME MEANING / S : Aja, from the Hyskarian Deepwood

HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : She was born in Golmore, but as far as she knows her name has little meaning.

FAVORITES. BOOK : Adventure stories and romance novels. She’d never admit it, but they can be found hidden in her satchel or underneath or inside other things.

DEITY : She tries not to think about them.

HOLIDAY : Moonfire Faire, ????

MONTH : Summer

SEASON : Summer & Fall

PLACE : A grassy field. The back of a cycle. On top of someone or between someone's legs.

WEATHER : Thunderstorms, rain showers, clear skies and bright sun overhead.

SOUND / S: Rain, thunder in the distance, the soft breathing of a woman asleep.

SCENT / S : Metal, cedar, rain, leather, girlfriend ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

TASTE / S : Meat, whiskey, curry, girlfriend ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

FEEL / S : Furs, leather, grass, rain, girlfriend ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

ANIMAL / S : Cats, coeurls, dogs.

NUMBER : 7

COLORS : Red, browns, black, gunmetal

EXTRA. TALENTS : She's a blunt instrument, so beating the shit out of things. Flirting. Fixing things, usually the mechanical variety. Making friends. Diffusing social conflicts as often as she creates them. She's a good cook, but it's suitable really nowhere else but over a fire with a beast's flank in one hand and a metal spit in the other.

BAD AT : Love. Understanding and accepting her feelings. Has a chronic case of Foot-in-Mouth Disease. Has a long fuse, but her temper can spin out of control when pressed. Terrible at restraint and not being reckless and impulsive.

TURN ONS : Stockings, especially with the seam up the back. The nape of a woman's neck. Banter. Compliments. Smiles. Give her a smile and a coquettish eyelash flutter or make her feel strong and she's useless putty in your hands.

TURN OFFS : Flirtatious men, cowards, cruelty, Garleans.

HOBBIES : Fishing, tinkering, gambling, trying new foods, sparring and training, exercise.

TROPES : You Can’t Go Home Again, Badass Longcoat, Dark-Skinned Readhead, Cannot Spit It Out, Hot-Blooded, Scars Are Forever, Everyone Can See It, Artificial Limbs, Berserk Button, Unusual Eyebrows, Dark and Troubled Past, Rage Breaking Point, Cool Bike, Hot-Blooded Sideburns, Fiery Redhead, Red Oni Blue Oni, Gun Blade, La Résistance, Spell Blade, Love Epiphany, Bruiser with a Soft Center, Didn’t Think This Through (Gonna stop now or I’ll be here all night)

QUOTES : “Ah, fuck.”

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?

A1 : John Wick mixed with Final Fantasy VIII mixed with Drive but with Garlean soldiers, turncoats, gay bro content, a sorceress, and also heaps of gay in general.

Q2 : What would their soundtrack/score sound like?

A2 : Chromatic rock, Nightrun, hair metal, a lot of Deftones, Tool, the Weeknd, indie and acoustic rock for angst.

Q3 : Why did you start writing this character?

A3 : When viera were teased at Fanfest, I lost my mind and have been unable to concentrate on any other character since. Aja was actually going to be a hrothgar, but when they genderlocked them and the model and general design didn’t fit her body type, well… plans changed.

Q4 : What first attracted you to this character?

A4 : Much like @yascaret’s answer, getting my gay hands on viera in FFTA and being obsessed since then. I wanted to write a warrior, a little battered but unbroken despite everything. She came out differently than originally planned, but in a good way. She’s just an even bigger himbo now.

Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : I worry about Flanderizing her too hard, because while she is a big flirtatious himbo idiot I also want it to come across that she has depth.

Q6 : What do you have in common with your muse?

A6 : Not a lot. I guess we're both stubborn idiots with very long fuses that nonetheless eventually explode and/or destroy whatever is on the receiving end. Also what's gender precious

Q7 : How does your muse feel about you?

A7 : She probably wouldn’t acknowledge me at all, but we might bond over spicy noodles.

Q8 : What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?

A8 : Lofn and Pjel are the obvious choice, but… Lofn and Pjel. I really love writing her alongside and against them because their personality traits both complement and chafe against one another, often in the same scene. Also I love their chemistry and look forward to how that plays out. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Q9 : What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?

A9 : B u n y d e a t h s q u a d. Just in general seeing my RP partners and roleplayers I haven’t interacted with yet writing and posting content for their characters really inspires me. As far as writing Aja, I take a handful of aesthetics, design elements, and themes and smash them together until something clicks. Listening to music and rolling through a prompt generator usually kick starts me into writing a drabble or developing something, and the FFXIV Write challenge has been great for that this month.

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete ?

A10 : About an afternoon and part of an evening. I fell into TV Tropes a little too hard near the end.

#about #character building #memes #ffxiv crystal #ffxiv rp #balmung #furiously formatting this before the oncoming storm knocks out our power and yeets my draft into oblivion #rava viera #viera

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iphoenixrising · 5 years ago

Note

Where have you gone?? Please do one of these for me babe. 1. Continuing with mer Tim. 2. More alpha Tim. 3. Jealous omega Tim when Dick shows another omega too much affection.

ears.

BUT.

On to other things than my terrible obsession.

So, number 2 might be in the works for later on and Number 3 kind of doesn’t appeal to me, so maybe a last little drab from that mer au thing, yeah? I’ll pick it up from here. But you may want to read this one (NSFW) and this one.

NOTE: It can be a little squick with a bit of dub-con in the previous installments, so be warned.

Waking up on Tam’s couch wasn’t really that out of place in his life because he’s crashed here more than once, during research projects in grad school, during late night Uno frenzies, during gallon of Häagen Dazs nights when the blind dates were awful and they lamented how old they were getting.

It was familiar to open his eyes to her quaint coffee table and curtains, her flat-screen off to the side with his old N64 hooked up to one of the channels.

It was familiar to have the soft throw from the back of the couch cocooning him because blanket burritos were seriously the way to go.

The real crux of it all is feeling the shift in his abdomen, something soft, something so real, that he comes awake fast and furious, fumbling to get his arms out of the burrito.

“Shh, shh. S’ okay. Yer okay, baby.”

The voice from behind him, jarring since he’s dazed from a drugged sleep, disoriented because he knows that voice–

“Wh-what?! How–how?!” Is about all he’s got when the full-body jerk made him lose his balance and promptly fall off the couch, flailing hands and a sore ass to boot.

The one with green flecks in his eyes moves around the couch to where he’s trying to get free of the blanket and get the fuck out of here.

“S’ all right, pretty baby, yeah?” There’s a hand out, not reaching for him (yet), and when the former merman takes a small step forward, Tim is scrambling back until he hits the living room wall, one arm protectively around Minnow in his belly.

“Get-get back! How the hell are you even here? Where’s your tail?! Are you seriously telling me you speak English?!”

Jay blinks slowly at him, like he’s translating in his head while those eyes take in every detail of their beautiful mate. After several weeks in Gotham learning about land-walkers and their mate’s culture, he’s been bordering on desperate for this male, their male. When they should have been caring for him, seeing to his every need, massaging him when the young started weighing on him, holding him close and cuddling him, all the things good mates should do for their carrier.

Seeing him being…touched by another, a rival, brought out all the protective instincts in both him and Dickie in the worst way. The fact their mate, their Tim, is shrinking away from him, wide-eyed and terrified, is the only thing stopping him from filling his arms, burying his face, palming the young in that perfect belly like he wants, needs to.

“Wh-where’s Tam? Tell me you didn’t do anything to Tam?!”

Tim’s legs are weak but he braces a hand against the wall and wobbly-legs it for a second before he’s standing.

“Heyheyhey, pretty,” because Jay sees the panic, the gasping breath, their mate’s face white as a sheet, his legs trembling, threatening to spill him back onto the floor, “gotcha calm down, you feel me, honey? Yer safe. Yer Tam is safe, she’s making Dickie more coffee ‘cause he figured out how much he likes it.”

“C-coffee?” Tim breathes out desperately, needing to latch on to something here.

“You know you only get decaf! And you, Fish Face, step it the hell back. Right. Now.”

Tam has no problem shoving the merman back with an impatient hand and has a glorious mug of decaf coffee. It’s in no way a substitute for the real thing, but it still smells similar enough that he’s going to thank all the Gods out there for this.

“We also brought food for you!” The other merman, the one he remembers so vividly speaking in a sing-song language, laughter like tinkling bells echoing in the underwater cove where they kept him, is right over Tam’s shoulder, carrying a tray with some fruit on it and–

raw fish?

He’s sensing a whole lot of nope here, but finds it strange he’s not getting nauseous from the smell alone.

Tam steers him back to the couch, bracing him while she glares at Jay and Dick when the mermen can’t help but reach out to touch, to brace his elbows to help ease him down.

Tam places the warm mug between his cold hands, rubbing his forearms while her glare of doom makes the two pout but agreeably move to the other side of the couch further away, giving him at least the illusion of space. Their eyes never leave him, are soft and fond one second, then intense the next when he absently rubs his little baby bump during Tam’s rendition of the events.

She flails when she describes slamming on the brakes the second her headlights hit the three of them and smirks triumphantly when she describes the look on Ra’s al Ghul’s face when the police took him away in the back of a squad car.

Through it, the two mermen ease slyly closer, moving like water, even without the tails, easy and flowing until they’re sitting on Tam’s coffee table, barely two feet from him, chins in hand, watching him with dreamy expressions.

(The same ones from when they spoke softly, cooing at him before the next round...)

His mug is empty and he feels a little more lucid even if it’s decaf.

Tam holds his free hand supportively when they both can deal with the fairytales sitting across from him–

(when did the coffee table get that close?)

“And, I’ve been talking to your literal baby daddies here. About a lot of things. Like, the importance of consent.”

He has to roll his lips so he doesn’t smile because if he could have been not drugged during that conversation, it would have been incredible to see Tam read these two the riot act.

Still, it’s nice to see the them look contrite.

“We went to our clan,” Dick explains gently, tentatively reaching out to hold one of his hands in both bigger, warmer palms, “and told them…we’d lost you. That we needed to find you as soon as possible.”

“Needed ta be by yer side, Sweets. Take care a’ ya, n’ provide. We ain’t some shitty mates what gonna breed ya up n’ just leave ya. That ain’t our way, you feel me, baby?”

“So…our clan gave us a sprinkle of magic we needed to walk with you on land, be with you like we are meant to be. When we mated you, Tim, we mated you no matter what, even if you needed to come back to the surface.”

Jay’s eyes are warm, “knew it might come down ta followin’ ya up here. S’okay. Knew what we were gettin’ inta.”

Dick nods gently, smiling at him, the same smile Tim remembers from the cove, something fond and sweet right before gentle kisses as the front of a slick, slithering body pressed wetly against Tim’s back, molded to him.

“We took us some time gettin’ ta know how ya land walkers live while’s we were on yer trail,” and Jay gently lays a hand on his knees, a thrill running up his leg, his body remembering those hands, too. “Wanted ta know s’ much about ya as we could.”

“We understand more about your culture now, Tim,” Dick squeezes his hand and grimaces, “and we get why you-you left. We mated you without asking and getting your permission–”

“I had a tail, and I’m–I’m pregnant! Of course I freaked out. Human men can't get pregnant!”

“For our people, we all feel the pull of the mating season. We did not know humans do not go through the same kind of heat. Everything we observed from you indicated you were feeling the mating frenzy, but we were wrong, we were very wrong, and we are sorry.”

“We want ta do whatever ya need ta make it right, Timmy,” Jay squeezes his hand. “Now that we know land walkers don’t carry young like we do, yer gonna need us when it’s time ta birth th’ young.”

“And we…we don’t want to leave you alone. We want to be with you if you will allow it.”

And Tim’s at a loss, looking helplessly from one merman to another, his brain working on how, if, there was any way he could believe in this, if there was any way his insane life could get even more crazy.

“S’been a fucked up night fer ya, baby, so’s ya ain’t gotta answer us now, you feel me? Ya need ta rest n’ eat, need ta be safe.”

And Tim sees how those eyes roll down to his swollen belly, has a moment when his breath catches at it, that soft, gentle look.

“But, we aren’t just going to leave. I promise. Now that we’ve found you, we’re going to protect you and the young. We won’t have to intrude on your life to protect you…if that’s what you decide you want.” The hands holding his squeeze gently, encouragingly. “Now that we understand your culture, we can understand why you might not.”

“But,” and the taller of the two leans forward a little, thumb rubbing soothing circles on Tim’s knee, “we wanna ask ya ta at least hear us out. Think ‘bout just giving us a chance. Let us prove ourselves ta ya, Timmy. Please.”

“Please,” the other merman echoes, also leaning forward, sounding just as desperate, just as needy.

His eyes wide and heart pounding, the little flutters against his belly, Tam holds one hand tight while the merman holds the other. His thoughts are racing, one into another, wondering if this could be real after all, if his solitary life with the ocean could have turned into these legendary creatures choosing him as their…mate?

He’s helplessly torn between running for the hills, somewhere they’ll never find him, somewhere far away from open water, and…and giving them the chance they’re asking for.

No promises or guarantees, maybe just long enough for them to help him through the birth if he’s being realistic, but–but forever?

Tim glances over at Tam’s neutral expression, his conflict in his eyes, in every line of his body. He looks back to the two mermen-turned-human and the absolutely hopeful faces begging him for so many things, so many things he doesn’t know if he can give.

“I…I don’t know,” is as honest as he can be, “I mean…I don’t even know your names, how can you even ask me to trust you?”

“M’ name translates ta Jason, baby. Ya can call me Jay if ya like it.” The taller of the two, the one with green flecks in his blue eyes, gives him a crooked smile that’s unfairly attractive, reminds him of being held against this merman’s bare chest between rounds, of that same smile while a hand cards oh so gently through his hair. The soft, whispered words in the same deep baritone making him shiver and this merman, Jay, holding him closer as a natural reaction.

Tim’s mouth goes a little dry with those soft moments, of fondness and care, of them not trying to hurt him, of them…taking care of him in their own way.

(Pomacanthus paru mate for life, defend their offspring and territories…)

“I’m Richard, but some land-walkers called me Dick instead,” the hands still holding his are rubbing gently, absently at his wrist, instinctively making the stiff muscles in his back ease just a little, so he can slump and take his other hand back from Tam to rub his trembling belly. “And your wonderful friend, Tam, told us you are Tim. Timothy Jackson Drake.”

“Yes…yes I. Well, I mean, I’m a Doctor of Oceanic Studies at the University, so I spent a lot of time close to where you found me. Not-not for much longer because I’ve accepted a research grant, but…I–I,” and he stutters on it, makes himself think of this pragmatically, “I’m going to move. If you’re serious about following, then…then you’ll have to go to California, make sure I don’t get taken by any other semivir marinus, I guess.”

To his credit, Tam actually snorts, and the two–

(Jay and Dick and it’s absolutely insane how giving them names makes it that much more real, how it’s getting clearer, the last four weeks spent with them…)

–perk up.

“You won’t regret this,” Dick says hurriedly, “I promise, you will not, Timmy.” Without letting go of his hand, the merman effortlessly slides off the coffee table, kneels right by Tim’s leg, looking up at him with the most beautiful smile.

(So, so unfair. Too late, Dick, he’s already regretting this.)

Jay follows suit, spreading his knees to accommodate Tim’s feet, pressing very impressively sculpted abs against his legs.

“Gonna prove it ta ya, baby. Gonna be whatever ya need, yeah?” And it’s gentle, slow, Jay giving him plenty of time to bat away the palm easing on top of his, spanning some of his big belly, their fingers overlapping. Jay makes a soft gasp when the tips of his longer fingers touch the subtle shifting of the baby moving.

“We have learned so much about your world, and we will learn more so we can properly take care of you,” Dick croons gently, absently freeing one hand to pull the plate of fruit and fish from the coffee table behind him, hold it so Jay can take a ripe strawberry and bring it up to Tim’s mouth.

He sighs, looking down at those adoring eyes. Tim gives up the ghost–

–and opens his mouth.

Epilogue

San Diego is wonderful this time of year.

He’s leading a small research team at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, just a few grad students at Giddings Lab. His next book is set to come out this March and the research article from this study is already hitting Oceanographic next month. The lab life was fine up to hide the very noticeable baby bump. Soon after the birth, he was back out on schooners again, playing at wearing diving gear, gathering more data sets.

It’s exactly the change he needed.

Dick has four shows a day at Sea World San Diego, and Jay loves being a trainer. The two of them put on the best shows the amusement park has ever had; they draw record-breaking crowds and have the time of their lives.

In the evenings, after they eat and have the usual necessary cuddle pile (because those two still stay close to him, dote on him, can’t help but run fingers through his hair, and steal chaste kisses whenever they possibly can get away with it– even five years after they followed him to California), they take Hallie and Zarya down to the secluded Coves below their bungalow to swim. When the magic shells glow for them, give them their tails, the small family swims out in the deep, deep waters, playing tag in the waves, and talking to different species.

Hallie has green flecks in her blue eyes, and Zarya is a cuddle-machine. They’re pre-school playmates love them both, and the shenanigans their little minnows get into is nothing short of hilarious.

Tam is resolutely their favorite auntie, and spoils them with day trips out to have a “spa day” whenever she can nab them away from their fathers.

She always has their back with the girls when the next season starts and all three of them feel the pull to mate.

(This time, he has a plan and very smartly modified birth control…you know, for legendary creatures and shit.)

They live. They love, and if anyone who knew all the secrets would ask Tim Drake whether or not he would take it all back, not go out into Gotham Harbor that fateful day–

The doctor would look at his beautiful girls, his grinning mates, would look at all the pictures on their walls and down their hallway, would shake his head at rumpled beds, and nostalgically touch the remnants of the mermaid-themed crib sets. He would remember holding two wiggling babies in his arms after hours of labor, both his mates by his side coaching him, holding his hands, praying for him to their sea gods. He would remember the blossom in his chest, the pure and adulterated love for these little, helpless babies blinking blind eyes up at him in their first few moments of life.

He would remember Jay and Dick weeping, clutching him in their arms, helping him support their daughters, kissing his hair and his face, thanking him for giving them these beautiful miracles.

He would remember five years of arguments and explanations, of negotiations and understanding, of making a life together.

On land and in the sea.

And would he give all this up to go back to his lonely existence, worshipping at the altar of coffee and science, living his work more than his life?

Nope.

This fairytale? Is worth every moment.

#mermaid au #merman!dick #merman!jay #not as squicky #some feels are here #talking it out #ending this au in a cute way #tim drake #dick grayson #jason todd #my drab #my writing

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residesatshamecentral · 5 years ago

Text

Joker Noir: Comic script

Sooo, this ended up bigger than I intended...

PAGE ONE

A LONG PANEL, TAKING UP THE ENTIRE TOP OF THE PAGE

The top of a well-ordered desk. A newspaper takes up the majority of the panel, but there should be space for a few pens, a full coffee mug, and importantly a framed photo of a woman. Her photo could have an affectionate scrawl across it, something like 'Love your smile, X'.

A man's hand holds the newspaper loosely. The main headline is bold and should dominate the image:

FIFTH JOKER MURDER

Text: The Joker had been terrorising my city for a week.

A ROW OF THREE PANELS, ALL THE SAME SIZE AND VISUALLY SIMILAR

FIRST PANEL

Harvey Dent looks down grimly at the paper in front of him. His face dominates the foreground, laving a narrow slice of background to the left of the panel. In that slice of background is a doorway, a bit of wall, and, approaching, the shadow of Pamela Isley.

Text: His murderous campaign against the Batman had left bodies scattered across Gotham. Commissioner Loeb and Judge Snyder were the most recent causalities.

SECOND PANEL

Isley is now standing in the doorway. We see her full-body, while Dent's face still takes up half the foreground. She is little more than a silhouette, with details hidden.

Text: I was surrounded by dangerous people. Isley: Mister Dent.

THIRD PANEL

Dent turns so his face is in profile. She is still poised in the doorway.

Dent: Miss Isley. To be honest, it's not a good time. What can I do for you?

TWO LONG, NARROW PANELS ON TOP OF EACH OTHER FIRST PANEL

Isley approaches the desk. Dent is back to staring grimly at his newspaper. He really does not like Isley, and her being here puts him on guard, but he can't help but be attracted to her.

Isley: Always so stiff, Counsellor. Maybe I just wanted to see you. Dent: Was that a flock of pigs that flew by? Isley: Maybe I just wanted to test the waters. Maybe I wanted to commiserate with you.

SECOND PANEL

Isley seats herself elegantly on the desk, sliding away some papers. Dent looks up at her. Most of her face should be obscured, or cut off by the panel edge.

Isley: Maybe I wanted to warn you. Dent: Warn me?

PAGE 2

A LARGE PANEL, TAKING UP MUCH OF THE PAGE

Isley and Dent are shown from a new angle now. Isley is seated (or lying) elegantly on the top of the desk, looking down at Dent. For the first time, we see her properly, not silhouetted or cut off. We can see all the details of her hair and face and clothing.

Her expression should be telling about her attitude to this situation. Pamela genuinely thinks she's about to do this man a favour – save his life. At the same time, she'll be making him her stooge. And Dent is a very attractive man. A fool from her point of view, but a very handsome and intelligent fool. Her attitude to Dent is very ambiguous. Of course, her main aim right now is to seduce him, so these feelings take back seat.

Text: Pamela Isley. CEO of Isley Health and Beauty. Shady as hell. If it hadn't been for the Joker killings, we might have already started prosecution against her. Isley: The Joker. These murders. He is going to go for you next. He has to, you know. Dent: What do you know about the Joker? Isley: Enough to know I don't want to know more.

A LONG, NARROW PANEL

We see Dent's irritated frown, and a fragment of Isley's face. She is leaning in now.

Text: I had suspected for a while that she had some connections to the underworld. Now she seemed set on confirming it. Dent: Why are you telling me? Isley: In times of trouble... friends are valuable.

A ROW OF FOUR PANELS, ALL VISUALLY SIMILAR FIRST PANEL

Isley and Dent in profile. Isley is poised seductively over him.

Isley: You need a friend.

SECOND PANEL

She kisses him deeply.

THIRD PANEL

She draws away from him. She looks at him with the satisfaction of a fisherman eyeing his latest catch. His expression is somewhat blank.

FOURTH PANEL

He is looking at her with furious rejection. Her expression is stunned. This has never happened before. Not once.

Dent: Get the hell out of my office.

PAGE 3

A LARGE, SQUARISH PANEL

Isley is sliding off the desk, confused and flustered. Dent is standing and turning away from her. He is full of anger, and something like guilt. In the background, the photo of his fiancée is visible.

Isley: Dent. We - Dent: We what, Isley? We could help each other? We could have a great business relationship? We would make a lovely couple?

A VERY TALL, NARROW PANEL

We see only a fragment of Isley's face. Most of her expression is shadowed, but her eyes are large, and visible to us.

Isley: Yes. Dent: Ha.

FOUR PANELS IN A ROW PANEL ONE

Den'ts desk is in the foreground. Beyond it, we see Isley from the back. She has clasped her hands behind her back and is in the act of slipping a ring off her finger. She has turned her head so we see it in profile, and is eyeing the full mug on Dent's desk. She has composed herself now. Dent still has his back to her as he talks.

Dent: You're crooked as hell, and the whole world knows it.

PANEL TWO

Close on Isley's hands. She is opening the ring with a fingernail. The coffee cup is big, prominent in the foreground.

Dent: So you think the Joker's got me in his sights? People have wanted me dead since I took this job.

PANEL THREE

Isley slips a white capsule out of the ring.

Dent: I don't need your help. And I don't want you.

PANEL FOUR

Isley drops the capsule into the coffee mug. It hisses softly.

Dent: A month from now, I'll be married. To the love of my life. Isley: Oh?

PAGE 4

THREE SMALL PANELS IN THE TOP LEFT HAND CORNER

Isley's lips as she speaks.

Isley: A month from now... you'll be a married man.

The capsule, hissing and slowly dissolving in a spiral of white residue in the circle of the coffee mug.

Pamela's eye, slightly obscured behind a stray lock of hair.

THE NEXT PANEL SHOULD BE ALMOST A FULL PAGE IMAGE

Isley strides towards us, smoothing her hair with one hand. There are a lot of conflicting feelings in her now: anger, regret, pity, satisfaction, irony, vindictiveness, sadness. But they are all held in control.

Behind her, Dent watches her leave. He is tense and proud and, let’s be honest, pretty sexually frustrated, but proud of himself for staying loyal. Behind him is the desk and the window with it's Venetian blinds. On it, prominent, the picture of his fiancée, and the now-poisoned coffee mug.

The whole image should be an exercise in perspective. Pamela Isley is large in the foreground, behind her is Dent, smaller. Behind him, the desk. The coffee mug should be the 'focal point' of the lines of perspective, the point the lines are leading the eye towards.

Isley: I'll let you think that, Harvey.

PAGE FIVE

A LARGE, SQUARISH PANEL

The scarred side of Dent's face, obscured and broken up by the shadows of a set of Venetian blinds. He is distant, still lost in his story. His eye stares out of the shadows, thoughtful.

Spade [off panel]: Are you saying she knew?

A MUCH LARGER PANEL

Dent is standing with his back to us, before a window in an office. It is visibly not the same office as we have seen, but there are similarities. The blinds throw barred shadows over him. Behind him, Spade sits in the visitor's chair at his desk. He is in profile to us. His expression is thoughtful.

Dent: She knew something. She knew I wouldn't be married. Spade: She could have just meant she was going to have you.

A LONG PANEL, TAKING UP THE LOWER PAGE

We see Dent from the front now, and from a low angle, the perspective you would get through the window. We see now how much older and harder he is, we have a good view of his face. He is holding his coin. He is very physically intimidating, in a way he haven't seen before. Behind him, Spade is watching from the desk. The room behind them is half torn up, half immaculate. Evidence of Dent's madness.

Dent: Yes. And she could have known every stage of the Joker's plan. What he was going to do, to my fiancée, to me. The kidnapping. The bomb. My face. She could have known.

A ROW OF THREE PANELS

PANEL ONE

We are back in the past. Dent is raising his coffee mug to his lips as the phone rings.

Text: I can't know what she was thinking. But I need to.

PANEL TWO

Dent has the phone pressed to his ear. He looks disturbed. He has put the mug down on the desk, but not let go of the handle.

Dent: Not another killing already? Damn him... I'll be right there...

Text: All I know for certain, Spade, is that she knew there was a disaster in my future. And she was right.

PANEL THREE

The abandoned coffee mug takes up much of the foreground. There is still a swirling white residue on the surface. In the background, Dent is pulling on his coat. His hat is waiting on a hook.

Text: I need to know the truth.

PANEL FOUR

Dent has put on his hat and is exiting the room. The mug sits in the foreground, residue still swirling, a murder plot that never came to pass.

@me-fish

#golden age joker noir AU #comic script #pamela isley #Harvey dent #noir

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utterlyhopeful-fics · 6 years ago

Text

Prospect

Request from Anon: Nestor doesn’t know you’re part of the mc he feels betrayed that you didn’t tell him, “I trusted you y/n, I don’t just let people in” (you used to be best friends with Em n the Reyes brother, you took with ez side over em) and you see her in public one day and you have you’re kutte on and she calls you over to chat and you say to her “this isn’t the life you wanted em” (first part to request cause it’s so long)

Nestor Oceteva x Reader

Warnings: language, angst

Word Count: 2.3k

Summary: Emily and Y/N were once best friends. Y/N was in love with Nestor. Y/N supported Ezekiel after Emily’s abortion and disappeared from her current life close to the cartel to now be the first female prospect for the Mayans MC.

-There is a part two request that I am finishing up and will post early this week! This story was legit one of my favorites to write, thanks anon!

************************************************************

Stillness encumbered her fragile bones, her heart throbbed to a chaotic march forcingly reminding her mind of the goodness of the man now standing in her path of beautiful obliteration. Nestor stared blankly into her icy blue eyes; just like a vicious predator hunting his unfortunate prey. Her chin quivered slightly as Y/N bite her bottom lip restraining herself, any attempt at maintaining a shard of control still placed within her reach.

Tilting his head to the left, a questioning glare reflected off his features before he dared to interrupt the impending muteness trapping the young couple.

“I trusted you Y/N. I don’t--I don’t just let people in.”

“Ness let me explain, please.

He sighed loudly unable to further detach the emotions he allowed to overwhelm his senses again, especially when it all came down to the girl before him. He adored his nickname when it fell off her lips, and only hers.

“Explain what? That you conveniently forgot to mention you just so happen to hang out with the fucking Mayans? I haven’t seen you in years, and then this Mayans shitstorm bounces the cartel’s way, but by accident we meet on opposing sides? Worst of all, you eagerly manipulated me into giving us another lousy chance, but I don’t fucking know this girl.”

“I think you’re getting confused. We agreed on fuck buddies, with your rules might I add. I am sorry that you persuaded yourself that things would be just like old times. Don’t get it twisted Ness. We aren’t dumb kids anymore.”

His eyes scanned her from head to toe trying to memorize every inch she willingly showed him. It was at that exact moment that Nestor realized he was fighting for the old Y/N and not the bold woman in front of him. Unexpectedly, Y/N shoved him with all her brute strength as she reveled in his minor fall.

“Woah, wait. Fucking rewind -- I don’t just hang out with them you dick, I AM one of them, well a prospect currently.”

Flabbergasted, Nestor was left speechless as he wordlessly watched her lips open and close, but he heard nothing other than a piercing ring reverberating through his ear canals.

“You’re one of them…?”

She could only nod in agreement.

“So, when did they start letting bitches in the boardroom?”

Y/N’s chest suddenly weighed down upon her with heavy force. She knew she had to come clean. Better late than never, right? But, in her defense, they had agreed to keep their lives completely separate, careful to never intermix this time around.

“I’d watch my tone if I were you, Nestor. I was the first female member to prospect, brought to the table, and voted. Fair and square. Don’t you dare demean me and my choices. It certainly wasn’t easy to prove my power, but I fucking did. What the hell have you done, take orders like the lap dog Miguel groomed you to be?”

Her murderous smirk shone brightly upon her lips, a dark chuckle slipping through the cracks before returning her attention back to the belittling asshole she mistakenly loved..loves. This was supposed to be their second shot at happiness, but as always, it ended in calamitous flames dooming them to disastrous heartache. The usual tale of ill-fated star-crossed lovers.

“Does Em know about this?”

“You know I haven’t spoken with Emily since her and Ez’s fight behind bars. She only knows what you tell her, Nestor. Playing the fool doesn’t suit you.”

This caught him off guard causing goosebumps to prickle every surface of his skin. This wasn’t the guarded serene girl he had met so long ago but replaced with a resiliently fierce woman. Nestor wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was enthralled with Y/N, in awe of her ability to adapt to any curveball thrown her direction.

“You should call her. She misses you, believe it or not.”

The conversation strayed towards a lighter note as the room began to clear away any remaining ammunition between the conflicted lovers, both waving their white flags of peace; if only for an instance.

“I can’t, things aren’t not that simple nowadays… She asked me to choose and I did. It just wasn’t the answer she prepared herself for. And for that, I am truly apologetic, but I refuse to turn my back on the boy I’ve known since 3rd grade. It is what it is; an ended friendship.”

Some relationships mimicked broken glass, its unending fragileness, but at times it was better to leave them in shattered pieces than try and hurt yourself putting them back together again. Sadly, the risk isn’t worthy of its cause.

“I’ll pass along the kind words. Now enlighten me, did you ever seriously love me or was it all part of your warped game?”

Y/N’s checks blushed royally, anger taking hold of her persistent consciousness.

“Which time are you referring to? When we were 20 or now?” Only spiteful thoughts flooded her mind proving to be easier than sheer honesty. She thrived off knowing she could still upset Nestor down to his spiny core.

If she had done anything right in this complicated mess of a life, it was loving Nestor Oceteva, but all good things must come to an end, right?

“Well, there’s your answer. Your doubt is enough to prove just how much you didn’t trust me, and you’ve had these reservations for some time. I can only imagine how easy it was for you to paint me as the bad guy these last few years. Its your turn to be honest. Does it unnerve you to look at the man reflected back at you every day? Because if we’re sticking to being truthful, I admit I did see the advantage of seducing you, but I chose to let you in. Well, the first time around. And that obviously ended swimmingly.”

Stepping dangerously close to Y/N, their breaths intently intermingling; “You’re not the only person in a position of authority, Y/N. Miguel Galindo, our dear Emily’s husband wouldn’t even blink if you were to disappear. I’m very good at my job.”

Y/N refused to show fear especially to a man she fell for so purely, but that wasn’t her current reality, and he made sure of that.

“I loved you and I lost you. Cold case closed. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Hasta luego, viejo amigo.”

*10 days later*

Emily heard the deafening noise of several motorcycle engines rapidly approaching before she braved a glance over her shoulder. She had just finished at the grocery store, marking one trivial chore off her never-ending to-do list all while trying to figure out how to work Cristobal’s newly installed car seat.

Fucking Mayans, it had to be.

She didn’t have time for this shit, not with the looming tension suffocating her husband. Besides, she left the Reyes brothers a long time ago, and didn’t want to risk a chance encounter even if they did live in the same godforsaken town. Ezekiel Reyes was her first love, but Miguel was a man of continuous passion.

Occasionally, she would find herself pondering what would have happened if she had kept the baby or chose the man she promised to love, but life had a different idea for the both of them.

The usual crew pulled their bikes into the adjacent parking lot heading towards the clothing factory. Gilly, Coco, Angel, and Ez came into view as they distractedly chatted, patiently awaiting as the last bike strolled closer.

Emily didn’t need the stranger to turn around before knowing exactly who was underneath that particular helmet on this particularly humid day.

Her laugh instantly gave her away, a laugh she hadn’t heard in what felt like forever. Y/N, someone she considered a sister before she enthusiastically leapt to the metaphorical dark side. Y/N made her decision; to betray Nestor and abandon Emily. She was fortunate Miguel was there to pick up the damaged edges’ Y/N left in her destruction.

After the longest pause in recent history, Emily decided against her better judgement to brave a simple hello to an old friend… acquaintance?

She yelled loud; “Y/N, HI., waving her hand discreetly wondering how the next few moments would transpire. Her nerves slowly trickled into her belly as her chest spasmed disobediently.

Y/N’s elbow was perched atop Ezekiel’s shoulder as he sat on the cool leather seat of his latest ride, her ears perking in response to the shrill noise coming from across the street. She squinted, the sun blockading her vision temporarily before meeting Emily Galindo’s incessant stare.

She locked eyes with Ez giving her the nod of approval before gracefully smiling back, squeezing his shoulder and taking the few steps away from her friends. As both females approached the other, neither were certain who would speak up first.

Y/N popped the bubble of surrounding awkwardness; “Emily, long time no see, stranger.”

Emily hated nicety but went with the flow keeping her existing irritation at bay.

“Y/N, I didn’t realize non-members could wear their boyfriend’s kutte?”

There was certainly a distinct, underlying competition to their complex friendship, and Emily was the kind of fighter that went straight for the jugular vein when her defense mechanism reacted.

Quietly chuckling; “Nope, but you’re allowed to wear it when you’re the newest prospect. Well, of course alongside Ezekiel. You remember him, hmm?”

“How could I forget. I was pregnant with his child at one point.”

“Look, drop the petty act and just tell me why you called me over here?”

Emily was silently stunned, unsure of what drew her to reach out, but she couldn’t let Y/N know that.

“I heard you caught up with Nestor or should I say broke up with him...again.”

“Not all of us can be the murderous power couple you and Miguel seem to be. I know how you get when faced with a rivalry.”

“You knew a façade, a previous version of me. You haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Emily Galindo at work, but you will, soon.”

Y/N gaze met the cold gray concrete they were both standing on, shaking her head; “This isn’t the life you wanted, Em, yet here we are.”

For a brief pause in time, Emily’s eyes teared up before wishing her tears away. This wasn’t the time or place to show weakness especially to the enemy.

“I wished for an exhilarating and purposeful life. I just happened to get a lot more than I bargained for. You don’t know Miguel like I do so don’t you fucking judge him.”

“Easy Emily. You don’t have to defend yourself to me. I could care less now.”

“For the record Em, I never wanted to pick sides. Sometimes I can’t even close my eyes without seeing the hurt expressions etched onto your face from that fateful night…and how heartbroken Nestor was. But you gave me an unimaginable ultimatum and I tried my damnedest to figure out the right path.”

“I know that now. I don’t know what it is about you that brings out the bitch in me today.”

“You’ve got that whole mama bear protective look now. It’s refreshing.”

“You should really think about calling Nestor. He isn’t doing too hot at the moment.”

“Part of me wants to but now I have the MC to take care of as well. I love him, I do. I just don’t think its our time right now.”

“At this rate, will it ever be yall’s time? I mean the boy has been drooling over you since you basically met, and you run away at the sign of anything remotely serious with him. Why?”

“He makes me feel too vulnerable. Conveniently, Nestor is also in love with a girl who no longer resides in this body or mind.”

“Just like he isn’t the same man you left standing there on the balcony all those years ago. It’s a double-edged sword, Y/N. You need to reconnect, get on the same page, and see if this is actually endgame worthy. Because if you ask me, I always knew he was going to be your person, even when you kept adamantly denying it.”

Distantly, Y/N heard Angel yelling for her signaling to hurry the hell up. She smirked back choosing to further test his lack of patience.

“Same things never change though. That’s my que, it was good to actually talk Em.”

“Agreed. Maybe next time we don’t wait so long, huh?”

“I’ll see you when I see you Emily Galindo.”

“Goodbye old friend.”

Emily turned to double check Cristobal’s seatbelt before opening the driver’s side of her car and launching herself onto its expensive leather. Briskly, the engine started, and she merely drove off. Y/N was left standing alone in a parking spot debating if the conversation that just occurred had been an uncontrollable dream she created out of thin air.

Y/N glanced at her watch questioning how she had let 15 minutes slip by before she heard the familiar voice of man clearing his throat. Someone new stood in front of her, his infamous braids in tow and tinted sunglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose.

“So, I see you finally caught up with Em. Good for you.”

“Have you been hiding nearby this entire time or did you discover psychic abilities to eavesdrop while I was away?”

Y/N hand hugged her hip bone as she swayed her weight between her two feet, unable to stand still any longer.

“So, I guess we have some talking of our own to do. Whaddya say?”

-----

Hasta luego, viejo amigo: Goodbye old friend

#Mayans MC #mayans #mayans mc x reader #nestor x reader #nestor oceteva x reader #My writing #mayans mc fx #mayans mc imagine

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