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sayuricorner · 3 years

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Miraculous Ladybug salt x JJBA “Biodad!Jonathan Joestar” AU Headcanons part 4: Arc 2 “The Bizarre USA Adventures

Part 3 Part 5

AU concept

Warning: English is not my first language so sorry if it’s confusing.

Warning 2: This AU content salt don’t like don’t read!

Warning 3: Child abuse, human triffacking

Here’s the part 4 of the headcanon of the “Biodad! Jonathan Joestar” AU!

This part will be about the arc 2 of the AU “The Bizarre USA Adventures”!

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(This picture is an edit, the pictures used are from JJBA and ML which belong respectively to Hirohiko Araki and Thomas Astruc)

Litle recap regarding the arcs:

->This AU had 5 arcs:

-”The Bizarre Origins”

-”The Bizarre USA Adventures”

-”The Bizarre Mass Resurection Mystery”

-”The Bizarre Family”

-”The Bizarre Final Showdown”

-You can read their summaries/concepts in “Biodad!Jonathan Joestar AU concept”

-You can also read the headcanons part 1 to see the arcs’s place in the AU’s timeline.

- You can also read the headcanons part 2 for informations about the ML characters who are stand users and for additionnal headcanons as well.

Arc 2:”The Bizarre USA Adventures”:

-Take place after “Miracle Queen”.

-Marinette’s life became harder ever since she became the new guardian of the miracle box, the akumas being more dangerous day by day and Lila’s lies made her “friends” turning their back on her and isolate her.

-She try as much as she can but sometimes the presure was nearly unbearable but thankfully she still got her parents, her true friends like Luka and Kagami and [Viva la Vida] by her side.

-Times to times because of the pressure Marinette cry at night and her make the best she can to comfort her by hugging her until she calm down and fall asleep.

-Marinette’s parents noticed how low their daughter’s mood was and it worried them, they tried more than one time to convince Marinette to transfer to another school but everytime she responded “It’s fine, I’m fine and it’s not their fault! They’re my friends and they will realize one day that Lila is lying!”.

-Tom and Sabine decided it would be for the best if Marinette spend some times outside of Paris so they contacted Gina and after they explained the situation to her, she propose them that Marinette came spending summer break with her in the USA.

-They talked to Marinette about this who wasn’t sure about this idea, Paris need Ladybug what will she do if a akuma attack the city while she’s in the USA?

-Tikki convinced her to go to the USA with Gina, it would be good for her and now she was the guardian and had access to all the miraculous so if she need to go back to Paris if there’s an akuma attack she can use Kaalki.

-After thinking about it Marinette decided to accept her Nonna’s proposition and go to see her for summer break in the USA.

-The first week was rather relaxing with Marinette traveling around the States with her Nonna, until Gina got a mysterious call.

-The call was someone from “her job” who was asking her urgently to come quickly ‘cause there’s an emergency.

-After her call Gina planned at first to leave Marinette at a hotel while she go to her work place to take care of this “emergency”.

-But right before she can find an hotel both grandmother and grand-daughter are attacked by a mysterious stand ennemy which forced Marinette to fight them with [Viva la Vida].

-Despite not being a stand user Gina guessed Marinette was one by the way she was fighting and it was quite a surprise for her.

-Since she doesn’t visit her son’s family often, Gina wasn’t aware that Marinette became a stand user.

-After the stand ennemy was take care of, Gina realise it will not be safe to leave Marinette on her own while she’s at her job so she got no other choice but to bring her along.

-Marinette was shocked to learn that her Nonna’s job was as scientist at the well know Speedwagon Foundation and that Gina’s job is studying and keep an eye on assleep ancient beings know as the Pillar Men.

-Turn out that when she was younger, Gina was a young Hamon user who was under the teaching of Lisa-Lisa and had fought alongside Joseph and Caesar against the Pillar Men in 1938.

-She even saved Caesar’s life during his fight against Wamuu before the latter could kill him.

-Unlike the “Battle tendency” canon the Pillar Men aren’t dead, they have instead been turned into stones and the SPWF is holding them to keep an eye on them and study them and Gina, with Caesar, is at the head of the scientists team who are study them.

-After the Pillar Men’s defeat Gina and Ceasar keep training their Hamon and by so still look young, except in Gina’s case she was training less so while she still look younger she’s not physically looking like she’s 20 unlike Caesar.

-So the emergency the Foundation call Gina for was a group of stand ennemies who infiltrated the Foundation to steal secrets documents, documents from Gina’s departement included.

-Gina and Caesar go take care of the thieves and Gina told Marinette to stay in the lobby in safety.

-Hamon users can fight stand users by using hamon to detect the energy of their stands.

-The two Hamon users were able to stop the thieves but unfortunatly during the battle a stand ennemy with a electic type stand provoked a power failure in the whole building cutting also the power of the UV lights which were weakening the Pillar Men and keep them as stones.

-And because of this the Pillar Men get back their strenght and are once again awaken.

-As soon as the alarm of the Pillar Men’s room ringed, Gina and Caesar quickly go their only to find with horror that the Pillar Men are awaken.

-The Pillar Men recognised them and Kars even throw at them snarky remarks and ask them where Joseph is.

-The two Hamon users refused to ansver him and are preparing to fight them.

-Meanwhile Marinette had a bad feeling, she feel her Nonna is in big danger and that she must go help her.

-Discretly she slipped away to transform into Ladybug and go search for Gina and Caesar.

-She found them fighting the Pillar Men, both Hamon users injured.

-Ladybug saved them with her yo-yo before they end up seriously hurt or worse.

-When seeing the yo-yo and Ladybug, the Pillar Men were shocked and Kars even murthered like “A ladybug holder?”.

-The two group stared at each other with Ladybug staring at them in defiance and staying on her guards.

-Kars came back to his snarky and arogant self and being like “Well what a surprise! It’s been a very long time since we saw a miraculous holder or anything related to the miraculous! If I remember well last time was when we saw Atlantis being sunk by the kwami of destruction isn’t that right Wamuu?” , “Yes! master Kars!”.

-Ladybug don’t had the time to ract that Kars is suddenly face to her, looking at her closely and making comment about how young she look for a miraculous holder.

-This make [Viva la Vida](in Ladybug’s form) react stepping between her user and Kars and emaning an intimidating energy.

-Feeling the atmosphere becoming very tense Gina intervened by sayin if they still want the stone of Java they waste they time as the stone was destroyed and no other ones existed so why wasted their time for a quest which will lead them to nothing?

-The two argued with Gina trying to make Kars accept to had negiciations for a time until Kars is like, pretending to thinking, “You know what? We will play your game Hamon warriors but on one condition! I demand a fight against her!” while pointing at Marinette.

-Kars met a Ladybug holder in the past and want to see what the current one can do.

-Despite Gina’s and Caesar’s protests, Ladybug accept the challenge.

-Wamuu asked kars to let him fight Ladybug wchich Kars accepted.

-Both Ladybug and Wamuu get ready to fight while the others were observing from a safe distance, Gina also used a talkie-walkie to warm the SPWF to not intervened.

-Joseph arrived at this moment the foundation having contacted him about the Pillar Men but the employees told him everyone was ordered to stay away from the Pillar Men area and so all they can do is watch through the security cameras.

-The fight between Ladybug and Wamuu was hard and intense, Ladybug had a lot of difficulties even with [Viva la Vida]’s powers being incrased in her Ladybug form and as Wamuu was about to seriously hurt her Kars stopped the fight.(I’m sorry I suck at fight scenes! T_T)

-Kars seemed satisfied with what he saw in this fight, that despiste her obvious lack of fighting experiences her resistance to Wamuu’s attack for such a long time was impressive.

-At the same time Joseph and SPWF security guards arrived ready to fight only to be welcome by the sight of the Pillar Men not showing any hostility and Kars smirking is even like “Well look who’s finally here! Long time no see Jojo!”.

-Joseph angerly tell them that whatever they planned it will not work ony to had Kars laughing at him and is like “Oh Jojo you can’t be anymore wrong about the situation! You see your “friends” and we had a little “talk” before you came and they made some good points about doing a rampage on those pathetic humans would be for nothing since the stone don’t exist anymore so we decided to accept to negociate and play by your rules... For now!”.

-After explanations from both Caesar and Gina about what the heck is going on and more talks, the Pillar Men are bring back to new holding rooms with new UV lamps of course.

-Ladybug profit from everyone being distracted to slip away and transform back into Marinette.

-After everything is back in order Gina introduced Marinette to Joseph who was shocked to learn that Gina’s grand-daughter is a stand user.

-During the rest of her’s and her Nonna’s stay at the Foundation, Marinette learned more things about stands and how to to control them.

-She came accross the Pillar Man times to times but was always making sure to quickly go feeling Kars’s stare on her.

-After that misadventure Gina and Marinette get back to their trip and for a good the trip was calm, until they get to Florida.

-At first things were normal until they hear about a high rate of children kidnapping which keep going up for a time.

-This made Gina worried for Marinette so she decided to not let Marinette out of her sight while they stay in Florida.

-As for Marinette thinking about those poor kidnapped children made her blood boiling, her inner hero screaming at her to go save them and bring the kidnappers to justice.

-Marinette waited that her Nonna fall asleep the next night to sneak away from their hotel room, transform into Ladybug and begening her search.

-After a long search, spying and a little miracle from [Viva la Vida]’s powers, Ladybug finally found the kidnappers’s base in a warehouse at Port St. Lucie.

-When she infiltrated the base, learn more about the kidnappers and their goal.

-The kidnappers are part of a human triffacking network and they kidnap people, mainly children, who had a stand as stand users had a very big value in human trafficking market.

-Ladybug is absolutely horrified by what she found out and became more determinated to save the children.

-She found where they were holded but she end up being busted by some of the kidnappers who happen to be stand users.

-After a long and hard fight Ladybug managed to beat them thank to her Ladybug abilities and her stand.

-The police was alerted and when they arrived at the warehouse they found the kidnapped children unharmed and the kidnapper inconcious and tied up.

-Ladybug left the warehouse without being noticed by the police and go back the hotel.

-The next day news about the kidnapped children having been found were spreading across all the state.

-Gina noticed that Marinette had bad bruises and the news about the kidnapped children having miraculously been found made her suspicious.

-Gina interogate Marinette about her bruises Marinette simply said she had a bad fall “You know how clumsy I can be Nonna!”.

-Gina didn’t buy it but acted like “Of course I know Marinetta but please be more carefull I know you want to help and do good but it’s not a reason to not look after your health!”.

-To Marinette the message was clear: her Nonna knew she had something to do with the kidnapped children being found and while she was proud of her she don’t want her to put herself recklessly in danger like that again.

-Gina after that bring Marinette to the nearest hospital to make sure she had no severe injuries despite her grand-daughter’s protests.

-At the hospital Marinette is treated but the doctors and nurses were agitated because three children of the kidnapped children were brough to them but those three kid’s case was special.

-Those kids, Donatello(14), Rikiel(13) and Ungalo(13) weren’t kidnapped like the other kids, their own parents sold them to the kidnappers and the obvious abuse those kids had been victim made them wary and completely untrustfull of everyone.

-And the situation is even more complicated with Rikiel who seem not well at all but the two other boys don’t let the hospital staff even come near them.

-Marinette and Gina feel extremely sad for those boys so they decided to try to convince the boys to let the doctors heal them.

-When they meet the boys in their room Marinette noticed Rikiel was indeed not well at all and his stand was the reason for that.

-Marinette thought that if the boy’s health problems are due to his stand than maybe [Viva la Vida] can do something about it?

-When she approached them the boys were were at first very wary of her and were threatening her but after a few talks Marinette managed to convince them to let her trying to heal Rikiel.

-With [Viva la Vida]’s miracle powers, Marinette appeased Rikiel’s stand and stop it from hurting Rikiel any further much to the three boys’s shock.

-After a few more talk Marinette convinced them to let the doctor check them up althrough the boys are still mistrustfull.

-During the boys check up, the doctors made DNA test in hope to find relatives of the boys, instead, the found out that the boys are brothers from the same father.

-One of the doctors who also cheked up Marinette earler noticed the boys had the same birthmark than Marinette so to be certain he made another DNA test of her with Donatello, Rikiel and Ungalo and it was revealed that Marinette was also the boys’s sister much to the kids’s and Gina’s shock.

-Until a solution is found for the boys they are staying in the hospital and Gina and Marinette decided to stay in Florida for the rest of their stay in the USA.

-During the rest of her stay Marinette get to begin to bond with her newfound little brothers.

-Gina called Tom and Sabine to tell them the situation, the Dupain-Cheng couple were shocked to learn that Marinette had apparently three brothers from her bio father and were horrified when Gina told them about the boys’s situation.

-After thinking about it Tom and Sabine decided to adopt the boys, no children, especially not those who are “family” one way or another, will suffer on their watch.

-After a long administrative procedure, talk with the boys who end up accepted the Dupain-Cheng couple despite being still incertain and thank to Gina’s connections with some administrators of the USA goverment, Donatello, RIkiel and Ungalo are offialy adopted by the Dupain-Cheng.

-Tom and Sabine come to the USA to spend the rest of Gina’s and Marinette’s stay in the country with them to bond with their new adopted sons, finish some administrative documents and make some arrangements for the boys therapies.

-After everything was settled up, the Dupain-Cheng family with their new family members all get back to Paris.

-Ever since it was found out that Marinette was the boys’s sister and they all had a birthmark which was familiar to her, Gina had suspicions about the kids’s bio father identity and decided to investigate on it as soon as she can.

-As for Marinette all this bizarre adventure which give her new knowledge about stands and new litlle brothers lift up her spirit, finding a new determination to face whatever life is going to throw at her.

-But Marinette don’t know that those bizarre adventures are only begin and that they will became even more strange.

Additional headcanons:

-In the past the Pillar Men met the former Ladybug Aztec hero Micazoyolin, the latter fought them to free his people from them as he saw the Pillar Men as bad people who pretended to be gods to enslave his people.

-He fought them by challenging Kars in a battle, with the premise that if Kars loose the Pillar Men will leave the aztecs’s lands and never come back but if Micazoyolin loose he will recognize them as gods.

-The fight was hard and violent but in the end it was Micazoyolin who win and the Pillar Men left as the deal stated.

-Wamuu and Santana were only young children when this happened, seeing Micazoyolin ‘s honorable warrior ways during his fight against Kars marked Wamuu and inspired him to become an honorable warrior too.

-The second time the Pillar Men had “contact” with the miraculous was when Plagg sunk Atlantis.

-It’s during those times that Kars learnt about the miraculous wish but after learning that a hard price must be paid for the wish he decided to not take reckless risks and stick to the “stone of Aja” plan.

-After the Pillar Men situation was took care of at SPWF Tikki talked to Marinette about them, warning her about how dangerous they are and told her about how one of her former holders, Micazoyolin, fought against them in the past.

-Gina didn’t had suspicions about Marinette’s bio dad’s identity earler ‘cause her departement in the SPWF was more focused on the Pillar Men so althrough she know about Dio(Jonathan), she don’t know all the details.

-As for the Joestar birthmark since Gina don’t see Marinette often she only saw it a few time so she tend to forget about it.

-Donatello, Rikiel and Ungalo bonding with their new family and with Marinette show to each other their stand and what they can do.

-[Viva la Vida] bonding with Donatello’s, Rikiel’s and Ungalo’s stands, giving them hugs and also hugging Donatello, Rikiel and Ungalo.

-In this AU unlike in the Jojo canon Joseph still do Hamon training, just less then what he used to in part 2, and by so he still look like he was in “Star Crusaders”.

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lexiseigneur · 5 years

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Chapter sixteen: First bite

Lexi woke up starving. Her stomach grumbled and her throat was scorched as if she had swallowed battery acid. The violence of those sensations was shocking. She went to the bathroom and drank directly from the tap in a desperate attempt at calming the fire. It did nothing beside frustrate her. Downstairs, the men moved and chatted and the beating of each of their hearts was torture. Quinlan had been pulled from his slumber by her distress spilling inside the Bond.

“Lexi, please stay here. I do not believe it is safe for you to be around them at this moment.”

His hands caressed her shoulders and she looked up at his reflection in the dirty mirror.

“How am I going to be of any use today? I don’t even think I could run right now.”

“I will ask Augustin for help. We will not require much. Just enough for us to infiltrate the building and after that, the problem will solve itself.”

Lexi reached for two memories to share. In the first recollection, a drop of blood appeared on her hand and in the second another drop rolled from her mouth. Then as she gave them to him she apologized for making him suffer that way.

“I will accept your apology for the first, but the second one I amply deserved.”

Quinlan kissed her temple then dressed quickly and left the bedroom. Lexi followed his footsteps and his words anxiously.

“Mister Elizalde, a word?” he asked.

“Sure.”

Both walked to the space just under the staircase.

“An issue has arisen which will need to be resolved before our departure.”

“What’s going on?”

“Lexi requires sustenance or her abilities will become significantly diminished.”

More footsteps and Gus sighed.

“She was fine last night with that little demonstration.”

“Unfortunately, this, in addition to several days of undernourishment, are the cause of this issue.”

Lexi felt like a complete idiot. Dhampir speed was taxing and she should have saved her strength. Inexperience in these matters was obviously a problem.

“How much?”

“Ideally a pint but half of that amount would suffice.”

“OK, at least that’s not much. Good thing she ain’t as big as you are, Quinlan.”

“We will secure larger amounts as we retake your building.”

Gus’ heartbeat accelerated slightly which was incredibly distracting.

“Well, sucks to be them.”

There was a moment of silence then Gus spoke again.

“Let me handle that. Maybe some of them will understand.”

The Sun Hunter walked to his gathered men.

“Alright, guys! I need volunteers for something you ain’t gonna like!”

“Shoot!” replied an unfamiliar voice.

“The lady won’t be able to fight without some blood first.”

A tense silence fell on the room.

“I also prefer my blood inside my body but I don’t mind giving up some if it means Creem ends up losing all of his.”

Some of the men chuckled at that remark.

“I’m in, couz’,” said Raul.

“My man!” said Gus there was a slapping sound. He had tapped his cousin on the back.

“Me too.”

This voice Lexi recognized as well. It was the man she had threatened with her machete. Intrigued by this, she approached the bedroom door to listen more closely.

“You sure, Gordo?”

“Yeah. I’m kinda scared she might decide to just drink me completely otherwise. Cause I was dick.”

Lexi laughed out loud and in the general silence, her voice echoed through the building. That irritated her throat further and she made a wry face.

“Fuck, she heard me,” said Gordo.

There was a cacophony of laughter. More unknown voices agreed to donate blood.

“I will show them some of the medical equipment the doctor had here.”

“Thank you.”

“Beloved…I think you solved the matter yourself.”

Lexi relaxed and stopped focusing on the sounds below. Instead, she distracted herself by taking the honing stone from the metal trunk and working on her machete. It did not take as long as she had hoped. She returned to the bathroom and begun tying her hair into a tight French braid. It was challenging and managed to take some of her concentration away from the fire in her neck. Her ears and the jewelry adorning them became particularly obvious. The shallow swirls on her throat were merely light pink, a visual reminder of her thirst. Heavy footsteps approached. Lexi sighed in relief. Quinlan entered the bedroom with a bottle tucked under his arm while also holding a plate covered with food. He closed the door behind him then suspended his gesture when he saw her.

“Are you alright?” she asked and crossed the room.

“You look…stunning.”

She accepted the compliment with a smile and despite herself started purring. It hurt. The rumbling stopped immediately.

“Here… Augustin insisted on you getting human food as well.”

Lexi downed the bottle of blood in seconds. The thirst subsided and a wave of warmth originating from her throat traversed her entire body. Quinlan’s reaction to drinking her donation the night they had met suddenly appeared mild.

“Maybe I can take that downstairs and thank them before I eat?”

“Yes…your thirst seems under control for the moment.”

They joined the group of men who were still eating at the glass table.

“You good?” asked Gus.

“Yes, thank you all. Truly.”

There were nods and dismissive waves of hands. Barely suppressing a smile she turned to the one named Gordo.

“Especially you.”

“You’re welcome!” he said with a chuckle then scooted over so she could sit next to him. Both she and Quinlan sat down at the table. The dish they shared was composed of stale tortillas and canned beans.

“We only know three of your names,” she said after swallowing a bite.

The men introduced themselves rapidly. Next to Gordo was Amir, the youngest by far and the one sporting a large scar from the top left of his forehead to his right cheek. Then Jorge and Marcus were both dark-skinned men and the latter had a thick accent she could not place. The other four men were all Hispanic and looked surprisingly similar. Julio, Arturo, Antonio, and Miguel were in fact brothers and that fact moved her strangely. After the Fall, she was surprised that so many members of the same family had remained alive. They chatted between themselves until Amir who had glanced at her the entire time finally spoke.

“Hey, huh, Lexi?”

“Yes, Amir?”

“How come your hair is two colors?”

Quinlan stared at him with a faint scowl. Amir shifted his position so that Gordo’s large frame would shield him from that gaze.

“Why are you scaring that poor man?” she asked him through the Bond.

The Dhampir stopped staring and looked at her instead.

“Why should he have any interest in your physical attributes?”

“Because humans are very curious. I know I certainly was about you.”

Quinlan rattled softly and she could still feel his irritation. Lexi shook her head and turned to the young man.

“Well, it changes colors with the seasons. In summer, it turns red.”

“Really?”

Amir leaned forward and looked avidly at the strands.

“No, it’s dye.”

Gordo who had been listening to the exchange snorted then almost choked on a mouthful of tortilla. Quinlan hid a grin under his hand. The others taunted the youngest for his gullibility and he took it in graceful self-derision.

After the meal, they prepared for the assault ahead. They left for Manhattan and during the entire ride, Lexi braced herself for what was to come.

Climbing the brick wall of the building was trivial. The crevices afforded them enough purchase to reach the top in under a minute. As described by Gus, the door on the roof was locked but not guarded. The couple stepped from the burning sun into the equally painful violet of UV lamps. The entire staircase leading to the top floor was flooded in their glow. At the first door, they stopped and listened. Fifteen hearts beat within the bowels of the building below.

“They are all gathered downstairs, unfortunately. We will have to disable most before feeding.”

“Swords or guns?”

“Hands preferably. I would rather avoid having to force Augustin’s men to clean the blood of their former associates.”

“That’s rather thoughtful of you.”

It was not the time for displays of affection but it was tempting nonetheless.

“You appreciate those men. So I would prefer not to antagonize them more than strictly necessary.”

“Thank you. Shall we?”

“We shall.”

They entered a large loft almost empty because most of its contents had been thrown into a corner without care. Lexi frowned when she spotted on the floor a framed picture of Gus with an older woman. The glass was cracked.

“Such disrespect,” she said and removed her hood and glasses.

Quinlan and Lexi blurred downstairs into a common area where the men had gathered to play cards and video games. In a second, they assessed the situation. One was behind a counter at the farthest point, pouring himself a drink. His teeth shone silver. Lexi’s lips lifted savagely. A large automatic weapon was propped in front of the only uncovered window and there, a man peered outside while smoking.

“The one at the window needs to go first. The buzzer is next to him. Then, there are more men at the table so I will deal with them.”

“Alright, I’ll get the ones around the TV.”

Only now did one man spot them but it was too late. They flew, slowing down as they snapped and twisted the necks of their targets. She had killed three of them when the back of her throat tickled. She still had three more to go. The next jumped to his feet as she came to him and punched him in the plexus, collapsing the bone into his heart. Her throat was burning again.

The next one was reaching for the weapon on his side and she smacked him on the temple. He hit the floor, dead. That last target was aiming his weapon at her and she growled loudly. The crack of gunfire echoed in the large open space. He missed but only by a hair. She was already struggling to maintain her speed and her throat and body were afire.

“Drink him,” said Quinlan.

But she had already decided before his voice boomed in her mind. Lexi jumped on the man and broke the wrist holding the gun. Then as he fell on his back, she straddled his chest and opened her mouth. The green eyes stared in horror as her tongue parted and covered each of cheeks. Disgusted by what she was about to do, she covered his upper face with her gloved hand. She could not take his life while he watched.

Her stinger clasped around the exposed neck. His uninjured hand was attempting to pry the appendage off. Firmly, she pinned it down. Bones snapped under her grip. The precision muscles inside her stinger worked and soon, she felt the need to spit. The sensation was familiar because she had lived it through Quinlan. She pushed and the sharp bone pierced the skin and the wall of an artery. Blood poured and she drank deeply, pumping with each heartbeat. The relief that action provided did not attenuate her guilt and horror. Tears fell on the paling face of her victim. His entire body contracted and the heart stopped.

The blood flow was cut and she instantly sprang away from the corpse, lest she be tempted to look at her victim’s face. Quinlan was drinking as well and by the color of his prey’s skin, it had just started.

There was just one man left standing. Lexi watched him rise from behind the bar in panic. He pointed a shotgun at Quinlan and fired. The shot hit Quinlan’s victim in the back as he used the body as a shield. Lexi’s roar sounded just as Creem aimed again. This was one was trying to hurt Quinlan. To kill him. The edges of her vision darkened leaving only the prey highlighted. Now, as clearly as if they had been painted on him, she could see the major blood vessels coursing through his body. Faster than she had ever moved, she closed the distance between her and Creem. He was still aiming when she stood above him on the bar. Lexi grabbed the shotgun and threw it across the room. This would not hurt her Quinlan. Her dearest one.

Lexi was furious at this despicable human both for his attempted murder and for betraying the Sun Hunter. The gloved fingers closed around his throat. Fresh blood gave her strength a new impetus. She lifted him above her head. The dark eyes bulged and his hands scratched and punched her hand and wrist. Silver jewelry around his digits burned her skin but not enough to make her stop. The small stinger flew without her making a conscious effort to direct it. It closed at the junction between Creem’s stretched neck and shoulder. Blood gushed down her throat and this time, she did not care if the dying eyes stared. But the man was still moving too much and the seal of the appendage leaked. Blood dripped along the thin skin of the stinger and onto her chin. His dark skin turned ashen and his struggle ceased. She drank until he convulsed and his heart gave out. With a howl, Lexi tossed his body which rolled at Quinlan’s feet. His blue eyes were wide and his jaw hung open. There was still a filter of rage above her eyes which tainted everything grey. She resented the way he looked at her at this very moment, and instinctively uncovered her sharp teeth. Quinlan returned the snarl and she was surprised to see enjoyment in his eyes.

“Lexi.”

He purred then jumped on the counter. The aggressive rumbling in her chest only subsided when his forehead pressed against hers. Downstairs, there was the metallic clank of a heavy door opening. Quinlan had already buzzed the men in. His skin against hers allayed her rage and her vision normalized when her companion pulled her closer.

“How I wish we could remain alone for just a moment longer.”

He shared his desire with that thought. She gawked in bemusement. That same lust was plain on his face and it was contagious. As she considered kissing him, the men entered the room. All had drawn their weapons but quickly realized it had been pointless.

“Well…shit,” said the Sun Hunter.

His armed hand fell and he peered around, his gaze stopping on each dead face. His lips disappeared into a fine line when he spotted Creem.

“But…we dropped them off like five minutes ago,” said Amir and he looked at his companions as if they would confirm that this scene was an illusion of some kind.

“Let’s help them clean up,” Lexi shared to distract from her frustration.

“Later…” replied Quinlan. He placed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She repressed a smile and jumped off the counter. Amir took a step back when she approached. She stopped in her tracks. The young man had not been scared this morning.

“Huh, you’ve got some…something on…” He pointed at his own chin.

Lexi rubbed her face and looked at her fingers. Her glove was stained with blood. Then she also noticed that the thick liquid had run down her throat and onto her black shirt. The realization that she appeared like a monster was mortifying. Gordo handed her a blue handkerchief. She thanked him and stared at her feet while she cleaned herself as well as she could.

“You can keep it,” he said and promptly walked off.

“They must think I am a beast.”

She turned away as the group dragged the corpses to the service elevator. Gus was not helping them. He had gone straight for a phone behind the counter. Landlines were still active in the city and since cellphones were now useless, they had become the main mode of communication.

“Some of them probably do but I have met humans who could look past their fear.”

The Dhampir approached her, his traits softened by compassion.

“As you did,” he added.

“It’s stupid of me to care. We need them but that doesn’t mean they have to like me.”

Quinlan licked his thumb and wiped the corner of her mouth.

“They would be fools not to like you.”

From across the room, Arturo hailed the couple.

“Hey! How about you two help us with that?”

Raul who was struggling to carry a dead man by his lonesome nodded in approval.

“I do not think this one is much afraid. Or he would not have dared order us this way.”

Quinlan’s brow lifted and he glared. Lexi took over Raul’s burden. First, they had treated her as a frail counterpart to Quinlan and that had displeased her. But now, at the complete opposite of that spectrum, she felt just as uncomfortable. At least, she would not have to contend with that issue for very long. She pinched the base of her nose at that distasteful thought.

Gus spent most of the daylight hours on the phone while the men cleaned and assessed the status of their merchandise. In the underground level, not unlike employees of a supermarket, they counted food cans, pill bottles and a range of other items. The two Dhampir helped where they could, mostly when their inhuman strength was needed. Arturo disappeared inside a vaulted room and emerged after twenty minutes, ticking things off his notepad.

“Everyone! We’ve got the numbers! Let’s head back up and see how Gus is doing,” he said and the various conversations around quieted after the first word. They all followed and when the Sun Hunter spotted them, he raised two fingers. They waited until Gus put an end to the phone call. Humans and Dhampir sat around the table where playing cards were still spilled.

“How much did the fools waste down there?” asked Gus gravely.

“Not as much as I thought, foodwise,” said Raul and he handed a notepad to his cousin.

The dark eyes went through the numbers and he nodded. His eyes narrowed and he turned to Arturo.

“What about the vault?”

“It ain’t good.”

Awkward silence fell. Gus sighed and took the papers handed to him.

“The vault contains our silver and weapons,” commented Gus for the sake of his guests. “And it looks like those dicks had a few shopping sprees.”

He slammed the pad on the table.

“They spent a fifth of the silver. In two fucking weeks. The assholes.”

Gus put his elbows on the table and crossed his fingers tightly. He stared at the people gathered above his hands.

“Creem tried to stiff my suppliers and my clients. Since we had a monopoly in here, he could do it but that’s short term thinking. The only kind he knew.”

A vicious smile stretched his lips.

“So you guys can imagine how fucking happy they were that I was back in charge. And with me, the original prices.”

There was a wave of chuckles.

“Ok guys, no time for jerking around. There are deliveries that need to be honored. The list is by the phone. Gordo, you take care of that…”

Promptly, Gordo stood and walked to the bar.

“Amir, you’re on guard duty for now.”

The young man sprang to his feet and went to sit by the window. Gus pointed at two other men.

“Raul, Arturo, you stay here cause we need to talk. The rest go help Gordo.”

Soon, only the two Dhampir and the three men sat at the vast round table. Until this very moment, Lexi had felt very much like an outsider but now, it seemed that they were about to be clued in.

“After the city got nuked, I raided the federal reserves. With all that silver I started this little business.”

He raised his arms in a gesture that encompassed the room.

“But I don’t give much of a shit about all this. I just needed time. With my guys, for a year, we managed to get eyes all over the place. We were gonna find that creepy bastard, the Master, and riddle his ass with silver bullets.”

Lexi grinned at his confidence.

“He never stopped hoping,” she said.

“It would have been an honorable death.”

Quinlan was correct, their plan would have been a hail-mary destined to fail.

“Until a rumor started that some guy had killed an entire nest of bloodsuckers all by himself with a bone sword."

He shook his finger toward the Dhampir.

"It could only be you and I needed you in the game."

"He has a lot of faith in you," said Lexi with pride. Quinlan's hand reached for hers under the table.

"But now there are two of you? The Master is so dead."

"In both of us," said Quinlan.

"We're gonna start making the bullets and some of those nasty silver grenades I've seen before the Fall."

He turned to Arturo.

"That's your job, man. When the others aren’t busy with the deliveries, grab 'em so they can help."

Then to his cousin.

"You're gonna assist Lexi and make fucking sure those brain machines don't crap out on us."

Raul threw a careful look at the Dhampir then nodded.

"How does that even work?" said a skeptical Arturo.

His brow was wrinkled by a permanent scowl and his hair was mostly grey. He was the oldest human present.

"It's like taking a microphone and screaming in it while two people are talking. The brains transmit an intense signal and prevent Strigoi from receiving orders from the Master."

The old man was still unconvinced but his opinion on the matter was not particularly important.

"Our first test with the current devices was a success. The Strigoi freeze, like puppets whose strings have been cut. I have seen its effects on the Master as well. It weakens him," chimed in Quinlan.

“I will need more brains to build additional devices.”

"How many more brains are you gonna need?" asked Gus.

"As many as we can get," she said.

For their plan to work they would need to cover a vast surface with that jamming signal. Otherwise, it would be trivial for the Master to just rush to the humans and destroy the machines.

"Quinlan, you're with me. We need to arrange everything that's gonna happen after you get the worm.”

Lexi expected to feel irritation from her companion at being ordered that way. It did not come. The Dhampir was relieved and also somber.

"His help will make our victory extremely swift."

Relief at seeing the end of his mission so near and sadness at knowing that their time together was going to end just as quickly. She knew those were his reasons because she felt the same. Lexi looked away from the humans.

"It will still take time to build the devices and the silver arsenal. Every second we do not spend working, we will be together. They need to sleep more than we do and this time will be ours," she said.

Their gaze met. How she loved that face. The impossibly clear blue eyes, the deep green and black of his stripes. She even liked that scar across his cheek. Her eyes were burning as she fought back tears. How very unfair. How very cruel this all was.

"What's up with you two?" asked Gus and he waved impatiently.

"Tell him. I can't," she said.

Quinlan detached his eyes from hers and his face kept its usual composure.

"If our plan succeeds, we will both die with the Master. We are connected to him."

The three men stared and even the stern Arturo appeared surprised.

"Then why are you doing this?" asked Raul.

"Because we will never find peace while he lives."

Gus and Arturo exchanged heavy looks.

"Yeah. I get that," said the Sun Hunter.

They all did. Not a single free soul on the planet would find true peace as long as the beast was there to crush them.

#mr.quinlan #quinlan #quintus sertorius #the strain #the strain fx #the strain fanfic #the strain fanfiction

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paopuofhearts · 7 years

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CLEOPATRA If it be love indeed, tell me how much. MARK ANTONY There's beggary in the love that can be reckon'd. CLEOPATRA I'll set a bourn how far to be beloved. MARK ANTONY Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth.

For the Halloween Prompt:

Should Percival be Antony or Julius Caesar to Credence’s Cleopatra? Alternately, Credence is Antony.

[Warning: minor scene of Credence/Grindelwald attempted noncon, defined as a creepy pass of pressuring.]

Grad school is kicking my ass so I’ve literally only managed to push all this out. It’s completely unedited and unrevised, so I apologize – but I’m way past the deadline so I feel like I need to get something out to you! I’ll probably go back over this during winter break [hopefully by then I’ll be able to focus on all this writing instead of thesis and platform and portfolio writings instead].

Annual Humanities Division Halloween Haunt!

The garish orange was blinding against the dark black background of the gaudy poster and made his eyes hurt. Furry brown bat cut outs clashed against the construction paper, fluttering off the sides as a silver cauldron of green bubbles frothed and spilled along the bottom edge. It was a horrifying eye sore – with several others posted up and down the corridor, garish pieces slathered together as if an embodiment of the holiday itself threw up all over the walls of the hallway. He had spotted a few others in the other buildings as well, dangling off community boards and hanging precariously next to unsuspecting classroom doors. He had even caught a glimpse of similar atrocities draped in the café he visited on his morning coffee run – how anything managed to make its way through the hidden labyrinths to the sacred depths of the hallowed Arts basement was anyone’s guess. No doubt there were more littering the upper levels of the Literature department as well.

But it did its job, at the very least – it pulled focus, enticing the grad students suffering through the mid semester slog of research to take a break and join the holiday festivities. It was exactly why Modesty had done up his face with a flourish of glittery makeup and shoved him out the door before taking off to her own undergraduate party with friends from her OChem class.

Friends.

Apparently he needed those.

Dress code: Recognizable historic / literary figures!

None of those awful stereotypes! No appropriation allowed!

Be creative, not boring!

The encouragement had been tacked on underneath the poster, pinned to the door of the large house across from the library on campus – a mindful afterthought that hadn’t managed to make its way to the other posters. The vivid exclamation points made his heart shudder in his chest, turning the blood in his veins to ice as his palms began to sweat.

Go as Cleopatra, snag yourself a king, Chastity suggested. She had forced him into an awful thing: a white jumpsuit made to imitate layers of linen – a “modern take” on the Prince Of Egypt adaption the Theater department had developed into an experimental straight play. He hadn’t been able to see it, but the outfits Chastity had worked on were nothing short of amazing. How she snuck one back from the mysterious void of the storage rooms, he would rather not know.

[“I made them. It’s only fair.”]

Modesty had straightened his hair, setting a golden circlet in the shape of a snake upon his brow and settling half a dozen wiry gold bracelets across his arms and wrists. She had even gone the extra mile to paint his eyes – deep, shadowy kohl and bright, vibrant blue. He was pretty sure the design was based on Elizabeth Taylor, not actual hieroglyphics. Someone was bound to tell him off – if not for the improper design, then at the very least for the fact that he was some pale pasty white kid decked out in ridiculously vague allusions to ancient Egyptian attire.

It was a nightmare, and he hadn’t even stepped through the doors yet.

But it was too late. A loud and rambunctious group of students rambled up, hands blindly reaching for the door as they raucously giggled at each other. Shrinking away, he couldn’t avoid being jumbled up into the widespread wall of costumed bodies, tossed out into the fray of the party inside. The music was blaring, a cacophony of stilted techno thumping against the walls as a woman droned in a shouted monotone. It was dark, the only lights coming from glow-in-the-dark stickers flung across the sparse bits of furniture and glow-in-the-dark paint splattered across the walls, dim purple UV lights strung up against the crown molding of the ceiling seams. It was tacky and disorienting. Trying not to stumble into some sanctimonious argument of Dracula vs. Lestat and the merits of the Cullen family, he quickly stepped into the next room.

This room was a bit brighter, though just as awkwardly decorated. Several table lamps were placed strategically in the corners and beside cheap beige chenille couches, covered in gauzy red scarves that threw the room into a bloody shade of red. Speakers were hidden beneath the tables, droning out strange atmospheric noises of wallowing and wails, reedy whistling of a nonexistent wind eerily pressing around the room. The Poe atmosphere was effective, but it had to be a fire hazard of sorts – though none of the occupants seemed to care. There was a heavy scent of smoky incense, curling wisps creeping against the darkened corners. He attempted to hide within such an alcove, tentatively sidestepping toward one such area to get a better view of the room, when a hand shot out to grab his wrist.

“Are you Cleopatra?” He spun around, coming face to face with a sturdy young woman assessing him curiously. Her short hair was done in a thick braid that barely reached her shoulders, and a plastic bow was slung unevenly across her back, the string pressing against her chest.

“Yes?” he answered warily. This was it – he was going to get yelled at, he was going to get kicked out, he was going to get –

“Great! We’ve been looking for a Cleopatra. I’m Tina – History department.” She grabbed his hand without warning, dragging him toward a corner by a tall bookshelf. “You?”

“Credence,” he said faintly, wondering why she of all people would need a Cleopatra. “Literature.”

“Even better! That’s his department too!” Before he could ask for clarification he was being welcomed into a small circle of loitering students huddled together over a book. Of course.

“It’s Minimalism. Its short, its ordinary, its mundane. The man is on an escalator for the entirety of the story,” the shorter man groused, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff.

“Its Maximalist! It’s a long rambling piece of nonsense full of digressive dribble!” a chubbier man exclaimed, waving his hands about enthusiastically. The first rolled his eyes.

“You aren’t even studying modern literature – “

“Post modern literature, Percy!” an energetic redhead crowed, easily slinging an arm over his shoulders. “And anyway, who cares? Where’s the fun in being stuck on an elevator? Now being stuck in Croatia – “

“Teeny!” A blonde woman shoved her way between the two, pretending she hadn’t interrupted such an important discussion as she pulled the strange woman that had kidnapped him to the other side of the circle. “Oh! You found one!”

Credence glanced at them nervously.

“Hello!” another redhead piped up. “That’s a wonderful outfit – a male Cleopatra, brilliant idea!”

“Thank you?”

“Perfect for our Marc Antony!” They pointed to The Minimalist, dressed in a deep brown leather chest plate – supple and buttery, shining smoothly as it hugged his form in all the right places. Gold paint swirled in intricate patterns threading between the golden rivets piercing the pieces together, matching the red wrist guards clasped on his arms and the thick red pteruges strips layered against his thighs, strands of golden fringe flickering as he moved. He wasn’t a history major, so he couldn’t judge the accuracy, but it was an impressive outfit that lovingly emphasizes the wonderfully sculpted ripples of muscle outlining his body.

“Percival Graves,” The Minimalist introduced himself, offering a hand.

“Credence Barebone,” he replied, allowing his hand to be taken into a gentle but firm handshake.

“This is Tina, Newt, and Theseus as our local Katniss, Peeta, and Gale,” the blonde woman continued. “My name is Queenie, and this is Jacob – “

“Hephaestus and Aphrodite,” the cheerful man cut in adoringly, grinning up at her like a lovestruck fool.

“Nice to meet you.”

“So what are you studying?” Newt asked curiously.

“Reformation literature.” Credence shifted, unsure of their reaction.

“Like – religious stuff? All that Milton and Pilgrim’s Progress?” Theseus prompted.

“I – well, technically.” Credence shrugged. “I study Reformation comedies. Like – the Country Wife. It’s a – little more – controversial.”

“Is that code for raunchy and promiscuous?” Theseus teased, waggling his eyebrows and laughing loudly as Jacob snorted. His brother – at least, Credence presumed they were related, given their matching appearance – elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

“Play nice,” Tina reprimanded with a frown, before turning her attention back to him. “My sister and I study modern history. I study counter cultural movements in America during the 1970s and 1980s, and my sister studies the impact of ethnic studies in education.”

“They’re with us!” Newt clarified. “I study the effects of nature on city development, and my brother here is studying the Balkan Wars.”

“I tried to convince Percy to join me, but he stuck with his boring post modern literature,” Theseus lamented.

“Modern literature,” Percival corrected. Theseus waved him off.

“What’s your opinion on it?”

“I – “ Credence flustered, unsure how to answer such a vague question correctly without disappointing any of them.

“Ignore him. He isn’t worth it,” Percival insisted, slipping his hand against Credence’s elbow. “Why don’t we go grab a bite to eat – let him gather his manners?”

Percival threw a reprimanding glare at the man, who cackled in response. Credence could feel the heat of Percival’s hand drifting to press against his lower back, carefully maneuvering him toward what he could only presume was a kitchen. It was comforting, if a bit embarrassing. He felt a shiver trailing down his spine.

The kitchen itself was a travesty that also made him shudder – fluffy white clouds of fake spider webbing cascading across the dining table in billowing curtains, plastic spiders dangling precariously in squished upon droves. Punch bowls and jello molds upon the table held all sorts of mismatched creepy crawlers – worms, octopus’, skeletons. Chain link centipedes were plastered to the cupboards, preschool levels of artwork sloppily thrown together. Cheap junk food haphazardly thrown into grotesque displays were crammed to cover every inch of available counter space. The Art department would have a field day with such an eyesore.

At least it smelled clean – the sharp scent of fake pine and a lingering undertone of bleach creeping through the atmosphere.

“What would you like – pretzels and chips?” Percival asked dryly, raising an eyebrow at the sad excuse for food as he peered over the offerings. He leaned over a gelatin mold, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “You think they would get a little creative with the goods.”

“Picquery set up the good stuff in the upstairs office room,” someone called out behind them. They turned to see a young man in a bright blue sweater and dull orange pants grimacing as he tried to pluck a lego Cthulhu from his scoop of jello. “Abecedarians!”

“Think you should have gone with Captain Haddock if you’re using such language, Abernathy,” Percival tutted, twining his fingers with Credence’s and leading him out of the room. “Of course Sera set up her own area – come on then, she knows what she’s doing, most of the time.”

They weaved in and out of the crowd, clambering up the stairs to the second floor. There were no Halloween decorations, though there was quite a bit of commotion coming from the last room. They quickly made their way in.

Credence was pleasantly surprised to find far more tasteful decorations and treats displayed. Carved pumpkins sat grinning on either end of the lace covered table, smaller painted ones lining the tops of bookshelves. Fairy lights shaped like bats hung in loops along the walls, while a colony of paper ones spread in flight across the ceiling Fake candles were placed between books on shelves and cascaded from corners, illuminating white skulls and gray gargoyles peeking out of the shadows. The corner seams were filled with thin, knotty sticks and black vines, black roses artfully tacked onto them. Even the food was themed – a chocolate cake set like a graveyard with marshmellow skeletons, hot dogs wrapped in crisped biscuits like mummies, chocolate cookies slathered in icing with finely cut strawberries and blueberries set to look like eyes. There were so many twisted and grotesque foods Credence could hardly keep track.

“Percival, how nice of you to show up.” A tall woman slid up next to them, draped in deep red and white folds of a dress, a copper sword strapped to her back. He hair was wrapped in a shimmering metallic scarf to match. She stood proud and regal, scrutinizing Credence with a keen eye.

“Abernathy was singing your praises downstairs,” Percival said with nonchalance, pulling Credence to his side. He slung an arm around his shoulders – made slightly problematic, given the height difference neither had noticed. “Your department has outdone itself yet again.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Graves. Who’s your lovely Cleopatra?”

“Credence Barebone, English department – Reformation period. Who are you supposed to be tonight?”

“Oya, Yoruba goddess of storms. Does Credence Barebone know how to answer for himself?” she shot back, eyeing Percival with disdain. Credence settled himself, ducking his head in a way that gave an appearance of submission, but tilting it in a way that could also imply a challenge. He had plenty of practice in meek deference, but refused to waver under some stranger’s judgment.

“What do you study?” he asked – an innocent enough question, on the surface. She lifted her head, catching his game, a faint smile gracing her face as she turned her attention back to him.

“Remixed classical art. My current thesis is on the impact of Kehinde Wiley and Harmonia Rosales have on the interpretation of traditional pieces in a modern context of racial perspective. Have you heard of them?”

“Ah – no,” Credence admitted, shifting uncomfortably. She flashed her teeth, a wide smile too sharp and dangerous to be friendly. Like lightning – beautiful, but able to shred a man to pieces.

“Shame.” She turned back to Percival. “Do try the werewolf brains – the paper mache was quite an effort.”

Credence kept his head down as he watched her leave, a swirling hurricane of wild force that commanded the room. A trio of girls in the doorway parted for her like the Red Sea, giggling in awe as she strode past. A friend of Percival’s and a force to be reckoned with, and he had just blundered the whole first impression away.

��Never mind her,” his Antony said, nonchalant as he snagged a plate from the edge of the table. “We were going to open up a law firm together, once upon a time. She’s still a bit bitter we didn’t pass our LSAT.”

“We?”

“Theseus too. And Tina.” He picked at the food, taking small scoop of gelatinous brain, red food coloring dripping from the spoon. “Speaking of Theseus and Tina, what should we bring back to them?”

Credence tilted his head, nitpicking at the edge of his own plate.

“The – um – spider crackers?”

“No, come on – pick something you actually want. And please don’t say the caprese eyeballs.”

Credence studied the array on spread before them, a feast of holiday goods for the taking. His gaze settled upon a collection of cookies, dark chocolate brownies cut into circles, a dollop of sprinkle covered crème upon it, a coned chocolate kiss settled gently on top.

“The witch hats.” Percival shot him a crooked grin, wryly amused.

“A good choice.” Credence watched as Percival piled food upon the plate, bits and pieces of everything stacked high. Rather than following suit, he quietly left his plate on the corner. “Ready to head back down?”

“I need to find a bathroom.” They started back out the door, Credence trailing behind. He watched others pass by, laughing and nudging each other as they walked up and down the stairwell.

“Bathroom should be on your left.” He was pointed down a long side hallway, where several people lingered. “Come find us again when you’re done.”

The line was taking forever. He shuffled from foot to foot, beginning to grow impatient as he waited. Perhaps it would have been better to have simply gone back to the corner with his new found friends. Could they be considered friends yet? At the rate it took to get into the bathroom, perhaps they would think he had ditched them. It would have been better if only he had stayed –

A hand fell upon his shoulder, squeezing tightly.

“Well aren’t you a cute little thing.” Credence turned around, shrinking away. Before him stood a tall man with pale hair and paler eyes, decked in a toga and crowned with laurel. A Caesar – what were the odds of that?

“My apologies, where are my manners. Gellert Grindelwald – assistant professor for the modern literature department.” The man took Credence’s hand, bowing as he placed a kiss upon his knuckles. Old fashioned and uncomfortable, to say the least. “And to whom do I owe the pleasure of such a beautiful Cleopatra?”

He squirmed away, twisting out of Gellert’s grip.

“Credence,” he answered reluctantly, not wanting to be impolite. Yet his hand continued to roam, tracing across his shoulder and down his back.

“Credence. A lovely name for a lovely face. What’s a beautiful thing like you doing at a party like this, hm? Who did you come with?”

“No one.” He could feel the bottom of his stomach drop at the honest admission. The hand clawed at his belt, eager and excited.

“Oh? Perhaps you’d like some company then?”

“I’d rather not,” Credence admitted, still trying to move away. Gellert just moved closer, crowding into his space.

“A pity. Does that mean you have company here?”

“Yes, actually.”

“I can promise you I am much more entertaining than anyone else you’d meet here.”

Credence fidgeted, unsure what to do. Gellert continued to croon, attempting to convince him to leave. Several moments later, with panic flooding his veins and pulsing beneath his skin, itching to get away, he caught the eyes of his knight – his gladiator, his Antony. Gellert turned to track his line of sight, displeased at such a distraction. His face contorted with fury and disgust when he realized who was headed their way. With a sneer, he grasped the collar of Credence’s outfit, the strain on the outfit almost enough to tear it apart.

“I could ruin him,” Gellert hissed harshly into his ear. “I could ruin all of you. Now play along like a good little boy.”

The two wandered over, Percival standing tall and menacing and in need of a dramatic flair of a cape, while Theseus brooded behind with a sharp glare.

“Credence. We were wondering where you’d had gotten off to,” Percival started, leveling a cold tone as he stared unblinkingly at Gellert.

“Didn’t realize you got stuck with this asshole,” Theseus started, crossing his arms over his chest.

“He isn’t – that bad,” Credence attempted.

“He’s a fucking asshole who gets off on torture porn,” Percival growled, glaring furiously at Gellert.

“Now Percy darling, just because I didn’t invite you back to my little dungeon last Christmas – “ Gellert drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Fuck off, you prick,” Theseus interrupted loudly, shoving Percival to the side. “Leave the kid alone.”

Credence felt Gellert’s fingers dig into his back, nails scratching through the fabric. The hand clawed at his skin tightly – painfully. Credence stood as still as he possibly could, thinking of the cold marble statues outside the library, tall and unfeeling.

“He’s hardly a child,” Gellert pointed out. “What do you think, Credence – would you rather be off with these foolhardy Neanderthals, or continue our lovely conversation, hm?”

His body was frozen, heavy like lead, unable to move. He stared unblinking at the floor, wishing to be anywhere else. A beat of silence, and Theseus huffed in annoyance, nudging Percival as he turned and left. Percival frowned, but followed after, figuring it to be a lost cause. He glanced back once more, dark eyes piercing through the dim light, but Credence held his head down. Perhaps if he stayed quiet, Gellert would get bored –

“See, what did I tell you?” Gellert trailed his hand down, soft and gentle as it caressed the thin fabric of his outfit. Gellert’s face drifted closer, voice dropping several octaves into a whisper. “Now, where were we? I do believe you were about to tell me of this young Margery – “

His body blocked the hallway, and Credence shrunk back, plastering himself against the wall. Another hand found its way to his waist, a hand settling against it and sweeping downward.

In a fit of panic, Credence lashed out. His mind blanked, nerves firing too fast to keep up. Within seconds, he had shoved Gellert into the wall, pinning him there with a hand wrapped around the man’s neck. He felt wild with the adrenaline rushing through his veins as an overwhelming tempest of fear and rage tore through his bloodstream. His hand twitched and tightened against the pale column of Gellert’s throat.

“Come now, Credence,” Gellert rasped, both hands wrapping around Credence’s wrist. “Control yourself.”

“I don’t think I want to,” Credence growled, pushing harder against him. He could still feel the creeping tremors twisting against his skin, an unsettling film of disgust plastered against his body, seeping beneath his costume and into his bones.

“Mr. Barebone.” His head snapped to the side, locking eyes with none other than Seraphina Picquery herself. Her face was stone still as she took in the scene, mouth a firm line. “Perhaps it’s time you take your leave.”

Anger burned through him, a fierce spark of vengefulness blazing into a firestorm against his ribs. In a burst of blinding fury, he slammed Gellert’s head back into the wall, releasing him as he crumpled to the ground, clawing at his throat as he gasped for breath. Credence shuddered, face twisting as he snarled before shoving past Seraphina, a dark cloud bolting for the door. She watched him go, then turned her attention back to Gellert. The man smirked, chuckling under his breath.

“He’s a miracle, isn’t he?”

“Get out before I call the cops on you,” she sneered, rounding her shoulders back as she turned to the main room. “Everyone out! This party is over.”

Credence made his way to the library, the cold air biting through the whirlwind of his emotions and leaving him feeling like a naked, helpless child. Horror slithered across his skin, twined in the breeze that slid through the thin white linen hanging off of him. He stumbled into the bushes, heaving as he dropped to his knees. He blindly fumbled for his phone, dragging his body up against the brick wall of the library. His shoulder pressed against the rough stone, part of his outfit snagging against it.

Hey Cree. Chastity picked me up and took me to some haunted house they’re doing. We’re staying with Eve and the crew tonight. Hope you had fun!

He leaned heavily against the wall, swallowing hard. If he went home, he would be alone – the very last thing he wanted to be. But it wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go. He didn’t have friends, didn’t have pets, didn’t have anyone waiting for him to keep the vivid memory of hands creeping up his thigh and words whispered in his ear as the world closed in on him in the darkness –

“Credence?”

His head snapped up, eyes widening as he spotted none other than Percival, stopped on the walkway before him. He craned his head and saw the others making their way across the square on the other side of the street, laughing obnoxiously as Tina and Queenie burst into song. It looked as though they had taken their leave as well – the party dying down as the clock struck midnight, as it were. Which meant that Gellert –

Another wave of nausea had him doubling over, though his body seemed to be done with even attempting to dry heave. A bout of dizziness struck him, his hands gone clammy, body shaking apart. The next thing he knew was a distorted shuffling as a pair of sandals made their way into his view.

“Credence, are you alright?” A hand made its way toward his shoulder, and he flinched.

“Alright, it’s okay,” Percival assured, taking a step back. “Take your time. Here, try to match your breathing with my counting, alright?”

His mind was whirling far too fast, skipping over the numbers being listed as he tried to think of what to do. One, Percival was here, trying to calm him down, three, but why, he had left Percival, five, had gone off with Gellert, surely Percival hated him, eight, thought less of him, ten, wanted nothing to do with him, eleven, but maybe he could redeem himself, twelve, that’s why Percival was here for him, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…

Slowly, Credence managed to come back to himself. Percival watched with a careful eye as the young man brought himself back from hyperventilating, steadily regaining his awareness. After a few more moments, once Percival had calmly made his way to thirty, Credence straightened himself, though he still refused to look up.

“Thanks,” he whispered, voice rough from – whatever had happened.

“Do you want to tell me what that was about?” Percival prompted, not bothering to skirt around the issue. He was worried, of course, and wanted to know – so he wasn’t going to ignore it. Better to be blunt. But if Credence didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t push.

“It was – “ Credence glanced up from behind his fringe of hair, wary like a caged animal.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Percival assured with a shrug. There was a beat of silence as Credence assessed the situation.

“Gellert tried to – do things.” Percival frowned, gritting his teeth as he surveyed the area in hopes to find the man walking by. What he wouldn’t do to punch that smug bastards face in –

“It’s my fault. I – I should have listened to you.”

Percival placed his hand upon his back, a solid weight and comforting warmth that guided him back to the walkway.

“Do you live with anyone?” he asked. He bit his lip, shaking his head. “I’m going to give you some options, alright? Would you like me to walk you home and stay with you, or would you like to come to my place?”

“My sisters – if they – I don’t know how they would react to someone being there,” he managed to say. Percival nodded understandingly.

“Would you like to stay with me tonight?”

“But I – “

“It’s not a problem, that’s why I’m offering,” he cut in calmly. He thought of his options, before finally caving in with a nod. “Let me call a cab then.”

The ride was a blur of lamplights flashing against his eyelids and the soothing hum of the taxi sailing down empty streets. Percival kept his distance, but let his hand rest between them, palm opened upward if Credence so chose to take it. So far, he was more content to huddle against the cool plastic of the door, leaning his head against the window pane.

Percival’s face was washed with a pale white light, brightened like a spotlight as he gazed down at his phone with furrowed brow. His fingers struck the screen in quick succession, pounding out rhetoric toward Seraphina, skipping words like stones on a lake of ice in an attempt to crack through her tight-lipped wall of excuses to figure out what truly happened. His face twisted in fury, and he finally flung the phone to the floor, unable to contain his ire.

The noise made Credence jump, head turning to see what had happened.

“It’s nothing.” Percival crossed his arms, straightening his back as he leaned against the seat. He looked almost regal – Credence could almost picture it, shifting the world away and painting in the crushed velvet and glittering gold of a palanquin, enshrining Percival in a mystic abyss of light curtains, sun shining through to offer but the glimpse of his strong silhouette peering through.

“You’re a very good Marc Antony,” he said, tilting his head to the side. The picture changed, warping in on itself, swirling into an arena. A sword as firm as his stance, solid and steady, face set in determination. Shoulders down and back, ready for whatever the world would throw at him. A soldier, a gladiator, a knight as it were – brave and steadfast in heart and mind.

[“You are a child unworthy of the grace of the Lord.”]

“Credence?” Percival’s hand came into view, gently brushing against his own in the space between them. “You’re shaking.”

“I – “ There was a moment, standing on the brink of something overwhelming, the edge of a cliff into the unknown. Terror pressed against his heart, squeezing tightly and shrinking his ribs, wrapping around his lungs so he could hardly breathe.

They slid as the cab turned a corner sharply. The moment collapsed, tension exiting is a rush.

It was over. Credence turned back to the window, watching the streetlights pass them by.

“It’s nothing.”

The corners of Percival’s mouth dragged downward, but he made no move to speak into the silence. Instead, he simply pressed his fingers into the spaces between Credence’s, filling the gaps and holding tightly. Credence bit his lip, but let himself be held. It was – nice. Too nice, perhaps. But – nice. Percival’s hands were nothing special – just as warm as his own, just as soft in the hidden places, just as rough in the calloused pads and knuckles. They were smaller, but wider – complimentary to his own, in a way.

They stayed like that, in comforting quiet, to the point where Credence began to lull off, nodding against the window as his eyes fluttered shut. But eventually, their journey came to an end. Just as he was about to dive into sleep, the car pulled to a stop.

“We’re here,” Percival muttered, clutching his hand before letting go to get out. Reluctantly, Credence did the same, managing to maneuver himself out of the car to sidle over to Percival’s side. Percival took his arm gently, carefully guiding him up the driveway and into the house. It was a nice home, to be sure – the typical American dream of a white picket fence and a small white porch.

Credence didn’t pay much attention, instead letting his mind drift.

“Are you hungry?” He shrugged, uncaring. “Alright. Well, here – sit down. I’ll grab you a blanket.”

Percival disappeared into the depths of the other rooms, leaving Credence standing awkwardly in front of a pristine leather couch. It looked far too expensive to even glance at, never mind touch and rest upon. Hesitantly, Credence ran a finger along the sewn seam of the side. It was smooth as silk, dipping beneath his fingertip – gaudy and ostentatious as a black leather couch was, it was also quite beautiful.

“It won’t bite, you know.” Percival stepped toward him, sandals shuffling against the wood floors. He carried a large pillow in his arms, a thick blanket tucked beneath it. “You can sit, it’s fine.”

Credence obediently did as told, sliding onto the seat as Percival took his place beside him.

“Do you want to talk, or just sleep?” As much as Credence wished to stay up, filling the space between them with poetry, waxing lyric on language and literature, delving into the depths of their respective fields – he was exhausted after the events he suffered through, and could feel sleep pulling at his eyes, tugging at his mind, dragging him away.

“Sleep, I think.”

“Lay down then.”

Percival gazed at Credence’s face, watching as the moonlight pouring through the curtains graced his pale face. The young man was quite beautiful, bathed in silver, curled up under soft black blankets.

He would put Cleopatra herself to shame.

Someday…

Okay first off apologies; I took this prompt while I was teaching abroad this summer, and when I got back I started grad school and realized I’d need more than one job to pay for it, so I have been absolutely swamped with work. I didn’t finish everything I wanted with this – but I wanted to post something out here, just to get it out here, so that the prompt was filled before Thanksgiving season. I’m so sorry I’m late with it.

Anyway! Gosh this prompt hit on all my academic enjoyments so I probably went way overboard on that instead of, you know, focusing on the Anthony / Cleopatra / Caesar bit in a more direct way. Like, overall I kind of followed the general plotline of how Plutarch wrote that mess of a threesome, with a hefty dose of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy take thrown in – Cleopatra gets all hung up on Anthony, tries to appease Caesar so Caesar stops going after Anthony, Anthony thinks she doesn’t love him, Cleopatra realizes mistakes were made. And then I tried to make the ending a bit happier, where they come back together and Caesar kind of just disappears. Probably too much influence and reference to cram into what I tried to keep as a light and abstract outline, so it probably ended up seeming more like it was just “woo Halloween costumes and some sad pathetic plot”, so. Apologies.

I also got really into the whole academia setting and spent way too much time dreaming up headcanons for that [wherein Seraphina, Percival, Tina, and Theseus were all Law focused undergrads who ended up failing their LSATs, so they went into grad school research with things they enjoyed most from their undergrad work, hoping to find work through that. Queenie and Newt kind of just followed their siblings along, though they’re the ones who got into grad school because they’re actually paid for their research, and then they met Jacob, who’s been doing research studies for far too many years, and foreign exchange student Gellert, who’s just all sorts of red flag levels of creepy. Credence took up grad school in hopes of getting funding to publish a textbook on Reformation literature so he can support his two sisters in their undergrad schooling, though Modesty will likely be the big breadwinner out of all of them since she’s the one going into Med school, but that’s also pretty expensive, so].

Anyway. It was my first attempt at any sort of holiday prompt type thing [the only other time I filled out a prompt was as an Anon on some Kink Meme way back in the LJ days; either way, I’m not much in on this practice]. Hopefully it wasn’t too terrible and did something for you. Woo.

#gradencetrickortreat #gradence trick of treat #potterland

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