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redheadspark · 3 years ago

Text

Sparrow 🪶

Summary: The Teleporting Female Eternal didn’t want to loose Druig after what happened at Tenochtitlan. So she made a promise to check on Druig and make sure he was okay.

Little did she know that visiting Druig at his home for the next 400 years sporadically would make her feel more at home than ever before.

Part Two - My Home

Part Three - Lavender

Inspired by this song:

W/C: 9,719 words (It’s Lengthy! Sorry!)

Warnings: Just PURE FLUFF :D

A/N: I apologize in advance for how long this one is! OMG I just started writing and it all came out in one day!

So sorry if it seems rushed or poorly edited, I tried as best as I could! Please enjoy :)

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Tenochtitlan

"Druig!"

You skidded to a halt in the middle of the jungle, the humid air was sticking all over your skin and your heart was going 100 miles per hour. It all happened within minutes, minutes of chaos and heartbreak. You saw it all unfold in front of your eyes: one minute you were seeing a mass group of innocent people being slaughtered right in front of your eyes, not being able to do anything to stop or eliminate the threat.

The next minute, your family was fractured.

You searched the darkness, the only source of light was the small glow of the city that was still on fire, far away from you but enough to give a tint of light in the air and the sky. The sounds of the jungle were filling your ears, having you think you barely missed him as he took the last cluster of soldiers with him under his mind control. Your heart was about to drop, thinking that you already lost him for good.

"You shouldn't be out here all alone, little sparrow,"

You heard him behind you using your nickname, almost creeping up along your backside as you turned quickly. There he was, standing off on his own in the middle of a small opening in the jungle. You scanned his face as you walked over the last remaining feet, searching his face and eyes to see if he was okay. You barely had time to reach out and talk to him when he stormed down the temple stairs. But now that he was there, alone in the jungle, you had a sense of both relief and dread going over you. You inwardly sighed in relief that he looked okay, but you just stared at him with sadness in your eyes.

"Thought I lost track of you," You said in a breath, looking past for him a brief moment, "Where's—"

"They're all safe. I made sure of that," Druig answered you before you could finish, not in a bite as he did before when he snapped at Ajak and Ikaris, but gentler and in a soothing way. Maybe he saw the distress on your face and maybe he heard it in your voice, but he seemed like a different person when he was talking to you. You looked back at him directly in the eyes as he shifted in his stance. He had his hands folded in front of him, almost ready for anything you were going to tell him. Did he think you were going to scold him, to coax him into going back?

"Look, Druig," You started to say to him, remaining loose and timid in front of him as if you knew it was just the two of you there, no one listening in or watching, "I just wanted to tell you….I know why you left,"

Druig paused, the hard outer shell that he had a second ago, let alone back at the temple, almost seemed cracked and melted away when you said that to him. He probably expected you to say something else, something against his beliefs. But you were agreeing with him, which came out of nowhere.

Druig was not your best friend, but he was your friend. Since the beginning, Druig saw the humans more than a mere species, you all did. But with the mind controller, he could feel the raw need to help the humans and to bring peace. You admired that about him, seeing that it brought him joy when he saw the humans showing kindness to each other. Yet as the centuries came and went, the joy he had was slowly diminishing to pain and emptiness in his heart. Seeing what happened that night in the temple, you witnessed Druig's own heart breaking right in front of you.

"Really?" He asked genuinely, though he was still sounding slightly bitter and emotional. He didn't think that someone else in the Eternal family would side with him, or say it out loud. You nodded your head as you looked back at the smaller sight of the city that was still on fire and falling apart within minutes.

"I know how long you have been wanting to stop the humans from hurting each other," You explained some more, still looking at the flames that were licking up in the sky, "Druig, Ajak meant well in what she was trying to do with us and for us. But I see your side too,"

"Are you going to stop me?" Druig asked, making you look back at him and see him search your eyes. The darkness of the night couldn't mask the still watery tears that were in Druig's blue orbs, making them almost look contrast. You shook your head slowly at him.

"No," You answered, seeing his shoulder slouch slightly, "You made your choice. I can't stop you from doing what you think is right," You knew better than to stop Druig when he made a choice or a decision. He was capable of taking care of himself, the others forgot that from time to time. But you knew, there was more strength and resilience in him.

"You think I'm right, then?" Druig asked you, his voice sounding a bit bolder as he took a step over to him.

"I do," You explained, "But I still need to stay with them and make sure they're okay,"

Druig nodded his head slowly, almost giving you a slight smile. Perhaps he thought you were going to move on from them too since you agreed with his philosophy. It was confusing at times, not understanding why couldn't intervene when you needed it, but you also understood that you couldn't do so much for the species so that they can have their evolution. Being in the middle of two contrasting thoughts made your head hurt, and it almost made you question your loyalty too.

"Listen, I have something for you," You finally say, reaching into your tunic pocket that was against your leg to take out a small trinket of sorts. It was a ball, a black ball that felt like marble but it was light and barely felt with a long black thread attached to it. You held it out in front of you to him, seeing him look at the necklace that was being presented to him.

"This is for you," You explained, watching him carefully and with a hint of reluctance take the necklace and look at the black marble that was at the end of it. He placed it in his palm, looking at it with curious eyes, "Phastos made it about 20 years back and he finally made it workable,"

"What is it?" he questioned in curiosity.

"A homing beacon" You answered, seeing him look from the necklace to you now.

You remembered talking with Phastos sometime before, just the two of you, back in his lab on the Domo. He made a small little device just for the Eternals, showing you when it was completed while the others were out on patrol. It was a small ball, literally the size of a baby pinecone that could fit in the palm of your hand. Phastos walked it over to place it in your palm, a hint of excitement on his face and in his voice.

"It's a homing device," Phastos explained to you as you were looking at the very ball small and touching it with your fingers, "I'm going to make one for all of us, it's small but it's powerful. It'll be able to have us find each other if we're separated with exact coordinates,"

"So, it's like a tracker?" You asked, seeing him nod his head.

"I think it'll be better for us to know where we all are if something does happen with Deviants. If there's an ambush, or something goes left, we know where to find each other," Phastos explained, "I know I'm no fighter, but I want to help and make sure you guys are going to be okay,"

"I know you're going to be okay on your own," You explained to him some more as you pointed to the necklace, "But this is for you to be in contact just in case something does happen….and so that I can keep an eye out on you,"

Maybe he was going to think that you were crazy in giving him a tracking device to have on hand. But it was almost a smaller gesture on your end to show that you were willing to have him walk away from you and the family, but he still had a way to find you and be in contact with you. A part of you cared for him, you even learned a lot from him in how one should view life on this planet. To think of having him completely out of your own, cold turkey, was too much to bear,

"If you ever need help with anything," You kept going, seeing him close his fingers around the necklace that was against his palm, his eyes were still looking at it with softness there and maybe even a hint of warmth too, "Just channel your energy into the necklace. It'll go off with the others that are wearing the device too,"

"To the others?" He asked, looking back at you finally as you then paused. It was still a bit fragile the others and Druig, you knew that he wasn't going to want to talk to any of them for a while. Specially Ajak and Ikaris, it was a fresh wound that would take some time to callous over. Druig needed to be away from them for some time, contact and all. So it was rightfully so that you moved the collar of your own tunic to the side to show that you were wearing the same kind of necklace too, but yours was lighter with a mix of brown and red.

"Actually…it's just to me," You explained, seeing him look at the necklace around your neck that was hanging against the undershirt on your chest, "Phastos only made two of them so far. I took them from his lab when Phastos wasn't looking…right after you left the temple,"

You felt a bit sneaky in taking two of his devices from him, yet you know Phastos wasn't going to be mad at you forever. As soon as you saw Druig walk out of sight, you knew you had to do something to now have Druig be completely out of your life. So while the others were still at the temple, after Ajak gave you all permission to go off on your and you all were trying to plan the next move together as a group, you snuck off to rush to the lab, knowing exactly where they necklaces were and where he stored them. You were going to hear an earful later, but given the circumstances, you didn't care.

You were only caring about Druig in front of you and wanting to have some kind of communication with him since you had no idea you were all going to be together again. It could be months, or perhaps years on end. You didn't want to take the chance.

"Are you saying that you're going to keep tabs on me, little sparrow?" He asked you, hearing a hint of warmth there in his tone while he used your pet name. Druig was watching you with intrigue in his eyes. Was that what you were telling him? Were you carefully letting him know that you were willing to keep an eye on him.?

"I'm saying that I'm willing to see you at any time if you need me…or if you want me," You answered calmly to him, hoping that he understood. It wasn't going to be complicated or chaotic with him, since it felt like he truly needed space. As painful as it was, you wanted to grant that to him. Maybe the space was something he needed, maybe he could grow from it.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied to you, sounding almost like his old self. You grinned, and although it was a dire circumstance and it was a dreadful night for this, you were a bit glad that his departure from your was not as bad.

-----------------------

100 Years After Tenochtitlan

Your first visit with Druig was a bit of a surprise. You were still with the group, some of you deceasing to stick together although the Deviants were all destroyed and the threat was gone. It was a safe bet to stay with your family, traveling around a bit together and watching the humans from the shadows. But once you found a moment, you decided to visit Druig.

Without the others knowing of course.

He was in the same place where you both spoke last, the large jungle vegetation almost looked the same as it did before. You used your cosmic energy ability to teleport over the jungle, using the necklace finally for the first time. Once you landed on your feet where the coordinates took you, you were floored by what you saw.

There was a community right in front of you, a village that seemed part of the jungle, but almost was in contrast with the jungle too. There was a cluster of people there, all of whom looked at peace and in tranquility from being in that village. It was almost dream-like, how the people were working and talking together as if they didn't know about the outside world.

Small huts and shakes were built around the perimeter of the area that seemed like a medium-sized clearing, an opening in the middle with a well and watering hole. A farm was off to the left with rows and rows of corn and vegetables were seen, flourishing under the tall jungle trees and branches. From what you were seeing, it was a fruitful village and it was thriving

"Hello, sparrow,"

You saw him walk over to you with a small grin on his face. You beamed, you couldn't help it as you were looking at him up and down. He looked beyond better, compared to who he looked that night when he separated himself. There was a glow about him, a tint of a tan on his skin, and the lightness was seen in his hair from being out in the sun for so long. He looked so different, but he also looked the same. Once he was close enough, you couldn't help but bring him into a hug.

Druig hugged you back, almost thrown off that you were embracing him in the middle of this village. But you were just so glad to see him and to realize that he was okay.

"I'm sorry for showing up on you unannounced," You explained as you pulled away and looked at him, then looking at the village all around you with wide eyes and a hint of surprise, "But I wanted to check-in and see how you were doing. Is this….is this your home now?"

"Would you like me to show you around?" Druig asked, still looking a bit shocked that you were there but happy. You looked back at him, seeing the twinkle in his eye as he was looking at you with some fondness. You nodded, seeing him give a genuine grin before he reached down to take your hand in his own.

He showed you the entire compound, giving you insights of the village with what they were growing in the farm and how he helped the people he took from the temple build this place from the ground up. You realized that the people that were there in the village were direct descendants of the soldiers he took with him, Druig harboring them and keeping them safe from the world that was going on around them. He reassured you that he gave them the choice to leave whenever they wanted to, not having control over them constantly. Only a few people had left within the 100 years in that small village, the rest choosing to stay and live there on their own.

This was what he wanted all this time with all the humans on the planet, and there he was having it with just a handful of humans.

It almost felt like a dream, seeing how peaceful and calm this life was with barely anything to pull them away or anyone to harm them. Hearing Druig describe everything to you with a wide eye sense of fondness and fascination made you grin, watching his eyes light up when he showed you the chicken coop that he helped put together. After all the compound was shown from top to bottom, he took you down a small beaten path that the villages carved out, taking you both on a few minute walk to the view of a gorgeous river that was massive and peaceful to see as the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky.

You stood by side with Druig, seeing the river float by you gently with the rolling rhythm of the earth. Breathing in the rich scent of the soil and hanging flowers from the surrounding area, you both stood still for a long moment or two with the beauty in front of you and the hum in the air.

"How are the others?" Druig finally asked, looking ahead at the river as you were watching the water too. You didn't want to bring them up, not while you were having a joyful reunion with your old friend whom you haven't seen in 100 years. You didn't know where he stood with the others and if he was still bitter with them. Maybe you were waiting for him to say something first, and once he did, you didn't know what to say.

"They're fine," You replied, keeping it simple.

"Just fine?" He asked, sounding a bit curious but was still neutral.

"I didn't know if you wanted to hear anything from them, Druig," You confessed to him, sounding off yourself as he finally looked over at you now with some sincerity in his stare, "You have this life out here, and I don't know if you're still angry with them all and what happened. I didn't want you to be angry with me too,"

You never had a bad moment with Druig in the past, maybe a few spat every once in awhile. But you also knew he might have seen have some resistance with the rest of the family since that night 100 years prior. The last you would want is to make this reunion a bit awkward. Druig was also a hard person to read from time to time, and maybe this was not the best time to bring out old wounds.

"I wouldn't be angry with you," Druig reasoned, sounding a bit soft with you as you finally watched him then. You could tell he was thinking about the others, no longer genuinely happy with your reunion but almost in a middle ground, "You're still with them, I take it?"

"Yes," You hummed at him, watching him tilt his head at him as you looked back out on the river to see some of the water splashing near your feet, "Since the Deviants are gone, there hasn't been that much to do. I'm getting a bit bored and restless myself,"

The rest of the time there against the river was of you filling Druig in on the others and how they were all doing. Druig listened to you with genuine interest, hearing about every member. There were moments throughout you giving him the news that you thought you saw him looking a pinch remorseful in leaving the others. Maybe a small flicker in his eyes when he heard about Makkari, but it was subtle enough that you said nothing about it. You were just happy to be there and see that Druig was well.

"Will I see you again?" Druig asked you as you both were walking back to the compound, the sun was already gone and thermion was rising high up in the sky. You figured it was a good time to go back to the others before they would have a panic attack in not knowing where you were. Even though knew Ajak trusted you and your sound judgment on where you would travel, you didn't want to push it. Druig understood, and perhaps you thought you had a hint of reluctance and sadness on his face when you told him you had to go back.

"Only if you want me to," You reminded him, walking side by side to the edge of the village, right where you teleported to hours before. The villagers were already in bed, leaving the two of you alone with the peaceful gentleness of the jungle. It felt very nice to have that time with Druig and away from anyone else. He seemed so calm and peaceful, nothing holding him down or holding him back.

"Of course I would," He hummed in reply, having you grin at him as you stood in front of each other, "I enjoyed you coming and checking in on me, making sure I'm still sane,"

"You make it seem like I didn't have faith in you," you and to joke with him, seeing him give a rather big smile that showed the warmth in his face and cheeks, "It’s just….I missed you and I wanted to make sure you were alright,"

Perhaps it sounded a bit desperate on your end or almost neurotic in the tone, but it was true. Druig was on your mind every once in a while when you were with the family, always wondering where he was and if he was going to be okay. From there your thoughts floated to missing his company in general, that warmth he brought when he would laugh, or that intrigue he would bring when you would have deep discussions. Yet you had hesitance there in your gut, that stubbornness in you had was making you remember that he chose to leave. Having that one day with him filled you back up with anything that made you feel empty, hearing him talk with such enthusiasm about this place he's built for the humans made you beyond happy for him.

"You are always welcome to come visit," Druig reassured you, seeing him smile gently at him as he smiled back, "Anytime, please visit me,"

"Are you sure?" You asked him, "I don't want to intrude—"

"You would never intrude," Druig answered back with honesty in his tone and his eyes, "It was nice to see you…and I don't think it would hurt to see you again. You are always welcome here, I promise."

It was a start of a beautiful tradition with the both of you.

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50 Years Later

Another fifty years came and went before you would return, but you brought a bag in tow with you as you once again landed on your feet with the leave rustling around your landing area. It was late in the morning then as you walked through the village. You noticed a few subtle changes to when you were there last, a few more huts that were now refurbished, a corral with a few horses that were there along with a cluster of alpacas next to the horses. There was even a small herb garden that looked very new and tiny while you walked across the main area of the village. The bag you had with you was making you excited and almost giddy, ready to show Druig what you brought for him.

You found him at his own little home that he had made his own. It was the smallest shack, barely a front porch there on an elevated platform above the ground, but he was there fixing a floorboard on the porch with another villager helping him. His back was to you, but as soon as you were close enough, he paused his work and looked over his shoulder at him, grinning from seeing you. He was wearing a thin white shirt with brown pants and boots, the shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows and showing the small hint of sweat against his skin.

You couldn't help but notice the muscles that he was getting, realizing that he was being handy all this time in the village and helping keep this village afloat. Sure he could have mind-controlled the villagers to do the dirty work, but the fact that he chose to was endearing, and fascinating to see too.

"Hello, sparrow," he greeted you with your infamous nickname. You grinned widely as he hopped down from the platform and dusted his fingers on his pants. He then leaned over to hug you, having him chuckle from the fierce hug you were giving back to him. The smell of his sweat and the wood he was working on was seeping into your nose, almost making you go dizzy for a second. It was odd, feeling like this with him. Only from a hug, how strange.

"I have something for you!" You said with a hint of excitement as you pulled away from him, seeing how his face was giving you amusement when you showed him the bag on your shoulder. You held it in your hands, almost too excited as Druig gave you a playful look.

"What is it?" he asked, almost chuckling from how you were looking like an ecstatic child.

"I have to show you," You replied, leaving it at that and seeing him give one of his rare smiles again.

There was a newspaper with the current world events that you grabbed when you were out in London on your travels, and lastly, some candy sweets that you discovered with Makkari out east. Although you knew he wasn't going to be too bored running a village out in the jungle, you still considered it a good gesture to find things to bring him.

Almost like an olive branch really.

The rest of your visit was catching up with Druig, just like when you came for the first time. There was always news that you would bring him about the rest of the Eternal Family, and he was willing to listen to all of the news you would give him. You never wanted it to sound like you were coaxing him to come back to the family, you tried so hard to not have it that way. Yet Druig never showed that on his end either, he rather enjoyed you telling him the news of the outside world.

You then pulled out a small bouquet of Lavender, tied in a brown string for Druig. He took with with amusement on his lips as you pointed to the purple flowers.

“They grow this out in the countryside in France,” you explained, “They’re supposedly good for honeybees, at least that’s what Sersi told me.”

“They’re lovely,” Druig hummed as he took in a small breath of the aroma.

“It’s my new favorite flower,” You said in agreement.

It was even enjoyable to see him try the treats that you got him, making you laugh when he would make a face after taking a bite. It was just like before, feeling some weight no longer on your shoulders as you talked for hours and hours on end. The longer you talked with each other and dove deeper into your friendship with one another, the more you felt yourself being wrapped around him and his soul like a vine.

Lastly, you gave him a copy of Metamorphoses from Shakespeare. Of course, he looked a bit skeptical about it when you placed the delicate book in his hands, but the look you were giving him was convincing enough for him to read it.

"It's really good," You said to him as he flickered through the pages, "And I think Kingo is his new favorite fan,"

Druig chuckled as he looked at you with a cocky grin, "That good huh?"

Once again, it was a bit sad to walk out of his village back to the very spot where you landed at the beginning of the day. You wished you had more time with him in the day to just be in the same as him, that feeling be bough of happiness and peace was something you wished you could bottle up and use from time to time. You didn't tell him, but the last decade or two was taking a toll on you with the family. Bitterness was amongst the group, almost like the bitterness of the world was seeping in with your family. No matter how much you tried to stay positive and happy, you could feel the dullness and ache of how the world was changing now going into your family.

"It's always good to see you," Druig said to him as you gave him one last hug. You smiled at him, saying nothing as you hugged him within your arms. The last thing you wanted to do was burden him with your own feelings since you were merely visiting. Yet when you pulled away from one another, you could see that he was sensing some of the hesitance on your face and in your eyes. It was almost on the tip of his tongue to say something, you read it in his blue eyes. But he said nothing, which might have been a good thing in the end. All you could do was grin at him, hoping not to make it worse.

"You too," You hummed.

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300 Years after Tenochtitlan

You had nowhere else to go, and the last thing you wanted was to be alone.

When you landed this time, your legs were shaky and your head was spinning out of control. This time when you came, it was late in the evening and the mood of the village was already low and at a simmer. You would always be excited when you teleport there, a family sense of joy would come in. Yet now, it was different and off. It felt like your escape, especially with what you went through.

You were standing still in the darkness and at the edge of the clearing, shaking a bit from how you found yourself there. In the past you would plan your trips to the Amazon, making sure you had everything ready before you teleported. But this time, this was an instinctual jump you did that you didn't think you would. One minute, you were with Ikaris, Sersi, and Ajak. Then the next minute, you were here.

You've always enjoyed coming to see Druig, coming every 50 years to keep him up to date with the tousled world and just catch up with him in general. Every time you came to see him, your friendship with him went deeper and bigger. By this point, you two knew each other beyond basic friendship. You knew every time you came to see him, you also were feeling things for Druig that you never thought you would. Visiting him made you giddy, almost like a young girl who was enraptured with a new love. Why would you think it would be love with Druig, of all people?

What in the hell happened?

"Hey!" You looked up, seeing none other than Druig near the water hole, pausing his movements from pulling out a bucket of water. He was perched up with one knee on the top and his other leg down, his stance looking loose and calm as he did before. He looked happy to see you as he went on, "You're coming here late—"

He paused, seeing how still you were and not walking over to hug him as you would plenty of times before. Maybe he sensed it where he was, how you were so stiff you could blow over in the wind. He dropped his bucket on the ground abruptly, sensing that something was off, really off with you. He walked over quickly, his eyes concerned on you and staying right on you while he made his way over to him.

"What happened, sparrow?" He asked you, sounding uneasy with you as he was close enough. Did he think you were attacked by a Deviant? Or maybe he thought someone else got hurt with the family. You would tell him anything and everything that was happening, so sudden news could change everything. Once he was close enough to see your face however, he abruptly stopped. His eyes went directly to the one thing that was on your face that stood out like a sore thumb. Inwardly, you thought the darkness was going to hide it, and you wanted to forget it. Yet the throbbing pain that was there against your skin, and the very recent memory of what did happen. You saw it in his face, how it went from gentle and concerned into hard and almost angry.

There was a massive cut on your jawline, a bruise blossoming there already along your skin.

"What is this?" He asked in a low tremor, almost trying to stop himself from getting angry in front of you. You shivered from a gust of wind that came through, but your face was drained as enough to show Druig that you were more wounded inwardly than outwardly, “Who did this to you?”

"There was a fight," you explained in a stammer, seeing Druig look from the cut over to you now as you found yourself rambling and spewing it all out in the open. Druig carefully reached down to place his hand on your arm and was watching you intensely as you kept going, "Ikaris and Sersi had a fight and split up! Ikaris snapped at Ajak for being too soft on the humans, and I was trying to defend her and I told Ikaris he was being mean. He…was so angry and I stopped him from lashing out at Ajak by hurting her. I got in the way and he--"

You stopped, not wanting to say the rest of him since he might have caught on. It all happened so quickly when the fight was happening, the loud voices and shouting matches that were being thrown between Ajak and Ikaris. Sersi crying from Ikaris breaking her heart, you were merely trying to stop a physical fight from breaking out in the end, it was all too much. Yet you got too close, shoving Ikaris back a bit too roughly when he was about to hit Ajak.

Closing your eyes, you felt like you were about to cry from going through all of this. You never thought you would feel the brokenness of the family you loved and cared for, seeing the cracked unearth getting bigger and deadlier. There was no way you could stop it yourself, all you could do was try to mend those cracks. Yet as time went on, you were getting exhausted in doing just that. Maybe you felt like you were being overlooked by the others since they too were changing with the world that getting grim and grey. But that fight was the tipping point.

"Hey, look at me," He said to you, making you look at him and see the pain there on his face. You didn't know if he was reading your mind then, or how he was hearing your voice and it sounded like you were about to break into a thousand pieces, but he looked so concerned for you there. Perhaps you saw a flicker of rage from seeing a wound on your face, but then again he was trying to hide it. A look you've never seen him give you personally before. He reached up and framed your face with his palm and fingers, almost making you lose your breath and forget about the fight for a fracture of a moment.

"Let's get it cleaned up, okay?" He calmly said to you, clearly showing his anger from seeing you with a nasty mark. You nodded, saying nothing but following Druig. For the first time that night, you feel a bit safer and calmer.

----------------------------

You sat on Druig's bed in his shack, sitting still as Druig created a healing paste with some herbs and ointments that his villagers used. Either of you said a word as he was making the paste and then placing it lightly over your wound, being gentle and moving smoothly so that he wouldn't spook you. As he was working, you were feeling drained from all that happened in the last hour or two. But somehow, being Druig in this place many times before and even now, you always felt safer here and more like yourself. There was no reservation with Druig, you would vent to him about something one of the others would say or do, ad Druig would listen. And to think that the roles were switched before when Druig would vent to you.

"I don't wanna go back," you muttered out loud as Druig's thumb with some of the paste touched the edge of your wound, making him pause in his gesture as he was looking from the wound to you and your eyes. You were staring off at the wall, the anxiety and pain you were feeling were now drained and evaporated into the air. You were sitting against the wall, your knees drawing to your chest as Druig was right next to you with his other hand holding the paste in a bowl, "I just need a break from them all,"

"You don't have to go back, you know," he reminded you calmly and soothingly, "I mean, you don't have to stay here permanently if you don't want to. You're always welcome to stay with me here in the village," He paused, almost flustered in what he just said as you finally looked over at him. You had to give him a tried smile, attempting to show that you listen though you felt your thoughts were too far away and too fractured.

"Can I at least stay for a few days?" You asked, almost meekly. Druig peered into your eyes and gave you one of the most beautiful smiles you have ever seen. You were sitting on his bed, nursing a massive wound on your cheek from stopping a deadly fight, and you were right next to someone whom you knew far better than you know yourself. Coming to Druig was almost like a vacation in a sense, your fears and worries weren't there in the jungle and all you did was smile and feel free. Was there some kind of magical spell under the trees that you felt every time you teleported there? Or was it the cool and demeaning Druig rubbing off on you?

"You can stay for however long you want," Druid reminded you, his voice soothing like the balm on your cheek, "You should know that by now after all these years. You don't have to ever ask, okay?"

You did know that. Deep down, you knew Druig would let you stay for however long you wanted. The friendship you both had was deep enough to know each other so closely and how the other functioned and how the other felt. You grinned at him, seeing that smile right back at you and the fluttering in your stomach.

---------------------

You spent at least 3 days straight there in Druig’s village.

Every day seemed long and languid as if time did slow down just for you. You would wake to the rays of the sun on your face, breathing in the crisp air into your lungs and the gentle sounds of the jungle animals waking up in the distance. It was almost like a pleasant dream, you fearing that at any moment you were going to wake up and be back with the group and the anxiety that was waiting for you there.

You never really got a chance to see how the village was looking when you arrived last minute the night before. So when you walked the grounds on the first morning, you were noticing the subtle changes and improvements that were there. You loved seeing the village population grow little by little when you would visit, and now there was a cluster of children that were running around and playing together. It warmed your heart to see this community thriving and growing in abundance, knowing Druig had something to do with it. You even giggled when you saw the cluster of children rushing over to Druig when he was out and about, tugging on his sleeves to get his attention and hear a story. He melted around the children, picking up a little boy in his arm and talking to them all with gentleness and sweetness on his tongue and lips.

That was the first sign that you felt something inside of you about Druig.

You saw his day-to-day work for the first time. When you would visit in the past, you would only stay for a few hours before you would leave. Now you had more time to watch him go out and about with the villagers: fixing up holes and patches in houses and talking amongst the elders to discuss any improvements that can take place. You wanted to help wherever you could, harvesting some of the crops that were readying for picking and tending to the infant goats that were just born a few days ago.

You even turned your necklace with the singular homing beacon bead that you wore into a bracelet to wear on your left wrist. Druig, seeing you lace the beads together on your bed that night with a needle and thick thread, took his own necklace off and handed it to you.

“I’ll match with you then,” he said in a shrug, though he grinned as he said it. So you made a identical black beaded bracelet for Druig, his homing device nestled there with the other black beads as it fitted snuggly around his wrist.

Druig also took your riding on the horses that they had, showing you a route that he would take from time to time on his own. Maybe he assumed it would be therapy for you, drinking in the slice amongst the greenery and vegetation while riding on a magnificent yet beautiful beast like a horse. It seemed so picturesque, riding next to Druig as the sun was setting over the same river you two would talk by. By the end of the day and eating dinner with the other villagers and hearing old stories and wide tales, Druig would walk to you the spare shack that he set aside just for you, telling you goodnight with an almost lingering stare, and he would walk back to his shack and living quarters.

Humans believed in heaven, and perhaps it was this place.

By the second day, your wound was becoming a sliver on your skin and the bruise was dying down. Such a blessing as it was that you were an Eternal and you could heal rather fast, and maybe it was the paste that Druig gave you to make it less of a scar and only a line. It was a sign of you changing for those days you were spending in the jungle, away from the chaos that was back at home. As much as you loved and cared for Ajak and Sersi, even Makkari and Phastos, you need space from them for a while and get your head back into a good space.

Druig always looked to where you were on the grounds, no matter if he was taking care of his people or setting the patrol around the perimeter, you could tell he was searching for you from wherever he was. It was rather nice to know that he was looking out for you, though you both know there was no real threat that could harm either one of you. Still, it was almost second nature for Druig to look out and take care of you.

That was the second sign: Druig wanting to protect you.

On the third day, all of that tension you were feeling and experiencing already melted away. You felt like a different person, easier in your stance and smiling much more. All you need was the space and the reset of your mind again. You had many reasons for this, but every time you tried to think of the right reason, it all lead back to Druig. Druig and his patience when you would air your grievances. Druig and his kindness towards you make your well-being a priority.

Lastly, Druig and his beautiful heart that you were slowly falling for.

You were out helping hang some of the fresh laundry on a clothesline with some of the villagers when Druig approached you with a pep in his step. He was almost glowing with a small smile on his face.

"Can I steal you away for a moment?" Druig asked, making you grin at him and nod as you both moved away from the clothesline slightly to have your private conversation.

"Is something wrong?" You asked him, seeing him shake his head.

"Nothing at all. I want to show you something before the sun goes down," he explained, having you grin at him. There was something he was hiding from you, you could sense it. But you decided to play along with his antics, not knowing what to expect from him and what he had planned for you. Although, you were a pinch excited, because all this time you were spending with him, all these moments together for the past two days, they were becoming sacred to you and making you feel a certain way about Druig.

Druig led you on a different path that you've never gone on before, not with him. You were about to get the horse that you would ride daily, but Druig insisted on taking just one horse. So you ended up behind Druig as he took you both, wrapping your arms around his waist and having it feel beyond natural to do so. This was a first: sharing a horse with Druig. The path he took you was almost different from the several other paths that you have taken before. Any other path you knew like second nature, the path that lead to the river, even the path that took you over to the ridge. Yet this path was different.

"Where are you taking me?" You asked to ask.

"It's a surprise of sorts," He replied over his shoulder at him as you rolled your eyes.

"I never knew you being one for surprises," You reminded him calmly, feeling the vibrations of his chuckle through your arm around your waist. He said nothing else, having you notice the path steering over to the left and showing a mass opening of what looked to be a meadow. You squinted from the blaring sun that suddenly shined through the area. You were almost dazed for a slight moment, but once your vision was back to normal, you breathed in a sweet smell of some sort.

Why were you smelling lavender?

Druig slowed the horse down to a stop, having your gaze go over his shoulder. You were frozen with what you saw, your mind was blank and almost going into pure shock as you saw a huge meadow stretching out in front of you. But it wasn't any other kind of meadow as Druig hopped down from the horse first. You were still looking at the heavenly picture in front of you, dazed and almost lost in words and description.

It was a massive lavender field.

The different shades of light purple were there in your eyesight, the sweet smell was present in every inhale that you took, and the gentle sound of each stem swaying in the wind filled your ears as you finally snapped out of it for a long moment to hop down from the horse. Druig was silent, watching your reaction as you were walking in a daze over to the field with a bewildered look in your eyes. There was nothing to be said, not then and there as you were seeing at least thousands upon thousands of lavenders tall and strong. You thought Heaven was what the village looked and felt like.

You were wrong, the lavender field in front fo you was heaven.

You walked amongst one row of the flower bushes, touching each flower delicately with your fingers and having a smile etched on your face. Your focus was on the flowers themeless, not hearing Druig following you carefully and gently with a tilt of his head.

"How did you get all of these?" You had to ask in amazement as you reached down to touch a smaller stem that was near your leg.

"You remember back when you brought me a batch of lavender from France?" he asked behind you, having you look over at him while you were still crouched down and having a hand against the flower. Seeing Druig watch you in a field of your favorite flower, a hint of fondness in his blue eyes, almost made your heart skip. You never saw him look like that at you before, and how he was looking at you at that moment, made your stomach do somersaults.

"I do," You hummed, seeing him nod slowly before he gestured to the whole area with his hand.

"This all came from that one batch you gave me," he explained, having you pause and stare at him in utter shock, "One of the elders showed me how to plant and harvest them. After the first batch, I planted some more right after. It turned into all of these flowers."

"it's been centuries since I gave you that batch," You commented as you got up slowly and looked around again, your breath lost in the beauty that was all around you in a 360-degree view. To think that this all came from one simple batch that you snagged. You only took the lavender to Druig to give him some kind of sense of what made you appreciate the outside, a small representation of what was in your heart perhaps. But seeing how it multiplied around you, growing and bursting in beauty and delicacy. It moved you, utterly moved you, that Druig did this all on his own.

Now you were seeing and feeling Druig in a new sense, almost in a new shade. Thinking of him almost was like feeling the sun against your skin after rainfall, or even breathing in the fresh rain against the freshly turned soil on the ground. You doubted your innocent love for him all this time, thinking it was just simple and silly feelings. But something else was happening to you as you were smiling in a daze amongst the flowers near your knees and legs.

You didn't realize Druig was walking to be right behind you, standing nearly behind you to have you feel the warmth of his skin against yours. You were standing still but almost saying, like the lavenders all around you as you then felt the gentles of touches against your bare arms. His fingers, rough and stained with centuries of working in the earth and against wood, were so gentle and fragile like you were the lavender yourself, barely caressing your skin on your arms then lower to your fingers and hands. You were feeling electricity, or that cosmic energy in you being amplified as he laced your fingers together as he was still behind you. It made you smile, truly smile, as you wanted to lean back in his embrace.

"I wanted to make this perfect for you," He said against your ear as you felt his breath tickle against your skin. Your body was moving before your brain, your hands and arms moving to have him wrap his arms around you from behind. You had no hesitance behind, not now seeing these flowers in front of you and having all this time with Druig throughout the years. Maybe he was silently telling you something, not using his words but by this beautiful gesture that were you witnessing. All you could do was accept it, not wanting to run or hide from it.

"This is beautiful, beyond perfect," You said to him in a murmur, feeling him press his head against your head behind as you kept talking, "All the times I came to see you, those times brought me peace and happiness. I think, in a way, being here with you saved me from going to a dark place,"

Of course, it sounded so pathetic to say it there with him holding you, in a field of flowers. But it was a fact: the contrast in how you were with Druig versus how you were with the other Eternals. When you were back with the others, you were almost getting the weight and pain of the world being pushed on your shoulders. The humans were hurting and hating each other more and more, and all you could do was be silent about it and let them murder each other and harm one another. It made you sick to your stomach, bringing that optimism that you used to have in the very beginning simmer and met away. You were a changed person, a darker person, as time went on.

But with Druig, you bounced back. It was simple and easy-going, it was gentle touches of the sun and the soothing rhythm of the day that made you remember simpler times with the humans that were around in the very early times of the planet. Druig's village brought back a soothing balm to your aching and depressed bones. You knew it was all because of Druig, and perhaps he sensed your almost spiral and was trying to get you out. He never said it, nor did you, but he felt it. You only said so much about how you were feeling and what was making you feel mellow and dull. He knew more than you, you then as he was holding you from behind and bringing you to center. You then realized.

All this time, he was your center.

"Every time you left, I would count down the days until I saw you again," Druig confessed to you, making you breathe in deeply as you were looking down at the laced fingers against your lower stomach, "You grew on me, every time you came to visit,"

"You grew on me too, Druig," You replied to him calmly, "I feel more at home here with you than anywhere else, on anything else,"

"I know it'll be selfish for me to tell you of this," Druig said to you in a mutter, sounding like he was about to second guess himself with what he was going to say to you, "But every time you leave, it's getting harder and harder for me to see you go,"

"I'm the same way," You confessed in a shaky tone, feeling your heart beating faster and faster as you two were sharing this moment.

"I want you to stay with me, here," Druig stated, having me pause in his hold. You've heard him tell you so many times that you were more than welcome to stay there with him for as long as you wanted, having you wonder if he would have offered the same thing to others too. Would he have said the same thing? Was it only going to be you? Were you thinking too much into this because of how deep your friendship was with him?

Finally, you turned in his hold to look at him directly in the eyes. The orange tint of the sun was hitting his skin and igniting his blue eyes, making you think of those beautiful renaissance pictures and portraits that you saw in the past. Druig was always beautiful, but now seeing him like this and being beyond vulnerable with you made him even more beautiful.

"It sounds horrible for me to want you to stay here with me," Druig reasoned, seeing that I wasn't saying anything to him in his statement a few seconds beforehand, "You probably have a life outside of here with Ajak and the rest of them, and I would only be holding you back by having you stay here—"

"Stop," You hushed him, seeing him close his mouth as you slowly shook your head at him. That hesitance was there in his eyes, almost second-guessing himself with what he was telling and confessing to you. Druig was never to be fully open and exposed constantly, he almost had to psyche himself up when it came to being exposed and vulnerable. Makkari helped him from time to time, and now you were helping him too. Yet thinking of not being near him, not having him around to light your life and bring you happiness again, it was a heartache you would never want.

You kissed him in the lavender field, finding it easy as breathing and calming like the wind. You both were holding each other gently and soothingly, nothing rush or desperate was needed at that moment when you held him in your arms. It was so easy to kiss him, almost organic as he kissed you back softly and with fragility. You had about 400 years of meeting him in secret, it felt like a secret in all honesty, to grow this love you had for him. Your souls belong to each other at that point, and when he pressed one last kiss into your lips with his fingers in your hair and your own touching his hips to keep him, you felt more at home than you ever did before.

"You are my home," you whispered against his lips as still stayed so close to him, "You've been my home since I first came here all those years ago, Druig. I don't ever want to be away from you, okay? Just you and me, always."

You were sealing it with a promise for him, telling him that you were willing to leave the others behind to just have him. It sounded easy for you, but by the way he was watching you and holding you close, you could see it was affecting him more. His eyes were starting to water, letting your statement that you told Druig to sink into him and be real for him to digest. Perhaps he was afraid you were going to run away from him, from this home he made.

As the sun stetted on the both of you embraced in the lavender field that Druig created to show his love for you, your heart never felt fuller and safer. You kissed away every tear that fell from his eyes, tracing away the sadness and relief he was experiencing to replaced it with your love and affection for him. You knew he was feeling alone for so long, helping the villagers with all he had and getting nothing back in return.

He didn’t have to ask, but you were going to pour back into him with everything you had.

The End

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A/N: And I am DONE! PHEW! Thanks for reading!

This lovely piece of art is by the lovely and talented @saradika ! Go follow her and see all her wonderful art!

#druig #druig x reader #eternals fanfiction #eternals fan writing #druig fanfiction #barry keoghan writing #barry keoghan fanfic #barry keoghan #SoundCloud #fanfiction #writing #mcu fandom #mcu writing #mcu fanfiction #marvel cinematic universe #marvels eternals #marvel cinematic universe fanfiction #mcu

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my-least-favorite-savior · 4 years ago

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“My ambitions and the path laid before me are not always congruent, Bren.” -Astrid Beck, c2e110.

Let’s talk about Astrid and Eadwulf, what they were doing in Nicodranas, and why I have a theory that they are in immediate danger and neither they nor Caleb have realized it yet.

There have been implications sprinkled throughout their episodes that Astrid and Eadwulf have been slowly getting things in place to eliminate Ikithon since before Caleb/Bren was even officially back in the picture.

First, I want to draw attention to the fact that Astrid did not seem to expect Caleb/Bren to return. She expressed surprise that Caleb/Bren has recovered as fully as he has; that seems to have been beyond what she hoped for while he was in the sanitarium. Whatever plans she was making prior to receiving that letter, she was making them under the assumption that Bren was gone for good.

She says something in that meeting that makes Caleb assume she is planning to take Trent’s seat. If I had to guess, the comment that tipped him off to that was “I understand your anger. And as much as he’s been our teacher, he’s not infallible. He’s just an old man, with the right connections, who will one day pass, like they all do.”

Now, these are very carefully chosen words. Astrid is not the sort of person who is going to come right out and admit to plotting against her mentor. But Caleb heard something more in them...

In c2e110, Caleb asks Astrid and Eadwulf if they support “mangl[ing] more children to feed the fields of Wynandir.” He is speaking directly to Wulf when he asks his question. He is looking at Wulf when he asks this question.

Wulf says nothing and looks to Astrid to answer for them both. I find that extremely revealing about the power dynamic between them, and it’s an indication that Wulf is already envisioning a future where he’d be following Astrid’s lead on these things.

Astrid’s initial response is that if Caleb were to supplant Trent, they would, of course, follow Caleb’s lead. This is a safe answer. Ikithon expects Caleb to plot to kill him. He may even want that.

But Caleb pushes, and says that when he last spoke to Astrid, she seemed to be preparing to take over Trent’s seat on the Assembly. Astrid gives several indications that he needs to Stop Talking About That, which imo is as good as a confession. If you don’t agree, her actual confession is in bold above.

Trent laughs it off, there at the dinner table, and basically says that he assumes that everyone close to him is plotting to kill him. The implication is supposed to be that Astrid is off the hook.

But come on, people. Come on. Astrid was never off the hook. If Trent wasn’t [uniquely] suspicious of her before that, he certainly was afterwards. It should have been extremely obvious to Trent as of c2e110 that Astrid was plotting against him. Based on what Caleb said about Astrid reminding Trent of himself, I doubt this realization surprised him.

“I struggle with trust and I want very much to trust you. I think we both know that’s not entirely possible.” -Caleb Widogast, c2e126.

When Caleb meets Astrid at the dance hall, he immediately asks her if everything has been okay since he left. Her response is “They’ve been interesting,” which I’m pretty sure means “Bad,” in coded spy language. I bring that up because I think it helps account for her crying after she left the dance hall. She didn’t go back to her house on Ikithon’s estate to cry, even though my general experience is that most people would prefer to cry in their own homes rather than in public; she headed down a random alleyway and collapsed just long enough to pull herself back together. It wasn’t just Bren she was hiding those tears from. Obviously, she was hiding them from one group to avoid arousing suspicion and from the other group to save face. But there were two groups she was hiding from.

Let’s assume positive intent from Astrid. Astrid had nothing to gain from leading the Nein into a trap. She’s made it clear that she sees Caleb as a competitor, but right now, Caleb is more of an ally than a threat to her, even before we touch on her personal feelings for Bren. The only circumstance where it makes sense for Astrid to be knowingly leading the Nein into a trap is if Trent was behind it, and Astrid was simply the bait.

That doesn’t make sense. How could Trent possibly have known that the Nein were going to end up in the situation they ended up in with Lucien and reach out to Astrid for help? Trent could not possibly have planned this plan, because it depends on things that are completely out of Trent’s control and that Trent could not possibly have known about. Trent cannot be involved at this stage, therefore it is just Astrid. Astrid has nothing to gain from handing Caleb over to Trent. (She does have a great deal to gain from Caleb killing Trent, though, which would explain why she encouraged him to do so.)

So Astrid gets them the maps and the location of the amulets in good faith. She tells them Trent won’t be there in good faith. Maybe Trent showing up is a coincidence, or maybe Trent was already watching Astrid very closely and he knew something was up.

Maybe it wasn’t such a surprise to see Bren standing there. Maybe he chuckles about the tragic love story these two must think they live in.

Trent is in an interesting position, now. He knows what Astrid has done, but Astrid doesn’t know he knows. Astrid might be his most promising lead on Bren. Why show his hand now just because Astrid and Bren have shown theirs?

Trent is concerned too, about Eadwulf. How could he not be? If 2/3 are plotting against you, you put the third through at least a basic loyalty test. Like sending him to hunt his old friend.

Astrid has to go too, of course. This is Trent’s plot, and this time, Astrid is the bait.

It’s not Caleb, but Eadwulf, who takes the bait, hook and all. Eadwulf fails his loyalty test. Astrid failed hers before they left. They run to warn Bren. Astrid admits to her involvement in the Vergessen break-in right in front of Eadwulf. It should be very clear to the audience whose side Eadwulf is on, at this point. (It isn’t Trent’s.) It is almost certainly clear to Trent as well.

It doesn’t make sense for Trent to have sent them to the Chateau. Trent gained nothing from that. If their orders were to get Bren to talk, they would not have left without speaking directly to Bren. If their orders were to capture or kill the Nein, they could easily have picked them off one-by-one, rather than… speaking to them calmly and leaving without doing that. Telling the Nein that the Vollstruckers are there and that the Nein and their families should leave immediately is also an interesting move if they were there on Trent’s orders. Giving up the element of surprise and inviting your prey to escape is... an odd choice, unless you actually want them to escape. So is allowing them to escape.

Now, let’s talk about Trent showing up.

One of two things happened: Either Astrid and Eadwulf lied to the Nein, or Trent lied to Astrid and Eadwulf. It does not make sense for Astrid and Eadwulf to have lied. Neither they nor Trent had anything to gain from them telling that lie to Bren. They had already given up the element of surprise.

So Trent lied to Astrid and Eadwulf. Which brings us back to my theory that this was a loyalty test, which Eadwulf failed and Astrid pre-failed.

Why bring them to Yussa’s tower? Because the alternative was to call them out then and there, which would guarantee that at least one of them got away. He couldn’t possibly go after Bren and contain Astrid and Eadwulf at the same time. It was much easier to chase the one who was running and let the other two follow along willingly, for now. If Bren got away, well, there were ways of luring him back, especially while he still had Astrid and Eadwulf.

Astrid and Eadwulf don’t want to fight Trent right now. There are too many pieces that aren’t where Astrid would like them. They can’t out-right attack Trent, either. Even in their world, that’s a felony. I think in all the talk of assassinating an Archmage of the Cerberus Assembly, we’ve forgotten that you can’t just assassinate an Archmage of the Cerberus Assembly. It is both extremely difficult and you are not allowed. You can’t just--

I think Astrid and Eadwulf are in more danger than they realize.

Disclaimer: Analysis of an evolving story is always a difficult thing, because one is necessarily looking at an incomplete puzzle. This is a THEORY, and it is possible that, as often happens to theories, new evidence will arise later and disprove it.

#long post #Critical Role #Caleb Widogast #Astrid Beck #Eadwulf Grieve #Trent Ikithon #Bren Aldric Ermendrud #spoilers #Critical Role spoilers #c2e129 #abuse

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just-dreaming-marvel · 4 years ago

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Out Of Time ~ 128

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 3,500ish

Summary: Tony works to save Dr. Strange and Y/N. The fugitive Avengers find their way to the compound. (gifs aren’t mine)

As the alien started guiding the piece of pavement towards the giant circular ship, the cloak that was around Strange tore itself free and flew the piece of pavement away.

“No!” The alien yelled, following after it.

Iron Man and Spider-Man were both fighting off the large alien in the nearby park Tony had crashed into, when the pavement piece flew passed. All Tony could see was the cloak and the alien following, so he knew it was Strange and that he was in trouble.

“Kid, that’s wizard,” Tony told Peter, blocking an attack. “Get on it.”

“On it!” Peter replied, quickly swinging in that direction.

Spider-Man chased after the skinny alien, who was floating speedily and upright on a small platform of burbling debris. Swinging in between the pavement and the alien, Peter tried to tie up the alien. The alien attacked back, throwing a billboard at Spider-Man.

“Not cool!” Peter responded.

The alien bent all the utility poles in the path of the feeing clock, finally snagging the garment and ripping it loose of the pavement. Spider-Man re-arrived on the scene, finally noticing something.

“Uh, Mr. Stark? We have a problem,” Peter’s nervous voice rang over the comms.

“What is is kid?” Tony replied, still fighting off the larger alien. “I’m kinda in the middle—“

“Both the wizard and Miss Rogers are unconscious on the floating piece of road.”

“What?! I’ll be right there!”

Peter swung down to the pavement and stood on it, careful to not step on Strange or Y/N. Bending down, he went to break Y/N free when a cone of blue light began to pull the group upwards. Spider-Man jumped off, grabbing onto the nearest light post while using his webbing to try and keep the piece of pavement in place. The alien quickly uprooted the light post, sending Dr. Strange, the cloak, Y/N, and Peter on their way to the circular ship.

“Uhhh, Mr. Stark?” Peter called again. “I’m being beamed up!”

“Hang on, kid!” Tony responded.

Before Tony could fly over there, the giant alien he was fighting pinned Tony to the ground by his hammer that doubled as a claw. As the giant jumped towards Iron Man, blades ready to end the fight, he was sent through a portal instead. The alien turned and leaped to return back through the portal, but Wong rapidly closed it and only the giant’s severed hand made its way back to the park. Bruce kicked the hand way with a noise of disgust. Iron Man then shook himself free of the weapon.

“Wong, you’re invited to my future wedding!” Tony exclaimed before beginning to fly towards the large ship. “Give me a little juice, FRIDAY.”

Iron Man’s foot thrusters suddenly morphed together into a single larger thruster, increasing his speed considerably.

Peter, not being able to keep hold of the pavement piece, was hanging onto the ship as it flew up into space. The alien and the piece of pavement with Strange and Y/N on it, had disappeared into the ship. Tony knew that Peter wasn’t going to be able to hold on or breathe for much longer.

“Unlock 17-A,” Tony ordered FRIDAY. “Pete, you gotta let go. I’m gonna catch you.”

“But you said save the wizard!” Peter responded. Gasping from lack of oxygen, Peter ripped off his mask. “I can’t breathe!”

“You’re too high up. You’re running out of air.”

“Yeah! That makes sense.”

Quickly, Peter passed out, free-falling, but not before the pod Tony had set out reached him. It attached itself to him, becoming a new suit. Now being able to breathe, Spider-Man landed on the bottom part of the ship.

“Mr. Stark, it smells like a new car in here!” Peter commented.

“Happy trails, kid,” Tony replied. “FRIDAY, send him home.”

“Yep,” FRIDAY answered.

A large parachute extended from the new Spider-Man suit, spending him back towards earth.

“Oh, come on!” Peter shouted.

Iron Man latched onto the hull and cut a hole to board the ship, looking for wherever Strange and Y/N were taken.

“Boss, I have lifeforms detected in the ship,” FRIDAY informed. “One of them is most likely Agent Rogers.”

“Can you tell me if she’s breathing?”

A pause. “It appears she is.”

“Okay… I need you to—“

“I’m sorry, Boss, but we seem to be losing connection. We’re too far away from—“ Then FRIDAY”s line cut.

~~~

“Still no word from Vision?” The holographic image of Secretary Ross asked Rhodey. Rhodey was at the compound, dealing with the red tape.

“Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh,” Rhodey replied.

“On a stolen Quinjet with four of the world's most wanted criminals.”

“You know they're only criminals because you've chosen to call them that, right, sir?”

“My God, Rhodes, your talent for horseshit rivals my own.”

“If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here.”

“I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel.”

“That's right. And I'm pretty sure I've paid for that.”

“You have second thoughts?”

“Not anymore.”

Suddenly, the fugitive Avengers (Sam, Wanda, Nat, and Steve) entered the room. Vision was being supported by Sam.

“Mr. Secretary,” Steve greeted, firmly.

“You got some nerve,” Ross said, hologram walking up to the Captain. “I’ll give you that.”

“You could use some of that right now,” Natasha replied.

“The world's on fire. And you think, all is forgiven?”

“I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission,” Steve stated. “Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight.” He took a step towards the hologram. “And if you wanna stand in our way… we’ll fight you too.”

Ross turned to Rhodes. “Arrest them.”

“All over it,” Rhodey responded before swiping off the hologram. “That’s a court-martial. It’s great to see you, Cap.”

The two men hugged. “You too, Rhodey,” Steve responded before Natasha went to hug Rhodey.

“Well. You guys really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years.”

“Yeah, well, the hotels weren’t exactly five star,” Sam commented.

“Uh, I think you look great,” Bruce nervously walked in from the opposite end of the room. “Uh… heh… Yeah. I’m back.”

“Hi, Bruce,” Nat greeted softly.

“Nat.”

“This is awkward,” Sam whispered.

Steve looked around. “Has anyone heard from Y/N?” He asked. “She’d want to know—“

“She’s missing too, Steve,” Bruce interrupted. “When I found Tony to get his help, Y/N was with him.”

“She was… she was with him? But Y/N’s a fugitive as well. How—“

“Mr. Stark and Miss Rogers have been sneaking around,” Vision cut Steve off.

“What?!” Steve and Rhodey exclaimed.

“It’s been happening for about a year now.”

“Miss Rogers has been seeing Boss and Sergeant Barnes,” FRIDAY clarified. “Trying to work through her feelings.”

“Thats… and she never…” Steve was at a loss for words.

“You didn’t try to reach out to her either, Cap,” Sam said. “You even knew she was staying in Wakanda. T’Challa told you. And you refused to reach out.”

“What happened?” Steve asked, looking at Bruce.

“She got captured,” Bruce explained. “Tony went after the ship to protect her and the Time Stone.”

“Why don’t we take this into the other room?” Rhodey suggested. “Perhaps get you guys something to drink.”

They went into the next room over, each standing or sitting around the room. Bruce explained more of what happened and the other group explained what happened to them.

“So we gotta assume they’re coming back, right?” Rhodey questioned.

“And they can clearly find us,” Wanda added.

“We need all hands on deck,” Bruce stated. “Where’s Clint?”

“After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal,” Nat answered. “It was too tough on their families, they're on house arrest.”

“Who’s Scott?”

“Ant-Man,” Steve replied.

“There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man? Okay, look… Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he... he gets... Vision's Stone.”

“Well then, we have to protect it,” Nat stated.

“No, we have to destroy it,” Vision said. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps… its molecular integrity could fail.”

“And you, with it,” Wanda said. “We’re not having this conversation.”

“Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it.”

“That’s too high a price.”

Vision took Wanda’s face gently with both hands. “With Y/N off world, only you have the power to pay it.” Wanda walked away, distressed. “Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him.”

“But it should,” Steve said, looking at Vision. “We don’t trade lives, Vision.”

“Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?”

“Because you might have a choice,” Bruce suggested. “Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another.”

“You’re saying Vision isn’t just the Stone?” Wanda asked.

“I'm saying that if we take out the Stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts.”

“Can we do that?” Nat wondered.

“Not me. Not here.”

“You better find someone, and somewhere fast,” Rhodey said. “Ross isn't exactly just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back.”

“I know somewhere,” Steve stated. “Wakanda. But someone first has to explain how Y/N has anything to do with the Stone.”

“70 years ago, the Tesseract chose her to be the protector of the Stones,” Vision explained, knowing the story due to housing the Mind Stone in his head. “That’s how she survived the fall. The Tesseract holds the Space Stone. Her powers come for each of the Stones, so she has the power to destroy the Stones, by channeling them. Y/N is able to wield and control the all the Stones.”

“What I showed her…” Wanda said quietly. “It was the Stone… Y/N’s the key to stopping Thanos.”

~~~

T’Challa already knew Y/N was missing before Steve had contacted him. With Okoye and two other guards, he made his way to Bucky’s place. Bucky was throwing bags onto a partly-filled car, being watched by two village children.

“You’ll have the Kingsgaurd, and the Dora Milaje have been alerted,” Okoye told T’Challa as they made their way towards Bucky’s small hut.

“And the Border Tribe?” T’Challa wondered.

“Those that are left.”

“Send word to the Jabari as well. M’Baku likes a good fight.”

“And what of this one?” Okoye looked at Bucky, just down the hill.

“This one may be tired of war. But the White Wolf has rested long enough.”

They made their way to Bucky. The guards set an elaborate and high-tech looking case down on the cart. They opened the lid to reveal the black and gold vibranium arm that Bucky had worn on Valentine’s Day.

Bucky sighed. “Where’s the fight?” He asked.

“On its way,” T’Challa answered. “And, Barnes…” The King glanced over at Okoye. “There’s something else. It’s about Y/N.”

Bucky was immediately alert. “What is it?”

“She’s missing.”

~~~

Dr. Strange was floating horizontally, face down, surrounded by dozens of long, glassy needles, as the alien interrogated him. Y/N was still unconscious, tied to the pavement off to the side.

“In all the time I’ve served Thanos, I’ve never failed him,” the alien told Dr. Strange. “If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating person, there would be... judgement.” The needles began to contact Dr. Strange’s face, causing pain. “Give me… the Stone.”

Tony was watching, hiding from above. After receiving a tap on the arm, Tony turned around, hand up and ready to shoot. Tony stood stand after seeing that it was the cloak.

“Wow, you’re a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren’t you?” Tony commented.

“Yeah, un speaking of loyalty…”

Tony and the cloak turn, completely shocked, to see Peter dropping down from above.

“What the—“

“I know what you’re gonna say,” Peter interrupted, holding his hands out.

“You should not be here,” Tony stated.

“I was gonna go home—“

“I don’t wanna hear it.”

“But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you and Y/N on the way—”

“And now I gotta hear it.”

“—and I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way. So if anything, it’s kinda your fault that I’m here.”

Both the cloak and Tony looked shocked, again. “What did you just say?”

“I take that back. And now I’m here in space.”

“Yeah.” Tony went to stand right in front of Peter. “Right where I don’t want you to be. This isn’t Coney Island. This isn't a field trip. It's a one-way ticket. You hear me? Don't pretend like you thought this through. You could not have possibly thought this through.”

"No. I did think this through.”

“You could not have possibly thought this through.”

“It's just .. you can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood.” Peter waited to get something from Tony, but nothing. “Okay. That didn't really make any sense, but you know what I'm trying to say.”

Tony let out a shaky breath. “Come on. We got a situation.”

Tony led Peter over to where they could see Dr. Strange, Y/N, and the alien. Peter crouched down to study the situation and the cloak leaned over his shoulder.

“See him down there?” Tony pointed to Dr. Strange. “He’s in trouble. And Y/N laying over there as well. What’s your plan? Go.”

“Um. Okay, okay… uh…” Peter stuttered, trying to think. He and the cloak popped back upright. “Okay. Did you ever see this really old movie, Aliens?”

~~~

Meanwhile, the Stones were talking to an unconscious Y/N.

“You can’t stop what’s coming… it will come, no matter what. You are being saved for the final battle… we will stop you from doing anything to prevent what needs to happen. What’s supposed to happen… someday, you will understand. There are things meant to be learned, things meant to happen, that we will not let you stop… use your powers wisely.”

She gasped quietly, waking up. Y/N quickly studied her surroundings. She could feel the Time Stone close before she noticed the predicament Dr. Strange was in. The glass spikes were pressing into Strange’s skin, causing him to let out a groan.

“Painful, aren’t they?” The alien taunted. Ebony Maw, the name was, Y/N finally getting inside his head. “They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them—“

There was a thump behind Maw, he turned to see Iron Man standing there. Tony’s hand repulsers were ready to fire. Y/N closed her eyes and focused on getting out of the utility ropes without making a big scene.

“—could end your friend’s life in an instant,” Maw continued.

“I gotta tell you, he’s not really my friend,” Tony responded. “Saving his life is more a professional courtesy.”

“Ah, yes. It’s the girl you’re really after.” Maw walked slowly towards Iron Man, beckoning very large metal objects to float behind him. “Too bad you’ve saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.”

“Yeah, but the kid’s seen more movies.”

Iron Man fired a rocket from his shoulder which pierces the side of the ship to Maw’s right and began to suck everything out with depressurization, including Y/N. She quickly portaled herself to behind Tony, relieving herself from the binds. Maw was sucked out into space quickly. Dr. Strange was pulled loose of his bindings and the needles, also heading for the hole. The cloak quickly wrapped around Dr. Strange, trying to keep him inside. Strange and the cloak lost their grip, but Spider-Man shot a web strand, holding him in place. Or trying to.

The web broke, sending both Strange and Peter towards space. Suddenly, Peter’s suit releases metal spider-like arms, keeping him from being sucked out. Y/N quickly portaled Strange behind her.

“Yes!” Peter shouted, looking at the metal arms. “Wait, what are those?!”

Using the metal arms, Peter leaped to get to a safer place. Tony quickly sprayed nano-particles onto the hole to plug it. Spider-Man landed on his new legs, quickly retracted them. He found the cloak hovering next to him.

“Hey, we haven’t officially met,” Peter said, offering the cloak his hand. It ignored it, going straight to Strange. “Cool.”

Tony’s suit quickly disappeared back into the arc reactor as he rushed to Y/N. He grabbed onto her arms, examining her body for any injuries.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” He asked. Tony’s hands found a place on her cheeks. “Tell me you’re—“

“I’m fine, Tony,” she responded. “I’m fine.”

He gave her a kiss before pulling her in for a hug. “I was so worried.”

“I’m fine.” She hugged him back, breathing him in. “I’m fine.”

“We’ve gotta turn this ship around,” Strange stated.

“Yeah. Now he wants to run,” Tony replied. “Great plan.”

“No, I want to protect the Stone.”

Tony walked towards the front window, showing that they were speeding. “And I want you to thank me now. Go ahead, I’m listening.”

“For what? Nearly blasting me into space?”

“Who just saved your magical ass? Me.”

“Technically it was me,” Y/N added.

“I seriously don’t know how you fit your head into that helmet,” Strange scoffed.

“Admit it. You should have ducked out when I told you to,” Tony continued. “I tried to bench you. You refused.”

“I tried to bench your girlfriend, yet she refused as well. And, unlike everyone else in your life, I don’t work for you.”

“And due to that fact, we’re now in a flying doughnut billions of miles away from Earth with no backup.”

“I’m backup,” Peter said, raising his hand.

“No. You’re a stowaway.” Tony pointed his finger between himself and Strange. “The adults are talking.”

“I’m sorry, I’m confused as to the relationship here,” Strange said. “Wh—what is he, your ward?”

“No,” Peter responded. “I’m Peter, by the way.”

“Dr. Strange.”

“Oh, we're using our made-up names. Um... I'm Spider-Man, then."

“Peter,” Y/N muttered, rolling her eyes.

“This ship is self-correcting its course,” Tony stated. “Thing’s on autopilot.”

“Can we control it?” Strange asked, walking closer to Tony. “Fly us home.”

Tony, looking out in space, was lost in bad memories. Of going through the portal, of what Wanda showed him.

“Tony?” Y/N called softly, stepping towards him. She was concerned.

“Yeah?” He responded. He met her gaze briefly, quickly looking away cause it was not the time for him to be freaking out or for her to be reading him.

“Can you get us home?” Strange asked.

“Yeah. I heard you. I’m thinking… I’m not so sure we should.”

“What?” Y/N questioned. “Why?”

“Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos,” Strange stated. “I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here.”

Tony talked over to Strange. “No. It's you who doesn't understand, that Thanos has been inside my head for six years since he sent an army to New York and now he's back! And I don't know what to do. Because I am not sacrificing Y/N for the sake of the universe, for whatever the Stones have told her is her destiny. So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his but you saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him. Doctor. Do you concur?”

Strange was silent for a moment. “Alright, Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand... if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone... I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it.”

“Nice. Good. Moral compass. We're straight.” Tony stepped over to Peter, formally tapping each of Peter’s shoulders. “Alright kid. You’re an Avenger now.”

“You skipped me,” Y/N said, walking up to Strange.

“Excuse me?” He questioned.

“You said that if it came between saving Tony, Peter, or the Time Stone, that you’d choose the Time Stone… but what about me?”

“You and I both know, Y/N, that the Stones will not let you die until you have completed what they need you for. No matter what that may be.”

next chapter >

PLEASE FILL FREE TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND THEORIES!

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE QUESTIONS AND ONESHOTS ON THE MASTERLIST. MANY OF YOU HAVEN’T CHECKED OUT VALENTINE’S DAY, I SUGGEST YOU DO!

NOTES: from now on the taglist when be added by a reblog. I will reblog it using my second account, @just-dreaming-marvel-2. Just so that my main page doesn’t get too cluttered.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.

#tony stark x reader #bucky barnes x reader #stephen strange x reader #steve rogers x reader #the avengers x reader #avengers x reader #marvel x reader #tony stark imagine #bucky barnes imagine #marvel imagine #marvel imagines #iron man x reader #peter parker x reader #Avengers infinity war #infinity war #the infinity stones

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milkacchan · 4 years ago

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Request for anon: Can I have Present mic, Aizawa, and all might where they learn their young student is fatherless? Like... their father walked out/went to prison when they were young. I'm sorry if this is time consuming, but I can't stop sobbing over my father.

I'm the situation baby but remember it wasn't your fault

I changed it up a little bit with Mics- I hope you don't mind

Present Mic:

• from the getgo something was wrong

• The moment you walked into class he could tell

• You looked like shit

• Dark bags under your eyes, hair messily brushed, just to get it out if your face, and your eyes were a light red.

• You didn't look particularly happy to be there either

• something turns in his stomach, a gut feeling that something really had went down

• And he hated seeing his students upset

• but he was relatively close to you to begin with, his felt different

• He felt like he had to do something

• Everyone settled into their seats as the bull rung but his eyes remained on you

• You honestly didn't pay attention during the lesson

• He could tell as much

• class finishes and the bell rings but you sit still, and it's not until most of the students have trickled out of the room do you start packing up

• He walks over and kneels in front of the desk "You okay there? You don't look so good," he looks concerned and his heart drops when he sees your lip start to quiver

• It takes you 0.27 seconds to break and you're frantically wiping your eyes as sobs wrack your body

• He's got his arms wrapped around you in seconds and you're leaning into his shoulder.

• He isn't sure exactly how long you're crying for but eventually you calm down enough to get out a coherent sentence

• "My-My dad was arrested Friday night. He won't tell me why- he won't let anyone else tell me why and I don't know what else to do," you cry, "I miss him so much and its only been a few days- I don't- I don't have anyone else, Mr. Hazashi,"

• And you're crying again.

• He has you take the rest of the day off, in fact he takes the day with you

• He calls in a sub (you don't know what strings he had to pull for that but you don't ask, at this point you don't care) and you two dip

• He takes you to get food, real food, that'll make you feel better

• He knows that'll help a little

• and after that he takes you to get something sweet- that tends to help mood and blood pressure and anxiety

• So he does his best with you

• He nutures you the best way he knows how

• if you need anything and I mean ANYTHING this man has you covered

• He does his best to step up in any way he can

• first off he extends his assignment deadlines and cancels two tests. Who needs them anyway.

• And you eat lunch in his classroom because he can well tell you don't want to talk to anyone else right now

• He closes it off (seemingly) so in reality its just you and him

• He'll probably tell Aizawa too but on the downlow (just so he knows)

• When holidays roll around, the dorms close.

• In this case- he let's you stay with him. He has an extra bedroom. He doesn't want you to stay in an empty house.

• You also get his phone number (which you gladly use) for anything really

• Bored? He'll deliver some shitty puns.

• Confused about homework? Text him.

• having a mental breakdown? He's got you covered.

• You got memes? Please for the love of God send them to him.

• The dynamic eventually shifts to a VERY father daughter relationship.

• He knows he'll never replace your dad. He understands that wholeheartedly, but he wants you to have someone

• He actually gets a letter from your dad, thanking him for taking care of you

• but he really doesn't mind

Aizawa:

• He had a feeling that there was something going on at home. Or rather, a lack of something.

• He's dealt with it in the oast- with himself and with past students and current ones

• Shinsou

• I mean, aside from that fact whenever parents were mentioned, you'd either stiffen up or wrinkle your nose

• You didn't really like the subject of parents

• There was an essay prompt about parents (nothing too personal) nd you ended up writing it on the extinction of dinosaurs and why God fucked up instead

"It'd be absolutely stellar to see huge lizards roaming the earth and occasionally stepping on people, you know? Jurassic park was onto something."

• Man's couldn't even fail you on it because it was written v well

• Anyway, he doesn't pry too much. He just silently figures it out by process if elimination and pattern.

• He doesn't really care too much

• In the sense if it doesn't define you and he doesn't help you because he pities you

• he helps you because he seems potential

• He takes you under his wing with shinsou

• Yall spend a whole summer training

• And that's when it all came out

• It was an accident really.

• Shinsou was tired, exhausted really

• and when people get tired- that tired- sometimes they spout random shot they wouldn't usually say

• and thats what he did

• he went on about his home life

• and if he could, you could too right?? You could trust them.

• "My dad walked out when I was a kid. Little, like 3. I have a few pictures of him holding me, but I guess it wasn't enough. I don't have any desire to meet him. Not anymore. But it left me feeling like I did something wrong? I guess? Which I suppose is why I train. Because then I feel strong. Which is a good difference from how it usually feels."

• He knew it.

• He called it.

• He was right again.

• He reassures you that you are good enough, strong enough, and his decision to leave had nothing to do with you

• and when he saw you give him a soft smile, he warmed.

• I mean really, it only goes up from there

• he'll deny it, or grumble under his breath, but he seems you two as his own

• Like these aren't my kids but they are my kids

• When dorms close on holiday yall get to stay because that's where he lives too

• Like if you chose too

• he's not gonna force you to stay but if you don't want to go home, you don't have too

• He has that power

• He will buy you food

• all you gotta do is ask

• and he'll roll his eyes and grumble something he doesn't really mean, just secretly happy that you feel comfortable enough around him to ask for something

• lmao family group chat

S: 'Hey Mr. Aizawa I found this cat. Hold on lemme send a pic'

A: 'Dont need a pic. Bring him home'

Y: 'What if he's ugly??'

A: 'gremlin. Bring him home.'

Y: 'Hey I saw this tweet that said 'kids be like watch this and do a half roundhouse spin kick clap and waste my fucking time' and it make me think of you.'

S: @ mr. Aizawa when he has to watch deku do sumn

Y: Lmaoooo like when he threw the baseball

S: LMAOO

A: Me watching you too try to figure out how to beat me in training

Y: Yikes bro

S: That was a rough one

• Does he regret giving you and shinsou his number??

• Maybe

• Not really

• Lmao super secret lunch movie days

• Every week on wendesday yall watch a movie. Usually it takes 2 or 3 days to watch the movie since lunch is only 70 minutes

• @ you accidently calling him dad one day and shinsou snickering but it stuck

• dadzawa lmaoo

Allmight:

• Man's has 2 underlings.

• You and Deku.

• Picked you up when he started teaching at UA

• Ion know let's say one day you popped off bc he said some dumb shit and you were like no sir that's clearly wrong

• schooled him in his own damn subject

• the other kids were like 😳

• what the fuck

• Anyway

• He see's you have potential

• And though he's not the best teacher, you seem to respond better to the way HE was taught

• So tbh its easier to teach you

• 'okay, now I want you to beat the shot out if that wall,'

'Okay lmao bet'

• Midoriya is like, hey mayhaps we should analyze the situation

• N ur like noe

• You just don't give a fuck

• about anything really

• other than moving up the ranks

• But even then- its not a super super big deal, you're just gonna do your best but you aren't gonna stress

• However he noticed a pattern w you (even before Midoryia brought it up to him)

• You don't let anyone in

• Midoryia knows a bit more than the other students but that's really only because he's always with you

• a good majority of the week he's w you

• but its not really a deep connection

• you don't rely on either of them

• You do your best to do things on your own.

• He knows midoryias life story

• he knows why he acts the way he does

• but he doesn't know why you do

• he has a gut feeling it could be the same as midoryia

• I mean he already had one kid who's dad dipped

• he'll surely be able to figure out you too??

• So he makes himself a promise that he'll figure it out and he'll become someone you trust

• And he does just that

• When you tell him about your nightmare of a family history he's like mm, makes sense

• but he's happy that you trust him!!!

• He's a BIG suckered for movie nights

• he's got popcorn, snacks, candy, chocolate, soda- he's prepared

• list of movies lined out all ready

• I lowkey feel like he'd be into lord of the rings or fast n furious

• fast n furious at LEAST

• He's really into American action movies

• and he has no problem sharing those movies with you

• he doesn't have a whole ton of money, like he's not rich, but if you or midoryia need something he's definitely there to get it for you

• even if ur like fam no you don't need too

• he'll buy yell food a lot

• a l o t

• and cards

• when you and midoryia get him a father's day card he thinks he's gonna cry

• You guys also have a group chat

• 'da faemilee'

• Y: "Hey dad do you have milk?"

A: "???? Do I have milk????"

Y: "ya I'm looking in your fridge n ion see any???"

A: "How'd you even get in????"

Y: "Izuku."

I: "lmaoo"

Y: Izuku you dumb bitch I left for ONE day

Y: And you got into a fight with Bakugou

I: He wanted to throw hands. I just did what you would do.

A: He's got you there

A: What do you guys want for dinner

I: Sushi

Y: Chicfila

Y: Izu square up

I: K

Y: Izu is fighting kacchow again

A: Beat his ass young midoriya

Y: Lmaoooooo

#hizashi x daughter reader #hizashi x reader #aizawa x hizashi #hizashi yamada #yamada hizashi #present mic #present mic x reader #aizawa x child reader #aizawa x daughter reader #aizawa x reader #aizawa shouta #shouta aizawa #eraserhead #all might #all might x reader #mha toshinori

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heyitssmiller · 4 years ago

Text

Clandestine

It’s here! The Sweater Weather/Coast to Coast Spy AU has officially begun! Thanks to everyone who’s asked questions/thought of ideas/showed excitement for this!! As always, characters belong to the lovely @lumosinlove! And thank you, @donttouchmycarrots for proofreading this!

Here’s the Clandestine Masterlist

Chapter One

Remus Lupin was being followed.

He hadn’t been out in the field for years now, but some habits would always stick with him. Surreptitiously glancing over his shoulder as he walked down the street towards his flat, listening for falling footsteps or sudden noises, and – most importantly – trusting his gut.

He could feel eyes on the back of his head and knew from experience that he wasn’t just being paranoid.

He took a few seconds to think about it, then grabbed his phone, pretending to be oblivious, and called Potter before slipping his phone back into his pocket and keeping his steps even and casual. Sure enough, his follower tried to take advantage of his supposed slip in focus and grabbed his arm. But Remus knew it was coming and caught the assailant by the forearm, using their forward momentum to pin him to a nearby wall.

“Why are you following me?” Remus demanded, breath clouding in the cool night air before he recognized his attacker. Dark curls, dove-gray eyes, high cheekbones.

Sirius Black, a prominent member of the Snakes, the Slytherin mafia. Sirius Black, who was actively being hunted down by the intelligence agency Remus worked for.

Sirius Black, who wasn’t even trying to fight back or break free. For some unknown reason, he was in Gryffindor - where an entire intelligence agency was trying to take him and the organization he was a part of down - and yet he seemed completely calm. Nonchalant, even. As if this were just a walk in the park on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Remus narrowed his eyes at Black. “What’s going on?”

Black reached into Remus’ pocket, pulled out his phone, and ended the call to Potter. “Not here. Do you have somewhere quiet we can talk?”

Remus arched an eyebrow. “Yes, but I’ll need to call that guy back. If I don’t he’ll panic and he won’t hesitate to shoot on sight if he thinks I’m in trouble.”

That wasn’t necessarily true, but Black didn’t need to know that.

After quickly calling Potter back and explaining what was going on, he hung up and led the way back to his flat. He knew that was a better option that going back to Gryffindor Intelligence. If he felt like this put him in danger, he could move pretty easily. It’s not like he had many belongings to begin with. Uprooting the agency would be next to impossible.

“If people end up breaking into my house after this, I will hunt you down.”

“Yeah,” Black scoffed, kicking a rock farther down the sidewalk, then kicking it again when he caught up with it. “You’ve done a great job of that so far.”

“And yet you’re here for some reason. That can only mean two possible things.”

Black had to abandon the rock as they took the stairs up to Remus’ flat. “Oh? Do tell.”

“One, this is a crazy scheme to slowly kill off Gryffindor Intelligence one by one and, for whatever reason, you decided to start with me.” Remus fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his door. “Or two, which is more likely, you need our help. The only question I have left is why the great Sirius Black is stooping to ask us for help.”

He closed the door behind them and watched as Black took in his surroundings. It wasn’t much: a ratty old couch, a coffee table, warm brown-toned walls, and too many dying potted plants.

He really needed to remember to water those.

“I ran away from the Snakes and I can help you take them down once and for all.”

Remus blinked at the suddenness of that statement. This… this could change everything. They might actually be able to take the Snakes down, after years of trying and failing. He had so many questions. What changed to make him want to leave? Why now? But none of those seemed to matter at that moment. There was only one question Remus needed to know the answer to immediately.

“What’s in it for you?”

Black shifted on his feet. “My brother…” He sighed, refusing to look at Remus. “He’s still there. And he’s innocent in all this – as innocent as he can be, in a situation like that. I need you to ensure that you can get him out safely before we take them down.”

“I’m sure something can be arranged.” Remus agreed. He knew of Regulus, of course. It was his job, after all. And he didn’t seem as innocent as his older brother was trying to paint him out to be. At the end of the day, though, it didn’t really matter. Letting Regulus go free, guilty or not, would be a small price to pay for taking down one of the biggest mafias in the country. “What’s your plan?”

For the first time Remus had ever seen, Black smiled. “It’s all in the flash drives.”

Remus called Pots and Moody over; this was too much for him to deal with on his own. James he trusted with everything - it didn’t even cross his mind not to call his friend. He was probably dying of curiosity after that phone call, anyways. Remus wouldn’t have been surprised if he was already on his way to Remus’ flat before he got the call. And Moody could sniff out a liar like no one Remus had ever seen. If Black was lying - about any of this - Moody would know.

James opened the door then, making a beeline for Remus and dragging him into the kitchen to talk to him in private. “Alright, Loops?”

“I’m fine.”

Pots relaxed, but only slightly. “So he just... showed up?”

“Tried to grab my arm on the way home.”

“So you brought him back to your flat? I mean, I know you voted for him as the most attractive in Criminal Choice Awards, but come on, Loops.” He said, referencing the game they’d played with the rest of Gryffindor Intelligence over New Year’s while outrageously drunk.

“First of all, we don’t talk about that game. That was a fiasco and should be considered top secret intel. Second of all, what else was I supposed to do? He said he could help us take down the Snakes. I couldn’t just let an opportunity like that pass us by.”

“Ok, fine.” James agreed reluctantly. “We’ll hear him out, but I can’t promise we’ll do anything else.” He then turned to walk back into the living room and glared at the stranger in the room. “Black.”

“Potter.” Black said with a taunting smile. “How’s the kid?”

“Don’t you dare – ”

Moody walked into his flat with his gun already drawn and aimed at Black. Remus sighed. “Is that really necessary?”

“You can never be too vigilant.” He mumbled, not taking his eyes off Black, who just grinned and sent Moody a sarcastic wave.

“If we’re going to get this done,” Remus interrupted, still clutching James’ arm in a firm grip to hold him back. “We need to work together. So stop antagonizing each other and let’s get to work. Black, you mentioned flash drives?”

Black nodded. “Riddle keeps all the information about the Snakes on seven separate flash drives. I could tell you some of the information, but there’s too many groups and people that I don’t have memorized. If you want to catch all the members and informants and organizations under the Snakes’ control, you need those flash drives. As soon as you try to take the Snakes down, they’ll all scatter and you’ll never find them again if you don’t already know who you’re looking for. Do you have coffee? It’s quite late and this is bound to be a long conversation.”

“I don’t drink coffee.” Remus lied, although he could tell Black saw right through him. “Keep talking.”

He sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, leaning back on the couch to get more comfortable and staring up at the ceiling as he continued in a bored tone, “He keeps the drives in different locations. One he keeps with him at all times. One’s in a safe in his office, and two are with his most-trusted men – Bellatrix and my brother.”

“And yet your brother is innocent?” Remus asked skeptically.

Black glared at him, all sense of nonchalance gone. When he spoke, his voice was deadly. “He’s done more in terms of taking the Snakes down than you have. We’ve been trying to destroy them from the inside for years, but there’s only so much two people can do.”

Remus understood now why people were so afraid of him. That piercing gray gaze was chilling.

“Ok, fine. Where are the rest of the drives?”

Like a flip had been switched, Black reverted back to casual as if nothing had happened. “There’s three in separate safes across the city – one’s in the police station, and two are in safety deposit boxes in different banks. That’s seven.”

James met Remus’ gaze. “Winter? He’s the best at cracking safes.”

Black grimaced. “And there’s our biggest roadblock. The Snakes know who you are.”

“What?”

“All of your active agents, the ones who have tried to take the Snakes down previously, they have files on.”

Moody looked like he was about to have a stroke. Black shrugged. “Their informants are no joke.”

“So what do you expect us to do, if we’ll be recognized as soon as we step foot into the city?” Remus demanded, running a list of their agents through his head and eliminating nearly all of them one by one.

“Surely you have some agents who haven’t gone up against the Snakes yet.”

Remus blinked. “You’re joking. This is your grand plan? That eliminates about ninety-five percent of our candidates. And those five percent left? Maybe two percent are trained and ready to go out into the field. This is a huge op - we can’t just send anyone.”

“You got a better idea?”

“Hang on,” James said, and Remus groaned. He could see that glint in his eyes. The glint that meant he had an idea brewing.

Nothing good ever came from that glint.

“We can send O’Hara.”

“See? We already have a candidate!” Black cheered, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. Remus bristled. “Who’s O’Hara?”

“We recruited him right after he graduated from Harvard last year. He’s got a near perfect memory, and he’s really good with people. He normally does stake outs or reconnaissance and the occasional honeypot.”

“He’d be good for this,” Moody gruffly added. “He can charm the pants off of just about anybody. Makes it easy to get what you want.”

“I think Tremblay would be a good fit, too.” Remus chimed in, thinking it through. They’d work well together. Finn might drive Logan insane, but they’d get the job done. Hopefully. “Bring in some extra muscle just in case things get dicey, which they always do with the Snakes.”

“He hasn’t worked a Snakes mission before?” James asked.

Remus shook his head. “He’s been back and forth between here and Beauxbatons, remember? Since he’s fluent in French.”

“Can he crack open safes?” Black asked impatiently.

“No,” James said, but he was still smiling. “But we know someone who can.”

Remus thought about it for a second, then turned to gape at James when he figured it out. “James, you can’t be serious.”

“Why not? He’s a perfect fit! And the only other person besides Winter who can consistently crack a safe.”

“He’s a kid.”

“He’s not that much younger than O’Hara or Tremblay, and you’re fine with sending them.”

“He’s never even been out in the field before!”

“Winter says he’s almost as good as himself.”

“He’s inexperienced, and he’s going to get himself or one of the others killed.”

“Ok, so then what do you suggest?” James demanded, throwing up his arms in frustration. “Do you know anyone else who could do it?”

Remus stared at him at a loss, much to his chagrin. They’d never had to worry about this before - Winter did all their missions when they needed to break into something. They’d never needed anyone else before.

Now it seemed like their biggest operation to date would be in the hands of a rookie.

After a beat of silence, Moody spoke up. “I agree with Potter. He’s our only option, if the rest of our agents are compromised. We can talk to Winter in the morning, see if he’s ready for this.”

Remus sighed, but didn’t argue.

“I’m sorry,” Black said. “But who are we talking about?”

James grinned. “Nut.”

“That’s his name?”

“Oh my god.” Remus groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

***

Leo Knut (it’s pronounced newt, thank you very much) sat at his work station with twelve different locks in front of him, along with his pick, rake, and tension wrench. He took a deep, steadying breath and started his timer before instantly getting his hands on his first lock.

Insert tension wrench. Use the pick to find the binding pin and set it. Set the rest of the pins. Turn the tension wrench and…

The lock clicked open.

Leo quickly set it down and picked the next one up, repeating the same steps and singing along quietly to the song playing on his phone.

“All I want, all I want is you, your violet disposition, my unsound intuit – aaah!” He shouted when someone suddenly sat down on the bench next to him. “Fuck, Winter.”

Kasey raised an eyebrow. “You need to pay more attention to your surroundings when you’re on the job. Also, you’re tone deaf.”

“Thanks.” Leo muttered, reaching over to stop his timer and turn his music off. “Why are you here so early? Aren’t you usually asleep right now?”

“Yeah, but I got a call from Loops.”

Leo, always one to keep his hands busy, began messing with another lock. “You got another job?”

“No,” Kasey said, drawing out the vowel. “But you might.”

Leo laughed. “You’re kidding.” After a few seconds of silence, he looked back up again. Kasey’s face was dead serious. Leo set his lock and tools down. “You’re not kidding. What the hell? What’s the job?”

“You’d be going after the Snakes.”

Normally, Leo appreciated being direct and straightforward.

This was not one of those times.

“As in the mafia? Those Snakes?”

“Yup.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yup.”

Leo knew of the Snakes, of course. And he knew that Gryffindor had been after them for years, which meant it was a big deal. So why were they putting him on the job and not Winter? He had experience in pickpocketing tourists in the streets of New Orleans and opening locks. He’d only started cracking safes under Winter’s instructions eight months ago. Why him?

“Is Loops insane? This would be my first job!”

“It was technically Pots’ idea.”

“Oh. Well, that makes a lot more sense.”

“Nut – ”

“That’s not my name – ”

“This is big for a first job.”

Leo fiddled with another lock, listening to the soothingly repetitive sound of pins setting. It was familiar, solid ground.

This, though, would be uncharted territory.

“I know.” He said anyways, trying to settle his nerves.

“You think you’re ready for it?”

Leo looked down, collecting his thoughts before speaking. “I’ve got to prove myself somehow, right? What better way to do that than by taking down one of the biggest gangs in the country?”

Kasey laughed. “You’re crazy.”

“I’m from Louisiana – it’s in our blood.”

“Okay, you crazy Cajun. You’ve got your first debriefing at 10:30. Please don’t be late your first day on the job.”

“Who am I working with?” Leo asked, tilting his head. “I mean, I’ve got to have partners, right?”

Kasey just smiled. “Trust me, Nut. You’re going to love them.”

***

Logan and Loops were the only ones in the briefing room so far.

And it was awkward.

Obviously Logan knew who he was – everyone knew his story – but they weren’t talking. The briefing room with the almost-hilariously large table was completely silent besides the occasional rustling of paper or the sound of the air conditioning turning on again. Logan couldn’t remember ever talking to the handler before. Maybe briefly, at that disastrous New Year’s party.

God, that party.

Logan steadfastly refused to think of the New Year’s party.

That is, until a familiar face walked through the door.

The redhead looked up, doe-eyes widening as he recognized Logan. “It’s you!”

Fuck, he was even more attractive now that Logan was sober.

Logan forcefully pushed aside hazy memories of laughing too loud at a story the redhead was telling, cuddled up on the couch with red solo cups in their hands and an almost-kiss as the clock struck midnight that Logan had wanted more than anything. He smiled faintly instead. “It’s you!”

The agent sat down excitedly next to Logan, eager eyes peering out at him from behind tortoiseshell glasses. “How’ve you been? Guess we’re partners now, huh?”

“Guess so.” He said faintly, the word fuck rattling around in his brain on an endless loop.

“I don’t think I caught your name at the party.”

“Oh. Logan. Logan Tremblay.”

“Finn O’Hara.” He replied, holding a hand out for Logan to shake. He then looked over to Loops. “We’ve still got a few more coming, right?”

He nodded reluctantly. “Unless one of you knows how to crack a safe, by any chance.”

Logan snorted, then shook his head. He wasn’t good at small, delicate things like that. Bashing heads in and upper cuts, though... “Nope.” He said simply, leaving it at that.

“Absolutely not.” Finn agreed.

Loops sighed. “That’s what I – ”

The door slowly opened to reveal a tall, blond boy with messy hair and cornflower blue eyes. He looked at the three of them, seeming a little nervous. “Uh, hey. I’m Leo – is this the right room?” He asked in a softly-accented voice.

“Yeah, come on in.” Loops said, which made Leo smile and –

Dimples.

Logan quickly shifted his focus back to Loops as he began to talk again. “Knut, meet O’Hara and Tremblay. They’re your partners for this mission. We have one more person coming before we can get started,” He glanced down at his watch. “But apparently he’s running late.”

“Oh, Lupin, you almost sound concerned.”

Logan’s head shot up at the voice. Sirius Black strode through the door, giving Loops a flirty wink before looking at the three of them. He grinned. “So which one if you is unfortunate enough to have the last name Nut?”

Leo sighed, while the other two fought to keep their laughter at bay. “It’s pronounced newt.”

“Not anymore. You can’t expect people to pass up a nickname like that, kid.”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“What? Nut or kid?”

“Both.”

Black just grinned again. “Not a chance.”

“Are you done harassing our operatives, Black?”

“Why? Are you feeling left out?”

Loops glared at him, but his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Why don’t you start debriefing them instead.” It wasn’t a suggestion.

“Buzzkill.” He muttered, but threw himself into one of the chairs. “You might want to write this down – I’m only saying it once and I don’t have any of it in files or anything.”

Logan couldn’t decide whether he should be impressed or repulsed by the lack of professionalism. He looked over at Nut, who was already waiting with a pen and notepad, clicking his pen repeatedly. Logan gritted his teeth and tried to tune out the noise. O’Hara was just sitting back in his chair, content to listen apparently. Logan settled for somewhere in the middle and grabbed one piece of paper and a pencil.

“Alright, here’s the deal. I’m sure you know who I am: Sirius Black, ex-member of the Snakes, blah blah blah. You get it. Well, I’m here to help you take the Snakes down. All the evidence we need of importing drugs, trafficking, laundering, bribery, blackmail – Christ, this list is long. You get the picture. Everything illegal they’ve done, the evidence is on seven flash drives. We need you to get all seven and get my brother out safely before we can officially take them down. Easy enough, right?”

“This is going to be a long op,” Loops cut in, making meaningful eye contact with the three of them. “I’m talking weeks to months here. We’ve got a lot of intel we still need, a lot of planning to do. And it’s not going to be easy. If you don’t feel like you’re up for the task, speak up now.”

Logan sent a surreptitious glance at his new partners. O’Hara looked excited at the prospect of a mission like this. Nut still looked nervous, but his eyes were determined, focused.

They all stayed silent.

“Perfect. Then let’s get started.”

#lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast #coops #sirius black #remus lupin #o'knutzy #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut #clandestine

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jaesqueso · 3 years ago

Text

The Bachelorette: NCT edition - Men tell all (special)

The season of love is finally here! An interactive series where you’ll get to choose who goes home each week and ultimately who Y/N chooses in the end!

pairing: nct(ot23) x fem!reader

summary: The eliminated bachelors come back to spill the tea on the season

episode guide

word count: 5,086

warnings: none :)

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

Last week on the Bachelorette:

3 men go on international dates to prove they deserve to be up for the final rose.

In the most heartbreaking rose ceremony this season, Y/N says goodbye to one more bachelor leaving only two to dispute her heart.

Before we get into the final decision, we bring back all the eliminated contestants for a get together nobody will forget.

What was left unsaid? Are feelings still hurt? Who’s got exciting news?

Find out on the Bachelorette!

Chris: “Good evening everybody! My name is Chris Harrison and today we bring back all the eliminated contestants from this season of The Bachelorette where we’ll reminisce about everything that happened! Later on, the beautiful Y/N will join us to give her side of things too so we don’t miss out on any detail. Now, without further due, please welcome the bachelors: Jisung, Chenle, Sungchan, Taeil, Yangyang, Ten, Lucas, Mark, Jungwoo, Winwin, Xiaojun, Kun, Doyoung, Shotaro, Hendery, Haechan, Renjun, Johnny, Jaehyun, Taeyong and Jeno!”

One by one the guys enter the stage smiling and waving to the cameras and getting seated in the couches available.

Chris: “Welcome back everyone, I’m so excited to have you all here and hopefully ready to tell us all the truth!”

They all cheer and clap excited to discuss their journeys on the show.

Chris: “23 bachelors started in the competition to win a beautiful girl’s heart, but week by week they had to say goodbye to their chance at love. Based of first impressions 5 of them didn’t even unpack their bags and get settled at the guest house. Jisung, Chenle, Sungchan, Taeil and Yangyang, how did it feel to be sent back right in the first night?”

Chenle: “I was quite sad actually because I felt like there wasn’t even a chance to prove myself.”

Yangyang: “Yeah, there wasn’t enough time to really talk to Y/N and present ourselves.”

Sungchan: “I agree, but on the other hand I feel like I personally could’ve done more that night.”

Taeil: “I kinda feel the same, maybe if I had approached her instead of just chilling around I could’ve stayed a little longer.”

Jisung: “But it was really intimidating with so many people in the room.”

Chris: “It must be hard to fight for attention in a room full of men all with the same objective. In the beginning it really comes down to who’s able to be memorable and who’s not. Even though you were only in the house for a few hours, was it a good experience?”

Yangyang: “I wouldn’t say good, maybe interesting is the right work.”

Taeil: “Definitely interesting.”

Jisung: “Also made me realise that this is not how I’d want to meet my future wife.”

Chenle: “Yeah, I feel like I’d prefer something more traditional.”

Sungchan: “But it was still interesting, for sure.”

Chris: “It’s never a wasted experience right? Thank you for joining us tonight.”

Everybody claps and the five boys smile and bow.

Chris: “After that first night 18 of these men settled in the guest house and got ready to start going on dates with our bachelorette. 2 of them were even lucky even to have an individual date but one of them didn’t end as they expected it. Lucas, why don’t you come and join me?”

Everybody cheers as Lucas gets up and sits on the chair next to Chris.

Chris: “So Lucas, Y/N choose you for one of the first one-on-one dates of the season and she even picked you up to take you to the beach. How were you feeling in the beginning?”

Lucas: “Oh Chris, I was so excited. I did not expect her to pick me up and we had so much fun on the ride, just singing and laughing. It was really cool. And when we got to the beach I was having a really good time with her. She’s an amazing girl and I felt like that was a good start to possibly build something in the future.”

Chris: “It did seem like you two were having a lot of fun until you were telling her a story that seemed a little bit familiar right?”

Lucas: “That really caught me off guard, but when she started to say things about Ahreum it all started to make sense.”

Chris: “Yes because actually the first time Y/N saw you she said you looked familiar.”

Lucas: “I know! But back then I didn’t think too much about it because I was so excited for the journey ahead. To be honest I had only seen her a few times before and she has changed a bit over the years so I didn’t even think to connect her to my past.”

Chris: “It was really a surprise to all of us. And then she left you at the restaurant and went back to the mansion. What was going through your head?”

Lucas: “Honestly I think my head was completely blank, I didn’t even know what to think, I only started to reflect on things once I got back to the guest house. Everybody kept asking me how the date went and I didn’t know what to say.”

Chris: “The following day, Y/N called you to the mansion to discuss the situation, were you expecting to go home when you went there?”

Lucas: “I kind of was, even if we had decided to give it a chance and see how things went, Ahreum would always be in the back of our heads and I would end up still going home.”

Chris: “Speaking of Ahreum, a lot of the fans are really curious, did you have the chance to meet her once you were out of the show?”

Lucas: “Actually… Yes.”

There’s a lot of whistles and cheers around the room.

Lucas: “When I left I couldn’t stop thinking about her because we did leave things unfinished back then when I left the country so I thought we should at least sit down and talk. So I called her and she agreed to meet and it was a very pleasant conversation.”

Chris: “That is really amazing! Do you two still keep in touch?”

Lucas: “We have. In fact, we decided to give us another change so we are now officially back together!”

Chris: “Wow! What an unexpected turn of events! I think everybody will be very happy to hear about it. How did Y/N react to those news?”

Lucas: “She was genuinely very happy for us, she’s been really supportive of our relationship and it’s really good that I got a very good friend like her out of this experience.”

Chris: “Well Lucas, I am very happy to hear things worked out for you and I wish you two all the best.”

Lucas: “Thank you, Chris.”

Everybody claps as Lucas gets up and returns to his seat.

Chris: “But Lucas was not the only one leaving after the first week. After a racy soccer match we said goodbye to 4 more bachelors. Ten, Mark, Jungwoo and Winwin, what did you feel when you didn’t hear your name being called?”

Ten: “Oh I was so sad! I was having so much fun!”

Jungwoo: “Yeah it was really fun to get to know Y/N.”

Mark: “But we knew we couldn’t all stay, someone had to go.”

Winwin: “I had a feeling it would be me.”

Chris: “Why did you think that Winwin?”

Winwin: “I’m a more quiet guy and with so many big personalities I’d end up fading into the background.”

Chris: “I can see how it can get overwhelming to be surrounded by so much competition.”

Jungwoo: “Sometimes even if you try your best to stand out it isn’t enough.”

Mark: “There was always someone who shined a little bit more.”

Ten: “You can only do so much. But it was fun!”

The others nod in agreement.

Chris: “Well, I’m glad you at least had a good time.”

Everybody claps for the 4 boys.

Chris: “On the second week we had two more individual dates and in the group date the guys met Ahreum to shoot a Charity Calendar. Kun you didn’t seem to have a good time there, what happened?”

Kun: “Ah… When we were in the dressing room getting ready I looked around and everybody seemed to have amazing costumes and I thought mine was just terrible. At the time I was really upset but now looking back at the footage I realise I exaggerated on my reaction, I should’ve just had fun with it.”

Chris: “Y/N surely didn’t appreciate your attitude, do you think there’s something you could’ve done to stay?”

Kun: “She asked me why I was so upset and I should’ve just been honest about it, I thought that not talking about it would just make the situation go away but after talking to her at the cocktail party after I realised I should’ve just said something and maybe I would’ve gotten another chance. But we’ll never know now!”

Chris: “That’s why I always told you guys to just enjoy and make the most out of every situation. Xiaojun, you were also eliminated that week, why do you think that happened?”

Xiaojun: “I think there was just lack of investment from my side. At the time I didn’t notice but like Kun was saying, after you see yourself on the screen you understand what you could’ve done better.”

Chris: “Do you feel like you were holding back?”

Xiaojun: “I wouldn’t say holding back, it was more me not creating situations where we could’ve maybe bonding a little bit more. And I do regret that.”

Chris: “Sometimes it’s not about what you did but what you didn’t do. Thank you for sharing.”

Claps fill the room.

Chris: “The following week we saw one of the most heartbreaking eliminations of the season on an individual date. Shotaro, the fans were devastated to see you go. When you went on the date did you have any idea you wouldn’t be coming back to the guest house?”

Shotaro: “Yes and no. I had a lot of fun on the date and I really like her but I knew I wasn’t at the same level as many of the other contestants, they’re such amazing guys.”

Chris: “Do you think feeling that way sabotaged your stay?”

Shotaro: “Not really. I knew I would eventually go home and I’m happy Y/N took the time to actually talk to me alone and explain what she felt, I really appreciated it.”

Chris: “Even though you weren’t destined for love, she seemed interested in keeping a friendship with you, is that in your plans?”

Shotaro: “Oh definitely! We actually have talked a few times after the shooting and she even promised to make me the godfather of one of her future kids!”

Chris: “Wow, that’s really amazing Shotaro! I’m sure the fans will be happy to know you two haven’t given up on the beautiful friendship we saw you construct. Now, by the end of the week we said goodbye to one more bachelor that left with a warning. Doyoung, come on up and join me!”

Doyoung gets up to sit next to Chris as the other guys look at each other.

Chris: “Doyoung, before you left the mansion after your elimination you told Y/N something that left her shook. She tried to ignore it at first but then she decided to confront the bachelors as you revealed some was not being honest and already had a girlfriend back home. Because we never got a real explanation what can you tell us about this?”

Doyoung: “I received some hate after those episodes aired and a lot of people said I only did that because I was upset that I was going home. While that may have been true, I did not lie. I heard some conversations and I thought Y/N should know because it was not fair that this person kept being in the competition and possibly break her heart.”

Chris: “So you’re saying the objective of your message was to help Y/N and not hurt her?”

Doyoung: “Absolutely.”

Chris: “So why not let her know who this person was and just leave it vague? I think that’s what made a lot of people doubt the truthfulness of you words.”

Doyoung: “I thought I should give that person the opportunity to come clean, but I guess he never did.”

Chris: “Ok, let’s clarify things then. Did you actually hear someone say they had a girlfriend?”

Doyoung: “I didn’t hear those exact words but I understood from the context.”

Chris: “You didn’t hear those exact words? So how come you assumed that’s what the person meant with whatever they said?”

Doyoung: “Now that we’re all here, I think we should finally give time for that person to come forward and clear things out. Johnny, care to say something?”

Gasps are heard from everywhere, including Chris. Johnny simply lowers his gaze and chuckles, shaking his head.

Chris: “I think I can speak for everyone when I say we were not expecting this. Johnny did you have a girlfriend when you joined this competition.”

Johnny: “I didn’t, Chris.”

Doyoung: “Well that’s not what I heard.”

Johnny: “Well maybe you shouldn’t have been hearing half conversation behind the door and assume things without asking people first.”

Chris: “Ok, now I’m really confused. Johnny what was the conversation about?”

Johnny: “Well, right in the first week there was this one night everybody had gone to bed but me and Ten stayed outside for a little longer. We were getting to know each other and we ended up talking about past relationships and if Doyoung really cared to know the truth he would’ve understand that I just told Ten that I had been though a break up right before I decided to apply for this.”

Doyoung: “But I heard you say you still had feelings for this person, isn’t that the same thing?”

Johnny: “I’ll always have feelings for my ex-girlfriend but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t ready to move on. And I was.”

Chris: “But wasn’t it too soon to enter a show to find love right after you got out of a relationship?”

Johnny: “At the time I didn’t think so and I still don’t. I went into the show ready to fall in love again and I felt like I was walking to that.”

Chris: “Why didn’t you had this conversation with Y/N at the time when you saw how hurt she was with all of this?”

Johnny: “Honestly I didn’t think Doyoung was talking about me. Firstly because he wasn’t there and secondly because I didn’t have a girlfriend and I never said I did.”

Chris: “But later on when you were eliminated you told her not to worry about the girlfriend situation anymore. Had you put the pieces together by then?”

Johnny: “As you can imagine, around that time that’s all we talked about at the guest house and I realised it couldn’t be anything else.”

Chris: “Did any of this weighted on your decision not to accept the rose on your individual date later on?”

Johnny: “A little bit I have to admit. I really felt like I was starting to fall in love with Y/N but I knew she didn’t feel the same thing for me.”

Chris: “So you decided to go home by yourself before she sent you packing?”

Johnny: “I was just trying to save her a harder decision by the end of the week, that’s all. I never meant to hurt her in anyway, but I also didn’t wanted to hurt myself.”

Chris: “So going back on the girlfriend/ex-girlfriend situation, after you left the show did you re-connect with this person?”

Johnny: “Actually no. Our relationship was more than solved in my head and I don’t feel like there’s anything else to be said.”

Chris: “Doyoung, hearing Johnny’s explanation what do you think about all this?”

Doyoung: “Honestly I don’t know if I believe it.”

Ten: “Chris, if I can just say something.”

Chris: “Of course, Ten.”

Ten: “What Johnny said about our conversation is true, we were talking about past relationships but he never said he had something still on going.”

Chris: “I guess it’s up to everyone to believe what they want. Doyoung, before you go back to your seat, if you went back would you do anything differently? Would you talk to Johnny first? Would you not say anything to Y/N? Or say something sooner?”

Doyoung: “Honestly I don’t know, I guess being upset at the time didn’t even allowed me to think straight. But if I want back to that moment before I went home I would’ve at least said Johnny’s name so that she could go straight to him.”

Chris: “Thank you, Doyoung. Also Ten and Johnny for giving us your side of the story.”

Doyoung goes back to his place and the mood is tense.

Chris: “The following week during a boat ride there were some fun moments were the bachelors had the chance to bond with our bachelorette but after a conversation was heard the reaction was not the best. Haechan what did you first think when you heard Y/N and Jeno talk about a kiss they had previously shared?”

Haechan: “In that moment my heart dropped to the floor. I was trying my best to get close to her and I had no idea she was already that close to anyone. Specially because we previously talked about it and nobody shared that.”

Chris: “You know what they say, a gentleman never kisses and tells.”

Haechan: “That’s true, that’s true. But at the time I just felt betrayed and I didn’t even know why.”

Chris: “And then you exploded and said somethings Y/N didn’t really appreciated.”

Haechan: “That’s what I regret the most. I did what I thought was right at the time, but looking back at the images I should’ve never talked to her like that. If I could go back I wouldn’t have done that scene and waited to talk to her when I was a little bit more calm.”

Chris: “It’s very good to see that you understand what you did wrong and regret it. Thank you, Haechan.”

Everybody claps.

Chris: “The week after we faced what was possibly the hardest confrontation of this season. It started since week one but it just kept aggravating throughout time, to the point that Y/N had to make the decision to have them in a two-on-one date to send one of them home. Hendery, how did you feel when you weren’t chosen to stay?”

Hendery: “It was rough. I really thought I had a chance to stay but I guess she was right. I did end up letting this whole situation get to my head and lost focus on what was really important and what I actually signed up for.”

Chris: “We did see a few moments where it was just you and Y/N and it felt like something could blossom but whenever you were with other people you seemed to instantly get in defence mode.”

Hendery: “You know, Chris, after seeing myself on TV I realised that I was really dumb. I feel like we had gotten along so well if only I had ignored everyone else around. I should’ve kept my calm most times instead of exploding like that so at the end of the day I do understand why she chose to send me home instead of Renjun. He seemed to a little bit whenever she talked to him and I didn’t.”

Chris: “Renjun, what do you have to say from your side?”

Renjun: “I think it is a common thing to think you’re doing something right and realise how stupid you’re being when you see yourself on the screen. Honestly if I was Hendery I would’ve probably reacted the same way because I did come off as such a jerk.”

Chris: “The fans are pretty divided between who was right, are you saying you ended up being the bad guy?”

Renjun: “I don’t see myself as the bad guy, I think we both thought we were right but ended up making some not so good decisions.”

Chris: “Hendery, do you share this opinion?”

Hendery: “After watching the scenes at home, yes I do agree, we both did and said things that weren’t right and I apologise for being a bit aggressive in my approach.”

Renjun: “Yeah, I would also like to apologise, not only to Hendery but to everybody if I ever did something you didn’t appreciate because I mostly likely didn’t even notice I was doing it.”

Chris: “I’m really proud of you guys in this moment for manning up and talking about this. Can we agree to leave this in the past and focus on a brighter future?”

Renjun and Hendery look at each other and then nod with a smile.

Chris: “I think we need to seal this, don’t you agree guys? You two should hug it out!”

The other boys start cheering as Hendery and Renjun get up giving each other a tight hug that leaves everyone happy with the turn out.

Chris: “Now that we’ve moved on from this tough situation let’s talk about the next gentleman that left the competition. Jaehyun, did you ever think it would be you?”

Jaehyun: “Not really, I actually thought I had a chance to make it to the end.”

Chris: “Some say you got comfortable after Y/N gave you a kiss that you stopped trying to win her heart, specially with your attitude during the two-on-one date with Taeyong. What was really on your mind?”

Jaehyun: “Honestly I don’t know why I looked so apathetic on every shot! I actually had a lot of fun that day, the museum was really cool. Maybe I was a bit jealous having to share the attention with Taeyong but I didn’t realise that maybe Y/N would’ve start feeling like I stopped trying, because that was definitely not true.”

Chris: “You did get emotional when you had to finally say goodbye and that shows you actually cared about Y/N.”

Jaehyun: “I do care a lot about her and I’ll always cherish the moments we spent together. Even though I thought I’d get further in the competition I could feel her feelings were already growing for someone else. But it was still very hard to leave.”

Chris: “Thank you for sharing Jaehyun.”

Everybody claps.

Chris: “After Jaehyun we saw another beloved contestant get sent home. Taeyong, how did it feel to be so close and get sent home?”

Taeyong: “It was bittersweet. It felt good to know we were getting closer and I really enjoy Y/N’s company but deep down I knew it was too late. We only started bonding mid-way through the journey and she already had very strong connections with the other guys.”

Chris: “What would’ve you have done differently?”

Taeyong: “I would’ve focused on Y/N from the beginning instead of trying to make friends first, sorry guys!”

They all laugh.

Chris: “Do you at least take some friendships out of this experience?”

Taeyong: “I’d like to think so!”

Everybody cheers in agreement.

Chris: “Last but not least we saw the bachelorette say goodbye to someone a lot of the fans of the show thought would make it to the finale. Jeno, did you see yourself in the final, possibly taking that last rose and spending your life with Y/N?”

Jeno: “I definitely did. Really early on I started developing feelings for Y/N and I felt like we were in sync but I guess I wasn’t the only one she was in sync with.”

Chris: “On the fantasy suite we saw you two talk about the future and you expressed your lack of interest in moving out of your hometown. Do you think that might have been a deal breaker for her?”

Jeno: “Like you said earlier today, sometimes it’s not about what you do, but what you don’t do. The further we got into this journey the more selective she had to be and unfortunately I believe that was the disagreement, let’s say, that got me sent home.”

Chris: “If you could go back would you do anything different?”

Jeno: “If I could go back I’d do it all over again just like I did. I really appreciate all the moments we shared and I wouldn’t change them one bit.”

Chris: “You were definitely a fan favorite this season and the people want to know: are you still single and looking for love?”

Jeno: “I am, Chris, but it might be that my search could be coming to an end.”

Chris: “Is that so? I feel like there’s more to that story.”

Jeno: “There is actually. I’d like to take this opportunity to announce I will be staring in the next season of the Bachelor where, like Y/N, I will be looking for the right person to spend the rest of my life with.”

The other guys cheer in support of these news.

Chris: “Those are very exciting news!”

Jeno: “They are, I’m really excited to do this.”

Chris: “Well Jeno, we’re really excited for you and we hope you find love.”

Jeno: “Thank you, Chris.”

Everybody claps.

Chris: “We have heard from the bachelors, but how about the one calling the shots? She had been backstage hearing the whole conversation and will now join us to give her side of the story. Let’s give a warm welcome to: Y/N!”

Everyone in the room gets up and cheers and you enter the stage taking the seat next to Chris.

Chris: “Welcome Y/N. How are you feeling?”

You: “It’s really great to be here and see all this familiar faces!”

You wave and smile at all of the guys you met and spent time with during weeks.

Chris: “You have been listening the whole night, id there anything you’d like to say?”

You: “Definitely. To the first guys that went home I’d like to again say sorry because I didn’t even gave you a change, I believe you are amazing.”

They thank you with a smile.

You: “Lucas, I’m really happy we made the decision to call it quits since that helped you reconnect with Ahreum. It was not fair the way things had ended between you two back in the day and I was thrilled to know you reunited. I can’t wait to receive an invitation to your wedding, and make it a plus one!”

Everybody laughs and Lucas throws you a thumbs up accepting your terms.

You: “Shotaro, I’m really happy with the way we left things and I will make you the godfather to one of my kids, I’ll keep that promise!”

He smiles excitedly.

You: “Doyoung, hearing the whole explanation now it did feel quite unnecessary for you to leave things like that, you could’ve just mentioned Johnny’s name and I could’ve just cleared the whole situation with him. You say you did it to help me but I was really hurt by it actually. And Johnny, I do understand that initially you didn’t connect the dots but once you figured out the whole thing could be about you, you should’ve said something instead of just leaving like that. You left me wondering if I did something wrong even if I did understand your reasons.”

You gulp feeling yourself get a bit emotional.

You: “Haechan, thank you for acknowledging what you said wasn’t right and I hope you think twice before reacting like that ever again.”

He mouths an ‘I’m sorry’ and you nod with a smile before you move to the next guys.

You: “Renjun and Hendery, I was really happy to see you two talk it out and make up. The whole thing was just way too dramatic and it would kill me to know you’d hold a grudge. I hope you take this experience to the future and know how to reach a little better if you end up facing something like this. Which I hope you don’t!”

Everybody laughs not wanting to imagine these two getting involved in any more love messes together.

You: “Jaehyun, thank you for explaining what you felt that day because to me it did seem like you started to take things for granted between us and that did throw me off a little bit. But I understand your side now even thought that might not have made a difference at the time.”

He smiles at you with those perfect dimples that still make your heart flutter.

You: “Taeyong, it was really hard letting you go but I mean it when I say that however wins your heart in the future will be very happy by your side.”

You take a deep breath before you move on the the last one you said goodbye to.

You: “Ah Jeno… I didn’t know I had it in me to send you home. But I’m really excited to know you’ll have the opportunity to go on your own journey and I hope you’ll be able to find true love amongst the contestants. I really fo wish you all the best.”

He thanks you before you turn back to Chris.

You: “I think that’s it!”

You wipe the little tear at the corner of your eye with a smile.

Chris: “Thank you so much for being here with us today, Y/N. Also thank you to all the bachelors that came here to share their sides of the story and clear their names. To you at home, please stay tuned for next week where we’ll finally know who takes the last rose and the bachelorette’s heart. Could it be Yuta? Could it be Jaemin? Could it be none? Find out next week! My name is Chris Harrison and this was the special episode of ‘Men tell all’. Goodnight!”

In the next episode:

The final 2 bachelors pour their hearts out for the last time:

“I think we were destined to meet.”

“I knew you were the one the moment I saw you.”

“I love you.”

And plans are made for the future.

“I can make you the happiest woman in the world.”

“Will you marry me?”

Stay tuned for next weeks episode premiering 22/08.

☽ ・・・・・ ☾

Episode 10

a/n: what a throwback in this special! I hope you could get the clarification in all things left unsaid and I still can’t believe next week we’ll know who get’s the lst rose! do give me some feedback please! ❤

taglist: @skrtbabe @yutahoes @yokshi-unbeliebubble @nakamotonudes @n0hyuck @negincho @love-and-other-possibilities @readers-posts @sylviacxt @tyongf-sunflower99 @princessjunnie @thejungjaehyun

If you’d like to be included in the taglist for the series do let me know ❤︎

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random-imagines-blog · 4 years ago

Text

Walk Among the Dead {Louis de Ponte du Lac Oneshot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 2414 Summary: A brooding vampire cannot take his eyes off you. How are you going to hold that attention?

It was your dancing which had caught his eye. You were making a display of yourself, seemingly so alive in this decrepit city. The smile on your face was large, like you were genuinely happy, something that Louis had not felt in a long time. But more than jealousy, you were triggering something else inside of those hollow bones of his. A longing thirst that came from deep within. He could see the blood running through the veins of your neck, the pulsing point, every single breath. He started to salivate, thinking of the sweet blood that must be coursing through you. Making it’s way to your face as you sweated in exertion but kept on going. The tangy, salty smell came from all of the humans, but yours was the only one that was enticing.

Louis sat in the darkness, watching. Wishing that he could be like you. Be like all of the humans once again, living without knowing what or who it was that went walking in the night. Able to drink wine, able to eat real food. Not living off of rats in the sewers, disgusting little things. Or killing the pretty little dogs of rich women. Look at them. All of their bodies squashed together like fish in a barrel, just ripe for the taking. But he only wanted you.

His eyes followed as you escaped from the throng, pushing hair out of your face, laughing with glee and adrenaline. You were coming in closer. He retreated further into the darkness. Leaning back against his chair. Becoming one with it. ‘Do not see me, do not see me’ he whispered as quietly as he could, barely able to hear himself, but keeping the sentiment and the power in his voice. But it did not work. You continued on in your trajectory towards him, bending down just a little.

“Why do you sit in the shadows?” You asked him, offering your hand. He could see the lines across your palm; the life line, the love line, on full display in front of his eyes. The wrist with it’s delicate veins just below. Nails short, dirty - but everyone’s were these days. It was a filthy town, New Orleans. Not like his own nails which were long, pointed, pristine. So obviously different from everyone elses. “Come join the dance with us. Do not be shy. We’re all friendly here.”

“But I am not,” Louis said, getting to his feet without your help. He intended to walk away but that hand kept enticing him. Even as he stood, cloaked in black, your hand was reaching out for him. Like a lifeline. Like you were ready to pull him back into the human world that he craved more than he craved blood. So he faltered. Like a coward, he stood there, unable to brush past you. To reject you. “I cannot dance with the others,” He told you, stiffly.

“So then dance with me!” You said, brightly. Your smile reminded him of the last sunrise that he had ever seen. The bright glow of it, eliminating everything that was dark and dreary on the landscape. And though his tongue poked at the fangs that were threatening to emerge in his mouth, though he felt the point craving your skin, he accepted, slipping his cold hand into yours. “It’s like touching a ghost, mister!” You exclaimed.

“I apologize,” He said, retreating, but you kept hold of his hand, holding it in both of yours now, trying to warm it up with your own body heat. He admired you for trying. Especially when you brought it up to your lips and blew your warm breath on it. Nothing would work. He knew that. But he thought for just a second that it might. “It is a condition, I’m afraid. There is nothing to be done.”

“Well, it was worth a try,” You said, still smiling, not allowing yourself to be discouraged. She let go with one hand so it was only one holding his own, fingers intertwined. “This is the part where you put your arm around my waist, sir.”

“It’s been a long time,” Louis admitted. He did occasionally dance with Lestat, the blonde haired brat prince, but he rarely took the lead in that one. Ever since he had met the vampire, he’d had the spiralling sense that he had no control over anything. And even though you were telling him what he should do, he was starting to feel a little ... bold? Like he could handle such a thing as a dance. He could be alright for just one, surely.

He moved his arm so that it was around your waist. He could feel the warmth of your blood through your clothing, you might as well have not been wearing any. Alone, secluded, a light breeze bringing the scent of your hair, of your skin to his nostrils. His mouth was watering at the closeness. It was so dark back here, he could have just a bite. And you tilted your head so perfectly, your neck all exposed...

“What’s your name, stranger?” You asked, snapping him out of his thirsty thoughts.

“Louis,” He said, slowly. He did not know at that moment that he would never again know a second’s peace. Your face would be plaguing his mind day after day, minute after minute, starting before he had ever known your name.

“A face like that should not be hiding away in a dark corner,” You said, pressing in close, chest to chest. The music was lively, and you were spinning with him, laughter echoing through his ears.

“Nor should yours,” He said back to you. Your laughter sounded like wind chimes in a breeze, enough to tickle the brain but not overpower his thoughts. He wished that it had - your blood was calling, calling - singing. He can’t take it anymore. The thirst is too overwhelming, it’s making his head spin. You gasped as he let go of you midspin, sending you flying into the chair that he had recently vacated, but he did not look back. Instead, he walked quickly through the other couples, disappearing in the blink of an eye into a dark alleyway, searching for rats or perhaps an alley-cat to quench his thirst.

You were the most alive person that he had encountered in a very long time, but you haunted him nonetheless. Every night at sundown, as he awoke inside of his tomb-like coffin, he grew restless, looking over at the door every few seconds. Fighting against himself, jittering, until he would finally take the steps and leave the house, returning to where he had met you. He did not sit in the shadows this time, but stood in them, dwelled within them, disappeared entirely into them, only a flicker of his bright eyes occasionally seen, and thought to be that of an animal prowling. You came out often here to dance, and to socialize. But what was more interesting to him was the fact that though others had sat in the seat you had once pulled them from, you did not ask them to dance. You seemed to stick to a small group of people, rarely if ever deviating from it.

Interesting.

On one rather chilly night, as the fall was turning to winter and the nights were getting longer in this humid city, he attempted to sneak out as he usually had, but was caught this time. Your hand was upon his arm, making him freeze in place. “Hello Louis,” You said, pleasantly. “I thought you had forgotten all about this place.”

Your smile was more radiant up close than it ever had been from afar. He found himself at a loss for words. His plumped lips tried to form an apology but his voice would just not project. You laughed, but it didn’t feel like it was at him. It broke the tension and he found himself smiling. Lestat would not have believed his eyes if he had seen it. “I apologize,” He said. You nodded, expecting that.

“Well, don’t sneak out without giving me a dance,” You coaxed, moving your hand down his arm to entwine your fingers together.

“Okay,” He said, simply, and gave your hand a squeeze. God, just that motion alone, bringing blood rushing through your veins, was enough to make him begin to salivate. But this time, he did not run, nor did he push you away. He danced with you, he spun you, he even dipped you once, making your head fall back, your neck all exposed. You were absolutely beautiful. More divine than anyone he had ever seen before.

He could not help himself. Better than the heartiest of perfumes, he could smell your blood as you came back in close. Your hair lightly blew towards him as the breeze came from behind, pushing it forward, forward, along with the scent. His lips were at your throat. You were giggling again, your shoulder raising. “You’re tickling me,” You said, lightly attempting to push it away. And he accepted it with horror, thinking of what he had nearly just done. He wanted to run again, wanted to find a cat, a dog, an elephant even, to quench his thirst. It would be so easy to break from your grip, physically easy. But he was finding it to be impossible as you caught him in your glance. “Are you going to run from me again?”

“Not this time.”

Eventually, Louis invited you to his home. The one that he had shared with Lestat. The more confidence and suave vampire didn’t affect you as much as he clearly would have liked to, since it seemed you only had eyes for the brunette with the sullen face. Over the course of the next couple of days, you spent quite a bit of time together. Courting, was how you had told your friends about it. But one night, things had gotten a little out of hand. You had been drinking wine together, and it was bringing a lot of blood to your face, tinting it ever so slightly in a deep red beneath your skin tone. His thirst had grown so immense that when he went in to give you a peck on the cheek, it did not end there. Your breathy moans made him both aroused and famished. And he could not help himself. His fangs extracted. They buried themselves into your skin.

The shock of it made you gasp, and you began to fall limp in his arms as he took more and more - only stopping once he realized what he was doing. You had fallen into his arms,a few ruby red drops coming from the new wounds in your throat. He checked on you, fingers on your pulse point - your heartbeat was still strong, and your eyes blinked back open. “What happened?” You asked, looking about you.

And he opened up, despite his fears, despite the secrecy that he knew that he had to live under for the rest of his existence. And you - incredible, incredible you, listened. You looked more cautious than fearful, fingers tapping at the pinpricks that were on your neck. He had not gone too far, nor too deep. You looked like you felt a little faint, but not too much worse than that. After seeing Lestat’s constant victims, he had feared the worst for you. “Are you alright?” He asked after he had finished his speech, the night coming to a close.

“Yes, just a little light-headed,” You admitted. “So, my love Louis-” If he had a heart still beating in his chest, he knew that it would have raced at just that sentence alone. At being called your love. “You need to take better care of yourself. You are going to live forever, you must stick with the upkeep.”

“That would require hurting people, killing people y/n. I cannot accept that.”

“Then accept me. Accept what you had just done to me and let me help you. It didn’t hurt as much as you think that it did. In fact...” You moved in closer to him. He became more scared of you in that moment than you were of him. You held all the power in your hands. He felt like he was the mere mortal one under your touch. Under the kiss that you pressed onto the corner of his lips. “It was pleasurable. And tomorrow night, I will come back, and you can do it again.”

“You can’t!” Louis protested. “I may lose control, I may hurt you. I would not be able to live with myself if I were to ever do anything like that to you. No, you cannot see me again-”

“If that is what you really want,” You said sadly, backing away, hands resting on your lap. “But I am willing to take the risk, for you.”

Over the next couple of months, you two saw one another regularly. He would bring you to the house at times when Lestat was out partying, or hunting, or doing whatever it was that Lestat did. You were his, and his alone. He didn’t want you getting caught up in that sadist’s schemes. He might attempt to change you, the way that he did with him. You became not only his cup, sipping just a tantalizing mouthful, but his lover as well. He began to fall in love.

His way of thinking became changed. Surely he could not be damned if he felt this way still. Surely he could not be a monster if he had your affection, your love. You reassured him of that the more that you saw him, stroking his pale cheeks. “You are an enigma, Mr. De Ponte Du Lac,” You would tell him. “A true angel in the flesh. My angel.”

And he would tell you the same things. “You have brought me back to life, mon amour,” He would whisper into your ear, before he would take that bite of your flesh.

And one of these days, perhaps, if he thought that you were ready for it, he may just offer you the gift of immortality, something that he never thought he would burden another person with. But it hardly seemed like a curse if you would be by his side.

#Louis de Pont Du Lac #Louis #louis de pont du lac oneshot #Interview with the Vampire #Interview with the Vampire oneshot #oneshot #one shot #oneshots #request

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letsunity · 3 years ago

Text

Not Afraid - Chapter 4

Summery -

The Bad Batch go to Tatooine to resupply and avoid the Empire. As per the usual, Omega gets separated from the group. Fortunately for her, Krayt's Claw just so happens to be nearby. Bossk and Embo guide her to Boba Fett, who takes interest in why the Kaminoans want her. It's a reluctant partnership, with the Bad Batch having to rely on Krayt's Claw to navigate non-military life.

With some wandering around, Bossk managed to get them a job.

It wasn't anything big, but the pay was good enough - They could get rations, fuel, the essentials.

According to the client, someone is stealing from local farmers. All they have to do is catch them, get their reward and move on. With Hunter's tracking, it shouldn't be a difficult task to complete. They were only dealing with a thief, so Omega would be fine to tag along, which she was happy about.

Seeing how excited she was to join was sweet.

"Don't expect anything, laddies and lady. It goes to plan if you don't have one!" Bossk hissed, cocking his blaster with a grin.

"That doesn't make any sense," Echo countered, pulling a face at the reptile.

"Because you're thinking like a soldier," Bossk smirked, flicking Echo's head. "Plans seldom work. All you need is explosives, knowing what you're doing and instinct. Trust yourself, your abilities, and retreat to bring back more explosives."

"Sounds great!" Wrecker agreed, itching to blow something up. "You guys can get the col illegal stuff, right? We can make things go boom?" The reptile snorted, equally happy about explosions.

With them so happy, Hunter was curious about something. Why didn't they rent speeders to this location; why walk?

The only reason would be that Boba wanted them to see something.

"You wanna see something cool?" Boba asked Omega, having a confident smirk on his face.

He whistled loudly, changing the tune with a harsh rhythm like he was imitating a call. Bossk already knew, rolling his reptilian eyes at his nephew. He knew that it was to give the squirt something special, but still, he was showing off.

Omega waited, uncertain of why he made that noise. While waiting, she saw a wolf-like creature climb atop a hill. Several others appeared, though far darker than the main one. The white one slowly stalked towards them, sniffing warily.

Boba knelt, lightly guiding her hand out and upwards. There was tingling at her fingertips like there was an electrical charge coursing through her. The titanic canid stepped to her, their wet black nose brushing against her palm. In that brief touch, there was the spark of connection.

She could feel it, and it could feel her. It lowered its head into her hand, making eye contact through the helmet.

The wolf grunted towards Wrecker, Echo and Hunter, shaking their head. It grumbled, making several sounds towards them as the other wolves began to run away. With a stamp of its reptile-like paw, it barked and ran off, leaving them confused.

"The centre returned makes seven; burnt comes and makes it six. Anguished are the five, particularly the four. Soon to be three, suddenly two. One shines through, seven again," Bossk translated, thinking over the cryptic warning.

"That's incredibly ominous," Hunter stated, unsure of what to make of that.

"You always get stuff like that from them. It's part of their cryptic 'future sight' or whatever they call it," Boba shrugged, not overly bothered. "Other than the ominous warnings, they're cool to meet. Get them some Wookie meat, and they love you; they're obsessed with it."

-----------------

This new Empire seemed interesting. It didn't affect the Bounty Hunter's Guild, but it could prove profitable.

"Cad Bane. Am I right?" asked some stiff-upper-lip rookie.

Bane didn't care about them, not bothering to remember their name. Admiral Ram-whatever, it wasn't important.

"I prefer meeting on planets without incontinent clouds, Admiral. I don't like rain," Bane hissed, his distorted voice shivering the blank human. Humans had a habit of looking similar to one another. "My price is doubled for that alone."

"I understand, Mister Bane. I can assure you that you'll be incredibly well paid for," said Admiral Rampart, sitting across from the Duros. "There is a bounty on a child named Omega."

"Don't bother. That little brat Boba's probably already involved. At least with his father, you could make a deal, but the boy is annoyingly stubborn."

The kid wasn't popular because of that and was a pain in Bane's ass. His commitment to his rules was somewhat admirable, but it wasn't practical. Even with his little club, the jobs he'll get won't do him much good. He's not going to amount to much in the future.

"You misunderstand, Mister Bane. The Kaminoans want to capture her, and I suspect it's to encourage Tarkin to keep the cloning program. I want you to stop it."

"As I said, it's not worth the time. It doesn't matter where I go; the brat will follow. I'd lead him straight to you, meaning I lose credits."

"I don't want you to capture her, Mister Bane. I want you to kill her."

"Now, that's far simpler. That's triple my pay, but if you'd like, I'll bring you the skin like a rug."

"No, I only need her eliminated. The cloning program must end. To assist you, I'll have my best team to work alongside you. CT-9904 will follow your orders without question, and the other three will follow his example. If this 'Boba' gets in the way, kill him."

"Bounty hunter's aren't allowed to kill each other. I can certainly maim him, though. Give me some credits upfront, some immunity, and I'll bring you her head on a platter."

This was going to be easy.

With the weird female clone out of the picture, project War Mantle will be ahead of schedule. The Empire can grow and prosper without the expensive republican remnants. Unfortunately for this Bane fellow, he couldn't be in the picture afterwards. When the girl was dead, 9904 will kill the hunter as well.

Nobody will know that she existed or mattered. Even with this 'Boba' character, he doubted that things would go wrong. It's only a matter of time.

---------------

Meeting the wolves were amazing; the white one was soft and warm.

Omega liked the feeling of the grass against her hands, picking a few to inspect them.

While fascinated by the blades of green, she failed to see a nearby Loth-cat. It hissed and lunged at her, its fur raised and bristled.

Instinctively, Hunter aimed his blaster at the animal. It growled, the creature deceptively savage. Boba got on one knee and took some dried meat from his pocket, encouraging the animal to approach.

It hesitantly stepped forward, its pupils widening. It licked his hand then took the meat, backing away from whence it came. It climbed down a hole, poking its head back up again some moments later. Three minuscule heads popped up, chirping at the newcomers. It's only a mother protecting her kits.

Wrecker got down, wanting to have a go as well. Boba handed him some meat, motioning for it to come again. This time, one of the kits investigated, sniffing the food. The mother joined, then the other two kittens.

The family of feral animals chewed the meat, unusually passive and docile.

Omega lightly stroked one of the kittens, amazed by the feeling of their fur. Wrecker grinned, his gloved hand licked by the other two kits.

"Can we keep 'em?" Wrecker begged, looking at Hunter with puppy eyes.

"This is their home," Hunter answered, letting him down easy. "This is where they want to be, so this is where they'll stay."

First, it was reading their emotions, and now communicating with animals. It stank of force-sensitivity, even though he doubted it.

They skipped back into their hole, chirping at them as they passed. Omega waved goodbye, excited to see even more animals.

"How do you do that?" She asked, eager to learn it herself.

"Instinct. Mandalorians are raised from birth to trust themselves, to trust what their gut tells them. It told me that she was only protecting her babies, nothing malicious. You'll learn someday."

"I want to meet all kinds of creatures!"

"There's no limit to what you'll see in this galaxy, Megs," Bossk assured, ruffling the helmet she wore. "So long as Dad Batch are right next to ya."

"We're not the Dad Batch," Echo corrected, although he didn't sound so certain.

"Dad Batch or Bro Batch, either's good with me!" Wrecker smiled, slapping Bossk's shoulder. "We need a fight!" The Trandoshan snarled in agreement, eager to bruise the clone.

They were only a few minutes away from the farm, and in three hours, dusk would begin to set. The more Hunter hung with these odd pair, the more they grew on him. They were capable of skinning folk alive but having that protecting Omega was alright.

Boba was showing Omega a lot of things, even giving her his helmet. He was only three or four years older than her; he had a lot to teach. He was good with kids, too, something Hunter was still learning.

Then there was Bossk's nickname, Dad Batch. Hunter was mimicking what Cut did, so was he being a father to Omega? He never thought of being a parent before, but the past two weeks were unexpected. Maybe he could be a dad to her, be someone to look after her as she deserved.

Not only would Hunter learn a lot about being a mercenary, but interacting with children, too.

-----------------

Saw looked over the bodies, the stench of burnt flesh searing his nostrils. His face scrunched in rage, practically seizing with pure rage.

"I'm sorry, sir, but none survived," Lorc sighed, shaking his head. "They were all wiped out. Not just that, but the dead trooper's wounds are the same as our departed. Friendly fire, presumably."

"Which damned clone was it?"

"That's the issue. It wasn't a clone; it was a random guy in clone armour," Edrio continued, confusing the man. "We've estimated five to have been shot by precise skills matching a clone. The rest were random people. The damage indicates a distance, probably a sniper."

"I know who did it," Saw spat, looking away from the burned bodies. "And we're going to make him pay for it. I want the Bad Batch; I want the one that killed these people as though they were swine. We'll make him suffer for this."

"He and the empire, sir," Mari agreed, charging her rifle.

Saw would destroy this empire, even if it killed him.

--------------------

The farmer was both overjoyed and miserable.

The thief stole food and much of his equipment, most of which she can't replace due to financial struggles. Bossk terrified his Tooka cat, and Wrecker kept bumping his head on the ceiling. Being the second smallest, Boba wasn't concerned with the Toydarian's accommodations.

"Every night, the loth-rat takes more and more. I've set up traps, boobytraps, I even bought a droid, but they stole all of it!" She cried, hovering in distress. "I need them gone. I don't care what you do with them, so long as they leave us be."

"How're you going to pay?" Bossk asked, getting an elbow to the side from Echo. "If you want to afford rations, this is how."

"The local farmers have pitched in. The most we can do is fifteen thousand credits," she sighed, slowly drifting onto a chair. "Our crops haven't done well this year. That war has stripped the galaxy of life; even the planets are too exhausted from it."

"We'll take half," Boba decided, much to Bossk's annoyance. "Lothal's yaim par pirates bal smugglers. Vi ne'waadas eyn sur'haai olar," he added in a strange language, getting a grunt in response.

From the sounds of it, that was Mando'a, the tongue of Mandalorians. Hunter wasn't the best at languages; Tech was more specialised for that.

"By the light of Lothal's moons, you're a blessing to this valley," she whimpered, wiping her eyes. "We wish you luck on this bounty, Fetts."

Plural?

"I'm his uncle," Bossk explained to the confused four, patting Boba's shoulder and glancing at the Toydarian. "We'll make sure that they won't come again."

And so, the quest is on. Find the thief, get paid and get the hell off of Lothal. Omega was happy to be tagging along, asking about boobytraps and the sort. Wrecker picked her up, concerned that she was getting tired from the walking.

Echo would rather have stayed with Highslinger, but walking alone at night wasn't a good idea. Bossk took notice of his hesitancy, snorting for the clone's attention.

"I'm assuming it's all Techno Union?" Echo nodded at the question, the lack of feeling in his 'legs' creeping through his spine. What was left of 'his' spine. "We know a gal who can help with that. She fixes Dengar and Highslinger up after jobs. A friend of Omega's is a friend of ours."

"I'll have to take you up on that. I'd be happier to leave this all back on Skako Minor."

"We can blow it up if that'll ease the anguish."

"Did I hear blow up?" Wrecker interrupted, practically shaking from excitement. "What's going boom?"

"Nothing for now," Echo sighed, shaking his head. "You're going to drop Omega."

"I'm fine!" She assured, gripping onto Wrecker's armour. "Your eyes are pretty."

"Thank you," Bossk said, making a mixture of a chirp and purr in response. "You're a lovely young lady yourself. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Lil Mega."

Ever since meeting Hunter, things just got better for Omega. She had Clone Force 99 and now Krayt's Claw, an odd but loving family of misfits. They made her feel special, more than just a mere assistant or failed experiment. Bossk talked to her like she was an equal, as did the others.

Being around them only added to the coldness of Kamino. They didn't show nearly the compassion Bossk did, and he'd only known her two days or so. Hunter, Echo, Wrecker and Tech were more family than the Kaminoans ever were, and she wanted it to stay that way.

Even though Crosshair was under the chip, she wanted to get to know him. The lads missed him, and she wanted to know who he really was. Not what the chip made him into or was making him do.

With Boba and his gang, it should be a whole lot easier to help him.

Far away, sitting atop a pile of stones, Fennec lowered her rifle.

#the bad batch #Krayt's Claw #Not Afraid fic #fanfic #star wars #bossk #bossk and boba fett #clone force 99 #mando'a #omega

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stillness-in-green · 4 years ago

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Thoughts on Chapter 314 (and surrounding events)

Being a loose summary of several things I thought about in relation to the leaks, what they say about the series as a whole, a bit of new operating headcanon on the Peerless Thief, and a dash of how fandom is responding to the revelations. Spoilers, obviously.

This chapter makes it quite clear that the HPSC absolutely would have gone in and eliminated the PLF quietly, lethally, and wholly unlawfully if Hawks hadn't reported back the numbers that he did. The only reason the raid involved non-Commission-affiliated heroes at all is because the PLF's manpower was simply too much for the Commission to deal with via their usual methods. I'm both appalled that the disregard for human rights in HeroAca Land is somehow even worse than I thought it was and smug that that tiny little piece I recently posted criticizing the PLF's treatment has turned out to be totally justified and supported by the canon.[1] (Note that this does not absolve Horikoshi of the responsibility to, himself, treat the PLF better than paper dolls tossed into the incinerator of Plot Irrelevance when they cease being convenient to his story.) The fact that the Commission was forced to involve heroes might mean Re-Destro, Mr. Compress and the others are somewhat safer than might otherwise be the case. Because of the involvement of the unsuspecting stooges law-abiding heroes, and because the botched raid became such a huge disaster, there’s far more public scrutiny on this than would otherwise be the case. Of course, "accidents" can still happen,[2] especially in a chaotic environment, but the factors above (combined with Clone!RD murdering the bejeezus out of the Lady Prez) do, I think, suggest that there probably isn't an organized push for quick solutions going on behind closed doors.

I don't think Nagant has been around for a terribly long time or that there was an uptick in vigilantism in recent years—I think the scene where she mentions vigilantes becoming accepted as heroes is just in reference to the early history of heroism. It's in keeping with what Tsukauchi Makoto described in Vigilantes, and forms the basis of the current system—the current system that Nagant was a single cog in a big machine grinding away to preserve.

Speaking of Nagant and the system, it's interesting to me that one of the groups Nagant apparently targeted at the HPSC's behest was corrupt heroes—those who colluded with villains or specifically goaded/incited civilians into using their quirks illegally, thus turning civilians into capital-V Villains in the eyes of the law. One might easily say that targeting corrupt heroes (albeit using a much broader definition of "corrupt") was Stain's whole shtick, but it actually puts me more in mind of the Peerless Thief, Harima Oji. Harima punished greedy or corrupt heroes with theft, and presumably with a measure of declaration and exposure,[3] then distributed their money back to the streets. Someone who ridicules those who abuse their power, and gets away with it for long enough to build a reputation: that right there is a recipe for a folk hero. The HPSC, in whatever form they existed at the time, obviously couldn't let that go on—such repeated humiliations would weaken peoples’ faith in (and obedience to) the system the HPSC was trying to build. At the same time, though, it would also weaken faith in the system to openly acknowledge that system's flaws, to acknowledge that some pretty awful people had found their way into the heroics business specifically for the power and ability to abuse it that the title of Hero afforded them. Public trials would make it a matter of record that some heroes—and, accordingly, heroes at large—did not deserve the public's unquestioning faith. Obviously in a system that was built from the ground up on faith, that was unacceptable. And so Harima was branded a supervillain for exposing the system's flaws, while the corrupt heroes who embodied those flaws to begin with were—and continue to be—quietly disposed of at the HPSC’s discretion.

There's a lot of talk around about how Lady Nagant is stupid, or hypocritical, or delusional, or whatever other dismissive adjective people want to use, because she expresses a preference for AFO's rule over the HPSC's. Firstly, I think it's dubious Lit Crit to fault a character for not being a Paragon of Rationality, especially when they're under the cascading stressors Nagant has been under since she was, what, 13? 14? Forced to live this dichotomy of smiling gallant hero and ruthless covert assassin, had her life threatened by the man who'd taken her in,[4] probably dumped in Tartarus until such time as her trial could be held,[5] and kept in those ghastly, dehumanizing conditions for who knows how long? How shocking, that her objectivity might be somewhat compromised! Secondly, it's not like she's saying that AFO's rule would be a sunny walk in the park. The kanji she uses doesn't even mean "better"; while it can mean serene or tranquil, her more likely meaning is clear/transparent. Her phrasing indicates that she's aware it would be pretty bad; she's simply of the opinion that at least his rule wouldn't be a sham, a pretty lie. It would be bad, but everyone would know it. No one would have these comforting illusions they could lose at any time; if you stepped out of line and got shot in the head by an assassin, well, at least you would probably know you that being defiant was running that risk, rather than never seeing it coming because you'd been told all your life that Heroes Didn't Do That To People. Again, this is a woman whose life was shattered no less than three times by the duplicity of the highest acting authority in this comic.[6] She doesn't have to be Objectively Correct By The Standards Of Ethical Utilitarianism—nor do you have to agree with her choice that because she doesn’t want to live in the Matrix, no one else should get to either—for her opinion to make sense from her own perspective! Thirdly, while I think it's fair to say that the HPSC and AFO actually use fairly similar methods to recruit followers and punish dissenters, we have no idea how much Nagant herself knows about AFO's recruitment tactics other than her own brief experience of it. And while AFO is a controlling and manipulative bastard, at least in his case it's coming from a man who openly styles himself as a Demon King, not an organization positioning itself as lawful regulators of the protectors of society at large while secretly training child soldiers to flagrantly violate every law protecting the human rights and due process of that society's people.

Overhaul's presence is delightful, and yes, he is a victim of Hero Society, if only because Hero Society could have put him in some kind of prison-based rehab facility after Shigaraki was through with him, but chose to dispose of him in Tartarus instead, for absolutely no justifiable cause. I suspect it's only due to Horikoshi not being very interested in the harsh realities of the trauma caused by enforced isolation[7] that Overhaul is the only Tartarus escapee that talks to himself and has dissociated from reality almost completely. Overhaul's maiming was not the fault of Hero Society, nor did Hero Society force him to torture Eri and repeatedly commit cold-blooded murder. But his madness? Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable laying that one at Hero Society's feet, actually. I can’t wait for Deku to have to face the victim that Chisaki Kai has become due to levels of systemic cruelty and negligence that really ought to be criminal—and which, if this were real life, would be.

--------Lately, footnotes are really popular with us!--------

[1] Lady Nagant: *talks about how the Hero Society everyone believes in is illusory, a thin fake over a brutal reality, and that returning to the false simplicity of that status quo will only cause history to repeat itself* Me, two weeks ago: Hero Society will never stop creating its own villains so long as, every time it fails people, it does nothing but shrug and write off the victims as unavoidable, inevitable sacrifices for the greater good.

[2] Yes, I'm still highly suspicious of the "Destro committed suicide in prison" claim.

[3] Compress tells us Harima “preached reformation,” but regardless, you don’t dress up in a modified kabuki costume and waltz midair through nighttime cityscapes raining cash out of the sky if you’re trying to keep your activities a secret.

[4] And her family situation couldn't have been much better than Hawks', if she was targeted by the HPSC to begin with. I would guess she was an orphan in the childcare system, easy to move from whatever alternative care arrangement she was in, be it an orphanage, a group home, or simply mature enough despite her relative youth that she lived alone on government support payments—that kind of thing isn't as unbelievable in Japan as it is in the U.S.—to the HPSC's care.

[5] And given what we learned between this chapter and 297, I doubt she was even allowed to be present for it. Japanese law states that everyone by default is supposed to be present for their own trial, but as in the U.S, that right can be waived if the defendant proves themselves to be a threat to the safety of the judge, court staff and other attendees. And of course, what a threat the HPSC could have painted her as being!

[6] At least until Hori deigns to show us a damn Diet session.

[7] To say nothing of the physical consequences of spending six months stuck in a tiny room with no natural light while frequently being strapped into a straitjacket, of which there should also be several.

#bnha spoilers #bnha 314 #boku no hero academia #hero public safety commission #paranormal liberation front #harima oji #lady nagant #overhaul bnha #my writing?

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aesterblaster · 3 years ago

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The Facility: Chapter One

Ok ok so you know that idea I had about a horror version of blue lock? If you don't then here is where I first put the idea, its second to last on the list. There are going to be some changes from cannon/twists since this is an au but yeah enjoy!

Summary: Isagi and 299 other kids enter blue lock expecting a soccer camp. But the elimination process is more gruesome than they bargained for.

TWs: Blood and injury mention, general horror also an animal attack

Isagi watched with wide eyes as the man on stage finished his speech. "There will be an intense elimination. But the last 30 standing will get a chance to progress and show what they have. That's all for the details. You can leave if you like, but as soon as you go through that door you are unlocking the chance to be the best striker in the world!"

The others around Isagi buzzed with excitement, what could he say. This Ego guy had a way with words. He had never heard of this philosophy, leaving your teammates behind and scoring your own goals? It was crazy! So crazy it just might work. Suddenly a hand raised.

"Hey! Sorry, but I can't agree with what you just said."

It was Kira, the only one here Isagi knew. The other teens stepped back from him as if his bravery was contagious. Ego's eyes narrowed as the star player began attacking the facility. A few people agreed with him. Nodding and shouting out their concerns. Ego only scratched his head, "I see, all of you are really fucked in the head. Then leave."

His harsh words and critiques quickly whipped all the naysayers into shape. But Kira still looked doubtful. The doors whirred open and all 300 kids ran through, including Isagi. What choice did they really have?

If only they knew what was waiting for them, maybe they wouldn't have been so eager.

. . . . 35 minutes later . . . .

Isagi walked through the hall, examining his new uniform. It was sleek but there were a lot of pockets and a chain like wrist band with a red dot. A tracker? Before he could think about it Kira poked his head out a "Team Z" door and waved to him. "Hey there! You're in the same room as me."

"Oh cool." At least there was a familiar face. Isagi scanned the other kids sitting around the room. It was surprisingly dark and there was one big screen on the wall that lit up with the Blue Lock logo after he closed the door. He'd be lying if he said there wasn't a pang of disappointment in his chest at the fact he couldn't socialize before it started. Get to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses.

"Hello everyone. The people around you right now are your team and will be your team for the foreseeable future. This first part is about survival." That wasn't Ego's voice. A shiver went down Isagi's spine. It sounded like a robot and the screen showed no face, only the logo. "Whoever gets injured will not see the next phase."

"What's going on!? I thought we'd be playing soccer, not fucking around playing caveman!" one boy with short hair and eyeliner said, a vein bulging in his forehead. The voice carried on, if it heard him it made no sign.

"Yeah I want to go back home!"

"This is weird, but I think we should listen. Maybe we can get a grip on what's happening.." a player with spiky orange hair muttered. At least there was someone who was being reasonable. Isagi sighed with relief.

"Step one of this phase is water. There is a map in one of the pockets of your suits. Marked in blue are the places with water and marked in black are the places with buckets for the water. The lights will come on after this message is over and you will have to store away as much of it as you can. You never know when the tap will shut off."

There was a sickening laugh from the robotic voice. "If you haven't guessed it already, this isn't Ego or his little assistant. Please only refer to me as Quill. The only way to escape is major injury since the fences and exit doors are wired with electrocution. Showers will happen every other day, but you are not allowed to bring any buckets with you or fight. The discussion on food will happen later. The doors will only be locked when it's time to sleep and trust me you'll need it."

"Good luck."

"What the fuck." Isagi whispered. The lights turned on.

A boy with blue hair already had his map out and spread on the floor. Most of the others were still in shock. "There are buckets near us, someone should go get those."

"Are you seriously going through with this?" Kira shouted. "This is hacked! We have to find some way out. Not play some little death game."

"Do you have any better ideas? He said he'd turn off the water soon right? Oh great Buddha have mercy!" someone whimpered.

"Come on, this is a high tech place." the blue haired one continued. "They'll fix the hacker soon enough and everything will be back to normal. For now let's just go along and not get hurt."

"And introduce ourselves? He said we're going to be together for the foreseeable future right?" it was the guy with spiky hair again.

"Yeah." Isagi spoke up. "Let's do that, it'll help with our nerves."

"Well, I'm going to go get water." someone with long red hair stood up and opened the door. Walking out without another word. The group went around and introduced themselves when he came back with three buckets full. The only one who didn't talk was someone who was asleep on the floor. More of the group went out and soon the corner of the dim room was crowded with buckets of fresh water

"We have water right? We should be stable for now." Iemon reasoned slumping against the wall. "Anyone have any games to pass the time?"

. . . . 22 minutes later . . . .

The more the boys talked with each other the more they relaxed. The guy who was asleep eventually woke up and introduced himself as Bachira. "I heard the whole thing, don't worry." he said with a nervous laugh as he twisted some of his hair around his finger.

The games continued, but there was this nagging sense that disaster would strike any moment. And it did. "You mean there's no fucking water left?" a voice outside Team Z's door boomed. Everyone froze as it got quiet again. Whoever was speaking had others with him because now there were talking in whispers. In deep discussion about what to do probably.

"Maybe we should barricade the door." Naruhaya said quietly.

"Hell no, we should go out there and help them!" Kira, ever the hero, argued.

"Agreed. We have more than enough for us." Kunigami added. No one else spoke up. Isagi wanted too, but it was best to stay put in this situation right? And Kunigami and Kira could handle any negotiations just fine. He'd only be dead weight in that situation.

"What is wrong with you? I can't believe you don't think they deserve help too." Kira adressed the whole room but it felt as if he was staring at Isagi.

"No it's not that it-" Gagumaru couldn't finish before both him and Kunigami left. The whole room waited for them to come back. The silence combined with the terrible lighting covered the room like a thick blanket. There was a scream and some muffled shouting. Was that a dog barking? Ten minutes went by. Kuon convinced everyone to stay put.

"There could be a hundred people out there for all we know! Think logically, those screams could be someone else!" He was right, and the unknown was terrifying. But a pit of guilt still sat in everyone's stomach. Two minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty. Thirt-

Kunigami opened the door and closed it abruptly, Kiras arm was hoisted over his shoulders and he was groaning in pain. "What happened out there?" Isagi asked tentatively.

"There are other people out there. They look terrible. I think they've been here for weeks. I'll explain more in a second just, get Kira some rest, something. He's badly hurt."

The boys rushed to make a pillow out of the maps in their suits. Kira was laid down gently and quickly passed out. "I have a flashlight in my suit." Imamura said. He took it out and shined the beam on Kira. The arm of his suit was ripped off and his skin had three bite marks that broke the skin.

There was that thick, thick blanket of silence again. Chigiri threw up.

"What the fuck did that!?" Raichi whispered. "What happened?"

"We found a couple of people close to our door who had no water. We started to talk to them and they introduced themselves as Okawa and Niko. Then we heard that fucking voice again, the Quill guy. I dunno how he saw we were in the hallway but he said we weren't supposed to meet each other yet." There was a pause.

"Then he sicked a dog on us, it came bowling through the hallways like it's tail was on fire. Those two ran away but Kira thought it was a hologram or something. It wasn't." He stopped there. There was a mass gasp and cry of shock

"You're telling me Quill has bodyguard dogs?" Bachira asked.

"I guess we shouldn't get on his bad side. That's all. We'll be fine."

"Kira isn't! He's fucking bleeding out what are we gonna do?"

"Maybe he wouldn't be if you didn't go out there? Huh? We could be playing charades right now!"

Igaguri started praying. An argument broke out. Isagi wish he could see who was fighting but they flashed in and out of view. Where was that flashlight anyway? It was a mess.

"Everyone shut the fuck up! Kira is dead!" It was Kuon who spoke up. "I checked his pulse. He's dead. Shock and blood loss I think." Whatever fight was happening stopped as Isagi felt tears well up in his eyes. This couldn't be happening. Everything was moving too fast. Just an hour ago, just an hour ago he had just won the local tournament. And yet here he was, his arm a mangled mess of blood and tattered mesh.

The screen turned on again.

end of chapter one

#blue lock fanfic #my writing #bllk #blue lock #hurygf87tu9fjhyguf #blue lock manga

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procrastinatingfeminist · 3 years ago

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Re-imagine Snape

Someone recently went through pretty much every Snape-positive meta, sometimes with my own additions, that I reblogged (thank you, sweet person!), and for one, wow! I hadn't realised I had so much of it floating on my blog. For another, rereading one of the posts brought something to the forefront that I was too emotional at the time to formulate.

I sometimes struggle to with understanding criticism of media, when the critical voices come from people with a very different lived experience from my own. I am a cis white female who lives in a country with socialised healthcare, I am fully aware that I am insulated by privilege and accept that there are certain things, that I will never fully understand. Doesn't mean I shouldn't at least try. There is an exercise that I found useful, even though it falls back on the use of... very narrow stereotypes.

When 50 Shades of Grey suddenly went mainstream, I found the best way to explain why I disliked the franchise, despite it's fanfic origins, was to substitute the names of the protagonists with arabic sounding ones. Anastacia and whatshisname Mr. Grey became Aisha and Yusuf. And suddenly the fact that the male protagonist demands authority over what the female one wears, eats, where she lives, what she buys, who she socialises with and what she talks about, all outside of their sex play, stops sounding edgy and kinky, and starts looking a whole lot like abuse. Because we are conditioned to recognise abuse only when applied to certain groups, when viewed through certain lens, and it was easier to identify what my exact problem with 50 Shades was, only when I fully leaned into the stereotypes, eliminating my blind spot.

Now, reimagine Severus Snape as a black boy/man. He grew up poor and disadvantaged, in a town/part of town where most people had similar struggles. His home was abusive and neglectful, and he is socially awkward, whether as a result of the neglect or because it is something inherent to him, it doesn't matter. Despite having gained access to an elite school and showing talent, it is clear that his upbringing makes him an outcast. He is discriminated against and is further sidelined, subtly and overtly, by other students, by teachers and by the Headmaster. He is sorted into a House where the majority of racists are sorted into. He is denied access to networking opportunities by Professor Slughorn, despite his show of aptitude. He is constantly and viciously bullied by boys from very rich, very privileged families (I know, that only Sirius and James are from Ancient and Noble Families, but they are also the main driving forces behind the abuse at school; Peter and Remus were at best characterised as hangers-on), and his teachers ignore it; to the point that when his life is endangered the Headmaster outright refuses to even publicly aknowledge any wrongdoing by the responsible parties. He has no recourse against bullying, because he is much more in danger of being expelled himself if he retaliates in kind than to receive justice if he follows the acceptable course of action; and we don't really know how much bullying or peer pressure of participation he was under from his own housemates.

He will have very quickly realised, that even if he manages to finish the school he will have a very hard time to be compensated fairly for his work, despite his talents; because people will look down on him either because of his class background, or his race or his lack of social graces. And his only friend, a white girl, despite sharing the disadvantage of class and race (in the sense that she is also not a pureblood, since blood purism was used as a metaphor for racial inequality), she had a very different experience than him. One - she didn't grow up in an abusive household, two - because her family wasn't quite as poor as his, since, you know, her dad didn't drink away all their income; and three - she was planted into a much more socially flexible environment to make connections, aka the Gryffindor house.

Hell, even the way that some parts of HP fandom insist on hypersexualising the relationship of two prepubescent children is consistent with the portrayal of black boys in media. Because a thirty year old white man is a considered a child, but an 11 year old black boy is seen as a man. And if he is a man, the only thing he could want from this innocent white girl must be sexual in nature. Thus all the accusations of a 9-yr-old Severus stalking Lily somehow making sense.

And while I am not going as far as to equate the Death Eaters to Black Panthers, I do remember that the latter were often vilified as violent thugs and armed gang members, when what they actually wanted was to create a unified, defensible front, to be able to provide a safe, nurturing environment for their weakest members. Circling the wagons, if you want. If the Death Eaters weren't comprised of bigoted purebloods with more ambition and money than ability, but of muggleborns and muggle-raised halfbloods who would seek to increase their bargaining power in the Wizengamot and with potential employers, how quickly would they be labeled terrorists, intent on destroying the traditional pureblood ways? They wouldn't even have to kill a single pureblood.

What if they vowed to never accept less payment for services than what is fair, to never accept abysmal working conditions (except maybe to gain the mastery and then adios, motherfucker) and contracts with immoral stipulations; to invest in each others entrepreneural ideas instead of finding investors from pure blood families; at best accepting loans from Gringotts, because if anyone understands unfair treatment, it is goblins? What if they wielded their combined buying power among their own businesses and charging purebloods horrendously; what if they only apprenticed the children of their own circle, especially if the halfblood master of the field was the exceptionally gifted one and thus much more sought after among purebloods? Their social and financial power would be significant enough for a potential Minister of Magic to invest into courting their voting bloc, and for the Guilds to consider representing their interests. They wouldn't have any power on the Wizengamot, not at the beginning, but not every pureblood family was aligned with blood purists, though it is a big question, whether they wouldn't ally themselves with their former enemies once they perceive the ‘unpure’ as a threat. But if they would at least gain one pureblood family as a dissenting voice in the Wizengamot, as an avatar to promote more egalitarian laws... and then reinforce their message by applying the financial pressure... it is not unreasonable that at least some changes will be made. If this sort of power is what Severus imagined to gain from joining the Death Eaters... I can't actually fault him for that.

But I went off on a tangent. The point is, that Snape is one of the few characters who genuinely regretted his actions, but was still perceived as a criminal and a convicted felon, who only escaped imprisonment because an old white privileged man still had something to gain from pressuring him into a life of service and danger. The way his character arc is handled is also reminiscent of the discussions of the school-to-prison pipeline and incarceration rates in the US. And when he died, he died an ignominous death that no one but Harry Potter even valued. No one else would ever see him as a hero. No one else named their child after him, not even Draco, in whose protection Snape was so invested. He stayed a footnote in history, his contributions to the war effort forgotten or attributed to the man that manipulated him; the man who was lauded a hero and managed to finagle a state funeral while Snape bled out on a dirty floor in an abandoned shack and no one knows where his body is, still vilified as a Dumbledore’s murderer and Voldemort’s bootlicker.

What I am saying, is seeing Severus Snape as conceptually a black man changes a lot in how i perceive his character, despite not changing even one word of canon.

#harry potter fandom #severus snape #pro snape #meta #racism tw #blood purity tw

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lightsidetillidie · 3 years ago

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Damn Clones

Rating: T (some bad words, because Rafa deserves to cuss)

Word Count: 2257

Pairing: Rafa x Hunter

Summary: "Decommissioned” from Rafa’s perspective. Because you just can’t deny there was definitely some chemistry between her and Hunter.

A/N: This is my first Star Wars fic! I haven’t written in a long time so I wanted to stretch my writing muscles. Please let me know what you think!

Clones. It just had to be clones.

The employer said it was supposed to be an easy in and out mission. Trace went through all that trouble swiping the employee uniforms specifically so it would be an easy in and out. But of course nothing in Rafa’s life could ever be easy.

Everything about this mission was a bust, starting with this shaky kid aiming a damn Zygerrian crossbow at her. Who in their right mind gave a kid a crossbow? Obviously this clone she was now fighting back to back with was the one who thought it would be a great idea.

There was something different about this clone than the ones she had interacted with in the past. Most clones had a rigid stature and a solid, commanding voice. This one did have that solid voice, but the sarcastic “Should I have let the droid shoot you?” threw Rafa off her game. They weren’t supposed to be funny.

After the Republic fell and the Empire rose in its place, all of the clones seemed to have transformed into droids, with no sense for right or wrong, only following the Emperor’s orders. But she was on a mission for the Rebellion and this clone not only didn’t kill her, but saved her life.

And damn if he wasn’t a good shot. For the first time in a long time, Rafa found herself not looking over her shoulder as much, instead focusing on the targets in the peripheral. When she noticed he hit the first few droids perfectly on target, she stopped checking her six. Once he started moving through the platform, she followed right behind him.

Even when talking through the comm with Trace, she was amazed at just how in sync with this clone she was. In the close quarters they were pinned to, an enemy didn’t have the chance to get close to them without getting blasted. They didn’t bump into each other once either, something that always seemed to happen when she was in a shoot out with Trace. They just seemed to flow.

The crossbow kid’s voice rang through his comm, loud enough that Rafa could make out the distress in it. The clone barked an order to her then went to work taking down the support beams. Damn his clone.

“Who put you in charge?” she yelled, refusing to leave her position. She’d be damned if she was about to jump off this post and break her ankles.

But of course she didn’t have much time to think when she heard the support bars under her crack and she had to tuck and roll to the platform below. Damn clone.

Rafa immediately got to her feet, cursing to the clone running from her. Blaster fire cut her curses short, however, and she jumped back. She did take one last look at the clone, who was currently running full speed toward the screaming kid. It was like he had blinders on; he didn’t care at all about the droids or the molten metal, only focusing on getting to the kid and fast. It reminded her of all the times she went chasing after Trace when she was younger .

Damn it, Rafa, pull it together! Tuck and roll to the nearest cover and get to blasting. She finally found a spot, just big enough to hide her and this oversized uniform behind. It wasn’t two steps close to the cover, however, that the ground gave way underneath her and she fell down, hard. Damn clone taking out the support beams probably had something to do with the fall.

The three of them, the clone, the kid, and Trace, all just stood there as she regained herself from her fall. This was all getting to be way more than she signed up for.

After a snarky remark and a shot to an advancing droid, she just wanted to finish this. “Well, this has been a real treat, but as you can see the tactical droid is ours,” she said.

“We can debate this later,” the clone said. Like hell they would. It wasn’t up for debate. “If we want to get out of here, we need to work together.”

“Fine, but I still don’t like you,” Rafa bit back. Even if he was an impressive shot.

“I’m used to it,” he replied. Were all clones this sarcastic? Because this one seemed to have a sarcasm that could rival her, even on her best days.

The clone led them over to, you guessed it, more clones. It couldn’t ever be just one, could it? They needed a diversion to get these damn droids off their back.

Trace set to work on the tactical droid head while she and the clone from earlier provide cover fire. It was taking way too long, and her ears seemed to be ringing with the sound of blaster fire.

Out of nowhere, another clone dropped from above. They were just dropping from the sky at this point, weren’t they? This one didn’t pull out a blaster and instead set to work, wrecking the droids with his hands and making quick work of them.

Rafa smirked back to the clone from earlier. “Now him I like,” she said. She had to resist the urge to give him a wink.

Once Trace’s plan worked and the battle droids joined in, it didn’t take long for the group to escape into Trace’s ship. As soon as the doors closed, R7 had the ship in the air and flying far from the warehouse.

Thank the maker that was all over. Once inside, Rafa and Trace both deposited their helmets onto a nearby counter space. Rafa really didn’t want these clones on their ship, but she couldn’t lie to herself and say they didn’t help her. Especially the lead one, who saved her life and had her back.

The clones seemed a bit nervous to make themselves at home, but once Rafa and Trace seemed to relax they did too. They took off their helmets and found spots to sit, and this was the first time Rafa could see their faces. They looked… different from all the other clones she had seen. Back on Corousant, you could sometimes catch an off-duty clone at a nearby bar, drinking and looking for a quick hook up before their next mission. Rafa herself had flirted a few times, but only enough to swipe from credits from their pockets.

Back then, Underworld residents began to memorize the clones faces. They could change their hair, get tattoos, it didn’t matter. Once they took that helmet off they all had the same face underneath. These clones though, they were different. Similar faces, but their own quirks. They were different from the regular clones, that was easy to see.

When the leader of the bunch, Hunter was what the crossbow kid called him, took off his helmet, Rafa wasn’t going to lie that she did a double take. Clones changed their hair all the time, but this was the first time she saw one with such long hair. He let it loose too, not pulled up in a ponytail or a bun. Half of his face has a skull tattoo on it. That must have hurt like a motherfucker,” Rafa thought in her head.

Still, there was something about him Rafa was uncomfortable with. He was a great shot, a good leader, and damn it he was actually good looking. How could she think a clone was good looking? It had to be the adrenaline talking.

Once everyone was settled and Rafa made sure R7 was going to the right coordinates, she joined in the conversation about the droids head.

“Whoever Cid’s buyer is isn’t going to be happy,” the kid said.

Whoever the buyer was? Rafa and Trace were risking their lives to get this information to the Rebellion, to the people who were going to help end the Empire’s tyranny, and they were just giving it to a buyer? Oh, nuh uh. This was not going to fly.

“Let me get this straight,” she said, turning to Hunter, who obviously concocted this dumbass plan. “You know how dangerous the information on the tactical droid is, but you didn’t know who you were giving it to?”

“We’re being paid to acquire and deliver, not ask questions,” Hunter responded, crossing his arms over his chest. Was it just Rafa or did his voice get huskier when it wasn’t screaming?

After Trace explained how they were trying to get this information to a better cause, a question that was on Rafa’s mind since the second she saw the clones finally came out of her mouth.

“Why aren’t you fighting for the Empire? Isn’t that what you clones do now?”

Trace seemed to cringe at that, remembering for a moment what they faced. Once the Empire rose, clones invaded the underground and forced her and Rafa from their home. Everything they had built up after their parents death seemed to wave them goodbye as they left in Trace’s ship, barely able to get out. As they left the planet they saw full platoons of the white armored clones, stopping and arresting any living being who was just trying to make a living in the galaxy. The sisters were lucky they weren’t sitting in a cell right now.

“Not all of us. We’re different,” Hunter replied.

Rafa could almost believe it, almost believe that the man she found back to back with could be on her side. But he was a clone, and somewhere deep in there was that urge to fight for the Empire and eliminate anything that gets in their way.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” she said, and walked back to the cockpit.

It was a short flight back to the hangar where he clones kept their ship. As soon as Trace’s ship landed, the clones made themselves scarce, happy to get back to their own lives and go past this disappointing mission. Rafa and Trace followed them down the ramp, hoping to say goodbye to these weird clones. Most of them just gave the sisters a nod, but the kid turned back, and so did Hunter.

“You should come visit us sometime!” she said with a huge grin on her face. She had this young naivety that reminded Rafa of Trace before their parents died. Back when the galaxy was a happy place and she couldn’t wait to explore it all.

“Keep working on that bow, kid,” Rafa remarked. She didn’t want to be on the other side of some kid with shaky noodle arms ever again.

“I will. Bye!” the kid said, running off.

As Trace walked back to the ship, Rafa put her hands on her hips and gave a small smile at the kid. She really was just like young Trace, and it reminded Rafa of simpler times.

“Here.” Rafa was struck out of her reminiscing by Hunter, who handed a piece of metal out to her.

“What’s this?” she asked. As if she needed a souvenir to remind herself of the mission that got ruined by some clones and a kid.

“Tech copied the tactical droid’s intel to this data rod before it got destroyed,” he said.

Ok. Now this was weird. They had exactly what they needed, but instead of keeping it and getting the money, he was just giving it to her? There had to be a catch.

“Why are you giving it to us?” she asked as he began to walk away.

Hunter turned back around with a smile on her face and the thought of ‘Oh no he’s hot’ crept back into Rafa’s mind. “You’ll use it for the right reasons.” ‘Oh no he’s hot and thoughtful.’

“Huh. Maybe you are different,” she remarked, clearing her head of any thoughts.

Hunted turned back to her. “To be honest, things were clearer when we were just soldiers,” he said. Oh maker, was he opening up to her? What was it about Rafa that made her seem like the person to open up to?

He had a point though. Things were clearer for her too when she was just trying to make some credits, scrounging enough so she and Trace could eat at night. Now, after being forced from her home and planet, things seemed murkier than ever.

“Take it from me,” she said. “In the end, we all choose sides.” She turned and walked back into the ship, feeling Hunter’s eyes continuing to watch her from behind. Of all the times for Trace to get a uniform size too big for her, where Rafa couldn’t show off any of her assets. Any other outfit and she could have this tattooed man eating out of the palm of her hand.

Once she got to the top, she tried her best to resist the urge to turn back. Keep that air of mystery about her. But once she looked at the data stick and remembered his generosity, damn it she turned back. The kid was already waving goodbye to her, and she waved back. That kid was going to turn out alright with a bunch of clones. Her performance today showed as much.

She saw Hunter subtly look over his shoulder, but turn back to the kid quickly. That wasn’t going to be the last time she saw those clones, she just knew it. She hoped that, in the end, they could choose the right side.

But hey, they were just a bunch of clones.

#star wars #the bad batch #bad batch #hunter #hunter x rafa #rafa martez #hunter x rafa martez #martez sisters

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theemptyskies · 4 years ago

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So I was sitting, trying to work on a bit of art, when my mind took a left turn and was like "How would you turn Katara evil?". So over the course of three hours I wrote this. It's intended to set the ground work for what the rest of the story would be should I decide to continue it. Any future chapters would be much more detailed as that's where the bulk of the story truly begins. TWs: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Execution Style Murder, References to Early Childhood Trauma. I think that's all of them.

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Blood's Calling

Absolute Power Corupts Absolutely. It was a foolish thought which had once caused Katara to swear never to bloodbend again. It was a memory she could recalled clearly, as if she was reliving the moment. She remembered sensing Hama's veins and arteries, flowing like rivers throughout her body. She remembers desperately grasping those rivers, ripping the will of thier controller away. Forcing the old master to submit to her. It was her first taste of power. True power.

She was no longer the weak child who watched as her mother resigned herself to death. She was no longer the young teen who froze in shock as a Fire Navy vessel slammed through her villages wall. She could use this. She could prevent other young children from being orphaned. She could...

That night the thought stopped there. It wasn't the power that scared her. No aspect of waterbending has ever scared her. What terrified Katara, was that she enjoyed it. She enjoyed forcing Hama to release her friends, saving thier lives. She loved the control, knowing she would never be helpless again. It felt wrong at the time, relishing in such a thing. Subjugation was what the Fire Nation was fighting for. So she swore never to use it again.

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That promise was not long lived. Storming the Southern Raider vessel was an opportunity she never believed could be a possibility. How could she possibly turn away the opportunity to bring her mother justice. To stop whatever future, monsterous actions these beasts were sure to commit.

Under the light of the full moon, her blue eyes, darker than the ocean's deepest abyss, bore into the ship as she flew closer. Calling out with her bending, nearly the entire crew was swept out to sea. Boarding the vessel, she made quick work of the few men left on the deck before storming inside, water trailing behind her. Katara had almost forgotten the former Fire Prince was with her until he stopped a solder attempting to enter through a door they were passing.

As the captains door was blasted open, she gave him no time to retaliate. His blood called to Katara, and she answered. The fire in his hands flickered out immediately as she turned his body against him. Images of her mother's body, charred unrecognizable. A smell of burnt flesh seared into her mind. As the memories assaulted her, Katara was left feeling one desire permeating her being. She would make him suffer.

She cramped his hand immediately before dragging him around, slamming the appendage into the floor. Katara smiled slightly, savoring in the power she now held over her mother's killer. She forced the captains arms behind his back, contorting the joints to near dislocation. His blood was singing to her, and unlike the first time, she was not afraid to grasp it.

Zuko's questioning of the man broke through her rage. Lifting him to look her in the eye, she knew within a moment that it wasn't him. As if being snapped from a trance, she realized what she had done, nearly torturing an man who'd never wronged her. Quickly releasing him, Katara heard the identity of her target as she walked away.

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She believed that was the last time she'd ever bloodbend. She was wrong. Since that day, the urge to bloodbend was stronger than before. Every full moon, she could sense the steady pulses of her sleeping friends, like faint whispers begging her take control. She chose not to of course. Katara couldn't imagine subjecting them to such a power again.

Time passed, the war finally ended, Zuko ascended to the throne. On the surface, the world was at peace, or so it seemed. Her epiphany came a few months after the wars end. It was a couple hours past sundown on the night of a full moon. Once again the desire to bloodbend filled her senses, withholding sleep from her grasp. Katara's recent appointment as ambassador to the Southern Watertribe brought her to Caldera, assisting in negotiating a trade agreement between thier Nations.

With sleep alluding her, she decided to walk through the the main city, hoping the cool night air would help clear her mind. Passing an alley, she heard an odd noise. Stepping into the darkness and turning a corner around the building revealed a sight that made Katara's blood boil. Backed into a corner by a man wielding a knife was a young woman, a small child was hugging the back of her pant leg, large innocent eyes reflecting fear. Looking at the child, her mind flashed to another little girl, standing in an igloo, not knowing that was the last time she'd hear her mother's voice.

Katara wouldn't let that happen again. Grasping the man's blood, she lifted him into the air, sending him crashing against the wall.

"Take the girl and go." Katara's voice lacked the passion that it typically carried. Instead, a cold voice, sharper than any blade of ice came from her.

She didn't give the man a chance to rise as she seized him again. Katara brought him to his knees, arms bent behind his back, forcing him to look up at her. Drawing water from her pouch with her off hand, a large icicle hovered in the air.

"Please..." His voice quivered with fear. The same fear that was in the child's eyes mere moments ago. She directed a dark glare at the man.

"How many have begged you the same way your begging me..." It was a whisper, however the words cut through the air like a knife. She didn't give the creature a chance to respond. With a swift motion, the icicle flew threw the air. A sickening thunk echoed in the alley, as the ice slammed into the monster's heart.

A crack of thunder preceded a downpour during her walk back to the palace. A sense of detatchment settled over Katara. Of course she considered it to be more of an awakening. Despite thier efforts, ending the war, negotiating treaties, writing laws, people were still suffering at the hands of monsters impersonating people. The legal system is slow and flawed. It let's too many slip through, allowing them to continue thier torment.

'I will never, EVER, turn my back on people who need me!'

The memory echoed through her being. An oath she swore, resonating from the core of her being. The legal system failed repeatedly but she would not. Katara had power. The idea of what true power was is something Katara never understood until now. The ability to take dreams, desires, and force them into reality. She could change things. Bring justice to people who've suffered and protect children from the horrors that still plagued the world.

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A year passed and one thing became evident. Katara needed to get stronger. She'd made strides in eliminating the beasts that stalked and preyed upon the innocent. But it wasn't enough. There were too many for her to only take action once a month. Traditional waterbending was too loud to use against them. If she was caught, her friends wouldn't understand. She needed to do this, to protect the people. She needed bloodbending.

The training started much how Hama had described inventing the bending form. She started with small animals, which she mastered rather quickly unsurprisingly. The larger ones, like the tiger seals, proved to be a much bigger challenge, one she eventually completed. The lack of the moon's light was a difficult obstacle to overcome Yet as she stood before the kneeling moose lion, whining in pain as it failed to break from her will, she knew she was ready.

The next year was far more successful. With the growing population in her own tribe, Katara had to make sure the vermin were weeded out as soon as possible. Patrolling every night she was home allowed her to remove sixteen threats to her people. She found another twelve during her trip to the Northern Tribe, where she helped negotiate an alliance with them. The corruption there ran deep. Extra effort would be made during her next trip.

The Earth Kingdom is by far where Katara made the greatest impact. Twenty three criminals were slew in Omashu, another thirty one during her month long stay in Ba Sing Se and fifteen bandits who tried to ambush her during her travel between the major cities. It was an interesting observation, how quickly the eyes on these creatures shifted from arrogance to fear once they no longer held the power. Not unlike the one in the alley that first night. So many of those beasts have been removed by her, and she knows she protected countless people in the process. Katara knew she was doing the right thing, hearing children playing outside only reaffirmed her resolve.

Katara had only been back home for a few days when Aang landed at her village center. Running out of her igloo to greet him, she hesitated at his serious expression.

"Aang, it's good to see you."

"You too, Katara. I wish it was under better circumstances though." Katara tensed at his words as Sokka exited thier igloo behind her.

"Hey Aang. What's up?"

"Zuko needs our help. There's a group of rebels in the Fire Nation. According to his letter, they call themselves the New Ozai Society. They want to dethrone him and restart the war." Aang said. Katara didn't give any outward reaction to his statement. She hadn't been to the Fire Nation since that first night in the alley.

"We'll help. Come on Sokka." Katara immediately cut in as he finished speaking. Turning, she headed back inside the igloo, lost in thought as she began packing. Her neglect of the Nation was clear. How could she allow those scum to coalesce into such a threat. She would make up for it during this trip. She needed a way to learn who all was involved and where they met. Someone who could get inside thier ranks. Who wouldn't report her own involvement to Zuko or her friends. Her thoughts led her to one person who would be accepted by them with no problem. She wasn't happy about it, but it couldn't be helped. At the very least the visit would be interesting. After all, with all of Katara's travels, she had yet to see the inside of an asylum.

"Appa, Yip, Yip!" Aang called, begining thier journey across the sea.

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So, as you can see, the route I would take to make Katara a bad guy would be to take a core aspect of her character (in this case "I will never, EVER, turn my back in people who need me." Still one of my fav moments for her character btw.) And twist it into something dark. I took the helplessness surrounding her mother's death to foster a craving for control within her which connected to bloodbending. I tried to depict a steady dehumanization of criminals in her eyes through the time skips. I felt really awkward writing dialogue but hopefully you all enjoyed my take on a Darker Katara :)

#dark katara #katara #princess azula #bloodbending #death tw #murder tw #atla fanfic #avatar au #avatar fanfiction

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