#it’s a miracle lucy walked out with only a bruise

[clanoffelidae]

As much as I totally get that the Master was being shown as a domestic abuser as much as they were allowed to for a family program in ‘The Last Of The Time Lords’, I choose to instead believe that he was just extremely reactive due to, you know, having just run away from a war that scared and traumatized him so severely that he disguised himself as a human at the END OF THE FUCKING UNIVERSE in order to hide from it, and Lucy just tried to hug him from behind or something when he didn’t know she was there and so he immediately threw a punch on reflex; because it is infinitely funnier to me that way.

Lucy: -walking up behind the master- good morning hone- :)

The Master, an extremely anxiety-ridden and traumatized war veteran who just escaped said war: AH- -throws a punch on instinct-

Lucy:

The Master: DON’T FUCKING DO THAT

Lucy:

The Master: -clutching at his hearts as he tries to calm down-

Lucy: that’s it i’m shooting him

Like it’s just so much funnier to me that way. Free my man he did everything wrong but I don’t care.

[baileys-3]

NEW CHAPTER ONLINE on AO3

Sneak Peak after the link

That evening, as she stands outside Tim's front door, she definitely feels better. This is due to several things. Firstly, she is finally out of her sweaty uniform and freshly showered. And although her bruise still hurts a little, it’s not so bad anymore, there is an extensive bruise that stretches across her side glowing a beautiful red color. After cooling it with ice and applying a miracle cream from her Aunt Amy, which is derived from Chinese medicine, she is now able to move around with minimal pain. The pain only occurs when she makes sudden movements.

But why she actually feels so good is mainly because of the man who is somewhere in the house she is standing in front of. She has been to Tim several times. Which mainly has to do with Kojo. Because she picks him up from time to time to go for a walk. Sometimes she goes alone and sometimes Tim comes with her. She also spent a night at Tim’s once . But she prefers not to think about that evening. Because then she has to think about Jackson. And the memories are still too heavy. She briefly wonders what Jackson would think if he saw this. She thinks he would be pleased.

Before she can even knock on the door, it is opened with a flourish and Tim is standing in front of her.

"Do you want to come in, or stand outside the door a little longer ?" He grins at her.

"How …?" And then she remembers. He has security cameras. Of course, he's seen her. Okay, and he's got Kojo, who was probably already heading for the door because he heard her. The dog in question is now standing next to her, wagging his tail in excitement. She kneels to pet him because who could resist stroking Kojo? First under his chin, then over his back and then on his head. Just the way he likes it.

"Do I get a greeting too or just Kojo?" She looks up and Tim holds out his hand to her which she takes, and he pulls her to her feet and kisses her. She could get used to these kisses. She could get used to him kissing her every time they see each other. She could kiss him forever.

The kiss was cut short as Kojo barked, displeased at the lack of strokes.

Tim continues to hold her in his arms and looks sharply at Kojo. "Kojo, knock it off!" If dogs could kill with their looks, Lucy would be convinced that Kojo just gave Tim such a look. But then Kojo disappears back to his place in the living room looks somehow offended. Lucy looks after him and then bursts into a laugh.

"Could it be that Kojo is jealous?"

"Maybe. We should test it out." And with that, he leans down to her and starts kissing her again. And it's not long before they hear a long-drawn-out yelp.

Now they both start laughing . "Well, it's going to be fun if he does that every time now." She says.

Tim grins. "The only thing that will help is practicing with him." And with that, he kisses her again. But this time they don't let Kojo interrupt them. And indeed. After a while, he gives up.

"Well, look at that . We just have to kiss long enough. We'll manage that."

[ssahoodrathotchner]

Need You Here

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader

Summary: You have a close call with an explosion

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: swearing, explosions, talk of injuries, canon-level case violence, basically just soft hurt/comfort idk there’s a happy ending sooooo

A/N: this is definitely a self-indulgent fic that’s been a wip for a while and by some miracle i found the motivation to finish it. enjoy :)

Masterlist

---

The stars are falling from the sky.

Air rushes back into your lungs in one unpleasant burst, and you choke on the bitter taste of smoke that accompanies each additional heave of your chest. Blinking rapidly, your vision sharpens and you realize that it’s not the stars that are falling, but bits of ash and debris falling through the smoke; it’s not nighttime. You hear nothing but the ringing in your ears, sounds muffled as if underwater. Slowly, painfully, you become aware of the pain radiating through your body stemming from a pressure on your midsection. Carefully turning your head to the side, your eyes find the remains of the small cabin which once held three girls captive. Where are they? Your vision clouds once more, smoke stinging its way down your throat and biting at your eyes, causing you to squeeze them shut. You can hear shouting, and you try to focus on what’s happening around you, but the sounds fade, and you follow.

You’re being pushed—pulled? —and suddenly the pressure on your chest lets up and you gasp, eyes flying open and struggling to focus. A dark head of hair looms above you, grasping your face with both hands. Emily? Her mouth is moving, but your mind isn’t processing sounds yet, and all you can do is let out pained noises that rumble through your throat before spilling out of your lips. Your head rolls to the side as Emily removes her hands from your face and places them on your torso. The small cabin is still on fire, but the flames have lessened. Your attention is drawn back to your own body with the addition of more hands pressing down on you. Morgan’s worried face peers down at you where Emily’s had been as you fully regain consciousness.

“Wha’…?” you manage to choke out before the overwhelming taste of smoke sends you coughing.

“Whoa, Princess, easy,” Derek says, stopping you from moving around as you try and turn to get a better look at your surroundings.

He smooths a hand over your forehead and you feel something smear along the same path his hand drags across. Blood.

“Where…?” your voice is rough, but stronger this time as you desperately hold Morgan’s gaze, trying to get answers.

“There was an explosion,” he says simply, but the furrow in his brow tells you there’s more than just ‘an explosion’ that’s nagging at him.

Emily comes back into view, a hard look on her face as she stares at something in the distance. She quickly glances down at you before speaking rapidly into her comms. You seem to have lost yours in the blast.

“…yeah, Hotch, we found her. She was under some debris from the house, but Morgan and I cleared that pretty fast. She’s still down, but none of her injuries seem to be too serious,” she squints at you to confirm. You nod.

Gently, you feel Derek’s hands pressing around your midsection over your Kevlar vest, and you hiss in pain once he reaches your ribs. With a frown, he pushes just a little harder, which makes you yelp in discomfort and glare at him. So much for not having serious injuries.

“Sorry, Princess, just checking. Seems like you’ve got some bruised ribs, although I’ve got a feeling more than a few of them are broken.”

“Lovely,” you grit out as Prentiss smiles apologetically at you, correcting her assessment over the comms. Sucking in a breath, you tilt your head down towards the rest of your body. “What else, Derek?”

“My guess is also a mild concussion,” to which you grunt in agreement “and a lot of superficial cuts and nicks,” he finishes, gesturing to your upper body and face.

You make a face. “Well, as long as that’s all,” you joke. “Help me up?”

Grasping your forearm with one hand, another on your back, Derek eases you upright until you’re sitting, ribs protesting the entire time.

You open your mouth to ask him more questions, but before you can make a sound Aaron comes flying around the corner of (what used to be) the house, a grim look on his face. Dropping to his knees by your side, he takes one of your hands and leans down to kiss your forehead, lips barely leaving your skin as he takes deep breaths.

“Thought I lost you, Sweetheart,” he whispers.

“Never,” you respond, squeezing his hand in yours.

“How’d you end up all the way over here?” he asks in a soft voice, sitting back to brush hair (and blood) from your hairline.

How did you end up here?

Your brow furrows and you direct your gaze away past Aaron and up towards the darkening sky, the first stars making themselves visible.

“The unsub—” you start.

“Warner. Ted Warner,” Aaron supplies.

“Right, Warner,” you let out a frustrated breath. “And the girls…?”

“Lucy Burnes, Allison Smythe, and Rowan Lucason. All nine years old,” Morgan chimes in.

“Warner was going to release one girl an hour to us as long as we stayed back from the cabin,” Emily says with a shake of her head.

You look back towards the remains of the cabin. So much for that. It’s starting to come back to you now.

Allison, running straight into your arms and you take a step back to absorb her impact on yourself and the Kevlar you’re wearing. You see a curtain twitch through the cabin window as you look over her head. She’s shaking and crying. You slowly move backwards and pass her off to JJ who then walks her over to where the medics are parked.

“We got Allison first,” you say, looking at the team above you for confirmation.

“That’s right, Sweetheart. She ran right to you,” Aaron says with an encouraging smile.

“Rowan was next,” Morgan states, his gaze lands somewhere in the distance. You know he’s reliving it along with you.

Rowan flying out of the cabin as if being chased, lands squarely in Morgan’s chest and he’s quick to wrap her in his arms and start walking towards the medics. You see Allison’s shoulders drop in relief before she pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders and returns her gaze anxiously back to the house.

“She ran out like she was being chased by something,” you say softly.

“Or she was running to something,” Aaron says, equally as soft.

Safety.

“Then things got complicated,” Prentiss sighs.

Warner emerges, hobbling out of the cabin and dragging Lucy with him. He’s using her as a shield. They move backwards towards the woods as he shouts at everyone to stay back. You’re standing at the edge of the group of agents and officers, and in the fading light of the day, you do something you know you’ll get yelled at for later. Aaron and Rossi are engaging with Warner, trying to make him see reason, and you take your chance to slip off further to the side, easing yourself into the cover of the forest, gun drawn. Staying low, you make your way around the side of the cabin until you’re level with Warner and Lucy, separated only by the length of the small cabin. He’s getting more agitated, yelling and waving one of his arms and—there. A small remote gripped in his hand catches your attention. He raises it above his head, thumb hovering dangerously close to the buttons, and you don’t hesitate to raise your weapon and aim for his head; Lucy’s shorter than him, you’re unlikely to hit her. You pull the trigger as he clamps down on the remote. You watch Lucy twist away as he falls. No more than three seconds later, the cabin explodes. You’re thrown backwards and hit the ground hard.

“Lucy,” you breathe out, frantically looking around. “Where is she? Did she make it?”

Aaron attempts to stop you as you make a move to stand up, but you shoot him a look and he moves to help you with a huff. Supported by Morgan and Aaron, you manage to right yourself. Clenching your eyes shut, you breathe through the pain emanating from your ribcage. Oh yeah, definitely bruised if not broken. Once you’re standing, they don’t let go of you, carefully making sure you don’t collapse to the ground.

“Where is she?” you say impatiently, looking around.

“Safe,” it’s Emily who finally answers your question and you sigh in relief.

“Once she was free of Warner she took off running. She was thrown forward by the explosion, but kept moving,” Aaron says. “Morgan grabbed her and carried her the rest of the way.”

You turn to smile at Derek and he gives you a small one in return.

“And Warner?” you ask turning back to Aaron.

“Dead,” he responds in a curt tone.

You nod to yourself. “So, we got all of them.”

You take a tentative step forward, Aaron and Derek moving with you and you can see Emily in your peripheral vision keeping your slow pace.

“Yeah, Princess, we got them,” Morgan agrees. “But what you did was reckless and stupid,” he finishes.

“But—” you’re cut off by Aaron, who acts like you hadn’t started talking and instead stares straight ahead.

“Reid was the first to notice you were missing,” he says softly, and controlled in a way that relays the amount of emotion he’s holding back. “Once he alerted us, we realized none of us had seen you since Warner left the cabin. The cabin that had just exploded into flames.”

“It wasn’t until Allison mentioned you going into the woods that we put it together,” Emily says, only a tad bit louder than Aaron. “When I found you—” she pauses and sucks in a deep breath before continuing. “When I found you, I thought you were dead. You were half-under a piece of siding from the cabin and I couldn’t tell if you were breathing.”

Aaron’s hand tightens around yours. He didn’t know that.

“God, I’m sorry, Em,” you send her a weak smile.

“But you were breathing,” she says shakily. “You’re still breathing.”

Aaron says nothing, mouth pressed in a thin line, jaw tight.

You make it around the side of the still smoking house, and you’re immediately drawn to the sight of the rest of the team—Rossi, JJ, and Spencer, as they simultaneously take in your appearance with varying levels of relief and anger clouding their faces.

It’s a slow walk the rest of the way, and by the time you reach the medics, you’re gritting your teeth and focusing very hard on controlling your breathing. Gently, Morgan and Aaron deposit you on the back of the ambulance and you’re swarmed by medics in no time. The team gathers just outside the frenzy of activity going on around you, and you catch glimpses of them as you answer questions.

The medics remove your bulletproof vest and yes, your ribs hurt like a bitch. Spencer floats anxiously to Morgan’s side, asking him questions about where you were.

The antiseptic stings where it’s applied to the cuts on your face. JJ and Emily’s heads are close together, with Emily relaying everything to the blonde.

A bright light blinds you as a medic checks out your concussion. Aaron and Dave stand next to each other, arms crossed, silently watching.

Once the medics finish their evaluation, you’re told how lucky you are to only come away with a mild concussion, three broken ribs, the rest bruised, and shallow cuts that don’t (by some miracle) require stitches. Nothing that requires you to be immediately rushed to the hospital, seeing as the medics wrapped your ribs (although there really isn’t anything you can do for them besides try not to aggravate them further), cleaned the cuts (but you know there’s still blood on your face), and advised you to take it easy for the next few weeks (as if Aaron would let you do anything strenuous).

Yeah, you’re very lucky.

Aaron turns to leave once they’re done, moving back towards the three girls who are huddled together. Back to work. Derek and Rossi follow him. JJ and, to your surprise, Spencer give you short hugs before taking off after the boys. Emily shoots you a smile and pulls you to your feet, keeping an arm around your shoulders as the two of you slowly make your way to the rest of the team.

“You didn’t see him when he realized you had run off without anyone noticing,” she says quietly into your ear. “I thought he was going to run into the burning building to try and find you. I haven’t seen him lose his composure like that in the field before.”

Oh, Aaron.

Emily steps away from your side, and Allison gasps when she sees you, all but throwing off her blanket and barreling into you, closely followed by Lucy.

“You’re okay,” Allison whispers into your chest as you try not to give away how much your ribs hurt.

“Yeah,” you say softly, “Thank you for telling them where I went.”

You feel her nod against your chest and she squeezes tighter—ouch—for a second before letting go.

Lucy steps forward, shyly shifting from one foot to another. You give her a small, warm smile and she returns it.

The two girls go back to where Rowan is sitting in the back of an ambulance, and once their attention is sufficiently diverted, you grimace and hold a hand to your ribs. Oh, this is going to suck.

A hand on your back pulls you away from the ache in your torso, and you look up to see Aaron’s concerned face.

“Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss are accompanying the girls to the police station. Dave and Reid are staying here to wrap up with local PD, and we’re going back to the hotel.”

You know better than to argue with him at this point, so you just nod. Aaron guides you to a waiting SUV, and you thank him by squeezing his hand as he gently helps you settle in to the seat before buckling your seatbelt for you.

The drive back into town is quiet. You know he’s waiting until you get to the hotel room to talk to you—really talk to you. So, you give him the space and time he needs. You look out the window and watch the stars.

---

It’s when you’re in the hotel room and Aaron’s closed the door behind you that he deflates, sinking in on himself and pulling you with him until the both of you are sitting across from each other at the end of the bed.

You gently trace the lines of his palm until he takes a deep breath and begins to speak in a hushed voice.

“When Reid asked where you were,” he starts slowly, “and I couldn’t immediately see you, I thought the worst.” He looks at you, really looks at you. Desperately looks at you. “The building was on fire and Warner had told us not to get too close, so when he dropped and the place exploded with you nowhere in sight?” you squeeze his hand.

He takes a deep, shuddering breath and closes his eyes, trying to gain some sense of composure, and you let him, staying silent.

“…I thought you died. I thought he had placed explosives along some imaginary perimeter, and that you triggered them and that he blew up the cabin too. I thought you were gone.” Aaron’s shoulders start to shake as he tries to push through the sobs rumbling through him. “But the girls were still there, Morgan had just grabbed Lucy, and the local cops were trying to figure out how to deal with the explosion and all I could think was that I just lost you,” his voice breaks.

You lean forward and drag a hand through his hair as he drops his head, giving in to the tears. You move your hand to his cheek and tilt his head up so you can look him in the eyes, so he can look you in the eyes. Gently, you brush tears away with your thumb as they fall.

“I’m here, Love. And I’m so sorry for not telling you where I was going. You and Dave had Warner’s attention and he still had Lucy, and I just—” you try to find the right words. “I didn’t think about it, I just knew that I had to do something to try and save her.” You sigh. “And it almost got me killed,” you acknowledge in a whisper, as if that somehow makes it better. “But all three girls get to go home to their families tonight,” you say softly.

“But you almost didn’t,” he says. “Local PD were focused on the fire and explosion and the team was focused on you and the girls. Emily took off as soon as she could and Morgan followed her because I was caught up with the Chief of Police,” he says with so much venom you can’t help but snort; this particular Chief of Police had been a pain in the ass the entire case.

“And they found me. And then you found me,” you whisper, holding both his hands in yours, kissing his knuckles. “And here we are.”

“And here we are,” he echoes.

You tug him forward, moving your hands to his shoulders and gently catching his lips with your own. His hands cup your face with a fierceness that takes you by surprise, and he kisses back with a desperation that leaves you clinging to his broad frame. I’m here I’m here I’m here. He pulls back slightly, just enough to rest his lips on yours, eyes closed, as the two of you just exist with each other, nothing more. You move your hands to the back of his neck, playing with the hair there as his thumbs move slowly across your cheekbones.

“I love you, Aaron,” you breathe, letting your lips brush his with each syllable.

“I love you more, Sweetheart,” he whispers, softly pressing his lips to yours once, twice, three times.

You open your eyes with a sigh to find Aaron already looking at you. Moving further up the bed, he pulls you with him, laying down and gently maneuvering you until you’re half-across his chest. One of your arms resting under your cheek, over his heart, the other grasping at the fabric of the button-down he’s wearing. He has both his arms securely around you, mindful of your ribs, holding you against him as he rests his cheek on top of your head and intermittently presses kisses wherever he can reach.

In the contented silence, you let yourself relax. Your eyes drifting shut to the steady rhythm of Aaron’s heartbeat as he runs his hands up and down your arms. You know you should shower, that you smell like smoke and the forest floor and that there’s blood you need to wash off your face. You know that Aaron probably won’t let you out of his sight for the foreseeable future, and that he’ll keep you by his side during standoffs so you can’t do anything close to what you did today. You know that you love him, and he loves you.

So, for now, you rest against each other and allow yourselves the comfort of knowing that you survived another day.

--- 

Taglist: @rosesonmyheart

[melanielocke]

Lost in the Shadows - Chapter 20

AO3

Taglist: @nott-the-best @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised

Previous Chapter: Chapter 19

Next Chapter: to be posted

After a long consideration, Lucie decided to wear her fit flops into the woods. Perhaps not the best choice of shoe, but she still had blisters on both feet and any other shoe would make it worse. She regretted that decision when her feet started to get cold, but if she’d chosen different shoes she would probably regret them being painful just the same. She began to understand why middle aged men insisted on wearing socks with sandals, no matter how awful it looked.

‘Are you seriously wearing flip flops?’ Alastair asked when he noticed.

‘They’re fit flops,’ Lucie protested.

‘Which are not flip flops?’

‘These are structured and very good for the feet. Also I have blisters everywhere. This is how I can still walk.’

No one had additional questions. Alastair checked the pictures on his phone every once in a while and compared with their surroundings. The pictures he and Thomas had taken off the ruins had become pictures of this world instead of the one in between, and Alastair was trying to pinpoint the location of the ruins. None of them felt it was a good idea to spend an extended time in the land in between, considering the danger of being sucked all the way into the realm of the thief of souls. It was possible Lucie could portal them back from there as well, but even entering that realm could also kill them all. Lucie wasn’t willing to take chances.

‘I think these plants match the pictures,’ Alastair said.

Lucie tried to look over his shoulder at his phone, and got a glimpse of the same shrubs that were in front of her. It wasn’t conclusive, this could have been anywhere, but Alastair scrolled through his pictures and made more comparisons. Not to mention he’d been to the ruins before so he at least knew what path he’d taken to get there.

‘Alright, I’ll open a portal,’ Lucie said. ‘Darkness, create a gateway to the land in between only open to myself, Cordelia Carstairs, Alastair Carstairs and Thomas Lightwood, a gateway that remains open until all four of us make our way back through the same gateway.’

The gateway of shadows was subtle as always, but soon the four of them disappeared through it. Lucie tripped over something as soon as she was through, falling over and falling onto her knee.

She scrambled upright and inspected the parts of her body that were hurting. Her knees were bleeding, but the wounds were superficial and she could walk just fine. She’d probably have to clean and disinfect it when they got back.

Of course, the floor of the ruins was higher than the path in the wood, so stepping through the portal meant she had to step upwards while not seeing the floor. Honestly, it was a miracle she was the only one who’d tripped.

‘Are you alright?’ Cordelia asked.

‘Just a little clumsy,’ Lucie said. ‘Next time we go here I’ll open the gateway before the ruins and not in the middle of them.’

Lucie sat down on an a block of stone and looked around. Her knees did hurt. As a child she’d been rather uncoordinated and had had bleeding knees all the time, but she thought she’d grown over that. Nowadays Thomas, who wasn’t quite used to his size, was the clumsy one.

The ruins looked the same as she remembered from seeing them in Alastair’s memory. It had been a weird experience, to look through his eyes. Looking in Alastair’s memory let her experience the memory as he had sensory wise. Somehow his senses were even more overwhelming than her own. It made her wonder if Alastair was autistic too. She wasn’t the only who experienced his memories that way, according to Cordelia it was much easier for her to revisit her own memories than his, since his memories tended to be so overwhelming even when they were very neutral memories. Alastair believed Cordelia’s memories were duller and less detailed because they belonged to someone else and he was just visiting, but Lucie wasn’t so sure.

He definitely struggled socially and had specific and sometimes odd interests, it wouldn’t surprise her if he were autistic, or at least not neurotypical somehow. Although she guessed considering he had PTSD that already made him not neurotypical. She was never quite sure what did or did not fall under the neurodivergent umbrella.

‘Is this the trap door you couldn’t get open?’ Cordelia asked.

‘Right here,’ Alastair said.

Thomas knelt down and started pulling on the handle. ‘I still can’t get it to open.’

‘Let me,’ Cordelia said, and she firmly grabbed her sword and swung it at the trap door, shattering the wood until there was an opening and a ladder leading down somewhere.

‘Who wants to go first?’ Alastair asked, studying his nails.

‘I’ll go,’ Cordelia said.

Alastair didn’t listen to her and instead descended the ladder himself, disappearing into the darkness. Cordelia groaned.

‘I’m the one with the magic sword!’ she shouted into the opening. ‘What part of “I’ll go” do you not understand?’

Alastair called something back, but Lucie was too far away to make out what either of them were saying. She stood up from her rock, which was hurting her butt, and walked over to Cordelia and Thomas.

‘Anything down there, Alastair?’ she called into the opening.

‘It’s dark,’ he yelled back. ‘I’m turning on my flashlight.’

Lucie didn’t realize he’d brought a flashlight. Then it occurred to her he probably had one on his phone. She could see a shimmer of light coming from down the trap door. Whatever it was down there, it was deep.

A howl pierced the air, not unlike the sounds the werewolf Cordelia had killed had produced. It came from downstairs.

‘Alastair, get back up here!’ Thomas yelled down.

Alastair did not respond. There was another howl. A growling sound. Something Lucie interpreted as a struggle.

‘Alastair!’ Cordelia yelled.

A deafening silence. None of them dared to breathe.

‘I’m alright!’ Alastair called back.

The creature growled again, the sound of nails screeching against the floor. Lucie didn’t recognize everything that was happening down there.

A moment later Alastair emerged from the trap door, some dust on him which he carefully petted off, but otherwise he seemed unharmed.

‘Did you kill it?’ Lucie asked, eyes wide.

‘Not yet,’ Alastair said. ‘It’s another werewolf, and last time I used this dagger on it, it didn’t work. We need cortana.’

‘How come you’re not dead?’ Cordelia asked, smacking him over the head. ‘You bloody fool, why did you go down there without me?’

‘Because otherwise you would have,’ Alastair said. ‘There’s a werewolf down there, but it’s bound by a chain. It tried to attack me, but it wasn’t nearly close enough to reach me. There were two doors behind it, it’s protecting something. Meaning we’re in the right place.’

‘If it’s not the skin then it must be something else important,’ Cordelia said. ‘So, I kill the wolf and then we open the doors.’

‘Careful, it’s starved and very aggressive,’ Alastair said.

‘I killed a werewolf before.’

‘One that had its eyes on me and Thomas. You could surprise it from behind, that is not possible right now… Unless I distract it first.’

Cordelia frowned. ‘I’m not sure…’

‘I know now where I’m safe. I’ll try to provoke it into attacking me while remaining someplace it cannot reach me. You follow me down, quietly, and then attack from behind.’

Alastair went back down. Cordelia looked nervous and Lucie squeezed her hand for a moment. ‘You can do this. Come back when you’re safe.’

Lucie was nervous too, but she had faith in Cordelia. She’d killed a werewolf before, she could do it again. And this one was chained, she could always run and make her way back to a location it couldn’t reach.

Waiting seemed like forever. She heard the werewolf, she heard it howl and screech and make sounds Lucie interpreted as an attempt to attack. She didn’t hear any screams, no sign Alastair or Cordelia were in danger. Then the werewolf made a pained sound. Silence.

‘It’s dead!’ Cordelia yelled. ‘You can come down.’

Lucie went first, carefully gripping the ladder and going down. It creaked under her feet and she held her breath as she descended slowly. The ladder had held both Alastair and Cordelia, she reminded herself. She might have gained weight the last few months, but she suspected she was still lighter than Cordelia and it had held her.

Lucie took in a deep breath when she was all the way down. She turned around and took a good look, taking out her phone and putting on the flashlight. In front of her, its ankle chained to the wall, was a dead woman. Lucie shrieked. She was beheaded, and an arm was lying a little farther away from the rest of the body.

‘That’s the werewolf,’ Cordelia said.

‘It’s horrifying how they return to human when they’re dead,’ Lucie said.

‘It is. No ghosts here?’

Lucie shone her flashlight in all directions, but didn’t recognize anyone beyond Cordelia and Alastair. ‘No, no one. And there are two doors. Which one do you think we should take?’

‘One is locked, one is not,’ Alastair said. ‘I imagine the interesting things are behind the locked door.’

Cordelia hacked at the locked door with her sword, but when the door was out of the way something else was stopping her. Lucie walked over to take a look, shining her flashlight into the room. It was a big room with a table, on top of which lay something that resembled maybe a blanket? Lucie tried to get a closer look, but an invisible barrier stopped her.

‘I think that’s it,’ Cordelia said. ‘That’s Grace’ skin.’

Lucie realized it was indeed a skin of sorts, not a blanket.

‘Cortana cannot breach magical barriers,’ Alastair said. ‘So how are we going to get through? Lucie, can you dispel it?’

‘I have no idea how,’ Lucie said, ‘but I can try. Darkness, please lift the barrier that keeps us from entering this room.’

What remained of the door disappeared, but when Lucie stepped forward the invisible barrier was still there. ‘That’s odd. I couldn’t open or close any doors at home, much less make anything disappear.’

It was one of the things she’d tried, but nothing had worked.

‘Perhaps your power is different in this realm,’ Alastair mused. ‘Perhaps this is where it comes from.’

Lucie wondered why that would be. The land in between was something layered over their own, tied to the thief of souls who waited on the other side. Lucie suspected the souls that were taken were similar to ghosts as she knew them in her world, so that was one connection. Her magic seemed to be tied to darkness, at least it was according to Grace, and the land in between was certainly darker than the normal world. But what was the connection between her and the thief of souls? Was there one? Lucie wasn’t sure she was ready to find out.

‘Perhaps,’ Lucie said. ‘I might have disappeared the door, but the magical barrier is still there. What is behind the other door?’

Thomas opened it and bent down to fit through. Lucie wasn’t sure when or where these ruins were built, but the people who lived in it were not accustomed to tall people. The doorways were wide enough, but not very high.

Thomas returned, hitting his head against the doorframe this time.

‘Careful,’ Lucie said.

Thomas rubbed his head, wincing in pain. ‘Why are the door openings so low?’

‘Probably because tall people hadn’t been invented yet when this was built,’ Alastair said. ‘Anything interesting there?’

‘Corridors, doors, vines… it’s a bit of a mess down there, and there’s a part that’s underwater. I think it’s a maze. Which probably means it hides something interesting.’

Alastair frowned. ‘Would Tatiana have reason to go there and hide anything beyond the skin? I’m assuming the barrier lets her through.’

‘But perhaps there’s something else down there someone else hid,’ Lucie said. ‘Or there’s a key that can get us through the room. Perhaps we were supposed to find the key there instead of shatter the door. Like in a legend of Zelda dungeon.’

‘I don’t know what that means,’ Alastair said.

‘It’s a video game,’ Thomas offered. ‘Well, a series of video games. It is common for the key to a locked door with something important behind it to be hidden someplace else.’

‘But this isn’t a video game,’ Alastair said. ‘If I wanted to defend something at all costs, there would be no puzzle solution to getting it, and the only way to shatter that magical barrier would be by casting magic on it of such force it would be unable to withstand it. If there was a key, I would take it with me, not hide it in a maze this close by.’

‘But the text did say something about every puzzle having a solution. Perhaps that’s against the rules. Since we can’t cast enough magic to dispel the barrier, it’s worth taking a look there,’ Lucie said, entering the next room.

It did look like something out of a legend of Zelda dungeon, although perhaps a bit more decayed and creepy. There was a lower level beside where she was walking, which was flooded. Lucie didn’t think it was safe to go in the water. Flooded areas could be treacherous, and filled with bacteria. She placed her steps carefully, there was nothing keeping her from falling into the water. There was a bridge farther ahead, leading to a series of doors, most of which had locks on them. There were vines growing along the walls, but none of the doors appeared blocked so far. The atmosphere was dark and gloomy, but bright enough to see even if she couldn’t identify a source of light. She wondered how the vines grew here without sunlight.

Cordelia followed her, sword still ready, but when Thomas tried go through the door something stopped him.

‘There’s a barrier here too,’ Thomas called.

Lucie immediately turned back, worried she’d locked herself in. She put her hand out to feel for the barrier, only to feel… nothing. She moved back into the first room.

‘Oh, it’s gone,’ Thomas said, moving into the second room again, carefully bending down to protect his head.

When Lucie tried to follow him, she felt what Thomas had noticed, a barrier just like the one keeping them from Grace’ skin. Which was odd, because just moments ago she’d been able to go through both ways. Alastair tried as well, but it didn’t let him through. Not until Cordelia returned and he suddenly stumbled through as if he’d been leaning on the invisible barrier and now he’d fallen, catching himself by taking a few steps until he’d found balance.

‘Maybe it will only let two of us through,’ Thomas speculated. ‘It doesn’t seem particular on who enters, but when there are two of us on the other side the barrier closes for the ones left behind.’

‘That’s an odd mechanic,’ Alastair said. ‘Why not keep everyone out if you’re so keen to place a barrier?’

‘The inscription said something about every puzzle having a solution and every lock having a key,’ Lucie said. ‘What if it means that there must always be a way, and you cannot guard a treasure in such a way it’s impossible to reach? You can only make it so long and complicated that people would give up or get lost in there, but there has to be a solution. So this is like a dungeon, and maybe Tatiana created it not to make it impossible to get the skin, but make it hard enough most people won’t succeed. There had to be a key to the skin and it has to be somewhere here.’

Lucie figured this land played by its own rules, and she hoped she was right and getting past the magical barrier was possible if they solved whatever was here.

‘But if we stay too long, we’ll end up trapped in the realm of the thief of souls,’ Alastair said. ‘Is it worth the risk?’

‘Perhaps there is a way to keep track of this realm changing into the other one,’ Thomas said. ‘Just before I followed you down, something changed into the ruin structure. Small, but some bricks were added to a wall. Lucie, would you be able to reverse the changes, and freeze the realm in this state, so to say? To give us more time?’

Lucie guessed that meant she had to stay here. So much for exploring the dungeon. At the same time, her knees still hurt and getting to sit in the ruins and cast magic might be better than stumbling through dark caverns. Not to mention her chances of catching an infection from whatever was in that water was far greater.

‘I could give it a try,’ Lucie said. ‘I think it should be possible, but I won’t keep up forever.’

‘Only two can go in, so one person should stay with Lucie whereas the other two go explore,’ Cordelia said.

Part of Lucie hoped Cordelia would stay with her, but she suspected there might be more dangers lurking inside, more beasts chained up blocking exits, and it made sense for Cordelia to go.

Cordelia had the same idea. ‘I’ll go, I’ll have my sword to protect myself.’

‘You’ll get lost in there,’ Alastair said. ‘I’ll have to join you since I can always trace our way back.’

Lucie imagined with his memory he’d never get lost as long as he made sure to take in his surroundings and look for landmarks. She’d never considered that use of his ability.

‘I’ll stay with Lucie,’ Thomas said. ‘If we can’t hold on anymore, if we’re attacked, what do we do?’

Alastair grimaced. ‘You run. You take the gateway back. Do not wait for us. The gateway should remain open in case we do make it back. Depending on how deep this complex is, one of us will return every once in a while to check how you are doing. Just make sure you stick close enough to the entrance that you’ll hear us yell. If there’s no response, we will leave immediately.’

Lucie wasn’t comfortable running and leaving Alastair and Cordelia behind, but she agreed that they had little other choice. The gateway would remain open for them either way, they’d have a way back.

‘If we have to leave without you, I will stay around and check every once in a while,’ Lucie said. ‘However, if I leave and then enter again, does that not reset the time before it has been too long?’

‘If we stay too long we might get trapped with the thief,’ Alastair said. ‘Leaving and entering might reset the count until that happens, we should try that before delving in. But I do not want to end up buried alive.’

Alastair had a point, if she opened a gateway here they might be very well end up somewhere under the ground. All four of them ascended the ladder, and made their way to the still open gateway, a ray of light, stepping through. The difference was subtle and yet their world felt so much safer, warmer, kinder. The greatest difference was the ruins disappearing. When all of them were back, the gateway closed.

Lucie checked the time on her phone. One in the afternoon. It didn’t feel that long, but she was used to that by now. Time ran differently in the land in between.

Lucie opened another, using the same conditions. When they entered again, the ruins did look different than they had upon leaving, but only slightly.

‘That wall was much higher,’ Alastair said, pointing his finger. Lucie was impressed by his attention to detail. ‘Now it is crumbling. I think this is a complete castle in the realm of the thief of souls.’

‘Yes,’ Lucie said. ‘So we must make sure the castle doesn’t get built.’

Lucie hugged Cordelia before she left. ‘Don’t die, alright?’

‘I’ll do the best I can, and we’ll be careful. We won’t take any unnecessary risks.’

Lucie found a comfortable stone to sit on close to the trap door, while Alastair and Cordelia descended the ladder once more, disappearing into the darkness.

‘Darkness, freeze this place in time so that we will not be transported to the realm of the thief of souls,’ Lucie commanded.

She wasn’t sure if anything was happening, but she would keep her eyes open to see if anything changed. She might not have Alastair’s memory to keep track off the difference but Lucie had always had an eye for detail.

Thomas was pacing restlessly, head down, posture slumped, walking everywhere across the ruins. It was getting on Lucie’s nerves, but she tried to ignore it and let him do whatever he needed to.

‘Everything alright up there?’

It was Cordelia. Some time had passed and she was checking up for the first time.

‘Nothing has changed yet,’ Lucie called back into the opening. ‘Any progress?’

‘We checked which doors open and which don’t,’ Cordelia said. ‘There’s a mechanism here that we think will drain the flood water, but Alastair’s still trying to figure out how to operate it. And most of the locked doors only give us more keys to open new locked doors, so that’s not exactly helpful.’

‘Alright, good luck! If you need anything, just let us know!’

Cordelia went back inside and Lucie was starting to get very irritated with Thomas’ pacing. She knew it was irrational, but it was too much sensory wise.

‘Will you sit down for a moment?’ she snapped.

Thomas’ eyes went wide in shock and he immediately came to sit down next to her. ‘Sorry,’ he said.

‘It’s nothing to apologize for, it’s just getting on my nerves,’ Lucie said, remembering Thomas’ tendency to apologize for everything, always worried he was taking up too much space.

‘I’m nervous too,’ Thomas admitted.

‘Cordelia was here not long ago,’ Lucie said. ‘They’re alright.’

‘I have faith in them,’ Thomas said. ‘But that doesn’t mean I like waiting up there. I hate not being able to do anything. Alastair and Cordelia are trying to figure out how to get Grace’ skin, you are keeping us from falling into the realm of the thief of souls with no way back, and I am useless.’

‘You’re not useless,’ Lucie said. ‘You can help me. I need to be very focused on these ruins, so I need you to keep me safe.’

Thomas nodded, clutching a dagger in his hand. Another one of Alastair’s collection. Cordelia always claimed he was very possessive of his daggers, but now he seemed alright with sharing them. She knew there was a bad story behind the one he’d given her though, she knew this dagger had once been a gift from his ex lover, someone who had apparently been rich enough to buy this for him. She wondered how Alastair had felt upon receiving such a gift. Lucie guessed she’d feel uncomfortable receiving an expensive gift from a lover. But perhaps he’d felt indebted to his former lover too, had felt like no one else would love him like this person.

‘How are you and Alastair?’ Lucie asked. ‘Was it nice, sleeping over?’

‘Uhm, yes, it was nice. Well, I did accidently trigger a flashback and I’m terrified it’ll happen again. I don’t want to hurt him.’

‘Did you say anything weird?’ Lucie asked. ‘What happened?’

‘I think getting intimate with him brought up memories of his ex,’ Thomas admitted. ‘He said it wasn’t my fault, but maybe I did push him too much, or did not consider…’

Lucie wasn’t sure how to respond. She didn’t think it was Thomas’ fault, especially if Alastair said so. She knew he had a tendency to get angry when he was hurt, although she hadn’t witnessed many outbursts lately. According to Cordelia, his anger had calmed a bit since going to therapy. Lucie wasn’t sure if the way he always seemed tired, the fight drained from him was much better, and Cordelia agreed that sometimes it seemed worse.

‘What did you do after that?’ Lucie asked.

‘I took him outside to look at the stars,’ Thomas said. ‘It was a little cold, but it was nice. And Alastair did want to touch me again, so I’m guessing that’s a good sign.’

‘I really don’t think he blames you, or he would have gotten angry,’ Lucie said. ‘He tends to lash out when he’s hurt.’

‘He used to,’ Thomas said. ‘I don’t think he does that anymore. Not against others anyway.’

‘Do you like being with him?’ Lucie asked.

‘It’s amazing,’ Thomas said. ‘I mean, it’s difficult sometimes because I hate seeing him in pain, and I don’t always know how to help, but we also have fun together. He liked watching the stars with me, or going swimming.’

‘You can’t take all his pain away by yourself,’ Lucie said. ‘I know in novels it’s always love will fix everything, but unfortunately in real life that’s not how it works.’

‘I know,’ Thomas said. ‘But that doesn’t make it easier, watching him suffer in silence. If anything, it’s worse knowing that I can’t make it go away. The best I can do is support him and help him through it. How is it going with you and Cordelia?’

‘Not great,’ Lucie admitted. ‘I haven’t figured out how to tell her I like her.’

‘Blurting out feelings after nearly being mauled by a werewolf worked out for me,’ Thomas said. ‘Maybe you could tell her after today’s mission if we’re all still alive.’

‘Maybe,’ Lucie said.

She noticed a change in the wall, the same wall Alastair had pointed out earlier. It had grown, some bricks added to it until the wall seemed complete, no longer crumbled.

‘Darkness, reverse the progression to another realm and take us back to the land in between we entered.’

It worked, the bricks disappeared and the wall was crumbled again. Lucie felt as if she’d lifted all the bricks by herself. She wasn’t sure how many more times she’d be able to do this. Lucie tried to even out her breath, and lay back on the stone. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she didn’t think she could find something better around here.

‘As Nico di Angelo once said, with great power comes the need to take a nap,’ Lucie said. ‘Can you keep in touch with Alastair and Cordelia for me? And alert me if anything else changes.’

Lucie closed her eyes and tried to find a comfortable position. Next time she’d bring a pillow. And a blanket.

[out-of-this-town]

Better when we’re together

Fairy Tail, Nalu one-shot, fluff & hurt/comfort

After getting hurt during a mission, Natsu and Lucy spend time recovering together.

(ao3) (ff)

Lucy was pulled away from restless sleep by a loud thumb. Peeling open her eyelids was a difficult thing to do, the dim light filtering through the closed curtains was enough to hurt her eyes and worsen her headache. She was very aware of all the pained spots on her body as she forced herself to turn over on the bed and look towards where Natsu was now laying on the floor. He was groaning and struggling to get back up. It was obvious that he too, was still feeling the fight from yesterday.

They’d gone on a mission to take down some monster that turned out to be a lot stronger than they thought. Defeating that thing had taken forever and they both got pretty banged up in the process. And like that wasn’t enough, Wendy had gone off on a mission with Carla and Happy, meaning that there was no magical quick fix.

“What are you doing?” Lucy mumbled. Even knowing that Natsu could be a bit dumb at times, she had still thought him bright enough to know not to get out of bed considering the extent of the damage he’d taken. They were currently holed up in Lucy’s apartment because Natsu refused to stay at the guild’s infirmary, claiming that it smelled too strongly of disinfectant for his sensitive nose. And since the celestial mage didn’t want to let her friend suffer alone at his remote cottage, they ended up going to her place.

“Bathroom,” he chocked out, before the leg he’d gotten under himself gave away and he collapsed back on the ground.

“You know you can’t stand, you dummy.” Lucy pushed the covers off her body slowly and dragged herself out of bed to help him. Natsu had gotten hit on the head hard enough to cause some inner ear problems, meaning that his sense of balance was severely affected. Not that her’s was any better, she remembered as soon as she put weight on her left leg and was reminded of the sprained ankle that had her joining the dragon slayer on the floor.

“Whose the dummy now? Porlyusica was pretty clear about you not putting any strain on your foot.” Natsu grinned at her, doing his best to distract her from the terrible sensation traveling up her whole leg.

“Shut up,” the blonde whimpered and closed her eyes, trying to find relief in the feeling of the cool floor under her cheek.

It was a miracle that he did as he was told -probably because he was in too much pain to do anything else. 

They lay there for a good while, listening to the sound of each others breathing and the occasional pained groan. And then Natsu remembered why he was on the floor in the first place and tried to resume his journey to the toilet. Watching him sway on his hands and knees, Lucy was tempted to let him figure it out on his own so that she could stay where she was, but she was far too emphatic to let him suffer alone. “Wait. I’ll help.”

It was truly a struggle to get them both standing, let alone managing the actual walking part. Lucy was limping and trying to guide Natsu while also stopping him from toppling over, and him trying to offer support to her one legged hobbling while feeling like the room was spinning around him. By the time they made it to the bathroom, Lucy couldn’t have cared less about maintaining modesty while they used the facilities. All she wanted was to get back into bed and sleep until nothing hurt anymore. 

The trip back wasn’t any easier and they ended up in a pile on the floor again. Only this time, they decided that crawling was the smart thing to do. It took a while and hurt like hell on their banged up bodies, but at least there was no more falling over.

Halfway through the room they had to stop to take a break. Lucy rolling on to her back to take the pressure off of her bruised ribs, and Natsu remaining on his stomach and complaining about the stab wound he had received on his back.

“You know there’d be no wound if you hadn’t jumped in front of me,” she wheezed out, wondering how her body was so out of breath after doing the bare minimum. 

Natsu snorted. “Yeah, right. Like I would’ve let you get skewered by that spike instead.” He said it like it was the most ridiculous idea and Lucy found herself a little offended.

“I can take a hit! You don’t always have to act like a human shield for me.” And he really shouldn’t. No matter how thought of a dragon slayer he was, with the amount of hits Natsu was taking, his body was bound to start breaking under the strain sooner or later. 

He turned it head so he could give her one of those super serious looks that were so rarely seen on his face. “I know you can handle yourself, if that’s what you’re getting at, but I’m never gonna let you get hurt if I can stop it.”

“I don’t like seeing you get hurt any more than you like it when I’m hurt. It’s even worse when you’re injured trying to keep me safe!” Lucy had to close her eyes and take a few seconds to calm down. Yelling was not doing any favors to their headaches. 

“Luce.” She peeked open her eyes when she heard his pleading tone. “I know you don’t like it, but I’m never going to stop trying to protect you.”

Was she having a heart attack on top of everything else or was the organ skipping beats just for fun? 

Groaning, she rested her forehead on the floor in defeat. Far too tired and pained, she decided that arguing about this topic could wait until they were in better shape. “Let’s just get to that damn bed already.”

It was far easier said than done, but once she managed to pull herself on to the bed, nothing could have felt better. Lucy had just relaxed back into the softness of the mattress when Natsu’s voice jolted her back. “Wait! The thing.”

“What thing?” She glanced over at her partner who was sitting on the edge of the bed and looking around in distress. Had he gotten some form brain damage as well?

“The thing were supposed to put on our injuries!”

“Oh, that.” Less than happy about it, Lucy reached over to pat at the windowsill until her hand landed on the jar there. It contained some foul smelling herb paste that was supposed to help, but thinking about sitting up in order to poke her bruises with it was not making her feel better. She threw the jar in his general direction carelessly. “You can do what you want. I think I’m fine without torturing myself with that.”

She heard the sound of the lid opening and could instantly smell the sharp scent of the medicine. Had she bothered to look, she could have prepared for the highly uncomfortable feeling of Natsu smearing the paste on the cut on her arm. She yelped and sat up, glaring at him.

“What the hell, Natsu!?”

“Porlyusica said that it would help you heal, so you have to use it.” She flinched back when he moved to add more of the cream on her wounds.

“Nu-uh. I told you, I’m fine. That stuff stings and I just want to go back to sleep,” she whined and pushed his arm away.

Natsu looked serious again. “You’re always yelling at me for being a bad patient to Wendy, so don’t start being hypocritical now.”

She blinked at him a few times, before snorting. “Since when have you known words like ‘hypocritical’?”

Instantly the seriousness was gone and he was smiling at her. “Obviously I’ve learned from hanging out with you all the time, duh.”

Amused, Lucy shook her head and extended her arm to him. She hated to admit it but he was right on this one. It wasn’t so terribly bad when Natsu applied the paste. Unlike Porlyusica, he was careful not to press too hard, and thanks to his very warm hands, the medicine lost it’s coldness and actually felt kinda nice on her skin. She remained seated in front of him, only wearing her underwear and a top, while he moved from injury to injury, making sure not to miss a single spot. She wasn’t even embarrassed given how tired and in pain she was. Though she did muster up enough energy to return the favor and spread the tincture over his wounds. Had she been in her right mind, she knew she would have been blushing like crazy while running her fingers over his well muscled form that was sitting in front of her in only his boxers.

When she was done, Lucy closed the lid and set the jar back to it’s previous spot. “All done. Can we go to sleep now?”

By the time she turned back to look at him, he was already laying down, eyes closed and body relaxed. She rolled her eyes at him before following his example.

“Thanks for letting me stay here.” She heard him murmur, both of them already half asleep.

“If I said you couldn’t, you would’ve just broken in and ended up hurting yourself worse.”

“True.”

She felt Natsu moving closer and slipping an arm around her waist as he nuzzled her hair and breathed in deeply. Probably to get the stench of the medicine out of his nose, she assumed.

Neither of them could say that they slept all that well given their level of hurt, and one would always end up waking the other with their tossing and turning and groaning, but they were just a little more restful knowing that the other was safe and sound next to them.

[theladyofdeath]

In the Bleak Midwinter {5}

A Throne of Glass Period AU: 1920s.

Summary: 2 years after Arobynn Hammel is killed by Rowan Whitethorn, Maeve has returned from Eyllwe with a vengeance. Meanwhile, Rowan is getting married, Lorcan is a father, and Lysandra is finally ready to give her heart away. There’s been peace in The Cadre’s Orynth for 2 years, but peace never lasts.

A/N: Some chapters only have room for one viewpoint. You know...emotionally.

All characters belong to SJM. I am no more than a fan with a plot.

**Warning: mature content - language, alcohol use, drug use, sex, murders and shit.

Links & masterlists:

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The Cadre - 1920s AU {TOG}

In the Bleak Midwinter {The Cadre, Part 2}

Lorcan and Elide walked into the grand hall, where tables were spread about covered in golden tablecloths, candles, and expensive dinnerware. Wine glasses were at the head of every plate, and Lorcan found himself wondering what they would be drinking as Elide waved to Aelin across the room. He wasn’t a fan of wine, anything sweet made him angry just thinking about attempting to digest the shit.

Good thing he had a flask in his pocket.

It was good to always be prepared.

Rowan and Aelin managed to break away from the elderly couple they had been chatting with to meet Lorcan and Elide in the middle of the room. Aelin complimented Elide’s gown while Elide brushed her fingers lovingly over the pricey boa around Aelin’s neck – which, Lorcan took as a hint for his next gift.

“Who was that?” Lorcan muttered.

“Some rich couple planning to donate an ass-ton of money to something or another,” Rowan mumbled back.

Aelin rolled her eyes. “He works under close proximity with the Prime Minister, I’d be kissing his ass if I were you.”

Rowan snorted and whispered something into his wife’s ear that made her blush.

Elide gagged. “We’re in public, don’t be whispering naughty nothings into her ear.”

“Naughty nothings?” Lorcan repeated.

Elide elbowed him in the ribs before turning her attention to the stage as the big band began to play.

“I hate this music,” Lorcan mumbled. “It’s ridiculous. It’s loud.”

“Try not to sound like a grumpy old man for one night,” Elide crooned, a big grin plastered on her lips.

“Impossible, it comes naturally,” Lorcan protested, but he pulled her closer to his side, kissing her cheek.

Elide turned to him and he was already uneasy at the glint in her eye. She was about to ask something that he would want to say no to but would not, because she was the one asking it.

“Do you wanna dance?”

Lorcan sighed, and she laughed at his hesitation, but was already pulling him into the space in the middle of all the tables that had been cleared for those to dance. Without another protest, Lorcan was pulling Elide into his arms and spinning her around.

Yes, he hated the music.

Yes, he hated dancing.

But gods, he loved Elide Lochan Salvaterre.

And nothing compared to her smile, to the light in her eyes, to the utter joy she got from dancing with her husband.

He spun her around and caught her a second later, his hand resuming its position on her waist as his lips caught hers.

“Careful,” she warned, when he pulled back. “People around here will start thinking you’re soft and you have a reputation to uphold.”

“As long as they know I’m only soft for you,” he replied, his hand tightening around hers.

Elide’s eyes softened as the song ended and they began their walk to their table, where Gavriel, Fenrys, and Connall were already sitting. On the way to the table, they passed a waiter carrying a tray and Lorcan grabbed Elide a glass of champagne, which she humbly accepted.

“Lorcan!”

His name rang out, but he couldn’t tell the direction it came from. He looked to his left, where Rowan was pulling a gun out of his jacket, and Lorcan’s heart stopped as a shot rang out, into the grand hall.

Rowan’s shot rang out a second later, and Lorcan’s eyes followed that bullet as it met the chest of a man in a black fedora that stood in the doorway, his gun pointed at Lorcan.

The man fell down.

Another shot rang out.

His accomplice fell to the ground, as well.

Lorcan’s arm around Elide suddenly felt heavier, and time seemed to go slower as he looked to his wife, as the champagne glass fell from her white-gloved hand and shattered against the tile.

Chaos began, those who were attending the gala suddenly in a panic as they grabbed their loved ones and ran, their screams echoing in the large room. The band had abruptly stopped, those who had been on the stage gone, disappeared into the fleeing crowd.

But Lorcan didn’t pay mind to any of them, because his wife had gone still. Her eyes were wide, staring at him as his eyes fell down to where her other hand laid against her ribs, her white glove coated in crimson.

Lorcan wasn’t processing it.

Couldn’t process it.

Didn’t understand what was happening, not in the slightest. He heard nothing, everything had faded, all of it becoming background noise to the ringing in his ears. He was unsure why Elide was looking at him with pure panic, didn’t know why she was falling against him, didn’t know why her glove was ruined, covered in blood.

Her blood.

It was Elide’s blood.

She was bleeding.

Lorcan’s name was being screamed again, Elide’s name was being screamed, but Lorcan was falling to the floor, Elide in his arms, Elide gripping his sleeve, Elide whispering his name, her voice breaking.

Then it hit him.

It all hit him.

His heart began to race.

His palms grew sweaty, his forehead clammy, his cheeks wet as silent tears flowed down his cheeks.

She had gotten shot.

The man that had entered the room, those men, they were Maeve’s men, the one had pointed his gun at Lorcan…

And had hit Elide.

In the ribs.

Elide had been shot in the ribs.

He met her gaze, a soft sob shaking his body as he held her in his arms, sitting on the cold tile, his boots beneath him.

“No,” he breathed, and palmed her cheek, turning her face to meet his gaze, fully. “No, no, no, no, no, no.”

He was panicking.

He was having a panic attack.

Chaos surrounded him, two men were murdered, by Rowan, in the doorway, two of Maeve’s men, two men who had come to kill them, two men who had Elide’s blood on their hands.

Elide.

He whispered her name, and she opened her mouth but nothing came out. A single tear fell from her dark eyes, she found his hand and wrapped her fingers around his, both coated in blood. Lorcan didn’t even remember touching the wound, didn’t even remember any of it.

Time stood still.

Time was blurry.

Time was meaningless.

Everything was meaningless if Elide wasn’t there.

She was fading.

He could see it in her eyes, could see the sorrow, could see the beauty, the light, fading away.

“Elide,” he sobbed, and he wasn’t sure if he whispered it or screamed it, wasn’t sure who was at his back with a hand on his shoulder, wasn’t sure who was crying behind Elide, wasn’t sure of anything, anything at all.

“Gods no, gods no, gods, fuck.” He heard his voice, heard the endless string of words, knew that it was his voice, but it sounded so far away, sounded so desperate.  

Elide took a deep, shuttering breath, then her lips formed one word. 

Lucy. 

Lucy, their baby, Lucy, their child, Lucy, whose mother was lying, bleeding out, on tile of white marble.

“Lucy,” Lorcan repeated, and his tears were flowing from his cheeks onto her skin.

Elide nodded, subtly, slowly. “Lorcan.” His name, hardly audible from her pale lips.

He nodded, gripping her hand so tightly that he feared he would leave a bruise on her delicate, pale skin.

Elide’s eyes closed as she whispered, “I love you both.”

“No!” Lorcan screamed, and this time he knew he screamed, this time he felt the word tear into his body, into his soul. That one word, that single fucking word, ripped him apart and sent him into an endless void of panic and fear. “Open your eyes, El, open your fucking eyes!”

She did, she met his gaze, once more, eyes full of sadness and regret, then the sadness faded and complete adoration had her tearing up.

“Lor,” she breathed, those eyes going hazy, distant.

Lorcan’s voice broke when he answered, as calmly as he could muster, “I’m here.”

She was looking up at the ceiling, those beautiful eyes unfocused, as a small, serene smile captured her lips.

The land in Lorcan’s went limp.

And Elide Lochan Salvaterre went still.

But Lorcan continued to hold her, close to his body as his loud, piercing wail flooded the room. He held his wife’s head to his chest and hoped through some rare kind of miracle that the heart beating wildly, rioting, inside of his chest would somehow pour into hers and ignite it once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[fanfic-corner]

Wrapped In Red

Merry Christmas, @masterofevilmonkeyness! I’ve really enjoyed writing your secret santa for @destielsecretsanta2020 this year, and it has actually ended up being the longest fic I have ever written!

First of all, here’s the playlist. My friend found some perfect songs for the different scenes, and we had a lot of fun trying to find songs with specific vibes!

Without further ado, here’s the fic. And, if you’d prefer, the link to it on AO3.

{o0o}

“So you’ll do it?” his brother’s voice crackles though Dean’s cracked phone, and he sighs. So yeah, maybe he hasn’t been on a case in a while and has been going slowly insane just hanging around the bunker, but he also doesn’t want to leave Cas alone. Since his grace had faded completely a few days ago, the former angel had hardly left his room, and Dean wasn’t sure what he could do to help.

He rubs his forehead, already feeling a headache coming on simply from this conversation, and replies, “I’ll ask Cas.”

“Okay, text me if you’re going,” Sam responds, the phone making the muffled noises that Dean has learnt means that he is holding his phone on his shoulder, freeing his hands to talk to Eileen.

“Stop worrying, anyway,” Dean tells him, cracking his back as he stands up. “You’re on holiday. Leave the cases for a while, and I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“Alright, jerk.”

“Bitch.”

Dean slips his phone into his back pocket and wanders down the hallway, so engrossed in his plan to invest in some thick socks because the bunker floor is freezing that he nearly walks straight into Cas. His dark hair sticks up in every direction and he is wearing an old Zeppelin shirt of Dean’s and a pair of Sam’s sweatpants, which look like they are being held up by some kind of miracle. Paired with the bags under his eyes which are so dark that Dean mistakes them for bruises, he could be mistaken for a ghost. 

“Hey, uh,” Dean stutters, not sure what to say. “Sam has a case that I was thinking of going on, but we don’t have to, we can just pass it on to Garth or-”

“I’ll go with you,” Cas interrupts, his voice hoarse and croaky.

Dean raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You don’t look...great. No offense.”

“I’m fine, Dean.” Cas’ steely blue eyes had always been able to pull off a frighteningly good stare, and Dean just decides to go along with it. It would do them both good to get out of the bunker, in any case.

“Okay,” he agrees, “shall we go in about an hour? That’ll give me enough time to pack for both of us and you enough time to have a shower.”

Cas nods, and they part ways, Dean watching the angel hoist his borrowed pants up and disappear around the corner before shaking his head and fishing his phone out to text Sam.

We’ll take it. Send me the details, setting off in an hour.

{o0o}

Dean had tried his very best to hold a conversation when they set off on the fourteen hour drive, but he had long given up and they were only at the two hour mark. Every question he asked so far had either gone unanswered or had been graced with a monosyllabic response. It was like trying to hold a conversation with a brick wall. Well, no one could fault him for trying. 

Flicking his wrist out lazily, he turns on the radio without looking with the kind of graceful expertise that only comes from years of driving his baby at night. It takes a full ten seconds for him to realise that the sound of jingle bells is coming from the speakers before he groans. “Nope.”

A surprisingly warm hand shoots out to stop him before he can turn it off, and Dean looks up in surprise at Cas’ imploring face. “Please can we listen to it?”

Considering what the dude had lost recently - and the fact that apparently his puppy eyes are almost as effective as Sam’s - Dean was hardly going to deny him this one thing. He did, however, have one condition. “Okay, I’ll leave it on, but only if you fish out my Christmas mixtape from the box.”

Dean never took his eyes off the road, but he was acutely aware of the way Cas stared at him for a moment before excitedly rummaging through the old box of tapes. Eventually, he pulls it out, admiring the battered stickers and fading drawings that he and Sam had added when they made it all those years ago. Cas gently slides it in and the first few notes of Mariah Carey grace the air.

“Hell yeah,” Dean says, grinning wildly. “You, Castiel, are about to be educated in some proper Christmas music.”

By the time the mixtape finishes, they are both in a much better mood, so Dean decides it is probably a good idea to stop for a little bit to get some snacks and some gas. Frowning, Cas informs him that he needs the toilet, before disappearing towards the nasty looking bathroom. Dean can’t help but feel bad for him; as much as he loves being human, he knows it must be annoying to suddenly have the weird experience of a human body. They always seemed to hurt or need something, and he could tell that Cas found the whole thing incredibly repetitive and exasperating.

The gas station is like every other gas station Dean has ever seen; empty, with a layer of grime that seemed to cover everything and the bright lights that ensured that no matter what time of day it was, it always seemed to look the exact same. This one, however, is also covered in Christmas decorations. Glittery tinsel and rainbow paper chains swing from the ceiling, the air conditioning coaxing them into a gentle dance. Fake snow covers every surface, and flashing fairy lights force him to blink and look away. 

Dean moves on autopilot, picking up snacks that Cas hasn’t tried yet and a couple of bottles of water, before reaching the counter. He has to yell to the cashier - who is decked out in a festive jumper and Santa hat - in order to be heard over the deafening Christmas music.

“Here,” she practically sings, disappearing into the back room for a second before reappearing with a ridiculous pair of reindeer antlers. “These are for you, sweetie! No charge. Cheer up, it’s Christmas!”

Dean tries to refuse the antlers, but the lady - Lucy, her name tag reads - is not taking no for an answer, so eventually he gives in, telling himself that it is just so he can leave this Christmas Hell and get back to driving. Cas is waiting for him outside, leaning on the car and watching as the first few flakes of snow start to fall.

Dean hesitates for a moment before offering the antlers to him. Cas just stares at them, his head tilted to one side. Sighing, Dean just steps closer and puts them on Cas’ head, laughing when the bells jingle as he tries to look up at them without taking them off. He slips his phone out and sneaks a picture of the bewildered former angel, hastily putting it away and bundling Cas in the car so that they can set off before the snow gets too bad.

“Why did you give me a pair of fake antlers, Dean?” Cas asks as they set off, turning them over and inspecting them in his hands. Much to Dean’s dismay, they wouldn’t fit in the car. 

“Thought you liked Christmas stuff?” he replies, grinning.

“What do fabric antlers have to do with Christmas?” 

And so, Dean finds himself spending the last leg of the journey attempting to explain Christmas traditions to Cas, who can’t help interrupting and pointing out the real facts, rather than Dean’s Christmas cracker knowledge. They go over Santa and his reindeers (“reindeers can’t fly, Dean”), the birth of Jesus (“I remember Balthazar telling me about that”), and mince pies (“why are they sweet? Mince isn’t supposed to be sweet.”). By the time they arrive Dean is so eager to escape the onslaught of questions that he doesn’t know the answer to, he hits someone with the car door as he gets out.

The actual reason that they have driven into the middle of absolutely nowhere dangerously close to Christmas is because a couple had gone missing last week and hadn’t been seen since. Usually, they would assume that this case wasn’t their kind of thing, but Sam had been asked to check it out by another hunter who knew them (and who apparently had some beef with a ton of shapeshifters), and so here they are..

Dean suggests that FBI agents might be a bit too suspicious for a small town in the middle of nowhere, so instead he and Cas decide to pretend that they are just family visiting them for the weekend. They knock on next door under the pretense of asking for the spare key, and are greeted by possibly the grumpiest people Dean has ever met.

“Fine,” the lady snaps, the half of her face visible from behind the door frowning at them in disgust before turning back into the house. “Harold, get the spare key for next door!”

“Do you happen to know where they have gone?” Dean asks politely, the pleasant smile on his face starting to ache.

“No.”

Cas raises his eyebrows at Dean, before he tries. “When was the last time you saw them?”

The woman huffs impatiently. “Probably when they went to that stupid office Christmas party. We could hear the music from here. It was so inconsiderate.”

“Oh,” Dean replies, sharing a look with Cas. “Where was this party?”

The door opens fully, a man appearing behind the lady - Harold, Dean assumes - who hands the key over to them. “It was those blasted Mitchells.” He turns to his wife, his bushy eyebrows raised. “Did you hear that they are throwing another goddamn party tomorrow, Ann?”

“Thanks for all your help,” Dean interrupts before they can get too carried away. 

“Merry Christmas!” Cas adds, already backing away. 

They speedwalk back across the victims’ house, making sure that the neighbours’ door is shut before they completely break down laughing. Dean can barely open the door, but when he finally manages to correctly align the key in the lock, they both tumble into the front room, shaking uncontrollably.

Dean collapses next to the couch, sliding to the floor. He takes a couple of deep breaths before managing to speak. “Sounds like we’re going to your first Christmas party, Cas.”

{o0o}

After making their way through most of the people in the town, two things have been made very clear. First of all, the last anyone had seen of the victims - Adam and Amelia Knapp - was at their office Christmas party. Which nearly everyone in the town had been at, and yet no one knew anything remotely helpful. Secondly, there was another Christmas party being held tomorrow night by the somewhat popular Mitchell family, and the chances of their mystery monster striking were high, in Dean’s opinion.

The most logical course of action would be for Dean and Cas to pretend to be guests at the party, so they could stop their creature before anyone else went missing and then they could disappear back home in time for Christmas. However, Dean had found that nothing in his life could ever be that simple, so instead he found himself standing in front of a wide array of hats, trying to wrestle a fez away from a former angel of the Lord.

Because of course it had to be a costume party, and just as the icing on the cake, it had to be a couples only costume party.

“Dude,” Dean says, finally managing to wrench the fez from Cas’ iron grip, “if we’re wearing hats, at least try a good hat.”

Dean plops an example on Cas’ head, laughing as it slips over his eyes. “These aren’t Christmassy, Dean.”

“Sure they are,” Dean says, grabbing a hat more in Cas’ size and a matching one for him. He strolls over to the till, grabbing a couple more things on the way. “You’ll see.”

Since they have a few hours to kill before the actual party, Dean decides that they can waste some of the day doing some Christmas shopping, especially after he finds out that Cas hasn’t got any presents yet. He drives them to a nearby mall, throws Cas a handful of notes and his antlers, and gives him strict instructions to buy some presents and then meet Dean in the food court in an hour. 

“Why can’t we do it together?” Cas asks, and Dean could swear he was pouting.

“Because the presents are supposed to be a surprise,” he explains, shooing Cas away with his hands. “Look, I’ll see you in an hour, and if you need anything you can just call me, ‘kay?”

Cas nods and meanders off, disappearing into the crowd without further complaint.

It is nearly ten minutes later, while he is rummaging through some shirts in an attempt to find one in Sam’s size, when Dean realises that this is the first time that Cas has been alone since he lost his grace. A sudden jolt of panic rushes through him, and he has to force himself to take a deep breath.

Castiel was older than humanity. He had led armies of angels. He had fought against demons and archangels and every monster under the sun. He could handle buying a few Christmas presents.

But, at the same time, Dean can’t help but worry. The dude has questionable social skills at best, and he is still trying to get to grips with his brand new human body. He often has to be reminded to eat or drink water or sleep, and there were several embarrassing occasions in the beginning where he had forgotten entirely.

Dean’s hand itches, his fingers curling towards his back pocket, but he resists the urge to call and check up on Cas. He doesn’t need a babysitter. He tells himself that he should just get his presents for people and then he can meet back up with Cas as soon as possible.

The mall is packed, the usual last rush as people get the last few things they need for Christmas. Conversations and the sound of toddlers crying fight to be heard over the echoing music, festive music adding to the deafening noise. While dodging people, making his way to their meeting place, Dean tries to remember the last time he was in a mall. Certainly not recently - he thinks it may be some time before he met Cas - and he definitely doesn’t remember them making him feel this claustrophobic. The sea of people pushing against him makes him want to throw up, and he finds himself having to duck into the nearest shop to avoid the crowd, shutting his eyes and leaning heavily against a railing.

“Dean?” a deep, familiar voice asks him, concerned. “Are you alright?”

Dean cracks one eye open, laughing when he realises what shop he found Cas in. He knew he should never have introduced him to Hot Topic. “I’m fine, Cas. Just hungry.” he deflects, standing up straight and patting his friend on the shoulder.

Cas gives him a look that says ‘I know you’re lying but I’m going to let you get away with it just this once’ and instead says, “Let me pay for this, and then we can go and get some lunch.”

Not even twenty minutes later, Dean is watching Cas eat a taco for the first time and has completely forgotten that he ever felt bad, because he is laughing too hard to care. Cas looks highly bemused at the stain on his precious trench coat, but Dean thinks that, secretly, he doesn’t mind.

{o0o}

There is no question that they are in the right place when they pull up outside the address they were given a few hours later, if the ridiculous amount of fairy lights and assorted decorations are anything to go by. They can’t help but stare at the blinding display for a moment, before Dean turns to Cas to make sure he remembers the plan. “Okay, so we go in, find our mystery monster-”

“Sam thinks it is a shapeshifter.” Cas interrupts.

“Okay, so we grab this shifter, gank it, grab some food on the way out and then drive home in time for Christmas. You remember the cover story?”

Cas rolls his eyes. “Yes, Dean. We’re the Bassons, and we’re thinking about moving here. Do I need to repeat the rest?”

“Alright then, you ready?” Dean intertwines his fingers with Cas’ - in order to keep their cover, obviously - takes a deep breath, and then opens the door.

A wave of heat rolls out from the crowded house, contrasting with the painfully cold air outside. As they step inside, Dean picks up a delicious smell wafting in from the kitchen, a mixture of turkey and cranberry sauce and mulled wine and gravy. The third thing he notices is the music blaring in from the other room, loud enough that he can feel the vibrations thrum through his body. He laughs when he realises what song it is. Space Cowboy; he couldn’t have picked a more fitting song.

After they had come home from their spontaneous shopping spree, Dean had spent an hour making the perfect couple’s costume. Considering the only supplies he had were ones he had picked up from the dollar store, he was actually pretty impressed with his handiwork. Both him and Cas were wearing their normal fed suits, however, it was the hats that really sold it. Dean had affixed - using an alarming amount of superglue - a strand of purple and blue glittery tinsel to his cowboy hat, and a set of fully functional Christmas lights to Cas’. 

Cas had protested at first - “How are cowboys Christmas related, Dean?” - until he had been convinced by the hidden practicality of it: any weapons they brought with them could be written off as part of the costume. Also, cowboys are awesome. Dean has yet to find someone who can prove him wrong on that point.

Cas squeezes Dean’s hand to get his attention, nodding towards two people who appear to be the hosts of the party. The music shifts into some Christmas classic, and they make their way over so they can start ruling people off the list of suspects.

An hour later, Dean officially decides that he is never attending a Christmas party again. Luckily, they’ve only had to deal with one homophobe, who Dean ‘accidentally’ dropped a whole plate of food on, but that doesn’t mean that none of the other guests are driving him up the wall. It seems that everyone is slightly drunk apart from them, and the only reason Dean hasn’t joined in is because of the dirty looks Cas sends him every time he so much as glances towards the punch bowl. 

It’s the karaoke that does him in. Cas is somewhere (Dean couldn’t tell if he genuinely needed the bathroom, or if that was his attempt at saying he was going to scout the house) and there is a woman wearing a skimpy reindeer outfit and wailing along to Last Christmas. God only knows what caused her to get on top of the table and join in while crying, but Dean suspects the answer includes lots of alcohol and the fact that the man who she had arrived with had disappeared upstairs with an elf some time earlier. Her rendition certainly isn’t going to win any awards.

With Cas not there to see, Dean manages to finish two plastic cups worth of surprisingly nice punch before he can be stopped. Considering the dude has flashing lights on his head, Cas can be remarkably sneaky when he wants to be.

“Dean, I don’t think-”

“Oh, what wonderful costumes!” a woman interrupts, and Dean forces a smile back on his aching face before he turns around to face her, just in time to see wink at him. She is wearing a green dress and is covered in baubles and tinsel, and the man standing next to her is literally wearing a massive cardboard box, wrapped to look like a present. It takes all of Dean’s self control not to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it.

“Thank you,” Cas says, and Dean wraps an arm around his waist in order to confirm that they are, in fact, a couple. The few times he had touched Castiel, he had been cold; it had felt like touching a corpse. As a human, Cas was like a hot water bottle, and even though the house was boiling, Dean couldn’t help but latch onto him whenever the opportunity arose. 

“I’m Natasha,” the woman continued, staring at Dean in what he had to assume was her version of ‘seductive’ and completely ignoring Cas. “Oh, and this is Cole,” she adds as an afterthought.

Cole also winks at Dean. He has never felt so uncomfortable in his life, and he went to Hell. Although, he has also never had both members of a couple separately flirt with him while fake dating someone else.

“I’m Dean, and this is Cas,” he replies, pulling the former angel even closer into him. “My husband.”

“Oh,” Cole says, and Dean doesn’t think he is imagining the disappointed tone.

“Sorry,” Natasha adds, not sounding in any way apologetic. “I didn’t realise you were a couple!”

Dean didn’t think he could make it more obvious, but… if she didn’t believe them, then they might be at risk of blowing their cover. There were already at least seven people who had been avoiding them after the usual weird questions and some not quite realistic ploys to get them to touch a silver coin that they had brought with them. 

“Why’s that?” he asks, and regrets the question almost as soon as it comes out of his mouth.

“For starters,” Natasha proclaimed, way too eager for this to end well. “You’ve been standing under mistletoe this whole time and haven’t kissed!”

Dean’s whole body freezes as they both look up, and sure enough, the bastard plastic plant is hanging directly over their heads.

“I didn’t realise,” Cas says, somewhat dazedly.

Dean takes a deep breath - there’s nothing they can do now, not with these nosy, weirdass people watching and waiting and expecting a kiss - and pulls Cas closer, turning to face him so their bodies are pressed together. In the dim lights, the lights on Cas’ hat make his startling blue eyes twinkle like starlight, and Dean wonders how he never saw how gorgeous he was before now. Maybe he had, and it had just been buried along with everything else.

“Dean,” Cas’ low voice rumbles, but he doesn’t finish his sentence.

Kissing a man is not so different to kissing a woman, and Dean can’t help but notice how much he likes the feeling of Cas’ chapped lips on his own. Something lights up inside him like a firework, and he realises exactly how much he wanted - no, needed this. He feels better than he has in a long time, as if a missing puzzle piece had suddenly slotted into place.

Cas pulls away first, and Dean’s mind suddenly catches up with his body. Holy shit, he just kissed Cas. He barely registers Natasha and Cole walking away, still transfixed by the fact he finds a former angel of the Lord - who is a man - devastatingly handsome.

“Dean. Dean, are you okay?” It is only the feeling of Cas’ body heat leaving him that gets him to look down, absentmindedly fixing the shorter man’s hat.

“Yeah,” Dean replies, choking on the words. “Yeah, I just gotta - I’m just gonna…”

And, like a complete and utter cowardly dick, he walks away.

{o0o}

It has been twenty minutes, so Dean can be fairly certain that Cas isn’t gonna come looking for him. Which is fine. It’s not like he was expecting him to. They only kissed to keep up the pretense, and Dean’s weird behaviour has probably ruined that anyway. It meant nothing.

The problem is that Dean can’t stop thinking about how amazing it had felt to kiss Cas. He had tasted like mulled wine and honey and the promise of a thousand lazy mornings. It had felt like flying and drowning all at once. Dean had never understood when people had described kisses as things that had nothing to do with the act, like earthquakes or lightning or fireworks, but the only way he could explain the ecstasy he had felt when their lips had touch was an act of God.

And that thought only spiraled into another: Dean had kissed an angel of the Lord. An angel. Even though Cas was human now, he still remembered the birth of existence and every word that came out of his mouth was fueled by eons of knowledge and memories and experience. He held himself with a grace that only a true warrior can execute, and to him, Dean must seem so small. How insignificant was he compared to that brilliant man?

Finally, there it is. The real issue. Castiel is a man.

It had taken some time, but Dean had taught himself, eventually, that John Winchester was a terrible parent. In fact, it was generous to call him a parent at all. It was Dean who had raised Sam, raised himself. And, even now, he couldn’t help but fall back into his old mindset, into an old version of Dean who would have done anything for his father’s approval. But, if he is being honest with himself - and, let’s be frank, it’s about time - Castiel was not the first man he had liked. He probably wasn’t even the third. 

In that moment, Dean decides that he doesn’t want to be a coward any longer. If he never expected his life to be a long one, then it is all the more reason to go for what he wants now, rather than later.

Yeah, maybe he’ll lose Cas, but… the possibility of what could await him if Cas does reciprocate is far more frightening than the former angel laughing in his face.

{o0o}

Castiel considers himself very knowledgeable in Dean Winchester’s emotions. He knows exactly how long to avoid Dean after eating a slice of his pie, he knows that he can hold full conversations with just a look, and, as an example, he knows that after their kiss, Dean Winchester was panicking. Badly.

That was fine. Castiel was fine with that. It wasn’t like he had been secretly in love with a man who had repeatedly called him a brother for over ten years. Nothing like that.

Sighing, Cas gently puts his paper plate on the corner of the kitchen table, the food he had been so excited to try half an hour ago now making his stomach roll. He figured that Dean had just needed some air; he would cool down, shove all of his emotions down in true Winchester fashion, and then return and pretend that nothing ever happened. The problem wasn’t just with the fact that Cas would very much be remembering that kiss until the day he died, but that Dean had been a really long time. 

Time moves differently now that he was human. As an angel, everything seemed to move so much faster. There was always something to do, the faint crackling of angel radio like a comforting background noise or a million particles to study. A blink of his eye and a century could have passed, and yet here he is, thirty minutes feeling like an eternity.

It’s by the time Cas has checked every room downstairs that he really starts to worry.

Dean is not in the kitchen stuffing his face, and he is not in the dining room drinking punch, and he is not dancing to the rather annoying upbeat song that is playing in the living room. He is not in the hallway, or on the stairs, or in the bathroom. When Cas starts asking, people give conflicting answers. A bauble saw him go upstairs, a Christmas tree could swear he was in the kitchen, an elf insists that he went outside. 

Since it is the only place he hasn’t checked, Cas heads outside. There, on the floor, is Dean’s stupid hat, the tinsel loose on one side, dangling pathetically into a puddle of melted snow.

Cas immediately calls Sam, who picks up surprisingly quickly. “Cas? What’s up?”

“ImighthavekissedDeanandnowIdon’tknowwhereheis-”

“Cas, slow down,” Sam urges, forcing Cas to take a deep breath before continuing.

“We’re, uh, at a couples’ only party, and we had to kiss and then Dean freaked out but he’s been gone for ages and I think he is in trouble,” Cas says, only marginally slower than before.

“Shit. Okay, send me the address. We’re on our way.”

Sam, Cas thinks as he tries a door handle that he missed before, is excellent at coming up with plans. Maybe it’s the time spent in college, maybe it’s his years of hunting experience, but even over the phone he had pointed out things that Cas had failed to spot. Like, for example, the door to the basement.

Cas turns the phone flashlight on like Dean taught him, the beam still not strong enough to light up the impenetrable darkness. The music fades to a distant hum in the background, becoming distorted and frantic as Cas feels. His eyes have barely adjusted enough to see the familiar but unconscious form on the ground - “Dean?” - before something solid connects with the back of his head, and Cas tumbles forwards, crumpling at the bottom of the stairs.

{o0o}

“Cas?”

Cas groans. When he had finally fallen completely, he had been surprised by how much being human hurts. Something always aches, and everything is so easy to damage. Even the smallest of injuries - a stubbed toe or a papercut - hurts way more than it should.

Apparently, a combination of blunt force trauma to the back of the head and the general bruises one acquires from falling down a flight of stairs hurt a lot more than a stubbed toe.

“Hey, buddy, you okay?” A familiar voice asks, and Cas tries to turn his head so that he can see Dean, instead finding out that that particular head movement causes his vision to blur and swim. When he attempts to bring his hands up to survey the damage, he can’t understand why they don't move for a moment, before his brain finally manages to catch up and he remembers the night’s events. 

So, maybe he wasn’t expecting his first kiss with Dean to be followed by being kidnapped and tied up in a basement, but this is a Winchester they are talking about here. 

“Come on, talk to me here.” Dean says, sounding worried.

Cas swallows, aiming to say something to ease Dean’s concern and instead causing a coughing fit. “I’m fine,” he eventually manages to gasp.

Dean snorts. “Sure sound like it.”

They are silent for a moment, the only sounds in the room an echoing drip and Cas’ raspy breaths. Cas isn’t sure how long they have been down there, but since Dean isn’t wriggling about in an attempt to escape, it has probably been long enough that he has already checked whether or not he can untie himself. From what Cas’ fumbling fingers can tell, though, the knots keeping them bound to this stupid pole are very good.

He feels utterly pathetic. He used to be a soldier - he had led armies, fought battles that humans couldn’t even comprehend - and here he was now, entirely useless, taken out by a baseball bat and kept prisoner by a length of rope. If he was still an angel this would have never happened. He could have saved Dean, he would have killed whoever did this, and they would have been back in time to enjoy the end of the party.

“What do we do now?” Cas asks, finally breaking the silence.

Dean sighs, and Cas can feel him against his back as his whole body sags down. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do but wait.”

Cas didn’t think he had ever heard Dean give up so easily, and it scared him. “What?”

“I don’t exactly see a way out of this, Cas. I’ve been trying to get these ropes off for half an hour and I think they’re probably just tighter than they were when I started.”

Cas gave an experimental yank, and Dean hissed in pain. Suddenly, the wetness on Cas’ hands made sense. “You’re bleeding, Dean.”

The hunter didn’t reply.

Cas had always thought that his death would be noble. Previously, it had always at least been in battle or a sacrifice, but this was just… pitiful. He was going to die at the hands of some random shapeshifter in someone’s disgusting basement, while wearing a cowboy costume.

“I - uh, I just wanted to say,” Dean starts, sounding unsure, “that I’m sorry about earlier.”

“It’s fine, Dean,” he replies, shutting his eyes in an attempt to block out the conversation. If he was going to die, he would rather not be rejected first.

“It was a dick move,” Dean continues, as if he hadn’t heard Cas. “I was just - I mean - I want to say…”

“What, Dean?”

Dean’s voice is barely a whisper. “I think I’d like to kiss you again.”

Cas’ eyes snap back open, and he hits his head on the pole in his confusion. “You would?”

“You don’t… I thought… I mean, I’m just kid-”

“Shut up,” Cas interrupts, not wanting Dean to panic all over again. “I would like that.”

“Oh. Really? Okay,” Dean replies, and Cas shuffles around until he manages to hold his hand. It’s sticky and wet with blood where Dean’s wrists have been hurt by the ropes, and every aching muscle in Cas’ body screams at the awkward position, but he thinks it might still be the happiest he has ever been.

{o0o}

Dean isn’t sure how long it is until he hears the footsteps on the stairs, but it’s long enough for him to feel much too tired for a fight. Can’t the universe just let him be happy for once? Is it too much to ask to not have to fight tooth and claw for one scrap of peace?

“Well, hello there,” a man’s voice says, and Dean feels Cas stiffen. It sounds oddly familiar, but he can’t quite place his finger on where he would have heard it before.

That is, until a second voice speaks. “What have we got here, Harold?”

The next-door neighbours. The old couple who had been complaining about the parties. Of course the only two people in this godforsaken town who they hadn’t checked were the bad guys. He should have seen it. They should have asked them more questions when they weren’t tied to this stupid pole in this stupid fucking basement.

“A pair of cowboys, Ann,” Harold tuts, and Dean cannot believe he is about to be killed by a weird old couple, of all things. He had prevented the apocalypse at least twice, had defeated God, and yet he was going to be killed by the monster of the week. Who looked like they were about three hundred years old, owned fifty cats and knitted in their spare time.

Ann walks around them, her heels clacking on the stone floor, until she comes to a stop in front of Dean. “What a shame,” she says, looking down at him like he was a stain on her shoe. “I was hoping we’d get a crier. Men rarely cry. Apart from that last fellow, of course.”

Dean’s stomach rolls, and he suddenly regrets eating so many pigs in blankets at the party. 

“What are you?” Cas practically growls, his hand squeezing Dean’s to comfort him.

“Whatever do you mean, son?” Harold asks, and he sounds genuinely confused.

Oh shit, Dean thinks, letting out an amused huff of breath. Great. He isn’t even going to be killed by the monster of the week. He’s gonna be killed by an actual old person.

“Is something funny, sweetie?” Ann demands, frowning.

Dean smiles up at her, deciding that he may as well die how he lived: a snarky bastard. “Sorry, I just can’t believe that I got kidnapped by someone’s grandma.”

Ann steps closer to him, crouching down so she is his height. A sliver of silver reflects in the dim light like a shooting star, slicing downwards and cutting a thin line across Dean’s neck. “Don’t give me cheek, boy.”

“Let’s kill the other one first, sweetheart. Then that rude fella has to watch his boyfriend die.” Harold suggests, spitting out the word ‘boyfriend’ like it physically hurts him.

Dean clutches Cas’ hand tighter, trying not to let the panic that is welling up inside him, cold and merciless, show on his face. He tugs desperately at the ropes around his wrists one more time, hoping for a miracle that he knows isn’t coming.

“Say goodbye, now.” Ann says, and Dean shuts his eyes. He knows that he can’t deal with losing Cas again, even if he’ll be gone soon after. He spares a brief thought wondering where Cas will go when he dies; is he human enough to avoid the Empty? And even so, would he go to Heaven or Hell?

“I love you, Cas,” Dean whispered, because even though he is scared, he knows that Cas deserves to know.

If Cas says anything back, Dean doesn’t hear it over the gunshot.

{o0o}

Dying was not a new experience for Castiel, nor was dying as a human. What was a new experience was the pain he felt in his chest that no bullet or knife could replicate. It was the knowledge that he had the opportunity to be happy and it had been ripped from him. It was knowing that someone loved him and cared for him and was being taken away from him.

When Harold dropped dead instead of Cas, his heart fluttered. Maybe he did have a chance.

“Dean, are you alright?” Sam’s voice calls out, and Cas finally allows himself to relax slightly.

“Sam?” Dean asks, surprise and confusion and relief all mixed together.

Eileen appears from nowhere and stoops down, grinning at Cas and slicing through the ropes. She winks at him but doesn’t say anything, simply helping him to his feet when it becomes obvious he can’t do it by himself. Sam has backed Ann into the corner of the room, his gun pointed at her with an unwavering hand, but Dean whispers something in his ear and he lowers it slightly. He signs something over his shoulder, not even glancing away from the threat, and Eileen rushes off upstairs, essentially shoving the injured Castiel into Dean’s side.

“Hey, buddy, you okay?” Dean asks gently, wrapping his arm around Cas’ waist to hold him up. His wrists are still bleeding and they are both cold from sitting in a freezing basement for ages, but the simple action fills Cas with a warmness.

“I’ve been in love with you for twelve years, you assbutt,” he mumbles.

Dean smiles down at him, somehow looking charming even covered in dirt and blood, only looking up when Sam clears his throat.

“Look, we should get out of here,” Sam suggests, standing up. He’s tied Ann to the same post that they thought would be their deathbed only a few minutes ago, and he is shooing them towards the stairs back up to the party. “Eileen’s getting someone to call the cops and we don’t wanna be here when they arrive.”

Cas ducks down, for a moment, holding Dean’s hand so he doesn’t completely keel over, and grabs the two hats off the ground. Reaching up, he puts his on before gently placing Dean’s on his head. The tinsel is falling off on one side, the lights have run out of battery, and they are both caked in dirt, but it still makes Dean smile.

“Let’s go home,” Dean says, leaning down and softly kissing Cas.

{o0o}

Much to Dean’s surprise, Sam and Eileen said nothing about his new relationship with Cas. In fact, when he tried to bring it up - he knew Sam had seen them kissing for Christ’s sake - Sam just shook his head and rolled his eyes at Dean. “Jody owes me fifty dollars,” was all he said, and their discussion was over.

Cas didn’t seem too perturbed by the whole situation, and Dean found himself wondering whether it was just him who found their new relationship strange. Not that anything much had changed, for that matter. They both behaved the exact same way, with added kissing. So what if Sam thought Dean was weird for still calling Cas ‘buddy’? He wasn’t the one dating a former angel.

What Dean had decided, after their fun little kidnapping escapade, was that Cas deserved an awesome Christmas. It was his first one as a human, after all, and what kind of boyfriend would Dean be if he didn’t show Cas all the wonders of the holiday season?

And that is how they found themselves turning the drive home into a Christmas road trip.

Cas wore his reindeer antlers wherever possible, and Dean took a million photos of him. On the first day, they visited a Christmas market. Dean thought it was much too busy and annoying, but it was all worth it for the smile Cas had after drinking his first hot chocolate. On the second day, they went to a drive-in movie. Cas gave both the funniest and most irritating running commentary that Dean had ever heard, having to remind him every five minutes that “it’s a romcom, Cas. It’s not supposed to make sense.”

On Christmas Eve, they spent most of the day driving to make sure they got home in time for the dinner that Sam and Eileen had promised. They sang carols at full volume and blasted Christmas songs and Dean taught Cas how to play the air guitar. Dean couldn’t remember a time when he had felt such a sense of freedom and happiness. Maybe it was just a Christmas miracle.

Christmas day rolled around, and it was the nicest Christmas that Dean could remember having. Sam and Eileen had decorated the entire bunker with tinsel and streamers, and had even managed to bring in a huge tree from outside. So maybe not all the decorations on it were technically Christmas related, but the silver bullets were shiny and although no one was quite sure what the pentagram they were using a star on the top did, it looked pretty cool.

By the evening, they had eaten enough food to feed twenty people for a week and had exchanged presents. Sam was sitting at the table with his new fancy pens, Eileen had disappeared to take a shower with her new soaps, and Cas and Dean were firmly planted on the couch. Cas’ new fuzzy socks were warm and ticklish against Dean’s feet, and the angel was a surprisingly good cuddler. 

All of a sudden, Dean sat up, dragging Cas with him. “Come on, dude. We should dance.”

Cas snorted but agreed, wrapping his arms around Dean tightly. They swayed slowly to the music, his head on Cas’ shoulder, gently singing along to the slow music.

Now you hang from my lips

Like the Gardens of Babylon

With your boots beneath my bed

Forever is the sweetest con.

Dean’s mouth twists into a smile. “I could spend forever with you,” he whispers, and he leans down to kiss his angel again.

[pocket-luv101]

Summary: Family snow day. (KuroMahi, LawLicht, Tetsono, Jekuni)

“Are you cold, Machi?” Mahiru asked her daughter who was now four years old. She adjusted the scarf around Machi’s neck so she would be warmer. It was December and Hyde invited their friends and family to stay the week of Licht’s birthday. Everyone happily accepted because it was rare that they were able to visit each other after the Greed family moved to Austria. They still remained close though. For their first snow day together, everyone gathered at a local snow hill to go sledding.

“Dad, I want your jacket!” Lucy pulled on Hyde’s sleeve persistently. She was already bundled and warm so he thought that she wanted to be doted on after she saw Mahiru and Machi’s interaction. He took off his jacket despite the cold weather. She beamed happily and hugged the jacket. Hyde started to help her put on the jacket but she ran towards the snow hill with it. She laid his jacket on the snow and sat on it. Too late, he realized she intended to use his jacket like a sled. “Lucy fly!”

“Wait, Lucy!” He screamed and ran after her. She already pushed herself forward and she started to slide down the hill. Hyde threw himself after her and caught her before she could be hurt rolling down the hill. He circled his arms around his daughter and kept her safe. He groaned when they finally stopped at the foot of the hill. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Lucy wanted to go down the hill but Dad ruined it.” She pouted at him and her expression made him chuckle softly. Hyde sat up with Lucy in his arms. He brushed the snow from her hair and looked her over for bruises. His daughter was rather impulsive and he could never predict what she would do next. He loved her imagination though.

“I swear, you’re going to put me in an early grave.” He groaned but then kissed Lucy’s head. Hyde stood up and carried her back up the short hill. Licht was waiting at the top with two steaming cups in her hands. She handed one to each of them and then took Lucy into her arms. With the snow falling around them, Hyde thought they looked like a pair of snow angels.

“You can’t use a jacket as a sled, Lucy. Don’t worry, Uncle Tetsu is carrying them up right now. We can all go sledding soon.” Mahiru stood next to them and pointed to the parking lot where he was unloading the sleds from the car. The children were impatient to play in the snow so they took them to the hill while Tetsu, JeJe and Kuro carried the equipment and toys up the hill.

Misono waved to Tetsu with a smile. In contrast, Mikuni screamed in horror. “What are you doing with Yuu? You’re going to drop him!”

Tetsu had a pile of sleds on his shoulder and at the top was his son. The boy hated walking and he would ride on his father’s shoulder. She could easily see Yuu falling if the pile tilted even slightly. Misono stopped her sister from dashing down the hill. She sighed and said: “Tetsu won’t drop Yuu, Mikuni. Yuu is my son so I don’t know why you’re being so overprotective of him.”

Since their family was overprotective of her and they kept her sheltered, Misono didn’t want to do the same to her son. She also trusted that Tetsu wouldn’t let their son slip. He stopped in front of them and carefully placed the sleds down. She lifted the short boy into her arms and his weight was a blessing to her.

“Papa!” Machi skipped to Kuro who took a sled from the pile. She excitedly hopped in place and he chuckled at her adorable excitement. For an introvert, she had a lot of energy. He laid the sled on the ground and she sat on the front. She patted the spot behind her and cheered: “Giddy up! Giddy up! Papa and Mama sit behind Machi. I wanna steer.”

“Race! I can sled down the hill the fastest! Angel against kitties against crowns.” Lucy was competitive and she pushed her sled next to Machi’s. She looked over her shoulder to Yuu and gestured for him to join the race as well. “Mom, you’re a part of my angel team so sit here. We’re going to win.”

Hyde smiled as he watched the kids play together. They moved to Licht’s childhood home to give their daughter a quaint upbringing. Unfortunately, there weren’t many kids in the neighbourhood for her to play with. She would enter school soon and he hoped she would find a lot of friends.

Machi only wanted to play and she leaned forward. The shifting weight caused her sled to tilt forward and they slid down the hill. She quickly forgot the race and raised her hands into the air with a cheer. She didn’t notice how the sled veered off course slightly. Behind her, Mahiru quickly placed her hand around Machi’s to steer the sled back on course.

“Wee. Let’s do that again, Mama.” Machi requested once they reached the bottom of the hill. She tilted her head back to smile up at her mother. She leaned back a little too much and fell back against her. Mahiru giggled and hugged her tightly. They felt the sled shift as Kuro stood and he took the rope to pull his family back up the hill.

Kuro paused when a sled stopped next to them since Lucy pouted at them. “You cheated by going down the hill before I said ‘go’. I demand a rematch!”

Mahiru pulled a tray of gingerbread men out of the oven and hummed a Christmas song. She felt three pair of eyes on her back and she already knew who were watching her. With a sigh, she turned around and found the kids behind her. She baked the cookies in a secret because she wanted to surprise them. “Shouldn’t you three be playing hide-and-seek?”

“I smelled cookies! Mama bakes the best. Can we have one?” Machi aimed her large, pleading eyes at her mother. Her friends quickly mimicked her and started to pout as well. Mahiru let out a small sigh and she wondered if Kuro or Machi taught them the ‘soothing cat’ technique. She placed the tray on the table before she knelt in front of the children.

“I’m sorry but the cookies are still hot so you can’t eat them yet. After we cool them down, we can decorate the gingerbread men. I even made different shapes like cats, bats and birds.” Mahiru slid the cookies from the tray to a plate. The way her daughter’s expression fell tugged at her heart but she told herself she couldn’t give in. “I promise it’ll only take ten minutes, Sweetie.”

In the corner of her eyes, she saw a tiny hand reach towards the plate. Lucy stood on a chair and stretched towards the gingerbread cookies. Mahiru lifted her off the chair and placed her on the ground. She started to lecture her but then she noticed the mischievous grin Lucy had. “The distraction worked! Escape with our prize, Yuu.”

“Don’t say that before I run away!” Yuu yelled. He jumped off the table and ran out of the kitchen. She let out a small groan and followed him down the hall. As she walked out, she spotted Kuro frantically searching through the living room. She caught his attention by calling his name. From his worried his expression, she knew he was searching for the kids.

“Mahiru, please tell me you know where Machi is hiding. We were playing hide-and-seek but I can’t find any of the kids anywhere. This is her first time outside of Japan and I don’t know where she could be. What if she’s lost?” He asked and ran his hand through his hair. Kuro had searched the entire house for them but he couldn’t find them. Snow was falling heavily out the window so he doubted they went outside.

“They stopped playing hide-and-seek a while ago but they didn’t tell you. But we still have to find them. They smelled the cookies I was baking and stole a plate of them. They should know they can’t have sweets before dinner but kids are kids.” She giggled softly. “Where do you think they went?”

“What are you three doing in here?” Mikuni was surprised when she found the three children in her room. There was a plate on the ground but only crumbs remained on it. She recalled that Mahiru told them that she wanted to make gingerbread cookies and she could easily picture what happened. “Your parents are going to be very upset with you three.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Lucy said. “Yuu is Auntie Mikuni’s favourite person in the world and you can never be angry with him. You won’t tell our parents were here. Lucy is a smart angel!”

“It looks like you take after your demon father even though you claim to be an angel.” Mikuni muttered to herself. She was certain Licht would be angry if she heard her comment. Lucy was slightly right though. She adored Yuu as if he was her own son. She sat in front of her suitcase and pulled out a few jackets.

Mikuni held up a cape and said: “Since you’re going to hide in my room, you three can help me. I’ve been working on these capes and jackets for you three but I was worried they wouldn’t fit. Try them on. Here, Machi, this one has little kitty ears on the hood. This one is yours, Lucy. You three have to sit in your chairs patiently while I adjust these to fit you better.”

“My plan backfired.” Lucy whined. She hated having to sit for long periods of time. She folded her arms and pouted at her aunt.

“It’s okay. Machi likes to help Mikuni make presents for my cousins. Mama and Papa that it’s nice to be helpful.” Machi grabbed the blue cape. “I don’t know how to sew but I can help you!”

Mikuni nodded and patted her head. She noticed that Yuu was quiet and took out a purple jacket. After she helped him put it on, he patted the hood. He frowned slightly and whispered. “Machi is a kitty. Lucy is an angel. What is Yuu? Mother and Father don’t call me by a nickname like that.”

“That’s true but they do think of you as something irreplaceable and special. You’re their tiny miracle.” Mikuni knew that the pregnancy was difficult for her little sister but she persevered through the fatigue and morning sickness. She cupped his face and smiled down at him. “I think you’re going to get a special nickname soon. How do you feel about being a big brother?”

“I’m going to get a baby brother?” His eyes widened.

“Almost.” She giggled and placed her hands on her stomach. “I’m going to have a baby. I hope you two will be as close as siblings. But you can’t tell Uncle JeJe yet. The announcement will be his Christmas gift.”

[moeruhoshi]

testing this au out tho ~ angst warning

suffer while I’m on my way to school

~000~

Kai let out a deep sigh as the final school bell rang, lugging his bag onto his shoulder with an uncomfortable sense of dread crawling up his back. It was Friday, and he hated Friday’s the most. There wasn't a club meeting that day, so he was forced to make his way home to be there at a certain time.

He waved off invitations from his friends to go to karaoke or get a snack somewhere in town, even rejecting plans for the weekend with a simple excuse that he had to study.

“Aw, you never come out with us, Kai,” Mizu pouted as she mildly trudged behind the blonde boy who wasn’t wasting any time to get to his shoe locker.

“Really wish I could, you know that,” He sighed for the millionth time in the same manner he usually did, avoiding her puppy eyes as she tried to beg him once more.

“Kai’s got strict parents, nothing we can do about it,” Kurenai cleared his throat, pulling Mizu out of the corner of his field of vision. “We’ll just go with the twins and Kaminari, so get going before you get in trouble,”

“Yeah, see you guys on Monday,” Kai left with a quick half-smile, making his way towards the front gate. Only Kurenai knew what went on inside his home, and helped Kai her away whenever he needed backup with an excuse.

“Kai! Hey, you got a minute?” His science teacher and boxing coach, Natsu called out from the edge of the gate where he stood, on duty to make sure no one was fooling around on their way out.

“Not really, but what’s up?” Kai warmed up a bit to the smile of his favorite teacher, always a little too happy to receive a pat on the head whenever they spoke.

“You still haven’t gotten back to me about training camp coming up this next spring break,” He said, “It’s a lot of fun, so I hope you can join us. If it’s convincing your parents, I can help you out with that! You can tell them that—“

“I’d really love to, Natsu-sensei, but I can’t,” Kai quickly cut him off, grimacing as his teacher’s grin faltered. “I’ve gotta go, I’ll see you,”

He knew he’d be able to go, but decided against the idea entirely; he wasn’t even going to mention it to his parents. There was no way he could leave his mother alone for a whole two weeks...he just couldn’t do it. He was afraid she’d...ther was no knowing what he would return returning to if he left.

“Mom, I’m home,” The second-year called out as he slipped off his shoes, eyes meeting the tired smile of the woman he adored.

“Welcome home, Kai,” She sighed into his hair as she wrapped her arms around his torso. “How was school?”

“Not too bad,” He shrugged, trying not to hold her too tightly as he hugged her back. “I missed you,”

“I missed you too,”

If Kai let himself, he would have turned into a bawling mess right there and then. He always felt like it was a miracle to come home to his mother still breathing, still able to stand.

“Sit down and I’ll finish making dinner, okay? You need some rest,” Lucy nodded as Kai pressed a kiss into the crown of her head.

“Change out of your school clothes first,”

This was their routine every day after school. Kai would come home to his haggard mother who had to spend her life indoors, cleaning and over-cleaning everything out in the open. He would do what he could while his father was still out at work, letting his mother at least have an hour to run her feet and take a break watching television.

What stung most at times was that his father never laid a hand on him, only his mother. He’d see them fight sometimes, she’d get slapped, maybe grabbed and dragged off upstairs, all while he sat and watched his young mother lose her light day after day. She wouldn’t let him defend her, because of course, she didn’t want him to get hurt. But how much more could she take? It wasn’t enough to give him headphones so that he could block out the sounds of her pain anymore. Didn’t he deserve to take on the burden now?

When the food was done and still warming, he’d go up and find the first aid kit he always kept hidden before steeling himself and tending to his mother’s wounds.

There was another fresh bruise on her arm, usually telling Kai that she’d been grabbed entirely too tightly. Seeing those were never as tough as seeing the ones on her stomach...because then he knew she’d been kicked.

Natsu had taught them basic first aid in the club, how to wrap up a bruise from a fight and the right way to press against the stomach in case of broken ribs. Kai always made sure to check her carefully as she lied down on the couch while he kneeled beside her.

“Looks like you’re alright,” He sighed and glared down at the dark purple mark that marred her skin. “I didn’t feel any broken bones,”

“That’s good,” Lucy smiled again as her son spread a salve against the mark before bandaging it over. “Thank you, Kai,”

His cheek felt warm as she cupped the side of his face, her thumb wiping away the tear he failed to hold in.

“I promise, mom. I’m gonna get us out of here, I’ll save you,”

“I know, baby, I know,”

A timer on the microwave went off, startling them from their heartfelt moment. It was a warning they always gave themselves; ten minutes before he was home.

While Kai put away the evidence he’d taken care of his mother, Lucy would make sure everything in the kitchen was one-hundred percent before carefully plating her husband's food and setting it on the table. Once everything was set up correctly, the two would stand at the entrance of their house, hearing the hum of his car pulling up right on schedule.

“Welcome home, dear,”

“Welcome home, dad,”

They were experts at forcing a fake smile, the head of the Lore household appealed by their appearance of admiration.

“It’s nice to come home to such sweet smiles,” He grinned as he handed off his things to Lucy who was quick to take them upstairs.

“You’ve gotten taller, haven’t you, Kai? I fear I’ll be shorter than you in no time,” The son chuckled and shook his head as his hair was ruffled; Natsu’s hand was better.

“Mom keeps me healthy is all,” He would shrug before they both went to sit down at the table. Lucy would already be walking out of the kitchen with a beer ready from the fridge, the three sitting down to a quiet meal that seemed neverending.

“I got a call at work today,” Rufus said as he looked to Kai with a slight curve of his lips. “It was from your boxing coach, he said that there’s a spring training camp for your club coming up in a few weeks,”

“O-Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting to mention that,” The younger blonde laughed as his father shook his head.

“Really, you’ve always been so airheaded, he gets it from you, Lucy,” He chuckled as she plainly nodded with a smile. “Make sure you bring the paperwork home on Monday, I don’t want you falling behind the other students when there’s a good opportunity like this to strengthen yourself,”

“Yes, sir,” Kai said as his father still smiled, taking a swig from the glass bottle he had. His stomach twisted as he held in a curse, mentally punching a sandbag. There was no avoiding it now if his dad was expecting the papers to be delivered.

The squeak of his mother’s chair pulled his eyes from his food, her body moving at top speed towards the bathroom on the first floor. Kai could see his father irk as she had yet to be excused, the loud sound of her tossing up what she’d eaten filling the house.

“Gosh, your mother has no manners, it’s dinner time for goodness sake,” Rufus clicked his tongue as he continued eating, glaring as Lucy soon made her entrance back into the dining room.

“I-I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’ve been feeling sick all day,” Lucy said as she sat back down, drinking slowly from her glass of water.

“That’s the third day in a row,” He sighed, his beer bottle clanging loudly onto the table, making her flinch. “I’ll have you see the doctor tomorrow, which is too bad really, I wanted to take us out to the beach for some family fun,”

“I’ve got a test to study for anyways, dad,” Kai spoke up, the hand not moving his fork gripping the chair tightly under the tablecloth.

“That’s good, you should focus on your studies. I’ll take your mother out, and maybe we’ll pick up something nice for dinner since she can’t seem to keep her own cooking down,”

[def-initely-soul]

Please, can I have a 10, a 25 and Kim Seokjin (BTS), in a horrorish romance? Thank youuuuuuu!

of course my babeeeeeeeeeeeeee 💖

Bias: Seokjin from BTS

Prompt(s): #10 “Mmm, I appreciated that little murmuring you did in my ear.” “….That wasn’t me.” + #25 “Do you think keeping your eyes shut will keep you safe?”

Genre: Ηorror/Supernatural/PG-15

Warnings: Violence/Blood

Words: 2.5k

“Y/N, come on! I don’t like this place, it gives me the creeps!” your best friend Lucy whines as she rubs her arms in an attempt to warm herself up.

You roll your eyes at her childish fear as you keep going further into the abandoned mansion. “Relax, Luce, it’s just a house. No one’s been inside it for years…”

“And for good reason!” Lucy interjects as if scolding you, “I mean look at this place, it’s a miracle it hasn’t collapsed yet!”

Your eyes rake the lobby, Lucy’s voice like static at the back of your mind as you find yourself more interested in the contents of this house than your friend’s constant whining.

It’s clear the house has been abandoned for several years, mainly, from the lack of electricity and modern devices. The hardwood floors creak with each step you take, the worn-out carpets one step away from being ruined completely but their patterns are intricate, details well thought and you can’t help but wonder what kind of person used to live here. 

They must have been rich, that’s for sure. But who were they? Did they live alone? Did they have a family? Was this place once upon a time full of life or was it some recluse’s escape from society?

“God, this is crazy, even for me…” Lucy mumbles as she still follows you.

You suppose that’s true. Out of the two of you, Lucy is the wild one and you’re the reliable, more responsible one. While you were little Lucy would always drag you countless times in one of her adventures, unwillingly might you add just to come home hours later with cuts, bruises and a bunch of lies to feed to your parents.

Things didn’t exactly change when you were older, you still had to cover for Lucy. Only those times it wasn’t to parents but to other boys Lucy had dallied with and needed an escape from afterwards.

But you didn’t mind.

Okay, actually some times you did mind but that’s what friends are for. And Lucy has been there for you whenever you needed her and you wouldn’t change her for the world.

Although right now, her continuous nagging gets on your nerves.

“Seriously, what’s so great about this house?” Lucy shivers unwillingly, “This place is a dump…”

You don’t know how to respond to that actually. 

Technically, yes, you were the one that wanted to visit the old mansion at the outskirts of town but to be honest you never quite understood that dire urge deep in your belly to step foot into this house. You found yourself drawn to it every time you passed by with your car as if the building itself was calling you. As if it knew you belonged there, among the old furniture and dusty carpets. 

Of course, you know that doesn’t make any sense. 

But still, you couldn’t stop yourself from wanting, needing to come here at least once. To put your imagination to rest about the contents of this house.

Your steps bring you in front of the staircase, leading to the upper floor and you raise your head upwards. The next level is swallowed by darkness, hiding its secrets and all logic flies out the window when you turn to Lucy and say-.

“I wanna go upstairs.”

Lucy’s head snaps in your direction, eyes wide as if she cannot believe what she’s hearing.

“Are you nuts?! No, absolutely not. I won’t let you!”

You sigh, tired of your friend’s constant unsupportive behavior. “I didn’t ask you to come upstairs, I can go by myself well enough! Quit being such a scaredy-cat.”

Lucy lets out an exhausted breath, “It’s not about it being scary, okay? This house is most probably hundreds of years old! What if you go upstairs the floor collapses?!” she explains and you must admit she has a point.

Your answer dies in your throat as you ponder this. She could be right; after all the house doesn’t seem to be in top condition; it could crumble any minute.

But still, there’s something that pulls your attention to the top floor, that drags you forward to investigate, to explore, to find out what it is that’s making you so damn interested in this house.

“For once, you’re the logical one…” you mumble, eyeing up the stairs, already sure your friend is gonna hate you for this.

You hear the chuckle and satisfaction in Lucy’s voice when she says “Glad you could finally see that. Now, I think it’s time for us to- Wait, Y/N! Y/N!!”

But it’s too late as you run up the stairs, ignoring your friend’s calls of your name as you step foot onto the first floor.

You stop, deciding at the last minute to be at least a bit cautious while stepping into this. Your steps are light and airy as you walk down the corridor and Lucy’s voice, currently cursing at you, fades out quickly.

The carpeting from downstairs expands over this corridor as well, numerous portraits being covered by white sheets on the walls, the tapestry ripped apart at the seams. Dust is gathered on top of the sheets, down on the corners of the walls, as well as flying through the air. Up here the air is colder, no doubt due to broken windows you guess. A shiver runs down your spine and you wrap your arms around you to warm yourself when you see a slightly ajar door to your right.

Another chill rattles your bones. It must be the wind. 

You step closer, hair on ends and heart beating irregularly as if it’s trying to climb out of your throat. For some reason, you dread to open that door but at the same time, your body trembles in anticipation. A slight breeze creaks the door open a little wider and you find your hand moving on its own, growing closer to the doorknob, itching to touch it and push the door open when-.

Get out.

Your hand freezes mid-air, eyes wide as you feel your body shaking. Another chill travels down your spine, sending goosebumps over your skin when another breeze closes the door shut.

You jump on your spot, drawing your hand back immediately while frantically looking around for…

You don’t know. Did you hear right? Was someone else in the house? Or maybe it was Lucy.

“Lucy, did you come upstairs?” you shout out loud, suddenly feeling uncomfortable being alone in this part of the house.

“What?” the sound of her voice is distant and you already know her answer before she replies “No, I’m still downstairs.”

You stare at the floor confused. “But I thought I heard…” you mumble to yourself before taking a shaky breath.

Okay. Okay. Maybe you imagined it. It could have been the wind.

“Um, Y/N, I don’t mean to interrupt whatever you’re doing up there, but… You might want to see this…” Lucy’s worried voice reappears and you wonder what might have happened when you climb down the stairs, admittedly a bit relieved to leave that corridor.

You find Lucy in the center of the living room. staring up the wall at some portrait you can’t quite see from this angle. Her face looks shocked and almost… afraid. You quickly go close to her.

“Luce, what is it…?”  you begin to ask, only for your voice to drop silent as you rest your eyes at the painting she’s looking at.

Because there upon the wall, dressed in what only could be described as a 19th-century outfit is a very familiar person.

You.

“What the hell…?” Lucy mutters almost to herself as she takes a step back.

You, on the other hand, are frozen, legs stuck to the floor, unable to move, unable to take your eyes away from the painting. What is going on? That woman… she clearly looks like you. But you’ve never been into this house. And it’s been abandoned for so many years, how could your face be in a painting from the 19th-century?!

“I don’t understand…” you mumble, brows knitted in a frown as you take a step back. The face on the painting, your face, stares back at you, gazes through the pigments and varnish as if to tell you this is where you belong. This is where you should have been all along.

“Okay, this is nuts. I don’t care if you’re not done exploring yet, we’re leaving,” Lucy’s authoritative voice reaches your ears and she drags your hand forward, towards the front door.

“Also, I appreciated that little murmuring you did in my ear. Really mature,” her voice is full of sarcasm but you stop on your tracks as soon as she says this.

She turns to look at you, her forehead puckered. “What?”

“….That wasn’t me,” you whisper.

All blood drains from her face. Her eyes freeze on you, wide and terrified and for once you can’t find it in you to mock her.

Because you know she’s not making this up. Because you heard it too.

“We need to leave. Now,” she states, voice steady as a rock as she makes way to the open front door.

But then the door shuts closed with a bang.

And the mansion is swallowed by darkness.

“Y/N? Y-Y/N w-where are you?!” Lucy’s trembling voice comes from somewhere to your left and you stretch your arms forward in a pathetic attempt to find her.

“Luce, I’m right here, don’t go anywhere!” you yell to her taking smalls steps towards her voice, or where you think her voice came from.

But the darkness doesn’t allow you to do much and you trip, palms finding the floor as you feel your heartbeat quickening with every second that passes.

And then you hear a scream.

“LUCY!” you yell at the top of your lungs, as the screaming continues. Lucy’s pleading cries resonate through the entire house and your vision blurs by the tears that gather in your eyes.

You feel useless, the feeling of helplessness overwhelming you as you can’t find the will to stand from the floor. What are you gonna do?

It’s only when the scream reappears for a second time that you figure it out. Lucy’s voice travels around the house but it comes from upstairs.

You wipe your tears quickly, standing on your feet and rush up the stairs. You feel your heart at your throat as you climb the stairs urgently, wishing for Lucy to be safe.

The corridor seems infinite now, while Lucy’s cries of help resurface but this is the thing that helps you find out where she is.

But as you’re about to rush to her side, another voice reaches your ears.

“Do you think keeping your eyes shut will keep you safe?”

The voice is male, deep, taunting and resentful but also alluring. Sounding like voluptuous velvet, like a siren’s song that calls you to its deep waters to drown.

“You’ve come to my house willingly… And I’m hungry.”

You shake your head, ignoring the deep timbre of this voice or the growl at the end of its sentence as you find the door wide open.

Your steps are careful and silent as you walk into the room, the one you didn’t get to go in before. It’s a bedroom, expensive fabrics decorating the floor and walls, and a massive bed claims the center of it. Where Lucy lies immobile as a man, right about your age, looms over her neck.

You manage to conceal the gasp that was about to leave your lips as Lucy’s panicked eyes find yours. You put a finger over your lips to silence her, to not alert the man on top of her as you grab a candelabra from a table nearby.

Inhale, exhale. You need to do this.

One careful step after the other you get closer and closer to Lucy and the unknown man. You’ve paid him no attention but as you get closer you can see clearly that his face is hidden in the juncture of Lucy’s neck. And he’s kissing- wait.

No, he isn’t kissing her.

Instead, he’s…

He’s…

This time you can’t control the gasp that escapes you.

And it all happens in a flash.

The man retracts his fangs from Lucy’s neck and Lucy whimpers in pain. You yell for her to run as you swing the candelabra to the man’s head but his hand is quicker.

Instead, it grabs your hand and the candelabra and throws you against the nearest wall.

Your head hits the wall with a thud, numbing your senses as your hair falls in front of your face from the force of the throw. The man stands up, or you think he does due to your blurry vision and another figure, Lucy, climbs on his back to stop him. But he throws her against the wall on the opposite side of the room where she remains unconscious.

“No…” you manage to get out, your voice weak as you try to stand up only to fall to the floor once more. Your hand moves to the pocket of your jeans to fish out your phone only to realize the battery has run out.

The man is closer now, his feet right in front of you and he crouches down to your level.

You close your eyes stubbornly, heavy breaths escaping your lungs, wishing you never stepped foot into this house.

His hand nears your face. And it moves your hair aside.

That’s it, you think. This is how it ends.

But as you wait for the sting of his fangs… you realize it never comes.

So you open your eyes.

In front of you stands a young man, probably around your age and you have two words to describe him.

Incredibly handsome.

His skin looks pale, soft, in direct contrast with his jet black hair that falls into his eyes. Those are glowing red and if you didn’t see his fangs merely seconds ago you would’ve sworn you were dreaming.

The man is devastatingly beautiful and you can’t take your eyes away from him.

Soon you realize his eyes look weird.

Besides the fact they’re glowing red.

They look at you full with awe, bewilderment and… relief.

You can’t help but be confused by that but for some reason… he looks oddly familiar. You’re certain you haven’t seen him before but… something tells you you should remember him.

You should know who he is.

His voice breaks the silence.

“Mina…”

It’s just a whisper. A simple word carried through a whisper.

And yet.

And yet.

Something within you awakens. And it swallows you whole. Overwhelms you. Takes over you.

But now you remember.

“Seokjin…”

It’s just a whisper. A name carried through a whisper.

And yet it says everything.

Seokjin’s hand flies to your cheek and caresses it tenderly. You lean in, basking in the feeling of his skin on you after so many years.

“Finally. You’re finally back.” his voice is shaking as he rests his forehead on yours.

Your hand cups his cheek.

“I’m here my love. And I will never abandon you again.”

Never again.

[setaripendragon]

There’s a Miracle Right There

So, this is a very old idea that I decided I ought to just finish and throw out there now that I’m back in the Supernatural fandom. Idk if anyone else will care, but I always wanted to give Layla a happy ending, so, that’s what this is. (Virtual cookies to everyone who remembers who Layla is XD)

‘Ugh, how do I even- Uh, our father who art in heaven? This is so stupid I don’t even believe in God what the hell am I doing? Uh, ok, start again. I guess, this goes to anyone who can hear me? I don’t know if- if anyone’s listening – it’d be kind of creepy if you were, actually, god, these are my thoughts, I don’t want anyone else inside my head, goddamnit, focus – or if you douchebags even care but- Ok. There’s this girl. A nice girl. Layla Rourke. And she’s really kind, and sweet and… you know, just a whole round decent human being, which is pretty fucking rare.

‘Anyway, the thing is, she’s got this brain tumour, and she was going to see this- this faith healer, except he wasn’t, his wife had put a reaper on a leash and she was killing people to, I don’t know, transfer their health to the sick people in her husband’s flock, and- The point here is we had to stop her and now Layla’s going to die, and I- I don’t know, I feel like it’s my responsibility to- to at least try and… Ask for a miracle? Aw, hell, this sounds stupid even inside my own head. If you can hear this you probably already knew she was dying and don’t even give a fuck. Well, you know what, fuck you. Who the hell can sit around watching people suffer and just let it happen?

‘I don’t care if you’ve got reasons, or if you’re just an asshole. That girl deserves better. She deserves to have a life before she dies, alright? So- So if you are out there, then… At least help her. Goddamnit what the fuck am I even doing I give up.’

Gabriel snorted. Being away from heaven had muted the babble of prayers in the back of his head, but not so much that he couldn’t hear them if he focused. And that one had come through loud and clear, for all the lack of faith behind it. Maybe Dean Winchester just got faster broadband, courtesy of being the Righteous Man, maybe it was the conviction of his beliefs, regardless of how much actual faith he had, Gabriel didn’t know.

Plus, Gabriel liked listening to the prayers that weren’t sickly with the simpering faith of idiots who didn’t even understand what they were believing in, or talking to. Or the ones that were bitter with false righteousness and superiority. Those were the worst. But the ones that came form people who were just trying to find answers, those were always interesting.

Not that Gabriel ever did anything about them. He couldn’t risk his cover like that. The other angels would be getting those open-ended prayers much louder and clearer than he was. Not that they would get up off their sanctimonious little asses, either, but they’d certainly notice if someone else did their job for them.

Except… maybe they wouldn’t? Just this once. He was bored, anyway. He spent all his time punishing the wicked, and that was fun, but it was also getting a bit tedious. Samey. Dull. Maybe it would be interesting to shake it up a bit, so he wrapped up the trick he was playing on a bunch of businessmen in Japan, and went to find Layla Rourke.

She really was a good person, he discovered. Her faith made Gabriel feel kind of gross, not just because she had no idea how fucked up God and his angels really were, but because it reminded him of everything he used to be. He wasn’t going to heal her right off, because that would be suspicious to the fucks upstairs, so instead, he insinuated himself into her life by masquerading as one of the homeless that visited the soup kitchen she volunteered at, and he watched her.

He maybe played a few tricks on the assholes who harassed the other homeless while he was waiting, but mostly, he just kept an eye on Layla. He could see her getting closer and closer to death, but even though her body was failing her, her soul stayed bright. Gabriel was a little impressed despite himself. Most people weren’t that at peace with their own death, no matter what they liked to pretend to themselves

A couple of weeks, he figured, was long enough.

“This is the part where I say ‘Be not afraid’, right?” Gabriel asked by way of introduction. They were in a church, because he couldn’t resist a little melodrama, and Layla was sitting in one of the pews, alone, seeking solace. She might have made peace with death, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurting.

She startled at the sound of his voice, and looked up from her prayer. “Oh, Gabe, I didn’t hear you come in.” She said, breathless with surprise, and then she actually registered what he’s said, and laughed. “Are you saying you’re an angel?” She asked, teasing and friendly.

“Gabe is short for Gabriel.” Gabriel replied with an easy grin, and then beckoned her up to the front of the church. Layla gave him a puzzled look, but did get up and walk over to him.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, more curious than nervous, when she came within touching distance of him. “I didn’t get the feeling you’re particularly religious.” She added gently, because Gabriel had cringed a little at some of the more faithful things she’d said at the soup kitchen.

“Define religious.” He muttered darkly, and then shook the thought off. “I’m here to heal you.” He told her.

Layla stiffened, all the good humour sliding off her face in an instant. She swallowed and looked away. “Please don’t joke about that.” She chided him, still gentle.

“I’m not.” Gabriel replied, and then shrugged, shoving a hand into his pocket to grab a lollipop. He started unwrapping it. “Been a while since I’ve done this sort of thing. Ran away to join the pagans, oh, some couple thousand years ago. Tried not to go throwing my grace around after that, in case Mikey noticed and came to drag me home by my ear.”

Layla stared at him, blinking rapidly. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped, clearly thinking better of whatever she’d been about to say. “You’re… saying you’re the archangel Gabriel?” She asked eventually, clearly dubious.

“That’s me.” Gabriel confirmed, popping the lolly in his mouth and grinning around it.

“I would have thought an angel wouldn’t look so… human.” Layla replied, a weirdly tentative note of challenge in her voice.

“Well, technically, I don’t.” Gabriel replied, a little muffled around his lolly. “Look human, that is. I’m just… wearing one. If you looked on my true form, your eyeballs would burn clear out of your head and your brains would fry. I’m here to heal you, not harm you.”

“Ah.” Layla said, feigning understanding and doing nothing to hide her bewildered amusement.

“Hey,” Gabriel said, plucking the lollipop from his mouth and gesturing vaguely with it, “what have you got to lose from giving it a go, huh? Either I’m nuts, and nothing will happen, or I’m telling the truth, and you walk out of here cured.”

Layla considered him for a moment, then smiled and nodded. “You have a point.” She acknowledged. “What do I have to do?” She asked.

“Just give me your hand.” Gabriel replied, holding out his own, the one not full of lollipop.

To her credit, now that she’d decided to hell with it, Layla didn’t hesitate. She reached out and put her hand in his as easy as you please. Gabriel stuck his lollipop back in his mouth, and covered her knuckles with his newly freed hand, patting it once, and then twice as he reached out with his grace and swept it through her body, putting everything to rights again.

Layla swayed, gasping softly, and suddenly clinging to his hand bruising-tight. “Oh.” She said, shock and wonder in her tone as she focused on him, and then promptly dropped to her knees. Gabriel blinked at her as she rested her forehead on the back of his hand and whispered, “Thank you.”

“While I’m usually all for having a woman on her knees for me, this is just awkward. Get up, please.” Gabriel pleaded.

Layla looked up at him, gaping in incredulous, scandalised amusement. She did get up, but she was still looking at him with wonder. “I’m pretty sure angels aren’t supposed to say things like that.” She told him, voice trembling with laughter that was only half amusement. The other half was definitely edging towards hysteria.

Gabriel shrugged. “What’s Dad going to do? Smite me?”

Layla shook her head. “I never would have imagined an angel could be so… irreverent.”

Gabriel sighed and stuck his hands back in his pockets. He crunched down on the lolly in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then made the stick disappear. “We’re not infallible, Layla.” He told her sadly. “I mean, shit, Lucy proved that. But he wasn’t the only one, you know? Mike’s a control-freak and Raph’s a bigoted douchenozzle, and I’m the irresponsible fuck up. We’re-” He snorted. “We’re a lot more human than anyone likes to acknowledge.”

Layla hummed, thoughtful and understanding, but not actually convinced. “There are worse things to be like than humans” She retorted lightly. Gabriel snorted again, and then burst out laughing.

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” He agreed. They stayed standing there for a moment in silence, both of them contemplating the other, before Gabriel decided it was time to clear off. He clapped his hands together. “Right, well! I’ve got places to be, people to seduce, heresies to commit.”

Layla laughed again, but then reached out. “Wait!” She called, so Gabriel paused, looking at her expectantly. For a moment, Layla looked helpless, but then she finally managed to ask; “Why me? I- Not that I’m not grateful, but you said you haven’t done this for a while, so I… I just wondered, why now? Why me?”

Gabriel watched her for a long moment, debating. There were a lot of answers he could give. Because he was bored. Because she deserved it. Because he wanted to prove that he could. Because the end was nigh, so what the hell. Because, because, because. “Because Dean Winchester prayed for you.” He said finally.

Layla blinked. Her mouth opened in silent shock. “Dean?” She asked. Gabriel nodded. “Why…?” She trailed off, but Gabriel understood.

He could tell her that Dean was special, that he was The Righteous Man, that he’d been chosen by God to play an important role. He didn’t want to. Because he didn’t do this because of who Dean is to Heaven and the Host, even if that was why he heard Dean’s prayer as clearly as he had. He came because… “Because he said ‘fuck you’ to a heaven that doesn’t care about good people suffering.”

“That sounds like him.” Layla agreed fondly, and for a moment she looked like she might cry, just from the overload of emotion. “Tell him thank you, from me, if you get the chance.”

“Are you kidding? I’m not mentioning this to anyone.” Gabriel replied, scoffing.

“Ah, yes, you’re in hiding.” Layla remembered, shaking her head at him in amusement. “Well, anyway. Thank you, Gabriel.” She said, leaning in to make sure she could meet his gaze when she said it. On impulse, Gabriel leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Don’t mention it, sweetheart.” He told her, offering her a wink before taking wing.

[krzyktty101]

7. Freedom/Chained

How did they always get themselves into these situations? The Oracion Seis, Tenrou Island, Tartarous, Zeref; how was it that her team was always in the middle of these world ending escapades?

A deep pitiable sigh slipped past her lips, she could practically feel her whole chest deflate with it. She shook her head back and forth violently, trying to clear it of the swirling torrent of thoughts and emotions clouding her mind. She was supposed to be on a 100 year quest with her closest friends right now, not fighting another madman to save the world. Tears began to well up in her eyes unwillingly; she couldn’t help but mourn the loss of it. She briefly wondered if her friends would still complete it after.

The 100 year quest was more about the journey than the actual mission; it was about never-ending bonds of friendship. It was their silent promise to each other that there would always be more adventures. She was sure it was also Natsu’s own special way of assuring her that she would never be alone again, that he would never leave her alone again. Natsu was always a more tactile communicator; words were never his strong suit. So what better way to prove to Lucy the level of his conviction than to drag her on a never ending quest? Well, the thrill of the challenge didn’t hurt either.

Everything until now was amazing. For the last three years Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Happy and Carla had traveled the world together with her. They were no closer to completing the quest than when they started, but every day was a new adventure. They went back to Magnolia often to visit their friends and family. Side quests were completed as required to keep money in their pockets. Last year she even found Aquarius’s key again. Life was great, and for the first time in years there was no dark dangerous cloud looming over their heads. That is, until Princess Hisui contacted their guild with a rather dire emergency; which was how Lucy found herself in this rather dispiriting situation. The Princess had contacted Fairy Tail days ago with intelligence that a dark guild was planning some sort of attack on Fiore using the Spirit World. The princess had reached out to Fairy Tail specifically because of Lucy; while Lucy wasn’t the only Celestial Wizard in the world, it was well known that she was by far the strongest. It didn’t hurt that she was supported by the strongest guild in the world either.

Team Natsu had successfully stopped the dark guild known as the Ace of Spades, but not before their leader Jax had torn open a rift to the Spirit World. His rather brash plan included using old magic and the ancient Celestial Shrine to force open a rather large “gate” to the Spirit World and then enslave the Spirit King. Lucy knew firsthand the frightening power of the Spirit King and did not wish to ever be on the other side of it again. His power was not meant for any one person to control, especially without limits. Years ago their group had seen up close what can happen to the Spirit World when the Celestial King was thrown into chaos, and this time the open gate bled the overwhelming energy of the Spirit World into Earthland as well. Princess Hisui was right to be worried, Jax’s plan was apocalyptic.

The whole ground shook as the magic power coalesced chaotically around the ancient shrine. Above her, high in the sky, midnight black clouds swirled malevolently and mixed with golden magical light. Energy from the two planes clashed in the sky and exploded creating an ethereal lightening show. Frustration welled up in Lucy’s chest; she clenched her hands into fists almost tight enough to draw blood. She bit into her lips, ignoring the coppery taste the seeped onto her tongue. She allowed the pain to stem the wail that threatened to tear itself from her lips. They had won the fight, but would ultimately lose the war.

“No. No, I won’t allow it!” A fire burned in her belly; strength welled up from the deepest recesses of her soul and flowed into every fiber of her being as though it were a living thing. She steeled her nerves for what she knew she must do.  

Jax lay unconscious at Natsu’s feet, slumped against the wall on the outskirts of the large atrium which lay at the heart of the shrine. Erza, Gray, and Wendy had just rejoined the group mere seconds ago, finally finishing their own battles against the remnants of the dark guild moments before. However, for all of their success, no one had managed to stop the massive tear from being formed. “Well, at least the Spirit King wasn’t enslaved. Small miracles I suppose,” Lucy mumbled under her breath as she slowly walked into the center of the atrium. “Stardress: Aquarius!”

And it was true; they had managed to stop Jax before he was able to complete the ritual, thereby ensuring that the Spirit King remained free. However, that didn’t mean that anyone was safe. The idiot had torn open a rift so large between the two realms, it was quickly destabilizing both. The turbulent skies above her head, the quaking beneath her feet, and the magical lightening crashing around them were just the beginning. Left alone, both realities would collapse; Lucy knew she had to act quickly.

She surveyed the scene around her as she moved, taking stock of everything she wanted to protect, her friends, her home, and Natsu. Lucy wasn’t entirely sure where Carla and Happy were, but she thought she heard something about them researching the shrine for information on the ritual. It wasn’t much good now, but at least they wouldn’t be here for this. Steeling her resolve, she stopped her slow march at the center of the atrium of the shrine and prepared her mind and body for what she knew needed to be done.

“LUCY STOP!!”

She felt a strong hand grip her wrist and swing her around to face her detractor. Her heart sank at the sight; she was silently praying that she would be able to get through this without him figuring it out until it was too late. She should have known better, he always came whenever she was ever in any real danger.

“Loke.” Her voice rang true with the strong affection she held for her most loyal spirit and one of her closest friends; however, she could not completely hide the solemn resignation hidden within it either.

He had a manic look about his face; Fear, anger, exacerbation, pride, grief, and a stubborn refusal to accept the reality in front of him all vied for control creating a crazed look in his eyes. He gripped both of her wrists in his hands with such strength, she seriously doubted he entirely was conscious of it.

“You CAN’T DO this LUCY!”

“What choice do I have Loke? That gate has to be closed.”

He shook his head and dug his fingertips in even harder; they were sure to leave bruises on her fair skin. How could she act so calm about this, as though it were nothing! Surely she realized what this would do to him! He would not, could not accept this.

“Not alone!! There is Yukino, Princess Hisui, even Lady Anna, any of them could help!”

He didn’t want to see that look from Lucy, the look of pity and surrender. Loke turned his head from it tears starting to build in his eyes.

“They are days away, we don’t have that sort of time.”

“Then summon the Spirit King for help!”

Lucy’s gaze sharpened at that, fire from her eyes piercing through Loke’s soul. “No! One, there is already too much Celestial energy here; calling him forth would only make things worse. Two, only a Celestial Wizard can close the gate and you know that. Three, I refuse to ever sacrifice another spirit ever again.”

Grabbing onto her shoulders, Loke rattled Lucy back and forth, as though to shake common sense back into her thick skull. Loke screamed, “DAMMIT LUCY! THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!”  

By this point, Loke’s extreme reaction had drawn the attention of their friends. Now only a few feet away, Natsu cocked his head to the side confused. “Yo, whats going on?”

“LUCY’S TRYING TO KILL HERSELF!” Loke couldn’t keep the slight wail of hysteria from his tone.

Shock painted the face of her friends and kept them frozen in place for several moments; it was as though time itself stood still. Not surprisingly, Natsu was the first to recover. His muscles tensed, his eyes narrowed, and seething anger seeped into his voice as he growled out, “What the Hell?”

Lucy refused to shirk under his glare, “I have to close the gate. Leaving a rift like that open can destroy both worlds. I’m the only one here who can close it.”

“We have seen Lucy force gate closures multiple times?” Leave it to Erza to get to the heart of the problem with a single strike. Her simple statement was formed as a question, as though it answered itself with its obviousness.

Loke shot Erza a fierce glare, just another indicator to his emotional state. Under any other circumstance, he would never be crazy enough to look at her that way. “Look at the size of that gate! Closing a gate that large will take everything she has; IT WILL KILL HER!”

“Lucy?” Gray’s quiet voice held a string of questions within the one word. ‘Is this true?’ ‘Did you know?’ ‘How could you do this to us?’

Lucy held firm, though it broke her heart, she knew she was right. “I HAVE to close the gate. If I let this continue it will destroy both worlds. Everyone we have ever cared about, from both realms, will die. Either way I die. I might as well go out protecting those I love”

Loke sprung forward trapping Lucy in a fierce hug, as though he could keep her safe by sheer will alone. As his one arm wrapped firmly around her waist, his other gently cupped the back of her head pulling her into the crook of his neck as he laid his head atop hers. Lucy couldn’t help but melt slightly into his embrace and return the hug. She knew it was very likely the last time she would be able to show him how much he meant to her. “Lucy. Please stop. How can I just sit back and let my friend disappear right in front of me?”

Two lone tears leaked from her eyes. “Oh Loke. I can’t let any of you disappear either. Now it’s my turn to protect you.”

Loke stepped back so suddenly it was a bit jarring; then Lucy felt a warm hand grip her arm. Electric shocks raced through her body and settled in the pit of her stomach. Natsu’s grip was firm, unyielding but gentle. His entire body was tense like a tightly coiled spring, and one wrong word from her would cause the whole thing to explode. “You don’t die for your friends.”

Lucy looked at him, one of her signature mega-watt smiles gracing her face as she answered, “You live for them.”

And it was her unique smile, the smile all her friends had learned long ago to equate to the knowledge that everything would be all right. It threw them off kilter just long enough to give her the opening she needed. As her friends stood around her, startled that she could smile so fully in light of the current conversation, she unleashed her attack.

“WATER BARRIER!”

Her friends were flung back as a wall of water erupted around Lucy, keeping her in its protective shell. Natsu and Loke, who were closest to the source, flew with enough force to slam them into the shrine walls. Then her 9 other Zodiac spirit friends materialized in a line between her and her team.

“Aquarius, please give me space! Capricorn, Scorpio, and Taurus keep Natsu back! Gemini, Cancer, Sagittarius stand guard. Virgo and Ares, hold back Loke.”

“GATE OF THE SPIRIT WORLD, CLOSE!!!”

Lucy was swallowed by a pillar of golden light that erupted from her body and shot straight into the hole in the sky.

Natsu, though shaken, was the first to brush off the stunning attack, “LUCY!!” Natsu’s panicked scream cracked across the room like a whip. He planted his right hand on the floor with both feet against the wall he just peeled himself off of. Fire exploded from his feet, shooting him off like a rocket towards Lucy. Aquarius was ready for him, firing a torrent of bubbles which hit him dead on. Natsu flew back into the wall and the spirits quickly descended upon him.

A bit off to Natsu’s right, Loke’s expression moved past betrayal and straight onto rage. “How could you! You and she fought so hard to see each other again! How could you agree to this Aquarius!” Aquarius was ready for him though, and directed the torrent of bubbles at Loke before he could attack. Loke struggled against the force of her water unsuccessfully, one arm stretched helplessly towards his friend and owner.

Aquarius hung her head and looked away from his piercing gaze, “It is because of that struggle that I refuse to abandon her now.”

“Lions Brilliance!” A brilliant light exploded from inside Loke; his magical energy deflecting Aquarius’ attack. “And how is this not abandonment? You’ll all be kicked out of the Spirit World, just like I was. Do you plan to die with her?”Loke leaped towards Aquarius, fists prepared for his attack, when he was thrown back by a torrent of water.

“I will not treat her like a child! Lucy knows what she must do; I refuse to treat her as one too stupid to make her own choices. What would you have us do Leo? Would you have both worlds die with her? Would you sacrifice the Universe for her?

“I would find another way! Regulus Impact!”

“There is no other way!” Tears ran in rivers down her face as Aquarius swung her vase back, preparing to unleash her famous cyclone upon the group.

In a flash, a sword materialized holding the vase back; a blinding light enveloping Erza, “Sea Empress Armor; your water attacks will no longer hold power over me Aquarius.”

“Moshi Moshi! I am sorry miss, but that will not help you here.” A stream of arrows flew towards the female warrior with scary precision. The rate of fire was closer to one of Bisca and Alzac’s magic machine guns than arrows.

The room quickly descended into chaos as Erza fought Aquarius, and Sagittarius. Gray and Wendy reluctantly took Gemini and Cancer. Natsu was in an outright frantic brawl with Capricorn, Scorpio and Taurus. One never would have never guessed that Ares and Virgo were ever friends with Loke considering the way he was throwing himself into the fight. In the heart of it all stood Lucy, enveloped in a golden light, screaming from the severe strain to her body.  

Natsu’s head reeled back after a particularly well placed punch from Capricorn and slammed into a wall, stone crumbling from the force. With a speed that rivaled Jet, Natsu recovered and threw himself back into the battle. “How the hell are you all here anyway? Even Lucy shouldn’t be able to summon 9 of your at once, not if she is using everything she has on that stupid hole!”

Capricorn was the first to answer as he evaded a particularly brutal double fire kick from Natsu. “That rift has broken down the barriers between our worlds. We no longer need a summoner to be here.”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Lucy’s shrill screech tore through the air halting everyone in their tracks. Small tears started to appear all over as the swirling magical energy started to slice apart her delicate skin. Lucy would not be deterred though; one look at her friends was all that she needed to push through the pain, pouring even more energy into the demising gate above.  

Erza, Gray and Wendy ceased their attacks solemnly; watching the amazing extent of Lucy’s determination diminished their own. Natsu though felt as if it was tearing his body itself in two; he subconsciously placed his fisted hand over his heart. “Listen to her! That is your friend, your comrade! How can you let her do this to herself?”

Capricorn, Scorpio, and Taurus regrouped during the brief lull, forming a wall between Natsu and Lucy.

“Yeah baby! That is exactly why we are here,” however, Scorpio’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he spoke. “We are here to support our owner!”

“We believe in Lucy’s strong and beautiful booody!”

“If that rift is not closed, both worlds will be destroyed. Everything that Lucy loves will be lost; she is the only one here who can close it. We must have faith in her.” Capricorn’s voice rang with strong conviction.

Natsu’s fists exploded in a fiery fury from the force of his emotions. “I don’t care. That is Lucy, our Lucy. And she is in pain!”

Erza, and Gray, who had regrouped next to Natsu in the lull, placed restraining hands on his shoulders, tears in both their eyes. “Natsu,” Erza spoke, “We must trust in our friend.”

Natsu’s eyes widened like saucers, his flames extinguished from sheer shock. “Erza? You too?”

“Look around you Flame Brain! Look at their eyes! Do you think they want this? Do you think we want this? We love her too! But if what they say is true, then what choice do we have but to trust in her?” Gray’s hand dug painfully into Natsu’s shoulder, as though he was physically restraining himself. It was as though he was trying to convince himself along with Natsu. His entire body shook silently with tremors.

Natsu’s head swung towards Wendy looking for support; surely she was still with him. His chest deflated as soon as he saw her face.

Another scream escaped their friend’s lips and reverberated around the shrine, echoing in their heads long after the sound itself was gone. Erza let go of Natsu’s shoulder and dropped it to her side. She took her other arm and wrapped it around her waist and gripped her arm as though she were holding herself back. “If we don’t let her do this, everyone will die. Lucy will die.”

“I refuse to accept it! I can’t lose her! I promised that I would always protect her; I promised that I would never fail her like Karen!?” Loke’s hands were fisted in his orange mane while he shook his head back and forth in crazed desperation. Virgo and Ares stood guard before him, boxing him in. “I won’t let her die! I can’t let her die! She is the most important person in the world to me! I would give my life for her! I don’t want to live in a world without Lucy.”

“Slap” The sharp sound bounced across the room. Loke barely registered the needle-like stinging sensation on his cheek. He looked up; Virgo’s hand was still raised and fire burned in her eyes. “Princess is not a damsel to be protected, and you are not the only one who cares for her!”

“Then why aren’t you helping me!! You’ll be banned from ever returning to the Spirit World. You’ll die too!”

Virgo shook her head, “No big brother. Remember, you and Lucy changed that rule. We will not be held accountable for supporting her decision.”

Ares looked upon her friend with pity, “She may be our friend, but we are also her spirits. Even when it is hard, we will obey her wishes. It is our pride as Celestial Spirits.”

“Well I won’t! Regulus Impact!”

Virgo and Ares went soaring across the shrine, creating a crater when they crashed into the stone floor. “Natsu! Get Ready! Lion’s Brilliance!”

The shrine was enveloped in a blinding bright light, stunning all but Loke and Natsu who used the opening to run to their suffering friend. Finding his friend in the light was easier than breathing, Natsu was so attuned to her at this point that locating her with his sharp nose was like a sixth sense. She was such an integral part of his life he didn’t even need to consciously try any more. As Natsu reached her back, he wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pulled her to him firmly. His face contorted in distress as he cried out, “STOP IT!! Please!” The light entombed them both, chaotic magical energy greedily now tearing at both of their flesh instead of one. Natsu winced from the pain as he tried his best to shield Lucy from harm. However, as the light finally receded, it was Loke who first noticed that their time had run out. The rift was now gone!

The last of Lucy’s magical energy floated away into the sky, being absorbed by the remnants of the now healed gate. She stood there pale and winded, huffing and gasping for breath after the exertion. Her clothes were in tatters, torn to shreds from the magical energy. Small ringlets of blood oozed from paper sized cuts all over her delicate body. Gently her arm came up, and lightly grabbed Natsu’s which were still wrapped firmly around her waist. Breathing a sigh of relief, Natsu slowly detangled himself from her.  

Loke sank to the ground before her, knees slamming onto the hard stones beneath him. Violent sobs racked his body, his hands coming up to grip his wild mane as he shook his head lightly in denial. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no…,” that one word becoming his new mantra. Tears streaming down his face pooled on the cold stone floor before his knees.

To say that Natsu was confused by his comrade’s reaction was an understatement. She was standing right there. Yeah, she looked weak and tired, but she was alive. So what was with the water works? “Luce?”

Ignoring him for a moment, Lucy leaned down, and cupping Loke’s face in her hands she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. She caught Gray and Erza’s eyes as she stood, large smile gracing her face. “Take care of him please? Take care of all of them?” Lucy didn’t wait for a response; she trusted that they would.

“Luce? I don’t understand?” Fear, a rare emotion for him, started to seep into his heart. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew instinctively that he wouldn’t like the results.

Turning to her closest and truest friend, she gave Natsu the signature mega-watt Lucy smile. Her hand stretched out and cupped his cheek, her thumb rubbing small reassuring circles absentmindedly.

Natsu reached up to grasp her hand, becoming alarmed when he only touched air. His gaze sharpened as he turned towards where her arm was only a second before, and for that one moment, time stopped. Her arm was slowly disappearing right before him, as though it was never there. He struggled to regain his breath as he turned terrified eyes towards hers. “L...Lu...Luce?”

She leaned forward, kissing the tear off his cheek. Only Lucy’s chest and head were visible now, with more disappearing everyone second. “It will be ok Natsu.”

Natsu reached out quickly, trying to grab onto her, trying desperately to hold her to him. He became more frantic as she faded before him, arms flying everywhere trying to grasp onto any part of her. “Lucy! Hold on! You have to stay with us! You have to stay with me! We’ll be together forever right?”

Only Lucy’s face was visible now and it too slowly faded from view. “Forever and always. I love you Natsu.” And with that, Lucy was gone. 

This is the first chapter to a new fic I am writing. Nothing is posted except here yet because I am not far into the story. Thought this would make a good submission for Nalu week 2018. Not sure about the title yet.

[nalu-week]

7. Freedom/Chained

How did they always get themselves into these situations? The Oracion Seis, Tenrou Island, Tartarous, Zeref; how was it that her team was always in the middle of these world ending escapades?

A deep pitiable sigh slipped past her lips, she could practically feel her whole chest deflate with it. She shook her head back and forth violently, trying to clear it of the swirling torrent of thoughts and emotions clouding her mind. She was supposed to be on a 100 year quest with her closest friends right now, not fighting another madman to save the world. Tears began to well up in her eyes unwillingly; she couldn’t help but mourn the loss of it. She briefly wondered if her friends would still complete it after.

The 100 year quest was more about the journey than the actual mission; it was about never-ending bonds of friendship. It was their silent promise to each other that there would always be more adventures. She was sure it was also Natsu’s own special way of assuring her that she would never be alone again, that he would never leave her alone again. Natsu was always a more tactile communicator; words were never his strong suit. So what better way to prove to Lucy the level of his conviction than to drag her on a never ending quest? Well, the thrill of the challenge didn’t hurt either.

Everything until now was amazing. For the last three years Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Happy and Carla had traveled the world together with her. They were no closer to completing the quest than when they started, but every day was a new adventure. They went back to Magnolia often to visit their friends and family. Side quests were completed as required to keep money in their pockets. Last year she even found Aquarius’s key again. Life was great, and for the first time in years there was no dark dangerous cloud looming over their heads. That is, until Princess Hisui contacted their guild with a rather dire emergency; which was how Lucy found herself in this rather dispiriting situation. The Princess had contacted Fairy Tail days ago with intelligence that a dark guild was planning some sort of attack on Fiore using the Spirit World. The princess had reached out to Fairy Tail specifically because of Lucy; while Lucy wasn’t the only Celestial Wizard in the world, it was well known that she was by far the strongest. It didn’t hurt that she was supported by the strongest guild in the world either.

Team Natsu had successfully stopped the dark guild known as the Ace of Spades, but not before their leader Jax had torn open a rift to the Spirit World. His rather brash plan included using old magic and the ancient Celestial Shrine to force open a rather large “gate” to the Spirit World and then enslave the Spirit King. Lucy knew firsthand the frightening power of the Spirit King and did not wish to ever be on the other side of it again. His power was not meant for any one person to control, especially without limits. Years ago their group had seen up close what can happen to the Spirit World when the Celestial King was thrown into chaos, and this time the open gate bled the overwhelming energy of the Spirit World into Earthland as well. Princess Hisui was right to be worried, Jax’s plan was apocalyptic.

The whole ground shook as the magic power coalesced chaotically around the ancient shrine. Above her, high in the sky, midnight black clouds swirled malevolently and mixed with golden magical light. Energy from the two planes clashed in the sky and exploded creating an ethereal lightening show. Frustration welled up in Lucy’s chest; she clenched her hands into fists almost tight enough to draw blood. She bit into her lips, ignoring the coppery taste the seeped onto her tongue. She allowed the pain to stem the wail that threatened to tear itself from her lips. They had won the fight, but would ultimately lose the war.

“No. No, I won’t allow it!” A fire burned in her belly; strength welled up from the deepest recesses of her soul and flowed into every fiber of her being as though it were a living thing. She steeled her nerves for what she knew she must do.  

Jax lay unconscious at Natsu’s feet, slumped against the wall on the outskirts of the large atrium which lay at the heart of the shrine. Erza, Gray, and Wendy had just rejoined the group mere seconds ago, finally finishing their own battles against the remnants of the dark guild moments before. However, for all of their success, no one had managed to stop the massive tear from being formed. “Well, at least the Spirit King wasn’t enslaved. Small miracles I suppose,” Lucy mumbled under her breath as she slowly walked into the center of the atrium. “Stardress: Aquarius!”

And it was true; they had managed to stop Jax before he was able to complete the ritual, thereby ensuring that the Spirit King remained free. However, that didn’t mean that anyone was safe. The idiot had torn open a rift so large between the two realms, it was quickly destabilizing both. The turbulent skies above her head, the quaking beneath her feet, and the magical lightening crashing around them were just the beginning. Left alone, both realities would collapse; Lucy knew she had to act quickly.

She surveyed the scene around her as she moved, taking stock of everything she wanted to protect, her friends, her home, and Natsu. Lucy wasn’t entirely sure where Carla and Happy were, but she thought she heard something about them researching the shrine for information on the ritual. It wasn’t much good now, but at least they wouldn’t be here for this. Steeling her resolve, she stopped her slow march at the center of the atrium of the shrine and prepared her mind and body for what she knew needed to be done.

“LUCY STOP!!”

She felt a strong hand grip her wrist and swing her around to face her detractor. Her heart sank at the sight; she was silently praying that she would be able to get through this without him figuring it out until it was too late. She should have known better, he always came whenever she was ever in any real danger.

“Loke.” Her voice rang true with the strong affection she held for her most loyal spirit and one of her closest friends; however, she could not completely hide the solemn resignation hidden within it either.

He had a manic look about his face; Fear, anger, exacerbation, pride, grief, and a stubborn refusal to accept the reality in front of him all vied for control creating a crazed look in his eyes. He gripped both of her wrists in his hands with such strength, she seriously doubted he entirely was conscious of it.

“You CAN’T DO this LUCY!”

“What choice do I have Loke? That gate has to be closed.”

He shook his head and dug his fingertips in even harder; they were sure to leave bruises on her fair skin. How could she act so calm about this, as though it were nothing! Surely she realized what this would do to him! He would not, could not accept this.

“Not alone!! There is Yukino, Princess Hisui, even Lady Anna, any of them could help!”

He didn’t want to see that look from Lucy, the look of pity and surrender. Loke turned his head from it tears starting to build in his eyes.

“They are days away, we don’t have that sort of time.”

“Then summon the Spirit King for help!”

Lucy’s gaze sharpened at that, fire from her eyes piercing through Loke’s soul. “No! One, there is already too much Celestial energy here; calling him forth would only make things worse. Two, only a Celestial Wizard can close the gate and you know that. Three, I refuse to ever sacrifice another spirit ever again.”

Grabbing onto her shoulders, Loke rattled Lucy back and forth, as though to shake common sense back into her thick skull. Loke screamed, “DAMMIT LUCY! THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!”  

By this point, Loke’s extreme reaction had drawn the attention of their friends. Now only a few feet away, Natsu cocked his head to the side confused. “Yo, whats going on?”

“LUCY’S TRYING TO KILL HERSELF!” Loke couldn’t keep the slight wail of hysteria from his tone.

Shock painted the face of her friends and kept them frozen in place for several moments; it was as though time itself stood still. Not surprisingly, Natsu was the first to recover. His muscles tensed, his eyes narrowed, and seething anger seeped into his voice as he growled out, “What the Hell?”

Lucy refused to shirk under his glare, “I have to close the gate. Leaving a rift like that open can destroy both worlds. I’m the only one here who can close it.”

“We have seen Lucy force gate closures multiple times?” Leave it to Erza to get to the heart of the problem with a single strike. Her simple statement was formed as a question, as though it answered itself with its obviousness.

Loke shot Erza a fierce glare, just another indicator to his emotional state. Under any other circumstance, he would never be crazy enough to look at her that way. “Look at the size of that gate! Closing a gate that large will take everything she has; IT WILL KILL HER!”

“Lucy?” Gray’s quiet voice held a string of questions within the one word. ‘Is this true?’ ‘Did you know?’ ‘How could you do this to us?’

Lucy held firm, though it broke her heart, she knew she was right. “I HAVE to close the gate. If I let this continue it will destroy both worlds. Everyone we have ever cared about, from both realms, will die. Either way I die. I might as well go out protecting those I love”

Loke sprung forward trapping Lucy in a fierce hug, as though he could keep her safe by sheer will alone. As his one arm wrapped firmly around her waist, his other gently cupped the back of her head pulling her into the crook of his neck as he laid his head atop hers. Lucy couldn’t help but melt slightly into his embrace and return the hug. She knew it was very likely the last time she would be able to show him how much he meant to her. “Lucy. Please stop. How can I just sit back and let my friend disappear right in front of me?”

Two lone tears leaked from her eyes. “Oh Loke. I can’t let any of you disappear either. Now it’s my turn to protect you.”

Loke stepped back so suddenly it was a bit jarring; then Lucy felt a warm hand grip her arm. Electric shocks raced through her body and settled in the pit of her stomach. Natsu’s grip was firm, unyielding but gentle. His entire body was tense like a tightly coiled spring, and one wrong word from her would cause the whole thing to explode. “You don’t die for your friends.”

Lucy looked at him, one of her signature mega-watt smiles gracing her face as she answered, “You live for them.”

And it was her unique smile, the smile all her friends had learned long ago to equate to the knowledge that everything would be all right. It threw them off kilter just long enough to give her the opening she needed. As her friends stood around her, startled that she could smile so fully in light of the current conversation, she unleashed her attack.

“WATER BARRIER!”

Her friends were flung back as a wall of water erupted around Lucy, keeping her in its protective shell. Natsu and Loke, who were closest to the source, flew with enough force to slam them into the shrine walls. Then her 9 other Zodiac spirit friends materialized in a line between her and her team.

“Aquarius, please give me space! Capricorn, Scorpio, and Taurus keep Natsu back! Gemini, Cancer, Sagittarius stand guard. Virgo and Ares, hold back Loke.”

“GATE OF THE SPIRIT WORLD, CLOSE!!!”

Lucy was swallowed by a pillar of golden light that erupted from her body and shot straight into the hole in the sky.

Natsu, though shaken, was the first to brush off the stunning attack, “LUCY!!” Natsu’s panicked scream cracked across the room like a whip. He planted his right hand on the floor with both feet against the wall he just peeled himself off of. Fire exploded from his feet, shooting him off like a rocket towards Lucy. Aquarius was ready for him, firing a torrent of bubbles which hit him dead on. Natsu flew back into the wall and the spirits quickly descended upon him.

A bit off to Natsu’s right, Loke’s expression moved past betrayal and straight onto rage. “How could you! You and she fought so hard to see each other again! How could you agree to this Aquarius!” Aquarius was ready for him though, and directed the torrent of bubbles at Loke before he could attack. Loke struggled against the force of her water unsuccessfully, one arm stretched helplessly towards his friend and owner.

Aquarius hung her head and looked away from his piercing gaze, “It is because of that struggle that I refuse to abandon her now.”

“Lions Brilliance!” A brilliant light exploded from inside Loke; his magical energy deflecting Aquarius’ attack. “And how is this not abandonment? You’ll all be kicked out of the Spirit World, just like I was. Do you plan to die with her?”Loke leaped towards Aquarius, fists prepared for his attack, when he was thrown back by a torrent of water.

“I will not treat her like a child! Lucy knows what she must do; I refuse to treat her as one too stupid to make her own choices. What would you have us do Leo? Would you have both worlds die with her? Would you sacrifice the Universe for her?

“I would find another way! Regulus Impact!”

“There is no other way!” Tears ran in rivers down her face as Aquarius swung her vase back, preparing to unleash her famous cyclone upon the group.

In a flash, a sword materialized holding the vase back; a blinding light enveloping Erza, “Sea Empress Armor; your water attacks will no longer hold power over me Aquarius.”

“Moshi Moshi! I am sorry miss, but that will not help you here.” A stream of arrows flew towards the female warrior with scary precision. The rate of fire was closer to one of Bisca and Alzac’s magic machine guns than arrows.

The room quickly descended into chaos as Erza fought Aquarius, and Sagittarius. Gray and Wendy reluctantly took Gemini and Cancer. Natsu was in an outright frantic brawl with Capricorn, Scorpio and Taurus. One never would have never guessed that Ares and Virgo were ever friends with Loke considering the way he was throwing himself into the fight. In the heart of it all stood Lucy, enveloped in a golden light, screaming from the severe strain to her body.  

Natsu’s head reeled back after a particularly well placed punch from Capricorn and slammed into a wall, stone crumbling from the force. With a speed that rivaled Jet, Natsu recovered and threw himself back into the battle. “How the hell are you all here anyway? Even Lucy shouldn’t be able to summon 9 of your at once, not if she is using everything she has on that stupid hole!”

Capricorn was the first to answer as he evaded a particularly brutal double fire kick from Natsu. “That rift has broken down the barriers between our worlds. We no longer need a summoner to be here.”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Lucy’s shrill screech tore through the air halting everyone in their tracks. Small tears started to appear all over as the swirling magical energy started to slice apart her delicate skin. Lucy would not be deterred though; one look at her friends was all that she needed to push through the pain, pouring even more energy into the demising gate above.  

Erza, Gray and Wendy ceased their attacks solemnly; watching the amazing extent of Lucy’s determination diminished their own. Natsu though felt as if it was tearing his body itself in two; he subconsciously placed his fisted hand over his heart. “Listen to her! That is your friend, your comrade! How can you let her do this to herself?”

Capricorn, Scorpio, and Taurus regrouped during the brief lull, forming a wall between Natsu and Lucy.

“Yeah baby! That is exactly why we are here,” however, Scorpio’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he spoke. “We are here to support our owner!”

“We believe in Lucy’s strong and beautiful booody!”

“If that rift is not closed, both worlds will be destroyed. Everything that Lucy loves will be lost; she is the only one here who can close it. We must have faith in her.” Capricorn’s voice rang with strong conviction.

Natsu’s fists exploded in a fiery fury from the force of his emotions. “I don’t care. That is Lucy, our Lucy. And she is in pain!”

Erza, and Gray, who had regrouped next to Natsu in the lull, placed restraining hands on his shoulders, tears in both their eyes. “Natsu,” Erza spoke, “We must trust in our friend.”

Natsu’s eyes widened like saucers, his flames extinguished from sheer shock. “Erza? You too?”

“Look around you Flame Brain! Look at their eyes! Do you think they want this? Do you think we want this? We love her too! But if what they say is true, then what choice do we have but to trust in her?” Gray’s hand dug painfully into Natsu’s shoulder, as though he was physically restraining himself. It was as though he was trying to convince himself along with Natsu. His entire body shook silently with tremors.

Natsu’s head swung towards Wendy looking for support; surely she was still with him. His chest deflated as soon as he saw her face.

Another scream escaped their friend’s lips and reverberated around the shrine, echoing in their heads long after the sound itself was gone. Erza let go of Natsu’s shoulder and dropped it to her side. She took her other arm and wrapped it around her waist and gripped her arm as though she were holding herself back. “If we don’t let her do this, everyone will die. Lucy will die.”

“I refuse to accept it! I can’t lose her! I promised that I would always protect her; I promised that I would never fail her like Karen!?” Loke’s hands were fisted in his orange mane while he shook his head back and forth in crazed desperation. Virgo and Ares stood guard before him, boxing him in. “I won’t let her die! I can’t let her die! She is the most important person in the world to me! I would give my life for her! I don’t want to live in a world without Lucy.”

“Slap” The sharp sound bounced across the room. Loke barely registered the needle-like stinging sensation on his cheek. He looked up; Virgo’s hand was still raised and fire burned in her eyes. “Princess is not a damsel to be protected, and you are not the only one who cares for her!”

“Then why aren’t you helping me!! You’ll be banned from ever returning to the Spirit World. You’ll die too!”

Virgo shook her head, “No big brother. Remember, you and Lucy changed that rule. We will not be held accountable for supporting her decision.”

Ares looked upon her friend with pity, “She may be our friend, but we are also her spirits. Even when it is hard, we will obey her wishes. It is our pride as Celestial Spirits.”

“Well I won’t! Regulus Impact!”

Virgo and Ares went soaring across the shrine, creating a crater when they crashed into the stone floor. “Natsu! Get Ready! Lion’s Brilliance!”

The shrine was enveloped in a blinding bright light, stunning all but Loke and Natsu who used the opening to run to their suffering friend. Finding his friend in the light was easier than breathing, Natsu was so attuned to her at this point that locating her with his sharp nose was like a sixth sense. She was such an integral part of his life he didn’t even need to consciously try any more. As Natsu reached her back, he wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pulled her to him firmly. His face contorted in distress as he cried out, “STOP IT!! Please!” The light entombed them both, chaotic magical energy greedily now tearing at both of their flesh instead of one. Natsu winced from the pain as he tried his best to shield Lucy from harm. However, as the light finally receded, it was Loke who first noticed that their time had run out. The rift was now gone!

The last of Lucy’s magical energy floated away into the sky, being absorbed by the remnants of the now healed gate. She stood there pale and winded, huffing and gasping for breath after the exertion. Her clothes were in tatters, torn to shreds from the magical energy. Small ringlets of blood oozed from paper sized cuts all over her delicate body. Gently her arm came up, and lightly grabbed Natsu’s which were still wrapped firmly around her waist. Breathing a sigh of relief, Natsu slowly detangled himself from her.  

Loke sank to the ground before her, knees slamming onto the hard stones beneath him. Violent sobs racked his body, his hands coming up to grip his wild mane as he shook his head lightly in denial. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no…,” that one word becoming his new mantra. Tears streaming down his face pooled on the cold stone floor before his knees.

To say that Natsu was confused by his comrade’s reaction was an understatement. She was standing right there. Yeah, she looked weak and tired, but she was alive. So what was with the water works? “Luce?”

Ignoring him for a moment, Lucy leaned down, and cupping Loke’s face in her hands she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. She caught Gray and Erza’s eyes as she stood, large smile gracing her face. “Take care of him please? Take care of all of them?” Lucy didn’t wait for a response; she trusted that they would.

“Luce? I don’t understand?” Fear, a rare emotion for him, started to seep into his heart. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew instinctively that he wouldn’t like the results.

Turning to her closest and truest friend, she gave Natsu the signature mega-watt Lucy smile. Her hand stretched out and cupped his cheek, her thumb rubbing small reassuring circles absentmindedly.

Natsu reached up to grasp her hand, becoming alarmed when he only touched air. His gaze sharpened as he turned towards where her arm was only a second before, and for that one moment, time stopped. Her arm was slowly disappearing right before him, as though it was never there. He struggled to regain his breath as he turned terrified eyes towards hers. “L…Lu…Luce?”

She leaned forward, kissing the tear off his cheek. Only Lucy’s chest and head were visible now, with more disappearing everyone second. “It will be ok Natsu.”

Natsu reached out quickly, trying to grab onto her, trying desperately to hold her to him. He became more frantic as she faded before him, arms flying everywhere trying to grasp onto any part of her. “Lucy! Hold on! You have to stay with us! You have to stay with me! We’ll be together forever right?”

Only Lucy’s face was visible now and it too slowly faded from view. “Forever and always. I love you Natsu.” And with that, Lucy was gone. 

This is the first chapter to a new fic I am writing. Nothing is posted except here yet because I am not far into the story. Thought this would make

[ramblinganthropologist]

Writober 2020 - 19 (Terror)

Summary: Ray and Lucy are on location for a hot new haunted house! What will they find waiting for them... and what happens when what’s outside the house is even scarier than what they find within?

---

“Nope.”

“We have to go in.”

“Does it look like I give a fuck, I'm not going in there and that's final.”

That... was another one that was going to need to be censored. Lucy could already feel a vein throbbing in her forehead as she cast a glance over Ray's shoulder. The camera crew hadn't set up yet, so it was likely nobody had caught that one.

The day was young, however. No doubt by the end of it they'd be bleeping plenty.

Sad, really. It was a beautiful fall day at a small seaside town. The crisp breeze carried with it the smell of autumn, and as the sun set low over the horizon it brought with it a brilliant sky of reds and golds not yet fading to the inky black of night. All around them, happy couples were strolling through the small park, not a care in the world. Somehow, they all seemed to miss the filming crew setting up right before their eyes.

Then again, that was for the best probably. They were supposed to be doing an on-location reaction shoot, so maybe it was good nobody was paying them much attention.

Lucy adjusted the sleeve of her jacket as she turned to her temporary costar. Both she and Ray had been selected by a fan vote to be the first two idols to explore Fun Town's newest attraction for the season. The amusement park's haunted house was said to be one of the best in the area, though that would remain to be seen. After all, she had standards.

“We agreed to do this, Ray.”

The other idol snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest. Even in fall weather, she rolled the sleeves of her jacket above her elbows. Most would've thought it a look, but Lucy knew better – it didn't fit properly all the way down. Damn growth spurts. Still, with it she was the picture of a petulant punk, making her the perfect foil to her own princess vibes.

“No, we got press-gang'd into it.” She scowled. “I fucking hate this kinda shit... people sneaking up on you to scare the shit out of you.”

Lucy found herself blinking back surprise as she took stock of her costar's words and posture. The pieces began to slot into place, creating a picture she hadn't expected to make. Despite herself, she chuckled.

“You can't actually be afraid, are you?”

Ray's tell was almost immediate – she turned to the side to avoid Lucy's gaze. Then the finger came up to scratch her scarred cheek. It was a double whammy that showed she was right on the money and then some.

It was... actually kind of cute, considering the other idol was almost 200cm tall and was a member of the weight lifting club.

“I don't see well in the dark.” She paused, adding, “and yes, that's with contacts in. People sneaking up behind me... it activates the fight response, you know?”

Lucy frowned at this. “Well... I'll just walk behind  you then. That way some poor worker doesn't get shoved against a wall.”

“Hey, I'm not that fucking bad.” Ray paused as she ran a hand over her hair, dislodging some strands that got tucked behind her ear. “But... thanks. I appreciate that.”

It was good they had hashed that out – from the looks of things, it was almost time to go on. Places were set, and the director was calling for them to begin their intro. Now it was time for both of them to turn on their particular charms before plunging in.

How hard could it be, it was a haunted house from a small park...

---

Her throat was going to go out completely if she kept screaming like that.

Lucy's heart was threatening to pound out of her chest as she glanced around with wide, panicked eyes. It was pitch black, save for the dim light in the distance that she had been following. All around her, she heard things skittering in the dark. It was coming... she knew it.

Then she saw the hand reaching for her and that was it, she was gone.

It had been like this since she had become separated from her partner. Ray had been forced to go one way when the path they were taking suddenly cut off. She had been on one side, and the punk on the other. They had promised to find each other... but that was proving difficult.

Also terrifying. Apart from the dull light in the distance meant to guide participants, it was pitch black for the most part. Sometimes there would be light... but then you would regret going to it. Lucy had found that one out the hard way upon finding a candle. Turns out, it had been held by the bleeding body of a murder victim that lunged for her, screaming about revenge. She was still feeling that one as she leaned against the wall to catch her breath.

Of course... the wall started bleeding as soon as she touched it.

“HAVE YOU COME FOR THE REST?”

As Ray would put it: fuck, not again.

Lucy didn't even turn to see the murdered woman, she picked up her heels and ran in the direction of the light. Someone was definitely behind her if the footsteps indicated anything, and they were close. She could hear them breathing. A few more inches, and they could grab her.

She took a hard left at the closest availability. The woman ran past, still screaming and dripping blood. It was there the idol stopped to catch her breath and check on her pounding heart. It was a good thing she had sealed her makeup, otherwise the sweat would've washed it off.

“O-ok... they did a really good job.”

Lucy's voice was high-pitched and breathy. She was shaking as she tried to peek around the corner. It looked clear... but she had learned otherwise. Something out there was waiting for her, ready to scare her out of her wits.

Or at least that's what she thought until her next step backward caused her to bump into something solid.

The idol couldn't help herself, she screamed as she jumped back from whatever she had bumped into. Then the hand came from the darkness, grabbing for her wrist. She fought it at first, eyes wide... until she saw the nail polish. Most of the nails were black, save for the bright pink on the middle finger.

Perfect for flipping people off.

“Ray?”

Her costar came into focus. “I think I found the right way out. We gotta give Bloody Mari over there her eyes back.”

Lucy blinked – somewhere, she remembered reading that before they got in. There were a few ways to escape, but the 'best' way involved sending the ghost off peacefully. “But I didn't-”

She squeaked as the idol held out her other hand. There was a jar there, filled with what looked like two eyeballs that floated in a solution. Ray kept this close as she peered around the corner, looking for their pursuer.

“I found them when she chased me. They were hidden in a wall alcove.” Then Ray held a hand to her lips. “Shh, there she is. I'm going to go bargain with her. You stay here.”

Indeed, the tell-tale dripping and moaning had returned. Lucy's heart began to pound as she hid behind the wall, watching. Here the light was better. She could see Ray stepping out into the hallway, jar in hand.

“Hey, Mari, looking for these?”

“WHO DARES-”

The ghost stopped dead in her tracks. Her head cocked to the side in the most painful way Lucy had ever seen. Then an impossibly spindly hand reached out, stopping halfway. Her body language read more curious than anything – if that was possible.

“You found them?”

Ray nodded as she handed the jar over. “Wasn't easy, but I couldn't leave you in the lurch like that. You pass on easy now, ok? We'll pass your info over like you wanted.”

Her voice had taken on such a strange softness that it made Lucy blush. Even though they both knew this figment wasn't real, something about the way the punk treated her was... almost sweet. Noble, even, in a strange way.

Fucking weird, considering they'd been chased all over the house by her.

Mari held the jar close and nodded. “Thank you. I think... I can rest now.”

And then she was gone, vanished. The faint light in the distance had gotten brighter now – there was an exit. Ray pumped the air with her fist as she turned back to where her partner was waiting. Then she held out her hand.

“Come on, let's get out of here.”

Lucy normally wouldn't have taken her up on the offer, but her legs were shaking something fierce. So, hand in hand they both walked through the final hallway towards the door. Outside, confetti exploded as a speaker began to play a triumphant tune.

Looks like they had won.

“And cut!”

The filming was over. Lucy sighed in relief as she slumped against the wall, still sweating up a storm. Next to her, Ray slid down to the ground. Under the overhead lights, it was clear just how sweaty the larger girl was. Not only that, but her knuckles were white as she gripped and ungripped her hands. To say she was shaky was putting it mildly.

Then again... she had gotten them out, so she couldn't say much.

“Fuck, that was horrible.” Ray removed the tie from her mussed hair in order to fix her ponytail. Her sweat-damp hair gathered around her shoulders as she worked, hiding her face briefly. “Gotta give them props for the holograms, no way a human could run like that.”

Lucy nodded as she tried to dry herself off with a handkerchief. Her hand, as it turned out, wasn't covered in blood – more like corn syrup if she had to guess. “ They definitely made the most of the space. I kept bumping into walls when I was being chased.”

It was a miracle she didn't have a bruise everywhere from it.

Ray finished fixing her ponytail and sighed in relief once she could see again. “Now do you get why I'm shit terrified of this kinda thing? My spatial awareness is bad enough in the light, forget my dark vision.”

Her comment caught her costar off guard. Lucy had been checking her reflection in her compact, frowning over how pale she actually looked. With that, she snapped the small mirror shut, returning it to her pocket.

“You were scared?”

Much to her surprise, Ray laughed. “Fuck yeah I was. It's a miracle I didn't piss myself when Mari popped up. Though they probably would've had to edit that out, so it was for the best I didn't.”

“But... you didn't...”

The other idol finished for her as she stood. “I learned a long time ago not to let them know you're scared. It makes things worse. Besides, I had to make sure you were doing ok, right? We were in this together.”

Then she was holding out her hand again, presumably to offer aid in standing. Once more, Lucy took it. Her heart beat a little faster as their hands touched, fingers not quite lacing as she stood. Next to Ray, she was just so... tiny.

It was amazing that they were the same age...

“You two were fantastic! Ray-chan's the first person we've actually had complete the good ending!”

A woman was running up to them, looking as if she had just been given a pony. Lucy recognized her from before – the haunted house was her design. She had probably been watching the whole thing on screen. To her, it had probably been like her child's first day of school.

“It seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, I was having a hell of a time in the dark with eyes, for her it must be even worse...” Ray was rubbing the back of her neck and her accent was starting to get thick. These were both signs of her embarrassment. “That hologram was sick, though. How'd you program it to do all that?”

The designer's eyes were glowing as she practically bounced on her feet. “We did some motion cap work, but part of it had to do with the AI I programmed her with!”

AI aided haunted houses... Lucy had to shudder at the thought as she broke contact with her costar. She was standing now anyway, it wasn't like she still needed the hand. The only reason she had held on for so long was that it was getting cold now that the sun was down, and the other idol's hand was warmer than hers.

That was it... nothing else.

“I'm so glad we got you two to run the course. You were both so animated and realistic.” Designer-san was looking at her now. “It was so dramatic, watching Ray-chan save you. She was like a knight in shining armor!”

More like a berserker in a leather jacket, but who was counting the difference?  

Still... as Lucy's heart settled as she listened to details about when the show would be on, she had to at least be happy for one thing. She still had the memory of Ray's hand in hers as they walked out, or when she had helped her stand. That was enough... at least for then.

Part of her wanted more, though, as she stared over at where the idol was chatting. Strangely, that was the scariest thing of all. Who needed animatronic ghosts when her own heart was far more terrifying in its demands?

Shit... she really didn't need this. They still had the ride home to look forward to after they finished the outro. Maybe she should have just let Mari get her...

[bennykopus]

When Two Becomes One // drab

“Not to alarm you or anything, but I think it’s time.” The time had finally come, Thea was going to give birth to two beautiful babies and Benny could finally start being an uncle, but was he ready? Was he good enough? Would he eventually let the kids down as he did with most people in his life? He had such a low opinion of himself, he doubted that his niece and nephew would even like him. But hell, he was ready for them to be there. He would try his damnedest to make them proud and make sure they were happy. It had been a hard week since Olivia left, and Thea needed him more than ever. Every day he was over her house, making sure she had everything she needed, even if it was just company. “Time? What do you mean, time?” He questioned, confusion on his face before he realized what she meant. Eyes widened in panic and he looked around for anything they would need. “Time for the babies?! Oh, we gotta go!” Pure adrenaline ran through his veins as he grabbed her hand and the baby duffel bag. “Benny, I love you brother, but you can calm down.” Her laugh echoed in his ears as he rushed to open the door for her on the passenger side of his car. He made sure he drove his car every time he was around her--just in case. Especially since she was so close to being due anyway, so he wanted to make sure she was safe and in a car as they went to the hospital--not on his motorcycle or a cab. The car ride to the hospital was a blur. There weren't words being spoken, emotions were overwhelming, and staying lost in thought was something that kept them at bay. He was excited, scared, worried, happy. All rolled into one person. His main objective at that point was getting Thea to the hospital safely--something he managed to do. But even there, it was a rush. They wheelchaired her into the building, Sebastian already waiting for them when they arrived. Then Lucy, his old fling who was the nurse on Thea's baby staff, appeared at their sides and got them situated in the birthing room. She had to hook her up on a fetal heart monitoring machine that would give them a read on the babies' conditions. He was glad it was Lucy and Alex were the ones who were assigned to his sister, he wanted nothing but the best for her. After the short elevator ride to the floor, they were told, they approached the receptionist's desk. She flipped out when they called her Davies, the fact that Olivia left was still a fresh wound. Still, he loved the fact that his sister was calling herself a Kopus again--just hated the circumstances that came with it. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to calm her down, hoping it would help as he shared a look with Sebastian. Nothing else was said, nothing else needed to be said. Benny grabbed Thea's wheelchair and followed Lucy down the hall to the room they would occupy. Everyone started to get settled, Lucy introduced herself to everyone, giving Benny a small smile as she did. She asked Thea questions in regards to her back pain, and Benny shifted his weight from one side to the other, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched intensely. The look on Lucy's face, he knew that look. The pit of his stomach did a flip as she exited the room, probably getting Alex. Benny moved closer toward Thea, placing a hand on her shoulder--letting her know that he was there for her. Always. When Lucy returned, Alex was hot on her heels. "Afternoon, Thea, who do we have here today?" His smile threw Benny off, but he tried to ignore it the best he could as Thea introduced Sebastian and himself. He stuck his hand out to his fellow co-worker--though they never really interacted much due to Benny being in the basement most of the time, medical examiner/coroner usually kept away from other patients. "Hey, Alex, good to see you again." He gave him a nod as the two gave one another a firm handshake. Lucy set up the ultrasound machine and positioned it next to Thea as Alex prepared to use it. It was a deathly silence as Alex watched the screen with a seriousness that halted his breathing. Something was off. Something was wrong. “Thea, I don’t want you to panic. But we need to induce labor. There’s only one fetal heartbeat, and if we wait too long, we might not be able to save your little boy.” At that moment, in those few sentences, Benny's world came crashing down. Eyes widened in disbelief as so many questions came to mind. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Was Thea and the other baby at risk? Would they be able to save him? It took everything in him not to break down and cry, but he had to stay strong. He had to be brave for Thea. If she saw him break down, she surely wouldn't be able to hold anything back herself. He knew she had to be a wreck at that moment--first Olivia, and now her son. Everything started to slow down like the world stopped and there were no signs of it continuing on. That was until Lucy's voice broke through and told Thea she would check on her in a little while after setting up the fetal heart monitor again and placing an IV in her veins. “I’m a good person,” Benny heard the voice of his little sister pierce the silence of the room, as she buried her head in her hands. “Why does bad sh*t keep happening to me?” She cried. His heart sunk low, the lump in his throat growing as he tried to hold everything in for his sister's sake. Benny placed his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder, hoping it would snap him back to reality and not frozen in time. He walked over to the bed, sat down, and pulled Thea into his arms. He hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head and felt his eyes begin to sting, but he had to remain strong for her. The world of his little sister was crumbling around her, and he knew that Sebastian would be just as torn. Both of their sons have been lost, even though they never met him--they didn't love him any less. He didn’t have the words to say to make her feel any less pain at that moment. Sighing, he stood up from the bed and walked over to Sebastian. “You and I may not like each other, but she needs you right now, not me. This is just as much your loss as it is hers.” Giving them a moment and him a chance to breathe, he walked out of the room. All the emotions he was suppressing came bubbling up to the surface--he had to get somewhere, anywhere besides there--Benny made his way to the nearest exit. Clutching the railing of the stairs, he felt his chest tighten as the anger raged inside of him. How could this be happening? His sister was such a wonderful person, she lit up the room with her smile and she never hurt anyone in her entire life--at least not on purpose. She deserved the world, yet hers was falling apart right in front of her. He wished he could take her pain all away, instead, he had a front-row seat to the demise of part of their family. His heart ached. Not only was his sister hurting, but he had lost his nephew as well. Someone he already had plans for--to spoil, take to football games, help him with girls, give him advice. It was all stripped away from him in an instant.  

Tears began to burn as they formed--he felt exhausted, torn like his heart was being ripped out of his chest and he didn't have enough energy to stop it. He turned away from the stairwell and punched the wall, leaving a small dent, but pain shooting from his knuckles up to his arm. In the heat of the moment, he took his frustrations out on a concrete-like wall--something he shouldn't have done. It wasn't his property, nor was it the best idea when he was here for his sister. His knuckles began to bleed slightly, but not enough for his people to notice--he hoped. He slid down the wall, the waterworks beginning to fall, all the pain that he was holding back came crashing down on him like a weight. A weight he was too weak to hold up anymore. He rested his elbows on his knees, holding his hands over his face as silent sobs escaped his throat. Another person, another family member was gone. First his mother, now his nephew. It felt like things that were too good to be true were impossible to have. Tears fell like a waterfall, sobs began to get a little louder as he clenched his hair. "Please, don't take her too." He whispered quietly, to nothing in particular. He wasn't much of a believer in a God, but at that moment, a miracle would have been needed. "Don't take my niece too." He cried out, his fist beginning to ball up once more as he hit the floor with the same bruised knuckle, causing more blood to seep out of his hand. It was at that moment that Lucy opened the door to the stairwell, seeing him on the floor, blood dripping down. He looked up at her, eyes puffy from sorrow. “Sorry… Your sister is asking for you. It’s time Benny,” Lucy told him, nearing him slowly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “She needs her big brother if she’s going to get through this.” All Benny could do at that moment was nod as he began to stand up. He looked at her as if he was telling her he was ready. They walked out of the stairwell and Benny found the nearest paper towel to wipe up the blood from his knuckle, yet it would still form--he just needed it clean enough for Thea to not notice. He ran his hands over his face, trying to hide the fact he had been crying as they followed Lucy back into the delivery room. Thea let out a scream of pain as she reached her hand out for Benny. Within an instant, Benny was at Thea's right side, holding her hand firmly for support. The screams and cries of her pushing filled the room. Her frustrated shout of Olivia not being there echoed in his mind. He wished he could make this better for his sister, bring Olivia back at that moment, but he felt it would only worsen the moment. She needed positive energy in the room with them. The racing of his thoughts was cut short by the sound of cries filling the room. Not cries of his sister, but that of a newborn baby girl. The sound of life. Crystal clear blue optics shifted from Thea to the bundle of joy in Alex's arms. He had fallen in love with her. His niece. In that instance, he made a vow to always protect her. No matter what. As if Thea read his mind, she looked up at him, sweat dripping down her face. “Go please, make sure she’s okay. Don’t let her out of your sight.” He nodded, taking on the responsibility. This was his world now, and he had to safeguard her. He was her shield, her weapon, her bodyguard. He approached Lucy, who now had his niece in her arms, cleaning her off and checking vitals. “Her lungs sound clear,” Lucy smiled up at him, giving him hope. “Lungs on her like her mother,” Benny smiled weakly as he turned his head to look at Thea, who had just given birth to a miracle. The same miracle he asked for. Tears formed in his eyes once more, but this time they were of relief. Of happiness and sorrow. They may have lost their little boy, but he would forever live on in his sister. Just like a part of him died when he was a POW, a part of Benny still lived in Thea. His childhood, his innocence. Looking back at his niece, at that moment, another part of him was taken by her. His love. His whole being was preparing him for this moment when he could see the marvel that was his niece. She was perfect, healthy. At that moment, his nephew was born--no sound pierced the room other than the monitors beeping and the cries emitted from his niece and sister. It was heartbreaking, yet, serene. As if he was there placing a blanket over each and every one of them. Keeping them warm in a moment of cold unwelcoming loss. Lucy looked at Benny, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. “Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?” She asked him as she held out the scissors for him to cut from his niece. He hesitantly took the scissors, feeling as though a part of him didn't deserve to do this. “Do you have a name picked out?” Alex's voice broke through, capturing his attention, eyes shifting to his sister. “Daemyn Cash Kopus-Kincaide.” Sebastian spoke up as he took the stillborn into his arms. “That’s a beautiful name,” Alex praised, giving them a minute more before taking the baby boy and handed him to Benny. Panic filled him as he quickly gave the scissors back to Lucy as he held his nephew. Staring at the small angelic baby in his arms, his eyes stung. This would be the last time he ever got to see his nephew, hold him. Leaning close, he whispered softly. "Watch over her, always." He placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, a tear falling from his eye as he handed Alex his nephew. He then took the scissors once again from Lucy and cut his niece's umbilical cord, allowing Lucy to take her and properly clean her up fully. When she was done, she wrapped her up in a small white blanket, turning around toward the three who waited patiently for the newborn baby girl. “Time to meet your mama,” she said carrying the little girl over to the bed and placed her in Thea’s arms. It was then that she opened her eyes for the first time and Benny fell in love all over again. She had Thea's eyes. “Hi little wolf,” Sebastian smiled as the little girl wrapped her petite fingers around his large finger in comparison. “Welcome to the world Lovette Abigail Kopus-Kincaide.” Thea smiled, allowing Benny to hold her at that moment. He wrapped his muscular arms around her, forming a firm hold around her to keep her safe and warm. He took that moment to smile at her. "Hey, I'm your uncle..." He began, watching her eyes shift to make contact with his. His heart did a flip. He gently sat down on the hospital bed, wrapping one arm around Thea so she could get a good look at her. Already thinking of a nickname of endearment, Benny couldn't stop the big smile on his face as he kept his eyes glued on Lovetta. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Love.."

[okmeamithinknow]

The Sauced Snake Chapter 4

Chapter Four: The Hungover Hognose Part 2

Previous Chapter

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 

A.N.: If I were going to give this chapter a title besides the Hungover Hognose pt 2, I would definitely call “The one with the run on sentences” or “The one that just kept getting bigger until I debated about whether or not I should break it into two pieces.”

The Hungover Hognose Part 2

Cobra’s just finished pulling on a shirt, the fabric sticking to the skin still damp from the shower when there’s a knock at the door. He groans, not needing his magic to know who’s standing on the other side. Even if Lucy hadn’t warned him ahead of time, Cobra—and probably the rest of Magnolia— would be able to hear her team coming. Specifically Gray and Natsu’s bickering.

He’d hoped to sneak in a short catnap after his shower, but the pounding beat of water on his back was too much of a temptation to abandon straight away. Mira’s miracle cure and the scalding temperature of his shower have worked wonders to improve his mood. As it stands he’s more likely to maim someone on the team than kill them outright.

Pausing in the doorway of their bedroom, he leans against the doorjamb to watch his fiancé let her team in. Lucy pulls open the front door to find, in classic fashion, Natsu and Gray in a heated argument, with an irate Erza standing behind them. A cackling Happy sits on her shoulder and it’s obvious that he’s laughing at the boys’ antics. Both men—if you could call either one of the juvenile mages men— are somehow simultaneously locked in a headlock with Gray yanking on a handful of pink hair and Natsu digging his knuckles into Gray’s skull.

Cobra doesn’t need to see Lucy’s face to see the roll of her eyes at her team’s antics as she invites them in.

All at once the pounding in his head is back, and when Erza fixes him with an icy stare he catches a fleeting feeling of panic from Lucy. Its barely a flicker of a thought, that he might just run when faced with this complication, and he scowls. He’s no coward and running is the last thing on his mind.

Making his way over to where Lucy’s standing next to the sofa, he flops down and pulls her into his lap. The message clear enough to her and the rest of her family. He’s not going anywhere. He buries his nose in her hair, closing his eye and taking in the calming scent of her.

Lucy’s team filters in and takes seats around the living room without another word, Natsu pulling the front door closed behind him.

It’s awkward and a tense silence permeates the air, one that pulls at her heart, squeezing it in a vice. Cobra pulls her closer, arms wrapping around her middle and a low soothing rumble fills her ear. The sound gives her the courage to look up.

Natsu meets her eyes with a bright sunny smile on his face. He’d always been their staunchest supporter. When Lucy first started dating the former criminal, Natsu had been the first to welcome him into the fold. That he’d pulled Cobra aside soon after their announcement and clearly explained, in graphic detail nonetheless, what would happen if the Poison Dragonslayer ever chose to hurt his best friend, was no surprise to any of them.  

Lucy’s gaze skitters over Erza— who’s situated herself between the two men to keep them from coming to blows again, a position she places herself in quite frequently— to Gray.

Arms folded across his chest, wan smile fixed on his face, Gray seems more uncomfortable about being dragged here in the first place.  His approval came shortly after Natsu’s, the mage offering to spar with Cobra one afternoon where he not so subtly echoed Natsu’s warning. The two of them have struck up an odd sort of friendship, the foundation of which is built on mutual self-deprecation.

Overall though, both boys agree, if Lucy’s happy, then there’s no problem, and Cobra has proved over the last few years that he’s more than willing to make their friend happy.

Erza’s the lone hold out, and everyone knows it.

The silence grows thicker, the ticking of the clock and the nervous swishing of Happy’s tail the only sounds in the room. No one seems to quite know where to begin.

All at once the damn breaks, and the boys declare their heartfelt congratulations at the exact same time that Erza tries to explain her concerns. Right as Lucy launches into a rehearsed speech about how much the two of them are in love and how they might not have planned it, but the baby and their marriage are both good things and are exactly what Lucy wants and if Erza’s not ready to deal with that then she’s going to have to suck it up.

It lasts for all of a minute before Cobra tells them all to shut the fuck up.

“You’ve had three and half years to make your ‘concerns’ known. We’ve been more than candid about our relationship from the beginning,” he says, fixing a knowing eye on Erza. “And don’t even give me that whole ‘sullied her honor’ sanctimonious bullshit, when Flames for Brains and I can both smell that Blueberry all over you. Did you even make it back to Fairy Hills before you fucked him?”

Erza sputters and blushes a glowing red as deep as her name, but Cobra ignores it, continuing on. “Now, you can fucking fight me in the training ring as soon as my fucking head stop pounding like an illegal rave, which will be completely useless because you won’t be changing my mind, or you can say yes when Lucy asks you to be one of her bridesmaids and leave it at that.”

He glares at the red head who gapes open-mouthed at him over Lucy’s shoulder. Blush still firmly in place, Erza nods dumbly.

“Maid of Honor,” Lucy blurts out suddenly. “I was going to ask Levy, but she's already married and she’s been so busy with the twins and she said she’d be fine with just the matron of honor, even though we’re the same age and we were going to tell you guys about everything, but we wanted to tell you all at once and we…” Lucy turns in Cobra’s lap, peering up to look at him. “Well I wanted to make sure we made it past that window where there’s a bigger risk of losing him or her…”

“You’re babbling, Bright Eyes,” Cobra chuckles, and Lucy blushes, pink staining her cheeks. She turns back to Erza, expectant smile plastered on her face.

She’s so focused on Erza and her reaction that she misses Natsu’s uncomfortable shifting. His foot taps nervously against the hardwood floor as Erza launches into a series of questions about the wedding, all of her previous unease obliterated. The motion isn’t lost on Cobra, who watches the other slayer from the corner of his eye, magic focusing in on the edgy dragonslayer.

As an hour or two passes and the girls’ discussion grows more in depth with the occasional interjection from Gray, Natsu’s fidgeting becomes more and more pronounced. The nervous energy finally spilling over when Cobra asks Gray to be one of his groomsmen, and Natsu stands to leave, rushing out of the apartment.

Lucy clambers after him, stopping at the doorway to look back at Cobra.

“Go after him,” Cobra says, knowing that Lucy’s sensed Natsu’s growing unease as well. She hadn’t been able to distract Erza long enough to catch Natsu’s attention, the red head’s series of questioning growing more meticulous as time went by.

She rushes down the steps and out into the fading twilight. It’s much later than she realizes. The street lamps are just starting to flicker on when Lucy stops, checking both ways for the telltale shock of pink hair. She barely catches a glimpse before she takes off running down the street after him. Lucy calls his name, but he doesn't respond, either not hearing her voice or blatantly ignoring her. He rounds a corner, one that Lucy’s entirely unfamiliar with and she picks up her speed, legs pushing her forward.

Rounding the corner, she trips, stumbling over a loose cobblestone. Scream lodging in her throat, she braces herself for impact, but instead a pair of sturdy and altogether too familiar arms catch her around the waist before she can hit the ground.

“Careful,” Natsu chuckles, though his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve got precious cargo in there.”

Lucy huffs a breath, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. A half formed grumble about Erik’s doting already turning to smothering on her lips. Natsu’s concern rings true though, even if the worst she probably would have gotten were a few scrapes and bruises. She straightens, extracting herself from his arms. He lingers nearby unable to look her in the eye as Lucy brushes invisible dirt from her skirt. There’s a certain tightness to his brow that combined with the defeated slump of his shoulders makes Lucy want to cry.

“Will you…” she clears her throat, “Will you take a walk with me?”

Natsu nods and Lucy holds out her hand. When he takes it, she offers him a tentative smile and laces her fingers with his. They walk for a while, no destination in mind, until they reach South Gate Park. Lucy leads him to a bench. Night has fallen in full force, the crickets chirping in the background. Lucy shivers, from both the chill in the air and the stress. Natsu scoots closer, and Lucy, the heat leech that she’s always been, leans in until he reaches an arm around her. They’re both quiet, letting the peace of the evening wash over them.

“You were so quiet back there…” Lucy says finally. Voice barely above a whisper, the unspoken ‘What’s wrong?’ hovering between them.

She honestly has no clue. Natsu’s had no problem with any of the members of Crime Sorcière since they joined Fairy Tail, and even if he’d been a little jealous of the Poison Dragonslayer monopolizing Lucy’s time in the beginning of their relationship, he’d understood. Especially once he’d started seeing Mira. Double dates had become quite the interesting affair after that. That was also when the quest to figure out how to get Cobra drunk started.

“I just thought…” he trails off, shifting uncomfortably.

“Thought what?” Lucy grabs the hand closest to her and pulls it into her lap.

“It’s dumb,” he says.

“It’s not dumb if it upsets you,” Lucy says, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. “We’re best friends. You can tell me.”

“Best friends… Right,” he says with a shake of his head, and then heaves a sigh, running his free hand through his hair. “I know you’re a girl and all, but I really thought I’d be like… I don’t know… your best man. Or whatever.”

“Like a Man of Honor?” she asks with a giggle.

He nods, blush dappling his nose. Lucy releases his hand, bring both of hers to cup his cheeks.

“Oh Natsu,” she says, and there's something in her tone that almost breaks his heart. Natsu looks away, unable to look her in the eye.

“I should have talked to you first,” she says. “Erik and I, well we talked about it… and he said it just makes sense… He’s the one that gave us the chance to be together… Once Crime Sorcière was absorbed into Fairy Tail after they got pardoned… We’re not even sure if he can do it anymore, since Laxus took over as master, but Erik insists that because he’s still a Wizard Saint that it shouldn’t be a problem and if not then we’ll still have Makarov perform the ceremony and we’ll just have Laxus sign everything like he did it. And with my mother and father gone, it just kind of makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” he asks, interrupting her.

“Would you…” she asks, blush staining her cheeks, “Would you walk me down the aisle and give me away?”

Natsu is speechless. The slack-jawed look on his face has Lucy panicking for a second before he lets out a whoop of mirth. He jumps to his feet, dragging Lucy along with him. He spins her in a circle, laughing. Natsu sets her down, pressing his forehead to hers. His eyes are bright, unshed tears sparkling in the light of the street lamps.

“I take it that’s a yes?” she asks, barely containing a laugh.

“Of course I will,” he says. “After all, what are best friends for?”

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