#it’s over the top enough that you wouldn’t really notice or understand unless you���d been there a while or asked someone

[cryptids-lobelia-garden]

Lol sorry this is a day late I was honoring the April 1 strike for Palestine and then yesterday my internet was really slow and Tumblr draft edit wouldn’t work

Anyway.

Warnings: idk how these work please lemme know if I need to tag anything else but uh. Manipulative/kinda creepy whumper, a conditioned whumpee and his self destructive/self sacrificial tendencies, caretaker was hurt by whumpee in the past (not in a whump way just in a whumpee tried to destroy the world and caretaker had to stop him way) but he’s grown over the time they’ve been apart and come to understand the whumpee’s actions, uh. This is Pokémon and I’m going with a nuanced take of some of them are sapient and some aren’t and caretaker is very much a Pokémon, also whumpee is a canon character and might act OOC for. Reasons that will hopefully be revealed over the course of this month if I can get this challenge done :D oh also I follow canon VERY loosely bc there’s like three different canons and I’m here to have fun not to police my story writing so uh. Ye

Anyway, there’s also some mind control in there, some frostbite, some.. It’s like a chemical burn sort of, some dissociative panic attack flavored stuff, uh. Animal attack? Oh yeah and dismemberment lol- this one is. A little. Uh. Yeah

Oh and if you see these characters on another account ask that account if it’s me before getting upset bc uh. I have posted abt them on my main before

Anyway. Yeah. Enjoy this, uh. Please don’t judge me I can’t get these freaks out of my head hsjdjdjd

Day 1: Limp

Reunited Arc Part 1

~~~~~

It was supposed to just be a normal day off.

Cheri was headed to Celestic City to meet with a historian, to answer questions about Dialga and the Diamond Clan.

He’s taking the train, since he didn’t feel like walking all that way or making any of his Pokémon carry him.

It was supposed to be a normal day, but he sees a familiar face, and he has to do a double take.

Long blond hair, one eye covered, tied in its usual messy bun in the back. A shining silver eye, which is currently focused on a watch on their own wrist. Cheri would’ve guessed that was Cynthia, but he’s a guy, and he’s wearing a form-fitting black turtleneck tank top, a denim jacket over it.

The modern clothes on him are such a foreign sight.

But there’s no mistaking it.

Volo.

Cheri feels his blood freeze near instantly. A few people step away as the space around him begins to grow cold, a breeze of malice brushing through the air.

Volo hasn’t noticed him yet, and Cheri’s debating between just leaving and confronting the man.

Celestic Town is pretty close to Mount Coronet, but Cheri has prior arrangements. If he decides to go after Volo, he might not make it to the city on time, if at all. And someone guards the mountain now after Cyrus, right? So it’s not like Volo will be able to actually get there.

Unless he takes a path that isn’t through the caves. But even then, Arceus will be fine, they’re a god, it’s fine.

Maybe Cheri should just avoid all this and ride a bike to town. He left himself enough time to, after all.

But the train doors close, making Cheri’s choice for him. He can’t just say nothing.

So he steps forward.

“Hey.”

Volo looks up from his watch, eyes wide. “Hello- I’m sorry, am I in your way?” Who is this? He looks familiar..

Cheri shakes no. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Volo stops, staring at the stranger(?) for a moment. He knows me. Who is this? Usually, when people are angry at me in this time, it’s because they’ve mistaken me for Cynthia. But it seems like this one’s here for ME, not her-

His eyes widen. He goes pale. Takes a step back, his voice quiet enough that only the man in front of him hears it. “Cheri.” The one of the siblings I ESPECIALLY did NOT want to run into.

I don’t have time for this! Not now- of all the times I could have run into him, it had to be this last mission?

He pushes his thoughts aside, putting on a grin and trying to act like everything’s fine.

“Haha, it’s fancy seeing you here! What a coincidence!” I can’t do this right now! I’m on a time limit- this is THE WORST possible timing for this to happen, so of course it does.

“What a coincidence indeed,” Cheri says, voice low, taking another step forward as Volo takes a step back.

Volo’s smiling, that same pleasant grin Cheri remembers from all those years ago. But Cheri knows it’s a lie, can sense the fear coming off the man.

“Why are you headed to Mount Coronet? You and I both know you shouldn’t be there.”

“Listen, I can explain, but I don’t have much time- but I am not here for Arceus.” Cheri doesn’t seem convinced, so he keeps talking. “I’m here to protect Arceus, actually, from someone much worse than I am.”

“Hm. A likely story.” Cheri starts reading his emotions a little more.

“I swear on my life, that’s behind me.” Please, please, please please PLEASE believe me. I know you have every reason not to, after what I’ve done, but please just listen.

Cheri hums, thinking this over for a moment.

He doesn’t sense any lies from the man, strangely enough. He lets his magic push forward a little further, sensing for Volo’s intentions.

He doesn’t sense anything to do with Arceus at all, actually. No lies, no deceit.

Interesting..

Volo shivers as he feels a cold chill brushing through him, though the pleasant mask of a smile stays firmly in place. They reach their stop. I need to get away. He turns on his heel. “Well, I’ll be seeing you around-” Cheri’s hand is on his shoulder, and he tenses, breath catching in his throat. Please have mercy. Whatever you’re about to do, just don’t hurt me too badly.

Cheri’s voice is quiet, his expression grim. “You’re on a suicide mission, aren’t you.”

Shock, surprise. He shakes his head, smile growing strained. “Wh- how did you-” Volo clears his throat, turning back to smile at Cheri. “It doesn’t matter. No matter what happens, whether it’s him who dies or me, the problem will be over. And I’m probably not going to die anyway. Why?”

Cheri frowns, thinking that over for a few moments. Him? I’m assuming that’s who he’s saying he’s protecting Arceus from? If Volo dies, doesn’t that mean the problem isn’t technically over? Because we still have someone out there who’s willing to attack Arceus to further a goal. And if Volo, of all people, thinks this guy could KILL him, with Pokémon as powerful as his.. “..I’m coming with you.”

Why? What does he want out of this? “He is dangerous. You shouldn’t come with, he could kill you, and I am not worth it.” How much does he know? How did he know?

“Well, that’s all the more reason for me to come with.” If this guy really is as much of a threat as Volo says he is, I need to make sure this guy doesn’t get anywhere near the creation quartet. The two step off the train, and Cheri crosses his arms, head tilting to the side. “If you’re telling the truth, it sounds like this guy needs to be taken out.”

Volo looks up at Cheri for a second, opening his mouth to argue, and Cheri ignores his own annoyance, interrupting before Volo starts.

“I’ve fought gods. I’ve fought you. I’m sure I can take this guy out just fine.”

Volo frowns. “You should want me dead, you know-”

“No. Nope.” Cheri pinches the bridge of his nose. “Shut up with that, I’m not gonna listen to you talk about yourself like that.” Because as angry as I am at him for everything..

I can’t bring myself to hate him. Can’t bring myself to hate anyone, really, but ESPECIALLY not him.

We’re the same, after all.

Volo shuts his mouth, keeping the surprise off his face. I betrayed him and his siblings. Am I not just speaking truth? “..okay. ..I’ll explain while we walk, but we need to hurry.” I really am not worth it. But.. I doubt I’ll be able to talk him out of this. He always was stubborn, even more so than his sister at times..

What does he want, coming with me on this? Perhaps he’s just making sure I’m telling the truth about not being after Arceus, but then if he knows how dangerous this mission is..

..What should I tell him? What should I leave out? He needs to know at least some of the situation. Maybe if he knows it’s no real threat to anyone except me, he’ll leave the situation be? He knows I deserve this, after all, was on the receiving end of my worst mistake..

Cheri follows the man, who seems to be lost in thought, and he soon gets lost in his own. Who is “he”..? I could look into his fears and see.. no, that’s too invasive. Even for Volo.

..I really don't know much about him, Hisui was so long ago.. And even back then, he tried to avoid being around me as much as he could. He could tell I didn’t trust him. He hung out with Ana and Keyo much more often. But..

He looks up at Volo. Volo looks back, smiling that pleasant smile again. But it’s tense. Almost strained. Cheri gives as reassuring of a smile as he can, but it only seems to make the guy more tense, so Cheri looks away.

I’m pretty sure that this isn’t like him. He manipulated my siblings and I into helping him collect the Plates, avoiding the dangerous work for himself; it isn’t like him to do something so dangerous like this.

Cheri carefully looks at Volo out of the corner of his eye, studying Volo’s face for a moment. His eyes glow as he looks into Volo’s emotions, grimacing when he feels a wave of anxiety and self hatred and quickly stopping, pulling his magic away.

Whoa..

..He doesn’t feel the same. I don’t feel the sense of untrustworthiness I did back then.

I wish I had a hold on my powers then, because I don’t have any idea how different he truly is, I have no clue if that self hatred was there before, but I know for a FACT the anxiety wasn’t. I can see it even without my abilities.

Volo’s looking around at every face as they walk. It’s hard to notice the nerves behind the pleasant smile, but Cheri can tell from how tense he’s holding his shoulders, a tenseness that didn’t exist back in Hisui.

And his eyes are.. darker, somehow, and his breath hitches every so often as people look at him.

And he looks sick. He has eyebags dark enough they almost look like bruises. He’s pale- even more so than he was back then.

He’s still smiling, but something about the smile is even more fake than it used to be; at least in Hisui, the confidence was real.

What happened to take his confidence?

They’re around less people now, and Volo takes a breath, turning to look at the trail. “So!” Volo claps his hands together with a fake chipper attitude. “The man we’re going after.. His name is Eclipse.”

With the name, Cheri notices fear.

Memories.

He doesn’t look into them, that’s invasive, but he can tell they’re there. That’s not good.

“He’s..” Volo thinks for a moment. “..Not a good man.” Then he points into the air, finger wagging as he talks. “And he’s leading me straight into a trap! And he likely knows that I know that it’s a trap. And he also knows that I’m going to come anyway, whether I know it’s a trap or not. But!” Volo turns to Cheri suddenly, pointing at him with a smile. “If I walk into the trap, he’ll stop everything he’s doing. He only wants me. I mean, he also wants to take revenge on- well, that doesn’t matter, but he’ll stop if I give myself to him.”

“If you what?” Cheri’s staring to get genuinely worried, eyebrows furrowing. “Volo, who is this guy?”

“Someone who gave me what I deserve,” Volo says quickly, then he shakes his head. “It really doesn’t matter. Go home, this doesn’t concern you.”

“Arceus is part of it, and you are too, so uh. Yeah. It does concern me, actually.” Damnit, that wasn’t supposed to sound so pointed. I’m WORRIED, about HIM, not about Arceus.

Volo shakes his head. “Really, it’s fine. I’m not here to do anything to Arceus. No plates, no flute, you can check my bag if you want. I’m just here for Eclipse. I’m here to try to take him down, and if that doesn’t work, well.. The problem will be gone either way!”

There’s a sour taste in Cheri’s mouth. Something’s very, very wrong here. “So, what, you’re just gonna let this guy take you and do Arceus knows what?”

“It’s deserved.” Volo smiles at him again, though it’s more strained and looks much more like he’s pleading. “Please, just leave, this is not worth your safety.”

“Nope. No, not happening. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not, you’re not gonna talk me out of it now.” This whole situation.. Whatever’s going on, it really seems like it’s MUCH worse than he deserved. Prison maybe, I could see that. Maybe getting grabbed by a time traveler who could teach him about exactly why what he did was dangerous.

But something tells me someone went way too far.

Volo’s smile grows more strained. “..I was afraid of that,” he murmurs, then he shakes his head. “Well. Hm. ..okay. I.. suppose this might be a good thing. He probably thinks that I’m not coming with backup- I wasn’t planning to, so.” Volo shakes his head, smile fading entirely as he turns back to the trail up Mount Coronet. “Anyway.. He has been collecting legendary and mythical Pokémon from different times and places. We’re not sure what all he has- we know for sure he has Regiice, Azelf, and possibly the other two lake spirits, as well as the Red Chain.”

Who is “we”?? Wait. SHIT. Cheri’s neck snaps he turns to Volo so fast. “He has the red chain?”

Volo, fairly used to ghost-type shenanigans, barely bats an eye. He just nods, a grim look on his face. “And he’s going after Arceus with it.”

“That’s.. not good.” Cheri turns back to the trail, frowning down at it and kicking a few pebbles forward. “But if he takes you, the problem’s over? Why?”

Volo thinks for a moment. “He’s.. very angry with me, and it’s me specifically that he’s after, despite the situation,” he says. Cheri can tell Volo’s verbally stepping around details, so he stays quiet, waiting for Volo to explain. “..I caused him to lose everything he had.”

“..with the rift, or..?”

“Oh, no, not like that.” Volo quickly shakes his head, hands waving. “No, he just..” Volo grimaces, looking away, what Cheri would have been able to see of his face hidden behind his hair. “He.. Well. He did some pretty bad things to me. Which! That was deserved, really, you know I deserved them.” Cheri grimaces. He keeps saying that it’s deserved.. it’s putting a bad taste in my mouth. Before Cheri can say anything, Volo keeps talking. “But when Management saw what he did, they kicked him from-” He shakes his head. “You know, I actually don’t think I’m supposed to talk about that. Forget I said anything about Management.”

“Okay.” So, he was in some secret club or something, and this Eclipse guy hurt him and got kicked out over it. “..the hell you mean ‘it’s deserved’? What did he do?”

Volo’s lips press into a thin line for a moment, then he glances at his watch. “Oh, look at the time!” Volo grimaces as he looks at the cave through the mountain. “We should hurry, let’s leave the path and just climb it, this cave system must be new; I am unfamiliar with it.”

Okay, he’s avoiding the question. Cheri frowns, ignoring the annoyance stewing in his gut and following Volo off the path. Then Eclipse must have done something pretty bad.

Or maybe he’s just a very private person. He avoided questions a lot back in Hisui.

Then again, in Hisui, he had a lot of things to hide.

..What is this club he was in? Some sort of evil team? But if it is, why would they have sent him to PROTECT Arceus from this Eclipse guy?

Given our past, I’d think he was lying if I couldn’t tell. He is so incredibly lucky I have the ability to tell.

“..so. He’s got a bunch of legendaries. Why are they with him?”

“They’re not with him willingly,” Volo explains, finding a good spot on a cliffside to start climbing. “He has this device, it’s from the future- Ah! Did I mention he’s from the future? Anyway, he has this device, which is controlling them through technologically created psychic power. They don’t want this, so we need to try to avoid hurting them, so the hoppers can bring them home- they’re from different times, he’s been jumping through time to take them.”

Cheri blinks a few times, head tilting to the side in confusion. “Hoppers?? Jumping through time???” Holy shit, wait, was I accidentally right about a time traveler grabbing him?

I guess it makes sense how he’s here then.

“It’s a very long story.” One I am probably not allowed to tell you. Well.. I might be able to, considering the fact that technically, you’re a time traveler. One chosen by Arceus, no less. But.. I don’t want to drag you into this mess. Not any more than I already have, anyway. Volo shakes his head. “Anyway, we’re not sure what exactly he’s controlling them through, but we believe it’s his bracelet.”

“Gotcha.” Cheri frowns. “So, don’t hurt the legendaries, break his bracelet.”

“Exactly.” Getting to the top of the cliffside, Volo turns around to pull Cheri up, though Cheri waves him off, he doesn’t need the help. “And try not to get hurt yourself.”

Cheri nods, smirking. “Thanks, Sherlock.”

Volo blinks a few times in confusion. “..Sherlock..?”

“It’s a reference- there’s this book-” Cheri shakes his head. “Nevermind.” Noticing a sneasel sneaking up on him, he snarls at it, letting an illusion lash towards it. It squeaks in fear, running off. “Sorry, can’t risk it with dark types.”

“No, that’s fine.” I already knew he wasn’t human anyway, though it’s interesting to see him actually use his abilities.

However, it IS a little frightening.

Was that meant to be a show of power, or was he genuinely just scaring it off?

What exactly does he want with me?

Volo turns, and they keep walking, an uncomfortable silence falling between the two.

“..you know.. I have time.”

Volo looks over at him in confusion.

“For a long story I mean.”

“This isn’t one you want to hear,” Volo quickly says. Please don’t ask again.

Luckily for Volo, Cheri just looks at him for a moment, almost seeming to study him. Volo shudders at the way Cheri seems to be staring straight into his soul.

Then Cheri nods, turning to the next cliffside to climb in silence.

Volo watches him for a moment longer before turning back to climb. ..He doesn’t trust me. I can tell. He might never trust me again, and honestly, that would be warranted.

It’s really unfortunate timing, that this has happened now, of all times. Right now, when I’m doing something important. One last thing before there’s nothing left for me to do, nothing left that I can fix.

..I suppose if I survive this, I can let him and his siblings decide my fate afterwards. Those three were the ones most directly affected by my actions.. Then they’ll get the final decision, if it isn’t made here.

..for now, though.. I can, at the very least, try to give him closure.

“..I.. want to apologize,” Volo mutters.

Cheri turns to look at him, subconsciously checking his intentions, and oh, this is a genuine apology. “Hm?”

“For.. Not only the rift, and pulling you and your siblings from your home, but also for betraying the three of you. ..I hope you know it wasn’t just.. It wasn’t all just manipulation. You three were some of the few people I could genuinely consider friends, had I not been holding you all at arms length.” I might as well be genuine. Maybe in return, he’ll do the same..

No. I shouldn’t hope, I don’t get to hope, but..

It would be nice, if it was something I deserved.

Cheri blinks a few times as he feels the sincerity. Interesting.. “..They’re going to want apologies too, you know. ..thanks, by the way, that.. actually means a lot.” He looks up the mountain, thinking for a moment. “..You really have changed, haven’t you.”

Volo hums, making a so-so gesture. “I’d like to think so.”

“..I forgive you, you know.” Cheri shakes his head. “Honestly, I did a long time ago. What you did was fucked up, don’t get me wrong, and a LOT of people got hurt that shouldn’t have. But.. I dunno.” He shakes his head. “..I can understand your reasoning.” What I learned about him, about his people..

Volo stops, looking over at Cheri with confusion. He forgives me..? Why? It doesn’t make sense to me. What does he have to gain? I don’t know if I should trust this, that might be exactly what he’s aiming for. “Really?” Volo looks up to meet Cheri’s eyes.

Confusion, a hint of fear, and Cheri realizes he should explain. “I wouldn’t ever do the same thing you did, don’t get me wrong. But the world really is full of unnecessary suffering.” Cheri shakes his head. “And.. if I’m right about where you came from, you’ve dealt with a lot of it, right?”

How much does he know about me? And how does he know it? Why does he know it?

Volo doesn’t let his uneasiness show on his face, humming noncommittally. “It doesn’t excuse my actions. I ended up bringing harm to a lot of people.” I don’t deserve forgiveness. “..Thank you, though,” he murmurs.

Cheri studies him for a moment. So, the self loathing is probably from the rift and everything surrounding it, at least partially.. Not sure what the uneasiness is about, but he doesn’t like something about me. It might just be the whole zoroark thing, but it’s been growing, so maybe it’s something I’ve been saying or something? “Don’t mention it.” He looks up, getting to the top of the cliff they’re climbing and offering a hand to pull Volo up, which Volo takes.

They’re about halfway up the mountain now. The air’s growing colder- though Cheri can’t really feel the cold himself, Volo’s pulling his clothes a little tighter around himself.

..conversation topic.. Oh, the plan. “So.. About this Eclipse guy..”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Volo says quickly.

“No, I wasn’t asking what he did, don’t worry.” I don’t want to push him too much, he’s wary. “I just want to know, he’s trying to kill you, right? Do you want him alive, or? If you’re, uh.. taking him out, what’re we doing with him after? What’s the plan?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, he’ll be taken care of either way, and.. alive would be preferred, but if he dies, I.. don’t really care.” Maybe that’s a little harsh.. Well. Maybe I’m allowed to be a little harsh. Volo shakes his head. “However, I would like to be able to capture him and bring him in. I.. have some questions that I want to ask him, with prison bars separating him from me, of course.”

Cheri hums, studying Volo’s expression for a moment, sensing the emotions behind it. Is that.. Pain? Exhaustion?

Concern? ..Overthinking, maybe..?

“..What sorts of questions?”

Volo shakes his head. “..I just.. hm.”

I don’t know how to word this. I want to know why he did it. I want to know why, out of EVERYONE he could have chosen, every timespace criminal he had access to, he chose ME to hurt.

“..I want closure.”

Cheri hums, looking away. “..He might not give you that. Talking to him might make it worse, you know.”

Volo turns to Cheri with a glare, hissing “You know nothing about him, or my situation.”

Cheri’s a little surprised by the sudden anger in the air, though it’s understandable, he doesn’t blame Volo for it. After a moment of thought, trying to figure out what to say, he shrugs. “I might know next to nothing about the situation, but I know trauma when I see it.” He glances over at Volo, letting his eyes flash, a subtle reminder of his abilities. “He hurt you, yeah? On purpose, I’m guessing.”

..Just how much does he know..? And what is he trying to get out of knowing this about me?

He’s right, and it scares me. Does he know because of an ability? Did he look into my fears? Or did he figure it out on his own?

Volo turns away, the silence giving Cheri all the answer he needs.

Shit. It seems like trying to bridge the gap is just making things worse.. Honestly, I should’ve expected this, got too personal too fast.

Well. There’s no point in dropping the conversation at this point. He can try to make me leave, but it’s not gonna work, I need to make sure this Eclipse guy doesn’t fuck with Arceus. And besides..

I’m worried. About Volo, of all people. That’s saying something. “..And he’s trying to kill you even now.. I doubt he’ll give you closure.” Cheri turns away, frowning. “If anything, talking to him might make things worse.” It made it worse when I talked to Keyo’s bio parents, after all. Dickheads will be dickheads, it’ll always hurt to talk to em.

“Perhaps.” Volo shakes his head. My pain shouldn’t matter to you. You can’t actually care, especially not with everything I’ve done to you, so..

It must matter to you because you want me hurt.

“..Let’s talk about something else, shall we?” And if you do somehow care, you shouldn’t get attached to me anyway, you shouldn’t get attached to someone who deserves a bad fate. It’ll only hurt you.

“Hm.” ..yeah. He’s probably done talking now. Cheri looks up the mountain, squinting as the sun hits his eyes. “..Not much further now.”

Volo nods, checking his watch. “The readings said he will appear in the cave that leads to Cloudcap Pass.”

“Alright. So we get to the pass, then go to the cave from there?”

Volo nods. “And then we’ll wait until he arrives.”

“Right.”

They climb in silence until they reach the top, coming out near the destroyed temple. Cheri takes a deep breath, taking in the air.

This place feels as holy as it always did, the presence of the gods closer here than it is anywhere else in the region, and he feels the power of Arceus’s blessing within him shift.

They’re watching.

Volo glances over at the spear pillar, an unreadable expression on his face, and Cheri senses a spike of guilt. Then he turns away from it, wordlessly heading to the cave, a grim determination filling his gut as he lets his Pokémon out.

Cheri lets his own Pokémon out too. He hadn’t been expecting a battle today, but most of his Pokémon are pretty strong anyway, so it should be fine. He’s got Sprigs with him, and Sprigs doesn’t fight, so he was left in his ball. But Cheri has a few with him that do fight, some of the ones that he hasn’t spent much time with recently. Hydra, Eelectra, Zigzag, Tiktok, and Sylvie- his hydreigon, eelektross, linoone, galvantula, and sylveon, respectively- all can fight. And in the worst case scenario, he can fight too.

Recognition. Feeling a pulse of emotional energy towards him, he turns to look at Volo’s Lucario, who’s staring at him with confusion and a little bit of fear. Cheri takes a breath, summoning up feelings of forgiveness, knowing the other Pokémon can read them. After a moment, the Lucario nods, pushing another feeling towards him. Friendliness, a gesture of goodwill. That is SO much better than what I got from his trainer. Cheri smiles, letting the feeling rise in his chest and sending it back, then he looks over at Volo.

Volo looks normal on the outside, but Cheri can tell he’s terrified, can feel the feeling seeping off him even without reaching towards him with his abilities.

“Hey,” Cheri says, resting a hand on Volo’s shoulder.

He nearly pulls away when Volo flinches, but then Volo leans slightly into the kind touch, looking up at him with wide eyes.

He’s touching me. Why is he touching me. I..

Why am I.. not all that scared of it..?

“I’ve got your back. You’re gonna be okay,” Cheri mutters. If you’re gonna die, he’s gotta get through me first.

Volo stares at him for a moment, then nods, his smile becoming a bit more genuine, though there’s sadness in his eyes. Oh. This is genuine kindness?

I should have expected it from Arceus’s chosen.

..I really don’t deserve this. You shouldn’t get attached to me. He opens his mouth to speak, but then his watch starts to blare, an alarm that he quickly moves to silence, expression hardening. “He’s coming,” Volo says, pressing a button on his watch. A hologram pops up, indicating a specific location, and Volo turns it off and takes a step away from there, staring at it, getting low to the ground, ready to dodge at a moment’s notice. Okay. I can do this. All I need is to last long enough to break that bracelet. His Pokémon quickly surround him, protective. Cheri motions for his own to do the same, and they quickly get into battle-ready stances.

The group stands in silence, staring at the spot, waiting with bated breath.

And then a portal opens, and Volo’s garchomp snarls, dashing forward.

“Ah- Shark, wait-!”

But it’s too late. Shark is thrown into the nearest wall, a Mewtwo holding him there. He snarls, kicking at the walls, the ground, trying to escape the psychic grasp, but it’s no use. Should I recall him and let him back out? I don’t know if that would work, don’t know if I could move quickly enough-

“Well, hello there,” someone says.

The voice is unfamiliar to Cheri.

But Volo stiffens even further.

Goosebumps rise on his arms.

Cheri can feel the fear seeping off him as he turns to stare into the portal.

The strange man steps forwards, grinning. “That’s not the friendliest welcome.”

“Eclipse,” Volo mutters, shrinking back. Shrinking back.

What the hell did he do, to make Volo react like that? Cheri looks over to Eclipse, taking in the high-tech bracelets on his arms, the look in his eyes.

He’s immediately hit with the man’s aura as he reaches his powers out, a sense of complete malice washing over him, and his eyes narrow as he braces himself against it, subconsciously baring his teeth.

“I can’t let you near Arceus,” Volo says, taking a step forward despite his fear, his Pokémon moving with him.

Eclipse waves his right hand, and a few more legendaries appear.

Volo stops moving forward. The whole cave is at a standstill.

Cheri notices strange yellow wires around the legendaries’ forms, feels psychic energy coming off of them, and then his eyes narrow as he notices a small yellow bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist. It’s barely noticeable, but it matches the wires. That must be the one.

“You know what I want,” Eclipse says. Volo’s Pokémon growl, protectively moving between the two. “All you need to do is come quietly, and all this can end. You know you deserve what’ll happen to you. It’ll save the world, even; it’ll finally redeem you, to prevent the same thing you did from happening again.”

And his grin widens, the malice surrounding im grows stronger.

“Don’t you want that?”

The manipulation leaves a bad taste in Cheri’s mouth, but he looks over at Volo, waiting to see how the interaction plays out.

“..I..” I do deserve it, but I still have my Pokémon to take care of. I don’t want to leave them behind, but if this doesn’t work, if I attack him and it ends up being for nothing, will he hurt them as retaliation for my actions?

..If I just go with, I won’t have to worry. They will be at least a little safer. The land may be different in this time, but it’s still their home region, and I trust they’ll be able to take care of themselves if needed, but..

“Are you going to return the legendaries to where you got them if I do?”

Volo’s pokemon make sounds of protests, but he holds up a hand to keep them quiet.

“Of course. I only needed them for this, after all.”

Okay. Fuck this. Cheri steps forward suddenly. “He isn’t going anywhere with you,” Cheri spits, moving between the two himself.

“And who are you? His new toy?” Eclipse sneers. “He’ll only betray you, you know; he’s betrayed everyone he’s ever gotten close to. He’ll manipulate you and then throw you aside, like he always has.”

Cheri feels the way Volo shrinks back, feels the guilt pooling off the man, and he snarls. Gods. Why does every powerful man I meet have to be SUCH a DICK? “Shut the fuck up. You think I don’t know the risks? I’m one of the guys he betrayed, and you’re still wrong for treating him like this.”

Eclipse raises an eyebrow, a spark of curiosity in his eye. “Oh really?” He tilts his head to the side. “Haven’t you noticed he’s better now? Haven’t you noticed he’s not going to try anything anymore? That change is because of me. Really, the world is better off with him in my hands-”

Cheri rushes forward. He’s reaching for the bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist, aiming to break it, and the other Pokémon in the cave rush forwards with him.

Within seconds, Mewtwo flings a bunch of their Pokémon out of the cave. Zigzag, Hydra, and Volo’s Spiritomb are frozen in a huge block of ice that Cheri narrowly avoids himself. Galarian Moltres flies past him as he dodges another blast of ice. There’s something glowing electric blue over there, but Cherry doesn’t see what it is before another ice blast blocks his vision.

Cheri can’t see Volo, but he knows Volo has Sylvie and his lucario with him, so he focuses on dodging Regiice’s attacks. With an angry scream, fire blasts from his throat, knocking Regiice out cold. One last blast of ice manages to catch his arm, and Cheri yelps as frostbite sets in-

Volo screams, a sound that reeks of agony, a bloodcurdling sound that makes Cheri’s heart drop, and he turns to Eclipse, letting his true form show, ten feet of pure protective rage aiming for Eclipse’s wrist-

Mesprit. Blast of emotion. Panic.

Frenzy.

Magic rushing in his ears. Time blurring together. Screaming, sounds so far away.

Blood flying through the air. An arm, mangled human arm, on the ground, blood pooling, blood in his mouth, between his teeth, on his hands, broken bracelet, mutilated flesh.

He tries to breathe. Everything sounds underwater, the world spinning, spinning, out of his control.

Out of control.

Out of control.

Out of control, he’s out of control-

Ribbon around his arm. A sense of calm pushes the panic away. He’s left on the ground, gasping, catching his breath, residual shakes leaving him exhausted, shifting back to his human form on instinct.

He looks up after a few moments, looking up at Sylvie, who’s staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.

“h.. Hey, buddy,” Cheri murmurs, gently scratching the top of Sylvie’s head. “You okay?”

Sylvie makes a sound, butting his head against Cheri’s chest before pulling away and dashing around the chunk of ice.

Cheri recalls the Pokémon who are still stuck in the ice, then stands on shaky legs, hurrying after Sylvie- Oh no.

Volo’s on the ground.

Cheri can’t tell if he’s conscious or not.

He rushes to Volo’s side, his uninjured hand hovering over the man, trying to figure out what’s wrong-

“Cheri,” a weak voice, and Cheri looks up at Volo’s face.

Contorted with agony. He reaches out with his magic to see where the pain is, burning blasts through his side. He pulls back.

“Is- is he gone?” Volo asks.

“Yeah, I- I think I got him, I think he’s gone,” Cheri mutters, rolling Volo over despite Volo’s cry of pain.

His shirt’s stained black in a large spot on his side. Cherry pulls it up to see a huge burn. It’s.. odd, though, it’s not a normal burn. The area around is stained black, but it isn’t charred, nothing is charred. It almost looks more like a poison than anything.

Cheri can feel the dark-type energy coming off it, sapping his own energy, and he takes a shaking breath through his mouth, trying to will away the feeling as he scoops Volo up. Volo lets out a pained sound at being moved. “Sorry,” Cheri mutters with a grimace, trying to ignore how hard it is to move his hand, how numb his arm is. Once he’s sure Volo is securely in his arms despite that, he gets Volo’s Spiritomb in its ball, then runs out of the cave.

“‘S fine, deserved,” Volo mutters, eyes slipping shut as he leans into Cheri. Cheri takes Volo’s pokeballs and recalls the injured Pokémon he finds scattered around the outside of the cave. “Can.. can you take care of them for me..?”

It’s all Cheri can do to not scream, shakes running through his entire body. “Shut up. Don’t do this shit, you’re not dying on me.” I came here to protect you, and by Arceus, I’m gonna do it.

Volo laughs, an exhausted, mirthless sound, even as a tear slips down his cheek. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’s okay. I deserve this. It’s okay.”

“Shut up!” Shit, I’m being a little harsh. Gods. Fuck. “Sorry, actually, don’t shut up. But stop that. You don’t deserve it.” As he talks, Cheri quickly recalls the rest of their pokemon, then he gets back to running down the mountain, not even bothering going through the caves, he knows where he’s going. He shifts back to his true form so he can jump down cliffs and land it, jumping over tree roots and fallen logs, trying his best not to jostle Volo too much.

Volo’s taking shuddering breaths, silent tears slipping down his cheeks, but he doesn’t complain at all. Self hatred, agony, and a sense of utter hopelessness is coming off of him, all of it is mixed with acceptance.

He genuinely believes he deserves this, Cheri realizes, a sick feeling building in his gut. Fucking hell.

“Why’re you doing this?” Volo murmurs, looking up into Cheri’s eyes. “You can’t seriously want to help me. What’s your motive? ”

“Is it so hard to believe I could genuinely like helping people?” Cheri spits.

He was aware of the way his voice echoes in this form, but Volo flinches at the sound.

And it reminds him that, yes, it is.

He isn’t human, after all. He isn’t even living.

He’s a vengeful spirit.

And sure, he chooses not to indulge that side of himself.

But how is Volo supposed to know that?

“Sorry, sorry,” Volo murmurs, breath hitching slightly as Cheri jumps down a cliff. Blood starts to drip down his side, and Cheri internally curses.

“It’s fine,” Cheri says, setting Volo down and tearing off pieces of his own shirt to start packing the wound and make a quick makeshift bandage. “Talk about something, anything, just.. Just keep talking.”

Volo winces in pain. “..You know the Pokémon that got me? Galarian Moltres?” He looks away, eyes unfocused. “Some say it burns your very spirit away.” He laughs, though the laugh turns into coughs. “I must be very lucky that mine’s still intact, ahaha- Ow!”

“Sorry.” Having tied the makeshift bandage tight, he quickly scoops Volo back up. “What else about galarian Moltres do you know? Any interesting legends? Anything?”

“G-galar was never really my focus,” he mutters, taking a few steadying breaths- they’re shallow, it hurts him to breathe. “I’m just..” He lets out a quiet wheeze, resting his head against Cheri’s shoulder.

There’s exhaustion radiating off him, Cheri realizes, and Cheri gets running again.

“Don’t go to sleep, I don’t know what happens if you do,” he mutters.

“Mmh..” Volo shakes his head. “Trying..”

“Good. Keep talking.” Cheri takes a shaky breath. “What about normal Moltres? Any cool legends?”

“..they’ll dive into volcanoes to heal themselves,” Volo mumbles. “And they.. bring an early spring, to cold places..” His eyes slip closed.

Cheri nods. “You know the Indigo League Flame is said to have been lit with their flames?”

“Oh yeah.. I.. I remember that.. s.. Sorry, I can’t..” Volo goes limp in his arms.

“Hey, Volo, keep talking! Volo!!” Not sensing anything from the guy at all, Cheri grimaces. “SHIT!!!” Cheri moves faster, shifting back as they get to the bottom of the mountain, not wanting to be seen by anyone who doesn’t already know in any form outside of a human one.

shit shit Shit SHIT SHIT!!! Cheri bursts out of the trees, running into Eterna City, dodging around people as he heads to the nearest hospital.

He rushes into the emergency room. “We need a doctor, now!” It comes out louder than he meant it, almost echoing, though for some reason, it’s hard to hear himself anyway.

Everything feels so far away as the emergency room suddenly turns into a rush, a stretcher coming out to take Volo away. People ask what happened, and he explains as best as he can, telling them Volo got hit with a powerful dark-type attack that sapped his energy, leaving out the legendaries and the reason for the blood staining his hands and teeth.

He.. doesn’t entirely know why that’s there. He has a faint idea, but he blocks that out on purpose.

He can process that later, he can process that he probably killed a man another day.

The doctors are concerned about it, though, so he tells them it’s from the one who attacked the two of them, and they accept that answer, bringing him back soon after for his frostbitten arm.

Time seems to stretch to forever as his injury is treated, but when he’s finally left alone, allowed to leave, it feels like no time’s passed at all. He leaves the hospital, heading straight for the Pokémon center to drop off his and Volo’s Pokémon.

Relax. Just breathe, Cheri. Just relax.

Breathe.

He takes deep breaths as he walks, wrapping his arms around himself and closing his eyes, sensing people’s feelings to determine where they are so he can avoid them.

Thankfully, he makes it to the Pokémon center without an issue, setting down the pokeballs on the nurse’s desk.

“Those six are unregistered, he- he made their balls himself,” he explains, trying to ignore the shake in his voice.

The nurse scans the pokeballs. “They look registered to me..”

Sure enough, they are registered, under a Volo Discere.

“Huh.. interesting,” Cheri mutters. Did he always have a last name? I know Volo means to want. What’s Discere..? “Okay, nevermind, then. Um- I’ve gotta go, he’s hurt. Can you take care of them while I’m gone?”

“Of course, but- Wait-!” She looks up in worry as he leaves, but he doesn’t have time to chat, making his way back to the hospital.

I need to see if he’s okay.

He heads to the nearest waiting room. Someone passes by in the hall, he recognizes her as the nurse who treated him.

“Hey!” He rushes over, catching her attention. “Volo, uh, Discere- is he okay?”

“Huh? Are.. you asking about the one you came in with?” She gives a weirdly strained smile. “They’re still fixing him up, but it’s looking like he’ll pull through.”

“Okay.. okay.” Cheri lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

She nods, rushing off, and he finally lets himself relax.

Okay.

Okay, we’re okay.

Not sure what she was freaking out about, but it should be fine..

..they’ll come to me if anything happens with him, right..? I’m probably not on his emergency contacts- he probably doesn’t have those, actually- but I AM the one who brought him here..

WOULD he have emergency contacts?? His Pokémon are registered, so maybe???

Cheri sighs, sitting in one of the chairs, leaning back with his hands clasped together behind his head. He lets his eyes slip closed, taking a few deep breaths.

Whatever the case, if he needs me, if he asks for me, I’ll be here.

After a few moments, the exhaustion of the day catches up to him.

And finally, he slips into sleep, all his day’s plans forgotten.

[imagining-in-the-margins]

Here to Misbehave (Finale | S.R.)

Series Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Finale |

Summary: It’s Halloween, and there are a lot of things on Spencer’s mind.

A/N: Here it is, everyone: the end of the story. Thank you so much to everyone who’s read this far. I greatly appreciate all of you, and I hope you enjoy it!   Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader Category: Fluff/Smut (NSFW, 18+) Content Warning: Penetrative sex, light D/s, mostly fluff! Word Count: 7.5k

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Autumn has widely been considered the season of change. It is an understandable characterization; from the shifting hues of the leaves to the wildly fluctuating temperatures, few things stayed consistent in the fall. Perhaps that’s why someone who loathes change, someone like me, finds the season so thrilling.

It’s like the Earth and the Sun made a pact to make changes more predictable in their own unique, chaotic way. The breeze becomes biting and the days become shorter, but for these downfalls, we are granted a beauty and calmness that can’t be rivaled by any other season.

But she wasn’t a season, and when it came to my attention and appreciation, there were few choices that were easier to make.

“Spencer. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

(Y/n)’s face was half covered by the cup she held tightly with both hands, but I could picture the hidden expression perfectly, regardless.

“What? We don’t have to agree on everything.”

The truce was received poorly, her response a heavy scoff and a shake of her head. I tried to follow along with her suddenly heated words but couldn’t contain the stars in my eyes that often accompanied my daydreams. If she did notice, she stubbornly ignored the adoration to continue, “I understand you’re a genius or whatever, but I think your opinions on cider and cocoa are... wrong. They are wrong.”

It was my turn to feign displeasure (I hoped hers wasn’t real, anyway), clutching tighter to my own drink that I found myself defending on a park bench with dozens of strangers as an audience.

“An opinion can’t be wrong!” I chirped, only hating the way my voice jumped a little bit. After all, it was hard to hate it when it made her giggle. But despite how much sweeter the liquid seemed when I drank it in the presence of her smile, I also knew that she wouldn’t appreciate my immediate agreement. So, I pushed back just a little, “It can be misguided or ignorant but not outright wrong.”

“Unless it’s yours, on this topic,” she shot back without hesitation.

I tried to flash her a pout, hoping that maybe it would work for me like it did for her. It did not. Her eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped open with another laugh, and I decided that I preferred that outcome, anyway. The longer my bottom lip stuck out, the wider her smile got. I waited to stop until her eyes closed and turned away, just long enough for me to let the full force of my affection show before she noticed.

She saw it, anyway, in the form of a similar smile spread over my face when I softly admitted, “Fine. You’re right.”

“Oh, I know.”

Her tongue peeked between her lips, and I found myself thinking less of cider and cocoa and more about how unbelievably lucky I was to find someone that I never felt the need to prove anything to. A person that didn’t care if I held all the answers.

I might’ve continued down that sappy train of thought, but it was hard to do while she had hoisted herself halfway over the table to try and grab hold of my cup right as I went to drink from it. Of course, she had failed to take into account just how big the table was, and just how close I was willing to come to falling before I let her drink from my cup right after she’d criticized my preference of fall flavors.

For a second, I really thought she might climb onto the table to win, but the judgmental looks from the parents in the park must have beaten her desire to win. As forlorn as humanly possible, she fell back into her seat with a loud “Hmph!” which really only managed to elicit an equally immature giggle from me.

“Shut up,” she laughed before shoving my paper plate further into my chest, “And eat your stupid pie.”

All I could think as she grabbed my fork and stabbed the middle of the piece to try to lift the entire thing at once, was that I was right about one thing: Autumn, in all its vitality and beauty, could still never compare to her.

That thought persisted through the pumpkin patch, growing in intensity as she skipped through the vine-laden path like a regular fall fairy. It was much easier to get lost in her there, crouched and inspecting foliage. Her arguments regarding gourds were much less spirited, with her watching me wide-eyed and curious as I explained the stages of pumpkin growth and all the different uses for the fruit.

I still let her make the final choices, opting to analyze her selections and tease her for them later, instead. That was the plan, anyway, to continue the competitiveness lest she gets bored with me before the day was over. When she walked past me holding open the passenger side door, I thought it might’ve already happened.

But then she just placed the pumpkin into my hands so she could open the back door. Before I could even move, she carefully removed it from my arms again and placed it in the seat.

“What are you doing?” I said through a very amused chuckle.

She was decidedly not entertained by my confusion, stopping to turn to me with a bored, frustrated expression. “I’m buckling him in,” she explained slowly, like I might need the help. Then, to add insult to silly injury, she added, “Duh.”

I was too distracted by the details to tackle the absurdity of it all.

“Him? It’s a boy pumpkin?”

“Obviously. Look at him,” she snorted, finally clicking the seatbelt in before tenderly petting the top of the lucky little gourd. Once she was convinced it would be as safe as she could make it, she allowed me to begin to escort her into her proper seat.

“You know it’s safer on the floor, right?” I asked before she’d slipped past me. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her away from the car so I could enjoy the warmth of her before it was replaced with the dry air of the engine.

“How dare you,” she balked with an open mouth that was just begging to be kissed. By the time I got close enough to try, though, her hand fervently shoved my cheek away. I tried to laugh, but she used the same hand to cover the noise, trying and failing to convince me she was being serious.

“Why don’t you just hold him?” I mumbled against her palm.

That was enough for her to abandon my embrace altogether. With a scoff and a roll of her eyes, she pried my arms off of her and finally made her way to my passenger seat. I didn’t fight her too hard, even taking the time to shut her door like my mother always insisted.

The mercy was not returned, with her eyes narrowed into a playful disbelieving glare that I hadn’t seen in some time. My mind was brought back to the first time she ever let me know she was jealous, bickering over blondes and preferences while she sat in the very same place. And, just as before, she was still wearing the same raggedy old sweatshirt of mine.

“If this is any indication of how you’ll be with a human baby, I have dramatically overestimated your competence,” she droned, obviously unaffected by the stars that appeared in my eyes every time I looked at her.

“The one and only time you’ll ever be able to say those words. I hope you enjoyed it,” I joked. A funny enough joke that she couldn’t help but smile through her facade.

“Don’t worry,” she chuckled, “I did.”

The day could have ended there, and it would have been enough. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a single thing that wouldn’t be better with her there. In a way, I think we were trying to prolong the high of ‘hooky,’ finding even the faintest interest in an activity as enough of an excuse for a detour.

… Which was probably how we found ourselves in our third park of the day. After all, I loved any autumnal vision, so how could I decline an opportunity to let them serve as a backdrop for watching her? And that was an accurate description of how I spent the day. It might sound boring, and if it were anyone else, it probably would have been. But no matter how often I saw her, I found myself learning new things about her every single time. Each freckle and scar became a part of the high-definition collection of memories that I would never let myself forget. The most beautiful images that kept me sane in the face of evil and filth.

“Do you see that?”

For a moment, I thought she might have read my mind. But then I realized that her eyes were still fixed forward, stuck on the horizon ahead of us.

“See what?”

“That,” she pointed, “Right there.”

My eyes followed the line, finding nothing but an area of carefully manicured, yellow grass and trees already set to rest for the season. It must have been clear to her that I was lost, because her pointing became more animated and her voice rose as she shouted, “Right there!”

“The giant pile of leaves?”

“Uh-huh.”

Then, in all of my obliviousness, I just sort of stared. Even when her hand grew tighter around mine and her feet started to move faster, I didn’t put two and two together until it was too late.

“What about— No! (Y/n)!” I shouted, cutting off my own train of thought and only barely letting go of her in time to watch her jump straight into the collection of fallen foliage that some poor landscaper had obviously worked hard to gather.

I have to believe that even if that unlucky, underappreciated individual saw what she’d done to their hours of work, that they would forgive her. It was hard to feel anything but joy at the sounds that came from the pile. Yet I approached her cautiously, with both hands in my pockets to avoid the urge to throw myself into danger with her.

“You’re a terror,” I said, settling for a crouched position in front of her. Still able to see her but far enough from her grasp that she had to crawl through a wall of leaves to come nose to nose with me. “This is literally the scariest thing you’ve done all season.”

“Come on in, the water’s fine,” she purred.

As enticing as the offer was, my mind was too preoccupied with statistics of spider and snake bites, not to mention the possibility of ticks still scouring the landscape for any last second hosts. The answer was easy.

“Absolutely not.”

With another exhale of pure displeasure, she threw her body back into the leaves, burying herself into a mess of yellows and reds that somehow only made her look even more beautiful. The chaotic scene matched her energy well, and the harm she was doing was minimal considering I was absolutely going to search every inch of skin for any marks later.

The only thing that was more appealing to me than watching her make an absolute fool out of herself in a pile of leaves was the intense urge to tease her about it. So, taking a regrettable seat on the grass, I sighed, “I think I’m going to have to arrest you for trespassing.”

There was a loud gasp from the center of the pile, followed by a scuffle of flailing limbs among the foliage.

“You don’t own this leaf pile! I do! I am queen of the leaf pile!” she screeched.

“Alright Princess,” I subtly corrected, “whatever you say.”

As promised, I didn’t put up a fight. Even when she finally got a hold of my hands and dragged me into the madness with her. I followed her no matter what nonsense she demanded, just as she had with me so many times. Granted, my desires weren’t nearly as dangerous or strange. They were pretty much just a collection of foreign films and reading that always lulled her to sleep.

But that day there was no sign of her energy waning. The early sun faded and we kept going. I’m not sure how, but she managed to enjoy herself in the D.C. landscape of bars and blaring car horns despite not being able to indulge in anything herself. Although she did half-heartedly attempt to trick me into buying her drinks in several different establishments, I think she was honestly proud that I avoided the drinks altogether. It was a nice reminder that sobriety could be something enjoyed between the two of us, regardless of the environment. However, we didn’t let that stop us from jumping into a crowd of very drunk women who had insisted we join their haunted tour of the city.

“Are you scared?” she whispered into my ear. The feeling of her warm breath against my skin caused a shiver to run down my spine, ruining any credibility I had in my response.

“No. Why would I be scared? It’s just history.”

“Are you sure?” she asked again.

“Yes!” I insisted with the worst possible timing. Because just as soon as the word had left my lips, I felt the distinct sensation of fingers running down my neck and arm opposite to her. I was so convinced that’s what it was that I even spun around with a yelp, crashing into at least three different people just to find a very startled woman with the worst hung scarf I’d ever seen.

(Y/n) had already put two and two together and was lost in an absolute fit of laughter. There were already tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she doubled over, barely able to stand through it all. Because there I was, her 31-year-old FBI agent boyfriend, screaming over a scarf.

“Laugh it up,” I droned. And she did. She kept laughing through any attempts at a response, and after the initial embarrassment wore off, I couldn’t help but join her.

“I hope you know you chose me. You chose this man!” I shouted, gesturing to the people around us who had already forgotten about our shenanigans, “And everyone knows it!”

“I’m sorry I can’t—” she wheezed, pausing to take a necessary breath that was all lost with another bunch of giggles “—You’re a fucking FBI Agent!”

“Well I can’t shoot a ghost, can I?” I mumbled through the hit to my ego. But any suffering was quickly dealt with as she threw dramatic arms around my waist, pulling me close and protecting me from any other errant scarves that might show up.

“I love you so much,” she said.

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” I returned with a quick kiss on her forehead. And even if I implied otherwise, I think she knew that I was having just as good of a time as she was. In fact, it was one of the most relaxing days of my life, which was saying something, considering how much walking was involved.

But no matter how tired we both were, I still had one last place to take her. It took her a while to figure out why the route felt so familiar, but I wasn’t ready to ruin the surprise. I wanted to watch the realization dawn on her. She didn’t disappoint.

“The Mayflower?” she asked with a bit of a bashful laugh before looking up at me through narrowed eyes, “Feeling nostalgic, Dr. Reid?”

“Yeah, a little bit. Thought it was more romantic than the club,” I offered, trying to shrug off the nervous butterflies that burst through my stomach. “Not by much, mind you.”

Although I got the feeling that she didn’t know, or perhaps just didn’t remember, that wonderful night from almost a year ago was one of the most important days of my life. I knew it then, too. From the second I set my eyes on her from my pitiful place against the bar, I knew that she would ruin me.

“Nothing screams high end romance like an alley and a little light law breaking,” she sighed. I almost missed it, too preoccupied with the way her arm tugged me tighter so she could rest her head against my shoulder.

“I can take you home if you’d rather.”

“Hmmm. Depends,” she hummed. Then, turning her head up to me with that playful look that always turned me to putty in her hands, she purred, “How much longer do you think you can wait before you just have to have me?”

I sucked in a sharp, sarcastic breath, eyeing her just long enough for her to start to fume, I let out all the air with a defeated sigh, “I guess we’re staying.”

That serene sort of teasing continued past the reception desk and all the way up the elevator. If there were other people there, we didn’t bother noticing. We were too busy watching one another to even look away long enough to find our room. Doubling back through the dizzying hallways until we found the elusive number, we finally settled into the only vaguely familiar layout of beige and tan.

She was much quicker at it than I was. Before I’d even finished washing my hands and checking exposed skin for bugs that I was convinced had hitched a ride from the leaf pile, she was already stretched out on the bed in nothing but a tiny piece of lacy cotton and her favorite sweatshirt. The sight made me stop, lost for breath and logic of how I was lucky enough to be there with her again.

“See something you like, Dr. Reid?” she teased through giggles, no doubt recalling the same memory as me.

My answer didn’t need to be said, but I said it, anyway. She deserved to hear it.

“Yes.”

With arms outstretched, she sleepily begged, “Come here.”

But I couldn’t.

“Not yet… I just… I want to look at you like this a little bit longer.”

How could I move on from this moment, when it was the best I’d ever felt? So overwhelmingly safe and at home despite being in a strange, sterile room. I had no desire to move any inch of me if it meant that this image would persist for the rest of my days.

“You getting all romantic on me?”

“Always,” I chuckled. Her usual disgust for my sappy behavior didn’t show itself, overpowered by the gentle curve of her lips and hands that were becoming more and more insistent to be held. Eventually, I had to move, knowing that it was the only way to hold her.

My body reacted the way it always did when it found her. All of the tension dropped from tired shoulders, desperate to touch her more. To feel the imprint of her body pressed against mine, a mess of heat and need and love.

She was the one to kiss me first, and for a moment I let her do it without reciprocation. I wanted to feel how her touch became softer and shier as she realized what I was doing. That I was spending all of my energy memorizing the way her lips parted as she tried to hold back a giggle against my almost-still lips.

“What’s happening in that big genius brain of yours?” she murmured with eyes half open but still containing universes.

“I’m just thinking of all the things you’ve done to make me fall in love with you.”

I thanked all of the gods in every pantheon that made her too tired to tease. Instead, she just laughed, playing her part in bringing us back to that night we met.

“Like quote Picard?”

“We still haven’t watched Star Trek together,” I whined.

The sound must have stirred something new in her, because she rolled us over to take her seat on my lap. She hung over me, looking down at me, hopeless and breathless at the feel of her thighs under my hands. My heart started to race, but I didn’t know why.

It wasn’t until she spoke the words that were already running through my mind, “We’ve got time. Picard can wait.”

Everything about it was effortless. Our bodies had fallen together and mouths found each other exactly like every romance novel has ever tried to tackle the metaphor of gravity.

But if we were an orbit, it was not a binary like the traditional notion of two equal souls. Despite the nickname I’d chosen for her, nothing about her soul was small. And even though she burned bright, she wasn’t anything like the fiery combustion of a star.

She was a home. A thing so full of vitality and life that I would love to watch for whatever time I had left. I was just a moon, loyally following her and trying my best to shield her from whatever might try to harm her. To protect her when she needed rest and to lead the tides to kiss her when she wished. I would be her shadow, shining a light onto her even in the darkest time. All that I asked for in return was a spot beside her.

‘One day,’ she had said before, ‘if you will have me.’

But it was never a question. Not for me. And if she really needed me to answer it for her, I was happy to give her that. I hadn’t been waiting for even a year, but it felt like a lifetime.

“Yeah, he can,” I repeated, quiet and with such a heavy waver that I’m surprised she could understand the shifting inflections. Even if she didn’t, she knew that something had changed in those few seconds of silence.

“What’s up, Spencer?”

I didn’t know how to answer. How to explain what I was feeling. But I grabbed hold of one hand, clinging desperately to her and guiding her to the heart that felt dangerously light. The rapid pace of its beating still not enough to alert her of the true cacophony of my thoughts.

“Are you okay?”

The answer was yes. Because no matter how loud and chaotic the sounds inside my head were, they all lead me to the same conclusion.

“Picard can wait, and we have a lot of time,” I tried to explain through a dry throat that was only growing tighter with the unwieldy weight of the feeling.

“Yes…” she mumbled back, just as trepidatious and nervous as I was.  

Just like I was. Because we were. We were connected by some force, whatever you want to call it. Whether it was a chemical or psychological or heavenly connection, I didn’t care. I wanted her to know how I felt. To know that there was nothing that would ever tear me away from her.

“But I don’t… I don’t think I want to wait.”

After a couple more seconds of silence, she answered with a knowing stare, “… What?”

From my position underneath her, I was able to reach over just enough to grab my jacket. Of course, it helped that she moved with me, clearly curious and terrified of the possibilities. But a good kind of terror… I hoped.

My confidence grew as her legs gripped tighter around my hips and her hands shot up to cover her chest with balled fists pressed against one another. I heard the friction of her skin as her body started to shake in a different way, with an adrenaline that I hadn’t seen from her in even the most dangerous situations.

But when I pulled a small velvet box from the internal pocket, everything stopped. She became completely still. Her eyes were wide and frozen on the object in my hands, only to look away when she heard my voice.

“(Y/n).”

“Where did you get that?” she asked like she hadn’t just seen me pull it from my jacket. The same jacket that I wore every time that I was with her. The wool fabric that she’d swaddled herself in on a number of occasions, none the wiser of how much heavier it was for me when I wore it.

“I know this is really random, a-and to be fair, I wasn’t expecting it, either,” I said through the most awkward laughs I’d ever produced (which was saying something), “I mean, I knew I wanted to marry you, I’ve known that for quite some time, hence the ring.”

I paused, but got nothing in response. Nothing except her lips quivering from their parted position, and her nose twitching as she tried to settle on just one expression. But it didn’t matter how she contorted her face; they were all exactly as they should be. Because they were all her.

“But today, with you… I-I’ve never been that happy in my life. Jumping in leaves and fighting over fall flavors and I—“

Her eyes stopped bouncing, settling with my gaze and robbing my lungs of all air. She made up her mind, deciding to leave everything exactly as it was. The honest truth of the overwhelming storm of every emotion that had been experienced in the little time we had shared together.

The knowing that everything had happened exactly as it should have to bring us here.

“I love you so much,” I whispered, careful to make every word as genuine as they were, “And I know that we have all the time in the world left with one another… but I don’t want to wait any longer for you to be my wife.”

“Ask me,” she answered immediately and abruptly.  


“Okay,” I laughed, endlessly entertained by how she could sound so aggressive even when we were both at our most vulnerable, caught in the nexus of our love.

“Um… Will you… marry me?”

There was no hesitation. No worry, no fear, and no doubt.

“Yes, you stupid old man!” she outright screamed, throwing arms around me even when it meant we both slammed against pillows and the headboard. She didn’t stop squealing even when she kissed me, struggling to find more of me to hold onto.

After she decided that tugging on my hair was the best way to express her affection, I managed to break away just long enough to shout, “Wait! I have to put the ring on you!”

“Then put it on!” she yelled, thrusting her hand in front of my face and practically slapping me in the process. But none of the pain mattered. Nothing was even recognizable outside of the feeling of her sweaty, shaking palm resting against my fingers.

I noticed for the first time that I was also trembling. I took the time to focus, slipping the ring over her finger. But once it started to safely slide into place, my eyes returned to watch what I knew to be happy tears fall over her cheeks. I wiped them away, but they were replaced with the wetness from my face when she brought us together again with a long, gentle kiss.

A calmness came over the room like the feeling following a storm. A clean slate with soil enriched for growth. A hope for a future forever changed.

“What do we do now?” she asked, biting her bottom lip and holding tight to my hands.

The answer seemed clear enough.

“Whatever we want.”

 —————————————————

 Is this really happening?

I stared at the diamond shining back at me with a clarity that had to be a metaphor for my heart. In the vague reflection of yellow light and us, I felt a warmth that doesn’t normally accompany metal. My finger’s new companion felt so comfortable in its new resting place. A constant reminder of the man I called home.

Then I turned back to him, unsure how I was supposed to move on from this moment. I never wanted to leave, but I also needed to move. I compromised and settled with my face against his chest, listening to the heartbeat he’d just dedicated to me. In that peaceful quiet, I heard him speak so softly I wasn’t sure I was meant to hear it.

But I did.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said with fingers dancing through the ends of my hair, “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

And for once, the thought didn’t feel like a burden. In fact, it felt like freedom. I was finally free to be who I was without worry that I would be alone. Without worrying that I would be too much or too little to please him.

I was enough.

Enough.

“I love you,” I said, tasting salt from tears I hadn’t even noticed were falling.

Curiously, and in a rare role switch, Spencer was the one who took a blatantly affectionate display and turned it into something else. Pulling me away from his chest, he dragged me up until he could drag his lips over my jaw.

“Don’t cry, little girl,” he cooed with what I could only imagine was a wicked grin, “I haven’t given you a reason to yet.”

Something about that gruff rumble in his throat caused my skin to ripple with goosebumps. Every inch of me burned with flames that could only be put out by his touch. I chased after his lips with my own, but he was insistent on trailing down my throat. He knew I would be powerless to him. I wouldn’t be able to argue when my hands were knotted in his hair and my hips were already rocking helplessly against his erection.

“I want you to fuck me,” I seethed. My blood was boiling from the heat I felt within, and before he could even answer I was already working at the buttons on his shirt.

“Oh? You don’t want me to make love to you?” Spencer laughed. As if that had ever been our style.

“No, I want you to take what’s yours.”

He responded to the demand by pushing me from my seat, forcing me onto my back on the other end of the bed. I wasn’t going to complain, either. The new position allowed me access to his belt, which I unbuckled before he even had time to laugh.  

“Are you really challenging me right now, little girl?”

But despite the taunt, he did nothing to stop me. His hands were also busy removing my clothes. And just like before, our nakedness was reciprocated. With each lost layer, I should have felt lighter, but I didn’t. I felt so powerful, so aware of how our bare bodies twined together.

“Here, of all places? Do you remember what I did to you that night?”

How could I ever forget?

“I’m not the same girl you had in your bed then,” I purred. We both knew it was true, although not in the way I was implying.

Because Spencer had changed me. Irrevocably. He taught me so much — not just about physics, literature, or criminology, either. He taught me about kindness, softness, and vulnerability. He taught me how to trust that someone could hold me without the intention of letting me go. More than anything, he taught me that I didn’t have to learn these things alone. Even the smartest man I’d ever met needed help with them sometimes.

Then again, something told me that Spencer wasn’t in a very humble mood. Perhaps it was the fact he’d pinned me down again, with his hands clumsily gripping hard enough to leave crescent moons in my forearms.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he growled with a small, chaste kiss, “You’re still just a fucking brat.”

I wasn’t feeling bratty then, though. Especially not as I felt the head of his cock pressed against me, just hard enough to feel the resistance of my body. He waited there, no doubt taking pleasure in the way my whole body squirmed underneath him. My hips bucked, but he managed to keep a cruelly steady distance.

“You’re so precious when you’re needy,” he mumbled. And although I stubbornly avoided looking him in the eyes out of protest, he forced my face towards him again, anyway. “Go on. Say please.”

“Fuck off,” I whined through a prominent pout that did me no favors.

“Say it.”

“Please!”

I managed to make eye contact, but it was fleeting. As soon as he thrust forward into me, my back arched and I lost myself in the pillows. My hands found him, though, leaving angry red welts over heated skin. If Spencer was at all affected by the pain, he made no showing of it. His pace continued, steadily forcing our bodies together until I trembled in his hands.

He would hold me there, at my limit but not pleading for him to do anything different. With tender hands, he would fuck me until I swore bruises would follow. But I never felt unsafe; I felt cared for and cherished in a way I’d never known. I trusted him to know my limits better than myself.

I trusted him with all of me because I had already seen that when given the chance, he would do whatever he could to protect me.

The love I felt must have shone through my eyes because his hips got slower, drawing out each movement. My hips rose in tandem with his, allowing me to feel every inch of him inside of me.

“This body belongs to me now and forever,” he whispered.

It always has.

“You belong to me.”

And I felt it. The undeniable string of fate that tied us to each other. I could feel his every emotion as his fingers brushed over my throat. I melted under his touch, completely consumed by the love he felt for me. The kind of love that people spent their whole lives searching for only to come up empty. That powerful thing that drove gods to war and men to madness.

The only feeling that could tear down every wall that had been carefully crafted to protect myself. Because I didn’t need them anymore. Spencer’s arms would take their place, holding me through the storms that might follow the same way he had carried me through the ones that led us here.

“Yes,” I breathed, “I’m yours.”

For forever and whatever comes after.

The words were truer than they’d ever been before, and Spencer took it as permission to let go of any remaining hesitation. The slow, gentle thrusts became faster and our moans echoed in the small room without a second thought to the poor patrons in the rooms surrounding us. Because if they felt what we did, they would understand. Spencer still tried to hush the sounds, crashing his lips over mine in a sloppy, frenzied kiss.

I was suddenly reminded of every romantic story I’d ever heard. They all spoke of feeling so close to someone that they felt like an extension of yourself. I wasn’t sure if it was completely true, but there was no denying how at home our bodies were. The way our tongues wrapped around one another and how our noses bumped so gently in the chaos was unmatched by any meeting driven by lust or need.

His hips met mine over and over again, no matter how hard I tried to keep him closer. Even when my hips chased his to be held longer, Spencer was persistent in the ruthless pace. Because like me, he was lost in the euphoria. I knew it from the sound of his whimpers and the way he bit my lip just a little bit harder.

“Tell me what you want, little girl,” he begged. Not ordered. Begged.

“You,” I answered without any doubt, “I just want you.”

His response came even faster, even more desperate and scratchy as it came through his lips into mine.

“You have me. For the rest of my life and whatever comes after, I will take care of you.”

There was nothing left to say. I could feel the truth and force behind the words as he fucked me harder, eliciting one more quiet cry from me in the sound of his name.

“Spencer...”

When he returned the call, though, it wasn’t with any name I’d heard from him before.

“So you better get used to this feeling,” he said through a smile that I felt on my lips before he drew back. He looked me in the eye as he buried himself in me, tensing to hold himself back just a few seconds longer. To see the look on my face and let that be the feeling of us giving in to each other for the first time in our new story.

“Because I’m never going to grow tired of this, Mrs. Reid.”

Mrs. Reid.

That was going to be my name.

Mrs. Reid.

That was the only thought running through my mind as I felt the coil in my gut snap and all of my muscles tense around him. There were no whorish sounds left in my lungs, only little whimpers and whines as I tried to claw him closer. Spencer gave up his visual in exchange for kissing me while he finished. My walls held him so tightly that I felt each pulse and every place where his release filled me. But nothing was more compelling than feeling the way his lip quivered between mine as his body fell onto mine with no grace required.

Spencer could act hard all he wanted, but I felt the way he craved softness. Safety. Love. All things I was happy to give… for a price.

“Say it again.”

“Say what again?” he replied sleepily but animated enough to have a healthy dose of snark. Snark that earned him a rough nudge of my elbow into his ribs.

“You know!”

But naturally, the genius had to play dumb. With a happy little hum, he snuggled closer to me, burying his face into my neck so he could mumble against the skin, “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Please,” I sighed, “for me?”

He seemed to contemplate the plea for a little while longer, with wiggling toes I felt against my shins and a happy sigh that breezed over my neck. I tried to take in those small things while I waited, knowing that while I had a lifetime to learn them, this moment would never come again.

“Fine,” he finally settled, propping himself up to give another soft kiss followed by the most beautiful sound in the world.

“Only for you, Mrs. Reid.”

 ——  The Next Morning ——

 Waking up next to Spencer with a ring on my finger was literally waking up to find my dream come to life. And sure, his light snoring and constant wriggling under the sheets he continued to pull off of me weren’t perfect or picturesque, but they were real. The same way that he chirped when he felt my legs wrap around him in his sleep and only woke when he heard me giggling.

His eyes fluttered open, taken aback by something that he saw. Although I would blame it on the sunlight filtering through the curtains, I was sure that he would give me all the credit.

“Good morning,” he slurred.  

“Hi,” I answered with a smile and an attempt to pull him closer. But my hand was stopped by his, squeezing my palm between his fingers before dragging my knuckles to his lips. From there, he laid a gentle kiss over the diamond he’d placed there the night before. Although it was strange to be outshone by a rock, I let it go for now.

“I know you shouldn’t sleep with it on, but it’s so nice to see it’s still there,” he said with a heavy breath before lowering our still joined hands to rest against his heart. I could feel the way it beat a little bit quicker as I came closer, and I wondered if this was really what it would be like forever.

“I couldn’t resist wearing it.”

“You know you can still change your mind, right? We haven’t told anyone.”

“I haven’t changed my mind,” I replied unlike every time before. There was no teasing, no joke or anger or sadness. Just a pure, unadulterated joy.

… Of course, the question did bring up an entirely new anxiety. It did feel a bit silly, but it needs to be expressed.

“Have you?”

“God, no,” he laughed. Like he’d only asked the question to see the way I might panic. But as soon as I heard his assurance, I knew it was the truth.

My mind started to drift back to that first morning we spent together. It felt like a lifetime ago, but everything still felt so very much the same. I wondered if there were things I would change if given the chance. It wasn’t until after I ran through the laundry list of things that we would have been better off without that I realized I’d asked the wrong question.

It wasn’t a matter of what I would have changed, but what I would have kept the same. And the answer was simple. No matter what I would face in my life, I just wanted it to be with him. Everything would be okay as long as I had him.

However, when I tried to kiss him, Spencer still seemed hung up on the things he would have changed. Our lips didn’t connect for even ten seconds before he broke apart, happily laughing through the words, “This is so much better when I’m not hungover.”

“Old man.”

He didn’t argue back, wiggling under the sheets until our chests were pressed together. I took it as a very poor attempt at a power play, because instead of craning my neck to look up at him from my spot, I simply climbed his lanky figure until our noses were pressed together.

“Your old man now,” he corrected, followed by my own clarification of, “You were always mine, Dr. Reid.”

“But now you get to show everyone.” He grinned, letting go of my hand to roam over the curves of my body. His daily attempts to memorize each version of me he held. After a few more moments of silent reverence, I asked the question we’d have to face eventually, lest we face even more awkward, embarrassing moments with the team.

“Who’s gonna tell everyone?”

He barely even considered the options before he shrugged.

“Let’s just… wing it.”

I paused, certain that I’d heard it wrong. “You, Spencer Reid, would like to ‘wing it?’” I repeated, barely able to get the words out without laughing from the absurdity of it all.

But he was quick to assure me, “Yeah, I do.”

“Alright. Whatever you say,” I sighed. I figured that it wouldn’t be worth it to plan right now, anyway. It wasn’t exactly our style. If anything, we would find the perfect time completely by accident.

“You know what we should do first though?” I excitedly announced to the best audience a girl could ever ask for.

“What?”

“Coffee,” I drawled. To which he quickly answered, “I love you an ungodly amount.”

Taking full advantage of that admission, I shoved the poor soul who’d shackled himself to me forever away as I ordered, “Go turn it on. I am craving shitty hotel coffee in bed with my fiancé.”

“Fine,” he resigned with a smile while rolling out of the bed, “Spoiled brat.”

“Your spoiled brat!” I shouted back from safe under the covers that I could finally get back in his absence. They weren’t as good as him, but they would be enough for now. I buried my face into his pillow, snickering as I heard a very tired Spencer call from the bathroom, “Forever mine!”

Just as the sounds of running water filled the room, I lifted my head at the distant sound of familiar chiming beside me.

“Is that my phone?”

I didn’t answer, paralyzed in my place as I felt the most intense sensation of deja vu I’d ever experienced. Right there on the nightstand, I saw the name Hotchner.

Spencer was quicker this time to leave the bathroom, but just as he turned the corner, a thought must have stopped him. Because he paused, staring at me with hotel sheets gathered around me and his phone against my ear.  

He didn’t try to fight me for the device. In fact, he didn’t move at all, watching from a few feet away with a smile I’d never seen before. The kind that I felt so deep inside of me that I realized this was what they meant to share a soul with someone.

 “Hello,” I spoke softly and filled with love, “this is Mrs. Reid.”

 The End.

—————————————————

Epilogue

[moscnios]

                           NOVEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH ━ﾞ

⁺◟   PROMPT . . .           “why did you run away?”

⁺◟   CHARACTERS . . .           edward newgate           trans male son!reader ( ftm )           mentions of the whitebeard pirates

⁺◟   GENRE . . .           angst           fluff           comfort           platonic           oneshot

⁺◟   SYNOPSIS . . .           the whitebeard pirates dock on an island           all too familiar to ( y/n ), that makes his           blood run cold just at the sight. things get           worse when an old name he never wished           to hear again reaches his ears.

⁺◟   CONTENT WARNINGS . . .           mentions of transphobia ‘ intentional           deadnaming ‘ alluding to child abuse

⁺◟   WORD COUNT . . .           1.5k.

⁺◟   COMMENTARY . . .           i do know that november is long           gone but i wanted to at least finish           the event. i think this is among my           favorite things i’ve ever written.

          ( d/n ) = dead name

A distant hoot of an owl accompanied the gentle chirping of the crickets that scurried across the hard ground, through the high grasses and domestic flowers. 

What seemed like a hundred fireflies, shined dimly over a small pond somewhere deep in this huge forest, on this barely explored island. Though barely explored, a small port town had formed on its edge, leaving the the rest unexplored territory for the many creatures big and small.

Who knew what was in these woods, lurking in the shadows, crawling around all over, sniffling on the eroded pond bank-

A young boy sat on the eroded shoreline of the small pond, his eyes focused on the shallow waters before him, as he brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He watched the fireflies move from the reflective water, as he seemed deep in thought.

His eyes both red and puffy from crying. At some point, he had no tears left to cry and could only let out dry sniffles, as he tore himself apart from the inside. The young boy’s clothes were a bit tattered, the fabric catching on nearby trees as he ran as fast as he could through the forest just hours ago, ignoring his brother’s cries and calls for him to stop. But his legs did not stop, he continued. With each step, he felt himself fall further into a deeper despair, one that he knew his brothers would never understood...one he knew Pops wouldn’t understand.

( y/n ) reached for a blue necklace that mimicked a blue cross with a crescent curve jutting out from the bottom around his neck, fiddling with it between the tips of his fingers as he remembered when he joined the Whitebeard Pirates.

A petty thief.

That’s what he was.

A thief who stole from the rich and gave to the poor...sometimes, when he wasn’t on the brink of death, as he traveled the New World alone, as a runaway. All he had were the clothes on his back, a bow, a few arrows, and the name he clung onto for dear life. It was not enough to keep him going for much longer.

By chance, ( y/n ) had gotten wrapped up in a group of pirates he had no business with. When he had prepared for death, a man as tall a building back from where he came from how towered over his captors, a weapon at his side and a rather annoyed expression on his face.

He remembered the fear in his eyes, the trembling in his body as he recognized the man.

Whitebeard.

His captors were long gone, leaving him all alone. As the giant man was about to ask if he were okay, the young boy took his bow and two arrows, aiming them at the giant. His trembling, sweaty hands made his bow shake in his hands, showing just truly how terrified he was.

He could even remember his stuttering voice.

“Don’t...don’t pity me. I’ll...I’ll put these right between in your eyes, old man!”

 Whitebeard could only give a hearty laugh, making ( y/n ) lower his bow and look down at the boy. He could see a bit of himself in ( y/n ), being able to almost read him.

“Where’s your home....son?”

Son...

No one had ever called him that before.

Hearing a complete stranger say it...it felt almost freeing. He felt a joy he never felt before! He felt like had finally escaped! He felt validated!

He was valid. 

 He hadn’t even noticed Whitebeard continuing.

“You don’t have a home, do you?”

His answer was met with a shake from ( y/n )’s head. Without a second to spare, the giant reached out his hand, “Join my crew...become my son.”

And he took it. He kept to himself at first, fearful of his new brothers and the people they were. He had seen many of pirates just like them, who had only hurt innocent people. Though his feelings quickly changed after getting to know them.

They were a true family.

Then why did he run? Why did he ignore their pleas?

It was this island...his homeland in which he had run away from years ago with nothing. When the island had come into view out from the deck of the Moby Dick, he froze as the color drained from his face. That was when Whitebeard first noticed his son’s strange behavior.

As the ship had come to a stop, decking in the port, ( y/n ) kept his head low, hiding behind Marco like a child as he stayed quietly mostly. When the usual teasing of his brothers began, instead of laughing like he usually did he was tense, biting his quivering bottom lip, brushing them off, becoming distant. Until Ace being his usual playful self had told his brother to lighten up and gave him a soft punch on the shoulder and ( y/n ) snapped.

“I CAN’T LIGHTEN UP! I’M BACK HERE AGAIN!”

Regret set in, as he covered his mouth. He didn’t mean to yell at Ace, he didn’t know, and he wouldn’t understand. When he reached out to his brother to apologize, a voice sounded from behind him, a familiar voice that was the cause of his deepest fears and darkest nightmares.

“( d/n )? Is that...is that really you?”

He had become even more tense. His dead name.

( y/n ) saw the confused faces of his brothers and his father, as they looked at the owner of the voice that stood only feet away from them.

“Oi! I think you got the wrong person. There’s no ( d/n ) here.” One of his brothers questioned.

The panic that had already settled in his chest began to rise, knowing what was going to happen next. The fear of his brothers and his father knowing the truth about who he was...who he used to be. Would they respect him? Would they treat him differently if they knew?

Would they call him a―

He ran, ran deep into the forest and now he was here at the pond. 

He could hear the crumbling of leaves from behind him, making him reach for his bow, as he peeked over his shoulder. A familiar giant came into view, making him drop the bow and look back to the pond, seeing himself in the reflection of the water.

“There you are,” Whitebeard spoke, “Why did you run away?”

His son stayed silent, making him sigh. The giant man sat down. He placed Murakumogiri next to him, as he looked at the fireflies floating above the pond, “You have a knowledge of this island. Is this where you were born?”

( y/n ) hummed as a response.

“That person who had came up to us, do you know―”

“STOP!”

He dug into the fabric of his pants, tears beginning to form again, “Please just stop, Pops.”

“I won’t understand unless you tell me. I can’t know what’s wrong unless you open up to me.”

A brief silence sounded between the father and son until ( y/n ) spoke, “Did...did that person tell you all anything?”

“They seemed just as confused as we all were. After you ran off, they distanced themselves from the boys who were giving them glares. They didn’t say anything after saying that name.”

“Pops...?”

“Hmm?”

“I...I wasn’t...born like this.”

“Like what?” He questioned, he already knew what ( y/n ) had meant. He had known for a long time, however it was never his business and kept it to himself.

Tears began to flood down his cheeks, “That name...is my old name. They were looking for me because I ran away from home to be my true self. To be...a man. I was born female, but I...I never felt that I was female but they told me that was possible. They told me I was wrong, I was just dumb, I was just not in my right mind, I was just sick! I’m not sick! I’m not...crazy!”

The young wrapped his arms around himself, “Do you think different of me now?”

A smile tugged at the corners of Whitebeard’s mouth, as he climbed back to his feet, grabbing Murakumogiri. He extended his hand to the boy whose back had faced him.

“You’re still my son, ( y/n ).”

( y/n ) snapped his head over his shoulder, “Pops...”

“It doesn’t matter who or what you were in your past. It only matters who you in this moment. And in the past, you may have been someone’s daughter. But in this moment, you are my son. There is nothing that will stop you from being my son, ( y/n ).”

The father petted the top of his crying son’s head.

“Thank you, Pops. I’m...s-sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. We’ll keep this between you and I, unless you want to tell the boys.”

He shook his head, “Not now...I’m...I’m not ready.”

“And that’s okay. Whenever you’re ready, they’ll be ready to listen. We’re a family, ( y/n ).”

⁺◟   BACK TO NAVIGATION . . .

[jinkicake]

I’m Still Here

Bokuto, Semi, Tendou, Ushijima reacting to their s/o’s semi colon tattoo.

Bokuto Koutarou x Reader

Semi Eita x Reader

Tendou Satori x Reader

Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader

For Anon,, I hope my words could bring you some comfort. I’m really self-conscious about this particular drabble because I don’t think I did it enough justice. I’m not really good at writing feelings since I’m not that in touch with my own. For what it is worth, even if my words don’t mean much, I am really proud of you. You’re so much stronger than you think you are and I am so happy that you’re here with us.

If you guys ever need someone to talk to, you can always message me. Don’t be afraid or embarassed to speak up because you matter. 

TW : Mentions of suicide, depressive thoughts

WC- 2,002

~~~

Bokuto Koutarou

Bokuto swore he knew everything about you, he prided in himself and all his friends that he knows all the crazy nights you’ve had or bad mornings you experienced

It came as a shock when you told him about your past

Not in a disappointed or uncomfortable way but more like Bokuto was upset he wasn’t there for you sooner

When he saw the semicolon tattoo, he was really curious about it

He never knew you had a tattoo and immediately wanted to know about it, why got it, did it hurt when you got it, stuff like that

If you become uneasy under his very strong personality, Bokuto would notice and soften up a little bit

He’d reassure you that you don’t have to tell him unless you're comfortable and would wait patiently till you feel at ease to tell him

I think once you finally tell Bokuto what it stands for and what it means, he would be distraught

It would break his heart knowing that you suffered so much and were in so much pain

Bokuto would probably make some cheesy promises, ones that he would NEVER break, about protecting you for his entire life and beyond that. Protecting you in the sense that he refuses to let anything bad happen to you, and he will always check up on you to see how you are doing

“Babe I never asked you about your tattoo,” Bokuto stares as he holds your wrist up to his face, he looks at the small semicolon with curious eyes. “did it hurt when you got it?” You watch as he runs his thumb over the ink, tracing it with his digit.

“Not really, why? You want to get a tattoo, Kou?” You ask playfully and Bokuto nods his head.

“Hell yeah, your name right here.” He points to his chest, right over his heart and you have to refrain from rolling your eyes at the sweetness, a warm smile takes up your face.

“Why did you get this one?” He asks and you think for a moment how to explain it to him.

“You know how writers use a semicolon when they could have instead chosen to end a sentence?” You explain and Bokuto slowly nods, though you remember how he failed his grammar test last week. “Well it’s like the sentence is my life and I’m the writer, I wasn’t always in the best place.” 

You try to hide your face from him but your heart soars when Bokuto presses his lips to the tattoo.

“Thank you for telling me (Y/N), I love you. You know that right?” He confirms and you nod, not even noticing the way your hand is shaking. Bokuto simply brings you into a hug and you let out the air you didn’t know you were holding in, it’s like a weight was lifted off of your shoulders.

Semi Eita

Semi may seem like a very serious or emotionless person but when it comes to you he is so soft

He treasures you a lot and is very protective of you, seriously he worships you and the love you give him

Semi seems like the type of person who would recognize the semicolon and the meaning behind it

He wouldn’t want to assume anything though so he kept quiet about it until you decided you were ready to open up to him

In his mind he is very worried, he wouldn’t try in any way to tip toe around you but he may come off that way

Until you point out why he is acting so weird, then he would just straight out tell you that he saw your tattoo

Semi would watch your reaction and listen when you explain what it meant specifically for you,

He would wrap you in a hug, in his long arms, just so you feel safe explaining such a difficult time in your life. He’d whisper praises and tell you how strong you are, even if you don’t believe him at first

Semi would not let you go, he’d just hold you close to him for a while. He might not be the best with his words but he hopes his touch may convey everything he is feeling

He’d be very supportive of you and tell you that you can lean on him any time you need, you are so important to him. Semi wants to be there for you day in and day out

When Semi first noticed your tattoo, his eyes bulged out of his head. He wanted to talk about it so badly with you, just to make sure you are doing okay and to check on you. However, he couldn’t bring himself to do so because he wanted you to be comfortable and to be the one ready to discuss it.

You picked up on Semi’s change in behavior a day after it happened, it wasn’t anything too odd but it seemed like he was walking on eggshells around you. Deep down it made you worry but you tried not to run your head with thoughts about it and instead ask him.

“Eita?” You call timidly, wrapping yourself in a blanket to feel more secure. Semi looks up from his laptop where he sits at your table and motions for you come sit in his lap. You slowly walk up to him, trying to hide your eagerness at being so close to him, and situate yourself between his legs. “Is everything okay?”

Semi hums and you notice the way he is staring at your ankle where your tattoo is.

“Oh, did you notice my tattoo?” You ask him and Semi tenses.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything but I wanted to know about it, you can always tell me when something is wrong-“ He fumbles with his words, and you gently kiss him to shut him up.

“Why would I be uncomfortable? It’s okay Eita, it was a long time ago. I’m guessing you know what it means.” You try to hide your laughter at the way he reacted, he is too precious for your heart to handle.

“I do, I kept wanting to ask you about it but I didn’t want to force it out of you.” He explains and you snuggle up in his arms, relaxing in his hold.

“Eita, you’re so cute.”

Tendou Satori

Tendou treats you like royalty, he has been in love with you since the moment he laid eyes on you

Please we know this sweet little taurus, he is captivated by your entire existence

I think Tendou would be another person who recognizes the semicolon meaning

Unlike Semi, I think he would ask you about it right away. He wouldn’t be able to keep himself from asking

“Your tattoo is a semicolon” He’d point out and you would slowly nod at him like ‘yes, good observation Tendou’

Then he would ask if you got it because were once suicidal, he would be very delicate with his words but still, bluntly ask you

If you don’t wish to talk about it at that time, he would back off but would let you know that you can always talk to him. He would never judge you

When you finally do tell him that you got the tattoo for the reason he previously thought, he’d become uncharacteristically quiet

His silence is comforting though and supportive in its own way, he’s just processing everything you are telling him

Tendou would probably want to know everything, as long as you are comfortable with it. Mainly because it would be good to get it off your chest and because it would help him understand you more, so he can learn even more about you

“Angel?” Tendou calls as he walks through your apartment, you’re lounging on the couch while you continue to scroll aimlessly through netflix. Your hair is up and out of your face, making the small tattoo you have behind your ear noticeable to Tendou. He never noticed before. You watch your boyfriend with an odd expression as he crawls on top of you, leaning down to look at your tattoo.

“I didn’t know you have a tattoo~” He coos and moves your ear to get a better look at it. You can feel him stiffen for a moment on top of your before falling on you, covering your entire body with his own.

“Satori!” You whine but he makes no move to get off of you, instead, he just wraps his arms around your waist and buries his face into your neck. “D-Do you recognize the tattoo?” You ask him timidly and Tendou is quiet. His silence only confirms your suspicions.

“I know what it means. If you’re comfortable with it, I would love for you to tell me more about it and why it is personal to you.” Tendou lightly kisses your neck and you thread your fingers in his thick hair, a watery smile takes up your face.

“It was a really rough time in my life,” You start and Tendou listens carefully throughout it all, reminding you how proud he is of you and how much he appreciates you being here with him.

Ushijima Wakatoshi

We all know how Ushijima can sometimes,,,, have the personality of a piece of paper HOWEVER he is very passionate and just tends to say whatever is on his mind

He can be quiet and blunt but he will never invalidate your feelings

Something I really like about Ushijima is that he communicates thoroughly like there might be some confusion with him but he would always clear up any miscommunication with you

When he notices your tattoo he wouldn’t say anything about, maybe he would comment and think that it’s cool or interesting to look at

I don’t think he would know what the significance behind semicolons

You’d just have to be like ‘thanks ‘Toshi?’

When it comes down to it and you finally open up to him, he’d be rather talkative

Of course, he would let you say everything that you want to get off your chest but he would be very supportive with his words

He could probably talk for hours about how much he admires your strength and perseverance, he wouldn’t be afraid to tell you how proud he is of you for coming so far

Ushijima would always remind you that you can rely on him for anything, he wants you to lean on him for support. This mf would probably tell you this every day, and always text you a little reminder in case you forgot

“Your tattoo is cool.” Ushijima speaks up from in-between your legs. You stare down at him with furrowed brows as he traces the mark on your hip. You thought he was going to go down on you from the way he was touching you but it really was the complete opposite.

“Umm, thanks Wakatoshi.” You bite the inside of your cheek and suck in a breath when he leans down to press a gentle kiss on the mark. 

“What does it mean? You like writing?” He asks and you have to refrain from laughing at him, you place your hands on his arms and bring him up to hover over you. You hide your face in his chest as you try to calm your racing heart.  

“It’s a reminder.” You pause and Ushijima waits quietly for you to continue. “That I could have ended my life but chose not to.” Your voice falls to a whisper and you press yourself into the sheets below you to hide from Ushijima’s gaze. Your boyfriend tilts his head at you, his face softening before he wraps his arms around your shoulders to envelope you in a tight hug.

“I’m very proud of you for fighting so strongly, I’m glad that you’re here with me right now.” He mummers softly in your ear and you hide your face as tears prick at your eyes.

“Thank you Wakatoshi."


“I love you (Y/N), I really do.”

~ Taglist.

@yams046 @why-am-i-sad-and-sleepy

[serendipityunho]

Best You’ve Ever Had

× genre: smut × pairing: ceo!Seonghwa x Reader (fem.) × word count: 3.2k × warnings: explicit language, consumption of alcohol, explicit sex, fingering, clit play, oral, handjob, hickeys, explicit dirty talk, neck kink, light choking, hand kink, teasing, overstimulation, unprotected sex, praising

× synopsis: Meeting Seonghwa’s parents for the first time was one thing. But keeping your lewd moans quiet in his childhood bedroom was another. 

☁️: i see everyone is a sucker for ceo!seonghwa so why not jump on the bandwagon of writing dom!ceo!seonghwa lol

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“Mr Park! Welcome back, your parents are waiting inside” The door slung open to one of the bright smile of the estate’s housekeepers. 

Seonghwa rubs his thumb against your hand as he held a bottle of one of his favourite champagnes in the other, a small gift for not paying his promised monthly visits to his parents. But what did they expect after handing him over the major responsibility of running their company?

“Are you nervous?” Your eyes snap away from the breathing-taking view of the large stairway with a golden chandelier hanging above it. Seonghwa gazes at you with soft eyes before flashing a comforting smile.

“No, not really. I hope not” You swallowed the lump in your throat before patting your sweaty palms down your red dress as the two of you enter further into the large mansion.

“They’re not that scary, trust me” Seonghwa’s soothing voice brought you reassurance, heart beating quieter as he held your hand down the hallway.

You could pry your eyes off the portraits of his family hung upon the walls, especially the ones with an adolescent Seonghwa staring blankly into the lens. They were encased with beautiful gold coloured frames and clean, clear glass that had you thinking about your embarrassingly dirty TV screen back at home.

“Mother. Father. It’s pleasant to see you again” Your eyes landed on the two figures already sitting at the long table with fancy looking sets of shiny plates and cutlery, all ready as the flock of maids push through the door with plated food probably worth more than your rent.

“Son, how have you been? It’s been a while since you’ve paid a visit” The husky man, his father, chuckles as he greets Seonghwa with a hesitant hug.

“I’ve been busy. Running the company like you wished” Seonghwa kept his response blunt but understandable. 

The two men prominently resembled each other, it wouldn’t be a surprise to say they were father and son. His mother, however, was slowly starting to give you the chills with her icy stare up and down your body.

“I see that anti-ageing stuff has been working, mother” Seonghwa’s mother broke into a forced smile before welcoming back her son into her skinny arms as he lent down to give her a hug.

“Money can do wonders, darling-” Her feline eyes shot over to you, a sly smirk carving into her face as she steps in front of you and leans forward, gently engulfing you into her arms with her cheeks touching yours.

“- You must be the girlfriend. It’s nice to finally meet you. Come, sit down, dinner’s almost ready” Her strong scent of such unidentifiable florals lingered around your nose a bit before the four of you sat at the table.

“Yes, it’s nice to finally meet you too” It was difficult to hold back a stutter but you managed to anyways, mentally applauding yourself for not fucking it up with your first words to Seonghwa’s parents. 

The soft cushion of the seat felt more luxurious than the pillows sitting on your bed. In fact, everything was, without a doubt, much better. From the coat-hanger to the crystal door knobs and high ceilings that were double the size of your small apartment.

You probably looked hopeless in front of Seonghwa’s parents as he remained unfazed at the familiar surrounding. It was his hand on yours that kept you tranquil throughout the dinner, that was until you had no idea which spoon to use for the desert. 

“... the second one, baby” Seonghwa whispered, smiling as he took another scoop of his crème brûlée.

“We’ve already been told enough about you two, why don’t you tell us about you instead? What do you do for a living?” Seonghwa’s mother eyed you intensely, making your heart rate increase in beats with every second of her icy gaze. 

“I- um, I actually own a nightclub downtown. It’s quite successful-”

“- successful from my son or from your own work?” She narrowed her eyes, lips pressed into a thin line making you swallow the obvious lump in your throat.

“Mother, please-” Seonghwa seemed to have noticed your anxious behaviour, interrupting his mother in hope to calm you down.

“What? I just want to know what she would be bringing to the table if, you know, you decide to throw a surprise wedding without my knowledge” 

You blankly gape at her words, marriage was never thought so early upon your relationship with Seonghwa, let alone the long-term expectations from you. She sat there patiently, hands rested on top of each other as she waited for an answer from you.

“Uh no, Mrs. Park, I worked hard on my own to get it where it is” You hesitantly reach for the glass of wine with your slightly shaky hand, bringing it up to your lips before taking a small sip to heal your dried throat.

“Hm, self-made woman. I like that” A wave of relief washed over you. That was until you nearly choked on your wine when you felt Seonghwa’s hand slip from yours and slid up your dress, a little too close to the lining of your panties.

You settle the glass back onto the table a bit too harshly, nearly spilling the red drink on the white cloths of the table. The concerned eyes of Seonghwa’s parents settled on you as you subtly try to calm yourself down, tensing your thigh under Seonghwa’s touch,

“Are you alright, darling?” Seonghwa’s mother shot you a questioning glance, sipping on her own glass of red wine. 

“Yes, sorry. I just drank a little too much, that’s all” You forced a firm smile at the two concerning faces before throwing a furrowed glare at Seonghwa to the side, only making him rub his fingers at the skin around the lining of your panties. 

“Take it easy, babe, it’s not like we don’t have more wine at home” Seonghwa smirked, chuckling as he slyly slips his fingers under the hem of your panties, pressing the pad of his fingers firmly against your clit, making you squeeze your thighs together and shifting slightly in your seat.

Seonghwa must’ve enjoyed seeing the flustered look on your face when you finally faced him instead of giving him the side eye. That cocky smirk of his was enough to have your pussy gushing at nothing other than his sensual teasing touch.

“I’m okay, babe, maybe you should take it easy-” You nudged your head to the empty wine glass sitting on Seonghwa’s side of the table “- you’re driving, remember?”

“Oh that’s no problem, son. I can call the chauffeur to drive two you home” Seonghwa’s father boomed, raising the glass of wine for his son to keep drinking.

“Actually, I think we should stay here tonight. I don’t think there’s any meetings in the morning anyways so it wouldn’t hurt to have breakfast here-” Seonghwa shot a quick wink your way, slowly circling his two fingers around your throbbing clit “- unless you two are busy of course?” 

“No, no! Not at all. I’ll have the maids prepare your room right now-” Seonghwa’s father signalled a gesture to the maid walking through the door at his call. 

“Let’s hope they don’t have to change the sheets again” Seonghwa’s whisper against your ear sent shivers down your spine as you suppressed a quiet moan with a clenched jaw from the teasingly slow friction you were receiving. 

The rest of the small talk only consisted of you trying not to spew such disgraceful sounds in front of Seonghwa’s parents, hoping they wouldn’t suspect anything unsettling happening under the expensive satin tablecloth of their dinner table.

Seonghwa’s fingers never made an exit out of your, now soaked, panties. You were sure he knew that your brain was pounding out of your skull, head pooled with clouds of lust as your consciousness slipped in and out of daydreaming and reality. 

You were thankful for the comedic relief here and there that allowed you to subtly spew your soft moans into your laughs and forced chuckles. Your clit throbbed wildly, making you sightly roll your hips in your seat, hoping to get a quickening motion from Seonghwa.

As much as you preferred for such things to be happening in private, you couldn’t help but crave more of it despite the high risk of being caught. Your neediness only fed Seonghwa’s sadistic smirk to grow as he quickened his circular motions on your clit, rubbing it at a pace that would bring you to an orgasm in only a few minutes. Heck, even seconds. 

“My darling, you must be tired. You’ve been looking sleepy since halfway through dinner-” If only she knew Seonghwa had pulled you into your sub-space “- I’m sure your room is ready by now, Seonghwa, dear, take her to bed why don’t you?” 

“You’re probably tired too, mother. Get some sleep, we’ll talk in the morning-” Seonghwa flashed a smile before sliding his hand out from under your dress, pushing his seat back to stand before reaching the same out for you.

“- let’s get you some sleep” You narrowed your eyes at Seonghwa before taking his hand, dropping your napkin onto the table as you say your ‘goodnight’s and descend up the double set of staircases. 

It felt almost as if your arm was being torn off as Seonghwa pulled you across the large level with walls lined with who-knows-how-many doors. It was until he reached the end of the hallway, swinging open the white double doors before pinning you against them and locking it behind you.

“What do you think you were doing down there?” You looked up at Seonghwa, waiting for a response only to have your lips shut with his and waist pushed forward against his body. 

“Trying to calm you down, it obviously worked” Seonghwa groaned as he pushed his hardening crotch against your leg, squeezing your waist as your lips move with each other’s, tongue playing the other. 

“Holding my hand would’ve been just fine” Your hands run through Seonghwa’s black hair, gripping it slightly tight as you push your chest against his and kicking off your heels with him fumbling with the zipper of your dress. 

“You didn’t like it? Could’ve told me then” The tightness around your waist loosens as Seonghwa lets your red dress fall to the ground, immediately pinching the clip of your bra as his lips find their way onto your neck, leaving no inch of skin untouched. 

“Who said I didn’t like it? I’m pretty sure I helped myself a bit too- mhm fuck” Seonghwa’s tongue swirled around your nipple as you hugged his head to your chest, playing with his hair as he fondles with your breasts.

With Seonghwa’s hard crotch rubbing against your leg, you couldn’t resist not touching him at all. Your hand fumbled with the leather belt around his pants, throwing it to the ground with a clink as you dipped your hand under his boxers before pulling it down completely, leaving him in his white button-up. 

You pumped Seonghwa’s throbbing red cock as he pushed you back to the bed, making you fall onto the luscious mattress as he aggressively unbuttoned his shirt before piling it onto the discarded clothes on the floor. Seonghwa stared you down with lustful eyes as you got onto your knees, crawling to closer to him with your ass poking up and cold air from the unlatched window hitting your clothed pussy.

A low groan slips from Seonghwa’s mouth as you licked the tip of his cock, letting your tongue swirl around the base with your hand squeezing Seonghwa’s thigh and the other holding you up. Seonghwa bunches your hair into a messy ponytail as you took his cock in your mouth, bobbing your head up and down as you keep your doe eyes in contact with his droopy ones.

“Fuck, baby, you look so good like this” Seonghwa gently buckled his hips forward, abdomen tensing with each sharp exhale from the smooth motions of your tongue on his cock. 

The neediness in your pussy grew painfully bigger with each time Seonghwa moaned your name, making you reach down to your clothed clit and rubbing it the same way he had done at the dinner table. You instantly felt the wetness coating every inch of your pussy, sliding your fingers up and down your slit before merely sliding the panties down for easy access.

You groaned against Seonghwa’s cock, sending vibrations to spark his nerves as you played with yourself. His head fell back in pleasure as he whispered inaudible things from his mouth, abs tensing as he slowly thrusted into your mouth.

It was until you licked the side of Seonghwa’s dick that you stood on your knees, teasingly pulling your panties down and falling on to the bed on your back, rubbing your pussy with one hand and fingering with the other before throwing your lace panties at Seonghwa to catch. 

“Naughty, naughty. It’s not nice to throw things” Seonghwa crawled on to the bed, hovering over you as he pushed between your legs.

“My bad” You chuckle, teasingly sticking out your tongue as Seonghwa takes it in his mouth, kissing you sloppily before moving down your neck.

You continued to rub yourself as you bring a hand up back on to Seonghwa’s hair again, running it through your fingers as he laps his tongue on your neck and leaving purple blotches for him to admire. Seonghwa’s tongue was definitely something you cherished, only behind closed doors. 

Seonghwa placed a hand on your knee, pushing it apart before hooking your leg over his shoulder as he kissed down the valley of your breasts to your quivering stomach from the hot breath coming from his mouth. A small gasp left your lips as Seonghwa kisses your clit, rubbing your thighs with his fingers as your legs sat on his shoulders. 

The kitten licks on your pussy send your head falling back as you ran your fingers through Seonghwa’s messy hair. Your legs slowly contract onto Seonghwa’s head as he lapped his tongue against your folds before dipping his tongue into your pussy, making you slowly grind your hips against his mouth for more.

Your legs quiver at the sudden pressure on your clit, Seonghwa’s nose brushed against it, releasing a wave of very hot air on your bud of nerves. Seonghwa rolled his head side to side, flattening his tongue against your pussy as he left no area untouched. 

“You taste so good, baby” Seonghwa smirked, eyeing you from below before crawling on top of you again with a sloppy wet tongue-tied kiss. 

“Only for you” You pressed a hand against Seonghwa’s chest before pushing him onto the mattress, letting you sling a leg on the other side of him and grind your pussy onto his cock.

Seonghwa cupped your face before pulling your lips down onto his with a groan as you slowly slide your pussy up and down his dick, letting his tip poke at your entrance before sinking down on him completely. A breathy moan comes out of your mouth as Seonghwa grips your hips, bucking his hips up into you. 

Your nerves spark with every thrust slapped into you by Seonghwa’s hips, making you bite down on his shoulder. His hands roamed every inch of your back, falling back onto your waist as you started rocking your hips against his. 

Seonghwa adorned you from below, abs tensing as he raised his neck for a better look. Your head fell back at the sensation on your clit, Seonghwa licked his thumb before circling it on your clit, making you gasp in pleasure with your hand planted on his abdomen to keep you steady from your rolling hips. 

“So beautiful, so fucking beautiful” Seonghwa lets one of his hands travel up your stomach, fondling with your breasts before wrapping it around your neck, thumb gently caressing it as you placed a hand over his.

The slight pressure against your neck made you go crazy, senses heightened to the fullest as you try to quiet your moans. You could feel Seonghwa’s piercing gaze all over your body, he praised it like a scared temple for his eyes only.

Your hips grew tired, practically grinding on him with the pace you were going. Seonghwa leant forward, cupping your face in both his hands before landing a chaste kiss on your lips, spinning your bodies around so that he was now pushed between your legs on top of you.

“Mmph fuck-” You had to bite down on Seonghwa’s bottom lip as he started snapping against you, sending your breasts bouncing up and down at the pace.

Your brain turned to mush at the addictive feeling of his cock thrusting deeper and deeper into you, making your walls clench around him, gushing at his movements. Seonghwa’s tongue played with yours as his hand found their way onto your neck, thumb pressing down on the same spot as before making your head grow hazy.

“Right there oh fuck- yesyes” Your legs twitch at the newly found sensation, knees bending as you wrap your legs around Seonghwa’s waist. 

“So close, baby, so close” Seonghwa groaned, leaning back up to admire your fucked face from below as his fingers accomodate your throat. 

The coil in the pit of your stomach was so close to snapping with every hard fast thrust Seonghwa’s hips did, making you clench harder around his dick. Your back arched off the mattress, hands flying to the side and gripping the bedsheets with your knuckles turning white.

You could hear the sloppy wet sounds coming from your pussy bouncing off the walls as your walls convulse around Seonghwa’s dick. You couldn’t think straight anymore, thoughts all over the place as Seonghwa’s pounded into you relentlessly. 

“Yes yes ohhmygodfuckk- mhmmmph-” Seonghwa slapped his hand over your mouth, making you bite down on his hand to suppress your loud moans as fireworks set off in the pit of your stomach, hand tangled in your hair as the other held Seonghwa’s with your back arched completely off the bed. 

Seonghwa didn’t stop there, his sloppy thrusts made you whimper against his hand as he was starting to chase his own high. Tears nearly brim your eyes from the rapid thrusts into your sensitive cunt as Seonghwa released breathy moans into your ear. 

“Mhmph fuckk” You whimper once more as Seonghwa slammed short deep thrusts into your pussy, pooling his release into you as he moved his face up for a lazy kiss. Seonghwa released a small sigh of relief before resting his forehead against yours, eyes gazing deeply into your droopy ones.

Your heavy breathing filled the room with Seonghwa hovering over you, snaking an arm under your back to hold you close. Your body twitched with even the slightest movements Seonghwa made, causing him to chuckle a bit before sliding out from you.

“Was I too loud?” You caress Seonghwa’s cheek, rolling over to your side as he fell next to you on the mattress.

“My parent’s bedroom are in the other wing” Seonghwa swings an arm behind his head as the other hooks under your neck, fingertips playing with your naked back.

“Still. I don’t think your mother would hate me less after hearing that” 

“The sleeping pills already have her knocked out at this hour, don’t worry”

“Let’s hope so”

“She doesn’t hate you, you know that right?”

“How can I? She’s been sceptical since she laid eyes on me”

“You said the same thing about me when we met”

“Oh, so that’s where you get it from”

_

Copyright © 2020 by serendipityunho All Rights Reserved

[felswritingfire]

Relationship Headcanons (SFW)

Kaioh Retsu:

I'd like to start this off that he'd be really picky with his partner. Like, super picky not because he means to- it's just diffcult for him to be genuinely attracted to someone enough to pursue a relationship with them.

Looks aren't all that important to him, but personality is an extremely important aspect. He prefers people that are a tad more outgoing, but knows when to reign in their excitableness- that being said he also really likes shyer people as well; he thinks that they're very cute (what I'm getting at is that I high-key headcanon him as Pansexual-)

Before he got with you, he made sure that you understood his fighting career and how dangerous it could be. He'd leave it up to you if you'd like to pursue a relationship after he tells you, but he'll respect your decision if you say no. But he will be e l a t e d if you say yes

Away from that, though, when he does find a partner that he wishes to persue a relationship with- he is super, super sweet!

He's an extremely considerate and understanding partner and just really wants to prioratize you're comfort

If you want a more laid back partner, he is your man- there's barely any arguements in the relationship, and if there is anything bothering you and/or him, he'll bring it up in a conversation so you guys can talk about it

It takes him a bit to be completely open to physical affection, even when he does get used to it, he's still a soft maybe on PDA; he won't hesitate to hold your hand tho. He loves holding your hand. LOVES IT.

The first time he held your hand though, it was about 1 1/2 months into the relationship (no one else knew about your relationship prior to this), and Katsumi, Katou and Doppo almost shit themselves because "oH MY GOD, RETSU'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND/SIGNIFICANT OTHER! RETSU'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND/SIGNIFICANT OTHER! RETSU'S GOT A GIRLFRIE-/BOYFRIE-/SIGNIFICA-" (and yes, I have a feeling these three have just enough dumbass bastard vibes enough to chant this)

Retsu was red for a week because these guys are (lovable) assholes. And Katou gets socked in the face because he just straight up went: "So, you bend them over ye-" and then he got a broken nose

On a different note, he's really touchy-feely in private

HE LOVES COOKING FOR YOU

And if you can cook- then, baby, it's partner cooking

You are 10/10 meeting his master, he's also excited when you guys get along

You also end up becoming well acquainted with the others (Katsumi, Doppo, Baki, Etc.) If you weren't already. And, boy, do you end up with some life long friends from that (and good training partners if you fight!).

Even if you do fight, he's protective of you. He'd try to sheild you from anything- even Yujiro if you, God forbid, caught his attention (this could be from just being a pretty face that appeals to him or a SUPER strong fighter that he wants to be his pray). This man is very ride or die.

If you're with him for the Convict Arc, and you are a skilled fighter, be prepared for the fact that he almost shit himself if one of them attacks you. It's their funeral if they end up hurting you- no matter how bad- they're dead.

Now you manage to fuck one of their shits up? He is both simultaneously worried about you, proud of you and being like: Oh shit that's hot-

Retsu doesn't get jealous. He gets mad if someone is trying to come onto you and making you uncomfortable and will not hesitate to get in their face. But not jealous. He's a man who is every comfortable with himself and the relationship. He wouldn't have started dating you if he had even the slightest inkling that you were going to cheat on him.

No matter how tall or short his partner is, he likes to rest his face on their chest.

Jack Hanma:

You two, MOST LIKELY, met a Restaurant- like, maybe you got stood up by some asshole and you just happen to notice this monster of a dude sitting at the table right next to you shoving an entire steak in his mouth, holy shit?????

When he catches you staring at him in bewilderment, he just gingerly dabs his mouth with his napkin and says, "What you've never see someone eat before?"

"Oh, I've seen that plenty of times- I've just never seen someone shove a whole steak into their mouth." You snark back.

He's honestly a little flustered on the inside, because yeah, you're right. But on the other hand, this (he thinks) is prime flirting time. So then you guys hit it off from there and by the end of the night you two have become friends and exchanged numbers.

If you have daddy issues too, prepare to bond over them, because he will not hesitate to bitch about his dad, because fuck that guy

Once you do get in a relationship, you realize Jack is a very quiet lover. He's calm and collected and he doesn't say much

But he listens and you know he does because he'll hum and grunt, stealing little glances at you if you're chattering away

He's really attached to you and is another extremely sweet partner

He's also really observant and will snag things that he knows you've been eyeing

Meeting his little brother is a must, you gotta meet Baki and be approved, which you most likely will be because Baki is a super sweet dude and he knows that his brother would pick an asshole to date

He dreads the day that his dad will meet you, because it'll happen inevitably, but he doesn't want you to happen

When it does happen I feel that it's a similar situation to Baki and Kozue, the only difference is is that Jack is hella pissed and on the verge of going ballistic, because what the fuck, dad???? ME AND MY S/O WERE HAVING A MOMENT, ASSHOLE-

He's a soft maybe on PDA, it reay depends on the time of day with him

When he is in a mood though, he'll hold your hand or wrap an arm around you to keep you close

He likes to lay his head in you lap at home and just stare up at you

You're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen

Likes to give you kisses on your cheek and forehead

He also likes to pick you up and carry you: you talking your friend? Sorry, baby, it's time to go. Shopping? I don't want to be here any more and I'm bored, let's go. My dad's here? TIME TO SKADDADLE, BABE.

He's huge, so I doubt your taller then him, but, hey, I might be wrong, but he really likes pulling you into him and holding you to his chest

He takes you out on dates to fancy resturaunts

He has some insecurities from whenever he was young, so when he gets jealous he gets HEATED

Like he is ready to kill a man, pls do not push his buttons when he's like this, just take him out of the situation and shower him in love snd affection because he worries he's not good enough

Please smooch him. He's sweet

If you're a fighter, he'll spar with you, but very gently, which may or may not piss you off tbh

But he means well

Absolutly head over heels for you

Hector Doyle:

Ok, I want to say, Doyle is a very tricky man who loves his teasing.

It'd be pretty "obvious", from his stand point, if he had a thing for you and wanted to pursue you. To you and everyone around you though, he just kinda comes off as,,,,a creepy dude???

Like, this poor guy has the shittiest time with... Personal interactions, unless it's fighting or social situations where he has a "word template" to go off of. He's just a real awkward dude and he kinda, low-key, has no tact sometimes; like when he just stares at you from across that Café you like to go to like some sort of freaky stalker guy planning to kill you. It doesn't help that you two bump into each other a lot and he just blurts out "You're hair looks really soft" BUT YOU TWO DON'T REALLY KNOW EACH OTHER AND WHY IS THIS DUDE TALKING ABOUT TOUCHING YOUR HAIR??????

When you two do, somehow, finally manage to talk to one another, he explains all the freaky stares and comments and he's like obviously I was flirting? Isn't that how it's done?

No Doyle. That is not how it's done.

Once you two manage to establish a relationship, it's kinda up to you to make a lot of the first moves again, Doyle is very ignorant to how social interaction works, this applies to relationship etiquette as well. That being said though, he has some sort of knowledge about how relationships work from books and shows, that also being said, his version of relationships is probably outdated because of the type of books and shows he watches/reads (Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, The Picture of Dorian Grey, etc.)

You gotta be prepared to put in the work to reap the rewards in this relationship-which are a lot actually!

For one thing, he is an extremely loyal partner and a really good listener (this not pertaining to the end of season 3, you know?) And he surprisingly has really good advice to offer

And! Once he figures out flirting, he's really good at it! He end up flustering you a lot, so be ready for that.

He's an unintentional hard yes on PDA. He just doesn't care. Your his and he's yours- he can smooch you when he wants. BUT, he is still really weary of this since he is a convict and he doesn't want you to be used against him. Or get hurt because of him. But he does end up touching you in whatever ways he can to be close to you: so, a slight bump of the hands her; maybe if you two are in a crowded enough bar, his hand caressing your lower back or resting in your back pocket; feet resting on top of one another under the table in the very back of that Café where no one can see you two-

At home it's a completely different situation- he likes to grab your hips and press you against the wall and just kiss the ever loving F U C K out of you; his hands will wonder and this usually leads to some fun times, but sometimes it just ends in some cute ass cuddles.

And might I just add on to the whole Convict part: he didn't tell you that he was a deathrow inmate until the fourth date. And he just brought it up casually, on the inside he was nervous as hell, but on the outside he's like, normal calm and collected Doyle (I mean, if you didn't already know).

Doyle gets jealous every once in a while, but it's still pretty rare, usually he just, kinda shooes them off. But, when those rare moments do occur, get ready for a blood bath because whoever thought it was smart enough to try and flirt with you is either getting a verbal beating of a life time or a physical one. And let me tell you, either one is crippling, one just means you can walk away in tears while the other you're most likely dead

After that mess Doyle'll drag your ass out of there and take you back to the apartment where he's even more touchy then usual.

He tries his absolute hardest to shield you away from the other convicts. He doesn't trust any of them and is so, so afraid one of them will do something to you.

Similarly with Retsu, even if you do fight he'll be protective of you, but he'll most likely be more relaxed about it if you can fight.

In that same vein, he'd totally spar with you. And if it gets heated that just means he manipulate it into some fun times ;)

Really like movie night as a date night. He's been exposed to so many mainstream shows/movies because of you, it's great.

Sikorsky:

THIS BITCH- THIS SUAVE BITCH-

He walked into wherever you were and pinpointed you, out everyone else in the room, as the hottest piece of ass in there. Waited for you to notice the heavy weight of a heated gaze on you, look up and make eye contact with him before he gives you this lazy smirk and saunters, easy, slow steps, with all the confidence of Apollo, over to you and leans against the wall with one arm and starts chatting you up. It doesn't matter if you're taller then him, you will feel small and a lil' intimidated/turned on.

I ain't gonna lie, you guys probably start out as a one night stand and became a friends with benefits after you fed him waffles in the morning after aforementioned one night stand and got to know each other, knowing Sikorsky- he just ends up coming to you every time he needs to blow off steam, which is, admittedly, a lot.

Sikorsky is a big ol' dumbass when it comes to the dreaded things called emotions, so he drops of the face of the Earth (at least to you) after he realizes how bad he's got it for you.

He pops up again after he had time to think about it and mull it over. And, would you look at that? He brought flowers and chocolate!

He's real shit at using his words to express himself, he's more of a actions type of guy, opposed to words, that doesn't mean can't be eloquently spoken, he just has a hard time when he's getting frustrated/experiancing heavy emotions; so gift giving is his go to as an apology!

He's actually a really observant lover due to this! He also remembers really important dates too!

He's really good with his hands so more often then not, he'll offer to give you a message after you had a long day at work, this sometimes leads to some sexy time; even if it doesn't though, his hands still feel amazing: they're rough and calluses, sure, but it sends such nice tingles down your back, you can't help but sigh.

He's really gentle when he holds your hands because he knows that his grip strength is off the wall and, he won't tell you, but he is terrified of hurting you.

Another hard yes on PDA but this time it's intentional. Sikorsky likes to prove his dominance over you, which may or may not lead to some arguements between you guys, and flaunt you relationship so he will openly shove his tongue down your throat to prove a point.

He has a tendency to grab your hips and press you flush against him, or even pull you onto his lap in resturaints, he'll whisper dirty things into your ear like this, so be prepared.

He likes to push your buttons once in a while because he thinks your hot when you're mad. He's a little shit and sometime has the mental fortitude of a 12 year old boy. It just comes with the territory of dating him, unfortunately

Sikorsky gets jealous easily and flies off the handle way too much, you'll have to really talk to him about that. But afterwards he'll drag you of there and, instead of making it to your guy's humble abode, he'll take you into the closest alleyway and start making out with you hard. It's almost too much, but it's kinda hot????

Anyway, Sikorsky may not seem like it, but he has your back. He wouldn't let anything happen to you without a fight. Even if you're a fighter.

SPEAKING OF IF YOU'RE A FIGHTER, SIKORSKY WILL FIND IT HOT AS F U C K. LIKE, TRY AND KICK HIS ASS, BABE, DO IIIIT

You will def. be his training partner, whomst he will smooch and smack your ass at any given opportunity

He likes to lay his head on your ads and straight up be like "don't fart, babe, or I'll slap your ass so hard that you won't be able to walk for a week" and you've never want to slap a man more in your life.

[five-rivers]

Long Night in the Valley chapter 5

Toshinori found himself thinking about his brief and extremely ill-advised time as a quirkless vigilante.  He had a sinking suspicion that it because of his uninvited mental guests, but he couldn’t exactly do anything about that.  Between the two of them, Izuku had always been better at the mental portion of their quirk.  

He finished washing the bleach out of Izuku’s hair and couldn’t help but wonder if Izuku had ever contemplated going down that path. It had been cruel, and knowing what he did now, he would never repeat it, but his speech to Izuku on that rooftop had been intended to keep him from making the same mistakes Toshinori had in his youth.  

If Nana hadn’t picked him up…  he shuddered to think what would have become of him.  He’d certainly been in over his head, hitting far above his weight class.  

Although, to be honest, they weren’t in a good position right now, either.  

“I’m sorry,” said Izuku, softly.  

“It isn’t your fault,” said Toshinori.  

“But I couldn’t make him leave.  And now he’s going after your secrets.”

“My boy, they sent a highly skilled infiltrator into your mind.”  Toshinori was not entirely sure how he knew this, but it felt correct.  “You don’t have the training to combat that.  What you have done is remarkable.”  He toweled off Izuku’s hair.  The damp and the product had conspired to make it less fluffy than usual.  “The last you told me, you couldn’t even manifest fully in that place.”

“I tried to distract them,” said Izuku, miserably. “It didn’t work.  It—He’s still there.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” said Toshinori.  “Other than One for All, I don’t have any secrets worth all these tears.”  It might be annoying if they found out about all the illegal stuff he’d done over the years, but most of it would be nigh-impossible to prove.  “Let’s get you into that suit.”

“Right,” said Izuku, peeling out of his clothes.  “Why a suit, though?”

“It’s something you’d never choose to wear and relatively anonymous,” said Toshinori.  He started to put on his own coat, checking that all the hidden pouches were filled. To stay true to his disguise, Izuku was only carrying a messenger bag, and they would need the supplies.  

“How do I look?” asked Izuku.  The first thing Toshinori noticed was that he hadn’t bothered with the tie, but Toshinori had planned to take care of that from the beginning.  

The second thing—

Toshinori did not blanch.  

Of course, that’s what he looks like, whispered seven or so voices.  Knew from the beginning.  Have to read the DNA to rewrite it.  Can’t give this to just anyone.

Yes.  Of course.

“You look wonderful,” said Toshinori, reaching for the tie.  “And also unrecognizable.”

“Well, that’s the point, right?” asked Izuku, running a hand through his hair.  “So… How are we going to do this?”

Toshinori made a face.  He wasn’t terribly good at this part.  There was a reason he’d relied so heavily on Sir Nighteye once upon a time.

“I… could come up with a plan,” proposed Izuku.  “Tell me how Trace’s quirk works.”

.

The fight reached the other side of the tunnel, and spilled out into bright, yellow sunlight.  Midoriya had been fighting Iida up until a moment ago, but upon exiting the tunnel he had run off.  After stabbing Suzuki in the eye with a pencil.  

Meanwhile, All Might, Teenage Menace special edition, was holding his own against them.  

One thing Aizawa didn’t understand, though, was why All Might wasn’t using his quirk.  

Thankfully, after leaving the tunnel, the boy began to falter, and then ran off after Midoriya.  Aizawa wasn’t interested in pursuing either of them.  Were there questions he wanted answered?  Yes.  Did he want them answered at the cost of invading his student’s privacy and breaking his trust?  No.  

In the meantime, he did have to see if the idiot needed medical care.  That was, unfortunately, part of his job.  

“Want help with that?” he asked.  

“No,” said Suzuki, pulling the pencil out.  In less than a second, his eye was fine.  “That hurt,” he complained.  

A small part of Aizawa mourned the fact that breaking Suzuki’s legs would not be enough to stop him.  A small, but very present part.  He pushed it away.  Thinking on might-have-beens was illogical.  

“Sensei!” called Uraraka.  “I think we’re in America.  All the signs are in English!”  She pointed.

The signs were, in fact, in English.  Considering how much time All Might had spent in America, it wasn’t terribly surprising that Midoriya would construct such a place for him in his mind.  

… Although, he had to wonder why Midoriya’s mind had a teenage vigilante All Might running around in it.  Because if he were Midoriya in this situation, and he could pick any All Might, he’d pick top-of-his-game natural disaster All Might, so, this had to be an All Might that Midoriya just.  Had.  For some reason.  

“This proves it,” said Todoroki.

“Proves what?” asked Aizawa.  

“That Midoriya is All Might’s secret love child.”

Iida sighed, heavily, leaving off prodding his formerly impaled shoulder.  

“Think about it!” said Todoroki, as emotive as Aizawa had ever seen him.  “Who else would All Might tell about his dark past?”

Regrettably, he had a point.  

“Add that to the quirk, and the smile, and how they meet up for lunch at least once a week—”

“That is literally the dumbest thing I have ever heard,” said Suzuki.  “All Might is a natural-born hero.  A pillar of society!”

“Yes?” said Todoroki, squinting at Suzuki as if daring him to say something that made sense.  

“He isn’t going to have a secret love child.”

Regrettably, he also had a point.  

“Much less one like Midoriya Izuku.”

Okay, the point was gone.  

“In any case, black tentacles are not at all like All Might’s general enhancer.”

“It is like his mother’s, though,” said Todoroki, “and even though I keep saying ‘secret love child,’ my current theory is that Midoriya-san and All Might are, in fact, married, but they had to do it secretly, so that All Might’s enemies wouldn’t find them.”  

“Todoroki, please, you can’t just spread baseless rumors like that about your classmates!” said Iida, chopping at the air.  “Much less your classmate’s families!”

Todoroki looked hurt.  “But I have evidence!”

Aizawa should probably put a stop to this, but he kind of wanted to see where it was going, and there was no way this was true.  At all.  

If Midoriya was All Might’s kid, he would never shut up about it.  All Might, that was.  Midoriya was, evidently, capable of keeping secrets.  

(On the other hand, Aizawa didn’t have a better theory for their obvious close bond.)

“What evidence?” asked Iida, clearly intrigued despite himself.

“Midoriya-san is amazing.”  Todoroki’s eyes sparkled like he was in a manga.  

Aizawa sighed, he should have known the ‘evidence’ would—

Wait.  

“Where’s Uraraka?”

.

Uraraka really should have been paying more attention. Especially after all the situational awareness classes Aizawa-sensei had given them.  

Izuku didn’t blame her.  This was a distracting situation, and he rather suspected being asleep and ‘dreaming’ was affecting their judgement.  

Still.  It was almost too easy to pull her to the side and through a door into another part of the dreamscape.  

But after that, she shook off his grip and readied a fighting stance.  

“I don’t want to fight,” he whispered, making a quelling motion.

Uraraka looked like she wanted to believe him but frowned. “Sorry, but I kind of find that hard to believe after you stabbed Iida.  I mean, I know you’re under the effects of a quirk and all, but you’re still under the effects of a quirk.”  Despite her words, she matched his volume.  

“I know, I know,” said Izuku.  “It looks bad, but…”  He wrung his fingers together and adjusted the sleeves of his uniform.  “There’s something you guys need to know about what’s going on, and you were easiest to grab.  Can I explain?  I’m not going to fight you guys anymore.  Not like- Not like I was.”

Uraraka sighed and relaxed her shoulders, just slightly. “Alright, Deku, I—” she faltered. “Midoriya.”

“You can still call me Deku,” said Izuku.  “I mean, it is my hero name.”

“Yes, but… they used it to hurt you, didn’t they?”

Izuku shrugged.  This wasn’t the conversation he wanted to be having.  “If—I guess, if you want, you can call me Izuku.  It would feel weird for you to go to calling me Midoriya.”

Uraraka blinked.  “Are you sure?”

“Yes?”

“Then you have to call me Ochako!”

Izuku blushed.  “Okay,” he said, in a tiny voice.  He coughed.  “So. Um.  Imagine, imagine you’re in a room.”  He gestured at the facsimile of the American diner.  “You’re standing in the middle.”

Ura—Ochako nodded.  “Sure,” she said.  

“Right.  So, you can’t see all the walls at once, no matter how you turn.  Unless, like, you have some kind of vision-related quirk, or a quirk like Shoji’s I guess.”  Izuku shook his head, putting aside that train of thought for the moment.  “Does that make sense, so far?”

“Yes,” said Ochako, “but I don’t see what it has to do with… this.”  She spread her hands in front of her.  

“Well, um.  It’s what was going on back there,” he gestured vaguely towards where they’d come from.  “From the beach until the tunnel.  You were in my head.  Kind of… inside my personality, I guess?  So, you couldn’t see the whole thing at once.  Just the walls from the inside.  Each, um, each one of me?  Each one of me was like a different wall.  You couldn’t see the whole shape.  They were incomplete.”

“Okay,” said Ochako.  “But that should still be what’s happening, then, right?  We’re still in your head.”

“Yeah, that’s why I needed to talk to you.  You aren’t.  You’re…  This me, the me you’re talking to, right now, I’m complete, because you’re seeing me from outside, now.  Well, mostly complete.  Like, you can’t see the other side of the room from the outside…  Oh, no, All Might is right, I’m terrible at metaphors.”  He buried his face in his hands.  

“It’s fine,” said Ochako.  “But, um.  You’re saying we’re in someone else’s head?”

“Sort of.  Just… not my dreamscape.  Mindscape? It’s-It’s complicated.”  He lifted his head.  

“D—Izuku-kun, is this All Might’s mind?”

It was going to be pretty obvious once everyone woke up, so Izuku nodded.

“Why?” asked Ochako.  “How?”

“I can’t explain everything right now.  It’s too much, and I don’t know if the commission has someone listening with a telepathy quirk from the outside.  I know they’re not using it on me, because I’m awake, but—”

“What?  You’re awake?”

“Sort of, sort of.  It’s a side effect of what’s going on here.  I woke up when Suzuki-san shot me.  And I’m sort of on the run.  It’s really, really, not something I can give details about, though, because, you know. Listening.”

Ochako took a deep breath.  “So, what did you want to tell me?”

“Well, all of that, but also, we need to coordinate.  It would be best if we could get Suzuki-san to stay in one place, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“We were trying to do that before.”

“I kind of thought so,” said Izuku.  “The problem is, if you’re moving around, you’re going to run into All Might like you ran into me back in my dreamscape.  If Suzuki-san’s quirk works the way I think it does, and he keeps using it on me, that’s not a problem at this point.  But if he starts using it on T—on All Might, that’s different.”

“You know what his quirk is?” asked Ochako, raising her eyebrows.

“I think he can make people think of particular topics,” said Izuku.  “Like secrets and stuff.  Which is why him realizing he’s in All Might’s mind would be bad.”

Ochako nodded and perched on the edge of one of the tables. “All Might was number one for so long,” she said, “I’d be surprised if he didn’t know a whole bunch of different classified things.  Should we try to go back?”

“… I’d say yes, but I need my brain power for escaping, not rendering traumatic moments from my childhood, and I know a lot of different classified things.  Some of which are, uh.  Significantly more recent.  Plus, I’m not sure All Might will let you go back.”

“Oh,” said Ochako, tilting her head.  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but there isn’t any truth behind Todoroki’s secret love child theory, is there?”

“Absolutely not,” said Izuku.  

“Okay.   I’m guessing you have a plan?”

“More like a distraction,” said Izuku.  “I don’t know how well this will work, but…”

.

“You know,” said Izuku as he shouldered his bag, both fascinated and horrified, “with your head shaved and the face mask bit, you kind of look like, you know.”

“Ah,” said Toshinori, uncertain how to react to realizing that he had dressed both himself and his successor as their worst enemy.  “I suppose,” he said.  “The coat is very different, though.”

“Yes.  It is.”

“Speaking of which,” said Toshinori, forcibly changing the topic, “remember to take the tie off if you get into a fight.  It’s too easy to grab on to.”

Izuku nodded, partially distracted by all the conversations happening in his head.  Then he blinked.  

“Vigilantism?”

Toshinori shrugged sheepishly.  “Did you ever consider it?”

All Izuku had ever wanted to do was help people.  Save people.  Heroics had been the best option.  For a while, the only option.  In theory, a person could get into heroics on merit and skill.  Everything else…  Anything like a doctor or a police officer or a lawyer…  It would have been impossible for a quirkless person.  Even finding housing could be difficult for the quirkless, because most landlords made people disclose their quirks, to ‘prevent accidents from bad quirk interactions.’

Toshinori wrapped an arm around Izuku’s shoulder.  For a moment, Izuku had forgotten he’d been listening in.  For a moment, he’d forgotten how bitter he could be about that particular

“Not then,” he said.  He’d known that he’d never survive without training he couldn’t get except at a hero school like UA.  “But now?”

“Heh.  We’ll make quite the duo, won’t we, my boy?”  

They needed to leave.  Before Trace got too close.  They both had their directions, but it didn’t really matter if they remembered them clearly or not.  Not when they could hear and feel each other, and they had so much help.  

They exited the hideout, climbed up through the storm drains, navigated through the building above them, walked a block together, and split up without another word.

Trace’s quirk could tell where a person had been.  She wasn’t as good at determining when they had been there.  Any trails left within two hours of each other looked more or less the same, according to her registration with the hero commission.  According to an interview Izuku had seen her give once, in the aftermath of a kidnapping, after ten, the trail disappeared entirely, and she needed to have the trail to follow it.  

If Izuku and Toshinori looped over their trails often enough, she wouldn’t be able to tell which trail was which.  With luck and planning, they could lead her in maze-like loops, break their trail up with buses and jumps between buildings, and get a head start on her. A head start that they could use to outdistance her, because her tracking quirk took time to work.  

At least, that was what Izuku hoped would happen.  In reality, the commission records tended to be out of date, heroes rarely gave completely correct information about their quirks to the public, and even Izuku’s encyclopedic knowledge had limits.  After all, encyclopedias gave only short overviews of their subjects.  

But there had to be some relation between reality and record.

And if it didn’t work…  Izuku’s self-preservation skills was trash, but eight minds whirred behind his, more than ready to put theirs to work for him.  The consensus was to fight, and, in this state, they would operate by the consensus.  Nine of them together.  

Nine here, keeping them physically away from the commission. Nine inside, keeping their secrets safe. Nine keeping the doors strong and the vault clo—

He stumbled at the unexpected direction of his thoughts. His head throbbed.  

It would be much easier if they weren’t in his head anymore.

He hurried forward.  

.

Miles away, in the most secure prison in the country, the guards of the most dangerous villain in the worlds scrambled for answers.  They had sedated the man known as All for One to what was, frankly, a dangerous degree.  He hadn’t so much as twitched in hours, nor had he spoken, even before that.

His brain activity was elevated.  

Highly elevated.  

It had been for hours, and they had no idea why.  

.

All for One smiled at the vault door in front of him. It had been a long time since he’d seen it, but, nevertheless, his memory of it was pristine.  It was, after all, a place he revisited often in his thoughts.  

Wondering, wondering.

But this wasn’t then.  This wasn’t a result of him being lost in thought.  Oh, no.  This was something infinitely more interesting.  Infinitely more valuable.  

He ran his hand through his curly hair and hummed contemplatively.  Interesting, interesting indeed.  

He walked to the door an ran his fingers down the cold interior, the little scrapes and knicks catching at his fingertips.  Now, this, this was more detail than he had retained, but not, perhaps, more detail than, say, someone who had been imprisoned here for a long time would recall.  

A smile stretched out over his face, wide and sparkling and full of glee.  

This, he thought, would be quite amusing.  

He pulled back his hand and made a fist.  

“Knock knock, little brother.”

.

Izuku slowed to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

That.  

He blinked, hard.

That would be a problem.  

He started walking again, faster.  

.

Toshinori leaned against a grimy city wall, out of breath. The mask was thick and made it hard to breathe, especially with his singular lung.  

Of course, what had him gasping wasn’t anything physical, but the massive weight of dread that had just settled on his chest.  Was Izuku in trouble?  Did the commission get him?

No.  

Slowly, unerringly, he rotated until he faced Tartarus.

Ah.

Not again.

.

Izuku broke off mid-sentence and grabbed Ochako by the wrist as the restaurant vibrated.  

“What was that?” asked Ochako.  

“A problem,” said Izuku, staring off into the distance, as if he was seeing something completely different.  Well.  He could be, Ochako realized.  

“Something in the real world?  Wherever you are?”

“No,” said Izuku.  “Change of plans.  You guys really, really need to get out of here.”  He pulled her out the door onto the street.  The sky was rapidly darkening.  He seemed to realize he was still holding onto her, and blushed, dropping her wrist.  “S-sorry.”

“We don’t know how, though.  I thought that was why we were doing the distraction.”

“We don’t know how, but…”  Izuku bit his lower lip.  “Yeah, yeah, no, one might be able to do something.  But if they’re closer…  Can’t just wait.  Can we still wait?  What do you think?  What… That would work?  Maybe.  We can work with maybe.  Seven, that’s too far.   Okay, yeah. Yeah.”

“Izuku-kun?”

“Sorry!  Sorry. I think…  I think you might have to go forward after all.  The others have been here longer than I have.  They know more.”  He started running down the street.  “Come on!”

“Others?  What others?” asked Ochako, hurrying to catch up.

“The, um.  The others we’re connected to, me and, and All Might.”  He wasn’t looking at her as he ran.  “If you ask them—They’ll know more than me.  They’ve been doing this longer, and this is tangled in one’s quirk. One of them might have seen a quirk like this before, been in this position before.”

“But—”

“It’s just really dangerous for you to be here right now.”

“Why?”

Izuku stopped and bounced in place.  “Weakened mental immune system, basically.  Something else is trying to get in.  Can’t do both at the same time.”

A building behind him exploded into rubble.  He winced.  

“What’s going on?” asked Ochako.  

“Flashback,” said Izuku.  “Toshinori…”  He shook his head and pointed down a cross street.  “If you go this way, you’ll be able to meet back up with everyone.”

“What about the plan?”

Izuku shook his head.  “Just try to stay alive, for now.  This isn’t going to be fun.  I’m sorry, I have to go!”

Before Ochako could protest further, he was gone.  

[justmickeyfornow]

A Smile for Hire

“I'm sorry Ms. But you just don't have enough experience to work at my shop.” the owner said, standing behind the counter and putting down Kara’s resume, flipping it around for her. 

Kara was desperate. Desperate was an understatement of how desperate for a job she was.

“B-But what I lack in experience I make up for in my social skills.” she explained, “I'm the friendliest walking thing you'll ever meet. I make kittens look like devils and puppies like monsters. I'm so friendly that there's an urban dictionary word in my name that means extremely friendly." she continued before frowning, "But please don't look that up."

“There’s just nothing I can do. I don’t have the spare time to train you nor do I have enough employees to do that.”

Kara deflated, normally she would plead her case for the next hour or so being annoyingly persistent until someone hires her. But she has had the same conversation with the same type of owners of several coffee shops, restaurants, pizza parlors (that one she had to walk out of there herself before the interview because she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist eating the place down to bankruptcy) and many other places.

Just as Kara was about to take her resume and leave, the door of the coffy shop opened and normally she wouldn’t have noticed something like that, but the scared expression of the owner tipped her off.

A woman with expensive looking sunglasses clad over her eyes walked in. Her hair was in a neat high ponytail and her expression was very much annoyed. She gave them a look, as she walked, though Kara wasn’t sure where she was looking with her sunglasses covering her eyes, and marched on high heels to a secluded table.

Kara looked back at the man who seemed to be contemplating his life choices of whether or not he should go there and take her order.

Kara sported a bright smile on, “Listen. If I can take that woman's order and get her in a better mood, would you give me the job?”

He gawked at her, “You do realize who that is? That's Lena Luthor. If she's in a bad mood, there's no talking to her until she's had her espresso. If you go anywhere near her, she’ll bite your head off, no matter how friendly you are.”

“What did I just say about the kittens and the puppies? What did I just say? I’m not just friendly. Friendliest than the word friendly.”

“Lena Luthor does not like friendly.” He muttered under his breath. But out loud he said, "Fine. You get her to order a full meal without lashing out at you and get her to smile then the job's yours. 

Kara fist bumped the air, “Yes!”

She quickly took off her coat, straitened down her black jeans and button down shirt and put on her best smile. 

As soon as Kara reached her table, Lena spoke without looking up from the tablet she was reading from, "Let's start with my double shot espresso. And then I'll decide on what I'll have for lunch."

Oof, didn’t even spare me a glance. Tough crowd. Kara thought hesitantly. She was beginning to think that this was going to be harder than she thought. How was she going to use her friendliest smile when the lady won’t even look at her.

“Umm, yeah coming right up. A-anything else I could get you to brighten your d-”

“Yes. You talk too much. Get me another waitress.”

Kara was taken back by that, “Well, that wasn’t very nice. I barely said two words to you.” she mumbled under her breath.

This was much much more challenging than she thought it would be. 

She shook away her negative thoughts and tried again, “I know I’m supposed to be serving you and not the other way around but could you maybe possibly do me a favor and smile?” Kara almost begged.

That guaranteed a look from the woman, and Kara was not ready to meet deep green eyes such as hers. “Excuse me?” she sounded offended

And Kara immediately realized how that sounded, “Oh no no. Not in the 'give me a smile, sweetheart' kind of way that men usually shout at women. At all. I respect women. I worship women. Women are the future. I'm surprised there hasn't been a woman president yet! I once told a woman to punch me in the face because I was in love with her.” That got a thoughtful look to be put on Kara’s face, “Though, maybe I was in love with the idea of her. I’m not too sure anymor-”

“I get it! Then what did you mean?”

Kara blushed, just now seeing that maybe she did talk too much, “I'm trying to get a job here and I kinda maybe sorta have a deal with the owner over there who's eyeing me that I could get you to order something without you sticking the fork in my eye. So, do you maybe think that's possible.”

A perfectly lined eyebrow raised up in question, “I don't know. That fork is awfully tempting.”

Kara smirked at that, because she clearly dug that hole for herself, but she could play this game, “Well, if you'll let me read you our lunch menu I’m sure you could find something else that might tempt you.”

Kara felt the woman rake her eyes up and down her body, before reciprocating an equally flirty smirk, “Maybe I already have.”

Kara’s eyebrows went up, “Wow, I feel extremely objectified right now but somehow I'm not complaining. It could be because you're really pretty and I'm a gay mess.”

The woman chuckled and Kara decided she loved the sound of it. And with a quick side glance, the small chuckle seemed to earn a shocked gasp from the owner over there.

“You seemed so sure of yourself when you were ready to read me the lunch menu.” 

“That's because food is easy.”

The woman sat back in her chair comfortably, “Well, then. How about you order for me?” 

“You'd risk that? A stranger ordering your food for you?”

“You're no stranger. I know more about you than I know about that man behind the counter whose cafe I’ve been coming over everyday for the past year.”

“How so?”

“Your name is Kara Danvers. You are currently looking for a job. You're gay- Oh, forgive me. You're a gay mess. And you have a charming personality.”

Kara sported a dopey grin, “You think I'm charming?”

The woman ignored the question with a smile, “You also graduated from National City University. With a degree in Applied Linguistics and a minor in Journalism.”

Okay, now Kara was confused, “Wait, how'd you know that? And how did you know my name, I'm not wearing a name tag.”

"Your resume was on the counter when I walked in and your name was on top in all capital letters. Would've been impossible to miss."

"Not to the owner apparently. He's called me Kieran twice in the 3 minutes of our conversation."

The woman smirked playfully, "Kieran suits you actually. It goes well with your hair."

Kara chuckled, bowing down dramatically, "Then, it is settled m'lady. I shall change my name to Kieran."

The brunette giggled at that and Kara again noticed from the corner of her eye the owner gawking. Must be a rarity then. It's a shame too, this woman had the most beautiful laugh. 

"I hate to press you, but I do need to take your order at some point or I don't think I'll be hired."

"Oh yes, right. I'll just have the Caesar salad with the dressing on the side and the avocado toast." 

"Right away."

Just when Kara was about to leave, she felt a soft hand grip her wrist. She looked back to find the woman looking hesitantly at her.

“I hope this isn't too forward, but I'm actually in the market looking for a new assistant. Is that something you would-" she paused, "-be interested in. I would understand if you have your eyes set on this place but I can assure you the job I'm offering would come with countless benefits and-”

“Yes!” Kara shrieked

“Oh, are you- are you sure?” 

“The question is, are you sure you wanna hire me?! I have no experience being someone's assistant!”

“Well, technically you'd be my second assistant. Sort of like-”

“I will gladly be whatever you want me to be!”

The woman blushed profusely, “Oh, well that’s unnecessary. You will get a job description of what is expected of you obviously.”

“Again! Whatever you want me to be!” Kara exclaimed, “I’ll be a foot stool if you want me to!” she then paused, “But not in like a sexual way or anything. Unless you...”

“No!”

[yanderecandystore]

Reader is alone in their room throwing a rubber ball against the wall which at one point rolls away but is returned to them. Looking up they see a single eye ball, Buddy is slowly making themselves visible again. Buddy is covered in healed scars and wound. A soft whine and a wag of a tail. Black and Red pop in for the daily check up and see whats going on Remeber self care is best care :o - Cold Anon

Thanks for caring for me Cold, but like- You really do be breaking my heart with these beautiful angst concepts ;^;

TW/Tags: Feels (angst lol) // mentions of animal abuse // d r a m a (also a little different from what you originally thought off-) // cursing // plot twist that was pulled straight out of my ass- (I can't blame y'all if this seem boring or uninteresting lol, but it was the only plot twist that I felt like it was fitting).

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Broken smile [Yandere!Among Us x Reader - Headcanon]:

Can you imagine your shock at seeing the familiar eyes looking at your own with nothing but relief and sorrow? Can you imagine seeing your little warrior walking inside your room slowly and clumsy due to his wounds.

You jump out of bed and go hug your best friend, despite knowing fully well that he hasn't recovered fully from whatever hell he clearly went through. He was anticipating the impact but it still hurts him despite his best efforts to hold it in-

You haven't come off of your bedroom that day, most of the crew was too busy to notice that you weren't doing your tasks, but of course they would notice before everyone else-

"- Babe, have you seen [Y/N] anywhere? I have a feeling we haven't talked much."

"- That's because we didn't. They haven't gotten out of their room ever since this morning-"

"- What?? Black, you should have told me sooner, come on, we need to see if they're okay- Wait!"

"- W-What is it??"

"- Where…. Black, where is M.Red?"

Instead of going straight to checking how you were they decided to search for their child since Mini Red just suddenly disappeared-

They eventually found him, and scolded the young child for giving both of his parents a heart attack, when asked where he was, M.Red said something quite surprising:

"- I was playing doctor with the doggie!"

You heard loud bagging on your door, you didn't really expect anyone to call you so late, they probably noticed you haven't attend to any of the tasks in the spaceship (although let's be honest, you're more surprised it took them 24 hours to notice that instead of realizing your lack of presence sooner-).

You recognized that friendly family that you have grown to appreciate over the past month, Red and Black has been nothing but sweet with you and M.Red is such a energetic kid-

You didn't want to get out of your room, so instead you welcomed them in, and as soon as their eyes looked at the medicines and the space canine laying on top of it all covered in wounds, they understood what happened.

He came back. The stupid dog came back, yet in their hearts there was nothing like hate or anger at the sight of the severely damaged dog.

No, on the contrary, there was pity inside them mixed with somewhat of a relief.

Well, don't get me wrong, they hate your dog still, he is nothing more than an immense rock in their path yet there is something so, well, "heartwarming" about seeing you reunited.

It's so fun to see their loved one so happy even if it's because of… That dog.

You didn't come out of your room at all that day, you just wanted to be with your friend and take care of him, you took first-aid kits on medbay to take care of his untreated wounds. Buddy came back all patched up yet whoever did it clearly didn't do a good job at it in the first place! You were glad someone at least tried to help, yet there was something very worrying about his condition-

If someone tried to fix him up, it was because he was hurt in the first place. Buddy is a smart boy yet he wouldn't be able to properly recover those wounds on his own.

So when you brought the topic to them, you didn't expect a small hand be raised in such a excited way- M.Red was so proud of his work despite the fact he doesn't know anything about treating a wounded space animal, and honestly he didn't care- He saw it all as a fun game, in his eyes finding the dog in such a small and convenient finding place was nothing but a fun game, he not only found a good hiding spot to play hide and seek with Black, but also the dog, which he only saw as a toy.

To put it promptly, Buddy was waiting to die by the hands of the gremlin child, yet he was delightfully surprised to see the child so excited about helping him get his wounds treated, despite the fact they did it for their own twisted little amusement. At least the kid liked him more than his parents did.

Both of his parents were hesitant in letting you know that their kid had found the dog before you did, since it could be considered kinda weird for their kid to be able to find your dog in a isolated tiny spot of the spaceship that was completely off the cameras view and only accessible by the ventilation system- They lied about their child randomly founding the dog walking around instead of actually founding the filthy thing's hiding place.

No one can go in the vents unless they were small or a shapeshifting monster, and their child just happened to be both at the same time-

Either way, after finally being reunited with your dog, everyone expected things to go back to normal, even Buddy seemed tired of this nonsense, yet things never did go back to the way they were.

It was interesting how much of an impact you had on your crew. People didn't give you that much attention, yet whenever you changed your behavior it seemed to take over the entire mood of the ship. You may be thinking I'm exaggerating, yet it's not hard to believe it, is it?

After all, think about it, your dog just came back hurt from something that has done a great deal of damage to him. Something or someone made him hide away from everyone else so he could catch a break.

Buddy was a brave boy yet he was careful enough to see when a fight wasn't worth fighting. Buddy ran away and managed to hide for so long, he must have seen something or someone that was capable of scaring him from even coming back unprepared.

You mentioned that at your meeting and everyone seemed shocked at your claims, and even more surprised by how you sounded so… Angry. You sounded like someone that was calm now, yet was holding enough anger to fight anyone if not everyone in the cafeteria if they gave you the smallest hints of being the one that has hurted your doggie.

Even though he was kinda weirded out by your demeanor, the poor thing thought that he had caused you so much pain that him coming back wasn't the best thing he should have done. You were the same person as when he ran away, yet you sounded so mad…

And you rightfully were. You have been beating yourself up and feeling depressed thinking your sweet boy has died and when he comes back he is wounded to the point of not being able to walk properly. You have every right to want to beat the shit of whoever did this, even if they weren't human to begin with.

You felt like you had every right to judge every single person sitting in front of you, anyone in this room could have hurted Buddy and you knew it. The arguing was so strong that you had to be calmed down by Red, Black and Buddy at the same time.

One person in particular seemed to be pointing you out as "obviously the killer" that has orchestrated this whole charade as a way to throw everyone off, you almost did slap a bitch that day-

Others seem to understand your condition. You literally just lost your dog and he came back all bloodied and wounded. You were hurt and pissed at whoever the culprit was, even if you weren't sure of who it was.

And there was a strong intuition indicating that maybe the culprit that hurted your dog, was also the monster going around killing your crewmates. But sadly, Buddy has also changed after the incident.

Buddy didn't seem to recognize who.was the culprit, and if he could have blamed Red and Black, he knew that it was neither of them that had attacked him. Someone else has taken him by surprise, and was smart enough to cover their scent and human disguise, so he wouldn't recognize them if he managed to get away. Which he is glad he did, yet he is afraid he won't be of any help this time around.

He could blame Red and Black, since clearly they were going around killing everyone, but he somehow knew that they weren't involved with his case. He felt like it would be unfair to put the blame on them for his case in particular, they should still be thrown off of the spaceship but not for him.

But for all the different people they killed along the way.

And also… Maybe he did feel pity for the child, maybe he just felt like he was in debt with the kid for helping him out- Maybe if the circumstances were different he could have been friends with the little rascal (if the child had also decent parents and a therapist-).

You seemed to have noticed how Buddy hasn't openly barked at anyone, how he hasn't pointed anyone out yet, which was a little disheartening since it meant that this would be a lot harder than expected, yet you hadn't given up yet, you were determined to make justice for your dog, for everyone that had died.

Some of your crew were with you, some weren't, yet you didn't care at all- You would make sure to take care of your boy with more love and affection, you won't let this happen to him ever again.

And while you had found some sort of hope from this situation, Red and Black were concerned if not freaked out at the idea that someone else had started a hunting spree, and apparently with you and your dog as their target.

Red had asked their son if he was the one to hurt the canine, yet he said that he found him like that, hurt and bleeding. Black was feeling anxious as he couldn't smell the scent of someone of his kind hiding in between them, I'd they were also disguising themselves, it meant that they were being extra careful by flooding themselves with extra scents to blend in with everyone else.

This was way more than concerning, it meant they were in danger, you were in danger! And the culprit was being one step ahead from everyone else, since they have probably already found out about Black being an alien that has also invaded the ship, and that Red and M.Red were involved with the killings.

There were apparently three imposters among your crewmates.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Okay sorry Cold, but now I noticed that although I tried to compile your both asks into one, it feels like I may have not done the best ;-; I'm sorry. I could totally redo it and make the Reader sick and all- If you wish boo

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[noonachronicles]

The Malebranche Pt. 3

Im Changkyun/I.M. X Reader & Lee Jooheon X Reader

Word count: 12k

Warnings: Per usual, there is cursing. This is demon smut. It’s literally smut with demons. This is 18+. There is a lot of unprotected sex. There is come casual exhibitionism/voyeurism. Demon threesome. It gets a little rough (face f**king and choking). I’m not your mom and I’m not the fan fiction police. So just don’t have unprotected sex and don’t fuck demons. Unless you’re being responsible and understand the consequences?? IDK! I don’t want to feel like I’m being held responsible for your actions and I also don’t want to tell you what to do. So there’s your warning.

Genre: Demon AU. Modern Fantasy. Sorta Soulmate AU

A/N: For @nemesyis​. This used to be p*rn with a plot... but it seems I have now lost the plot. Now it's just some good ole fashion d in the p. Enjoy!

‘Hell is empty, and all the devils are here’. - William Shakespeare

Your hands gripped the banister of the third floor balcony so hard your knuckles were blooming white. Down below in The Red Room the night had already begun. Patrons on the stage with the dancers, dancers on the floor in the laps of patrons. Alcohol was flowing like a river downstream. Bass pumped through the speakers and Jooheon had his rock hard erection pressed against your ass. One of his hands gripped your hip while his lips stayed attached to the curve of your neck sucking a light bruise on your skin.  

“You’re sure they can’t see anything up here?” you asked again.

“I’m sure.” he grinned against you, “If they could, would you ask me to stop?”

You tried to gulp down your urge for honesty, but it was impossible with his hands on you. The inability to lie, you’d found, was one of the few pitfalls of a demon boyfriend. “No.”

“It’s so cute that you continue to pretend to have even an ounce of modesty and restraint. Even after all this time, my little devil.”

The hand that wasn’t on your hip was massaging your exposed breasts. His fingers gently pinching your erect nipples. You weren’t completely naked. Jooheon had only dragged the top of your dress down to your hips. Your bra, you assumed, was somewhere on the ground behind the two of you.

It had been a couple months since your first night with him and you were slowly realizing that he was a fairly insatiable demon and only growing worse it seemed. It wasn’t often you could be found without his hands and mouth all over you. You weren’t one for complaining. In fact your need to be with him and be with him was growing stronger than ever and showed no signs of weakening any time soon.

Your eyes passed over the floor once more for any curious eyes as Jooheon continued to suck on every naked inch of you. No one was looking. Everyone was too busy with their own acts of sin. Though you did notice the top of a familiar head as it moved through the room to the bar. Maybe it was less the top of his head that called for your attention and more the loud gold, barocco jaquard Dolce and Gabbana robe he was wearing.

Changkyun was the only man you knew that was confident enough to pull off something so absurd. You had told him plenty of times that just because something was expensive didn’t mean it was fashionable. He rarely listened. It didn’t hurt your feelings because it wasn’t just you, he didn’t listen to anyone. Instinctually, your teeth dragged over your lip as you watched him. When he spun around and leaned against the bar you could see the white button down shirt and black pants he had under the robe. His tongue moved over his lips and you could see the silver glisten of his tongue ring. Sometimes when you noticed it you could still feel him inside of you.

He had a girl with him, he usually did, a blonde girl you knew you’d never see again. At least you’d never see her with him again anyway. Most of his conquests would come back night after night to try and get his attention once more and eventually give up when they realized he was done with them. You watched as he whispered something to her and she giggled. You rolled your eyes. Then you watched as her pretty little manicured hand moved up between his thighs until she was cupping his dick. There was no reason for it but you could feel the jealousy brewing in your gut.

“Baby,” Jooheon whispered against your ear, “Everything okay?”

“Mmhmm.” you pushed your ass back into him.

His plush lips met your skin once more and you closed your eyes for just a moment. When you opened them back up to the floor your eyes locked with Changkyun. He was smiling but it was more deviant than it was kind. He lifted his drink to his lips for a sip, never moving his eyes from yours.

“Honey…” you said quietly, “Could Kyun...would he be able…”

Jooheon rested his chin on your shoulder and looked down below. “Yes, he can see us.”

“Oh.”

“Do you like that?” he asked, you gasped as he dragged his tongue over your hot skin, “Do you want him to watch?”

“Yes.” you answered breathlessly.

Jooheon slipped his hand down your tense arm and pulled your hand from the banister. Finally looking away from Changkyun you watched as Jooheon slipped between you and the banister. There he pressed a kiss against your lips.

When he pulled back he was smiling, “If he’s going to watch, we should give him something beautiful to look at.”

“Like what?” you gulped.

“Like the face you make when you cum for me.” he grinned, his dimple digging into his cheek, and dropped to his knees.

His hand grazed your inner thighs as he reached underneath the skirt of your dress. A whimper passed your lips as his fingers met your dripping pussy. And you lunged forward against the banister when he pushed them inside of you. His head ducked under the skirt of your dress.

When your eyes made it back to the floor Changkyun was still watching. His friend for the evening had her hand in his pants now, working him properly. She was trying to get a kiss or any attention at all really, but his eyes were dark and narrowed in on you. Jaw clenched and lips tight, he looked feral.

Your mouth fell open in pleasure at the feel of Jooheon’s fingers moving inside of you, his mouth sucking on your clit. There had already been so much foreplay that you had been halfway to your orgasm  before he’d even started and his agile fingers were making quick work of the second half. Changkyun’s chest was heaving and it made him look like he was panting. His tongue swiped repeatedly over his mouth, the silver ball of his tongue ring running back and forth across his lip.  After several minutes his lips moved subtly, as if he were speaking under his breath, you could practically hear him urging you to cum. Cum for him, cum for Jooheon, for all three of you.

The blonde girl had moved her face in front of his so you lost him for a moment which you’d found deeply disappointing. Then, like he knew you needed to see him to finish, he grabbed the back of her head and pushed it to the side as he kissed her roughly. All you could see of him was his dark, starved eyes as they bore into you, urging you to completion but that was enough.

“Oh fuck.” You gasped out. Your eyes squeezed shut, thighs tensed around Jooheon’s cheeks and wrist. “That’s it...cu-cumming!”

When you were done you leaned forward against the banister to catch your breath. Having back a few of your senses you looked back down towards the bar but Changkyun and his friend were gone. Jooheon had stepped out from underneath your skirt and moved away for a moment but when he came back he had your bra in hand. It surprised you that he didn’t seem upset. You weren’t sure if it was that you thought he would be or that he should be, but part of you was a little chagrined.

“He thinks he’s in love with you.” Jooheon said quietly as he pulled the zipper of your dress up the length of your back, once you had your bra on. He was leaving soft kisses against your neck, where he’d already left his darkening splotches. Little maroon flags planted all over your body with his name on them so that everyone knew he’d staked his claim.  

“Is that so?” You laughed, “I didn’t think he liked anyone.”

“He doesn’t.” he responded, “He doesn’t like anyone except you. That’s why he assumes it’s love.”

“But you don’t think it is.”

Jooheon shrugged and stepped beside you, leaning against the bannister to get a good look at the floor below. “Demons were angels once. We talked about that, remember? Angels and demons….we’re exactly the same, only demons have fallen. We had our wings replaced with horns as a punitive mark for our sins. We still feel and want for the same things. Angels are just demons that haven’t gotten caught yet.”

“How do you really feel?” you said, amused as you turned your back on the floor below so you could be face to face with Jooheon instead.

“It’s true. Angels are just as capable of selfishness and sin. They can be just as corrupt. Just as angry and violent. They can be cowards, liars, and thieves. The difference is they tuck their more nefarious traits beneath their robes so that everyone thinks them flawless. And just how angels can be like demons, demons are capable of all the things angels are, including love.”

“So you think he does love me?”

“I think it’s been a long time since he’s loved someone. A millennium. Perhaps longer.  He is completely capable of love. However, he’s confusing the fact that he doesn’t hate you with the idea that he loves you. It’s been tearing him apart. I don’t blame him. Who wouldn’t look at you and think they were in love.” he smiled over at you, “Though I might be a little biased.”

Leaning forward you pressed a kiss against his dimple and leaned back against the banister once more. For a minute you observed Jooheon as he observed the club. He looked so neutral as he took in the crowd below. You lifted your hand to the collar of his shirt before letting your fingers slide down his chest. You thought about how it made you feel. Knowing there were other women who wanted Jooheon the way you had him. Neutral was not the emotion you felt being prominent.

“You don’t seem very upset that he thinks he’s in love with me.” you commented as casually as you could manage.  

“It upsets me that he’s hurting.” He reached down and grabbed your hand, pulling it to his mouth to kiss your palm.

“Oh.” You said quietly, he was always surprising you.

Jooheon raised a thoughtful, almost amused, eyebrow and looked over at you. “Do you think I should be more upset?”

You shrugged it off,  “I don’t know.”

“When you say I don’t seem upset, do you mean I don’t seem jealous?” he grinned. You tried to look down at your feet but he grabbed your chin between his fingers and lifted your eyes to his. His eyes were sparkling, amused with the ashamed look on your face and in your eyes. “Do you wish I was more jealous? Would you like me to be more possessive of you?”

You could taste the truth at the back of your throat. “Yes.”

Dropping his hand from your face he laughed lightly, “Do you want to know why I’m not more jealous?”

“Yes.”

He stood up straight and reached down to grab your hand. He brought your arm up to the space between you and turned your hand over, palm side up. Your eyes followed his fingers as they moved up your arm from your wrist to your elbow. He pointed to the patch of freckles. Your very own constellation.

“Do you remember I told you about Perseus and Algol?”

You nodded, “Yes.”

“They’re more than just a fancy set of freckles. They mean you’re marked.” He said. “You’re mine.”

He turned his head so you had a good view of this side of his neck. Along his hairline were five freckles that matched yours exactly.

“I’m a bad girlfriend.” You whispered as you brushed your fingertip along his freckles.

“How so?”

“I don’t know every inch of you.” You frowned, “I didn’t even know those were there.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to learn every inch.” He grinned, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“What do they mean exactly?” You asked, “The marks? Why does it mean that we share them? Are you mine as well?”

“Yes. We were destined for one another.” He shrugged, “It means I never have to worry about any other person's intentions with you because no matter what they do or how hard they try, you’ll choose me.”

“So I shouldn’t worry either?”

“You never have to worry.” He smiled, brushing your cheek with his thumb. “Even if I slept with a hundred others, I’ll always belong to you.”

You shook your head, “Okay but...please don’t ever do that.”

Jooheon laughed and wrapped his arms around you, “I won’t. You could do the same and it wouldn’t bother me either. Sex is just sex. What we share is eternal.”

Slipping your arms around his waist you rested your head on his shoulder. After a moment you let out a thoughtful hum. “I think I have an idea. I think I know how to make Changkyun feel better.”

-

It took a few weeks to figure it all out, but you and Jooheon came up with the perfect plan. Surprises were difficult with Changkyun because he was such a clever and overly suspicious demon. Not to mention you couldn’t lie to him.  Pulling one over on him was nearly impossible. It was also important to be very methodical with him. You couldn’t just come out with your proposal, he’d never agree to it outright. He would have to already be halfway in the scenario for it to work and even then both you and Jooheon had concerns that he’d be too hesitant and back out anyway. 

You knew you had to try, you knew that even if he couldn’t admit it, this was something he wanted. After diligent planning  together, there was some time needed for preparations, and then finally it was time for the execution. You were ready. Well, you were as ready as you were ever going to be.  

On the day the plan was to be set into motion it was raining. Jooheon assured you that it was a good omen and that you shouldn’t worry. The guys didn’t live at The Eighth Circle, contrary to many of the rumors that were told about them. They lived in what you thought was a surprisingly modern, luxury penthouse at the top of the tallest building in the entire city. You’d expected something more vintage, a dark cozy home that was decorated like the club. Regardless of what you expected you were always there. Actually at that point you were there so often with Jooheon that you more or less lived with them. So it was no surprise to Changkyun when he walked down to the open kitchen around midmorning and you were already sitting on one of the stools in front of the island.

As was usual, the morning paper was spread out in front of you while you sipped from your mug of hot coffee. You were in one of Jooheon’s oversized shirts and a pair of shorts so short that for a moment he thought you weren’t wearing any at all. He closed his eyes, willing himself to keep it together. Having you there was often torturous. He would have complained to Jooheon but he was also a glutton for punishment.

Moving into the kitchen he cleared his throat, “Morning.”

He noticed the slight jump you gave at his presence and smirked while he pulled a clean mug from the cupboard.

“Good morning!” You said cheerfully, though not too cheerfully.

It was a tricky balance and you were already nervous. That and you were also a bad actress. All of these winning factors put together had you feeling ready for an absolutely successful quest. That was if a graceless failure was your ultimate intention. Changkyun looked over his shoulder at you curiously but just for a moment before turning back to the coffee pot that he’d emptied into his mug, and started a new batch.

“What’s with you?” he asked, back still turned.

“Nothing, it’s just such a beautiful day and Jooheon is free all afternoon.” you sighed, “I’m just… excited.”

“Oh yeah?” he said sarcastically, pouring sugar and cream into his mug, “You two actually going to do something besides sit around here all day sucking face?”

“That’s not all we do.” you muttered into your coffee. You missed his exaggerated eye roll.

With his first cup of coffee prepared and more brewing in preparation for a second, he finally turned around to look at you. He looked from you through the double story glass curtain wall that overlooked the entire city. A look of suspicion passed over his features.  

“Beautiful day-” his face scrunched in disbelief and he looked back at you, “It looks miserable out there. You’ll definitely be stuck inside all day. And I’ll be stuck with you so... great for everyone.”

You shrugged innocently and looked back down at your paper as he leaned against the counter to shuffle through the sections you weren’t reading. Both of you stayed there quietly, pretending to be reading your bits of paper. In reality you were trying to think of ways to make yourself more appealing. Trying not to come off as awkward you attempted to show off the length of your neck, you sucked on your bottom lip for a bit, and even stretched your arms out releasing a quiet, albeit overly sexual moan. Changkyun clenched his jaw as he stared down at the paper trying his best not to imagine taking you over the counter.

Lucky for both of you Jooheon made his way happily down the stairs. “My two favorite people!”

Changkyun rolled his eyes so hard his head rolled back with them and he groaned loudly. Ignoring his incredibly common reaction, Jooheon made his way to you like a magnet, wrapping his arms around you and planting a kiss against your mouth.  

“I hate it here.” Changkyun muttered to himself.

“If you actually hated it, you’d have left by now.” Jooheon shot back.

Changkyun rolled his eyes again, though less dramatic. “What are you all dressed up for?”

“I have to go out for a bit for business. Finalizing some paperwork details with the new brokerage company.”

“That’s weird. Why would you do it today?” Changkyun turned to prepare his second coffee of the morning, “It’s your day off. Just have them come to the club tomorrow night and do it there.”  

“I just want to get it over with. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.” Jooheon shrugged. “Take good care of my girl for me.”

Turning around to look at the two of you he scoffed, “Yeah, sure.”

“I’ll be back in a bit.” Jooheon said quietly and left a kiss against your temple.

Changkyun faux gagged, and turned back around to finish getting his second coffee ready. After you heard the click of the front door you waited for the right moment. It was quiet between the two of you again. Just the sound of you sipping coffee, Changkyun’s silver spoon clinking against his ceramic mug as he stirred his drink, and the ticking of the clock on the wall. Once you figured a sufficient amount of time had passed you looked up from the paper you were reading. Changkyun had been leaning back against the counter, head tilted slightly as he watched you. When you caught him staring he didn’t even bother to look away.

“What?” you blushed.

He shrugged, “You want something from me.”

“What?” you scoffed, “What makes you think that?”

“I am a demon.” he reminded you, “I always know when someone wants something. Call it a trick of the trade.”

You let out a slow breath, what better time than now. “Okay, yeah. I want your opinion on something.”

Changkyun stepped forward towards the island and leaned against the counter on his elbows. “I am very opinionated.”

He wouldn’t take his eyes off of you and honestly it was making your blood heat up in your veins already. You wanted to look away from him but you knew you had to at least match his level of control and confidence. Jooheon had told you it was the only way this would work.

“I wanted to do something for Jooheon, a sort of thank you for how amazing the last  couple of months have been.”

He groaned, not shying away from letting you know how gross he thought it was. “You want me to tell you what to get your boyfriend?”

“No,” you shook your head, “I already have an idea. I just wanted your opinion on if you think he’ll like it.”

“Okay,” he sighed, “What is it?”

“It’s um...I can’t really explain it. I’d have to show it to you.” you dragged your teeth over your lip, “Do you have some time now?”

He looked you over for a long moment. You could tell he didn’t really want to, but you also knew he had a soft spot for you and that’s why there was any conflict in his decision at all. With a low groan he nodded, “Why not?”

Your face lit up with a smile. “Give me five minutes  and then meet me in the library?”

Not waiting for a response you hurried out of the kitchen and back up the stairs to the bedrooms. Changkyun was admittedly curious about your plan as he waited the five minutes. When he went down the hall to the office space they used as a library, he only found himself that much more intrigued. The curtains were drawn, which they never were. Only the smaller lamps were turned on, not the overhead lighting, and each one had been draped in red and purple fabrics. You had moved the furniture so that the floor was cleared save for a single, armless sitting chair in the center of the room. When he walked inside he found a card on the seat of the chair that said simply for him to sit. He could already feel his pulse quicken in anticipation.

“Ready?” your voice came from somewhere outside of the room.

“I assume so.” he called out and took a deep breath.

The speakers hidden around the room filled the air with a slow tempo rock song. He watched as you slipped into the room and slid the doors shut before turning around to face him. He inhaled deeply at the sight. You changed into one of Jooheon’s button down shirts over your too short shorts. A pair of black thigh high stockings accentuated your legs, and a pair of stilettos adorned your feet. Your hair was on the top of your head in what appeared to be a thoughtless bun, but was what had taken you most of the five minutes you were upstairs.

“Wh-what is this?” he stuttered out.

“Is it too much already?” you asked squirming slightly,  your thighs rubbing together. He almost choked, inhaling too sharply at the view. “I thought the heels were too much, but the stockings feel silly without them. And I would have taken them off but I wanted to make sure that there was enough to take off to keep it interesting, you know?”

“You’re going to dance for him?” Changkyun asked as his mouth started to water more with each step you took towards him. “You’re going to strip?”

“Is it stupid? I know he sees this kind of thing all the time at work, but do you think he’ll like it?” you asked

“Can’t imagine that he’d hate it.” he said with a tense exhale.

“Can I show you some of the stuff the girls at the club showed me?” you asked, “You can tell me if it’s good and what I should change?”

“He did say to take good care of you.” he sighed, “What’s under the shirt?”

“That comes later, Kyunnie.” you grinned as he flushed at the nickname, and stepped around the chair behind him.

You placed your hands on his biceps and dragged your fingers up to his shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze before slipping your hands down his chest. Your lips left little kisses against his neck while you dragged your hands back up his chest enough to unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt.

“I thought we were undressing you.” he said with a gulp.

Pulling his earlobe between your teeth you hissed out a shush and pulled open the red satin dress shirt to reveal his collarbone and shoulders. His eyes fluttered closed as you moved your mouth over his skin. You dragged your teeth over his delicate features before sucking them between your soft lips.

“You’re so sweet, Kyunnie.” you whispered against his ear before pulling away. Your hair brushed against his cheek gently and he inhaled the scent of your shampoo.

Walking around to the front of him you danced slowly to the music. He watched as you hooked your thumbs into the elastic of your shorts and tugged them down little by little with each sway of your hips. As you bent over to step out of the shorts the shirt you were wearing lifted up over your ass and slipped down your back revealing the black lace garter belt you were wearing to hold up your stockings. Without really thinking he reached out and his  fingers ghosted over the matching lace panties you were wearing.

“Are you peeking?” you asked looking back at him with a grin.

Taking your grin as a challenge he moved his hand so he was cupping your ass and he gave it a squeeze. “Just making sure it’s all up to par for our Honey.”

“Should I keep the stockings on or lose them?” you asked standing back up and turning to face him.

“Keep.” he said quickly, “And the shoes.”

With a small nod you stepped in front of  his legs. Pressing your leg between his knees forced his legs open. You moved between them and turned around. Wrapping your hands tight around his thighs you sat in his lap and loosened your hips to the beat of the music that was still playing in the background.

“Is this okay?” You asked sweetly leaning back against his chest, back arched just enough that he had a perfect view down your open shirt.

“It would be better like this…” he said moving his arms around your front. You watched as his fingers made quick work of the few buttons you had done up and he helped you shimmy out of the shirt completely before tossing it to the ground.

“Oh.” You moaned as he moved his hands up your bare torso, his fingers slipped beneath your lace bra and brushed against your nipple. “I think I like that better too.”

Reaching behind you, you slipped your hand behind his neck. He dropped his head down and dragged his teeth over your bare shoulder like you’d done to him earlier.

“What if I did this? Do you think he’ll like this?” You asked, rolling your hips back, ass pressing hard into his lap.

With one last rough squeeze of your breasts he dropped his hands to your hips and he pulled you even deeper, until you felt his building erection rub beneath you, “Push deeper. Can you feel that?”

Your nose pressed into his neck as you gasped, “Yes.”

“Do it like that. Try again.” He demanded.

“Like this?” You asked pressing hard into his lap once more and giving your hips a swirl.

“Fuck.” He cleared his throat, “Yeah. He’ll like that.”

“I was going to try this next…” you said before sliding your body down between his thighs. Your head rested on his lap, neck elongated as you looked up at him. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you to save his lost soul. Then you swirled around so that you were knelt on the ground in front of him.

Eyes wide and innocent, you looked up at him. Your innocence was his favorite lie. He looked down at you wordlessly, waiting for your next move. You placed your hands on his knees and moved them slowly up his black denim clad thighs until they met in the middle where you cupped his bulge in your palms. His dark eyes locked with yours and he wrapped his fingers around your hands. You watched his stoic face as he used your hands to massage himself. After a minute he moved his hands down around your wrists and pulled you up to your feet.

“Try this, he’ll like it.” hands gripping your hips he pulled you forward so that you had one leg on either side of his and he directed you to sit, straddling one single muscular thigh. “Do you know what I want you to do?”

You nodded.

“Then do it.”

With a lick of your lips you started to move your hips back and forth, rubbing yourself against his leg. Your mouth fell open as he started to flex the muscle beneath you. He sat up straight in the chair as you continued grinding down on him. His hands moved up your side and around to the back where he unhooked your bra before dragging it off your shoulders. He pulled you closer wrapping his mouth around one of your breasts.

“Fuck, Kyunnie.” you gasped as he kept himself latched onto your sensitive skin.

One of his hands gripped your hip roughly making sure you didn’t stop what you were doing. Your hands slipped over his shoulder and up into his hair. You tugged at his black locks as you continued to ride his flexing thigh. His hand moved down to your lace covered leg and he squeezed hard.

“Do you want more?” he mumbled against your breast.

“Yes,” You begged instantly, “Please.”

He moved his hand between your tense thighs and brushed his fingers against your clothed cunt. Your hips pumped harder, gaining friction from his hand gave you a renewed energy. He wasn’t quite finished with you yet, moving his abused fingers one step further and slipping them into your panties and then inside of you. Your mouth fell open in a gasp and he captured your bottom lip between his teeth and then let it go.

“Make yourself cum.” he said locking eyes with you.  

You had all the tools you needed to do what you were told. Your hips bucked wildly against his hand and his thigh. Fingers still twisted in his hair you pulled him closer and pressed your mouth to his. He let your tongue into his mouth and you groaned in delight at the feel of his tongue ring massaging you. It wasn’t hard for you to find your climax, you’d been so ready for it since the kitchen earlier. With his digits pumping inside of you, and your clit brushing against the heel of his hand,  you released a gush of orgasm out onto his thigh. Spent,  you leaned your head forward to rest against his shoulder for a moment.

“Do you think he’ll like it?” You asked quietly, thighs still trembling around his wrist.

He pulled his fingers from you slowly, and lifted them to your lips so you could take them into your mouth. “Do I think he’ll like having you nearly naked, humping his thigh, fucking your self on his fingers like a filthy whore?”

“Yes.” You moaned out your reply.

He  looked away from you, as if it was suddenly excruciating to be near you. “If he doesn’t there’s something wrong with him, not you.”

“What do you think he’ll do with me then?” You asked, moving your hands over his chest, his heart was pounding under your touch. “What would you want to do with me, Kyunnie?”

He spread his hands out over your bare back pulling you close enough to get his mouth on you. He sucked tiny splotches all over your skin before pulling back.

It wasn’t fair, he thought. All he had in this world was Jooheon and suddenly Jooheon had you and he was alone. He wished the roles were reversed. He wished you were his. It was agonizing for him to know that you weren’t and never would be. That he was going to be alone forever and have to watch the two of you smother one another with disgusting love in the meantime.

“I’d want to do exactly what I’m thinking about doing now.” muttered against your chest.

“Which is?” Jooheon’s voice came from the entrance of the room.

Changkyun looked over your shoulder at Jooheon and then back to you in a panic, “What is this?”

“Does it matter?” Jooheon asked, coming into the room. “What are you thinking about doing with her?”

With a gulp, Changkyun let himself think for a moment before answering, deciding to just be honest. “I’m thinking about fucking her full of gratitude.”

Jooheon raised an eyebrow, “Well?”

“Well what?” Changkyun asked unsure of what was going on but keeping his grip on your hips regardless.

“It’s rude to make her wait for her gift.”

“Why are you doing this?” Changkyun asked Jooheon.

He shrugged casually, “Because she asked nicely.”

Changkyun finally looked back at you, surprise clear on his face, “You asked for this?”

You nodded, “I missed you. I want you.”

“I- well…”

“Don’t you want me too? Haven’t you been thinking about me? Watching me…” you asked and chewed on your lip. “Just tell me how much you want me, Kyunnie.”

Changkyun lifted his hand to your chin and squeezed. He locked eyes with you, searching for something. “Tell me the truth.”

“I want you. And I want you to want me back.” you said honestly. “It makes me feel good.”

“You’re not a very good girl are you?”

“No. I’m selfish and I’m greedy. I want Jooheon,” you turned your head up to him as he stepped behind you and he cupped your face in his hand before dropping his mouth to yours for a sloppy wet kiss. Your hips started to grind once more on Changkyun’s thigh as Jooheon’s tongue massaged your own. When he pulled back you turned back to face Changkyun, “And I want you too.”

Leaning forward you captured his lips between yours for a kiss. He fell into the kiss for just a moment before pulling away to look up at Jooheon, “You’re okay with this? She’s bound to you.”

“I’m okay with it because she’s bound to me.” Jooheon grinned, “One day you’ll find it for yourself and you’ll understand. I hate to see you suffer in the meantime. So as long as she wants to, I’ll share.”

“What do you think, Kyunnie?” you asked sweetly, but he was sure he could hear poison somewhere buried in your voice, “Would you like that?”

He shrugged, “It wouldn’t exactly be the most fucked up thing I’ve ever done.”

“Good.” you leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his nose before standing up.

Jooheon wrapped his arm around your waist and the both of you looked over your shoulders. With a smile you reached your hand out to Changkyun and after a moment of genuine consideration he took it. The three of you made your way upstairs to the bedroom you and Jooheon shared. It was quiet but not uncomfortable. You were starting to feel a real buzz under your skin as you stepped into the room. Changkyun watched as Jooheon pulled you into his arms. He kissed you rough and deep until you were moaning, your thigh trying to inch its way up his leg.

But he pushed you off of him, “Do whatever he says.”  

You gently kissed each of his dimpled cheeks and then his lips one more. “You’re sure this is okay?”

“Don’t worry about me.” He said giving you one more kiss before pushing your hip gently towards Changkyun.

He looked so shy standing there waiting for you. He was looking to the side, toward the window, and he was holding his hands in front of him. It was a little strange seeing him drop his confident act. It was also obvious that as hard as he pretended not to , he had a lot of respect for Jooheon and seemed almost uncomfortable about using you.

“Kyunnie…” you stepped over to him and lifted your hand up to his neck, “Do you want this? It’s okay if you don’t.”

He let his forehead rest against yours, quiet when he whispered, “I want you.”

“Come.”

Taking his hands you brought him towards the bed where you sunk down into the mattress. Changkyun sat beside you, and he placed his hand on your knee. You watched his fingers as they slowly inched up your thigh until they were lightly pressed against the soaked crotch of your panties. He smiled. He’d done that.

“Does he give you everything you want?” Changkyun asked, leaning in to you with a soft kiss. “Or does he tease you like I would?”

“He gives me everything I want.” You whispered a little shakily as you felt him starting to take back control.

“I should have figured.” He scoffed, “No wonder you’re such a greedy brat. Are you even capable of doing anything for anyone other than yourself?”

“Yes.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Prove it.”

Cupping his neck with your hand you pulled him in for a quick kiss before moving off the bed. With your hands on his knees you pushed his legs open and moved yourself between them. He leaned back, heavy lidded eyes boring down into you. You were absolutely vibrating with excitement. This wasn’t something you’d gotten to do with him last time. He’d done so much for you and hadn’t given you the chance to return the favor. You’d have to repay him now.

Your hands were quick to undo the button on his jeans. He lifted his hips just enough that you could drag them down his legs, leaving him in just his black boxer briefs and red satin shirt that was still falling open from when you’d unbuttoned it. His cock was already fully erect, you suspected it probably had been for a while now. Pulling the elastic waistband of his boxer briefs down you watched dick snap up, smacking against his abdomen. His head was angry and red, leaking precum like a sieve.  Your tongue ran over your lips as you took in the vision.  

A shiver moved down his spine as you ran your tongue softly around his tip. Your lips left sweet, gentle kisses down his shaft to the base and then you pressed your tongue against the vein on the underside before dragging it back to the head. He was about to make a snarky comment, demand better from you, but before he could you plunged yourself down onto his cock.

His eyes went wide in shock  but he quickly shook himself out of it. He looked up at Jooheon who was leaning against a tall dresser, watching the two of you very diligently. “...she do this a lot?”

Jooheon answered with only a smug smirk. Just given the sheer size of him it had been difficult for you in the beginning, but he’d trained you well and was proud of his girl. A little annoyed with the lack of attention you gave him a taste of teeth. A gentle drag over his cock as you pulled up. Changkyuns gaze snapped back to you at the feel. You were pleased and he could see it written all over your face.

“Try that shit again.” he muttered darkly.

Happily playing the role of the brat you did exactly that. Looking up to meet his eyes, you made it a point to bare your teeth as you dragged them once again along his sensitive shaft. It was clear by the way he trembled beneath your touch that he liked it despite the attitude he was giving you. What he didn’t like was that you seemed to still think you were in control.

“Angel thinks she’s funny?” he asked, glaring down at you and you matched his gaze, your eyes dancing with amusement.

The suck job had been leisurely so far and you hadn’t taken him all the way yet. You were almost there but you’d still been using your hand around the base. Done playing he grabbed the messy bun at the back of your head in his fist and without any warning slammed your face down on his dick. You gagged harshly around him, nearly throwing up, but you steadied yourself quickly. Jooheon had pushed himself off of the dresser at the action, ready to step in but you held up a hand to him letting him know it was okay. Changkyun did it again and again, lifting his hips to meet your face.

He sounded like a feral animal, grunting and growling while he fucked your face. The only other sound in the room was a disgustingly lewd and wet gurgling sound coming from the back of your throat. Knowing you were okay, Jooheon allowed himself to enjoy the sound in juxtaposition with the gentle taps of raindrops on the window beside him.  

“I’m gonna fucking cum,” he gasped, and looked to Jooheon as if for advice.

Understanding the unasked question he shrugged, “Ask her.”

He eased off a little and looked down at you, “How do you want me?”

You let him pop out of your mouth, wiped the drool from your lips, and said, “Cum in my mouth.”

Completely mesmerized he watched as you dropped your mouth back onto him. He wasn’t fucking your mouth any more, but you went just as hard as if he had been. His mouth had fallen open but he couldn’t think of a thing to say, or a noise to make. Just little gasps of air escaped him. You knew he was close when his thighs clenched beneath your palms. Then his whole body stalled, save for a gentle pulsing of his hips as he unloaded down your throat and filled your mouth. You choked a little at the start but took him well in the end.

Honestly, a little spent, he leaned back on the mattress and looked down at you as you eased back onto your heels and swallowed. You were sure you looked like a mess. You thought to yourself, offhand, that you were glad that you hadn’t done your makeup. Just a little waterproof mascara and a bold red lipstick that was now staining rings around Changkyuns softened dick. Reaching your hand up, you went to wipe the tears from your cheeks but Changkyun bolted upright.

“Wait.” he said urgently, grabbing your wrists.

Frozen in place you waited to see what he wanted next. Loosening his grip on your wrists he dropped your hands into your lap. You watched him as his eyes moved over the mess that he’d made. Strands of hair had been tugged out of an already sloppy bun, making it look like you’d just stood in the center of a tornado. Tears streaked your cheeks, a few stragglers still clung to your lashes. Your mouth was red and your lips swollen. Still Changkyun looked at you like you were the Mona Lisa. His hands cupped your cheeks, brushing away the tears with his thumbs, and he leaned in to kiss you softly. Softer than he’d kissed you any of the other times his lips had met yours.  

He kissed you for a long minute, until his tongue had tasted every inch of your mouth and he pulled back with a sigh, “You’re really beautiful.”

You flushed at the intimate way he said the words. “Thanks…”

Jooheon was biting his bottom lip quite nervously. Changkyun cleared his throat, forcing himself back into the hardened character he often portrayed. “Go get Jooheon. But…don’t speak to him.”

Standing up you groaned at the ache in your knees, but shuffled over to Jooheon regardless. There were suddenly so many things you wanted to say to him, there were questions you’d wanted to ask. Mostly, was he still okay. He gave you a simple, small smile. And you took his hand, walking him back to the bed.

“Good.” Changkyun had been standing up, his pants pulled back up and hanging loose on his hips. He moved his hand to gesture towards the edge of the bed and looked to Jooheon, “Sit. Please.”

“What’s next?” you asked quietly.

“I want you to bend over. Hands on his thighs.” Changkyun commanded.

Already absolutely soaked, the sight of Jooheon sitting on the bed propped up with his hands just slightly behind him could have been enough to get you all the way off. As you thought about it, you were pretty sure you’d pictured him just like that before to jerk off. You couldn’t help it where he was concerned. Certain there was no sexier creature than him. His chest was rising and falling steady as he locked eyes with you, black eyes. Evil eyes that reached through your body and twisted your insides. The act of his eyes meeting yours alone made you moan out and you quickly bit your lip as he smirked like the cocky demon that he had turned out to be.

Still biting your lip, you did as you were told and bent at the waist in front of him. Your fingers wrapped around his thick, meaty thighs and you squeezed. All you could think about was getting on your knees and pulling him into your mouth the way he liked, the way you had just done with Changkyun. With a lick of your lips, you leaned forward for a kiss. His plump, pink lips were too close not to.

Before you could get your lips to his, Changkyun fisted your hair in his hand and pulled your head back so roughly you cried out in genuine pain.

“Don’t kiss him.” He hissed against your neck, ignoring your pained wince. “Don’t speak to him. As far as you're concerned he’s not even there.”

One hand still clutching your hair, the other grabbed your hip. His fingers dug deep into the skin, and pulled you back just enough that you could feel his rock hard dick pressed against your ass.

“Say you understand.” He growled. “This is my turn.”

“It’s just you and me, Kyun.” Eyes still locked on Jooheon, you whimpered as he rolled his hips into you from behind, “It’s just you, baby.”

His lips pressed against the skin of your shoulder with a satisfied hum, “Good. Good girl.”

Much more gently, kindly, he loosened his grip from your hair. His palm moved to the side until it was pressed against your cheek. Turning your face to his, he latched onto your mouth with his lips in an aggressive kiss. His tongue shoving into your mouth with no request, only staking its claim on you. You moaned, loud and deep, against the kiss as he explored.

“Very good.” He said as he pulled back, licking his lips as you gasped out a few breaths. He turned your head back to Jooheon, “Now, only think of me.”

It was then he used his foot to spread your legs until he was happy with your openness. For a moment you stood there, unsure of what he was doing, only feeling his hands palming your ass roughly. Then, just before you were ready to turn your head and complain with impatience, you felt his tongue brush a thick wet stripe along your cunt.

“F-Fuck.” You gasped at the feel as he did it again.

He’d knelt behind you, wanting to devour you. You were more than ready enough to take him, wet and waiting. He didn’t have to go down on you, but preparing you wasn’t the point. He’d missed the taste of you. He missed the soft, warm feel of your pussy surrounding his tongue. He wanted to prove to you and to him he could make you cum again, just like he had the first time.

“Yes...Oh, fuck.” You moaned, you rolled back against his mouth. “It feels so good, baby. You know just what I want, Kyunnie.”

Something about Jooheon being face to face with you as the coils tightened in your gut from another man’s ministrations made the whole thing infinitely hotter. Your skin was burning, moist with sweat already and you hadn’t even been fucked yet. His jaw clenched with every moan, groan, whimper, and whisper that oozed from your mouth.

“Yeah, yes. Yes yes yes. I’m gonna cum.” You whispered sweetly after a few minutes of his tongue dipping inside of you, then pulling out and brushing against your clit. Your nails were digging into the flesh on Jooheon’s thighs so deep that if it weren’t for the protection of his jeans, beads of blood would have gathered on the skin.

“Who…” Changkyun broke away from you for just long enough to ask, “who’s making you cum? Who are you cumming for?”

Keeping your eyes locked on Jooheon you grinned, something sinister making its way through you. “You, Changkyun, I’m cumming for you. Only you.”

A low growl emitted from deep in Jooheon’s chest and you watched his tongue run roughly against the inside of his bottom lip with rage. Finally, you thought, a little jealousy on his part. There was a spark of a flame in your eyes as you leaned forward, not touching him or kissing him, just your lips hovering over his ear as you gasped and moaned. Your hot breath cascading over his skin.

With your ear at his mouth as well he muttered an angered, “You’ll regret this.”

You didn’t care for his threat, too busy circling your orgasm as Changkyun circled your clit with his tongue. Willing to risk getting caught breaking the rules you dragged your bottom lip against Jooheon’s cheek. You were so close, hanging on by a thin strand of hair… and he pulled away. You felt you should have known better than to expect to come easy with him.

“Asshole.” muttered under your breath, but he heard you anyway.

“You’re the one that missed me, angel.” He grinned, rubbing his still hard cock between your thighs. Your slick sex coating him with ease.

You snapped your head to look over your shoulder at him with a glare. Frustrated at his denial you spat out, “If you didn’t miss me, you don’t get to fuck me.”

“Shut up, you little brat.” He sneered and landed a hard smack against your bare ass. “I’ve already admitted I did. Don’t be so sensitive.”

“I thought that’s how you liked me.” You grinned. With a chuckle he slapped you again making you jolt.

“Look ahead.” He commanded, “And remind me...who’s here?”

Your tongue brushed over your lip as you locked eyes with Jooheon once more. “Me and you, Kyunnie. Just me and you.”

“Good.” he muttered before easing inside of you with a wet squelch, and a hiss through his teeth.

Hands gripping your hips roughly he drilled into you, using you like a battering ram into Jooheon’s chest.

“Fuck.” Your mouth dropping open in pleasure, “Oh, your cock… fuck me.”

After several minutes he slowed his pace, hands running up your back lightly. Your body trembled beneath him. The gentle touch of his fingers leaving prickles all over your skin. He moved his hands back down in the same manner until he was holding your hips again.

“Just between the two of us,” he said quietly, “Do you love my cock inside of you?”

“Yes,” you whined as he pushed himself so deep he disappeared inside of you completely. “I love it so much.”

“Do you think Jooheon would love to see it?” He asked, “Do you think he’d like to see me stuffed balls deep in your wet little cunt?”

Looking at Jooheon you watched him snarl at the question. “No.”

“Do you think he likes to watch you cum?”

“Yes,” you groaned.

“But you don’t think he’d like to watch you cum for me?” You shook your head, and he laughed. “Good.”

As if it was a challenge he picked up his pace. Jooheon’s shoulder dug into your chest with every thrust as he kept his hands to himself and you kept yours wrapped around his thighs. Your cheek rubbed gently against the side of his head and his soft hair. It was, in a way, comforting.

“Do you love him?” Changkyun asked quietly. “Do you love Jooheon?”

With a gulp you leaned back and looked at Jooheon. His eyes were different now, normal. They were softer, big and brown and eager as he looked at you, waiting for your answer.

“Why do you hesitate?” Changkyun asked, stilling for a moment inside of you. “Answer me.”

“We haven’t said it yet.” You mumbled, “We haven’t said it to each other.”

The slower pace he took was more agonizing than the faster one. Each thrust inside of you meant the head of his cock rubbing against your gspot. You couldn’t believe this was the conversation you were having when you were seconds from gushing around him.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.” You lifted one of your hands to cup Jooheon’s neck.

“If he was here what would you say?” Changkyun asked, “Say it like you’d say it to him.”

Your eyes were glistening as you looked at his ethereal face and whispered, “I love you.. I love you. I love you.”

A confession for every thrust Changkyun made. Jooheon pressed his forehead to yours, lifting a hand to cup around your neck as well.

Changkyun laughed at the act of pure intimacy. “At least help her cum, you don’t have to be such a monster.”

Jooheon’s eyes flickered to Changkyun and then he moved his free hand between the two of you. The pad of his thumb rubbed heavy circles against your clit. You cried out in an overstimulated agony, vibrating and pulsing around Changkyun until he was cumming too. He held your hips for a moment to catch his breath.

As Changkyun gently eased himself out of you and stepped away, Jooheon brushed his thumb over your lips and you pressed a kiss to it.

He smiled, his cheek dimpling deeply, “I love you.”

Looking over your shoulder you watched as Changkyun grabbed his clothes off the floor. “Where are you going?”

“Leaving, so you two can do whatever weak shit couples do.”

“Stay.” You grinned and held out your hand to him, “I’m not done with you just yet.”

He scoffed in disbelief, “What?”

“Oh, come on.” You’d turned and sat down on Jooheon’s lap. Grinning over at him you said, “I know you fuck a lot of women, but we both know I’m your favorite.”

Jooheon was peeking over your shoulder at Changkyun, his thumbs playing with the straps of your garterbelt. He watched the younger man as he shuffled his feet uncomfortably, quietly, against the floor. He stared at the shirt in his hands, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“No...he doesn’t.” Jooheon said with a genuine surprise.

Both you and Changkyun looked at him. You looked at him curiously, where Changkyun was more flabbergasted.

“Doesn’t what?” you asked, “Know that I’m his favorite?”

“Doesn’t fuck a lot of women.” Jooheon sounded confident in the accusation, “I don’t actually think he’s fucked anyone since you.”

You choked out a genuine laugh, “Honey… he’s with a new skank every night. We often hear his conquests through the walls.”

Jooheon looked only at Changkyun. “They might fuck around, handjobs and kissing...but he doesn’t fuck them. Do you?”

Looking between the two of them you felt stunned, and then you realized that Changkyun wasn’t denying any of it. He just stood there, eyes on the ground, jaw clenched.

“Kyun?”

He shook himself out of it and looked up at you. “What? What do you want me to say?”

“Nothing.” you said quietly. “Come here…”

“No, see this is why this was a bad idea. This is why I shouldn’t have done it.” he shook his head, angry with himself. “I don’t need you to look at me all sad like that. I didn’t need some pity fuck.”

You stood up then and crossed the floor to where he stood. Grabbing his hand you lifted it so he was cupping your cheek. “You know I can’t lie with your hands on me. Right?”

He nodded, a gulp moving down his throat.

“No one here is pity fucking anyone. I told you that I wanted you and I meant it. Now you’re going to come with me back to the bed so that both of you can use me until each of us is satisfied.” you looked at him sternly. “Have I made myself clear?”

He nodded once more and you led him back to the bed and Jooheon. With a bit of renewed pep you bounced onto the mattress and crawled up to the head of the bed. Jooheon looked over at you with a strange sense of adoration, proud of the way you took control and grateful for how good you were while simultaneously being quite deviant.

“If you ask me both of you are far too dressed.” you tutted looking at the pair, “Feel free to get naked and join me at any time, my sexy little demons.”

With his shirt in his hands and pants already falling off his hips, Changkyun climbed up next to you first. You cupped his face with both hands and started to kiss him. His tongue slipped into your mouth and massaged your own, his hand gently placed on your hip. There was a dip in the mattress on your other side and you felt Jooheon’s soft fingers start to drag up your inner thigh. You turned then and grabbed his plump cheeks in your palms and kissed him too.

While you moaned into Jooheon’s mouth, his fingers rubbing circles over your wrecked lace panties, Changkyun dipped his head down, sucking your tit into his mouth. His hand lifted to the other one, and his fingers began to work your nipple until it was pert. You sighed happily as you sunk down into the plush pillows.

“Yes…” you let out a soft chuckle, “This is nice. This is what I wanted.”

Jooheon laughed against your neck before sucking the skin back between his lips. He also slipped two long agile fingers inside of your dripping cunt. He raised a surprised eyebrow, not expecting how tightly you squeezed around him. Changkyun kept his mouth and hands focused on your breasts. You felt absolutely euphoric with one arm around Jooheons’ shoulder and your free hand massaging Changkyuns head. With the extra stimulation it took just a few minutes before you were a gushing mess of orgasm.

You watched as Jooheon pulled away, moving down between your legs. Taking the cue, Changkyun moved up from your chest. He sucked your aching, swollen bottom lip between his in a kiss. His hand slipped over your chest, until it was resting gently against your throat. Jooheon tore the lacy panties you were wearing from your body roughly. Leaving you in just the garter belt and stockings. Gripping your legs he tugged you down the mattress until your legs were on either side of his hips and your back was flat on the mattress. Changkyun stayed where he had been which meant he was hovering over your face now, and his hand was pressed a little harder against your throat because you’d been dragged into it.

You let out something between a moan and a gasp as Jooheon sunk into your, at this point, well used pussy. He had such a girth that even though you were soaked and had already been fucked, there was a satisfying stretch to having him inside of you. You reached your hand down around Changkyun to give him a nice tug. The bed groaned with each and every thrust from Jooheon. He wasn’t always this rough on you, but you knew you had to be punished at least a little for purposely getting him jealous. He pistoned into you fast and hard.

You’d have cried out or screamed for him but Changkyun had slowly been tightening his grip on your throat until you couldn’t so much as breathe. Your mouth had fallen open and he dipped his tongue into your mouth playfully, just barely tasting you, licking your tongue. He did it a few more times until your tongue reached desperately out for his. He grinned down at you, watching your face carefully to make sure you were okay.

“Fuck, baby.” Jooheon groaned, his hands gripped on your thighs so tight it felt like he was rubbing a burn into them. “I’m gonna cum so hard.”

“Aw,” Changkyun cooed mischievously. “You’re gonna like that aren’t you? Your cunt feels so good, I bet he blasts all the way into your throat. Such a good slut.”

You could barely even whimper a response, your knees squeezing around Jooheons’ hips.

Jooheon dropped his hand down and circled your overstimulated clit with his thumb. “Whose pussy is this?”

You would have screamed, you wanted to cry out from the pain and pleasure of it all. Instead your toes curled and tears streaked your cheeks.

“I asked you a question,” he said firmly. You knew he knew why you didn’t respond but he asked again, “Who does this pussy belong to? Say it!”

With an evil smirk Changkyun released your throat and you gasped for air, your next orgasm hit you almost as soon as the fresh air hit your lungs.

“It’s your pussy!” you screamed, “Fuck! It’s yours, Jooheon! I’m yours! My pussy is yours! It’s yours! It’s yours...it’s yours. It’s…”

He’d already stilled inside of you with his orgasm and come down from it, while your body continued to jerk beneath him. You imagined this was your life now. Uncontrollable orgasmic tremors. Changkyun left sweet soft kisses along the red marks along your neck as you came down. Jooheon rubbed his hands over your thighs to ease the muscles. Once your breathing calmed down he grinned down at you.

“You okay?”

You nodded, “Am I dead? Did I die?”

Changkyun chuckled next to your ear and Jooheon laughed outright.

“No, baby, you’re not dead.”

“Are you satisfied now?” Changkyun asked, brushing the hair from your face. You shook your head.

“One more.” The younger demon's eyebrows shot up to his hairline at your words and you looked up at Jooheon, “You know what I want. Then we can be done.”

With a nod of agreement Jooheon slid down onto his stomach, his face between your legs. You only struggled slightly as you lifted yourself to your elbows.

“What are you doing?” Changkyun asked.

You smiled over at him, “Just kneel up here for me.”  

“Y/n…” he said cautiously, “You’re spent, angel.”

“I can handle it.” you argued, “Now please let me suck your dick so it’s ready to go once Honey is done.”

Curious, he moved his way down your body to see what it was exactly that Jooheon was doing.  Jooheon looked over and smirked at the surprise on his face.

“Same time?” Changkyun murmured, his face lighting up as Jooheon nodded, “That little devil.”

“Kyunnie!” you whined loudly and he moved up the bed like you’d asked him to.

He cupped the back of your head with one hand as you directed his half hard cock into your mouth for a nice leisurely blow job. You laughed around his dick as he fixed your hair into a proper ponytail, and moaned when Jooheon had you near ready. After a few minutes he popped up onto his knees.

“We’re ready.”

You released Changkyun from your lips with a loud pop and pulled yourself up onto your knees. You directed Jooheon onto his back and straddled his lap.

“My pussy.” he reminded you softly.

Leaning down you pressed a soft kiss against both of Jooheon’s dimples and then brushed his ear with your lips, “All yours.”

With a deep groan you sunk down onto him, it was a little tense but you knew you could do it, that you wanted it.  Looking over your shoulder you eyed Changkyun who was stroking his fully erect cock.

“I don’t have to tell you what to do, do I?”

“No.” He laughed, “I’m well versed in threesomes, angel.”

He moved behind you then and took a second to spread your cheeks open, appreciating the ass eating Jooheon had done diligently to make sure you were nice and ready for him. Mouth watering at the sight in front of him he let a stream of spit fall from his lips onto his cock. Rubbing it over his tip with his palm he pressed his dick slowly against your asshole. Jooheon was whispering against your ear, urging you to relax for him. Once you had it was easier for him to push inside of you until you were filled to the brim with dick.

“Oh, sweet devil in hell.” you muttered breathlessly.

Now that it was happening you weren’t sure how much you’d actually be able to handle. Neither of them was even moving yet and you were already on the brink. Changkyun moved his hands slowly up your back, leaning into you. His lips pressed softly against the back of your shoulder on one side, while Jooheon kissed the front of your shoulder on the other. Skin blooming all over with beads of sweat and nerves tingling with overstimulation, you couldn’t imagine it got any better than this.

You let out a sigh, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Changkyun started, he eased out slowly and pushed back in with just as much care until you had become accustomed to the feel. It happened faster than either of you expected, but once it did you encouraged Jooheon to move as well. After a few minutes had passed you were begging them both to go deeper, to fuck you faster. Your arms were trembling as you held yourself up over Jooheon. Fingers clutched the blankets on both sides of his head into fistfulls.

Changkyun had his hands on your hips again, pulling you back into his lap. Jooheon had his hands on the backs of your thighs pulling you up onto his dick. You weren’t sure if either of them understood human anatomy because it felt like you were being tugged in two different directions. It didn’t matter enough for you to say anything however, your orgasm was coming hard and fast and you didn’t have the energy for words. It was just illicit moaning and trying to keep breathing. Jooheon and Changkyun came back to back. Being filled to the point of gushing made you feel filthy and sexy.  

Changkyun removed himself first, and helped gently lift you from Jooheon. You collapsed back onto the pillows, aching for sleep. Jooheon climbed up beside you and rested his head against your shoulder.

“Should I run you a bath, love?” he asked kindly.

You shook your head, “I just want to sleep for a bit.”

Changkyun lifted his palm to your cheek and gave you a soft kiss against your lips. “Thank you, angel.”

You grabbed his wrist before he could pull himself away from you, “Stay.”

“No, it’s okay, you guys-”

“Kyunnie…” you sighed, exhausted. “Lay down. You worked hard.”

He crashed down next to you with a groan and laid his head on the shoulder opposite Jooheon. The latter was already breathing softly with sleep. You held his head gently in your arm, and turning your face towards him you pressed a kiss against his sweaty forehead. The clouds outside were pitch black and you listened to the rain as it beat against the windows harder than before. Eyes closed, a smile spread across your face and you whispered to a nearly sleeping Changkyun.

“Told you it was a beautiful day.”

-

Minhyuk pulled up to The Eighth Circle and put the car in park. In the backseat Jooheon, fingers wrapped around your hand, pulled it to his lips. You blushed lightly as he left a kiss against your knuckles.

“Ohhh-Kay.” Changkyun sighed from the front seat, popping his door open, “I’ll see you two inside.”

Things had been infinitely better between the three of you but witnessing the amount of affection the two of you often shared still wasn’t Changkyun’s cup of tea. Even if he got to fuck you sometimes, you loved Jooheon and all three of you knew that. He was okay with it now. Oftentimes he found  himself genuinely happy for the both of you. It was just hard when he realized, after the two of you had been sleeping together for while, that what he really wanted was deeper than sex. He wanted what you two shared. He wanted to be bonded.

The three of you had been running late but the club didn’t open for another half hour. Still it wasn’t a surprise to anyone that there was already a line at the door. Girls hovered in a swarm around the front as Changkyun tried to get inside. They called out his name, tried to get him to remember them, each and every one of them vying for attention. It was well known at that point that Jooheon was off limits, which meant that there was only one Malebranche Brother left and everyone wanted him. Jooheon and you had thought he might like it, but Changkyun’d started to loathe the attention when he knew that none of them were The One.  

He ducked inside the door, narrowly missing a pair of used panties that had been thrown at his head. Club employees greeted him kindly as they moved around getting things ready for open. Changkyun stopped at the bar first. He made himself an old-fashioned and popped a few cherries into his mouth before making his rounds. He visited each room and meandered around. He did quick check-ins with all of the employees, spoke to security to make sure everything looked good, went backstage to make sure the performers were happy and had everything they needed before curtains. Certain that everything was running smoothly he made his way back to the foyer as doors opened. He watched for just a minute before starting his way up stairs.

The room filled quickly as people started to filter into the different rooms. He’d gotten halfway up the staircase when his legs froze in place. His hand clutched the banister and his eyes closed. He tried taking a deep breath but his chest was tight. There was a twisting in the pit of his stomach and he wasn’t sure how to ease it. It wasn’t like anything he’d ever felt before. He figured it was something he ate. With a gulp he turned his head to look over his shoulder back down at the crowded room below. He tried to find you or Jooheon, hoping one of you could help.  

The twisting started to feel like a tug. It felt as if a rope had been tied tightly around him and was attempting to pull him backwards, back down the stairs. It was an energy he’d never experienced before. A magnet tearing through him. It clicked in his mind then, he’d heard about a sensation just like it once. It was the way Jooheon described the first time he’d seen you. A need so heavy it had made him sick.

With a nervous gulp he turned around completely, his eyes passed over the crowd until they reached a young woman who was just making her way inside. A group of friends surrounded her as she looked around the room in awe, it was clear it was her first time there. She’d been smiling and laughing with her friends while they moved towards the bar. He watched her for a moment as her demeanor changed.

Her smile faded into something a little confused, almost scared. Her bottom lip tucked between her teeth and she squirmed slightly in the tight fabric of her dress. Then her eyes turned to pass over the crowd, like she was searching for someone. Her face turned toward the staircase and their eyes met. Changkyun’s lip curled into a smirk as she looked up at him with big wanton eyes. Finding her smile once more she raised an eyebrow. With a single finger he urged her over and she began to make her way through the crowd towards him. As he moved back down the stairs to meet her he let out a sigh of relief as all of his feelings for you eased away. He’d found what he was looking for.

It was her.

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 53: Connoisseur

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Fifty-Three: Connoisseur

Notes: I had way too much fun with this chapter. Even use the voice to speech editor!

(-~-)

After what felt like a lifetime, Sirrus had finally made good on his promise to cook dinner.

When he had shown up with groceries, he had done so with a vengeance, bringing what had to be an entire vehicle’s worth of them despite the fact that he had seemingly brought them there on foot. No one had seen a vehicle of any sort. If he’d had them delivered, they hadn’t noticed, and unfortunately it had only occurred to them after he’d brought everything in that he’d had quite a bit to carry.

Much to their astonishment, he was actually capable of cooking, despite the fact that he showed very little interest in actually cooking what he had just made. He’d brought himself a bottle of wine that he had no intention of sharing, and then he had made himself comfortable, more interested in knowing if they enjoyed the meal than actually tasting it for himself. Had they just been poisoned?

“You know, this is pretty damn good,” Nero said as he went back for a second plate of whatever pasta he’d been digging into. It wasn’t something that he’d had before, but whatever it was, it was great. He made sure to set some aside for Kyrie and the kids to taste when he went back home tomorrow. He needed to check and make sure that everything was okay back at home. Then he would return and spend a bit more time with his older sibling. “Were you just not hungry or something?”

Sirrus looked up from his bottle of wine, more than halfway done with it but still not seemingly intoxicated. He’d been silently drinking for about a half-hour, enjoying every moment of it. It seemed that his alcohol tolerance was quite strong. After all, that was some dark wine, and although it wasn’t the biggest bottle Nero had ever seen, he couldn’t help but notice that he was probably going to finish it off in one sitting.

“Hm? Oh. I appreciate your concern, but I will have to pass. There is an ingredient in that pasta that I simply can’t abide by.” Sirrus topped off his drink, being the only person that any of them had ever seen drink wine out of what seemed to be a round, flat-bottomed drinking glass instead of a full-sized one. It was strange, to say the least. He would slosh it around for a moment before taking an occasional sniff and drinking it, nodding to himself. None of them understood why, but they simply assumed that he really liked that wine.

“But… then why not leave it out? Then you could eat it.” Nero was genuinely confused as to why he made something for them to eat that he would be allergic to. It seemed like a hazard. And what in the world had he even put in the pasta that he was allergic to? It didn’t seem like an exceptionally complex dish. Did Sirrus ever eat?

“I find that people seem to like it better with that in the dish. It gives it a good flavor.” He shrugged slightly, taking another sip of his drink. “It’s kind of like leaving salt out of your food. You just don’t do that unless you have to.”

Nero sighed and shook his head, amused. He could have just made them something else for dinner if that was the case, but he was grateful either way. He didn’t really need to understand it. “I swear, if it’s garlic or something… ” The youngest descendant of Sparda froze in place, his brain jamming like a faulty gear. “... Are you a fucking vampire?!”

Much to both his and V’s surprise, Sirrus burst into hysterical laughter. He barely managed to sit his drink and the bottle down on the coffee table before leaning over continuing to laugh, gagging slightly. He continued that way for almost two minutes before wiping the tears from his eyes and standing up, clearing his throat. He was clearly flushed and seemed almost embarrassed to have reacted in the way that he had.

“That’s not a bad guess, but no. Not quite, I’m afraid.” He took a few deep breaths, clearing his throat further. Once he had shaken off the residual urge to continue laughing by stifling a short flurry of chuckles, he reached down and took another sip of his drink, using it to coat his throat. That had nearly wrecked his vocal cords. “But I can see why you might think that. Unfortunately, I think my ability to not burst into flames during the daylight hours disqualifies me.”

Shrugging in defeat and opting to return to his food, Nero silently admitted defeat. Sirrus had a point, vampires did burn in the sun. At least from what he knew. And all of this was hypothetical, after all. Vampires weren’t a real thing… were they? After all, he was a quarter-demon. Who was he to say what was and wasn’t valid on the supernatural spectrum? It wouldn’t be the craziest thing he’d ever heard or the strangest thing he’d ever experienced. “Yeah probably.”

Clearly realizing that he had probably made things somewhat awkward, he sat down again, unable to remember why he had just stood up. He truly had been turned around by Nero’s comment. “But that being said, I genuinely can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. So thank you. I think I needed it more than I realized.”

Returning to his food in an effort to finish it before it got cold, Nero nodded. They were going to have a busy day working on this plan, and he wanted to enjoy the simple things before anything major happened. And while this pasta wasn’t the simplest thing he’d ever had, it was much simpler than basically everything else going on. Why ruin it?

Seemingly considering something, V turned to face both his brother and their companion. He’d only been half-listening, but he had been fully amused. Dante and Vergil had left about an hour ago, and Lucia was asleep upstairs. Flora and Morgan had joined her not too long ago, and Bren had joined the twins at Vergil’s request, the eldest of the group unwilling to allow him to linger around everyone else without himself present. “In order to keep them from being easily tracked by the summoner who is actively hunting V and Morgan,” he’d said. And to be fair, that made sense.

Yawning, V stood up from the armchair that he’d made himself comfortable in and headed towards the hallway. As amusing as this conversation was, he felt an immense desire to take a nap and rest. There would be time enough to go back and forth with them over the fascinating and diverse mythological history of vampires and demons another time. For now, he would be satisfied simply getting a good night’s rest.

“If I may, I bid you farewell. I am far past my prime, and I believe it is now time that I retire to my bedroom.”

Nero scoffed playfully. “V, you're, what, barely in your early twenties? You haven’t even gotten to your prime yet. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Pausing for a moment, V took that into consideration. He then smirked and tilted his head in Nero’s direction, peering at him over his shoulder with his back still turned to him. “I’m sorry Nero, but while I am aware of this, the rest of my body doesn’t seem to agree with you. I’m afraid those decisions come from a bit further up the ladder.” He barely resisted the urge to laugh to himself. It was true, but that didn’t make the joke any less compelling in his mind. But he appreciated his younger brother’s support.

Sirrus simply held up his glass and nodded, his mouth full of more wine. It seemed that he had no interest in holding V up. He wasn’t going to stop him from heading off to bed, it seemed. And V was sure that whenever he got up in the morning Sirrus would be there to greet him. He couldn’t pinpoint how, but he just knew that that was the case. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He still had work to do.

(-~-)

One of V’s least favorite phenomena had just occurred. And of course, it would pick a time like this. So often when he found himself tired and excited to get a good night’s rest, something like this would occur, absolutely throwing off his entire routine and disturbing what would otherwise be a relaxing time. But considering everything that was going on, he couldn’t say that he was surprised that his own body would betray him in such a manner. At least it wasn’t demonic in nature for once.

He had never been able to put a name to the sensation, but he had felt it all his life. For as long as he could remember, the sensation had occasionally plagued him when he started to drift off to sleep, disturbing what would have otherwise been a peaceful night’s rest. But it had managed to creep its way back into his subconscious yet again, just as it always did. The sensation of falling was unwelcome, but it happened from time to time. He knew it wasn’t all that strange, but he still didn’t enjoy waking up that way.

Wiping the sweat from his brow and panting slightly, he decided that the best course of action in this situation would be to get something cold to drink. Perhaps that would calm his frayed nerves. He would normally brew a cup of tea, but he simply did not feel like putting in that much effort into it right now. He would have a cold drink and return to his bed. It was as simple as that.

Laying there in the bed reclined against the headboard, he found himself actively telling himself to get up and head downstairs, but to his surprise, his muscles didn’t move. No matter how much he tried, he simply couldn’t will himself to move even the slightest amount. A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he cursed his sedentary state. He was quite literally getting nowhere like this.

After several minutes, his leg suddenly moved, his brain subconsciously registering the fact that he had apparently been dozing off without realizing it. He’d actually zoned out, thinking about nothing in particular, and it seemed that he had suddenly regained the willpower necessary to do something; anything that he’d been trying to do. It was a small victory, but an important one. Or, at least he thought so. He was positive that he could actually make himself get up and head downstairs now. He just hoped that he didn’t manage to wake anyone up when he was doing it. He was in a haze.

Endeavoring to make his way out of the bed and over to the door to his bedroom, he sighed and tossed the covers to the side before standing up and heading over to the door. This wouldn’t take long, and then he could come back. Just the act of heading to the kitchen was exhausting enough to tell him that this plan was probably going to work just fine. He just hoped that he didn’t wake anyone up as he rounded the corner and headed towards the steps. But on his way over, something caught his eye.

Just out of the clear line of sight, he was certain that the back balcony door was open. The bright moonlight shined through as the curtains blew in the chilly night air, cooling that floor of the house and letting in the pleasant aroma that only hung in the air after it rained or snowed. But as lovely as it was, perhaps it was best that he close the door and go get his water so that he could head back to bed. This wasn’t the time to stay up.

Cautiously making his way over to the door, he paused as he entered the crosshairs formed by the glass in the windows. It was almost entrancing, the sight of the autumn moon lingering over a blanket of fresh snow. If he hadn’t been so tired he could have stood there forever, just enjoying the cool silence and the tickle of cold air on his exposed skin. But he knew that it was not the right time for something like that. He had been ordered to get plenty of rest, and this wasn’t the way to accomplish that. So with a heavy heart, he decided to turn back and head to his room. 

And he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he did.

Standing before him was Sirrus, silent, and admittedly scary as hell to him in a manner that he had never experienced before. For a brief but frankly terrifying moment, he’d made eye contact with the other man, his icy gray eyes turning from their normal color to a spine-chilling black. And not just the pupil. The entire eyeball. But then after what felt like a lifetime, he slowly blinked, tilting his head a centimeter at a time to the right as he seemed to register V’s presents for the first time so slowly that V wondered if he was possessed. And after what felt like the passage of a century, he blinked. Slowly and deliberately in a manner that reminded him entirely too much of the way that a snake or a lizard might. There was entirely too much control behind the gesture for his tastes, and he was positive that he never wanted to see it again for as long as he lived.

He hadn’t registered his companion’s approach, and he most certainly hadn’t been prepared for this glimpse into what he could only assume was his true nature. It reminded him of the way that the other members of his own family’s eyes changed color when they entered their Devil Trigger state, except somehow several measures creepier. Perhaps it was purely because of the fact that although yellow and red were not normal eye colors by any metic, black was just sinister. What on earth had he just discovered? V refused to believe that this wasn’t something that happened regularly. It just seemed like something that had an actual reason behind it. After all, he was sure that he’d actually seen that just now and that he hadn’t been hallucinating. 

“Honestly, it’s so rare that anyone ever sees me under moonlight that I forget the effect it has on me. Forgive my startling visage and my inability to announce myself when I enter a space.”

The young summoner continued to stare blankly, rooted to the spot. For whatever reason, he just didn't seem to be able to form any meaningful thoughts at the moment. He still felt like he had just stared into the abyss and it had stared back at him. Or perhaps more appropriately into him. The nature of his companion’s powers and, to that extent, his very being, we’re still a mystery to him, so to say that this had taken him entirely off guard would be an understatement. But it wasn’t so much that he felt threatened by Sirrus as it was that he simply had no ability to understand what had just happened between them. He now had a better understanding as to why Nero had been so surprised to see him up this late in the kitchen on a few occasions. It was, indeed, very distressing. But he had a distinct feeling that this was somehow worse.

“I could be mistaken, but you seem to have something on your mind.” Sirrus was clearly trying his very best to make an uncomfortable situation seem less so, but he clearly understood that he wasn’t getting anywhere and fast. A part of him genuinely wished that he hadn’t seen him doing that, even if it was only for V’s sake. People tended to react poorly to that aspect of who he was. “I assure you that I have not been possessed or otherwise influenced by the darkness that seeks to consume us all. This is simply just what my eyes do at night under the cover of a full moon when I am outside. The curse of what I am. That is why you didn’t see this before now. They do just the opposite on bright sunny days, though that is a bit harder to notice.”

“… Yes, I see that.” He honestly didn’t know how to feel about this situation. But he could try and break the ice. “Is it uncomfortable? It seems as though it would give you a bad case of photosensitivity.”

“As a matter of fact, it sort of does.” Sirrus shrugged, walking over to the rail and sitting down in the thin layer of snow that coated the balcony. “But again, I am sorry that I disturbed you. Darkness and light are present in different measures in all beings, but during certain natural phenomena, it takes a much more literal hold over me. There is no danger in it. I have full control over my abilities. I’ve worked my whole life to ensure that… but the full moon still seems to have some wicked hold over me. It possesses an allure that I cannot deny. And so from time to time, I indulge in its presence. Even if only for a moment. That seems to satiate my nebulous desires.”

V nodded, leaning against the railing. He had felt his own version of that from time to time, but it didn’t seem to be as strong as what his companion had just described. It sounded as though it called to him in a way that he couldn’t explain away in the manner that V could. Perhaps that was a trademark of things that resided or originated in darker places? It seemed demonic in nature, but from what he’d inferred during Sirrus’s conversation with Hydrangea back at the Ludwig estate, Sirrus seemed to possess powers that dwelled firmly in the light side of the power spectrum. He didn’t know enough about the differences between enhancement and abilities to have a firm opinion on that matter, but he had to admit that this made him consider a few possibilities.

“You’ve been quiet. Have I startled you into silence?”

Glancing over at him nonchalantly, V quietly dispelled that notion with his now much more relaxed demeanor. He hadn’t been visibly distressed before, but what little fear that had been present in him had now entirely dissipated. “Forgive me. I was considering something.”

Sirrus nodded in understanding before he poured the last of his wine into the glass that he was holding. Whether this was the same glass or another one was unknown to him, but V was still somewhat surprised to see that he was completely sober. And although he wasn’t sure how he knew, he just knew that it didn’t affect him the same way it did everyone else. He himself had still failed to ever actually do more than taste a sip of wine. He couldn’t say that he felt an immense desire to drink it, using it for little more than cooking. But he did know that Sirrus should be at least slightly inebriated by now.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you are incapable of becoming intoxicated aren’t you?”

Looking up at him, Sirrus seemed to consider the question before nodding once in almost hesitant agreement. “Yes. You would be correct. And I do believe that that isn’t the only thing you’ve discovered about me tonight. I just think you lack the vocabulary and relevant knowledge to understand what you’ve unearthed. There is a name for what I am. It just isn’t one that many people know or believe to be true. I suspect that you will understand in due time. But for now, we need to make a plan, and you should rest.”

V agreed with his sentiments. “I had ventured out of my bed to get something to drink. I plan to return there soon, but now I wonder if I shall actually sleep. I’m very awake now, I’m afraid. But I suppose that’s how it always works when you are seeking a good night’s rest.”

He shook his head for a brief moment, not having much to say about the matter. “You need not explain yourself to me, V. You are not a child. If you wish to wander the halls of your home and then sleep on the floor in the hallway. I have no say over that.” He took a moment to slosh his drink again, looking at it in the glass. It did have a wonderful bouquet, at least as far as he was concerned. “And if sleeping is what you intend to do, I would recommend the brandy I brought over. This wine would no doubt be revolting to you. It is basically every aside from a few close friends and relatives of mine.”

“Now I am morbidly curious as to what it actually tastes like.” V’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly. Sirrus would have had to possess very specific culinary preferences to be so certain that his drink would not be well received by anyone other than himself. Wasn’t the point of alcohol to be appealing to people?

Much to his surprise, Sirrus handed him the cup. It seemed that he was willing to allow him to learn from his mistakes. V took the glass and looked at it. It was thick and did indeed possess a distinct smell, although it was not one that he could pinpoint. Or more importantly, it possessed two distinct smells, both of which seemed extremely familiar to him but he was unable to identify. Something told him that this wine tasted the exact same way that it smelled, and he wondered for a moment if he wanted to actually taste it. For some reason, he still did, but something about it just nagged at him.

“OH PLEASE, V. This isn’t even nearly the worst thing you’ve ever stuck in your mouth. Remember Redgrave City? Because I know I do.”

“... You make a valid point, Griffon. It wouldn’t be.”

“When don’t I make a good point, V? That’s what I’m here for, after all. Now drink it. I just gotta know if it’s as bad as he’s making it sound.”

Admittedly surprised to hear Griffon chime in, he smiled slightly to himself as he answered his familiar in his head, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Sirrus. The other man leaned back slightly, unaware of what his companion was thinking, but sure that he was missing some sort of internal monologue. “You should do that more often.”

V looked up at him from over the top of the small glass, his eyes peering through his white bangs. His lips had very nearly been on the glass. Sirrus’s timing couldn’t have been better if he’d expected him to actually answer. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Smile, V. If you don’t mind me saying as much, you have a lovely smile. Especially when you smile genuinely. It carries to your eyes as well.” Although calm, he seemed entirely flustered to say that out loud. V simply stared at him, surprised to hear him say something like that. He’d never really considered what he looked like to other people aside from making note of the fact that his demeanor seemed to set everyone off and make them think he was up to something even when he actually wasn’t.

“Do I now… “ He paused, unsure as to what to really say to that. He wasn’t good with compliments. “I hadn’t noticed. I don’t do it very often, and I can’t say I spend much time in front of a mirror.”

“Then I am to believe that you just wake up in the morning looking better than practically everyone else I’ve ever met?” Sirrus cracked a genuine, self-satisfied smile at the statement, closing his eyes for a moment as he blinked slowly. “I suppose that makes sense. Some people are just naturally captivating, and It’s difficult to manufacture that look you get in your eyes. I don’t believe that’s something you can just fake. It comes from somewhere primal. I think it makes the person it belongs to that much more captivating. But on an unrelated note…  how’s the wine. I could wax eloquent about you all day, but if I’m not mistaken, you have places to be, and that isn’t something you want me to do.”

V just stared at him for a moment, suddenly very self-conscious for reasons he couldn't pinpoint. He really wasn’t good at receiving compliments, especially when he was the center of attention; something else that he admittedly hated to be.

“If I’ve made you uncomfortable, please forgive me. I simply wished to be honest. I do so as much as possible. And if not, I prefer to avoid the topic altogether.”

Now, that was something that the young summoner could relate to. “Likewise.”

Holding the glass back up to his face, he took a small sip, unsure of what to actually expect from something like this. And to his surprise, he was immediately and entirely overwhelmed by the flavor profile. It was the strangest thing he’d ever tasted, full stop. And he both loved and hated it. His concussion had probably been evident on his face as his brain attempted to process the strange menagerie of flavors that had just hit his taste buds. And from such a small sample size? How had Sirrus managed to drink an entire bottle of this extremely potent wine? Even if he didn’t feel its possible alcoholic effects, this was just, quite frankly, the most overwhelming thing that he had ever ingested. And that was saying something considering his track record.

“Rosa Sanguinum. It’s a vintage from a place I frequent with a very specific flavor profile. And an even more on the nose name. Thankfully no one understands Latin these days, so I don’t believe that the vineyard had anything to worry about. Although to be fair, I don't believe that they are doing themselves any favors with the braiding on the bottle.” Sirrus gestured towards the deep crimson red wax that ran the bottle in a bid to seal it. It was striking in comparison to the black glass.

 “Yes, I can see that. If I’m honest, I absolutely loathe it… But I feel an undeniable desire to keep drinking it.” He took a second sip, seemingly trying to mentally process the drink. But no, it still tasted exactly the same way. And he had to admit that it was actually starting to grow on him the longer he attempted to understand it. “But the name makes perfect sense in retrospect… Because this tastes exactly like its namesake. Blood and roses. Or more specifically, it tastes as though I just bit the inside of my mouth and fell face-first into a thorn bush. And I’m disturbed by how much those two overwhelming flavor profiles mix with one another. I have no desire to know how they flavored this.”

 Sirrus seemed genuinely shocked by that statement, his eyes widening considerably for a moment before he blinked the surprise away. It seemed that he was completely taken aback by that statement. “You're quite literally the first person I’ve met in ages that actually likes this. Most people simply spit it out or gag at how strong the flavor profile is. Exceptional.” He seemed to be genuinely shocked at this outcome, unable to process an even remotely favorable reply. “One can only imagine that it is a product of your demonic heritage. Perhaps I’ll venture out and purchase one for you.”

 V smirked and shook his head, absentmindedly finishing off the last sip in the cup after Sirrus brushed off the offer to take it back. That would actually make some sense. He then slid down the banister until he was sitting on the ground as well, hating that he couldn’t be bothered to disagree. It was the most literal case of “I hate it. Give me more” that he had ever experienced. Maybe one day he would explain to Sirrus that this wasn’t the first time he’d had a mouthful of something that had this strong of a blood taste. After all, if he didn’t, Griffon would no doubt rat him out at a moment’s notice. He’d been waiting for the opportunity to tell on him to someone for his Redgrave City eating habits for ages now. “That would be absolutely awful. I think I would love that.”

 The man with the red hair closed his eyes and shook his head, resisting the small smile that threatened to sneak its way onto his face. V truly was something else. He was glad that they had been given the opportunity to meet. It had been a lifetime since he’d had the opportunity to speak with someone this intriguing. One could only hope that V enjoyed his presence as much as he enjoyed his. He knew that it was unlikely, however. After all, he was a gigantic weirdo. But then again, this was the second time they’d spent a late night chatting aimlessly about gods knew what when everyone else was asleep and V should be asleep. It was probably best that he usher him off to bed before he fell asleep lead against the wall and he had to stealthily carry him back to his bedroom. Again.Though it would be easier to do here than back at the Ludwig estate. “Go to bed, V. I believe you may be drunk.”

 “Yes. I believe you may be right.” He chuckled quietly to himself. It seemed that he was something of a lightweight, at least when it came to this damned blood wine.

 (-~-)

 Okay, so your gonna laugh, but I had 400 words left to write today to hit my self-imposed and probably stupid chapter-length limit, and then I went and took a nap. Woke up at 5:30 pm, and I kid you not, I wrote 2.4K more words. This chapter is exactly 5k words, and that makes my OCD immeasurably happy. Like, this is 11 pages long! Normally it’s like 6, maybe 7! I know that’s insane, but it does make me excited! I just really enjoyed writing this conversation between V and Sirrus, I guess. They have a fun dynamic, and I like the idea of V making a friend outside of his family. After all, he doesn’t have very many. I think he considers the rest of the team as a sort of extended family, and Sirrus is sort of this odd exception because he still barely knows him in the grand scheme of things. But either way, it just made me stupidly giddy to write this chapter and both expand on two of my favorite characters and also sprinkle in a little bit of lore. The next chapter is plan time, so that’s going to be pretty fun, too. I hope you enjoyed this one!

 See you on Friday!

[amiramorozova]

Dual summoner and the Darkling -princess version- pt. 5

Pairing: Dual Summoner Amira Silina and Darkling General Kirigan/Aleksander Morozova

Glossary: otkazat’sya- Non-Grisha

After that Fete, I kept to myself but as promised he made up reasons for me to have to leave the grand palace. I was to pick up more 'classes' with him as I like the way that sounded, I had some simpler outfits that Genya snatched for me which was a shirt and pants like 2nd army. I was glad this was an option instead of a dress, the shoes were so much more comfortable. "I could get used to this." I said 

"Well don't get used to it just yet." General Kirigan said as we walked but I wanted to know what the AM stood for. "What does the initials stand for? If you're last name is Kirigan than you can't really have an M in your name." I asked as I walked beside him. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know when we're in a more secure location." General Kirigan told me. I wanted to know but nod as we kept going, turns out we were going horse riding so we saddled up the horses and he took me off grounds. I was in better confidence on the horse so when it was going fast I let go of the reins and laughed a bit before getting ahold of it. He led me to an open area where there was a well. 

"it's a well." I said as I noticed he got down and I followed getting down to knowing there was much. The Apparat I didn't care for him but he was creepy enough as I noticed the carvings walking over and traced them. "The story of how the fold was created. A former king hired a Grisha to be his adviser, a shadow summoner." I said as he chuckled a little knowing what people called. "You can say it, the black heretic." General Kirigan said, I shook my head as I pointed to the next one "this part, it doesn't seem right. It says the summoner was obsessed with power but our powers only go so far." I said with my back to him knowing there was so much I didn't know. "You don't think the black heretic was power hungry?" Kirigan asked as I shook my head. "there's missing pieces, why would he want more power unless something happened. Someone he cared about was killed or died possibly? So, he used a power he didn't understand causing the people in the land and himself to die." I answered

I looked back to look him in the eyes to see what was going through his head at that moment. He only had this surprised look like I looked past the story to something more. "Unless the black heretic didn't die by your reaction. Baghra is your mother." I said confronting him with what I'd heard in my unconscious state back at my presentation. His expression changed quickly as I stood up and he walked over to look into my eyes. "If only you were just a little older. I never expected anyone to see past that story the otkazat’sya put together.

"Your real name, you owe me that at least." I said confronting him knowing no matter what he said she wanted the truth. "Aleksander." He said as he looked at me and he moved his sleeve showing my initials AS. "Your real last name, Amira?" Aleksander asked. I knew my father informed me through a letter of my birth last name as I looked at him. "Silina," I said as I moved my necklace and showing his initials. "Morozova." Aleksander said as I let it go in shock as I'd heard that last name before. Sankt Ilya Morozova was the first Grisha saint. "You're related to Sankt Ilya." I said

He walked away and sighed "Luckily a tailor can modify those initials long enough when I come forward to claim you from the royals." Aleksander said, "My father doesn't approve of this. There is nothing between us except teacher and student." I said as I walked back to the horse. I was going to start heading back but he pulled me back and I looked at him. "Your father has no power over what the saints deem." Aleksander said 

I knew he was right but that didn't mean I liked the idea of the black heretic being my soulmate.  Still, after that, we headed back and I hardly said a word. Once I made it back I think I avoided him for a year and a half. I started missing Nikolai as I thought about a time when he was here in my memory. He'd joked he was going to marry me cause I wasn't his blood sister.

Fourteen isn't bad...two more years. I thought 

Those two years went by before I knew it and I didn't know what was going to happen. Count down to the day it was not going to work out, I knew Nikolai wouldn't make it back before this day. He'd been doing things across seas and I didn't even love my adopted brothers like family. Prince Vasily ignored my presence, the Queen didn't spend much time with me anymore, and the King...I locked my room at night now. 

Poor Genya...there's nothing I can do to help her. I thought 

By the time I was closing in on my sixteenth birthday, Genya came in to help me and she made me look presentable. I was to wear a tiara this time but I didn't feel the part as I sighed rubbing my arm. "You look great." Genya said as she looked at me in the mirror before she loosened my necklace to show the initials and modified the M to a K. It was temporary but it was for the best, "Might I suggest another necklace?" Genya asked as we looked over my jewelry for tonight. 

 After getting myself ready for the night I was worried about all this, it was going to be a big party but it was also where Aleksander could come forward. "Are you excited, tonight your Grisha soulmate may come forward to claim you before another royal can." Genya said as I had two years to consider it. My Grisha soulmate is the black heretic, the reason the problem in Ravka was here. If I wanted to get out of royalty society then I had to accept him at least for now. "Perhaps." I said, "I heard the King talking about tonight, he seems to be interested in knowing who it is. Whoever comes forward will have a chance to become next in line for the throne if anything would happen to Prince Vasily." Genya mentioned

I looked in the mirror at her as I had no idea that they were giving me a claim on the throne. No wonder the general was so adamant about coming forward as my Grisha soulmate, he could get the throne if anything happened to the heir of the throne. "this claim to the throne that my Grisha soulmate would have...is only if I marry them, correct?" I asked Genya knowing marriage was an option for me. I didn't have to get married to get claimed as someone's Grisha Soulmate.

When Genya was done I sighed as I walked to the throne room with Genya behind me, the Queen had assigned her to help me when she wasn't assisting the Queen. As I walked in there I saw everyone who was there, my parents were there as I nodded to them. I think they were awe-struck with seeing me dressed up like a princess. I was treated as one of the people as my hair was kept down to keep my Grisha soulmate's initials kept hidden. The king approached offering his hand as I took it and he led me up to where the thrones were. 

"Thank you for coming, today is a special day. Amira turns sixteen today and is of age to enter into a courtship but since she is Grisha. Her Grisha Soulmate may have first claim of her if he is present and steps forward." The King said, Amira silently prayed he wouldn't move as she looked and her eyes met Aleksander's eyes. Yet, against her silent prayer he walked forward and bowed "Moi Tsar, I am Amira's Grisha soulmate. I bear the proof here." Aleksander said as he showed his wrist to the King showing my initials AS for Amira Silina. "On her neck, you will see my initials there." 

As the King let my hand go he looked at me "Amira, if you will." The King said as I sighed before moving my hand and pulling my hair to the side. There on my neck were the initials AK for the King to see. I knew the truth, it was AM but a tailor had the power to manipulate for a short time as he planned. Genya worked for him, he had this all planned out. "I see, then you are claiming her. I assume." The King said, "Yes, Tsar. I want nothing but to make her happy." Aleksander said 

I saw the King give his approval as he motioned for me to go, I held back my sigh as I walked down seeing Aleksander offer his hand and I took it. "From this day, I will do everything to show you I want nothing but your happiness." Aleksander said to me, but I could see past his words. I was the Sun Summoner who was also Tidemaker so he had use for my powers. I had to be formal with him for now "General, I had no idea. What shall I call you from now on?" I said, a lie in front of everyone. We both knew I'd known his name for two years. "Aleksander." He said as he kissed the top of my hand.

We mingled with guests who were wishing us good fortune in our future, while others I heard whispering how inappropriate it was for the General to be my Grisha Soulmate. If they knew how old he truly was they would talk more. After we talked more, we finally made it to my parents. I figured my father would not be happy and say something but he wanted me to have my freedom. 

"You are Amira's father." Aleksander said to my father, I looked at him waiting to find out what he would say. "We've met before General, our mother's are very well acquainted." Father's words were clear as day for me, I knew they were both four hundred and something years old. "Ah yes, I thought you were familiar. I have heard great things about Amira's grandmother. Sad she hasn't had a chance to meet such a powerful Grisha. She is still alive, correct? It's so very rare for Ancient Grisha to be alive." Aleksander said as he looked at me and he seemed to be staring at me. "Your daughter is beautiful and I will make sure to take care of her." 

I could see Father wanted nothing more than to use light on him but that wasn't an option. This was the saints who had chosen this union and I had to accept it even though right now I didn't. I looked at my father knowing that for now, he had to trust in this union to work. Aleksander was my freedom from the royal family. 

When the music started, Aleksander led me out to the dance floor and danced with me. Unlike the last time we danced, I wasn't smiling but I put on a fake smile when the King was looking. "You're unhappy." Aleksander said I knew there was things I didn't know about him. "How can I trust you?" I said as I looked at him. Aleksander merely looked at me as we danced. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you. I'll try to get your things moved to the little palace so you can have more freedom." Aleksander said 

Why don't I trust you completely? I thought 

I looked away as we danced and sighed a bit "I can't trust you'll be loyal. You've probably laid with others." I said as he twirled me while we danced. "I guess I'll just have to earn your trust. How about I start with getting you out of here?" Aleksander said as I looked at him knowing that was probably best. The King did creep me out and I think Aleksander could figure that out. 

After the party, he kissed the top of my hand leaving me with my real parents as he went over talking with them. "I still don't like him." Father said, "We must trust he knows what he is doing father. As he is the only one who can get me out of here." I said calmly, I had to make this work for my freedom. "What did you hear about the throne?" Mother asked, I sighed knowing I wouldn't tell him this. "I have a claim on it, if something ever happens to the heir." I said knowing that was all they needed to know.

When he walked over, he seemed very confident as if he won in whatever he was talking about. "It is done, tomorrow you'll be staying over at the little palace in my hall." Aleksander said I was surprised it was that easy for him to convince them. Then again he had a certain charm everyone fell for in some way. 

TagList: @lifeisingrey,  @houseoftoomanyfandoms

[seyaryminamoto]

Matching Heartbeats: Sokkla Saturdays 2020

Day 7: Loyalty

On FF.net//On AO3

A/N: So very sorry for the late entry. I've been having some really serious computer problems lately, I was lucky I finished writing the chapter BEFORE tragedy struck, but it still took me a while to go over the whole thing so it'd be ready to be posted. It's been quite the ordeal of a weekend, ngl.

I'll leave more notes at the end. This is definitely the darkest of my entries so far, so even if there's concepts you dislike... try to bear with me :'D

He knew it. He knew from the start that frozen kid was going to be trouble, but who listens to Sokka? No one ever listens to Sokka. Even the tribe's children never listen to Sokka.

He couldn't stop scowling as he fit his warrior's outfit into place. He didn't have any armor, he was meant to craft his own with his father once he returned from the war… if he returned from the war. The very thought of never seeing him again, just as he'd never see his mother again, made him wish the likely, upcoming fight, would take him away just as well.

But no. He wasn't that weak, he wasn't that stupid: he was here to defend his people. That was what his father had tasked him with, and the women and children from the tribe would be safe with him. He hoped. As long as that damn flare hadn't been glimpsed by anyone Fire Nation, then perhaps they would be. Yet with the damn light beam that burst from the iceberg, just before that airbender tumbled out of it, right into his sister's arms, he couldn't take for granted that the Fire Nation wouldn't have noticed anything. In all likelihood, they'd come… and they might try to wipe out the village altogether. And he had no choice but to fight, even if he failed to stand against them.

He had practiced the traditional warriors' face-paint countless times in the past, with his father's supervision. He had continued doing so even after his father was gone, wondering if he'd ever wear it for a battle… he no longer wondered today. Without even glancing at his reflection in the basin of the hut he was preparing at, Sokka stepped out into the open as Katara and Kanna helped lead the women and children to safety.

It happened after he climbed his watch tower: a loud, machinery sound in the distance. He felt chills rushing down the nape of his neck and scowled: this couldn't be good. They were here. That shape he could see, hidden within the mist, had to belong to a Fire Nation ship.

And he was right, naturally: a massive, metal ship slowly traversed the icy waters, and Sokka clutched his weapons nervously as he watched it looming closer…

And then it stopped, right upon reaching the shore, cracking the ice lightly, as Sokka could see from where he stood at his watch tower. He swallowed hard and raised his gaze at the monumental ship… and then the ramp at its front was lowered with a loud, mechanical hiss. Sokka's whole body trembled as he waited, knowing the enemy would rush them in no time…

Footsteps upon the metal. Loud ones, multiple ones. Sokka frowned as a group of soldiers appeared at the top of the ramp, and he scanned them carefully: it wasn't his first time seeing Fire Nation soldiers in the flesh, but it had been a long time since he had last crossed paths with any of them. And while his anxiety was ramping up because of it, he still could pay enough attention to notice that they were flanking two people who weren't sporting a full soldiers' uniform.

"What is…?" he whispered, narrowing his eyes at the sight of them…

An old man, and a young woman. Both were shorter than the uniformed soldiers, and they were studying their surroundings carefully, it seemed. They walked side by side until they reached the end of the ramp… and then the soldiers lingered back, close to the ship, while the two people who wore lighter armor approached the Tribe's enclosure.

"Ah, but this is quite the freezing environment, isn't it?" the old man said, smiling carelessly at his companion. She scoffed.

"What else could you have expected in the South Pole, Uncle, really?" she said.

The area was silent enough for Sokka to understand their words perfectly. He frowned as he gazed at them, wondering if he should speak up… and just then, the young woman's eyes took to studying his watch tower… to studying him.

He felt the air leaving his lungs, and wondered if perhaps that girl was an airbender like Aang, to make him effectively breathless that way. Or maybe he was just too nervous, too anxious, and terrified of the possible consequences that would come from this encounter with likely firebenders…?

"You, up there," the young woman called to him. Sokka froze. "We come in peace. Find your leader, so we may speak with whoever they are."

"Peace?" Sokka repeated quietly, before raising his voice. "You've just barged into enemy territory on a ship like that, and you expect me to believe you're here to make friends?"

"Well, what else could I be here for?" she replied, with a sarcastic grin. Sokka's stomach sank. "Do tell. Are you hiding anything in your funny huts that I might make use of?"

"Like hell we are! Go back to your rotten nation and leave us be!" Sokka rebuffed, raising his boomerang in an intimidating gesture that he knew would fail.

"We can't quite do that," she said, simply. "Find your leader, I said. We don't have much time."

"Find our leader?" Sokka repeated. "Well, as things stand right now? You're speaking to him! I'm the Tribe's leader!"

"You… no way," she snorted, smiling as she placed her hands on her hips. "The Southern Water Tribe has only one teenager manning their defenses, and he's the tribe leader, too?"

"Maybe we're in the wrong place," the old man suggested, stroking his beard.

"It's possible," his niece replied, still staring at Sokka pointedly. "But it's the closest settlement to the flare, isn't it? And we did see the Avatar skipping about in the ice earlier…"

"I can only hope I'm that flexible and nimble when I'm that age," the man laughed. His niece scoffed.

"You can't even finish climbing the tower's stairs without your knees aching, Uncle…"

"I can work out and regain my good shape, Princess Azula, no need to shame me for not exercising often these days…"

Sokka's eyes widened upon overhearing those words: Princess Azula, he'd said? And they were talking about… the Avatar? Did they believe Aang was the Avatar? If so… then he definitely needed protecting, rather than banishing. Curses, why did everything have to be so complicated…?

"Y-you… you're the Fire Nation Princess?" Sokka asked. She frowned but glared at him, no longer distracted by her uncle.

"Something like that," she said. "Feel more willing to help us track down your Avatar now? Or will this pointless back and forth continue until we freeze to death standing out here?"

Sokka snarled, uneasy. If Aang was the Avatar, he couldn't hand him over to the Fire Nation, not even if they allegedly had come in peace. How could he ever trust a claim like that? Fire Nation people were ambitious, and surely deeply treacherous… these two couldn't be any different. Even from up here, Sokka could tell they were intelligent… they were likely strategists, hoping to trick them somehow. And whatever game they thought they'd play at the expenses of his people, he refused to go along with it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, so get out and find your Avatar someplace else. We don't have any Avatars here," Sokka declared. The Princess below scoffed.

"Really, now? So that skipping airbender we saw wasn't the Avatar? You're harboring other air nomads here, then? Fine, they'll be useful at tracking down the real thing anyway…"

"There's no one here! No airbender!" Sokka shouted. "There's only women and children inside these walls, and you won't find any Avatars or airbenders or…!"

A sudden, whooshing sound caused the Princess and the uncle to turn sharply to their right: something was rushing their way through the snow. The Princess took up a defensive firebending form immediately, but her uncle spread an arm before her as the shape came closer…

"A child?" the Princess said so softly Sokka nearly failed to hear her: he turned towards the noise as well only to feel his heart sinking to the bottom of his stomach.

Aang was back, surely hoping to help the tribe. Oh, curse that boy and his good heart, why would he choose to return just now?!

"Aang! Go back! Get out!" Sokka shouted, but the young airbender's penguin simply continued to rush towards the two Fire Nation Royals.

Both Azula and her uncle had to leap out of the way so the penguin could continue onwards: the airbender, however, leapt off the creature's back and stood between them and the tribe, holding his staff while gazing at them steadily.

"You're the airbender? The Avatar? A… child?" Azula said, blinking blankly.

"Well, you're just a teenager," Aang said, simply, though he wasn't sure his response warranted as loud a bout of laughter from the old man beside the Princess. "Uh… what's so funny?"

"Ah, it's such a relief! He is a child! See, Princess, no amount of exercise will ever be enough for me to jump around the way he did, ahaha…!"

"Stop giving excuses not to stay fit, Uncle!" Azula hissed. "We're in no position to afford laziness, or sloppiness, and you're indulging in both by neglecting your health and training!"

"Uh… what's going on?" Aang said, blinking blankly before glancing up at Sokka on his tower.

"I know just about as much as you do, buddy," Sokka said, grimacing. "Though… sorry for kicking you out. And thanks for coming back."

"My banishment is lifted?" Aang asked, smiling weakly. Sokka shrugged and hung his head.

"Guess so. Though this isn't over," Sokka said, frowning as he picked up his spear. "You two… last chance. Go back to your ship, and the airbender there won't hurt you."

"Ah, nonsense. Airbenders won't hurt anyone unless it's self-defense," the old man declared proudly. The Princess breathed out and glanced at the young boy before her.

"We're not here to hand you over to Fire Nation authorities, Avatar," she said. Both Aang and Sokka frowned. "If you truly are who we believe you are… then we'll be the very best allies you'll find if you have any hopes to bring back balance to the world."

"You… what?" Aang said.

Sokka frowned heavily and jumped, slipping down his tower and landing right next to Aang – by the tribe's front gates, Katara lurked, gazing out at the debate between the two Fire Nation visitors, her brother and her friend: where both Sokka and Aang were reluctant, dubious, the old man couldn't seem to stop smiling in a disarming manner… while his niece offered them a steeled glare, sharper than a blade, more unyielding than the sturdiest of metals:

"We need you to help us defeat the Fire Lady."

Where the villagers no doubt had expected a confrontation, they had found, instead, a diplomatic visit, of sorts. The soldiers had stayed aboard the ship, leaving the two royals to deal with the discussions and to convince the skeptical teenagers and the young Avatar to join their cause: it wouldn't be easy, but Azula was certain it could be done.

"I'm pretty confused as it is, but I guess I'll hear you out," the Avatar decided, smiling as they sat at the central fireplace of the village: Azula and Iroh sat with them, while the rest of the villagers – just as the warrior had claimed, women and children – watched from a safe distance. Acceptable, understandable caution, all things considered.

"What's this about a Fire Lady?" the warrior asked, frowning as he stared at Azula. "Last I knew, it was a Fire Lord who was throwing the world out of balance. When did that change?"

"To be precise? Five years ago," Azula said, simply. The warrior appeared perplexed, but curious enough to continue listening anyway.

"Our dad left about four years ago…" the teenage girl said, glancing at him with unease. "I guess we haven't heard from anything in the outside world since then… and even before that, news didn't spread much either."

"Naturally. You're in the South Pole, and with the war's politics being what they are…" Iroh said, shaking his head "Everyone has taken to isolating, instead of thinking clearly: a coalition between Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe and Fire Nation rebel forces would more than suffice to topple my sister-in-law's regime."

"Your sister-in-law?" the warrior repeated.

"My mother," Azula said, curtly. The words seemed to send a powerful ripple of confused understanding through all her three new acquaintances.

"Y-your mom…?" said the Avatar.

"She is the Fire Lady. Has been, since Fire Lord Azulon died mysteriously on the night he demanded for my brother to be killed to punish my father's transgressions," Azula explained, gritting her teeth. Sharing such memories with strangers wasn't easy, despite she had grown used to discussing them in recent times. "My father was crowned on the next day. He was dead too, within the week."

"Wait… your mom killed them?" asked the warrior, aghast. "Y-you're saying…"

"I'm saying she's leading the Fire Nation as we speak. Has been, for the past six years," Azula said, staring at the young man intently. "She has avoided every political reprieve sent her way, hell knows how, and ensured to stay on the throne under the guise of being my brother's regent: he will come of age within a few months, and once he does, he'll be Fire Lord in her stead. One step out of line, however, and…"

"You keep saying that, Azula, but I doubt Ursa would kill Zuko…" said Iroh. Azula scoffed.

"I'm her daughter. She banished me. I know she prefers him over me, but that hardly makes her an innocent person, let alone is she incapable of protecting her own interests to the point of sacrificing her own family," Azula snarled.

"Why did your mother banish you?" the warrior's sister asked. "That's awful!"

"She found a petty excuse, started an argument I didn't back down from. Demanded that I should be taught respect and tasked me with tracking down the Avatar and handing him over to her to prove my loyalty and worth to my nation," Azula explained, rolling her eyes. "I have no intentions of doing such a thing, if you expected otherwise: I don't trust that woman. Even calling her my mother revolts me. That she killed my father is…"

"Now, now, Azula…" Iroh said, patting his niece's back. She flinched away from his touch, but attempted to focus again.

"She sent my uncle Iroh with me, because he's yet another threat to her ill-gotten throne," Azula declared. "The two of us were investigating, looking into both my father and grandfather's deaths, if independently… and she knew it was only a matter of time before we unearthed solid evidence of foul play. Granted, the situation is as fishy as can be, as things stand, but…"

"But she has managed to play everything off as a coincidence so far," said Iroh, grimacing. "I wasn't in the Fire Nation when she took the throne… by the time I arrived, she was much too comfortable on her seat. I couldn't do anything but offer my assistance to Azula, and hope to guide Zuko away from her, but…"

"But you'd never succeed at that," Azula said, bitterly. "My brother is the only one who's better off with this arrangement. I don't think I ever saw him quite so happy."

"I guess he's the favorite kid?" Sokka asked. Azula scoffed.

"Hers? Yes. Iroh's, too. He's stuck with me because he has no choice."

"Oi! I do appreciate you, Azula! We've been scheming together for three years now!"

"That's no evidence to contradict my claim," Azula said, dismissively. Iroh's outrage amused the Avatar and his female friend slightly, though the warrior only continued to watch the Princess pointedly. "My father did favor me, and he wasn't kind to my brother. Neither was my grandfather, who outright asked for him to be executed, so…"

"What a messed-up family," sighed the warrior, shaking his head. "So you two don't like each other but are stuck together, your mom is in the Fire Nation grooming your brother into being her perfect brainwashed tool, and your dad is dead, and your grandpa is dead too because he wanted to have your brother killed? Is that how it is?"

"Uh… yeah. More or less," Azula said. He sighed.

"And what exactly do you expect to accomplish next?" he asked. "You want Aang to help you take down your mom? You're on some quest for revenge or something?"

"You could say that, yes," Azula said. He scoffed.

"And how do I know you're not simply going to hand him over to Fire Nation authorities, so your banishment gets revoked and you're free to live your life as you wish?"

"You'd know it if you'd known me for longer than you have," Azula replied, with a dry grin. "I'm no fool: I don't long for my mother's approval, I want her held accountable for her crimes. Even if I went home, and she pretended to love me and accept me because I brought her the Avatar, it would amount to nothing more than a pretense. Within another two years she'd find another excuse to get rid of me, and where would I find anyone else to help me depose her then?"

"But the problem is your mom, right? Not your brother," said the Avatar, tapping his chin. "So if he becomes Fire Lord… wouldn't we have to fight him instead?"

"You don't truly believe that my mother, after all her scheming, would set down her crown and throne and leave my brother to rule without her 'guidance', do you?" Azula asked, skeptical. "She'll control him, without his awareness. A puppeteer, you could say, ensuring the Fire Lord doesn't go astray, meaning, she intends to retain his loyal to her at all costs. My brother isn't the problem, it's her."

"And how do you plan on defeating her, without causing him any trouble?" the warrior asked. "I feel like if we help you guys, and you're not tricking us at all, we'll end up going from one problem to the next: take out the Fire Lady, and her son will follow on her footsteps and set the whole world on fire. Right?"

"That's exactly why our intent isn't as violent as you may think," Iroh said, with a weak grin. "I assumed the Avatar would be old… perhaps too old to be of use. But he's young! And, I'm sure, inexperienced with all four elements. Right?"

"Uh… I'm afraid so," the Avatar admitted, with a lukewarm grin.

"Then the course is clear! He must learn all the elements before becoming the protector of harmony in our world," Iroh grinned. "Though… I don't know if you can learn waterbending here. Last I knew, Fire Lord Azulon had…"

"Attacked our tribes, countless times?" asked the warrior, scowling.

"I'm the last waterbender left in the South Pole," the sister announced, sadly. Azula grimaced.

"Then… ugh. It means he'd have to learn up north instead," said Azula, glancing at Iroh… to find him grinning madly, of course. "Well, then. Out with it. You have an idea, don't you?"

"A lot of them, actually," he giggled. "Pakku is in the North! And Bumi in the Earth Kingdom. I can be the firebending teacher, and…"

"Bumi?!" exclaimed the Avatar, his eyes wide. "Y-you know Bumi? Wait, how do you know Bumi? Is Bumi still alive?! I thought I'd been frozen for a hundred years!"

"Uh… huh. That explains your youth, at least," said Iroh. Azula grimaced, resolving to explain more about that particular matter later. "And… yes. I believe King Bumi is well past his hundred years. If you know him… then all the better! I can see to it that you train and develop your skills as the Avatar little by little, young man. What do you say?"

"Well, I say we have to think about it," the warrior declared, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not to look a gift ostrich horse in the beak, but…"

"Can I come too?!"

"K-Katara?!"

Despite the Avatar appeared nervous, it seemed he would agree to their proposal, and the waterbender was absolutely stoked about joining them, too: the warrior was the only one with obvious doubts, and while Azula held his accusatory, distrustful gaze with relentless defiance, Iroh only laughed and clapped cheerfully.

"It seems we have quite the journey ahead of us!" he declared, deliberately ignoring the warrior's obvious displeasure, focusing only on the far more cheerful and agreeable response of the waterbender.

Azula guessed the warrior boy might be trouble, and yet she couldn't blame him for it in the least: the readiness of the other two to trust them was surprisingly agreeable and yet proof of how innocent and gullible they were. They were rather fortunate that they had no ill-intentions indeed, Azula reasoned, after she returned to her ship that day: the soldiers welcomed her, ever ready to obey her every command. The highly questionable Fire Lady, in whose veins did not flow any royal blood, had failed to charm every soldier to her favor. Where she had hoped, no doubt, to get rid of her most dangerous opponents by tossing them in the sea with the least reliable soldiers in her army, her decision had been double-edged: Azula and Iroh had joined forces, and within less than a few months, the entire ship answered to them, and only to them. It was one starting point of rebellion, one Azula hoped they'd be able to expand further… but only after they gained enough political relevance and power to challenge her mother's rule, and her brother's, if it came to that. The Avatar was the key to achieving that goal.

Noise by the ramp surprised Azula as she paced on deck. She stepped close to the ship's railing to find the warrior boy, naturally, had approached the ship. What did he want? Shouldn't he be packing, or resting, before setting out on their long voyage?

Despite her better sense told her otherwise, Azula made her way down to the ramp indeed, finding the soldiers had been reluctant to let him through. The warrior pouted rather childishly, and she sighed as she stepped between the soldiers and himself, startling him when he failed to notice her presence.

"Do you need something?" she asked, directly. His childish expression faded quickly.

"Just… wanted to talk," he said, raising his hands defensively. "I won't do anything bad, I promise."

"Hmm. You promise, then," Azula said, releasing a breath before ordering the soldiers to let him through.

The two made their way to the deck, a small walk Azula found no wonders in, considering she'd traversed the full extent of her ship countless times in the past. To the warrior beside her, however, it was likely the first Fire Nation battleship he had ever entered. His amazement was apparent… and yet he voiced no compliments, containing his amazement as best he could. And while he studied his future means of transportation, Azula studied him: he was perhaps slightly older than her, and yet burdened with a much more dangerous duty than he himself had likely ever realized. Where Azula would have been forced to stay in her brother's mediocre shadow, if her mother had her way, this young warrior was expected to protect his people at all costs…

"So… what do you need to talk about?" she asked him, as they came to a halt on the deck. He grimaced.

"Well… I'm just worried," he said, earnestly. "Look, I'm sorry for what your mom's done, and I really don't know how I'd react if anything like that had ever happened to me, but… are you against the Fire Nation? Or just against her?"

"You're wondering if I'll want to continue the war after she's defeated and replaced?" Azula asked. He swallowed hard and nodded.

"I just… don't know where your loyalties really lie. And I think I should, before we join you in this trip. I don't know if I can trust you."

"I never did ask you to trust me, did I?" she said, plainly, but he scoffed.

"Just by asking us to join forces with you, or rather, asking Aang… you're silently asking me to entrust the best hope this world has to you. Maybe you didn't say the words directly, but you're asking for trust anyway. And…"

"And you'd be a fool to give it to me blindly when we've only just met," Azula concluded. The warrior released a breath… perhaps relieved she understood his plight. "My father trusted my mother, no doubt: she took advantage of that trust to kill him. Do you really think I'd be so stupid as to ask for trust… or to give it?"

He froze in place, their eyes holding each other's gaze firmly. Both of them had been through their own set of struggles, she realized that… but if he had come here looking for a heartfelt speech about how good a person she was, he was out of luck. Azula had no intentions to…

He smiled.

She blinked twice, and then he sighed, hanging his head while setting his hands on his hips.

"You know what? I can live with that," he said. Azula raised her eyebrows, puzzled.

"With… not being trusted?" she asked. He nodded.

"The Avatar's dead-sure his bison thing can fly, you know?" he said. "If you or your creepy uncle do anything on this trip that we can't accept… well, I'll be grabbing my two dorks, climbing on that saddle and getting as far from you guys as possible. And as you're not going to ask for trust, or give it, that should be fine by you, right?"

"It is, actually," Azula said, simply. "While I'd rather have the Avatar on my side… it's not a necessity either, despite Iroh is certain of the opposite. We're loyal to our own causes and purposes, and there's no reason why it should be any different. This is an alliance of convenience, nothing more."

"Sounds right to me," he said, extending his hand towards her. "By the way… my name is Sokka. I heard your uncle calling your name before, so… figured it was a good idea to tell you mine."

"Sokka, then?" she repeated, before raising a hand to clasp his. "Very well. Let's… not trust each other."

"Perfect," Sokka grinned.

It was an odd arrangement… yet one that brought a smile to Azula's face just as well. She had the strange feeling she could grow used to the warrior's presence, despite everything…

Their long journey began on the next day, after the three new passengers climbed aboard the ship, once they said their farewells to their fellow tribespeople. The journey to the North Pole would be long, and Azula wondered if those three would be able to endure the trappings of the steel ship without complaint… strangely, the Avatar was the most restless of the group, often taking off on gliding trips unless they neared any Fire Nation watchtowers. The waterbender had been quite eager to manipulate the seawater they were coursing through… but just as expected, she wasn't skilled enough to bend anything impressive yet.

The warrior was the least restless one, Azula had thought… until he happened upon her training with Iroh on the ship's deck one day. The old man often told her to take her drills calmly, to focus on her basics… but she didn't have time to take it easy. Her blue fire needed to be strengthened further, that was all there was to it…

"The source of firebending… isn't aggression," Iroh had said to her, on one afternoon. Azula scoffed and glared.

"Really? And that's why the way to conjure fire is by hugging people, right?"

"You misunderstand," Iroh sighed. "But hopefully you'll see in time. Firebending is an art… it isn't merely a means to an end. You can channel your rage through it… but that won't make you any stronger than you would be if you fought calmly, in direct contact with your inner fire."

"That's too bad," Azula hissed back. Iroh shook his head and made to leave… only stopping on his tracks upon finding someone stood by the threshold of the tower, watching them.

Sokka flinched and stepped out of the way, offering Iroh a guilty grin before glancing at Azula. The exiled Princess scowled at first, but surely he didn't bear any nefarious intent in mind, going by that goofy smile across his face.

"That… that was pretty impressive," he said, biting his lip. "Your fire… it's pretty cool, you know? That it's blue… it's not like everyone else's, right?"

"Indeed," Azula replied, bluntly.

"It's a sign of strength, I figure? Or something?" Sokka continued. "Well, whatever it may be a sign of… you're pretty good with your fire. Which, well, isn't something I ever thought I'd say to a firebender, but times change…"

"I guess they do," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "I suppose you're quite bored if you're watching my attempts to train…"

"Well… bored and a little curious," Sokka admitted, grinning awkwardly. "I thought I was ready to fight you before, but I guess I wasn't. I just… wanted to ask if it's okay if I train with you once in a while? You know, polish my skills…"

"Polish your skills?" Azula repeated, a hint of amusement crossing her face. "Why… I suppose that'd be fine, yes."

Sokka grinned brightly and rushed inside to collect his weapons when she told him to. By the time he returned, he was stretching and smirking proudly.

"Well, I sure hope you're ready, Princess. You haven't seen what I can do so far, so I think I have an advantage," he said, raising his club in her direction. Azula smirked too.

"Oh, the horror," she said, sarcastically. He flinched as she took up a stance. "Give me your best shot. You'll regret it if you don't."

And he did regret it, of course: as much as he tried, he couldn't seem to avoid the power of those blue flames. He dodged clumsily, attacked even more clumsily, but to Azula's amusement, he never asked for respite. He didn't beg for her to stop attacking. He was stubborn… and that was a good thing.

She defeated him on every round that day. He seemed discouraged for it, lying against the ship's railing while breathing heavily, his body overheated despite it was still rather cold. She approached him with a slightly more sympathetic smile than intended, taking her seat beside him.

"You're not very experienced in combat. That's all there is to it," she said. "Train with me some more, and you'll be able to withstand the strongest of firebenders without breaking a sweat."

"You sure?" Sokka asked, grimacing. "I thought I'd made a fool of myself…"

"Oh, you did, but it was a lot of fun. I can stand for a few more reasons to be amused," she said, grinning at him. He snorted and laughed, shaking his head.

"Great. I'm a laughingstock for the Princess. Just what I hoped for," he said, dropping his head against the railing.

"And what else were you hoping for?" she asked.

"Uh… respect of equals?" he said. She snorted and laughed outright, surprising him. "What? You don't have to laugh that hard…"

"You and I aren't equals, Sokka. On any level," she said, smiling at him. "Not yet, anyway. More training is required, without a doubt, if that's what you're looking for."

"Then I'll oblige," he said, smirking too. "You think I'll back away from a challenge just because you're pretty… uh, pretty intimidating?"

"Ah. I'm pretty?" she said. He grimaced and blushed.

"That's not what I said! I was just… looking for the right word!"

"Sure you were: pretty. That was it," Azula smiled. He groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"Is this a thing girls do?" he asked, flustered. "Turning a guy's words against him mercilessly just because they feel like it?"

"I have no idea. Bu it's certainly something I do," she said, grinning at him.

She hadn't had much of a chance to try her luck with boys so far – she had been banished three years ago, and too busy trying to harvest evidence to prove her mother was up to no good on the years before that to look for any suitable matches. But if she wasn't misreading the situation… this warrior might actually harbor more than a wish for mutual respect for her. She wouldn't mind it much, if he did. He was easy on the eyes himself, there was no denying that…

"Guess I'll have to get used to it, then?" he said, smiling back at her. "Or… maybe I could, uh, try my luck at it too? You know, if you ever say I'm handsome…!"

"I'd never say that," Azula declared, proudly. Sokka scoffed.

"You could say 'hand', and right after, 'some', and then I could misinterpret it just as you did right now…" he said. Azula laughed.

"How so?" she smiled. "'Get your hand some ice, because I burned it so badly'?"

"See? There you go. You think I'm handsome too," Sokka declared. Azula laughed again, dropping her head against the railing as he smiled at her. "Alright, jokes aside… you have a nice smile, you know?"

"I'm not taking any of it as a joke, mind you," Azula declared. "But, truthfully I… haven't had much of a reason to smile for the past six years."

"Yeah… I can tell," Sokka whispered. "And I don't blame you. Though… at first I figured you got along better with Iroh than you do. You two seemed to be on the same page when you were at the tribe's doorstep… guess I just jumped to conclusions, huh?"

"I did say Zuko was his favorite, didn't I?" Azula said, her smile waning. "Truthfully… my mother assumed we would never be able to work together. That's why she exiled us this way, and she would have been correct in her assessment… if only Iroh and I weren't slightly sharper than she hoped we'd be. Even if we can't stand each other's guts, the bigger picture is the priority. Whatever happens after we've dealt with my mother, Iroh and I will work together until she's defeated. That's simply how it is."

"Your family really feels… awful," said Sokka, grimacing. "Not just that your mother's the worst person in the planet right now, apparently… but you can't even rely on your uncle even if you've been traveling with him for three years? I… can't imagine how difficult it must be to live this way."

"Your people have a rather different culture from mine," Azula said, simply. "Family… matters more to you. Far more than it matters to us, apparently."

"You're trying to do right by yours, though. In your own way," Sokka said.

"Am I?" Azula said. "You weren't wrong to say this is a quest of revenge. I don't even know how far it will take me, and even if it's my father I hope to avenge, I'll…"

"You'll fight and maybe even kill your own family?" Sokka asked, frowning. Azula shrugged.

"Is there any other choice?" she asked. "My mother isn't a firebender, but she will have all the strongest soldiers of our nation defending her. She will gain all the advantages she can obtain, anything to stay on the throne, or close enough to it, once my brother takes office. How can I pretend I'll defeat her through anything less than that?"

"She's still your mother," said Sokka, eyeing her with uncertainty.

"He was her husband. I am her daughter. Didn't stop her," Azula said, closing her eyes.

Sokka swallowed hard but conceded once he fell silent. Perhaps he knew there were some things in life you couldn't fix just by talking them out… perhaps he knew there were some people no one could fix with just a heartfelt conversation. If so, she certainly had been rather lucky to have it with him, rather than anyone who might have been more forceful about making her abide by their ideals…

"Will you… train with me again tomorrow?" Azula asked, softly. He blinked blankly but glanced at her with a weak grin.

"If you'll have me, sure thing," he said, grinning. Azula smiled and nodded.

They continued to train hard across the next weeks of their long journey: the weather changed as they progressed north, prompting Sokka to occasionally train with sleeveless shirts and, on one fatefully hot day, outright shirtless. It was outrageous… and yet she had been so distracted he had nearly beaten her for the first time on the day he had first done so. Utterly embarrassing.

She spent more time with him than she ever meant to, than she did with most everyone else. Iroh had taken to spending more time with the Avatar, and he offered the waterbender frequent advice, but the warrior… he seemed to be drawn to her. To find more common ground with her, to feel safer with her than with the soldiers, or her uncle… and it was strange. It felt right, even if her mind said it was wrong. For she was growing used to him… and she didn't think that was wise. She was supposed to stand strong, to need nothing, no one… and she certainly didn't need this boy. But… did he need her? Sometimes, when he gazed at her with those clear blue eyes after their sparring was done, she wondered if he did. And she also wondered what that would mean for her, if that was the case.

The Northern Water Tribe was magnificent, yet a dreadful mirror that reflected how miserable and downtrodden his own tribe was, back home. Sokka had been amazed by it until that reality had dawned on him… he gazed at Azula, finding she seemed utterly unconcerned with the regal glory of the location, focusing instead on preserving her body heat as best she could. She was used to this opulence… if anything, she probably felt at home with it. It suited her, Sokka thought, to a fault… what if she dressed up in a Water Tribe parka? Then it could match her blue fire, why not…?

He shook his head quickly as they were ferried into the depths of the tribe on a canoe that Iroh had somehow arranged for them. He'd been having strange thoughts about Azula for a while now, thoughts he was sure he shouldn't have. She was so driven, so determined, so set on her goals… becoming her sparring partner had been a good idea, both for her and himself, as even though he had never defeated her, his combat abilities had increased greatly with her as his opponent, or at least, he thought they had. He had more stamina and he had learned many things regarding how to read a bender's next movements. Seeing as she was a firebender, he expected that what he'd learned would come in handy in the future.

But that was it, wasn't it? He'd said it himself: he didn't trust her, and neither did she trust him. As far as he could tell, she didn't trust anyone, not even her uncle… and considering what she'd been through, he didn't blame her for that. Yet the more he sympathized with her, the less he distrusted her… was that healthy? Was it a good idea to like her better than he should have…? With every glance he stole in her direction, he knew in his mind it wasn't, but in his heart…

They were welcomed with pomp and splendor, and Sokka felt more and more out of place with each passing moment. He wasn't sure why he felt so inadequate, or why he felt the need to stand beside Azula throughout the whole matter… perhaps he feared this was some sort of trap, too. That the northerners would consider them traitors, and would capture Aang, Azula and Iroh and send them giftwrapped to the Fire Lady… even the welcoming smiles of the local Princess, who seemed to get along fairly well with Katara as they sat together during the welcoming feast, didn't reassure him at all. And the balding, bitter man Iroh had proposed as Aang's new waterbending teacher didn't help matters much either.

Maybe he was simply used to expecting the worst from people, at this point: on the next day, Master Pakku accepted Aang as his student gladly, and rejected Katara, outright, for he refused to teach women how to fight. Sokka had spent most that day waiting for Azula to finish her meetings with Iroh and the tribe's leaders when Katara stormed in, revealing her outrageous struggle to him.

"He's a jerk! Why wouldn't I be allowed to fight just because I'm a girl?" Katara exclaimed. "He wants me to learn healing? I've never healed anyone with bending! I know other techniques to do that, but not with bending! What if I can't heal someone, and I waste all my valuable time here learning something I can't even do?!"

"Uh… I don't know?" said Sokka, grimacing: the door swung open then, and Katara glanced at Azula and Aang, who had arrived at the same time.

"You okay, Katara…?" Aang asked. Katara huffed.

"Of course I'm not! That Master Pakku is the worst!" she exclaimed.

"Why's that?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. "I suppose I shouldn't take for granted that any of my uncle's associates are worthwhile, but… I had hoped he wasn't completely worthless."

"Well, he thinks I can't learn waterbending combat because I'm a girl," said Katara. Sokka grimaced, glancing at Azula with uncertainty, wondering what her reaction would be…

"Wow. And here I assumed these people were civilized," Azula said, with a sarcastic grin. Katara grinned brightly at the obvious, expected support from a successful, powerful female warrior. "So much opulence and fancy halls, and yet they're the most backwards nation I've seen, if this is how it is."

"Well, it's not like we were much better off down south…" Katara admitted, shooting a glare at Sokka. "Someone had a thing for telling me I should stay back and let him handle all the fighting, or, how was it? 'Leave it to a girl to mess everything up'?"

"Hey! Not like I was wrong, was I? You kept soaking my clothes!" Sokka pouted.

"Not the point! Me being a girl has nothing to do with whatever I can do with my bending!" Katara declared. "And that stupid, uptight, stick-in-the-mud Master Pakku…"

"You… seriously said that kind of stuff?"

Sokka froze in place: it felt like his heart had stopped upon hearing Azula speak with such stark disapproval to him. He grimaced under her skeptical stare: just what he needed, the girl he liked would think he was a…

The girl he liked? That thought alone jumpstarted his heart again immediately.

"It's not… it's not really like that?" Sokka smiled awkwardly. "I mean, big brothers always mess with their sisters, right?"

"Right," said Azula, dryly. Sokka grimaced: she didn't believe him. Oh, hell, she didn't believe him. She turned towards Katara again, though, with a proud grin. "Well, then… I guess you need a solution for your dilemma. And I think I need a new sparring partner too, so…"

"W-what?! Hey! That's not…!"

"What do you say we give that Master Pakku a rather alarming surprise?" Azula suggested, smirking at Katara. Sokka could swear he had never seen his sister's eyes glisten so brightly.

"I have no idea what you have in mind… but the answer is yes. Absolutely, yes," Katara said, beaming.

Master Pakku would obviously expect that the stubborn waterbender would rebel against him. Thus, Azula recruited even Aang for her plan: the Avatar was perplexed over his role, but apparently, walking at night across several ice streets, on his way to a supposed hiding place, was as good a plan as any.

Sokka, of course, was barred from joining the plan. Azula wasn't sure why she was so outraged, she wasn't completely surprised that women would be dismissed as irrelevant in combat by certain cultures… but perhaps it had something to do with the suspicion that he wouldn't have held back against her, not even on their first encounter. He had sparred with her constantly, failing to defeat her… and not once had he voiced any dismissing words or thoughts like those Katara had credited to him. Maybe it was true, and he was merely an annoying older brother… or maybe it wasn't true, and he simply didn't see Azula as a woman.

And why, oh, why did that thought bother her so damn much?

She was being an idiot, she knew, but she had no time to think about that. Instead, she encouraged Katara to step closer to the nearest stream, and the waterbender did as much, most willingly.

"Now, then… follow my lead. Only, bring water with you, and perform the movements with me," Azula decided. Katara nodded.

"Then… I'll learn fire-waterbending?" she smiled. Azula shrugged.

"Seems like it. Now, then, pay attention to the sequence of my movements… every last one of them."

Azula shifted from kata to kata, conjuring firebending with her renowned expertise. Katara swallowed hard as the short sequence was finished, and she sought to repeat it, carrying water with her: the result wasn't particularly impressive, and yet the water had obeyed her more than when they had been on the ship. Katara grinned brightly at her, and Azula smirked.

"Let's keep going, then," she said. "I have the feeling you'll learn a lot of fire-waterbending for sure."

"Thank you for this, really," Katara laughed. "I know it's not the traditional way, but… who cares, right? If the traditional waterbending styles are meant to be for men, I'd rather find my own way to bend instead."

"Sounds about right," Azula smirked. "Alright, next sequence…"

"Oh, hey, guys!" Aang's voice came from the ceiling of a building: he airbent himself down to the river and smiled peacefully, despite he was, quite apparently, nervous. "Want some help? I can give you a few tips, Katara…"

"No need for that, Avatar," Azula said, raising her voice unnecessarily. "Outdated bending will never defeat the Fire Nation. I'll teach her a far better combat method, so much better you'll be begging her to teach you, rather than the other way around, once I'm through with her…"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Azula turned, staring at the elderly waterbending master with nonchalance as he stood at a bridge, overlooking their alleged hideout. Katara tensed up, and Aang fell off his air scooter, grimacing at Pakku's obvious loss of temper.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Azula said, simply. "I'll teach her combat waterbending. Why? You'd rather to do it yourself?"

"What a childish claim… your culture is different from ours, Princess Azula!" Pakku declared. "Don't expect to impose your values here!"

"Oh, but I want her to teach me. I asked you, you said no, she offered, and I'm taking her up on that offer," Katara said, simply. "And hey! You have no power to stop her!"

"Unless you have anything else to add, feel free to walk away," Azula said, waving a hand dismissively at Pakku. "Katara has to learn to defend herself as best she can, after all. We may eventually be caught in a path of violence, and she refuses to be dead weight for the rest of us. Who knows? She might even end up saving the Avatar's life…"

"Don't ridicule me! That sort of notion could never…!"

"You know? Maybe this is why they're still winning."

Sokka's voice startled everyone, breaking across the near-scripted encounter with complete naturality: he had sneaked up on Pakku, and he stood beside him, glancing between his friends and the waterbending master, who turned towards him in confused outrage.

"You saw her, didn't you? She's a powerhouse," Sokka said, smiling at Azula. "A girl that strong… she might be the greatest firebender in the world, don't you think? She can even bend blue fire! When had you ever heard of something like that? And you know what? Maybe some of the girls you've refused to teach could have been as strong as Princess Azula was. Then… maybe the Fire Nation could've been stopped before the war escalated this much. Meanwhile, the Fire Nation is perfectly willing to train their girls, and Azula is an example: if she weren't a rebel, she'd be fighting against us, and I can tell you, that would suck big time. She's the strongest girl I've ever met… and I have no doubts she'd kick my ass, and yours, and everyone else's, if given a chance. Maybe… maybe you should give my sister a chance, too. If a girl's power can be the driving force to end this war… why not support her? Why not teach her? Why not break old traditions that don't make any sense?"

Pakku scowled, but confusion crossed his eyes. For a long moment, Sokka stood there, holding the man's gaze… only for Pakku to storm off without another word. Sokka grimaced and sighed, glancing at Katara apologetically after Pakku's footsteps were undoubtedly gone.

"Sorry, I… hoped I could help," he said. "Guess I messed it up."

"You didn't…!" Katara gasped, smiling brightly at Sokka. "You… you really think all that, Sokka? Or are you just trying to impress Azula, now…?"

"W-wha…?! Hey! Of course I think so! All I just said is true!" Sokka exclaimed, blushing as both Katara and Aang laughed.

"Well… even if he won't teach you, you can learn with me and Azula!" Aang said, beaming at Katara as the two of them started on their way back to their given rooms, across the bridge Sokka stood at. "Teaching waterbending with firebending… it sounds fun, right?"

"It was! I don't know how effective it'll be, but it was!" Katara grinned, and she continued to chat animatedly with Aang as they walked back to their quarters.

Sokka stayed behind, waiting for Azula to reach the bridge too. She released a breath as she stepped towards him, stopping at arm's length.

"All you said was true, for sure," she said. "Whether you truly believe it or not, it is. That the driving force in the war right now is a female non-bender ought to speak lengths about how no one should be underestimating women. It's the entire reason my mother got away with everything she did until now…"

"True… and I won't lie to you, okay? I think you've had people lying a lot to you throughout your life. I don't want to be like them," Sokka whispered. "I did think, back before I knew you, that women had some very specific duties… and men had other duties, too. That's how I was raised, and I did say a lot of stupid things to Katara because of it. I mean… it doesn't mean I'm a monster, I hope, but… I know now it was wrong. After all I've trained with you, and all the time I've spent with you, now I'm… I'm able to look back and know I messed up. I shouldn't have said the things I did to Katara, not even if I was just trying to be an annoying older brother…"

"If you truly know that… then I guess it means you should come up with more creative ways to annoy your sister, from this day forward," Azula said. And Sokka grinned brightly once he saw she was smiling, too. "I'll choose to believe you truly have changed… because if you somehow don't think I'm a girl, and that's why you trained with me for all this time…"

"W-what?! Heck, that's what you thought?! Hell, no, absolutely not, Azula…!"

"I mean, I'd hope you wouldn't think that, you did say I was pretty, so…"

They both talked over each other, and only stopped when the other did. A light laugh left both their lips, and Sokka smiled fondly at her.

"I do think you are pretty, you know?" he said. "Though… I guess that's not too relevant to the conversation, is it?"

"Isn't it?" Azula whispered, softly. "You think I'm pretty… and the most powerful firebender in the world, too?"

"Uh… yeah. I think that sums it up," Sokka grinned. Azula laughed again, shaking her head.

"I guess I should thank you, if anything. For what you did just now, and… for everything else," Azula whispered, gazing at him intensely. Sokka's chest tightened: everything else? What did that even mean…?

The question vanished in his head once she stepped closer, leaning forward… and he followed suit, catching her lips with his own clumsily. He didn't really know how to do this, he'd never done it before… and neither had she. But they stood where they did, under the dark skies in the North Pole, sharing a strange, sincere, peaceful moment where no wars weighed on their minds, no conflicts, no pursuits of revenge…

He held her in place, feeling closer to Azula than ever before, and not only because they were kissing: despite their starting point had suggested otherwise, by now he found himself trusting her, wholeheartedly, even if he shouldn't have. For even if the Fire Nation would never reassure him, he thought he understood her loyalty better after today. It wasn't a matter of nations, not for her… it was a matter of standing by those you treasured, come what may. And while she shouldn't have grown fond of them, for a myriad of reasons, she wouldn't have helped Katara so readily if she hadn't felt a powerful kinship with all three of them by now. Perhaps he could see through Azula better now, if just a little…

Surprisingly, Pakku relented on the next day: he took to training Katara personally, freeing Azula to spar with her and Aang on evenings, so the waterbenders could test their skills against firebenders like herself. Mornings, however – if they could be called that, it was always damn dark in this pole, as far as Azula could tell – were much more exciting: she'd spend the whole time with Sokka, training with him just as well… and occasionally doing something other than training, too. They were still young, and they had much left to learn… and as it was, they were quite busy learning how to kiss properly. And with every joyful grin their secretive exchanges elicited in Sokka, Azula's heart soared too. Suddenly it was all too easy to forget she wasn't merely taking a trip with friends, seeing the world, and that she had a rather important task in mind…

She guessed everyone had figured out what was brewing between her and Sokka by the time Iroh decided they'd do best to leave already, once all alliances were settled, and the two waterbenders had learned plenty by Pakku's standards. They didn't walk hand-in-hand, nor did they make any sorts of affectionate gestures in public… but Sokka never stopped smiling goofily at her. It wasn't unpleasant, of course. She could withstand it, no doubt. Though she did fear that, if this kept up, her uncle would congratulate her, and even offer unwanted love advice… ugh, just the idea was embarrassing and sickening.

Yet their new journey was different, now that they were together, in some strange way. She shared her meals with Sokka, visited him in his cabin, and he visited her in hers. They spent occasional afternoons napping together, or talking, or simply cuddling… and all of it had been smooth, perfectly agreeable, filling her chest with a joyful warmth she was sure she had never experienced before. She shouldn't lower her guard so much, she knew that… but Sokka felt safe. He was a good person… he couldn't lie, it wasn't in his system. And he valued people… he treasured them. That was why he could hold her so closely, why his strong heartbeats could soothe her, why his voice sent blissful shivers down her spine…

It was slowly becoming the best period of her life. She didn't need anything but his sweet good night kisses, and his stubbornness as they trained together, and his clumsy flirty remarks that charmed her even if her common sense told her she shouldn't find them all that amusing. She wanted more of this, more of him…

Until they reached Omashu, and reality slammed into her with the force of an avalanche once they glimpsed the red-and-black banner of the Fire Nation dangling at those gates.

"She made another move. She's… she's going to take more and more Earth Kingdom bastions until everything is under her control!" Azula had exclaimed, fists tightened as she glared at the city.

"Calm yourself, Azula," Iroh said, breathing deeply. "We… we may yet find a way in."

"Bumi…" Aang grimaced, lowering his gaze. "We're too late to help…"

"I doubt it. I'm sure we can get in somehow," Sokka said, stubbornly. "The Fire Nation can't be that infallible. And hey! They probably didn't kill your friend Bumi either, Aang, because if he's king, like Iroh says, he's too valuable to kill anyway! So that means we have a chance to save him, alright?"

"You're right… you're right!" Aang said, frowning with determination. "I'll find Bumi. I mean, I hope I can recognize him even now, but I'll do it! And I know just the way to get inside the city!"

The way inside, as it happens, included a trip through sewers that Iroh, naturally, refrained from taking part of. He claimed he'd stay outside, with their soldiers, ensuring to stay hidden while he left the difficult job to the youngsters since they'd, allegedly, blend in easier. No, Azula didn't believe for a second that he was doing it for any other reason besides being appalled by the notion of waddling through literal rivers of shit.

But the more shocking moment of the experience came afterwards: as much as they tried to sneak through the city unnoticed, they failed to be stealthy enough to avoid hostilities by Fire Nation soldiers. And while Aang and Katara managed to keep most at bay with their bending, a sudden flurry of projectiles cast towards Sokka when he was busy parrying a soldier's flames with his club, caused Azula to leap forward and banish them away from him with a blast of blue flames… and a familiar voice suddenly spoke, in the darkness of Omashu's night streets:

"Azula?"

Those projectiles. That voice. Azula froze in place as she raised her gaze to find a silhouette so familiar, and yet so much more grown than she had last seen it. It couldn't be anyone else but her, though…

"Mai," she spoke, swallowing hard. No, she wasn't ready to confront her former friend, she truly wasn't, but if it came to it…

Mai seemed to snarl and rush towards them: that was Azula's first sign that something was different. Aang and Katara geared up to defend themselves, but Azula stretched her arm before them, stopping her new friends from attacking the old, who merely raced through streets, silently asking her to follow. And so Azula did, leading her three companions while ignoring and disregarding the soldiers shouting after them – as well as Mai's mother, who appeared to be aghast that her daughter had rushed off somewhere, straight towards the action.

After much running through maze-like streets, they reached a small, empty hut that stank of stale fish, a smell Azula found most distressing, but it seemed that very stench would serve to ward off the soldiers, as per Mai's logic. She ushered them inside and then they waited: the troops rushed past, searching further down the streets, assuming no one would be hiding within the old market's fishing storage room.

"My parents shut this place down about a week ago," Mai explained. "I knew it'd be empty. I try not to pay attention to their boring business, but…"

"Why would they even shut anything down?" Azula asked, aghast. "Mai, what are you doing here?"

"So… she really is your friend?" Sokka asked, with an awkward smile. "Not that I doubted you, Azula, but maybe a little heads-up would've been nice."

"I didn't think we'd have time to introduce you all when escaping from rabid soldiers, mind you," Azula sighed, shaking her head. Mai raised her eyebrows.

"Huh. You found yourself a boyfriend, then?" she asked. Both Sokka and Azula flinched and blushed, grateful that the darkness of the room wouldn't allow anyone to pick up on their reactions all that easily.

"He's…! W-well…" Azula mumbled. Sokka pouted.

"Not really like we've discussed what terms we want to use, so, uh, I mean…"

"Yes. He is her boyfriend," Katara said, with a blunt smile. "And I'm his sister. And this is…"

"Their friend," Azula cut off, once Aang's introduction came next. "Just as she is Mai, my old friend from school."

"I'm surprised you've made so many new friends, actually. You were never much good at that," Mai said, bluntly. "But it's a good thing, I guess, so… congratulations. Invite me to the wedding."

"We're a little too young to get married, right?" Sokka said, with a small voice. "But, well, if you wait for a few years, surely…"

"Surely?" Azula asked, startled.

"W-well, I mean, once I convince you I'm worth marrying, right?"

To Azula's surprise, Mai snorted. She couldn't remember when was the last time she ever heard her friend laugh – maybe she never had, actually. She turned a confused stare towards Mai, who shook her head sadly.

"Must be fun, huh? Not having everyone choosing your life for you," she said. "Not that I complain too much about my lot, I could be worse off, but… I'm not in Omashu because I want to be, for starters. The armies took the city a few months ago. My father was offered the position of governor, and he accepted it without a second thought. We've been here for a week and I already want to die if it means release from this drab place…"

"My mother…" Azula said. Mai tensed up immediately. "This was all her doing, obviously. Do you know anything else about her plans? Anything…?"

"What are you trying to do?" Mai asked, eyeing Azula with unexpected compassion. "You're not… trying to rebel against her, are you? It hasn't gone well for those who've tried…"

"I'm not stupid enough to be scared just because of that," Azula hissed. "Surely there's still enough dissenters…"

"Less and less every day," Mai said. Azula's heart sank. "She… gets rid of them. One by one, without leaving a trace. The Fire Nation… it's terrorized by its leader, I guess."

"And Zuko is fine with that? He doesn't do anything to…?" Azula said. Mai's eyes dropped to the ground at those questions.

"Zuko… has changed. Not to the point where he isn't himself anymore, but…" Mai said, grimacing. "He's not the boy who'd save me from burning apples anymore. Without you, without your father, he's different. Your mother's doing, I guess…"

"So… what, you don't care about him anymore?" Azula asked. If Zuko had changed so much that even Mai, who had loved him since childhood, couldn't endure it anymore… just what kind of madness was taking place in the Fire Nation?

"I didn't say that. I know his true self, his better sides, are still somewhere deep inside him," Mai said, closing her eyes. "But all this power, all your mother's teachings… they've done him a lot of harm. He's become… arrogant. He gets away with anything he wants to do. He can even hurt servants in fits of rage, if he feels like it, and… and no one cares. The servants vanish after. I… I've been with him, for all these years since you were banished. Technically, this assignment of my father's is meant to cement my eventual marriage to him, but… I can't be as excited about it as I was when I didn't know what I was signing up for."

"Then… it's my mother's influence. That's all there is to it," said Azula, looking at Mai pleadingly. "Join us. Help us release the king, and come with us. You can help us fight my mother, get Zuko back to who he…"

Mai shook her head slowly, and Azula's heart sank.

"If you want the king, I'll give him to you. But I… I can't fight against him, Azula. I may not be happy with who he is anymore, but… I love your brother. I think I always will."

"What…? No! You can't…! Mai, if you love him, that's all the more reason to fight!" Azula exclaimed, exasperated. "You should want to bring him back to who he was when you fell in love with him, you should…!"

"I'm not gullible enough to believe that's possible," Mai said, startling Azula. "It would be grand, if he chose to turn back into who he was before, but… I won't hold my breath. Innocence can't be regained when lost. I fear as much, at least."

Azula gritted her teeth, tightening her fists so much her nails dug into her palms painfully. So that was it? That was her choice? It was outrageous… unbelievable. It made no sense to Azula, and yet the reality of the situation dawned on her further: her mother had damaged the Fire Nation on every possible level she could have. She had corrupted her brother's once-pure soul, and turned him into someone even Mai couldn't love as wholeheartedly as she once had. She had done away with every smidge of resistance until there was nothing left… and now she was taking over every remaining city in the Earth Kingdom, no doubt intending to conquer every city left in the large continent, perhaps to gift the whole world to her puppet son once he reached his seventeenth birthday.

Those thoughts were tormenting her when Mai led them all the way to the statue being erected at the top of Omashu's tallest pyramid: Azula scowled upon recognizing it was made in her mother's image. How she wished to be an earthbender and tear the damn thing to pieces…

But where the king, suspended in a strange coffin, should have rejoiced over the opportunity to leave the city without a hassle, he instead refused to do so, surprising the previously thrilled Aang, who stared at him in chagrin at those words. The king made up some strange excuses about neutral jing, doing nothing, as an option in fighting, and claimed his moment to reclaim his city would arrive in due time. In the end, their venture into the second largest city of the continent was but a waste of time, and a rather depressing one at that. Mai led them to the sewers again, and Azula glanced at her as she walked away, knowing her friend meant her no harm with her decision… but knowing, too, that there was no way she'd change her mind. Zuko was Mai's priority… no matter what kind of man he might have become.

"We should simply teach him firebending! What's the point of sticking to the damn cycle of elements anyway? The idea is for the Avatar to learn it all! He's had two perfectly capable firebenders to teach him for months and we haven't taught him a single thing because you won't allow it!"

"The cycle is what it is for good reason, Azula. An airbending Avatar needs to learn how to ground himself before he can firebend, lest he will lose control of his fire in virtue of how volatile the element and his bending in general will be. The same is true for everything else! A firebending Avatar learns waterbending to temper his flames before the air stokes them out of control…!"

"And it's always the fire that's the problem. Funny philosophies you have, Uncle."

"My philosophies are the product of study and tradition. This is done this way for good reason, Azula: the Avatar is a delicate entity, and any mistakes in his upbringing could result in a catastrophe!"

"Then what the hell are we going to do, huh? Please, enlighten me!" Azula exclaimed, rising to her feet as she glared at her Uncle. Sokka grimaced, sitting beside her by the fire as they'd been. "Are we going to stay put because we can't convince one damn earthbender out of thousands to teach the Avatar? Do we let my mother get away with everything she's done so far? I thought we had an agreement…!"

"And we still do," Iroh said, sternly. "But we both agreed to be lenient with each other, flexible, until everything was resolved. And you aren't being that right now…"

"Neither are you, Mr. Tradition and Study," Azula scowled, shaking her head and storming off without another word.

Aang and Katara shrank awkwardly by the fire as Iroh sighed. Sokka, of course, grimaced and stood up.

"I'll go after her," he said. "Though… I do think I agree with her. Not just about the bending, but… what are we going to do if we can't release the king? You were betting on these alliances to be strong enough to defeat the Fire Lady… but is anything that powerful?"

"I… don't know," Iroh admitted, quietly.

Sokka sighed and walked away, following the trail Azula had left through. She sat by the edge of the mountain they were camping at, glaring at Omashu in the distance, when he took his seat beside her again.

"Want to make out?" Azula blurted out, suddenly. Sokka nearly fell off the mountain altogether at the sudden question. "Can't say I'm in the mood… but it might help me feel better."

"Well… maybe after we talk?" Sokka said, with an awkward smile. Azula sighed and buried her face in her knees. Sokka reached out, caressing her head. "Azula…"

"I get it now. I… I understand how you must feel about me," she said. Sokka froze, unsure of what she would mean by that. Was she trying to end things between them, somehow…? Oh, he sure hoped she wasn't… "I've kept rambling on and on about my revenge quest… but I've never said I'm against anything the Fire Nation did in the war, have I?"

"Uh… yeah. I guess you haven't," Sokka admitted.

"It's because I wasn't," Azula said. Sokka frowned, his fingers slipping down from the top of her head to the nape of her neck. "I saw nothing wrong… with everything that we'd done. Because I wasn't raised to see it, so I didn't care to. Even when we met… I just wanted to end the war at all costs because I thought it'd be the worst blow against my mother. But now… if I'm feeling so lost, so angry over Omashu being hers, the people there must feel a thousand times worse. As must have everyone else, all across the Earth Kingdom, and the old Air Nomad bastions… though those aren't even alive to resent the Fire Lords for it. And yet it took this much for me to see it."

"At least you see it now," Sokka said, biting his lip.

"But I also see why you couldn't trust me. It's why I never encouraged you to trust me, too," Azula mumbled. "I'm like Mai, aren't I? It doesn't matter if I know the Fire Nation is wrong, or breaking balance, I… I just want to fight for it. I want to do what's right by it. Even… if it doesn't deserve that."

"Heh… I don't know if the whole nation deserves your hard work or not," Sokka said, lowering his hand to clasp hers. "But you're not like her. You're taking action, right? You want to fight back. She's given up, but you never did."

"I'm not fighting the right battle, though, am I?" Azula said, glancing at him. "It doesn't end just with dethroning her. Not if she's corrupting Zuko as Mai says she did. Whatever my uncle may say or think about him, my brother… he has an awful temper. He's hot-headed and impulsive, and there's no way mother's death or forceful removal would ever sit well with him. He needs to understand what's wrong with the Fire Nation, just as I have, but… he won't. He just… won't."

"Then maybe the Fire Nation needs another Fire Lord," Sokka said, gazing at her meaningfully. Azula frowned before shooting him a wary glance. "Or… is it Fire Lady in this case too? I'm sorry, I don't really know…"

"I… take the throne? Instead of Zuko?" Azula asked. Sokka shrugged.

"If you want to, make it a temporary thing," he said. "Until he's seen enough of the world, if you can trust him to do what's right by his people if he learns better. Or you can just depose him for good, and take the throne yourself to guide the Fire Nation to a better future… I mean, you could, right? You've been friends with us… you've helped us, protected us, given us a chance to fight back, even if for your own reasons. I… I know I shouldn't trust you, right? But… I think I do now. Even if I didn't mean to… I do."

"So, if I let you down, I'll hurt you," Azula concluded, with a grimace. "That's fun…"

"I'm sorry if it's a lot of pressure," Sokka smiled sadly. "But… come on, I wouldn't make out with someone I can't trust."

"Why not? Could be fun," Azula huffed.

"Wait, it 'could' be? Here I thought you'd say you're doing that with me," Sokka smirked.

To his relief, Azula smiled before leaning in to kiss him softly. Sokka returned the gesture, finishing off by pressing another kiss to the tip of her nose.

"Guess I've ended up trusting you too. Curses, we're a mess," Azula sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face to his shoulder. "I just… feel at ease with you. I trust that you won't betray me… I trust that I understand you, no matter how different we are. And yet I… I can't trust the Fire Nation. I can't trust anyone there, not my friends, not my family, I… I don't know what to do. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. And I can't say any of this to anyone but you… which is already a miracle. Because I… couldn't tell anyone, before I met you. I spent three years letting my thoughts fester…"

"And now you can share them with me" Sokka said, smiling warmly at her "Look… I don't know if I'll help at all by saying this, but before we met, I hated the Fire Nation. Now, because of you… I can't hate it, not really. What I'm thinking is… you're a product of that mess of a culture, just as everyone else you know is. But you're also proof that not everything in the Fire Nation is doomed, Azula. You're proof great things can come from it… and you're proof they can change their ways, too. If you've learned from all this… if you can't help but empathize with those who've lost their homes, their hope, their very nation… then it means you're the one better suited for breaking the Fire Nation's cycle, the best hope this world has. I know the path ahead wouldn't be easy, but… I'll be here. Even if your mom goes down, and your brother leaves you be, and you get to rule the Fire Nation and bring it back into proper harmony, I'll be right there with you, every step of the way."

"You… you took the marriage thing that seriously, huh?" Azula sakd, with a weak grin. Sokka chuckled and shrugged.

"I like you more and more every day, as it is," he whispered. "I… I guess maybe at this point I even…"

"You even…?" Azula said, her heart racing as she waited for him to finish his sentence. He smiled and bit his lip, almost shyly.

"I even might love you. But, you know, I've never felt like this with a girl, so… it's all new for me and I don't know if it's love yet," he laughed. "I… kind of want it to be, though."

"You… want to love me?" Azula asked. Sokka grinned and nodded. "That's… a strange concept. But… it's somewhat cute, I guess."

"Glad you think so," Sokka chuckled.

Azula smiled as she leaned in to kiss him again. She hadn't said the words back, but this was the second-best follow-up, as far as he could tell. She wasn't quite so forthright with feelings, he had noticed… she had been far more honest tonight than in most their long conversations before he left for his cabin at night on the ship. He felt a little closer to her now, and that was a blissful sensation indeed. She had been troubled before, but now… she seemed hopeful. She had heard him out… and she understood him. Maybe she didn't agree with everything… maybe she didn't want to take the throne for herself in the end. But she smiled anyways after their kiss broke off, and his heart soared because of it.

Iroh seemed relieved when Azula returned in better spirits… and he didn't ignore the bold handholding between the pair of teenagers. He held back a smile, though he remained silent until Azula's voice reached him.

"Our next goal should be gathering support throughout the Earth Kingdom," Azula declared, firmly, as though she hadn't been upset mere moments ago. "I propose we go to the largest cities, especially if you have any contacts in them. We'll find a proper earthbending master for Aang eventually, I'd assume."

"That… yes, sounds reasonable," Iroh said, nodding. "Then… we'll leave Omashu be?"

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Azula sighed. "And we still have a war and a Fire Lady to stop. At all costs. If King Bumi is sure he can fix this himself somehow, it's his business, but we can move forward regardless. There's no reason to think the war effort should be over only because Omashu has fallen."

Her renewed determination, after her previous bout of frustration, had soothed Iroh deeply. He smiled again as they made arrangements to continue their journey, and while they wouldn't have it as easy to travel as before, for they'd need to leave their soldiers on the ship if they didn't want to garner unwanted attention in Earth Kingdom settlements, their reinvigorated direction aided the group's mood greatly.

The city of Gaoling was their next goal, and while Iroh took his time to arrange matters to gain the local nobles' favor, the younger members of the group busied themselves with finding an earthbending master for Aang. After a fruitless attempt to have him train in Master Yu's school, they found out about an underground earthbending battling ring… and while Azula enjoyed watching her boyfriend – the word still felt foreign, but she was growing used to it gradually – screaming excitedly to his heart's content over each combat, she enjoyed nothing quite as much as his horror when the champion of these duels stepped into the fray at last, and defeated Sokka's favorite fighter with nothing but a few well-calculated blows.

Aang had been convinced immediately that the small girl was his fated master, but his intervention in the fights, and attempt to challenge her only to request her help, hadn't gone so well. In the end, they wound up returning to the earthbending school in hopes to track down any information about the Blind Bandit, but their best attempts amounted to nothing. In the end, they merely followed Iroh into yet another one of his meetings with local nobles… and curiously, a small girl in the Beifong family looked enough like the Blind Bandit – and even acted like her, whenever her parents weren't watching, by lashing out at Aang when he dared tell her the dress suited her too – that it seemed they had happened to discover her identity all the same: the blind daughter of the richest family in Gaoling, Toph Beifong.

What followed that discovery was a spree of wild madness: Aang and Toph were taken prisoners by Sokka's admired earthbending fighter, and as much as Azula, Katara, Sokka and Iroh rushed to their rescue, Toph ended up defeating all the enemies herself. Even then, her parents seemed unwilling to allow her to leave with them… and it seemed she truly did wish to, despite she had rejected the notion of teaching Aang any earthbending so far, even after he told her he was the Avatar.

Yet, just as they were ready to give up…

"I… think I shall have a chat with the Beifongs, before we go," Iroh told Azula, with a bright grin. Azula blinked blankly.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked. "I thought you'd already said they weren't going to be much help in the war effort…"

"That's still true. But I may be able to resolve another problem, if I play my tiles right," Iroh grinned, patting her shoulder before reentering the Beifong mansion.

"What do you think he'll do?" Sokka asked, clasping Azula's hand in his own. Azula grimaced.

"Knowing him? Charm the Beifongs into letting Toph come with us," she said. Sokka scoffed, and Aang groaned.

"It'll never work…" Aang pouted. "They won't let her."

"It's not very likely," Sokka agreed. Katara sighed in defeat as well.

"We'll have to find someone else to…"

"Hey, guys! I'm coming with you!"

Toph voice broke through the conversation: they all turned around in utter disbelief to find the earthbender's parents were crying, hugging Iroh, talking about entrusting their daughter's safety to him. Toph was still wearing her fancy regal clothes, but she had put together a quick bag anyway, and she rushed towards them and Appa with the brightest grin on her face.

"Told you," Azula smiled dryly, as Sokka laughed and shook his head.

"He'd charm a starving man out of his last breadcrumbs, looks lik,e" Sokka said. "That's one less problem, right? We have our earthbender! And now…"

"Now… Ba Sing Se," Azula said, glancing at him with determination: that next goal would be pivotal, crucial, in ending the war to their favor.

They traveled by bison at first, intending to catch up with their ship again halfway through the ocean. Whenever they stopped for a short break, Aang and Toph would work on their earthbending training, or Aang and Katara would work on their waterbending instead. In the meantime, Iroh continued to craft his plans for the next stages of their rebellion… and Azula and Sokka either helped him or hid away for a while for further privacy, returning to the group half an hour later, holding hands and smiling rather carelessly. And while Azula had no intentions of chatting with her uncle about her growing relationship with the Water Tribesman, she certainly had noticed he seemed more likely to smile at her these days, watching over her as, perhaps, a doting father might… not that she thought her own father would ever have approved of this relationship, though. It was, perhaps, an advantage that it was Iroh with her right now, while she explored this rather new walk of life with Sokka.

Toph wasn't particularly thrilled to be stuck on a metal ship once they reached their favored means of transportation, and often demanded she and Aang took off on Appa so they could get some training done in the outskirts of the eastern Earth Kingdom. The pair had only returned from one such journey when one of the soldiers informed Iroh that Ba Sing Se's wall was within view.

"Very well… very well," Iroh nibbled on the tip of his thumb, as his niece stood beside him, arms crossed.

"How will we get in?" she asked. "I doubt we'll find a sewer to sneak through this time… and I also doubt I'll bump into any of my friends here to give us a hand. Do you have any contacts in the city?"

"Regrettably… none I've been able to reach," said Iroh. "But it makes no matter! We shall find a way through, Azula. I have a few ideas on how to do it: we can go incognito! Pretend to be travelers, innocent ones, completely harmless…"

"And how will innocent travelers ever earn an audience with the Earth King?" Sokka asked, blinking blankly: as ever, he stood beside Azula, a hand on her waist.

"Oh, you needn't worry, young man!" Iroh declared, proudly, rubbing his hands together. "I'll see to it myself. You'll be surprised just how far a careful set of words can bring you, if you speak them to the right person!"

"Huh…?" said Sokka, though he smiled at Azula. "Guess he might pull off the same thing he did in Gaoling, right?"

"Maybe. Is that what you intend?" Azula asked Iroh. He chuckled and shrugged.

"Just wait patiently, Princess Azula," he said, determined and enthusiastic. "I shall not lead any of you astray!"

"Well… that sure didn't go as planned, eh?" Iroh smiled awkwardly, at the four sets of glaring eyes that bore into him… and the scowling, sightless eyes that weren't aimed in his direction, but might as well have been.

Being stuck in a narrow space with Sokka's arms around her body wouldn't have displeased Azula under any other circumstances… but a prison cell could easily kill any romantic mood she might have felt, and she certainly had felt none from the moment they had been captured and dragged into Ba Sing Se as prisoners rather than honored guests, regardless of Iroh's many promises.

Their attempt to enter the city through the passports Iroh had procured for them – with the help of some mysterious associate he had met while they traveled with Appa near the Misty Palms Oasis – had been an absolute failure. While he had certainly charmed the woman at the counter, he had failed catastrophically at talking them out of a Dai Li inspection right afterwards. Even though all of them were clad in Earth Kingdom clothes, and Aang's every arrow was perfectly covered with a large hat and a tall collar, something about them had pissed off the earthbenders so much that they found themselves imprisoned in the Earth King's underground prisons now, and with very few hopes of escape, as far as they could tell.

"Ugh, just be quiet. I can try to get us out of here if I just… make a good key," Toph grumbled, using some of the earth of the ground to craft a useful method to either open or outright break the lock.

"We shouldn't even be here in the first place," Azula hissed, regardless of Sokka's soothing caresses to her hair. "What did you say to those bastards? It felt like they just decided to lock us up because they were annoyed by your rambling."

"Maybe. I am good at charming with words… not so good without them," Iroh admitted, stroking his beard.

"But it is excessive, isn't it?" Sokka reasoned. "I mean… unless they figured out who we are? Or at least, who you guys are? I'd think no one knows about Aang yet, right? Even in Omashu he didn't do anything too damning, did he?"

"No, and I deliberately held off from telling Mai who he was," Azula said. "While she's not a bad person, as far as I know, any information she gained on us could be used to destroy us. So… no, I didn't tell her. And in that darkness, I'm not sure if anyone could've noticed it if he was airbending."

"Then maybe they know who you and Iroh are," Katara mused, biting her lip. "Do you think that's possible?"

"Well… yes," Azula conceded.

"We're not very popular at the moment," Iroh admitted, closing his eyes.

"But would the Earth Kingdom know that?" Katara asked.

"They certainly know me as the man who tried to overtake their city, so… I can't say it's too surprising if they want me dead," Iroh admitted. "They may have simply seized us all just because they recognized me, despite the passports."

"And I guess maybe they could've captured Iroh to use him as a hostage to negotiate with the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked. "Just a thought…"

"Might just be the truth, actually," Azula mumbled, frowning.

That gloomy, discouraging possibility was followed up by a surprising sound: metal, screeching in a rather unexpected, unnatural manner.

"Toph?" Sokka called the youngest member of the group. She stood by the door and turned with a rather devious smirk.

"I, uh… think I discovered something," she said.

"Did you… y-you just broke through the metal door?!" Aang gasped, upon glimpsing that Toph's hand was past the door, through a small hole she had dug into it somehow. She couldn't have looked prouder.

"Guess… I'm a metalbender," she announced, grinning.

They were racing down the Palace basement's corridors moments afterwards, speeding up as fast as they could, hoping to find a hiding place, anywhere safe where they might be able to cheat the Dai Li, and either get out of the city or contact the king directly, and inform him of their situation. Aang spotted a staircase that led to the upper floors, and they all rushed towards it in a hurry…

"Wait. I sense people!" Toph exclaimed, grimacing before pulling out a chunk of the wall to use as a weapon against whoever stood outside the prison block's doors.

The others merely stepped out of the way while the earthbender heaved the massive projectile and tossed it, busting the door off its hinges, startling the soldiers in red and in green right outside the…

Red?

Azula's eyes widened when she identified those helmets, those dark uniforms, highlighted in crimson. But most of all, everyone gasped when an onslaught of fire scorched Toph's projectile and blasted it out of the way…

Azula's heart sank. It sank deeper and deeper as soon as she saw those crimson robes fully: Imperial Firebenders. That could only mean…

"Oh, dear. I suppose you've made rather uncivilized friends who cannot seem to greet others in an acceptable manner, haven't you? I expected something classier from you, Azula."

Her heart couldn't seem to settle between racing or stopping when her golden eyes found the honeyed-poison ones of the woman who had just spoken her name with derision. The woman who stood behind the Imperial Firebenders who had just stepped out of the way… revealing her, as well as a young man who stood beside her, proud and strong in his gold-lined armor, his chin held high despite his eyes betrayed a joviality and innocence that didn't befit a Crown Prince.

A joviality and innocence completely absent in the eyes of the woman he followed most obediently.

Azula felt Sokka tensing up beside her. She could tell Aang was nervous, that even Toph was doubting, that Katara was frantically looking for a way out, despite they were surrounded by hostile soldiers of two nations that should have only been enemies… that Iroh was as furious as she was, and for once, failing to conceal it properly.

This was why they had been imprisoned. This was why their plans were failing: she had made her move. And whatever her plans were now, she intended to take Ba Sing Se for herself. Perhaps she already had.

"Well?" said the elegant woman, raising her eyebrows skeptically. "Did they infect you with that uncivilized behavior, by any chance? Glaring at me in such a manner is most unbefitting, Azula…"

"How… how dare you…?" Azula hissed, her furious eyes gleaming. "Why are you…?! How are you even here?!"

The woman smiled, and Azula's tightened fists seemed poised to shatter with all her charged fury. Once she had pretended to be gentle, kind, a perfect mother with no ill intentions… she had long put aside such pretenses, and now stood before her with no masks, whatsoever.

"Answer me…" Azula snarled, glaring so fiercely it seemed she intended to set the woman on fire through willpower alone: "What are you doing here, Mother?!"

The soldiers had dragged most the group back to the prison cells. They had been locked in another one, this time with guards poised watching them, ensuring that even if they managed another miraculous escape that defied sense and reality, they wouldn't be able to make it very far without alerting the whole Palace that they were running. It seemed, to Azula's utter chagrin, that their first escape attempt had been a failure by mere chance: had Toph released them merely ten minutes earlier, they might have been able to get away.

"It was rather amusing, I must say. I had intended to visit you and your uncle, of course," Ursa was reciting, as she paced inside a Palace sitting room, a cup of steaming tea in her hand. She had poured another one, but Azula, the only other occupant in the room, by Ursa's express request, refused to touch it, no matter how parched she was. "But you two merely rushed me and my procession just when we were handling the security details regarding how to head down into that dark prison block as safely as possible! Amusing, truly…"

"You still haven't answered me," the exiled Princess said, her head hung, her arms chained behind her back, shackled just as her feet were, held down on the heavy table. She had managed to sit down… but that was as far as her movements would get her, apparently. "Why… why are you here? How? The Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation have been at war for…"

"For a hundred years, even longer if you're to take into account how poorly the Earth Kingdom responded to Fire Lord Sozin's first colonies, yes," Ursa said, carelessly, taking her seat at the other side of the table. She was the picture of regal luxury, clad in beautiful robes, sporting as many jewels and royal artifacts as she dared wear… whereas Azula was in an incognito outfit, filthy from her time in jail, her hair in disarray. And where Azula sat on the floor, without even a cushion, her mother relaxed in a smooth lounge, reclining sideways into perfect comfort. "Isn't it a rather drab business, the war? I've had to continue it, of course, the nation would've stood for nothing else, but… oh, there just had to be more effective ways to resolve all this, don't you believe?"

"Effective?" Azula repeated, breathing heavily. "Like what? Are you… y-you're trying to enter an alliance with the Earth King?"

"Trying? Do you really think I'd be here if I hadn't succeeded?" Ursa smirked. Azula's aghast expression only amused her mother further. "It wasn't quite so difficult, mind you: just a little persuasion goes a long way with unseasoned kings who don't know any better. King Kuei isn't even aware there's a war… his fool of an advisor never told him as much. Once I arrived for a diplomatic visit, how could they have refused me?"

"He didn't tell him…? The Earth King didn't know there was a war?" Azula asked. "That's absurd! How could they shelter him to a point where…?"

"Isn't it utterly embarrassing, really?" Ursa said, smiling and shaking her head. "I almost felt sorry for the poor thing. He's infatuated with me too, you see… perfectly useful for my purposes, of course. If I give him enough reason to believe he'll ever be able to craft a permanent alliance between our nations, he'll wind up signing his whole continent to me without his awareness…"

"And that's when you'll strike," Azula hissed, resisting the urge to spit at her mother right then and there. "Guess that's what you stoop to nowadays, huh? Seducing men to get your way?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. It's hardly my fault men are quite so foolish and gullible," Ursa said, raising her eyebrows dismissively as she took to checking her makeup. Azula snarled.

"That's surely what you thought of my father too, isn't it? Foolish and gullible… and then you killed him. You killed him, just as you killed my grandfather, all for Zuko's sake…!"

"Honestly, child," Ursa said, rolling her eyes before glancing at her skeptically. "Do you truly believe your incompetent father could've run this nation and finished this war with anything short of Sozin's Comet's second coming? Even then, he surely would have failed. He filled his mind with absolute delusions about how that throne belonged to him… as though he'd ever be capable of ruling without sending the whole nation into chaos and disaster. Am I questioned over my rise into power? No doubt: is the Fire Nation thriving, more than it ever did before? Of course it is. And neither your father nor your thrice-accursed grandfather could've achieved that. The Fire Nation's better than it ever was, and it's all because of me."

"I have a hard time believing that," Azula hissed. Ursa let out a soft chuckle and she shook her head.

"No doubt. You were your father's beloved golden daughter, weren't you?" Ursa said. "I suppose you would feel rather differently if he had been Fire Lord for longer than a week. And what a tragedy that was…"

"Tragedy? Tragedy?!" Azula snarled. "You and I both know you were behind that! You were! Quit playing pretense and admit it, if not to the world, to me! You've lied to my face for years, and then got rid of me because you knew I'd discover the truth! Now you've trapped me because you know I'm a threat! If you'll just lock me away somewhere, the least you can do for your daughter is admit your blasted crimes!"

"Lock you away? Oh, dear, again with the histrionics…" Ursa sighed, standing up and making her way to a nearby armoire. Azula glared at her mother fierce, wrestling with her chains, wishing she could move beyond being chained to the damn table. "What makes you think I'd want to keep you imprisoned, Azula, really?"

Azula huffed, breathing heavily as the reality and weight of those words sank inside her very soul. No, her mother didn't traditionally take prisoners. What she did was…

Her eyes widened just as Ursa turned around, a small vial of translucent liquid in her hands.

"Calm down, Sokka… you won't help her just by fretting in here," Katara told her brother, but Sokka refused to listen to reason.

"We have to get out. We have to. Toph, please…"

"There's a lot of soldiers out there," Toph said, biting her lip. "If we wait for a change of shift…"

"That could be too late!" Sokka exclaimed. "Azula is alone with her murderous mother! There's no way she'll be fine there, damn it! We have to…!"

"Shh," Toph said, suddenly. "Someone's coming."

Sokka fell silent begrudgingly, his heart racing and aching on equal amounts. No, no, no, he couldn't lose Azula, he simply couldn't lose her… he felt as though he were falling off Appa, with an unbearable vertigo, as though the whole world would shatter if he couldn't reach her on time…

The footsteps Toph had heard were audible eventually, and they stopped at their cell. The voice that accompanied them was only familiar for one member of their group, once they heard it:

"Leave me. I'll speak to my Uncle alone."

Wait… soldiers, dismissed? Sokka's eyes gleamed. It was their chance…!

Iroh shot him a warning glare, and Sokka's soaring heart sank all over again. Iroh turned towards the door, waiting for the young man outside to stop breathing heavily and to speak, outright.

"I… I'm sorry you're imprisoned, Uncle," said none other than Azula's brother, of course: Zuko. "I didn't want you to be, but Mother… she thinks you're dangerous. I've told her you're not, that you'd never hurt me, but she's sure you can't be trusted. I'm sorry she sent you away with Azula, you two never got along… it must have sucked. But hey, I'll try to convince Mother to let you stay with us! I'll be Fire Lord this year, so if you're patient I can revoke your exile sooner than you thought! You'll be able to come back home, Uncle… and I know things between you and Mother are messy, but I'll help you fix it. I will. I just… I miss you."

Sokka's harsh glare warned Iroh not to do anything foolish either. Iroh held his gaze for a moment, nodding weakly before speaking through the door.

"I missed you too, my nephew," he said, smiling heartily, offering his words yet another coating of warmth and kindness. "It wasn't easy, no… but while I didn't expect to reunite with you while I'm imprisoned, I sure rejoiced in it all the same. You've grown into a very handsome young man! Surely all the ladies in the city want to marry you…"

"Oh, haha, well, yeah…" Zuko laughed outside. Iroh grinned.

"I trust you, my nephew. I know your heart is in the right place. I'll wait until you can help me, but… is it okay if I make one request right now?"

"Sure! Anything you want, Uncle!"

"I would very much like to see your face properly… and give you a big hug."

Sokka blinked blankly. Katara and Aang stared at Iroh in confused chagrin while Toph's jaw dropped. No way. That was so obvious, it was even worse than ANYTHING he'd said to the Dai Li earlier…

"Oh… I'd need the keys for that. Give me a second! Guards!"

Iroh smirked, and Toph had to cover her mouth to avoid chortling. Sokka bit his lip, his heart racing at haste yet again…

The lock slid open. The door swung outwards. The regal Fire Prince, soon to be Fire Lord, stood right outside, smiling warmly at his uncle…

Iroh sighed and spread his arms, and Zuko knelt before hugging him. Iroh rocked him gently in his arms, and Zuko chuckled, no doubt elated that his perfect life would only improve from now on…

And then his whole body seemed to go numb right after Iroh's hand pinched him right at the nape of his neck.

"W-wha…?" he said, his voice trembling: even speaking seemed near impossible to him now. What on earth…?

"I'm sorry, Zuko. But I won't abandon your sister."

Sokka didn't wait for another moment before rushing the guards right outside: Toph helped him by slamming some into a wall while he attacked two with powerful bare fists, and Aang joined in by using his own earthbending to fight back. Katara smiled wildly as she leapt over Iroh and Zuko: the old general was pulling his nephew inside the prison cell, and he laid him there just after all the nearby guards were defeated: the betrayal in Zuko's eyes was heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry, truly," Iroh said, nodding in his direction before closing the door, locking it firmly.

"For a second there I thought…" Sokka told Iroh, breathing heavily. Iroh scoffed.

"You think I'd ever join my sister-in-law? After everything she's done?" Iroh said. "No matter how honeyed Zuko's words may be… I won't abandon Azula. You're not the only one who's loyal to her, you hear me?"

Sokka smiled and nodded, just as Katara returned to him, strapping her waterbending pouches to her body while handing Sokka his weapons.

"We need to find Azula," Sokka said, firmly. "Toph! Help us track her down!"

"Aye-aye, captain!"

They didn't waste time rushing to the stairs: Toph and Aang tore open the ceiling and they raised their group to the next floor with earthbending. There was no point in stealth anymore, not when they knew this was an enemy best fought through unpredictability… Sokka breathed deeply, leaping off the earthbending pillar once they reached solid ground – albeit now torn with a huge hole –, while Toph and Aang slammed their bare feet into the ground, searching the Palace's upper floors with seismic sense until they located Azula…

"You'll get your answer, I said… once you drink this. Simple, right?" Ursa smirked, stepping towards her daughter: Azula pulled away violently, keeping her lips tightly shut as her mother knelt beside her. "And here I thought you wanted to know the truth. Don't you want to anymore, Azula? That's just so confusing and contradictory…"

Azula would've snarled, would've protested, if she had thought her mother wouldn't empty the vial's contents in her mouth as soon as she dared separate her lips. Curse everything… curse it all. That was how she'd done it, then. Poison… a suitable weapon for one who didn't dirty her hands willingly. She was ever the picture of perfection… and now she intended to destroy her, just as she had destroyed her father. How many people had she killed this way? How many had suspected her, known she was up to no good, and she had simply offed them right then and there? Azula couldn't even venture a guess. Her whole body screamed rejection, and she tugged at her chains in a hopeless attempt to release herself from the shackles…

But Ursa only smirked where she knelt, cockily raising her eyebrows defiantly, waiting for Azula to make a mistake. Hoping to goad her into making them, even.

"It's supposed to be tasteless. You surely won't feel a thing," she said. "Your father was quite calm when he drank it mixed with a cup of rice wine that night, if I recall right. Oh, no… it was lychee wine, wasn't it?"

Azula gasped: Ursa made her move: Azula screamed as her mother held her jaw forcefully, preventing Azula from slamming her mouth shut as she had intended to… and pouring the contents of the vial right into her mouth.

"That being said… I could've mixed it with your tea, if you preferred that. Would it have been better, perhaps? You might have enjoyed it better, right, Azula?" Ursa smirked: now she held the exiled Princess's jaw closed, doing her very best to prevent her from spitting out the liquid.

Azula's face was contorted with outrage, disgust and fear. She was going to die, she was actually going to die… and her mother had admitted the truth. She had admitted this was how she'd killed so many people, so many times…

"How I've longed for this moment…" Ursa said, holding her daughter down still, in a more violent display of strength than any Azula had seen from her until that day. "How I've wanted to get rid of your meddling, you spoiled brat. You won't take your brother's throne for yourself the way your damn father did with your uncle. Oh, yes, your uncle deserved it, but Zuko… he's the one true Fire Lord. And you… you were never meant to be born. You were an unwanted accident, one I'll put an end to, right now…!"

The floor underneath the table collapsed suddenly, loudly: Ursa gasped, her control on the situation shattering for long enough to release Azula… and for Azula to spit the entire content of the vial in her mother's face, to Ursa's horror.

She'd still need to rinse off, she had to do it as soon as possible, that damn thing had to be potent if Ursa believed such a small amount would suffice for murder… one quick glance nearly made her cry of joy rather than despair: tears did burn in her eyes after Ursa had damn near killed her, but they gained a new meaning now as Sokka jumped out of the hole in the ground towards her, concern clear in his face.

"Azula! Azula, I'm here, we're here…!"

"What have you done to her?!" Iroh bellowed, rushing towards Ursa and clasping her by the neck of her long dress. "Answer me!"

"P-poison…" Azula coughed, trying to spit out the remnants of the thing: Katara knelt before her, offering her some of her bending water to rinse her mouth fully, perhaps too invasively, but Azula didn't care. Not if it meant she'd survive… and she truly expected she would be, with Katara's help, while Sokka held her closely.

"To think I complained about my family being boring," Toph growled, holding a boulder at the ready to attack the Fire Lady.

"How could you do this to your own daughter?!" Aang asked, aghast. "You… you're not worthy of leading the Fire Nation! What you've done here today will be known…!"

"Ha! What's a child like you going to do anyways? I have soldiers, an army…!" Ursa shouted.

"And I'm the Avatar!" Aang shouted: yet it wasn't his voice alone: a sudden flash of light startled all of them, for his eyes had gained an unexpected white gleam, as well as the arrows in his body. Ursa's jaw dropped, and she trembled in Iroh's grip, even once the brightness faded, and the young boy no longer channeled a strange energy through his body. "I won't allow you to continue destroying this world's balance, or your own family, as you have! This war is over, and you're…!"

He fell silent when Azula rose to her feet, near stumbling as her blood rushed vertiginously through her veins. Iroh gazed at her with concern, as did Sokka, who held her gently…

"Toph. Can you… get rid of these chains?"

Toph did as she was told immediately, setting down her boulder to do so. It was a strange suspense that spread across the room, as Azula waited until each shackle was off… but she held the chains all the same. And she glared at her mother with mad fury across her bloodshot eyes.

"You killed my father," Azula said, firmly. "You poisoned his drink. You poisoned my grandfather just the same. You've killed countless in this manner, and admitted to planning on taking advantage of the Earth King for your schemes…"

"You… have no evidence…!" Ursa said, though her poised elegance was gone now: it was her turn to fear, for all tides had been turned against her: where were her soldiers? The Dai Li she had stolen out of Long Feng's control, after ensuring one of the kitchen cooks poisoned his meal? No one was coming to the rescue, but someone had to, someone would… "W-where's Zuko? What have you done to my son?!"

"He's safe and sound. Trust me, he'll never get the same treatment you will," Iroh said, scowling at Ursa.

"Yes. Zuko will live," Azula said, ominously. "She won't."

Her words floored everyone within the room, even the young man who held Azula closely. He gasped, tugging her towards him, but Azula clasped the chains with her now free hands, glaring at Ursa furiously.

"Azula, no!" Sokka exclaimed. "You can't just…!"

"She damn near killed me! She meant to, and she would've killed each of us, one by one, until no one stood against her!" Azula shouted back, trembling violently as she leveled her glare at Ursa. "I won't… I won't let you hurt anyone I love ever again… never again. I will kill you. I will kill you!"

"Azula, stop!" Sokka said, pulling her into an embrace she tried to shake off. Azula snarled, feeling the tears running down her face as she built her resolve: one murder, one more death, and the world would be set right. That was all it took, that was all… "You can break the damn cycle. We talked about this! You can put an end to the misery, to the hatred in the Fire Nation… but not if you continue what your mother already started. Not if you kill her now, just as she killed your father! Your people won't think you're any better than her! They'll assume you don't belong on a throne any more than she does…"

"I don't need a damn throne!" Azula shouted. "I just need…! I just need…!"

"You don't need to kill her. You think you do… but you're a better person than she could ever be," Sokka said, burying his face in her neck.

"Violence and death… that's what the Hundred Year War has been about," Aang said, gazing at Azula sadly. "Maybe… maybe it's not what you want to hear now. But… I think Sokka is right."

"I won't tell you she deserves better than death," Sokka said, gritting his teeth. "What she's done… what she nearly did to you, I want to kill her for that, too! But Azula… if she's dead, the world…"

"The cycle… won't ever break…" Azula whispered, gritting her teeth. "If I kill her…"

"You… you shouldn't kill me, no!" Ursa said, clinging to the sudden possibility of survival that had reared its head when she expected otherwise. "Azula, truly, I only did everything for Zuko! Your grandfather would've killed him, and your father would've done worse…!"

"Shut the hell up!" Azula shouted, glaring at her again. Ursa gritted her teeth, as Iroh scowled at her too.

"No past crimes by your victims will justify what you've done," Iroh said. "You killed my father… and my brother. You nearly killed my niece, too. You've corrupted my nephew's mind while he was none the wiser. And while you won't die today… you shall spend every last day of your life paying for those crimes."

"N-no… no, Iroh, you can't do this to me… I'm the Fire Lady… I'm the Fire Lady!" Ursa shouted. Iroh smirked.

"Not anymore, you're not," he said, curtly.

The meaning of his words wasn't clear, not beyond the obvious: Ursa would be deposed officially, starting today. The bulk of the soldiers who meant to protect her had been defeated effectively by their surprise attacks while they rushed to find Azula: next, they'd visit the Earth King, and explain everything to him thoroughly. And once they were ready, they'd return to the Fire Nation… and Ursa wouldn't see the light of day for the rest of her life.

But who would take her position instead? No one could tell just yet. There was one candidate, locked in a prison, stealthily chi-blocked by his uncle. There was another, cradled in her boyfriend's arms, crying in despair as she relented, accepting that her revenge wasn't what was best for the world, no matter how deserved it might be. And the final candidate, born and raised under the belief that he'd become Fire Lord one day, seemed to believe a new, fresher generation was better than himself for the role.

And as they lingered inside that room, calming down, waiting for the remaining, loyal soldiers to the Earth King to arrive upon being summoned by Toph's shouts out the window, none of them knew what the future would bring… but with Ursa defeated at last, it seemed fitting to believe the war was finally over. It hadn't been the epic bending brawl many expected… but when it came to ending wars, especially the long ones, what mattered most to anyone was that it was finally over, regardless of the manner in which they ended.

A world in peace was a concept that had eluded most their generations. That the Fire Nation would have suddenly withdrawn its troops from the Earth Kingdom, that they had signed treaties of peace with all remaining nations, would have sounded as an impossible, absurd delusion for most people… and yet it was their new reality. A reality that many people cherished deeply, though few cherished it quite as much as the heroes who, in a rather unexpected manner, had defeated the woman who had led the Fire Nation for the last six years.

Zuko, despite all hopes, had taken Iroh's actions as an unbearable betrayal. He would have been granted leniency, but he wanted none of it: he sought to attack his uncle and his sister as soon as he had a chance, demanding for reparations, for justice to be served, for his mother's freedom to be restored… and as much as it had pained Iroh, he had no choice but to restrain Zuko as well. His loyalty to Ursa was unquestioned… but misplaced, just as well. He would be likely to receive second chances in the future… but not until he was ready to listen to the truth. And for now, he certainly was anything but ready for that conversation.

The widespread fear Ursa had subjected her people to became apparent once Azula and Iroh returned home as the new leaders of the Fire Nation: they never expected a hero's welcome, and yet that was what they had received nonetheless. After many debates and thorough conversations with the nobles, the unanimous decision was made: Iroh would take the position of regent for a few years, to guide the transition between Ursa's rule and Azula's future one. The reinstated Princess wouldn't be crowned right away, but the Fire Nation had readily accepted her as their next ruler just the same. Surely occasional opposition would rise, as Ursa's loyalists would still linger somewhere… but fortunately, Azula had more than enough loyalists of her own to back her up.

The most important of them, of course, were currently in the Palace's garden, three of them engrossed in an all-out triple bending battle: Aang laughed as his airbending skills helped him avoid Katara and Toph's attacks, which too often resulted in the two girls striking each other instead. Azula was amused as well as she watched their fight, leisurely relaxing in Sokka's arms as he cuddled her gently.

"Odd… we were supposed to teach him all the elements, but the war ended without him learning any fire," Azula said. Sokka chuckled, kissing her brow.

"The war is over, though. He has plenty of time to learn now," he said. "And he'll have a great teacher, right? Whether you, or Iroh…"

"Eh, I'd be a dreadful teacher…"

"Heh! I'm only a decent warrior now thanks to you, you hear me? I learned a lot from you!"

Azula laughed, nuzzling his neck as she released a deep breath. Sokka smiled, rubbing her back reassuringly: these days, his tense Princess had been much more relaxed than usual. Coming home had done her good, he had no doubts about it… but perhaps it was also the knowledge that she'd helped set the world onto a better course that allowed her to breathe more easily. Her fingers clung to his shirt, clasping it gently, ensuring they'd stay close together for as long as possible… stabilized by the young man who had become her most loyal supporter, and the kindest boyfriend she could have ever hoped to find.

"I know it'll still be a while… and you should make sure to rest and recover from your years on the road while you can," Sokka said, rocking her gently in his arms. "But… I can't wait to see the wonders you'll weave, Fire Lord Azula."

"Wonders?" Azula repeated, smiling weakly. "I doubt that…"

"I don't," Sokka grinned enthusiastically.

"Who'd have thought the most loyal of my subjects wouldn't even be from my nation, huh?" Azula smiled, raising her head towards. him "Somehow… it feels fitting, too."

"We're breaking the cycle," Sokka said. "Marrying a Water Tribe guy? Sounds like just the way to break it for good, as far as I can tell. No old, outdated traditions will ever be followed: time to bring about harmony and peace in the best way possible, right, Azula?"

"By marrying each other? In a few years, that is," Azula said, smiling warmly. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to be my husband anyway."

"And I wouldn't trust anyone else to be my wife," Sokka said, stroking her hair. "It is kind of funny how life turns out, huh? We've come full circle, completely…"

"We have. And I'm definitely proud of it," Azula smiled, raising her head to kiss his lips. "Though… there's one thing left to do, to finish that notion."

"Oh yeah?" Sokka asked, amused.

"I… think I might love you too," Azula said, teasingly. "And even if I don't, I want to."

"Ah… hah," Sokka laughed, pressing his brow to hers. Azula grinned, kissing him again. "You're always so clever… always so clever."

Azula laughed as they exchanged more kisses, deliberately ignoring the loud, rowdy bending battle in the gardens. And from the corner of the nearest corridor, Iroh smiled fondly too, watching his niece from a distance. Theirs had been a strained relationship for a long time… but it certainly wasn't that anymore. Azula had been deeply grateful upon hearing of what he'd done to help save her… how he had set aside Zuko, and privileged her safety instead. By now, their relationship was better than ever… and it would continue to be, Iroh knew, as long as he didn't interfere in her private moments with her beloved Water Tribe warrior.

"I, too, can barely wait to see the wonders you shall weave," Iroh spoke quietly, closing his eyes and turning his back on the Princess.

She would make an excellent Fire Lord, he was sure of that… but for now, he would let her enjoy her time with her closest friends, in a peaceful environment, with no heavy pressures weighing on her shoulders. After all the hardships she had endured, and the pain she had suffered through, he had no doubts she had earned these miraculous moments of peace. Yes, peace, no doubt, was the best word to describe the beautiful scene he had just witnessed at a distance in the palace's garden, and in his earnest opinion, no one deserved such blissful harmony quite as much as Azula did.

A/N:

While I have no doubts I've cemented myself a terrible reputation for all my Ursa portrayals, I do want to set clear that I didn't write this particular entry to villify her, despite that's what it'll look like to some... the truth is, the whole basis of this idea came from the very frequently debated AUs where Azula is the banished one, rather than Zuko. I pondered under which circumstances could Azula EVER wind up banished at a young age, as well as how the blazes she'd ever be banished with Iroh, who'd most likely not join her of his own volition, if his characterization is kept true to his canon self. Then the idea of turning someone else into the bigger bad came to mind, someone both Azula and Iroh would develop personal grudges against, to the point of setting aside their differences to work together.

This is, therefore, just a matter of exploring storytelling possibilities for me - as can be obvious by the fact that this is, by FAR, my most favorable portrayal of Iroh up to date. I usually don't write him this way, just as I usually don't see Ursa as a character remotely as dark as she was in this entry: all was done for the sake of exploring storytelling posibilities and nothing else. One day I might surprise by offering you all a favorable Ursa portrayal, for a change! :'D All this being said, it's fine if you don't enjoy Ursa as I portrayed her here, but I want to set the record straight, it wasn't done for the sake of making her appear a fundamentally worse person than Ozai or anyone else. Basically, this is an Ursa who decided to stop at nothing to keep her son safe. And while that sounds pretty in paper, it can also have a very dark meaning, and that's why things turned out this way.

Hope you enjoyed this story anyway!

[salenakingston]

Another bit of backstory. I’ve really been enjoying writing these snippets. Prompt submissions are still open!

Prompt: None

Warnings: Blood, Violence, Death, Corpses/Bodies (minor), Cannibalism (minor)

Timeline of Events: Whitegale Estate (Backstory)

Total Word Count: 4,273 words

“I’m surprised you saw someone so new to the complex.”

“It is rare indeed, but there’s something peculiar about him.”

“Yes, I noticed that too.”

“And your thoughts?”

“He isn’t a greater risk than any of the other agents.”

“This won’t be the only time he appears.”

“I know, but because he is not a threat, or has proven what he is capable of, it is left to simpler decisions for now.”

“If I may interject.”

“Yes?”

“I might be able to help.”

“You have a plan? Why the interest in him?”

“It’s part of my job to assess new agents. Besides, you’ve never seen anyone connected to me before. I’ve noticed some quirks of my own. This plan is not without consequence, but may be an efficient way to learn more about him.”

“Very well. Let’s hear it.”

----

Malceum paced his small room, his mind racing ever since he had returned. He hated that she had been right in her own assessment. He had insisted she allowed him to give her a ‘proper’ physical, checking how her body was currently against everything that was listed in her records. He wondered if it was to prove a point, or for entertainment, that she granted his request. She had been compliant through the entire process, obeying every instruction he offered.

Part of him wondered why she changed her tune so quickly, when she had the confidence to mouth off to him before. How was it that the mention of one woman could make her flip a switch? It didn’t make any sense, just like her own assessment. Everything matched up with her records.

A body that was functioning, but only just enough. Every piece of her seemed to have some kind of problem. The beast seemed to entertain him further, having taken a seat next to her bed so they could discuss some treatment options. Mistake number one was suggesting options of a magic-based nature. Since the moment he’d walked into her room, she never raised his voice to him. Sure, she offered him plenty of sass, but not anything above her acceptive tone. The animal finally began to show its fangs, quite literally. Her tone grew sharp, growling echoed in her voice.

“Absolutely not,” she had said. Why? Even though the surgeon was confident in his skills, he knew based solely on facts that magic could offer more than just his bare hands. Who would want traditional means over something like that? Ok, if she was going to make such a fuss about it, then best not to revisit the subject. Either that or press her another time.

There had to be some kind of solution. That’s what he kept telling himself.

Mistake number two was trying to negotiate a further treatment plan. Anything he tried to prescribe to her was something she had already tried, or was shot down. “I already make use of the oxygen tank whenever I am in here or on down time. Too many drugs will either mess with my senses, or make it so I will have to take an extended leave from my work. Neither I am willing to accept,” she had said then. She was so damn stubborn.

He had half a mind to discharge her from work anyways, but he feared her. And he feared his employer. She didn’t seem like someone who would lash out at him, but her short temper and growing frustration could fester, putting him in the line of fire.

He had to save his own hide, even though he didn’t know why he bothered.

In the end, he cleared her just like the rest of them.

And that left him here, pacing, wondering if he had made the right decision.

His racing mind wasn’t doing the headache he had developed any favors. His lack of sleep was nothing new, but extended sessions always took a toll on him. Whenever he did sleep, nightmares were there to greet him. There was no safe haven for him, not even in a place as protected as the Whitegale Estate.

A knocking at his door guided him back to reality, “Y-Yes?”

He couldn’t see who was on the other side, as he kept his door locked. It was one of the reasons that kept him from getting close to the other personnel he worked with. It kept him from being a danger to those around him, and kept them from seeing the mess of a human being he had become. It was a gentle voice, probably one of the nurses. She had given another knock on the door, probably just to make sure he knew she was still there, “Mr. Whitegale is looking for you.”

Again? So soon? Why? Had Salena blabbed to him about their discussion? One hand moved to his head, the pounding growing worse from the onslaught of questions. He won’t know until he gets there, and he could not keep his employer waiting, “T-Than-nk y-you. I’ll be t-the-ere so-oon.” He could hear her footsteps leaving the door, leaving him alone once more.

Well, as alone as he could ever be. He would never be truly alone.

He wasn’t entirely sure how long he was standing still before he found the will to make his way to the door. The halls were empty, and one look outside the window showed why. Night blanketed the sky, the only light coming from the moon and stars. This just made him question more. He couldn’t have been isolating himself for that long. Why would his employer want to see him at such a late hour? Had someone been brought in late? Then why single him out?

And why allow him to come on his own time? No one else had come to bring his attention back towards the summon.

Malceum’s eyes fell on the door standing between him and the man on the other side. He had done his best to get his trembling hands to calm, swallowing down his nervousness. Alexander had not been unfair to him so far, in fact the man had been rather generous. There was no reason to believe that would change now. Hand grasped at the knob, turning, and then he stepped into the office.

Alexander sat behind a paper filled desk, two chairs sitting at the far side of where he was. Their eyes met upon his entrance, door closing behind him. He moved his hands together, doing his best to mask the shaking that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. If it wasn’t out of nervousness, then it had something to do with him.

“Malceum. Thank you for coming. I know this seems rather sudden. I wanted to start with thanking you for taking care of Salena. I know she can be hard to handle, but she means well.”

“N-No pr-robl-lem. I-It’s my j-job-b to t-tak-ke ca-are of th-hos-se y-you s-sen-nd to me.”

“Yes, I am aware, but she updated me on the talk you had.” Of course she had. Why would he have expected otherwise? He couldn’t help the way his eyes lowered at that statement, Alexander noticing the change in expression. If he wasn’t so tired, he was sure the older man would have given a chuckle, “You have nothing to worry about. A lot of this is new for you, and she’s a rather special case. Just give her some time, she’ll grow on you.”

D-Doub-bt it-t.

“Anyways, the reason I called for you is because something has come up.”

“D-Did y-you-ur w-wif-fe see me a-ag-gain?”

“Not this time.” No? Then why him? Was this some kind of medical emergency? He could hear the shuffling sound of more papers, a few laid out in front of him, as if he were looking over some kind of list. He looked up to the surgeon soon after, “I have a mission that I would like for you to go on.”

“Me? A-Are y-yo-ou s-sur-re?”

“I know it’s outside of your job requirements, but you were asked for specifically.” Asked for? What? Who would want him to come along for anything? Was this something that would need someone of his medical skills? The questions wouldn’t stop coming every time the older man spoke. He couldn’t seem to comprehend why anyone would want him. He didn’t even know anybody, as he had purposefully isolated himself.

He couldn’t keep silent, “W-Who a-ask-ked for m-me?”

“I did.”

Both men turned their heads to the leftmost chair sitting in front of the desk. A familiar figure stood up from where it was sitting, moving so that Malceum could see. Her.

Salena Kingston.

Why?

She was dressed, not in a gown like he had seen when they were in her medical room. This time, she wore something that he could only describe as something out of a fantasy book. He could tell the material was made of leather, sticking tightly against her skin? Fur? She was far too complicated for him to make coherent thoughts.

Salena moved her arm against the top of the chair, leaning against it slightly. He couldn’t help but notice how relaxed compared to when they were in the medical wing. Did she hate it there? He couldn’t blame her, especially with how many times she seemed to wind up there. Her gaze was fixated on him, causing a small shiver to move down his spine, “I am going out hunting. I wanted to see if you would like to come along.”

“H-Hun-nt-ting?”

“I do it every now and then. Sometimes they are prompted by Alexander, but that is not the case. I thought you might like to get out of the estate for a bit.”

Yes.. but why him? He just couldn’t understand it.

He did. Clever little mutt. She knew there was something wrong with his host. This was an attempt to draw him out. That had to be the only reason. He wouldn’t allow it. The headache seemed to grow worse at that moment, a voice in the back of Malceum’s mind being the only thing that kept him from moving his hands to cradle his head, “Don’t you dare. It’s a trick. I will not have you expose me more than you already have. You’re going to go right back to your room, unless you want me to make you suffer more.”

“I-I d-don’t-t th-hin-nk I wo-oul-ld be th-he b-bes-st ch-hoic-ce for s-som-meth-hing-g l-lik-ke t-this-s.”

“I’d be willing to make a deal with you, Sorrowgrave. All I ask is that you come on this one hunt with me. I know Alexander pays you, as he does everyone else. I can pool part of your earnings to the same place my money goes. I can have small shipments of dreamless sleep potions sent to you with this. You wouldn’t have to rely on me if you want them.”

This bitch. She knows what he wants, and he truly does want this relief. He can’t even remember the last time he slept without having a nightmare. He knew either way he was going to suffer. The hollow wouldn’t ever stop until he agreed to surrender his being. The only way he would continue on was getting any small mercy that he could.

“A-Alr-righ-ht.”

Both Salena and Alexander gave a nod, the older man turning his attention to the wolf, “Do you have a place you’ll be going?”

“Yes.” Strange that she mentioned no specifics. Was it not necessary to tell her employer where she was taking them? Guess not giving the accepting nod from Alexander. She moved past him, one hand moving up. It was that same magic she had used before, bigger this time. The opening was large enough for the two of them to move through it. Her head turned enough to catch him in view, “Follow me. This portal is going to put a strain on your body, but you’ll be fine shortly after we arrive on the other side.”

He nods.

She takes the first step through, followed by him. He could feel the strain she was talking about. When he stepped out, it took everything in him not to buckle down under the weight. When his vision refocused, he could see Salena not too far ahead of him. She didn’t have the same strength he did, find her form against the earth. It looked almost as if the very air around her was pushing her down. He should have guessed that if this magic put a strain on the body, then of course she would have it worse than him. But then why travel by these portals in the first place? What was the point?

While she recovered, his eyes moved around the land. He didn’t travel much, but where they came to looked like no place he’d ever seen before. The grass under them looked washed out, bits of dirt poking through in patches. There were trees, though few given it seemed they were along hills. Even this seemed like it was devoid of life. Near death was a good way to describe it.

Finally he could hear Salena getting up onto her feet. She dropped the portal they had come through, pushing towards the top of the hill. It would be best for him to follow her. Her eyes peered over the top, looking down at the base of their hiding place. He could see a stone tower in the distance, small patrols and camps around it. Both men and women were patrolling. Their clothing was rather strange. It was a mixture of white and red. They looked like how crusaders would have been dressed in human history.

Surely they hadn’t gone back in time somehow.

Malceum had barely noticed that Salena had begun sneaking ahead without him. Wait, what was she doing? Why were they here? Why did it look like she was stalking them?

Wait…

Wait!

He only just seemed to notice the sheen of a blade resting at her side. No, not just one blade, two of them. One of her hands was gripping on. Her eyes narrowed creeping closer. He wanted to yell at her, call her back and demand to know what she was planning to do. There was nothing he could do as red bagan to cloud his vision. Blood spilled from the crusaders, her blade, claws, or even her teeth finding ways to ravage them. This wasn’t hunting, it was slaughter.

OH? Seems she’s a murderer just like you are. I’ve changed my mind. Maybe you should go down there and join her.

No. He couldn’t do this. He could say that this time. He wouldn’t risk drawing himself to the surface with her around. He had to do something other than let her continue.

She had been careful up to this point, picking them off one by one. Blood stained her mouth and clothes. She could see him moving down the hill, not paying too much attention to his surroundings. Eyes narrowed as she noticed a scarlet moving behind him. He must have been spotted. Deal with the threat themselves rather than raise the alarm. He watched as she stomped her foot down, but nothing seemed to happen.

Then a gurgling noise rang out behind him. He turned around to see the crusader… impaled on a spike of thick ice, blood dripping down onto him. His body was shaking again, that feeling of a thrill he was missing out on wracking around in his brain. She moved over to him, trying to get his attention, but he couldn’t pay attention. He could see that she looked to the side, voices crying out.

They were calling out one thing.

‘Death Knight.’

What did that mean? He wasn’t whatever that was.

He seemed to come back into focus, seeing that Salena had turned on the growing mass. Was she ready to take them all on by herself? Just how much blood was she willing to spill? Taking a tight grip of her wrist, he began to drag her away. She seemed to give him a surprised look, snarling as her lips turned up. He could see another string of magic leave from her hand, the other reaching for a loose part of his duster. She had taken him into her arms, fleeing to the hills.

They managed to lose their attackers, the trembling in his body stopping as they did. He hated that he could still smell iron in the air. Once she was sure the crusaders were gone, he was set down, a bloody corpse being tossed at his feet. Had her magic grabbed one of them? Just what the hell was she playing at? Just what kind of life had he actually landed in joining up with this lot?

He couldn’t stand it any longer.

“W-Wha-at t-the fuck wa-as th-hat?”

“I told you we were going hunting. You weren’t paying attention to what was going on around you. You gave us away.”

“I-I m-mad-de it cle-ear I wa-as not-t t-the b-bes-st for th-his. Y-You j-jus-st mur-rde-ered t-them-m.”

“They deserve it.”

“W-Who a-are-e you to j-jud-dge t-the-em?”

“Someone who has first hand experience with them. I’m far from the first person who despises them.”

“T-Tha-at’s b-bes-side th-he p-poin-nt!” Why couldn’t she seem to get it through her thick skull?

“Then you would rather I kill someone that doesn’t deserve it?”

What?! Was she serious?

“K-Kil-ll no o-one!”

“I can’t do that.” She… She what?

“W-Wha-at are you t-talk-king a-abo-out? Y-Yes you c-can-n!”

He noticed her eyes narrow down again. There was that shiver again. How was it that both women he interacted with seemed to have eyes that bore down past his skin? He almost felt himself take a step back, “No. I can’t. If I stopped killing, I would drive myself insane.” Had she really killed that much? Was she so much like him that she got a thrill out of it? He hated this. He hated her. He hated that she bribed him into coming along on this.

“I don’t see why you are making a fuss with me. I thought you would need something like this.”

Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes back at her. It didn’t seem to have the same effect that her’s did on him, “Y-You d-don-n’t kn-now me.”

“You’re right Sorrowgrave, I don’t. However, it’s part of my job to keep tabs on the new recruits, and that includes you. You have little ticks. You obviously don’t get enough sleep, someone with a stutter is not too worrisome, but you’re constantly twitching. I know you’re not nervous, otherwise you wouldn’t have stood up to me like you did. You’re acting more like an addict that hasn’t had his fix in a long time.”

“H-How-w w-woul-ld y-you kn-now?”

“Because I was just like you, Sorrowgrave. You will drive yourself crazy if you continue on like this.”

He wasn’t sure if it was humor in a fighter trying to give medical advice to a surgeon, or her lack of logic that made him relax slightly, “Y-You-u’re s-supp-pose-ed to d-dis-scour-rage ad-ddic-cts f-fro-om th-heir-r v-vic-ces.”

“My own vice, unnatural as it is, can not be fixed. I have to hunt. I’m sorry you don’t see it the same way. I thought feeding your’s would be a temporary fix until I could figure out a better solution.”

“W-Why-y do you c-car-re?”

“Everyone can see that something is wrong with you. No one knows to what extent, but they can see the signs.” He could feel her hands reaching for the mask he wore across his mouth. His hands shot up, covering her own to keep her from removing it. She almost seemed to be smirking as he did this, “You see? I stand a good chance of helping you, all you have to do is let me.”

“Y-You w-won-n’t let-t me do th-he s-sam-me.”

“You did help me though. Your stitching is far better than my own, and I have no doubt you’ll be seeing a lot more of me. I’m one of Alexander’s best for a reason, but that means a greater risk. I’ll need someone like you.”

He hated this. He just wanted to go back to the estate. He wasn’t supposed to bond with anyone. They were a weakness, or even a target. The hollow made it clear he already had an interest in her, and this was certainly not helping. If he had control of his host, Malceum had no doubt he would be jittering with joy.

Was it worth trusting her though?

No one had ever shown him this sort of backwards kindness. She offered him mercy, and now here he was in her position, spitting it back in her face. Why?

Why did it have to be like this?

In his mental crisis, he had barely noticed that Salena was trying to remove his mask again. He honestly wasn’t sure why he felt his hands go lax, allowing her to do so. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary on first glance, but a spike in his headache made his lips curl up. Nothing but sharp teeth, just like her own. Her hands moved up again, forcing his mouth open. It was almost as if she could tell this was unnatural.

There was nothing special about him. He was as human as they come. Someone else had forced him to do this to himself.

And he didn’t take kindly to the impromptu investigation of his host. The pain in his head grew worse. It was as if the hollow was unwinding himself in his host’s mind, sticking thousands of wires through his brain. Mouth shut down along the beast’s arm, head pulling back to tear at the flesh.

Her head moved down, staring at him. There was that flicker she had seen before. Her arm raised in his grip, not allowing the shade or hair to block her view, “Caught you.”

Shit.

Why was she so still? Why wasn’t she bothered? He was a freak. He was trying to peel her own flesh away from her body. Why wasn’t she trying to stop him? Why didn’t she kill him like she was doing just a few moments ago? Why couldn’t he just let go? Let me go!

And he listened. Teeth removed themselves, his form staggering away from her. All she was trying to do was help him, and he had bitten her. She stepped closer to him, her hands moving to grip his arms. She lowered themselves down to the grass. He could hear her speaking, but couldn’t bring his eyes up to meet her own, “Sorrowgrave, let me help you. Feed the demon as it were, and let’s go back.”

She knew about him, but not what he was. How was it that she was on point? His eyes moved over to the body she dragged along with them. That trembling came back, and his stomach suddenly felt so empty. He scooted closer to the body, teeth sinking in. He could feel a hand moving along his back as he ate, hating himself every moment that passed.

Another portal opened, the familiar halls of the estate greeting them.

Again she fell to the floor, but this time he moved over to help her up.

Their bloody hands met one another.

They seemed to be standing in front of a door, one he had seen briefly in passing. He could see the halls leading to the medical wing from where they were standing. Wait… why were they here instead of heading to his room? He found his gaze up at her, a small portal at her side. Like before, she reached in, pulling out a familiar green vial. No. Don’t.

He will just break it again.

“I promised you I would get you a steady shipment of these, and I plan to keep that deal. You came with me. Start with this one for now.”

He reached out to take it from her, knowing what the outcome would be. If he didn’t try to take it, he would take over and do it for him. As his hand drew closer, she took a firm grip of his wrist. What the hell was she doing now? Her mouth lowered to the top of the vial, popping the opening with her teeth. The hand gripping his wrist moved up, forcing his mouth open again, the other hand pouring the liquid down his throat.

She knew. She knew what he would do, and acted accordingly. If he wasn’t suddenly feeling so tired, he would have thanked her.

He could vaguely feel her taking him into his arms. She adjusted him so she could open the door they were standing near. It was a furnished room, one that he couldn’t see very well with the darkness of night. One thing he could make out was a bed, one that he was being lowered into. This wasn’t his bed… so where were they? He would have to ask her when he woke. His mind began to fade, growing blank for the first time in years.

She watched him drift, finding her hand moving through his gray hairs before turning to leave. He’s had it rough, so sleeping in her bed would probably do him some good rather than the sub quality of the ones the medical personnel use. She quietly shut the door behind her, moving down the hall to a very familiar room.

The new door swung open, Alexander still sitting at his desk. Shutting the door behind her, she took a seat in front of him, “We have much to discuss.”

[madame-airlock]

Hey there! I was rewatching The Closer and stumbled upon episode 10 in season 7... and there is this scene when Brenda walks toward the interrogation room and the suspect is about to shoot her but Buzz saves her... I was wondering... are you up rewriting this with Sharon and Andy? Thank youuuuu 💜

Hi! Thanks for sending this 💜 It wasn’t easy rewriting the scene but I tried my best. Let me know if it’s okay :D Just a general disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea how the mind works. Every person, I imagine, has a different reaction to traumatic experiences. This is what I imagined although I’m not 100% sure it fits Sharon. I study linguistics, not psychology so this won’t be accurate, but hey... artistic licence. Enough with me. The story is under the cut (if it works), I hope you’ll enjoy it. The part in italics is a flashback. Some of the stuff in here is OOC, but it’s the beauty of fanfiction, isn’t it? Story also available on ffnet and ao3

It all happened so fast that it took Sharon a few minutes to understand what was going on. One moment, she was about to open the door to the interrogation room, the next she was lying behind a desk, with Andy's arms around her, while everyone around them had their guns out. Slowly the details of what had happened came back to her.

"Chief, if you don't mind, I'm going to ask your suspect a few questions." Said Sharon. Chief Johnson nodded and told her it wasn't a problem, so Sharon picked up the case file she had been reading and headed to the interrogation room.

Around the corner, Andy opened the door to Electronics and walked in. "Hey Buzz…" The words died in his throat when he saw their suspect, alone in the interrogation room, pointing a gun at the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sharon, and realised she was walking towards that room. 

She stopped in front of the door, and opened the case file again to check a couple details she couldn't seem to remember. As she read, she reached down to open the door. She pushed the door handle and in that moment a gunshot exploded and a bullet broke the door. At the same time, a pair of arms went around her and dragged her to the side, and behind a desk.

There was a lot of commotion around them. People had their guns drawn, and she heard screaming and shouting. "Hey, everything's okay. You're safe" said Andy, who was looking around to assess the situation, while still shielding her from the shooter.

Soon most of the noise died out, the suspect was handcuffed and his gun taken away. Andy finally looked down and saw her. She looked shaken, but he knew from experience that it would take her a few minutes to realise what had happened, because of the adrenaline. "Hey, Sharon, are you… oh shit." He looked up and yelled "I need a medic here! She's hurt"

Sharon looked up at him and said "I'm not hurt" Her voice was shaky, and it was only after he said that, that she started to feel the pain in her arm. The blazer was ruined. It was torn and blood has soaked the material around the wound. "Oh..."

Andy rose to his feet and helped her up. He team ran over to them, their worry growing as they noticed Sharon clutching her bloody arm. Before anyone could speak, Andy looked over at the chief and said "I'm going to take the Captain in the break room, away from here. When the paramedics arrived send them there, please"

The chief reassured him that she would and told them to go. Sharon still hadn't spoken, and she was looking around, shocked.

Andy helped her to take off her blazer, trying to be as gentle as he could, and helped her sit down. He closed the blinds, so people outside wouldn't look in and say down next to her. “Babe" Andy whispered "I…" When words failed him, he simply kissed her forehead and moved a little closer. "I almost lost you" he whispered.

It was so strange to see Sharon like that. She wasn’t speaking, and she looked like she was in a trance. Andy was wondering if part of it was also her trying to be strong at work even in a situation such as that one. All he knew was that he was worried. Tears were threatening to fall, so he stood up, went to grab a clean cloth they had in the break room, soaked it in warm water and started to clean up her bloodied arm.

"Andy…" she whispered. In that moment the door opened and the paramedics walked in. The wound didn't look too bad, it was a scratch, really, but it could have been much worse. She could have been on her way to a hospital, or in a body bag. He stayed by her side as they cleaned up the wound, stitching it up and helping her with a sling, kissing her forehead when she would wince in pain. "It's almost over, you'll be okay" he whispered.

A little after the paramedics left, Provenza opened the break room door and asked Andy to go out of the room for a second. "What?" he asked, already hating the idea that he wasn't with Sharon." Flynn, take her home. I'll deal with the chief. If she asks I can explain. I'll tell her to give you a couple days off. Now go, take her home and stay with her"

Andy was surprised to say the least. When Provenza had found out about their relationship a few months before, he had thrown a tantrum at Andy's house while Sharon was there, but had at least kept it quiet at work. Apparently he had come to his senses and realised that he and Sharon loved each other, that it wasn't just a fling. "Thanks, old man. I appreciate it." He said

"Sharon, babe, we're going home" Andy said. He took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders, trying to cover the wound and the tank top she had been wearing under the blazer. Before they left the break room, Sharon looked at him with tears in his eyes and begged "Can you stay with me tonight, please?"  Andy cupped her cheek and kissed her softly. "Of course", he replied with a smile.

Together they walked out and went to the murder room to retrieve their things. They ran into then chief and Andy told her to find Provenza. That he could explain.

Once they got to the car, Andy helped Sharon in and started driving to the condo and as they got closer, she broke down. He held out his hand for her and she grabbed it as if it was the only thing keeping her sane. "Oh god Andy" she muttered before she started to cry and shake. He parked the car in her spot and leaned over to hold her as she started to weep. "Let's go upstairs, Sharon" he whispered after a few minutes. 

He held her hand as they went upstairs, keeping her close. Luckily it was the middle of the afternoon and no-one was in the corridors. He quickly opened the door to her apartment and they went in. As the door closed, it was as if everything that has happened came crashing down. Sharon started sobbing, and all Andy could do was hold her in his arms and gently caress her back in a soothing way, to help her calm down.

She could barely breathe. Her knuckles were white and her hand hurt from holding the back of his shirt so tightly but she couldn't let go. She had almost died. If it hadn't been for Andy, she'd be in a body bag. "Babe, why don't we go sit down?" he asked. Instead of the couch Sharon headed for the bedroom. They laid down together and Andy wrapped himself around her, to hold her tightly to him, but still careful of her injured arm.

As she sobbed and he held her, Andy realised that if he hadn't seen her, if he hadn't walked in the break room, she wouldn't be there in his arms. He kept telling himself to be strong. He couldn't break down. Sharon would probably tell him he didn't have to be strong for her, that he too had every right to cry, to let it out, but he just couldn’t. Andy tightened the hold on her and kissed her hair. He whispered "It's okay babe. Let it out. You're safe now, you're home", and kept repeating it over and over.

It took her almost an hour, but Sharon eventually managed to calm down. She wasn't sobbing anymore. There were still some tears rolling down her cheeks, and her eyes were puffy, but her breathing was back to normal and she had loosened the hold on him. All Andy had done was reassure her and kiss her forehead. He had held her and told her that he loved her. Eventually she fell asleep, exhausted. Andy held her for a little longer and he kept stroking her hair. Gently, as not to wake her, he rolled her over so she could be comfortable, and got up from the bed to grab a blanket. He decided to lay down a few more minutes with her, mostly to reassure himself that she was there, safe, but then after a kiss and an “I love you” he got up from the bed.

When Sharon woke almost an hour later, she found a glass of water, some aspirin and a note on the bed side table.

I know you probably have a headache after all that crying. Take these and stay in bed. I needed to go to a meeting and I'll be back as soon as I can. I’ll bring dinner as well. Can't wait to cuddle you some more, sweetheart.

Love you, Your favourite sexy lieutenant, 

Andy

Sharon smiled at the note and the gesture. She sat up in bed and took the aspirin, before walking to the living room to retrieve her bag and her phone.  There were some missing texts and calls, mostly from her team and, surprisingly, Major Crimes. People checking on her and sending her her best wishes.

She was still replying to all the texts when she heard the key turn in the door and saw Andy walk in.  "Hey sweetheart" he said with a smile, when he noticed she was there. Sharon walked to him, stood on her tiptoes and pulled his head down, so she could kiss him. "Thank you for staying with me. I love you so much" she murmured against his lips, and kissed him again.

Andy hugged her and said "I'm glad you're okay. I have dinner with me. Why don't we sit?" To his surprise, Sharon ignored her own rule of no eating on the couch unless it's a game night so they could be closer. The mood was definitely better than before. While the experience would probably haunt them for a while more, at least now they could relax and enjoy the other's company.

After dinner they decided to cuddle on the couch while they watched a movie. Sharon was curled up next to him, and she had her head on his shoulder.  The only noise was from the TV, all around it was quiet. The peaceful atmosphere was broken by the ringing on Andy's phone. He groaned when he saw the chief's name pop up, but accepted the call. "Flynn." He simply said.

"Lieutenant sorry to bother you. I was just wondering how the Captain is doing" asked Brenda. Andy was surprised, but replied "She's better now. Uh, Chief, did Provenza…" he trailed off but luckily she understood "Don't worry, Lieutenant. He informed me of everything. The two of you are off until Monday. Rest, go to a meeting if you need to, and take care of her, okay?" He thanked her and ended the call.

Sharon was looking at him, expecting him to tell her he needed to leave, but he reassured her he was there to stay and told her what the chief had said. "Can we go to bed now?" She asked. Andy smiled at her and answered "Sure babe"

They held hands as they went to the bedroom. Andy helped her undress, and once they were down to their underwear, they snuggled under the blankets and held each other. It was unusual for them to sleep like that. Sharon would always wear at least an old tshirt, but both needed to feel as close as possible to the other, and apparently skin to skin was the best way for both. Sharon kissed him again, and thanked him for saving her life, for staying with her, and for holding her. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, Andrew Flynn, but I'm happy to have you in my life. I love you so much" she said.

That night they kissed a little longer and held each other a little tighter than usual, both eternally grateful to be there in each other's arms at the end of the day.

The next few days were mostly uneventful. They stayed home, ordered food and spent a lot of time together. Sharon encouraged Andy to go to meetings if he needed them, and when he'd come back, he'd always bring her something sweet from her favourite bakery. Her arm was healing well, but she'd had to put it in a sling for a few more days.

On Monday, Sharon woke up when Andy started showering her with kissed on her shoulder, neck and cheek. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. I have breakfast here for you" He helped her sit up and offered her a tray with coffee and a bowl with some cut up fruit and ice cream. Not her usual breakfast, but he'd been treating her like a queen for the past few days, and that apparently included ice cream at 7am. Not that she was complaining.

"Ready to go back?" He asked. Sharon nodded and finished her breakfast quickly so she could get ready.

An hour later, they were in the car, headed for the PAB. Andy noticed that she had tensed up as he pulled in the parking lot. "Hey, I'm here with you. You're safe, it's going to be okay" he said, taking her hand and kissing her quickly. They held hands as they rode up in the elevator, and Sharon stayed close to him. Only when the door opened to let other people in they untangled their fingers, but still remained side by side.

As they stepped off on the Major Crimes floor, Sharon had to stop for a moment to catch her breath and calm down. Ignoring where they were, and her rule of no PDA at work, Andy kissed her and took her hand, to lead her to the murder room.  His presence was helping her a lot, especially when they had to walk past that interrogation room. She moved closer to his side, and her nails almost broke the skin of his arm, but Andy didn't care. He whispered "it's okay, sweetheart. No one is there" and helped her walk past the door.

When they arrived in the murder room, Sharon was shocked to see Welcome back Captain written in huge letters on the white board, surrounded by doodles of balloons and confetti.  Someone, probably Provenza, had even drawn a Wicked witch with her arm in a sling.  The team all went to say hello to her.

Sharon's eyes were shining with tears. These guys had even bought a cake and flowers to celebrate her return. Never before she had felt more welcomed, accepted, respected and hell, even loved, like the people in that room. Most days they couldn't see eye to eye, but they all knew that, no matter the division she came from, she was still one of theirs, and it was a miracle she was still there.

Andy suspected that Provenza had told the entire team, not only the chief, what the nature of their relationship was, but frankly, he couldn't care less.

They celebrated for a little while, and all made sure to ask her how she was, and told her they were there if she needed anything. "Ma'am. We have something for you" Julio said as their little party was coming to an end. "Our favourite attorney, Gavin, told us that the blazer you had on the other day was your favourite and we're sorry that it was ruined. We decided to do something for you, with his help"

He handed her a bag and she opened it with shaky hands. Sharon gasped when she realised that they'd bought her a new blazer, just like the other one. She wiped away the tears, and Andy hugged her once again.

"Thank you, thank you all. This means a lot to me" she said. Her voice was trembling with emotion. "Don't think that this won't stop me from watching you like a hawk though" she chuckled, and the team laughed with her.

"Right, everyone, back to work. The wicked witch has turned soft. We better take advantage of the situation" exclaimed Provenza, taking the attention off of the Captain, who was starting to get a little uncomfortable. She mouthed a thank you and he nodded slightly.

Sharon went to sit at her temporary desk which, over the weekend, had been moved next to Andy's, with a happy smile on her face. Despite ecerything they'd put her through in the past few weeks, they were a bunch of good people, and a great team. When she shared the thought with Andy, he squeezed her hand and said "Of course love. We protect our own, and you're part of this team"

[notalwaysthevillian]

After Class

Happy birthday to @teacupfulofstarshine! I hope your day is wonderful and that you know the wife squad loves you :D

Warnings: Kissing, anxiety

Pairings: Romantic analogical, brotherly prinxiety

Word count: 1.2k

See me after class?

The words written in a near chicken scratch at the top of the failed paper had Virgil’s pulse racing. Thankfully Mr. Sanders had handed the papers back just before class ended, so he didn’t have to freak out during the entirety of the forty-minute period.

Just the last five minutes. Five minutes spent tracing his soulmate tattoo and wondering how someone could ever love a mess like him.

When the bell rang, he waited for everyone to leave before making his way over to the metal desk covered in playbills.

Mr. Sanders took one look at Virgil’s face before he was on his feet, arms open wide. Virgil ducked into the warm embrace, unable to stop his body from trembling.

“Shh, it’s alright. I’m sorry, I should’ve asked in a different way.” Mr. Sanders gently rubbed Virgil’s back.

After a moment, Virgil pulled away. “Is this about my grades?”

“I’ve noticed that they’re starting to dip.” Sitting down, Mr. Sanders pulled up Virgil’s grades from the past semester. “You were doing great at the start of the year, but they’ve been slowly declining. Is something going on at home? Are you doing alright?”

Slipping his fingers into his hoodie, Virgil mumbled, “They’re putting me on a new anxiety medication, but they have to wean me off the other one first. And when I look at the amount of work I have to do…”

“You panic.”

Virgil nodded, his eyes glued to the floor.

“Mr. Sanders? You asked for me?”

Logan Barnes stood in the doorway of the classroom.

“Yes! Logan, come in.” Mr. Sanders waved him over. “Do you know Virgil?”

“Yes, I believe we share Chemistry?” Logan asked, his gorgeous blue eyes focused on Virgil through the thin black frames of his glasses.

A blush crept up Virgil’s neck at the phrasing. “Yeah, fifth period with Mr. Foote.”

“I’m glad you already know each other!” Turning, Mr. Sanders looked at Logan. “I was hoping that you could help Virgil out with some studying techniques.”

“I’d be happy to, but why do you need my assistance?” Logan asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. “If you’d rather not say, I understand.”

“No, it’s - I - my anxiety…” Tumbled out of Virgil’s mouth, making him cringe. “Sorry. My anxiety has gotten bad again because my doctor is switching my meds.”

“I see.” Virgil could practically see the wheels turning in Logan’s head. “We can meet at my place after school? It would be beneficial for us to leave together from Mr. Foote’s class. Unless there’s a place that’s more comfortable for you?”

“‘s fine.”

The warning bell rang, prompting Mr. Sanders to give them each a hall pass. The two walked out of the room together, missing the tiniest of smiles on their teacher’s face.

As the day went on, Virgil couldn’t seem to keep his thoughts from Logan. He didn’t really know him, but he knew of him. Logan was the smartest in their class, bound to be the valedictorian. He’d run for class president and had lost to a kid who’d made false promises. He worked at the tutoring center. Other than that, Virgil knew nothing about him.

Over the course of the next month, that quickly changed.

Virgil learned that it was hard to get Logan to laugh. But when he did laugh, it was the cutest sound to ever grace the planet.

He learned that Logan was a huge fan of poetry. The two of them bonded over several works by Edgar Allen Poe, particularly the Raven.

He learned that, because of the poetry, Logan was good with beats. Specifically rap. Seeing his brother’s face after the so-called nerd destroyed him in a rap battle had Virgil laughing so hard that his sides hurt.

Virgil learned that he had completely fallen for his new friend.

Which was a problem.

“Virgil.”

“He has a soulmate, Ro! I can’t be in love with him!”

“Virgil.”

“I can’t break the two of them apart, they belong together. That’s why it’s called soulmates.”

“Virgil!”

At his brother’s shout, Virgil finally stopped talking.

“Thank you. Now take a deep breath.” Roman knelt in front of his brother. “Good. Did you ever consider that you are Logan’s soulmate?”

Eyes darting to the floor, Virgil mumbled, “My life has never been that good.”

“V. Just...talk to him. You told me that the two of you can talk about anything.”

The doorbell rang, making Virgil stiffen. Roman peeked through the window, before making some sort of crazed motion that Virgil interpreted as ‘come on!’

Trembling only slightly, Virgil opened the door. Logan stood there, a wide grin on his face.

“Hello, Virgil.”

“Lo, it’s like...ten at night. What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering if you might like to go stargazing with me. We wouldn’t be gone for more than an hour, if that’s what would worry you, and I’m sure I can ease any other worries you might have. And if you don’t want to, that’s perfectly fine as well.” The words spilled out of Logan’s mouth quickly, all running together.

Feeling a blush creep up his neck, Virgil nodded. “Sure, that sounds cool.”

“Great!”

The two of them walked across the street to the park. Logan pulled a blanket out of his bag, smoothing it over the grass. He laid down, allowing Virgil enough room to lay beside him.

“How much do you know about constellations?” Logan asked as soon as they were situated.

“Not a lot.”

He could practically hear the smile in Logan’s voice. “If you look up there, just off of the swingset, that’s my favorite constellation, Cassiopeia. Mostly because it’s such a simple shape and easy to find. Not to mention the story behind it.”

Following Logan’s finger as it drew out the constellation, Virgil’s eyes widened. He sat up straight, practically throwing off his hoodie.

“Virgil?”

“Does it look like this?” He asked, showing Logan his forearm.

A series of dots stood out on Virgil’s arm. Logan froze, staring at the shape.

“Lo?”

“Y-yeah.” Logan said, before rolling up his sleeve. “Does this...is this anything to you?”

Virgil wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. The shape of a stormcloud rested on Logan’s arm. “You like to stargaze, I like to watch the rain.”

“So...that makes you my soulmate.”

“Fuck.”

Logan gave Virgil a confused look.

“Sorry, not...Roman called it like five minutes ago, and now he’s going to give me so much shit for it, and -”

“Can I kiss you?” Logan interrupted, before turning bright red. “You don’t have to say yes.”

After half a second, the two of them moved at the same time, connecting their lips. Virgil’s heart swelled as he pulled back.

“Soulmates doesn’t necessarily mean we need to be together, but...I would enjoy that.” Logan said, the tips of his ears cherry red. “Would you?”

“Yes, Lo.” Virgil giggled, kissing his cheek. “I’ll be your boyfriend.”