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quillandink333 · 4 years ago

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Scarlet Carnations ~ Part II

BotW Link X Zelda ~ Detective AU

Rating: T

Word Count: 2.7k

WARNINGS: death, murder, loss, trauma, blood and gore, terrorism, organized crime, self-harm

Summary: Inspector Zelda Hyrule, assisted by the faithful Constable Link Fyori, is infamous for cracking the most confounding of cases in a town dominated by crime. Her latest assignment is to solve the murder of her own godmother, Impa Sheikah, the late CEO of Sheikah Tech. Incorporated, while staying under the radar of the dreaded Yiga organization.

Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI • Part VII • Epilogue • Masterlist

By day two of our investigation, there wasn’t much left to look into other than the gardens. We’d already searched the rest of the house and found nothing of note. On that groggy morning, however, as soon as I stepped out into the gardens, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye that struck me as abnormal.

“Link, come here.” My comrade stood to attention and came to stand beside me, on the footpath lining the sides of the zen garden. “See that?”

He followed my finger to what had caught my eye: the big footprint right in the middle of the pattern etched in the sand. His eyes widened.

A grin spread its way across my face. “What say we try getting a closer look?”

This, unfortunately, was easier said than done. Leaving our own prints behind would be tantamount to the destruction of evidence. So in order to reach the spot where the footprint was located, we would have to hop across the stones scattered throughout the zen garden. And to say that the sandals one was given when visiting the Sheikah estate and was expected to wear at all times were unsuited for this endeavour would be a gross understatement.

“Honestly...” I huffed, searching in vain for the next best place to put my toe. “There’s a footpath for a reason.” This earned a chuckle from Link, who was still two or three rocks behind me, but seemed to be struggling to only a fraction of the extent that I was.

With my attention elsewhere, I made the mistake of stepping on a stone that was barely even the size of my heel. Inevitably, my foot started to slip, and I began teetering back and forth like a broken pendulum.

“Eep!”

Just when I shut my eyes in preparation to fall, I was caught and held steady at the waist by my assistant.

My breath caught in my throat. He was leaning over me, his front curved flush against the arch of my back and his gloved hands pressed flat into my abdomen, and here I was, graceful as a swan, arms sticking out at odd angles and legs spread three feet apart.

“Are you alright?”

His smooth, demure voice in my ear startled me out of my sudden paralysis. “Yes!” I squeaked, then cleared my throat and brought my outstretched foot back in. “Yes, quite. Thank you.”

His arms left my waist, and he straightened up, putting as much distance between himself and me as there was left on the perch we shared.

“I suppose this is close enough.” I smoothed out my capelet coat before crouching down toward the sand-covered ground, careful not to let anything trail in it. Before proceeding, I breathed a deep, mind-clearing sigh. “Let’s see what we have here.”

If this had been wet sand, I would’ve had a much easier time identifying the sole responsible for this vandalism. But unfortunately, this sand was dry, so all there was to go off of was the size of the prints.

“My guess is, some oaf thought it would be quicker to cut across the zen garden via these stones like we’ve been doing, but ended up with his or her foot in the sand at some point or another.”

“So...do you think this could be a clue?” he inquired with sweet naïvety.

“Well...” I crossed my arms over my chest. “If this is in fact our culprit’s doing, then that would point to this crime being a spur of the moment, which would blatantly contradict all the things we’ve seen so far, or haven’t seen, rather.”

“You mean the security footage?”

I muttered my bitter answer through gritted teeth. “That’s one example.”

The rest of the gardens offered even fewer leads. There were no unusual disturbances in the flora, and nothing was found lying at the bottom of the koi pond. The walls surrounding the place were no higher than the walls of the main building, but they were still too high and too flat for the average person to climb over. Either way, we found no signs of such activity. We’d quite literally left no stone unturned, but to no avail.

I let out what must have been at least my twentieth sigh since our arrival. “Alright then. I suppose it’s time we start questioning some witnesses.”

“Zelda, listen to me.”

I was in the living room in the midst of an interview with Paya. Link was standing on the opposite end of the room, going over his notes. I’d asked him as politely as I could to refrain from listening in on our conversation as she’d started bringing up some sensitive topics of which it was best for him to stay out.

“You can’t let your own personal feelings interfere with your judgement,” she whispered. “You’re a detective, aren’t you? You should know this.”

“It’s been seven years,” I hissed back, “and he spent five of them in an asylum because he was an amnesiac and he hadn’t any idea who he was. He himself, Paya, let alone me.” I took a moment to try and collect myself before continuing. “I’ve told you this before. And yet you somehow suspect that I still feel the same way about him as I did when we were teenagers?”

She shook her head at me in a patronizing manner like the goody two-shoes she always had been. “You may be able to hide it from him, but not from me. I know because...well, I feel the same.” The nerve of this girl was unbelievable. Had she no shame at all? “In any case, you can’t ignore the evidence, no matter what you or I feel toward him.”

She’d finally pushed me to my limit. This was the person who’d been stalking Link from afar since the start of this entire case. I could no longer sit here and tolerate her utterly guiltless accusation of him despite her creepy obsession.

“Just who do you think you are?!” I snapped, standing up and lifting her out of her chair by the collar. “I’ll have you know I’m the one running this investigation, thank you very much.”

“But Zelda, I—”

“Enough!” She shrank back. “You’ve no right making me out like an amateur!”

I could’ve sworn I saw Link jump out of the corner of my eye just then. But when I turned around, he still had his nose buried in his notebook.

Either way, the raging fire within me had died; I released my grip on my “sister,” who crumpled into her chair like a withering lily petal. Slumping back into my own seat, I let out a weary sigh. “So you’re sure Auntie Impa was asleep in her bedroom when you turned in for the night. Correct?”

She nodded curtly. “Yes.”

“And your basis for this was...what, again?”

She sat up straight with her perfect posture. “Well, she always goes to sleep at nine o’clock, and I hadn’t seen her since supper.”

“Right...” I massaged the bridge of my nose with my first and second fingers. “So you didn’t actually see her sleeping. She could have been awake in her room for all you knew.”

“I suppose so...”

“Splendid. And you can’t think of any household members, or anyone at all, who might’ve had a reason to kill her?” Like the Yiga, for example? I added silently.

“No.”

I shut my notebook, slipping my pen into my pocket. “Thank you for your time.”

At this point, I was starting to lose hope. There was only one other matter that it had even occurred to me to look into, and even then, I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to do so. So one could imagine my pleasant surprise when my object of interest was found unharmed in Auntie Impa’s study.

“So this was her own personal Sheikah Slate...” I marvelled, peering into the miniature safe in her desk at the item in question.

“That it was,” replied Auntie Purah. “She supposedly had it made for work purposes. You know, keeping track of finances and marketing and all those hum-drum tasks she was in charge of.” She rolled her eyes. “But I’m quite sure she used it for other, undisclosed means as well.”

“That’s what I’m hoping...” I confessed. “You said earlier—and I ask this with all due respect, of course—but you said you didn’t know of any dark secrets she was keeping? Any skeletons in the closet that might’ve provided a motive for this murder?”

She shook her head in dismay. “No, I’m afraid not. She was always terribly secretive, even with me.”

“Ah... That’s alright, Auntie,” I sympathized.

“But when your mother was still around—oh my goodness! Constantly, those two would whisper in each other’s ears about who-knows-what, ever since they were old enough to speak, I tell you.”

“Is that so?” I humoured her as she spiralled into a speech about the days of her youth. Since the Slate had been kept in her study in a one-of-a-kind safe made specially for this house, it was reasonable to assume there would be no strange fingerprints on it. Nevertheless, I dusted for them anyway, and sure enough, the only ones on it belonged to its late owner. “So, what’s the trick to gaining access to it?” I too owned a device similar to this one, courtesy of my connections with the company as an adopted part of the family that ran it, but because they were still so rare and invaluable, I typically left it at home and didn’t often have the chance to make use of it. As such, I wasn’t nearly as familiar with its mechanics as I ought to have been.

“Well, one of the Slate’s features, which happens to be one of my favourites, actually,” she boasted, “is that it lets the user create a lock that’s entirely unique from one on any other Slate. There is practically no limit to the number of ways one can keep their information protected.” I listened with immense interest, knowing the technology she spoke of was entirely out of my intellectual grasp, but being fascinated all the same. “It seems my sister simply opted for a riddle, though,” she lamented as she activated the device. “Pity. I was looking forward to showing you what the system is capable of.”

“You can still show me!” I fervently insisted. “I’d love to see how it works. Do you have your Slate with you?”

“Oh, yes, I do!” she chirped, reaching into her dress pocket. “This is going to knock your socks off, young lady.”

But before I could lean in for a better view, a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned my head and met eyes with Link, who glanced insinuatingly at the thing we’d come here to investigate.

“Oh.” I stifled a chuckle. “Right. Let’s see this riddle, then.”

“Ah, yes,” she laughed along with me. “My apologies, Zeldie. I do so get carried away at times.”

“Believe me, Auntie, you’re no worse than I am,” I contested, picking up the Slate sitting on the desk.

The screen displayed an empty text box with a typewriting keyboard below it and a question above it that read the following: “I observe the world as I hide in a cage. In my youth, I am weak, but I gain strength with age. I both give life and take it away. When one tries to pluck me, I make them my prey. What am I?”

Until now, I’d thought myself to be quite skilled at solving riddles. I’d even used to make them up in my school days for sport. But as I reread the words written on the Slate over and over again, I couldn’t think of a single answer that made the least bit of sense. “When one tries to pluck me...” and, “...as I hide in a cage,” were what kept throwing me off. It seemed no two statements could have been more unrelated. Even the few things I came up with that I deemed worth a try were denied. Even when Link and Auntie Purah tried, nothing worked.

Soon enough, I was taken completely off-guard when the question vanished, and in its place appeared the words, “This Sheikah Slate has been disabled. Try again in 1 hour.”

I slammed the damned thing down and threw my hands in the air. “Are you bloody joking?!” I stood hunched over the desk, shaking with frustration. “Five guesses? That’s all we get, really?”

“Maybe it’s something no one but her could ever know,” Auntie Purah pondered. “I could picture her pulling something like that.”

In that moment, it felt as though my heart were too tired to go on beating. “If that’s the case, then...” I held my head in my palms, nails scraping into my scalp. “Then we have no hope of ever figuring it out. Do we?” The longer I stared at the words on the screen, the deeper I fell into their endless, dark abyss. This had been my last hope of finding any sort of lead on this case. If this riddle truly was impossible, I was doomed.

“Now, now. No need to fret, dear.” I raised my head, realizing I’d begun to hyperventilate. “I’ll take it with me on my next trip to the lab. I’m sure Robbie and I will be able to crack into it once we put our heads together.”

“Okay...” I counted to ten in my head while Link stroked my shoulder in quiet consolation. I gave him an appreciative glance, then turned my attention back to my auntie. “Shall I trust you not to let anyone get their hands on it until then?”

“You can count on me, Zeldie,” she winked. I could only hope she would take my request seriously.

It was well into the small hours of the night now, after I’d returned home, and I was still awake as could be, staring endlessly at my bedroom ceiling with wide eyes. There were so many things weighing on my mind all at once, it was difficult to differentiate between them.

At the centre of it all, though, was the memory of something that had occurred earlier that afternoon, when my partner and I had been reviewing the results of the investigation in my office. The things he’d said to me then wouldn’t stop replaying themselves again and again in the theatre of my mind.

“Umm... Zelda?”

I’d looked up at him from across our shared desk, more than a little surprised to hear him call me by my first name. “Yes?”

“I just—” The unsure look in his eyes had created an air of tension thicker than a miasma. He’d begun glancing around the room, gnawing at his lip. “I-I just...”

“Is something the matter?” I’d prompted.

He’d shaken his head then, shifting in his seat. “No, no. I just...wanted to thank you.”

I’d raised my eyebrows at him. “Whatever for?”

His gaze had fallen to his hands resting on the desk. “For getting me out of...that place you found me in.”

My chest had tightened at those words. He’d never uttered anything so personal and so heartfelt to me during all the months that had passed. After all this time, what could possibly have urged him to say this now?

“You did that, even though I didn’t have the slightest notion of who you were,” he’d continued, making my heart twist and writhe within the confines of my ribcage. Then, steeling himself and meeting my eyes with his, “I just wanted you to know that, even with my affliction, I’ll never forget that day.”

Those words still rang in my ears even now, after the several hours that had gone by. They tormented me. I was the only one who had a shred of faith in him—in his innocence. And yet, if I couldn’t figure out a way to prove that someone else had used the police-issued revolver bearing Link’s ID code to commit the murder, then all my efforts to free him would go down the drain, and he’d be locked away for good, if not unthinkably worse.

#my writing #fanfic #botw #zelink #botw zelink #zelink botw #botw link x zelda #botw zelda x link #link x zelda #zelda x link #zelink fanfic #zelink fic #zelink ff #zelda pov #detective au

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majinkura · 4 years ago

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Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter ( 1984)

Did You Know?👇👇👇👇🤔

The strange dance which Jimbo performs at the party was contributed by actor Crispin Glover and was based on the eccentric way he actually danced in clubs. On the set he was dancing to "Back in Black" by AC/DC as the scene was filmed. In the film however an edited version of "Love Is a Lie" by Lion was dubbed into the scene.

Last film in the series to pick up immediately where the previous film left off. At 58 years old at the time Ted White is the oldest stuntman/actor to portray Jason Voorhees. On a budget of $1,800,000 the film made $32,600,000 at the box office.

At the time, this installment of the series contained the most nudity and gore. The film was released on Friday the 13th: April 13, 1984.

In Turkey, this film, and the next sequel, Friday the 13th V: A New Beginning (1985), were released at the same time. People could watch both films back to back. Even the posters for both movies were displayed next to each other.

(at around 1h 2 mins) In one scene, Rob talks to Trish about his sister, Sandra. Sandra was one of Jason's victims in Friday the 13th - Part II (1981).

(at around 10 mins) The workout video Axel watches is Aerobicise (1982). It stars Darcy DeMoss who went on to have a role in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986).

This is the only film in the series to shoot new footage using sets and locations from a previous film. The beginning takes place on the set of Friday the 13th - Part III (1982), before moving to a new location.

Director Joseph Zito was opposed to using clips from previous installments at the beginning of the film.

(at around 9 mins) The nurse's name tag reads "R. Morgan, RN," an homage to actress Robbi Morgan, who played Annie in Friday the 13th (1980).

During filming Kimberly Beck, who plays Trish, experienced strange occurrences including a man watching her while she ran in the park and strange phone calls at all hours. This stopped when production was over.

Though he disliked being involved with the film, Ted White is considered by many fans to be one of the best Jasons.

(at around 9 mins) The moment where Jason's hand moves in the morgue was done by Ted White after Joseph Zito had called cut on the scene. However, the camera was still rolling, and caught this movement, and it was included in the film.

Writer Barney Cohen originally wrote a scene involving Jason fondling Trish's breasts but the producers vetoed it. Director Joseph Zito also disliked the scene because it made Jason seem too human and less menacing. The scene was excised.

Joseph Zito had previously directed The Prowler (1981), but they wanted him to both direct AND write Friday the 13th Part 4. He said, "But I'm not a writer," to which they said, "Here's a contract paying you double to write and direct," and then he responded, "Yeah, I'm totally a writer." Zito used the extra salary to hire Barney Cohen to somewhat secretly write the script. Their process entailed Zito taking nightly one-hour phone calls with Phil Scuderi to discuss the story and script for Final Chapter. The next day Zito would meet Cohen in an apartment in New York to relay what notes and ideas Scuderi had offered, which they would then turn into new script pages to be sent later that day to Scuderi in Boston to be discussed again over the phone that night.

Camilla More actually read for the role of Samantha, but when the producers discovered she had a twin, they offered both sisters the roles of Tina and Terri.

It is played for humor throughout Final Chapter that young Tommy Jarvis (Feldman) is suddenly surrounded by horny teenagers renting a cabin he can see into from his own house. However, the reality of the situation is that those actresses were indeed very or partially naked, and Corey Feldman was still young enough that Erich Anderson and Kimberly Beck took him trick-or-treating the first day of filming since it happened to be October 31, 1983. So, they shielded 12-year-old Feldman from most of the bad stuff, using tricky editing when necessary. What they could not control was the power of a low-cut top sans bra underneath. According to Feldman, in the scene in which Jodie Aronson's character bends over to greet Tommy's dog unbeknownst to anyone but Feldman he could see down her low-cut top.

It has been suggested that the only reasons Tom Savini worked as make-up artist on this film was in order that he could accurately age and properly kill the character he created from the first film.

Barbara Howard used a body double for her shower sex scene.

After Jason actor Ted White finished his scenes for this film, he immediately started work on Starman (1984). While on set for the night's filming, a group of reporters were waiting to interview Jeff Bridges, but he was unavailable. Therefore, director, John Carpenter, told the reporters to talk to White about the film he had recently finished. After telling the reporters he had just finished playing Jason in the latest Friday the 13th film, the next day's article was entirely about him, and that night, numerous "Friday" fans arrived at the set solely in order to see White.

Jason actor Ted White and special effects artist Tom Savini at first were confrontational with one another. But once White found out Savini had experience with stunts, the two became friends.

Rob was originally supposed to have high-tech equipment which he had used to track Jason, but the props for this looked cheap, and the idea was scrapped.

The film takes place on Sunday the 15th and beyond which makes it the second "Friday" film not to actually take place on a Friday at all. While the beginning with the coroners takes place during the night of Sunday the 15th, the rest of the film takes place on Monday the 16th, with Tuesday the 17th being the climactic night.

Even though he plays her son, Ted White (Jason Voorhees) is actually 11 months older than Betsy Palmer (Pamela Voorhees).

Rather than making masks, Tommy was originally going to have been an inventor. One of his projects was a device made from a microwave oven, which would have been what he used to kill Jason. Some of this is seen in the final product in a scene where he helps repair a car.

Amy Steel talked Peter Barton into doing the film. By the time the Final Chapter offer came around Matthew Star was off the air, and Barton wanted no part of horror films, having hated working on Hell Night in 1981. Amy Steel somehow talked him into it, selling him on the notoriety of starring in the final Friday the 13th film.

Director Joseph Zito wanted Jason's hockey mask to explode apart in the opening credits, but there was not enough time in post-production to pull off this gag.

Paramount was originally going to release the film in October, 1984. After filming wrapped in January Paramount studio head Frank Mancuso Sr. screened footage of the film to much enthusiasm. After a window opened up the release date was changed to April upon confirmation from Joseph Zito that he could complete the film faster than planned. This led to Zito, producer Frank Mancuso Jr., and a crew of editors essentially remaining locked in a house in Malibu editing around the clock in order to finish the film on time. This marked one of the only times that Paramount actively helped in the production of a Friday the 13th film, as they were generally produced independently, with the studio only handling marketing and distribution.

The house used for the Jarvis home was later used as the Anderson home in the film Ed Gein (2000) where serial killer Ed Gein is apprehended.

Bonnie Hellman's agents told her about a possible role in this film - the hitchhiker - but then told her that she would not want to do it, as there were no lines. However, she ended up taking the role anyway.

Kimberly Beck stated in the Crystal Lake Memories book that she does not like the horror genre. In addition to this, she also said that she feels this film was not even a B-movie, but rather a C-movie.

Distinguished film critic Roger Ebert called this film "an immoral and reprehensible piece of trash."

The Jarvis family's dog, Gordon, was named after a recently deceased dog which a friend of director Joseph Zito owned.

Peter Barton was talked into taking a role in this film by his The Powers of Matthew Star (1982) co-star Amy Steel who played Ginny in Friday the 13th - Part II (1981).

The female hitchhiker was called "Fat Girl" in the original draft of the script.

The poster shows the hockey mask with a knife on its left eyesocket. Jason is defeated with a machete going through his left eye.

Kimberly Beck is the only Friday the 13th actress that appeared in an Alfred Hitchcock film. She worked on Marnie (1964), exactly 20 years prior to this. She plays the little girl that Marnie's mother babysits.

The film was shot entirely in California.

Carey More's audition was to simply read one line.

Lisa Freeman, who played Nurse Morgan, and Crispin Glover, who played Jimmy Mortimer, both would go on to be in the Back To The Future movies. Crispin Glover played George McFly in Back to the Future (1985) and Lisa Freeman played Babs in Back to the Future (1985) and Back to Future, part II (1989).

(at around 20 mins) The Jarvis family sandwich hug was based on a group hug that screenwriter Barney Cohen's family did.

Jason's death won the Golden Chainsaw Award in Dead Meat's "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" kill count.

This is considered by many fans, to be the best and most popular Friday the 13th film.

The Jarvis family car is a 1970 Dodge Polara.

Rob's rifle is a Winchester Model 70.

Rob looks to be the main male hero of the film to work alongside Final Girl Trish. Instead he dies almost immediately after encountering Jason, with the real Final Guy of the film being Tommy

The ambulance driver played by Antony Ponzini & Axel and the coroner played by Bruce Mahler both appeared on the sitcom Seinfled. Ponzini as Jerry's barber Enzo and Mahler as the Rabbi in Elaine's building.

Was released in theaters, directly a week before Crispin Glover's (Jimmy) 20th birthday.

Tracy Jarvis' fate and death would have been more further explained in a deleted scene that had been cut from the film. An alternate ending to the film, included in the 2009 Deluxe Edition DVD, shows a dream sequence where Trish and Tommy wake up the next morning after killing Jason to the sound of police sirens. Trish sends Tommy to summon the police who have arrived next door. At that point she notices water dripping from the ceiling and goes to investigate. She enters the upstairs bathroom, and finds the body of her mother floating in a tub full of bloody water. Trish lifts her mother out of the tub, prompting Tracy's eyes to open, revealing them to be solid white and devoid of irises. Jason suddenly appears from behind the bathroom door and prepares to attack Trish. Trish then suddenly wakes up in the hospital in a scene reminiscent of the ending of the first movie.

Ted White was uncredited as Jason Voorhees by his own request.

The twins are played by real life sisters Camilla and Carey More, who both also appeared on the daytime soap opera Days of our Lives as Gillian and Grace Forrester. More stars from the soap DAYS also appear in further Friday The 13th sequels like Renee Jones in Part 6, and Kevin Spirtas and Staci Greason in Part 7. Other soap stars that appeared in Friday The 13th films include Kevin Bacon, Russell Todd, Lauren Marie Taylor, Dana Kimmell, Kimberly Beck, Peter Barton, Jennifer Cooke, Michael Swan, and Scott Reeves.

Paul's car is a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice Estate station wagon.

According to Ted White, he and director Joseph Zito did not get along very well during filming.

The actress playing Trish's mother was only 14 years and 1 day older than her.

Both Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover later appeared in different films with actor Kiefer Sutherland in the same year: Feldman in Stand by Me (1986) and Glover in At Close Range (1986).

Pamela Voorhees' first name appears on a tombstone.

#friday the 13th the final chapter #jason voorhees #pamela voorhees

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xxxdragonfucker69xxx · 4 years ago

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@lyhoradka tagged me in that post about five bits of text from written media that are burned into your brain and, kindly, gave me a theme of places. i am going to annotate this because i am a bitch

1. holy places are dark places. the wisdom that we get in them is not thin and clear like water but thick and dark like blood. - cs lewis, till we have faces

im almost certain ive misremembered this one but its better this way. clive what the devil fuck were you trying to say with till we have faces. burn it down and start over with this. i have a sidenote about hope faith and love but thats beyond the scope of this discussion

2. night falls. the workers put down their tools and point to the sky. “there is the blueprint,” they say. invisible cities, italo calvino

again idr if its sky or stars. this is the description of thecla from invisible cities, kindly appointed to me by my good friend venus. this is not the strongest one but it is a strong one and its for Me and i remember it. inna thought i was going to make this whole post about haunted houses and this one is completely the opposite; i’ll consider it aspirational

3. walk to the east till you can walk no more. swim east until you pass the sunrise; swim east until you pass the stars; swim east until you come to the edge of the sky. there you will find yourself on the shores of a different land. even in that place, they shall know your name, and mine. - adel, kc danine/unlikely flowerings, jenna moran

sorry i cheated on this one bc i looked up the attribution and found my memory was wrong. but i cut it up to match what i thought. this one is actually a combo with

3a. the sea will be the color night behind glass. then, slowly, it becomes green: first rain-wet slate, then darkest jade. green as fresh emeralds. green as remembered rivers - the sun beneath the sea, sunless seas

again ive hashed the first part of that but green as remembered rivers lives in my head rent free. these two live under the heading “an exile in the uttermost east”

4. THIS IS NOT A PLACE OF HONOR. NO HIGHLY VALUED DEED IS REMEMBERED HERE. NOTHING OF VALUE IS STORED HERE.

the warning continues of course but the basis is here. the idea that we cannot produce something so horrifying and terrifying that it does not also fascinate us, as you might guess, fascinates me. nightmare and obsession are such close brothers

5. a woman drew her hair out tight/and fiddled in the violet light/and upside down in air were towers/tolling reminiscent bells that kept the hours/and voices singing out of empty cisterns and exhausted wells.

in my head sean bean reads these lines in his civ vi voice. why did so much weird fiction pattern weird bits of worldbuilding after this bit. not that i am immune. voices singing out of empty cisterns and exhauuusted wells

BONUS CONTENT

so many things i wanted to add that werent written or that i didnt have memorized perfectly enough

1i. the, like, entire first half of to tundra by los camp, which i will reproduce below

meet me at st nicholas among the oaks behind the church that sway like pigtailed girls as summer wind whistles around your bare-shin knees and the forsythia leaves in the shade lay with me tickled by the feather reeds thats where the trees grow old under the ivys hold as you in my two arms equally safe from harm and in a hazy daydream our bodies married the stream and we broke down into pebbles and silt the water ran from the fields until the oceans we filled and found the seabed the comfiest quilt

there was more life in the weeds than in the few hundred seats that rose from transept to chancel to nave [...]

2i. prim leaves her father’s house. i won’t reproduce the whole story here but there’s a girl prim and her father is the god hansa and they live in a house of iron nails and one day her dad is killed and she has to go bury him and takes nothing but his corpse and a single iron nail. and she traipses all across creation and the void looking for somewhere to bury him but every time she tries his corpse shouts at her for being shit at it. and eventually she collapses, and drops the nail and it springs right up into the same exact house, and she imagines crawling in there with her fathers corpse to die next to him and freaks out and then

A pale face came before her and she was abruptly struck from her despair as though by a great hammer. A beautiful stranger had appeared, mild and tall, of milky flesh, spare in figure, but radiant in voice and visage. "I know you," said the stranger in a small voice, "you are Prim."

"I was Hansa's orphan, the slave, Prim," croaked Prim in response, "and now I am nobody, just a small dirty thing in great emptiness and here I will die."

"No," said the stranger, and the clarity and firmness of her voice and smile send a shock through Prim, "you are Prim, and Prim only, and Prim you shall be." And Prim there realized her tears had made a great pool and she was greeting her own reflection. And she fell into that murky pool and straight away it turned clear as crystal and Prim vomited forth a great black knot from very deep within her, and her body was scoured and lashed by the icy waters of that pool, and great draughts of poisonous filth and despondency were drawn in rushing gasps from her wounds, and her skin was sealed and her soiled trappings were purged and the caked illness and death was ripped away and she rose from that pool fresh and humming. Her back straightened and she scarcely thought on her father's corpse or the faintest echo of that iron house. That is how Prim left her father's house.

so basically abaddon scooped all of tsiy and every other haunted house writer in like five thousand words

3i. berenike

From my words you will have reached the conclusion that the real Berenice is a temporal succession of different cities, alternately just and unjust. But what I wanted to warn you about is something else: all the future Berenices are already present in this instant, wrapped one within the other, confined, crammed, inextricable.

4i. a ghost does not come to stand in the dark doorway of your room because it is an 18th century orphan girl named annie. a ghost comes to stand in the doorway of your room because the doorway is where things come to stand. - i am in eskew, david ward

the formats all fucked up now huh. this has influenced my thoughts on both psychogeo and necromancy. what a fucking guy. theres also the pope lick bridge one but

5i. i hope you will forgive me for including a bit from tsiy

I opened my eyes. I was kneeling at the base of a tree, at the top of a grassy hill, under starry night. Dad was standing a little ways back, head craned back to look at the tree. "What is this place to you?" he asked, looking around. The island came to an abrupt stop at the edges; it wasn't a floating island in space or anything, there just.....wasn't anything beyond the edge of it. Like looking past the edge of your own eyesight -- not the blackness of eyelids, but the colorless place beyond.

"I'll die here someday," I said, and meant it.

i really need to work on getting places and haunted places into the new draft. im slacking. but im also not allowed to go back and change anything rn or ill just never get anywhere

#visible cities #also sprach #christ this took a million years

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hextechherald · 3 years ago

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@sinners-saintsandsaviors said: "Who are you? You know what? I don't care. We've got to go." Vi spoke frantically her eyes darting around the scene.

Vi was running, Sevika somehow found her, then came the invasion of firelights then Jinx. They weren't watching where they were going so accidentally ran their shoulder into the stranger. Her nose was dripping with thick red blood ever so slightly, grime covering her lightly freckled face, eyebags sunken into her skull. And possibly even more injuries that she was too hyped up on adrenaline to notice.

She wasn't going to help him originally, but with his cane and the way he walked. I mean she'd be an asshole not to right? The streets of Zaun were loud that night, deafening snaps and booms as light filled the thick dark air. Jinx. It was her again and again. Yet Vi still held her foolish idea that Powder was still there. That she could save her sister.

Her blue eyes looked up into the older man's, a hint of fear before completely masking herself. "Its not safe, this whole part might go up in flames."

Viktor had been taking his time while on his way back to the bridge. The doctor had given him a lot to think about and entering Piltover with what he’d given him feels like a finality he’s still uncertain about. Despite how much it’s changed the streets of the undercity still bring a comfortable sense of nostalgia.

His thoughts are interrupted abruptly by the woman that almost knocks him on his ass. Not an impressive feat by any means, a strong breeze could accomplish the same these days. Still he manages to catch himself with his crutch. The large thud of it forcefully hitting the stonework drowned out by the noises the city makes. His hand shakes from the weight.

He opens his mouth to answer her question, then promptly shuts it again when she interrupts him. Instead he notices her injuries, his brows knit together. “ Are you oka - ? “ His question gets interrupted yet again, this time by the explosions that shake the air around them. Frantically he turns his head to look behind them, then, as he turns back to meet her eyes once more and reads her expression; he understands.

The arm holding onto his crutch shakes under the pressure of his weight as he starts moving.

“ I won’t be able to keep up . “ He hurriedly tells her. Even in his prime a full speed sprint was out of the question. Now is definitely not his prime. “ It’s okay . Leave me , I’ll only slow you down . “

#threads. ( I BELIEVED IN MYSELF. WHICH IS WHY IM HERE )#sinnerssaintsandsaviors #sinnerssaintsandsaviors | V

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intricate-oeuvre · 5 years ago

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On how to be deadly || Geralt of Rivia || part II

Word count: 2.8+

Summary: Axelia is Witcher experiment herself and has gone through same harsh Trials as Geralt, but she wasn’t so lucky with the outcome. Her vision didn’t become better. Therefore, she was rendered blind in the end. And because of that, she solely uses her Witcher senses to make her ways. Only potions can give her false sense of sight for limited time.Somewhere along the way she meets the Rivian. Who’s interested to know how she’s been killing monsters and hasn’t been killed herself yet.

Warnings: strong language; hints at implied smut

part I || part II || part III || part IV || part V || part VI || part VII || part VIII || part IX || part X || part XI || part XII || part XIII | Epilogue

With a grunt the male witcher let go of the girl.

“What are you doing here? I got everything under control.” Axelia hissed, running her forearm under her nose to get rid of the blood and dirt.

“You look like…” Geralt was looking for appropriate word to describe Axelia. Her once white hair now was full with dirt, mud and blood, little pine needles stuck in the ends. Her fair skin seemed to have gone through same, dirty and bruised, thin layer of sweat making it look even muddier.

“What? Like shit?” Axelia offered and stretched out her hand, waiting for Geralt to give back her her sword. Once she felt the cold hilt of the sword in her palm, she yanked her hand back, retrieving her sword and securing it on her back.

“Thank you very much.” Axelia rolled her eyes and stepped around the witcher. For a second she froze, swiftly looking both ways and with a sigh reached behind her and took the black tulle blindfold and fastened it across her eyes. There at her feet was the head of the monster, both antlers dirty, some moss and grass wedged in them. She reached down to grab its antler, first time missing it, but then with a huff she picked it up.

“You killed my monster.” Geralt observed, turning to look at the dead carcass on the ground.

“Apologies. Didn’t see your name on it.” Axelia said sarcastically and made her way to get out of the forest.

“Weren’t you supposed to stay at Kaer Morhen?” Geralt asked catching up with her.

“To do what?” Axelia tilted her head at the sound of his deep voice.

“Winters there with Lambert and Eskel became unbearable.” She opted for explaining further. Only receiving deep Hm from the witcher besides her.

For the rest of the journey to the field, there was silence. Geralt only looking at her from time to time, trying to understand how she was still alive.

“I know you are staring, Rivian.” Axelia spat at him as both of them reached the edge of the forest. “I can sense it.” All this time, her head was bowed, but nonetheless she put her feet, one in front of another with such confidence, that one could not tell that she was blind. Geralt was about to say something to her, but Axelia’s head shot up and she stared into the distance.

“You got a horse. Excellent.” She beamed, making her way faster to the horse.

“You are going nowhere near Roach.” Geralt called after her.

“I am not carrying this head all by myself on this fine day.” Axelia huffed almost reaching the horse. She heard a whistle coming from Geralt and then the horse trotted pass Axelia to her owner.

Girl sighed and with the leshen’s head in her hands, turned around to face the fellow witcher.

“Fine! I’ll carry it myself then.” She rolled her eyes and turned to continue the walk across the field towards the grove. Axelia still could hear him and his horse walking some steps behind her.

“I don’t hold you here, you can go. Coinless that is, but free to leave.” She stopped once again, letting her shoulders sink lower. Not the first time she has said something along those lines. His presence here made her remember things she didn’t want to remember. Taking a deep lungful, she looked up at the murky sky. Dropping the leshen’s head near her feet she sighed.

“How did you know it was me? You haven’t seen me in years.” Axelia said, when she heard that the witcher had stopped somewhere behind her.

“The scent.” He stated simply.

“I stink that bad, huh?” Axelia murmured loud enough for Geralt to hear.

“Velvet rose and sandalwood.” He said making her look to the side, brows furrowing underneath the tulle.

“Sensed it before I even stepped into that forest. It seems to accompany you wherever you go.” He explained to her. She swallowed thickly, not sure what to tell him.

“Since when you trust only your nose?” She tried to play it off, reaching for the antler to grab on.

“Why do you even know that smell?” She shook her head, trying to rid her head of thoughts.

“I don’t know.” Geralt answered, more to himself, because he genuinely didn’t know the answer himself.

“You know what? Forget that you met me today. I got money to collect.” She said frankly and made her way through the sporadic grove. Well, today she didn’t think that she’ll need to stop on so many occasions. But here she was again, because somebody was pulling on the other antler.

“Hey! Go find your own! This is mine! You are not getting my payment!” Axelia hissed as she spun around, still not letting go of her antler.

“Why are you here?” Geralt asked, still holding other antler, Roach looking upon both from a distance. Axelia didn’t answer, huffed and pulled on her antler, hoping that Geralt will let go. But he didn’t.

“Can you not?” She let deep breath through her nose. He still waited for her answer while pulling the scull back to him.

“For fucks sake! I will punch you, Geralt!” Axelia yelled at him. Her head raising to look somewhere near his head as she pulled the scull to her with both hands on the antler now.

“I have no doubt that you will.” Geralt tilted his head to the side, the corner of his lips slightly raising. This time pulling the antler that was in his hand, harder away from her.

With angry and annoyed grunt, Axelia pulled on the antler once more. Geralt wasn’t so keen on letting her pull it. With a crack, similar to one that thick, dry wooden branch would make, the scull with only one antler was left in Axelia’s hand, while the other was left in Geralt’s. For a second there was silence. Both of them confused on why it broke so easily.

“Hmm.” Geralt hummed in his deep voice.

“LOOK WHAT YOU DID NOW, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE, GERALT!” Axelia screamed as she swung back the scull and tried to hurl Geralt in the head with it. But his reflexes were faster and he duck out of the way, only Fuck leaving his mouth.

“You. Broke. My. Antler. Idiot.” Axelia screamed. Each word punctuated with swing of a scull as Geralt was stepping back and ducking out of her way.

“Someone has to file off those horns of yours!” Geralt said as he ducked out of her way again.

“MY HORNS? Who do you think I am?!” Axelia yelled again, getting ready to make another blow at the witcher. Now, using the antler that was still in his hand, Geralt clashed it against the scull. One of it’s branches getting caught in the eye socket of the scull, thus expertly yanking the whole thing out of Axelia’s hands. With infuriated sigh she stopped, her hands balled in fists at her side. She stared at him, her peaked witcher senses allowing her to see enough to look him in the eyes.

“Can I do my job peacefully?” She asked, almost sounding delirious because of all the yelling beforehand, yanking the antler from Geralt’s hand. Witcher didn’t answer. This whole situation funny to him. He always liked to rile her up, when they both were younger back at Kaer Morhen.

“How did you know it was me?” She asked again, pinching the bridge of her nose and turning away.

“I said. The scent of velvet rose and sandalwood.”

“How did you know it was me? It could have been anyone else with that fragrance.”

“But I have only met one person with that scent. And it is you. Every single time I stepped into those stone walls, there was that smell. Even back when we went through those trials, if I felt that scent, then I knew I was still alive.” He explained, his eyes catching every single movement of her. Axelia stopped her pacing and looked at Geralt. She didn’t want to remember what they had gone through to become what they are now. What she is now. Why is he telling this?

“You talk too much, Geralt.” Axelia sighed, turning towards the village.

“Only when you are around.” He hummed.

“Since when do I own such niceties from you, Rivian?” She brushed her palms against each other, rubbing off some dirt and dried blood from them, antler wedged in her side for a moment. To Geralt she seemed distant and cold. Witchers were never know to be the ones to show emotions, but even taking that into accord, Axelia was more chirpy toned. Less- this unbothered person. It seemed as if both of them had switched their moods. He was the broody one, and she was the joyful one, trying to make the best out of everything. Suddenly, it seemed that that had switched these personas.

“Why didn’t you turn away? Why did you walk into the forest? You know that I can handle myself.” She turned her head to look across her shoulder at him.

“I wanted to. But my gut told my I shouldn’t.” He said, taking a quick glance at Roach as she was feeding on the grass that grew in the grove they were standing in.

“If that would have been Yen, then—” he started to explain, but was stopped by how quickly Axelia had turned around and hissed at him:

“Ah, yes, Yennefer. How could I forget her? How could you forget her? You know what?” Axelia spat at him, exaggerating her point by throwing up her hands, antler still in her right hand.

“Will you let me finish?” Geralt said, getting tad annoyed by her attitude. He already had Jaskier to get on his nerves, he didn’t need her too, he didn’t want her to get on his nerves.

“Oh, no, no, no.” Axelia said pointing that antler at him. He narrowed his eyes at her, being cautious if she thinks of hitting him again.

“I know what is about to come out of that mouth of yours.” She shook the antler at Geralt. He was about to protest when she sighed and held up one finger.

“Keep the head.” She threw the antler at his feet.

“You killed the monster, its your money.” Geralt pointed out.

“I can’t deal with you right now. I didn’t ask you to be here. Why don’t you just leave, then? The same way that you left me to rot on the doorstep of Kaer Morhen?” She exhaled and turned to walk to village and get away from there sooner.

She remembered that night as if it had happened yesterday. It had been a pleasantly dark evening. Air was still crisp, spring had barely come after a long, cold winter. Axelia had watched how Geralt packed all the stuff he needed for his next journey, as he was the last to leave. She had been dressed in her own armour. He seemed oddly quiet that night. Not that he ever talked much. Axelia, even with-out her eyesight, could see that he was planning on doing something. But she couldn’t tell what it was that he was planning. As much as she knew, he was leaving. That’s what she gathered from Vesemir.

As both of them were walking through now empty halls of the witcher school, Axelia was trailing behind Geralt. Tense silence between them. Girl with light hair, knew that it was spring and Geralt was about to leave for whatever was next for him. And she had thought that this could be that one time they could both leave together. Now she felt ready, finished all her witcher training, learned what there was to learn in the school. Both of her swords, just like Geralt’s, sat snugly on her back.

“What’s the next stop?” she had asked while he was fastening his bag on the back of his horse.

“Velen. At start. Then wherever the coin is.” He said with a grunt as he pulled the belts of his bag tighter. Axelia hummed in approvement as they both made their way back up to school. Stepping in the kitchen/dining room, Geralt looked around some shelves, as if to make himself busy.

“You seem a bit lost there.” Axelia chuckled sitting at the table and looking how he was picking and putting down various items. Only response she got from him was his iconic deep hum.

“Need help there, good sir?” She asked kind-spirited.

“No.” was his clipped answer.

“Alright then… What are you looking for?” she asked, her brow slightly furrowed.

“Nothing.” He turned to look at her. He looked around for a second and then half-awkwardly said:

“I’m leaving now, then.”

“I know.” Axelia smirked at him and got up to follow him out.

“You are staying.” He stopped to look at her when he heard her follow.

“You know very well that I am not, you stupid.” Axelia rolled her eyes and walked around him to go to his horse.

“I’m serious. You are staying here.” He dead-panned, leaving no room for defences.

“What? I thought that after… I thought we…” Axelia furrowed her brows at him, feeling slightly stupid.

“Don’t follow me.” He said getting a hold of her shoulders and spinning her around.

“I’m leaving.” He pointed at her and turned to walk away.

“Not with-out me.” She said stubbornly and still followed him.

“Axelia.” Geralt warned.

“Geralt.” She said in same tone. “You are not leaving me here. I am not staying here basically all alone anymore.” She said almost pleading.

“I can’t take you with me. You have to stay. Look after school.”

“The fuck do I look like to you? Inn keeper?” She pushed him out of her way. But before she could actually take any steps further, Geralt had grabbed her from behind and pulled her against his chest. Both of them falling silent for a moment.

“You can’t leave me here. Not again.” She whispered, trying to force her voice not to waver. The deal with Axelia was that, she was like a failed experiment as one could say. She wasn’t the best that Kaer Morhen could offer when it came to excellent witchers. She needed to hone her senses and use what she still got. One was to be with sharp eyesight and dull emotions, while Axelia was complete opposite: blind emphatic girl with sharp reflexes and inhuman strength. And yet, somehow, she made it to the top, with some minor setbacks to still fix, but good enough to go out there.

“You can’t come with me, Axelia.” Geralt had said gravely in her hair.

“No. Please don’t leave me. You are the only one that believes in me.” She whispered, her milky eyes brimming with tears. Geralt looked at the door. He couldn’t stay any longer.

“Close your eyes.” Geralt order to her.

“We’re too old to play games.” Axelia said, her brows furrowing again, as her hands wrapped around his.

“You didn’t oppose the last time when we were in bed.” He whispered, his chin now on her right shoulder. With sigh she closed her eyes. Geralt pressed his lips against her temple, not something he did usually. Somehow, she felt that he was lingering in that one kiss. Moments later, his hands left her waist, and she was left feeling cold.

“Geralt?” Axelia asked, still not opening her eyes. That moment she heard the deadbolt of the kitchen door fall shut.

“Not where we e—” She opened her eyes, standing alone in the room, door locked from outside.

“Geralt?” She questioned again this time louder. “This isn’t funny.” She walked to the door and tried to open them, but it was no use.

“You can’t leave me!” she called out yanking on the handle.

“Vesemir is never going to let me leave!” she continued, not caring if she was about to wake someone up.

“Geralt! Please don’t leave me!” She banged on the door, hitting her shoulder against it, trying to break the door. With unholy swear leaving her mouth she run to the back door of the kitchen, even if it meant taking the longer route, she was not letting him leave her. Running down the lengthy corridor and passing through armoury and two training rooms, she ran through big hall, pausing momentarily too look at the locked kitchen door.

“Geralt!” Axelia called, not feeling him anywhere near her. She run to the threshold of the School of Wolf and with her empty eyes looked around.

“Please, no…” She whined pathetically as she realised that she has been left behind. Another year to waste all alone while other witchers were gone.

She remembered very clearly how that night she had slept and cried in his pillows. She was weak, something that witcher shouldn’t be.

~~~~~

part I || part II || part III || part IV || part V || part VI || part VII || part VIII || part IX || part X || part XI || part XII || part XIII | Epilogue

tags: @boiled-onionrings @fandomwithnolifesblog @901seconds @kingniazx @shesakillerkween

#geralt of rivia #geralt of rivia x reader #geralt x reader #geralt imagine #the witcher #the witcher x reader #witcher netflix #witcher oc #netflix #henry cavill #witcher yennefer #jaskier #lambert witcher #witcher eskel #roach the horse

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groovybaybee · 4 years ago

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Greener - III

I, II

(3.9k)

cw: mentions of abuse (nothing too intense but better safe than sorry), drug use (weed), alcohol consumption

BUZZ

“Sorry to be a pain, can we just do the bridge one more time?” I ask guiltily.

Practice should have ended fifteen minutes ago, but the neuroses in my head refuses to pipe down.

“It sounds great, but if you want, we can run it again.” Lana tells me from behind her drumkit, the gentle huskiness of her voice soothing me.

“Yeah, sorry, lets call it for today. Think I’m just nervous.” I nod.

“First show isn’t for a while, take it easy.” George speaks as he gently locks his guitar into its case.

“Yeah, you’re right.” I sigh, rolling back my shoulders in an attempt to loosen them.

The pair bid me goodbye, offering reassuring hugs and pats on the back, before heading out of the studio’s practice rooms. I take a few minutes in the empty room, tucking away cords and straightening things in an attempt to steady my breathing.

BUZZ

Reaching into my back pocket for the phone that has not stopped vibrating intermittently for the past twenty minutes, I spot three text messages.

The first is from Lucy.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CAN YOU PICK UP SOME STUFF ON YOUR WAY OVER LATER?

Truthfully, I had almost forgotten about Lucy’s barbeque. At least once a month she has some kind of large gathering, claiming it to be a necessity, and that not enough people celebrated just being alive. It is a beautiful sentiment, something I have always admired about Lucy is her effervescence. However, this does mean that my plans, to lay in bed the rest of the day and wallow about how unprepared for tour I feel, have been scuppered.

I quickly reply to her and ask for a list.

The next two messages are from Harry.

One is a picture of him with a golden Labrador. Both appear to be smiling brightly.

The second is the caption: ‘A girl asked me for a photo today and I told her she could only have one if I could take one with her dog – Harry’.

Which one are you? I send back.

Immediately, I receive a ‘:( - Harry‘ and cannot help but chuckle at him as I pull myself out of the room.

He’s still talking to you despite how dumb you are, hmm?

Sure, I might have been a bit rash and ridiculous in rejecting him, but it is for the right reasons. There is no way that I could put someone as wonderful and positive as Harry through all my issues.

You’d suck the joy out of him.

Instead, we are friendly. We speak every day. I try to keep the flirting to a minimum, but the boy does not make it easy. He is so charming and funny; it is impossible not to be swept up in his world where everything is bright and shiny.

I can’t let that happen.

No. There needed to be space between us. Nothing rude or unkind. Just space. Boundaries. I desperately need to keep conversations between us nothing but friendly until whatever attraction he has to me fades.

Shouldn’t take long.

Trying to shake off the part of me that saddens at the thought, I think ahead to this afternoon, scrolling through the extensive list of things Lucy needs me to bring her.

Quickly stopping at home, I change into a light blue dress, patterned with small white flowers, bringing a cardigan with me as an extra layer, knowing that I would likely be staying out until the early hours of the morning.

After picking up almost everything on the list, unable to find golf balls and unsure why she wanted them in the first place, I drive over to her house. Lucy had told me today would be a small gathering, but she says that every time, so I brace myself as I open the front door.

“Lu?” I call, the house uncharacteristically quiet.

The sound of claws on the wooden floor of the hallway brings a smile to my face, Pip bounding around the corner.

“Hi, baby!” I giggle as I place my bag of supplies on the floor and crouch to greet the excitable pup. “Look how big you’re getting!”

“If that’s you, Vi, come help me!” Lucy lets out a whine from the kitchen.

“It’s not Vi, it’s an axe-murderer!” I call back, scratching behind Pip’s ears, making her mouth open and tongue roll out happily.

“You can help me too!” she retorts.

With a happy sigh, I pick up my bag and follow the sound of her voice. When I reach her, she is stood precariously on her countertop, rooting through a cupboard.

“Careful,” I warn.

“Thought I had kebab skewers,” she tells me, haphazardly hopping down in defeat, “Guess not. Did you bring the goodies?”

For the next hour or so, Lucy and I work like a well-oiled machine, setting up space outside for food, but mainly making and sampling a variety of different cocktails. By the time some of her friends start to arrive, the two of us are already a little bit buzzed.

Amongst the crowd that starts to fill out the house and attached garden is Joseph, a dear friend of Lucy’s. ‘Dear friend’ in Lucy’s world meaning they have sex and get croissants together the next morning. To be fair, it is the closest I have seen that girl to a relationship in all the years I have known her. Best not to rush Lucy into things. She will make up her mind when she is good and ready, like always.

I notice him entering the house, eagerly scanning through the throng of people to find his girl, his eyes lighting up when he does so. Striding over to us, he presses a kiss to Lucy’s cheek and gives me a tight hug.

“Hey,” Lucy greets him, her voice considerably lower as she wraps her arms around his waist and pulls him into her. She wastes no time in connecting their lips, hands running through his hair with complete disregard to her surroundings.

Undoubtedly, she would blame it on the few drinks, claiming they are lowering her inhibitions. We would both know how hard she would be lying.

Lucy has the type of freedom and self-confidence that I wish I possessed. Living her life the way she wants to, completely on her own terms, and with nothing but goodness in her heart, an ever-present sense of reckless abandon for social norms. It is clear that she lives in her own world, and anyone that has had the delight of meeting her would agree; it is a beautifully liberated world.

The sun begins to set in the real world, but Lucy’s sun is only rising, each passing hour only enthusing her more. I watch her from the kitchen window as she has handstand competitions with some of her co-workers, no one able to resist her charms.

“Fancy making me one?” I hear a familiar, albeit surprising voice ask from behind me.

Turning around, I see Harry, dressed in slightly flared blue jeans, a white vest and vibrant blue Hawaiian shirt. He looks great, but when does he not?

When I meet his eyes, his smile has left traces of itself in the dusky green as he nods his head to the cocktail shaker in my hand.

“H-Hi.” I stammer to get out.

Pathetic.

“Hi,” he says softly, reaching for me instantly to pull me into a hug.

For a moment I do not react, realising quickly that this is the first time our bodies have touched. In a quick, rushed desire for intimacy, my arms wrap themselves around him. My fingertips splay across the expanse of his back, feeling his muscles move under them. I am pulled in tighter, Harry letting out a soft sigh as his chin rests on top of my head. My nose brushes against the bare flesh of his neck, accidentally but not unhappily inhaling the scent of him. Not just his cologne, but him. It is everything I can do to pull myself away, even if only to peer up at him, our arms still encircling each other.

“How’ve you been?” he asks gently. His voice has such a relaxing effect on me, melting away any stress from this morning and washing it away with each breath.

“Harry!” Lucy interrupts gleefully, charging in our direction and wrapping her arms around us. “My favourite people.” She exclaims with a tight squeeze.

“I’ll pretend I’m not hurt,” Joseph teases, having followed her inside to check on her. A decision I immediately recognise to be wise when I take in Lucy and notice her eyes struggling to stay in the same direction.

Even after hours of eating, drinking, and heavy petting, Lucy is not done celebrating. Instead, she insists that we set up some of the microphones from her small home studio, assembling a makeshift karaoke in the middle of her living room.

“Sing for me.” Lucy demands with a giggle, pushing a mic into my hand before plopping on to the sofa, her legs swung into Joseph’s lap. Instinctively, he moves a hand to hold them there, giving her a look of amused adoration.

“Why do I have to go first?!” I laugh incredulously at my best friend, once again, pushing me outside of my comfort zone.

“I’ll sing with you,” Harry offers, a smirk trying to mask tentative eyes.

I open my mouth to object to the whole situation, but Lucy interrupts me with a devilish grin.

“What? Don’t you want to do it with Harry?”

If looks could kill, Joseph would be clinging to a corpse. However, at this point an offshoot of the main crowd has trickled into the room and is gathering around Harry and myself expectantly.

“Fine!” I sigh, covering my intense feelings of panic with humour the best that I can.

“Feeling decisive or want me to pick something?” Harry asks, desperately biting back a mischievous grin as he pours through Lucy’s laptop, connected to a series of speakers bound to piss off her neighbours.

“You pick.” I shrug, my glaring eyes still fixed on Lucy as she giggles into her drink.

“Okay,” Harry says, tapping play on a karaoke version of Somethin’ Stupid by Frank Sinatra.

“Amazing.” Lucy laughs loudly over the backing track, sending a complimentary wink in Harry’s direction. The two of them share a smile, while I roll my eyes so hard that I could give a moody teenager a run for their money.

“Ready?” Harry asks, looking to me with a look so devilishly charming that I cannot help but return his grin no matter how hard I try.

“I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me,” we begin to sing, our voices pairing surprisingly nicely.

“And if we go some place to dance, I know that there’s a chance you won’t be leaving with me,” our voices sound great together actually, creating natural harmonies. It is clear that Harry is just as surprised as I am when our eyes meet, continuing to sing along, there is an excited glint to them that plants warmth in my torso.

Ever the performer, Harry puts a piece of his soul into the song. His voice shifts beautifully through dynamic changes, channelling emotion until he is almost acting the song and the lyrics are just his lines.

Forcing myself to avoid his gaze, held so lightly but fixed nonetheless, upon me, I look to Lucy. Desperate to convey to her how hard and fast my hatred towards her has manifested, but she is beaming at me so genuinely that all malice (however false it was in the first place) melts away and I simply look to my supportive, if a little manic, best friend. In her hands, her phone has replaced her half-finished cocktail, her eyes flittering between the recording and live performance.

For a moment, I am ready to chastise her for filming my embarrassing--

Pitchy.

My embarrassing, most likely pitchy performance. I soon realise, however, that did I not have an awkwardly shoehorned friendship with Harry (something I had purposely neglected informing Lucy of for fear of another pep talk) I would be begging her to record me singing with someone whose career I admire so greatly. It has been a dream of mine to duet with talent like Harry’s, and she made it happen. As always, she is being a good friend.

I blow her a kiss, which she reaches out and snatches from the air with a grin.

“The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red and, oh, the night’s so blue,” I drift back to Harry where he is already waiting for me, looking at me with such tender appreciation.

“And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like I love you…” Our eyes are locked. The cheeky smirks have slipped from our lips. My awareness of the others in the room seems to fade away as his eyes pierce me, and, for a moment, it feels as though he sees straight through my façade. For the shortest time, he sees the way I look at him, feels the battle of caution and excitement ever-present when I see him.

It’s just an act.

Once again, the noise in my head overpowers the thump of my heart. My eyes flit back to safety, singing the rest of the song to Lucy, purposefully overacting my love for her to distract from any feelings towards anyone else.

The song comes to an end and I make a subtle but speedy getaway, replacing the microphone in its stand and dashing to the kitchen. Thankfully, the room is empty, the majority of the gathering having congregated into the living room as Lucy belts out an enthusiastic rendition of ‘I Love Rock ‘N Roll’, getting the whole party stomping their feet with her.

“Really knows how to throw a party, doesn’t she?” I hear Harry asks from behind as fumble through one of the cabinets until my fingertips find the little tin box I was searching for.

“Mm,” I nod, taking a deep breath to centre myself before turning to him.

Harry is stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame slightly but keeping his distance from me, observing me carefully. His body seems tense, jaw held tightly and forehead creasing deeply. A million questions swirl through my mind, the most prevalent being: why that song? However, I ignore my itching curiosities and try to act casually.

“Do you smoke?” I ask, lifting the small box into view.

“Sometimes.” He nods, seeming a little more at ease.

“Come with me.” I say, waving him to follow me.

We slip out of the back door and into the garden. Lucy’s house is a lot more modern than mine, her garden landscaped and levelled, only a few bushes and flowerbeds breaking up the slab of lawn. At the far end of the garden is a patch of shade provided from an overhanging neighbouring tree. Harry and I sit here, settling in silence as I pop open the tin, grateful to find a joint already rolled. I place it between my lips and light it, inhaling deeply a few times before offering it.

“I’ve never seen you here,” I mumble through the light cloud Harry exhales before it is blown away by the gentle breeze, revealing him gazing at the ground.

“Pretty shit friend really,” Harry utters, fiddling with his shoelace to avoid my gaze, “Lucy always invites me, and I bail every time.”

“What made today so special?” I ask before I can stop myself being so intrusive.

Harry just shrugs.

The pair of us sit in silence for a while, passing the dwindling joint between ourselves as the sun flickers across our skin, occasionally finding its way through the shady branches above.

“I’m sorry if I pushed you into that by the way,” Harry starts, looking at me for the first time since the kitchen. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay,” I say softly, desperate for the remorseful look in his eyes to disappear. “We sounded pretty good together anyway.” I offer, my choice to look on the bright side pulling a smile on to his lips.

“I thought so too,” Harry muses.

We sit in silence again, but it is more comfortable this time, the two of us relaxing into the gentle wind. Eventually, we lay side by side on the grass, watching clouds drift past happily.

“That one looks like a tulip,” I smile, pointing to a bulbous cloud.

“You’re crazy,” Harry laughs, “Looks more like a lollipop.”

“They’re pretty similar,” I smirk, turning my head to look at him. He does the same, and the warmth he earlier planted in my chest returns, hotter this time.

“You were the first boy to give me flowers.” I tell him, my voice cautiously quiet, as though someone might overhear on the deserted lawn.

His voices matches mine when he speaks, equally timid of the situation we’ve gotten ourselves into, “I’d plant you a whole garden.”

My eyes search his face, desperate to see a crack, to find an excuse not to believe him, but the urgency in his eyes stuns me. I lay trapped on the grassy bed, warm and cosy and terrified of what I might say or do next.

You’ll fuck it up like you always do.

My throat parches at the though. All I can do is nod my head, returning it to its original position and begging the sun to dry the welling of my eyes.

Eventually, I see Harry shift in my peripheral vision, mirroring my exact position and gazing back up to the sky. The heat from the sun begins to burn into my skin as if punishing me for hiding from him.

“If I told you something would you promise not to hate me?” I ask tentatively. How much could I share before I scare him away?

“I promise.” I hear Harry say with a breath of a laugh.

“Okay,” I start, taking a deep breath as my mind tries to settle on a place to begin, spinning a haunting collection of memories like a roulette wheel, before thankfully landing on the lightest. “I don’t know if you saw this, but there was a video of us the night we met… outside Spago?”

“I saw it.” Harry utters softly, my heart sinking to my stomach.

If he saw the video, he saw the article. If he saw the article, he must have read the comments. He must have seen how poorly the idea of me in his life went down with his audience.

“Did it freak you out?”

“Yeah.” I answer after a moment. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ll survive this industry.”

“I think you’re stronger than you know,” Harry says gently.

If he only knew.

“You sound like Lucy,” I force a laugh, trying to change the topic to shift my discomfort as quickly as possible.

“Maybe we have a point,” Harry teases, I see a smirk slip across his face from the corner of my eye.

“I wish I wasn’t so scared all the time,” I whisper.

A moment of silence passes before Harry speaks up, his voice tender as he turns his head to watch me.

“What would you do if you weren’t scared?”

Too afraid to meet his gaze, I tell the sky, “I would trust myself. I would let myself feel beautiful and be proud of what I achieve, and the voice in my head would shut up.”

“I get that,” Harry whispers, and when I turn my head to meet his eyes the fear melts away slightly. “I call my voice Peter and whenever he’s getting in my way I shout: ‘Fuck off, Peter’.”

The thought brings a smile to my face, and Harry mirrors me once again.

“Try it,” he encourages.

“What? Just scream ‘Fuck off’?” I laugh.

“Yeah. I’ll do it too. Just pick a name,” he smiles, head rolling back as he readies himself to yell.

The smile on my face lingers as I watch him, biting his bottom lip with excitement as his whole body wriggles in anticipation.

“Okay,” I grin, matching his position.

I picture the voice in my head, all the unkind things he has said to me, made me believe about myself. I name him, putting his face to the cruelty and feeling an overwhelming sense of power at the prospect of making him own everything he has put me through.

You really think this will work?

In a need for support, comfort, and mainly just because I want to, I slowly slip my hand into Harry’s. I hear him exhale deeply but do not dare look at him or move at all for fear of disturbing the symbiosis of our bodies. When I feel his thumb trace over my own, a warmth settles throughout me, strong and encouraging.

“FUCK OFF, WILL!” I shout, eyes squeezed tight.

“FUCK OFF, PETER!” Harry hollers right after me, quickly looking back to me.

His eyes are hopeful, an excited grin spreading across his face as we lay in the aftermath. The world seems to pause for a second, silenced by our screams, before the breeze continues through the trees and the party continues on.

“Why ‘Will’?” Harry asks with a chuckle, adrenaline pumping through him.

The joy drains from me slowly, agonisingly.

“He—um, he’s my ex,” I try to say quickly, but my heart is pounding, and my teeth start chattering.

“Oh,” Harry says sympathetically, sitting up to look at me, my hand slipping from his.

I know he is only being kind, but the tonal shift just twists the knife in deeper. Part of me thought I could keep him a secret. The same part of me that thinks never unpacking the possessions he tainted would keep my new house pure, safe from him.

“It’s fine.” I shrug, sitting up and picking up the tin that lays between us.

“We could… talk about it?” Harry offers, looking at me with desperate, hopeful eyes.

Maybe we could.

“Okay,” I start tentatively, pausing for a long breath, “We met when I first moved here and he was wonderful, really showed me off, made me feel special you know?”

Harry nods gently.

“Everyone loved him,” my gaze drops to the grass tickling my skin, fingers swirling around blades, “No one really believed that things weren’t as perfect as they seemed so I thought I was just taking stuff he said the wrong way because he really cared for me and wanted me to be realistic about what I could achieve.”

My gaze flits to Harry’s face, held cautiously still as I give him the abridged version of a year-long relationship.

“I believed him when he said I had to manage my expectations, that the grass was always greener and only 3% of musicians ever make it big. Even when I started doing shows he wasn’t supportive…” I cannot look at him as I continue, fear and doubt climbing up my throat and forcing a lie out of my mouth, “Just kind of fizzled out.”

Harry is silent. Pensive. For a while, all I hear is the low groan of branches in the wind.

“Not a good guy.” He muses eventually, his voice soft and low.

“Yeah,” I chuckle, the sight of a smile on my face causes the same reaction in Harry, “Not great.”

“OI!” Lucy yells at the top of her lungs, drawing our attention away from each other’s empathetic glances and back to the house. “You got my weed?”

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need-a-fugue · 4 years ago

Text

We Grow Together (30)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Tessa Sullivan (OFC)

Chapter Summary: There's an awful lot of hesitation going around as the team prepares to put Tessa in undercover. Can she convince them it will all work out?

Summary: Relationships can be tough, especially when one person is a recovering-from-being-brainwashed-and-tortured former assassin and the other is an overworked mutant scientist. But hey, every couple has their struggles. Right?

“No. Absolutely not. No way in hell.” It’s not simple pacing, not this time. No, Tony is positively stalking around the room. “I’m sorry, how did we even get this far?” he questions, spinning on a heel to face the group before him.

“Well,” Natasha starts, “most of us got here through sheer will and tenacity.”

Steve dramatically rolls his eyes. “You were out of the country. We didn’t think you needed to know all of the details.”

“Great,” he says, throwing his hands up in the air. “So glad to be part of the team.” He turns to Tessa and levels her with a stern stare. “I expected better from you.”

She frowns. “Why?”

“Why? Because you… you’re supposed to be smarter than… than them!”

She walks over to him and takes hold of his shoulders. “Tony, I know you hate feeling out of the loop. That’s why we’re telling you about this now. But you have to understand, we’re not asking for your permission.”

“We?” he intones bitterly. “When exactly did you all become a we?”

“Haven’t you been trying to get me to be part of the team for… forever?” she asks, voice rising an octave in irritation. “Well, I’m here. I’m part of the team.”

“You always were part of the team,” Steve says, stepping forward. “And we may not be asking for permission, but the point of this debrief is to get everyone’s opinion on where to take this next. Because we are a team.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows. “That was inspiring,” he mutters sarcastically. “Now should we vote?”

“Not if your vote is to drop it,” Tessa tells him.

“My vote is for you to stay out of it.”

“I second that,” Tony says, raising his hand high.

“This whole thing only works if Tessa’s involved,” Natasha says from her perch on the arm of the couch.

“No,” Tony drones. “No.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and blinks hard before going on. “If this guy is really doing what your ex… lover says he is, if he’s actually dicking around with highly regulated gene research, then we just need to turn him over to the proper authorities. Those being, not us.”

“So they can tell us there’s not enough evidence to launch an investigation?” Steve questions. “And in the meantime, he gets that much closer to developing some kind of super human.”

“And marketing it,” Clint supplies.

“And he’ll do it by torturing and killing mutants,” Tessa says soberly.

“And,” Tony says, “I don’t want him to do any of that, obviously. But that doesn’t make this our problem.”

Steve’s face turns livid. “Oh come on, Tony! If we don’t do something about this, there’s a damn good chance no one will. And you know that!”

“So let’s just throw our mutant teammate into the fray,” he counters angrily. “Let’s just send her over to the guy who’s looking for mutants to experiment on. Yeah, that sounds like a great plan!”

“It’s a terrible plan,” Bucky mumbles under his breath.

“Do you have a better one?” Steve asks.

“No!” Tony exclaims. “That’s why I said we should drop it!”

“All we need her for is access,” Steve tries, calming his tone as he explains. “Lobe already invited her out to their temporary facilities. If we can just find out where they are and get Tess in, then she can plant the bugs and…”

“Then what?” Bucky asks suddenly. “Then she’ll be done? You think she’ll step aside after that?” He turns his gaze to Tessa, who shakes her head in response to his inquiry. “That’s what I thought.”

“She’ll do what I tell her to do,” Steve says, voice dripping with authority.

They all turn to look expectantly at Tessa, and to her credit, she doesn’t argue. Instead she gives a curt nod and an – albeit sarcastic sounding – “Yes, sir.”

Tony sighs, long and loud. “I think you’re all being idiots.” He turns to Tessa, “You most of all.” She glares at him, but says nothing. He ambles over to her, gets within inches of her face and whispers, “Doing this won’t change anything. You think you’re helping mutants, but you’ll never be able to help the ones you lost.”

She turns on him and spits out, “I know that.” Then, after a deep breath, “That’s not what this is about.”

“Sure,” he says, backing away. “Well… you have my opinion,” he tells the team as he moves toward the door. “I’ll be in Vienna for a few days. Try not to get anyone killed while I’m gone.”

A stillness settles over the room, the remaining Avengers sitting in silence, waiting to see who’s willing to offer up the next opinion. Bruce had been working on a special project in Antwerp for a few weeks now, so he was wholly unaware of the op. That seemed like a saving grace to Steve and Tessa, neither of whom wanted to have to defend their plans to the eternal cynic. Sam had already made a point of saying that he was in – but of course he was, where Steve led, the Falcon followed. Natasha was on board, always ready to break the monotony of a day up with some missions.

Steve was surprisingly adamant about doing this. It wasn’t always 100% clear whether he was so opposed to the thought of additional super soldiers because of the harm they could cause to the word, or because of the harm they could cause to his reputation. Some people thought that he wanted to be the only one. At least, that was a theory that Bucky had proposed once after he and Steve got into it following a sparring match that landed the Captain flat on his back without an ounce of breath left in his lungs. You’re just pissed off because you’re not the strongest, fastest guy here anymore, he’d told him, leaving the fuming soldier to pout.

Whatever the reason, Tessa was just happy he was on her side.

And maybe Tony was right. Maybe this was about something more for her. Maybe it was a sort of atonement for past ills. For abandoning her family. For abandoning herself. Maybe, but none of that would change the fact that this was the right thing to do.

The only ones in the room who had not yet spoken were Wanda, Clint and Vision. And being as Clint just cannot handle an awkward silence, he’s the first to break. “Tony might be right,” he says simply, head ducked.

Natasha scoffs. “Traitor.”

“She’s not exactly experienced in the art of espionage,” he intones, waving his hand to indicate Tessa.

Natasha unfolds her arms from across her body and stares him down. “Did we not just discuss how little we actually know about her? And she loves us. I think,” she says, giving Tessa a side-eye glance. “If she can keep so much of her life hidden from us, keep her secrets that close to the vest for years, I think she can handle spending a few hours as a disgruntled geneticist looking for a job.”

“I’m just saying, she doesn’t have the training to be put into the field. It’s not that I don’t have faith in her… but she’s unproven.”

“So she’s new to undercover work. She’s been hiding the fact that she’s a mutant for how long now?”

“Well, she clearly didn’t hide it from Cal.”

“Can you please stop talking about me like I’m not standing two feet away from you?” Tessa murmurs. “It’s a little unsettling.”

“I think she’s ready,” Natasha says simply.

Clint pulls in a long, deep breath, clearly not convinced. “What about you two?” he asks, jutting his chin out at Wanda and Vision. “What say you?”

“Oh,” Vision starts, moving to the center of the room. “I think that Dr. Sullivan is quite capable. And lest we forget, she did have a life of, well, if not espionage per se, at least subterfuge, for some time before coming here.”

Tessa frowns. “Sometimes I forget that all of my files were downloaded into your brain.”

“Yes, of course,” he responds. “It can be easy to forget. But I assure you, I do know of your past achievements as an advocate and, well, for lack of a better word, superhero.”

She raises her eyebrows. “See that? I’m a superhero.”

Clint lets out a conceited psh. “You’re a science nerd with a neat talent.”

“I could end you,” she only half teases.

“Maybe,” he replies. “But could you do it without using your talent? Because if you end up using your powers with these guys, they’re libel to lock you up and turn you into a mutant guinea pig.”

“I know,” she says in an exasperated tone. “I get it.”

“If I may,” Vision interrupts. “While I do feel that Dr. Sullivan could be successful on this mission, I’m not certain that I believe the mission itself will lead to much success.”

“Why do you say that?” Steve asks.

“Because the desire to be better, to be more, is only going to continue to grow. Especially now, in the wake of Ultron. I do not think that stopping this individual will be likely to stop this program. Or if it does, I imagine another will simply take its place.”

“Hail Hydra,” Bucky smarts from the corner.

“He’s right,” Wanda says shyly. “I knew better. But I still volunteered for Strucker’s experiments. I sacrificed everything. And I’m not at all certain that I wouldn’t do it again. To get what I wanted.”

“Revenge?” Steve questions with a raised brow. “Don’t you think that we should do what we can to keep people from enhancing themselves for reasons like that?”

“It wasn’t just revenge,” she defends. “It’s like Vis said, I wanted to be something more. I wanted to be able to protect myself. And Pietro.”

“And how did that work out?” She gives him a defeated look, a hint of anger bubbling beneath the surface. “I’m sorry, Wanda. I know you had your reasons. And maybe they were good reasons. But you did help set off what was almost the end of the world.”

“And then I helped save it. Who’s to say that someone else… someone who was enhanced… by this man or any other, wouldn’t do the same?”

“And if that someone else, who may one day save the world, got his powers by torturing innocent people? By ripping the powers from someone else’s body… would that be okay? Would that be worth it?” Tessa asks softly.

Wanda turns to her, an appalled look on her face. “No. No, of course not.”

She rises from the couch and claps her hands together in a gesture of finality. “Then it sounds like we’re all on the same page here.”

000

When she walks out of the bathroom after showering, 30 minutes worth of steam billowing out behind her, she’s honestly shocked to see Bucky in bed waiting for her. “You leave any hot water for the rest of New York?” he quips as she stills in the doorway.

She tosses the towel that she’d been using to dry her hair onto a chair in the corner and steps toward his side of the bed. “I thought you’d be out on the couch,” she says solemnly, butting her knees up against the mattress.

He sits upright and leans over to her, wraps his arms around her middle. “You think I’m so pissed, I’d sleep on the couch?”

She shrugs. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” It was rare, sure, but there had been a handful of times when Bucky abandoned the comfort of their bed – abandoned the comfort of her – for the old, beat-up sofa. When their arguments got particularly heated, or when he had a nightmare and didn’t trust himself to be around her, he’d grab his pillow and the throw from the end of the bed and venture out to the living room to feign sleep.

He looks her dead in the eye. “I’m not mad at you for wanting to do this. I understand.”

“You just don’t like it,” she says, leaning closer to him.

He raises his eyebrows and lets out a small huff. “I fucking hate it.” He drops his head to her middle, resting his temple near her hip. “But you and Steve… you’re the most stubborn people I’ve ever met. And you’re both hellbent on doing this.”

She smiles as she delicately threads her fingers through his hair. “So you’re gonna skip the fight that you know you’ll lose,” she says, a lilt to her voice.

“I never actually sleep when I’m on the couch anyway,” he mumbles into her. “And I’ve got to be awake for the mission tomorrow.” He shifts a bit and looks up at her. “I’ve got to have your back.”

She smiles softly and nudges him back into the bed before climbing atop him, straddling his lap. His hands snake up beneath the back of her T-shirt and he smirks as she shivers from the cold of his metal fingers. “You’ve always got my back.”

“I do,” he agrees.

“Even when you really don’t want to.” He pulls her closer, wrapping his arms around her fully, and he nestles into her bosom. She reaches her hand into his hair, tangling her fingers in once more. “I’m sorry to make you worry.” He nods into her, but says nothing. She lays her head atop his. “I’m nervous too.”

They sit like that for several long moments, holding each other. Him squeezing her so tight, holding her so close, that she honestly feels like the most precious thing in his world. And her, gripping his hair, keeping his head safely nestled right next to her heart, reassuring him that no matter what tomorrow may bring, for tonight, she’s right here with him. “I love you,” he mumbles as he kisses her collarbone.

“I love you too.” She shifts on top of him. “But I’m getting a cramp in my hamstring.” He relaxes his grip as he lets out a chuckle, and she slides off his lap and into the space next to him.

Turning towards her, he reaches down with his metal hand and pulls the comforter up over her. They both settle into the bed, her back pressed firmly up against his chest, his metal arm holding her close. “Better?” he asks, his breath hot on her ear.

She giggles from the sensation. “Yes.” She snuggles further under the covers. “It’s freezing in here.”

“Yeah, well, you were steaming up the whole apartment. I had to open a window.” It was springtime, finally, and the warm weather had been a welcome treat. But out of the blue, the temperatures plummeted early this morning, leaving them all in an unexpected cold snap. The thought of that possibly portending something more sends a sudden shiver down her spine. “Hang on,” he says, flinging the comforter off and striding across the room to close the window.

“Not all the way,” she tells him, rolling to her opposite side to face him.

“Your hair’s wet,” he says with a furrowed brow. “You’ll catch pneumonia.” And he shuts the window, draws the curtains, and climbs back into bed.

“That’s not really how pneumonia works,” she gripes, settling onto his chest as he lays propped up on the pillows. She snuggles closer, dampening his T-shirt with her hair and gripping it tightly with her fingers. “The cold could make you more susceptible, but it’s caused by either a virus or bacteria. Not wet hair.” She continues to fist his shirt as she speaks, twisting her fingers up in the material and then straining to pull them back out. He reaches over and grabs her hand, gets it to release its hold on his clothes. “Sorry,” she says simply as he intertwines his fingers with hers.

“Why do you do that?” he asks softly, kissing her fingertips. “Worry your hands like that?”

She shrugs. “Nervous habit, I guess.”

“I keep waiting for the day you accidentally dislocate one of your fingers.”

She anxiously shifts, pulling her hand from his grip and tucking it between her thighs. “Sorry,” she repeats.

He wraps his metal arm around her and tugs her closer to his side. “What are you nervous about?” he asks, his voice somber. Again, she shrugs. “You worried about being alone with them?”

The plan for the facility visit was simple, but not without its perils. Tessa was to meet Lobe’s driver in the morning and he would take her to the undisclosed location. Lobe made no excuses about the secrecy. There was a lot of money at stake here. He wasn’t about to let just anyone know where his company’s research was taking place. They were certain that he would be taking precautions, watching for anyone who might be following. So they wouldn’t be able to stay in close proximity. But she’d have a tracker on her, and another to place in the car – along with a bug. And she’d have a virtually undetectable earpiece – technically still in the beta stage of development – so that she could remain on coms. And Sam would have his new little toy following the car at a safe distance so that they could maintain some sort of visual.

Once they got to the location, all she had to do was surreptitiously plant some bugs – each about the size of the head of a pin – as they gave her a tour. Easy-peasy.

“You know we’ll have your back,” he says into her hair. “We’ll be tracking you the whole time. No matter where they take you, we’ll never be more than a couple of minutes away.”

“I know,” she says softly.

“Are you afraid of what you might find there?” he asks after a long, thoughtful moment. “What you might see?”

She slides her chin up along his ribcage and rests it on his chest so that she can look him in the eye. “What if they’re close?” she asks. “What if they almost have it figured out?” She drops her gaze, looking past him. “What if we’re too late?”

He raises his brows. “What if we’re not? What if they’re nowhere near having it figured out? What if everything goes according to plan, and we get enough intel to have them shut down before they even get started?”

“What if we do, but then someone else starts up with the same grand plans and they do figure it all out?” she retorts, her voice rising in pitch at the end.

“You’re spinning in circles, doll,” he tells her with a crooked grin. “That’s why we don’t play the ‘what if’ game. Especially not the night before a mission.”

She snuggles back into him with a frown. “I can’t stop thinking about it,” she mumbles. “I feel like this is… so important. And if I fuck up – ”

“Hey,” he stops her, twisting around beneath her to bring himself eye to eye. “You’re not gonna fuck anything up.”

“You don’t know that,” she says, a despondency to her voice. “You don’t know how good I am at fucking things up.”

He looks deep into her eyes, takes in the pain, the regret. He recognizes that look as one he’s seen in the mirror a hundred times before. “Baby,” he tells her, “I don’t know what happened in your past… with your family… with the X-Men. I don’t know if you did or didn’t somehow fuck something up back then. But I’ll tell you this, Stark was right earlier. Doing this won’t change the past. And if you go into it thinking that it somehow could… thinking that you might be able to redeem yourself, or forgive yourself… Baby, that kind of unfocused thinking could easily compromise a mission.”

She sighs dramatically. “Damn you and your super hearing,” she mumbles. Tony had meant that piece of advice to be for her and her alone. He understood that no one else knew about what had happened all those years ago. And he understood that she wouldn’t want to answer any questions about it now.

As if he could read her mind, Bucky says, “I’m not asking about what happened. That’s not what you need to focus on. Tomorrow is about stopping some bad shit from happening in the future, not making up for some bad shit that happened in the past.”

She twists her face into his side and grumbles incoherently.

“You need to get some sleep,” he tells her, leaning away to flip off the bedside lamp. When he turns back, she wraps her arms tightly around him and pulls him close. He does the same, holding her once more like she’s the most precious thing in his world.

#bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky x oc #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes x original female character #bucky x original female character #marvel fanfic #avengers fanfiction #supernova

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froggy-fics · 3 years ago

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Long Past Dawn Ch.1

[Aaaah, okay so this is the first chapter of what I hope to be many! The ending is a little rushed but I hope its still enjoyable! Any comments, feedback, and/or advice is greatly welcomed. Also note the oc is nonbinary. This has been proofread by me but I may have missed things!]

WC: 3,054

The downpour outside lulled us into a quiet meditative conversation.Two Americans and two Canadians, a count of four in total, all of us students in search of degrees in education.

Daniel spoke first, breaking the silence, a talent of his. "So," he started, "why did the rest of you get into teaching? Personally, I just want to work until I get tenure and then wild out, just absolutely go off" he guffawed, turning to another member of our party, Angel.

I hated to look at her as she smiled at the rest of us, her teeth just looked too perfect and I hated them. They were in my uncanny Valley, along with her. "I just, I don't know ya know. Kids are our future and I feel as if it's my calling to nurture that" her too perfect teeth suddenly curtained by her lips as a tight smile made an appearance on her face.

It's my turn, a panic and sweat washing me in discomfort. "Um, well, I actually don't know. I think I'm just trying to make up for the shitty teachers I had early on in my learning" Clearing my throat I continued on, "I just feel as a mentally ill child I didn't get the care or attention I needed so I want to make up for that" I finished and gave a smile to fake a sense of calm.

Dante, our last compatriot suddenly hitting my knee, "No I feel the same! I feel as though the education system we have as of currently constantly fails those it should be helping and I want to end the cycle of educational neglect!" The words raced from him in a flurry, only to be met with my excited agreement, noise and discomfort from Angel and Daniel. Turning to me he spoke more, "Fabel, you and I, are the only two people here with any pure intent" in a shaming tone that made me chuckle.

Peeking over to a clock in the hostel room we shared the clock read 3:30 am. Our professor for the trip wanted us to stay up and go on a hike sleep deprived for some arbitrary lesson to learn how to cope under stress. Hitting my head off the wall I groaned, I didn't want to be in a foreign country sleep deprived. A shared glance and emotion feel upon us, frustration. We signed up for this, yes, but we felt as if the man who was supposed to teach us meant to belittle us. We all just needed a foreign language credit and all had picked Romanian at our respective schools, thus the event that led to our meeting. Breathing in before I rose to guzzle down another cup of coffee and grabbing the cup Daniel had suddenly flung out. The sound of rain and the smell of coffee was a perfect sleep mixture, unfortunately nothing can be perfect I found as I rubbed my eyes with my hands.

The room we resided in was average I suppose, this being my first hostel experience, plenty of room for the professor but he refused. The bunks were comfortable and the amenities worked so that's all we needed. The carpet was the best part, resembling a movie theater carpet which kept popping up in conversations. Everyone was staring into the center of the room suddenly, thoughts and movement ceased, our moving chests the only sign of life. Breaking my trance I my eyes moved to peer outside the window all of us neglected to close, instead leaving it to people watch and be generally nosey. The town we stayed in was large and seemingly filled with life. The fact that we could stay here and learn more lessons than driving hundreds of miles for a silly hike to stroke some guy's ego suddenly got to me. My chest tightened as I then remembered Daniel and his lack of coffee.

Hours had passed and the dawn was coming in just some hours as we had begun packing for the day. Angel had been seemingly the most affected, refusing to consume caffeine she began to whine to herself as she stumbled about. Daniel and Dante were throwing themselves into each other to aid in waking up even slightly. Embarrassingly, I stood and did theater exercises to help myself wake a bit. Down the hall through the door we could hear a throat clearing and coming towards us, we freezed in anticipation.

“Good to see you kids awake! I never thought you would’ve been and hoped for a teaching moment” Our professor seemingly lamented, teaching moments his name for public humiliation and being treated like a child. I refused to learn his name, if he wouldn't show respect towards us I wouldn't show any towards him. He starts to move his body like a swiveling fan observing our room. His eyes attempting to find any mistakes, none would be found. We stood, ready for our day with bags filled as he stood like he was the embodiment of the law or something of equal importance. Finally deciding we were of his approval he clasped his hands together he began to speak in his yell-talk style.

"As you may remember me saying all week, today we will be driving to a remote part of the country for a hike. This will teach you leadership, team work, and how to rely on others. Now, this hike won't be easy nor for the faint of heart, but I know you kids should be fine" he finally spit out, his face showing a smile but his eyes betrayed him. His chest rose as he breathed and began to turn, a blessing to us as a group a few moments of reprieve needed. You could almost feel the tension in the room leaving with him.

Realizing I had been picking at my thumbs the entire time I breathed in and shifted my weight on to my other foot.

"I don't understand people like that. They go into teaching and act superior off some perceived amount of knowledge" I spoke with a grouchy tone. "You're not fulfilling your duty as a teacher, you're just being a dick" I spat forward as a follow-up.

"And he doesn't even offer constructive criticism, it's just straight public humiliation" Angel grumbled in agreement. Her eyes focused on the floor, brows furrowing as she continued, "he's also just plain rude. Literally has said nothing nice. I can only imagine what people say behind his back about him" she said, finally looking up and shaking her head.

Both Dante and Daniel stood like pillars, hands gripped on the straps on their backpacks. Daniel finally breaks their silence.

"He has off vibes, like something about him isn't settling with me" the sentence sends a chill in the room. "He's just - he's rancid. That's all I can say" he finished looking up at the ceiling suddenly.

Dante said nothing and just began to march from the room like a man possessed, we filled behind him reluctantly. The sentence "Fabel Zając faces the music" kept running through my mind. Feeling a tugging sensation I turned to look at Angel who gave a sheepish look, only asked, "Fabel, can I hold your hand? I'm nervous" thankful to have a way to stave off the panic in me rising and the ringing taking over my ears, I quickly agreed and both of us gripped hands. She wasn't a bad girl at all, I just hated her smile. She grew up in a religious home which gave her her constitution, truly you could see she was just a sweet girl. Just awkward with those outside her church. I looked forward again to see Dante's back, I reached up and tapped his shoulder and he turned to look at me as I smiled up at him and gave a wave. He laughed and waved back. Turning back again to look at Daniel, he was looking up at the ceiling of the hallway we walked through, I started to make faces at him until he gave me attention. Angel's giggles quickly gave it and he returned the faces. It brought all of us up as we giggled and leaned on one another in fits. Finally we made it to the main door, we stood and spotted our professor, he stood by a jeep and was messing around in the back. We all took a final breath and stepped out of the hostel into the cold hazy morning.

Shivering as we shuffled towards him, hopeful he would ignore us as we loaded ourselves into the vehicle, Daniel taking the front passenger seat, Dante sitting behind him, I in the middle, and Angel behind the professor. Thankfully, he did ignore us as we all began to text our respective families about our safety and the day ahead of us ensuring them we'd be okay. I shut off my phone and closed my eyes, letting my head back as I heard a grunt and the starting of our engine.

Hours had passed as the sun began to break more, it felt like purgatory. Nothing but static could be heard over the radio which caused an uproar from all members, the one moment all of us truly agreed. The urge to cry hit me, I wanted to be back in the hostel in town amongst people. I had a sinking feeling all morning and it only worsened. Suddenly a pop broke my thoughts as we began to swerve on the road.

"I don't have a spare" The professor mumbled.

"Excuse me! What do you mean you don't have one!" I snarled out.

"How could you not!?" Dante continued the line of questioning.

"I mean I don't have one, I had to make room for other bodies!" The professor spat.

"Dude, what's your problem? You've been a dick since we got here and now you endanger us?" Daniel then shouted over us all.

Angel in a moment of complete stress shreaked, almost destroying our eardrums.

We then sat in silence for a moment, all of us thinking.

"We're hours from anywhere aren't we?" Dante finally spoke.

"Yes, Dante, we are" The professor huffed out, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We'll just have to walk to find help, I'm sure it shouldn't be long" he followed by unbuckling his seat belt.

Angel, following his lead, swung her legs over the ground and hopped from the jeep. Daniel rolled his eyes, popped his knuckles and followed. Dante looked at me in the rear view, he put his head back, shook it and also followed them. I sat and finally before they were too far my resolve diminished and I jumped out and ran after them.

Hours had passed, all of us had blisters, and we had multiple arguments until we stumbled upon the outside of a village. Huffing for air I silently thanked the universe as I bent to put my hands on my knees, my chest burning. The buildings and fencing looked old, as if the people were stuck in time; appearing abandoned and void of residents, our professor began to march in yelling for help. The pit in my stomach grew as we all shared a glance and followed despite our better judgment.

Panic began to rise in my chest as I turned to my group mates after finding myself in the front. The looks I turned to see were full of fear, as I assumed mine was a match. I held my hand out to Dante as I had found myself closer to him, "let's hold hands, I'm scared" he nodded and grasped my hand quickly. Every structure was made of wood and pathways would seemingly lead to dead ends and blocks. After a never ending amount of complications and no one our professor let out a roar of frustration.

This is where the trouble truly began, the roar back we never expected or saw in our future. They sounded animalistic and primal, nothing a human could ever produce. All our eyes locked in that moment, the calm before a storm. My legs took over me and I began to run praying that my speed came to be like Hermis. Barreling into an empty home I looked for any place I could hide, whimpers and whines escaping my throat as I heard noises only comparable to dogs, but much larger and monstrous. Cramming myself under a bed and snuggling to the wall I waited, hand over mouth shaking with ragged breathing. Closing my eyes I let go of the tears I had been holding in allowing myself to let my mind wander to the worst possibilities about my friends, how my pets wouldn't understand, how painful my end would be all causing my body to assault me with tears. Finally, the noises subsided slowly as I could hear the beasts running further into the village. Breathing in huffes of air I steel myself with resolve and crawl agonizingly slow from my spot. I crouch and make for the door, creeping to it and cracking it open like a cold one with the boys, I peer and think of my options, deciding on finding my way back to the gate at the opening of the village. I dashed out and scramble to my right, realizing quickly I'm lost, I just keep running.

Luck wasn't on my side as I found out, finding myself at the edge of the village, during my run a few of the creatures circled back causing me to scramble for cover. The attempt was unsuccessful and one had dug a claw in my leg, slicing the meat. Still I kept running and hiding, at one point I dove for another house, barricading the door and breaking through the floor to run out from below the house as they were on top. I had only made it to the center of the village before my body gave up leaving me on the ground, my blood pooling around me as I fought for consciousness. As the world faded a shadow formed in my vision accompanied with boot steps, a cold hard object lifted my chin and moved my head back and forth as a hum met my ears.

"You're tough, you'll be useful" followed by a chuckle caught my attention. Useful, for what? The question didn't stay long as my head finally became cloudy and I left reality.

The stick of a factory caused me to stur in a groggy state. It was a soft hum, the machinery reminding you of its presence. My head hurt and the smell of oil and metal not helping in the thumping. The mattress I felt under my hands was thin enough to bring my attention to the springs of the frame. I grunted as I forced myself to sit up, finding my wounds covered and as I'd hoped stitched. I let my body fall back and slightly bounce as I began to cry and rock. I rolled to be on my side and hug myself as I try to choke back my noises not knowing what other danger I could be in. Suddenly the sound of footsteps broke my thoughts and caused my heart to leap. Pulling the covers over my head like a child I burrowed underneath hoping to feign sleep. Wiping my eyes and nose I try to control my breathing, I lay as still as I can and wait, the steps getting closer causing the beating in my ears to grow as my chest restricted and panic set in causing goosebumps to cover my body.

"You're not asleep" I heard followed by a chuckle as tears sprang to my eyes again, I was going to be sick. "C'mon and quit your hiding" despite sounding like a request I could tell it was an order as I snaked my arm to the top of the blanket as quickly as my shaking body could manage. It wouldn't be that difficult of a task as I'd learn, the blanket being ripped from me. I threw my arm over my face and withdraw into a ball, similar to how I learned as a child during tornado drills, just on my side. It must've been funny to my capture as he burst with a chuckle.

"I won't hurt you, after all look at you, you already look half dead."

"Promise?" I sound like a child, I could only assume the lycans he mentioned were what attacked earlier, and as for the bitch I hadn't a clue nor a care.

After a snort a reply was given, "I won't make promises for later, but for now we'll see." It wasn't promising, but it was all I had.

I unfurled myself with a whimper, not realizing just how much it would hurt after my sudden movements. Slowly I rolled over to observe my savior and capture. He was tall or at least from this angle he was, salt and pepper beard and hair with what looked like a leather cowboy hat adorning his head, a trench coat and combat boots. My first thought was he must be a military larper of some sort, part of me fighting a laugh as I managed to rub my eyes and groan. The thing stopping me in my tracks was the giant metal hammer, no regular person could use such a thing causing my fear to spike once again. The grin he gave was full of malice and looked predatory, the inability to see his eyes only added to his aura. The full realization of the situation hit me as I freely began to cry as he studied me. I could die here or worse with this wolf left to lick up what I leave, what proof did I have that he wasn't already planning on it. Shaking my head as I tried to get out anything but sobs I found him laughing at me again, seeming to enjoy my response of overwhelmed fear to him.

"You'll be perfect!" He declares, "finally I can get rid of that bitch." He says voice shaking with rage as he bares his teeth like a dog. My fate seemingly sealed as all I could do was let myself freely weep and a stranger laughed at me.

#heisenberg x oc #oc fic #karl heisenberg #karl heisenberg x oc #resident evil #resident evil village #re 8 #re 8 fanfic #fanfic #canon x oc

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alifeincoffeespoons · 4 years ago

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part x of the avatar au: prince remus and master slughorn

For a while, Lily wasn’t sure if they’d ever make it to the North Pole.

After all, they’ve gotten sidetracked—and almost killed—at least twenty times by now. At the rate they were moving at, they would’ve arrived at the North Pole in three years.

But now they’re actually here. And it’s beautiful. Lily looks down at the thick ice walls surrounding the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe, her mouth open in awe, as they fly over on the back of Prongs. It’s the most wonderful thing she’s ever seen.

Then, suddenly, Prongs are falling out of the sky, and she realizes that they’re surrounded by spears. This time, though, they’re almost a pleasant sight to see.

“It’s the Northern Water Tribe!” she exclaims, and by her side, James beams.

As they’re led into the city by the tribesman, Lily gapes unabashedly at the buildings of ice. It looks like something out of a fairy tale, all sparkling snow and sharp edges. Glancing at James, she can see the same look of amazement on his face. Looking forward, she smiles. She has a good feeling about this place.

That feeling is confirmed that night at dinner, when the chief of the tribe makes a toast to her and James. “To our guests, James and Lily,” he says, lifting up his glass. “The Avatar and, as I’ve been told, a wonderful waterbender.” Involuntarily, she blushes at the praise. “And,” the chief continues, “I would be remiss if I didn’t make a toast to my son, Remus, as well. Today is his sixteenth birthday.”

Looking to the side of the chief, Lily sees a lanky boy with shockingly white hair and a thin scar across the bridge of his nose. He’s dressed in silver-embroidered blue robes that hang off him just a bit too loosely. She gives a small smile and a wave to the boy—Remus—which he returns warmly.

An enormous snow crab is lifted onto the long table, and the chief inclines his head. “Well? Dig in!”

James shovels the crab into his mouth quickly, as though he hasn’t eaten anything in days, and Lily rolls her eyes. “I’m sorry for his utter lack of table manners,” she says, smiling at Remus.

“Don’t be,” he replies. “My father will be happy to see that he’s enjoying the food.”

“I’m Lily,” she says. “Wait, you knew that.” And the blush is back on her cheeks.

“I’m Remus, but you knew that too,” he replies, not unkindly. “How’re you liking the city?”

“Well, I’ve only been here for less than a day, but from what I’ve seen, it’s amazing,” she says sincerely. “I’ve never been anywhere with so many waterbenders before. It’s almost surreal.”

“Well, we’re happy to have you here,” Remus says. “And we’ve got tons of waterbenders here—I think my father mentioned that you were searching for a teacher?”

Lily nods, and Remus smiles again. “My father will introduce you to one after dinner—I’m sure Master Slughorn is excited to meet the two of you. He’s probably the best waterbender in all of the Northern Water Tribe.”

“I’m excited to meet him too!” Lily says, returning the smile. By her side, James clears his throat, apparently done demolishing his meal.

“Remus, why’s your hair white?” he asks loudly, and Lily huffs, rolling her eyes.

“James! You can’t just ask that!” Turning to Remus, she sighs. “I’m sorry again for him. You’d think the Avatar would be more polite.”

“It’s fine,” Remus laughs. “When I was a baby, I was very ill, almost from the day I was born. None of our healers could do a thing, and my parents weren’t sure if I would live past a month. Finally, my father decided to place my fate in the hands of the spirits. He brought me to the Spirit Oasis—I can take you there later, if you want—the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole, and prayed to the Moon Spirit to save my life. The Moon Spirit listened to his prayer and gave me part of its own life to save mine, which turned my hair white.” He smiles shyly. “I know it’s a little weird at first, but you get used to it.”

“I don’t think it’s weird at all,” Lily says. “Your hair is beautiful.”

James coughs loudly, and Lily frowns at him. “Are you feeling sick too, James? You really shouldn’t have eaten the crab so quickly.”

“It’s fine!” James declares loudly. “I’m fine! Anyway, Remus, Lily and I should get to meeting Master Sluggy—”

“Master Slughorn, actually.”

“Whatever his name is! We should go meet him, Lily. Time is of the deepest essence and all that, right? Let’s hop to it!” James stands up quickly, almost knocking over his drink in his haste, and extends a hand to Lily to pull her up. Rolling her eyes, she takes it, before dropping it quickly.

“Again, I’m so sorry for him,” Lily says to Remus.

“Yes, I’m such a burden, aren’t I?” James grumbles.

“James, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant you should be more polite to our hosts. You’re not a burden at all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, but he looks slightly cheerier.

Master Slughorn turns out to be a cheerful middle-aged man with a large mustache and an echoing laugh. Just as Remus had said, the Waterbending Master smiles widely and excitedly when James asks him to teach them waterbending.

“Of course, of course!” Slughorn exclaims. “We’ll start tomorrow morning—eight o’clock sharp, and don’t be late!”

That night, Lily can barely sleep, out of sheer excitement. The last time anyone besides a scroll had tried to teach her waterbending had been more than half a year ago, back when Sev was more concerned with helping her learn than railing against Prince Sirius and spreading conspiracy theories about the Avatar. She smiles wistfully at the memory—Sev correcting her stance, teaching her to shoot spikes of ice in the same way he shot spheres of fire out of his own hands.

In the morning, she has to drag James bodily out of bed, but somehow, they make it to Master Slughorn’s training grounds on time.

“Why don’t you show me what you know first?” Slughorn suggests. “First the Avatar, then Lily?”

James grins, and he sends up a great tidal wave of water out of the ice, bringing it up to the sky and then back down. It crashes with a great force, but Slughorn just hums. “Interesting. Lily?”

She takes a deep breath and thinks of Sev, thinks of the waterbending scrolls, thinks of everything she’s tried to teach James in the past few months. Then, she brings up long lashes of water that quickly crystallize into whips of ice, forming spikes as they land back onto the ground. She grins, and whirling around, she sees a matching smile on Slughorn’s face.

“Wonderful, Lily!” he applauds. “You know, I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen that move before. Where did you learn it?”

“I kind of just, uh, figured it out,” Lily says, suddenly bashful. “It’s not from a scroll or anything. Down at the South Pole, I couldn’t really learn waterbending from another waterbender, so my friend who was a firebender taught me instead. Really, we just learned from each other.”

“Very ingenious,” Slughorn says approvingly. “Lily, why don’t you show me something else?”

Over the next eight hours, Lily demonstrates to Slughorn every trick she’s learned and read about, and almost every time, he claps enthusiastically afterwards, giving her small corrections and tips to improve her focus. It might just be the best day of her life.

That is, until she realizes that James looks increasingly tired and frustrated. “I just don’t get it,” he sighs. “None of this is working for me at all.”

“Well, James, not everyone can take to waterbending as easily as Lily,” Slughorn chuckles. This, of course, is basically the worst thing he could have said, and a moment later, James has a look of despair on his face.

“How can I be the Avatar if I can’t waterbend?” he bemoans, after Slughorn’s dismissed them for the day and they’re walking back to their lodgings with Remus.

“Well, you can waterbend,” Lily says, trying to cheer him up.

“But I can’t do anything advanced,” he says. “I can’t do any of the things that he taught you to do today. It’s like—I don’t know. I know how it’s supposed to work, but I can’t see how it does, you know? Everything’s all mixed-up in my head, and I can’t separate it.”

Remus looks thoughtful. “James, how have you been learning waterbending before this?”

“Er, from scrolls, mostly,” James says.

“That might be the problem, then,” Remus says. “You’re used to seeing the moves illustrated first and then trying them out.”

James grunts. “Maybe.”

“I can take you to my father’s library,” Remus continues. “He should have waterbending scrolls there—we’d be happy to let the Avatar borrow them.”

James doesn’t say anything, so Lily nudges him, but all he does is let out another grunt. Rolling her eyes, she smiles. “He’d love to.”

“Great!” Remus says cheerily. “I can bring him to the library after dinner.”

She waves goodbye to Remus as they go their separate ways, still smiling. The moment Remus disappears from their sight, she nudges James again. “Why are you being so rude to him? He’s been nothing but kind to us.”

“What’s so great about him anyway?” James exclaims. “So what, he’s a literal prince, and he’s handsome, and he’s probably stinking rich, and the Moon Spirit gave him life or whatever, but I’m the Avatar. I’m the bridge between humans and the Spirit World! I’m the most spiritual person alive!”

“Careful, James, or you might get a big head there,” Lily says sarcastically. “And I know you’re the Avatar. What’re you going on about?”

“Nothing,” James says sullenly. He kicks a ball of snow into the nearest canal.

Suddenly, a thought occurs to Lily. It’s as clear as day, honestly—she can’t believe she didn’t see it before. “James, are you jealous?”

“What?” James laughs nervously. “What would I be jealous of? His fluffy hair and ridiculously nice smile? No way!”

“Oh, James, I get it now,” Lily says sympathetically. “I know you’ve been having a tough time with the Avatar State, and you’re still nervous about what Avatar Dumbledore told you when you visited the Spirit World, and today’s waterbending lesson was—well, it wasn’t the best. Look, just because Remus has part of the Moon Spirit in him doesn’t mean he’s more suited to the role of the Avatar than you are. You have such a big heart, James—you’ve already helped so many people!—and you’re amazing at earthbending and airbending. You can do this, James. I believe in you.” She takes his hand and squeezes it for good measure.

“Yeah,” James says slowly. “Yeah, that’s definitely it. I’ve been jealous of Remus because I’m scared of not being a good enough Avatar. Thanks for the pep talk, Lily.”

She smiles at him, relieved, and finally, he gives her a genuine smile back.

That night, when James and Remus return from the library, waterbending scrolls in hand, both of them are laughing, talking quietly to each other like they’re old friends. When James manages to create and control multiple water whips in their lesson with Master Slughorn the next morning, Lily smiles broadly, proud of how far her friend has come.

The next few days are full of laughter, cheer, and engaging lessons.

Then, of course, the Fire Nation attacks. Again.

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multifandomhaven · 5 years ago

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Tip VI

Pairing: Nacho Varga x OC

Night melted into morning and, as Nacho and Sarah lay on the couch, their words got a little less guarded. Nacho suggested retaliation and Sarah shot him down every single time.

"Let me take care of it, Sarah," Nacho gently prodded.

He sat on the opposite end of the sofa, Sarah's feet in his lap. His fingers worked from the bottom of her feet, rubbing and circling like he'd been born and trained for it, all the way up to her knee and back down again. "I'll go... have a talk with him."

Sarah sighed, her head laid back against the arm of the couch. She felt Lola shift beside her, sandwiched between her rib and the cushion, and gave her a scratch behind her ear. "No. No way."

"Why not?" Nacho asked, rubbing his palm over the plane of her leg. His finger circled her ankle lightly, before making it's way back down again. "I can handle him."

Sarah relaxed a little further against him, turning to putty when both hands moved up, massaging her calves. "I don't doubt that you can, I just don't want you getting into trouble for me."

Nacho glanced at her though the corner of his eye and shook his head. "I won't."

"C'mon, you don't know that," Sarah sat up on her elbows, the black shirt rising on her stomach as she did. Nacho's eyes left her own and skimmed up her legs, over the lace panties he knew he'd be dreaming about for weeks, and onto the skin of her stomach, greedily drinking in the sight. Sarah's eyes blazed and she snapped her fingers at him, her frown deepening. "Hey, I don't want you going to jail! Especially not for me."

"Sarah -"

She pulled her legs out of his lap, missing the pleasant warmth of his hands the moment she did. "No, Nacho. My answer is no. I don't want you going down there. I just want to... forget. Move on."

Nacho sighed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his head bowed. He brought his thumbs up to pinch the bridge of his nose, frustration clear on his face. Sarah could see the muscle in his jaw tick before he spoke. "Alright."

"Thank you," Sarah said, her voice quiet. She leaned up to match his position and threaded her arm through his own. She leaned her head against his shoulder while her fingers toyed with the leather bracelet on his wrist.

Nacho let out a deep breath and then turned his head to her again. "Did you give my offer any thought?"

"A little," Sarah admitted softly. "Are you sure your Dad wouldn't mind?"

Nacho gave her a small smile. "Of course not."

"Does he know that you're even offering a job on his behalf?" Sarah asked. "I wouldn't want to cause him any trouble."

Nacho pulled her with him as he leaned back against the cushion. Sarah chuckled lightly, but leaned into him, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her one arm around his waist. Her legs found their way over his and he lay one hand just above her knee while the other wandered over her side and under the hem of her shirt, his fingers splaying out across her hip, careful of the bruises he so desperately wanted to avenge. "He welcomes the help."

"And you're positive he isn't going to be blindsided by this?" Sarah pushed. "I don't -"

Nacho leaned down and captured her lips in a quick kiss. "Trust me."

"I do," Sarah smiled, their faces still only inches apart.

Nacho pecked her lips again and said, "Good."

"I was wondering," Sarah started after a while, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "Not that I'm rushing you or whoever, or anything like that, but... have you heard anything about my car?"

"Only a little," Nacho admitted, then he remembered something that one of the guy's had said to him. "Speaking of your car, did you have any leaks that you knew about?"

Sarah shook her head. "No... but, I wouldn't really have noticed unless it was kinda obvious. Why?"

"Your radiator was cracked," he told her. "It hadn't been for long, because it would've overheated before now, but," he blinked, taking her features in, "...you ever seen anyone around your car?"

"W-What do you mean?" Sarah asked, reeling back at the insinuation. "You have to be more specific."

Nacho sighed. "Have you ever seen anyone suspicious around your car?"

"No," Sarah said quickly. "Why? Do you - do you think what happened was deliberate?"

"We're thinking so, yeah." Nacho nodded. "Did that bastard ever go near your car at work?"

"No, never," Sarah assured him. "I always parked near the road in front of the diner... I would've seen if he did."

"Okay." Nacho stared into her eyes. "Does he know where you live?"

Sarah paled, her heart thudding wildly in her chest. "No, I don't think so."

"I'm going to get another lock for your door. Extra protection," Nacho said in an attempt to reassure her. "Just to put us at ease, yeah?"

Sarah nodded, her eyes beginning to water. "Yeah."

"Hey," Nacho said quietly. "It's alright. I won't let anything happen to you."

Sarah sniffed and nodded again. "I know."

Nacho rubbed her back, his hand big and burning, the heat of it seeping through her shirt and straight into her bones.

Nacho saw the anxiety that threatened to overtake her again, and decided to change the subject. "Let's go out to eat."

"Are you hungry?" Sarah sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She started to get up, but Nacho grabbed her wrist gently. "Nacho, I can make you something if you're hung-"

Nacho shook his head lightly, his lips pulled back in a small smile. "No, no. I want to take you out."

"Take me out?" Sarah repeated quietly. "Out as in... a date?"

"Yeah," Nacho raised a scarred eyebrow, but his smile only stretched farther. Sarah thought it might have been the only time she'd ever seen him smile - a real smile with teeth and everything. "A date."

Heat bloomed across Sarah's face, the redness bringing her freckles to life, and she laughed, the sound airy and smooth. Nacho forgot how much he loved her laugh - genuine and uncaring. She covered her cheeks with her fingers, the suddenness of his request rendering her speechless.

Nacho snorted a laugh and tugged her hands away, scolding her gently. "Don't hide from me. You look cute when you're blushing."

Sarah chuckled and shook her head, her face a tinge more red than before. "You're ridiculous."

"What do you say?" He asked her again, his eyes sincere. "Do you want to go on a date me?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded, her face still flushed. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

Nacho pulled her in, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he leaned down and done the same with her lips. He lingered there for a moment before he pulled away. "I'm going to go back to my apartment to take a shower. I'll pick you up say... eight o'clock?"

Sarah smiled. "Eight sounds perfect."

"Okay," Nacho said back. "I'll see you then."

A few hours later Sarah stood in front of her mirror, her makeup smokey and her hair curled just so. She tightened the towel around her and sighed, going over every outfit she had in her head. The blue dress was too frumpy, a gift from her sister a few years back, and the red one was too cutesy for a date, she thought, mentally cringing at the image of her in the frilly skirt with little white flowers sitting next to what she could only imagine Nacho would show up in.

He liked to look nice most days - would it be the same on a date or would he be even more dressed up than usual? What if she was over-dressed and looked like a fool next to him?

Sarah groaned and plopped herself on her bed, her hands picking at the end of a curl nervously. Her knee bounced, her nervousness personified, but then, like something out of a fairy tale - real life magic - she remembered the dress she wore to her sister's graduation.

She dashed to the closet and swung the doors open wide, her hands making quick work of going through the racks. She shoved and pulled at every article of clothing she owned until finally she saw it, hanging by its lonesome at the back of her closet. Gingerly she pulled it off the rack and sniffed it - she didn't want to risk smelling like mildew - and smiled when the smell of her detergent met her nose. She quickly pulled on her best pair of matching underwear - black lace - and pulled the dress on over top. She spritzed a few sprays of her favorite fragrance onto her, inhaling the vanilla that now perfumed her bedroom.

Staring into the mirror, her painted lips stretched into a wide smile. She turned sideways, pulling at the bottom a bit, and smoothed out all the wrinkles. She had to admit, as shallow as she thought she might sound, she looked nicer than she had in as long as she could remember.

She pulled on a pair of black heeled booties and threw a layered necklace on just as a knock sounded on her door.

With a long, deep breath to calm herself she walked to the door and opened it.

"Wow," Nacho said, his eyes raking over her from her head to her feet. She noticed how his gaze lingered on the heels, and how he tugged his lip into his mouth at the mere sight of them, before he tore his eyes away from them and held the bundle of flowers out to her. "You look... wow."

Sarah blushed again, but took the flowers all the same. "How did you know I like lilies?"

Nacho shrugged. "I didn't take you for a roses type of girl."

Sarah hummed and filled a vase with water, gently arranging the flowers on her kitchen counter. "They're beautiful, Nacho. Thank you."

"They don't have anything on you," Nacho said with a grin. "You look amazing."

Sarah gave him a slow twirl. "You think so?"

"My eyes won't be the only ones glued to you tonight," Nacho promised, his voice thick. "I might have to take a baseball bat in with me. Beat all the other guys away from you."

Sarah laughed, the same beautiful one as before, and Nacho's chest puffed with pride. He was the one to pull that sound from her. "Alright, Casanova, let's get going."

"After you," Nacho gestured, shutting the door and locking it behind them.

The restaurant he took her to was more upscale than any she'd ever been to. There were waiters in tuxes, carrying trays of food still sizzling on the plates. She'd already downed a glass or two of wine - enough to loosen her tongue and actions - and found herself laughing when Nacho commented on how beautiful she looked every time the chance arose.

"Look," he nodded subtly toward a woman leering in their direction. "Even the women here are checking you out."

Sarah cackled loudly, and a few heads turned in their direction. Sarah ducked her head a bit, but the sound still flowed past her lips. "More like she's upset because I'm here with the most handsome guy in the place."

Nacho shook his head, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "That wine's kicking in, huh?"

"Something like that," Sarah admitted with a grin. "This is the best night I've had in a really long time."

Nacho nodded, his eyes trained on her. "Yeah. Me too."

"I like you, Nacho. I really, really like you," Sarah told him softly. "I've gotta be honest, it kinda scares me."

"What's there to be scared of?" Nacho asked. "I wouldn't ever hurt you."

Sarah raised her glass to him and took another sip of wine. "I know, but... I've never had the best luck when it comes to relationships."

"Well," Nacho said lightly, mimicking her action with the glass, he raised his to her. "Here's to me being the one to break that streak."

Sarah smiled and leaned across the table. Nacho got the hint and closed the gap, pressing his lips to hers.

Some of the other patrons rolled their eyes, and some didn't even notice.

The man in the farthest corner, baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, noticed, and he seethed with anger. He threw some cash down onto the table and stalked out of the establishment. The walk to his car was a short one, and when he got inside he found himself staring through the window at the happy couple.

His eyes blazed when he saw him take Sarah's hand into his own.

The man tore off his cap and ran his hand through his dark, curly hair in a fit of pure rage. He started the car and peeled out of the parking lot, tires screeching.

#nacho varga #ignacio varga #nacho varga x oc #ignacio varga x oc #ignacio varga fanfiction #nacho varga fanfiction #better call saul #better call saul fanfiction

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maraudererasmut · 5 years ago

Text

Black and White (Part II)

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Part II:

Remus stood in front of a piece of art, plate in hand, filled with cubes of cheese and assorted crackers. He stared intently at the brushstrokes, the way they danced across the canvas, the texture of the paint. There was intention to every stroke, every line, every point where the brush kissed the canvas. It was purposeful.

"What do you think of it?"

Remus glanced to the side, where a young man in an expensive looking suit had sidled in beside him. Remus raised an eyebrow and smiled politely, taking in the man's appearance. He had rich mahogany skin, almost a burnt umber. It took a cool tone in the stark gallery lighting, but had a hint of redness just beneath the surface. The man had dark hair, a warm black, just a shade lighter than his suit. He was wearing a burgundy tie with yellow ochre stripes, matching his completion perfectly. He had red-framed glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose, ever so slightly askew. When he grinned, the man flashed a set of ivory teeth, perfectly straight and sparkling in the light.

"It's nice. You didn't paint it, did you?" Remus responded with a grin. It was Remus' own little joke, funny only to a particular few who had the same odd sense of humour as himself; nice was never used as a compliment.

The man returned the smile, russet eyes gleaming with something akin to excitement.

"If I said yes?"

"Then I'd tell you that your work is lovely and congratulations on the gallery show." Remus nodded, keeping his feigned confidence.

"And if I said no?" The man asked, a twinkle in his eyes and a crooked smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Then I'd tell you the work is adequate… for a contemporary piece of abstract painting. It's a pity that it's been done a thousand times before." Remus finished his thought with a grin of his own.

The man let out a sharp laugh, garnering the attention and glares of other patrons of the arts. Remus chuckled along, happy to have met someone who didn't take the art world so seriously.

The man thrust his hand forward, grinning from ear to ear.

"James," he said, beaming.

Remus smiled and grasped the man's hand, giving a firm handshake.

"Remus."

"Pleasure to meet you, Remus."

"Are you an artist?" Remus asked, trying to glean more information from his newfound acquaintance. James laughed again, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Me? No. Not even a little bit. I couldn't paint to save my life!"

Remus gave a casual shrug, glancing around at the other pieces of art on display in the gallery.

"You don't have to paint to be an artist."

James shook his head with a playful sigh.

"Alas, I was born without a creative bone in my body. My wife, on the other hand…" James nodded towards the artist statement located next to the painting.

Remus felt the colour drain completely from his face as he realized James' implication, immediately regretting his decision of engaging the stranger.

"Oh, I am so sorry— " Remus began.

"Don't be!" James laughed, giving Remus a playful nudge with his elbow. "She hates this one, too."

"But I— "

"Honestly! She was gonna toss this one, but Sirius insisted on using it for his exhibition. Matched his aesthetic, apparently."

Oh.

James and his wife knew Sirius. Sirius Black. Owner of the gallery and curator of the show. Perhaps if Remus asked, he would be able to convince James to facilitate a meeting for him.

"Oh!" James' exclamation interrupted Remus' thoughts. "I have to go. Sorry for cutting this short. It was a pleasure meeting you, Remus. I hope to see you around."

Remus flashed James a well-practiced smile as he shook the man's hand, internally regretting not asking more about Sirius. As James disappeared into the crowd, it dawned on Remus that he had forgotten to exchange business cards with the other man. He groaned as he popped a cube of cheese into his mouth, mentally berating himself for his terrible networking skills.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice called from across the room, and Remus glanced up from his plate. "And everyone in between... I would like to welcome you here tonight, to the opening of Black and White."

The man who was speaking was unlike any person Remus had ever seen. He had alabaster skin that looked like it could have been carved from marble for all its perfection. A chiseled jawline, cheekbones so sharp, they could cut steel. His eyes were a shade of silvery blue, the exact colour of the sky on a perfectly stormy day, deep and expressive and frustratingly unreadable. He was wearing a navy blue suit with fabric that shimmered slightly in the light, paired with a tie that matched his irises. The man had long, dark hair, tied back in a slick ponytail, a brush expertly dipped in a bottle of ink. Remus couldn't help but admire this man who captured the attention of the entire room, his presence captivating the audience, radiating remarkable power and grandeur.

"As many of you know, this project has been in the works for some time now. Our exhibit, Foreshadow, is a perfect representation of things to come, of what you can expect to see from the gallery in the future. So, without further ado, enjoy the wine and the food and most importantly, the art!"

A round of applause broke out amongst the audience as the dapper man gave a dramatic little bow before turning away and greeting some of the gallery patrons. Remus couldn't help but stare as the man clasped James' shoulder, a bright smile flashing across his face. He shook the hand of a woman who wove her arm through James', presumably his wife.

All three of them radiated light and joy, a warm glow surrounding them as they talked and laughed, greeting one another with broad smiles and kisses on the cheek. Standing alone by the edge of the room, Remus couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. He longed for the types of interactions that these people had, the types of lives that they led. Living in the lap of luxury, these upper-class people had no worries, not a care in the world; they were able to follow their passions and have the security blanket of financial stability to catch them if their plans failed.

Remus finished his plate of appetizers and turned towards the door. Today had been long enough, he didn't need to make it harder on himself by dwelling on things that could never be.

"Remus!" A voice called out, right before he had reached the exit. He turned around to find James waving to him, a gregarious smile spread wide across his face. He beckoned Remus over and after a moment's hesitation, Remus decided to join the trio.

"Remus, this is my wife, Lily. She's the one who did that painting you were admiring." James gave a playful wink as Remus felt his chest tighten from embarrassment.

Lily was tall and slender, with auburn hair that cascaded down past her shoulders. Her pale skin was dusted with freckles, Pollock-esque and surprisingly alluring. She had emerald green eyes, shining with the same depth that a real gemstone would, sparkling facets each releasing a different shade of brilliant green. Ruby read lips were parted in a genuine smile as a flush of pink spread across her cheeks.

Lily groaned and rolled her eyes before offering her hand for Remus to shake.

"Please tell me he's not referring to the one near the entrance," she said, her smile never wavering.

Remus grasped her hand and shook it before responding.

"I had been looking at it earlier—" Remus began, unsure of where that sentence was headed.

"I can't believe Sirius put that one on display! It's wretched! It's so… derivative. It's been done a million times before. I think this idiot just liked the colours."

Remus smiled, grateful for Lily's honesty and humility. She was the type of artist that Remus could see himself working with.

"Speaking of this idiot," James said, turning to the person that Remus assumed was the illustrious gallerist. "Remus, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Remus. We met while discussing art."

Remus extended his hand to Sirius, keeping his smile polite and professional, despite the sense of awe and terror threatening to bubble out. Sirius shook his hand, a confident smirk playing at his lips.

"A pleasure," Sirius said in his posh accent, his stormy grey eyes endless pools that Remus found himself sinking into.

"The pleasure is all mine," Remus offered before tearing his gaze away.

"What is it that you do, Remus?" Sirius' question made Remus' heart skip a beat. This was his chance. The opportunity fell right into his lap, presenting itself on a silver platter.

"I'm an artist, actually." Remus' cheeks were beginning to ache from his forced smile, but he kept it up. "I've been looking for the right gallery to show in for some time now."

"Well then," Sirius responded, his eyebrow raised ever so slightly, the corner of his mouth turned up. "You'll have to stop by with your portfolio at some point. I'd be remiss if I didn't give James' friend an opportunity to show me his work." He put a particular emphasis on the word friend, as if he was entirely aware of the fact that Remus and James had only just met a few moments before.

"That would be amazing, thank you!" Remus had to strain to keep the excitement from his voice and remain calm in front of the gallery owner.

"Excellent. In that case, I'll see you around, Remus." Sirius turned, gave Lily a kiss on the cheek, patted James on the shoulder, and went about mingling with his other guests. Sirius' lips wrapped around Remus' name hung precariously in the air, filling Remus up with a sense of— something— he didn't quite know what.

"Thank you," Remus sighed, feeling eternally grateful to James and his kindness.

"It was all Lily's idea," he said, flashing his wife a look of admiration. "She's the mastermind in this family."

Remus turned to thank Lily, but she cut him off before he could even begin.

"You're welcome, Remus. It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again soon."

As the couple walked away, Remus couldn't help but stare at their backs in disbelief.

Did that really just happen? Had Remus actually just connected with one of the most influential names in the London art scene after a happenstance conversation with a stranger? As he walked back to his flat, the memories of the night replayed through his mind, over and over again, wondering how on earth he got so lucky.

#my writing #wolfstar #wolfstar fanfic #Wolfstar fanfiction #sirius black #remus lupin #remus/sirius #remus x sirius #au #Gallery Owner Sirius #Artist!Remus #Drabble #Just a little thing I wrote and then continued!#Hope you enjoy it!!#harry potter fandom #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction

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rana-tiddalik · 5 years ago

Text

Space Whales

(Thanks to @beka-tiddalik for the prompt for this, which was “space whales”.)

The ship was well beyond the Oort Cloud when they found the Space Whales.

Irina had been running the routine diagnostics on the systems when she had picked up some weird electromagnetic interference. She was routing it through the speakers on the bridge to try and puzzle out the source when she heard a strangled cry and the pounding of feet in the corridor. It was her passenger. Vincent Cartwright. The scientist that the ISA had chartered an entire barge to bring to one of their interstellar labs. Him alone. Well, him and whatever was in the black box in the cargo hold.

“That sound… is that live? Where is it coming from?” he said, eyes wild.

“Glitch in the external EM sensor arrays I think. Probably some feedback.” She frowned. “Never heard anything like it though. It’s eerie.”

He wasn’t listening, he had pushed past her to the console and started working the controls.

“OI!” Irina shouted, grabbing him and hurling him back.

“What are you doing?” he shouted, eyes wild as he caught hold of one of the chairs to keep from sprawling on the cold metal floor. “What are YOU doing Terran?” Irina snarled back. Her fury cut through his indignation and he shrank away from her. She jabbed a finger at him. “ISA might need your brain, but you even look at my helm controls again without my say-so, that’s the only part of you they’re going to get.”

Vincent raised his hands “OK.” He said, face pale. “You’re right. I apologise. I should not have touched your ship. But please.” He said, looking pleadingly at the controls. “That isn’t feedback it’s actually something of huge significance, so could you please do a full long range sensor sweep before we lose them forever?”

“Lose what?” said Irina, eyes narrowing.

“Fuck me.” She said, ten minutes later, staring at the screen, jaw slack. The colossal beings danced through the void, their fins fully unfurled, billowing in the streaming solar wind from the distant sun. Their rippling song crackling through the speakers as they called to and clicked at each other in the far reaches of the x-ray spectrum. “I knew it!” said Vincent, laughing uncontrollably. He clapped Irina on the shoulder “Congratulations Captain Miller! We’ve just made second contact.”

“Huh. How about that.” Said Irina, shaking her head, eyes transfixed. “How did you know?” she asked. “Hmm?” said Vincent. “The Whales. No one’s seen them for hundred of years though. Nothing confirmed at least. But you recognised their song in an instant. How did you know it was them?” “I’d recognise it anywhere.” He said, dreamily as he drank in the sight. “I must have watched the old tapes every day as a kid. I always dreamed of finding them again, and hunting for any other life that might exist out here.” He looked at her, eyes gleaming. “Come on captain! Fire up your drones. We’ve got work to do.”

At first there was another argument between Vincent and Irina over whether they should divert from the route to trail them. Vincent’s zeal for this once in centuries scientific opportunity vied with Irina’s concern over fuel and food supplies. This was resolved once they realised that the whales were following them, trailing along in their wake.

“What are they doing?” said Irina, eyeing the readouts suspiciously. “Feeding.” Said Vincent. As they watched, the front end of their main body split open, and a translucent billowing sheet spilled out. It shimmered with a ghostly fire. Vincent smiled. “Do you see that? They’re feeding off the ion stream from our engines.” “It’s beautiful.” Irina whispered, looking at the auroral glimmer. “Optical baleen.” Said Vincent, sighing. “It’s unbelievable stuff. My great many times over aunt did some of the original studies of it back in the 22nd century. She famously said it’s the most complex structure in the known universe.” “That’s a hell of a claim.” Scoffed Irina. “Isn’t that meant to be the brain?” “Oh my word no.” Said Vincent. He squinted at the monitor “That sheet is about, what, the size of a football field? Maybe a field and a half? If you unpacked its effective surface area and laid it flat, you’d be able to wrap the whole Earth like a present and have enough left for the moon. It’s a got such a dense, space filling fractal structure that it can hoover up stray hydrogen atoms from the void. Even photons have a hard time getting through it.” “Gotcha. Very complex.” She scratched her nose. “So. You reckon it’s safe to fire up the pod and see them up close?” Their matching grins indicated that neither actually cared about the answer to that.

Irina changed her tune once they’d gotten closer.

“You’re sure this is safe?” said Irina, peering through the cockpit window. “Yes. Perfectly safe.” Said Vincent. “You sure? What about…?” she gestured. “The tethers?” “Yeah. Those things look pretty grabby.” “We’ll be fine.” He paused “Probably.” He said sheepishly. “If they try to grab us, I’m dumping you out the airlock first.” Said Irina, glaring suspiciously at them. “What a way to go though.” She said. They had been invisible from the ship, nearly a hundred kilometres away, but this close they could see that the skin of the creatures bristled with a forest of prehensile hairs. Vincent pointed out that longer, thicker strands formed the ribbing of the great billowing fins, and the optic baleen, allowing them to move the great sheets, waving them about to give the appearance of drifting in some kind of aetherial breeze.

Irina watched as two Whales drifted close together, and the filaments stretched out to each other, to briefly entangle, or scrape across the other’s carapace. “We think that’s how they communicate.” Vincent whispered. “That and those x-ray clicks we picked up.” The scale of them was also something that had been lost on the monitor. Irina’s cargo freighter was about the same size as its terrestrial sea-going equivalent. It could have fit at least twice over inside any of the Whales. The pod they were currently in could seat 8, and would have barely been a speck of dirt in their eyes. Irina squinted at them. “Where are their eyes?” “They don’t have them.” Said Vincent. “Not a specific organ at least. Actually, since their entire skin is photosensitive, so I guess technically you could say that their entire body is one giant eye.” Irina’s eyes narrowed. “There. On that one.” She pointed at one of them. Its carapace was marked with a striking discoloured band looped arounf its body “Are those… scars?” She asked. “I don’t know.” Said Vincent, zooming the external lens to snap a series of pictures of the markings. The magnification revealed that the band was caused by long deep scratches in the skin. “There are records of similar patterns on members of the first pod.” He mused. They both considered what could have left these deep wounds in the Whale. Irina shuddered.

She activated the launch sequence. The drones flew off, carrying the long range beacons. “You sure those beacons will attach OK, Doc?” Vincent nodded “Standard ship plating should be identical to their carapace in all the ways important for the beacon. So yes, short answer.” “Huh. That’s convenient.” Said Irina. “Well, not really. Ship plating was designed from studying their carapace. Just like the molecular bonders on the base of the drone were modelled after their tethers.” Irina blinked. “Wait, really?” Vincent laughed. “They don’t teach how we came to have this tech in flight school.” Irina shrugged “I guess they were more interested in teaching us how to fly these barges, rather than their history.” “Fair point.” Said Vincent. “But still, considering just how important those things have been to our development, I’m surprised it isn’t better known. At the time of our first encounter with them back in 2104, we had a few space stations and a struggling ‘colony’ on the moon. By the time they left our solar system again 60 odd years later, we’d arrived on the moons of Saturn. The first person walked on Pluto before the 23rd century. It was all because of what we learned from them. Even after all this time, it’s incredible just how much of our tech is still based on our only other encounter with them.” “And how much is that?” asked Irina, leaning back in her chair, monitoring the pings from the drones. “Uh…” said Vincent, scratching his head “Approximately all of it?” Irina glanced around the pod “No shit?” she said. “No shit.” Said Vincent. “The hull plating is designed around their carapace. Our sensors are based on their skin, sensitive to the faintest electromagnetic emissions. Our suit material is derived from their fins, tough and flexible. The reactors and engines exploit the same metabolic reactions that let them turn occasional hydrogen atoms and space dust into enough energy to maintain something that size” he gestured out the window. “Hell, this pod is so like them, they’re probably not bothered by us being this close because they think we’re a tiny, mute calf.” “Wow.” Said Irina, letting out a long breath, watching the tethers of the nearby Whale extend toward them, but they were just out of reach. “Just as long as they don’t try and suckle us.”

They arrived back in the docking bay to the applause of the rest of the crew. As Irina chatted to her quartermaster, Vincent checked over his precious package. A car sized crate, hermetically sealed and heavily shielded. Irina nudged it with her boot. “Please don’t.” Said Vincent. “Why? Is it dangerous?” said Irina. “I told your bosses I didn’t want to ship anything dangerous.” “No. The shielding is blocking all the radiation that could harm us. Our friends out there must be getting quite a show though. To them this ship must be lit up like a lighthouse.” He frowned. “Which might explain why they’ve suddenly showed up after a couple of centuries. Interesting…” Irina frowned. “They’re not going to try and get at it are they? We aren’t carrying their favourite snack or anything, right?” “Oh no. We’re perfectly safe. I think.” Irina sighed and shook her head. “When you’re done, meet me on the bridge. I want to go over the offloading procedures when we get to the station. Want to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

As they talked on the bridge, the clicks of the Whales played through the speakers. They had gotten used to the sound over the last day or two, and found it strangely soothing. All of a sudden, it changed. The pitch shifted higher, and louder, a urgent, trilling call. As they watched, one by one they retracted their baleen, pulled in their fins, and scattered away from the ship, fading away into darkness. Silence fell on the bridge. “That’s odd.” Said Vincent. He squinted at the monitor. The stars flickered and grew dim. “Sensor fault?” he asked. Irina shrugged and sat in the chair to call for someone to check it out. Then ship lurched and pitched wildly, as the superstructure groaned under sudden pressure. Vincent fell to the ground. Irina was strapping in, shouting curt questions and instructions into the comms, and screaming at Vincent to attach his safety line. There was another groan and a number of alarms went off all at once. The ship listed violently from side to side, and Vincent was tossed around the bridge. He registered Irina swearing loudly, and punching buttons, followed by the unmistakable whine of the engines powering up, and the ship vibrated, but no response. Irina screamed and pushed more buttons, but to no avail. Then there was a final crash, and then came the kick of sudden acceleration. Vincent was thrown against the rear wall, cracking the back of his head, and slipping into unconsciousness.

He awoke two days later in the med bay of the ISA station. As soon as he was cleared to leave, he tracked down Irina, to find out what had happened. He found her in the docking bay, staring at her ship. Vincent gaped in disbelief. It looked like something had latched around the rear third of the ship. The plating on the ship was dented and cracked, and marked all around by a series of long thin gashes torn in a familiar pattern all around the hull.

Vincent, Irina and her whole crew were sworn to secrecy over the whole matter, and heavily compensated for their troubles. And silence. The ISA ‘acquired’ the ship for further study. Vincent was provided with the data, in the thoughts that he could help. He couldn’t. Like everyone else he had no idea what had occurred. He spent the rest of his time on the station confined in his quarters, watching the footage over and over again, with the ship’s sensor data synchronised and scrolling on another screen. No matter how long he looked, nothing made sense. All that could be seen was that suddenly something descended on the ship. Something that blotted out the stars and was invisible on every spectrum of radiation the sensors could detect. A roiling cloud in space. When it enveloped the rear of the ship, every sensor immediately died. The thing latched on so hard it resisted the pull of the subluminal engines. The strain had nearly torn the ship in half. Then, out of the darkness, came one of the Whales. The sensor’s picked up its last cries as it tore toward the thing attacking the ship. It shrieked as it came, fins fully unfurled, and strange fluorescent patterns flickering along its tendrils. It rammed into the thing covering the ship, lost in its murky depths in an instant. Then bright flashes of light, and intense gamma bursts pierced through the cloud, illuminating it from with in, and projecting strange shadows that ISA would puzzle over for years to come. The grip on the ship loosened, and Irina had taken the opportunity to go to full burn, and they were free. They ran hot for hours, until the Whales, and whatever new form of life they had discovered were far behind them. Vincent didn’t know why the Whale had done that for them. Perhaps they really did see human ships as small, mute calves. Perhaps it was pure instinct to either drive it away or sacrifice itself to protect the other members of the pod. Maybe he had it wrong, and it was the whales that were hunting the other life form, using their ship as bait. He would never know, but he hoped the Whale had somehow survived.

Vincent, Irina and the crew caught the very first transport back to the solar system. With the compensation money, Irina bought herself a new ship, and secured a loan to buy a second. Enough to start her own freight company. Within a few years her ships zig-zagged all around the solar system. Her company struggled after the new generation drives came on the market (although their release had been delayed when one of the ISA’s deep space research labs vanished without a trace. Most thought an experiment had gone super-critical. Only Vincent and Irina suspected otherwise). She stubbornly stuck to the old reliable drives, and flatly refused to fly in any ship that used them. Eventually, she sold off the company and retired to Mars. Vincent had been offered an tenured position at the station. It was everything he had ever dreamed of: to lead the tracking of the Whales he had marked, and continue study of the experimental drive. He had declined. He would only leave Earth twice again in his life, and never ventured into interstellar space again.

#writing #sci-fi #fiction #space whales

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naruwitch · 4 years ago

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Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 30: Castle Held Hostage

"Are you sure you want to get to the Chinese Federation this way? I could have easily just dropped you off in the country itself you know?"

"Perhaps. But traveling in disguise like this will make it more difficult for Britannia to locate me. Especially Charles and V.V. Best not to tip them off." C.C. answered the Green Paladin as he escorted her into the airport terminal. He was dressed in his casual blue shirt, grey jacket, and black jeans while the immortal was currently wearing a dark blue business suit with a dress, black heeled shoes, and glasses with a black wig.

After Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords were officially integrated into the Black Knights and Voltron Coalition, as they had shortly afterward begun to call themselves, the group had become much more organized and was slowly trying to integrate into a more cell-based structure. All that they had to do now was finalize details with Kyoto.

When Rai had left to take C.C. to the airport, Suzaku and a couple of the other Paladins had been preparing to take Tohdoh, Ohgi, Sayoko, and the rest of the Black Knights to Earth to discuss with Kyoto the means of locating and integrating the remainder of the JLF into the coalition before the Britannian forces found them, along with any other resistance groups that were still putting up a fight.

When questioning Tohdoh about General Katase's whereabouts, the Colonel informed the Paladins that he and the Four Holy Swords had been meeting at a rendezvous point when they had been ambushed by the Britannians, leading to Tohdoh's capture. The Six Houses were likely the only people that had the means to find and contact the General now.

Coran would also be accompanying Rakshata and Kaguya to the planet so that the Altean could better familiarize himself with the technology Earth could offer them. Hopefully, once he had a better grasp on it, he, Rakshata, and whoever else Kyoto could convince to help could finally create a successful, working space Knightmare.

"I suppose that makes sense…" Rai sighed, "How did Lelouch put it? 'If you look humble they'll look down on you' or something?"

"Whether that statement is correct or not, I do possess some humility," C.C. quipped back.

Rai chuckled, "Well, I guess you'll put it to good use then. Passport okay?"

"It's almost a perfect forgery," C.C. said, a layer of awe in her tone, "Almost too perfect."

"Well, that's what happens when alien technology comes into play," Rai countered.

C.C. sighed softly, "Other than that, I'm all set."

"Great," Rai nodded, "if you get into trouble contact us immediately, okay? We'll be there in a flash."

"Tell Lelouch not to draw too much attention to himself while I'm gone, will you?"

"I'll relay the message," the Green Paladin casually confirmed as he walked purposefully out of the airport, his eyes darting everywhere to make sure that no one recognized him. He was still technically considered 'missing' after all.

He found Zerith exactly where he left her, her cloaking system still active as she sat calmly just outside of the Britannian airspace. Thanks to Lelouch's experiment when they met with Kyoto for the first time, the group knew that the Britannians wouldn't be able to track the Lions from any place or area, so it was easy to park them in any secluded location.

"Well, that's done," Rai smiled as he settled down into Zerith's cockpit, his Lion's warm presence greeting him. He also sensed curiosity about what exactly was going on. Rai figured if the Lions had ages, Zerith would likely be the youngest of the pride. She certainly possessed the curiosity of a young adolescent.

"Don't worry girl, everything's going according to plan," he reassured as she purred lowly and took off into the air. The sudden shift in the wind was the only evidence left behind that she had been there at all.

o~o

"Suzaku."

The Purple Paladin jumped from his seat in Yoru's cockpit at the sound of Tohdohs voice. He was in the process of transporting his sensei, along with the Four Holy Swords and his cousin, Kaguya, back to Earth to meet with Kyoto. Hopefully, by the time the meeting finished, they'd be able to locate the rest of the JLF and either transport them to the Castle or create some kind of alliance at the very least.

"Oh, Sensei," the Purple Paladin greeted as Yoru just began to descend into Earth's atmosphere, "is something wrong?"

"I'll get straight to the point, Suzaku…" Tohdoh said with a serious tone, "...Do Lelouch and the other Paladins know about your father?"

Suzaku stiffened, nearly forgetting how to breathe. The last time he had even thought about his father, what he had done was…

"...No. Not yet," Suzaku answered softly.

Tohdoh breathed out slowly through his nose. He wasn't angry, or disappointed in Suzaku in any way. After all, what child would want to admit they were the reason their parent was dead? Besides himself, Tohdoh knew that the leaders of the Six Houses were the only people that knew the truth of the Prime Minister's death.

However, keeping such a secret as this would eventually take its toll on even the strongest of warriors.

"...They'll discover the truth eventually, Suzaku," Tohdoh said after almost a minute of silence, "you do realize that, correct?"

A look of pure helplessness crossed Suzaku's face as he looked by at the Colonel, "Sensei, don't tell. Please. I'm begging you…"

"I won't," Tohdoh promised, "but you should tell them… sooner rather than later. The truth always has a way of coming out in one way or another."

Suzaku swallowed back bile as he directed Yoru to land in a deserted area of the ghettos. He knew his sensei was right… but how on Earth could he tell them?

o~o

"Allura, big brother told me that you and the mice can really talk to each other!" Nunnally said in awe as she glided onto the bridge in Allura's old hover chair, "Is that true?"

Allura chuckled fondly and the mice squeaked in greeting from her shoulders, "Yes, we can talk to each other. When I was frozen in a cryopod, the mice fell asleep inside with me. During that time, somehow our minds connected, so now we can communicate psychically."

Nunnally gasped in wonder. She wished she could talk to animals! Though waiting years frozen in space to do so seemed like a more extreme method.

Lelouch also chuckled as he briskly walked onto the bridge moments later. He was happy to see his sister so cheerful and even more grateful that her ailments had been completely cured. He'd forever be thankful to the Alteans for helping him and Nunnally.

The very first thing that he and the rest of the Paladins had done was give Nunnally a tour of the Castle, which included each of the bays where the Lions rested. She had been confused at first when they told her how the Lions were alive in a way, it resulted in Nunnally giving an uncertain 'meow' to Zenobia (the first Lion she saw). This was so adorable that it left Rivalz, Suzaku, Rai, and Milly in stitches, though Kallen, Shirley, and Lelouch chuckled as well.

Despite Coran's correct diagnosis of Nunnally's legs being mobile again and her eyesight restored, Nunnally was far for a hundred percent yet. Just as the older Altean had predicted, the years of inactivity had deteriorated Nunnally's leg muscles, and although the pods had successfully reattached the nerves and aligned the sinews correctly, the young princess would have to go through some weeks of physical therapy in order to walk properly again.

Fate seemed to be smiling on the vi Britannia siblings, though, as they found out the same evening that Nunnally woke up that one of the Black Knights, Kento Sugiyama, actually had some experience in this field. The blue-haired rebel had explained that he had been studying to become a physical therapist before the Britannian occupation and had been about to begin residency when the war had started. Once he retrieved his old college books from his apartment, he offered to assist in Nunnally's recovery.

"The Space Mice have proven to be valuable members in their own right," Lelouch agreed, "I believe if it weren't for them, this Castle and Voltron would probably be in Galran hands by now."

The four mice straightened proudly on their hindlegs, puffing their chests out proudly like superheroes at the complement.

Nunnally giggled at how adorable the gesture was. She sobered only a moment later though.

"Big brother… you promised to tell me where you've been… and…" Nunnally hesitated, "and I understand why you're Zero, but what about Voltron? How did you find the Lions and why are they here?"

Lelouch gasped softly and grimaced. Personally, he had wanted to save this conversation for when the rest of the Paladins got back so that he could have some additional support.

Despite it being inevitable, Lelouch still wished that he could have found a way to shield Nunnally from this war that had grown in larger proportions than ever before, but that simply wasn't possible. Zarkon and his armies could arrive any day (honestly, Lelouch was shocked that he hadn't arrived already) and when that day came, he wouldn't be able to spare the horrors of it from Nunnally. His sister may be young, but she wasn't stupid either. If he didn't tell, she'd find out some other way.

After sharing a look with Allura, the princess also looking reluctant, Lelouch sighed before settling down on the middle platform steps, becoming eye-level with his sister.

"Nunnally," Allura began, "I'm sure you're aware by now, but Coran and I aren't from Earth. Our home was a planet called Altea. My father and mother were king and queen of this planet, and 10,000 years ago, my father was also the one who built the Voltron Lions."

"10,000 years ago?" Nunnally wondering if she had misheard the alien princess.

"Yes," Allura nodded, a pained expression on her face, "my planet unfortunately doesn't exist anymore. It was destroyed by the Galra, and their leader, Zarkon, shortly after I was put to sleep for such a long period."

Nunnally gasped when she heard what happened to Allura's home. She couldn't imagine something so horrific happening to anyone. If Earth was destroyed, and she woke up one day to discover that she was the only survivor...

She banished the thought before she could pursue it further.

"Ever since Altea's destruction, and while Allura and Coran slept inside this ship," Lelouch continued as Allura pulled up the star map, "the Galra didn't simply stop there. They continued to spread and conquer and any planet or world that they could lay their eyes on," feeling a sense of deja vu, but this time from the opposite perspective, the room soon turned from a comforting blue to a harsh red as all the planets that the Galra had taken, except a couple of tiny spots scattered here and there.

The view then shifted a slightly brighter part of the star map, still blue instead of red, "Earth is here, Nunnally," he pointed at their solar system glowing above them. He winced as he noticed that the red had bled further in their planet's direction compared to the last time they looked when the Black Knights first came on board, "at the rate that they are expanding, I wouldn't be surprised if their ships came raining from the sky just a few years from now. And right now, Voltron is the only known force in the universe that has a chance to stop Zarkon and armies."

"The only one?" Nunnally asked, "What about Britannia?" a small quiver of hope in her voice.

Lelouch scowled and shook her head, "As Britannia stands now, it, much less the rest of Earth, doesn't stand a chance. That's why we're here now though. It's not just to prepare Earth for the Galra's arrival, but it's also to ensure that Britannia doesn't fall back into its old way of conquest once the Galra are repelled. Voltron will need to leave Earth at some point in order to win this war. Before we do though, we need to make sure that Earth has a better chance of a brighter future, not one under Britannian subjugation."

Nunnally looked thoughtful for a moment but then nodded her head, "I understand. But Lelouch, why don't you just tell Britannia about the Galra. If father knew the truth, I'm sure he'd be willing to help. Earth is his home too. I was even able to convince him to let me speak to you when you first came back with Voltron."

Lelouch grimaced, "Nunnally, and I'm not saying this to make you upset, but I'm sure the only reason that the Emperor agreed to that arrangement was because he suspected that I was Zero from the beginning. You were simply the bait."

"I must agree, Nunnally," Allura said solemnly, "I find it hard to believe that a man who would not only dismiss his wife's murder like it was nothing, and then exile his own children when they had the right to demand justice, could even consider himself a parent."

Lelouch felt his own heart clench when he saw Nunnally's sad expression, but he needed to make sure she understood, no matter how painful it was.

"Honestly, Nunnally, I don't see any difference between our father and Zarkon himself. Even if, by some miracle, we convince him to help us, what's to stop him from backstabbing us to get his hands on Voltron himself?"

At this accusation, Nunnally looked like she was about to protest, but Lelouch continued.

"Nunnally, I want you to think long and hard about this. Do you really think our biological father, Charles zi Britannia, the leader of a ruthless, borderline evil empire that refuses to take any responsibility for any mistakes is going to listen or change his mind, even in the face of an even worse threat?"

Nunnally doesn't answer right away, but does pause to think about her answer. To her own dismay though, no logical argument comes to mind. Looking down sadly, Nunnally knew, deep down, that Lelouch was right. If their father wouldn't help them…

"...What about big brother Schneizel then? Or Euphie? Can't we at least tell them that I'm okay, that I'm not in danger?"

Lelouch frowned a moment, conflicted on how to answer this inquiry, "...I'm honestly unsure whether or not to trust our brother Nunnally," he finally admitted, "When I confronted Clovis when he was clearing out Shinjuku, I learned that Schneizel and Cornelia may know something about our mother's murder. Possibly even having a hand in it."

"What?!" Nunnally gasped, eyes wide. She couldn't fathom why the two of them would be involved in something like that. While she wasn't as sure about Schneizel, from what she remembered at Ares Villa, Cornelia adored their mother, practically worshipped her. Why would she want to kill her?

"However, while I also don't doubt that Euphemia would be willing to assist us," Lelouch added, "we need to be careful about how we proceed from here. If we take a single misstep, a civil war could easily break out as well. That would only hurt Earth's chances of preparing for the Galra in time."

Nunnally frowned sadly, her head bowed. Logically, her brother's reasoning made sense. Though she truly believed that there were other reasons why their family couldn't reach them during the war, she wouldn't deny that the Royal Family was far from perfect. All of the lying and fighting had truly pushed their family apart. It was moments like this where she wished more than anything that the world was a gentler place. Maybe it still could be someday. But it wouldn't be today.

The tense conversation was interrupted by the bay doors opening again. Looking up, the trio was greeted by the other Paladins who had just returned from their errands on Earth.

"Mission accomplished, Lulu," Milly reported with a grin, "Everyone has been dropped off at their rendezvous points. They'll contact us when they're ready to be picked up."

"Good. Thank you," Lelouch nodded.

"Nice to see you back on your feet Nunnally," Rivalz joked with a laugh.

"Rivalz!" Kallen snapped, "Would it kill you to be at least a little more sensitive?" Kallen wasn't the only one sharing an offended look with the Blue Paladin, and Milly and Rai looked at him in shock as well.

Despite the bad joke, and Rivalz flushed in embarrassment after he realized his mistake, Nunnally giggled nonetheless.

"I'm glad that you're all okay," she said with a smile, "I was so worried about all of you. When I heard the news…"

"Sorry we scared you, Nunnally," Suzaku said, walking up and placing a hand on her shoulder, "but everything's gonna be okay now. Okay?"

Nunnally beamed up at her childhood friend, grateful that she now had a chance to see his face and nodded.

A loud 'meow' suddenly interrupted everyone. Swinging their heads towards the source, only then did the group register that Shirley had an extra guest with her.

"Arthur?" Rai asked in realization.

Shirley blushed and scratched the cat behind his ear, "I kind of made a pit-stop at the Academy - don't worry, no one saw me - to at least check up on him. And… it didn't look like anyone had been taking care of him for a while. I mean, he was clearly getting fed, but that was about it."

"Shirley…" Kallen said slowly, "You brought a cat… where there's also… mice?!"

As if the words were magic, Arthur's head shot up and looked straight at the four space mice still perched on Allura's shoulders. With a yowl, the cat leaped out of Shirley's arms and made a beeline for the rodents.

With squeaks of horror, the mice launched into evasive actions, scattering throughout the bridge.

"No! Arthur! Bad cat!"

"Someone catch him!"

"No, save the mice first!"

The next five doboshes consisted of trying to gather the mice and keep them away from a surprisingly determined Arthur. Shirley may have said that he was being fed, but apparently not enough for Arthur to leave mice alone. Or maybe it was simply his inner animal instincts kicking in.

The debacle eventually ended with the mice finding refuge in Nunnally's arms and Suzaku diving after the cat behind one of the chairs.

Suzaku yelped in pain and then groaned.

"Are you all right, Suzaku?!" Allura gasped, frazzled from the chaos just moments ago.

"Yeah…don't worry, it's a familiar feeling," the Purple Paladin moaned, sitting up and raising his right hand. Low and behold Arthur was in a familiar position of having latched onto said hand, his claws also having sunk deep into the palm as well.

"Oh!" Allura gasped, eyes widening in shock.

"Oh my!" Nunnally also exclaimed as the mice peeked out from her hair. All four of them were glaring angrily at the cat, hissing fiercely.

"I'm so sorry guys," Shirley said miserably, "I didn't even think about the mice. But when I thought about Arthur, I-I… I just…"

"It's okay, Shirley," Lelouch reassured her, and smiling fondly as he helped Suzaku unlatch Arthur from his hand, "it seems we simply have another 'pet' to look after."

The atmosphere suddenly turned serious at the use of Lelouch's wording. Everyone knew what he meant by 'pet' after all.

"I do believe it's time that we talked to you sister," Allura said, with a frown, "she's been conscious for the past several varga."

"Anything to note?" Lelouch asked.

"No," Allura said, pulling up a screen, "she's tried to break the energy barrier a couple of times, but it's held firm." There, they spotted the Viceroy pacing in a small, round cell located in the lower parts of the Castle. All of the sides were made with glass, reinforced with a thin layer of quintessence, so no matter how many times Cornelia tried to break it, it wouldn't budge. The cell itself was connected to a long, narrow bridge in front of the elevator. Only one way in and one way out.

The cell itself wasn't very large. Only a small narrow bench similar to the ones in the lounges was inside. No other pieces of furniture decorated the room.

"Can I come with you Lelouch?" Nunnally asked. When she heard that Cornelia was here, she hoped that she could at least assure her sister that she was alive and better even.

Lelouch grimaced, "Not right now Nunnally," he pressed on before his sister could protest, "If it's true that Cornelia was involved with mother's death, I don't want her anywhere near you. You understand, right?"

"...All right," Nunnally eventually nodded sadly.

o~o

Cornelia li Britannia scowled as she sat down for the hundredth time on the small bench in her cell. If Zero truly thought that capturing her would be enough to spill her guts, he would be sorely mistaken. And once she figured out how to get out of here, she would kill him with her own two hands, and bring his head back on a platter!

A light humming caught the princess's attention and she noticed the bright light of the elevator descending.

So it seemed Zero was finally greeting his 'guest' huh?

Cornelia's suspicions were confirmed as the masked man himself exited the elevator, and more people in darkened helmets, who Cornelia assumed were the other Paladins, trailed closely behind him, along with a tall slender woman she didn't recognize.

"Zero," Cornelia said with a scoff, "If you think I'm going to accept this-"

"I don't believe you have much of a choice right now Viceroy," Zero interrupted, "I'm sure you've realized by now that this isn't an ordinary cell. Brute force isn't going to so much as scratch that container, and we're the only ones with code to open this door."

Cornelia tisked and looked away with a scowl. She assumed they'd likely been watching her attempt to break out already. The only saving grace she could think of is that they weren't there personally to watch her make a fool of herself.

"So… what do you plan to do with me now?" she sneered, "Torture me for information? I'll save you the energy. No matter what's done to me, my loyalty won't shake. And if you think you get me to beg for mercy, you'll be disappointed as well."

"No, you're not the begging type, are you?" Zero asked, "Unlike Clovis."

"It actually makes me a laugh a little," the figure in the green armor snarked, "Zero said Clovis begged for his life, while at the same time, he had ordered the deaths of millions of innocents in Shinjuku ghetto. Which, might we add, you tried to do the same thing in Saitama just to lure Zero out."

"How does the old saying go again? 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree' or something?" the red figure added.

"...You know, I actually used to admire the royal family for the longest time," the shortest one, in blue armor, spoke up, "but after seeing everything you've really done, all I can think is how stupid I actually was."

Cornelia blinked at that statement. Why on Earth would a terrorist admire the royal family?

"What? Surprised?" the yellow armored woman asked, "Well, it was true… at least, for a while."

At the Yellow Paladin's final statement, all of them, save Zero himself, grasped their helmets and lifted them off.

Like most of the other people who had seen their faces, Cornelia couldn't stop the small gasp as she recognized the six missing students from Ashford Academy. Most of them were looking at her with scornful expressions, save for the orange-haired girl (Charlotte or something?) who looked more nervous than angry, and-

"Suzaku Kururugi," Cornelia addressed with contempt. Unlike his fellow Paladins, the warrant officer looked more disappointed than derisive. She scoffed, "Why am I not surprised? No fighting one's blood I guess."

If the Paladins weren't angry before, they were now.

"Hey, Suzaku's our friend. You can't talk to him like that!" Rivalz shouted, balling his fists.

"Is it really all about blood and race to you?!" Kallen exclaimed, "The Japanese, or I suppose Elevens to you, are people too you know!"

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Rai growled.

"Enough," Zero said calmly, "we're not here to lynch the Viceroy."

"So what exactly did you do, Zero, to make them so loyal? Bribe them? Brainwash them? Blackmail perhaps?" Cornelia accused.

"Excuse me?!" Milly exclaimed, angrily.

"Blackmail? Brainwashing? There was never a need for such inhumane actions," Zero said, promptly silencing Milly, "I just told them the truth about their beloved Britannia. A country whose government is full of nothing but hypocrites and criminals. You do realize that it doesn't take much to turn someone against their own country, if you give the right reason to do so."

"So you made them traitors instead?" Cornelia spat, "Once the Emperor gets wind of this, they'll be charged for their treachery. And besides, what sort of crimes are you claiming Britannia has committed?"

"I'm talking about the crimes that I saw unfold right in front of my eyes eight years ago. At Aries Villa," Cornelia's eyes widened at this statement. Zero must have noticed as he continued, a hand raising to his own mask, "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, don't you… dear sister?"

Cornelia's nearly stopped breathing as any form of anger on her face morphed into surprise and shock as Zero finally lowered his mask

"L...Lelouch!"

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Cornelia?" Lelouch glared distastefully at his elder half-sister.

Cornelia couldn't believe it. Zero, the masked terrorist that she had been hunting ever since she came to Area 11 was actually her younger brother. But why? Why on Earth would he turn against his own country-

"You mean the same country that killed my mother?" Lelouch yelled. It was then Cornelia registered that she had spoken that thought aloud, "The same country who exiled me and Nunnally when we did nothing wrong?! Or when they almost killed us when they invaded Japan?! And that's not even counting all the other innocent people you and our so-called family have murdered!"

"'Poison gas.' That's what we were told on the news," Rivalz said, "That terrorists were using it on civilians in the ghettos. But that was just an excuse to wipe those people out, wasn't it?!"

"Don't you realize that whole families were killed because of what you've done?!" Shirley cried, "Children! Babies! They didn't do anything but happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not that they had much control over that either!"

"You kill people you see below you for the most simple of crimes. Last I checked, a full-blooded Britannian wouldn't be sentenced to death because they stole a couple loaves of bread! But an Eleven certainly would, wouldn't they?!" Kallen roared, the memory of her brother's execution flashing through her mind.

"And like I mentioned earlier," Rai growled, "you were doing the same thing as Clovis in Saitama, killing every Japanese person you could see just to get to Zero. You're as much of a murderer as he is!"

"I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't act to stop all of the discrimination happening at the Academy alone sooner," Milly muttered, "But why should the fact that someone is of a different race make it appropriate to bully and belittle them?"

Cornelia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Britannians, students for that matter, speaking so lowly of their own nation.

"I find it difficult to believe that students of the Empire would speak to me as if-"

"As if you were one of the leaders of one of the most bloodthirsty empires we've ever seen," Allura interrupted her with a scowl of her own.

"'Bloodthirsty'?" Cornelia exclaimed in offense, "Britannia is trying to save the world!"

"Saving?!" Kallen bellowed, "You call invading other countries, committing daily massacres, you call all that saving the world?!"

"Thanks, Viceroy," Rai said sarcastically, "that makes us feel so much better."

"You know," Suzaku said, speaking for the first time since coming down, "The only reason I joined the Britannian military at the time was because I thought I could change Britannia from the inside. But, thinking about it now, that was just a foolish pipe dream. If Britannia believes that slaughter is the only way to change the world, then maybe it can't change."

"Why are you so surprised?" Cornelia argued, "People die every day! It's not just Britannia's doing. As a soldier I would have thought you'd understand that. If that's what it takes, so be it!"

Allura pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, "Sounds like you are your father's daughter."

These words angered Cornelia as she shot to her feet, "And who are you to judge me?!"

Allura didn't flinch, "As someone who's seen your kind before. Someone who destroys innocent lives to pursue their own petty dreams of power and refuses to take responsibility for the lives they ruin in their wake. Voltron stands to protect those who can't protect themselves, to protect the weak from ruthless monsters like Britannia, and Voltron will tear it to the ground."

Cornelia's face contorted in rage, and was about to start screaming at Allura when Lelouch interrupted her, "For the record, a small part of me had hoped that you would be able to work with us, considering how close we were as children. But… it seems that that person has never existed. All I see is a warmonger who will even use her own family for political gain… like Nunnally."

At the mention of his sister, Cornelia's widened in surprise before narrowing again with a glare, "This coming from the boy who kidnapped his own sister?"

"We didn't kidnap her!" it was Shirley who shouted this time, "We rescued her!"

"Yeah!" Rivalz agreed, "And she's much better now too! She can walk again now! And see!"

Milly elbowed Rivalz firmly before he could reveal anything else.

"Nunnally is perfectly fine," Lelouch said with finality, "she's far away from our monster of a father and away from you! If you, by some miracle, manage to get out of this cell, me and the rest of the Paladins will personally hunt you down, and drag you back before you so much as lay a finger on her!"

"What?!" Cornelia exclaimed, even more shocked now, "Why on Earth would you think I'd want to hurt her?!"

"I've already lost one member of my family to the likes of you! I'll be damned if you take another one away from me!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" Cornelia practically demanded.

"My mother, Cornelia!" Lelouch shouted in rage, "Clovis told me that you knew something. About her death! How you might even be involved in it! You and Schneizel!"

This accusation seemed to strike Cornelia speechless. For several moments, she opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Finally she grit her teeth and shouted, "Lelouch, I didn't kill your mother! I held Lady Marianne in the highest regard! I'm beyond offended that you would even think I'd hurt her or Nunnally!"

"Either way," Lelouch glowered, raising a hand to his face, "the truth won't be hidden from me any longer! So…" upon lowering the same hand, his Geass glowed brightly in his eye, "You will answer anything I ask!"

His Geass sigil flew into Cornelia's eyes, and just like with his brother, Cornelia's eyes lit up with a red ring.

"Yes, go on," the Viceroy said almost robotically.

"Cornelia, are you the one who killed my mother?" was the first thing Lelouch asked.

"No," Cornelia responded.

"Then who was it?" Lelouch pressed.

"I don't know," she answered immediately.

Lelouch gasped and stepped back in surprise. Most of the rest of the Paladins shared similar looks.

"But you were put in charge of her personal guard, were you not?" Lelouch asked with a frown.

"Yes," Cornelia confirmed.

"Then why did you withdraw her escort?"

"I was asked to," Cornelia said.

"What?!" Lelouch gasped, before narrowing his eyes, "By whom?!"

The answer that came next shocked everyone in the room.

"Lady Marianne."

Gasps and murmurs whispered within the group. How was that possible? Why would the Empress ask for her own escort to withdraw?

That could only mean…

"That's impossible…" Lelouch muttered, "Did she-my mother knew she'd be attacked that day?! No… that can't be… if she did… she would have gotten us out of there!"

Inhaling sharply, Lelouch angrily demanded, "What really happened back then?! Who killed her?! Who killed my mother, dammit?!"

"Lelouch! Calm yourself!" Allura exclaimed, grasping his arm.

Breathing heavily, he looked at the Altean Princess, frustrated tears gathering in his eyes. Looking back at Cornelia, the Viceroy opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped. It seemed she couldn't answer. Which meant…

"You don't know the truth? Then who does?! Someone must know! Why did Clovis mention that you knew something?!" Lelouch inquired aggressively.

"He was probably talking about my investigations on the incident," Cornelia said calmly, "And I remember His Majesty the Emperor ordered Schneizel to transport the body out of there."

"The body…?" Milly asked, remembering the live broadcast of Lady Marianne's funeral, "Wait, what was in the coffin then?"

Lelouch repeated the question to his sister, but she didn't answer. It was obvious that she didn't know either.

Lelouch grimaced, "What else did you find out? Tell me everything!"

"I didn't find anything in the investigation," Cornelia explained "Though, I've always theorized that the responsible party is from the Royal Family, besides myself, Euphemia, Clovis, and Schneizel."

"Does that include the Emperor as well?" Lelouch questioned further.

"No, though I couldn't think of, or see a reason why he would do it, he was never cleared of suspicion," Cornelia said.

"Then why didn't you do anything about it?" Lelouch asked.

"There was no evidence of his involvement, and even if I did confront him, I was worried he would do something to Euphemia in retaliation," Cornelia answered.

Behind Lelouch, Allura scowled. The fact that children were scared that one wrong misstep with the person they should call a parent could bring consequences like that sickened her.

Lelouch sighed in disappointment. It didn't look like there were very many clues to the murderer besides simply clearing a few suspects.

Then he remembered something else.

"Have you ever heard or met someone by the name of 'V.V.' before?" he asked

"No," Cornelia answered.

This Lelouch grimaced in frustration. Not only were there no new clues to his mother's death, but they couldn't get more information on this mysterious other code-bearer. Though he didn't have evidence, his gut was telling him that this person may have something to do with the murder, possibly even be the perpetrator himself. But if Cornelia didn't know him…

He shook his head, he had more pressing issues to deal with right now. There was still plenty of other information that Cornelia could offer them while she was still under his Geass.

"Now, tell me everything you know about Britannia's military operations in Japan."

"Of course. What first?"

o~o

Nunnally hummed lightly as she glided down the hall of the Castleship in the hover chair she had been given for temporary use. Along one of the walls was a long narrow window that looked out into the outside of the ship. Right now, it was facing the blue and white surface of Earth below. Yes, Nunnally remembered seeing pictures like this before their mother was killed, but those photographs were nothing compared to seeing it from a distance with her own eyes.

To say that Nunnally never would have imagined that she would be in space one day was an understatement. She especially never even imagined that aliens actually existed. It was simply never something that she took the time to think about back on Earth.

Either way, this unexpected event certainly had advantages. In particular, her brother. Despite her disability back then, Nunnally was much more observant than she seemed. She knew that ever since they were sent to Japan, that something in her brother had broken. Besides when he was with her, Lelouch became distant from everyone else. It took him months to finally let the young Suzaku in. She knew that it took a couple years for him to trust the now-members of the student council, with the exception of Milly due to her family's history with their mother.

So to see that her brother wasn't simply talking, but speaking openly and honestly with the Alteans and even more than ever before with the student council made her very happy. She wasn't sure what sort of magic (come to think of it, was that a real thing in space too? Somewhere at least?) the Alteans and Lions worked on her brother, but she certainly wasn't complaining. Seeing her brother genuinely happy overjoyed her as well.

However, while this new trait in her brother was amazing, another factor in this situation saddened her. All of these things happened because of violence and war. Their mother was killed by someone inside their own family, Britannia invaded an innocent and unsuspecting nation, and now this! A universal war that had been lasting for over ten millennia! It was all madness! Why on Earth was there so much bloodshed even not on their homeworld? What on Earth did the Galra want to accomplish in all of this?!

Of course, upon hearing about the threat the Galra had, Nunnally understood why her brother was so urgently preparing Earth for what was likely an all-out alien onslaught. It was the only way that their planet would have a future at all. And though she sometimes didn't agree with his methods, she knew that Lelouch's heart was always in the place.

Therefore, she would support him. She would support all of the Paladins in the best way that she could.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was down here," a friendly voice said from down the hall.

Turning to look (she still couldn't believe that she could actually do that again!) Nunnally spotted the woman the Black Knights had been calling 'Villetta.' She remembered Lelouch explaining to her that this woman had been a soldier for the Britannian military, but got amnesia during the mission to rescue her. Though he seemed hesitant about the idea, Lelouch didn't outright forbid Nunnally from interacting with the woman either. She seemed nice. She was always helping out with chores on the ship and always seemed to be smiling.

"It's okay," Nunnally smiled, "I was just enjoying the view."

Villetta chuckled and walked closer to join her by the window, "Yes, it is beautiful isn't it…? I just wish I remember more of it…"

Nunnally looked at the woman sympathetically, "You still don't remember anything before you came here?"

"No, I'm afraid not…" she sighed sadly, "The only reason I remember my name is because I was told it when I woke up here."

"...Do you like your name?" Nunnally asked curiously. Villetta looked at Nunnally confused. The princess blushed, "It's just… I've sometimes heard stories where people get amnesia and find out their name and they don't like it. So… do you?"

"...It's okay," Villetta shrugged, "Although to be honest, every time I think about it, I get strangely uncomfortable…"

"Would you like a different name then? At least until you get your memories back?" Nunnally asked.

"...I guess it's not a bad idea," Villetta smiled, "Why don't you pick it for me?"

Nunnally thought hard about it. For some reason choosing a Britannian name felt wrong, so… what else could she pick? She looked Villetta up and down. Her tan skin, bright golden eye, and long flowing blue-grey hair. The way that it flowed behind her reminded Nunnally of wind blowing through her hair as she sat on a hill, surrounded by wildflowers.

Wait… that was it!

"How about 'Chigusa'? In Japanese it means flowering plants or something like that."

"Hmmm…" the woman hummed, rolling the name around in her head for a few minutes before smiling and nodding, "I like it! Thank you, Nunnally."

"You're welcome," Nunnally giggled in response.

"Oh, how precious!"

The sound of the unfamiliar voice, twined with the sound of clapping hands made the two girls freeze and turn around.

Their eyes widened in fear.

o~o

"So… that happened," Rivalz said as he and the rest of the team plopped down on the couches in the main lounge. To say that they had learned a lot from Cornelia was an understatement. They now knew the movements of every Britannian military unit and every strategy that Britannia could implement with the resources they currently had.

Besides that though…

"...Lelouch, are you okay?" Shirley was the first who was brave enough to ask the Black Paladin this question. He was currently hunched over, his fingers loosely folded in front of his face. His eyes were looking at nothing in particular but were focused in concentration.

It took a couple of minutes for Lelouch to reply, and for a moment Shirley wondered if he even heard her.

"I'm fine," was all he said. He then sighed, allowing his hands to fall into his lap, "I'm sorry I dragged all of you into my family drama."

"Hey, no need to apologize, Lulu," Milly chastised, "we all know your family was nuts… besides Nunna and maybe Euphemia of course."

Lelouch actually snorted a little from the afterthought. It was true. Those two were likely the only sane ones left in the royal family as far as he was concerned.

"Plus, we promised you we'd help you figure out your mother's murder," Kallen added, "and we got a lot of information from Cornelia about it."

"Thank you," Lelouch smiled, "Really, thanks for everything."

"Lelouch, sorry if this sounds nosy, but what exactly was your relationship with Cornelia before your exile?" Rai asked.

"I loved her," Lelouch answered honestly, "She was… she was my big sister. She coddled over Nunnally, Euphie, and me all the time. I admired her skills as a warrior and saw her as a role model, someone I wanted to be like someday. I admired her like I did my mother. But, after our exile… after Japan was attacked… I… I was so angry! It seemed that she… and everyone else abandoned us. Abandoned me. You… you have no idea… how much that hurt… and seeing her now…"

"Lulu…" Shirley said sadly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, if you're so concerned about fighting against her, just Geass her onto our side," Kallen said bluntly.

No one saw it, but Suzaku winced. The idea of controlling someone like this made him feel sick. However, he already knew what Lelouch's answer to that would be, so stayed silent.

"That's not an option," Lelouch said firmly, "if I use Geass to force her to join us, I'm no different from my father. Or Zarkon for that matter."

Suzaku smiled in relief at this answer.

"...Is there really no hope of Cornelia joining us? When we were talking to her, she seemed like she was genuine when she talked about wanting to keep Nunnally safe," Shirley pointed out.

"I noticed that too," Lelouch admitted, "Cornelia's a lot like me when it comes to her family. She'll do anything if it means that those close to her remain safe."

"I am not so sure…" Allura murmured, speaking for the first time since they got there, "The more I learn about your country, the more similarities I see with the Galra Empire. If Charles is to be compared to Zarkon, Cornelia is equivalent to Sendak."

"Hmmm… now that you bring it up, those two do have a lot in common, don't they?" Rai said, "They only difference I can think of is that Sendak has openly admitted that he's a murderer."

"Even so," Suzaku spoke up, "If we're not only going to get Britannia's help, but also improve and change the country once the Galra are pushed back, we're going to need the Royal Family's support. All of our efforts will mean nothing if the Imperial Family still sees us as enemies when all of this is over!"

"How will we know if their support is genuine though?" Kallen asked skeptically, "It's like Lelouch said when we got here. Most of Britannia's royalty only acts on their own personal needs. Once something is deemed 'useless' to them, they throw it away and move on to the next best thing."

"...What about Euphemia?" Rivalz suddenly suggested, "Maybe she can help! She's a lot like Nunnally right? She hates fighting too and certainly doesn't seem to support a lot of the Emperor's views."

"Yeah!" Milly agreed enthusiastically, "After all, she saved us during the hotel jacking. She could have easily stayed back and watched while those terrorists threatened us."

"I won't lie, the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Euphemia is 'pacifist'," Lelouch said, "which I find to be the finest form of irony ever considering the circumstances. However, I'll also acknowledge that out of everyone in the Royal Family right now who would assist us without any interior motives would indeed be Euphemia."

While the rest of the Paladins murmured and nodded in agreement, Allura still remained unconvinced. This was Cornelia's full-blooded sister they were talking about and first impressions of that woman weren't the greatest. Despite the praise this younger sister seemed to be receiving, Allura couldn't quite believe that this Euphemia person was really that different from her elder sibling.

But, notwithstanding her own prejudices, she knew that it was ultimately Lelouch who knew his own family the best. She would simply have to trust that he knew what he was doing.

Any further conversation was interrupted by a loud buzzing coming from Lelouch's pocket. It was his cell phone.

Blinking dubiously, along with most of the rest of the team, Lelouch cautiously answered it.

"Hello?" he asked, still highly confused.

"Lelouch!" He heard his sister's distressed cry.

"Nunnally! What's wrong? Where are you?!" Lelouch exclaimed in alarm, turning on speakerphone in the process.

"I don't know, but I can't move!" she grunted a bit as apparently the phone was taken away from her.

"Nunnally!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Long time, no see, Lulu," a new voice spoke from the phone. A voice Lelouch, nor anyone else, ever believed to hear again.

"Mao!"

"He's alive?!" Rivalz squawked, "How is that possible?! That shouldn't be possible!"

"More importantly, how did he get into the Castle?!" Rai demanded.

"You and your little alien buddies dropped your guard, Lelouch. Just because you all thought I was dead," was the answer they received.

"Mao listen, C.C. isn't here right now," Lelouch practically growled.

"That's why I came. Someone immune to my Geass would be troublesome, now." Mao replied with a giggle, "I'll save my encounter with her for a later date. First things first, I'm gonna pay you back for that little session the other day. Your cute little sister and her lovely companion should be plenty of leverage to deal with you."

'Companion?' Lelouch wondered. He then remembered that Villetta was still on the ship too. So Mao managed to capture her and Nunnally!

"Well, on the bright side, we know he's somewhere on the Castle, right?" Shirley pointed out nervously.

"Well, obviously genius! Now why don't you try to find me?"

"Here's a good question, how the hell are you still alive you bastard?!" Kallen demanded.

"I'm not telling~" Mao practically sang before continuing, "Now listen carefully. You lot have five Earth hours before this Castle of yours goes up in flames. Oh, by the way, since the game is just between you all and me, no calling in any of the Black Knights or other alien friends. I'm not in the mood to get shot up again," he laughed sadistically.

"You're a sick, twisted piece of work," Suzaku ground out.

"You might wanna watch your language, Suzaku," Mao warned. "Considering I hold the cards. You guys really should have made sure I was dead, maybe even have my body dumped in a river or something? You left off the finishing touch, and now dear sweet little Nunnally and Villetta are in a bind! What a quandary, what a quagmire, what a crunch!"

"Now you listen-" before Allura could finish her threat, Mao hung up.

By now most of the Paladins were beginning to panic. How the hell did Mao get onto the ship? Much less recover quickly enough to be alive and moving again?!

"You know what, whatever!" Kallen finally shouted, "We can just beat the answers out of him once we catch that son of a bitch!"

Lelouch exclamation managed to shake Lelouch of his stupor and he frowned in suppressed fury.

"All right, split into two teams. Shirley, Rai, Rivalz, and Milly will be one, while Kallen, Allura, Suzaku, and I will be the other. Search the Castle! If you find him, shoot him on sight! Don't give him time to play any of his mind games. His maximum range remains about five hundred meters, that's large but it's not enough to cover the entire ship. That's our one advantage over him. Now go!"

"We're on it!" Milly said with a scowl.

"Got it!" Rai nodded.

o~o

The sound of feet thundering down the hall could be heard as Rai led his team carefully down the hall. Each of them at their Bayards out and ready. They were especially grateful that two of their Bayards were automatically long-ranged weapons, although Rai and Milly's could extend their range as well.

"Hmmm...hmmmmm!" Rivalz hummed aggressively, face looking comically pinched and focused.

"Um… Rivalz? What are you doing?" Milly had to ask.

"I'm trying to clear my mind so Mao can't read it!" the Blue Paladin answered, "Like Suzaku did the first time!"

"I don't think that's how that works Rivalz," Rai deadpanned. If it weren't for the life-threatening situation they were currently in, the Green Paladin likely would have found the behavior hilarious. Rivalz looked like he was more constipated than concentrated.

"Um… more importantly," Shirley said anxiously, "how is Mao still alive?!"

"Shirley calm down," Rai said softly, "we've taken him down before. We can beat him again."

"Yeah, don't worry," Milly said with a determined grin, "We know how he likes to play the game. We just got to make sure he doesn't have a chance to play it. If we mess with him like last time, it can trip him up!"

"But… won't he know that that's what our plan is?" Rivalz asked, abandoning his quest to 'clear his mind.'

"Maybe, but he still won't know how to counter it. Once he loses control of the situation, we strike," Rai decided as they cautiously entered through another hallway leading to the engine room. Lelouch told them that Mao said that he was planning to blow the ship up, so obviously the first place to check for any explosives would be the engine room. Any other part was too heavily shielded or could be repaired (perhaps not immediately but still could be).

They came to the end of the hall, towards the large sliding doors that automatically opened for the group, revealing the engine room on the other side. And sitting in the center, tied with duct tape to a large bomb was…

"Nunnally!" All of them exclaimed as they ran into the chamber.

Due to her mouth being taped over, all Nunnally could do was muffle out a cry of relief and struggle weakly against her bonds. Villetta also attempted to loosen her bindings but wasn't having much luck at all.

"Hold on, we're gonna get you out, okay?" Shirley said as they started to run across the narrow platform.

Before they could make it though, a figure stepped out from the shadows, clapping casually.

With gasps that quickly turned into scowls, everyone activated their Bayards, aiming them at Mao.

"Uh, uh, uh! I wouldn't do that if I were you now!"

It was only then that they noticed something in his hand. It looked like a switch of some sort, but Mao seemed to be pressing down on the button.

Rai was the first to recognize what it was.

"You bastard…!"

"Figured it out did you? Well you're absolutely right!" Mao congratulated mockingly, "Yes, it's a dead-man switch. If this little device leaves my hand for any reason at all, the entire ship will go up! You don't want that to happen now do you?"

"You're insane! You'll die too if that happens!" Rivalz argued.

"Don't be so sure," Mao sniggered, "I have a little… insurance from my new contractor if anything goes awry this time.

"New contractor?" Milly questioned, "Wait-is it that V.V. guy?"

"I'm not telling~" Mao repeated in the same sing-song manner.

The next second, Mao's eyes snapped up, and a flash of black light blinded everyone. Instinctively, Rivalz turned his own Geass on, his nearly translucent shield blocking everyone from getting in.

But he apparently wasn't fast enough.

"No… not- stop!" Rai suddenly cried, collapsing to his knees, clutching his head, "Not again! What else will you do to me?!"

"Huh?" Rivalz gasped. He jumped when Shirley screamed, tears gathering in her eyes.

"No! Mom! Dad! Don't leave me!"

"Shut up…" Milly murmured behind him, pure anguish on her face, "Mom you can't… talk to me… like… that!"

"What the…" was all Rivalz could say as his friends collapsed, eyes skewed shut in pain.

"Oh my!" Mao exclaimed as he clapped, "Quite impressive! I've never seen a Geass do that before!"

"You! What the hell did you do to my friends!?" Rivalz demanded angrily.

"Oh spoilers!" Mao grinned, "Let's just say my Geass got an upgrade. I don't just read minds anymore. No, no! I can see the worst fears of any person… and bring them to life before their eyes! Pretty cool, huh?"

Rivalz growled and raised his gun, aiming it Mao, "You're insane!"

"Oh, are you going to shoot me with that shield still up? I know you can't! Sure, my Geass can protect you from my fear visions right now, but I already know the ins-and-outs of your Geass. Sure, no one can get through that shield to you, but you, nor nothing else inside the shield already can get out. To move, you're going to have to lower that shield, right?"

"And besides," Mao chuckled psychotically, "a flimsy shield like that won't stop me from letting go of this dead-man switch and blowing up the Castle anyway! Where's your little strategy now?"

Rivalz's eyes narrowed before his eyes wandered behind Mao, to his two frightened hostages. Villetta looked scared, but Nunnally was shaking in terror, her eyes building with tears. The Blue Paladin met the younger girl's eye… and winked with a smirk.

In the blink of an eye, Rivalz's shield flickered off.

A second later, Mao's eyes widened.

"You little-"

"You get all of that, Lelouch?" Rivalz continued to smirk.

"Affirmative, Rivalz," Lelouch's voice crackled through Rivalz's helmet. The Black Paladin had heard everything. Including Mao's upgraded Geass.

"You talk way too much, you know that?" Rivalz said almost cockily.

Mao didn't reply, simply growling ferally, pulling a grenade out from his pocket. Pulling the pin ring with his teeth, he chucked the explosive towards the group. It exploded before Rivalz could raise his shield again.

With a shout of surprise, Rivalz flew backward from the impact. With a crack, he was knocked unconscious along with the rest of his friends.

Nunnally and Villetta both screamed under their gags, eyes wide in terror.

"Oh please, don't get your hair in a bunch," Mao chastised nonchalantly, "that grenade wasn't enough to kill them. Even if he was hit point-blank, that armor would have blocked most of the damage."

Mao then smirked and shook his head, "Well whatever, it doesn't matter if Lelouch knows my plan now. I'll just have a little fun with him for now."

Nunnally grunted behind him. Turning around he saw that the girl was glaring at him as hard as she could.

"Oh, is the whittle kitty growing some claws?" Mao giggled, "My, my, look at that glare! Guess you're trying to make up for being such a burden to your big brother all these years, aren't you?"

Villetta also jerked, nearly lunging at the man, only to lose her balance and fall to the ground instead.

"You know, if you actually had your memories back, I'd actually have been scared by that move," Mao shrugged, "Oh well, I shouldn't leave his highness waiting now, should I? Heh, heh, enjoy your last few hours… alive…"

With a chortle, he skipped out of the engine room to set up the final stage of his revenge.

o~o

Back on the bridge, Lelouch, Allura, Kallen, and Suzaku scowled as they heard the last of Mao's little speech. Lelouch was especially livid as he heard him taunt Nunnally but knew that an outburst from his was likely what Mao was aiming for, so forced himself to stay calm.

"He's heading for Zenobia's bay," Kallen said, her Geass flashing, "and… wait, what's that? He's holding something besides the switch."

"You think he's just taunting us by heading there?" Suzaku asked.

Allura frowned and pulled up the security cameras in the engine room.

"Oh dear," Allura's eyes widened upon seeing the large bomb by the main engine.

"Do you think we can disarm it?" Kallen asked, looking at the explosive.

"We can try, but the engine room isn't too far from Zenobia's bay," Lelouch said, "We'd still be in Mao's Geass range. If he hears that we're tampering with the bomb, he could set it off immediately by letting go of that dead-man switch. In order to stop him… we need to figure out a way to either dismantle that bomb without him knowing, or get him to let go of the switch, without activating it… he's certainly dotted all of the 'i's and crossed all the 't's for this."

"This situation only looks impossible Lelouch," Suzaku said, "There's a solution… there has to be."

"Look at the information and tools we've gathered so far," Allura suggested, "it's not like we're completely powerless."

"We have your Geass and mine," Kallen listed, "as well three highly-trained fighters standing in front of you. So use that gigantic brain of yours and figure out how to solve this problem, because I certainly can't! The only one who can do this, is you, Lelouch."

o~o

Mao hummed absent-mindedly as he lounged on the ledge Zenobia was propped on. The Lion, herself, had her shield up, so Mao wasn't able to enter her even if he wanted to.

"Oh if only my little gift could make me read your mind," Mao said to Zen, "I mean, a mind over 10,000 years old, oh just imagine the information running around in there! Say, what exactly do you see in someone like Lelouch anyway? If you ask me, you should dump him and let me be your Paladin! I'm much better than he will ever be!"

The only reply he got was a low threatening growl that vibrated the floor.

This only caused Mao to scowl in irritation, "Tch, you're no fun!"

His irritation soon faded as a familiar voice, or mental voice appeared in his head. He smiled manically. It seems Lelouch wasn't such a coward after all. He blinked when he noticed that Lelouch's voice was the only one he heard. Oh well, he guessed the other three were ordered to stay behind. Oh, so the prince did have a heart. After all, if any of them attacked him right now, they still had the dead-man switch to worry about.

'What now? What's he got planned for me next?' Mao heard thought as Lelouch walked closer to the chamber, 'Mao will be able to hear us if we go for the bomb. He can also let go of the dead-man switch at any time. That would kill everyone on the ship, including him. What a whack job. I told Suzaku, Kallen, and Allura to behind, and we haven't called for back-up in any way. Guess I'm on my own unless someone miraculously comes back to the ship on their own. But with how little time is left, that's unlikely.'

Lelouch finally entered the Black Lion bay, face solemn but determined.

"Well, if it isn't Casanova!" Mao greeted mockingly as he clapped his hands, "No weapons, no Lions, no friends, no strategy, you can't defuse the bomb without me hearing what you're doing! What's wrong, Lulu?"

"I'm not explaining anything to you!" Lelouch glared, eyes burning in hidden fury, "The final game, is it ready?"

"Let's put an end to this," Mao revealed a fully assembled chess board next to him, "with your specialty."

"Hm?" Lelouch asked, eying the board suspiciously.

"You see, the scale is the bomb's detonator and its cancellation switch," Mao explained, gesturing to the device next to the board, "The chess pieces we capture will go here. If the needle swings all the way towards me, the bomb goes off. If it stings towards you, the bomb will be disarmed. In short, if you win the game, you save your sister's life and everyone else's!"

"Your mind is twisted, no wonder C.C. left you," Lelouch scowled as he settled on the black side of the board.

"Provoking me won't work. I can read your thoughts, so I know what you're trying to do," Mao said with a grin as he captured Lelouch's pawn and placed it on his scale, causing the meter to tip closer toward him.

The two jumped when they heard a vicious snarl coming from Zenobia. Though she didn't move from her position, Lelouch smirked as her emotions flooded his being.

He laughed softly, shaking his head, "She really wants to kill you."

Surprisingly, Mao didn't look offended or scared of this statement. He simply smirked, "Must have gotten that killer-instinct from her last Paladin."

Lelouch didn't lash out, but he still glared fiercely at the mind-reader. But doing so would accomplish nothing, so he forced himself to play the game.

Unfortunately, chess was a game best used with the mind, a mind that Mao could read perfectly.

"You're dead to me."

Lelouch gasped and whipped around. That voice. It had been his father's! But… that was impossible.

"Hmmm? Something wrong, Lulu?" Mao smirked savagely.

"You can't fight it."

Lelouch gasped again as this time Zarkon's voice rang in his head.

Then it hit him.

"That Geass! I heard that it was upgraded, wasn't it?" Lelouch accused.

"Hmmm, well that's one way of putting it," Mao shrugged as he captured two more pawns, "I certainly have better control of it this time, and even has a little bonus! Everyone has their fears after all. I simply can… 'help' them realize them. Whether with their own eyes or planting a couple of stray voices here and there. Little things like that."

'He's screwing with me,' Lelouch thought, as Mao nabbed a knight, 'I can't let those distract me!'

"Oh, that's just wishful thinking on your part Lulu. I'm afraid you're not the type of person who can keep your mind, empty," Mao continued to mock him, "There's the part of you that's a critic, constantly watching your own moves… making sure that you don't end up like big, bad Zarkon. And there's another part that's an observer watching the critic — watching you. You're that type of person. But I know all your thoughts, so I'm always a step ahead, you can't win."

Mao captured Lelouch's remaining knight and put it on his scale, causing the needle to tip closer towards Lelouch. Lelouch scowled, but Mao was able to read what he was thinking.

"Bravo!" Mao clapped as he saw Lelouch move his next piece, "Your plan is to think of seven things at once to confuse me and trip me up! But you see, if I focus my Geass directly on you, it's easy to tell which one is your true thought," Mao captured another of Lelouch's pawns. "Ah, your last plan is failing you as well. You underestimated me, and that's why everyone is…" He threw the piece onto his scale.

The needle was less than a centimeter away from the red zone. If that was hit, the bomb would detonate. Now Lelouch was getting more than a little bit nervous. He began to tremble.

"'What do I do? I'm out of strategies. I can't call for backup as long as Nunnally is being held hostage.'" Mao mocked, reading Lelouch's fearful thoughts out loud.

Mao then pulled a coin out of his pocket and it clattered to the floor.

Lelouch jumped.

"Sorry, sorry, I dropped it."

He picked up the coin and clapped once more. "Your turn, better hurry."

He saw that Lelouch was hesitating, "Looky, looky, time is running out. Your little team is not gonna make it. You're going to lose everything."

Lelouch reached to move his king. "Ah, is that the right move? Are you sure you wanna do that?"

Lelouch hung his head down. It was impossible. He couldn't beat Mao. Not when his sister's life, all his friends' lives, hung in the balance. There was only one way out.

"Isn't this enough?" Lelouch pleaded desperately, "Please stop it, Mao…"

"I can't hear you very well," Mao sang.

"You got everything you wanted! Let everyone go!" Lelouch shouted.

"Huh?" Mao mockingly said, wanting Lelouch to say it.

"I admit it… you have beaten me."

That was all the madman needed to hear. Like a hyena, he cackled as he clapped his hands, like a child being presented its favorite toy, "Very well said! You're finally speaking your thoughts from the deepest part of your soul, huh? That feels great! Fantastic...! But no. This… is checkmate."

"NNNNNOOOOO!" Lelouch screamed and Mao laughed maniacally… only to stop when nothing happened.

"What?!" he gasped. Slammed his hand against the switch again, "What's wrong with this thing! Everything should have gone 'Boom!'"

Reaching into his pocket again, Mao pulled out what looked like a viewing device. To his shock and confusion, the bomb remained untouched. Nunnally and Villetta also remained alive.

Suddenly, with a *bang* the doors to the bay burst open, and Suzaku and Kallen charged in, shocking Mao even further.

With a yell, Mao pulled out a gun and fired at the duo. However, his bullets did nothing but harmless bounce off the energy shields. With a swift kick, Suzaku smacked the gun out of Mao's hands. Kallen followed up with a punch to the jaw, sending Mao flying backward. Before the mind-reader could recover, Suzaku leaped onto him, keeping pinned and locking his arms behind his back.

"How did you… you!" Mao glared hatefully at Lelouch, "What the hell did you do?! How did you disarm the bomb?! I would have heard you! The engine room is in my range!"

"It was all part of the plan," Kallen smirked, towering over Mao, "Isn't that right, Lelouch?"

Lelouch blinked as his eyes each had a red ring form before fading immediately. In a rush, all the memories from before rolled back.

"That's right," Lelouch smirked triumphantly at the madman. "Mao, it would seem this is my checkmate."

Mao's eyes widened in realization, "Lelouch… Don't tell me…"

"Yes," Lelouch said to him with his thoughts as he, Kallen, and Suzaku all smirked. "I gave Suzaku, Kallen, and Allura their instructions, while also using Geass on myself to forget so you couldn't find out. You believe that if you know a person's thoughts you know everything. That's why you narrowed your range and focused your all power on my mind. That was your mistake."

"Then while you were distracted, the three of us disarmed the bomb. Lelouch told us which wires to cut ahead of time," Suzaku added calmly, though he could barely hide the satisfying smirk on his face too.

"While we're on the subject, you said your Geass can give people nightmares, huh? So how come I'm not seeing anything?!"

That was indeed strange. It had obviously affected Lelouch from close range, so how come Kallen and Suzaku weren't experiencing hallucinations.

"...Oh, I think I know," Suzaku murmured, "You have to actually see someone to give them visions, don't you. Not necessarily eye-contact like Lelouch, you just need to see their face. But with you pinned down like this, you can't look at me or Kallen, huh?"

"And even if you did try anything, your little mind games won't work on me! I already know who I am! Nothing you say is going to change that!" Kallen declared.

"Allura," Suzaku said into his comm, "It's safe to untie them now."

o~o

"Understood," the princess replied on the other end. Back in the engine room Allura quickly moved to reach Nunnally and Villetta.

"Oh um… forgive me, Nunnally, this will hurt," she apologized before ripping the duck tape off her mouth.

Despite the stinging pain from the rip, Nunnally started crying in relief as Allura undid her bands. She quickly did the same to Villetta.

Allura then nearly lost her balance as Nunnally sprang forward and hugged the Altean tightly, still crying.

"Oh, Nunnally," Allura murmured, running her fingers through the girl's hair. Villetta looked on sympathetically as well.

o~o

Unfortunately, even this wasn't enough for Mao to accept defeat as he began to struggle relentlessly in Suzaku's hold.

"Stop it!" Suzaku told him.

"Get your hands off me, father-killer!"

Suzaku's pupils shrunk and the world froze. He didn't hear Kallen's gasp next to him. Even Lelouch stopped in surprise.

It was all Mao needed to head-butt the Purple Paladin and scramble away, grabbing his gun in the process. For the slightest second that Suzaku's guard had dropped, Mao had pulled out a trump card he never had until now.

Smiling once again like a maniac, Mao continued, "You killed your own father seven years ago. He called for do-or-die resistance, and you thought stopping him would end the war. What a childish idea. The fact is you're a murderer!"

"That's not true! I just… I…" Suzaku stuttered.

"How lucky for you that no one ever found out." Mao continued. "All the adults lied to protect you."

"Wait no!" Kallen objected, "That doesn't make sense! All the reports said his suicide was a protest against the military actions."

"A lie! All of it! Nothing but a big, fat, lie!" Mao confirmed with a cackle.

"Suzaku…" Lelouch looked at his friend with both shock but also sympathy.

"I didn't have any choice!" Suzaku said immediately, "If I didn't… Japan would have…"

"That's how you justify it in retrospect? Well, it explains your death-wish!" Mao stated, causing Suzaku to gasp again. Mao smirked evilly, "You wanna save people's lives? It's your own wretched soul you're trying to save! That's why you're always charging into danger! Placing yourself on the edge of death!"

Now that he had a view of Suzaku's face, Mao didn't waste any time force-feeding a vision of that very night before Suzaku's eyes. The Purple Paladin screamed and clutched his head between his knees. Then the vision shifted. He was no longer standing over his father's corpse but over Allura's. The other Paladins lined up by her, all dead.

"Congratulations," Zarkon's voice echoed in his head. Looking down, Suzaku was horrified to see himself dressed as a Galran soldier, "You're one of us now."

"You're no hero!" Mao continued to mock, "You're just trying to wash the blood off your hands! A little brat begging to be punished!"

"MAO!" Lelouch roared in rage, twining with Zenobia's that ricocheted off the walls of the bay. In shock, the mind-reader looked up. With a flash of red from Lelouch's Geass, the Black Paladin commanded, "NEVER SPEAK AGAIN!"

"No!" Mao tried to cover his face, but it was already too late. Lelouch's Geass flew into his eyes. Mao opened his mouth, but no words came out except incoherent gurgles

With a scream of fury of her own, Kallen rushed at Mao, her Bayard claws activated and wildly sliced at Mao's side. The mind-reader managed to sidestep in time to avoid being sliced in two, but it still left a deep gash either way.

In an act of desperation, Mao meets Kallen's face with his Black Geass, and the Red Paladin screamed in anguish as she watched her brother being gunned down in the middle of the Shinjuku square. She didn't even register that Mao had shoved into her, and knocked her down.

Knowing they couldn't let him get away, Lelouch raced towards him as well, only for Mao raise his gun, ready to shoot Lelouch in his unprotected forehead… when a glowing orange arrow pierced his chest.

Eyes wide, with a choked gasp, blood splattering across the floor, Mao collapsed to his knees and fell lifeless to the ground, the heart-piercing arrow putting an end to his life.

Stupefied, but quickly shaking it off, Lelouch raised his head to see Rai's team standing in the doorway. They looked like they had been about to charge in, but were now facing the opposite direction. Behind him, Shirley breathed gasped heavily, her hands shaking violently as she lowered the bow.

With the main source now deceased, the visions faded from Suzaku and Kallen's eyes. The Red Paladin looked around in confusion before spotting Shirley.

"Shirley…?" Rai asked anxiously.

"I...I just-" her Bayard slipped from her fingers and hurtled to the floor. The Orange Paladin collapsed to her own knees.

"Shirley!" Rai exclaimed in alarm, quickly catching her before her head could hit the ground.

Seeing that Shirley was taken care of for now, Milly and Rivalz both rushed to Lelouch and Kallen.

"You okay?" Milly asked, pulling the Red Paladin to her feet.

"Yeah," Kallen nodded breathlessly, "We're fine…"

"...How much?" Lelouch asked as Rivalz swung an arm over his shoulder.

"...We heard all of it," Milly admitted guiltily.

Slowly, everyone, sans the unconscious Shirley, turned and gazed sorrowfully at Suzaku, who hadn't seemed to process anything that had happened. He remained on his knees, shocked still.

"I just… I just…"

#Voltron #Code Geass #Crossover #Fanfiction #lelouch lamperouge #rivalz cardemonde #milly ashford #shirley fenette #rai (lost colors)#suzaku kururugi #kallen kozuki #allura #nunnally lamperouge #villetta nu #mao #cornelia li britannia

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