#laws are not created to let people go around hurt others there are studies behind.

[justaholeinmysoul]

And even today we pissed off an anglophone or someone who can't read

[darklordofthesimp]

Ok I just saw the anon who said that shit about being in the military and shit, you can 100% ignore this but I just feel the need to say this. And I just want to say what the fuck is that anon thinking, if you do decide to respond to this I hope (praying) they see this. When I read that last sentence especially, I was infuriated, yes war in itself is horrible it is so horribly destructive but to look at those who serve, go out there and actually fight in those wars to protect others is a ridiculously stupid thing to say. There is always going to be people who try to do things like invade and hurt others because of various other reasons, and how I see it, having the military protects so many people. Your not fighting so sit there fuck down. To even think that those who serve are sick is such an ignorant and incorrect thing to say. I’m not a person who encourages it, but so many advances in technology have come from war, medical included from my memory, not just that but also advances in laws, if not for that the un wouldn’t have been created and the horribly immoral weapons wouldn’t have become war crimes. Because yes they could have been discovered even without war. I am not saying that war, in any way is good it is horrible (I really don’t want to seem pro-war bc I’m not I just feel it’s something that should be brought up). But to sit behind the screen and say that in that is absolutely ignorant.

And if it helps, I am actually currently actually studying modern history and most of that content is based off of ww2 and the Arab Israeli conflict, so while I can’t say anything from personal experience I am learning about it in my hsc course so I am just using what I have learnt there and hope I don’t sound ignorant or anything of the sorts. So I do apologise if I do, comments like this just make my blood boil.

Sorry for sending it on here, if it wasn’t anon I would have probably gone ham in their dms. (It also might be the fly buzzing around my head I hope all flies die 😘)

Man I apparently love ranting if only I put all this work into my assignments 😔

Unfortunately, I think the Anon worded it horribly and put across a point that Was not what they intended. However, it pays to have a close look at what you're writing and who you're writing it to.

I understand this blog is a fucking dumpster fire and I'm so happy to see so many people getting involved and heated in debates and I love that.

But just be careful to not mix fiction with reality and characters with self projecting.

Yall are crazy and I love it but let's just be careful not to step on toes of people who aren't just writing about this shit but actually in it or have lost family to it.

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

You made me imagine Shigaraki trying to explain his family to like, Spinner or something.

"This is Hana, she's my big sister. I accidentally stole her hands when I got my quirk so she's technically the only person allowed to mess with me."

"This is Himiko, she's...I guess my little sister? I think we might've tried to kill each other when we first met. She's cool."

"This is Eri. We only have custody of her every other weekend because the heroes keep finding our hideouts. I'm pretty sure she's our baby sister, but Dabi is convinced she's either my kid or Hana's."

OKAY BUT BUT BUT ANON, THIS GIVE ME AN IDEA FOR AN AU. HERE ME OUT:

In this au, AFO doesn't exists (what a blessing) and Shirakumo Oboro is still alive.

The night Tenko's quirk manifest, Hana prevents him from doing anything using her quirk: if someone touches her skin recently, she can freeze that person's movements for a short amount of time.

Some years later, Shirakumo saves them both from their abusive family. Kotaro goes to jail, Nao goes to a mental institution to recover from the trauma and Oboro adopts the kids.

Welcome to the Cloud Family.

Shirakumo, a sort of vigilante now, keeps saving and adopting people that were forgotten by society.

Around that time he meets a girl maybe two years older than Hana. Her name is Magne and she ran away from her home because they didn't wanted her for being trans. She ask Shirakumo is she can stay with him, helping him raise the kids. He allows it, thankful.

Magne immediately becomes Hana's best friend. Both girls are an amazing duo and they help Tenko learn how to manage his quirk.

While Hana and Tenko study and Shirakumo works, Magne stays with the home duties, goes out with friends, lives her normal life being who she truly is.

She's cleaning the kitchen one morning and when Shirakumo breaks in through the window, holding a little girl in his arms. The girl looks younger than Tenko and it's covered in mud and blood. She's smiling big, fascinated with Shirakumo's quirk, like she's just taking a ride.

Shirakumo found her playing inside a trash can in the street. She was looking for something to eat. Her parents, some rich bastards, had abandoned her aftering finding out their kid liked to bite living animals and drink their blood. They kicked her out of the house and faked her death.

To cover up his vigilante identity, Shirakumo opens a bar. It's small, comfortable, perfect to hide from heroes and villians. He has a contact named Giran, who redirects to him all those people who need a hero but can't trust in the law.

Magne is the one managing the bar with Shirakumo, whevener he's not working. Hana, Tenko and Toga go to school.

Let's take a minute to imagine Hana and Touya being classmates. Imagine Hana and Touya arguing and even fistfighting. They become rivals. Which is pretty funny because you have Fuyumi trying to stop hee brother from insulting her best friend.

Little Hana hating Endeavor. Preach.

Natsuo and Tenko study together. They bond over trains and having idiotic parents.

PLEASE TOGA AND SHOTO BEING CHILDHOOD FRIENDS.

I mean, I've always headcanoned that Shoto and Toga are both neurodivergent so imagine then bonding over that.

Toga is considered a weird kid but Shoto likes being around her because she doesn't look like him like he's unreachable. Toga is always telling how his fire is so pretty, nothing like Endeavor's fire. Also Shoto, who's always bleeding thanks to his training, doesn't understand why it's a big deal that Toga asks him for some. He just gives her and they pretend to be twins when she uses her quirk.

The day Touya goes to Sekoto peak, Hana is looking for him because Shirakumo insists that she should invite him to have dinner with them. She goes with Shirakumo to Endeavor's house and from there they go look for him at the peak.

When the fire begins, Oboro flies over and rescues Touya. However, they both get pretty burned. Shirakumo scapes with the kid and arrives at the bar. Magne contacts an illegal doctor to cure them both.

Hana tells Fuyumi that Touya is alive but she refuses to tell her where he is. She will only tell her if Fuyumi tells her about Endeavor. Hana knows she's being cruel but she also knows them, and she knows something bad is going on with them.

Hana takes Fuyumi to where they keep Touya once she admits Endeavor's abuse.

But Touya refuses to go back. He's barely healing, slowly, and he hates his dad. He is full with hatred and anger and hurt. Shirakumo fears for his life, but he can't simply fight Endeavor.

Fuyumi returns home, troubled. Finally she talks with Rei and the woman visits Shirakumo in secret. She visits her son.

They reach an agreement: For the world, Touya Todoroki would be dead. Only his siblings and his mother would know the truth, along with the Cloud Family. Dabi would be just a kid without a family, someone who grew up in Shirakumo's bar.

And so they did. The Todorokis would visit him regularly with the excuse of the todosiblings being friends with the cloud kids.

When Hana and Fuyumi started college, Dabi stayed behind with Toga and Tenko. They started training together, and before anyone could notice, they were already a team.

The final adoption of the cloud family happened when a woman gave a little girl to Shirakumo one rainy night. She was terrified of the child. In the hurry, she told him to take the kid to a mafia boss and left, but Shirakumo couldn't do it.

Shirakumo already had experience raising little girls and raising children with problematic quirks, so she fit perfectly in their family of weirdos.

The yakuza never knew about this.

Eri grew up glued to Tenko, because they look a like a lot, so people didn't doubt them being siblings.

Shirakumo turns into a reformed pro-hero just to start teaching at UA along with his old besties, Aizawa and Yamada. He's in charge of teaching the kids about how the villians think and work.

Hana ends up studying to be a lawyer, but only to cover up her family whereabouts.

Toga and Shoto starts studying at UA together (or the AU where Toga replaces Mineta at class 1-A). Toga calls Aizawa "uncle Eraser".

Magne keeps the bar with the help of Tenko aka Tomura and Dabi. Which is just a lie because Tomura and Dabi follow the vigilante path together, creating the Anti-hero League. Bonus point because Natsuo has to constantly use his medical skills on his older sibling and his best friend, since they are both reckless idiots with self-destructive quirks.

Fuyumi works with Eri on learning how to control her quirk. Turns out Fuyumi is an amazing teacher and Eri completely adores her.

Rei is responsible for Shoto's scar but this time is totally an accident. She still goes to the hospital BUT Dabi exposes Endeavor and together they all sent him to jail.

Compress, Spinner, Twice, Mustard, Giran.. They all find their way to the Anti-hero League and most important, to the Cloud Family. Shirakumo is proud as fuck because his son is just like him.

Which takes us to Tomura having to explain he has four sisters to Spinner.

And this is the story Tomura told him and the reason why Spinner keeps losing his mind every time he sees them all on the family reunions.

The end.

[notmrskennedy]

Professor, pt 1

A/N - so i heard from like four of you which is enough to warrant me posting drafts that weren’t supposed to see the light of day - ANYWAY this was originally written in third person and let me tell you it takes a ridiculous amount of effort to change tenses like holy hell. 

(Technically the prequel Friendliness but can stand alone if you really want it to. There’s a part two to this so watch out for that tomorrow.)

Summary - Spencer meets a professor and falls in love for a few hours

W/C - 2k

Warnings - none-ish? there’s a small smattering of violence and horrible changing of the tenses 

-----

Spencer can’t help the irony that he’s in a freshman college class for the first time ever while protecting one of the students. Who knew that a tiny club of DnD players could incite so much rage out of an un-sub? So here he was, trying to blend in—even though he’s 25, he still looks 14 and there’s really no real reason why he should be worried about being caught—in order to protect a freshman who was more pimple than male specimen. 

Joesph—the poor kid in question—takes a seat in the front row and Spencer’s obligated to sit within tackling distance, though he hopes it won’t come to that. Hopefully, Morgan will have the kid the un-sub goes for and Spencer can just enjoy being in college again. The painfully familiar auditorium seats, the stale air, and bad fluorescents feel more like home than he cares to admit. 

College hadn’t been all too unpleasant. High school he’d gotten picked on mercilessly. College, however, had meant getting doted on by hot sorority girls and earning the protection of frat boys—they’d picked up rather quickly that he knew football strategy better than they did after Spencer had hustled a TV and 400 dollars from them. Sure, he didn’t drink, but every single drunk teenager had welcomed him with open arms and lots of ginger ale. 

There’s chatter and for the ten minutes before class starts, Spencer is torn between trying to figure out which song is quietly playing around the room and watching for a particularly rage-filled college student serial killer. Instead, he just finds too many bored faces. Most of the kids are drinking coffee like the best of them and he’s itching for his next fix just looking at it. 

The first two rows: a terrible vantage point to be profiling, but a beautifully defensible post. He watches absently as one of the TAs, who looks a little younger than him, organizes three stacks of papers on the front desk and flips through several different pages on the podium. His attention is focused solely on you for nearly a minute too long—he can hear the voice in his head chastising him for how often he gets distracted by pretty people. 

You look of the fragile sort, the in-the-lab kind of future scientist. There’s something about you that’s captivating. It might be the way you keep reorganizing the papers to perfection or maybe it’s the way you study the room so closely. And while he thinks that you might not be able to physically stop someone, you sure look like the kind of person that could crush him in chess. 

He’s 25 and is considering chess as a marriage proposal.  

Joesph shuffles his books around in the seat in front of Spencer and you, the beautiful TA in question, hold a watch up as you move to the centre of the room. Class is starting. Class is starting and he’s hopeful the professor never actually shows up. 

He notices your watch is on your right wrist—are you left handed?—as you smile widely and clap her hands together. First day jitters seem to keep everyone silent, waiting on baited breath for you to start. Spencer would stay on baited breath for the rest of his life for you. You were utterly captivating after all—he could see the drool from several students’ mouths a few seats over. 

“This is Anthropology 101,” you announce. “If this isn’t your class, you’re free to leave. Or stay if you want. Did you guys know that anxiety disorders affect more than 40 million US adults? Or 1 in 5, I guess, if you want the easier pill to swallow.”

Spencer’s heart jumps into his throat and he wants to raise his hand just to ask you to marry him. 

“Anyway,” you sigh, leaning back agains the front desk, “I spit out a lot of facts. Usually something that begins with ‘did you know’ won’t be on the tests. I try to be fair. Which brings us to ice breakers.”

The class collectively groans. You scoff. 

“Oh hush, I’m the only one doing the ice breakers so chill out. Jeez.” Spencer waits patiently for your soft breath and then your further announcement of, “I’m officially Dr. Y/N Y/L/N, but that’s like only if my boss comes in or for any emails you send. You can call me Y/N because that’s like normal. I got my doctorate in forensic anthropology a year ago and I’ve been teaching since I started grad school three years ago. You’re in safe hands, I promise.”

He almost kicks himself. You’re the professor. How many times had he been nearly kicked out of a classroom when he was in grad school for saying he was the professor? How many times had he been 18 and trying to get an ounce of respect for himself? 

You continue, waving your hands about like you could pull your ideas back down to earth. “Um—a fun fact about me is that I am not welcome in certain parts of the world for ‘violating’ what are called exhumation laws, which is silly in my opinion. I had the legal right to carry that head on the plane and—and I hope you did the reading because there’s a first day pop quiz.”

The entire class lets out one simultaneous frustrated whine that alights something almost wicked in your eyes. You wave over two students from the other end of the front row and they begin passing out test papers as you explain. 

“You’ll have a total of fifteen minutes to answer ten questions. We’ll start on my mark. If you have any trouble, give me a shout and I’ll help you out. After this, we’ll go over the syllabus and if you’re lucky, leave early.”

Spencer’s passed a test and immediately notices there’s no place for a name. Just a bolded “Student #21” at the top. Another girl raises the question and you snicker. “I like puzzles,” is the only answer you give before the time starts. 

Question four: what are the top three songs you’ve been listening to? Please list.

Question six: why are you taking this class?

A: This is a requirement

B: I heard it was easy

C: I heard the professor was hot

D: I really enjoy anthropology! (liar)

Question nine: Creationism or Evolution?

Question ten: Quickly. If you were going to have dinner, would it be with Bill or Hillary Clinton?

Spencer can’t hide the grin he’s got the entire test. It’s all ridiculous get-to-know-you questions. He can tell what merit you’re getting out of them. There’s one judging study habits, one judging religion, feminism, politics—you’ve created her own little innocuous questionnaire. Spencer was sure the students would just think you were strange, but he saw the cleverness. 

Spencer also notices that once you notice him, you don’t stop noticing him. He wonders what you see. You’re so obviously profiling him that it hurts. Do you see the FBI agent? The scholar? The doctor? The drug addict? The man in a boy’s skin?

Your timer beeps and you shout for pencils down. Your makeshift TAs are dispatched to collect the papers and you make the stacks perfect when they make it to the desk. You move to the whiteboard, a set of papers clutched in your hand, and lean against it to address the class. 

“Test go alright?” your grin is contagious and Spencer can’t help but mirror it. You glance at Spencer, turns back to the class, and tuck your hair behind your ear. You let the class chatter on for a moment, setting the papers down on the table, and readjust the undone cuffs of your white button down. He never thought that a sweater vest and jeans could look so hot. 

You smirk and check your watch one more time. “Let’s talk about tests because I know you all have questions. Everything on the test is either written on the board, on the notes, or in the study guide—if you fail after that, come to office hours. I’ve got Advil for the hangovers.”

#

Thankfully, Joesph is one of those students who has to speak to every single one of his professors. Spencer waits patiently behind the kid, trying to keep the smell from the lack of deodorant just out of range. 

He keeps a hard gaze on all of the students moving in and out of the auditorium. There’s nothing to see, just a lot of students with a lot of normal college apathy. No anger, no serial killer, no one to tackle. 

“Sometimes the BO is worse than a corpse’s expulsion of gas,” you joke from your place atop the desk. Spencer looks up, and furrows his eyebrows as his brain processes. Your face falls for a split second, but your curiosity replaces it just as quickly. Joesph’s jaw hits the floor, stumbling for some way to explain himself or maybe some half decent way to insult the pretty professor. 

Spencer laughs, probably a little more than he should have, considering he wasn’t supposed to out himself as an FBI agent. You tuck your hair behind your ear again and, for someone younger than 25, you are surprisingly wide eyed with perception and curiosity. 

“Do you like puzzles, Doctor—“

“Reid,” he supplies, trying to swallow around the lump in his throat. “Spencer.”

You raise an eyebrow, chewing on your bottom lip in contemplation. You turn your focus back to Joesph—a boy worse at talking to those scoring higher than an 8 than Spencer was at the same age. “So, Joesph, why does the good doctor need to be within tackling distance of you?”

Joesph flounders, turns to hide his blush, and yelps like God himself has come down to kick him in the ass. Spencer takes one good look at the 18 year old girl charging towards a pimple of a boy and he launches before he can give much consideration to how much its going to hurt. 

But between the noticing and the launching, he makes a list: she’s got so much black eyeliner that Emily’s high school yearbook photos would be jealous; she’s about to inflict about a 9 on the pain scale if she’s left to her plan; there’s obviously no plan other to scratch Joesph’s eyes out; her nails are the size of tiger claws and Spencer desperately wishes he had a better pain tolerance; there’s no weapon. 

The tackle takes seconds. It’s a practised movement. Roll. Knee. Handcuffs. The girl is screaming and crying and kicking and biting. His arm’s on fire and she’s struggling enough that it’s taking more than ten seconds to get the handcuffs on. 

It’s calculated as he presses his knee harder into her back. She yelps and stills long enough that Spencer closes the handcuffs on her tiny, sliced up wrists. The cutting explains some things…

“Hence the tackling distance,” You sum up, bending down just slightly to look the killer in the face. Your nose wrinkles. “You had very distinct ideas on the cultural value of suicide.”

Spencer shakes his head, hauls the girl to her feet, and beckons for Joesph to follow. The entire world falls out of view as he manhandles the girl into an easy walk. The students step to the side to gawk, and he’s thankful for the wide berth. If someone got hurt, the paperwork alone—

“It was nice meeting you, Dr. Reid!” you call and he glances back over his shoulder. You’re waving around the stack of papers in your arms, utterly ridiculous, terribly adorable. He hopes his smile is more suave than love sick, but the fleeting flirtation is especially over when Miss Unchecked Rage kicks out as Joesph comes into her line of sight. 

Spencer throws his whole weight into keeping her down. There’s no room to fall in love after a day. Especially with someone on a college campus halfway across the country from him. There’s even less room to manoeuvre Miss Eyeliner even without Joesph waddling into her eye line every few seconds. Seriously, he thinks, how hard is it to keep behind me?

[adurowrites]

A Percy Weasley Snippet

The lecture hall was quiet, but not perfectly silent. Percy could hear the scratching of quill on parchment, the creak of wooden chairs, and every now and again, a hard exhale as someone met a question they weren’t prepared to answer. 

There were twenty test-takers in the room, Percy included. One proctor sat at the front of the room, the other took slow laps about the room, sometimes muttering revealing charms to ensure no one was cheating. The soft footfalls paused somewhere in the back of the room. To the left, a witch coughed, hoarse and rough and momentarily distracting. Some of the test-takers had put silencing bubbles around their desks, wanting absolute quiet to focus on the exam. Percy preferred the ambient noise of the room. It made him think of Hogwarts, of taking his NEWTs in the Great Hall with the rest of his year. 

For as much as he hadn’t been particularly popular, or even well-liked, Percy had enjoyed his time at Hogwarts. He’d gotten along well-enough with his housemates, but he had found true camaraderie in the Ravenclaws of his year. He’d often wondered why the Hat hadn’t put him in Ravenclaw. He’d asked for it at his Sorting, even though he’d be breaking a family tradition and the thought of disappointing his parents terrified him. But it was the logical choice, and so he’d politely asked to be sorted into Ravenclaw. Apparently it was that request, and his bravery to buck tradition, that had the Hat put him into Gryffindor instead. 

But he was too studious for most of his house, and he’d spent most of his time studying with the Ravenclaws. There wasn’t much conversation, just quiet focus and the sense of belonging. Percy had missed that comfortable atmosphere as he’d been studying for the barrister’s exam. His flat, as cozy as it was, had the tendency to make him feel lonely. He enjoyed peace and quiet, but he also enjoyed company. Rather than sit alone, he’d done most of his studying in the Ministry library, keeping company with the various interns, undersecretaries, and paralegals.

He came to the end of the exam and glanced at the clock. There were four hours allowed for completion, and he’d hoped to save an hour and a half for review. He was behind by fifteen minutes. He grimaced and turned back to the start of the test. 

Just before the three-hour mark, a wizard got up and strode towards the proctor at the front. He handed his parchment over and left with a self-satisfied smile. A witch followed a few minutes later, looking a bit disgruntled. Percy figured she had wanted to be the first to complete the exam. He used play such games with his classmates at Hogwarts. Who was the first to finish? Who could write a paper the fastest? He used to think that finishing first was a sign of intelligence. But as he’d gotten older, he’d realized that taking his time with his work was a sign of maturity and wisdom. After all, the quality of the work was far more important than winning a silly race. 

So Percy stayed in his seat and reviewed his answers with the time remaining. There were only a few others that stayed to the end with him, although they appeared to have lingered out of necessity rather than patience. One witch looked disheveled, her hands twisting at her hair, and another wizard appeared damp with sweat. Or tears, Percy couldn’t tell. They filtered out into the hall where the other test-takers were waiting. The two who had finished first were arguing over a couple of questions, and they’d created quite a debate. 

Percy didn’t join. Instead he grabbed his portfolio from the locker and checked it for any messages. The Ministry knew he was taking his test today, but there were still a couple of work-related messages that had appeared inside - questions about the Minister’s meeting with the court, a few requests for paperwork, and a couple of messages wishing him luck, including one from Minister Fudge himself. 

Percy felt a flush of pleasure at the notice. (Yes, his name was spelled wrong, but Fudge was notoriously bad at names.) The personal note meant that Fudge was indeed considering him for position of Assistant. Now, all Percy needed, was just to have passed the bar. 

He took a seat on the benches along the wall and responded to what questions he could while he waited for the proctors to tally the scores. it only took half-an-hour, and then the door to the lecture hall opened. There was a rush and a minor traffic jam as the other test-takers raced inside. The results would be posted on the blackboard, and Percy felt a wave of nervousness. What if he hadn’t passed? What if the Minister had wished him well, only for Percy to have to re-take it? There was no harm in retaking the exam, of course. Plenty of barristers and government officials did. But Percy had never failed a test in his life.

....Divination didn’t count. 

He got up, hands clutching his portfolio to his chest and slowly walked into the room. He logically understood that he hadn’t failed. He logically knew he’d done well, very well in fact. But what if he’d somehow mixed up his answers? What if he’d forgotten to put his name on the test? What if - ?

The other wizards and witches were crowded around the parchment posted on the board. Some of them were celebrating. Some of them were swearing. All of them turned as he approached, and he saw a myriad of emotions cross their faces as they looked at him. Some were openly envious. Others looked impressed. Some gave him congratulatory smiles. 

“There he is!” the proctor said, stepping forward, his hand outstretched. “It’s not every year we have someone achieve a perfect score. Congratulations, Mr. Weasley.”

Percy automatically shook his hand, his eyes going to the parchment, and there it was. His name at the top, and beside it, a 500, a perfect score. He felt a relieved, incredulous, proud smile spread over his face. 

“With that score, you’ll have your pick of law firms,” the proctor said. “Might you consider Bolgers and Fawcett?” A card was slipped into his hand.

“He’s not going into law,” one of the test-takers said. “He’s in government. Senior Assistant to the Secretary.”

“I know,” said the proctor. He gave Percy a sly sort of smile. “Just in case you’re looking for something more lucrative.”

Bolgers and Fawcett was one of the wealthiest, most powerful law firms in the Wizarding UK. Percy knew the starting salary was easily triple what he was making now. 

He shook his head. “I’m quite satisfied with my current position, thank you.”

“Not if you’re taking the bar,” the proctor said. “You’ve got your sights set a bit higher. Well, when you tire of life as a public servant, let us know.”

“Thank you.”

The proctor left and Percy accepted more congratulations from the test-takers, some given more graciously than others. He responded with his own, and then once he was able, he slipped away, back to the Ministry. He still had work to do. 

He did divert by the Ministry’s owlry to jot down a quick message. I passed the barrister’s. A perfect score!

At another time he might have written more. He might have written about how rare a perfect score was, and that less than a hundred people had ever achieved a perfect 500 in the history of the exam. He might have written about the proctor trying to poach him for Bolgers and Fawcett, or about the test-takers recognizing him. But he knew by now that such additions would only be taken as arrogance. It seemed unfair to him, that only his boastings were considered prideful. In truth, Percy may have been boastful as a child, but he’d been forced to speak out about his achievements because no one else seemed to recognize them, or understand how significant they were. He’d grown up insisting on his own merit, celebrating his own accomplishments, and because of it, he’d been labeled prideful. He’d tried to be quieter about it lately, but it seemed even small comments on his success was enough to considered bragging. 

“Where shall I send it, sir?” the postmaster asked.

“The Bur -,” Percy cut himself off. He remembered the last time he shared such news with his parents. They ignored the message. They were unimpressed. No, worse than unimpressed. They were disapproving. 

His siblings had been happy for him though - they’d gotten him a gift for his office. And his parents had seemed apologetic over Christmas. He could try to reach out again, see if the fences had been mended. 

But if they hadn’t... Percy swallowed hard. It had hurt, when no one knew about his promotion, when his mother and father had kept it secret, like they were ashamed of him. It had felt like he’d done something wrong. It had felt like he didn’t belong. If it happened again... Percy didn’t think he could bear it. 

“Charles Weasley,” Percy said instead. “The Dragon’s Repast, Romania.”

“Very good, sir.”

Percy left, feeling slightly easier at his decision. Charlie wouldn’t ignore the missive. Charlie wouldn’t disapprove. Percy could imagine him, getting the owl and reading the message, and letting out a big whoop of joy for him. Charlie might even tell his friends about it - how his younger brother had gotten a perfect score on the bar exam. And the next time he came to visit, he’d insist on taking Percy out to celebrate. 

Percy nodded. That was enough. As long as he had Charlie, it would be enough. 

-----

(So, I have more head-canon about Percy, but it doesn’t really fit into my fic. I thought I’d plot a bit here on tumblr because I didn’t think it was hefty enough for Ao3, and it was just meant to be a little drabble, a tidbit, a snippet. But it doubled in length and then turned a little angsty at the end. So I may have to put it up on Ao3. 

For those folks confused, this is my interpretation of Percy Weasley from my fanfic series The Code, found on Ao3 and FFN. It’s not really about Percy, but Draco Malfoy and Bill Weasley.)

[mistergrass]

Zodiac Mom Headcanons: Momiji’s Mom

Slowly but surely I am making my way through these mom posts. This time let’s talk about someone whose worst moments as a mother were put on blast for the audience to see. 

Rat & Snake Mom | Ox Mom | Tiger Mom | Rabbit Mom | Dragon Mom

Momiji’s mother is an only child born in Berlin. 

Her father, a handsome and charismatic man, is a renowned photographer. Her mother, beautiful and alluring, is a dancer. They’re drawn to each other immediately when they meet on a photoshoot that features her mother’s dance troupe. 

Their romance is as short-lived as it is passionate, and the affair comes to an abrupt end when her mother becomes pregnant. 

The responsibility of a child falls almost completely on her mother’s shoulders, essentially ending her dance career (something she had left her family to pursue), and the beginnings of a cruel resentment begin to take form.

Her father has the spirit of an artist -- not wanting to be tied down to one woman, and not very suited for a traditional family lifestyle. That being said, he doesn’t abandon mother and child completely. 

As Momiji’s mother grows up, her father will pop in and out of her life as he pleases. She thinks her mother can be too strict, too mean, and becomes a difficult child to handle as a result. But when her father comes to visit, she is over the moon and perfectly behaved. He’ll take her to museums, show her the photographs hanging in his studio, give her a stepping stool so she can help in his dark room, and (unlike her mother) will never ever scream at her even when clumsy, childish hands accidentally spill things or knock things over. 

Her father never sticks around for very long, and as wonderful as it is to see him, it hurts tenfold when he leaves. And so, she grows up with her mother’s snappish impatience, and her father’s casual and conditional affection. 

Going into her teenage years, Momiji’s mom begins to come into her own as an artist -- admiring and following the path of her father. She loves painting and ceramics, but she begins to grow into an undeniable beauty and it’s not long that she’s discovered as a model.

Her mother does not approve of this choice. For her, it’s bad enough that she has to watch her daughter openly prefer her father’s company to her own (despite everything she’s given up to raise her, while he can barely spare to send a postcard on their daughter’s birthday), but now her daughter is adding insult to injury by pursuing her father’s lifestyle. A lifestyle her mother was forced to give up to have a child. 

It also doesn’t help that Momiji’s mom finds almost instant success as a model. 

Where her mother was simply impatient before, now she becomes cruel. 

She begins to undermine her daughter’s beauty, nitpicking at every little thing about her appearance. Momiji’s mother is now being constantly told that her photos are drab, ugly, unprofessional. That her beauty is fleeting, that the world around her will discover one day how little talent she has, and that her artistic abilities are worthless and boring. All this while she’s still only a teenager. 

Momiji’s mom acts out in different ways, but mostly by taking on more modeling work (that exhausts her) and bringing home boyfriends her mother would never approve of (for good reason).

Her first serious boyfriend is a man six years her senior who is possessive and jealous, and rips to shreds the last bits of self-esteem she had left. 

By the end of their four year relationship, Momiji’s mother has come to believe that something inside her is deeply, truly ugly. She has an overflowing anxiety that others will see her for what she truly is. Something that is wholly incompatible with her inability to be alone -- whether romantically, or via the need to surround herself constantly with people. 

It’s at this time, at 20 years old and in her second year of university, that she meets Momiji’s father at a campus mixer.

At first, she’s intimidated by him (thought that doesn’t stop her from making conversation). She finds he’s not just studying abroad here, but attends the university full-time. He’s fluent in Japanese, German, and English, and seems so much smarter than she believes herself to be. In addition, he has a cold, distant demeanor to him that makes him seem unattainable. 

Momiji’s father on the other hand, is taken immediately by this woman. He’s awkward and nervous in large social gatherings, but has been told from an early age never to outwardly show his discomfort. But she talks so passionately, so freely, that he can’t help but be drawn to her. When he fumbles over his words at the end of the night to ask her out for dinner, she realizes that she’d mistaken his shyness for apathy, and it immediately enamors him to her. 

After two dates, they become inseparable. 

She’s taken in by his kindness and gentility. He listens to her as if everything she says matters. He isn’t at all like the arrogant personalities she’s dated in the past, and if anything has an aversion to talking about himself. He never once makes her feel stupid, puts her down, or makes her feel worthless.

She’s prone to terrible mood swings and bouts of manic self-loathing that will leave her a sobbing mess. But where this has driven away boyfriends in the past, it only serves to make him more devoted to her. He holds her in his arms, and never once gets upset with her for being so much to handle.

Momiji’s father is an only child from a high-ranking Sohma family, and has had the entirety of his life mapped out for him since birth. He works to inherit his father’s business, and to maintain their standing in the family. Insurmountable pressure had been put on his shoulders from a young age, one that isolated him from making true friends in favor of focusing solely on his studies. He was never allowed to be overwhelmed, to not be good enough, nor to be disobedient. 

But Momiji’s mother is like a walking piece of art -- chaotic and beautiful. He finds her endlessly interesting. He’s never met anyone who talks so openly about the things they love, the things they hate, or their own fears and insecurities. He likes feeling as though he can take care of her. He likes being someone reliable for her. And, eventually, he finds her to be the only person in the world that he can be vulnerable with. He has only ever cried in front of her. 

For the last two years of college they spend all their free time together. He uses his cushy Sohma allowance to take them on trips and long weekends around Europe. And when the time comes for him to return to Japan after graduation, he can’t picture even a moment of his future without her. 

He proposes, she says yes, and she agrees to leave her life in Berlin behind to move to Japan. 

It’s a difficult transition. Though she had started learning Japanese when they first started dating, she’s far from fluent. It makes forming friendships and new connections within the Sohma family all the harder. 

It’s also clear that her mother-in-law does not take too much of a liking to her. Momiji’s father bends over backwards making sure that their new home has space for her to continue her artistic pursuits, which comes off as frivolous to her new family. She also has limited housekeeping skills which reflects poorly on her ability to be a proper wife. 

It’s an isolating experience, especially with her husband working long, late hours nearly every night. The loneliness begins to eat at her, resurfacing the shattered self-esteem that her new husband had spent the past two years healing. She seriously considers moving back to Germany on more than one occasion, but then she gets pregnant. 

She’s not ready for a child. It’s too soon, and the thought of taking care of a whole other person is terrifying when she can barely stand to get out of bed most days now. But her husband assures her this will be a good thing, that maybe it will help the aching loneliness she feels. 

Before she has a chance to get excited, they’re summoned by a young Akito. 

Momiji’s mother doesn’t really process what she’s being told. Her husband has to translate what the little six year old is saying to her, and when he does his face is pinched and anxious. 

A curse, he says. Her child is cursed. Somehow it makes sense, what with everything that dwells inside herself, but it’s hard for her to grasp this whole thing beyond that.

The pregnancy is a difficult one, filled with complications and scares that leaves her health completely depleted. When Momiji is born two months premature, her nerves are completely frayed. 

True understanding of her child’s situation doesn’t really hit her until she holds a small rabbit in her arms, swaddled like a baby. 

She vomits when it first happens. The transformation leaves her completely shaken, and she can’t understand why no one else around her seems to find this as horrific as it obviously is. 

She does her best for the first few years. Honestly, she does. But the child makes her nervous. The supernatural nature of it all terrifies her, and she shakes every time she tries to hold her child and finds a little rabbit there instead. 

As he grows older, she finds herself snapping at him over the smallest things, just as her mother did to her. A guilt builds inside her steadily that somehow she is at fault for this, that her hidden, disgusting nature warped and mutated their child. The thought of it puts her in hysterics at times, and she finds she can never relax in her own home.

Her husband urges her to keep herself together. There’s a desperation in his voice when he talks to her now. He reminds her, again and again, that above everything else Momiji is their child. Theirs, and no one else’s. He is their son that they have created, and he is still a symbol of the love they have for each other. Once she adjusts to the situation, she’ll learn to love him the way he knows she can. She just needs more time.

During this period, other zodiac mothers make an attempt to reach out, and her Japanese is finally at a level that she can have pleasant conversation with them. Haru and Yuki’s mothers invite her to lunch often enough. Shigure’s mother is also very hospitable. She also takes a real liking to Kureno’s mother, though the woman is clearly disliked by many of the other women in the family. 

It helps, but it’s still difficult to talk to these women about her issues with the curse and with her son. Their eyes are judgmental, and she worries if she falls apart in front of them it would not be met with the same warmth as her husband (though he’s hardly ever around anymore). 

Stress and guilt and shame and fear slowly build inside her for the next four years. Then, one day, she sits down to paint and realizes she can’t. She’s too locked up -- the reality of her situation has become too overwhelming, and she can’t even release it through her art.

She finally decides to tell someone about what’s going on. Her husband had been very clear with her that this curse is to remain completely secret, but it’s not as if she wants to do a news interview. All she wants is to talk to her mom. 

Her mother is still the same harsh, critical woman she’s always been, but they’ve grown closer in the past few years. Becoming a mother herself has made her appreciate her own mother more, and the distance has softened both of them to each other considerably. 

She tells her mother the whole story, with her listening surprisingly sympathetically throughout. By the end of the conversation, Momiji’s mother feels more comforted and loved by her mother than she has in years. 

It’s Momiji’s father that gets the call from his livid mother-in-law demanding to know what’s happened to her daughter, and if he’s doing anything about the fact that she’s having a complete nervous breakdown that features wild delusions regarding their child.

Momiji’s father comes home that night, and for the first time he becomes truly angry at her. He scolds her for telling her mother anything about their situation, which only serves to make her just as angry since she was only seeking a bit of support. 

But it all gets much much worse when he says how lucky they are that her mother thought she was deranged. 

The whole world drops from below her feet when he admits that he let her mother continue to think that she was clinically insane. The man who had always defended her, understood her, cared for her -- the man she had left everything for -- had created a lie so egregious and spouted it back to her own mother. 

She demands to know why he would do such a thing, and when he sputters out his thoughtless obedience to this strange family -- the one with the child treated like a king, and with all these dark secrets. After so long of telling her that she was his light when his family treated him like nothing, after telling her that she was his most important family now -- it’s a betrayal that she’d never expected from the man she loves.

The reality of her isolation comes down all at once. There is no one left she can talk to, there is no place she can go, and this child now represents something completely foreign to her. The only thing that was keeping her together was her husband’s assurances that the child was completely theirs -- but it’s not. This child belongs to the Sohmas, to some curse that her body housed and nurtured. The disgust that’s been building inside her body breaks like a dam and completely washes over Momiji. 

She becomes inconsolable. She refuses to look at her son, and her husband becomes subject to fits of rage and anguish. He feels as though he’s completely lost her, and with the love of his life so indisposed, he feels just as alone. 

Momiji’s father is the one who tells her about the option to wipe her memory. Not just in hopes of reeling back her sanity, but because he wants her to forget the lie he told. If she forgets that, maybe their marriage can go back to how it was. If she forgets that deep cut of betrayal, maybe she won’t look at him like he’s some misshapen stranger. 

She agrees as quickly as she had when he proposed. Together they decide that forgetting Momiji will ultimately be for the best.

At first when she recovers, things seem to return back to normal. But there’s always a piece missing as the years go on. There’s always something not quite right. Momiji’s father is paranoid and nervous -- the presence of his wife is no longer a comfort, but a stressor. And sometimes, for the briefest moment, he’ll catch her staring at him. Her eyes far off and distant, like she’s completely lost in thought, and the expression that rests on her face will be one of fear. When she comes back to herself, it’s as if she hadn’t even noticed. 

The zodiac mothers are told not to speak to her after her memory is erased, which suits most of them just fine (Haru’s mother took particular offense to the decision). Below is the relationship chart for pre-memory wipe: 

Friends with: Kureno’s mom, Haru’s mom, Shigure’s mom, Ritsu’s mom

Doesn’t like: Yuki’s mom, Hatori’s mom

[kurtty-drabbles]

The mysterious Death of Charles Xavier Part 2

N/A: A bit more set up for this story.

@dannybagpipesarecalling @kurttyfamily  @tieflingteeth

The chippering birds are singing loudly on the bare branch of the tree near Maximoff´s household. One girl wearing a purple cloak and spreading towards the woman at the entrance of the house- the woman is wearing scarlet and is holding a teacup hovering in the air- and hugs said the woman. “Miss Maximoff, guess what? I got accept into the school!’

Kitty is beaming as she’s holding the letter of acceptance. Wanda Maximoff hugs the girl, her hand is gloved with velvet red and once the hug is broken, the Scarlet Witch titled her head. “School?”

Kitty beams and explains in one go, without needing to breathe, what really happened, and then takes a moment to breathe. Wanda blinks at the explanation.

“I see, let’s drink tea and talk,” Wanda set the table-one can see the magic items and even feel the charm itself. Kitty is familiar with going to this place, however, Kitty never saw the Darkhold...too advanced and too dangerous.

“So, from what you told me, you want to go to Hellfire School to solve the mystery of Charles Xavier´s death, ok, may I ask why?” Wanda asked curiously as the young pupil is tying up her hair in a ponytail at the last minute.

“Well, I...” she is cut off as a strong wind flips her hair, she looks around to see a new person in the room. “Oh, hello Mr. Maximoff,” Kitty greets him. Pietro rolls his eyes-it´s possible to see the corner of his mouth twisting in a smile- and speaks to the girl.

“I told you to stop calling me that, Mr. Maximoff makes me feel old...and I already have white hair,” he mentions his hair as proof of his words.

Kitty nods sagely. “Ok, Mr. P”

Wanda chuckles at that. Pietro sighs.

“Well, it’s better...and you what you two are talking about? magic stuff?” Pietro asked interested and resembling a curious puppy. Wanda shakes her head.

“Actually no, we´re talking about Kitty going to Hellfire School,” Wanda explained cautiously. “The school where Prof X was murder,” she raises her eyebrows and gesture to Kitty Pryde.

Pietro takes the hint. “So, let me get this straight, you wanna solve another mystery?” Pietro asked, and Kitty nods mutely. “Of course, here we go again, ok...did you know Prof X´ house was a school before the Hellfire took over?”

Kitty denies and now is giving undying attention to Pietro.

“Yeah, the Hellfire used to be a school for all mutants, well, he had a group of mutants called X-Men...Scott was the leader,” Pietro snickers and Wanda gives him a pointy look at him.

“After the death of Prof X, yes Kitty he was called like that, the X-Men disbanded, and re-grouped in other places,” Wanda pipes in calmly.

Pietro grimace now. “Our sperm donor was friends with Prof X,” he looks a bit revolted, “or maybe more than friends when the bald man died...our sperm donor cried like we never saw before, nor we´ll,” Pietro added somberly.

Wanda nods. “Yes, Magneto was so distraught by Prof X´ death...he even tried to take the school to honor his “friend” death," Wanda takes a sip of his cup of tea. “Then, by the intervention of law, Madelyne Pryor got the acquaintance of the school,”

Wanda can see the gears on Kitty´s mind working.

“But, what about Jean Grey? Should she be the one to be the heir? I mean, Prof X had a son ....who rejected him, the school in several ways, even legal ways,” Kitty remembers that story and has the clips saved on her pen drive.

Pietro interjected. “Well, yes. But Jean and Maddy are twins,” Pietro seems to want to make a joke and Wanda shakes her head. “Anyway, Maddy was made the heir for reasons we do not know...and then she and Emma created the Hellfire school, a place for mutants who are real genius!”

kitty blinks remembering this story. This time Wanda scoffs.

“Emma is a bitch,” Wanda replied and Kitty is shocked by the choice of words. “Sorry Kitty, but, she is....we have a bad history. Anyway, it was her idea to make this school so...exclusive,” Wanda is clearly not pleased.

Pietro nods in agreement. “She’s also one of the few telepaths who are powerful enough to hold the title Prof X left open,”

“And to make our sperm donor back off, say what you will about Emma, but she’s truly strong to make Magneto think twice before anything, few have this...privilege,” Wanda replied cooly.

Kitty nods. “And how the body was found? I mean, Prof X is/was a powerful telepath... I find it hard to believe he was murder in the traditional way,”

Pietro and Wanda sent a look to each other.

“Kitten, look, is already too late to say how dangerous and morbid this all is, again, not your first mysterious death nor will be your last...but, Prof X had many secrets, made many enemies...his death is not truly investigated,” the twins talked together.

Kitty holds her tongue to not say how funny that was.

“I know...but like you two said, together! I had to do this once again,” Kitty states conventionally.

Wanda sighs and then speaks. “You know, Reeds tried to solve it...”

Pietro shakes his head. “He’s that smart and I bet he knows what happened but refuses to share it,”

No one argues against that.

Kitty holds her letter. “Well, guess I have to be smarter than him,” she jokes. “and yes, I´ll solve the case,”

“Just be careful, Kitty, those students are scary smart, one of them, moon girl is so smart she...created a dino,” Pietro exclaimed perplexed.

Wanda chuckles. “You have a twin you is a witch. This surprised you?!”

“Wanda, have you made a T-Rex? No, I don´t think so,”

Kitty watches them bicker for some time.

_________________________________________________

Cameron is a rational man, at least, he truly hopes he is. When his daughter develops magic and mutation well, the man was freaking out, but, thanks to Terry, his dear wife, the man got a grip and did the right thing.

This, however, is a matter they both need to discuss quickly as possible. “Terry, listen, I have a friend in New Orleans, he has a house for rent, we can go there...Kitty can study in that School of magic in New Orleans, We can live there,” Cameron suggested.

Terry’s lips are now a thin line. “Look, we´re jumping horses here, your job...how that would work?”

Cameron raises his hand. “We have a filial in New Orleans, I can be transferred there,”

Terry is biting her lips now. “Yes, but the legal process would take a while, plus, we never enter contact with that school, Wanda told us, remember? That New Orleans magic school has time to accept new students...and I think we´re far behind,” Terry responds worriedly.

“True, but I was thinking...maybe Scarlet Witch could...you know, open some door for Kitty,” noticing his wife’s gaze, Cameron amends. “Look, I´m not happy with any of this, but, do you want our daughter to be the sole magic user here?”

Terry blinks.

“I´m a muggle, ok, but even I know Kitty must be lonely here. She’s the only witch in this area, is involved in dark mysterious and well, is the only witch too young to join a coven,” Cameron replied.

“Oh...but she has so many friends, does she needs witch friends?”

“I don´t know, again, I´m a muggle, but, wouldn´t hurt...Kitty can be more close with her magic side, it feels as if we´re trying to force her to choose one side,” Cameron states.

“All paths lead to Hellfire School then, and I hate it, I don´t want them to bully her...look, our daughter may not be magic, but, those kids...” she trails off.

Cameron nods slowly. “I´m afraid too, but let’s be real, what option do we have here, we once tried to lock her in her room to stop her from tangle her in dark mystery, and...we found out her former principal is Satan,”

“Mephisto” Terry corrected.

“Yeah, so...let’s try a new approach, maybe this is just the typical ‘’rich dude is killed for money’’ and will be bored, hey, sometimes rich people kill each other for money, not for Satan,”

The door slams and the two adults jolt.

Kitty enters the house. Still holding the letter. “Mom, dad...”

Terry just hugs her daughter, “tell me, do you want to go to this school?”

Kitty nods.

“Promise to call us?”

Kitty nods.

“Then...fine...guess we have no choice, but, look is temporary, you heard me, temporary!”

[word-scribbless]

Smile Again Part 10

It’s a long one but one of my favorites!

Masterlist | Smile Again Masterlist

Things get a little angsts! But lots of cute too

——————————

About 2 weeks after Y/N and Aaron’s first date the team caught a local case that baffled them all. The Unsub was killing women and leaving notes on their bodies. He was also sending threats to their families. The interesting thing was he was using several languages at once to create a whole new language to write them in. Some of the languages, not even Reid knew and reworking the whole thing would take a very long time.

“Reid can you make any of this out?” Emily said looking at a letter the unsub left at the scene.

“I’m good but I’m not that good, I could work on decoding it but it’ll take me a hours to even figure out the languages used.” He replied.

“We need you in the field, and we don’t have hours.” Hotch said. He knew Reid could do it, but they couldn’t be a man down.

“It’s local, there are tons of colleges around maybe we can find an expert to assist Reid and figure this out.” Morgan added.

“Reid do you know anyone?” Rossi asked, Reid began to think before JJ cut in.

“Uh Hotch I know someone... but you’re not going to like it”

“Who?” Hotch asked. He suddenly had a gut feeling he really wasn’t going to like her suggestion, but he wasn’t sure why.

“Y/N” JJ said, nervously looking at her boss.

“Y/N? Like my-our-your Y/N?” He stumbled out.

“Yeah, our Y/N.” JJ chuckled at how flustered her cousin made her boss. “She’s spent her whole life since age 13 studying languages and what makes them up.” She continued.

“13? Is she a kid genius like pretty boy over here?” Morgan asked, patting Reid on the back.

“I mean she didn’t graduate early, she’s just always been interested in languages.” JJ answered, still keeping an eye on Hotch’s reaction.

He clearly wasn’t excited about the idea of her being involved, but was trying to hid his emotions. He knew she was brilliant and had heard her speak several languages, most of the time just to entertain Jack. He also liked to watch her work when she would bring the books she was translating to movie nights if she was near a deadline. He couldn’t deny working with her would be interesting to say the least, but he really didn’t want her near the types of people they saw. Like usual, JJ saw straight through him and gave him an apologetic, but pleading look.

“You think she could work this language out?” Rossi asked interrupting the two agent’s eye contact.

“I mean she once wrote half a thesis in a made up language to prove her theory on how our brains intupret and learn languages.” Jj shared with a proud smile.

“That’s genius” Reid said.

“Plus, I happen to know she passed a field agent test not that long ago to help out a local department in PA that sex crimes was helping with.” She added quietly.

“Really?” Morgan asked.

Hotch froze and JJ began to explain how even though she didn’t go in the field again after swat, she has volunteered to assist on a few cases with local PDs and the FBI office, but to do that she still had to test and prove she was capable for anything. Hotch knew she was capable of anything at all, but he didn’t want her to have to be in any situation to use those skills.

“I don’t want her in the field.” Hotch said with a strict tone, cutting off the other agents chatter. ‘Hell I don’t want her involved at all’, he thought, but he knew he couldn’t make that decision for her.

“So is that a yes?” Emily asked.

“It’s an I will ask her” Hotch grumbled

Rossi follows behind him as he stomps up to his office to reluctantly call his girlfriend. He loved how brilliant and kind she was. However right now he was cursing that two of his favorite things about her were what made him have to call and ask her to put herself in danger.

“Why doesn’t JJ ask?” Rossi asked with a smirk,following him up the stairs.

“Cause Y/N’ll feel inclined to say yes.” Hotch grumbled.

“And she won’t with you?” The older agent wondered.

“I’m hoping she’ll be inclined to say no to me”

“Have you seen the way she looks at you, I don’t think she ever wants to say no.” Rossi smiled.

“Dave” Aaron warned

“You know I’m right... because you’re even worse.” Dave said causing Hotch to roll his eyes and walk into his office.

Hotch picked up his cell phone to call Y/N, really wishing he didn’t have to, but their case really needed it.

“Y/L/N” she answered. He smiled, she must have been in the middle of work. Answering that way when busy was a side effect of her years in law enforcement.

“You sound so official, should I call back later Ms Y/L/N?” He chuckled. Hearing her voice made his nerves vanish,until he remembered why he was calling.

“Hey you!” She said, voice perking up. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah everything is fine.” He answered but she could tell he wasn’t being entirely truthful by the tone of his voice.

“What’s wrong Aaron?” She asked, fully stopping her work to listen.

“Before I ask this promise me you’ll think about it and not automatically say yes.” He prefaced.

“Oookay” she said skeptically, urging him to continue.

She heard him take a deep breath and sigh.

He dove in to explaining the case and the reason they needed help. He again explaining that she could say no, or even suggest someone else that could help. She listened intently and thought about it even though she knew her answer.

“Of course I’ll help” she said when he finally stopped his explanation.

“Y/N you do not have to do this.” He explained again.

“You want me to say no.” It was a statement not a question and her tone made him wince. He didn’t want her to think that he didn’t think she was right for the job or that she couldn’t take care of herself. He just really didn’t want her near danger.

“I just don’t want you to feel obligated” he sighed.

“I don’t Aaron, I want to help! But just linguistics no tech stuff.” She tried to joke but he knew the seriousness of that statement.

“Deal, you won’t be anywhere near the field if I have anything to do with it.” He chuckled lightly but just like him, she knew how serious he was.

“Did JJ make that rule?” She tried to joke but became more worried when instead of his usual chuckle he just huffed.

“I think your cousin would have you leading the team of I let her.” He said and she caught his irritated tone.

“Aaron what’s wrong?” She asked, not wanting to end the call and agree if he was going to be upset.

“I didn’t want you wrapped up in this.” He practically whispered and it made her heart hurt.

“If you don’t want me to help-“ she began before he cut her off.

“That’s not it Y/N, I’m sort of excited to work with you.” He admitted, making her smile before he sighed, “I just don’t want you hurt.”

“I’ve got you and Jayje and the team to protect me, baby. Plus I’m a badass remember?” She assured him and he couldn’t deny how much he loved the way the pet name sounded from her lips.

“Promise you’ll be safe for me?” He asked

“Yes, do you promise?”

“Always am, for you and jack”

“I know,” she said softly, before continuing with a smirk “So you’re excited to work with me?”

“Mmm it’s really sexy to see you in action.” He admitted in a low husky voice she loved.

There was no shortage of making out and boarder line groaping during their last couple movie nights after jack went to bed but they hadn’t gone past that since the first time. She absolutely loved hearing him talk like this.

“Oh yeah?” She asked and heard him grunt. “The language or the ass kicking?”

“Mmm both, but hearing you speak in other languages, god I don’t know what you’re saying but i love it.”

“ mm buono a sapersi bello” she hummed and heard his breath hitch.

“Be careful with that baby, I’m at work.” He purred

“Mm well after the case I’ll have to explore your love of my work some more.”

“Please do” he cleared his throat then and she laughed

“Oh buniness Hotch is back! Should I head in to the BAU now?”

“Yeah I can send someone to get you.”

“Unless it’s you I can handle getting there.” She laughed as she heard him cough again.

“I’ll see you soon, have Garcia email me all the evidence that’s in his ‘language’ so I can start working on it on the train?”

“Will do, I’ll also remind her not to get to used to you working with her.”

“I’d be too much of a distraction for you boss man.

“Bye y/n”

“See you soon Aaron.”

“So she’s in?” JJ smiled and asked when Hotch renterd the bullpen.

“Yeah” he grumbled “We keep her safe and out of the field.”

The team all nodded and JJ cheered quietly about getting to work with her cousin. Hotch chuckled at JJ’s antics and hid his own excitement about working with Y/N.

Hotch gave instructions of where to got, y/n would meet them at the BAU where read was doing the geo-profile and after JJ and Hotch met with local pd they’d come back and brief her.

In the car JJ could feel Hotch’s anxiety. She knew it wasn’t about the case, rather the idea of Y/N helping with the case.she felt guilty for suggesting something that caused him so much stress, but she knew her cousin could handle it.

“Hotch I’m sorry if I put you in a shitty situation suggesting Y/N.” She watched him tense even lore at her words. “But my cousin is a super hero, she can do anything and I trust her with my life, and our teams lives. Trust me when I say I’d never have suggested her if I thought she couldn’t handle it.”

“I know that, and I trust her too but Jack and I can’t lose her.” He admitted, surprising himself and JJ. Truth was, he couldn’t keep much of anything from the blonde agent even if he tried.

“Are we okay?”

“Yeah Jennifer, we’re okay. I can’t very well stay mad at the person who introduced Y/N Y/L/N into my life can I?

They both chuckled and felt the tension ease just a bit.

Y/N set up a little space for her to work in the conference room and set to work. She knew she shouldn’t be having fun during a murder investigation, but she couldn’t deny she loved this kind of work.

Derek has nicknamed her and Reid the nerd squad, after he walked in on them spewing theories and slaw itching between languages in a way no ‘normal human’ would comprehend. Hotch couldn’t help but stop and watch Y/N work for a moment when he and JJ got back with the lead detective.

He was snapped out of his trance by Rossi making a vaguely inappropriate comment about the ‘true reason’ he didn’t want y/m on the case. The sputtering cough he did in response to that comment caused his girlfriend’s beautiful eyes to snap up and lock with his.

She smiled widely at him and began to explain the progress they had made to him and the detective. He couldn’t help but love her even more for the way she was so professional, yet still somehow made him feel noticed by her.

Aaron thanked her and explained to all in the room their next steps. He left Y/N to it and called Reid to follow them to go check out a lead. Y/N suddenly felt a flash of anxiety listening to Aaron talk about breaching the house if they had to. He didn’t miss the look on her face and told the team he’d meet them at the SUVs.

“Hey, I’ll be fine” he whispered moving closer to her. He knew it was risky but pulled her into his arms anyway. Kissing her head and then quickly pulling back.

“I did t think it’d scare me this much, I mean I know what you do but being here and hearing it all... what if you don’t come back? What if I have to watch-“ she started to break and he took her hand.

“Y/N I won’t let that happen! I WILL come back to you”

She nodded and squeezed his hand

“I’m sorry”

“Don’t be sorry sweetheart, JJ had to talk me off the same ledge in the suv.” This caused her to giggle and calm down a bit.

“Get going boss man, be safe.”

“Anything for you” he smiled and headed off.

Y/N moved her operation down to be with Garcia I case they needed help with the language, but mostly because she didn’t want to be alone. The lead was a dead end so the team headed back and were working on the profile again when Y/N decoded a journal entry that talked about an abandoned warehouse that he used to frequent when he was homeless.

“Let’s go, Garcia stay online, Reid-“

“Hotch Y/N should probably ride along.” Rossi just got out before Aaron boomed “NO”.

Y/N looked just as startled by the idea as Aaron.

“Hotch she needs to be with us decoding the journal in case there is a new location, or he starts talking in his language.”

“I told you, she doesn’t go in the field” y/N could feel the anger radiating off of him, she saw JJ thinking about how to calm him down.

“Hey”, she whispered to Aaron, pulling him to the side, she locked eyes with Rossi who immediately understood and began to lead the team to the cars.

“Don’t worry you d-“ he started before she cut him off.

“I’m going to come with you.” She said and braced herself for his reaction.

“NO Y/N.” He said steadily but still gentle as he always was with her.

“I will be so careful, I won’t go anywhere near the scene. You need me Aaron”

“Yeah I do need you, alive.”

She felt her heart clench at his words and stroked his cheek, “I will be safe, please trust me.”

“I do!”

“I know, so remember that, you’ll be right there, so will JJ.”

“What if I can’t protect you?”

“Sweetheart, I just want to catch this guy, so I can spend time with my favorite boys! I’ll be okay.”

“Promise?”

She nodded and pulled him along to the cats.

“Dave was right...” he huffed

She looked at him to explain and he continued.

“I can’t say no to you”

She smirked and responded “I’ll have to remember that.

When they pulled up to the scene y/n pushed down the fear and memories of the case that changed her whole life and took her husband. If she was going to do this. She locked eyes with Aaron in the rear view mirror and smiled when he sent her a sweet wink.

That was the last moment of calm before all hell broke loose. The unsub was in the warehouse holding a woman hostage. Hotch broke all his rules and kissed Y/N lightly before putting on his vest to assure her he’d be okay. He left her in the safety of the SUV as he went to the staging area.

After about 15 minutes the unsub began to lose it even more.

“Hotch he’s speaking the language we have to send Y/N in.” Reid said, earning him a nasty glare from his boss.

“Not a chance. We’ll just wire someone.” Hotch responded.

“He’ll know” JJ said with a defeated tone herself. He knew she didn’t want her cousin to go in either but they had no choice.

“Fine” he sighed “but I go with her.”

“You’re too intimidating I’ll go.” Jj countered

“Jj you keep her safe.” He sternly whispered as they ent to brief Y/N.

“Hotch I know you love her but so do I, I’d do anything to protect her.” She said quickly before they reached you

“Jj I-“

“Don’t try to deny it Hotch, I know you haven’t told her yet but I know it’s true.” Hotch flushes a bit.

“I know you’d do anything to protect her JJ, I just, I can’t lose her and I hate putting her in this position even though I know she can handle it.” He admitted and knew JJ understood.

They briefed Y/N and after a brief moment of panic Y/N assured them both she could to it. She put on a vest and they entered the building.

Everything was going well, Y/N was speaking to him in his language, she was doing everything by right. That was until the hostage began to yell and insult him. He shoved the victim towards Y/N sending them both fattening down a flight of steps.

Jj secured the unsubscribe and cleared the team to come in. She hadn’t looked over towards her cousin yet but could tell the victim was fine.

She rushed down the stairs to see her cousin laying unconscious with a gash to the head.

“No no no” Jj said taking her hand as

took team came in and Rossi began to move the unsub to the SUVs

“Y/n!” Hotch wailed. Running to Y/N’s limo figure.

“Hotch I’m sorry Jj said, but Hotch couldn’t hear anything as he rushed to Y/N’s side, grasping her hand in his.

“Y/N please”

“Hm hi handsome” she said opening her eyes and groaning as she held her head. It took her a bit to realize what was happening, but the smell of the old warehouse brought most of the recent events back. “Don’t look so worried you two, I’m alive.” She said with a weak smile

“I’m going to get the medic” JJ said before kissing her cousins head and running off.

“Aaron I kn-“ she began

“I love you” he cut her off

“What?” Yn breathes

“I’m in love with you, I know it’s crap timing and you probably have a concussion but god I don’t want to waste anymore time with out you knowing I love you.”

“I love you too Aaron.”

He held her face and kissed her soundly. Pulling away when he heard Rossi wolf whistle behind them.

“I guess they all know now, sorry I know you like to be secretive.”

“they’ve known how I’ve felt longer than I did. Plus I don’t plan on keeping you a secret y/n ever.

He was insanely happy he finally told her how he felt and got to hear that she loved him too. Now he had to face JJ knowing he let her cousin get hurt.

Outside with the medics JJ was terrified to face her boss knowing she let Y/N get hurt. She was holding back tears that she could have lost her best friend.

Y/N was just happy to be loved by Aaron and JJ, and to be alive she was happy about that too. And dizzy she was also dizzy.

Smile again tag list:

@thebadassbitchqueen @violetclifford @kyleetheeditor @thelostallycat @mac99martin @stop-drop-and-drumroll

Tag list:

@diesinspanishbcimhispanic @averyhotchner

[lixxen]

Saint Bernard (Matt Murdock x Male!Reader)

Saint Bernard - Matt Murdock x Male!Reader

Reader meets Matt in college and has a horrible past. He is genetically mutated and had powers forced upon him.

Song: Saint Bernard by Lincoln.

-----

Hung pictures of patron saints up on my wall 

Y/n stared up to the sky as the rain came pouring down upon Hell’s kitchen. The grey skies reminded him of his childhood, the walls that kept him prisoner. The walls that were covered in pictures of people he did not believe should have been there.

It wasn’t until he finally got to college, meeting Matthew Murdock, that he had believed in the world. Matthew Murdock became his patron saint. His key to freedom.

He had changed his major from religious studies to law, even if it pissed off the Church. Pissed off the Mass.

Matthew showed him a side of the world that he hadn’t known. It was wonderful.

To remind me that I am a fool. 

The Church didn’t approve of Matthew. He may have been Catholic, but he was a sinner. 

There was a rumor about Matthew within the Church; a hushed one that he was never to speak of around Matthew. Lucifer had taken control of a mortal man and seduced one of the Sisters, forcing her to bear one of his children. 

They told him that Matthew was the Devil, just like his father. To cast him aside and to come home.

But he never saw that in Matthew. He was a saint. He had his moments, but Matthew was wonderful. So he stayed by Matthew’s side.

That was until Elektra had shown up.

Tell me where I came from, what I will always be 

Once Elektra showed up, Matthew seemed to stray.

Y/n watched as Elektra came in and enticed him. They both shared common paths; being helped by a man who Y/n had never learned the name of. It made the two come together to create something that Y/n would finally call the Evil One.

The long nights that Y/n stayed up, waiting for Matthew with Foggy in the dorms.

“He always attracts the wrong type.” Foggy had commented. Y/n could barely agree, knowing what he knew.

Elektra was as beautiful as a coral snake. Gorgeous and enticing. One of the most dangerous and venomous.

Elektra looked at Y/n like he was just a child. She loved him like a young brother, but never recognized his strife.

Y/n never showed reciprocation. He couldn’t.

Just a spoiled little kid who went to catholic school. 

When Elektra dropped out of their lives, Matthew lashed out.

He drew away from Y/n and even casted out Foggy for a while. It hurt everyone around him.

Y/n had never understood normal lives, but he tried.

Y/n stood in the mirror many nights, staring at himself. Two doors over was Matthew and Foggy. They couldn’t understand what was in the mirror. No one truly could.

The shining in those eyes that had never experienced anything other than the Church. He knew that those eyes held a dangerous power. He had tried to tell Matthew one time, but it just wouldn’t come out.

When Elektra left, she told Y/n that he wouldn’t ever be anything more than a Catholic child, spoiled by the blessing of a loving life.

Oh how she was wrong.

When I am dead I won't join their ranks,

Y/n stood on top of the school dormitory, staring down at the people as the rain pelted down upon them. His face was blank as he observed them, going on with their lives without noticing him.

His eyes were glowing softly, his hand clenched like there should be something in it. His breathing was slow and shallow, picking up slightly as he stepped forward. One small step and he could fall to the ground, ending everything then and there.

The Church couldn’t control him here, as much as they tried. They couldn’t control life and death as much as they wished. The Mass couldn’t scream to him, ridicule him and thunder out of control. They couldn’t make his ears echo like a bell was hit when placed over his head.

'Cause they are both holy and free.

He had heard the door open behind him, someone joining him on the roof. His eyes dulled and he let his hand relax.

Turning, he saw Matthew standing there. He was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, arms wrapped around himself. He didn’t have his cane.

“Matthew.” Y/n’s voice was barely a whisper.

He never understood how Matthew could do it all. He had freedom and no external ties.

Y/n was tied to the Church forever. He may have been seen as Holy, but he would never be. Not with what they did to him.

“Come down.” Matthew spoke softly, holding a hand out to Y/n. “Let’s talk.”

Y/n reached a hand out, taking Matthew’s.

Matthew would always be a Saint.

And I'm in Ohio, satanic and chained up

“You cannot see the Devil!” The Father screamed at Y/n, who stood there, not looking him in the eye.

“Yes, Father.” Y/n spoke in hushed tones, afraid to be striked.

“You are an angel. You cannot have him spoil your beauty and holiness. How will God take you then?” The Father grabbed onto Y/n’s face, gripping his jaw. “Look at me, Child!”

“Yes, Father.” Y/n tried his best to not tear up.

Shackles weighed heavily on his wrists, unseen by the world. They were grey and cold. Y/n could feel them even if they weren’t truly there.

Y/n remembers Matthew appearing with Foggy down the stairs at that moment. The Father looked up and let out an undignified noise at the sight of Matthew. He let go of Y/n’s jaw, almost throwing him to the side.

“I will be back Sunday, Child.” The Father looked back to Y/n.

“Yes, Father. Of course.” Y/n nodded, glancing up to The Father before looking to the ground.

Once he was gone, tears raised to his eyes. He will never be freed from the monsters that made him.

And until the end, that's how it'll be.

Y/n looked at his hands as Foggy and Matthew joined his side.

“Is he your real dad?” Foggy asked.

“Does it matter?” Y/n replied, not answering the question.

“Of course it does, Y/n.” Matthew spoke up.

Y/n looked up to Matthew, who was looking in his direction, a frown upon his face.

“In the end, I will never be free of them. Let’s go get food. I’m hungry.” Y/n took a deep breath, ignoring the look that Foggy shot to an unseeing Matthew.

I said make me love myself so that I might love you.

“I love you, Y/n.” Matthew had whispered quietly to Y/n one night.

The two were laying together in Matthew’s bed. Y/n had his eyes closed, but they opened when Matthew spoke.

“I love you too, Matthew.” Y/n whispered back. “But you shouldn’t love me. I don’t deserve your love.”

Y/n that night had disappeared from the bed while Matthew slept.

“Goodbye, Matthew. May we meet and love again in another lifetime.” Y/n had whispered to Matthew.

When Matthew woke up, he panicked.

He rushed to Y/n’s room, pulling out the spare key that they had spoofed. He opened the door to find the room bare.

Don't make me a liar, 'cause I swear to god, 

Y/n watched Matthew throughout his life.

He had ran from his life, only keeping contact with Father Paul Lantom.

It was raining the night that Y/n had shown up to the Cathedral. He walked in, the candles flaring up at his presence. Father Lantom had rushed to meet him halfway down the aisle, where Y/n collapsed. 

When Y/n had woken up, Sister Maggie was standing over him, smiling softly.

“Child, what happened to you?” She asked Y/n, the worry in her eyes betraying her smile. “Who did this to you?”

“The Church.” Y/n whispered, his throat hurting. “They made me into this.”

Y/n was sat up as Sister Maggie patched up his injuries. His arm and wing was bound to his body. They offered to give him a place to say, the basement. Y/n accepted with no hesitance. He thanked them greatly until he was fully healed. He had found out that Sister Maggie was Matthew’s mother on a dark night.

When I said it I thought it was true.

Matthew had appeared multiple times to the church before.

But this time was different.

The night was dark, the wind was howling as Y/n crouched on the top of the church, watching the people go by. He watched as Matthew rushed into the church, bruised and bloody.

Y/n hurried to go down the trap door and into the back of the church. He watched from the side door as Matthew walked up to Father Lantom. He looked like he was on an inch of his life, barely holding on.

It had been months since Y/n had seen Matthew and Matthew had shown up to the cathedral. 

Father Lantom had caught Matthew as he passed out again. Y/n slowly moved out into the aisle to help Father Lantom carry Matthew up to the infirmary.

Matthew had fallen into a small coma, Sister Maggie had told Y/n. So Y/n sat with Matthew. He helped tend to Matthew, hoping he wouldn’t wake up with him there. He let the glow in his eyes appear for the first time in years, just for Matthew. He placed a now warm hand onto Matthew’s. He closed his eyes, a halo appearing over his head. It was barely glowing, but it was there. 

Once his eyes opened, Matthew started to gasp and his body arched up. 

Y/n backed up, turning his head slightly to cry out for Sister Maggie.

The Sisters, who doubled as his nurses, rushed in to calm down Matthew. Sister Maggie ushered Y/n out and told him to hide.

Matthew had woken up.

Saint Calvin told me not to worry about you, 

Matthew had spent months in the basement, getting stronger again.

Once he was better, he started to leave the cathedral for small amounts of time. 

Y/n would sit in the back pew, waiting for Matthew to come back.

“You shouldn’t worry about Matthew.” Father Lantom had told him one day, sitting next to Y/n.

“Father… I feel like I must. Matthew runs around claiming to be a Devil when in fact he is a true Saint.” Y/n looked up to Father Lantom, who sighed.

“Y/n, Matthew has been lost his whole life. From the second that Sister Maggie left, his life was turned upside down.” Father Lantom took Y/n’s hand into his own. “You’ve been just as lost since birth. There’s a reason why the Lord had chosen you two.”

“He visited the outside of my room last night.” Y/n looked back to the front of the church. “I think he knows that something resides in it.”

“I will make sure he doesn’t try to go in.” Father Lantom pats Y/n’s hand.

But he's got his own things to deal with.

Y/n had watched Father Lantom as he dealt with some of the shocks of chaos in the city. They had an influx of people coming into the cathedral to cope, so Y/n had come out of his hiding to help them. Matthew is now visible to Foggy and Karen now, accepting his presence once more with struggle. Y/n had spotted them while getting supplies for the church. He was snapped out of his stupor when they called out his cover name at the restaurant.

They called him Gabriel, after the angel. Y/n found it amusing because of what he was.

Y/n had always kept notice of when Matthew was in the pews, praying or watching the other patrons. Now that Y/n was helping, he had to keep track of where Matthew was inside of the services. He couldn’t get too close to Matthew. He looked different now, but not unrecognisable. 

“Who’s the new helper?” Matthew had asked one of the Sisters during a slower day. Y/n knew he was watching closely that day.

“Gabriel? He came in for medical help one day and he shows up everyday to help us as thanks.” The Sister had smiled at him. She hadn’t known that Y/n lived there, so it wasn’t lying. “He’s a lovely boy. He’s especially close to Sister Maggie and Father Lantom. He talks to them mainly. He was there to help when you woke up. He said he was playing with the children and they wanted to see you at the time.”

Y/n knew that Matthew couldn’t hear his heartbeat. He didn’t need one anymore.

Y/n had glanced at Matthew at the same time that Matthew had turned his head towards Y/n. Y/n turned to Father Lantom and whispered to him.

“Father, I’m going on a walk. Is that alright?” Y/n asked. He needed to breathe. He didn’t like how conscious Matthew was about him.

“It’s late, Young One.” Father Lantom frowned.

“I know. I’ll be back within an hour. I promise.” Y/n tried to give a reassuring smile.

“Alright. I’ll close the doors late so you can come through the front.” Father Lantom had nodded. “Be careful.”

“Like always, Father.” Y/n nodded before walking towards the entrance.

Y/n noticed Matthew get up and walk towards the entrance as he did. Y/n picked up his pace, hoping that once he got outside he could lose Matthew. His footsteps picked up and he got into the cold air, taking a deep breath and looking around. Where to go.

Y/n walked down the street, passing a few buildings. Matthew was now outside and following him.

Y/n went down an alley and climbed up a fire escape, getting to the roof and disappearing from Matthew.

There's really just one thing that we have in common 

Karen had taken refuge in the cathedral. She was being hunted and Hell’s Kitchen was terrified. 

Father Lanton had talked to her and introduced her to the Sisters and Y/n. They looked after her until the service, keeping Karen in the same pew as Y/n for safety.

Y/n watched as the fake Devil had walked into the cathedral. 

Y/n knew automatically who he was there for. It was obvious to everyone.

Everyone had gasped when the Devil had walked down the aisle.

“Karen Page.” The Devil called out. “Where is Karen Page?”

Y/n had glanced from Karen to Father Lantom, who frowned at Y/n and barely shook his head no. He didn’t want Y/n to interfere. The other members had all stood up now, looking mortified.

“Karen?” The Devil called out one more time before he striked one of the members.

They let out a scream and some started to run towards the doors. Y/n watched as they struggled to open the door with no avail. The others cowered in the pews.

“Wait! I’m here!” Karen cried out and ran into the aisle as he struck down another man.

“Karen. It’s nice to see you again.” The Devil grinned.

Y/n got up and darted in front of Karen, stopping a meter in front of her. He tried to create a barrier between them so he couldn’t attack her.

“Don’t come any closer!” Y/n cried out.

“Oh that’s funny-” The Devil had laughed before Matthew had kicked him down.

Y/n grabbed Karen and brought her back up towards Father Lantom and the others, trying to coax her quietly into staying down but to no avail. They watched the two fight for a minute until the Devil seemingly knocked out Matthew.

An uneasiness and anger settled in the bottom of Y/n’s gut and he glanced around quickly.

“Y/n, protect the children and others.” Father Lantom had spoken up and Y/n turned to him.

“Father, we need to get Karen out of here.” Y/n tried. He hadn’t noticed Karen and the Devil staring at one another until Father Lantom pushed Y/n out of the way. He stepped in front of Karen right as the billy club flew at her. It buried itself into his stomach and Y/n suddenly felt numb.

Father Lantom dropped into Karen’s arms as she screamed out.

“Y… Y/n…” Father Lantom spoke quietly.

Neither of us will be missed.

Matthew sprung up with a scream, attacking the Devil suddenly in response.

Y/n dropped to his knees next to Father Lantom, looking over him. The injury was bad. He was losing blood too quickly for Y/n to heal him.

Y/n’s breathing picked up quickly and he felt the energy and anger swirling in his stomach. Karen looked up from Father Lantom to Y/n, gasping as she saw the halo above Y/n’s head and the glowing eyes.

Y/n stood up and shrugged off the jacket on his back, the one that hid his loose wings. The sudden movement caught both the Devil and Matthew’s attention.

Y/n held out a hand, a golden bow seemingly materializing in his hands. The other hand reaches behind him and he pulls a golden arrow out of nowhere. He put the arrow onto the golden string, pulling back and aiming.

Saint Bernard sits at the top of the driveway, 

Y/n let go of the arrow, his halo and arrow brightly as it flew through the air.

It hit the Devil and made him stumble backwards.

Matthew jumped back into the fight, keeping the Devil focused on him instead of Y/n.

Y/n turned back to look at Karen, who had backed up slightly now.

“Get them to the basement, Karen. I’ll help Matthew.” Y/n spoke quietly enough to not alert the civilians but loud enough for Karen to hear.

She nods and starts to move them towards the basement.

Y/n turned back and joined the fight again. He fell into place next to Matthew, who turned his head towards him for a split second.

“Y/n?” Matthew asked in a breathless voice.

“Matthew.” Y/n replied. “Get him down and keep him there.”

Matthew nodded and jumped to try and flip the Devil over. The two looked almost like they were dancing, but Y/n knew better.

Once Matthew had gotten the Devil down, Y/n took a glowing hand and closed his eyes, placing the hand over the Devil’s face.

You always said how you loved dogs.

Y/n focused hard, pouring all of his intent into his hand and the Devil. The Devil went limp and fell still.

Y/n backed up, his body shocked by the energy flood. He turned towards Father Lantom and stumbled over.

“Y/n, what are you doing? What did you do?” Matthew asked as Y/n fell to his knees in front of Father Lantom’s body.

I don't know if I count 

Y/n placed his hand on Father Lantom’s stomach and focused the energy back into Father Lantom.

“Oh Holy Father, my Lord, please bless him.” Y/n whispered and felt the energy leave his body.

Father Lantom shocked back to life and Y/n’s eyesight started to turn black.

But I'm trying my best

Y/n fell backwards as Matthew ran towards him, calling his name.

When I'm howling and barking these songs. 

The Lord had let Jesus bring back a bird, Y/n remembered.

But that was a bird.

--

Matthew sat with Y/n’s body, holding Y/n’s hand as Foggy and Karen sat next to him.

Matthew hadn’t prayed often, but today was one day he did.

“I can’t believe he was here this whole time.” Foggy was still shocked.

“Father Lantom said that after he left college, Y/n had shown up months later all busted up and hurt. Y/n never talked about what happened, but Father said that he spoke of Matt in college and why he had to leave.” Karen filled them in. 

Matthew pressed his hand to Y/n’s face, wishing that they met under different circumstances.

-----

Y/n L/n.

29 years old, one year younger than Matthew Murdock.

Born in a small religious town in Ohio.

The Church is a catholic cult that has control in many major cities. They have a few churches in New York City and Hell’s Kitchen, not including the Cathedral. Their hometown is where Y/n was born.

Their goal is to make the next Christ, so they take children and mothers to create what are considered Angels. Until Y/n, none of the children or mothers had survived. The higher ups in the Church treated him like a creature to control, like Angels could be domesticated. The rest of the Church worshipped him as the second Christ. When he went to college, he managed to break away from the Church and get away.

Y/n was born with wings on his back that turned out to be a beautiful white. He can conceal them in an extra layer of skin on his back. He learned to fly at a young age.

He was tested on in his young years to give him powers that they believed an angel would have. 

He can create a weapon made of light in his hands and use them as real weapons. With intention, he can create small blessings and heal people to a certain degree. A halo will appear over his head and show how powerful he is at the moment. His senses are enhanced and he is slightly more durable. While his power is strong, he is more resistant towards damage. He can go into a state of rest where his mortal functions shut down (heartbeat, body heat). 

His powers are stronger the more healthy he is (how much energy is stored) and the more focused he is. When his emotions take control, his power flares to a dangerous level.

-

LANTOM EXPLANATION:

He basically took all of the energy he needed to bring Lantom back from Poindexter, which in turn killed Poindexter. Y/n passed out from a large use of his power. It was a miracle and a healing in one. His power comes from how much energy he has at the time, so he needed more.

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN COLLEGE AND HIM SHOWING UP AT THE CHURCH:

The Church came after him, so he spent two months fighting anyone that had come after him. They also live in Hell’s Kitchen, so he ran into some of Fisk’s (or someone else’s) men. He got jumped and defended himself. He chose Hell’s Kitchen to run to because it was where Matt was from and he knew about Father Lantom and Sister Maggie from Matt. He knew they would help him some.

[frightfurtabby]

HimiKiyo Week 2021 Day 3- The Streets are Long-Ass Gutters

Day 3! Time for a Cyberpunk AU. What is vice and what is virtue in a dystopian future where so many have turned to crime to survive in corrupt corporate states?

I forget if I mentioned this in the last post but all the amino crosspost links will be collected and posted at the end of the week on here. 

Word Count: 3,061

Content: Lots of murder, alcohol reference

Links-

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34139533

People were suffering, toiling away at shitty jobs for next to no pay, exploited by the powerful megacorporations. Back in the past it was only nations or gangs that went to war against each other, or against themselves. The trend now for the last 100 years was corporations fighting actual bloody wars against each other instead. Sending out all the low level grunts who they had no use for anymore to die. The worst, darkest parts of humanity were on full display every day whether it was something that made the news or not.

Still, technology progressed even when it seemed everything else had regressed into feudalism. Death and Life became ever more complex as people started being able to be downloaded and uploaded like AI with most if not all memories intact. So what truly counted as being dead now? Stuff that could have killed you before could be better dealt with enough credits to pay someone under the table.

In this backdrop is where Korekiyo grew up their whole life, initially being insulated from much of it. That all changed when they didn’t have my parents protection any more. One of them found it a “step too far” to put the chip with what remained of Sister’s brain in themself. Among other traditionalist qualms about how they dressed and wanted to modify about themself, such as the metal arm and enhanced nervous system. It wasn’t surprising, given how they reacted to people like them any time the topic was in the news.

So for the next few years they were travelling, studying how various people were dealing with their own conditions with a school anthropology department. And yet they weren’t allowed to publish some findings because the “education” megacorp that ran the colleges blocked it.

After becoming fed up with the state of things Kiyo quit and joined a gang, getting to delve in and know more about the so-called Underworld and its inhabitants. People from all walks of life ended up around them: drifters, ex-corpos, sex workers, mercenaries, people who were all of the above and then some. Almost none of it was surprising.

And just a couple weeks ago there was an incident that changed their trajectory again, though it seemed like it was just another in a long line of similar incidents..

A group of Yakuza, emboldened in their power by even more corporate money laundering, at the behest of a giant media conglomerate attacked the headquarters of a rival channel. They overheard that performers were one the upper floors which included one of the showrunners' nieces, this pulled Kiyo in to follow the hit squad. Spread throughout the floors were average people who hadn’t done anything wrong and not all of them were going to be saved.

They met Himiko Yumeno and saved her life because of being in the right place at the right time. As though it were destiny.

She was  holed up in a locked room and caught a glimpse of a metal arm holding a steady gun and assumed it was one of the attackers, taking Kiyo down suddenly as they searched for people to help. It took a few moments of pleading to clear up the misunderstanding on their part and help her open up an emergency door for the rest of the show’s cast. It was here they were properly introduced to each other.

“I’m so sorry about that. You can never be too careful.” she said. “So if you’re not with them are you, you don’t look like building security? A cop?”

Kiyo shook their head, they weren’t sure if they could tell her what they really were just yet. Mainly because it wasn’t that much different from what the guys currently murdering a bunch of her co-workers were. “We can talk about that later. I’m not the police either, but they’re coming so we should get out before they come in and we get caught in the crossfire.”

“Fair point.”

Himiko followed behind on the way down the steps and both listened to the shots still ringing out. Some were coming from inside the building but it sounded like the police had rolled up on the front side and were now trading fire in between pleas on their radio to stop the attack.

The streets were going to be blocked off for a pretty wide area, and it had already started. So the two weaved through a back alleyway a few blocks back and found a car left unattended by one of the gang squads.

“I’ll hotwire this, get in.” Kiyo placed a hand on the door and scanned the lock requirements and transformed a finger into just the right shape of key to unlock it. She was sighing in relief, tired of running or being on edge already. Even though it couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes since the start of the raid it felt like every moment stretched on for hours.

Kiyo tapped the driver's side glass to run a check and found it to be bulletproof. They weren’t sure if the passenger’s side was equally protected, but the front pane definitely was knowing how important getaway driver’s were considered.

The car started up and Kiyo shot out of the alley fast enough to send a can of trash flying up, and swerved out onto the road. The blockade wasn’t out this far yet, there was probably a shortage of them on the force again. This even had a police scanner in it, to track them. With just a little bit of a tweak it could also send signals out. They considered for a moment if it was worth it. They didn’t think any good would come of anyone following potentially.

So instead they start using their cyborg arm to start fiddling and turn off tracking and both the dash cam on the front and any bio-scanners inside that would prove they had commandeered this vehicle. It was breaking several laws, yes, but it was saving a life. Nothing they weren’t already used to.

Another car sped up to get right behind them. It was the same kind of model, so definitely one of the attackers. Possibly saw the theft or came when it stopped giving a signal. Either way they were now being followed. And when one followed there was likely going to be more. Either by the police who may think they were involved or by crooks mad their car was taken.

They passed the gun to her. “Here, use this should it come to that.”

Traffic picked up further away from the scene they got so it was harder to weave through quick enough until they hit the freeway. Too many witnesses were made to even properly count. And the brief slow down allowed the other vehicle to graze their side, causing Kiyo to need to swerve and almost over-correct around the next corner.

Their company got even and then picked up speed to pull a little bit ahead, the back window rolled down like their passenger side. A man inside was shouting and going for a weapon on his belt, his words drowned out by the speed of air caused by the race, and he wouldn’t get to finish because Himiko fired twice, sending him backwards into his seat and out of sight.

Kiyo sped up again, hearing a cacophony of honks from civilian vehicles upset at being forced to pull to the shoulder. The enemy driver steadied and muttered a prayer before grinding against the passenger side and attempted his own shot only for the third bullet from Himiko embed itself into the arm he was aiming with, causing it to miss and puncture the ceiling of the stolen vehicle.

Himiko’s adrenaline was pumping. Someone was already dead or going to be soon at her hands. Even if it was defensive, the very thought terrified her.

And yet the driver didn’t give up. He grabbed it with his other hand and drove with the forearm of his injured side to go and ram them again. This time another car got between them as Kiyo veered to create distance and avoid rear-ending the unfortunate motorist.

“Listen, please fire again the next time you see him.” Kiyo asked.

She was shaking, and nodded. There wasn’t much to say. It was what had to be done.

The back seat was hit several times, even shattering the windows, before Himiko had a good shot a throwing knife whizzed into her and the sharp edge cut one of her hands. And her return volley hit the door of the driver, who was reloading. In just a few more seconds he would have bullets with her name on them. That knife was to buy him time.

So she used the last shot, shaking off the pain momentarily, and due to how he was hunched over the bullet entered his jaw and he crashed into the wall as he spasmed and convulsed.

Leaving only their car speeding away… for now.

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

Surprisingly, nobody else came. A trip to the outer limits of the city got them away. Kiyo parked in a back alley lot and immediately went and cracked open the trunk. As expected, there were more weapons and some medical supplies for those who were hurt on the job.

She sat down on a milk crate, wincing. “God, this hurts so bad.” She held her opposite hand around her cut to prevent herself from bleeding everywhere as Kiyo brought over the med kit. Blood from her wound was already covering her skirt and leggings.

“That was a close call, I’m glad you’re a surprisingly good shot.” Kiyo said, taking some time to clean and disinfect her first.

“Surprisingly? What’s that supposed to mean?” she huffed at the tall stranger. People were always thinking she was some pushover because she was short and looked young.

Kiyo let the blood soak some before checking how deep the wound was. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything too serious. Wrapping it in some gauze did the trick.

“I don’t mean to offend, but I’ve not seen you fire anything before. How was I supposed to know at that moment?”

“I…” Himiko sighed “I guess you’re right. Thanks by the way. You saved my life.”

“We’re… not entirely out of the clear just yet.” Kiyo said as they got up and dumped the license plate into the alley’s dumpster, quickly covering it with more trash that was littered about, they’d stolen it from the car. It was a bit old fashioned but it would be another piece of evidence that could connect the car to the scene they’d just escaped. Any conclusive proof the gang or cops could find should be destroyed.

“When will we be in the clear?” the girl asked,

She watched her new companion pouring oil from a drum onto the vehicle. And motion her to get back. She took the pack with the rest of the useful medical supplies and Kiyo removed the case of weaponry and looked it over.

“Only when we get to my place. You should probably stay a few days so the hunt dies down… maybe I could put you with a friend in the same-”

“I’m sure your friends are good and all but… I don’t know them yet, I want to stay with you if I gotta pick.”

Kiyo nodded in understanding. “Well then, we’re about.” The tall one did some mental math, checking in quickly with the chip in their head that sped that process up. “35 miles northeast of the complex I live in.”

“And your ride is on the way?”

Kiyo nodded in the affirmative “Indeed. It won’t be very much longer now in fact. It’ll be a couple more blocks up so we’re out of the way when… this goes off.” Then they flicked a match onto the end of the line of oil and rushed with her away.

The way back to the apartment was tense and paranoid. Kiyo put on the online radio to keep track of the news about the situation, switching stations occasionally if they switched coverage to something else or there was nothing new. Chatter online indicated about half the building’s occupants went down with at least injuries. The exact death toll wouldn’t be out until everything had been secured.

“Should I call and tell people I’m okay? I… don’t exactly want to show up as missing on the national news.” Himiko said, shifting nervously in her chair.

“Yes, you can tell someone you trust.” It would look bad if they let their paranoia convince them not to allow her to. Seeming like a kidnapper would just bring unwanted attention. Their associates would be mad and sister told them she didn’t exactly want to spend her time sticking around to just be spent behind bars.

One press and it went to her contact. “I’m okay, I got out. I’ll be in hiding for now. I’m with another friend.”  She had to keep it short on the low battery, unfortunately. Even with being weary of this person still, she thought better of revealing anything more.

She hung up with a farewell after a few more seconds and turned it back off, complaining to the only other who was around to listen. “Of all the days for me to leave the charger at home. Angie even reminded me not to do that.”

“Angie? That’s not a name you hear much in Japan.”

“It’s not, she’s actually from one of those islands out in the pacific. Used to be an American colony before well…”

Kiyo nodded. The United States of America had long since broken up due in part to the corporate wars and there really wasn’t any recognized entity that was still calling itself that. So all the non-mainland territories broke away. Many still are under the boot of large companies whether they were locally built or arrived from overseas since the islands were so rich in natural resources that couldn’t be found in many other places.

The conversation branched out from there, keeping both of their minds occupied with something other than the dread of having even more of those guys after them.

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

During the apartment tour Kiyo showed Himiko around. The kitchenette, which was stocked with microwave instant noodles and burritos, featured a ton of soda and alcohol in the small fridge. All of it was cheap and/or synthetic stuff, clearly Shinguji wasn’t someone living in the lap of luxury.

Then there was the main room. It was in the center, the kitchenette was a small area to the left side. It had tile instead of carpet denoting the otherwise almost nonexistent boundary. There were very few doors: one leading outward to the balcony, one leading to the lone bedroom, and a third leading to the lone bathroom.

“Would you like to sleep out here? It’s generally pretty safe…”

“You look like you’re about to hit me with a huge ‘but’”

“Last month someone tried to break in. They were high off something and thought this was their unit. And rumor has it someone’s found ways to pick locks around here. Mine are up to date enough but you know how it is with malware.”

“Then I’ll sleep uh, in your room. If that’s okay.”

Kiyo agreed, showing her the large bed. It could easily fit both of them even though the majority of the time nobody but Kiyo was using it. There was a wardrobe and a work desk. The work desk held all of their weapons and tech. Many tools were used to keep everything working.

“And yes before you ask, I am too poor to afford all of this. A lot of it is stolen.” Kiyo explained. “Often from people who met an unfortunate fate like our attackers earlier.” Kiyo added the new goods to the collection by putting it on top of the desk.

Thankfully the blinds were always shut on this room. Kiyo had boarded it up and sealed the heat in that way because every so often in places as rundown as this you’d get a window shot out for no real reason other than some assholes felt like it.  

A few hours later they had crawled in and tried to rest. At some point somebody must have wanted more warmth because upon waking up the next morning Kiyo noticed they were now huddling together, arms around the other. It would be a delicate thing to get out of the embrace without waking her up too.

They hesitated. They didn’t have any urgent jobs at this hour, all of those were planned specifically to be later. So was it really wrong to stay put and just see how she’s doing? It was a rough day yesterday after all.

Even with the window boarded up small cracks of light fluttered through. A small reminder the outside still had beauty in it.

Himiko woke up moments later, finding herself curled up to Kiyo and realizing she’d been the one to start being so close. An impulsive thought she wasn’t awake enough to second guess herself. It was odd, how they seemed to be more awake but didn’t leave her.

They sat up and said “Good morning. Sleep well?”

She followed suit and rubbed the gunk out of her eyes. “Yeah. I… hope waking up like that didn’t bother you. I-”

“It doesn’t”

She was ready to profusely apologize so hearing that took a moment to process. “Huh?”

“It was quite nice. It’s been a while since I’ve felt anything as warm as that.”

“You’re not upset?”

“Should I be?”

“Well… no, and I kinda liked it too.” she said shyly, turning to sit down on the edge of the bed, putting some distance between them. “You doing anything today?”

Kiyo consulted their chip again. “No work today, we’ll be hanging out with some people from my crew this afternoon.”

“I look forward to it. I needed a bit of a vacation its just…” she sighed.

“How it happened wasn’t desirable?”

Himiko laughed. “That’s an understatement. It actually sucks so much.” crying broke through and took over. It took almost half a day for what happened to even really sink in. “Everything sucks so fucking much.”

Kiyo offered some tissue from the bedside drawer and Himiko took it, thanking them.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

My Green Signal Samurai Girlfriend ~ Miles Edgeworth/Mitsurugi Reiji

(( This GIF was called WAIFU and this cracks me up so much- ))

(( Also, this is going to be part of a 2 parts series, the other one, a Sequel, being called My Green Signal Samurai Fiancee, that I’ll hopefully write...And finish soon enough~! Edgey deserves some love ~ <3 ))

“Ehhhh?! Sis, you never told me you were friends with Nick!! How come?! When?!” Maya jumped up an down in shock, her big, sparkly eyes boring into her elder sister’s amused eyes. “Really? Phoenix never bothered to mention me? At all? Nix, I’m hurt, what about this?!” the elder girl mocked being hurt and taking out the Green Signal Samurai keychain. “What’s with that thing and why do you all seem to have it?” she asked again, admiring it closely. “A-Ahhh...W-Well, I’m sorry, Y/N, I guess it didn’t cross my mind that Maya didn’t know about our friendship. We’ve been friends since we were little, in school. Larry and Miles have one too, it’s a symbol of our friendship. Y/N had green, I had blue, Larry yellow and Miles red.” Phoenix explained, taking out the keychain from his drawer. “You keep it hidden away in a drawer, while I’ve had it attached to my keys since then. You truly are cruel, Nix!” she laughed, ruffling his spiky hair. “How did you become friends anyway? You 4 are so different...It sounds so weird!” Maya asks again, sitting on the opposite arm rest of the sofa her sister was on, while Phoenix sat in the middle, a nostalgic smile on his face. “Well, you see...It all started one day...” and so, Nix began narrating the story of the 4 Signal Samurais.

It was a normal school day like any other, with Miles studying, Y/N doodling and passing notes with Larry, who fell asleep mid-class, and Phoenix who looked cluelessly at the blackboard, since math was never his subject, so he had to ask the girl for help all the time.

That day, however, Phoenix wasn’t feeling well, so he skipped P.E., preferring to do some homework in class, which is when he found an envelope that was supposed to have money in it...But it was empty.

As he was holding the envelope, looking at it curiously, realising that the owner must be missing it, the door suddenly got opened, and a girly gasp was heard, which created chaos among all the other kids coming in.

Phoenix Wright was accused of being a thief.

The teacher made everyone get in a half-circle around him, making them point their fingers accusatory at him, saying ‘THIEF!’, while the teacher was watching with an almost satisfied expression on her face, seeing the kid cry, not being able to defend himself.

“Tell the truth, Phoenix.” she’d say, not even caring to hear his end of the story. “But I didn’t do it!” he tried to say, which made the teacher sigh and shake her head. “Now, Phoenix, apologise to Miles.” she said again, which made one of the girls that leaned on the wall, away from the commotion, get out of the shadows, standing in a defending T-pose in front of her friend. “THAT’S ENOUGH! If Nix said he didn’t do it, then he didn’t do it! Look at him, he’s a whiny cry-baby, do you really think he’s capable of thievery?! You should all be ashamed of you for being such bullies! SHAME ON YOU!” she screamed at everyone, even the teacher, not caring about any repercussion. “OBJECTION!” a loud and stern voice boomed from behind them, just as Larry was about to get up. “Miles...!” the girl’s eyes widened in shock and appreciation as she saw the boy point at the wave of kids with a determined and firm expression on his face. “Edgeworth...?” Phoenix’s bottom lip quivered as he clenched the back of the girl’s Tshirt, watching the boy shine. “It’s as Fey said. It wasn’t you who stole my money, was it?” Miles asked, as the boy was merely able to nod. “Then hold your head high. Everyone’s been shouting that you did it, but no one has any proof.” he continued, looking sure of himself. “Wh-What are you saying?!” one of the boys asked in confusion. “It was your money that was stolen.” another girl pointed out. “We don’t need proof.” a new boy shrugged uncaringly. “In a court of law, evidence tells all.” Miles slammed his hands on a desk, as if he was a true lawyer, like his dad. “Before you have the pretension to hold a class trial, at least realise that!” he scolded everyone. “Yeah, knock it of already! He said he didn’t do it!” Larry stepped on the desk, yelling at the others. “Larry...!” Phoenix looked at the chestnut haired boy with shock. “This is always how it is, everybody ganging up picking on one person. Aren’t you guys ashamed of yourselves?” Larry continued defending his friend. “The defendant has pled not guilty. Without evidence to prove his guilt...Your Honor, this boy is innocent! I rest my case. This trial is over. Court is adjourned!” Miles ended this whole charade, and the teacher could only agree and dismiss the class.

Phoenix ran after Miles, and Larry ran after them, which made Y/N rush to get to them as well, grinning at how cool that was, as the brunet boy thanked all of them.

“Always help the ones in need! That’s the Signal Samurai’s signal motto.” Larry said walking ahead, holding a bag of dog food in his arms. “Oh, you like Signal Samurai too?! I watch it every week!” Phoenix gasped in glee. “I’m totally Yellow!” Larry grinned, turning around to look at the others. “And I’m Blue!” Nix counted in. “Good choice, that guy is sharp!” Larry praised his choice. “Oh, oh, can I be Green?! Pretty please?!” the girl smiled timidly, clasping her hands together. “Ah, yes, of course! That gal is so cool!” Larry nodded his head vigorously. “Ultimate Move: Sally Forth!” Nix got the Blue Samurai’s pose. “What about you, Miles?” the girl asked the boy who seemed so confused. “Why are you three getting worked up? You aren’t kids.” the boy in cause rolled his eyes, as if he was an adult. “But we are kids!” Phoenix grinned at him.

Then, Miles asked about the dog and why Larry had dog food on him, and as soon as the girl looked down, she started squealing and picked up the puppy, cuddling and nuzzling her face in its extra fluffy fur, as the pup started licking her face.

As soon as it was done with licking her face, it started looking intently at Miles, struggling a bit to get the boy to pet it. That’s when they found out that Larry found the pup in an adoption carton box, which pissed off the girl big time.

But then...They realised that nobody could keep it, so they started looking for the owner, and thankfully, Miles was smart enough to deduce the place from the almost erased address on the cardboard box.

During the walk there, the dog kept trying to get Miles to acknowledge its presence, as the boy only did the Hansel and Gretel trick, but with dog treats instead...

And every time to puppy would make a cute sound, the girl would squeal at how adorable it was, hugging it more.

“Like I said, I’ve never seen this dog before.” the woman from apartment 2202 said. “Really? Because he’s so happy to see you!” the girl gave her a suspicious look. “Look, we don’t care anymore.” the woman scoffed in annoyance. “Abandoning small animals is a crime. If you’re reported, not only will you be investigated, you may also be fined.” Miles spoke in an almost business-like tone. “Oh? Let’s see you try! I’ll pay as much as it takes!” the woman yelled at them, scaring Miles. “So you have the money to pay for fines, but not for taking care of a small dog? Why did you even get it in the first place, huh? How can you be so cruel and abandon a living being who loves you more than it loves itself?! Are you sure you even have a heart at all, you stone cold heartless bitch?!” the got in the woman’s face, yelling at her loudly. “Who do you think you are?! A little snotty brat, threatening an adult?!” the woman glared down at Y/N. “Don’t you feel any ounce of sadness or pity for him?! Would you throw your own child on the streets when you get bored of him too?!” the girl refuted instantly. “Sh-Shut up already! G-Give it a rest, or I’ll call the cops!” the woman started stuttering, realising how much of a jerk she was. “Forget it! This dog deserves better! It deserves a place where people genuinely love him and show him affection, not this...This! Not you! You don’t deserve any kind of love for being so cruel!” the girl had tears welling up in her eyes, as she picked up the dog and rushed away from there, not wanting to let those tears spill.

As soon as she got down from the building, walking in the park, she quickly wiped her tears with the sleeve of her dress and hugged the dog, kissing his head and nose.

“You were so cool, Y/N!” Larry praised the girl, who only looked down. “I just...Can’t stand injustice against animals who can’t speak or defend themselves...” she muttered softly. “All right, but didn’t you say you couldn’t keep that animal?” Miles asked in curiosity. “...That’s right. I’ll...I’ll...I’ll try to buy him food...And I’ll make a little bed for him from my old clothes...And I’ll try to train him to stay in front of the house so I can take care of him....” she spoke, not even once raising her head to meet their eyes. “Then I shall take him. You can come help me raise him, if you want. I shall ask my father.” he spoke nonchalantly. “R-Really?! You’re the best, Miles! Promise I’ll come every day to help!” the girl threw her arms around the boy, the dog in between them, licking his face, as he couldn’t help but blush like crazy. “You’re so cool, Miles!” Phoenix grinned at him. “You’re kind of a bro, Edgey!” Larry fist pumped the air. “D-Don’t be so ridiculous! And y-you’re too close! ...Let’s just go home.” he started walking ahead of everyone, revealing the trick he made as the dog started following the treats, and when they got to the crossroads, everyone convinced the red clothed boy to watch Signal Samurai.

Of course, his dad was incredibly understanding, no matter how stiff he appeared, and thus, blossomed a beautiful friendship that would last for ages in their hearts...

- - -

“EHHHHH?! Nick, you can’t be serious! Y/N sounds much too excitable than now!! Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?!” Maya gasped, shaking Phoenix by his shoulders. “H-Hey, Maya, I was a kid too, you know?” her elder sister sweat dropped. “At least we know Larry didn’t change too much, huh?” Nix chuckled in amusement as he turned on the TV...

And saw that Miles Edgeworth was accused of murder.

Fantastic.

The girl gasped and rushed out of the place before anyone could even blink, and go to the Detention Center, asking to see Miles in the Visitor’s room.

“You’re the last person I was expecting to see.” he said, not daring to look at the woman in front of him. “What in the world happened, Miley? I know you are not a murderer...So...Please tell me the truth.” she finally managed to take a deep breath and sit down in the chair opposite of him, on the other end of the glass. “Don’t call me that, we’re not 9 anymore.” he scoffed, a faint blush of embarrassment on his face. “The blush on your face says otherwise. Besides...You will always be my dear Miley, no matter what you say.” she smiled softly at him. “Give it a rest. I have no way of getting out of it, even though I didn’t do it. There’s too much evidence that points against me.” he shook his head, crossing his arms and leaning back on the chair. “That doesn’t mean that you did it! Justice always prevails, Miles Edgeworth! Don’t think that I or Nix are going to let you be taken away from us again!” the girl smirked in a cruel and dead-set determination. “What does Wright have to do with anything?” Miles tried to ask, but the door was slammed open, revealing the person in cause, along with the woman’s younger sister. “I’ve never seen you run so fast, Y/N.” Nix panted, catching his breath. “I only run like that when in danger or when responsibilities are chasing me.” she giggled in amusement. “What are you doing here?” Miles asked with a condescending voice. “Edgeworth, tell us what happened.” Phoenix demanded in a strict voice. “What are you going to do about it?” he shot back. “Let me defend you.” the lawyer said, but the prosecutor chuckled in mock amusement. “Defend me? You? Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a novice who’s only been in 3 trials. Yes, you’ve got lucky and won all 3, but your luck’s bound to run out some day. You need real skill. Experience. And regardless, I don’t want either of you involved in this. Leave.” Miles got up to leave, which made the woman shot up from her chair, making it fall from the sudden burst. “Are you crazy, Miles Edgeworth?! You think that after all this time, I’m going to allow you to walk away from me...From us...Again? Let us help you for once, damn it! You’re not alone in this world!” the h/c woman slammed her hands on the table in front of her, making the man stop dead in his tracks, not saying anything. “Let me just ask you one thing, Edgeworth. You didn’t do it, right? Right?” Phoenix asked again, but Miles only hung his head. “Stay out of this case.” he muttered, before leaving completely. “...I’m gonna kill this guy. I’ll go investigate some place...And I’ll try to get him to accept your defense. See you later.” the woman’s voice was dry, almost deadpan, which confused her younger sister. “Why is Y/N so upset over this thing with Edgeworth? Isn’t he a total jerk?” she asked, which made Nix look down with a small smile. “Miles Edgeworth and Y/N Fey hold a...Much stronger bond than we ever did, and I’ll leave it at that. Let’s go investigate too, Maya.” he explained, leaving the girl more confused than ever.

There were many places to investigate in just a few mere hours, but when they were done, they all returned to the same place, yet this time, Phoenix and Maya got there faster than Y/N.

“Hmmm....? Phoenix, don’t try to steal Miley from me.” she tried to stifle her laugh with her hand. “Wh-What?! N-No, Y/N, this is not-” Nix’s eyes widened with panic, as Edgey could only look away with a soft blush. “So, on a grim note, if Phoenix is here, I’m sure this means he realised this relates to the DL-6 incident, huh? Did you get over the details, Miles?” she asked, leaning on Phoenix, who was sitting. “You’re incurable, Y/N Fey, but you’re not wrong, of course. That night, Hammond asked to see me for the first time in 15 years. He said he had something to tell me about the case. We set out by boat, but before he told me anything, I heard gunfire, and the next thing I knew, I was alone on the boat.” Miles explained what happened. “Any clue who shot?” she asked, paying attention to every word. “No, I didn’t see anyone. I picked up the pistol without thinking...I really...Don’t want you involved in this case. It’s my problem and mine alone.” Miles looked down again, making the woman tsk in annoyance. “Yours and yours alone? First of all, what about my mother, Misty Fey, who disappeared after people started threatening her and calling her a fraud? I’m sure that I and Maya deserve to know the truth behind the DL-6 incident. And...Honestly, Miles? I said it once, and I’m going to say it again, for the last time. I’m not letting you face your problems alone anymore.” she glared down at him with fire in her eyes. “It’s exactly as my sister said...No matter how painful it is, we have to know the truth! And not only that, but Y/N, Nick and Gumtree believe in you from the bottom of their hearts! So please, place your faith in us, too! Let Nick defend you and let Y/N support you!” Maya raised her voice to get Miles to accept. “Very well. It pains me to ask this now, but...Would you please defend me?” he asked, almost embarrassed. “Say no more. We were going to defend you, even if you didn’t accept.” Y/N shrugged with an obvious smirk on her face. “You can count on us!” Nix smiled at his friend. “Who could have guessed this day would come?” Miles closed his eyes in disdain. “This is my chance to finally repay you." Nix spoke with enthusiasm. “Repay me...?” Edgey blinked in confusion. “Never mind. It’s okay if you’ve forgotten.” Nix shook his head dismissively. “This is going to be an uphill battle.” Miles warns them. “Yes, I know-” Nix tries to agree, but is quickly cut off. “No, you don’t. You don’t know how terrifying the God of prosecutors, Manfred von Karma, is.” Miles says, making all of them gasp in disbelief. “Karma’s going against you?!” Y/N bit her lip in worry. “In his 40 year career, he has not lost a single case. He is truly a miracle prosecutor. Manfred von Karma...A frightening man who will do anything and everything it takes to win.” Miles muttered, his voice holding a tint of worry. “...And we have the Miracle of Christmas on our side. And the Four Signal Samurais. Not even Hurricane Karma can go against us.” Y/N scoffed condescendingly, making the man in cause chuckle softly. “Hurricane Y/N, rather.” Edgeworth chuckled softly, barely audible, making the girl grin widely. “That’s the Miley I know and love!” Y/N almost seemed to be glowing with determination and fire.

The next day, they had to walk to the courtroom, and everyone seemed nervous...Anxious for the trial to come.

“Manfred von Karma is 10 times as vicious as I.” Miles gave Phoenix a heads up, and he seemed to gulp. “They say that the biggest threat in the world is a scorned woman. Karma won’t know what hit him.” she smirked, flipping her long hair back. “Don’t take him lightly, Y/N.” the silver haired man gave her a warning look.

But before she could reply, they noticed Karma waiting in the middle of the corridor, no doubt waiting for them, just so he could shame his adoptive son.

Giving the elderly man the stink eye, before taking Edgeworth by the arm and guiding him to the court room, not before giving his hand a reassuring squeeze and winking at him.

                            December 26, 10 AM                     District Court - Courtroom No. 3

Prosecutor: Manfred von Karma

“Court is now in session.” the judge hit his hammer to make everyone silent. “The defense is ready, Your Honour.” Phoenix spoke out, loud and clear. “Is the prosecution ready?” the judge asked Karma, but he sketched no gesture.  “Uhh...Prosecutor Karma?” the judge pressed on, only for the lawyer to snap his finger and point one of them towards us, the defense, with a patronosing look on his face. “Fool! You seriously think I would stand here, were I not completely prepared?” Karma snapped his head. “R-Right, my apologies!” the judge hid his face behind the hammer. “What a pushover!” the Fey sisters, along with Phoenix, were jaw-dropped at how stupid the judge is.

And so, Karma called the first witness to stand before us and testify.

Witness: District Police - Detective Dick Gumshoe

“This is a map of Gourd Lake, the crime scene. At 12:10 AM, a woman heard a gunshot and looked at the lake, where she saw 2 men on a boat. The next instant, another gunshot rang out, and one of the men fell into the lake. The night of the murder, the lake was covered by fog-” the detective explained in detail, until he was rudely interrupted by the prosecutor. “That’s enough! Next, testify to the court about your arrest.” Karma ordered the policeman. “Actually, I’m the one who’s supposed to handle these proceedings...” the judge tried to say, but was once again stopped by the jerk. “Wrong. There is only one thing you need to do here. You will slam down your gravel and say the world “Guilty”.” he pointed towards the judge, who once again, hid behind his judge hammer. “Don’t get too hasty, throwing such accusations, unless the trial is over! You’re going to influence the jury and the judge!” Y/N yelled accusatory at the prosecutor, who only smirked at her in victory. “The police got a call after 12:30 AM and arrived at the scene 5 minutes later and apprehended Mr. Edgeworth, whom they found nearby.” GumDick explained further. “Did they find anything at the time?” Karma asked professionally. “Yes, sir. The pistol thought to be the murder weapon...” the detective said, looking a bit unsure. “Were there any fingerprints on it?” Karma pressed the policeman, until it was confirmed that Miles’s fingerprints were on the gun. “The next morning, a man’s body was found in the lake. Estimated time of death was around midnight. He was shot once through the heart...Fatally.” Gumtree continued his testimony.

After that, Karma brought forth the bullet and had the detective confirm it was the matching bullet...

Only to have Nix stupidly asked again what “ballistic markings” means, which made both Fey sisters and the detective fall to the ground at the idiotic question.

Then, we found out that Mr. Hammond summoned Edgeworth to the scene...And since Miles refused to explain why he was summoned...

Karma used all the evidence provided so far to use them to proclaim Miles as the culprit...

And called the next witness, who heard the gunfire, and he asked her to describe what she saw on the night of the murder.

Witness: Self-Proclaimed Journalist - Lotta Hart

“It was Christmas Eve, just after midnight, I reckon. I was asleep in my tent, when I heard this bang comin’ from the lake. I looked toward the lake and faintly saw two gents in the fog. Then, there was another bang.” Lotta explained in a very dramatic way. “She happened to take a photo of the moment.” Karma snapped his fingers, showing a picture of tho people standing in a boat. “It was the victim and the defendant on the boat, ergo, it couldn’t have been anyone but Miles Edgeworth who fired! There we have it, this trial is over.” Karma pointed accusatory towards Phoenix, making him hit his back on the wood wall behind him. “OBJECTION! That picture is clearly much too foggy to be certain that one of the person is surely Miles, while the other is surely the victim! You can’t give a verdict so soon! The defense hasn’t even cross-examined your statement!” the girl glared, slamming her hands on the table in front of her. “Very well. You may ask one, and only one, question.” Karma scoffed condescendingly. “You have no right to asses limits to our question limits!” she refuted immediately. “If it changes nothing, we will proceed to the verdict.” the prosecutor smirked at us. “The judge gas already found the prosecution’s evidence decisive. We have no choice but to accept his terms.” Miles frowned, closing his eyes, accepting his fate. “To hell with that, Miles Edgeworth! I’m not leaving this place until we’ve declared you innocent! Karma, we accept your conditions. Phoenix, I’m sure you realised the plot hole in Lotta’s testimony!” the girl spoke with such a strong sense of justice that it made Miles snap his eyes open, looking at her in awe. “Plot hole...? Hmm....Hmmmmm....Ah! Yes, you’re right, Y/N! Ms. Hart, when you heard the second...” Nix began, making the woman continue. “There was a loud bang, and then another.” she turned around, throwing her arms in the air. “Did you clearly see the boat or the two men?” Nix asked, making the girl sweat drop awkwardly. “J-Just look at the photo. Clear enough for you?” she tried to defend her testimony. “I wasn’t asking about the photo, I was asking if you saw-” Phoenix corrected her, only to be interrupted by Karma, which in turn made the judge end the cross-examination. “Then give your verdict, judge!” Karma smirked in victory, only for the woman to yell at him. “OBJECTION! Lotta, your testimony isn’t 100% true as you claim it is. I clearly said before, but it seems nobody wants to listen, being prejudiced against Miles Edgeworth. The fog makes the photograph unclear, so nobody can be certain who the two people actually are. In addition, you refuse to elaborate whether you saw the two man or not, which makes me believe you didn’t, which is why you’re trying to evade this question. Tell us the truth, Lotta Hart! This is a matter of life or death! We are talking about the innocence of a man here, this is not just some game or a silly journalistic sensation you put in a newspaper! It’s the life and future of a person!” Y/N L/N had tears welling up in her eyes, her heart hurting so much, that she was afraid it would burst...Miles Edgeworth...Miley...He didn’t deserve something so cruel. “Why’re you makin’ me out to be the bad guy?! I-I saw him! I clearly saw Edgeworth!” Lotta stuttered, pointing towards Miles, who couldn’t keep his eyes away from the woman defending him so fiercely. “Judge! Declare the defense in contempt of court.” Karma pointed towards the defending table. “Escord Mr. Wright out of the court-” the judge cleared his throat, making the woman sigh and hang her head. “Wait! I was the one who made the outburst and spoke out of line. Phoenix Wright did nothing improper. It should be me taken out of here, not him. I’m not a lawyer, I’m a doctor, and I act on emotions and try to bring justice and save the people I care about. If you want to give a punishment, I’ll take it, but Phoenix Wright is innocent...However, did you hear what Lotta Hart said? She said she clearly saw Miles Edgeworth. THAT was not in the testimony!” the woman pointed towards the witness, only to make the prosecutor growl in irritation, obviously feeling called out. “Judge, throw this woman out of the court!” Karma accused her, making several policemen burst in and escort Y/N outside of the place. “I have faith in you, Phoenix! Save Miles, I know you and Maya can do it!” were her last words before being thrown out of the courtroom.

Miles couldn’t even concentrate on his own case - His eyes were fixated on the door, the very door through which Y/N was dragged out, just because she had too much fire wanting to defend him.

His thoughts...Y/N...Why would she go through so much trouble just for him? 

She was never one to want to stand out or embarrass herself...She was always a shy and cute kid, not wanting to bother anyone...

And yet, this is just as before, when she defended Phoenix.

It was then and only then...And that time with the puppy...That he ever saw her so angry, so thirsty for justice...

She was always passive when it came to anyone else but the people around her.

No, it wasn’t the people around her...

It was the people dear to her.

There weren’t many - It was only him, Phoenix, Larry and any animal on this world.

She truly had a heart of gold...

And cared for him endlessly.

More than he ever deserved.

Y/N L/N was Miles Edgeworth’s angel, his light in the darkness, the one being that would remind him of his humanity...

And he didn’t deserve her in the least.

That is not to say, however, that he wouldn’t bail her out of the courtroom jail...After all, her intentions were purely addressed to him.

Miles truly accrued an unpayable, infinite debt towards this girl.

He couldn’t understand why was she chasing after him, a mere shadow, so much, almost as if clinging to dear life.

She’s not after his money, power or glory...

So what is she seeking so dearly?

What does he hold that she needs so much?

Of course...Miles Edgeworth knew...He wasn’t stupid and nor was he blind...

But he didn’t deserve her, and she doesn’t deserve all the hurt he put her through, nor the one that he could potentially bestow upon her by merely being around her.

For the rest of the day, Phoenix, Maya and Y/N went to the lake to investigate, and the things they found out were to be taken into account...

Especially the parrot reminding the old man about the DL-6 incident...

---

Witness - ???

The witness was kinda sleeping - Is he narcoleptic?!

Karma brought him here...Why, they wondered? It’s a great mystery...

The witness, the old man, allegedly doesn’t remember his name, nor anything beyond the last few years...And yet, he runs a noodle shop and rents boats by the lake.

The woman could only wonder how the parrot is going to come into the equation and if the old man was truly as amnesiac as he claims to be.

“It was the night of the 24th, just after midnight, ayup. I was lying down in my room when I heard a loud bang. When I ooked out of the window, I saw a boat just a’floating on the lake, then I heard another bang. A while later, the boat returned to shore, and a man walked by my window. That’s about all I saw.” the witness explained everything he saw. “Defense, you may begin your cross-examination.” the judge expressed. “Are you sure you heard the gunshots after midnight?” the man had to be awakened, just to throw a semi-certain answer. “But when I spoke to you yesterday, you said you didn’t remember. How are you so sure about it now?” Nix asked, needing clarity. “I remembered it while talking to the prosecutor.” the witness declared nonchalantly. “Wouldn’t that mean Mr. Von Karma manipulated your testimony?” Nix asked, raising an eyebrow. “Objection! That is a baseless accusation, kid.” Karma growled at him. “Then, I’ll change my question.” Nix nodded in understanding. “From the lake, when I heard a bang, I looked out the window and saw the shape of a boat. And then I heard another bang.” the witness explained again. “It was the sound of gunfire, correct?” Karma asked, which the witness confirmed. “Who was in the boat at the time?” Nix asked, and after some amnesiac-idiocy from the old man, he answered properly. “Well, it was pretty far away and it was all covered in fog.” the old man stated, making Nix ask the fated question...But the answer was surprising. “Later, someone passed by the window of the boat shack?” Karma asked, making the old man claim it was the murderer...Miles. He saw Miles.

As soon as he mentioned Miles’s name, he fell asleep...And on the floor.

Y/N slapped her hand to her mouth in desperation, trying to clear her head to think properly. She knew Miles wasn’t a killer, so what was she missing?!

“The testimony just now is decisive evidence that prove the defendant’s guilt-” the judge was about to pass the verdict, only for Phoenix to jump in. “Wait a second! We already proved that my client didn’t fire that gun! The murderer fired with his left hand, but the fingerprints on the gun were from the defendant’s right hand!” Phoenix objected the statement. “That’s easy to explain! He could have worn gloves during the act and carelessly left his prints on it later.That is probably what happened. Everything is crystal clear now. The defendant is guilty! In a court of law, the evidence tells all! Haven’t you realised that, you damned amateur?! Judge, I demand you declare the verdict!” Karma pointed towards the judge. “Therefore, I shall pass the verdict towards Mr. Miles Edgeworth.”

                                       G U I L T Y

What?

Guilty?

Are you kidding?

This judge is such a moronic pushover...!

But just as Y/N was about to throw another rage fit, The Yellow Signal Samurai, Larry, jumped from the jury seats to stay by his friends’ side.

“That’s right! You were there on the night of the murder!” Y/N gaped at her stupid friend. “Yeeees! The murder occurred on Christmas Eve, right? I was there, and I heard it. I heard the gunshot. The old man’s testimony didn’t quite sit right with me, so I can’t just sit here and let you call Edgey a murderer.” Larry spoke loud and clear. “The verdict has been decided already. I call for adjournment.” Karma frowned, seeing his plans being ruined, and the judge on their side. “This is it, Nick! Larry’s given us one final chance at this!” Maya tried to cheer Phoenix up. “Your Honour, if there is another witness, it is our duty to hear him speak!” Nix spoke out. “In all court proceedings, it is our duty to prevent an inaccurate verdict, therefore, we must examine every piece of evidence and listen to each witness! I withdraw my previous verdict of GUILTY! Now, testify to the court about what you saw on the night of the murder.” the judge hit the gravel to let Larry speak. “Finally, some sense to this trial.” Y/N muttered, stealing a glance at The Red Signal Samurai from the corner of her eyes.

“That night, I was in a boat out on the lake, I was looking for the Steel Samurai.” this made the judge confused, making Nix explain what happened with the mascot. “So I went, uh, looking for it. I finally found it and returned the boat at the dock. That’s when I heard this BANG. Naturally, I looked out over the lake, but I didn’t see a boat. After that, I dragged the Steel Samurai back to the stall.” was Larry’s testimony, which let the defense begin the cross-examination. “When did you hear the noise?” Phoenix asked his friend. “Oh, it was around 11:00 PM when I went out in the boat and I was out searching for about an hour. I guess I heard the gunshot at around midnight.” Larry answered, which made Karma avert his attention to them. “That matches the other witness testimonies. This is pointless.” Karma flicked his fingers towards Larry, making him fall to the ground, silent. “But when he heard the shot, there wasn’t a boat with the victim and the defendant on the lake. Isn’t that right, Larry?” Phoenix asked, making Maya speak out. “Besides, you only heard one shot, right?” she asked, making Larry agree again. “Two witnesses have already testified that they heard 2 gunshots. This man’s testimony is hogwash!” but before Larry could yell at him, Karma flicked him again effortlessly. “Larry, you sure you only heard one shot that night?” but a little friendly feud came between them, making Y/N slam her head on the table in exasperation on their antics. “I’m not sure...You know I always listen to the radio at night! Headphones on, I was listening to Auralia’s Midnight Lovey-Dovey Rendez-vous! Hey, it’s almost Christmas! All you lone wolves, your aural lover, Auralia, wishes you a Merry Christmas!” Larry spoke enthusiastically. “Wait, so that was barely before Midnight, but everyone else mentioned hearing 2 gunshots AFTER midnight. That means there was a total of 3 gunshots that night?!” Y/N’s head shot up in realisation. “When this picture was taken, it was 12:10 AM on December 25th.” the judge nodded. “That means the other photograph that Lotta Hart’s camera took, it was the first gunshot that Larry heard! Sure, there is nothing but fog and water depicted, but look at the time on the back. December 24th, 11:50 PM. This confirms Larry’s testimony!” Y/N smirked, knowing they had the upper hand, for once. “Mr. Butz heard it 20 minutes before the other witnesses Ms. Hart’s camera too the other picture at 12:10Am...That means Y/N’s deduction is correct, 3 shots were fired that night. One at 11:50 PM and Two at 12:10 AM.” Phoenix explained in further detail for the judge and jury. “Oh, please, that man probably sneezed and triggered the camera.” Karma accused Larry. “Yeah, a sneeze as loud as a gunshot, huh?” Y/N rolled her eyes in disgust. “I did not!...But I did yawn and fart.” Larry admitted, making the woman facepalm. “Regardless, this evidence isn’t enough to overturn the verdict. End these proceedings at once!” Karma yelled at the judge, only for him to ask the defense if they have any objections. “Miles Edgeworth is innocent and this whole case was meant to frame him and throw him in jail. Everything is much clearer now...Phoenix, explain the case, you are his official lawyer. Be The Blue Signal Samurai you’re supposed to be.” Y/N crossed her arms, leaning on the wood wall behind her, listening to the story. “10 minutes after midnight, gunshots were heard from the boat on the lake. One shot. And another. And then, the victim fell into the lake, leaving the defendant, Miles Edgeworth, alone on the boat.” Phoenix explained the beginning. “The victim was shot from a meter or so away. Only the defendant could have done it!” Karma defended his case. “But what if that wasn’t the time the victim was shot?” Y/N butted in. “What if the shot that actually took Hammond’s life was the one from 11:50 PM, that Larry Butz heard?” she continued in a cheeky tone. “Don’t be stupid! This photo doesn’t even show a boat on a lake!” Karma shouted accusatory. “Yes, that means Hammond was murdered somewhere else.” Phoenix explained. “Which means the two people from the boat were Miles Edgeworth and the actual culprit who framed him, who faked being the victim and then jumped in the lake!” Y/N explained, making everyone gasp and talk between themselves. “Framed? Explain!” the judge hit the gravel, making everyone silent. “After the murderer killed Hammon at 11:50 PM, he wore his coat and assumed his guise to meet the defendant whom he’d summoned to the lake beforehand. The two of them set out on a boat...And then, the murderer fired 2 shots on the boat. The first was to make anyone near the lake to look at the boat. He probably fired into the water. Once he grabbed their attention, he fired the second shot. Due to the fog, anyone looking at a distance wouldn’t be able to tell who’d fired. That means the shooter wasn’t Miles Edgeworth, but the real murderer, disguised as the victim!” Phoenix explain in great detail everything that happened. “It’s just as I stated previously. The murderer pretended to be shot and jumped into the lake. To someone watching from the shore, it would appear that a murder had taken place before them. They would think they saw Miles Edgeworth who’d been left on the boat, murder the man with him. The murderer then swam back to the shore, put the coat on the corpse and threw it into the lake. It was all done to frame Miles Edgeworth for murder!” Y/N spoke confidently and loud, being clearly heard by everyone.

Miles could only look at her dazzling smirk, that confident expression that only appeared whenever she was 100% certain of herself and her deductions.

She was a doctor after all, not just a mere kind soul, and it was moments like this one that reminded him that he was, after all, just a human.

Because his heart was beating faster than ever whenever she was around him...

And that scared him..And more than than, it scared his past self so much that he felt the need to run away for the first time in his life.

Now, Miles Edgeworth realised that he had no reason to run away, and that her aura was a pure and benevolent, and it was all addressed to him.

He was a fool for running away from her.

But now, a greater crisis arose for Miles Edgeworth.

Who was he anyway?!

“If you are this confident, then I assume you know the murderer’s name?” Karma chimed in with a gremlin smirk. “No, I don’t know his name. I don’t know...Because he never told us. Please bring forward to the stand the caretaker of the boat shop!” Phoenix told the judge, whose bottom lip quivered in realisation.

But as if on cue, a policeman burst through the doors, saying that the very man in cause disappeared without a any notice.

The old man fled.

That was guilt.

The court was adjourned and the trial will continue the tomorrow.

That night, back in the cell, Miles looked out of little window and pondered about his past.

Long ago, before his father died, and he wanted to become a defense prosecutor...And yet, there he is, a filthy, evil prosecutor, just like the man who took him under his wing.

How vile, and yet, there’s no turning back from that.

He cannot atone for the way he treated his only friends so long ago...Fifteen years ago...Has it really been that long? It must be.

And yet, somehow, he stumbled into the girl once, when he had to take Pocky to the vet, and she was working there as a Vet student. He can still remember so vividly her beautiful eyes, filled with so much shock and emotions once he told her his name to write in the register and the pen fell from her hands.

He didn’t understand it at first, until she rose up and stared into his eyes.

There was no more need for words, for he remembered. And more, she showed him the Green Signal Samurai keychain she had attached to her keys. He couldn’t believe his eyes...

Y/N was right there, in front of him, and he had the chance to rekindle their relationship, after so long.

He could do that. He really wanted to. His heart was yelling at him to ask for her phone number, to give him her address, to at least let him take her out for dinner or walk her home - At least as a thank you pretext for taking care of his dog...THEIR dog...

But he couldn’t.

Inside, he was still a broken man who was afraid to approach the people he cared so much about.

But she was brave, and he knew she missed him endlessly, and she did the first step to ask for HIS phone number and ask him to accompany her to lunch for some ramen and sushi.

The ‘date’ was really great, and they had fun, they laughed and shared old memories, as well as recent things happening...And he was happy.

He truly was happy around her, he knew that, and yet...He didn’t deserve this happiness, and he didn’t want to taint her angel heart, so after this, he decided to ghost her, step by step, no matter how much his own heart was breaking, and he knew hers was as well.

Miles Edgeworth, you god damn jerk, you are vile. You are the worst of the worst. How could you be such a terrible terrible jackass with someone who cares so much about you, even after all these years? Why do you have to hide behind that invisible wall of loneliness you created because of your pent up emotions and unresolved family issues? Why can’t you just accept that you are a human and have emotions? Why can’t you just accept people in your life and learn how to live again?

You truly are a fool, Miles Edgeworth.

He regret the day he met her again, and more, he regretted that he left her...Abandoned her...Just like that old hag abandoned Pocky before. 

He truly was the worst, without a doubt.

So why...Why...Is she still here, heart and soul, completely sold, working night and day along with Phoenix and her little sister to get him out of this mess that he created?

He doesn’t deserve it...But she deserves better. No matter what he does, he only brings her misfortune and pain.

But one thing alone was certain, and for that, he knew that his sinoatrial node was still continuing to make his heart pump at a rapid pace, thanks to his ridiculous sympathetic system that hasn’t worked properly since 15 years ago.

Miles Edgeworth was completely enamoured with Y/N Fey.

- - -

Detective Gumdick managed to capture the fleeing suspect again and confirmed that no crime happened on the boat, the real crime most likely having happened  in the old rental shack, and with the help of Polly the Parrot, they managed to open the safe.

1228

And a letter was there, with no sender.

“Get revenge on Miles Edgeworth. This is your last chance. Now is the time to get revenge on the two men who ruined your life.”

This message was obviously the plan to murder Hammond and frame poor Miley...But the mastermind...The sender...And how is this connected to DL-6...?

Her suspicions have always been Karma, otherwise she couldn’t understand why in the world would he want to incriminate his own adoptive son...With such hatred and condescence nonetheless.

The DL-6 incident...When Miles, a poor little kid stuck in an elevator with his father and a stranger... And he shot his own father in an attempt to protect him. How stupid of him. He shouldn’t get out of this mess...

- - -

                                   December 28, 10 AM                         District Court - Courtroom No. 3

“Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Miles Edgeworth. Your opening statement, Mr. von Karma.” the judge declared, making everyone stay silent so we could begin.

And so, Karma got the old man to testify once again...This should be interesting.

Witness - ???

“Er, I’m really sorry about just leaving yesterday like I did. I, uh, went to buy Polly some food, see. My partner, you see.” the witness said, which made me raise by eyebrow in confusion, while Karma clarified it was a parrot.

But...Polly is a girl name...Albeit, also a very popular Parrot name...And yet, the way he referred to the Parrot as a partner...Could it be he named his pet after a potential old girlfriend of his?!

“Yesterday, you claimed that you’ve lost your memory. Is that true?” Nix asked the old man, who defended himself quickly. “What’s with that scary face, Keith? You’re making Dad very sad.” he claimed, making the girl roll her eyes at his absurd behaviour. “If we consider that you killed Hammond, you should remember committing the murder!” Nix accused the man, with a more serious face. “Objection! That is a baseless accusation! If you say the witness does, in fact, remember his past, then show us proof of it!” Karma smirked triumphantly, making the elder girl match his expression. “I was waiting for you to say that! You want proof, have this!” she chuckled, taking out the letter and presenting it as evidence. “This is a letter we found in his room, inside the safe! This letter has detailed instructions on how to exact that revenge.” the girl continued her explanation to the judge, who nodded in understanding. “Dear me...It details the exact same process the defense explained yesterday.” the judge rubbed his beard like an old wizard. “The witness carried out this plan and tried to frame my client. That means he had a motive to seek revenge! And this letter is irrefutable proof of his guilt!” Phoenix explained the evidence he held. “Then, let me ask you a question. That letter does not contain the names of the sender or recipient, does it? It is a mere scrap that anyone could have sent to anyone. We can hardly call it proof. The defense’s claims are still only unfounded speculations. In the first place, nothing links this witness to the defendant!” the prosecutor thought he won it all, but clearly, he was 1 step behind the defense. “Objection! The victim, Hammond, and Edgeworth shared a connection. The DL--6 incident! The case in which the defendant’s father was murdered. And Hammond was the one who defended the suspect!” Phoenix looked at the judge with a fierce expression. “Clearly, the DL-6 incident, which occurred 15 years ago, is at the root of this murder. There is one man who knows what happened back then.” the elder Fey girl sat on the defense table with her legs crossed, wearing a knowing smirk. “The defense would like to call Marvin Grossberg to testify!” her and Phoenix called out at the same time with perfect sync.

Witness - Marvin Grossberg

“I am Marvin Grossberg, an attorney. The victim in this trial, Hammond, once worked for me. The DL-6 incident happened 15 years ago, on December 28th. Coincidentally, that is also today’s date. It occurred here, in the district courthouse. That day, there was a majour blackout and 3 people were trapped in an elevator. Hours later, when the rescue team got in, they found Gregory Edgeworth dead inside. He had died instantly after being shot through the heart. There were two others in the elevator with him - Miles, who was 10 years old at the time, and a court bailiff...Yanni Yogi, I think his name was. At first, it was considered an open-and-shut case, that Yogi had shot the victim in a panic. However, he plead not guilty. The investigation hit a dead end, and the police turned to a spirit medium for help. The victim’s spirit said that Yogi killed him. The medium’s name was Misty Fey. Her overwhelming power left all who witnessed it speechless. The defense admitted that he might have fired the gun, but added that, due to severe lack of oxygen, in the elevator, Yogi hadn’t been of sound mind and couldn’t be held responsible. With that claim, Hammond forced a verdict of not guilty. Because of that, despite his acquittal, Yogi was socially vilified.” the attorney explained in detail everything that happened so long ago. “So an acquittal wasn’t enough to truly save Yogi?” Nix asked for confirmation. “Due to Hammond’s defense, he lost everything - His work and his family. One year after the trial, Yogi’s fiancee committed suicide.” this statement made the girl ponder for a few seconds...

Yogi’s fiancee...Could that have been...Polly? It would make sense...And it would mean why Yogi would hate Hammond - And if he truly was innocent, which she doubted, he must also resent Miles’s dad’s spirit for accusing him of murder.

Phoenix then accused the old man of being Yanni Yogi, saying he could compare the fingertips, but surprise surprise, he burned his fingers in an ‘accident’ years ago. What a pleasant coincidence.

It was obvious that the defense attorney was thinking over and over how he could prove the witness was Yanni, making the girl scoff.

“The defense would like to cross-examine the witness’s pet parrot, Polly. If my theory is correct, based on the word-slip of the old man, who claimed Polly is his ‘Partner’, perhaps he named the Parrot after his deceased fiancee. Who else would he trust with the combination of the same that held such an incriminatory letter in his own shack?” the Fey girl snapped her fingers with a knowing smirk towards the judge.

Witness - Polly

“Sis, I’m counting on you. Polly loves you more than she loves us.” she chuckled at her sister, tilting her head for her to go ahead.

Maya began with a simple question, asking the parrot what its name is, and it answered clearly - Polly - Amazing the judge. Then, Maya asked for the combination to the safe, and just as easily, came the answer - 1228 Next, she asked if there was anything we’ve forgotten...Which was met with silence as an answer...

Karma clearly expected this...But Phoenix took out the DL-6 file, and searching through it, Y/N found Yanni’s profile, and there, “Polly Jenkins” was written as his fiancee’s name.

“Ha! Karma, you think you’ve bested us? You are wrong! Your Honour, look what’s written here! Polly Jenkins, Yanni Yogi’s fiance! The parrot is clearly named after his fiancee, as I suspected! And if we look into it, the cobination for the safe! 1228...12-28! December 28th! That is the date of the DL-6 incident!” the Fey girl jumped from the defense table and showed the judge Yanni’s profile so he could be convinced as well. “Judge, get rid of this bird already! These are mere coincidences!” Karma tried to desperately get rid of the important witness, but Y/N was pissed off. “No! A wise man once said - In a crime case there is no room for coincidences! If there are, it’s clearly a pattern, not a mistake! That means that you, witness - Your name is truly Yanni Yogi, isn’t it?! Stop hiding and reveal the truth already!” Fey shouted at the man who was feigning his sleep.

The courtroom became a huge calamity with everyone screaming, until the witness yelled for everyone to shut the hell up and raised to his feet, his expression no longer lost, but sharp and sure of himself.

“Enough. I’ve accomplished what I wanted. I’m done. As the defense said, my name is Yanni Yogi. I used to serve as a bailiff in this very court.” the old man admitted, after so long. “Th-Then...You admit to killing Hammond and trying to frame Miles Edgeworth?” the judge gaped at the change in behaviour. “Yes, I admit it. Fifteen years ago, that attorney paid absolutely no heed to my words. I didn’t shoot that man, however, that attorney made me admit to it, saying it was the only way to acquit me...But my release didn’t change a thing. Everyone continued to treat me like a murderer...I couldn’t do a thing...And Polly...She said she was sick and tired of it all...Ever since, I’ve lived my life away from the public eye, dreaming of the day I’d get my revenge!” the old man had tears in his eyes, and rightfully so. “I understand your motive for wanting revenge. It is humane...However...Why did you have to go to the lengths of framing Miles, who was a mere 10 year old at the time, and the child of the murdered person? He went through enough trauma as it is, you didn’t have to add more, y’know?” the Fey girl crossed her arms, looking at the man with slight pity, but also anger in her eyes. “Why don’t you ask him?” Yanni muttered, looking at her with a sharp expression, which made her widen her eyes in realisation at the implication of his words. “Your Honour! The boat shop owner, Yanni Yogi,has just confessed to the crime! The defense asks that you declare the defendant not guilty!” Phoenix shouted to the judge with fire in his voice. “What do you say, prosecutor von Karma?” the judge asked, waiting to see if there was any more refuting from his side. “I suppose he is innocent...In this case, at least.” Karma scoffed, looking away with a devilish expression...This isn’t over...Not even close... “I shall hereby hand down the verdict for Mr. Miles Edgeworth.”

                                          NOT GUILTY

“YES! Finally, we did it, Nix! Miles is safe!” the elder Fey girl jumped happily in her spot, only for the man who was once so silent to speak up, loud enough to silence everyone.

“OBJECTION! Your Honour...I confess my guilt. The true culprit in the DL-6 incident...It was I!” Miles admitted, and it felt like the sky fell on the girl.

Why...? How...?!

Even if that was the truth, who cares? You were a kid trying to protect your dad, Miley, stop with this idiocy!

“For 15 years, I have had a recurring dream. I’m in the dark, and it’s hard to breathe...Eventually, I hear a gunshot and a terrible scream. A blood-curdling scream that I still hear to this day. It’s only a nightmare - That is what I’ve always told myself - But if Yogi didn’t actually kill my father, the nightmare points to a horrifying truth, that I was the one who killed my father that day!” Miles’s confession came, and the judge asked for a 15 minute recess to think things over.

Miles, along with Phoenix and the two Fey sisters went to the lounge to look over the files, but the elder girl was pacing left and right, trying to calm down her unstoppable running thoughts from her already overthinking brain.

She was never a violent person, but she knew that, despite the stoic facade she always kept, her heart was soft and overly-emotional, and now, she was barely restraining herself from breaking down to weep and punch the silver haired man repeatedly.

“I’m sorry Wright, I’ve just wasted all your efforts.” the man in cause spoke from the corner of the room. “Is that truly what you should be saying right now, Miles Edgeworth?” the girl’s voice was sharp, dripping with acid, as she glared at him harshly. “I am sorry, Y/N. I know you wanted nothing more but to get me out of there, but-” he kept speaking, but his voice only grated the girl’s mind. “Shut the hell up, Edgeworth. Your voice pisses me off. Me sensible for once, read the fucking room. You’re an idiot, and I’m never, in this life, or any life, going to forgive you for the stupidity you just pulled there. If you wanted to confess, you could have gone to a priest, not a judge! But of course, you are Miles Fucking Edgeworth, and you HAVE to be extra and cause everyone around you an exorbitant amount of problems! Do me a favour and stop opening that mouth of yours before I break it for you.” he was shocked, he had to admit, since he never thought she would snap like that at him, but by Phoenix’s reaction, and Maya’s alike, they were expecting that. “Leave her alone, Edgeworth. If you annoy Y/N when she’s already stressed, nothing good will come out of it.” Nix muttered, still focused on his files.

the silver haired man nodded, not daring to say anything anymore, and just watched with sad eyes as the girl he loved kept having her heart stabbed continuously by his own selfish actions.

Looking out of the window, he pondered to that horrible night when Karma came to pick him up from home, and Karma threw the Red Signal Samurai keychain on the trash bin cap, before getting him inside the car, accompanied by his daughter.

Before he stepped into the car, Y/N, Phoenix and Larry ran to him, calling out his name, so they could at least have a proper goodbye... But he just left, without a word.

He wasn’t sure, for many years, what happened while he was gone, until he met that day with Y/N and she told him everything in precise detail.

Larry was pissed off when he found the Red Signal Samurai keychain on the trash cap, threw it on the ground, wanting to stomp on it, but Y/N threw herself at him, making the both of them fall to the ground, while Phoenix put his hands over the keychain to protect it.  Then, the former threw his own Yellow keychain to the ground, saying their friendship is no more, and then left.

On the way to his new home, Miles did the Hansel and Gretel trick, just like before, and let dog food on the ground, so he could return and get his keychain. She told Miles that she knew he wasn’t a jerk and the keychain left there was a sign he will return, and so, she was the first to notice the dog good on the ground. When he returned, however, he wasn’t greeted by his keychain, but by Y/N and Phoenix, wearing soft smiles on their faces.

“How did you know I would return?” Miles asked, his face so innocent and shocked. “I just knew. When I saw the keychain there, I started looking for dog food, and when I did...Well, here we are, waiting for you. You’re a smart boy, and you deeply care about our friendship...So, here, this is yours.” Y/N grinned at him, putting his red keychain in his palm, holding his clenched fist in her hands. “We knew you’d never throw it away. We’re gonna be friends forever! Take care, Edgeworth.” Nix shook Miles’s hand, which made the girl giggle. “I will miss you, Miley. I hope we will meet each other again very soon!” she smiled softly, and it seemed like the rain and dark clouds were illuminated by a Goddess, if not, only by a split second. “...Y-Yes...I hope so too...Fey.” he muttered, looking down, embarrassed. “Call me Y/N, silly! We are friends, and Pocky’s parents!” she giggled, hugging him and kissing his cheek, which made his face erupt in a violent blush. “D-Don’t do that...I-It’s improper...” the poor boy stumbled over his words, which only made the girl laugh at how cute he was being.

At that exact moment, Pocky started barking oh-so-cutely and Larry, carrying three umbrellas, cleared his throat awkwardly, came in, feigning to look for something.

“Where could it be? I dropped something around here, too...” Larry spoke, not daring to look at them yet. “You’re such a dork, Larry!” the girl chuckled, holding Miles’s arm. “I’ve got it right here, Larry! Look, your Yellow Signal Samurai!” Nix handed him his keychain, making him cheer in glee. “Why do you have three umbrellas?” Nix asked in confusion. “Oh, uh, you know...Y/N always shares with Miles...B-But the rain already stopped...” he played it off cool, making the rest chuckle at his great intentions. “Anyway, Edgey...From what I can see, he ate all your markers. How are you gonna get back?” 

This simple statement was enough to make the whole gang laugh at the funny mistake, and put their keychains together, as a way to show that their friendship will truly last forever.

But he screwed up...He was the first to screw up. Things could have been so different. Maybe he could have actually been a nice Defense Attorney like his dad was...Maybe this friendship would have helped him heal, and having Y/N by his side would have mellowed his heart that got frozen by Karma so cruelly.

His life was filled with unanswerable questions, dilemmas and uncertainties, but at least he knew that there was a weird sense of security whenever he saw her smile.

He felt the warmth of home, and he didn’t want to lose it again.

If he got his life back, he wanted to let in the past all those uncertainties, the guilt, the hatred and everything that had him stuck in the past, and try, with help, to move into the present and learn how to live life once again.

But then...He was disturbed from his thoughts by Maya, who told him Phoenix’s reason for becoming an attorney - It was him - He wanted to find out what happened to him, and why he became the abominable, heartless wretch in front of him.

Miles knew that - Yes - he stepped on his dreams, he was blinded by revenge and hatred, and chose the path of the Prosecutor, of Karma, because he hated defense attorneys. He hated Hammond and his shady acquittal. It was Karma who taught him that justice should be perfect and cold-hearted. A merciless hammer to be used upon all. He wanted to make as many criminals as he could atone for his sins.

“Who the hell do you think you are? Ma’at? Anubis? You are just a human with too much imagination who got swept off by guilt and manipulated by that bastard. I’m a doctor, I know my stuff, and listen to me. You think you became a prosecutor to escape the in you committed? But...You did nothing. You keep talking about that nightmare, how you killed your dad, but you were 10 years old! You’ve been living in trauma all this life, and from your guilt formed that nightmare. You are trying to justify a reality that never happened, just so you could have some sort of answer. You, Miles Edgeworth, are a damned idiot, that’s what you are.” Y/N shook her head at him, which made him, once again, widen his eyes in shock and ponder over her words. “...But we’ve got this far...And I’m not giving up on you. You deserve being given up upon! You really do! I’m pissed off at you, you understand that, right? Even so, my pride as a doctor doesn’t allow me to give up, especially not on you. You’re more helpless than you believe, no matter how much power you think you have.” she scoffed looking out of the window.

What if what she said was true? What if that nightmare was what he believed happened? A fabricated answer to an unsolvable riddle? A fake answer that trauma created over the years.

Did he just destroy his future because of guilt? Is he still the innocent and scared little boy from that elevator, even now?

“But I’ve admitted by guilt! I’ve admitted that I was the one who killed my father, Gregory Edgeworth! There’s no way to back down from my confession.” Miles replied to her, his face betraying the hopelessness he harboured in his heart. “Do you remember the 31st episode of the Signal Samurais?” Y/N asked in a low voice, her nails digging into her arms, trying to contain the smirk threatening to creep on her face. “Huh...? What’s this about...?” Miles raised his eyebrow in confusion. “Ah, I know! It’s the episode where the Red Signal Samurai gets kidnapped, and the Green Signal Samurai Goes to rescue him, while the Blue and Yellow help her out, right?!” Phoenix raised to his feet, speaking a bit too loudly, for it caused the girl to burst into that gorgeous, confident, condescending smirk of hers. “Yes, Nix, you’ve got that right! Miles’ nightmare is bullshit, and even if he doesn’t believe in his innocence, I do! I, the Green Signal Samurai, am going to save the idiotic Red Signal Samurai from his demise!” she took out her keys, letting her keychain dangle proudly, leaving the man in front of her jaw dropped.

He was so in love with her. God damn it, his chest hurt so much, and all he wanted was to hold her tightly to his chest and cry out all his emotions for the rest of the day.

But he couldn’t.

He had to stay strong and fight for his freedom. He owed her at least that much.

“Phoenix, look at this picture. There’s this bullet hole here...And there is the corpse here...Then, that means...!” were the girl’s last words of wonder before they were summoned back to the court.

                               December 28, 3:30 PM                       District Court - Courtroom No. 3

The judge recapped what happened, allowing the defense to begin the cross-examination.  The reason for Miles being there was to observe his dad’s trials. He didn’t remember what the case involved, only that, coincidentally, he was against Karma.

That clears up a lot of things... Karma was afraid of the competition, not wanting to tarnish his perfect record, and killed the best Defense attorney. What a joke...

Help didn’t come for hours, and gradually, the air within the elevator began to thin, making Yogi panic and attack Miles’s dad. From then, his memories are jumbled, and all he remembers is a shot and a terrible scream, just like in his nightmare. He lost consciousness and when he woke up, he was in a hospital bed.

“There’s no room for doubt.” Karma smirked victoriously. “I wouldn’t be so hasty saying that, Karma. Look at this photograph of the crime scene. It contradicts Miles’s testimony. There is a bullet hole in the door, but Miles said he only heard one single gunshot. But in the picture, there are two bullet holes! One in the body and one in the door!” the girl went to the TV, pointing to the obvious contradiction. “The bullet that killed the victim could have pierced his body and hit the door.” Karma snapped his fingers confidently. “You’re wrong. The data from the files say the pistol was fired twice. The evidence contradicts Miles’s testimony.” the girl clapped her hands together, shrugging nonchalantly. “But there’s no proof that the second shot was fired at the time of the murder.” Karma wagged his finger at her to deny her statement. “The pistol was fired twice, and there were two bullet holes at the crime scene. It’s natural to assume these facts are related. The defendant was still a child back then, and he lost consciousness after the first shot, which means, the someone else was at the crime scene to shoot the second shot! The actual murderer!” she shouted, and for Miles, it seemed as if she was enveloped in a divine aura of justice and light. “OBJECTION! Unfortunately, there’s something you seem to have overlooked! Look at the file, only one bullet was found at the crime scene! The bullet that claimed the victim’s life was lodged in his body. No other bullets were found at the scene! That means the second shot was never fired. Ergo, your claims are unfounded!” Karma refuted with a perfect argument, making the defense frown in panic, trying to think of what happened.

In the background, Maya was trying to channel the spirit of her sister, while the judge was confirming whether or not Miles truly threw the pistol in an attempt to save his father, which then resulted in an unexpected tragedy, that the idiotic prosecutor confirmed without a second of doubt.

Thanks to Mia Fey’s guiding words, Phoenix was able to regain his confidence and stop the verdict from being spoken.

“A second shot really was fired at the scene that day! The second bullet disappeared, and there is but one possible reason why! The murderer took it from the scene!” Phoenix spoke, continuing his trail of thoughts. “Objections! Why would he do something so pointless?” Karma sniggered at the defense attorney. “The only possibility is that the other bullet hit the murderer! If the murderer was also shot at the time of the crime, he would’ve been forced to take the bullet, which is why there is no second bullet at the scene of the crime!” the elder Fey girl spoke up in a firm tone, trying to lead the conversation towards her own deductions. “OBJECTIONS! There is no record of anyone else shot at the courthouse that day! So long as we have no suspect, we are finished here!” Karma snapped his fingers at the judge, making the girl gasp, then laugh. “HA! I knew it! I KNEW it! Karma, you are wrong! There is one suspect and one suspect alone! Marvin Grossberg claims that after Gregory Edgeworth’s death, you took a day off, out of respect for your rival, is that correct? The ONLY day off in your entire career! What if that day off was, in fact, for you to heal, not because of respect? You have respect for no one! Fifteen years ago, the murderer who took a bullet before killing the victim and vanishing from the scene was YOU, Karma!” Y/N shouted loudly, her voice dripping with righteousness and rage, but above all, she was smug and confident - Miles realised then that she suspected Karma all along, and she was right, once again.

Her explanation was so powerful that it shook Karma, hitting him on the jury stand behind him, making him glare at her with an almost demonic look.

“How dare you?! Do you think you’ll get away with such an outrageous claim?!” Karma yelled at the girl, who could only smirk and cross her arms in victory. “It’s as Y/N said. On that day, fifteen years ago, you took on Gregory Edgeworth in court. You won, but your victory wasn’t a perfect one, for you’d submitted falsified evidence. You’re a prosecutor who strives for perfection, and Gregory Edgeworth tainted your perfect record. That could have been your motive for murder!” Phoenix continued the girl’s argument, and they were truly in sync. “Judge, stop them from spouting any more baseless slander!” Karma growled at the judge. “You’d think it was from the shock of having his rival murdered, but think otherwise, what if he was forced to take the day off? The ONLY day off in his 40 year career? Perhaps...To extract the bullet that hit him during the murder?” the girl pressed on assertively. “But it’s impossible to recover from surgery to extract a bullet in one day.” the  judge pointed out, making the girl nod. “Obviously, I know that, I’m a doctor, which is why I present you with another possibility. The murderer never took out the bullet from his body. And to see if that’s correct or not...Maya, give me that metal detector.” Y/N took the metal detector from her little sister’s hands and went to Karma. “It’s the moment of truth! The defense requests permission to examine Karma’s body!” the girl shouted, smirking with intense confidence at the elder man in front of her. “Ridiculous! I refuse!” Karma growled, gripping his right shoulder. “But if you’re innocent, you should have no reason to refuse.” the judge said something good, for the first time in the whole trial. 

And so, the girl approached the metal detector to the prosecutor’s shoulder, and as soon as it reached the bullet, it started beeping loudly, the meter going to maximum, making the girl yell in satisfaction.

“This makes it clear! The bullet fired fifteen years ago still rests in Karma’s shoulder!” Phoenix pointed towards the evil prosecutor, only for him to laugh cruelly, pointing right back and snapping his fingers. “Indeed, there is a bullet in my shoulder, I will admit that much, but it has nothing to do with this incident. A few years ago, I accidentally shot myself while examining a pistol to be used as evidence.” he spoke so innocently with the tongue of the devil. “Stop bullshitting, it’s getting annoying! Admit to your sins, Karma!” the girl gritted her teeth at him in rage. “Can you prove it?” the older man provoked the girl, who nodded nonchalantly. “Let’s compare the ballistic makings of the two bullets.” the girl opened the box in which the bullet was resting...”WHAT?! H-How did you...?!” a wave of dread and panic splashed the girl away from this reality as she realised nothing good was going to come out of this mess. “It appears this is as far as your delusions go! Now, end this trial!” Karma shouted, looking at the Judge.

No...This can’t be happening...They were so close to the truth...How could he let it slip past his fingers like that?  They worked too much for this to be over, in vain...SHE threw away her heart and soul for him, and this happens now...? No...No way...He had to do something...Something flashy, that will attract attention and will give them some time off to think... And he knew just what. Fake a heart attack.

He gripped tightly at his shirt, falling over the table and grunting in pain, earning gasps from everyone, yet only the girl in cause had quick reactions, as any doctor would, and ran to him in a split-second, checking on him.

“Judge, we need a time off! He’s having a possible heart attack!” the girl shouted frantically, and with the help of Phoenix, they carried him into the lobby, laying him down on the red couch. “That was close...” Miles muttered, opening his eyes as soon as he knew they were safe. “Can you PLEASE stop making me worry about you for just ONE SINGLE FUCKING SECOND?! I don’t know how much more my heart can take, damn it.” the glared at him, and his heart melted, realising she was barely keeping her facade on. “It was the only way to stop the verdict.” he spoke, looking down. “...You really are something else, Miley...What can we do, though? The data is gone...” she pouted, looking down. “Detective Gumshoe. If the data is gone, there’s only one thing we can do. Someone has to sneak into Karma’s office. He always hides disadvantageous evidence in his office. Listening to your defense finally made me realise that I...I want to believe in myself. I will accompany you partway. Only prosecutors can enter the offices. The doors use retinal identification. ” Miles began to explain the plan, making the girl giggle at him. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth, Miley. Let’s get this clown fiesta started.” the elder Fey smirked mischievously, rubbing her palms together, imitating a generic villain from cartoons. I will accompany you partway. Only prosecutors can enter the offices. The doors use retinal identification. “You look like the villain from the Signal Samurai show.” the silver haired man pointed out, with a hint of a smile on his face, making the girl chuckle and nod in approval. “Yes, indeed. After all, I am going to do something rather villainous, aren’t I?” she winked, walking to the Prosecutors’ Office.

Since the recess was only 5 minutes, and Miles would be back in 10, the plan was to fool everyone by dressing up Larry as Miles. Flawless plan.

                                  December 28, 3:55 PM                                Public Prosecutors’ Office

“Leave the rest to me and rush to the court.” the girl spoke boldly, in a shushed voice, holding eye contact to reassure him. “I’m...I’m very sorry to make you do this...And everything...For me, Y/N. I swear I will make it up to you.” he spoke in a gentle, yet guilty voice. “You’re taking me out on a date once this is over, clear? Now go back...My faith in Larry is close to null.” the girl winked at him, pushing him away. “Crystal clear.” with a faint smile, Miles left back to the courtroom, leaving the girl on her villainous plight.

Of course, in the courtroom, nobody was fooled by Larry’s terrible impersonation, but in Karma’s office, the girl managed to find the secret button to unlock the locked shelf, and she found the pistol and bullet right there, as Miles predicted, and quickly took them.

She wasn’t expecting to get tasered and to fall unconscious for a split second by some corrupt bailiff who worked for Karma, but the idiot didn’t bother taking the bullet too, only the pistol, so she snatched it and quickly ran back to the court, thanking whatever deity above from having enough stamina and speed, while also wearing light sneakers, as she arrived fairly quickly to the courtroom, with a flashy entrance.

“OBJECTIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!” she panted for air, holding the bag with the bullet up, in the air, for everyone to see. “Karma, you’re a true shitbag! I have the defense’s fresh evidence!” she yelled triumphantly, feeling incredibly satisfied seeing Karma’s crestfallen expression. “This is the bullet that killed Miles’s dad! To think you would go to such lengths to hide this, along with the pistol, in your office, and more, to have some bailiff bribed to taser anyone who got in! You are a true criminal, Karma!” she shouted loud and clear, glaring with confidence at the man, her power making him completely drop his prosecutor facade. “Extract the bullet in Mr. von Karma’s shoulder at once and compare the ballistic markings of the two bulets!” Phoenix also pointed towards the villain, yelling with righteousness. “If they match, that will mean they were fired from the same pistol...” Miles continued the trio incrimination monologue. “AND PROVE THAT YOU WERE AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME! PERFECTLY!” the trio shouted sternly, in perfect synchronisation, making the prosecutor glare and grit his teeth, realising there was no getting out of this, and let out a shrill shriek, that Miles recognised as the scream from his nightmares. “Miles Edgeworth! You and your father are my curse! You both dare defy me?!” he tried to snap his fingers, but it was useless, just like him. “You will be judged by the law. That is all there is to it.” Miles spoke, regaining his composure and confidence, making the girl look at him with pride. “That day, 15 years ago, I was in the court records room. The elevators had ceased functioning due to the blackout. That’s when it happened - I felt a horrible, burning pain in my shoulder. Just then, the elevator door opened before my eyes and I saw three people inside, lying unconscious, one of them being Gregory Edgeworth, the attorney who had tainted my perfect record. A pistol lay at my feet and I knew then that it was destiny! Yes, he died, never knowing who had shot him!” the jerk explained, almost hysterical. “So wonder his spirit said Yogi shot him. And to think it’s all your fault for everything that’s been happening so far...Miles’s dad’s death and his childhood ruined, my, Maya’s and Mia’s mother fleeing the village because of all the backlash and us never knowing what and why our world was turned upside down...Phoenix and Larry losing their best friend...You truly are the worst, Karma. And your name suits you well, as a reminder, that if you do bad, you will receive bad.” the elder Fey girl glared at him with disgust. “I never imagined the bulled from the past would pierce me a second time. Is that also destiny?” the villain muttered in desperation. “It wasn’t the bullet that shot you, Karma. It was truth and justice brought upon you by a scorned woman!” Y/N yelled at him, and this time, his cane broke, making him fall to the knees truly defeated. 

And with that, Karma was sent to jail, and the 5 friends went to the lobby to recover from all the mess that happened in the courtroom.

“I’M SO STOOOKED! You guys are seriously the greatest!” Larry cheered loudly, flailing his arms randomly into the air. “I always believed you were innocent, Mr. Edgeworth!” Dickgum spoke, crying rivers. “We did it, Y/N, Nick! Oh, and, thank you! That was from my sister!” Maya yapped cheerfully, as always. “Wright...” Miles got his attention, as he grabbed his arm and looked away with slight embarrassment, just like when he was young. “So, it’s finally over, Edgeworth.” Nix smiled at his friend, turning to him and pushing Larry away. “You have my gratitude...Uhmmm...Thank you for all your help.” Miles smiled at him, and they shook hands, as a sign of solidarity and friendship. “Finally, something good happened. About time.” the girl chuckled, looking away to hide the happiness on her face. “Hey, you’re being so gracious today! Nice, nice!” Larry grinned widely. “I hope with this I managed to repay you a little.” Nix spoke, confusing Miles. “Repay...?” he muttered, raising his eyebrow questioningly. “I know, I know! The case of the missing lunch money, right?” Maya butted in, making her sister smirk. “Yes. You defended me that day. That made me who I am, it’s why I’m here now.” Nix explained, making his friend blink. “When is my turn to be repaid, hmmm~? After all, I was the first one to step in and defend you, riiiight, Nix~?” the girl leaned forward, teasing her old friend. “Ahhhhh, I thought- But, I- W-Wait, Y/N - !” Nix stumbled over his words, making the girl chuckle mockingly. “You’re so easy to tease, Blue Signal Samurai! I have to say, the Green Signal Samurai truly was the best character from the show!” the girl boasted, taking out her keys and rotating them with her finger in the keychain. “Remember this?” Nix asked, taking out his own keychain. “You guys truly still have that? I have no idea where it went.” he gaped, seeing the two samurais. “Shut up, you still have yours too. I’m sure that, if it’s not at your keys, it’s somewhere on your desk.” the girl teased her crush, making him close his eyes and blush. “I wonder who really stole the money though...” Maya pondered softly. “Yeah, that’s a good question.” Gumtree nodded in agreement, only for Larry to look away and hand Miles some money. “The lunch money was 38 dollars, right?” Larry asked sheepishly. “U-Uh...Larry...?” Maya blinked at him in disbelief. “You didn’t...” Miles sweat-dropped, frowning slightly. “You must be kidding me-” the elder Fey girl’s jaw dropped, looking at him with a crestfallen expression. “LARRY, IT WAS YOU?!” Phoenix yelled in irritation at his best friend. “Y-YOU’VE GOT IT ALL WRONG!!!” Larry tried vehemently to defend himself. “I had a good reason for what I did!!” “I’LL SUE YOU AND PUT YOU ON TRIAL!! I’ll become a prosecutor to make perfectly sure you’re punished!” Phoenix pointed angrily at his friend. “I WILL SUE YOU FOR MALPRACTICE AND LONG-TERM CHILDHOOD TRAUMA!” Y/N shouted at him with the same fire as her friend. “EDGEY, YOU DEFEND ME!” Larry shouted, pleading for his friend’s help. “Well...I suppose I’ll have to.” Miles looked away with a smile, joining in the chaos. “You’re the victim! Why would you defend the culprit?!” Phoenix yelled at Miles while him and Larry were pulling on each other’s ears. “...You guys are truly hopeless.” the girl got over the shock of the news, allowing herself to enjoy this rare moment of peace together. “We’re having a party tonight! Yaaaaay!!” Maya cheered, jumping up and down, making her sister and Miles share a look. “Perhaps we can leave that for another time.” he muttered, looking away and stepping towards the exit. “Ehhhhhh?! Why don’t you want to celebrate your innocence?!” Maya gaped at him, only for him to blush furiously. “Ohhhhh! About time!” Phoenix grinned at his two best friend, as the girl winked at him. “Tell me about it.” Y/N chuckled, going to take Miles’s arm and waving at her friends. “Laters~!”

The two went to the same restaurant as before, where they got some ramen and sushi, but it was clear the man was still clinging to his past regrets.

“Doesn’t this scene look pretty familiar?” the girl jabbed at him playfully with a maki sushi between her chopsticks. “A bit.” he muttered, biting his lip. “Is it going to be followed by the same outcome?” she asked, taking a bite of the maki, watching him attentively. “No, it won’t. I promised I’ll make it up to you, and I will keep that promise.” he shook his head, daring to hold her hand. “Good. I was getting pretty tired of chasing ghosts.” she smiled, intertwining her fingers with his. “Since I saw you again, I kept thinking about you...About us. I kept thinking what I should do to break the shackles holding me in the past...And I think I need a to go on a journey of self-recognition. To discover again who I am, because clearly, I’ve forgotten everything I used to stand for. The person I’ve become isn’t the Miles Edgeworth that deserves you, and I want to become again that person.” he spoke, squeezing her hand gently. “And I will be there to support and cheer on you with every step you take, holding your hand and encouraging you, just as I’ve always done. Because you’re not alone in this world, Miley. You have all of us. We all love you, and that will never change. Don’t forget that this time too, okay?” she winked at him with a smug, kitten-like smile. “I promise I won’t make the same mistakes I’ve done before. Would you...Would you...Join me? I know it’s a lot to ask, that your life is here, and I would be taking you away from your career and passion...But...I would love it if you were by my side.” he asked in a low, timid tone, making the girl smile at how sweet he was being. “Bold of you to assume I would temporarily leave everything I’ve build to be with you...” she teased him, grinning at his solemn face. “And bold of me to even insinuate that I wouldn’t join you. I’ve been waiting for you for 15 years, Miley. There’s nothing in this world, except for yourself, that could keep me away from you. So...This time, when you leave, you better tell me so I can walk by your side. To the Moon and back.” she confessed softly, turning on her chair to look at him with a gentle expression. “Just like my love for you. The Moon and back. I promise you won’t regret it.” he caressed her face with the back of his hand, before boldly cupping her face and leaning in to kiss her, all the pent up love and emotions that were once caged inside their hearts bursting out, released into this act of intimacy they’ve been craving for ages. “I will never regret choosing you, Miley. I love you more than you can even dream of.” she chuckled softly looking at him with content and peace. “Thank you, my dear Y/N. I’m happy. I truly am.”

[stones-x-bones]

Slayer? I Hardly Know Her || Dani and Bex

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @surmamort and @inbextween SUMMARY: This is why we use the buddy system on campus. CONTENT: Domestic abuse mentions, Blood

The soft patter of rain on Dani’s windshield would have sent her to sleep had it not been for the roll of thunder and the flash of lightning across the ever darkening sky. For the most part, she found thunderstorms relaxing, but not when she had to drive in them. The tires on her truck were balding, and though she had been told time and time again by both of her mom’s that they would get her a new vehicle, she had bought Cleo with her own money, and the last thing she wanted was to sell it as scrap metal. She’d keep her truck for as long as she could-- besides, getting a new vehicle would mean installing a plethora of new secret compartments, and the only person that Dani trusted to do that was herself. 

She lifted the cup of half-empty, too-sweet coffee to her lips, disappointment following at the lack of heat from the liquid. The sugar coated her tongue and her stomach churned. She wouldn’t need to stay much longer-- just until she saw the parking lot clear of any vehicles. Though UMWC was notorious for late night stays, especially in the library. Dani would stay until she saw the lights turn out, and then she would head home. What should have been an easy thirty minute wait stretched into an hour, and then two hours. It wasn’t until Dani saw the door finally open did she perk up. Hands on the steering wheel, she leaned forward and watched as a girl who couldn’t be much older than herself, came into view. The only problem? There was somebody else watching her-- just parallel to where Dani was currently parked-- something she hadn’t immediately noticed. Had they always been there? 

Bex hadn’t meant to stay so late, but she’d been doing that more and more lately. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate on a degree she didn’t want to be in. She was realizing that more and more, with each passing day she had to attend classes that put her to sleep. She just kept thinking about other classes, like Professor Beck’s class, and maybe even taking Professor Campbell’s Classics lecture. But she wasn’t in a position to do anything about it yet, so slogging through essays about criminal law and business law was her life right now. She had an exam soon, too, that she needed to study for, and it was all just piling up. Not to mention that she had been out for over three weeks of classes, thanks to the stupid dream curse thing, and then her injuries after. 

But when she looked up today, she found that all the lights were almost out and it was dark outside. “Shit!” she swore quietly, slapping her books closed and shoving them into her bag. She knew she didn’t have to worry, she was still staying at Morgan’s and she wasn’t going to be mad if Bex came in late-- but at this point it was just second nature for Bex to worry. She slid on her backpack and dashed out the door. The parking lot was empty save for one car, and the street lights were flickering. That meant the busses weren’t running anymore, either. She’d have to call someone for a ride. Sighing, she pulled out her phone and went to dial up Mina when something made a noise behind her. She spun on her heel. “Hello?” she called out, but there was no answer. Oh, this wasn’t good. This was like the start to a horror movie. So instead of waiting around outside for the killer, Bex turned and started running up towards the library doors again-- only to find that they were locked. She spun around again and went to dial quickly when she spotted someone just down the stairs from her. She was staring at Bex with hollow eyes and a wide grin. “Locked out?” she asked, and it was then that Bex noticed her teeth were jagged and sharp. Bex looked to the one car in the parking lot. If she ran, maybe she could make it and hope there was someone inside. Without another word, she bolted, but whoever this person was had known she was going to do that. A hand grabbed the back of Bex’s bag and yanked her down. She hit the sidewalk hard and her phone went flying from her hand. Oh, this wasn’t good. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She tried to scramble away, but the woman was much stronger than her. Like way stronger. She lifted her up and smiled at her again. “Where you going? I asked you a question.”

Dani stayed still, her breath barely audible to her own ears. The way that they had moved, it was unhuman like. The grip she had on her steering wheel tightened, and without missing a beat, she was reaching underneath of her seat for the stake that was hooked there. She threw open her car door as soon as she saw the brunette make a run for it, only to be jostled backwards. “Hey!” Dani bellowed out, her voice loud and commanding, just as Jeanette had taught her. “Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She held the stake against her palm, careful not to let it show. She could see the girl’s face clearly, both shock and horror contorting to create something out of a horror film. 

There was no fear in Dani’s heart, only annoyance. “Don’t you know campus is off limits?” Dani asked as she reached into her back pocket, grabbing the flask that was there. In it, holy water swished as she brought it before her. There’d be no way for the vampire to know what was inside, not until she splashed her with it. “I think you ought to let the student go,” Dani motioned towards the brunette with the flask, “she’s just studying-- no reason to create a scene.” Dani prodded her tongue against the roof of her mouth, “or you can make a meal of her, and then I can kill you-- but I’m pretty sure I’ll have you to dust before you can even blink.” She finally revealed the stake, brandishing it like a knife, “do you want it in the neck, or the heart?” 

She winced sarcastically at her own words, “oops, I forgot-- you don’t have one of those.” Quick on her feet, Dani twisted the cap of the flask and splashed the holy water at the vampire. Her short-ended shriek was loud in Dani’s ears, but it was enough to make her release the girl. She reached out, tugging on the brunette’s backpack just as the vampire had done, only with enough force to pull her away. The vampire lunged at the two of them and Dani pushed forward, nearly losing her footing-- but enough to cause the stake to clatter to the ground. The flask still in hand, she twisted her hand to an awkward angle, letting it pour over the creature’s arm as it tried to reach for the brunette. “Run!” Dani screamed at her, “go to my tru--” Before she could finish her sentence, the vampire knocked her to the ground, her thin fingers finding purchase on the stranger’s backpack again. “I’ll have my meal, and you’ll watch, stupid bitch,” the vampire growled as she repositioned her heel into Dani’s abdomen. 

The first thing Bex registered was fear. It radiated through her entire body and gathered in the pit of her stomach. Whoever this person was, they wanted to hurt her. The second thing Bex registered was that whoever this person was, she was one of those “not quite human” people. The way her eyes were stained red, the sharp teeth in her mouth, the inhuman strength-- Bex wasn’t stupid. But what she was, she had no idea. Because she didn’t know anything about this world, or the people in it. Or the not people in it. She struggled in the woman’s grasp as she grabbed Bex’s head and tilted it to the side, exposing her neck. But then there was another voice and both Bex and the woman looked up.

The things the other girl was saying didn’t make sense. What did she mean? What was she holding? A flask? Before Bex really had time to register what had been said, the other girl was flinging her flask at the woman and shrieked, dropping her. The girl shouted at her to run and Bex was suddenly reminded of when she’d been attacked by the cockatrice with Mina. This was just like that, wasn’t it? Except this was a person, not an angry chicken. And Bex didn’t want to explode a person. She tried to scramble to her feet, but the other girl was yanking her in a different direction again, and she stumbled on her own feet. She’d always been a clumsy person. Palms hit the cement and she winced. Blood pooled under the scraped skin. 

When she looked back, the older woman had thrown the other girl to the ground and stomped on her stomach. “Stop it!” Bex called out. Maybe she could help. Maybe if she concentrated, she could do something. Like Nell said. Pour her energy into something good. She’d done it before, she could do it again. “Stop! Leave her alone!” She felt the energy leave her, but the woman just stared at her, tilting her head. Even with all her nervous energy vibrating under her skin, nothing happened. No explosion, no sidewalk cracking, no headaches. Bex stared wide eyed as the woman descended on her, pinning her to the ground. “Get off!” she screeched as hands gripped at her wrist, slamming it into the ground. She cried out. The woman then lifted Bex’s bleeding palm to her hand and Bex watched, bewildered, as she licked up the blood. She smiled down at Bex, blood smeared on her lips. “Delicious.” She then grabbed Bex’s hair and yanked her head to the side, as she struggled uselessly underneath the woman. Teeth sunk into her neck and she screamed. She hated this world. She hated feeling useless. The library windows cracked and shattered. The nearby fence post splintered. But the woman on top of her remained untouched.

Dani let out a breath at the feeling of the creature’s weight on her abdomen. She splayed her hands out at her sides, trying to find anything to pick up, to lodge in the vampire’s leg. She looked up, towards the girl who was now yelling. “Didn’t,” Dani let out in an annoyed huff, her fingers slipping over the stake that had clattered to the ground, “I tell you to run?” A part of Dani was hopeful that the stranger would serve as a good enough distraction-- it was clear that the vampire hadn’t intended to run into a slayer. The relief Dani felt when the woman finally lifted her weight off of her stomach had her rolling to her side, but it was half a second later that she was back on her feet, swooping down to grab the wooden stake. 

“Hey!” Dani screamed, the sight of the vampire taking in the stranger’s blood almost too much to bear-- how could something so vile exist? It twisted her insides, and it seemed that no matter how many times she had seen it, she would never get used to it. It was something straight from Hell. If she believed in that. “Get the fuck off of her!” Dani’s focus was entirely on the creature who was bent over the brunette now, but the sound of something ripping-- cracking, it played as background music as Dani lunged forward. She gripped the back of the vampire’s head just as she had done to the girl and wrenched it backwards, “time for you to go now, thanks!” Dani let out an uncomfortable breath as she leaned in and plunged the stake into the vampire’s chest. 

In a flash, the creature who had been on top of the girl was gone, nothing but ash laid at their feet. Dani wasted no time in dropping to her knees, ignoring the girl’s possible need for personal space after what had happened. “Tilt your head.” She commanded, looking over the wound that had been created. It wasn’t that deep-- and it certainly wasn’t going to turn the girl. She looked down briefly at the scrape on her palm, blood smeared across it, as well as the pavement. “You’ll be fine. Physically. Maybe not mentally, but--” Dani leaned back, allowing for more room so that the brunette could breathe. “You won’t turn, you won’t crave blood, but you’ll probably have nightmares. Pot helps put you to sleep, but melatonin is what helps keep the nightmares away, at least that’s what I’ve heard.” Dani looked down the collar of her own shirt, the imprint of the creature’s shoe evident on her t-shirt. She would definitely bruise. “You good?” She asked as she got to her feet, doing her best to show no signs of pain. 

In one instant, there was splitting pain in Bex’s neck, and in the next, the weight of the woman on top of her simply vanished. And so did she. The world was spinning but Bex could tell with absolute certainty that the woman above her was gone. There was just...dust. And the other girl. Who was talking. She was talking and she was okay? How was she okay? The older woman had kicked her in the ribs, stood on her, smashed her. Bex’s head was pounding. What the fuck had just happened? “Where did…” she started, sputtering, her voice still quivering from the fear in her throat, “where did she g-go?” But her question fell to the wayside the more the other girl talked. Crave blood? Turn? What was she talking about? 

Bex wanted to sit up, but she couldn’t. The world was still spinning and the girl wasn’t making any sense. Nothing in this world made any sense anymore. She wanted to go back to her old life, where she knew exactly what to expect and how to deal with it. She could take an angry mother over whatever the fuck that was any day. At least she knew the pain her mother caused would go away. “Abso...lutely...not,” she breathed from the ground. She nearly ran her hands over her face before remembering they were covered in blood. Her neck was also bleeding, all over sweater. Finally, she sat up, looking around. “What was that? Who was that? What happened? How did you-- what did you do to her? Why didn’t my--” she stopped herself short and snapped her jaw shut. She didn’t want to say it. She wasn’t going to say it. She reached up and clamped a hand over her bleeding neck. “Do you have a tissue or napkin or...something?”

Dani narrowed her eyes at the girl, then nodded. She needed to stop assuming that everyone knew about vampires-- then again, wasn’t it her job to prevent people from knowing about them? By the look of shock and disgust on the stranger’s face, Dani was sure that the brunette knew nothing about them, and maybe that was a good thing. Only issue was, what could Dani do to keep her from going and blabbing to the newspaper? Maybe they’d pass it off as another screaming moose. That still got Dani laughing-- the idea that people believed that. Lost in her thoughts, she stared across the parking lot at her truck, the phantom feeling of the vampire’s foot on her chest now weighted heavily, making it slightly hard for her to breathe. 

It wasn’t until the brunette started to ask questions did Dani snap her attention from the splintered fence beyond where they were. “Oh, uh--” She shoved her hands into her pockets. Nothing. She picked up the flask from the sidewalk. There was still some holy water inside. “Wash your hands off with this.” Dani handed it over and took off her sweatshirt. “You can use this. It’s not a deep puncture, it should heal in a couple of days, but you’ll want to use some antiseptic and bandage it up, if you can.” She frowned as she dropped the sweatshirt into the girl’s lap. “I don’t know who it was, and it’s probably for the better, and you don’t need to worry about it, she’s gone now.” Dani fixed her frown up into a smile with her index fingers, “see? I’m smiling, which means everything’s all good.” She made an ‘ok,’ sign with her hand before she shoved the stake into her back pocket. “I got rid of her. For you. You’re welcome.” Dani adjusted the collar of her t-shirt, suddenly feeling as if it were too tight. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me even if I tell you, but if you see anything like that again, uh…” Running wouldn’t do her much good, “try and keep some of that on you,” she pointed to the flask, “it’s holy water.” 

Bex fumbled the flask and watched it clank to the ground next to her. Frowning, she picked it up gently with her thumb and index finger, not wanting to get any blood on it. She poured the water over her palms and winced when it burned. “Great,” she grumbled, “more bandages. I just got rid of the first set.” Her hands were still shaking from the fear and adrenaline pumping through her veins, but it was quickly turning into an anger she was becoming familiar with. An anger of ignorance over the world she’d been left out of for so long, despite, apparently, having abilities from it. Everyone around her seemed to decide for her what information she was allowed to. Walking on eggshells around her because she was just stupid, fragile Bexley. She looked at the sweatshirt, then back up at the girl. “I’m not...I know that woman wasn’t a good person, but she didn’t just vanish. People don’t do that. Or, I guess, not people, people. So either you can tell me what she was, or I can just go ask my friend what she was. It would be nicer if you did, though, considering you just killed her, probaby.” She shifted finally, standing on woozy legs. Her heart was still pounding and she hated it. Despite her efforts to seem fine after the encounter, her entire body was on alert and she knew her voice was still wavering in fear. “Wh-why does everyone say that? Like it’s their job to keep people in the dark? How about you let me decide if I believe you or not?” Another fence post crumbled and splintered behind them.

“Well,” Dani placed her hands on her hips, “at least you’re not dead, so there’s that.” If there had been any inclination that this girl would be on her way to turning-- though, it’d take a hell of a lot more than a simple bite, then Dani would’ve staked her on the spot, too. She wasn’t about to let some new blood sucker run around White Crest wreaking havoc, even if she hadn’t asked for the life that was forced upon her. Dani looked at the girl. She was certainly in a fragile state, and the last thing that Dani wanted on her hands was a breakdown in the middle of the college parking lot. She glanced towards the building, looking for cameras. She’d have to take care of those the following morning-- nobody would notice a solid hour missing from the footage. Luckily for her, she knew somebody in the AV club who owed her a favor or two. When the brunette started to speak, her voice picking up in pitch, it was evident that she was growing more upset. “You’re right, she’s dead.” Dani reached up and did jazz hands, “you saw a vampire, I saved you from it-- are you really not putting two and two together?” She arched a brow. Obviously there were people that were blind to what was around them, but to have its fangs in her neck and still be unsure? Dani watched the girl as she got to her feet. She looked as if she’d topple over at any moment. 

“Because,” Dani sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the sound of the fence falling to the ground. She looked back over at the girl apprehensively, “it sort of is my job. To save you, and to keep people in the dark.” Dani observed the girl for a moment, “because if I don’t, then it gets a hell of a lot messier, and I’m not looking for mess.” She scrunched her nose in distaste at the idea of the town succumbing to fear. It was easier to work when nobody knew what was lurking in the shadows, and even if she did relish in the praise given to her when she did something right, overall, it sounded like a nightmare, having to explain what vampires and zombies were-- or any other supernatural creature, really. “Look, I get it-- you just almost died, but I saved you, and you’re going to live a--” she looked over the girl, “I don’t know what kind of life you live, but hopefully it’s a nice, safe happy one, you seem nice enough for it.” She took a deep breath, “now, do you want a ride home?” 

A vampire. Of course it was a vampire. She’d been thinking that, hadn’t she? Bex wasn’t stupid, like this girl seemed to be implying. Who else had sharp teeth and red eyes and drank blood? Her brain was just spinning at the time. “You sound like someone else I know,” Bex muttered. At least Mina was nicer about it. She still didn’t know how Mina was involved in this world, but she was, and she figured, with time, Mina would tell her. Right? Her eyes wandered back over to the other girl, who looked annoyed. “A vampire…” she repeated quietly, holding her hand to her neck where the two puncture wounds were. “First magic, then demons, now vampires are real…” She felt nauseous again. She didn’t want to be a part of this anymore, it all felt like too much. Her brow furrowed in anger again. “Forgive me for not knowing right away that vampires are real. Apparently I wasn’t privy to this knowledge while everyone else seems to have been.” She knew she was getting unfairly upset at this girl, she had saved her after all, and she was grateful-- but her attitude after was picking at the insecure parts of Bex that had begun growing the second she’d accepted that she wasn’t just normal. 

Happy was a strange word for it. This girl didn’t seem all too perturbed by the fact that she just killed someone, but Bex wasn’t sure on the rules here. Were vampires people? Did they deserve to die? God, there were too many questions again. She was still shaking from the encounter, too, and the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, which meant the fear was setting back in. Bex really was just defenseless in this world, wasn’t she? The thought made her stomach churn again. She looked over at the other girl and resigned herself. “Yes, I would,” she said quietly. “And, um-- thank you. For...saving me.”

The look on the brunette’s face told Dani that she was beginning to process the information. It was as if a light had been turned on, because the ashen look that had run across the girl’s face only grew. Dani cleared her throat, “well, if I sound like someone else you know, you should probably listen to them, they probably know what they’re talking about.” Dani offered an attempted smile, careful to keep her movements slow. She looked over at the girl as she began to mutter under her breath, an eyebrow arched. So she knew about demons and magic, why had she been so surprised about vampires? Dani bit back the words threatening to crawl out. Of course she’d be surprised-- nobody was actually supposed to know. That was a part of the whole, ‘keeping the supernatural world a secret from people who were vulnerable to it,’ thing. “Look, I’ve been dealing with them for a long time-- sometimes I forget that not everyone else has.” 

A silence settled over them and Dani used it to glance towards her truck. The door still hung open, the cab light on-- as if a beacon to their safety. She looked back over at the brunette and shrugged, “it’s what I’m here for.” The girl had been lucky that Dani had decided to patrol the school that night, otherwise there’d either be a new vampire on the prowl, or they would’ve found her body come sun up. “Well, come on,” Dani said as she approached the brunette, offering to support her from the side. “You look like you’re about to pass out. I have some ginger candies in my glove compartment, I’ll grab you one.” She helped guide the brunette towards her truck, then after a moment, “what was your name?” The sound of her door creaking loud to her ears, she waited until the stranger spilled herself into the passenger seat before moving around to slowly lift herself into the driver’s seat. “I’m Dani,” she finally said as she leaned over, ignoring the weapon in the glove compartment, finding a candy in between papers. She pulled back and dropped it into the girl’s lap before putting the pick up into drive. 

“Yeah,” Bex sighed, “she probably does.” More so than Bex, at least. Bex had no idea what she was doing in this world, or if she even belonged in it. She let out a shaky breath and felt the exhaustion she normally did whenever she accidentally used her magic, looking over at the other girl with a tired glance. Her neck hurt, her palms hurt, even her head hurt. With a resigned sigh, she followed after the girl, letting her lead her along. She tried her best not to flinch, she didn’t wanna be a dead giveaway to everyone she met, but muscle memory was often hard to overcome. She pulled away from her when she tried to help her, gripping the strap of her bag tightly, despite the pain in her palms, and forgetting about the blood still seeping from them. “I can walk on my own,” she muttered, even though it was difficult with the shake in her knees. 

When they made it to the car, which wasn’t far but felt like ages, Bex crawled in gratefully and sagged in the seat. “Bexley,” she muttered to the other girl, “my name’s Bexley.” Her eyes locked onto the knife in the glove compartment. I protect people, the girl had said. Mina had said that to her before, too. She swallowed hard. Was Mina like this girl? “How did you-- do that?” she asked into the quiet hum of the car’s engine. “How did you know how to do that? How to-- get rid of the vampire?”

Dani’s lips formed a hard line as she glanced towards the fence posts that were caved in as if some frat boy had tried to make a point of how strong he was and barreled into them. Only, there had been no frat boy-- only herself, Bexley, and the vampire who was long gone. It’d be hard to believe that anything watching them from the outside would have taken them down while watching the situation unfold before them. The only logical explanation was that Bexley had something to do with it. Hadn’t she mentioned something about magic? “How did I know…” Dani glanced over at Bexley as she pulled out of the parking lot, glancing both ways before pulling into traffic. It was then that Dani realized she never remembered a beginning to her lifestyle-- it was one she had always been in, so even though there was life on the other side of the parking lot and trees, it didn’t feel odd going back into it. 

“You’ve never watched a movie?” She asked with a laugh, stealing a glance of Bex out of the corner of her eye. She rested the heels of her hands against her steering wheel and mulled over how to explain it. It was obvious that she knew what she was doing, but confirming she was a hunter? That could put her in a vulnerable situation. “I’ve had to defend myself a few times,” she said instead, “you sort of learn.” She didn’t bother mentioning the heightened sense of vision, or the fact that she could move quick-- quicker than the average human, or that she was immune to the undead’s bite. “I did what I had to do.” She could feel a smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Though she knew the girl was scared, Dani felt a sense of accomplishment in having so many questions thrown her way about the situation. “Where do you live?” She asked after a moment, realizing she was driving in the direction of downtown. 

“Uh, not particularly about vampires, no?” Bex said. “Also isn’t like-- most of the information in movies incorrect?” She pulled her sleeve up and dabbed it against the wound on her neck, resigning herself to another sweater ruined thanks to blood stains. She looked down at the candy that had been dropped into her lap, and tried to not let herself think too much about what had just happened. She didn’t need to have a breakdown in a stranger’s car. “Guess this place is more dangerous than I thought…” she muttered. This must’ve been why her parents kept her locked away in the house, instead of letting her free in the town. Maybe they were just trying to protect her from all the dangers of this town. She picked up the candy with her free hand and put it in her pocket. “Well, still...you didn’t have to, technically, so...thanks for not letting her um-- eat me?” She swallowed the lump in her throat. She hated that she’d had to just say that. Her legs felt numb again. “Harm-- err--” she’d been so distracted, she’d almost given the girl her actual address instead of Morgan’s. “East End.” 

“They get some shit right,” Dani admitted. “Maybe not all the time, but sometimes.” She looked over at Bex and how she began to care for the wound on her neck. She had to have some napkins somewhere, right? As they pulled up to a red light, Dani began looking through the bag that was between them. “Here,” she said absentmindedly once the light turned green. She placed the napkins on top of her bag for Bex to take. “Dangerous?” Dani asked with a raised brow. “That’s an understatement.” To be honest, she wasn’t sure why her community still allowed humans to move there. In Dani’s opinion, they should get all of them out, then take out all the Supes. It was a plan-- not a good one, but one that Dani dreamt of perfecting. Imagine saving an entire town, she had told her mom. Only, she had been told, we save who we can. Big whoop. “I wouldn’t have let her eat you, even if I hated you.” Dani turned her blinker on once she drove into the correct lane. She pulled up behind a string of cars waiting to do the same. “But you’re welcome.” Dani looked over at her. “Take my number, that way if you run into any shit again, you know--” She shrugged, “you can call me for help.” She didn’t want to be a hunter for hire, or a hero for hire, but it was clear that this girl was going to have steady nightmares about this for weeks, or months to come. 

“Even if they do, how is anyone supposed to parse out the correct information?” Bex asked back, taking the napkins Dani dropped in her lap and putting them against her neck. She bruised easily, and as well as all of that, she always bled a lot. Something to do with her thin blood or something like that. She hadn’t bothered listening when the doctor’s told her. Now, she wished she had. “Okay...maybe more than dangerous. Deadly? I guess this...explains the high death rate.” Why did anyone live here? She ruffled her nose. Why did her family want to live here? And for so long? It seemed strange. None of them had ever gone missing or been killed by strange circumstances. Maybe it was because they simply stayed out of the way. Her parents were very good at ignoring those in need.  “How many vampires are there? Are there like...a lot? Do I need to be worried about walking home at night now?” God, that sounded like a nightmare. Just another thing to add to her growing list. She sighed, pulling the now soaked napkin away and grabbing another. She was beginning to feel dizzy. “I mean, I’ll take it, but I’m sure you saw how handy my phone was. And now the screen is broken, too.” She frowned down at the shattered screen. She was beginning to hate this pattern of things that were happening to her. “Sorry I’m bleeding all over your car. I can pay to have it cleaned.”

“It’d be a lot higher if it weren’t for--” She looked out the window of her truck and flipped off the prius that had tried to cut in front of her, then turned her attention back to Bex, “you know, people who protect other people.” She wasn’t about to dive into the mechanics of hunters, and though Dani was sure this girl was human, there was definitely something different about her. The splintered fence posts came to mind as she pulled down the street. One of the many advantages that Dani had was that she knew where everything was. For the most part, at least. Dani glanced over at Bex again and let out a short laugh, but nothing was funny about her question. “If I knew, I think I’d be sick.” Dani continued to drive, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, “there are more than even I know about I’m sure.” She quirked her lips to the side, then looked down at her lap as her own phone flashed a text message her way. “Huh?” Dania asked as she looked back over at Bex again, “nah, you’re fine-- do you see that stain there?” She pointed towards where Bex’s feet were, “I once lost an ounce-- I think they said, just right there.” She grinned widely before she took another turn. 

Bex couldn’t help but think of what Adam had said, that his family had been protectors since the beginning of humanity. Was Dani’s family like that, too? She kept her mouth shut, though, because it seemed as if the other girl didn’t want to talk about it. She jumped a little at the laugh, looking over at the other girl in confusion. She hadn’t thought something like that would be funny, but she truly was out of her depth here. But how was she supposed to know? She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, making sure to not touch her still bloody palm. Morgan would be so upset-- no, not upset. Worried. She looked down at her palm again, then to the floor where Dani pointed, lifting up her feet. She felt a shiver run through her, at the girl’s casualty around her blood loss, around Bex’s. Maybe this wasn’t a world Bex wanted to be a part of. Maybe it was a world she’d never fit into. She swallowed. “So vampires are...if the movies are right, they’re people. Or they...once were. Is that, are they still-- like us?”

Dani had been told by Lauren that she needed to be kind to the people she helped, but Dani had questioned how much more kind could she be past having already saved their lives? As she got older, she began to understand what her mom had meant. Not everyone was aware of the things that she was-- not everyone would deal with it in the same way. She had people go into shock on her, as well as insist on calling the police because she had ‘murdered,’ somebody. Every person Dani saved was different. Bex? Well, she fit into the mold of the usual. Shocked, terrified, unsure of what was around her. Only difference was, she had fences that had splintered around her. “They’re not like us, and anyone who says they are, is a fucking liar.” Dani said it nonchalantly, despite the command in her voice. “That’s how they get you. Some of them are straight up monstrous, like the one that got you.” Dani tapped her finger impatiently on the steering wheel as she pulled up behind another car. “Others act like they have your best interests at heart.” She looked over at Bex. “Just…” It wasn’t like the girl would know what to look for. “Keep alert, y’know?” 

“So,” Bex started, “just practice stranger danger. Got it.” The other girl’s advice wasn’t really helpful. Bex wanted to know how to spot a vampire. What were their natural habitats? Did they actually explode in sunlight? Obviously the blood eating thing was real. Were they all that aggressive? What had made that woman choose Bex? How had she known she was alone in the library? Did they have superstrength, superhearing, supervision? Why were her eyes red? Instead, she just looked over at Dani and furrowed her brows. “Are you a hunter?” she asked, remembering the conversation she’d had with Morgan now that her head was more clear. Well, at least her mind wasn’t panicking anymore, and really, that was the best Bex could ask for right now. If she was lucky, she could slip inside and clean up the wound without anyone seeing. She didn’t need Morgan or Mina worrying over some stupid little incident. “Look, I...might not know everything about this world, but I know some things. Like, that, magic is real. And that there are people who aren’t human. And that there are hunters who think those people are monsters, sometimes. And now, apparently, that vampires are real.”

Dani chewed on the inside of her cheek. She knew that it was up to her so that Bex would never have to worry about the undead, or any other kind of monster, really. The silence that filled the cab made Dani uneasy, but it was Bex’s question that took her by surprise. She shifted in the driver’s seat and put a little too much weight into her foot. Her truck lurched forward and she winced, “sorry.” She quickly restarted her truck and turned, ignoring the sound of a car horn from behind her. “So you know about hunters, but you didn’t know for sure about vampires?” She looked back at Bex, her grin slowly replacing the grim line that had formed. “Of course magic is real,” White Crest was full of magic-- an unexplainable kind. She knew Nell, ever since she was a child, and she knew that Nell had magic. She had been aware of it from the very start. It’d be naive to believe that with the undead, wolves, fae-- anything else, that magic would not be real-- all of it, after all, was some kind of magic. “So,” Dani said as she finally pulled down the destination street, “you believed in all of that from the get go…” She let out another laugh, this time less sarcastic. She looked for the correct address, and when she finally pulled in front of the house, she cut the engine. She looked past Bex towards the house and began to speak, “carry garlic, some holy water, and some wood if you really want to make yourself feel better.” She looked back at Bex with a small smile, “and obviously you can call me if you get yourself into any other situations.” 

“To be fair,” Bex started, “I literally just learned about hunters the other day.” That was an entirely different situation for Bex to stress over. “And, I don’t know...who’s to say what’s real or not? How am I supposed to know? No one taught me anything about this. I’m pretty sure my parents specifically kept me away from all of this.” Like they were hiding her, or maybe hiding her from this world. She glanced over at Dani as she declared magic was real as if this fact was just normal and true for anyone and everyone. A casual reminder of what Bex had been deprived of her entire life. She replaced the napkin on her neck again-- at least the bleeding was slowing now. “I don’t know what I believe, really. But it’s kind of hard not to believe in things when they, well--” she shrugged, wincing, “for lack of a better phrase, bite you in the neck.” Bex turned to follow Dani’s gaze up the drive to see Morgan’s house, a few lights glowing on in the bedrooms. She chewed her lip. “Garlic? Seriously? That works?” She let out a long breath, rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes. Turned to glance at Dani one last time. “Um...thank you. I uh-- don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about you. I know it can be dangerous.” She rubbed her palms. “I would shake your hand, but--” held up her hands and stiffly wiggled her fingers. “If there’s any way I can repay you, though, just lemme know.” She opened the car door and slid out stiffly, grabbing her bag and her broken phone. “It was nice to meet you, Dani. Even if uh-- circumstances weren’t great. I hope your ribs are okay.”

Logically, Dani knew that Bex was right-- if she had just been learning about all of this, the probability of her knowing vampires were real was slim. Still, it was her own duty to ensure that people were aware-- maybe not of the specifics, but that they weren’t alone. She wasn’t about to go into the other creatures who frolicked around White Crest, as if it were their own, personal playground. “So if your parents know, then…” She looked at Bex, wondering if she had been right to believe that the girl was a witch. “Well, you know now, so…” Dani flexed her fingers against her steering wheel. The adrenaline from her fight was slowly dissipating and the ache in her bones was loud, right down to her finger pads. “Garlic does work, yes.” Not against zombies, though. She’d save that for later. She looked from the dead clock on her dashboard, back to Bex. “Don’t even worry about it, Bex.” She smiled at her, “nice to meet you too-- just… try not to make this a common occurrence.” She turned the truck on once Bex was out. “Let me know if you need anything, you can find me online.” She waited until Bex was safely inside before she drove away. The question of how Bex had been introduced to her world played around in her head. The split fences came to mind. Yeah, there was no way that girl was simply normal. 

[aqua-murphys-law]

i can feel it falling (timber)

Rating: G Warnings: None Summary: A look at what inspired Milo not to give up on the possibility of Zack becoming his friend, the day they first met.

A/N: When I fell back into the Dwampyverse fandom, I foolishly said that I didn’t know if I was gonna write anything for MML. I really should’ve known better. So here’s a little something inspired by @wiz-witch‘s post here!

I wish I’d had it done in time for MML’s 4th anniversary but such is life. Reblogs/comments would be greatly appreciated, and a good response will let me know whether I should write the other one-shot ideas I’ve got. Hope you enjoy! - Aqua

(Click here to read on A03 for extensive tags!)

~*~

Milo approaches the bus stop with a bounce in his step.

It’s been a relatively light morning so far. There was just one bird nesting in his hair when he woke up, and it relocated to the backyard without much fuss. He got through both of his showers without slipping, getting soap in his eyes, or breaking the water system (the second shower was because the garbage disposal spewed breakfast scraps back up at him, but still, that could’ve been worse).

He even gets to the bus stop before Melissa, only a few boys from school present. It takes a couple seconds before he hears shoes scuffling away from him, which isn’t surprising. It’s very rare for him to actually end up on the bus, but when he does, it makes for an… eventful ride. He can’t fault them for being cautious, since it’s looking more and more like it might actually be one of those days-

“What’s that all about?”

That’s an unfamiliar voice.

Milo turns to the speaker. It’s a boy around his age, dark-skinned with frizzy black hair. He’s dressed simply in a yellow shirt and jeans, a red backpack at his sneakers. He’s looking at Milo with confusion, and something akin to concern.

“Oh, you’re new here,” Milo realizes. It’s strange for someone to transfer schools after the start of the semester, but stranger things have happened. He sighs good-naturedly, going on to explain, “I’ve got a bit of a reputation.”

The boy blinks before amusement tugs at his mouth, and he quirks a brow. “So what are you, a tough guy?”

That might be teasing, Milo’s not sure. “Oh, I don’t think anyone’s ever called me tough,” he says. And this is really pressing his luck, but he can’t help being polite and offers his hand. “I’m Milo.”

The boy actually takes Milo’s hand, and smiles when he does it. “I’m Zack.”

Of course, the other boys at the stop immediately urge Zack against it, but Milo isn’t fully paying attention. He instantly commits Zack’s name to memory because if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that knowing his classmates’ names helps soften the blow when he accidentally lands them in the hospital for the first time.

Despite the warning, Zack doesn’t let go right away. His hand is warm, and a little bigger than Milo’s. Mostly softer than Milo’s too, but unexpectedly calloused in telltale places, like he plays a guitar of some sort. That’s interesting.

“So what exactly is this reputation?” Zack asks, seeming more curious than concerned now.

Milo tilts his head. “Well, people have used the J-word, but you know what they say. Sticks and stones can damage your vital organs, so always wear body armor.”

The original meaning of the phrase is still implied. As a Murphy, harsh words are extremely low on his list of things to worry about. At least, that’s how he tries to keep it. It’s not that words don’t affect him at all, he just has steps he takes to prepare himself for them, like he would for any other unpleasant event. Just as he wears body armor to protect against physical harm, he protects his feelings under his carefully crafted demeanor.

Lots of people think his cheeriness is default, but in reality, it’s a conscious choice. It’s his emotional armor. Words hurt him less if he chooses to be upbeat and optimistic, rather than let himself despair. That just creates a negative feedback loop, which doesn’t help anything.

Before Zack can inquire further, Melissa shows up to the stop. Milo gets preoccupied by their conversation and forgets that Zack’s still waiting on an explanation until he interjects. But right as Milo is about to elaborate, Murphy’s Law kicks in.

Milo has just enough time to slap his spare helmet onto Zack’s head before they turn and run. And it is both of them; Zack’s taken off without any prompting- he didn’t freeze like so many people do for their first disaster, that’s good. He’s screaming quite a bit, but that’s to be expected. And more surprising is that Zack’s keeping pace with Milo. Not many people can match his speed when he’s going full-tilt like this.

“-wait, why aren’t you screaming?!” Zack demands suddenly.

Milo’s intrigued. Most people who get caught up in his Murphy’s Law don’t have the presence of mind to question why he’s calm while being chased down the street by some devastatingly heavy object.

“I find it doesn’t help,” he answers simply. “Just hurts the larynx.” While he runs and talks, part of him is absentmindedly planning his next move, and he adds, “hand me that bungee, and you’d better hold onto my backpack.”

Milo winds up his throw. Even as Zack exclaims, “Wait, what?” he feels the other boy grab on as instructed, and then they’re up in the air.

Zack maintains his hold while they flip, and when the bungee snaps and drops them on top of the drainage pipe. He’s strong, Milo notes with pleasant surprise. More impressively, Zack doesn’t go careening off of the spinning cylinder- he manages to stay upright beside Milo. That’s a rare skill, for sure. Maybe he’s taken log-rolling classes, for whatever reason. Or, he’s just exceptionally quick on his feet. An athlete, maybe.

“That bungee was definitely defective,” Milo comments, if only to fill the space.

Zack offers no reply, even as Milo sends Diogee home. The pipe takes them through a road barrier, down a rocky incline, through a wooden fence, off of a thankfully low cliff, and into a shallow pit of mud. They barely have time to blink the mud from their eyes before the pipe falls down after them, and Milo tells Zack to scooch over- which he does with little hesitation.

They fit neatly through the center of the pipe, and a wave of mud sends them up to the top.

Zack glances over at Milo, his sudden stillness probably due to shock. “… the J-word wouldn’t happen to be jinx, would it?” he ventures.

Even though he knows it wasn’t used maliciously, Milo can’t stop himself from flinching. He brushes it off with a laugh, though it comes out slightly apologetic. “Yeah, that’s the one.” He pulls himself up onto the rim of the pipe, offering Zack his hand.

Miraculously, Zack accepts his help, and they climb over the edge and drop into the mud below.

Milo wipes his face off with a towel from his backpack. “I have EHML,” he explains. “Extreme hereditary Murphy’s Law. You know, ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.’ Around me.” He studies Zack with a hint of apprehension, the other boy doubled over to catch his breath. He doesn’t look angry or upset or scared, but Milo can’t always tell.

“Well,” is all Zack says. “Alright, then. How are we gonna catch the bus?”

Milo blinks, handing Zack the towel. “Whenever stuff like this happens, the driver usually gives me a few minutes to make it back in case it’s something light. If we hurry, we should be able to get there in time.”

Zack cleans his face and gives the towel back to Milo, brows raised. “Lead the way, I guess.”

Well, indeed. Milo leads the way, and Zack follows.

~*~

Naturally, they miss the bus.

Zack’s definitely in some kind of shock now. He doesn’t even scream when the oil spill in the rock quarry goes up in flames. Milo gently suggests that they go through the woods instead. And then the shock seems to wear off when they’re beset by a pack of hungry wolves.

Shock and panic can interchange remarkably quickly, in some people.

While Milo knows from experience that wolves do, in fact, love peanut butter, Murphy’s Law isn’t yielding anything today. One of the wolves lunges at the same time he tosses the sandwich, and it gets thrown right back, sticking to Zack’s shirt. That elicits a shrill scream from him, and Milo has to fight the urge to cringe. This is not a great first impression, even by Murphy’s Law standards.

At this point, Milo’s pretty sure that the presence of the sandwich has no bearing on the wolves’ desire to attack them, but he grabs a stick and peels it off anyways, if only to try and save Zack’s shirt from being stained too badly.

They escape by scrambling up a tree, but the situation is complicated by the presence of an irate beehive.

A wolf with a beehive stuck on its face is a new one. Luckily, Zack continues to demonstrate remarkable survival instincts, such as ‘dodging when a wolf with a beehive stuck on its face lunges at you’ and ‘running when a wolf with a beehive stuck on its face gives chase.’ He’s keeping up well enough, though he might be starting to fatigue because he lags slightly behind Milo. And he’s still screaming a little, but Milo isn’t holding that against him.

In the end, they don’t escape the wolf so much as they accidentally plunge through an open manhole. But it’s not a high fall, and Milo’s not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or, to look a sewer in the open manhole.

Milo lands on his feet in the middle channel, which is fortunately shallow. Zack crashes in right behind him.

“Here,” Milo hands Zack a headlamp from his backpack, “these will help us navigate in the dark.”

Zack’s voice follows him after a moment. “Dude… if and when we get out of here, I’m gonna have to go my own way. No offense, I just can’t handle all of… this.”

Milo’s heart trips inside his chest. He wants to protest that Zack has, in actuality, handled everything just fine. Truly, even Melissa would be impressed, and he’s sure she will be when he regales her with the story later today. But he knows that isn’t the crux of the matter.

“A- all of what?” he asks quietly, his voice wavering slightly despite his best efforts.

The answer is painfully obvious as a raccoon leaps out at him from a pipe, sailing over his ducked head and disappearing into murky sewer water. Milo grips his backpack tighter and keeps walking.

“This cyclone of calamity that follows you everywhere you go!” Zack exclaims in disbelief, his voice echoing in the tunnels. “How do you live like this?!”

Milo supposes this was inevitable. It’s not often that someone gives him a chance- usually it’s something like this, a new kid who doesn’t know any better- but it always ends the same way. He accepted long ago that Melissa would be his only school friend, and he’s okay with that.

Right now, they’ve reached the point where Milo will say he understands and apologize for putting Zack in danger. He’ll get him out of the sewer and part ways, only seeing Zack as much as school demands. Or less than that, if Zack decides to switch schools and get a restraining order. That’s happened before. But really, this is where Milo should ‘cut Zack loose,’ if he’s speaking metaphorically.

Except.

Except Milo doesn’t want to.

It’s a bizarre sensation. He’s never put up a fight before, whenever someone decided he wasn’t worth all the danger associated with Murphy’s Law. He almost lost Melissa that way, and was incredibly fortunate she decided to choose him. Typically, it’s easier for everyone if he just accepts it without complaint, and he doesn’t like making a scene. But this time, every part of him is rebelling against the idea.

He really, really doesn’t want to lose Zack. Zack, who’s fast and strong and quick on his feet. Zack, who has good instincts and knows how to trust them. Zack, who willingly followed Milo all this way despite knowing about his EHML. He doesn’t come across people like Zack every day.

Right now, it’s just him and Zack in a dark tunnel. There’s no one else around to worry about, no judgmental looks or scolding words. No one to tell Zack that he shouldn’t be around Milo. So maybe, this time, Zack can really decide for himself. Maybe, deep down beneath the knee-jerk fear reaction, he feels what Milo does, and knows that leaving would be the wrong choice.

Maybe Milo can fight for this.

So instead, Milo asks, “How do you live like that?”

Zack’s voice is hesitant. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Milo turns around, frustration nipping at him because it’s always so hard to put these things into words, “you wanna live like those other kids? They took a bus to school today. A bus! Does that seem like more fun to you?”

That really doesn’t say everything he means. It doesn’t say ‘I think you’re amazing and destined for so much more than an ordinary life’ or ‘I feel better with you by my side so please don’t go.’ But none of that comes easily to Milo, so it’ll have to do.

Zack stops and thinks about it. Really thinks about it. Milo holds his breath.

“Hm. Alright,” Zack says simply. He hops over the middle channel, landing next to Milo on the other side. Closer than most people are willing to get if they don’t have to. He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at Milo expectantly. “Where to next?”

Milo is almost stunned by the sheer relief that washes over him, but he pushes through it. “Well, there’s a loose grate up over here to the left,” he says, turning around to resume walking. “I’ve been here before.”

“Of course you have,” Zack says, and it actually sounds fond.

Milo’s heart is running now, though he’s not sure why.

~*~

As they scramble their way through the construction site, Milo can’t help but think that they make a good team.

He knows he’s letting himself get too attached, too quickly. At the end of this, Zack could very well change his mind. Or maybe tomorrow, or after a week. Maybe his tolerance of Murphy’s Law has a limit. He wouldn’t be the first.

But they’re incredibly in-sync, for having just met not even a half-hour ago. They don’t even speak as they navigate the various hazards together. Zack seems to be relying on his instincts and cues from Milo, and they escape unscathed, floating down the river on the detached bed of a dump truck.

After they avoid the wolf (again) and Milo sends Diogee home (again), Zack climbs over to sit next to him, leaning back on his arms. His hand is close to Milo’s knee, close enough that their hands would be touching if Milo put his down. And the way Zack’s looking at him right now… his heart’s acting up again. Maybe he should get checked for arrhythmia.

“You know,” Zack starts, “I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline talking, but I’m starting to feel like we can handle anything that comes our way.”

If that’s how adrenaline makes Zack talk, Milo certainly doesn’t mind it. It’s not often that someone else is doing the reassuring, unless it’s Melissa or his family. And the confidence Zack says it with is an incredible thing. Even if it is just adrenaline.

Of course, now that Zack’s gone and said something like that, Murphy’s Law can’t resist the opportunity, and a massive tidal wave appears out of nowhere to carry them out of the river and straight off the edge of a cliff.

This time, Zack doesn’t scream. They plummet silently for a couple seconds before he turns his head towards Milo, almost casually, and says, “Well, maybe not anything…”

Milo would laugh at that, but then they faceplant onto the dome of an alien spacecraft and suddenly have other things to worry about.

~*~

Somehow, they end up at school on time and unscathed.

Zack thinks he might not have fully processed everything yet, because he feels… surprisingly okay. Considering what happened. But really, it seems silly to freak out and make a huge deal out of it when they’re both perfectly fine.

Aside from missing lunches, that is, but the redhead sitting in front of him- who he recalls as Melissa- has that covered. They don’t have time for formal introductions before the teacher comes in and begins class, but context clues tell Zack that she’s Milo’s only friend. And from what he can piece together, she orchestrated a betting pool to ensure they’d have something for lunch in the event theirs were destroyed.

So she’s either psychic, or stuff like this happens often.

That gets filed under ‘things to think about later,’ next to everything else that just happened. Right now, he has to focus on getting oriented to his new school. Which is… actually pretty boring, compared to this morning. Meeting his teachers, figuring out his schedule, finding his locker… it’s crazy to think he was stressing about this stuff just last night.

He gets strange looks here and there, and catches a few murmurs of, “Someone better warn the new kid” and “Wonder how long that’s gonna last” that make him… oddly indignant. He doesn’t like the feeling that his new classmates are judging his choice to stick by Milo.

He also doesn’t like the attention he’s attracted from Melissa. She’s nice enough, but he catches her staring at him sometimes, this intense look in her eyes, like she’s trying to puzzle something out, and it gives him the creeps.

Someone remind him not to get on her bad side…

If something’s up, Milo’s oblivious to it. He’s happy to help Zack around to their classes, and never falters under the stares or whispers or occasional small mishaps that occur. And they are small; nothing else that happens that day can compare to their crazy morning.

Which is perfectly fine by Zack. No complaining here.

The relative calm gives him a chance to actually get a good look at Milo- something that was neglected in all the terror. He’s deceptively average at a glance; pale, brown hair, brown eyes. An ever-present smile on his face. His outfit’s a little odd; shorts, sweater vest, loafers. And Zack quickly finds out that Milo’s backpack isn’t just a regular school backpack that happens to contain a random assortment of items.

Milo wears it nonstop throughout the day, never stashing it under his desk or in his locker. Not even during lunch. That also gets filed under ‘things to think about later.’

Along with the fact that Milo has a lot of scars. Like, a lot.

Zack remembers the conversation at the bus stop, but in the light of day it’d been easy to overlook. Milo’s so pale, the faint marks don’t show up that much until they’re under more contrasting light. And again, they aren’t running for their lives, so Zack can take the time to notice the dozens of scars on Milo’s arms, knees, and face.

Some are small pockmarks, some are lines of varying thickness, some are patchy blotches. Some of them look surgical in nature, while others Zack can’t even begin to speculate about. After their morning together, it’s not hard to imagine why Milo’s acquired so many scars in his short life, but it’s… sobering, to say the least.

Today wasn’t the rule. Milo gets hurt a lot. Like, a lot.

And so Zack’s starting to think this morning was actually really lucky, all things considered. Part of him wants to reconsider his decision. Not so much out of fear that he’ll get hurt, but because he’s not sure he can handle seeing Milo get hurt.

But then Milo catches him staring once. Their eyes meet briefly before Milo’s cheeks flush and Zack looks away, his stomach flipping like it did when they were freefalling together, and he already knows he’s in for the long haul.

~*~

Melissa doesn’t get a chance to speak to Milo alone until lunch, when Zack excuses himself to the bathroom and their little three-person table becomes its usual two-person table.

Milo, who had been excitedly recounting the morning’s events for her, suddenly falls silent as soon as Zack’s out of earshot. He looks up at her apprehensively, fidgeting with his hands, and Melissa already knows what’s on his mind before he says anything.

“So, uh, what- what do you think of him?” he asks quietly.

Melissa tilts her head, considering. She hadn’t thought much of the guy at the bus stop, simply recognizing that he was a new kid and thus didn’t know not to stand that close to Milo. She’d been surprised to see Zack stuck with Milo through all that happened, and seemed none the worse for wear.

“It sounds like he handled himself well,” she concedes.

Milo nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, he really did. I was very impressed.”

“I can tell,” Melissa says, amused.

Milo laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Is that a blush? “I just, I know we haven’t really hung out with other people in… forever. I didn’t mean to have this whole adventure with him, without you, it just happened.” His expression sobers. “And- and I like him, and I think he’d be a good fit for us, but if you don’t, then just say the word. I’ll understand.”

Then he gives her that little smile of his, the one that’s sad at the edges like he’s already expecting a certain answer and has resigned himself to it. The one he uses whenever he’s apologizing for some Murphy’s Law related incident. The one that makes her want to shake him and say, “It’s not your fault, you deserve better.”

Over the years, some people have tried to stick around Milo just for the spectacle of it. A chance to see what the deal with the ‘disaster kid’ was (particularly back when Diogee was allowed to accompany Milo to school as his service dog). They didn’t care about Milo as a person.

And worse, Milo never caught on. He really thought someone was giving his friendship a chance, and was crushed when they inevitably decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

It only happened a handful of times before Melissa established herself as “someone you do not want to cross” and people were too scared to try it anymore, but it took a toll on both of them. Milo’s convinced that he’s destined to go through life alone, with no one but Melissa at an arm’s length away.

And Melissa’s instantly suspicious of anyone who shows an interest in Milo. Admittedly, she might’ve jumped the gun a few times, and chased off potential friends who could’ve actually had good intentions. After all, some people genuinely did try to be his friend, and just couldn’t handle Murphy’s Law. Mostly new kids like Zack. But whenever someone who already knew them started getting closer, Melissa’s defensiveness quickly deterred any further advances, before she even knew whether they were sincere or not.

Those are acceptable loss margins in her opinion, if it meant Milo didn’t have to suffer another heartbreak.

But she knows he’s lonely. More than others would think, and probably more than he’s willing to admit to himself. The two of them are close, but one person can’t be someone’s whole world. He’s always wary of putting too much on her, so she knows there are holes she isn’t filling.

If she’s being honest, it might be nice to have someone else around to help handle the Murphy mayhem. From what she’s heard, Zack is plenty capable- and that’s without any prior experience. She could do worse for someone to take under her wing. Plus, she hasn’t gotten strange vibes from him yet, regarding Milo. He seems genuine.

And Milo really seems to like Zack. Probably more than he’s willing to admit to himself.

So much so, in fact, it speaks volumes that he’d break this budding friendship if she asked him to. It scares her, sometimes, how much of Milo’s heart she seems to hold. They’ve won each other’s trust and loyalty a thousand times over since they first became friends, but all she really did in the beginning was show him some basic kindness. That’s all it took for him to decide he was devoted.

The wrong person could really abuse that.

… Zack better not be the wrong person.

“He’s in,” Melissa decides.

The way Milo’s face lights up almost makes all her worries go away.

Almost.

Zack will have to watch himself around her. If she gets a single whiff of any funny business from him, he’s done, and she’ll make him regret ever switching schools.

But even Melissa has to admit, the soft way Zack looks at Milo when he returns to the lunchroom and Milo happily waves him over makes her think she probably doesn’t have anything to worry about.

Probably.

~*~

[firefistlaw]

Request:

Imagine how extra Law and Ace would be if they experienced, in full, the 'love at first sight' trope with their future (fem) s/o. Like full on, she's just there doing her own thing, not even noticing them - but when they see her, they basically have every 'love at first sight' cliché smack em in the face. I think Ace would just about manage stumble out an introduction. Law, I think would get stuck trying to figure out if he's hallucinating. You decide! Hope this is a fun ask ^_^ X

a/n: it was very fun. i hope this is alright and you enjoy to read it! i kind of changed it up a bit... thank you for requesting <3 

or... Law and Ace experience Love At First Sight. 

Law

There weren’t many times in his life where Law felt completely und utterly calm. He was easily lost in the fast dynamic of the life as a pirate and sometimes he just felt comfortable in it. But there was nothing more relaxing than spending time in a library, he was sure of it.

He lets his grey eyes gaze through the countless backsides of the leather books, the shelf reaching meters above his head and again, he felt a wave of calmness embrace him. Law grabs one of the massive books in front of him, sighing at the faint smell of old ink that surrounds him and starts to waver through the pages as his feet start to walk along the hardwood floor, the shelfs creating a dimension close to a labyrinth. It doesn’t take long for him to reach the end of the way and when he looks up from the words written on the paper, he sees the reflection of himself in the window in front of him. Before he can continue, however, he notices a small movement in what he thought was an empty library.

Law huffs and turns around as the movement begins to come closer and before he can flee into the next path of shelfs, a soft hand touches the side of his dark blue sweater.

“Excuse me,” he hears you mumble and even though he would have considered any other noise a waste of his hearing sense, he can’t help but notice how warm and fitting the two words carry themselves between the silence of the room. “Can I ask you a question?”

The pirate stays silent. He even stays frozen, thinking that if he doesn’t react, you will leave. But when you don’t, he finally turns himself around and looks at the person still gripping the side of his sweater. He lets the book in his other hand shut close, mostly for dramatic purposes, and raises an eyebrow when he finds your face standing in front of him.

You stand there with your big eyes, lashes curled up towards him and rosy lips opened slightly as you study his face the same moment he studies yours. His eyes have a darkish colour around them, the black hair on his head is hidden underneath a soft looking black and white hat and for a moment, you think he looks a bit taken aback. You clutch your own book, hands looking tiny compared to the size of leather. Your figure is hidden underneath an oversized sweater, the skin on your cheeks painted a soft colour and it takes a moment for the pirate to understand your whole being. What is someone like you doing here all alone? And why did you talk to him?

“Did those hurt?” You whisper after you receive no answer to your previous question and meaningly look down at his tattooed knuckles gripping the leather of the book. When you look back up again, he can see your eyes glinting and the breath gets stuck in his throat.

His body is not reacting towards him anymore.

Law’s fingertips twitch as he feels your eyes gazing down on them again. He must be paralysed. A nerve being stuck somewhere in his body and causing him to freeze in his movement. But his heart thumps against his ribcage fast, nervously and for some reason, excitedly. Law wonders if you can hear it, but from the way you patiently look up to him he doesn’t think you do, or at least, you hide it well enough. Is he having a heart attack?

“Do you ask every stranger you don’t know questions like that?” His voice is breathier then it should be, he notes. But you don’t notice as you softly turn your head to the side, a strand of hair now falling in front of your eyes. Law wants to tuck it behind your ear and, as if finally coming back to his senses, stares at the floor in surprise when he catches himself thinking those exact thoughts. What even is going on with him?

“Only those that have death tattooed on their knuckles.” You giggle softly, still trying to stay quiet in the library. Law feels his heart tugging when he hears the sound and without noticing, the corners of his mouth rise. He pushes against them. “So, did it?”

They did hurt, he thinks. “I don’t like sharing my secrets with people whose name I don’t know.” He answers and wonders if he is scaring you off with his words. Should he say something else? Probably.

To his surprise, you smile. A soft, warm and, Law notes yet again, addicting smile. He could look at your smile for the rest of the day. The rest of his life. For eternity. Is he okay?

“Y/N.” You introduce yourself and he catches himself thinking how much the name fits you. As he introduces himself, he wonders if he is being tricked. Maybe the smell of the library is the smell of a drug that makes him hallucinate and the person he sees is not more than an illusion. Maybe you’re not real. Maybe, Law thinks, the calmness he felt when he walked into the library was the effect of you and you are the drug. What Devil Fruit do you have? Is he going to die? Maybe he should room himself out of the window.

You push your hand out. “It’s nice meeting you, Law.”

He takes your hand in his. He nods.

You’re real. Your skin is soft against his and even though he tries not to, his eyes glance down to your hand - especially the way it fits into his. It is tiny compared to his. Law wonders if you get easily cold in winter. Your hand would fit into his pocket. He could keep you warm.

“Will you tell me about your secrets now?” You mutter in soft delight after your hands part. Law sighs.

Whatever you did to him, whatever spell you cast on him or whatever Devil Fruit you used to make him feel the way he does, he can’t ignore it. There is something about the way you stand in front of him, next to the dark window in the middle of the silent library, that pulls him towards you in ways he can’t explain. Even with his years of studying and learning all about the ways of a human – he doesn’t think that even the best doctor could explain what is going on inside of him. All he does know, however, is that he can’t turn around now.

Even if he wanted to, his feet couldn’t turn themselves away from you anyways and as you smile up to him, he knows he would maybe not share all of his secrets with you, but hell, he sure will give you the chance to.

Ace

“Aw, come on! I was just playing with you!” Thatch babbled happily into the round of men, glossy eyes squeezed shut. The beer in his left hand was swinging to the beat of the music box across the pub they were currently sitting in and Ace knew, the night was going to be long. With a shake of his own head, he gets up, an amused smile gracing his freckled features.

 “You’re an idiot.”

“I might be, but damn-” His hand smacks onto the table, causing some liquid to spill from the glass. “I do make some mean Pasta, though!” His words cause the wave of men to cheer loudly into the night and even making some people that are across the room snicker.

“This must be my cue then.” Ace whispers to himself, patting the top of his empty stomach. He looks to the side and sees some people sitting on the stools of the bar, munching away on their plates of, what Ace thinks, is amazing looking food. Must be the locals. He shrugs and walks across the wooden floor. The stool squeaks with Ace’s weight on top of it and with every glance he takes to the sides, another round of soft squeaks erupt from the furniture.

Even though there are plenty of people sitting and eating, Ace doesn’t see one waiter or waitress across the room. He can hear the ding from the kitchen, announcing the dish to be ready and causing another wave of delicious aroma to swift through the opening. With a frown on his features, his stomach rumbles.

„Hello?“ Ace calls out, propping himself up on both of his elbows. „I’m starving.“

„One, ugh… second!“ An undefinable voice answers. 

The second division commander looks around, but much to his confusion - there is no staff around. From the corner of his eye, he takes a glance at the old man next to him, who happily eats his chicken, wondering if he was making fun of him. But when he continues to munch on the meat without casting a glance at the dark haired man, he shrugs. „Are you a spirit calling out to me?“

There’s silence. Then a soft female giggle. Something is pulling in his tummy at the sound. With a soft smile that quickly turns into a frown, he notes that he needs to eat. Soon.

„Are you calling me dead?“ The voice calls out and now Ace can locate the sound from underneath the bar, directly in front of him.

„Well,“ Ace smirks, leaning across the wood to take a glance at the figure. There is someone crouching there, cleaning up something that looks like a broken plate of food. „I am calling to someone who I can’t see, so I will let you decide whatever you are.“ Hair is covering the figure’s eyes and without noticing, Ace is taking glances at different angles, hoping to see a hint of the colour gracing your orbs. But you’re making it hard for him, moving around quickly with, he leg starts to jump, a smile? Are you smiling because of your small conversation? He leans back, tapping the wood with his fingertips impatiently. He’s curious now.

„If that’s the case,“ you say then, jumping up from your position and tapping your hands against the denim of your jeans, searching for a pen and a piece of paper. „I want to be something cool and since that is a heavy decision to make— I will think about what I choose to be.“ You giggle again. Something is pulling in his heart again. „Anyways, you said you were starving. What can I get for you?“ And then you finally look up to the male sitting in front of the bar.

Your eyes are bright, glimmering with something that he can only describe as a summer night. Your hair is shining healthily with every small you step you take and when the pen falls from your hand, you turn long enough for him to see the curl of your eyelashes in the light. You look like a masterpiece. And fuck, are you even real?

His brows are furrowing. No answer.

„Hello?“ It’s you asking again. He can see your facial expression shifting and you look as confused as you are amused. Fuck, he’s staring, isn’t he?  „What can I get for you?“ You repeat, voice laced with a hint more than just amusement.

You take a glance at him and then back to your empty paper and it seems like slow motion. Everything is slow for him, the way your eyelids drop to the way the corners of your mouth quirk with every second that passes. He imagines the way your hair blows in the wind, the way you’d tuck it behind your ear gracefully, the way the light shines at your profile — what if he woke up beside you? What would you sound like, all sleepy? His heart jumps.  What he wants? He gulps.

Your heart, please.

„Uh.“ Ace looks to the side and feels his cheeks flaming up. „I don’t know.“ He’s mumbling.

He doesn’t know? Ace wants to smack himself across the forehead, but he opts to squeezing his eyes. He can be lucky that no one is caring about him at the moment. If any of his mates saw how he’s behaving, they would clown him for eternity. He needs to gain his senses back.

„Hey,“ you whisper then and lean a bit across the bar, causing some of your perfume to hit his nostrils. He sighs out. You smell like flowers. A sweet, floral smell. Of course you smell like spring. „Are you okay?“ And now you’re concerned about him too? „You’re kind of red. Are you getting enough air?“ You wet your lips with one soft brush of your tongue, his eyes following the muscle as if hypnotised.

„I haven’t decided yet.“ He then says. „I need to think about it.“

You’re probably thinking he lost it.

There are only three types of dishes you can get at a pub like this and even though you and him both know that pirates like him usually go straight for the meat, you just politely nod your head and put the pen back into your back pocket. „Take all the time you need.“ You laugh and now he feels his tummy erupting into something concerning. Either his body is warning him of starvation or he just felt butterflies in his stomach. Ace huffs out, it certainly feels like a whole zoo, not just some damn butterflies.

„Call me whenever you’re ready. I’m Y/N.“

Y/N. He whispers your name quietly, liking the way it sounds on his lips.

And then you turn your back and grab the dish that was the cause of the ding from earlier. With another smile towards him, you leave and let him be.

„Fuck.“ He lets his head fall back into his hands and lets out another frustrated huff. „What a fucking fool you are!“

„Truly.“ The old man next to him suddenly says and takes a sip from his beer, startling the pirate for a second. „I think you caught it, young man.“ And then he laughs, pulls out some money and lays it next to his plate. „Better make it worth it.“

Ace turns his head and watches your figure now standing in front of Thatch and the rest of the group, writing down things quickly. He can hear the way his mates chant for more beer and for one second even, he’s jealous at them for having your attention.

His heart is throbbing. Ace turns around again and sees his reflection in the glass in front of him. He needs to get to know you better. And if that is the last thing he does.

„So, freckles. Decided yet?“ You sing song as you walk up to the counter again, calling out some things to the cook in the back.

Ace takes a breath. „Yeah.“

„So, what would you like to have?“

„You.“

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Right of Law, Section XXVIII

(The tension mounting in Civitas Magna finally comes to a head.)

“Testing, testing…”

Zaekura looked up to flip a switch on the radio.  “Hear you loud and clear.  Can you read me?”

“Copy.  Alright, we’ll get this one ready for transport.”

She paused to rub her eyes before turning back to the microscope.  Studying the way the sample moved, she flipped through one of the three open notebooks laid out around her, read over a snippet of text, and then reached for a rack of droppers filled with various solutions.

“Testing, testing…”

“Back at you.”

“Copy.  Packing now.”

Keeping her eye firmly on the lens, Zaekura mixed one tiny droplet into the sample. As it began to react, she quickly switched the dropper to her other hand and began writing down the results, slowing only when the reaction appeared to stabilize.  “No way…”

“Is everything alright?”

With a minor start, Zaekura turned to see Charla there.  “Oh!  Sorry, didn’t hear you come in.”

The radio buzzed.  “Testing.”

Zaekura flipped the switch.  “Yeah, you’re good.”

“Testing?”

“Yeah, copy, I can—”

“Testing?”

“...But, you can’t hear me.”

“Alright, so this one’s busted…”

Zaekura put away the dropper and scribbled something down before turning back to Charla.  “Sorry.”

“I just wanted to check on you,” Charla said.  “You shouldn’t work yourself too hard, Zaekura.”

“I’m not, really.”

Charla crossed her arms.

“Come on, testing the radios is mindless, I have to do something else in the meanwhile.”  She went back to the microscope.  “Plus, I think I…”

The sight that greeted her was unrecognizable.

“...Nevermind.  It’s degraded.”

Zaekura sighed loudly as she sank into her chair.  Charla drew closer, placing her hands on her shoulders and saying, “One of the blood samples from the mutated Vorox?  Are you any closer to curing it?”

“Closer...yes.  Done...no. I’ve tried a few different ways to revert the mutation, but they keep spiraling out of control and wrecking the entire sample.  It’s a really delicate balance I’ve got to find, and even with the notes from the Great Beings’ lab, I just can’t find it…”

The radio buzzed.  “Testing, testing.”

Zaekura started to reach, but Charla hit the switch for her.  “Ah, thanks.  I read.”

“Copy.  Back on track.  Could you hear me before?”

“Yeah, I could.”

“So it must be the receiver...”

Zaekura leaned her head back, now able to look up at Charla.  “Alright, maybe I should take a break.”

“I agree,” Charla said.  “Even genius minds need rest.”

“Pff, genius…”

“Well, you are.”

“Depends on how technical you want to get.”

“And if I don’t want to get technical at all?”

“Then I guess I’m a freaking genius.”

“Hehehe…”

They sat in silence for a moment, broken by another radio test.  After a few more moments of thought, Zaekura said, “Hey, Charla...was it wrong of me to send Hewkii to Civitas Magna?”

Charla tilted her head.  “He agreed to go.  In fact, I recall him being quite fond of the idea.”

“Yeah, but with how dangerous it is, part of me kinda feels like I shouldn’t have mentioned it to him in the first place.  Like maybe I planted an idea I shouldn’t have even considered.”  She averted her gaze.  “I was thinking...tactically.  Realizing that scares the heck out of me.  Putting someone’s life in danger—the lives of that whole team—shouldn’t just be a tactical decision.”

Charla waited a moment.  “You’re being too hard on yourself, Zaekura.  I—”

The radio cut her off.  “Testing, testing.”

She flipped the switch, Zaekura saying, “Uh, yeah, copy.”

“And copy.  Alright, that’s all of them.  I’ll get to work repairing the defects.”

“Okay.  Thanks, Nuparu.”

As Charla turned the radio off, the chamber door opened to allow Krika inside.

“Oh, Krika,” Zaekura said, craning her neck.  “What—”

“Vamprah’s in Civitas Magna,” he said.

Zaekura’s eyes shot wide.  Scrambling out of her chair, she said, “Bad, that’s bad, that’s really bad, is everyone ready?”

“Currently marching—I hope you don’t mind.”

“Nope.  Come on, fill me in on the way.  Charla, uh…”

The Rahkshi nodded.  “I will see to it.”

“You’re the best.”  She rushed out the door right on Krika’s heels.  “Oh, I really hope there’s a chance to stop this all from going horribly, horribly wrong…”

***

Dekar locked the door behind him, immediately checking through the blinds. Hewkii flopped onto one of the beds, saying, “Ah, excellent job today, team!  We made it to the finals!”

“So we should start preparing for whatever comes next,” Dekar said.

“First, we rest.  No point in exhausting ourselves further.”

“I’d argue there’s a point to it.”

“Just a little rest, Dekar,” Hahli said.  “It’ll make it a lot easier for us to think.”

Dekar shook his head.  Before he could voice his thoughts, something began to shimmer in the corner of the room. The three Toa leapt to their feet and grouped together, and soon the light faded, revealing two new beings standing there: one a Rahkshi with blue and green armor, the other…

“Onewa!”  Hewkii came forward to embrace the newly-arrived Toa.  “It’s so good to see you!  How have your carvings been coming along?”

“There’s no time for that, Hewkii,” Onewa said, gently pushing him back.  “We need to be quick.”

“Wait, you know him?” Hahli asked.

“I apologize if I startled you all, but this was the only way to speak with you safely.  I’m from Nynrah—I’m here as part of a strategy to further Zaekura’s cause. This is Nik, one of Bitil’s Rahkshi.”

Nik nodded in greeting.  Hewkii said, “Ah, I’m relieved to hear you’re on our side, elder.”

“Of course!  They destroyed my home, killed my neighbors, all for…”  Onewa sighed.  “No, now’s not the time.  Listen: there’s at least one more Makuta here than we were expecting to find, so we came to be sure you have a way out if things get dangerous.  All of you, hold out your hands.”

The three of them complied, Nik stepping forward to drop a pellet into each of their palms.  Dekar turned it around in his fingers, saying, “I guess they really want to be sure we don’t talk…”

Onewa smacked the side of his head.  “Oh, just listen!  Nik has the power to create these—if you’re in danger, crush it, and you’ll be teleported to his side.  We’ll move out of the city, get as far as we can, and hopefully we’ll all be able to make it to Ga-Koro before anyone can catch up to us.”

Hewkii grinned.  “Don’t worry, Onewa: Zaekura isn’t far away.  Worst comes to worst, we’ll be able to fight our way out.”

“Hmm...I certainly hope so.  Just be careful, Hewkii.  All of you. I hope to see you again.”

With that, Onewa and Nik vanished.  Tucking away his pellet, Hewkii said, “There we go: a plan!  I knew things would work out.”

“They haven’t worked out yet,” Dekar said.  “But, I guess this is better than anything we could have reasonably expected…”

Hahli stared at her pellet.  “I didn’t want to interrupt, but...isn’t he the one from the footage?  The one Vamprah attacked?”

Hewkii looked up.  “...What?”

“You haven’t seen?  Just a bit ago, while we were playing, footage began to circulate of Vamprah attacking a Toa of Stone—I’m fairly certain it was Onewa.”

Hewkii took a moment to process this.  “I see...but he looked fine, though.”

“I suppose,” Hahli mumbled.  “It’s just…”

Dekar stepped forward.  “Even if it worked out, it still happened, Hewkii.  Even if we succeed in broad terms, that old Toa got hurt to get us there—and plenty more might still get hurt in the process.  I won’t argue whether the end justifies the means or not.  But at the very least, you should acknowledge those means for what they are.”

Hewkii stared at him.  Turning to Hahli, he said, “Sorry, what were you going to say?”

She fidgeted.  “Well...I was wondering how the people are going to respond to that footage.  When I looked into it, it seemed like it was already getting a lot of attention; at a certain point, the Makuta and the Great Beings will have to respond to it somehow…”

“As if we weren’t already standing in a powder keg…” Dekar said.  He jumped as the roof creaked.

Hewkii said, “It...it’s going to be alright.  Preparations are in place—the plan will work.  Worrying will get us nowhere.”

Dekar shook his head.  “You just can’t stop being optimistic, can you?”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“Not always.  But at a certain point, you’re just turning a blind eye to what’s in front of you.” Dekar headed for his bed.  “I’m tired of trying to convince you.  When it does finally hit you, all I ask is that you learn from it.”

The conversation ended, leaving the room quiet as the other Toa also sat down to rest.  Hewkii tried to relax, but there was something nagging at him, something that just wouldn’t let go.

Will our success...be built on sacrifice after all?

Up above, the roof creaked again as some invisible body leapt off from it.  It flew to the center of the city, phasing through the wall of Yarion’s tower and finding its way to a chamber that had been fashioned into a forge.  Once inside, Vamprah finally allowed himself to be seen, and waited patiently as Ekimu hammered away at his anvil.  When he finally stopped, Vamprah telepathically communicated all he had heard.

“I see,” Ekimu said.  He then turned back to his work.

At his side, Ahkmou said, “I knew those Nynrahns were up to no good.  We have to take care of them at once!”

“No,” Ekimu said.  “What if someone records it again?  It’d just put more fuel on the fire.  The finals are tomorrow—once those are done, you can do what you want with this city.”

“O-Of course, Lord Ekimu.”

The Great Being paused briefly.  “Hate to admit it...but it might already be too late.  I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Ahkmou shifted as Ekimu continued working.  “Um, if I may, my lord...I find the news that Zaekura is closer than we expect to be rather troubling.  Should we prepare our forces?”

Using his tongs, Ekimu picked up what he was working on: a mask of some kind, similar in shape to a Hau but stretched back, and with additional ridges to its design.  “That’s what I’m working on.”

Ahkmou shuffled back, trying to get as far away as possible from the red-hot mask. “Oh!  I, um, I see...”

Ekimu turned.  “Eliminator.”

The Odinan’s face appeared from the shadows.  “Yes, my lord?”

“I’ll set up a teleportation jammer.  You just focus on your targets.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Ahkmou.”

The Toa jumped.  “Y-Yes?”

“There’s a stasis pen on sublevel 15.  Take its readings and report back.”

“Right away, my lord!”  He was gone in seconds.

“Vamprah.”  He examined the still-searing mask, confident the mute Makuta was listening.  “Go get Yarion.”

***

An army at their backs, Zaekura, Krika, and Bitil approached the gates of Civitas Magna flying the flag of Peace.  Clicking his claws together, Krika said, “Must we waste time like this?”

“You’re the one always going on about our public image,” Zaekura said.

“Hrm...I suppose…”

“Don’t lose your nerve now, Krika,” Bitil said.  “The escort we sent will surely keep your artistic followers safe.”

Krika grumbled.  Gesturing to the flag, Zaekura said, “Guys.  Come on.”

They stopped some distance before the wall.  A few guards could be seen poking around, so Zaekura cleared her throat to address them.  She had barely formed a syllable when she saw an Eccentric Boulder being flung over the rampart.  Bitil carried Zaekura back while Krika dealt with the incoming projectile, and with a sigh, the Glatorian nodded.

“Let him know.”

Bitil nodded, turning briefly to the west.  Then, setting Zaekura down, he raised his sword, gave a shout, and led the army in a charge.

Up ahead, Krika vaulted over the wall and fired a spread of light bolts, breaking as many of the defensive weapons setup there as possible before dashing further in.  He cut through the streets blindingly fast, making a beeline straight for Yarion’s tower, stopping only to dodge as something swooped down at him.  Vamprah shattered the concrete where he landed.

“Oh, good—just who I was hoping to see,” Krika said as he took up a battle stance. “I hear you’ve been harming my citizens, Vamprah.  Did you really think I would permit that?”

Vamprah bounded forward a short distance.  When he landed, his long tail whipped forward, forcing Krika to dodge low as Vamprah rushed him.  Krika extended spikes from his fingers, interlocking Vamprah’s own talons, and then grabbed his tail as it retracted, keeping him in place for a point-blank Power Scream.  Vamprah flitted back and shook his head, gliding circles above Krika as the other Makuta watched him closely.

“Nothing to say for yourself?  I suppose I can talk enough for two.  There’s no shortage of things I can say about a monster who preys on the weak and defenseless, twisting it into some game for his own sick pleasure!”

Vamprah scattered small plasma spheres as he circled.  Upon hitting the ground, each sphere expanded exponentially—Krika had to move carefully to weave through the blasts, leaving him little room to dodge as Vamprah sniped him with bursts of laser vision.  He rapidly extended two spikes in an attempt to puncture Vamprah’s wings, but his foe turned intangible at the last second.

“Even if I felt up to it at the moment, trying to reason with you would be a waste of time.  You’ve always loved the hunt, haven’t you—the thrill of violence?  You’d never turn down the chance to hunt new prey!”

Vamprah flapped his wings, amplifying the resulting gust with his Vacuum powers.  Krika flung himself clear, raised his hands to fire back, and then realized Vamprah was already on top of him.  The flying Makuta wrapped his claws around Krika’s head, slamming him into the nearest building, dragging him up its surface as he flew higher; it took Krika a moment to clear his mind enough to magnetize Vamprah’s wings closed. Vamprah angled his fall so that Krika would hit the ground first, and Krika focused his Elasticity powers into his fist.  The impact hurt, but his affected hand bounced up with just as much force, injecting it into Vamprah’s neck and successfully knocking him back.  Krika was too dazed to aim, so he released a volley of Light bolts where he guessed Vamprah would be.

“You know, Gorast may have the worse reputation, but I’ve always felt you were secretly the most cruel of us all.  How eager were you to tear citizens asunder?  I’ll bet you jumped at the order!”

Clarity returned to him.  Vamprah, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Phenomenal.”

Krika quickly scanned the surrounding area.  It was then he noticed the familiar form of Makuta Yarion approaching the battle.  “Ah, Yarion. Lovely to see you again—it’s been too long.  I wish to have a word with you as well, but…”

He trailed off as Yarion came closer.  Scuffs and grime covered their usually-pristine armor, and in place of their Kakama they wore a mask that looked almost like a Hau yet subtly different. They carried two identical weapons, multibarrel firearms that resembled miniaturized Cordak Blasters, but Krika realized in horror that the guns had been grafted directly into their arms.

“...Goodness.  What happened?”

Yarion silently raised their arms.  The blasters spun to life, releasing a torrent of fireballs that shredded through the nearby buildings.  Krika contorted his body, narrowly avoiding their attack as Vamprah came back into view. He tried to get clear, but flaming rubble was now raining all around him, making it even more difficult to find a safe place to stand for more than half a second.  Vamprah’s attack was precise, nailing him in the chest with laser vision.  Krika stumbled back into the line of fire.  The blasts were just hot enough to overpower his heat resistance, but he managed to free himself quickly...only to be knocked flat by Vamprah’s tail.

As he lay there, Krika grunted.  “Perhaps going ahead was hasty after all…”

While this was going on, the rebel army managed to take the city wall, incapacitating the guards there and making their way inward.  A steady stream of resistance came to meet them.  The Rahkshi busied themselves clearing a path while Bitil stuck close to Zaekura, keeping his eyes peeled; he said, “We just need to reach the arena.  Once we have the team, we pull out.”

Zaekura watched the faces of the people lining the streets.  Many fled in fear, and those that remained looked similarly terrified, watching the Rahkshi march with wide eyes from as far away as they could.  She felt a knot in her stomach.  However, something about it alarmed her.

It’s not as intense as before.  I still feel sick, but not as much.  Why is that? Am I getting used to this?  Should I get used to this?  If I do…

A large screen mounted on a building up ahead displayed a news bulletin, a De-Matoran warning citizens of their arrival and urging them to clear the way. Zaekura’s next step came slower, but then she pushed it from her mind, facing forward again.

“So you’re the one causing trouble.”

Zaekura flinched.  Looking back up at the screen, she now saw an image of Ekimu looking down on her.  Her emotions began to run far deeper.

“You showed up awfully quickly.  From that direction…Artidax?  Is that where you were holed up?”

She said nothing, silently hoping and praying that Charla had finished the evacuation by now.

“The tournament’s almost over.  Can’t this wait?”

Zaekura took a deep breath as discreetly as possible.  “Hey, we offered to negotiate.  Your guys attacked us on-sight.”

“I’ll take that as a no.”  He turned. Zaekura could see the kolhii field behind him, the Hydruka doing their best to take control of the game.  “Guess that prize mask will go to waste.  Unless I can find someone else to give it to.”

“Please, listen to me.  We don’t want anyone to get hurt.  We’re just here to ensure that our people are safe—isn’t that what we all want?”

Ekimu turned back to her.  “What I wanted was to see the tournament.  Looks like neither of us are leaving here happy.”

Zaekura took a moment to glance at the observers: hearing Ekimu’s words, they began to mutter amongst themselves, a confusion subtly taking hold of them. She snapped back as the picture changed. The camera swiveled to show a large cube of blue light, its surface wavering like a stasis field; Ahkmou stood next to it, holding a small electronic tablet.  Zaekura couldn’t make out what was inside.

“Open it,” was all Ekimu said.

Wincing slightly, Ahkmou hit a button on his tablet.  Instantly, the cube disappeared, and a horde of creatures came spilling out.  She couldn’t quite get a good look at them—they skittered past the camera so quickly, obscuring the lens—but soon she heard Ahkmou scream.  Seconds later he came back into view.  Zaekura’s blood froze over.

One of the creatures had knocked his mask off, and now clung to him in its place using its four long, hook-like legs.  Its body was flat and wide, covering his entire face, sporting bony ridges that formed a hideous semblance of a face, complete with two large holes that ran all the way through its body to show Ahkmou’s empty eyes behind it. At his chin were the creature’s own, smaller eyes, as well as sharp fangs that clicked hungrily.

“You don’t want anyone to get hurt?” Ekimu said.  “Let’s test that.  My Skull Spiders can take total control of anyone able to wear Kanohi.  What’ll happen if a bunch of innocent civilians go to fight your army to the death?”

The knot in Zaekura’s stomach grew bigger, reaching out to the rest of her insides and twisting them all into one massive pit of disgust.  “You…!  That’s despicable!  It’s bad enough you don’t care about these people, but you’re even willing to use them like this?!”

“You’ve gotta take full advantage of the tools available to you.  Otherwise, you deserve to lose.”

“Shut up!  People aren’t tools, you sack of trash!  I—”

The screen shut off before she could finish.  Zaekura snarled, and then turned to the Rahkshi.

“New plan!  We’ve gotta contain these Skull Spiders!  Let’s go, let’s go!”

The army stampeded forward.  Zaekura was too focused on their goal to notice the faces of the civilians changing.

“That rotten, no good, heartless son of a—”

Bitil tackled her to the ground.  A bolt of energy lanced through the air, narrowly missing her and blasting apart a nearby wall.  Getting up slowly, Bitil stared into the shadowed alley the attack had emerged from, seeing a purple-skinned face watching him back.

“Ah, great, what now?!”

“Lady Zaekura,” Bitil said, “leave this one to me.  Since I’m able to use Kanohi, there’s a chance I’d be more of a liability where you’re headed anyway.  And there’s something...strange about them…”

Zaekura was back on her feet instantly.  “They’re all yours.”

She rushed off, the face turning after her but stopping as Bitil extended his sword.  “Weren’t you listening?  I’m your opponent.  Makuta Bitil; to who do I owe the pleasure?”

“...My name is Eliminator,” he said.  “I’m who the Keeper sends when other Odinans fail.”

Bitil tightened his grip on his sword.  “Another Odinan...what terrible timing…”

“I’ve never failed to complete a mission, Makuta.  Give up.  If you turn the Glatorian over now, I can put in a good word for you.”

Bitil thought for a moment.

“See?  You’re smart enough to know when you’re beat.”

“You misunderstand.”  Bitil got into a battle stance.  “I was just thinking...the fact that you’d make such an offer must mean you’re afraid to fight me.”  He grinned. “That bodes well.”

Bitil moved to teleport up to his foe.  However, the teleport failed, and he stumbled long enough for Eliminator to strike him with a bolt of energy.  The attack flung him back with tremendous force, half-embedding him in the nearest wall and dazing him for a moment.  When he could think clearly again, Eliminator was nowhere to be seen.

“No you don’t!”

Bitil shot into the alleyway in search of his opponent.  The street was unusually dark, but he was able to spot a crackle of energy up ahead that gave him a target.  Throwing one hand forward, Bitil willed a wall of solid light to appear in Eliminator’s path, but to his surprise, the Odinan continued to barrel forward, darkness seeming to wrap around him, and smashed through the barrier effortlessly.  Bitil grunted.  Activating his Kanohi, he called upon the speed of the Phase Dragon and managed to get in front of Eliminator, knocking him down with a punch wrapped in Light.

“You aren’t getting away that easily, Odinan.  Now--”

Eliminator bounced back with a shadow-cloaked uppercut.  The blow made Bitil writhe, but he stayed on his feet somehow.  Eliminator said, “You’re not worth my time, Makuta.  I’m here to capture the Glatorian first and foremost.”

The alleyway grew darker.  Eliminator took a step forward, energy dancing along his talons, and Bitil held his sword defensively.

“Then again...the shadows really want to watch you die…”

Bitil fired beams of Light from his eyes, landing a direct hit.  Eliminator brushed off the attack.  Dodging the retaliation, Bitil said, “This doesn’t make sense...Shadow and Light are opposites: my attacks should be far more effective!”

He slashed.  Eliminator held one hand out, a force field appearing at his command to block Bitil’s sword.  “Ah yes...that is how it works for your kind.”

Eliminator kicked the instant he lowered his shield.  Bitil avoided direct contact, but the shadows followed Eliminator’s movement, effectively extending his range and leaving a stinging wound on Bitil’s torso.  Backing away slightly, the Makuta raised his sword again, keeping his eyes locked firmly on his target.  He could see now that he had underestimated Eliminator.  If he wanted to survive this battle, he knew he could not do so again.

[vaguelyrotten]

Like a Lily In a Flood

Title: Like a Lily in a Flood Artist: @myulalie Beta: @another-random-stranger​​ Pairings: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, mentions of Jimon and Reyhill Word Count: 70k Warnings: Mild Gore, Beheading, Nearly being eaten alive and burned at the stake, Discrimination, Sickness Summary:  Alec returns home to find his town plagued by a mysterious illness. Unable to find a cure, he ventures into the woods to seek help from an unlikely source. We must not look at goblin men... This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2021: Presented by the @malecdiscordserver

Chapter One

It was raining.

Then again, it was always raining in Idris when it seemed to matter most.

Alec dipped out of the carriage with a sigh and made a beeline for the manor’s front door, knowing that he was going to get wet regardless.

“Alec,” his mother said coldly as she opened the door. “It was nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule and join us in our time of need.” He sighed, following his mother into the house and stripping off his soaked jacket.

He stood, dripping wet, in the foyer as Maryse looked him over with a hard eye. “It doesn’t look like the city nor the additional training you are supposed to be receiving are doing you any good. Honestly, what was even the point of sending you? You should have stayed here. You could have taken over the household when your father fell ill.”

He knew that his mother meant for her words to hurt him, and there was a time only a few years ago when they would have, but no longer. Getting out from under his parents’ thumb had done wonders for his mental health. He knew who he was now and that he had the ability to choose his own path.

So right now? Standing in the foyer of the house he hadn’t set foot in for two years, soaked to the bone and under his mother’s scrutiny? He felt nothing...and it felt good. “You have Jace,” he replied after a moment, accepting the towel that their butler Hodge was offering him.

She scoffed, crossing her arms in that way which meant an argument was coming. “Jace has his duties and you had yours. You were supposed to be head of this house, and this town, after your father retired.”

He’d first left for the city under the pretense of studying law but he’d fallen out of love with that and discovered that his true passion was architecture. He, of course, hadn’t informed his parents of his decision to switch his field of study. They’d be disappointed and there would be words, and while their opinions no longer mattered to him, he needed to be in the right frame of mind for that conversation. He didn’t foresee himself wanting to take that dive any time soon. “I left for the family’s best interest. We need to get out of here. This town is killing all of us.”

Before his father had fallen ill, he’d meant that metaphorically. Generations of Lightwoods had lived in Idris for nearly two-hundred years and had held the position of mayor for most of that. In that time, his family had grown crueler and colder. Once, they’d been a light in the darkness for the people in this town, rescuing them from disaster and leading them through. Today, the Lightwoods still led… but they definitely no longer did it with Idris’ best interest at heart.

No, it was all about power. Alec hated that and all the politics that came with it. That’s what he had hoped to avoid by moving to the city. One day, he was hoping he could have his siblings join him.

His mother chose to say nothing more. He draped the towel over his shoulders with a sigh. “Let me see him. I’m here now, at least.” Alec had tried to get there sooner but the spring rain made getting across the river treacherous. He had to wait a couple of days for the water to get back to normal levels. His mother started up the stairs and he followed her without further comment.

“I have the house and the town to attend to. Someone has to run this place while Robert is indisposed. I’ll leave you to it but come find me when you’re done, Alec. We have issues to discuss.” She closed the door behind her, leaving Alec alone in the room with his very ill and unconscious father.

Alec had seen his father in a lot of ways — some good, some bad, but he’d never seen him like this. The older man was pale and clammy and yet somehow looked peaceful. This illness was like nothing the town had ever seen before. Their doctors had been completely stumped...the first few symptoms had appeared — loss of appetite, attention, and other cognitive abilities that soon gave way to fever. The fever never broke and eventually, the patient lost consciousness. They were slowly wasting away into nothing.

Except not quite. They’d realized that the first few patients never got worse in that way that they did when their ancestors had the wasting disease caused by bad fruit. Instead, their body almost seemed to be turning to stone. And that was frighteningly new and uncharted waters.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t come sooner,” he whispered as he touched the back of his hand gently to his father’s head. The fever was still there and his skin felt all too brittle. “But I promise I will do whatever is in my power to find a way to fix this.”

“We’re glad you’re finally here, Alec,” a voice said, pulling him from his reverie to turn to the door. “We tried to do the best that we could but...neither Izzy nor I are you, and Maryse just wants to keep doing that thing where she insists there’s no problem at all and it’s business as usual.” Jace closed the door quietly behind him and pulled his brother into a hug.

“Do you guys know anything? Mom’s letter was…” His voice trailed off as he searched for more polite words.

“Entirely lacking?” Jace supplied for him. “Unfortunately, nothing solid. They all seem to have fallen ill at around the same time. There are eleven total and they were all fairly recently on a patrol of the borders. We’ve hired sorcerers from the city, hedge witches, even a psychic or two, but no one can find anything wrong with them. They’re just...asleep. Asleep but slowly turning to stone it seems. We’ve got people digging through old books in the archives but no one has turned up anything even remotely similar to whatever this is.”

Alec wasn’t a doctor — he was, in fact, the farthest thing from one. Isabelle knew infinitely more than he did when it came to medicine. What he lacked in knowledge, he made up for in stubborn determination and his ability to think around a situation. If he wanted to find a possible cure for whatever was ailing the townspeople, he’d have to think outside of the proverbial box. “I’ll do what I can,” he said after a moment, giving his father’s unconscious form one last look before stepping into the hallway with Jace at his heels. “I’m not a miracle worker.” But he’d be damned sure he’d try to be one.

“I’ve got to get back. I just wanted to see you before you passed out or Maryse got to you first,” Jace replied, squeezing his shoulder and heading down the stairs towards the front door. “Good luck in there — she’s been… particularly Maryse since Robert took ill.” That fact didn’t surprise Alec at all. His mother had never dealt with change very well.

She was waiting for him in his father’s office, exactly where he had expected her to be. “Close the door behind you, Alec. What I’ve got to say need not fall on nosy ears.” He knew she was referring to Isabelle and her endless curiosity. While he didn’t necessarily agree with his mother’s request, he did oblige. “Take a seat.” She gestured towards a chair in front of the desk — one that Alec had distinct memories of sitting in any time he’d gotten in trouble when he’d been younger and had been called in front of his father. Alec chose the farther seat instead, ignoring the judgemental look that he received.

“As no cure has been found nor diagnosis made and your father’s condition is only getting worse, we need to prepare for the worst.” She pushed a yellowed document across the desk and Alec took it, scanning the page quickly before realizing what he was holding in his hand.

“This is his will,” he stated simply, his fingers glossing over the page as he quickly read through it. It didn’t look like it had been written recently. His mother nodded her head in confirmation.

“He’s been preparing for the worst. He’s already a few years older than your grandfather and your great-grandfather were when they died… and there have been stirrings on the borders. He was afraid that the men would be called to war any day now.” Alec frowned at that. He hadn’t heard of anything going on that would signal the start of a war. Sure, Idris wasn’t a big town but if war was truly coming, he assumed someone in his family would have told him.

“Oh, don’t give me that. There hasn’t been anything truly substantial. Some whispers, some unrest, but nothing more than that. Robert has been...unwell for a while now. He’s grown...paranoid. He had his will drawn up shortly after you left.” Her stoic facade had broken now and Alec could count on one hand the number of times that he’d seen his mother look truly lost.

“It was his idea to say yes when you asked to go to college in the city,” she continued, holding out her hand for him to return the will. “He thought getting out of here would keep you safe and if you were safe there would be someone to take over when he was gone. That’s what he really wanted and I’m sorry Alec, I know you’re enjoying your time at The Institute studying law but the family needs you here now.”

He wanted to argue. Angel, how he wanted to argue with her. He had had to fight tooth and claw to get them to even consider letting him into the city to further his studies. The Lightwoods had been here for generations and not a single one of them had ever left. This was home or at least it should be. Alec had always felt more alienated than most for reasons he tried to keep to himself.

So while yes, he knew that he should fight and argue and insist that he deserved to go back to the city because he had fought so damn hard for it in the first place, he knew that right here, right now… his argument would fall flat. The very best thing he could do was study and beg and plead and crawl through whatever hell he needed to to find a cure for this illness. When his father was well again and his father wanted him safe, he’d have a better chance of getting out of here once more. “Of course, mother, anything for the family,” he replied, trying to keep his voice level. “I’ll get to work at once.”

She sighed, obviously expecting more of a fight out of him and now not really sure how the rest of the conversation was going to go. “No, not at once. You’ve only just arrived and I’m sure you are exhausted. Besides, you’re still dripping on the mahogany floors. Go change before you ruin the antique wood, and say hello to your sister. She’s been waiting for you to get here.”

Alec didn’t bother with a response, simply turning on his heel and heading towards the stables — where he knew his sister would inevitably be hiding. The rain was starting to slow but Alec didn’t want to get even wetter if he could avoid it so he jogged across the cobblestones and pushed open the barn door.

Isabelle was, as expected, at the end of the aisle, illuminated by the grey hues of the rainy weather outside. She raised her whip above her head and snapped it towards a lone bottle on the rail with a loud crack. Alec continued to watch in silence for a few more moments as she set the bottle back up and went again. Finally, he let out a slow clap and watched as she tensed, relaxing once again when she realized who had interrupted her practice session.

“Good job,” he said, opening his arms to allow her to dash across the room to give him a hug. “You’re getting better at that. I dare say you might even be an expert.”

She snorted, her face buried in his shoulder as the two continued to hug. “Try telling that to mom. She still thinks it isn’t proper and that I should focus on finding myself a husband from a nice family. ‘Leave the weapons to your brothers, Isabelle. Men don’t want a wife who can beat them in a sword fight,” she mocked in a very good imitation of Maryse Lightwood.

“Ignore her. Any man you find would be lucky to have you. Besides, if you stopped, who would be my competition?” Alec asked, taking a step back so that he could look down into her eyes. “I’d have to practice with Jace and you know how he is...he—”

“Cheats,” she interrupted with a sniffle. “Yeah, I know. He hasn’t gotten any better, either. Still just as cocky, still a bad liar, and still telegraphs his moves.” She put the bottles back on the shelf and began to coil her whip back up. “He missed you, you know. I do too...and Max. It’s just not the same without you here.”

Alec knew that Isabelle knew exactly why he’d needed to leave. He also knew that she didn’t blame him, but the Lightwood siblings had always been close. He missed not being able to see them more than once a year.

“Mom’s been...harder since Dad got sick. She’s worried, we can tell, but she’s trying to continue as if it’s business as usual and you know how she is when she gets stressed,” Isabelle sighed. Alec knew all too well. Maryse tended to meddle in her children’s lives far more than was necessary.

That had, in fact, been the final straw for Alec. His mother had been dealing with some Idris politics and had decided to kill two birds with one stone. She’d set Alec up with a nice young girl from the village to strengthen the Lightwood family name and had given herself something to take her mind off the stress from work.

Alec had nearly ended up married.

Nearly. Luckily, Jace and Isabelle had stepped up to argue about Alec’s choice and happiness. The wedding had descended into chaos and Alec had set out for the city the next day under the guise of studying law.

“Come on,” he said after a moment, throwing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her back in for a quick hug. “Let’s head back inside. I want to change into something dry and I’ve yet to see Max. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see me.”

----------

Dinner was a quieter affair than Alec expected from a Lightwood family dinner. Without Robert there to judge them, his conversation with his siblings was light and easy. Jace and Isabelle caught him up on town gossip. Max tried to add his two cents when he could but the conversation strayed towards more adult topics like who was marrying who and what the Council had recently decreed.

“Mom says she’s going to send me to boarding school in the fall,” Max stated when there was a break in conversation. “I don’t want to go. I’ll have to wear a scratchy uniform and get up early and it’ll be so far away. I want to be like Jace and fight monsters!”

“Max, don’t talk with your mouth full,” Maryse replied with a glare. “The Carstairs Academy is a lovely school. They’ll teach you manners, for one thing. You’ll learn math, science, and history. You’ll be going to a proper school — like Alec. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

The little boy grimaced. “I don’t want to be like Alec...no offense. I want to kill dragons and fight trolls like Jace.”

“It’s less dragons and trolls and more about upset fathers and a fast horse, little man,” Jace replied, getting a smack on the back of the head from Isabelle. “What? It’s true.”

“That’s enough — apparently, none of my children have manners. Max, it’s past your bedtime. It’s time to let the adults talk.” Max looked about to argue but one look from Maryse had him pushing in his chair and shuffling out of the room. Once they heard the door upstairs shut with an audible thud, she turned her attention back towards her other children. “I’ll be leaving before the sun rises. I’m heading to Alicante tomorrow to seek help from the king. I’ll start in town, we’ll leave two days after that. I’ll be gone as long as it takes to make our case.”

Alec’s fork clattered to his plate. “What? You’re just leaving? Dad’s already indisposed and you’re just going to leave the town without any sort of leadership? You’re going to leave us here alone?” He was well aware that his parents had made some stupid decisions in the past but this had to be one of the stupidest that he’d heard.

“The rest of the Council is still in town, Alec, and in case you have forgotten, I brought you back. We’ve tried everything to cure this and nothing is working. We’re losing more people to this cursed disease each day. We’ve got to try something. Pleading our case to the king and hoping for assistance is all we’ve got left.”

Alec picked up his fork and said nothing in response. He was sure the anger was coming off him in visible waves. “I’m not going alone, Alec,” his mother said after a moment, choosing not to start an argument and stating the facts instead. “Two of your father’s men will be going with me. We’ll only be gone a couple of weeks. With luck, we return with a cure.”

----------

Much later that evening, well after dinner had finished and his mother and siblings had gone off to bed and he’d had time to cool off, Alec found himself in the library staring at shelf after shelf of books that his family had collected over the years. His mother was certain that they’d already exhausted every possible option they had for a cure here, but Alec had never been one to give up that easily.

There had to be something in the thousands of books that they had here — even if it was just a footnote in some ancient text.

Angel, where would he even start?

He walked past the first shelf and ran his fingers gently over the spines of the books, taking in the titles as he did.

A Brief History of Idris, Recipes From the Coast, Nursery Rhymes and Other Tales, The Art of Breaking a Horse…

There was no rhyme nor reason to how anything here was shelved and he wished he was back in Alicante where he had a card catalog to reference at the very least. This could be a futile effort… but he had promised that he’d try, so try he shall.

He pulled the first book off the shelf — A Brief History of Idris —- and flipped to the first page. It was written by one of his ancestors; a Lightwood whose name he didn’t recognize. Maybe, with luck, that Lightwood had stumbled across something — anything — all those years ago that could help him now.

He could hope, at least.

Two hours later, he’d scanned quickly through the book and found it to be completely useless. He’d learned exactly nothing. The ‘brief history’ had been exactly what every child in Idris learned in school. He pushed himself off the chair he’d settled in and placed the book on the shelf. He could skip the cookbook — the likelihood of him finding a cure in that wasn’t high — before he moved on to the next one. Nursery Rhymes.

He meant to skip that one too but as his hand hovered over it, he realized that many myths and legends were often based in fact. It couldn’t hurt to give it a try. At the very least it wouldn’t take him long to read.

Most of the rhymes and stories were useless — schoolyard songs or bedtime stories — but tucked away at the end of the book was one that seemed a bit out of place. This was a longer poem with far more complicated words than the rest of the book. He frowned and glanced at the title.

The Goblin Market.

What?

Alec of course knew of the goblins who lived in the woods — all children in Idris were taught about them. The goblins were dangerous and would kidnap and eat children if they strayed too far into the woods. They used to be friendly with the townspeople but a war broke out and that relationship had ended. The goblins had secluded themselves in the woods — keeping their magic to themselves — and the people of Idris stayed in town and imported anything they needed from the neighboring cities.

It wasn’t an ideal situation but it was the one that they’d come up with quickly, and no one had ever seen fit to try and fix it.

The poem followed the story of two sisters who had heard the goblins crying in the middle of the night as they were trying to sell their fruits. One of the sisters tried what they were offering and fell ill when they returned home. She became listless and began to fade away. Her sister tried to save her and returned to the goblin market to obtain another fruit which she brought home and fed to her sister. The sister was cured and both girls lived happily ever after.

Alec frowned. That was similar to what the town was experiencing now… but the poem mentioned nothing about the sister turning to stone. After all the warnings about venturing into the woods that were drilled into them when they were little, surely none of the men who had fallen sick had been stupid enough to go to the goblins to try and trade.

He sighed and glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room to find that three hours had passed since he’d been in here and it was now well after 2 in the morning. He should retire to his room to get a few hours of sleep before he had to wake up but...perhaps he had time for one more book.

Instead of putting the nursery rhyme book back on the shelf, he pushed it off to the corner of the table. Worst case he’d put it back later. There was no harm in leaving it out for now.

He walked back to the shelf and skipped over the book on horse training. The very next one was titled Herbal Remedies of Our Ancestors.

Finally. That was more like it.

----------

When his sister pushed open the door to the library the next morning, Alec jumped. He glanced at the clock and found that nearly five hours had passed since he’d pulled the book of herbal remedies off the shelf and began reading.

A few pages in, he’d pulled a sheet of paper out from the desk and had begun taking notes. One sheet had turned into two, which had quickly turned into far more than that.

There were so many plants that had been used to treat common illnesses when people weren’t so reliant on modern medicine or the magic from the sorcerers found in the cities.

Catnip for recovery from colds. St. John’s Wort for inflammation. Marigold for skin diseases.

It was a start.

Isabelle came up behind him and glanced over his shoulder with a frown. “That’s a lot of plants you’ve written down. I’m sure the hedge witch tried at least some of them. It’s not like we have a stock of these. Where do you expect to find Elderberry without a day’s ride out of Idris and a day’s ride back? We don’t really have that sort of time.”

He hadn’t considered that.

But perhaps there was a solution.

He glanced out of the window and a plan began to form in the back of his mind.

“I’ll have to visit the woods,” he said after a moment, grabbing the two books and his stack of papers and heading back to his room. He needed to prepare if he was venturing into the unknown.

“Alec! You can’t go into the woods. You know that we’ve all been banned from there. It isn’t safe!”

“I know, Izzy. Trust me, I know, but right now this is the only idea we’ve got to try to save our father and the rest of the people who have fallen sick; unless you’ve got a better idea that you’d like to share?” She remained silent and Alec shook his head. “I’ve got to get ready. Tell Jace to find me if he hasn’t left already and can you saddle Flame?”

She looked like she wanted to say more but eventually relented with a shake of her head. Alec watched her go with a sigh. He knew she was right — heading into the woods was a stupid and reckless idea at best...but it was one he had to try.

He quickly got dressed and grabbed a satchel from his closet. He’d leave the books here, just in case, but he needed a way to carry the list of plants he wanted to collect...as well as any plants he may actually find.

What else did he need to take?

He dashed down the stairs and into his father’s office, thanking the small miracle of his mother heading into town early this morning. Map...he probably needed a map. He rifled through the desk and found one tucked away at the back of a drawer. It was old but it would have to do. After all, no one had been in the woods in years. This was probably the most recent map they had.

Alec looked around, trying to figure out if there was anything else in here he’d need as Jace knocked on the door. His brother frowned at Alec’s frantic state. “Isabelle says you're going into the woods to pick some flowers? Come on, Alec, that’s a stupid idea. We can’t risk losing you too.”

“I know, Jace. I’ll be safe and I’ll be back by nightfall. I won’t push myself unnecessarily today but you know that everything that has been tried hasn’t worked. I came back to try and help with finding a cure, and I’m willing to give this a shot.”

Jace sighed, “What can I help with? Izzy said you needed to see me.”

“I need you to stay here… and I need some weapons. Have you seen my bow recently?” He hadn’t taken it with him when he’d moved to Alicante — he only hoped that his siblings had hidden it and that his parents hadn’t done the unthinkable.

“You’re sure about this?” Jace asked as Alec nodded. “Alright...then I’ll get it and meet you outside.”

Isabelle was waiting with Flame’s reins in her hand. The chestnut thoroughbred stamped his feet impatiently, unhappy to be standing still as long as he had been. Jace joined them with Alec’s bow and a small collection of knives a few moments later.

“I still don’t think this is a good idea,” the blond muttered, handing Alec’s weapons to him one by one before holding the horse steady so that Alec could mount. “Reckless is my style, not yours.”

“I’ll stay close to home. I’ll be on my guard. You’ve crossed through the woods a time or two and lived to tell the tail. I may have moved to the city, Jace, but I’m not inept. Remember who taught you.”

“Oh, trust me, you never let me forget it. Just be careful, alright? There are supposed to be some things in those woods that would frighten even me.” Alec tilted his head in response and spurred his horse on towards the woods. He’d stick to the trail as long as he could, but instead of veering left and heading into town, he’d take the worn deer trail through the trees.

He reminded himself that he would take any chance at saving his people and his family — even if it meant venturing into the deep woods and confronting the dangerous creatures that were said to live inside.

When he said he’d try anything — he meant it in every sense of the word. He still didn’t entirely believe the myths and legends of the goblin men that were said to inhabit Edom Forest but the town’s elders seemed to believe they did truly exist and Alec was certain no one had thought to go to the monsters for a solution.

He’d told Jace and Isabelle of his intentions, but instead told his mother that he was heading into town. It wasn’t entirely a lie. He’d had to cross the bridge that would lead him to Idris before he’d reach the path that would take him off the road and into the forest. When the cobblestones ended, he was faced with an overgrown dirt path that seemingly led to nowhere. He pulled Flame to a brief halt and quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being followed before clicking him on and making his way into the woods.

His first impression of Edom Forest was that it wasn’t anything spectacular. He rode for two hours and noticed that the trees were like any other trees, the birds like any other birds, and there were certainly no trace of goblins in sight. He was beginning to think he’d been tricked by children’s tales when a scrap of color flapping in the wind caught his attention. He brought his horse to a halt.

It was a scrap of purple cloth with texture that Alec had never seen before. He’d never seen anyone in the town wearing anything this color either, as purple dyes tended to be expensive. If they were in the city, sure, but not here in Edom Forest. He left it fluttering where it was tied on the branch as he noticed another piece a little further down the path. If he strained his eyes, he could see a third splash of purple past that.

He had no way of knowing who had left these markers here or for what reason, but right now this was his best lead to finding the goblins in the woods. And like he kept telling himself, he was willing to try anything.

He could be met with swords,traps or wild animals. The goblins themselves might make an appearance. His people had no knowledge of what existed this deep into the woods outside of old wives’ tales and cautionary tales for children. Who knew what he would come across?

He took a deep breath and nudged his horse forward. The gelding hesitated for a moment — feeding off Alec’s own growing unease — before taking a few slow steps in the direction he’d been pointed towards, his head high and eyes wide the entire time.

Alec had certainly been expecting to find something after following the trail of purple scraps. What he hadn’t been expecting to find was a stray horse who was calmly grazing under a tall, oddly shaped Ash tree without a human in sight.

The stallion was solid black and soaking wet, like he’d been ridden hard despite the lack of tack or rider around him. Alec gently jumped from his horse’s back and took a few slow steps forward hoping that he didn’t spook the animal. “Whoa, boy. It’s alright.” He held his hand out gently and let the horse take a cautious sniff. “Surely, you aren’t out here alone.”

The horse’s nose touched the back of Alec’s hand gently. Alec took a moment to look him over. He was small...around 14 hands if he had to guess, and not much bigger than Max’s pony. There wasn’t a lick of white on him, and while his mane and tail were wet and slightly tangled, the rest of him was in good condition. The pony didn’t look like he’d been living rough — so he’d either just escaped or had dumped his rider and somehow escaped his tack. “Where’s your person? I can’t leave you out here like this.”

The horse huffed and nosed at Alec’s pockets. “Hey now, that’s enough. I didn’t exactly come out here prepared to take in a stray. I was looking for something else. I don’t suppose you’ve seen any goblins have you?”

“He likes you.” The voice that came from above startled Alec, and he took a step back from the mysterious horse to glance upwards. There was a man sitting on a thick branch about halfway up. With the sun behind him, Alec couldn’t see little more than that. The voice sounded amused though, and Alec had to wonder what the mystery man was doing this deep into the woods.

“How can you tell?” It was a stupid question, he knew that, but he couldn’t stop himself before the words had passed his lips. He should be asking for a name or providing his, not asking why the horse liked him. Not the smartest thing, he thought to himself.

“He hasn’t eaten you yet,” The man jumped gracefully to a lower branch before performing an elaborate flip for a dismount and landing steadily on his feet. “Kelpies have unusually sharp teeth, a taste for flesh and blood, and an attitude that would give even the haughtiest of lords a run for their money.”

Alec instinctively took a step back, which didn’t seem to phase the horse — kelpie, apparently — who continued to search Alec’s pockets for some sort of snack. “He doesn’t look like a kelpie.” As far as he was aware, kelpies weren’t real. Even if they were, the books said they were supposed to have seaweed in their manes and tales, backward hooves, and razor sharp teeth. This looked like a small, lightly built riding pony.

“And how many kelpies have you actually seen? They wouldn’t be very effective hunters if you could see what they are before they strike.” The other man replied, patting the horse on the shoulder affectionately. “I’m Magnus Bane. And who are you, handsome stranger?”

“Alec.” Now that the sun wasn’t casting a silhouette behind him, Alec could get a better look at the man. He was shorter than Alec, though his heeled boots gave him some height. His skin was the color of honey, his hair was dark with a streak of blue through it, and his eyes…

Alec lost himself in Magnus’ eyes. They were golden with slit pupils...quite like the cats that hung around the barn. And they were enough to tell Alec that the man wasn’t human — no human would have eyes like that.

“You’re a goblin,” Alec stuttered. The books hadn’t really said what the goblins looked like. He vaguely recalled something about a cat’s face and a rat’s tail...or was it furry and like a snail? Humans didn’t have cat’s eyes, though. Even if Magnus weren’t a goblin, he was certainly something different; and that was maybe, just maybe, another avenue that Alec could try for a possible cure.

It was only after he had these thoughts that he wondered if he should worry about his own safety. His hand went to the knife on his belt before he’d realized it.

Magnus hummed, watching the realization cross Alec’s face before he laughed. “Not quite. I’m only half. My father is but my mother was a mere human. Nothing goblin about her. In fact, if I had to guess she was from your town. Idris, am I right? Though, this was quite some time ago, well before you were ever around, pup.”

“How did that happen? And my name is Alec, not pup.” As far as Alec was aware, the goblins stayed deep inside the forest and the people of Idris were told to avoid them. They hadn’t actually been seen in years. Many of the younger people thought they were nothing more than a myth. Alec certainly hadn’t believed in them. Until now, that was. It was hard not to believe when reality was staring you in the face with cat’s eyes, a wisp of blue hair, and a sharp look.

“How do you think?” Magnus replied, fishing around in his bag for an apple. “‘We must not look at goblin men, we must not buy their fruits, who knows upon what soil they fed, their hungry thirsty roots.’ That’s how it went...I think. It’s been a while since I’ve read it. Books aren’t exactly easy to come by out here.” He took a bite and held the rest out towards the kelpie.

“I’m sorry, that was a stupid question.” Alec knew which poem Magnus was referencing. He had run across the poem during his research but he’d passed it over as nothing more than a cautionary tale for children. Maybe he should have paid more attention.

“It’s fine, I’m used to it...and you didn’t know any better. How many dashing half-goblins have you ever met in your life?” Magnus winked and Alec felt a blush rise across his face.

“You’d be the first.”

“And what are you doing out in the middle of the woods looking for goblins, my lord? Aren’t you humans warned of the dangers you could find? I’m pretty sure that poem specifically mentioned all the terrible things that could happen to a fair maiden.”

Alec snorted, and continued to rub his hand down the kelpie’s nose. “Well, for one I’m not a fair maiden, nor am I a lord actually, and to answer your question: I was hoping to hunt down a lead on the illness that’s currently plaguing the village.”

“And you think the goblins are to blame?” Magnus’ voice had been playful before, but now his words took a cutting tone.

“No, of course not,” Alec replied hastily, holding up his hands in surrender. “We’ve co-existed, sort of, for a while now. As far as I know, nothing has changed in that regard. I’m just…” he sighed and glanced back towards the direction he knew his parents’ house to be. “I’m hoping for answers, I’m willing to try anything at this point. They’ve called physicians from the city, a psychic or two, a hedge witch...the people who have fallen ill are good people. They don’t deserve what’s befallen them. I found a book in our collection last night. It’s got some herbs in it...so I made a list. I’m no expert but it can’t hurt to try.”

He chose to leave out that some of those people were only mostly good — his father certainly wasn’t the best man, but there was no reason Magnus needed to know that. Not yet.

“I haven’t heard of a disease in the village, but I wouldn’t go looking towards the goblins for a cure. They aren’t the most helpful of people — they’re more liable to cause you harm than anything close to help.” Magnus tapped his finger against his chin in thought. “An illness you say? You humans are susceptible to so many things. There was a plague about a hundred years ago if I recall. What makes you think it isn’t something like that?”

“Well, for one thing no one has actually died,” Alec replied as Magnus circled him slowly, feeling every bit like a deer cornered by a leopard. “It starts with a fever. Eventually, confusion. Finally, they fall into a deep sleep. And…” His voice trailed off. That did make it seem like a normal illness but Alec knew there was more.

“And?” Magnus had stopped circling him to lean against the tree with his arms crossed.

“Their skin gets hard. It feels almost like stone? I know that probably sounds stupid. I just don’t know how else to explain it.”

“It’s not stupid at all,” the half-goblin replied. “Magical illnesses can have all sorts of weird side effects. A friend of mine once turned prickly.” There was a pause as he looked Alec over once more.“You said you had a list?” Magnus asked finally, pulling on a purple tailcoat that had been discarded haphazardly behind the tree. “Can I see?”

Alec pulled it out of his bag and handed it over to him. “You’d help me find these? You think this might be caused by magic?”

“Magic, a curse, anything is possible but if you’ve tried as many cures as you say you have then it’s probably safe to assume that it’s something your people haven’t seen before. Ergo, magic.” Magnus read over the piece of parchment with a frown. “Some of them are out of season and others aren’t in this part of the woods but I can show you where to find the majority.” He glanced around before a smile crossed his face that had Alec’s heart flipping. The half-goblin bent down and plucked a small purple and yellow flower from the ground in front of Alec. “Heartsease. Kiss-Me-Quick. Banewort...also known as a wild pansy. It’s good for skin conditions and colds. I believe that’s on your list.”

Alec felt a blush rise in his cheeks as he took the flower. Why on earth was being handed a single flower by a strange (but beautiful) man he just met affecting him this way? “Thanks,” he managed to stammer after a moment. He gently wrapped the flower in a cloth and placed it in his bag.

Magnus’ eyes twinkled as he grabbed a lock of the kelpie’s mane and hoisted himself on it’s back. “I saw some Meadowsweet earlier this morning. It isn’t far and I wouldn’t mind collecting some myself. It’s good for pain.” He glanced back at Alec with a raised eyebrow. “Are you coming?”

Alec had never mounted a horse faster in his life.

----------

“Do you even know what you plan on doing with these?” Magnus asked as they wove their way through a dense and varied forest.

“The book had some suggestions,” Alec started, frowning as they passed by a group of trees with large, bell-shaped yellow flowers. “Though I’m by no means an expert. I went to school for architecture, not herbalism.” He pulled his horse to a halt and reached out to touch one of the flowers that was now hanging eye-level with him. “I’m sorry — is this Angel’s trumpet? I thought it only grew in the tropics.”

Magnus laughed. “Or Devil’s trumpet, depending on who you ask, and I wouldn’t mess with it. It’s not exactly safe. Well, it’s not necessarily poisonous to touch but I still wouldn’t mess with it. It's hallucinogenic, among other things...and I don't think a bad trip was really what you had in mind when you came out here today.”

“And how’s it growing in the middle of Edom Forest? If it’s that dangerous I would feel much better if it grew far, far away where the weather is much more suited to it?” He nudged Flame until he was level with the kelpie.

Magnus merely laughed. “That’s the beauty of magic, my dear Alexander. There’s no rhyme nor reason to it. Anything can happen.” He raised his hand as blue sparks danced around his fingertips. “Haven’t you ever noticed that it never snows in the woods? You’ll have three feet out there and yet, not a flake falls here. It’s warm and sunny year round.”

As he said that, Alec realized that he hadn't noticed. He’d never paid much attention to the woods since they were forbidden to go there, but it wouldn’t take a genius to see that the weather was entirely different a few feet away.

“Don’t look too distressed,” Magnus chuckled upon seeing the face that Alec was making. “There’s all sorts of spells and old magic around. Spells that grew into the very trees, wards set by goblins past and re-set by goblins present...other magical creatures whose very existence spells safety to those who live around them. You wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t been purposefully trying to look through the magic. The Look-Not spells surrounding the woods are strong.”

Wait, Alec thought as he kicked his horse into a trot to catch up with Magnus and the kelpie. “What other magical creatures? I thought it was just the goblins that lived in the woods? Well, I guess the goblins and the half-goblins.”

“It may have started with the goblins but it certainly didn’t end with them.” Magnus stopped a moment later, sliding off the back of his horse to kneel in front of a grassy plant with yellow flowers. “Toadflax. This was on your list as well, I believe. It’s good for treating rashes and the like. You make it into a compress using milk. I hope the specifics are in your book. This is more my friend’s area of expertise than mine.” He handed the flower to Alec who wrapped it gently in more white cloth and placed it in his bag.

“What’s your area of expertise then? And you still haven’t answered my question. What other creatures?”

“My area of expertise is magic itself, of course. I’m uniquely qualified to be good at magic,” Magnus replied as butterflies made of blue energy danced around them.

“And what makes you qualified?” Alec asked, crossing his arms. “Are all goblins this cryptic?”

Magnus laughed, “I’m not being cryptic, I’m being coy...and I can’t tell you all my secrets on the first date — no matter how pretty you are.”

Alec huffed as another blush rose on his cheeks. “This isn’t a date...but fine, how about you elaborate on the other magical creatures thing then? I don’t like finding out that everything I’ve ever known about a place is false.”

The goblin studied him for a moment before he nodded. “Very well. Once we put the spells and the wards up to stop the needless death that was happening at the time, humans were driven to stay away. It was the only thing that we could do to keep ourselves safe without being driven out of our home. Because we were now safe from humans, the other creatures that were hunted for merely being creatures of magic began to take refuge here as well.”

Magnus chose not to mount back up so Alec slid from his horse’s back as well. They walked in silence for a moment before the half-goblin turned around. “Actually, it’s quite curious that you got through. You should have wanted to turn tail as soon as you got too close.”

“I was uncomfortable,” Alec said after a moment, recalling the sense of dread that had washed over him before he’d guided his horse off the path. “But I’d do anything to help my family...even if that means taking a risk I’m not necessarily meant to take.”

Magnus had stopped again, this time in front of a fluffy, white, flowering weed. “The promised Meadowsweet. It’s typically made into a tea or an elixir. Pick your poison. Well, not poison but I’m sure you catch my meaning.”

Alec collected a few of the flowers as Magnus did the same. “I’m not sure that tea is going to do much good when the patients are unconscious.”

“You’ll have to try one thing at a time. Maybe treat the symptoms first until you have a better idea of the root cause...perhaps you’ll get lucky and by treating one you’ll learn more about another. Medicine, like magic, is a lot of trial and error.”

“Well, I’m certainly willing to try,” Alec said after a moment. He threw his bag over his horse’s withers and pulled himself into the saddle once more. “I seem to be the only one left willing to try. Everyone else seems to have given up. They’re getting ready to petition the king for some kind of miracle.”

Magnus hummed as he pulled himself onto the back of his own horse. “Well then, I suppose we better find a few more for you to try. It sounds like you don’t have any time to lose.”

Alec followed the half-goblin dutifully all afternoon, trying to remember each and every instruction he was given as he was handed plant after plant. Finally, the sun began to duck behind the treetops and Alec grimaced. “I best be getting back. If I don’t return before dark, my brother will send a search party. Trust me, we don’t want the kind of mess he tends to bring with him.”

“Fair enough,” Magnus replied with a smile. “I figured that would be the case. Your trail awaits, my lord.” He swept his arms towards the dirt path that Alec had taken when he’d first entered the woods this morning. He hadn’t even realized that they had circled back.

“Thank you for all your help today. I’m not certain I could have found any of these without you.” He probably wouldn’t have even managed to find one if Magnus hadn’t helped.

“It was no trouble at all — definitely an interesting way to spend an afternoon. The sight sure didn’t hurt either.” Alec blushed and Magnus plucked a single blue flower with a yellow star center off the ground and held it out to him.

“What’s this one supposed to do?” Alec asked as he took the flower and twirled it gently in his fingers.

“Absolutely nothing. I just think it’s pretty. Good luck playing doctor, Alexander.” With that, he turned his horse and trotted back into the woods, leaving Alec standing in the trail alone.

----------

My Dearest Cabbage,

I’ll preface this by saying that yes, I do know exactly what you’re going to say after reading my letter so I will save you the hassle of a fire message in response.

Yes, what I did was incredibly stupid and reckless. Trust me, I’m well aware but you know how I do so love a good enigma.

It seems some sort of mysterious and possibly magical illness is plaguing the citizens of Idris. They’ve apparently tried all sorts of methods to heal their sick to no avail.

No, I haven’t been taking a risky trip into the city. Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson there. One of their people somehow managed to get through the protections and spells in the forest and came looking for plants that could potentially be used to treat the disease.

I have my doubts that any will work for him, but I sent him home with some regardless.

Could our wards be fading? No mere human should be able to pass over the border. We should meet sometime soon to check that the spells still hold strong. They are all that are standing between us and the people of Idris.

I’ll keep you advised if I receive any more information.

Delightfully yours,

M.B.