#mira oh my goodness you look so small..... she's coming for my lungs

[forhappysake]

What Lurks Within, Pt. 11

Author's Note: This is it, final chapter!

Content: Four team members debrief in the hospital after the Denver case is officially closed. Subsequently, Spencer and Y/N do some reflecting on their relationship and all they've been through together.

Warnings: Established relationship, fluff, some angst if you squint, mentions of death and violence, references to the Season 12 finale/first episode of Season 13, hospital setting

Beep… Beep… Beep…

Not again. I groaned as I turned over in the hospital bed. I had been removed from my comfortable clothing, placed in a cheap hospital gown once more. Another IV drip was attached to my hand, and those tiny EKG stickies were back to their position all over my chest. 

“Good morning,” sang a familiar voice. Luke stood at my bedside, holding a glass of water. I groaned in response. 

“Why am I here again?” I asked. 

“Because after we got Spencer in the car, you passed out,” he said. “The doctors said you’d only been running on shock and adrenaline. Once that wore off, your body gave out.” 

“Oh no,” I whispered, “did Spencer see me pass out? That’s so embarrassing.” I covered my face with my hands. 

Luke laughed, “He sure did. He did his best to help load you into the back of the SUV with him. We brought you both here at the same time. He’s just down the hall.”

I leaned forward in my bed, looking around the room. Instead of a walker, someone had left me a wheelchair this time. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I said. 

“It’s either wheelchair or nowhere,” Luke rhymed. I sighed, motioning for him to bring the wheelchair over by the bed. He did so without a word, helping to lower me into the seat. “Do you think they’ll pay me extra since I’ve spent so much time as your nurse during this case?” I rolled my eyes, choosing not to respond as he pushed me down the hallway towards another hospital room. 

He stopped me in front of the door, leaning over to knock. JJ’s voice rang out from inside, “Come in!” Luke swung the door open and pushed me into the room as I took in the sight. 

JJ sat perched at the edge of the bed as Spencer, also in a hospital gown, thumbed through a book in his hands. “You’re awake!” JJ said excitedly. She rushed over and bent down to my level, offering me a gentle hug. 

“I so am,” I said, “ and I see someone else is too.” Spencer beamed at me, closing his book and tossing it carelessly on to the bed. Luke wheeled me over to his side. 

“Y/N, I was so worried,” he reached his hands out to me as he intertwined our fingers. 

“Me too,” I whispered. I felt tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. A stray tear felt down my cheek and Spencer gently wiped it away with his thumb. I laughed, trying to make light of the situation. “So, what’s your diagnosis?”

“Hmm,” Spencer thought for a moment, “nothing major.” He shrugged as best he could, a small smirk forming on his bruised cheek. 

JJ let out a laugh from the corner of the room, “He’s got three broken ribs, a bruised lung, and a concussion.” 

I dropped my jaw at him. “That doesn’t sound like ‘nothing major,’ Spencer.”

“As if you’re much better off,” he scoffed. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, turning to face Luke. 

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked. 

Luke sighed, “Let me think. You’ve got a busted head, concussion, and you did have a small brain bleed, but the doctors think that’s over now.” 

“Oh,” I said, widening my eyes and glancing at Spencer. “Maybe we are in the same boat.” He smiled and nodded a bit, wincing as he leaned back in the bed, our hands still intertwined. 

“Wait,” I piped up again, “what happened to the Graydons?”

“Mira was dead by the time the ambulance arrived,” Luke said, the energy in the room becoming more somber. 

I nodded, “What about the other two?” 

JJ spoke this time, “Phillip Graydon’s been booked in connection to multiple murders. The former Chief Graydon has been officially removed from the force and will stand trial for aiding and abetting, as well as obstructing a criminal investigation. Ryan Whittendon has been promoted to Chief of Police.” I nodded, satisfied with her answer as silence fell over the room again. Spencer and I processed the information without a word. 

Spencer glanced up at our teammates standing in the corner of the room,“Luke, JJ, do you think you could leave us alone for a minute? I’d like to talk to Y/N in private.” 

Luke and JJ looked at each other, raising their eyebrows. Luke sighed dramatically, “Alright, but no funny business. Neither one of you are fit to be banging-” JJ smacked Luke on the shoulder and he gasped in playful shock, “What the hell was that for?” 

“Get out of this room, now,” JJ said, turning on her “mom” voice and scolding him. Luke smirked, opening the door and leading JJ out of the room. She turned and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ before shutting it behind her. I couldn’t help but giggle, and I saw Spencer try to suppress his laugh for the sake of his broken ribs. 

I shook my head, turning my attention back to the man on the bed next to me. “Anyway, what do you want to talk about, Spence?” 

He looked at me as he bit his lip nervously, trying to come up with the right phrase. “I’m not sure the proper way to start this conversation,” he said. An anxious feeling crept into my chest. 

“Uh oh,” I laughed nervously, “you’re only speechless when it's serious.” 

He nodded, “It is kind of serious, actually.” I winced a bit at the thought and he squeezed my hand to offer some comfort. 

I sighed, “Well, you know I’m impatient. What’s on your brain?”

He didn’t waste any time. “Do you remember when we were in the SUV the other day, on the way to Andrews’ house, and we talked about how we don’t like to talk about what happened to us?” His eyes scanned my own, looking for some sign of understanding. 

“I remember. I had a brain bleed, not amnesia,” I half-joked. 

“Right,” he said. Spencer paused for a moment, scanning my face again. “Well, I… I think we should talk about it.” 

I sighed, leaning back in the wheelchair. I let my hand slip out of his as I did so, using my now-freed hand to play with the hem of the hospital gown I was in. “I get what you mean, but what is there to talk about, Spencer?” 

“Listen,” he started as he readjusted himself in the hospital bed so he could better face me. “Something Emily said the other day got me thinking. We’ve never really stopped to talk about what happened from your perspective.” 

I shook my head, “Spencer, what happened wasn’t about me. You’re the one who suffered all those months. I was just a part of her game.” 

He returned the shake of his head. “It was just as much about you as it was about me. She played with both of us, Y/N.” 

I stared off into the corner of the room. Conversations from that night replayed in my head: 

“I wonder what your little girlfriend will have to say about all this. What, with the baby and everything,” Cat said, sitting across from Spencer. I stared at her from my spot behind the one-way glass, JJ by my side. I stood with my arms crossed. 

“I hope you have more luck with her than the last one,” Cat used her hand to make the shape of a gun. Holding it to her temple, she pretended to shoot herself, falling back dramatically in the chair. 

“Don’t talk about her,” Spencer said quietly. 

Cat had laughed, cocking her head back and twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. “Which one? The dead one? Or the one that’s definitely staring at me from behind the glass.” She leaned over so that I could see her more clearly, offering me a small wave. 

“Don’t talk about either one of them,” Spencer said, rising from his chair to pace around the room for a moment. 

“I’d like to see her,” Cat said. “The live one, that is.” My breath hitched in my throat as Spencer turned and walked out of the interrogation room into the observation room. He didn’t look at me, pacing nervously around the room. 

“What do I do?” he asked JJ. “I’m not letting her drag Y/N into this.” 

I cleared my throat, “I am right here, you know.” He stopped pacing, turning to look at me as JJ did so too. “I can handle it. Tell me how to play her game.”

Spencer’s eyes looked me up and down. He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair before rubbing his tired eyes. “I don’t want you to play into her fantasy. Her goal when you are in the room is going to be to give you every reason to leave me,” he said. 

JJ nodded, “You act as the reality in the room. She has this made-up idea of her and Spencer being some kind of romantic trope. You’re the thing that messes that up in her head. Hopefully your physical presence will do the same.”

“Okay,” I said. I walked over to the door. Spencer crossed the room in three large steps, swinging the door open and entering first. I followed close behind him, eyes adjusting to the fluorescent light over the table. 

“Well, well, well,” Cat said. She reached out her hand and offered me a fake smile, “Cat Adams, pleasure to meet you.” I ignored her hand, instead choosing to sit down next to Spencer. 

“I heard you wanted to speak with me,” I said. I examined my nails, then tapped them lightly on the table, leaning on my other hand. 

She continued twirling a hair around her finger, “Well, she is cute,” she said to Spencer, raising an eyebrow. 

I snapped my fingers in front of her face once, “Excuse me, I was told someone wanted to talk to me, not him. If I’m not wanted, I’m happy to excuse myself,” I started to rise from the table, but she quickly spoke up again, raising a hand. 

“Hold it. I’m not done yet.” 

I plopped myself back down in the chair. “What do you want to know?” I asked. 

“Why would a pretty thing like you choose to be with Spencer Reid?” Spencer almost winced at the use of his full name. 

I had to disturb the fantasy. “Well, if you must know,” I cleared my throat, “it really comes down to fantastic sex.” Spencer shifted awkwardly in his seat. 

Cat didn’t like that answer, nearly snarling. She quickly composed herself. “Funny that I’m the one who's having his baby,” she retorted.

“I always thought I’d be a young, hot stepmother,” I joked. She didn’t like that response either, learning back against the cool metal of her seat. 

She scoffed. Her plan wasn’t working. “You have no idea what he’s done.” I narrowed my eyes at her, rising from my seat and leaning across the table. 

“Enlighten me,” I said quietly. She clammed up. She was one statement away from giving up the final answer to her entire game. “Yeah,” I said, “that’s what I thought.” With that statement, I turned on my heel and left the interrogation room. 

I snapped back to reality as Spencer stared at me, letting me take my time to think through it all. “What are you thinking?” he asked. 

“I’m just thinking about what happened,” I said quietly. I looked at him for a moment before I returned my gaze to the corner of the room. “We spent that whole night in the interrogation room. Your mom came home, thank God. You guys left to go home. The rest of us piled into that SUV. It was a dumb move, all of us being out there at once,” I shook my head. “I don’t remember much. We hit the spikes, something hit us, my leg hurt. I passed out.” 

Spencer nodded. “Keep going,” he encouraged gently.

“I woke up on the way to the hospital, and they wouldn’t let me call anyone. They kept telling me I had to lay still and that they’d call my emergency contact. I didn’t want them to call you, because I knew you’d panic,” I sighed, the throbbing pain in the back of my head was returning with all this memory recall.  

He sat in silence, waiting for me to go on, and I did. “I think I passed out again. I know they took me into surgery at some point. When I woke up, I was in a hospital room,” I shuddered at the thought. “I think I was…” I paused, trying to decide how truthful to be in that moment. 

“You think you were what?” Spencer asked. 

“When I woke up alone, I was angry. I was angry at you because I felt like you’d abandoned me there, and I was angry at myself for feeling that way towards you after everything you’d been through.”

Spencer nodded. “You had every right to feel that way, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.” 

I rolled my eyes, “Spencer, you were saving Emily’s life. Don’t be sorry.” 

“No, Y/N,” he started. Spencer paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I was there before you woke up. I could have stayed, and I didn’t. I ran away.” I raised an eyebrow at this new bit of information. 

“Why, Spence?” I asked. 

He sighed, searching for the right words again. “When you got out of surgery, they took me back to your room. You looked so exhausted. I thought of all the things you’d been through for my sake. I just… I didn’t know what I’d say if you woke up while I was there. I decided it would be best for both of us if I went back to the office, but really it was my own selfish fear.”

“So we’re both terrible people?” I asked, jokingly. He sighed, wincing again when his diaphragm expanded. “I’m kidding,” I said, “we were both scared, Spencer.” 

The room was quiet after that. I leaned my battered head forward on top of his hand, using it as a makeshift pillow. I heard Spencer gasp when he noticed the bandages on the back of my head.  

“I thought you died last night,” Spencer whispered. I could hear the break in his voice and envision the tears in his eyes without so much as lifting my head.  

“For a couple minutes, so did I,” I answered quietly. I lifted my head to look at him. “But, I didn’t.” 

Spencer smiled, cupping my face with one of his hands. “You didn’t.”

“And neither did you,” I said, offering him a playful poke on the thigh. He suppressed another laugh, leaning back further into the hospital bed. “Well, I should probably let you get some rest,” I said. I leaned back from the bed, easing myself further down into my wheelchair. 

“Where are you going to go?” Spencer asked, with an eyebrow raised. “I don’t think you’re exactly fit to travel.”

“I’m going to make Luke find me a vending machine, because I am starving. Do you want anything?” Deja vu from before this all started, from our late-night back in the bullpen, hit me like a truck:

“Considering neither of us are making any groundbreaking discoveries, I’m gonna run to the vending machine. Do you want anything?” I swiveled my chair back around in his direction, awaiting his reply.

He looked up for a moment, seeming to give it some thought before shaking his head. “No thanks, Y/N. I really appreciate the offer, though.” He gave me a small nod. 

“No problem, brainiac. I’ll be back in a few.”

Spencer seemed to recall the memory too. “You know what, this time, I think I’ll take you up on that.” 

I smiled, turning towards the door. “Luke!” I shouted. In a few moments, the door burst open. 

“What's wrong?” Luke asked, raising an eyebrow with his hand on his pistol. Clearly he thought my call for him was of a much more serious nature.

“We really want something to eat,” I said with a smile, which Spencer mirrored with full enthusiasm.

---------------------------------------------------------------- THE ENDDDDD

This has been so fun to write, I can't wait to do more in the future. Don't be afraid to lmk what you think <3

[intotherumiverse]

Chapter 1

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: I’m here again because this project is my child. I’ve added a lot and learned even more and I’m glad y’all are here to watch me develop On to the diggers <3 ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: blood, violence, pov changes  ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ: @katsumiiii and @lilsparkyswife ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 1.9k 

The day I was first killed was tedious.  

When you’re raised in the Summer Court, certain traditions are found there. When you are five you receive your first dagger. I almost hit my lessons teacher in the eye with that little stunt I pulled. When you are 10 they start with basic strength, endurance, and speed training. I beat up Katsuki Bakugou for making fun of me that year. When you’re really curious, they take you up for assassination training. I was a prodigy at it…

I got so good in fact that I climbed the ranks at the young tender age of 18. Summer Court likes tradition, yes, but I was something unprecedented, unorthodox. Something bigger.

Working for the Summer Court had its perks, yes. This was one of them. As I walked among the snakes of the Autumn Court, I felt a curl of unease flow through me. Yvonne, the one who usually handles our information, said that our biggest client’s rival was supposed to be at the ball. As if that makes my life any easier. Everyone wanted someone from the Autumn Court dead. But no one wanted to be seen doing it. Looking at the throng of people, laughing and talking amongst themselves, I smirk slightly.

‘Autumn Court sure has a lot of balls.’ I thought to myself snidely. ‘ I wonder what they could be celebrating this time’ Before I had time to dwell on the thought any longer, the familiar voice of one of my good friends (not to mention on my team) Amira trickles through.

“Why does everyone in this Autumn Court look bummy?” The rude question isn’t uncommon for Amira, though I wish she chose her moments.

“You’re not supposed to say shit like that out loud!”Mina, another teammate (and good friend) jokes.

Stifling up a laugh, and not wanting to attract attention, I whisper back “If both of you don’t shut the fuck up...”

“This is why I don’t work with them” Yvonne sighs into the mic. She was the best informant Summer Court has ever had, and I was always grateful she was on my team. “They never take shit seriously.”

“Neither do you, Von, shut up!”

“Swear to Nyx if y’all don’t shut up, we can leave right now.”

“Fine…” they all chorus in my ear and I hear silence for the first time.

My eyes scan the crowd of people carefully, assessing each one before seeing my target. But before I could move into place, a flash of green appeared at the corner of my eye.

“Oh fuck no…”

I hated many things. The horrid smell of rotting flesh, bugs, failing my parents. But above all else, I hated a specific person. And if he’s here tonight…

Well, it would make my life harder.

Sighing softly, I weave slowly through the crowd, not letting the clammy bodies touch me. Eventually, I make my way down to the main floor. Making sure that my ears were covered, I attempted to get closer to the target, feeling for the poison that was in the many pockets of the dress.

I feel someone touch my shoulder lightly and it takes everything in me to not grab the person’s arm and twist it. Instead, I turn around slowly, facing to meet lavender eyes.

Fuck. Hitoshi Shinsou, Autumn Court’s Master Interrogator. If he was here, then…

“A dance m’lady?” He doesn’t seem to recognize me as he stoops into a low bow, eyes scanning my face

“Oh, he's kinda cute!” Mira whispers into the com.

“I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new?” His voice breaks through the mumble of the communicator.

“Well, I’m certainly not old.” That incites a chuckle from him.

“A lady with secrets, my favorite kind.” I scan the floor seeing the target get farther and farther away. I needed to get out of this situation and out of here.

“The dance?” I quirk my lips up into a smile.

And with that, we dance. He wasn’t a terrible dancer, spinning me ‘round the floor with a grace that only the Upper Ranks could achieve. I let myself get caught up in the dance, losing myself in the flow of the music.

“(Y/n). The mission” Yvonne’s voice echoes in my ear as I’m snapped back to reality. Right, the mission.

I suddenly pretended Shinsou stepped on my foot. Bending over in faux agony and forcing tears to come to my eyes, Shinsou fumbles at my pain. I feel a small pang of guilt, looking at his distressed face.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He leads me over to a small sitting area, not a far distance from my target. Watching Shinsou get lost in the crowd I make my move.

I walked over, inching closer and closer to my target. There was a glass of ale his hand was resting on, delicate fingers winding around the glass. Pulling a small pill from one of the many pockets of my dress, I place it carefully into the glass. Making my way back across the room, I watch as my target drinks the ale ‘till it’s empty to my original position.

‘Spring Court has its uses’, I thought smiling to myself.

“All right, This is an Upper-Rank Investigation!”

Oh, come the fuck on.  And right when I was leaving too.

A male voice rings out in the middle of the confused court members. I recognized that voice…

“(Y/n), get out of there!” Mina says into the communicator.   “Working on it.” Shit. Why were Upper-Rank boot lickers here? Shit, this was bad, I needed to get out of there.

I back away from the door slowly, trying not to bring attention to myself. A  hand came out and gripped the back of my arm.

“Where do you think you’re going, Summer Court scum” the hot and familiar voice of Shinsou rings in my ear. I grit my teeth, fearing to say anything due to their power.

He rips the comm from my ear, and upon hearing the cries from my friends, crushes it

“We have suspicion to believe that a Summer Court Assassin is here. Nobody moves, this will take a couple of minutes.”

And then I see him. The bane of my existence, everything in me sings in disgust and anger, as I try not to lunge at him. Izuku Midoriya. The heir to the Autumn throne. And my worst nightmare.

“No need,” Shinsou calls out, a smirk gracing his features. “I got ‘er right here”

His cold green eyes bore into me as he smiles. “There she is! My favorite assassin (Y/n)! It’s good to see you again honey.” His voice was like syrup, undoubtedly sticky and sweet. The heady sound of hypnosis.

“Seize her guards! We finally got the infamous (Y/n), top assassin of the Summer court.”  The guards move hesitantly like they were afraid. I hope so because they should be. Then everything happens all I once. I pull myself out of Shinsou’s grip, running towards the exit, which happens to be, in front of me.

“Lucky me,” I smile unsheathing the concealed daggers slipping them into my hands “Looks like the Prince brought me toys to play with.”

Oh, how I missed fighting. The rush of dodging and weaving never knowing if my next move is going to be my last. The feel of the blades in my hands as I cut down opponents, watching their terrified faces fall to the ground one by one. It fills me with so much strength knowing that I’m so much better than them.

And then my leg got nicked. The sharp sting of pain de-railing my train of thought.

“Fuck,” I yelled out loud as more soldiers descended upon me. They threw my daggers away from me first, restraining my wrists and upper arm for no movements. They forced me to my knees, and I look around at the now-empty ballroom. The heavy smell of iron and salt dancing in the air as the blood of the fallen soldiers surround me. I wasn't squeamish, but I didn't really want to ruin my dress.

Footsteps echo towards me, the clanking of boots reverbing in my head. A gloved hand grips my chin, forcing me to look up. Green eyes bore into mines. “Hi love,” Izuku smiles at my grimace at the nickname. “Quite a mess you’ve made of my soldiers. Now, look at the extra work you’ve given me. They were good people. Honest. And now-”

“None of us are honest,” I spit the words at him “You know that better than me.”

“Maybe I do and maybe I don’t. Now here’s the deal, pet. I will have to take you in now. You have made quite a name for yourself and have to turn you in. Nothing personal”

“With you? Everything’s personal.”

Letting go of my chin, Izuku stands once more.

“You might be right (Y/n). You’ll have a lot of time to reflect in your jail cell. Now sleep.” That was the last thing I heard before my eyes grew heavy and I fell asleep.

Mira’s Pov

I rip the communicator from my ear in anger, slamming the tiny black device onto the table.

“Taking your anger out on our stuff isn’t going to make (Y/n) come back.”

I look over to the blank face of Von, rolling my eyes. (Y/n) got caught and by our intel (and the fact the Hitoshi Shinsou was there) were knew that the Autumn Court had taken her. And now the issue was how we were going to get her back.

“I mean,” Mina’s voice pops up, the small twinge of hope laced throughout her words. “Why can’t we just go in and take her back?”

“Because Summer isn’t really on good terms with Autumn”

“Are we really on good terms with anyone?” Summer Court’s standing had always been rocky with the others. We were always called the lowest, doing everyone’s dirty job, but in fact, we knew more about the other Courts than everyone else. People fear what they don’t understand and hate what they fear.

But these last few years, Autumn’s seemed to have a personal grudge with us. No one knew the exact details but it was something involving (Y/n) and the prince of Autumn.

“They’d kill us on the spot if they knew who we were” Von’s voice cuts in through my thoughts.

“But don’t they realize they kidnapped the princess? This is asking for war!” Mina was right. If (Y/n) got hurt it wouldn’t just be her parents that got mad.

“Who’s going to tell Bakugou?” I ask softly. The van is quiet as we all debated internally.

“Well, I’m not doing it. I actually like living and being here. You can fight it over if you two have a death wish.”

I shake my head at Von, signaling that I won’t do it either. Bakugou’s temper was infamous and when it comes to people he loves, there was no telling what he would do.

“Fuck y’all. Now I have to go deal with the dumbass wrecking ball. If I get hurt, y’all gonna pay Spring Court to heal me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you dodge fast enough, or you’ll actually get hurt.” Mina gives me a small smile in sympathy.

Sighing I head to the front of the car. We had to make it back before Autumn found us too. I’d never hear the end of it from the king if we also got caught.

And with that, we drive off, chaos awaiting us in the Summer Court.

onto the next chapter?

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[howtoeatworms]

Fairy Tail: The Celestial Journey

                              Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

It’s been one month since the war with tartaros. Magnolia has been busy rebuilding and with help from the generous amount of jewel the king has given to all those affected, almost a quarter of the town has been rebuilt.

The guild on the other hand was rebuilt in under five days thanks to the insane workload Erza forced on everyone. The craziest thing wasn’t even that. The master thought of disbanding the guild, the idea almost gave me a heart attack, But I’m glad Master changed his mind after he realized how sad everyone would be if that happened.

Everyone seems to be going back to their daily routines but some wounds are too deep to heal. It’s just not the same even now. But I’m sure things will get better soon.

I love you mama. I will talk again soon.

Lucy then put the finishing touches on the letter and put it away for safekeeping inside one of her top cabinets opposite her bed.

After having a nice warm shower Lucy was having a hard time deciding what to wear.

“I know, He can help me. Open! Gate of the little dog! Plue!” Lucy chanted as she pointed her key in the air.

In a puff of smoke what looked like to be a short, carrot nosed dog puffed into existence.

“Hmm. I haven’t worn this one in a long time, what do you think Plue?” She asked her little celestial spirit.  The small little creature walked over to over a dozen outfits sitting on her bed and pointed to a blue and white outfit.

Lucy looked at the outfit Plue had chosen and gave him a big hug saying; “I knew you could help me. Thank you Plue.” Shortly after in another puff of smoke the spirit was gone.

Lucy was walking down the road to the newly rebuilt guild hall wearing a blue shirt, a short, white skirt, long brown leggings and a black sleeve with her hair tied into a long ponytail.

Before she knew it Lucy was already at the guild hall. She pushed the doors open to find the usual scenes. People drinking merrily, some checking the request board and fiends chatting.

Lucy went to sit down at an empty table right near the entrance. She smiled at all the commotion around her. Thinking of better times.

“Oh Lucy! It’s so nice to see you at the guild again. You haven’t been here for weeks.” Mirajane said as she walked over to lucy’s table.

“Yeah, it’s good to be back.” Lucy murmured looking down at the table.

“Is there anything I can order for you, Lucy?” Mirajane asked.

Lucy murmured “No thanks, mira.”

“Well, if you need anything just call.” Mirajane said as she walked off to serve another person.

Lucy looked around the guild for Natsu and Happy hoping that they could go on a mission together.

“It’s just been so long.” She said to herself. Suddenly, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye.

    “Erza! We’ve been waiting 30 minutes for our beer and it’s still not here! You’re a worse waitress than Kinana!” Wakaba shouted in a semi drunken state.

“Uh, bud I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Macao replied to his long-time friend.

Just hearing the remarks by Wakaba, Erza rushed over to the table where he was seated, and like a tiger killing its prey Erza instantly jumped Wakaba.

“If it’s alcohol you want then it’s alcohol you’ll get!” Erza said as she started to force down a whole barrel of alcohol down his throat.

Lucy watched on in confusion and worry, glad to be sitting a few tables back.

“Erza being a waitress is a pretty scary thing.” Lucy nervously thought to herself.

Getting tired of sitting around Lucy got up from her seat and walked over to the request board.

“Even if I can’t go on missions with Natsu and Happy, I still need to pay rent.”

Lucy scanned the request board looking for a job suitable for both herself and her spirits. Unfortunately, she could only find dangerous jobs that would require a three-person team.

Suddenly a familiar flying, blue cat flew into the guild hall and grabbed a handful of flyers.

Lucy looked up above in surprise. “Happy it’s you! I haven’t seen you and Natsu in ages. How has he been?”

Happy looked down to see Lucy staring up at him. “I can’t talk now, Lucy! Got work to do!”

Lucy murmured, looking at the floor. “Of course, you do.”

  Hours later, Lucy was working on the finishing touches on another two pages of her novel. Feeling tired, she stretched her arms and decided it was time to go to bed.

Lucy signed, lying in bed. “I spent a whole day at the guild and I didn’t even get a single job, and Rent is coming up soon too. Maybe tomorrow I might find something.”

As Lucy slept in her bed, a dream started to form in her mind.

“Puny human, no mortal can stand up to the might of the four Celestial Gods.”

“I don’t care! I need to do this so I can save my family.”

“Draco! Deal with this pest for me.”

“Yes, my lord.”

A hulking monster appeared as if out of nowhere, standing down Natsu.

“So, you’re the Celestial god everyone’s been talking about, huh?” Natsu said in a sarcastic tone.

“Natsu! Get away, you’ll die!” Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs.  

The creature simply attacked, paying no attention to Lucy’s words.

“Celestial God Dragon… Roar!”

In a split second a wave of fire that felt as hot as the sun engulfed Natsu, and a split second later there was nothing left but ash.

Suddenly Lucy shot awake, she looked around, realizing she was safe in her own bed.

“It was just a dream, then?”

Lucy realized her body was shaking in fear, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Natsu…”

  Lucy was sitting by the bar, drinking a coffee to try to keep herself awake. She didn’t get much sleep after she awoke from her nightmare.

“Oi Lucy! Watcha doing?” Natsu said as he draped his arm around lucy’s neck and chest, a little too close for comfort.

Lucy turned around and saw Natsu. “Natsu, it’s been so long. What have you been doing?”  

Natsu looked Lucy in her eyes and said; “Oh nothing! Just missions and stuff. I need to get stronger and stronger!”

Lucy’s face lit up, and an idea popped into her head. “Since you’re here, how about we go on a mission together?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

“Happy! Find a flyer for Lucy and us.” Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Aye sir!” Happy replied.

A large shard of ice suddenly shot through the air and hit Natsu in the head.

“What the hell was that?” Natsu yelled.

“Hey, flame brain! Leave a few jobs for the rest of us will ya!” Gray yelled.

“Huh?” Natsu grunted.

“You’re taking all the damn jobs in the guild, soon enough there won’t be any left.” Gray replied.

Natsu jumped up from his seat and yelled; “Ya got a problem with that, popsicle man!”

Gray was starting to get visibly annoyed at Natsu’s ignorance. “You know I do, weren’t you listening, dumbass.”

Natsu then suddenly punched Gray and the force of the impact destroyed a table.

“Oh, it’s on now, Natsu!” Gray yelled.

Soon enough the entire guild was their battleground, getting other wizards caught up in their brawl.

Lucy looked at them both and murmured; “They never learn, do they?”

“I feel so tired.” Lucy said as she started to yawn. “I think I’ll just rest here for a bit, Mira.”

“Don’t sleep too long.” Mira replied.

Lucy started to drift off to sleep, the guild’s noise acting as a lullaby to her.

Lucy suddenly found herself in a very familiar place. It was her father’s old mansion. She started to stroll through the lovely garden out front when suddenly she was pulled away and dragged into a terrible memory.

It was raining.

Everyone was dressed in black.

Suddenly, Lucy knew what the memory was.

It was her mother’s funeral. When Lucy looked around, she realized she was her child like self again. Small and defenseless. The wails of pain and agony were a chorus of tears Lucy wished she never had to remember again.

Then, suddenly, the dream changed. Lucy was standing in shallow water, now an adult again.

“Fix the keys… the land of the spirits.”

Lucy heard a familiar voice.

“Who are you? Why do you sound like my…”?

A figure appeared in the distance. Lucy ran to it. It was Layla.

“Mum?” Lucy murmured.

The figure turned its head to reveal a half rotting corpse, a small smile etched on its face.

  “AAAHHH!!”

Lucy suddenly shot awake and her scream stopped the guild, as if everyone was frozen.

Natsu and Gray stopped fighting, Erza stopped eating her cake, all to look at Lucy.

Natsu ran over to Lucy as fast as he could, with Happy flying behind him, he ran over to the stool Lucy was sitting on.

“Mama?” Lucy said as she looked at Natsu, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Oi Lucy! Are you alright?” Natsu asked, shocked at her scream.

Lucy looked at Natsu and Happy.

She murmured; “I’m fine, I just… had a dream.

“You had us all worried sick. Are you sure you’ll alright?” Natsu questioned.

“I’m fine, really I am.” Lucy said.

Happy was floating above Lucy’s head. “Was it about tasty fish?”

Lucy slightly laughed. “No happy, it’s not about tasty fish.”

“Oh! I betcha it was about Fighting.” Natsu yelled.

“No, fish!” happy replied.

“Fighting!”

“Fish!”

Lucy walked over to master, who was sitting on one of the tables nearby.

“I’m sorry master. I’m sorry everyone. I didn’t mean to worry you all.” Lucy said sadly.

Makarov looked at Lucy with a worried look.

“There’s no need to worry, my child. We all have bad days, but the important thing is to always remember that tomorrow will be better. So, keep your head held high, for that is the Fairy Tail way.” Makarov said.

Lucy looked at the ground, not able to look master in the face. Whether that was out of shame or cowardice she didn’t know.

Moments after Makarov’s talk the guild started to liven up again, becoming its old rowdy self.

“I think I need to go home.” Lucy said.

Makarov watched Lucy walk out of the guild with concern plastered on his face. Lucy looked like she was in a haze.

 Lucy barely made it home to her apartment. Walking home in a daze.

As soon Lucy entered her home, she started to undress.

“I need a hot shower… I’ll fell bet…”

She suddenly collapsed on the floor.

Lucy awoke in the same void of shallow water as before. She saw the same thing parading around as her mother.

“Who are you? Answer me! Lucy shouted nervously at the figure.

The figure moved and as it turned its head, Lucy anticipated the horrific figure from earlier. But it never came. All she saw was the beautiful face of her mother.

“Lucy, I have not seen you in years. You have grown so much since I last saw you.” Layla said.

“I don’t understand any of this, what’s going on?” Lucy asked her mother.

Layla looked at Lucy with sadness on her face.

I have been trying to contact you, I have a mission for you, a way to save Aquarius.

Lucy was shocked, she couldn’t believe what she heard.

“Let me explain, my daughter.” Layla said.

“In the northern continent, in ancient times a meteor hit and devastated the landscape, however since that day, that place has become a wellspring of power for celestial spirit wizards. Go to the celestial steppe and you will find a blacksmith that can fix any key, even celestial keys.” Layla Stated.

Lucy tried to run closer to her mother but no matter how close she got Layla would always be out of reach. “How do you know all this? Can I even trust you?”

Layla looked at her daughter with sad eyes.

“Of course, you can trust me, I’m your mother. All will be explained soon, just know that I love you, lucky Lucy.” Layla smiled and then disappeared.

Lucy woke up from her dream, determined to make it a reality.

“I’ll be with you soon, Aquarius. Just hold on a little more.” Said Lucy.  

  The next day Happy and Natsu were standing by the request board in the guild. They had found the perfect job for Lucy.

“I’m sure Lucy would loooove this one!” Happy yelled, with the flyer in his paws.

“I wouldn’t miss seeing Lucy looking like that for the world.” Natsu said as he grinned mischievously.

Natsu ran out the guild’s doors as fast as he could with Happy flying not far too behind.  

“Hey Lucy! Me and Happy found a job that you’d really like. It pays well.” Natsu Yelled outside Lucy’s apartment window. The flyer moving in the wind.

There was a silence for a moment.

“Is Lucy not home?” happy asked.

“Nah, she’s just ignoring me. Watch.” Natsu said as he jumped from the ground to the window sill outside Lucy’s window.

Natsu pulled the wooden frame up and hoped inside, with happy flying in after him.

“She’s not here.” Said Happy, looking around.

“Well, she’s gotta be. Let’s have a look around.” Natsu told Happy.

“She’s not in here.” Happy said as he lifted up the lid for a cookie jar.

Natsu grinned. “I know where you are. I’m coming in!” Natsu ripped the shower curtain off its rod expecting to see a naked Lucy.

“Huh, she’s not even here?”

Happy flew right into Natsu’s arms with tears in his eyes. “I looked around everywhere and Lucy isn’t here. Is she okay?”

“I dunno, bud.” Natsu replied. “But something is wrong.”

“Master!”

Natsu burst through the guild hall as loud as a bull and ran up to Makarov, who was sitting on the bar top.

“What is it my boy.” Makarov asked.

Everyone looked at Natsu in confusion. Breathing heavily from running to the guild, Natsu and Happy were trying to regain their breath. “It’s…Lucy…she’s… gone!”

“Hmm, what do you mean by that Natsu.” Makarov said.

“Lucy was here and then she was gone and I can’t find her anywhere.” Natsu said quickly, panicking.

“Calm down first Natsu.” Erza replied, who was standing to the right of Makarov.

After waiting a minute for Natsu to catch his breath, he finally spoke;

“I went to Lucy’s place to tell her me and Happy had a job for her to do, But I couldn’t find her anywhere. Then we looked around Magnola hoping to find her scent, but nothing. It’s like she just disappeared.”

“Well, this is troubling.” The master said.

“This is not like Lucy at all. She can be clumsy but she wouldn’t just leave like that.” Erza said.

“Could this be an enemy targeting Lucy?” Juvia chimed in.

“It’s a possibility. After what we went through fighting Tartaros I wouldn’t be shocked if someone wanted revenge.” Gray pondered.

For a moment Makarov closed his eyes and meditated on the news.

“We’ll send out a search party to look for Lucy. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Juvia and Wendy, you all will form a search party and look for Lucy. Also, we will use your telepathy, Warren to try and locate her as well.” Master Makarov announced.

Natsu was grinding his teeth and had his fists clenched, an aura of anger surrounding him.

“Don’t worry Lucy, we’ll get you back for sure. You can count on it.”

  It was one whole week after Lucy disappeared and everyone was low on spirits. The guild was as busy as ever, but it had a tinge of sadness in the air.

One whole week of searching all over Fiore and nothing showed up, not even a single hint.

Suddenly a strange, fat woman walked in the guild hall wearing Lucy’s old outfits with a wagon filled with boxes of clothes and other items.

“Isn’t that the landlady Lucy rented from?” Gray asked, pointing to the guild’s doors.

“The Landlady, why would she be here? Erza questioned.

“Is this the place where Lucy Heartfilia works?” The woman yelled.

“Yes, why?” Gray Asked.

“That brat went up and left, not even paying the rent she owes me, she left all her crap at my apartment too, So I’m dumping it here.” The woman ranted.

Natsu walked up to the landlady, looking at her with disgust. “Lucy always paid her rent on time. She always panicked about getting kicked out. This isn’t like her.”

“Well, your friend doesn’t give a crap anymore, that’s for sure.” The landlady said as she pushed all of Lucy’s belongings off the wagon and onto the floor.

Natsu stood there, clenching his fists in anger.

As the landlady started to walk out the door, she threw a letter on the ground.

“Oh, and she left this too.”

“A letter?” Natsu said as he picked it up and opened it.

Natsu couldn’t believe what he read. His hands started to shake.

“Natsu, please read aloud the letter, for all of us.” Erza said.

Dear Natsu.

“It saddens me to say this but, I’m leaving on a journey, one that is more important to me than you could ever imagine. I don’t know how long I will be gone; it could be a month or it could be a year or two.

I wish I could have stayed in the guild longer, but don’t worry, I will always be in your hearts and I will always be a member of Fairy Tail.

If you’re reading this, Natsu, then it means that I have already crossed the borders of Fiore. I will be sending this letter to my apartment, so if you ever break in be sure to read it.

Sincerely,

Lucy.

  A horse drawn carriage pulled up to a stop on near the edge of a mountain. The driver rubbing his cold hands together to try to heat them.

“I’m sorry miss, but this is as far as I can take you. The blizzard is just too strong.”

A slender, young woman jumped out of the carriage and said; “It’s okay, thank you for taking me this far.” She threw a bag filled with jewel to the driver.

“Nice doing business with ya!” The driver said as he directed his horse the way they came.

Lucy fixed her scarf closer to her neck for warmth. She looked off over into the distance, everything was a flurry of white.

“I’ve finally made it to the northern continent. It looks like my journey starts now.”

[untaemedqueen]

The Bird Cage

Mafia!Jimin x Reader

Chapter 16.

Warnings: Unprotected Sex, Pools of Blood, Harm Befalling Reader

Blood, Guns, Knives, Smoking (Cigarettes)

Tag-List: @imaforeigner, @q1st1na, @gensneverland, @autumnnflowers, @toddsgirl27, @yaniposts22, @babyboytae1, @dearlydreadful, @vivpurple7, @kthfeed, @probably-trying-too-hard, @si-deus-me-hanyu-senshu, @bts-chub, @ayyyocee, @taeslittletiger, @yeonkiminfr, @xcharlottemikaelsonx​ , @topthis808

Jimin moans softly as he orgasms, his hand pinning your wrists above your head as he sighs content. He gives feathery kisses to your lips before groaning and putting all of his weight into you making you laugh with a groan. 

"Yah!" You say cutely, he chuckles burying his face into your neck. His lips traipsing over your sweaty skin. You were in what most people call the honeymoon faze. The both of you unrelenting in fucking, the love between you culminating into the greatest gift of man. Jimin lets your wrists go before whispering how much he loves you. He thrusts his softening cock inside of you, moaning gently at the feeling of your cum and his together. 

"Was that love making?" He asks quietly and you giggle before nodding. 

"I'd say so." He hums in agreement.

"Good." He continues his slow thrusts letting his cock become fully erect once more. His lips gliding down your skin before suckling at your overly-sensitive nipples. He hums in delight when you moan for him. His thrusts picking up pace as a harsh knock comes at the door. He sighs loudly before pulling his gun from underneath the pillow. He cocks it at the door as he throws the comforter over the both of you. He begins to piston himself inside you, his tongue licking at his lips as the door opens. 

"What? What the fuck do you want?!" Jeongguk steps inside before going wide-eyed. You bury your face into the pillow next to you as you moan loudly. Jeongguk clears his throat before looking at the floor. 

"Lee Hyunah is here for you." 

"Yeah well she's going to have to fucking wait." Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows as Jimin pushes your knees up to your chest. The new angle making you sob out of pleasure as you moan for him. 

"She, um, she said she's busy and she needs to have the meeting quickly." Jimin uncocks his gun running his fingers through his hair as he moans loudly. 

"Well, why don't you tell her that I have to deliver a load of cum into my fiance first?" Jeongguk sniffles before looking up weakly. 

"S-Should I tell her that?" You laugh loudly putting your hand over your face at the ridiculous situation. Jimin chuckles before bucking into you harder sending you up the bed. 

"You make that decision yourself. Get the fuck out, I will shoot you if you make my dick soft. Go." Jeongguk pulls at his turtle neck.

"Yep. I-I'll-I'll do that." Jimin rolls his eyes as the door shuts quickly. He looks back down at you before shoving the comforter off of you both. He licks his lips before moaning loudly at the feeling of his cum being fucked out of you. 

"We'll have to make this quick." He mumbles pushing himself down between your legs and kissing you.

You clear your throat as you step into the office, you put your hair up into a ponytail before walking around the desk to come face to face with Hyunah. 

"Sorry for the wait." She eyes you carefully with a smile as she lights her cigarette. 

"No you aren't, I wouldn't be either if I was getting a fuck." Your lips quirk up into a smirk as you sit down. 

"I brought some documents that my lawyer drew up. I'll leave then with you to look over with Jimin and you can just have one of the boys bring it over to my office. Preferably Yoongi." You chuckle with a nod as she hands you a leather folder. Three knocks come at the door before opening quietly. 

"Your morning screwdriver, Madam." Two says quietly walking over to the desk. 

"Thank you, Two. Make one for Jimin, please." She nods before walking back out, Hyunah watches the interaction with a smile. 

"You will do very well in our society. I'm excited to see what you become." You sip on your drink as Hyunah hands you her lit cigarette. You take a pull furrowing your eyebrows before leaning back in your chair. 

"Thought you would need that, because the other matter is which maid is under the Jungs." You hum in agreement before gripping the chair arm. 

"My men haven't figured it out yet." You raise an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" She hums before scoffing.

"All I know is, Jung Mina is not involved so we'll have to look into her sister next. Since she just loves to cause problems which you know so well from the ball." You nod before putting your head back. 

"I will find out for you, don't worry. You just focus on this contract." She says pointing at the leather folder as you inhale from the cigarette before giving it back to her. She ashes into the crystal tray on the desk before standing up. 

"When you sign and when Jimin signs we'll get started on what girls to pick, what our clientele will look like. All of that. Hmm?" She leans across the desk before grazing her thumb over your cheek. You nod to her with a smile which she returns as she puts on her fur coat. You sip from your screwdriver as she walks to the door. 

"Y/N." You look at her as she turns back around. 

"Kim Shin is nasty business, I heard what he tried to do. Be on your toes, he's a menace to our society." You hum to her before bowing your head. She winks at you as she leaves.

Jimin looks over the contract as you both sit in the sitting room. Your legs draped over his as you stare at the kitten painting on the wall. 

"This is pristine. I could sign right now without our lawyer even looking at it." He says in shock as he riffles through the pages. 

"Sixty percent to us, fourty to Hyunah. You get full command of the girls. All the girls are protected, a Lee man going with them to each escorting affair. Men pay extra for sleeping with them." He scoffs in surprise.

"You sound like you're upset." You say with a laugh.

"Lee Hyunah does not make mutually benefiting contracts and yet." He holds up the leather folded before grabbing his screwdriver. 

"I mean. This is... Unprecedented." You smile at him and he just chuckles. 

"Something about you, just makes people so willing. It's crazy." He leans over and kisses you making you giggle. Jimin picks up his gold fountain pen before signing his name before handing it to you. 

"Did you see the terms though?" You ask flipping to the last page. He nods with a laugh.

"Of course I did, baby, my eyes are small not blind. We're to be married before the business begins. She is obsessed with affairs of love." You hum before grabbing the pen and signing. 

"So. You'll be my wife before June." He kisses you deeply, both hands on either side of your head as the front door opens. 

"Chim, can I talk to you before the meeting, please." Taehyung says walking up the right staircase. Jimin hums loudly before kissing you again. 

"See you in 30, baby." You swing your legs off of him as he gets up fixing his white dress shirt.

You stand in the garden, taking in the spring air as your hand sways through the angel fountain pool. The cool water makes you sigh as you stare up at the statue. The garden was silent today, no birds singing their songs of joy as grey clouds roll in for their spring shower. You find yourself thinking of Jimin as your hand creates ripples in the still water. How perfectly in love with you he was, how he looks at you. You smile to yourself as you press your thighs together. How he loves on you as if he was the first person to claim you. He loved you with a love that couldn't compare to anything in the universe. You hear thunder in the distance. Your eyes look up at the sky before your vision goes dark. A woolen bag covering your head and being pulled tightly. You gasp as the bag tightens around your neck strangling you. Your hands grip at the bottom trying to pry it off as fear encases you. Your legs get knocked out from underneath you, your forehead slamming against the stone lip of the fountain pool. Your groan in pain as you get kicked on to your front. Sharp pain resounding through you as a knife cuts down your back from one shoulder to your hip bone. The gash deep as you scream loudly. "From the Jungs." Hot tears pricking at your eyes as you writhe in pain. The pain encumbering you, as you slowly drift from consciousness. 

Jimin looks at his watch before frowning. "Where's Y/N?" He asks the rest of the guys, Jeongguk shrugs as he sips his whisky. 

"I'll go find her." Seokjin says standing up.

"I'll come with you." Jimin mutters. Something felt off, you would have been here by now. You live in the fucking house. You haven't missed a meeting so far and you were always early. Jimin gets up before rounding the table and leaving the soundproof room. Screams echo in his ears and his heart stops. 

"SIR!" Mirae screams from downstairs and Jimin's blood runs cold. Adrenaline rushing through him, time seemingly slowing down as he begins to run down the hallway. Seokjin hot on his trail. Jimin jumps down the stairs four at a time. 

"Fuck!" He curses loudly as Two runs into the sitting room. 

"Where is she?!" He yells out as Two runs into the kitchen. 

"She's bleeding! A lot! The garden!" Jimin shoves past Two running out down the path towards the fountain. 

"Baby!" Jimin calls loudly, his vision obscured by neatly trimmed hedges. He rounds the cobblestone path to the fountain before beginning to cry. 

"No. No. No!" He throws himself on to the ground, into your pool of blood. 

"Oh fuck!" Seokjin yells as Jimin cries loudly ripping the woolen bag off of your head. He screams in anger taking off his shirt and pressing it down on to your back. You had indeed lost a lot of blood. Jimin takes a deep breath before picking up your shoulders, Jin takes your legs as they carry you. Jimin bites his bottom lip watching how your blood oozes out of the large cut. 

"I WANT THIS HOUSE ON FUCKING LOCK DOWN." He bellows at the top of his lungs, the cold blood in his veins heating up. Burning through him as his neck turns red.

Jimin and Jin get you up to the third floor, Jeongguk gasping as he opens up the medical room. "Fuck!" He curses loudly holding the door open as Jimin weeps loudly bringing you into the room. He places you gently down on the table before ripping the back of your dress open. 

"Hurry up! She's lost a lot of blood!" Jin tells Jeongguk, Jimin looks down at his blood covered hands before crying, screwing his eyes shut. He backs up into the wall before sliding down quietly. Jeongguk peels Jimin's white shirt now soaked in your blood before widening his eyes. 

"Jimin why don't you go wait outside?" Jimin shakes his head fiercely putting his bloody hands to his face. 

"No. No I'm not leaving her." He gets to his knees grabbing your lifeless hand as he puts his forehead to the medical table. 

"I'm never fucking leaving her." He whispers pushing your hair off of your unconscious face. He leans in pressing his lips to yours before sobbing harder. In his own home, someone in his own fucking home did this. 

"I want all those fucking maids tied up, every single one of them. I want them on their fucking knees with bags over their head. Do you hear me?!" He yells at Jin who swallows and nods. 

"Yeah. I hear you." 

"I want them kneeling in her fucking blood. Right now. RIGHT NOW!" Jimin screams as Jeongguk begins to stitch you up. Seokjin leaves without a word, the rest of the guys peaking in before gasping. 

"Taehyung get in here." Jimin says standing up to let Jeongguk do his job in peace. Taehyung stares at you, watching how you bleed out, over your sides and down to the table. 

"Did Hyejin fucking do this? Hmm?" Jimin asks shoving Taehyung against the wall balling Tae's shirt into his fist. The lion was out and everyone knows to fear him. Taehyung looks at Jimin narrowing his eyes. 

"Hyejin loves Y/N. She would never." Jimin licks his lips, "Yeah well, we'll see won't we."

Jimin sits next to you as Jeongguk finishes his stitching. Two hours had passed and your lips were the same color of your skin. 

"Okay." Jeongguk whispers before wiping your back with sterilizer before putting bandages over your cut. 

"She can't move for a few days." Jimin nods weakly before kissing your forehead. 

"Help me put her in bed." Jeongguk tells Jimin as he pats his shoulder. Jimin looks like a shell shocked victim. Your blood on his face and neck, his arms covered in dried blood. Even his hair was tinged red. Jimin stands up with a groan before picking up your front. 

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm going to find who did this. I swear it." He whispers in your ear as Jeongguk picks up your legs.

Jimin sits at the edge of the bed fingers pressed together to his lips. He hears your small whimper before sighing gratefully. He crawls up the bed as you begin to sob from the pain. 

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so fucking sorry." He kisses your hairline gently before brushing away your tears. You open your mouth to speak and your body shakes from the pain. Jimin grabs a bottle of painkillers from the bedside table. 

"Open your mouth. I have pain killers." You open your mouth slightly before trying to lift up on shaking arms. 

"Don't move. You have over a hundred stitches in you." Jimin grabs the glass of water before bringing it to your chapped lips. You open your eyes and cry out looking at your blood all over him. 

"I love you, I'm so sorry." You can hear how his voice is riddled with guilt and you bury your face into the pillow. Your back felt raw, the deep cut having its own heartbeat as you whimper. 

"Do you still love me?" Jimin asks worried as he lays down next to you brushing your hair off of your shoulder. You look up at him before laughing gently. 

"You're a fucking moron Park Jimin." He freezes before tears begin to well up in his eyes. 

"You do, don't you? You still love me?!" Panic stricken is his voice as he caresses your cheek with his thumb. 

"Of course I do, idiot." He breathes a sigh of relief before wiping at his cheeks. 

"I'm going to figure out which one of the girls did this. I promise." You scoff as the pain killers begin to take effect, your body becoming numb which is more welcome than feeling the ever present pain. 

"And when you do, you put them in the chamber." Jimin nods before kissing you softly. 

"Of course, baby. Of course." The door opens to Yoongi who stands in the doorway quietly. 

"Stay with her while I go outside." Yoongi nods before sitting down in the arm chair by the chess table.

Jimin steps out of the kitchen, gun cocked as he barrels down the cobblestone path of the garden. He shoots a tree, the noise echoing in the rain as he begins to get soaked. Your dried blood starts to pick up off his skin and slide down his face, chest and arms. He cocks his gun again before sniffling and rounding the trimmed hedges. All five maids soaked from head to toe from being left out in the rain for hours. Your pool of blood leaking into the cobblestone cracks making Jimin chuckle darkly. He shoots his gun in the air and all of the girls shiver and jump in nervousness. 

"Now I have half a mind to kill all of you!" He yells out as Taehyung stands with his hands pressed to his sides wearily looking at his girlfriend. 

"This a problem? Tae? Do I need to send you inside?" Jimin asks before tonguing at his cheek. 

"No. No problem." Taehyung says loudly and even with the bag Hyejin's head visibly drops. Jimin steps up to Mirae before pulling the bag off of her head. He crouches down before licking his lips aiming the gun at her. 

"Where the fuck were you?! Huh?! Mirae where were you?!" She begins to sob, her face screwing up tightly as her bottom lip quivers. 

"No, no none of that. None of this crying bullshit." He says standing back up. 

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" Jimin screams, his loud voice mixing with the crack of thunder in the sky. 

"I was cleaning your bedroom!" Jimin hums in agreement before grabbing Mirae's face and looking into her eyes. 

"Are you fucking lying to me?" She shakes her head fiercely and Jimin sighs. Her eyes weren't lying, they were filled with terror but not lies. Jimin scoffs before helping her to her feet. 

"Get inside." He mumbles to her before taking the bag off of Hyejin's head. She looks up at him, her light brown eyes red from crying and Taehyung stiffens as Jimin aims his gun at her face. 

"What the fuck were you doing when she was attacked?" Hyejin begins to blush and Jimin tilts her head. 

"I asked you a question, Hye. Answer me." She sighs before looking up at the sky. 

"I was waiting for Taehyung in his room, naked." Jimin hums before looking at Jin. 

"That true?" Seokjin nods, his neck and ears red as he remembers finding her. 

"Get inside." Jimin tell her not helping her up as he pulls the bag off of Two. She blinks rapidly before whimpering. 

"Where the fuck were you?" Two bites her bottom lip before crying.

"Yah. Yah. What did I say? No crying." Jimin shoot the gun into the air before crouching down as Two shivers scared. 

"I was with Three! Cleaning the sitting room." Jimin chuckles darkly. 

"Were you now? You two gonna corroborate each others stories?" Jimin pulls the bag off Three's head, she stares at the ground as Jimin stands back up with a groan. He steps back before holding his hand out to Jeongguk who readily gives him his gun from the back of his pants. Jimin cocks both guns before pointing. 

"What were you doing?" 

"Cleaning the couch." They say at the same time, Jimin tongues at his cheek before closing his eyes. He is sure it's Three. So how did she do it? 

"It takes both of you to clean one couch?" 

"There was cum on it." Three says before looking up at Jimin. He tilts his head before looking at his bedroom balcony. Yeah, that's true. The both of you didn't make it up to the bedroom last night after you got back from dinner. He sniffs before nodding. 

"So why is it, that I don't feel like I can trust you Three? Hmm?" Three closes her eyes before sighing. 

"I hate her but I would never hurt her because that would hurt you." Her voice is honest and Jimin nods. 

"Get inside, both of you." Two stands up shakily before looking down at your blood on her legs. She cries out scared and Jimin sighs. His wet hair from the rain sticking to his forehead. 

"Go take a shower, Two and then go see if Y/N needs anything." Two nods quickly before scurrying off. Jimin looks at Four, a large sigh leaving his lips before taking the bag off. 

"Where were you?" Four stares at the ground, no emotion on her face as Jimin presses his gun to the underside of her neck. 

"Don't make me repeat myself." 

"Cutting that bitch open." Jimin begins to smile, his smirk sending shivers down Jeongguk's spine as he crouches down. 

"How'd the Jung's get to you? Hmm? How'd they fucking get you?" Four looks up into Jimin's eyes before smiling. 

"You don't pay attention after meetings happen. You let them leave your office without following them to the door." 

"What'd they promise you?" 

"Your misery." Jimin groans frustrated before hitting Four with the blunt end of his gun. 

"Take her to the chamber. I'm sure Y/N will love to see her in a few days." Four rolls her eyes as Jeongguk grips the back of her neck. 

"You'll never be happy as long as the Jungs are alive!" Four calls to Jimin as he shoots a bullet at the same tree from before. His wet feet padding against the cobblestone path. 

"Well they won't be for long." He mutters wiping rain off his face as he ascends the kitchen stairs.

[bnhasimpgirltm]

It’s Enough (Dabi x Reader)

Pairings: Dabi x Reader

Warnings: a little bit of blood, kind of moves a little slow?, mild swearing

Genre: Angst (but not really)

Type: Oneshot

Word Count: 3452

A/N: Just another fic to fuel my newfound Dabi writing addiction. This idea has been nagging me for a week and a half so I’m glad I got the chance to write it. This is also my first new fic since all of the reposts! Reader’s quirk is that they can redirect and contain energy. 

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

The air around Japan’s most protected weapon development facility is still except for the occasional bird flying by. Most of the employees have gone home with the exception of a few night stragglers and the usual security team.

The perfect time for a certain team of villains to strike.

“Make way for the League of Villains!” Toga cackles, coming through Kurogiri’s warp gate, Dabi and Shigaraki following behind. 

“Be quiet, we don’t have time for your games,” Shigaraki hisses, “Go and do your job.”

“Why can’t Dabi just burn the door? It would be faster and easier,” whines Toga, twirling her knife between her fingers. 

“Did you not hear the mission briefing? We need to be discreet,” Kurogiri scoffs.

“You should have just opened a gate inside the building, then we could just skip this entire ‘breaking in’ stuff.” Looking at the horizon, Toga sticks the tip of her knife into the trunk of the closest tree.

“There are cameras in that building. If I were to create a gate inside the room with the weapon, authorities would automatically know that we stole it,” Kurogiri explains. “Plus, (y/n) works here on Saturday, and we promised Dabi that we wouldn’t impede on their relationship.”

“(Y/n)’s shift is from 8AM to 4PM,” Dabi peeks over at Kurogiri’s watch. “It’s 9PM.”

“We still have to be discreet,” Kurogiri swats Toga’s knife away from his face. “Shoudn’t you be inside already, assuming the identity of one of the employees?” 

“Say no more,” Toga takes a moment and looks around the corner, spotting a tall, brown-haired man walking into the parking lot.  “Perfect.”

Walking up to the man, Toga talks up the man and asks him to help her find her way to her car. 

“I’ve never seen you around here,” he says. “Are you a newbie?”

“Well, yes, I am new,” Tapping her chin, Toga mock thinks. “I mean, once I’m done here no one will know.”

“Excuse me?” The man glares at her, suspicious. “I’m going to need you to identify yourself.”

“I’m you!” Toga giggles like a little girl.

“This isn’t a jo-” he’s cut off by Toga pulling him down to her height and choking him. 

The League hears the man’s muffled cries for help as he falls unconscious. 

“Just a little bit and we’re good,” says Toga to the rest of the League members hiding on the other side of the corner.

Pricking the man’s finger, she licks the blood off the knife and transforms. 

Giddy from transforiming, Toga smiles and laughs. “Wow, I’m so tall.” She looks at the badge. Reading it, she identifies herself, “Daichi, interesting name.”

Ignoring her, Shigaraki speaks in a gravelly voice.“There should be a mercenary here right now, I already paid,” Shigaraki looks around. 

“I’m right here,” a small voice replies. “Name is Mira, last name Ju, and you only have a couple more hours before your time is up.”

“What’s her quirk?” Dabi asks. 

“She’s going to be useful. Her quirk allows her to change the physical  appearance of anything within a certain distance of her,” Kurogiri explains. 

“What are we waiting for then?” Dabi slaps his hand on the closest tree. “We don’t have all night.”

“Say no more,” Ju closes her eyes and the people who were the League of Villains transform into normal looking citizens. 

“How far can we wander while maintaining the disguises?” Kurogiri asks. 

“For the amount of time we have to keep these disguises up?” Ju pauses and thinks. “To be safe, keep it at six feet or less.”

“How are all of us going to get in there standing that close?” Dabi scoffs and starts to walk towards the side entrance. “That’s shady.”

“Dabi, we’re not all going in,” Shigaraki explains. 

“Well who then?” Dabi impatiently asks. 

“We need Toga, she’ll make us look less suspicious,” Kurogiri cuts in. “Ju is a must, obviously, and so am I. Without me, you have no chance of escape after the facility locks down.”

Dabi narrows his eyes and lets an annoyed noise escape from his throat. “Your point?” 

“We can only take one more person,” Kurogiri lets his eyes linger over every member of the League. “We can take Dabi. His quirk will be useful if we need to fight.”

“Step right up, Dabi, was it?” Dabi begins to walk towards the side entrance with Ju, Toga, and Kurogiri following. 

Using the man’s ID, Toga scans it on the door. The door makes a beep sound.

“Welcome, Daichi Sawamura,” the electronic pad responds. 

“Come on in everyone,” Toga slips her gloves over her hands and opens the door. 

Toga, Dabi, Ju, and Kurogiri step into the facility, waiting for alarms to sound.

“This place looks so dead,” Toga, looking like Daichi Sawamura from the parking lot, says with disgust. “Who could work here?” 

“We don’t have to appreciate this place, we just have to steal from it,” Kurogiri reminds. After walking halfway down the hallway, he opens another door. The group of villains sneak into the out-of-use closet. 

“We are going to get caught in here,” Toga reasons. “I don’t want to go to jail.”

“It’s 9:30, Toga,” Kurogiri says back. “Everyone has gone home, or at least we hope.”

“Quiet, Toga, start being useful,” Dabi points at the closet door. “Distract the people who are still here.”

Toga steps out, and as if on cue, a woman in a knee length, sleek, black pencil skirt rounds the corner, seeing Toga just as Toga begins to walk away from the closet.

“Daichi-san!” She calls. “What are you still doing here? I saw you leave a while ago.”

Lying smoothly, Toga smiles at the woman. “I forgot my water bottle.” 

“I can go get it if you want,” she turns back. “Where did you leave it?” 

“That’s okay,” Toga takes a glance at the woman’s ID badge, “Dama-san, I can get it myself.”

“It’s actually not a problem, just tell me where you put it,” Dama pushes further. 

“I actually don’t remember where I put it, I’m going to look,” Toga refines her lie. 

“Oh, okay, I’ll let you go look.” She pauses. “Do you need an ID to get into any of the offices? I heard some of the electronic door locks are misreading ID cards and not letting some people in.”

What a perfect opportunity! Toga thinks. “Thank you, that would be appreciated.”

“Here you go,” the severe-looking woman, Dama-san, hands her ID to Toga. “I must get going now, my family is waiting for me.” 

“Have a nice night,” Toga walks around the corner and looks behind her as the woman opens the side door. Backtracking, Toga turns, and opens the closet door. 

“This is better than we could have hoped! She gave me her ID!” Toga squeals. 

“Who is that woman?” Ju questions.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Kurogiri says. “Her ID will get us where we need to be.”

“Lets go before anyone else asks who we are,” Dabi recalls what Shigaraki explained during the briefing. “Two lefts and a right, then open the second door to your left,” he repeats to himself.

After following the directions, the small group arrives at a large metal door. 

“Can you melt it, Dabi?” Toga asks. 

“Absolutely not!” Kurogiri stops Dabi by shooting his arm between the door and Dabi. “We have sent this entire mission attempting to be discreet.” 

“Try the guy’s ID first,” Ju suggests. 

Toga lift’s Daichi’s ID to the scanner. After she lifts it, the scanner flashes red. 

“Unauthorized Employee, please try again.” 

Toga pockets Daichi’s ID, then, holding Dama’s ID up, the group hopes for the best. 

“Welcome, Dr. Dama Kana.”

Toga smiles and puts her gloves on again. 

“That wasn’t so hard was it?”

“Not at all, and suspiciously so,” Kurogiri looks around, ignoring the small model projects on the tables, then,  his eyes land on a large case resting flush to the wall. 

“Here it is.” Kurogiri picks the case up and inspects it. “A weapon created with a massive amount of energy. The person working on this must have a quirk that allows them to work with it and not be injured.” 

No more than five second later, the door opens. 

“Dr. Dama?” The security guard asks, looking at a handheld screen “What are you doing here so late?” Looking up, he realizes, “You’re not Dr. Dama.” 

“I’m Daichi, Dama-san gave me her ID, so I could look for my water bottle,” Toga hands the security guard Dama Kana’s ID. 

“I need your ID. That goes for all of you.” the guard motions for everyone to drop their IDs in his hand.

“We’re not from around here,” Ju steps forward. 

“What do you mean?” The guard asks. 

Ju lunges forward, releasing her quirk’s hold on the disguises, and the guard reaches for his taser. Three vials crash to the floor and boots thunder down the hallway, rapidly coming closer. 

“Take the weapon Kurogiri!” Dabi commands. “Open the gate, we’ll find a way out!” 

Kurogiri opens his warp gate and disappears with the weapon. As soon as it appears, it’s gone, leaving Dabi, Ju, and Toga to deal with the incoming barrage of security guards.

“Please remain still while we search you.”

“I did not sign up for this,” Ju complains. 

Toga frowns, “Me neither.” Then smiles. “But you know what’s always fun?”

“Miss, I’m going to need to see either your company or official Japan ID,” the man demands. 

“No,” Toga defies. 

“We are going to have to detain you and your accomplices if you resist any further,” he states sternly. 

“Detain this!” Toga yells, “Dabi!” 

Dabi lets out a trail of fire and the guards all jump back. 

“Use any force necessary!” The first one yells. “Blue fire, you must be part of the League.”

“You would be right,” Dabi says without thinking, then smirks and shoots another pillar of fire from his arm. 

His assailant jumps back, giving Dabi enough room to pull the door open. 

“Stop the flame guy!” Someone orders. “Call the lockdown! Close the exits!”

“Go Dabi, go!” Toga yells.

Dabi dashes out of the lab and slams the door. A moment later, a series of locks click into place, locking Toga, Ju, and the security team in the lab. 

“Lockdown Initiated,” the electronic lock’s small screen turns red.

Stopping to catch his breath, he scans the hall for a potential exit.

“Dabi?”

“(Y/N)?” He chokes out. 

“What are you doing here?” You ask, “How did you know I was here?” 

Dabi can’t hide the shock on his face. “You’re supposed to be at home, what the hell are you doing here?”

“I was here doing extra work, and the lockdown happened,” worriedly, you ask, “And how did you even get into the building?” 

Dabi listens carefully to the noise coming from the floor above you two.

 More security personnel. 

“Come on,” Dabi grabs your hand and pulls you towards the glass window. “We’re on the first floor.”

“Dabi, stop, what are you doing?” You yell. 

“Just break the damn window!” Becoming more frusturated, Dabi yells back. “Break it!”

“I’m not doing anything until you tell me what is happening!” You stubbornly fold your arms over your chest and glare at Dabi. 

“Let (L/n)-san go, and come willingly. Then maybe we’ll think about being nice,” A voice calls from the middle of the hall, coming closer. 

“Dabi, tell me what’s happening right now!” You demand. 

He had been so careful. Keeping his name and appearance out of the news, making sure to destroy photographic evidence of him, and only using his quirk when he was sure no one was recording. How that security guard from earlier knew what his quirk and affiliations were was beyond him. 

“Dabi!” You dig your nails into his hand to get his attention. “Explain!” 

He wanted to tell you that this was a big misunderstanding. A very, very, very, big misunderstanding, but what slipped out was actually the exact opposite. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out earlier,” he drones. “Blue fire is my hint, if you still don’t get what I’m trying to say.”

“I’m still not understanding.”

“Step away from (L/n)-san!” The voice says again. 

“Can you be quiet?” Dabi angrily asks. Impulsively, he activates his quirk. “This will shut you up.”

Before she can react, Dabi sends a long blue flame in the woman’s direction, and another creating a cerulean wall blocking the path of everyone else. 

“Where’s the fire extinguisher?” Someone shrills. 

“What the hell?” You cry out, stepping away from Dabi and backing into the window. “Dabi! You just set a person on fire.”

Stoically, Dabi replies, “It wouldn’t be the first,” 

“How many people have you burned?” You ask, “If there’s a problem, you could talk to me!”

Dabi scoffs. “It’s not a problem. Problems have to have solutions, and this doesn’t have a solution. Do you think the League of Villains forced me to join them? Do you think the League of Villains forces me to use my quirk to hurt people? ” As if what he said wasn’t already bad enough, Dabi continued. “Also, if you were wondering how many people I’ve burned, I can’t tell you, because I don’t keep count.”

“Tell me you’re joking, right now,” you take two steps and poke him in the chest. “Tell me you’re joking.”

“After a certain amount, the number doesn’t matter anymore.”

Crestfallen, you bite your buttom lip to contain the tears. “You’re not joking.”

“You’ll never be one of them,” he takes your hands and squeezes them. “I could never hurt you.”

“Not me, but what about everyone else?” You wailed. “How many people will die until you decide that you can’t do it anymore? Until you tell yourself that you’ve had enough?”

“I don’t know,” Dabi’s face becomes stoic again, “but you won’t be around to see.”

“Wait!” You scream. 

Dabi lets go of your hands and steps back towards the window. You’re about to grab his arm to stop him, but he pushes you back and ignites a wall of fire to keep you from going after him. You hear a shattering and heavy footsteps quickly fading.

Before you can even blink the tears away, he’s gone, and the only thing that even suggests that there was a fire is the white foam that coats the hallway. 

“(L/n)-san, I’m going to need you to come with me.”

~

The first thing Dabi thought when he stopped running was that he would never be able to see you again. 

“It’s for (y/n)’s protection,” he told himself repeatedly.

But no matter how many times he told himself, he still didn’t want to leave you behind. 

“It’s for (y/n)’s protection,” Dabi says once more. 

Nearing the League’s hideout, Dabi performed the knock that Shigaraki had demanded be created for security purposes.

“We’re closed for renovations,” Dabi hears from behind the door. “If you want to go to a bar, there are plenty of other ones in this city.”

Another security precaution, of course. You could never be too safe. 

“I want a Whiskey Sour, 75 degrees room temperature to start, with six ice cubes after, and an extra cherry,” Dabi recits. 

The door opens, revealing Kurogiri. 

“I was waiting. Where are Toga and Ju?” Kurogiri asks. 

“I don’t know,” Dabi admits. “I left them in the lab.” 

If he could, Kurogiri would have pursed his lips. “That is a matter to worry about later. We have the weapon, that’s what’s important.”

“Toga and Ju aren’t the only people that I left behind,” Dabi snaps. 

“What?” Kurogiri asks. 

“Nothing.”

~

After staying at the police department for six hours and being questioned for three, you were finally allowed to leave. It was so early in the morning that you didn’t even bother going back home. 

You had a different destination in mind. 

You got into your car and began to drive, not even feeling tired after the events of the night before. 

Finally, you arrived at your destination, Hawks’ Hero Agency. You had graduated a couple of years before him, and while he went and formed an agency after he graduated, you had decided to not become a hero, instead starting a new project. The project that was stolen from the lab that you worked in. While you were a third year, you had met Takami a couple of times, but he didn’t go to UA. 

Strolling into the agency, you addressed the receptionist. “I need to talk to Hawks.”

“You need an appointment, come back some other time,” he replied without looking up. 

“No, I need to see him now, it’s important,” you complained. 

“I told you to come back later!” He repeats. 

“Let them come in, I know them,” you hear above you. 

Looking up, you spot Hawks sitting on a ledge. 

“Hey Takami,” you greet. 

“How has it been (y/n)? Are you finally taking up my offer on joining my agency?” He asks. 

“Actually, yes, that’s exactly why I’m here,” you confirm. 

“Let's talk in my office.”

Hawks jumps from the ledge and motions for you to follow him. You enter a room through double doors, and he sits down at a mahogany desk. 

“I’d also like to request to be put on the League of Villains investigation,” you state clearly. 

“Interesting,” Hawks brandishes a Hawks themed pencil and a piece of paper. “I’m pulling up your resume from the UA alumni website, just standard protocall.”

You sit quietly until he speaks again. 

“Graduated from UA, excellent graduating test scores, top of your class, next biggest hero, went to go work on something else,” he reads off. “What did you go to work on anyways?” 

“I’m not authorized to say,” you reply sternly. 

“Fair enough,” Hawks looks back at his computer. 

“Can you get me on the investigation of the League?” You ask again. 

“Well, I am the boss around here, so I guess so,” he smiles at you. “You’d have to get your license again though, and you also need to pick a hero name.”

“Veritas,” you say, already knowing. 

“What?” Hawks says. “Can you repeat that?”

“Veritas, it means truth, and that’s what lights are for right? Illuminating the truth,” you explain. 

“Veritas,” Hawks repeats and clicks his tongue. “I like it. Welcome to my agency, Veritas.”

You and Hawks shake hands, then, you leave. 

Before you get into your car, you turn on your phone and open your messages app. 

Should I do it? You ask yourself. 

Quickly typing out a message, your fingers glide over the keyboard. Before you can think twice, you send the message. 

To: Dabi 

Be ready, I’m coming for you.

You didn’t expect him to respond, he rarely ever did, but this time seemed to be one of the rare exceptions. You felt your phone ping in your hand, and a new message appeared at the top of your screen.

From: Unknown

I’m always ready.

You grin at the message. 

“Alright then,” you say out loud, knowing exactly who it was. You opened the door of your car and got in, starting the ignition, then pulling out of the parking lot and onto the highway. 

You had never thought about becoming a hero after UA, obviously starting a new project after graduation, but you would get your closure with Dabi. 

Whether it was good or bad would be up to fate. 

~

On the other side of the city, Dabi held his burner phone, connected to a new number. He had the League tracking the messages coming to his old number, and even though he was usually not able to respond, he made an exception. 

Things could be worse, he supposed. He still had you, and was better off than Toga and Ju, at least. Things could  actually be a lot worse. He might be running for his whole life, but at least he had something to keep him tethered to the ground.

Shigaraki, Toga, Kurogiri. They didn’t have anyone but the League. They would slowly decend into insanity as time passed, and chances were that he would too if he kept going the way he was.

Except unlike the others, he had control over whether that happened. 

Dabi tapped on your name in his phone and wrote another message. It was simple, and definitely not long, but it got the point across. 

To: (Y/N)

It won’t be long. I’ll see you soon.

He hit send, then turned his phone off. 

There and then, Dabi decided what he would do next.  

Maybe it was time to stop running. 

[badacts]

Dick and Jason Dick and Jason Dick and Jason Dick and Jason Dick and Jason Dick and Ja

this is pretty ridiculous, but so are dick and jason, so

also the premise of this is admittedly a little grim, but also it’s the two-dudes-and-a-baby trope ft. dick grayson: no idea about babies

Shooter versus pre-Christmas shoppers in an East Side mall. Civilian only, no masks. It’s a bloodbath, and Dick’s only here in time for the cleanup.

“O,” he says on the way down to ground level, “Send whoever’s free and whatever supplies they’ve got. I’m going to start triaging.”

The part of being a bat that goes without saying is that they’re also, when required, first responders. It’s not the first time he’s ever worked alongside GCPD during a mass casualty, and it won’t be the last.

It’s also the part of the job that gets the closest to turning his stomach. The screaming and the crying and the systematic first identifications of who needs help and who they’re too late for - it’s awful.

He gets to work anyway. 

The paramedics from the first ambulance on the scene take charge, arranging the transport of the worst-off victims and coordinating the further arrivals. Dick does as he’s ordered and works on stabilising some of the seriously wounded, working to keep them from going critical. He goes through his supply of wound dressings quick, nodding his thanks when an EMT shoves another pile onto him on her way past.

He’s not the only mask out: it’s a busy night in Gotham, but he catches sight of Batgirl across the roiling crowd as well as the shadow of Cass’s silhouette against the rolling blue-red-blue lights. The flash of a more vivid red in the corner of his eye makes him think, Red Robin, but it’s not the right colour, and definitely not the right shape for Tim. Jason, the sleeves of his jacket rolled up over his forearms and wearing latex gloves, is putting a pressure bandage on a teenager’s upper arm.

“Hi, Nightwing,” an unfamiliar voice says in a familiar I’m-here-to-take-over tone. “Hi ma’am. You’re up for a ride in the next taxi.”

His patient is most of the way unconscious, but she blinks at this in vague acknowledgment. She’s avoided a bullet, but broken her leg badly enough in the crush of the fleeing crowd to show bone. 

“There’s the leg, and I suspect some kind of crush injury to the abdomen,” Dick supplies, moving to make room for the stretcher. “I think she got trampled. Not very responsive either.”

“Any drugs on board?” The EMT asks, hands moving deftly.

“I don’t carry any.” And if he did, he would have used it all up about five victims ago.

“That explains a lot about you,” the EMT says. "We’ve got another two buses here to take the last of the seriously injured over to General, and backup from the GCPD. If you want to move onto patching the walking wounded, go ahead. Anyone who’s good with some disinfectant and a bandaid can head over to talk with the cops.”

Dick nods and gives the woman a last squeeze to her forearm before he clears out of the way. The walking wounded are congregated on the other side of the street, but he doesn’t go in that direction - his priority is still helping, but it’s amazing how even injured people get curious when faced by a Gotham vigilante in the flesh. That’s really not the way he wants to have his identity outed.

Instead, he heads over to Jason’s side where he’s handing off his own patient for transport, their thigh strapped tight with pressure dressings. Jason, standing and snapping his gloves off, says, “Old man.”

“Hood,” Dick says, but he’s thinking Little Wing because he always is when it’s the two of them. They’re drawing looks now even in the dim streetlights - probably Jason, all six-two of him topped with that stupid shiny helmet. “You sticking around?”

“If I -” Jason says, and then breaks off. At the same time as Jason’s head tilts, Dick hears it: a quiet crying, just barely audible in the din.

Dick’s ears are good, but Jason has to have the advantage of auditory enhancement in his hood because he zones in on the noise like a hunting dog. “I think that’s-”

There’s an alley with an access door at the end of it illuminated with a shitty fluorescent branching off the street. It’s otherwise dark as any other Gotham alley, crowded with dumpsters. It takes Dick a moment to pick the odd thing out - a crumpled figure hidden amidst the trash cans.

He makes it to their side first, finding a glaze-eyed young woman clasping something to her chest. The cognitive dissonance of her silence and the now-louder crying catches him out, but Jason catches on quick.

“-a baby,” he finishes, taking a knee on the woman’s other side. He moves as though to slip the bundle from her arms, but her arms tighten even as she hisses in reaction.

“It’s okay,” Dick says to her, “We’re here to help you both. What’s your name?”

She seems to come around a little, eyes flicking between the two of them. She stays quiet for a long moment, and then rasps, “Uh, Mira. You’re Nightwing.”

“Hi, Mira,” Dick says. “Are you hurt?”

“Oh, uh, my shoulder,” she says, and then her eyelids flutter like she’s about to pass out. Dick takes her pulse from her throat and finds it comfortingly strong.

“And your baby?” Dick asks. The bundle certainly sounds lively enough at this distance, but that doesn’t mean they’re not hurt.

“She’s okay,” Mira says, like she’s reassuring herself. “She’s okay. Can you?” 

Which is how Dick finds himself accepting an armful of bawling baby from a wincing, bleeding woman in an alley. “Oh. Okay. Sure.”

Meanwhile, Jason focusses on peeling Mira’s jacket away to reveal a nasty gunshot to the shoulder, high enough that it’s probably mostly missed her right lung but low enough to avoid rebounding off her scapula and bouncing around in her chest cavity. Non-vital, but bleeding badly. 

Mira watches Jason take out a patch dressing and seal it over the wound. She puffs, “I thought…you were…a bad guy.”

“I’m flexible,” Jason replies distractedly, taking out a roll of gauze and wrapping it tight around the shoulder for good measure. “You’re lucky. Little surgery, little hospital stay, you’ll be right as rain.”

That’s no guarantee - she could have more serious injuries than it seems, could get a secondary infection, could drop dead of a thousand different complications or unfair turns of fate in the next hour. However, Dick knows Jason isn’t the type to lie to anyone for comfort. If he’s saying it, he believes it.

Mira’s eyes bulge. “I can’t go…to hospital!”

“Sugar, the one benefit of living in Gotham is the rich folks like to pay hospital bills to assuage their guilt or whatever. Take advantage of that,” Jason advises, and then says to Dick, “Move.”

Dick steps to the side automatically, still holding his squealing burden. “What?”

“No, move. Babies like to move.”

“Oh.” Stiff-armed and feeling like the clumsiest man on earth, Dick sort of…sways. “Like this?”

“Oh my days, Nightwing,” Jason says, in the precise tone he’d usually say ‘Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Dick’. Apparently, he doesn’t deem that language appropriate for the baby. Or maybe Mira.

“I can’t,” Mira interrupts, “I can’t go. They - They’ll take her.”

Jason stiffens a touch in his crouch. Dick says, “Who?”

“The cops,” Mira gasps. “The - CPS. They’ll take her. I won’t get her back.” Her teeth are chattering - shock. 

“You got hurt,” Dick says, attempting a bounce on his toes. He feels a bit like he’s holding a small angry tiger. “This is Gotham. That happens.”

“No, you,” she says, and then closes her eyes and shakes.

Jason reaches across her body and takes her arm. For a moment Dick is dumbstruck, thinking he’s about to watch his little brother comfort someone who isn’t under the age of 15 or his family, but Jason is just turning her arm over to the light. The crook of her elbow is scarred up with pink-white marks.

Mira opens her eyes and stares up at Jason. For a long moment they’re caught in a tableau, her dead-eyed and patient, him silent and judgmental as an old saint.

Voice low, Jason asks, “You using?”

She shakes her head slowly, not breaking her gaze. “Not - not since before her.”

Dick says, more to Jason than her, “That won’t matter. At worst, the baby will spend a few days in respite-”

“Shut up,” Jason replies, and then says to Mira, “If you don’t go to hospital, you’re going to lose her anyway. Except it’ll be because you’re dead.”

“You think I…don’t know that?” she hisses back. “I don’t got family. Her dad’s a deadbeat. It’s just me and her.” The phrase I can’t lose her hovers, unspoken but clear as day in the set of her jaw.

Jason stands. Dick isn’t sure what he’s expecting, but it’s certainly not for Jay to walk to him and lift the baby out of his arms. He holds her the other way around from Dick, head to his shoulder and legs towards his belt, hand cupped careful over the back of her skull. He looks not only more capable than Dick with her, but more capable than anyone Dick knows.

“You got kids?” Mira rasps at him.

Jason laughs. “Christ no.” In his arms, the baby is quieting down, snuffling instead of screaming. She’s a red-faced scrap of humanity, no more than a few months old as far as Dick can tell. Sweet, in any other circumstance.

“Are you nursing or bottle-feeding?” Jason asks without looking up from her.

Dick makes a noise like a squeaky toy that’s been stepped. Thankfully neither of the others seem to notice. Mira says, “Bottle. I don’t - I don’t got the meat on my bones to feed her, I reckon.”

“I’ll do you a deal, then,” Jason says, and he reaches to the back of his neck and flicks the release on his helmet. It hisses slightly as he pops it off, leaving the domino on but exposing the clean human lines of his face. The move turns him from one of Crime Alley’s most fearsome denizens into a young man with truly terrible helmet hair. “You go to the hospital and let them fix you up. I’ve got a friend who fosters who’ll look after her until you get out, no questions asked.”

Mira stares at him for a long moment, and then carefully - and inadvisably - levers herself off of the asphalt to her feet. Then she says, “You do it.”

Jason’s face creases. “What? No. Definitely not.”

“You’re good with her,” Mira says. 

“I ain’t a babysitter.” It’s only partly belied by the ease with which he’s handling the baby.

“I don’t know your friend. I know you.”

“No.” Red Hood is Gotham’s third most stubborn person, behind their younger brothers. That’s infused in the single syllable. 

Mira sways, swallows. “Please.”

Jason looks at her for a long moment. Dick can’t really make out his expression under the domino, but doesn’t need to in order to know that it’s Jay’s particular brand of piercing consideration. Dick used to think he’d learned it from Bruce, but now that they’re both older he’s inclined to think it predates the Bat.

Then Jason sighs, and very obviously rolls his eyes. “Jesus, fine. On your freakin’ head be it, though.”

Mira’s eyes close as she lets out a relieved sigh. The swaying is more obvious now. Dick wraps an arm around her waist the split-second before her knees give out, swinging her up into his arms.

“I should give you my number,” Mira says into Dick’s collarbone. 

“You think I can’t find you?” Jason replies, disparaging. “I’m the Red Hood.”

“Let’s get her a ride out of here,” Dick suggests, before it can devolve further. Mira’s outlook is getting bleaker by the minute - they don’t really have time for her to change her mind now, and he knows if she does Jason will happily continue talking in circles until she makes a decision. 

The scene in the street is much the same, even though it feels like they’ve been in the alley for a thousand years. Dick takes her to one of the ambulances parked up on the corner, sending people scattering out of his way. 

“Her name’s Rachel,” Mira says faintly. “You’ll help him, right?”

“Sure,” Dick replies, and then to the waiting EMT as he deposits Mira straight onto her gurney, “Got another one for you. Gunshot to the shoulder.”

“Got it,” comes the brisk reply. Dick hovers for a second when he should be getting out of here, caught in the grip of uncertainty.

The subject of that uncertainty is currently being zipped into the front of Jason’s body armour. “Good thing she’s so little. Toddler would be a tight fit.” 

“Yeah, it’s great,” Dick mutters, noting the careful arm Jason curls around his chest to keep her steady. He’s got his helmet back on, at least. “Go.”

“Going,” Jason says, and melts away into the crowd like a guy his size definitely should not be able to do.

“Did he have a baby?” The EMT asks tentatively.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dick replies.

*

Dick catches up with Jason a couple of rooflines over. He’s not exactly moving as fast as he usually does. “Where’s your helmet?”

“Stashed it,” Jason replies easily. “It’s like a target. That isn’t the look I’m going for right now.”

Huh. Dick says, “Let’s take her to GCPD.”

Jason looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “What?”

“Social workers? People who know about babies? This ringing any bells?”

“Dick, I just promised not to do that.”

Dick sputters. “I didn’t think you were serious!”

“As death,” Jason replies, and smirks when Dick frowns at him. “Besides, didn’t you used to be a cop? They didn’t teach you anything about little kids?”

“Cops don’t arrest babies.” He can sense Jason’s judgment. “I only dealt with the ones old enough to talk.”

“Right,” Jason snickers, as though Dick’s somehow the weird one here. “C’mon. I’ve got somewhere.”

“I’m not coming with you.” Dick has better things to do. Also, he doesn’t want to. Jason might make him hold the baby again.

“You promised to help.”

“I didn’t pinky swear,” Dick grumbles, but he follows along anyway. After a couple of minutes of quiet he adds, “The care workers - they’re good people.”

“Lots of ‘em, sure,” Jason agrees. “I’d still have slept on cardboard in a back alley ten times over if it meant keeping myself out of the system, though.”

Dick doesn’t have much to say to that. His unfortunate childhood aside, he had his parents, and then he had Bruce, and then he was a legal adult. He never faced the threat of state care, or homelessness.

They touch down on the fire escape of an apartment building that Dick recognises but hasn’t been into. Jason one-handedly disarms what looks like a taser trap and then lets them in through the window, folding himself gingerly to get inside without squashing his cargo.

She lets out a little cry as Jason sheds his jacket and takes her out, little fists bunched and pulled tight to her chest. Jason says, “She’s cold. Grab the blanket off my bed.”

“Do you speak baby?” Dick asks, perturbed by the thought. 

Jason dumps off his domino, probably to give Dick the full force of his eyeroll. “Blanket, big bird.”

The blanket in question is a pretty quilt in shades of indigo, splayed across the unmade bed. Dick picks it up and brings it back out to the lounge, offering it to Jason.

“Good,” Jason says, wrapping her in it. “Sit down.”

“Huh?” Dick asks, though he does it anyway. The next thing he knows, the bundled grizzling baby is in his lap. “No!”

“Yes,” Jason growls, like he’ll pin Dick to the couch if necessary. “I need to make her some food. You just sit there and hold her up until I’m done.”

“Can’t she just lie on the couch?” Dick asks. She’s even smaller pillowed on his thighs, not much longer than a foot by the looks. 

“No.” Jason’s already in the kitchen, his voice half lost over clattering.

“Fine,” Dick says, more to the baby - Rachel - than to Jason. “Do you really keep baby food around?”

“Just formula and bottles,” Jason replies. “And some diapers.”

“Just in case you find a lost baby?”

“No. Because sometimes people need that shit, and they’re more likely to take it from the back of my pantry than if I offer to buy it for them.” More rustling. “Also, my neighbour’s a single mom. Sometimes I watch her kids.”

“Who’s your friend? The one who fosters?”

“Mind your own business, Grayson. I’ve just got to sterilise this bottle.”

Dick has a sudden mental image of Jason firing up an autoclave in the kitchen. He looks down at Rachel, who’s looking back at him. She has her fingers in her mouth. “How long do you think Mira will be in hospital?” 

“A few days, at least.”

“You’re going to look after this kid for days?”

Jason laughs. “Jesus, Dick, it’s not like it’s hard. She’s little. All they do is eat and sleep and make dirty diapers at this age.“

Now Dick’s imagining Red Hood patrolling with Rachel in one of those baby backpacks. Maybe one made of kevlar, though. “What about work?”

“A few days off never killed anyone,” Jason replies. “I’ll catch up on my shows.”

“His shows,” Dick mutters to Rachel. “Hey, you can’t eat yourself. Stop that.” He gently pulls her fingers away from her mouth, wincing a little at the slimy texture. Rachel, unperturbed, tries to put Dick’s finger in her mouth instead. Her eyes are huge and very blue, her hair fair and tufty where the blanket has ruffled it up.

“Here,” Jason says, waving a bottle in front of Dick’s nose. “She might want it warm, but try this first.”

“Oh, I can’t-” Dick manages to get out before Jason literally pushes the bottle into his baby-drool hand. “I don’t know what I’m doing!”

“She does, though,” Jason points out. “Relax, Dickie. Here.”

He twists Dick’s arm until the bottle is inverted and in the range of Rachel’s mouth. Dick notices that her concentration has shifted onto the bottle, her little mouth open like a baby bird. “Keep it tilted up so she doesn’t suck in too much air.”

She latches on and sucks. Dick, surprised, says, “Holy shit, look at that.”

Jason chuckles. “You got it. Now just let her do the work.”

Dick watches her guzzle the bottle. “She’s kinda cute. You know, when she’s not screaming.”

“Oh, yeah. You’re now enjoying one of the two tolerable parts of a baby at this age - eating and sleeping. The only times when they’re not crying.”

“You can’t find it that intolerable.” After all, no one’s making Jason babysit enough that he’s clearly more than just competent. 

“I got depths,” Jason replies with a shrug, as though Dick didn’t realise that. “Bottle up, pal. Seriously, you haven’t heard screaming until your neighbour wakes you up at 3AM to take a turn with a colicky baby.”

“Remind me to never, ever have kids,” Dick mutters. In his lap, Rachel has already almost drained the bottle. She’s slowed right down, her eyes nearly rolling in her head as she struggles to keep them open. “I think she’s tired.”

“Good. Now, put her up on your shoulder and rub her back a little.”

“Really?” Dick asks, awkwardly maneuvering her up his chest. She stretches a little when he makes circles on her teeny back. “Wait, isn’t this the part when babies-”

Rachel hiccups a little, and Dick feels a trace of wetness along the seam of his uniform around his neck. He sighs.

“Well,” Jason says, biting back a laugh. “Here, let me.” He lifts her away, easy as pie. “I’ll deal with the diaper situation. You get a clean shirt.”

“You’re too kind,” Dick says, and actually means it, “But you should know that I’m going to get you for that later.”

[mintytrifecta]

Black Sun

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21965020

Buzz looked up to the endless night sky. He feels his eyes sting. If he looks close enough and squints his eyes, he can see his home. From the electric and bustling Capital Planet it's hard to see the frontier.

It's been over 20 years since he last saw his home, the last time he saw it he had to say an unfortunate goodbye.

It's been over 20 years since he saw his parent's life fade out of their eyes. The blood spilling out of his dad's mouth, the sick irony of the hospital's building crashing down on his mom. It was a cruel joke.

The day his planet died started out peaceful. He woke up early in the morning and went around looking for small parts to build weapons with. It was his little hobby. He said hello to all of his friends and smiled as he walked down the street.

He was inside of his hideout, a small warehouse when the first explosion was heard. Buzz lifted his head in alarm as the screams started and opened the door, his face twisted into a mixture of alarm and horror as he looked out at his people.

The buildings were all on fire as smoke and ash entered his lungs. Ships and Battalions decorated the sky, flashing purple and yellow. He lifted his hands to his neck in an effort to stop the toxins from entering his gills. He could barely breathe. His eyes stung with tears as he tried to blink away the sand blowing in his face.

Buzz ran towards his house as fast as he could, buildings falling down around him, people screaming and breathing their last. His only thought was to get to his family. Make sure they aren't hurt. Try to get them to safety.

Once it all ended, only Buzz, his grandmother and his brother survived.

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

Buzz put Natron in the ship's transport prison and looked at him with a scowl. Natron turned his head up at him and smiled with glee as he spoke slowly.

"No matter what you do. No matter how hard you might try. You'll always have cursed blood. It's only a matter of time before they find out."

Buzz's face turned to shock for just a split second before he regained himself.

"The day they find out is the day I die."

Natron chuckled.

"I'll be waiting."

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

Team Lightyear was in a dangerous part of Capital Planet, going after Evil Buzz again.

This couldn't have happened on a worse day.

Black Sun was approaching. Fast. And Buzz was doing everything in his power to not transform.

He couldn't bear being out in the open on a day like this but the commander insisted that they catch him now.

As Buzz was chasing Evilyear down an alley, he bitterly wanted to curse at the commander for making him do this.

After a few minutes of a wild goose chase, Buzz lost Evilyear and found himself standing on top of a building alone.

Then a person lunched at him from behind. Buzz barely had any time to react as his eyes changed to black, his tail emerging from his lower back, his fingers tearing through his ranger suit and turning into blue and black claws. His teeth became jagged and his fangs grew by two sizes.

The scales under his skin rose up and appeared in a pattern speckled over his face and his gills opened up, constricted by his thermal hood.

Buzz couldn't breathe. He was back in the fire. Ash and smoke came from all directions. People were dying around him. Blood splattered across his face his mom crushed his dad impaled no nononononono

A fist to the face made him snap back. He could see Evilyear smirking at him, his black eyes soulless. He wanted vengeance. He wanted to see Buzz suffer.

He ran forward at Buzz. Attacking him from all angles. No plan no thought, Evilyear was unhinged.

Buzz had no way of predicting what he was going to do next. Hell, he was still choking. His gills blocked off by his hood, his nose broken from a previous punch.

So he didn’t fight. He didn’t swing back. He took every hit and every kick that was thrown at him and went down. Just before blacking out, he heard Evilyear speak.

“Tell me Buzz, why do you hide?”

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

The team found a slave ring run by Zurg.

Creatures, species and robots all taken from their original lives and led to serve Zurg.

Buzz could feel bile come up in his throat just thinking about it.

Once they busted through the wall they found the captors cowering near the wall, tears sliding down their faces.

Mira and Booster explained the situation while Buzz and XR got the shackles off of their wrists.

Once they cleared out the place and took all of the captors back to 42, Buzz went in for a last look.

The planet they were keeping the slaves was close to the illusionist sector of the squadron.

Illusionist species could shapeshift.

Buzz was closer to his home than he had been in years and he can’t handle it.

‘Come on, Ranger it’s not time to get stuck in the past. What happened happened and there’s nothing you can do about it.’ Buzz thought to himself.

There was a shift in the room.

Buzz whipped his head around the room.

"Hello? Who's there?"

Nobody to be seen.

Unless of course, you're an illusionist.

Buzz shifted his eyes to their original form.

Thermal vision is always a plus to have.

In the corner of the room, a small girl was camouflaged and shivering.

On her arms, he could see scales glistening and shifting.

She was a morphian.

She was a morphian.

Buzz felt a shiver go down his spine.

He slowly stepped forward to her, kneeling down to her level.

With a slow, clear voice he spoke.

"Can you please come out? I know you're there. I don't want to hurt you, I promise."

He could see her flinch and look at him with tears sliding down her face.

"Please come out from there. I just want to get you to safety."

She slowly looked at his eyes, searching for a lie or malice.

She found nothing.

Buzz extended out his arm for her to hold.

With hesitancy, she crawled towards him and gave him her hand.

It was dirty and bloody, filled with cuts.

Buzz blinked his tears away, shifting his eyes back to their casual look.

She took the hint and shifted into her human form.

He led her back out to the ship.

Buzz never thought there were other survivors, let alone children! The implication that a child was there means she must have parents. There are others out there.

Buzz couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.

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

Evilyear sat at the back of the room, back to the wall. He held his head down and sat with his knees up. Nonchalant. Apathetic.

Buzz entered the room and stood in front of the wall. Glaring at him, yet his eyes held almost a sympathetic expression in them.

"So goody two shoes came back to interrogate the devil? Well throw it at me! I don't care anymore." Evilyear mumbled.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone. I know it must've been hard to suffer through that with no one else to comfort you."

Evilyear chuckled darkly, refusing to meet Buzz's eyes.

"So he got you too huh? Should've known it wouldn't stop at my own universe…"

Buzz frowned.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but that doesn't excuse what you did."

"Oh what do you know-"

Buzz cut in.

"What do I know? What do I know?! I know that you commited genocide and enslaved millions of different races under your rule! And for what?!"

Evilyear's head shot up and he stared at Buzz with a scowl.

"I lost everything and everyone that ever knew me. Every aspect of my life, of my culture was feared by the rest of the galaxy. The universe hated us for existing. The attack just proved it. The only way for us to stay alive was to attack."

"But now you're just filling the stereotype of what they all think we are.”

Evilyear cackled and rolled his eyes.

“Well, if you can’t beat ‘em you might as well join ‘em.”

Buzz’s eye twitched.

“This is exactly why we went into hiding. Natron gave us such a bad name we couldn't go anywhere without being shot or imprisoned for crimes we didn’t do.”

“And yet which one of us is more successful huh? I took over the galaxy while you’re here slaving your life away trying to achieve an impossible goal.”

Buzz flinched back.

“What exactly do you mean by impossible goal.”

“Well, which one of us took down Zurg?”

Buz stared at Evilyear, speechless and dumbfounded.

“Was it good? Or was it evil?”

Buzz said nothing.

Evilyear slacked back against the wall.

“That’s what I thought.”

They sat in a tense silence, Buzz frozen standing up and Evilyear looked pensively at the wall, his posture and eyes showing tiredness.

“I waited for years to see if anyone would come back. The planet was in ruins and I was the only one alive. I had to live in a corpse-ridden land for years with nobody around except the rats and rotting people.

When I finally escaped on a ship I’ve been working on for years I reached Capital Planet. Everyone was smiling and laughing. Enjoying life with their families. Blissfully unaware of anything that goes on outside of their own system.

I hated it. I hated them. How dare they live a life like this when the people who deserve it so much more than them get nothing. How dare they do nothing to help the poor and lonely. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to smile. I wanted to feel worth something.

All I could do was cry. “

Buzz looked at Evilyear with sympathy. He could see tears in his eyes.

“I tried turning myself around, Y’know. I joined the academy. I tried doing good. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't stay away from the darkness.

"I lived in constant fear that someone will kill me or harm me. It got so bad and I couldn't take it anymore. I knew the only way to stop living in fear was to ride up.

And if that meant I had to be evil then so be it."

Buzz didn't say anything else.

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

As he walked down the halls of Star Command, he felt his heart beat faster with every step. He kept findling with his arms inside his hoodie, a comfort item for him. He knew that after this nothing will be the same between him and his team. He only hoped that they wouldn't take it too hard.

Buzz had requested a meeting between his team, commander and him. He didn't want to hide anymore.

Once he reached the door to the mission room, he hesitated and stood still.

Was this a good idea? Did he really want to do this?

The door opened and the commander stepped out. "Lightyear! There ya are come in. What did you want to talk about, son?"

Well no turning back now.

Once inside, he sat down at the chair nearest to the commander's, his usual spot.

His team looked at him in concern and worry.

Buzz almost wanted to laugh, they'd never look at him like this after they finish talking.

Buzz cleared his throat in a bout of nervousness before he began talking.

"Well, I haven't been entirely truthful with all of you… About myself."

Confused looks were all shared across the room. Oh boy was Buzz not excited for this.

"You see, I'm not exactly…. Human. I never was."

A tense silence filled the room with suspense. Buzz shifted into his original form and felt more alien than ever before.

"I'm a Morphian."

There. It was done. He said it. He expected a weight to be lifted off of his shoulders but it was a tense as before.

Until he heard the scraping of a chair moving back and the pulsing of a Star Command laser.

Buzz opened his eyes and saw the commander and his team holding their guns towards him, scowling faces and hesitant, almost shaking hands were present all around.

Buzz widened his eyes in fear and tried to take a step back, but the commander brought him to his knees with his hands behind his back before he could do anything.

And then Nebula spoke. With a colder voice than Buzz had ever heard the commander speak with.

Buzz had to blink back his eyes and tail from trying to attack him.

"How dare you. How dare you lie to us. Do you think this is funny? To invade star command property under the guise of a human? Is it a game to you? We trusted you!"

"W-wait sir please I-"

"Don't talk back to me! Under the name of Star Command, you, Buzz Lightyear are under arrest!"

Buzz elbowed Nebula in the stomach and ran before he could get back up.

He knew when a battle didn't have a chance to be won.

Buzz bolted out of the room as fast as he could, despite his team's shouting. As he ran down the corridors of Star Command he heard the speaker shout,

"All units after Buzz Lightyear"

Well this isn't how he envisioned his Saturday going.

Behind him he heard the shouts of other cadets calling at him, ordering him to stop. He only ran faster.

Taking a turn behind one of the corners Buzz tried to catch his breath, well as much as he could with his gills being blocked.

Once he heard the footsteps fade away, he got back up and started heading for the spaceship port. Hopefully an escape pod will be ready for him to take.

Unfortunately on the run, he ran into a team in front of him, battle-ready and rearing for a fight. They were level 4 cadets by the look of it. Experienced, yet still new.

Buzz could go up and try to take them down, or he could make a turn and head for the port around the back.

The latter sounded like a plan.

Buzz took a step back and ran into someone. Hopefully it wasn't anyone too experi- oh darn it it's Rocket Crockett.

Looks like he'll have to fight his way to the vents.

Buzz took a stance and hoped that his physical strength and abilities as a morphian will be of assistance in this.

The closest vent was about fifteen feet away in front of him so he'll have to fight the rookie cadets and make sure that Rockett's team doesn't try to get him.

Buzz took a deep breath and turned invisible, keeping his footing light and went in to knock out the leader of the rookie's team. He succeeded, of course but got elbowed.

Buzz bit his tongue in an effort to stay quiet. He quickly tried to release some venom in the air in an attempt to knock everyone out. Thank the world's it worked.

Slowly, he slipped into the vents and crawled into the port.

Getting into an escape pod he entered the coordinates to head into Trade a world. Nobody will find him there.

Not on his dead body.

[ft-dads-au]

The Princess and the Knight

Femslash Fairies 2020 Prompt: Fairy Tale Pairing(s): Erza x Mirajane, Gray x Natsu A Collaboration by @mdelpin​​ and @oryu404​​

AO3 | FF.Net

May 16, 2021

“Are you sure he’s going to be fine with you guys?” Gray fretted nervously even though he could already see that Aki was perfectly happy sitting next to Atlas on the sofa, both kids focused on the cartoon that was playing on the TV.

“He’ll be fine,” Erza declared, flashing him a reassuring smile, “You’re actually doing us a favor. Atlas is much easier to manage when Aki is around. Just go and have a good time, we’ll call if anything comes up.”

The sound of Natsu’s footsteps coming down the stairs echoed all around them, and it didn’t escape Erza’s attention that Gray had already begun to smile at the sound. It warmed her heart to see it. She’d never expected Natsu to find love again so soon after Lisanna, and she knew he still had some trouble accepting it, but she truly believed these two were right for each other.

Gray wasn’t the only one who was aware of Natsu’s imminent arrival, both boys looked up from the cartoon expectantly and were not disappointed as Natsu lunged himself at them in a mock tackle, both boys giggling as their sides were tickled.

Erza let them play for a minute, knowing the boys had been waiting but soon reminded her brother of his plans. “Hey, don’t you guys have to be somewhere at 8?”

“Oh yeah!” Natsu flashed a grin at his sister, a recent development that she was thrilled with, having thought at one point that she’d never see it again. “Monster trucks wait for no man.”

“Monster trucks?” Gray groaned in protest, “Seriously? What are we, five?”

“Hey, last week we went to the stuck up wine thing you wanted, it’s my turn to pick. Trust me, you’ll love it!”

Erza went into the kitchen, ignoring the bickering that was still going on behind her. She found Mira peering through a book as she waited for the microwave popcorn to finish popping.

“What’s that?”

“Oh! It’s a book that Aki gave me when they got here, I guess it’s a collection of fairy tales,“ Mira explained as she handed the book over to Erza, “I was just looking through it. It’s pretty cool.”

Erza read the title on the cover, ‘The Enchanted Closet’ by Rogue Eucliffe, illustrated by Juvia Lockser. “Rogue wrote this, huh? That’s surprising, he didn’t strike me as the fairy tale type of guy.”

“I know, right?” Mira chuckled, “They’re not like any of the conventional fairy tales, though. The one Aki showed me is about a princess and a female knight. I skimmed it a little, it looks good.”

“Well, assuming we ever get them to bed, I look forward to reading it. Hana might get a kick out of the story too. Did you know that when I was little, I dreamed of being a knight” Erza giggled at the memory as the microwave beeped, “I used to chase poor Natsu around the house with our dad’s practice swords all the time, our cat too! ”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Mira grinned, “I kind of liked the idea of being a princess myself.”

They poured the popcorn into several bowls and took them and some juice boxes out to the living room where Natsu and Gray were still saying goodbye to the kids, Hana having joined them.

“Will you both get out of here already?” Mira groaned.

“Right!” Natsu smiled sheepishly, looking slightly uncomfortable at Mira’s presence.

Mira sighed at him, “You have to get over this, I’m fine with it. Now go, have fun.”

“Okay,” Natsu bowed his head slightly before grabbing on to Gray’s arm and dragging him out the door, calling out to the kids, “Please be good for your aunties.” before closing the door behind them.

“It’s going to take him a while to not feel guilty,” Erza reminded her, “especially around you.”

“I know it’s just, he should be able to realize that Lis would have wanted him to be happy.”

“Give him time, all of this is a big adjustment,” Erza advised as she wedged herself in between Atlas and Hana, “Now, what are we going to watch?”

Mira climbed on the sofa, placing Atlas on her lap so she could sit next to Erza. It wasn’t long before Atlas tugged at Aki’s hand, urging him to sit with Erza so they could be next to each other again, and to Erza’s surprise, Aki complied.

They let Hana pick the movie and settled in comfortably to watch.

~~~

“Alright, time for bed!” Erza clapped her hands with a smile once the credits started to roll, “It’s way past your bedtime already.”

Mira helped Atlas change into his pajamas while Erza did the same for Aki, and Hana dressed herself, recounting all of her favorite parts of the movie. They all went to the bathroom to make sure the kids brushed their teeth well, and then it was time to wish each other a good night.

“Story?” Aki bounced on his feet in hopeful excitement, soon joined by Atlas.

“Of course, I made sure to bring your book upstairs with us,” Mira chirped, showing the book to the kids. Secretly, she was just as excited as they were to dive into the story she’d caught a glimpse of earlier. “But just one story, and then it’s time for you to sleep.”

Hana and the boys huddled together under the sheets in Natsu’s bed, their eager faces waiting while Mira grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to the bed. Erza took a seat right beside her, on the edge of the mattress, straightening her skirt as she sat down.

“The Princess And The Knight?” Mira asked, flipping through the pages of the book in search of the story. A loud, excited yes came from all three children, causing her to chuckle with delight.

“Alright then, I found it!” She made herself comfortable in her seat and brought her index finger to her lips, signaling for the kids to be quiet.

“So, Once upon a time…”

Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a girl, the only daughter of the town’s blacksmith. Her mother had died when she was young, so she spent her days at her father’s side, helping him with his forge and learning how to craft beautiful weapons. She especially loved his swords, which though ornate, were perfectly balanced.

Her father didn’t only teach her how to make the weapons, he taught her how to use them as well, and many a pleasant night was spent sparring as she learned how to fight to defend herself and protect others.

Over the years, her skills grew, and she would fight anyone who would accept her challenge, including the knights who commissioned weapons from her father. Much to her father’s satisfaction, she soon surpassed even them.

Yes, the girl was a talented swordswoman, but she was also rather lonely. Even though she was quite beautiful, with long scarlet hair that flowed down to her waist in soft curls, and kind eyes that shone as beautifully as any brown diamond, she was also intimidating.

Mira peered at Erza over the edge of the book, barely containing her glee when she caught the other woman rolling her eyes at her, and quickly continued.

The boys shunned her because they could not best her, and the girls didn’t quite know what to make of her strange ways. No matter how much she tried to fit in, her advances were always shunned. And soon, she stopped trying, resigning herself to a life of loneliness. She resolved to work even harder to become a knight, even though no woman had ever achieved it, a fact that only made her more determined.

It was around this time that she began to hear of a princess trapped in a tower from the knights that often visited her father. Full of curiosity and always eager for a tale, she asked her father if he knew anything about it.

“What do you know of this princess the knights were talking about?” she asked him one evening as they sat by the fire after their evening meal.

“Do you mean the demon princess?”

“A demon princess?” The girl repeated eagerly, her curiosity aroused even further.

Her father chuckled, beckoning her to his side, and as she sat at his feet he grabbed a silver hairbrush which had belonged to her mother and began to brush out her hair, “It doesn’t matter how old you get Pet, you still love a good story. Let me see, I’m surprised you hadn’t heard of it before, this story has been going around for a long time. It began when I was a boy.

“Not too far from here, there lived a beautiful princess. The firstborn child of a king and queen that ruled over a vast and prosperous kingdom. She had been born with hair as white as snow, and eyes as blue as a summer sky, a recessive trait in the royal family that prophesied demonic powers.”

“Just like us, auntie Mira!” Atlas exclaimed excitedly.

“Well, you two definitely have a demonic side to you every now and then,” Erza joked, dodging a playful swat from Mira, “See?”

“Just let me finish the story! Now, where was I…”

“Yet as far as anyone could see, the princess was an angel, sweet and kind with no hint of malice to be found anywhere. ‘Much like you, my Pet,’ her father declared, and the girl rejoiced at the pride she heard in his words.

“But there were those that still believed that the princess held great power, strong demonic magic that had not yet manifested. So they sent an army to the kingdom, determined to capture her and control her magic to their will. This much I know to be true, for I remember seeing the clouds of smoke from the battle, which went on for days.

“The King tried to protect his family, but their kingdom was a peaceful one, the soldiers no match for the veterans that were at their door. One by one, her family fell dead trying to protect the princess, and all she could do was cry in fear.

“But then something peculiar happened. The pain and loss the princess suffered awakened the very demon that had lain dormant inside her and might have remained so had she been left alone.

“Those soldiers went in expecting to face an angel, but they were met with the wrath of a demon. None of them left that castle with their life.

“The princess, not used to the strange magic, collapsed from the strain and was locked away in the tallest tower of the castle, one of the few parts of the structure that was still standing. Wizards from the Magic Council set many measures in place to dissuade those who would attempt to obtain her power from ever being able to reach her. At least that’s what people say, but I don’t think that’s what happened at all.”

“What is it you think happened, Father?” the girl asked with interest, knowing her father to be a wise man.

“I think the demon princess was so horrified by her actions that she used the last remnants of her emerging magic to enchant the woods around the castle and set up trials and obstacles to prevent anyone from ever getting to her again. Then she locked herself in the tower, determined to keep her demon from hurting anyone else,“ he declared, his words laced with great pity as he continued to brush the girl’s hair.

The girl remained quiet for a few moments, considering her father’s words before asking a question, “Surely she must have known it wasn’t her fault. She was attacked, did she not have the right to defend herself?”

“It’s not so easy to deal with the guilt of taking a life, Pet, regardless of the circumstances. She was a young girl, and she was forced to endure a lot of death and violence. I would not blame her for wanting to hide away.

“Regardless of how it may have happened, many men have tried and failed to reach her. Some following tales of her beauty, while others sought control of her power, but none have ever succeeded. The few that have returned have never been the same again. They speak of monsters and other horrors, but their tales are all different, which I have always found interesting.”

“What do you think it would take to rescue her?”

“I think it would require a noble knight, one who only wished to free her for her own sake.”

The girl frowned, “Why must it always be men who perform the great deeds, Father? Women are just as capable, are they not?”

“I never said it had to be a man, dear heart, “ the blacksmith retorted, eyes twinkling, “You did. I firmly believe the measure of a person lies in their heart, not their gender. And frankly, I know of no one with a purer heart than yours. If you set your mind to it, I have no doubt you could reach the princess, and convince her to return to the world she left behind.”

The story of the demon princess captivated the blacksmith’s daughter, staying with her as she grew older. The idea that she could be the one to rescue the princess had taken hold of her, giving her life a purpose it had previously been lacking.

Once she came of age, she decided to set out on a quest. To prove her skills and worth as a true knight, and to free the demon princess from the terrible fate she’d met.

‘How lonely she must’ve been in that tower all those years ’, the girl thought, especially if what her father believed was true.

She ventured out into the world, armed with nothing but a satchel of traveling supplies, and her own sword, the finest ever made by her father. She walked for many days until she came upon a large field covered in flowers of every color imaginable.

The girl had never seen anything like it before, and she spent quite some time examining all the different types of flowers. She soon decided she’d bring some to the princess, a small reminder of the beauty that lay beyond the confines of her tower.

Once she’d picked the most beautiful flowers she could find, the girl moved on, eventually reaching the enchanted forest that surrounded the castle. At first glance, it looked no different than the woods near her own village, so she entered it bravely, choosing the path she thought would lead her to the castle.

Soon, she began to hear noises, the crunching of twigs behind her, and unnatural growls, but she continued on, remembering how her father had said no one had ever had the same story.

The girl believed the trick to getting through this obstacle was courage. If the princess hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone else, then it was likely that none of the things she would see or hear were real. She believed that with all her heart, and so she continued on her path, trying her best to ignore the sounds that came ever closer.

It was night time when the first creature approached her. It was wolflike in appearance, although it was larger than any wolf she had ever seen. With red glowing eyes that hinted at great cunning. It howled loudly, and soon others came, surrounding her and cutting her off from any means of escape. Their fangs dripped with saliva, making them look ravenous. They growled as one and moved ever closer.

The girl’s heart raced in her chest, but she slowly removed her sword from its scabbard and held it in front of her to boost her courage. Reminding herself that nothing in the forest could hurt her, she ignored the wolves, pretending as if they weren’t even there. With her head held high, she took a shaky step forward. The first one was the hardest, but once she realized the wolves were only looking at her with mild interest, she continued on her path, soon reaching what seemed to be a garden maze, the likes of which she had only seen in storybooks. There was no way around it.

The hedges that made up the maze’s walls were tall and impossibly neat, giving proof of its magical origin. The girl soon realized it would be incredibly easy to lose her bearings once inside, so she climbed the tallest tree she could find, trying to see the inside of the maze, but no matter how high she climbed, the hedges seemed to grow taller blocking her view. It was pointless to continue, there was but one course left to her. She would have to figure out the maze as she went, but it would have to wait until the following day. It was dark, and she was tired. She settled down to sleep in front of the entrance content in the knowledge that she had made it past the first obstacle.

“What are you doing here?” A voice asked from behind her, and when the girl turned to see who it was, she was stunned.

A beautiful girl sat atop one of the wolf creatures from the forest, her long white hair billowing around her even though there was no wind, while her blue eyes peered at the knight with open curiousity.

“I’ve come to rescue the princess,” the knight replied simply.

“Why would you want to do that? Do you seek her power?”

“I seek nothing but to free her from her tower.”

The girl snorted, “Likely story, they always want something.”

“I do want something,” the knight confessed, her cheeks coloring at her admission. She grabbed her satchel and searched for the flowers she had carefully packed, taking them out to show the girl she suspected of being the princess. To her dismay, the flowers had wilted and now looked pitiful, “I was hoping to make a friend.”

The girl looked intrigued, She climbed down from the wolf, grabbing the flowers from the knight. “Let me see those.”

She blew softly on the wilted flowers, and much to the knight’s surprise, they perked right back to life.

“These are very beautiful, thank you,” the girl smiled, her eyes twinkling with the force of it. “A female knight, huh? Perhaps you might be different from the others after all. We shall see.”

“Remember to follow the flowers,” she proclaimed before climbing back on the wolf and disappearing into the night.

The knight jerked awake to find it was already morning. She scrambled to her satchel, dumping out the contents on the ground only to find the flowers she had picked so carefully were nowhere to be found. Not sure what to believe, she chose some of her provisions and ate a small breakfast, placing the rest of the items back inside the satchel.

She entered the maze slowly, keeping her eyes on the hedges. If they could grow taller, there was no doubt in her mind that they might also be able to move. She had a feeling this obstacle was going to be difficult. Each direction looked much the same as any other, and so she picked one at random, hitting dead end after dead end. It took her hours to reach the center, and she was growing discouraged. It was when she looked for her water canteen that she noticed the solitary red flower that grew on one of the hedge walls. It seemed almost exactly like one of the flowers she had picked the day before.

Remember to follow the flowers, the words came into her mind unbidden, and she blinked slowly as the dream reasserted itself. She thought about whether she had noticed any flowers before but couldn’t recall, having been too focused on keeping track of whether she was walking in circles.

But now that she had seen one, she followed the direction it pointed out, finding more and more flowers along the way until she finally made her way to the exit where someone was waiting for her.

Or rather something. A creature with pointed ears, wings like a bat, a reptilian tail, and long, sharp claws stood before her. The demon’s eyes were as white as her hair, and her skin was pale, almost translucent, showing the black veins that ran underneath it.

The girl knight took a shuddering breath as she faced her adversary, drawing her sword yet keeping her distance and assuming a defensive stance. The demon opened her mouth, but all that came out was a diabolical screech, and when she lunged at her, the girl knight had no choice but to engage in battle. Blow after blow, the polished metal of her sword clashed with the demon’s razor-sharp talons, but all she did was counter and dodge the attacks.

“Please, I don’t want to hurt you,” the knight pleaded, jumping away from the fierce whips of the demon’s tail just in time, “It was you who came to me in my dream, wasn’t it? I still mean what I said, I want to be your friend!”

And as the knight spoke those words, she could distinguish the princess’ sad voice through the demon’s ear-piercing screams.

“Who would want to be friends with a monster like me? Leave while you still can. I can’t hold it back, it’s too strong! I don’t want to hurt you!”

The knight thought of all the times the demon could have hurt her but didn’t, and she took a huge gamble. She placed her sword on the ground and walked towards the demon who continued to hiss and spit, but as she suspected, didn’t attack.

“You’re no monster, and I have no intention of leaving you behind.”

“Don’t come any closer,” the princess cried in fear as the knight moved towards her, “It will kill you, just like it did the others!”

The knight ignored the princess, having already decided on a plan of action. She didn’t stop her charge until the demon was within striking distance. It peered at her in confusion, its tortured eyes looking incredibly tired. The knight smiled warmly before wrapping her arms around it in a tight embrace. The demon struggled until the knight murmured, “ I’m here now, you don’t need to protect her anymore.”

“Thank you, brave knight,” the demon finally spoke, it’s voice receding as the princess appeared in its stead.

“I don’t understand,” the princess looked around her in confusion as the maze and everything else that had been a part of the demon’s magic faded into nothingness.

“I think I do, The demon was always a part of you. It’s a manifestation of your magic. When you were in danger, it came to your aid, and it has been protecting you ever since.” the knight explained.

The princess thought about it a moment, clearly not entirely satisfied with the explanation, but soon she shook her head and smiled at the night shyly, “So, it looks like you did rescue me after all.”

“That’s a knight’s job,” the girl said proudly.

“And don’t knights usually get a reward for rescuing the princess?” she teased, enjoying the flustered look on the knight’s face. “Well then, brave knight, close your eyes.”

The girl had no idea what to expect when she closed her eyes, but it was certainly not the soft pressure on her lips, which lasted but a second and was immediately followed by a melodious giggle.

She opened her eyes to find the princess grinning at her, eyes full of mischief. “Why did you do that?”

“Cause you’re my friend,” the princess grabbed hold of the knight’s hand and ran, dragging the still flustered knight behind her. “Come on, slowpoke, I want to see everything that’s waiting for us beyond this castle!”

And so they embarked on a new adventure, leaving the ruins of the castle behind them to discover all the marvels the world had to offer. Although the princess never reclaimed the throne, and the blacksmith’s daughter wasn’t officially knighted, that didn’t matter to either of them. Somewhere along the way, they had fallen in love with each other, and nothing would ever be more important to them than that.

They lived happily ever after, forever remaining the princess and the knight in each other’s eyes.

“The End,” Mira smiled fondly as she closed the book, placing it on the nightstand next to the bed so that Aki could find it easily once he woke up. He’d already fallen asleep, a small smile on his face, and his teddy bear held tightly in his arms.

“That was amazing…” Hana swooned as she got up to go to her own bed, knowing her brother was likely to thrash around in his sleep. “Good night!” she hugged her aunts and left the room, still reveling in the fantasy world of knights and princesses.

“Did they eat a lot of cookies?” Atlas wondered sleepily, about to nod off as well.

Erza got up from the bed and tucked the boys in. “I’m sure they did, all kinds of delicious, freshly baked cookies,” she appealed to him with a ruffle through his hair, and with that, the little boy closed his eyes and departed to dreamland.

“That was quite a story. You’d think Rogue would be a little more subtle with the casting, though, “ Mira giggled.

Erza rolled her eyes, “No kidding. Come on, Princess, I think there’s still some cake left in the kitchen.”

“Whatever you say, brave knight,“ Mira smirked, grabbing Erza’s hand and dragging her down the stairs.

Both girls had big smiles on their faces, their hearts filled with the fond hope of what could be. Someday.

@femslashfairies​

[eve6262]

Hue Chapter 1: Alien

Rose’s room always smells of freshly cut flowers, expensive perfumes, and tea. There are three tables. One, a desk, mostly clean save for papers half-finished and a quill and bottle. The second is her vanity, the perfumes sorted by hue and scent, small bottles and sticks of makeup littering the lineup.

The third is a small round table, on which is always the tea set, with only two cups to its name. Surrounding it are three bookshelves filled to the brim, and stacks sorted along some dissonant melody only she understands on the floor space.

“Tea?”

“Sure.”

She hums as she boils the water, scattering leaves with effortless precision. I wonder, vacantly, when she learned how to make tea so perfectly. Between studying scripture? Did she even bother to read the books, or did she ace it all while brewing cups upon cups finding the perfect recipe for pink rose tea?

The teapot has been crafted with care, so when the water boils the whistle does not hurt the ears. It sounds more like an ocarina, almost melodic, and yet so distinctly clashing. It must have been tailored to Rose herself. Such conflicting natures- calm, yet studious; unbothered, yet a perfectionist. Such a strange girl.

“Here you are.”

Always a perfect cup. This one is no different- a little sweet, and yet that is perfect for today. Can she read my mind?

“Tell me.”

“Hm?”

“Am I talking to a witch in disguise?”

“And this is because?”

“I’m supposed to believe you get this perfect, every time, including the differences, without reading my mind? Impossible.”

“You’re an open book, Mira darling.”

“Nonsense. Witch.”

“Off to report me?”

“Not even if you pulled a demon out of your skirt.”

Her laugh sounds like out of tune fairy bells. I want to hear more of it; the only thing so addictive is her smile. They come together; a package, the two of them. How nice. I’m addicted to both. Damn witch. Even if she’s never cast a curse in her life, she’s bewitched me; that’s enough, is it not?

“Now then, you’ve come here for a reason, I’m sure.”

“Yes. The new recruits were complaining about something, so I went into the woods to see. There’s a strange plant that almost seems to respond to what you do.”

“Interesting. Moreso than a flytrap?”

“Larger. And a bit more complicated. Thought I saw an eye, though I could be wrong about that in particular.”

“So you say, but you’ll disappoint me if I see no eyes staring at me when we get there.”

Rose puts down her teacup, having only half finished it. The soft clink is so ingrained into my mind, I swear my muscles move in reaction to it.

“Very well then. We leave when?”

“At your discretion.” It’s always her times. I could probably set my own, but what purpose is that? I have cleared my whole day for this; I would clear my whole week if she asked on a whim.

“Now, then?”

“As you wish.”

This, too, is at Rose’s discretion. How long it takes to get there; what pace we set, what mood the day is in. Everything is under Rose’s control; under her spell, just as I am. She is as controlling as Uvirel, I think; except Uvirel has never appeared before us to enforce things, where Rose is very willing to act on her wishes.

The woods are an offshoot of the cathedral, mostly to prevent people from wandering in and discovering something dangerous. The only way for the church to truly protect the land is to own it; naysayers often walk into danger themselves. Sometimes I wonder how anyone can agree with such idiots. Must be idiots themselves, I suppose.

Rose is beautiful. It’s something I don’t often think about- I know it, no need to keep thinking about it. But it never ceases to stun me, just how enchanting she is. In the quiet darkness of the woods, with slivers of light falling through the cracks and onto her hair, she looks like an angel with a halo of light around her; ethereal, and yet so real. I want to touch her, just to make sure she won’t fly away, or dissipate into the light. I won’t bother her.

A witch, maybe. But I’ll let it slide.

We come to the place where I remember the green visage, and I stop Rose before she takes another step.

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“To searching, then.”

It takes no time at all for my hand to be caught by a vine snapping to attention. Within moments Rose is muttering a spell, unbinding me, but her focus is not on my health; instead, she scans the underbrush with a precision befitting a hawk. Suddenly, she sees her target; she lunges with just her bare hands, and quickly gets caught.

My sword is unhooked on a moment’s notice and without hesitation I cleave the vines in two; Rose is almost unbothered, pointing to the source. I am tempted to skewer it to observe, but Rose would perhaps kill me, so instead I slash all its vines so there is no method of attack.

A final vine comes out from behind it, but before I can slice it, the front opens to an eye, staring at me with fear and curiosity.

“Ah. Good, it wasn’t disappointing.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this, then.”

“Oh, very much so. Studying is nice, but I’ll admit watching you wield a sword is often better.”

With that she walks up, confident as a cat, and starts poking and prodding, making notes in the book that follows her around. The pages never run out; they seem to get lost in the abyss, and I swear she always opens it to the same spot. The eye looks at her with malice; I point the sword straight at it, and back to fear it goes.

After a few hours, she makes a triumphant noise, somewhere between a grunt and a hum.

“Alright. Figured it out. Think it’s bound itself to a rune, and used the magic to gain sentience. It didn’t work quite right, though, or something, and now it’s very barely an animal in the slightest degree.”

“So we are?”

“Hm? Oh. Well it’s not like it can do anything, and if it regrows the vines then whoever’s coming here should be more careful.”

“Very well. I’ll use it as training for the cadets.”

“Oh, do invite me. I would love to watch that.”

“Of course.”

As we walk back to the cathedral, I can’t help but wonder where the second eye went.

A few days later, and we are adventuring again. The days between are calm; sometimes I come simply to drink tea and take a break, others we barely talk at all. Those days I don’t quite care for. There will always be more to research, though, and thus more adventures to take. Worthwhile.

“You’ve come bearing news?”

“Not surprised the witch knows, even when I’ve done nothing to reveal my secrets.”

“Easy to read, Mira darling. I’ve told you that before and I’ll tell you again.”

“That does not change you being a witch.”

“Oh, alright. Now tell me the news.”

“I was swimming and found an underwater cave covered in green, glowing markings. I’ve never seen them before.”

“Interesting.”

The soft clink of china makes my muscles jolt on instinct. It is only luck that I do not look like a fool, much less drop my teacup.

“When are we leaving, then?”

“At your discretion.”

“Now’s a good time as any.”

The beach is very nearly next to the cathedral. I swim in my armor- it has been made waterproof due to those godforsaken salamanders that like to crawl into crevices and bind with the metal, so swimming with it is a matter of strength rather than worry about rust or the like. Rose, the cheater, casts a little spell and she’s floating in a bubble next to me. Witch.

Witch I love to love. I’ll give her that- she’s a damn skilled witch, to have caught such a high-ranking paladin. Or maybe I never actually had any fortitude, and my title is due to my good acting. In either case, I am now her puppet.

There it is, again. Under the sea- so dark compared to the light of the surface- is a strange ring of green lights surrounding a cave. They seem to speak in scripts I don’t recognize, and by her puzzled, inquisitive gaze I suspect Rose hasn’t a clue either.

“This is…otherworldly. What have you found, Mira darling?”

“Is that not your job to find out?”

“Well, it’s not an eel’s lair, I’ll tell you that. Come, let’s go.”

Without a thought she drifts almost lazily into the cavern, gazing at the walls. There are no more markings, but there are metal bits strewn about; I don’t recognize the metal, or any colors, or even the shape. No armor would break like this; what is all this? A damn ship’s remains? Not in a cave like this- no ship could make it here.

As we go further in, there are more metal scraps. At some point, Rose notices something- she dashes to pick it up, and we look at it together. Strange strings- they feel smooth to the touch, and are assorted colors. The insides have very thin metal wire- for what, I wonder? And how are they so thin? Cut with a saw?

“Mira.”

Her voice is soft, serious, in awe. I cannot focus on what she says, like this.

“Yes?”

“This…this cannot be of this world.”

“Yes.”

I can’t quite comprehend what she means. Not fully- I know, literally, what that means. The idea does not register the same way she understands it; such is evident in her absolute awe, compared to my very near boredom. If she wasn’t such a beautiful damn witch I’d leave right now.

Finally, she starts to move again. Slowly, through the tunnel, looking for more strange artifacts. A strange black panel, with the strings come out of it. There is glass on its top; I only know because it is shattered. A little square of some strange material, with a symbol on it- mildly resembling a “k,” but slightly off. Also, backwards.

The silence is ominous. I feel that something is coming; I do not know if it is hostile. Instincts, do not fail me; it feels foreign, as if even when I meet it I will not understand a damn thing. I don’t feel hostility, but that does not mean it will not fight. I must be prepared, but not hostile myself; my sword is in my sheath, but it is unhooked.

Rose is slow and methodical with her movements as we approach a breach in the water. She doesn’t let the bubble pop above the water; she wants to observe. We see more strange, unidentifiable objects. There is no one there, as far as either of us can tell. I know she thinks so, too, as she is slowly approaching.

I don’t know if this area is hostile. She doesn’t, either; I see the fear in her every move, the apprehension in her eyes. She’s about to surface; I can’t let that happen. She’s begging me not to; not with her voice, but with everything else in her body capable of begging. Or maybe I’m just under a spell.

The water splashes loudly with my arrival to the surface. My lungs go from gills to my nose; I cough a few times, still getting used to the fresh air. So clean, too; it gives me a heady feeling, how nice this air is. Perhaps this is another enchantment; perhaps Rose has simply never seen another witch’s magic.

“Zu thrien kra? Li'phren ku shren, hh…. ku'vren?”

“What the hell?” Whispers Rose, but we’re already getting our answer.

A woman- woman? I don’t know- steps out of a turn we didn’t see. Her top half looks normal compared to the bottom- a normal person, almost, except for the teal skin and light colored pupils. And her hair, which blends its colors- a vibrant blue on top, fading to dark at the tips; little teal stars dot it, as though there’s a galaxy within her long, curled mane. There are two crystals on her head like hair clips, the same color but with none of the stars; there is seafoam, or perhaps mist, or something of that nature gathering like a tiara sitting upon her head.

Her coat- which is all she wears- is certainly not from this realm. It has strange patterns on the shoulders, with little gems hanging from it in the same green, glowing hue as the outside markings. Said markings line the bottom of her coat, and the cuffs; they are folded, seemingly but line up perfectly with her outfit. There is a strange dangling link in the center of her chest, connecting the two halves rather than buttons or the like. Three teal crystals hang from it.

And then, her bottom half. Tentacles- too many to count, more than an octopus- similar to her hair, but in reverse; mostly dark, with light-tipped ends.

“…eh? Kali-vr– I mean, offworlders?”

Her voice is deep, and has a strange accent I can’t place.

“Er, this would be home, for you, hm. I am the stranger, yes?”

“I would believe so.”

“Hello, then. My apologies, I don’t know language well. Not many…” She makes wild gestures with her hand, trying to find a word.

“Resources?”

“Hm? Ah. Probably? Not very good with this language, ahaha.”

“That’s alright. I don’t know yours, so I can’t quite blame.”

“Oh, of course. Only the Aaciren know our words. I had forgotten I am on another home right now- another planet.”

“You come from space?”

“Hm? Ah…kind of, yes! Space works, yes. ”

“An alien.” Breathes Rose, as her first words of a century. Her eyes are dumbstruck, and yet hold a curiosity only ever sated by vigorous testing and interrogation. I almost feel bad for this alien woman; I don’t know quite enough to empathize, yet.

“Ah, is that the word for it? In our language it is quite different.”

Suddenly, Rose seems to remember that we are still in water; she shivers, from the temperature. I notice, at about the same time. Even for an underwater cave, this place is strangely cold.

“Ah, apologies! I perfer the chill- er, that is wrong, yes? My, my, silly Orall'vren. Give the guests the warmth, even home that is tradition- that’s not the right words? Hm. Strange language.”

The alien moves about, gathering something from farther in the cave. I look to Rose; all the intrigue is gone from her eyes, and in its place is fear and cold.

I can’t leave her like that. I hold her hand, first; she looks to me, scared, looking for some stability. I haven’t a clue what has given her a fright, but I refuse to keep that look on her face any longer. I gently nudge her into my embrace; she moves, stiffly at first, then practically launches herself into my arms, shivering against my armor. It is warmer than she is, I know this; thank Uvirel for this armor.

By the time the alien comes back, Rose is looking satisfied again. She looks at me once more with a clear thanks in her eyes. There, again, is a third look I am addicted to. Damn witch, casting her charms even now, even here. I will never tire of it.

“Here, here. Blankets are warm.”

The alien doesn’t lie. They are warmer than either of us; we huddle under two like scared kittens rescued from an abusive owner.

Now that we’re safe, Rose looks around curiously. I see the search for knowledge slowly come into her eyes again, like the slow beginning of the rising sun. Everything she looks at she looks more sharply at. She isn’t speaking again, though. Still, her voice escapes her.

“Thank you.”

“Of course, of course! Hospitality is important- that was correct, I am sure of it.”

“May I ask you a question?” Rose, finally , starts to speak to the alien.

“Yes, of course. Ask away! I will answer as best I can in this language.”

“What’s your name?”

“Orall'vren.”

[sadjediamira]

A Battle of Two

Holding Out for a Hero Pt. 5/?

Amira and Cal battle each other, while Amira faces the truth of the meanings behind her dreams.

Read Ch.’s 1, 2, 3, & 4. Also on AO3! “An abandoned Republic base...really Cal…?” Amira calls out, her voice echoing back in the massive space. 

Dusty crates littered the floor, and the ceiling beams hid in the dark rocks above her. She slowly stalked toward the massive blast doors, waiting. 

The Inquisitor removes her face mask, tossing it to the ground next to her. Her braid falls out of her hood as she lowers it. 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Amira taunts, a grin pulling at her painted lips. 

At a faint noise above, she spins on her heel, pulling her saber from her belt. 

“Aw. Come on, Cal. I didn’t fly all the way here for you to tease me! I know you're here.” She could feel his presence, as if it was surrounding her. 

All the lights suddenly go out, leaving her in pitch blackness. The area around her is bathed in red when she turns on her lightsaber. 

“I would have words with you, Jedi.” The Inquisitor begins quietly, knowing her voice would carry. “Do you practice mind manipulation, Cal? Can you affect the dreams of others?” 

A pair of boots land on the ground behind her, she turns slowly. 

“And what makes you think I can do that, Amira?” Cal asks curiously, his saber bathing him in blue when he activates it. 

It felt strange, battling him again, ever since they’re last meeting. They were normal people then, back in the market, now they were enemies. 

“I’ve had strange dreams.” She began as the two of them began moving in a sort of circle, waiting for the other to strike. 

Cal chuckles, “Have you been dreaming about me, Inquisitor?”

“Don’t patronize me!” Amira threatens, raising her saber to eye level. “I just want you out of my head.” She mutters. 

“Well I have some bad news for you…” Cal performs a flourish with his saber, smile still very evident on his face, “I cannot manipulate the mind or dreams. Though I’ve always excelled with the force, I’ve never been that good.” 

Did he just wink?

“I guess I’ll just have to get rid of you right here, then.” Amira shrugs. 

He grinned, “Let’s get to it.” 

Amira closes her eyes briefly, gathering the force. She raises her arm and slams it towards the ground, violently pushing crates and debris away from her in all directions. The floor surrounding her was destroyed,  but Cal dodged easily. 

She charges, he blocks a few hits before delivering his own. He was powerful, but the Inquisitor had improved since they last fought.

He attempts to freeze her but she blocks with a powerful push just in time, sending the Jedi flying. 

She dashed forward but he blocks just as he flips up onto his feet. 

Plasma and sparks fly as their weapons meet, “What did you need in this old base, Cal?” Amira asks, breath heavy. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He retorts before shoving her back and quickly evading her. 

Amira turns on her heel, “What are the rebels after, Cal? I know you’ve been assisting them…” the two begin circling each other again, “They won’t win, you know. You can’t destroy the Empire!”

“Oh, I know I can’t. But I don’t need to destroy the Empire.” Cal says easily, jerking his saber once as he activates his dual blade. “I just need to cause a bit of chaos...a little...confusion.” His smirk was directed at her.

Amira pulls her saber in front of her, activating her own dual blade with a spin. 

They lunge simultaneously. Hit, hit, hit, block, hit. Amira enjoyed this challenge. She could let go, lose control a little. 

Apparently so could Cal. They both became lost in the fight, becoming almost hypnotized by the flashing of blue and red, the push and pull of the force all around them. 

They danced across the warehouse, trying to distract each other with nearby boxes and chairs. Each object being obliterated with the force. 

Amira notices Cal’s fighting shift, he was losing speed and resorting to powerful hits. Amira never faltered, using her smaller stature against him, ducking and jumping, draining his energy. 

“You’re getting sloppy, Cal.” She notes loudly between swings. “You can’t do anything if your dead.”

Amira smirks as she jumps, using his back as an anchor to flip over him. The Inquisitor’s saber was inches from the back of his neck within seconds. 

Cal stiffened, his shoulders moving with each heavy breath. “I have already finished what I set out to do, Inquisitor.”

In an instant Amira was frozen, Cal had escaped her reach and turned to face her. She broke free, but just in time to quickly duck out of the way as he split his saber into two, forcing her to land on the ground with a loud huff. 

The Inquisitor was stunned at his skill, she’d never heard of a dual wielding Jedi.

“Why do you think you’re dreaming of me, Amira?” Cal breathed, sabers ready for any resistance. 

The ground around them vibrated with her anger, “Get out of my head!”

“I didn’t put myself in your head!” Cal began, his voice raised. “The reason you can’t get me out of your head is because you don’t want me out of your head!” 

Amira growls and lunges, force pushing the Jedi backwards as she easily finds her footing. 

 Her saber would’ve pierced his chest had it not been for the lights coming back on and the rumble of a ship quickly approaching above the massive rock ceiling. 

Cal’s small droid comes speeding across the floor from a vent in the wall, beeping loudly. The droid placed himself on his master's shoulder as the Jedi slowly stood. His sabers still ready for an attack. 

Amira glared at him, still turning over his words in her head. 

Their eyes met, “You deserve so much more, Amira.” Cal says slowly, making sure he had her attention. “You’ve been through awful, terrible things. I want to help you heal.” His voice was nothing but sincere. 

After a moment he slowly reattached his sabers and held out a hand to her. 

“Don’t…” she whispered. 

“I won’t hurt you. I promise.” He switched off his lightsaber. 

Amira felt a familiar sting in her eyes. 

So much for showing him my strength, she thought sarcastically to herself.

“You don’t know my past...” The Inquisitor spoke but her voice broke. “And If I...if I f-fail again…”

Her fate would be the same as Trilla’s. 

She lowered her lightsaber some, briefly giving in to the peace that was enveloping her, no doubt Cal’s aura. 

The Jedi stepped closer to her, hand still outstretched. Amira looked at his hand but stepped back, leaving the cloud of comfort surrounding them. 

Though she craved peace, she was much too terrified of the consequences. 

“No.” She warned, meeting his eyes. “I can not fail. Not this time. I will not be another failed Inquisitor!”

Cal’s face fell, but he understood. “We will meet once more, ‘Mira. That-” he paused, voice heavy, “That will be your last chance.”

The Inquisitor’s brow furrowed, but before she could protest the large rocks above began cracking loudly. The pair looked up simultaneously, but suddenly she was flying backwards, she hit the wall behind her hard enough to cause black spots in her vision. 

Did he just push me out of the way? 

The last thing she heard was the sound of hundreds of tons of rocks falling around her, no doubt the rest of the ceiling caving in. 

She was unsure of whether it was Cal’s doing or the Empire’s, but she let the pounding in her head and exhaustion take her away into a deep sleep. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it! More coming soon! <3 Keep checking AO3 if you’re liking the story!

[ill-skillsgard]

Smoke & Money, Part 4 - Bill Skarsgård

Title: Smoke & Money

Warning: 100% NSFW, some drug use, swearing, sex/fetish/kink type situations

Description: A young sex worker gets tangled in the dangerous web of a wealthy entrepreneur whose tastes push her past all of her known limits.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

"Fuck!" I yelled at the top of my lungs with total disregard for anything or anyone around me. Rather, nobody and nothing had any regard for me as I stood, dumbstruck in the street, unwilling to believe what I saw of the outside of my apartment. My window to my bedroom had been smashed in. There was glass all over the porch, yolk and shells spattered against the bricks and the word SLUT sprayed in red paint over the front door which had been left open. It was almost three in the morning and there was nobody around. Nobody to share in my misfortune. I couldn't keep my jaw from hanging open as I entered the wreckage. The TV was smashed in, table flipped, anything I had hanging on the wall was broken or thrown across the room. Anything of value that I owned had been destroyed or taken. How could this have happened? How had a neighbor not heard the commotion that had gone on and not call the police? The more I stood amidst the carnage the closer I came to crying. SCUM WHORE COCKSUCKER HERPES HOE THIEF BITCH Words were scrawled hugely all over the walls in spray paint. I only wanted to take my aching shoes off but there were shards of broken glass and remnants of my belongings littering the floor. My head just could not wrap itself around what emotion to feel. I stumbled down the hall, passed the bathroom and into my bedroom where more words were painted in black on the walls. My vanity mirror was smashed, all my makeup and keepsakes had been knocked to the floor. There was a distinct smell of piss and shit and when I whipped around I saw somebody had defecated on top of the small desk I usually put my laptop on. "Oh my god... What the fuck?" Were the only words I could muster. I knew that I was going to be in for some trouble but this was pure chaos. My apartment was no longer livable. All of my things were gone or broken and for what? So some rich prick could pretend to be my daddy for a couple of hours? Anger fanned in my chest as I fought back the burning tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. The stench of excrement forced me back down the hall away from the stench and into what remained of my living room. They had even gone so far as to break every single dish and cup in the kitchen cupboards. I wasn't sure what to do. The thought of calling the police kept nagging at me but I knew that it would do me more harm than good. What could I tell them? I took some guy's money and left after he had hired me to be his escort? They would have absolutely no sympathy for me at all. The only thing I could think of was to call Bill and tell him what had happened. The phone rang and rang and I waited with my breath hitched, my hands trembling. The phone rang long enough for me to give up hope that he would answer but when he did, I got all choked up and couldn't get my words out with staggering over them. "Hello?" He answered. "Hi..." I managed to squeak. That was when I came undone at the seams and burst out crying. "What's wrong?" Bill asked. "My apartment..." "What? What about it?" I began to hyperventilate. "They... They trashed it. My apartment." "Who did? What are you talking about?" There was new alertness in his voice. "The guy... The guy I was with. My apartment is trashed. They broke everything. They smashed my windows in. Smashed everything." He was silent for what felt like the longest moment in history. "Shit..." "Please..." "Have everything fixed, I'll foot the bill. Was anything stolen?" "Yes!" I yelled. "Everything is gone or broken! They destroyed EVERYTHING! They shit in my fucking bedroom!" "I'll replace everything they took, all right?" "I can't be here. What if he comes back? He knows where I live!" "It's all right, listen to me. Don't worry, all your things can be easily replaced," he assured me. "Call a cab and take it to the Mira Hotel on University. Check in under B. Istvan Gunther. Make sure nobody is following you when you leave." I stammered and couldn't even begin to think straight. Bill cut me off, "Just do it, okay? It's my room. I'll send someone to watch the door. You're going to be fine." "B... Istvan—" "B. Istvan Gunther. Do you need to write it down?" "No," I shook my head. "I'll remember." The cab that I called couldn't have taken any longer. Before leaving my ravaged apartment for what may have been the last time, I gathered what I could and threw it all into a suitcase. Luckily they didn't touch a lot of my clothes so I was able to bring a few outfits, my phone charger, a couple pairs of sensible shoes and a photo album that I had stored away in a box. With one last glance around the shambles and wasted memories, I determined there was nothing more of value for me to take along. All I had was the suitcase, the clothes I had changed into and Bill's cash. When I got into the back of the cab I suddenly felt too exhausted to keep my eyes open. The driver asked me where to go and I told him the address as I looked out the back window to see if there were any suspicious vehicles tailing. As we drove off I kept staring out the back to make sure nobody was following us and after a few blocks, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary so I leaned my head against the window and started to nod off. Before I knew it we had pulled up in front of the Grand Mira Hotel and the taxi driver was looking back at me with concern. Without a word, I retrieved a fifty dollar bill and gave it to him, told him to keep the change and exited the vehicle with my suitcase in tow. I had never once been inside the Mira Hotel but I had heard it was glitzy and only for the super-rich. When I walked through the doors I could definitely agree with the rumor. The lobby alone looked like a grand ballroom but with a sprawling crescent-moon shaped desk dotted with computers and employees. All the women working the midnight shift gave me trained smiles as I cleared the polished floors from the entrance to the lip of the desk. "Welcome to the Grand Mira Hotel madame, how can I help you?" An attendant greeted me. "Uh, yes, hi. A reservation for B. Istvan Gunther please?" The words sounded stupid coming out of my mouth but they were met with a respectful nod as though she was already expecting me. "Certainly, one moment." She said with a smile and started clicking away on a keyboard. As I waited I looked around and took in the lavishness of the hotel's impressive lobby. There was a fireplace and sitting area of all the poshest and most modern furniture I had ever seen and hardly anybody to occupy it. There were three massive light fixtures illuminating the entire lobby and hall that branched out just passed the front desk. Signs read Pool, Gym, Spa, Cafe Miramira, Rooms 1 - 25, Elevator. I couldn't help but wonder what it would cost for one single night at the hotel. "Your key card ma'am." The woman handed me a plastic card embellished with a golden letter M. "You will want to take good care of that key and return it upon your departure. Follow the hall to the elevator. You will be staying with us in the Penthouse suite." "What floor is that?" I asked stupidly. She leaned closer to me with a smile. "Top floor." "Oh," I chuckled. "Right. That's what Penthouse means." "Please give the front desk a call if you need anything. Enjoy your stay." An attendant awaited me to take my bag but I politely declined and made my way towards the elevator. I wondered how out-of-place I looked taking my one cheap suitcase into the elevator and telling the attendant to bring me to the top level. He raised his eyebrows at me as if to tell me he was impressed and not at all baffled by my second-class presence. When I reached the top floor I took a look around and saw that there was only one actual room on the entire top floor and that was supposedly the one I was supposed to be in. With only slight hesitation, I slid my key card through the electronic lock and was greeted with a small beeping and a flashing green light. The mechanism unlocked and I opened the door into a room that was as big and as white as an arena. Directly in front of me was a wall of window that opened the room up to a massive view of the city below. I couldn't be bothered checking out the full bar or the grand piano staged on top of one of the plushest white rugs I had ever seen or even the creamy tufted sofas surrounding a marble fireplace taller than me. I didn't care about the sixty-inch television or the alabaster manticores jutting out of the ceiling, not with that twinkling cityscape unfurling below like the reflection of the night sky. Placed all the way on top of the Mira Hotel, I cast my gaze upon the entire city and for a moment I didn't feel as small as I had been feeling. I was now swimming in the warm center of richness and comfort and I didn't want to ever get out. When sleep overcame me I found the master bedroom which was really just an entire loft with a little more colour than the staunch whiteness of the rest of the suite. The bed was one enormous slab, low to the grown and certainly custom-built. I took off everything except for my underwear and wriggled myself under the sheets. It felt like I hadn't slept in days because as soon as I closed my eyes I was gone and I didn't wake up again until somebody wanted me to. Opening my eyes first thing and seeing Bill standing above me was enough to jolt me awake. I was not expecting to see another person and when I did, my first waking instinct was to be afraid. I had almost forgotten where I was and why I was there. "Oh, Jesus. I'm sorry." I said, sitting up in the middle of the bed and pulling the sheets over my chest. "Don't apologize." He said. The sun shone in beautifully through the windows and I couldn't quite take my eyes off of him standing there with his hands hidden in his pockets. He was even more good-looking in the light, naturally. I could see the colour of his pale green eyes, large and full of mystery and his chocolaty hair all combed back save for some stray pieces that liked to go their own way. Although he was pale as snow, he had this vitality about him, some sort of radiant energy, or maybe it was just the sun's rays illuminating him. And then there were his lips. Those gorgeous lips that just seemed too luscious to be true. It was hard to believe I had heard such filth spill forth from that perfect mouth. The way he stood there in his casual way felt more to me like he was posing for his picture or maybe it was just that. He was so tall, so well-dressed, so well put together it was almost too picturesque and with that Godly aura of sunshine behind him, I could practically feel my pupils dilating. "How did you get in here?" I asked. He cracked a playful smirk that almost changed the entire structure of his face. "Well, it's my hotel." "Oh..." I said meekly. Shit, he owns the whole damn hotel. "Listen, I wanted to apologize for what happened last night." "Which part of last night?" I asked for clarification with a bratty snort. "For the destruction done to your home while you were with me." "You know, if it weren't for you I would still have a home..." Bill took his hands out of his pockets and began rubbing them together slowly. "I won't apologize for our exploits because frankly, that I do not regret. I do feel a responsibility to you, however. But if you had listened to me in the first place you wouldn't have had the displeasure of encountering somebody with the gall to do something like that." I frowned but felt it right to allow him to continue without my input. "None of that matters now anyway because what happened, happened. Now we have to proceed through this..." He paused to sigh with frustration. "This unfortunate mess." "No, we don't have to proceed through anything. You don't have to take responsibility since it's my fault for not listening. I thank you for allowing me to stay in your extravagant hotel, Mr. Skarsgård, but I am a grown woman and I can handle this myself." If he couldn't hear the disdain in my voice then I would have called him oblivious. He caught on, scratched the back of his head and sighed again. From his wallet, he produced a shiny black bank card and toyed with it for a moment, flipping it over and over between his long fingers. "Put all of your expenses on this. Anything you need. Anything you want. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. I have security for you if you want outside the door." I held out my hand but he wasn't quite ready to give me the card. "I'll have no more of you sneaking around with other men. I'm giving this to you as a placeholder." "A placeholder?" He grimaced at me. "Don't go around fucking any more men. If you get yourself into trouble again on my dime you can consider our arrangement terminated." He held the card out for me to take and I did but not without making it known I was bitter about it. "You answer when I call, you meet me when I want, you do whatever I say. Understand?" I looked up at Bill, wishing I could tell him everything that was burning inside of me. He had the audacity to place the blame on me even though it was he who demanded I leave to go to him. Then he stood there waving it all in my face like I was the one who fucked up. "This won't replace all of the sentimental value I had." "Oh come on. How much sentimental value can a person like you really have?" "You know what, fuck you." I spat, whipping the covers back to get out of the bed. "You don't know anything about me, okay? You don't know anything about my life or what I do or who I am or anything!" Before I could swing my legs out of the bed, Bill launched toward me and grabbed my chin in one of his big hands. It was so abrupt that I flinched away in fear that I'd get struck but he only forced me to stare up at him. With one foot up on the bed and the other firmly planted on the ground, Bill glared into my eyes. "You want money, isn't that right?" He asked me. "Right!? That's what you're doing this for, am I correct?" I nodded my head as much as he would allow me to in his tight grip. "Do I look like someone you want to piss off? You think a trashed apartment is the worst thing that can happen to you? Huh?" He practically hissed at me. "No." "No, what?" "No, sir." He released my face and stepped off the bed, resuming his standing position above me. I had no words. I only watched as he straightened his tie, acting as if he hadn't just come at me, calm and unsympathetic. Suddenly I felt cold and exposed even though the room was only getting warmer as the sun rose up from behind the skyscrapers. "If you choose to leave right now, I'll have your apartment fixed, all of your belongings replaced and you and I won't ever have to see each other again." Bill's eyes were not on me, they flitted to every corner of the loft and then to the floor below his shoes. I thought at that moment he seemed less like a golden God of wealth and excellent genetics and more like a boy in a man's suit. His face had gone soft and he was no longer glaring at me with razor-sharp intensity. Remarkable how his emotions gave away on his features. One moment poised to kill and the next he looked almost sweet. Every moment with him was difficult to predict. It would have been a lie if I tried to say I didn't want to stick around if not but to find out how good of a fuck he was. Something told me his face wasn't the only intense thing about him. This man had hidden talents and I wanted to expose them. Almost as much as I wanted money to rebuild my tattered life. It wasn't about the money anymore. Now I was toeing that dangerous line of curiosity. The line that people in my profession did much to avoid. There I was practically itching to dive off the deep end just to get a glimpse into the interesting life of Mr. Bill Skarsgård. How steep was the money? How deep did his fantasies lead? How far was the fall down this chasm and would I come out of it changed or unchanged? "If you stay... Let's just say you could retire a lot sooner than you expected." I simply nodded and allowed my shoulders to relax a little. He looked down at his wristwatch and then back up at me. "So what will it be, Miss J?" "I'll stay." "Good girl."

~*~

After Bill left I decided to have a slow and lazy day to pamper myself and take advantage of all of the high-class perks that came with staying in his penthouse. I started with a hot bath in the immaculate copper tub staged in the middle of a bathroom that could fit at least four more smaller bathrooms inside of it. The vanity housed two separate floating basins on top of a marble slab of counter that seemed to be suspended in the air. The massive vanity mirror opened up the room even more so. I found all the decadent soaps and oils in a basket next to the tub and had myself the most luxuriously scented bath I had ever had in my life. It was pure bliss. Well, almost. Even though I was cradled within the warmth of filtered water and surrounded by mounds of bubbles I couldn't help but long for Bill to be there with me. It had been so long since I had actually had sex with someone. Not a paid romp that featured me on all-fours, doing all I could to feign excitement as a car salesman with a flavoured condom on his dick railed me from behind. I wanted real sex. I wanted feral animal sex and genuine orgasms and I didn't want to think about getting paid for it. The atmosphere I had slipped into as soon as I stripped off my clothes was intoxicating and romantic. Yet I had nobody to experience the romance with. I was fearful of Bill but at the same time, I wanted to explore him further. I wanted to see just how far his fantasies grew and I wanted to be the one to help him dig them up. It was obvious he wanted me but the question was when would he take me? How long did this little game run before the big payoff? His willingness to help me, house me and clothe me indicated that I had been chosen to fulfill his sick little chimera of dominance and I was ready for it, fervor renewed. With fresh perfumed skin and new confidence, I stepped out of the penthouse doors dressed in the best outfit I had brought with me, shiny black card in my purse screaming to be put to use much like myself. Although I would never allude to how badly I wanted my new Sugar Daddy to fuck me senseless. I would play his little game and I would be the perfect slave. What he said was true. There was a bodyguard stationed outside of the door. "Ma'am." He nodded at me. "Good morning," I said. "Afternoon." "Right..." "Mr. Skarsgard informed me that a lady needed company." I tried to hide my smile but it was not going to happen. "That's alright. I'm going to the hotel restaurant for some lunch. I should be fine." The bodyguard had a southern accent, a torso as thick as a bull's and tinted sunglasses on. The only thing he was missing was an earpiece, I thought, then he would look exactly like a bodyguard from a cop movie or something. "Well, I promise I will keep my distance but Mr. Skarsgard insists an eye be kept on you for a little while." "Okay, I suppose if he's insisting." The burly man moved to get the elevator for me and rode with me down to the main level. He was true to his word and never encroached on my space but I couldn't help but stare at him after being seated in the restaurant. He stood straight as a British guard at the entrance. The restaurant host nodded as though he had already been informed of the security presence. Then again, it was a very exclusive hotel and I was sure that many guests that had stayed there were accompanied by an entourage of some sort. It just seemed so strange to me that I was now the one with the exclusivity. I ordered a salad and a fancy sounding cocktail all while trying to distract myself with my phone. It was hard not to think of what I would be doing if I weren't at the Mira Hotel. Probably sitting on my couch playing with gaming apps on my phone much like what I was doing but not so potently aware of all of the rich surroundings. There were people dining that looked like they had just come from shooting a fashion editorial for a well-known magazine, men with designer suits on drinking casually, soft jazz piano music in the background of it all. The cutlery on the table looked too new to have ever been used. Everything smelled so good and the arrangement of creamy pink calla lilies before me in a crystal vase only sank me further into the lull of excess. Again I imagined Bill sitting opposite of me at the table much like I had imagined him in the bathroom with me. But I was alone. Nobody was there to share any of these experiences with me. I was submerged in a different world full of new possibilities and I was so lost that I didn't hear the server introduce my meal to me. "May I get you anything else, Miss?" "Oh, no thanks," I said. I ate by myself, paid for the meal with Bill's money, rode the elevator back up with a bodyguard and went back into the penthouse alone. The whole day was a very surreal type of boredom that I could only imagine the insanely rich having. The shiny black card was a key to anything. I could go shopping at all of the stores that I had never dared set foot in. I could go to a spa and have my whole body massaged until I was nothing but a wet, mushy pile of jasmine-scented skin, high off the aromas of money. I could have rented out a movie theater and watched films all night in the dark. However I could have spent his money, I decided to stay in and sleep and to deal with the disaster of my apartment the next day. The phone call to the landlord didn't go well at first until I told him that I would pay for every inch of damage done to the apartment as long as he dissolved my lease with no questions asked. He was still a bit wary so I offered to 'foot the bill' of a decent renovation- new paint, new windows, updated bathroom so that he could get a new tenant in there as soon as possible. I felt bad for not having told him immediately what had happened and I didn't blame him when he mentioned the possibility of squatters having already taken up residence. After all, I had left the place in utter shambles without telling a soul where I was going. After taking care of that business I got a phone call. It was Bill's number. My chest tightened when I answered. "Good morning. Have you been enjoying your stay at the Grand Mira?" He sounded like he was calling from the front desk to make sure I didn't need any more towels. "Yes." I nearly bubbled over with excitement. "This place is... Yes. It's nice." "Good. Glad to hear it. Now I want you to go buy yourself something pretty to wear underneath your clothes tonight. Take the car, spare no expense. I hear Genieva's is... nice." Genieva's... Where a single pair of panties will cost anywhere from eighty dollars and up. It took much to control the thrill in my voice but I managed to keep myself somewhat composed. "All right." "I'll meet you there later this evening." I listened to everything he said, got into a car that was already waiting for me and sped off to the high-end lingerie boutique to pick something out. After being measured, a dozen little ensembles were presented to me. This time around instead of my usual go-to strappy black theme I decided to go with something that had more colour to it. My eyes landed on a violet bra with hand embroidered roses of gold thread, matching panties, and garter belt. It was the only thing that really caught my attention amongst the baby pink negligees and deep red laces with black opaque thigh-high stockings. It was eye-catching and decadent, reminiscent of my favourite burlesque styles. I chose a pair of stockings with a Cuban heel and a back seam to make my legs look extra long. After all was said and done I charged the card and took my finely wrapped lingerie away with me, eager to put it on and even more eager to have Bill take it off of me later on. In the bathroom, I stood in front of the vanity mirror wearing my new lingerie. It was hard not to admire all of the intricacies of every golden thread and how the silky garter straps elongated my thighs in the front and in the back where they hooked onto the stockings. I had put on the matching panties over said garter straps- a little secret I had learned from watching too much porn as a teenager. If the outfit was worn properly there would be no way to remove the panties without having to unhook the garter belt and then the whole illusion of the lingerie would be lost. I felt clever but most of all I felt confident and sexy. The way the material accentuated all of my curves, I knew it would be impossible for anyone to resist the temptations I had to offer. Even the elusive Mr. Skarsgård. I put on a new dress and heels and waited in the loft for Bill to arrive. It was hard not to tremble when I heard the front door open, a muffled exchange of words and then the sound of the door closing. I closed my eyes and only opened them when I heard his footsteps approaching. Each fall echoed my heart pumping and I only turned to face him when I knew he was coming up the stairs. I watched for him and when he was close enough our eyes did lock. He was wearing all black from his shoes to his slacks to his nicely fitted button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up over his forearms. The watch he usually wore was missing. A lot of the key elements that had illustrated him as a mysterious, smoking, moneyed man were missing this time. He was strikingly dark against all of the white, impossible to ignore. The look on his face was contemplative but serious. I was in awe. "Come here." He commanded after a moment of having reached the loft floor. I got off the bed slowly and walked towards him, his nectareous scent grew stronger as I approached him. He twirled a finger in the air, beckoning me to turn around for him and I did. "Hm, so you do know how to listen to me." "Yes, sir." "Get on your knees." I obeyed and carefully lowered myself onto my knees before him, never breaking eye contact with him. I wanted to match the ardor of his stare with my own so he knew that I was taking our arrangement seriously. "Listening to me one time isn't going to save you from all of your misbehaving, I'm afraid." "I'm sorry, sir." He bent down to me and held the pad of his thumb over my lips. "Yes, I bet you are sorry. Sorry for flaunting that pussy around town when I specifically told you no more. Sorry for letting someone else take advantage of you?" "Yes, sir." "Do you know who owns you, little girl?" "You do, sir." "Yes, that's right. I do. Do you know what happens to little girls when they don't listen?" "Yes, sir." "What happens?" He encouraged me. "They get punished." "That's right." He whispered, moving his thumb between my lips to part them. He moved to spit into my mouth but missed and a warm bubble of his saliva landed on the corner of my mouth. I made a show of using my tongue to clean it off, much to his approval. He repeated himself and landed a frothy string of saliva directly onto my tongue. "Show me your tongue." He urged me and I complied. He lapped at my mouth sloppily, letting the palm of his hand rest on my cheek and then pulled away only to deliver a quick, gentle little slap as a forewarning to what was coming next. "I pay you so nicely and all I ask is for your obedience yet, you can't even give me that?" "I'm so sorry, sir. Please punish me." I watched as he unbuckled his belt. "Turn around." On my hands and knees, I positioned myself in front of him. He threw up the skirt of my dress and I turned my head to see if he was admiring what he saw. "I buy you nice expensive things to wear for me and nobody else." "Yes, sir." "Who do you belong to?" "You, sir." I felt the leather of his belt brush my skin softly and knew it was only a matter of seconds before I would taste the sting of it. I was already wincing and he hadn't even wound back to hit me yet. "Get up on the bed." He demanded. I crawled towards the bed and climbed up on it, remaining in my position of servitude. The sting didn't come as I expected, instead, he dropped to his own knees in front of my ass and let his tongue lick a smoldering trail up from the top of my right stocking, following the garter strap and over to where my spine ended. I couldn't help but let out a moan of desire. The pulsing of my blood went south and I could already feel myself getting wet with desire. "Mine." He whispered, tasting more of my skin like he had been deprived of food. "Yes, sir. All yours." I offered encouragement. All I wanted was the delectable sensation of being penetrated. I knew it would take a lot of work to receive what I needed. Subconsciously, I arched my spine and opened my knees up to give him a better view, in hopes he would be tempted to offer me a little pleasure as well. Both of his arms came up to cradle around my ass, hands pulling my cheeks back to catch a glimpse of the tiny amount of expensive material shielding my pussy from him. How I longed for him to simply pull away the material and feast upon my clitoris the way he was sucking on the rest of me. "Please, daddy," I whined, ass up in the air, tingling with the urge to get fucked. "Bad girls don't get their pussies licked." He whispered hotly against my skin. I groaned at the sound of those salacious words leaving his mouth. "I'll be good, I promise. I promise I'll be a good girl for you." He spanked me hard with a cupped hand. "Oh, I know you're going to be a good girl for me now." He said and stood up. I watched as he picked up the belt that he had laid on the floor. Fuck, I thought. I knew he was going to put me through more pain and the thought alone made me whimper. "Turn away." He motioned for me to take my eyes off of him. I did so, only to appease him. Truthfully, I wanted to watch but I knew he would allow me no such luxury. The slap of the belt against my sensitive skin was abrupt and unexpected. I winced and tried not to show my discomfort but it was difficult not to. "You're going to be good for me from now on, aren't you?" "Yes, sir." He laid a hand on my ass, no doubt reveling in the heat he was creating. It wasn't long before he delivered another quick belting on the opposite side. The relief was short-lived as he went on, winding back to hit me with the hard leather strap. I couldn't help but pull away from the pain of it before he even delivered. "Lift that fucking ass now." I did so with a small amount of reluctance. It wasn't long before I began to sweat and tremble. Each smack reduced me to a whimpering, gasping mess and he had to reposition me. "You'll never disobey me again, will you?" He asked, tossing the belt onto the floor, much to my reprieve. "No daddy, I won't." "Up. Up... On your knees. Turn towards me." The feeling of my dress falling over my welted backside was unpleasant but the prospect of something other than getting spanked delighted me so I soon forgot about the throbbing pain. I faced him, resting back on my legs and watched as he took a long step away from the edge of the bed. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the zipper. My breath hitched as I watched his hand dive into his pants. "Your pussy still wet?" He asked me. I nodded fervently. "Yes, sir." He began to stroke himself and I couldn't look away. "You want this cock, don't you?" "Yes. Yes, sir." "Mm, yes. I know you want my cock. But guess what?" "What?" "Bad girls like you don't get cock. They get punishment." I took a deep, ragged breath in and watched him pull his pants down a little bit more so I could only see the hilt of his shaft. The rest of his hand disappeared and reappeared with long strokes of what I could only imagine was a cock that suited the rest of his physicality. "I promise I'll be good, daddy. Please." His tongue poked out from between his full, glistening lips. He was teasing me and it was working. I had never felt so flushed and in need. With every stroke he controlled me, making it so nothing else mattered but him standing there with me watching. He smirked as he pulled himself out completely. I must have looked so desperate and struck as I watched him pleasuring himself. I had been right about him, which was almost enough satisfaction but not quite. His cock was long, swollen and in perfect proportion with the rest of his body. He looked nothing like the men I had wasted my time with before him. They had all been too hairy or too old or too overweight, with average to less-than-average cocks between their legs which had never bothered me until that moment. This beautiful, demonic man with his gorgeous lineaments, his long legs and graceful hands, unlike any man that had ever paid me. The wetter I got the closer he seemed to get to finishing and when he did I swear I could almost feel the wave of pleasure washing over me as well. I didn't want it to end. I wanted him to take me, flip me over on my stomach and plunge himself deep inside of me. But it didn't happen. He simply stared at me, eyes burning at me as he shuddered, tightened and let his cum drip shamelessly onto the tiled floor. "Crawl to me." He said, cock still in hand, voice harsh from a fresh orgasm. I got off the bed and crawled towards him and the puddle of cum near the toes of his shoes. Shoes that I had polished for him. I only noticed them as I approached on my hands and knees. "You want daddy's cum? You better lick it off the floor." The extent of his obscenity obviously did not cap off there. It was pornographic and rude, but at that moment I would have done anything for him. Slowly, I lowered my face to the tile and let my tongue lick up the mess he had put there for me. I tasted salt and dirt but made it all count by lapping up as much as I possibly could with one motion. Looking back up at him I saw the desire flooding back into him. By the way his lips fell open I could tell he was getting turned on again, even after he already came. "I hope your pussy stays wet for me." I nodded my head, peering up at him with repentance. "You promise to be a good girl?" "Yes, sir. I promise." "Good," he said as he tucked himself back into his pants, doing up the zipper and fastening the button. "Because I swear if I have to punish you again for defying me, it will not be nice." I watched as he retrieved his belt, sliding it through the loops of his slacks. Once he had it on and buckled he unrolled his sleeves, buttoned the cuffs and turned away from me. I could only watch, the taste of him still dancing on my tongue. The sensation of arousal still burning inside of me. "Get rid of your cell phone. I don't want any other men calling you. I'll have a new one sent up to you in the morning." After that, he descended the stairs and I remained knelt on the loft floor, my mind screaming and my body aching in so many ways I couldn't pinpoint exactly. Wow, I thought. What the Hell was I getting myself into?

[crazyzaika]

between hell and heaven chapter 4

Hey guys, here we are. Chapter 4. Hope you like it. Let me know your thoughts. Again a big thank you to my beta doginshoes.

Greets Z ♥

Chapter 4

She went up the stairs and grinned wide. Slowly she felt the exhaustion, but she didn't let it show. She never had. Lucy knew she had stomped him into the ground and it felt great. She loved to play, loved magictag and of course, she loved to win. And probably it hadn't been fair to delay everything for such a long time, but he should feel what it felt like to be ice-cold finished. After all, he'd finished off these four unfamiliar teenagers and risked a big mouth. Then he shouldn't have to be surprised if he got a return. Natsu was a little further behind her, she could feel his anger and magic, but she didn't care.

When she returned to the entrance area, she grinned broadly and the others welcomed her. The boys grinned as wide as she did and Juvia and Levy fell around her neck laughing.

"Wow, that was an absolute mega performance."

"This was the first time Natsu had ever been so beaten up."

"SHUT UP", his angry exclamation ripped the hum of praise towards Lucy and they all looked at him. He snorted and fixed her angrily.

"So... how did you do that, huh? Did you cheat?" he asked growling and she pulled her brows together. Couldn't someone lose? Her lips turned to a broad grin, then she laughed.

"I'm a former active member of Virgin Star," she said, shrugging her shoulders. His jaw dropped down, "but hey. You took my challenge, so keep your cheeky mouth shut. Someone who plays with so little mind and love has rarely come across me. Even the guys from Red Death played with more devotion than you and we even got broken bones and if I hadn't dodged one of the shots from one of their snipers, I probably would have died. Magictag is not a game to harass others, all right? It's a tactical war game," she said, and coldness lay in her brown eyes. Her words had silenced the others. Levy looked at Lucy with big eyes. She would have died in the championships? Bewilderment was also in the faces of the others. Nobody had heard anything about it. Sure, there were injuries, but... it was only color with which they shot. Could someone really die? Natsu also frowned confusedly.

"You almost died? Through paint? Are you serious?" he asked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Somehow he couldn't really believe it. Lucy rolled his eyes.

"Sure, when the weapons are restyled like Red Death's," she said, remembering how much impact the enemy's weapons had had. This team had wanted them all dead. She smiled and then pulled up the black long top that was close to her skin. She pulled it up to her ribs and when Natsu saw the ugly scar tissue that destroyed her flawless porcelain skin, he was stunned.

His heart stopped for a moment and everyone else was speechless. His anger seemed to fizzle out and he couldn't take his eyes off her skin and scar. Lucy just smiled and you could see that she carried this old scar with pride. The skin was reddish and was like a notch in the soft pale skin. The edges were bulging and it looked like someone had ripped something out of her body. Not deep, only superficial, but it was enough to destroy the perfection of her body.

"Unfortunately it was a graze shot", Lucy said and Natsus eyes flew up to her own. She pulled the cloth down again and he swallowed easily. She was even wounded and he realized that she took this game much more seriously than he had ever done. Before he could say anything, Lucy looked at her friends and grinned broadly.

"So... do we still want to play or do we go back to the dorm?"

"Uh... "

"Juvia would love to go back," Juvia replied and Levy nodded. She had just been shocked. She hadn't expected anything like this to happen to her new friend. And it scared her. Magictag was a war game, of course, but so far she had never considered it so dangerous. Lucy smiled. She understood it and nodded.

"Okay, then we'll go back," she said and waved to the boys, completely ignoring Natsu, and to the hall employee and saying goodbye. They left the hall and walked through the city back to campus. Lucy yawned cautiously.

"Are you tired already? Because of the game?" Levy asked and grinned slightly. The blonde grinned back and shrugged her shoulders. The game had been minimally exhausting. Real competitions were much more strenuous, because you had to keep an eye on several opponents. So she shook her head only slightly, grinned.

"Not from the game. That did wear me out a bit, but rather because of the ride," she admitted and grinned broadly.

Natsu ran his fingers through his hair and sighed slightly. His shoulder protested as he moved, but he ignored it. She impressed him, even though somewhere he was still angry about his scratched ego. But he just couldn't change it anymore. And if he considered it carefully, then he hadn't had a real chance to win against her. She had been in the professional league. Well, she had only played in the junior league, but still. Maybe she could become a member of the team? After all, the university also had a team. But they weren't really strong. They were rather middle class and even if he didn't like to admit it, it simply irriated him.

"And what do we do now?"

"Good question, ask another one," growled Gray. Natsu loosened his shoulders, at least he tried. He pulled out his lacrimapad, took a look at it and frowned for a moment, then his lips turned to a big grin.

"We have an assignment," he said and laughed quietly. The others listened, looked at Natsu, who took a cigarette from Gajeel, stuck it between his lips and ignited it with his magic.

"A mission", Laxus asked, and the boys started to move, left of the hall. Natsu nodded and blew smoke into the air.

"Aye, Raven Blood is causing trouble again," he noted, "Erza says a raid is planned in the western part. Must be a drug deal."

"Interesting. Who's running it?"

"Erza's unity. Mira will keep out of it this time. We're supposed to stop by. As a backup," he added, enjoying the taste of the tobacco flowing through his lungs. The others also grinned as Natsu lifted his gaze from the device's display and he saw the silent approval in the eyes of the others. They stepped into the parking lot in front of the building and ran to the motorcycles they had come on earlier. Each put on a magic headset so they could communicate on the road if necessary. He pulled the cigarette one last time, then flicked it to the ground.

"Well then, let's go stir up some idiots who think they can shower our city with drugs," Natsu said and they started their machines, which came to life with a loud thunder. Of course, it would be easier if they let a car come, but none of them wanted to. And they were in the southern part, so the western part wasn't too far away. Houses just flew past them as they shot through the streets. While they were driving in the direction Erza had given them, Natsu called her to let her know.

"Scarlett," she growled after a click and Natsu suppressed a laugh. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins. He loved speed and accelerated again.

"Jo, are on the way. Exact location?"

"The warehouses, you'll see it as soon as you get there," she just gave back and his grin became diabolical.

"I'm already really hot on it," he growled and heard the annoyed sigh, but Erza didn't say anything about it, just hung up. Natsu, who drove at the head of the small squad, made a daring turn and skilfully turned and drove in the right direction and his boys followed him without a moment's hesitation. Today he would be able to rip some asses open.

When they arrived at the warehouses in question, Natsu already heard and saw the fights. For a moment he pulled a light pout because nobody seemed to have waited for him. But well, his team was the backup. Simply because they usually broke everything apart. He saw Erza's red shining hair, which was just led by a wooden sword. She ducked cleverly under her opponent, hit her opponent's throat and he overturned, fell unconscious to the ground. Natsu turned off his machine, pulled the helmet off his head and let his gaze wander. A total of 10 members of Fairy Tail were present, who were ready to arrest about 20 criminals.

"Do they need our help at all?" asked Laxus, who leaned forward on his machine and looked at the whole thing. "It can't do any harm, can it? After all, we are the backup and so we can rub Erza's nose in that she needed our help," Natsu said and laughed quietly. Then he swung off his machine, made sure it didn't fall over and loosened his shoulders again, stepping towards the fighting ones. Oh, that would be fun and clearly exhausting, he was convinced. Better than the fight with Lucy. And he could let out his pent-up aggression on these idiots. A guy he didn't know ran roaring towards him, swinging an iron bar. Natsu skilfully avoided the attack and then kicked the guy in the face. Then the guy simply fell over.

"Well then, let's go", growled Gajeel and the others followed their leader.

Lucy pushed through the rows of seats. Today she had her first course, her first lecture and was looking forward to it. Her heart was beating up to her neck and she was already jittery to learn new things. And although she wanted to change, she continued to wear her old clothes. She had already got funny looks and that was absolutely unpleasant for her. She wore a white blouse and a long dark blue skirt reaching to the middle of her calves. Simple wedge sandals in black completed her outfit. Loki sat two rows behind her at her request. What could happen to her here? Someone sat next to her. The room was already well filled. And she looked up to see who was sitting next to her. When she saw Natsu next to her she flinched back. Confusion gripped her senses. What was he doing here?

He grinned at her and leaned back. Her eyes scurried over his appearance. He wore a tank top, black jeans, jumper boots and a black leather jacket. Her brow twitched upwards, but she said nothing. Wasn't he a year above her?

"Uh..." she brought out and he grinned wider.

"Hello, beauty. Long time no see," he said and she pulled her eyebrows together. Yes, it was exactly a weekend ago. She had arrived last Friday and luckily hadn't seen him over the weekend. And that was a good thing. He looked good, yes. But his character was just disgusting and she knew about his reputation. Natsu leaned slightly in her direction as the auditorium filled slowly.

"So... my little flower," he grumbled and she opened her eyes. Did he just call her a little flower? She blinked and snorted slightly.

"Leave me alone. Aren't you a year above me? Then what are you doing here, mhm?" she growled and he shrugged his shoulders with a crooked grin.

"I have to repeat the course", he said and her eyes widened. Then he leaned towards her with a grin on his face and came quite close to her. Too close for her taste and she leaned aside to avoid him. Something that automatically lifted her upper softness and made her stand out even more than before. He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

"How about we learn together, my little star," he asked with a broad grin and she felt redness on her cheeks. Why did he have to give her these stupid nicknames? She didn't understand it.

"L... leave me alone. I will not learn with you. You can do that very well alone", she brought out, but she was insecure. It was other on the magictagfields. . Her heartbeat accelerated restlessly.

"Sure? I wanted to offer you to join ou university team without having to do the test," he said and shrugged his shoulders. A fellow student pushed Lucy roughly aside to sit down and she was thrown directly against Natsu. His face landed between her breasts and she hissed in shock, but he laughed quietly and detached himself from her.

"Team," she asked and frowned in confusion. Natsu shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes ... magictag. The university has a team but normally you have to do a test to be able to join us and ... normally we don't take girls, but since you're good ..."

"I'm in," she said, and her eyes were glowing. Her heart was racing. Magictag! The university had a team where she could play! His brows went up and the grin on his lips widened as he bent over again, grabbed a blonde strand and wrapped it around his left index finger.

"But only when you study with me, my Beauty," he purred and again her cheeks burned with shame at this nickname. It was unpleasant for her and why for gods sake did he play with her hair? She didn't really like that. She bit her lower lip and he leaned forward to her again. Uncertainly, she looked to the side and saw the professor of the course come in and put his documents on the desk. She swallowed. She wanted to play Magictag again and sighed.

"All right ... but only on one condition," she said and smiled at him. Salmon eyebrows went up.

"And that would be?

"Loki comes with me," she replied. He frowned his and went through his hair, but still didn't let go of her strand. Then he leaned back and shrugged his shoulders.

"For all I care," he growled and she grinned. Then she pulled on her strand of hair and he reluctantly let go. She turned her eyes forward to the professor and listened to his explanations. While he explained things, she took notes and her thoughts were completely fixed on them. Magic in combat was incredibly wide-ranging.

"Read chapters 1-5 until the next lesson and think about what kind of magic you want to learn to expand," the professor pushed his sheets together, Lucy eagerly scribbled his homework, "see you all on the next thursday."

And so he finished the lecture. Lucy bent down and picked up her bag, which she had placed in front of her feet on the floor, then pushed in her notebook, pencil case and textbook and looked up. Natsu next to her was asleep in his chair. She blinked as everyone around her packed up as well. She frowned. Was he serious? He was asleep? In class? No wonder he had to repeat the course. She sighed and stabbed him in the cheek. But that didn't help. The girl who had sat next to her snorted amusedly.

"Just let the rowdy sleep, he'll fall through anyway, the idiot. How he made it to university surprised me anyway," she said, laughed hatefully and marched away. Lucy looked after her with big eyes. How could anyone be so rude? Sure, he was a player and had also behaved quite stupidly, but ... was he such a bad person? After all, he had been accepted at university, hadn't he? He couldn't have been that stupid. She shook his shoulder.

"Natsu, wake up," she said quietly and ignored the giggling of the other students. Then Loki pushed herself to her.

"Lucy," he asked and looked at her waiting. Lucy smiled.

"Uh... I can't get him awake," she said and Loki looked at Natsu. His eyes became narrow. Then he grabbed the sleeper by the right cheek, pinched in and pulled Natsu up from the chair. This immediately woke Natsu up and he slapped Loki's hand away.

"Dude, what are you doing?" he nagged and rubbed his red cheek.

"Very nice, you're awake. Lucy-sama, can we go then?" Loki asked coolly and looked at his guarded friend waiting. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes Loki. We can," she said and shoved herself past Natsu, shouldering her bag, but the latter held her by the arm and pulled her towards him.

"Loki is a guy," he asked and pulled his brows together angrily. Lucy looked up at him, smiled and nodded. She took her arm from him and then quickly pushed Loki out of the auditorium and followed him. Natsu just let her stand. He clenched his hands to fists and was annoyed. His dark eyes followed the two and he growled. This Loki wouldn't get in his way. Under no circumstances. Lucy would belong to him!

AN: So ... thank you for all your support. In german, my story is up to chap 12. And I have to say: sometimes I really got depressed in so much desinterest in my story. I mean I ask myself, if my writing is not good enough because of so little feedback. And some people dropped my story, because not enough NaLu(even if I had written in my summary, that the mainpairings are NaLu, GaLe, Gruvia and Miraxus). And yeah ... I got depressed and had fallen in a deeeep creativydeep. And after I oke part in a little writingcompetition and put so much work and love into it, only one person ratet for my. Yes I know I'm selfish and stuff, but I requested myself: I'm not good enough? And that broke my creativity again. But then I startet translate this because some person wanted to read it and know here are we. You all are so sweet, giving me so much backup. Thank you. You're words are so important to me *overwhelms everyone with hearts*

And know I'm nearly crying haha XD

Love you guys, Z ♥

[askpickpocketnami]

//I finally did it! I actually did a back story for Mira! Her blog will come along but I had to get this girls backstory up so hope you guys like it!

Fresh Start

A small boat was carrying a person who was relaxing under the sun. It was a peaceful day; no ships came through nor any enemies to worry about. A chuckle escaped past her lips as she was relaxing thinking on how she got to this point in her life. The life that she will never look back at moving forward. This girl is named Mira, a weapons specialist wondering the seas on her own with no crew to call home.   Her story began on her home island. Mira was a 10-year-old girl who loved to explore a lot. When she had the opportunity, she would go explore the town or venture off into the woods only to come back with scarps and bruises. Her parents, Carol and Brandon didn’t mind that their little girl was adventurous as ever exploring the world around her. However, things took a sharp turn when Mira’s mother became ill. She was soon hospitalized leaving the child with her father who soon became strict toward her. Telling her to be home at a certain time and to not wander off far from town. Little Mira felt like a prisoner in her own home not being free to do whatever she wanted to do. This including the many beatings she got for not following her father’s orders.  On the brighter side, she always found time to visit her mother in the hospital. There were times where she came in with food, flowers and sometimes little nick knacks that were found while she had one of her mini adventures. One day when she was making her way out of the hospital, Mira wondered into town afraid to go back home to another beating. While she explored the area, her interest peaked when she saw a blacksmith working away in his shop. She never saw anything like it verses just seeing the forest or exploring the market place. Not wanting to be notice, she hid herself spying on the man at work. The tools he used and the weapons he created had her smiling the whole time. It started to become a daily thing. They would go visit their mother at the hospital then turn around to spy on the blacksmith. That was until one day, he noticed the little girl running away quickly when he dropped his tool on the ground. Curious, he let it slide going back to work.  The next day, Mira came by again to take a peak. The blacksmith noticed with a chuckle. “So, you’ve been spying on me I see.” He said making Mira hide herself quickly. He gave a hardy laugh extending his hand out to her. “If your so curious about my work, then why don’t you become my little apprentice. You can call me Aaron.” From that day forward, Mira worked along side with Aaron helping him out around the shop with small task that only a little girl can handle. Cleaning around the shop, making sure all the tools were there, and sometimes making small deliveries. Aaron would teach her all sorts of techniques that were used for building adding in small stories about his many visits of different pirates coming through town. Mira would always ask questions…make that a lot of questions. It became a fun game for the two of them to play while at the shop. She felt comfortable but most of all, she felt safe and away from the beatings she was receiving back home.  It was 4 months since Mira started working alongside with Aaron. She couldn’t help but run home to her father with excitement wanting to tell him the good news. Bursting through the doors, she yelled at the top of lungs screaming she wanted to become a weapons specialist. Her father froze hearing this coming from his little girl. What he believed in was for her to not go into that line of work because it was dangerous. She stood there rambling over the possible things she would do to help others and what weapons she could create. Mira didn’t notice that he was standing over her with a belt in his hand telling her exactly what she should hear: “Women don’t work in such filth…” The next thing that was heard were the cries of a little girl being beaten for something so silly no, it wasn’t silly, it was a dream that she had her hopes on that would change her life forever.  Her father’s beatings continued the more Mira went to assist at the shop. She tried covering up the ash markings that she came home with only to receive another beating which led her to cry in bed each night. She couldn’t keep going like this. There was the option of leaving home however, he would notice preventing her to leave. She’ll have to sneak out tonight.  That night, Mira ran home from the workshop with a smile on her face. She let Aaron know that she was moving in with him without having to travel from home all the time. After telling him a little bit about what was happening, he took her word and accepted her offer. Going around the back, Mira opened the window to her room to start packing without her father knowing she was there. The plan to keep quiet didn’t go too well when she accidentally knocked her lamp over. Hearing her father’s footsteps approaching, Mira tired her best to leave but it was too late. The door opened with her father standing there in shock. Anger was all she saw in his eyes as he took off his belt to beat her. With a last-ditch effort, she took her bag and swung it hard enough making him lose his balance. This gave her the chance to escape and head to the shop where she knew it was safe.  Running in, Mira tried to warn Aaron that her father was trying to kill her with tears running down her face. Taking a deep sigh, he kneeled hugging her close to him. “You need to get off this island Mira. I know its going to be hard, but I want you to pursue your dream.” He said to her wiping away her tears. Mira started begging him that she didn’t want to leave him there with her father coming in close. “Listen, I’m going to hold him off while you escape. I know of a blacksmith on the next island name Rylan. I promise you, if you mention my name, he will take care of you.” He gave her a smile pushing her to the back quickly hearing her father’s footsteps. “Mira, you’re a bright young girl with an amazing talent. Your life starts here when you step out that door,” He said turning to her with tears in his eyes. “You were always like a daughter to me, my shining star.”  Mira choked hearing those words coming from the one man that saw that her dreams weren’t silly, and he cared for her. Running to the harbor, she looked around finding a boat and quickly hiding in it. Taking a breathing she heard some men mention an island that was not to far from here. Mira sat back letting the tears fall freely from her eyes knowing that she would never see that man again. He taught her so much and yet he sacrificed his life to protect hers. She never got a chance to see her mom again. Going by each day to show her the things she found on her little adventures. She silently cried herself to sleep letting the boat carry her off to her new life. The last thing she heard was her father’s cries calling for her to return to the dungeon that tore her apart inside. The young girl awoke to find that she was on the next island. Getting out the boat, she wondered off into town looking around the area. It seemed bigger than the one at home and the people looked friendly. Her stomach growled knowing that she needed food but with nothing but the clothes on her back, she sighed lowering her head to the ground. The sound of metal snapped her head up looking around to find the source. Her eyes stopped at a blacksmith hard at work with a weapon. She quickly ran up to him pulling on his pant legs. The man groaned turning his head slightly at the young girl behind. “What?” He was already irritated seeing a small child around him. Mira took a deep breath extending her hand out to him. “My name is Mira and I want to become a weapons specialist!” The looked at her before erupting in laughter waving his for her to leave.  Mira balled her little hands into a fist and yelled at him telling her about what happened to her. Fresh tears started running down her face as she told her side of the story mentioning the Aaron. His eyes went wide quickly covering her mouth. “You said…that name, did you?” Mira nodded in fear he might kick her to the crib. He chuckled leading her inside and sitting her down. “Listen kid, that man helped me get to were I need to be. I’m surprised he took you in. I tell you what, I will teach you everything you need to know about being a weapons specialist. You will have a place to stay and you will be my little apprentice. Got it?” Mira nodded with a smile on her face. She was about to say something, but her stomach cut her off. “How about we get you some food then. Oh, you can call me Rylan!” Looking back, Mira’s life would’ve been different if she hadn’t met Aaron in the first place. She wouldn’t be where she was right now, sailing the seas and creating weapons. Sitting up, she took a bottle of booze lifting it to the sky. “I know your looking down at me right now probably judging me about my life choices up to this point,” She chuckled scratching her head. “Trust me old man, I’m going to make it as a weapon specialist and…” Mira paused holding back her tears. “I owe it all to you, Dad.”  

[marypsue]

Something Borrowed, Something Blues 3 / ?

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six / Part Seven / ?

I’m also on AO3 as MaryPSue!

...

In the Mindscape, something stirred.

Dipper felt the ripples, less like a water droplet landing in a still pond and more like the aftershocks of an earthquake. He stopped in the middle of seeding a particularly good Ghost of Presidents' Day Past nightmare in the mind of a slumbering corrupt public official, and listened, hard.

The ripples died away, slowly, to a faint tremor and then only a dissatisfied grumbling. But something had changed - something had shifted. The tenor of the Mindscape had modulated to a different key. And by the sounds of things, that key was minor.

Dipper groaned, and twisted together the ends of the dream, leaving it on a cliffhanger with a heavily-implied 'to be continued'. He'd be back the next night to give the lady Presidents' Days Present and Future and work the moral in there. Probably. Unless whatever had caused the ripples was more interesting, or he forgot.

It took some tracking to locate the source of the ripples - they'd all but died away by the time Dipper started to look, and there were enough echoes and distortions around the Pacific coast what with all the pockets of residual demonic energy that were still hanging around even a full millennium after he'd destroyed half the coastline, it was like California itself was holding a grudge - but eventually, Dipper managed to narrow down the epicentre to a few square miles.

And groaned, again.

He knew exactly where the ripple had started. Because, of course, right smack-dab in the middle of those few square miles was the town of Gravity Falls.

"How is it that, even after the entire world gets turned into a museum of the weird, this is still the weirdest place in it?" Dipper asked the town at large.

Gravity Falls, obviously, didn't answer, sitting innocuously quiet and cheerful in the summer sun.

A metaphysical tug pulled Dipper's attention away from the town before he could spend too much time staring at it and reflecting on one of the few secrets of the universe he still, for all his omniscience, hadn't managed to crack. Mira was calling, with apparently impeccable timing.

"What's up?" Dipper asked, popping into Mira's living room. Mira was beaming head to toe, wearing what looked like every petticoat she owned, and holding Ian's hand with the hand that wasn't waving a bag of candy-coated chocolate-covered peanuts. 

"Guess what? We're moving this wedding to Gravity Falls! Like, right now. As in we are eloping. Candy-coated peanuts in exchange for a little help getting there?" She gave the bag another wave.

Dipper looked from Mira, to Ian, and back to Mira again.

"You're kidding me, right?" he asked, finally.

Mira glanced over at Ian, both of their smiles slipping slightly.

"Oh no," she said, her voice dropping. "Now what?"

"Okay, I'm putting Niagara back on the table," Ian said. "The tourists aren't as bad after the summer season...or we could take the rebooking the Castle on the Hill offered us, and that'll give us time to find that shipment of bridesmaid dresses -"

"No," Mira said, not looking away from Dipper’s face. “What’s going on, Alcor? I thought you'd be happy we'd picked somewhere that was so important to you." Her voice was too sweet, her smile too tight. Dipper had to stuff down a shudder.

“I...actually don’t know yet,” he admitted. He scowled at the way Mira rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Hey, a random magic ripple came out of there not five minutes ago! The whole Mindscape’s still humming! And then you summon me up and want to go there? Something is weird here.”

Mira's eyes narrowed, and Dipper had to resist the sudden and almost overpowering urge to look over at Ian.

"Yeah, I'm actually with the literal demon on this one," Ian said, finally giving Dipper an excuse to turn in his direction. "No offence, but last time we got mixed up with mysterious forces beyond our comprehension..." He finished the sentence by waving one hand vaguely in the direction of his prosthetic eye.

Mira sucked in a long breath, her expression terrible, and then slowly let it out again.

"Can you find out what this magic ripple was?" she asked, her voice the particular kind of tight of a very angry person trying to be calm and rational.

"Probably, but it might take a little while," Dipper answered, honestly.

"Great. How about an overbooking at our venue? Can you fix that? And find my lost order of bridesmaid dresses? And while you're at it, do you want to finish our seating chart? Please bear in mind that I'm pretty sure one of Ian's relatives may actually drop dead if she gets startled or touched by a cool breeze, and that my sister is planning on bringing an actual baby Chinese Fireball as her plus one." Mira set the bag of candy-coated peanuts down on the couch behind her, ticking off things on her fingers as she listed them. "Oh, and we still need to sort out whether or not Grandmother is coming and whether or not she's bringing her boyfriend, and whether he's bringing his boyfriend, and get the rest of the invitees who haven't RSVP'd to get on that so we can get numbers and any food sensitivities to the caterer so that we know how much we're going to have to pay them so we can decide how much budget we have left for flowers -"

"All right, I get it!" Dipper interrupted, and Mira sucked in another long breath, this time less like she was trying to keep her patience and more like she was trying to catch her breath. "Seriously, I get it, this wedding planning stuff sounds like a nightmare. But can't you, I don't know, just go down the street to the JP and get it done this afternoon?"

Mira slowly sank down onto the couch, her pile of petticoats enveloping her and the bag of candy-coated peanuts.

"Yeah," she muttered, from somewhere within the cloud of tulle. "I guess so." Even if Dipper hadn't been able to see and feel the soggy concrete-coloured blanket that fell over her aura, the defeat was obvious in her voice.

Ian shot Dipper a helpless look, and Dipper winced in sympathy. 

"Look, give me twenty-four hours," Dipper finally said, making up his mind. "I'll figure out what's going on in Gravity Falls and whether or not it's safe for you guys to go up there. And if it's not, or if I can't..."

He sucked in a deep breath he didn't really need, feeling lungs he hadn't had a second before inflate. "Then I'll help you with your - ugh - seating chart."

...

Gravity Falls was nothing like Dipper remembered it, and yet, somehow, it was exactly the same.

Oh, on the surface it had changed a lot over the years. The forest had grown up, and been cut back; businesses and families had come and gone; a city had sprung up around the protective magical bubble surrounding the site of the world’s greatest magical disaster, and then withered away again as magic became more commonplace, its birthplace protected by a national park. Generations had come and gone, each leaving its small but significant mark. The statue of Nathaniel Northwest had been pulled down and replaced by, of all things, a buffalo.

But the UFO-shaped hole in the cliffs still loomed over the town, protectively cupped in its little hollow. The five-times-great-grandchildren of the Manotaurs Dipper had met on his and Mabel’s first summer there still roamed the mountainside, challenging unwary travellers to arm-wrestling competitions and antagonising the Multibear. The gnomes still migrated underground every winter, only to emerge, freshly energized and doubly annoying, every spring. Dinosaurs still slumbered, encased in ancient sap, beneath the townsfolk’s very feet. Something still lurked in the lake, dropping the occasional enormous tooth or eyelash to wash up on the shore. 

But more than anything, Gravity Falls had still somehow kept its sense of mystery. Dipper Pines had been a demon for a little over a millennium, now. He’d survived having his puny human skull cracked open and the whole universe crammed inside. He’d had a little more than a thousand years of experience of the world. He rarely, if ever, got infodumps anymore, because he’d grown into his near-omniscience, learned how to handle and harness it. Very little remained hidden from him anymore, and even less shocked him.

And yet, every time he arrived in Gravity Falls, it still felt like the first time. Like there was something bigger going on than even he knew, something hidden, like he was only glimpsing the very nearest curve of something impossibly vast and mostly buried. That same old, familiar thrill of stumbling over a mystery that had been hidden in plain sight all along.

And, even a full thousand years since magic had become mundane, Gravity Falls still kept its mysteries closely guarded.

Dipper popped into the Stanley Pines Memorial Library of the Supernatural first, in its airy, sleek new building at the edge of town. He’d lost track of how many new buildings the Library had had since it had finally had to be moved out of the crumbling Mystery Shack several centuries ago, but this one was still pretty new, less than a hundred years old. There were still a few people living in Gravity Falls who could trace their family history back to Willow Pines, but only one of them still worked at the Library, and none of them could still see Dipper if he didn’t want to be seen.

He concentrated for a moment on perfecting his ‘Tyrone Pines’ disguise before venturing out of the basement stacks, climbing the stairs and shooting the reference librarian on duty his most charming grin. Too late, he remembered to make sure his teeth were appropriately blunted. It hadn’t been fashionable to wear fangs for at least three decades. If he got caught out because of a fashion faux pas, Mira’d never let him live it down.

“Hey,” he said, strolling up to the reference desk as casually as he could. Did people still use ‘hey’ as a greeting? Dipper couldn’t remember. “How’s your afternoon going?”

The reference librarian smiled toothily at Dipper, and that was when he realised she was a hologram. He was talking to a customer service AI. Well, great. She probably wasn’t going to have the gossip he was really there for.

“It is a pleasant afternoon,” the AI agreed. “Is there some information I can help you look up? A book or resource you’re looking for?”

Dipper considered for a moment. “Is there any social media chatter about any recent, strange phenomena in Gravity Falls?” He thought about it for another moment, before adding, “Strange by Gravity Falls terms, that is. And - only within the last day.”

The reference librarian beamed, literally, the holopixels in her teeth emitting a fraction more light than before. Her expression went a little still for a moment, before she blinked and said, “Nope! If you’d like, I can expand your parameters and do another search.”

Dipper managed not to sigh. That was pretty much what he’d been expecting. “Sure, all right. Give me anything out of the ordinary in Gravity Falls in the last week.”

The reference librarian went still again, her smile glowing a perfect white. It glowed, and glowed, and glowed, until it got hard for Dipper to look at with his jelly-filled human eyeballs. The reference librarian blinked, and then blinked again, and again, the blinks speeding up until her eyes were a blur, her head beginning to twitch spasmodically back and forth - 

“Oh no no no,” a voice said from behind Dipper, and he stepped out of the way for the harried-looking young person who ran up and leaned over the desk, toggling a switch behind the desk back and forth. “What did you ask her?”

Feeling a little sheepish, Dipper said, “Uh, for anything out of the ordinary in Gravity Falls in the last week...?”

The young person fixed Dipper with a stare that clearly said they thought he was as stupid as he felt just then. “Well, that’d be why she overloaded, yep,” they said, hopping up and vaulting over the reference desk to land beside the frozen hologram, still flickering with glitch. They knelt down so that Dipper could only see the top of their head over the desk, shaved almost bald and with what looked like a metal mohawk glittering with tiny LEDs sticking out of it. “What were you doing asking for something like that?”

They must have pressed some button or crossed some wire, because the hologram jerked, the top of its head and the middle of its torso stretching away in opposite directions, turned abruptly into a tall, attractive man, then into a small bowl of petunias, and then vanished. The person with the metal mohawk re-emerged from behind the desk, breathing hard and not looking particularly impressed, to give Dipper a searching look. “You’re a new face around here.”

“Tyrone Pines,” Dipper said, extending a hand. Metal mohawk looked down at it like they were trying to work out whether it was likely to explode. Dipper tucked the hand back down at his side, feeling self-conscious. “Our instruments picked up an unusual surge of magic from somewhere in this area about half an hour ago, and I’m trying to figure out what might have caused it. Have you seen or heard about anything out of the ordinary for Gravity Falls occurring recently?”

Metal mohawk looked Dipper up and down. “You’re a little young to be a researcher, aren’t you?”

“Grad student,” Dipper lied. “And I’m older than I look.” At least that wasn’t a lie. “And I might be missing out on the opportunity of my academic career here, so...can you help me out?”

Metal mohawk gave Dipper another long, searching look before saying, “Don’t they still teach you guys how to effectively use search engines in undergrad? AI’s come a long way, but processing power still costs money, y’know.”

“I just didn’t think,” Dipper ground out, the tips of his manufactured ears burning. He barely resisted the urge to check and make sure they hadn’t gone pointy on him. “Figured she’d have a filter for Gravity Falls background weirdness radiation.”

Metal mohawk shook their head. “How would anyone ever decide what was significant and what was ‘background weirdness radiation’? In Gravity Falls? Do you want to try coding that nightmare?” They took a deep breath, visibly composing themselves, and ran a hand down one shaved side of their skull. “What you’re looking for, basically, is gossip. Am I right?”

“You’re not wrong,” Dipper admitted. 

“Sorry,” metal mohawk said, not sounding particularly sorry. “I’m not real big on gossip.” Their LEDs all flashed once, in unison, and they said, like they were just remembering, “I do know they’re just breaking ground up by the cliffs to put in one of those awful hovervator tour centres. With the glass floors? Maybe they dug something up, people are always finding weird buried crap around here.”

“By the cliffs?” Dipper asked, a sinking feeling burrowing into the pit of his stomach for no reason he could explain and making itself at home there.

“Yeah, just at the base there. Apparently it’s a great launch platform for the hovervator cars.” Metal mohawk’s face split in a vicious smile. “Wonder what they’ve decided to do about the wonky magnetic fields up there, though. Last I heard, the company the state hired to put the thing in was six weeks behind schedule trying to figure out how to get the cars out over the valley without them falling out of the sky.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Dipper said, thinking of the UFO buried in the middle of the valley with a shudder.

Metal mohawk shrugged one shoulder. “Well, maybe if they did dig up something of magical significance, they’ll have to abandon the project, or move it somewhere else. Anything that might be part of the world’s magical heritage is super protected as part of the park, you know.” They paused, pointing one finger at Dipper. He noticed, vaguely, that their nails were all painted silver - or maybe covered in some kind of silvertoned metal plating. “Which means you and your prof are going to need alllllll kinds of clearance and paperwork if you want to remove anything for study. Don’t go getting any big ideas.”

“Definitely won’t,” Dipper agreed, with a nod. “Thanks, I think I’ll head up that way and check it out.”

“Don’t mention it,” metal mohawk said. “Oh, and if you ever short-circuit my reference librarian like this again, I’m going to personally find you and make you reboot her yourself.”

...

Dipper stepped out of the Library, and took a long, deep breath. The air seemed somehow fresher here, less tainted with smog than New California and faintly scented with pine and petrichor. Somewhere off in the trees, there was a warbling of birdsong and the firecracker rat-tat-tat of a woodpecker. The sun beamed down hot and crystal-bright, warming Dipper's fleshsack from the outside in.

He'd really forgotten what it was like to be physical - not just present in the physical plane, but inhabiting a body, tailor-made to his specifications, for no other reason than to be in a body. It was...nice. Maybe just in small ways, but they were small ways he definitely hadn't appreciated enough when he'd had a meat body full-time. Dipper wondered, vaguely, whether he'd be in town long enough to justify getting a meal. A memory of Greasy's pancake stacks drifted to the surface of his thoughts, and Dipper gave himself a moment to mourn for things lost to the passage of time. Say what you liked about the rest of the food at Greasy's Diner, they'd made really good pancakes.

It was a nice day, Dipper decided, at last. He hadn't taken the time to human properly in...a while. He didn't want to get out of practice and forget how. The hike up to the cliffs would be just the thing to enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine, and the hike back would be just the thing to work up an appetite.

He managed to get to the other side of town before giving up and teleporting himself up to the foot of the cliffs. That was another thing he'd forgotten about flesh bodies - how quickly they wore out.

"How does anyone get anything done with these noodle limbs?" Dipper complained to no one in particular as he rematerialized, just on the inside of a fence made of bright orange plastic netting.

"Hey! You! This is a private work site!" 

Dipper looked up, to see a woman built like a bear crossed with a monster truck bearing down on him, her expression thunderous under her scuffed yellow hard hat. "How'd you get in here? Where's your PPE?" she demanded, pulling to an abrupt stop only inches away from Dipper.

Dipper gulped nervously, and a bright orange hard hat popped into existence on his head.

The woman's eyes flicked up to it, and narrowed. "Damn wizards," she grumbled, turning away from Dipper. "Bet you dollars to donuts that thing's not up to international standards. Or rated for heavy construction." She started to walk away, turning and spinning when she realised Dipper wasn't behind her. "Well? It's this way."

Dipper weighed his options for a moment, and then followed her.

"We'll just need you to sign off that it's a natural formation, that it's nothing to do with the Transcendence," the woman said, as she led Dipper through torn-up dirt and between flags planted in the exposed earth, ducking under the extended arm of an enormous earthmover. "Damn national parks, damn Preservation of Magical Heritage act - this is, without a doubt, the most godawful jobsite I've ever worked on, and that's saying something."

"Is it, though?" Dipper asked. "Like, really?"

The woman snorted.

"Maybe in your line of work, it's normal for the trees to get up and start wandering around." She slowed, and then stopped, in front of a dark, gaping hole half-buried in the ground, half-sunk into the cliff face. "Well, here we are. A hole in a rock. You gonna sign off on this for me, or d'you wanna try to argue that it's somehow magically significant?"

Dipper walked closer to the cave, and then stopped.

Even before he could see anything, he felt it. That deep, constant thrumming, that minor note in the chord of the world - whatever it was, it was coming from somewhere inside the black hole before him. A breath of cold, stale air wafted out of it, smelling of dry earth and ages, and Dipper had to fight down the crawling feeling that the cave was breathing.

Dipper coughed, suddenly stricken by the overwhelming sensation that he was suffocating.

"I'll - I'll need to take a closer look," he managed, between coughs.

Beside him, the woman let out a heavy sigh. "We'll have to get some people in there to shore it up, make sure it doesn't collapse -"

"No, no," Dipper interrupted. "I'm a...wizard. It's fine."

The woman gave him a skeptical look, but she didn't push him.

Dipper conjured up a handful of soft white light with a thought, raising it over his head as he ventured closer to the cave. The light illuminated only a foot or so of the rock lining the walls, a sloped floor worn smooth leading down into the impenetrable dark. The feeling, the magic, whatever it was, pressed around and against Dipper like quicksand, flowing sluggishly but bleeding into everything until it was nearly impossible to move, to breathe. Dipper could feel his aura prickling on contact with the strange magic, bristling protectively around him.

"There's...definitely something magic here," he said, and the woman groaned, pinching her nose between thumb and forefinger. "I'm just not sure what it is, yet."

"Well, get in there and find out!" the woman snapped. Dipper raised both hands placatingly, and started forward into the dark.

The cave mouth led into a long, winding tunnel, carved into the rock of the cliffs. It looked ancient. It felt ancient. It smelled ancient, the earthy smell of the living rock around him clashing with the musty, stale smell of unused attics and basements, museum display cases, old sealed trunks full of relics from a great-great-something-or-other. This place wasn't related to the Transcendence, Dipper was sure, and he only got more sure the farther he ventured in, leaving daylight and the fresh air and the woman behind. It was much, much older than that.

It also reeked of magic, that slow, sliding, suffocating flood of primordial power that had assaulted Dipper back on the surface. The deeper he went into the cave, the more it seemed to resist him, like he was wading through molasses with every step.

But that wasn't all. The deeper he went, the more that magic started to feel...familiar. And not just the magic. Something like déjà vu washed over him as he turned around a bend, and his handful of light illuminated a natural doorway, the tunnel widening out into a larger chamber in the rock. The chamber beyond was still in shadow, Dipper's light not quite strong enough to reach its far walls, but that didn't matter. The magic surrounding him pressed on him like a physical force, but that wasn't what stopped Dipper in his tracks.

He knew what he'd find once he passed through that doorway. Knew it just as surely as he could feel its magic pushing against him.

Saw it as clearly as he could see the red markings on the cave walls.

...

In general, Ian didn't mind waiting.

Anything you cared about was, after all, worth getting right. And getting things right took time. So sometimes you didn't get what you wanted right away. So what? Still, eventually, you got what you wanted. No, so long as what he was waiting for was something good, Ian didn't mind a bit of a wait.

What he did mind was being helpless. 

There wasn't anything he could do about whatever was going on in Gravity Falls. And sitting and worrying about whether the idea to visit there had truly been his, or if there were other, sinister forces at play, really, really wasn't the way he wanted to spend the rest of his day. It was ironic, really. He'd been trying to get Alcor off his back for nearly a month, but now that the demon was actually gone, all Ian wanted was for him to hurry up and get back.

He was idly doodling on his tablet screen, having given up on actually trying to do productive work on MtM or on his vows (why was it so impossibly difficult to find the right words to say 'I love you and I literally put my eye out for you, I'm in this for the long haul'?), when Alcor blipped into existence in the middle of the living room. His face was twisted, like he'd smelled something bad, and Ian looked down at his tablet again, only to see he'd covered the entire screen in triangles of all shapes and sizes. Groaning, he closed the file without saving, putting the tablet aside.

"So what's the damage?" he asked Alcor, who gave a little shudder before answering.

"Well, the good news is that it's nothing new," he said, with a wince, and Ian braced himself for the bad news. "Actually, it's really old. They're putting a new tourist attraction in by the cliffs and the excavation opened up a cave that was used for some kind of rituals by Gravity Falls' native people before the Transcendence." 

"Okay," Mira said slowly, and Ian could tell that, like him, she was trying to figure out what the bad news was. "That doesn't sound so bad -"

"They were rituals to summon Bill Cipher."

Ian groaned, and pressed a hand over his prosthetic eye, dragging it slowly down his face.

"And to banish him," Alcor pushed on, relentless. "He used to have a cult there, but it looks like they wised up to what he was up to when he tried to get them to open him a portal into our world from his Nightmare Realm. Nobody's used that cave or those rituals for something like a thousand and thirty years. I think the leftover magic just got disturbed when it was unsealed."

"So what does that mean for us?" Mira said, a little too sharply. Alcor shrugged one shoulder in a surprisingly human gesture.

"It might just be a coincidence. Or you might've subconsciously picked up on the residual energy from the summoning rituals. Either way, it's...probably not a trap." Alcor shifted uncomfortably in midair, his wings twitching.

"But you think it is anyway," Mira said, thankfully voicing Ian's thoughts for him. He shot her a grateful smile, but she didn't turn to look in his direction, her gaze still fixed on Alcor.

Alcor's wings gave a nervous flutter.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for you guys to go up there," he said. "I mean, residual magic's still magic. And Bill was smart, and tricky -"

"We're going."

The words seemed to fall out of Ian's mouth without his having to push them. Adrenaline made the tips of his fingers a little numb, his lips clumsy, but the words came out crystal clear. Alcor turned to look at him, and so did Mira, a flicker of fear flashing across her eyes for a second before resolve replaced it.

"Are you sure?" Alcor started, and Mira cut him off, pressing a hand against his chest when he started to drift towards the couch.

"If Ian's okay with it, then yes. Let's get this show on the road!" Her bright, cheerful tone sounded strained, but Alcor didn't seem to notice, watching Ian carefully instead.

"Look, it's not that I don't trust you, but even the big cat enclosure at the zoo is relatively safe unless you walk into it wearing a dress made out of raw meat," Alcor said. "I'll help you guys sort out this wedding stuff, but why don't you postpone the Gravity Falls trip until this thing is safely buried under a couple thousand tons of concrete and steel?"

"No," Ian said, pushing himself up off the couch despite the fact that he couldn't properly feel his legs. "I'm sick and tired of letting a dead guy run my life. I'm done being scared of Bill Cipher." He folded his arms over his chest, staring Alcor down.

"And I'm sick and tired of whatever's been sabotaging this wedding," Mira agreed, with a pointed glance in Alcor's direction, which the demon didn't even seem to notice. "This day's going to be special, and we're going to have it right away before anything else can go wrong and get in our way!"

A whole variety of expressions flashed across Alcor's face, so fast that Ian would've given each of them their own frame if he'd been animating the scene.

"Fine," Alcor said. "It's up to you guys. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Never do," Mira said flippantly, flouncing away down the hall. "Ian, come help me pick out something to wear. We're getting married!"

...

The forest has no sense of time. Trees sprout, grow, die. New trees take their place. Fire kills and cleanses. Animals come and go. The forest goes on.

And the forest remembers.

Deep within the woods of Gravity Falls, something that had slumbered for centuries stirred. It did not have a name. Something had given it one, once, but that was a very long time ago and it was forgotten now. It did not matter. The forest went on. 

And the forest remembered.

It remembered fire, not cleansing but destroying, decimating. It remembered change, transformation, terror, agony.

It remembered the one who tried to bring the end of the forest.

Deep within the woods of Gravity Falls, something that had slumbered for centuries raised its antlered head, and sniffed the air. Caught the scent of destruction on the wind.

[ruffsficstuffplace]

And The AWRD Goes To (Part 64)

Note: Lyrics originally by kran* at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov5IyW-O6bg and Will Stetson at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QsjrS_xxpI, used without permission and modified by me.

The current version here used is shortened, and relies on a remix of the track I made in my head. Sadly no accurate backing music to that.

9:30 PM, the Professional bracket of the Moonlight Serenade began in earnest.

Crews rushed in and assembled their sets and props in Devalekha’s famous revolving stage. The contestants, their crews, and their supporting members packed the dressing rooms full, if they didn’t have trailers of their own. The hosts smiled as they subjected the audience to enough noise and spectacle to drown out the sounds of frantic construction, and roar of the stage’s complex machinery just behind the curtains.

The seats were packed full with people, from the luxury boxes filled with wealthy individuals, talent scouts, and many of the sponsors for the contestants; the rows upon rows of benches reserved for the rest of the paying audience members; and especially those standing around on the fringes, trying to find the vantage point to escape the crush, or just watch the show, live on the stage or through any of the giant screens attached to the sides of patrolling airships.

And of course, the fans and supporters were out in full force. Whether they were packed together in matching colours like armies, or spread out in small handfuls all over the area, they were all armed with banners, posters, and words to be shouted at the top of their lungs, to their favoured contestant, or to anyone who dared voice the opinion that they might be flawed, or worse yet, inferior in comparison to a different performer that night.

“MARU FOR LIFE!” some random fan dressed in purple cried, their companions chiming in too.

“MIRA IS BETTER!” came from the group opposite them, all dressed in orange instead.

Just beside the two warring groups, the older Schnees, Taiyang, and Zwei did their best to ignore them, but their increasingly passionate arguments began to drown out the background music and the words of the hosts.

A minute in, Freya snapped. “Will you all SHUT THE FUCK UP?!” she yelled as she sat atop Nick’s shoulders. “I’m here to watch the show, not bear witness to your senseless bickering!”

“Piss off, lady, this isn’t your fight!” someone from the Orange team cried.

“Yeah, shut up, this is none of your business!” someone from the Purple team added.

Freya’s ears pulled back, her tail stiffened, and her hands balled into fists. “And if you both annoy me enough that I make it my business...?” she growled.

“Yeah, what’re you going to do, call the cops on us?” someone from Orange taunted.

Freya smiled.

“Freya...” Nick said quietly, but it was too late.

A monstrous screech filled the air, the crowds started to panic and whip their heads about, screaming as they saw a giant, slate blue nevermore’s head sticking out of a glyph. It threateningly snapped its beak a few times, glared evilly at the Orange and Purple teams, but did nothing more.

Almost immediately, a police patrol airship was hovering over them, its spotlights shining down on the them. “Break it up, break it up!” said a voice over a megaphone. “And get rid of that Grimm!”

The nevermore turned to Freya, she nodded, and it obediently faded away into slate blue mist. The two teams began to split apart in retreat, the other people in the crowd rushing in to fill the space.

“Thank you for cooperating, and please do not harass, threaten, and/or use violence and semblances on your fellow audience members, or otherwise disrupt the event,” said the officer on the megaphone. “We would like to remind you that it is illegal to do so, and we have the right to immediately eject you from the premises, and pursue further legal action, if necessary.”

The ship left to patrol other areas, the wedge driven between the two groups seemed too large for them to argue anymore. Freya smiled, and said, “Much better.”

“That was a little excessive, don’t you think?” Taiyang asked.

“Yes, yes it was, Mr. Xiao-Long, but mark my words: no one and nothing is going to ruin my granddaughter’s performance tonight, and my enjoyment of it.” Freya replied. “It was already insidiously sabotaged once, I will not stand idly by and let it happen a second time.”

“Oh, come on, Grandma! You can’t honestly still believe that after all these years?” Winter asked.

Snowie gently nudged her in the side, and said, “Just let it go, baby.”

Winter sighed heavily, and did.

Elsewhere, Weiss and Aqua were in the communal dressing room, sitting at one of the many vanity tables. They were a patch of relative calm in the sea of chaos and busy work, Aqua doing little more than retouching the make-up Weiss already had on, and adding some extra decorative markings and putting on ornate jewelry that would have looked off outside of the stage.

“You nervous?” Aqua asked as she dipped her brush back into the bottle.

“A little.” Weiss replied.

“Well you shouldn’t be,” Aqua said as she let the excess drip off, before she resumed her work. “You’re going to absolutely kill it out there, and that’ll just be with your singing.”

Weiss smiled slightly. “You sound so confident...”

“Because I know just how good you are, Weiss,” Aqua said, smiling as she made one last careful stroke. “There, all done. What do you think?”

“I’m absolutely terrified of sweating, touching my face, or otherwise marring all this wonderful work,” Weiss replied calmly. “Thank you, Aqua.”

Aqua laughed, before her expression turned serious. “Can I confess something to you, Weiss? It’s not recent, just… really long overdue.”

“Uh, sure… what is it?” Weiss asked.

“I was really intimidated and worried about losing to you, the first time you competed here,” Aqua started. “Topaz wasn’t that worried when she did some oppo research and those videos of you performing at Hoshiko and Sanctum popped, but I could just tell you had It—stage presence, appearance, and a talent honed to razor-sharpness. So when I sidled up to you on the night, chatted you up, and saw how flustered you were getting…

“I went full on Sun Tzu, and I am really sorry I did, however little that probably means by now.”

Weiss nodded slowly. “Was the relationship after that some kind of insurance that I’d never compete again?” she asked half-jokingly.

Aqua smiled. “Nah. That was because I find out your cuteness wasn’t all skin deep afterward.” She sighed, and looked down. “You deserved so much better than me, Weiss… better than how I treated you, better than how it all ended...”

Weiss gently put a hand on Aqua’s arm. “Let’s not dwell on the past, Aqua—especially not when we’ve got a show to put on so soon,” she said, smiling.

Aqua looked up and slowly smiled back. “Yeah, you’re right… break a leg out there, Weiss.”

Outside, at the staging grounds, all the construction crews were getting ready, clearing paths for wheeling their equipment, props, and sets in and out; stretching and re-energizing themselves with snacks and stimulants; and running through plans and assignments all over again, just in case.

“Man, that cannon looks big enough to fire someone out of it!” Amanda said as she helped unload the contents of a Bunyan Logging Co. van. “I wonder if they’ll let me borrow it after the show...”

“Most probably not, and I politely ask that you put a stop to any other burgeoning plans involving it,” Diana said as she stood nearby with a clipboard in hand. “Whatever they are going to do with that, it will be a stunt that the inspectors have deemed safe and sane, and I am quite certain that whatever you are planning to do with it won’t be.”

Amanda scowled as she hauled a bundle of prop tools on her shoulder. “You’re no fun, Diana.”

“Well forgive me for thinking of the success of our show, and by consequence, the size of your paycheck once all of this is said and done,” Diana replied calmly. “It will not help our already risky plan in the slightest if any sort of untoward incident garners the wrong sort of attention to ourselves, and thus, the Bakunawa.”

“Alright, alright, no making after-gig plans, sheesh!” Amanda said, before she deposited the tools before Constanze, Akko, and a squad of training dummies.

“You excited to perform for real, Amanda?” Akko asked as she picked up a rake, and put it in a dummy’s hands.

“Hell yeah I am!” Amanda cried as she did the same with a scythe. “Not looking forward to having to stand around here with nothing to do till they let us out at 11:30, though. My cut better be higher than what Jaune got me to agree to way back when, or I am not going to be happy.”

“It’s not that long of a wait,” Akko said as she grabbed a pickaxe.

“It is when the only thing I’ll be able to do is walk around, twiddle my thumbs, or try to chat someone up!” Amanda replied as she kicked up a wooden mallet to her hands. “It’s fucking bullshit they won’t let us use our scrolls for anything other than emergency calls, man.”

“If it helps stop people from sabotaging the other contestants like they did in other years, I can’t really argue against it,” Akko said. “Maybe you should just pretend you’re on wild watch.”

“And here I am, the huntress who did everything she could to get out of wild watch...” Amanda grumbled as she rested the bulky head across a dummy’s shoulder. “Honestly, who’d willingly sign up for a job where you stand around in a tower for hours to days at a time, constantly watching and waiting for something to MAYBE happen…?”

Far and away from the lights and hubbub of the Tsukimi Festival, a few miles out from the city’s borders, Qrow stood alone in a wild watch tower, binoculars in one hand, the other hovering near a large bottle of alcohol with marker notches all over its side.

What was normally a relatively quiet patch of mountain wilderness was alive with the sounds of Grimm driven berserk by the moonlight, the wanton destruction they were causing, and the cries of animals that weren’t given the mercy of swift death. Your average army lookout or Grimm hunter would likely be hyper aware of every last noise as they cowered in a corner with weapon in hand, but Qrow had long tuned it all out, the area effectively dead-silent.

He was just about to take another measured sip of his drink when he heard it: a mechanical noise like a flying machine’s rotors, screeching and whirring like something particularly awful had gotten sucked into the turbines.

It only lasted for a second, but a second was all Qrow needed to whip his binoculars in the direction he’d heard it, tag the location on his scroll’s map, before he pulled it up. “Tower 7 to Central, Tower 7 to Central, come in, Central, over!” he barked.

“Central to 7, what is it, over?”

“Suspicious noise in the immediate vicinity, sounded mechanical, definitely not supposed to be around here tonight. Requesting permission to investigate, over.”

“Permission denied, 7, over.”

Qrow blinked. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. This is the first interesting thing that’s happened all night!”

“Not to us, 7. We’re stretched paper thin and just got ripped into even littler pieces with similar disturbances reported in the other areas; we need you to stay up there, and maintain your bird’s eye view until some of them start to report what they’ve found, and/or confirm they have returned to their posts, so remain in position and proceed as usual, 7, over.”

“...”

“Do you copy, 7, over?”

“Roger wilco, Central, 7 out.” Qrow said, before he sighed, put his scroll down, and picked his bottle back up. “Isn’t that just my luck…?” he muttered, before he took a long drink of it, ignoring the notches completely.

9:44, back at Devalekha Terrace, Luna Nova’s performance had been completely set-up. The Bunyan workers, Woody, and the Timber Wolves fled the area, everyone else got into their positions, be they human, Faunus, or a creature of aura.

In the center, Diana and Whitley wiped the sweat off Weiss’ face before it could start to ruin her make-up, the glow surrounding Akko and Ruby faded as they stopped channeling their aura into her. They each wished her “Break a leg.” or gave her reassuring looks, before the warning lights began to flash, the safety siren whined, and they hurried to their places.

The stage revolved once more, their section now faced the audience. The inner set of curtains whizzed by behind Weiss and obscured the set and the others, the outer set parted slowly, keeping Weiss from getting blinded by the bright studio lights beaming down on her.

“… And here she is, returning to the Moonlight Serenade after her debut four years earlier, contestant number #2, Weiss Schnee!” the hosts on-stage said, before they ran through the gamut of introductions, small talk, and of course, the ad spot for the Bakunawa.

“I hope to see you all again there later!” Weiss said flirtatiously, before she winked at the audience.

She did not have quite the same effect as Aqua had with her audiences in years past, but there was no time to worry about that, as the lights changed, the inner curtains rolled back, and the show began.

The music was upbeat and fast, the choreography just as energetic; Weiss danced across the stage, the background rapidly shifting and changing as she passed them by:

A beautiful mountaintop palace on the highest peaks of Mistral; the busy and bustling streets of a marketplace in the lower levels; to the rolling fields, thriving seas, and dust mines that fed the kingdom and its industries.

The dummies and the others mimed the daily lives of the people:

Aristocrats and royalty strolling through the gardens and enjoying the beauty; the common folk going about their business, creating art, and sometimes even fighting; and the workers toiling away, loading carts full of food, raw materials, and especially dust and jewels.

Whatever the scene, it was colourful, lively, and bright, cherry blossoms petals floating down all over the stage… and then, the “sky” grew black and thick with smoke and fire, everything was cast everything in dark, gloomy tones as the cherry blossom petals burned up and turned to ash.

With a bold and sudden calling, Northern Revolution's starting Steel your hearts, prepare yourselves, the Great Storm is coming Riding on their beasts of metal, ash and ruins left in their wake Drawing evil spirits like moths to the flame

Mantle soldiers started to charge in, bringing guns and war machines. People were shackled and herded off, instruments, brushes, and art pieces were torn out of hands or destroyed outright, those that resisted or tried to fight back were shot with impunity.

Weiss found herself in the thick of the horrors, dodging and weaving through the crossfire and the explosions.

On the great roads, soaring through the skies, let us move forward, don't look behind. Boys and girls bear blood of the samurai And the pride of their lives gone by.

Bandits and Grimm joined in the mess, Weiss managed to flee back to the palace, where inhabitants remained untouched, as happy and carefree as earlier, even with the Mantle soldiers and war machines surrounding them. With the brief pause in the music, Weiss put on expressions of confusion, horror, then rage; and as the chorus began, so did her plan.

Thousands of cherry blossoms dwindling in the light Though I can't hear your voice, keep what I say in mind - This bouquet that surrounds is iron poison, see, Looking down at us from that big guillotine

With deft acrobatics and graceful movements, evaded the guards and into a new location: a “vault” full of weapons and treasures, the Shiny Rod in the center. She spirited it away, out of the palace, guards chasing her through the market’s streets, to the fields and right into a Grimm attack on dust miners, handing the weapon to the first person she saw:

Akko.

Darkness has just engulfed the universe we know The lament that you sing can't reach ears anymore We are still far away from reaching clear blue skies Go ahead, keep fighting, ignite the light of hope!

Akko raised the Shiny Rod and a fake dust crystal, a bright flash “vanquished” some of the Grimm. The tide began to turn, more fighting, “gunfire,” and explosions rocked the stage as the Mantle soldiers came in.

Veterans who've trained through struggles are now officers in battle Here and there, we see the harlots in procession This one, that one, doesn't matter, every single person gathers March on to our saintly deaths now! One, two, san, shi!

The common folk fell quickly, but more came to replace them. The Mantle soldiers sent in reinforcements and even cannons, but even those didn’t help them as the bandits and thugs came in, clearly on the people’s side as they stabbed the soldiers in the back and joined the mob.

Passing through the gates on the mountain peaks, Escaping this world, kill all the evil fiends Surely this will end in a denouement Among the crowds giving their applause

They stormed the palace, the guards there and the royals stood no chance. The mob tore through them, Akko leading the charge with Weiss, till they reached the top of the “mountain,” victorious. The others raised their arms and cheered.

And then, the Grimm returned in full force.

Thousands of cherry blossoms dwindling in the light Once your song can be heard, we'll dance with all our might! We are still far away from reaching peaks of hope Go ahead, keep fighting, use your shining bolt!

It was chaos all over again, the Grimm fighting their way up the mountain, making short work of the helmeted, faceless training dummies as the living actors put up a fight, but slowly got pushed back up the “mountain” and to the peak.

Akko raised the Shiny Rod, another bright flash exploded all throughout the stage and pushed the Grimm back, the colour and life began to return to the set as they all “vanquished” the horde.

Darkness has just engulfed the universe we know The lament that you sing can't reach ears anymore We are still far away from reaching peaks of hope Go ahead, keep fighting , spread your wings and fly!

The remaining Grimm bowed and cowered at the base of the “palace,” the dummies and the living actors stood proud with their arms raised on the steps leading up, Akko and Weiss stood proudly at the top, holding the Shiny Rod between them as a storm of cherry blossoms rained down upon them again.

And it was then that the real Grimm attacked.

Nevermores flew in en masse, turning the brilliant night sky black from sheer numbers. The music and the audio cut off as emergency sirens and announcements blared in their place. Audience members screamed and started to run as the largest of them all swooped in, ugly, jagged scars and burn marks all over its body.

It blew past the patrol ships and obstacles in its way like paper, broke through the ceiling of the stage, and ripped it off completely as it fled, Weiss and the Shiny Rod in its talons.

Note: God I hate modifying song lyrics, but it was incredibly important for this chapter. Almost all of Weiss important character developments come in song form, after all.

P.S. I just could not get the stanzas to format properly.

[553butterfly553]

Lightning Dragon Slayer Love - Laxus x OC 18

Proposal

As soon as they got back to the guildhall, they split up into groups. Everyone else but Eclipse, Serenity and Adryn went to go get drunk. Freed returned to the other members of the Thunder Legion with Laxus. While Nova headed to the bar to chat with Mirajane and get drunk alone. Eclipse, Adryn, and Serenity went to a table away from the drunks and loud mouths to color. However, everything seemed normal, until a couple of hours later. Everyone was mostly drunk, but not too drunk, except Nova. She was drinking as if to forget everything that she's gone through. That led her to be sloppy drunk and stumbling around. Eventually, though, she made her way to the table where Eclipse, Adryn, and Serenity were seated. “Nova? Are you alri-” Adryn was cut off by Nova throwing herself onto Adryn. It was a shock, but more so was when they realized that Nova was sobbing as she clung to Adryn. “Nova?” “I love you!” Nova wailed as she shook Adryn violently. Hearing Nova, a few people looked over to them. One of those people was Laxus. He stopped his drinking with the Thunder Legion to turn to look at Adryn and the scene going on around her. “Nova? Are you alright?” Eclipse questioned her sister with a lot of worry. “I don't want to leave you!” Nova cried out as she held tighter to Adryn and continued her shaking. “Nova, you need to let me go. You're creating a scene. People are looking.” Adryn muttered as she tried to push the lilac-haired girl off of her. However, before she could do too much, Laxus walked over and pulled Nova off of Adryn forcefully. “Stay off of Adryn,” Laxus told the girl who was then thrown on the floor. Nova got up immediately and began yelling at Laxus. “You don't deserve Adryn! I had her first!” Nova yelled at the man. Laxus was a little taken aback at the girl's yelling. “Adryn made her choice already.” Laxus simply stated as he glared down at the girl. “So what?! We should fight to show which of us is strong enough to be with Adryn!” “Alright,” Laxus smirked at Nova, much to Adryn's dismay. “Wait, you two need to stop this! You're both drunk and could really hurt someone or break something!” Eclipse got up instantly and tried to get in between the two who were about to fight. However, before she could, Nova lunged at Laxus. Everyone in the guildhall turned to look at the two who were now in an altercation. However, things ended quickly with one blow from Laxus. The man sent a powerful blast of lightning towards the lilac-haired girl. In return, Nova went flying backward and crashed into the wall. “Nova!” Both Adryn and Eclipse cried out in horror. They watched as she slumped to the ground, unconscious. “Laxus! Why would you do that!? You know she was out of her mind drunk!” Adryn scolded her lover as she watched Eclipse run to her sister's side. “I just didn't want there to be any chance of losing to her, and losing you in return.” Laxus simply stated as he looked to the girl. “You're an idiot, Laxus. No matter who won, I would not be Nova's. I swore I was yours.” Adryn was now glaring up at her lover, who turned away from her. There was a slight pout on his face. Adryn turned to look at Nova, who was now being carried off by Eclipse. Adryn then turned back to Laxus, who was now seated at the table where Serenity still was. She was still coloring, ignoring the things going on around her. “Mother, father is upset.” Serenity muttered as she looked up for a moment, then continued coloring. “I know...” Adryn then moved to Laxus' side and wrapped her arms around him. “Come on, Laxus. I didn't mean to yell at you.” Laxus turned his head away from Adryn. So, the girl leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I love you,” Adryn whispered to the pouting man. Laxus then turned back to Adryn and smirked at her. “Oh? You aren't pouting anymore?” “I wasn't pouting,” Laxus mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Adryn. He pulled her closer to him and then kissed her. He then paused and pulled away from her. He looked around at everyone who was looking at them. It looked like they were shocked, as Laxus had never seemed so soft around them like that before. “We should probably head home.” Adryn laughed as she realized Laxus was a little too drunk and now that they were the main focus of the room, he would probably be uncomfortable. “We really need to go home, before you do something you'll regret.” “There is nothing I could do to make me regret anything as long as you're by my side.” Laxus then smirked at Adryn. “We could even get married right now to prove that I won't regret anything in the morning.” “You better be joking about that. You won't remember any of this in the morning. I'm pretty sure you would want to remember your wedding.” “Even so, I want to marry you, as soon as possible.” “Wait, what?” Adryn was shocked as the two of them hadn't really spoken about marriage before. Especially not since she'd become Adryn again. However, Adryn shook off the shock and muttered her next thought. “You can't propose without a ring, Laxus.” To her words, Laxus reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. “What is that?” Everyone in the room then froze at the sight of the box. “Marry me.” Laxus' voice was so clear for a moment. Before Adryn could respond, Laxus opened the box and showed the ring to Adryn. She couldn't help but gasp at its beauty. The ring was a black band with a huge emerald heart in the middle with a bunch of little blue sapphires surrounding it on either side of the heart. Adryn's knees began to shake and she had to hold onto Laxus to keep herself standing. Tears began to form in her eyes. “How long have you had this ring?” “I've had it... ever since the first month of us dating. Even before you moved in with me.” Laxus responded simply. That caused Adryn to fight more tears. She took a deep breath and smiled at Laxus. “Alright. Listen Laxus, I'll marry you but I won't put the ring on yet. I'll put it on when you're sober.” To Adryn's words, everyone began to cheer and clap for the couple. Laxus and Adryn ignored them and pulled each other into an embrace. They then kissed and separated. “I'll ask Mira if she can watch Serenity again, then, we'll go home.” “Alright.” Laxus agreed as he released Adryn from his grasp. The redhead hurried to Mirajane to ask her the question. After Mirajane agreed to watch the little girl, they said goodnight to everyone and Laxus and Adryn headed home. The girl had to have Laxus lean against her as they walked due to how drunk he'd gotten. So, that led to the couple stumbling through the streets to Laxus' original apartment, since they hadn't gotten the other apartment ready yet. “Laxus, get into bed,” Adryn told the large man as soon as they got to their bedroom. Laxus just nodded his head and climbed into bed, however, before Adryn could cover him up, he pulled her into bed with him. “Laxus?” “Stay,” Laxus muttered quietly as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Adryn was left unsure of things since he wasn't usually like this. However, she was too caught up in being in his arms to worry about it too much. The last thought Adryn had that night was that she hoped Laxus would remember everything in the morning. ~ The next morning, Adryn woke up not in Laxus' arms. He was faced away from her and still sleeping. Seeing him sleeping so peacefully brought a smile to Adryn's face. She then figured that Laxus wouldn't feel too good once he woke up, so Adryn decided to get up and make him breakfast. About a half-hour later, Laxus woke up in bed alone. He wasn't sure how he got home, as he had no memory of the night before. He just hoped that he hadn't done anything to upset Adryn. However, he could smell food cooking, so he left the bedroom. He walked into the living room and looked into the kitchen to see Adryn, only for the entire previous night to come rushing back to him. “I'm sorry I was so drunk last night.” Laxus' words startled Adryn causing her to turn around quickly. She then processed his words and began to chuckle at him. “It's alright. You were cute. Do you remember everything?” Adryn responded as she turned back to the cooking food. “I do.” Laxus then walked to his coat and pulled out the ring box. “I'm sober now, put the ring on.” “Of course.” Adryn turned back to Laxus to let him put the ring on her finger. She then motioned for him to sit down so she could finish up the food. So, Laxus kissed her and went to go sit down and watch her finish the food. As the girl continued to cook, she couldn't help but smile the entire time. After another few minutes, the food was done and sitting on the table. Laxus and Adryn immediately began to eat and as they ate, they chatted about their plans for the day. They eventually came to the conclusion that they would go to the guildhall and recruit their friends to help them pack up. So, once they ate, they got ready for the day. Once they were ready, they walked to the guildhall. Once there, Mirajane approached them as soon as they walked through the doors. “So, did you remember everything? Are you two officially engaged?” Mirajane questioned, causing the others around them to stop talking and turn around to look at the couple. “Yes. To both those questions.” Adryn responded with a smile on her face. Instantly, there were cheers and congratulations from the members of the guild. They all then went back to their own things as the couple and Mirajane walked split apart. Mirajane went back tot he bar, while Laxus and Adryn went off to the Thunder Legion. “Congratulations, both of you.” Freed smiled as he spoke to them. “It's about time! It took you two forever to get to this point!” Evergreen commented with a smirk on her face. Adryn wanted to retort, but Bickslow interrupted her thoughts. “The wedding better be soon. Before anything else happens to you two.”

Bickslow's remark was followed by his babies repeating, “Happens to you!” a few times. “Bickslow!” Evergreen and Freed scolded their friend, but Laxus and Adryn just smiled at them. “We haven't talked about the wedding yet. We literally just got officially engaged this morning.” Laxus grumbled as Adryn just chuckled at him. “So, can you three help out with the packing process? We could really use the help.” Adryn questioned to her friends. They instantly all agreed and stood up from the table. “It may take all day, so we should head out now,” Freed suggested causing Laxus to agree immediately. “Let's go.” Laxus then turned around and began to leave. Adryn, Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow(and his babies) all hurried to catch up with the tall man. They first headed to get boxes and then they made their way to Laxus' apartment. “Adryn and I will take the bedroom.” Laxus then headed to the bedroom with Adryn following him. So the packing began. Adryn began to pack her clothes and realized that she had pretty much the same outfit over and over again. She wore that she'd go shopping and get some new outfits eventually. Laxus' packing was a lot less neat than Adryn's was. So, she had to go through his stuff and fold it the correct way and put it neatly into the boxes. Laxus just smirked at her and continued to do things his way. Eventually, Adryn and Laxus got their room packed up and headed out to see how the others had done. It seemed like they were nearly done, so Adryn and Laxus joined them in finishing up the packing of the rest of the apartment. “Alright, so, we should start taking the boxes over to the apartment,” Freed spoke up as he watched Bickslow and Evergreen sit on the couch. Both of them groaned at his words, causing Adryn to smile. “Let's get going.” Laxus agreed as he made his way to grab a few boxes. Everyone took a few or just one box and headed out. The process took the rest of the day, but eventually, the group had all the boxes in the new apartment. Once the boxes were there, the Thunder Legion looked around the new apartment. “This is a pretty nice place,” Bickslow commented with his babies echoing his words. “It's a 3 bedroom? Why the extra bedroom?” Freed questioned as he looked to the couple. “So we have room to grow,” Adryn responded without giving too much information. Freed just took that as a good response and nodded his head. Adryn then looked out a window and frowned. “We should get Serenity and head back to the other apartment to sleep.” Laxus just wordlessly agreed and then the group was heading back to the guildhall. Once there, Adryn collected the sleeping child, letting Laxus carry her. They then said their goodnights to their friends and headed back to the original apartment. They'd left the blankets and pillows there for their last night in the apartment. Even the couch was left, ready for Serenity to sleep on. They needed to stay in the new apartment, because their new apartment was completely empty, except for the new boxes of stuff that was now there. Once they returned to their apartment, Laxus laid Serenity on the couch and covered her up. He and Adryn then headed to their bedroom and got ready for bed. That essentially meant that they stripped to their underwear and climbed into bed. Almost immediately after laying down and snuggling together, the couple was asleep. ~ The next morning, Adryn and Laxus woke up first and got back into their clothes. They then left the bedroom, only to see that Serenity was awake and just staring up at the ceiling silently. “Good morning, did you sleep well?” Adryn questioned as she approached the little girl. “Hmm? Oh, yes, mother, I did. How did you sleep?” Serenity responded as she broke out of her trance that she'd been in. “Let's get going. We can grab something to eat while we're out.” Laxus stated, causing the little girl to light up. “We can go out to eat somewhere?” Serenity jumped off the couch and was smiling up at her father. “Also, where are we going?” “We need to get furniture. We have nothing for the new apartment.” Adryn responded simply. Serenity nodded her head and the group then headed out of the apartment to go buy some furniture. First, though, the three of them headed to a place to get some breakfast. After that though, they headed around town to collect items for their new place. Serenity got to pick out her own bed while the two adults chose a much bigger bed for the two of them. They also picked out a new couch and chairs for their living room. They had everything set to be delivered to their new place later that day. That meant that they could go collect smaller items. Like some books for Serenity and Adryn. They also picked up new things for Serenity, meaning just anything that a young girl would need to be happy. Serenity was hesitant at first, but Laxus and Adryn reassured her that they wanted her to be happy so they'd get her anything she wanted. Once they were done, they headed home to start to unpack their belongings as they waited for their new stuff to arrive. “So this will be your room,” Adryn spoke up as she led Serenity to the room she'd decided was perfect for her daughter. “You can do whatever you want with this room, as long as you don't destroy it.” Adryn chuckled at the last comment causing Serenity to light up. “You mean it? I can do whatever?” Serenity seemed to be happy about the situation. Adryn just nodded to her little girl as she led Serenity to the next bedroom. “This one is your father and I's room. If you ever need us, just come and knock. We'll help you with anything you need.” “Thank you, mother.” “Alright, now let's start unpacking so we have room for when everything else gets here.” Laxus suddenly spoke up as Serenity and Adryn were making their way back to where he was. “If we work together, we should get this done quickly,” Adryn commented simply as she smiled up at her lover. “Mother is right, let's work together!” Serenity smiled up at Laxus as well, causing a small smirk to appear on Laxus' face. So, with that, the three of them began to unpack. They started with the kitchen. Meaning they brought back out their pots and pans, not that Laxus had many, to begin with. Adryn made a mental note to have them pick up some more cooking utensils and supplies later on. Once the kitchen was unpacked, they moved to the living room. They were about halfway through with unpacking the living room when the people arrived with the large new things that they'd bought earlier that day. So they halted their unpacking to show the people where to put everything. Once they were done and thanked for their help, the three of them went back to their original mission. It took the rest of the day, but eventually, everything was unpacked and the beds were made up. The day was already coming to an end by the time they were done. “We should get our friends and show them the place,” Adryn muttered as she laid on the couch, exhausted from the day. Laxus thought about it for a moment before nodding his head. “That means you have to get up and walk there,” Laxus noted as he stood up from one of the chairs. “Can't you just carry me? I'm sure I'm not that heavy.” “You are light compared to that couch you're laying on,” Laxus responded simply. “Don't compare me to a couch!” Adryn sat up as she pouted at her lover. Laxus couldn't help but smirk at her. “Let's go.” Laxus held out a hand to Adryn to help her fully off the couch and she took it with a smile on her face. Serenity simply hopped down off her chair and followed after the two adults who were now standing at the door, waiting for her. The three of them walked to the guildhall holding hands, mostly so no one would get lost as the light faded from the sky. They really didn't want Serenity to run off or get lost on their way through town. As soon as the three of them got there, they were surrounded by their friends. Specifically the Thunder Legion and Eclipse. Mirajane wanted to go to them, but she was caught up with the drunks. “Glad none of you are drunk. Were you waiting for us?” Adryn questioned as she looked at their friends. “Yes. We are eager to see how your new apartment turned out.” Eclipse responded as she patted Serenity on the head as a hello. “Well, that's why we're here. We wanted you 4 to be the first ones to see our new place.” “We would be honored to.” Freed smiled at Adryn, who returned the smile back to him. “Well then, let's get going before it gets too dark.” Everyone agreed and began the trek to the new apartment. Along the way, Serenity began to feel tired and so Laxus decided to carry her. She snuggled into his arms and fell asleep almost instantly. The day of walking around and unpacking proved to be enough to tire the little girl out. Adryn felt the same way, but she decided to fight through the sleepiness. Though she still wanted Laxus to carry her, she wouldn't admit that at that moment. “So this is it?” Eclipse questioned as she looked up at the apartment building Adryn and Laxus stopped at. “Yeah, follow me, I'll show you which one is ours.” Adryn led the way to their door and opened it up. Instantly, the group entered the home and began to make comments. “This is a lot larger than the old apartment,” Evergreen noted as she began to explore the apartment. “It's also decorated differently, I suppose that is caused by Adryn?” Freed commented as he noticed that the living room now had blue lamps while the original ones were a different color. A few other things, like the light gray couch, was also a different color than the old one. “You two sure have a nice place here.” Bickslow spoke up next with his babies repeating “Nice place” a couple of times. “I was expecting more blue and more books.” Eclipse chuckled as she looked around at the few blue items and lack of books. “I am going to get more books eventually,” Adryn responded as she watched Laxus carry Serenity into her bedroom. Adryn then frowned to herself. “I don't think Serenity has any other clothing than what she is wearing right now. We'll have to go out and buy her new stuff some other day.” Adryn sounded a little sad that her daughter didn't have much at that moment. “Don't worry, Serenity will be happy no matter what. With or without more clothes.” Eclipse tried to reassure her best friend. Adryn seemed to take that to heart and smiled at her in return. Eventually, Laxus returned to the living room after shutting Serenity's door behind him. Adryn and Eclipse sat on the couch while Evergreen sat in one chair and Bickslow sat in the other. Freed and Laxus decided to stand, mostly because there was no more room for them to sit anywhere. “I am glad the three of you live here now. It can become your home, rather than just Laxus' apartment.” Freed commented as he looked around the room. “I will definitely feel at home here. Well, hopefully.” Adryn spoke up but then began to speak again. “Well, most of all, I hope Serenity feels at home here. I don't think she's ever had a true home before and I want this one to be a good one for her.” “You really are sounding like a mother now. How does that feel?” Evergreen spoke in a teasing voice causing Adryn to pout. “Well, it's a nice feeling. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but now that I have Serenity in my life, I don't think I could go another day without her.” “What about you, Laxus? How do you feel about being a father?” Freed questioned as he turned his attention to the tall man. Everyone else in the room looked to him as well, especially Adryn. She was still a little unsure about his feelings towards the matter. However, Laxus had a thoughtful look on his face, shocking everyone around him. “It really is a nice feeling,” Laxus admitted after a moment of thought. Evergreen frowned instantly. “That's all you have to say?” Evergreen asked as she looked over to the man. Laxus just looked at her and frowned as well. He clearly wanted to say more, but he knew it was totally out of character for him to get too overly emotional about things. “I feel the same as Adryn. At this point, I don't know what I would do without Serenity or Adryn.” Laxus finally spoke up after being glared at by Evergreen for a few minutes. “Just say you love them!” “Isn't it obvious how Laxus feels? We shouldn't pressure him.” Freed butted in as Laxus' face started to turn into a grimace. He clearly wasn't too thrilled to be put on the spot. However, Laxus seemed to relax after Freed interrupted the conversation. “Ever, be nice to Laxus. He has his 'big tough man' appearance to keep up.” Eclipse joked as she smirked at the other girl. Evergreen chuckled along with Adryn but Laxus just frowned. “Is that how you see me?” Laxus couldn't help but ask as he looked to Eclipse. She just smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders. “Now now, stop teasing my boyfriend.” Adryn finally spoke up, putting a stop to the comments directed at Laxus. “You're getting married, he's your fiancé now.” Eclipse's words caused Adryn and Laxus to both pause. It seemed like they were not quite used to that yet. However, that was the effective end of that conversation. The group continued to chat about randomness as the night grew later. Until Freed realized how late it was getting and decided that it was the best that they head home. So, they all said their goodnights and headed to their homes. Adryn was even more tired now, but she decided that she and Laxus needed to stay up a little while later. She wanted to talk with him privately. “So, what did you want to talk about?” Laxus was climbing into bed while questioning his lover. Adryn was already in their bed all ready to sleep. “Let's talk about our wedding. We should probably start planning it now.” Adryn spoke up as she closed her book that she'd been reading. “Alright.” Laxus fully got into bed and got situated while sitting up like Adryn was. “Do you want the wedding to happen sooner or later?” “Sooner. I want you to be officially mine before anything else happens.” Laxus seemed to be a little anxious about that. He really didn't want anything to happen to them again, but he definitely didn't want anything to break them up. He didn't think it'd happen easily, but after everything they'd gone through, he was extremely eager to get married to the only girl he'd ever truly loved. “I agree. So, I was thinking we should have our wedding at the guildhall. After all, that's where we first met.” To Adryn's suggestion, Laxus just nodded his head before yawning. “You're tired. I am too. We should probably talk more about this later.” “Yeah. Let's get to sleep.” Laxus leaned over to kiss Adryn and she returned it. The two then snuggled into bed and with each other before drifting off to sleep. They both had smiles on their faces as sleep overtook them.