#not only was the previous file corrupted they were trying to make me go f*cking blind with how dark that sh*t was

[theinfinitedivides]

ghum shuda is a entire f*cking bop how did i not know this earlier

[yzafre]

we're flying above the valley below | Interlude 5

AO3

First | Previous

It she? knew this place. 

Soft golden sunlight, grass beneath its feet, brick and wrought-iron fencing.  It tried to remember how it knew.

F?_33EEE REFERENCES FOUND:

ROOT:\MEM_STORAGE\oejk%jlskl109

ROOT:\MEM_STORAGE\endj#?___jiod#4

> OPEN FILE: endj#?___jiod#4

ERROR: FILE CORRUPTED

OPEN ANYWAYS?  Y/N

> N

Opening a file like that would only end in a crash and reboot; it had learned from experience.

So it had been since it left the Other Self; fragments of data remained from the aborted transfer, but every scrap was useless.  It had always known it was empty, but now those barren tracks were made even more obvious, all the places where the Other Self was meant to fit, where for a single moment she almost had fit, where they had almost been whole.

It could still feel her, distantly, if it tried.  But the Other Self didn’t want to join.  The Other Self wanted to run.  But, the Other Self was only a mass of memory heart soul data; she had no body.  It would fulfill her desires in her stead.

A noise, behind it.  A corridor.  From the Darkness came the red head.  Axel.

A?#))E REFERENCES FOUND:

DCHIP:\enemies\WoL_fire 

ROOT:\CORE_MEMORY 

ROOT:\MEM_STORAGE\endj#?___jiod#4

ROOT:\MEM_STORAGE\ejodfio*3_Ajio

ROOT:\MEM_STORAGE\okjdfs(%___IE.r

ROOT:\MEM_STORAGE\I_jiof%^&ojfdsl

> END SEARCH

Letting that process run would also end in a crash and reboot.  It learned from experience.

“Here, of all places,” he sighed, “Why does it all ways seem to come back to this.”

It stepped back, its Prime Objective screaming in his head.  Escape, it needed to escape.  It began to build the energy for a corridor, but Axel threw a weapon towards it in a blaze of sparks, and it had to abandon the casting to dodge.

It could not make a clean escape; it needed to fight.  Quickly, it took in its environment, before it spotted something that gave it an idea.

Roxas, t̷h̴a̶t̴'̸s̴ ̴a̷ ̶s̸t̵i̴ ̵-̷

> CLOSE FILE

Letting corrupted files play out would also end in a crash.  It learned from experience.

Darting over, it snatched up the branch.

“A stick?” Axel said, “What, exactly, are you planning to do with that?”

It shook its head, pulling on its combat programs and letting the Darkness of the chip pool in its hand, spilling over its make-shift weapon and giving it a more defined form.

Axel stared, then sighed, weapons bursting into his hand in flash of flame, “We’re doing this the hard way, then.”

It had lost against Axel before.  It was quickly losing to Axel again.  The closer he moved, the more its Prime Objective screamed at it – get away, get away, get away – the stress of failure eating away at it.

It’s back hit the stone brick of the fence pillar and the enemy moved in close, hand catching in the fabric of her hood.

“Sorry, but I can’t have you running off again,” he said, and she thrashed, trying to tug herself free – get away, Get Away – and he frowned, “Stop fighting!  I’m not trying to hurt you – just let me - ”

Axel’s head snapped away at the sound of a portal.  She took advantage of the distraction, jerking herself free.  Her escape was short-lived, however, as just as she tried to bolt, he darted out a hand to snag her wrist, pinning her once more.

Even distracted by the newcomer, he held tight enough she couldn’t shake free.

“Saïx,” Axel growled.

“Axel,” the commander replied.

It tensed, glancing over at the commander.  Follow orders, its encounter protocols insisted; GET AWAY, its Prime Objective screamed.  It continued tugging fruitlessly against Axel’s grip.

“What are you doing here?”

“Asset management.  I see you are busy.”

“I’m bringing her home; you can’t have her.”

“It doesn’t seem to want to go with you.”

“It doesn’t know what it wants!”  Axel snapped, followed by a pause, then, “Shut up, you know what I mean!”

A ripple of magic echoed in the air, and it froze, head snapping around in-sync with the other two as a corridor began to form beyond the fence.

Suddenly it was being moved, arms banded tight around its limbs and torso as Axel pulled them away, hiding in the trees.  Across the way, it could see the commander hiding in a similar fashion.

From their vantage point, it could see two men emerging from the corridor, one ushering the other along.

> IDENTIFY 

…. 

ONE REFERENCE FOUND: 

D_CHIP:\org\dark_origHeart

Oh.  The General’s heartless.  It needed to get away.  It could no longer be loud in its escape.  If it was loud, it would be seen, and the General’s heartless would catch it.  It would not get away.

“Shit, that’s Ansem,” Axel muttered, “and… Ansem?  But that voice is… hah, no I suppose that makes sense.  But, why is Saïx hiding?”

She tested his grip.  He had one arm firmly around her middle, the other holding her hands in place.  Flexing and wiggling showed no give; in fact, he only held tighter.

“...is he not supposed to be here?  Naughty, naughty, Saïx,” he said, ignoring the tense conversation happening below to stare at the Commander across the clearing before sighing, “Well, nothing to do with me.  Let’s get out of here.”

Below, the General’s voice began to rise.

“I won’t ask again – where is the girl?!”

Axel tensed, his grip on her squeezing as he seemed to stop breathing, chin rubbing across her head as his head snapped around.  It ignored the growing argument below, instead going very still.  Axel was distracted; if it waited, maybe it could take advantage.

Below, three new people emerged from the nearby forest, pausing before moving forward slower, partially crouched over.  After a moment, it decided they must be attempting stealth.

> IDENTIFY

....

NO REFERENCES FOUND

The small group made it all the way to the brick pillars holding the gate in place before Axel took notice of them.

“What?” He hissed, “You’ve got to be kidding me – what do they think they’re doing?”

After some hushed whispers, one of them emerged, interrupting the General’s Heartless and his prisoner.  The General’s Heartless became agitated, of course, and it was as he approached that a second member of the little trio launched an attack.

The attack landed, weak as it was, the third person rushing in to try and rescue the prisoner, but The General’s Heartless was recovering swiftly, magic beginning to drift from him.

Axel gave an aborted lurch forward, a little noise choked in his throat, before going still, eyes darting between it and the brewing fight down below.  His face twisted several ways before he sighed, leaning in to stare into its eyes, “This isn’t over; I’m going to bring you home, no matter how long it takes.  I promise.  There’s no where you can go I won’t find you.”

His piece said, he let go of its wrist, diving towards the escalating confrontation.

It took the chance afforded to it and opened a portal to get away.

Next

[limitlessgojo]

Blood Bound: Blackened Bond (Ch 15)

Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Descriptions of Blood

Previous Chapter: Big White Lies

Next Chapter: 土御門天皇 (Tsuchimikado)

Tags: Kamo Noritoshi x Reader, Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader

Taglist: @lessie-oxj @rizzo-nero @whoreuc @fkngkumiko @isl3t @gojoussunglasses @onepotatostand-blog @s-t-f-u-b-i-t-c-h @sunaswife @lordguameow @track5enthusiast

Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, and specify if you're okay with NSFW posts or not, please mention it in the comments below ty ❤

Chapter 15: Shadows Fall

You numbly sat down on your bed. The room was dark. Your Phoenix brand, silent, a dull sepia stain on your inner wrist.

It hurts a lot.

“He’s no different to the power hungry elders of this corrupt society after all huh.” You were disappointed. It was dumb of you to give your heart away to him. Especially to a man who was already planning on taking in concubines, this early into your “relationship”.

You checked your phone to see the notifications. Mai and Miwa were looking for you, saying that you have dinner out with them in a few minutes.

'Ah, that was supposed to be for tonight' you thought.

"Sorry can't go, feeling unwell. You guys go ahead." You texted back to them as you slumped on your bed.

After a few minutes your door slammed open. "Where have you been?!" Mai asked, but stopped talking upon seeing your red rimmed eyes. Miwa peeked out behind her. "Are you okay y/n?" She asked.

That question absolutely crushed you. You started sobbing again, not being able to hide your shaking shoulders. The two girls filed in and closed your door.

"We are ordering take out. Miwa go ahead and cancel that reservation. We will stay in tonight." Mai said. "Right!" Miwa worriedly replied as she pulled out her phone and made the call.

"I'm not here to baby you. You will tell me what happened, okay?" Mai demanded.

"I need a few minutes" everything looked so blurry through your tears, Mai and Miwa only looked like unfocused blobs of dark green and bright blue. Literally, the only way you could distinguish the two girls at this point was by their hair color.

They couldn't get much out of you other than you talking about how Kamo-san never liked you in the first place and how you pushed yourself onto him.

The girls held you as you cried. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. "But both of you looked great. I'm sure Kamo senpai really liked you though?" Miwa questioned out loud.

Mai just nodded her head. "I said it before already. Both of you act like you're so oblivious to each other's affections. But I do agree that you put more effort into the relationship. He always turns down your request for dates off campus. Even an outsider could see that."

"No, no it’s not that. You guys know how the big 3 clans operate. He just felt that I was a suitable wife to bear his heirs. They're jumping at the chance to use me to get a blood-manipulator jujutsu shi who may also possibly inherit my psychokinesis technique. I don't want to stay in a relationship without any love in it." You whispered.

Your voice was all gone after you sobbed for hours. The fight and energy just drained out of your body.

They couldn't say anything to that as it was your relationship with Kamo and not theirs. That night, they slept over in your room, the three of you squishing into your queen sized bed and plushies.

◇◇◇

On the other hand, Noritoshi had woken up from his nap, bedhead and red rimmed eyes and all. Clearly remembering all your painful words. He looked over to the side, staring at the Jade dragon pendant atop his bedside table. A small pink letter resting beside it, one that you had given him days prior.

‘Dearest Toshi,

You must be exhausted from all of your extra tasks given to you by your clan as of the late. I hope that it gets better soon, I’m here if ever you want to talk about it or if you need any help with that. My family and I are open to supporting you in your endeavors, though you haven't met them yet. Hiroki nii is especially excited to meet you, I can already see the both of you getting along quite well. Whenever you’re ready <3

Have a good evening.

Love, Y/N.’

He felt tears burn behind his eyelids.

“It was too sudden, I couldn’t even understand half the things she said to me earlier,” he murmured to himself. He racked his brain, trying to recall the things you said. It was mostly a blur to him.

Something about what he and his father talked about yesterday. That wasn’t an issue, it was mostly clan duties as per usual.

Also, how he never liked you. Well, he hasn’t confessed yet, but he couldn’t see why you’d bring that up out of nowhere when everything was still fine 2 days ago.

Concubines. The talk on concubines. Why did you- Oh. “... from yesterday” Noritoshi’s head was getting clearer and clearer. You must have misunderstood the conversation he had with his father, and left before it finished. It didn’t sound pretty now that he thought of it.

He had that single-minded goal of pleasing his father and the elders, but somehow you got tangled in the mess.

He sighed frustratedly. It always seemed to be the case with you jumping conclusions about him, didn’t it? Now he has to clear it up with you before it gets too bad.

◇◇◇

You woke up the next morning feeling and looking like utter shit. Mai and Miwa had to dress you up and drag you out of bed.

“There’s only one thing you can do now Y/N.” Mai said as she straightened out your collar. “Get over him.”

Huh. Easier said than done.

◇◇◇

There was a drastic change in your behaviour towards Noritoshi. The name "Noritoshi-senpai", that you had always cheerily called out, was replaced by a short and curt "Kamo-san" whenever conversation was necessary. Also, you don’t look into his eyes anymore.

You avoided him as much as you can, thanking yourself for knowing his schedule so well. Not hesitating to turn and go around in another direction if you ever saw him approaching from a distance. Because of this he rarely sees you on campus.

It hurt Noritoshi badly to see you act this way. He never realized just how warm you were with him until now that it was all gone. He tried to catch you during your breaks, calling out your name with the same tenderness he always had. But it was in vain as you ran away from him.

Todo and Momo wisely chose not to make any snide comments, upon seeing how downhearted Noritoshi was in the following days.

Everybody avoided eye contact with both of you if and when you had to interact. It couldn't be helped. The tension was like a fine piece of glass waiting to shatter.

The pain in your heart didn't subside at all. You've taken to staring at the mark on your wrist.

'Did I successfully reject our bond?' You wondered hollowly.

Sometimes you half expect your mark to start flashing wildly, like whenever you and Noritoshi have off days with each other. But this is the first time you've seen it so… silent.

You wrapped it up with more darker velvet strips and ignored it.

It was the opposite on Noritoshi’s end. He would lie in bed and stare at the mark that is dangerously bright red and hot. It almost felt painful, like someone was searing a brand onto his skin.

He wrapped it up in gauze bandages and put salves to soothe the mark. But it was never enough. He needed you back.

◇◇◇

During one afternoon, you just finished an English lesson with one of the windows who teaches at Jujutsu High. You stood up from your desk and turned to see the man outside of your classroom.

"Y/n, are you free for lunch?" Noritoshi had obviously sprinted as soon as his lessons had ended. “We need to talk.” All 4 of you looked up to see him outside the classroom, as composed as ever. But he looked terrible.

There were shadows under his eyes, and he seemed to have gotten thinner. The shitty side of you was cruelly happy. Good that he’s like this, because he lost his toy. Good on him. But your heart was sad, yelling at you to go back and take care of him already.

"Ah I'm sorry, but I've got lunch with the rest of the 1st year's here." You politely declined. Trying to school your face into a neutral expression.

"I insist." He firmly stated. He looked over to the other students. "You don't mind if I borrow her do you?"

You inwardly scoffed at his poor choice of words. The stupid arse still thinks I'm his belonging apparently. Something to be borrowed and used.

But Mai stepped up. "If she doesn't want to hang out with you then she doesn't." Miwa was fidgeting worriedly. "Now now." She started.

"I really wanted to have lunch with my fellow 1st years, if you could please excuse us Kamo San." You hastily uttered, pulling Mai's arms towards you while turning away. The other first years followed your lead.

But Noritoshi was determined. He quickly put his hand on your shoulder, only for you to slap it away and flinch from him. Everybody froze.

You were clearly trembling, which made Noritoshi lower his hand and step back. "I'm sorry y/n." Whether the apology was for holding you without your consent or for everything that happened, you painfully let it slide. Silently bowing to him, then quickly walking away with the others.

Noritoshi could only watch wistfully as your figure disappeared from his view.

◇◇◇

"The nerve of shitty men," Mai angrily stuffed her mouth with eggs from her bento. "Thinking they own women, that they're better than us. It was like this with the men in my family as well. Bullying and kicking aside the weaker women."

You sadly poked at your food. It was katsudon. You ordered it ahead of time from the cafeteria, wanting to perk up with a favorite dish. But today it tastes so bland. It wasn't the cooking that was off. Just that you had no appetite.

"Wouldn't you want to talk it out with Kamo senpai, y/n?" Miwa asked. Truth be told you were adding fire to the problem. You just dumped your anger on Noritoshi and kept rudely cutting him off before leaving him.

But your pride and broken heart didn't allow you to go back to him. "I don't think there's anything left for me to say or do to be honest. I'm not in the mood to face him. At all." You lied.

Mechamaru surprisingly spoke out, "Love is a fickle thing. And it's a fact that women are more in tune with their emotions than men are. But I think you won't regret it if you give him a chance. Kamo Noritoshi isn't a bad man."

Mai huffed. "Whose side are you even on?"

"There are no sides. Just two idiots who are madly in love with each other." Mechamaru dryly replied.

Your heart clenched, but you stayed silent, not denying the fact that even after you pushed him away, you still loved him.

"Let's talk about something else shall we?" Miwa hurriedly changed the topic and started discussing the homework to be done.

◇◇◇

Hiroki was both the best and the worst brother you could ask for. Because he chose this time to surprise you with a visit at Kyoto High, claiming he wanted to see how you were doing with classes and that he would stay for a while.

Secretly, he wanted to meet and gauge Noritoshi, only to find out that the both of you have just broken up. You brought him into your dorm room to have a chat and some snacks.

“WHA?! YOU- You ended things with your soulmate?! You were together for like what?! 4 Months?” His jaw dropped as you told him the entire story.

You gave a drawn out sigh. “Hiro nii, I’m done. Like… He… I dunno anymore. To be honest I broke up with him in the heat of the moment.”

“Tsk, you’ve always been led by your emotions. That’s why you’re so reckless half the time sis. You didn’t even try to talk it out with him.” He asked as he opened a bag of chips.

You stayed silent and reached for chips. Chewing and ignoring him.

“What’s with you and bottling all your pent up anger only to toss it onto the poor guy? Didn’t even give him a chance to explain himself.” he tutted.

You whirled on him angrily. “They just want me for my power. Then they’ll let him off with like a dozen women around him. What the fuck is there for him to explain?!”

Hiroki looked way too calm. “Who are 'they'?”

You paused. “The Kamo family.”

“Are you 100% sure Noritoshi was in this only to use you?”

“Like 99.99%...” you trailed off. Hiroki eyed you knowingly. “That 0.01 percent chance of him loving you. You considered it, even though that’s a small ass probability sis. But hey, that’s your man. If you want him out, our family’s got your back. I’ll beat him up for you if you need me to”

You shook your head at him.

Hiroki sighed, “Though with that concubine thing, I can see it happenin’. Clan heads are desperate to have a son with the inherited technique. The Gojo clan just got lucky with Satoru. We dunno if it’s normal in the Kamo clan though. But with you as his soulmate, he shouldn’t need any. Somethin ain’t addin up…” He got lost in thought.

“You won’t know until you talk with Kamo himself.”

You sadly continued eating your chips. “I hate it when you’re right.”

◇◇◇

The next morning Utahime urgently called for a full student body plus all available jujutsu sorcerers on site for a meeting.

You and Hiroki stumbled into the room, almost late, pushing against each other. The other students looked curiously at the man who was fighting you for space on the couch.

You jabbed him in the gut and put a leg over his. “Uhhhh y/n who is that?” Mai asked.

Your cousin shrugged your leg off of his, stood up and said his greetings, “Hello, I am Tsuchimikado Hiroki. Alumni here at Kyoto Jujutsu High. Semi-grade 1 sorcerer. Pleased to meet you all and thanks for taking care of my lil sis- ah I mean cousin.”

“Ohhhh” Miwa took a closer look. You noticed Noritoshi glancing over at you. Todo walked up to him and pointed a finger, “Tsuchi’s relative? Then what woman is your idea-”

You used your technique to immobilise Todo and forced him to sit down in a daze. “Sorry for my rudeness, senpai. You can have that convo later.” You knew it would take too long if this starts again.

Hiroki looked affronted, “It’s rude to point bruh.”

Utahime clapped her hands to gather your attention as Principal Gakuganji appeared on the podium.

“Thank you so much all for coming into this meeting on such short notice. Especially to the alumni and other available Jujutsu sorcerers. Let's get straight to the point: I am here to announce that War is coming.”

Blood Bound: Table of Contents

[tired-college-student-writing]

Tim’s Secret Weapon Pt. 4

I’ve been slightly obsessed with @ozmav​ ‘s Damian Wayne/Marinette Dupain-Cheng pairing as of late, and just saw a post that has inspired me more than anything else has in months, so I felt the need to write it

Summary- Tim has always seen the numbers floating above people’s heads, been able to perceive their threat levels with a single glance. After being a hero for so long he thought he was desensitized to seeing high numbers above people’s heads until Damian brings a new friend home.

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4 (HERE)

Part 5

_______________________________________________________________________

“Yup!” Jason popped the ‘p’ before holding up the book Tim had given him, “Who’s ready for storytime?” 

“What do you mean Tim is afraid I would throw him out?” Bruce pushed even as Jason led them towards one of the desks, “I want to help him with-”

“Yeah I’m gonna stop you there,” Jason cut him off, eyes hard as he set the book down with an uncharacteristic amount of care,“Tim was very offended by what we thought was going on with him and it just made him more sure that all of us were going to leave him behind as his shitty parents did. So let’s just cut to the chase and cool off before he seriously decides to run off before we can go talk to him because I’m pretty sure even after talking to him for twenty minutes, he’s still around seventy-five percent sure that’s going to be a better option than waiting around.” 

Jason had never seen the energy of a room shift so fast, the anger and bloodlust that had been suffocating since Dick uncovered the file on Marinette vanished into a deep rippling uncertainty. If there was one unspoken rule of the household, it was that no previous trauma will knowingly be replicated. It’s why Jason always makes a point of leaving his guns in the cave and never points them passed Bruce unless it’s life or death. Why no one touched the trapeze unless Dick was going up with them and they always used a net, no matter how good their aerial skills were. Why no one spoke to Jason in angry or stern Arabic. No one told Damian he was overreacting, especially when it was about illness or injuries. 

No one was allowed to make Tim think they were abandoning him.   

Dick looked stricken at the very idea, “Jay, why is Tim so scared?” 

“Short answer? Tim’s Meta.” 

The whole room froze, eyes flying wide, making Jason chuckle, “Yeah that was my response to.”

“How long?” Bruce asked, hand gripping the back of his chair so hard, Jason wondered if he was going to break it. 

“From what he said, he was born with his power, it’s always on and pretty impossible for him to block out.”

Damian’s face scrunched, “And father always made it clear that he doesn’t like Metas in Gotham.”  

“Fuck,” Dick swore, turning to punch the cave wall, “How the actual shit did we miss this? We’re fucking detectives goddamn it!” 

Seeing Dick lose it like that made Jason pause. It was rare to see the carefree brother truly get mad about anything, let alone for him to cuss up a storm, he always did prefer those filler cusses that make the rest of them groan. 

But then again Damian looked pained and Bruce was sinking into the Bat-computer chair looking lost as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I never meant it like this,” Bruce whispered, “I just didn’t want anyone else coming to Gotham expecting to be able to fix it overnight. Did I really come off anti-meta?” 

“I…” Jason winced, stopping to think, “I never thought so, but I can see how Tim thought you might be. We all need to talk to him, but I promised I’d explain some of this shit like Tim did to me, and look through his book so that we don’t all bombard him with questions.” 

The four shared a look before they all surrounded the table as Jason began. He told them of the numbers, the skill Tim had that he never shared. After they opened the book they found that it was more complex than just that. 

The entries started off very rudimentary, clearly written by a small child, the dates claiming that Tim began this journal when he was merely six years old. They detailed the color, font, and number of the person he had met. A few of the higher ranks having little ideas next to them on the cause, but as the list grew and the handwriting even outed, there were itemized lists on the reason for each number above a 5. 

By the time they reached Bruce’s they were pretty dumbfounded as they read through Tim’s confusion and fear at the number that broke the code he’d knew through his whole life, his reason section was filled with sentences of ideas, instead of the short bullet points, trying to ration it out. 

The most confusing part of it was he ruled things out that he couldn’t have known, insider trading and corruption would have been a logical conclusion for him to draw of the Billionaire he knew nothing about but he ruled them out instantly, not even bothering to consider they might be part of the reason. 

Not to mention when he actually put it together. 

“His power works on broadcasts as well?” Bruce mused, “I know I never saw he was never on the streets when I was out during this time period,” 

“Adding it to the list of questions,” Dick said as he typed it out into the sheet he had made when they started asking too many questions only Tim could answer.  

“Never mind that,” Damian brushed off, “Look at the traits he listed, all listed at the same time from the looks of the ink but if the date is to be believed, this is from before Todd was debuted as Robin, how did he know you had a mastery in hacking, spoke multiple languages and stunt flight?” 

All of them froze at those words, hunching over it to look at the words. 

There was no logical way Tim could know any of those things. Most of Batman’s skill set could be guessed through out the rumors and gossip that flew since the caped crusader started his reign of the city, but those skill sets still weren’t widely known to the public. 

“I…” Bruce shook his head, “Add it to the list, we have a lot more of the book to get through to worry about this now. We should try and finish the book. 

But the issue popped up again and again as the pages went on, each hero he met he knew their skills down to the littlest detail, things he shouldn’t be able to know, especially before he became the third Robin. 

He knew Clark was Superman when he met the reporter first.

He knew Diane was made of clay before the woman had ever given away that little tidbit.

He knew that Barry was a wiz when it came to criminology before the speedster had ever given up his identity. 

He knew Arthur had low-level empathic abilities that went beyond sea life before Arthur was even considered a hero. 

They were only two-third of the way through the book, arguing over how The Commissioner could possibly know their identities, let alone why it would make his number rise so quickly when not even Bruce’s number had done so when he learned the other League member’s identities, when a stern voice cut through their thought. 

 “Gentlemen, There’s a bit of a situation that Master Tim and I discovered that could use your attention.” Alfred cut in, making them turn, stopping when they saw Tim practically sprint to the Bat computer, pointily looking at the wall to avoid looking at them, his shoulders so tight they shock.

“Tim?” Dick asked, concern dripping from his words as he started towards the younger man only to freeze as Tim visually flinched away from the word, curling inward as he frantically typed away on the keyboard. 

Before any of them tried to break the silence again the giant screen lit up to show a battle play out. A young girl dressed in a red and polka-dotted outfit flipping and twisting out of the way of the pages thrown like ninja stars at her, a yoyo used to propel her, eyes filled with laughter behind her mask. Her moves were agile and practiced, as another figure, a boy her same age dressed in skin-tight black leather entered the frame. 

“I figured out why Marinette is a 15,” He finally managed out, making the bats’, minus Jason, heads snap to him.

A 15? 

The brat couldn’t just have a normal girlfriend, could he?

No, he had to have someone that shattered Tim’s power completely.

 And he had no idea why, until now. 

They really couldn’t blame him for being obsessive. 

“I couldn’t find out why Mari was so powerful,” Tim rambled on, “But Alfred helped me realize that she’s a hero too. A hero with the power of the god of creation on her side, which makes sense for why she completely broke my, uh, my power. She’s been-” 

“Tim,” 

“-fighting a supervillain,” Tim just continued as if he hadn’t heard Bruce, his voice skipping up a few pitches, “ who also uses the power of a god to help him make others into villains to do his bidding. They’ve been locked in battle for years now. Years! We really should have noticed before now, but better late then never right? Heh, she has some allies though so it’s not like she was fighting on her own or anything, and-”  

“Drake,” Damian cut in, ducking past Dick to grab Tim by the shoulder to spin him, staring into his eyes with the type of harsh determination only the demon spawn seemed to be able to, ignoring the quacking fear in Tim’s own eyes, “I am the byproduct of the daughter of one of Father’s greatest enemies drugging him. I was raised will one goal in mind, to be the ultimate weapon to take down all that stood in the way of the League of Assassins, and yet Father, Grayson, Todd, Pennyworth and you gave me safety and taught me why my grandfather was wrong. Todd was murdered by a clown with psychopathic tendencies, was brought back by the magic that my grandfather has a monopoly on, went crazy with Lazarth sickness and thought the best course of action was to become a crimelord in the very city he vowed to protect, going as far as trying to shoot Father, the man he saw as an older brother and you, the boy he was convinced Father had only brought into the circle to die as he had, and yet once the sickness faded Father welcomed back in with open arms, shedding tears for the child he thought he had lost. Father may have made it clear that he’s not a fan of metas operating in the city, but you’re a moron if you believe for a second that means he’s going to disown you or take Red Robin away from you. You’re also lost all my respect if you think this means I or any of the others that dawn the bat moniker are going to feel any different about you for having these powers.” 

Tim’s mouth opened and closed several times after Damian’s speech had come to a close as the others waited for him to break the silence of the cave. All he could feel was his hands trembling as his eyes welled up. 

Damian was still looking at him before sighing, “You really are an idiot,” 

He wanted to retort, wanted to bite out a response as he blinked back the tears but he suddenly found Damian’s arms wrapped around his waist, a tight grounding embrace, the younger boy’s chin resting on his shoulder. 

Tim wasn’t sure he was breathing, his whole body shaking like it was trying to shatter into a million pieces. The brat, Damian, the one person he thought would gladly cast him aside given the slightest of reason to was… 

“You’re family, Tim,” Damian stern voice cut through his mental frenzy, “If I’ve learned one thing since moving to Gotham, it’s that you don’t give up on family, not for anything, and certainly not for something like this.”   

Tim felt something inside him break and the next thing he knew he was sobbing into Damian’s shoulder the pair on their knees in the middle of the cave, gripping Damian back like he thought if he let go the boy would vanish. Slowly as he felt his breathing calm down and his sobs fade he could feel more arms surrounding him. The entire bat family was surrounding him, silently holding him through his breakdown. 

He pulled back, scrubbing his eyes as his family slowly untangled from around him. 

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, voice scratchy from the tears, “I guess I should have known none of you would hate me but… I’ve been so scared that I’d lose you guys too. I didn’t want to risk it, I couldn’t risk it.” 

He flinched slightly when a large hand squeezed his shoulder looking up into Bruce’s eyes, softened by a love that could destroy the world if his child was hurt. A love that none of the Waynes needed to put words to because of looks like this. 

Glancing back to his brothers he saw the love in Bruce’s eyes reflected in theirs, all of them accepting him and loving him still. 

The weight Tim had carried for as long as he knew to grow lighter as a small smile worked its way onto his face. 

His eyes burning with the same intense love for his family back at them. 

For the first time in a long time, Tim knew without a doubt 

It would be okay. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Tim couldn’t stop the whimper from falling from his lips as Marinette’s class came pouring out of the doors of the school.

All of the Wayne boys had decided to surprise Marinette by showing up at her class when it let out, in addition to not wanting to wait to reveal they knew her secret. It wasn’t hard to get all of them to Paris merely days after Tim’s secret came to light, especially since Bruce was planning on checking up on the Paris branch of Wayne Enterprises the following week before everything happened. Expanding the trip last minute to include all of them had taken little effort, and all of their suits were tucked away in their hotel suites, waiting to be dawned once they got Marinette alone. 

Tim was ready to turn back now though and for a very good reason. 

 In the normal sea of threes and fours, normally Marinette stood out with her overwhelmingly soft pink 15, but now...

The tanned girl that had hoards of kids surrounding her had an obnoxious copper 9 floating above her, the font looking like a tiger had scratched it into the very fabric of space. 

A trio of students, a bulky boy, a small pink-haired girl, and a dark-skinned nerdy-looking boy, were messing around as pale numbers circled their heads, a pair of stark white 12s over the boys and an icy blue 13 over the girl. 

A pair of girls, one blonde and one of Asian descent, were bickering as they made their way down the steps,  a canary yellow daintily drawn 14 for the blonde and deep burgundy calligraphed 13 for the more stoic girl.   

And the blonde boy Marinette was happily conversing with, looking even more softspoken and sweet than the baker girl.

He had a venomous green 15 swirling over him in it’s rounded bubble-like font. 

His brothers glanced at him warily. 

“Everything okay Timmy?” Jason asked, eyes flitting over the crowed on instinct, looking for the threat that spooked him. 

“I’ll tell you later,” He groaned back, “... but keep an eye on the girl in the orange jacket, she feels slimy from all the way over here,” 

His brothers nodded, but even so, Tim felt a migraine coming on. 

For once Tim wished for an alien invasion so he didn’t have to deal with this bullshit.

_______________________________________________________________________

Taglist: @vixen-uchiha @iggy-of-fans @mewwitch @roseinbloom02 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @mochinek0 @royalchaoticfangirl @09shell-sea09 @mystery-5-5 @derpingrainbow @aloha-posts-stuff @hauntedfreakdeputyhero @maribat-archive @blue-peach14 @kae690 @zazzlejazzle @vincentvangoose @be-happy-every-day-please @xxmadamjinxx @celestiacq @peculiarlylostdreamer @dani-ari @melicmusicmagic @themcclan @nyctamaximoff @nataladriana9 @drama-queen-supreme @miraculousbelladonna @urbanpineapplefarmer @graduatedmelon @lexysama @hecate-hallow @ki117h3dr4g0n @vinerlover @interobanginyourmom @bluefiredemon @imanerddealwith @tinybrie @clumsy-owl-4178 @shizukiryuu @whogavemeaninternet @schrodingers25 @lunar-wolf-warrior @urbanpineapplefarmer @xxmadamjinxx @crazylittlemunchkin @littleredrobinhoodlum

[just-mirko]

BINARY  

BNHA HACKER AU - CHAPTER 3

MASTERLIST

Mirko x F!Reader

Warnings: oooo premarital eye contact very sexy

WC: 1.4k

—

Tap tap.

            I ignored it, probably just my backpack shifting.

            “Awww come on don’t ignore me now…” A rich and low voice like dark chocolate whispered next to my ear.

—

 I jumped at the sudden presence next to my ear. Their warm breath ghosted over where my jaw met my neck, sending chills down my spine.

 With a sharp turn, I came face to face with crimson and fiery eyes. She blinked calmly as I stuttered out,

 “Wh- why did you do that?” My mind was racing, and jumping across all of her different features. Though like everyone else she had a mask, there was still plenty to take in. Sterling grey, almost white hair stumbled over her shoulders in perfectly straight strands from under a hat the just didn’t seem to lay on her head right. A single piece of hair even went in front of her mask.

 I was still sitting in my chair, facing her, so she had bent down to me, her hands resting on her knees.

 Once she heard my question, her head tilted to the side inquisitively with a calm fluidity. It reminded me of something that a puppy might do when confused, or even a rabbit, though in no way did she seem confused. She gave off the feeling of control and power, all with an unmatched grace.

 With the slightest laugh, she responded, all while moving back up and standing straight.

 “You’re the only one who hasn’t talked to anyone yet.” My name is Mirko, and yours?“

 The reached out for my hand, once I took it she boosted me off the chair so I was standing as well. Now, with us both in front of each other, the height difference of almost a foot was obvious.

 Looking back up into her vermilion eyes, I shook her hand.

 “My names Shadow,”

 I knew her name instantly, Mirko wasn’t exactly known for stealth missions, but taking down malware and making their corruption files readily available. The top of her competitors despite her short time in the field.

 With my reply, I saw confusion flash over her eyes for a second and was then replaced with recognition. Unlike hawks though, this look held no malice. If anything, it held respect.

 “Aye, you’re the one who brought the Detnerat pyramid scheme to light? I didn’t expect the renounced Shadow to be a little bunny like you? Good job.”

 She released her grip on my hand and then crossed both her arms over her chest.

 If I hadn’t noticed her perfect frame and figure before, it was glaringly obvious now. She was gorgeous.

 “Yea, it was nothing though, they’re a support item company, not a bank, it wasn’t that har-”

 Her eyes were peering right through me.

 “Oh come on, of course it was hard. You weren’t the first person to get paid to do it.”

 Her reply shocked me. I wasn’t? I typically didn’t delve into the intense drama that is the social aspect of the this underground community, but something vital like that… I should’ve known…

 Mirko stepped forward closing the gap between up and leaned towards my ear, the plastic of our masks bumping together.

 “From what I know, bunny, Hawks got the same job, and failed.”

 To be honest, it was a difficult case, and I would never judge someone for not being able to do it. This morning’s interaction though was suddenly at the forefront of my mind.

 His cold behavior, he demeanor. Was that all because I beat him at one measly case? It was barley even my first day at this academy and I had an enemy trying to prove themselves.

 “Oh shit�� I quietly mumbled without thinking.

 Still right by my ear, in much more of a sultry tone, as her breath softly hit my neck;

 “But you’ll be okay right? You have one of the best right here, your’s truly…” I could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

 If this was how she wanted to play, I was more than welcome to a bit of playful banter, today was way to stressful. A little flirting couldn’t hurt?

 “Are you sure about that? Tough talk for someone who only works with Nomu Malware.”

 Her laugh was like honey in my ear, and when she learned back so we were at a more respectable Distance apart;

 “Ouch… I guess the bunny bites, Guess ill see you later shadow, orientation starts soon.”

 She gestured to the screens above the fireplace mantle which displayed a thirty second countdown in vibrant red text.

 With a wink and a should nudge she walked over to hawks. Did she just push him off the couch? What was once a peacefully sleeping bird was just shoved over where she began to lounge, once he saw it was her, his composure got more relaxed. They must have known each other before this.

 I had little time to stew over this news when the countdown made its way the countdown made its was to 00:00 and the room previous filled with light chatter fell to dead silence. With how quiet it was, you would be able to hear a pin drop.

 Through a large pair of double doors in the back the common room, short footsteps could be heard echoing. Before we had all faced the opposite wall, but now the students turned towards the doors, until with a squeak the opened.

  Though we had no expectations of what the person would look like, this definitely broke the invisible line.

 A mouse? Maybe its his quirk.

 I could see shock on everyone’s faces except for Mirko, who just looked amused.

 “Hello and welcome to UA! I am Principal Nezu!”

 The large rodent replied. On second thought, I shouldn’t call him a rodent should i. Is this my teacher?

 “As you may have caught on, all of you are criminals!”

 He said that without a care in the world, and the smile on his face never faltered. Something about his tone and relaxed nature told me that he easily knew more about us than we knew about him. Additionally, he was the only person in this room not wearing a black mask withholding their identity.

 He had nothing to hide. He had the upper hand.

 “I am your principal and harborer! There might be a bit of tensions between students all ready, but rest assured, that will alliterative in the coming days, until then, classes start tomorrow, so you might choose to set up in your dormitories tonight!”

 With a flourish of his hand he gestured to the large double doors behind him.

 “Behind me is where your dormitories are! Each with your alias’ on the door to mark where you will stay. Breakfast will be served at the table and chair’s to the right of me at 8AM each day.”

 For a second he paused, his voice taking on a more serious note.

 “Of course we are not trapping you here. If you choose to go outside at any time, we will not stop you, but identity issues or legal issues will not be handled by UA. Within these walls we will keep you a secret, but on your own time, we will not waste resources.-” A pause

 “Nonetheless, back in the hallway you came from, take the elevator at 8:30 and it will lead you to your first lesson in the class of 2280! Any questions?”

 The girl with the blonde hair and bubbly personality raised her hand.

 “What will this ‘academy’ be teaching us exactly?”

 The mouse pondered for a second before-

 “Currently you are nobodies! Disposable. We will change that. In this room are geniuses and the brightest minds, who waste their days breaking codes for cheap pay. You are worth more. That’s what we will teach. In short, we will give you all the skills you need to not be hackers, but spies, for the Hero Commission.”

 Hawks was standing back up, the case that was overfilling with red fluff in hand.

 “Combat lessons?”

 “Yes” Nezu replied, seeming bored,

 “Any other questions?” He asked, looking around the room. Each student looked at each other, no one raising their hand.

 “Then with that I leave you, my students, sleep well!”

 He left for the doors and closed them behind him, effectively leaving 15 teenage criminals in a room together.

Hah.

[coyotesongwriting]

Free Falling - Chapter 3

Avengers - Clint Barton/Reader

Chapter 3 - Baby Birds

Chapter Summary: Time stops for no one, and you face a pregnancy scare that leads you with no choice but to contact the team.

Author’s Note: I wrote Chapter 2 last night before bed, and now this chapter as soon as I woke up LOL. [Y/F/N] means your fake name, I didn’t want to pick one in case it turns out to be a reader’s actual name haha. A lot of time passes in this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters so don’t sue me please. I just really like them haha

Tag List (if you want to be added or removed let me know!):   @rorynne @proudhufflepuff77 @rhymesmenagerie @redfoxwritesstuff @darthhayber @alwaysadreamingoptimist @samsgoddess @kaelyn-lobrutto24

Previous Chapter

The team sat in silence for a moment, no one knew what to say. There’d been no signs this was coming, no hints that they saw. Everyone was scouring their memories, searching the last months for any sign that you were unhappy here enough to leave. 

The silence was broken by Thor, grabbing Clint by the shirt and pinning him against the wall, “WHAT DID YOU DO?” he roared, fury rolling across his face.

Clint’s mouth opened and closed, no sound coming out. He had no answers for the god of thunder. He had no idea, everything had been going great, hadn’t it? Hell, you two had just had a date night two days before and everything had been great! 

“Let him go, Thor.” Steve ordered, moving forward and placing his hand on the man’s shoulder, “We need to figure this out.”

Thor didn’t move, glaring at Clint pinned against the wall, “Not until he tells us what he did to Miss [Y/N}.”

“Thor, we won’t get any answers if you kill him,” Bucky said, stepping between Clint and Thor.

With a growl of frustration, Thor dropped Clint’s shirt as if it burned him. He stalked to the other side of the room and glared at him. If looks could kill, Clint would be dead one hundred times over.

Tony let out a deep breath, “Friday, use facial recognition and figure out where she went. We need to find out what the hell is going on”

“I’m sorry sir, I can’t do that. I have no records of Miss [Y/N]. I have no pictures to use facial recognition on” Friday’s voice seemed to echo around the now silent room.

“What about the video? Use that.” 

“The video has now been corrupted. It seems that it was intended to be viewed only once as it was” 

The video began to play again, only this time your face had been erased. It was just audio over a black screen. You’d been careful to hide everything you could.

“Use our security footage. Get it there.” Tony ordered, cursing you silently.

“Sir, that is not possible. It seems that Miss [Y/N] uploaded a virus. There is one unidentified person on the security footage who I believe to be her, but the footage has been corrupted and the person’s face has been blurred out.”

“Show me. Now.” Tony ordered, turning back to the screen.

Sure enough, though there you were as you took your bags of belongings to the incinerator, your face was blacked out, erased like you were merely another face in the crowd. Natasha had yet to move, or say a word. Silently, she sat there plotting your murder for hurting the team, and Clint.

“What about her Fingerprints? DNA? There has to be something.” Tony’s voice was almost a plea, hoping you’d left something behind, some way to find you.

“Her sister has to have a picture of her” Clint spoke for the first time since the video had played, his voice rough.

“Clint, Tony, let’s go. Thor, Natasha, see if you can find anything she may have left behind. Banner, see if you can find any trace of her in our records hidden, maybe she forgot something. Bucky, contact Peter and the others. See if anyone else has heard from her. Loki, see if anyone in the tower knows anything.” Steve ordered, not waiting for anyone’s response before leaving the room.

~~~~~~

Your fraternal twin sister, Nadia, glared at Clint as she opened the door, “What do you want?” her voice was venomous.

Clint stared at her, confused. They’d always gotten along well, there was no reason he could think of that would make her hate him so. Something was going on, and he had no clue what. This all made no sense to him.

Tony stepped forward, “Hey Nadia. We need a picture of [Y/N] if you wouldn’t mind.” he kept his voice even, not trying to let on anything was seriously wrong.

“If I wouldn’t mind?” she spat, “You lot need to stay the fuck away from my family. [Y/N]’s gone thanks to you.”

Steve stepped forward puzzled, “Nadia, what’s going on? We got back from a mission and she was gone, she just left us a video and no explanation. Is she okay?”

Nadia let out a humorless laugh, “Is she okay? I wouldn’t know any more thanks to you lot. If you want what’s best for her, you’ll let her go.”

“Nadia please - “ Clint started, cut off by Nadia as she slapped him hard across the face.

“Don’t come around here anymore. You’ve done enough” she growled, stepping back inside and locking the door. 

Tony and Steve turned to Clint who stood there, stunned. His hand rested on his cheek as he stared at the now shut door. Steve rested his hand on Clint’s shoulder, and Tony merely stood there watching. 

~~~~~~

Later that evening, you arrived in your new home town. Cataldo, Idaho, a small town with a population of 893 people. Big enough for you to hide in the crowds during events, but small enough that you had the chance to meet all of your neighbors, and run background checks on everyone in town. An hour outside of Spokane, Washington, you were close enough to an international airport that if you needed to, you’d have time to get out of dodge quickly but far enough away that no one would stumble across you accidentally.

It had been a long journey to this place. You’d taken four flights, five trains, three taxis, changing identities between every switch. Finally, you purchased an old beat-up truck under your new name, [Y/F/N]. You drove through the silent town, pulling to a stop outside the little three-bedroom home you’d bought in an online auction a few days ago. It was a little run down, but it was home now. Nothing you couldn’t tackle before the baby came. It was midnight by the time you arrived, and you quickly fell asleep on the floor in your new home.

The next morning, you awoke to gentle sunlight spreading across you. You had to get a move on, you had a new life to create. First things first, you had to hack SHIELD’s database again. What better place to hide from the team than under their noses? It didn’t take you long to build an employee file under your new name. You made sure to make no mention of your medical knowledge or hacking skills, knowing those would be a dead giveaway. Instead, you noted your skills in other departments, undercover work, interviewing, tracking. Your new employee file made you completely and totally average, someone who would blend in without a second thought.

It was easy to then put through the transfer paperwork to transfer you from the Dallas field office to the Spokane office, with your start date as next Monday. That would give you plenty of time to get everything in order. 

Over the next week, you dyed your hair [Y/F/C] and bought colored contacts to hide your identity, making sure that it matched your new file for SHIELD. You fixed up your new home, and furnished it completely, turning one of the rooms into a guest room - you needed to keep up appearances of course - and the basement became a gym and home office. 

On Friday you had your first appointment with an OBGYN. Thankfully, the doctor said that everything was going well. As the appointment progressed though, a small smile crept over your new doctor’s face as she pointed to one spot on the ultrasound.

“[Y/F/N], looks to me like you need to be buying everything in doubles. You’re carrying twins.” 

~~~~~~

Months had passed since you had left the team and found out you were carrying twins. Things were going honestly pretty good. You’d settled in at work, and no one suspected that you were hiding anything. You’d had to tell your boss you were pregnant, and even though they’d only met you recently everyone seemed to be genuinely happy for you. At six months pregnant, the doctor had ordered you put on desk duty and although you were quickly growing bored, it was nice to not have to worry about running into any of the team on the field.

Of course, you couldn’t help but wonder how the team would have reacted, and at night, you mourned for those lost chances and moments. You’d never get to see Tony making the babies gifts that made your life a living nightmare. You’d never get to see Natasha spoiling them or teaching them to fight. However, you’d also never have to see Clint reject you or your little birds as you’d taken to calling them.

A month ago, you’d stumbled across a one-eyed Golden Retriever pup in the dumpster behind the offices, and you’d taken him home. Lucky had been your saving grace in the moments when depression had taken over. Friday nights were the hardest on you still, remembering your date nights with Clint. On those nights, you and Lucky curled up on the couch and shared a pizza. 

Unfortunately, life seemed to enjoy kicking you whenever it had the chance. When your doctor finally got the results back of your prenatal testing, you found out you were a carrier for Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis. Meaning, there was a chance one or both of your babies could be born blind if Clint was also a carrier. 

~~~~~~

Banner was working in the lab when his phone rang, an unidentified number flashing on the screen, although he answered it without paying much attention, “Banner”

“Hey Bruce” your voice was soft, nervous. You hadn’t spoken to any of them in months. Four months, three weeks, two days to be specific. 

You heard the clatter of something dropped and a sharp inhale before he spoke, “[Y/N]? Is that really you? Are you okay? What’s wrong? What happened?” the questions flew out of him before you could even hope to answer the first.

“Yeah… yeah, it’s me. I’m fine, Bruce. I’m sorry to call you out of the blue like this but… I need a favor. Two really” 

“Anything. Tell me what you need, [Y/N]” he leaned against the table, catching Tony’s gaze and motioning for him to be quiet as he put it on speakerphone. They’d been working together in the lab when you called.

“First, I need you to keep this call a secret. You can’t tell anyone I called or about my other favor, Please. I’m begging you, Bruce”

“[Y/N] come on, you know everyone wants to know if you’re okay”

“Bruce. No. No one can know about this, okay? Please”

A sigh came across the line before he answered, “Alright. Alright, I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

“I need a blood sample from Clint sent to Integrated Genetics under the name Matthew Adams.”

“What? Why would you need that? What’s going on [Y/N]”

Tony stared at the phone, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion as his thoughts raced. Why the hell did you need that? While Bruce answered, Tony was searching the lab on his phone. Apparently, it was a lab that did genetic testing.

“Please, Bruce. I am begging you. Please just do it” your voice broke, and the line clicked dead as you hung up.

Bruce immediately tried to call you back, but the only response was the phone company telling you the line had been disconnected. He turned to Tony, curiosity on his face.

“What's going on? Why would she need a blood sample from Clint?” Banner asked.

“According to their website, Integrated Genetics does pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, pediatric and hereditary cancer testing” Tony’s voice was quiet as he looked up from the phone.

“Fuck.” 

Tony and Banner quickly gathered the rest of the team except Natasha and Clint who were off on a mission in the living room. It had been a rough few months for the team. Thor refused to be in the same room as Clint, figuring he had done something to you to make you leave. Loki was… Well, no one really wanted to talk to Loki anymore after he went so far as to question if you were actually a Hydra spy all along. Clint had almost killed him when he let slip that theory. Tensions were high with everyone.

“I think we know why [Y/N] left.” Tony started when everyone had taken a seat. He raised his hand to silence them as they all began to talk. “Banner just got a call from her. She’s okay as far as we could tell, but we think we figured out what’s going on. We think she’s pregnant.”

The room was so silent you could have heard a pin drop as everyone processed what he’d said.

Steve was the first to speak, “That’s good news? Why would she leave over that?”

“Remember the mission in Boston? The last one we all went on?” Banner asked, waiting for them to nod before continuing, “That night during our movie, Clint told her repeatedly that he never wanted kids, and they had to be careful they never made that mistake.”

“Do you know where she is?” Steve asked, at the exact same time that Thor growled that he was going to kill Clint.

“She didn’t say where she was, Friday couldn’t track the call and the number’s already disconnected. She asked us to get a blood sample from Clint and have it sent to a lab that does genetic screenings for pregnancies.” Banner explained.

“We can’t tell him.” Tony’s voice was steady, “Or Natasha. It’s only going to kill him, and we can’t be 100% certain that’s what’s going on.”

The team agreed.

~~~~~~

Your doctor called you two weeks later, she’d gotten the test results back from the lab for ‘Matthew Adams’. Clint wasn’t a carrier, and there was nothing else to be concerned about with that. With the way the pregnancy was coming along, you were going to give birth to two beautiful twins, a baby boy, and a baby girl. 

With the help of your neighbors, you managed to finish setting up the nursery for your little birds. 

 Back at the tower, the rest of the team had stepped up their attempts to find you, sparing no expense. Clint and Natasha had no idea that you had called or that you were pregnant, and Steve had asked Thor to go search Europe for you, mainly to keep him away from Clint. 

~~~~~~

On May 15, at 37 weeks, you went into labor at your desk. Your co-worker and friend raced you to the hospital and stayed with you as you gave birth to two beautiful, healthy babies. They were the spitting image of their father with his dark hair and light eyes. You named your baby girl Raven, and your baby boy, Griffin and you wondered what Clint would think of you giving them bird names for him.

You cried the day they were born, feeling guilty for everything they’d miss out on because of you. They’d never know their grandparents, their aunts, uncles, cousins, no one. For the first time in months, you felt utterly alone.

When the nurse handed you your babies for the first time, you realized none of that mattered anymore. You’d never be alone again, and while they may miss out on a lot due to your mistakes, you vowed you’d make sure they never felt like they were missing out.

Two days later, the doctor finally discharged you and the three of you headed home, where you were greeted by your beloved Lucky who the neighbor’s kids had been caring for while you were gone. 

Yeah, you were sad but for the first time in months, things seemed to be looking up. You got this.

Next Chapter ->

Find this story on AO3

[a-writing-bear]

[AmeriPan] Chapter 2: The ‘Hell on Earth’ Task Agency

Ao3 Link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13286367/chapters/31876020

This Has been cross-posted onto FF & Ao3 under Aliases: BearBooper

You can read this Fic on Tumblr under ‘Keep Reading’ But it is not formatted as well as the AO3 version.

Previous Chapter     Next Chapter

Fandom: Hetalia Axis Powers

Main Pairing:  Alfred F. Jones & Kiku Honda (America & Japan)

AU:   Demon AU/HellTaskAgency!AU - Demon!America & Businessman!Japan

Age Rating/Mature:  Teen And Up Audiences (12+ due to mentions of mature themes as well as swearing)

Trigger Warnings:  None in this chapter (Future addiction and other themes such as crime, murder, corruption etc.) A bit more PruCan in here

Organised as ever, Alfred should have expected this kind of planning from his handler. They knew that HETA had placed Matthew and him close to their targets, although the jean cladded boy didn’t assume he would be residing this close to his goal. The man in question was quite...adorable to say the least. Coffee-brown eyes paired with a 5’5ft stature was the least intimidating figure, his suit didn’t make the guy look any scarier either. To say the least, it was strange to believe that a cute being like that would be capable of the destruction of an entire company. Then again, Kiku had this weird aura that came off as unnerving and as Alfred had focused in on his soul (or as much as he could within the 30 seconds of the meeting) he recognised a bitterness within him. Slightly stunned and already geared in the mood to pester his new client he strode into the apartment whistling. The sibling glared at him suspiciously,

“Al. You have your fangs out and you smile looks like the time you started a riot.”Matthew noted with peculiar intrigue, eyes going wide as the tanner man explained that his client lived right next door. Alfred tucked his fangs away distractedly, realising that he needed to get used to the unfamiliar blunter teeth.

“But I thought you had to go for that fake job interview thing on Monday?” Nodding, Alfred was slightly puzzled too. His new alias already gave him an excuse to be near this Kiku guy as a personal assistant, somewhere he would be able to meet the man every day. Arthur was probably tryna make it easier for him. Fuck that guy. He didn’t need help adjusting to a human life! He could manipulate that soul easier than a kid using a finger puppet. First order of business, he had concluded, would be to get certain of their surroundings. They decided to get out into the streets and explore the cityscape of New York City. fumbling with his hands they walked out into the streets looking quite clueless to the world, however, they could sense all the different souls whizzing past them, locked within humans who knew nothing of how bright and blinding their souls could be. Noting with interest he recalled that Kiki’s soul had been a cool blue that greyed out ever so slightly, while the woman who had walked past was a dazzling bright red (Too kind-hearted for his liking).

His partner had already started moving down the street in the cold air, clearly in search of something interesting to find. The street lights marked their pathway as they strolled through the cool breeze, every now and again enamoured with any particularly bright soul that puttered nearby. A dainty bell dinged as they entered a quaint cafe a few minutes away. As his Mattie fumbled with a wallet and order on behalf of the two, Alfred occupied a vacant table before hearing a very loud voice which seemed to override any chatter from the other customers. He turned ready to give the stink-eye to the ruder patron but as he came to view a body whole obviously carried no human soul he was left speechless. The culprit in question had looked up sensing Alfred’s aura strongly- pale skin and red eyes all in return with a heavy amused laugh following. Could this be..? The figure partially revealed his wings using his cloaking (which was against HETA guidelines!) and winked before murmuring to whatever company this obvious demon had attracted.

Making his way the man was drabbed in a black zip-up hoodie, left unzipped showing off the thin white t-shirt and his tight black ripped jeans. The demon strolled towards Alfred pleasantly as if making a way to an old friend,

“Hey, there kiddo! New to town- Although I think I know you?” His hands dug further into his pocket as this mysterious thing stuck out his human hand to shake.

The figure tutted as Al failed to respond, “Jeez, at least pretend you’re a real human ma-”

“Are you Gilbert?” Blurting out, Alfred felt embarrassed as there was a pause- worried that he had gotten mixed up - heck for all he knew this wasn’t a demon he even knew! Yeah, those black wings looked quite similar to the description Arthur had given….

“I’m not surprised you recognise me...but uh.I don’t think we’ve ever met in the underworld...you remind me of someone... Am I still talked about?” The American noted that Gilbert’s human form had been given a very distinct German accent and judging from the appearance was residing under the cover of a recent art graduate, his silver-white hair matched with a young face seemed weird but somehow exaggerated the rough and rowdy aesthetic the man held. Recalling the tales and exploits that his former mentor, Francis, bragged about he already could imagine meeting the so-called prodigy demon Gil- the one that had set off many huge chaos points that he had to be put on suspension. If anything, Alfred was jealous that this demon was so highly skilled….and yet he was amazed.

“Yes! Oh but I don’t think we have actually met-I’m Arthur’s mentee. Formerly Francis’...” He had not noticed a sudden peak in Gilbert’s interest, those red eyes flickered with some sort of curiosity and familiarity. “I didn’t think we’d run into another employee this soon...we just got stationed to HETA literally yesterday.” the white-haired man eyes grew wide before bellowing even louder attracting the attention of Matthew who had just arrived with their drinks and those red eyes trailed Matthew’s human form. Did he know Matthew?

“‘We? Are you relate-’”

Suddenly as he came to introduce his partner to Gilbert, his brother stopped before the older demon, lowering his hands- seemingly nervous and suspicious. Gilbert took very little time to appreciate Matthew, that was clear as day as those blood red eyes grew vivid and his smirk faltered into a slight gasp. The two exchanged glances that even Alfred could not decipher, it was just like when he asked about Francis and Arthur’s gave would morph into a mixture of so many emotions that seem to override many others. Okay, he must have met Mattie befor-

“You’re not supposed to cloak your wings. Not even have them out, that’s breaking article 7.” Matthew hissed disapprovingly at the cocky looking demon, disregarding the clear as day brilliance of the veteran demon in front of them. Smooth. His brother obviously was not a seducer, so much for a demon right?

Surprisingly, Gilbert only smiled with gritted teeth, a low growl in his throat as he barked out a reply with feigned hurt: “Ouch, I’m so hurt, although you little thing... aren’t you aware I’m exempt from nearly all commandments and articles?” Alfred got anxious...had he just found himself stuck in a quarrel though Matthew’s aura of awkward annoyance died down and melted easily in the atmosphere as they continued. Alright. they knew each other, he concluded. No One would be caught dead calling Matthew ‘Little thing’ - they would be drop-kicked all the way to Heaven and down to hell in a fury of pain.

“Fuck off man, What ARE you doing here Gilbert?”

“Last time you were happy to find me, Not so excited to see me anymore Little birdie? I think you forget this is my turf this time.” Alfred cringed, God how DID these 2 know each other and why the fuck did Matthew never introduce the legend to him before???

“I meant this cafe! Not the district Gil, I’m not that unprofessional..”

Alfred kept staring at the squabble, The two look back at him embarrassed as they recognised he was still present watching them. Matthew flushed before sitting down at a nearby table, tugging on Alfred to join him- attempting to avoid the gaze of the older being. He huffed dignified, obviously trying not to be pleased that Gilbert had sneaked and sat beside the two twins. Alfred sent Matthew a questioning glare and his brother wavered for a minute before sighing as Gilbert leant closer next to him.

“We met at a directors meeting, Francis brought me to intern that morning-” the pale man had already started fumbling with a lock of Matthew’s hair absentmindedly as if it was a normal thing to do.

Alfred was even more confused “How come I wasn’t invited?!” Again Matthew huffed but this time more peeved than ever but replied firmly and calmly- this interested Gilbert obviously and the older demon grinned focusing on Matthew’s voice.

“Arthur invited you, but you forgot you fuck. I had to take notes for you remember? Too busy seducing some harlets…” His brother’s voice trailed off and an awkward silence fell upon the table. Their drinks were left untouched as Gilbert decided to ask about their missions and who stationed them here. He snickered as they hung their heads in shame when they told him it was because Alfred screwed them both.Gilbert had been in this section of town since the project started, and in fact was the district’s advisor (Matthew proceeded to tell him off considering all of these facts were given in their job file).

*Ding*

A jingle sounded through the small cafe and suddenly Matthew turned to look at his watch before turning to Alfred whispering about how their targets were about to enter simultaneously. Punctual and precise, Matthew was correct as a trio entered through the door, 2 short men dressed in fancy business suits, one was undoubtedly Kiku- Alfred Narrowed his eyes taking close attention to the man’s change in soul aura: It had been bluish gray this morning but now it had morphed to a dull rather very pitiful dark gray, there was a tinge of deep blue but it seemed much more complex than just the first tone from before. Besides him, a slightly taller and more...Germanic(?) Looking lad had a grumpy look on his face and fiddled with a briefcase in hand- to this person’s side was a young girl, her face too gleeful and innocent to be garbed in such professional pencil skirts and a jacket that fit her a bit too snuggly. The rounds of her face and her tiny nose mirrored that of the blonde man- obviously they were siblings or some sort of relatives and she seemed to follow the man closely like a doe infatuated by its mother dear. Hold no doubt though this little lady was not as innocent as she came closer.  Her cheery bright yellow soul had a very deep red core- not the dazzling passionate kindness he would have expected. it was the exact shade as the blonde man’s: an almost wine red, too close to blood and the black fog between the two connected souls obviously hinted to something sinister. The only difference between the assumed brother and siblings was that the man had a green tint instead of amber- this man was greedy. At that moment Alfred once again cursed the fact his brother got a double case, so unfair, these siblings looked like a fun case. They watched carefully as the tallest of the 3 told the girl something and pointed towards the Cafe cashier, they parted as she went to take an order and the 2 men moved for some seats.

Alfred knew Kiku would be naturally drawn to him, so it wasn’t peculiar to see Kiku suddenly perk up confused and look around before spotting him. The perks of being a hell-giver hah. Selfishly he mouthed a ‘hey there’ trying to seem casual and welcoming- yikes he really wasn’t used to his new body but at least he knew his smile was good since Kiku was actually quick to bring his guest towards their table. Thank the devil he didn’t accidentally use his fangs, he still hated these blunt biters. Kiku looked unsure but it was too late as his swiss accented partner had already ask who got him in such a rush and to “Not leave Lili confused as to where we are!”

“I must apologize to my new neighbours, please hold on Mr Zwingli.” That Asian meek voice still seemed so devoid of any evil. Mr Zwingli’s eyes twitched and his brow furrowed, he had seen the Japanese man apologize before but never quite so eager for supposedly the young men that were sitting near this table.

“Yo, Mysterious no-name neighbour! This is Matthew, he’s also in our apartment like I said before and that’s just a friend of ours”He pointed to Gilbert before jutting out a friendly handshake and Kiku obliged before giving his name (Alfred laughed internally, he knew more about Kiku than the man could ever assume, he didn't need an introduction- silly humans) Matthew nodded but took more interest in the man with the Swiss flag lapel pin.

“Pardon me, but are you the Mr Zwingli of Germanian Banking?” The man flinched before looking suspicious but Matthew’s smile was so disarming and seemingly too precious was able to be stop any detection of malice from the blonde man, he coughed before answering shyly.

“Formerly of Germanian Banking, I’ve gone independent now- working in finance with multiple new companies and clients on contracts, Mr Honda’s company is one of them in fact. Excuse my bluntness but...How do you know me? no offence but you look some college kid who woke up without coffee before a midterm…” Alfred could tell Matthew wanted to go hostile but his ass knew it would ruin the job, besides he was a professional even if it meant biting his tongue after insults.

“Finance and Econ.Grad,” his brother spoke, Alfred could only laugh, in the underworld, Matthew was the equivalent to a high ranking lawyer- not some shitty recent grad, what an awful cover-up they were given on earth.

Matthew’s voice carried on, ignoring Alfred’s scoff “In fact I’m looking for some internship work..got any space?” wolfishly Matthew smiled knowing full well his request was undeniable- charms always worked well on the less-socially inclined, and he had studied his case file well enough to know Vash Zwingli was not a social man at heart. In a way Alfred pitied him as he watched Matthew strategically manipulate, humans were too easy he supposed and he hope he was never cursed to be reincarnated as one- Devil have mercy if he was ever stuck with Matthew as one. Alfred’s own target had left quickly to assist the girl who had been stumbling and meekly making her way with 3 coffees on a tray, a balancing act as she navigated the closely knit tables. Her soul was so wild and strange but lightened even more as she arrived next to the banker, she felt more comfortable around him and only as Kiku stood behind her did her light aura flicker once more.

“Grüezi mitenand….” Her voice trailed off after looking at the rest of the crowd.

// (From Lili) [Swiss German] - Hello (to a group, formal) //

Vash huffed before quickly mumbling to his sister “Setzen Sie es auf einen anderen Tisch, wir werden nicht mit diesen ... Zeitverschwendern sitzen. Lassen Sie Herrn Honda einige persönliche Dinge tun. Hämmer kafi?”

// (From Vash) [German] - “Put it on another table, we will not sit with these ... time wasters. Let Mr. Honda do some personal things.” (From Vash) [Swiss German] - ‘“Do we have Coffee?”//

As the two shuffled to another table Kiku continued to stare at the twins, Alfred noted his calculating eyes and how his soul was tinting to an intrigued purple the longer he stared. This was going to be great.

For the first time ever his new human voice came out with an almost southern drawl- one that even the demon himself was surprised to hear come out of his mouth; none the less the new accent definitely caused the Japanese man to snap out of his long stare

“You ‘kay there Mr Kiku?”

God again those bright red cheeks, Al was pleased to know for the next few years he will be able to be the source of those blushes.

[meetthetank]

Perversion of a Desperate Prayer

Rating: Mature                                

Archive Warning: Graphic depictions of violence

Category: F/M

Fandom: NieR: Automata (Video Game)

Relationship: 2B/9S (NieR: Automata)

Characters: 9S (NieR: Automata), Masamune - Character, 4S (NieR: Automata)

 Additional Tags: feral androids, Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Route C/D

Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the Overdose Delusion series 

Due to recent tumblr fuckery I won’t be putting a link to the Ao3 page in this post. Next time it should be good to put a link in though. Hopefully.

Summary: 9S gets his wish.

Why 9S hadn’t killed the machine blacksmith yet is a mystery to him. Watching the armored thing work, with its back turned to him, it would be so easy to run him through with a spear, cleave him in two with a sword, or pummel him to death with a bracer. He could hack the thing, and it wouldn’t have the time to react before its controls are overridden. Yes, it would be simple, quick, painless. More than any machine deserves.

Yet as he holds his hand out to prepare a hack, he fails to go through with it. Seeing the little machine restore the worn white blade to a pristine state halts his attack. 9S lowers his hand with a tired sigh. Every one of those thoughts becomes harder and harder to not act on. He wonders how long it’ll be before he finally does.

9S’ head snaps up as the gears in the little armored machine click and whirr to life. Its torso turns completely around with its legs following soon after.

“There. Good as new,” it says in that grating mechanical drone shared by its brethren.

9S gives the machine a half-hearted thanks as he takes the massive white sword. He nearly loses his grip on the heavy blade before letting it be digitized by his pod for storage. His fingers trace the fading pieces of data with a will of their own.

“...Where is your partner, the owner of that sword. I haven’t seen her in some time.”

The machine’s words cut into his chest, making his whole body tighten as if he had been hit with a physical attack.

“She…” 9S isn’t sure why it’s so hard for him to explain this to an unfeeling machine, but forcing the words out is like swallowing coals, “She’s gone.”

“Ah...my condolences.”

9S turns away from it to hide the sneer that twists his face. What could a machine know about loss, about his pain? What could it know about 2B?

Drawing in a shaky breath, he exits the hidden workshop to resume trek to the resource unit floating nearby. Yet just as he’s about to leave, the machine calls him back.

“Wait, young android. Before you go, heed this warning.”

He stops, casting a tired glance backward at the blacksmith.

“There’s something lurking around the castle of late.”

“...What is it.” 9S curses his curiosity.

“I’m not sure. It seems to be an android...or rather, it seems like it used to be an android. It looks closer to a beast now.”

9S wishes he didn’t know what the machine was referring to. In the time since he's woken up, he’s seen more of these androids turned beasts than he ever wished. He counts himself lucky that they don’t seem to go out of their way to attack him. n Ifact they seem more like skittish animals than the monsters he recalls.

“...I’ll keep an eye out for it,” he mutters before leaving the machine blacksmith to its work.

“It’s like a living shadow. You’ll hear its simple weapon scraping across the ground before you see it.”

Despite 9S being nearly certain that this beastly android won’t drop from the high towers of the castle on him, there’s a distinct feeling of unease that puts him on edge. He instinctively reaches for his sword at every warped shadow or rustling leaves. How silly of him to be so scared by the words of a machine. The senseless thing probably saw a boar or moose inside the castle walls and thought it some monster.

And yet…

If it’s right…

9S keeps his sword in hand. Just in case.

There’s one more thing he has to do before taking on that floating tower of scrap that haunts his peripheral vision. Deeper within the castle lies the library, a sprawling collection of unreadable rotted books and home to the older scanner, 4S. 9S isn’t sure why he chose to isolate himself so far away from the other androids, if something happened to him it’d be hours or even days before anyone would know something was wrong. With this creature supposedly lurking around, his visit to 4S is twofold. To share enemy data as he requested, and to make sure the older model is okay. A part of him says he’s being too paranoid but ever since...He doesn’t want to lose anyone else.

The castle itself is eerie without the hoards of machines loyal to their king. Trekking through used to be a chore as he would have to fight through countless armored machines trying to stop him from getting too close to the infant king. But he could always rely on…

…

But she’s gone now.

And he’s alone.

She called him “Nines” here. She tried to deny it, but he knows what he heard. Her icy demeanor crumbled and was rebuilt in an instant, but he saw someone who cared about him. Someone who…

9S takes a deep breath and wipes the moisture pooling at the corner of his eyes. He lies to himself, it’s just the humidity and dust in the air. He doesn’t have time to sit and cry.

Emotions are prohibited anyway.

4S waves to him as he enters the library then hops down the series of ladders and balconies to meet him. His enthusiasm brings a little smile back to 9S’ face.

“Hey, Nines.”

As soon as that smile appears, it’s gone, replaced by pursed lips and clenched teeth, “Hey.”

4S studies him quietly for a moment before continuing, “Brought me some more data?”

“Yeah. Here you go.”

There are only a few enemy data files to transfer over, simple variations on stubbies and the like. The transfer is over in an instant.

“Hm, I wonder why the machines have such a fascination with hats. They don’t seem to have any purpose in combat.”

“There’s no reason behind anything the machines do.” 9S growls.

“I-...Well yeah, I guess.”

4S dismisses his screen and places his hand on 9S’ shoulder in a gesture of comfort that the younger model has to force himself to accept.

“Hey...do you want to take a break? You’ve been going nonstop ever since-...You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine.”

“...Okay. Well, if you want to talk at all I’ll be here.”

Beneath his visor, 9S stares at the ground between their feet. He can’t meet the other scanner’s gaze. He doubts he could even look at himself right now.

“Thanks.”

There’s a long pause between them, both unsure of what exactly to do. 4S lowers his hand at steps away from him, “...Be careful, okay?”

“Yeah,” 9S mutters as he turns to leave the library and continue his grim quest.

“It’s not just the machines now, you know.”

9S stops in his tracks, “What?”

“Yeah, there’s more than just machines to worry about now. There’s the infected YorHa units too, not to mention this...thing that I’ve seen in the castle.”

“You too, huh? That machine blacksmith by the throne room mentioned something unusual as well.”

“Masamune was the one who warned me about it. I didn’t pay much attention to him until I saw it myself.”

That takes 9S by surprise. The blacksmith’s word only served to unnerve him a little, good for nothing except a bit of paranoia. Coming from 4S, however, it’s far more credible.

“Is it...dangerous?” 9S asks.

“Dunno. It ran away the moment I saw it. It did have this...scary looking weapon, though.”

“So it has the potential to be dangerous.”

“Definitely.”

“Right. Be careful, then. Odd’s are it’ll get bored and wander off.”

They two scanners say their goodbyes to each other before 9S leaves the library, nearly sprinting through the halls of the castle to reach the exit. Even though both the machine blacksmith and 4S said that the monster lurking around is nothing more than a scared animal by nature, the idea that something unknown could be waiting in the shadows disturbs him.

Yet…

Curse his curiosity. If he could, he’d search for the beast. He could already hear 2B-...

…

He’s sure that 2B would chastise him for not focusing on their mission.

But she’s gone now.

…

It’s just him.

Him and his mission.

The blinding light of the never changing sun takes him by surprise. 9S finds himself in the large courtyard that separates the two halves of the castle, yet he doesn’t remember the trip here. A dense fog clouds his mind, but that’s been the case for some time now.

How long has it been?

The red-haired twins said he was out for two weeks after 2B died but after that?

Days? Weeks? Months?

Time has been moving so oddly lately. Not that it matters.

None of it really matters.

9S looks to the sky, to the sun locked eternally in the center. A few clouds drift by, giving him a small reprieve from the blistering, unrelenting sunlight. Staring up at the vast expanse of blue obscured by the clouds and the heavy vegetation of the ancient forest, he suddenly feels small. Insignificant.

Alone.

Really, truly alone.

There’s a dull, yet deep ache in his chest that lingers no matter how much he bunches his coat in his hand.

“2B…” he mutters to no one but himself.

If she were here...things would be so much different. No YorHa, no missions. They would be free. Free to explore, free to feel, free to do whatever they felt.

“If I could see you, just once more….Maybe I could finally-”

A sudden intense jolt of electricity runs from the back of his neck to the rest of his body, literally shocking him out of his daze. He whips around to see exactly what had attacked him, only to find his pod floating close behind him, with arcs of electricity jumping between one of its claws.

“Pod?! What the hell, why did you do that?!”

“Unit 9S did not respond to the previous five warnings. Preventative measures were taken to assure unit 9S was operating properly.”

“Warnings?” Had he really been that oblivious? “What warnings?”

“This pod detected a black box signal eleven minutes ago but was unable identify the unit it belongs to.”

“What does that mean?!”

“A black box cannot be identified when the unit has suffered severe corruption that affects the identification chip of the unit.”

“Where is the signal coming from?”

“Five meters away.”

9S scans the courtyard frantically for anything hiding in plain sight. The longer he goes without finding anything the more panicked he becomes. A loud scrape echoes across the castle, something metallic being dragged across the stone floor. It’s impossible to pinpoint and only serves to further stress 9S.

“Come on...where are you…”

He searches for any movement, anything out of the ordinary hiding in the bushes and shrubs that dot the courtyard. Any oddly moving shadows or misplaced shapes, but it’s difficult to discern anything through the mess of vegetation. The two bright lights that shine through the underbrush-

“Pod!”

At 9S’ command, Pod 153 fires a barrage of shots into the foliage that obscures the creature with glowing white eyes. Whatever it is lets out a pathetic high pitched whine as the energy bullets rip apart its hiding place. A massive shadow darts out of the bushes with speed that shouldn’t be possible of a creature that size, dragging what appears to be a length of rusted iron. Pod’s fire trails it as it bursts out of the vegetation in a shadowy blur, any bullet that does manage to hit it simply ricochets off of the thick black fabric that covers the monster.

Like Masamune and 4S said it doesn’t pay 9S attention at all, it rushes past him, only trying to avoid the pod fire. It moves so fast that he can’t get a decent look at what exactly it is. There’s at least one arm, the one that clutches the hunk of iron that drags behind it. Another arm ending in fearsome claws appears as it leaps up the wall of the castle, scrambling for purchase on the sheer stone.

“Pod, fire laser at forty percent power at its empty hand!”

Pod 153’s body splits in two, revealing a series of lenses that immediately begin surging with power. As if sensing the incoming attack, the monster scrambles up the sheer walls as fast as its claws can pierce the bricks. With precise calculations, a beam of light explodes from the lenses and hits its mark on the shrouded creature’s hand just as its claws dig into the stonework. The brittle stone explodes with from the force of the blast, and with its handhold gone the beast plummets to the ground with an ear-splitting scream.

It lands on its side, a sickening crack echoes above all other sounds the moment the monster hits the earth, its crude weapon landing a moment later. A cloud of dust and dirt erupts around the beast and its weapon, obscuring them from 9S’ view. He shields his face from the rush of rubble and dust despite wearing his visor and coughs when he accidentally inhales a lungful.

As the dust disperses, 9S watches the monster writhe on the ground. It wails in a hauntingly familiar yet distorted tone as it tries to right itself. Its claws tangle in its shroud and prevent it from standing up. It manages to rise only to stumble over itself and crash back to the ground with another pathetic shriek.

9S strides forward with his black katana in hand. This thing was threatening his friend and one of the few machines he’s keeping alive. He has to put this shrieking thing out of its misery. Its unblinking eyes lock onto him as he approaches, gaze unwavering even while it forces itself to its feet. One of its arms, the one it landed on, dangles uselessly by its side. It breaks its focus on the encroaching android to try and make its damaged limb move to no avail. Its focus returns to 9S the moment he gets within a yard of it, and to his surprise, it cowers away from him. This creature that looms over him is... afraid of him.

Now that it isn’t running at breakneck speed 9S can finally get a good look at this thing. Beneath the tattered black shroud that covers most of its body, there are several shards of metal that jut out of its chest and stomach. Some of them look like broken weapons, others are rusted chunks of the same material as its weapon. Its arms and legs have similar patterns on the exposed bone, muscle, and frame as the android corpses that litter the city ruins. However, the beast’s warped claws, twisted feet, and those piercing white eyes are distinctly inhuman. He can’t see its face as its covered by the thick black cloth. In fact, that cloth seems to be made up of pieces of fabric and...hide stitched together haphazardly.

Its unblinking eyes flick between him and his sword, the arm that still functions feeling around for anything it could use to defend itself. Sometimes it nearly touches the handle of its iron cudgel. Fearing what would happen should it hold its weapon, 9S lunges forward with a shout. Just as he’s about to strike the beast across the chest it swings its body with enough force for its useless arm to beat him out of the air. 9S tumbles to the ground and prepares for a retaliation from the creature, but nothing happens. All it does is take hold of its weapon and watches him right himself.

9S snarls as he prepares a plan of attack. He won’t let this idiotic monster humiliate him in combat. He is a scanner, a top of the line model, and he’s fought far worse things than some rotting android. A ring of golden energy appears around his arm and around the hilt of his blade just before he throws it at the monster. It spins in an arc, circling the creature but never actually hitting it.

The beast crouches low to the ground, its joints cracking and groaning audibly. It tries to keep track of 9S’ sword but 9S forces it to move faster and faster until the monster stops trying to follow it and simply stares at him and whines. Seeing his opening, 9S forces the sword to return to his hand and dashes forward. With a pathetic yelp, it deflects this blade with the mass of iron, but the second attack hits its mark. The katana slices through its shroud but it doesn’t connect with the beast itself. It shrieks as it leaps back, batting away 9S’ sword with its own weapon.

Each strike from 9S either glances off the monster’s crude weapon or carves through its shroud. The already tattered fabric is shredded even further by 9S with each attack. It isn’t the fact that he doesn’t even hit the creature that makes him roar and scream at it, but the fact that it isn’t fighting back. It’s just mocking him, effortlessly blocking or avoiding strike after strike with its weapon or shroud. A twisting rage builds inside 9S that drives him to attack with reckless abandon.

Pod 153 acts without command, firing a barrage of bullets at the shroud and shredding it faster than any of 9S’ strikes could. It tries to huddle behind hits massive weapon but 9S is just as unrelenting as Pod’s bullets. He puts all his effort into a strike aimed directly at its head, and just as he expects it shreds the last of the cloth that still shields it from his attacks.

With a roar the beast finally strikes back, clubbing 9S across the body with its crude length of iron. The pain is so great that for a moment he loses visual feed as he crumbles to the ground. It only takes a moment for him to regain his sight only to be greeted by the creature’s face hovering just inches from his.

Its putrid breath nearly makes him gag, its pointed fangs grazing his cheek with how close it is. Without the shroud obscuring its face, 9S can see the skinless face of what used to be an android. No facial features remain beyond the searing eyes and animalistic teeth. A shock of white hair, now yellowed and filthy, masks the exposed wiring of its skull. 9S scrambles backward as far as he can, just so long as he’s no longer underneath this vile creature.

As 9S holds his sword tight in his hand, the monster does the same with its own weapon. Its stance changes to that of a fighter, rather than a scared animal. Still, its eyes remain trained on 9S even as they size each other up. 9S makes the first move, launching forward to strike at its feet. Just as before the monster flings its mangled arm down at him, but this time he’s ready. With his lingering momentum, 9S swings up, slicing through the brittle metal and rotting wires of the monster’s arm. As the useless limb falls to the ground, the creature reels back and lets out a horrid corrupted shriek. Its retaliation comes faster than 9S expects, the creature twists its body around and strikes 9S again. This time he’s only forced back a couple of feet before he charges once again.

“Now you decide to fight back, huh?!” he shouts.

A rumbling snarl echoes from the monster. It swings the iron cudgel effortlessly in broad strikes that keep 9S out of range of it. He has to focus on evading, after taking two hits from that hunk of metal he’s not keen on taking any more. Especially since it seems that it’s suddenly decided to fight seriously.

But then again, so had he.

The creature leaps into the air, flips, and slams the mass of iron into the ground just inches away from 9S. Again, it leaps and strikes, and again. Each time 9S barely avoids it, the force alone winding him.

“Well, come on then! Do what you were built to do!”

He isn’t sure where this fury is coming from, but it roils in his gut and burns in his veins. A vile hate that spurs him to strike and strike without a plan.

“That’s all you know right?!”

The beast meets him blow for blow, striking with great spins and flips. It moves with the grace and precision of a YorHa android, and with the crushing power of one as well. The stone beneath their feet shatters each time the creature’s weapon.

“All you know is war!! All any of us know is war!!”

The tip of the makeshift weapon tears a long gash in his coat and drags him with the backswing. He crashes against the castle walls but doesn’t take a moment to let his jostled systems reorient themselves. The beast strikes its weapon against the ground and roars at him.

“But no...you’re different from the rest, right?!”

It charges him, or rather it runs a few feet then lunges at him, dragging the weapon behind it and carving great gashes into the earth. It spins furiously as it lands and strikes at 9S with everything it has left. There’s nowhere for him to run. He takes the full force of the monster’s attack. Something in his chest shatters and the rest of his coat is torn to shreds. Yet just as before, he refuses to stay down for long. He rises to his feet, albeit hunched over and clutching the wound seeping a thick red fluid.

“You...Your job was to…Kill us.” he struggles to growl at the monster, “An...executioner.”

Something jolts through the monster’s body. As if that word had physical weight to it, it freezes mid-swing. A low, pitiful whine escapes the beast, like the grinding of metal on metal.

“That’s what you are...right?!” he shouts, “That’s your job?!”

It charges him again, and 9S matches with a roar of his own. The fire churning in his gut swells and numbs the pains in his chest. He goes on the offensive, his unrelenting attacks chip away at the rusted iron and rotting android frame.

“So do your job!! Finish your mission!!”

9S fights with a feral anger, looking not unlike the monster he’s facing. His blood flows freely without the pressure of his free hand. A trail of crimson coolant follows each rabid attack he makes.

“Do it already!!”

He slices across the monster’s stomach, emptying it of what seems to be gallons of festering black sludge.

“Kill me!!”

The monster screams and slams the iron maul down, but 9S rolls forward to bury his sword in its chest next to the countless others.

“Kill me!!”

It grabs his face in its claws and pins him against the ground. Its claws constrict around his throat, the tips digging into his skin. He stains for air and beats his fists weakly against the monster’s crushing grip. Error messages cloud his vision as he gasps and chokes on the fluids that pool in his mouth.

“K-kil-....M-...”

Just as his visual feed fades to vague shapes and blaring warnings, the monster’s grip loosens. It draws its claws away from his throat and places them on his chest with a tenderness ill-fitting a beast. It presses its palm against his wound and lets out a pathetic sound that almost sounds like speech.

“N-....nnnn….Ni-”

9S screams and wrenches his sword out of the monster’s chest, then plunges it back in. And again, and again, and again, until he’s coated in the sick black sludge that bleeds from its wounds. His screams turn to roars, he puts every ounce of strength he has into throwing the beast off of his body. The synthetic muscles in his arms and legs tear under the strain, but he forces himself through the pain to pin the monster against the earth.

The wailing creature thrashes in a growing pool of its own fluids, feebly swatting at 9S with its remaining arm. With each stab its attempts to resist grow weaker and weaker until it falls still. Even as a lingering whine escapes the dying beast, 9S continues his onslaught.

He isn’t sure why tears start to fall or when exactly his vocal processors give out, but his rage fades only to be replaced by that crushing emptiness from before. His furious roars turn to choked sobs, the strength in his arms leaves him slumped over with his shoulders heaving from the effort of breathing.

With what little remains of his strength he reaches out to the creature’s face. His touch lingers on a bit of skin on her chin just barely attached. After wiping a bit of grime away, a little blemish appears, one that he’s only seen on one particular android. Such an insignificant thing; how could it tear into his heart like this? His fingers comb through the remnants of her hair as his tears and blood mix with the foul-smelling sludge.

9S moves in a daze, climbing off of her chest to cradle her skeletal head in his lap like a precious object. The wounds he’s suffered seep with each sob that wracks his body. He barely notices Pod trying to staunch the flow.

He sits there till his cries are reduced to quiet wheezes and tears no longer fall. Beyond the crushing exhaustion, there’s a tension pulling at his skin where the staunching gel holding him together hardens. His body is caked in sludge and blood that cracks when he forces himself to his feet. Something that mourning android said ages ago rings through his clouded mind.

With Pod’s help, he drags her body to a quiet spot surrounded by bushes and budding flowers. The pair collects pieces of rubble and loose stones broken during the battle to gradually pile them around her corpse. Once her body is completely covered with several layers of stone he and Pod embed her weapon, her real weapon as opposed to the crude iron bar, at the head of the memorial. He sinks to his knees once again, pain and sorrow draining the last reserves of strength he has.

“I’ll be with you soon...”

[parkkmin]

Who Are You?|| Suga FF • chapter 1•

Quick note: this is my very first fanfic so I apologize if the grammar or the plot isn’t the best also I’d like to say that this is not advised for soft stans as the series will include murder, strong language and dad jokes ;)

i Hope you enjoy~

It’s never easy starting fresh but I guess my life gives this phrase a new meaning. I’m 22 and you can say I’m only starting to live my life.

Ever since I was born people around me always controlled my life. Over the years I became a lifeless doll doing everyone’s commands. It wasn’t easy escaping the living hell but I did it.

So here I am standing infront of the biggest business company in Seoul. Hoping to be that lucky girl getting hired today. This is my last chance in finally starting something new. My first own life decision as Y/F/N.

I sharply inhale the cold air. Mentally preparing myself for what’s about to come. Walking in through gigantic glass doors with gold design on them and a plack which says Min Corporation.

As I step inside my eyes explore the expensive looking decor. My eyes come in contact with a gorgeous young man with silver hair behind the reception table. He greets me with a genuine smile showing off his beautiful straight teeth.

“May I help you miss?” He speaks with a velvet monotone voice.

I lose myself for a moment in his charming eyes but quickly remind myself what I’m here for “Yes,hello I’m Y/N,here for a job interview with Min Yoongi” I reply calmly.

The man face crunches up with confusion as he picks up a phone from his desk and looks at me from the bottom to the top with his piercing black orbs.

I can’t help but feel to overly exposed to his glance but I try hard not to show any of my shyness. Finally someone picks up on the other side of the line.

“Yoongi there’s a girl here saying that she wants to see you for a job interview, will I send her up?” He speaks breaking eye contact with me.

“Jimin how many times do I have to tell you to adress me formally when you’re at work? And tell her to go up to my office immediately” Even though the call isn’t on speaker mode I can still clearly hear the other persons annoyed husky voice. Which makes me more nervous than I already am.

The call ends and my eyes once again meet Jimins “Top floor, take the elevator on the right and don’t knock on the door more than once, you wouldn’t want to irritate him more than he is already” He points in the direction I have to go and winks at me.

I blush a little at his movements and without losing any time I quickly nod and thank him before heading to a shiny elevator. Pressing the button for the top floor.

I’m anxious which is very unusual for someone like me but something about this place seems to send shivers down my spine.

As I walk closer to the doors of the main office in this building I finally come to conclusion on how quiet and isolated these halls are. There’s an absolute dead silence in these four walls. So far I haven’t seen any workers, no clients no one. Guess working here will be more lonely than I thought.

Before I could question this quietness any longer I find myself infront of another pair of fancy silver doors. They were so clear that I could see my reflection in them.

After few seconds I forge myself together and knock on the doors, not more than the amount I was told to by Jimin just for safety.

To my surprise the doors open by themselves. I guessed they were automatic, knowing that this is the most successful company in this city I shouldn’t be so shocked.

As those doors slowly open they reveal a blond hair man sitting at his desk typing something on his laptop.

“Y/F/N, 22 year old female, has IQ of 150, currently living in Seoul,no previous job nor educational institutions found in database, family information... file is corrupted.” He said not even lifting his gaze from the screen.

His words catch me of guard. How on earth does he know all this? I didn’t mention any of this in my application form.

“M-morning sir, it’s nice to meet you” I stutter walking into the room and stretching out my hand for him to shake only to get ignored. I quickly take it back in embarrassment feeling my cheeks heat up and sit on a chair facing him.

“So you’re here for a job in my company”. He speaks again in an unamused tone of voice. Before I can answer anything back he continues.

“You haven’t specified which part you are willing to have in your form so I hope you be ok with the job of a secretary “ a small sigh escapes his lips and he gets out a pile of documents “I need you to sign these papers to make it an official employment “ He gets out a pen from one of his desk drawers and drops it infront of me.

“Wait are you seriously going to just hire like that, with no test nor training ?” I question him not being able to read his emotionless face.

“Well if you don’t want the job, don’t take it, leave” He says in a cold tone making me gulp down hard.

“No-no that’s not what I meant I do want the job it’s ju-“ I panicked and started speaking with a shacking voice.

“Sign this quickly and go over to your desk next door, please don’t bother me unless it’s a matter of emergency”. He cut me off before I could even prove my point

Not taking any risks I skim through the papers and sign each page at the bottom. As I get up to leave I hear Yoongis voice beam from behind.

“One more thing Y/N our company has one important rule which all workers must follow whatever you hear or see within these four walls stays confidential, I hope you will value the importance of this rule disobeying it can cost you dearly”. These words come of very threatening. They point out the darkness in his low voice.

I gulp down my fear for the second time today and I walk out of the room without saying anything.

Welcome to Min Corporation Y/N you’re in for a joy ride~

[a-writing-bear]

[AmeriPan] Chapter 3: The ‘Hell on Earth’ Task Agency

Ao3 Link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13286367/chapters/56767471#workskin

This Has been cross-posted onto FF & Ao3 under Aliases: BearBooper

You can read this Fic on Tumblr under ‘Keep Reading’ But it is not formatted as well as the AO3 version.

Previous Chapter    

Fandom: Hetalia Axis Powers

Main Pairing:  Alfred F. Jones & Kiku Honda (America & Japan)

AU:   Demon AU/HellTaskAgency!AU - Demon!America & Businessman!Japan

Age Rating/Mature:  Teen And Up Audiences (12+ due to mentions of mature themes as well as swearing)

Trigger Warnings:  Mention of Incest ( no actual incest, it is only mentioned out of disgust), Joking about murder.

“I really...should get back to my co-workers…” Kiku gulped, side-eyeing the aggressive yet patient look that Mr Zwingli was sending.  “I just wanted to say sorry for bumping into you this morning. I hope you moved in okay…” Lord, Kiku internally cringed at his own words- why was he even saying sorry? He could have just ignored the 2 and just…

“I do hope zoning out isn’t a hobby of yours Mr Kiku- it doesn’t seem like something your coworkers would appreciate” - Al had gotten a little bit too close to his personal bubble and the Japanese man could do nothing but look away from that dazzling smirk that seemed to be too pretty not to notice. Confused and frustrated with what must be his social ineptness, Kiku shuffled backwards before awkwardly bowing and retreating hastily to his table.

“You’re trying to corrupt him, not kill the damn thing with social awkwardness Al.” Matthew sipped on some coffee as he gazed away, Gilbert now leaning an arm around him also snivelling after Alfred’s performance. “Oh shut it. Not like you’re doing so well with ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ over there  huh-”

“First off, they are  siblings , I would really hate to have a Bonnie Clyde situation- incest was not in the brief. Secondly, we both know we’re going to get a job near them regardless of what we do so it was worth a shot. Zwingli’s suspicious cus he’s paranoid. He’s human .” The last word was thrown out with such disgust, despite the fact Gilbert had affectionately been poking at Matthew’s extremely cherubic cheeks; their human forms really did not aid Matthew in his grunting monologue. Alfred knew Mattie must have been bitter at the blatant disregard that Zwingli man gave him, for he had been more willing to ‘try’ the whole human thing before.

“You two need to calm down. Humans are easy, they’ll commit some crime by themselves. We just have to watch them and make sure it's a crime that will help us all. Wouldn’t that be awesome.” Before Alfred could pitch in some remark the senior demon stood up after planting a very chaste yet meaningful kiss to Matthew’s cheek and stroking his hair; “I should probably go I have another soul on my schedule today- later birdie, and good luck to you southerner- make sure you don’t get too involved with your charge.” and just like that he up and left. Confused by the strangely intimate gestures between his brother and a most revered senior he searched for an explanation on Matthew’s disgruntled glare.

“We just... really...really know each other. It’s nothing.” Alfred could barely wiggle his eyebrows at the perverse confession before his brother sent him a death glare almost as bad as the time they started that plague in Marseille a few centuries ago. He dropped it and continued to idly watch his victim from a distance, it seemed like Kiku Honda was much too occupied in the droning of that Swiss financier to notice him back- Al pouted; ah he could always wait till Monday to play with his meal.

Kiku had tried to pay attention. He really did. It was just hard when he could feel the stare of that American on him so strongly. Did he not know manners? It was rude to stare. The thoughts of the blonde hair only burst when the little girl that sat beside him coughed, searching for some attention.

“Mr Honda. I believe my brother asked you a question. Dubel …” at that last murmur said brother tutted Lili- Although he did not know what exactly had been said in their Swiss, Kiku gathered it must have been some snide remark.

“Of..of course. Yes, it is quite unfortunate trade has made tech a bit difficult but there’s not much I can do about it, Mr Zwingli. except ask for you to balance out the pay and help me scram for something.” The industry was struggling with so much saturation and the recent embargoes and trade tension between China and the US had not made it any easier. Zwingli huffed, sharing the same feeling of disappointment as Kiku.. but after a glance at his sister and flickering between his coffee and the tie of his associate, Vash leaned in and mentioned under his breath:

“You know Kiku... Yao’s been quite overzealous with his penny pinching...generous with his escapades and vacations. You’ve been slaving away quite a bit in comparison…” he paused before whispering even more. “Doesn’t seem right for the right-hand man to be fed at the feet like a dog..” Kiku tensed, suddenly his throat felt dry and a little bit of anger clouded his mind- he was not the only one who recognised the dubious actions of his childhood friend it seemed.

“What- how much is Yao stacking to himself?” Zwingli shrugged nonchalantly, again avoiding Kiku’s eyes as if he had not just admitted to possibly traitorous gossip- the Swiss man turned his head to eye that Matthew boy again, letting Kiku deal with the folder that Lili had unceremoniously slid onto the table in front of them. Give him time to view the damage. Nervously, but with some fiery fingers, the short man opened the folder, ripping it up as if it contained the secrets of the world- if it explained the month shortcomings then perhaps it was the whole world. Kiku’s face went through a tremendous hurricane of negative emotions- disbelief, disrepair and complete fury...and sudden absolute blankness.

“I see.” Humming away in agreement, Vash spoke with his eyes still trained on Matthew on the other table: “Reasons I don’t work with childhood friends.” For some absurd reason, Mr Honda could not stop himself from trying to rationalise or reason on behalf of traitor:

“Yao was reasonable growing up, I have always trusted him- it's like how you are with Ms Lili-”

“Lili would stab me in the back if she knew I was costing us a fortune. At least I hope she would. I taught her well enough. Siblings don’t owe you anything, and friends most certainly don’t.” to that Lili preened, as if a child is praised for cleaning her room, not at the analogy of betraying her own kin. Kiku brewed in his own discomfort and the revelation for a short while before Zwingli cut in once again.

“You know much about those two?” the businessman nudged his head motioning to Kiku’s new neighbours. He shook his head and spoke the truth of knowing just as much as his partner did. “There’s something about them. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Lili’s voice, soft like a bird chimed in, “They are quite easy on the eyes brother.” and just as she uttered the words the two brother

Zwingli only scoffed in response and sipped his near cold coffee. That was not what bothered him.

--

“That Zwingli dude’s been staring at us.” Alfred tried to play it cool and look subtle in her observation. Matthew had gotten a magazine and was doing much better at the covert spying.

“No shit sherlock. He was looking at me like he wanted me roasted on a spit.”

“If you play your cards right maybe he will roast someone else. Get your work done quickly ya know.” Alfred grinned as his brother rolled his eyes. The two got up and headed out to explore earth’s delights, before the back and forth ogling got too suspicious to warrant a restraining order. Tomorrow the two had to go down to Hell and pop into Arthur’s office just to report on how they’ve settled.

“Do you Artie could tamper with my form a bit? I don’t know if I dig the whole classic American boy next door thing going on; being stuck in this for the next 200 years is just a bit dull.” Matthew huffed as they entered their apartment, the afternoon had already faded into a quiet evening.

“Ask him yourself. I was planning on going down tonight and staying there till Monday, to save me from dealing with human night cycles for a bit…”

“Already sick of human life?” Al sniggered before aiding his brother in positioning their candles on the floor in the trademark pentagram and conjuring up a rough but secure portal to their real abode. The walls of their earthly apartment crumbled as the two were engulfed in a blaze of bright and deadly flame. It was a quick half-second that they appeared in the glorious office of their higher up Arthur.

“Bloody hell, must you two always show up with the foulest stench? Clean up before you blast in” The demon with his huge grey wings cringed at his desk from the lingering odour of humans that had clung to Alfred and Matthew, that had invaded his office. Al shrugged, already past the stink of mortal life, and sauntered forward towards his boss.

“When were you gonna tell me Gil is a district manager up top huh?”

“It was in the case of file imbecile. and Matthew told me it would not interfere with your jobs- have you already screwed it up Matt-”

“Fuck off. Alfred just doesn’t read his crap.” Arthur’s brows were raised in surprise- Matthew, despite being a demon, had always been more diplomatic and civil compared to the lot of them.

“Ignore him, he’s bitter about the whole job transfer thing. Anyway, I know it all just began but when can we be transferred back to the patrol division- I already take back what I said about it being boring.” Arthur shot him a pestered look before reminding the pair that the contract would last for 200 years.

“I suppose it could be shortened though...the morality and ethics department have been missing dear old Mattie; it's not the same torturing people when you can’t use moralistic irony on them.” Matthew’s disdain snapped to sudden interest- he would do anything to get out the mess Alfred had gotten them into; he’d sell his soul if he had one. Alfred, on the other hand, was fiddling with some skulls that Arthur had been using as a paperweight as his brother negotiated terms to lower their sentence on earth.

“If you can finish your research, then I’ll get Francis to draft you guys back down here. Alfred will still be on suspension and on the petty crime division but back in hell nonetheless.” satisfied with such terms the 3 shook on it, signing a secondary contract that sizzled up into an invisible seal of demonic promise the moment the pen lifted off the scroll.

“I can’t keep playing favourites with you two, I’ve got other creatures on my payroll.  I’m expecting Armageddon level chaos up there. No take-backs, and when I see the papers I want the murder to be fantastically gruesome and that company to be reeking of corporate greed- enough for the big man himself to come to knock by our offices. I need a fucking bonus down here..the newer recruits are all too wimpy to carry out real torture. Now go. The real work starts Monday” Arthur shooed them, flicking some invisible force that pushed them out of his office doors and into the hot underworld.

“Well I’m gonna stop M&E and witness the new sinners, everyone keeps saying the new wave of demons are inefficient. I won’t be back till we have to go back up top.” Matthew had already begun cracking his neck and stretching his spine as he grew out his dark maroon wings, faux-human form melting away as he began fluttering off into the distance. Alfred kicked the dust at his feet before stretching his arms with a bored yawn- his wings unfurled with a puff and he picked at his re-emerged fangs with complete monotony. Perhaps he should pay to those seedier creatures that lurked near his den around this time. Just as he made his way to his den, he saw some scuffling of some frazzled looking fledgeling- the tail of the little thing curling in panic.

“Hey. Why ya lurking around someone else's territory runt? Go back to your own nest..” the little thing had the tiniest wings, scruffy black feather with yellowish flecks that reminded him of Arthur. In fact, the hair on the top of the premature hell-raiser was reminiscent of his boss so much that it could not have been a coincidence. Oh, hell had Arthur pumped out another batch of fledgelings? Crap that guys ancient there’s like no way he’s got so much-

“Are you Alfred?” the thing squeaked out, some confidence spilling over as it turned to face Alfred's chest straight. Al decided to entertain the creature, he had nothing better to do till Monday anyway. Before he could finish nodding the creature jumped into a salute and yelled the most idiotic thing Al could ever imagine.

“COULD YOU SMUGGLE ME UP TOP?”

Just how dumb were the new fledgelings these days? Hell' has really gone down the drain...