#peak “YOU DIED. IN MY ARMS” potential

[everestmasala]

the fun thing about kal Ho Na ho is that Aman has no idea Rohit also loves him, absolutely none. the thing about Rohit is that for all that he's a little slow he's the only one with a full picture of anything that's actually going On. and he's deeply resigned to it bc he's grieving also in a way no one expects of him. Naina is so wrapped up in her own grief she doesn't realise until she sees rohit, so quick to touch and to hold, not know how to touch Aman on his literal deathbed. the second Rohit realised he also loves Aman, he sees exactly how this is going to go and end. imagine Rohit pleading with Aman in Naina's name for months. imagine Rohit only ever begging aman to stay, for him this time, in that hospital room. just once. think of Naina, who learns to fall apart alongside someone this time. to not be isolated in her grief

[struniolos]

bags.

“cant you see me? i’m waiting for the right time.”

chris sturniolo x fem! reader.

synopsis: the one time chris convinces you to sleep in his room instead of nicks, and the truth comes tumbling out.

warnings: smut. minors do not interact.

the sound of chris’ mindless humming fills the air of his room, as you watch from his plush bed the way he thoroughly reads through your mid-term college paper. his hair falls over his eyes, and his legs sit apart. you could watch him like this for hours, how he just seems so calm and present- you try and capture these moments in your mind, like you could take a photograph with your eyes.

“honestly, i don’t think you should include the part about when your childhood dog died.” he speaks up, looking back at you.

you raise an eyebrow. “yeah, it’s not like it’s a core event that impacted my life which is exactly what the paper is supposed to be about.”

he quirks the corner of his lips upwards. “it’s just so depressing, you know?”

“my life is depressing.” you counter with a laugh, watching as he rolls his eyes.

“you asked for my feedback, and that’s what i’ve got. cut the dead dog story.” he says, trying to be as serious as chris sturniolo can possibly be.

you couldn’t help but smile at him, watching as he pushed his feet against the ground to sway his desk chair back and forth. his pyjama pants were definitely a sight to see, blue plaid. a secret, shameful voice in your head fantasised about how soft they would feel up against your skin. you glance down at your watch, which pulses to remind you of your sleep schedule.

“fuck, it’s 12am. i should probably head home.” you sigh, rubbing your eyes.

chris looks up as if he were a puppy. you imagined if he had dog ears they’d be perked up. “it’s too late! what if you get murdered or something on your way?”

“in my car?” you question.

he nods, wide eyed. “uh, yeah, what if someone, like, pretends to have been hit by a car then when you stop and get out boom! they stab you.”

“you sure it won’t be you? seems like you’ve had that planned for a while.” you chuckle, shaking your head. chris always had such strange theories and scenarios running around in his mind- if it was possible, you’d love to open it up and take a peak inside. a part of you wondered if you had a place in there somewhere.

he wafts you off with his hand. “you can sleep over, you know nick and matt won’t care.”

you hum in agreement, not particularly wanting to drive home at this late hour, not because of the potential murderers, but the fact that you were ready to collapse in a heap from how tired your brain was. “alright, i’ll go ask nick to pull out his spare mattress for me.”

“it’s so strange he has a spare bed for all his friends when they sleep over, like, just share a bed?” chris rambles, as he stands up and stretched his arms over his head, his stomach peaking out from under his white top. god.

“it’s not strange, it’s very thoughtful. he’s even got a spare cabinet of toiletries for when people stay over.” you point out.

“jesus christ.” chris groans, rolls his eyes.

“whatever.” you scoff, beginning to stand up off chris’ bed, dreading the thought of having to walk up two flights of stairs to get to nick’s room.

chris frowns at you, tilting his head. “you don’t have to go. why don’t you just sleep in here?”

“uh…” you try to muster up something, some dumb excuse for why you couldn’t. because i’m madly in love with you? because i won’t be able to control myself?

“so you’ll have a sleepover with nick but not me?” he grumbles, crossing his arms. “don’t make it weird. we’re just sharing a bed.”

“yes, exactly the point of why it will be weird.” you laugh.

“come on, it’ll be fun. we could watch a movie?” he suggests, a smile adorning his plump lips.

this flusters you, the thought of being so close, watching a movie together, alone, in his room. there was always someone with you, wether it be nick, matt, nate or madi. but not tonight- and that scared you.

“alright, i’ll stay for a bit but i’m not sleeping in here.” you tell him firmly, trying to lay down boundaries before you did anything stupid.

this seems to please chris enough, as he smiles and jumps onto the bed ridiculously, the weight of him bouncing the bed and making it squeak. a dark part of your mind thought about the other ways his bed would make those noises, but you shut it down immediately. once you sat down beside him, with your legs crossed, you scrolled through the netflix catalogue on his tv. you finally settle on she’s the man.

you can see chris in the corner of your eye scrunching his face up. “oh come on, really?”

“it’s a good movie!” you argue, hitting his arm playfully.

he scoffs at you. “so you’ve said about a million other movies that were all shit.”

“actually, could we not watch a movie? i’m really fucking tired.” you yawn, snuggling yourself into the duvet. you remain on top of it though, in a way of telling yourself to not get too comfortable. “i cant be bothered arguing about what to watch, anyway.”

“okay, well what did you want to do instead?” he asks, turning onto his side to face you, now. the only light in his room was that of the tv which illuminated his pale skin, his bright blue eyes glistening. it hurt just how gorgeous he was without even trying.

you shrug. “sleep?”

he nods, now rolling onto his back. you assume this means he is in agreement, but he doesn’t say anything. he just stares up at his ceiling fan, breathing slow. you watch him deep in thought, like his mind is really tinkering over something and gnawing at his insides.

“why don’t you want to sleep in here?” he suddenly says, turning his head slightly to face you.

you sigh. “because chris, it’s weird. we’re friends- we aren’t like, dating or anything. it’s not weird with nick, but with you…”

“with me what?”

your mind fogged with a cluster of everything. all of the stolen glances, the going places you knew chris would be there, always being at his beck and call because you were a ‘good friend’.

you sigh, deciding if you didn’t say anything now, you’d beat yourself up for it. “because...because i like you, chris, and i know you don’t feel the same. i know how you feel about relationships, they scare you. so it’s just easier if i set boundaries for myself and-“

“you like me?” he cuts you off mid sentence, now propping himself up on his side on his forearm.

your stomach sinks. there’s no turning back now. “yes.”

there’s a thick pause between you, and you prepare yourself for the worst. you squeeze your eyes shut, covering your face with your hands. why the fuck had you told him? you’ve ruined everything. now he will never want to hang out with you, and it’ll be awkward with nick and matt and-

“why have you never said anything?” he whispers, quieter than you’d ever heard him.

you swallow, biting your lips hard. “because i didn’t want to ruin not only our friendship but mine with nate, madi, matt, and oh god especially nick.”

chris nods slowly, like he’s really taking to what you’re saying, like he understands the weight of it and why you’d never said anything. why you’d always stayed quiet, and admired from afar. he touched his hair, mindlessly twirling a strand.

“nick never told you?” chris said softly, his eyebrows knitting into one. he looked sad, almost.

“told me what?” you whisper back, your heart now beating in your throat.

chris was never one with words, so when he leaned over and pressed his lips softly to yours, you understood this was his way of saying i like you too.

your cheeks were burning, as he cupped them in his hands. you both slowly began to roll over, with chris now hovering above you and his knee between your legs. you kissed him pathetically desperate, your body keening against his. you lips didn’t seperate once, as if you were breathing air into each other’s lungs and if you parted you’d suffocate. his hair tickles your forehead, his nose pushing into your cheek. you were waiting for yourself to wake up, that you had fallen asleep and this was only a sick part of your mind playing tricks on you. but it was real, he was real.

“fuck, i’ve wanted to do this for so long.” he whispers against you, as his hands roam down your body.

you gasp at the feeling. “you have?”

“mhm.” he murmurs, tugging at the hem of your shirt. “can i take this off?”

you nod, batting your lashes to look at him, and god, he was beautiful as ever.

“this isn’t going to ruin things between us, is it? because i’ll stop right now if it means you’ll never speak to me again.” he pleads, doe eyes looking at you wide and earnest.

“chris.” you whisper, your hand coming to hold his warm, pink cheek. “i would never not talk to you. i want this, i have wanted this.” more than you know you wanted to add, but couldn’t find the willpower.

“i want this too.”

you both assisted each other in swiftly discarding of your clothes, leaving you both only in your underwear. you felt so exposed, the fact he knew how to you felt and that your body was on display. he stroked your thigh as it came to curl around his back, his kisses travelling to your neck and collarbone. you moaned softly at the feeling, his warm lips lighting little fires within your skin. he bit at the plush flesh above your bra before removing it, his hands coming to hold and massage each mound.

you guided one of his hands down to your heat, begging with your eyes. “please.”

chris snaked his hand under your waistband, his slender fingers softly touching your folds. it was all so painfully soft, how he rubbed circles at your core while kissing you slow and deep. he shimmied your panties down, leaving them at your thigh. he dipped a finger into you, your velvet walls pulsating around him. your body begged for more, and chris listened. he was in tune with you, without having to say a word. he pushed in another finger, which elicited a deep moan from within your throat.

“that feel good?” chris murmured, his lips at your cheek.

“god, yes.” you whined, your body curling against his.

he pumped his fingers in and out of your wetness, as you clawed into his shoulders and shuddered against his bigger frame. you could feel him through his boxers, as he ground down against you. his pace increased as he felt you clench around his fingers, the sounds coming from you almost pornographic.

you moaned and cried for him, “chris! i’m almost- ah!”

your orgasm came strong like a thunderous tsunami, your legs stretching and your eyes rolling into the back of your head, your mouth hung open silently as no noise could possibly explain how euphoric you felt.

“mhm, that’s it.” he cooed, riding you through your high and praising you in your ear.

you would never be able to see him the same, never look at him platonically ever again. you knew this would ruin you. he kissed you deep, his tongue licking into your mouth.

“i want to feel you.” he moaned, grinding his constricted mound against your heat. “i want to be inside you.”

the weight of him on top of you combined with his honeyed words began to make you feel all hot and tingly again, as you pulled him incredibly close, your lips puffed and swollen.

“i want that too.” you manage, grinding up against him, the friction euphoric.

he pauses, looking down at you, his chain dangling in your face and hair flopping over his face. “are you sure?”

“mhm.” you hum, “need you.”

chris gives you one last firm kiss, before reaching down to pull his boxers to his thighs. your face flushed a deep maroon, watching as his leaking, pink tip pulsated. he rubbed himself gently, and you reached down to help him. he guided your hand up and down his length, and you felt yourself getting wetter. you shimmied your panties the rest of the way down, kicking them off your ankles. swiftly, he reached over to his bedside table drawer to grab a condom, ripping the packet with his teeth and gliding it down his shaft. you clenched your thighs with anticipation.

the brunette lined himself up with your weeping entrance, as you stroked his hair. you both watched as he slid into you, his tip disappearing into you. your jaw went slack, a pathetic moan tumbling from your plush lips. chris slumped over you once he had bottom out, his face in the crook of your neck.

“fuck, you feel so good.” he groaned, his hair tickling the nape of your neck. “can i move?”

“please.” you beg, as he lifts his head to lock eyes with you. you could no longer see the blue, they were merely bands around his blown pupils.

the first thing you felt was relief as he began to thrust in and out of you, his forearms leaning at each side of you as he held himself up. you knew it was quite vanilla, but thoroughly enjoyed being able to see his pink cheeks and open mouth as he moaned on top of you. his thrusts were passionate and deep, something you least expected from him. it felt ridiculously good, your body overcome with a warm fuzzy feeling deep from within you.

“faster.” you whimpered, holding his head with both hands, clawing into his soft dark hair.

he did as he was told. he picked your legs up, pushing them to your chest so you were folded in half. he began to snap his hips against yours, his balls slapping against your ass. he was impossibly deep, you swore you could feel him in your stomach. he grunted and groaned as he thrust, while you whimpered and clawed at his back. the noises coming from your bodies were ridiculously erotic, the wetness of your pussy and the moans escaping your throat.

“i want to hear you.” he growled, eyes dark and swirling with lust.

“ah, chris yes!” you cried, as he slammed deep within you, his hands holding the back of your thighs to keep you in place.

he quickly slipped out of you, and you almost cried at the feeling of being empty. he flipped you over so quickly you didn’t have time to register, your stomach flat against the bed and his chest flush against your back. he sunk back into you, and you pressed your head into the pillows, muffling your cries.

“oh my- fuck.” you moaned, your eyes rolling into the back of your head.

his hands found purchase on the flesh of your hips, gripping it tight and using it as leverage for his relentless thrusts. his body slammed against yours, fucking you into the mattress. he reached around between you and the sheets, rubbing your sensitive bud.

“i’m close! shit!” you swore, biting your fist as he continued to slam into you, your ass bouncing against his pelvis.

“me too, ah!” he grunted, “i wanna see your face when i fill you up.”

you moaned at the thought, hoisting one leg up and twisting your core so that you turn around to look at him. he had a sheen of sweat coating his body and his lips between his teeth, while his hair fell in his face and his arms tensed as he held you down. the bed frame squeaked rapidly, thudding against the wall. there was no way nick and matt couldn’t hear you.

“fuck!” you cried, your orgasm washing over you in a thick wave. your vision was blurred, and your body froze.

the feeling of you clenching around him must’ve sent him over the edge, as chris’ hips stuttered with a cracked moan coming from his throat. he thrust into a few more times, spurting his hot liquid into you. your eyes were lidded, a dumb smile overcoming you as you watched him puff and pant. he collapsed beside you, but you made sure to face him so you could admire his post sex haze. you both lay in silence for a while, basking in each other.

“i cant believe we just did that.” chris mumbled, his finger tracing mindlessly over your face.

“me neither.” you breathe.

he thinks for a moment, pushing his hair out of his face to reveal his pink cheeks, freckles spattered over his nose. “you think matt and nick heard?”

“definitely. secrets out now.” you say, scrunching your nose.

chris laughs, reaching his arms to envelope you into him. he switched the tv off, now leaving you in the pitch black. as you lay there, caged within his arms, you couldn’t help but let somber thoughts cloud you. you wondered how things would change, what would you two become? was this a one time thing? did he really like you back or were you just another warm body?

“do you really like me too?” you whispered into the darkness, nuzzling your nose into his chest to feel his heartbeat.

“i always have. i just never know what to say in these situations. i get stuck.” he confesses, his hands running through your hair soothingly. “girls scare me.”

you chuckle, shaking your head. “who knew, huh? chris sturniolo, ladies man…is scared of girls.”

he laughs with you now, squeezing you tight. “shut up.”

you find yourself lulled to sleep by his breathing and the feeling of him pressed against you. you’d never felt so comforted, like you belonged somewhere, more than what you did in that moment.

[scribeoffate]

What’s your favorite thing about season 3a of Teen Wolf and why?

The tl;dr answer is almost everything.

Let's start with Tattoo- I love the way the episode sets everything up. I've mentioned it in rewatch before but I really want to explore the use of the word "ephemeral" in Tattoo. From exploring Scott's break up with Allison, to his tattoo not lasting, to the way he uses the word, even to the idea that Scott's status as a beta is ephemeral, even at this point in the series. I love the scene with Stiles and Derek holding Scott down to blowtorch his arm. I LOVE the way it opens with fucking BRAEDEN rescuing Isaac on a motorcycle.

I love the introduction of Deucalion. I love and adore the meet-cute in the elevator. Please enjoy @spikeface's brilliant fic: a certain potential for a fascinating glimpse of Deucalion's POV in that scene.

I love that Scott is Isaac's werewolf contact. I love the tension as the alpha pack stalks Braeden (I would be mad about how this ended, except she comes back) and their intro. I love the tension between Allison, Lydia, and Derek. It's a very well-done episode and definitely sets up a fantastic season so well.

Chaos Rising introduces Heather, who is friends with Danielle from Party Guessed. I was excited. We get the vault rescue, and there's some fun Steter banter. "No, you idiot, I live in a condo downtown, will forever be a favorite moment. The vault rescue! Scott's look at the end is A FAVORED moment, the blood on the chin? I cannot.

Then, we move on to Fireflies. I am weak for Scott saving those kids in the beginning, for the tension between him and Allison, and for the introduction of Cora! And then they are working with Chris. Who is still pointing a gun at Scott, but Scott is so soft and accepting of it. "I get that," he says. 🥺 Then they do a rescue! And Jennifer is there! And Derek is so worried about hurting her. Unfortunate. (When I was first watching, I leaned over to @illbeintheend and was like, "Tell me she's evil?" :D ) I think my favorite bit of Unleashed is when they pull the motorcycle swap on the twins. That is like PEAK supernatural teenager shenanigans to me. And they deserved more lower stakes (not that the twins are entirely low-stakes) shenans, overall. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE that Allison knows so much about motorcycles. Scallison motorcycle trip whenst?

Frayed. Frayed. FRAYED. BELOVED. I love so much about this episode. The sciles! the scallison! more truedemon in the elevator? and then on an escalator!! the scerek! the scisaac! BOYDDD. That moment where Scott is like "Well, I do," when Boyd doesn't care what happens to himself? Gyahhh. I CANNOT. And the the fight scene? Is SO good? Despite them having forgotten about light bulbs by 3a I find that to be one of the best choreographed fight scenes in the show. The Coach of it all? Ofc he's not gonna let them stop for a bathroom break, SIT DOWN BILINSKI. I love Frayed. AND THEN WE GET MOTEL CALIFORNIA RIGHT AFTER?? Lydia's arc in this is SOOO good. The Allison and Lydia moment where Allison is just "I believe you" and Lydia is so touched and clearly bolstered, it's one of the reasons I head canon she's had access to her powers her entire life. It's just now that people believe her about them. The Isaac and Ethan character moments? LEARNING ABOUT ALICIA (GREAT BUT OMG SHOOOOWWWW WHY IS THIS ALL WE GET???). Boyd. Cry!!! And THEN. The angst of the parking light scene at the end. I tear up still watching it. (Tbf I cry real easy.) Currents. I love Currents for the metronome scene and the way it highlights Boyd's intelligence. He has one of the best plans. And then the way it ends? That hurts me. Proto-alpha Scott almost rescuing Deaton? Bbbb. I have mixed feelings about Visionary. The Paige arc is devastating. Read my own excellent fic (i just) died in your arms for a look at my thoughts on her and Derek. I love the glimpse of pre-canon and Deucalion's backstory. I find the "unreliable narrator" bit to be a touch heavy-handed, but it's grown on me after many watched for fics.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much and The Overlooked. GYHAHHHH! I love so much about these. The scydia hand hold moment. "For someone like you to help" she says to Scott and I MELT. The big orchestra crescendo! The death of Deputy Tara and the little hints at her relationship with Stiles? The way Derek absolutely believes Scott and Stiles about Jennifer and her utter shock but quick turnaround?

The elevator scene! It's so silly and SO GREAT. I love it so much, okay. Deucalion manipulating events? The desperation as Stiles and Scott try and rescue their parents? Listen, these episodes are also so good. And then we have Scott going with Deucalion at the end of the episode. The way he has no idea what to do. He's just a lost kid, in so far over his head. And his mom and Stile's dad are missing and his (pretty damn good, too) English teacher is evil and there is Deucalion. And he has no choice and maybe he was right in that motel parking lot, it certainly feels like there's no help.

Then Alpha Pact happens. Then we get to Lunar Eclipse. And I just. The ice baths?? I have spent so much time wondering how Deaton, Isaac, and Lydia felt sitting there. Waiting. For hours. Lydia desperately holding back her screams for Allison, Scott and Stiles. Also, they all look so gooood in black. The Nemeton! The matching tattoos! The way it brings everything together to s1. The scalisaac moment with Rafael? Priceless. Love Kalia and Jennifer's showdown. It looks so cool, first of all. But there is a moment, where you think, just maybe Kali might NOT double down. And then the glass shards fly.

The bit where Deucalion is "brother against brother, how very American," cracks me up, every watch. And then he roars and tries to force Scott to kill and well, then we have an Eclipse. AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN we get the true alpha moment we've been building to since Scott threw off Peter's control in s1 and chose his own pack over Derek's in s2. That moment is so good.

Thank you for asking, anon. <3 I just love 3a so much.

[linkemon]

Bitter lie (Makeela Riju x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ʀɪᴊ�� ʜᴀꜱ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴇʀᴜᴅᴏ ᴛʜʀᴏɴᴇ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴꜱ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ?

— I will be strong like Urbosa! — shouted little Riju on the roof of one of the stalls, swinging a wooden training spear.

— Shut up, someone heard us... — [Reader] wasn't able to finish.

— You're here again? You little...— the voice of one of the booth's owners echoed.

The girls always ran around the high floors on their days off. They also liked to climb to the peak of the palace. Sometimes they went out at night. The cold in Gerudo wasn't as bad as outside the city, so they didn't need any extra preparation. However, this didn't go over well with the city's women, who couldn't sleep.

Daily combat training left Riju and [Reader] little time for each other but that didn't bother them. They rarely felt like being apart. They saw each other so often that they practically operated as one. They were training partners as well as outside of it. Although their arguments were heated, they usually ended quickly, as they couldn't stay away from each other for long.

— Do you really want to run for leader when you grow up? — [Reader] sat down on one of the walls.

She divided the melon she had brought from home earlier and gave half to her friend.

— Of course you can. It's a great job. You have a throne, nice clothes and you're rich. You can also order others around. Mom did it, so I can do it even better. My first decree will be a sand seal for everyone. — She bared her teeth.

— Power sounds like responsibility for others to me. — [Reader] looked up at the sky. — Urbosa died in battle. I wouldn't want you to end up like that too.

— Come on! — She spat out the seed. — I'll be fine. And when I sit on the throne, I'll get you a place in the palace.

— It's not that simple. You know the rules.

A series of decrees appeared before [Reader]'s eyes. They both had to know them by heart. It was required of candidates for the palace guard.

For centuries, women, the undisputed rulers of the Gerudo, had made new laws. Passing them took a long time. Many were put to a vote by the citizens. The leader held the real power but without the support of her people, she couldn't change much.

Her eventual place in the palace as a guest would go through a number of stages before becoming a reality.

— Boooring. You've been awfully serious lately. Is this about your mom? — A shadow of concern briefly appeared in her green irises.

The girl nodded.

She still hadn't told Makeela that her mother had joined the Yiga clan. Knowing that would put the two people closest to her in danger. On top of that, she was afraid of her friend's reaction.

A member of an illegal organization could be sentenced to life in prison. The same applied to people who helped such a person. It was the proper duty of every citizen to inform the authorities about a potential traitor.

She felt torn.

—Then we have to do something crazy. — Riju swayed, her fiery braid swaying with her.

— Oh no...— [Reader] looked at the canal of water below them. — Don't you dare...

A loud scream tore from her throat as she was pushed straight into the icy water. A loud splash announced that her friend had landed right next to her. She pushed her wet hair back from her head and rubbed her eyes.

Her first instinct was to walk away and say she didn't like it at all but the words never left her mouth.

The sky was reflected in the surface. Millions of stars on a navy blue background, just within arm's reach. Both girls swam in twinkling sparkles.

The anger evaporated. It was replaced by laughter, waves of water being thrown at each other and complaints from neighbours.

Riju always knew what was needed in others. At first glance, she seemed to be just a troublemaker but there was much more underneath. This was proven by visiting the old woman under the statue, who needed company. Likewise, helping at the stalls and taking care of small children. The friend had the gift of selfless help.

It revealed itself in moments like this, when it was necessary to comfort a loved one.

— Makeela. — At this word she raised her head.

No one else but [Reader] used it. People knew her by her middle name. She thought it was much better than her first.

— If you’re chosen, I know you’ll be a great leader — she took her hand, which was dripping wet — because you care about people like no one else.

— Sarqso.

Something that might have been a tear of emotion dripped down Riju's cheek but [Reader] could be mistaken. Her friend's face was wet with water and besides, they were surrounded by night.

— Let's get out of this water — she ordered briskly, turning her back. — We have a training again tomorrow. We can't get sick.

Riju stared in disbelief at the face she had known for so many years.

— Why are you entering the contest? — She tightened her fingers around the hilt of her spear. — You've never been interested in it.

— You don't understand me. I have to win. — [Reader] looked away. — If I lose, I'll leave Gerudo.

She felt like the questions were weakening her. She wanted to confess everything to her friend but she knew how she would react. The person in front of her had changed. She still cared about others but she had grown more serious. She no longer transgressed the rules. She had grown into a leader.

This made her happy but it also scared her at the same time.

The Gerudos looked impatient. The fight for the title should have begun without further ado, yet the rivals stood facing each other, neither willing to make a move.

— Makeela, if you'd win… Her voice broke slightly. — Would you break the law for me?

She knew what the answer would be before she even asked the question. Still, she clung desperately to the last chance.

— Why do you speak in riddles?

She held out her hand but then she hesitated and lowered it again.

— You can't ask me to do that... It would mean treason and...— Her inner conflict was reflected in her words.

— I understand. I don't blame you. I'm just sure now that we have to fight. — She forced a smile.

The mother planned to steal the Thunder Helm. The priceless artifact became the object of interest of the Yiga clan. The daughter overheard one of her evening conversations with an informant.

She couldn't betray the only family she had left. She couldn't warn the guards either because they would surely catch the thief. Her friend wasn't ready to break the law for her. So she had to protect the item on her own. She was too young to join the guard. She could only get into the palace at night in one way — by becoming a leader.

However, her childhood friend stood in her way. Someone who had wanted this position from a young age. She trained a lot and spent a lot of free time trying to match her mother (the previous ruler).

Tradition dictated that other candidates be given a chance. The throne was not hereditary, although those raised in the palace had a better chance of training properly. This gave [Reader] a chance. She passed every test. The results were practically identical to those of her rivals. So the only remaining test was the combat test.

The entire town gathered to watch and judge their skills.

She knew that if she lost, she would have to go off alone to try and stop her mother. The situation was bleak.

[Reader] took a deep breath. She took a defensive stance like she had many times before. She braced herself for the first blow. A duel with her friend had never seemed as terrifying as it did in that moment.

Red hair shimmered in the hot sun. The spear spun with its owner. The weapons flashed in the sunlight, clashing again and again. It was a deadly dance. Every step brought precision. Years of training ensured the spectacle. The delighted women formed a tight circle. They clapped and cheered, encouraging their opponents.

Riju felt like she was training. Sweat ran down her face and her muscles worked as she focused on her next attack. For a moment, she forgot that this wasn't just training. She was enjoying the moment. Everything was like it was back when they were just a few years old and no secrets stood in the way of their friendship.

The beautiful moment burst in a second like a soap bubble. The tip of the spear hit [Reader], injuring her left arm.

— First blood! The fight is over! The winner is Riju! — Buliara shouted.

The guard's voice could barely be heard above the screams of excited townswomen.

The new leader was carried away by the crowd of congratulatory people but she couldn't take her eyes off her rival.

Several people consoled the loser, assuring her that she had done great. However, she paid no attention to them. [Reader] found the familiar green eyes staring at her for years.

— Sarqso — she whispered. Years of friendship couldn’t be expressed in a simple thank you but she wanted to say it anyway.

Riju just nodded, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to run after her departing friend. To stop her by force because they were inseparable but she knew that if she left, the coronation would not take place.

So she gritted her teeth, raised her head proudly and headed towards the throne room.

— [Reader]! — she called out over the crowd on the palace threshold. — Once you’ve done your business and you'll come back here, you’ll never leave again. Got it?

— You know it, boss! — she said, walking toward the main gate.

She couldn't tell her that she didn't know if she'd live to see the next morning. So all that was left was a lie, the bitter taste of which she felt all the way to the Yiga Clan hideout.

[travajoke01]

I wanna enroll her in a contest so infopost here we come

casual outfit still developing, please stand by

rottmnt OC Chimera Solbritt, she’s a bombyx. Aaaaaand also she’s a witch (i’m almost sorry for Donnie).  

Va: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFOBe5rGrqc&list=PL0ZdQpFsexGEB8-p_dN7jflu7y7bB4Upe&index=5 Noël Wells

Her little caterpillar-like buddy is Cat (as in Cat-tools and caterpillar)

 Really hate that we saw so little of witches and furthermore they were not so…..thrilling. I’m not a good writer, so i’ll just throw out some facts about her and backstory. Maybe my headcanon will make creators and nickelodeon so angry that they’ll decide to continue the show just to prove me wrong.

So this little cutie has problems with her family (on account of them being killed) and were took in by Big Mama and trained by her great-aunty Moti, so her english is better, otherwise that would be a disaster.

BM took her as last favor to her friend (a witch), trying not to dig Chimy into her illegal business too much, but girl would peak her nose once in a while (she’s a real fan of true crime, how could she miss something like that?). 

She’s a product of love of a human (scientist) and yokai (witch), whose bond was a problem for the witch’s town by itself, and a reason of their demise. Chimera was thought to be dead too, but she was teleported by her papá along with Cat, who was supposed to be her nanny, but became a life-long companion. He recorded some things from the crime scene, including her father’s goodbye and face of the killer.

Unfortunately, it took some time to reach her mother (she was in the witch town currently, while dad was above), and since she had no idea her daughter was alive, she took the poison to rejoin her fam.

Knowing that Mira (I really see so much potential In her being evil), would want her own granddaughter dead, Moti knew that girl cannot stay, so by the advice of  Chimy’s mother, she took her to the hotel, sneaking there once in a while to teach her and tell stories of her parents.

Of course, Mira was playing the victim, crying and telling that both of her parents died in the accident from one of their experiments.(those damn scientists can’t do anything right). 

It was hard for Chimy to study, especially, when she saw Gentry getting the attention and magic lessons from Mira she craved so much. But i guess  with having the half of capabilities of others-it is how it is. Or maybe Mira didn’t trust the bombyx just as much.

So to begin her way to the top properly, Chimera had do enlarge the amount of magic she can hold\produce, call it mana if you want. Before that, to learn magic ways properly, she had to use her enchanted umbrella and Cat’s help to make and store potions and elixirs, particularly healing ones. Quite a useful buddy this Cat, after all, a creation of magic AND science. 

School days weren’t exactly easy, on one hand, because she enrolled in the already formed collective that got used to each other, on the other, because Chimera was mostly looking humanish, the only things visibly telling that she is certainly not a human were her little wings, teeth, eyes and ears. She’s not unusual enough to blend in with yokai, and way too unusual to blend in with humans. Her fluff, retractable arms, spots and colour, the size of her wings were developed during all these years, heck, even the silk wasn’t always the thing. All of that made it only harder to get used to, she was clumsy and insecure. You can’t say she was bullied necessarily, but she’s never felt being a part of community. It definitely affected her, so she seeks admiration and attention.

Being tired of this buzz of thoughts and failures in her head she quitted the school and embarked on her little adventure outside the New York, (approximately during the time of season 1-2 and the movie) travelled to the temple where she empowered her dark magic (hence the mark’s ob her hands, the more she uses them, the more they grow), and enlarged her mana. 

Coming back to NY, she had to pass an exam to show her progress in magic, which wasn’t a problem for her this time, and took private lessons from a wizard.

FACTS TIME

second and third pair of arms are retractable. First pair, normal skin, second-fluffy, third-more like a chitin, they’re thinner than the other pairs. Her height is actually about Mikey’s, but since she’s walking on her “tiptoes” (it’s more comfortable bc of her bone structure) she appears to be higher.

produces silk (uses it to lengthen the range for touch-based spells or to crochet) and pheromones (to attract or to repulse, futile against humans and mutants, they only work on yokai)

umbrella has planetary signs and on the top is a sun sign (solely decorative)

her bailiwick is dark magic mostly (darkness based harm\destruction spells, creating a field of darkness), but she tries to learn other kinds of elementary attack spells, but they’re more tiring for her to perform.

has bags under her eyes,mostly because she stays up late, her sleep schedule is a mess. She just likes staying up late and doing hobbies, with all that learning there’s should be time for fun, right? After meeting the Mad Dogs, she could spend several nights without sleep, learning\practicing spells or looking for a particular one that they need. 

Even though she sometimes seems insensitive, she’s very emotional towards animals and animated little creatures (like robots),probably because she feels they are weaker and has an instinct to protect them.

doesn’t like any physical touch if she doesn’t like\know you. For some reason, this irritating, orange masked turtle grew fast on her…maybe her shell is getting thinner. (they’re totally besties, she freaking loves Dr. Delicate touch)

Also she crochets\sews, watches true crime videos, destroys the patriarchy, u know, girl stuff  

uses her wings for DAZZLING and casting(it’s absolutely extra), more than for flying, because that would be an easy target and not as fast as umbrella and magical means. So she uses umbrella for fast travel\dodging, but at least she looks great. If she opens her wings people in the close distance can't evert their gaze unless she moves from them or if person wers some kind of eye protecting equipment.

She considers incident in witch town very amusing (Donnie vs witch town),considering her tense relationship with this place.

She genuinely finds Donnie entertaining. Her reaction to his noises and attempts to be a mad scientist is pretty much the same as Luz’s reaction to King (like: awww he steppet his wittle foot~) Does it irritate him? Very much. But at least they both have a topic to infodump (science and magic) and they can’t understand eachother, which is a new experience for Donnie, to be in his brothers’ shoes. But she actually supports Donnie and tries to listen, though rarely understands terminology.

Giggles almost every time boys have an argument (if it’s not very life-threatening situation or it’s a real time to be serious)

She likes Raph’s roughness combined with his sweetness. She would totally crochet smth for him.

Leo is the one she shows her new nails first.

April is a kind of friend she always wanted, she can tell her about her nails with the same interest as about true crime (and learn smth new from April). She would also teach her magic too or escort her somewhere she could learn it.

She has a good developed emotional intelligence but rather from a logical point of view, like “ofc they do not know they’ve hurt u, they’re not u, but if they did it on purpose and u found out about it-ditch them, u deserve better that that”. Hates showing strong emotions like crying in public, it makes her feel weak.

 She tells “failing is okay” to smbd mostly to absorb it herself, she will try to comfort them with the words she would like to hear. But it’s only if she cares for you, otherwise you can jump off a roof and she’ll be like “do a flip”. 

Even though she seeks attention, she’s an introvert and she needs to “recharge” every once in a while to avoid being overwhelmed. Otherwise she’ll be a real buzzkill.

Totally infodumps boys about serial killers and true crime stuff, Raph and Leo ARE DEFINATELY CONCERNED. 

Greets u with “Supies~” and it irritates Don-Don (that does too)  because it’s not a real word

She hates dancing, because she hates embarrassment. But somehow Donnie takes it personally and insists on dancing lessons from him ofc. She says yes just to get him out of her hair ,but he takes it seriously. Somehow, it’s fun with him, even though very awkward at first. 

eyesight isn’t that great, wears special lenses to be less sensitive to light

learns spanish 

sings when she’s nervous

has slight anger issues

[mistresskayla-blog1]

Heart-scorched in the Desert

Lyn's Writing Event - Day 7

May 7th: Week 1: Mummy                                                 

Characters: Guy of Gisborne x OC Egyptian peasant - Navaneeth

Fandom: Guy of Gisborne – Robin Hood (post S2/ pre S3/ AU) – Richard Armitage

OC - Guy of Gisborne was created by Dominic Minghella & Foz Allan and adapted for television

Robin Hood is a folk hero of England from the time of the Crusades

**some spoilers if you haven’t watched the series**

Warnings: mummies, violence, swords, potential smut, angst, heartbreak, rescue, brutality.

Word count: 2k

Location: Holy Lands

              Two days after Marian has died, Guy tosses and turns in his bed, a commotion of the villagers occurring outside. He rose his dark colored tunic hanging loosely on him, his trousers creased from being slept in. He responded quickly with his sword in hand and pressed himself against the clay wall. Guy peaked around the opening of the doorway and saw fire in the courtyard.

A billowing smoke rose, and a figure wrapped in gauzes loomed, swaying toward the temple building across the courtyard. People ran and screamed past the hut. Guy ducked out of it and into an alleyway, positioning himself north of the creature. It was a foul looking thing, like the walking dead. Guy had never seen anything like that before. He didn’t even know what to call it, since when do the dead rise like this? (he mumbled under his breath). He knew the Saracens had strange burial rituals, but what in the hell was that thing? Guy saw a woman in the courtyard, the creature bent down and grabbed her by the throat, a skeleton hand wrapped around her soft flesh, she cried out and pushed him away. Guy ran briskly towards the creature and the woman and flashed his sword against the creature’s throat. The creature flinched and turned its hallow sunken face towards Gisborne. Guy quirked a grin at him, and grabbed the woman by the shoulder, “Come on, let’s go!” Guy practically carried her away, as the creature gave chase. Guy pushed the woman ahead of him through the alleyway.  She was silent and moved as swiftly as he did. They reached the end of the building and darted inside another.

Panting, Guy held her to him, smelling her wild scent, it reminded him of Jak’s spices and feeling the silken scarf about her head against his jaw. He closed his eyes a second, momentarily, caught up in the sensation of holding a woman that wasn’t struggling against him. The creature groaned and a deep resonating whine came from it as it grew closer.  She held him closer, shaking in fear from the creature, not from him. Guy looked down at her, her eyes large, and dark and beautiful peered up from her headscarf towards him. Guy softened his stare, and spoke softer to her, “We just need to stay quiet; do you know what it wants?”  She mumbled in her native tongue a moment, than shifted, “he.. wants.. flesh to renew himself”. Guy looked up as the creature passed by the hut they were hiding in. Its scent putrid, Guy put his hand over his mouth with his arm, but without his leathers it just couldn’t cover the stench of burnt and decaying flesh. Guy waited for the creature to pass, and then took the woman by the arm and led her to back to his hut to retrieve more clothes.

              They entered his hut and he shut the door, “What is that thing?” he asked her, grabbing his coat and putting it on, he grabbed his gloves and whipped his hand though his hair as she answered, she was somewhat speechless, he was so tall, and lithe and handsome.

“A Mummy, that’s what my people call him”, She said. Guy looked at her, as the word ran over his lips mimicking her speech, but not audibly.

“And what is your name?” he said, his mouth quirking up in a smirk a moment, the woman looked away from him as she answered, “My name is Navaneeth”.  Guy spoke her name as quietly as the creatures, stepping towards her now, his gloved hand inches from her scarfed head, “Navaneeth—its nice to meet you. I am Guy of Gisborne”. Navaneeth nodded in custom.

“Gisborne,” she spoke it back to him, “And why are you here, surely not to fight, the mummy”.

Guy shook his head, “No, no, definitely not. Though I will if I have to”, he touched his sword at his side, “Our mission here was foiled by my enemy, well, in such a term,” Guy stepped away from her, looking off through the window and then back to her, sizing her up, “And I lost someone in the fight, someone I cared a great deal about”. He looked down at his sword again, still in its scabbard.

Navaneeth went to touch his shoulder, moving closer to him. She could see him trying to steal his wits, “You must have loved her, yes?” Guy smirked again, looking off, “I thought so yes, but if that is true, then I do not understand why I killed her”.

Navaneeth stepped back a moment, gasping, “You killed her?”

Guy looked at her, “Oh, I mean, I’m not of any harm to you, it was a long time coming”.  Guy looked to her, his eyes were a brilliant blue against the black of his jacket and the white clay of the room. Everything about him was sharp and hardened and haunted. Navaneeth was completely hypnotized by this frank. She couldn’t look away, even though every other part of her told her to run. Guy sensed her tension, “Really, (he smiled charmingly), I’m not going to hurt you. Why would I, I don’t even know you, and, honestly, (sighs), I was just trying to help you from that, thing out there (gesturing towards the mummy still stumbling around the village). And frankly, if its him or me, I think you’d prefer me?” he winked. Navaneeth did not know how not to blush in that instance, so color raised in her cocoa skin, and Guy noticed. He smiled again, “that’s what I thought”.

Navaneeth pulled down her shroud revealing her dark hair and soft features, all Guy could really see before was her eyes. Navaneeth revealed those crisp dark eyes, her rosy lips, a jewel adorned her nose it glistened in the light of the hut. Guy moved towards her again, taken by her features. Navaneeth put her hand up, as he approached and it landed on his chest, he looked at it, charmingly, then met her gaze again, she spoke first, “You are pretty bold for a frank, Guy of Gisborne. How do you know I’m not a proper lady?”

Guy, “Well I don’t, but I’ll bet you will tell me,” Guy stood his ground but didn’t move to touch her. Navaneeth held her ground too, her hand just pressing into his shirt, feeling his heat under the cloth, sweat forming as his leathers warmed him in this arid climate.

Guy boldly asked, “Do you want to stay with me? Or go back out there?” he said, looking out to the courtyard again. Navaneeth dropped her hand and broke the gaze, “I will stay here until I can return to my home. I owe you nothing more than that”.

Guy smirked, “And are you a proper lady?” his English brogue was teasing, as his eyes darkened.

“And what if I was?” Navaneeth bid him. Guy looked unimpressed as he moved about his room undisturbed.

“And that means what to me, I don’t know your customs. I am merely passing through”, he said, gathering some things and shoving them into a saddle bag.

Navaneeth heart sunk a bit, somehow wanting more, “I am not”, she said, her head down again, she moved to put her scarf back on. Guy moved towards her again, “That doesn’t matter to me, I may be cold hearted to some, but that doesn’t mean I’m a brut” he chuffed. Navaneeth allowed herself to smile, as he breezed past her to grab a sheathed knife off the table and set in his bag. “Well, I never know what to expect other than brutality from a frank”, she mused.

Far off cries still echoed through the window to his hut. But neither of them seemed to care much.

Guy looked at her plainly, “You keep referring to me as a frank, what is that, like a crusader? I’m far from that level of military. What do you call, a mercenary, here?” he grinned darkly and breathed the last word very near her cheek. Navaneeth raised her breath to him, and went silent, “routier”, she whispered. Guy moved past her, and around her, as he spoke then, “ah, French like my mother, well I am not routier, or frank. I am English, and I am a black knight”.

Navaneeth gained bold prowess as she went to wrap her hair again, Guy gripped her arm in his gloved hand, “You don’t have to do that for me, who I’m going to tell. Everyone back home wants me dead, here too. Guess I’ll find my own way” he sighs and looks back to the courtyard out the high window. Navaneeth flinched, but only slightly as he relaxed his hand and she dropped her scarf, it landed ever so gently to the dirt floor. She moved to pick it up and Guy stood on it, his boot pressing it into the dusty floor. He grabbed her chin in his hand, and searched her gaze again for something, he wasn’t even sure himself what he wanted.

But, he thought, maybe this woman could give it to him. His heart was broken, yet again, by his own doing. He was such a fool to think Marian would choose him. Again and again he fell for her, and again and again she destroyed him. Lost in thought, Guy had closed his eyes, his grip tightened on Navaneeth’s chin, sliding down towards her throat. Navaneeth grabbed his hand with her own, and he snapped back. Looking at her horrified, taking several steps back. Navaneeth back away from him, banging into a table. She grabbed her scarf and nearly ran to the door, but Guy stepped ahead of her, blocking her path.

“Wait, wait, (his hands up), please, I’m sorry,” his hands dropped in defeat. Navaneeth looked at him quizzically, “Give me a reason, besides the mummy is out there, it seems you battle monsters in your own head, why should I stick around to see how that plays out, hmm?” She wagged her tongue at him in tone and intonation. Guy looked down, and nodded, “Your right. I am giving you no cause to trust my word, let alone my actions”. Navaneeth moved towards him again, “If you want out, (he cleared the door), be my guest,” Guy stood and leaned against the wall next to the doorway. Navaneeth put her hand to the doorway, stepping up to the threshold, “I’m sorry for your loss, and I wish you the best on getting home.” Navaneeth sighed, “Goodbye Gisborne”.  Guy nodded; his hands folded over his chest.

Navaneeth stepped out to the alleyway, and looked both ways to see where the creature was. Dawn was breaking over the buildings and for now, the mummy seemed to have gone. She sighed and walked across the courtyard to her hut. Her eyes scanning, but the village was all but silent now. She turned back as she reached the other side of the courtyard and saw Guy staring after her. Navaneeth put her hand to her heart, and nodded, as she tucked into her doorway and vanished from his sight.

(part 2 coming soon - comments appreciated)

Tag list:

@scariusaquarius @legolasbadass @middleearthpixie @enchantzz @lathalea @littlesweetdressmaker @sweetestgbye

@riepu10 @evenstaredits @talesfuzzy

Thanks to everyone who has been liking and reblogging!

[officialgleamstar]

Oxventure Finale Spoilers

If Corazón did die and not get resurrected after divining in front of Merilwen to protect her, do you think you would have written or drawn some angsty piratewoods stuff? You're like the biggest piratewoods fan I know, so I'm curious how you would have reacted (and honestly reacted in general).

THAT IS. A FANTASTIC QUESTION TBH. And aw 🥺 Biggest piratewoods fan you know? (<- this is not surprising I am deeply dedicated to their love. And same back at you, we are 🤝)

I am not generally big on angst. I like writing it more than I like reading it, certainly, but it is just not my forte XD However. Looks at Wither and Bloom. Clearly I do have exceptions for the Oxventure D&D finale already, so I think yes, I would!

As is, I think about Merilwen absolutely destroying Liliana for killing Corazón like… fucking constantly. It’s such an incredible moment, I think it really is so peak Merilwen - She’s emotional, ruthless, a fighter, but it’s because she cares so deeply for the people she loves. The fact that she is the one to bring him back really gets me too (even if I kind of hate that he becomes a tortle. Sorry. I love tortles and I think it was a funny moment of everyone avoiding bringing it up but I’m so attached to him as a pretty boy 😭), I think that entire sequence was really lovely. He dies in her arms. She kills for him in one of the most brutal sequences in the entire series. She brings him back from the dead. POETIC CINEMA

Sorry this isn’t what you asked, you asked my reaction if he perma-died fhdksgdkdh WELL. I have no clue. For my writing - probably would have ignored it, I’m an Alternate Universe - Everybody Lives bitch XD But I think it would have made a lot of sense for his character. Corazón is really perfectly set up for a heroic sacrifice, just in general, and it was such a beautiful moment where Corazón jumps in front of her without thinking about it for a moment. It would have been a really heart-wrenching end to his character, but I think it fits his narrative

And for the piratewoods side of it - God, that would destroy Merilwen, and I do think that would be so fun as a story. So much of her character is based on the fact that she lost Simon, she really struggles with mortality and the fact that the people she cares about can die. She isn’t afraid of death, certainly, she isn’t shy about killing people, but that’s because they threaten the people she loves. Being the direct cause of one of her loved one’s death? Someone sacrificing themself for her? Well, we saw her reaction. She fucking lost it! She absolutely slaughtered Liliana and weeped over Corazón’s body! There is sooo much potential there for Merilwen wrestling with her conflicted feelings.

Realistically, how can you be upset with someone for dying for you? He gave up everything for her. But she would be, I’m sure she would. Corazón knows - knew - how much Simon’s death (and later, grave defiling) devastated her, but he goes and dies on her watch anyway, right there in front of her. She’d be pissed, and she would feel awful for being pissed, for being mad at this stupid self-centered and annoying man who … who gave his life for hers. GOD. It’s so good 😭 Maybe I should write a fic actually XD

Anyway. I would have been even more abnormal about it than I already am 👍‼️ I don’t talk about that scene half as much as I think about it, but rest assured, it is always on my mind

[crinkled-emotions]

OK ok ok ok I'm TRYING to remain calm over the puppy (lol not working)

It can me a prompt idea. I don't know if you're taking on requests still.....

Bradley's childhood dog that Mav had kept over the years passes away a couple of months after the mission and him and Mav making up so B did get some time with him. (Yeah the dog was a very good healthy boy that lived to about 20😅) And then I'm thinking maybe Hangster vibes, Jake buys him this puppy to cheer him up 😭😭🥰🥰

Quick little one while I work on the Slider fic from March (I know, I'm crying about it too, I am in the process of getting some shit sorted and I kept getting writer's block)

Funny story, my childhood dog was a mutt and he actually lived until he was seventeen. He survived being lost in Melbourne, a fight with a bulldog (which he actually won?) and being run over by a tractor. His name was Jack and I miss him sm but now I have Boss who is the biggest shithead ever (see: video of him yowling and then getting zoomies)

Brisket is... potentially the cutest puppy I've ever seen (I'm only saying that because I didn't know my dog until he was 6 months old lmao, I may continue to be biased) and I feel like he matches the shithead energy (affectionate) Glen has deep down... anyway! On to the fic!

CW: the passing of a beloved pet

-

"Holy shit, Jet's still here?!"

Bradley dumped his duffel bag on the floor and barrelled over to the dog asleep on Maverick's kitchen floor, gently kneeling and extending his hand first just in case the dog didn't recognise him. Instead of getting a growl or maybe even a head lift, the dog lazily thumped his tail and stretched out.

"Jet is nearly sixteen, his hearing is pretty much gone and before I left he walked into my leg."

Maverick's own luggage hit the floor and he made his way over, pressing a kiss to Rooster's hair and then heading for the kitchen. Jet's ears pricked up and he was gone in seconds, trotting off to follow Maverick in hopes of some kitchen scraps. Rooster trailed after him, taking a seat at the island and accepting the cheese sandwich passed to him. He pretended not to see the spare piece "dropped" to the floor where Jet was sitting at his godfather's feet.

"I didn't think he was still alive," Bradley murmured between bites of sandwich. Maverick hummed, reaching down to give the older dog a pat.

"Well, I'd say he knew you'd come home when you were ready, and he wanted to see that."

Maverick then glanced up at Rooster, and rounded the corner to hug him.

"Glad you're home, kid," he murmured.

"Thanks for letting me back in, Mav."

-

As per usual, Jake was wearing his usual shit-eating grin when Bradley got home, sitting on their couch with a book, the football on in the background and a beer in his lap. Peak Seresin behaviour.

"Hey, baby. How was Mav?"

"Uh, good, my dog from right before I left is still alive."

"Jet?"

Jake tossed the book to the coffee table, carefully putting his beer down to extend his arms to his boyfriend. They kissed and then Bradley flopped down beside him, taking the beer for himself.

"Yeah, did I ever tell you the story of Jet?"

"Getting childhood stories from you is like pulling teeth, Roos," Jake replied. That got him a glare, followed by an eye roll and then Bradley leaned into his side.

"So, my mom, she died when I was fifteen, right? And I wasn't coping all that hot. Mav was getting called away on deployments because he can't follow the rules and I think he worried that me staying with Ice all the time was displacing... so one night he comes home after work with this puppy. It pissed everywhere and I'm pretty sure he chewed at least three pairs of Mav's boots, but Jet was what I needed when talking to people or even thinking of going to a therapist would be enough to send me into a panic attack."

"I didn't know you were that anxious," Jake murmured, reaching over to push his fingers through Bradley's curls.

"I'm not; it was the grief and I was constantly moving between Mav's, Ice's, even Penny's, once, when Mav and Ice were in the shit together."

"I can't even imagine- wait... the Ice? As in Iceman?"

"Yes, Jake. Keep up, babe."

-

Sitting in Maverick's kitchen, there was silence. Jake, Bradley and Maverick were all in various positions, but Jake had a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and Maverick was waiting for what he was thinking was going to be another fight.

"Was it quick?" Bradley asked quietly. Maverick nodded, eyes on the floor. Despite knowing he wasn't in trouble, the worst feeling in the world was Bradley being upset with him and Bradley was giving off those vibes.

"He went in his sleep, the vet said. It was age, he wasn't in pain."

"I need him," Bradley murmured. Jake rubbed between his shoulders, sighing as he turned to Maverick.

"Have you already buried him?"

"I was waiting for you two to get here."

Jet was gone. After sixteen years, he was gone. Bradley was staring at the island counter, brows furrowed, and he finally glanced up at Mav.

"Let's just do it now, what's another one to bury?"

"Roo-"

"-Bradley-"

He held up a hand, effectively stopping his boyfriend and godfather.

"No, let's just do it."

-

It had been a couple of months, and whilst he'd given Bradley some time to grieve, Jake was getting the itch to get him a little surprise... no, not the sexy surprise, hEY- get your head out of the gutter! Before Bradley found out Jet was still alive they'd been talking about getting a pet once they'd moved in together properly. Jake had been more or less living at Bradley's for almost a year, so when his lease came up for renewal he didn't hesitate to cancel it at Bradley's insistence that he move in for real. Jake was surprised at how much Jet's passing had affected his boyfriend, but he understood the underhanded grieving of his mother all over again that was associated with the pet. He didn't want to overstep, but- well. It just so happened a local shelter was having an adoption drive over the weekend while Bradley went to an event with Maverick for TOPGUN. Perfect timing, if you ask him.

"B, you home?"

"Here."

Bradley waved from the desk in the living area, huffing at the computer in front of him. He was working through some documents by the look on his face, and Jake cleared his throat as he knelt on the ground to put the item in his arms down.

"I, uh, went to the store."

"What, did you forget cheese again? You know how I feel about cheese."

"Yeah, I also know how your stomach feels about cheese. Admit you're lactose intolerant already."

Bradley closed the laptop and wheeled around before Jake was even slightly ready and immediately his eyebrows shot up.

"The store, huh?"

"I never said which store," Jake grinned. He glanced up at Bradley, sending him a cautious smile.

"This little guy doesn't have a name, and he's not to replace Jet, but I felt like the house had been a little too quiet lately- oof! Oh, okay, this is nice. Hey, can you hug the puppy too? I think he'd like that."

Bradley pulled away from Jake's shoulder to give him a kiss, and then knelt by the tiny puppy yapping at their feet.

"Hey, hey, shhhhhh..."

The dog darted around his feet before Bradley carefully caught him and lifted him to his chest, grimacing at the wet licks on his neck.

"The first time Mav ever picked up Jet, the dog pissed all down his shirt," he murmured, laughing to himself. Jake snorted, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Do you want to give him a name?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, you named Jet after your love for the air, so..."

Jake beamed.

"Oh, I think I know the perfect name."

-

"Oh my god, look at you! Hi Roo- gimme the puppy, holy shit!"

Phoenix darted around Rooster's offer of a hug when he opened the door, taking the puppy from his arms and giving kisses to his nose. The puppy yapped and his tail was wagging a million miles an hour at the excitement.

"B! Is that the dog again?"

Jake came down the stairs, rounding the corner to look for the puppy.

"Hey, Tooster! C'mere, dude!"

The puppy barker from Phoenix's arms. She couldn't help the way she gaped between her best friend and Hangman, before she smirked.

"Jake, you didn't."

"I did, but I'd like some clarification on what exactly I did."

"Rooster and Tooster?"

"He goes by Toaster a majority of the time, he burns energy and farts all the damn time so the house is full of hot air."

Phoenix stifled a snort, and then buried her face into the puppy's fur to stop laughing. Jake and Bradley exchanged a look, and then Bradley smacked his ass on his way to the kitchen.

"He loves cheese, and naps, and doing zoomies around Jake's feet in the kitchen."

"Ha, Roos, he's you."

"I'm not allowed to discuss the resemblance, I get sex-iled," Jake grumbled.

-

[halokarii]

///BSD Spoilers

In view of the last episode of the anime dropping tomorrow and the fact that this will likely be the finale of the DOA arc, I want to share something I have been thinking about for literal months now.

I think Fukuzawa dies in this arc and I want it to happen.

Listen, I love this man as much as the next person (I mean, one of his defining personality traits is that he adores cats - how can you not love him?!) but I still think that his death would bring many benefits to the plot of BSD going forward.

One, it would actually raise the stakes. So far Asagiri seems to be afraid of killing off his characters and at this point, seeing the tenth death bait of this arc adds nothing but some cheap shock value. Actually killing some characters that have a bigger relevance to the story (and aren't "just" antagonists whom the readers might want dead anyways) would raise the stakes for future arcs. It would show that no one is safe and make the plot armor that some characters have (*cough* Dazai *cough*) less noticeable. Plus, I think an arc as big and disruptive to the Bungou world as this one shouldn't just end with zero casualties. Like, yeah, the ADA has Yosano as their overpowered healer (by the way, where is she??) but it would just feel awfully convenient for her to just step in and undo all the stakes built up in the past several chapters.

Fukuzawa's death would end this arc on a devastating note (even if the ADA can secure a win overall) and emphasize how much this battle has shaken the very core of our cast and their support structure - the Armed Detective Agency.

Which brings me to my second major point. Fukuzawa's death would further the character development of several people. He has had a positive impact on so many characters, not only in the present like with Atsushi but also in the past with Ranpo and Yosano. All members of the ADA would be forced to grow through his loss.

Especially since many of them so far have predominantly been developed through flashbacks (eg. Ranpo, Yosano, Kunikida too if we count the first LN as a flashback).

Yosano and Ranpo would have to deal with the loss of a father figure, someone who quite literally saved both of their lives. Kunikida has been hinted as a potential successor to Fukuzawa since very early on in the manga and would regain a more active part in the story (since he has kinda been serving as Fukuchi's kidnapping victim for the current fight...). He would have to come to terms with what it means to be a leader and how he can deal with the fallout of the current situation while simultaneously handling his grief over his well-respected boss.

Tanizaki could receive some much-needed development.

Kyouka and Atsushi would have to deal with the fact that All Men Are Equal no longer assists them with controlling their abilities. They would have to re-learn how to handle them, at least partly.

Given that he survives, Dazai would face grief of a man who gave him a chance even though he knew of his past. Dazai and Fukuzawa haven't interacted much but he is the first person Dazai loses after Odasaku so this is bound to be interesting in some way.

My third point is that, let's be real, Fukuzawa's character arc peaks in this fight with Fukuchi. We know of his past with Ranpo and how he founded the ADA. We see how he went from being someone who preferred to fight alone to someone who leads a strong organization and supports others with his ability. We have learned of his past with his exes Mori and Fukuchi.

In my opinion, his story is finished, he has had his character arc. I think it would be very fitting for a character like his - a fighter in nature and yet someone who so deeply cares about others - to die in a battle to quite literally save the world.

The fourth reason is more or less speculating where the story will go next. After a long, tension and action laden arc like this, I think it would make sense for the next big story point to start with some form of "cooldown" where everything settles back into its New Normal after the recent events. As bad as this may sound, something like a grieving period for the ADA to mourn their beloved president would be perfect for that. The Agency has to build itself and its reputation back up from the ground after having been accused of terrorism. Also, I'm like 80% sure the events of the DOA arc happened in a week or two - let all of them have a breather.

Plus Asagiri needs time to build up the next big villain (given that Fyodor is defeated, which I really hope because as entertaining as I find him, I cannot bear to see him as the mastermind in another arc. It does get boring after such a long time).

A weakened ADA without its experienced leader could also potentially throw the city's balance off. Especially since Mori still has that deal with the ADA that one member will transfer over to the Port Mafia (food for thought, if Mori and Fukuzawa were the only ones who knew about the condition that Mori cannot pick Yosano but Fukuzawa dies - Can Mori just be an absolute asshole and pick her, now that no one could call him out?).

I was honestly a little bit disappointed after seeing Fukuzawa alive and well in the teaser. But the visuals as well as the title of the episode - Twilight Farewell - could potentially hint at the fact that both Fukuchi and him might die in the episode. And I could live with that just fine.

Anyways, thanks for sitting through this way too long post.

(And if anyone got scared reading this, don't worry, so far all of the predictions and theories I have made about BSD have always been 100% wrong. So writing this might just save Fukuzawa's life lmao.)

[daily-fantasy-ideas]

Hi, I really like your prompts, so I have a question for you. I was thinking of unique fantasy plot, because repetitive tales become predictable. Have you got any ideas?

Well, my brain at the moment isn't firing off ideas as much as it does sometimes but I'll give it a shot.

But before I do one good bit of advice I have for you and everyone else reading this is to take inspiration from non-fantasy media and warp and twist it into being fantasy-y.

Now you might think "Oh but X thing that I enjoy can't have that done to it" but trust me it can.

It might end up not resembling the thing that inspired it at all by the time you're done due to the fantastical warping processes, but that's a good thing.

Anyway, the idea for you.

A kingdom, greedy and in pursuit of more metal to fuel their ravenous war machine's need for arms and armour began mining in the ruinous caverns located beneath the Forbidden Mountain.

The reason as to why this ancient peak had been labelled as forbidden has been lost to history for longer than any could remember, but the existence of great deposits of metal within its cavernous depths had been known for just as long.

Soon, after the mining began horrid violent things began peering out from the shadows of the caves and shafts.

The eyes of beasts that had been warped and twisted by some sort of malevolence, eyes which harboured only an unstoppable need to harm and kill.

The metal taken from the mine soon found itself returning home in its new form as the arms and armour of those who needed to fight the horrific beasts lurking within and lunging from those accursed depths.

Many souls ended up consumed by those mountains, either through mining tragedy or by the monsters lurking in its ever-present unyielding shadows.

But no matter how many died, they kept on digging.

Deeper and deeper and deeper still, pulling out more and more metal almost more than a single kingdom could ever need, even as the numbers and ferocity of the monsters began to overwhelm them, and yet they kept digging till they reached the mountain's deepest chamber.

On the day that the furthest depths of the mountain were breached, the kingdom fell, the lands around were set ablaze and the skies were painted black as rocks and boulders fell from pulverising any unfortunate enough to be in their landing path.

The mountain was no more, the final beast had been awakened, it now sored through the sky each great movement of its accursed wings bringing down gales of death and destruction to the land below.

Of course, the kingdom's fall was not solely to be blamed on this freshly unleashed horror. The foolish greed of a royal family so obsessed with the need to be victorious in a potential future war that they neglected every other aspect of their society arguably bares far more of that burden.

So anyway I think a story about having to escape from all that would probably be pretty cool.

Could also definitely have stories set in the mining portion, but mainly I think a story about fleeing a falling fantasy kingdom being destroyed by hubris and a giant winged kaiju-type-dragon-thing could offer some unique storytelling opportunities.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Comission in the Chasm- Dominos chpt.1

Return to File - GI File - TR File - SW File - BSD File

Recovery date: February 22nd, 2023

Description: Aether and Lumine take a commission in the Chasm and twelve years later Hinata Tachibana dies as a result of the unchecked activities of the Tokyo Manji gang— all it takes is one domino to tip and the world order will collapse. With three parties unknowingly playing hide and seek with the devil, can the scales be tipped by Takemichi and friends?

Notes: While the entry is corrupted I lost steam there are still partial records, and therefore the entry may yet be recovered. I found part of chapter seven, so I might be able to write more if not finish it

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Word count: 1 490

Back to directory

“This. Is. A very. Bad. Idea,” Aether grunted, pulling himself up the rope.

He paused, feet perched carefully on the small ledges along the cliff face, and looked back down at his sister and Paimon. Paimon was floating around by Lumine’s head, she was their strange guide's favorite it seemed, while she glared up at him; forced to stop once more for him.

“It would be a better one if you kept moving!”

“Ya! We’re getting tired here, braid head!”

“Paimon,” Lumine groaned. “Aether keep moving.”

“I didn’t hear a please,” he sang, shifting and causing some debris to fall down.

“Aether I swear if you don’t start moving I will throw you off the ledge!”

“And I���m going!”

The Cinnabar Cliffs were steep and ragged, a less than ideal climbing environment, making it one of the worst commission zones in Teyvat. Unfortunately, that meant when trouble arose in the cliffs the commission was pawned off to them, and so here they were; making the perilous climb towards the Glaze Peaks to deal with a camp of hilichurls. 

When Lumine had accepted the commission she’d thought the camp would be against the cliff face, not almost a thousand meters off the ground and edging into the Chasm— something she hadn’t figured out until they were there. Really she should have seen it coming, the circle Kathryn had marked was too general an area to have been scouted properly. It was likely Amber had seen the smoke from their camp while gliding and reported it as a potential threat, so there was a chance it wasn’t even hilichurls.

Lumine flinched as more pebbles were kicked off the small ledges they were gripping and fell into her face. She turned her head, tucking it into her chest, and waited for the bombardement to stop before turning back to glare at Aether’s butt. Her only saving grace so far is that he hadn’t tried to gas her, yet.

As she blinked again to clear the dust clinging her her lashes and looked up, however, she was met with a black glove reaching out. Aether was leaning over the edge, the sudden rubble fall must have been him pushing onto the ledge, and offering his hand to haul her up; a hand she gratefully took.

The twins stayed for a moment, kneeling by the ledge and panting slightly.

“Phew, Paimon is pooped,” their floating companion sighed, and both twins gave her an exasperated glare. “Let’s have a snack!” She drifted around to Lumine’s pack and began undoing the ties.

“Paimon slow down, let’s at least get away from the death drop.”

“But Paimon’s hungry!”

“Unless you want to end up as my snack you can wait.”

“Aether’s mean! Paimon’s not food!”

As they finished catching their breaths, the twins finally stood up on slightly shaky legs as the exhaustion finally caught up to them.

“I don’t know,” Lumine sighed, stretching her arms back over her head and nearly hitting Paimon, “I’m sure Xiangling could make it work.”

“Hey!”

“Come on Paimon!” Aether called, starting off along the cliff. “I’m sure something out here will eat you if you aren’t careful.”

Lumine laughed, jogging to catch up with her brother and leaving Paimon in the dust.

As the sun began to dip behind the peaks, casting long shadows along the valleys that wove between, the twins saw smoke rising. They split up with Paimon following Lumine, and approached the camp from opposite sides. Lumine lay flat on the ground, crawling as low as possible, to peek over a small rise while Aether circled around. 

The camp was fully encased in shadows— the only light being torches set up along the perimeter, and a campfire in the middle— along with Lumine’s side of the mountain, while Aether’s side was practically glowing in the remaining light. She watched as his cowlick swayed while he shuffled forward until his face popped over the ledge. He gave a half salute before pointing down.

With a quick nod, Lumine waved Paimon down and pulled her legs under herself to crouch. Looking back across, she found Aether had done the same and was staring at her with wide eyes.

It took a moment to register his look of surprise, but she quickly whipped around with her fist pulled back. She turned to find a pair of legs in front of her and before she could swing her fist into the stranger, a strong grip grabbed her wrist and forced her to fall backwards with the sudden stop to her momentum. Her weight shifted back and she kicked her legs out, though she missed her opponents legs; in return, the attacker kicked her legs together and gently stepped on them in an act of restraint. That was when she finally looked up.

“Dain?!”

“Are you done trying to hit me?”

“Lumine, it’s- oh, good, you aren’t trying to kill him,” Aether called, slightly out of breath from having run all the way back.

“I was! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Lumine hissed, yanking her wrist back and getting up.

“You should keep a closer eye on your surroundings, if I were a Fatuus you’d be dead.”

“Wait, where’s Paimon?”

Lumine stopped brushing herself off and looked around. Paimon was nowhere to be seen, and hadn’t voiced any annoyance at being forgotten.

“I didn’t see her when I came up behind you, perhaps she found a shiny rock.”

“Paimon’s not a bird,” Aether scolded.

“I told her to duck down, maybe she found a crack to squeeze into. It’s not like someone could have taken her.”

Aether shrugged before cupping his hands around his mouth and calling out, “Paimon!”

“Paimon you can come out now!” Lumine called, following his lead.

“Dain, help us out.”

“After I deal with this hilichurl camp, I believe the abyss mage I’ve been following has taken shelter inside.”

The twins stopped their searching and turned to find him leaning over the cliff, watching the camp below with careful eyes. They shared a look and shrugged, before Lumine walked off to look for Paimon while Aether went to talk with Dain.

When Aether’s head popped into his peripheral vision, Dain turned to him with a frown.

“What are you doing?”

“Helping you.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Sure you don’t,” Aether nodded towards the camp, “but Lumine and I are here to clear out the camp by request of the adventures guild. So, you can have the mage and we can clear the camp.”

“And Lumine won’t be joining us?”

“She lost the Paimon, she can find the Paimon.”

Both men looked back over their shoulders to see Lumine standing on another small rise, looking around the way they’d come, before jumping down out of sight.

“Fine, but don’t get in my way.”

“Nev-Hey!”

Dain had already begun his descent along the small ledges, leaving the younger man to rush after him.

“Paimon!” Lumine yelled, peeking behind a cluster of rocks.

She’d gone much further from where Paimon had last been than she’d thought she’d need to, yet there was still no trace of the floating guide. It was like she’d been taken, but Dain had come up behind her and hadn’t seen anything; not to mention if someone did take Paimon they’d completely ignored her. There were also no new footprints, so Paimon must have gone off on her own.

“Paimon, I have some dango for you! Thoma made them!”

Lumine sighed, peeking into a small— Paimon sized— crevice. This was going nowhere.

“Where did you go,” she mumbled, sitting down and resting her chin in her hands.

As she stretched out, her back making a satisfying crack, Aether appeared in the distance. They waved at each other, and Lumine tilted her head in a silent question; Aether shook his head in response, and she nodded. Dain had gone off on his own again, unsurprising.

“No luck?”

“None. Was the camp easy?”

“Ya, about that…” he took a seat next to her, kicking his legs out and grabbing an onigiri from his bag, “it was empty.”

“Empty?”

“Empty. No mage, no hilichurls, nothing; but it hasn’t been empty for long, there were still embers in the fire plus the smoke we saw.”

Aether broke his onigiri in half and handed part to Lumine.

“Think it’s safe to tell Kathryn we dealt with it?”

“Mhm, there was a cave entrance and footprints leading in.”

Lumine nodded, before both twins sat in silence as they ate.

“So, we just need to find Paimon and then we can leave.”

“We should set up camp,” Aether stood up, extending a hand for Lumine, “then we can search until the sun goes down.”

“How about I set up camp under there, and you can look for Paimon.”

“Under whe- Fuck you.” Lumine cackled as Aether sighed in defeat, dropping his bag beside her and heading off further back the way they’d arrived.

[lamentingwclf]

"It is something." He concedes, but the for now is implied. It's a response built on his own self reflection, the one that took dark turns into the recesses of memories he preferred to leave buries. He'd been the experiment once, first for a potential strain of super soldier serum. Then for the prosthetic that had been broken and replaced countless times before they finally found one that stuck. Losing them hadn't caused pain, but the way the metal often dug into his skin, or pinched, or got dangerously close to what was left of his arm before Wakanda finally took it back to his shoulder - that was a different story he preferred to leave closed on a dusty shelf.

Simply put, he wasn't interested in Wanda being a science experiment.

Bucky did not want that kind of life for her, though if he had to guess, he wouldn't be surprised to learn she had been. The more he got to know her, the more he felt that sense of sameness. Not that they'd actually sat down and laid all the cards down, which in and of itself sounded tiring and unnecessary. He didn't want her to know about his own poor upbringing and more than she wanted to hear about his.

So he resigned himself to relishing in the few things she did let slip, and relying on intuition and perception.

He did not tell her then that he had a theory about the weapon maker, or that he recognized the color of the uniforms he'd seen peaking out from beneath the clothes they'd worn. Bucky did not want to raise alarm bells until he was sure, and quick research back at the safe house would solidify these things in his mind to a level he'd feel comfortable bringing her into the fold. It wasn't about keeping her in the dark, or unprepared, it was just logical thinking. Don't point out a fire until you know it's a fire, if you will.

Plus, he wanted to focus on coming down from the spike in adrenaline. He wanted to simply be a man sitting across from a woman in a diner, getting to know her by asking questions. A date. He wanted to be on a date.

The thought almost makes his jaw clench to fight off a blush and a twitch of annoyance in his eye.

"I know." He says softly, thinking about a time when he would have dreamt of seeing Europe, but having only seen the destroyed wreckage of it. "There's a difference is seeing something while running past it, or hiding, and actually being able to walk the streets and take it in." It should have been a darker thought, but Bucky's tone is casual.

The waitress hovers, she refills his mug as well, and he orders a stack of pancakes. Pushing the menu towards Wanda hoping if he's gotten something, so will she. "The sugar will help." He tells her, with a raised brow, and wondering if she will learn that he's terrible at sharing food and if he sees the tines of her fork anywhere near the fluffy diner goodness he's just ordered, that it's likely to start a war. A war that he will also start, he suspects, if he attempts to steal any type of bite of pie.

In the end, he would absolutely be hypocritical.

Alone again, he contemplates her question. "I didn't move around a lot as a kid, the opposite. I was stuck. I got the best grades, star athlete - I never told anyone, but I was offered a scholarship to go to a school out of state and play baseball." As he says it, he watches her, waits for her gaze to darken or judge him for how normal his upbringing seemed. He does not tell her of his father's inability to cope with his brief stint as a soldier in the first world war. Does not tell her of his rage and abuse. He keeps it to the presentation of being the all American boy.

But he's also likely oversharing, but he's started sharing, and can't seem to stop now.

"I couldn't leave, after my dad died, my mom got sick. I had two sisters that I felt I needed to take care of, so I threw myself into work, was saving money for their college. I wanted them to succeed, have good lives. So I kept telling myself, get them through, then I'd start my life." Then the war. "I was drafted. So I told myself, keep my head down, get through the war, then I'd come home and then I'd start my life."

But then he fell from the train, and his life ended.

"I think maybe it's time to stop putting off starting that life, but I don't really know what it entails yet."

It’s annoying, to put it lightly. It is scary, to put it another way. But Wanda was tired and for a moment that fear had no sharp edge, it was like a dull ache, an irritation, and simple to push away. The weapon might be powerful or it may be nothing. They simply didn’t know and at this time there wasn’t a way to find out. It was frustrating not to know, but hardly as though she could complain. Wanda didn’t want to be a guinea pig for an experiment as hideous as this.

Her brow knitted together as they walked, silent and thoughtful. It wasn’t her intention to ignore him, but most of her energy was focused on walking and thinking and there was little valuable information she could add. Did she want to track it down? Wanda didn’t have the answer yet. The obvious answer seemed yes, and she supposed that’s what she WOULD do at some point. Whether Bucky was with her or not was a decision that would be up to him. The fact was, she knew about this danger. Maybe there was no real obligation to do anything with that knowledge but Wanda wasn’t sure she could simply sit back. From a selfish point of view, it was the type of think many people would want to use on her or experiment with. From a slightly less selfish view point (but same end goal), such weapons would lead to further advanced weaponry and she was not so big headed as she to believe she was on the radar of most or enemy number one.

Yes, she concluded, walking into the diner and sliding into a seat. She would want to track it down. But did it have to be immediately? Perhaps not.

Her eyes flickered to watch Bucky for a moment, eyes moving the waitress and taking in her appraising look - and making sure her own coffee order is heard. Then she simply watched. Her mind was CURIOUS but technologically minded. She knew how to use technology, but she hadn’t always been around tech. Or machinery of any kind. A poor travelling family didn’t exactly have the money or opportunities to use things that were up to date. But the witch was stubborn and when opportunities did present itself she got stuck into learning new things. …using tech was one thing. But she wrinkled her nose and her mouth scrunched up for just a second before she relaxed. Nope. Didn’t have a clue what Bucky was seeing in that thing.

So her eyes moved from the weapon to him. A more pleasant and warming sight. Even if he’d looked better. Well, the after-battle look was almost the standard one.

The adrenaline had left her now, but the coffee would fill the gap for the moment. And maybe she was naive or silly, but she felt better simply being able to sit like this with him. It was normal. It was nice. It wasn’t the ideal situation but… well, what was? This was good, and Wanda savoured the little moments where she was close enough to him that he was only an arms length away. Or leg length, maybe, considering when she occasionally shifted her legs or feet gently bumped against him.

“I don’t understand it. I’m not going to try. Not just now anyways,” she responded taking a sip of her coffee. “It’s a weapon. For now, until I get some more coffee and actually think more about it, that’s all I need to know.” THAT was naive thinking, but only for the moment. She was curious and did need to know more, but clearly they didn’t have information at this time and she was going to press the matter or get annoyed he couldn’t work it out in some miraculously fast manner. “I don’t doubt it works. I like these people are stupid and, I don’t know, the people we fought today probably are in a way but the people making these things or ordering them to be made normally aren’t.” Her voice was glum for a second, thinking on it, and her gaze which had found comfort watching him shifted to outside. She was conscious of how she had been watching him, and besides he didn’t need to see momentary despondency on her face. “But, well, they lost today, huh? Didn’t get to see their toy in action. Guess that’s something.”

Another wrinkle of her nose, then looking back to the table to grab her coffee for another drink.

His question surprised her, which was maybe good. There was a spark of … something in her eyes. Random. Maybe not so random. A good question.

“I’ve not thought much about the future,” she admitted. “When I do, I always have another idea.” Wanda glanced out the window again, but there was a smile on her face this time. “Travel. See new things. Try new things. Live my life? I wanted to see the world when I was younger which I guess I’ve done.” She looked back at him, making a face and though her next words were a little darker there was still amusement and light in her tone, “Have travelled a fair bit now, but I think I’ve probably missed a few sights in between all the fights. You know?”

A shrug, “But sometimes I just want to just find a place that’s mine. My family travelled a lot when I was a child. We never settled anywhere. I wonder what that’s like. I’d like something…” some place, some one, some thing, “That’s mine.”

It’s truthful. Her answer does always change. Sometimes Wanda thought Bucky changed the answer, too.

She could go deeper into an answer. Talk about emotions. Wanda could also say the fighting never ends. But no. They don’t need that just now. So with a smile, and resting an elbow on the table and holding her head up with one hand, Wanda turned her smile to him. “What do you think you want to do? Is there any plans or… go with the flow?”

With the waitress moving by once more, she ordered a further coffee, tempted by the pie but— hey, it was fine. She didn’t need it. It was maybe best to rest then eat.

[ashiemochi]

pussidon - ACT II | v

✠ Pussidon ↳ sounds like trouble ↳↳ can we eat it?

➶ pairing: OC x Leon S(exy) Kennedy. ➶ genre: fluff, angst, gore, smut/suggestive themes ➶ word count: no

NOTE: ✠ = time skip ✠✠ = switching povs/characters

prev -> next

“... 90% of the population in Tall Oaks has been infected with the virus. That rounds up to 70,000 hostiles…”

The bus ride wasn’t as relaxing as So Ah thought it would be – not like she thought it’d be any different from fighting two humongous zombies back at the gunshop. The shopkeeper along with his assistant had both died leaving the area, leaving Minji trying to console the crying Nancy and Jiwoo. 

Right. 

Minji and Jiwoo.

So Ah had her arms crossed, having put her device back in her pocket, she could hear the very subtle beeping of her tracker beneath her skin. Her ears strained for Hunnigan’s update and she peaked from behind Leon’s and Helena’s shoulders. Hunnigan stopped abruptly, seeing So Ah’s face on her screen and she blinked. 

“Oh! So Ah – I see you got caught up with Helena and Leon.” 

So Ah pressed her lips into a thin line faintly when Leon took a side step for her to be more visible in front of Hunnigan. 

“It’s not by choice, also hey,” So Ah pouted a little, feigning offense and pointing to Leon’s earpiece, “How come they can communicate with you but I can’t? I thought we had something special.” 

Hunnigan chuckled lightly at her pout before shaking her head, “You're still my favourite agent, So Ah. Your earpiece is attached to the back of your radio – been there from the start.”

Leon raised an eyebrow at his fiancee as she took out her device and then flipped it over, finding her earpiece. It was similar to Leon’s and Helena’s and she blinked, sheepishly smiling as she took it out. 

“Happy?”

“Thank you, Innie.”

Helena’s nose scrunched up and looked at Leon, confused, “Innie?”

“It’s Ingrid,” Hunnigan sighed with a subtle smile before seriousness filled her tone, “No time to talk – we’ve also received word that an organization named ‘Neo-Umbrella’ just claimed responsibility for the attack.”

Neo what now?

Leon and So Ah shared a knowing look, both shocked at the revelation. The same organization that assisted in the viral attack – the same one that caused the H-Outbreak.

The girl trailed her eyes back to Hunnigan who read her fallen expression. Every moment of that night was rushing to her head. She could honestly empty her guts now if she hadn’t burned her entire meal running left and right and shooting here and there for her life. 

“Neo-Umbrella…?” So Ah whispered in disbelief and Leon scoffed to himself, looking back at Hunnigan. 

“It’s like that outbreak all over again.”

Leon was never much of a supporter of how the people named that night – The Han’s Outbreak. And it showed. He never called it by that name, always opting for just ‘that outbreak’ and if they need more specification, he’d mention California and that would be that. So Ah knew about his resentment toward anyone who goes for the term and she deeply appreciates his stance. 

Yet, she too uses the term. The Han family never moved on from what happened, similar to its victims. She still gets nightmares each time she hits the hay and the name of her late family doctor or even the mention of him would change her entire mood. She can be happy or content all she wants, but the moment someone at the DSO brings up that traumatic night, she’d want out of the room in an instant.

But she always stayed, she never left. She sucked it up, believing the blame was on her, and continued training day and night. The guilt fueled her to push her body to the limit, to take each check-up and threat and throw them into the dark abyss she calls the ‘I’ll get to it later’ box. The tracker could potentially send an electrifying surge that would destroy her spinal cord in a blink of an eye – as long as she doesn’t defy those medics that is. 

She won’t get to it. 

Not after what happened. 

Not a night goes by where Frederic Sonny doesn’t cross her mind, chastising her as he confesses his sickening infatuation with her virus; the plaga. 

But hey, that’s what therapy’s for – which she had been missing lately.

Just like she had been missing Leon.

“That’s all the news I’ve got. Now it’s your turn to help me.” Hunnigan continued, giving the Han girl a sympathetic look, “I need to know what’s in that cathedral. I’ve got suits breathing down my neck for info.”

Leon furrowed his brows, tilting his head to the side as his voice dropped an octave, “Suits?”

“Specifically, Derek C. Simmons – National security advisor.” 

That caught Helena’s attention and So Ah noticed the sour expression on her face but stayed quiet. Knowing Helena for a few hours, So Ah more so expected to be dragged around more like some dog before she’d reveal anything. Instead, she looked up when the bus seemed to slow down and saw a bright beam of light shining on them. 

“What the hell –” The driver spoke but was cut off, the helicopter talking back; demanding. 

“STOP THE BUS. I REPEAT. STOP THE BUS.” 

Leon and Helena shared a confused look as the survivors began getting antsy and Minji perked up at the sound and then looked at So Ah, eyes narrowing at the back of her head. So Ah had this habit of doing something stupid and avoiding eye contact like Hell. 

Minji knew that. She was her big sister – she knew almost everything. 

“A helicopter?” Nancy whimpered, removing her teary face from her hands, sniffling, “Are we being saved?”

“Ah, hell.” The driver cursed and then slowed the bus down when the man in the helicopter ordered again. 

The helicopter lowered itself down to the ground in front of them and Leon squinted his eyes at the emblem carved onto the side as So Ah moved silently to the bus’s door. 

“The BSAA…?” Leon muttered as Helena was just as confused.

“What are they doing here?” She muttered back then a rush of cool wind hit them from the side. 

Leon watched as his fiancee jogged up to the soldiers leaving the helicopter with their rifles up but one had his gun down when So Ah approached them. Leon was puzzled at this. Sure, he knew she was still under the BSAA’s protection but how did they know where she was?

Why was she gesturing to the bus?

And why when their eyes met did she look pensive and scared?

Then Minji stood up from her spot, picked up Jiwoo and made her way to the door. Helena called out for her yet Minji seemed apprehensive. Minji had been quiet ever since she accidentally grazed Leon’s shoulder and she was very hard to read since then. God knows what she was thinking in that head of hers. 

“Hey,” Helena’s voice stopped the eldest Han right at the door who had her eyes on her sister, “What’s going on?”

“We’ll see…” That was all she had said before leaving the bus and joining her sister. 

For a second, Helena knew what it felt like to be ‘strung along’. 

“Any updates on Chris?” So Ah asked the soldier as Minji was running up behind her and the soldier shook his head. 

“None so far, Han…” His frown mimicked the girl’s and he set his hand on her shoulder, patting it once, “Hey, our captain’s fine. Alright? Piers is working hard in trying to find him.”

So Ah huffed lightly, casting her cinnamons to the side as if helpless, “Yeah… I guess so…”

The soldier’s frown deepened and he opened his mouth but Minji caught up with them, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“We’re here to get you two somewhere safe, Miss Han.” The man said and Minji glanced at her sister then at him. 

“Us… Two?” She pointed at herself and her sister who shook her head, crossing her arms. 

“You two.” So Ah corrected, gesturing to the shivering but sleepy Jiwoo and Minji. 

Minji went quiet at this, staring at her sister who returned the gaze but dryer. Minji seemed to be contemplating something, glancing at the helicopter and then back at So Ah. 

If only So Ah was the confronter type – but alas, she was still her sister. Minji wanted her safe and fully assumed both her and her sister would be taken by the BSAA to be protected. That’s why she triggered her tracker, right?

To get them someplace safe… Unless she meant them as in Jiwoo instead of herself. 

Minji was the observant type when it came to her little sister. She had seen So Ah in action today and while she was nimble, she was also susceptible to letting her emotions take control of her. The jealousy, the waste of ammo to dull out the voices of Helena and Leon when they’d interact, and the constant habit of letting herself get hit just to heal up and save the survivor; all were noticed. 

Ultimately, she doesn’t think So Ah was fit to be on her own unofficial mission just yet. All her operations at the BSAA were team-based – she had a squad on her back and she was the marksman, meaning she rarely ever was up close with an enemy. Even Chris made sure of that – as per her family’s request. 

Minji gave her son to the soldier inside the helicopter to help put him in the seat and buckle him up then she turned to face her sister. So Ah stood there, seemingly confused as to why she wasn’t getting on the ride and gave her a look. 

“What?”

“I’m coming with.”

So Ah blinked, brows furrowing at her in disbelief, “What – no, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.” Minji stood her stance, chin subtly up for confidence as she spoke, “I can help.”

“Minji, no –” So Ah shook her head and tried to speak but Minji cut her off, knowing she was hesitating because of that accident in the gunshop.

“It was one time, but I swear I can be useful!” Minji took a step closer with such sureness in her colourful hues, “I took that creature down and I can do it again!”

“You’re not qualified for this!” So Ah’s voice rose, heart beginning to pound uncomfortably at even the thought of having her sister around. If she were to get hurt – just a small scratch – So Ah would never ever be able to forgive herself. 

Minji’s eyes shifted, straightening up with crossed arms against her chest in defiance, “And you are?”

Silence filled the air, the wind rushing like crazy with the rain pattering against their bodies. The white shirt So Ah wore felt cold against her skin as her brows furrowed again at Minji’s words. She broke eye contact with an incredulous scoff and then peaked at her through narrowed slit eyes. 

After years and years of training, she wasn’t qualified?

It hurt her more than ever to see her own family thinking she was still not ready; still weak.

“... What is that supposed to mean?”

Minji sighed at the offended tone coming from her little sister then gave her a sombre look, “Soo, I don’t think you’re fit for this yet.”

Before So Ah could even defend herself, Minji continued. 

“Your position in missions has always been far – not up close like this. You keep throwing yourself out there, taking hits left and right and you’re letting your jealousy get the best of you.”

So Ah was taken aback by this, blinking in shock at the words coming out of her mouth so straight-forwardly. It’s like she had been thinking – no, believing – it from the start. Minji’s gaze was sympathetic but firm, reminding her of her mother. Her feet took a defensive step back as her arms dropped, cheeks heating up in embarrassment at that word. 

“What jealousy?” 

He was her sunshine – he promised so. Vowed even. Leon only wants to help and figure this situation out, nothing else. Helena is just an agent and nothing more…

… Right?

Minji huffed at her feeble way of deflecting, shaking her head as she nearly scolded pointedly, “Don’t play stupid with me – I’m surprised Leon didn’t notice it.”

Anger bubbled up inside the younger Han just like the unfallen tears as she glared at her eldest sister. Tremors ran down her arms, reaching her hands as she clenched them next to her side and her sad cinnamons squinted at her hurtfully. 

She thanked the gods for the rain because at least no one will see her fall – unless they’ve got a pair of sharp perceptive azuls, then they won’t even know.

With a trembling breath, she pointed at the helicopter and she ordered, voice stern but pained, “... Get inside, Minji.”

Minji unfolded her arms, sighing exasperatedly as she took a step close, nearly pleading, “Soo, let me help –”

Like the distant thunder, So Ah cracked.

“I DON’T WANT YOUR HELP.” So Ah’s shout silenced her eldest sister as she tilted her head to the side, lips curling down in mockery, “I’m unfit for this?! I was trained for this, whether you believe it or not!”

Heaving in air, she didn’t stop – even when her inner voice was telling her to before it was too late. 

“Unfit my ass…” She scoffed, “I’m not the one who was careless and shot Leon’s shoulder. I’ve been doing everything to keep you and Jiwoo safe; this is how you repay me?!”

Minji tried to diffuse her sister’s anger by trying to hold her hands with a frown, “I care about you, Soo! You’re my little sister so, of course, I’d want you to be protected! And –”

“I’m not your little sister anymore – so stop treating me like one!”

Shut up.

“I was the one running in that god damn facility while you and our brother were safe! I’ve been through this before – not you!”

Stop it.

“And I can’t focus on keeping everyone safe when you have the knack to wander off the moment I take my fucking eyes off of you! I need you to leave, Minji!”

Please.

“Take Jiwoo and go!”

Minji’s lips parted at So Ah with dull chocolate orbs that seemed to glisten under the car lights of the bus and she narrowed them as her chest seemed to tremble when she inhaled. 

“... You think I’m a liability then… Right?”

So Ah never seemed so small before and so… Defiant. 

So scared and hurt – yet prideful.

It was a horrible mix of emotions and beliefs as it would only lead her to self-sabotage. She’d push everyone away, believing she can do things on her own without anyone’s help. It’d hurt and terrify her as she was truly convinced everyone’s eyes were on her. 

The public has never really gotten over the H-Outbreak. Everywhere she went, she’d feel the burning stares into the back of her head. Some would even have the audacity to throw a comment or two. 

“Heard she joined the military or something.”

“What a joke. She couldn’t stop her doctor in time – what makes her think she’ll be able to take on an army?”

“My son still cries whenever my late daughter is brought up… She would've been sixteen by now if it weren’t for the Hans…”

“I can’t believe she’s got the guts to even show her face around here after what she caused – does she even feel bad?”

“Her and the entire low-cause of a family should just pack their shit and go back to their country – less fucking terrorists to worry about.”

With their words running in circles around her head and Minji’s point of view, shame tugged her head down, lowering it as she whispered, voice cracking and raw, “Please… Just go with them…”

Minji went quiet, nose flaring as a tear rolled down her cheek silently, jaw locking as she spoke firmly, “... Fine. I’ll go.” 

Then she pointed at her sister with a shaking finger as disappointment oozed in her voice, “You might think you’re not my little sister anymore but,” She pointed at herself, “I’m still your big sister – whether you like it or not.”

Minji turned around and got into the helicopter where she pulled Jiwoo into her arms, all whilst refusing to look at her sister. The soldiers piled in one by one and the one in front of So Ah spared her a glance but she broke it off, shaking her head. Turning around to leave, she barely looked at him from over her shoulder. 

“Keep her safe for me…”

The soldier nodded quietly before getting in then the helicopter began rising into the air. The rushing wind practically pushed her caged tears down her cheeks and she sniffled as she got to the bus. Through her blurred vision, she watched the helicopter move further up and away and a tight sigh left her lips. 

The atmosphere of the bus was quiet and she wondered if they heard the argument because, in all honesty, her dignity wouldn’t let her live it down. She took pride in her training and getting a pat on the back with a proud smile from her captain – and whilst she was great at what she does, she assumed it was all up to her to clear the Han’s name. 

Yet something nagged in the back of her head, reminding her of her promise to keep her sister and nephew safe. And that she fulfilled. 

But why does she feel so guilty?

“Hey…”

Leon had picked up on her current state, walking toward her. Her cinnamons were red and distant as she moved to her previous spot but Leon grabbed her arm gently to both catch her attention and hold her from losing her balance when the bus began moving once more. 

Leon called for her, his other hand coming up to her other arm, “Hey, So Ah.”

She blinked at this, shaking her head a bit as she looked up at him, “Huh?”

He could recognize that familiar remorse in her teary eyes and he deeply frowned, concerned, “What was that about? Are you alright?”

My god, if he was any gentler, she could’ve sworn she’d crumble into his arms right then and there. Pride refused so. Instead, So Ah avoided his azures in shame, finding the ring on his finger more interesting to stare at. Helena looked at the couple, an unreadable frown on her lips at the sight of watching the sisters arguing with one another. 

Helena had someone waiting for her inside that cathedral to care too much about some stranger’s family relationship – but seeing that uneasy look on the youngest Han; it stirred her up the wrong way. 

Just what did she tell Minji to get her this mortified?

“I…” So Ah whispered, voice coming out tight, “I think I said something bad…”

Leon’s brows furrowed at her, tilting his head down a little to catch her eye and hear her weak voice, “What?”

“Hang on!” The bus driver ordered, breaking the atmosphere and they looked out the front window. The lights shone on a rotten zombie just dragging around and it snarled before the bus driver slammed the gas. 

Did he run over the zombie? Yeah.

But did it work out in their favour? Hell, no. 

The rain made the muddy road slippery, sliding the bus around as the driver lost control of the vehicle. The ruckus sent all survivors, including the agents, down to the ground. It knocked the agents out, emitting a yelp from So Ah when Leon had pulled her close to him to keep her safe. 

Despite him knowing about her regenerative abilities, Leon would still put his life on the line for her. 

She groaned when the bus halted, half of it nearly tipping over a hill leading to a cemetery. Lifting her head a little, her vision was swaying at the fall but she could make out Leon’s unconsciousness, similar to Helena’s.

Then the familiar cries and screams from Nancy got her attention. She was being tugged on and grabbed by the zombies coming from the windows whilst the cop was shouting out for help, more zombies from the top dragging him up. 

So Ah yelped when the bus shook again and she tumbled to the ground next to Leon who began waking up. 

And despite her regenerative abilities, she still felt the pain within her limbs and her heavy heart. 

But alas, in Helena’s words, it wasn’t the right time. 

✠

“Leon! Helena! So Ah! Are you guys alright!?” Hunnigan’s voice echoed in So Ah’s head as she observed the cemetery from her spot, leaning against the lone lamppost. 

Tired eyes looked into the graves and tombstones from her distance; well, fuck. Zombies and graveyards don’t really mix well together.

“Yeah,” Leon answered, slowly regaining his energy from the fall, “For whatever reason, we’re still alive.”

“We’re cutting through the cemetery to reach the cathedral,” Helena spoke, voice straining with her hand clutched to her side; probably growing a bruise or two.

“So Ah, do you copy?” Hunnigan asked, having not heard So Ah’s reply and she grumbled out an ‘mhm’ when Leon and Helena caught up with her. 

Leon found her leaning against the lamppost with her hand gripping onto her shoulder which was positioned awkwardly. Her damp bangs dangled in front of her face as she gazed exhaustedly at the ground. Even under the pale light, her reddening cheeks of embarrassment didn’t go unnoticed. 

“Is it… Is it broken?” Helena was understandably confused about this strange ability of the Han girl. And a bit worried but we won’t talk about that. 

“Just dislocated…” So Ah muttered before looking at them, sparing them both a glance but lingered more at her fiance, “Are you two okay?”

Leon gently held her forearm, lifting it up before pressing his other hand flat on her shoulder, picking up on her winces and muffled whines, “Yeah, nothing broken at least.”

Her brows furrowed at his little comment and he flashed her a quick smile then a dull pop reached her ears along with the pain. Her cuss died up in her throat as she keeled over, hand going to her shoulder. Helena kept her eyes out for any zombies but they would dart toward the girl from time to time. 

Leon set his hand on her nape, thumb caressing her skin there as So Ah gathered her breath, feeling the pain subside. 

“Did… Did anyone else make it?” She muttered, glancing over her aching shoulder, feebly hoping anyone would be walking – or stumbling – just fine and Leon silently shook his head with frustration in his eyes. 

She knew how much he hated it when survivors never make it out. 

‘Good thing you left your sister to be taken then,’ the voice in her head chimed annoyingly, ‘Knowing her and Jiwoo, they wouldn’t have walked out of that alive. At least not without a limb miss –’

“Come on,” Leon’s honeyed voice took her away from her inner-bullying session moment, nudging his chin ahead, “The cathedral is just past this cemetery.”

So Ah nodded lightly before giving Helena a dry look with thinned lips, “Lead the way, Harper.”

‘Jealousy isn’t a good colour on you,’

‘Shut up.’

[losingherface]

I have the moon

Warnings: Quick ish Smut, 18+

Info : It’s Ellie and readers first night at their new house, that used to be Joel’s.

A/n: srry if it’s terrible, i’ve been busy and just not in the mood to write if i’m being honest but yeahhh also I would love to have requests that obviously fit within the story line because I’m getting a bit dry :))

•

The boxes were full and ready to go. It took about a month to pack up and completely move into Joel’s farmhouse.

It was strange seeing your apartment empty. You had lived here on your own for so many years before Ellie came along. The furniture had changed over the years, and pretty much everything did due to Ellie moving in, having dogs, they suddenly die, having cats, and they suddenly died as well. But this time, it was finally empty, it looked like it did when you had first bought it. It looked like you kept it the same all these years.

You handed the key to your landlord, Britt, she was always fun and kept you company before Ellie, when you were depressed about your job, or anything really. It was hard seeing you go and you felt the same of course. She held you in the tightest hug and it felt like a stab in your heart. But you wanted this, so you weren’t really worried about how you’d feel in a few days.

Ellie waited for you in the car. When you got inside, you immediately noticed the constant smile on her face, she would try hiding it but you could tell, and god that made you feel so good.

It was a long month. From the wedding, to Joel dying, and now this, moving five hours from the city into a rural town where you two would be basically separated from everything, it was a lot. Now you were ready to get to your new home and nap it all off.

•

Jesse, Dina, Tommy, and Maria had all helped move us in throughout the week, and make things comfortable for us. Dina couldn’t get over the countryside and Jesse was irritated by her constantly whining to move closer to us as their baby, JJ, spilled his juice everywhere and made a mess. You were ready for them to leave. Reaching over to pull JJ away, from potentially making another huge mess, Dina calls you to the kitchen.

You were close to losing your temper but instead just ignored it, maybe Ellie will do something.

“Yea?”

“I love these counters, I have a friend if you guys ever need a renovator.” Dina told you as she took out something from the oven, your attention immediately going there.

“Yea I know, What’s that in the oven?”

“My special banana bread, so you can think of me when we leave.”

It was literally all you wanted right now.

“Thanks Dina. I’m going to miss you. And that baby of yours.”

•

As for Ellie, she had been fine, for the most part. She hadn’t completely opened up about how she was feeling but you knew it was passing by. Passing by as in, she was accepting that she’ll never talk to Joel again, not that she’s getting over it and forgetting about him- she’ll never forget him, it was her dad. There was a glow that sat beautifully on her face and it was the same glow she had when you two got married, when you two would be in each other’s presence. It seemed that was her way of telling you but not telling you either that she was content and you loved it.

Your head peaked out of the kitchen once again to look at Ellie, JJ and Jesse in the living room. Ellie had been playing with JJ and you couldn’t help but lose your train of thought. It was so cute when she did that.

•

Dina, Jesse, and JJ were finally leaving. You were going to miss your best friend as she wasn’t just down the street anymore, she was five hours away. Her baby was getting older, and soon it was time she would have to start paying full attention to him so the chances of regular communication were getting lower.

You couldn’t help but feel a little heartbroken.

•

After everyone left, you devoured the banana bread with a large cup of milk, leaning over the counter, nitpicking everything in your head about this house.

You remembered Ellie had been setting up her art room, it was a nice size and way better than the balcony at the apartment. You cleaned yourself up and walked to the room.

The door was slightly open and the room had been quiet, only Ellie’s humming being heard.

You knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Ellie said softly and you walked in. Shutting the door behind you, trying to not disturb the peacefulness.

“It’s late, do you want to come to bed?” You asked as you watched her draw yet another portrait of Joel.

She yawned and put down her pencil. She didn’t answer your question and instead walked over to you and hugged your waist while kissing down your soft neck. She pulled away, “Let’s go.” She stretched her long arm out for you as she opened the door, leading you to your new bedroom.

The bedroom was large, with a walk in closet, a bathroom and a beautiful large window that wasn’t covered with curtains for the purpose of the countryside view.

The room was obviously empty only with a bed that had pastel yellow sheets Maria had bought. You sat down on the bed as Ellie followed. She sat and watched you take off your pants leaving you only in your underwear and a slightly large shirt, Ellie had done the same only her top half was completely bare.

•

It was the middle of the night in the new house, the first night you two had slept there. It had a creepy feel to it. It was quiet and dark, the only light coming from the large window you had been facing. From the window where you had been lying down, you got a nice view of the farm and the night sky, and also an occasional few cars that would pass by.

It was so hot that you had been fighting with the blankets all night, whether they should be on or off. Looking over at Ellie, she had seemed to be sleeping like a baby. You continue to look at the window while laying down, eyes wandering all over the place. The time was 2:00 a.m. It was going to be a long night.

Sweat begins forming on your back, causing you to pull your shirt off, now only in your undergarments.

“I’m going to go look for a fan. I think he had one in the attic.” Ellie just randomly blurs out causing you to look at her, startled.

“Please, baby it’s so hot.” You say as you lean over to the small chair beside the bed and grab the water bottle, desperately chugging it again. As you did that, Ellie leaves to look for a fan.

•

What had felt like forever, Ellie finally arrives with a fan. It was a decent size and was perfect. As Ellie plugs it in, you unclip your bra and let all of the cool air hit you before lying back in the bed, covering yourself with the blanket.

You hear Ellie rumbling into bed, a lot closer than before, wrapping her arm around your body, pulling you closer. It felt so nice to have her this close, as she really hadn’t been willing to for a few months. Also with the heat, you’d just hate being that close.

Ellie takes her warm and soft lips, and presses it on your neck. Kissing you up and down, you closed your eyes hoping she wasn’t just giving you a goodnights kiss but wanted more.

You pull your blanket down from your face to show her your exposed breasts, ready to be caressed and sucked on (lmfao idk how else to say it).

She looks at you with a slight smile before kissing your temple. “Please..” You whisper, grabbing her head with both of your hands, she knew exactly what you wanted. You adjusted your position, lying on your back, waiting for Ellie to slip under the sheet.

Ellie and you hadn’t been together like this in a while, considering everything she’s been through and the missed honeymoon. You can see it on Ellie’s face, she felt so good at this moment. Her face was lit up and the light coming from the night sky reflected on her face.

Ellie kissing down your neck, you move your hand over to caress her soft, slightly greasy hair. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, you whisper, “I love you.” She breaks the kiss, whispering the same back to you before continuing to kiss, getting lower with each one.

At this point, you both knew exactly where this was going, it was one of Ellie’s favorite ways to make you smile. You spread your legs a bit further, allowing Ellie to have some space. You desperately throw the blanket off of the both of you to be able to see her. Her strong hands hold down both of your legs, her eyes lock with yours as she begins licking you right where you wanted her to. Your eyes begin to look drowsy as Ellie begins to pick up the pace. As you moan loudly, you notice Ellie smiling at you making your sounds every once and a while. Seeing her do that made you want more, you loved seeing her that way. You throw your head back into the fluffy, white pillow, grabbing onto anything that was in your region as Ellie relentlessly pleased you with her wet, warm tongue.

you were a mess and by the time you were able to let it all out over Ellie’s sweaty face, you were covered in your own sweat, sitting up on elbows, looking at Ellie get up and move towards you.

Ellie grabbed the blanket nearby and covered you and herself up. You immediately wrap your body around hers, pressing light kisses to her face.

“I forgot how much I love doing that.” Ellie says as you slowly begin to open your eyes.

You propped your head up on your elbow, leaning into Ellie more, caressing your hard, short nails up and down her back. “It looked like you really needed that.”

“Yeah, I think us moving into this house, and getting to do that, makes me feel better.” Ellie struggled to say but it was genuine and you knew she’d be back on her feet again in about another week.

You didn’t know what to say, Ellie’s smile forming on her face effortlessly put you in awe and it left you there once again, staring at her because sometimes that’s all you could do. She appreciated it either way.

.

A/N: I suck at comforting ppl irl and it rlly shows in these stories, and this took me long cuz I can’t bring myself to write smut correctly so i was a little insecure but whatevererrr

[strawberryjamsara]

Keiji and Sara’s relationship throughout yttd

In which I analyze the found family dynamic between Sara and Keiji then nobody reads it. But jokes aside, I realized back when that anon asked me for my thoughts on Sara that I had enough thoughts on the relationship between these two alone for its own meta so here goes. What Sara and Keiji’s relationship means in the grand scheme of yttd.

ALSO THIS IS NOT SHIPPING SHIPPERS GET THE FUCK AWAY

Sara when she meets Keiji is distrustful of him. And how can she not be? The guy has some creepy bags under his eyes, doesn’t seem to care about the situation, and for no reason is gravitating towards her. And his response when she asks why the hell he keeps putting a random stranger in charge? “Because you’re cute.” Yeah. I’d stay within 50 feet of this guy too Sara. Especially when he’s not spilling a word about himself.

Alright we might as well get the gross part out of the way. To clear things up. In the Japanese version, the word he uses “Kawai” can be seen as a more fatherly word to use with a kid. But the comments about going on dates from himself and from Shin? Those are still there. And I still think they’re really uncomfortable and wish they weren’t in the game period but we can get thematic significance out of them.

We still don’t know Keijis reasons in game for being attached to Sara. My theory? She’s his handicap. He was told to get close to the higher scorer who could easily backstab him, and he’d be stuck with her. It just kinda makes sense to me. But since that’s just a theory I won’t lean to heavily on it for support. But let’s talk about his comments.

Keiji… well, it’s shown at many points in the game that Keiji just thinks of himself as doomed to be a bad person. It can be seen during his day two negotiations when he calls himself a killer and explains he can’t even trust himself so Sara shouldn’t really bother and more explicitly so is the classroom scene between him and Ranmaru where he says he isn’t fit to protect Sara because of his sins. The flirting is both a way to distract people, and to put distance between himself and Sara. He’s not really “protecting” her.

Okay gross bit nobody wants to talk about is over I promise we won’t talk about it again. Let’s talk about Russian Roulette. In this scene, Keiji once again tries to make Sara the leader with no explanation, but then, Sara yells at him, something he didn’t expect. And through this he actually reveals something huge. The source of his trauma. His shooting. For Keiji to have actually revealed something that big, I think that this is the first moment he began to see Sara past whatever reason he first started making her a leader. This is the beginning of their bond.

This bond gets solidified over chapter 1-2s investigation. Keiji is still putting her in charge because his handicap said to build her up for whatever reason, but they’re able to have chats, and she keeps picking at his armor. He reveals his dark sense of humor to her, and she, suspicious just sort of keeps him at arms length. Also she rides his shoulders to screw in a light and he complains which is funny. The scene post Nao also helps the two of them sharpen investigative skills together, as they discuss the mystery of Miley, and Mishimas head.

Then another significant scene. The white room. I call this scene significant because, instead of letting Sara investigate the gruesome scene of the first trial, Keiji for the first time, allows Sara to walk out. Something that will become relevant later but until then, Keiji has begun to put Sara’s well-being above serving whatever purpose he had by building her up. So keep that in your pocket while we go over the main game.

There’s only two points for the main game I want to cover. While Keiji and Sara do put their heads together a few times, Sara still doesn’t fully trust him, so I will only go over 1. When Shin brings up Kai’s emails. Keiji has been fully logical this whole time, questioning everyone’s alibis including Nao’s who he saw the emotional plea from, but when Sou brings up potentially damning evidence of Sara, he just asks if he read the emails wrong. 2. When Sara is panicking over being chosen for the final round, Keiji loudly shouts “GET A GRIP SARA!” With a serious expression. Before quickly backtracking and going back to a devil may care expression. This shows he is both already emotionally attached to Sara, but unwilling to stake himself towards giving himself to a new cause.

Anyways, he stops her from pressing the button blah blah blah, onto chapter 2! I’ve made a post about this before but it seems as early as here, Keiji is trying to talk Sara down from pushing herself further. But at this point, Sara has already dedicated herself to the role because her best friend died due to her priority to protect everyone. Keiji sees the problem and he tries to get her to rest up, but he still doesn’t spend the time to have a serious talk about it because as he says in the classroom. He isn’t fit to protect her. He doesn’t think of himself as a good person who can help her. He thinks of himself as a murderer and he doesn’t allow himself to recover from the trauma.

Sara however is starting to rely more on Keiji. He’s been willing to comfort her in her times of grief and furthermore, she has something to relate to him on. They both have deaths of important people in their lives they feel responsibility for.

There’s also the fact that Keiji sees a lot of his old self in Sara. An idealistic person, being beaten down, and worrying over the idea they might be becoming a bad person. He feels the same as her.

Not to mention… Keiji follows through on his promises. He actually tells Sara about the person he respected like he said he would which establishes a further sense of trust.

However, something that tears that sense of trust apart is the tokens scene. When Keiji doesn’t even let Sara hold 50 tokens, it raises suspicion. Sara already knows he shot a person- what more could he have to hide? That scares her away. The negotiation event is an attempt for Keiji to win back her trust. But it slowly turns into Keiji’s self-loathing session. And his declaration maybe Sara shouldn’t trust him.

However, time passes enough (and Keiji supports Sara enough in the final attraction) for them to get together and investigate in 2-2. And there’s a lot of moments I can talk about there so I’ll be just doing a few rapidfire things. So first, Sara is in peak weird girl mode and Keiji can hardly control her chaos. Second, Keiji makes a full on decision at one point to go against Sara when she’s putting herself in danger of getting caught for their search so they can hide. Third, his response to “I don’t intend to die” when he asks “will you die with me” is that’s a good answer.

And fourth… a moment I really wanna touch on… Keiji watches something that could easily incriminate Sara. It’s not just some word of mouth thing like with Shin who lied about things several times before this point. But in that moment, he still relies on Sara and says he wouldn’t feel bad betting his life on her. The message is clear. Keiji supports Sara unconditionally.

Now let’s talk about Keiji totally dropping Sara’s ass with the card trades.

The way Keiji makes his trades is very telling. He first, steals a keymaster card from either Sou or Kanna to give to Sara. This is supporting Sara, but it’s doing it in a way that supports his view of himself. That he’s a scumbag who would steal someone’s immunity just to give it to someone he likes more. And would a shithead like that be “worthy” of sacrificing themselves and taking the card for Sara? (And he knew she had it. Qtaro had to tell him for their plan to happen) no. Instead he essentially opts for a revenge plot. A plan to ensnare Shin and kill him for pawning off the sacrifice to Sara. Basically, he wanted to fuck up Shin like how he fucked up Megumi. Nice going Keiji. This is… kind of his low point in the story.

But 3-1….. man this chapter hits in all the right ways. I don’t remember 3A that much, (although I do know that Keiji shows a lot of concern over Sara potentially being triggered by Joe memorabilia) and also if you fail the Keiji Midori fight you can have Sara attempt to tag Keiji and he rejects. And how can we forget… the mr policeman flashback. As Sara says, this is Keiji’s first time opening up on his own.

And then… coffin saga. Sara through everything is not willing to let Keiji die. Although she’s had her ups and downs with him, leaving him to die is inconceivable to her with everything they’ve been through together. So she opts to sign the contract both times she is offered it.

Keiji clearly is somebody important to Sara. Important enough that Ranmaru bringing him up is enough to snap her out of her murderous trance. Enough that she throws logic out the window when she has a sign he’s okay.

Likewise, the scene in the classroom for Keiji is… a huge step. When he’s alone with Ranmaru, who is unstable, in that classroom, his priority is Sara. He turns his back to the threat to hold Sara and try and make sure she’s okay- dumb move, but it shows how far he’s come.

And again, I want to reiterate- Keiji is Sara’s anchor. At the banquet when Sara is about to give up, she imagines Keiji talking to her which brings her back in the game. Much like Joe did back in chapter 2. The message is palpable. Keiji is Sara’s new Joe. And when Keiji comes back to comfort her? He’s now fully willing to sacrifice himself. It winds up not being needed seeing as Qtaro is the one that died. But in that moment, we see Keiji has made a huge leap from chapter 2. He almost sacrificed himself for Gin. And he would’ve used his final moments to comfort Sara. He’s embraced that he’s a father figure. He allows himself to be a good person.

Anyways I don’t know how to conclude this and I’ve been writing for hours. Bababooey.

[yoonsshadow]

ETERNAL - v

➳ summary ; They have died so often that death has lost its meaning; hurt so regularly that pain has become inconsequential; lost so much that they hold each other to the light of the stars. They have nothing yet they have everything, as long as they have each other. And, after centuries, they now have her.

➳ pairing ; bts!ot7 x fem!reader

➳ genres ; The Old Guard au; fantasy, historical, action, romance, alternate universe

➳ themes ; angst, fluff, death

➳ warnings ; smoking, mature conversations

➳ word count ; 3k

➳ note ; Thank you for your patience!

masterlist

Fear is a fist that clutches your heart, reminding you of its presence each time it tightens its grip. It doesn’t hurt, necessarily, but you can feel the strength in its hold; the raging tendons wrapped around your tender organ that strain with each heartbeat. A singular emotion controlling your very pulse.

Cigarette smoke billows into the indigo hour of the night, and you find yourself unable to pry the fingers away.

The air on the balcony is cold, but it envelops you in a comforting embrace; it’s a soft coolness, as opposed to the harsh, biting climate of the desert that you’ve become accustomed to. Your skin prickles with goosebumps, but you don’t feel the need to scratch at yourself, to tear the skin from your flesh. It makes you feel alive, even if the definition of that word has changed for you.

Evidence of your newfound immortality, if that’s what you can call it, dangles between your fingers, ashes falling to the ground several storeys below with each gentle tap. It tastes terrible⎯⎯a bitter flavour of death in every pull⎯⎯but it serves its purpose for now. It keeps you grounded, gives you something to focus on other than the slowly growing anxiety that still holds strong in your chest.

Behind you, the balcony door slides open, startling the silent air with its soft drag.

“You’re up late,” Namjoon says. He speaks soft, low, as if hesitant to disturb you. “Or early, I guess. Didn’t take you for a smoker.”

You breathe out a puff of smoke, watching as it dissipates into the darkness. “I’m not.” He steps into your periphery, leaning on the metal railing beside you. “I just needed...something. Found them hidden away in the bookshelf.”

Namjoon scoffs. “Figures. We’re usually a non-smoking household, but sometimes the boys get sneaky. Pass me one?”

You hand him the box. Only two cigarettes left. He brings one to dangle between his lips and, without asking, you hand him a lighter. It takes him three tries, and then he’s sighing smoke into the air as well.

“Thought you were a non-smoking household.”

“We are. Stinks up the place, and it tastes disgusting. But. When in Rome.”

“You calling me Rome?”

He chuckles, but doesn’t answer. “Couldn’t sleep?”

You shake your head, despite knowing that he isn’t looking at you. “Too much on my mind.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t think I could if I tried.”

He blends in with the shadows, slightly, though the peaks of his cheekbones catch the dull light that glows through the mist of pollution. “I get that. Would you rather me talk?”

“Not really.”

“Do you want me to leave you alone?”

“Not really.”

So he stays. Until the embers begin to burn your fingertips; until you’re snuffing your cigarette on the metal rail. You don’t think you’ll smoke again. You suppose it doesn’t matter, though. There’s forever ahead of you to change your mind.

Sunlight is just beginning to illuminate the buildings around you when Namjoon speaks up again. He stubbed his own cigarette before it was even halfway done. 

“I’m sure you’re curious,” he says. “About us, about the situation, about everything. And we’ll tell you as much as we can, but...There are some things the boys won’t feel comfortable telling you about just yet. We’ve lived long lives. We’ve done good things and bad things; experienced things we’re proud of and things that haunt us. We may not die, but we’re still human. I hope that you don’t mind being patient with us.”

Your heart aches a little at the melancholy in his tone, as if you wouldn’t give the world for these seven men after knowing them just a day. It feels as if your soul has missed them for a lifetime.

“Namjoon.” He turns to face you, now, and a halo of soft light glows around his face. “I don’t know what you’ve all been through, and frankly, it’s none of my business. If you want to tell me something, I know that you’ll do it in your own time. I’ve got the rest of my life to get to know you all, okay? There’s no rush.”

His smile starts as a twitch, a quirked corner of his lips, but quickly grows wide. Relieved. 

“I’m glad it’s you,” he says. He offers no elaboration, no further words, but you think you know what he means. Because you’re glad it’s him, too. You’re glad it’s them.

With breakfast comes clarity. As you sit at the large dining table, bowls of rice, soup, and several plates of banchan steaming into the morning air, you find yourself feeling calmer than you have since your death. It’s as though the raging tides of emotions⎯⎯uncertainty, confusion, downright fear⎯⎯have finally quelled into a tranquil body of water. There is sure to be a ripple sooner or later, but for now, it is completely still.

Yoongi, the cook of this morning’s feast, takes the first bite, and the rest of you follow. There is so much that you want to say, so many questions that you want to speak into existence, but the bitter taste of apprehension bleeds through even the delicious taste of your meal. You feel like you might choke on it⎯⎯the taste and your words both⎯⎯but your throat closes before you can even swallow.

Ah. There is the awaited ripple.

Perhaps it is the hours of silent companionship, or simply his centuries of wisdom, but Namjoon seems to sense your internal struggle. “If there’s anything you want to ask us, Y/N, go ahead. We’ll answer to the best of our abilities.”

Your throat eases and your tastebuds return to normal. “Well…” Where do you begin? What questions do you ask potentially ancient beings? “I guess let’s start with what this,” you wave a finger around the table, at the seven other sets of eyes who watch you patiently, “is. The situation.”

Namjoon nods slowly. It seems he’ll be taking charge for this conversation, much to the visible relief of the others. “Even we aren’t completely certain of what exactly this is,” he says. “From what we’ve learned, our death granted us immortality, or something to that degree. We cannot die, nor can we get majorly injured. Any wounds heal quickly, and any illnesses metabolise out of our system before they can affect us.”

You nod. All of this you were already aware of.

“As for this,” he continues. He looks around the group, fighting back a fond smile. “We’re all connected. When someone else becomes like us, we all see visions of each other to help us find them. The same happened with you. You saw visions of us when you slept, and we saw visions of you. That’s how we could find you. The dreams gave us enough information to figure out who you were, and then it was a matter of locating you.”

“Which wasn’t easy, by the way,” Jimin adds, though there is no annoyance. “Your files were so deeply buried that we thought they might not exist. And don’t even get me started on accessing the satellite.”

“You hacked a satellite?” You can’t hide the shock in your tone, and you don’t miss the glint of mischief in Jimin’s eyes.

“That’s not important,” Namjoon says, taking control of the conversation once again. “What’s important is this: the eight of us are intrinsically connected now. We might not get the visions anymore, but we are still linked. The easiest way to describe it is that we’re soulmates, though that might not even be true. We were destined to find each other, to be immortal together. Whether it’s for some higher purpose, or just a random curse, we don’t know. It’s better, I think, if we don’t try and find out that reason.”

Now that confuses you. “Why? Isn’t it human nature to be curious?”

Hoseok scoffs. “I don’t think we fall under the definition of ‘human’ anymore.”

You’ll have to file that away for later.

Namjoon ignores Hoseok, and looks straight at you. “If we become too enveloped in trying to figure out the big ‘why’, we’ll get lost in ourselves. We’ll lose our own sense of purpose. If we were chosen, for whatever reason, then we have to trust that our instincts will guide us to do what is needed.”

“Okay.” You suppose he’s right. “Then, could you tell me how old you all are?”

“We don’t do ages,” Taehyung says. He sounds almost amused. “We know the age we were when we died, but we don’t keep track of how long we’ve lived after that. It’s a rule.”

“Then how about...generally? Who was the first? How did you all die?”

All eyes turn to Namjoon. Honestly, you can’t say you’re surprised.

“I was the first,” he says. A faraway look takes over his eyes, as if lost in the past. Seokjin puts a grounding hand on his shoulder. “I couldn’t figure out my actual age if I tried, but it was...a long time ago. I was the chief of my village. Killed for power. The story isn’t too interesting.”

There’s a brief moment of silence, and then Yoongi clears his throat. “I was the second. A slave to some tyrant who thought he was all-powerful. Killed in front of the other slaves to put them in line.” He shrugs, but doesn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

Hoseok is quick to speak next, his words are short and curt. “I was third. Court execution.” He seems reluctant, as if guarding his past behind the tightly-locked gates of his crossed arms, but you mean what you said to Namjoon earlier; you will wait for them. For however long it takes.

Next is Seokjin, and you have a feeling that his theatrics are for Hoseok’s benefit. “I was the lucky fourth, and a king, at that! Though I was only in the position for a few hours, and all public records of it were thrown into the river with my body. Which is a shame, really, because my portraits deserved to be in museums for all to marvel over.”

“Um.” Jeongguk seems nervous, and you see him hide his shaking hands beneath the table. “I was next. I died of...natural causes.”

“And we came as a set,” Taehyung smiles, arm slung over Jimin’s shoulders. “Died at the very same moment, and woke up the same way! We were best friends, right, Jiminie? On the opposite sides of a war, but I loved him with my whole heart.”

Jimin nods, a wistful smile pulling at his cheeks. “I remember thinking that I was so lucky, to die in his arms. To never have to live a single moment without him. And then we found the others, and I thought that I must’ve been in heaven to be so fortunate.”

“We’re all together,” Namjoon elaborates, though it’s unnecessary. A blind man could see the way they feel about each other. “It may be because of circumstance, though I like to think that it’s because we were all meant to be. Like it’s a gift from the universe, allowing soulmates born in different centuries to find each other.”

“And now you,” Jeongguk whispers. His eyes glimmer, hopeful, and so young despite the obvious years he has over you. You wonder why he doesn’t seem as emotionally aged as the others; what could cause him to cling to his youth the way he does. It doesn’t matter, though. If it means he keeps his heart, it will never matter.

“We don’t expect anything from you,” Seokjin says. “Not romantically or even platonically. You are still your own person, and if you don’t want to be a part of this, in any degree, we won’t force it.”

You are thankful for that. It takes away a pressure that you didn’t even know you had until now. The thought that this is a choice⎯⎯a decision that is completely yours to make⎯⎯relieves you to no end. And yet... 

“I don’t think that’s a decision I can make right now.” You mindlessly arrange the chopsticks on your now empty plate as you try to summon the right words to explain yourself. “There’s so much that I need to figure out, and so many things that I feel I have to do. I don’t even know if I’ve properly processed the situation yet, or if I’m simply in shock.”

“Is there any way we can help you?” Yoongi, as always, seems so genuine. So heartfelt. 

“You already have. So much more than you’d believe.” And it’s true. Independence is your life. You may have been in a team in your old life, a leader of a small group for whom you were responsible, but you were always brought up, always trained, to survive alone. To find comfort in an existence of solitude. Because that’s what the military is; it is removing yourself from others, from the world. You were in a team, sure, but you were all alike in your aloneness. Alone together.

Now, you have this group of men who, without knowing you, have plucked you from your misery and now offer you everything. Offer themselves, their companionship, their help. You are not the one responsible, the one with everything on the line. They have taken that from you with gentle hands, and you give it away gladly. There is not much else that you could ask of them.

Except. Well, maybe there is.

“But…” You trail off, and their eyes just scream patience. You don’t know how they do it, how they’ve grown to be so effortlessly composed and serene, because right now your heart is beating in urgency. It batters against your chest, yelling at you to just ask them, now, but your words falter in sudden uncertainty. They have already given you so much, offered even more; can you truly ask for the help that you now realise you may need?

You look into their eyes again, and know that the answer is yes.

“This mission,” you continue, sitting up straighter. If you speak with confidence, perhaps you’ll start to feel it. “As far as I know, it was never completed. When our team went in, it was under the belief that we’d be able to rescue all of the children safely and relatively unseen. Someone on the inside tipped them off, but they had to have had a reason. They wouldn’t have betrayed us like that unless something was wrong.”

“You speak like you know exactly who it was,” Hoseok says. It isn’t a question, and you see it in his expression that he isn’t necessarily looking for an answer.

You won’t give him one. Not yet. Not until you’ve figured out for yourself why this person would’ve left you for dead. “That isn’t important right now,” you say in lieu of a confirmation. “What matters is that those children are still out there somewhere, and there’s a leak in the operation.” Releasing a deep sigh, you slump down a bit. “I’m going back to the desert, back to the base, and I’m going to save those children. If you would like to help me...that would be really nice.”

“Of course we’ll help,” Jeongguk says, without hesitation. There’s a resoluteness in the set of his jaw that you haven’t seen in him before. “Anything you need. We mean it.”

“We should talk about this plan of yours first, though,” Namjoon says. “As far as the military is concerned, you’re dead. You died with your team. If you go back to your base of operations, that’s just going to open up a whole lot of complications for both sides. They might think that you were the traitor, being the only survivor. We’ll need to operate with a certain level of stealth.”

You were worried about that. Your dog-tags are with the rest of your team’s, your body supposedly burned along with theirs. You won’t be able to reprise the role you previously played in this, and you won’t have the military support that you once had. If you do this, it will be in the shadows, hiding behind corners and turning away from cameras. You are a ghost now. You’ll have to act like one.

“Okay,” you say. “I understand; we need to stay hidden. But there is one person that I need to see face-to-face. I can promise that they won’t do anything to endanger our identities.”

“It’s a bad idea,” Jimin says. “Trust is one thing when you’re alive, but if they’ve been mourning your death, you can’t know for sure how they’ll react.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” you affirm. “I trust this person, and I’m going to need you all to trust me.”

Taehyung bites his lip in contemplation. “It isn’t that we don’t trust you,” he says, “but we can’t fully trust the situation. We don’t know this person, whoever they are, or how they’ll use this information against you. Against us.”

“I get it, I do.” You can’t help but sigh. “But this is something that I need to do, and something that I will do regardless of whether I have your permission. I won’t let my decision affect any of you, but if you decide against helping me because of this, I’ll understand.”

Yoongi leans forward. “We’re going to help you.” His tone is final. “And you’re right, this is your decision to make. We just want to make sure that you completely understand what you’re potentially getting yourself into.”

“You are all a lot older than me,” you say, “and obviously much wiser. But I’m an adult too, and I’m mature enough to know that my actions may have consequences. I’m no stranger to making tough decisions, or to taking responsibility. I may not be a Captain by rank anymore, but that doesn’t change who I am.”

“Okay,” Namjoon says. He doesn’t argue, nor does he apologise, but he doesn’t need to. There is a mutual understanding in the way you look at each other, and nothing more needs to be said. “So, what’s the plan?”

You take in a deep breath, and prepare your mind to return to the place you’ve grown to loathe.

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