#please read ''This Much'' in the same shaking-with-barely-contained-rage-and-defeatism as ''i am THIS. CLOSE.''

[magic-is-something-we-create]

been working on the brainstorming for arthur's illustration and it's been one of Those Days™ where it feels like every time im 2 minutes into the flow state im interrupted so heres a look at the rough sketch + color test because im proud of accomplishing. This Much. today

[milliedazzledust]

War Rages On: part 3 (Bucky Barnes imagine)

Words: 2451

A/N: if you don’t want to cry, word of advice, don’t listen to anything remotely sad. I literally have 3 potential endings to this story, don’t know which one I’ll choose. Part 4 will have a lot more action and part 5 will probably be the last. Don’t forget to keep tissue close by while reading ;) - enjoy!

Previously: part 1 - part 2

When Bucky walked inside the building he had once lived in, he felt anxious. Not for himself, but for Y/N. During the two hours his ride in the air lasted, he envisioned a thousand possibilities this could play out. He needed her to make it out of there. Whatever he would have to endure, he’d agree to any kind of torture so long as she was safe. He knew he wouldn’t bear to add her name to his already long list of victims. Her only fault had been to fall in love with him. It couldn’t lead her to death, not like this, not because of him. He would never allow Hydra to break the only pieces left of him she had managed to glue back together. 

He knew the place by heart, so finding the cells where they would usually keep all their prisoners was fairly easy. Focused on the task, he was taking slow, measured breaths, watching every step he was making, avoiding the guards and the security cameras. He was silent. A ghost. He stopped at an entrance and sneaked out behind a soldier standing by the door. With a swift motion, he broke his neck and used his badge to access the place. Every movement felt rehearsed, a routine he had done a million times. He was mimicking the Winter Soldier with a perfection that still surprised him. He had almost reached the end of an endless hallway of empty cells when he stopped in his track. 

“Y/N” He whispered. There she was on the dirty floor, laying right in front of him. She wasn’t moving and from the distance, she looked pale. Too pale to be alive. 

“Y/N!” He repeated louder, not caring if anybody could hear him.  

She didn’t answer, didn’t even move an inch. He took a tentative step toward her, afraid of what he would see when he would open the door. He raised his metal arm and grabbed the lock, tearing it apart in a swift motion. The gesture was effortless, the power colossal. He didn’t even blinked, his eyes remaining always on her frail figure. He slowly bent down, trying to ignore the bruises visible through her half-torn shirt and the dried blood everywhere on the floor. He laid a fearful finger on her throat and waited a second. Finally, he released a shaky breath, relieved beyond measure when he felt her heartbeat. She was alive. 

Gently cupping her face, he brushed a hand against her cheek. His heart broke when he saw the shadow of a smile forming on her lips. 

“Bucky” She muttered in contentment.

“Yes, doll. I’m here” 

She didn’t open her eyes but tears slowly coursed their way down her face. Her lips parted and she leaned against his hand, inhaling deeply.

“We have to go, Y/N”

“You feel so real,” She answered. “Why do you feel so real ?”

She sounded upset, but not because of him. She could make out every detail, his scent, his voice, his touch. She wondered what kind of cruel game her subconscious was playing as she let his presence submerge her entirely. He raised his eyebrows in confusion, not understanding that, for her, there was no way he could be there. She had spent the last couple of days picturing him in her mind to ease the pain, to escape the torture. He was the fragment of her imagination keeping her alive. Her last shred of strength. 

“Am I dying ?” She murmured. “Is that why you’re here ?” 

“Y/N, open your eyes” He demanded with force.

“No..”

“C’mon, doll” 

“You’ll disappear. You always do” She sounded broken, on the verge of snapping, but kept them closed.

“I promise I won’t” His voice cracked with every word, overwhelmed by the pain and helplessness when she spoke.

She grabbed his wrist, holding it tightly as she slowly opened her eyes. Her whole body was shaking, afraid the soothing sensation of his skin on hers would be gone and she would only see an empty room once again. It took her a moment to realize he wouldn't disappear and she started sobbing. Her shaky hands cupped his face, wiping his own tears. He gently laid his forehead against hers and she didn’t waste any more time and hugged him. She clung to him, her only safe place, as the battle for the remaining shred of her sanity raged. She tried to catch her breath but it was useless. This was days of emotions bottled up to survive, days of dreaming she could return to him. 

“We’re gonna be okay” He kept saying, holding her tightly.

“Bucky …” She choked in despair. This was the safest she had felt in days. 

“I’m here, doll”

He swallowed and blinked a couple of times, trying to stay strong and not break down. 

“We have to hurry, Y/N” He reminded her after a while. 

His voice seemed to bring her back to reality and she suddenly sat up, ignoring the dizziness and the pain it instantly ignited in her body.

“No, no, no, you have to leave!” She started begging, furiously shaking her head and clenched his shirt in desperation. “You can’t be here! You can’t! Please … Please go ” 

“Y/N…”

“You don’t understand, they … they want you, Bucky. They’re using me to get to you” She put some distance between them and pushed him away when he tried to get closer. “You have to go”

“Not without you” 

“You’re not listening!” She replied, frustrated.

“I am! And I am telling you i’m not leaving without you!” 

He stood up and helped her do the same. She couldn’t hold on her own, too weak and tired. She pressed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself and his metal arm circled her waist.

“I’m taking you home” 

“I don’t think so” A voice with a thick accent replied behind him. 

The former assassin cursed under his breath and was quick to react. He pushed Y/N behind him, hiding her wounded body from the intruder. Suddenly on high alert, he stared at the man he once knew, a man hired by Hydra with the sole purpose of creating new super soldiers. He was the brain behind the Winter Soldier program. The Sergeant subconsciously grabbed the woman by her hip, bringing her as close to him as possible.

“Dr.Faustus” He greeted him without sympathy.

“At last we are reunited, soldier”

Bucky clenched his jaw so tight his veins were now visible. In all the time he had spent away from Hydra, he never thought he would come face to face with the doctor ever again. All their encounters had been turned into a distant memory, another one of his nightmares. The Sergeant was unexpectedly conflicted, like two parts of him smashing against each other for the first time, two very different men colliding together without his consent. The broken one felt scared, powerless, becoming once again a victim, while the assassin was already on the lookout, trying to find his way out of there. 

Y/N could feel it. Hidden behind him, she laid her forehead on his back, defeated. His muscles were tensed under the pressure of his emotions and his grip on her hip tightened. She couldn’t contain her terror and silently cried. How could she save him now that they had him back ? What could she do when her body was in no shape to fight ? 

“I wouldn’t advise trying to escape” The man spoke. 

“You know I don’t back down without a fight” Bucky replied, eyeing the three agents surrounding the doctor. They were outnumbered. 

“You might want to reconsider this time” He smirked viciously. 

He made a step toward the couple, moving like a snake reading to suffocate its prey by strengthening its hold around their neck.

“Before you think about taking them down,” Hydra’s doctor began, pointing at the agents next to him “You should know she won’t survive. You see, the girl serves no purpose anymore. She was a mean to an end and she played her part perfectly. She got you right where we wanted you to be, up against a wall”

Bucky gritted his teeth in silent fury. 

“I’m assuming she means a great deal to you, soldat” He sniggered irritatingly. He seemed to enjoy the emotional torture. “Now the real question is, how far are you willing to take this to save her life?”

Bucky looked around him and just felt a rage he couldn’t explain, a will to survive he never had before. Y/N grabbed the hand on her hip, entwining their fingers, and he closed his eyes. For a short instant, he held onto that comforting sensation, the sense of home she could bring to him by the simplest touch. He remembered the day they met, the exact moment he had fallen in love with her and the day they had promised forever to each other. He had a collection of precious memories they had built, engraved in his heart, and each one of them had the power to lessen his pain and lighten the weight on his shoulders. They needed more time to create their magic, to turn the horror they had endured into sparkles of distant memories. More time to live the life she had given back to him. But even more so, he needed her to survive.

“If I surrender myself, what guarantee do I have you’ll let her go ?” He offered. 

“No!” Y/N shouted, trying to move around Bucky. He didn’t have to use much effort to push her back. 

The doctor laughed, pleased his plan was working flawlessly. He turned on his heels and nodded at one of the soldiers next to him. The man took a phone out of his pocket and handed it to the former assassin. 

“What is this ?” Bucky questioned him, ignoring the pleading eyes of the woman begging him to not give in. 

“A message” Dr.Faustus replied. “With coordinates to this place, addressed to your Captain”

“This isn’t enough” 

“Press the button and send it yourself, then” 

Bucky gave him a wary look but took the phone nonetheless.

“I have a condition” He raised his eyes to stare at the man.

“You are in no position to negotiate, soldat”

“If you want me to follow you willingly, you will listen”

He pursed his lips in annoyance.

“Very well”

Bucky glanced back at his girlfriend, barely holding on her legs but still ready to kill him herself for what he was about to do.

“Let me have a moment with her” He pleaded, his voice deep with emotions.

“If you plan to escape …”

“I won’t” He cut him with a promise he would keep. 

He seemed to ponder his options for a moment before he gave a nod, accepting the request. Bucky dropped his head in defeat and pressed the button on the phone screen, sending the message to Steve and praying he would be there soon to get her out of there. 

The doctor turned around, gesturing to the other agents. In less than a minute, the room was empty and they were alone for what would probably be their last moment together. Bucky made a step toward the woman, knowing whatever time they had it would never be enough, but before he could do anything she gathered all the strength she had left and slapped him across the face. 

“I hate you!” She shouted, tears streaming down her face. “I hate you!”

He had expected her anger but her words still hurt him. He couldn’t begin to understand what she was feeling when his own heart was already being torn apart. 

“I had to…”

“Why didn’t you fight ?” She choked. “Why … why did you gave up on us ?”

“I gave up on me!” He told her in a deep voice, quickly closing the distance between them and cupping her face with force. “I’m choosing you over me”

“There is no me without you, Bucky” She muttered

“They don’t know the Winter Soldier is no longer here” He told her, trying to reassure her. “Whatever they have plan for me, it’s not gonna work”

“You don’t know that”

He laid his forehead on hers and a tear on his own rolled down his cheek.

“I know I need you to stay alive. I’ve lived on borrowed time long enough, Y/N, maybe …”

“Don’t you dare!” She cried, pushing him away. She struggled to stay on her feet but she couldn’t seem to care. “I swear to god, Bucky, I will kill you myself if you dare giving up now!”

“Steve is gonna find you and bring you back” He continued.

She shook her head and her eyes grew hot, the tears welling so quickly it was impossible to blink them away.

“Please don’t break my heart” She whispered.

His lips started trembling and he choked on a small but audible sob. Losses after losses, he had shed his own shade of tears, had been broken beyond measure and brought to hell. This was something else. Pain had a sweet taste of horror and self-hatred when it was felt under the power of all his sanity. 

“Let me hold you” He begged her.

Despite her anger, she didn’t waste any time and sank her face into his chest, letting him comfort both of them. He kept her close, looking down at her with gleaming eyes, wishing he never had to let go as he tightened his arms around her. 

“I love you” He spoke right next to her ear. “Like I’ve never thought it was possible to love. You picked up every pieces of me you could find and glued them back together. You built the man I am today from scratch with your kindness, your resilience and your love. You gave me a second chance, and a second life by your side, and what a life it has been. You are my world, my soul, but most importantly, my home. You will always have me, doll.”

“Don’t say goodbye like that” She muttered, an aching wound opening deep in her chest as the tears kept falling.

“This isn’t goodbye, I’ll make damn sure of that. Wherever you are is where I am too. That’s the deal we made, right ? I’m with you till the end of the line”

“This is the end of our line” She forced up the words. 

He raised her chin with a finger to look into her eyes and in that moment they kissed, together in each other's protective embrace. 

“It will never be”

“Promise me you’ll give them hell”

“I promise I’ll fight with everything I have”

Tag list below the cut

@briannareneea985​ - @bangtanxberm​  - @kissmyoops - @steve-is-daddy - @tylard-blog1 - @harprs - @animegirlgeeky

[keilemdarkmode]

crybaby

🚫contains themes of abuse, noncon/dubcon, yandere. 🚫

all characters aged 18+

(r18+)

pro hero! hitoshi shinsou x reader 

word count: 2.4k

you cry so pretty, all for him. 

a/n: hey y’all! please don’t read if this isn’t your cup of tea!!

this is my first (posted) story with like. dark themes. finally, i am able to filthily indulge my crying kink <3333 enjoy!!

warnings: yandere, spanking, dacryphilia, kidnapping, isolation, degradation, spanking, light pet play (collars and nicknames), light non-con

||||||||||||||||| 

You were so fucking pretty when you cried.

For him, anyway.

Just him.

If anyone other than Hitoshi dared to upset you to the point of tears, they would hardly be around much longer to tell about it.

No, Hitoshi took pride— hot, ego-boosting, revolting— pride in making you hiccup and wail to the point of a migraine once your tears had settled. Fuck toeing the line of pain and pleasure, he’d shove you over its jagged edge without a thought if it got you to tears.

If he was in a particularly cruel mood, he’d keep you sobbing for hours.

It never felt long enough for him, but he prided himself on knowing what limits of yours he could safely break without breaking you. The last thing he wanted was a lifeless doll, that would defeat the entire purpose of keeping you in the first place.

There were surely thousands of other tight cunts in the world that would fall all over the famed, underground hero ‘MindBreak’, but Hitoshi didn’t want any of them. He’d had a fangirl or two strung up in his bed during his early years of professional hero work, but it was always lackluster. Too many clawing, exaggerated moans and needy cuddling for his liking. He’d rather beat one out alone than pretend he enjoyed indulging a girl’s selfish fantasy.

Hitoshi had given up on ever finding a partner who would suit him just right.

Until he met you, of course.

...

A hostage situation, easily diffused with a handful of words in the twilight of a closing luxury shop, expensive purses and watches lining the walls.

It was far too simple for Hitoshi to bait the villains that dared to put you in harm's way.

When he first saw your tear-flushed cheeks, the barrel of a villain's handgun to your temple, Hitoshi knew he was beyond fucked.

His cock shouldn’t have twitched at the sight, yet it did. He was sporting a half-chub the entire mission, endlessly glad that his costume was baggy enough to hide it and that his voice modulator covered his hot, shamed cheeks.

When Hitoshi finally got to you, carefully checking you over for bumps and bruises, he let his hands linger. Any potential self-imposed disgust that bubbled in his throat died the second he felt your skin against his own.

He was hooked.

You thanked him, tearfully, over and over as he walked you to a waiting ambulance, rubbing at your eyes with the backs of your wrists. Hitoshi kept a firm hand on your lower back, quietly reassuring you that you were ‘safe, alright, protected—’

The last word might’ve been a bit much for a pro-hero to a civilian, but you were too busy sobbing to notice.

...

Hitoshi had to be subtle at first.

Showing up at your work, always bearing a coffee and a smile, talking to you like an old friend and not a near-stranger who kept too many tabs on you. You didn’t know about his behavior and Hitoshi was convinced you wouldn’t care either. You always grinned so sweetly from behind the counter, sipping the beverages he always treated you to.

Blissfully ignorant.

You were sweet, far-too innocent to notice how Hitoshi pushed and pulled you into the undertow of his fucked-up desires.

Maybe he was first disgusted with himself, for a small while, but he was quick to rationalize, easily mushing and tugging his own mind into a lull of lust and instinctual compliance.

You needed him, it was obvious. You needed a sweet man to kiss and blot your pretty tears away, keep you safe from the horrors of the world while he did so.

Hitoshi was happy to provide.

...

You fought him, of course, when he first brought you home.

He was careful not to push you in the beginning, letting you sputter and beg your lips dry and eyes red before even thinking about reacting. The kitten-kicks and punches you landed phase him in the slightest.

Hitoshi wasn’t delusional enough to think you wouldn’t need time to adjust to your new existence.

But, truly, giving you constantly neutral expressions hurt him too.

He wanted to scoop you up, kiss your pains away and keep you safe, like he knew he would. But, Hitoshi wasn’t an idiot. If he pushed you, there was no chance you’d ever trust him.

He had to be patient.

Hitoshi also knew that he should only use pain if he needed to. No need to punish your tears that he loved so, so much. It was only when you acted out that he ever would use force.

...

Such as the time you’d tried to pry off the pretty collar Hitoshi had made for you.

Sleek, black leather, a few o-rings, silver hardware and even a damn bell. The whole thing was even studier than it looked, a thin band of metal running between the layers of fabric, making it more than industrial grade. The last thing Hitoshi wanted was to snap the pretty present he'd even you— not to mention it had to stand up to the heavy links of chain that tethered you to the headboard of your silk-covered king-size bed.

See, he was even nice enough to let you have your own room while you settled.

Though you chose to spit on that kindness quickly.

He’d walked in to give you breakfast—  a warm, home-cooked meal, your favorite, when he found you, bloodied at the neck, as you had slipped a fork (you must’ve saved it from dinner the night prior) between the unyielding collar and the fragile, weak skin of your throat. Tears spilled down your chin and cheeks, frustration and rage so clear in your eyes.

Hitoshi had never truly been upset with you until then.

He felt his own face fall.

When you finally noticed him at the unbolted door, you chucked the bloody fork at him.

You missed by a mile.

What Hitoshi didn’t miss was every strike he laid the plump flesh of your ass that day.

With every strike, Hitoshi wondered why he hadn't bent you over his knee sooner. Maybe it was his early boundaries and need for some order in his own mind.

He loved you, he didn’t want to hurt you.

But now, you fucking deserved it—

And he’d take advantage of it.

He yanked the chain attached to your pretty collar, forcing your neck and spine to curl just right as he smacked his hand down against your bare ass yet again.

“Bad kittens don’t deserve to feel good, do they?” Hitoshi asked, knowing you wouldn’t be able to reply with anything other than fat tears. You’d already soaked the sheets below. Hitoshi had particularly reveled in getting to grind your cheeks into your own mess.

Part of him was tempted to take it a step farther.

He only teased you, though. A single finger trailing from your tight hole to your clit, smearing what little slick you provided (He made a mental note to purchase lube.) Through his touch, obliviously teasing, you had shuddered for him, squirming harder, trills of pleas dripping from your bitten lips, ‘please, no, no, I’m sorry— please, Hitoshi, please, don’t— ‘

Hitoshi didn’t, as much as he wanted to watch you sob while he broke your cunt with his fat fingers.

He had to be patient.

Instead, he settled for spanking you until your ass was bruised and battered. He didn’t even try to count his strikes, rather he stopped when he ran out of ways to verbally berate you.

“If you just listened, kitten, I wouldn’t have to do this,” Hitoshi tsked, shaking his head as he slapped at your upper thighs. “If you were a good girl, I wouldn’t have to spank this cute little ass, would I?”

You squirmed, wailing into the sheets. You’d already begged yourself silly for a reprieve, but Hitoshi didn’t care. Hitoshi didn’t want an apology.

He wanted to see you weep.

He wanted to see you millimeters from shattering, preferably with your tight, silky cunt around his cock. It was a goal he aspired to reach.

But first, you needed to be trained as a proper pet.

At the end of that first punishment, Hitoshi yanked you upright by your collar, back painfully arched as you panted, shaking and writhing in his grip.

Hitoshi forced your thighs around his own, relishing the fear that continued to spill from the wrinkles and lines around your eyes.

It got even cuter when he spit on your lips, harshly slapping your cheek, though tender enough to catch your jaw as you reel.

“So, what did my sweet kitty learn?” Hitoshi asked, watching the way your glassy eyes refocused on him. The tears on your cheeks had yet to slow or stop. Hitoshi wondered if he could get you to run yourself dry.

“T-that— t-that— “ You sniffled, wrists flexing in Hitoshi’s vice grip. “Um—”

Your eyes went blank, vacant.

It hurt some part of him, though it was buried quickly.

It was necessary.

Hitoshi squeezed your cheeks in one hand, cock twitching at the feeling of your precious tears wetting his hand, “Feel that, kitten? In your head— you know what this is? Answer honestly.”

You shook your head, slow and methodically.

“It’s my quirk. You’ll do anything I say without question.” Hitoshi massaged your slack cheeks, tightening his grip on your wrists. “Anything. Do you understand?”

You nodded.

Hitoshi didn’t want to use his quirk on you— no, he wanted to make you his handiwork, not the byproduct of his feared-quirk.

Still, it was a nice safety net.

“I’m going to release you, and then you’re going to tell me what you learned.” Hitoshi already started to let you go. “And, kitten, be quick about it. I wouldn’t want to keep you bent over for much longer, especially since you’ve already made such a mess.”

The moment his hold was fully released with his last words, your eyes went wide, body going rigid.

“Bad kittens don’t get to feel good!”

You panted it out, pain and panic having stripped your already raw mind bare.

Hitoshi was nice enough to sit with you as shakily ate your cold breakfast, praising you in the same breath as calling you a ‘disobedient cunt’ and an ‘ungrateful whore’.

It was cute to see the whiplash in your eyes.

...

You got better, under Hitoshi’s training.

It just took a bit of time and coaxing.

You cried a lot after that first punishment, flinching whenever Hitoshi got within a few feet.

Hitoshi’s response to this was simple—

Get you nice and needy.

He was the only person you saw anyways, so it wasn't a hard feat.  

A few crushed up sleeping pills into your dinner left you knocked out and pliant, though Hitoshi only tucked you into bed, allowing himself to even kiss your forehead as he got to work.

He removed all of the books and drawing paper he’d given you. All of your clothes sans three distinct, uncomfortably fitting outfits were removed from your closet.

Each bit and piece of stimulation Hitoshi could find, he stole away. Even the alarm clock at your bedside.

He even took away your towels, though graciously, he left behind your toothbrush and toothpaste. Hitoshi really patted himself on the back for his grace.

He left you to awaken only with a sheet on your bed and a sweet note from him on your bed.

Kitten,

Be a good girl.

Hitoshi (Master)

...

His plan worked wonderfully.

At first, you were still reluctant to get near him. Though it hardly mattered.

Hitoshi made a point to hardly speak or spend time with you when he would drop off your meals. He didn’t linger.

Though, he did make a point to praise you a single time, each day. Just a small, insignificant ‘good girl’ with dinner just before exiting to rebolt the door to your room.

He’d always wait in the nearby hallway, pulling out his phone to check the hidden cameras that dotted your room.

Typically, you would eat quietly, then tucking into yourself in your favorite corner of the room under your single sheet for the rest of the day. Maybe Hitoshi would have felt some remorse over your shivering, scared form if he doubted himself and his methods.

It wasn’t long before you started to crack.

You’d sniffle behind the door, rubbing at your eyes from the view of the cameras.

Quickly, you went from cries to sobs, then all-out wails.

The first time you screamed, something wretched and high, Hitoshi left you to beg and plead behind the door, as much as it pained him.

As cute as your begging was, he couldn’t deviate from his methods when he was so fucking close to his goal.

With a sly, curling grin, Hitoshi felt confident that the next time he graced you with his presence, you’d be wrapped around his finger.

...

You had become so well-trained.

Perfect, like Hitoshi always knew.

You’d taken to sitting on the floor as Hitoshi busied himself with the day’s paperwork. Some program droned on in the background, just white noise for the evening.

You’d been good that day, particularly good as Hitoshi ate your cunt like it was his last meal over the arm of the couch he was now sitting on.

He couldn’t count the amount of time you wept ‘thank you’ as Hitoshi drove you into a mess of snot and sobs.

After the fanfare, your body spent and tired, he’d given you some reprieve. Your cheek rested on his knee, eyes half-lidded, shoulders relaxed.

Softened, good and proper.

All for him.

You had your slipups, notably. Mistakes were human, weren’t they? You still jumped sometimes if Hitoshi got too loud. You’d shriek if he surprised you, in jest or otherwise. Still needed a lesson drilled into you once in awhile, but overall you were a very well-trained pet for him.

“Kitten?” Hitoshi hummed, not looking up from his papers. “Up on the couch. Head on my lap.”

You sweetly climbed up, the skirt you wore riding up against your thighs. Hitoshi watched your hand twitch to cover yourself, but quickly, you stilled.

That particular lesson had been hard for him to get through your dumb little skull, but eventually, finally, you understood that Hitoshi was the one who decided how much you bared and when.

Luckily, he was more fatigued than normal. He reached out to smooth your skirt flat, squeezing your thigh as he did.

You laid on him, so pliant and soft. Hitoshi absent-mindedly played with your hair, skirting his nails against the shell of your ear, cherishing the way you shivered against him.

It was moments like this that were his favorite.

You started sniffling.

Though your head was directed towards the TV, Hitoshi knew better than to think it was the show that triggered your tears.

No, it was just circumstantial.

Hitoshi enjoyed the soft moments. No fighting, no need to bruise and hollow out your mind, just you so sweetly curled up for him like the perfect kitten you were.

The tender moments are what made you cry so hard.

You slowly dissolved into ragged breaths, fisting the fabric of his joggers and burying your face in his thigh as you wept.

Hitoshi felt his dick twitch.  

He let you do this, despite knowing why you did. He felt no guilt as you shattered with sobs against him. You needed the catharsis of it, Hitoshi knew this and wouldn’t take that away from you.

He was just so gracious.

As was so routine, he dragged you up, wide hands positioning your thighs around his own. You sagged in his hold, half-limp and half-relieved by his contact. You settled on his lap just like he taught you, tucking into his neck with your hands bunching up the front of his shirt as you wept.

Deliciously hot tears seared Hitoshi so well that his eyes rolled back into his head. Though, he kept himself appearing unaffected, sorting through his paperwork all the same, though lightly rocking and cooing to you as he did.

His fucking crybaby was right where they belonged.

[marvelfansince08love]

Jealousy Sin

Word Count: 4397

Pairing: Lou Miller x Tammy x Reader - Established Poly Relationship

Prompts “You’re so pretty” “And you are drunk, darling”, “Wait, say that again”, “Go fuck yourself,” “How about you fuck me yourself, you coward?!”, “Come on now, dear. Let’s not torture her any longer”

Warning: NSFW 18+, bad smut writing lmao. 

A/N; @existentialcrisiscat​ thank you for sending in this request and look just in time for your birthday tomorrow! I send you my best wishes and I hope you enjoy this early bday present, July babies are the best! 

Thank you @imnotasuperhero​ for reading over this! Second attempt at poly smut so enjoy the mess lmao!

Permanent Tags: @waitingfortheendtocome​ @natasha-danvers​

I do not own these pictures!

Prompts 14,16,20,39 “You know that the heart of a shrimp is located in its head and that a snail can sleep for 2 to 3 years continuously,” You excite, reciting from a ‘50 fun facts’ book Constance left lying around the lounge area of Lou’s apartment building. Your back against Tammy’s side with your legs stretched out on the sofa while she twirls a strand of your hair around her finger loosely peeking over to look at the ridiculous book. You hear Lou scoff from the open kitchen, making her way to where you are.  She hands you both a glass of wine each before grabbing a hold of your ankles and lifting them up from the sofa so she can sit close to you; your legs now stretched out across her lap. 

“That’s ridiculous babe. You read the weirdest stuff.” She teases, tickling your feet lightly making you squirm and yelp slightly at the sudden sensation making her eyes twinkle with mischief. 

“Hey! It’s true, see!” You turn the book around for her to read. 

“She’s right Lou. They are real facts,” Tammy defends teasing the older woman slightly, knowing that it’s usually you against them. You smile smugly at her as she snatches the book from you grumbling about ‘the mess that girl brings every time she’s round here’ making you and Tammy laugh. The back and forth exchange continues for some time as you all enjoy a rare peaceful night in; with another successful heist for the two woman and your new promotion underway, the lighthearted mood continues into the late night with loving kisses exchanged and sweet caresses as you all stumble into bed, tangled up in sheets and limbs as hot wet kisses are pressed on warm glistening skin. 

Being with Lou and Tammy for the past six month has been the most wonderful ride you have ever been on and you never want it to stop. 

Pure Paradise

Two weeks later 

Over the past two weeks the little bubble you three had created started to show cracks leaving you feeling insecure and down right pissed off. You see, being with two women who lead a life of crime no matter how elegantly and successfully they do it, can be difficult. Their planning has to be precise with no page left unturned, if one thing goes wrong it could mean prison for them and no one wants that. They’ve only ran one big heist since you started dating but you were in your honeymoon phase with them back then, they could do no wrong in your eyes. The less frequent phone calls and texts were justified when the two women hung the moon in your mind: 

‘It’s a big job they have. They need to focus and make sure it goes right, they still love and care for you the same, Y/N’. Debbie would remind you quietly away from the others, always aware and seeing behind the fake persona. 

“You are not going out, Y/N. That’s final.” You stand in your black turtleneck dress and heels, arms crossed in defiance. 

“Yes, I am. I’m celebrating my promotion with my colleagues whether you two like it or not.” 

“Come on, darling. Stay with us we had this reservation booked for tonight for weeks,” Tammy pleads slightly a little confused by your decline. You usually love date nights, especially when it involves the two of them and  food from your favourite restaurant. 

“Why are you being like this Y/N? You’ve been distant the last week and a half and don’t think we haven’t noticed you sneaking out of our room in the middle of the night to sleep in the guest room.” You scoff at the word ‘our’. 

‘It hasn’t been our room for the last two weeks’ You think spitefully. 

“Why do you even care Lou! You and Tammy have been so busy with each other the past two weeks, you barely noticed me leave last week for TWO DAYS Lou. It took two days for either of you to message me and then when I am here you’re both hovering over building prints and potential crew members, I understand that this isn’t something I’m a part of but you could at least act like me not being a part of this doesn’t affect our relationship!” You shout aiming your anger at both women. While Tammy has the decency to look guilty and slightly apologetic, Lou’s face turns hard and cold. 

“I’m sorry if our job has taken an importance over yours for once! We thought you understood what you were getting yourself into when we asked you to be a part of our lives Y/N, stop being a clingy brat and grow up.” Lou rages, her chest raising and falling heavily. Tammy takes a step forward to chastise Lou for her burst of anger but before she can intervene you hold up a hand indicating for Tammy to stop as you chuckle humorlessly with unushered tears, speechless. You shake your head in disbelief before grabbing your clutch and rushing for the door and heading into the night. 

***

The bar is crowded, full of warm bodies pressed closely together as the dim blue lights glow over the dance floor. You feel the rush of alcohol swarm your mind making you dizzy as you sway lightly to the beat of the sound, you notice your phone illuminate with missed calls and worried texts from your significant others. Your pissed and upset state had quickly changed once you had hit your first bottle of wine and twirled around on the dance floor with your colleagues after some time and a few tequila shots later, the fight you had with them seems miles away. You feel funny and brave as you see Tammy’s name flash on your phone and press the green icon to answer. 

“Well... hello gorgeous,” You flirt, your voice deep and slurred. 

“Y/N? I can’t hear you much. Darling, please tell me where you are so I can come and get you and bring you home to us?” You scoff at that before stumbling towards the smoking area by the front of the club. 

“Tam-Tam, I’m fine. Apparently I’m a brat and this is what brats do right?” You mock, hearing Lou sigh slightly in the background:

 ‘Is that her? Let me talk to her’ You hear Tammy hush her as if batting her hand away from the phone making you giggle. 

Tammy has always been the calmer mediator between you and Lou. 

‘You drive her crazy with your bratty ways Y/N’ Tam teased one evening her hand wrapped tightly around your waist as you shrugged in fake innocence  while watching Lou struggle to contain herself from across the room at her makeshift bar where she stood with Rose and Debbie, you and Tammy knew that the dress you were wearing was a little on the short side and showed your chest off beautifully driving them both wild, especially Lou. 

“Baby you know she didn’t mean it… you know how hot headed she can get,” Tammy murmurs, bringing an offended ‘hey’ out of Lou in the background. You roll your eyes and huff, knowing how right she is. 

“Why don’t you tell me where you are darling? We miss you,” Tammy confesses softly, making your heart flutter slightly. But with dutch courage in your system, you simply roll your eyes. 

“Well it doesn’t feel like you have missed me at all,” You murmur, leaning heavily against the wall of the club watching the nightlife before you. 

“You know that's not true and I’m only going to ask you this one more time Y/N. Where are you?” 

“Eye spy with my little eye, something being with L.” You giggle at your attempt of humour giggling loudly as Tammy huffs on the other side of the phone. 

“Hilarious babe, really.” 

“You're supposed to say Lamppost,silly!” You exclaim, hiccuping in between your sentence making you giggle once more.

“I’m coming to get you,” Tammy states, you can hear her moving around as if gathering her keys and heading for the door but not before hearing her and Lou argue about who’s going to get you. You sigh in defeat, knowing you have had far too much to drink and secretly want to go home so you can wrap yourself up in their warmth. 

“I’m at Russo’s.” You mumble, sulking in defeat before hanging up. Your colleague Matt pops his head out of the door scanning the smoking area, looking for you. He sees you and waves before striding over. 

“Hey Y/N! Come back inside, Lucy is bringing another round to the table. We’re celebrating in style tonight sweetheart.” You cringe subtly at the pet name before smiling weakly at him. 

“I’m actually waiting for my ride. I think I’ve reached my limit for the night.” You try to joke making him laugh a little too much, he steps closer to you and leans against the wall next to you as he lights a cigarette before offering you one. You shake your head in decline before scanning the street hoping to see Tammy’s ‘soccer mom’ car. 

“You look amazing tonight, by the way. Those two women sure are lucky.” Matt compliments, his eyes scanning you from head to toe lingering too long on your chest making you wrap your leather jacket around you, hiding from his lustful look. You step back to try and put some distance between you. 

“Oh uh, thank you and if anyone should be the lucky one it’s definitely me.” You state trying to put the point across. 

Fuck off!

“Have you ever thought of expanding this ‘little relationship’ to four people or is it a women’s only type of thing?” You gape at him in disgust as he shrugs his shoulders and smiles cheekily thinking he’s being charming. Before you can retaliate you feel a strong arm wrap around you from behind, making you smile slightly knowing that familiar pull of electricity.

“We are perfectly happy with the three of us Mr.Lawson, if you would kindly remove yourself away from my girlfriend before I send you back in there with an even higher pitched voice than before that would be much appreciated,” Tammy suggests, her voice hard and commanding making you shiver slightly at her authoritative tone. She stands tall in her heels, putting herself slightly in front of you, blocking his view of you. You watch as he gulps and stutters over his words, his face red in embarrassment as he stumbles an apology before heading back inside. You go to tease her about throwing her top energy around like that in front of others outside of the bedroom but her face shows that she’s in no laughing mood, you throw her your most doe eyed look making her sigh in defeat; never being able to stay mad at you. 

“Come on baby, let’s get you home.” She mutters into your ear as she pulls you closer to her side while guiding you over towards her car. 

You fumble around trying to get comfortable in the seat, once situated you relax against the warm seat as it heats up around you making you sigh contently. You lean your head to the side and face Tammy, taking in her soft features and full lips as the street lights hit her side profile making her look like an angel. 

“You’re so pretty,” You mumble to her, as you brush a finger across her cheek lightly and tuck a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

“And you are drunk, darling,” She teases back dismissively, although her soft smile and tinge of pink on her cheeks shows how affected she is by your statement. You grin lazily at her as you feel sleep succumb bringing you into darkness. 

***

You wake by the sound of Tammy’s whispering voice coaxing you awake. 

“Come on darling, you need to wake up. You can’t stay in here all night,” She whispers, shaking you slightly. 

“5 more minutes, mom.” You mumble, turning away from her making her laugh out loud which causes you to wake, eyes wide at your slip up. 

“Wait, say that again.” She asks, subtly getting her phone out. 

“You better put that phone away Tammy or I’m going to stay with Debbie for the night.” You threaten, knowing how jealous her and Lou get whenever Debbie flirts with you to tease her best friends; which you are more than happy to go along with. She scowls playfully. 

“Fine fine, come on then, you lightweight. We better get in before Lou sends out a search party for the both of us.” She murmurs, climbing out of her side and walking around to help you out of the car. You frown suddenly realising that it was only Tammy who came to get you. 

“Is she still really mad at me?” You ask sadly, starting to sober up slightly and relaying the fight from earlier in your head.

Tammy helps you out of the vehicle and wraps an arm around your waist before giving you a reassurance kiss on your temple. 

“Yes… but not as pissed off as she was earlier on. She… we both know we’ve been rather neglectful of you lately and we promise to make it up to you.” She confesses, her eyes showing how sorry she is. 

“I’m sorry for acting out like I did… I know how important it is to make sure the job runs smoothly, I should have been more understanding. I’m sorry Tam-Tam.’ You apologise, pecking her cheek lightly. 

You both walk steadily through the front door but stop in your tracks when you notice Lou sitting casually on one of the single chairs in the living room area, her legs spread wide in her black suit pants and white open button shirt revealing a peek of her black bra making you and Tammy gulp. 

“Lou I..” She holds her hand up, silencing your apology. 

“Did he touch you?” You frown in confusion not fully understanding her meaning.

“Who?” 

“That guy from work, did he touch you?” 

“How do you know about th-” 

“Nine-ball,” you all say in unison, although Lou and Tammy’s casual tone in answer contrasting with your pissed off one doesn’t go unnoticed by either woman. 

“You were checking up on me through the security cameras!? Nice to know that not only am I a selfish brat, I'm also an unloyal one,” You snap towards them both as Tammy reaches for your hand, making you step back. 

“You know that’s not the reason, love. We didn’t know where you were, we needed to make sure you were safe,” Lou reasons for them both while Tammy nods in agreement, moving towards the middle space between you and Lou. 

“Oh because you care so much, fuck you both and your possessive asses.” You snapped in reply.

“Trust me, you haven’t seen me possessive yet sweetheart.” She says cockily as Tammy hums in agreement, clearly staying mutual within this argument you think sarcastically. 

“Well maybe I should go back out there and find him then, let’s see the real Tammy and Lou.“ You taunt, watching as both Tammy and Lou’s eyes flash dark, making your confident smug attitude flutter slightly. 

“Go fuck yourself,”  Lou spats clearing hitting a nerve, making you retaliate. 

“How about you fuck me yourself, you coward?!” You fight back, not realising that during your heated argument Tammy had slowly made her way behind you. You watch as Lou’s tense figure deflates. Her crystal blues flash with lust, swallowing quietly knowing that look all too well; the look that haunts your wet dreams whenever you’re apart from them.

“Is that what you want Y/N, you want us to show you who you belong to?” Lou questions grinning slightly, knowing that's exactly what you want while standing from the chair and stalking over towards you. She rolls up her sleeves slowly revealing the tattoos on her forearm as Tammy stands behind you placing her hands on either side of your hip keeping you in place, smirking knowingly. You shiver in anticipation, loving when they both take control over you. 

“I dunno Lou. Do you think she deserves it after the stunt she’s pulled tonight?”  Tammy questions Lou as if you weren’t trapped between the two women as Lou creeps dangerously closer, you bite your lip trying to hold back a moan as you feel Tammy’s wet tongue trace the shell of your ear. You watch as those blue eyes grow darker as they follow the direction of Tammy’s tongue carefully. Lou presses her front against your own; chest to chest, her nose brushing over yours before moving over your cheekbone and towards your ear, you watch from the corner of your eye as Tammy and Lou share a heated kiss over your shoulder making you groan loudly. This seems to draw their attention away from each other, their matching grins doing nothing to help the creeping wave of pleasure that ignites deep within your core. 

“Oh look Tam, it seems our darling girl wants our attention. Do you think we should give it to her?” 

‘Yes!’ You scream internally. Tammy laughs and takes sympathy to your doe-eyed expression gently cupping your face and turning you slightly towards her so she can place a chaste kiss on your lips. 

“I think we should... Besides we owe her an apology, I’m sure we can make it up to her.” Tammy mutters between placing quick wet kisses along the side of your jaw and neck. With that Lou swoops in and lifts you over her shoulder making you yelp out loud causing Tammy to giggle at her girlfriend’s actions before she slaps your ass and shushes you while she races ahead up the stairs, her hips swaying showing Lou her plump behind. You hear Lou growl low at Tammy’s teasing demeanor as she follows slowly after her up the stairs mindful of you being over her shoulder.

“Oh, am I just some sort of slave that you can carry around, you caveman?” You accuse, earning you a slap on the ass. 

“Ow! Watch it Miller. You know how tender my ass is,” 

“And I can’t wait to see that gorgeous ass all red on our bed, baby.” You squirm at that making Lou chuckle. 

She carries you into your shared bedroom before slowly lowering you down making you brush fronts as your feet touch the ground. She places a tender kiss to your mouth before looking over your shoulder and grinning, her eyes filled with glee and admiration. You turn around to face the bed, understanding Lou’s expression. Sitting upright against the headboard on top of satin sheets wearing a black lingerie babydoll set is Tammy. You lick your lips at the sight of her, drinking her in. 

“Did you have this on underneath those ‘mom’ clothes?” You tease, watching her roll her eyes at your poorly timed humor, loving it nevertheless. Her smirk confirms your suspicions. You watch as she slowly makes her way towards you both crawling on her hands and knees until she reaches the bottom of the bed, she kneels tall and beckons you both closer. You follow her call like a pirate to a siren as you are about to touch her, Lou wraps an arm around you, her chin against your shoulder. 

“You are far too overdressed,” she whispers huskily into your ear, as she slowly unzips the back of your dress letting it fall to the floor in a heap before placing sweet kisses along your shoulder blades and spanking your ass hard. You close your eyes at the sensation  and the feeling of cold air hitting against your warm skin, you feel a second pair of hands skim over your front tracing light touches across your chest before wrapping gently around your neck pulling your forward an inch as full luscious lips meet your own making you both moan in unison. You open your eyes and meet deep brown pools so full of love and passion. 

“Now, who's the one overdressed?” You tease making Tammy smirk mischievously before you both draw your attention to Lou who has left staggered marks along your neck and shoulder. She pulls away slightly and smirks as she unfastens the buttons of her dress shirt, you crotch in front of her and yank her suit trousers down in one sweep letting her step of them, you kiss your way back up her body while Tammy pushes her shirt off her shoulders, leaving us all equally in some state of undressed. Tammy grabs hold of your hand and pulls you towards the bed letting you fall onto your back as she crawls to lie beside you leaving trails of kisses up your body, you eye Lou who stands tall and confident at the foot of the bed in just her briefs; her bra now discarded into the pile of clothes on the floor. She slowly makes her way onto the bed as she licks, bites and kisses her way up your leg towards your inner thigh making you moan and clench slightly. 

“You can only cum if one of us says okay baby girl.” Tammy commands softly into your ear, you whimper and nod your head in agreement as Lou pulls your panties down your leg before placing a light kiss against your wet heat making you shudder at the sensitive flesh. Before you could catch your breath Lou dives her tongue deep into your entrance, fucking you with her tongue as Tammy wraps her mouth around your sensitive nipple biting gently, making you moan out loud with pleasure. They both continue their tongue motion over and over again making your body hot and wet with need for release but with Tammy’s words swirling around in your head, you hold off from releasing your pleasure. Lou slowly removes her tongue from your wet folds and presses a kiss on your clit before soaring forward to Tammy and kissing her hard and clumsily letting her tongue tangle with hers, they both moan enjoying the taste of you. You lick your lips at the raw sight of them both above you and whine for their attention as they both look back towards you once again. 

“Come on now. Dear. Let’s not torture her any longer,” Tammy teases, pulling away from Lou’s lips.

Lou moves to your other side and lets her tongue skim across your bottom lip before pressing her pale lips more firmly against your own, you feel another pair of lips on your own; the taste of vanilla lingers on your mouth knowing Tammy has joined you both in the fight for dominance as tongues tangle and clash together. You pull apart slowly savouring the moment before Tammy moves south towards your legs, wrapping her delicate hands around your ankles and pulling you further down the bed slightly. You frown in confusion before realising she was making room for Lou to sit comfortably above you with her thighs on either side of your face, you can see her arousal from above you making you whimper in want, licking your lips eagerly. You can practically hear the smirk in her voice: 

“Always so eager baby,” she teases, lowering herself a little bit more towards your awaiting mouth. You flick the tip of your tongue over her clit making her squirm and gasp you grin smugly knowing exactly where she likes it the most before taking the sensitive bundle of nerves between your teeth and wrapping your mouth around it, sucking hard. Your mouth releases her clit momentarily as you gasp at the feeling of two cold fingers filling your entrance and curling, hitting your most sensitive spot making you cry out as Tammy picks up her pace. 

“So wet and needy tonight darling.” She mutters before diving between your legs and taking your clit into her mouth. You feel Lou’s thighs tighten a fraction around your head making you refocus back onto the enjoyable task of making Lou come. You all continue to rile each other up, picking up your pace, thrusting your tongue deeper into her heat as you grind your hips further onto Tammy’s fingers. Tammy moans as she moves to sit in between your thigh as you bend your knee just enough to add pressure against her wet folds allowing her to grind herself against your bare skin, you bring your thumb over to her clit rubbing the sensitive nerves hard making her moan loudly. The room fills with loud cries of passion as desperate bodies continue to thrust against one another, the knot in your stomach begins to become tighter, you squint your eyes trying to hold off your orgasm. 

“Come for us baby, I want to hear you scream.” Lou breathes above you as she grinds hard one more time before allowing her own release. Lou removes herself from above you and lies lazily on her side facing you both, rubbing her fingers over her heat while she watches you and Tammy continue to grind roughly against one another; your fingers working faster and deeper as you both throw your head back in pure ecstasy letting yourself ride out your orgasm on Tammy’s fingers. Tammy collapses against your glistening skin leaning her head against your shoulder as you brush your fingertips softly against her back making her purr ever so slightly. Lou moves from her position and sits upright against the headboard gesturing for you both to join her, Tammy removes herself from your lap as you crawl over to Lou’s awaiting arms and curl into her side. Tammy moves to your other side and drapes an arm over your waist resting her hand gently on Lou’s hip, brushing her thumb back and forth; resting her forehead between your shoulder blades. You feel Tammy’s warm breath against your glistening skin as she speaks softly. 

“You belong with us Y/N. Don’t ever think we don’t love you or want you...we wouldn’t be us without you” With that said, she presses a light kiss to your back while Lou hums in agreement pulling you closer, her arm reaching across locking you in between their embrace, you smile cheekily.

“So does this mean I’m still a brat?” 

A slight pinch to your hip bone is your only reply. 

[honibee-arts]

sangcheng a/b/o au where nhs dies after giving birth to their child, jc and nmj's aftermath and reactions?

I have a whole bunch of unfinished prompts but bro this is heavy and I have a need to write this

TW ABO/OMEGAVERSE, MPREG MENTIONS, CHARACTER DEATH

The silence was suffocating.

The mourning bells rung quietly as Jiang Cheng knelt behind the defeated form of his brother in law.

Nie Mingjue.

Chifeng Zun.

An unstoppable mountain of a man, brave and bright and unbreakable.

Broken.

His gunpowder grey robes were replaced with a plain white that made him look old and tired as he held Jiang Chengs daughter, his niece in his arms. Jiang Cheng knew that pain all too well. It was how he used to hold A-Ling.

A-Bo. His precious daughter. Nie Mingjues precious niece.

All that was left of Nie Huaisang.

The child stirred in her uncles arms, and Jiang Cheng listened with tears in his eyes as his brother in law shushed her so softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead and holding her so close, so terrified to let her go.

The smoke drifted in pale wisps from the incense sticks, Huaisangs favourite fan folded in front of the black tablet that bore his name in silver calligraphy. Between the three mourners, the silence was deafening.

"Da ge..." He croaked, staring at the slumped shoulders ahead of him. "You need to rest... Please... Let me take her."

"No."

"Please... Let me hold my daughter."

"You lost any claim to this child when you killed my didi, Jiang Wanyin. Be grateful I even let you mourn beside me." Nie Mingjue said coldly. His voice was hollow, empty. There was no rage, no hate. Only pain and the aching void of grief.

"I'm sorry. I should have been more careful... I should have never agreed..." His voice grew hoarse as the tears burned his eyes and scalded the skin of his cheeks. "But he wanted this child so desperately... Da ge..."

"You did everything to make him happy. But you never stopped to think of what was good for him. That was why I only indulged his whims to a point. I was meant to protect him... You were meant to protect him."

"When Jiejie died..." Jiang Cheng began hesitantly. Nie Mingjue shifted slightly, perhaps intrigued by what Jiang Cheng was saying. "I blamed everyone, especially myself. No one could come near A-Ling, not even his grandparents. It hurt so much. He was all I had left of my family. Of Jiejie. I was so scared to let him go... It was a dark time. I didn't know what I was doing but... A-Sang was the light in that darkness. He helped me through that ache and that hate within me. He gave me hope. He gave me love. I was a broken man and I still am but I did everything I could to prove that I love him and I did everything in my power to protect him. But I failed at even that."

It had all gone wrong so quickly. The pregnancy had been smooth. It brought tears to Jiang Chengs eyes as he remembered his beautiful husband, radiant in right Yungmeng Jiang purples and glowing in his pregnant glory. His husband. His precious Songbird. The love of his life.

The labour hadn't been particularly hard, the physicians had said there was nothing out of the ordinary, but as Jiang Cheng held his exhausted husband while the physicians cleaned and wrapped their newborn daughter, something was very wrong. Huaisang was pale, paler than he had ever seen him. His breathing was slow and shallow, his eyes barely open.

"I'm so tired, A-Cheng..." He had slurred. His cheeks had lost their rosy tint as he rapidly grew weaker in Jiang Chengs arms.

"A-Sang, keep your eyes open, stay with me." He had pleaded. His stomach clenched as the memory sent bile back up his throat.

Just as Huaisang reached for their daughter, his arms shaking and his whole body straining, he went limp. His eyes fell shut and his breathing stopped. Just like that. He was gone.

And Jiang Chengs world plunged back into darkness, unable to reach out to the closely guarded bundle of his daughter.

"He said something to you. Before he... What did he say?" Nie Mingjue asked quietly, looking over his shoulder at Jiang Cheng and silently beckoning him to come closer.

Jiang Cheng swallowed thickly, shuffling closer to his brother in law until he knelt beside him. For such a tall man, Nie Mingjue looked small and frail, clinging so anxiously to A-Bo. His precious daughter, Nie Mingjues precious niece.

Her wide, brown eyes stared up at him, blinking curiously. She looked so much like her father. He swallowed back a wave of tears as he stopped himself from reaching for her, bunching his hands in his sleeves instead.

"You want to hold her?" His brother in law asked softly.

"I thought I had no claim to her..."

"It was unfair to say that. You're right I'm... Blinded by grief."

"I killed him..."

"There were no warning signs. The physicians said nothing was out of the ordinary." Nie Mingjue admitted. "You did not kill him. It just..."

"It feels better to blame someone else than admit there was nothing you could have done to prevent it." Jiang Cheng sighed, letting his daughter wrap her tiny fingers around his finger and squeeze it.

"Yes... That... He was always better at the whole feelings thing."

"He was..." Jiang Cheng agreed as Nie Mingjue handed A-Bo over. Carefully, Jiang Cheng took her into his arms.

"What did he say to you?"

"Hm?"

"After... After he named her. What did he tell you?"

Jiang Chengs fingers clenched in the white cloth bundling his daughter as he exhaled shakily.

"He knew he wasn't going to make it. He said something about knowing too much... That there was a chest under his floorboards he wanted us to find. There was a key... Its in my qiakun sleeve."

"Knowing too much? Did you open the chest?"

"No... I haven't been in our rooms since..."

Nie Mingjue nodded.

"Soon... We should find it. If that was his dying wish... We must grant it. Together."

"It's what he would have wanted."

Jiang Cheng kissed his daughters forehead as he tucked her into the crib, pulling the blankets under her round chin. His heart ached, longing to share this with his beloved.

"Do you have the key?" His brother in law asked, presenting the box Huaisang had mentioned with his dying breath.

Jiang Cheng nodded, producing it from his sleeve. The delicately engraved gold glinted in the candlelight, cold as Huaisangs hands had been between his fingers. He pressed it into the lock as Nie Mingjue set down the box, glancing at his brother in law as it opened with a soft click.

Tentatively, he lifted the lid to find the box had been stuffed full of scrolls, loose papers, letters, books and torn pieces of music scores. On top of it all, as a letter sealed with purple wax and the Nie seal. Huaisang must have left this for him. Carefully, he picked it up and broke the seal, gently opening the letter.

My beloved A-Cheng, or Da ge, if you find this first and/or have killed/banished/maimed my husband in a fit of grief,

If you are reading this now, I am dead.

I know what either of you will say, you are so similar. Ironic how I fell for a man almost the same as my Da ge... I know you are probably upset, enraged, most likely with me. I knew I may die and I did not tell you so, but I assure you, I have my reasons.

Da ge, I know you are mostly angry. You always wanted to protect me, but you have to understand, I had to do this for a reason. You never trusted Jin Guangyao, and you were right to. A-Cheng, if you're reading this and A-Ling isn't in Lotus Pier, get him there immediately.

After suspecting something was wrong with Da ges clarity sessions, I visited the Lan sect library and did some digging. What I did find there lead me to countless discoveries of innumerable crimes. This box contains the evidence of some of them. I'm not sure how many there truly are. But this is a start.

A-Cheng, I know you won't like this... Da ge won't like this either.

I met a Jin Disciple. One of Jin Guangshans bastards, Mo Xuanyu. He's a good kid. Jin Guangshan put him in Koi Tower to keep him in check, let Jin Guangyao know he wasn't safe just because Jin Zixuan was dead and he was the only heir between your nephew and him. He is willing to commit a soul sacrifice ceremony and bring back Wei Wuxian. He can put an end to this. Please. Trust me on this.

Jin Guangyao knows I know of his crimes. That's why he visited me. I am unsure of what he did but I know my time is short because of him. I know too much. As long as you control your reactions he won't know you know too. Bring the evidence to Er ge. He may be hesitant to agree, but you need to unite against him.

Please, A-Cheng, Da ge for me.

I love you a and I'm sorry.

Huaisang.

[mdelpin]

To Kill A Dragon - Chapter 9

Previous: Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Next: 

Chapter 9: Magic Must Be Given Freely

The two men observed Erza and Gray nervously, even as Mira gave them a welcoming smile.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, how can we help you?" Mira greeted them kindly, not seeming to realize who had just entered their guild. She glanced over at Erza, confused by her behavior.

"We'd like to speak to your Master. My name is Connor, I am the Master of the Penta Dragons," The older of the two men spoke, and gesturing towards the other man added, " My companion's name is Justin."

Justin bowed briefly, but his eyes never strayed from Erza and Gray.

"We know who you people are," Gray growled at the visitors, "You have a lot of nerve coming here." He could barely contain his rage. These people were responsible for the condition Natsu was in, and that was not something he was willing to ignore.

"GRAY! These men are our guests, you will either calm down or leave," A voice that could only belong to Makarov came from the second floor. Although he sounded friendly enough, he must have had the same idea as Gray because Laxus was nowhere in sight. He made his way downstairs to meet their visitors.

"But Gramps--," Gray protested, but Makarov cut him off with one scowl.

Erza took the hint and grudgingly sent her sword away.

She looked over at Gray worriedly, willing him to calm down as well. He'd been a mess ever since Natsu had disappeared. She knew exactly how he felt. Hell, she was itching for payback just as much as he was, but she understood it was best to let their Master handle it.

Gray glared at Makarov but began clenching and unclenching his hands in an attempt to keep himself under control. He very much wanted to hear what this man had to say.

"Please forgive my children, they are usually friendlier than this," Makarov remarked evenly, holding out his hand for a handshake. "I am Master Makarov. How can I help you?"

"It's alright. I wouldn't be too fond of me if I were him either," Connor replied, unconsciously moving closer to Justin as he acknowledged the barely contained fury in Gray's eyes.

"I am Connor," The Penta Dragons Master bowed his head in deference and gave Makarov his most charming smile before shaking his hand firmly.

He regarded the short man that stood in front of him. Connor knew the man was a powerful wizard, one of the Ten Wizard Saints of Fiore, but it was hard to reconcile that fact with the seemingly harmless old man that faced him.

"I want you to know that I had nothing to do with what happened to your dragon slayer, none of us did," Connor began, even though he knew this was a half-truth at best. He may not have known what Tiamat was up to, but he hadn't exactly gone out of his way to find out either, and it had been his idea to use the dragon slayers in the first place.

"It was never part of our plan for any of the dragon slayers to be hurt," Connor looked at Makarov apologetically. "Is he okay? Justin and I were barely able to get out of the building."

"What was this plan exactly?" Erza asked with as much diplomacy as she could muster. She hadn't missed that Connor had just admitted to leaving Natsu defenseless in a burning building.

Connor was about to speak when Makarov stopped him. "Hold on, let's go down to the library. There are some people there who should listen to this."

Makarov led the visitors to the guild's library where Levy, Freed, and Lucy were looking through the recovered books. Mira followed them, but Erza stayed behind wanting to check on Gray before they joined the others.

Erza grabbed Gray by the arm, "Are you going to be okay?"

Gray shrugged her off once again, "I'm fine."

Erza let him go without a fuss, but she had a feeling their definitions of fine were very different. She glanced up at the infirmary before pursing her lips and entering the guild's library.

"Everyone, I need your attention," Makarov announced as he entered, causing the three researchers to look up at him with interest. "This man is the Master of the cult that summoned Tiamat, I'd like you to listen to what he has to say."

Lucy, Levy, and Freed nodded, switching their attention to Master Connor. Levy offered Connor a small smile, while Freed regarded the man warily. Lucy didn't seem to know how to feel, so she peered at Erza's expression instead.

Once they were all sitting comfortably in one of the long tables, Makarov eyed the Penta Dragon's Master expectantly.

Connor cleared his throat nervously, he had no idea how this was going to go. He needed Fairy Tail's help to stop Tiamat, but he couldn't get a read on these people.

Justin grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it once before letting go. Connor smiled at him gratefully. He recited a quick prayer in his mind for luck and began.

"We summoned Tiamat from the Nine Hells because we were convinced she was the only one strong enough to defeat Acnologia. We were aware she wasn't exactly trustworthy, so we spent years doing research and planning our next move. We wanted to make sure we could keep her under our control before we even considered summoning her, so we used all the information we could find on her to devise elaborate binding rituals. "

Freed interrupted, making no attempt to mask his scorn, "Did you really think you'd be able to bind a God to do your bidding? There is no magic capable of doing that."

Connor frowned, there was nothing he could really say. The green haired man was right, he knew that now, but at the time he'd been willing to believe plenty of things in the interest of saving their world.

"At least he tried to do something," Justin protested.

"Yeah, and look at what that got us," Gray growled in response.

"That's enough!" Makarov snapped, he looked at each of his brats in turn, his expression communicating he expected them to keep their emotions in check. When he was satisfied they'd understood he nodded at the Penta Dragons Master to continue.

"When she arrived on Earthland, her magic would be dormant. In her dragon form, she has five heads, much like the symbol on our cloaks. To restore the magic in each of those heads, she would need to absorb the power from a matching dragon."

"She couldn't force the magic out of them, it would have to be given freely. In the past, when dragons were abundant, she would have found five chromatic dragons to bed, but that wasn't possible in our time, so we set about identifying matching dragon slayers. The Grand Magic Games allowed us to find four of them and so we set our plan in motion."

"Wait. Are you saying that if Tiamat raped the dragon slayers, she wouldn't be able to get their magic?" Freed interrupted Connor.

"That is correct, the magic can't be taken by force. It must be given freely. That is why we needed to identify someone the dragon slayer would respond to so she could shapeshift into them."

Gray's mind was racing, Lyon had said the healer knew that Natsu had been raped. He was pretty sure that meant she'd found evidence of anal sex which Erza or Lucy would not have been able to do. The fact the Natsu was now pregnant supported that argument for the same reason.

But If the magic had to be given freely that changed everything. Did that mean Natsu willingly had sex with someone he thought was him?

That didn't make sense though, Natsu didn't think of him that way, he never had, and Gray would know. Over the years he'd waited for a signal from the dragon slayer that never came. He'd once even flirted clumsily with Juvia to see if he got a reaction, to no avail. To his frustration, Natsu's only response had been a small smile that seemed to encourage his friend to 'Go for it.'

Sting? Tiamat had been with Sting, it would have been easy for her to change into him. That made more sense. The two dragon slayers had a natural closeness that he sometimes envied when compared to their constant rivalry.

Wait a minute, what was he even thinking? Natsu had been forced to take something that made the rather innocent dragon slayer agree to have sex in the first place. Gray was pretty sure consent was hazy at best in this scenario.

A few days ago, he'd prayed that he'd not been the one that did this. So why was he now wishing that Natsu would have chosen fake him over fake Sting?

He felt someone squeezing his hand gently and looked to find Lucy giving him a worried look. He quickly looked away and tried to focus on what was being said.

Makarov's face was stern as he asked, "Which dragon slayers were you interested in?"

Connor knew if he wanted this man's help, he needed to be honest with him. He took a deep breath and said, "Natsu and Laxus from Fairy Tail, Sting and Rogue from Sabertooth and Cobra from Oracion Seis."

He looked at Makarov intently, trying to gauge his reaction, but the man's face gave nothing away.

"All of the mages we sent to observe the dragon slayers could teleport, but only Natsu and Laxus seemed to be able to spot them consistently, which made it difficult for us to learn much about them."

Connor pointed at his companion, "Justin here is one of our best, and he wasn't able to find out anything about Natsu that wasn't already public knowledge, even after trailing him for weeks."

Even though they had suspected, Makarov was enraged at receiving confirmation that his mages had indeed been surveyed. He would never forgive himself for not taking Laxus and Natsu's reports more seriously. He was now determined to do everything in his power to help Natsu recover from this, he owed him that much.

Connor felt a surge in magic energy emanating from Makarov and paused, not sure what was happening. When Makarov nodded at him, he continued his story valiantly.

"Red dragons are the strongest of the chromatic dragons, and Tiamat was adamant about getting Natsu's magic early on. But with no useful information on him, Tiamat and I were forced to shadow his team on a mission. She can shapeshift into anyone, but to fool the dragon slayers senses she needed to touch the subject to be able to absorb their scent."

Lucy felt nauseated by everything she'd heard but learning their team had been so close to Tiamat without even being aware of it was almost more than she could handle. She forced herself to continue listening, noticing the abject fury that was visible on both Gray and Erza's faces.

"Tiamat doesn't leave anything to chance," Connor tried to avoid the glares from Natsu's teammates, he could already tell they were going to be a problem, not that he could blame them. "Even though she was sure that your Erza Scarlet would be the one she needed to seduce Natsu, she made sure to absorb the scent of every one of his teammates."

Erza gripped the arm of her chair so hard as she tried to contain her temper that she managed to shatter it, resulting in a violent shower of splinters. Connor stared at her nervously.

Erza bowed her head, keeping her face hidden for a few minutes. Gray got another chair, and the two had a whispered conversation until Makarov cleared his throat.

"I apologize," Erza said, "Please continue."

"Are you sure they should be here?" Connor asked Makarov.

"They'll be fine," Makarov assured him.

Connor very much doubted that but continued anyway. "Tiamat waited for a chance to make her move on Natsu, but he was never alone. When the moment came, she failed in her attempt to seduce him and fearing she wouldn't get another chance she knocked him out with her newly awakened light magic."

Connor stopped to consider how he wanted to frame the rest of the story, but Justin caught his gaze and shook his head. Connor sighed, but he knew his friend was right, no matter how much he wished to protect him, there could be no concealing of his actions.

"Justin teleported both of them to our headquarters in Margaret Town and placed him in a magic sealing stone. I asked her to send him back, but she refused. She claimed she had plans for him, but she didn't elaborate."

The faces of the mages were becoming more hostile with every new bit of information, Connor noticed several of the mages were glaring at Justin, and he hoped that Makarov could guarantee the boy's safety.

"If you thought she was under your control, why didn't you push the issue?" Freed accused, "You could have had Justin teleport Natsu back."

"We still needed his magic," Connor reminded him.

"I don't understand," Levy spoke for the first time, "What were you expecting to happen?"

Connor had no answer to give the girl, so he answered the green haired man's question instead.

"I didn't push because by this point, I had begun to realize that maybe the binding rituals hadn't worked. Tiamat was an outstanding actress, I realize now she was never under our control. We kept her in another magic sealing stone but usually left her to her own devices once she was inside. It seems she was getting out and visiting Natsu in his. I honestly didn't know this was happening. It was my understanding that magic sealing stones rendered magical abilities ineffective."

"Three days!" Gray slammed his fist on the table, making Connor jump. "Three days you let this go on. It never occurred to you to check on him? Give him food or water? What the hell is wrong with you? And what now? You want us to help you fix your mistake?"

"GRAY?!" Makarov roared.

"Don't worry Gramps, I'm leaving!" Gray got up and left the library, slamming the door behind him.

This time Makarov didn't bother to apologize for him, as much as he didn't appreciate Gray's attitude the boy wasn't wrong.

Lucy and Erza made no attempt to hide their hostility, both openly glaring at Justin. He had followed Natsu around trying to get information on him, had teleported him when he was unconscious and then placed him at Tiamat's mercy in a magic sealing stone where he wouldn't be able to defend himself. Justin gulped as he felt the warmth of their stares on him.

Those glares were not lost on Makarov, he noticed Freed's reaction wasn't much better. He wasn't all that surprised, they'd been taught to consider each other as family, and one of their siblings had been hurt. He just hoped he was able to impress on them the importance of cooperating with these men. They had to stop Tiamat before she could come after Rogue, Laxus, and Cobra.

"I am so sorry, I don't know what else to say. We never expected any of this to happen, we just wanted to rid the world of Acnologia and his destruction," Connor said sadly.

"The end doesn't justify the means," Levy pointed out.

"No, young lady, it does not," Connor agreed levelly, "That's why we're here.

"I heard screams outside my office and came out only to find the building and everyone in it in flames. Tiamat was watching the people burn in front of her as they screamed in agony and she was laughing. It was horrible, if Justin hadn't teleported us out of the building when he did, we would never have survived."

Connor shuddered at the memory, he hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep since that day. The vision of Tiamat's sadistic glee as she watched his friends die painfully was one he would never be able to forget.

Tiamat wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted. It was what prompted him to come to Fairy Tail and beg for their help if that's what it took. Connor needed to impress upon them how dangerous she really was, although he suspected whatever she'd done to Natsu had been enough to make them want to go after her.

"I have no doubt she will come after Cobra, Laxus, and Rogue to reclaim the last of her dormant magic. We must not allow that to happen. The stronger she gets, the more access she will have to her godly spells. I hope that somewhere in those books there might be a way to banish her once again."

"Godly spells, what are those?" Levy asked with interest, although there was a twinge of trepidation in her voice.

"They're like no magic on Earthland," Connor replied, "I've only read about it in books, I do know that awakening her fire magic has put her at almost half power. Any additional magic she absorbs will give her access to more powerful spells. Spells that will allow her to mold our world into whatever she wants."

"I know I have no right to ask this, but I need your help to send her back to the Nine Hells where she was banished to four hundred years ago," Connor beseeched Makarov.

Makarov already knew he would help them. A powerful creature like Tiamat could not be allowed to roam unchecked, especially not when she was preparing to come after them. They needed to stop her, not only to protect their own but to save humankind from her revenge.

But it wasn't going to be easy, judging from his brats reactions it would be challenging to get them to cooperate. Erza, Gray, and the dragon slayers in particular.

He'd have to exact promises from them to keep them from seeking retribution for Natsu, and he would need to guarantee some sort of protection for the teleportation mage.

He also wasn't about to make the mistake of trusting these people just because they were reaching out to them to correct their failure. He needed to make sure to keep them away from the dragon slayers and Natsu in particular. There was still the possibility that they were here at Tiamat's behest.

He thought long and hard about the best way to manage this situation before finally responding.

"These are my terms, and they're not up for negotiation. First, you are not to approach any of the dragon slayers unless they request your presence, and that includes Gajeel and Wendy."

Makarov could feel his brats eyes on him as he explained his terms but kept his own gaze on the Master of the Penta Dragons. He waited until he received a nod from him before continuing with his conditions.

"Second, you will share everything you know with our researchers and help them continue their research. That includes any future communications you might receive from Tiamat or any other surviving Penta Dragons member."

"That is fine, I have researched many of those books already so I should be able to help." Connor agreed readily.

"Third, you will stay here where we can keep an eye on you. We have rooms you can stay at in the guild," Makarov noticed the relief on both men's faces but wasn't sure how to interpret it.

"Fourth, you will not share any knowledge with outside parties unless I approve it, and you will not take it upon yourself to act without consulting me first."

"These are all fine, we will agree to any condition," Connor said impatiently.

"I'm not done," Makarov said firmly. "In return, we will protect you from the Magic Council, I will ensure that Justin will remain safe from any retribution, and we will help you take on Tiamat when the time comes. "

"We accept your terms," Connor shook Makarov's hand gratefully as the Fairy Tail Master questioned how the hell he was going to get his mages to agree to them as well.

xxx

Tiamat walked around Era trying to figure out the best way to get into the Magic Council's prison. She looked at people coming in and out, but they were all checked by the guards. She needed someone that they would easily overlook. Someone whose presence they wouldn't question. She supposed she could try to teleport in, but she assumed that they must have ways around that. It was a prison after all.

She wasted a second day watching the prison entrance from a nearby cafe, finally settling on the Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit, a man by the name of Lahar. He visited the prison several times a day and was usually just waved through. She followed as he left the prison and overheard him telling a man with an X shaped scar on his face that they would be going to Hargeon the next day. She would put her plan in motion then.

The next morning Tiamat changed herself into Lahar. She didn't bother to look in a mirror, she already knew she would look just like him. She'd had this ability since the moment she came into being. Tiamat ran her mind through what she'd seen of the man so that she could imitate his behavior. That was the tricky part. She took a breath and headed for the entrance to the prison. As expected, Lahar was waved right through. Tiamat was inside.

She looked around and saw hundreds of magic sealing stones floating in the air. How was she supposed to find Cobra in that mess? She couldn't very well look into every cell without looking suspicious. She looked around to see if there was someone she could ask. There wasn't. Tiamat cautiously made her way to the first row of cells peering into the first one and quickly moving on to the next one.

She heard a cough behind her and turned to see a frog-like creature staring at her. "Captain Lahar, can I help you with something?"

"Ah yes, I am looking for a prisoner. His name is Cobra. The Council wishes to interrogate him."

"Cobra... Cobra...hmm... is he one of the guys from Oracion Seis?"

"Yes. That's the one."

The frog creature looked at some kind of screen, and a magic sealing stone came down from somewhere close to the ceiling. It approached Tiamat with some magical sealing cuffs. "Here, you will need to put these on him before you take him out of his cell for questioning."

Tiamat grabbed the cuffs and thanked the creature for their help. She approached Cobra's cell and went inside. She looked at the man sitting on the floor and threw the cuffs at him.

"Put these on."

Cobra smirked at Lahar but put them on. "Feeling kinky today, Lahar?", he asked in a sarcastic tone, making sure to put extra emphasis on the name. Tiamat looked at him in surprise.

"Who are you?" Cobra looked at Tiamat with interest, "You are definitely not Lahar."

Tiamat was at a loss for words. No one had ever figured her out this quickly before. She chose to stay quiet and pulled Cobra up from his sitting position on the floor.

"If you want me to go willingly, you need to tell me who you are. I made a promise to stay in here, and I don't intend on breaking it unless I have a good reason."

Tiamat looked at Cobra in frustration. Stupid, frustrating dragon slayers. Still, Cobra was a green dragon. Green dragons had always loved her the best. Maybe she could appeal to that love. She looked inside of him but saw no dragon laying dormant inside. He must be one of those second generation ones Connor had told her about.

"I am Tiamat," She said simply.

"The dragon goddess?"

Tiamat nodded. She looked at him to gauge his reaction to the information she'd just given him. He looked at her and laughed.

"Okay, that's at least worth a talk."

"I can get you out of here."

"As I told you, I made a promise. I could certainly go for a walk though."

Cobra allowed himself to be removed from his cell. He followed Lahar and let himself be led outside. Tiamat wasted no time and teleported them to the room where she had stayed the previous night.

Cobra sat on the bed and pointed to the cuffs that were around his wrists. "Do you mind taking these off for a bit?"

She thought about it, this dragon slayer was not like the others. He unsettled her.

"You're a goddess, it's not like I can do anything to you," He pointed out.

She grudgingly removed the cuffs.

"Thanks. Now, can you show me what you look like?"

She found herself obeying his requests. She transformed into her Dark Lady avatar and stood before him.

"Much better. Now, do you think you could order up some room service or something? The food at the prison is terrible, and you took me away before I could have breakfast," He looked at her expectantly.

Cobra's eyes lit up with amusement all of a sudden, and he said, "Hey! There's no need for that kind of language. I did ask nicely."

She looked at him flabbergasted. She had not said a word! She glared at him once she realized what he'd done.

"You can hear my thoughts, can't you?" She asked accusingly, already knowing the answer.

He grinned at her, looking very satisfied with himself.

"And yours are amazingly loud. I'm flattered, really I am, but there's only one being in this world that I'm interested in that way."

"Get out of my head!" Tiamat snarled.

"I can't control it, trust me, it's overwhelming. Being in prison is the only time I've experienced true silence in years."

His stomach chose that moment to rumble, and he looked at her questioningly.

"Fine. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Tiamat left the room and procured some food and drink for the two of them. She quickly returned to find Cobra in exactly the same position as when she'd left.

"Maybe the food will distract me from listening to the lies that you're concocting in your head right now," Cobra laughed at her annoyed expression.

Ugh, why did he have to look so smug? Tiamat did not like to be at a disadvantage. She had told the man she was a goddess shouldn't he at least be a little intimidated? She scowled as she saw him try to hide a smirk in his food.

"So, what do you need me for?" Cobra gazed at her with interest while continuing to stuff his face.

"Aren't you going to just grab it from my thoughts?" She said grouchily.

"Maybe I just like the sound of your voice." And he winked at her. The son of a bitch had the nerve to wink at her! She couldn't wait to take him back to prison.

"Fine. I don't have enough magic yet. I need to absorb your magic to awaken my green dragon magic."

He studied her with interest. "So you can defeat Acnologia?"

"Yes."

"Why did you just think about Dragneel?" He looked at her with distrust.

"He's more of a side project, nothing for you to worry about," She said as she forced her mind empty of anything to do with the Fire Dragon Slayer or Igneel.

"Whatever. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but you aren't getting your hands on this body. I do have an idea that might work though."

He finished his meal and stood up. "Let's go somewhere isolated."

"You're going to give me your magic, just like that?" Tiamat looked at him incredulously. He really was a strange man.

Cobra just nodded at her. She grabbed his arm and teleported them to one of the secluded snow covered mountains in Era. She looked around to make sure they were alone and let go of his arm.

"Why are you doing this?" Tiamat asked him curiously.

"I went up against a dragon recently, and I wasn't able to defeat him. Hell, I was barely able to hurt him. I'm pretty sure that dragon was weaker than Acnologia. If my magic can help take him down while I rot in prison, I can live with that."

"So what is this idea of yours?"

"I want you to transform into your dragon form. I am going to channel all of my magic into one roar. Have your green dragon absorb it."

She looked at him as she ran the idea through her mind. It certainly wouldn't be as pleasurable, but it could work. She transformed into her dragon form and looked down at the dragon slayer. He looked a bit shaken. She grinned in triumph.

"Here goes." Cobra concentrated on his magic. He began collecting it inside his body, making sure to get every last drop. He took a breath and focused all of that power into his roar.

POISON DRAGON ROAR

Cobra aimed his roar at Tiamat's green head, and she absorbed it, making sure to gather all the magic inside her. He collapsed weakly on the ground, and she considered testing her new power on him but then thought better of it. He had willingly chosen to help her, even if she really couldn't understand why. Tiamat aimed her green magic elsewhere and was relieved to see it work.

"You look pretty cool as a dragon. I'm glad I got to see it," Cobra smiled at her. "Now let's get me back to prison before they suspect something."

She turned back into Lahar and placed the cuffs back on Cobra. She teleported them close to the prison and then walked them back inside.

They walked past the frog creature towards Cobra's cell. Lahar took his cuffs off and went to place him back inside. To her chagrin, Cobra chose that moment to kiss her cheek and whisper "Good luck, Tiamat."

Her cheeks flushed, and she did not miss his chuckle from inside his cell. The frog creature was looking at Lahar very strangely.

'Stupid dragon slayer,' She thought, confused by the sudden fondness she felt.

xxx

A/N: I made a lot of changes from the posted version to the first part. there are a lot more reactions instead of a long wall of exposition. I hope you like it. The Cobra part remained mostly the same.

[starlightasgardian]

Broken: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You and Bucky are in love. When a mission goes south, you are both captured by a sadistic psychopath who has Bucky’s trigger words and a desire to cause you pain. Guess what happens next...

Warnings: angst, violence, torture, etc.

Author’s note: hey guess what? This is my very first tumblr fanfic (I also created this account literally yesterday please don’t kill me) I REALLY wanted to read this but no one had written it yet, so I did. I hope you enjoy!

—————————————

Zhelaniye.

He threw his head back against the metal chair he was strapped to.

Rzhavyy.

He screamed.

Semnadtsat’.

He did everything in his power to attempt to break free. He thrashed and pulled and kicked and punched. But it was no use. They had him.

Rassvet.

He didn’t want to be the monster he knew he was about to become. He couldn’t bear the though of ever hurting you.

Pech’.

With every syllable he knew what was coming next.

Devyat’.

A sharp pain sent his head spinning while he cried out for you.

Dobroserdechnyy.

“Please don’t make me hurt her! I love her! I’ll do anything you want...anything...”

Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu.

It all became too much. He would never be able to live with himself if they made him kill you.

Odin.

Or hurt you, in all the ways he know you fear. He screamed. And screamed. And screamed. But it was no use.

Gruzovoy vagon.

It had been done. The Winter Soldier had woken up.

—————————————-

24 Hours Earlier

“It will be okay,” you said, stroking his cheek.

“It’s not me that I’m worried about,” he replied softly, a distant look in his eyes.

“You don’t have to babysit me, James. I know how to handle myself.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second darling. But I can’t help but feel something isn’t right...I just want you to be safe. And the only way for me to be sure of that is if you stay here.”

You had both been assigned a joint mission with Steve and Natasha. The job was fairly simple: infiltrate a top-secret government lab and steal a deadly virus before Hydra could. Easy, right? That is, assuming no other agents were in the building.

“I’ve been waiting for what feels like forever to finally get a chance to prove myself! I’m not giving this opportunity up because you have a bad feeling. I promise I’ll stay within eyesight of you the whole time, but don’t worry about me too much okay?”

He looked sad. “Okay darling, but don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

Later that night, the four of you were all geared up and ready to go. Steve in his signature Captain America suit, Natasha in a slim black leather body suit (that inevitably had knives hidden everywhere), Bucky in his mask and armor, and you wearing a black suit made of a special material that kept your temperature normal. You flashed Bucky a quick look of what was underneath the collar: your favorite necklace, that he had given to you after your first battle. It held more sentimental value than he realized, however, because unbeknownst to him, that was the same night you realized you had feelings towards him. He gave you a rare smile, and your daydreams were interrupted when Steve started speaking.

“Alright, listen up. This mission is only intimidating if we make it out to be. Most Hydra agents are currently in Romania, but there’s bound to be a few keeping watch around here. The plan is to break in quietly and extract the briefcase, containing the virus, WITHOUT a fight. Try to make as little noise as possible. We’re going behind the government’s back here, but we have no choice. If Hydra gets a hold of it first, mass chaos will ensue and people will die. We do NOT need a repeat of Sokovia. Everyone understand?”

You all nodded. “Yes, sir” said Bucky with a sarcastic smirk.

Before you knew it, you were inside the lab, ready to extract. Your job was to sneak inside the ice chamber and grab the vials while the rest of the team surveyed the area and kept watch. You were undoubtedly the smallest of the four, so it was no question who would be squeezing into the tiny space. You peered in to the dark, freezing room, and saw exactly what you were looking for...right in the middle of the room.

It almost seemed too easy.

You knew something was wrong the moment you turned around. There stood Bucky, a panicked look in his eyes and a long gash down his face.

“What happened?!” You demanded to know.

“There’s...Hydra...in the building...” he was breathing quickly. You rushed over to him and put your hands on his shoulders.

“James...you’re going to be okay, it’s okay...” You tried soothing him like you did when he had nightmares, stroking his hair and holding him close to your body. He was shaking uncontrollably and sweat was dripping down from his neck. You could only imagine the fear coursing through him right now; this was his first time facing any Hydra agents since the last time he became the Winter Soldier.

An explosion rang out, and instinct kicked in. He pulled you back closer to the wall and prepared to fire his gun. Before you could do anything else, a sinister voice surrounded the room, talking through a loudspeaker of some sorts.

“Greetings, Sargeant Barnes and (Y/N). It’s a pleasure to have you here tonight. Did you really think you could outsmart me?”

He laughed a horrible, evil laugh.

“Captain America and Black Widow managed to escape me before I claimed them for myself. But that’s alright, because I only ever wanted the two of you anyway...oh what fun we’ll have! The games I could make you play...the agony and suffering I could cause you, with just a snap of my fingers..."

He snapped his fingers in the microphone for a dramatic effect. You flinched and Bucky held onto you tighter.

“You were a sargeant, right Mr. Barnes? Well that must mean you are good at following orders. Luckily for you, I have something specific in mind.”

In a heartbeat, three Hydra agents wearing dark masks stormed the room, and before you could even blink, you were pulled away from Bucky and there was a gun to your temple.

He didn’t let any emotion show, as he had been trained to do. But you knew he was in agony. If this was anyone else, he wouldn’t care, he would let them be shot and suffer the consequences later. But with you...Mystery Man had him under complete control without even realizing it yet.

“Good, good! Now that I have your attention, Sargeant, I want you to walk to the middle of the room and grab those lovely looking vials. You know, the ones you tried ever so desperately to keep out of our hands. Well I want you to do exactly the opposite! You heard me. Walk to the vials, and hand them to my nice friends over here.”

The agent with the gun on you pressed it tighter, making you gasp. Bucky didn’t move. You didn’t want him to. You prayed he wouldn’t dare sacrifice this for you. But you knew he would.

And he did.

When a second gun was put in your mouth, he did exactly as he was told with a look of rage and utter defeat. The virus now belonged to Hydra, and you had no idea what their intention with it was.

“Excellent job, Sargeant! Are you sure you haven’t done this before? The way he walks. Mmm mmm mmm. (Y/N), you are one lucky gal! Anyways, onto the next order of business. Will one of my friends pretty please hand Sargeant Barnes a gun? And I know what you’re thinking, ‘oh, he must be so stupid, handing a trained assassin a gun when you’ve just endangered the life of the person he loves most!’ Don’t get too trigger happy, Bucky, because if you hurt one of my men they’ll hurt her twice as bad. Can I call you Bucky? I feel that we’ve been too informal. Anyways, Bucky, James, Sargeant Barnes, whatever it is these days, I want you to take a gun and do EXACTLY as I say.”

He knew he had no choice. He walked over to you and took the gun that was being held in your mouth out carefully, avoiding the trigger. You could still feel the cold metal pressed against your forehead, causing you shivers, and hot tears began to form in your eyes. You knew what was coming next.

“Bravo! What a man. Go ahead and point it at her. Go on, go ahead! Don’t worry, I never said you had to shoot. But something tells me she’d feel much more comfortable if it was you pointing a gun at her than one of my men. And trust me, if you don’t...”

The man cocked his gun.

Bucky followed his orders.

With your boyfriend pointing a gun at your head and three angry Russians ready to pounce on you at any given moment, it was safe to say you were very uncomfortable regardless.

“Onto the next step: you’ll all walk with me now to the next room. Good, good, don’t think about taking that pretty little gun off her pretty little face until I say so Sarge, good, almost there...”

In the room you were ever so kindly escorted to, lay an operating table and a metal chair with restraints on it.

Your heart dropped in your chest. You didn’t think Bucky was breathing.

"Aaaaaaaaand viola! Here I am!” The Mystery Man stepped out into the light, to reveal a tall dark and handsome badass. Not that you thought so. Just stating facts. He had short hair slicked back with what looked like way too much hair gel, and he was wearing a business suit and shoes that looked like they were at LEAST six hundred dollars. He was six feet tall at the bare minimum and you wondered if he had an experiment done on him like Cap. All this stated, the man still terrified you.

"Hmm, I was going to tell you my true identity but I rather like ‘Mystery Man,’ so I think I’ll keep it.” He walked to face you and Bucky.

“How did you know that?” You ask blatantly.

“Why I can read minds, of course! But only when we’re touching. Of course it helps that these three men are all versions of me. Still counts as touching!” He flaunted with a smirk.

Great. A psycho mind reader who has multiple copies of himself is holding you hostage. Just another day at work, right?

You must have looked shocked. “I know, I know, it’s a lot to take in, but I promise we’ll have so much fun together! You don’t even WANT to know what Mr. Snarkypants is thinking over here. It’s rather disturbing...I don’t see how you two are compatible with each other. I guess they do say opposites attract.” Mystery Man said this as he was circling around the both of you like vultures. It was rather unsettling.

“You can put the gun down now, my friend. And my friends will do the same! We can all be one big happy family.”

Bucky’s first mistake was even CONSIDERING to bring you along on this mission. His second, was trying to save you from it.

As soon as he placed the gun gently on the ground, he made the split second decision to grab it as fast as he could and shoot at your attackers before they could move.

The plan would have worked perfectly, if he was using his own gun...and not one that shot blanks. You felt a look of horror cross your face.

“Well, well, well...I thought I could control you without all these unnecessary procedures, but I guess I was wrong. Fellas, it’s time for plan B!”

One second everything was fine. The next, Bucky is lunging towards you while the three agents attack him and three more come in through the door. Bucky is throwing punches left and right, using his metal arm to his advantage and probably breaking a few bones, trying to protect himself so he can protect you.

While you are frozen in the heat of battle, two of the original Mystery Man agents come after you with strong grips. You fight them off for a little while, but eventually it’s no use. They are definitely super soldiers and you are just an average human. Without too much of a fight, they drag you, kicking and screaming, to the operating table. You can’t see him, you don’t know where he is, and all your thoughts are consumed with Bucky. You get a couple of good kicks in, causing one of them to punch you in the gut. While you are breathless, they strap you down and put you in all of the constraints. They’re putting something metal near your head, in your mouth, forcing you to bite down and draw blood, and before you fully realize what’s happening you scream as loud as you ever have before as the jolt of electricity shocks you to your very core.

Bucky jerks his head towards you at the sound, but in that moment of distraction the four remaining men overpowered him.

“I hoped it would never come to this,” Mystery Man shouted, “but you have given me no choice! You cannot trust a man in love. He is loyal to one person and only one person. And that person...is you.” He leans down over you, sending chills down your spine. You can feel his breath on your cheek, and you want to be anywhere but here.

“If you fucking touch her one more time I swear to God I’ll kill you,” he spits, blood running down his chin. Bucky Barnes had never looked more terrifying in his life.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be me that’s touching her...” he pulled out a very familiar notebook and the fear you felt in that moment made your heart stop.

Bucky’s facade wore off and anyone could have read the emotion on his face. Terror. Complete and utter terror. “No...” he tried to take a step back but they were too strong. With a push forward, the love of your life fell to the ground. The men picked him back up and every step they took closer to the metal chair was a step closer to your worst nightmare.

“Please please please please please”

This was the first time you’d heard him beg. For anything. This was the weakest and the most vulnerable you have ever seen him, and the sight of it broke your heart. You started begging with him, begging to Mystery Man, begging to the agents, begging to God, that someone, anyone, could stop this. But it was pointless. No one could save you from what was about to happen. Not even Bucky.

[kpopfanfictrash]

Addewid (XV)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: You / Kai (Jongin)

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 3,390

Genre: Fey!AU + Series

Summary: “You cannot appeal to my better nature, for I have none. I am not human, little one.”

You’ve always known you were different. You’re able to see them, after all, able to see the Others. You’ve also always ignored them. Until the day comes where you’re forced to make a choice - one that throws your world into chaos. And sends you down a path you might never return from.

Sehun reaches down to remove the bag from the man’s head.

“D-dad?” I choke out, seized with disbelief.

When I try to move, hands encircle my arms. Their grip like iron, yanking me backwards. Dimly, I notice Kai is being similarly restrained. He’s moving his lips but nothing emerges, or maybe it does and I just can’t hear. I can’t understand him, everything is faded but my father, who looks at me with wordless apology.

“Pass the gauntlet,” Maeve’s voice rings out above. “Or be responsible for the death of her father.”

Part XV - The Gauntlet

I can’t remember how to breathe.

I try to scream, but find I’ve forgotten how. On the inside, I’m livid. On the inside, my lungs are burnt, shredded with words and with rage. My father. My father here, kneeling before Sehun while Maeve – my heart resumes motion, the frantic thump, thump of my chest. 

Maeve stands on the other side.

She looks at me. At me, not Kai and I think it’s this which breaks me. I lose control, unsure what I’m doing when I launch myself forward. Somehow, I throw off my guards, elbowing one in the nose, the other in his gut. They topple into one another, grunting in pain but now is no time to be prideful. I don’t know where I’m going, don’t know what I’m doing – only know I need to cause as much pain as possible.

I’m at the wall before I realize, slamming my body into stone over and over. I throw myself forward, nails scraping charcoal as I frantically try to climb. The wall blurs and I realize I’m crying, hot tears sliding down my neck as the room stabilizes. Arms wrench me backwards, pulling me against a chest while Kyungsoo whispers, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” His cheek is warm, comforting. “Please, Y/N – don’t make this worse. Look at Kai,” he begs and upon hearing the desperation in his voice – I look up.

My father appears frantic, trying to mouth something – I can’t quite make out the words. I stare at him, gaze wide until I understand the word don’t.

Don’t fight. Don’t speak. Don’t run.

I remember another day, my dad’s fingers tracing the same word over and over – that time I disobeyed. I didn’t follow his warning, when my dad told me to run. I didn’t obey then, but I do now.

I stop moving. Stop fighting, let Kyungsoo pull me backwards. His touch is gentle, full of apology and tears brim my gaze glancing sideways. Kai stands there bruised, breath heavy. His left eye already swells, angry and red as he glares hatefully at Oh Sehun.

Sehun doesn’t react, keeping his grip steady and I wonder again why he does this. I remember the look he gave me, when Kai and I left his manor. Sehun’s gaze was confused, thrown by whatever he saw in my mind. He didn’t understand the connection between Kai and I – which makes me wonder if that confusion has long faded. I remember Kai explaining Sehun is in love with Maeve. This doesn’t make me forgive him, but I do pity him. The fact that he thinks that’s love. The fact that he needs to prove himself, for the affection of the woman he loves.

I remind myself again this is his choice, as much as hers.

Maeve remains still, looking out at the crowd. The Unseelie hush, excitement betrayed in their expressions. I can taste their desperation, eagerness for blood. They want Kai to see fail, want to watch my father die. What they want for me, I can only guess.

Staring out at the madness, my newfound bravery begins to fade. The Unseelie are endless, their presence formidable and I remind myself that Kai will win – he must. “What is the gauntlet,” I say quietly, looking at Kyungsoo.

“A test. I don’t know what monsters she’ll pick,” Kyungsoo whispers, lips barely moving. “I don’t know who Kai will fight – it’s whomever Maeve decides, for however long she sees fit. He will fight until defeating them all. When she determines the gauntlet has ended, Kai will be crowned victorious – or not.”

My heart races at the thought. Kai is the most skilled swordsman of his age, though. I see the way people fear him. I see how they shy back and I saw him that day in the forest. If anyone can win the gauntlet, Kai can.

Maeve’s lips lift. “The rules,” she declares. “Prince Kai will complete the gauntlet alone,” she states, as though reading some pre-determined list. “He will complete with no outside assistance. Prince Kai may choose one form of weaponry to fight with, though he may not use magic. Prince Kai will fight whomever I decide and in order to win, he must be the only left standing in the arena.”

“Is that all,” Kai asks. He smiles at Maeve, a dark gesture.

Maeve does not flinch. “Take your place in the pit, Prince,” she warns, before turning to the center of her dais.

Kai watches her go, then inclines his head. When he looks at me, his gaze softens. “If I don’t make it,” Kai murmurs, walking so that his lips touch my cheek. “Don’t forget to dream.”

Then he’s gone, walking past to disappear into the heart of the arena. My breath catches, turning to follow. I watch him go, since Kyungsoo stands between us. Though his gaze is sad, I know Kyungsoo won’t hesitate to interfere. Maeve demanded no one help during the gauntlet, which means I can only watch. Below me stands Kai, above me stands my father – leaving me entirely alone.

I watch Kai descend the crowd. The Unseelie part, a sea of shadows. As I watch, I think about Kai living most of his life here. He’s survived this way, shrouded in darkness and fear. Most of Kai’s name wasn’t said in English. Nor did he speak Celtic, Hebrew or any other known language. His name meant light itself, not the word which describes light. It was hope, it was Kai and I don’t know how to explain more than that.

As I watch, slightly dazed – I feel hollow. Feel numb, as though the shock of the past few minutes has apprehended my senses. I feel trapped in a story, as opposed to reality and yet I feel the metal which bites at my wrists. Can hear Kyungsoo breathing beside me. Can see my father kneel, can feel my love for him. I know with certainty, my enemy are around me.

I wish I had power. I wish my tiny drop of Fey blood contained magic – I wish I were magic, wish I were Fey. I try hard to be, for a moment I close my eyes but when they reopen – nothing.

Kai is still walking to his death. My father still stands above. And here I am, powerless to stop any of it.

Below me, Kai tightens the guards of his forearms. He flexes his fingers, wrapping both hands around the hilts of his knives. “I trust these count as one weapon,” Kai announces, looking at Maeve.

He stands in the center of the pit, dirt sloping up on either side. Above him lilts the court, wraiths which hiss in the darkness. Some appear humanoid, these are the Unseelie Lords and Ladies. Noble Fey, like Kai. There are many others are present who are not. Banshees and goblins, ghouls and nightmares come alive from the dark.

These screech their insults, throwing closer, knocking into one another in the process. Occasionally fights break out, when one steps on the foot or knocks the elbow of the wrong person. I ignore all this, splitting my time between looking at Kai and my father.

Maeve clears her throat. That’s the only warning before she stands before me. One second I’m alone, then she’s there. Maeve walks before Kyungsoo, tilting her head to the side. “Sehun,” she rings out, voice sweet. “Will you bring our honored guest down here?”

Sehun lifts my father, dragging him up to lead away. My dad allows this happen, walking calmly until I can see no more of him. Maeve turns to the crowd, waving two chairs into being. “For the guest of honor,” she smiles, waving me forward.

I grunt when her magic takes hold. Ropes bind my body, yanking me forward and depositing me into the chair, legs forced to a sitting position as I’m deposited against on velvet. I arch against this, pushing forward but it’s no use. The invisible ropes tighten, and when I open my mouth to speak – I find I cannot.

“Dear,” Maeve leans forward, voice quiet. “I want you to watch this. Want you to see what happens when my subjects disobey. I don’t know why you came,” she murmurs, gaze blank, “but if you insist on staying – you will learn the consequences of your actions.”

Maeve then withdraws, lacing both hands over her pants. Her eyes glint ice-cold, bright in the room. “Bind him with her,” she instructs Sehun, who has appeared on Maeve’s other side.

My father is tied unceremoniously beside me, head hitting the headrest several times during the process. When he meets my gaze, my dad shakes his head. His eyes are pleading and when he opens his mouth to speak – Maeve clears her throat.  

“Guard the pit,” she instructs both Kyungsoo and Sehun.

They nod, leaving immediately. Maeve continues to stand there as I stare at the back of her neck, pale and graceful. It hurts, physically hurts that I’m bound. That I’m so close, that she’s so unaware. Maeve would never suspect me of harm, a fact which makes my hands curl to fists on either side of my chair.

“Don’t,” my father whispers, so soft I think I’ve imagined it.

Hesitantly, my gaze drifts sideways. I try and speak, only to remember I cannot. Moisture gathers at the corners of my eyes, while my dad smiles faintly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. Maeve is either too distracted to notice, or she doesn’t care.

I’m grateful for this fact. Grateful, that Sehun forgot to gag my dad. My gaze moves over my his shoulder, staring at Sehun who descends the steps of the pit. He doesn’t look back, turning to take his spot at the entrance of the ring.

I return to my father, gaze misting with tears. I want to tell him I’m sorry, say that it’s my fault. I thought I knew better than him, thought I could survive here – I was woefully mistaken. Because of my arrogance, look where we’ve ended up.

My father shakes his head. “No,” he whispers, hair falling into his eyes. “It was my fault. I heard what happened, know why you’re here. Only you,” he chuckles, which turns into a cough, “could leave home a prisoner and find him.”

My eyes lighten. My dad knows, he understands. I want to cry, want to hug him – have never wanted anything so badly in my entire life. I want to say that I’m sorry, but can’t speak. My mouth bound by invisible chains.

My dad blinks, his smile tilting. “I love you, too,” he whispers. “I’m proud of you. No matter what happens, know that.”

I shake my head, telling him the same. I love him, too.

Below us, things are continuing. Time hasn’t stopped during the exchange, it’s only sped up and when I look down, I see the Unseelie have quieted. Kai stands at the center, looking up at the crowd. He stares first at Maeve, then at me.

The arena quiets. Kai says nothing, but what more can he say? I know he loves me. He knows I love him. He will fight for me, just as I fight for him. I look down knowing all this, stemming my threatening tears. I quiet my fear, since above all else – I believe in us.

Kai nods, a faint smile on his lips as he turns away.

“Fey of the Court,” Maeve cries. She inhales, as though breathing in the night itself. “I give you – the gauntlet.”

Nothing happens.

Nothing I can see anyways, though a certain shudder touches the air. Ancient magic called into effect as the sand at the far end crumbles. Two trap doors open, maws in the earth and when I see what’s within, my eyes widen.

A shadow-beast. One like the two  Kai fought in the woods and though I’m afraid for him, I’m also happy. I’ve seen Kai win before. He was exhausted that first time, he was injured – but he’s fought these beasts and won. Kai can do this again and for the first time in a long time, hope enters my thoughts.

But no – I’m mistaken. It’s not one shadow-beast, not two – but three, hulking monsters. Their shoulders butt one another, their deep eyes red and gleaming. Kai stiffens before me, then sinks into a crouch. The din is nauseating. No one seems worried, merely eager. Eager for Kai to fail, for the position beside the Queen to open.

I sink into my seat, unable to stem my growing terror. Kai will win, he must.

The first thing leaps upwards. It’s an unfortunate blessing the pit is so small, it means all three can’t enter at the same time. Were Kai fighting three shadow-beasts at once – I shudder at the thought.

Kai steps lightly, bouncing on his feet before breaking into a run. His expression turns feral, eyes gleaming as he bursts forward. Kai, tired? Never. His body blurs, moving so fast I can’t see. One second he’s there, the next he’s not. He slices past the demons and whirls, unnaturally fast on his feet. One of Kai’s knives finds home, swiping across the thing’s chin to spill blood on the ground.

The beast yowls, recoiling as the second one leaps into the pit. Kai darts between them both, calmly avoiding their pairs of claws. The cuts he makes are purposeful, mechanical and I begin to see why the Unseelie fear him. War is an equation for Kai, a mathematical cutting of sinew and muscle, forcing the second beast’s legs to contract.

When the first creature lurches upwards, jaws snapping where Kai once was, he bends backwards. The thing’s talons narrowly miss his throat and Kai lands on his back. He flips up, stabbing the creature straight in the heart. The shadow-beast howls, writhing – vacillating, before folding in on itself.

The third beast breaks free. Kai stands panting, breath heavy as I pull against my invisible bonds. I want to help – need to do so, despite having no means of action. The second beast drips blood and gore, stumbling as the third shoves it aside. The last beast is much bigger than the first. It’s slower, though – even tired, Kai is faster.

Using the wounded beast as leverage, Kai runs. He stakes the third animal with his knife, using it to propel himself up and onto its back. Or as close to a back as I can make out, while Kai stabs the second knife into its neck. The weapon lodges there, stuck in bone while the thing lets out an inhuman cry. It stumbles sideways, attempting to buck Kai off.

Kai’s grip remains steady, even while he’s rammed against the sides of the pit. People scurry away from the edge, yelping as blood speckles the crowd. Kai stays upright, struggling to work the knife free. He’s too concentrated on this, doesn’t see the second beast lunge, doesn’t noticing the giant claws nearing his head.

He notices at the last second, ducking sideways and launching himself from the beast. Kai’s second knife remains in the thing’s neck, though he keeps his first tight in his fist. Kai’s body regains control on the way down, flipping once to stab directly into the beast’s eye. He thrusts his knife inward, forcing the animal’s skull back. There’s no noise which signals his victory. Were I closer, maybe I’d hear a choked sort of sputtering, before the second beast caves backwards. It folds in on itself, until just Kai’s knife is left in the sand.

Kai pushes himself up, slower than before. There’s no time for him to rest. The third beast is already running, driven mad by the blade lodged in its back. Kai dodges its first blow, rolling in a blood-soaked arena to crouch at the edge of the sand. The beast turns, letting out a snarl while rushing forward.

Kai pants. He’s exhausted, outnumbered, without his weapons.

Maeve’s lip curls. I don’t understand why, until I see her hands lift in the air. Sudden anger flares within me, as I realize she won’t let Kai die. No, if the third beast proves too much for him – Maeve will intervene. She’ll save Kai, so that she can punish him herself.

Maeve tilts her head, frowning when my gaze returns to the scene.

Kai remains unmoving. He stays crouched in the sand, fingertips splayed and gaze terse. He waits patiently, staring as the beast lumbers closer. One second, the animal is three paces from him. Two seconds, little more than one. One, and Kai launches himself upwards. He grabs hold of a sharpened talon, wrenching himself sideways, using his strength to pull the object straight from its paw.

The beast lets out a yowl. A savage shriek felt in my bones. The thing’s back crashes to the pit, and Kai uses this opportunity to run where the second shadow-beast died. His knife still stands, abandoned in a pile of sand and he scoops this up, turning around at the last second.

The third beast appears enraged, its vendetta now personal and when it moves, it seems uninjured. I’m trembling – I realize this because my dad says something. I think he tries to reach out but, while Sehun forgot to gag him, his ropes are binding.

There are sudden jeers from the crowd. My gaze returns to the arena, and I take in the sight of Kai bleeding. He limps, struggling to regain himself – the monster also bleeds, though. One of Kai’s knives still embedded in its neck, the other in its chest. By some miracle, both blades have narrowly missed organs. It seems impossible – it should be impossible – but then I see Maeve’s hands.

She twitches, the slight motion turning my gaze crimson. Maeve is doing this. She’s making Kai miss, sensing he’s better than these beasts. Sensing he will win, an outcome she’s keen to avoid. Maeve wants to punish Kai, wants me hurt and so she’s cheating.

I don’t know whether Kai realizes – from the rage on his face, I think he might. He turns aside, weaponless and exhausted. As he moves, though – something extraordinary happens. Kai pauses, then meets Maeve’s gaze as though remembering. While he looks, a soft glow emanates from his fingertips. It wraps his torso, a cocoon of light making the Unseelie instinctively shy away.

I realize why when the glamour fades. Kai appears freshly scrubbed – hair still silver, but less so. He smiles at Maeve, the gesture savage and when I see her fury, I realize what he’s done. Summer magic. He used Summer magic, since Maeve only banned that from Prince Kai. She said nothing of Jongin.

Maeve hisses, thrown by his deception and when Kai turns to face his monster, he does not miss.

The shadow-beast seems stunned, Seelie magic a direct affront on its being. It wavers, hesitating while Kai scrambles up onto its back. Kai grabs the hilt of his knife with both hands, yanking sideways – decapitating the beast entirely. Silver slices through flesh and bone, carving a line down the side of his body. The beast wavers, making keening noise as it slowly caves in.

Kai lands on his feet, light in the sand.

He stands like that, chest rising and falling against his ribcage. His hair obscures his gaze, making it hard for me to see. Hard for me to hear, over the roar of the crowd. It’s too loud, my heart too insistent. 

Maeve’s gaze darkens. Her hands are bone-white, clasped before her. When she raises them to Kai, it takes several moments for the court to fall silent. Thousands of eyes turn her way and Maeve does not move, merely cocking her head. She stands in front of the pit, observing Prince Kai.

At last he looks up. When I see him, exhausted but whole – my vision blurs. To one side, my father exhales – whether it’s in relief or because he truly understands, I do not know.

Maeve smiles. “The gauntlet is not over,” she declares. “There will be one more fight, before our Prince is declared winner. Kyungsoo,” she looks to the side. “Fight Prince Kai – do not hold back. Jongin,” she adds, eyes glinting with malice. “You will not use magic of any kind, under any name.”

“Begin.”

[Master List] 

[victorluvsalice]

Forgotten Vows Friday: Forgetting You Chapter 5 -- Director’s Cut Edition

NOBODY PANIC I’M NOT ABANDONING EVERYTHING TO GO ON A WILD EDITING SPREE AGAIN. This is simply the addition of a single scene to Chapter 5 of “Forgetting You.” So why am I going back and sticking new scenes into an old story again?

Well, you can blame my new fan/buddy MartyrFan, an Iced Tea (Alice/Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians) fan who recently got into my Valice stuff and started binge-reading a lot of the Forgotten Vows Verse. He recently wrote a slew of reviews for “Forgetting You,” and one of them contained this quote:

It's a little late for me to be asking about this, but what about Hysteria? Alice uses it for the first time after the first memory of the fire. I think that being to do THAT was definitely worth writing about, no offense. 

Seeing that made me remember something -- I actually HAD written a scene showing off Alice’s first use of Hysteria, which also introduced the “burning Liddell doors” memories (aka the plot-important memories you have to see to progress). For some reason I don’t remember, though, I never put it in the finished product. With MartyrFan asking about, and me knowing that it was probably WAS a little weird that Hysteria and mentions of it appeared later in the fic as normal, I figured it was worth going back, rewriting the scene up to my current standards, and slapping it in Chapter 5. It comes between Alice collecting the Victor memory and Alice finding the Hatter (as Alice gets the tutorial on Hysteria right before she meets up with him again). I’ve touched nothing else save the first couple of lines of the “meeting the Hatter” scene to help it merge in a little better.

Chapter 5 on FF.net

Chapter 5 on AO3

Chapter 5 on my website (formatting went funny there though, and I still haven’t managed to change my theme)

One of the things Alice hated about the human brain, and her brain in particular, was its tendency to associate certain innocent objects and events with rather less-pleasant ones. White sheets with her bed in Rutledge, for example. Old keys with Bumby's hypnosis sessions. Red-and-white stripes with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.

Or, like at the current moment, the front door of her house with her first fight with the Jabberwock. She glared at the portal before her – familiar white wood tarnished with gray ash, flames leaping behind the decorative iron flowers in the window, LIDDELL written in charred letters across the top. What it was doing here, set into a pile of old junk cogs and springs in the depths of the Lost and Found, she couldn't say. But it was there nonetheless – and, annoyingly, appeared to be the only way forward in this maze of clockwork and steam. "Come on, Alice," she scolded herself. "You mustn't dillydally. You saw the Jabberwock's skeleton blow away on the breeze. He's not a threat anymore. And this – it's just a door. It can't hurt you."

Her right hand ached from a long-healed wound, reminding her that yes, when the door was on fire and the knob blazing hot, it could hurt you, and very well. She sighed. "I'm wearing gloves this time – well, most of a glove," she corrected herself, wiggling her bare fingers. "And there's metaessence galore in all those boxes and barrels scattered about. I can heal myself in moments. We've barely started our journey – there's no point in stopping now."

Evil yellow eyes, thick sharp claws, a boiling furnace that poured out streams of flaming death – Alice shook the image away. "He's gone. I can't spend my life afraid of something I've already defeated." She squared her shoulders. "And if anything like him lurks behind that door, it'll have to face my Blade and my Grinder, and fall like all the rest." As encouraged as she could possibly get under the circumstances, she stepped forward and grabbed the knob, twisting it quickly and wrenching it open to reveal –

The library.

Alice stared as she stepped inside. The room was just as she remembered it, back in happier times. Shelves on almost every wall, filled practically to bursting with books old and new. Papa's photography equipment, lovingly spread out over a nearby table, filling the air with a chemical stench. Toys scattered across floor and chairs (including a jack-in-the-box – that explained a lot about where the Jackbomb had come from). The family portrait at the head of the room, showing all four Liddells in their Sunday best. And beneath that – the fireplace, blazing away to chase off the early November chill. Alice swallowed as she took it all in, only too aware of how little effort it would take to turn pleasing heat into a raging inferno. A single malignant spark, as her mother had said. . . . "Our lovely library was a fire trap. A conflagration waiting to happen!"

. . .Which I already knew, so why on earth are we belaboring the point?

Alice put her hands on her hips, letting out a frustrated growl as the memory faded back into darkness, leaving only the flame-licked door behind her. Wonderland was playing games, and she didn’t like it. Why dress up such a simple reminder so? She'd just had a memory from Mama about how dangerous her father's "unnatural devotion to printed paper" was to them. Granted, Lorina's tone had been more jocular, equally a playful complaint about her husband's hoarding habits and a hidden warning to be careful when in the room, but still. It had delivered the same message. What had been so special about this brief image that it warranted further dressing up from the little crystal house? Was there a clue she was supposed to have seen – a little thing out of place that hinted at the true cause of the fire? But everything had seemed in order. . . . If you want me to get to the bottom of things, Wonderland, you have to give me more than that!

Well, at least she hadn't had to shed any blood in her family home this time around. She turned and opened the door again. More heaps of rusty junk greeted her eyes – but they were different heaps this time, at least. Apparently she'd been taken just that bit closer to the Hatter. Which is the absolute least Wonderland can do to help – oh damn!

She burst into butterflies, just barely avoiding the steaming, oozing hand. The Insidious Ruin flapped its china jaw and waddled after her. Alice turned and sliced it to ribbons with the Blade, but more were already forming, thick black puddles rising up through the junk. . .she darted around the trash piles, trying to keep track of them all without taking a hit. Two – three – four – five – “Ah!”

She stumbled, pinwheeling her arms wildly as she teetered at the edge of a sudden drop. The Ruins (two more, seven now, she'd never faced so many at once) took advantage of her distress and charged. Alice butterflied out of the way again, but a straggler managed to sear her side as she reformed. She went to slash its hand off, only to be knocked off-balance by one of its friends scorching her back. And then another rammed into her, sending her to hands and knees. . .she butterflied once more, looking for free space, but they just followed, an inescapable black wall of pain. . .she got her feet, but another hand came out and she was stumbling backward again, terrifyingly close to the edge. . .a leap took her over them, but they turned with distressing speed. . .one tore at her hair, another grabbed her arm, and she couldn't get to one without opening herself up to another. . .it hurt, it hurt, it all hurt so much. . .so much pain, so much fear, so much – so much –

So much anger. Her jaw clenched as the Ruins kept up their attack, chipping away at her life bit by bit. She could have returned to the Home by now. She could have just gotten the stupid pills and been back in time for lunch. She could have found a book to read, or told another story to the children, or gone for a walk with Victor. She could have even been doing more chores like a normal person. But no, Wonderland couldn't let her have that, could it? It had to drag her away from reality and torture her with happy memories gone sour and never give her a straight answer to any of her questions and try to bloody goddamn KILL HER EVERY TIME SHE TRIED TO PROGRESS – Her entire body throbbed with pain, and it was too much, too much, too MUCH –

The scream exploded out of her throat, a shockwave of sound that sent the Ruins flying back. Moments later, her Blade was in her hand, and she was slicing and dicing with a fervor she hadn't felt since the last time she'd been hit with a Ragebox. "How fine you look when dressed in rage," Cheshire purred across her memory, and she did, she was a goddess of destruction in black and white and red and the Ruins were screaming, doll heads tumbling into the abyss, pipes and pulleys crashing to the ground, and it was all glorious she could do this forever kill and kill and KILL –

And then, suddenly, brown and gray and brass were back in her vision, and she had no idea how she was even staying upright.

She braced herself against a junk heap, looking around. Not a Ruin to be seen, but a whole field of metaessence roses, glittering in the dim light leaking through the ceiling. Alice collected the nearest, shaking as it broke apart into red mist and soothed her pain. She was glad that the threat was gone, but – how was she capable of such intense fury? Had some somehow managed to internalize that horrible sprayed poison from the boxes? Or was that rage just an essential part of her being? I know I can be moody, and snappish, and just plain mean, but. . .oh God, I hope I haven't hurt anyone in reality. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. Probably just proved all those doctors who liked to call me "hysterical" right. . .actually, thinking about it, "Hysteria" wouldn't be a bad name for that. . . .

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. It's over with now, she thought as she circled around the battlefield, touching each rose in turn to regain her strength. And to be fair, it got me out of a very bad situation just now. Hopefully it only triggers when I'm that near death. And, doubly hopefully, only here in Wonderland. Otherwise. . . .

She didn't want to finish that thought. She picked up the last rose and brushed off her skirts. "Over and done with," she repeated. "And I don't think Wonderland would keep me if I'd actually killed someone. Just have to keep a close leash on it." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Come on. You'll feel better when you find Hatter." I hope.