#punching jumping groveling

[modulett]

My weakness... colors and backgrounds...

no

drawing in general

But at least I've finished it (I gave up)

[cocoreallylovesraiden]

Bi Han living with reader hcs

(bullet points and blurbs) THIS WAS FOR AN INBOX ASK BUT I DELETED IT NOOO SHAWTY IM SO SORRY!!! I HOPE DIVINE INTERVENTION SENDS YOU THIS POST TELEPATHICALLY UR A STAR!

-Unless it’s for marriage, you would only move in with him if it was a matter of your safety. 

-Otherwise he would just trust you to manage on your own since if you can handle him you can handle anything in the world 

-Let’s say during a moment of conflict where a large percentage of earthrealm was a risk, he would ask (more like order) you to stay with him with the Lin Kuei. 

-Going to his quarters is like walking into an expensive furniture store and being afraid to get your commoner hands on anything at all. 

-You are left to settle your meagre belongings yourself, with strict instructions not to wander into the training compounds without a guide (read: himself), and though there were the usual lin kuei members patrolling about, you still felt incredibly isolated. 

-But the feeling goes from loneliness to an almost childlike wonder. It eventually leads to you taking a museum tour around the place like DAMN! This is what rich people's shampoo looks like! It’s… not very used… which is a little gross. 

-He comes back from his duties and is surprised when you greet him! Not in a cute way, in the way that you have to dodge tree trunk arms being swung at you like baseball bats. 

-The time you spend together is very mundane. Any energy he has is used on the Lin Kuei, which is understandable and honestly preferable because you get to be around a SLIGHTLY less high-strung bi han

-That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the energy to be insufferably tungsten-like when it came to nighttime

It seemed as though he had long settled his belongings into the intricate bedside drawer. He had yet to answer your question, leaving you to wonder if it had been in bad taste. You nervously tilt your head, trying to get a better view of him. You see Bi Han’s broad back, blocking the blue moonlight in a way reminiscent of Batman standing above Gotham skylines. The thought makes you snicker, a sound that’s soft in theory but almost echoes in the deathly quiet room. It makes his tense shoulders jump to his ears, and you can see his dark eyes dart to the very corners as if trying to get a glimpse of you without physically turning around. He stays perfectly still, like if he just didn’t breathe he could melt into the fabric of the bedsheets. 

The realisation dawns upon you like a humouring punch to the gut. Was he nervous? The big, bad grandmaster of Lin Kuei, nervous to have his partner in his bed? You have to throw yourself to face the other way, hand covering your mouth like it was a hostage situation. Unfortunately, a few stray cackles manage to escape you and this time you hear Bi Han scoff out a ‘is there something funny?’ 

It’s uncharacteristically strained, like a defensive child having to explain their search history. My god, he was really thrown off-kilter by you! The unintentional ego boost goes straight to your head as you readjust yourself, using your elbow to prop yourself up in a position you could only hope came off as comedically seductive. The face you met with is priceless, a mixture of second-hand embarrassment and horror etched onto his sharp features. 

You let out a laugh that sounds more like a chicken squawking, one that’s unfortunately interrupted by a rock-hard grain pillow being hurled at your head. It lands perfectly, because Bi Han only ever does things perfectly, and the speed that you slump onto the bed has him wondering if he accidentally murdered the one person who tolerated him non-professionally. 

He barks out your name, and groans when he hears you laughing from under your potential murder weapon. It’s not as amusing to him as it is for you, seeing as by the time you’ve freed yourself he’s turned his back to you with the air of an unforgiving housewife. No matter how much you grovel and paw at his head and back he refuses to say anything, but you know he’s awake because he flinches whenever you poke his sides. 

Bi Han huffs like a guard dog when you stop pestering him (because common misconception, you did need to sleep as well) and right as you're drifting off to sleep you feel the bed shift, and the pleasant coolness of his body temperature a little closer. 

-He wakes up early in the mornings and I personally do not think this guy eats breakfast but he definitely drinks tea

-He wakes up early in the mornings and I personally do not think this guy eats breakfast but he definitely drinks tea

-You two can share the wonderful joy of standing shoulder to shoulder making your respective morning drinks and judging each other for it

-Bi Han have you considered that you are a cranky bat because you don’t have coffee in the morning 

-Haha. You are so Funny. Have you considered the fact that you are stuck in the bathroom for an hour in the morning because of it.

-Too far Bi han too far

-During his daily duties, like while he watches his little foot goons do their drills he sometimes spaces out and wonders what you are doing back in his quarters. 

-If he sees you walking around the compound, god forbid trying to get your 10k steps in he has to do a triple take, then storms towards you with the intention of an air strike. 

When he sees your familiar mop of head peek through the intricate pillars of the Lin Kuei compound, it’s like an alarm goes off in his head. Thankfully he had been alone, travelling from supervising two training grounds; so he has time to get to you personally. The way your face lights up almost qualms the lecture brewing in his mind, but then he remembers what happened the last time you were left alone with a room of his men (the lin kuei had never been so close to unionising. God fears the scorn of a charismatic woman.) 

“What did I tell you about leaving alone without a guide? I cannot have you wandering aimlessly like a lost child.” It’s a tirade that he’s gone through countless times, and it’s more of a custom than meaning any of the words. You also seem to know, with how you barely raise an eyebrow at his stern words. A cheeky smile carves your cheeks as you stick out an elbow, and even as he continues his rant he subconsciously goes to link your arms together. 

“I have a guide, do I not? And a very handsome one.” You sound collected and suave, but even he can see the way you high-five yourself for thinking of that pick-up line. He wants to frown, but the dopamine he gets from the flattery has him frowning happily, trying to bite back a snort.

-Hes not kicking his feet giggling when he sees you after a day of work… but hes not NOT twirling his hair and shuffling in place

-Gets mad when you don’t run up to him the moment he goes through the door

-Ok diva

[zepskies]

Lost on You - Part 11

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x F. Supe!Reader

Summary: 1983 is a big year for you. You’re finally chosen to join the ranks of Payback, led by the most (in)famous supe in the world: Soldier Boy. He’ll never admit that he’s trying his damndest to figure you out. You’ll never admit that he’s actually growing on you. But the problem with this game is deciding who’s the predator, and who is prey.

AN: In this episode, we're in for a team up, Greek mythology, and possibly the biggest reveal yet…

Word Count: 3.2K

Tags/Warnings: Angst, mentions of abuse/torture, PTSD, violence, and another cliffhanger (sorry).

🎵 YouTube Playlist || Spotify Playlist

🎙️ Series Masterlist

Part 11: Heroes and Monsters

The only thing the TNT Twins ever bought with their money was a lavish mansion in Vermont. It was high on a hill, flanked by forest, and therefore perfectly secluded when Ben and Donna broke through the oak wood doors of their house.

“Hey, kids,” said Ben. He strolled into the living room with a smooth, purposeful gait.

The twins jumped with a start on the couch. A loud and crass action movie was playing on the screen.

“Ben,” Tessa gasped.

“Donna?!” Tommy said, pointing from Donna to Ben. “What…what’re you guys…how did you get…”

“Ooh, is that Pulp Fiction? I wanted to see that one,” Donna remarked. Her brows furrowed. “But wait, it’s still in theaters. How’d you get a VHS?”

“Oh, um, Tarantino gave me a copy as a favor, so we wouldn’t have to sit in the theater with all the mouth breathers,” Tessa said, with a wrinkle of her nose.

Tommy’s face slid into a smirk. He raised a conspiratorial hand to his mouth and pointed at his sister.

“She sucked his dick.”

That tidbit of information was accompanied by a lewd hand motion, and gagging sounds. Tessa angrily punched her brother in the shoulder.

Ben raised a brow. He made slow steps forward with an edge of menace. The twins caught on and stood up straighter, but somehow looked even more like cowards as they immediately started groveling.

“We’re so, so sorry, Ben,” Tessa tried.

“It wasn’t our idea,” Tommy added. The twins backed up near the glass doors, Tommy nearly tripping on the Persian rug.

“Of course it wasn’t,” said Ben. “You idiots barely have two brain cells to rub together.”

“Please don’t kill us,” Tessa pleaded. “Or at least, not me. I didn’t really do anything—”

“You bitch!” Tommy said incredulously.

“Shut the fuck up!” Ben snapped. “Here’s what’s gonna happen.”

He was stopped short by a rigorous shootout on the screen as the movie played. The sound of it was like a machine gun, bullets spraying over and over. It made his breath hitch. His eyes began to glaze over as a memory overtook his vision. Of being strapped to that metal slab, and Eisenstein and his team trying to find out what could actually hurt him, on the inside.

Ben’s chest grew impossibly hot. Distantly he heard voices calling his name.

Before he even realized what he was doing, the smell of burning filled the air, and that terrible, nuclear power escaped from his chest.

When he came to, he blinked the gaudy living room back into frame. Except now, it was burnt to a crisp. There was a large gaping hole where the French doors and most of the wall used to be, leading to a sunny day.

The TNT Twins were gone.

Shaking the fog and blackness from his mind, he turned and only saw Donna. She’d been cowering behind a piano. Slowly she came out of her hiding place with wide, horrified eyes.

“What the fuck did they do to you?” she whispered.

Instead of answering her, Ben strode out of the ruins and grabbed her arm, hefted her to her feet, and took her back to the car. She slid into the driver’s seat and started the car with shaking hands. He settled in the passenger seat and got out the cell phone he'd stashed in the dashboard compartment.

“Yeah?”

“Arthur, it’s me,” Ben said.

“How’d it go with the TNT Twins?”

“They can’t help.”

“What? Why’s that?”

“Because they’re fucking charcoal, that’s why,” Ben snapped. There was a pause on the other line.

“Okaaay,” Arthur said. “Well, I’m still working on some leads on Sirena. In the meantime, I found Gunpowder. He had a little unfortunate incident at a gun show in Texas, so he’s on some mandated R&R.”

Ben blew out a frustrated breath, but he nodded. “Where?”

“Kempton, Pennsylvania.”

Ben and Donna arrived at the Hawk Mt. Shooting Range. There were several steps up to the main building, then even more forest behind as it surrounded the base of a mountain.

“There’s literally a Hawk Mountain Sanctuary not even an hour from here. It’s like going to Sea World to hunt Shamu,” Donna groused.

“Would you shut the fuck up already?” he said. “I don’t want to hear any more of your tree-hugging bullshit.”

“That’s another thing. You’re always so fucking belittling,” she said with a glare sent his way. “Does Sirena like that about you? Or is she just deaf and blind?”

Ben grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop. He raised a warning finger.

“Keep her name out of your fucking mouth,” he said darkly. “One more smartass word and I’ll sure as shit make you regret it.”

Donna’s mouth snapped shut. She was still angry, but she had the presence of mind to avert her eyes. When he was satisfied, Ben released her. They kept walking, but no matter how he tried to shut her words out, they kept filtering back into his mind.

You’re a bully. A fucking monster. And sooner or later, she won’t be able to stomach you anymore.

He managed to push that thought to the back of his mind as they entered the building. Donna either knocked out or killed the handful of staff members, while Ben continued on to the back of the shooting range.

Well then. Someone ate their fucking Wheaties.  

Gunpowder was a bit bigger since Ben last saw him. He hardly recognized his former sidekick, now a grown-ass man in his late 20s. At least he wasn’t so scrawny anymore.

And he heard the moment Ben stepped into the outdoor range. After he fired off one more birdshot, Gunpowder whipped around with a large shotgun in hand. His face fell into shock when he saw Ben.

A dead pigeon landed on the ground between them.

“Charlie,” Ben greeted, with a tilt of his head. He stalked forward. The man opposite was frozen in shock, but it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d pulled the trigger on his gun anyway.

“S-Soldier Boy—”

Ben ripped the weapon out of his hand. He closed a hand around the younger man’s throat and walked him back until he hit the fake mountain wall that framed the shooting range.

“Ben, he didn’t even know!” Donna said from behind.

Charlie shook his head in agreement. “I didn’t! I swear—”

“Oh, I know. But I bet you didn’t ask any fucking questions, did you?” Ben said.

He remembered that day with perfect clarity. He remembered how the rest of them turned on him.

Except for you.

“But you’re gonna make it up to me,” Ben said, with a grim smile.

Charlie was shocked, as if he’d expected a quick death. “H-How?”

“You’re going to help me find someone.”

“Who?”

“Sirena.” Ben’s lips twitched humorlessly at the ashen look on Charlie’s face. “You remember her, right? She’s the other teammate you guys sold out and giftwrapped for the fucking Commies.”

Ben slammed him harder against the wall, and his chest began to glow. Charlie’s face fell further into fear and horror.

“Ben!” Donna warned. She didn’t dare touch him, but Ben could feel her close by. He glanced at her over his shoulder.

“The TNT Twins were probably useless, but we need him,” she reminded him. “We need every body we can throw at this.”

Ben hated to admit it (so he wouldn’t), but she had a point. It took him a minute to wrangle in his ire, taking deep breaths to try and calm the power inside him. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

This time, it actually worked.

His hand fell back to his side, letting Charlie breathe freely.

“Let’s go.” Ben turned on his heel and headed out.

“Where, uh…where’re we going?” Charlie asked, rubbing his sore neck.

“Looks like we’re getting the team back together,” Ben said grimly.

He tilted his head.

“Well. What’s left of it.”

Two weeks seemed to be an eternity in this cell. Somehow it was even more dull than when you were in Siberia. At the very least, the torture broke up the day.

Vogelbaum had taken a few vials of your blood to analyze, but otherwise, you were left alone.

Your only companion was John, who you discovered was just a ten-year-old kid. He was occupying one of the untold number of cells in this lab. You couldn’t pinpoint exactly where he was, but he felt close by.

You two had been having daily conversations. He told you that he’d grown up on this compound, in the very room they held him in. He didn’t remember his parents, if he had any. He only remembered Dr. Vogelbaum, some guy named Marty, and a few others in the facility.

All of them had run experiments of their own on him. It had broken your heart to hear it from a child.

They’ve burned me a lot, he admitted once, with a sniffle. It never leaves a mark, but…it hurts.

I know, bud. I’ve been burned before, you said, disheartened for him. They wanted to find out how strong you are, huh?

Yeah, I guess. What about you?

Not very, is the answer. I’m more durable than the average human, and I heal a little faster, but…not that strong. My powers don’t really help me as much physically.

What’re your powers?

Well…I’m a siren.

You sensed his confusion. He didn’t know what that was, though he maybe didn’t want to admit it.

Have you ever seen adventure movies? You know, the ones about pirates and buried treasure? you asked.

Um, I’ve seen movies, but Vogelbaum called them documentaries.

What were they about?

Pioneers in the Wild West. The old South. How we conquered the Indians, and why America’s the best country in the world. Stuff like that.

You grimaced. So that wasthe kind of education he was getting in this place.

Okay, a lot to unpack there later, you said. But anyway, you read books, right?

Yeah. They give me a lot of books.

That, you could work with.

Okay, have you ever read The Odyssey? Greek mythology.

Y-Yeah. I remember Odysseus. He’s a hero.

Right, exactly. Well, one of the creatures he comes across on his journey are the sirens. In the story, they live on an island. They’re beautiful women, with beautiful voices. They lure sailors in with their songs and their magic, and the men fall under their spell, every time. They end up wrecking their ships and falling to their deaths.

So…the sirens are monsters.

Yeah, they are, you agreed. Your shoulders deflated with your deep sigh.

I can…compel people. If I touch them, I can make them do whatever I want. Especially men. I know when they’re lying. I know what’s in their hearts when they look at me. And I’ve used that to my advantage. To use them.

That fell between you two for a moment. You could sense John thinking, processing.

Do you like your powers? John asked.

You smiled humorlessly.

No, you answered. You’d never admitted that to anyone before. They’re meant to manipulate people, to hurt people.

I don’t want to hurt people, John said, after a beat. But…I um. I did a couple times. You know, on accident.

I’ve known people who hurt others on purpose, because they can. Because it’s fun. You don’t sound like one of those people.  

I don’t want to be. They…want me to be a hero one day.

His voice sounded small again, and almost scared. Like he was afraid of what he could do, and possibly, what Vogelbaum and Stan Edgar and everyone else wantedhim to be.

Well, that’s good. You should never hurt someone just because you can. Or even, just because someone hurt you, you advised, even knowing you were a hypocrite.

Then, an idea formed in your mind. How many times had they burned him without leaving a single mark?

Are you strong, John? you asked him.

Yeah, he replied.

For the first time since you woke up in this nightmare of a place, your smile was genuine.

How strong?

Ben claimed the master bedroom for himself. Charlie and Donna took root on the couch, catching up and reminiscing on how their careers had shaken out after Payback was dismantled. Donna mostly complained about being a permanent fixture at Voughtland.

“At least they got you set up with something stable,” Charlie said. He passed a blunt back to Donna after a long puff. “I never know where the hell I’m gonna be, week after week. Always putting me up in some piece of shit hotel.”

“At least you don’t have to take pictures with snot-nosed kids all day,” she replied, though she eyed him with a smile. Charlie caught the look, with a smile of his own.

“You look good,” he said. “I like the haircut.”

“Oh, stop.” She absently toyed with a strand of her shoulder-length hair. She’d been dying it a deeper red lately. “You really grew into that helmet though.”

He chuckled bashfully. Said helmet was resting on the coffee table, next to the big bag of weed Ben had bought on the way to Virginia. Charlie leaned closer to her and pointed a finger toward wherever their esteemed leader had fucked off to.

“He’s smoking like a chimney, even more than he used to,” Charlie said.

“He’s self-medicating,” Donna nodded. “The Russians did a number on him.”

Part of her maybe twinged with guilt, but even now, she felt justified in her decisions. It wasn’t like she could go back and change anything. Still, if she had known that it would all end up here…

“Christ,” Charlie shook his head.

They stopped their conversation when Ben’s heavy boots thudded back into the room. It seemed that he’d finished his nap, and now ventured out in search of booze. He grabbed the whiskey bottle on the dining table and a glass from the kitchen to give himself a generous pour.

“Uh, I’m thinking we could get some food,” Charlie broached. He got up from the couch. “I don’t mind grabbing something for us.”

“Sit your ass down,” Ben said sharply. He nodded at the landline phone. It sat on an accent table next to the couch. “Order something that delivers, because no one’s going any-fucking-where.”

Charlie pressed his luck one more time. “I’ll be right back, I swear—”

Ben sent him a look of warning. It was enough to make the younger man deflate in surrender.

“Pizza it is,” he said. When Ben turned to head back to his room, Charlie couldn’t help muttering, “For the third time in a row.”

Ben heard him, of course, but he just rolled his eyes. He returned to the bedroom and cracked up the radio on the nightstand. He couldn’t stand hearing any more of Donna and Charlie bickering about what to put on the pizza or what to watch on TV. In a way, it reminded him of old times.

Fuck old times, he thought. He didn’t even much enjoy them the first go around.

He set his glass down on the nightstand and laid in bed over the covers, folding his hands over his chest. He closed his eyes, but rest wouldn’t come to him. He thought of you, and where those bastards at Vought might be keeping you. He could only imagine what they were doing to you, and by now, he had a good imagination.

His jaw clenched with anger, and he drew a hand over his face in frustration.

He felt like he’d already failed.

He’d promised you that you weren’t going back to a cell, that he wouldn’t allow it…and that he’d protect you.

Believe it or not, Ben knew what he was; or more accurately, what he wasn’t. Despite how he’d propped himself up otherwise, deep down, he knew he wasn’t a hero.

But if he could make just one honest save in his long, long life, he’d be damned if it wasn’t you.

No matter how you tried to convince him, John was reluctant to try and escape his cell. You sensed that he didn’t want to leave the facility, even after everything they’d done to him.

At the end of the day, you realized, this was the only life he knew.

Look, I know you’re scared, but we can help each other, you tried to reason with him. I have a…well, I have a boyfriend. His name is Ben. I know he’s looking for me, but I’m not sure he’ll find me here. I need to get back to him before Vought tries anything else.

John didn’t answer you. You sighed. Maybe a softer approach…

What scares you most about leaving? you asked.

I don’t know! Look, just…just leave me alone!

John, wait—

I said leave. Me. ALONE!

The force of his shouted thoughts made you wince. The connection snapped back on you like a rubber band as you lost focus, giving you a stinging headache that radiated behind your eyes. You gasped and rubbed at your temples.

You felt bad for pushing him, but you really needed his help, damn it.

Just when you were about to try and reach out to John again to apologize, and hopefully soothe him, the door of your cell opened.

Vogelbaum was back with a couple of guards armed with tasers and guns. This time, the doctor had a few more empty vials.

“Good afternoon,” he said.

You pursed your lips, but you made no moves to evade him when he came over to sit beside you on your cot. He swabbed at the inside of your arm where he intended to pierce a vein with the needle he held, followed by vials one, two, three, and four of your blood.

“What are you taking my blood for, exactly?” you demanded to know. This was the second time already. “What happens after I fulfill your objective as bait, and you try to set your little trap for Ben?”

Vogelbaum glanced up at you. “We’re not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Somehow, that still didn’t make you feel any better.

“And why is that?”

“I’m taking your blood to run additional genetic tests,” he said, for the moment ignoring your question.

“Why? What genetic tests?” you pressed.

“Well, this is something we haven’t seen before. It’s going to require a closer look, and some close monitoring of your progress.”

Despite his stoic expression, you sensed a spark of interest in him, of clinical fascination. It reminded you of Dr. Eisenstein. Immediately you were set on edge. Prickles of unease crept down your spine and made you feel cold.

“What do you mean? The Russians’ experiments didn’t do much of anything,” you lied.

“I’m not talking about that,” said Vogelbaum. He finished taking your blood, removed the needle, and cleaned you up.

“Then what?” you snapped. You were losing patience and getting even more worried.

Vogelbaum applied a small bandage where he’d pricked you with the needle, then stepped away.

“Congratulations,” he said in his usual monotone, as he pocketed the vials. “You’re pregnant.”

AN: 🫣 hides until next week lol

Next Time:

We come to Payback's Avengers: Civil War moment!

“Look, we don’t have to do this,” Charlie tried. “Just let him get Sirena out of there. After what you guys did, she doesn’t deserve that.”

Ben glanced at his former sidekick. He actually seemed sincere.

Too bad Noir wasn’t about to go for it. He had Vought’s dick so far up his ass, he wouldn’t likely take a shit without Stan Edgar’s say so. He crouched into a fighting stance and unsheathed his katana. The rest of the guards poured in to flank around him and Mindstorm.

Ben rolled a crack out of his neck.

“Fine. If it’s a war you want, it’s a war you’ll fucking get,” he said.

Noir started charging at him first, but Donna shot off a fireball in his direction.

Chaos ignited from there.

▶️ Keep Reading: PART 12

Join Patreon 🌟 || Series Masterlist

Soldier Boy Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Soldier Boy Tag List:

If you would like to follow along as I post each chapter, please follow my side blog @zepskieswrites with notifications on so you don’t miss out. 💚

@spnwoman @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @adoringanakin @rizlowwritessortof @chernayawidow

@midnightmadwoman @deans-spinster-witch @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78

@deansbbyx @sarahgracej @this-is-me19 @kazsrm67 @jacklesbrainworms

@foxyjwls007 @iamsapphine @roseblue373 @lacilou @fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like

@waynes-multiverse @my-stories-vault @syrma-sensei @alwaystiredandconfused @globetrotter28

@mrsjenniferwinchester @charmed-asylum @waywardxwords @k-slla @deanbrainrotwritings

@jackles010378 @deans-daydream @deanwinchestersgirl87 @rachiem4-blog @just-levyy

@leigh70 @kmc1989 @ghostslillady @siampie @jessjad

@beautyvaliant @mimaria420 @kaleldobrev @pieandmonsters @twinkleinadiamondsky

@stoneyggirl2 @sl33pylilbunny @spnfamily-j2 @mostlymarvelgirl @artemys-ackles

[puppietooth]

let me preface this by saying i will love and adore and cherish s3 no matter happens. however, i will say — the one thing i want to see is carmy going out of his way to get back on sydney’s good side.

i’m talking begging for forgiveness, grovelling at her feet, bending over backwards for her.

imagine:

carmy gets out of that walk-in, sees the queasy look on her face, and is already drafting that notes app apology in his head. he tells her he’s sorry and that he fucked up and she tells him they managed to pull everything off without him but she cannot with his bullshit right now.

that hits him like a punch to the gut and, well, he gets it cause it’s definitely deserved.

but as the weeks go on, carmy tries to talk to her she only responds in shrugs, nods, and yes chefs. sydney goes home straight after service, after she helps with clean up, does not linger and talk in the office with him like they did before. carmy tries joking with her and she rolls her eyes more often than not. he asks her if she wants to work on the menu with him and she says no and he gets the feeling that she doesn’t even want to be alone with him anymore.

and that’s when he realizes — fuck. she’s so mad at him.

my girl is mad at me i want to die.

so? what else is carmy supposed to do but the most?

sydney comes in one morning and tells tina she was running late so she couldn’t stop by her favourite spot to get her morning latte. carmy overhears this and takes it upon himself to run to that spot, ten blocks over, to get her that latte. and when he gets back, sweetly and breathless, he gives it to her only to find out it’s the completely wrong order. but syd smiles, just a little, says a small thanks.

during family, he casually hints at the fact that he’s seeing a therapist now — says sorry chef i have therapy saturday afternoon when marcus asks if anyone would be down to go to the farmers market with him. because he needs her to know that he’s trying to get better. for himself, yes, but also for her.

his notifications are on and his phone is never on silent anymore — carmy vows to never miss a text or a call from her ever again.

carmy starts checking in with her about everything. when the walls need to be painted again he tells her, asks sydney if she’s okay with changing the floral arrangements but the bar, lets her know he’s ordering new aprons for the line cooks, runs tweets by her before posting them to the bear’s twitter account. and it gets to the point where syd has to tell him to chill — that she appreciates him not wanting to keep her in the dark, but some things just don’t need her approval. pats him on the shoulder and tells him it’s his restaurant, too.

it might come off as a bit showy but he tells her great work today, chef sydney after every service — because she is doing great work.

when sydney’s finally moving out of her dad’s place carmy is there, bright and early, moving her boxes into his car, trying to avoid the subtle stink eye her dad is giving him. again, deserved. he drives her out to her new place, helps her set everything up and lingers when she asks him if he wants coffee.

carmy shows up for her, everytime. he sets his own priorities aside, swaps them out for hers. sydney says jump and he asks how high?

it all comes to head on her birthday. before service he goes up to her and gives her a present — a scarf, fabric pink and decorated with prints of various different flowers. it’s soft and silky and he saw it on a mannequin in a window front while he was downtown a couple of weeks ago, immediately thought of her. she tells him it’s lovely and beautiful and she’ll wear it all the time but that he really didn’t have to — that he doesn’t have to keep trying to win her over, that she isn’t mad at him anymore, that she hasn’t been mad for a few weeks now, that she can see he’s trying.

then, sydney hugs him, strong and gentle at the same time, tells him — i see you, carmy.

whatever is supposed to happen after that does not happen because fak starts yelling about an exploding toilet from the room over so sydney scoffs and says she’ll go take care of it.

and it’s at that exact moment that carmy becomes aware of what he hasn’t been aware of but that has been there, right in front of him this whole time.

holy shit.

he likes sydney.

he likes her a lot.

[princessbrunette]

Okay so I know we usually talk about how the reader doesn’t like rafe fighting and how she’s usually scared when he loses his temper like that buuuuuuuuuuuut what if one time the complete opposite happens. Rafe and her are out at some party and some guy can’t keep his eyes of her, constantly trying to get close to her to the point that she even notices and gets uncomfy. He was already on Rafe’s radar but as soon as he picks up on the fact that his princess is uncomfortable he just sees red and basically jumps this guy in the middle of the party. Rafe knows how you get when he fights and he’s expecting to have make it up to you in more ways than one but when you get home and he’s still bloody and dishevelled you basically pounce on him as soon as you’re through the door, completely throwing him off guard. And you’re just kissing him and moaning about how much you like watching him protect you and he’s just got the biggest smirk like “yeah baby, you like watching daddy do that?” and you just grab his hand and bring it under your skirt, letting him feel how wet your panties are, just looking up at him with big doe eyes. He’d be trying not to bust then and there🥰💕💖💘

my tail started wagging

┄꯭─┄──ׂ┄꯭♡︎─ׅ┄─ׂ┄꯭──ׅ┄

just rafe approaching the guy, confidently spinning his smaller body around by his shoulders and patting his chest. “y’talking to my girl?” he squints, malicious smile playing at his mouth.

the boy smirks, knowing he’s been caught but trying to play it off anyway. rafes already made up his mind. “nah bro, s’not like th—”

his words at cut off by the beer bottle in the cameron’s hand colliding with the guys head, smashing into pieces as he falls. gasps fill the room as rafe ever so nonchalantly scratches his chin, climbing over the boys body to hover over him, clutching his shirt as he splutters. “oh so you’re gonna lie to my face, okay—” he pummels his fist into the boys jaw.

“no i—”

“i really don’t care what you have to say.” he gets in another punch before topper and kelce haul your boyfriend up by the arms, pulling him back. rafe shoves them off, dusting his hands down his jacket. “i’m good! i’m good.” he breathes, shaking himself off, blood splattered on his cheek, looking round at everyone’s shocked gaze. “shows over, alright?” he swivels his head, looking for you before he spots you by the door, twiddling with your hair unsurely, big wide doe eyes fixed on him.

shit, he was in for some grovelling.

“hey lets uh— let’s get out of here okay? let’s go.” he makes an effort to be extra gentle as he guides you by the lower back out and away from the party. he waits for the tears on the drive home, but they don’t come. infact, he’s avoiding your gaze in the car— white knuckles gripping the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. he feels you looking at him, and he’s trying not to imagine the look of fear or disgust.

“y-you know i did what i had to do— if you don’t show these guys who’s in charge they just — they think you’re a bitch— think they can just come and take what they want n’i’m not gonna let them do th—”

“rafe it’s okay.” your voice is soft as velvet, cutting him off completely. something must be up, you must be mad or something. he stays silent in thought for the rest of the drive.

he steps through the front door to your empty house, closing the door softly and he looks a little lost, like he doesn’t know what to do with himself. luckily, you make a move, wrapping your arm around his neck bringing him in for a kiss.

he doesn’t expect it, and certainly doesn’t expect the way your tongue languidly rolls over his, a quiet moan falling into his mouth. “need you…” you whisper against his mouth and he pulls back, his hands hovering either side of you.

“woah woah— w-wait a minute. what’s going on?” he breathes and you blink up at him, doe eyed and guilty.

“love when you protect me, daddy…” you mewl, shyly and slightly ashamed. his eyes are still wide and bordering on horrified.

“uh— since when?”

“since now…” you gently take his wrist, guiding his hand up your skirt, your own fingers on your free hand peeling your panties aside to push his through your soaked folds. your lashes flutter at his touch, lips parted.

“me beating that guys ass really did it for you, huh?” he drawls, finally catching on as he stares down his nose at you.

“mhm!”

he spins the two of you around so that he’s pressing you to the door, rubbing his fingers through your mess. “s’kinda filthy, don’t you think baby? i mean i was just doin’ my job as your boyfriend…n’you’re here gettin’ off on that shit?”

“i know.” your voice comes out a whisper, shaking and embarrassed. he pecks at your jaw, nearly your mouth but not giving you what you want.

“yeah… just need daddy to protect you, that right? so fucking weak.”

┄꯭─┄──ׂ┄꯭♡︎─ׅ┄─ׂ┄꯭──ׅ┄

[nekohime19]

Heart behind the lie # 10 : just for a day

Wukong POV!! He wakes up

Being possessed by someone was something Sun Wukong wanted to forget. The feeling of being violated by another spirit, of sensing something digging his way through his flesh was maddening. Feeling each of his veins being filled, each drop of his blood being frozen, each of his breath being taken away was terrifying. 

His body became his prison, mind trapped behind his own eyes, his flesh moving around like a mere puppet. It was odd, in the vilest of ways, to feel each of his steps but to not be the one walking, to feel each tense of his muscle but to not be the one fighting. His body, the one thing he was supposed to control, his very own sanctuary, wasn't his for hours. 

But the worst of it, the foulest feeling of this wretched state, was to be forced to watch what the witch made him do. He watched as his fists flew towards his mentee, the person he was supposed to protect. He watched as his claws fell upon the girl, the descendant of his brother. He watched as the wraith used him, sullied him to do her bidding. 

He screamed, blood-curling screeches echoing behind his frozen pupils, trying to break free from her hold, to reconquer his body. But nothing worked, he was trapped, chained by her fingers, imprisoned in his own mind. He fighted his old friend, the one that was once his shadow, and felt his fist collide upon his flesh, breaking his bones. He felt, heard and saw as if he was the one in control, but his will, something he thought unshakable, seemed to mean nothing in the face of possession. 

He was scared. He feared that nothing could break this hold, that, soon, her wretched hand would reach beyond his flesh and control his mind. What would she do with his own hands? With his own powers? What horror would she inflict with his face? Sun Wukong was scared to lose himself entirely. 

But then, Macaque punched him, his magic imbued claws piercing the sage's face, breaking the chains holding the King. Sun Wukong didn't care about the pain, or about one of his eyes being drowned by blood, the second he felt the chains holding him loosen, he jumped forward, pulling until everything crumbled.

The poison flowing through his veins disappeared, burned away by his magic, and Sun Wukong fell on his knees, tears nipping at his eyes. Sun Wukong hated Macaque (at least a part of him did), but in this moment he could almost kiss his feet and grovel, thanking him for ending this curse. The few seconds of freedom he had were daunting, the fear of her still very present, as if she was behind him, waiting for one speck of indulgence, one speck of weakness to violate him once more. Paronai overcame all his senses, almost by instinct he built walls around his mind, a fortress made to keep her away. 

He hid behind his walls, afraid of being broken, of being crushed. But even there, curled up behind his hard, he felt unsafe. 

Days or years, he didn't know how much time he spent behind those walls. He tried to leave the fortress, to reach the world behind, but each time one claws left the safety of his walls, he cowered, trembling like a newborn. Sun Wukong never felt so ashamed of himself before. His mentee was out there, probably fighting with the witch, hell, even his supposed nemesis was facing her, whereas he was hiding here, cowering in fear. 

Guilt ate him, engulfing him each time he dared to breathe. Shame turned into hate, a seizing rage against his own weakness, all his self-worth crumbling before his incapacity, before his fear of her.

The only thing capable of soothing his shaking heart was the warmth he felt from time to time, the hands that cradled him like a well-loved newborn. Sun Wukong didn't know what was happening outside of the confines of his mind. He could feel everything his mindless body did, he felt each step as if they were his own, each pet as if he was the one petted, but he couldn't hear nor see the outside. If at first it had been uncomfortable, he could feel the floor digging into his flesh as his body laid under something akin to a bed, he soon felt someone soothing him. 

Sun Wukong knew very well the scent of plums and earth that embraced him, he knew the fingers that cradled him, the ghostly touches that soothed his cries, that groomed him so carefully. And even if he didn't want to believe it, this presence wasn't something he could deny. Macaque was there, treating him, not lovingly perhaps, but with care and patience. 

Sun Wukong knew for a fact that his warrior hated him, and for a good reason. He hated Macaque too, at least he hated what he did, he hated how things turned out. But fighting with the shadow monkey was something so imbued in him, something they did, again and again, for eons, that he didn't think anything else was possible. He didn't think their relationship could be anything else but blood and growls. 

And Sun Wukong didn't want to believe it, he waited and waited for the trick, the fall, the betrayal. He waited for the day soft, caring touches would turn into fists and bites. But it never came, as much as he waited for it, the warrior never hurted him, physically at least. 

“Hush, you're safe” was the first thing he heard in this state. Macaque's voice was so soft, a hushed whisper only meant for his ears, that Sun Wukong doubted it ever existed. “I'm here, MK is here, your troop is also here, you're safe you big baby”, the nickname was much more familiar, he could imagine how Macaque would scowl, how he would look at him with tired fondness, like he did in kinder days. The memory was so painfully clear, Sun Wukong could almost touch it. “You're safe”, and Sun Wukong crumbled down. He crawled out of his walls, lured by promises of safety and the warmth of his once friend. 

Sun Wukong woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible headache. His vision fuzzy and unfocused, he spent a few minutes lost in-between clearness and blurriness, shapes and colors passing, ephemeral. Then, after an agonizing wait, his eyes cleared, and his gaze fell upon the peaceful face of the warrior. 

Macaque was sleeping soundly, his face devoid of any frown, of any wrinkles, of any snarls, his breath coming in and out peacefully, grazing his lips like waves would graze the shores. Sun Wukong stared at him with disbelief, bewitched by a scene familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He should wake him up, he should inform of his return. But maybe he could wait until the others wake up naturally, yeah, this seemed better. Macaque looked like he needed some sleep. 

Sun Wukong didn't dare to close his eyes, gaze fixed on the warrior, spellbound by the serene slumber of the ebony monkey, by the way his arms felt around him. The sage was almost afraid that any moves, as little as it was, would shatter everything, and would push the macaque away from him. He liked the feeling of the other arms, the feeling of his fur, the feeling of his breath brushing his face. 

He pinched himself, wondering if it was a dream, but the pain was too real for that. Yes, Sun Wukong hated Macaque, he hated how the other hurted his master, how the other abandoned him under the mountain after one measly fight, how the other hurted his mentee to quell his anger. But at the same time he longed for him in a way he never did for anybody else. He longed for him more than anything else in this world, especially after believing the other was lost to death, and that he wouldn't be able to see him ever again. 

The first time he saw Macaque, after his resurrection, Sun Wukong almost fell on his knees and begged him to stay, but any hopes, any relief washed away before the other fury. Any goodness, any longing was buried under rage as they shouted, as they screamed at each other, hurling to hide how battered their own hearts were. 

Was it strange? To hate and long for someone, to drown in regret and anger at the same time? Liu'er Mihou had always been the center of his thoughts, the holder of his gaze. People called him the sun, and he had often revealed in their awe, but the only gaze that ever truly mattered was Mihou's. The boundless admiration of crowds pleased him, like a bite of well ripened peaches pleased him, but Mihou fond gaze was enough to light him on fire, to shake his very core and made him feel truly alive. He couldn't understand why people praised the sun and casted away the moon, but he felt lucky, in a very selfish way, to be the only one capable of seeing Mihou's beauty, like a well kept secret he would guard until the end of time. But Liu'er Mihou was no more, Sun Wukong killed this man with his own two hands, something that still haunted him to this day. 

The man sleeping before him wasn't Liu'er Mihou, he was Macaque. And Sun Wukong had always thought Macaque was nothing like his old friend, cruel and brash, abrasive and cowardly, missing the shine that made him so beautiful. What was he supposed to do now that he knew it wasn't true? Now that he knew the way Macaque could cradle him, the way he could stand against the witch when he, himself, couldn't, the way he wiped away his tears?

The sage knew Macaque had some ulterior motives, he did feel the few instances where his magic left him, but it didn't explain the way the other cared for him. It didn't explain the gentle touches and the soft coos. 

Morning fell upon them, Sun Wukong remained perfectly still, incapable of moving, of shattering the other peaceful slumber. Macaque ears flickered a little, a tell-sign of his awakening. The warrior yawned, and slowly opened his eyes, blinking fastly to wipe away blurriness. Sun Wukong gasped, his entire body stilling, returning to stone. 

"You're usually never awake before me." Mumbled the warrior with furrowed eyebrows, and Sun Wukong opened his mouth, ready to explain everything, but he was stopped by the way the ebony monkey's hands cradled his face. "Hm, you seem alright… Why are you so quiet though, you're usually chirping like mad, a real chatterbox." Sun Wukong gasped, greatly insulted, and because he didn't want to give himself away but still wanted to express his discontentment, he chirped, annoyed. Macaque chuckled and ruffled his hair, messing with his perfect locks, how dare he (Sun Wukong felt tingles spread through his skin, and he couldn't help his tail from thumping). "Yeah, here's my chatterbox." The sage felt his heart sore at the way Macaque called him his, Gods, this was too good to be true. 

He knew he should probably tell the warrior that he was healed, that he wasn't in need of care anymore. But Sun Wukong was tired, he just woke up from days of gut-crushing fear, of days of self-hatred, of doubting everything by fear of seeing the witch again, he deserved a little bit of pets. The King dived in the warrior's arms, leaning in Macaque's palms when he scratched in-between his ears, goodness, that felt so good, why did he never do that before? 

"Alright, I'm hungry." Mumbled the macaque, he rose from the couch, leaving the King alone and touchless (a great affront, really) and went into the kitchen. Sun Wukong rose a bit, wincing at his muscles aches, and put his head on the couch's back. 

Macaque was rummaging through his cupboards like he owned the place, and it was as infuriating as it was odd. Sun Wukong looked at his house and raised an eyebrow at the state of it, most of the furnitures were scratched, even his couch looked like it escaped war. He wondered what kind of animals the warrior brought in there, it sounded very in character for the ebony monkey to purposely ruin his shack, the petty bastard. 

"Here, catch." Sun Wukong turned towards the warrior, confused, and was hit by a bottle of peach milk. "Wha–oh my Gods, Wukong, why didn't you catch that?" Cackled the warrior, the sage threw him a heated glare, and the bastard dared to cackle louder. "Don't look at me like that, you usually catch it." Laughed Macaque as he wiped the tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. Even if he was quite annoyed to be so rudely laughed at, Sun Wukong had to admit that seeing the other laugh was nice. His cackles were perhaps a little bit meaner than what he remembered, it lost the soft edges and the high-pitched giggle of youth. It was rough and perhaps slightly sharp, but not unpleasant, really not unpleasant. Sun Wukong shook his head before he could lose himself in useless thoughts, he quickly opened the bottle and drowned himself in sweet, sugary, milk. "Don't choke yourself." Called the macaque as he nibbled in some lingering mangos (there were quite a lot of them lingering around, mayhaps Macaque brought them, Gods know how much this guy loved mangoes). 

Sun Wukong huffed, outraged by the fact that Macaque thought him clumsy enough to choke on mere milk. The sage gulped the entire bottle down ignoring how the mangoes-lover whistled loudly at his thirst. 

"You're really hungry today." Chuckled the macaque, he took a cloth and threw it at the sage, this time Sun Wukong caught it. "I'm gonna run myself a bath, don't barge in the bathroom, and don't eat the bottle. I'll groom you after." Informed the warrior as he walked in the bathroom, leaving a very confused (and very red) Wukong behind. 

He never barged in the bathroom while Macaque was taking a bath, right? The other was just joking, trying to fluster him like the menace he not so secretly was, at least Wukong hoped the other was joking. He didn't know if he could survive if it wasn't a joke. 

The great Sun Wukong, seven times immortal, killed because he couldn't handle the thought of barging in the bathroom while his nemesis was bathing . This would be a very foolish way to die. The sage groaned and fell on the couch, hiding under the pillows to clear his head, he could hear Macaque preparing his bath, and it only made him more flustered. He shouldn't be this concerned by something so small, but feelings were uncontrollable, and Macaque always affected him way more easily than anyone else. 

Sun Wukong knew it was wrong of him to keep silent, it was bound to put him in a very awkward situation if Macaque noticed anything odd. But he guessed it wouldn't hurt to enjoy a day without pretending that he fully hated Macaque, a day without living as if nothing could ever wound him, living with a burning, golden mask. He wouldn't keep silent for long, just a day, he at least deserved a day of pets after the whole ordeal, didn't he?

The sage didn't even know if the witch was dead, he hoped she was, the mere thought of her was enough to freeze every inch of him, but oddly enough he felt like everything was fine. Like he was in the safest of places and he held to this feeling like a leech, he liked feeling safe and cared for, it was better than shaking in terror at every gust of wind. 

Bored and in search of any possible distractions, the sage snatched the phone lingering in a nearby table. He had never been too fond of technology, perhaps too old to get the appeal, but he had seen his kid play with this sort of boxes enough to know how to use it. Macaque never struck him as the type to possess this sort of mortal inventions, in the past, he preferred to stay away from any of the mortals' creations. But Sun Wukong didn't know Macaque anymore, perhaps he changed. 

The fool didn't even have a password, what a shame for the king of schemes. The sage browsed in the phone, reading the warrior's messages without any shame (he never was the type to understand personal bubbles). Surprisingly enough, the ebony monkey seemed to get along rather well with the kids, but he guessed anybody would befriend someone as welcoming as MK. The sage was quite reassured to see his mentee doing fine, he hoped no one dared to hurt him while he was… incapacitated. Sun Wukong soon found a “blackmail file” and couldn't help but to click on it. 

His entire face burned, he stared at the screen with wide eyes. There were a lot of pictures, each starring him doing… numerous activities. He watched himself munching on his own couch (was he the one that destroyed his house!?), or rolling around in the mud like an unruly cub, or even cuddling the warrior as if they were still best friends. And Sun Wukong could easily recognize the fondness bleeding in the macaque's face, hiding deep behind his annoyed scrowls. The sage gulped, bewitched by the pictures, by the golden monkey that acted nothing like himself, by the warrior that acted nothing like usual. 

"Alright, I'm fini–" Sun Wukong squeaked, surprised, and violently threw the phone away. "Okay… this was weird." Mumbled Macaque, and the sage hid himself in his hands, ears pinned down, embarrassed by his own actions. The macaque sat down next to him, still smelling of fresh peach shampoo (it was very disturbing to smell his shampoo on the warrior)."Hands up Wukong, I need to check your wounds." The sage obeyed reluctantly, face still reddish. He didn't expect Macaque to undress him, throwing the old shirt he was wearing away like a mesle rag. 

Sun Wukong squeaked, for the second time today, and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Why are you so shy? It's not the first time we're doing this." Chuckled the macaque with a raised eyebrow. 

“What do you mean not the first time!??”, thought the King, tail thumping anxiously on the couch. 

"Calm down, Wukong." Nervously laughed Macaque. "I'm… I can let you go if you really don't want to, but I just wanna check on your wounds." Carefully explained the warrior, Sun Wukong eyed him suspiciously, before slowly lowering his arms. Macaque touches were light, he eyed the wounds on his chest, humming approvingly when he saw that they were almost fully healed. Sun Wukong had to repress the shivers traveling through his skin each time the warrior's claws grazed him. Fortunately, Macaque wasn't long, he let him escape after a few minutes of careful inspection. The King hurriedly threw on his shirt, leaving as much space as he could between him and the macaque. "Oh, you dressed yourself alone, and without throwing it on backward, that's good Wukong. Good job." Praised the ebony monkey as he carefully patted him, as if he was five-year old. Sun Wukong felt particularly ashamed of himself when he discovered that a part of him didn't quite dislike being praised by the other. 

"I'm gonna go to the beach, you wanna come?" Asked Macaque as he rose from the couch. Sun Wukong found himself agreeing without a second thought, the chirp echoing in the peaceful shack without his consent. Macaque chuckled at his eagerness, eyes crooked like moon crescents. Sun Wukong left the couch, but he didn't walk like he would normally do, he crouched down like an animal. He didn't know why he was acting so…monkeyish, he usually never walked like that, but it felt right, like he was supposed to, and Macaque didn't say anything about it (mayhaps he was used to it). 

The warrior took a bag and stuffed it with necessaries (towels, sunscreens…), he walked out of the waterfall with great leisure, and Sun Wukong followed after him, intently eyeing the sway of his tail. He wanted, oh so badly, to play with it. He could feel an itch burning his claws, a want almost imbued in his hands. After a few minutes of walking, he yielded, playing with the tantalizing tail like an excited cub. Macaque huffed, annoyed but seemingly used to it. 

Sun Wukong stopped playing when they reached the beach, he stilled, taking a few second to understand what he just did, and felt incredibly ashamed. Why was he acting like this? He was older than most rivers, than most empires, why was he acting like a cub? But it felt so right, so familiar, he couldn't help himself. As long as the warrior didn't know he was back, he could, mayhaps, let loose slightly. He wouldn't munch on his own couch (even if the idea was strangely appealing, it felt good to bite) but pets and plays were alright, they weren't too shameful.

Macaque laid a wide towel on the soft sand, he beckoned the King with a flick of wrist, and Sun Wukong approached, curious about the other and annoyed to obey him so easily. 

"Stay still, okay." Mumbled the macaque, he took the sunscreen and ruthlessly drowned the sage in it. Sun Wukong whined, trying to escape, but Macaque was relentless. Why was this bastard hold so strong? He should be able to push him away easily. "Stop moving around, last time I didn't do this you looked like a fucking lobster and you whined about it all night. Let it apply and don't get too much sand in your fur, I'm gonna nap."

Macaque laid down on his towel, face shadowed by one of the sage's hat, the thief was really using all of his clothes without an ounce of shame. Sun Wukong glared at the warrior, outraged to be manhandled like this, and sat down beside him, peacefully watching the shimmering ocean. 

Sun Wukong liked to watch the ocean, it was one of the few things that lived before him. An unchanged blue, forever endless, forever bigger than he could ever be. 

He should tell Macaque that he was healed, he should put an end to this shameful act. But something inside of him was preventing him from revealing the truth. Something selfish, a feeling he tried to smother for eons, a fear of solitude etched in his very bones, a fondness for his moon he didn't even deserve to feel after what he did. Sun Wukong had always been selfish, even if the world itself tried to teach him, to correct his foul ways, his nature wasn't something he could burn away. 

He was born alone, without anyone to care, to understand how it felt to be without a place in this world. Too human for monkeys. Too monkey for humans. Liu'er had been the only one to understand the solitude he carried since his birth, the only one to understand how painful it was to not have a place, to be on his own in a world of tribes.

Sun Wukong was lonely, and Macaque offered him warmth so easily. 

Sun Wukong longed for his moon, and Macaque, even if he changed in a lot of ways, still had the heart of his moon. 

It couldn't hurt to lie for one day, nobody would ever know about it, and nobody would be hurt by something so small. The sage laid beside the macaque, he watched him, heart pounding, and hesitantly reached for one of his hand, one laid innocently beside his head, palm facing the sun. He grazed it, and even if the brief touch was burning, even if it dug out wirlwinds of buried feelings, he let his hand lay atop of the warrior’s own, fingers awkwardly intertwining. 

Just for one day. 

He would enjoy this warmth just for one day. 

Ch1 /Previous / Next

[blush-and-books]

👋 HIHI CAN U TALK ABOUT UR FAVOURITE DARVEY MOMENT

HI MY LOVE okay yes. yes i absolutely can.

so my favorite darvey moment is from 7x13 "Inevitable" when donna tries to resign from the firm and harvey rushes to her front door and rips her resignation letter right in front of her. the following ensues:

and okay. this is my favorite darvey moment. but why?? why not something from 4x15 or 8x16 or even 7x10??

first off, i think the dialogue in this scene is some of my favorite in the series because it is so concise but truly soooo punching. it is to-the-point but extremely honest and vulnerable, a very harvey way of expressing himself - this is one of the key times when his vulnerability was not explicitly prompted by donna, or even paula. this is him acting on his own volition to make a statement that will get donna back.

and that kind of starts to get to the crux of whyyy i love this moment so much. it's kind of one of the main times - the first time? - that harvey is honest and direct about the fact that he needs donna in his life, and that truly other things do not matter in comparison to the threat of losing her.

"but he literally had panic attacks in season five about her!!" panic attacks that he does not directly correlate to her absence, panic attacks that he tries to brush off in the company of other people, and panic attacks that his therapist loops back to his childhood trauma. harvey does not experience this and then automatically go "well shit, this is because of donna."

"but he's dreamed about his fears of donna leaving!!!" dreams that his therapist told him were about a general fear of people leaving, or his mom leaving, and were not tied to donna. dreams that he doesn't believe could be any proof of his feelings for donna, at least when he talks about them, because he's in denial.

not since season two had he really been this explicit about needing her, but that situation was even prompted by how badly he had fucked up and fucked her over, so he was also in a position to grovel and she prompted it because she was pissed off.

when he reads her resignation letter on his desk, he instantly runs from the office and goes to break up with his """girlfriend""". no hesitation. nobody is telling him how to handle the situation or how he's feeling, he is literally acting on his own wants and needs here. after ending things with paula, he runs to donna's apartment and stakes his claim that he needs her to come back.

while it's not an explicitly romantic gesture, this is the kind of showing up that donna has needed from him. he didn't let her walk away, he cleaned up his mess and proved to her that she is what is important, and that's what matters. he confronts head on what she means to him and is honest about it.

he's not groveling and she's not even making him fight for this kind of confession - not like she did in season two. he says this all on his own. in a way, it's a display of shocking maturity and it's just sooooo UGH with how she is trying to be a friend and ask if he's okay and all he's thinking about is her coming back to the firm.

and THEN she invites him inside and he doesn'taccept the invitation but i think it speaks to how overwhelmed donna is by this moment too - i don't know what she was expecting to happen, but i truly do not think she anticipated harvey at her door and basically rejecting her resignation attempt along with telling her that he is no longer with paula. like i would want to invite him in too, because i do think in this moment donna felt like he was finally choosing her. in my heart she also wanted to open the space for them to be friends and to comfort him about the breakup - but lets all be sooo real, her tone of voice was lowkey very insinuating of the fact that she needed him BAD lol. like her voice goes low and almost wavers and it's like, she's either about to cry or she needs to jump him lmao.

anyways best darvey moment ever, so much progression in their relationship and in harvey's ability to act on his needs!!!!!!! big big moment that i love so much!!!!!!!!!

[noosayog]

wc: 1k

warnings/content: violence (just a punch), angst, fluff (finally)

part 11. directory here.

--

“Atsumu! Open this fucking door!” you rapt angrily at the door, yelling but keeping it to a whisper as best as you can. “What is wrong with you!” You look around, not wanting to cause a scene. 

The door swings open, this time with a more alert Atsumu and you barge in before he can slam any more doors in your face. 

“Sorry-” you hear him begin. 

“What is wrong with you?” 

Atsumu shuts up. You swivel around to glare at him, raising your eyebrows when he just stares at you like a fucking brick. 

He looks absolutely bewildered. Your annoyance rises. When he kissed you, he basically admitted to being in love with you right? How else is a girl supposed to take that? So isn’t a man in love who clearly did some messed up things supposed to be apologizing, begging, groveling?

“Why have you just been fucking stalking me all semester instead of talking to me?” 

Atsumu stares. 

“I thought you said I was the only one you wanted! You said you were telling the truth! I believed you!” 

“Now, hold on a second,” he finally says. 

“Oh, so he speaks,�� you snarl sarcastically. 

He ignores that comment. “You said you needed time?” 

“What does that have anything to do with you pretending like I don’t exist?” 

“I didn’t mean to- Anyway, that’s basically what time means, isn’t it?” 

“No! It means I can’t just jump into a relationship with you and I want to take it slow and rebuild my trust in you! Not stop talking to me forever and just stare creepily at me!” 

He pauses to process, then relaxes a bit. “Princess,” he says patiently, calmly. “Time in a relationship usually implies that you want me to give you your space to think alone.” 

“What? No, it doesn’t. You’re lying. If you don’t,” you choke on your words, tears welling up again. “If you don’t want this, I wish you’d just tell me instead of promising me that you-”

“Let me just stop you there. There’s nothing I want more than this.” he emphasizes the word with a finger pointing between you and him. “And I’m sorry if I misunderstood what you meant.” 

You’re sobbing now, partly in relief but mostly you don’t know why. 

He steps closer, slowly, tentatively, watching you like you’re a wild animal about to scurry away at any sudden motion. When you keep still, he envelops you in his arms. You cry harder, knowing you’re being irrational and a bit hysterical while he’s being perfectly patient, petting at your hair and whispering to you to let it all out.

He’s gentle when he continues. “I’m sorry I was stupid and didn’t realize you wanted me to win your trust back.” 

You pound weakly at his chest. “Yeah, you’re a moron. You still haven’t even apologized for kissing some other girl.” 

He squeezes tighter. “I’m sorry for even thinking about it. I’ve never, not even for one second, thought about it since.” 

You quiet down, crying into his shirt. 

“You know,” he says. “I’ve been going to therapy. Figuring out what I can do to work on myself and be better like you asked me to do. Therapist says I need to work on my emotional intelligence.” 

You keep your head pressed into the wet collar of his sweater, letting out a squeak of acknowledgement.  

“Don’t really get it, but I’m trying.” 

You raise your head to face him. “Really?” 

“Really,” he responds, wiping away your matted hair and sweetly kissing your forehead. 

You don’t say anything, just bury your face in him again and he accepts willingly. After a while of standing there, rocking you gently from side to side, he asks, “wanna go to bed? Here? Just to sleep if that’s what you want.” 

You wipe your eyes and give him a really good look. All the events leading up to this moment replay themselves in your head. And there’s definitely a better man for you out there, one who won’t hurt you and one who is more mature. 

But Atsumu makes you feel safe and challenged. He accepts your prickly attitude and moody demeanor, likes it even. He pushes you out of your comfort zone but makes it easy to be yourself at the same time. His kisses make you feel like you’re floating and you’ve never once craved someone else’s touch the way you do his. 

“Can I ask you for one thing?”

“Anything,” he says seriously. 

You step out of your embrace and put a couple of feet between you two. You give his cheek 2 light pats to gage the distance between you. Then, before he can ask any questions, you pull your fist back and smash it as hard as you can into his left cheek, the same cheek that you pressed a kiss into before. 

Atsumu stumbles back a couple of steps, cradling his cheek and you get a really look at him, blond hair, red cheek and everything. You shake out your fist and once you assess that all your fingers are fine, you follow after him and rest a cool palm on his reddened cheek. "Asshole," you whisper.

He laughs quietly. "I'm sorry," he says earnestly.

Nodding in acceptance, you wrap your arms around his neck and jump. He catches your thighs that cage his hips like he knew you’d do this before you even knew. With a kiss to your chin, he walks the two of you to his bedroom and falls into bed. It’s comfortable, even when you hear him whisper an “I love you” to lock you into his grasp.

Maybe this isn’t the best decision you’ll ever make in your life, but how can the decision be difficult when the alternative is so much sweeter?

[mustfindcreativeusername]

(maybe scroll past if you love love bbc sherlock)

Me: honestly i fucking hate bbc sherlock by this point i mean yeah i loved the first two seasons loved loved loved them but then it haaad to get so complicated but still i could live with season 3 but wtf was s4??? And why did they have to... Do. That. Why make me hate even one John Watson i love my Watsons why did you make him a piece of shit in the last season, texting another woman to the point he considers it cheating is one thing i mean depends on the texts but that's forgivable it was just texting after all, anyway that's one thing but he blamed Sherlock so much for Mary's death when she!! She!! Jumped in front of the bullet to save him. It was her decision (why did she have to be a mega spy? Why did she have to surgery-shoot Sherlock. It wasn't as safe as she thought he literally died and came back and if the ambulance had come a couple minutes later he would 100% be dead wtf and he forgave her too) it was Mary's decision to sacrifice herself for Sherlock and he blamed him to the point where he basically internalises that Sherlock killed her. And i understand needing time alone or whatever but mrs hudson said he's sick, john, pls come see him and he was like yeah whatever sure if you insist ig.

Oh and . Yeah. He fucking. Beat. Him .Up??? Not punch him -haha funny- not hit him once, or even twice. No. He fucking beat him up. With punches and kicks and stuff. While he was looking at him like. Not quite believing. That his friend, "best friend" would do that to him. And yeah him being on drugs would have contributed but he ended up in the hospital?? After john beat him up. I didn't watch that episode in a while but i don't remember john being extremely remorseful or worried afterwards. He saw that cd from mary and only then he was like, "oh no my friend". Your friend. Your friend who would do literally anything for you. Your friend who a couple days later hugged you while you were crying. Did you even hug back? Did you ever apologize? I don't remember. He might've. But i dont remember it. And sherlock forgave him. Just like that. Worse even. I don't really think that he was that mad at him in the first place. Heartbroken, yes. Did you see his face? When john was beating him up? He wasn't even in his right mind, mega on drugs and stuff, and he'd just had a 'that is not the person i met' moment, tma fans wink wink, he was not well and you beat him up. You're a doctor too. Ha. Your best friend, the one who would do anything for you, die, kill, make himself sick to save your mental health or whatever was going on in that episode. In the following episode, days later really, he's made to choose to kill either his brother, HIS BROTHER, or John, and both Sherlock and Mycroft immediately, instinctively know that he's not gonna kill John. He loves him too much. I never really got it the first time around, the first time i watched. It's insane - Sherlock's devotion to John. He literally loves him above anything else, including himself. And I'm not a shipper. Oh i am usually a johnlock shipper but not them. I do still think they belong together but man oh man i hope john groveled. Why did they have to do that. Make us, make me hate john watson. I loved him. In the first two seasons, i really really loved him, he was my blorbo, well, the word blorbo didn't exist yet but he was. And i have a list somewhere titled 'heartbreakingly raw lines' and it's honestly mostly about the delivery of those lines and  "no, he's my friend, he's my friend, please" is right there, nr 1. Nr 2 is close, it's from good omens, bookshop fire, also about a friend, you get it, and after these two there's a biig big big gap before the third. Those two are supreme, nr 2 is so so so heartbreaking but it did not even compete with nr 1. To this day if i recall that scene, those lines, "let me come through please, no, he's my friend, he's my friend, please " i feel sick. My stomach is twisting right now, as i write. I loved john. I loved their relationship. Friendship, whatever, autocorrect asked me if thats what i wanna say. Why ruin his character? Just to be edgy? Why would you make him beat up his best friend, that!! friend. Oh and then, once they did make him do that,  just gloss over the fact. I'm not even saying make Sherlock be mad at him. That bitch loves him to the point it's almost pathetic. But there are other ways. How can you just gloss over that. He punched him several times, he kicked him while he was down. I'm sitting here thinking "what a piece of shit, punch a wall if you're that angry, i get being heartbroken about your wife, and feeling guilty, and overwhelmed, but that is no excuse". Why do i have to call any John Watson a piece of shit. Hell, why do i have to call this one a piece of shit, i fucking loved him. 

That's the one thing i do really really hate about that show. They did a lot of other stuff, all the characters were edgy-ified and made a little worse, as opposed to the ones from the books (lestrade is fine actually) but it doesn't upset me too much, i just see it as its own show instead of an adaptation adaptation and yeah, really not that upset. And i didn't really notice at first but there was queerbaiting wasn't it. I mean there were just a little too many jokes. I guess. I did see it when i rewatched it. Still. I never really saw them together, yk? Like yeah, together forever, but not as a couple. Needless to say i was very happy when like two years after i first watched it i learned about QPRs. Like yeah yeah that's what i meant. So it had a lot of flaws i guess but stuff you could get past, yk. And the first two seasons really were amazing, i wanted to snort them. But i am glad i was only vaguely familiar with the stories when i watched it, i think i would've liked it a lot less. I mean acd Sherlock Holmes is such a nice man, he's a sweetie honestly, he giggles and rubs his hands together when there's a clue, and yeah he's got some 'get to the point' moments but he's not an asshole. He monologues about flowers at some point. I love bbc Sherlock (the character) too, i really do, but he can be a bit of a prick. Intentionally, not bc he doesn't realise it. Did he just decide one day he was a sociopath and leaned into it or what. That high functioning sociopath thing was just him being dramatic, we're not actually supposed to believe he was, right? God i haven't thought- really thought - about this show in a while. And i can't believe i thought for so long we were getting a s5. After how s4 ended? That was a "soo they had many more adventures but this is where we part ways with them, byyeeee" ending. Did you know, tv time had it listed as "to be continued"/ a running show for so long after s4 ended. So so long. After like 4 years i made my peace and I'm pretty sure even then it was listed as running. I checked on it again some time ago, a year or two ago and it was finally listed as finished and i felt both disappointed and relieved. Like if your loved one has been missing for years and years and you finally find out they're dead. You kinda knew that but.. deep down... But still, you're relieved to know. Well maybe not exactly like that. Tv time isn't the ultimate authority, but. No, you know what it felt like? Passing a corpse every now and then and one day seeing that they've been layed to rest in a grave. And maybe it's for the best. S4 did so much damage, I'm not taking good, owie my heart, damage, i mean ruining John, and... making the dog a boy??? I'm not gonna talk about the whole Eurus thing bc i did like one aspect of it (horrible labirinth with really fucked up decisions to be made. I never saw any saw movies [lol. Saw saw] but that's what they're like right?) but yeah just make her an actual supernatural force at this point. The fuck. So maybe it's for the best. Not getting a s5. I've made my peace a long time ago and as i said, I'm starting to feel like i harbour some sort of hate for this show. Not the "i wish I'd never watched it" kind, not the "tf what did i ever see in it" kind either (s1 and 2 my loves) but it is a hate nonetheless. I'm glad I've moved on from it.

People on the internet: omg they're talking about making bbc Sherlock season 5!

Still me: omg omg no wayyy yess pleaseee maybe everything will be fixed and nice and cute yesss gimme gimme 

[artnerd1123]

“I’d wish you luck, but that always seems hypocritical, given I’m the one handing it out~” -- Lady Luck

(Profile undercut)

Name: Lady Luck Pronouns: She/Her (the capitalization is necessary) Gender/sexuality: girlboss god and whatever gets the most people in the door! Jokes aside She really doesn’t care to pursue any sort of relationship that isn’t having more people under Her thumb, so, big mystery, that one.  Species: god (specifically She is Fortuna, the roman god over the Wheel of Fortune) Height: taller than anyone else in the room Age: ~2079 (popped into existence in 55 BC) Occupation pre-dungeons: She really didn’t have one, She jumped on Her whole dungeons schtick VERY early on. She was siphoning power off of the roman colosseum/betting pools at first, using it to create Her own pocket dimension, which She’s grown in size/shape/etc through the years Dungeon wish: She IS the dungeons. If you were to ask Her for Her own wish, She’d just laugh. But it’s power. Always has been. To be able to stand among the “major” gods and bring them to their knees, make them grovel for Her, make them sorry for ever daring to laugh at Her and think Her weak. And man is She SWIMMING in power right about now. In Her pocket dimension, She is queen. Of EVERYTHING. Literally none of the other gods can oppose Her if they step in. So. Yay :) 

Fighting style: “a Lady doesn’t start fights, but She CAN finish them” but unironically. She goads people into throwing the first punch, making the first move, taking the first step, throwing the first stone. She digs Her claws into any flaw She can find and uses it to grind people to dust. Most of Her “fighting” is manipulation of the mental/emotional variety. “Luck” isn’t a physical concept, after all. But She does have enough power built up in Her little power dimension to physically ensnare things with Her smoke, which She can then use to throw/strangle/hit/etc etc others with, if She wants. Other than all that, there’s the obvious! Where She literally manipulates Her opponent’s luck so their hits never land/end up backfiring on them. Hard to beat someone who makes everything turn in Her own favor.  Strengths: extremely good at talking, to the point where She could charm a snake out of its own fangs and make lamb walk happily into its own slaughter. She’s got an EXTREMELY strong presence, which She leverages to Her advantage as a very effective intimidation tactic. She excels at subtle pushes, little words, tiny nudges to get things to go how She wants while seeming pretty hands off. And, to harken back to Her “wish…” She is all powerful in Her dungeons. She’s built up enough belief and terror in there to become an undeniable force of nature, like gravity. And outside? Oh, the world LOVES Her. She’s an aspiration, an idol, a success story people cheer on through the centuries. As a result there’s very little, if anything, that can touch Her in the dungeons. And since that’s where She stays, what strength doesn’t She have?  Weaknesses: Wouldn’t You Like To Know, Weathergirl :) from a more serious standpoint, though, She IS a god, and as such, is beholden to the same restrictions all the others are. Not only is She a god, She’s a MINOR god. Artificially inflating Her own power in the dungeons only goes so far. She has practically nothing if She steps outside. Luck isn’t a physical force, it isn’t something you can quantify, it isn’t something easy to define,  and at the root of it all, it’s not something everyone believes in. After all, what is a god to a nonbeliever?  Personality: Lady Luck is, above all else, a power hungry god. This informs everything She does, everything She thinks, everything She strives for. And She’s gotten damn good at putting on a show to get what She wants. She’s honed Her showman persona well, appearing coy and playful to Her audience while commanding an air of power and strength that nobody can really deny. In reality this translates to having a cruel iron grip on those around Her. The only reason She plays nice for the cameras is to lure more people in, and have a steady stream of positive belief streaming into the dungeons. She really doesn’t care what anyone thinks or feels toward Her. As long as they’re thinking about Her, She wins. She delights in finding the breaking point of others. The Lady relishes in watching others crumble, just to build them back up, and topple them again. She doesn’t care about anyone other than Herself. She’s quite vain, seeing Her actions as righteous in the face of the “ridicule” She faced early on from other gods. (Spoiler alert: nobody really bullied Her, She just thought the major gods were too smug and wanted to be one of them so so so very badly.) The Lady is extremely cunning and manipulative, patient when She needs to be, and ruthlessly efficient when She doesn’t. She’ll do anything to make Herself more powerful.  When it all comes down to it?  Everything is a game to Her. And She never, never loses.

[fluttervee]

There once was a ship in limbo, of elven and draconic combine, but an anon so, heart full of woe, begs for headcanons that you can find. (inkblade crumbs? please?)

well, darling nonny, i have no idea why you have come to me for your crumbs but i will do what i can for you on this last day before we are well and truly jossed.

under a cut because i am completely deranged, this got so long lmao

sorry but I have to talk about this. dragonboy's death was hilarious actually. he was sooo confused about tbk killing his grandma. Were those dragons conjured/summoned/whatever and unrelated to him?? Or did he just not think about the implications of the bad kids showing up to the final confrontation?? What An Idiot. ok now crumb time i swear

I keep coming back to the fact that oisín didn't start missing at beer pong until after he spoke to adaine. obviously this takes on a WILDLY different cast post ep 17, but it's still so interesting to me. like, was he mad about her not remembering him?? that she didn't take his (definitely cursed) diamonds?? WHAT MADE YOU PLANT THE BOOBYTRAP BOY??

obsessed with the concept of oisín and ivy as cringefail loser meangirls. bitchy as hell, down in the first round of combat. icon behavior. they and aelwyn will get on like a house on fire

i like to think that oisín getting buff was part of some ragestar devil's bargain and not just a growth spurt. it would be soo funny if he sold his soul to Get Hot but actually adaine wouldn't care anyway. She just didn't notice you because you didn't talk to her, LOSER.

he would have to a) devour humble pie and b) Get Good, but I Still Believe In Canon Inkblade 🛸

i just love the idea of a bitchy wizard couple. Me and my girlfriend saw you from across the bar and we hate your vibe. we think your incantations suck.

I hope he saw her One Punch that dragon. I hope he was Scared and Horny

wait... sub oisín? Brat Oisín??? Ohhhh, now we're cooking

i like to think he was so caught up in his (her) Sick Burn that he didn't even CONSIDER how throwing that oracle line back at her would make her feel. i want him to lose his mind when he realizes. i want to him to beg her for forgiveness. grovel, even.

speaking of, have we decided how he knew that line to begin with?? someone floated the idea of adaine repeating it ad nauseum and i think that's so funny. Catty dragonborn hears elf girl make a sick burn one time, falls in love, decides to make it everyone else's problem

REMEMBER: if we don't have canon we'll always have fanfic. i will dip my toe into d20 fic for this with you, anon. hold my hand as we jump into the abyss

[whumpetywhump]

Bad And Crazy (2021)

Ryu Su Yeol

01:

- Nightmare: Bleeding from multiple wounds on his face, chest and back during a fistfight, punched repeatedly in the face and gut, staggering, disorientated

- Tackled to the ground, winded, holding his back in pain

- Thrown into a wall, choked with a shower cord, sprayed with hot water, bruises on his face and back, punched in the face, knocked out, falls into a pool, unconscious underwater, later has a plaster on his nose

- Repeatedly headbutted until he passes out, wakes up with a headache

- Drunk, nauseous, vomiting

- Punched repeatedly in the face and gut, bloody lip, has his ankle stepped on, screaming in pain, blasted backwards by an explosion, punched in the gut, collapses to his knees

- Thrown into a burning building, jumps from a window to escape, lands on a car, winded

02:

- Wakes up in hospital after last episode, face cut and bruised

- Recurring migraines, wincing in pain

03:

- Restrained, forced to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills, choking, blurred vision, migraine, collapses and passes out

- Crushed under a shelf, briefly knocked out, face scratched

- Bleeding from a gash in his hand after his alter grabs a knife, has it bandaged for him

- Forced to kneel, grovel and drink excessive amounts of alcohol, later vomiting and sobbing

04:

- Hand still bandaged from last episode

- Punched in the gut, slammed through a table, winded, struggling to get up, beaten up in a fistfight, face bruised and bloody

- Punched in the face, nosebleed

- Sleep deprived, dizzy, stumbling, helped into a chair, wakes up after passing out with an IV

05:

- Punched in the face, bloody lip

- Trying to recover suppressed trauma during hypnosis, wakes with a start

- Stabbed in the neck with a syringe, drugged, staggering, collapses, kicked in the gut, passes out, wakes up bound to a chair, gagged, kicked in the chest and falls with the chair, gun held to his head, terrified

06:

- Nauseous, vomiting

- Repeatedly stabs himself in the arm with a needle to replicate track marks

- Hit over the head with a plank of wood, collapses, groaning in pain

- Beaten up, face bruised, bleeding from the forehead

- Locked in the back of a truck with a gas leak, weak and dizzy

07:

- Face still cut and bruised from last episode

- Shot in the chest while wearing Kevlar, knocked to the ground

- Pistol whipped, cuts his forehead, has the wound dressed for him

- Recovering suppressed memories of childhood abuse, dreams of being chased and of clutching his chest in pain

08:

- Still dreaming, curled up on the floor in terror, wakes in a panic

- Flashback to childhood abuse, migraine, doubled over in pain

09:

- Recovering suppressed trauma, migraine, clutching his head, staggering

- Held down in a bucket of water, struggling, gasping

- Stabbed in the gut, bleeding, collapses, left for dead

10:

- Still bleeding on the ground from last episode, wheezing, collapses and passes out, wakes up in hospital, wincing in pain

- Beaten up, face bloodied, suffering traumatic flashbacks

11:

- Strangled with a garotte, choking, gasping

- Tackled, pinned to the ground, choked

- Wrongfully accused, arrested, locked in a psychiatric ward for four months

12:

- Flashback: Admitted to the psych ward in a straight jacket, struggling, forced to swallow his medication, repeatedly attempts to escape, drugged via a syringe during one attempt, shot with a taser during another

- Transported in a straight jacket via ambulance, escapes

- Reunited with his demented mother, crying in her arms

- Migraine, traumatic flashbacks

- Stabbed in the neck with a syringe, drugged, dizzy, struggling to stay awake, stabbed in the gut, collapses, left to die in a burning building, escapes, immediately beaten up in a fistfight, bloody lip, cuts his forehead while headbutting his opponent, bleeding heavily, collapses

- Says goodbye to his alter, crying

- Wakes up in hospital, face bruised and bandaged

Oh Gyung Tae

01:

- Brutally beaten, face badly bruised

- Hit over the head with a lamp, thrown into a table, beaten until bloody, stabbed in the thigh with a nail, screaming in pain, splashed with gasoline and left to die in a fire, found unconscious, rescued

02:

- Comatose in hospital after last episode with a neck brace and his head bandaged, face still cut and bruised

03:

- Still comatose and bruised

04:

- Face still bruised, escapes from the hospital after an attempted poisoning, on the run

- Repeatedly beaten with a golf club, face bloodied, screaming in pain, wheezing, repeatedly punched in the face and kicked in the gut, barely conscious, recovering in hospital, wounds bandaged, arm in a sling

TW: Contains themes of child abuse and suicide

[l0velyrand0m]

Old Soul - The First Avenger

Third chapter, here we go.

I've gotten a reblog and a few likes, so I figured the third chapter was in order. Maybe theres people actually enjoying this, yknow?

As always: The full story in it's entirety is on Wattpad (l0velyrand0m) and there may or may not be a second book in the works? This is all mostly for my enjoyment, there's no demand or anything, I'm just addicted to fictional men punching people.

The prior chapters are on my blog, the first chapter is pinned and the second chapter was posted not too long ago.

"Faster, ladies! Come on! My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul!" Peggy shouted at the soldiers lined up doing push ups on the ground. Eliza watched and observed the men. Erskine had given her the task of watching out for the "least fit" in the group. No idea why, but she was sure it was her brother. Until she overheard Phillips.

"You're not seriously thinking about picking Rogers, are you?" the Colonel asked the doctor next to him, who simply nodded.

"I am more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice. I'm hoping our Nurse friend over there agrees," Erskine replies. Eliza was thoroughly confused.

"When you brought a ninety-pound asthmatic onto my Army base, I let it slide. I thought, what the hell? Maybe he'd be useful to you, like a gerbil," Colonel Phillips explained. Somehow him referring to her brother as a "gerbil" made Eliza almost offended for him. "I never thought you'd pick him."

Eliza walked over to the two men and joined the conversation. "Gentlemen," she greeted. Erskine offered her a small smile.

"Up," Peggy commanded the boys once she saw Erskine, Phillips and Eliza gathered together.

"Doctor Erskine, forgive me," Eliza began. "What is the Super Soldier breed exactly?"

"A Super Soldier is a highly advanced superhuman, given abilities from a serum I invented. It's highly intuitive - made to make the weakest man stronger. But it only amplifies what's already there. Give the serum to the wrong person, and you've just made them more of themselves." Erskine's explanation made Eliza nearly sick to her stomach. She wasn't entirely convinced that Steve would survive such a thing. "Rogers is a perfect candidate. Determined, clever. The serum will do him well."

"You stick a needle in that kid's arm and it's gonna go right through him!" Phillips exclaimed. Eliza almost wanted to agree.

They glanced over to the recruits scurrying to straighten up at Peggy's command.

"Look at that. He's making me cry," Phillips scoffed.

"I am looking for qualities beyond the physical," Erskine says. Eliza was starting to dislike his philosophical speeches.

"Do you know how long it took to set up this project?"

"Yeah, I know."

"All the grovelling I had to do in front of Senator What's-His-Name's committees?"

"Brandt," Erskine corrected. "Yes, I know. I am well aware of your efforts."

"Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him," Phillips says. Eliza wrinkled her nose. She didn't want to have to work with Hodge anymore than she already had to. "He's big, he's fast, he obeys orders. He's a soldier."

"He's a bully," Erskine corrected Phillips again.

"You don't win wars with niceness, Doctor." Phillips reached into his pocket and pulled out a hand grenade. "You win wars with guts."

Phillips threw the grenade into the area where the men were training. "Grenade!" and all the men scattered.

Except for Steve.

Steve jumped on the bomb and covered it with his body. Eliza's heart dropped. Peggy stood wide eyed at the boy.

"Get away! Get back!" Steve yelled. He waited for the bomb to go off, but nothing ever happened.

"It was a dummy grenade." Eliza whispered, and looked to Phillips.

"All clear! Back in formation." an officer waved all of them back into line.

"Is this a test?" Steve asked, peering up at Erskine, Phillips and Eliza.

"He's still skinny."

•••

Eliza laid silently on her bunk. She couldn't believe the nerve of Steve earlier. But at the same time... she was astonished. Proud, even. That her brother would think to do that. Suddenly she understood what Erskine meant about choosing Steve over Hodge. Whatever was in the serum wasn't just enhancing the physcial stuff. It would enhance him mentally, too.

A knock at her door drew her attention back.

"It's just me, are you decent?" Steve asked from the other side of the door.

"Decently mad at you, sure," Eliza remarked. Steve sighed. "Yes. It's fine if you come in."

The door opened to reveal her twin brother. She wanted to question how he got over here in the first place, but then she noticed Erskine behind him and assumed the german doctor had something to do with his arrival.

"You have five minutes, then you must return to your barracks. I need to speak with Miss Rogers as well."

Steve nodded and closed the door. "Look, Liza, I never meant to piss you off this bad, I just-"

"You saw an opportunity and you took it. I understand. How do you think I'm here, Steve?"

He smiled slightly. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk, and not listening to you when you were only trying to protect me."

"I should've realised you didn't need protecting. You're not a 16 year old kid in Brooklyn anymore. You're grown up. And I'm proud of you."

Her words sent a stab of remorse through Steve's heart. The words, coming from her, meant the world to him. But he was only recieving them because he made her feel like the bad guy for doing the right thing.

"Thank you, Eliza. I'm proud of you too."

"Five minutes are up, Steven," Erskine said, opening the door. "Say your goodnight and goodbye so I may speak with her."

"Bye, Elizabeth, have a good night."

"You too, Steve," she said, watching him walk out the door.

"Miss Rogers, it's come to my attention that Steven is your twin brother?"

"Yes, sir."

"You've had a knack for taking care of him. So I have a promotion for you once our project starts. You'll be his personal aid. I'll teach you everything I know about the side effects of the serum and what to watch out for starting tomorrow. Are you interested?"

•••

"I know this neighborhood," Steve wonders, looking out the window of the car. "I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that diner."

Peggy stared at him cluelessly. "Did you have something against running away?"

"Yes. Yes, he did," Eliza chimed in.

"You start running, they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?" Steve pondered. Peggy's expression changed from confused to curious.

"I know a little of what that's like. To have every door shut in your face."

Eliza nodded. "It's annoying."

"I guess I don't know why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame," Steve wondered aloud. Peggy raised a brow at him, and Eliza looked over with a look of "what the hell". Steve immediately tried to recover. "Or a beautiful... a woman. An Agent! Not a dame. I mean you are beautiful but-"

"Please, for the love of God, shut up, Steve," Eliza groaned.

"You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?" Peggy snickered.

"This is the longest conversation I've had with one. Woman aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on," he shrugged.

"You must have danced?"

"Well asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying. And the past few years didn't seem to matter that much. Figured I'd wait."

"For what?"

"The right partner."

The car pulled up by an antiques shop. Peggy and Eliza exited the car, Steve trailing behind, completely clueless. Eliza was too, but she trusted Peggy enough to follow her without question.

"This way," Peggy instructs him.

"What are we doing here?" Steve asked.

Peggy smirked. "Follow me," she says, guiding Eliza and Steve into the shop.

"Wonderful weather this morning, isn't it?" the shop owner asks Peggy.

"Yes, but I always carry my umbrella."

The shop owner nods, and Peggy leads the twins to a basement. It opens up into a large circular laboratory. Erskine's team was huddled around the center and around different machines. Steve was lead to the center of the room, however, where a pod was fixed in the floor.

"Good morning!" Erskine greeted the twins happily. He takes Steve's hand and shakes it as someone takes a picture. Eliza hated being in pictures. Something about people seeing her long after she was gone, and there was nothing she could do to tell them not to look. She didn't like that sort of thing. "Please, not now," Erskine shooed the photographer away. Steve looked at the pod curiously.

"Are you ready?" Eliza asked him. Steve only nodded.

"Good! Take off your shirt," Erskine instructed him. Steve did so, and climbed into the pod, laying down on a table. "Elizabeth, go assist Mr Stark, please."

"Yes, sir," Eliza nodded. She walked over to the man, and then it hit her who Stark was. Howard Stark. The genius inventor. "Mister Stark, my pleasure."

Howard turned around to look at her, a smile falling on his face. "You must be Elizabeth Rogers."

"How'd you know that?"

"Erskine was talking you up earlier. Apparently you're a really good nurse?" he comments with a smile.

"Well, I don't like to brag," she shrugged. "But I wouldn't mind the compliment."

"Mister Stark, how are your levels?" Erskine shouted across the room.

"Levels at one hundred percent," he answered. "So is that your brother? Steven?"

"Good!" Erskine replied.

"Yeah, my twin," she answered.

"Interesting. The twin sister of a super soldier, huh? How weird has that gotta be?"

"It's not quite set in yet. He's still gonna be a twig in my mind forever."

"Hope you didn't pick on him when you were younger," Howard smiled. Eliza recalled her mother's sayings, not to pick on him because one day he'll be bigger than her. Though she wasn't sold on it, and she definitely wasn't ready for that to be the case artificially. "We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we're as ready as we'll ever be."

"Elizabeth! Come here!"

"Gotta run, Stark. Nice conversation."

"Yeah.. Yeah let's do this again sometime. Maybe under different circumstances?"

"Maybe."

"How do you like your coffee?"

"Elizabeth!"

"Cream and extra sugar."

Eliza ran off back to the table where her brother lay. Erskine handed her a needle, of what she assumed to be penicillin. "Inject him with this, then come back with me."

"Hey, Steve," Eliza said calmly as she walked over with the needle. "I'm here to inject you with the euthanasia."

His eyes went big before he realised she was joking. "Oh, haha."

She squeezed his skin gently and gave him the shot.

"That wasn't so bad," he said softly.

"That was penicillin."

Steve's mouth formed an "o" as she took the needle away and Erskine came back to his side.

"Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two, one," Erskine counted. Eliza wished she could hide in the viewing room with Peggy and Phillips. But here she was. Watching her brother and best friend get experimented on. Steve winced as the serum was injected into him. "Now, Mister Stark."

Howard pulled a lever, and Steve was upright in the pod as the doors closed. Eliza wandered back over to Mister Stark's side as he amps the procedure.

"That's ten percent," he informed Erskine, but pointed it out to Eliza. "Twenty percent. Thirty."

Eliza could start to hear Steve's pained screams as the vita rays transformed his body. She lowered her head slightly and watched the numbers raise with intent on focusing more on Howard's numbers than Steve.

She had focused so hard, that she blocked out all the noise in the room until she heard Steve yell in response to the scientist. "No don't! I can do this."

"Eighty. Ninety. That's one hundred percent."

The power in the lab overloaded, and Stark rushed to open up the pod and get Steve out. Eliza's breaths were shallow as she waited to see what happened to her brother.

Suddenly everyone came rushing out of the observation room and into the lab. She steeled herself and turned her head to look at her brother.

She was shocked. Steven Rogers was now the first successful Super Solider.

[obsesssedblerd]

Hi lovely, I absolutely ADORE the forgotten birthday series so much! I know the indifference route was inspired by the anon (thank you anon 🙌) and I’m so glad you took that direction. You don’t really see it very often and the way you write it is so realistic. I also like how they are trying to ACTIVELY win back the readers love. Instead of just focusing on the birthday, they’re also paying attention to readers behaviour and realizing that tho the reader is in the relationship they’ve emotionally checked out. Sometimes people in relationships don’t care if their partner is indifferent as long as they are still together (technically) and I’m glad that you granted them some self awareness and I didn't mind seeing them grovel after the absolute TURMOIL they put us through 😒🤭. also thank you for giving us some self respect and not making us fold like a house of cards at the slightest sign of an apology from the men 😭. I know you said you were open to an epilogue and I for one would love to see it (but no pressure love). I just loved the whole series so much, even tho part one and two almost had me punching my pillow cause the men were being so disrespectful like oh my word 😭. The one where they’re shading your new bf is funny as hell and had me cackling ngl🤭🤭. You write them super accurately and I can imagine them doing and saying all these things ngl 😭😭. Toji having to intervene with Shiu’s ex and yuta/yuuji trying to jump gojo’s ex had me in shambles. Uruame and Sukuna double teaming was also funny. Overall you’re such a talented writer and it always great seeing your works pop up, it really makes my day. Sending lots of love and hope you’re doing well!! 🥰💕💕

P.S the new theme is also EATING. We love a festive queen 🥰🥰

✨anon

✨️ ANON MY LOVEEEEEE !!!! 🥹♥️ ALWAYS SO GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU!!! love reading your kind words. they mean so much! so happy that you liked the recent stuff! thank you thank you thank youuuuuu 💕

[silverliningtears]

BRING IN BOEING RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, FUCK!!

Honestly wat a ride!!

Mew

Man, Mew is one scary motherfucker!! He had Boston on his knees lmaoo, and that's after punching him and almost playing his sextape TO HIS FATHER!!

Book ate this ngl. Power moves left and right. The true MVP for 2 weeks straight. But after this high comes the crash, jumping into a relationship with ur best friend who is madly in love with you so soon after getting cheated on is not the win he seems to think it is.

Also, reputation era mew dresses like Ray lol.

Ray

Speaking of Ray, man you apologized to EVERYONE except SAND, the one u called a whore?the one who followed u and saved your life? Look at your life and your choices, boy...

He's been waiting for Mew to give him a chance for so long, he's obviously gonna take it lol. But feel like it's gonna hurt him in the long run.

Finally,we met Daddy Ray!!didn't think it would happen!! Thinking he's gonna play a bigger part in the coming eps, esp with Sand..

Raymew getting together now right now is gonna destroy them both. Mew has not dealt with any of the baggage yet. And he has this idea of "no more mister nice guy/boring virgin" so feel like Ray's addiction is gonna play a bigger part in their "relationship" now.Mew is gonna wanna "let loose" and we see the police in the preview.

Ray is basking in the glory of "getting" Mew, he's obviously gonna celebrate with drinks and drugs.

A shame cos, him denying he's an alcoholic to Sand, i thought we'd finally see some discussion on his dependence and abuse, but NOPE, NOT TODAY, why can't I have nice things?

In the preview, we see him interrupting Sand's hookup AGAIN. Hope we get some conflict in the Sandray dynamic. I want some pushback from Sand.

Sand

Babygirl I love you. You're so sexy, don't do this urself haha...

I was hoping that Ray's dad paid him to look after him and that's why he's immediately all buddy buddy with ray. Since the scene kinda cut out, I'm still holding out hope for it to be true.

I can kinda see him agreeing to it like, oh this guy already thinks im just a whore, why not get paid??

But he did say he doesn't see money in love and friendship. I remember First saying that Sand has to deal with his all his feelings alone in the series and it just makes me feel sad for him.BRING BOEING BACK ALREADY!!

in the future eps, I want to see Ray absolutely obsessed with Sand and being soo pathetic about him. Like foaming at the mouth over Sand talking to Boeing anyone.

On the fence about their endgame tho. I love firstkhao but this ain't healthy man, my heart is hurting. Do Not take the fall for Ray next week, pls!! I'm on my knees here kinda like boston

NICKY BOY

My other baby girl, imma give you like one more ep to cry over Boston, then u gotta move on, c'mon son!

Also, interesting how he didn't reveal it was Sand who gave the sex audio to Boston, but immediately told Mew about Gap, the weirdo. Like, That was Life Ruining Info™ and he just gave it away lol.

Boston

Well, well,well,how the turntables...

Neo is killing it, i don't know if anyone else would be able to pull off Boston so well.

Kitty seemingly lost his claws this week,but he's waiting for a chance to pounce alright. He's just licking his wounds for now. But, all of the mewkarma was so satisfying.

Top

Broooo, he's sobbing all alone in his bed, thinking about past dates. Honestly i cackled like a witch.

No more Mr.Top Tier then?

I expect more grovelling and begging from him, maybe then he'll become more interesting to me idk

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 8 - Desert Rose

The next morning, the crew gathered inside Mr. Joestar's room to discuss their next steps; Iggy kept angry barking at the sword, and Polnareff took off to get his stubble shaved. He did ask if Kisara or any of them could do it, but with no shaving cream especially, and no skills for most of them, he just left all by himself, not forgetting to take the problematic sword and hand it over to the police after he's done with his makeover.

An exasperated Mr. Joestar sent his grandson to accompany the idiot; He sighed, looking at Kisara, who simply followed by his side. Can't let him get too bored, waiting for his French ass to be satisfied with the barber shop services. The two teenagers waited in silence on the couch, reading a magazine - Or well, looking at the pictures mostly, they can't read Arabic, which only made them drowsy enough to fall asleep. The warmth of the barber shop and the Sun rays caressing their backs through the window only reinforced that drowsiness.

They were only awoken from their peaceful sleep once Polnareff created a commotion, as he was attacked by the barber - No, rather said, he figured out the true Stand identity - It wasn't the people, but the sword itself. Anubis was possessing people through the swords, and using them like marionettes on a string, and now, the poor barber, an ordinary man, became a most fierce enemy. "No matter what, you guys must not touch the sword. I'd rather kill myself than have to fight either of you two." "Don't worry, mignonette! Silver Chariot and I are far stronger than this guy!" though he boasted of his abilities, his rapier parrying the Anubis sword got pushed so far back that the sword cut into Chariot's forehead, and consequently, Polnareff got wounded. "You, idiot - I learned Chariot's moves and powers during our last battle! I won't lose twice to the same opponent!" Anubis denigrated the Frenchman. "Jotaro, stand back - It's far too dangerous to use Star Platinum's bare fists against this sword." he was sweating from the power struggle he was losing. "Not to mention - The Stand's even stronger now!" Chariot kicked the man away, launching a heavy strike, only to get blocked; Both Polnareff's and Chariot's arms were trembling from the rebound vibration.

It was no use - Jean-Pierre was thrown against the window, before groveling on the floor, barely able to keep blocking the fast array of swings; He even tried to trick the opponent, hiding his next move with a towel and propel the blade of his rapier, but that one got easily countered also. Without his rapier, Polnareff was mince meat. "Guys, help! Please!" 

As Anubis prepared his last swing, Kisara hurried to parry it with her own katana, distracting the Stand so Star could punch him out of the shop through the window. "That guy is strong. We haven't seen one like this in a while. A Stand that doesn't rely on gimmicks... Just pure power." "Not bad, Star Platinum." the barber got in a sitting position, staring straight at the brunet. "So the rumours are true. You're swift - But now that I've seen it, I can beat it." Polnareff quickly warned every civilian to go away and hide, it was far too dangerous on the streets. "The more we fight, the faster it gets." the French cursed under his breath. "Each next attack is going to be faster and stronger than the previous one." "Get back, you two - It's me he's after!" Jotaro pushed both of his allies, using Star to catch the blade between his palms. "JoJo, please be careful!" Kisara whined with deep worry, watching as Star managed to break the sword in two.

The enemy got knocked out by the Stand-Sword breaking, and Jotaro panted, sweating heavily after such pressure. Kisara couldn't help but hurry to his side, hugging him from behind; Such a relief, seeing him fine - But it was so terrifying, seeing any Stand making him sweat like that.  In front of them, Marilyn jump-hugged Star, peppering his face with tons of kisses - The Stand looked so bashful, grinning like that and holding her dearly.

"Jotaro, don't touch the sword!" Polnareff warned, running to their side. "The Stand's powers might still be lingering, even if the sword is broken. Unsheathed, the sword controls anyone who touches it. Let's get the blade back in without touching the hilt." came the Frenchie's brilliant suggestion, and he managed to do just that. "Now what? If someone ever draws it out again, we're done for." "Let's throw it in the Nile?" Kisara suggested cluelessly.  "Sinking it to the bottom of the Nile? Sounds good to me. This thing's already learned our abilities. We won't get any second chances." Frenchie exclaimed brightly. "Hold it! Police!" a man shouted at them loudly. Polnareff tried to report the barber needing hospitalization, but the policeman was strictly concerned by the brawl on the streets and grabbing the sword from his grasp. Unfortunately, misfortune always follows the Crusaders, especially where it concerns the unlucky Frenchman, and in the struggle, he ended up unsheathing the sword himself, getting possessed. "Oh no. We're screwed." Kisara gulped. Were it not for Jotaro kicking the poor policeman away, he'd have ended up sliced to pieces by Anubis. "Kisara, you fought Polnareff before - What should I do? I can't pull any punches against Chariot. I could end up killing him." Jotaro seized the controlled man under his sharp gaze. "I-I don't know..." the girl bit her lip. "I could fight him like before, but I, also, can't guarantee I might not accidentally kill him. Besides - I can deal with Polnareff's body strength, when it comes to a single, swift assassination strike - But Anubis' power gave even you a run for you money." "Then can you keep him busy while I think of something? You're faster than me, I think." the boy asked, watching his girlfriend get in a defensive stance in front of him. "I am faster than you - I am certain." the girl completely ignored any kind of taunting coming from the enemy; She moved at such speed that Jotaro was almost envious of, yet considering their stature differences, it was only to be expected. Still, Anubis was matching her speed, and even going more at it with each well-aimed strike. 

Faster, faster, and so much faster, Kisara realised that no matter what speed a human can come up with, it will eventually get outpaced by Anubis; She had to block him, to stop the sword somehow from moving, and from there... Well, Jotaro's ability to make witty split-second decisions surely will come in handy again.  Yet their rhythmical dance of swords was ended with Anubis changing abruptly his slicing direction, going with a downward strike; Kisara rose her blade up to parry, but it wasn't enough - Because the broken blade was headed for the much taller young man standing behind her, who got the blade buried in his shoulder; "Wh-What?!" she squeaked in confusion and shock at the cheeky move - She hadn't considered her height at all, considering Jotaro was 30 whole cms taller than her, and he could easily get injured with a well-aimed hit like that.

Were it not for Star's strength, slapping the Frenchman away - With himself also slamming to the ground and destroying a hydrant - He'd have had his head sliced in two. "What do I do, what do I do?" the girl ended up muttering to herself, panicking and looking between the two men sprawled on the ground.  "Get here." Jotaro was pissed - What was he supposed to do against this kind of opponent? He can't get the sword out of Polnareff's hand; So maybe he could shatter the blade somehow - He just needed to get a good hold on it, to keep it steady.

Polnareff got up, and Anubis went into the grasp of Silver Chariot's other hand; He looked even more intimidating now, dual-wielding and spinning the blades at such incredible speed. "JoJo, stand back. I don't want a repeat of last time." Kisara let out a deep breath before relaxing completely; Turn your muscles into water, your mind into wind - Relax - And when you strike, gather up all the strength of your body and concentrate it onto the key spots. Hit the hardest you can, at the fastest speed possible. She got lost in the battle of hits, each of them with even greater acceleration - What a monster, Kisara thought - Only for him to stop.

Jotaro had used Star finger to break one of Silver Chariot's armor plates. "JoJo, don't destroy the armor! It's the only thing keeping him from getting even faster! He's gonna get after images if he shades it all!" Jotaro gulped, seeing the smug smirk of triumph on Polnareff's possessed mug.  "Light as a feather! Thanks for the aid, Jotaro. Round two - Armor break!" he cackled like a maniac, seeing Kisara getting weaker - No, it was him getting stronger every time.  "JoJo, catch!" she didn't need to say more; She was sure he understood her signal. Far into the barrage of incredible hits, she slid her blade down his rapier, blocking it away, before lunging at the enemy to grab the hilt of the Anubis sword - In that instant, as the rapier was busy failing to scratch her, thanks to Marilyn's shield, allowing the boy just enough time to grab the blade and destroy it.

Before he could, however, Anubis smirked. "KISARA, LET GO!" but Jotaro's warning was too late. Kisara hadn't expected Polnareff to let go off the sword, just to possess her. "... You've got to be kidding me." the girl cursed, quickly throwing away her katana before feeling the Stand take over her.

It was dark, so dark, almost like she was sleeping, but also... Not? She was somewhat aware of what was going on, but not entirely. Things were loud around her, but why? What was going on?  She could hear her name being called sometimes, but she couldn't understand any reasoning behind it. Why were people so noisy out there? Was she in danger, and she couldn't see? In fact, why couldn't she see? It wasn't dark, but rather blurry, and her head was quite a mess. She was rather dizzy. Where was Marilyn? She can see through her well.  Was she drugged or what happened? She was fighting Anubis just now - So what exactly happened...?

"Kisara, wake up!" Jotaro was at his wit's end - Not only was he to fight his girlfriend, who had a shield that made her literally untouchable - But she had now the inhuman strength and speed of Anubis. Even without that, she was seemingly impossible to defeat by him or Polnareff, who relied on no tricks except for raw strength. Very few things can go through Marilyn's shield, and he hadn't yet figured exactly what it was - A corrosive Stand like Temperance did the trick. The Lovers acted by attacking one's nervous system. High Priestess managed to pierce through Marilyn's arm because her shield power was directed somewhere else. Punches don't work. Slices don't work. Water doesn't work. Fire doesn't work.

So what the fuck DOES work?

"Jotaro, what the hell we gonna do?! I was one-shot by Kisara when Chariot had all his armor shed. I've got no idea. You're the smart one!" Polnareff was annoyingly right - But what the hell CAN he do? He put everything he had in his fight with him. All his tricks had gone down the drain.

Marilyn was out, and by Kisara's side. The girl's expression was harsh, wicked, cold - But there was something weird about Marilyn. Could it be...? "Ora! Ora!" Jotaro's eyes shot open with realisation - Star was trying to reach out to Marilyn. He, also, thought that he could somehow distract her. Maybe if she let's go of her shield, he can wrestle the sword out of her grasp; No, he might end up grabbing the sword himself. He could risk distracting her with Chariot, while Star breaks her wrist and gets the sword to fall from her grasp? No, the gamble wouldn't pay off. He must find a way to shatter the blade to bits.

The two discussed a quick plan, and agreed on it. Polnareff became the unfortunate distraction - How the hell can Kisara be so damn fast and strong? Anubis was strong, yes, but he adds his powers to that of the host, and gets better progressively. She was absolutely terrifying - But he couldn't help but be distracted by Marilyn; She looked so... Distraught? So... Unresponsive? No - She looked as if she was having some kind of existential crisis. Her hands were in her long, floating hair, and she was gripping onto her scarlet locks painfully tight. "Yo, Jotaro - Look at Marilyn! Think she's trying to fight Anubis?"

Jotaro had the same thought. "Kisara. Look at me. It's Jotaro. JoJo. Remember me?" for a normal person, it would go unnoticeable, but he was perceptive. Kisara's speed went down a little whenever he spoke - And especially when he addressed her directly. "I'm here for you, Kisara." he said. "Kakyoin is worried about you." yes, the name of her brother hit the nerve. 

"WHO DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, YOU SHADY FUCKASS?!" Anubis growled almost animalistic. "YOU CAN'T REACH OUT TO HER - HER MIND IS UNDER MY CONTROL! MINE!" yet Kisara fell to her knees, gritting her teeth; Her eyes were gleaming with how much she was fighting back and straining.  "You can fight it, Kisara! Fight it - For Noriaki. For me. For all of us. Fight that motherfucker." Jotaro encouraged the poor girl to fight, and win - He had no clue if it could actually work or not.  "Very clever, Jotaro, but it ain't gonna work!" Anubis cackled, dragging her body to stand up again. "Hey, Kisara! You don't want to hurt JoJo and I, do you? Please take it easy on us, we're fragile!" Polnareff tried to appeal to her also. "SHUT UUUUUUP!" it was Kisara's voice, as raw and heart-wrenching and shattered as the time she shrieked of grief and loneliness into the fake skies of The Sun. "I WON'T HURT THEM! TO HELL WITH YOU! FUCKING DIE!" both men were praying the girl would be mentally stronger than either of the two and actually manage to escape Anubis' grip - But it was in vain. Anubis controlled her into slamming Polnareff away with ease, before lunging at Jotaro. Marilyn had gotten in a defensive stance in front of Jotaro - Calling out to her worked. Kisara was trying to stop herself from inflicting damage on him by getting as close to death as possible and urging Anubis to die with her. Silly woman and her selflessness.

That fucking dog, that damn Iggy - He actually was useful for once. Iggy appeared out of nowhere, barking loudly and whining his name. "Iggy!" he cried out. It was possibly the only thing that saved Jotaro from not only his, but Kisara's certain death, as he managed to shield her Stand from the impact and redirect the sword into his belly without damaging any vital organ. "DIE, JOTARO, DIE!" Anubis hollered. "HAVE YOUR JAPANESE SEPPUKU AND GO TO HELL!" Jotaro spit out an unnerving amount of blood; It was possibly the most damage he's gotten since the beginning of this long and arduous journey, plenty of slices all over his body, and this one final thrust, buried deep in his belly. "I'll gut you like a fish and Master Dio will rejoice!"  "Don't... Don't drive the sword any further. Any more and it'll be murder." he grumbled dramatically.  "No mercy!" the enemy grinned wickedly, driving the blade sideways.. "I'll bathe in your blood and spill your guts everywhere!" 

With the sword stuck in his abdomen, Jotaro was able to use Star's punches to shatter away the blade, bit by bit, all the way up to the hilt. He could only smirk, seeing the foe's terrified look, but as he said - No mercy. "Weren't you saying something about gutting me like a fish?" Jotaro slapped the hilt away from the girl, watching the possession release her body to the ground. Polnareff caught her just in time to not get hurt by the fall. "I told you it'd be murder if you drove the blade any further." the brunet cradled his hand over his open, painful wound. "YOUR murder."

"Gah... My head hurts like hell..." Kisara muttered, being helped in a sitting position. Out of nowhere, Iggy jumped on her, licking her face.  "Iggy? What are you doing here?" she asked, cluelessly. "Man, you're one hella scary lady." Polnareff sighed theatrically, raising her to her feet. "I'd be too scared to date a girl who could kill me so easily. You sure did beat our ass good." Kisara's body all but froze, and she looked up at the silver haired man. It was only because of the Sun getting in her eyes that she realised she didn't even have her hat on anymore. "What... Do you mean?" the girl was too afraid to even know what happened. Frenchie pointed behind her, to a kneeling JoJo, devoid of any strength, and bleeding heavily, and Marilyn healing him. "You got him reaaaaaally good, mignonette. Lucky he's a sturdy stud, or I doubt that he'd have survived that nasty belly slice." Jotaro saw the lost look on her face; Her greatest fear, allowing her loved ones to get hurt - And what was worse than causing it with her own hands. "I'm fine. Don't worry." he tried to reassure her, but he couldn't stop her flood of tears, or the earthquake that her trembling body represented.

"I-... I... Did... That...?" she was going to go crazy soon. No, hysterical. "Kisara, I am fine, I promise." Jotaro's voice was a little more pressed, to stress out he was fine. "Marilyn is healing me. I feel nothing, I'm good." he says that, but his whole body is in agony, his muscles felt weak, and he was sweating like a fucking pig from all the effort. "How can you be good after getting gut like a fish?!" Jotaro facepalmed hard, glaring at the French. Kisara had fled the scene faster than any fighting move she pulled off that day.  "Sometimes... You need to learn how to shut the hell up." he sighed deeply. "Help me get up. I can't stand." he tried to get up, but failed. "No, rather - Go back to the hotel and get Gramps and Avdol." "Whatever you say, Jotaro." the Frenchman shrugged, hurrying back to the hotel. Iggy was sitting in front of him, barking. "What? You're worried for Kisara?" the dog barked. "Yeah. Me too." Iggy laid on the ground calmly, waiting until Marilyn healed him brand new and the two older men came over to help the brunet. "Thanks, Iggy. You too, Marilyn." Kisara's Stand, constantly held in his Star's embrace while healing him, nodded her head in acknowledgement, and with a smile, she disappeared. It was her own way of telling him to go comfort her user.

With both Mr. Joestar and Avdol helping Jotaro back to the hotel, and finding out the scary Stand battle they had to go through, they saw Kakyoin sitting alone on a chair at the table where the others were sipping tea previously. He looked disturbed. "JoJo, what happened?" he asked. "I saw Kisara, and... Well, I figured something very bad happened to you." "I'm fine." he reassured his friend. "Where is she?" Kakyoin sighed, fidgeting with one of his cherry earrings; A habit he took whenever he thought up strategies, or was worried. "Locked herself in her room. She told me to stay away from her." the look on his eyes showed deep concern and mild hurt. "JoJo - What happened?"

"I'll let Polnareff explain; I've got more important things to do now." Kakyoin nodded solemnly, gesturing for him to go ahead. If anyone could comfort his sister, it was Jotaro.

The brunet lad walked up the stairs, slowly approaching Kisara's chamber; Her erratic sobs could be heard all the way from the corridor. Jotaro cursed himself under his breath - To think he'd get so hysterical, blaming herself for him getting hurt... The depth with which she cared, with which she loved... This woman must be protected at all costs.

"Kisara." he called out her name gently, yet firm. "Can I come in?" every bit of sound from the inside stopped entirely. "I know you're in there." still nothing. "And you know, as well as I do, that I'm going to get in whether you let me or not." she was refusing to speak a single word.

Much to his surprise, however, the door opened - He didn't see Kisara; He saw Marilyn. She did a small courtesy, pinching her dress, before gently touching his hand and guiding him forward. Soon, she disappeared, and before his eyes, JoJo noticed the little thing - Kisara was hiding into the corner of the room, holding her knees tightly to her chest, her face hiding in her knees. Her long nails were digging into her arms, revealing noticeable pink scratches.

She looked even smaller now, he realised - And it was all because of that guilt she was feeling; The way she was blaming herself for something that wasn't even her fault... It was killing him to see her like that. Kisara was engulfed in a maelstrom of guilt, fear, and self-reproach after failing to protect the love of her life, and inadvertently contributing to his injury. Her emotions were raw and overwhelming, as she struggles to come to terms with the fact that her own actions, albeit under Anubis's control, have caused harm to one of the two men she loves so much - Those deep scratches on her arm, unhealed by Marilyn, were testament to her self-hatred.

She wasn't strong enough, smart enough, fast enough - She was not enough to protect him - So how the hell could she possibly protect Nori and JoJo from the malevolence of Dio? She saw him, she saw what he's done to others, she knows very well how his only goal is to kill the Joestar bloodline... And yet, in spite of her defensive Stand power, she was powerless before a stupid sentient sword. Whether she did it consciously, or Anubis possessed her, mattered little - In the end, it was her body got Jotaro injured; She betrayed him, his love, his loyalty - She betrayed him.

Her fear was almost palpable, Jotaro was well aware of that, both as she was losing herself in her own mind, and out there when fighting; First when she saw him fight, his safety endangered so many more times with each second; Her anxieties were only exacerbated by the thought of Dio taking control of her body, the same way he did with her brother and Polnareff, and so many others; The idea of their arch-enemy using her as proxy to kill Jotaro... She's rather kill herself than contribute to his death.

Perhaps she should have listened to her brother when he told her to leave them already; There was no place for her. She was in no way a contribution to their cause - Surely, she was just holding them back. She wasn't a good addition to the group - She was a liability. They would be so much better on their own, without her slowing them down... She was desperate, hopeless, helpless, drowning in her own self-pitying isolation, succumbing to the darkness of her own abyss. Shameful, that's what she was... Useless, having given up her childhood and feminity for nothing, under the guise of protecting her brother, yet only annoying him.

Kisara's emotions were in deep turmoil, swinging between intense self-loathing and an aching sorrow. Her previous sobbing and erratic behavior highlighted her inner conflict and the depth of her emotional pain, torn between wanting to seek comfort and fearing that she doesn't deserve it - JoJo was there, right in front of her... He was a gentleman... Surely, he won't use harsh words with her, at least out of courtesy for her brother, but surely, he must be looking down at her; He was disappointed, betrayed... Disgusted even... He must be hating her. Did he come to tell her he doesn't want anything to do with her anymore? Tell her to fuck off back to Japan and stop butting in their business?

"Wanna see a hot trick?" what a peculiar question to ask - It was in no way referring to the Anubis fight. What was he talking about? "I can light up 5 cigarettes and extinguish them while I drink soda." what the hell was he on? "Polnareff laughed so hard, milk spilled from his nose."

"Stop it." her voice was weak, meek, and soft. 

"Stop what?" he huffed, shuffling on his feet. "Nothing wrong with showing off in front of my girlfriend."

That comment made Kisara's head shoot up, and she looked at him, gleaming green eyes staring wide, shocked and desperate. "What did you say?"

"What, did you not hear what I said? You need me to repeat?" he fell into a crouch in front of her, showing off the pack of cigs and the fizzy bottle of soda. "I wanna show off in front of my girlfriend - Got a problem with that?"

"I-..." she couldn't even form a proper sentence, let alone a whole word. "Wha-...?"

"Guess you're still a little confused." the boy huffed, taking off his hat and putting it on her head. "Let me make it short and clear - I don't want to hear any of it." the way she looked up, having to move the visor of his hat because it was too big for her, it was so cute. "It wasn't your fault, and I don't want to hear any of your self-blame." he took out his lighter. "Now, for the trick-"

"Jotaro, I almost killed you, damn it! How can you be so easy-going about it?!" her outburst made the boy let out an amused huff.

"If I can't protect you from a stupid sword, how can I protect you and my brother from Dio!" he did a mock impression of her, rendering her flabbergast. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking - Don't." he said firmly. "We'll find a way to deal with his sorry ass." he placed those cigarettes in his mouth. "Now can I show you that damn trick?"

Speechless, she barely managed to nod her head, for those cigarettes were lit up, and JoJo did a most hilarious trick, though fascinating. "How the hell did you even come up with something as crazy as that?"

Jotaro's half-smile widened smugly. "Well, did you like it?" she nodded again. "Then it worked."

"It was awesome!" she exclaimed, leaning back on the wall. "As cool as always."

"Well, now that we're clear on where we stay - " he plopped next to her on the ground, picking her up and placed her on his lap. "How about you clear up the air on your brother's weird behaviour from a few days back?"

"Oh, the Baby Stand thing?" the young man grunted affirmatively. "That baby was one of the enemy Stand users - Death XIII - And it was haunting my brother's dreams. In that night when you all woke up exhausted, Nori had his Stand out, and was able to act in the dream and defeat the psycho baby, thus, subduing him in the real world too."

"How bizarre." he hummed softly. "Guess anything can happen - A gorilla, a car, and a baby. Truly bizarre."

Silence took over them for a few brief moments, unrest still swimming through her soul. "JoJo..." she managed to utter softly.

"No." he muttered, holding her tighter to his chest. "It wasn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself for what happened in that fight." he rested his chin on top of her head; His strong arms wrapped around her made her feel safe like never before. "Marilyn saved me."

"Marilyn? What do you mean?" she tried to look up at him, but couldn't; She was much too comfortable. "That bastard couldn't take control of her. When Anubis went to attack, Marilyn stood in front of me to take the stab."

"But then - Why did you... Why did I..." Kisara shifted her body to the side, subconsciously touching the spot on his abdomen that was pierced.

"I stepped in front of her." came his incredulous blunt response.

"What?! Why would you do something like that?! Are you crazy?!" this time, she managed to wiggle her way to look up at him.

"Yes." he smirked confidently, watching her jaw agape with shock. "I couldn't let you get that kind of injury - Not the girl who almost cried when getting pinched for the first time in her life." now he was making fun of her.

"I can't believe you!" she let out a surprised, amused exhale.

"Taking that hit was also the only way to defeat that fucker." he explained his strategy, and how, incapacitated, Anubis was powerless and unable to prevent Star from chopping the sword to bits.

"You are crazy! Crazy, I'm telling you!" she fell back to lean on him. "Please don't get many other crazy ideas from now on..." she clinged onto him, her kitty claw nails digging tightly onto his tank top. "We are so close to Dio... I couldn't... I couldn't live with myself if anything were to happen to you."

"You've got Kakyoin to worry about already." he cupped her face, making her look at him. "Listen to me - If the time ever comes that you have to choose between me and your brother, don't hesitate. Save him." before she could protest, however - How in the world could he say something like that?! - She was shut down with a deep kiss. "Don't argue with me. Just promise me you'll do as I said."

"I can't!" of course she'd be conflicted - If given the chance to choose between his grandpa and mum, he would struggle a lot. "JoJo, don't make me promise that, I really can't!"

"If you hesitate, you might lose us both, and you'll regret not making a choice." yes, he was right, but having to choose was excruciating. "Just say yes. For me." he had to wipe a few more crystal drops as she forced herself to nod. "Say it." she couldn't. "Kisara, say it."

"... F-Fine." her voice was hardly audible. "I-I... I'll do as you say."

"Good girl." he cradled her again, holding her tightly - As tight as she needed not to break away into a million of tiny pieces. "Good girl."

After a restful night of peaceful sleep, it was finally time for them to move on; They made their way through the harsh, arid desert and the scorching heat towards the city of Luxor, along the Valley of Kings. Avdol said the people living around were illegally digging around in hopes of discovering new relics and what not - After all, so many Pharaohs were resting in tombs all around.

They were very close to reaching the heart of Egypt, the very city of Cairo where Dio's lair awaited them, like the supervillain of a video game, in the castle, the final level; They were exhausted, even they needed a rest - Not only did they have to go through so many fights, but the Stand users from Egypt have been getting stronger and stronger. That Anubis, especially, gave them quite a run for their money, and the harsh conditions they weren't accustomed to required they take a few more rests than usual. 

However, even a moment of taking a break wasn't allowed for them - In the middle of the nothingness they were exploring, they saw a mirage - The silhouette of a woman, and a small child. Could these two be the enemy Stand Users? Or they were just two members of a family walking around through the suffocating heat?

"Be on your guard." one member of the gang warned, but they had no chance - Before they could react, however, they were wrapped up in thorny vines coming up from the woman's Stand; She, along with that little boy, had wicked grins on their faces, though scorned and rageful.

"To think it would be this easy to render useless the whole crusade against Master Dio. How pathetic - All of you. What kind of dirty tricks did you use on my husband to kill him? There was no way you could have bested him fair and square!" oh yes, that angry tone of her sure was filled with poison and vendetta.

"You killed daddy - And now we kill you!" unexpectedly, the kid had a most ferocious Stand; A creepy dark blue one, with the face split in two with a shark-like grin, and the arms were scorched black. "Burn in hell and never come back!" were it not for Marilyn coming out to shield them, they would have been cremated to crisps and cinders by the wave of blue flames that would have drowned them out.

"Ah..." Kisara whimpered, looking down at her arm; Her hand was mildly scorched all the way to the elbow. "Well this is a bother. How am I supposed to be a pretty girl if I'm covered in burn marks?" she groaned dramatically before Marilyn took out her sword to cut off the vine holding her captive. "Well then, you wanna play, girl? Let's play."

The red haired beauty grabbed the rose tendrils holding onto Joseph and Avdol - It was truly pitiful; Star Platinum couldn't rip the vines off, and if he threatened to go to the enemy Stand, Jotaro would be torn to pieces; Magician Red's fire was useless against them, and Joseph's Hermit Purple was nothing but an Indiana Jones accessory, and a means to spy on Dio. It all came to Polnareff and her - Save their soul, the moment they have to rely on Frenchie, they were doomed.

"Ha, you think you can defeat me, you little wretched girl?" the condescending voice of the enemy woman, Asenath, with the power of the Mother Goddess Nut who reigned over the skies and cosmos. "You are delusional - You couldn't even save your dear Jotaro from a weakling like Anubis - And you think you can defeat ME?!" she laughed, her hands gripping on her son's shoulders. "It's useless! Useless!" 

"Brave talk coming from the woman who couldn't save her husband from death." Kisara grinned widely. "You think you're special, don't you? I think you're a failure - As a wife and as a mother. You even dare associate yourself with the Goddess Nut - As if you could ever compare to her greatness. Now that - THAT is what I call delusional!" with a barked laugh, she rolled the vines around her arms.

"YOU BITCH!" she screeched at her. "You think I don't know what you'll do?! You think I don't know you're gonna save your brother and boy-toy? You're predictable! You are pathetic!" the kid's stand, Osiris, activated his power again, scorching away Marilyn's left arm also.

"Wrong." the moment Marilyn held the shield up, Kisara's bloodied arms tugged firmly on the tendrils to get the Stand Nut off balance, giving Marilyn enough time to get the sword and release Silver Chariot from his bounds. "Polnareff is an idiot, but my faith is on Silver Chariot - Duuuuuumbass!" with a smug smirk, Kisara released the tendrils and used her hat as a distraction, throwing it at Nut; It gave her enough time to lessen the length gap between them and throw a perfect uppercut. "I bet you also had no idea I can MMA your ass to hell and back, you dumb broad." whilst Marilyn kept the shield up, Silver Chariot was trying to destroy the tendrils to get the others to escape also. "Jotaro's a brawler - I'm the one with the techniques."

"AND SO AM I!" Asenath got in a defensive stance, ready to grapple her, but it was in vain; Kisara easily side-stepped and grabbed her wrist, throwing her off her pace before hitting her in the back of the head with her elbow.

"Oh, really? What can you do? Get on your knees for men? Or grovel to the ground like the whore you are?" she confidence and swagger with which Kisara turned, her hair and haori swishing around her, were very sexy, Jotaro remarked from afar. "If you can't even block a simple Silat technique, than what can you do? Watch your husband and child die before your very eyes? Ha! Pathetic."

Asenath got up, ready to attack; The kid started wailing loudly, and then roaring - Osiris started erratically throwing waves of blue flames towards the other crusaders; Marilyn couldn't keep up with the shields, and taking them directly burnt Kisara - However, Silver Chariot's sword spinning like a helicopter propeller was able to deflect the fire back to the kid; Magician Red could counter the fire by slowing it down; Yet Star and Hierophant Green were powerless in a direct confrontation; They had to be sneaky about it.

"Emerald Splash!" Kakyoin yelled, confusing the little kid who kept his eyes closed while Osiris did all the work; Nut started unleashing more vines towards the crusaders, aimed for their limbs; The powers of all Stands were unleashed and were tangling together in a chaotic mess.

"Hey, Asenath - Do you know why you're so pathetic?" Kisara yelled at her as she managed to grab her by her long, ebony hair, dragging her face down on her knee and breaking her nose, before wrestling her to the ground. "Not only did you fail N'doul, but you're also failing your kid - You are going to watch your own child die - The last reminder that your husband even existed - And he's going to get picked apart by the vultures, bit by bit; Eaten away by maggots and skinned by the harsh wind." Asenath was unable to retaliate in other ways but verbal. She was hysterical, screech and crying.

"Kid, it's over, stop fighting already!" Joseph yelled at the kid - Who in their right mind would want to kill a child, of all things? Still - It was one deadly child with an awfully deadly power.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU KILLED MY DADDY! I WILL KILL YOU ALL! YOU DESERVE TO DIE! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!" his screech was ear-piercing... Until it wasn't anymore.

"N-... No.... NO.... NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Asenath's wail veiled the Valley of Kings, watching her child get torn apart to little bits... By her own Stand. When no one was paying attention, Marilyn grabbed the tendrils and flew to the child, wrapping them around him; One Asenath lost control of her own mind, Nut acted on instinct - Her rose vines grabbed onto a corporeal thing, and they tightened until there was nothing to hold onto. The little pieces of the child lay on the ground, yet his blood was being rapidly absorbed by the sand.

The whole place was quiet - A child was torn apart before their own eyes, and Kisara, nor Marilyn, seemed to be holding any bit of remorse. "You... Monster..." Asenath's anguish must have been heard even by Dio. "You... You killed a child... A child...! MY child! My baby - My little boy--"

"Seth sliced Osiris to pieces also." Kisara shrugged, her burnt, mangled arms hidden by the haori sleeves. "If you cared so much for that kid, you wouldn't have used him for your own vendetta against us. Furthermore, if you loved your husband as much as you claim you did, you'd have protected and preserved that child more than life itself. You see - Isis might have managed to piece Osiris back together - But you will never to do that." she took off the Isis necklace given to her by Jotaro, dangling it tauntingly in front of her very eyes. "You're pathetic. You're a failure as a woman, as a mother, and as a wife. If you were any better, you wouldn't have chosen revenge over your own family." Kisara continued mocking the woman. "You dare come to me - Accusing me of being a failure - Attacking MY family - And then you blame me for defending them? For doing anything in my power to protect them?" she took off her haori, getting behind her and using it to strangle her; The faint muscles on her arms were visibly flexing underneath all that charred skin and bloody deep gashes going down from her elbows all the way down to her long and sharp nails. "I am not the monster - You are, Asenath. I just did what I had to do - I was protecting them. You are the one who chose Dio over you husband and child. You got what you deserved - And so did they."

"N-No... Y-You... Are wrong... M-Master... Dio... Will... S-Save... Them......................"

Asenath's body fell limp on the sand; Kisara didn't spare her a second glance; She recovered her haori and hid her injuries as if it was the most natural thing to come; For once, she was in agonising pain - She wanted to cry, to rip her limbs off, to scream into the skies and heavens for torturing her to this degree - But she did nothing. She picked up her sword, placing it back in the scabbard, and dusted the hat off sand to place it back on her head - The blinding light was agonising her eyes. 

No one was speaking. Marilyn was quiet also. For some reason, she looked so eerie and terrifying, with that passive sweet smile, and the blood splattered on her. The Devil, Upright... Became The Devil, Reverse. The terrifying fiend that everyone was fearing was touching everyone, gently, and healing their wounds as if they never happened.  Marilyn and Kisara were acting as if the attack never happened - As if Asenath and Amon hadn't existed.

With hands dug into her large pants pockets, Kisara stepped towards the gang; Vultures were already going around to pick apart the dead bodies. "Luxor is close. We should get going." her voice was as emotionlessly serene as Marilyn's smile. No one seemed to move - Their eyes were fixed on the mother and child being prey to the predators of the desert. "Come on. We can't stay here all day." seeing that no one was reacting, she sighed in exasperation and turned around. Marilyn disappeared with a wave as Kisara began walking towards the city. "You're gonna get a heatstroke - I can't heal that." she offered a lazy wave - Half of her arm was visible, along with the tragic state it was in. It must be hell going around with that... Unless that was a 3rd degree burnt and her nerves went to shit, and she was feeling absolutely nothing at all.

She walked alone through the Valley of Kings; Alone, like a desert rose, until she found a small open tavern. The shop owner had a Japanese radio playing music, and he serve her an ice-cold bottle of Coco Cola to enjoy; The coldness was soothing on her healing burns - The more the wounds healed, the more they hurt - The repairing of the nerves was making her brain lit up like Christmas fairy light on display. For how long she waited there, all alone, watching the soothing Nile rocking up North, she had no idea - Dissociating and staring at water was therapeutical for her healing process - Ignoring the pain as much as possible.

By the time the Crusaders found her, she had gone through five bottles of soda; If only it still had cocaine, it would have been so much better - Alas, cocaine was replaced by caffeine, an energiser, so it internally making things worse for her. If only she could get into overdrive and keel over dead, it wouldn't have been that bad.

She kept quiet as the group were discussing their next step - To find a nice hotel in Luxor and have a good rest. They had gone through enough, and desperately needed to rest and heal. She followed right behind like a phantasm haunting them; Once again, Joseph and Avdol roomed together, Kisara was with her brother, and poor Jotaro had the misfortune of having Frenchie as his roommate. After eating a tasty hot meal, the Stardust Crusaders retired for the evening.

The girl plopped down on her comfortable bed, placed her headphones on and listened to music - It was her sign that she wasn't up for communicating, even to her best friend and brother; The hat was placed over her face, and she dearly hoped she would fall fast asleep and escape the hell of her healing wounds. Song after song, she was lost into her own melody reverie, from Metallica, to Scorpions and AC/DC and Iron Maiden, the hypnotic tunes overwrote her sense of time and space, as if she was just energy in the universe without a body to attach to.

Alas, she was brutally woken up - Noriaki wasn't aware of her pain; He just wanted to speak to her - He gently touched the exposed skin on her hand, the little uncovered by the haori; The boy was rendered petrified by the way she screeched in agony, her body jolting up with a violent jerk. The hat and headphones had fallen from the commotion, and the haori slipped down her shoulders, revealing the grotesque look of her arms. His amethyst eyes flicked between the desperation in her eyes, the tears streaming down her cheeks... And those gnarly arms of hers. He, of all people, knew that girl never felt any bit of physical pain her whole life - And to get exposed to this, of all things... The Steely Dan situation was bad enough, with her feeling even the brunt of Jotaro's punch to the diaphragm... This was on another level.

"Why didn't you tell me?" his voice was wavering, a failed attempt at holding back his tears.

"Y'all were mourning the dearly departed." she managed to calm herself a little; Biting her bottom lip, feeling the iron taste of blood flooding her mouth. "I felt nothing at first - My nerves were fucked - But since Marilyn started healing my arms from the inside, repairing the nerves, I've been on a rollercoaster of pain." she explained, her posture hunched, as if to shy away from her brother. "I was trying to zone out the pain. Sleep it away or something. I was doing great - Until you touched me."

Noriaki hung his head, shaking it lightly. "You weren't answering - I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." he sighed. "Shouldn't you bandage the wounds?"

"It's fine. They'll heal - Sooner or later. I won't get sepsis anyway. Marilyn is doing her job." she replied, returning the hat where it belonged, hiding her face properly.

"Alright." he nodded slowly. "Alright then." he said again. "How are you feeling - Mentally, emotionally, I mean."

"What do you mean?" she asked, a little brash; Her physical pain was making her reactions raw and hostile without realising. "Because I killed a woman and her parasite? Do you want me to show remorse or what?" she sneered under her breath. "Was I supposed to open death with open arms because a stupid 6 year old bastard and his bitch mother were attacking us?"

"Kisara, you took two lives with your own hands - Brutally, in fact - And one of them was a child who just lost his dad because of us." she couldn't stand her brother rationalising and blaming her for defending them. "I was borderline crazy and almost killed multiple by a baby - A baby! And I didn't kill him; I sent him away!" the girl rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"God save Kakyoin Noriaki, the righteous angel of the family! Thank God you exist, so our family can be further dishonoured by the Devil herself - Stupid, remorseless, evil Kisara, the black sheep of the Kakyoin bloodline! -- Or whatever you wanna say." she pushed her brother away from her as she got out of the bed, ready to go out. "If you want to blame me for killing a snotty brat and his whore of a mother, then go ahead, see if I care; I don't regret shit, nor will you hear me apologising or even saying a prayer for either of them. I don't give a single fuck, Noriaki, I don't - And if that terrified you, then that's your problem, not mine. As long as I keep you alive, I don't care what unspeakable, unforgivable sins I do."

The Sun was going down rapidly, vanishing into the horizon; Soon, the dark blue sky was embellished with the prettiest twinkling stars, all silver and golden and so, so beautiful. Kisara found her solace on a rock by the Nile; The sound of the water moving softly made her feel a little peace. It wasn't fair. Why did it matter that the enemy was a child and his mother? They were enemies, and they almost got killed by them. That little cockroach managed to melt away her shield and burn her arms almost to crisp - And she took it like a champ to save her friends. Star Platinum couldn't rip the vines, nor could he deflect the flames; Magician Red's flames weren't as powerful as the Sirius blue flames, nor could they turn the rose tendrils to ashes; Joseph was outright useless, her brother could only serve as distraction - For once, Polnareff was the only one capable of doing anything; Chariot's sword was strong enough to cut through the vines, and fast enough to deflect the fire. Without Polnareff, Kisara doubts she could have kept everyone safe and sound... Unharmed. She had already gotten through that scare with Anubis - She didn't want that to happen again; And if that meant becoming the ruthless killer of a kid and his mother, fuck if she cared. She was going to do it, all the way until they defeat Dio.

If the others decide to shun her afterwards, it won't matter - As long as they live.

"How many times must I remind you - Going out alone at night is dangerous." Kisara didn't seem to react in any way to acknowledge Jotaro's arrival. "What, I get the silent treatment now? Saving for Kakyoin - I'm not blaming you." he sat down next to her?

"Oh, really? That's a surprise." she huffed, hugging her legs to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. "Seems like everyone's out to get me."

"You're imagining things." his comment earned a bratty scoff, and she looked away.

"It took you almost an hour to catch up to me. I think you guys were far more preoccupied with prayers rather than remembering I exist." which was true, Jotaro thought to himself.

"Avdol insisted we make a grave for them and say a prayer - For them to reunite as a family in the afterlife - Or something like that." he was sure the girl was rolling her eyes. "We killed many Stand Users; Maybe not that direct, but even still, we contributed directly to their death. I have no right to blame you. No one does." his words seemed to slowly mellow her out like a marshmallow. "What you did is no different from me killing to save mum."

"They why did everyone look at me like I was a monster?" her pained whisper compelled Jotaro to hug her tightly to his chest; He wanted, truly; But he slowly raised her sleeve, looking at the extent of her damage.

"I'm surprised you're not crying like a baby from these wounds. They look awful." she nodded slowly. 

"They hurt even worse." she muttered delicately. "I try to not think about the pain." soft tears streamed down slowly. "It hurts like fucking hell. My whole body feels like it's on fire, continuously tortured with no rest; It's not just my arms - Everything is killing me. I'm exhausted - I just want them to heal already. I'm going crazy." she hid her face in her knees. "And all Nori can do is blame me." she huffed, silent. "Give me a fucking break."

"I don't blame you for being pissed." he spoke loud and clear. "We were lucky you and Polnareff could even move. Today was pretty damn pathetic." the girl shrugged her shoulders. "I kicked Polnareff out of the room to stay with Kakyoin." JoJo said nonchalantly. "Figured you wouldn't wanna go back to him tonight."

"That's very thoughtful of you. Thanks." she spoke quietly. "I don't want to have any conversation about what happened today - And I certainly don't want to see scornful eyes on me." she let her legs dangle down the rock. "Though I wonder if I will even be able to sleep, because of the pain."

"How long?" the boy asked, referring to the length of the healing process.

"Fuck if I know." she groaned, shifting her head up to the sky. "As fast as possible, hopefully."

"We'll stay here two nights. Should be enough." the girl nodded in agreement. "If you manage to catch some sleep tonight, I'll let you sleep in. It might go faster." he nodded towards her arms.

"Thanks, JoJo. Much appreciated." slowly, she rose her shaky arms in her eye-view. "I just want to have pretty hands again - And functional."

< Previous Chapter

Next Chapter >