#remember that small discussion an eon ago

[weekend-whip]

Olivia + D

D. Subtle Kindness (Cracked!Legacyverse, prolly Season 2, but takes place post Jay’s True Potential at the very least...anyway you know what’s up @k1ngtok1 )

(Prompt List)

. . .

Jamie frowns upon opening their locker, suddenly assailed by an avalanche of wadded up papers, crumpled garbage, and other assorted bits and ends. It’s not the first time this has happened this week—or today—and Jamie has very good reason to believe it won’t be the last either. Jamie bends down, before some hall monitor—or Zane—tries to pin this tsunami of trash on him. 

One of the pieces become slightly unfolded in Jamie’s grip. Peeling it back, their eyes widen as they scan across the words hastily scribbled within. 

“Loser” “Stupid Hair” “Lose the Hoodie” “Weenie” “Get Lost” “You suck”

.......It’s nothing Jamie isn’t familiar with; these types of notes have been common ever since he transferred to Ninjago City High, slipped through the cracks of the locker in between classes or before school. The messages have never been very creative, nor particularly volatile. Easy enough to ignore...

But, the abundance of them lately is starting to become...annoying. 

Jamie sighs and continues to delegate their time to clean up duty. The halls have otherwise emptied out due to the next class starting, and yet an all-too familiar telltale clicking of heeled boots approaches them from behind. The fact Jamie already knows who it is despite not even looking is a huge indicator that she’s been hanging around him too much. 

“’ello, Space Cadet,” Olivia greets with a smirk, skipping her way up to the kneeling Jamie. 

“Hello...you,” Jamie replies lamely. So much for coming up with a snappy nickname on the spot; Jamie’s got no idea how Olivia manages to do it for everyone. Olivia snorts at the attempt. “What are you even doing here; class started a few minutes ago...”

“You say that as if the whims of the school’s schedule adhere to me.”

“They...do though?”

“Ignoring that, I could ask the same about you.”

She stops short just beside the pile of papers, leaning around Jamie’s frame to get a better look for herself. Jamie doesn’t even get the chance to explain anything before Olivia’s face is already torn with a scowl, shark teeth proudly on display. 

“...tch, this looks like Chen’s handiwork, or some goon of his tryna get on his good side.” Olivia plucks a note off the floor, reads it in the span of a blink, then tosses it over her shoulder like the worthless debris it is. “Talk about a giant waste of time! Who’s the real loser here, huh?”

Jamie’s lips twitch in brief amusement, a hand flying over their face to hide it away. Olivia studies Jamie before huffing and folding her arms.

“...I’ve seen this before too, y’know. Used to have to listen to Nya complain about all the ways Chen would mess with Stormwaker before they started dating—”

“I thought he was Thundercracker?”

“Meh, same diff. Anyway...” Olivia picks up another note off the ground. Reading the word “Freak” on it, she snarls again and tears it to shreds. “...Chen and his people just target those they think are easy to prey on. If you’re gonna mess with someone, at least make sure they’re on your level!”

Jamie smirks again, hiding it behind his sleeve. “Is...is that why you bother Kai so much...?”

“Please! He only thinks he’s on my level!” Olivia stands confidently, hands on her hips. “I just happen to think he’s fun to mess with. You could say ‘ah, cloudy weather we’re having’ and he’d take it as an offense!” 

Jamie breaks—a single, sharp pearl of laughter bursts out of him, with a half-snort escaping just as he clamps his hands over his mouth. Olivia pauses, a little bit endeared by the sound, before she laughs too. 

“Heh, mission accomplished; I have cheered you up!” Olivia triumphantly pumps her fists. Jamie finally stands up again, unable to even look at Olivia now. They turn back to the note pile, beginning to frown—

“No, NO!” Olivia steps between Jamie and the pile, jabbing a finger into their chest. Jamie freezes beneath the contact. “I can hear you thinking! Don’t even give those notes a second thought...unless, of course, you’d like me to rough Chen up a bit for ya? I’ve got nothing to lose, really.”

“N-No, please, don’t do that,” Jamie insists, looking everywhere but forward. Olivia tilts her head, raising an eyebrow.

“You suuuuuuure? It’s not like I needed a fresh reason to want to kill him, but-”

“No, it’s fine!” Jamie gently nudges her away–something plucks within him–and gathers the rest of the papers, hurriedly tossing them in the garbage. “It’s like you said, it’s not worth wasting time on anyway...and we don’t even know if it’s actually him, and...”

Jamie stares into the trash can, digging their fingers into their palms.

“It...doesn’t bug me, anyway.”

Jamie returns to their locker, snagging the book that incited this whole incident to begin with, and gives Olivia a parting wave.

“A-Anyway, thanks for trying to look out for me, but it’s okay! I should really be getting to class...! See you later, right?”

“Yeah–” Jamie spins on their heel and takes off down the hall probably faster than necessary, leaving Olivia gawking after him. “–see you later? Hmph.”

She turns back towards Jamie’s locker...which hadn’t been properly locked in their haste to leave. 

. . .

Jamie spends the next class with earbuds discreetly playing the most distracting music in their playlist, hoodie over their head and trying to drown out all bad thoughts. The notes themselves couldn’t bug him...but the sheer amount of them, and the fact that someone had to deliberately go out of their way to cram all of them in there...

Is Jamie really that terrible of a person to warrant that? What did they do to deserve that? Had they done something wrong at some point? 

...and moreover, Jamie had pushed Olivia away, even when she was just trying to reassure him (in her own abrasive, coarse, yet genuine way). She’s probably ticked off about it now, and then she’ll avoid Jamie, and then she won’t talk to Jamie anymore, and then she won’t want to be his...friend? Associate? Acquaintance? Jamie still hasn’t quite put a label on what they are yet, but...what he does know is that life would be far more quiet without her. And the deafening silence of space is already plenty enough to deal with. 

When Jamie makes the next trip to their locker, their stomach plummets at the sight of the door threatening to burst with the utterly ridiculous amount of paper peeking out of it. A few students pass by heckling at the display and Jamie’s chest tightens—more terribly written notes? But why? How? And...actually, when did they have the time, in the past hour? 

A bit skeptic now, Jamie carefully opens the locker...only to be buried under a mountain of tree byproduct. Instead of crumpled scraps and the occasional piece of trash, however, all the notes are on different colored pieces of paper, written neatly as opposed to hasty hatred. With a shaky hand, Jamie picks up the nearest one and pries it open.

“You’re cute.”

And immediately, as fast as their face goes red, Jamie’s heart threatens to explode. 

One by one, Jamie opens more notes, each one more incredulous than the last:

“You have great taste in music! (Now give me your playlist like yesterday)”

“You look like a cubist painting (and I could pin you to a wall)”

“HUNK >:3″

“Your hoodie looks comfortable (and I would like to wear it)”

“You’re always thoughtful (now keep me in your thoughts!)”

“STUD >:3″

“You are great at giving gifts (and you should totally give me one sometime! <3)″

“Your hair is wild (in the best way possible)”

“You always try your best (and that’s coming from the best there ever was!)”

“Have you noticed that I always smile when I see you?”

“Brilliant as a Dying Star!” “Possessing a Kindness More Vast than the Cosmos!” “Eyes that could put the Sun to Shame!” “You could Fill the galaxy with Your Light!” 

“A smile like a black hole—stops everything cold in their tracks upon reaching the event horizon, unable to ever look away from” “I want to create a constellation from every time you laugh!” “Your smile, like an eclipse, always hiding when it’s at its brightest...” “I just really like when you smile sue me.”

“...wait, how many times did I compliment your smile already? Shit.”

“Okay I’m running out of sappy things to say but i gotta fill this whole thing so uhhhhhh I’mma just ramble some random shit and hope it makes you laugh.”

“Potatoes.” “Popgun.” “Shark.” “Poodle.” “Noodle.” “Shark.” “Planets.” “Popcorn.” “Pretzels.” “Wow I guess I shouldn’t have skipped lunch.”  “Shark.” “Ocean.” “Monkeybutter.” “Boo.” “Loopyshoopy whoo.” “Shark Again: the Sharkening.” “By the Master why is this so HARD?!” “BAMBOO!”

...Jamie’s an utter mess at this point, tears building in his eyes, born from the laughter that roars from their chest and from just how moved he is by the insane gesture. They don’t know how long they stay on the floor, delicately unfolding and refolding each piece of paper with the plans to keep them forever, until they make a nice neat stack on the floor of the locker. By the time Jamie sorts through them all, and keeps the last one clenched in hand...they fill up all the empty space left behind, save for Jamie’s backpack. 

“I put enough in there so that no one could ever stuff another bad note in there again.”

The telltale clicking of Olivia’s boots ring out again, but this time she keeps her distance, leaning against the nearest wall as she assesses Jamie. 

“And knowing how sentimental you are, there’s no way you would take them out either. You’re welcome!”

Jamie just stares at Olivia for a second in all her bewildering glory, for a moment finding it hard to believe that such a subtle act of kindness could come from her...and yet, only something this bizarre could ever come from her anyway. 

“You...” Jamie wipes a sleeve across their eyes, one last disbelieving chuckle leaking out. “...have to be the most insane person I have ever met.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Olivia declares with a shrug. She then sinks a bit, worried for their reaction. “Did you—I mean, was this...really, really cheesy?”

Quietly, Jamie takes the final note in their hand and rereads it once again. There’s no randomness, no flirty undertones, no silly pick up lines, no side notes, no good-natured sarcasm...

Just the truth, the very thing that brought them together in the first place. 

“I like it when you’re happy.”

“...very much so,” Jamie finally replies, feeling their Heartstrings growing thicker. “And I love it.” 

Jamie smiles, unashamed and unabashed, which in turn makes Olivia smile too. 

[thorough-witness-enjoyer]

Y’know, sometimes I think of the Witness’ face.

It has always been a point of discussion since it’s reveal with people calling its unibrow goofy and equating its big eyes and small nose with that of a cat.

Though, when I look at the Witness’ face, I can’t help but think about whose face it is. It’s entirely possible the Witness was given a new Precursor facial phenotype when made, but it’s also possible there was once someone who looked like it.

Who were they? Were they a philosopher or a gardener? Did they have children or did they devote their life to taking care of their parents? What were their fears, what were their joys?

Were they loved?

I can’t help but think about how the Witness might have a face that once belonged to someone who wanted to matter more than anything, so much so that they would force the universe to care. Someone who wanted to be remembered as time’s remorseless march continued on, whose large, dark eyes cried many tears over the hopeless that comes from seeking purpose that will never be given to you.

Did that Precursor have siblings, spouses, friends? Maybe the Witness’ face didn’t come from someone who shed their form to make it, but of someone who was loved so deeply, the one who loved them sacrificed themselves to form a perfect being. That face may have been imprinted forever in the memory of someone who gave up everything to make a universe where no one suffers, where the person with that well loved face could be without sorrow for all eternity.

Maybe the speckled texture of the Witness’ forehead was once kissed, maybe the lines on its skin were traced with delicate fingers that would do anything to protect it. Perhaps it’s unibrow meant something to someone all those eons ago.

It would make that face belonging to the entity that was above “weak sentimentality” all the more tragic because that Precursor will never be known, but their face will forever be remembered in fear and devastation by those offered salvation. The Witness would be unmoved by those kisses and tracing of lines, even with the same face. Who that face once belong to doesn’t matter anymore to the Witness and it’s victims, for now the only trace of them is the emptiness in the Witness’ eyes as it looks at all of existence with a hollow perspective.

Does it ever think about how its face may have been loved so tenderly, someone wanted to solve all problems just for it?

I think of the Witness’ face a lot.

[mx-your-name]

His Goddess - 3

Possessive!Adam x Goddess!Reader

Warning: Yandere theme, Possessive Adam, Goddess!Reader giving Adam a kiss, the DickMaster finally getting the love he deserves, mention of you and Adam kinda dating, marriage thoughts, Adam getting some love affection back that he fully deserves and needs

-I would imagine that the Goddess!Reader would sing along with the other gods/goddesses! Like they’d harmonize into making a beauty of a song like fitting puzzle pieces together for some odd reason

-A of the songs that I see all the gods would sing would be ‘Let Us Adore You’ from Steven Universe

-Like it fits so well! White Diamond would obviously you, Yellow Diamond would be Ares and Demeter, with Blue Diamond being Themis and Eros

-When you all sing this would be trying to convince THE GOD that controls everything to stay because he magically left one day or doesn’t show himself anymore

-Another headcanon I would see is when Charlie and Vaggie went to heaven for that meeting, there would be either a small figure of yourself or a orb in the corner of the room watching everything

-As you know before the only people that know of all of your god's existences would be Sera, obviously Adam now, Lucifer (he has met you when you went to help him out once), and the god of everything

Sitting down at the house with Adam beside you watching a movie that you had never seen before, for that matter you haven’t ever seen a movie since you weren’t used to this new technology, you are always stuck with non-internet and future stuff. Weirdly enough Adam was a literal cat when it came to you, specifically one that would be clingy, possessive, and wouldn’t let anyone go near you without a reason. One example of this being when Ares had to come over and discuss his war ideas or technically the ‘Hell vs Heaven’ war that was going on.

He was in a three feet radius of you then all of sudden Adam practically hissing at him. You heard it right. Hissing! Like a goddamn cat, the both of you were confused and shocked by what was going on. So once Ares took 2 steps back that made him about five feet away from you is when Adam went quiet. Sipping his drink as he listened to your guy's conversation that was going about Hell vs Heaven mayhem.

Yeah, that moment was still vivid inside your mind, fresh like it had happened earlier today, that is correct cause it did happen the same day! Though the movie that was playing was a bit weird and not your type of thing. Glancing at Adam from the corner of your eye then back at the screen, “what do you exactly find entertaining about this.. so called movie?”

“What do I find entertaining?! The movies are about me and my life!” Adam said, both shocked and confused on how you weren’t entertained with his life story that people on earth made. “I already know about your life, I was there the whole time watching.” You told him looking down at him with an unimpressed look. “Oh yeah, watching through a crystal orb,” he said, remembering that you could see everything.

“No, not through the orb I mean in person,” furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at your words. “In person? I would’ve seen you through and you would’ve stood out like a sore thumb with your height.” Adam laughed at his own joke that wasn’t even a joke, shaking your head. Of course you were down there in person a few eons ago, it was a command that THE GOD gave to you after all, so how could you not reject it?

There was a knock on the door that made you and Adam look over to, “you may come in.” The person on the other side heard that as the door opened a second later to reveal your angel assistant which all the gods got as a gift from THE ONE. Adam was grumbling on how this angel was ruining your guys' time together, crossing his arms as he glared at the angel who was standing their ground but was actually shrinking on the inside from Adam’s staring. “Good evening, Cassiel. Is there a reason why you’re here?”

Looking down at the angel who had a golden halo and wings on their back with a crystal eye that had wings beside them. “So to interrupt both of your evenings but Lady [Name], there has been a meeting set up later today around 13:25.” Cassiel stated her arms folded behind her back while she stood up straight. “Hmm very well,” nodding your head at her telling her you understand. “Alright, you hear that hot goddess bitch? We are gonna have a meeting to attend to-” Adam was cut off by a cough coming from Cassiel who looked a bit nervous and embarrassed.

“Sorry to inform you but this is only between the gods and goddess this time. After all this meeting is with none other than the Lord himself that scheduled this meeting for the original five and himself.” Your eyes widen at the news that was given, Adam’s smile and excitement gone, now replaced with boredom and a glare. “Why the hell not? I’m fucking Adam I can go to any-” he was once again cut off but by you this time. “Adam, I know I said from the last meeting you’d be able to go to other meetings with me. Though this one is asked by his Lord himself, only with the five of us.”

Crossing his arms, grumbling under his breath that he should be able to go because he was Adam and that Big G would be happy to see him after eons ago. Waving Cassiel off so you could speak to Adam alone about this matter so Cassiel wouldn’t get in the way of his tantrum that he usually throws when he doesn’t get his way especially when it’s involved around you. The door shut as you spoke up, “Adam I know how much you want to go but you cannot go. How about this? When I come back from the meeting we could do whatever you want whether it’s going on a date, to Earth, down to Heaven, or even go kill a couple of sinners down in hell. How does that sound?”

Adam perked up at the suggestion that you are giving him, about the two of you could do together. “Really? Anything? Like.. anything anything?” He said, making sure that what you said was actually what you said. Giving him a firm nod at which he started jumping with excitement and happiness, “fine go to that stupid meeting but I’m gonna hold you accountable for your promise.”

Smiling gently at Adam who was crossing his arms with a huff, raising your hand as you place it on his messy brown hair then planting a kiss on his forehead. His face immediately went red and eyes widening realizing what you had just done, “don’t do anything until I get back!” That was the last thing as you quickly left with a snap of your fingers. Adam placed his hand where you kissed him and his other hand on his red cheeks, a love sick smile on his face.

— — — —

Taking a deep breath as you open your eyes to see the rest of the gods in their own spots in the meeting room. This meeting room wasn’t like the one before, of course not it was completely different. There were six seats, the four gods in their original spots on your sides but your back was to the door this time, at the front head of the table in front of the window sat him. The Lord, God, the Creator, the one before everything, the Heavenly Father, the Father. Yahweh.

You were nervous to say, usually you weren’t since you were always second in command and knew that Yahweh would always listen to your word on everything. It was because you or anyone hasn’t seen him in centuries since the last meeting. And usually there would be a heads up on these types of meetings beforehand instead of the same day. Yahweh even cut off communication between the two of you, he told you that he needed a break from everything so you had taken over his spot so he could have a vacation for once every century.

His vacation was another reason why you couldn’t tell him that Adam was at the Tower of Heaven, living with you. You wouldn’t ever interrupt his vacations because you never had a reason too or want too since he very well deserved it for everything he has done. You’ll have to tell him, after all you’ve never kept anything from him unless it was a gift for him.

“Ah! It is wonderful to see you all again! Themis, Eros, Ares, Demeter, and of course my second in command [Name]!” It was no secret that you were favored over everyone else, and nobody minded because they would also want to listen to your options and favor you more than others. “How are you all doing on this great fantastic day?” Yahweh said, his eyes glancing around at everybody, a big smile on his face all happy to finally see everyone again.

Eros was the first to speak up, “everything has been going wonderful to me! Especially when seeing more and more people fall in love with each other! It is so wonderful to see everyone love and cherish each other again.” Yahweh listened to what he was saying until Cupid finished up, turning over to Themis to see if he had anything to say. “Well, there’s been a quite good balance on Earth, and every person that passed through here to get either reincarnated was accepted and others were not so much from the horrible stuff. Overall I would say that it’s been amazing so far.”

Themis finished up looking over to Ares who was to tell how he felt, “there is nothing much for me to say besides that there is no war going on at the moment between the countries or people. My day is going good though, thank you for asking.” Yahweh chuckled at that as he shifted his gaze over to Demeter. “My day has been going wonderfully, the plants and trees started growing rapidly and quickly. They also started blooming different kinds of new colored flowers.” Demeter tone in her voice was calm and collected making everyone feel at ease, petting her pet bird that sat on her arm chair.

Lastly all the attention looked towards you waiting for what you were going to say, ‘oh, umm what do I say? No no, just stay calm, you're the goddess of creation and destruction you can do anything.’ Taking a deep breath as you talk, “my day has been going wonderful my Lord. The days are lovely, the Tower of Heaven is peaceful as always with the silence mixed with the charting here and there. But umm.. I think there is something that you would need to know that’s very important which you needed to know for a while now.”

Towards the end you started mumbling but quickly picked up your voice so you weren’t quiet so no one besides you could hear. “That’s all wonderful but hold onto that thought real quick because I have fantastic and amazing news to tell all of you!” Standing up in his seat in front of the table, clapping his hands together, a giant smile on his face as his eyes held a sparkle in it from what he was about to tell. “Lord this is a really important and urgent matter-” getting cut off by Yahweh waving his hand saying that you all could discuss it after the information.

“So recently I have realized that you all have been working really hard on duties and the souls, mostly you [Name], and how lonely you have been. So I decided to make you a husband, so you wouldn’t feel alone and have someone to be there for you just like Eros does with his wives.” Yahweh announced exclusively, his facial expressions shows how thrilled and cheerful he was when revealing his message.

The whole room went silent at that, your eyes widened, unable to comprehend what was said while your jaw partly opened up. Demeter stopped petting her bird as she glanced around the room at the others not knowing what to say, even her bird was gawking like it was frozen in time. Ares opened his mouth to speak up about something then quickly shut it, not able to form words. Themis let out a deep breath feeling the slightly tense silence that not even her scale and judgment could fix. Eros covered his mouth that had a gasp escape a second before he did, flashing his eyes over to you, then to Yahweh who was smiling confused, then back over to you again.

‘Oh my! [Name] getting a husband, out of the blue too? But what about Adam? Oh no that’s horrible! He’s so in love with her that he thinks of her life. He's her husband already, that and his possessive and obsessive tendies? This is going to end terribly! Unless someone reveals what’s going on, come on [Name]! Fess up and do something about the matter!’ Eros yelled in his head as he was looking more nervous every second nobody talked, sinking slowly down into his seat.

“So? What is that you wanted to tell me-” Yahweh cleared his throat wanting to know why every god was acting like this, he didn’t feel like he should read your guys thoughts since you’ll tell him everything. Slamming your hands on the desk, interjecting his sentence, standing up with your hands on the table as you shout, “Adam arrived at the Tower of Heaven about a few months ago after he was killed during extermination day! A soul from hell arrived in Heaven not too long before Adam died and arrived here! The now sinner's soul was redeemed and in Heaven. Adam has been staying with me since we didn’t know what we could do and to not break our Heaven rules that involved the matter! I can’t accept the husband either since Adam and I are technically dating as well after the first month he started staying here!”

When you were finished you held your breath in as everything went silent. You could almost hear a pin drop from the end of the hall which was very very far away. The four gods shifted their gazes from you over to Yahweh who was taking it all in word for word. His face no longer had a smile but just a thin line, opening his mouth only to close in a couple times. Putting his hand up in front of you all that said to give him a second, twisting his chair all the way around. Resting his chin on his palm staring out the huge window in the room.

Locking eyes with the others who were confused and nervous to say, taking a seat back in your chair waiting for something. Anything to come whether it was yelling or a punishment for not telling him sooner. Yahweh was in disbelief to obvious state, spinning his chair back around his both held together in front of him as he took a breath in then let it out. “So that is..” crossing their fingers waiting for the yelling or shouting from Yahweh to begin only to get none of that. “Wonderful news! Well not Adam dying but having a redeemed sinner? Finally! I’ve been waiting for so long that it felt like an eternity, ha ha! That is amazing. And you and Adam are dating? I would have never expected that to ever happen, in all of my lifetime!”

“You’re- you’re not.. mad?” Questioning as all of you glimpsed at one another to only see the same confused face. “Mad? Why would I be mad? Well I am upset that Adam had died from the extermination that took place but I’m happy that he was able to get over his last two wives! He has you now! Though I’ll need to check in on that extermination!” Yahweh cleared up smiling brightly, stars stuck in his eyes showing his happiness and giddiness that was a child’s nature.

“I’m calling off the husband thing since you have Adam! For a second I thought I was gonna have to create someone that was another good that was to join the group, oh well! Guess I only need the original five and nobody else that’s new. Though if you two are getting married soon you have to invite me and that’s an order.” Nodding your head at his words.

After that whole ardeal the meeting went off like it normally did, talking about some issues that were going on here and there. Yahweh talked about probably wanting to start over from the very beginning then deciding against it since he could start a new experiment about new creatures that humans talk about. Which they called aliens, which you all started getting to work on, giving ideas on what they should look like and how they should be created differently.

Also butting in that they should be far away from the humans since it might cause some problems and if it ever does then you all should wipe them out. You set up safe measures for anything that could happen, and Yahweh said that they weren’t gonna be able to come to heaven but a different place for them to separate angels, sinners with the new alien creatures.

— — — —

Stretching your arms as all of you went your separate ways to your own houses, Yahweh made sure that you got the message to marry Adam whether it was in decades or centuries or eons. He really wanted you two to get married for whatever reason, even gave you two rings that personally to your liking.

Piping up behind Adam to see him watching tv briefly, his whole body laying across the couch muttering a song under his breath, some words mentioning how boring it was without you and that he should’ve gone no matter what. Taking in a full view of Adam, his brown hair to his hazel-brown like eyes. How could he be this.. attractive? How could you not realize this until now? You felt like your cheeks were heating up, where were you hot? Last time you checked Heaven always had nice temperatures so you’d never feel too cold or hot, it was always the same warmth everyday.

Placing a hand on your cheeks, shaking your head quickly, looking at the tv to see some kind of sitcom show about a family who were arguing or messing around with each other. Glancing back down at Adam who’s eyes were staring to close from how boring the show was, it wasn’t even that interesting or entertaining for his liking. His eyes felt heavier and drooped down. Smiling softly down at him, how could you not realize it until now? You were in love.. with Adam. So Eros was right about what he told you after the meeting in private.

-Flashback-

About to teleport your way back home to Adam before you had gotten stopped by a tap on your shoulder. Turning around to face Eros who was giving you a soft smile that he always wore, “ah sorry to interrupt your time to go home [Name] but I wasn’t to ask you something. If that’s alright with you. “Hmm? Sure I don’t mind Eros, ask whatever you need.” You give him a reassuring smile, making him a bit more confident on what he was going to ask.

“Well, how do you feel about Adam? Like do you like him, like just just in general.” Taken back by the question but coming back quickly as you thought about it for a minute. How did you feel about him? You liked how he was always there when he needed help, how he was always by your side no matter what happened. You liked how he would never back down from a fight or a challenge that you gave him, how his wings felt around you when he gave you a hug that would last for hours.

His golden wings felt soft, you had wings too but you never brought them out like the extra pairs of arms you had in your full form just like the others who looked completely different that they would originally.

“I like everything about him I suppose.. he’s always there for me, always helps me out even if I don’t need it, and try’s keep me warm with his wings whenever we’re watching movies together on the couch.” Laughing at the part of remembering his wings were able to go around your tall frame even when you were in your nine feet tall self. Eros felt it, he felt your heart speeding up a bit when talking about Adam himself, your likes that reflected off him, and how there was the slightest pink blush on your cheeks.

“Oh [Name].. you're in love with him!” Eros squealed in pure enthusiasm, tilting your to the side a bit conflicted. “Eros doesn't take this the wrong way but that’s impossible. I’m incapable of feeling love, I haven’t ever felt any type of love for eons or even yonks(eternity).” You told him trying to get him to understand that, shaking his head at your words. “Yes I know. But as Cupid the God of Love I can feel the love radiating off of you when you were talking about Adam like he was truly the one that was made for you even if you don’t think so.”

“I don’t know, Eros. If you say it is true, I’ll try to keep an eye out for it.” Affirming him as you took your leave, Eros smiled with a shrug and skipped away most likely to go and see his wonderful wives.

-Flashback end-

How could have this happened? Your heart was beating and your cheeks were getting red and heated up from just getting the smallest amount of a glimpse from Adam and that just made lol your emotions go haywire. ‘Maybe.. just maybe this feeling wouldn’t be so bad.’ Creating a blanket from your powers, draping it over his limb body, bending over a bit as you place a kiss on top of his forehead. Pulling away, staring close at him as he slept away the rest of the day peacefully. Not able to resist the temptation, you had kissed him on the forehead again.

Standing fully back up, smiling down at him as you walked off to tend to the paperwork in your office. Missing for a split second of Adam smiling, watching you walk away, his hand on his forehead where you kissed him. Two more times might I add.

[pianocat939]

I never saw any yandere longan, i dont knkw if your requests are open, so may i rrquest yandere longan x dragon! Reader oneshot preferably?

Again, requests are open. Just tell me what you want (can be specific or not) and send it.

just 2 weeks ago I was starting to write again after a long break and now I have people requesting stuff haha. It’s amazing how easily you can get attention from writing ✨obsessive characters✨.

I’ve never written for Longan before so bare with me. (At least with Longan as the main)

Tw: Blood (strawberry jam), implied disappearance of cookies, being trapped

Our World Alone

You sat in the garden of your small palace, admiring the blossoms. The day was warm, perfect for taking a walk; exactly what you were doing. Then a letter arrived, resting right on top of your lap. You opened the letter, ripping the seal and paper.

Inside it read:

‘Y/n Dragon, greetings.

I, Longan Dragon, formally request your presence at my palace. I wish to discuss about my plans for the future. Specifically, our future. Please arrive as quickly as possible. For this path will be paved by the speed of light.

- With best intentions, Longan Dragon’

Your eyes widened as you read the letter. It has been eons since you last saw Longan Dragon. You rarely met in the first place. Deciding to departure immediately, you grab a few things before setting off to your trip to the Longan Palace.

——————————————————

“I can’t wait to see their face again. Such a strong creature with a gentle nature.” Longan smiled, staring out the window, waiting for your arrival. They turned back to a portrait. A portrait of you specifically.

“I remember when I requested this. They were so unaware of what was being done in secret.” They traced the outlines of your features, a smile slowly creeping upon their face. “Gentle as a flower, strong like a beast, my love forever to-be.” Then right at the moment one of their servants informed them of your arrival.

“Oh? Already? Seems like someone wants to be chained down early.”

——————————————————

You were lead to a grand room with gold and gems imbedded everywhere along the walls and furniture. In the center, a throne resides, and sitting on top of it is Longan Dragon. They motion you to sit down to the throne next to them, eyes following your every movement.

“Thank you for coming swiftly. Now, as you know, I wish to discuss about the future.” They state, posture tall and well-formed. You almost felt like quivering while consumed in the controlling atmosphere. Realizing they were waiting for an answer you nod, ready for what’s about to come next.

“I wish the world to be rid of the weak, and that only the strong remain.” They lean closer to you, the golden eyeballs floating around them staring directly at you. “We don’t need the weak on their knees begging us to grant them wishes. Instead, we can be thriving in a life where the worthy only live.”

Your smile slowly faded. How could Longan think of such a segregating thing? It’s only splitting Earthbread apart, not together. You can’t agree to this. Not now, not ever.

“I see what your intentions are, but I unfortunately do not agree with them. I believe cookies and dragons must live beside each other, to forget differences.” You oppose, clutching your clothing. Longan bitterly frowned, rising up from their throne.

“Do you know how much I try to make our world perfect for us?” Frustrated, they walk up to you. “If I were to follow my wishes it would only the two of us existing; but because I know you wouldn’t like that I restrained myself.” They lifted your face, glaring directly at you.

“Is my devotion not enough for your love and affection?” They angrily snap, gripping harder. You wince, feeling the pressure starting to weigh down on you.

“I apologize, I didn’t realize your affections…But that doesn’t mean I’m going to follow with this plan.” You struggled out of their grip, now annoyed with the behavior. You get off the chair, standing proudly, ready to attack.

Longan laughs, “As strong as you are, certainly you don’t think you can beat me?” Then they place the first move, not sparing a single sliver of mercy. You return the action, striking them. “Just imagine the beauty!” The battle was intense, destroying the majestic walls and floor of the room. Then a strike brushed your arm, causing it to bleed.

While you were distracted by your arm, Longan trapped your legs with their own body. “No escape for you now, my sweet. We shall live in the future together, with no weaklings bothering us.” You then got knocked out.

——————————————————

When you awoke you found yourself chained to a bed. The world was quiet, unusually so. There was no sound of the bustling cookies inside the palace, nor of the outside.

“Ah, I see you’re awake.” Longan commented, sitting by the bed. A smug smile gracing their face. Dread fills within your body.

Longan had succeeded.

“I know this is a shock for you, but know that we will know be able to live our world…Alone.”

——————————————————

It’s 2AM and my brain is being weird. Longan Dragon is easy to understand what personality it would be like, but writing it is so difficult.

- Celina

[thenarcolepticone]

Fulmination

by TheNarcolepticOne

Summary: An inquisitive dragon named Arthur asks a half dragon namedAlfred on why he is attempting to catch a fish underneath a dying star. On the other hand, Alfred may have caught something else he wasn't expecting.

A/N: Re-uploaded from AO3. Story is a FFXIV and USUKUS fusion AU, regarding a half dragon and an actual dragon. No, you do not need to understand the game in order to read this story. Everything will be explained.

For the people who do play FFXIV, these are my specifics:

Alfred - FSH + Au Ra (Human with Dragon Horns and Tail) Arthur - Dragon (Literal) Orchestration Suggestion: Close the Distance

Reader Warnings:

- The story will reference a location from the FFXIV: Endwalker expansion but will not be discussed by name nor referred any more than by vague description

- Furthermore, to be extremely vague about the lore for those who HAVE a played Endwalker, I’ll just say. Nothing about the tragedy will be referenced here too much. Nothing Stormblood already didn’t say.

- Arthur speaks Old-ish English but it’s not that confusing nor accurate. It’s also not very good. Sorry.

- The safe for work version of this story will be posted here. Check out my pinned post for my AO3 if you’d like to read the continued chapter, it will not be linked. There are tags included too, please heed them. Thank you. 

+ + + 

“Thou shall not findeth any creatures here.”

The individual in question, small stool in hand, set it down upon the grayed and drying sand underneath him. He paid no mind to Arthur, nor his question, and merely produced a fishing rod as he sat down to fiddle with the tangled string.

It was a strange thing, the dragon thought. That the man just seemed so certain about the idea of finding something amidst the void of the stars. Arthur was the one that had lived amongst them, for eons upon eons. Certainly with that amount of time, one could accurately come to the conclusion that there was nothing to expect, at least, alive amidst the galaxies of his home. But despite how long Arthur had stared into the darkness of them; the interstellar spaces in between the dotted lights, the man seemed both hopeful and ignorant. It was an admirable determination; worthy of imitating what Arthur once thought he had once upon a time ago.

The fishing spot that was chosen was, undoubtedly, not very unique or enticing upon first glance. The entire environment was situated upon what was similar to the edge of a desert without a sun, blanketed in total pitch black darkness were it not for the faint hue of the dead sun nearby. The ground was flat, and at the end of the cliff where the earth ended, the dust of the sand seemed to float away upward instead of falling back down.

The location wasn’t anything important to Arthur either; the dragon had long since ignored the thought of assuming that anything around them was worth attempting to remember.

But the man still came, as he always did religiously every single day,, rod under his arm, a tackle box in one hand and stool in another.

It was only recently that Arthur had taken it upon himself to finally move from his current seated position to move closer to the location of where the frequent visitor flocked to. He hadn’t moved from his eternal resting place in many years, and with nothing else much to stimulate him, he had been in a dormant state of sleep, eyes gazing into nothing while waiting for his demise. But the age-old feeling of curiosity was starting to build within him now at the young man’s frequent visits, and slowly but surely, he made his way nearer to the fishing spot, so as to finally catch the other when he arrived.

When further inspecting the individual, Arthur found that the other was oddly not as human as his silhouette had initially made him out to be. Now up close, the man looked almost half-dragon; tail sprouted at the base of his spine and with two very large horns protruding off the side of his head. Not that it wasn’t anything Arthur hadn’t seen in his lifetime, but the similar yet different features were admittedly shocking.

“Thou shall not findeth aught,” Arthur said again, voice a little louder this time.

The dragon man did not turn his head, but snorted in response.

“I’m an expert fisher. Don’t expect that just because there’s no water here that I can’t catch anything.”

Arthur’s tail flopped lazily, finding the man’s lack of interest in him a little bit disappointing. The wyrm eventually found himself staring at the bizarre, crooked and glowing piece of rock that the other placed on the hook. It was a very light blue thing, with a soft glow on its outline. It was jagged like the inside of a rock and wasn’t moving; not even alive.

“What is that?” Arthur asked, changing the subject.

“Stardust,” he said, smiling at Arthur as he finally turned his head to peer at Arthur and produced the mineral right in front of the dragon’s snout. “Looks pretty shiny, don’t you think?”

Arthur furrowed his brow, lowering his head to attempt to sniff the bait. It didn’t smell like much of anything, though, perhaps it wasn’t the smell that was meant to be its enticing factor.

“And thou shall expect something shall eat this Stardust?”

The Au Ra shrugged. “I’m not sure. But it's something. All my other bait hasn’t worked before.”

Arthur gently let his head down next to the fisher, staring out into the quiet and silent world around them. There wasn’t much Arthur could say; he hadn’t had a full conversation in so long.

“So…” the other began to start. “What brings you here? I wasn’t aware that many dragons were able to really sense that I was hanging around here.”

“Thine fruitless endeavor is what fascinates me.”

“Ah, well. I suppose it could be fairer said,” the man shrugged. “I enjoy catching things though, regardless of if it is a fish or not.”

“Perhaps if thou werest a fish, there would be no joy in it if someone caught thou.” Arthur postulated, his green eyes slowly blinking and closing.

To that, the man simply laughed.

“No, maybe not,” the other admitted, crossing his leg over his knee as he looked back at Arthur with beautiful blue eyes. “But I like the idea of seeing what exists. The creatures are not mine to take, of course; I don’t keep any of the things I catch for myself, really. I write them down in a journal so that I can remember what I've seen, like a log of sorts.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “For what purpose?”

“To remember what exists,” the other simply stated as if it were a natural thing.

Arthur watched as the man pulled his arm for momentum back before casting the rod forward. The whizz of the string unraveling from its reel was heard as it launched, going over the end of the cliff and into the endless pit below. The sound of the string eventually stopped and Arthur watched as the fisher repositioned himself, eyes upon the edge of the tip top with concentrated focus.

“To remember what exists,” Arthur quietly repeated after the Au Ra. “I doth not comprehend thee.”

The eyes of the individual turned to the dragon incredulously.

“What fish do you know of that lives here, Ser Dragon?”

“Arthur.”

“Arthur,” The man smiled again, accent flipping off the tip of his tongue. “I’m Alfred by the way. Short for something a little more annoying to pronounce.”

“Alfred,” the dragon repeated. “Art thee asking what creatures exist in this fishing hole?”

Alfred shrugged. “If you can describe them.”

Arthur wrinkled his snout only slightly. After a long moment of pondering, he spoke again.

“I am not familiar with everything of this land. But there was… unusual creature I encountered in my youth. A curious cephalopod. It has limbs that stretch out when threatened, and at the time, I foolishly allowed it to attach to my own visage. Mine own broodmother was the one who pulled it off before reminding to avoid attempting to eat them. It is a terrifying little thing.”

Alfred hummed at that, staring out back to the tip top. Upon a second inspection, Arthur discovered that the end of it had a small green light; something that made it appear more obvious if the jig was tugged down. Smarter even more so that it was dark.

Arthur watched with the fisher, but then began another thought.

“I have not seen such a thing in eons, and I believe it doth not exist anymore,” Arthur murmured. “Nothing in this place truly exists as it was. T’is a dead land now, and even thou were able to catch it, I wouldst only suggest ending its suffering.”

To that comment, Alfred rolled his eyes.  

“Do you really think so?” the other questioned. The limbal rings of Alfred’s gaze stared back at Arthur with such a ferocious intensity that the dragon felt almost threatened by the gesture.

“If its existence is such a futile endeavor,”  Arthur tilted his head. “It may be better to not exist at all, if simply to become someone’s prey.”

“Well, like I said,” Alfred huffed. “I’m not intending to kill it or eat it. I just want to see what it looks like. I’ve been wondering if—“

The reel of the line began to creak and Alfred snapped his head back to the line. With a rough tug, and several windings of the handle, the fisherman was able to pull in something at the end of his line. A familiar, monstrous fish of moderate size. Alfred did not dare touch it directly, only holding it by the string out in front of Arthur.

Arthur widened his eyes only slightly. A sense of emotion stirred in him; one of nostalgia.

“... I did not think it possible.”

“Told you I’m an expert fisher,” Alfred said proudly, his own tail swishing behind him. “This is the one you were talking about?”

“... strangely, yes.”

Alfred grinned, holding the line that the cephalopod was still attached to. The way it looked was genuinely horrifying, but perhaps, it was  still similar to something else found in regular dark water of the same depth.

“Hmm. I think I’ll name this one… Forbiddingway.”

“For…bid?” Arthur furrowed his brows.

Alfred laughed. “Did you not just say that it was something that was not supposed to exist?”

The dragon hummed at that. It was the closest he had ever gotten to a chuckle.

“What will thou do now?”

“Well… I was hoping perhaps I could look around here for more fish to catch, if you wanted to help me write down some…history of what used to be here. But first,” Alfred lifted the line again, grabbing the wiggling animal. “I have to let him go.”

The Au ra took a moment to grab the thing in his gloved hand, and before it could latch onto his forearm, he tossed the creature back over the edge. Arthur peered over to watch it disappear into the darkness and almost as if it were simply an apparition, the figure shadow of the critter immediately disappeared like dust upon the wind.

Arthur’s tail swished again. Had Alfred not been here to witness it with him, he would have thought the fish was a figment of his imagination.

“Got any more good spots to hunt down?” Alfred smiled warmly. “You seem like a dragon of wealthy knowledge. I don’t know anything much about what used to be here, but you could at least tell me what you know. What it was like. How it used to be for you.”

The dragon rose on its legs only slightly, causing Alfred to also stand up too.

“To be interested in such history,” Arthur asked curiously. Arthur butted his head against the torso of the man lightly, causing him to briefly lose his breath before laughing again. “Thou art a strange dragon indeed.”

“I get that a lot. Don’t worry,” the man came over. The gesture was warm against his scales. “I’m curious about you too. Arthur of the Dragonstar. Another dragonkin I know spoke highly of you back where I am from. Perhaps I’ll tell you about it, if you join me.”

“And perhaps,” Arthur countered. “In exchange. Thou could tell me more about thine own self. I have not seen an individual in the way thou hast presented until this day.”

“Heh, sure thing.”

+ + +

Fulmination: An expression of vehement protest.

[End]

[killianmesmalls]

Seeing the Signs

A short fic with Cas and Jack that takes place between 14x03 and 14x06, directly after their hunt in Sarasota. Just some father/son stuff for no reason. 

---

Castiel could feel the humidity sticking to his vessel’s skin, could sense the odd looks from passersby. A trenchcoat over a suit in the middle of Florida, he admitted to himself, was a strange sight even while driving in a thunderstorm. Just a few years ago, he wouldn’t have noticed the difference, but so much time amongst humans and a wave of pop culture knowledge allowed him to at least understand the glances in his direction.

Then again, this was Florida. They had seen weirder. Besides, he had bigger concerns.

Jack had been talkative the whole drive to Sarasota. Hell, there had been a time or two that Cas had attempted the age-old “quiet game” he’d read about in at least 20 of his child-rearing books in order to get the boy to settle. A pang of guilt snapped at his chest, knowing how much his son’s energy was due to pure excitement of just being allowed on a hunt.

Now? Jack was quiet, staring out the window as the typical afternoon storm made its way through. His thin finger traced the tracks of a raindrop before it gathered at the base of the passenger side window.

“Jack?” he tried, glancing at the boy. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah.”

“If there’s something you want to talk about—”

“I’m fine, Cas. I promise.”

The winding interstate traffic around Tampa began to peter off along with the rain. Suddenly, Jack’s focus turned upward as signs indicated exits for Orlando and Kissimmee before he seemed to remember whatever thoughts he had been locked in.

“Jack—”

“I said I’m fine.”

The rise of parental frustration bubbled inside Cas. He knew, in spite of everything the boy had been through and everything he had learned, he was still very much a child. It was occasionally difficult for humans to see, considering they assigned such importance to smaller units of time: months, years, decades, and even more importance to appearance. As an angel, his eons made all other increments or visages almost inconsequentially different. Sam and Dean were human adults with more experience and trauma than he’d wish on any other of his father’s imperfect, perfect creations. Still, they were blips in existence compared to him.

Jack? Nephilim, human, whatever he may be now, Cas could never shake just how very young he was. Eighteen months. Eighteen months of trauma and responsibility and weight on his shoulders, but only eighteen months.

Still an infant by human standards, not that he had the chance to experience proper infancy, Jack was physically confusing to describe even for Sam and Dean. Was he eighteen? Twenty? Twenty-two? Not that any of those made a difference to Cas. Eighteen months in a teenage-to-young-adult body with the lost powers of an eldritch being wasn’t something they discussed in parenting books.

Cas heaved a sigh and, just as the last of the rain trickled off, pulled the car over.

“What? I said I’m fine,” insisted Jack before the car had even come to a full stop.

“We both know that is not true. Now, Jack, I want you to know that I respect your right to privacy and, should you need time on your own to sort out anything you’re thinking through, then I will continue on and we can hopefully work this through together if you cannot do it on your own. However, I am unable to ignore a marked difference in your behavior from the start of this trip to now and, if there is anything in my power I am able to do, I wish to help. Something is on your mind and I am here to listen if you’re willing to talk.”

A long quiet stretched between them. Just as Cas was about ready to restart the car and call it a temporarily lost cause, Jack shrugged.

“I just… I kept seeing signs.”

“Signs? Like, from heaven?”

“No,” the boy replied, shoulders curling slightly, “I mean road signs.”

“Well, Jack, we are on the road. Is there a specific one that upset you?”

“No, that’s not….” he trailed off and Cas could hear the teenage grunt of annoyance in the back of his throat. “I saw some signs for Disney World.”

Cas’s mind recalculated for a moment. “Disney World?”

“It’s stupid, never mind.”

At the dejected sound of his kid’s voice, Cas turned off the engine and fully glanced at him, admiring for a moment how very much this boy had been through hell and still looked like kindness personified. He felt a brief wave of remembrance for touching Kelly’s belly as the child kicked, solidifying in an instant their bond. Somehow, warzones and countless losses had not stripped that from them.

He’d be damned if continuing the wrong route down the interstate did.

“It is not stupid. Your feelings are never stupid. Misplaced maybe, depending on the circumstances, but never stupid, and certainly not now.”

Jack perked up as Cas finished, finally glancing his chosen father in the eyes. The look sent a swell through the angel, pushing him forward.

“We have some time before we need to be back home, and Sam and Dean will understand if we’re later than expected. Let’s go take a look and maybe, if you want, we can spend an extra day or two here and see a few things. Maybe meet this Mickey everyone has been discussing for so long.”

“Wait, really?” asked Jack, eyes wide.

“Really,” he said, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “While we’re here, we might as well. Besides, all work and no play—”

“Makes Jack a dull boy?”

“I was going to say ‘isn’t fun for anyone’ but I suppose I understand that reference. Though, remind me to tell Dean that The Shining is not appropriate viewing material for you.”

Jack rolled his eyes but, to Cas’s delight, at least shed a smile. “I kill monsters, I can watch horror movies.”

“Did you or did you not get nightmares after that one?”

Jack faked a cough and went back to looking out the window, smile broadening. “Innocent until proven guilty.”

“Remind me to also tell Sam not to give you law terms to use against us,” Cas said as he started the car back up and eased back onto the interstate.

From time to time, Cas took glimpses at the boy as they made way to Disney, spotting the smiles from him searching what he may want to experience in the parks in between counting down the miles. Though he didn’t like to spend the money they truly didn’t have on frivolous things like resort rooms and meal plans, there was nothing frivolous about this. For all that Jack had been through, he deserved this. He deserved to be a kid, to ride rides, to build a plastic lightsaber and hug a costumed character.

And, as Cas took the exit, he figured maybe a small part of him deserved it, as well.

[dotthings]

I recommend reading @occamshipper‘s post here [x] that does a whole lot to further unpack some spn fandom dynamics, beyond what I touched on myself earlier today, but more, discusses the evolving nature of SPN itself. Which got me thinking further (as you do).

With 6 episodes left of SPN left on the clock, it seems like a good time to talk more about my love for this series as a whole, and my perspective on the earliest seasons of SPN vs later seasons. 

I’ve tried to articulate this on various platforms at different times, but it’s sometimes hard to explain, because it’s a dichotomy but not mutually exclusive.

People will make all kinds of assumptions just because I’m expanded cast friendly, because I’m a Cas fan, because I’m ride or die Team Free Will, because I ship Destiel. Some will think but of course I couldn’t possibly have loved S1-2 with a bone deep love, couldn’t possibly have internalized Sam and Dean and relate to them and see my own weaknesses and strengths reflected there, didn’t have 15 years of emotional roller coaster with SPN. Not just 15 seasons, 15 years. I did have to step away a few times and took breaks from it but not years-long, so I have witnessed every stage of fandom and every stage of canon as it unfolded.

Min brought up in her post how earliest SPN started with archetypes. While the characters were also layered characters, they mostly stayed in their archetypal boxes. Not just how they mirrored archetypes of other media SPN has always been a response to (Dean is Han, Sam is Luke and so on) but how they fell into archetypes established of themselves. Early SPN had a start on overturning those self-created archetypes and expectations, a beginning. Dean in particular very quickly turned out to be not what even the show’s creator expected and they ran with it. Kripke created a show he envisioned as being about monster hunts, like Kolchak, like X-Files, and it was Bob Singer who said no brah it’s about the emotional bonds, it’s about the emotional story, that’s our unique hand to play, and whatever issues I have with EP Bob Singer later on, I respect how right he was about that. 

The irony of Dabb era constantly being ripped down and attacked for...being that, simply because it’s not only the brother bond any more. 

One popular negative meme in spn fandom involves complaining SPN isn’t scary any more. True, the style of its horror changed, it changed visually, and I do appreciate the early visual style, but the flip side of that statement is that SPN started out relying on jump scares and mere style for its frights, when even in the earliest seasons it was clear the most horrifying or wrenching moments were going to be emotional. As I said on twitter, over time SPN became an increasingly complex study of its main characters, with escalating moral quandaries, and increasingly a rumination on emotional horror, conquering of inner demons, and most of all the importance of love of all kinds. 

See, the thing is, I really really REALLY loved S1 and 2. No you really can’t even know how much I loved SPN in those seasons. It had a gestalt that cannot be recaptured, and I dove in head-first. The dusty back roads, the intense familial emotional storylines, the haunted houses, the monsters, the dilapidated or forgotten places, the cursed apple orchards, the abandoned buildings, the brothers, the tears. Yes, it’s gorgeous. Let’s light a candle and remember it fondly.

When I rewatch it holds up well enough...it also feels claustrophobic. Limited. Small. So small. Yes still beautiful. But much as I loved the Winchesters and their story and their family already then, a lot of that love is also bleedback because of learning so much more about them. So much more. After that. 

When I rewatch anything before Carver era it feels like that, too small, and I miss the full breadth of what the characters became. I do have some issues with Carver, but he did a lot of great things too. 

By S3 the magic was dwindling for me a little. S3 is when I started to think I was going to just get tired of the show and that was bewildering tbh, because S1-2 were just SO DAMN AMAZING to me. But that’s how it goes sometimes. 

S4 banged the doors open and blew my mind. It wasn’t just Cas’s arrival, but Cas was a herald of it. Cas the most of any member of Sam and Dean’s extended family got the closest to them, could carry stories of his own, and most embodied some of SPN’s biggest themes. But it wasn’t about Cas’s arrival alone.

I thought I knew all SPN was capable of and S4 showed me otherwise and I was a giddy, proud SPN fan about S4. LOOK AT WHAT OUR LITTLE SHOW DID. The canvas got bigger, the character stories got even stronger, more powerful, and more painful. Let’s pedal to the metal and see what she can do.

Season after season and showrunner after showrunner. Even my least favorite showrunner had something more to show me about these characters, something more to learn. (There are a few arcs with every showrunner where I did feel like SPN was spinning its wheels, I’m talking in aggregate, by era, although I don’t love every era the same). 

When I rewatch earliest SPN I miss the Sam and Dean I’ve gotten to know because of course they aren’t there yet, they are just beginning. I have a mirror to that with Cas. When I rewatch S4-6, even parts of Carver era. S4/5 Cas is still exciting. Those are his beginnings, like S1-2 are Sam and Dean’s. But I miss all Cas became. I miss how far he grew. Watching Sam, Dean, Cas on screen while also missing Sam, Dean, Cas. They also don’t feel complete to me without their earliest seasons in my mind to build forward from.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me about the goodness of modern SPN, but they could at least admit that the SPN they loved left the building long ago, eons ago, instead of staying around season after season just to tear down, to hate, to attack. Everything from character development existing as a concept to the basic easy to grok idea that people can love more than one person to *insert repetitive wanking here on how Dabb ruined SPN by utilizing themes SPN has always always had there since the start and took them farther* to just being mad that S15 isn’t S1.  Modern SPN gets torn to shreds for being SPN only stronger with more complexity, more character pov, more emotional unpacking, more and more about family and how family is constructed, and with a rich visual language and use of symbolism that can hold its own with earlier seasons, and it’s just plain fact, this vitriol was  aimed at Carver as well as at Dabb, FYI, and I have my own issues with both of them. 

Is it really REALLY necessary to hate on a show that has always been billed at being about family for being...about family. Really? Do people even go here?? What is UP with that. Season after season of hard core stans preaching “SPN is about family” and now they’re pissed that...SPN is about family. Upteen repetitions of whining about “too soap opera.” As others have pointed out, if you didn’t already figure out that SPN was and is a family soap opera with monsters, there isn’t much help to be had for you. Upteen repetitions of whining that SPN grants redemptive arcs. What show have folks even been watching all these years????? Upteen rages because on a 15 season show characters grow, things change, and S1 and S15 are not the same.

SPN has always been about the characters most of all, it’s always been about the emotions most of all, it’s always been about relationships most of all. 

SPN is not eternally 2 boys in a car shooting monsters in the face on a back road dilapidated barn while those 2 boys repeat their first look archetypal roles, undisturbed in an endless loop. I can recognize how beautiful S1-2 were without discarding all that came after, and I’m realizing more and more how Dabb era is making me reflect over the whole series run, and giving me a new perspective on the long journey of the characters. 

Speaking as a fan who has loved this show since September 2005, but is also intrigued by current storylines, that melding of old and new, of new light shed over the past, while bringing the story forward, moving the characters forward, is also beautiful to me.

[cherryyjjk]

forever rain [1]

summary: to greek gods, it was a well-known fact that the fates liked to play tricks. but was this too far? what would happen when they made two unlikely gods have a tugging string in their hearts, yearning for each other?

pairing: hades!jin x persephone!reader

genre: angst / fluff / greek god! au / black swan! au

word count: 7.1k

warnings: isolation, slight manipulation

a/n: please check out the note about this series in my masterlist before reading! (this is the version where you’re shorter than the members) thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy :D

Another warm spring day, with the flowers blooming, birds chirping. An overall happy theme.

You despised it.

How could these people like the constant happiness, the constant smiling, the constant joy? As if everything was right in the world.

It wasn’t.

It hadn’t been in years. As a minor goddess, you weren’t roped into the specifics but, you knew that something was brewing up in Olympus. You couldn’t understand what yet but you knew something.

Your mother, Demeter, had not told you much but you had noticed her retiring in the early evenings to bed, only to overhear some whispers in her room in the dead of night. You knew who it was, who else could give her messages of what was happening up in the sky?

Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

He liked to call himself Jimin. You understood the desire to keep more human names, traits. You had especially liked the name Y/N, it rolled off your tongue and stuck.

Of course, your mother despised it. Just like everything else you did that did not include helping her. She had ‘discussed’ the matter with you once.

“You’re a goddess for Zeus sake! You should keep your powerful name, Persephone.”

You had rolled your eyes at the statement. Even Zeus had his own name, Namjoon. It fitted the god’s wisdom but not his intimate tendencies. You knew Jungkook, Hera, would be fuming whether or not Namjoon was looking at mortal women and men again, but just at the thought. You chuckled and rolled your eyes, you missed that. You missed your friends. You were so close with the gods in Olympus.

Only for your mother to pull you down to Earth to help the mortals survive.

It was a fruitless request, your presence was not needed. There wasn’t any weather changed except the warm sunshine to good rainfall every other day. Crops were thriving and the people were happy.

It was a paradise.

You were useless here.

Alas, you couldn’t disobey your mother, that would give more complications then you would ever want. Her gray eyes and sharp words would often cut through your measly requests of exploration. You didn’t ask for the secret of life, just if you could travel beyond the meadows and into the forest.

You tried to reason with yourself that she was just trying to protect you but sometimes it was stifling. Couldn’t she trust you for more than a few minutes?

You had covered up your curiosity by saying that you wanted to help protect the young men who cut wood in the night. You envied their positions, they had real families. Your mother had rolled her eyes and with a subtle way of words, she had made your request seem like the end of the world. She kept a finger under your chin, holding it up to her face. She pouted, and drawled out a familiar phrase.

“Why? You don’t like living with your mother? I know what’s best for you.”

You knew that something was wrong. Your mother was a bit strict, to put it lightly, but she had recently become even more controlling. It was as if she was running out of time and couldn’t bear the thought of you not being at her side.

Your relationship reminded you of a mortal folktale you had heard of. Nothing to do with gods like they usually were, but a different one. You forgot the name but you vividly remembered the story being told around a fire. It was about a girl with long, gold hair who was trapped in a tower by her conniving mother. The similarities were striking and you knew something was off. You never addressed it, scared that the mortals might get the brunt of your mother’s anger for a made-up story.

So you kept the story and the happy ending inside your mind and it beat in your heart. It was something yours and truly and only yours. It seemed like a treasure that you would never let go off. You liked how in the end, she was able to escape her prison and live an adventurous life. You envied her courage. Her bravery to leave what she knew behind to take the chance of finding something more. And even someone more.

You tried to keep these thoughts quiet, scared if it entered your mind, it would be on the tip of your tongue and your mother would steal it from you. Like your freedom.

Your morning thoughts were interrupted by Jimin’s wings flapping onto the balcony you had been looking out from. The balcony was made of a white marble and it was right outside your room. The room was spacious but not needed. You were a goddess, you didn’t need sleep or have any mortal belongings. But it was nice, in its own way.

Jimin’s light smile always brightened your mood, no matter the time or day. You looked at him as he descended but did not open your mouth, afraid of the response he might give to the question that had been plaguing you.

Maybe another day.

He landed next to you, his soft pink locks bouncing before the small white and gold flecked wings on his ankles disappeared in a bit of smoke.

He was wearing white robes with gold accents, he had a touch for style you knew had been inspired by Apollo, or as he called himself: Hoseok. The mortal depiction of Hermes was that he held a staff of two talking snakes and wore a helmet but a few eons ago, Jimin had rolled his eyes at the tradition and tossed both away. Obviously, he was reprimanded for this by Namjoon so he decided to compromise and just keep them hidden from view. However, if you concentrated, you could make out a gold shimmer in his hair where his helmet ought to be or hear two overlapping voices of the snakes on his staff.

“What do I owe to have the pleasure of seeing you, Jimin?” You asked, turning away from him to lean on the handrail of your balcony. Your hands had felt those rails so many times. It was rough and warm, just like everything in the mortal world.

You wanted to feel something different, something—

“You flatter me, and yourself. How did you know I’ve come to see you?” He smirked and teased.

You flicked your eyes back up at his, only to see them gazing back at you. His eyes swirled with a mix of brown and gold, showing his power. You didn’t yield down and continued to look at him. He sighed softly and looked out to the fields that the balcony overlooked. He brought an arm around your shoulders and slowly pulled you closer to him. You wrapped your arms around his torso and put your head on his chest.

“I miss you, Kore,” He murmured, tired of keeping up appearances, “we all do.”

You hummed in understanding, taking the chance to relish being in your friend’s arms. It wouldn’t have been bad to live in the mortal world, in basically a palace that mortals couldn’t see. With endless food and drinks to indulge. But you didn’t want any of that. You wanted your friends, the people you loved and cared about.

“We all miss our pretty bird. The one who would fly across Olympus because she heard some of us talking loudly. Her feathers glistening in the morning dew after racing Hobi and his chariot to bring the sunrise. Quarreling with Namjoon about little things or when Taehyung scolded you for drinking too much ambrosia. We miss you.”

“I know. I miss you all too.”

Your friends had called you pretty bird after your endearing qualities that you always expressed on Olympus. You would hear an uproar from one side of the throne room and you’d come dashing in to see what was the problem. Your selflessness and compassion had made many of the gods favor you. Even Jungkook, known for his coldness to other gods, had a soft spot for you.

And you used to be a cheeky brat when you were a few eons old. You’d steal ambrosia from Hebe, the goddess of youth. She’d be sleeping when you would find her golden cup, filled with the sweet of the gods. She’d scold you multiple times, but you’d have a smile on your face from tricking her. You were also the one who gave her a mortal name, Taehyung. You later realized it was more so used for males, but she laughed it off. Saying she liked the way it sounded and explained how gender norms were only a mortal concept and that she could embody a man. She did and you started to realize why she— or he rather, was the god of youth.

Jungkook would even side you when you disturbed Namjoon, saying that you were only a child. He would also laugh it off, patting you on the head, while Jungkook would only smile. You didn’t remember much of what your mother used to do. She would come every once in a while to check up on you, before leaving back to the mortal world. You didn’t mind her absence. Demeter was always the one scolding you the most. She’d punish you by saying that you weren’t allowed to leave a certain area until she deemed fit. Of course, during these times, your friends would help you out. The first time they did, you jumped so high that Jimin thought you had sprouted wings. That was the first time they called you pretty bird. You still felt like a pretty bird.

A pretty bird held in golden cage. But you realized that, though the bars might be golden, it was still a cage.

And a bird is meant to be free.

————————————————————

You were roaming around the meadows again, but not alone.

You could never be alone.

“Y/N, where are you going? Come back here and don’t wander off!” Your mother yelled from behind you.

In reality, you had barely been a few feet away from her. You turned your head back at her upset form and nodded in acknowledgment. There wasn’t much you could do but agree.

Though, while slowly walking back to your mother’s side, you looked at the meadow you were in. It was filled with vegetation: flowers, grass, fern, and other herbs. They weren’t all just green, but different shades of greens, browns, and a sprinkle of colors from the daisies or lavender planted there.

A swift breeze passed by you and your dress moved with it. Your hands went to the soft, cotton fabric of your plain, white chiton. Your mother hated the choice of clothing, saying that you shouldn’t conform to mortal standards as you were a goddess. You tried to understand but, it was a simple dress and the gods wore more or less the same thing. It must have been because you didn’t wear a laurel wreath on your head. You despised it, remembering how you loved hiding in cherry laurel when you were younger. There was no point in cutting off a few branches to identify yourself as god. The mortals couldn’t see you, only other gods could. It was useless.

Even in little things you tried to disobey your mother, such as shortening the chiton by a few inches at the bottom. It could help you run through the grass, if you could.

If she allowed it.

You stopped in your tracks to crouch down, holding your arms around your knees while balancing on the front of your feet. You looked in front of you at the baby’s breath in curiosity, it was such a lovely plant and you liked the simplicity. It had always been a favorite.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but it’s getting late and I don’t want you to wander off. Please stay close, okay?” Your mother asked, her true feelings surfacing for a brief second. She held your wrist and pulled you up.

Her fingers pinched your skin, but you didn’t cry out. She dragged you through the baby breath and your feet crushed the plant. Your mother kept walking for a few feet until stopping in front of a cluster of crops that were wilting, most likely from a disease. Your mother folded her arms while you rubbed your wrists to ease the pain. 

“Sorry Kore, I didn’t know I hurt you.”

“It’s fine.”

She looked at you worried, but you shrugged it off and sighed.

Closing your eyes, you tried to stay calm. Your mother wanted to test your powers again, afraid that your talks with Jimin or your curiosity was hindering it someway.

You opened your eyes and took a deep breath in. You felt your fingers tingle and you opened your palm out to the crops. In mere moments, the disease that effected the crops vanished, leaving healthier ones in its stead.

Your mother only hummed and stepped towards you. She stood in front of you and smiled. These were the moments you liked, when your mom was not being completely anxious and worried. Her smile reminded you about wilting flowers, beautifully sad. She took your hands into hers delicately, unlike the way she grabbed them earlier, and rubbed them. You liked the feeling but it was even better when she kissed the top of your head.

“I love you Persephone, I’m sorry if I have been anxious the past few days. It is not your fault. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Demeter gently said before letting go of your hands and walking away.

You liked this version of your mother. Sometimes during the later months of the year, her eyes would gloss over as if remembering something depressing. In those days, her voice and actions were strikingly different from the mother you loved. She would act as if she only cared about what you could do, it was very weird. You knew that wasn’t who your mother was but something made her want to protect and hone your powers. It wasn’t like someone was going to kidnap you, right? 

You sighed and changed your thoughts to something lighter. You wished for a chance to go back and look through all the herbs in the meadow. Mortals thought they had healing powers, and sometimes you laughed at the aspect of mortals. They had no powers, no way to heal themselves, no way to truly hurt each other, no way to protect themselves.

You wished you were human.

You sighed and your eyes flickered behind you, only to see something quite different from what you were expecting. You tilted your head in confusion and suddenly your eyes widened.

It was a forest.

Your eyebrows furrowed and you thought, When had that gotten there?

You were in doubt of what you’re were seeing until the image rippling like a reflection in water. You knew that magic. It was a covering, to stop others from seeing a forest. Your gasped softly in realization, the forest was a lot closer than you had originally thought.

Your freedom was a lot closer than you originally thought.

You took a few steps towards the image and it flickered again, showing the tall trees and darker green grass.

“Persephone? Is everything— what do you think you’re doing?” Your mother snapped from behind you. You turned around to see her steely gaze. You stuttered in a reply, but she only shook her head, repeating how naive you were.

“Do you know how dangerous these parts of the meadow are? Practically anything can happen! Let’s go home, Kore.”

Demeter had a faraway look in her eyes. She strolled over and was about to grab your hand again when another stopped your mother.

It was Jimin.

He smiled sweetly, looking at your mother. His eyes were in crescents but his hand blocked hers from reaching your hand. 

“What a pleasant surprise! Demeter, Y/N, how lovely to see you both.”

Your mother rolled her eyes and eyed Jimin up and down, suspicious of his intentions. Jimin only smiled back and merely glanced at you. He started to gently push your mother in the other direction while holding her forearm. She was shocked and tried to get out of his grip. However, he whispered a few words into her ears and the goddess stayed still. Jimin looked back at you and gave you a comforting smile.

“Why don’t you go along, Y/N? Your mother doesn’t mind anymore. Plus, someone has much to discuss with her.” Jimin stated, already waving and walking away with your mother.

You were astonished how fast everything had happened, but nonetheless would not allow this chance to slip away from you.

You looked behind you once more and took in a deep breath. Waving your hand again, the mirage disappeared and there stood dark pine trees, tall and ominous. You took one step forward, and then another. You kept doing this, slowly, as you were still wary of what might happen. You stopped when you reached the end of the meadow and the start of the forest. Your foot hung in the air, hesitating to step into the different landscape. You knew, once you ventured in, it would be even harder to come back.

You pushed your doubts to the back of your mind and stepped forward. The ground was damp and cold, making your eyebrows rise in astonishment. You looked down and saw dark, brown dirt with hints of moss. You smiled, you did it. You had finally explored out of the meadows, albeit it only being a step away. You gathered up the courage and kept walking through the forest, passing by trees and rocks.

You were blissfully strolling through the forest, your hands swinging from side to side, and a permanent grin on your lips. Before you could continue your journey, you heard a whisper. You turned your head back and forth, trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound but without luck. You tried to shrug off the sound, thinking it was your imagination. About to keep walking, you heard the voice again.

And it was picking up volume.

More joined in.

Your hands trembled and your eyes kept flickering between the tree trunks. You put a shaking foot back, only to hear the voices even louder. Your eyes widened from terror and without another doubt in your mind, you started to run in the direction you came from, only to realize that there was more trees. You didn’t see the meadow or your palace. You could only see more trees, as if the forest had tricked you.

You shook your head to try and rid of the disturbing thoughts. You didn’t know what would happen but you had to leave.

And fast.

You took a few more awkward steps forward, until you were running again. You didn’t stop when you heard the voices getting clearer. You didn’t stop when you tripped on a rock and stubbed your toe. However, the fatigue got to you, it was another human tendency you had to deal with while being in the current form you embodied.

You were out of breath and slowed down your pace. From a few feet away, you saw a cave. It was dark gray and looked like it would crumble at any second. Putting aside safety, your curiosity got the best of you and you continued into the cave. The cave was a lot larger than you had anticipated but you relished that you had some sort of shelter. You tried looking behind you to see the light from the entrance of the cave, only to be met with darkness.

Everything was dark.

You looked around to try and find some semblance of light. There was nothing. It was as if someone had dropped you into the middle of the void.

Maybe going out was a bad idea.

The thought of staying inside your palace, surrounded by white walls and plush bedding, felt like a dream. The sun shining through your balcony and the birds chirping.

Maybe mother was—

“What are you doing, Kore?”

You gasped and twirled around, only to find more darkness. You were scared and couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from. You dug your nails into your sweaty palms to try and stop them from shaking, but it was no use. Your feet slid across the cold floor, littered with sharp rocks that pinched and scratched your supple skin. You winced, not understanding what was happening or who had called out your name.

You heard distant wailing and a growing rumble of voices from a far-off distance. You closed your eyes and put your arms around your ears. You fell to the floor, hunched, as if it would protect you from the scary reality. The noises, the rocks, the darkness, the voices, were all overwhelming your mind.

You shook you head, trying to deny the danger you might be in. You didn’t want to find yourself in such a situation, all you wanted was to explore. And you got that freedom, but for a price.

You made out the same voice midst the wailing, garbled and soft, as if you were underwater. It sounded closer to you now, you curled up further, trying to separate yourself. You hoped that whatever, or whoever it was, would leave you alone. Leave you alone. Alone. Alone. Alone.

Everything stopped as quickly as it started.

Your ears couldn’t pick up anything and it didn’t seem so loud anymore.

Maybe it’s gone? You thought, hopeful that you were alone once more and it was all a weird illusion.

You uncovered your eyes and lifted your head slightly to realize you were in the cave once more. On the floor in front of you, you could see your shadow, meaning a light was behind you.

You could go home.

You lifted your body instantly and turned around. You were about to step towards the entrance when you felt a presence behind you. You steadied your hands and tightened your limbs, ready to run away.

But you couldn’t, your curiosity didn’t allow it. You cursed it in your head.

You slowly moved your body to face behind you, only to be met with a male figure.

His black eyes pierced yours but the presence did not feel as threatening as it should have been. His hair looked light to the touch but you didn’t dare think about doing that. Slung around his neck was a small, black necklace, and attached was a singular black feather. He was wearing a black blouse, tucked into black pants. The dark outfit should have made it impossible to see him in the cave; however, there was a small glow around his body, a tell-tale sign of his power.

Your eyes rested on his collarbone and lowered to see that the first few buttons were unbuttoned. Your gaze lowered and you made out a strong chest, before blinking rapidly. Your cheeks flushed and you looked away, trying to calm your racing heart from seeing such a beautiful man in front of you.

But you had to stay focused, beautiful or not, he could be dangerous. Very dangerous. This man could lead you away from home, or worse.

Man? No a god, definitely. No man could radiate such power and authority.

You heard footsteps and saw that he was now only a few steps away from you. At the same time, it seemed that the light behind you darkened, seeming to be farther away. You didn’t pay attention to that fact, only looking up at the quiet figure’s face.

He was emotionless but his eyes swirled with a purple hint. They were looking back at you without faltering. He slowly reached a hand out in front of you. You stared at the hand, it looked rough and you thought how it would encompass your own. You looked up again, to see his expression unchanged. You looked back at the hand and reached out for it instinctively. Something took over your mind and body and now all you wanted was to hold his hand.

Your fingers touched his rough skin, until they were intertwined. The man tightened his grip on your hand but it didn’t hurt. It was gentle and felt protective almost.

Like a friend.

The feeling of his fingers caused your heartbeat to quicken.

A sudden wind blew through the opening of the cave and you turned to face the dimmed light, squinting at the outside world. Three familiar, overlapping voices whispered into your ears. You could only make out a few sentences.

..It is done…

When the maiden joins her hand with the bringer of death,

she entrusts him with her life and last breath

He must take her to his world

until he has learned

the ways of the gods and humans.

For there they will live together as lovers.

For the rest of their days.

It is done…It is done…

The voices echoed on and in a sudden, the light that was once there— vanished. Your eyes widened in confusion and when trying to move, you realized you were pushed to the ground by an invisible force.

Your knees buckled and hit the ground. You tried to get up, but it seemed that something anchored you down. Or as if your legs had fallen asleep. You shook your head and kept trying, even putting one of your hands down on the ground.

But it felt different.

You looked down to see that you weren’t on the ground at all, but rather in some type of vehicle, with a floor of purple velvet.

You were in a chariot.

You looked up to see that your hands were still intertwined with the man and his eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes set in front of him.

You didn’t know where he was taking you. You recalled the poem from the wind— no the fates, telling a story.

It was your future.

You knew you couldn’t escape what they said. The fates decided everything and it was futile to try and go against it. You knew that those three women were smart enough to know what is right. You’d have to trust them, even if it would be your worst nightmare.

You closed your eyes, but a few tears slipped out. You tugged on your arm once again, to find it still held by the man. His grip was harsher than your mothers’ or any you had felt, but not too restricted. You wanted to leave, you wanted to go home. You didn’t want this.

All you wanted was freedom, but this was another cage. You hoped that this had softer bars than the last. But it didn’t matter.

You weren’t free.

————————————————————

You woke up to the chariot stopping and the man pulling you up by your arms from where you were sitting. Your legs were shaky and still asleep due to the position you had fallen down in.

When you were finally up and didn’t fall down, the mysterious man clasped his hand around/in yours to support you and guided you away from the chariot.

His hand was rough and encompassed your own. It didn’t feel like your mother’s soft, long fingers or Jimin’s tiny, plump hand. It was different and his hand was freezing.

The entire environment was freezing and you started getting goosebumps over your arms, making you start to regret the choice of clothing.

You finally had a minute to look around since he was walking so slow. You realized that his chariot was drawn by these gray horses. They looked like they were shrouded in mist and you could see their forms flicker. It looked like the same magic that hid the forest from you. One of the horses turned to you and it’s eyes made you uncomfortable. They were pure white. They stared at you and you quickly looked away.

You turned around to look where the man was dragging you and saw that you were approaching a palace of sorts. It was made out of black obsidian and marble, with a bronze door. The palace seemed like it would crumble any minute with how old it looked but, it held strong. It was massive, you quickly realized after being in front of it.

You walked up the steps, your hand still held by the man. You looked up at the building, only for you to lose your footing and start to fall backwards.

You yelped out and tried to hold onto the man’s hand when he quickly turned around and tugged you into his sturdy chest. It all happened in a few seconds.

You clung onto his blouse, afraid of falling down the stairs again while your hands were shaking.

He wrapped his arms around your body to keep you from moving back. The momentum made him sway backwards and so his hands held your waist tighter. He regained his balance quickly but didn’t lessen his grip on you.

You eyes stay rooted to the feather on his neck and didn’t dare look up. You knew if you did, you’d be barely inches away from his face. You felt his eyes on you and you couldn’t help but shiver.

You felt awkward and uncomfortable, and embarrassed for some reason. You tried letting go of his blouse after calming down. At first, the man held on tighter and you became stiff. But soon after, he slowly let go of your waist, letting you adjust yourself to the small step you both were standing on.

You rose your head to his and saw that he was still staring at you. You turned around quickly and head up the remaining stairs while trying not to look back, scared of embarrassing yourself even more. At the top of the stairs was the bronze double doors, at least four times your height and as twice as wide as the doors to your palace back home.

To say the least, it was huge.

There was no door handle to turn or pull so you stood there waiting for the man to come up. You didn’t want to look back, still afraid you’d be speechless again or it would just be awkward, so you tried finding something to distract yourself with.

The man was only a few steps behind you and walked up to your right side. You felt his gaze on you but you didn’t look back. You kept your head up and kept looking at the intricate swirls in the marble of the palace. When you felt his vision shift away, you looked to see his eyes trained on the doors and his arm reached out. He placed his palm on the door and murmured a few words you didn’t catch.

“W-what?” You asked, unaware of what he was saying.

He sighed and repeated his words a little louder, “..Give me your hand.”

His voice was soft and steady. He talked with a type of elegance you hadn’t heard before. He didn’t ask for it nor demand it, but his tone didn’t leave room for questioning. Most people back home were either too cocky and brash, getting angry quickly.

You blinked a few times and decided that it would be safe enough to place your hand in his. You slowly reached out and held his free hand with yours. You stood there, confused and furrowed your eyebrows.

You felt connected to the man and electric buzz moved through your body and into his where you where intertwined. You heard a small and similar buzzing sound in the door and it felt like it was pulling you.

Your eyes widened and you let out a tiny gasp and placed your other hand parallel to his on the door. The door and the two of you were now connected.

You felt a bond to the man that you couldn’t quite describe. It felt almost like a string in your heart, tugging the tiniest bit in his direction.

You closed your eyes as you felt a part of your godly energy being ignited in your being. A slow wind blew and repeated a message into your ears.

..It is done…It is done…

The door creaked loudly and opened, making you and the man put your hands back to your sides. The man stayed silent as the door opened to its full extent. Once open, he walked through the door and went inside.

The string got tighter.

You looked back down the stairs and saw the chariot. You couldn’t see much else past that as there was a thick fog blocking your vision. Deciding that it would be better to follow him, you walked through the doors.

In the hallway, it was lit by torches on the wall and so you could barely see the outline of the man in front of you. But you could feel the string inside on your chest, pulling you towards his shadowy figure.

He turned left. You quickened your pace.

You walked for a few more minutes before you reached a smaller white door. Avoiding your gaze, he pushed the door open and walked inside. You followed him to see you were in the middle of a bedroom. Everything was black and the two lanterns in the room didn’t even help illuminate the room. You stayed quiet, looking around and choosing to go sit on the large bed in the corner. You looked up to meet the man’s eyes.

They were still as striking as when you met him in the cave, but they seemed colder, if possible. The two of you didn’t stop staring at each other for a few minutes. You looked away first, too tired from the day’s things to care. You knew what your fate was now.

You were promised to the man in front of you.

You had heard stories about things like this when you were younger. How heroes were tricked into marrying nymphs or evil spirits leading them to their demise for the ‘gods to be happy’. You were a god. This didn’t exactly make you happy.

The man didn’t look like an evil spirit. And if he was, he would’ve killed you by now. You must’ve been promised to marry him. He hadn’t tried anything so you decided that maybe becoming friends would be the best option. You laid your hands on the bed and felt a pillow to your side. It was fluffed up and had a velvet covering. Your hand grabbed the pillow and placed it in your lap before looking up again.

While you were thinking, the man had left the room with the door closed. You realized that this man wouldn’t be with you and you were beyond grateful. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. You decided that maybe sleeping wouldn’t be a bad idea. It wasn’t that you needed to but it was the only thing you wanted to do at the moment.

You placed the pillow back where it was and rested your head on it. You plopped you’re feet on the bed and stretched out in a star shape. You closed your eyes and sighed.

A wind blew through the room again, despite there being no opening in the room. Your bare feet got goosebumps and you shivered. You curled up into a ball and hugged your knees to your chest. You hadn’t felt any blanket so this was the best option to stay warm.

You shut your eyes tighter, trying to fight off the cold and finally went to sleep.

_______________________________________________

Hades wanted to say something to you, but he was pulled away. His servant had called him in his mind and he had to rush out to see what the emergency was. It was a false alarm and Hades was more than furious. A calm god like him wasn’t supposed to show his true emotions and he prided himself on having a calm demeanor. But he was more so confused why he was so angry. It wasn’t an emergency and so nothing bad happened.

Why is there a tugging in my heart?

He shook his head and remembered what happened in the earlier moments of the day while walking back to his room. When he met you in the cave, his first thoughts were flooded by your own. For some reason, he could hear what you were thinking and even he was shocked. He knew how innocent you were but didn’t think that you didn’t recognize him.

He knew you.

Persephone, the goddess responsible of all things green and living in the human world. Also referred to as Kore by your loved ones. He knew about how you liked being called Y/N, like how he liked being called Jin. But that was it.

No one warned him that you were beautiful.

He had been in the presence of Aphrodite— Yoongi, and he strongly believed that Y/N could definitely rival the title: god of beauty. There was a certain aura about you that attracted Jin. You were curious and bold yet clumsy. You had tripped over air when walking up the stairs to the palace doors.

Jin’s hands went to his lightly blushing cheeks. He covered his mouth to hid the ends of his lips turning upwards. He remembered how he had tugged your soft hands towards him and your body hit his chest. Your hands had caught onto his blouse quickly and were gripping them tightly. He had also rocked back and had dug his fingers into your waist a little. He sighed softly and shut his eyes.

He hoped he hadn’t hurt you.

He didn’t want to hurt you. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He knew the two of you were promised to each other for some odd reason. The fates liked to play tricks on humans, but even gods? Jin liked to think it was immature, he knew that the two of you wouldn’t fall in love but he did want to be on good terms with you, maybe even friends. Hurting you in one of the first few moments you met was not the plan.

He opened his eyes and looked down to his opened hands. To anyone else, it looked like regular human hands. But what Jin saw was very different. And he hated what he saw.

He saw blood.

His hands were soaked in red and he couldn’t remove that scarring image no matter how much he washed it, rubbed it, or even poured ambrosia over it. It would always be in his memory and what he saw when he looked at his hands. He was the god of the Underworld, he took care of those who had died, both saints and sinners. He had to join Thanatos to wars and famines since the amount that died where higher. Or when a certain person deserved his presence when dying, for good and bad reasons.

With that on his conscience, how could he live without the thought of the dead?

Jin clenched his hand into a fist and closed his eyes, frustrated at the world and everything. He took a deep breath in and relaxed his hands to his side. He opened his eyes again and looked forward.

He knew it was futile to think more but he thought that the addition of you would make his life change. For the better. He knew it was dumb but he had hope. Even if that hope had become the size of a needle from a pillar.

He started walking again to his room, thinking about what you were doing. He should try and find something for you to do. His palace wasn’t at all like the white palace in the bright human world. His palace was black, black, and more black with very minimal lighting. He was sure that it was a huge shock to you.  

He moved quicker through the winding hallways to his room and stopped mid-step into opening the door before thinking twice. He didn’t want to intrude incase you were doing something private. He sighed again and decided on knocking first.

Who would’ve guessed?

The infamous Hades, king of the Underworld and god of the dead, was knocking to enter his own room in his palace. No one, no one would’ve guessed that or even thought of it happening.

He knocked twice. No response.

He knocked again, albeit a little louder this time. No response.

He decided that it would be okay to open the door so he entered the room. He slowly poked his head inside, only to find you curled up in a ball on his bed.

On his bed.

Jin’s ears reddened from embarrassment and shyness. He quickly pat them down to try and alleviate the heat.

Jin shook his head to stop the emotions and thoughts coming into his mind and focused on your shaking form. He realized that the temperature in his world compared to the human world would’ve also been different.

He moved to the side of the bed in front of you and stared at your small form. You were shaking like a leaf, goosebumps on your forearms and legs. He was thinking of what to do when he heard a small noise from you. You had whimpered from the cold and you’re teeth were chattering.

In an instant, he brought his hand to his shoulder and clenched his fist, looking like he had grabbed onto air.

The ‘air’ he grabbed materialized into his huge coat and he yanked it off his broad shoulders. He wrapped the warm material around your form and you stilled. Your teeth stopped chattering as much.

You hummed in relief and at the soft sound, Jin smiled for the first time in eons.

Once he realized this, Jin quickly put on a stoic expression again while trying to understand why his mind was riddled with thoughts of you. He couldn’t understand his behavior, he was never like this.

He was patting the make-shift blanket under your waist to make it snug when your hand found his fingers. He immediately stopped and felt your soft hand.

Your hand was quite cold but you held on tightly to his fingers. Jin sat on the edge of the bed.

He then trapped your hand in between his and blew lightly on it to warm it up. Jin then intertwined his hand into yours and decided to sit on the floor next to the bed. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or do something that you hadn’t allowed. He also tried not to think of anything else involving you.

He found a place on the floor and put his back to the bed rails and tightly gripped your hand. His thumb rolled over your knuckles in an effort of comfort and to warm it up. Jin’s hair was ruffled from the times he had run it through while on the chariot or coming back to the room due to stress but he messed it up even further.

He knew how many mortals and deities he had to bring to the Underworld and the other troubles that were happening in the human world and Olympus. If he didn’t leave now, he might face the wrath of Namjoon or Thanatos, neither of which would end well.

He decided to be selfish for once and indulge in the quiet moment. Your presence was having an effect on him already.

He wanted to stay with you.

The string in his heart pulled tighter.

© 2021 by cherryyjjk ;; all writings and other content on this blog are my intellectual property. you may not reuse, reprint, translate, repost, steal, or any other type of stealing of my works.

[trudy-shams]

What we become - Part 8

Time is a difficult concept to understand.

Sometimes a night or a day may feel too long and at the same time, years pass you by in a blink.

Making your way through the baggage claim, looking for Nat, it felt like it was just yesterday when you were picking her up, seconds away from that dreadful moment when everything shattered. Your heart bled out right at the airport. Like always, your mind wandered to the sweeter memory you had of the airport, the kiss - a pair of lips you could still feel on yours. Sometimes, when you couldn't sleep at night, you revisited that memory, strangely able to detach it from the harsh truth. It felt like yesterday when those soft lips pressed against yours and at the same time, you felt like you were that girl eons ago. Maybe if your past self walked next to you, you wouldn't even recognize her. You had changed so much, you had grown so much.

Time is indeed a difficult concept to understand.

But looking at the girl, who was barreling towards you at full speed, you knew it had been a really long time.

She smashed into you and crushed you in a bear hug and all you could manage was a muffled 'oof'.

"I missed you peanut" Nat's voice held so much emotion you had a hard time keeping your tears at bay.

"Not as much as I missed you" You leaned back after a deep breath and beamed at her.

Nat was wearing a muted grey sweatshirt and sweats with large sunglasses and a really stupid looking that covering most of her face. Nobody was paying any attention to her and you were really glad about that.

"It's my favourite disguise, works like a charm every time" She said as she hauled your bags up and handed it to a man who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared in the crowd again with your bags.

"This is so weird, you have people picking bags for you" you shook your head and spotted Nat's face in a huge billboard as you existed the airport "Seriously, this is why I have missed you more, your face was plastered everywhere!"

You both got into a waiting SUV and spent the entire ride falling back into the easy rhythm you two shared. Nat and you spoke very frequently on the phone but you both were busy. She was one of the most successful models in the country now and you had made great advancements in your career. She filled you in on the lastest news and gossip about your family and friends.

You were lounging by the pool in your suite, when Nat came back after speaking to her manager who had dropped by.

"You remember Sam Wilson?" Nat asked and you nodded, of course you remembered, he was Steve's friend "I have to attend a launch party for one of his product lines today since I am their brand ambassador and all, we need your dress size"

You quirked an eyebrow " Why do you need my size? I am not wasting my precious vacation hours making small talk with complete strangers"

"Well, you have to come because this has been planned for ages and well... I want you to meet someone"

That got your attention "Natasha..do you mean I finally get to meet your super secret boyfriend mr."pea" that I had to pretend doesn't exist?"

"Yes tha... what?" Nat was surprised. No one knew about it, no one even suspected anything. The paparazzi had nothing on her.

"You can't hide stuff from me babe, we are sisters and well...I still remember your personal email and social media password, you really need to change those '' You squealed as Nat ran after you.

"You little shit, come here"

You spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and drinking expensive liquor.

Both of you were dressed to the nines in glamorous dresses, perfect hair and makeup - thanks to Nat's team of professionals, you didn't even have to lift a finger.

When you looked into the mirror after they were done, you couldn't even recognize yourself. Was that really you? This momentarily distracted you from the bigger worry festering in your heart since Nat announced you were going to the launch party. You knew Sam was friends with James and Steve. There was a high probability you would run into them tonight.

You were sure you had it under control, it had been 5 years since that fateful day, You were not that person anymore. Nat was not that person anymore - she appeared to be unbothered but you knew something had her worried. You didn't bring it up but you felt like it was probably the prospect of seeing James again but being in the same city, you didn't know if Nat had run into him before today. You tried to tamp down your nerves and give yourself some internal pep talk.

You were not a young girl working at the bar anymore, you were so much more.

Steve probably didn't even remember you.

Both statements were proven wrong the moment your eyes met a pair of cerulean blues that you had never truly forgotten.

Steve definitely remembered you if his wide eyes and open mouth were anything to go by.

And you were still that girl, who couldn't look away from the prison of his eyes.

You broke out of your trance when a loud voice greeted Nat.

"There is my sweet pea" the masculine accented voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"Here I am Mr. pea"

PETRO!

MAXIMOFF!

What the hell? Peitro Maximoff is Mr. Pea - or Mr. P now that you think of it.

"Well he is" Peitro was sheepishly smiling at you now and you realized you said the last statement out loud. "Although,your sister has plenty of other names for me but those are usually reserved for a more private setting" he added with an exaggerated wink while Nat smacked him on the chest with a roll of her eyes.

You didn't know how to react to THIS? How could she not tell you? This guy was a douche. He always was. He was only with Nat for publicity. You wanted to drag Nat to a room to scream at her for hours.

But at that very moment, a smiling Wanda along with a happy Sam Wilson and a grumpy James Barnes made their appearance.

"There is my beautiful future sister in law" Wanda was smiling a toothy fake grin at Nat. "Not again Wanda" Pietro and Nat said at the same time and laughed. You eyed her fingers there was no ring. You would have murdered her if she got engaged without telling you. Was this your life? Your sister going from one douche to another?

You looked at James's grumpy face.

And suddenly, everything made sense.

Nat could not have found a better man for herself. What better way to rub it into James face then date his own brother in law? This was epic! You never thought Nat could come up with such a scheme.

You were surprised but also kinda proud.

You tried your best to hide your smirk at James's scowl and glanced at Nat. God! She was playing the part so well, even you were surprised by her skills, she was gazing so lovingly at Peitro who now had his hands in the small of her back and talking animatedly with Wanda.

Nat introduced you to everyone and Pietro gushed about how much your sister loved you and mentioned you all the time.

You smiled politely and kept up the small talk.

Just then, you got a whiff of a cologne which spiked your heartbeat and a second later a throat cleared and the deep voice you were longing to hear rang out.

"Hey guys"

Followed by another voice which your nightmares were made of.

"You looked so beautiful up there Nat" Sharon, still attached to Steve's hip.

"It's Natasha actually" Nat spoke airily. She did not like Sharon, you wondered why.

"Oh my sweetpea really likes her name" Petro was whipped. This was going to be so good.

You were never the bitter kind but being around these people,with all the memories,it just..changed you.

You didn't know if it was a natural pull or your instinct but you made the mistake of looking at Steve again.

You willed your heart to quiet down. He was looking at you as if you were a ghost. He barely blinked and you could hear his broken breaths as his eyes captivated you.

Why was he doing this? He was with Sharon still and he was looking at you like.. that.

A nudge on your elbow from Nat gave you the push you needed. You excused yourself and rushed to find the ladies room.

You needed to get your heartbeat and breathing under control. What was wrong with you? This guy straight up lied to you, on your face, for so long, led you on and here you were falling apart just because he looked at you a certain way.

You really needed to talk to someone. Keeping this all in was definitely driving you nuts.

You decide to come clean to Nat. Maybe it will give you the closure you needed, letting it all out.

You patted your cheeks a few times and turned to open the door of the ladies to go back out when you bumped into Nat.

"You ok?" Nat put a hand on your shoulder and ducked her head a little, forcing you to meet her eyes.

Nope! You couldn't tell her anything. This wasn't important. She and you both had better things to discuss.

"Yea, I just needed to use the ladies for a bit" you tried to sound extra cheery but one look from Nat was enough to tell you that it wasn't working.

"You can tell me if something is bothering you you know" you wanted to squirm under Nat's gaze.

"Pfft.. me? Why would anything bother me? I am great. You know what we should have drinks, I think I saw an open bar" You clasped her hand and dragged her behind you. --------------------------- "Ugh..I think I am dead" you opened your eyes with a groan "Did you let a car drive over me Nat?"

"You know, on several occasions last night, I almost wanted to do exactly that but... well Pietro stopped me" Nat pulled you into a sitting position and pressed 2 pills in your palm and a bottle of water "I didn't know you were such a lightweight"

"Well I usually don't drink so much" you ingested the pills and gulped down the water.

"So why last night? Something is bothering you?" Nat was eying you like THAT again.

You squinted at her and shook your head getting up to go to the bathroom. Did she know anything? Why did she keep saying that?

Nat opened her mouth to say something when her phone went off. She smiled looking at the screen and you slinked away to the bathroom quietly.

Nat was slumped on the bed when you came out of the bathroom

"Pietro has invited us for dinner at his place tonight. Are you ok with that?"

You nodded your head "But no alcohol for me. I have had enough for a week"

Nat hummed "It will be just a small circle of us. I would like for you and Pietro to get to know each other better"

"yeah yeah sure since you will be the future Mrs Maximoff '' you said mockingly and laughed at your own joke and tried to get some more sleep.

In your hungover state, you missed to notice the lack of matching laughter and quizzical expression on Nat's face.

[koala-smiles]

Liquid Courage

My friends found my AO3 account and started reading my fics. Here’s a request of theirs.

Shirbert College AU

Read On AO3 When Gilbert’s professor had assigned everyone study groups, he didn’t think he could possibly be lucky enough to be in the same group as the cute redhead who sat in front of him every day. It completely surprised him when he was put in a group with her. The english class wasn’t part of his major, but he figured it was important for doctors to know how to write well, so he signed up anyways. He was glad he did, because even on the off chance that he didn’t learn anything, he got to meet the cute girl in front of him.

He had tried to make a good first impression with her on the first day, he really had. But, looking back, he supposed that calling her “Carrots” to try to get her attention probably wasn’t the best idea. After smacking him over the head with her textbook, she had stormed out of the classroom, and he could only think that it was lucky he had waited until the lecture was over to try to talk to her, or else she might have gotten points off for her absence. 

--------

The first time they met up as a study group, he was running late. He tried his hardest to be on time, but there was a big group in front of the library that he couldn’t, for the life of him, get through. When he finally got through and got to the table, he was out of breath. The three girls in the group didn’t seem to mind, though, as they were deep in discussion about some advanced literary topic that he didn’t understand. 

“Are you all in the same major then? You seem to get along well. I’m Gilbert, by the way.”

The girls looked over at him. The brunette, who’s name he remembered was Diana, smiled along with the blonde, Ruby. The cute redhead, he noted, was not.

“I’m Diana, this is Ruby, and that’s Anne. And yes, we are all English majors, but we’ve been friends for years.”

Anne met his eyes, tilted her head. “You know what they say, birds of a feather flock together.”

Lost in her gaze, he could hardly think as he finished it for her. “Until the cat comes.”

Her eyes got as fiery as her hair. “Excuse me?”

“You know, the full phrase? ‘Birds of a feather flock together until the cat comes’? It’s a warning about fair weather friends.”

“Are you saying that my friends are going to abandon me?”

He took a step back in surprise. “No, not at all, I wasn’t thinking, I’m so sorry. I had assumed that, as English majors, you guys would know the full phrase. I’m really sorry.”

This seemed to only make her angrier. “Oh, so you think that you’re smarter than us, mister high-and-mighty pre-med? You think you know more than me?”

“No, I just read it somewhere, I know I’m definitely not better than you guys at English. This whole study group will probably be you guys getting into higher stuff while I’m stuck on the most basic concepts. Again, I’m really sorry, I wasn’t thinking when I said that.” He was stumbling with his words, trying his best to smooth over his stupid mistake. Diana and Ruby just looked amused at this.

 Anne closed her eyes, seemed to calm herself, and sat back down. “Alright then, let’s get started actually studying.”

Gilbert couldn’t say he learned very much, as he spent much of his time stealing glances at the cute girl in front of him.

So her name was Anne.

He couldn’t get it out of his head.

-------

Anne loved studying in the library. She wouldn’t say she romanticizes life so much as that she enjoys the little things in life. And to study as people go about their lives around her? She couldn’t help loving it. It made her feel like the protagonist of a novel. 

What she could not say she loved, was her friends bailing on her study group for it’s fourth meeting. 

She couldn’t truthfully say she was still upset with Gilbert. They seemed to get along just fine when they weren’t arguing, which seemed to be happening less and less. At the last study group, they actually got into a really long conversation about coffee beans. She couldn’t pinpoint when it started, or why it lasted for an hour, but she really enjoyed it. 

She sat down at their usual table with her coffee, wondering how she’s going to explain to Gilbert that Diana and Ruby decided that they were going to a party at Charlie Sloane’s rather than come to the study group. She didn’t even realize it when Gilbert sat down.

“Small crowd today, huh?”

Her head jerked up and she almost spilled her coffee. “Gilbert! I’m so sorry, Diana and Ruby wanted to go to a party and I told them that they should come to the study group because it’s really important that we learn this week’s lesson but they absolutely refused and—”

“Hey, no worries, I was actually going to go to my friend's party after this. I completely understand.”

She smiled. He had a way of putting her at ease. They dove into their notes, determined to understand the really hard lesson.

Thirty minutes into studying, they were already off the topic of English. 

“I don’t understand how you’ve never had a latte!”

Gilbert shrugged at this. “I’ve never really thought about trying one. I always drink my coffee black, so I never have much of a reason to go to the fancier coffee shops.”

She shook her head in amazement. “Come on. We’re going right now. I know for a fact that the Starbucks down the street is still open. We’re going.”

“But the lesson—”

“It’s not like we were studying anyways. Besides, this is a more important lesson. The lesson of good coffee.”

As they walked down the street, his hand brushed hers. She pulled hers back and fought down a blush. There’s no way she liked Gilbert Blythe, right?

---------

As Gilbert sipped his overpriced coffee, he had to admit that Anne had a point. It was just sweet enough that it tasted nice without hiding the flavor of the coffee. He was sitting across from her, trying to think about anything other than how pretty she looked. Then he noticed the clock over her shoulder.

“Shit!”

This made Anne jump. “What’s up?”

“I promised Charlie that I would be at his party half an hour ago. I’m so sorry, do you mind if I go?”

“Charlie? Charlie Sloane?”

“Yep, that’s the guy. Do you know him?”

“No, but that’s the party that my friends are at. Do you mind if I come with you? If you can stand anymore of my presence that is.” She smiled during the last part and bumped his arm to let him know she was joking. 

“Of course! It’s not far from here, if you don’t mind walking.” His heart actually skipped a beat just thinking about spending more time with her.

As they set off toward Charlie’s, he noticed that her hand was brushing against his more and more. He smiled and looked over at her.

“What?”

“Oh! Nothing. Sorry.”

She shook her head and smiled. 

He made himself look straight ahead. 

Of course she doesn’t like you, you idiot. Stop fooling yourself.

He could dream. At least she seems to like spending time with him. He could be happy as friends, if that’s all she wanted. He focused on the road again, leading her to his friend’s house. He’s probably just jittery from the caffeine. Yeah, that’s gotta be it. 

When he opened the front door, Anne looked surprised by the number of people that fit in the house. 

“Charlie is known for his big parties. It gets a bit loud.”

She nodded, and made her way inside through the moving bodies. They found a quiet corner, as much as the corner at a party could be quiet.

“Can I get you something to drink? There’s usually a full bar, but there’s always non-alcoholic drinks if you’d prefer.”

She shook her head, “Get me something to take this edge off.”

He nodded and made his way to the bar. 

By the time he got back with their drinks, Diana and Ruby were talking with Anne.

“I see that you guys found each other!”

Ruby, clearly drunk, just giggled when he walked over. Diana took her by the arm, gave Anne a look that clearly meant something, and dragged Ruby back to the living room, where people were dancing.

Gilbert and Anne were just talking and drinking for a while, when suddenly Anne perked up. “I love this song! Come on.”

He let her lead him to the dance floor, and loosely danced as she let herself spin, wild and free, usually braided hair flowing behind her. He was captivated. After a couple spins, she seemed to get dizzy, and he thought it might be best to get her sitting down. He brought her to a bench behind the house to get her away from the noise, and was surprised when she leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“I see why they call alcohol liquid courage. I would never dance like that in front of anyone otherwise.”

He smiled at this. “Well I think it was beautiful. You looked free. And you should really let your hair down more often.” He twirled a piece of her hair around one of his fingers. “It looks as fiery as your personality, and as beautiful as your heart.”

She was silent for a moment, before asking a small “Really?”

“You look gorgeous either way, but you truly look like yourself when you let it down.” He dropped the strand he had. “Taking that elective class was the best decision I’ve ever made, just because it let me meet you.”

She pulled her head off his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m being too forwa—”

He was cut off when she pulled him in to kiss him. He was surprised, but quickly met her passion with his own.

When she pulled away, seconds or eons later, he let out a quiet “Wow”.

She smiled, put her head back on his shoulder, took his hand in her own, and looked up at the stars.

[whativewritten]

Seeds

(This is an Among Us fic, though it’s a bit vague until near the end)

All stories start somewhere. Be it with sorrow, be it with joy, be it with change or discovery or a small act of kindness, every tale has its beginning.

The tale I tell you now starts thus.

Once upon a time, there was a planet called Earth, after the dirt that coated its landmasses. This planet housed a race called humans, who shall be remembered evermore as the ancestors of all those peoples scattered across the stars.

Some time into their history, the humans discovered how they may bend space and time to their whims. They at first went no further than their own moon, then no further than the edge of their solar system, and then they abandoned all pretense of restraint and went forth to settle the universe.

Colony ships were sent to those planets deemed worthy, the number of which we may never know with certainty, for soon after, a great war wracked the worlds within proximity of humanity’s star, Sol.

And with this war, Sol’s great fire was extinguished, and the humans, their supplies decimated by the great battles they had fought, were extinguished with it.

Those humans sent to worlds far afield survived.

However, they did not survive easily. With the death of all those who came before them, they were left with only what they had carried with them, and truly meager supplies those were.

They did all they could to make sure the great history of humanity would be remembered by their descendants, and thus our first generations of travellers passed away, following their forebears home into the abyss.

Eons passed, and each colony evolved as their planets demanded, their physiology changing until humans walked the worlds no more.

The first world to rediscover space travel was called Galileo, after the man who invented the telescope on ancient Earth. They ventured forth and found the planets called Nanpikkai and Memory, which were near enough to each other that they had been exchanging radio signals for generations, thereby having many cultural mirrors to each other even as their physiology was so different.

Together, these three planets form the Kelceket Alliance, home of this very story.

Before we discuss them, however, we must discuss another planet, one called Chance.

Chance was a planet of mostly predatory species at the time of human colonization, and there was little greenery to be found there. The human’s evolution, because of this, was a shift toward more teeth and better camouflage, that they might look harmless to draw their prey closer.

As this new race, called Cinsa, regained their feet and rebuilt civilization, the number of animals on the planet was no longer enough to support their growing population.

Chance became poor as it desperately attempted to feed its people, its politicians growing fat and happy as its unfortunate starved in the streets. Eventually, a signal was detected from the Kelceket Alliance, and those in charge of Chance realized that life existed elsewhere.

In mirror to what the humans did so long ago, they sent a ship, with orders for the crew to use their camouflage abilities to blend in with the races of the Kelceket.

Back within the Kelceket Alliance, a company called MIRA was quickly gaining power. They controlled the space travel industry, holding monopoly over it in an unknown homage to Earth’s less pleasant history. 

MIRA owned a planet called POLUS, a massive tower that acted as their HQ, and many, many spaceships, one of which was called the Skeld.

These three places are the places the Cinsa imposters were ordered to infiltrate.

Be careful, crewmate. They may be Among Us even now.

[sasster]

Sometimes there are Gods in your Brain.

-

Nehl felt as though her body was being torn in half, starting right at the center of her mind. Narathix lives there, or at least part of Her does as it was explained to Nehl. But now, as it stands, there is a stranger in there!

Now, prior to this Nehl thought that she'd had a pretty good handle on sharing a part of her mind with a God, but the presence of Diollea was proving to test her resolve. For starters, He was heavy in the same way His light made it difficult for Him to be looked at in the waking world, the energy He expelled was nearly impossible to withstand, and if Nehl had to put a number to it she would say He took up 10x as much space as Narathix did. In short, she had never felt as powerless and vulernable as she did right now in all of her mortal and immortal life. There is nowhere to escape to when what you want to escape is taking place in the back of your mind, oh yeah and also you're unconscious. Nehl could only watch the two Gods settle their differences. If all goes well, this would be her last hurt. Right? The scene that was painted for this discussion was supremely dull and starkly contradictory to the feelings stirring inside of her. There was no doubt in her that this was entirely for her sake, and Diolleas doing. Narathix never had much tact. It looked like an office space,  a small room with a long table that sat between Diollea and Narathix. If Nehl didn't know any better, she would mistake this meeting for a business transaction in some fashion. Diollea, as Nehl perceived Him, was as large as He always is, and He took up a considerable portion of her field of view. He sat with his arms folded over his chest, and though she couldn't see his face she could tell he was staring daggers directly into Her. The short curls on his head seemed to emulate his feelings, they licked out as if they were angry flames. Almost like the beams of light from the sun itself, like when a child draws it. Compared to him Narathix was small, and She looked kind of afraid. Sunk back into Her seat, wringing Her tail in Her hands.  She had the appearance of a plulean, only modified with a mouth with which to speak. Nehl always wondered why She would need that in a mindscape of all places, but She did she guesses. Her plumage presented as a bouquet of all different sorts of flowers, from the top of Her head down to the tip of Her tail. Nehl always joked that it looked like the floral section of a craft store. Yes, if she didn't know any better, this would just be a perfectly mortal Cardali and a perfectly mortal Plulean having a casual business conversation. She couldn't help but wonder what it would have looked like if her wellbeing were not being cared after. When Diollea spoke, she could hear it all over her head and she felt it in her core. She could admit to herself that He was absolutely terrifying, and she could sort of kind of see why Squish presented the way that he did. Imagine having to tell this guy you've failed whatever task he gave you. Probably not ideal. "Who do you think you are?" Despite the projection, Nehl still recognized it the calm voice He usually used. It calmed her nerves, but not by much. He did not wait for a response, he unfolded his arms and placed His hands on the table. "I need to know what gives you the right." Nehl needed to know, too. "It was only a small favor." Cat that ate the canary indeed; Narathix shrunk back from whatever sour face the response elicited from Diollea. Nehl didn't need to see it. Ever the diplomat, Diollea adjusted His posture so that it no longer looked like He was going to eat Her. He sat back and crossed His left leg over His right. "I only needed her help to find Cruxis. He wasn't answering me, you know, she knows her way around the colonies better than I do..." She trailed off, trying to look around Diollea to get a glance at Nehl. Diollea purposefully shifted in a way that block Her. "And this excuses your behavior?" "I never did anything but observe!" Nehl was ready to object, but before she could interject Diollea held a hand up, a motion that seemed to shut Narathix up as well. "Certainly you know me better than to imply that I would make any form of baseless accusation." His voice held steady, but Nehl could feel His agitation rising. He turned briefly and gave her a sort of apologetic smile that mostly confused her. Then he seemed to pull something seemingly out of thin air. It kind of looked like a little ball of light. Nehl's voice lodged itself in her throat, she wanted to ask, but she already knew what it was. Before long, one of the little balls of light started to project into the air. It was a memory. And suddenly she understood why it was an apologetic smile. She could feel it all. - Nehl felt like he was moving in slow motion when she woke up, she could still smell the smoke and ash from the forest that burned down around her an indeterminate amount of time ago. She would have worried about the smoke filling her lungs if not for the burning feeling that radiated from her chest. To distract herself from the pain, she tried to blink the grogginess from her eyes, Gods it'd felt like she'd been asleep for eons. If not for the fresh smell of burned plant life she might have believed that she did. Finally she sat up and looked around the assess the damage around her. If there was anything alive here, then it was doing a damn good job at hiding itself from her -- It was all gone. The entire generation forest in smolders. Before she was able to really take it all in and process it, a booming presence seemed to take over all of her senses.

“Forgive me, it has been quite sometime since I’d even seen one of yours in the flesh.. Let alone put one together.”

Immediately, Nehl recognized her as the Goddess that the planet she sat on was named for. The planet she’d just finished letting down big time. Guilt started to grip at her, and it had claws.

“You can make it right Nehl!  You can help me fix all this damage caused by your people!” Nehl remembered this day crystal clear, but she did not remember the anger that started to pool itself in her gut, or the resentment that joined it the more urgent She sounded.

-

“Nothing?” Diolleas voice snapped Nehl out of reliving the memory, the pain was gone but the resentment did not go anywhere. It must be how she feels now. She didn’t feel bad about accepting Diollea’s help anymore, that is for certain. “You took advantage of her guilt from day one.” Nartahix said nothing, seeming to focus Her attention on the other memories that floated in the air. “You’re a predator, you’re vindictive.”

“No it wasn’t supposed to sound like that.”

“No?”

“No!”

He leaned onto the table again and swiped at the balls of light, it appeared to Nehl like He was shuffling through for something very specific. Maybe she should have been more concerned about his ability to recall her memories, but she was still reeling from the guilt pushed upon her by Narathix to focus on that. She never noticed how much She played into it.

Narathix really was using her has nothing more than a puppet, and she felt sort of ashamed having let herself be toyed with so easily.

“No?” Ye repeats and Nehl could feel the resentment burning in her chest quickly be replaced with anger. His anger.

From her perspective, it looked as though he was giving Her an opportunity to better explain Herself, but He was getting increasingly angry. It was almost unbearable.

Narathix looked at him, hopeless, looking for a way out of the mess that she’d made. Irritated, Diollea clicked His tongue and pulled out the memory he’d been looking for, letting it project itself as he did the last one. Strangely, this one was new to Nehl.

-

Nehl was laying flat on her back, staring up at the night sky lit up by the stars and bioluminescent plant life. She had been laying in this position for so long, she couldn’t put a time to it but it certainly has been the calmest she’s been in a very long time. 

“What do you think you’re doing? Hm?” Nehl was shaken from her bliss by the voice that boomed from within her. “Do you think he’s just going to fall back into your lap? Do you even care about the pain he must be in? The pain that I’m in?”

She was right. How could she just be sitting back relaxing while her family suffered in this way? Guilt started to settle in her stomach. So what if she’d already had plans to hitch a ride back to the colonies, here she was doing nothing when she could have been making a plan or figuring out where she’s gonna go from there. She should not be relaxing right now.

“How could I have brought back someone so useless and selfish?”

Nehl imagined the unpleasant expression Narathix might have had as She spat this venom out to her. She winced as a migraine began to throb, she noted that yes she’d been feeling a lot of those lately. Tears formed in her eyes. How could she have been so selfish?

-

Nehl was crying when Diollea broke the memory again, he was standing with His hands slammed onto the table. It took her a moment to get her breath between her own grief and His anger.

“You are nothing but a pest. Do you know that? Do you understand?”

Narathix flinched away from Him. “I was upset! I made it go away. I helped her forget it happened..”

“You hid it from her to curry her favor.” If this wasn’t some weird mindscape table it would have splintered under His grasp.

“She was so sad.. I needed her to be happy.. She would be more effecient if she was happy. So I made it go away. She was happy again.”

That was likely not what he had wanted to hear from her. In an instant the table between them was gone, and it kind of looked like the room around them was beginning to buckle. Nehl did not have the time to quantify the betrayal of Narathix having hid a memory from her before Diolleas anger flooded out any other emotion she could possibly feel. It burned red hot and she briefly wondered if it was possible to lose consciousness from her subconscious. Gods, she wished that she could.

As Diolleas closed the space between the two of them, Nehl could pick up the bits of fear that came from Narathix. She looked so small compared to Him. He was so angry.

“Worst than a parasite, I would say.” He seized Her, digging his nails deep wherever He grabbed Her from, Nehl would speculate that from the way She screamed when He did. Lords above, did she scream.

“I am very good at handling parasites. Don’t you worry about it.”

Nehl would have to take his word for it because that is when His  anger overtook her and everything went black.

[weird-incarnate]

The Origins of Dr. Valentine

So I wrote this in a blast of late night inspiration about the lore behind Dr. Marbus Valentine. This is her origin story, but it does end not really explaining... how she got to the current time period she is in. I was too tired to get to that, so I’ll get to it later. Story is under the cut.

TW: Blood, Murder, Vague mentions of Abuse, A LOT of Christian Religious stuff, Assault, Death.

Summary: The doctor in the woods only helped cure patients of their pain for their last day on earth. Someone is out for her head, not for that injustice, but because the doctor is secretly an angel sent to earth to help humans find peace.

No beta reader we die like men

“Do you know what heaven looks like?” 

I wouldn’t say it was the last question I expected the little girl on my surgical table to ask. She had to have been cold, scared and looking for a sign that if the procedure was to end badly that she had hope on the other side. For the fourth time that day I analyzed the small girl’s frame, taking notes as if I wasn’t already aware of her status. She looked malnourished, and was terrified of every loud noise that came nearby my medical office. While the noises were sparse, the sound of construction on a church close by was enough to startle the girl to tears at a point. 

I felt nothing but a heavy heart as I lay the clipboard on the counter and pulled out a bottle of my cure. She was sick with the plague, yes, but so was half the town at this moment. What concerned me more is the odd quips she said about her father being upset at her for what seemed like merely breathing. The girl wasn’t even seven yet and her father faced her with the back of his hand ready to snap across her cheek if she shed a tear at his spite. She did not tell me this. I simply knew. “It’s…” I started, realizing my voice was sounding much too somber “It’s a place full of light and gentle touch. No one hurts you there. But! I don’t believe you need to see heaven today my child. It’s much too soon for a beautiful child like you.” She smiled weakly and stared at the ceiling of my quaint office. I knew the words did not comfort her. The child did not know what it feels like not to hurt. I looked away from her and poured a droplet of my serum into a herbal concoction. I did not know what was in it. I simply was doing what Archangel Michael told me to do in training. Before… any of this happened. Before I was sent down to this planet. I waited counting the five seconds, like I was told, before walking the herbal remedy over to the child and readying a spoon. “Is it gonna taste gross?” She asked, looking down at my hand offering the offending spoon. I could only chuckle at her soft voice. It hid the pain I felt. No it would not taste gross. In fact just like every other patient, the child took the serum with gusto, not stopping till I had fulfilled the proper dose. That did not cure her true ailment though. Her ailment was her father, who did not accompany her that day. He would never accompany her again. I knew too well that tonight she would die by the hands of her father, in the midst of a drunken rage, and it would be blamed on the plague. It’s what I saw within her soul. After the girl had accepted some food from me, she made her way down the path to town, returning from where she had come. I sighed in abject, unfeelable exhaustion. Angels don’t get tired. Angels don’t feel pain. I reminded myself that as I returned to my little empty office waiting for another visitor to cross my path. It was my mantra. Once night fell, I understood that no more visitors would be stopping by. The girl I saw had only an hour to live, and I could not stop it. So I simply shrugged off my coat, and stretched my wings as I sat in my living room, studying my scriptures. I watched as words appeared on the page, a glowing message from Michael, giving me praise for comforting the girl in her final day. He explained that tomorrow I would not have anyone cross my cottage and I would be free to explore the town nearby. I smiled at the thought of the bread from the bakery, or possibly a new bottle of wine. I would have the whole day to myself to explore the workings of the humans most importantly of all. I found them fascinating. After being in heaven for so long, surrounded by godly presences, you forget how… mundane humans are, and how beautiful that is. I write my sigil, a simple response to let Archangel Michael know I understand his answer, and set down my scriptures. 

I allowed myself to give into temptation for a fleeting moment and went to the kitchen, pulling out one of the bottles of wine the humans had gifted me some time ago. The human terminology for him would’ve been a “potential suitor”. I was immune to the desire of humans. It was silly to me. To chase after someone to spend maybe a handful of decades with before moving on to the next life or facing the judgement of Hell. No, I was immortal, I would never experience that. However, the concept fascinated me. I swirled the wine in my glass, staring out my window into the beautiful forest. It was aglow with fireflies and the sounds of the creatures who call the darkness their home. I sipped my wine, bitter compared to what I have tasted before. I enjoyed it. I stayed there long past the girl’s time, sipping till the glass was empty and internally mourning the loss of innocence. I would not state it outloud for the Holy to hear but I pleaded within my own virtue for the girl to find a better life in the next. Once I saw the sun break the horizon, I realized only then I had stayed the entire night like that. Not that it matters. Angels do not need sleep.

I left the kitchen and donned my cloak I had left so crudely strewn on the couch. I smoothed out any wrinkles and reached for my mask. A simple white beaked mask. It was stuffed with rose petals, sage, rosemary, and lavender. A blend of my favorite herbs. The ones I was told to be my favorite. I placed it on my face, letting my auburn curls fall across my shoulders, and grabbed a basket with some gold coins stashed inside. I checked the sun in the sky again, estimating the time before I left the sanctity of my cottage. 

I made my way down the path the girl had taken, but continued further until reaching the town. It was a small town but bustling with liveliness already. I greeted several members who had seen me before and spoke subtle pleasantries. It wasn’t until I made it to the park did anything of note occur to me. “Hello? Doctor is that you?” I looked up from the dove I had been feeding with spare seed I had bought, meeting the eyes of a tall man. He was built like a warrior, grisly, with scarred knuckles, but he spoke like a gentleman. “Yes that would be me.” I responded smiling, “Who might you be, young man?” “Oh, my name is Damien Matterson. I was the son of one of your patients. I never got to meet you after my mother’s passing.” He replied, returning my smile. I analyzed his face, realizing I could not read him as well as I thought. His soul was muddled. Dark and murky, but hints of grief pointed out. “Matterson, hm? I remember your mother quite well.” It was not an outright lie. Doing so would be immoral. But it was all I could offer. “She was a wonderful woman. I apologize that her passing was so sudden. I did my best to care for her ailments.” 

I looked at him, into his eyes to be more precise. The last thing I had expected to see was unadulterated hatred. The kind that would make the devil shriek. I found myself rooted into my spot, grateful for my eyes being obscured by the mask of a doctor. 

“You did your best, you say? Well… I hope you don’t mind if I sit with you doctor. I would love to discuss that.” He, without further prompting from my approval, sat next to me on the wooden park bench. My skin burned where his leg pressed against mine. I didn’t understand. What was this? Fear? No, that was much too human. 

”You see…” He continued, “I performed my mother’s autopsy… She was not a plague victim as everyone assumed. Even as you assumed. But… I have a feeling you already knew that.” His hand moved from his lap and rested on my shoulder, gripping it with a force that threatened harm. He gazed at me through the corner of his eye. Ripping me to shreds with his wandering look. I knew immediately what I was dealing with. This was not the son of my patient. The patient he was speaking of didn’t exist. Not within the parameters of the story he had concocted at least. I was dealing with a supernatural hunter. Coughing, I tried not to show my fear, straightening up and looking towards the nearby church construction. 

“What did you discover then? I would love to know. It may better my diagnoses if she perhaps passed from a different ailment-?” “Save it.” “E-Excuse me?” I stuttered, as he suddenly gripped my arm and lifted me up and shifted me into a mock escort position, as if this man I had just met was taking me to a wondrous gala. However it was enough for me to sense the weapon he placed against my back. A devil’s blade. The only thing able to harm an angel. He half dragged me into the nearby dense shrubbery, walking for what felt like an eon to me. We did not stop till we reached the ravine the city gathered resources from. But alas. The ravine was empty. 

“So… I found the angel in Brooksburg. Finally.” 

“Sir. I do not know what you mean. Angels only exist in heaven.” Another half lie. I could not completely lie to his face; it was against my nature. Yet he shoved me to the ground, and before I could recover, I was pressed into the dusty ground by the man straddling my back. He peeled off my cloak despite my fight, and stopped, witnessing my wings. I fluttered them about, flapping against the ground as if I could escape and return to heaven, but he dug his knees into them, gripping his knife tightly. 

“Sorry about this. But you have quite the bounty on your wings, sweetheart.” His words stung my skin. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand the pain. I kept my mouth shut as I prayed to my virtue, like a false idol, knowing He would not save me. It was not a sin but acceptance of the truth I had seen. He let the young girl perish. Just as many of my other patients had, not from the pestilence, but from the evil that roams this earth. 

I felt the devil’s blade dig into the joint of my wings that connected to my back. Despite it, despite everything I should’ve been capable of, I screamed. I screamed, and begged, and swore in the name of His upon that plateau. It did not stop the blade. I felt pain I did not think imaginable. I had never been able to imagine pain before. It did not stop, till my wings were severed and my spine damaged from his shoddy workmanship with the blade. I lay there bleeding and gasping, crying unholy tears as I watch his shadow stand and remove himself from my back, plucking my dismembered wings like they were his trophy. He dropped the blade onto the ground, thinking nothing of me, as he preened my feathers, caring for them like they were precious. They were precious. They were my way home. But I would never be able to return home now. 

Heaven faded before me as I grabbed the devil’s knife, rage possessing me, and my soul letting it take shape, as I gripped the man’s leg, and stabbed him in his calf. He fell to his knees and I crawled onto his back, stabbing him. I stabbed him till his blood coated my hands and mixed with my tears. I did not know what was happening. I felt pain, fear, exhaustion… Human...I did not stop massacring his corpse till my arms grew sore. I fell atop his body, blood smearing my white mask and dress, and sobbed. I screamed for the angels to hear me. I begged them to take me home and when they did not, I damned them. Damned them with my human tongue as I crawled my way into the forest, and lay in the gravel, waiting to face my fate in hell. 

[shadowphoenixrider]

(Wrote this on a bit of whim. It’s some Katla/Nanu stuff as part of the OT4, and canon to their story. I’ve been more laissez faire with the games. Hope you enjoy!)

No secrets between us, Katla thought as she lingered at the doorway, watching the scene before her.

Kahuna Nanu had stretched his long body out along his blue couch, focused entirely on the tricks he was performing on his kendama, and not on the Alolan Meowth scattered about him - such as the three staring at the red ball, one slightly crouched as if debating whether to swat it.

It was a peaceful scene, and not one the trainer wanted to disturb, especially not with the topic she needed to discuss. It was easier to copy the Meowth and watch her lover’s skill instead.

That was until a soft ‘thump’ and the click of claws across a wooden floor drew Katla’s attention to the large Persian padding her way over, her curled tail lifting as she approached.

“Perr~” The Classy Cat announced softly, her headbutt knocking Katla back a step, a guttural purr rumbling out almost as soon as the trainer’s hand sunk into her thick grey coat.

“Hi Perla.” Katla murmured softly, stroking down her muscled back as the feline rubbed past her.

“There a reason you’re hiding back there, Kat?” Nanu asked, the sound of his kendama slowing.

Katla took a breath. You gotta do it. You can’t leave him out of the loop. Perla chirruped, looking up at her expectantly.

“No, not really.” The trainer said, stepping out of the doorway. “Just thinking.”

The kahuna’s red gaze shifted to her as soon as she came into view, Perla padding past her. He said nothing, the only sound being the clack of ball and cup.

“I need to tell you something. From my past.”

Clack.

The silence ticked on for a couple of seconds, his face inscrutable as ever. She would never challenge him to a game of poker.

“You don’t have to listen right now if you don’t want,” she said eventually. “I-I didn’t want to disturb you-”

Nanu sat up, scattering his small feline audience as he swung his legs down and causing a loaf-Meowth further down the couch to glare at him.

“Sit with me, Kat,” he said, although it was more an order than a suggestion.

She felt his stare follow her as she settled next to him. It made her slightly uneasy, and yet it also didn’t. Perhaps it was just a by-product of him being a police officer.

The trainer took a breath. Here we go.

“You know I started out with my Pokemon in Hoenn, right?”

“Yeah. Born in Galar, registered in Hoenn,” he said, winding the string around the kendama’s handle. “I remember.”

Katla smiled briefly - of course he did.

“Great. Uh, I know this is kinda out of left field, but do you remember there being a big storm in Hoenn about ten years ago or so? Had something to do with a Team Aqua?”

Nanu's steady gaze didn’t shift from her, but she did notice a crease appear between his thick eyebrows.

“I remember that name,” he began, sentence hanging for a moment before he looked away. “Some gang of pirates?”

“I guess?” Katla scratched her head. “They certainly dressed the part. But they’d graduated into eco-terrorists when I met them.”

The kahuna’s eyes slid back to her, his eyebrow arching.

“What is it with you kids and taking on criminal gangs that would make most adults think twice? Although,” a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, “you don’t seem to know what danger is.”

Katla rolled her eyes.

“Ha ha, very funny, Officer.” She blew out a sigh through her nose. “If I’m honest, I would have preferred to avoid them. I was just a little kid on her first adventure with Pokemon, I didn’t need...I didn’t need what came next.”

Her gaze drifted to Perla, now lying on the window sill, oblivious to the two smaller Meowth playfully batting at her hanging tail as it swayed back and forth.

“They said they wanted to expand the oceans to make more homes for water-type Pokemon,” Katla continued, interrupted by an amused snort. “Yeah, that was my reaction too. The oceans are big enough without help. Anyway, in order to do that, they decided to find and awaken Kyogre.”

“It’s been a long time since I last went to Hoenn, but isn’t Kyogre one of the Pokemon deities there?” The kahuna asked, one eyebrow arched.

“Yeah, Kyogre is the God of the Sea.” The trainer sighed. “They thought they could control it. You can imagine how well that went.”

"Hmm.” She felt Nanu’s gaze linger on her. “So, where did you come in?”

Katla managed to suck in a breath, her heart beginning to beat a fast tattoo.

“There is a place called the Cave of Origins, said to be where life began. It contains a power that could cause something called Primal Reversion. Basically, Kyogre went to claim that power and become every bit as much as of a God as the legends make it out to be.” She explained. “The plan was for someone to intercept and defeat it whilst it was still just a powerful Pokemon and not ‘the Almighty’.”

She finally turned to meet Nanu’s eyes. “That someone was me.”

There was a long, long pause.

“An eleven year old girl.” The kahuna spoke slowly. “Hoenn had a Champion back then, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, Steven...Stone? He was there, he helped me get permission to enter the Cave. But I went in alone.”

Nanu said nothing, but she sensed his mood turn in an instant, his jaw tightening and the crease reappearing between his brows. She realized then that she’d never seen Ula’Ula’s kahuna truly angry. Annoyed, irritated and sometimes upset - nothing that held a candle to this. Even the Meowth were now eyeing their patron warily, ears twitching.

She felt uneasy about continuing her story, but they’d gotten this far:

“I...I didn’t make it in time, either. I had front row seats to see Kyogre attain its Primal form.”

Suddenly Nanu was on his feet, striding away with his back straight, sending Meowth skittering away in his wake. Perla lifted her head, her ears folding backwards as she watched her trainer.

The kahuna stared at a point outside, letting the uneasy silence drag on until a single, cold word passed his lips:

“Alone?”

Katla swallowed.

“Yeah. I just had my Pokemon with me. No-one could get to where I was anyway-”

“You shouldn’t have even been there.”

Nanu’s words were fiercely sharp - she had been subject to his taunting barbs during his Grand Trial, but these threatened to draw blood.

He kept his back to her, the only indicators of his expression being his clenched fists and every inch of his full height.

“The Champion - the strongest trainer in Hoenn. But won’t take on a deity Pokemon - instead palms it off on a child. A child that he didn’t even back up.”

There was a sharp intake of breath, his shoulders lifting. One second, two, three, and his breath hissed out again, relaxing. His fists uncurled, fingers flexing. It took another couple of seconds before Nanu could speak again.

“I guess you must’ve won, since you’re here to tell the tale.”

“Yeah.” Katla glanced away, forcing her voice not to peter out into a mumble. “I almost didn’t, though. Primal Kyogre was so powerful, the only reason I managed it is because of Latias. I befriended her when I rescued her from being harassed by Team Aqua thugs, and she joined my team in thanks.”

The trainer took a breath. “When she was Mega Evolved, she was strong enough to at least take a few hits from it. More than what could be said about me.”

Katla shrugged off her black and red jersey, revealing the whorls and stretched scars that patterned her forearms. Time had faded them, but they were still as clear as the day they’d healed.

“Kyogre’s Origin Pulse attack was so powerful that its energy scorched my skin. Most people mistake them for fire burns, but those who specialise in Fire types can tell the difference.”

“I did wonder about them, our first night.” She glanced up to see Nanu standing over her, his expression back to its apathetic default. But his crimson eyes were soft, almost hurt. “Knew better than to ask, though.”

“Thank you.” She ran her hands up her arms, the skin crawling under his gaze. “I would have lied to you anyway.”

“Figured as much.” He dropped to a crouch, studying the marked flesh. “Same as Kabu and his undershirt, then.”

“Kinda. I think that’s more because his scars aren’t pretty, though.” A wry smile pulled at Katla’s lips as the kahuna snorted derisively. “I just...don’t want to answer the awkward questions.”

“Hmm.” His eyes met hers, and it seemed like he wanted to say something, his jaw working. Then he looked back down at her arm. “Uh, they don’t look great - must’ve hurt like hell. You get any pain from them now?”

“Sometimes.” The trainer nodded. “They usually react to powerful or legendary Pokemon.”

“Hm?” Nanu’s eyebrow arched.

“Yeah. When Tapu Bulu appeared in our Grand Trial, I felt my scars tingle. When they use their powers, they tend to hurt.”

The kahuna pulled back slightly.

“Wait. If that’s the case with the Tapu, then the same must have happened with Eternatus.”

“Mmhmm.” Katla nodded. “And the legendary dogs. But Eternatus was the worst. Especially whatever unholy Dynamax it turned into - as soon it started attacking, it was agony.” Her arms prickled at the memory. “I managed to hide it from Hop, but it hurt so much-”

“Hey hey, enough of that.” Nanu rumbled softly, shifting closer, hand hesitantly moving to rest on her shoulder. There was a moment or two of silence before he spoke again: “So. You defeated the God of the Sea with the help of an Eon Pokemon. Now I understand what Kabu meant when he said it wasn’t your first rodeo.”

“He told you?” She looked up at him with alarm.

“No. He let it slip that Eternatus and Zacian weren’t the first legendaries you’d encountered.” The kahuna smirked, rising back up to his relaxed stoop. “Clammed up tighter than a Cloyster and told me it was something I’d have to ask you about.” He tilted his head, smirk becoming a smile. “Figured it was better to let you open up about it on your own time.”

She couldn’t help but smile back.

“Thanks, Nanu. I’ve told him and Stela about what happened, and I couldn’t leave you out of the loop.”

“That’s kind of you, but you didn’t have to,” he said, sitting back down beside her. A Meowth cautiously approached him, sniffing his hand.

“I didn’t want there to be any secrets between us.” The trainer explained. “And mine is...kinda important.”

The small feline purred loudly as Nanu scratched its cheek, its other fellows beginning to cluster around them again.

“I see...” His murmur was so quiet Katla almost missed it. After a long silence, she spoke again:

“So yeah. Eleven years old and I’d fought and beaten a deity Pokemon at full power. And all I got were these lousy scars and nightmares for the rest of my life.” Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nanu’s expression get decidedly sour. The Meowth hopped down from his lap. “Then I went and became the Champion.”

His gaze snapped to hers, eyebrows arching up almost to his hairline.

“Say again.”

“Several weeks after the Kyogre incident, I challenged the Elite 4 and Steven. And won.”

The kahuna just stared at her, surprise clearly written over his face, yet the trainer had a feeling he was turning things over in his head - he was looking through her, not at her.

“Before you ask, no. I’m not Hoenn’s Champion any more. I gave it up after a while.” She sighed, resting her arms on her knees and staring at her boots. “It was all...all so quick. First Kyogre, then somehow I was the Champ, then the meteor, and it was all so much, too much-”

“Hey. Take it easy.” Nanu spoke, his voice quiet and steady. There was soft ‘shff’ of fabric as he scooted closer. “You weren’t much older, were you?”

“No, still eleven.”

Another breath hissed out of his nose.

“Guessing no-one helped you for those, either.”

“Not... not really.” Katla met the eyes of a particularly petite Meowth that came to sit between her feet. “I mean, Steven was there, but he was more directing me where to go, leaving a list of things I had to do. Not really...doing anything to help.” The Meowth made a sound almost akin to a beep, reaching up to her. The trainer reached down to pet it, making sure to avoid its charm. “The only ‘people’ that helped me were my Pokemon...”

A quietness fell between them, filled only with soft purring and the beginnings of rain on the Police Station roof.

“Kat,” Nanu’s voice was softer than she’d ever heard it, and she glanced up to him. There was a naked vulnerability to his face that made her heart skip in surprise. “You do have parents, right?”

Her brows furrowed for a moment.

“Yeah, I do, I thought I...told you...” She trailed off, hearing the real question underneath it. It took her aback for a moment, taking the Meowth’s insistent headbutt to bring her back.

“I do, I do - they do care for me, a-and they did their best. This- this isn’t one of those stories.” A quick glance at Nanu and the creases deepening in his forehead showed he disagreed. “They love me, they do. They just...I mean, what’s the manual for helping your kid deal with all...all of that?”

He grunted.

“Take your word for it.”

A part of Katla bristled, yet she let the anger ebb. No point quibbling now, after the wounds had been made and healed. Mostly.

“What’s this about a meteor?” He asked, mercifully pivoting away from the previous subject.

“The giant meteor over ten years ago? Was gonna smack into the planet and ruin everyone’s day?” She arched an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, that one.” Nanu leaned back, crossing his legs. His own eyebrow raised in a mirror to hers. “Didn’t know you were involved in that too.”

“Yeah, well.” Katla snorted. “I thought saving the world was kinda a Champion’s job.”

“Can hardly you blame you for thinking otherwise, considering your predecessor.” Nanu drawled. His gaze lingered on her, his eyes twitching slightly back and forth. “Better or worse than Kyogre?”

“Better. I mean, this time the Pokemon wasn’t actively trying to kill me. But it still wanted a Pokemon battle.” She crossed her arms over her knees, watching the Meowth curl around her feet.

“Long story short, apparently this meteor had been foretold by an ancient group of people called the Draconids. They said the only way to stop it was to summon Rayquaza - the Hoenn deity of the Sky - and petition it to destroy it.”

“Wait, how is this different from Team Aqua summoning Kyogre?” Nanu asked. “Maybe they’re asking more politely, but you’re still asking a god to do your bidding.”

“I think the difference is in what was asked of them.” She explained. “That, and Kyogre was asleep.” She arched an eyebrow at the older man. “Sure you can relate to that - woken up in the middle of deep sleep and then just ordered to do something, no ‘please’ or ‘thank you’."

“Yeah. No wonder it acted out.” The older man grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “Still, what made them so sure Rayquaza would listen to them anyway?”

”According to the legends, it has form - if a prayer to it can be amplified by some powerful artifact or location, it tends to respond. Unlike the other two Hoenn deities, Rayquaza has a closer connection to humanity. Mostly because it seems to be the only Pokemon than can get Groudon and Kyogre to stop fighting each other.”

“Huh.” Nanu leaned back. “Well, considering we’re still here, I’m guessing you succeeded?”

“Pretty much.” Katla nodded. “Got to Sky Pillar, called Rayquaza. It answered, I somehow beat it in a battle and it went and destroyed the meteor. World saved. Again.” She sighed, gaze drifting to where Perla was dozing on the window sill.

“I quit not long after that. People were insisting I stay on, or that they couldn’t believe I wanted to walk away, but...I was a mess. The nightmares, flashbacks, I-I couldn’t even look at dark water without-”

“Hey hey hey.” Nanu murmured, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “You did the right thing. Lot of people talk as if they know your mind better than you do.”

“Yeah. It was as if everything that happened to me wasn’t a big deal or anything.” She leant into him, resting her head against his chest. The slow, comforting boom of his heart was soothing, as was the kahuna’s gentle, almost furtive petting of her hair.

He hummed his agreement, the sound rumbling through his body. A couple of seconds of silence ticked by, the Meowth settling around them before he spoke again.

“I appreciate you opening up about this, Kat. Lot of things make much more sense now.”

A wan smile pulled at her lips.

“Suppose they do.” She looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed he was watching her. “Thanks for listening to me vent, too.”

“I meant what I said last time. I’m here for you, just as much as Stela or Kabu.” His gaze was intense, not shifting even for a second. “I like a heads-up when you can give it, but don’t feel like you can’t come to me with things.” He gently brushed a lock of curly hair off her cheek. “I know I’m not the most...easy to get along with. But I care for you, Kat.” He opened his mouth to say more, but closed it again, shaking his head. “Wish you didn’t go through what you did.”

“Thanks.” She replied. “Could have done without the reprise in Galar, but here we are.”

“Mmm.” Nanu hummed, frowning for a moment. “You’ve got some nerve, though, going straight into the fray after all that. I thought you trying to scale Po Town’s walls was reckless enough.”

Katla lifted a shoulder.

“Had to be me. Didn’t want someone else to suffer the same things I went through. Besides,” a smile pulled at her lips, “this time I wasn’t alone. I had Hop with me.”

"And Kabu.” The kahuna murmured.

“Yeah...” She nodded, letting her mind wander back to a different time, a different place. Yet she’d been in much the same position, nestled against the chest of a man she loved as she’d tried to come to terms with what just happened.

“You’re not alone any more.” Nanu spoke, voice rumbling against her. “We won’t let that happen to you again.” His arm tightened around her for just a second.

The sound of the rainstorm filled the silence between them, before a Meowth yowled impatiently.

“Cripes, you can’t be hungry already?” Nanu groaned, answered by chorus of meows and one elegant ‘Perr~’. “Alright, alright. I’m coming, you bottomless pits.” He flashed Katla a weak smile before he got up, somehow managing to summon every Meowth in the station to cluster around his ankles within two steps. Perla joined them, albeit at a more sedate pace, taking the time to stretch luxuriously after descending from her perch.

Left alone for the moment, the trainer leaned back against the couch, letting out a deep breath. Thank Arceus. That went better than I expected.

[chasingrobbie]

Seize Control (Open Heart Fic)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Harper Dorian)

Chapter Rating: T (swearing, flashbacks to sexy stuff)

Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Pixelberry. MC Harper is my own with a shameless Scrubs reference thrown in for good measure.

Author’s Note: This is the first and only fic I’ve ever written. I made some changes now that Book 2 is here. I want to get into writing more so I thought reworking this might get my creative juices going. Also yes I know my MCs name is Harper but I name all my Choices characters that so I wasn’t about to change now. Harper Emery just deal with it.

———————————————————————

Harper didn’t know how to feel. The days were smeared messily through her memory. Moments bled together and her consciousness was trance like. Adrift in a haze of confusion, relief, anxiety and Ethan.

Her ethics hearing felt like eons ago. Dr Banerji was alright, better than alright, he’d returned to Edenbrook. He’d taken on the post as Chief of Medicine - and that meant Ethan was now the her direct supervisor.

But he’d left, avoided her for months. He’d said so himself. Now it seemed all that she feed on were tiny scraps of stolen moments. The brush of his thumb against her knuckles, his hand caressing the small of her back, his eyes lingering over her whenever they were breathing the same air.

She knew being on the diagnostic team was an immense honour and so much of her wanted to be completely thrilled by the opportunity she’d dreamed of for so long. But her dreams were torn now, between head and heart.

Any hope that she had had that maybe, just maybe they could make a relationship work between the two of them had been extinguished. It was one hurdle trying to convince Dr. Ramsey that an attending/intern relationship was frowned upon but not out of the question. But to try and convince him now that he was her direct superior was beyond hopeless.

Don’t you dare give up.

Ethan’s words echoed through her mind often. The affection in his voice or the soft caress of fingertips. So many stolen moments had built up to the crushing need they both clearly had for each other. She was his Rookie. His rookie.

“Uh, Dr. Dorian?...” All at once the patient’s room solidified around her, the eager faces of interns staring back at her. Ethan’s face studied hers intently. Shit. What had she been asked? Fuck. Did he know she’d been lost in thought thinking about him? His eyes were unreadable as always. She managed to ramble out the currently status of the diagnostics teams patient. Her hands were clammy and she felt uneasy on her feet.

“Thank you, Dr. Dorian. Glad to see you get there eventually.” The sting in Ethan’s voice wasn’t unusual, everyone knew he had little patience for time wasting or incompetence or idiots of any kind really.

But did her have to keep referring to her as Dr. Dorian? It was so cold, after everything could he not even muster up a iota of familiarity? Sure when they were alone she could push his boundaries. That line carved into the air between. Heavy with all that they felt, all that Ethan worked hard to push away.

His lips grazed her jawline. The cool edge of his kitchen counter dug its way into her back as the heat of his hands ran down her sides before finally resting of her hips toying with the button on her jeans. Ethan’s teeth nipped her earlobe, his whispered longings tumbling from his mouth. “I need you. How did we wait so long?”

Ethan’s pager buzzed suddenly hauling her out of her daydream. He quickly excused himself, but not before fixing her with a pointed glance. Why did he have to keep looking at her?

As the interns filed out of the room, Harper found herself with a moment to breathe. Whenever he was around she was holding her breath, waiting for the next blow. She walked lazily to find a cup of coffee and found herself stumbling past Dr. Banerji’s office door, it was slightly ajar.

“Naveen, I’m not discussing this anymore. It’s done. You made me her boss, so if anything it’s your fault.” Ethan’s frustration could be heard in the sharpness of his tone. Harper knew she shouldn’t listen but almost involuntarily she was glued to the door frame.

“You’re right I did make you her supervisor, I’m the reason she’s on the team, not you. There is no suspicion of anything untoward going on. She didn’t sleep her way onto the team, if that’s what you’re so concerned about people thinking.”

Oh god. Naveen knew about their sex life. She was certain the horror that was etching itself onto her features was mirrored in Ethan’s at that moment. But he did have a point, why was Ethan still so adamant that they had to keep their distance if their wasn’t an ethical issue about them being together?

“Enough, I don’t have time for this. In case you remember you left me in charge of the Diagnostic team. Excuse me, Dr. Banerji.”

Shit, Ethan’s coming. You can do this, Dorian. Hide from him or seize the power. In that split second as he approached the door, she made her choice.

As he emerged from the doorway, their eyes met and Harper stood tall in the hallway before him. Instantly, embarrassment and anger coloured his features. She could see it dawn across his brow that she must have heard their conversation.

The slight jut of her hip, her folded arms, the firm gaze that demanded a response. He stared back at her, both unrelenting. She took a step forward and he turned to walk away, back to his office and away from her. But something made him hesitate, she couldn’t place it.

“He has a point, you know Ethan.” She lingered over his name, hoping it would eat at him like it always had before. Perhaps reminding him of what had already unfolded between them, but surely he didn’t need it.

“As far as I can tell you’re lying. Whether it be to Naveen, me or yourself. I need you to figure out who so we can both stop being so fucking awkward because honestly it’s exhausting.”

Had she lost her mind!? She was certain she was having an out of body experience.

“You run away to the Amazon to avoid this. Me. Us. You come back only to tell me that it’s not that you don’t want me but you can’t!?”

His face was unreadable and Harper was so focused on maintaining her own stoic exterior she never even noticed his hand clench. What was he trying to hold back?

“You told me once that some things are worth the risk. You tell me it’s because I can’t be the best doctor I could be if you allowed us to happen. But in case you haven’t noticed this distracts me enough so a lot of the time I should spend on patients I spend thinking about your eyes, the way you smell, the touch of skin, the warmth of your lips...”

Harper could feel her resolve faltering. He was doing it again, without even trying. She drew in her breath and fixed her gaze once more.

“I’m tired, Ethan. Tired of hiding and resisting. Either love me properly or let me go.”

Harper met his eyes one last time and walked away. Ethan’s fingers relaxed and he turned reflexively to watch her leave. The familiar thick longing rose in his throat. He was lying to himself that they could make this work and she was right it was exhausting.

[sahbibabe]

Ignoring The Obvious

Soulmate AU

Sephiroth/Fem! Reader

Part Eleven

Your hospital stay is short. Your training commences. Reno has serious problems with being... well, helpful. Or encouraging. Especially with a giant Shinra dog chasing you through vents.

THE BED WAS HARD, YOUR knees were killing you, your abdomen was on fire, and the nurse was steadily refusing to give you morphine no matter how much you begged. You had spent the better part of two days as high as a kite, blissfully unaware of the train wreck of memories about to hit you the moment you were weaned off of your medication. The file─your unfiltered, raw test subject notes and classifications─sat innocently on the nightstand as if it was completely separate from the emotional turmoil you were facing.

       It would be easy, so easy to slip into the mercenary's mindset and ignore the pain. To shove the emotions aside and bury them so deep you didn't even have to acknowledge their existence. All you had to do was will them away, and they would be gone. But that was unhealthy and the moment you did that, all of your progress would be ruined forever and you would start from scratch once more.

      But did it really matter? You asked yourself the same question over and over again as you watched the Chocobo documentary on the one-channel television network. You would be going back to that life anyways, with that same mindset and habits, without anyone to stop you from doing otherwise. You would be killing people for Rufus Shinra in the name of eliminating competition; a petty game was what it all came down to.

        And you were the knight who guarded the King.

       You looked away from the television to your food. It was plain hospital food, rich in protein to help you replace all of the blood you had supposedly lost while you fought the doctor tooth and nail when he tried to get a needle in your arm for an IV. Reno had laughed when he told you about the resident's injuries, but it only made you feel sick to your stomach when the nurses had to strap you down like a wild animal.

      Other than Reno, your only other visitor was Rude, and he had been thoughtful enough to bring you a bouquet of real flowers. He wouldn't say where he had gotten them from when you asked, just sat in silence, so you asked him instead how Hojo was doing with that stab wound, as smug as you might have sounded.

       "You didn't stab Hojo," Rude told you bluntly, a slight hint of confusion in his voice. Your smugness was wiped from your face. "You stabbed an assistant doctor who had come in to check your new vitals."

        "No," you had whispered,"no, that… That was Hojo. I remember it like it happened seconds ago…"

       "It doesn't matter. The doctor has been treated and compensated out of your salary. You'll be fifty thousand gil short."

     And that had been the end of that.

     Now, you picked at the cheap, plasticky roast beef on your plate and pushed your asparagus around in circles. You weren't getting anywhere without the alarms sounding on your bed, so you were effectively a prisoner until they turned them off. Add that to the iron they were slowly feeding into your IV and you felt like a rabbit confined in a small cage, pacing a few steps at a time.

       Out of the corner of your eye, sitting right beside the file you were desperately trying to avoid reading, sat the Book of Colors: a book that translated all of the different colors soulmates might see, their specific combinations, and surprisingly, origins.

       The strings felt snug against your fingers as you weighed your options, kneading your fingers into your palm. There was a lot you could learn about the authenticity of soulmate bonds through that book. People followed it like gospel, spoke of it as something holy. You had never had a reason to read it until now, or the money to, but now you had prime opportunity and the eyesight to help you do it.

      You picked up the book and pushed your lunch tray away from the bed.

       It was a hefty leather thing, dyed black and sewn with gold thread to display the title: The Book of Colors. One could easily take it for a children's book, but it was so much more than that. A quick glance at the spine showed it was the newest edition.

       The first page you opened it to described the various types of soulmate bonds, everywhere from bonds to the literal soul to telepathic communication. It depended heavily on the people bound to determine what kind of bonds they got. Cynical, unfair people walked around without color vision until they met their soulmate; quiet, shy people got telepathy; and people like you, a mercenary gone civilian, got strings.

       "Strings guide the lost home," you mumbled, tracing your finger over the plain description beneath the header,"and return hearts to where they belong."

       One of the authors theorized heavily that strings meant involvement with the lifestream personally, or some kind of way to identify past soulmates with one another.

       "It's a very unique thing, the strings," the author wrote,"just like anyone else's, but this means that the two souls have already connected before in the past. Eons or two hundred years ago, who can say?"

      You skimmed over the rest and flipped over to the colors, the part you had been dreading and also curiously dying to read. There were sections to different soulmate types, some colors meaning different things, so you found your section and settled down in your springy hospital bed.

       "Identify the weave of your strings," the book told you. It offered a small chart of different weave types. "You may have two types or you may have four. Find yours and look at the pairing chart to determine the intent of your bond."

       That was easy enough. You shook the threads out and looked closely at their weave; there was a single double braid, what looked like a dutch braid, and an elaborately woven pattern that repeated halfway through the string on each one.

       "The double braid signifies a union between two people," you read, following the lines with your finger. "If there is a child born from that union, two becomes three on this specific line."

        You didn't have a third thread, like you expected, so you moved on.

      "The dutch braid signifies a match with power and darkness. Don't worry yourself, though! Darkness can be equated to many things, such as self conflict, a trouble within the body, or even a mental disconnection from stress."

      Sephiroth didn't seem to be mentally disconnected, but you didn't even know him that well. You messed with the threads for a few moments, stuck on that phrasing, before finding the last section where the more elaborate braids were.

       "This gorgeous flower patterned weave means that you have reunited with your soulmate several times in various past lives. Much like additional colors to the vision discussed in the previous soulmate identification, the different petals on it connote just how many times you have been with your soulmate in past lives. Count them! How many do you have?"

         You raised an eyebrow and counted the individual petals. One, two, three, four, five, six, and… just burgeoning on the final petal, weaving itself before your eyes, was seven.

         But there wasn't a number for that─there wasn't even a color combination or weave combination for the mess around your hand. You checked several times, but to no avail; no one had ever had gold, purple, and green and black threads.

       You slammed the book shut and tossed it back on the nightstand just as the door handle turned and popped open. Reno sauntered past the threshold and made himself at home in the guest chair, eating popcorn and humming an odd tune.

       "So, how's the chocobo documentary doing?" His eyes sparkled with mirth. "Making you bored yet?"

       "Sure. If you count restlessness as bored." You crossed your arms and fixed him with a hard stare. "When can I get out and do my job?"

        "In an hour." Reno threw a handful of popcorn in his mouth dismissively. "Doc says you're cleared to start training and work off that excessive energy you have."

        "Good." You ripped your blankets back and hopped out of the bed. The floor was still cold beneath the cheap socks the hospital had given you. The world swam around you for a moment and you steadied yourself against the nightstand. "Good. That means I didn't pass the exam?"

        Reno shrugged. "You never finished it. Tseng pulled some strings. As long as you pass training you should be fine."

       "Why do you sound like you doubt me?"

       "You'll find out in… oh, about an hour."

      And oh, find out you did.

      "Reno, I'm going to murder you for this."

       Sweat traced rivers down your face as you shimmied your way through the ventilation system of the training barracks, a guard dog snapping at your heels. He didn't answer over the comms system, but you knew he had to be laughing at you somehow.

       "Shit," you yelped, feeling the dog's teeth sink down into your shoe. You kicked back on reflex and it cried out, releasing you instantly. You moved a little faster, relieved at the sight of a vent, and slammed your elbow down on the grate. It didn't budge and there was a very pissed off hound breathing down your neck. "Oh, fuck me."

       "Keep on moving, [Name]!" Reno chortled. You scowled and got on your knees, moving as fast as you could given the cramped space. "Three minutes left!"

        "You and your three minutes can go to hell!"

       "Yeah, but then who would sic hounds on you then? You'd fail your training no problem."

      "Reno," you growled, shoving your fingers into another grate just ahead and pushing down hard. It swung open. The dog got closer. "I'm going to kick your ass."

       "Get out of the vents and then we can talk!"

        You dropped neatly onto a bench, the leatherwork groaning beneath your feet. You hopped off and opened the door right as the dog dropped out behind you, hightailing it down the hall at full speed.

        "Gotta take out the dog, too, [Name]!" Reno reminded you.

        Feet skidding into the marble floor, you whirled around, cursing Reno for his snarky reminders and tackled the dog head on. It flailed as you wrapped your arms around its neck and cut off its breathing, barely keeping purchase by pinning your knees to the over muscled thighs. It growled and tried to bite you, the struggle slowing second by second, until it flopped down on the floor, tongue hanging.

         Unconcious, but not dead.

      You reclined back on your haunches with a sigh, wiping sweat from your forehead, and when you opened your eyes, you found the full brunt of Reeve Tuesti's gaze staring you down.

       Your hand dropped from your forehead. Not even your labored breathing helped you forget that you had somehow ended up in a completely different building than Reno had told you to go to.

       "Damnit."