#sadly realizing most of my attacks will be friendly fires

[ninacti0n]

Let the madness begin! I'm finally done with my ArtFight card! Posting it here to let your artsy peeps know! Also because it's got art in it, so in the art blog it goes!

The game is on!

[casitafallz-a]

Decay AU | Bad dreams and Pondside

Fast breath and an upbeat pulse, not an uncommon sound but one that had become far more frequent to wake up to, and though for the most part, she often let nature take its course but… Dolores didn’t want to keep listening to such an erratic sleep that’d only end with a sharp-wake up.

Dolores dragged herself out of bed, staying in her night dress for this trip as the sky was still dark so she wasn’t worried about crossing into Mirabel with her early wake-up call or even her Tia prepping for her breakfast.

Her steps led her to the source of the disturbed sleep, not bothering to knock as she slipped into Isabela’s room given the girl was too locked in her near-nightmare state to stir at such trivial sounds. Her eyes found her easily on the bed, but Dolores was glad to get here first at the number of letters that Isabela had fallen asleep on.

She’d rather not have Abuela come in and see.

The last three weeks, Isabela and that carpenter boy, Mateo Marquez had been leaving letters and though Dolores didn’t snoop to read the content inside when passing them along, she had felt it was more personal and friendly than simply business now.

Had Dolores said anything?

No.

Was she?

Probably not.

Was it against the rules Abuela had set out for Isabela since the attack?

Yes.

Given it was now seven weeks after the fact, Dolores would have thought there had been some leniency and she wasn’t blind to the fractures that now lay within her family at three points; Abuela, Isabela, and Mirabel and so far, there was no improvement between those three… but Isabela’s mood had improved a far lot since talking to the boy; making it easier in her day-to-day interactions from what she could hear.

But being caught would only cause the girl to clam up and get prickly again so, assisting was what Dolores did best. It wouldn’t just be Isabela being told off here if she got caught.

Dolores reached forwards, collected up the few lose papers, and folded them neatly next to her head before her hand came to Isabela’s shoulder and shook lightly.

“Isa.” She kept her voice quiet, the echo was tremendously loud in the vast space of the room; some sound softened by the blue flowered walls. It took a few shakes before her elder prima’s raid heart shifted in pace before she woke.

Dolores stepped back quickly as the thorns grew across her body before Isabela recognized her before she shook them back, still slightly disorientated though it took a further few seconds before she realized the paper around her and hastily began to collect them up; her cheeks turning pink.

“Sorry…did I wake you up?” Isabela asked, thumbing through them, quickly counting them up before shoving them under her pillow.

“No.” Dolores lied, “the blacksmith downtown is firing up their forges.” That wasn’t a lie, now she listened out for an excuse. “They’re still making tools for the doctor. Refining such metal into delicate medical tools is… tedious. They’ve had to make a few tools to even make them for the small things like needles and syringe needles.” Not that normal needles were so hard; they had that sorted from the fabric stores that sold those supplies; they still had to be made in Encanto; it was the hollow ones that needed more work.

Isabela nodded softly. Her hands came to rub her face, “What time is it?”

“Five thirteen.” Dolores shrugged, “bad dream?”

Isabela dropped her hand, licking her lips although made a non-committal sound. “I’m fine.” She said, with a convincing expression on but again, like everyone else, her body gave away her lie so subtly.

Dolores pursed her lips, her eyes flickering down to the pillow where the letters were stuffed. “Maybe you need a secret spot in your room? So you can hide those?”

Isabela snorted, “I suppose. No one appreciates my privacy anymore.” There was a lingering hint of bitterness in her tone. “Not that I mind you coming in, Dolores.”

Dolores smiled sadly, “Why don’t you ask your parents to come to an arrangement for your room entry?”

Isabela shrugged, running a hand through her hair. “It won’t matter.” Her shoulders dipped. “Thank you for waking me.”

There was an underlying hint of dismissal in her statement but Dolores eyes Isabela for a further second. A part of her itching to help but… there was only so much she could do to help. She couldn’t take sides in this mess and let alone one that was so public. But maybe she could talk to Mariano?

“I’ll talk to you later,” Dolores promised.

 -

 Dolores mulled as she walked, smiling as her younger brother was pulled along with the other town kids towards school. She could hear Mirabel shopping for new fabrics in town, Abuela talking with the doctor again on supplies and her parents up at Casita still with Isabela while they cleaned out the washing room, Tia at her stall though with her Tio Agustín. Tio Bruno in the walls with the spackle and talking to his rats. Luisa was assisting the metal smiths with moving more iron ore from the quarry. Camilo was about with his friends and planning ways to prank one of the other townspeople.

Dolores though was glad her family was occupied as she knocked onto Mariano’s door.

“Dolores!” He looked pleasantly surprised, “I was thinking about coming up to see you, is everything okay?”

Dolores smiled and nodded, “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Mariano stepped aside, “Would you like a drink?”

“No, but thank you.” Mariano led her into the kitchen, though set aside his papers he had on the side into a neat pile, her lip curling as she recognized a few of the words as some of his more recent poems. “I need some…advice.”

Mariano again looked a little surprised, and simply nodded. “I take it it’s not for your family’s ears?”

Dolores shook her head, “I’d rather not let it go further than these walls. It…involves Isabela and her letters.”

“Ah.” A look of understanding passed through his face. “How is she?”

“Better… but she has nightmares. I don’t know how to help without people finding out about… her and Marquez.”

“What sort of nightmares?” Genuine concern leaked into his voice, “Not…night terrors?”

“No, not to that level. I don’t know what sort… she won’t tell me…or anyone. No one knows she’s having them and… I don’t want to spill anymore. Not since I told Luisa that Isa was jealous about Mirabel…and that she had hurt Isabela.” Dolores still felt bad about that; she hadn’t meant to…do damage when she hope Luisa would be more…understanding. Isabela’s reactions had motives and one that had a reason. But that had backfired. Luisa had been frustrated and Isabela skittishly avoiding a pat on the shoulder seemed to have set a…further distance between the two.

Mariano winced, reaching for two glasses and pouring some juice into each one. “Are you okay?”

A short nod to his question though Dolores didn’t stray from her topic. “Isabela… doesn’t care that I said that really. Luisa’s the one that’s taken it a little more personally.”

Mariano sighed out, “Sounds like it’s one drama after another… I’m sorry it’s not easy for you…any of you.” He set the second glass down in front of her, taking a sip of his own glass.

“It’s exhausting. Sometimes getting away from Casita is…nice.” She spared his kitchen a look, “for a little while.” Her hands come to the glass, wrapping her hands around it.

“My home is open for you… or any of you that need it.”

“Gracias.” She let out a shallow sigh. “I…just want to help Isabela. She needs help… and she knows she needs it… she’s desperate for more with her family but… that’s not happening so she’s looking for Marquez but I’m worried she’ll get caught. Even with us as her messengers…”

Mariano’s hand came to her arm, “You’re doing wonderfully, Dolores and you’re so thoughtful but…maybe we should rethink this entire thing if you’re getting this worked up on it? I don’t like seeing you this stressed.”

“But she needs him… she’s so lonely and she’s desperate for someone to be there for her. The last three weeks, she’s been far happier, and… it makes living with her much more happier as well.” Dolores whispered, “She needs something to hope for… she didn’t have that. Until recently” She swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the heat in her eyes though took a heavy gulp to keep the threat of tears away.

Mariano stepped closer, his arm moving around her shoulder “You are still…so selfless and kind… but you need to take that emotional step back, Dolores. For your sake.”

“I can’t abandon her. Not like everyone else.” She hated knowing sometimes; knowing that Abuela had a firmer control over Isabela than her own parents and… everything was so subtle that not even Isabela had really noticed that distance aside from the lack of physical affection. Distrust was what set Isabela apart from her parents and this went both ways now. Isabela didn’t trust her parents without them misunderstanding her and her needs. They didn’t know how to talk to each other anymore.

Everyone else seemed to take this way of life in Casita as the new normal so…nothing was changing. Same thing, day in and day out, and Isabela wasn’t doing anything to change it either.

“I’m not saying that you should. I’m saying that… Isabela should perhaps get to know Marquez more face-to-face than simply letters; let them talk and let them bond that way. It might be best to let them explore that by themselves.”

Dolores stiffened up. “Face to face?” she squeaked, “that’ll be a much greater risk!”

“But it can be explained away; he’s a carpenter and she makes trees… that sort of thing. All Isabela would need is for you to escort her towards a quiet part of town where both are safe from prying eyes and walk her back. Maybe… we could also meet up. Have a few dates at the same time?”

Dolores snorted, despite the tenseness the idea brought. It…was a good idea. She could see…that working for a little while. It would…let Isabela out and less paper evidence. If she had dates with Mariano…she could certainly see that as a plus and Abuela certainly wouldn’t be against her having a few dates in the week; in fact, she might encourage it.

She could work with that.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Dolores lent into his side. “Can you befriend Marquez?”

“We’re on friendly terms.”

“I mean, properly befriend him. He doesn’t have many friends and... I think he might appreciate it.”

Mariano looked at her curiously, “is this to…help?”

Dolores swallowed thickly, “he…doesn’t have a pleasant home life, and his family has enough issues with ours since they found out about what Isa did. He may need a man to trust.” She knew there was a lot to her implications but…she didn’t want to make Marquez uncomfortable about Mariano knowing too much. He might get defensive and she certainly wanted good terms and trust. Who knew how Marquez’s friendship with Isabela might be or what it could grow into?

Mariano sighed though nod, “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” She reached for his hands in relief, smiling a little as he kissed her temple.

 -

 Isabela eyed Dolores as she led the way through the busy afternoon street. “Where are we going?”

“Just a little trip out won’t hurt.”

Isabela pursed her lips though she hadn’t argued at Dolores’s excuse to her mother of why they were taking a late afternoon trip out; more curious more than anything since this was… one of the more interesting things to happen all week since Camilo’s punishment had come to an end.

Dolores wore a smirk on her lips at her look though led the way out towards a quiet part of town, where there was a bench set out to enjoy the view but already standing there was Mariano, looking over the shoulder of a familiar face.

“Mateo?” Isabela blinked in surprise at the familiar face that looked up sharply from his sketchbook though he seemed to brighten up before he set the pad and pencil down onto the grass and stood up.

Mariano clapped him gently on the shoulder though stopped immediately at the slight flinch. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Mateo coughed, though forced a swift smile of assurance. “It’s… a nice surprise to see you, Isabela.”

“You too.” Her eyes flickered to Marino who smiled at her gently, “I wasn’t expecting this?” was the question with the undertone of ‘what’s going on?’ Though she wasn’t complaining. It was nice to see a friendly face.

“You can thank us later. Dolores and I are going to be…about in case anyone comes close. But… there’s a small pond just through those trees you can sit at. You should… relax and talk… you both look like you need it.”

Isabela’s eyes flickered to Dolores though her prima was far more interested in straightening out Mariano’s collar very intently.

She could feel a rush of excitement at the prospect and… gratitude that… this was possible.  That Dolores did this for her… but there was fear too, how easily they could get caught and she could see the logic of why both were here to maintain a level of cover for the meet-up. But… how could she turn this opportunity down?

“You’re not…expected back?” Isabela asked, a part of her mind wandering on the fear someone might look for him.

“No, my parents believe I’m out with Mariano looking for a new tree type for furniture he’s interested in. They’re not expecting me back for an hour. You?”

“Plant inspiration for décor.” Isabela answered, “in case they want to use my gift.”

“So you both have an hour. Dolores will walk Isabela back after that.” Mariano clarified. Dolores slipped her hand into his and led the way toward a bench not too far away

Both Isabela and Mateo stared after them for a long moment before Mateo was the first to duck into the treeline with his pad of paper. Isabela blinked though she swallowed thickly and quickly followed.

A part of her not quite believing that… Dolores would do this. Put so much effort into this but it felt…so nice. A genuine care. The last three weeks had been…as distant as life had ever been since the mess she had started and she had looked forwards to all the letters she had received and given.

Mateo was first to find the pond a few minutes later on the barely visible trail though it was…hardly a grand view. The break in the trees was enough to let light on to expose that it was deep but the waters were barely clear. If she had to guess, it was starved of oxygen and needed more plant life.

Beside the pond, was the bench that Mateo took a seat at, patting the space next to him.

Isabela chuckled softly, carefully making sure not to crease her skirt before she sat, taking in the pitiful pond sight for a long moment.

“You know, a few new plants would bring the life back into that.” She remarked, “And the rest of this area.” The plants around, she could feel the weak network buzzing between each of the trees; sluggish plants hampered by the tree’s canopy and yet they were still fighting to grow. It would be so…easy to reach forwards and fill the area with life; brighten it up more and… to enjoy it.

But she couldn’t. Not with her restrictions. She couldn’t use her gift here.

“I’m sure that could be on the to-do list?” Mateo shrugged, “This bench could do some work,” he peered over his left to the floor, “One of the legs is rotting.”

Isabela snorted softly, “If we fall, we know what to blame.”

“Indeed.” He straightened up though she could see, as she looked at him, how he looked a little excited as if struck with ideas as he examined the tree. “If we meet here often…we could collaborate on a project.”

“But I can’t use my gift outside my room.”

Mateo shrugged, “You could always bring them from your room? Right?”

Isabela opened her mouth before she paused; that did sound like a fair loop-around. Making what she’d need and of course, manual gardening…. She had enjoyed the natural side more than her gift recently because she could do it outside in the courtyard...

“I suppose. Getting plants started and letting them grow naturally can be more helpful than me just…growing them there to fit.” Saplings and shrubs would be easy… and she could easily explain away if she was seen leaving with them as well; a project.

Mateo hummed though silence fell between them for a lone moment, though after a moment, he slouched with a heavy sigh.

“Are you okay?” He asked after a moment, “you look tired.”

Isabela nodded automatically. “Of course, I’m fine.”

His head turned in the corner of her eyes, his lips pursed slightly. “You…mentioned in your last letter that…you’re having trouble sleeping. Bad dreams?”

Isabela shrugged, tugging a lock of her hair to fiddle with. “I can handle it.”

“But… do you want to handle it alone?”

Her eyes turned towards him with a soft look. “It’s not something I…talk about. I’ve had a lot of bad dreams… the worst ones were after what I did to my sister. These are different now. Much better than before.” She hadn’t told anyone about those dreams; hadn’t wanted to. It was mostly a repeated memory of her actions but… why let onto her family about those. Camilo certainly would have believed she deserved to be haunted by her actions and sometimes, she felt like that as well. But these new ones, she hated… because it was so close to being real.

“Can you tell me?” Mateo asked gently, “I won’t judge.”

Isabela swallowed thickly. “I don’t know how to feel about the dreams…”

“I don’t mind trying to make sense?” The question hung in the air, it was his attempts still and…Isabela could appreciate them.

“I don’t want to sound like… I’m making myself look like the victim here. I did a bad and horrible thing and…I’m paying for it.” and she was almost at the 2-month mark and with no end in sight which…felt depressing. “It’s the only way I can atone for my actions.”

“Well… if it helps, I don’t think you’re trying to make yourself a victim. But what’s happened… it sounds like you’ve hurt yourself in this. You’ve lost a lot with your family… that hurts. You’re allowed to hurt as well.”

Isabela let out a shuddered breath, but after a moment, she spoke.

“It always starts outside of Casita. It’s a nice, clear night… and the whole family is there at dinner and they look so….happy. Mirabel’s always the laughing one…Camilo’s changing his face to amuse everyone…Abuela looks…cheerful and… I’m the one standing outside. Looking in.” Her eyes well up. “There’s a spare seat. It’s empty… but no one notices. No one cares.”

Mateo nodded solemnly, but doesn’t interrupt but set a hand into the little space between them.

“It’s a scene I want to be a part of… to share in that joy and… I can’t help myself but go in to join them… but things always go south after that.” She swallowed thickly. She hated the lingering memories of just seeing the family so happy without her. “Every time I go in… the scene turns cold. The laughter stops and the smiles turn to frowns and it’s silent. I always hope that when I sit, things will get happier again but… it doesn’t. It’s too quiet… and all I feel are their eyes on me…. Like I shouldn’t be there. The drink turns to ice and… all the food rots on the plate. I only wake up when…Abuela stands up sharply…” it was the fear of what she could say that always woke her up.

She had been at the end of Abuela’s anger before… and the scene wasn’t too far from reality when she first sat down for a family meal after the incident so she knew where her subconscious had pulled those ideas from.

“When did those dreams start?”

Isabela shrugged, “a few weeks ago.”

Mateo nodded thoughtfully though Isabela reached for his hand, pacing her palm on the back of his though her heart thudded in anxiety… of getting caught.

“I’m sorry that you’re…suffering through that.” Mateo sighed out, “your meal times must be hard.”

Isabela shrugged, “I barely talk to anyone, and I just eat and clear up and go to my room before curfew.”

Mateo’s nose wrinkled, “I forgot you’ve got that still going.”

Isabela hummed though she had already briefed him on her punishments, he was just as fond of them as she was. But his reasons for keeping this—their friendship—quiet, he hadn’t yet shared but she could sense there was a lot of fear to it but it was enough for her to know that they both needed this quiet for their own sake.

“Abuela hasn’t mentioned lifting any of my punishments yet…. Antonio’s ceremony is in a little over two weeks…. I won’t be able to…go into his room or be part of the party. The party starts at 7 pm and… the gift-part happens about half-past once people are inside…” That had been on her mind since Abuela had started to talk about arrangements at breakfast.

No doubt there was talks between her parents and Tia about her gift for decoration—she was allowed to use it for familia needs and this would be the first time she was properly asked to use her gift outside her room for their needs.

“Why don’t you ask? Your Tio Felix, He might be able to charm your Abuela into allowing some to be lifted? It is a special occasion after all.”

Isabela looked at him sharply, eyebrows pulling in curiously “How do you know my Tio?”

“His family works in crafting musical instruments. His father often buys wood from us for them or we sometimes help when they’re crafting bigger projects, like a piano. The number of keys are…” he didn’t finish, shaking his head with distaste at such a trivial thing.

“Huh…” She had no idea how connected the Marquez family was but… she supposed it made sense for people’s lively hoods to depend on others.

“Right now, things are a little tougher without your sister’s help but… sooner or later, they’ll get their heads on straight.” He sounded hopeful, despite his expression.

Isabela patted his hand, “you can’t change their minds if they’re as stubborn as my family.”

“I know… but life goes on, for them and for us.”

Isabela hummed a little, her eyes lowering down to his pad of paper where there looked to be…designs of boxes.

“What’s that?”

“Oh… this is a type letter box… I was thinking since… Mariano suggested that being messengers might be a little demanding on them in the long-term… this might be more useful for us?” He straightened up. “So, we only have one but we set it up somewhere public but we use it. We both have a key to get in and only we know where it is.” Mateo began to prattle on about it and his ideas and clearly sinking into his element quickly though Isabela smiled softly at letting him talk.

[algumaideia]

Nico quotes- Last Olympian

The scene shifted. Now I was outside the pavilion, hiding in the shadows of a Greek column. A boy stood next to me, eavesdropping on the Titans. He had dark silky hair, pale skin, and dark clothes—my friend Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades.

...

Nico was the only one who didn't seem freaked out by Mrs. O'Leary's appearance. He looked pretty much like I'd seen him in my dream—an aviator's jacket, black jeans, and a T-shirt with dancing skeletons on it, like one of those Day of the Dead pictures. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side. He was only twelve, but he looked much older and sadder. He nodded when he saw me, then went back to scratching Mrs. O'Leary's ears. She sniffed his legs like he was the most interesting thing since rib-eye steaks. Being the son of Hades, he'd probably been traveling in all sorts of hellhound-friendly places

...

Nico tapped his sword on the ground. A tiny mound of animal bones erupted from the dirt. They knit themselves together into a skeletal field mouse and scampered off.

...

"This will make her very tired," Nico warned, "so you can't do it often. And it works best at night. But all shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, or a door."

...

Nico appeared right next to me, as if the shadows had darkened and created him. He stumbled, but I caught his arm. "I'm okay," he managed, rubbing his eyes. "How did you do that?" "Practice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China."

...

The girl had mousy brown hair and a simple brown dress. She wore a scarf over her head so she looked like a pioneer kid—like the ghost of Little House on the Prairie or something. She poked the fire with a stick, and it seemed to glow more richly red than a normal fire. "Hello," she said. My first thought was: monster. When you're a demigod and you find a sweet little girl alone in the woods—that's typically a good time to draw your sword and attack. Plus, the encounter with Ms. Castellan had rattled me pretty bad. But Nico bowed to the little girl. "Hello again, Lady." She studied me with eyes as red as the firelight. I decided it was safest to bow.

[...] "I recognize you now," I said. "The first time I came to camp, you were sitting by the fire, in the middle of the commons area." "You did not stop to talk," the girl recalled sadly. "Alas, most never do. Nico talked to me. He was the first in many years. Everyone rushes about. No time for visiting family."

...

"Father," Nico said. "I have done as you asked." "Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. "Your sister would've done a better job."Nico lowered his head. If I hadn't been so mad at the little creep, I might've felt sorry for him.

...

"To talk, of course." The god twisted his mouth in a cruel smile. "Didn't Nico tell you?" "So this whole quest was a lie. Nico brought me down here to get me killed." "Oh, no," Hades said. "I'm afraid Nico was quite sincere about wanting to help you. The boy is as honest as he is dense. I simply convinced him to take a small detour and bring you here first." "Father," Nico said, "you promised that Percy would not be harmed. You said if I brought him, you would tell me about my past—about my mother."

[...] "Father, you promised!" Nico said. "You said you only wanted to talk to him. You said if I brought him, you'd explain."

[...] diplomat in Washington, D.C. That's where I met her. When you and your sister were young, it was a bad time to be children of Hades. World War II was brewing. A few of my, ah, other children were leading the losing side. I thought it best to put you two out of harm's way." "That's why you hid us in the Lotus Casino?" Hades shrugged. "You didn't age. You didn't realize time was passing. I waited for the right time to bring you out." "But what happened to our mother? Why don't I remember her?" "Not important," Hades snapped. "What? Of course it's important. And you had other children—why were we the only ones who were sent away? And who was the lawyer who got us out?" Hades grit his teeth. "You would do well to listen more and talk less, boy. As for the lawyer . . ." Hades snapped his fingers. On top of his throne, the Fury Alecto began to change until she was a middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit with a briefcase. She—he—looked strange crouching at Hades's shoulder. "You!" Nico said. The Fury cackled. "I do lawyers and teachers very well!" Nico was trembling. "But why did you free us from the casino?" "You know why," Hades said. "This idiot son of Poseidon cannot be allowed to be the child of the prophecy." I plucked a ruby off the nearest plant and threw it at Hades. It sank harmlessly into his robe.

"You should be helping Olympus!" I said. "All the other gods are fighting Typhon, and you're just sitting here—" "Waiting things out," Hades finished. "Yes, that's correct. When's the last time Olympus ever helped me, half-blood? When's the last time a child of mine was ever welcomed as a hero? Bah! Why should I rush out and help them? I'll stay here with my forces intact." "And when Kronos comes after you?" "Let him try. He'll be weakened. And my son here, Nico—" Hades looked at him with distaste. "Well, he's not much now, I'll grant you. It would've been better if Bianca had lived. But give him four more years of training. We can hold out that long, surely. Nico will turn sixteen, as the prophecy says, and then he will make the decision that will save the world. And I will be king of the gods." "You're crazy," I said. "Kronos will crush you, right after he finishes pulverizing Olympus." Hades spread his hands. "Well, you'll get a chance to find out, half-blood. Because you'll be waiting out this war in my dungeons." "No!" Nico said. "Father, that wasn't our agreement. And you haven't told me everything!" "I've told you all you need to know," Hades said. "As for our agreement, I spoke with Jackson. I did not harm him. You got your information. If you had wanted a better deal, you should've made me swear on the Styx. Now, go to your room!" He waved his hand, and Nico vanished.

...

The mountain of darkness loomed above me. A foot the size of Yankee Stadium was about to smash me when a voice hissed, "Percy!" I lunged out blindly. Before I was fully awake, I had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat. "Want . . . to . . . rescue," he choked. Anger woke me up fast. "Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?"

"No . . . choice?" he gagged. I wished he hadn't said something logical like that. I let him go. Nico curled into a ball and made retching sounds while his throat recovered. Finally he got to his feet, eyeing my sword warily. His own blade was sheathed. I suppose if he'd wanted to kill me, he could've done it while I slept. Still, I didn't trust him. "We have to get out of here," he said. "Why?" I said. "Does your dad want to talk to me again?" He winced. "Percy, I swear on the River Styx, I didn't know what he was planning." "You know what your dad is like!" "He tricked me. He promised—" Nico held up his hands. "Look . . . right now, we need to leave. I put the guards to sleep, but it won't last."

...

He scowled. "Prepare yourself, foolish boy. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!" With that happy thought, he vanished. "Percy," Nico said, "maybe he's right." "This was your idea." "I know, but now that we're here—"

...

"Go back to your father," I told Nico. "Tell him he owes me for letting him go. Find out what's going to happen to Mount Olympus and convince him to help." Nico stared at me. "I . . . I can't. He'll hate me now. I mean . . . even more." "You have to," I said. "You owe me too." His ears turned red. "Percy, I told you I was sorry. Please . . . let me come with you. I want to fight." "You'll be more help down here." "You mean you don't trust me anymore," he said miserably. I didn't answer. I didn't know what I meant. I was too stunned by what I'd just done in battle to think clearly. "Just go back to your father," I said, trying not to sound too harsh. "Work on him. You're the only person who might be able to get him to listen." "That's a depressing thought." Nico sighed. "All right. I'll do my best. Besides, he's still hiding something from me about my mom. Maybe I can find out what."

...

In my dream, I saw Nico di Angelo alone in the gardens of Hades. He'd just dug a hole in one of Persephone's flower beds, which I didn't figure would make the queen very happy. He poured a goblet of wine into the hole and began to chant. "Let the dead taste again. Let them rise and take this offering. Maria di Angelo, show yourself!" White smoke gathered. A human figure formed, but it wasn't Nico's mother. It was a girl with dark hair, olive skin, and the silvery clothes of a Hunter. "Bianca," Nico said. "But—" Don't summon our mother, Nico, she warned. She is the one spirit you are forbidden to see. "Why?" he demanded. "What's our father hiding?" Pain, Bianca said. Hatred. A curse that stretches back to the Great Prophecy. "What do you mean?" Nico said. "I have to know!" The knowledge will only hurt you. Remember what I said: holding grudges is a fatal flaw for children of Hades. "I know that," Nico said. "But I'm not the same as I used to be, Bianca. Stop trying to protect me!" Brother, you don't understand— Nico swiped his hand through the mist, and Bianca s image dissipated. "Maria di Angelo," he said again. "Speak to me!"

...

In my dreams, I was back in Hades's garden. The lord of the dead paced up and down, holding his ears while Nico followed him, waving his arms. "You have to!" Nico insisted. Demeter and Persephone sat behind them at the breakfast table. Both of the goddesses looked bored. Demeter poured shredded wheat into four huge bowls. Persephone was magically changing the flower arrangement on the table, turning the blossoms from red to yellow to polka-dotted. "I don't have to do anything!" Hades s eyes blazed. "I'm a god!" "Father," Nico said, "if Olympus falls, your own palace's safety doesn't matter. You'll fade too." "I am not an Olympian!" he growled. "My family has made that quite clear." "You are,'' Nico said. "Whether you like it or not." "You saw what they did to your mother," Hades said. "Zeus killed her. And you would have me help them? They deserve what they get!" Persephone sighed. She walked her fingers across the table, absently turning the silverware into roses. "Could we please not talk about that woman?" "You know what would help this boy?" Demeter mused. "Farming." Persephone rolled her eyes. "Mother—" "Six months behind a plow. Excellent character building." Nico stepped in front of his father, forcing Hades to face him. "My mother understood about family. That's why she didn't want to leave us. You can't just abandon your family because they did something horrible. You've done horrible things to them too." "Maria died!" Hades reminded him. "You can't just cut yourself off from the other gods!" "I've done very well at it for thousands of years." "And has that made you feel any better?" Nico demanded. "Has that curse on the Oracle helped you at all? Holding grudges is a fatal flaw. Bianca warned me about that, and she was right." "For demigods! I am immortal, all-powerful! I would not help the other gods if they begged me, if Percy Jackson himself pleaded—" "You're just as much of an outcast as I am!" Nico yelled. "Stop being angry about it and do somethinghelpful for once. That's the only way they'll respect you!" Hades's palm filled with black fire. "Go ahead," Nico said. "Blast me. That's just what the other gods would expect from you. Prove them right." "Yes, please," Demeter complained. "Shut him up." Persephone sighed. "Oh, I don't know. I would rather fight in the war than eat another bowl of cereal. This is boring." Hades roared in anger. His fireball hit a silver tree right next to Nico, melting it into a pool of liquid metal.

...

The enemy forces stirred uneasily. Then the strangest thing happened. They began to part, clearing a path through the street like something behind them was forcing them to. Soon there was a free aisle down the center of Fifth Avenue. Standing at the end of the block was my giant dog, and a small figure in black armor. "Nico?" I called. "ROWWF!" Mrs. O'Leary bounded toward me, ignoring the growling monsters on either side. Nico strode forward. The enemy army fell back before him like he radiated death, which of course he did. Through the face guard of his skull-shaped helmet, he smiled. "Got your message. Is it too late to join the party?"

"Son of Hades." Kronos spit on the ground. "Do you love death so much you wish to experience it?" "Your death," Nico said, "would be great for me." "I'm immortal, you fool! I have escaped Tartarus. You have no business here, and no chance to live." Nico drew his sword—three feet of wicked sharp Stygian iron, black as a nightmare. "I don't agree."

...

The lord of the dead nodded. He had a smug look on his face, but I figure he'd earned the right. He patted his son Nico on the shoulders, and Nico looked happier than I'd ever seen him.

...

But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that.

...

Mrs. O'Leary romped around happily, eating everybody's table scraps. Nico sat at the main table with Chiron and Mr. D, and nobody seemed to think this was out of place. Everybody was patting Nico on the back, complimenting him on his fighting. Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool. Hey, show up with an army of undead warriors to save the day, and suddenly you're everybody's best friend.

...

Nico had some undead builders working on the Hades cabin. Even though he was still the only kid in it, it was going to look pretty cool: solid obsidian walls with a skull over the door and torches that burned with green fire twenty-four hours a day.

[amintyworld]

The Pig Led to Slaughter - Drabble for Griffin's Blog (Part One)

A/N: Hey guys so @griffintail does ask collabs with Lemon Anon on their blog. Their latest story (collab 6) didn't have enough angst so I decided to make some. This is the result. You should check out their collab for context since it is an AU of sorts. Don't want to? Here's the summary: Pirate Captain Dad! Technoblade with SBI+Fundy, Y/N Style. Hold on to your bootstraps, we're just getting started. >:) - Minty

TW: Suspicion, mention of murder, lying, mention of getting arrested, cursing. (Let me know if I need to tag anything else!)

------------------------

It was early in the morning, the sun just peeking over the town’s buildings, that a loud knock awoke the blonde light-sleeper. Startled, he’d nearly fallen out of his own bed, muttering a few curses to himself. Untangling himself from the sheets, he stumbled out of his room. Three more knocks sounded from the door. Briefly, he was relieved seeing Y/N curled up in her bed with Tommy, fast asleep. At the very least, they didn’t get woken up.

Another three knocks - what could possibly be so urgent at this hour?

“I’m coming, I’m coming…” He grumbled as he descended the stairs, moving across the house toward the front door. Pulling the robe a bit more over himself, he begrudgingly opened the door. Still gaining his bearings from being abruptly awoken, it took the older man a minute or two for his brain to process the royal blue uniforms.

Navy. Shit.

Well, if he wasn’t awake before, that fact certainly slapped the older man into reality. Two officers, swords at their hips, looked at him sternly, almost as if they were sizing up how much of a threat he was. “Good morning, officers. How may I help you?”

“Sorry to disturb you at this hour, Mr. Craft. There was a recent attack at sea…” The Naval Officer’s gaze slightly peers beside Phil into the house, almost as if looking for something. “Could we ask you a few questions?”

Despite how uncomfortable these two made him feel, Phil knew he couldn’t exactly turn them away. If he did, they’d just come back with more officers and take him to jail. No, he couldn’t risk it - he had Y/N to think about now. Technoblade trusted him with looking out for his daughter. It’s not as if he could simply pick up and move like he used to. Besides, they couldn’t have figured out any incriminating details about him… could they? He willed himself to calm as he opened up the door further. “Of course, come in gentlemen.”

The two soldiers scanned the room, moving through it, looking at every detail. Phil gained a little confidence as he slowly realized something - they don’t even know what they’re looking for. They're being too obvious about it, they wanted him to give them hints, reactions, anything. But sadly for them, he was smarter than that. A small smile appeared on his face as he moved to light a candle.

“I’m sorry for the state of things, I wasn’t exactly expecting company.”

“No worries sir.” An officer dismissed with a small smile as Phil turned around, candle holder in hand. Phil moved over toward the couch, placing the candle holder on the table for a bit of light in the dark room.

“We can talk over here - can I offer either of you anything to drink? Coffee, tea...?”

The other Naval Officer, who was previously looking at the mirror with a vase of flowers in front of it in the doorway, spoke: “We’re fine. It’ll only take a few moments of your time, at most.”

“Of course.” Phil agreed, settling on one end of the couch. “You said there was an attack?”

The more friendly officer agreed. “Yes, a few days ago last I heard. A band of pirates attacked a cargo ship carrying the Kingdom’s trade. The captain hasn’t been much of a threat before, but since it was the property of the crown the King wants him captured. His name was Technoblade, I believe?”

“Technoblade…” Phil murmured to himself, acting confused. “What a strange name indeed.”

“He’s known to frequent this town for supplies, a few sources say you’ve interacted?”

“Well, I’m quite the merchant myself, I’m not entirely surprised - Though I can’t confirm for sure.”

“How so, Mr. Craft?”

Phil nervously laughed. “I’m afraid to tell you, gentlemen, that I seem to have misplaced my logbook. I’m planning on seeing the bookmaker on that in a few day’s time, however. My apologies.”

“No need, perhaps you can recognize him from the picture?” The other piped up, unfolding a piece of parchment to reveal a drawn sketch of his son. It was pretty accurate. Scarily so. It captured the fire-like determination in his son’s eyes that never extinguished. The scars were all in the correct places, even one close to his eye that Phil recalled he fretted over when Techno had arrived home at last, claiming that the blow could’ve blinded him.

Phil tensed slightly, and the more aggressive naval officer’s eyes flicked up to his. They bore into him. “Is there something wrong, Mr. Craft?”

Keep calm. Don’t give anything away. They need you.

Wilbur needs you. Fundy needs you. Tommy needs you. Y/N needs you.

Technoblade needs you.

“Pardon me, officers - just… lifelike, that’s all.” Phil put on his best smile. “Nearly gave me a fright.” He laughed a bit, and the officer holding the poster gave him a warm smile.

“No worries, sir. Just take a good look for a second - do you recognize this man?”

‘WANTED’ was sprawled across the top. ‘Armed and Dangerous’ is written at the bottom. Oh, and there was the reward for catching him. Phil saw so many zeroes he didn’t know whether to be proud or disgusted. After all, Phil couldn’t count the number of times, in the beginning, he’d told Techno how dangerous this business was, the number of pirates who got caught and put in prison or were victims of the gallows. He told him it was risky, he told him he could die.

But, he guessed, Technoblade always lived life to the fullest, a bit more on edge than others ever dreamed they would. It was a part of him Phil could never change. It was a part of him Phil loved. So, even though he wanted him to be safe, who was he to take that adventure-seeking spark in his eyes away? He was happy, after all. But now, reality began to seep in. Reality of Y/N growing up without a father, without her father. Before, Technoblade had nothing to lose.

Now? Now, he had everything to lose.

As the two officers looked to him for an answer, Phil swallowed the knot in his throat. He knew lying to a government official was a traitorous offense. He knew what would happen if they caught wind of the truth. But he and his sons… they were apples from the same tree, he supposed. Risk-takers. Liars.

For Phil… family always came first.

“No… No, I can’t say I’ve seen him.” Phil shook his head slightly. “Though I thank you both for the warning, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for him.”

A yawn sounded from behind him as someone descended the stairs. “Phil…?” Phil’s head snapped over to Tommy, who looked weary at the scene in front of him. The father could feel the officer’s gazes on him from just sitting there. He’d hoped that he could get the officers to leave before Tommy or Y/N woke up. At this point he hoped Tommy could stay as calm as he was, or he could risk undoing all the protection Phil had done to keep them from suspicion. “Phil, what’s…?”

“Oh, Tommy. I didn’t mean to wake you up this early.” Phil stood, noticing Tommy’s stiffened stance at the Navy, moving forward to gently place his hands on his youngest’s shoulders. He turned to the other two with a smile. “My son.” Phil could feel Tommy shaking with anger and fear. He squeezed the teen’s shoulders to help bring him back to reality before he boiled over. “I’m so sorry to put you in such a state when we have guests, I didn’t think it would take this long.” Tommy’s eyes flicked up to his, a silent message. Is this about Techno? Phil gave a slight nod. “Hm, yes I know you must be hungry… go on upstairs and get changed, I’ll try to make you some breakfast in a minute, I promise.”

Tommy’s shoulders relaxed as he awkwardly looked at the officers, standing down. “Uh… right. Right. I’m sorry… I…” He turned without another word, quickly climbing the stairs.

“Your boy okay?” The naval officer asked, eyeing the staircase.

Phil nervously laughed. “You’ll have to excuse him, he gets nervous around strangers.” He explained. “I really should be getting to making breakfast, is there anything else I can help you both with?”

The other piped up, reassuring. “I don’t believe so, Mr. Craft. We’re deeply sorry to have inconvenienced you.”

“No, please…” Phil answered. “This was quite informative.”

“Keep the poster as a reference and notify us if you see him in the area… don’t approach, he’s known to be unstable, sir - talking to himself.”

“I see.” Phil nodded as he led the two to the door. The voices were acting up again… something must’ve happened. “Thank you so much for letting me know.”

They both tipped their hats in respect. “Sir.”

“Sir.” The one behind him repeated. “Have a good day, Mr. Craft. We’ll keep in touch.”

Gods, Phil hoped they wouldn’t.

----------------------------

General Writing Taglist (Tell me if you want to be added/removed):

@bones-sprouts

@foolishcaptains

@benzel

[veryreallyfuckinbad]

FIRE AND MOSS // Daryl Dixon X Reader// CHAPTER 4

TW: strong language

You tried your best to fall asleep, you were exhausted. Sleep didn’t come easy; especially not after being on your own for as long as you were. Any shut eye was interrupted by the smallest noise- leaves rustling, water dripping from trees, the gentle flapping of a bird’s wings. Every single noise made you jolt up, ready to pounce on anything that tried to come close to you. You were so used to being alone, with no backup, nobody to look out for you, nobody to care for you that spending the night at a safe place felt strange.

You rolled to your side with a heavy sigh. Your eyes hurt and you were sure you had some horrifying eyebags, too. The sleeping bag felt a little too soft, unlike the hard surface of your tent that you’ve grown so accustomed to, you haven’t laid in a sleeping bag since ‘the shit hit the fan’, as you called it. It seemed more appropriate than calling it ‘the apocalypse’, maybe because you never imagined the apocalypse to be so goddamn ugly, bloody and smelly.

You decided to sit up, knowing that you won’t fall asleep anytime soon. You knew that Jake was outside, but you didn’t know exactly what he was doing. You guessed he was running around camp or went to the forest to hang out- it was his first home, after all. He always came back to you by morning though, so you never worried. You suddenly heard the crackling of a fire and poked your head out your tent- it was Daryl. As soon as your head peeked out of the entrance of your tent, you felt Jake brush his snout against your cheek. He couldn’t sleep either, but didn’t leave to run around. He sat in front of your tent like a guardian, watching Daryl’s every move. You chuckled quietly, trying not to alert the man by the fire of your presence just yet. You studied him- his back was facing you, the wings on his leather vest were clearly visible. He was much bigger than you were- in every sense of the word. Taller, broader, heavier; in other words he was deadly to you, physically speaking. The man was like a puzzle, you couldn’t figure him out. He was watching you for God knows how long and you never even noticed, left you a gift, convinced Rick to take you in, yet he never spoke to you unless you were the one to engage conversation. He seemed rough around the edges but had a strange tenderness to him, and from what you’ve heard from the group, you were the only one to see it.

Deciding to stand up, you stretched a little and made your way over to him and decided to speak first, as not to startle him. “Hey”

His head whipped around to look at you and simply nodded in response, his dark hair falling over his icy eyes. He stared at you, waiting for you to say something else.

“Mind if I join? I can’t sleep” you kneeled next to Jake and gave the foxes’ head a small pat, awaiting Daryl’s response. He looked into your eyes but quickly shifted his gaze on something else and hummed in response. You smiled and took a seat on the opposite side of the small campfire, deciding it’s best to let him have his space. A few minutes of silence passed, you were sure Daryl didn’t mind it but sitting across from him and staring at the fire, occasionally looking up at him felt a bit uncomfortable to you. You cleared your throat and noticed his gaze shift from the fire to you.

“Not to seem ungrateful or anything” you began with a nervous chuckle, “but why did you help me out? Not just in the forest, yesterday too. You helped convince Rick to let me stay.” You grabbed a stick and poked the fire causing embers to fly up into the dark sky. Both you and Daryl took notice of Jake jumping up and trying to catch one in his mouth before it disappeared. Daryl let out a small snort that was gone before you could take it in- it was a completely new sound.

“Didn’t want him to go” he motioned to the fox with a tiny smirk, causing you to giggle. He cleared his throat and continued, which surprised you- this was your first real conversation, even if it was just about Jake. “He do any tricks?”

“Yeah, a couple actually. He can bite your face off if you keep treating him like a dog,” you gave him a playful smile, he returned the favor and mumbled something along the lines of ‘lil’ bastard’ and you went on “or my personal favorite. You got an empty can?” He looked at you with confusion, raising his eyebrows but didn’t say anything as he picked up an empty can of beans from the grass behind the log he was sitting on and threw it to you. You caught it and placed it on the damp grass near your foot, in front of Jake. He instantly put his snout inside, getting stuck.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Mother Nature’s perfect killing machine” you announced in between chuckles and heard Daryl snort again. He smiled and shook his head while you took the can off Jake’s face. “And before you ask, I have no idea why he does that” you added while ruffling his fur lovingly. Before long, silence fell between you once again, but it was more comfortable this time. You didn’t expect any more conversation from the man- you were surprised with how much you got already, anyway. He looked at you, his face illuminated by the warm glow of the flames. Daryl’s expression was unreadable, it frustrated you that you couldn’t figure out what was going on in his head. He leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees and spoke up.

“Who ‘ere you with before us?” his low voice now sounded more gravelly than usual, he didn’t look at you. Your breath caught in your throat- you have never spoken to anyone about your previous group. Just now, you realized how much you missed them. If it weren’t for Jake and the others, you wouldn’t be where you were right now. They were the ones who taught you to survive, the ones who took you in when all seemed hopeless, they were family. They were family and when you were attacked, you didn’t even fight, you just ran. You realized your eyes were tearing up and looked at the man with nothing but shame, guilt and despair. He couldn’t see you like this, you didn’t want him to pity you or look at you differently, so you stood up. His eyes followed you, he shook his head gently to get the hair out of his face. He glanced at you apologetically, thinking he must’ve done or said something wrong. He didn’t realize you weren’t ready to open up yet.

“Alright” you chuckled sadly, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject, “It’s late, you’d better go to sleep. Jake and I will take watch”

Daryl gently shook his head and eyed you, the pressure of his gaze being much for you in that moment. You turned your back to him and pretended to look up at the star-filled sky. In reality, you tried to hold back the tears forming in your eyes. You didn’t realize that opening up would be so difficult. Deciding its best to hide from the man for the time being, you stepped into your tent. Daryl saw you fumble and shuffle inside, he couldn’t believe that you actually complied. His attention turned back to the fire, he picked up a stick from the ground and began poking the burning wood with it before his head shot up when he heard you step out of the tent with something under your arm- it was too dark to make out what it was. You stepped towards Daryl and sat beside him, your eyes now red and puffy but dry. Wordlessly, you placed the item you were holding in his lap- your sleeping bag. Daryl furrowed his eyebrows and gently touched the soft makeshift mattress with his fingers.

“Can’t sleep on it, it’s too soft for me” you looked at him, hoping he would understand. You saw something change in his eyes when the words left your mouth, like the light he had while joking with you earlier died out completely. Your mouth turned into a thin line, trying your best to give him a smile but you were sure it came out more like a sad-puppy-look than a friendly grin. Enough was enough, you were just making him pity you more. You were an enigma to him- like a puzzle piece from a completely different box. Despite going through the unimaginable, things that you couldn’t even share with him, you never failed to give him that damn smile. The smile that made him wonder whether rescuing you was a good idea- you were dangerous. Not literally, Daryl knew you couldn’t and wouldn’t hurt him. The way you made him feel was dangerous but most of all, it was completely new and utterly confusing. You were like an elusive animal; afraid only when you absolutely needed to be, defensive yet so trusting, so warm and it frustrated him. He could usually read people like open books, but you were the only exception.

You stood up and didn’t miss the way Daryl’s eyes flickering between your face and the sleeping bag in his lap. Jake followed you to the tent, but you stilled before you entered.

“Goodnight, Daryl”

You woke up to Jake’s squeaks and growls coming from outside your tent, growling as you sat up and stretched. Your eyes landed on a small roll right outside of your tent- your sleeping bag. A heavy sigh left your mouth, but you couldn’t even pretend to be mad.

“Stubborn asshole”, you didn’t even notice the smile forming on your face while you cursed Daryl out. You crouched, trying to get out of the tent and almost falling over in the process. The damn thing was small. Once you managed to get out, Jake greeted you, jumping up and standing on his hind legs, his front paws resting on your stomach. You leaned down to press him into yourself gently. “Good morning to you, too. C’mon, let’s go say hi to everyone else.”

When you made your way to the group’s campground, Glenn, Dale, Carl and Maggie walked up to you to greet you while the rest said their hello’s from their seats. You were happy to see them, glad they didn’t disappear overnight. Shit. Last night’s conversation with Daryl hit you harder than you’d thought. The group was having breakfast around a campfire- theirs was much bigger than the one Daryl made. You stared at them, wondering whether you should join. Jake sniffed the air and made it clear he smelled the meat cooking over the fire.

“Are you going to stand there and stare at us or are you gonna join?” Glenn chuckled and bumped Maggie’s shoulder with his own, “Seriously, it’s kinda creepy.”

You apologized and offered them a sheepish smile while taking a seat in between Carl and Maggie. Everyone looked up at you from time to time, which you brushed off- they were probably just curious about Jake, who sat in the space between you and Carl. Maybe they were worried he would attack Carl?

“Alright, what’s up? Now you guys are the ones being creepy.” If you had to take one more weird look, you’d probably die. Or bury yourself underground.

“You’re uh…” Rick began and fumbled over his own words, “there’s a working shower in the house.” Great, Rick. He pointed it out in front of everyone. You were about to get mad but you took a look at yourself for the first time in forever, examining your clothes- they were covered in dirt and grime, not to mention that your face and arms had dried blood all over them.

“Patricia can wash your clothes!” Maggie chimed in, clearly uncomfortable with the silence that fell upon the group. “Eat something and go wash up, I’ll get you some of my clothes for the time being”

You were perfectly content with waiting for Patricia to wash your clothes, hell, you didn’t mind washing them yourself but decided to take the offer- it was a luxury, after all.

Dale cleared his throat and handed you a paper plate with two pieces of meat on it. You thanked him with a smile and gratefully took the food. Without thinking, you grabbed the larger piece and gave it to Jake, watching as he carefully took it from your hand with his teeth while you began chewing your own piece. The taste was familiar, you’ve eaten that meat before. Was it…

“Squirrel?” you asked and noticed Rick staring at you. Dale simply nodded and looked at you with nothing but confusion painted on his face. You were being stared at again. You couldn’t help but chuckle. “What did I do now?”

“I’m pretty sure both of those were for you” Rick smirked and you dipped your head. You couldn’t imagine eating and not sharing it with Jake.

“He’s hungrier than I am” you reassured him with a grin and pat the fox between his ears. Suddenly, something hit you. There’s only one person who can catch squirrels in this group and he wasn’t there.

“Where’s Daryl? There’s no squirrel without Daryl.” It was a joke, but you couldn’t help but worry about him. He was up all night and he went out, he must’ve been exhausted. Maggie smirked and tried to suppress a snort but didn’t manage to. You weren’t sure whether she was laughing at your joke or at how worried you were, but decided to believe it was the former.

“He’s out looking for Sophia, he should be back soon.” Lori tried to sound reassuring but it didn’t make you worry any less. You tried your best not to show your anxiety, the group probably didn’t know why you’d be worried about him. They were asleep while he took watch, making sure everyone was safe.

“I’m going on a run later today. You wanna join?” Maggie asked, kneeling in front of you. You felt Jake tense at how close she got. You didn’t expect it- they trusted you instantly, while they had no reason to. You couldn’t believe it, but you quickly accepted the offer.

Once you finished your meal, you headed to the house to take your fist shower since the apocalypse began. Of course there was the occasional bath in a river or lake but nothing could compete with a warm shower, with soap too. Maggie led you to the bathroom and smiled at you before you shut the door.

“New clothes will be right outside the door on the floor!” her voice was muffled through the closed door. You shouted back a quick ‘thank you!’ before you were about to step in the shower, but something stopped you. A mirror. You looked in the reflection and didn’t recognize the person staring back at you. Your once lively eyes were now sunken down. Your cheekbones were more visible and your hair was matted and tangled. You found a brush in one of the drawers and began combing it out as quickly as you could- the shower couldn’t come soon enough. Once you were done working on your hair, you stepped into the cold, ceramic bathtub and smiled as you turned the tap and felt warm water wash over you. It was an incredible feeling- the blood and gore washing off your skin, cleansing you of the horrors outside of the farm. You ran your hands along your once smooth skin- it was now bumpy and covered with scars. They were nothing but reminders of the battles you’ve won. The pleasant smell of raspberry-scented soap filled your lungs. It was sweet and reminded you of the world before everything fell apart; sweet and tender, but stung like hell if it got into your eyes.

You closed your eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. It felt purifying. All of the pain, sorrow and grief washing off you and disappearing in the drain. The only thing the warm water couldn’t wash off was the moss that grew on your heart, almost engulfing it whole. Love was a tricky thing, it always was, but in this world it was even worse. You were unable to bring yourself to open up to the group about who you were with before, even about your pitiful life before the ‘shit hit the fan’. You didn’t want to think about your disgusting past relationships, the men you were with being the reason as to why you flinched and ducked whenever someone raised their hand at you or touched you without announcing themselves first. You only allowed yourself to cry in moments like these- alone and comfortable, always afraid of people seeing you cry. Perhaps that’s why you and Jake bonded almost instantly- your hearts were covered in moss.

You quickly opened the bathroom door and dragged your new clothes in. It was a nice outfit; a black tank top and a pair of jeans that was cut with scissors to be knee-length, along with a well-fitted black leather jacket. A smile crept up on your face when you saw yourself in the foggy mirror- you at least resembled your old self now.

Maggie was already waiting for you on the porch, sitting on the steps and smiled at you when you emerged from the door.

“Ya ready to go?” her head swung toward you while she pushed herself up from the steps, standing up. You nodded in response but quickly stiffened, remembering something,

“Can he come along?” you motioned towards Jake, who was standing by your side. Maggie shifted, her eyes flickering between you and your fox companion. She was clearly unsure and she had every reason to be- it was a wild animal. But that wild animal was insistent on following you and making sure you were okay; you did the same for him.

“We’re gonna go on horses, though.” She looked at you sheepishly and awaited your response

“That’s perfect, actually! He could use a good run” you kneeled down next to Jake, who instantly began pacing around you, brushing his fiery fur against you. “Sure has a lot of pent up energy”

You couldn’t remember the last time you rode a horse- it was long before the apocalypse even began. The animal was big, if it decided to buck you off- it would. Thankfully, you were good with animals. The horse seemed calm as it walked beside Maggie’s. It was exceptionally quiet for a while. The only sounds echoing through the empty streets of the abandoned countryside town was the rhythmic hitting of hooves against the hard concrete. Jake trotted along, not needing to run as you weren’t going fast. He clearly enjoyed going out on runs, he was the most adventurous fox you’ve ever met. The only fox you’ve ever met, actually, but you were sure other foxes weren’t this energetic or upbeat. The only weapon you carried was a hunting knife that you borrowed from Rick, who refused to let you go without any way of protecting yourself. Your goal was a small grocery store that was boarded up, which meant it probably wasn’t looted yet. Maggie clearing her throat brought you back from your thoughts.

“So, what’s up with you and Daryl?” she chimed cheerfully. You almost fell off the horse, but quickly composed yourself . What in the hell did she mean? Instead of answering her question, you decided to retort,

“What’s up with you and Glenn, huh?” you sent her a wink and noticed her roll her eyes with a small smile. There definitely was something going on with the two- they came in a bundle. If Maggie was doing laundry, Glenn suddenly decided to help her out. If Glenn was taking watch, Maggie magically appeared near him within minutes.

“Oh, c’mon.” She dismissed your question. Fair, you did the same to her. “If any of us tried to set up camp near the one and only Dixon we’d probably get an arrow in the ass” she laughed and you smiled, but still didn’t understand. If what she was saying was true- why did he let you set your tent up next to his? “Not to mention, he watched you for how long? A week?”

You couldn’t help but let out a throaty chuckle. Daryl was one confusing man.

“Yeah, that one was creepy as shit” you said, giggling like a schoolgirl and looking down, suddenly unable to meet her gaze.

The store was mostly clear of walkers, say for a couple squished together in a bathroom. You and Maggie swiftly took care of them and began looting the store. It was quite intact, with the majority of supplies untouched. You swiped as many cans as you could off the shelves, letting them drop in your duffle bag. Once you packed as much food as you could, you decided to take a look around the remaining aisles. There wasn’t anything of interest- some long expired lotions, condoms and sunglasses. You were about to leave the store with Maggie when you saw something in the corner of your eye. A sketchbook. You smiled a toothy grin and looked at Jake who was busy sniffing every shelf he came across. Quickly shoving the sketchbook in your already-full bag, you bumped Maggie’s shoulder with your own to signal her that you’re ready to leave.

The ride home was pleasant and the scenery was quite beautiful. The sky was turning a pinkish-orange color, the setting sun began giving everything an incredible orange glow. Everything looked more alive, even the abandoned stores and houses. Jake’s fur, which usually looked fiery, now looked like it was ablaze- he looked like a living flame.

When you arrived at the farm, the sky still had that beautiful glow to it. The farm looked like something out of a fairytale. You hopped off your horse and gave it a pat, leading it to the stables with Maggie. Once the horses were in place, you turned to Maggie.

“What did you mean? Earlier, about Daryl?” you stuttered, unsure if you should be asking the question.

“What I mean, (Y/N),” she put a hand on your shoulder and smiled at you brightly. It wasn’t the same smile she gave you when she asked about Daryl on the way to the store- this one was warm, inviting, yet still playful. Quickly, it turned into a smirk, “Daryl isn’t exactly easy to seduce”

What? Seducing Daryl was the last thing on your mind- all you wanted was someone you could trust, someone who would understand you. That person just so happened to be him- maybe because he was the one to save you, maybe because you were both like wild animals, maybe because he liked Jake. You smirked at that last thought and shook your head.

“Maggie” you looked deep into her eyes, placing both of your hands on her shoulders, “Even if I wanted to, I’m about as seductive as a cabbage” Maggie let out an unflattering snort and playfully hit your arm with her fist. You were unsure what to make of the exchange- did you really seem like all you wanted was flirting with Daryl? Just because he let his walls down a little for you didn’t mean anything. He probably felt comfortable around you because he saw how you were in the forest and felt like he knew you already; you can tell a lot about a person solely by their actions, afterall.

“Do I really seem like I just want to get in his pants?” you sighed and looked down in genuine sadness. You just needed a friend. When Maggie noticed how serious you got, her eyes dropped and her voice suddenly became soft, just above a whisper.

“I was kidding, I’m sorry.” She smiled a sad, uncertain smile and went on, “He just acts different around you, that’s all.” Her words made you think. You didn’t know how exactly he acted around others. Of course, he respected Rick and could be an asshole to the group from time to time, but how different could he be around you? This man gave you a headache, no matter how much time you spent thinking about what he’s thinking, you could never guess.

You nodded at Maggie and made your way out of the barn- you needed some fresh air. Deciding it was best to stay away from others to think, you headed to the only place you could think of- the very campfire you were sitting by with Daryl last night. Once you took a seat on a log, you stared into space, your hand stroking Jake’s fur from time to time. Maggie’s words echoed in your head, like someone shouted inside a tunnel, the echo repeating itself constantly. Maybe you should give the man space, maybe you shouldn’t get too close. Last time you did that, people died. All you wanted to know was what was behind those steel-blue eyes. You also decided to apologize to him for last night; he probably didn’t care much but you still felt guilty for brushing him off like that. Suddenly, Jake shot up and turned around, standing still and not moving an inch. Your head whipped back to see what spooked him so bad and saw the very man that you were thinking about. He was covered in small cuts and bruises, probably from running through thorn-covered bushes. His gaze was soft, friendly. Exactly like the one you saw last night when you so casually conversed with him. You stood up, about to say hello, about to apologize. You had to hold yourself back from hugging him- you were glad he made it back in one piece. You opened your mouth to speak but closed it when he kneeled and began shuffling around in his backpack, clearly looking for something. He wasn’t sure whether he should say something or not, maybe he should apologize for prying yesterday. He was definitely not a people person. Deciding it’s best to just let his action speak for him, he pulled out a familiar item out his backpack. Was it-

“Found yer knife. Apology for yesterday” He looked at you with that undecipherable look he had. You were baffled- what was he apologizing for?

“What the hell? Thank you so much!” you took the knife from his hands, “I was about to apologize myself. Sorry for brushing you off like that.” You smiled at him and, deciding to be brave, hit his arm with your fist gently. “Did you cut yourself so bad with my knife?” you gestured towards the many cuts on his face and the ones on his hands and arms, “Thought you were good with blades” You smirked at him. He scoffed and hopped over the log you were previously sat on and took a seat.

“Ya can bet ‘m better than ya"

----

taglist <3

@writers-adversary @kimchiwen @mileysnavely @srhxpci

[giant-sketches]

A Place to Belong

Finally have a nice Short Sides story done for you all to enjoy! This one has been on the back burner for a long time. I believe the prompt for this one came from @iggyalfi2319 like forever ago. XD Disclaimer: Crying/Fighting/Panic

This story includes 2 sketches

Word Count: 2392

Patton was never born to be a warrior. He was big yes, but more of a big sweetheart on the inside. Instead of fighting like the other giants he enjoyed his time outside with the flowers and animals. Violence simply wasn’t part of his inner nature, therefore, he was exiled from his homeland and sent to wonder. Patton didn’t mind though as every new place he explored was an adventure, however it was a lonely one.

A month passed without encountering a single soul, which might be for the best as Pat stood at a towering 200 feet tall. If anyone did see him they would most likely flee in fear. That would be so heartbreaking to witness! Yet, destiny seemed to have other plans when Patton did in fact run into a village that was almost completely secluded inside the forest he had currently been traversing. He hid himself in the shrubbery to watch the tiny people going about their day.

“Oh wow. Look at all of them!” Patton had never seen humans before. His eyes were filled with wonder. However, the shout of a guard who had spotted him through the thicket threw him into a full blown panic! “GIANT!!!”

Oh no! The surprised giant fled for his life, trying his best to not cause the ground to shake. Sure, he was in no real danger, the humans were much smaller than him; however, he didn’t wish to scare them by staying. Eventually, he came to a fluorescent cave, big enough to house him as he caught his breath. I haven’t been followed right? He looked around and sighed after confirming there was no one but him and the flora. What was he to do now though? Patton laid down, curling up on the cool cavern floor whimpering. Those humans looked so scared, even though he was just watching.

His heart ached at the creeping realization that there truly was nowhere he belonged in this world. “Why was I born like this? It’s not fair! I just wanted to be friends and help if I could.” He began to softly sob, unaware that he was being tracked by a mysterious hooded figure.

“He’s taken shelter here it seems.” The skulking figure glided his way into the cavern, not making a sound as the sound of sobbing echoed off the walls. Gingerly, he peeked out from one of the tunnel entrances and saw the giant he had been following on the floor in tears. It was...uncomfortable. Should he reveal himself now, or let the giant get it all out first. The mysterious man was not good with socializing, but he needed to be brave. Taking in a deep breath he took a step out of the shadows and spoke, “H-hello.”

His voice was no louder than a whisper, however Patton heard him clearly as he twisted his body up to a sitting position. The weeping giant stared at the figure, curious as to why they had revealed themselves, but also fearful of their intent. Was this a human from the village? Why were they here and how? Had he been followed and were there more hidden? Pat curled up a bit trying to look smaller, despite his enormous size.

“Ah, wait, i-it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you a-and it’s just me. I promise.” The figure raised his hands to show he was unarmed and took a few steps closer.

“Why are you here then? I-I didn’t mean any harm to the village or the people living there, I swear! I-I just wanted...I didn’t want to be alone any more.” Patton cried out as he pressed his knees to his chest and hugged them.

“I know. With your size you could have done whatever you wanted to us, but instead you ran away. You’re not like other giants are you?”

Patton nodded, starting to calm down and wipe his tears away. “I...I don’t want to hurt others. I just want to help and find some place I can live in peace. So please, please don’t be scared.” He whimpered into his hands.

The hooded figure, now close enough to rest his hand on Pat’s leg. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not scared. If I was I wouldn’t have followed you here and revealed myself.” Patton giggled a bit, “I suppose that’s true. Still, why are you here little one?” “I wanted to talk to you. I’m also...different.” “Different?” The man hesitated for a moment, but then lowered his hood to reveal a pair of pointed ears, along with his unusual purple locks. Patton’s eyes went wide with how beautiful the stranger was and blushed. “You...are you a half-breed?”

“Yeah, I’m a half-elf to be exact. My appearance is a mix of both and so I’m seen as abnormal among my fellow humans. They aren’t bad people, they just aren’t very open-minded sadly. Usually, I can get by with just wearing this hood to hide my features, but the thing they really can’t stand is my use of mag-”

“YOU CAN USE MAGIC!?” Suddenly, the man had been picked up by Patton and brought closer to his face. Pat, all the while with sparkles in his eyes. The stranger smiled as he made an orb of light appear and float around him. It was the most amazing thing the lonely giant had ever seen. “Wow.”

“I’m Virgil by the way.” “What? Oh you’re name! You can call me Patton.” Virgil blushed, this was nice. Being appreciated for his talent for once.

“It’s nice to meet you Virgil. Thank you for coming here and talking to me. I feel a lot better now.”

“I’m glad. You don’t deserve to be alone like this. I of all people know what that feels like.” His eyes lowered in melancholy thoughts of the past.

A past of losing his parents in the fire, being ostracized by the village, and having to hide his true self. It was painful and many times he thought of running away, but where could he go? Just then Virgil felt a large and soft surface pressed up against him. It was Patton’s finger rubbing up against his side to comfort him. “I can tell you’ve had a hard time, being different from everyone around you.” He went silent in his thoughts, gazing between Virgil in his hands and his current surroundings. “Y-you’re not scared right?” Virgil chuckled, “You’re asking me that now?” “I...just need to be sure.” Patton blushed, feeling embarrassed and closing his eyes. That’s when the sensation of tiny hands wrapping around his thumb made him focus. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave unless you want me to.” Pat’s face must have turned into a tomato as he simply nodded and gently brought his new little friend to his chest for what could only be interpreted as a hug. “Thank you.”

Patton was warm, like really warm as Virgil snuggled into his shirt a bit. The moment was pure bliss as the two felt so at home with one another. Yet, events outside were now coming to end their tender moment together. A large shockwave rumbled from above them.

“W-what was that?!” Pat exclaimed, now guarding Virgil in his hands and crawling out of the cave to take a look. “I don’t know. Do you see anything?” He looked around quickly and froze at what he saw. “The village! It’s being attacked by a dragon!” “WHAT?! Are you kidding me? What is a dragon doing all the way out here?” “I-I don’t know, but we need to do something. There’s no way they have anyone strong enough to fend it off.” “Can you fend it off?” Patton wasn’t sure really. Again, his combat experience was miniscule, but he was still a giant. Even though the dragon was big, he was bigger! “I can try, will you help me?” Virgil smiled, “Of course Patton. What do you need?” What did he need? “Buffs, can you cast any buffs on me?” The tiny sorcerer did know a few spells for buffing, but there was one he found when exploring an abandoned house a long time ago that might be just what they needed right now. “Yeah! You go get it’s attention and all start casting. Drop me off at that cliffside real quick. I have to be able to see you to cast it.” “Alright!”

With a plan in motion, Virgil was left to draw out the casting circle as he watched Patton tackle the monster away from the village, slamming it into the foot of the mountain. He had a good 50 feet on the beast, but the difference in height didn’t scare it away. It could sense how much of an amateur Pat was as it lunged to take a bite. Luckily, Patton was quite agile and could dodge the attacks, for now at least. Each second was a battle of survival. The friendly giant calling out to the cowering people to get to higher ground and keep in groups as they made their way into the forest to hide. Not too far where they couldn’t still watch to see who would be the victor though.

“The circles done! Now to start the chant.” Virgil took his position in the center of the circle and began casting. “Nascuntur, crescunt maior quam. Imbui possent immensa” Three times he said this as a light glow began to cover Patton’s body.

It tingled as he felt more and more power enter into him. It wasn’t long until he noticed he was growing bigger and bigger. He gave a heavy gasp when it was all done and his body relaxed. Patton felt stronger now! Quickly, he looked around to find the dragon...but it was gone?

“Below you!” Came a familiar voice. It was Virgil! What did he mean by below though?

Curious, Pat looked down to find a now very tiny dragon quivering at his feet. What in the world!? Freaked out, Patton tripped over himself and landed on the mountain, taking out half of it with his now enlarged body. He was HUGE! “What? What happened to me?!” He was scared and confused.

“Patton! It’s okay, it’s just the spell. It increased your size and strength by ten fold.” TEN FOLD?!?! Wait...that meant he was ten times his usual size. He gulped, “Then, d-doesn’t that mean I’m now 2000 feet tall?” Virgil went silent, but nodded. Oh boy. Patton turned his attention to the dragon once more. The poor thing was now too terrified to even move. “You poor thing. Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” It was strange looking at the creature in a tender manner now after that fierce battle.

The dragon titled it’s head, but could tell Pat didn’t mean any harm as it bounced up his body and started nuzzling into his neck like a kitten. It was adorable! Still, what was he going to do now? This spell wasn’t permanent was it? In his worrying, the titan hadn’t even noticed the village people returning and coming over to him. Virgil did though, as he hurried over using some wind magic to help him glide down. He landed perfectly on Patton’s knee and took a moment to take the giant’s new size all in. He truly was enormous!

Pat felt something land on him as he looked up to see Virgil sitting on him. “Virgil! Are you alright? I know doing high level spells can tire someone out.” His concern was really cute. “Yeah, I’m alright, but what about you?” “Well...I defeated the dragon, or more so made it my pet I guess.” He giggled, though still uneasy. “Virgil, um, this isn’t permanent is it?”

There was the question he was waiting on, but really didn’t want to answer. “Yes and no. There is a reversal spell, I just don’t know it.” Virgil mumbled out sheepishly. Meanwhile, Patton’s blood ran cold as images of his new reality flashed before his mind. A monster beyond belief! He started to shake and choke on his sobs. In a panic Virgil slid down the giant’s pant leg and started climbing up his shirt.

  “Pat, no, please don’t cry. It’s going to be okay I promise. I’m so sorry I did this to you!” He pleaded constantly as he climbed. Patton hiccupped as he wiped his eyes to see his tiny friend’s frantic face. “It’s not your fault. You were just doing what I asked.” 

Gently, he pinched Virgil up and placed him on the bridge of his nose. “At least you’re still here with me Virgil. I’m so afraid of never being welcomed anywhere because of my size, but at least I have one person who accepts me.” “That’s right. No matter what size you are, I know you’re a very kind and warm person Patton.”

 Virgil leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Patton and began rubbing the bridge of the nose to soothe the giant. Pat blushed and let himself enjoy Virgil’s touch. Then more tiny hands reached out towards him. It was the villagers, petting his hand. “Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!” “We would have died without your help!” “You’re not hurt anywhere right?” “We’re so sorry for chasing you away before.”

Continued praise and concern left their mouths as they kissed his hand and rubbed it in circling motions. Patton was stunned that they had all come so close to him and even more thanked him for his help. “You all...y-you’re not afraid of me? Even though I’m so much bigger than before?” “Of course not! You're our savior along with Virgil. We know now you never meant us any harm and we apologize greatly for our poor behavior towards you.” “Same with you Virgil. We realize how we’ve been treating you for the past years was unacceptable. Could we start again?”

Virgil huffed a bit, but floated down nonetheless. He looked at the people and their worried faces, but then extended a hand out to them. “If you’re willing to change and accept us both, I suppose I can’t say no.” The villagers rejoiced! They sang and cheered for their heroes! Finally, after his long journey, Patton had somewhere he belonged and someone who loved him.

The End

@thought-u-said-dragon-queen @sanderssidestrash27 @nomynameisanon @crystalk17 @notkolaidoscop 

[reinerispretty]

beneath the moon. (sokka x f!reader) pt13

hi hi :) i hope you guys are doing well!! thank u for your patience ily all!!

pt1

pt12

“Wow, Azula, you were right!” Exclaimed Ty Lee. “It is the Avatar!” She looked down at Sokka, a flirtatious smirk appearing on her lips. “And friends.”

Sokka waved back up at her and said hello, which only frustrated (Y/N) more. She took the water that she, Aang, and Katara had been bending with and sent ice daggers flying toward the three girls.

(Y/N) had always thought that the Northern Water Tribe was an impressive architectural feat. The intricate designs and layout of the city had always impressed her when she had the time to admire them. And as Princess of the North, she had had a lot of time. As much as she hated being trapped within its walls, she learned to appreciate it. But as she stood at the top of the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, she realized just how tiny her tribe was in comparison to the largest city in the Earth Kingdom. 

She leaned just over the edge, watching as the Fire Nation drill pounded into the stone wall. Toph groaned, slumping herself against (Y/N). “It’s kind of hard to see with all this drilling. I can feel every little thing they do!” 

“I’m sorry,” (Y/N) muttered, but her mind was elsewhere. Just a few steps away from her, Sokka, Katara, and Aang were trying to formulate a plan on how to take down the drill. (Y/N) had stepped away from the conversation. Ever since the night on the Serpent’s Pass, she had become hyperaware of Sokka’s presence near her. Every step closer, every friendly smile, had her heart practically beating out of her chest. 

She had realized it the next morning, after she had dreamt of Sokka. The sadness she had felt when she had walked out of her tent and saw Sokka smiling at Suki the way he had smiled at (Y/N) in her dream was a confirmation. (Y/N) liked Sokka, in a more than friends way, and she was jealous of Suki. Both feelings made her feel sick to her stomach, so she had resolved to shove them down as far into herself as possible and try her best never to acknowledge them again. If she thought too much about it, she’d realize how horrible she was for liking the same boy her very own sister was in love with. 

(Y/N) clenched her hands so tightly against the wall that the stone dug rivets into her skin. Had been in love with. Sokka had been Yue’s. Now he was Suki’s. And (Y/N) would respect that and keep herself as far away from him as possible. 

Members of the Terra Team that had attempted to attack the drill were being brought back up the Outer Wall by the dozens, each one moaning and groaning on stretchers and as their comrades carried them. (Y/N) cast a glance at Katara, who gave her a nod, and the both of them went to work to heal the men. (Y/N) liked the relationship that she and Katara had developed over the last few months. Very few words needed to be exchanged between them in order to understand how the other was feeling. It was similar to the relationship she had had with Yue, and it made her heart swell and ache at the same time.

Where Katara was gentle and kind as she healed, (Y/N) preferred to remain silent. It allowed her to focus all of her energy on healing their bodies. She left each man that she healed with a tight-lipped smile before moving onto the next. 

“You’re really a Master Healer, huh?” Sokka asked, kneeling down beside her. Despite herself, (Y/N) jumped, becoming increasingly aware of just how close the two of them were. She felt like she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. 

“I’ve done it all my life.” She tried to inflect her tone in a way that signaled that she didn’t want to talk, but Sokka was not very good at taking hints. 

“I remember Katara mentioning that, when we were back at your tribe. She said you taught her some of what she knows.” (Y/N) ignored him and stood, moving on to the next man. He groaned in protest as she began healing, but eventually relaxed into slumber. “Yue used to say that you were the most talented healer in your tribe.” 

At the mention of her sister’s name, she flinched. Yue was someone she rarely talked about anymore. She resided in (Y/N’s) mind constantly, sitting beside her thoughts of Sokka. “Yue wasn’t a bender, she didn’t know what she was talking about.” (Y/N) moved again and was grateful to find that Sokka didn’t follow her. 

Their team reconvened when Katara called them over to a soldier. “His chi was blocked,” She said, her eyebrow raised. She turned back to the soldier. “The girl who did this to you, her name is Ty Lee. She doesn’t look very dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. It’s like she takes you down from the inside.” 

“That’s it!” Sokka exclaimed. “That’s how we’re going to take down the drill.” 

“By hitting its pressure points!” The excited smile on Toph’s face spread to (Y/N). Finally, they had a means of attack. They traveled down to the base of the wall, where Toph earthbended a hole. One by one, they dropped down, until they were completely encased in darkness. (Y/N) felt her heartbeat race, both from the adrenaline coursing through her body and the nervousness of being trapped in such a confined space. She felt Katara’s hand reach back and give hers a tight squeeze, and for a moment, (Y/N) felt calm. 

Light opened up around them and Sokka noticed an opening in the underbelly of the drill. “There!” He shouted, and Aang airbended his way into the hole before grabbing Katara, (Y/N), and Sokka. “Toph, come on!”

“No way, I can’t see in that thing!” Toph shouted back. “I’ll try to stop it from out here.” Satisfied with her answer, the group of four stood to formulate their plan. 

“I need to see the schematics of this machine,” Sokka said. “That way we’ll know what areas we need to target first.” 

“Where will we get those? I doubt they just have a huge map lying around with circles drawn around the pressure points,” (Y/N) said. Sokka shook his head. 

“You’re right, but...” He moved to the wall and knocked one of the pipes loose with his boomerang. The other three stared at him in shock as mist started to fill the room. 

“What are you doing! You’re gonna get us caught!” 

“Exactly! When something breaks on the machine--” Sokka started. 

“Then someone who knows what to do will come to fix it!” His sister finished. 

Taking down the mechanic was easy work. Katara froze him, while Sokka stole his plans and then they all ran. They reached the part of the drill where the inner and outer shell met. It was held together by thick, metal beams. “I really wish metal could be bent,” (Y/N) said sadly as they stared up at the towering braces. 

“It’s going to take us a while to cut through these.” Sokka stared at the plans once more. 

“Who’s ‘us’?” Katara asked. “We’re going to have to do all the work.” She gestured to herself, Aang, and (Y/N). 

“You three are the waterbending guys, I’m the making plans guy,” Sokka said, turning his nose up into the air. 

Despite having three waterbenders, cutting through the metal was proving to be more difficult than they expected. Eventually, they decided to only weaken the beams and Aang would go outside to deliver the final blow. Everything was going to plan until Katara was narrowly stabbed by a small dagger. 

Exasperated, (Y/N) looked above to find the culprits. The team of three girls that had chased them through the night and had driven them all nearly insane balanced on the supports above them. Fire Nation Princess Azula looked menacing as she stared down at their group, but her partner Mai looked apathetic and Ty Lee looked genuinely excited to see them. 

“Wow, Azula, you were right!” Exclaimed Ty Lee. “It is the Avatar!” She looked down at Sokka, a flirtatious smirk appearing on her lips. “And friends.” 

Sokka waved back up at her and said hello, which only frustrated (Y/N) more. She took the water that she, Aang, and Katara had been bending with and sent ice daggers flying toward the three girls. Ty Lee jumped to the side just in time, and used her acrobatic skills to launch herself at Aang. He blew her away with a gust of air, giving him and his friends enough time to escape. 

They ran down the halls, not entirely sure which way they were going but knowing they needed to put as much distance between them and their enemies  as quickly as possible. They stopped at an intersection. “You guys get out of here,” Aang instructed. “I know what I need to do!” 

“Wait, you’ll need this more than I do!” Katara tossed Aang her satchel of water. (Y/N) thought for a split second of giving her own water supply to Aang, but decided against it. Their group parted ways, and the three Water Tribe children searched for an exit. 

As (Y/N) rounded the corner, the sleeve of her dress caught on the wall. Confused, she turned around and found that one of Mai’s daggers had planted her sleeve deep into the wall. Prying it out would take too much time and the fabric was far too thick for it to tear away easily, but she could hear the increasing footsteps of the two Fire Nation girls and the decreasing footsteps of her friends.  

She gripped the dagger and yanked hard on it. Since her dominant hand was caught, she struggled immensely to loosen it. She could see Mai and Ty Lee at the end of the hallway now, running toward her. (Y/N) had to think and she had to think quickly. 

Looking up, she saw the exposed pipes that ran throughout the ship. She wasn’t sure if she could do it, but for only a moment, she closed her eyes and focused. With one hand, she opened her palm up to the ceiling, then curled her fingers into a fist. 

The pipes exploded with a sharp hiss! and filled the hall with hot steam. (Y/N) felt the water droplets burn her skin, but she bit her lip to keep herself quiet. Mai and Ty Lee were Fire Nation, they should be able to handle the heat, but there was no way they would be able to see until the steam dissipated. (Y/N) finally freed herself from Mai’s dagger and threw it back at the two girls before shielding her face with her arms and running headfirst into the dark steam. 

Sokka and Katara had completely disappeared, most likely not noticing she wasn’t at their side. (Y/N) stopped for a moment and looked down at the vast halls of the drill to see if she found any familiarity at all. She couldn’t recognize anything, but she did see a ladder leading up to a hatch. With no other options other than getting caught, she climbed up and found herself standing on top of the drill. 

Dust kicked up around the drill, interrupting her sight once again. She wasn’t quite sure which end was the right one, but she took a chance and ran ahead of herself. When she reached the end of the drill farthest from the Outer Wall and saw the mixture of water and earth pouring out onto the ground underneath them. For her own sake, she hoped it was something she could bend. 

She ran off the edge and plummeted down into the sludge. She was able to waterbend it just enough to slide down it and jump safely to the ground. Her landing was less than satisfactory, as she skidded directly into a giant puddle of sludge. 

“(Y/N)!” Katara exclaimed, wiping her own sludge off of her body. “Thank goodness you’re okay! We didn’t know where you went!” 

“One of Mai’s daggers caught my clothes,” She explained, rising to her feet. Sokka stared at her, concern apparent on his tanned face. (Y/N) felt her face flush and she turned away. 

“I need your help waterbending this slime back into the drill. If we build up enough pressure, it’ll blow.” (Y/N) nodded. She and Katara took the exact same stance, and their bodies moved as one as they waterbended. Toph joined them later to aid on the earth front, and eventually the team successfully disabled the drill. 

After the retreat of the Fire Nation, (Y/N) and her friends returned to the wall, all in desperate need of a long bath. “The Earth King is making arrangements for your stay,” one of the soldiers informed them. “It should be ready before nightfall.” 

“Thank goodness,” (Y/N) breathed. “I feel like a walking pile of dirt.” 

“That’s how I feel all the time!” Toph said, nudging her with her elbow. “Doesn’t it feel nice?” (Y/N) rolled her eyes and took a seat on the cool stone as they waited for their amenities to be taken care of. 

Sokka sat beside her, his own body caked with a layer of mud. It stuck to his clothes and arms, traveling up his neck and onto his face. (Y/N) resisted the urge to wipe the mud from his cheek. “I’m sorry we left you,” Sokka said. “We didn’t notice until Mai and Ty Lee were gaining on us.” 

“It’s alright,” (Y/N) said. What she wanted to say was that it wasn’t alright. She hated being forgotten about, even during life-threatening circumstances. She felt like she had back in the Northern Water Tribe. Like no one cared about her as much as she did about them. 

Sokka grabbed her hand in hers, causing (Y/N’s) eyes to flutter to his accusingly. “I really am sorry,” He said with such gentleness that she worried that she had said everything she was thinking out loud. “You’re a member of this team and our friend. It’s not like us to leave friends behind. I’m sorry we got separated.” 

(Y/N) stared at him for a moment, at the blue eyes that were burned into the backs of her eyelids every time she tried to sleep. She snatched her hand away from his, the skin he touched buzzing intensely. “It’s fine,” She insisted, before walking away to join Katara and Aang in their conversation. She knew she wasn’t being fair to Sokka, but life had never been fair.

---

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[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera's Journal Entry #61

(This one isn't as good as the others, but at least I posted something.)

I flipped a dagger of light in my hand. I sat at the base of a tree, under the shade, as Crow stood in the clearing in front of me, showing off by shooting the painted targets on the trees.

It was nice, being in the sunlight again.

Crow finished. He had hit a few bulls eyes, but a few did not quite make it. They were close though, so I had to give him some credit.

"Alright. Your turn." He said, walking back to me as he tucked his gun into his holster.

I stood up and unsheathed the Ace of Spades. I didn't bring it out to the field a whole lot, but I still brought it out to practice every now and then. I spun quickly, shooting each target. Every bullet hit its mark, the red circle in the center, in just a quick minute.

"Show off," Crow muttered.

I only shrugged and went over to him, my hand held out.

Crow sighed and deposited thirty glimmer, which I put away into my pocket. We had been going for quite some time and had a bet over who would hit the most bullseyes.

"Come on. Let's go for a walk." I suggested as I slid my gun into my holster and nodded into the forest.

Crow caught up to me and we walked side by side. Eventually, he reached over and took my hand. He seemed nervous, though I could tell he was trying to hide it.

"No one's out here if that's what you're worried about," I told him.

"I feel like someone is out here." He said. "I know it sounds crazy when you say it aloud, but it's just that feeling that I'm being watched. That we're being watched."

"No one ever really goes out here. I think we're alright."

"I sure hope so."

We walked for a while after that, until suddenly Crow stopped. Glint appeared after sensing his Guardian's worry.

"What? What is it?" I asked, looking around as one hand reached to my hand canon.

Crow was staring off into a part of the forest. Finally, he said something. "There." He pointed. "Someone's over there, sitting on that rock."

"A Guardian?" I asked.

"They have a cloak, so maybe it's a hunter."

"Do you have your mask?"

"No. I left it on your ship."

"Stay here."

I let go of his hand and walked over to the person. They never once turned around when I approached.

"Hello. I'm a Guardian from the Last City. Who are you and what are you doing out here?"

"I call myself the Ranger nowadays. And as you can see, I'm sitting on a rock."

The person Rouge had told me about.

"Why are you sitting on a rock?"

"It's a nice rock. High up too. And if you stare out there," They pointed. "You can watch a few squirrels while they get their breakfast. Or lunch. Or maybe brunch."

I stared at them. They had a helmet on so I couldn't make out any features.

"I hope I'm not being annoying. I don't mean to be. Just here to enjoy the view."

"One of my friends. They saw you out here before."

"Ah, right. Rouge, I think her name was. I don't think she liked me very much, with me being on her terrain and all. I left pretty quickly after she went off. She was a bit scary."

"Rouge can be sometimes. But what are you really doing out here? And are you a Guardian? If so, why aren't you going to the Last City?"

"I'm only out here to enjoy some scenery, as I was saying before. And I do still consider myself to be a hunter."

"You didn't answer my last question."

"I don't want to."

"Alright then," I said with a sigh.

"Hey, aren't the people working with the Fallen now? Mithraks and his gang?" The Ranger asked.

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"Just do. Hey, found a skiff way back there. Crashed." They told me, standing up and gesturing to another part in the forest. "Down below a cliff. You and your buddy might wanna check it out. I best get goin. Ain't gonna do me much good to stick around here. Whatever shot down that skiff might still be lurkin around." They jumped off their rock.

I looked towards where they had pointed, and sure enough, I could make out a bit of smoke coming from that area. I went to turn towards the Ranger again, but they were gone. I ran back to get Crow.

"It was this person called the Ranger. They said there's a Fallen skiff back there. We should check it out."

"Can we trust them?"

"Not sure, but I know a friend who's met them before, and they seemed friendly enough."

We began our way towards the smoke from the skiff, then leapt down the cliff, doing another jump just before we hit the ground as to not break our legs. Crow started to run towards it and knelt down. I walked up behind him. Many dead Fallen littered the ground around us. A few were burned from where the fire from the ship had enveloped them.

But many, many were around the area, as if they had begun to run. They had not died from the crash, but something else.

I went to one and rolled it onto its back. I gasped as tears welled in my eyes. Clutched in its arms was a child, also dead. Both were from bullets in their heads.

I didn't realize Crow was behind me until I heard him mutter a curse, and then stomp off. We both knew it had been Guardians who did this. He was going off to say more choice words, and he didn't want me to hear.

"Sometimes I wonder if the Guardians are even good guys, Scout," I said to my Ghost.

He gave a sad whirr. "I can't believe it was Guardians who did this. If I could, I would say anything to give us the benefit of the doubt, but it is far too obvious. No one else would be around here to attack them except maybe other fallen, but I highly doubt they would attack their own kind. Many Guardians do fly their jumpships out here from time to time. That is probably how they shot the skiff down." He spoke solemnly.

"Thera? Thera come here!" I heard Crow say with a sense of urgency in his voice.

I ran over to him. He stood, holding something in his arms.

"Look." He turned it over to me and I peered at it.

Four tiny eyes peered right back.

"Oh," I looked around and spotted two dead Eliksni, very close to each other. "Oh, no. The poor thing."

"What will we do? We can't leave it out here." He stated, staring at me as he waited for an answer.

"No, of course not. Here, let me see it." Crow handed the hatchling to me and I held it in my arms.

"I have a friend. An Eliksni of House Light who already had a child of her own. Trildir. We can go to her."

Crow scouted around for a bit, with the hope there may be other survivors. I went to the ship, and he came soon after. I handed him the child as I took control of the Queen of Hearts. In no time, we had returned to the Last City, covered still in darkness.

We transmitted to the Annex and (after Crow put on his mask, just in case) then went to the hidden area of the City where the Eliksni stayed. I walked past many Fallen and went straight to Trildir's home. It had changed since I had last been there. We had visited many times in the past few days.

A banner with the House Light symbol hung on the wall, and there was a nice carpet on the floor. It was only a single room, and a cot was in one corner, with a nest of blankets on a crate. For Ralis, I was guessing.

Trildir was in there, luckily, and was startled when we arrived.

She took a single glance at the child in Crow's arms and motioned to the futon in the room. Trildir then pulled a curtain to close of the doorway from prying eyes.

"Where did you find her?" She asked immediately. Crow passed the hatchling to me.

"You- you wouldn't want to know."

"I do. Yes, I do."

I sighed. "A skiff, shot down from the sky. All the other Eliksni were dead. She's the only survivor."

"I do not mean to seem... oh, what is the word?" She clicked for a moment. "Rude. But, was it light-bearers?"

I sadly nodded. "It could be no one else. And I have no idea which ones did it either, otherwise, I would be going after them right about now."

"I want to believe that someday we Eliksni and you can live in peace, but Guardians such as those make it so hard to do. Here, let me see the child." Trildir held out her top two arms and I put the child in them.

"Yes, definitely a girl." The hatchling clicked at her. "And most likely hungry."

Trildir went over to a shelf and produced what looked like a meat scrap. The child ate it quickly and Trildir gave her a few more.

"I will take care of her." Said Trildir with a few clicks.

"It won't be a problem? You already have one child-"

"I know of mateless mothers like myself who have six hatchlings. I believe I can handle two."

Trildir's mate had been one of the Fallen to die when their skiff crashed.

"Thank you," I said to her.

Trildir began to give the hatchling a liquid I could not name.

"She will need a name. Would you like to pick one?" She asked, looking at Crow and I.

"Um, I don't know of any Eliksni names," I told her. I didn't want to pick out a name that would seem silly to the other Eliksni.

"You can choose human names. Misraakell's daughter was named after an old friend of his, an awoken."

I thought for a moment. I looked at Crow to see if he would suggest anything but he only shrugged. I turned back to Trildir.

"Would Sora be a good name?" I asked.

"Yes, I think it would suit her well."

Sora had fallen asleep in Trildir's arms, so she laid her in the crib of blankets to rest. Then she went back to Crow and I.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but where is Ralis?" I asked her.

"Oh, she is with a sister of mine. She does not have a mate of her own but loves hatchlings. She will gladly take care of any if it is needed." Trildir explained. Her gaze shifted to Crow. "You have not introduced me to your friend." She stated. "I am Trildir, but I am sure Thera has already told you this."

"My name is Crow." He introduced himself.

"It is very nice to meet you."

A dreg suddenly pulled back the curtain and chattered something in Eliksni. Trildir spoke back, and the dreg left. She then turned her attention back to the two of us.

"Sora will be in good hands. Because of your visit, I have forgotten what I was doing. I must return to my job, and I will leave Sora with my sister and Ralis. Thank you for coming to see me."

Trildir took Sora in her arms and went out of her home.

"I know she'll be safe," I told Crow as we stood up.

"I like her." He stated.

"She's very kind, and not like the rest of the Eliksni. She isn't afraid of Guardians."

"Crow, Crow where are you? Why are you not in the H.E.L.M?" Came from Crow's comlink.

"Is that Osiris? Oh sh-" I exclaimed.

"You're with Thera aren't you? Get back to the H.E.L.M, now."

"Yes, I'm headed there now," Crow responded, giving me a look. We both knew we were in for it.

"And bring Thera too. If she keeps sneaking you out-"

Crow shut off his coms.

"You're going to get in more trouble for that," I said with a laugh.

"We both are. Now let's go so we can get that lecture over with."

[quartzwriting]

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Fem!Reader

Description: You offer Bucky coffee, with an accidental espresso shot, and the caffeine gets to him. Fall themed!

Warnings: Non

Word Count: 2.0k

A/N: Originally posted on Quotev on Jan 21, 2019 /  Sorry if Bucky feels out of character, I blame the caffeine I gave him / Written for Alex 

Masterlist | Fic Reading Recs | Ao3 | Quotev | Coffee

“Where is he?”

Steve looked up from his breakfast and pointed to the open door of the fridge. Tony was rummaging through it while mumbling to himself, but perking up at the sound of your voice. He had a strawberry in his mouth, there he goes snacking again. Food never seems to last in the tower.

You held up the tray and Tony's face lit up. He wanted you to do his morning Starbucks run. Even if the tower had plenty of coffee and tea options, he needed his pumpkin spice latte and he wanted it done right. You never thought Tony would be that type of person, to like sugary and basic white bitch drinks, but he is apparently.

“I’m not Pepper.” You said blankly, eyeing the man as he approached to claim his drink. “Why did I have to go and get your coffee?”

“Because you’re the one who messed up on the last mission, (Y/N).” Tony answered with an fake innocent smile.

“I tripped!” You gasped in defense, really you tripped. It was an accident but it made a domino effect and you almost costed everyone the mission. The guys in the tower were not going to let you forget anytime soon, it was too embarrassing. And you were thankful Sam didn't have a camera because that would be the worst.

“You just need to have your pumpkin spice latte.” Steve laughed, shaking his head.

“Get in the fall spirit, Rogers.” Tony said, taking one of the cups from the tray greedily.

“I can only imagine what he’ll do on Halloween…” You mumbled under your breath. The over the top decorations and his making everyone play along with his enthusiasm...Oh no what about Christmas...you didn’t even want to think about Christmas.

Before you knew it Tony left with his coffee, not even thanking you for going out in the cold to get it. Something wanted you to go follow him and shove the other three steaming hot cups down the front of his shirt, but you refrained since you wanted one of them for yourself.

Instead you bottled up your frustrations and you took one for yourself and gave one to Steve. Tony paid for it so it doesn't matter, free coffee for you then!

While taking a sip of your own delicious latte, you heard heavy footsteps enter the room. Soon Bucky groaned and dragged himself into the kitchen.

“Morning Bucky.” You said, taken aback by his sudden appearance. He simply nodded in response, he was not a morning person. It seemed that your heart jumped to your throat every time he acknowledged your existence, and you’ll take a simple nod as one.

“Come on Buck, wake up. We got training to do.” Steve announced, cleaning up his dishes.

“Yeah yeah I know. God, you’re so loud.” Bucky looked like he could use a few more hours of sleep, or a few gallons of coffee. He slowly made his way to the pantry and stumbled dug for the breakfast bars, a quick breakfast before training.

"Hey Bucky, you want one?" You offered him one of the coffee cups, knowing it was a dangerous game you were playing by speaking to him this early in the morning. But thankfully he didn't chop your head off, he merely turned around to see what you had offered.

"What is it?" He asked, staring at the cup with a blank face.

"Pumpkin spice latte."

Bucky looked skeptical, but took it and raised it to his lips to take a sip. The sugar hit him before the caffeine.

"It's sweet."

"See its not that bad." Steve chimed in, drinking his own latte.

"The future is weird..." He mumbled, sending a slightly amused-looking smile in your direction. You didn't know if you wanted to scream or run to your room and hide.

"Technically its the present." Steve tried to be smart.

"Shut up." Bucky started to walk out of the room, still slightly groggy (the caffeine would kick in soon though) but he looked back. “That scarf looks good on you.”

You glanced down at it, fleece and yellow plaid. You grew shy and scratched the back of your head. “Thanks.” You realized it came out as a mere squeak.

He smiled and left after muttering "Thank you, (Y/N)", probably to get ready for training. Deep down you didn't want to see him go, and you heart pounded when he said your name.

"Weird."

"Hm?" You turned to Steve.

"He usually hates mornings, he looked happy."

It just dawned on you. Everyone feared bothering Bucky when it was too early, and on a normal day he would go into full Winter Soldier mode when anyone dared to step across the line of 'I'm too tired to be alive right now and I'll murder you and burn your body if you get in my face'. Maybe it was the latte you gave him, to your knowledge Bucky didn't drink coffee much.

Then you realized something...

Oh Shit.

"Oh no," You knew Steve would scold you, so you changed your wording in your head before it came out of your mouth.

"What?"

"I gave Bucky the one with the espresso shot..."

The Captain chuckled and patted your shoulder, "Its fine, he needs it."

You slightly laughed, if it made him a little less of a morning grump then why not.

"Don't worry, it probably will not turn out as bad as that one time when Pietro had just regular coffee." Steve remembered.

So many things in the Tower were broken that day, Tony was furious. There was plenty of yelling, and the speedster almost passed out from the overdrive. From that day forwards, Pietro was never allowed to have coffee ever again.

"But I kinda needed that espresso shot..." You groaned.

"Calm down, you'll live." He said it so simply you almost wanted to knock him upside the head. Then he mumbled something; "Also I don't think the coffee was the reason he was happy-"

"What?"

He ignored you.

"Well I'm gonna head to the training room, see ya kid." Cap left the kitchen, leaving you with your latte (that sadly wasn't strong enough to kill your exhaustion) and you finally could have your breakfast. Because someone didn't let you do anything until you fetched their morning coffee (Tony "Im Iron Man and Im Superior To You" Stark).

~~~

"Who gave Bucky caffeine?" Sam announced to everyone in the training room while eyeing the man, who was now finishing his latte.

"You're just a sore loser." Bucky placed the empty cup back on the table and was ready to spar with his friendly rival again. Bugging Sam was his favorite past time.

"No really, who thought that would be a good idea?" Sam didn't drop it.

The glass doors to the training room opened and you walked in, holding your tablet and flipping through the new file you just received from SHEILD headquarters. Before you could open your mouth to say anything, you were abruptly interrupted.

"It was her." Cap threw you under the bus.

"What did I do?" You whined.

And the next few seconds was a quick-fire dispute, remarks shot through the air like bullets.

"You gave Bucky coffee." Sam pointed at you.

"So?" You asked.

"That's a bad idea." Sam snapped.

"Sore loser~" Bucky sang.

"Shut up." Sam shot.

"You are a sore loser Sam" You mocked.

"Shut it!" Sam warned.

"Sooorrrreee loooser!" Bucky stretched out.

"QUIET!" Sam barked.

"I need another." Bucky sighed.

"You are not having another." Sam snapped.

"(Y/N), can I have another?"

"Bad idea" You admitted.

"Enough!" Natasha raised her voice and the arguing stopped suddenly. "God, you three are like nagging seagulls. You don't shut up."

"Sam's the seagull." Bucky made one last snarky remark, making you snort while you tried to hold in your laughter.

Before Sam could attack again, you finally spoke up. "Just got a new mission file from Fury. He says it's urgent."

Steve, Bucky, Sam, Nat, and Clint (who had been enjoying the argument quietly) all gathered around you. You projected the file into a hologram and blew it up so everyone could see.

"Security breach at a lab in France." Nat read the notes.

"So? Just a lab," Bucky shrugged, then thought about it, "right?"

You zoomed into the picture on the file, the logo looked strikingly familiar.

"Haven't we been keeping tabs on them?" Clint asked.

"We have." You worked quickly and pulled up a case file SHIELD had been watching carefully. They matched, the lab's company specialized in fusing technology into human anatomy, in the most illegal ways, sketchy black market stuff.

With a few more buttons pressed, you pulled up the live security cameras of the laboratory. There was a black van parked outside. It hit everyone.

"HYDRA." Steve breathed, and everyone knew it was important to leave to France as soon as possible.

"So who's going, Cap?" You asked, and soon everyone was looking at him with anticipation.

He didn't even need to think, he knew who he wanted. "Nat, Clint, Sam, you're with me on this one."

Those selected celebrated, there hadn't been a decent mission in a while. While those who weren't going, meaning you and Bucky, pouted.

"HA!" Sam jabbed a finger in Bucky's face. "You're not going!"

"Don't care!" Bucky shot back, pretending like it was true. It was a lie.

~~~

With some of the Avengers gone on a mission the tower was a little more quiet, probably because it was still early or because Sam and Bucky were separated. Both were very likely. With everyone else asleep, you and Bucky were the only ones up. After the others went on the mission, you decided to look through some more case files to see if you could find anything that could help down the road.

While sitting in the lounge and listening to some music, you tried to stay focused. You tried to stay awake while simultaneously trying to stay warm from the cold weather outside. It was beautiful and sunny, but it was freezing non the less. Snuggling under a blanket had proven to be a solution to only one of your problems,  you were growing drowsy again. If only you had got that extra espresso shot.

Speaking of that espresso shot...

"Hey (Y/N)!"

Jumping from the sudden voice, you looked over and saw Bucky enter the lounge. The couch dipped down as he sat beside you, and he seemed to be full of energy.

"Whatcha working on?"

"Someone's cheerful this morning." You sat up and tilted your head as you spoke.

"I think it was the coffee you gave me." He chuckled.

"Yeah about that..." You started shyly, "I accidentally gave you the one with the extra espresso shot..."

It clicked in his head, "Well that explains it, I guess I couldn't taste it from how sweet it was-" He caught himself, "not that it wasn't good. I liked it. I appreciated it, thanks (Y/N)."

Regardless of his growing awkwardness, which you wanted to explode from because he was too cute, he was speaking a mile a minute.

"You alright, Buck?" You asked, "A little hyper."

"Maybe Sam was right...no more coffee for me." He admitted to himself, looking a bit sad. He must have liked the pumpkin spice latte while it lasted.

”Maybe you need to burn it off.” You suggested.

”Tried to during training, not working, still buzzed.”

“Maybe try going outside, go for a run maybe.”

He gave it a thought, then turned to you with something in his eyes. "What do you say we go for a walk? It's pretty nice outside." Bucky smiled at you.

Forget how cold it was today, going outside to hang out with Bucky was worth it.

"Sure!" You said, maybe sounding a little to enthusiastic.

”Alright, can we go now? If that’s alright?” He said shyly, practically bouncing in his seat.

”Yeah sure, no problem.” You both got up off the couch.

”Okay dress warm, meet you back here.” Bucky dashed off to get his coat. You laughed at how energized he was, and assumed this would be like taking a dog on a walk (or more like a dog taking you on a walk).

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

What a Time to be Alive - Diego Hargreeves x reader Season I

Chapter 5- Number Five

Summary: You finally found Five, drunk, but you found him. Patch is dead. And now you and Diego are on the hunt for the masked killers with assistance from Klaus.

Masterlist - where all the other chapters are⚔️

Tagged: @sambucky8 @white-wolf-buckaroo @2cuteforyourlies @la-vie-en-amour1 @fandomoverlord221 @thatfandombitcch @alonewolfsblog @starrrybarnes @winterboobear11

You burst through your apartment door with a new rage overthrowing your recent grief, Diego’s right on your tail, trying to catch up with you the best he can. Your strides are fast as you march hastily through the small room, heading straight for Five. “You boy scout looking fuck. Do you have any idea what you’ve just caused?” You growl launching yourself at him with fists in the air, without warning Luther catches you before you can really tear into Five. “No! Let me go you fucking monkey boy, get your hands off of me!” You yell at him, as he lifts you up off the ground, “I can do this as long as it takes you to calm down.” Says Luther calmly. You continue to struggle in his strong grasp, seriously contemplating if you’ve lost it enough to bite him before Diego sets a hand on your tense shoulder. Further stopping you before you can find a way to break free by injuring Luther, “Y/N, please.”

You make a lowly animistic sound, like that of a beaten circus tiger, as you stop struggling, “Fine.” Luther then sets you down.

“Now, wanna tell us what you’re talkin’ about?”

You glare at Five, still upset from finding Eudora dead in that motel room. You were gonna have lunch with her on Friday and then explain why Diego’s been so persistent about the shootings. You hadn’t had a chance to talk with her yet. And now you never will.

“Your brother’s been pretty busy since he got back. He was in the middle of that shootout at Giddy’s, and then at Gimble Brothers, after those masked psychos attacked the Academy, looking for him.” You snap, staring daggers at Five.

He barely moves a muscle, “None of which is any of your concern.” He mutters calmly, way to damn calmly for you.

You scowl at him in annoyance, “It is now you little shit. They just killed my friend.” You vent back, stepping in closer, Diego has to grab your arm from tearing into the tiny 58 year old man in front of you.

“Who are they Five?” Questions Luther, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“And where the hell are they from?” Adds Diego, hand still firmly grasping your arm.

Five gives you all a tired look, “They work for my formal employer at the commission. A woman called the Handler. She sent them...to stop me. Then as soon as Y/N and Diego’s friend got in their way, well, fair game.” Five shrugs, so this is just business is business to him.

“Well they’re my fair game now. And I’ll make sure of it that they pay in blood.” You sneer, turning around and walking briskly towards the door, Diego hot on your tail.

“That would be a mistake Diego, for you to let her go.....They’ve killed people far more dangerous then you think.” Calls Five, you stop by the railing to look back at him.

 “I’d like to see them try and kill me then....the next time I see them will be when I drive my dagger into their throats.” You growl with malice, turning away from them to walk out the door.

Luther looks to Diego and then back at Five with a stunned face, “I don’t care what she does. She just better not miss.” Says Five with a sigh, as Diego nods while making towards the open door.

You get into the passenger seat as Diego takes the steering wheel, he turns the car on, turning to look at you, “Are you okay?” He whispers gently. You stare vacantly out the side window, “No. Just drive.” You mumble sadly, you’re trying to be strong but one of your only friends has just been killed violently by two masked psychopaths. It’s a bit difficult if you’re being honest, but you’re too numb with silent fury to cry at the moment.

He nods in understanding, putting the car into drive and taking off.

——

You stand silently in Diego’s doorway at the Umbrella Academy, he pulls out a metal briefcase from under his bed, and opens it up. It’s his old knife case, he then puts his remaining free knifes that are hiding on him in the case. He quickly shuts it and locks it up, leaving it on the floor to stand up and walk over to you. “Do you have anything you need to get before we head out?” He says while holding the sides of your arms. You look up at him, “I am all that I need.” You whisper valiantly, meaning absolutely every word, underlying so much more behind that small sentence.

Your mind flashes back to your younger days when you were fighting alongside with the Umbrella Academy, you had wanted so badly to prove that you belonged among them. Your mindset solely focused on accomplishing the mission successfully, hoping that Reginald would be satisfied with your hard work. Through your attempts, you may have went a little overboard, losing control at times, lashing out furiously on the enemy. You turned into something incredibly dangerous, but at the time all you saw was a warrior, a hero, a vital piece of the Umbrella Academy that could not be held back. You were so lost in your own success and the satisfaction of Sir Reginald that you didn’t notice when the Umbrella Academy was starting to become afraid of you. It was the most lonely and darkest couple weeks of your life that you’d ever felt, and you couldn’t fully understand why they wouldn’t want to play with you. It started on a mission, you’d just discovered that whenever you were completely in full rage mode, your eyes would turn the color of molten lava, a deep orange, perhaps your body’s way of showing off the raging fire within you, or so you’d tell yourself. Quite opposite of your original eye color. You’d never realized it before until Allison pointed it out after an intense mission once. To keep a long story short, you killed a bunch of terrorists who were about to kill your friends. You tore into them wildly, your eyes practically glowing embers. You were breathing heavily and covered in other people’s blood by the time you were done. For a week they wouldn’t even look at you, it took longer for Ben to come around. And you absolutely hated yourself for it. Of course Reginald was ecstatic, mentioning your achievement at dinner one night, of how you unlocked a hidden power within yourself and that the others should strive to do the same. The rest of them fumed in jealousy, deciding to ignore you for awhile as payback, since they couldn’t hurt you physically. And they were to scared about what you could have done back at them. You felt like a caged lioness, a powerful and deadly creature, being taunted and stared at from afar by snotty children who are safe and content behind the thick glass.

But life goes on, and you’ve sacrificed yourself for them a couple hundred times since then, more then they’ll ever be able to repay. With time they began to understand you better, and amazingly to your great surprise Diego, out of all people, had a ginormous crush on you. Which led to even more wonderful things you’re scared little 13 year old self could never have even dreamed of. You got older, stopping caring about Reginald’s approval, and moved on with your life. Things got much better after that.

Your wandering mind comes back to reality when Diego kisses your forehead, he understands your somber silence, choosing to comfort you in the best way he possibly can. He releases you, turning to pick up his silver briefcase as you take a step out the door. Waiting a brief moment for your vigilante lover to catch up with you.

As you walk down the stairs and across the messy carpet past the damaged fallen chandelier. You notice Klaus who’s standing by the broken crushed table, he looks a bit lost and out of it. Oddly enough it’s not from any alcohol consumption or other substances. At least that you can smell, he’s clean.

“What happened here?” Klaus asks curiously, you look over to him with a casual shrug.

“Long story.” You add, not really wanting to get into details right now.

“You look like shit.” Diego tells him dryly.

“Why, thank you. Hey, where are you two going?” Wonders Klaus, watching the two of you head for the door. “Nope.” Snaps Diego quickly, Klaus’ face falls at his denied request.

“I’m not giving you a ride.” Grumbles Diego, who’s stopped walking to look at Klaus. 

“Oh, come on, man. You know I can’t drive.” He whines, moving in closer to Diego. You stand with your arms crossed by the fallen chandelier, patiently watching the brotherly interaction between the two of them, who’re directly in front of you.

Diego shakes his head, “I don’t c..” You suddenly cut him off, “Go get your shit. We’ll be in the car.” Klaus’ face breaks out into a grateful smile, he laughs lightly before patting Diego on the chest, turning to get his things. “Okay, great. I’ll just get my things. Two minutes.” He says happily, rushing past you with a grin to get whatever it is that Klaus needs.

Diego turns around to give you a what-the-hell kinda look, you casually shrug, “He said two minutes.....and he looks like he could use some friendly interaction.” Diego just sighs, nodding in agreement, “Yeah alright...but only because you’ll be with me.” He replies, before turning towards the door.

You smack his bum as you scoot past him, “It’ll be fun, just like old times.” You quip while Diego shakes his head in amusement, following you out the door.

——

You’re comfortably sprawled out in the backseat, feeling the dull roll of the car moving speedily down the road, while you listen to the hum of the engine. Diego drives, as Klaus drinks from a wine bottle, looking dismally out the window. “You okay?” Diego says after a quiet couple minutes, not getting anything from Klaus, who takes another swig. “Wow. This is a first. My brother Klaus is silent. How bout’ that Y/N.” Diego glances at Klaus again, “Last time you were this quiet, we were 12. Ran down the stairs wearing Grace’s heels, tripped over, and broke your jaw. How long was it wired shut again?” He wonders.

“Eight weeks.” Whispers Klaus tiredly, still staring out the window.

“Eight glorious weeks of bliss.” Smiles Diego, you sit up sticking your head between the two of them. “And I missed out on it all, damn.” You mutter, trying to mentally visualize the whole scenario. Klaus suddenly lifts his head up, “Hey, just....just drop me off here.” Diego nods, you look across the street at the building in mind, Lakeshore VFW, but that’s where the veterans go? None of you have ever been in the army, at least that you know of.

Diego pulls into the small parking lot, Klaus jumping out as soon as he stops, now you’re very confused. “You sure you’re all good, Klaus?” You call after him, he ignores you as he nervously walks up to the door, opening it and walking inside. You look over to Diego who’s equally as puzzled, he turns around about to start the car again. When you instantly reach your hand out to touch his shoulder, “Wait, I’m gonna go in and see what’s up with Klaus.” Diego stops, turning his neck to look at you, “I guess I better go in too. Not that you couldn’t handle yourself Y/N...I mean Klaus probably needs me an...” 

“Diego.” You deadpan, shutting him up instantly. He takes the keys out of the ignition, as you open up your door, Diego doing the same. The two of you then start walking towards the entrance, clueless as to why Klaus would have wanted to stop here.

You walk in, finding him moping around some old WWll photographs, you sigh, beginning to walk over to Klaus, Diego right behind you. Throwing a hand on Klaus’ shoulder you unintentionally startle him, “Just go away, please.” He asks you, while rubbing his eyes. You let go of his shoulder, half-sitting yourself against the pool table, Diego steps up next to him, “Not until you talk to us.”

“Is that a threat? You threatening me?” He mutters, annoyed that you two won’t leave him alone. Suddenly a random guy to your left walks up to the three of you, “Guys. This bar? It’s for vets only.” He states, urging you all to leave.

“I am a vet.” Says Klaus, by the way he announces it, you can sense he’s not lying. But how would he have been a vet. Something wrong definitely happened in that whole day he was missing.

The veteran chuckles, not believing him in the slightest, “Really? Where’d you serve?” He says amused, glancing back at his friends. “None of your business.” Snaps Klaus defensively. The grumpy vet starts to lose his humor, and apparently his temper too. His face falling, “You got balls comin’ in here, pretendin’ you’re one of us.” You glance at Diego, who gives you a what-is-even-happening, look. Klaus turns around, “Oh, I have every right to be here, just like you. Asshole.” He says growling the last word. Shit. The large and pissed off vet takes a step closer, you step in front of Klaus, raising your hands up to stop him, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy now, soldier. All right? My friend here has had one too many.” You look to his friends beginning to gather around behind him, then back to him, “Let’s just call it a day, all go our own way. No harm done.” You tell him, doing your best to reason with him and get out of here without a brawl. “Sure thing.” He says bluntly, but you’re unconvinced. “Thank you.” You answer anyway, trying to move things along, you turn to Klaus and Diego, “Let’s go..” “As long as you apologize.” Interrupts the vet, Klaus looks back at the photographs giggling to himself. You give Diego a defeated look, as you turn around to face the vet again. “Fine. I’m sorry. He’s sorry. We’re all sorry. So...are we good?” You tell him, restraining a sour tone the best you can physically muster. He looks at you, pointing to Klaus, “I wanna hear him say it.”

“Hey, man. I’m just trying to..” “No, no. He’s right Y/N. He‘s right. He’s right.” Interrupts Klaus, turning around to face the angry vet and his buddies. “I’d like to apologize...that you...are depriving some village of their idiot!” Growls Klaus, this not sitting very well with the vet. He swings at Klaus but misses when Klaus swiftly ducks, standing up again to head butt the guy. The guy staggers back, his buddy throwing a fist up to catch Klaus across the head. But before he has a chance Diego rushes in, deflecting the punch and kneeing the guy in the stomach. “Seriously.” You groan at all of them. Klaus running past you to jump on the back of another random guy who’s ready to fight.

You roll your eyes, men. Deciding enough is enough you spring into action, it only takes you about 10 seconds before they’re all groaning in pain on the ground, dazed as to how you just took them all out so fast. You stand near the exit, adjusting your jacket. “Let’s go. Right fucking now.” You snarl at Diego and Klaus, who instantly get up off the floor, making a beeline for the door.

——

You’re sitting in the backseat of Diego’s car, him at the steering wheel and Klaus in the passenger seat. Your little trio parked across the street from Giddy’s Donuts. “You got a big mouth, you know that?” States Diego, referring to Klaus’ jabs at that old grumpy vet. “Oh, wow. What a truly shocking revelation, Diego.” Mumbles Klaus unamused, as he goes to open up a bag of pills. “Everything’s a big joke to you, right? Would you stop it?” Diego yells, grabbing the pill bag out of Klaus’ hands. “Why are you putting this shit in your body?” Interrogates Diego, not being able to understand why his brother always does this over and over again.

Klaus blows a raspberry into the air, in frustrated defeat. “Check this out Hmm?” Says Diego as he lifts up his black sweater, where he then pats his toned stomach. “My body is a temple. All that shit you do, it’s just weakness.”He states. You lean up closer in between the two of them.

 “That’s so inspirational.” You add sarcastically, earning a small snort form Klaus.

 “Well weakness feels so good.” Klaus then reaches his hand up to take a pill, Diego reacting fast as he smacks it out of his hand.

 “What’s going on with you? Huh?”

“Don’t hit me asshole!” Yells Klaus, you just sit back and watch the show, Diego leaning in closer as he jabs a finger at him, “Don’t tell me everything is all right, because I saw you in there. You were crying like a baby!” Explains Diego loudly, you covering your ears a bit at his explosion. “Because I lost someone.” Barks Klaus, who looks down at his hands, sighing sadly, “I lost someone. The only...The only person I ever truly loved more then myself.” You sit up again, looking between the two of them. Diego looks out the front window with a puzzled look on his face, not expecting that answer. Klaus just gives you a sad smile, “Cheers.” He says, popping a colorful pill in his mouth.

“Well you’re luckier then most. At least you can still see them...when they....yeah.” You whisper quietly, thinking about your parents and Patch. You lean back into the backseat, turning your head left to look out the window. Diego turns his neck to look at you, about to say something before he catches sight of Hazel through the back window, who’s breaking into a car. “That’s our guy.” You sit up, turning around to see for yourself, “Huh. No shit.”

“Hey, I know that guy.” Adds Klaus, watching Hazel through the side mirror. “How could you possibly know that...” Begins Diego.

 “He and a really angry lady tortured me. I barely got out with my life.” Explains Klaus, revealing a heavy part that you missed. You furrow your brows frowning, “Cha-Cha.” You mutter quietly to yourself. These psychos are dead. Diego abruptly starts the engine, pulling out to follow Hazel to wherever he’s going next. And so the hunt begins.

——

The three of you sit in the car, outside of the crappy motel that Hazel unknowingly lead you to. Klaus is sipping on his bottle of wine, while Diego scans the area, you watching the motel windows closely. You suddenly spot movement coming from the blinds of one on the upper floor, on closer inspection it’s a woman, looking incredibly familiar, that must be Cha-Cha. “Bingo.”

 Diego looks up, catching a flash of her hand, as the curtains conceal the rest of her. You get out of the car and wait for Diego as he takes out a knife, Klaus just looking at you two bored, “You know killing these people is not gonna make you feel any better, Y/N.” Adds Klaus. You stop for a second to think about why you’re doing this. Diego’s here to avenge a friend, but you’ve kinda been leading the charge this whole time. After all, you were closer friends with Patch then Diego was, and you also know that these fuckers have murdered countless other innocents. They must die, and you’re the best person to do it.

You lean down by the window to look at Klaus, “They killed my friend and countless other innocent people, kill one save a thousand.” You growl, standing back up at the sound of a door opening. You look up, watching as Hazel walks out the door and down the hallway, out of sight. You quickly follow, leaving Diego and Klaus to argue about something from behind you.

Turning a corner, you silently walk up the metal steps to the second floor, Diego practically materializing behind you, daggers out and ready to fight. You both reach the top, but before any of you have time to move Klaus walks up, “So, what exactly is the plan here, you two lovers in crime...fighting?” Muses Klaus, making it to the top steps. “I told you to wait in the car.” Grumbles Diego who gives you a look, “Yeah, but you also told me that licking a nine-volt battery would give me pubes.” You raise an eyebrow at Diego, “We were eight.” Klaus just looks up at Diego giving a shrug as he takes a couple steps. Diego grabs is arm, stopping him quickly as he pulls him down the steps, you’re watching this half annoyed and half holding in laughter. Diego then races back up the stairs, giving you a confident nod as he turns towards the blue motel door. Giving it a hard kick, the door swings open, revealing nothing on the inside but a tv blaring loudly with some western cowboy movie on. “Very subtle.” You quip, slightly irked at how less then clever his surprise ambush was. You turn to the right, looking down at the parking lot as you unexpectedly hear the scratching of tires on pavement. What the hell?

You move towards the railing as a blue car comes speeding into view, with Hazel and Cha-Cha in their familiar get up of Halloween masks and guns. That are now shooting deadly bullets at you and Diego, oh shit Diego. Without warning a bullet rips into your right upper shoulder where your arm and torso meet. A second slicing just below your bellybutton. Diego grabs at you, hauling you backwards as another bullets clips him in the forearm. To your great surprise, Klaus pulls the both of you back even further, evidently helping the two of you avoid getting shot again.

“Oh, man. See? Used to think I was an idiot?” Sasses Klaus at a panting Diego.

 “I still think you’re an idiot.” He claps back, holding onto his left arm, where the bullet went through.

 You on the other hand are leaning against the staircase railing, sucking in pained breaths as you slowly feel the bullets getting pushes out of you. The flesh beginning to fuse back together once again, Diego and Klaus finally look over to you. “Y/N, you alright?” Wonders Klaus. You glare up at him still grimacing in pain, “No.” You wheeze, shutting your eyes tight, as both bullets are being forced out of you by the rapid healing process, ultimately at long last they drop to the floor, making a ringing sound as they hit the metal staircase. You stand up straight once again, your eyes going wide in realization, “They’re getting away!” You blurt out, racing down the steps, Diego and Klaus hot on your heels. When the three of you make it back to Diego’s car, you notice how the front tire is completely flat. You all groan in frustration, now what? “Was this all part of your master plan?” Doubts Klaus, miffed that no one has a ride now. “Shut up.” Snaps Diego, looking around for something that could assist in the matter.

You look up to the sky, putting your hands on your hips, “Fucking fuck.” You whine loudly to the sky or birds or whoever would listen, snapping your head back down, your eyes land on the large ice cream truck. Parked ever so sweetly and conveniently in front of you. With a new idea fresh in your mind you walk past Diego and Klaus, stopping in front of the white and cutely designed truck. “I found our ride.”

They turn to look at you, Klaus smiling in excitement as Diego’s face falls. “I’ll drive.” Blurts out an ecstatic Klaus.

——

Sticking your head out the window you catch the scent of Hazel and Cha-Cha, they smell of gun powder, fast food, and death. So it wasn’t exactly that difficult to get on their trail. Gosh I’m just like a frickin bloodhound, you think. You sit on the right side while Klaus drives, Diego slumped in the middle seat, putting pressure on his wound. Why you let Klaus drive? You’re pretty sure you have some bullet fragments still stuck in your shoulder, no you definitely do. Why else would it still feel sore, damn you’re gonna have to take those out later.

Now that you look at your surroundings, there’s nothing but trees and farm fields. Plus Luther and Five, standing next to a parked car on the road, while Hazel and Cha-Cha point guns at you from further down the road. Shit. You hold on tight as Klaus manically laughs while plowing into the two assassins. Everything happens so fast and the next second you’re jostled again when the ice cream truck rams right into their getaway car. You smack your head off the window, cracking the glass, as Diego gets shoved into the dashboard. “Fuck.” You seethe through clenched teeth, bringing your hand up to touch the spot on your head. No blood is felt to your great relief and now the pain is gone, unlike Diego who’s clutching his injured arm in pain.

You hear Klaus yelling for you two to get out, not wanting to wait for Diego’s slow ass to make it out of the truck. You kick your door open, breaking the lock in the process, oh well. Not dwelling on the matter, you book it to the other side where Luther and Klaus are holding up Diego as they start running for Luther’s car, without a second thought you follow them, not caring enough to bother with either Hazel or Cha-Cha. You’ll get your chance, the safety of your family is way more important at the moment.

You run around to the passenger side of Luther’s car, Klaus and Diego taking the back, as Luther gets into the drivers seat, hitting the gas and flooring it.

[emachinescat]

Knock

A Merlin Fan-Fiction

by @emachinescat

@febuwhump day 10 - “I’m sorry, I didn’t know”

Summary: It is common knowledge in Camelot that one should never, under any circumstances, enter Sir Owen’s chambers without knocking.  Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Prince Arthur’s new servant.

Characters: Merlin, Arthur, Sir Owen (OC)

Words: 4,618

TW: PTSD episode/flashback

Note: Early days for our boys. :)

Keep reading here, or on AO3!

If you enjoy, pease consider liking, commenting, or re-blogging, and you can follow me for more content like this!

Everyone in Camelot knew about Sir Owen, and everyone who had met him loved him.  He was an old warrior, a man of honor and valor with a keen sense for battle and a veritable treasure trove of wisdom.  He was old and gray now, and limped from the festering aches of old battle wounds, but he always had a smile and time to chat with anyone he met, nobles and servants alike.  After he had retired from knighthood, Uther had awarded him quarters in the castle and a life of luxury.   

The kind old man received regular visitors to his spacious rooms and always gladly welcomed them.  Lady Morgana brought him a vase of flowers every week, new knights would often visit for advice and encouragement, many of the maids would stop for quick chats between chores, and Gaius brought him his medicine for his old battle wounds and nightmares every evening before bed.  Once or twice the king himself had been seen visiting his old friend, and he too always departed with a smile. 

There was something that every one of Sir Owen’s many admirers and visitors knew, however, and honored without compromise: Never, under any circumstances, should you enter Sir Owen’s chambers without knocking. 

More specifically, no one should enter his chambers without loudly and clearly announcing themselves first – a light, polite knock wouldn’t do, especially not now that he had lost all his hearing in one ear, with the other ear quickly following suit.  You had to knock loudly and aggressively, and if he still didn’t hear you, then you had to proclaim yourself as loudly as possible when you eased the door open to peek in.  Ultimately, the last thing anyone wanted to do was to sneak up on the beloved Sir Owen, because if he was taken off guard, if he thought he was being ambushed, he became a completely different person. 

Sir Owen had fought valiantly for Camelot for many decades, and in that time he saw horrors of battle and the worst of humanity.  He’d been gravely injured protecting his fellow knights on no less than three occasions, the final of which had forced him to hang up his chainmail for good.  And though he was a perfectly pleasant gentleman when he was in his right mind, in those moments of fear and panic – like when he thought he was being snuck up on or ambushed – he shifted back into the fearsome warrior who had felled scores of Camelot’s enemy’s over the years.  And though he was old, he was still strong for his age, and crafty, and his confusion only fueled the desperate strength within him.   

Sadly, his moments of lucidity had declined rapidly in recent days, and sometimes he struggled to remember who was his enemy and who was his friend during normal, mundane conversations.  He only became violent when he was scared or surprised, however, which was what made announcing one’s presence of the utmost importance when calling upon him. 

Every servant in Camelot knew this, as did all the knights and nobles who paid him regular visits.  Well – all of the servants except for Merlin, Prince Arthur’s new manservant, who had just been ordered by his prince to go to Sir Owens’ chambers to escort the man to the training grounds.  Arthur had asked him to oversee the newest recruits on this crisp autumn morning, and to his delight, the old knight, who had been staying in more often than not, had agreed to do just that.  Merlin was happy to have a job other than hefting all of Arthur’s heavy equipment to the training grounds on his own (and all in one go, because Arthur was too impatient to allow Merlin to make multiple trips and very clearly cared nothing for Merlin’s well being in the slightest). 

Merlin had never met Sir Owen before but knew that he was a bit of a legend around the castle.  He’d heard whispers of some of the brave deeds and epic battles the man had fought in Camelot’s first days.  He also knew Morgana brought him flowers to brighten up his chambers, and that he was supposed to be a very kind man with great advice and a smile that would brighten every room.  Sir Owen sounded a positive delight, and Merlin had jumped at the opportunity to fetch him for Arthur so that he could meet this amazing man for himself. He sounded like a breath of fresh air in the stuffy citadel – but then again, most anyone who wasn't the prince of Camelot could claim that title, in Merlin's book.  

Although Merlin had never been good at the niceties of court when dealing with Arthur, he did make it a priority to remember to knock if he were at anyone else’s door – as Gaius had told him on many occasions, if he just barged into the wrong person’s chambers, he could be in trouble so deep that even Gaius couldn’t bail him out.  And so, when he reached the old knight’s chamber door, Merlin made a point to reach out his fist and give a few hearty knocks on the door. 

No answer.   

Merlin waited a short time before knocking again, but again, no one answered.  Pressing his ear against intricately carved wood, he thought could hear something from inside of the room – a faint shuffling, as if someone were moving around.  The warlock shifted anxiously on his feet, warning bells clanging in his head.  If someone was in the room, why didn’t they answer the door?  At the very least, why did the person not call out?  Merlin could only think of two possibilities: Either the person in the room could not answer, or was not supposed to be there.  Either way, something was off, and Merlin had to check and make sure the old man he was meant to fetch was okay. 

Merlin tried the door – locked – and, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, directed a pointed stare at the lock, felt the heat of magic swell within him, and heard the rewarding clunk as the door unlocked itself.  Quietly, Merlin eased the door open and peered inside, looking for any sign of trouble.  “Sir Owen?”  His calm, quiet voice contradicted the furious beat of his heart, that instinct that warned him of danger.   

No one seemed to be in the room that the wary servant could see, so Merlin inched his way further inside, taking in the elegant but sparse furnishings, the headless training dummy in old old but obviously well-cared for armor, and the weapon rack mounted on the wall that seemed to be missing its occupant.  “Sir Owen?” Merlin called again, this time a little louder. 

He didn’t even have time to turn when he heard the quiet rush of footsteps from behind.  The next thing he knew, Merlin was facedown on the warm woolen rug that spanned much of the stone floor, the breath completely knocked out of him.  Pain lanced through his upper back, sparking like lightning between his shoulder blades.  Something had hit him – hard – and Merlin’s instincts warned him that whoever it was that had attacked him wasn’t done.   

Only sheer force of will allowed the warlock to heave himself over on his back just in time to see Sir Owen himself, with his normally friendly, laugh-lined face twisted into a ferocious mockery of itself, gray hair come loose from its tie, and a hefty longsword, dulled with age but still deadly, brandished in his right hand.  Merlin noticed that the sword, and the hand that held it, shook slightly moments before the old man – still in incredible shape for his age, as Merlin’s screaming back proved clearly! – lunged again, this time with the point of the blade and not the flat. 

Merlin rolled to the side, lungs still heaving for air after being winded by Owen’s first hit, and the point of the sword cut a frayed line in the rug right where Merlin’s head had been.  Struggling to his feet, the disoriented servant tried to appeal to the knight’s sensibilities; he gasped, “Sir Owen!  I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to frighten you.”  Another swing of the sword, and Merlin ducked out of the way in the nick of time.  “I did knock!” he insisted. 

Sir Owen’s eyes, Merlin noticed, were clouded, and when the man spoke, it became obvious that he was seeing a completely different scene than what was actually going on around him.  Somehow, it seemed, he thought he was back on the battlefield, fighting a deadly opponent, instead of cornering a frightened servant who had done nothing to harm him.  “I won’t let you do it!” the man roared, and his voice cracked under the pressure of the rage and sorrow.  “You killed my men – you take no one else!” 

He advanced again, this time slowly, methodically, and Merlin backed away at the same pace, all too aware of the corner he was trapping himself in but afraid to bolt and frighten his confused aggressor into doing something he’d later regret.  Raising his hands, Merlin spoke like he was addressing a small animal or a frightened child, “Sir Owen, my name is Merlin.  I’m Prince Arthur’s servant.  He sent me here to fetch you for the –” 

He was cut off as Owen slashed forward with the sword unexpectedly, and this time Merlin wasn’t quite fast enough.  Even the dulled edge was enough to slice through Merlin’s shirt and into his upper arm, and fire erupted in the wound.  Blood, warm and sticky, oozed from the cut and meandered down his arm.  He ignored it, more focused on staying alive. 

“Liar!  Traitor!  Murderer!”   

Merlin didn’t want to use magic on Sir Owen – from what he’d heard, the man was a genuinely good person, though something seemed very wrong with him now.  On top of that, if he realized that his opponent had used magic after the fact, Merlin would be killed anyway.  But the idea of being run through with a dull sword was so unpleasant that Merlin decided to take the risk.  He turned to run from the next attack, allowed his eyes to flash gold, and heard his pursuer curse as his weapon somehow tumbled from his hands and skittered across the room.  Hopefully, if he remembered this at all, he would put it down to losing his grip. 

Now that the sword was out of the picture, Merlin felt a bit safer, but he couldn’t decide if he should try to help Sir Owen himself or run to get someone else instead.  His choice was taken away from him, though, because he hesitated a second too long – in the time that Merlin had been debating his next course of action, the keen knight had made up his mind and charged bravely into battle.  Sir Owen was the kind of warrior who would continue to fight with his bare hands against an entire heavily armed battalion until the very end.  He never gave up, never let a little thing like losing a sword stop him. 

And so he charged.   

To Merlin, it was like Arthur’s prized steed had barreled straight into him, such was the force with which Sir Owen slammed against him.  For the second time in ten minutes, the wind was driven out of him from the force of the blow, and he sprawled, stunned, on the chamber floor, his head rapping painfully against the stone.

Bright lights flickered in his field of vision and he tried desperately to get his body to move, but his arms and legs weren’t listening.  He watched as the old knight, fury in his dark eyes, approached him, having abandoned the sword all together now that his enemy lay helpless at his feet.  Merlin should have been glad that he wasn’t using the sword, but he had a very unpleasant feeling that Owen did not need a weapon to kill. 

Seconds later, his unprotected side exploded in agony as Sir Owen drove his boot forward in a merciless kick.  Afraid to use his magic again, forgetting everything but his basest instincts to survive, Merlin curled in on himself, nearly crying out at the pain the movement caused him.  Another kick, this one to his back, and Merlin rolled away the best he could, panting in pain.  Halfway to his feet, on hands and knees, almost there – 

Another kick, this one to his gut, and he gagged, falling forward, face-first onto the floor.  Blood welled up in his mouth – he must have bitten his tongue. 

Merlin scrabbled for purchase on the cold stone, trying to regain his bearings even as every part of his body rebelled against him.  He felt the man’s toe beneath his torso and sucked in a painful breath, but this time, all Owen did was flip him over.  Merlin lay on his back, breath wheezing from his chest, and he was sure he had a broken rib, maybe more.  Slowly, deliberately, like he had all the time in the world at his disposal, the old man knelt next to his fallen foe and leaned in close.  Merlin could smell breakfast on his breath – the stink of aged cheese mingled with the sweetness of fruit – as he man hissed, “You’ll die for this – sorcerer!” 

Fear crescendoed, overshadowing the symphony of pain, as Merlin realized that somehow, Sir Owen had figured out what he had done, what he was.  Helplessness took hold of the warlock.  It didn’t matter if he survived this encounter – which was looking less likely by the second, unless he used his magic again – his life in Camelot was over.  Might as well use his magic to escape.  The giant lizard was wrong, then.  It couldn't be his destiny to serve Arthur and bring magic and peace to Albion.  He would be on the run for the rest of his life. 

Merlin focused on his magic through the pain and felt it rise within him.  It slipped out of his grasp as something latched onto his hair and dragged his head up.  Merlin got a single look up close at Sir Owen’s eyes, filled with the kind of suffering no sword could inflict, brimming with regrets and hatred and death, before the man slammed the back of Merlin’s head into the ground.  A flash of white light – intense pain, swirling darkness.   

Merlin may have blacked out for a few seconds, but it couldn’t have been long, because when he regained a semblance of awareness – he couldn’t move, so much pain, vision blurred, he was going to be sick – Sir Owen had retrieved his sword and had it poised over his helpless victim’s heart.  “Rot in hell, sorcerer,” he spat, and Merlin squeezed his eyes shut, partly against the pain, mostly in preparation for death. 

A voice sounded from somewhere close by, first annoyed, then panicked: “What the hell is taking so long Merlin?  I– what – NO!” 

The fear in the last word, unexpected and guttural as it was, was enough to convince Merlin to open his eyes.  Through the haze his vision had become, he saw a red and gold blur tackle Sir Owen, heard through ringing ears the sound of a brief struggle and the angry accusation “Sorcerer!” and then there was someone kneeling over him again, and Merlin struggled to sit up, to get away.  He managed to turn over just in time to vomit all over Prince Arthur’s clean boots. 

To his surprise, the prince didn’t yell or order him to scrub them again, right then and there.  Instead, with surprisingly gentle hands, the man eased his servant back onto the ground and began checking him for injuries. 

“You idiot,” Arthur said as he probed the back of Merlin’s head, eliciting a cry of pain and frowning at the blood staining his fingertips.  He moved on to check Merlin’s ribs (“Three broken, at the very least, but we’ll have Gaius look at you.”) and arm.  “It’s fairly shallow,” he said, and Merlin thought he must have been giddy with pain and exertion at this point, because it sounded like the prince was actually relieved.  Arthur stood, stepped out of his boots with a grimace, and ordered, “Stay there.  I mean it – don’t move.  I’ve subdued Sir Owen for the moment, but he needs Gaius.”  A deep crevice between his brows, the prince added, “And so do you.  You’re a mess.” 

Merlin didn’t hear if Arthur said anything else after that.  He didn’t even see the prince leave the room.  The darkness had claimed him by then, wrapping its welcoming arms of comfort around him and staving off, if only for a little while, the pain and the fear of what was to come. 

***

When he awoke, it was in his own bed, in his room, and he was alone.  Merlin’s head hurt more than he could ever remember it doing before – even more than the time he and Will had climbed on top of his roof and he’d fallen through the thatch.  He’d smacked his head on the kitchen table when he’d landed on it, but the pain he’d been in had been nothing compared to his mother’s wrath.  Now, though, it was not an ache or even bursts of sharp pains – it was like a drum, and every beat increased the agony he felt.  It was the kind of headache that turned your stomach against you, too, and made the world around you lose its crisp edges and stole your ability to concentrate on even the most simple of tasks.  His arm, now bandaged, stung fiercely, and the gnawing ache in his ribs turned into a cacophonous mass of torment any time he thought of moving. 

So he didn’t move.  He lay there, head pounding, body hurting like he had been run over by a horse, and allowed his mind to wander, though with the headache he had, he really did not have much control over the direction of his thoughts, anyway.  In the end, every wandering pathway of his consciousness, every thought and question and memory, all led back to the terrifying realization that Sir Owen had seen his magic – somehow – and had probably already told Arthur and the king.  Any moment now, guards would barge into his room and throw him into a cold, dark cell.  Or maybe they’d skip the cell all together and toss him on a pyre.  They wouldn’t even have to tie him to it.  He was too weak to move. 

The door opened, and Merlin jumped in a mixture of surprise and terror.  Even the small movement caused all of his injuries to flare up and he slumped back, face beaded with sweat, panting in exhaustion and pain, waiting for the inevitable and wondering if he should try to fight back with magic since his secret was already out anyway. 

It was good that he didn’t, because it was Arthur who entered, and he was alone, and there was a strange look on his face – if Merlin didn’t know better, he would have said it was somewhere between worried and guilty, with a healthy dose of discomfort sprinkled in for good measure.  “Merlin,” the prince said in surprise, and it occurred to Merlin that he hadn’t expected his servant to be awake yet.  Arthur  stayed in the doorway, uncertainty rolling off of him in waves.  “I – Gaius stepped out for a moment, to check up on Sir Owen.  He’s been in quite a state, really disoriented and worried that he hurt you badly.” 

Merlin frowned, and even that hurt.  “Gaius?” 

Arthur stared at Merlin like he’d grown another head.  “No, you moron.  Sir Owen.  He feels terrible about what happened.” 

Perhaps it was the head injury, but Merlin found himself thoroughly confused.  “So… you’re not here to arrest me?”  He could hear the slur in his own words and realized that he probably looked as bad as – if not worse than – he sounded.  Arthur appeared to be as baffled as Merlin.  He finally moved beyond the arch of the door and into the room, awkwardly taking a seat in Merlin’s chair, near the bed. 

“Why would I be here to arrest you?”  His blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.  “What did you do this time?” 

“Uh, Sir Owen, he said…”  Merlin’s thoughts were as fuzzy as his sight, and he felt that distinctive curdling in his stomach that told him he was going to be decorating Arthur’s shoes again very shortly.  Arthur must have seen that tell-tale paling of the face and whitening of the knuckles, because moments later, a bucket had been shoved under his nose and he threw up into it, vaguely surprised that there was anything left to expel.  Arthur had produced a cup of water from somewhere, and when Merlin finished, the prince helped him take a sip.  The water was bliss, cooling his raw throat and chasing away the sour taste in his mouth.   

Nausea under control for the moment, Merlin cleared his throat uncomfortably, not meeting Arthur’s eye after the strangely intimate moment (if he had been looking, he would have seen Arthur studiously avoiding his gaze as well).  Merlin picked up where he’d left off, his voice cracked and timid.  “Sir Owen called me a sorcerer.”  Arthur did look at him now, Merlin felt his eyes, but the warlock didn’t reciprocate.  Instead, in a rush, he said, “If he told you that, you have to understand–” 

“Merlin.”  Arthur’s voice held no malice, only concern and a heaviness that the servant did not understand.  “You don’t have to explain to me that you’re not a sorcerer.  Yes, Sir Owen said something about it when I was pulling him off of you, but I know he was confused.” 

Cautiously, Merlin pressed, “How do you know?” 

Arthur laughed, a harsh, clipped sound.  “Are you saying that you are a sorcerer?” 

Merlin’s stomach flipped over on itself.  “No,” he lied, not sure why he had even mentioned Sir Owen’s accusation in the first place.  He was making himself look more suspicious; it was just hard to control what came out of his mouth – harder than usual, anyway.  “I just want to know why you believe me over a respected former knight.”  There.  That was reasonable, right?  Merlin’s head ached, and he just wanted to go back to sleep, but he had to know, had to have some kind of concrete assurance before he could rest. 

Arthur sighed.  That same weight tugged at the next words he said: “Sir Owen… he was a great knight, and incredibly brave and strong – still is, for that matter–”

“You can say that again,” Merlin muttered, wincing.

Arthur glared at him, daring him to interrupt again, and continued, “But he has seen some horrible things on the field of battle.  And if he thinks he’s being attacked, he lashes out.  Gaius says that he somehow finds himself back in the middle of a war, fighting off his worst enemies and watching his men die around him.  It’s like he’s reliving the worst days of his life.  And that’s why he attacked you – he thought you were trying to ambush and kill him.” 

“But that doesn’t explain–”

“I’m getting there, Merlin.  For someone who looks half-dead, you sure can run your mouth like usual.”  Merlin grinned, despite himself.  “Oh, don’t look so proud,” Arthur ordered irritably.  “It’s incredibly irritating.”  But his own mouth had stretched into a half–smile as well.

“Anyway – the last battle, the one that ended his career… A sorcerer who was fighting against Camelot nearly crippled him.  He lay there, helpless, and had to watch as the sorcerer killed at least a dozen of his men.  One of them was his only son.”

A grim silence settled over master and servant, and a sick pit had formed in Merlin’s stomach.  It was the kind of hollowness that could only exist in misery and pain, and he found himself wishing for the nausea to return.

“He thought I was that sorcerer,” Merlin clarified, heart aching for the man that had nearly killed him.  “I didn’t know”

“How could you?” Arthur asked.  Then he added, his voice taking on more of the guilt that Merlin had thought he’d heard earlier, “And I – well, it’s my fault,” he hedged lamely.  “That you got hurt.  Because I didn’t even think to warn you to knock before you entered the room.  I was so focused on getting to the training field that it didn’t cross my mind that you didn’t know about Sir Owen’s flashbacks, as Gaius calls them.”

Merlin’s eyelids were heavy, and everything hurt, and he could feel sleep calling to him, but he insisted stubbornly, “I did knock.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise.  “Wonders never cease.  But,” he clarified, “if he doesn’t hear you knocking and doesn’t know you’re coming, then it doesn’t even matter if you did knock.  I should have told you to announce yourself, or had someone go with you that knew what to do.”  

Somewhere in the other room, a door opened and closed.  

“That’ll be Gaius,” said Arthur, standing up.  He looked down at his battered servant, hesitated for the briefest of moments, and then said, “Sir Owen sends his apologies, and he hopes to meet you under better circumstances once you’re both feeling up to it.”  In a rush, he added, “And, for what it’s worth, I – I’m sorry too.”  

Merlin blinked in surprise, knowing how hard it had to have been for Arthur to admit he had made a mistake, let alone apologize for it.  And even though the servant truly didn’t think the prince had anything to apologize for (after all, Merlin forgot important things all the time), it was touching, and he could tell that despite his discomfort that Arthur really meant it and needed to know that all was well.

Arthur leaned over, gave Merlin’s shoulder a gentle squeeze – even that sent bolts of agony through Merlin’s body, but the gesture was appreciated, even cherished.  “You did… surprisingly well in holding him off until I found you,” he admitted as Gaius’s footsteps were heard ascending the short set of stairs behind him. 

“He beat me to a pulp and nearly sliced me in half,” Merlin deadpanned.  

“Yes, but you’re still alive, and that in itself is almost impressive,” Arthur said, and Merlin couldn't tell if the prince was serious or not.  “Anyway,” he said, backing away and making room for Gaius, who was puttering into the small room balancing a tray of medicines and broth.  “I need to get to training.  Gaius, make sure he’s back to work the moment he’s well enough, but… also, not a moment before he’s ready.”

Gaius nodded, patted Arthur on the shoulder in thanks, and began to treat his patient.  Merlin watched Arthur leave, a warm feeling blossoming in his chest that had nothing to do with the broken ribs.  He barely even heard Gaius’s lecture about propriety and taking care of himself and knowing all the facts before he walked in on a situation.  His wandering, aching mind was too busy thinking about the prince. 

When he’d first come to Camelot, Arthur never would have apologized for anything.  Already, amazingly, Merlin was beginning to see a change in the other man, a spark of something that made Merlin the tiniest bit proud to know him.  And it may have been the head injury talking, but right now, despite the irritation he so commonly felt toward his new master, the idea of this destiny the dragon had prophesied suddenly didn’t seem too terrible after all.

Maybe Arthur wasn’t so bad, either.

[thatsgay-writes]

June x Reader

Summary: You left the Fire Nation with Zuko in hopes to find a new home. Now after meeting June, you think you’ve found it.

Warnings: Some language towards the end.

You're 20 and June is 23

Also I forgot Zuko met her earlier than the episode I'm referencing, sorry.

You are a female.

You had gone along with Zuko after his banishment. It's not so much that you were friendly with him anymore, it was more of an escape. You hated the Fire Nation, you never agreed with any of their ideals and kept your mouth shut when ever the subject was brought up. You had been acquaintances with Zuko for most of your life, especially after his mother left. Before she left Zuko and you were actually the best of friends. You would share everything with each other and complain about Azula together. You also both shared the fact that you had crushes on Azula's friends. Zuko with one for Mai and you with one for Ty Lee.

Sadly, Ty Lee never returned the feelings but you moved on. But after Zuko's mother disappeared Zuko closed himself off and turned his back on you, so it was a surprise when you showed up the day of his departure and joined him on his ship. The only person that knew your true intentions was Iroh. You spent almost every day with Iroh playing Pai Sho. You opened up to Iroh knowing he was someone you could trust. You never left the boat or fought against Team Avatar, so you would never be seen as a threat. The times you did think you found a place to start new, Zuko would end up getting hot headed and burn it down.

However now, walking into a loud and dimly lit bar, this could be your chance to leave. "The guy we talked to said the person we're looking for is named June." Zuko said as he walked towards the bar, slipping past burly men. Zuko gets up to the bar and leans against it with a scowl waiting for the bar tender to come over. The bar tender walks up to Zuko and looks at him expectantly. "I'm looking for someone named June." Zuko says getting down to business right away. The bar tender rolls his eyes before putting his hand out, waiting for something. Zuko looks down at his hand in confusion for a moment before you butt in. You hand the bar tender a 20, "Get me something to drink while you're at it." You say looking around the bar again. "Are you even old enough to..." The bartender says looking at you a little questioningly. You roll your eyes at the man, "A year short but I don't think that'll both anyone here." You say giving him a fake smile.

The bartender shrugs before pointing out June and going back to make your drink. June was in the middle of an arm wrestling match with a clearly buff and strong man. But it was pretty easy for her to beat him, she just waited so people could make more bets and get her more money. While waiting June looks over to the bar and sees you talking to the bar tender with a fake smile. You're attractiveness almost caused her to lose focus and the match. After noticing you, June almost immediately ends the match and collects her money. As she walks over to you, a old man and a kid tries to talk to her. She pushes through them, shouting a quick "Give me 5 minutes!" over her shoulder before walking up to you. She noticed that you finished your drink and flags down the bar tender. "Get 2 of whatever she's having." The bar tender nods before waking away to prepare the drinks.

"So... This your first time here?" June asks as she smoothly runs her fingers over your arm. She watches as you finally look up and your breath get caught in your throat. You recover quickly and let her hand wander back down your arm til you can grab her hand. When you do, you lift it and leave a kiss on her knuckles. "Yes but I should definitely consider coming back if the people in here look anything like you." You manage to say with confidence which was surprising, considering that you were shitting yourself talk to this woman.  You take a quick peek to the side to see Zuko and Iroh standing there waiting. You let out a sigh, "But first things first my companions did come here to get some help." You say nodding your head at Zuko and Iroh.

After some conversation and more drinks, you all head out. As you walk down the trail, with the Nyla leading the way, you look up to admire June some. On the other side of Nyla Zuko and Iroh were walking together. June could feel your eyes staring at her and decided to make a move. She turned to you and asked if you wanted to ride with her. Of course you said yes and hopped onto the back of Nyla. You had lost your earlier confidence and didn't know what to do with your hands. June's face showed a smirk as she watched you have an internal panic attack before grabbing your arms and wrapping them around her waist. You tended for a few minutes before relaxing and lean further into her warmth.

Zuko who had witnessed everything happen was about to say something but Iroh covered his nephew's mouth fast and shook his head no. Zuko wanted to argue but they arrived to where the avatar was and almost immediately got attacked. Now you weren't one for fighting, especially since you didn't agree with the Fire nation but the second Nyla accidentally hit June with her tongue, you jumped in. You didn't attack any of the Avatar's friends, you just protected June til they left. Seeing you not attack them caused some confusion in the Avatar friend group but they gave a nod of understanding before they ran away. It seemed like there was now a mutual understanding that you didn't really want to capture them and that you had just protected your friend.

Of course once Nyla's effects wore off, Zuko was overly pissed off at you. "How could you let them go!? This was my chance to regain my honor!" Zuko says as he walks up to you and gets into your face. June tenses and puts herself in front of you, trying to assert dominance and make Zuko back away. Zuko just glares at her instead, "And you get that thing ready, they couldn't have gotten far!" Before June could retaliate, you pushed in front of her and got into Zuko's face. "Alright you need to chill out! Not everyone here lost their honor and are hellbent on catching the Avatar! June did exactly what you paid her to do and Nyla is hurt and can't smell anything right now! You should go find the Avatar for yourself!" You yell at him before walking towards June and Nyla. You had been talking while waiting for the effects to lessen and you had convinced her to let you be her bounty hunting partner.

"You come back here right now! I am your prince!" Zuko says in even more rage, lighting up fire balls in his hands. You freeze as you walk away and look up to see June looking at you with some worry in her eyes. You shake your head and turn around to look at Zuko. "Don't you dare start that crap with me right now Zuko! You are not a prince, you were banished, disgraced! You haven't been anything close to a prince since the day your mother left you! I have been there for you everyday but you always pushed me away! I honesty hope to spirits that one day you get your head out of your ass and realize how fucked up the Fire nation is and how far you are going to get the approval of a man who is never going to love you!"

You take a deep breath after all your yelling and feel a little guilty at the pain you see in Zuko's eyes. As much as you felt bad about saying all that stuff, you knew it was true. "I hope that one day we meet again and that you're on the right side of history." You say before turning back around and walking towards June and Nyla. When you get to them, June pulls you into a hug seeing how defeated you looked. You honestly loved Zuko like a brother but sometimes you wish he would open his eyes. You look up at June as you hug, "Let's just leave now... please." June gives you a kiss on the side of your head before getting into June and pulling you up behind her. As you start moving, you shake yourself out of the funk you were in and wrap your arms around June with a smile. "So where to next?" June turns her head to look at you, your face a lot close than anticipated. "Anywhere you want." She says, giving you a kiss on the cheek before turning back around. You looked forwards with a slight blush in your cheeks and a big smile. "Anywhere I want."

[dahliax]

Goddess of the Sun

Chapter Two

Description : Zuko x oc Dahila, Goddess of the Sun who was sent by the spirits crosses paths with Ursa, who changes her life forever.

Note : I started this fanfic for fun but now I like it. I haven’t posted fanfic in years but I thought it would be fun to start again. It’s obviously not amazing but I’m hoping to improve with practice. I’m also open to requests in my ask box preferably just Female!Reader x Zuko or Sokka (fluff, smut, oneshots, and headcannons are welcome). Right now I’m character building for the first few chapters soon we will get to the good parts :) Let me know what you think so far! 🌸 (im real soft so pls try not to be too mean)

Warnings : fluff, angst, eventual smut (in aged up chapters).

꧁𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑂𝑛𝑒꧂

꧁𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝑤𝑜꧂

꧁𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒꧂ Coming Soon

10 years later

“But Zuko, what if I want to be the hero this time!?” Dahlia’s voice echoed through the palace gardens.

With a sigh Zuko turns “I guess you can play the hero this time. But I am NOT playing the princess,” Zuko finally said yes to the little girl standing in-front of him. She gasped and squealed and ran as fast as she could to give her best friend a big hug.

“Yay! But who will play the princess?”

“I will”

Dahlia and Zuko turned around to see where the voice was coming from. Azula.

Dahlia’s stomach dropped. Azula never played fair and someone always got hurt by the time she was ready to quit playing. “Zuko, maybe we should just play with the turtle ducks,” Dahlia whispered so only Zuko can hear but she was wrong. “Well it would only make sense.. I am a princess in real life.. I would be perfect for the role!” Azula slyly slips closer to them igniting the fear in Dahlia she was all too used to here at the palace.

“Okay then I can play the villain!” Zuko faked being excited. He shot Dahlia a soft look seeing in her eyes that she was scared. He hated seeing her this way, she was his best friend after all. This always made Azula jealous seeing her brother constantly playing with Dahlia instead of her like Ty Lee and Mai. Azula knew there was something off about Dahlia, why would her mother bring a random peasant baby into the palace? This made Azula’s blood boil even hotter, mapping out her attack plan quicker than Dahlia could even blink. She’s been dealing with this for too long. She had to end Dahlia.

Azula smirked and pushed out a huge ball of fire at Zuko and Dahlia. Zuko’s heart stopped, “hey! You know we don’t use fire outside of training and around Dahlia you know it’s not fair!” Zuko squeaked after diverting the fire. Dahlia’s heart sank, another reminder that she could never stand a chance against Azula without bending.

“Well Dahlia, you wanted to be the hero, now be one” Azula’s words were like venom in Dahlia’s heart, everyone knew she couldn’t stand a chance. “Don’t hurt anyone Azula” Zuko said lowly. “Now what makes you think I’d do that Zuzu? It’s just a friendly game” Azula smirked and threw another fireball at the two children. It was always fun and games until Azula showed up. Zuko diffused the fireball while Dahlia ducked only to see Mai and Ty Lee coming through the entrance of the gardens. She was in big trouble now.

Zuko was trying to make a plan in his head. But he knew he wasn’t as strong as Azula, she was so much farther in training than him. Before Zuko could think another thought Azula sent another blast knocking Dahlia and Zuko on their butts.

“Guards! Arrest this man!” Azula yelled at Ty Lee and Mai. They ran to Zuko before he could get up and wrapped his wrists with Mai’s hair ribbon. A blush crept up on Zuko’s face from Mai’s touch, he had a crush on her. Dahlia watched, she felt so helpless. The boy she had a crush on was entranced by another girl and her bully was standing right in-front of her waiting to attack.

Deep in Dahlia’s heart she’d hope Azula would show mercy to the little girl sitting there with tears welling up in her eyes. She had no way out. And Azula never showed mercy, she seen it as weakness. And as soon as Zuko looked over from Mai’s eyes a crack of lightning came from the sky and the most disturbing scream rang in Zuko’s ear drums.

Everyone’s heart stopped. But Dahlia continued screaming. Tears immediately hit Zuko’s eyes.

“Finally! My best move yet! Daddy will be so proud” Azula squealed and kicked Dahlia over on her side. Zuko was almost positive she was dead. There’s no way a regular 10 year old could survive but somehow she was still screaming. The fire in Zuko’s heart made him see red and he immediately destroyed the ribbon around his wrists, running over to Dahlia and cradling her head in his small hands.

“Dahlia are you okay?” Zuko managed to speak even though he could barely hear himself. Dahlia thrashed in pain, blood trickling out of her side. Zuko noticed the lighting marks crawling up her hip under the destroyed part of her kimono. His heart sank. She’d have this scar forever if she survives. Soon they could hear frantic foot steps coming from inside the palace. Zuko pushes up from his feet fuming, “Why would you do this?!”

“Azula!” Iroh and Ursa scream in unison seeing Azula above Dahlia giggling. “Look mom you’re going to be so proud! I can use lightening now!” Azula smirked brightly but Iroh and Ursa were less than impressed. Iroh had been visiting and Ursa wanted the kids to be on their best behavior but obviously Azula couldn’t let that get in the way of her plan.

“Get the healers immediately and prepare the royal hospital room,” Ursa quickly said to the guards. “The royal hospital room? She’s a peasant!” the guard talked back. Iroh’s eyes widened, “I don’t think it’s your place to be questioning her royal highness in such a situation. Now go.” Iroh said coldly. Ursa ran to the children trying to ignore the tears threatening to spill over. To say the least Dahlia was the daughter Ursa wished Azula was.

“Azula. Go see your father.“ Ursa had enough of Azula’s antics. And everyone knew if Ursa sent anyone to Ozai that they were in big trouble.

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

Dahlia’s eyes finally fluttered open to see Ursa sleeping on the chair aside her. Dahlia panicked, she didn’t recognize where she was. Her eyes adjusted to see its the royal hospital room. She grabbed Ursa’s hand startling her awake. Tears lining Dahlia’s eyes as she remembered what happened. “I-I” she could barely speak, her throat felt like it was on fire from screaming, “I tho-thought I was going to die” she finally said with tears flowing down her cheeks like a waterfall. Ursa pulled her into a gentle hug minding her wounded side. “You’re safe now darling, I promise” she croaked out exhausted from crying and all the emotions the day brought.

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

“You know Zuko would like to see you,” Iroh says to Dahlia while she scans the book he brought for her to read during recovery. “Oh no Iroh.. I look so terrible right now” the redness in her cheeks told Iroh all he needed to know. “Don’t worry ladybug, he told me he thought you’re the most beautiful girl in the palace” he said in hopes to lift her spirits. Somehow Dahlia’s face got even redder, “You’re only saying that to be nice” she said as she crossed her arms.

“Well he’s got a present waiting for you and I’m sure you’d like to see what it is,” Iroh teased. “That might be true but I know he doesn’t think I’m the most beautiful girl in the palace” she said stubbornly. Iroh chuckled, “How are you so sure?” he says challenging her stubbornness as usual. “He told me he likes Mai and that Ozai thought it was a good idea”

Iroh sighed, realizing how quickly these kids were growing up now that Ozai was preparing a wife to marry off to his son when he turns 18. He knew Ursa would have none of it. But now Iroh was confused, Zuko really did tell him that he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the palace. “I’m not lying to you Dahlia, I’m not sure why he would change his mind” but they both knew why. Even if he chose Dahlia the nation believes she’s a simple peasant with no bending abilities who just got lucky. But Iroh knew one day the secret would come out.

“Ladybug, how things are now are not how they will always be. Your destiny is your own not Ozai or Azula can change it. Now, would you like some jasmine tea?” He says getting up to grab the pot. “Yes please! Can you mix the camomile in?” she says excitedly. “Zuko will be out of training soon. I told him to stop by” Iroh said and Dahlia just let out a loud huff, too tired to argue any further.

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

"Zuko! You're in luck..the tea just finished..How was training?” Iroh said getting the cups ready for them “Fine I guess. It’s weird not having Azula there though,” 

Dahlia almost questioned why Azula wasn’t there but then she saw that Zuko was hiding something behind his back. A blush rose to her cheeks. ‘He really did bring me something’ she thought. Iroh nodded at Zuko and said, “Oh I must have forgotten my cup. Excuse me for a moment.”

Dahlia wanted to crawl in a hole. She knew Iroh did that on purpose.

“So how are you feeling?” Zuko said walking closer to the hospital bed. “Fine I guess. I can’t walk yet.” she said sadly which made Zuko feel a pain in his heart. “I’m sorry I didn’t do better. I failed at protecting you. But I hope these fire lilies make you feel better” he said sweetly. Dahlia’s jaw dropped, the only place you can get pink fire lilies near the palace was to hike the the Eagle’s Volcano. Her lack of response made Zuko falter, “Do you hate them? I-I’m sorry it was stupid-“ “No no! I love them! They’re perfect..” she trails off admiring their rare color.

Zuko was feeling pretty used to rejection. All the gifts he got for Mai she hated. He was tired of trying to impress her for his father even if he had a tiny crush on her because he had a bigger, deeper crush on Dahlia that’s been lingering in his heart for as long as he could remember. She was the most beautiful, fun girl he knew and now that he was alone with her he was going to do something about it.

“You know where they would look perfect?” he said touching the soft petals “Where?” she replied looking into his honey filled eyes as he pulled a flower out of the bouquet. “In your hair,” he said as he pushed her hair behind her ear and placed the flower in her long brown hair. Just as she relaxed into Zuko’s touch, the door opened. “I brought an extra guest for tea, I hope you don’t mind” Iroh announces as Ursa follows in behind him.

The smiles on their faces were priceless, they knew exactly what was going on. “Well don’t you look just like a beautiful doll,” Ursa gushed and pressed a kiss to both the children’s heads. Both of them blushing like mad.

I hope you guys liked this chapter!! idk how I feel about it yet! Requests are open! I wanted to let everybody know that any suggestions are welcome!! Totally helps out when I get overwhelmed with ideas!!

Taglist: @darkskin-buttercup @marvels-gurl @haylaansmi

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - How A Star Is Born ch.VIII

A Hercules AU, founded by @evaroze, whom this fic is a gift for. I hope y’all like it!

ch.VII - ch.IX

AO3 link

~~~~~~~~~~

A year after Dipper’s first victory and it felt like Gideon had died a thousand deaths.

Dipper became the most famous hero in all of Greece. He defeated every single monster or villain he had come up against, from angry warthogs that he served to the king on a grill, to wicked shapeshifters, to mad ex-girlfriends of Stan’s. No foe could stand against this hero in any way, shape, or form, and unfortunately this was very bad news for Gideon and Bill.

Bill left his minion alone to smoke and recover from being burned alive, shaking with red anger as he watched the fallen god press his hands into concrete with his teacher by his side, smiling proudly. “I can’t believe this! How is that little twerp still alive?!”

“W-W-We still have time…” Gideon whimpered, curled up and lying on his side.

“I’ve got twenty-four hours to get rid of this bozo!” Bill screamed as he towered over his slave. “The scheme I’ve been setting up for thousands of years is going up in smoke thanks to you! And all you can say is WE’VE STILL GOT TIME?!” And Bill snapped his fingers once more and Gideon was engulfed in flames, crying and yelling in unbearable pain.

Pacifica, with her back to the chaos, was smiling at the hero and enjoying the show all around her. “Tough luck, looks like Dippin’ Dots is hitting every curve you throw at him.”

Bill’s red instantly went away as he stared at the young woman before him. His eyes squinted happily and he floated to her side. “Hm, maybe I haven’t been throwing the right curves at him…”

“Don’t even go there.”

“See, Llama, he’s gotta have a weakness, everybody’s got one. We just need to find out Pinetree’s.”

“I totally did my part,” Pacifica scoffed. “Make Marshmallow over there do it.”

“He couldn’t handle him as an infant.” Bill sneered. “I need someone who can… handle him as a man.”

“Look, I’ve sworn off man-handling.” Pacifica snapped and walked away.

“Well, hey that’s good!” Bill laughed, making the young woman stop. “Cuz that’s what gotcha into this jam in the first place, isn’t it? You sold your soul to me to save your father’s life. And how did the guy thank you? By throwing you out when no one wanted to marry you and give dowry? He hurt you real bad, didn’t he? It hurt that no one wants the bratty little Llama, didn't it?”

“I get it, I learned my lesson, okay?” Pacifica croaked as she held her forehead.

“Hey, hey,” Bill cooed and placed a friendly hand on either one of her shoulders. “I tell you what, since I feel sorry for you, I’ll make you a new offer. You give me the key to taking down Wonderboy, and I’ll give you the thing you want more than anything in the whole Multiverse: your freedom.”

Pacifica’s eyes widened and her pupils shrunk as her mouth hung open.

~~~~~~~~~~

Through the fast-pacing, slightly-overwhelming year, the Temple of the Gods became Dipper’s sanctuary. At night, he would sneak away from prying eyes and visit his family, feeling all of his stress and pressure melt away.

Now not only bound to a small journal, Dipper and Mabel could talk more freely. Even more so now that Dipper funded a statue of the young muse to be put in the temple, and now a Mabel made of stone could hug him and punch his shoulder and talk and skip around him, even if she couldn’t feel his warmth or if she risked breaking bones, but he had god-like strength, so who cares? Their bond became even stronger as they swapped stories and got to know each other very well. Many times Mabel would happily sit criss-cross and listen and watch as her twin brother retold his victories to her.

This evening, however, Dipper seemed very tired. He sat at the foot of the huge statue of the Ruler of the Gods and Mabel looked down at him softly before sitting next to him in her statued-form. “Hey, what’s the matter?”

Dipper blinked and shook his head. “N-Nothing!”

Mabel smiled cockily and poked his ribs to lightly tickle him. “C’mon, you can’t hide anything from me. What’s up?”

The young hero sighed and leaned back with his hands on the steps behind him. “It’s just… I’m the most famous person of all in Greece, right?”

“Right.”

“And I’ve beaten every monster I’ve met, right?”

“Right.”

“I’m even an action-figure.” Dipper added as he threw his hands up in the air.

“Yeah,” Mabel said slowly. “So?”

Dipper looked at his long-lost sister and asked her heavily, “So why am I not a god?”

Mabel’s eyes widened in realization before she looked down at her long dress. “Oh.”

“To rejoin the gods, I gotta become a true hero.” Dipper restated. “What, am I missing something? Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Mabel said quickly and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You’ve been doing great! And hey, you’ve only been at it for, what, a year? You’re just… not there yet. Remember, there’s a difference between being a hero and a true hero, but you’ll get there one day, I know you will.”

Dipper smiled at her and said, “Thanks, Mabel. You’re right. I just have to be patient.”

“Besides, you’ve got plenty of time.” Mabel reminded him with a giggle. “It’s not like you’re gonna die soon or something.”

Dipper laughed alongside her, though he couldn’t quite shake the desire that he would rather be home sooner or later.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dipper walked back to his very large house after going through the lush garden. He had tried not to have a home so big but he had earned so much gold that even after donating to the orphanage he grew up in and many other causes like feeding the poor and providing housing for the homeless, he still had more money than he knew what to do with and Stan seemed to really enjoy living in the lap of luxury, so they met halfway and had a very nice house that was big but not so big that they required five maids.

Dipper entered his home and could see candlelight coming from down the hall. The old man must still be awake. The young hero smiled and moved down the hall to tease his teacher, but as he turned a corner, he was met with something that scared him much more than any monster.

“STAN!” Dipper dashed to him and was on his knees, the old man lying on the cold floor with a dripping candle by his side, a miracle the house hadn’t been caught on fire thanks to being made of stone. “Stan, can you hear me?!”

Dipper helped the unconscious man sit up to get a good look at him. He appeared more dead than alive, but the hero refused to believe it. He scooped the old man up in his arms and ran as fast as he could to the doctor, praying to the gods that Stan would be okay.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mabel was humming to herself as she emerged from her room, having finished meditating and projecting herself onto a statue to talk to her brother. She grew worrisome, however, when she saw her great-uncle sitting at the front steps of the temple, holding his face, covering his eyes, and breathing heavily, like he was struggling with his emotions.

“Grunkle Ford,” Mabel said softly as she hurried to his side and put kind hands on his shoulders. “What’s the matter?”

He looked up at his niece with heavy, shining eyes that refused to cry. “It’s Stanley. He’s running out of time.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“These things happen,” A doctor calmly explained. “As a person ages their bodies start to fail them gradually over time. From what we can tell, Stan had a heart attack. Slight damage to the heart, nothing extremely life-threatening, but a good sign that his time is running out. I wouldn’t quite count the days yet, but I would also advise you value your time with him while you can. I’m so sorry.”

Dipper was now left alone to dwell on the news. He knew Stan wasn’t exactly young, but he always seemed unstoppable, so lively, that the idea of him dying was scary and already made the young hero very mournful. He made himself get up from his stool in the hallway to enter the door his teacher was in, but he was surprised to find Stan standing up and slipping on his cloak. “There you are, let’s blow this joint already.”

“Stan!” Dipper scolded. “What are you doing out of bed?!”

“What, I’m fine now, kid.” Stan waved Dipper’s worries away casually. “Relax. Let’s just go home, I got a bottle of expired grape juice waiting for me.”

“Stan, this is serious!”

“Look, I don’t blame you for being worried, but I need you to trust me on this.” Stan said firmly with kind brown eyes, giving Dipper a firm pat on the shoulder. “I’m fine, okay?”

“But…” Dipper allowed Stan to lead the way out of the room and throughout the hospital for the quiet night. “But… you’re dying.”

“In a way we all are, kid.”

“But…”

“Dipper, listen to me.” Stan interrupted and gave the young hero a stern look as they walked down the street of Thebes. “I’m an old man, I’ve lived a very long life. I’ve known I was dying for a long time, but none of that matters to me. All that matters is that you become a true hero and get to be with your family, whether I get to see it or not.”

“But… I want you to see it.” Dipper sighed. He was very tired. He could feel so much on his shoulders, he always felt like the entire world was on his shoulders, and as they days wore on it was getting harder to ignore. He sat at a large fountain in town-square and looked at his mentor heavily. “I know you won’t be around forever, but… you’re like family to me, Stan. I want you to see me become a true hero. I want to make you proud. I want you to see me in the stars like you want.”

“Hey hey,” Stan sat next to him slowly and patted his back. “Way to get all sappy on me, hero. And where’s all this coming from? I am proud of you. I’ve always been proud of you. Since day one, I’ve been so proud of you and happy I got to teach you. I know you’ll make it someday, I know you’ll be up in the stars and be with your sister, and that’s good enough for me.”

Dipper smiled sadly, a bit overwhelmed but still appreciative. “Still, I… Am I doing something wrong? I thought I’d be a true hero by now? What more can I do?”

“Being a true hero is something you gotta discover for yourself.” Stan said and poked at Dipper’s strong chest. “You gotta look inside all this squishy stuff. Dig a little deeper. But you got something I’ve never seen in anybody, and I know that’s gonna make you into a god someday, just you wait and see.”

Dipper still couldn’t shake the feeling like he didn’t want to wait for someday to come, but he still smiled and thanked Stan for his words.

~~~~~~~~~~

Miraculously, despite his lifeline being short, Stan was just as energetic and lively as always the next day. Dipper tried to talk him into resting, but the old man refused and was there for all of Dipper’s obligations. Stan was right by his side for the opening of the newest gym, he happily partake in lunch with Dipper and the mayor of Thebes, and in the afternoon they went home to change into nicer togas for a modeling show.

Stan said something about a quick nap and went to his room to snooze the warm afternoon away. Dipper chuckled and was nearly scared to death when a soothing voice from beside a pillar said, “Oh this is what heroes do on their days off?”

Dipper grinned and greeted her warmly. It had been a long time since he had last seen her. “Wow, Pacifica! It’s great to see you again, I… I missed you.”

Pacifica approached slowly and smiled slyly at him. “Thanks, Dippin’ Dots. Man, you look good, but rough. When was the last time you had a break?”

“Oh, I rest, Stan…”

“You know I never really thanked you for saving my life, did I?” Pacifica interrupted. “How about dinner?”

As much as a date with such a beautiful girl made Dipper want to do a backflip, his immediate concern was leaving Stan alone for too long. “Oh, I dunno, Stan’s got the day booked and…”

“He’ll be okay, he’s taking a nap, isn’t he?” Pacifica asked. “He can rest, you can get some fresh air and some food. Come on, my treat.”

Dipper smiled sheepishly and she put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, baby blue eyes sparkling at him like a beautiful spring sky. Swallowing, the young smitten hero nodded. “Okay, sure.”

[sweetvixen1996]

Behrad Tarazi Headcanons:

Zari adored him when they were little, reading him his favorite book every night. However, they grew apart when Zari came to believe their parents loved him more and, as a result, threw herself into improving. 

Behrad, sadly, doesn’t remember this initial closeness and instead believes she was always distant and dismissive towards him. 

Being both the baby of the family and the only son, he was always doted on and coddled by his parents. 

However, they also put a lot of pressure on Behrad to succeed, specifically academically, and set him up with a wide verity of tutors and extracurricular activities with a focus on the hard science. This was in addition to a rigorous, private school education.

While Behrad was able to appreciate all his parents did for him, his more relaxed nature made him ill-suited for this type of environment and even grew to resent the fact that Zari seemed to be able to do anything she wanted while he was forced to deal with his parents’ expectations and control over his life. 

 This resentment towards his sister grew when she took to live streaming family events, like his twelfth birthday and mother’s day. 

He got into weed while in high school as a way to cope with his loneliness and the high stress he was under. 

Behrad has a deep love of art and spent a lot of his free time growing up doodling. 

He actually wanted to go to art college but never brought it up because he knew they wanted him to business school and didn’t want to disappoint them. 

He got accept to and did actually attend The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, but spent most of his time there deeply unhappy and, despite his friendly nature, did not make any strong bonds with any other students. 

Zari attempted to bond with the Air Totem once when she was in college but was rejected by it. Behrad never tried due to a general lack of interest. 

Unfortunately, Kuasa attacked him during his junior year of college under the belief he had it. He obviously didn’t and was nearly killed before the Legends showed up to save him.

The resulting fight ended with Kuasa escaping and Behrad, upon realizing that she’d be going to his parents’ house where the Air Totem actually was and that his family was in danger.

He and the Legends then book it back to his parents’ house where Behrad steals the Air Totem and, while trying to protect the Legends during another fight with Kuasa, ended up bonding with it. 

When all was said and done, Behrad decided ‘fuck business school’ and that he wanted to join the Legends.

They, however, were hesitant to let him due to his age and that he still had family who would be suspicious if he disappeared.

But Behrad was all like, ‘you guys saved my life so I and my magic wind rock is your problem now.’

So join the Legends he did and quickly became the team psuedo-baby brother, specifically to Sara and Ray.

Unlike Zari 1.0, who was very hesitate to open herself emotionally to the Legends, Behrad was perhaps TOO eager to due so, resulting in some initial awkwardness. 

The reason behind this is that the Legends were the first real friends he ever had since, after a few bad experiences where people only befriended him to hopefully get to Zari, he always kept himself distant from the majority of his peers. 

He DOES have his own bedroom on the Waverider, but still prefers to spend most of his time in his little stoner cave in the lab. 

Despite being raised Muslim, he isn’t particularly devout. 

Sara likes to refer to him as ‘her only good child’ but this isn’t really the case. Its more like his time bros, Ray and Nate, are usually more than happy to help him fix up any mistakes he makes before Time Mom Sara finds out about them. 

 When he first joined the team, everyone was scared to let him spend too much time alone with Mick for fear that Mick’s bad habits would rub off on him. 

Behrad and Cisco get along like a house on fire and it worries EVERYONE.

He thinks Constantine is really cool and it worries EVERYONE. 

Constantine, for his part, is fond of Behrad but gets annoyed at the younger man’s habit of poking at John’s magic stuff and accidentally eating some of John’s potions ingredients while high. 

He thrives off of the big sister/little brother relationship he has with Sara (as confirmed by Caity Lotz) due to never feeling close to Zari.

Behrad secretly draws little comics of the Legends’ adventures, but only Gideon has seen them. 

[tamakiamajikistentacles]

Please Don’t Leave {Eijirou Kirishima}

A/N: Please be sure to reblog, comment, review, and like if you enjoy! Feedback is what keeps me motivated! I tried something a little different with this story and having included a character we don’t know very much about was challenging. Writing this piece was interesting to say the least lol. This was partially inspired by the book/movie “If I Stay” and if you haven’t read/seen it I def recommend!

The silence was strange. Maybe it was just because it was there. Living with nineteen other teenagers could seem deafening at the best of times and quiet moments were rare. Her body felt strange too though, like she both could and couldn’t feel. One minute she felt weightless, comfortable like she was lying on a giant pillow, and the next she could feel a deep, pulsating throb in her head.

When the pain disappeared is when she opened her eyes to see grey all around her. It was dull and seemingly endless, and she furrowed her brows in confusion.

“Man, it’s gonna be nice to have someone to talk to!”

She jumped at the energetic words, blinking rapidly as she fought the sluggishness of her body to sit up. Below her she noticed what sort of did look like a large white pillow but also the smiling boy floating at her side.

He was tall and his fluffy light blue hair made him look even taller which may have felt intimidating if his blue eyes weren’t so friendly as they stared at her from above a white strip across the bridge of his nose. A blue aviator hat and goggles were visible below his hair and he wore a dark blue gi beneath a brown aviator jacket, dust and dirt clinging to the material.

“Who are you?” she asked. “Where are we, and why is everything grey? Are you sitting on a cloud? Wait, am I?”

He laughed. “Yeah, that’s my quirk! I like to ride on them and when you started to appear I could tell you weren’t awake so I made you a cloud bed!”

“How—? Where—?”

“Oh, sure, sorry,” he said quickly. “I dunno where exactly we are but I’ve always called it ‘the in-between’ because we’re between life and death which explains the grey but probably sounds really scary and uh, it is? But at least we have each other! My name’s Oboro Shirakumo!”

She tried to process his rapid-fire words but the only thing she completely understood was his name.

In-between life and death? Why was she seemingly dying? What had happened? She couldn’t remember anything happening to put her life at risk, at least not lately.

“You look really confused and I get that, I feel bad having to give you such heavy news and you probably don’t remember much. I was the same way when I got here, but after a while you should be able to remember and it’ll all come back…” he trailed off, and when she realized the expectant look she said her name. He smiled and repeated it before continuing, “You’ll figure out what led you here.”

“Can I ask what led you here?” she asked quietly when silence stretched between them.

He smiled sadly. “I am—or I guess was?—a hero course student and a villain attack didn’t exactly go my way. Managed to save a class of schoolkids though, and my friend took out the villain all on his own. I’m guessing by your costume you’re probably in a hero course too.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I can’t imagine being alone for so long after all of that. You’re right that I’m a hero course student and my class has been through a lot, but we’ve always been together afterwards.”

“Well, I really don’t know if it’s been long,” he replied thoughtfully. “Time is strange here and being alone definitely doesn’t help. You know how you feel after a really good nap? Like you don’t even know if its day or night or if you were asleep for two hours or two years? That’s sort of how it feels being here.”

“January 8th is the last day I remember seeing on my lock screen,” she mumbled. “I saw it when I woke up and started getting ready for my work study. If something happened on patrol…”

“Not to interrupt but uhm, January 8th of what year?” he asked, eyes bugging when she answered. “There’s no way.”

“What, is it a long time after your villain attack?”

“Yeah. Fifteen years.”

Her eyes widened too. “You’ve been here for fifteen years by yourself?!”

He opened his mouth to reply but she couldn’t hear if he actually did, the searing pain in her skull returning as her hands flew to the back of her head. She pitched forward as tears gathered in her eyes and she cried out in pain.

  Darkness surrounded her and from the heavy feeling of her eyelids she knew they were closed. She felt like she was floating again but this time she could hear voices, garbled and far away. She understood snippets but couldn’t follow the conversation and she couldn’t tell who was saying what.

“…brain… body can try…”

“Stop crying…”

“…class soon… you’ll… without you…”

“…another way! Someone…”

The pain was so much more intense even as she laid still, but then the blackness consumed her and the pain was gone.

  Shirakumo’s hair was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes and was back in the in-between. Still disoriented, she could see that his mouth was open in surprise.

“What just happened?!” she asked, panic bubbling in her chest. “It hurt and I could hear people but I don’t—it was dark.”

“I think you tipped back towards life,” he murmured. “Whatever you heard, do you remember much? Sometimes it helps figure out what’s going on wherever your body is.”

She sniffled, wiping tears from her cheeks with her wrist. “I heard someone talking about a brain, I think? And a body trying to do something but I don’t know what. Do you think they mean me? My brain, my body?”

“Probably,” he said softly. “It can be really hard to hear things when your spirit leans back to life. Sometimes I remember things I never actually saw or heard. The memory itself is hazy, like there’s a dark mist over it so I can’t see much, but I can make out certain words or bits of conversation if I try hard enough.”

“There were other people though, saying to stop crying and asking for another way. I feel like I should know the voices.”

“The more you tip towards life the clearer it is, I think,” he shrugged. “All we can do is hope you move closer to waking up.”

She nodded, lying back on her cloud. If she was hurt badly enough to be suspended between life and death that meant her class was probably going out of their minds, her boyfriend most of all. Maybe he was there speaking to her, maybe he was one of the voices she heard. If he was she could only imagine he was asking for her to wake up. Kirishima was always a beacon of hope, one she was more than happy to follow and prayed would guide her through this too.

He didn’t mind hospitals for the most part, but long hours spent in various ones throughout the country in less than a year didn’t put them on his list of favorite things either. The waiting he had been doing for the last six days in an uncomfortable visitor’s chair was driving him mad and the lack of significant progress in his girlfriend’s condition was even worse.

Sure, she was in the best possible place for treatment and was monitored around the clock but she wasn’t awake. She wasn’t talking to him or poking his nose or kissing his cheek; she was just lying there in the hospital bed looking as if she was going to be swallowed by machines and wires. At least she could breathe on her own and there were no tubes down her throat—he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to handle seeing that.

But still he sat by her bedside any chance he got. After classes ended for the day he took the train straight there, his uniform still on and bag carelessly left in the classroom at his desk. The bag always made its way to him though.

“Kirishima I swear if you don’t start bringing your shit with you you’re giving me money for the train to and from this place. Do your homework while you sit here,” Bakugo snapped at him like every other afternoon as the bag was dropped at his feet.

With a sigh he dug through his bag to find his assignments and opened his notes to work through the homework sheets because he was right, he needed to keep up with schoolwork. He had to be able to help her when she woke up, right?

“Oi, don’t start starin’ into space!”

“I’m not! I’m not, I’m just… this is hard, you know?” he said quietly. “I’ve never gone so long without talking to her and I miss her. She’s right in front of me but I miss her.”

Bakugo scowled. “No one ever said you should be smiling at the fact that your girlfriend had her head scrambled, hair for brains. This is the type of shit we have to deal with if we’re gonna be heroes but that doesn’t mean time stops for you to mope. Besides, didn’t the doctors say she’s doing better?”

“Yeah, they said the swelling’s gone down to the point where it’s really hard to see on the scans so that’s good. But they also mentioned that she’s still low on this coma scale thing, like she’s a six which is just one up from critical. Her only response is to pain and—"

“Tch, you’re just impatient. She’s gonna be fine once her body’s healed enough to wake up. Then the old lady’s gonna kiss her and shit’ll be back to normal.”

“I—

  —really, really hope you’re right.”

“’Course I’m right, you idiot.”

The pain was still there but more a dull ache than before. It let her focus on the voices and she knew them, she knew her boyfriend and his best friend were there with her. She wondered what Bakugo should be right about. He probably was, whatever it is.

Her time in the in-between wasn’t terrible because Shirakumo was good company but she did look forward to the moments when everything went dark and she could hear everyone around her body. She heard her parents and boyfriend most often but her friends were there sometimes too. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she was awake, but she hoped she could open her eyes soon.

“You smile a lot when you snap back from tipping,” Shirakumo observed. He was sat on one of his clouds, elbow on his knee and chin in his hand.

“I hear my boyfriend,” she said with a grin. “It’s just really good to hear his voice, you know?”

“That’s nice,” he said quietly.

She furrowed her brows. “I know you haven’t since I’ve been here but don’t you tip towards life sometimes too? Don’t you hear your family? Your friends?”

“Nah, I don’t know anyone who’s speaking around me. Never recognize what I see through the haze either,” he explained. “I don’t know exactly what that means since it seems like with you, you hear what’s being said to your body. I rarely tip towards life anymore but when I do it’s like I’m on autopilot or something. It’s probably just a dream.”

“Well what do you hear or see?”

“Once I was in a hospital I think but that’s all I can remember, no voices and all I saw was darkness,” he said thoughtfully. “Another time I was in a dome, like a stadium almost. There was a lot of yelling and mostly I can remember shapes and colors. Black and red, green and orange, some white spots in the corner of my eye. Loud bangs like firecrackers were the last thing I heard before tipping back to the in-between.”

She listened intently, the details he described vague but familiar though she didn’t know exactly why.

“Other than those it’s just whispers while I’m in a black fog. It’s just snippets like I mentioned. A word or two here and there.”

“But never your family or friends?” she repeated.

“No, but I can’t really expect that if it’s been fifteen years, huh? My family had my little siblings to look after and my friends—well they’ve gotta be hotshot heroes by now. We wanted to start our own agency together, and I hope they did even without me. The dream shouldn’t die just because I did.”

“What were they like?”

“What’s your boyfriend like?” he teased.

“I asked first!”

“I’m older, respect your elders.”

She let out an exasperated sigh but smiled nonetheless. “His name is Eijirou Kirishima and he’s… he’s like a bright light in the dark. He’s brave even when he’s afraid and he wants to help people because it’s the right thing to do. He’s in the hero course with me and… shit, I miss him.”

“Bet he misses you too,” he said with a soft smile. “He sounds like a good guy, and I hope you can see him again soon.”

“Me too,” she whispered, then after a moment reminded him, “Your turn.”

“Ah well, my buddies were kinda opposite of each other—one loud and energetic, always the center of attention and the other quiet and introverted, sometimes had a tough time believing in himself. But they were both gonna be great heroes! All of Japan was going to know Present Mic and Eras—”

“—erhead,” she finished breathlessly, and Shirakumo grinned.

It had been eleven days since the villain attack that had put her in the hospital and Kirishima still saw her head slamming into the concrete siding of the office building so clearly it may as well have been playing out in front of him all over again. In reality she was extremely lucky that her skull hadn’t been cracked wide open, the only fractures being in her left arm from twisting awkwardly as her body met the building.

Her arm would be easy to heal thanks to Recovery Girl, but the head injury was more delicate and what really needed resolved first. It would take time for her body to recuperate which was the reason she’d fallen comatose; they’d been told that her body was pausing everything else so the damage could be repaired. Once that damage could be taken care of then the other injuries could be tended to. It wasn’t likely to last more than a few weeks but to Kirishima even a few hours seemed like an eternity.

Yet each day after class and on the weekends he waited that eternity, had done it eleven times over. It was difficult—near impossible—to make him leave even for a quick dinner in the hospital’s cafeteria which meant only one person could convince him, and he made sure to do so as crudely as possible.

“Do you fuckin’ think she’s gonna be happy waking up to your stomach growling at her like a goddamn beast? Get your ass some food. If you’re back in under half an hour I’m exploding your ugly fuckin’ face. She won’t recognize you and neither will your shitty mothers.”

It was tiresome to endure the constant yelling but it was true, he needed to eat. “Okay, okay, I’m going. But just make sure—”

“If she wakes up I call the nurse, then you, then her family, then your mothers, then the media, then go fuck myself, I know,” Bakugo finished as his eye twitched. “Get your fucking food, asshole.”

With a defeated sigh the redhead left the room, a glance over his shoulder lingering on his sleeping girlfriend for just a moment as he stepped out into the bright hallway. He let his mind wander as he walked. After eleven days he didn’t need to think of how to get to the cafeteria, his feet knew where to take him.

Bakugo sat back in the visitor’s chair Kirishima had been using as a table for his homework, scrolling through his phone mindlessly. He didn’t hate silence despite what many probably assumed, but this was he sort of quiet that was eerie and uncomfortable because of the circumstances.

“Wake the fuck up.”

Slow, even breaths were his answer.

“What, you embarrassed that you got thrown like a long dart into the side of an accounting firm of all things? Almost couldn’t blame you if that’s why you’re just laying here.”

Nothing.

“I know you can hear me. Know you can hear Kirishima too since—

  —he never shuts the hell up. Probably heard him cryin’ over you too, huh?”

A steady heartbeat and no pain in her head, she breathed in deeply at Bakugo’s words. Of course she’d heard him, the few other times she had come back to her body clearer each time. Her heart broke to hear what she knew were quiet sobs and soared when he would relay the absurdity the class had gotten up to that day.

“It’s your fault he’s upset.”

She hated that he was right.

“Your tests n’shit say you should be wakin’ up any time now. They told him that two days ago and he’s holding on to that but here you are, not even putting up a fight to get back to him. The hell’s that about?”

It… she was trying. But it wasn’t easy when her body felt like it was tied to concrete at the bottom of the ocean and couldn’t possibly surface. She just wasn’t strong enough yet, that’s all. Tipping towards life was lasting longer and longer each time and soon she’d be at the point where she never went back to the in-between. It was just taking time.

“After you blacked out he froze. In the middle of a goddamn villain attack downtown he froze. It was only a few seconds but it coulda cost him, you know that. Then I’d have both of you idiots here probably,” he huffed.

Was that fondness?

“He kept fighting though. He fought until we won but I know he doesn’t think it’s a victory. If he can fight, why can’t you?”

That was the question wasn’t it?

“You better start fighting your ass off to open your eyes. Naptime’s over.”

She hadn’t tipped again since hearing Bakugo’s scolding guilt trip to wake up and while time seemingly didn’t exist in the in-between she felt like days, weeks, months, possibly years had gone by. It was terrifying enough to know that Shirakumo had been there alone for over a decade and never realized it but what if that happened to her too? What if Shirakumo tipped back to life and woke up to resume living or even took the final step towards death? Then she would be alone in the infinite grey abyss with only her thoughts.

What if she never tipped back to life again? She wouldn’t hear a goodbye or say one herself to anyone—not her parents, not her friends, not to the boyfriend who’s kept vigil for what had to have been two weeks by then at least.

“I know you’re scared.”

She looked up to see Shirakumo watching her with an unreadable expression.

“It’s okay to be, you know? This place is like the perfect definition of uncertainty, but you said that last time you heard that you should be waking up soon right?”

“That’s what Bakugo said,” she murmured, staring down at her hands. “But I haven’t tipped since then and now I don’t know if I will again.”

“You don’t feel it at all?” he asked.

“No, I haven’t heard anything.”

“Ah no, I mean you’re… when you go closer to life you look different to me. Like you’re… smudged?”

She stared at him.

“So I see you,” he tried to explain, “but then it’s almost like you’ve got a shadow around you? It—okay, you know how when you draw with an oil pastel you can blend it out? When you tip towards life you look like that.”

“Alright, but what does that have to do with anything right now? I’m not going towards life.”

He gave a weak smile. “Yeah you are. You’ve been smudged since you last heard your friend. It was faint at first but its lingered and now you’re sort of fading out. I think… I think that means you’re waking up.”

“How can I be waking up if I’m not hearing anything there? I’ve been with you this entire time!”

“I don’t know, I’m just guessing! It’s a good thing if I’m right, it means you’ll get to see your boyfriend and your friends and your family.”

“I just… I don’t want to hope and then it be for nothing,” she whispered. “Of course I want to wake up but that’s all I’ve wanted this entire time and I just don’t know how and it’s awful to know I’m causing all of them to worry over me and hope for something that may not happen.”

“Hey I get it, okay? It’s hard knowing that everyone there wants you back but you don’t know how to get to them. But heroes don’t get to lose hope. You can have your moments of weakness but you should never lose hope that it’s going to get better.”

She turned away from him, lip bitten between her teeth. Of course he was right—as heroes they couldn’t lose hope when they were the ones who brought hope to the hopeless in the times they needed it the most. But that also begged the question of how they kept that hope. Who inspired them in the darkest times?

It was an obvious answer once she shed the cynicism: family, friends, loved ones, the people they would fight the hardest for. Her family, her friends, her class, her boyfriend. They had hope for her to wake up and when they spoke to her they were keeping that hope alive.

“It’s okay to be upset,” Shirakumo said softly as he watched a tear make its way down her face. “But you’re gonna wake up, I know it. Just… take a deep breath and we can talk about something else.”

“Okay,” she whispered, turning back to him as she sucked in a breath and let her eyes fall closed.

He watched with a smile as her faded form grew even more faint, then disappear completely as she let out the breath.

The darkness was back. It enveloped her like always but there was no pain in her head. She felt cold, like the air conditioning had been dropped low and created a makeshift icebox out of the room she was in. She also felt stiff but that was both the cold and the fact that she hadn’t moved in what? Over two weeks by then?

There was shuffling to her right. She wondered who was there—was it her parents? Kirishima? The little chuckle answered that quickly.

“Your fingers always twitch when you’re asleep,” she heard him say. “When you fall asleep on me in the common room your little finger twitches tickle because they’re so light. I miss that.”

She never knew she did that in her sleep, and she wondered what made him bring it up.

“You’ve been doing it more and between that and the blinking the doctors say it should really be any time now. I… I miss your eyes. When you blink its so fast I can barely see them so wake up soon, okay?”

She’d been blinking and moving? Could she do that now? She tried to move her left index finger but she couldn’t tell if it worked. Maybe she was still too stiff.

“As much as I love your eyes I think I miss your smile the most,” he said quietly. “Seeing you smile after we confront villains has always been so important, even before we were together. When we saw each other after the USJ and you smiled at me… that was when I realized I had to tell you how I felt.”

He did, right before the sports festival took place. Afterwards he often joked that he advanced as far as he did to prove he was worth keeping around. She could only roll her eyes because he could’ve sat out every event in favor of eating from the food vendors and she would’ve kept him as close as possible.

“When I saw you get hurt I panicked but I knew I had to keep fighting. If nothing else we had to win so I could get to you and make sure you were okay. After we won I practically threw Ojiro and Todoroki out of the way,” he laughed lightly. “I apologized later but I still feel a little bad about it. At least they were understanding.”

Always worried about her, wasn’t he? The feeling was mutual though. She was worried even as he spoke safely from a hospital visitor’s chair just because of the occasional hitch in his breathing. She wanted to see him, to grab his hand, to reassure him.

“Was that finger twitch supposed to be disapproval? I said I apologized!”

Wait, had she really moved?

“They really were understanding though. Heh, probably because I was in tears honestly. Not seeing you smile after a win was just… it hit my heart, y’know?”

Yeah, she knew. He was hitting her heart right now.

“And then you wouldn’t wake up.”

The emotion in his voice was thick and she could picture the pinch in his brows as he tried to hold back tears.

“It didn’t look very good at first and that terrified me more than you could ever know. You barely responded to pain and the swelling took awhile to go down. I don’t know if you could hear me then or even if you can now, but I sat here with you as often as I could and I just kept hoping you would wake up. Well I’m still doing that, but in the beginning I really didn’t know if you would. I held your hand and I cried more than I want to admit just begging you not to leave me.”

How had she gotten so lucky to have him as a partner? What good deed had she done in a past life?

“Even with you moving like that and blinking and everything the doctors have said I’m still scared. They keep saying any day now but I just… when? I’ll sit here every day until you wake up, holding your hand and talking to you. If you can hear me you’re gonna have to get used to me begging even more. Please don’t leave me. I need you here smiling, okay? I want… I want to be a hero you can be proud to stand beside.”

A warm weight settled on her right hand and she realized it was his hand holding hers. She could feel him. She could feel him and she could hear him.

Her body was still so stiff and her eyelids felt like lead but she breathed evenly, gathering all the strength she had. It wasn’t much but it was enough to open her eyes just a bit, light flooding through her lashes and making her close them almost immediately.

Soothing circles were being drawn on the back of her hand and she wanted to see Eijirou smile. It sounded like he hadn’t in so long. She wanted to make him smile.

Her eyes fluttered open just a bit more on the second try but fell closed again at the light. Dammit, hospital lighting shouldn’t be that bad! She tried again, opening her eyes wider and only squinting at the brightness. She kept them open as long as she could before blinking quickly and fixing her eyes on the opposite wall’s small dry erase board; she couldn’t read what it said and she didn’t know if that was because of just waking up or from the injury but she decided to worry about that later.

She could feel the warmth on her hand still and from the corner of her eye she could see red but her head still felt heavy and even turning to the side seemed like an impossibly difficult task. After the fight to just open her eyes she could imagine it wouldn’t be easy. But she desperately wanted to see those red eyes and that sharp smile.

Well her fingers could move and that should be easier than shifting her head to the side, right? So she focused on her right hand and squeezed against the solid palm holding it. She did it once, and then again, and finally a third time. She felt the grip strengthen and soon her line of sight was filled with red hair and red eyes and a blinding smile. She tried to smile back, hoping that the small quirk of the corner of her lips would suffice for now.

In six weeks she had come a long way. After waking up she stayed in the hospital for an additional two days for testing and monitoring before being released back to Aizawa to go back to the dorms. Recovery Girl finished the healing process for her arm and things were, for the most part, back to normal.

Some issues from her time unconscious persisted but were able to be worked through to the point where she didn’t have many difficulties. Initially she had thought there were no effects but as she was dressing to leave the hospital she froze with the laces of her shoe in hand with no idea of what to do next. She knew how to tie her shoes and had known for most of her life, but as she stared down at the white laces in her grip she couldn’t even guess as to what she was supposed to do.

It was a small miracle that her parents were there with Aizawa as she was being discharged because she didn’t think she could handle her teacher having to tie her shoes for her. Relearning wasn’t terrible when she had the help of Eijirou and her friends. They were kind and without much teasing unless she initiated it first. With all the combined effort she was double knotting her laces within two weeks.

Slightly stranger was her perception of music she’d heard prior to her injury—everything sounded just a bit faster, as if it were half a beat ahead of where it should be. It was odd to experience because to everyone else it was normal and just as it should be so she avoided music for a few weeks to shake the uncomfortable feeling it gave her. After roughly a month Jiro convinced her to try listening again and when she started a familiar tune it was just as it should be, no altered speed. It was weird but at least it was over.

She was even back to full contact combat training in hero lessons which was all she had wanted the entire time Aizawa had given her alternate assignments. Most of the class were nervous to work with her even after she was cleared, but she was thankful when both Bakugo and Todoroki challenged her as if nothing had ever happened. That helped to get everyone else back to treating her like the fighter she was.

Eijirou was much clingier and more affectionate with her too. He’d been attentive before but when he’d said he needed her smiling, he had meant it. More than before there was always a hand on her hip, an arm around her shoulder, fingers intertwined with hers, and she enjoyed the increased contact. His goal of making her smile was met a thousand times over within the first two weeks alone, she was sure.

“I did hear you, you know,” she said one night as she laid against him on one of the common room couches. She had one of his hands in hers and traced patterns against his palm. The rest of the class was white noise around them. “I would fade in and out at random times but I heard you the most.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Whatever you heard, I meant it.”

“Mmm,” she hummed, “I know you missed me and my smile and you didn’t want to lose me. You’ve told me all of that since I woke up.”

“Of course!” he agreed quickly. “I was there every day and I just couldn’t imagine you not waking up.”

“I’m glad I woke up when you were there. I was fighting to get back to you just like Bakugo yelled at me to do. I’d heard how upset you were and I didn’t want you to cry over me anymore, I wanted to see you smile too.”

“So you remember a lot of what you heard while you were out, huh?”

She nodded. “There’s a lot I remember but I’m sure I’m missing some things.”

“Maybe,” he murmured, catching her fingers to lace them together.

“I think I want to talk to Aizawa about it more. There’s just some stuff Hound Dog wouldn’t understand.”

“Like what?” he asked, kissing her temple.

She sighed. “Just some other things I remember from while I was unconscious. I think he might have some good insight.”

Eijirou gave a nod of understanding and they fell into a comfortable silence.

She was so glad to back with her friends and boyfriend and seeing her parents again had been amazing. At first it felt like she had missed everything in the sixteen days she had been unconscious but they all worked to fit her back into normal life. Knowing they cared about her was heart-warming in a way she’d never experienced before and she was thankful beyond words.

A/N: Please be sure to reblog, comment, review, and like if you enjoy! Feedback is what keeps me motivated! I’m still a little unsure of how this fic turned out though that sometimes when I try something new. Also I know I put Kirishima through a lot of shit around here but I swear I love him and want the best for him! We love an unwavering and sturdy hero on this blog