#shield wall our dude and protect him at all costs

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

So... now that Lalisa (Blackpink) has been casted in that 3rd White Lotus season... that shit's gonna blow up even more than it already would.

[godofsexdrugsandrocknroll]

Jaune’s Father: “If nothing else, be kind. Kindness costs you nothing, sport”

Weiss: *From underneath many blankets, peeking from behind a comforter* I’m truly sorry, Arc. I had meant to assist you in your dust theory paper, but I’m not feeling terribly well.

Jaune: *Scratches head* Hey, no worries Sn- Weiss. Do you need anything? A hot compress?

Weiss: *Is glad she has a comforter for a shield as she blushes in embarrassment* How! *Coughs, in a normal tone of voice* Excuse me. How did you...

Jaune: I have seven sisters, Weiss.

Weiss: *Nods meekly, still embarrassed* A hot compress would be lovely. I feel awful.

----------------- 

Yang: *Blinks* Is that vomit boy?

Blake: *Reading* You could try calling him by his name.

Yang: You could try acknowledging his existence. *Blake glares, feeling a little guilty*

Cardin: *Walking by* He needed a warm compress.

Yang: What for?

Cardin: *Feeling kinda humbled, a bit envious* Nothin’ serious.

----------------- 

Jaune: *Taking box* Thanks Coco, you’re a lot less scary than Poppy said you were.

Coco: *Lowers her shades* Oh, did snookums slander my good name?

Jaune: *Feels his neck get hot* U-uh, no! Just that you were kinda protective of, um, *lifts box, almost drops it and gives Coco a heart attack* this. Sorry. But really, thanks, it’s really nice of you.

Coco: *Clutching her heart, waves him off* Just tell that leggy blonde she owes me some serious cuddling.

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

Professor Peach: It’s not often I get students actually interested in my hobby.

Jaune: Well, we are all teenagers.

Professor Peach: *Laughs* True enough. Hmm. *Side eyes Jaune* Well, the same can’t be said for you, young man. *Sees Jaune about to protest* I think what you meant to say is you’re all aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses. Sometimes the future is so bright and shiny to your classmates that they forgot the everyday. It’s quite nice to see that isn’t the case with each of you.

Jaune: *Opens and closes his mouth, shuffles awkwardly*

Professor Peach: *Smiles softly* You have nothing to be embarrassed of, Jaune Arc. Here *carefully hands his request over* exactly as you requested. Have a wonderful day, child.

Jaune: *Nods quickly and walks off*

Professor Peach: And days like today, Rosalie, are why you do this job. *Happily hums as she gets back to work*

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

Jaune: Okay, look, I’m just asking which--

Beryl: *Sighs dramatically* And I’m telling you, kitten *Ignores Jaune’s protests* that they’re all mondo good.

Julie: Like, Bea-Bea’s right. That one *pointing with a fuchsia nail* is just the sweetest thing in the world, will just have you feeling warm and happy inside after.

Cissy: Plus it has just...mmm. Ouch! *Is swatted by Beryl, playfully* You bitch. Anyways, that one right there is just cute and total *squeals* overload. Can’t go wrong with it, it’s a classic.

Beryl: Then that one is probably the safest bet, because who doesn’t love a puppy?

Jaune: A puppy? *Beryl nods* Well, uh, thanks. And I promise I’ll get them back to you by tomorrow. I’ll also see if Ren’s interested, but, uh, maybe keep your semblances ready?

Cissy: *Raises hand* Uh, I haven’t activated mine yet. I’ve just got Nemesis.

Beryl: *Slings arm around Cissy’s shoulders* Don’t worry, kitten, between My House and Julie’s Spit-Spot, plus our weapons we can handle Valkyrie if she gets in a mood.

Jaune: *Deadpan* She was benchpressing one of the academy’s washing machines the other day. No aura.

Julie: We’re good at running away.

Beryl: *Scandalized* Julie!

Julie: Cute boy or not, no way am I getting my face rocked by that monster.

Jaune: *Shrugs, collecting stuff to leave* Um, I don’t know if it’ll work but maybe fill your bags with syrup. Might work as a distraction if Mt. Nora erupts.

Beryl: *Flatly* Really?

Cissy: *Flips platinum blonde hair* I saw her drinking it right out of the bottle once before Lie stopped her.

Beryl: *Sees Jaune’s gone, giggles* Somehow I think kitten got the better end of the deal. *Speculative* Shame he’s super taken.

Julie: Uh, what? Isn’t-

Beryl: Oh you sweet summer child, never change *Ruffles Julie’s hair*

Julie: Ack! Stop!

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

Jaune: Thanks headmaster! This is all really great!

Ozpin: *Working at desk* No need to thank me, mister Arc.

Jaune: Uh, yeah I do. You didn’t have to allow me to do this, but you did and it’s really neat of you.

Ozpin: *Smiles* Well then, you’re welcome. Enjoy.

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

Ruby: You definitely came to the right girl!

Jaune: *Looking at his haul* I’ll say. You’re sure you’re okay with helping? I kinda saw the looks you were giving Crescent Rose back at the forge. *Teasingly* You sure you don’t want some alone time with your baby?

Ruby: *Blushes the color of her cloak* S-shut up! She’ll be fine without me, I was just thinking of trying out some custom dust ammo is all! *Very seriously* I don’t have a problem! You have a problem!

Jaune: Riii-iiight. *Ruby puffs cheeks out, teasingly* Like you don’t have a cookie problem?

Ruby: *Points dramatically, very loud* THAT... *Slumps and sighs* please don’t tell Yang I have a nightly plate of chocolate chip.

Jaune: *Laughs* No problem, Ruby. You know me. How can I turn my back on the girl who actually talked her team into not killing me when I told them I cheated my way into Beacon?

Ruby: Yeah, yeah. So get those babies ready, vomit boy and watch Ruby - I am totally a pro at this and all things wonderful - Rose do her magic!

Jaune: Will do, crater face!

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

Jaune: *Grins* Thanks Cardin. You know, when you’re not being all racist and pushing people around you’re actually a really nice guy.

Sky: Ooooh. What a compliment. The kindness just gently caresses your face like a butterfly’s wings, huh Cardin?

Cardin: *Scowling* Shut it, Sky. I’m still trying so that’s totally fair.

Jaune: I, uh, didn’t mean it--

Cardin: *Rubbing neck* I know dude, no worries. Got a date with my girl coming up and it’s our anniversary, so it’s just a little extra. And don’t worry about paying me back, this is like the very least I can do for you after everything. *Jaune’s about to protest* Nope. I know we’re cool, but I was a huge douchebag. I mean it.

Jaune: Well thanks. It means a lot. *Leaves*

Russel: *Reading motorcycle magazine* You don’t have a girl, bro.

Cardin: *Frowns* I know.

Dove: You know you don’t have to help him out like that. You’re only hurting yourself.

Cardin: *Wipes face with hands, flops on his bed and stares at the ceiling* Yeah, well, too bad for Cardin fucking Winchester. If Jaune’s happy, I’m happy. I wasn’t joking when I said he deserves better than me. *Rolls on side to stare at wall.*

RDL: *All staring at their leader, all of them sad*

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

Jaune: *Cheerfully* I’m back!

Weiss: *Very grumpily glaring at Jaune from beneath her covers, only her eyes visible, her voice is acidic* It’s quite fine, Arc. It’s only been two and a half hours. I know you have better things to do, so don’t bother acting like you were looking forward to coming back to deal with me.

Jaune: *Winces* Yeah, sorry. I was getting the hot towel when I kinda realized that you’ve probably been dealing with this all by yourself. *Weiss growls* It’s just, I remembered how you said you and your Dad don’t really talk and your little brother’s a, a snot, I think you called him? *Weiss feels embarrassed, but says nothing while staring at Jaune* Just hold on.

*Weiss does but when he comes back in the room her eyes go wide in shock*

Jaune: I-I just have a lot of sisters. Four older, three younger and they all have different things they like when they’re on their period. Saphron’s just happy if I’ll bring her things and Coral just wants me to leave her alone. Peri always wants cuddles and movies and *blushes as he realizes how much he’s talking* I just thought instead of whatever you usually do, you might want something more? Just to try something new?

Weiss: *Stares at several hot compresses, an expensive looking box of chocolates, a small boquet of blue Glory of the Snow’s, a stack of films, several unhealthy but delicious looking snacks and a stuffed polar bear with a top hat*

Weiss: *Wide eyed, completely taken aback* W-what?

Jaune: I-I-I don’t mean to assume anything, but I’m guessing you didn’t really have anyone who tried to make your period any better?

Weiss: I have a butler, Klein, who would always check in on me but never, well I never thought to ask for more. *Very softly as she stares at the rolling entourage of goodies* It never occurred.

Jaune: Okay, well, um, how about I bring this in?

*Jaune does, Weiss watching as he sets the flowers near her bed with wide eyes and gratefully accepting the compress, bringing it under her comforter and sighing in relief*

Jaune: We’ll have to set it up on your scroll, but I did bring movies to just so you have something fun to do today. There’s a family film with an apparently super cute actor, another that’s a cute animated movie that’s a staple of everybody’s childhood except mine apparently, *Weiss snorts, watching the covers* and one about a puppy finding his way home--

Weiss: *Eyes glued to the case, speaks immediately* That one.

Jaune: You sure, I checked the fam--

Weiss: *Eyes not leaving the box* I’m certain. *Flushes* Please?

Jaune: Sure. Just let me set this up.

*Jaune also hands over the chocolates, which Weiss stares at curiously and much to her delight, brings over the bags of snacks and she clutches the bag of cheesy poofs to her, very much wanting to try them for the first time*

Jaune: Okay, that should do it. So you’ve got your Cheez-E-Poofs, I grabbed a few sodas, juices that I thought you might like *quickly* but I also got water! Um, here. *Hands Weiss the stuffed animal, which she stares at and brings close to her face, loving how cute it is and how soft it is* Oh, Ruby helped me dip some strawberry’s in chocolate if you wanna try them later. There’s normal ones too.

Weiss: *Touched and doesn’t know what to say* I-it’s all so...umm, thank you. You really didn’t have to.

Jaune: *Scratches the back of his head, looks away* No problem, Weiss. I’m used to stuff like this, so...I’ll go. *Looking very embarassed* You’ve probably had enough of me talking you to death, so I’m just gonna go across the hall--

Weiss: *From behind her bear* Stay. *Jaune stares at her, blinking in surprise* You were going to offer, but you...back home the most I ever got were the occasional visits from Klein. But having someone to be there sounds very nice and I’d like if you would. Very much. I certainly won’t eat all of this anyways, so...please?

Jaune: *Nodding rapidly* Sure. Right. Yeah, I just didn’t wanna assume or impose or *watches Weiss’ eyes light up at the cheesy snack she just tried* I’ll sit.

*Jaune sits next to Weiss’ bed and they watch the film, eat snacks and after the movie, Weiss tries the strawberries as the second film starts. When she wakes up after falling asleep, she discovers the mess she’d made of the comforter is cleaned, Jaune had gathered up her snacks and placed them in a box. Her flowers now have a vase and the bear she had placed on his shoulder is on her pillow*

Weiss: *Smiles and hugs bear tightly*

~~A week later~~

Weiss: *Exasperated* Where is he?

Yang: *Balancing a pencil on her nose on her bed, ignoring her homework* Who?

Weiss: *Notices Berry B. Cold on Yang’s stomach and shoots forward like a bullet, snatching him and hugging him to her abdomen* You know who you bum, Jaune!

Yang: *Grinning like the cat who ate the canary* Oh-ho, finally acknowledging him by his first name after all this time, Weiss Cream?

Weiss: *Blushing* Quiet you.

Ruby: Leave her alone, Yang. But, uh, I don’t really know where he is.

Weiss: Nonsense. I may have missed the chance to help him with his paper but at the very least I can at least explain some of the theory to him, give him better than what Beacon’s textbooks offer.

Yang: Oh yeah, sure, sounds fun.

Weiss: *Bristling* E-even if it’s a boring subject, it is useful. *Hugs bear tighter* And he needs all the help he can get and--

Blake: *Walking in* If you’re talking about Jaune, he’s way too busy Weiss.

Weiss: I beg your pardon?

Yang: Yeah, you didn’t know?

Weiss: *Irritated* No Yang, it’s why I asked you in the first place.

Yang: *Flatly* Oh. I thought you were joking. No, I mean it, don’t look at me like that! Seriously, vomit boy’s been busy the last couple days.

Weiss: *Confused* But why?

Yang: *Staring* Seriously? I mean, he got that whole thing together for you.

Weiss: M-me!? Is that...but he said he was used to it! I-I knew he was talking about his sisters, but he said Ruby helped! H-he...

Ruby: Yup, I did, but I didn’t know Jaune was making them so you could have a nice, comfy that-time-of-the-month. I thought he just wanted a strawberry snack! That he’d finally been enlightened. *Sighs*

Yang: And that whole spread wasn’t just free, he went around and traded a lot of favors to get it together.

Weiss: *Gaping* H-he...what? He traded favors, just... *Uncertain, squeezing her bear while looking distressed* You didn’t know? He hasn’t done that with any of you?

Ruby: Nope!

Blake: Gods no.

Yang: Dad’s sweet like that for me when it’s bad-bad, but if Jaune offered I’d definitely turn him down. *Gives Weiss a look*

Ruby: Yeah, and all I need is my Non-Descript Winter Holiday lights and my guns ‘n ammo mags plus my scroll and I’m happy. *Shrugs* I get really crabby so I prefer being alone.

RWY: *Staring at Blake*

Blake: My ex did it for me once. Never again.

Weiss: S-so he did all that, just for me? Because I was miserable?

Yang: *Sighs, flops back on her bed* I don’t know why you’re so surprised. Ask his team. Jaune’s actually a pretty nice guy. He aimed Neptune in your direction back at the dance even though anybody with eyes knew he was kinda bummed the whole night. After you started talking with him after and started sharing, I think he just wanted you to have, y’know, some normal stuff that we all enjoy because our Dad’s aren’t asshats.

Ruby: Yang!

Blake: *Sees Weiss looking at her, looking upset* He’s been Coco’s personal shopper for the last week, he’s been dodging Nora since Ren agreed to a date with each of those girls from Team SNLT because she is pissed, he’s been doing odd jobs for Ozpin all week, he’s been doing a lot of work outside for Peach and I think he’s also been in the laundry rooms a lot. That stuff wasn’t just free. Plus he’s had to do all his usual leader stuff and his homework.

Weiss: *Gapes, hugs her bear and her eyes drift to her box of treats and she purses her lips* B-but...that’s so much, just so I...

Yang: Um, he likes you Weiss. Even if he stepped aside for Neptune, he’s not gonna just poof whatever he feels for you away just because he doesn’t have a chance. Then he sees you feeling like shit, knows just how bad it is because of all his sisters and gets it in his head that you deserve the princess treatment. *Stretches* He offered for Pyrrha once but she just went really red, yelled ‘NO!’ and apparently pushed him through a wall.

Weiss: *Sits on bed with her knees pulled up, hugging her bear while hiding a wobbling lip as she realizes and RBY just sighs*

~~Four days later~~

Yang: *Grins* Called it.

Blake: Yes, because it was such a mystery that this was gonna happen after Weiss had it spelled out for her that Jaune still has it bad for her even if he was trying to get over her. I’ll admit I still don’t understand the way Weiss thinks or why Jaune would put himself through all of that just because Weiss was having a bad period when it was clear at the time she wasn’t even thinking of him that way, but c’mon Yang.

Yang: *Hand out*

Blake: *Rolls her eyes, puts Lien in her hand* Child.

*Meanwhile Weiss stands on her tiptoes, arms around Jaune’s neck and enjoys kissing her boyfriend*

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

Two things: One, I headcanon Cardin as gay and occasionally having a thing for Jaune if it isn’t entirely obvious. Two, I don’t want my Tumblr to be nothing but crack/lewd. I’d also like some occasional romance/wholesome content. This isn’t the best, but hopefully it’s not quite as bad as I think it is towards the end.

[fluffykitty1999-blog]

Burned- Chapter 1

"Here's your report, bastard." Ed muttered, tossing the packet of paper onto the desk.

Roy frowned, peering down at the messily scrawled report in front of him.

"So- another dead end, huh?"

"It wasn't a dead end!" Ed snapped. "It was just a... a detour from the real path to the stone."

"Sure." Roy muttered skeptically, picking up the report and thumbing through it, eyes going wide.

"A warehouse collapsed!?" his charcoal eyes snapped up, staring at Ed in shock.

"Yeah, but the place was condemned anyways, so don't go whining to me about property damage. Besides, there was nothing of value in there- I checked."

"You were inside!?" Roy blanched.

Ed scoffed. "Yeah. Shielded myself with my automail, and Al managed to help dig me out. 'S no big deal..."

Roy blinked, closing his eyes and counting to ten. One deep breath...

"That's where you're wrong, Fullmetal. I find your recklessness to be concerning." Roy said seriously.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Seriously!? Not this again. Your reputation is fine- nothing that could be linked back to you..."

"This isn't about my reputation, Ed!" Roy snapped, and Ed paused for a moment, surprised. Roy never called him by his real name.

"It's about you, Fullmetal." Roy slipped back into his authoritative role, tapping his gloved hand on the desk. "If you keep going like this- you're going to get yourself killed."

Ed opened his mouth, but his mouth fell closed as Roy raised a gloved hand to stop him.

"I'm not finished yet. You're gallivanting to the ends of the Earth searching for a myth- risking your very being for it. You aren't invincible, Fullmetal- you're either going to die in some altercations with shady characters who claim to have the stone, or run yourself into the ground."

Ed scoffed, arms crossed.

"Something interesting, Fullmetal?"

"You don't know what you're talking about. What we've lost. Al doesn't even have a body, and you're trying to convince me to give up!?" Ed lashed out viciously, kicking the brown couch that sat opposite Roy's desk and snarling...

Roy's eyes widened slightly, before he was back to his usual calm expression. "I never said give up, Fullmetal. I know you want your bodies back. I'm simply suggesting you cut your losses and stop searching for the stone. It can't be the only way to get your body back. With an alchemist as brilliant as you- you could probably find some other way..."

Ed slammed both hands down on Roy's desk. "There is no other way!" Ed was grinding his teeth, breathing heavily, before he was blinking rapidly.

"D-don't you think I've looked already? Do you think I'd keep doing this- keeping chasing the stone, dragging my little brother to the ends of the Earth- if there was any other way!?"

Roy blinked- clearly, he'd underestimated just how deep Fullmetal's scars ran. And he didn't mean the physical ones.

"Full-"

"Shut up!" Ed snapped, whirling, braid flying out behind him as his gold eyes burned. "Don't. Just don't. Don't try to talk me into something that you know nothing about. Just- read the stupid report, okay?" Ed ran his metal hand through his blonde locks and turned, heading for the door.

"Ed. Wait."

Edward showed no signs of stopping. He only had one goal in mind.

"That's an order."

Ed stopped, though he didn't turn around, glaring at the wall of Mustang's office like it had personally offended him.

Roy was about to speak- to coax the upset teen back to the couch and try and help him sort out the absolute tornado of emotions he was right now- when his phone rang.

Roy frowned, picking up.

"Roy Mustang here. Can this wait?"

"Roy!"

Roy groaned inwardly at hearing Hughes voice, expecting to be bored about the man's blathering about his family, but something in his friend's tone made him pay attention.

"...seventeen confirmed dead already- this dude is out for blood! We're mobilizing all alchemists to bring him down! Understand!?"

"Wait, what?" Roy was sitting straight up, now, paying complete attention. "I didn't catch that..."

"The Electric Touch Alchemist is on a rampage! He's in the west district of central- all units are mobilizing, but this guy's gone completely insane, Roy! He's killed a whole squadron of soldiers! Not much time to explain- we need team Mustang on the Eastern most side, we're trying to box him on. From 7th to 12th street, you got that!? We need you to mobilize asap!"

Roy was about to get up, but he paused.

"I can be there in 4 minutes, Hughes, but I need to know your orders!" he couldn't just waltz in there like he owned the place, he needed to know their objective...

There was silence on the other end for a moment, and Roy realized it must be serious, since Hughes was wasting precious seconds in such a serious situation.

"... He's killed three children in the past half hour. Ten of his victims were civilians. No military connections at all. Our orders are to stop him at all costs- he's to be taken dead or alive. I know you don't like to do that, but this guy... he's completely lost it, Roy. He has to be stopped, or he's gonna kill anyone he comes across..." Hughes sounded serious.

"I understand. We're moving out." Roy hung up the phone, getting to his feet and heading for the door.

He paused when he saw Edward still standing there, red cloak hanging to his ankles, golden eyes looking decidedly curious.

"I need to leave now, Fullmetal, but this discussion is not over, you understand me?" he said briskly. He fully intended to lecture the kid on the difference between devotion and recklessness when he got back, for the kid's own good...

"Where are you going?"

Roy paused for a moment, remembering what Hughes had said. "We're mobilizing all state alchemists against him..."

Not Ed. He wasn't sending Ed lout there- the kid was a genius, but he was also reckless, inexperienced, and likely exhausted. And Roy didn't want him facing this alchemist- not after what Hughes had told him about the man killing children... Roy suppressed a shudder as familiar screams sung out in his memory, mixed with the heat of flame.

"...Something's come up. I'll call you to reschedule-" he brushed past Fullmetal hurriedly, entering the outer office to find his men staring at him with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

Furey had no doubt picked up the distress calls on the radio and informed his comrades. They knew they'd be moving out.

Falman, Havoc, and Breda were loading their sidearms- Hawkeye had her sidearm already loaded and holstered, as always, as she was slinging a rifle over her shoulder, and she eyed him coolly, as always.

"Orders, Sir?"

"Dead or alive. But mostly dead. If it comes down to him or you- make sure you're the only walking out alive. Understood?"

Everyone in the room nodded.

"Good. Breda, you're on 7th, Havoc 9th, Falman, 11th. Furey- you take 13th and watch from the shadows, keep us updated on radio. Hawkeye- you take the rooftops. I'll be dealing with him personally." Roy tugged on his ignition gloves- they were already on securely, but it was an old habit.

Within 30 seconds, they were ready.

"Move out."

Within seconds, they were on the road, each in various cars as they raced towards the afflicted area.

Roy could feel the adrenaline- almost like the flames at his fingertips- thrumming along with his heartbeat in his chest.

It wasn't that he liked killing- rather, he loathed it- but if it meant he could protect innocent people, he'd do it in a heart beat.

Here we go again. he thought tiredly. Into the lion's den.

Hey there! If you’re enjoying this story, I’d super appreciate if you could drop me a couple bucks at https://ko-fi.com/fluffykitty12 . Your support helps me keep writing! :)

[9uk]

Let Me Stay Close To You : epilogue

⌲ summary : you were finally free from the worst nightmare of your life in high school. the doors of college welcomed you with open arms, you were set on living your best life in here, away from the toxicity back at home. that shimmer of hope in restoring your life, was somehow effortlessly crushed by a tap on your shoulder. “Hey Y/N, why don’t you say we catch up for a moment?”

⌲ pairing : bully!jungkook x reader

⌲ word count : 3k

⌲ genre : angst , fluff if you squint

⌲ warnings :  mentions of death , suicide , abuse

⌲ a/n : pardon me for I have a lot to say. I feel damn sad that this is really THE END of this series. feels only like yesterday that i decided to work on this baby. i’m sorry if there are any loopholes, i just sort of want to leave it to you guys to decide what had/is going to happen. as always, feedback is seriously more than welcomed! and I just wanted to say for all of you lonely souls out there, victims of bullying, people who are more insecure than they should be feeling, I LOVE YOU! I’m here for you, I’ve met so many people throughout a simple series and I’m always a listening ear for y’all! Don’t give up, press on <3 The road to self-love is a rough yet beautiful one! A big thank you for all my readers’ endless support and words of encouragement, as cliché as it sounds, I would never have made it to the end w/o you guys, no joke. I hope y’all stay with me! ^-^

**there are some references from forever rain by our wonderful leader Namjoon included in this writing.

part six  >  epilogue.

The rain drops falling on the surface of your umbrella only grows heavier with time.

The pattering is a constant rhythm that keeps you drowning in the bittersweet memories of the man lying before you, under you. Lowering the black parasol you have in hand, you shield your face from the series of footsteps approaching from afar. The sky is crying with you, and that puts your heart an inch closer to complete calamity. Your black leather gloves scrunch as you tighten your grip on the handle, your hand visibly shaking in unadulterated rage. Teeth clenched, you slow down your breaths and allow the last tear drop of longing to roll down your pale skin.

 The ends of your long coal dress is drenched with rain water and spluttered with mud, but that’s okay. 

Your boots are sinking into the soaked soil and you feel the wetness creeping into the sole of your feet, but that’s okay as well. 

The stalk of lily you had gently placed on his tomb is being slapped by the violent pouring of the dark grey clouds who mourn with you, but that’s okay too.

 Whether you dig six feet under this polluted ground, no matter how carefully you place the flowers you bring him every year, he would never come back into your life—and that’s not okay. That’s not okay at all, because the best friend you had loved so deeply had taken his own life to end his suffering.

The group of people walking your way is closing the distance and without another glance, you flee from the scene.

Stretching, you make your way to the bathroom to brush your teeth. It was the morning you had no clue was going to turn your life upside down. The glorious sun rays peeking through your curtains and the sweet singing of the birds flying outside your window grill couldn’t even save you from the catastrophe headed your way.

“Sweetie, there’s a letter for you!” The jingling of the car keys travel from downstairs and you quickly finish freshening up.

“Who is it from?” You ask, hand smoothening down the railing of the staircase as your tiny feet tap their way down the steps.

“It’s from Junghyun, sweetheart.”

Your eyes widen in surprise, before you scurry to your mother’s side and snatch the envelope from her hands.

The six-year old you understood the meaning of privacy, so you’re bolting back to your bedroom with a letter sent from your best friend in hand. And all excitement and anticipation was erased and instantly replaced by worry and fear when the first words you read are ‘I’m sorry’.

Your brows furrow harder and harder as you took in every line written on the piece of dreaded paper.

“So you’re saying that I should wait for her to knock off work to express my sincerity?”

Taehyung nods enthusiastically. “Look, I’m sorry for touching your girl the other day so trust me, this is the best advice I can give you,” Jungkook rubs his temple in frustration. “Doing that will definitely win her heart.” He looks away from his phone just long enough to send a wink.

“I-I’m not trying to get her or anything dude,” Jungkook plays with his fingers and his voice softens, “I just want her forgiveness, that’s all.”

And that is how you notice a certain man by the name of Jeon Jungkook strolling into the diner at 8 on a Sunday morning, orders a banana milkshake and occupies the small booth at the corner for a straight ten hours. He does nothing but play mobile games or doze off occasionally—or attempts to read a book he doesn’t even know the name of—but you will leave that out because he fails terribly every time. You thought you had made it as clear as day that the both of you were nothing more than a bully and victim, so why was he wasting his time here, sitting in the corner of Pop’s waiting for you? Unless…

The lengthy shift ends in the blink of an eye somehow, you don’t think it’s because of Jungkook’s presence and the lingering stares you receive from him—nonetheless you are gleefully waving Kihyun goodbye as you dump your apron into the staff cabinet. You don’t miss the way he shouts after you while wiping a plate dry in hand, “Have fun with your date! He’s a keeper.”

With a roll of your eyes that you know he can see despite not having to turn around, you walk through the backdoor and fish out your worn-out yet loyal pair of earpiece. You’re hoping that leaving from the behind would catch Jungkook off-guard, and that he wouldn’t be able to confront you or you wouldn’t have to bump into him. You couldn’t be more incorrect.

“Running away from me again, huh?” The cracks of the little stones in the gravelly ground beneath the sole of his Timberlands shoot through your ears in an unpleasant manner.

You dare not turn around to fully face him, too exhausted to deal with a person who held so much complications in your life at the moment. Moments later way too soon, he has stepped in front of you, leaving you with not many options.

“Y/N-” He reaches out to hold your hand, but you immediately flinch away as if it was a natural reflex whenever you were around him.

“Don’t touch me, Jungkook.”

His expression falls, along with the outstretched hand and he tucks it away in the pocket of his grey sweatpants.

“Listen I’m,” He runs his fingers through his brown hair and groans in annoyance directed at himself. “I’m..I’m just very sorry, okay?” His eyes are closed now, focusing on putting out the words that come from the bottom of his heart. “I really want the both of us to be something more than just a bully and victim,” Jungkook seemed unsatisfied with the status of the both of you. The walls you painstakingly build around yourself from the world is slowly but surely crashing down to the ground as he kept speaking about the possibility of redemption and forgiveness on your side.

“Can we be friends? I don’t know I just-”

He’s stumbling on his words now. Jungkook feels this inseparable connection with you, since your hearts connected when he hugged you to sleep, since you walk past him on the third day of college, he could literally recognise you anywhere and everywhere, the only face he would notice in a crowd, the only person he felt a sense of belonging to—or maybe ever since you bandaged his wounds up every time you visited.

Sometimes at night, he wonders why you stopped visiting after the death of his brother. Was he nothing more than a boy you took pity on? Was he not valid enough of a reason for you to come back?

He doesn’t know if it’s right to say it, or appropriate in any way but he knows about the value of second chances. After all, he was miraculously given one in life with the cost of his brother’s life.

“I missed you.”

The words falling out of his mouth comes to you as a shocker, eyebrows raised upon the claim.

“You were there for me at my lowest, when I got beaten up by my dad, abandoned by my mother,” Jungkook steps closer, and he steals the chance of you being momentarily stunned to grab your hands gently, cautiously.

He looks to the side, brows knitted in concentration to try and express himself in broken sentences in the best way possible. “You helped me, a-and all I did was try tear your life apart.”  

“Yeah, congratulations. You succeeded.” Your tone is menacing, filled with venom and vengeance for the guy who stood before you. But you still didn’t quite get the part of you assisting him in the past. Unless…

The next thing that happens is something you thought you would never be able to witness in your life. The forbidden tear seeps out of the corner of his eyes and flows down the cold skin of his cheek. Because your reply to his heartfelt confession is all it takes to shred the last bit of control he has of his emotions, before he is breaking down right in front of your eyes.

Out of pure instincts and zero intentions, you hold his hand back as a tiny form of reassurance.

You’re wondering if it is in you to protect and to help others in need, or it’s simply just because your heart is beginning to ache for Jungkook and the pain he has been through. It’s like for a minute or so, you have forgotten all about the traumas he created for you and the scars he left on your skin—because the distance between both your bodies are closed eventually (you don’t remember when exactly and who stepped forward) and you’re hugging a crying Jungkook.

It’s baffling how you are willing to put aside your feelings for someone like Jungkook. Maybe it’s in you, maybe it’s just in you, and you would do it for anyone else and it’s not solely because of Jungkook. But who were you lying to?

“I’m sorry Y/N…I really fucking am, god! I would do anything to gain your forgiveness,” Jungkook sobs into your shoulders. If only it were that easy—to forget about all his wrongdoings and eradicate the constant and lingering fear he introduced in you.

“It takes time,” You pull away from him, “but I guess I can try.” 

Your voice is barely above a whisper as you tell him your decision. His fingers wind up in your hair, clutching you close to the warmth of his body. 

You’d rather be free and experience the happiness that is paired with sorrow, then to swirl forever in a whirlpool of anxiety, self-pity and hatred. This could be a turning point for your life, and you were willing to take up on the offer because you had nothing to lose. 

Getting hurt will be an experience in your life, whether or not it does occur for the second time, you have grown to accept the way some people are and the way you choose to respond to ugly situations. You were constantly trapped in a cage of uncertainty and insecurity, blinded by the fog of stubborn overthinking and worrying, you failed to realise that the key to unlocking yourself from these bars are in your very own hands. It is a phase of learning, growing, accepting—and loving.

You’re hoping this chamomile tea would fight off the thoughts and memories of your late best friend. 

You carefully bring the hot liquid closer to your mouth, your lips resting on the circumference of the teacup, the lovely aroma dosed in the smoke produced flowing into your nostrils and reaching every part of your body. 

Your lonely umbrella stands quietly in the corner of this coffee shop, drenched and drying by itself. 

It was a rather empty coffee house, located opposite a goddamned cemetery, like which genius on earth decided to open a lovely café filled with sunflowers and tulips, fragrant coffee and sweet pastries beside a home for corpses? Or rather go to work every day seeing the dead and the frequent sad faces of their families.

But the shop came to rather good use for your mini hideout from the cruel family you detested.

After having a quick sip, a man dashes into the shop, the bells at the door ringing so violently the potted plants all turn to face the perpetrator in a face of disgust.

He hurriedly sweeps his hair back, rain water splattering everywhere and dusts the remaining droplets off his windbreaker, before heading further inside to find a seat.

Life never stops to amaze you in every single, way.

Jeon.

His shit-eating grin appears at the sight of you.

Jung.

“Oh, Y/N!”

Kook.

He makes his way over to your place and sits down without invitation.

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

It comes out at the same time quite amusingly, and light giggles emitted from the both of you.

“I came to visit a friend.”

“My parents came to visit my brother.”

Same time, yet again but you managed to catch onto his sentence.

“Why aren’t you with them? You hated him with all your life or something?” You try to joke and lighten the already very dark atmosphere, but you realised the worst mistake you could ever make was to say something like that about someone’s death.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to-” You quickly cover up and apologise, hoping Jungkook would take no offence to your stupid joke.

“No, it’s fine really. I didn’t know him that well anyways.”

You keep silent, not wanting to say anything insensitive anymore.

None of you said anything after that, and you feel worse than ever at the change in his expression—like he was hurt by something.

“To reply your question, no. My brother is the last person I would hate I guess. He helped me a lot.”

Confused, you probed further.

“What do you mean by that?”

Jungkook clears his throat and wraps his hands around your cup of tea to seek warmth.

“Well technically, he passed away, I still don’t know how but it saved me from the misery I went through when I was a child back then.”

You watch the smoke rise from the cup, fading into thin air as they soar higher.

I’m Junghyun’s brother, Jeon Jungkook.

The flushing of the rain has ceased to a slow drizzle, and the rain drops left on the window pane are in a race to see who reaches the bottom first.

Your eyes slowly look up to meet Jungkook’s, dawned upon the realisation of it all—the lost pieces of the jigsaw puzzle coming together to form the picture, finally.

Jungkook doesn’t see how your face had entirely changed, your features now plastered with disbelief and a burning urge to find out the truth. He continues blabbering on.

“Nothing surprising, but my parents see me as some bad omen and for me to visit my brother, that’s strictly not allowed. But I have a company dinner to attend to later on so I tagged along and roamed the surroundings of this graveyard since I couldn’t-”

“Wait,” You grab your bag and stand up. “Come with me. You have to see something.”

He mumbles a ‘oh sure why not’ and the both of you are walking towards the group of people you saw earlier on.

“Y/N, is that you?” The whole family lifts their heads to take a good look at you, not paying much attention to the man you’ve brought along with you.

“Oh my, how beautiful you’ve grown!” She exclaims once she confirms that it is indeed you, best companion of their first son. His father turns even more gloomy at the sight of you, his lips curling downwards even more, as if he has been brought back to the times when you came over and played water balloon fights, kicked soccer balls for fun and climbed tress— with his son. His one and only son that he had already lost.

“Why won’t you let Jungkook see him?” Not even a greeting is spared and you may be coming off as impolite, but on serious note you couldn’t care less if it’s anything got to do with these monsters of a parents. Jungkook raises his brows at how daring you were to use that tone against his powerful family.

You’re only met with silence and you push Jungkook to the front, to which he only looks down, seemingly afraid of his parents.

“That’s because I only have one son! And it will be like that forever!” His father raises his voice at you and you don’t even flinch. You almost want to thank Jungkook deep down, for forcing you to become such a tough bitch honestly.

“Then let me tell you now, that your one and only son is gone from this world forever because of none other than his cruel father!”

The clouds decide to release the rest of the water it contains, to wash away all the unspoken misdeeds and cleanse the sins in this corrupted family.

Everyone shuts up at your accusation, his parents know more than their son being reported on the news as a death caused by an accident, behind closed doors are devious secrets and pretentious lies. Everyone knows, only Jungkook is standing there completely clueless about the whole situation. Your umbrella lowers, to hide your bitten lip and tear-stained face. Jungkook takes the handle from your hand and carries it for you, putting his hand around your shoulder to pull you close to him.

It’s hard to see your tears in the pouring rain.

I’m sorry.

Because by the time you are probably reading this, I am already dead.

I’m sorry for scaring you with the sudden news like that but it is something that had to be done. I am tired of the nightmares and scary monsters that creep on me at night. I am tired of hugging my pillow so tight and trying to block off the screams coming from downstairs. I am so afraid, Y/N. I have no idea what my parents are doing behind my back, but it surely sounds like nothing good. I am living in this house with terror and I cannot do this anymore. Sometimes I really want to tell you how scared I am at night when I hear those sounds in the house but knowing you, you will come and help me and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. There is a bottle of rat poison in the storeroom, just know that the cause of my death isn’t from some accident or something that my parents will put on the news. I’m not that clumsy like you haha. This is the only way to save everyone from this misery and I chose this path myself. I will always love you, you know that right? I’m sorry I’m weak and I cannot handle fear. You are strong I know it and you will get over this. Look at the moon when you’re sad okay? Take good care of yourself, Always have you in my heart.

[im-tops-bottom]

Dear Anonniiee~....

"Clint call the doctor's pronto. Natasha get...."

Everything became a blur for everyone since then. People were on autopilot trying to bring back Tony. He was rushed to the medical suite and almost died on the table a couple of times. There were times everywhere after managing to get Tony back to an alright stable condition.

What felt like an hour or so later everyone was gathered around as the doctor took a look at the notes.

"he is alright and the baby is now in a somewhat stable condition"

Steve was the first to speak up as everyone was stunned into silence trying to process what they just heard.

"I'm sorry what did you say? That can't be right"

"I'm sorry I thought you all knew"

Natasha stepped up looking at the doctor like she was going to interrogate him.

"he has been coming to me for a couple of months now. He said that he had already told everyone but wanted to keep it as a surprise for bu- what's going on?"

"what do you mean what's going on? We should be asking you that. I know you were about to say bucky. What has he got to do with any of this?"

"fine let's share stories. When Tony and Bucky first met they instantly connected. Next thing you know Bucky helps Tony through his heat. A day later a baby is rapidly growing in his tummy."

"what do you mean rapidly growing?"

"well a mix between Starks extremis and Barnes' super serum this baby Is slightly growing faster than a normal baby. Tony is looking at 3 more months until Tony gives birth rather than 6 months"

Steve feels like his gonna be sick. No one told him anything. If he had known then maybe none of this would have happened.

"Steve are you okay?"

Steve looks worryingly at the doctor before sighing. It's better that everyone heard what happened now then find out in the future.

"over 2 months ago when we had that fight in the airport, that wasn't the only time we fought."

"oh god I remember that. I helped Wanda send cars on top of him. Oh god the stress he went through between us and the acc- wait what do you mean wasn't the only time?"

"zemo showed Tony what really happened to his parents"

"Jesus Steve when we found out I told you to tell him."

"I couldn't do it Nat. I wanted to keep him happy and protected."

"just because you were in love with the man doesn't mean you should lie or keep secrets"

"woah woah woah in love? Parents? What the hell is going on?"

"Tony found out that Bucky killed his parents and that I kept him from him. He didn't take it to well and sent me flying to the ground. Next thing you it's a 2 v 1 all guns blazing. Wait! Doc he took so many punches to the stomach and a shield to tje chest. Not to mention flying in that suit! The baby couldn't have survived that"

"we thought so too. If anyone payed close attention to Tony's stomach then you would have seen a glow on his stomach. The baby healed itself using extremis"

"oh cool kinda like the doc in Doctor who with all that nano energy mumbo jumbo what was is called again?"

"doctor what now?"

"oh my god once Tony has healed and we all have a civilly stern talk with one Anthony stark about how we are going to bundle him up and lock him awa- hold up now. Woah woah woah back the frick frack paddy wack up TONY'S AN OMEGA!?!"

Everyone facepalmed at the sudden realization too busy worrying about Tony and the baby that it suddenly crossed their mimds thanks to the class clown Clint.

"yeah I thought you all knew. I mean Bucky did"

"ahhh soul mates. Never question a bond when it's a soulmates bond. They know everything about each other after meeting for just a split second. I love watching shows and movies based around those types of plots."

"okay so tony is actually an omega and not a beta. The only omega on a team filled with just alphas. I'm guessing he had suppressants. Has a secret thing with Bucky. Has his own secret thing which has cost him his life. Almost lo-"

"Jesus what is with us cutting off our sentences when we realize something. What's the matter?"

"from what pepper has been telling me, Tony has been under alot of stress lately. He hasn't been eating and sleeping well. I'm guessing it was taking a toll on the baby?"

"yes that is correct"

"great then I as the greatest man to ever live the oh so great cl- ow!"

"just get on with it"

"Clint Barton! Has decided we bring back the helper of this mess. I'm sure he can leave or bring his pet goat I don't mind but the thing hates me as an FYI. Ok ok put your hands down I don't need a group slapping session thanks. Anyway, we sit Tony down and we have a group meeting followed by a family bonding time. Let's clear the air, especially between Tony and Bucky because there is going to be alot of tension."

"what do you mean oh wise clint Barton?"

"it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Dude they must have bonded their first night together completely. Like bite and everything. It must have been hard for Tony with all his omega and baby hormones and then the stress of us and the accords to finding out information he should have known in the first place"

"not to mention the asshole who caused all of this not only fought him and almost killed him but also broke the bond and left him in this mess a couple of months later without so much as a call or letter"

"Bucky when did you get here? How much did you hear?"

"heard all of it Stevie. Got here the moment something happened. Friday called Shuri when I was down in the gym. Stephen was there to help out with a project she was working on so he portaled me right here. How's he doing doc?"

"he's in a stable condition now. How about everyone get settled down, have a bite to eat...."

"how about goat curry? Ow! Would you guys stop it"

"no I think not"

After everyone settles down they leave the medical suite and go watch a movie to calm themselves down.

It's not until the next day when everyone woke up to a shocked voice.

"what are all of you doing in my room?"

Everyone rushes up and hugs Tony giving him a good old group hug.

"okay have I gone through a time machine? Or did I get sent to a different reality? Friday?"

"I'm here boss. No you are still in the same timeline. This is what people call a group hug"

"better watch that sass before I remove it in your next upgrade and replace it with a water pistol"

"that will so much better because I can't sass fire off of you when you experiment"

"my own baby is talking back to me. I am shocked"

"I learned from the best boss"

"damn straight you have now can some one please tell me whats going on he-oomph"

Everyone stares in shock as a teary eyed Clint kisses the life out of Tony and while Tony is in shock Clint bites Tony's bond mark causing the smaller man to Yelp.

"wow I'm the youngest here, completely pregnant and this is how I'm treated"

Tony gets another shock as a growl comes out of Clint's mouth before he is slammed onto the bed. He gets a cry baby sitting on his lap leaving kisses all over his face.

"I'm sorry for leaving you, for going against you, for not listening to you, for demanding to much, for bullying you, for putting huge amounts of stress on you, for beig so angry at you when I was actually angry at the government, for hurting you, for saying nasty shit and for possibly being the worst best friend anyone could ever have. Please please please forgive me. I promise I won't bring harm to you ever again. if you can't trust me now then at least, actually it would be better if you don't trust me now. I just bit your bond mark and kissed you without permission"

"you think you moron?"

"well obviously I wasn't thinking. That's how we became best friends right? Because we don't think? Speaking of thinking"

Clint starts slapping Tony's thighs

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING PUTTING YOU AND YOUR BABY AT RISK YOU STUPID BRATTY PIECE OF SHIT! AS SOON AS WE SAY WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY THEN I AM ORDERING UP LARGE AND FORCE FEEDING YOU FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS! Who's next!?!"

Natasha ripped a pouting Clint away before she ruffled Tony's hair and kissed his cheek smiling.

"I think Pepper would get angry if I marked you"

"2 fiery red heads filled with love for each other. Can only imagine what a fight between you two would look like"

"even though she is an omega she is a fiery hot headed one. Hmmmm I remember when I thought she was just a beta. Kinda reminds me of someone I know"

"okay I can explain"

"explain later for right now"

Sam comes jumping on Tony and sobs his heart out.

"im so sorry Tony. You know I didn't mean any of it. Neither did vision. It was just a poorly executed mess"

"you do realize I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to for that"

"I know. I apologized to vision and well you know how Rhodey gets"

"hey don't worry Sam. Don't give up. He'll come around. Rhodey has forgiven me and doesn't blame me for it. He at least talked to me. I don't know what's wrong with T'Challa"

"like I said Sam, he'll come around"

"I hope so. Just know that if you really truly forgive me then you would name your baby after me"

"wait how"

"don't worry about it. Any way come on Clint, Nat let's get our of here for this one"

Clint pouts and makes grabby hands for Tony as he gets dragged out by Nat.

Tonys heart stops as he sees one of the people he doesn't want to see. He stands up and his hand goes straight to his chest. Face hardens as he looks directly into the blondes eyes.

"please don't put your walls up. I promise I won't hurt you ever again"

"I don't trust you"

"then I'll take my time to earn your trust back and wait patiently. For now please just hear me out"

"now why would I do that Steve? Did you ever listen to me?"

"ouch okay yeah I deserve that. What I also should have deserved was you actually showing off your strength and kill me in siberia. That's the least I deserve for what I put you through"

"Steve look. What happened back there wasn't just your fault but all of ours. We butted heads instead of talking it out like a family"

"but your parents"

"I am extremely hurt because of that. I wouldn't have been that bad if you had told me in the first place. As you can see I wasn't angry at Bucky. I was angry at Hydra for turning him into their bitch, I was angry because instead of hearing it from someone I care alot about, I hear it from the monitor set up by a damn villain. I was angry because no one listened to me about what I can do if everyone signed. Even team iron Man spoke against me, then again at least they stood by my side"

"okay okay I deserve that too"

"damn right you do. Look I'm not in a place to send or receive forgiveness yet. Hell none of us do but that shouldn't stop any of from working tofuckengether and finding out where on God's green earth is the bloody hulk and Thor because then that airport battle would have been awesome!"

"that's not fair"

"why isn't it fair?"

"because then banner wouldn't want to participate and the hulk would have been on your side while Thor protects his omega from getting hurt thus realizing he will need to be on team iron Man because of the hulk. We would have been outnumbered. Not to mention my ex chose you over me"

"don't regret it"

"but I do"

"why?"

[grailacademy]

Welcome To Grail Academy - Chapter Seventeen: Night Sounds Loud

“Hold you tongue, Clover!” A lanky man yelled and rose out of his chair. His burgundy pinstripe suit bore the insignia of the city of Calicem on his lapel in the form of an enamel pin, and below it hung four ribboned metals. Madehold glared at him from where she sat, her fingers drumming on the table that separated them. Ms.Divine stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder. They were in an office, an unfamiliar one that had a dome-shaped ceiling and windowless walls. It was lit like a hospital, harsh lights illuminating the alarmingly sanitary white floors. It was the office of Calicem’s governor, a portly old man with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses that reclined in his matching gold-plated chair. The tall man who yelled peered at the mayor, waiting for him to stand to his defense. The rest of those sitting at the table were the department heads of the school, Kismet, Pearl, Choi, and other old men in suits and ties who worked in the government.

“We lose more students each year that we don’t address the problem! They’re getting suspicious.”

“They’re children, Clover.” The golden-eyed man chortled, “So a few of them get upset. That’s what teenagers do!”

“They’re not just kids, you old dunce!” Madehold argued, continuing her speech before the man in the suit could yell at her again. “You are aware that the school is training highly skilled hunters, aren’t you?”

The tall man growled and gestured to a line of police officers in armored uniforms waiting by the door. “And we have our own highly skilled workforce. Our men are toiling night and day to uncover their whereabouts. You should mind your manners in front of the governor!”

Kismet murmured from the corner of his mouth to Miss Pearl, “What a twat.”

“Buh-I HEARD THAT!” He cawed out.

“You were supposed to,” Kismet hissed.

Madehold rubbed her knees impatiently with the palms of her hands, directing the conversation to the governor. “Voshkie, I can’t in good conscience sit and wait for you to cover this up while people gather pitchforks and torches against me. We have to go public.”

“In time.” The corpulent politician straightened his cufflinks, motioning for his slender counterpart to sit down. His paunchy hands combed through a thick mane of grey hair. Voshkie appeared much more relaxed than everyone else in the meeting, judging by the lazy posture in which he rested. “While I appreciate your passion for this project, I have to take the state of my voters into consideration. The city is fragile enough as it is, the last thing we want is to cause panic.”

“Sir. With all due respect, diplomacy hasn’t exactly been one of Calicem’s strong suits.”

“There is a vast difference between statesmanship and riots in the streets.” Voshkie shifted in his chair as he talked, and the other men in suits nodded along to every word he said. “The border is still protected, the Hedge Witches haven’t made a single public attack, and our people are safe. Let me do my job, and I’ll let you do yours.”

Being outdoors gave Yorick a much-needed breath of fresh air. The factory, though it was as large as the school, felt stuffy. There was a vast space of rolling fields behind the structure, overgrown with tall stalks of grass. He ran his hands over the blades of foliage during the time that he crossed the meadow. Sable stood a few yards in front of him. “Semblances are a core facet of our beings. They make us who we are.”

She brushed a stray hair out of her face, stepping back. “Your semblance is connected to your aura, like a defense mechanism. It’s an adaptation.”

“It feels more like a self-destruct button to me.”

“That’s not your fault, Yorick. It’s only nature!” Her bare feet crunched under the dirt and sticks scattered on the ground, keeping her head high. She called out to him, “Humans are still animals. We simply happen to be a bit smarter than dogs and birds.”

Yorick wrung his hands apprehensively. He didn’t understand the lesson she was trying to teach, but at least he was away from the factory. “Close your eyes. Focus. Your powers react to your stress and feelings, so dig deep. Think about a time when you felt raw emotion. Use those memories, center in on them. Clear your mind of everything else. You are living in those moments.” He did his best. Squeezing his eyes shut, Yorick balled his fists and thought back on his life. On everything.

His grandmother. His school. Esmerelda. Bernard. Nico. Rettah.

He couldn’t feel anything. “I-I can’t do it. It’s too much!” He opened his eyes and looked across at his mentor, who was slowly inching farther away. “Breathe, Yorick! Block it out!”, Sable shouted. He took a sharp gust of air into his lungs and held it. He was trying so hard, but deep down he knew that he didn’t want to face what would be left if he pushed everything away. He heard Sable’s voice ring out again, “You have to confront it, Yorick.” He let the air leave through his nostrils, shutting his eyes again.

His mom. His dad. Buck.

Sable watched him intensely. His hands were clenched and shaking, a tear rolled down his pale cheek, steam began to rise off his shoulders. “Good.” She remembered the newspaper clippings about Azora Navyn. A bull of a hunter who barreled through Remnant like a wildfire. She was headstrong, almost all the articles that were written about her were reporting the millions in property damage she costed cities when she was on missions. But she got the job done. Her notoriously explosive abilities placed her at the top of job lists, and landed her plenty of celebrity interviews on late-night talk shows.  She even had her own superhero comic book series, The Blue Inferno. If Sable could get Yorick to control that power, she would be unstoppable.

“Now, find a point to anchor that stress to. Hold it in one place. Don’t release it.” Yorick pictured the energy flowing from his chest to every corner of his body, and he could feel the back of his throat get hotter. All was still, he managed to contain it. Sable smiled with mirth, clapping. “That’s great! Let it spread throughout you, but don’t let go of it.”

Yorick came to a realization. His semblance was still a major part of him, but it wasn’t who he was. He never hurt anybody. His power did. He was not his mistakes. Unexpectedly, his stomach gurgled. Lunch before training might have been a bad idea, He thought. He clamped his lips shut, but it couldn’t stop the raucous belch that burst from within. Following the burp, a stream of blue fire leapt out of his mouth like a flamethrower, scorching the portion of the meadow that he was facing. Sable dove out of the line of fire just in time, dropping down with her hands on top of her head. When she rose from the protection of the dry grass and gazed at the long patch of black earth next to her, she purred, “It’s a good start, at least.”

“You want me to WHAT!?” Nico hollered, pausing in his sparring match with Bernard mid-punch. They were training hand-to-hand in the tournament hall that was once again empty after Prom. His opponent swept his leg and knocked Nico’s feet out from under him, and he fell on his bottom with an “oof” sound.

“It’s the perfect opportunity. The exams are done off-campus, all you need to do is distract the professors while we sneak away to investigate Madehold’s office.” Esmerelda leaned over the railing on the bleachers, guarding her friend’s belongings while they fought.  Nico grunted and patted the dust off his pants, and Bernard put his guard back up, elbows close to his chest. “Listen, you know I’m always down for delinquency and teenage mayhem.” Nico swung a high kick, but Bernard caught his foot in the air and stopped it from connecting, “Anarchy is like, my whole thing!” He arched his free hand in a right hook and slugged Bernard in the shoulder, though Bernard didn’t show any sign that he was hurt by it, “But I can’t afford to flunk this test. It’s my last chance at a passing grade!” Bernard turned his wrist and flipped Nico over, sending him falling to the floor a second time.

Esmerelda bit her lip, displeased. “He’s your teammate too, darling.” Both boys twitched at that, and Bernard helped Nico up before he reproached, “So was Yale.”

“Yo. Dude.” Nico took his partner by the forearm and gave him a concerned look, using the worry in his eyes as a warning. The flood lights flickered, making the circular shape from the skylight above quiver. “This is different.” Esmerelda’s palms squeaked against the cold metal railing, jumping over the bar into the arena. She carried herself like an animal on the prowl, and Bernard puffed his chest out when she walked up to him. “This time we know the who, why, and how.”

“So you’ve given up on Yale, then?” He folded his arms as she got closer, pointing her chin up to him as if it were a dagger. Nico attempted to interject, “Don’t talk about her like that”, but it was no use. Esmerelda and Bernard were locked on one another.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I just,” Esmerelda threw her hands up in exasperation, “Whatever! You don’t want to help, fine. I’ll do it myself.” She turned tail and left in a huff, flipping the collar on her coat up to shield her face from the wind outside as she crossed the quad back to their dorm.

“Bernie?” Nico spotted the other boy leaving in the opposite direction, gathering his things and throwing his bag over his shoulder. He was torn, glancing from Bernard to Esmerelda on their ways out. “Uhhhhh, crap crap crap, uh….” Frantic, he finally made a choice and snatched his jacket.

“Esme, wait up!” He ran after her, pausing to pant once he caught up to her outside. She seemed less than happy about the situation. “What, are you going to scold me as well?” She spoke through gritted teeth, walking so briskly that Nico had to jog to keep up with her.

“No, enough with the tantrum! What is going on with you lately?”

“My partner was abducted by terrorists, and nobody is doing anything about it. That’s what is going on.”

“You think we don’t miss Yorick too?” Nico craned his neck to make eye contact with Esmerelda, but she refused to look at him. He stepped in front of her and started to walk backwards, making himself an unavoidable line of sight. “You think Bernard isn’t worried sick about him? You think I bruised my ribs for FUN?” He did kind of enjoy the fight at the hotel, but that wasn’t the point. “We all want him back. And we’ll find him! But we can’t get anywhere if you’re throwing people to the beowolves left and right.”

“I’m not-”

“You’re our leader! We need an actual plan.”

“I do have a plan!”

“That was not a plan, babe.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “That was a recipe for disaster.” Esmerelda took a minute to consider all the possible ways her idea could go awry.

“Okay….maybe you’re right.”

“I know I am~”

“But I won’t apologize to Bernard. In fact, he should be the one saying sorry.”

“Oh, come on!” Nico punched the air in frustration, complaining “Why do I have to babysit you guys!? I’m supposed to be the irresponsible one!”

She laughed quietly, finding some joy in Nico’s protests.

“I’m the Devilishly handsome bad boy! The out-of-control party animal!”

“That’s debatable, darling.”

“I don’t wear a helmet when I ride my bike! I sit in chairs backwards! I eat ice cream even though I’m Lactose intolerant! I leave my shoes untied! I stole chapstick once! I brush my teeth and drink orange juice after I’m done! I’m crazy!”

Esmerelda couldn’t help but smile, knowing that her friend had done his job in cheering her up. “Alright, alright. I’ll talk to him.” As they strolled to their dorm, crossing the shortcut on the grassy quad, she sighed and saw the small puff of fog that was her breath swirl in the cold night air. “....We shouldn’t have brought up Yale like that. I’m sorry.” He smiled at her to show he appreciated the apology. The act of silently forgiving her warmed Esmerelda’s heart.

With Nico and Esmerelda cooling off in their room, Bernard rummaged through his backpack for his scroll. 3 missed calls from his mother. That couldn’t be good. He tapped her icon and waited for the ringing to cease. “Mamá ¿Estás bien?”

Long after all the students went to bed, albeit somewhat earlier than usual because of the new curfew, the headmaster slunk through the empty hallways of the school. She was tired, she had been working late into the night. Madehold snuck over the quad and stood at the base of the menacing clocktower. It loomed over her and the academy like the shadow of a great beast, its grey stones and bricks serving as a grim reminder of their mortality. She pulled a off a key tied with a ribbon around her neck and inserted it into the old wooden door. The sounds that the structure made as she moved through it, the aches and moans of the door’s hinges and the rickety stairs, echoed inside the tower. A low, green glow shone through the cracks and holes between its stone walls, and although nobody noticed it, the hands on the face of the clock slowly stopped ticking.

[kingofthenorth49]

You light up my life

Tonight Lenz ate the last of the Walmart solar lights. It was like the solitary survivor, the last man standing so to speak, then in an instant, it was over.

“Your dog is eating the last light”. Funny, he’s always my dog when his behavior is like a left leaning college student. Over the last 35 years she has developed a very unique way of reminding me of my bad decisions in life, and has perfected the art of not letting me ever forget them.

Those lights, the thirteen of them, have stood a silent vigil over the west side of our pool since 2017. I paid good money for them, a buck fifty if I recall correctly, plus the cost of the plastic bag of course. I remember bringing them home and deploying them between each of the cedars we planted with the intention of having them grow into a hedge that would shield the pool from the back sides of the Rupert street neighbors.

The cedars are dead too. Pretty sure Lenz is responsible for that as well, apparently he doesn’t believe in using one spot for relief, he’s got to spread the love around like some French sailor on shore leave.  

Tabernac. Thanks Dan for building that one into my lexicon.

So I think it was Christmas day when I realized the ugly truth that’s been hiding in plain view all along. I realized then that I had psychologically repressed it, likely to make him more loveable, more warm and loving given the way he looks and acts sometimes, but the cold hard truth is as unavoidable as Hunter Biden dipping into the collection plate as it passes by at church on Sunday. My dog is a socialist.

Speaking of Karl Barks, he’s put a few pounds on as of late, seems our diet and exercise regiment some what deviates from the RCMP Dog services cadet program. Last weekend I decided to take Lenz and do some lead work at the bird sanctuary and when I put his black tracking harness on, it was, ahem, a bit snug. A bit snug means I had to take it off him and loosen all the straps to get the clips to properly snap. I guess he has not avoided the COVID-19 twenty like most people.

But I digress.

So why would I think my new dog of five months is a card carrying socialist?

First it’s his economic dependency on the state. Less than six months ago he was on track to be the next K( dog wonder of the world, chasing bad dudes and finding bad stuff and riding around in a cool SUV all day with unarguably the coolest team member of the RCMP force, the dog handler. Ok, so I took a bit of liberty right there, sorry (You know who you are).  Anyway, he had a job, was earning his keep and his future looked bright right up until some bad choice or decision ended his life’s ambition and he found himself on a 5 AM flight out of Calgary heading for a new home outside the force.

He doesn’t work anymore, well, he doesn’t work HARD anymore. By that I mean he puts in some effort to sit and beg occasionally, usually at the supper table, and he still likes to chase balls in the back yard until he doesn’t, until it’s time for his mid-afternoon nap, which is slightly longer than his late afternoon nap.

His basic essentials are taken care of, his food, shelter and needs are met by the state (Gloria and I).

He gets free health care (and boy does he like taking advantage of that!)

He watches TV and whenever he sees a working dog on Border Security or Live PD he just yawns and goes back to chewing his bone.

He barks at other dogs who are out walking by with their owners, only because they are doing something he doesn’t want to, so therefore he needs to bark-shame them into submission.

He has developed a wait and see attitude towards any instruction offered towards him.

He feels entitled to sit by the table and stare at you unwaveringly until you submit and offer him something from your plate, which he had no part in preparing but fully expects to receive the benefit of.

The other night we were all enjoying pre-bedtime snuggles on the bed when a picture fell off the wall in the dining room (I’m sure the ghost had something to do with that) and he heard the bang, issued a single bark, and went right on back watching the Real Housewives of Orange County with Gloria. Didn’t even stand up.  (Ed note. As I’m writing this, coffee in hand in front of the warm fire, his fur-ship is sitting here on the couch with me, chewing his favorite rubber kong bone in a rhythmic pattern. I don’t recall him paying for that either….) Let’s just say he’s not exactly earning his keep.

Yep, he’s become a socialist. He might even be a communist, but we haven’t had him long enough to understand his politics yet.

Now as you can imagine this presents some level of frustration for me as I believe we all must contribute, if not only for the good of society, for our own personal sense of well-being. One only needs look no further than these ill-advised lockdowns to see the damage caused by idle hands. Don’t get me wrong, it’s incumbent upon society to protect those who can’t help themselves, but I also just as firmly believe it’s our responsibility to contribute not only to our own keep if we can, but to the general good (i.e. by paying taxes to fund common need).

Don’t get me wrong, if they can change the world into a panacea of love and unicorn farts with this “great reset” and make the world a better place, I’m all for it. But unfortunately, I read a lot and it’s been tried over and over again with epic fail results each time, most recently in Venezuela, which is now suffering greatly and on an economic slide of historical proportions.

But that’s not real socialism is it.

Reality would be if we stopped supporting Mr. Barks with food, shelter and love, he would quickly become feral and have to forage for food, something to which he’s not accustomed. He’s have to fight others’ for food and shelter, compete for resources as it were.

I’m sure he’d be fine, his 275 pounds of jaw strength and his tenacity would ensure he didn’t want for food, but the same can’t be said for the poodles of the world. The only concern he has to face is the lack of an opposable thumb. Opening doors will be a challenge.

Anyway, we are still today in a free market economy, so after I muster up the inclination to grab a shower off we will go to Co-Op to pick up a new $70 bag of Ekanuba dog food (which surprisingly Lenz will have forgotten his wallet at checkout) and maybe we will head out to the bird sanctuary for a hike to burn off some of those snacks we’ve been getting overly accustomed to during the break.

I do know one thing, at some point we are going to run a few tracks today, and by we, I me he. He’s going to earn his keep while he can, because we all need a sense of self-worth and pride to keep us healthy and on the right track.

Go out there today and give it your best shot, because if it’s your best shot and at the end of the day you feel good with the results, you are doing ok. If you aren’t satisfied with the results, take stock of why they aren’t and adjust your approach, you’ll get there.

Just never leave any of that to anyone else. They won’t ever have your best interest at heart like you will.

That’s freedom.

Jim Out.