#so we're getting our blood drawn right

[wellthatschaotic]

im. so hungy

[thinkingaboutbetterdays]

meeting house. ( james wilson x reader )

gif belongs to me

The friendship between James and Greg had lasted far longer than any of his marriages. When you met the cynical diagnostician after he followed James during his lunch break to a café you were meeting at, you knew how important he was to your boyfriend and how exasperated James could be with him sometimes. House crashed your lunch date and started grilling you about your past and your relationship with James who tried to get him to leave.

You sent him a smile to reassure him that it was okay and allowed House to ask questions he designed to test your responses.

"How do you find his sexual prowess? Satisfactory?"

"House!"

You giggled as you ate a fry. "Very."

James raised an eyebrow at your reply, looking at House when he continued, "And you aren't worried about his failed marriages and his serial cheating?"

"Okay, that's enough."

"No." You pushed your plate closer when House ate your fries, leaning your arms on the table, mirroring him. "My sexual prowess is very satisfactory."

A slight smirk formed on House's lips and he looked at James who sat in stunned silence. "Is it?"

"Is what?"

House rolled his eyes, "Is sex with her very satisfactory?"

"I am not discussing this with you." James enunciated every word, sighing as he attempted to convince House to leave.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt."

"What does?" James looked between you both, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

You raised an eyebrow at your boyfriend, masking your amusement. "You don't think sex with me is great?"

"What? No - well, yes! Of course, it is! But do we need to discuss our sex life in a crowded diner?" James pouted, panicking at the thought of you being upset with him.

"Aw, he's blushing!"

You smiled when House teased him, and James smacked his hand away before he could pinch his cheek.

House stood up, leaning on his cane. "This isn't over." He took a handful of fries from your plate. "Thanks for the fries." He walked away and you looked at James who was trying to process the last twenty minutes.

"So are you satisfied with sex with me or not?"

Your casual tone broke his thoughts and he shook his head as he leaned closer. "Our sex is incredible. Right?"

You smiled, pecking his lips. "Good answer."

James observed for a moment as you continued eating lunch. "You know, you handled that much better than, well, anyone who comes into contact with House."

You shrugged, "I like him. It was entertaining."

"No, no, that's how he gets you. He tricks you into thinking it's fun but really we're all lab rats in a big cage. Trust me, I've known him a long time and I can't get rid of him."

You giggled as he began to eat his lunch. You knew that despite the banter between them, they cared a lot about each other.

Over the years you got used to having House in your life and to James's relief and dismay you both got along much better than any of his past wives. Although House still asked inappropriate questions or made remarks, but you left him speechless more than once with your responses.

You were willing to indulge his madness at times and James regretted not dragging House out of the diner as the two of you had gotten along so well ever since. You were the first woman House had ever approved of and James couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

On days like today, he was more inclined to believe the latter.

He entered exam room two in the clinic and sighed when he saw House drawing blood from your arm. You both lifted your heads as he closed the door.

"Hi, honey." You greeted him with a smile.

"Hi, honey." House echoed with a smirk.

"What are you doing?"

"We're taking it to the lab to test it." You explained.

James huffed, turning to glare at House who removed the needle and pressed a cotton ball where he had drawn blood. "What did I tell you about doing experiments with my wife?" 

"It'll be cool and I was bored."

"It'll be cool and she was bored. I was bored, and now you're all caught up."

James glanced at the ceiling, summoning the remaining crumbs of his patience as he put his hands in the pockets of his white coat. "She is not a pin cushion whenever you want to get out of clinic hours."

"I know, but she looks so hot doing it."

"This is the last time you run tests on my wife. I mean it."

House slowly nodded, seeing the anger concealed in his eyes. If you weren't in the room, he was sure James would've punched him by now.

"Can we still test this one?" You looked at your husband hopefully.

James waved a hand, "Sure."

You grinned, hopped off the chair, and looped your arm with his as you kissed his cheek. "Love you."

"I love you too. Seriously, no more tests. And no more House."

"Finally, I can catch up on my sleep. Does she always talk that much?" House led the way out of the exam room and you glared at his back as you followed him out of the clinic to the elevator.

"Hey! You asked how my day was going."

"The only acceptable response to that question is one-word answers. I don't need a full account of everything you did, and the people you spoke to."

You looked at your husband, "Can I kick him over?"

"Children, behave." He chuckled when you swatted his chest as you got into the elevator.

"If you don't want to know how my day is going, don't ask. But if you call to whine about a patient I will hang up."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Finer."

"That's not a word." House scoffed, hitting the button with his cane.

You turned to James, tugging on the lapels of his coat, "You have never looked finer." His lips curved upward in amusement when you smugly smirked at House. "It's a word. My husband defines the word."

James placed a hand on your back, shaking his head as you and House continued bickering back and forth, sarcastic remarks bouncing off the elevator walls.

"You know, I really regret the day you two met."

"Me too," House replied.

You turned, hitting his arm.

"Ow!"

James looked at the ceiling, shaking his head with a sigh, although there was a small smile on his lips. Despite the bickering between you and his best friend, he knew you cared about each other. When House invited you to the hospital, he knew it was the cynical doctor's way of bonding with you and ever since you were introduced he had run multiple tests and sometimes fudged the results to make it seem like you had an illness. One day, James had been worried sick, and when House revealed the truth, he had punched him in the hallway. 

House leaned forward to whisper in his ear as you exited the elevator. "Say the word and I will infect her with a disease that will -"

"Don't finish that sentence."

[ripdragonbeans]

Love In The Darkest of Places // Modern!Aemond x Reader

Summary: You and Aemond have been best friends from the moment you met. Growing up, there were many ups and downs but one thing was always constant: Aemond was always there.

Warnings: loss of a body part, gore, blood, profanity.

Masterlist

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3

One thing that has always drawn you to Aemond, even when you two were in elementary school, was his brain. In the afternoons you would work on homework together and on the weekends you would play. School was very important to both of you, even at such a young age.

“That's not the answer!” You cried when you double checked your work. “Math is hard.”

Aemond laughed at you. “Math isn't hard, you just need to think.”

“Says you. You're like a genius!”

You stared at your paper. “Do I have to do this?”

“It's homework!”

“Ugh, fine.”

For a few minutes you worked in silence. It was so until Aegon, Aemond’s older brother by two years, came bounding down the stairs with their sister, Helaena, in tow.

“Give me back my butterfly!” She yelled at her older brother.

Aegon turned around and danced the stuffed butterfly in her face. “Whatcha’ gonna do about it?”

Helaena was near tears. “Please, Aegon!”

Huffing in frustration you turned to the one holding the butterfly hostage. “Give Helaena back her butterfly.”

“You're interrupting our homework time,” Aemond added.

“And Helaena needs her butterfly back, too,” you reminded him. 

“Quit being a bully and give it back.”

“Ugh, you're a bore,” Aegon drawled. He threw the butterfly at Helaena. “Here you go,” he mumbled.

Helaena held her butterfly tight to her chest. “Can I stay with you?” She asked you and Aemond.

You smiled brightly. “Yeah! We're working on homework right now so you can bring yours.”

Helaena bounded up the stairs to get her homework and was quick to come back. 

“Let's take a look at your homework,” said Aemond. He looked it over and hummed. “I don't think I can help you because I don't know how to do that math yet but you can still work with us.”

“Yay!” Helaena plopped down on a chair and held her butterfly in her lap as she worked on her homework.

You snuck a glance at Aemond. He worked hard on his school work. Always wanting to be the best, always wanting to be the smartest. Even as a child he had that drive. Back then you didn't know it, but you had fallen for Aemond Targaryen.

Two years later, you, Aemond, Helaena, and surprisingly Aegon, were as close as could be. You spent every weekend with them. Even if one of them was sick, it wasn't enough to keep you away.

“Sweetie, you're running a high fever,” Alicent, the siblings’ mother, told you. “You should go home.”

“But I want to be with my friends. And I don't want to see my mother,” you mumbled the last part.

Alicent nodded her head. She knew full well what you meant. Having her own history with your mother, Rhaeneyra, she didn't blame you for wanting to stay away. Rhaenyra and her husband Daemon, your step father, didn't care much for you. They cared for your brothers, Jace and Luke, but couldn't be bothered to look your way. Even then, Jace and Luke didn't get the full affection a child should have from their mother. They simply got more than you.

“My mother has a video conference today and I don't want to be there.” You crossed your arms to hug yourself.

Alicent sighed and ran a hand over your hair. “What about Jace and Luke, sweetie?”

“They're out with the dogs and Daemon. Something about training them to be the best.”

“And you didn't want to go with them?”

“No,” you pouted. “I'd rather be here with my friends.”

Footsteps came running down the stairs.

“Is she coming out to play?” Aegon asked his mother.

“I don't think so, she has a fever,” Alicent told him.

Helaena appeared behind Aegon. “Is she going back home?”

You shook your head before Alicent could answer for her.

“She is going to stay here but she's not going to play, okay?” She told her children.

They sighed. “Yes, mother.” And off they went back upstairs.

Alicent took a blanket from the couch next to you and draped it over you. “You know you are more than welcome to stay here at any time, sweetie. Just take it easy and rest.”

Closing your eyes, you settled into the loveseat and soon drifted away to sleep.

You awoke to a soft voice. “Hey? You awake?”

Mumbling something incoherent, you buried yourself deeper in the blankets. You were hot and cold at the same time and you hated it.

“I have soup.”

You pulled your head out of the blanket and slowly opened your eyes. Aemond was kneeling next to the loveseat with a bowl of broth.

“Soup is good to have when you're sick. I always have some when I'm sick so I thought you'd want some, too.”

Your stomach rumbled at the mention of food. As you pulled the blanket further down to your lap, you gratefully accepted the soup Aemond offered.

He was silent as you slowly slurped it down.

You looked at Aemond and found him smiling at you.

“What is it?” You asked when you finished your soup.

A bit of color dusted his cheeks. “Nothing.”

You handed him your empty bowl. “Thank you, Aemond. I feel better already.” 

Throwing off the blanket, you were ready to hop into action but Aemond stopped you.

“You're still sick!” 

“But I feel better,” you countered.

“You only feel better because you had soup. You still need to rest.”

You plopped back down on the loveseat and grabbed the blanket. “Fine.”

A comfortable silence fell between you two. You cuddled into a pillow next to you and played with the blanket.

Aemond broke the silence. “Can I stay with you?” 

You yawned. “Yeah.”

A few minutes passed.

“You can be on the chair if you want,” you told him.

Instead of answering, Aemond climbed onto the loveseat next to you and seated himself between you and the armrest. He sat with his back to you but enjoyed the company nonetheless. With your backs pressed together you were calm and happy. Happier than you've been in months.

Alicent was startled to see you and Aemond both asleep on the loveseat but wasn't surprised. She knew her son harbored feelings for you, even if they were buried. She hoped one day she would see the two of you happy. Childhood was not easy for either of you even though she did her best to make it easy. Carefully, she walked to the two of you and gently woke you up.

“Sweetie? I'm sorry, it's time to go home. I'll drop you off,” Alicent whispered to you.

“Can Aemond come?” 

“Of course he can.” She gave you a small smile.

You roused him from his sleep. “I need to go home, Aemond.”

“No,” he mumbled.

Alicent sighed before reasoning with him. “Aemond, it's late and I'm sure her mother is looking for her. You can come with me to drop her off.”

He mumbled something you couldn't hear but got up nevertheless. As he did, he made sure not to hit you and helped you out of the loveseat as well.

As you stretched, a large groan came out of your mouth. There was still sleep in your eyes and you really didn’t want to go back home. You looked at Aemond and caught his eye. He offered a small smile that you gladly returned. Even though you were sick, Aemond made you feel better just by being there. When you were both asleep it took everything in your power not to cuddle up to him. His warmth was pulling at you but you didn’t want to get him sick, too.

Alicent nudged you and Aemond to the car but you were both slow. You still weren't feeling the best and Aemond just seemed groggy.

The car ride to your house was silent. Both Alicent and Aemond knew you didn't enjoy going home; it was like a prison to you.

But they couldn't keep you forever. 

One day you’d break out of that prison.

By the time you were thirteen you had grown closer to Aemond, Helaena, and Aegon. It wasn’t unusual for you to spend weekends at their house or for you to go there after school. Their home was a second home for you and Alicent was basically your surrogate mother. 

One day, your mother wanted to visit Alicent. She was insistent that this had to be done today.  Alicent, being too kind to decline anything, allowed her, you, and your brothers to spend the day with them. When you saw Aemond, you immediately went to him and left your brothers behind. You heard them huff about how lame of a sister you were but you pretended like you didn’t hear them at all. 

“We’re just about to have breakfast, if you’d like to join us,” offered Alicent after a few minutes of awkward silence.

“That would be lovely,” your mother said as she gave her a sickly sweet smile. 

There was something off about her but you couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

All of you, children included, sat around the table in a tense silence. The only sounds were the occasional slurp, chew, or the ring of utensils hitting a plate or bowl.

“Alicent,” your mother started. “I came here to talk to you. I think we need to put our past behind us.”

You tilted your head in confusion.

Alicent leaned forward and whispered, “This isn’t the time and place to be talking about it.”

“There is no time and place so I decided to make one. Let’s bury the hatchet; be friends again. You know I never meant to hurt you.”

“You never meant to hurt me?” Alicent laughed coldly. “And what hatchet? You mean the one where you left -” She suddenly stopped. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head and cleared her throat. “How about you children go play in the backyard. Go jump on the trampoline or play knights and princesses.”

“Yes, mother,” Aemond replied. He quickly grabbed your hand and dragged you outside.

The other children left at various speeds. Helaena and Aegon neadered out towards the back while Jace and Luke wanted to stay with your mother. The two boys were concerned about her. They always were and always would be. Eventually, your mother was able to shoo your brothers away. It was only then that they made it outside with the rest of you.

It was tense at first. You all just stood there and stared at each other. You wish you could say you were close with your brothers to help ease the moment but that would be a lie. You were as distant from them as much as a sister could be. Sure, you lived with them, but they never really included you in anything. Whenever they did anything with your step father, he would only bring the boys and not you.

“So…” you let the word die. “What do you want to do? I like jumping on the trampoline when I’m here.”

“Of course you have a favorite thing to do here. You’re not at home a lot,” Jace said.

You balled up your fists at your side. “At least here I have people I can talk to.”

“Luke and I aren’t enough?”

“You never let me play with you! I’m always by myself, so yes, I come here a lot.”

“We would let you play with us if you weren’t so weird!”

“I’m not weird, I’m your sister. If I’m weird then you’re weird, too.”

Jace looked like he was about to bust, his face all red.

Aegon stepped between you two before anyone could say anything bad. “Let’s deal with this the best way. Stick fight.”

“Stick fight?” Luke piped up.

“Yeah.” Aegon grinned. “A stick fight. Find a stick on the ground to use as your sword and we’ll fight for the hand of this girl.”

“Ew, for my hand?” You made a disgusted face.

“For your honor, whatever,” Aegon corrected himself. “Now, who shall fight whom?”

You grabbed Helaena’s hand. “Helaena and I are staying out of this one.”

“Boo, okay,” Aegon frowned. “That leaves me and Aemond versus Jace and Luke!”

Luke stepped forward, his chest puffed out in an attempt to look intimidating. “I’ll take on Aegon.”

Aegon nearly burst out laughing. “Okay, little guy,  I’ll fight you. That means Aemond fights Jace.”

Jace’s stare burned into Aemond’s. You knew this was dangerous, letting the boys fight, but apparently it was the only way either pair could find peace when it came to you. Aemond and Aegon wanted to fight for your honor and Jace and Luke wanted to show you that your friends were weak. 

“You get five minutes to find your stick sword!” Helaena announced. “Ready…and…go!”

The boys sprinted off in different directions hoping to find the biggest, baddest stick sword in the backyard. That in itself was massive so finding a stick would be no big deal for them. Finding a good one is a different story, however.

Looping your arm around Helaena’s, you strolled around watching the boys dart back and forth. It was entertaining to watch them run around like this. You found yourself specifically following Aemond. Blushing at the mere thought of him, you turned away.

“What has you all red?” Helaena asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” You tried to wave it off.

Helaena looked to where your focus once was. “Ah.”

“Stop it, Helaena, he might see!” You tried to get her to look back at you.

A small smile played across her lips. “You have a crush on Aemond.”

You buried your face in your hands. “Oh, my goodness.”

Helaena squealed, “Oh, I knew it! You two are always so close and always together and -”

You grabbed Helaena by the shoulders. “You can’t tell him, okay? Pinky swear?”

Her shoulders dropped when she saw the seriousness on your face. “Fine. I pinky swear.” 

Holding one pinky up in the air, Healena intertwined hers and made the promise. “Do you promise to not tell Aemond Targaryen that I have a crush on him?” you began.

“I swear that I will not tell my brother you have a crush on him,” Helaena promised.

Once you let go you breathed a sigh of relief but still kept an eye on Helaena. She wasn't malicious or anything, but the happiness of her younger brother has always been a priority for her. The possibility of you being someone he could be happy with had her vibrating with excitement.

Together, the two of you continued to watch the boys dart about to find their sticks. You couldn't help but follow Aemond. His hair was getting closer to his shoulders and it bounced behind him as he ran around. At one point, Aemond and Aegon met up in the middle to talk about which stick would be better but Jace and Luke yelled at them for planning, so they dispersed. When you saw Jace and Luke do the same thing, you were tempted to call them out but held back. Leaning against Helaena, you let out a pleasant sigh as the boys wrapped up their five minutes.

Jace and Luke stood facing Aegon and Aemond. Both sides looked at the other with such hatred they were practically smoking. It was no secret that Aegon and Aemond didn’t like Jace and Luke. Aegon and Aemond didn’t like how your brothers, how your whole family, treated you. You were constantly discarded in favor of the two sons and it wore you out. You did your best to hide it but the Targaryen siblings knew better. Jace and Luke didn’t like how close you were with the Targaryens siblings. Sure, they were related in some weird way but being related doesn’t mean that the relationship was automatically good or healthy. You were a prime example of that.

Aegon took a step towards the other two boys. “Ready to lose, losers?”

“As if!” piped up Luke. “I’m gonna beat you so bad!”

Aegon rolled his eyes. “Sure, little guy.” He looked back at his brother then at the other two. “Are we ready to start?”

Jace crouched down in a fighting position. “We were born ready. Both fights at the same time?”

“Yeah.” Aegon nodded his head. “You and Aemond will fight over there,” he pointed towards the trampoline. “And me and Luke will fight by that big tree.” He turned towards you and Helaena. “Will you two referee the fights?”

“And how do we do that?” you asked him.

“All you have to do is stand there and make sure no one goes for the face or,” he gestured to his crotch. “And whoever is on the ground for three seconds loses.”

You looked at Helaena. “I think we can do that.”

She nodded her head. “I’ll watch over Aemond and Jace.” She brought her voice down to a whisper, “Aemond would distract you too much.”

You bumped her with your shoulder. “Oh, whatever.” But the blush was already forming on your cheeks.

“Okay,” Aegon clapped his hands. “Let’s these stick fights going.”

You followed Aegon and Luke to the big oak tree. Both boys were buzzing with excitement, both ready to hit each other. There was a lot of pent up aggression apparently. When you got to the tree each boy stood facing each other about. They held their sticks up like swords and crossed them in the middle. There was a distinct height difference but you knew Luke wouldn’t let that get in the way.

“On the count of three start fighting,” you instructed them. 

Both Aegon and Luke gave you an affirmative nod. 

“One…Two…Three…FIGHT!”

Aegon and Luke reeled back their sticks only to meet each other in the center once again. They pushed in on each other, forcing the other to back off and lose their balance, but they each held their own. 

“Remember, the one who ends up on the ground for three seconds loses!” you reminded them.

Aegon took one hand off his stick to push Luke backwards. They weren’t locked in a standing battle anymore. Aegon smiled a wicked smile as he took a few steps back to gauge what he would do next. Luke breathed hard, taking the push back a little harder than you anticipated. He was frowning but determination was written all over his face. 

“Aw, was that push a little too hard?” Aegon taunted him. He played with his stick, swinging it around.

“I’m. Going. To. Kill. You.” Luke breathed out.

Laughing, Aegon ran at Luke with his stick brandished and ready to hit. He swung hard and hit Luke in the arm. He pulled back and hit him again on the opposite arm.

Luke flinched whenever he was hit but he still refused to back down. Aegon’s constant attacking caused him to take many steps back, he was almost flush against the oak tree. But when Aegon took a big swing, Luke ducked low and went for Aegon’s legs. He swept him off his feet and then got on top of him to keep him from getting up.

“How’s that for being little?” Luke bragged.

Aegon roared and flipped them over so Luke was the one pressed on the ground. 

Luke screamed. “Ahhhh!”

Their sticks forgotten, Luke and Aegon wrestled on the ground. They kept flipping each other over so neither was down for three seconds. After tussling on the ground for a minute or so, Aegon was able to stand up. Luke followed right behind him. He took a few steps back then ran straight at Aegon, tackling him. Luke was so small, though, that his tackle did nothing but force Aegon to take a few steps back. 

Aegon cackled. “This all you got?” He pushed Luke off of him then tackled him to the ground.

This time, Luke was pinned down. He flailed but couldn’t get any hit on Aegon. Aegon soon had all his limbs trapped on the grass. 

“Call it!” Aegon yelled at you.

“One! Two! Three! Luke, you’re out!” you announced.

Aegon got off of Luke and offered him a hand. Luke merely glared at him and got up himself. Grass stains littered both of the boys’ clothes, something neither mother would be happy about. Luke grumbled something about cheating and walked off to the other stick fight by the trampoline. Aegon fell in time with you as you also made your way in that direction.

From what you could see, Aemond and Jace were in a heated battle. They hadn’t lost their sticks, unlike Aegon and Luke. It was as though you were watching a true sword fight. They lunged and parried like they’ve been training for this their entire lives. 

“She’s gonna leave you behind, one day. She’ll figure out how boring you are!” Jace yelled at Aemond.

“She’s always liked us better than you. You might be her brother but you treat her like crap!” Aemond shot back.

You were confused. They were fighting about you?

Jace let out a primal scream as he ran at Aemond, ready to thrust the stick into him. Aemond blocked it and was able to disarm Jace. 

“No!” cried Luke.

Jace, empty handed, stepped backwards away from Aemond. Aemond took his time, stepping slowly. Head slightly bent, he looked at Jace through his eyelashes. He had a sinister look on his face. 

“She’s always deserved better. We’re better than you and Luke will ever be to her. You will regret all the times you’ve made her feel like less than nothing.” Dropping his stick, Aemond charged at Jace and tackled him to the ground.

Helaena started her count down. “One! Two!”

There was a blur, some scuffling, and the next thing you knew, Aemond was screaming with a giant cut up through the side of his face and over his eye.

You and Helaena shrieked at the sight of blood running down Aemond’s face. Immediately, you ran to him. Your eyes went to Jace but he was still on the ground breathing hard. What you saw next to him, however, shook you. Luke was kneeling next to his brother with a bloodied stick. Blood lightly splattered his clothes as well.

“LUKE!” Aegon roared. “What the fuck did you do to my brother?” He picked up Luke by his collar and threw him to the ground.

“Hey! Don’t hurt my little brother!” Jace got up in Aegon’s face. 

He reeled back a fist and was ready to throw it but you grabbed his fist. 

“Stop it, both of you! We need to get Aemond inside,” you pleaded.

“He got what was coming to him,” muttered Jace.

Ignoring the bickering boys, you gathered Aemond in your arms. He was a little heavy for you but you were able to carry him. “Keep your hand on your eye,” you told him. There wasn’t anything for you to use to staunch the bleeding. “Helaena, go get your mother.”

Helaena simply gave you a small nod before racing off to find her mother. Aegon was still yelling at Jace and Luke but was holding himself back. You could tell that much just from hearing them argue. When Aemond groaned you did your best to pick up the pace and get to the house.

“I wanted to make him pay,” he said weakly.

“Shh. It’s okay,” you assured him.

A scream pierced through the air. Looking up, you saw Alicent rushing towards you. 

“Give me my boy, I need to get him to the emergency room.” Alicent looked at you children. “What happened?” She asked as she took Aemond from your arms.

“They were playing stick fights,” Helaena said quietly.

Alicent glared at the boys. “You will have to do a lot of explaining. Now, quickly, to the car.”

You and Helaena ran to the car while Jace and Luke stayed behind. Their mother slowly walked out of the house. She saw Alicent holding Aemond and concern flashed across her face but was soon replaced by indifference.

“Boys, it’s time to go home. I can see that we are not needed here anymore,” she called to them.

While you didn’t want to go with your family, you asked anyway, “What about me?”

“Don’t you want to stay with your other family?” your mother spat at you. “Come home whenever you’re done here.”

Tears threatened to spill from your eyes but you blinked them back. You could deal with your family later. What mattered first was Aemond.

When you got to the car, Alicent already had it running. Aemond was slouched in the passenger side seat in the front. You, Helaena, and Aegon squeezed in the back, all three of you worried for Aemond. Looking ahead, you could barely see Aemond. Every now and then he would groan but that was it. Alicent would look at him then back at the road. Normally, she was a very safe driver, and she still was as she drove to the emergency room, but she went fast this time.

Arriving at the emergency room, Alicent quickly parked then scooped Aemond out the passenger seat and ran to the entrance. She went straight to the front desk. You and the siblings scrambled out of the car behind her.

“Please, my son, I think he was stabbed in the eye,” she pleaded with the front desk lady.

The lady took a look at Aemond. “Remove your hand for a second, sweetie,” she said softly.

You gently took Aemond’s wrist and pried it off of his eye. Seeing all the blood, you gasped. There was so much of it. It didn’t seem like the flow stopped, only slowed down.

“Yes, we’ll take him in immediately,” the lady said. “Nurses! We need a stretcher over here now! Child with massive head injury!”

Nurses quickly surrounded Alicent and Aemond. They took him from her arms and placed him gently on the stretcher. Without his hand covering his face, you could see the jagged scar on Aemond. Your heart tightened at the sight of it. Aemond being hurt was the last thing you wanted. He got hurt defending you and that was something you’d have to carry for the rest of your life. You watched as they wheeled him away to the back. There was silence.

“It’ll probably be a long wait,” the front desk lady told Alicent. “You’re more than welcome to stay and wait for him but be prepared.”

“Yes, thank you,” Alicent replied. “Come along, children.” 

She ushered you and Helaena and Aegon further into the waiting room. Luckily, there was an open semi comfortable couch for you all to sit on. You and Alicent sat in the middle. Helaena sat next to her mother and Aegon plopped down next to you. In the rush to get Aemond to the emergency room, no one brought anything to pass the time. Instead you all sat there quietly for a few minutes before Alicent broke the silence.

“I need you to tell me what happened, exactly what happened,” she requested.

“Like Heleaena said, they were playing stick fights,” you started off. “When we first got outside my brothers were being mean to me and Aemond and Helaena and Aegon. That made us all upset so Aegon came up with the idea to do stick fights. Helaena and I didn’t do any fighting; it was just the boys.”

“I don’t like how her brothers talk about her. They act like she’s not even their sister,” Aegon murmured. 

Helaena picked up the story. “It was Aegon against Luke and Aemond against Jace. Everything was relatively okay, I think. No one got too badly hurt until everyone joined to watch Aemond and Jace fight.”

“I heard Jace,” you added in. “He was telling Aemond how I’d leave you all, how I’d forget you and never come back.” Tears gathered in the corner of your eyes for the second time that evening. “I would never leave all of you.”

“I know you wouldn't.” Alicent brushed back a stray hair. 

“Aemond gained the upper hand. He was gonna win. He got Jace’s stick out of his hand and he was gonna tackle him to win it. But then out of nowhere, Like came in with a pointy stick and slashed Aemond's face.”

Aegon huffed. “He didn’t want to see his brother lose like him.”

Helaena shushed her brother.

“And now we're here,” you concluded. “I know my mom saw Aemond and the blood on Luke. She didn't seem concerned at all.”

“No, she did not,” agreed Alicent.

“I’m sorry my mother treats you like she treats me sometimes.”

“You don't need to apologize for her, sweetie. She is a grown woman and should know how to act better.”

A calm silence fell upon all of you once again. All of you were worried but knew there was nothing to be done except to wait.

[msfbgraves]

Thinking about Abraham van Helsing and his refusal to even discuss vampirism until people have drawn their own irrefutable conclusion and going, oh, this poor sweet kaaskop (cheesehead, that's what we Dutchmen call ourselves).

You see, Dutchmen, and Hollanders in particular, are almost aggressively opposed to the idea of the supernatural. We're factual and neutral to a fault. The most well known horror story about the Dutch - The Flying Dutchman - was written by the English. We don't do fancy ourselves. Our horrors are aggressively real and mundane (it's flooding. We are obsessed with flood prevention. Scared out of our mind by drowning and storms). Our horrors are tangible and real and out in the open. Dying in a flood. Dying in a coal mine (a more Victorian fear). Dying in a flooding coal mine, to combine the two. Dying at sea. Dying in traffic.

But you can fight the sea. And we do fight the sea. With engineering. Technology. We look at stuff in detail and deal with what is right in front of us (the sea, the universe), and only that. We're bad poets and good scientists, we're great figurative painters. We are, as everyone knows, aggressively literal and straightforward.

Indeed Bram, that sweet man, has a very literal approach to vampire fighting. Lucy is being fed on? Blood transfusion. Aenemia is aenemia. Also, autopsies are autopsies, no matter why they are performed. Medicinal flowers are medicinal flowers, prevention is prevention no matter the circumstances.

He has been conditioned to think that everyone will violently reject anything supernatural that isn't in the Bible and even then. Because that is a what a Dutchman, a Hollander especially, would likely do. "The ordinary is crazy enough", is a close approximation of one of our most well known sayings.

And now imagine Bram van Helsing coming across vampirism somewhere prior to the story. He will have rejected it at first. Maybe he rejected it too long until he either had to choose between the truth of his own perception or the fact that he was insane. He will have self-diagnosed any and all mental illnesses that could afflict him until deciding that he was of sound mind, and this was a vampire attack. What would have taken a citizen of Bistritz minutes to accept and act upon (nothing too far removed from their religion, most likely), would have taken Bram weeks or months of lonely agony and doubt.

And maybe by then, it was too late?

Still, even after Lucy's testimony (in writing!); the punctured neck, the blood loss, the bat, the wolf attack, the physical changes, does he not say to Jack - if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck and acts like a duck, I am going to treat it like a duck, my friend. Instead he waits for Lucy to turn in front of Jack's eyes so he will have to believe in vampires because he saw it himself. To Van Helsing this is the only way to convince him because that is what it would take to convince an educated Dutchman. (I always joke that there are so few supernatural occurrences in The Netherlands because our outright refusal to believe in any of it kills it stone dead.)

This is dangerous, by the way - had he been alone, he wouldn't have let it get this far, I am sure of it. But there is a greater problem, a hunting vampire on the loose and he needs the help of his friends. And he doesn't dare confide in them.

How long has he been alone with this...?

Bram... 😭💔

[dailycass-cain]

Batgirl #1 feels like a dream. A dream that I always wanted to see but never thought it was possible. This past Wednesday changed that and held a physical copy in my hands.

It's finally time for my thoughts on the issue.

I'll start with the book's only two critiques I have for it. For new fans, this comic is just a gorgeously drawn comic with layers that scratch the surface. You get that instantly on the very first page when Shiva and Cass meet.

You can understand the subtleness. But I can see a new reader going? "I need to know more of this context." That leads to the second critique of the comic: editor's notes.

They could've added much more to the words of the comic. Explain further some of the history.

I mean there is a PERFECTLY minded trade that solves this problem (out April 8th, 2025). But it would've been nice to direct readers to a specific issue of the past. To further enhance the reading experience.

That said...

This feels like a continuation of Batgirl Vol. 1, but with the knowledge that even after #73 Cass continues to be a bat. There are so many callbacks to Puckett and Gabrych (in a way) along with Tynion, Hill, and Conrad/Cloonan.

I'll give it to writer Tate Brombal he just skips RIGHT to the meat keeping the reader as clueless as Cass is into the story.

We're dragged into this mess like her not knowing the full story save what she sees and knows. Even if she knows Shiva is trying to be better.

Just that she doesn't want to be dragged into this mess. Not only that, Shiva unnerves Cass in a way given they are two sides of the same coin (both in blood and choices).

Not only that, but the moment Cass meets her mom, she murders someone (a guard who is violent and earned the violent end). It's probably right there Cass decided to check out afraid of this being a relapse of "old ways".

This, in a way, feels like Brombal addressing the circle the two characters have been in since 2020 at the start of this issue. There is just this uneasy tension, which ends when the series' antagonists show up.

You get that "the Unburied." Ninjas are cut from the cloth of Frank Miller and Peter Laird/Kevin Eastman. You get those Hand/Foot Clan vibes from them.

As for how they are so dangerous. Well, again the Laird/Eastman method of ninjas. They just keep coming. Waves and waves. They know their target. Eventually, no matter how skilled one is, one wave is going to get lucky and overwhelm the target.

What makes them deadly is that they keep coming until their targets are wiped out. Therein lies the reason Cass stays (both times): She knows her mom could be right.

They could target everyone she loves, and some of the family could be endangered due to that unknown factor.

That is the core of Cass, and we get our "character introduction" of who Cass is. She was raised to be a weapon but chose to be a hero. She was an orphan by choice (okay a nice nod to THAT codename). That her parent is Batman (but aw not Babs). Choosing to protect.

That's where the comic just goes to another level thanks to the art by Takeshi Miyazawa and colors by Mike Spicer. Where each impact and panel just POP. Not to mention the "mood" with the colors Spicer does here.

Interestingly, the only impact we get is via Shiva's reactions to Cass fighting. Punching her, but also them fighting together against the Unburied.

The things she's seen of her mom. The death duel. The death. The violence. Being evil. That's what Cass has known (and in a way the murder mom clichés). But we see throughout the shades of Shiva that are more than that.

I think the points where we get little callbacks to the Question yet Cass sasses her mom with "Lying." Again, Cass knows that Shiva loves fighting. Because deep down she too loves this. But also the "lying" Cass means to Shiva. And again we get her saying what she's seen in the past.

And I'm kind of surprised we see the Cult of Shiva again (along with the survivor who Steph fought in #26). Again someone we haven't seen in well SO LONG. And well, say goodbye to this issue (farewell to Shiva's #2 fan).

I'm really curious to where this goes. Obviously, we're going to get answers. But the questions raised this issue do intrigue me. Not to mention Cass/Shiva teaming up. And that alone is a highlight into itself.

I just wonder WHO is behind the Unburied? Because you know it's someone. Question is it someone with a connection to BOTH Cass and Shiva? Or is it truly sins of the Mother dropped on the daughter?

If they're targeting people associated with Shiva? Does it mean we're getting the first meeting between Richard Dragon and Cass? To showcase another layer of Shiva to Cass that's never been explored? Or Ben Turner aka Bronze Tiger? Curious questions indeed.

Regardless Brombal really has a DEEP understanding for both characters.

There's just so much dialogue and just reactions that FEELS just entrenched from Batgirl Vol. 1. That this feels like a writer going FULL ON with no restrictions with Cass.

Not only that but artist and colorist just deliver that same method. Keeping what was in Vol. 1 here present as well

I felt for them again for so many times in these many years- at home.

I felt for them again for so many times in these many years- at home. This comic really does feel like a celebration of the character. Something to honor the anniversary and everything that has come before it. Be it Batgirl Vol. 1 & 2, Tec, Batman & the Outsiders, Spirit World, and Batgirls.

That again why the emotions hit akin to Shadow of the Batgirl. Being a fan of the character so long. Being around for this ride. This hits on another level as well.

And after a week of darkness, this comic (along with another) brought some much-needed light to my world.

So to any Cass fan hesitant in the past due to well "DC being DC", let me just say that this is the one. The one fans have been dreaming of. Hoping. This #1 delivers SO much. Maybe, it shows to others why this character just resonates with so many.

[fatedbutblinking]

meeting the parents. jason grace x eros daughter

jason and eros' only half-blood daughter are in love

everyone knew that about them but they refused to admit that it was true to everyone, each other and themselves

then they 'accidentally' sleep with each other one night

despite trying to be the perfect and detached leader, jason can't help but confess first

not only is she the most beautiful girl that he has ever seen, but she pushes him to be the best version of himself. she's caring but biting. she's excited him since the day he met her. and she is really good in bed so

and she thinks his arms are sexy

then comes parent day, one day a year where all the gods are forced to spend the full day on earth with their children

as the only daughter of eros and with jason being one of zeus' only children, zeus and eros decide to take them out for a nice meal

zeus and eros aren't keen on each other, because eros keeps trying to shoot arrows at him and human ladies to piss off zeus' wife hera

soo it's a bit awkward

'i can't believe you're in love with a boy who looks like he should be on a cereal box.'

jason almost spits out his water.

'dad,' she hisses.

'it's like dating peter pan on steroids.'

'nice,' jason jokes.

'don't push it, eros,' she hisses again.

'they're barely dating. of course my son is going to be drawn to a barbie doll.'

'don't talk about her like that,' jason says sternly.

'it's not bad to admit that. she's shiny. it's a good break for you, son.'

jason shakes his head. 'you're such a --'

eros ignores what zeus says and continues to her. 'i know you're in love with him. i can feel how much you do, trust me, and i know he loves you more -- obviously -- but you should still keep your options open.'

zeus puffs his chest. 'of course you're encouraging disloyalty, eros.'

'you're not exactly a saint, zeusy.'

'and whose fault is that?'

'the arrows don't force you to fall in love. they only make you do what you otherwise would if logic wasn't in the picture.'

'i'm already tired of being here.'

'then you shouldn't have made the plan.'

'i had to. you would have taken them to a brothel otherwise.'

'fuck off.'

and so zeus and eros argue

jason and her look at each other. she grasps his hand.

'i'm sorry.'

'no, i'm sorry. your hair is very shiny, but i love you for a lot more than that.'

'really now?' she teases.

'yeah. i like your face, your body, your lips...'

'very funny, grace.'

'i'm more than my looks as well, you know.'

'i don't know. i think he's right about you looking like peter pan. the buffer, sexier, more stupid version.'

'ha-ha-ha.'

'i am sorry, jase. you'd think my dad being the god of love and affection would mean he'd be nice.'

'don't be sorry. they're gods. they're always going to think they're right.'

'but they're our fathers.'

'even more reason for them to think they're right.'

'i love you.'

'i love you more. your dad's not wrong about that part.'

suddenly they notice it is really quiet around them. both zeus and eros are staring at them, having listened to part of their conversation. they seem to be a little bit shocked, but regain their composure quickly. eros ends up smirking, folding his arms on his chest and leaning back as he stares at them. zeus watches them with curiosity, eating an olive.

'what?' he asks. 'what is it?'

'have you two picked what you want to eat?' zeus asks, motioning to the menu.

'i thought you guys wanted to leave,' she says.

'it just happens that you're obsessed with each other,' cupid explains. 'i should at least try to find out why.'

zeus nods. that's the first time that they agree with each other. both of their heads dart towards the menu as they bicker over what food they're going to get.

jason smiles softly and holds her hand. she is a bit in shock now.

'guess we're hard to deny,' he says.

'we? i'm the shiny one,' she jokes, squeezing his hand back.

[nomsfaultau]

my trick or treating rounds this year involve any [and possibly all] of your Philzas, so… trick or treat!!!

[Yes, I scaled the cliff wall to the Ravengence nest]

[my costume is a witch, I have a crow, he sits on my shoulder :3 ]

(in order)

Where do babies come from!Philza: *You approach a normal house. When you knock there's a flurry of activity and laughter. When Philza opens the door he's batting off a hoard of kids trying to grab the treat bowl that he's holding over all of their heads. Philza blinks at you in surprise. He's also wearing a witch costume.* Hey mate! We're twinsies! Haha here you go- *Gives small piece of candy. He's poor lmaoo*

Where, then, do your loyalties lie?Philza: *The house is dim, and there is no response from within even after a few rings of the doorbell. A faint shuffling inside, lethargic, as if it's too much effort to try. When you call for Philza, there is a soft, choked sob. The door never opens. When you leave, you are tailed by people in soldier uniforms that are a little too authentic to be costumes. They want to know why you're looking for him.*

Golden Apples (Gilded Atrophy)!Philza: *There's a loud swearing when the doorbell rings, and a harried assurance he's coming. A winged man props open the door, clearly digging through a bag to try and find some type of treat to give you. At last he pulls out a shimmering golden apple, and he freezes, staring longingly at the magic pooling at his clawtips. You, too, are drawn in, instinctively reaching for the golden apple, and Philza scrambles back.* Trick, *he snaps, slamming the door in your face so you can't steal it from him.*

Where Hearts Roost!Philza: *The witch stares at you, large claws digging into the floor a little. He half laughs.* Now that's cultural appropriation, there. Almost enough to earn you a trick! But no, here you go. *A flick of his hand, and a cauldron flies over, some type of caramel sweet floating out and into your waiting hands. A second one flies over to the fake crow. Or- it was a fake crow too seconds ago, but now he lives and breathes. Philza grins at him. The candy tastes like laughter on a summer day and the spray of a waterfall. When you skip back, your feet barely tough the ground. You round the corner. The cottage isn't there when you look back.*

Mandatory Family Reunion!Philza: *Klaxons start going off. Bars slam down over the windows and doors. Helicopters whir overhead. The sound of sliding metal and thumps and steel toed boots. The doors burst open to find an out of breath Philza. Well maybe. A blanket has been thrown over head to make a very last minute ghost costume, and the draping doesn’t really hide the many many guns strapped to his body armor.* Haha trick or treat mate! Here yah go. *Philza hands over a full sized candy bar. You will be stalked for the next month*

Fault!Philza: *The chatter inside immediately dies the moment there's a knock on the door, almost fearfully so. A passing buzz of a bee, by your face, and an argument starts inside, raucous enough you can make out what sounds like a debate on murdering you. Uhhh...was this supposed to be a haunted house? Someone marches through the house...in the wrong direction, like they aren't familiar with the layout. Eventually the door is thrown open to a cool dragon costume. He's holding a very recently and messily carved turnip with an ember glowing inside.* And a happy Allhallows' eve to thee! Uh. Haha forgot to get candy or soul-cakes this year... *He hands you a napkin with a chunk of roasted squirrel and morsel of bread* That should be enough to appease the spirits of your loved ones. Good luck with the fairies!

The Altars We Sacrifice Our Futures On!Philza: Uhhhhh huh. You do realize this is a cult, right? *The man squints at you as if utterly baffled why you'd come to the dark forbidding temple well known for serving a god of Blood and Misery.* Very very evil cult. You should leave before you're sacrificed- TOMMY! *A young kid races past and Philza scoops up the wriggling giggling brat. Peeking around Phil, you find a gaggle of scruffy orphan kids racing after a giant wolf covered in bows* Evil dastardly cult. This squirt right here is the newest sacrifice to The Blood God. *Philza rolls his eyes as Tommy blows a raspberry at him, and gives up the ruse.* Look if I give you some altar offerings will you not tell anyone we're here? It's a lot easier if no one realizes we've disbanded the cult.

116 East Normal Street!Philza: *A man in authentic 2nd century BCE Chinese attire throws open the door and showers you with homemade candy the likes of which you've never even heard of before from so many cultures you can't keep track. There appears to be a party for introverts going on in the living room, and you are invited for tea.*

Worth far more than your weight in gold!Philza: *Lots of confused squawking. Like a LOT. The sonic force almost sends you flying off the cliff you scaled. Your ear drums are ringing. Out of the questioning words of his chicks, Philza pieces together an awful lot of questions about murdering you. Luckily he's calmed down, although is skewering you with a suspicious look and shoving all gold out of reach. Tommy gives you a slice of stolen berries with jam. Techno convinces Philza to fly you back down, and soon you are safely delivered to the ground. okay well the Ravengence is definitely doing a few fake out rolls and dive to scare the bejesus out of you, but you don't die.*

Lord, what fools these mortals be!!Philza: Ahh! A guest! How wonderful. You must be quite the powerful sorcerer! *The King of the Winter Court is an incredibly courteous host and provides a full feast of food you probably shouldn't eat. He is utterly and ridiculously convinced that you are a real witch, and blabbers on about spells and rituals that you somehow manage to bluster your way through a magically academic conversation, convincing him you're a magical genius in the process. You end up freezing to death sorry happens to the best of us. Honestly that's a good ending compared to what might've happened.*

Lighting Lanterns to Bring You Home!Philza: *The door opens on a man leaning upon his cane. Philza nudges a giant fat pig, who grumbles upon the topic of festivals but showers upon you fruits and vegetables till your knees bow and buckel. Lo! What a bountinous blessing the gods hath bestowed! A bit of prompting and Technoblade boasts of how much work he accomplished that the earth would produce all it had to give.* It's a balance, mate. We must enjoy the fruits of our labor with celebration lest it be for naught.

A ghost is a tragedy reliving itself!Philza: *The old man welcomes you in. There is no choice. Forced into a comfy chair that you practically melt in. In time it becomes a refuge, some place soft to sink into as he fills you with warmth and food and relieves you of the burden of life. You come to the house more and more. The old man is always there, always kind, always welcoming. You come to the house more and more and more. Tired and worn out from the world outside, ache filling your bones, stiffening joints, greying hair. You talk of your woes to the young man, sinking into the chair once more, not quite able to recognize him. The dementia is getting to you. But he helps you around the house as it gets harder to walk, until at last one day he helps you sink into a comfy chair one last time. You never get up. The young man continues to talk kindly to your bones.*

The Lambs Wolves Wear!Philza: *His eyes dart nervously back inside. Someone walks up behind, and he slips out the door, firmly shutting it behind to block off the approacher. Philza shoves a lump of hardened maple syrup in your hands, closing your fingers around it, and firmly nudging you to leave. He's insistent that you leave. Please leave. Please.* You shouldn't wear that. People will only get hurt if they start looking for witches. That aren't there.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Crosshair, Omega, and the Hidden Horrors of Tantiss

Crosshair and Omega going home might've saved them from experiencing more of Tantiss' horrors, but "Infiltration" and "Extraction" remind us that these two still have so much unspoken trauma. They've told us only the surface level of what happened to them and I think we'll finally start getting answers in the coming weeks. I also have a new theory regarding Crosshair's hand.

Major spoilers below

A lot of people commented on how Omega feels like she's hiding something. Her smile doesn't reach her eyes and she feels distant. Our sweet sunshine child is no longer in the bright sun. She kept putting up a brave face because Crosshair needed it. He needed someone to help him push through the darkness. But underneath, Omega is suffering. We see her routine and the monotony of it in "Confined." Months and months of that leave marks that we can't see. She isn't being physically hurt, but the separation from her brothers, the routine, Crosshair's broken spirit, and Hemlock breathing down her neck have all gotten to her. She is tired and is doing the best she can with the hope she has. Her hope, Crosshair, and Batcher were the only things keeping her from falling into despair. But that can only last for so long and thankfully, she made it. But that doesn't mean it didn't impact her.

During "Infiltration," the way Omega spoke to Rex dug deep. There's something she's not telling us. She looked sad, scared, and broken. The look on her face when she mentions herself as part of Hemlock's experiments hurts. I bet they did more to her than we realized. I bet there's much more going on with her in general. She also carries a lot of survivor's guilt due to her escaping when so many didn't. Worse, she left them behind. That doesn't sit right with Omega because she knows what the Empire is doing to the Clones. They're not just there getting blood drawn, something far sinister is happening.

I think in the next few weeks, we will start hearing Omega open up more to her brothers. Michelle Ang said in an interview I think that Omega worries her presence will endanger her brothers. She needs to talk to them. I know personally what happens if you keep stuff in. You don't want to let that stuff fester and I think if we want to see our girl truly happy again, she needs to confide in her family. Crosshair, Hunter, Echo, and Wrecker won't let anything happen to her. They love her so much.

We're also finally starting to get answers as to what happened to Crosshair. But like Omega, he's not fully open either. Crosshair explains to Rex and the others that Hemlock tried to turn him into a clone assassin, a process which involves erasing their identities and going through intense conditioning. Hemlock himself states that Crosshair resisted this "reeducation." But that's all we get about it. Like Omega, Crosshair isn't telling us the full story. We don't know what reconditioning implies or how Hemlock erases identities of the clones. They even come with a tracker that can't be found with normal technology.

I definitely think that Crosshair will also begin to open up more in the next few episodes. He's tied to the Clone X story now so I know we will be getting answers soon. I also think Crosshair's bad hand is tied to the Clone X program. What if his hand started shaking as way to get him out? If he can't function, then Hemlock wouldn't have use for him. Crosshair also knows that they wipe identities. What if Crosshair did have his identity wiped and his hand is shaking as a result of that? He fought Hemlock's programming. But at what cost? His mental scars are there, but there's more than he's letting on. Crosshair is not ok; he may have come to terms with Mayday and his brothers, but his trauma from Tantiss is still there.

In "The Return," he says "I was a prisoner, not much else to tell." Except that's not the case; he was avoiding talking about his trauma with the program. Seeing the clone assassin frightened him and whatever is to come in the next few weeks will be emotional for sure.

Edit: to add to this, Crosshair says that being defective is part of his nature. Now, he could just be making a remark, but what if there’s more? What if Crosshair’s mutations helped him resist the reconditioning?

[desultory-novice]

Sir Uther walks up to Noir Fontaine with purpose, having his usual happy-go-lucky smile and perky attitude. It was a surprise to see yet another human in this tournament ...well, atleast human-like. He instinctively reaches out for a handshake, eyes locked on Noir's face.

"Are you human?! MY~! I only ever saw the other one named Jade! Unlike her, you seem to be named after a color in french! Do tell, are there still any left of your species? Or are you all nearly extinct? Do you also have a history with Dark Matter in particular? I have so many questions~!! ☆"

His crystal eyes twinkle in delight, this truly was an opportunity to gain so much useful knowledge!

"Oh! And that entity, Zero as well! Does she exist in your world?"

"Hi! Wow! You're big! Bigger than I thought you round guys got!" 

Noir greets you with a boyish smile, though... ...He does not accept the handshake.

"You look like one of those Galactic Soldier Alliance people! I wrote fanfic about you! I can't let you read it because it's really cringe, but that's only cause when I was young I dreamed of being a hero, so...if you're ever recruiting, let me know maybe?! I'm not all that strong... but I'm passionate and have a strong sense of justice and somehow, I've got a lot of experience handling situations where all the evidence you killed anyone is gone because their bodies just disperse into matter once they're dead enough and the snow hides all the blood!"

[cw: mild body horror below]

"...What was I saying? Oh, yeah! I'm human! Whoa, there's another human here too? I should've figured that out, huh? I feel like I've been in a daze since I got here (or maybe even longer than that) and have been having a really hard time paying attention to stuff till lately when it all started coming back into my head REALLY FAST!"

"?! Do you speak French?! My mom taught my sister and me a little French and Japanese, cause of our ancestry, (what's my dad? I don't know! Maybe he's French-Japanese too?!) though we mostly speak Global at home. My name's supposed to be in Global but it's pretty cool that it means something in French too. 'Dark.' Sometimes I wonder if I was named after my hair? Though my sister's is the same color, pretty much, so that couldn't be it. Probably a coincidence?"

"Speaking of, my sister's human too and she's still around! We're separated right now, but my little brother's with her! (He's Dark Matter, since you brought it up! Yeah, he's adopted, but he's my little brother and if anyone says anything mean about him, I'll ****** them!) They're surrounded by friends too, so I don't worry!"

"It was really hard to get off the planet last time I was there, and it was getting pre~tty cold and people who got left outside tended to disappear till next year when you could find them again thawing out on the road but it's hard to imagine we've just gone extinct! I mean, the people from the New World had to have gone somewhere!"

"Hmm? Z...e...?"

"...r...." "...o...!?"

"M-muh...M-Mas..." "...pl...ea... ey...e...c-can....t... "...bre...athe...."

-

Noir clutches his throat. The dark, burn-like cracks on his skin that had been easy to ignore till now seem to crawl up, to his chin and beyond. A thick metal collar around his neck, barely visible between his gloved hands, hums with a dark violet glow before he passes out.

Elsewhere, an otherwise unremarkable looking sword in the stolen stash of a small Dark Matter begins to vibrate, seeking its host.

@kirbyoctournament

PS: Wisp belongs to @moonsharkss and while he's still in the lead this round, it's close, so if you want to give him a vote...!

(Help I forgot his hands!)

-

Noir's Field Trip Masterpost

-

AN: Welp, add another one to Sir Uther's body count/list of crimes...

So, I still have some "Cheerful" (...although more like his brains have been scrambled) Noir asks to answer/send out that I'll get to when I have time (writing him is a bit exhausting tbh... ) but I have gone ahead and drawn this to "progress" back to the main tourney story! (You didn't think he could stay this way forever, did you?)

TLDR, We're back to regular Noir (...or whatever other AU hijinks happen to come his way that affect him in some manner?! Magic anons...???) but if you wished to interact with or send another question to Noir explicitly during his short lived cheerful phase, lemme know! Though whether I get to it will depend on how I'm feeling ^^

-

(...Fwiw, I'm pretty sure if he stayed this way for too long, the emotional cascade would eventually give him a full on mental breakdown as his refreshed, innocent psyche finally catches up with processing all the traumas that made up his life.)

[hayleythecannibal]

TWISTED MINDS: Act II- Chapter Twenty-Six Mizumono

TW: Crime scenes, Gore, Implied Death, Death, Cannibalism, Guns, Animal Death, Mental Heath, Pregnancy, tragic loss

Warning this is Fem!reader. You can also find this on Wattpad and A03 under the name @HayleyMarieOfficial. Comment if you want to be added to the taglist.

Taglist: @punkin-time @miaowkitty @gabriella-aesthetic @urlocalfanficwriter @dilfdemolisher

Twisted Minds Masterlist

HANNIBAL LECTER'S OFFICE - DAY-

Find HANNIBAL smiling as he works on the card. An invitation card. For Jack Crawford. To dinner at Hannibal's house. Hannibal finishes the beautifully-drawn card and looks down upon it.

BAU - JACK CRAWFORD'S OFFICE - DAY-

The invitation sits on Jack's desk. MOVE UP from it to reveal JACK and Will. “Hannibal's invited me to dinner.” Will doesn't answer. Holds Jack's gaze. We are now in his office. He sits opposite Will.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S OFFICE - NIGHT-

“You sit in that chair, as you have so many times before. It holds among its molecules the vibrations of all our conversations ever held in its presence.”

“All the exchanges, the petty irritations, deadly revelations, the flat announcements of disaster.”

“The grunts and poetry of life. It's all still there. Everything we've said. Listen. What do you hear?”

“A melody.”

“We are orchestrations of carbon. You, Y/N and me and that chair.” “And Jack.”

“And Jack. All of our destinies flying and swimming in blood and emptiness.” He smiles.

BAU - JACK CRAWFORD'S OFFICE - DAY-

“Everybody's settling in for dinner.”

“I'll be wearing a wire. I'll have riflemen on rooftops of neighboring houses. Sight lines to all windows.”

“He'll try to kill you in the kitchen, for convenience. Make it easier to prepare the tartare.” Jack stares at Will a moment, "digesting" that. Then: “SWAT team will be on the ground for immediate access to the kitchen, dining room and front door. Can I convince you to wear a vest?”

“He would smell it. Besides, he's not going to shoot either one of us, Jack. He'll cut us.”

GRAHAM/BAILIE HOUSE - NIGHT-

Will walking toward his house which houses the person he calls home. The lights burning, warm and homey.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S OFFICE - NIGHT-

“Little did Agent Crawford know what waited for him when he stepped into my office that very first time. How seldom we recognize the sound when the bolt of fate slides home.”

“Jack won't be easy to kill. He'll be armed. He's strong, well trained. We can't hesitate.”

“Hesitation is a consequence of indecision or uncertainty. I'm not suffering from either. Are you?”

GRAHAM/BAILIE HOUSE - NIGHT-

Y/N enters the room with her heart in hand. Her heart racing. with everything that has happened and that will happen. it feels right to tell Will about our little love. the seed he planted is flowering into something beautiful.

As she walks into the living room. Y/N sees the man she's fallen so deeply in love with. She can't help but think about how handsome and strong he is. His muscles and hair are so inviting to her. Will Graham sits down and looks at his beautiful love. "I made you some Coffee." She said. "Thank you, Honey."

"There is something I want to talk to you about."

"Yes, my love?"

"Well, you know how I haven't been feeling well lately." "Yes."

"And we both wanted a child." "Yes." I take a deep breath. "Well, I took a test. and It turns out that I'm pregnant." Will was stunned. He looked at me with tears of joy forming in his eyes. "We're going to be parents?"

"Yes." He gets up from his chair and goes over to me and kisses me passionately. I kiss him back, wrapping my arms around him. After a minute we break the kiss and stare into each other's eyes.

BAU - JACK CRAWFORD'S OFFICE - DAY-

“Hannibal thinks you're his man in the room. I think you're mine.” Will does not respond.

HANNIBAL as he studies Will.

“When the fox hears the rabbit scream, he comes a-runnin', but not to help. When you hear Jack scream, why will you come running?”

“When the time comes…” “When the time comes…”

“...will you do what needs to be done?” “...will you do what needs to be done?” Each one want a different thing. But all he wants is to keep the woman he loves and the child she carries safe. “Oh, yes.”

GRAHAM/BAILIE HOUSE - NIGHT-

Will walks up to the porch and reacts as if he's about to greet an old acquaintance. And he is. He climbs the steps. The front door swings open revealing Will standing just outside. His DOGS surround the door, not to greet their master, but instead, they BARK and GROWL at him!

Will backs away from his front door as it reveals GARRET JACOB HOBBS standing on the porch, haloed by the porch light, the only warmth in a monochromatic night. “Shhhh.” The VICIOUS BARKING and GROWLING of dogs abruptly fades away. Will looks down -- a HUNTING RIFLE now in his hands. Hobbs moves to the railing of the porch and Will follows him.

Will's house now sits high in a TREE overlooking a FIELD OF SKELETAL TREES resembling ANTLERS. A DEER BLIND. until it reveals the BLACK STAG slowly making its way directly in front of their sights. Garret Jacob Hobbs indicates for Will to look out beyond the porch. He smiles at Will. “See?” Will looks the direction Garret Jacob Hobbs is indicating and raises his rifle, looking through the scope.

FBI - FREDDIE LOUNDS'S DORM ROOM - DAY-

Will Graham and Freddie Lounds. “The correspondents of those august journals who always looked down on me can eat their hearts out. Nothing sells better than a survival story.”

“I wouldn't count us as survivors just yet, Freddie.”

“I'm counting me as a survivor. I started as a cancer editor at a supermarket tabloid. "New Cure for Cancer." "Cancer Miracle Cure."”

“Cancer is very-lucrative media.”

“One in five Americans dies of it. The relatives of all those dying, worn out, prayed out, trying to fight raging carcinoma masses, are desperate for anything hopeful.”

“We're all desperate for a little hope. I want you to do something for me, Freddie, or rather, don't. Don't write about Abigail or Y/N. You can write about me, you can write about Hannibal. But leave Abigail and Y/N alone.” Freddie considers the odd request, studying Will, then: “You really don't know if you're going to survive him, do you?”

“Let her rest in peace. And My family live quietly.”

HANNIBAL LECTER'S OFFICE - NIGHT-

Hannibal smiles down from the second-floor landing. He turns and continues pulling out patient journals. Surrounded by stacks of the journals, Will peruses the one in his hand. He continues to study the patient journal as he crosses to the burning fire. One more moment of consideration, then he tosses it on the licking flames, which wrap around it.

It roasts on the fire, the ENCEPHALITIS CLOCK devoured by flame, leaving CURLING BLACKENED ASH. “Won't your patients need these after you're gone?” Hannibal approaches Will by the fireplace, a handful of leather-bound patient journals in his arms. “The FBI will pore over my notes if I left them intact. I would spare my patients that scrutiny.”

“That's very considerate.”

“I'm dismantling who I was and moving it brick by brick. ive gone from this life, Jack Crawford and the FBI behind us, I will always have this place.”

“In your "memory palace"?”

“My palace is vast, even by medieval standards. The foyer is the Norman chapel in Palermo, severe and beautiful and timeless, with a single reminder of mortality: a skull graven in the floor.”

“All I need is a stream. Or Y/N’s Heartbeat.”

“In those moments, when you can't overcome your surroundings, you can make it all go away.”

“Put my head back, close my eyes, wade into the quiet of the stream.”

“If I'm ever apprehended, my memory palace will serve as more than amnemonic system, I will live there.” Will studies Hannibal a moment, considering his future: “Could you be happy there?” Hannibal reflects on the question, uncertain, but smiles.

“All the palace chambers are not lovely, light and high. In the vaults of our hearts and brains, danger waits. There are holes in the floor of the mind.” As Will turns to pick up more files, Hannibal leans toward him. Hannibal's nostrils FLARE as he inhales.

BAU - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY-

Y/N listens as Alana confesses: “I feel poisoned.” I sigh softly. “We've all been poisoned.”

“Even my memories are suspect. I keep compulsively poring over every moment I've spent with him, struggling to separate the man I know from the man you know.”

“Will doesnt pretend to know him. He just understands him.”

“He saw what no one else could.”

“All it took was the traumatic.”

“Most of the literature on coping with the traumatic focuses on how people deal with the aftermath. We're still in the thick of it.”

“Almost through the worst of it.” I sigh, No matter the end of this, it wont be the end. I’ll still lose someone. Maybe even myself. “How will you get through the rest?” I consider that, then avert My weary eyes. “You'll have to ask Jack.”

“I'm asking you. Jack and Will set some sort of trap and Their goading Hannibal into it.” I look at Alana, his silence an admission. Her eyes begin to well with tears, sad about being left outside to watch some horrible unraveling of events like a bystander. “How can you be sure he's not goading Will?”

“I can't.” I sigh with worry, Cradling my belly. Alana sighs, fearing the worst.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - NIGHT-

a standing pair of RACKS OF LAMB, INTERLACED RIBS, like the hands of prayer or a church's

steeple, to find Hannibal sitting at the head of his table, considering his reflection in the rippling red wine. “Do you know what an imago is, Will?” reveals Will by his side. “It's pulled apart, warmth erupting, extending like wings.”

“It's a flying insect.”

“It's the final stage of a transformation…Maturity.”

“When you become who you will be.”

“It's also a term from the dead religion of psychoanalysis. An imago is an image of a loved oneburied in the unconscious, carried with us all our lives.”

“An ideal.”

“The concept of an ideal always searching for an objective reality to match. I have a concept of you just as you have a concept of me.” Will takes a drink.

“Neither of us ideal.” Hannibal considers that; there was a brief moment that he believed the ideal before he smelled betrayal. Question is….is he the only one that has betrayed him? “We are both too curious about too many things for any ideals. Is it ideal that Jack die?” Will hesitates almost imperceptibly. “It's necessary. What happens to Jack has been preordained.”

“We could disappear now. Tonight. Feed your dogs. Take Y/N. Leave a note for Dr. Bloom, never see her or Jack Crawford again. Almost polite.” Hannibal Smiles at the Thought. A family within the madness of their fantasy. “That'd make this our last supper.” “Of this life. I am serving lamb.”

“Sacrificial? Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

“I freely claim my sin. I don't need a sacrifice. Do you?”

“I need him to know. If I confessed to Jack Crawford now, you think he would forgive me?”

“I would forgive you. If Jack were to tell you all is forgiven, Will, would you accept his forgiveness?”

“Jack isn't offering forgiveness. He wants justice. He wants to see you. See who you are. See who I've become. Know the truth.” Hannibal takes the moment in, thoughtful, raises a glass: “To the truth, then. And all its consequences.” Hannibal says, tears threatening to brim in his eyes.

FBI ACADEMY - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY-

A group of FBI TACTICAL AGENTS and FORENSICS TECHS are gathered as Jack Crawford is pointing to MARKED SNIPER LOCATIONS on a satellite picture of Hannibal Lecter's neighborhood. BRIAN ZELLER and JIMMY PRICE are to one side. Kade Prurnell has entered with Alana Bloom following a few steps behind.

Jack sees Alana and Kade standing together, sighs, then: “Gentlemen, would you excuse us.” The team gets up and heads out. Zeller and Price at the back. “Not you two. Stay right there.” Zeller and Price stay. After the tactical agents have exited: “Boy, you know how to go out with a bang. This is entrapment, Jack.”

“You can't entrap someone into committing premeditated murder.”

“Yes, you can. You're doing it.” to Zeller and Price “Either of you fabricate evidence?” Zeller is genuinely unsure, “Define "fabricate."”

“Are you asking if we built something or just lied?” ignoring them; to Jack “You conspired to violate Dr. Lecter's property and personal rights. The only one involved in this investigation we can confirm has killed someone is Will Graham. And How do we Know that Dr. L/N isnt involved in any of this?”

“It was self-defense. And Y/N is expecting and has only ever been helpful, and at most times the voice of reason during cases. Me and Will wouldnt put her life and her unborn childs life at risk.”

“You're using yourself as bait.”

“I'm the best bait we have.” Kade takes a breath, focuses. “Hannibal Lecter is being induced to commit murder by an undercover FBI informant. This is outrageous government conduct. Do you realize who will be held responsible?”

“Hannibal will be held responsible.”

“You would never get a conviction.” Jack scoffs and crosses his arms.

“If Hannibal is who we believe him to be, you would've just handed him his Get Out of Jail Free card.”

“You should thank Dr. Bloom. She just saved us all a lot of trouble.”

“Thank you, Dr. Bloom.” Alana holds his gaze. “You're not thinking clearly, Jack.”

“We are as close as we will ever be.”

“You're distracted. I understand your wife is very ill. Pending an enquiry, I'm putting you on forced compassionate leave. Agents will be waiting in your office to relieve you of your badge and gun.”

BAU - JACK CRAWFORD'S OFFICE - DAY-

Jack stands behind the desk. TWO AGENTS wait to escort him out. Kade Prurnell watches the process. All plays MOS. Jack holds her gaze for a second and then walks out, the agents in close attendance behind him.

JACK CRAWFORD'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - LATE AFTERNOON-

Bella, her hands lie across her chest. The room is silent, motes of dust drift through the dimming light of the dying day. Night is coming. Bella's breathing RISES and FALLS...Jack sits in a chair, watching his wife sleep. Rise... Fall… Bella misses a breath. Jack studies her more closely. Bella breathes again, a flutter, and then a full breath. Jack rises and stands over his wife, takes her hand. She doesn't stir, breath continuing to rise and fall. Jack watching Bella sleep...

BAU - JACK CRAWFORD'S OFFICE - DAY-

Kade Prurnell sits behind Jack's desk, going through RANDALL TIER CRIME SCENE PICTURES, SATELLITE PHOTOS of Hannibal's house and various paperwork. She's boggled by it all. Alana Bloom enters the office. Kade looks up from the various pieces of evidence, noticing Alana. “This is staggering.” Alana approaches the desk, thoughtful. “What are you going to do about Hannibal Lecter?”

“What Jack should have done. We froze his passport and we're getting a search warrant.”

“Hannibal already opened his doors to the FBI. There won't be physical evidence. The only way to catch him is in the act.”

“You think we should've just let Jack Crawford hang himself and everyone else in his department.”

“No, but Will and Jack are still your best chance to catch Hannibal.” Kade references the Randall Tier crime scene photos. “The man Will Graham killed in self defense? He was mutilated. Limbs removed. Head severed at the jaw. At a certain point, self-defense stops. Will Graham didn't stop.” Kade tosses the crime scene photos back on the pile. “Jack Crawford sanctioned this. And then he covered it up.”

“I have to believe Will was trying to maintain his cover identity.”

“Reality doesn't go away if you stop believing in it, Dr. Bloom. It's stubborn like that. The reality of this situation is Jack Crawford was misusing the power of his office.”

“They're desperate.”

“They are breaking the law. This is criminal conduct. I have to bring charges against these men.”

“They're not going to stop.”

“That's why they're being brought into custody.”

“Jack knows what you'll find, he knows what you have to do. You have to know that won't stop him from doing what he has to do”

ALANA BLOOM'S CAR - NIGHT-

Alana sits in her car. Pondering what to do. Debating her actions. She pulls out her cell phone --

GRAHAM/BAILIE HOUSE - NIGHT-

The telephone RINGS and Will picks it up. “Hello.”

“It's Alana. Is Jack with you?”

“No. Why?”

“I... I wanted to find some middle ground between believing the world is perfectly safe and terribly dangerous. I was trying to…” Her voice trails off, overwhelmed with emotion. “What did you do?”

“They've issued a warrant for your arrest, Will. For acting as an accessory to entrapment and the murder of Randall Tier. They're going to arrest Jack, too.” LIGHTS and the CRUNCH of gravel draw Will to the window. Two FBI SUVs are pulling into Their driveway. “Good-bye, Alana.”

“Will?” He hangs up. Grabs his coat and gun. “Y/N! Honey we have to Go!”

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT-

Hannibal Looks up as Jack Crawford enters. Hannibal smiles. “Hello, Jack. You're early.” Hannibal never stops chopping. It slices down on the meat. ALL SOUND IS DULLED. What we can hear is the RHYTHMIC BREATHING and HEARTBEAT of Hannibal against the ORGANIC HUM of his CIRCULATORY SYSTEM.

Hannibal turns the block of knives in front of him so the handles are now facing Jack, should he want one. The light reflecting off of his kitchen knife dances briefly across his face. “Would you care to sous-chef?” Jack glances at the knives. “I want to thank you for your friendship, Hannibal.”

“The most-beautiful quality of a true friend is to understand and be understood with absolute clarity.”

“Then this is the truest moment of our friendship.” Jack’s hand drifts toward his coat, brushing his thumb across the fasten of his sidearm holster. Hannibal THROWING HIS KITCHEN KNIFE AT JACK.

Jack Crawford dives out of the way as he draws his gun from his holster and SHLUCK... Hannibal’s KNIFE MOVES THROUGH Jack’s hand at the wrist, his gun clatters to the floor. Hannibal vaults over the kitchen counter as Jack pulls the knife out of his wrist, swinging it immediately. The blade whisks through the air, narrowly missing Hannibal.

He yanks another knife from the cutting board and swings it in a deadly arc. Jack jackknifes his torso to avoid the blade, slashing back at Hannibal with quick swipes. Hannibal deflects Jack’s knife with his own and they dodge, parry and block each other’s blades.

Jack thrusts and slices into Hannibal’s waist, who twists around the knife, knocking it from Jack’s grip. Hannibal lunges his knife at Jack’s belly, meaning to gut him. Jack blocks the knife with a cutting board and then smashes the cutting board into the side of Hannibal’s head, knocking him off balance, but not quite down.

He grabs Hannibal and bodily swings him crashing into the cupboards. Hannibal throws his weight back at Jack, driving him across the kitchen, but not far. Jack is solid. Jack maneuvers his arms around Hannibal’s throat and begins to squeeze a chokehold. Hannibal writhes and kicks, trying to throw Jack off balance, but to no avail.

His eyelids flutter and pinch as he tries to focus and remain conscious. His body goes limp and he slumps in Jack’s arms... just enough for his shoulder to drop and allow his hand to reach a SHARD OF GLASS on the floor.

Hannibal plunges the SHARD OF GLASS into Jack’s neck. He recoils and stumbles back, clutching his neck. Hannibal acts quickly, picking up a butcher knife and turning on Jack. Still clutching his neck, Jack stumbles back into...

Jack falls inside, kicking the door closed on the advancing Hannibal. SLAM. SLAM. SLAM. Hannibal throws his shoulder into the pantry door, Jack’s foot braced against it. SLAM. He throws his shoulder into a braced door. Jack holds his neck wound with one hand as he fumbles for his phone with the other. SLAM. SLAM. SLAM. The door splinters. The terrible focus of a predatory animal.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - NIGHT-

Alana approaches the front door, hesitating on the walkway. She stops, debating if she should stay or go and what the hell she was doing there in the first place. The RAIN is loud, drowning out all else in the night. She turns and starts to walk away, then stops and turns around again. This time, right up to the door.

Which is slightly ajar. Alana pushes the door open ever so slightly and listens. Straining against the rain outside... then begins to identify the SOUNDS OF STRUGGLE and a SUSTAINED SHOUT from Jack. Alana goes pale, pulls out her phone, dials. She holds the phone with one hand and digs through her bag with the other.

“911. Please state the nature of your emergency.” Alana fishes her gun out of her bag. “I'd like to report gunshots.” Gun drawn, Alana pushes the door open. She hears somethingWUMPF with a RATTLE, followed by a series of SLAM-SLAM-SLAM. “Jack?”

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - NIGHT-

Alana wades through the darkness, toward the slidingdouble doors of the dining room, open not even an inch. CUT RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE by a single SLIVER OF LIGHT, the room falling into darkness around her, gun at the ready.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT-

SLAM. SLAM. SLAM. The door finally splinters under Hannibal's force. Alana Bloom in the doorway. “Hannibal…” then clearer “Hannibal.” Hannibal stops, turns to see Alana. “Hello, Alana.”

She looks around the broken, bloody room, mounting horror. Hannibal sighs, truly disappointed to see her here. “What a terrible and wonderful thing it is to see you.”

“Where's Jack?”

“In the pantry.” The moment of truth. “I was hoping you and I wouldn't have to say good-bye. I imagined a farewell less sorrowful, less present, an echo. Nothing said nor seen. You may've thought that rude.” He takes a step toward her, her finger tensing on the gun.

“Stop.” He does. “I was so blind.”

“In your defense, I worked very hard to blind you. You can stay blind. You can hide from this. Walk away. I'll make no plans to call on you. But if you stay, I will kill you. Be blind, Alana. Don't be brave.” She pulls the trigger. And the gun CLICKS. She pulls it again and another CLICK. “I took your bullets.” CLICK. CLICK. Alana stares. Frozen. As huge simple terror washes over her. Alana RUNS. Hannibal takes a breath, then gives reluctant pursuit.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - ENTRANCE HALL/STAIRWAY - NIGHT-

Alana runs through the hallway and starts up a large staircase. down the stairs as Hannibal comes charging behind her. Alana speeds up. But he is faster... As they round a bend in the stairs, he grabs for her. His hand clutches at her ankle. Grasps her shoe. Alana slips, kicks her foot from her shoe and scrabbles on her knees.

KICKS Hannibal hard with the other heel, catching his face and rocking him back. Hannibal smiles. Takes his time now as he follows her. ANGLE DOWN THE STAIRCASE as Alana runs toward us, Hannibal slowly stalking behind.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT-

Alana comes up the stairs, into the hallway. She makes for a bedroom door.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT-

Alana BURSTS into the dark bedroom and SLAMS the door closed. Turns the key in the lock. Stares at the door. HEART SLAMMING. CIRCULATORY SYSTEM pounding in her ears. She GASPS for breath. She is lit only by MOONLIGHT creeping through the window. Alana thinks quickly. Pulls the spare clip from her bag and ejects the empty one from her gun.

Alana SLAMS the clip into the gun and draws the slide and FIRES TWICE into the door. BANG. BANG. TWO BEAMS OF LIGHT pierce the gloom and hit Alana like laser beams.

“I found more bullets.” A SHADOW moves outside the door, blocking the beams of light for a second, and Alana fires again, making a third.

ALANA -- in profile -- breathing hard, facing the door. Lit by the orange beams of light. Gun at the ready. Aiming down the barrel, just as she was taught. Standoff. And then a figure -- indistinct -- steps from the shadows beside her. Ghostly, long-haired, ethereal...

Alana senses her presence and turns. She instinctively turns the gun to Abigail. Then lowers it. ALANA as so many things register. “Abigail…” Abigail fights tears, on the edge. “I'm so sorry…” And she suddenly SHOVES Alana, propels her backward and PUSHES Alana OUT OF THE WINDOW.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - NIGHT-

The front of the house, viewed from the street. HEAVY RAIN FALLING. Lights burning golden yellow.

Beyond that PLANE OF FOCUS, a blur of violence inside as Alana comes through the bedroom window, SHATTERING GLASS and SPLINTERING WOOD. Alana continues to sail through the rain, accompanied by a cloud of shattered glass.

Over this, a series of single notes, played on a harpsichord, an incongruous, pretty sound, its pace somehow suiting Alana's beautiful-yet-terrible descent… Alana hits the cement outside with a sickening THWACK and a SHOWER OF BROKEN GLASS She lies broken and unmoving, pelted by rain, staring into middle distance, not breathing.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - NIGHT-

Will and Y/N run to the corner and Hannibal's house. Guns drawn. He slows as he sees Jack's and Alana's cars outside. And then they see Alana Bloom! Will rushes to her. Drops to his knees. Until... she takes a deep breath, having had the wind knocked out of her from the fall. She tries to speak, urgent and desperate -- blood bubbles over her lips.

“Don't talk. Just breathe…” He pulls off his jacket, rolls it up and places it gently around her head. Y/N pulls her phone from her pocket. Dials. Alana grasps his hand tight. Smearing her blood on him. Will looks around, anguished. The call connects:

“This is Dr. Y/N L/N. I need ERT at Hannibal Lecter's residence.” Y/N holds Alana's gaze. ‘Jack's inside…’

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - CELLAR - NIGHT-

LOW ANGLE in the cellar, lit by cracks of light from the floorboards above. Blood slowly forms HEAVY DROPS along the edge of the boards and then DRIPS down. Follow it back up through the cracks...

Where Jack is lying on the floor, still grasping his neck wound. Blood PULSING past his hands. He is fading. He holds his cell phone. We see it is dialing. But not 911... "Bella" flashes on the display...

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - NIGHT-

Will and Y/N step into the dining room. Their movements are slow. So, so tense. They slide toward the kitchen. Eyes darting. Comes round the corner to see...

THE KITCHEN

Lights still on, blood and destruction everywhere. Will looks at the room, the blood smears and the chaos. BLOOD POOLS from beneath the pantry door. They cross to

the pantry door and then stop, realizing Their not alone. Abigail Hobbs stands in the kitchen.

Abigail turns and sees him. Her face is tear streaked. She is agitated, doesn't know what to do.

Will struggles to process her. They stare at one another. Y/N’s heart almost stops. Tears fill them. Will can't begin to understand and yet understands totally… “Abigail...?”

“I didn't know what else to do. So I did what he told me.” Abigail begins to shake, fighting sobs. Y/N goes to comfort her. Enveloping the girl into a tight maternal hug. “Where is he?” Her face suddenly falls. Will has a millisecond to register, and then, before he can react... “Hello, Will.”

I turn around keeping A hold of Abigail. Hannibal is looming behind Will. Arm coming round as if in an embrace, moving swiftly. Will is still in shock about Abigail when Hannibal warmly welcomes him with open arms. “You were supposed to leave.”

“We couldn't leave without you Two.” BLOOD SPRAYS up between them, splashing their faces. Abigail SCREAMS as Will's gun drops to the floor and his hands go to his belly. “No!’ I shout tears spilling from my eyes. Me and Abigail watch in horror as Will staggers and falls against the wall. His gun out of reach. Will looks down --

To see blood SPILLING from a WIDE CUT across his abdomen. His INNARDS straining at the wound. I attempt to go for him but Abigail Grabs my arm. “Abigail let go.” I say fighting against her hold. She just cries “I’m sorry”

“Time has reversed. The teacup I've shattered has come together. A place has been made once more in the world for Abigail. A place was made for all of us. Together. I wanted to surprise you. And you... wanted to surprise me.” Hannibal is heartbroken. Will is shaking, trying to remain conscious and out of shock. I’m still Crying.

“I let you in. I let you know me. I let you see me.” Hannibal says Stroking Will’s hair. “You wanted to be seen.” I never wanted any of this to happen. I Would've left with them if I'd known. Then maybe My friends ...My Will……The father of our child….wouldn't be bleeding out on the floor.

“By both of you. A rare gift I've given you. But you didn't want it.” Will isn't so definitive. “Didn't We?”

“You would deny me my life.”

“Not your life.”

“My freedom, then. You'd take that from me. Confine me to a basement cell. Do you believe you could change me the way I've changed you?”

“We already have.” Hannibal studies Will a moment, realizing he's right. “Fate and circumstance has returned us to the moment the teacup shatters. I forgive you, Will.” Hannibal stands next to a terrified Abigail who realizes she's made a bargain with the devil. Abigail lets go of me and goes to Hannibal. “Will you forgive me?” Hannibal is genuinely sad. Will has time for a single, shocked: “Don't…”

And Hannibal CUTS ABIGAIL'S THROAT in a single, sleek motion, right across the scar where her father once did the same. Abigail's face shows shock and horror. And then blood SPRAYS and Abigail crumples to the floor before Will. “No!” I attempt to get to her but Hannibal Grabs me by my waist. I Cry out like a mother would for her child. “No…no..” I cry.

Abigail clutches at her throat to stop the bleeding, but it pours from between her fingers. Will is horrified. “You can make it all go away.”

“Put your head back. Close your eyes. Wade into the quiet of the stream.”

Will drags himself to Abigail and takes his hands from his own terrible wound and places them against her throat. Trying to stem the flow of bleeding. A bloody Will pulls Abigail to him, lifting her head higher to try to stem the blood flow. His own wound TEARS and he SCREAMS in pain… And then it is too much and Will collapses backward to the floor. His own face is inches from Abigail's. She looks at him.

Hannibal Turns me to face him. I look broken. Tears falling. “Please…I'm pregnant…” Hannibal shushes me as he strokes my face. “I could never hurt you…..not now not ever….not even in the midst of this failed plan to capture me.” He strokes my belly gently and Kisses my forehead and my tear stained cheeks. “I’m sorry Y/N.”

We hold a look and then Hannibal disappears into the darkness, I scramble to Will. Cradling his head in my lap, I put pressure on his wound. “Its gonna be okay, you have to be okay”

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - NIGHT-

SIRENS WAIL in the night, coming closer. ALANA BLOOM -- lies on the ground outside, breathing in shallow gasps, eyes staring upward. Hannibal, now in an overcoat and carrying a valise, STEPS OVER her and keeps walking. Alana's faint breath mists the air... the puffs coming slower and slower.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - PANTRY - NIGHT-

JACK CRAWFORD -- eyes struggling to stay open. Still. Slow, weak breaths. The phone RINGS one last time in his hand and then CLICKS. “Hello...? Jack...?” Jack's eyes flutter and close...

STREET - NIGHT-

Hannibal walks away with his valise as FLASHING LIGHTS and SIRENS invade the street behind him.

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT-

ON ABIGAIL HOBBS -- gasping, her eyes reflecting – Fading. He sees the black stag, it now lies on the kitchen floor, breathing in great steaming gasps. Dying… His eyes fixed on the black stag as its breath slows and finally stops… Stinging pain brings him back to Y/N Crying as she struggles to somehow stop his bleeding. His Hand Resting on her belly, as one child dies and the other one grows.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Rose-Red Ruler.

Happy birthday, our most beloved Queen of Hearts.

May your smile be like a never fading flower.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

A soft knock is at his door.

Riddle tears away from his current textbook--a volume of advanced potions, open to Recipe for Happiness. On the list of ingredients were faith, trust, a little pixie dust, and...

"Come in," he calls, letting the contents of the book fall from his memory.

His mother enters, bearing a tray with a tall pitcher and a glass. As usual, her hair is pulled back into a tight bun and she is dressed impeccably: a scarlet pantsuit, heels, black lace gloves, and a necklace drawn tight across her neck, creating the illusion of beading blood. Mrs. Rosehearts gives her son a stern yet warm smile.

"Happy birthday, Riddle. You're still studying, even on your big day?"

"Yes, mother. This will be the year I apply for internships, so I cannot afford to slack off in my studies. I want to ensure I am the strongest possible candidate for the law and medical internships I'm interested in."

She nods approvingly, setting the tray upon his desk. "It's good to be thinking about your future now--but be sure to take breaks when appropriate. I've brought you some Darjeeling, first flush. Its light and delicate flavor is perfectly refreshing for a sweltering day."

Mrs. Rosehearts starts to pour the chilled tea for him. Right as the aromatic, golden brown stream ceases, she lets out a small gasp. "Ah, yes--your schedule is open tonight, correct? Your father will be fetching a strawberry tart on his way home from work, and I've prepared all your favorite foods. You can eat as much as you like!"

Riddle's stomach flutters.

There are so many things wrong with what she has said, but he exclaims the first question to emerge in his mind.

"We're having a celebration? Together?"

"Of course we are. It's your birthday," his mom replies plainly. "Why wouldn't we celebrate our special little boy?"

"I... I don't know," Riddle confesses. For reasons he cannot explain, his head suddenly feels foggy. "I just can't recall the last time we did something like this as a family."

You've never seemed happy with one another.

He does not dare say it out loud.

Mrs. Rosehearts carefully regards her child.

"Certainly, your father and I have very busy schedules on account of our work at the hospital. You've immersed yourself in your schoolwork. It can be difficult making plans that align with all three of us--but we make time to spend with our loved ones."

Mrs. Rosehearts leans down and plants a feathery kiss on his head, a hand lovingly stroking his hair. So soft, so tender. She smells of roses on a bed of vanilla and amber, the same heady comfort as the exhilaration of collapsing, out of breath, after spinning in circles in the summertime.

The frantic thudding in Riddle's chest slows. He leans into her touch, her fragrance.

"Okay," he says quietly. A slight wetness prickles his vision. "I think... I'd really like that, mom."

He stays there, in her embrace, for longer than he thinks he should. The minutes are slipping away from him, but Riddle cannot bring himself to pull away. The cradle of roses is enchanting, spilling wool over his eyes.

He is completely, utterly, certifiably entranced.

Ding-dong!

Mrs. Rosehearts lifts her head. "Hm? That's strange. That can't be your father. He doesn't get out of work for at least another hour--and he wouldn't need to ring the doorbell, he has his keys."

"It is odd," Riddle agrees.

"Excuse me, it will take just a moment to check. Perhaps it's the mailman."

Mrs. Rosehearts gathers herself and departs. From the study, Riddle can hear the front door swinging open, followed by muffled chatter. Excited, boyish.

His mother's voice, raising.

Dread fills him.

He abruptly stands, his chair harshly skidding back with an unpleasant whine.

Riddle races into the hallway and to the foyer. He's not sure which is faster: his heart, or his feet? His mind struggles to catch up, to process everything--

The front door is ajar.

His mother, on one side. And on the other...

Two young men.

One with short hair in dark green and bright yellow eyes peering out from behind thick frames. He holds a hefty cake in his hands--a shortcake iced in whipped cream frosting. The strawberries piled on top shine like forbidden jewels.

Beside him is a boy with choppy bangs, a pair of feline ears bearing a plethora of earrings pokes out from his head. He has a lazy grin and disheveled clothes, reclining like a sunbathing cat against the first visitor.

His friends spot him before his mom does, and their faces light up.

"Uh-oh, guess the cat's out of the bag now," Che'nya giggles.

"Wh-What are you two doing here?!" Riddle demands. Not angry, but fearful. He nervously glances at Trey--Trey, whom his mother had angrily banished from their home until the end of time.

"We wanted to drop by and surprise you," Trey explains. He's too calm for this situation--especially when Mrs. Rosehearts is standing right there.

Any minute now, Riddle suspects she will explode. She will scream at Trey and Che'nya until she is a darker red than her hair. She will slam the door in their faces. She will threaten to call the police. She will--

"Riddle, you didn't tell me your friends would be joining us this evening!" Mrs. Rosehearts beams, stepping aside and waving for the boys to enter. "Please, come in! You can spend some time together before dinner.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Myaaa-uch appreciated!”

Trey and Che’nya cross the threshold with ease.

Riddle blinks. “But what about my studies…?”

“Studies? At a time like this?” Trey gives a light laugh. “We’re not at school, Riddle. You can relax a little. Just let me put this cake away and then we can all hang out, okay?”

“My father is already going to be bringing a tart later…”

“Oooh, double the desserts? Don’t mind if I do! I’ll swipe two slices of both.”

“Don’t be greedy, Che’nya! You have to save some for the rest of us, especially the birthday boy.”

“Me?” Riddle’s brows crease. “I…”

“It’s fine,” his mother coaxes. “Go and be with your friends.”

“Is that okay? Is that… really, really okay?”

Mrs. Rosehearts steps toward him, taking his hands in hers. Her eyes are dewey, and her face looks more gentle than he has ever seen it.

“Yes. This is your youth, Riddle. You only live once—so live this life to its fullest. If you could promise me that, then nothing would make me happier.”

“Mother…!”

Riddle tugs her into a hug. It is fast, it is fleeting, it is a flicker of light peeking through a keyhole. He opens that locked door and emerges on the other end.

He chokes out his response.

Two simple words, carrying all his hopes and dreams.

“I promise.”

And for the first time in forever, he smiles with all of his heart.

But beyond the happy boy, cheeks streaked with tears, beyond the door that divided him from the world... a shadow hides in the shade of a rose tree.

It looks on, and smiles too.

"... It appears as though Rosehearts has have found his happily ever after at long last, fufu. How wonderful.”

[vaspider]

Mila update!

An update on our pup with lymphoma. If you don't want to read about a pet with cancer which will eventually kill her, please enjoy this photo of her current favorite activity: sleeping on Emet and sticking out her lil blep, and skip the rest of this post.

We've changed Mila's chemotherapy at the advice of her oncologist. Her lymph nodes are a little swollen and her bloodwork is a little hinky, and we want to make the switch to something which will work at shrinking her lymph nodes a little better while she's still as strong as possible. We've also put her back on steroids for a bit, so it's time to get back on the Always Eating, Always Drinking, So Much Energy train. :p We might adjust to a different treatment later on, but, you know, this is a constant process, and we're really grateful that we have a good team on our side.

(And that we can afford that good team, which we totally cannot do without help. Thank you.)

Mila has gained quite a bit of weight since she started on chemo, and she's fatter than she's ever been! This is a good thing in the vet's opinion -- if she were going to be around for another ten years, putting on 20% of her body weight in a handful of months isn't a good thing, but, bluntly, she won't be. So this is a combination of 'eat while you can, have body fat to burn through when you are feeling bad later and can't eat,' and 'baby girl, you eat as much as you want to, because now is when you can be spoiled.'

If she dies fat and happy, we couldn't be happier.

Well, I guess we could, because she'll be dying, but, you know what I mean.

We'll be checking in with the oncologist in 2 weeks -- the other good thing about this medication is that it doesn't require us to get her blood drawn a week after her appointment; she won't need bloodwork again until her next oncology appointment. I'm sure she will appreciate not needing to go get stuck as often!

The goal is updated for her December needs, and I cannot thank you enough for the help you have given. I know we keep asking for assistance, and I'm incredibly grateful, because we absolutely couldn't have gotten this far with her without our community's help.

Mila's asleep right now, but I promise some Fat Tummy Video soon.

[homestuckreplay]

what kind of sick freak bakes cakes

(page 82-87)

THINGS ARE HAPPENING! THINGS ARE KICKING INTO HIGH GEAR! I'm so blown away by this update, it's definitely the one that's left me the most excited of any so far, for two main reasons.

First, THE TITLE CARD. This is it. The introduction is over, we're done messing around in the tutorial level, we've seen the title screen come into view and now we're ready for John's big boy birthday gamer adventure. I like how simple the animation is, with the slow zoom out as John gazes at the sky as though it's the first time he's realized how big it is, and the rushing wind and tinkling chimes behind it; it captures the banality of John's neighborhood. I just have one question - is the word Homestuck actually in the sky far above the house?

The streets are empty. Wind skims the voids keeping neighbors apart, as if grazing the hollow of a cut reed, or say, a plundered mailbox. A familiar note is produced. It's the one Desolation plays to keep its instrument in tune.

The narration beneath the panel is so different from the irreverent jokes of most of the comic; it's got a sincerity that I think we have seen glimpses of before but never really leaned into. I'd like to, because I'm interested in John's inner life, and I'm interested in knowing who this narrative entity is who knows John's inner life.

According to the adventure map (/map/6) this is Act 1, titled 'The Note Desolation Plays', which means this is a title card for both the act and the comic. I really want to dig into this being the act title - it really suggests that this is the page to pay attention to, and that John running around his house playing pranks on himself is a distraction from a much larger feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction. This is a great starting point for a character, especially the 'something feels missing from your life', and I'm bookmarking this page for future thoughts.

Second, we've tripled our number of fetch quests and confirmed that the Sburb Beta is here, in John's house. We also now have the red and green packages, and enough attention is drawn to them that I desperately want to see what's inside. John's dad left one birthday present in John's room and one in the living room, so I'd believe he's doing a treasure hunt (or prank setup) by also putting one in the kitchen and one in the car, except 1. there wasn't one in the study, and 2. those presents were white; these packages are colored.

So of course, I took inventory of all the other green and red things in the comic so far.

Green: John's shirt, Sburb logo, check mark, flashing available captchalogue cards in interface, leaves on tree, 'Typheus', ^CAKE, grass, CD rack interface, strife specibus card, GREEN PACKAGE

Red: 'TRY AGAIN, SMARTASS" error text, GameBro logo, calendar doodles, blood capsules, captchalogue card error, RANCOROUS, TG's instant messages, mailbox lever, car harlequin, RED PACKAGE

Obviously a lot of these are typical associations of red as stop/error and green as go/success, but some are interesting. My best guess is that the green package has something to do with Sburb, because green has been linked to both Sburb and John himself since page 1. There's an outside chance that it's to do with the strife specibus - that's a more similar shade of green to the package, and I love the idea that when you allocate a hammer to your strife specibus, you immediately get a hammer delivered to your house.

The red package could be a cease and desist from GameBro Magazine for slander, but I think it's something to do with TG, as he's our most prominent use of red. If I'm right, I bet it's some sort of gag gift, since he doesn't seem the type to send a sensitive and thoughtful birthday gift.

Big things are coming. I can feel it in the air when John takes off his disguise for a moment to gaze into the sky over his house. Even if we get immediate tonal whiplash when he's tempted to leave a surprise for the mailman - it can't hide the real sense of anticipation to these pages.

[soft-girl-musings]

An Unexpected Proposition (pt. 2)

based on this prompt from @imaginexhobbit, previously submitted under @jawn-i-made-coffee

cross-posted to ao3

part 1

Kíli x fem!Reader

tags: mentions of blood/injury, Reader is described as tall (by human standards), Y/N is used

wc: 1,741

fic summary: An injured dwarf appears on your doorstep. Do you grant him sanctuary on this stormy night?

A/N: once again posting the cuties for myself. i have a loose outline from years ago i revisited and honestly? still slaps. so this might get a part 3.

You can't believe it. You’re actually doing it. You walk along the road leading away from town with your pack on your back, boots on your feet-

"Come on, (Y/N)!" Kíli shouts from the top of the hill. You smile. A friend by your side.

Only a few hours earlier you had broken bread and prepared to say goodbye; now, you’re following Kíli after he promised you an adventure. Was this a foolhardy endeavor? Perhaps. But after years in the quiet countryside, your roving heart had gotten restless. Kíli had tempted you with the open road and the thrill of a quest; how could you refuse him? 

As you climb the muddy slope, Kíli taps his foot in mock impatience. "You would think that with those long legs of yours, you'd move faster."

You reach the top and shove him lightly. "Shut up. I'm digesting." He laughs, shoving you right back. You notice he slows his pace to walk beside you this time. "So how much farther are you taking me, sir dwarf?"

"Ah, ah! (Y/N), if we're to be on the road together, we must do away with these formalities." He pulls a grimace and looks up at you. "'Sir Dwarf' makes me sound like some old fool."

You chuckle. Never a dull moment with this one. "Very well, Kíli, " you begin, drawing out his name in playful reverence, “how much farther until we get there?”

Ears tinged pink, he looks away, adding the figures in his head. "Where we're going is... three days on foot. We'd cut our time in half if I hadn't lost my pony." His brow furrows as he remembers his violent run-in with a few drunk locals.

You frown. "You're too weak to make that journey on a deadline." Kíli opens his mouth to object, but you shake your head. "There's a stable not three miles from here. I know the owner, he should take pity on our situation and help us." Kíli's face remains tense, but he nods in agreement and follows you.

Three miles later, you approach the stables and see your friend, just having finished mucking out the stalls. He raises a hand to greet you, but retracts the gesture when he sees who walks beside you.

“'Afternoon, Dylten!” You holler, but he turns and carts the waste to the back of the structure. Strange, he’s never this distracted. You place your bags down and chase after him. “Wait here,” you reassure Kili, “I’ll be right back!”

You find his cart abandoned as he walks hastily away from the stable. “Dylten!” you run to catch up to him. “At least a nod of greeting would suffice. Why the rush, friend?”

“I’m not sure I wish to be called ‘friend,’ if that’s the kind of company you keep,” he grumbles. His face turns red as he walks faster, and you notice a few fresh bruises along his jaw.

You piece two and two together as you reach the crest of the hill, where you see a chestnut brown pony tied haphazardly to a post in front of his home.

"New acquisition?" You ask flatly, knowing full well where the pony came from.

"Of sorts." He moves to walk inside, but you block his doorway, hand on the hilt of your weapon.

"You nearly killed him," you snarl.

"It wasn't just me! Nobody wanted him there!" He backs away, nearly tripping over his front step. "Some of us merely took it upon ourselves to send the dwarf a message!"

You're seething with anger at this point, sword drawn. You brandish the weapon toward him. "Yeah? And what was it-- that you and half the people in this town are beyond dense?"

He’s nervous, but scoffs all the same. “Don’t pretend to be all ‘high and mighty,’ (Y/N). I fought beside you. You knocked heads and drew blood just as easily as the rest of us.”

You’ve heard enough. In an instant, Dylan is knocked down by the pommel of your weapon and you crouch over him, knee to his chest. “Not innocent blood. Which doesn’t help you at the moment.” His breath staggers under your weight, struggling even more as you lean closer. “We’re taking the pony. And your black mare. If you’re lucky, my payment will include us never speaking of this again.”

__________

The next day and a half pass with ease. You notice you’ve reached the western countryside. Lush grass rolls in billowing green waves, speckled with countless wildflowers. Kíli plucks a few and sticks them in your hair while you’re busy preparing lunch; you sneak a few into his braid before he mounts for the final leg of the journey.

"Look!" You shout gleefully. As twilight creeps in, you are met with a most welcome sight. Little homes built into the sides of hills are scattered along the horizon. The grass rises and frames a beaten path before you.

Kíli rides up beside you, grinning wildly. "I think we've finally reached The Shire."

Exhausted from your journey, the two of you go to a cozy-looking tavern for a couple of drinks. You feel like a giant as you sip from a glass half the size of what you’re used to. The door jingles, opening to reveal a blond dwarf looking around warily before stepping inside. You nudge Kíli and point out the newcomer. He leaps from his seat almost immediately. 

"Fíli!" He calls out. The blond turns and, upon seeing Kíli, moves to embrace him.

"Glad to see you arrived safely, brother." They clap each other on the back and return to the table. Upon closer inspection, the family resemblance is much more prominent. Fíli is clearly the oldest of the two, having a harder maturity about him.

Fíli sits across from you, his smile slightly faltering as he looks you up and down. "And who's this?"

 "(Y/N)," you blurt out, offering your hand. "I've been traveling with your brother." Fili shakes it, looking to Kíli for an explanation. 

"She's done so much more than that, Fí. Why-"

"Tell me on the way. We're due at the burglar's house any minute now." 

As you travel to your next destination, Kíli speaks of your "grand rescue". Fíli listens readily, but later murmurs concerns of how "Uncle might not approve" of your presence at the halfling's home. 

The rest of the company, however, simply adores you. After Kíli tells them the tale of how you had saved him and secured transport (you had eventually told him about your run-in with Dylten), the other ten dwarves show an apparent respect for you.

"That'd explain why yer face looks like you fell head-first into a rosebush!" a dwarf called Bofur shouts across the table. You laugh as Kíli's ears turned red.

A heavy knock on the door silences the household.

"He's here."

"Gandalf," you hear someone say in greeting. You find yourself growing nervous as he walks in. Thorin seems to tower over the rest of the company. The graying hair and beard framing his face give his features an aged ferocity. You recall facing foes four times as large, but they suddenly seem dwarfed in comparison to this… well, dwarf.

You take a sip of tea and whisper, "Kíli, what if your brother was right? What if your uncle doesn't want me here at all?" Sensing the panic in your voice, he takes your hand in his and hushes you. "Fí doesn't know what he's talking about. Uncle needs every man he can get, and you're just as good as any of these old fools claim to be." He squeezes your hand andofferes a small smile. "He'll love you, I swear."

Unfortunately, Kíli could not have been more wrong. Thorin's face had been cheerful enough as he greeted his friends, but when his eyes fall on you, the subtle joy vanishes. After taking you in, he frowns. "I had believed this to be a private meeting, Gandalf."

"I had no part in her being here," the wizard insists.

"I brought her, Uncle." All eyes fall on Kíli as he stands. "I didn't think you'd mind. This is-"

"-A human who should not be aware as to why we are gathered."

"But Uncle, she's more than worthy to join us!"

"I decide who is worthy!" The red in Thorin's face deepens with every syllable. Your hand tightens around Kíli's. "Tell me, were you yammering about this quest on your whole journey, or was it just to the pretty ones you wished to impress?"

"With all due respect, sir-- your nephew is not at fault. I came on my own accord."

Thorin turns his glower to you. "Silence, girl. I'll deal with you later." 

"Enough, Uncle!" Kíli shouts He leaps forward, dragging you along until you both stand toe to toe with Thorin. You feel drastically out of place, awkwardly towering over the dwarf who looks about ready to take your head off.

"(Y/N) has done nothing to deserve your blind wrath! If anything, she deserves your utmost respect! She has seen battle in lands I'd never heard of. She served ten years of her life fighting alongside fierce men who were beyond her in years, and matched them blow for blow! And she saved my life. I wouldn't be standing here before you if it wasn’t for her."  He entwines your fingers and looks up at you. You notice he still has flowers in his hair. "She... she nursed me back to health. She fought for my property and restored my dignity, all in a day. And because I asked her, she abandoned her life of comfort to accompany me." He looks back at Thorin, determined. "I owe her my life."

"Let her stay, Uncle. They mean well," Fíli interjects  from his corner of the room.

Thorin's eyes never leave Kíli's. "I had known you to be reckless, but I did not take you for a fool."

"Nor I you." His uncle smirks, but does not let the humor reach his eyes. "Please."

A tense moment of silence passes between you. Thorin moves closer, now standing directly beneath you. "You have no room for error. One wrong move and I will not hesitate to make you pay." 

You kneel before him, hardly believing what you heard. "From this moment on, you are my King; I will serve you as such. You have my loyalty and my sword at your disposal."

[queerdraws]

⚔️👒 Zolu Playlist 👒⚔️

28 songs Full tracklist, selected lyrics, n writeup below cut

(Contains: The Happy Fits, PUFFY, Illuminati Hotties, Paramore, The Shins, The Orion Experience, Best Coast, Utada Hikaru, etc) (+a couple songs absorbed from ao's zolu playlist)

1. The Shins - Simple Song Mixed POV, Zoro being recruited by Luffy. ... You sure must be strong And you feel like an ocean being warmed by the Sun // My life in an upturned boat Marooned on a cliff You brought me a great big flood And you gave me a lift // I know that things can really get rough When you go it alone Don't go thinking you gotta be tough To bleed like a stone Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical As this little hole?

2. Slow Pulp - Cramps Zoro POV, vibing with being a pirate, actually. realizing he's a lot like Luffy / they have a lot in common. Wants to protect his crew. Part of a family now. But also specifically drawn to Luffy, drawn along with Luffy. Has a nice confident, grungy, fighty vibe. ... Be a better lover, I know that I'm a runner Oh no, I think I've become her There's nothing better than being the protector Out of a routine, the only one I've ever seen I wanna be a foolproof machine There's nothing better, wanna be like Heather I'll take anything That you wanna give But I want everything Everything

3. PUFFY - Friends Forever Mixed POV, perfectly in sync. friends forever. big adventuring vibe. facing the world together. slight nod to whiskey peak. sidenote: it's really annoying to find this song on youtube without scooby doo noises playing over it (official music videos my beloathed...) the "pokemon and their trainers" (...gijinkas) video is the best one for my region at least. ... Just when I thought I had to make it alone You were right there by my side Making a stand holding my hand the way you do There to remind me of a "me and you" When I'm with you all my fear disappears Like if I reach, I touch the sky You've got my back, pick up my slack when I can't see But nothing picks me up like knowing we'll be Friends forever Face whatever Friends forever Yay! we're never gonna be apart You and me, we are so oddly the same The way we think, the way we play Right from the start, so off the charts, about this thing But we didn't know at first that we were making Friends forever Bound together Friends forever Yeah! We'll always be there Oh yes, there also can be times that get rough And all that can be said is "sorry" That we were wrong and said some meaningless stuff And we'll go on together, through any nasty weather Yeah

4. Illuminati Hotties - Sandwich Sharer Luffy POV - flippant & happy vibe. but also visceral, grungy, fighty. kissing. sharing food. "you thought i was bleeding but that's just my spit!!". ... Restarted kissing You said "I'm dreaming" I couldn't stop from laughing Cause it's the realest thing I ever did Taking our clothes off Painting on rooftops Sit back on shingles in the shade, I bare my teeth at future fake outs we had coming Drooling tomato sauce, to make it look legit You thought i was bleeding but that's just my spit Sandwich sharer Unprepared for What comes after this Take the big half I will bite back What you won't finish Until we're finished

5. The Happy Fits - Sailing Zoro POV oops catching feelings for a friend ... My body's achin' My ship's left the shore Your eyes are waiting My knees on the floor And it's been so long Since I had a friend And it's been so long Why can't we just pretend? And I feel your laughter Your warm, open stare And I'm chasing after Somethin' that isn't there

6. The Pillow Queens - Favourite idk just vibes "tell me i'm your favorite" + "i'm being so normal" ... i’ve got no reason to be feeling like you’re mine for the next four seasons let it die, let it die i can’t help hoping that you think i’m really nice want some brief hand holding on the sly, on the sly hey you can say it, i’m your favourite hey you can say it, i’m your favourite

7. The Beths - Warm Blood Luffy POV - Zoro is warm and good feelings. Not "you make me feel protected", but "you are a raincoat". Feels very Luffy. "you really get me" ... Nothing makes me feel like this Nothing makes me feel like this Nothing but you Nothing but you My head is hanging from the roof I'm floating all about the room Because of you Because of you I wanna bask in the rays of the way I feel right now (Ooh oooh) I wanna bask in the rays of the way I feel right now (Ooh warming up my blood) You are a raincoat, you are a zeppelin flight You are a bonfire burning a three dog night You are an isle of calm on a stormy sea You really get, you really get You really get me I wanna be here when you call Pick up the phone and I would fall in love with you In love with you

8. MONKEY MAJIK - Around the World Mixed POV. During timeskip. Counting down the days until we can see eachother again. We'll change the world, make it better, we're training to make that happen. sidenote: the mixed eng/jpn version of this song is my favorite and the one i'm referring to here ... Every night I look to the skies And wonder what we did Always a naive point of view that breaks us in the end If I could find the meaning of it all I’d take the chance Maybe in time We’ll walk the mile and change it if we can It’s now and always (How did we get this far,did we get this far now) Always (We’re making a brand new start, just a brand new start now) Always (Nothing will hold me down, never hold me down now) Always (Wave goodbye to me!) Around the world 新しいことに(with the power to) Around the world 踏み出す力で(step forward to something new) Around the world 世界は変わる(I'll change the world) But don’t run away ’cause if it’s not OK! I’ll change that world Into something better honey!

9. Natalie Holmes - Hideout Zoro POV, Luffy brings light to all those around him, reawakens ppls dreams and leads his crew in to a beautiful inspiring new life :') ... Under the stars, out in the elements If there's no room, there are no elephants When you speak the waves are radiant You've got a face that softens every muscle in my body I’ve never needed all these things to feel whole Something familiar in the love that you provide (And now) I’ve got an empty hideout cause I don't need to hide now The wind can blow out the candle, cause I'm certain I can't fall You've got a face that softens All of the glass I’ve trodden Now I’ve got an empty hideout I don’t need to hide now I don’t need to Something in your love makes everything light up We don’t say a word although we want to Your heart was on the line now suddenly it’s mine There’s something in your love Something in your love Something in your love, in you love

10. Daft Punk - Digital Love just vibes. dreaming. dancing together. having fun. ... Last night I had a dream about you In this dream I'm dancing right beside you And it looked like everyone was having fun The kind of feeling I've waited so long Don't stop, come a little closer As we jam the rhythm gets stronger There's nothing wrong with just a little little fun We were dancing all night long The time is right to put my arms around you You're feeling right, you wrap your arms around too But suddenly I feel the shining sun Before I knew it this dream was all gone Ooh, I don't know what to do About this dream and you I wish this dream comes true Ooh, I don't know what to do About this dream and you We'll make this dream come true Why don't you play the game? Why don't you play the game?

11. Mitski - Stay Soft Mostly just like the bridge "open up your heart like the gates of helllll". But feels more like Zoro POV (thirsty). And touches a little the communication issues these two have ... Fury, pure and silver You grip it tight inside Like a knife, it glints in your eye It's why I've arrived, your sex god Here to take you where You need to go, to where the dark remembers you Open up your heart Like the gates of Hell // I am facedown on my bed Still not quite awake yet Thinking of you, I tuck my hand under my weight Just tell me what you want to do Tell me what you want to burn away 'Cause I could be your stoker

12. Air Traffic Controller - You Know Me Mixed POV. You know me! Perfectly in tune. ... You know me You know everything about me now My heart is in your hands, and you know you could break it But wouldn't you rather make me sing like this? You know me I try to find some good in everything Since you came along, somehow this got easy 'Cause all you wanna do is please me, my love This could be a roller coaster But we're gonna make the most of it Whether on top, or we're going down, you know me You know me (I know you) And how I get when I'm uncomfortable If I'm too hot, or cold Tired, bored, or hungry I'm fine when you're around me, boy And you know me I've never been on time for anything I do apologize, I know it's such a bother I promise to try harder for you, girl, oh I will

13. The Orion Experience - Honeysuckle Kisses Luffy POV. Desires filed away in a very Luffy way "All I want is all my wishes, and I've love to have your honeysuckle kisses". Romance as an afterthought to the great big adventure. ... They say we're crazy, completely insane I don't give a damn, I think we're fascinating We keep it moving and riding this train They can stop and stare But I don't care Oh, they just can't see who we are You and I, yeah We belong to the stars No matter how they try They won't tear us apart All I want is all my wishes And I'd love to have your honeysuckle kisses All I need to fulfill my bliss is Is your honeysuckle, honeysuckle kisses That's what I want

14. The Happy Fits - Around and Around Zoro POV, Pre-relationship, unsure about what's happening due to poor communication. Things are coming to a boiling point. And also "I could see the world with you" - be by your side forever, go on adventures. Do you want that? Do I? Will you have me? ... I don't know what I'm seeing, when the world keeps spinning around my eyes I think I lost my meaning Just another day to survive And I can't keep thinking about it, keep thinking about it Can't be still anymore No, there's nothing so simple about it, nothing simple about it Can't be still anymore I can't be still anymore I can't be still anymore I'll go 'round and around Go 'round and around with you No, don't slow me down No, don't slow me down, will you? And I could see the world with you And I could see the world with you

15. Paramore - Proof Mixed POV, during timeskip. They're apart. Missing eachother. Believe in you, ride or die. So strong! They'll meet up again, even stronger than before. ... It's really hard I can't cry in your arms 'cause you're not here It's not your fault, and if it was, I wouldn't care My heart is bigger than the distance in between us I know it 'cause I feel it beating So strong, it'll knock you down So strong, so strong Over here I can count the miles away from where I wanna be I bet your skin is warm and that you're smiling Yeah, that's what I always loved the most about you So strong, come and knock me down Hey! Baby, if I'm half the man I say I am If I'm a woman with no fear just like I claim I am Then I'll believe in what you say There's nothing left for you to do The only proof that I need is you

16. Utada Hikaru - Chikai (aka zolu "wedding" song. Primarily Zoro POV, making oaths, matching rings, liking someone so much it makes you feel uncool, waaaaaaauughhhhghgh😭) ... I don’t know about fate But this time I have to accept that it exists // Today is a day without lies It's a perfect day for making an eternal vow Don't need pretty flowers or witnesses Let’s wear rings of the same color // What I say now isn't borrowed words It’s not a promise, it’s an oath I can’t go back to being a liar Let’s wear rings the color of the morning sun Let’s dance with our hearts pounding Let’s celebrate being alive in this moment // Kiss me once, kiss me twice Give yourself to me Let’s listen to sound of the sun rising, side by side Let’s swear to live our lives together

17. Best Coast - When I'm with You Mixed POV ... The world is lazy But you and me We're just crazy So, when I'm with you, I have fun Yeah, when I'm with you, I have fun // I hate sleeping alone

18. Gerard Way - No Shows Pre-relationship. Not wanting to be tied down, but also being drawn in to it anyway, idk. ... Been weeks I been living And your smiles are giving me All types of treble Weak knees I been given And those nights are making me Star-struck and metal Stay free, don't go 'Cause we don't need no Try to be living as your vice And can you be my type? 'Cause we need to be given a good life And can I be your type of metal? Stay free, don't go 'Cause we don't need no shows

19. VUKOVI - Colour Me In Mixed POV - Follow you anywhere, die for you, we're one together (you're mine you're mine you're mine!) ... All I am And even more I'll give it to you Couldn't count All the ways That I'd die for you We are one We are whole And I'll go with you Breathing out, breathing in And I loved you again // Where you go, oh, I'll follow Through our bodies in the dark We want it and it's perfect With you in my arms Where you go, oh, I'll follow Through our bodies in the dark You're mine You're mine You're mine Mine

20. Opus Orange - It's What I Do Mixed POV - just vibes. I feel like it describes them but can't explain it ... every time you look for me you know i think i might disappear every time i look for you i know the bright lights interfere ‘cause i’m not the kind that’s so easy to find when you’re looking for me you’re not the kind with the salt water eyes at the bottom of the sea so take my hand we are the blind leading the blind no i don’t have a plan so let’s go where the sea meets the sky now we're gonna float away everything i want to say to you gets washed away downstream everything i want to give to you is a shade of blue or green i’m not the kind to draw straight lines in the desert sand you’re not the kind with peace of mind and a gun in your hand

21. Illuminati Hotties - Toasting Primarily Luffy POV. Just vibes. Short and sweet, flippant and reckless. They cause descruction and just laugh it off, and move on. ... Toasting a Pop-Tart And thinking of you There's a lot I'd rather do Instead I'm biting my lip And I'm biting yours too 'Til the blood tastes like chocolate goo Our bodies Are twirling The kitchen is burning When we both choke down the ashes You mention you're bored I guess I could've toasted more

22. The Happy Fits - Sweet Things Mixed POV after the end of their journey, pirate king and worlds greatests swordsman continue sailing together forever ... So tell me three things, three words that you know about me I'll say, I'll say "won't you come with me, baby?" Nothing lasts forever It's only now or never Tell me sweet things, sweet things that you know about me I'll say, I'll say "won't you bury me, baby? Underneath our loving forever" Don't you take me, take me all the way and then erase me I could be the one if you stay here Underneath our loving forever So take me home Well you say that nothing matters Well you said that nothing mattered except when I'm here with you Does it feel right? (Does it feel right?)

23. The Black Keys - Go Narrator POV - The two boys growing old sailing together ... There comes a time, two hearts of gold Leave together, run forever on the open road They gotta go oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh They gotta go oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh In the winter time, when the day is long You're halfway there, the field is bare And the fire is gone Are you all alone? Are you feeling cold? Find your flame, call her name, and hit the road

24. PUFFY - Love so Pure Mixed POV - love so sure. two people perfectly suited for eachother from the start. mutual trust. soulmates. :) ... I was his from the momentthe we first met From our solo to duet, it took no time Call it fate Or just two hearts magnetized But I never felt so high Since he's been all mine We've got a love so pure, yes a love so sure The kind of love you hold so tight We've got a love so pure, yes a Love so sure The kind of love that lasts a girl for life! With a kiss I can't resist on turn away All I want is him to stay, it's paradise With out a word Nothing heard me say so much With a look or silent touch I know we'll bе all right

25. Tegan and Sara - BWU Mixed POV - don't need to follow conventions to prove their love. ... I love you I don't need a ring to Prove that you're worthy You're under my skin It's easy I don't need a lock to Prove that you trust me I walk the walk To be with you Just to be with you Oh, to be with you Just to be with you Save your first and last dance for me I don't need a white wedding Save your first and last born for me We don't need a white wedding All the girls I loved before Told me they signed up for more Save your first and last chance for me 'Cause I don't want a white wedding

26. IRONTOM - Partners Just what it says on the tin. They're partners. lol ... Partners, we're partners We're partners, we're partners

27. Ashley Eriksson - Arguably Mixed POV - idk, vibes ... Sometimes I wish I was talkin' to you 'Cause you know everybody that I do You would hear my story, and you would agree We are always right on, you and me And you can always count on my company On and on and on, endlessly We're all loving creatures of the same decree But we've got one up on them don't we? Don't we? Arguably, don't we?

28. Animal Collective - The Purple Bottle Luffy POV. Frantic. Explosive big feelings. Can't stop talking --about Zoro to other people, and to Zoro about anything (sometimes i'm talkitive and you're not talkitive, I know...). And idk, the vibes. "purple" as a metaphor for sensuality, feels playful and lovely. But the end of this song really drags on so it's at the end of the playlist lol. ... I've gotta big big big heart beat, yeah! I think you are the sweetest thing I wear a coat of feelings and they are loud I've been having good days Think we are the right age to start our own peculiar ways? With good friendly homes // Sometimes you're quiet and sometimes I'm quiet, (Hallelujah!) Sometimes I'm talkative and sometimes you're not talkative, I know // And my dear dear dear Khalana I talk too much about you Their ears are getting tired of me singing all the night through Lets just talk together You and me and me and you And if there's nothing much to say Well, silence is a bore. // Can I tell you that you are the purple in me? Can I call you just to hear you would you care? When I saw you put your purple finger on me There's a feeling in your bottle Found your bottle, found your heart Gives a feeling from your bottled little part

------

Aaaand that's all of it! Thanks for reading :)

[lalarambles]

bound by blood - pt. 1

warnings: arranged marriage, mafia, fluff (?)

pairing: mafia!al pacino x fem!doctor!reader

description: when two powerful mafia families force their progenies into an arranged marriage to strengthen their empire and keep their enemies at bay, the pair battles through the dangers that the mob life brings them.

author’s note: this IS going to be a smutty fan fiction not to worry also i haven’t watched the godfather yet but Al Pacino is so goddamn fine and i really just wanted to write a fan fiction about him and the mafia.

"You know, I've never met anyone quite like you," Al said, his eyes locked on hers as they sat in the quiet study of their newly shared home. The room was dimly lit, with the soft glow of the pendant light above them casting a warm halo around their heads.

"Is that a compliment or a warning?" she quipped, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She was beautiful, with a sharp wit to match, and he found himself drawn to her in ways he hadn't expected. Her dark hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, and her eyes held a spark of defiance that intrigued him.

He chuckled, taking a sip of his whiskey. "A bit of both, I suppose." He set the glass down, leaning back into the leather chair. "Our families, they've known each other for generations. But you and I, we're like two strangers playing a high-stakes game of poker."

Her smile grew wider, her eyes glinting with the same challenge he knew so well from his own reflection. "And what makes you think I don't know how to play?"

Al leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I've seen how you handle yourself at the dinner table, how you navigate the conversations. You're not just a pretty face, you're a force to be reckoned with."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that admiration I detect?"

"Maybe a touch," he admitted, his own smile growing. "But I'm also curious. What's your endgame in this arranged marriage?"

Her gaze didn't waver. "Survival. And perhaps, if I play my cards right, a bit of happiness."

Al nodded, understanding all too well the complexities of their situation. Their union wasn't born from love, but from a merger of two powerful mafia families. It was a strategic move, one that would strengthen their empire and keep their enemies at bay. But as they sat there, the weight of their new reality pressing down on them, he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to be found between them.

He took a deep breath, deciding to lay his cards on the table. "Look, I know this isn't ideal for either of us. But I've seen enough of this life to know that sometimes, you gotta make the best of what you're given. And you," he paused, his eyes searching hers, "you're definitely worth getting to know."

Her expression softened a fraction, and she took a sip of her own drink, the amber liquid shimmering in the low light. "Alright," she said finally. "Let's start with the basics. What's your favorite thing to do when you're not... well, doing 'mafia' stuff?"

Al leaned back, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered her question. "You mean, like a hobby?"

"Yeah," she said, setting her drink aside. "What do you do to unwind? To take your mind off the... business?"

Pacino pondered for a moment, his gaze drifting to the floor. "I used to enjoy cooking," he said, his voice a bit distant. "It's been a while, though."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? That's a surprising hobby for someone in your... line of work."

He chuckled, the sound rich and deep. "My grandmother taught me. Said a man who can't feed his family isn't much of a man. Plus, it's a good way to keep things... simple, you know?"

Her interest was piqued. "I'd love to see you cook sometime."

Al's eyes met hers, a flicker of surprise in them. "You'd like that?"

"More than you know," she said, her voice soft. "It's a way to connect, isn't it? To share something personal, outside of all... this." She gestured to the opulent room, the heavy air of their arranged union hanging between them.

He nodded, a genuine smile playing on his lips. "How about we start with something simple? Maybe tomorrow night, I'll make us dinner."

Her heart fluttered at the prospect of a quiet evening together, away from the prying eyes of their families and the ever-present danger of their lifestyle. "I'd like that," she said, feeling a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to make this marriage work.

-

The following evening, Al found himself in the kitchen, an unfamiliar territory in the grand house. The room was large and gleaming, with state-of-the-art appliances that gleamed under the spotlights. He felt a pang of nostalgia as he rummaged through the cabinets, searching for the ingredients he needed to recreate his grandmother's recipes. His hands, usually clenched around the grip of a gun or the steering wheel of a luxury car, now gently squeezed tomatoes and chopped onions. The aroma of garlic sizzling in olive oil began to fill the air, and he felt a sense of peace he hadn't experienced in years.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and he turned to see her standing in the doorway, dressed in a simple white blouse and bell bottom blue jeans. She had her hair pulled back into a loose bun, and she looked so different from the woman he'd met at their wedding, surrounded by the trappings of their shared legacy. "Need any help?" she asked, her voice tentative.

"You know your way around a kitchen?" Al replied, his eyes teasing.

"I can manage not to burn down the house," she said with a laugh, stepping closer. "What are we making?"

Al handed her a wooden spoon. "We're going to make my Nonna's famous marinara sauce. It's a family secret, so you're officially initiated."

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she took the spoon, standing next to him at the stove. They worked in companionable silence, their movements in sync as they stirred and tasted, seasoned and simmered. The room grew warm with the scent of tomatoes and herbs, mingling with the faint smell of the cigar Al had left smoldering in an ashtray on the counter.

"So, tell me about your family," she said, breaking the quiet. "Your parents, your siblings. What was it like growing up in this... world?"

Al's smile faltered for a moment, his eyes clouding over as he thought back to his childhood. "It was complicated," he finally said. "My father was a man of honor, but he was also a man of his time. He taught me the family business, the code we live by. But he also made sure I knew that there's more to life than power and money."

He added a pinch of salt to the sauce, watching as it bubbled and danced in the pot. "My mother, she was the heart of the family. She kept us all in line, made sure we knew right from wrong. She was the one who taught me that even in darkness, there's room for kindness."

Her hand paused mid-stir, and she looked at him with a newfound respect. "That's a rare trait in our world."

"It is," he agreed, his eyes never leaving hers. "But it's one I've tried to hold onto, even when the path gets... bloody."

She nodded, understanding all too well the duality of their lives. Her own upbringing had been a mix of luxury and lessons in loyalty and fear. The stove clock ticked away the minutes as they worked side by side, the simmering sauce a metaphor for their tentative relationship.

"And what about you?" Al asked, his curiosity genuine. "What's your story?"

She took a deep breath, her grip on the spoon tightening slightly. "My father... he never had any sons. So, I became the one he taught everything to. The business, the family history, the importance of loyalty. I was his right hand, his confidante."

Al nodded, a newfound respect for her strength etched on his face. "That explains the steel in your spine."

"It had to be that way," she said, her voice even. "I had to be twice as tough, twice as smart. To prove I was worthy."

Al watched her, his eyes full of understanding. "And you did," he said. "You're more than worthy."

Her cheeks flushed slightly at the compliment, and she ducked her head to hide her smile. They continued to cook, their conversation flowing as easily as the wine they'd opened to pair with their meal. They talked about their childhoods, their hopes, and their fears, sharing stories that painted a picture of the people they were before their worlds collided.

As the night went on, the kitchen grew messier, but their connection grew stronger. They laughed over small mishaps, like when a splatter of sauce landed on her nose, and she retaliated with a playful flick of pasta that sent him into a fit of laughter. It was a simple, domestic scene, a stark contrast to the violent lives they both led.

Dinner was served at a small, intimate table set for two in the corner of the vast dining room. The sauce bubbled over perfectly al dente spaghetti, the plates steaming in the candlelight. They sat across from each other, the air thick with anticipation. This was more than just a meal; it was a silent agreement to explore the uncharted waters of their relationship.

With the first bite, she closed her eyes, savoring the flavors that danced on her tongue. "Al, this is incredible," she murmured, opening her eyes to find him watching her with a pleased expression.

"It's all in the ingredients," he said with a shrug, though his cheeks colored slightly at her praise. "Fresh basil, garlic, and a hint of oregano. Just like Nonna used to make."

They ate in companionable silence, the clink of silverware on fine china punctuating their conversation. The candles flickered, casting shadows that danced on the walls, creating an intimate bubble around them. The tension of their situation, the weight of their families' expectations, seemed to dissipate with each mouthful of food.

As they shared the meal, Al found himself opening up more than he had in years. He spoke of his dreams of one day leaving the mafia behind, of starting a legitimate business where he could use his skills without fear of retribution. She listened, her eyes never leaving his face, and for the first time, he saw a glimmer of understanding in her gaze.

"You know, I'm a doctor," she said, her voice low and steady. "I run the diagnostics department at the hospital just down the street."

Al's fork paused mid-air, surprise etched on his face. "A doctor?"

"Yes," she said with a nod, a hint of pride in her voice. "I've always had a passion for helping people. After what I saw growing up, I knew I wanted to do something that made a real difference."

Al's eyes widened. "I had no idea," he said, his voice a mix of admiration and bewilderment. "How do you manage that, with everything else going on?"

"It's not easy," she admitted, twirling her spaghetti around the tines of her fork. "But it's who I am. I studied hard, went to medical school, and fought tooth and nail to get where I am. It's my way of... balancing the scales, you know?"

Al nodded thoughtfully, his respect for her deepening with every word. "Yeah, I get it," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "We both have our ways of keeping our souls from turning to stone in this business.

The conversation grew deeper as the night progressed, their shared experiences creating a bond that went beyond their arranged marriage. They talked about their hopes for the future, the lives they wanted to lead beyond the shadows of their families' empires. The candles burned low, casting a warm glow on their faces as they leaned closer, the weight of their newfound connection palpable.

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

thank you all for reading! this is going to be a series so stay tuned. comments and reblogs are welcome!!! see you next time (≧◡≦) ♡