#so sig thinks she should get a chance to be lifted up too :)

[lyss-butterscotch]

Are you willing to do some what if scribbles or rambles maybe about what an alternate timeline would be like if sliver and nsh both shared moon(*projects my polyamory onto my blorbos*) or if moon just ended up with nsh in the first place? I think it would be cool to explore something like that

And also I’m just super self indulgent XD

I personally see them more as besties but i think they'd make a very sweet couple. Just 2 old souls getting some time for themselves free of their responsibilities. So lilypad doodles for the soul :)

[storiesforallfandoms]

nothing left ~ 10k;z nation

word count: 2229

request?: no

description: he accompanies her back to her childhood home to find nothing left besides the memories of times before the zombies, and they decide to leave some new memories there

pairing: 10k x female!reader

warnings: swearing, smut

masterlist

(Y/N) kept a straight face as they drove past the sig with her hometown’s name displayed in bold, black letters against the stark white background. It was the first time she had been there since she and her parents had escaped during the initial Z outbreak. Since then, she had lost everything, but managed to find a new family within the small group that took her in.

They came to a stop at an empty parking lot of an abandoned supermarket. Everyone got out, weapons in tow.

“This place is a ghost town,” Doc commented.

“Almost everyone vacated when the infection started,” (Y/N) explained. “I don’t even think there would be any Zs here. It’s probably only been ransacked lately.”

“It’s the only town for miles, it’s our best bet for resources,” Warren said. “We search the place where we can and see what we can find.” She turned to (Y/N) to add, “Do you want to go home? Just to see the place if nothing else?”

(Y/N) was dying to get home, but she didn’t want anyone on the team to see her as weak or fragile. Although she knew they wouldn’t think any different of her if she did show some weakness, in this day and age, your biggest threat was to be perceived as weak to anyone.

Before she could respond, 10k spoke up. “I think you should. It’ll give you a break from everything, and you can be closer to your parents for even just a moment.”

(Y/N) had a hard time saying no to 10k, especially when parents were involved. She knew he wanted nothing more than to be close to his own father again, but, like (Y/N), 10k hadn’t been home in nearly a year. He didn’t even know if his own home was still standing. If she turned down this opportunity that she knew 10k wanted so bad in front of him, she’d never forgive herself.

“It would be nice,” she admitted.

“You go then honey,” Warren said, her voice soft and kind. “10k, you go with her for protection. Meet us back here before sundown. We’ll wait a little while, but not too long.”

The two youngest members left in the opposite direction of the group. (Y/N) led 10k down the still familiar roads. They weren’t too far from the house and, before she knew it, (Y/N) was stood in front of her childhood home. Her eyes widened at the sight of it.

All the windows were smashed and the door was practically ripped off of the hinges. They entered with weapons raised in case of a Z attack. (Y/N)’s heart broke to see the place ransacked and destroyed. Every picture her parents had hung were smashed to pieces. Only one remained partially in tact, one of (Y/N) and her parents when she was barley a year old. They were on their first vacation as a family to visit someone in another state. The picture was of the three of them on the beach together. Baby (Y/N) was in her mother’s arms, taken by the sand in her tiny hands while her parents were smiling brightly at the camera.

10k looked over her shoulder as her eyes began to water. “You look a lot like your mom.”

“I got that a lot,” she said. “We were basically twins. Dad said I got lucky with mom’s genes.”

She held the picture close to her chest as she moved up the stairs to where the bedrooms and main bathroom was. Whoever had broken in must’ve found what they wanted on the first floor because the bedrooms were relatively untouched. Every poster and picture (Y/N) had on her walls were still there. Her old laptop was even still there, although she doubted that it worked anymore.

“It’s weird,” she said. “It feels like I’ve been gone for years, but this room looks exactly the way I left it, like not a day has past.”

“Anything here you want to take with you?” 10k asked.

(Y/N) shook her head. “I took most of the important stuff when we left first. There’s nothing but memories here now.”

She was so lost in her own thoughts - memories of when things were good - that she didn’t hear 10k leave the room to walk into the bathroom until he spoke again. “The water still runs.”

She walked into the bathroom to find clean water running from the tap. She put a hand under the water, feeling it go from freezing cold to comfortably warm in seconds.

“The power and stuff must still be running,” she said. “Good news for us. I haven’t showered in ages.”

“You think it’s safe?” 10k asked, but (Y/N) was already placing her weapons on the bathroom counter and shedding herself of her top layers.

“I’m willing to take one for the team if it means I’ll be clean when I die,” she joked. “You can watch the door and make sure no Zs or no more looters come in. I’ll leave my gun close enough that I can use it if need be.”

10k nodded. Before he could get the chance to turn back on, (Y/N) grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. For a split second, 10k saw the black bra she was wearing. It was old and worn, probably one of the only ones she had left. Due to this, it was basically falling apart, so when he got a brief glance of the bra, he also got a glance of one of her breasts.

10k’s eyes widened as he quickly turned his back so that (Y/N) didn’t know. He stood in the doorway, listening over the sound of the shower running for any indication of someone, or something, breaking into the house.

The warm water running over (Y/N) caused her to let out a moan of relief. It had been so long since she had properly bathed. The warm water of the familiar shower felt like heaven to her.

Outside the shower, 10k was shuffling awkwardly. He and (Y/N) had been close since they had first met, but they had only ever viewed each other as friends and Z fighting colleagues. He didn’t understand why he was starting to have this feeling about her. Maybe it was just boy hormones and the fact that she was a naked girl just a few feet away from him. But it felt like more than that. Maybe it had always been more than that but he was just afraid to admit it.

Before he could stop himself, 10k silently placed his gun next to hers on the toilet cover. He began to shed himself of his own clothes, working quickly and quietly as to not disturb her. (Y/N) had her head back with the water running over her hair and body when 10k pulled the curtain back and stepped in. She opened her eyes to look at him, shocked by his sudden appearance. She looked him up and down for a moment, her face giving away nothing.

“Gotta save water,” 10k said, trying to lighten the mood.

A smile broke out across (Y/N)’s face as a small giggle came from her lips. “Come here, 10k.”

She put a hand on the back of his neck at the same time that his hands found her waist. Their lips collided and it felt like the most right thing in the terrible, fucked up world around them. 10k’s lips moved against (Y/N)’s perfectly, as if they were supposed to be there, to be kissing her so deeply. His hands wandered over her dripping body, touching every inch of her soft skin with his calloused hands.

(Y/N) let out a sudden squeal as 10k lifted her effortlessly, wrapping her legs around his waist. She was shocked at his strength. Sure, he wasn’t as scrawny and wimpy as he may have looked, but he certainly wasn’t the strongest person in the world. He’s just full of surprises, (Y/N) noted as his lips connected with hers again.

His hard boner was against her aching core, teasing her ever so slightly with every gently brush against her. She whimpered against his lips when she felt him brush against her opening, trying to ground her hips against his to feel her inside of him. Knowing that she wanted this as much as he did made him even more turned on. He was almost afraid that he wouldn’t be able to make this moment last long enough.

He helped to guide her down onto his hard length, causing (Y/N) to gasp as he filled her entirely.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked her, suddenly realizing that he had no idea what (Y/N)’s sexual past was like.

“No,” she responded, her voice breathless and airy. “I just haven’t had sex in a very long time. I forgot how good it felt.”

10k smiled at her and pressed his lips against hers again. He pressed her back against the nearest wall and slowly began to thrust himself into her. (Y/N)’s back arched against the wall, trying to get as close to 10k as she possibly could.

He was slow and gentle, which drove (Y/N) even more wild. She held on around his neck as if her life depended on it, moaning and gasping against his lips with every thrust he pushed into her. She could barley even think straight, her mind focusing only on the pleasure that 10k was providing her.

“Is this alright?” he asked, his voice soft.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but smile. Sweet 10k, always thinking of the comfort of others, even when he was in the middle of the most intense shower sex (Y/N) had ever had.

“It’s more than alright,” she responded. “God, it feels so fucking good.”

10k had heard (Y/N) swearing many times, but hearing the expletive word slip from her breathless voice in that moment drove him wild. He rested his head against her shoulder, groaning as he pushed his hips against hers again, filling her completely.

“You feel so good,” he told her. “You’re so soft and warm, fuck.”

“Who would’ve thought that sweet 10k had a dirty side?” (Y/N) giggled.

“You must not know me well enough, then.”

“Maybe I don’t.”

Her thought was cut short as 10k pulled almost completely out of her then filled her again. Her mind was clouded with lust as she tried to rock her hips against his, begging for the release she wanted.

Noticing her desperation, 10k wrapped one arm around her lower back and slipped his free hand between them. (Y/N) gasped as his fingers connected with her swollen nerves and began to rub circles in them. She could feel a familiar pressure building inside of her. She clung to 10k’s shoulders, curses falling from her mouth in between moans of pleasure. Her legs began to shake as she felt herself hitting her climax. She threw her head back and called 10k’s name - his real name - in pleasure.

Feeling her walls contracting around him caused 10k to feel his own climax approaching. He held on to her hips as his thrusts became a little faster. Before he knew it, his eyes were nearly rolling back into his head as he felt himself filling her with his warm cum. The feeling of the warmth inside of her was enough to almost turn (Y/N) on again.

They stayed tangled together for a moment, completely forgetting about the running water cascading down onto them. It wasn’t until the warm water started to turn cold that they realized it was probably time for the two of them to get out.

Luckily for them, whoever looted the house also didn’t think to take any of the towels in the upstairs linen closet, so they had a way to dry themselves off. Before she started pulling her clothes on, 10k wrapped his arms around (Y/N) again and kissed her exposed shoulders and neck before placing one last sweet kiss against her lips.

“We should tell the others about the running water,” he said as he pulled his clothes back on. “If this place is relatively Z-less, we could probably get away with staying here for a while.”

“We’ve stayed in worst looking places,” (Y/N) agreed. “I’m sure everyone else is dying to clean themselves, too. There’s enough room for everyone to sleep with all the bedrooms and the couch downstairs.”

The reminder of the wreckage when they first entered caused a melancholy mood to wash over (Y/N) again. Noticing this, 10k brought her into his arms and held her tightly.

“I’m sorry about your house,” he said. “I’m sorry someone did this to you, that they took all the memories of this place.”

(Y/N) shook her head. “They didn’t take the memories. No one could ever take that from this place. Besides, I’d like to make some new memories here...with you.”

10k smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I think we’ve already started with that.”

(Y/N) giggled and pulled away from him. “Let’s go find everyone to tell them before they leave us abandoned.”

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers VANDEAD CARNIVAL ;; Kou Route ー Chapter 4

 ー The scene starts on the plaza

Kou: ...

...What is going on?

So she’s keeping secrets from me after all.

On top of that, she had those fresh bite marks on her skin...This sucks.

Even though I believed...She was different from the people I knew. 

...I trusted her...

...

...Ahー...

Kou: Ahー! Geez!

I’m not stupid either! ...I know that Yui isn’t that sorta girl.

I actually knew when I sucked her blood earlier.

That she would never hide anything from me.

Hence, I believe there must be some sort of explanation behind those marks on her arm I saw earlier as well.

...But it just won’t work. I can’t bring myself to put faith in her...

Even though I want to trust her so badly...I just can’t figure out what I should do.

...Fuck..!

Yui...I’m sorry.

*TIMESKIP*

ー Yui arrives on the plaza

Yui: ...Haah...haah...

( Kou-kun...He’s not here either. )

( I wonder where he ran off to? I’ve been looking all over this whole time, but he’s nowhere to be found... )

( If I had known things would turn out like this...I should have lifted the misunderstanding sooner and explained everything to him right away. )

( But...I’m to blame because I didn’t wait for Kou-kun in the first place, right? )

( Still...I couldn’t turn a blind eye to that young Kou-kun either. )

( After all, to me, both are just different versions of the same person I treasure. )

...Kou-kun...

Male Vampire D: ーー Oi, she’s the one, right?

Male Vampire E: ...Yeah, without a doubt. ...Hehe...

Yui: ...?

( Those Vampires...They’re looking my way...? )

( Right. I’m a delicious snack over here...Kou-kun told me... )

( I wasn’t too bothered by it up till now because I had him by my side, but right now... )

( ...Either way, I’ll look for Kou-kun first. )

( I need to have a proper face-to-face with him and solve this misunderstanding...! )

ー She runs off again as the scene shifts to a back-alley

Yui: ( ...It’s no use. I can’t find him at all. )

( ...Kou-kun, where are you? )

( Even if I’m at a fun festival, or if they tell me I’ve been chosen as the ‘Queen’, when you’re not with me... )

ー The two Vampires from earlier approach her

Male Vampire D: Excuse me, young lady!

Yui: Eh...?

Male Vampire E: Hehe...Is that a feast on legs I see~?

Yui: ( ...Those Vampires who were looking at me earlier...!? )

Male Vampire D: Oh, hell yeah! She’s got quite the cute face too!

Male Vampire E: You’re a human, aren’t you? ...On top of that, you smell different from just any regular old one. ...It’s the scent of delicious blood.

Yui: P-Please move aside. I’m looking for someonーー

Male Vampire D: Woah, hold it!

ー The Vampire grabs hold of her arm

*Rustle*

Yui: ...!?

( He grabbed my arm...! It hurts...! )

Male Vampire D: We won’t let you get away. ...You’ve been spreading your nice scent all over the place this whole time, you know?

Male Vampire E: It’s the kind of smell which drives us mad...You’ll be coming with us.

ー The scene shifts to one of the side streets

Yui: ...Let me go! Please!

*Rustle*

Male Vampire D: Ahー Yeah, whatever. Pipe down.

Yui: ( What should I do...? I can’t shake him off, no matter how hard I try...! )

Male Vampire D: Haahー You smell so nice...Humans really are a blessing.

Yui: No...!

( Oh no, at this rate...!! )

...Ugh...! ...Kou-kun...!!

Male Vampire E: Oi, you better keep a tight grip on her! Well, I’m pretty sure a human female stands no chance, no matter how much she struggーー

Kou: Yui!!

Yui: ( ...Eh...? )

ー Kou runs up to them

Kou: What are you scumbags doing!?

ー He punches them

*THUD*

Male Vampire E: Guah...!?

Yui: Kou-kun...

Kou: Yui, this way!

*Rustle*

Kou: Hide behind me. ...Everything will be fine, okay?

...Oi, you jerks. You better don’t believe you’ll get away with hurting her.

If you don’t want me to ensure you will never enjoy the carnival again, then get out of my sight at once!

...Before I lose it.

Male Vampire D: Eek...!?

Male Vampire E: Ugh...Fuck! Oi, let’s go!!

ー The two Vampires run off

Kou: ...Hmph! Those horny bastards. (1)

Yui...Are you okay? I’m sorry, I really cut it close.

Yui: No...Ah...

I’m sorry, Kou-kun...My legs seem to have given in...

*Rustle*

Kou: It’s okay. You can keep leaning against me, okay?

...You’re trembling. You must have been terrified, huh?

All because I left you behind...I’m sorry I made you go through such a scary experience. Earlier as well...

Yui: ...Kou-kun...

Kou: ...Even though I knew this would happen...

I’m the one who said you’re a delicious feast to the people here after all. 

Whether you want it or not, there will be Vampires like those guys from before who will come seek out your blood.

Yet I blamed it all on you...I’m ashamed of myself.

I’m sorry for hurting you...because of my stupid jealousy.

...I truly regret it.

Yui: No. Thank you...for coming to my rescue.

Kou: Of course I would! I mean...You’re precious to me after all.

Yui: Kou-kun...

Kou: ...The skin on your wrist has turned red. Where they grabbed you earlier...

Yui: Ah...Yeah. Seems like it.

Kou: Can you give me a quick look?

*Rustle rustle*

Kou: Does it hurt?

Yui: Yeah, a little...His grip was really strong after all.

Kou: I see...

...Say. I’ll treat your wounds. Okay?

Yui: Treat...?

Kou: ...Nn...

*Smooch*

Yui: K-Kou-kun!? It tickles...

Kou: Keep still. It hurts, doesn’t it? ...Nn...

Besides...I have to disinfect the area they touched.

Yui: They didn’t bite me, you know...?

Kou: It doesn’t matter whether they sucked your blood or not. I don’t like he thought of their hands being on you...

*Rustle rustle*

Kou: ...Nn...

*Smooch*

Kou: Say, Yui...Right here, look at me.

Yui: Eh...?

Kou: ...

Yui: ( Kou-kun... He’s staring right into my eyes. )

Kou: ...Just as I thought, I can’t see anything yet.

Yui: You’re talking about your right eye...?

Kou: Yeah.

But I guess I can live without it. There’s other ways as well, after all. For example, like thisーー Nn...

*Smooch*

Yui: ...

Kou: ...When I kiss you like this, it becomes obvious as well. That you feel strongly about me, that is.

It’s such a simple thing, so why do I always find myself growing unsure so quickly...?

I wonder if I should kiss you more and more so I don’t become uncertain? Or maybe...There’s another way?

Selection

→ How about putting it into words? (☾)

Yui: Then...How about trying to put it into words more?

Kou: Words? 

Yui: Yeah! I’ll often tell you just how much I like you with words as well! So you don’t grow anxious.

Kou: You do have a point, I’d love to hear that from you more often as well. I feel as if that makes me happier...Than simply witnessing it with my eyes.

Say, why don’t we do a little trial run?

Yui: I...like you, Kou-kun?

So very much...

→ I don’t know

Yui: I’m not quite sure, but...

Kou: But?

Yui: ...If you do it one more time, you might understand...?

Kou: ...Fufu. You really are adorable.

You see, I’ve told myself to stop racking my brains over complicated things. It’s pointless when I just can’t figure it out anyway.

I love you. As long as I know that, I’ll be fine...Nn...

*Smooch*

Yui: ( ...Kou-kun... )

Kou: ...I’m sorry, Yui. I’m kind of struggling to hold myself back.

Yui: Eh?

ー Kou bites her

Kou: Hah...Nn...

Yui: Nn...!

Kou: I’m so sorry...For some reason, you suddenly seemed irresistible to me. Nn...Phew...

Yui: ( It caught me a little off guard but...He’s being so gentle right now, it doesn’t hurt. )

( Thank god. We managed to properly talk things out...right? The misunderstanding got solved as weーー )

( ...Ah! )

K-Kou-kun! Wait...!

Kou: Nn...What...?

Yui: You see...There’s something I have to tell you.

Kou: Something you have to tell me...?

Yui: Yeah...You remember the marks on my arm from earlier, right?

Kou: Yeah...I do. So, what’s up with those?

Yui: Well...I don’t know whether you’ll believe me or not but...

To tell the truth...I was bitten by a child version of you.

Kou: ...Hah?

Uhm...I’m sorry, M-neko-chan. I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say? What do you mean with ‘a child version of me’? 

Yui: ( I-I guess he really doesn’t believe me. But I should at least try and properly explain... )

You went to chase after those kids who knocked over our juice at the cafe, right?

Back thenーー

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: ーー And that’s what happened.

Kou: And that was me?

Yui: I only have the name and the appearance to base myself on but...I don’t think I’ve got it wrong.

Although that obviously doesn’t make for conclusive proof...

Kou: Well, this is the Demon World still, so strange phenomena can definitely occur.

...My child self, huh...?

ー The younger Kou walks up to them

Yui: Ah...! Kou-kun!

Kou: Eh?

Child Kou (2): ...

Yui: It was this child, Kou-kun!

Kou: ...No way.

Child Kou: ...

Yui: ( Seeing them side by side...They really do look alike. )

( Is this child really Kou-kun’s young self? )

Kou: W-What is going on...!?

Why is this...? Also, those clothes...

Child Kou: ...This way.

Kou: Eh?

Yui: ( The little Kou is...Gesturing to follow him...? )

Child Kou: ...Come here, Yui. That Kou as well.

ー The child runs off

Kou: Ah...Wait!

Yui: He left...L-Let’s try going after him for now?

Kou: Y-Yeah...

This doesn’t make any sense. What is going on!?

ー The scene shifts to the inside of an abandoned building

Yui: ( Following after the small Kou-kun brought us over here, but... )

Kou: ...

Child Kou: ...

Yui: ( Kou-kun and a little Kou-kun... )

( I honestly can barely believe my eyes, seeing them standing next to each other like that... )

Kou: ...So?

I don’t know who or what you are, but what do you want from us? Bringing us here.

Child Kou: ...No fair.

Kou: Eh?

Child Kou: It’s no fair you get to have everything, Kou.

Yui: ( Kou-kun is...advantaged? )

Kou: What? ...What do you mean?

Child Kou: ...

...It’s no fair that Kou gets to have it all. He has everything I don’t.

Meanwhile I have nothing at all.

Yui: ( Since he calls it unfair...I guess that means this child is envious of Kou-kun...? )

Kou: ...So what?

You don’t have what I do. And?

Do you want me to share with you or something? Because we’re both the same person?

...Don’t joke around with me. That sorta stuff really pisses me off.

Yui: W-Wait, Kou-kun...!

Child Kou: ...

Kou: ...That look in your eyes. It brings me back, I feel disgusted.

It feels a little uncomfortable saying this to myself but could you please just get out of my sight? Just watching you makes me feel even more irritated.

Child Kou: ...!

*Clunk*

Yui: Eh...!?

Child Kou: ...Then suffer!

Kou: ...He vanished...?

...Anyway, that noise from earlier.

*Clatter clatter*

Kou: ...I knew it. He locked us up in here.

Yui: Eh!?

Kou: Ah~ ...He got us...

Yui: W-What should we do, Kou-kun...?

Kou: Haah...There’s nothing we can do. No point in wasting energy when the door won’t open anyway.

Geez...He really got us good...Well, I played myself, I should say.

Yui: Fufu, right.

Kou: You should take a seat too. The door won’t open anyway. Here, sit next to me.

Yui: Ah, yeah.

*Rustle*

Kou: Haah...We got to come to this festival but today has been one disaster after the other.

I’m sorry, Yui.

Yui: Eh? ...Why do you apologize?

Kou: I mean, we got locked up in here because I upset him.

That’s not all. It was my fault...That you were attacked by other Vampires as well.

...I’m sorry.

Yui: ( Kou-kun... )

I won’t deny that a lot happened but...I had a blast, you know?

Yui: I mean...Just by being together and talking like this...I have fun.

So don’t worry?

Kou: ...Yui...

Kou: ...Fufu. Say, are you trying to entice me?

Yui: Eeh!? N-No! I didn’t mean to...!

Kou: Even if that wasn’t your intention, that’s what it sounded like to me, you know?

Ahーah...I want to turn you into a mess, right here, right now.

Yui: ( K-Kou-kun... )

Kou: I won’t, though! I’m currently reflecting upon myself after all!

...I realized my mistakes and regretted them but after hearing your words, I somehow don’t feel like this is such a bad thing.

We can just take it nice and easy here together.

Although I do feel a little bad for hogging the Queen of the Carnival all to myself.

Yui: Ah...Speaking of which, I was assigned said role, huh...?

Kou: Haha, you forgot?

But...Yeah. You can forget about it. It’s not like you can fulfill your duty while we’re locked up in here.

And I want to keep you all to myself as well.

Yui: ( Kou-kun... )

Kou: I’m sure someone will find us eventually if we wait.

So...Let’s stay like this until that happens? Together.

Yui: ...Yeah.

( I can hear people enjoying the Carnival outside but... )

( Spending this kind of alone time isn’t bad either. )

( As long as Kou-kun’s with me... )

ー They doze off together as the scene shifts to the ballroom

Yui: ...Nn...?

( Huh...? Where are we...? )

( I’m pretty sure we were inside an abandoned building just now...? )

Kou: Nn...Yui...?

Yui: Ah, Kou-kun. Good morning.

Kou: Nn...Did we fall asleep...?

...Heeh!? Wait, where are we!?

ー The crowd starts cheering

Male Vampire A: Ooh! The King and Queen of the Carnival have awakened!

*Clap clap clap*

Kou: Eeh!? What is this!? What’s going on!?

Yui: Kou-kun, this place...! It looks like the Carnival’s venue!?

Kou: W-What do you mean...?

Male Vampire A: King and Queen, this way please.

Yui: Uhm...Kou-kun, what is going on...?

Kou: I have no clue either...

Male Vampire B: This Carnival is a banquet to celebrate the birth of a new Adam and Eve.

Yui: The new Adam and Eve?

Kou: Ah, wait wait!

Let’s just say she is the Queen of the Carnival.

But me as the King...There’s just no way, right?

Male Vampire A: But the one chosen by Eve becomes Adam, right?

Male Vampire B: Then nobody else can fulfill said role. You are without a doubt the King of this Carnival!

*Clap clap clap*

Yui: ...In short...

Kou: This party is being held...for us?

???: ーー Exactly.

Kou: ...Karlheinz-sama!?

Why are you here...!?

Karlheinz: Kou...No, that would be wrong right now. Newborn Adam, andーー

Yui: ( He’s looking my way...? )

Karlheinz: ーー Eve.

Yui: ...

Karlheinz: Did you both enjoy the celebration?

Kou: ...No. I doubt she was able to have fun because of me.

Yui: Kou-kun...

Karlheinz: Why do you feel that way?

Kou: Because I’m...selfish. So I failed to take her into consideration.

But, she told me she had fun regardless. That she only needs me by her side.

That’s why...I had tons of fun as well. Since we got to spend the Carnival together.

Karlheinz: ...I see. I am glad. 

I set this up to celebrate you both.

Yui: ( For us...? )

Karlheinz: However, a simple celebration would be too dull. Therefore, I added some staging of my own.

Yui: ...Staging?

Karlheinz: Yes, in various ways.

Kou: Don’t tell me, are you the one behind the small one...?

Karlheinz: Small one? What could you be referring to? Kou, I am talking about your right eye.

Kou: Eh? ...Ah.

Karlheinz: I shall return your eye to normal. Close them.

Kou: ...Yes.

Karlheinz: ...This should do the trick.

Kou: Thank you very much. I feel as if I was able to remember something very important...because of you.

Karlheinz: Very well. ...I suppose this eye might be something you no longer need.

Adam and Eve. May the two of you...find happiness.

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Kou calls them ‘ero-vampires’, which even though it obviously comes from the English ‘erotic’, when you use it to describe a person, it’s closer to ‘perverted’ or ‘dirty’ than ‘erotic’. 

(2) In the actual game, both are named ‘Kou’, but I figured it would be too confusing for those playing without an actual console/game, so I adjusted it a little.

← RETURN TO CHAPTER 3

→ PROCEED TO FINALE ENDING

→ PROCEED TO NORMAL ENDING

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Day 6 Birthday Plot Bunnies 2

If you want this to become my next WIP, be sure to shower it with lots of love!!  🥰 💖 All the story starters will be linked back to this masterpost.

Title: A Walk on the Other Side

Summary: Bilbo is a FBI profiler and rather enjoys his desk job when a strange case comes across his desk hinting towards the FBI's most wanted: Smaug. As soon as he makes this connection, he is approached by notorious crime lord, Oakenshield, in an attempt to get him to work for him. Bilbo’s world gets flipped upside down by the suave man, and he may not be a dirty cop, but he does have a personal investment in making sure Smaug is put behind bars.

Bilbo Baggins was not exactly the first person you pictured when you heard the acronym “FBI”. He was a little too short, a little too pudgy, and enjoyed his sweater vests immensely. Yet, he’s been his department’s top analyst for the last fourteen years. He may not be one of the showy field officers (messy, nasty work that), but what Bilbo did was not any less important. In fact, if it wasn’t for analysts like Bilbo, a lot of times the “gunslinging action” wouldn’t take place at all. A rather unpopular opinion but true.

It was shaping into a relatively normal Thursday for Bilbo. They had just finished up a debrief over their latest embezzlement case. He was starting to suspect they were dealing with a serial embezzler. It was different locations, different methods, and different amounts, but there was something about the case that clicked in Bilbo’s mind. He was almost to his desk when he noticed a large manila envelope was draped over his keyboard. He raised an eyebrow as he carefully lifted the sticky note attached to it.

Have a look at these files for me? I know I’m missing something. Call me when you figure it out. -GG

Bilbo plopped into his uncomfortable rolling chair with a sigh. Gandalf was his old AD before he switched departments. And unfortunately, anything with Gandalf’s name on it was usually trouble for Bilbo. He tapped his fingers on the desk and spun back and forth in his chair for a bit when his eyes landed on his mother’s picture on his desk. She was in uniform hugging him at his college graduation. He knew exactly what she would want him to do. Heaving a groan, he pulled the damn envelope towards him and started looking over the files.

Arsons? Those didn’t usually fall under Gandalf’s jurisdiction. His eyes skimmed the reports, not sure exactly what Gandalf was expecting him to do. The evidence was fairly cut and dry. What’s more is the local police caught a suspect that seemed substantially to blame. Case closed. However, if Gandalf thought there was more, he should probably check it twice. It was actually the third time that he caught it. The papers hit his desk as his mind reeled. No...surely it wasn’t? Now he really needed to make sure.

He laid the photos out side by side circling the origin of the fires in each picture. His hand was shaking when he was done. This was big. This was FBI’s most wanted big. He didn’t even bother writing up a report. He immediately got on the server and sent a one-word email to Gandalf.

Smaug.

It was thirty after six when Bilbo finally packed up his work to head back home. His mind had been racing all afternoon, and all he wanted was to be put on the arson case. However, Gandalf never replied to his email, never called, nothing. First thing he was going to do when he got home after feeding Myrtle was grab a beer from the fridge and call the older man. Even if Gandalf wouldn’t let him be part of the team, he deserved to know what happened with that bastard.

Bilbo’s townhouse wasn’t exactly what you would call grand, but he enjoyed it greatly. It had the cosy atmosphere of his childhood cottage while still being rent efficient in a quiet neighborhood. It was a slight commute to work, but well worth it. He unlocked the door and flipped on the lights to the front room as he toed off his shoes and set his messenger bag down. He was just getting ready to move into the kitchen to get some cat food down for Myrtle when he froze. There was a man in his house.

“So you’re Mr. Baggins.” His low voice purred in amusement as he looked him up and down. “You look more like a grocer than an agent.”

Bilbo opened his mouth to scream when the man whipped out a Sig Sauer.

“Don’t.” He ordered calmly. “I only want to talk.”

Bilbo’s eyes hardened as he quickly took in details for a sketch artist. Tall, likely over six foot. Lean, except for he’s slightly broader in the shoulders. Tailored suit. Slicked back dark hair but graying at the sides, hooded blue eyes, well-trimmed beard and mustache. Almost as if he knew exactly what Bilbo was doing, the man smirked before nodding towards the sitting room. Bilbo moved slowly and deliberately as he sank down onto his armchair. The man unbuttoned his jacket before taking the spot on the couch. He set the gun down in front of him on the coffee table. A peace offering, but also a signal that it was within reach if he needed it. Bilbo’s blood was pounding as he forced his dry throat to work.

“What do you want?”

“Gandalf told me you have the information I need.”

Bilbo cocked his head in confusion as his mind raced to process the loaded answer. This man knew Gandalf. He talked to him recently. He knew Smaug.

“What kind of information?” Bilbo played dumb.

“A file came across your desk, and you gave Gandalf a name. I want to know why? What did you see that made you so sure it was him?”

There was almost a maniac gleam in those bright blue eyes. It was something Bilbo related to well. 

“I can show you. I just need to get to my bag.” Bilbo stated, slowly standing up.

The man’s hand twitched towards his gun, but he didn’t pick it up as he nodded his consent. He didn’t take Bilbo as a threat. His mistake. Bilbo grabbed his bag and slid the pistol and cell phone out of the front pocket whirling around on the man. He sighed but put his hands up as he leaned back into the couch. Bilbo’s left hand was shaking as he searched for Gandalf’s number, but his gun hand remained steady and in control. He put the call on speaker so he could watch the man’s face for any slip. However, his expression never changed from slightly bored and exasperated.

“My dear Bilbo, I do hope you haven’t shot our guest yet.”

Bilbo could just kill the AD. He really could. As it was, his posture relaxed just slightly.

“Who is he?” He demanded of Gandalf.

“Someone who has hunted Smaug longer than you.”

Bilbo rolled his eyes at the dramatics and lack of a real answer which seemed to amuse the other man somewhat. This didn’t feel right. Every instinct in Bilbo’s body said to arrest the man across from him if nothing else than because he was dangerous.

“Do you trust him?” Bilbo finally asked, his voice wavering just slightly.

There was a long pause before Gandalf answered.

“I do.” 

Being of no real use, Bilbo hung up the phone after that. He had two choices before him. He could trust Gandalf’s judgement, or he could go with his instincts. He kept the gun trained on the man for a moment longer before lowering it with a sigh. He flipped the safety back on as he stuck it in his waistband, because he wasn’t a total naive idiot, before picking up his bag like he said he was going to initially. When he looked back over, the man’s gun was gone. Bilbo sat stiffly next to him and pulled out the file Gandalf had sent over earlier.

“It was where these fires originated that tipped me off. Here, what do you notice?” Bilbo questioned.

The man furrowed his eyebrows studying the images before he shrugged with a grunt of irritation.

“Placement.” Bilbo pointed out. “There were no traces of accelerant so how do you start a natural fire? Well, very easily. Gas range stove, covered radiator, electrical outlets, but look. Where the spot is most charred we can assume is the start of the fire. It’s nowhere near anything like that. It couldn’t possibly have started naturally. So what set off the fire? Smaug has a very specific MO. He kills using highly concentrated nitroglycerin tablets, smuggable due to their heart relieving counterparts, that when combined with human stomach acid will cause an explosion. And judging by the shape of the darker burn, it’s not a huge leap to assume that there was a human body there.”

“But all of the owners were alive to file insurance claims.” The man pointed out, looking more curious than anything else.

Forgetting that he was a stranger that had a gun trained on him not even ten minutes ago, Bilbo found himself getting more animated at the chance to finally explain his theories.

“So I looked into that after I sent the email to Gandalf. Somehow, every owner was conveniently out of town before the fire happened, and afterwards were able to afford a building or home way above their pay scale. Which even if you take insurance money into account still shouldn’t be possible. I think Smaug was paying them off for access to conduct his dirty work somewhere he couldn’t be tracked. What’s more, all the buildings being used by the same money laundering cleaning service made an easy target for the police.”

The man raised an eyebrow as he seemed to be appraising Bilbo. He smirked before standing.

“Very well, I’ll talk to Gandalf about getting you transferred.”

Bilbo jumped to his feet.

“Transferred? Where? For what purpose?”

“I want you working for me.”

“Now wait just a minute here!” Bilbo demanded as he stomped back into the entry hall. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but I won’t be a dirty cop! And don’t try to convince me anything about what we did was legal. Nobody breaks into an FBI agent’s home and holds a gun on him unless they work outside the law.”

The man shook his head with a snort. “Well aren’t you just perceptive.”

“Hang on!”

Bilbo reached out for the man’s arm at the same time he reached for the doorknob. In less than a second, the man had Bilbo’s arm pinned above his head in the wall out of view of the window with Bilbo’s own gun placed under his chin. Bilbo glared into the ice blue eyes inches away from his own as he tried to keep a cool head in an uncomfortable situation.

“Let’s get a couple of things straight.” The man whispered, his breath hot on Bilbo’s face. “One, I don’t answer to anyone, especially not you. Two, you’ll be whatever I want you to be or you don’t get the revenge you so clearly desire. Yeah, I can see in your eyes how badly you want Smaug. Work for me or get the hell out of my way. I don’t really care one way or the other, but Smaug is mine.”

He gave Bilbo one last smirk before shoving the gun in Bilbo’s pocket and stepping away. Without so much as a ‘good evening’, he was gone in the night. Adrenaline shot, Bilbo slid down the wall until his butt met the floor painfully. He let his head lightly bang into the wall behind him a few times as he just focused on breathing. A ‘meow’ alerted him to his company before Myrtle stepped over his legs to rub her head against his arms and stomach.

“And where have you been?” He croaked.

He didn’t get an answer back aside from another ‘meow’ as she seemed rather insistent on getting her dinner. Bilbo closed his eyes and counted to twenty before getting up to finally go to the kitchen. That beer sounded more prevalent than ever.

***

First thing he did the next day was go straight to Gandalf’s office, slamming the door behind him. The older man looked up and gave the analyst a wide smile. 

“Bilbo! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Who the hell was that last night?!”

“Well…” Gandalf huffed.

“Tell me.” Bilbo seethed. “Or I’ll go straight to the top and tell Saruman everything.”

Gandalf pouted. “No need to get testy. Please have a seat. Do you want some tea? Coffee?”

Bilbo let his face fall into his hands. “What I want…” His muffled voice stressed. “Is some answers. What have I just been exposed to?”

Gandalf sighed. “Very well. I believe you are familiar with Oakenshield?”

Bilbo slowly lifted his head to pierce Gandalf with a baffled glare.

“Oakenshield...the crime family? Oakenshield...who got into it with the Orcs several years back and cut off the hand of their boss? That Oakenshield?” 

“The very one.” Gandalf snapped, pleased. “Well that was Thorin.”

“Thorin? As in the head of Oakenshield, Thorin Durin?!” Bilbo’s voice had risen in pitch at this point.

“Of course.” Gandalf nodded as if Bilbo having a conversation in his living room with a dangerous mob boss was akin to making a friend at preschool.

Bilbo collapsed in the chair across from Gandalf as spots danced in his eyes. He white-knuckle gripped the arms as if physically trying to tether himself to the conscious world. I’m not going to pass out. I’m not going to pass out. Bilbo was an analyst! There was a reason he didn’t go out and meet people...well like that. And Gandalf knew Durin. Even worse, Gandalf leaked FBI intel to him. Slowly he lifted his head.

“Did my mother know?” He demanded hoarsely.

“Did she know what?” Gandalf asked, genuinely baffled.

“Did she know you worked for the mafia?”

“Bilbo…”

“ANSWER THE QUESTION, GANDALF!”

The wizened face hardened, reminding Bilbo of the reason why he had yet to retire.

“She suspected...but I never told her, no.”

Bilbo rubbed his jaw as he chuckled on the verge of hysterics.

“She always told me I had to get in your command. Said it was her best days on the force. That you were a good AD. Tell me. What’s your ratio? How many do you let slip off the hook for every one you put behind bars?”

“Now see here, Bilbo Baggins! I will not let you undermine me or my division! Contrary to your belief system, there is more at work here than what you can comprehend.”

“My belief system?” Bilbo scoffed. “You mean THE LAW?”

“Yes.” Gandalf grumped. “The law. The law which can dictate that a pickpocket is guilty but a corporation stealing hours from their underpaid workers is innocent.”

“I’m not going to sit here and debate...politics with you!” Bilbo laughed. “My job is to arrest people like Thorin Durin and there’s nothing you can say that’s ever going to make me think working with the lunatic is a good idea!”

“Not even if he’s your only chance to take down Smaug?”

Bilbo’s face fell into an emotionless mask, except for his eyes burning holes into Gandalf. Without another word, he stood and left the office. If he slammed the door closed with more force than necessary, well that was no one’s business but his own. Luckily, his black mood seemed to engulf him like a siren warning everyone off. He made it to his desk with no distractions ready to pick up where he left off with the embezzlement cases. Only, he couldn’t move as he stared blankly at the wall of his cubicle.

Understandably, his focus was a little off. He figured he should turn Gandalf in, but for the love of his mother’s memory and nothing more, he deemed it best to leave that stone unturned. His decision was immediately questioned when he got a text twenty minutes later from an unknown number with a time and a location and a charming little warning at the end.

Come alone.

Bilbo snorted as he tossed his phone on his desk. Absolutely not. An hour later, he found himself procrastinating the embezzlement case again to pull up the bureau's database on Smaug, Dracon. It was all information Bilbo had practically memorized at this point. His eyes drifted towards his phone with the text he had already committed to memory before shaking his head and exiting out of his search. Bilbo was an analyst for the FBI. He had his integrity and moral responsibility to ignore psychopathic crime bosses who wanted to use him for a turf war. He wasn’t so single-mindedly driven by revenge regardless of what Gandalf or Oakenshield said. His phone buzzed again.

Belladonna Took’s son was meant for more than sitting behind a desk for the rest of his life. Thorin was impressed. At least hear him out tonight, and if you absolutely feel like you can’t join the team, we won’t bother you ever again.

Bilbo threw his phone with a string of curses that had everyone around him staring with wide eyes. Bilbo dragged his hands down his face. This was such an easy decision. He just had to say no! No, no, no, no. Why couldn’t he say no?

Because you’ve never felt more excited about any case before? Because you trained for months to be a field agent before making an abstaining promise to your father at your mother’s grave? Because you’ve never felt closer to getting your mother’s killer, and that’s a sweet taste that just won’t go away?

Bilbo cursed himself with every swear in the book when the cab pulled up outside the restaurant that was texted to him. His nerves were singing. Everything about this felt wrong and dirty. And yet...he opened the door to let himself in.

[rune-writes]

Rekindled Hope

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

@aerith-week » Day 7: Cherish the Memories

Word count: 2482

Rating: G

Summary: A brief look into the times Kunsel visited Aerith at her church after Zack went missing. Two people in grief. Two people seek company in each other.

Note: A little late entry for Day 7′s prompt, featuring Kunsel!^^ (because ever since I saw his mail to Zack where he spoke about Aerith’s broken wagon and her refusal to accept his help because she’s still waiting for Zack, I just need to see their interactions).

Part 3 of Follow the Yellow Flowers: Aerith Week 2021

Read on AO3. 

~*~*~*~*~

He came again—the friend—sauntering over to the flowerbed, then lounging on one of the wooden benches. He sat with his arms resting over his thighs as he folded his fingers loosely together. “How are you?” he’d ask. “How’s the garden? How are the flowers? How about your mother?” How, how, how, as if it was genuine interest and not some kind of obligation he’d felt toward his missing friend. He always kept his helmet on, ever since that day he’d taken it off and introduced himself. 

The man—boy?—was around her age. He had come knocking on the church’s door before pushing it open enough for him to slip through. Aerith had looked up then, fighting against the urge to jump and grin and say, Welcome home, Zack, because she’d gone through that scenario in more times than she could count, and not once had it been her SOLDIER with the sky-blue eyes. Reno had come one time with that swagger in his gait, grumbling at what a pain Tseng had been for putting him under babysitting duties; Aerith had frowned at him and said, “Well, go, if you don’t wanna babysit me.” Another time had been Rude, who had entered the church with a small basket in his hand. He had apparently visited her house, and her mother had told him to bring her something to eat. He’d said nothing much, just stood in the corner with that unperturbed coolness. And when Tseng came to visit a few days after that, Aerith had been prepared, rising to her feet just as the door slid open.

“What now?” she’d said, arms folded over her chest. 

Tseng had crossed the large hall with a small smile playing across his features. “Have Reno and Rude bothered you so much that you won’t give me a simple ‘hello’?”

“Even if they hadn’t, why should I?” 

Her voice had been testy, but Tseng had only scoffed, soft and amused. He’d remained silent, facing her with that impeccable smile. 

Aerith’s lips had pulled into a taut line. It had been a struggle to maintain her anger, if only because she’d had no energy left to stay angry. Not after she’d spent months waiting for someone who never came. She’d dropped her gaze, the tension leaving her shoulders in a quiet sigh. Wordlessly, she’d turned around, then crouched before her flowerbed. The yellow lilies had gazed at her, offering what little comfort flowers could give. It had been a moment before Tseng moved to her side and helped her tend her flowers. 

So when, some time later, the church’s heavy doors creaked open once more, a part of her had expected it would be one of the Turks, checking up on her as part of their daily routine. But it hadn’t been those men in black striding toward her. The person had worn none other than the SOLDIER garb she’d come to miss. A different color, she’d noted—a dark, muted purple. But it had been still a SOLDIER garb, with a SOLDIER helmet, and the person had paused mid-step on his tracks, gave a slight tilt of his head followed by a small nod, before resuming his walk and stopping in front of her. 

“Are you Aerith?” he’d asked. 

Aerith had blinked, surprised. How had this person known her name? Had the Turks sent a SOLDIER instead to watch over her? She’d given him a quiet nod, then seen a smile blossoming on his face. 

“Good, I was afraid I got the wrong person.” His voice had been light, sweet. He’d reached up and lifted the helmet off his face. A sharp, strong jawline; sculpted cheekbones; and dark brown hair that fell over his forehead; but it was the eyes that caught her attention—bright blue like the sky, rimmed with a Mako glow. 

Just like him. 

With the smile still plastered across his face, he’d held out his hand and said, “My name’s Kunsel, Zack’s friend.”

Somehow, Aerith had always evaded hearing that name. A conscious decision, perhaps, or maybe a subconscious one—the way her mind shut off any mention of it. Her mother had never spoken it, and neither had the Turks whenever they visited her. The slum residents had barely known him. Even when the so-called fan club had approached her, her mind had been ready. But when this friend introduced himself, Aerith hadn’t had the chance to prepare herself.

Zack’s friend. 

Unbidden, a lump had formed at the back of her throat. Aerith had fought back against the choke as tears sprang to her eyes. 

***

The first month Zack hadn’t returned, Aerith had believed when people said he was busy, caught up in whatever assignment the Company had given him. But then three months rolled by, six months, and now it had been well over a year, and there was still no news of his return or whereabouts.

Kunsel rose from his seat and strode over to her, crouching before the flowerbed and reaching to stroke the yellow petals. With his helmet settled over his head, Aerith felt his glance more than she saw it, but he said nothing, then went to pull the weeds sprouting from the ground. 

Why exactly was he here? She had figured SOLDIERs would have their plates full, with how many times a phonecall or mission had interrupted her date with Zack. But here Kunsel was, months after he’d introduced himself and seen her cry, months of helping her tend her flowerbed as though he had all the time in the world. He’d offered to fix her cart one time, broken after using it so many times to sell flowers around the slums, but she’d refused and said she’d wait for Zack. Because Zack would come. He had promised her he would. 

Kunsel deftly pulled at the weeds, reaching deep into the roots so as not to let them grow again. He moved quietly, scouring her flowerbed for the parasitic plants that would kill her flowers. The pile on his side grew higher with each passing moment. When he was about to go to her side, Aerith spoke up.

“No, I’ll—I’ll take care of this side.”

The SOLDIER looked at her. Even through his visor, Aerith could still see those familiar Mako-rimmed eyes. Her heart clenched. She only spared him a glance before dropping her gaze back to her chore. 

“Alright,” she heard him say. She watched him from the corner of her eye, at the efficient way he moved as he cleaned his side of the flowerbed. Silent, but still a reassuring presence. 

When had it started—when she’d started looking forward to his visits more than she would admit? She’d told him one time he hadn’t needed to help with the flowers, but Kunsel had only given her a sideways glance and said, “You let Tseng help.” No, she hadn’t. She’d told Tseng the same, but true to his character, Tseng had never listened to her. Not once. But maybe that’s not true, now that Aerith thought about it. Tseng never brought her back to the lab, and he had lent his phone that time she had wanted to call Zack. The man had known her since she was little, and despite whatever true intention he and his men had behind their visits, Aerith was grateful for the Turks’ company—as grateful as she had grown to accept Kunsel’s too. Because having someone else beside her… it helped keep the sadness at bay. 

With that thought in mind, her next words rolled out of her tongue instinctively: “I started writing letters.” She felt his glance, felt the quiet surprise, but Aerith only focused her attention on the rhythmic way her hands pulled at the weeds.

Her admission made it true—those nights she’d spent staring at her ceiling. Worry had gnawed at her heart, wondering what had happened to Zack, wondering where he was and what he was doing and if he was okay. Everyone said he might have moved on. Her mother had said to forget about him. And Aerith wanted to, if only she could. 

She was never a stranger to loneliness. She had spent her days alone in Shinra’s lab, then spent more days alone in the slums. None of the kids had played with her. The only friends she’d had were the flowers. Yet when Zack crashed through her church’s roof and fell onto her flowerbed, everything had changed. The church that had once offered her solace became a source of joy. She’d started playing a game of when-would-Zack-visit-again, and sometimes, when Aerith opened the massive double doors, she would find him already waiting for her with a grin radiant like the sun.

Across the flowerbed, Kunsel still stared at her. Aerith gave a little shrug as she said, “For a few months now, I think? Mom told me to. She hated seeing me so… down for so long, so this one night, she came up to me and asked me what I wanted to do. That if I can’t reach him by phone, I could try writing to him. Who knows? Maybe he’d read it, no matter how busy he gets…”

Busy… As though being “busy” was the one thing that had kept Zack away. As though nothing bad could have prevented him from coming home. Every time Aerith voiced her concerns to Tseng, he had always been quick to say that Zack was fine. That the company was keeping him busy for longer than anyone had expected. But Tseng had always been a trained liar, and there had been no doubt he was lying to her.

Aerith sneaked a glance at Kunsel, gauging his reaction. Would he lie to her too? But Kunsel had his eyes fixed on the weeds at his clutch, his jaws set as his gaze took on a hard glint. 

“Busy, huh…” His grip tightened, his knuckles going white. “If only that’s all there is.” He pulled the weeds with all his might. Dirt burst out in a sprinkle of dark brownish matter, showering his lap, his hands, his boots. Kunsel stared at the now-lifeless plant on his palm. “That’s what we wish, isn’t it? That he’s just too busy to check his phone or that he’s stuck somewhere with a low signal. But… is that all there is?” 

“What do you mean?”

“The news, that Zack might’ve been—” His breath catching on the word, Kunsel pursed his lips. But Aerith knew what he meant. Killed in action. She’d heard. When those fan club people had approached her—they might not have realized, but she’d heard snippets of their conversation. Her fingers twitched, a muscle fluttering along her jawline. Aerith didn’t believe it.

Across from her, Kunsel cleared his throat. “I never believed it. Not one bit of it. I know he’s out there somewhere, and the Company is hell bent on keeping it a secret.”

Aerith blinked in surprise. “How are you so sure?” 

“Because I tried looking for him, and they cut my search short.” 

The silence that followed was deafening. Aerith stared at Kunsel, trying to make sense of his words. Was Kunsel insinuating that Shinra was the reason Zack went missing?

Kunsel’s face was hard as he returned to his chore, his movement swift and efficient. Before long, he’d cleaned the entire flowerbed, even the section Aerith had meant to clean herself. He gathered all the weeds, then rose, bringing them to the trash can outside the church. When he returned, the hard glint was gone. In its place was a brilliant beam. 

“Have faith, Aerith. He’ll come back. One way or another, he’ll come back for sure. He promised, didn’t he?”

Aerith stared at him, at that conviction that was so strong, so bright, so contagious. It made her own hope flickered back to life. She had not yet felt his soul pass her by—the way Elmyra’s husband’s had after he died in Wutai. Zack was still out there. She was sure of it. 

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked then. “To give me hope?”

Her question had taken Kunsel off guard. It showed in the widening of his eyes and the slight slackening of his jaws. Her mouth quirked into a little smirk, Aerith snorted, turning away to hide her laughter behind her hand. 

“Hey,” he said, and she heard the amused chuckle in his voice. Kunsel snorted, then scoffed. “For your information, I’m Zack’s best friend. You ask every SOLDIER, grunt, or even the Turks who Zack’s friend is and they’re gonna say me. I know everything about your boyfriend, including how head-over-heels in love he is with you. So, if you ask me why I’m here…” 

His voice trailed off. The way Kunsel had nonchalantly bragged about being Zack’s friend had made her want to laugh, but seeing his face now, seeing his melancholic smile… Aerith pursed her lips. 

Kunsel lifted his face and stared at the hole in the roof. In a voice so low that Aerith had almost missed it, he said, “I promised I’d look after you, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”

A shift in the clouds outside gave way to sunlight slanting in through the hole. It shone on Kunsel’s helmet, making the metal sparkle. In another timeline, had she met Kunsel when Zack was still here, would they have become fast friends without this sorrow hanging over them? Laughing and joking around as the boys visited her at the church. 

Kunsel shielded his eyes at the blinding sun. “It’s sunny outside. Wanna have a walk?” Those sky-blue eyes were bright and clear, Aerith found the sight of them didn’t hurt her anymore. Still a twinge of pain, but nothing she couldn’t handle. 

Aerith rose to her feet. She brushed her hands against her dress, then stretched her arms over her head. Holding her hands behind her back, she followed Kunsel’s gaze and, for the first time in a long time, looked at the sliver of blue between two metal plates. She held her gaze, even as her heart constricted at the sight of it.

When you come back from your assignment, let’s go sell flowers under the sky together. I won’t be afraid if you’re with me.

A lump formed at the back of her throat, Aerith pressed her lips in a thin line. The flowers on her feet swayed in a nonexistent wind, as if trying to comfort her. As if trying to say, he’ll come back.

Aerith threw Kunsel a sideways glance. The SOLDIER was looking at her with an inviting tilt of his head. “Sure,” she said, and felt her lips parting into a small, genuine smile, one that came from her heart. “Let’s go. And you can take your helmet off if you want. Isn’t it stuffy?” She met his look of surprise with a grin, before heading off to exit the church.

~ END ~

[writerman]

Prompt: Thranduil and Bard went to college together but yearned from afar. Some 20ish years later they see each other again bc their kids go to college together. They weren't even aware that they lived in the same town until Legolas and Sigrid come back for vacation. Kind of like the last prompt I sent you.

Hallo, friend!

Please find my response to your prompt below. Thank you for supporting my stories by sending in prompts for me to respond to.

Please enjoy!

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

It was 5am the airport was deserted and Bard really, really wished he’d filled his travel cup with coffee before he had left the house to collect Sigrid from her flight home. 

It was freezing inside and outside with winter well and truly settled in for the holidays, the snow had finally stopped and Sigrid had assured her father their flight had not been cancelled but her friend she was travelling with had booked an earlier flight to be sure they’d get back the day they wanted. 

The blast of colder air from behind him and the sound of the automatic doors meant he was now not the only one in the airport and when he turned around he was greeted with someone bundled up in a long black fur coat and deep green scarf that covered half of their face. Though they wore no hat and their long white-blond hair was dusted with snow that had started lightly falling again outside. 

They stood a few feet away from him and gazed up at the arrivals screen which wasn’t even switched on before they huffed with irritation and turned to Bard tugging down their scarf so they could speak to him. 

Though, Bard was not ready for 1) how maddeningly gorgeous the man was and 2) how it appeared to be his old crush and roommate Thranduil from university some 20 years ago. This did not go unnoticed by the blond who broke into a bright smile as his expression changed from cold indifference to joyful recognition. 

“Bard!” He moved forward without prompting and slung his arms around Bard’s shoulders in a tight embrace. “Ah, how long has it been since we last saw one another?” 

It had definitely been at least 20 years since they parted ways in University to chase their dreams with a youthful exuberance that no longer existed within them. That boundless energy at the prospect of seeing the world, true blue-sky thinking with their hopes tripping from their tongues regaling all who would listen regarding their futures. 

What had Thranduil done with his life?

What had happened to have the man come back to Dale of all the places in the world to settle?

“I had no idea you were in town, what brings you here?” Bard asks as they broke the embrace, he tried to hide the fact his face had flushed pink the second Thranduil had thrown his arms around him. 

“I’ve lived here for years, what about you?” 

How strange it was, Bard had never seen him wandering the streets, not even once in the 10 years he had been settled there in Dale. 

Flight 206 Arriving from Mirkwood Intl at 5:30 am has been delayed. 

The booming yet cheery voice over the tannoy gave Bard heart failure but the dismay at hearing Sigs flight had been cancelled was enough to cover the thundering of his heart.

When he looked to Thranduil he looked equally upset and he turned on his heel and headed towards the door. 

“Come on, let’s not hang about, while I loathe the place, MacDonalds is open and they serve semi-decent coffee. It’s better than hanging about here.” Thranduil looked over his shoulder with a small smile and Bard, O, he followed behind the blond like a puppy, the same as he had all those years ago.

He was still a puppy, and still absolutely harbouring a ridiculous crush and still terrified of confronting those feelings. Somethings just never changed, not even after 20 years, a marriage and children.

And so, that was how Bard found himself sat in the plastic chairs of a booth in the fast-food restaurant catching Thran up on his life, the loss of his wife and the kids. It seemed the blond had a similar story just with one less child and they sat in tense silence for a few moments before Thranduil leaned over the table and put his hand over Bard’s with a coy smile. 

“As inappropriate as this may sound after our conversation,” He glanced around the empty restaurant lobby before continuing. “I had such an infatuation with you when we were at university. Gods it took over my life at one point, nothing obsessive, I promise but I was absolutely in love with you,” He sat back almost immediately after he’d finished speaking, clearly feeling better now he had admitted his secret. 

The information did not help Bard in the slightest. 

“What about now?” Bard ventured feeling brave for literally no reason other than perhaps he was over-caffeinated and it was now just after 6 in the morning. “Ahah, I don’t know why I asked that. Gods, it’s too early, who books a flight this early?” Bard tried to cover his embarrassment with an inane question but Thranduil waved that away looking so serious suddenly. 

“What about now?” Thranduil mirrored the words, but the emphasis was solely on the last word and Bard couldn’t hold his gaze to the blond any longer and instead stared at the plastic lid of his coffee cup. 

“Aren’t we too old to be working through ancient crushes?” Bard asks quietly, he lifts his drink to his lips and feels the still scalding liquid slide down his throat. It was the only distraction at his disposal and being unable to talk due to it sounded like the best thing for him and his mouth that seemed to run off without engaging his mind. 

“You think now you’ve hit your 40s you cannot go in search of love?” Thranduil asked, arching an eyebrow and still managing to look elegant even when unimpressed. “Don’t age yourself in such a way. Personally, yes, I struggled with the loneliness and finding new relationships for the longest time but I always knew I deserved to love again and again.” 

Surely it as easier for Thranduil to find someone to adore him. No that wasn’t fair, adoration wasn’t love. 

“Did you find love again, you didn’t mention you married again.” Bard cast his gaze to Thranduil’s hands, long fingers still smooth and as pale as he remembered… musicians hand he had always said and Thranduil had always enjoyed playing the piano when they had any sort of downtime from studying. 

There was no ring though. 

“Ah, no. It is difficult to find love and raise children at the same time. But now that Legolas is in university and Tauriel is in high school, perhaps I can try again. What about yourself?” 

There is no time for a reply as Bard’s phone begins to play the Coca Cola Christmas music signalling a call from one of his kids. 

It is Sigrid, their flight had just landed and she was currently waiting for her luggage and was he at the airport?

Both men spring from their seats and exit hastily in a bid to get to the airport before their children realise they had been sat cosied up in a MacDonalds trying their hardest not to flirt with one another.

They had failed, of course. 

Again, they went their separate ways, collecting their children and bidding one another happy holidays before heading to their separate cars likely not seeing another again. 

That was until the next day and Bard is sat on the sofa struggling to wrap Tilda’s Christmas gifts while she was out, Sigrid wanders in and hands him a piece of paper with a contact number written out neatly in her own handwriting. 

“Legolas said his dad wanted you to have his number in case of a flight delay like the last time.” A flimsy excuse and she saw right through it, Bard knew that when she grinned and plucked the half-wrapped gift from his hands to finish for him. 

“I think you should probably go call him.” It wasn’t a hint, it was an order and Bard wasn’t sure he enjoyed his children knowing anything about his love life, not like this anyway… but, rather than argue with her about anything to do with Thranduil, he merely nodded and headed to the kitchen dialling the number into his phone’s keypad as he did so. 

Thranduil answered on the second ring with a very smooth and professional greeting which melted away into a warm and friendly tone as soon as he realised it was Bard on the other end of the line. 

That was nice.

It was nice that Thranduil seemed excited to hear from him. 

“I want to get straight to the point, Thran.” Bard began realising it was far easier to talk about his feelings when the icy blue of Thranduil’s eyes weren’t rooting him to the spot speechless like they had all those years ago. “I had a crush on you in university and I hate saying crush because I’m 40 fucking years old but it never went away and I was hoping I could take you out for dinner sometime?”

There was a sigh of relief from Thranduil’s side of the line and when he spoke Bard could hear the smile in his voice.

“Look who is being so brave. You garnered the courage before I could- you win this time. I’d love to have dinner with you. I admit, being wined and dined by Bard Bowman sounds like a dream.” That was a rather big statement to make and Bard forced the oddly youthful giddiness forced down back inside himself before he said something to ruin it all. 

“A dream? How am I a dream date?” He didn’t really want to know, he was afraid Thranduil would tell him he was the perfect kind of dull for a man his age, even if that sounded out of character for the blond it was still a fear.

“Oh come on, you just want me to stroke your ego. But, fine, I suppose you deserve it after all these years.” Thranduil sounded like he was shifting to get comfortable before he spoke again, “You’re incredibly handsome, and you seemed to have gotten even better with age. You’re kind and gentle and you’re funny. I like a man that can make me laugh.”

Funny? 

He’d never been called funny before, perhaps he had been a comedian in university but he couldn’t recall, however, if Thranduil thought he was that was enough for him. 

“Ok, ok, you’ve made your point, I’m your dream man. That works well for me, so if I stuff this up I still have a chance?”

There was laughter from Thranduil and the deep rumble of it made Bard lightheaded for a second before he brought himself firmly back to planet earth to ask the most important question.

“So, when would you like to meet?” 

“Hmm, is tonight too soon?” No, no it was not, even if Thranduil had asked to meet him an hour from then he would agree. 

After all, hadn’t they spent enough time apart already?

There was no need for him to play hard to get or even casual. 

“Tonight is fine, I will pick you up at 8. Text me your address and I will see you then.”

“I am looking forward to it.”

When the call disconnected Bard wandered past the living room where Sigrid was sat talking quietly on the phone, she spotted her dad and grinned knowingly giving him a thumbs up.

He received a text later that day from Thranduil containing his address and then another right after simply saying:

I have the house to myself tonight ;) 

The night would be an eventful one but who was Bard to complain? 

This year was going to have a very different ending to all those he had spent in the past alone. Even if he was terrified of this whole new adventure, at least he was doing it with someone who wanted to be by his side for the entire ride.

[puyohighschoolau]

Chapter 1: Introduction Speech by kirbymanx/huskynator, warelander

Description: In which Akuma welcomes students new and old to Primp High School.

[Art by @ChaoPlushie & @furiousth_]

Primp High School, a prestigious and forward-thinking school in the country of Pretland.

Despite the quality of education the institution provides, where even the dimmest have a chance of proceeding, each year they only get half the students they can hold.

Why is that you ask? Good question. This School’s past has done a good job of scaring folks away when it’s been benign for generations. The worst you should have to worry about are the students inside.

“Okay, girls. Out of the car.”

“Yes, Mom.” “Yes, Mom.”

“And Silvana, be nice to your sister.”

“…I’m gonna see how Rafisol’s doing.” The twin sidestepped the issue and walks away with her hands in her hoodie’s pocket.

“What happened to her?” The mother asked herself with a sigh.

“No clue, Mom.” Her other daughter answered.

“Well, say hi to your cousin for me.”

———————————————————————————————————–

“Do-Re-MIiiIiIIIIiiIIi~ I’m at schooooool!~” The earthborn angel sang to herself, absolutely optimistic for the new school year.

“Yo, Harp!” She knows that voice. And she immediately scoops the boy up and lifted the elf up in the air.

“Panotty! You’re going to this school too?” She smiled with her mouth open.

“Hehe, yup.” The elf grinned. “I thought I’d surprise ya.”

“Teeheehee.” The girl spun him around. “You really did, my back’s still all tingly.” She put him down.

“So you’re a sophomore right?”

“What’s that?”

“The thing after a freshman.”

“People did call me a freshman last year. I don’t get it, I’m a girl. I did shower though.”

“…Never change, Harp.”

———————————————————————————————————–

“Yo, Sig, Marvett.” The brown-haired boy ran up to his friends. “I called Ringo and Mags.” He wiggled the phone in his hand. “They’ll come by the Rec Room later for some RPing, after the speech, you guys wanna come too?”

“Sure.” The boy with cyan hair next to him said as they walked down these familiar halls of their school.

The girl next to them meanwhile, merely gave an affirmative hum, too occupied with marveling at the gift he had received from her friends earlier that day.

“Real glad you like it.” Uttered the spacey lad to his female friend.

“It’s wonderful. I know you guys said a steel case with a lock on it may be a bit much for notepad protection, but it’s going to do a lot to keep these brutes from ruining my drafts again.”

With a grin wider than those of his friends combined, the RPG nerd of the trio triumphantly raised a fist into the air. “Just one more year of swirlies, noogies, wedgies and getting stuffed into lockers, but then we’ll be the Seniors and make sure there won’t be a bully gang!”

———————————————————————————————————–

By her lonesome the green-haired alpha made her way to the entry of her school, her arms crossed and her face colored by a look of determination.

“Alright. She said to herself. ’‘This is gonna be the year where I’ll show that pink-haired snob off!”

Just the thought of her rival sends a burst of energy in the spoiled teen’s body, tightening the grip on her fashionable umbrella.

“This year is gonna be all different. They will all admire me and see that I am a real Tetra!” A haughty laugh escaped the girl at the mere thought.

“Well, better I start making an impression early, especially with those new kiddos!”

———————————————————————————————————–

The white-haired demon and his gang just went on in and walked inside already to their hideout. Everyone stepped out of the way of their menace if they didn’t flat outrun that is.

“It’s locked.” The boss observed. He turned to his female underling. “Carrie. You know what they say: Ladies first.” He said with a smirk.

The woman grinned as her chameleon handed her lockpick. “I’m so glad I’m surrounded by such gracious gents.” She winked at her leader and the male underling.

“Let’s enjoy it while we still can, my friends.” The horned underling said.

Their leader sighed. “I suppose this really is the last year our gang will be together like this…”

“Don’t be so down, Schezo. I’m sure we’ll meet each other a lot in prison.” The girl snickered as she opened the door and went in first. “Though I’m not sure about Lawrence here. If he keeps behaving he’ll be seeing us on the other side.”

“Highly likely.” He didn’t deny it.

Their leader looked at his pack of playing cards.

“C’mon, handsome, chin up. Let’s make the most of it. The most cash that is. Fufufu~”

“Naturally. Let’s break our record, Boss.”

“Carrie, Lawrence, you’re right. I am glad you two are the only ones remaining. Now, let us rake in the dough!”

———————————————————————————————————–

F0 - Outside(/Entrance)

On the school’s field, many students got reacquainted, tried to make friends, wanted to be alone or played/watched basketball. And all of them had different opinions on getting back to school.

Some were excited, some were scared, some were apathetic. Anything really, all of them just wanted the school to start already.

And then the bells rang. The voice over the intercom instructed the students to go inside and follow the red carpet into the auditorium.

F1 - Auditorium

Bouncing off the walls of the auditorium were the chattering voices of every student sitting down.

Meanwhile backstage…  Someone grumbled a little at the noise. “Chatty as always, kuma.”

Principal Akuma (History) Wise Cranky Longrunning Caretaker

A human woman giggled at her possessed teddy bear boss. “Just step on stage already if it bothers you so much, dear.”

Vice-Principal Accord (Music/Arts/Counselor) Jovially Fun Teacher

“What do you think I was planning to do! Kumamamamama!” The bear’s backstage yelling got to shut the whole auditorium up.

Accord covered her mouth holding back her laughter as she and Akuma walked on stage. Accord spoke first. “I apologize to the new kiddies. Principal Akuma can’t control when he screams.”

“Quiet you…”

“Hmhmhm. He usually doesn’t mean it.”

Akuma, like the grump he is, straightened out his papers. “May I?”

“Oh of course. By all means. Listen good, everyone, even if you know most of it anyway.”

Akuma cleared his throat as he looked at his first page. “Welcome one and all. I am Akuma and this is Ms. Accord.” The latter waved. “But you should know either one of us already, either because you’ve been here for a year or two already or you met one of us when your parents signed you up.”

“Primp High School was founded with the best of intentions. And we make sure those stay intact along with giving you a stellar education.”

“And we know what you might think. You’ve heard the rumors. They’re based in truth but it has been exaggerated over the centuries. I do not feel the need to repeat what these rumors are. Ask someone or search for it on the phone if you must, if you can find the specific one that is. We have a lot of rumors. But rest assured, this school is safe. And if it for any reason it isn’t. I’LL SEE TO IT THAT IS!!! KUMAMAMAMAMA!!!” The principal screamed and flailed as animated as his plush body could.

“Oh my.” Vice-Principal Accord took the papers from her superior’s stand. “This is why we have a vice-principal, kiddies.” She said apologetically with a smile. “Now where were we?” The lady adjusted her glasses. But Akuma snatched it back.

“No need, I’m calm now. Now, where was I? Oh yes, of course. This year works the same as last year. Meaning Monday through Thursday you’ll have to go to school like any other school. On Friday, such as today, attendance is mandatory as well but education is optional, do it if you want to, and we do encourage it!”

“But it’s more of a recreational day. Feel free to start a club, help our gardener Orkte, plant some seeds and take care of the plants in the garden on Floor 3. Have a talk in the 6th Form Common Room (or as most refer it too “The Hang Out Room”). Get enlightened in the library, nothing beats reading holding a book in your paws.”

“Play our signature sport: Basketball! Join the cheerleaders (despite what it may seem with them all being sophomores at the moment anyone can join). We have a music room, Ms. Accord’s permission is required for instruments are expensive. We have a drama club upstairs with its own miniature stage. You can eat in the cafeteria if you like. You can even make our janitor happy by helping her if you want. ”

“Enjoy yourselves on Friday. But we do still encourage that you get some school work in. And in the weekend you’re home. Primp High School will be closed.”

“You know the rules, but I am repeating this one just in case. Colored rooms are public, and white rooms are staff only, you need permission. I hope that’s clear.”

Akuma went on a little longer until he finally stopped.

“Enjoy your Friday, rather unfortunate this school year starts as such, but such matters were out of my paws kumamamakuma!”

“Hmhmhm~ Have fun and make sure you stick to your schedules next week, kiddies. Don’t break the rules.” Accord walked off with Akuma.

“Oh, and beware of ghosts, ignore them and they’ll go away. If not I’ll ground them, mamamamama!!”

“They’re harmless.” Accord put gently. “You’re all dismissed.”

———————————————————————————————————–

F1 - South Hallway

“Ooooooooh,” A blonde girl moaned. “Does Akuma really need to talk for so long? My ears are itching.”

Amitie Sunshine and Pep Incarnate

“I guess all that stuff is kinda necessary, there are newbies in school. Doesn’t make it any more fun though.”

Arle Nadja #1 Adrenaline Junkie

“Heh, hey Ami, what if we got another Harpy?”

“Oh, poor freshmen!” Amitie squealed, not liking the sound of it.

“Hehehe. Let’s hope not.” Arle shrugged. “So you’re gonna meet up with the cheerleaders I guess?”

“Yip~ What’re you gonna do, Arle?

“I think I’m gonna go to the Rec Room, checking in on my BF.”

“Are you dumping that poor guy again?” The blonde asked the brunette with concern.

“Huh?” Arle could only utter in confusion, only for it to shift into mild irritation. “Ami, you gotta stop acting like we break up every other week!”

“Well…there was the time you felt you two needed a break from each other. Then you broke up for a while when he was looking at cosplayers too much. I also think you two decided to call it off for a while because of his curse thingy. And then there was–”

“Okay, I get it!” Arle snapped, quickly calming at the sight of her cousin’s apologetic expression. “Sorry. Look, Ami, I know it happens, but that’s just how we are, we would have called it quits after the first time if we didn’t work at all.”

“I guess you’re right.” The blonde found it hard to argue, unlike her Amitie she had no romantic experience to speak of, so to her, this was all still rather new foreign.

“Now.” The older girl said smiling while putting a hand on Amitie’s shoulder in a supportive manner. Don’t worry about it and go have fun with the cheerleaders. I’ll meet up with you again later.“

’'Got it. See yah Arle!” Was all the blonde said, perked up and quick to storm off to her destination. The brunette couldn’t help but chuckle a little, she always did find the child-like energy and innocence of her cousin very endearing.

“Never change, Ami.” Arle mused to herself, before heading to her own destination, ready to start a new year at Primp High School.

[Character art by @ChaoPlushie on Twitter Background/School art by @FuriousTH_ on Twitter (to be finished)

NOTE: We are adding character artworks as we go along. So if you’re reading an early reblog of this you may not see Amitie’s artwork right now. As of writing this little addendum she isn’t but she might be there in the future.]

[lettersofwrittencollective]

The Pull (99/?)

Summary: The Ragnulf’s are one of the oldest lines of werewolves known. A gift from ancient times was gifted to them. Though not all of the line will experience it. There are some who will experience a Pull. This Pull leads them to their true mate, a soulmate. The problem is, just because the wolf finds their true mate does not mean that they are the same for that person.

Author: @lettersofwrittencollective

Pairing: Stiles x Hale!Cousin OC (Reader)

Word count: 2751

Warnings: angst and more angst so enjoy it 

Additional A/N: If  you see *** at any point this means that there is a POV and location change (like a scene change in a show where it’s a completely different character- forgot to add that last time) and this is a thing that is going to be going on going forward, okay thanks!

<<Prev || The Pull Masterlist || Next>>

Gasping, you find yourself in the same small space as earlier. Sighing, you call out Scott’s name. 

It takes him a moment but you hear him call your name a moment later. 

“Any idea how we got back here?” you ask him. 

“No idea but we better keep going,” you hear him call out, “Can you still get out?”

Groaning, you maneuver yourself around so that you’re on your stomach again and make your way out of the drawer, or whatever else this can be called. 

Crawling forward you find that, just like last time, you and Scott both manage to make your way back into the school hallway. 

“Well isn’t this fun?” you mutter as you push yourself up again. 

The two of you make your way down the hallway again. You’re likely to run into the same thing with Liam. so this time, you try to keep an eye out for him. 

There’s no scent however and you can’t make out any footsteps. The sound of a whooshing ball catches your attention and you sigh as Scott catches it. 

This time, however, his claws are extended. 

“That’s why you’re the Alpha,” Liam tells him and turns. 

“Pup!” you call out and he turns to look at you, he smirks at you, “La Ira….”

You’re surprised at the name… but before you get a chance to ask him about it, he’s making his way down the hallways, leaving you and Scott to follow him again,. 

It doesn’t take very long for you to catch up to him, this time he’s made it to the boys locker room. 

“Pup?” you call out at the same time Scott calls out, “Liam?”

“Natasha,” Scott calls you and you turn to see he’s made his way to one of the sinks. He opens his mouth and you see that, somehow, it looks like he’s got a second set of canines. 

“There’s something different isn’t there?” Liam asks, materializing beside you and you have to keep yourself from screaming in surprise. 

“I’ve got more fangs,” Scott mutters, “I noticed it during the quarantine… I don’t know why...”

Chuckling, you shake your head and tell him, “It’s part of being an Alpha.”

“Like he’s becoming more of a werewolf,” Liam questions and you nod your head. 

“Or more of a monster,” Scott points out. 

“Scott… It doesn’t make you a monster,” you growl as you cross to him, gripping his shoulder and turning him towards you, you flash him a fang, “It means you’re getting stronger”

“… like you’re growing..” Liam points out and you turn to nod your head at him. 

The Mute is standing there, however, ready to with a tomahawk poised to throw at Liam. Before you can think it through, you’ve launched yourself athim and this time, you’re met by the satisfying feel of his blood dripping down your fingers. 

“Evolving…” comes his robotic response and you twist your hand in his neck, tearing out his throat. 

“Natasha…” both boys sound shocked but you shake your head as you release the Mute, letting his body fall limply to the floor. 

“You don’t threaten my friends and get away with it,” you practically snarl. 

***

Stiles is waiting in the same room - Kira and Liam haven’t been gone very long but the lights flicker in and out before steadying and suddenly going out completely. 

Groaning, Stiles can’t help but mutter, “Just once… just once…”

It’s a good thing though. It means their plan is working and if all is going according to plan then they should, in fact, be getting a hold of the Benefactor by the end of the day. 

Pulling his phone out, he calls the pup and then Kira but neither of them answer and Stiles can feel a pit growing in his stomach. That’s not part of the plan. 

Deciding to go find them, or Argent, he quickly and makes his way out of the room.

He’s making his way through the building and as he comes up to a corner, he catches sight of Argent making his way through the halls. Reaching out for the man, he doesn’t even get to touch the man when he’s turned around a gun is pointed at Stiles head. 

For a half second, Stiles can feel his entire body freeze as flashes of Simen run across his mind and he has to focus on breathing. A movement catches his eye and Stiles can feel himself flinch before he processes that Argent had lowered his gun. 

Before Argent can say anything, Stiles tells him, “The power’s out in the whole building. I lost all the cameras.”

Argent nods his head and motions towards the morgue, “Stay with Scott. Text me if you see or hear anything.”

When Argent looks down at his watch, Stiles chances a glance and sees that there’s just over eighteen minutes left before they fully lose Scott. 

Turning, takes off to the morgue. 

***

 “This is a Sig Sauer P226 9mm.” Braeden tells him as she puts the next weapon in fron of him. 

“I don’t like guns,” Derek points out. 

“That’s because you’ve never learned to use one,” she tries to tell him and Dereks sorely tempted to point to her that it’s not that he’s never learned it’s that he’s genuniely never been a fan of guns. Most werewolves aren’t. 

Instead of trying to point that out to her, he just tells her, “Or maybe it’s because i’ve been shot.”

“You’ll like this one,” Braeden smirks as she picks up the gun and releases the mag, “The legal clip size in California is ten. You always want to remember how many shots you fired. Running out of bullets can get you killed. It also makes you look stupid.”

Braeden returns the mag to the gun and locks it in place before she flips the gun in her hand and and puts the grip in his hand, “SBut using a gun isn’t just about learning how to point and shoot.”

Now that was something new to him, so he asks her why that is. 

“Because an average person can move twenty-one fett in one-point-five seconds,” Braeden points out, “If they have a knife they can gut you before you can pull and fire —.so with a gun, you need distance.”

She crosses past him but is still just a few paces out, “Go ahead. Pull the gun on me.”

Derek chuckles and shakes his head befoe moving to lift the gun, however, he quickly finds that Braeden has twisted his hand and he finds his that the gun is out of his hands in Braeden’s again, “so yea…”

“Wanna try again?” Braeden taunts him and he knows she’s taunting him but he agrees to do it again. 

Braeden crosses by him again and the two of them face off. 

Derek goes to pull the gun and again, he finds that she, again, manages to get the gun out of his hand. As she takes the gun this time, he can hear the grunt of frustration leave his lips. 

“Again,” he tells her and he can tell that this time it’s a frustration because he can’t get it right. 

“I could do this all day,” she taunts him and he sees a spark in her eyes that she fails to hide. Trying not to scoff, he realizes that she’s so much like the others it’s almost too easy. 

Taking a step towards her, he can hear her heartbeat pick up and he has to fight back a smirk before he reaches out and pulls her towards him. Bending down, he puts his lips to hers and can feel her enthusiastic response.  He tries not to chuckle but instead just slips his hand to her waist and, as she pulls him closer, slips the gun from her waistband and presses it to her stomach 

“You cheated,” she whispers breathlessly against him a moment later. 

“Learning to bend,” he smirks at her. 

This time when she looks at him, there’s a look in her eyes and for some reason, he finds that he wants to see that look again. The two of them share a look and he realizes that she’d played him just as much as he’d played her. 

If they keep going though, this time it’s real. 

***

Malia looks over the Birth Certificate, her mothers name is missing - torn out of the page and she  can’t help but feel a bit disappointed at it. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Peter asks, pulling her from the file in front of her. When she turns to him, he asks, “See a family counselor?”

“There’s nothing in there,” she points out to him. 

“Cost me a lot of money to get that file,” she hears Peter practically pout. 

“You got ripped off,” she tells him before she moves to make her way past hm. 

“You know what happens when you only hear one side of a story?” Peter asks as he walks towards her. Surprisingly, he seems to walk almost in a half-circle and not directly at her and the two of them end up on opposite sides, staring at each other when Peter tells her, “You only hear one side of the story.”

Glaring at him,  Malia points out, “You murdered people. Not Killed. Murdered.”

“There were extenuating circumstances,” Peter tries to defend. 

“Like what? The fire?” she snaps because she knows that’s going to be his excuse. 

“A fire that nearly burned me alive,” he tells her and she doesn’t bother to hide her scoff, “Do you know what that’s like for one of us?”

 Malia doesn’t answer the question. Partially because she can't’ but also because it doesn’t make it any better. There’s no excuse for what he’s dome she’s come to understand. 

“It’s not a pleasant sleep,” he tells her, “Imagine it… being trapped in your body but still being fully cognizant. Unable to do anything other than listen to your own thoughts slowly driving you absolutely and totally insane. Minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Yes I’ve done horrible, terrible things. And so have a lot of people. And horrible, terrible things are going to keep happening. 

Especially when there’s a dead pool with your name on it. With Little Wolf’s name on it. With Derek's name on it.”

“Little Wolf?” Malia asks, she’s positive it’s not actually a name but she isn't;’t entirely sure that she’s right. 

Peter looks surprised for a moment before he answers her, “Natasha… Your cousin…”

That’s news to her and she’s sure that the confusion is evident on her face. It takes her a few moments to process, but she repeats the names to him, “So me, Natasha. Derek… others but not yours.”

“True,” Peter answers after a beat, “But I am not The Benefactor. I’m just a guy who’s out millions of dollars - a few thousand of which I used trying to help… you.”

“Me?” she scoffs.

“How does the bad guy prove that he’s not so bad? By doing something nice,” Peter informs her. 

“What could you ever do for me?”

“Help you find your mother,” Peter answers her and Malia can feel her heart stop at the idea. This was why she’d come here after all. Peter is either oblivious to her internal struggle or he knows exactly what’s going on because he continues, “I’m pretty interested myself as the memory was stolen from me by my sister Talia.”

“Okay,” Malia agrees. If he can help her find her mom, she can finally get some answers, “What did you find?”

“A woman, might be her,” Peter tells her as he steps forward, “I don’t have a name yet, just a particularly interesting alias. She’s called the Desert Wolf. Do you know what that means?”

And she does… 

Coyote

***

The lights in the morgue flicker in and out for a moment and Stiles can’t help but think that the generators are probably dying out. 

He’d sent a text to Kira and the pup, telling them to hurry their awsses to the morgue but still no one had shown up. Stiles can’t help but feel jittery and he bounces his leg. 

Looking at the door, he decides to call Argent and pulls his phone out as he dials the man. As he waits for the phone to connect, he begins to pace back and forth, “Come on, come on… Answer the phone. Answer the phone, Argent,” the line just keeps ringing and Stiles grumbles, “Come on, Argent. Answer the phone. Why are you not answering the phone?”

His question is answered second later when the doors rattle as they fly open, a body slamming through them. It was enough to make Stiles jump and he’d turned to see Argent on the floor at his feet. 

The man is grunting as he pushes himself up, “Stiles Run! Stiles get out of here!”

Another body enters the room and Stiles looks up  to see the bane of his existence.

Kate Argent.

She’s walking in like she owns the place and he watches as her attention turns to him, “Get out of the way Stile. I’m taking the body.”

No!  He hears that inner voice growl and seeing as how he very much agrees with said voice, he doesn’t move from in front of the refrigerated drawers. 

Argent gets up and stands in front of him defensively and Stiles tilts his head, trying not to let his anger be too obvious when he asks her, “Why? Visual Confirmation?”

Kate smirks as she looks between the two of them and with each step forwards says, “Don’t worry handsome. I’m not the Benefactor.”

“Then what do you want with the body?”Argent asks her and Stiles takes a haf step to the side so he can keep his eye on Kate as she gets closer. 

“I wish I could tell you,” she answers him menacingly as she moves a hand towards him. Argent steps forward and she goes to grab his am but Argent manages to jam a gun just under her jaw pulling a grunt from her lips

“I always forget you carry two,” Kate mutters. 

“Back off!” Chris practically snarls at his sister. 

Kate, however, looks completely unfazed as she taunts him, “You sure you can pull that trigger fast enough?”

“I don’t want to,” Chris tells her but he knows that if it comes down to it - he will. 

“You’re not going to kill me,” Kate tells him, completely sure of herself. 

“I’m not gonna let you take his body!” Chris snaps at her, shaking her body at the same time.

“Well obviously you two have a lot to talk about,” he hears Stiles point out, “So maybe I saw some coffee, a vending machine outside…”

Knowing that Kate doesn’t wanna just chat, he can see it in her eyes that she’s about to tear Stiles apart. Pulling her towards him so that her attention turns back to him, he tells her, “Listen to me Kate. We have a plan.”

“If killing Scott and Natasha was part of it, you’re worse than me,” she scoffs at him before her lips twist into a smirk, “What do you think Alexander and his little runts are going to do to you when they find out?”

Stiles watches as Kate’s eyes snap over to him, over Argents shoulder, and he can see the grotesque smirk on her lips, “That is if Derek and Peter let you live.”

Refusing to be intimidated, Stiles curls his lip and tells her, “He’s telling the truth. We’re trying to get to The Benefactor.”

“If you didn’t notice, you’re on that list too,” Argent points out to Kate. “And you’re worth more than most.”

“That’s why I’m here!” Kate bites out. 

“Then back off and let us do what we planned,” Argent snaps back at her. 

The two of them have a stare off for a moment and Stiles isn’t sure how it happens but Kate manages to move Argent’s wrist and his eyes land on the  watch on his wrist. 

Three minutes. 

Stiles can feel his heart lodge in his throat but he knows better than to turn and look at Tasha. 

“Take the Berserkers and go, Kate, please. We have a plan,” Argent tries and this time Stiles can hear the desperation in his voice. 

Kat doesn’t look like she wants to listen and her eyes flick from Argent to Stiles and just behind him.

-

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Posted  14 June 2020 

[greekowl87]

Fic: False Flags - Ghost Ship 7/?

This fic still lives, albeit, just at a slower pace. For those that need to catch up…The First Fic: (False Flags Redux) | Ghost Ship: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) or if AO3 is your thing, you’ve got your choices. Sorry for any grammar or issues of that nature. No beta, I suck at editing my own work on computers (especially when it’s longer) and Grammarly only does so much. I still hope you enjoy it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Tagging: @today-in-fic, @improlificinsarcasm,  @baronessblixen, and @suitablyaggrieved 

A/N: I haven’t given up on this fic but life keeps me busy and inspiration has been little. Thanks for any support with this fic. Sorry; no beta and trying to self edit longer works it not the easiest for me.

Buckley sat by the window of the hotel room carelessly spinning an unloaded Colt 1911 on the small table the motel staff had placed in the double room. Across the room, Alex Krychek groaned in annoyance and turned up the volume on the television with his one good arm. Buckley snorted and continued to spin the pistol. “Will you stop that!” Krychek shouted angrily. “You’re driving me fucking crazy.”

“Am I?” He laughed. “Good, Alexi.”

“Alex. Stop calling me that! I don’t know what the old man sees in you. Enlisting your help a second time? You screwed up and got caught last time. What makes you think you can do better?”

“And I got shot by Mulder too but the tip came from an anonymous informant. Not my screw-ups, you dick. Besides, shouldn’t you be doing something useful? Like getting us dinner or something?”

Krycek shuddered. “And I lost a goddamn arm thanks to Mulder and I’m not complaining. God, don’t you ever shut up? I’m not your servant so stop bothering me. I’m not supposed to let you out of myself or else god forbid you to go rogue.”

“Why worry?”

“I’ve seen your work,” Krycek huffed. He thought about the file folder and the gruesome pictures he had seen. It reminded him of Jack the Ripper, especially when Mulder and Scully had caught him during his last crime spree. “You’re fucking insane.”

“I used to be a gangster from the 1920s.” He replied. His voice took on a Chicago accent briefly. ‘That’s where I learned all that.”

“You really are insane. Bipolar. Order a pizza or something if you’re so damn hungry. The phone book is right there.”

Buckley chuckled and continued to stare on the window, spinning the pistol.

****************

Mulder and Scully slept through the night but that didn’t do anything to calm each other’s nerves. The ocean pounding the sandbars only matched Scully’s racing heart. Mulder sipped his coffee and leaned against the counter. “Scully, you’re pacing,” he quipped from the couch.

“I feel like a prisoner here,” she answered. She looked around at the ocean-inspired theme and shook her head. “It feels irreverent like Arcadia did.”  She crossed her arms and looked at Mulder. “Don’t you feel the same? We can’t leave.”

“I don’t remember anyone saying that. Skinner didn’t say that. We’re free to come and go as we please. It isn’t like Skinner has placed us in protective custody and he’s standing in the corner watching our every move. We have our weapons. We’re trained federal agents. We’re okay.”

She shook her head in frustration. “I have the worst feeling growing in the back of my mind. He’s closer than they think he is.” She scratched the back of her neck and Mulder got from the couch to catch her hand. “What?”

“It’s not the chip,” he answered quickly. “This isn’t like Ruskin Dam. This isn’t the Syndicate coming after us. This is just old fashioned…” He sighed, unable to find the word. His fingers caressed the back of her neck gently. “It’s just our past coming back to haunt us. Quite literally. In the physical form of a sociopath.”

“You should have killed the bastard when you had the chance,” she replied. Scully relaxed into his touch and closed her eyes. “Might have saved us this headache.”

“You are the better shot between the two of us. Sorry. Couldn’t kill Model, couldn’t kill Buckley even at close range. But you, my kick-ass G-woman can shot a Sig Sauer P-226 with the precision of a surgeon and still take out and heal with the same ability. Maybe I should just give you my own weapon.”

Scully smiled ruefully and leaned into the shoulder she had shot years before. Mulder laughed and held her close. She took a deep breath and looked up to him and said, “I imagined our time down here filled with doing the tourist traps, relaxing with you on the beach, and just having fun.”

“We still can. The Bodie Lighthouse isn’t that far. Neither is Roanoke Island. Let’s go there. Check out the history. Maybe we can solve the case of the missing colony.”

“They’re national parks.”

“And we’re federal agents. We’ll be fine.” He gave her a weak smile. “Let’s do the lighthouse today. We can spend tomorrow on Manteo and have some dinner or something.”

“Mulder…”

“It’s better than seeing you pace back and forth. It’ll be fun.”

“Fine,” she conceded. “Anything is better than just being stressed.”

“I know you hate flying but are you afraid of heights?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“Have you ever been up in a lighthouse?”

“Surprisingly, no.”

“Really? Coming from the woman who loves the seas.” Mulder grinned. “You’re going to love it.”

*********************

The FBI partners gathered their weapons and badges to hide them discreetly among their clothes. They grabbed Scully’s purse, locked their beach house, and went down to Mulder’s car. He hated seeing Scully like this and knew that this trip would be just the thing. They made the drive down NC-12 to Cape Hatteras National Park chatting silently with one another. When they arrived at the fork for Cape Hatteras National Park, he took the right back down the highway. After a short distance, he turned left down a small paved road where Bodie Island Lighthouse was. Mulder pulled their car in the small gravel parking lot and smiled at Scully. “Well?”

She leaned forward to look out of the windshield. The black and white striped lighthouse stood off in the distance with the white lightkeeper’s house nearby. “It’s quaint,” she smiled. “Very tucked away. I’d imagine you might be used to up in New England.”

“I’ve seen a few.

“It has a history as well.”

“I bet it does.”

They climbed out of the car and Mulder was surprised when Scully openly took his hand and led him towards the Lightkeeper’s House, which served as the gift shop and the National Park Service’s Office. As if she had been there before, she knew right where everything was. Mulder became interested in some of the lighthouse knick-knacks as she purchased two tickets to climb the lighthouse. “Got those tickets to the stairway to heaven, Scully?”

“Hahaha,” she smiled. Much to this delight, she took his arm as they ventured back outside to a bench near the lighthouse to wait for the next tour. She guided him to sit with her on the bench overlooking the lighthouse. “I should really purchase a camera for this trip.”

“We can always buy a postcard.”

“I’m talking about us.” She rolled her eyes in amusement. “Why do you have to be difficult?”

“Because I love it when you say, ‘You’re crazy, Mulder.’  Besides, who needs a camera when you have a photographic memory?” He tapped his temple. “All our recent memory making…”

She laughed and it lifted Mulder’s spirit. Despite having a reincarnated ex-husband murderer who happened to be a serial killer in this life hunting down them while they were on their first vacation as a couple, he was so happy to hear her laughter. She smiled and rested her head against the bicep. She closed her eyes sleepily. “What do you say to us taking a nap in the hammock we have on the deck when we get home?”

“Despite the threat of…”

“Ssshhh. But yes.”

“As long as we pick up dinner along the way. Are you in the mood for seafood?”

“What about some Carolina BBQ?”

“I like you in a vacation mood. Why can’t you be more open to greasy foods when we’re in the field?”

“Vacation. There’s a difference,” she laughed.

Mulder watched a park ranger walk past them, calling, “All those for tickets for the 12:00 lighthouse tour line up behind me.”

“That’s us,” Scully whispered.

“Do you have to be first at everything?”

“I have to remind you who is the boss in this relationship. Tell me, Walking History Textbook, what is special about this lighthouse?”

“I remember,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head, “trying to blow it up with the retreating troops but I got orders to report to Norfolk instead.”

She chuckled. “Fucking past lives but then again, I have those to thank for my better sex life.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Shut up.” Her eyes opened and she tugged on his arm. “Let’s go.”

“This salt air is doing wonders for your spirit,” he remarked.

“Maybe it’s the company more.”

Mulder smiled and kissed her forehead lovingly. She walked together to the front of the lighthouse where others were lining up in front of a park ranger. The woman park ranger smiled and waved people closer. “Gather around everyone! First, a few rules before we go up. The stairs in this lighthouse aren’t like the ones at Cape Hatteras. Only one person at a time can be on them, going up or going down in either direction. You can have multiple people on the landings,” the park ranger explained. “Now that we have that out of the way, can anyone tell me about the lighthouse?”

The tour group was met with silence as the park ranger started to talk about a mini-history lesson about Congress approving the lighthouse and it’s history from the Civil War to the present. As the park ranger concluded her mini-speech, she stepped back and motioned for everyone to begin their journey upwards. Mulder and Scully were in the middle of the group and took a moment to take in the moment around them: other tourists, the lovely March weather, and Scully in sunglasses smiling and laughing with her arm wrapped through his. It was so nice to see you here relaxed and happy.

“Are you happy?” Mulder whispered to her.

“Yes,” she answered.

That was all he needed at that moment. He really should have bought a disposable camera to capture this moment. As they climbed the lighthouse in a single file line, he was entranced by the magic of the moment. They paused periodically on each landing, overlooking various aspects of the horizon. The salt marshes and sounds of the Ocean on the other end. The Atlantic on the other side. Scully laughing. Eventually, they reached the top, the wind whipped Scully’s hair.

She gripped the railings of Bodie Lighthouse and leaned over to look at the people below. Mulder’s hand rested lightly on her back and he whispered, “What a view huh?”

“Hey, mister!”

A young kid’s voice caught both of them off guard and as they turned they saw a young boy with a brand new Polaroid camera. He smiled, speaking loudly over the wind. “I’ll take two pictures of you for five bucks.”

“Try three,” Mulder haggled, getting into the spirit.

“Two dollars includes on the spot printing. Memories last forever.”

“You sound like a Hallmark commercial.”

“Mom lets me watch a lot of tv.” The young kid considered his possible client. “What do you say? Five dollars for three pictures?”

“I have to consult with my boss. What do you say, Scully? Three for five?”

She nodded and smiled. The kid smiled and raised his camera. He took a series of three shots. One of them both overlooking the railing out to the Atlantic sea, the second of them together smiling for the camera, and an unscripted kiss that briefly turned passionate, all of which was captured on the kid’s camera. Scully broke away, her cheeks flushed as she smiled. Mulder dug through his jean’s pockets until he produced a crumpled five-dollar bill. He exchanged it as Scully still took the still-developing photos.

Scully waved the photos in the sea air in a vain attempt to get them to develop quicker. She briefly flashed back to when she found that picture of them in the library archives in Newport News months ago from 1863. But there was something else that bloomed up inside of her; pride, love, tenderness, and devotion. Finally, something to memorialize and immortalize this moment now. She eyed the top image of them kissing with affection. Mulder was saying something before he returned to her.

“How did they turn out?”

“The kid has an eye for photography?” She answered.

They both gripped the photos to keep them from flying away in the sea breeze. “The Gunmen can make copies of these,” he whispered into her ear. “We can put one down into the basement and make Skinner jealous.”

“Or we can keep the copies for ourselves,” she answered. She rested her head against his chest; the breeze was in one ear with echoes of eternity from the Atlantic and his heartbeat was steady with promises of the future. “We need to buy a camera.”

“I can agree with that.” They watched the pictures develop on top of the lighthouse as they stood close to each other and as another momentarily in the winds of their entwined existence became immortalized once again on film. Scully felt relaxed and, for once, at peace. “Let me put those pictures in my purse,” she whispered softly.

Mulder gladly obliged and she carefully tucked away their pictures. They stood together, admiring the 360 panorama view that Bodie Lighthouse gave. After a while, they descended the staircase back down to the ground. Scully took his hand in public, unafraid who was watching and dragged Mulder to the gift shop. As he enjoyed the moment of this rare display of public affection, Mulder had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that disappeared when Scully’s lips met his.

********************

Buckley sat in the farthest car from the lighthouse, looking through his binoculars. Krycek sat next to him and asked, “Is it them?”

“Yep,” the other man replied. “Just like I told you.”

********************

Mulder looked at the Polaroids that had been taken at the lighthouse that day. He could only imagine the film on the disposable camera and how wonderful the shots were going to be. He and Scully were laughing, posing together as a couple framed by the lighthouse and the Atlantic Ocean. The little kids who had charged them five dollars for the pictures were ruthless but he finally had some proof of their happiness in this life. He contemplated calling upon the Gunmen to use their technological magic to digitize the photos but that would be for another day. He had been relatively low profile with his relationship with Scully over the past three months and he did not want to push it unless she was okay with it.

“Hey, Scully,” he called, “when do you think we should tell your mom?”

“About what, Mulder?”

“Us,” he replied.

From the kitchen island, Scully was curled up on the couch with a blanket watching ‘Dharma and Greg’ and not really paying attention to him. She rested her arm on the back of the couch and twisted to look at him. “What aspect of us?”

“Well,” Mulder began, setting the photos down, “the change in our relationship for starters.”

“Or the IVF?”

“I wasn’t going to go there.”

“But you were thinking about it.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” he admitted. He set the pictures aside and joined her on the couch. “I’ve just been thinking lately.”

“Well, I feel like there’s been a lot of that going around,” she said. Mulder unfurled her legs and rested her feet in his lap. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’m not really thinking.”

“Or maybe you’re just too busy thinking. Are you thinking about the IVF?”

“I would want to try again if you are willing too.”

“I still want to think about it,” she replied.

He lightly massaged her feet and she hummed in approval. “I can’t believe how sore my feet are from climbing all those stairs.”

“It’s not like you aren’t used to all work. You’re the FBI equivalent of Wonder Women running in high heels.”

“I appreciate the compliant, Mulder, but if you remember, I decided to wear flip-flops that have no support.”

“Well, where else could you get weather nice enough to wear flip flops in March?”

She giggled as he got a particular ticklish area. “Only in Nags Head.”  She nodded to the show that was on. “So, I caught this the first time when I was in San Diego. Have you ever heard of it?”

“What is it?”

“The show’s called ‘Dharma and Greg.’”

“I believe I have,” he said. “Some flower child marries a lawyer and chaos ensues when they decide to marry on the first date. So which one am I? Dharma or Greg?”

“Dharma,” she answered. “But opposites attract and make us better for it. Wouldn’t you agree, Mulder?”

He chuckled. “I might be inclined to. Do you want to keep it on this or find some nature documentary?”

“I like that and this version of Domestic Scully.”

“Did you lock the doors downstairs?”

“Yes,” he answered, “and I triple checked all the locks and windows. The only window that will be open is the one to our bedroom on the third floor.”

“And our weapons?”

“In the bedroom on the nightstands.”

She relaxed and nodded in approval. She withdrew her feet and switched her sitting position. She lounged against Mulder, wrapping his arms securely around her, and they enjoyed the rest of the comedy sitcom. He smiled into her arm and pressed a kiss, solidifying this moment in his memory. Even though there was a psycho that might be trying to kill them, he was the happiest he had been in a long time.

***********************

Mulder and. Scully had retired after television for a few more hours of watching prime time sitcoms. Scully disappeared into their bedroom and he did a quick lap around the beach house to check all their locks. By the time he got back up to their third-floor bedroom, he could hear the water running in the master bathroom.

“Mulder,” Scully called through the partially closed door. “Did you get everything you needed done?”

He could hear the partially slurred speech. “Is that wine I smell?” He dare not open the door. While this vacation had stress from fear of a psycho, it was bringing out sides of Scully he had only dreamed of and seen in one other lifetime. “Scully?”

“Hmm.” She giggled. “Maybe. Come join me, Mulder.”

“Where did you get the wine?”

He was already taking off his shirt and Scully’s laughter was causing his blood to boil in anticipation. “I snuck it in our last shopping trip,” she replied. She was giggling again. “Mulder, come on. There are still bubbles.”

Bubbles. “Aw, Scully.”

He pushed the door open slightly and saw her hair clipped back and a coffee mug in her hand. Most of her were covered by the bubbles from the jacuzzi so all that he saw was the one bare leg perched near the faucet. “Scully…” he crooned.

“What? Go grab yourself a coffee mug and bring the bottle with you!” She was smiling. Even though they decided to take their relationship to a new level, this still seemed so uncharacteristic of her. “Come on, Mulder. We’re on vacation.”

“I know we are,” he answered. He chose his next words carefully. “Weren’t you the one earlier who was concerned about our safety?”

“I’m not letting them get to me. Us. I was thinking about what you said earlier.”

“About telling your mom?”

“No. I want to try again when we get back to D.C.”

Mulder smiled and his concerns momentarily forgotten. “I’ll be right back.”

He went to the fridge, grabbed the open bottle, and a coffee mug from the fridge. She was smiling coyly at him. He topped off her coffee mug and shucked his jeans. In one fluid movement, he slid behind her and coiled his arms around her. “It’s a good thing you’re so small,” he teased. He kissed his favorite spot behind her ear. “Or else this w Scully lounged back into him. “I’ve been dreaming,” she whispered to him softly. She sipped the wine-filled coffee mug. “Don’t worry, it’s not any new past lives or anything.”

“I’m glad?”

She heard the question in his voice. “I am just thinking about this life and the last. Us. What could have been.”

Scully was always amazed how well they just worked together, either spiritually, or as she had discovered lately, physically as well. She sipped her wine. “Now or then,” he asked.

“Then. I still have a hard time believing it was real, Mulder.”

Together, they entwined their hands and caressed her flattened abdomen. He nuzzled her neck and closed his eyes. They both could remember those memories for the early 1860s, the joy of their unborn child, laying together, and dreaming about the future. “It was,” he replied. “And I don’t know how this whole past life thing works but we’ve been given a second chance.”

“By remembering?”

She turned her head in question and Mulder found her lips. “We’ll have that again.”

“Your faith is grounding.”

“Did you enjoy the lighthouse today?” He asked, changing the subject. “I was thinking why not tour all of them? We can drive back down to Cape Hatteras and climb the lighthouse there. Or drive an hour or so up to Corolla and climb the Currituck Lighthouse. And there are the ferries...Ocracoke, Knotts Island…”

“One day at a time, Mulder,” she laughed. “Today was Bodie Lighthouse. Tomorrow is Manteo. Tonight is this.”

“So,” he paused, setting aside both of the wine mugs. “Do you want to try to experiment and push the bounds of this fancy bathtub?”

“I bet you’re more effective than those water jets,” she challenged.

Mulder smiled and kissed her deeply. “I’ll get you to relax on this vacation.”

Scully just deepened the kiss and pulled him closer.

************************

Further up the barrier islands in Duck, North Carolina, Franklin Buckley, and Alex Krycek were at a small pizzeria nestled in a small outcrop of shops. Over shared slices and bad beer, they talked. “I still don’t get it,” Krycek started. “Why is this so fucking important to you? Mulder is no one.”

“Your boss is interested in them,” Buckley shrugged. “As a result, I am too.”

“I read your file you know.”

“Hell, I was in the papers.”

“And this somehow makes you the best choice?” Krycek sneered. “I still don’t understand that smoking bastard’s logic. I know you were in the papers. There is a fucking manhunt on for you.”

“And yet they can’t touch me.” Buckley waved the soggy pizza in the air. “We’re having pizza.”

“Why did the old man pick you?”

“Alexi…”

“Alex.”

“Alex.” Buckley grinned. “Have you ever wanted revenge so badly that you would do anything? Take back what is rightfully yours?”

Krychek grew quiet. “I have.��

“Then this is no different. It’s all a matter of waiting. I made the smoker an offer he couldn’t refuse. Are you going to finish that pizza?”

“No.” Krycek was distracted. He pushed the plate towards Buckley with his right arm. “Go ahead.”

“Must suck having one arm but I’ll tell you, this pizza is better than anything they served in the joint.”

“What’s your plan?”

“You’ll see. In the meantime, it is all the matter of waiting and seeing.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Wait and see.”

****************

Back in Nags Head, Scully stood on the deck with her arms around her. She watched the waves hit the shore as high tide came ashore. Mulder had run out earlier to pick up some dinner for them but, while he was gone, Skinner had called her cell phone with an update on the situation. While Buckley still had yet to be confirmed spotted, there had been an anonymous tip that Krycek was in league with Buckley. While the SACs of the branch offices were not as quick, Skinner was the one to make the connection. He hung up without giving Scully any orders to immediately return or what to do next. He promised to call her the next day if there had been any developments.

But this newest update from Skinner had left her uneasy. Their boss had danced around the possibility of recalling his two agents back from their vacation but had not stated anything directly. She watched the waves, memorized, and let her thoughts drift. This vacation of theirs was already turning south with each new update about Buckley. She was beginning to feel paranoid, like a haunting ghost on the edge of her vision. She sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting behind her. Although she couldn’t see the sun at this point, it was already painting the sky in a brilliant canvas of colors and hues of reds, pinks, purples, and oranges. She tried to let herself get lost in the beauty of the moment but her anxiety grew worse.

She watched the last of the sun fade into darkness and went back into the beach house. Scully glanced at the green digital clock on the microwave and frowned when she read 7:13. Mulder should have been back by now. She tapped her knuckles lightly against each other to ward against the growing anxiety. She heard the main door unlock and his musical voice call, “Scully, I’m back! You’ll never guess what I picked up!”

She tried to refrain from clutching her pounding heart but failed. “Took you long enough!”

“I’m sorry, but you know how I get sometimes. Something catches my eyes and poof.”

She could hear him climbing the stairs, trying to juggle plastics takeout bags. He appeared, dropped the armload of food and a nondescript black plastic bag on the counter. He sneaked up behind her, kissed her, and whispered, “Miss me that much?”

She nodded, twisting her head to meet his kiss. “Always.”

He hummed and flexed around her. “You’re tense.”

“I spoke to Skinner earlier.” She tried to relax as she spoke. He hummed. “And I...let’s just discuss it tomorrow okay? We’ll lock the doors, keep our weapons nearby, and play it safe. Is that okay?”

“Whatever you say,” he whispered. “So, for dinner, I got us a surprise.”

“Dare I ask?”

He broke away but not before stealing another kiss. “We’re on the coast. You know the seafood is fresh. I literally just got it so you know it is good.”

“Get to point. Why were you late?”

“Well,” he shrugged, “I went up the strip a couple of miles and found this really cute place.”

“You just used the word cute.” She frowned teasingly, his lighter mood getting the best of her. “Did you find us china patterns?”

“That is a future date at the Alexandria farm market. I got us the best seafood.” He began to unpack the bags. “For starters, Agent Scully baked oysters.”

“An aphrodisiac, Mulder?”

He held up a finger to silence her. “Next, a course of shared soup, that is she-crab soup.” She laughed and hid her face. “Next, honestly I couldn’t decide between landlubbers and the sea, so a buffalo chicken wrap I think will heat up well tomorrow and a lovely scallop dinner…”

“I love scallops.”

“I know,” he laughed. “I got us a combo. Scallops and local shrimp with a salad and a baked potato. But, to answer your burning question, the reason why I took so long…” From his back pocket. She could hear the crinkling of a paper gift bag and he held out the mysterious wrapped package in the palm of his hand. “I saw this and immediately thought of you.”

“Mulder.”

With the food momentarily forgotten, she pulled off the paper and revealed a small velvet box. “You see, I can’t see you in another necklace than a cross or bracelets or rings but earrings...for sure.” She popped open the box and drew in a sharp breath. “Do you like them?”

“Mulder, these are beautiful.” She examined two fine little stud earrings with a sand dollars designed in the silver overlay. “Silver?”

“No, white gold.” He shrugged. “It was in this little kitschy shop run by a local artist who makes jewelry. I just thought.”

“I love them.” She awarded him with a kiss. “Thank you. In fact, I’ll put them on now just to show you.”

“You don’t have to. Besides, I know you well enough you will murder me first if I don’t feed you.”

“I am not that bad.” She closed the box and replied, “Thank you.”

“For what? Dinner or the earrings?”

“Everything.”

He pulled the plates and bowls down from the cabinet. Scully busied herself with fetching silverware and napkins, inwardly defeating the idea to tell Mulder about Skinner’s call until after dinner. He glanced out the window to the deck. “What about eating outside tonight?”

“Let’s eat at the breakfast island and then go outside. It was getting chilly while I was out there a while ago.”

He nodded and went to the radio in the living room. Mulder fiddled with the dial and settled on a classic rock station playing the Eagles. She set out dinner and he joined her. They silently sat next together over dinner. “So,” he asked, unsure of the silence, “what do you want to do tomorrow?”

She paused on the shrimp she was working on. “Skinner called while you were out,” she began. “Giving us an update. We got two SACs and field offices chasing this, along with Skinner, but no one has yet to confirm seeing Buckley aside from the fact they’ve flooded the airwaves with his picture. But there was an anonymous source that Krycek is involved.”

Mulder was quiet, cutting half of the baked potato. “Well, we both know the Smoker is involved. Morely’s were found on the site of his breakout.”

“I know,” she whispered. “He said he’ll update us again tomorrow and Skinner hasn’t ordered us back to Washington. Yet.”

“I sense a but coming, Scully.”

“But since we came down here, I can’t help but feel off or like we’re being watched or followed during all this.” She picked up her fork and dipped a scallop into the melted butter. “When we were at the lighthouse the other day…”

“You felt like we were being watched?”

She nodded, averting her gaze. “I know it doesn’t sound like me.”

“I trust your instincts, Scully.” He looked down at his own food. “And I got the same feeling too.”

“Our money would be gone.”

“But we would be safer.”

“As is our vacation.”

“Not necessarily.”

“I am not spending the rest of the two weeks we took off months in advance in an FBI safe house.”

“What would happen if we were closer for them to keep an eye on us? Skinner is in Norfolk right with the two SACs. Virginia Beach isn’t that far. I remember when we were there a few months ago hearing about Sandbridge. It was advertised to be like the Outer Banks without leaving Virginia. We could take the hit on the money and have the FBI pay for it.”

“Or get them to refund it and then pay for it. We’ve earned it at least.”

“I can’t agree more.” He sighed. “How do you want to play this, Scully.?”

“I want our vacation.”

“But?”

“I just can’t shake the feeling something is going to happen.”

Mulder rubbed his chin, forgetting he had melted butter all over his hands. She frowned and took a napkin, gently wiping it away. “Thanks. But back to your feelings,” he said. “I agree and have the same feeling.” He watched her reaction as she kept her face neutral like a poker player. “But I think we should consider our safety first.”

She nodded.

“What are you thinking,” he asked softly.

“That we can never catch a break. Let’s go outside after dinner and sit for a bit in the hammock. We can pack tomorrow after we call Skinner.” She sighed. “You know, I really was looking forward to having a real vacation with you.”

He nodded. “We can still have it,” he said.

“Can we? As I said, it feels like we can never catch a break.”

With the mood suddenly sourer, they both finished their meals and discarded the dishes. Scully hand-washed all the dishes they had been using, including the few sitting in the dishwasher. Mulder gathered a sweatshirt for her, two glasses, and the small bottle of aged rum he had purchased from them. She eyed the small liquor bottle. “I’m sorry, Mulder to be the downer of the party.”

He shook his head and walked over to her. He trapped her between the counter and his arms. She sighed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her head against his chest. He smiled at her open display of affection. “You’re never the downer at a party.”

“I never told you about my first and last high school party.”

“Well, how about we part-tay outside to that hammock for one night and you can tell me. I’ll bring the booze.”

Scully chuckled. “What would my father say?”

“Hang and quarter him on the yardarm?”

“Aye,” she teased. She kissed him. “Help, I’ve been charmed by a pirate from New England who thought I was a mermaid.”

“That is terrible,” he whispered. They both smiled. “But more of an angel than a mermaid.”

“Let’s go outside. High tide was just coming in when I was out there earlier.”

Scully pulled on the sweatshirt he had brought her and the two glasses and the liquor bottle. Mulder followed behind her, turning out most of the lights as he did. She sat on the hammock like a big lounge chair and made room for him. She rocked it gently as Mulder eased himself next to her. “Let me do the swinging,” he told her. “My legs are longer.”

“Shut up, Mulder.”

Scully poured them both a drink and held up his. She chinked the glasses together. “To our vacation being ruined.”

“Well, if it weren’t for the x-files, we wouldn’t be here and I don’t regret a second of it with you.”

“Fox Mulder the sentimental,” she whispered lovingly. Mulder wrapped his arm tightly around her and she chuckled. “I love you.”

He smiled and whispered, “Not a single second.” His long legs began to rock them. “We’re going to be okay.”

She nodded absently. She rested against his arm and listened to the ocean. “We’ll go back to Virginia tomorrow.”

“I’ll tell Skinner to make plans to keep us in Virginia Beach.”

“And get us a beach house. I’m not staying in a motel.”

“Won’t argue with that.”

She sighed. “Fucking Buckley.”

“Fucking Buckley,” he agreed.

“So, it’s settled?”

“Yes. I’ll make the call. Right now, let’s just enjoy the beach.”

He nodded and rocked the hammock with his long legs as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment with Mulder.

[acaciarosewrites]

Beginning: an NCIS-Criminal Minds crossover oneshot

Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo entered the apartment silently closing the door behind him and locking it. He dropped his wallet, keys, and creds on the table in the hallway and moved noiselessly toward the living room where he could safely deposit his SIG Sauer and backup gun inside the gun safe on a bookshelf near the entrance. The apartment was dark, no other lights on except the floor lamp in the hallway. Not that he needed the light. He knew this apartment like the back of his hand. Almost as good as he knew his own.

His weapons safely stored, Tony made his way toward the bedroom, gently easing the door open and took in the site of the woman laying asleep in her bed. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun and she was wearing her normal sleep clothes. Her face was smoothed out, no lines of stress on her face from the difficulties of her job. Not that the woman wasn’t passionate about her job, it was just that lately it had been tiring her out. She didn’t think he noticed, what with all the hours and high priority cases that had come in in the last month for his team. But he did.

Of course, he did - what kind of investigator would he be if he didn’t notice that his own girlfriend was exhausted and in need of a vacation to get her back on center. Their jobs though... well, they didn’t get a chance to use much of the vacation time that they had racked up - despite their respective HR departments calling them in or sending email reminders to use the days accrued for overtime alone. The federal agent mentally snorted. HR would prefer that they took time off rather than be paid for the time they put in for overtime. Tony pushed off the door frame he was leaning against and made his way over to the en-suite bathroom and quickly took care of business, washed his hands, brushed his teeth, and stripped down to his boxers before sliding into bed and pulling the covers around both himself and the blonde woman.

He slid an arm around her waist and moved closer to her, eyes sliding shut before freezing from the tension he felt thrumming through his girlfriend’s body.

“JJ?” Tony whispered silently in question at the back of the communication liaison’s head, he waited a few beats before the woman turned around to face him.

Jennifer “JJ” Jareau had long since been awake. She got home early for once - though she had suspected Hotch had let them off early because he had seen how worn out she had been. It probably didn’t help that she had snapped at Garcia of all people. She felt bad and had immediately apologized but it still hadn’t saved her from Morgan’s accusing glare after it had happened.

JJ had left work immediately but instead of going home she had driven around for an hour. She knew she was unusually exhausted these last few weeks and she had a good theory on why that was. If it was just the exhaustion then she would have blamed the job. But no, after the fifth morning in a row of waking up in a rush to the bathroom where she was expelling the contents of her stomach left her with two options: either she had contracted a stomach bug, or she was pregnant. Seeing as how it had now been a week and she was still throwing up every morning and earlier today the smell of coffee had sent her running to the ladies’ room at work...

The blonde woman had finally made it home and did laundry, cleaned up, made a simple meal for dinner. Finally, after cleaning every square inch of her apartment, she could not ignore the small brown paper bag that was sitting on the table in the entrance hall, holding a pregnancy test that she had bought at the local pharmacy.

She had taken it, waiting the requisite five minutes for the result, and subsequently thrown it in the trash after reading the positive result. JJ had paced back and forth and around her whole apartment before heading out to the drugstore around the corner to buy another test.

That one was positive too.

The FBI agent had a million thoughts running through her head. This wasn’t something that she and Tony, her boyfriend of eight months, had really discussed. Sure, they had briefly talked about wanting kids, but they hadn’t talked about their future together.

How was Tony going to react to this?

JJ had gotten ready for bed on autopilot and had lain there for hours. It was past ten when she finally heard the key in the lock and Tony entering the apartment. She tracked his movements throughout her apartment and feigned sleep as he stood in the doorway of her bedroom before heading to the ensuite. A few minutes later, as he usually did at night, he would know that she was awake because of how stiff her body was. But she couldn’t do anything to get rid of the tension.

“JJ?”

Turning over so that she was facing her boyfriend, JJ was gazing into Tony’s worried green eyes. And she knew in that moment that despite trying to hide how tired and worn down she’d been in the past couple weeks; she had not fooled Tony nor had the increased workload stopped him from noticing her seemingly declining health.

Her brain to mouth filter failed her and she found herself blurting out her recent discovery.

“I’m pregnant!”

Tony froze as he heard JJ’s proclamation. He continued to stare at the woman who was so different than any he had dated before. If he were being completely honest with himself, he had caught himself thinking about a future with JJ, marriage and kids and maybe even a dog. He had never voiced those thoughts aloud partly because he didn’t want to jinx anything - Tony DiNozzo wasn’t someone that people stayed for, his last “serious relationship” had ended when his former fiancee left him the night before their wedding. The other part of it was the plain and simple fact that JJ was too good for him. She deserved to be with someone better than him who could treat her like a queen, but he couldn’t bring himself to be the one to leave her.

They had only been together for eight months. That wasn’t that long, but it was one of his longest relationships in years since Wendy. These past few months had been a roller coaster for them both; from his boss getting caught up in an explosion, taking over the MCRT after Gibbs left for Mexico, to JJ’s team being pulled into a quest by the “Fisher King” and SSA Elle Greenaway being attacked in her own home, Elle’s resignation, the North Mammon incident, some undercover work Director Shepard had started him on, Gibbs coming back a couple of times before taking over the MCRT again...

Tony shook his head and focused back on JJ. She was biting her lip and her big blue doe eyes were watching him with intent and worry. 

“You’re... I mean... are you sure?” Tony asked rather lamely.

JJ’s brows lifted as she nodded. “I took two tests. They were both positive. I’m going to make an appointment in the morning. But...” The blonde hesitated and looked away.

“Jay?” Tony whispered as he gently grasped her chin and turned her head to face him.

JJ sighed, “I thought I was hiding how exhausted I was from you, but you knew, didn’t you?” Tony nodded, and JJ continued, “I’ve been throwing up practically every morning for the past week.” Here, JJ caught a look of surprise that briefly flashed over Tony’s face. “You didn’t know that, but I suspect that’s only because you’ve had to go into work early for the case your team is currently working. Also... I’m late... so... Definitely a good chance that I’m pregnant.”

“Good chance huh?” Tony replied, one eyebrow quirked.

JJ huffed a laugh; still not sure what Tony was going to say. Tony shook his head before letting his mouth run away from him as he was wont to do when he was nervous. “Do you want me to go with you? I mean it’s okay if you don’t. I would like to but if you don’t want me there, I guess I could just wait ‘til you get back. I always wanted to be there for the ultrasound, thought that would be cool but-”

He was abruptly cut off by JJ’s had covering his mouth.

“Uh? Jay?” Tony questioned.

“I have to make the appointment first but, you actually want to go?” JJ asked before removing her hand.

“Yeah, yeah I would like to go.” Tony answered. JJ studied him for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll try to get an appointment for this weekend. If you wrap up your case by Friday, you are off rotation this week, right?” Tony nodded his head.

“Okay,” JJ said, quiet for a moment, “and if the test and ultrasound come back positive, then what?” JJ questioned.

“If the tests show we’re going to have a baby then I guess we’re going to have to figure out what we’re going to do about our living situation.” Tony blurted out.

“Our living situation?” JJ parroted back, slightly amused at Tony’s train of thought and slightly hopeful that he was saying what she thought he was saying.

“Well, we both have nice apartments, very nice apartments, though yours wasn’t the site of a bloody triple murder five years ago. But both of our apartments lack a second bedroom and well, you know, even if it did, I doubt that we’d be able to merge and blend our apartments with the sheer amount of stuff we own.” Tony got quiet at the end, hoping JJ would continue for him, that she would get it. He didn’t think he could ask her and face rejection from the mother of his child.

Though she wasn’t a profiler in title, the blonde federal agent did know a few things from having worked with the BAU for the last couple of years. She knew Tony played the part of immature frat boy but that he really was an all-in wife and kids type of guy. It certainly didn’t help that that witch Wendy had broken Tony’s heart which caused the NCIS agent to put up more walls and hide behind the frat boy persona. JJ smiled softly and cupped Tony’s cheek, “Are you saying we should find our own place? That we should move in together, raise our baby together?”

Tony studied the expressions on JJ’s face and found himself fighting back a wide small. This woman got him like no other that he’d known - let alone dated. “Yeah, yeah that’s what I’m saying.” Tony paused before continuing, “Jennifer Jareau, I’m in love with you. I know we haven’t talked in depth about marriage and kids, but I want all of that, all of that with you. Regardless of what the tests say or what happens at the appointment, I want us to move in together and start a life and family together.” Tony declared taking in a deep breath. “You know I’ve been down this road before, and it didn’t work out. Took me quite a while to see the reason for that. This time it’s different. It’s different because it’s you. You challenge me to be a better person, just being around you makes me want to do better. Will you marry me?” He just laid it all out in the open for JJ and now he was waiting to see how she was going to react. Tony was resolutely not thinking about the last time he had made himself vulnerable with a woman and how well that turned out for him.

But JJ was smiling so it couldn’t be that bad...

JJ felt the stretch of her lips as she heard all that Tony had to say.

He wanted to move in together - and not only that but he wanted for the two of them to get married! Most importantly he wanted kids! With her!

JJ leaned forward and kissed her boyfriend soundly. They broke apart minutes later to catch their breath.

“So, does this mean yes?” Tony questioned, his eyes alight with joy.

“Tony, I would loved to move in with you. More importantly, I would love to marry you and have a family with you. You are nothing like the guys I’ve dated before and I couldn’t be happier about that. I’ve never felt this way about anyone I’ve been with. You treat me like I’m the most important person in the world, like I’m precious but you don’t treat me like I’m a glass doll or someone who needs protecting - though I know you’ll be fighting right by my side against any obstacle. You make me laugh, you’re always willing to listen and offer advice or back off when I need space. I love you Tony DiNozzo.”

Tony pulled JJ close and kissed her passionately, both losing themselves in the touch of the other.

“You make me happy. I don’t know if I said that earlier, but you do. So happy.” Tony admitted, pulling her in for another kiss.

JJ laughed as Tony trailed kisses down her neck, “Is it bad to say that despite how you ended up at Quantico, I’m glad that we met?”

Tony let out a loud laugh, tucking his head into JJ’s neck and pressing a kiss there, “I guess that’s one good thing that came out of Fornell arresting me.

[thanks--for--listening]

collision moments

hello ppl im back with another FMAB fic this time featuring my best girls, Olivier and Izumi. there’s a chance i do another fic in this series but tbh i’ve struggled with it so who can say whether it’ll happen or not lol. (also on ao3)

~~

Olivier Armstrong prided herself on her refusal to give in to fear. 

It wasn’t that she was fearless. To never be afraid would take away the core of her humanity — even the Humunculi, it had been reported, seemed to hold some level of fear, if for nothing more than their own death. Unlike what she let so many men believe, she wasn’t void of the feeling: she simply knew how to handle it. She’d spent a lifetime refusing to allow it to transform into cowardice, to let it debilitate her. Survival depended on the ability to compartmentalize, to fight off paralysis long enough to eliminate the threat. In battle, she would never waver. She would never allow someone to see through her, to let her own feelings fan another’s spark of hesitation into a flame of weakness. She’d stand in front of them like the very wall they compared her to: unwavering and unbreakable. 

But compartmentalizing was only effective if there was some form of relief. So it was in the cover of night, when no one was there to follow her lead, that the cracks began to show.

Tonight, she saw the beast. In her dreams it stood in front of her exactly as it had that morning, it’s eyes lifeless and it’s skin impenetrable. She’d beaten it before, but the variables had changed. Central City was too warm, too populated, its men unaccustomed to the survival instincts those at Briggs relied on. And there was Alex, fighting alongside her, and for all her complaints and her irritation, she couldn’t stop her heart from skipping beats with every blow he took. Especially when he took them for her. 

She watched her brother defeat it time after time, only for sparks to sew its artificial limbs back together. She could feel the blood dripping down her face, blurring her vision and painting the room red. The pain in her arm screamed, and it took more energy than she’d care to admit to ignore it. Alex held his own scars, blood decorating his face as well, and as it began to charge, a part of her thought that, at the very least, their deaths would be honorable. 

A fist of stone punched through the wall, through her thoughts of honor and sacrifice, and for a moment the end didn’t feel imminent anymore. The woman fought with grit, cracked a smile at the sight of the beast before them. As she pieced together her identity, she thought perhaps she was looking at the reason those brothers had lasted as long as they did, the reason they’d managed to hold their own alongside her men. The survivor mentality surrounded her, shined like the glow of the colors they sometimes saw in the northern sky, just defined enough to know it wasn’t a trick of the light.

In an instant, they were on the stairs. Olivier silently begged her mind to wake up, to leave before it happened again, because there was one moment that scared her beyond belief, more so than the monsters and the soldiers without souls, more so than dying alongside her brother in the heat of the city. 

Her brain refused to give her the relief of avoidance. Perhaps this was the cost, the price she’d have to pay for holding herself together when it happened. The eye appeared out of nowhere, opened up as if it was emerging from inside the earth. Izumi screamed as the hands pulled her apart, piece by piece, until there was nothing left. In dreams she often saw reality in brutal slow motion, every misstep spotlighted so bright she couldn’t ignore it, but not tonight. Tonight, it blinked and took her as fast as it had in real time. 

The only way she could think to describe it was forbidden; no human should be able to witness what she saw and walk away with a sound mind. Olivier couldn’t tell if it swallowed her whole or simply snapped her out of existence. Worse than the sight of it was the feeling, Izumi’s hand in her own turning into nothing but air. Despite her strength and her unfailing grip, when it mattered most, she wasn’t strong enough to hold on. 

In the safety of her subconscious, she allowed herself to give in to the terror she’d buried. It pressed down on her chest like a weight she wasn’t strong enough to lift. Tears fell from her eyes and she let them, just this once, because she truly thought they’d all meet their ends, losing to something she couldn’t even begin to comprehend. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that if she'd held her a little tighter, if she hadn’t needed help in the first place, it could have all been avoided. She wouldn’t have had to listen to the desperation in Sig’s voice, to watch as he searched for someone that may no longer exist. The blame sat heavy on her shoulders, and she let it suffocate her. 

Olivier woke with a gasp. The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was the lights. The brightness rivaled the sun’s reflection on the snow, a sight that could cost a man their life in the North. She shut her eyes again, a groan slipping out before she could stop it.

“It’s about time you woke up.” Olivier felt the lights dim around her. She hesitantly opened her eyes again, turned her head and found Izumi sitting in a chair, mindlessly turning the pages of the book in her hands. 

A hundred questions sat on her lips, but she settled for the important one: “How long was I out?”

Izumi shrugged. “About a day, give or take.”

That couldn’t be right. She glanced out the window, saw the afternoon sun hanging in the sky, and it was exactly as she remembered but...but she hadn’t been inside. She’d been brought up from under the ground, she’d seen the youngest Elric brother stand in his own skin, and then...and then…

She tried to sit up, but her body screeched at the first hint of movement. Every bone throbbed, every muscle ached. Injury and pain had never been a stranger, but this rivalved her worst moments. Holding her breath, she gingerly settled back down. 

“You’ll want to take it easy,” Izumi told her. “Doctor said you took quite a nasty blow to the head. He wasn’t sure how you’d survived it, let alone the damage to the rest of you.”

Olivier scoffed. “Then he’s an idiot. It’ll take more than some falling stones and a beast as idiotic as that one to kill me.”

“Yes,” she said with a grin. “From what I’ve seen, I don’t doubt it.”

She turned her attention back toward the window. Her brain tried its best to think back to the fight, to the aftermath, but even trying to think made the pain so agonizing she was forced to shut her eyes again. Damn Bradley, and damn his fucking monsters with their sorry excuse for a life and their outright refusal to die.

“How—“ she asked in between labored breaths, “how did I get here?”

Izumi hesitated. “How much do you remember?”

Normally, she’d refuse to give up anything that could be used against her, especially to someone outside of Briggs. She was vulnerable here, confined to her bed, body broken and bruised and memory ridden with holes. Logic said to keep her mouth shut, but there was something about her. She may not have been one of her soldiers, but her gut told her that Izumi Curtis was someone she could trust. And her gut was never wrong. 

“I know about Alphonse. You carried us up to the surface just in time to see him stand. After that, there’s nothing.”

Izumi nodded. “At first, everybody celebrated. It was calm, even after everything that had happened. Al getting his body back...well, it was about as clear a victory as any.”

Olivier watched the way she smiled at the thought, the way her eyes held unshed tears. Truthfully, the boy getting his body back hadn’t been at the forefront of her concerns, but she’d hoped for their sake they’d accomplish it. And hearing her talk about it, about both of the Elric brothers, it became increasingly clear that despite her intensity and her ruthlessness, Izumi cared deeply for the two of them. 

“What happened next?”

Izumi laughed. “You happened next. You walked up and demanded someone take Al to a hospital, before his weakened body gave out on him.”

Oh. Well, she wasn’t wrong. The boy had been nothing but skin and bones, the textbook image of malnourished. She would bet that Edward might not have appreciated her interruption, but he’d come to understand her later. 

“And did they? Take him to the hospital?”

“Your brother did. Lifted him up and carried him there himself.”

“I assume he cried the whole time?”

“Like an infant.”

Olivier groaned. “My brother’s soft heart and hysterics will be the end of him one of these days.”

“You should have seen him in here earlier, blubbering over you.” She scoffed. “Men and their emotions. They just don’t know how to control themselves.”

She hummed in agreement. “It’s a disease if you ask me.”

Izumi nodded, before adding, “Although, perhaps it was better that he left when he did.”

“And why is that?”

“Once he carried Alphonse off the battleground, you began commanding all the people who were left. You coordinated trucks to take the injured to the hospital, communicated with the soldiers still out in the streets. It was impressive, until you gave your last order and promptly collapsed.”

If her arm hadn’t been bound to her chest, she would have curled both fists in frustration. A leader never showed weakness like that, not even after the battle came to an end. Her reputation would need patching, of that she was certain. 

If she noticed her embarrassment, Izumi didn’t comment on it; instead, she shrugged and said, “It could have been worse. Most of the soldiers had already dispersed. Plus, you didn’t hit the ground. Not sure your body could have taken another blow like that.”

Maybe it was the head injury, but she couldn’t fully comprehend the words she was hearing. “How is that possible? That I fell but never reached the ground?”

“Simple. I caught you.”

As if her humiliation couldn’t get any worse. The thought of being caught like an overwhelmed maiden made her want to take her sword and plunge it through her body herself, but instead she sighed and said, “I suppose I owe you an extra bit of gratitude, then.”

“Nonsense. I’m a housewife — I’m meant to take care of others.”

“You’re much more than that. The way you fought that beast was as impressive as any warrior I’ve seen.”

Izumi smiled. “I must admit, it felt nice to fight something that presented a challenge. And I’d been itching to let my alchemy loose ever since Hoenheim healed my ailment.” She laughed to herself as she said, “Vomiting blood would not have been an impressive conclusion to a battle like that.”

Olivier raised her eyebrow. “Vomiting blood?”

“A consequence of my visit through the portal. Physical exertion like that used to leave me bedridden for days.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond. The image of Izumi confined to a bed was almost as unimaginable as the one of her desperate enough to attempt human transmutation in the first place. She’d chalked up the Elric brother’s mistake to childhood idiocracy and arrogance, but she couldn’t fathom what would lead a woman like Izumi to do the same. 

“You’re wondering who it was,” Izumi said, her tone attempting neutrality and almost succeeding. “You’re wondering who I tried to bring back.”

“I understand if you want to keep that information to yourself. You don’t owe me any kind of explanation.”

“No, but I think I’ll give you one anyway.”

The answer surprised her. “Why?” 

“Because I’ve spent years forced to pretend it never happened. The attempt alone is enough to get me arrested, or worse. But ever since Ed and Al came back, ever since they figured it out...I’m not sure why, but it felt nice. Talking about it. Not trying to hide from it. I’d like to continue to do that, if I can.”

Had she been in a different place, a different time, she may have left it at that. Instead, her thoughts slipped through her mind’s weakened blockade, materialized right in front of her. “I know this topic is...delicate. For all his flaws, my brother is the one who knows how to provide comfort. If you’re looking for sensitivity, you won’t find it here.”

The words felt like a confession. She’d always been this way, cold and callous and short-tempered when it came to matters of the heart. It wasn’t that she couldn’t sympathize with anyone (although, in all honesty, she found many of the so-called problems people claimed to have were weak excuses for pain, and didn’t deserve her sympathy in the first place), but she had never known how to express the feelings properly. Her and her brother could be pinpointed on opposite sides of a spectrum, and while she’d choose her position over his a thousand times over, she could still admit that, outside of the battlefield and the barracks, her lack of emotional expression could be perceived as a shortcoming. 

“I’m not looking for someone to cry for me,” Izumi told her. “I’ve spent enough years crying for myself.”

“I don’t mean to be rude. But I don’t know what it is I have to offer you.”

“How about a captive audience?” She said the words with a smile, and despite the fact that Olivier could hear the lie in her voice, she decided not to call her out on it. 

Izumi put her book down beside her, but she let her gaze drop, spoke to her lap instead of her face. “Ever since I was a girl, I’d longed for motherhood. Most people never expected it of me. Those who knew me wouldn’t have described me as the nurturing type, and they wouldn’t have been wrong to do so. I spent so many years wanting. It made me angry, how much I desired, how much I had to fight for every piece of it. The ability to make decisions for myself. Independence and strength. An education. I wanted it all, and I wanted a child of my own. A legacy.

“When I got pregnant,” she continued, “I thought I would finally get to stop fighting. Sig and I, we’d spent so much time trying. I’ve heard some describe motherhood as a gift or a miracle, but to me, it felt like a victory. A battle I’d finally won.” Her tone softened when she said, “I made the mistake so many do when their mind is clouded with arrogance. I celebrated too early.”

A part of her didn’t want to hear what came next. Listening to this story was like witnessing a car crash and knowing you didn’t have the time to avoid the collision. There were only two options: watch it happen, or close your eyes. Either way, the end was inevitable. The only difference would be whether to spare yourself the added pain, to become blind to the indisputable evidence laid out in front of you. 

Weaker men often chose to hide. In the collision moments, plenty of strong men did, too. But she’d never been the type to look away when faced with the incoming hurt; she wasn’t going to start now. So she said nothing, showed nothing. She simply waited for Izumi to find her way to the conclusion.

After a moment of hesitation, she did. “Our baby never cried. Never made so much as a sound.”

Every puzzle piece clicking into place only made her regret asking. When the Elric brothers told her about their mother, they’d done so mostly out of necessity. It was all connected — their action, their bodies, their shared enemy. It pained them, obviously, but she hadn’t realized how much of that pain had been clouded by the looming danger. They’d told her, but not like this. Nothing like this.

Izumi stared right through her, like she wasn’t even there. “Silence had never felt so sharp. So present. It was like it was making fun of me, drowning out all my claims of strength by reminding me just how little I could control. Even now, in the quiet, I still hear it. The mockery. It drove me to lengths I never thought I’d go, carried me past lines I never thought I’d cross.” She tried to laugh, but it never stood a chance. Nothing about this was funny. “You can fill in the blanks of what happened next.”

Olivier waited for more; when it became clear there was none, she began searching for words of her own. She wondered, for a moment, whether now would be the time to channel Alex, to speak the way he might. But his words would sound fake coming from her. Even if they were the right ones. 

In the end, she settled for sincerity. “Boy or girl?”

Izumi blinked, and Olivier watched as her eyes refocused. She could hear the joy hidden in her response. It was buried underneath the hurt, just barely poking through the rubble, but it was still there when she smiled and said, “Girl.”

She nodded. There wasn’t much else to do. “I’m sorry.”

“As am I.”

Silence slipped back in. Olivier thought about her words, about the noiselessness. She’d never been one to relax in the quiet. Any good soldier knew that the most dangerous of enemies hardly made a sound, but right now it felt almost tangible. The weight of it grew with every passing second. Loss was heavier than any object she’d come across, and while she was no stranger to it herself, this pain Izumi described felt harsher than any she’d ever experienced. 

As the seconds passed, she felt a restlessness unrelated to her physical incapacitation. Uncertainty crept up on her, and in its presence she found her thoughts from yesterday’s battle, the observations that now felt increasingly relevant.

“Well,” she told her, “If it’s a legacy you want, I’d argue you’ve already got one.”

“What do you mean?”

“You taught the Elric brothers. Their success is your success. And right now, they have a significant share of it.”

Izumi shook her head. “It’s not the same.”

“I know. But it’s close, is it not?” Izumi hesitated, before nodding. Olivier shrugged and said, “Maybe one day close will be enough.”

She spoke with more confidence than she felt. An old habit from childhood, when she’d learned that faith in oneself could be manufactured, that pretending to have it could make it appear. She may not have her brother’s alchemic strength, but in her mind she’d discovered her own kind of magic, one that had yet to let her down.

“You know,” Izumi said after a moment. “I don’t think you were honest with me earlier.”

Olivier frowned at the accusation. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You told me I wouldn’t find comfort here, when in fact, I think you may have told me everything I needed to hear.”

She had to bite back the smile that threatened to make an appearance. “If you ever tire of the warmth, I could use someone like you up North.” Olivier knew the suggestion was nothing more than a courtesy, but she meant it. A spirit like Izumi’s was hard to teach — often, it had to be found. And she’d never found anyone quite like her. 

“I appreciate the offer, but my life is here. I’m not ready to give that up just yet. Although,” she said with a grin that could only be described as mischievous, “I won’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy fighting alongside you and your brother.”

She couldn’t help but match her expression. “You should see me fight up North.”

“A spectacular sight, I’m sure. Though I don’t think you’ll be fighting any battles in the near future.”

“I wouldn’t rule the possibility out just yet. Reconstruction is no simple task, and there’s a lot of idiots still hanging around in the military. And that’s not including the ones on our side.” 

She groaned at the prospect, at her own reminder of what frustrations lay ahead. Just the thought of having to work alongside Mustang during this incoming period of transition was enough to bring her headache back. 

Izumi laughed. “I don’t envy you and your companions for the job ahead of you. The complexities of bureaucracy were never of much interest to me.”

“A necessary evil, I suppose, albeit an annoying one. Governing would be so much simpler if we disregarded the absurd level of formality and politeness demanded by those in charge.”

“The perk of teaching the Elrics on my own — I never had to adhere to such ridiculous standards.”

Izumi looked so much calmer, so much happier, that Olivier almost didn’t ask. But curiosity and boredom formed a crossroad with opportunity, and holding her tongue proved to be much more difficult than she’d expected. “Will you continue teaching?” She asked. “Now that your ailment is healed, that is.”

She hesitated, and for a moment Olivier longed to take back the question. “Maybe,” she finally said. “The future isn’t as clear as it once was.”

“I suppose that’s the beauty of it.”

“Yes,” Izumi said. “I suppose it is.”

Unconsciousness tugged at her brain. Olivier tried her best to resist it. There was work to be done, after all. Their revolution didn’t have the luxury of idle time — there was a country to rebuild, and she would be crucial to its second life. Yet, lying there, conversation dwindling back into the comfort of silence, she found it hard to stay awake. The weight on her eyes wasn’t just from the pain, or the medication, or the head injury; she found herself at ease here. It was a feeling she often avoided in the North, and one she certainly hadn’t known in Central City for quite some time. 

Izumi noticed, which didn’t surprise her. “I should let you rest. When you wake again, I suspect responsibilities will be waiting for you.”

“Before you go,” she said, “I wanted to thank you. You saved my life, and my brother’s. That’s not an act I take lightly. I owe you a debt I may never be able to repay.”

She smiled, but this time it was softer, lacking the bite and mischief of the one she’d worn earlier. “Fix this country, and we’ll call it even.”

Olivier couldn’t hide a groan as she put her remaining energy into lifting her free arm, extending her hand out as best she could. 

Izumi looked at it, before laughing. “Guess even you aren’t immune to the military’s ridiculous formalities. Is a vow in words not enough? We need to shake on it?”

“It’s—“ she held her breath, gave herself two seconds to let the pain subside, before continuing, “—not about the military.”

Recognition came over the other woman quickly. Olivier wondered how she remembered the moment, her own disappearance. How it might have felt. Part of her longed to ask about it, but so much had been given to her today — it felt insensitive to want more. Not to mention it wasn’t answers she needed: it was confirmation. Indisputable proof of her own that, despite her own failure, she’d truly come back. 

Izumi didn’t take her hand; instead, she kept her eyes on it, like it might disappear if she looked away. “I hope you know there was nothing you could have done to prevent that.”

“Had we not needed your help, then—“

“Then I would have been taken somewhere else, and my husband would have been left stranded on the street instead of in your company. Trust me when I say that sticking with you was the best thing we could have done.”

Olivier closed her eyes. The pain still lingered, her outstretched hand dropping slightly with each passing second. She wasn’t one to dwell often, and the logical part of her understood that few people could stand up to alchemy as advanced as what she saw yesterday. But none of that changed what she knew to be true.

She opened her eyes, waited to speak until she caught Izumi’s gaze. “Regardless of the circumstance, you saved me. And I couldn’t save you. For that, you have my sincerest apologies.”

Izumi finally took her hand. Olivier forced her mind to pay attention, to commit this moment to memory, because she knew in the coming nights, when she saw her failures again and again, she’d need it. She’d need to remember. 

A handshake could tell her more about a person than any words they might say. It spoke not only to their character, but also to their perception of her. Yesterday, Izumi’s grip had been firm, communicating mutual respect and self confidence. It was looser this time around, more delicate, but Olivier could tell the change wasn’t an insult or an indication of weakness — it was a sign of care. Thoughtfulness, the type only found in nurturers, given to her in perhaps the only way she’d accept it.

“My husband said you refused to stop searching for me.” She spoke softly, kept their hands clasped together. “I appreciate that.”

“Of course. I’m not in the business of leaving my people behind.”

The grin spread quickly, until it took over Izumi’s entire face. “I’m your people, huh?”

Olivier tried to humor her, but sincerity won in the end. She wasn’t entirely sure when it happened. During the battle, maybe, or the conversation on the stairs afterward. Maybe it didn’t happen until today, until she’d woken up and found her sitting by her side. Either way, the truth couldn’t be denied: Izumi was one of hers now. Not a soldier under her command, but a companion she knew she could trust. And that meant there was nothing she wouldn’t do to keep her safe.

 “Yes,” she told her. “You are.”

“Do I get a say in this grouping?”

Olivier raised an eyebrow at her. “Would you object to it if you did?”

The standoff only lasted a few seconds before Izumi burst out into laughter, finally breaking their handshake to wrap her arms around her sides. She tried not to focus on how deeply she felt her absence, how cold her palm became without Izumi’s hand to keep it company.

“No,” she said lightly. “No objections here. Although if I’m really part of your group now, I wouldn’t mind a chance to test out that sword of yours.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she fought a grin of her own. “Don’t push it.”

Izumi just kept laughing. She wasn’t prepared to like the sound so much, to feel it echoing in her chest. To feel the desire to join her. A sound like that, after the battle they just had, wasn’t so easily conjured. It took strength to find joy after trauma, to stare death in the eye and laugh, not at it but in spite of it. And for someone like Izumi, with so much heartbreak and hurt in her history, to stand here and revel in it? It was impressive, as much as any display of alchemy or strength in battle. Olivier just stared and tried to resist a smile of her own. Each minute with her revealed a new layer, and she could hardly fight the urge to uncover her completely. 

“I’m just saying,” Izumi said, “how else am I supposed to fight off all the military assholes who’ll try to wake you up with their paperwork and other useless bullshit?”

“I think you’d manage just fine without it.” Five seconds passed between them before the rest of her sentence clicked. “What would you still be doing here, anyway?”

Izumi scoffed. “I’m not just gonna leave you by yourself.”

“But I’ll be asleep.”

“Yes. And I’ll be here. Doing exactly what I was doing before you woke up earlier today.”

She should have left it alone, but whatever shame she’d had disappeared the moment she’d heard about the fainting incident, so there really was no point in trying to resist curiosity anymore. “Why?” 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never stayed in someone’s hospital room before. As a general, I imagine it’s something you’re quite familiar with.”

“No, it’s not that — why me?”

Izumi stared at her, wearing an expression that managed to combine amusement with confusion. “You really don’t get it, do you? If I’m your people, then you’re mine. And I don’t leave my people alone when they’re hurt. Conscious or otherwise.”

She didn’t know how to explain it. The way it made her feel. Like the sun was shining from inside her, spreading its light through her veins until warmth was the only thing her body knew. She wasn’t one for humility, but she genuinely wondered what she’d done to deserve it, this kindness that felt entirely unearned. Whatever the reason, she decided then and there that she’d fight to hold onto it, no matter the cost. 

“Very well.” The words came out softer than she intended. She forced herself to swallow the emotion back before she added, “But don’t avoid seeing the Elrics on my account. I imagine they’ll need you more than I will.”

Izumi waved her off. “Al will be in here for quite a while, I imagine. And Ed — well, I suspect he’ll be desperate for some time alone with his brother. The last thing they’ll want is my hovering.” 

“You don’t hover,” she said without meaning to. 

Izumi just smiled. She did that a lot, she’d noticed, and Olivier didn’t know how each one managed to convey something different. Amusement, joy, borderline impertinence, all finding their way into what should have been a simple expression. Maybe it was Izumi’s own kind of magic. Maybe they shared more than she thought. 

“You know,” she said, “it’s okay to put yourself first once and a while.”

“Maybe next time,” Olivier lied. 

Izumi shook her head as she looked back at the book in her lap. Part of her wanted to grab her attention again, to keep whatever this was going, but her eyes grew heavy again with sleep, and she could only hold it off for so long. She caved as she finally closed them. Silence slipped back in, broken only by the slight hum from the turning of pages. 

Sleep, the restful kind, had evaded her for the past few months. Even before this war and its revelations, it had always been a luxury she couldn’t afford, a risk she refused to take. But now, accompanied by the quiet presence of the woman sitting next to her, it knocked at her door. And for the first time in as long as she could remember, she let it in, without fear or hesitation.

[tere706]

Love is Blind - Chpt 13

(So here’s the trick. I post an update saying I’m making progress... and then I feel obligated to produce a chapter. It’s a weird system, but it works. I guess. 

Anywho, enjoy the chapter! It’s the longest one I’ve written so far. I think.

@dark-night-sky-99, @inumorph, @liadreyar-dragneel, @lunalustrix, @thirstyforvenom, @mltcp

Words: ~2800)

Warmth. Her bed was extra warm and it felt like the blankets were wrapped around her body. Had she rolled in her sleep and gotten tangled? Liz reached out, stretching against part that was wrapped around her arms. A flutter of panic worked its way into her sleepy mind when she couldn’t pull it away.

“DON’T STRUGGLE SO MUCH, LITTLE BIRD.” Venom’s voice was a tired rumble against her back. The coils tightened more around her body and she suddenly realized she was surrounded in Venom’s tendrils and not blankets.

Liz relaxed again, leaning her head back against Venom. Now that her brain was working, she recognized that the texture was wrong for her blankets too. Last night came flooding back and she gave a small shudder. After Venom had brought them back to her apartment he and Eddie had refused to leave. Liz hadn’t really fought them about it. Venom had fed her chocolate and cradled her against himself until she fell into an exhausted sleep. Apparently, he’d moved them both to the bed at some point as well.

“Ven, let me go.”

Venom rumbled again and held her tighter. “REST, PHONE IS NOT RINGING.”

Ah, that was right, she’d gotten him to promise to wake her up if the phone rang. She was desperately hoping for word from Cal about what happened to Aaron. The not knowing was worse than finding out he was dead.

“No, Ven, I need the bathroom.” She squirmed against his hold.

There was a wordlessly unhappy grumble before Venom released his hold on her. The air was significantly cooler without his warmth. Liz stumbled a little, trying to find where she was since she didn’t remember how they’d laid down. She finished up in the bathroom quickly and padded back over to the bed, crawling back to Venom. He wrapped her in his arms, tendrils coiling around her lower half in a comforting warmth.

“What time is it?” She asked softly.

Venom yawned before nuzzling the top of her head. “EARLY. EDDIE SAYS IT’S JUST BEFORE EIGHT.”

Liz groaned quietly. “Give me my phone. Cal should be at work by now.”

“THAT WILL MAKE YOU UPSET AGAIN.”

“Give me my damn phone, or I’ll kick your ass out of my apartment.” She hissed the words through clenched teeth.

“YOU AREN’T STRONG ENOUGH FOR THAT, LITTLE BIRD.” Despite pointing that out, she felt him shift around to look for her phone. If he hadn’t, she would have had some key words for her alien boyfriend. Ugh, alien boyfriend just sounded too weird right now. Liz scrubbed at her face with one hand to try and restart her brain a bit. Her skin felt dry and scratchy from the tear streaks of last night.

Liz felt the tendrils draw away from her body, blankets being pulled around her instead. The bed shifted before Eddie’s warm hand touched her arm. “Here, found your phone.”

“Thanks.” Her voice grew hollow. It felt like there was a lump in her throat. “Is he mad at me?”

Eddie snorted and wrapped his arm around her midsection, pulling her back against his chest. “Nah, I just wanted a chance to comfort you myself.” There was a slight hesitation to his words.

She felt her heart clench at the sweetness of it. Liz twisted her upper body around enough to place a kiss against his jaw and then his lips once she found them. It was so much easier to express her feelings with Venom for some reason. But moments like this, she treasured having Eddie with her too. “Thanks. Maybe I need some more human interaction.”

“Stop delaying and make your phone call, hun.” Eddie pressed his face against the top of her head, though. She was pretty sure he was smiling, considering that he gently tightened his hold around her midsection.

Liz grumbled quietly to herself, she wasn’t trying to delay! Okay, she was, but she knew better than to agree with him. Instead, she dialed Cal’s number from memory, fingers feeling the braille numbers on the number pad of the little flip phone.

“Liz! Have you turned on the news yet?!” Cal’s voice was strained.

Crap, of course she needed to explain how she knew there was trouble. “Yeah, just barely. I hoped you’d have more information. And the radio refuses to answer my questions. What happened? Where is Aaron?”

Cal was silent for a long moment. “The police station had… an explosion or something. The holding area is where it seemed to have started. Several fatalities.” He paused again, making Liz’s stomach drop. “Aaron is among the missing. There are some bodies that haven’t been identified yet…”

“So they think he died?” Liz whispered, eyes tightly closed. She was too tired for tears, too many had been shed last night.

“Probably. We won’t know for sure until they get results back. But there are more missing than bodies found.” Cal tried to sound a little hopeful. “There’s nothing more you can do right now, Liz. Don’t beat yourself up over this. There was nothing you could have done.”

“I know.” Liz squeezed Eddie’s hand with her free one when he suddenly grabbed it. “I know, Cal. Just promise you’ll call if you find out anything else. Even bad news.”

Cal sighed on the other end of the phone. “I will. Take some time off, okay? And call me if you need anything.”

“Bye.” Liz flipped the phone shut and tossed it so that it went over the edge of the bed.

Eddie held her hand, shifting to lace his fingers with hers. His thumb brushed back and forth over her skin. He’d noticed her craving for physical contact when under stress and was doing his best to help her.

“Anything we can do for you?”

Liz sighed. “He’s right. I can’t… I can’t beat myself up over this.” It wouldn’t stop her from doing that, but she didn’t want Eddie to worry. “We should get up. I need to clean myself and change.”

“We can make breakfast.” Eddie added brightly.

“As long as it’s you and not Ven.”

“WE STILL THINK EGGS AND CHOCOLATE ARE GOOD.”

Eddie and Liz both shuddered in revulsion.

~

Venom and Eddie stayed close the next two days. Venom practically wanted to be attached to Liz at all hours. It was sweet the first day. It was annoying the second morning. And by the second afternoon…

“Back off!” Liz swatted at the tendril that was curling up her left arm. “Seriously, just stop touching me!”

“LITTLE BIRD?” He sounded surprised, though Eddie just gave a quiet snort.

“You’re smothering me!” Liz snapped at Venom through clenched teeth. “I know you mean well, but I’m starting to feel like I can’t breathe around you, Ven. I’m hurt, but I’ll heal. It’s not the end of the world.” She threw her hands in the air, exasperated.

There was a long silence that followed her outburst and she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Are you two talking behind my back?”

“NO, WE ARE TALKING IN FRONT OF YOU.”

“Jesus, V.” Eddie sounded caught between annoyance and amusement at his symbiote.

That, for some reason, was just the last straw. Liz turned and pointed at the door. “Out.”

Eddie took in a deep breath. “Liz, come on. I wasn’t-“

“Out.” Liz repeated firmly. “You’ve been perfectly fine, Eddie, but Ven can’t leave without you. So, out! I need some space, guys. I have to… process this.”

“If you’re sure, then we’ll go. You have our number.” Eddie murmured gently.

Liz’s shoulders slumped and she rubbed her face with one hand. “I’m sorry to snap. It’s just… a lot has happened really fast and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. You, me, and Ven… this whole thing with… Aaron… It’s just a lot all happening.”

Eddie snorted quietly. “The three of us wasn’t all our fault.”

“Ven started that damn kiss. Jealous ass.” Liz grumbled.

“YOU LIKED IT.”

Liz pointed a finger in the direction of the symbiote’s voice. “That isn’t the point right now, Ven!”

“Okay, okay. Let’s be adults. I get it, Liz. You need a little personal space. We have practically moved in for the last few days. And I doubt you enjoy this much pampering. You’re too independent.”

“Damn straight.”

“As I was saying.” Eddie gave a meaningful pause at her interruption. “We don’t want to take over your whole life. You’re… your own person. And it can’t just always be about us or our relationship.”

Liz tilted her head, thinking over his words and then nodded firmly. “Exactly, yes. That’s exactly it. I couldn’t find the right words.”

Eddie gave another chuckle. “Well, it helps that I’m a reporter. Gotta know what to write. And I’ve been in and out of more relationships that you, probably.”

She could feel her face heat again. “Yeah.” Liz grumbled. “Serious ones, at least. Thanks, Eddie.”

He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her. Eddie gently pressed his forehead against Liz’s before he replied. “You’re welcome. Do I get a goodbye kiss?”

Liz played at thinking it over, smile slowly working its way onto her lips. “Yeah. Seems fair.” She lifted her hands to cup his face, tilting her face upwards.

There was a quiet chuckle from Eddie before he gently kissed her. There was no need to make it into something more. He didn’t want her to feel like he was asking for more after that nice little talk. So he pulled back, leaving the kiss relatively chaste.

“Thanks, hun.”

Liz pulled her hands away from his face. “You’re welcome.”

“OUR KISS?” Venom sounded hopeful, his head on its long tendril pressing in closer to brush against Liz’s cheek.

She pushed his head away from her face with a frown. “No. You’ve gotten two days of cuddles and attention. I think that’s enough affection for now.”

“NOT FAIR.” Venom grumped sulkily.

“And you ate all my chocolate.” Liz hissed at him.

“WE WERE HUNGRY.” Now his tone had become more cautious.

Liz raised a finger in his direction. “ALL of my chocolate.”

“Okay, okay. Time to go. Call us, Liz. I still want to take you out to dinner. Maybe we can make a date out of it?” Eddie asked gently.

“WE CAN’T GO ON DATE IN RESTAURANT.” Venom pointed out.

Liz sighed and smiled faintly, reaching out to touch Eddie’s chest lightly. “I’d like that. Just you and I.” She paused and rolled her eyes. “And Ven can swing us home. Fair?”

Eddie gave her another quick kiss before pulling away playfully. “It’s a date.”

She waved a hand in his direction. “Cheater, stealing kisses.”

“Who’s gonna stop me?” Eddie had opened the door. “See you soon.”

“Bye.” Liz called back softly. As soon as the door shut she felt a heaviness settle into her chest. Venom had been annoying her today but without him here… it was quiet. Too quiet. And too easy to fall back into her thoughts.

~

Liz hadn’t been joking about the chocolate. Venom had sniffed out every piece she had. So she decided to do something to make herself feel better and go buy some more. Actually, she was low on all her snacks.

After a quick check of the apartment, Liz grabbed her jacket and long cane. Her keys went into one pocket, her phone into the other. Credit card in the back pocket of her jeans. She always made sure to double check that she had everything before heading out into the big, wide world.

She’d neglected to check the time before leaving her apartment. Judging from the faint warmth against her left cheek, it was close to sunset. There was still plenty of noise on the streets too. A couple cars rumbled by on the street, children laughed in the distance, and a flock of birds suddenly flew by overhead. Liz slowly stretched in the fresh air. It really had been quite a while since she’d been out on her own. Lately, she’d been chaperoned by either Eddie or Venom whenever she left her apartment, even before the incident with Aaron.

Liz had been tapping her long cane gently ahead of her when her steps came to a stumbling halt. All it took was one word, spoken in a hoarse, terrified tone.

“Elizabeth?”

She whirled toward the alley on her right, struggling to hear that voice again. She hadn’t been imagining it, had she?

“I… I need help, please.” Aaron’s voice, roughened and scared.

Liz stepped into the alley cautiously, trying to zero in on the location of his voice. “Aaron? Are you okay? How did you get away from the fire?” There were a million questions buzzing in her head, but relief was first and foremost.

“I don’t know. It’s just… it’s all messed up. I don’t know what to do. I’m… I’m scared.” Aaron’s voice almost broke at the end. He’d been out here, on his own, for the last two days since surviving the fire. He had to be in poor shape.

“It’s okay. Look, we’ll get this all figured out. Let’s start by getting you back to my place. I’ll call Calvin and we’ll let the authorities know you’re safe-“

“No!” Aaron snapped angrily and started panting hard. “No, I can’t go back there. I need you to help me out.”

Liz took a slow step back. “Aaron, I can’t help you run from the law. You need to turn yourself back in. No one is going to blame you for running from the fire.” She tried to keep her voice gentle, but an ounce of fear worked its way into her words.

“No. It’s not my fault! I… You said you would help me!” Aaron shouted accusingly.

“I am helping you. I know you’re scared, but running from this isn’t going to make it better. You have to take responsibility for the things you’ve done. I’ll be with you the whole way.”

She could hear Aaron start pacing, just a couple feet away from her. “You don’t get it! They can’t help me!” He stopped his pacing. “I trusted you!” There was real heat and anger in his voice. Actually, the alley was feeling hotter. It was probably just her nerves.

Liz held her hands up. “I trust that you’ll do the right thing. You’re a good kid and I want to help you. That’s why I’m going to call Calvin and let him know you’re okay so-“

“Damn it, no!” Aaron nearly screamed the words. It felt like a wall of super-heated air slammed into Liz. She was thrown back, gasping and drawing in a lungful of the too hot hair. Her head slammed back into the ground as she landed hard. Her last thoughts were pain and confusion.

~

Why didn’t she understand? He had come to her looking for help. She had promised to help him. His head throbbed with pain as he struggled to keep himself under control. Why was Elizabeth so focused on taking him back to the cops? They had to know what he’d done. They’d lock him away forever, if they didn’t outright kill him.

He knew his temper was getting the better of him. He felt betrayed and rejected by her words. And, like all too often lately, Aaron lashed out in his anger. He realized in the last moment that the fire would kill Elizabeth. He never meant to even hurt her. Aaron reigned in on the flames, sucking them back in toward himself. At least he was immune to them. It still left a blast of hot air to slam into the woman.

“Elizabeth…?” Aaron slowly stepped forward. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… fuck. Oh fuck, this is…” Shit, shit, shit. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. God, this had gone all wrong.

He slowly pulled his hands back, kneeling to check if she was breathing. Aaron wasn’t sure how to check a pulse. Thankfully, he was able to feel her breath against his palm when he held it above her mouth. Okay. Could have been worse. Aaron sat back on his heels and chewed his lower lip, trying to figure out what to do next. Someone was bound to walk by and see them, it wasn’t that late out yet.

“I just need to explain everything. She’ll understand then.” Yeah, it would be okay. But he couldn’t wait for her to wake up here. Aaron carefully picked up Elizabeth, staggering a bit as he got to his feet. He wasn’t used to trying to carry someone. But he promised himself he’d get her to safety. Then he could explain, once she woke up. She had to understand then.

[o-hteco]

Sig in the city @sig-roys

(West O'hteco) "Roys." Via linkpearl. (Sigmund Roys) "HELLO?" (West O'hteco) "I've been to the train station and they instructed me the prim gent and his boyfriend departed for the city already. Pray you two are not lost by now." (Sigmund Roys) "WESTLYON?" (West O'hteco) A pregnant pause (West O'hteco) "Hello. Shouting will not increase your success." (West O'hteco) The long eyeroll can be heard in her tone (Sigmund Roys) He grumbled as he seemed to fiddle with the linkpearl, something about unnecessary and irritating before. "OH CAN YOU HEAR ME? I'M SORRY DARLING THIS CITY IS SO LOUD." People around him were in awe of the volume. (West O'hteco) She considered explaining and the length it would take..so for a very short moment, and some walking outside of earshot, she too yelled "/where/ ARE you." (Sigmund Roys) HE looked around for a moment. "I'm in the Adventurer's Hall. Or brothel, whatever it is considered /these/ days." (West O'hteco) "You'd know." said off the cuff as she navigated her way through the holiday crowd the quicksand. (Sigmund Roys) "Westlyon. This woman has no pants on." He said a /bit/ too loud more than likely. (West O'hteco) "The customary thing to do in these parts is to offer them your own pair." (Sigmund Roys) "I imagine you don't often partake... Seeing you embrace the local dress?" (West O'hteco) "I often wear skirts. I bypass this rule. But you saw her first."

[21:14]Sigmund Roys smiles at you. [21:14]Sigmund Roys: "Westlyon!" [21:14]Sigmund Roys gives you a big hug. [21:14]Teeny Rini cheers Grundy Byrde on! [21:14]Kurenai Azami: like [21:14]Kurenai Azami: the yung gravy song? [21:14](West O'hteco) roll [21:14]Random! You roll a 147. [21:15]Random! Sigmund Roys rolls a 148. [21:15]Teeny Rini claps for Grundy Byrde. [21:15]West O'hteco brought her hand up to defend herself against the hug - going for a--oh ok nope. she was hugged with her hand up, squished between them "Hello."

[21:17]Sigmund Roys smiled as he awkwardly hugged her, even with one arm up. "Sorry, I was a bit turned around once we arrived at the station." [21:17]Sigmund Roys points at Slaeswys Saelzantwyn. [21:17]Sigmund Roys nods to you. [21:17]Vale Amari: I thought that The jackson 5 released that song [21:17]Nazeru Auronas gazes upon Aliciena Leach in deep reflection. [21:18]West O'hteco side glanced "Yes, and where is your diligent guide?" she bid a smile and stepped aside "Have you been in here long?" a hand offered out for his pearl [21:18]Nazeru Auronas: "...nah. Just deja vu." [21:18]Misago Kaifu: The jackson 5 released my butt [21:18]Seska Tayuun waves to U'zhan Mistblade. [21:19]Sigmund Roys offered over his pearl to her. "I'm certain it is broken. As it is with those types of devices." [21:19]Hikari Yuri gently pats Alexandria Metalwolf. [21:19]Sigmund Roys: "Oh? Petyr is collecting the rest of our luggage for now, I'll have him make his way to your establishment later once he's done." [21:20]West O'hteco held his pearl in one hand and brought her ring up to lips, speaking softly. "Hello. This is how we use these." his then offered out upon her palm. "Shouting in confusion attracts predators to easy prey." her voice easily transmitting to him [21:20]You smile at Sigmund Roys. [21:21]Sigmund Roys makes a straight face at you. [21:21]West O'hteco: "No." [21:21]Sigmund Roys: "It was broken earlier." [21:21]West O'hteco: "I've found you a place nearby."

[21:21]Sigmund Roys: "I've been on my feet for more than a /bell/ now Westlyon, perhaps we could continue this conversation with some tea?" [21:21]Sigmund Roys: "Certainly this... Establishment sells tea?" [21:22]Of the 78 parties currently recruiting, all match your search conditions. [21:22]West O'hteco slipped her hand into his pocket, depositing the pearl. "How did you find the family train?" she led on [21:23]Sigmund Roys: "The woman serving on the train is rather surly." [21:23]West O'hteco touched a hand to the bar, leaning in to order for her uncle - the way he liked..but she paused "Are you wanting your normal fare or something different?" [21:23]Sigmund Roys: "You know, you should do a bit better job looking into who you hire for these positions." [21:23]West O'hteco: "Isn't she wonderful?" [21:23]West O'hteco smirked "She's more there for entertainment." [21:23]Grundy Byrde: It's one thing to realize your waifu might never be real, but let's take a moment of silence for all the FGO trash. [21:24]Sigmund Roys: "If you think they'll be able to serve it in a clean glass..." [21:24]West O'hteco: "Not with that attitude." [21:24]West O'hteco said low. [21:24]Sigmund Roys inspected over the bar and huffed in preemptive irritation. [21:24]West O'hteco instead ordered an Ul'dahn coffee. Darkroast, frothy, bitter, and hella strong.

[21:25]Sigmund Roys looked over the cup for a moment, taking a tentative sip and... [21:25]Random! Sigmund Roys rolls a 495. [21:25]Sigmund Roys figured it was /fine I guess/. [21:26]Sigmund Roys: "I know you're quite skilled at hiring people for events and so on but you really should consider a more polite and accomodating person for the family train."

[21:31]West O'hteco ordered a coffee as well - giving motion to add a little something extra to it. Ease the mood, thanks. "It was purely intentional. I traded a pleasant blonde hyur gent for her specifically. There is no good to be had in my family ever having things simple and clean cut. - If they can navigate themselves properly around an unruly ishgardian disaster like Sabine."[21:34]Sigmund Roys sighed slowly, taking another sip. "Well perhaps asking the family if they want to have such trials and tribulations is in order." [21:34]Sigmund Roys: "At my age a woman of her temperment is simply too much." [21:34]West O'hteco gave a clear look over of 'I pay for the fuckin train' but said nothing, taking a sip.

[21:36]Sigmund Roys: "Well, other than seeing how the rest of the family lives I did have a few things in mind." [21:36]Sigmund Roys: "I was hoping you could help me gather the family some time soon to discuss..." [21:37]Sigmund Roys mumbled the last few words as he took another sip. [21:37]West O'hteco held her cup at her lap. "Your retirement from the university?" [21:38]Sigmund Roys: "Ha! Hardly." [21:38]Sigmund Roys said that with a surprising vitality and cockiness before reeling it back in. [21:39]Sigmund Roys: "I was saying to... Get some more assistance with the coming expedition. [21:40]West O'hteco glanced down to her cup, tilting it lightly, knowing that response was coming. "You'd have to speak to them for more than five minutes. Sure you can manage a whole three months on foot?"

[21:41]Sigmund Roys: "I could likely ask you the same thing, I doubt you've kept in expeditionary shape sitting in... Establishments like this.” [21:43]West O'hteco turned in her seat "I'm in here because you wanted tea." she began "and its best not to judge the locals first thing off the train. Your experience will only degrade if so." - furthermore. "I'm not suggesting they are unfit. Only you've not properly met East yet and you barely speak to Mir as is. A little early to ask for time consuming favors, don't you think." [21:49]Sigmund Roys: "Besides, the expedition isn't a favor, it's a bonding experience. Not to diminish your works but what can you do that is better for the common good than travel and research." [21:49]Sigmund Roys: "I'm sure the alcoholics will still be here when you all return." [21:51]West O'hteco tilt her head "Lifting up is hard? Better bust out a cane." she joked slightly, finishing off her coffee and feeling all the better for it. -- until he kept talking. "If I had the time I might consider going this time, but just as I said months ago - I've other ventures. You are certainly welcome to prod my siblings but don't expect much from it." said fairly confidently. They all had their different ventures. "I certainly wouldn't begin the family reunion that way either...."

[21:51]West O'hteco mimiced him briefly "/Hello kids. How are you. Do me a favor./" ..."try to atleast spend time with them before busting those out." [21:53]Sigmund Roys: "The expedition is the perfect way to spend time together Westlyon! Think of it as a bonding experience!" [21:54]West O'hteco smiled over "Yes, getting bit by a constant swarm of mosquitos, rationing food, and slimly evading death and disease in the name of rich people research is a novelty bonding experience." she didn't hate the whole venture really, it had just become daunting over the years. [21:55]Sigmund Roys: "What better way to truly get to know one another, besides it's rather unfair they've never really had the chance to experience it." [21:55]West O'hteco motioned his way, paying tip and taking to stand. Walking time, cmon old man. "Again, you can try." [21:56]Sigmund Roys paused for a moment and then... Simply shrugged, finishing off his coffee as well. "Interesting you would say that." [21:56]West O'hteco: "Come on. I'll show you where I keep all the fresh drunks." [21:56]Sigmund Roys: "I'm not staying at whatever lodging you've gotten for me Westlyon." [21:57]West O'hteco: "Sleeping au natural, then?" [21:57]West O'hteco: "En plein air?" [21:57]Sigmund Roys: "I've somewhere in La Noscea I'll be staying." [21:57]Sigmund Roys: "Easier for when the expedition leaves." [21:58]West O'hteco outright squint, taken aback she glanced over her shoulder "That's a long trip back and forth if you're trying to bribe the family into this." [21:59]Sigmund Roys: "Well thankfully for you it's of little concern yes?" [22:00]Sigmund Roys: "If anything, it will only ensure none of you will need to be in attendance. Yes?" [22:00]Sigmund Roys smiles at you. [22:00]West O'hteco had found him a five star little bed and breakfast and arranged his favorite brunch and imported daily newspaper subscription from marion and ishgard -- but yes fine. "Let me show you where to find them."

[22:03]Sigmund Roys inspected the facility for a moment, finally giving a somewhat impressed. "Hm." [22:03]West O'hteco had of course paused precariously near some /very/ run down places. stopping to check the time near an actual brothel at one point-- just to make him think they were her establishments. [22:04]West O'hteco finally arrived here at Crescent - well kept and polished. Classy even. [22:04]Sigmund Roys: "You've done quite well in the last few cycles." [22:04]West O'hteco: "Abendgarten's utility  and upkeep  bills are a small thing in comparison." [22:04]West O'hteco said sadly. [22:04]West O'hteco: "Thank gods for those drunks, m?" [22:05]Sigmund Roys smirks confidently at you. [22:05]West O'hteco held the door open. [22:05]You have left the sanctuary. [22:05]You have entered a sanctuary. [22:05]Sabrina Starbuck has logged in. [22:05]Sigmund Roys: "Well, business was not often a Roys strong suit." [22:06]Sigmund Roys: "It seems all of those traits were saved for you." [22:06]West O'hteco  || Mannet began to greet the elder gent. Finally someone his ag--but he saw west and cleared his throat, moving messages over the counter toward her. [22:06]Sigmund Roys began to inspect the flora almost immediately. [22:06]Sigmund Roys: "You know a bit more sunlight would do a world of good for these?" [22:06]Sigmund Roys: "... Simply a thought." [22:07]West O'hteco: "I've specifically purchased the low light variety." [22:07]West O'hteco expected this commentary. [22:07]West O'hteco gave him a sly glance to the right "They are watered once a week." knowing he'd suspect overwatering soon

[22:07]Sigmund Roys inspected for several moments longer, there was a lot to say about the varieties and just what 'low light' truly meant. This of course, earned a well thought out. "Hmph." [22:08]Sigmund Roys: "I'd still like to speak with the keeper." [22:08]Sigmund Roys looks around. [22:08]West O'hteco: "You know how difficult it is to kill a Sansevieria, anyway." [22:08]Sigmund Roys: "How do you not get lost in this place?" [22:09]West O'hteco: "I made the map." [22:09]Sigmund Roys: "Can we not turn up the lights some?" [22:09]West O'hteco offered her hand "Need a guide?" [22:09]Sigmund Roys: "Perhaps turn down the music just a bit?" [22:09]West O'hteco: "I must warn you, there are steps ahead." [22:09]West O'hteco offered him her arm in kind, amused at the least. [22:10]Sigmund Roys took her arm with a roll of eyes. She'd just keep at it if he didn't.

[22:11]West O'hteco wrapped her forearm under his, propped up all neatly with her hand atop his. "It has become more of a venue these days. Clientele rent her out - so I suppose we are a brothel if you really must complain." [22:11]West O'hteco: "A very high class one, though." [22:12]Sigmund Roys groaned a bit at that. "Of course you'd find a way to ruin such a wonderfully tender moment." [22:12]Of the 80 parties currently recruiting, all match your search conditions. [22:12]West O'hteco leaned her head to his shoulder briefly. Yes. [22:12]West O'hteco: "We're doing a club night in a few weeks. You should come." [22:12]West O'hteco would regret that invitation. [22:12]West O'hteco: "Bring petyr." [22:13]Sigmund Roys surveyed the entirety of the dancefloor. This wasn't very much his style, scene, or really anything he knew about. Still, the impressive sight and obvious work put into it, especially when coupled with his knowledge of where she'd come from made him all the more proud. [22:13]West O'hteco: "He could use some nightlife. Social life. General life." [22:13]Sigmund Roys smirks confidently at you. [22:13]Sigmund Roys: "I always knew you'd grow fond of him." [22:13]West O'hteco: "Pity him." [22:13]Sigmund Roys: "I'm sure he would appreciate the invitation, though I doubt he'd enjoy the more... Rowdy nights." [22:13]West O'hteco: "You should treat your best friend better." [22:14]Sigmund Roys: "Oh he is treated just fine." [22:14]West O'hteco glanced up thoughtfully. [22:14]Sigmund Roys: "He just loves to whine." [22:14]Sigmund Roys was a pot, ready to meet a kettle. [22:15]Sigmund Roys: "Besides, if you don't hurry I am certain one of those Marion girls will try and wed him in no time." [22:15]West O'hteco: "A thirty something grown man, idling day and night aside you. No romantic interests, no hobbies - his purpose is to live aside your life and shape his around it. " [22:15]Sigmund Roys: "For all his posturing he benefits from being quite a large fish in a small pond." [22:15]West O'hteco lifts her chin. "Sure, hopefully you give him leave enough to actually have a date. [22:16]Sigmund Roys: "While this may come as a surprise to you Westlyon, I do not need to be /constantly/ tended to hand and foot." [22:16]Sigmund Roys: "He has his share of social callings in the town." [22:17]West O'hteco: "All speculation of course. Its just interesting that a handsome man such as he make such trivial things his business when people come to stay at the house." [22:17]West O'hteco: "Its like he has nothing better to do." [22:17]West O'hteco eyed her nails. [22:17]Sigmund Roys: "You're friend certainly had quite the time in Marion." [22:17]West O'hteco: "Ah, perfect example. Thank you." [22:17]West O'hteco pat his hand [22:17]Sigmund Roys: "Eastford's associate, the odd one with the accent." [22:18]West O'hteco: "I'm sure petie hat plenty to say about it?" [22:18]West O'hteco had [22:18]Sigmund Roys: "/Petyr/ explained little, but I'm no fool Westlyon." [22:19]Sigmund Roys: "Still, between you sneaking off with Petyr and that young man causing a stir." [22:19]Sigmund Roys: "You were not helping our reputation in the town at all." [22:19]Sigmund Roys looks around. [22:19]West O'hteco tilt her head and walked down after him a little too quickly. "Me sneaking off with petyr?" she laughed /causally/ "That's a new one." [22:20]You dye the white partition.

[22:20]Sigmund Roys: "Oh you can drop the charade Westlyon, he denied it as well." [22:20]Sigmund Roys: "But while I may seem old I've still got my connections within Marion." [22:21]The command “/em laughed at that. "What are the crows and squirrels telling you, then?"” is unavailable at this time. [22:21]West O'hteco laughed at that. "What are the crows and squirrels telling you, then?" [22:21]Sigmund Roys: "But such... Open affections. Westlyon, it certainly does not help our family." [22:21]Sigmund Roys: "Hm." [22:21]West O'hteco: "With Petyr? [22:21]West O'hteco: "Here now, I thought that might make you quite happy." [22:22]Sigmund Roys: "It would if you'd both stop denying it, and if he'd respect me enough to ask my permission before being so... Brash." [22:22]Sigmund Roys: "It's simply not proper." [22:22]Of the 77 parties currently recruiting, all match your search conditions. [22:22]Sigmund Roys examined the casino area with a critical eye and a scoff. "What is this gaudy section?" [22:22]West O'hteco stoppered a quick snerk, held the back of her hand to her lips, debating. [22:22]Random! You roll a 549. [22:23]West O'hteco tilt her head to the left...ehh..then to the right.. "Ah, well. Petyr and I simply don't want to overwhelm you with possibility." she bold face lied. [22:23]West O'hteco: "And anyway, things like that are very delicate. Long distances." [22:24]Sigmund Roys: "Well it's simply ridiculous. If you'd both drop the charade I could give you my blessing." [22:24]West O'hteco: "A little too early for such things." [22:24]West O'hteco: "He's barely even held my hand." [22:24]West O'hteco: "I thinhk he's nervous." [22:24]West O'hteco rolled a shoulder. [22:25]Sigmund Roys sighed. "From the stories I was told, it may already be far too late." [22:25]West O'hteco: "I suspect no one has ever given him a proper talk about courting." [22:25]Sigmund Roys makes a straight face at you. [22:25]West O'hteco laughed at that [22:25]You burst out laughing at Sigmund Roys. [22:25]West O'hteco: "You're failing him, trust me." [22:25]West O'hteco eased back "I'm not interested in kept men." [22:27]Sigmund Roys sighed, but moved on. "Yes, yes, you're not one to be limited." [22:27]West O'hteco: "Would you really want me to date a lapdog?" [22:27]West O'hteco: "Marry one?" [22:27]You smile at Sigmund Roys. [22:27]West O'hteco: "Would he be the stay at home father?" [22:28]Sigmund Roys: "Petyr is a good man, and far from anyone's lap dog Westlyon, and I would appreciate if you treated him with the respect he deserves." [22:28]West O'hteco: "Follow your own words." [22:28]Sigmund Roys waved a dismissive hand. "He and I joke." [22:28]Sigmund Roys: "I don't think less of him, as you seem to do." [22:28]Sigmund Roys: "Not everyone has something to prove to the world you know." [22:28]West O'hteco: "If you hired a few more helpers around the place - worked on finances and exports -- he could have more time to seek out such things." [22:29]West O'hteco: "Ah no, I was speaking of you the entire time." [22:29]Sigmund Roys makes a straight face at you.

[22:29]West O'hteco: "Petyr is a fine man, certainly. But a little more light would do him well." [22:29]West O'hteco echoed the plant discussion [22:29]Sigmund Roys: "You are far too taxing on this old man." [22:30]West O'hteco: "Which? Your old ego or old pride?" [22:30]Sigmund Roys groaned as he slowly rose. "I will stay at your lodgings tonight, I need some rest before the trip tomorrow." [22:30]West O'hteco offered up the keyroom and address. [22:30]West O'hteco: "Need an escort?" [22:31]Sigmund Roys: "I'm certain there is more than a few of them here, but I believe I'll be fine on my own this evening." [22:31]West O'hteco: "M. Pray you'll alert me on the tiny yell pearl if you get lost." [22:31]Sigmund Roys: "Wouldn't wish to deplete Abendgarten's funds any deeper knowing what you'd likely charge." [22:31]West O'hteco: "By the minute for elderly. At your age its a good deal." [22:31]West O'hteco motioned him toward the steps. [22:32]Of the 71 parties currently recruiting, all match your search conditions. [22:32]Sigmund Roys moved to make his way to the stairs, but paused. [22:32]Sigmund Roys: "...You've done very well here Westlyon. Impressive indeed." [22:33]Sigmund Roys: "You should remove the gambling though." [22:33]Sigmund Roys: "Terrible habit." [22:33]West O'hteco smiled lightly. A fond farewell. "Mind the Dhamel head on the way up." [22:33]Sigmund Roys nods to you.

[rockbelric]

Trust

For Day 7 of 503 week: Trust. Enjoy!!

Summary: “Why don’t you come in with me and make sure I don’t drown, huh?” He smiles and offers his hand to her but she’s hesitant to take it.

Rated: K+

The water laps at Winry’s toes as she stands on the shore. She’s a bit nervous watching Ed play with the kids in the water, knowing that her husband can’t go in too deep in case his auotmail gives him trouble. She reminded him to be careful a thousand times, but of course now he’s currently throwing their kids around, pretending to be a shark. Winry doesn’t want to be overbearing but she’s so nervous. This new baby is shooting her anxiety through the roof.

She’s so focused on watching her family, she doesn’t notice Izumi coming to stand next to her until the woman places a hand on her shoulder. “Are you going to go in?” The alchemist asks, as Winry jumps in surprise.

“Wha- oh, no, I don’t think so.” She blushes, “I’m not really in the mood for swimming.” Her hand absentmindedly rests against her swollen belly.

“Well then come into the shade!” Izumi drags her under the umbrella, “All this heat can’t be good for you!”

“B-but I have a hat!” Winry objects, wanting to make sure her family wasn’t going to die a watery death.

Ed and Al’s old teacher forces her to take a seat in the shade. “Don’t worry, Edward won’t let anything happen to the kids. And besides, Sig is on lifeguard duty.” She looks out to her husband who’s standing knee deep in the lake, “Good job, Honey!” She blows him a kiss.

“I know he’ll take care of the kids, it’s him I’m worried about.” She sighs, playing with the hem of her dress. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation but Winry feels more hair-brained than ever. Pregnancy hormones had a way of making her a little crazy. She can’t remember why she let Ed convince her into having another kid.

“I understand. It takes an army to make sure those idiots don’t get themselves killed.” Izumi replies, reassuring the young mother. “God knows when I had them they were a handful.”

Both ladies laugh as they watch Sig help Sarah out of the water. The girl totters over to them, her wet curls bouncing with the movement. “Mama, Aunty ‘Zumi! Look! We caught a shell!” She thrusts the giant clam shell in her mother’s face.

“Oh, wow, it’s so beautiful!” Izumi delights. She notices the toddler’s chubby little cheeks and nose were looking a little redder than usual. Dublith’s sunrays were nothing to play with, especially with Sarah’s fair complexion. “Why don’t you give it to Mama so I can put some more sunscreen on you?”

Sarah pouts and sets her hands on her hips, obviously not keen on being rubbed down again. Izumi is reminded of Ed when he was little, he always had a problem with everything. “But Mama did!” She starts to whine before Winry tells her to stop acting like a brat.

“After we’ll go look for more shells, I promise.” Sig pats the girl on the head to calm her down.

“Ok!” Sarah quickly deposits the shell on Winry’s lap and lets her aunt slather her up with the sun lotion again. Her mom helps rub it into her face as Izumi does her arms and legs.

Edward ascends the sand as Theo’s follows behind him carrying his little bucket. “Look at the shells we found!” The boy smiles just like his father. “We have like a hundred!”

“Cool!” Sarah jumps out of Izumi’s grip to look at her brother’s collection. ““I wan’ some too! Can Aunty ‘Zumi and Siggy help me?”

“Sure kiddo, let’s go!” Sig grabs Sarah’s hand and Izumi takes the other as they walk down the pseudo beach. Theo calls at them to wait up as he dashes after them.

Edward smiles as he watches them amble down the shore. His kids have those two wrapped around their fingers. The Curtis’ dote on them as if they were their own grandchildren, always jumping at the chance to watch the kids and spoil them. Dublith is just a short train ride away from Rush Valley so the two families have no problem seeing each other as much as possible.  This particular visit ended up as a trip to the lake thanks to Theo’s incessant begging. Not that Edward minds, days like these were far and few between.

Winry struggles to get up from the low beach chair before Ed notices and jumps to help her up, lifting her weight with ease. She squeezes his arm in thanks, smiling up at him. His cheeks feel warm and he has a feeling it’s not from the sun.

“How are you feeling?” Edward can’t help looking down at her belly.

“Like a beached whale.” Winry sighs, stroking her bump, “I was pretty freaked there for a second, watching you in the water.”

Edward huffs at his wife, displeased, “Winry! We went over this! I was being careful! We were barely two feet deep and the kids had floaties on! I told you not to worry, it isn’t good for-”

“The baby.” She finishes for him, rolling her eyes. “Yes. I know! I just can’t help it! You’re being so rough out there and your automail could drag you down any second. It’s dangerous!”

“This isn’t the ocean Winry, there aren’t waves and shit. It’s just a lake.” He tries to keep his voice from sounding too condescending. It was a hard habit to break.

“Water is water, Ed!” She jabs her finger into his chest. “I don’t care what you say, it’s dangerous with automail.”

“Do you remember our honeymoon? You dragged me into the ocean because you said it would be fun? How is this any different?”

“Because I was in there with you, I could make sure you didn’t drown! And, we didn’t have two little people to chase after back then!”

Edward frowns down at his wife, their faces as close as they can get with their baby in the way. She’s standing on her tip toes to make herself seem more intimidating, but it doesn’t really work since she’s still smaller than him. Ed knows he’ll never let her live that fact down.

Suddenly an idea comes to him and he perks up, surprising his wife. “Well the kids are entertained now.” He looks out to the four figures down the shore. “Why don’t you come in with me and make sure I don’t drown, huh?” He smiles and offers his hand to her but she’s hesitant to take it.

“Oh, Edward, this isn’t exactly the same. I’m pregnant now if you haven’t noticed.”

He holds in his laughter, deciding not to answer that question. He knows a trap when he sees it and he’s not going to fall for it this time. “Come on, Win, don’t you trust me?” He extends his hand back out to her.

Sighing, she tentatively places her hand in his, “Of course, I do Ed, it’s just-”

“Ah Ah Ah! Too late, there’s no turning back!” He smiles wide and tugs her towards the shore. “You’re coming with me!”

“Wait! My dress!” Winry digs her heels into the sand to stop him. What is with people dragging her around lately?

After she changes and adjusts her bathing suit, Winry huffs in annoyance at her husband. How did he always manage to persuade her into doing stupid things? He can’t handle how cute her little pout is, she’s pretty damn adorable.

Patting her on the head Ed asks, “You good? Do you need sunscreen? Some Water? Another hat?”

“No, Ed, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes!” She hisses.

“Alright, alright, come on.” He gently takes her hand and leads her to the lake. Winry looks down the shore and sees Izumi and Sig walking with their kids. They were pretty far off in the distance, still searching for shells.

The lake water was cool but refreshing. It was a shame really. Winry loves the beach and swimming, she just couldn’t enjoy it when she was looking after her family and had to waddle around with a baby inside her. It wasn’t fair.

“Careful Ed,” She warns when Edward takes them a little further out, “You don’t have to go so deep, you know.”

“Quit your worrying, woman.” He pulls her close as they wade around. “I told you to trust me.”

Snapping her mouth shut before she can give him another retort, Winry leans back and lets her hair soak in the water, trying to relax.

“We should do this more often.” He muses, watching her tip her head back. “Maybe go to the actual beach.”

“Mhm, I think the kids would love that.” Her eyes are still closed as she soaks up the sun. Ed pulls them a little further into the lake and Winry jolts up, grabbing onto his shoulders.

“Ed, seriously, were going to drown!”

“Would you stop! My feet are still touching the ground!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!” They glare into each other’s eyes before he leans in for a kiss. Her arms twist around his neck as the kiss deepens. Suddenly Winry pulls back, telling him to swim back to shore but he tells her to shut up and kisses her again for good measure.

This reminds Ed of their honeymoon, on that beach in Aerugo, where they had a lot of fun in the ocean. Those memories put ideas in his head as his hand gets braver, reaching down below the water. Winry blushes and giggles, clearly into whatever he was doing. What is he going to do with her? One second, she’s nagging him about his automail, the next she’s all over him.

They hear some commotion and pull apart to see their kids and his old teacher waving at them to come out of the water. “Break it up, lovebirds! The kids want to go on Yock Island!” Izumi calls out to them.

“Alright!” Ed yells back, still holding onto Winry, “We’ll be out in a minute!”

“I guess that means it’s time for us to go.” She whispers demurely. The evening sun is low in the sky and it casts a soft glow across her face, igniting her eyes. He kisses her again just because he can, and they set off back to their family who’s waiting by the shore.

[oddsnendsfanfics]

Two Strangers : Doubts

Genre: Fan Fiction (Vikings) Pairing: Ivar/Reader Warnings: N/A Rating: G Length: Drabble Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.  

A/N: More Modern!Ivar, because he is clearly a hit ;) 

Two Strangers Master List

Across the room your iPad dinged, telling you that there was a new video call waiting to be answered. Without looking at the person sending the request, you knew straight away that it would be Ivar. Sure enough, on the other side of the screen his smile met you – making your stomach flutter and your heart grow tight. You hadn’t seen Ivar, in person, in three months but the constant video calls and communication were almost enough to make up for the absence.

“Miss me, yet?” You asked settling in on your couch. You may as well get comfortable now, this was going to take a while. Not that you minded, the marathon video chats with Ivar were the best part of your week.

“Always do, Gorgeous,” Ivar spoke, smiling like a fool. You watched as he shifted around, recognizing the room he was in as the living room. Behind him the soft brown leather couch gave the perfect back drop. “Did you miss me?”

“Of course,” You smile with your reply.

Missing Ivar was the precise reason you had asked him to move this chat to today, instead of later in the week like you had originally planned. You would get to that, all in due time, but for now you simply wanted to enjoy the idle chit chat that came with every video call. They were all the same, you’d tell other how much you’d been missing them, ask about their day, tell about yours, and then whatever else needed to be said would come into play.

“How was your day?” Ivar asked, lifting a blue towel from around his neck and running it over his hair. You hadn’t noticed it before now, but his hair was damp and his bare shoulders were staring you down. He was looking much tighter and better built than you remembered.

Distracted by the innocent, as if, action, you blinked rapidly bringing yourself back to the conversation. Damn Ivar, he was such a tease.

“My day has barely begun,” You speak clearly, glancing up to the window in your living room. The mid-morning sun is streaming through, making the lazy Sunday the almost perfect day.

To be a proper perfect day, Ivar would have to be there in person. For now, this was good enough.

“Did you make it to kick-boxing this morning?” Ivar inquired knowing that you had been talking about going.

Crinkling your nose, you smile sheepishly. “I ended up sleeping in, but it was worth it.” Your alarm had gone off and instead of dragging yourself out of bed and to the gym, you’d been happy to silence the alarm and roll over. One week wouldn’t hurt. “Did you make it to the gym today?”

Ivar slowly nodded, rolling his eyes. “Ubbe had me awake at 5 to go.”

Ivar was content to tag along, after all being active was one of the best things for him, the fact his brother constantly turned their trips to the gym into some sort of competition heightened Ivar’s desire to go. His physio therapist had recently commented on how the frequent trips were paying off in more ways than Ivar could have imagined.

Flexing his left arm on the other side of the screen, he winked and made what you assumed to be a sexy pout.

“Hey babe.” He lowered his voice, mocking the typical American Muscle Head. “Which way to the beach?”

“You’re terrible,” You giggle at the antics. “But seriously, you feel okay? No over doing it I hope?”

“I feel great,” He half lied, after this Ivar was going to have a date with his bed. The physical part of his morning had left him beat. “Hvitserk and Sig came too, we played basketball.” He beamed proudly. Having to play in a wheel chair would give most people a disadvantage, especially when their opponents were all 6 feet and over. Ivar on the other hand had something his brothers didn’t - great aim. “Sig and I won.”

“So, when is the NBA calling?” You engaged.

Ivar rolled his eyes and smirked, “I already turned them away. They’re not ready for all of this.” He teased,

“Well, when they call, don’t forget about us little people?”

Sighing, Ivar smiled softly. “Forget you? Not happening, in fact,” He paused biting his bottom lip. “I was wondering, when are you coming back to see me?”

About to tell Ivar that you had been thinking about your next visit, you paused hearing someone talking in the background on his end. Ubbe was casually yelling for Ivar, his tone softening and Ivar’s attention leaving the screen. Listening to the brothers, you waited for a lull in their conversation – Ubbe was going out and there was a possibility he wouldn’t be back for the night. Ivar was nodding, agreeing, and assuring his brother that things would be fine – before calling out to Ubbe.

Ivar’s video began to spin and you were face to face with Ubbe. “When are you coming back to see me?” He parroted his baby brother’s question. “It’d be nice to have a prettier face than Ivar’s around here.” Ubbe winked.

“Well,” You purse your lips together, “I was thinking that maybe Ivar should come visit me this time?”

Ubbe’s eyebrows shot up, his blue eyes wide, and his beard hiding the smirk on his face. “That’s a great idea, but then I miss out.” He teased.

“You have Margrethe,” You shot back. Remembering the details Ivar had given you on Ubbe’s new girlfriend, the waitress from across town. You had saw photos and she looked very much like the type of girl you would have hand picked for Ubbe. “You don’t need me hanging around.”

“I don’t know,” Ubbe drawled out the words, “Ivar’s not much of a traveler.”

“What? What is she saying? Ubbe!” Ivar was frantic in the background, growling at his brother. Ubbe moved quickly to dodge a slap in the back of the knees. “Ubbe!” He was practically shouting. “Give that back!”

“Do you think you’d even want him? He’s a shit roommate.” Ubbe continued to torment you and his brother. “At least here, if you get bored with him there are three other brothers to pick from.”

“Ubbe you dick,” Ivar continued to rage, annoyed in the background.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ubbe.” You play into his torment, “If I get bored with Ivar, you’d be my last choice.” You laugh and wink.

“You just keep breaking my heart,” Ubbe placed his hand over his chest. “Here, I’ll give you back before Ivar has a tantrum.”

Another blurry screen, a thump, and Ubbe shouting happen before Ivar’s pouting and innocent eyes reappear. Sighing heavily, he settles in and clears his throat. His hair is starting to dry and curl on the ends, you want so much to run your fingers through it. To stroke his cheek and reassure him that you and Ubbe were only teasing him.

“Ivar,” Your voice is even and sweet. You fight the urge to stroke the screen, gently connecting the freckles on his left cheek with your finger tip. “You know we were being dicks.”

“I know.” He grumbled, his eyes a dark blue and his frown making his lips look even more inviting.

Logically, Ivar knew that you would never cast him aside for one of his brothers. At least he hoped you would never cast him aside for one of his brothers. Ivar had always hated having to share, mostly because his brothers would take his things and never let him have them again. Childhood toys were one thing, but a woman was another. Ubbe had crossed a line in his comments and Ivar had gained his revenge. Now Ubbe was heading out on a date, his arm sporting a new bruise, and his shins beat from Ivar’s crutch.

“What I wasn’t teasing about, was you coming to visit me.” You continue to smile at him. “I mean, if you want to.”

You’d love to have another chance at visiting Ivar at home, but this time, having him come to you felt right. You knew his family and his friends, it was time that Ivar got to experience that on your side. You could show him all of your favourite spots and sights, take him around town and show him off.

A vacation from home and his brothers wouldn’t be that bad, getting to spend time with you would be amazing. There were a few tiny details which kept Ivar from jumping on a plane this very moment. His heart clenched and his stomach twisted. He shouldn’t be so nervous.

“A…are…Are you sure?” Ivar’s question was barely above a whisper.

“Of course, I am, silly.” You encourage. “Ivar, I want you to come and see where I’m from. I want you to meet my family and friends, to show you around like you did for me.”

“But what…never mind.” Ivar sighed heavily, a low growl resting in his throat.

“Ivar.” You hardened your gaze. “What’s wrong?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ivar idly chewed his bottom lip, trying to find a way to voice his concerns. “What if I come to visit and your family hates me? I mean, do they know?”

“Know what?”

You could understand his concerns, because you’d had the same ones when meeting his family.

“About me.” His eyes locked on your through the screen. A shiver ran through you.

“Of course they do! No, I’ve been seeing you for almost nine months and decided it wasn’t important.” You shook your head in disbelief. “Yes, Ivar. They know about you and I.”

Shaking his head, Ivar spoke. “Not about us, I mean about me. Do your friends and family know that you’re dating a guy whose legs don’t work, who you met on a plane?”

“Ivar!” You loudly scold him. “Don’t be like that, what is this about? Are you mad because Ubbe and I were teasing you? If you are then I’m sorry. If you’re not feeling well, then we can discuss this later.” You huff at him. “I hate when you talk that way, you know it. Ivar, I love you for you. Legs or not.”

“So they don’t know?”

“They know,” You answer with a deadpan stare.

You’d told your best friend about Ivar almost immediately after hanging out together in Paris. When you realized the photos that you’d taken with Ivar were mostly selfies or waist up, you had told her everything. How he had sat by you on the plane. How he’d really managed to make you like him with that stupid wagon joke. Even how he never let crutches and braces slow him down. After meeting Sigurd, you’d even had the odd idea about setting the two of them up. Once Ivar met her, you may go through with it.

Your mother had spoke to Ivar on the phone and briefly on a video call one morning. She had been elated, commenting on his manners and not to mention looks. Knowing that she wanted the best for you, while having dinner one evening you had told her everything about Ivar. About his brothers, his parents, even his legs. Her only reply had been to ask when she got to meet him.

“And you know what, babe, they don’t care.” You continue, not without noticing the doubt on Ivar’s face. “You make me happy. My friends and family will respect that. My mom can’t wait to meet you.” You smile sweetly. “And I can’t wait to have you here.”

@pathybo , @imgoldielikehawn , @sparklemichele , @titty-teetee , @kirah34 , @kduran04 , @capitanostella , @badassbaker ,  @pagan-raider , @cute-freak27 , @bloodyivar , @normanallthewayforever  , @blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme , @imyourliquor-youremypoison , @nikky-the-writer  , @seremedyxiii , @rrwilson66 , @alex-ivar-minx , @deleteidentity  , @hoeghfabulous , @ateliefloresdaprimavera  , @mydarlingwhim , @tornupandbored

[summerxevans]

Para for Assignment | BDSM on a Budget

Who: Summer and @domitxnate When: November 15th - 20th (ish)  Description: It may seem like an odd coupling, but Nate and Summer have more in common than most people realize. They chose to pair up to do this assignment together because they both felt others wouldn’t quite understand why it caused them such emotional turmoil. Despite that, they got through it together.  Content Warning: Grief, discussion of miscarriage

The baby was oddly realistic, in an almost creepy sort of way. Summer was currently sitting on the couch in Nate's living room, cradling the small bundle and watching it breathe. Thats right... it fucking breathes. It added to the realism, she supposed. With real babies you had to make sure they were always able to breathe whenever you set them down or put them in a car seat. "I guess our first big parenting decision is what to name it, right? We can't just call it "the baby" all week..."

Nate walked back into the room as Summer held the baby, pushing down the imaginary memories he'd created in his head over the years. "I s'pose if we gotta pretend it's real, right?" he agreed. "Do we even know if it's a boy or a girl? Or is it a non binary baby?"

"I think its non-binary, so I guess we can pick?" She shrugged. "Got any suggestions?" Summer couldn't stop staring at it. It was surreal. It was a baby, but... not a baby. And it was hers, but... not hers. She had no idea what to feel right now.

"I'd prefer a girl," he said softly, hoping they could just bypass the whole re-hasing of old wounds. "Maybe somethin' like...Delilah? Or Savannah?" he offered, having literally no clue where to go.

Summer nodded. "Sure. She can be a girl..." she considered the names, but neither of them really seemed to grab her. "What about Phoenix?" She suggested.

Nate hummed as he thought it over. It was alittle weirder than he'd name an actual child, but there was certainly something profound about it. "Alright," he agreed with a nod, "Phoenix it is."

Summer smiled, starting to feel a little better now that they'd given the baby a name and personified her a bit. She looked up, finally. "Do you want to hold her, Sir?" She offered, not wanting to be selfish.

Nate licked his lip as he looked down at the baby in Summer's arms - more realistic than he thought was posisble. They were going to have to pretend this thing was real, and honestly, there was no time like the present. He nodded and leaned towards her, carefully lifting the baby from her mother and holding her against his chest. "This is...kinda crazy," he said with a soft scoff, but the smile soon took it's place. "She's kinda beautiful," he whispered, "Hey baby girl."

Summer gently relinquished the baby to Nate, and watched as he got her settled into his arms. She gave an awkward nod in agreement, it was kind of crazy... but when he smiled and greeted the baby so softly, Summer couldn't help but melt a little. That moment right there just made it feel so much more real than it was, and she wasn't sure why that was making her tear up a little bit.

"Alright," she said quietly with a deep sig, "So, we wanna do this totally realistically? Like, as if we were together in some way, with a baby? Or are we just focused on the baby raisin' part?"

"Oh. Um, I don't know." She said, caught off guard by the question. She quickly steeled herself against the emotions threatening to overtake her. "Um, I think maybe we should just focus on the baby raising part? I don't know how Sam will feel about us pretending we're together or something, and as fun as it is to tease him, I don't want to hurt him." She reasoned.

Nate thought over Summer's thoughts and nodded as he conceded to her words. "That's a decent point. I didn't really mean like sex or whatever. More like, rules or expectations or somethin'," he confirmed. "But I see you're point," he agreed as the baby in his arms started to cry. "Shh, shh, it's okay," he cooed softly, rocking the doll in his arms slightly.

"I know you didn't, Sir. But I think even use pretending like we're married or something might upset him... But we probably should have some sort of rules or expectations. Like, how do we divide up classtime with her fairly? And if one of us wants a night off to go hook up with someone or even just go out, is that fair to the other person or do we-" She cut off as the baby started to cry, and she swallowed. She watched as he shushed the doll and settled her, and once she seemed a bit less fussy she continued, this time with her tone a little softer. "Point is, we should definitely lay down some rules, I think." She concluded. "Do you think she's hungry?"

"Yeah, maybe that's not a bad idea," he agreed, "though I do think Phoenix has to be our number one priority. I mean, it's five days," he pointed out, "A break is certainly one thing, but I dunno that I wanna be the parents that leave her to go out and stuff." The doll settled a bit, slowly cooing when Summer brought up hunger, "Yeah, I think she probably is," he said looking at the clock, "Ya wanna feed her?"

Summer looked up, "I agree completely, Sir." She had brought up the break thing expecting he might want to take a break at some point, but was pleased that he seemed to be on the same page that they had to prioritize the baby. She expected, fully, that both of them would probably need a little space for an hour or two, but never far away from Phoenix. "Sure... um, where did you put the formula?" She asked. "You can keep holding her while I go mix it up."

Nate nodded in agreement, still rocking back and forth on his feet as he held the baby. "It's in the bag," he said, motioning with his elbow towards the school-provided diaper bag on the floor. As Summer got up to get it, the baby began to fuss a little more and Nate kept his rhythm of rocking on his feet while he rocked her. "It's alright, darlin', it's alright," he cooed quietly, "Mama's comin', shhh shhh," he said, almost on pure instinct and starting to engulf himself in this whole thing.

Summer stood up and walked over to the bag, searching through it until she found the formula. She took it to the kitchen to start mixing it up, and smiled to herself when she heard Nate referring to her as "mama" to the baby. She liked that. She'd always wanted to be a mother. It was a bit weird that her first experience with this was to a robot... but already, Phoenix was more than just a robot to her. She made sure to test the temperature of the formula before she brought it back out to where Nate was cooing at the doll, and reached out for her so she could feed her.

Nate did his little sway dance in the living room - which was all he had in regards to dancing talent. He shushed and cooed as the robot continued to cry. The sound was certainly getting to be a lot for him, and he could see how parents of infants got so upset so easily. But like a well-oiled machine, Summer appeared with the bottle and Nate carefully handed Phoenix over to Summer and waited for her to get settled for the feeding. "Alright, I'm gonna take a look at what's in this bag here," he said, grabbing the diaperbag and going through it. "What are our parenting stances on nooks?" he asked, pulling out a pacifier.

As soon as the baby had the bottle in her mouth and began to suckle, she was calm and content. She looked up when Nate pulled out the pacifier. "That's called a binky and our stance is that shes young enough she can have it as often as she wants." She said with a light smile.

He blinked at Summer a bit, "I'm sorry, a what?" he asked, "this is completely and 100% a nook," he said, taking an oddly strong, playful stance on the subject. "Alright that's fair. Hell, if she wants it when she's 12, who cares? I mean, she'll have to be able to stand up for herself but who am I to tell her what makes her feel better?"

"A binky." Summer repeated, emphatically. "She's a robot, if she wants it when she's 12 she can easily crush all the kids who tease her." Summer pointed out.

He slitted his eyes a bit, a small growl from his throat. Is this really what parents fought about. "Well, I mean, yes there's that too," he nodded. "So where do ya want me to set up her bassinet thing? Your room? Mine?" he asked, not entirely sure how they were going to co-parent and not act like they were together, though he understood why they were doing it this way.

Summer absolutely did not want to be apart from her overnight. Or ever. She imagined Nate might feel the same way though.... "we could take turns? Or... I can sleep on the floor in your room, maybe."

Nate thought it over, running his hand over his face as his inner boxes started to fight him. "I mean," he began, "For the reasons of this assignment, maybe...sharin' a room ain't the worst idea in the world. Knowin' that I don't normally do this and all that. But, I mean, ya ain't my sub for this assignment, your the co-parent. So, knowin' that," he trailed off, mostly figuring this all out in the moments he was speaking, "Maybe that's the best way to handle this."

Summer could see Nate was struggling with the concept a little bit, but She did feel that it was probably the best option so that neither of them had to spend any nights away from Phoenix. She looked down at the little bundle in her arms, still suckling away happily at the bottle, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable at all, Sir. But I don't want to be away from her and I don't think  you do either..." She pointed out. "We can try it out tonight, and if it's not working for you, we'll figure something else out tomorrow, okay?"

Nate nodded, “I mean ultimately we gotta do what makes sense. And what’s logical. And I think if I focus on that I’ll be okay. Ya just gotta promise ya ain’t gonna fall in love with me,” he smirked.

Summer scoffed. "Not a chance." She chuckled. "Got an air mattress or anything I can use to crash on the floor with?" She asked, not wanting to invade his personal space any more than was necessary.

Nate just hummed in a "yeah, okay," kinda way and ended with a short laugh. "I mean, the bed's big enough," he offered, "If you're alright with it. Otherwise we can pull the mattress out of Ry--uh, the spare room and pull it into mine."

"I mean, I can fall asleep anywhere to be honest. It's whatever you're comfortable, Sir. I'm the one invading your space." She told him. Just as she finished speaking, the baby finished off the last of the bottle. Summer set the now empty bottle down nearby and gently rocked her.

He gave a shrug, "it wouldn't be hard to pull the mattress in there," he said simply, as if he was actually making the decision. He watched as Summer went back to cuddling Phoenix and pulled a confused face, "Ya gotta burp her, Summer. Or she's gonna start screamin'."

"Then let's do that." She said, decision made. She looked at him, tilting her head, and then... "Right... I think I remember helping my mom do that when the Triplets 2.0 were babies." It had been a long time since then, but she carefully moved the baby up into position so she could burp her.

He chuckled at the 'next generation Evans' joke and watched as Summer set up to burp the robot baby. She was patting her back but nothing seemed to help. "Maybe try rubbing her back. I read sometimes that helps if pattin' doesn't do it."

Summer frowned, she'd only just started, Nate was already giving up on her method in favour of another? She kept patting, confident it would work.

Nate stayed quiet for a moment, but noticed that Summer wasn’t changing her tactic. The baby still wasn’t burping and now was starting to fuss. “Really? Is this really the time ya gonna chose to be bull-headed?” He asked rolling his eyes and going to the fridge for a drink. If she was going to be stubborn because she didn’t wanna take advice, that was her choice.

Summer's frown deepened, was Nate really doing this? She sighed, continuing to pat for another moment or two. Phoenix's fussing grew though and eventually Summer had to concede and change tactics. But Nate's idea didn't work either. "It's not working, Sir." She said, pointedly, as the baby began to cry.

His face frowned when his plan didn’t work either, figuring one of the two of them would have. “Alright, maybe she’s one of those super gassy ones. Law her across your lap face down and rub or pat,” he offered.

Summer hesitated, the idea seemed logical but rather harsh and she didn't want to hurt Phoenix. So she brought her over to Nate and offered her to him. "You try." She said.

Nate nodded taking the crying baby as she was handed. He moved to sit on a chair correctly. He carefully laid the baby acrossed his lap, keeping her head and neck cradled in his hand and against his thigh. He tried the rubbing technique first, rubbing over her lower back and up to her shoulders. He then started to pat her gently and they heard it. “Whoa! Good push kiddo,” he chuckled and carefully returned her to his arms, keeping her upright against his chest. “We got this,” he smirked.”

Summer breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the little noise, and the baby settled down as she cuddled against Nate. "Well, you've got this, at least." She said, realizing that she probably didn't know as much about babies as she thought she did.

Nate shook his head, "Nah, nah i said what I said for a reason," he said running his hand over the baby's back, feeling the robot start to settle against him. "I just...i was plannin' for a baby, Summer. I read everythin' there was to read. I searched everythin' there was to search. Some of it seemed to stick, apparently."

kelstiel11/23/2020 Shhh i was making the dream board and it took all morning lol. I'll do a reply on my break in a few hours.  and I have tomorrow and Wednesday off so ill be around lots then

----------------- It was later that night when Summer found herself sitting up in the bed, Phoenix tucked in her lap as Nate slept beside them. They had agreed to take turns for the night time feedings, and it was Summers turn m, but the feeding had ended about twenty minutes ago. She couldn't bring herself to put the baby down though. She was just content to stare at the sleeping doll, and she was feeling unexpectedly emotional about the whole thing. This could have been her life... her baby would be a year old some time this month, though the exact date would never be known. She sniffled, and wiped her eyes. The movment cause the baby to wake though, and she began to cry. Summer immediately tucked her to her chest to comfort her, "Shh... its okay."

Nate wasn't sure what was happening when he was suddenly awake. It took him probably close to a full minute to figure out what was going on when he turned to see Summer in bed with the baby who was now crying. "Everythin' alright?" he asked sleepily, sittin' up against the headboard and rubbing his tired eyes. He looked up to summer and noticed something - though he couldn't pin point what. "Hey....everythin' okay? Need help?"

Summer nodded, sniffling again. "We're fine, I think I just spooked her a little." She admitted, but already the baby was beginning to calm down with the gentle rubbing motion Summer was doing on her back. "I just couldn't sleep, so I stayed up with her and I was thinking and..." She trailed off, her breath hitching in her throat.

Nate was ready to take that answer and go back to sleep. But he heard the sad in her voice and sat up a little to move closer towards her. “Cmon,” he encouraged softly, “talk to me.”

She sniffled again, "I was just... I realized that this month would have been her first birthday." She said, and she knew she didn't have to elaborate on who, Nate would know. "I just started thinking about how different my life might have been..."

Nate nodded solemnly as her words hit hard against his ears. "I'm sorry," he said softly, knowing that was the worst and only thing he could say. "That's one way to look at it," he breathed out slowly, "Ya could also look at it like things would have definitely been different, but that doesn't mean they would have been better. Things happen for a reason. And we're only given exactly what we can handle. No more, no less."

Summer wasn't sure she bought into the whole "only given what we can handle" stuff, because who was doing the giving, really? But that wasn't a conversation she was going to get into right now, especially when Nate was only trying to comfort her. His words may have missed the mark but his intention was genuine. She kept rubbing the baby's back, holding her close, but her head came down to rest against Nate's shoulder, seeking whatever small amount of comfort she could in her moments of vulnerability.

He smiled softly as her head rested against him, and just let them sit in the silence for a few minutes. "Hey," he finally whispered softly, "ya both gotta get some sleep. Ya gotta put her back for now. But she'll be right there in the mornin'."

Summer knew he was right. She needed sleep and she'd sleep better on her back instead of in Summer's arms. As for Summer, well, she needed sleep too, but she didn't want to put Phoenix down. It took her another moment, but finally logic won out and she sat up, slowly so as not to wake the baby again, and gently laid her in the 'crib' that was set up next to the bed. She laid back down and took in a breath as she watched the baby sleep, "I'm sorry we woke you, Sir." She said to Nate, keeping her voice low and soft.

Nate shook his head, "Y'all aint got no reason to be sorry. Just lay back down, let yourself rest. I'll get her the next time she wakes up."