#than they needed to drag her outside kicking and screaming to touch grass and make her talk too a brown person.

[once-and-future-alaskan]

I'll be honest, there was something oddly cathartic about my weird little fit of interacting with past me's posts like she was some random idiot stranger earlier. Something something treating a version of yourself as a separate entity to call her a stupid bitch.

No, i'm not plural, oh my god some of you people i swear.

[thestruidora]

Landslide

The Avengers (MCU) Fanfiction

Rating: Explicit

WARNINGS: This story will contain but it’ll not be limited to explicit 18+ content including Obsessive Behavior, Smut, Shower Sex, Edging, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Fluff, Oral Sex, thigh riding, Dirty Talk, Praise Kink, Jealousy, Possessive Behavior, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Dominance, Submission, Knotting, Scenting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Rutting, Rut Sickness

Category: F/M

Pairings: Steve Rogers/Reader, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov

Summary: Steve was never quite sure if he truly was an alpha. Genetically he should be, coming from a long line of alpha males. But due to the several health conditions in his youth, his poorly functioning body never presented. But now, because of the serum reacting to his true designation, a terrible case of rut sickness takes hold of the super soldier, threatening his life. Being a beta, Natasha can’t offer him what he needs, and since omegas are rarer today then ever, she is forced to hire a foreign girl to tend to Steve during these desperate times.

Author’s notes: Did y'all miss me? Yeah, I'm sure you didn't.

If anyone is interested in getting to know the magical music genre called forró, I chose a couple of classics that I feel like definitively played on the reader's first and only June Party: O Xote das Meninas Xote Dos Milagres Cintura Fina Morena Tropicana

Shout outs: @captainchrisstan, @keenkiddeputynickel, @danidv011, @ballyhoobarnes, @pophbfdsxa, @crashbarbie, @readermia, @musicnowandforever661, @bianaguipa, @deezy-061 Thank you so much for your guy’s support!

For those who missed it: Chapter One >> Language Barrier Chapter Two >> Bilingual Chapter Three >> Miscommunication

Chapter Four

Gibberish

She can still remember the laughter. The giggling that came from the back of her throat as she threw her head back, a smile full of teeth spread through her lips. The exhilaration of being with her friends, dancing her heart out.

It was her favorite time of the year. The sounds of the June Party moving on her feet. The rhythmic vibrations of the music's beat coursing through her. The songs, the speaking, the dancing: all at once ringing in her ears. One of her very first alcoholic drinks running through her veins along with all the spinning making her dizzy.

She was the happiest she’s ever been.

Every year her older cousins would travel to the countryside of Bahia's state, where the June festivities were the most elaborate. Her mom, so controlling, so protective, would never let her go. But on the year of her 14th birthday, she begged a little more strongly, pleaded a little more fervently, and now there she was.

It was so much more than she could ever have imagined. Bigger, louder, an explosion of newness to her senses. A big contrast to her secluded life in the city, because everybody knows that being a woman is hard, but being an Omega is harder.

Her mom was mated only a few hours after presenting, a few hours into her first heat, to a man she barely knew and definitely did not love. But still, she was one of the lucky ones. She could have been robbed, kidnapped and trafficked. Because Omegas are rare and the demand is huge, so presenting as one was as good as a death sentence.

But she was still young, she still got time.

And now, finally outside of her mom's vigilant eyes, with her girlfriends dancing by her side and the pulse of the *forró guiding her body she could allow herself to be carefree.

“Rapaz, que secura!” Lana screamed, complaining about the heat.

“É, tá um calor desgraçado.” Gabriela agreed, fanning herself with her hands, droplets of sweat trickling down her forehead and into her exposed cleavage.

Y/N simply laughed at her friends, they were a couple years older than her, but not necessarily more mature. Of course it was hot, they’ve been dancing for a long time, and even in the open space with the night air hanging over them, the place was so crowded that they would barely move while trying to get to the open bar.

She watched as the girls got their beverages, gobbling them down as if they were the first drinks they had in ages. But suddenly, the permanent smile that had been plastered on her face throughout the night died, something curious shifting inside of her. It was a unique feeling, one she never experienced before. It had started as a tightness in her lower abdomen, but it was growing into a sharp pain.

“Você tá bem?” Lana asked if she was ok, noticing the grimace in her features.

She tried to shake her head yes, but it came out the exact opposite as she doubled down on herself, her hands pressing on her stomach as she frowned, the pain becoming unbearable. Were these cramps? Was she about to get her period in the middle of this party?

But no, it wasn’t that. Somehow in the back of her mind, she knew this was different. She had begun to sweat, but not from the crowd or the dancing, there was this intense hotness forming within her.

She noticed a couple of men standing on the edges of the party space, in the shadows, almost camouflaged. Their eyes were predatory, fixated on her, they shined with a sinister glow, reflecting the flickering red light of the bonfire. Her friends called to her, guiding her to walk across to one of the tables, helping her sit down. When she looked again, the men were gone. Was she going mad?

“A gente vai ver se encontra Ibuprofeno, fica aí.” Gabriela said this time, or was it Lana again? They left, said something about looking for painkillers, she wasn’t paying attention, the pain was too much and so were the smells. All of the sudden, she felt like she could smell every single thing and every single one in the whole place.

She could smell the perfume, and the liquor, the sweet and the savory foods, altogether but also individually, it was overwhelming. She could smell the people, not their body wash or their shampoo, but their true scents. Some were warm and some were cold, some too strong and others too bland. And then there were two that were getting closer, too close, and these stung in her nostrils. Her vision had gone blurry and she couldn’t tell much of what was happening around her at that point, but she knew she wasn’t alone.

Shaking from the pain, shivering even though she was burning up, she looked up just fast enough to get a look at the two men from before, standing right behind her. One of them covered her eyes with his hand and the other covered her mouth. A muffled scream and a couple of weak punches were all she could do before they pulled her up from her chair, completely immobilizing her.

She trashed and struggled about, but to no avail. They were big and strong and she was small and frail.

“Shhh, Omega.” One of them whispered in her ear, and as if under a spell, she did just what was asked of her, her free will hushed. Something about his voice, and their touch, turned the pang in between her legs into a tingle.

And that’s when she knew: she had presented and this was her first heat.

They dragged her pliable body into the woods of the rural countryside, the sway of the forró getting left behind, her mother’s voice playing on a loop inside her head, “Be careful”, she always said.

Everything went dark, she could only make out flashes of information. The roughness of their hands and the graveness of their voices as they spoke to each other, laughing to themselves about how much she was worth, the way they sniffed at her neck, exhaling with satisfaction.

At some point, the grass of the forest turned into asphalt underneath her feet, and she was blindfolded and tied up, her lips taped as she was thrown into the back of a car. She could only whimper, her heat burning inside of her.

Shifting in and out of conciseness, she couldn’t tell how long had passed, couldn’t differentiate hours from days anymore. From time to time she would feel the prick of a needle going into her arm, and then it was all darkness again. She remembered being cold, shivering about as more rough hands grabbed at her. Were these the same ones from before or no? Had Lana or Gabriela reported her missing? Was anyone coming for her?

Eventually, it all stopped.

There was a cushiony softness below her, a thin sheet of fabric above her. When Y/N carefully tried to open her eyes, for the first time in what seemed like forever, she was greeted by light. Not the warm sunshine that often peeked through the windows of her bedroom in the mornings, but a cold, harsh light that came from a singular light bulb attached to the ceiling.

No longer tied or muzzled, she slowed sat up in the single bed, looking around. There was nothing covering her figure but the bedding, not even underwear. She found herself in a tiny room: four concrete white walls, a small barred window and a closed door.

Her heat was over, she could feel it, no more fire burning in her loins. She disentangled herself from the bed sheet, getting up too quickly, ignoring her nakedness and the dizziness, heading straight for the door. It was locked, of course.

Finally feeling sober enough to allow the rage to bubble up inside, she began to furiously bang on the door with clenched fists, kicking it, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Hey!” A male voice boomed just outside, appearing suddenly, as if he was already waiting right there. “Yapma!” He hit the metal of the door, hard, making it shake slightly.

She retreated, startled, analyzing the situation. She had no idea what he had said, but gathering from the brutality with which it was uttered, it couldn't have been good. She didn't even know where she'd been taken, but she had an idea why.

More male voices were spoken on the other side of the wall, in that language she did not know. Something electronic beeped, then it let out a subtle ping sound, and just like that the door was sprung open. Two men walked in, the first thing she noticed was the gun one of them was carrying, while the other came in with a paper file in his hands. She backed away into the corner of the room, trying to cover her exposed chest and genitals with her hands, their big Alpha bodies taking over the space, making her feel even more intimidated.

“Nasıl hissediyorsun?” The one with the file said to her, his words sounding like a reserved recording to her brain. He was older, maybe in his late forties, greying hair at the top of his head, a light blue suit framing his ample shoulders.

When she didn’t answer, simply stood there against the wall, trying to control her labored breathing and the sheer fear that had taken over her body, causing even her inner organs to shake, he gave her a once over, opening the file and scanning through whatever was written there.

“Brazil, huh?” He arched one of his brows. “Can you understand me now?” He asked her, deliberately enunciating every word.

Y/N swallowed the sigh that was trying to leave her lips, staring at the gun, wide-eyed.

“Dumb bitch.” The man in the suit murmured to himself, snapping a finger in her face, getting her attention. “You’ve been on sedatives for a long time, little one. How are you feeling?” He said it as slow as he could, as if speaking to an animal. “Do you got a tummy-ache or a headache?” He rubbed his belly while saying ‘tummy’ and touched his temples while saying ‘head’.

She only frowned at him, a crease forming in between her eyebrows. He scoffed, leaning forward, letting his light-colored eyes roam over the valley of her breasts.

“Or maybe you’re just cranky cause you didn’t get no Alpha dick inside that tight little pussy yet.” Before he could finish his words, she was already propelling the whole weight of her body into her closed fist as she punched him in the face, fear turning into fury.

“Oh!” He growled, covering his bleeding nose, quickly walking away from her, face contorted in pain. “Shoot her!” He yelled at the other man, who promptly pointed his gun at her.

“Não!” She shouted out, closing her eyes and attempting to protect her face with her hands. A blunt sound echoed in the room and she felt something sharp go into her leg. Before she had enough time to come to the conclusion that it was tranquilizer dart, her eyes rolled back into their sockets and blackness welcomed her once again.

*

Five years had passed with her locked in that place, slowly forgetting where her mom’s face wrinkled the most when she was angry, or the exact shade of her eyes, the particular timbre of her voice. Y/N was slowly going mad, losing all hope of ever being rescued by the hero that always came to her in her dreams.

She was fourteen when she was taken, highly prized for her young age and virginity. They tried to sell her to the highest bidder many times, but she fought like an Alpha. Biting, roaring at anyone that came too close. Some of the men even began to doubt she was a real Omega, but ever so often her heat came and it reminded them. Emir, the big boss of the operation, sometimes would come to her doorstep during those times, tap at door and use his Alpha voice, laughing when she had to bit her own lips to control the moans his presence was causing.

But in the end, she wasn’t genetically compatible with anyone, and even those that wanted her for her fierceness were disappointed to find that her DNA did not match with theirs. A part of her was happy she had never been sold and probably never would be, just for the simple satisfaction of knowing that her body wouldn’t give those men any profit.

So there she stayed, locked up, imprisoned, hearing the sounds of the other girls crying in their rooms while she got on her tiptoes, trying to catch glimpses of the outside world through her only window, waiting.

It had been a while since she last saw Emir when the door made it’s telltale beep and was opened by him, but this time, he wasn’t alone.

“Hello there, my Latin beauty.” He smiled an evil smile at her, but she didn’t pay it any mind, focused on the redhead woman that was beside him, looking at Y/N with sorrow in her eyes. “See, Widow? I told you my girls are gorgeous, look at her.”

The woman let a displeased noise at his words, coming closer to Y/N, who gave her a distrustful look.

“Hi, I’m Natasha. What’s your name?”

“It’s Y/N.” Emir answered for her.“Oh, and she doesn’t talk.”

“Excuse me, what do you mean?”Natasha turned to him, her short red locks moving with her.“She’s mute?”

“Nah, she just doesn’t know any English.”

“Oh.” She gave the girl one more pitiful stare, but Y/N felt like she was looking right through her.

*

Leaving the facility was like a dream and a nightmare all at the same time. While finally being free was wonderful, Y/N knew that such freedom would come at a cost. The woman, Natasha Romanoff, wasn’t the best at Portuguese, but knew enough of it in order for them to communicate.

Y/N didn’t say much when they gave her a suitcase full of brand-new clothes and guided her out of that God-forsaken place. She didn’t say a word when a dark-haired man tried to take the suitcase from her hands, Natasha said his name was James and that he was only trying to be chivalrous, something about the 1940’s that she didn’t quite understand.

She remained quiet as Natasha tried her best to explain to her that a man’s life was at stake, that Captain America was dying of a terrible rut sickness, and that he was compatible with her and her alone. That yes, she had been bought like cattle, but it was for noble reasons, because Steve Rogers was an honorable man, a hero and his destiny was in her hands.

She kept all of her thoughts to herself as Natasha pulled up a ‘Rut Companion’ contract, stipulating that once Y/N had served her purpose and Mr. Rogers was out of danger and well, she would receive a large sum of money and could walk away from all of this, go anywhere she wanted and do whatever she pleased. Even after signing it, she resigned herself to silence.

And of course, she didn’t say anything when they boarded a jet to the United States, not even a word about the fact that she was actually fluent in English.

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[wroteclassicaly]

Waves of Blue (Andy Dolan x Reader)

Warnings: Language, smut, vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, rough sex, hair pulling, face slapping, slight choking, mentions of drug usage, & angst.

A/N : AAAAAAHHHHH! I have found the post that teaches you how to add a read more on mobile! Shoutout to the person who told me about that! You know who you are! ^_^ Anyways, I am so gonna be posting more, even if it’s harder because I have to write the fics on my phone, versus my laptop, lol. I stumbled across the song Waves of Blue by Majid Jordan, and my ass was emotional af (I have included some of the lyrics here in blue!) I obviously don’t own the song/lyrics!

The song was the kick one of my drafts needed for extra inspiration! And so, I bring you the start of this mini fic! It won’t be very many chapters. And I will probably re-visit for a prequel, to write out how the reader and Andy first hooked up. But I wanted to try something different and start my fic with their relationship already ongoing. Hopefully it doesn’t suck, haha.?

I haven’t felt this inspired for a Cody character since Michael Langdon! I adore Andy’s traumatic, cocky, angsty, hot mess ass! And I really wanna explore the creativity he’s bringing me! Lemme know what y’all think? And give the song a listen - I’m in in love with it!

Forgive me if there’s some mistakes, loves! I’m nervous about how I’ve written Andy, and how the smut is. Hope y’all enjoy anyways!

:)

~*~

The rain is a glittering array of shimmering moisture as its presence is pouring down on the roof of your apartment. Your knees are knocked tightly together, jean fabric digging into flesh. Your phone is perched face down atop your legs, vibrating messages you don’t care to read. They’re not the ones that you want to see. You tilt your head back, the tears redirecting themselves down the sides of your cheeks. You turn your gazing direction to that silk robe atop your bed - a reminder.

“It’s just a fling, love.”

But it can’t be, can it?

You have to laugh at yourself. Isn’t this what every girl asks themselves when they’re dumped? Rare is an exception who steals the other person’s heart and changes that exterior they carry. Your phone vibrates again and that raging anger to match the ruby red color on his robe that rests on your bedroom sheets - it charges your energy like a violent strike of lightening! Your hand launches your phone into the hallway outside your bedroom door before you can stop yourself.

“There’s your fucking fling, dumbass Andy Dolan!”

You try to hum to fight off the incoming intrusive thoughts, to ignore your ringing phone in the distance, but it’s to no avail. You’re getting more overwhelmed with the pain by every agonizing second. Your fists clench into the leather armrests below. It’s too much, you can’t bear another second of this shit. It doesn’t matter that it’s raining, it doesn’t matter that you have over fifteen unanswered recent calls from Andy since you threw your phone - unbeknownst to you.

You snatch the stupid silk robe from its place and begin your knowing journey with the excruciatingly expensive item, having already made up your mind. A quick removal of your keys from the hooks beside your front room door and your bare feet seem to lead you - heart first - into the downpour. Your clothing is soaked the instant you step outside. Mumbling all the way to your SUV and clutching Andy’s silk garment becomes your saving grace to help anchor your focus. If one can be focused in bare feet during a thunderstorm, erratically throwing her car into reverse.

The drive to his place of privacy - his sanctuary - the cold place you once used to help him warm. It doesn’t take you long. With your tires grinding against soaking asphalt, country beach roads whipping past you, and your angry windshield wipers struggling to keep up with your car’s pace - Andy’s gates come into your sights. You’re trembling, too upset and geared to go for a turn around now. Andy didn’t change the security, so you let yourself in, abandoning your car just inside, doors open and interior carelessly being soaked.

It doesn’t matter. I just have to tell him this.

That’s your mantra for continuous approach. You round the long expanse of beautiful greenery, waves crashing violently in the distance, a love affair to collide with this storm. Your simple outfit of blue jeans and a baby blue tank top are beyond recognition, weighted down by the sopping wet summer. The shivering begins to thrum along to an invisible, but very present humming inside you. It’s that feeling, the one you know all too well.

Andy Dolan.

Like when you first met, you begin to tremble, letting your limbs move you accordingly. Making sense is last on the priority list. Normally, you would have a thousand conversational scenarios laid out, but that’s not the case. Rushed on purely raw need to tell him - no - inform him, that is what is in charge here. The soft grass is squishy between your toes, a tickle from each freshly mowed blade, water in the distance smelling like salt and flowing freedom.

Every sense is heightened for you right now. Your limbs are heavy, yet your footfalls are light, carrying you with a quick grace. You don’t bother with the front door, opting for his usual back door hang out. It’s a few more minutes before your destination is reached. That’s when you hear him screaming, his voice in high distress, hard and rough against the accent. Your chest heaves to cage hammering heartbeats that you can’t keep up with.

“Motherfucking ANSWER ME!” He shouts, ripping the phone from his ear to redial.

You rolls your eyes, assuming it’s a dealer, or whomever he would rather be with than you. After all, he’s the one who said he just needed an ideal situation, not a relationship.

“Y/N... come on, don’t be a fucking cunt! I need to tell you something, please!”

Almost on cue the song drops loud on his fancy speakers in the house, freezing you to your spot.

I wanna hold you close

Don't wanna let you go

Be with you night and day

'Cause I've been feeling so low

Don't have to ask me twice

You really take me there

I wanna touch your light

I wanna breathe in your air

Andy angrily taps at his phone again, almost growling, reminding you of a wild animal. That’s when you’re snapped into your remaining senses, moving up and onto his deck, standing just feet from him. It takes him a few seconds to look up and see you through the rain. You can’t bring yourself to go any closer, afraid to let go right away. That’s how it is with Andy, you always give in.

You cut him off before he even gets a chance.

“Fuck you, Andy.”

Damn, was that really what you worked up the courage to dangerously drive yourself here to confess?

His lips purse a popping a noise, eyes widening in surprise at your word choices.

“I really fucking hate you.” Is what you give him, finding it easier to take steps now.

He still doesn’t speak as you approach, almost as if he’s recoiling. That wild animal within Andy Dolan. He’s not used to this. You can barely see through the rain, feeling like a moron. The movies make it look so dramatic, but you feel like you’re a wet dog on the verge of catching a cold.

It does good at numbing you though, almost shielding you from those haunting blue eyes. You swipe a hand across your face to clear your vision, and take that final step onto the deck with him, now just on the other side of where he stands in the doorway. That’s when he decides to speak, his voice softer than you’ve heard. It echoes his exhaustion, his surprise.

“You’re not the only one that feels that way, Y/N.”

You shake your head in disbelief, both of you not daring to make that closing gap. You would douse his body with yours; wet and cold. You’d be lying if you denied the shiver that attacked you, drawing your body in like a magnet - helpless to its every move.

“Don’t give me this kicked puppy front. We’re all human beings, Andy. And I didn’t fucking deserve you cutting your baggage open and just... dumping out whatever you felt like on me and then letting me go.”

Fuck.

He inhales sharply, head tilting in this sadness you seem to understand within the moment. It steals your breath, a pain punching your ribcage, causing your heartbeat to skip a few. Your jaw twitches as you turn away to gather your bearings, starting back down into the yard.

Why the fuck did I come here?

I'll be holding you tight

When the night is through

Andy takes a deep inhalation behind you and that catches you, dragging you right back. Before you know which end is up you’re turning back around and striding across the pool deck and right into your former lover. Andy meets you in the harsh rains, his hands cupping your neck so possessively, that you can’t remember a time where this hot mess of a man wasn’t bull dozing your life apart. You grasp his face in your palms, that unshaven stubble prickling your flesh. Your mouth meets his, his phone becoming ruined and forgotten as he lets it fall to the ground beside him.

His strong arms path down to encircle your waist, pulling you in from the weather, bunching your t-shirt up until it’s pooling around your tattered bra. You raise your arms to help him discard it, the heavy wet noise it makes when it collides with a nearby pool chair is enough to make Andy gain his surroundings.

“Stop, stop. Are you fucking high?” He asks you, a cautious pause.

You shake your head. “Aren’t you?”

This is when he scares you with a solemn silence you weren’t aware he could possess.

“Andy...” You push your fingers through his damp curls.

“No, I’m not. I was just about to... when you didn’t answer.”

Almost as if he can’t take revealing that bit of truth, he thumbs a bra strap down your shoulder - deliberately slow. Your skin stings with the line of goosebumps that it brings, your own hands struggling to push that stupid ass identical robe off his broad chest.

“I should fucking rip this.” You say, causing a smile to come from him.

“Rip it and I’ll put you on your knees.”

“Has that ever stopped you before?” A challenging look presses your features, but Andy intercepts, wrapping your hair around his fist and pulling your hair back. You feel the ache crack from the tips of your toes, hot wired into your cunt - direct express.

“You need more marks from me.” His mouth caresses your jawline, stubble catching the underside when his lips find your neck, a stimulation that you have become accustomed to craving.

His teeth bite down, a few seconds more where you feel him cleaning his evidence with a light set of kisses.

“There we go.” He scrapes his milky white teeth across your ear with a whisper so hot that you bow into him; knees weak.

Your bra is the next thing to fall somewhere, your jeans following. Andy doesn’t wait for you to even kick them off, his fingers sliding into your lace panties to see how much you still need him. He licks his lips, eyes closing in pleasure, a familiar stroking rhythm unraveling from the tips of his fingers.

“Shit, that’s a good girl. Even when you hate me you still need me, don’t you?”

The cockiness makes your wrist snap and palm collide with his cheek. You’re riled up, he’s riled up. Something you know he likes. “Like you fucking needed that?” Is your retort.

He groans out, a honey wet dip in his tone. “Only you can fucking touch me like that, Y/N.”

Lightening flashes through the darkened midnight skies, rain pounding across the surface of the pool to create a special beat. Andy finds your mouth in desperation once more, working your underwear down in a frustrated jerk. His fingers part your slick folds and ease into you without any warning. You look down to watch his strong forearm flex in its working marathon, back and forth between your thighs.

We'll be riding the tide in the sky so alive

On waves of blue (waves of blue)

I'm in love with the thought of being in love

In love with you (love with you)

You can bring me along for the rest of your life

If you wanted to (wanted to)

You let go and give into him, not daring to question why you came here in the first place. You know why. Andy has stopped his touches, watching you with that lowered stare he gives. His body is glowing from the neon lighting his home harbors, his creamy skin glistening with rain water. He’s hard through those silk pants, nothing left to the imagination.

“Take them off. Now.” You command him.

He can’t hide the greedy smirk that appears on his lips, not taking his eyes off you as his pants and boxers disappear in one go. He is gloriously hard and thick. You almost want to laugh at your cliche salivating tongue. Andy brushes your wet hair off your temple, his hands moving down your body in a tapping massage - reaching their target to hook behind your thighs.

He lifts you with ease, your legs wrapping around his waist. He’s panting rapidly, nosing your neck. He grips himself, teasingly stroking your cunt to gather your arousal. You stutter on an exhale, unable to breathe out properly. It’s jagged and broken, much like your rationality.

You stop him when he attempts to press inside you. “Tell me again,” You plead. He looks at you in confusion. “Say I’m just a fling.” You finish.

“Y/N...” He struggles.

“Before you fuck me, I want you to tell me what I mean to you, Andy.”

It’s hard not to just fucking forget this and let go, let him take you, both of you get what you want and not have to deal with anything else. But you need to hear it. You want to know how much you’re not worth anything to him. You need to hear it more than you need to find out how much you mean to him. That’s what you came here for...

His enriching ocean eyes are glossy with desire, with something else you can’t place. They pin you into a set of shakes. You grip the hair at his neck’s nape.

“Everything.” He says it all at once, bringing your hand down atop his to help him line up, as he fucks himself into your cunt, stretching you with that delicious drowning burn.

You're no good for me

You got what I need

I just wanna be with you

You cry out, vision sprinkled with an array of floating shapes. Andy drives you against the door, hips slamming so hard you know you’ll be bruised before the night is through. You keep one arm around his neck, lowering the other to encourage him to hurt you deeper, nails clawing at his lower back, shredding the skin. His face stays buried in your neck, stubble adding to each motion he makes inside. You cling tight, using all your strength.

It’s slippery, it’s unstable, you can barely hold onto one another, but you manage. And that moment when you finally can’t keep yourself up, Andy lets you slide down, bringing you into the floor of the doorway, lifting your legs onto his shoulders, pressing in so hard you can’t contain the tears that roll from the corner of your eyes, coasting. He’s familiarized himself with how you come undone, even before you knew.

“You’re drenching my cock, baby. You need to let it go?”

You don’t answer, causing him to grip your throat.

“When I ask you something I expect an answer. You remember how this works, don’t you?”

“Fuck, yes! Please, Andy!” You don’t pride yourself now.

He guides a hand across you, as if he’s tuning a fine instrument. Your stomach quivers with a passing of his fingertips, engaging in a butterfly filled stomach clench. You’re tensing up, anticipating. Desiring.

“Fucking do it! Show me how much you still need this...” He trails off, dropping to rest his chest against your breasts.

“Even if you don’t need me.” It’s a counter thought to your need to hear him say he doesn’t want you.

“I’ll always need you.” You push him onto his back with newfound strength, and pin his hands above his head, your hips bouncing so hard that you can feel his firm structure beneath. That’s right, this is exactly what you have to have.

He’s damn near whining now, squeezing your fingers tightly. “Y/N.”

It’s a warning you don’t need. You lean down to steal a kiss, leaving him further winded, nudging his nose with your own, breasts smashed to between you two. Andy gives a silent agreement, dropping a hand down to quickly rub your clit. Your heartbeat is so out of control that you can’t hear anything but your own cries as you cum all over Andy’s cock. He follows with you, holding himself, keeping you there.

He’s shaking when it’s over. You can’t find coherent speech capabilities.

I'll be holding you tight

I'll wait this through

You stay resting on top of him, still keeping him inside. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but you know that there’s no going back now.

This is just another beginning...

~*~

Tagging: @dark-mei-rose @confettucini @lovelylangdonx

Lemme know if y’all wanna be added to the tag list?!!!!

[doubledgesword-2]

Expectations

This is a request from someone on wattpad! It was before the announcement so I will reiterate it since this has to do with it: Due to some personal reasons I will not be doing extra mega super ultra explicitly detailed smut. Smut will happen but it will be more implied than anything and there will be no more character x character fics. I will focus more on one character x readers. I apologize if these teas are not everyone’s cup, I understand, but I’m doing it for me and I will still deliver amazing teas no matter what flavor they are!

No warnings! Soulmate au enjoy!

To say you were nervous was an understatement; you were almost sweating bullets.

"We're going to my parents, as my soulmate and wife, you have to meet their approval," Illumi told you one day in the middle of training.

You stopped mid-punch and got a swift and powerful kick to your stomach, making you fall backward a couple of feet away. Illumi was in front of you in a second, questioning why you left yourself open right when you were about to attack.

But there was no answer, except your pants and heavy breathing.

Illumi raised a fine eyebrow, letting out a breath as he picked you up in his arms, coming inside to the cottage for a nice bath. After all, you had to be presentable and at your best to meet your future in-laws.

He set up the warm water while you were undressing. You let out a groan when taking off your shirt; the huge purple and already forming bruise on your stomach hurt quite a lot. Illumi turned once the water was warm, and all the soaps were mixed with it. His unwavering and monotonous eyes scanned your body. You have become stronger under their tutelage, but that didn't take away your pain resistance. Your overall physique had improved monumentally, but your body was scarred and bruised from training. He didn't mind in his eyes you were perfect, and he knew in his mates' eyes you were gorgeous. The corners of his lips quirked up in a gentle yet small smile as he looked at you. You didn't notice though, you were too busy trying to rub on your stomach.

When Illumi noticed your actions, he knew it wouldn't be long before he tried to take you to bed. Just imagining you rubbing your growing belly with his child inside sends chills down his spine. But now was not the time. He needed to get you ready.

You didn't notice when Illumi was standing right in front of you; you were looking down at your ugly bruise. That's when Illumi took your hand in his, making you look up. His was expressionless as always, but in his eyes, you could see the amount of tenderness and desire he felt towards you.

He guided you to the bathtub letting you sink under the warm water. It was oddly relaxing. The nice smell of lavender, mixed with the water's perfect temperature, not too warm to boil but not too lukewarm to disappoint. You let out a sigh, eyes close and leaning back against the porcelain. It was cold, but you didn't gasp at that; you gasped at the lingering kiss Illumi placed on your head.

"You have nothing to worry about, my love. I'll be with you" he gently whispered like a secret lover, his hands scrubbing your arms with care.

Another kiss to your neck as he washed your chest.

"No harm will come to you as long as you do as I say. They will never lay a hand on family."

Illumi grabbed your face in his hands, and that made you open his eyes to look into his ever swirling ones. He kissed your forehead.

"Finish here. I will prepare your clothes, and then we leave."

And that's how you find yourself here, in between Hisoka and Chrollo looking at Illumi. The limousine was nice, but the luxury and the entirety of the situation were so overwhelming you couldn't focus on the finer details. That's why you didn't notice Hisoka's hand on your thigh rubbing circles on it.

"Hisoka" Illumi's voice sounded annoyed for once, and Chrollo lightly slapping Hisoka's hand away woke you from your anxiety.

Hisoka shrugged his shoulders, giving Illumi a playful look, eyes closed, and a close lip smile.

"Whatever did I do?~"

"Hisoka, don't play games now. Our little darling is frightened enough."

Chrollo opens his hand, laying it palm up and offering it to you. You took it and clench it hard while this thumb rubbed your knuckles.

"That's what makes it fun; she's too tense. Wouldn't it be better if I loosen her up?~" he asked Chrollo, tilting a bit forwards with his finger on his lips as if questioning things.

"No. Now sit back. We're almost to the mountain. If you behave, I'll reward you."

"Mmmm," Hisoka licked his lips. "Oh goodness~."

Once Illumi opened the huge stone doors, which left you aghast, the four of you walked inside, getting into another car. This one was less spacious, but it was still luxurious. But none of that mattered. Every ride and minute that passed brought you closer to them. Dread settled in your stomach like a boulder, pressing down on your stomach. Chrollo never let go of your hand as you all came to the mansion.

There was no time to think, no way out, and no matter how much you wanted to run in your (color of choice) lolita dress, you doubted you would even make it far inside that dense forest. Not to mention the huge wolf you saw stalking the SUV as you all made your way to the mansion.

Your breathing hitched when the butler opened the door, and Chrollo exited, holding your hand to help you out. Hisoka placed his hand on your shoulder once he was out.

"Don't worry, little fruit, you'll be fine," he whispered.

Illumi came behind you, putting both of his hands on your shoulders. You thought it was out of comfort, but he merely straightened you and rubbed the wrinkles away. Your hand clenched Chrollo's, who chuckled and let go. They all thought you looked adorable, being stressed and nervous when in reality, you seemed as stiff as a cat who just got dumped in the water.

As you were contemplating everything, you noticed the old man standing in front of the enormous house. He had an amused look on his face, and his whole demeanor screamed he was more powerful. That just made it worse.

Illumi pushed you forwards, and the four of you walked towards his grandfather.

"Afternoon, gentlemen, miss," you gave him a small nod/ curtsy; your nervousness was blatantly obvious, and it amused him greatly.

"Silva is expecting you," he stated and opened the door with all of you right behind him.

At the mention of Illumi's father, you thought you would die.

After a series of turns through different hallways, you arrived at a nice garden area. There was no denying the place was stunningly gorgeous and breathtaking. The pond with the fish, the nicely cut grass, the different flowers with all the colors you can imagine, and even the cement wall covered in a blanket of vines added a touch to the paradise-like place. You let out a breathtaking everything in and didn't even notice the small smile gracing your lips; the trio did.

"Illumi," an authoritative voice pierced your bubble, and it reminded you why you were here. "We're glad you could make it; your mother and I are anxious to meet your soulmate."

Your breath hitched as Illumi approached his father and left you in between Chrollo and Hisoka. His father was so tall, much taller, and stronger looking, and you thought he would disintegrate you the moment he looked at you.

"Illumi!" A shrill voice called, and this time you turned to look at a woman approaching quickly. The way she was dressed made you think you were all in a Jane Eyre novel, now your clothing choice made sense. She came to her husband with practiced grace.

"My dear beloved son! Illumi, mother had missed you deeply. Ever since most of my children have left me alone, it has been dreadful. Oh, why must everyone leave!"

You raised an eyebrow at her. 'What the heck,' that's when she turned to look at you as if you had called her.

"Who is that, and what are those criminals doing in my house?"

Both of your eyebrows were raised as she approached you, and her aura didn't give you good intentions.

"Mother, they're my soulmates. All three of them."

Silva's eyes widened for a split second before his lips turned up in a greeting smile. He knew who Chrollo and Hisoka were. He had fought the first one and had seen the second one lingering about his son. But you, he didn't recognize, and that intrigued him as well as annoyed him.

"Why all three of them?! This is unacceptable, not at all respectable. What would everyone think about the Zoldyck family when they hear our son has three soulmates!"

"Kikio, that's enough," Silva's authoritative voice resounded, and Illumi's mother stopped dead on her words. "Outside these walls, they're whatever they may be, but here they're Illumi's mates as well as our guests. So behave accordingly."

"Yes, darling," her honeysuckle voice came back as if nothing had happened, and she grabbed your hand, leading you to a nearby table already set with tea and pastries.

"Have the butlers arrange another pair of chairs and refreshments for our guests."

"That would not be necessary, sir. If you excuse us. We will be fine in the lounge, after all, we have met before, and our darling is the one you don't know. It will be better if you four converse." As refined as always, Chrollo replied, making Hisoka pout. He dragged the jester away, who follow a butler inside the house.

Alone amongst strangers. That's how you felt; even though you knew Illumi and have been with him for almost a year now, it still felt weird.

"So dear, what's your name?"

"(Y/n-n), sir."

Silva chuckled at your nervousness "there's no need for you to be nervous. After all, we're family."

You nodded. Illumi grabbed your hand under the table, and you felt a bit relieved.

"Dear, I must say your dress is quite lovely. At least my dear llumi's mate knows how to dress," Kikio chuckled afterward, "do let me take you out to my best tailors. You simply must have a dress made by each of them."

"That would be lovely, ma'am" you sipped a bit of the tea even if you felt you couldn't stomach anything at the moment.

"I'm sure you will look beautiful for our dear son. So tell me (Y/N), Why is there no information about you anywhere?" Ahh, here come the important questions.

"Oh, I understood my soulmates' jobs and didn't want to intrude in their lives. After all, anyone could've used me to get to them. So I simply disappeared from the system."

"Interesting"

"Well, now we know. If anything were to happen to you, no one would know," Kikio giggled gracefully after that statement, and even if she meant it as an apparent joke, you were terrified.

"When are you going to marry? You certainly must be married to ensure the Zoldyck legacy carries on. What about children? Silva and I are very excited to have grandchildren, now that you can actually have them."

"Kikio, you're going to overwhelm her" you were already on the verge of hyperventilating.

"We will marry very soon, and we will carry on with the Zoldyck legacy, mother. You have nothing to worry about."

"Lovely"

After that particular conversation, you felt faint. Children? Marry? What? Once the conversation ended, and you were approved by the parents, all four of you were lounging around. The parents had given you an entire wing of the mansion during your stay. Chrollo and Hisoka had their own rooms since Kikio was aghast at fate. You and Illumi shared a room as fiancé's should. While you were breathing normally for once today, Illumi was putting away some of his clothes he had brought from his room.

"Now, what?"

"We get married, of course."

"But Illumi I-I don't exist, there's-"as you turned, Illumi was in front of you. You gasped and looked up into his eyes. He grabbed your face.

"We will marry, all of us, accordingly, and when we do, we will continue the Zoldyck legacy as it's expected from us..." he kissed you tenderly. Still, you felt the underlying fierceness and possessiveness.

"Without complaint, hmm?"

"Without complaint," you mumbled back as he hugged you close.

Thanks you! Request might lag a bit since these two coming weeks I’m gonna have a lot of school work! But don’t despair!

Remember this is the last adult trio together in a relationship fic I will make due to personal reasons.

[talkfastromance4]

sparks and surprises// Luke&Lily oneshot

just some family fun :)

word count: 3.2k

Luke&Lily Masterlist

Masterlist

enjoy!

***

Lily and Posy were ecstatic about the upcoming holiday and the fact that it would be at your house. With Oliver being just shy of three months old, you didn’t want to take him out again after the weekend away. You spent the week before the 4th cleaning the house and picking up food from the store. 

On Saturday, Ashton and KayKay came over to pick Posy up for her karate lessons. She’s been on a kick watching Kung Fu Panda and would walk around the house ‘karate chopping’ the couch and kicking pillows while shouting ‘HIYAA!’ Ashton suggested taking her, there’s a studio next to his yoga class, and Posy was more than thrilled to be doing karate with her uncle. KayKay went along when she could and cheered Posy on.

You and Luke would alternate every Saturday to go watch her as well so one of you was still at home with Oliver. Sometimes Lily would go but she was always at Cory and Ella’s on the weekends.

“Go have fun and listen to your teacher, okay?” you told her kissing her cheek. You made sure her pigtails were tightened enough.

“‘Kay mama.”

“Is it alright if I take her for lunch afterwards?” Ashton asks, lifting her in his arms.

“Yeah that’d be great, thank you,” Luke says with Oliver in his arms. Ashton’s face lights up at his nephew. 

“There’s the little man,” Ashton smiles, reaching forward to stroke his cheek. Oliver stretches his arms up, his little face twisting from the touch. “He’s really getting bigger.”

“Yeah, he eats like his daddy,” you chuckle and poke Luke’s dimpled cheek. 

“All right, we should get going, huh little one?” Ashton asks Posy. “See you guys later.”

“Bye daddy!” Posy waves over Ashton’s shoulder. 

“Bye Pose!” he waves with a smile and then they’re out the door. He sighs. “Big cleanup day today, lovie.”

“I know. I’ll feed Olly and change him, then we’ll be out to help in the backyard,” you say, taking your son from Luke’s arms. “Hi sweet boy, did you sleep well?”

It was pretty warm out so you made sure Oliver had on a short sleeved onesie. You covered him in a blanket with a hat on and turned the small fan clipped to his carrier as you helped Luke with the pool. You vacuumed while he got  the leaves out from the top. You checked on Oliver multiple times but he seemed pretty content in his carrier. 

“I’ll get the tiki torches and line them around the pool,” Luke huffs, tying his hair in a bun. He tugged off his white tank top that had a sweat mark on the chest and tossed it to the grass. 

Your eyebrows raise in appreciation as he turns into the shed, his butt looks really nice in his black athletic shorts. Oliver makes some noise so you go to him immediately to see if he’s all right. When you reach in to check his temperature, his little hand grasps onto your finger tightly.

“I’m right here, baby. You’re doing so good out here, yes you are,” you coo at him and kiss his forehead. You sit down in one of the patio chairs when Luke emerges with about a dozen tiki torches. 

Watching him twist the torches into the ground, his back muscles flexing and glistening with sweat in the sun and his arms tightening leaves you hot and bothered. You’re transfixed by the power he wields in each one he places around the perimeter of the pool, your eyes moving over the slope of his back and you’re left with a wanting ache for him. 

“Are you all right over there?” he asks, strutting his way to you with his tank top in his hand. He just put in the last tiki torch and you shook your head from being frazzled. 

“Yeah, you just...you look so sexy right now, that’s all,” you shrug then look down at Olly who’s fast asleep. 

“I do?” he snorts resting his tank top around his neck, he uses it like a towel to wipe at his forehead. 

“Mhm,” you sigh, eyeing him up without remorse. 

His eyebrows raise and he glances at Oliver then back at you. “Care to show me how sexy I am?”

You lay Oliver in his crib so he can continue his midmorning nap and Luke is quick to drag you into your bedroom, his lips on yours. It’s been well over six weeks since your C-Section and you were given the okay to have sex again. 

“What time is it?” Luke mumbles, kissing your neck and pushing you to the bed.

“You have somewhere else to be?” you laugh then sigh when he starts to suck in your sweet spot. 

“I’m exactly where I need to be,” he groans when you dip your hand in his shorts and start to stroke him. “Ash and Po will be coming back soon.”

“That’s right,” you sigh and plop on the bed. You gaze up at him, his blond hair slipping out from his bun and he’s breathing heavily. You wiggle your fingers between his own and pull him down on top of you. “We’ll have to be quick then.”

He smiles before kissing you, his hand tugs your shorts down and he pulls himself out of his shorts. Your kisses are frantic and just as he pulls your underwear to the side, Oliver lets out a loud wail and Petunia barks at the front door. 

You groan at the horrible timing and Luke sighs on top of you. 

“We weren’t fast enough,” you sigh, letting him situate yourself and shoves himself back in his pants. 

“We’ll have some alone time soon, lovie,” he promises with a smile. He takes your hands pulling you in a sitting position.

“Mama! Daddy!” Posy calls.

You fix your hair and make sure your pants are buttoned and zipped before exiting the room to get back to your responsibilities.

***

It’s the morning of the 4th and you’ve just changed Oliver and put his blue overalls on with a red shirt underneath. Posy is wearing a blue dress with red sandals and you and Luke are matching in a red dress and a red tank top for him. Before your party, you’re all going to the parade in town where Cory and Ella will meet you with Lily and Violetta. 

“How hot is it outside?” you ask Luke, settling Oliver in his car seat. Posy is in his arms wearing white sunglasses. 

“Not too bad right now. I’ve got extra sunscreen in the bag and water.”

“All right, let’s go!”

Cory, Ella, Violetta, and Lily are already sitting down along the curb in their chairs. Lily springs up in her own blue and white dress to give you a big hug. Her hair is pulled back in a red headband. 

“Hi honey!” You hug her the best you can with Oliver in your arms, Luke and Posy are behind you with the stroller. “You did such a good job saving our seats for us!”

“Look at my necklaces!” Lily shows you the red, white, and blue beads around her neck. 

“Wow, you have so many! Hi guys,” you smile to Cory and Ella. Cory has Violetta in her arms and she’s in a white dress with a red bow on her head. 

“Po, I have some necklaces for you!” Lily runs to her sister and takes off two of her necklaces. “Aren’t they pretty?”

“Pwetty!” Posy gasps, touching the beads lightly with her fingers. 

You sit in the chair next to Ella smiling at Violetta, she’s chewing on her teething beads. Luke immediately requests a photo of all of you with Lily and Posy standing in front, their smiles wide and beautiful. 

“You need a family photo,” Cory says and takes Luke’s phone. 

You stand next to Luke pointing Oliver to the camera and Posy wants to be in Luke’s arms. Lily stands in front and you put your hand on her shoulder, all of you smiling. 

“Beautiful,” Cory smiles. 

The parade starts and the girls are excited watching the floats and bands go by. They’re especially excited when candy is tossed to them. Oliver does a decent job being content with the loud noise until the firetrucks and ambulances come by. 

Lily scrambles into Luke’s lap and he puts on her sound cancelling headphones she’s used since she was a toddler at his shows. Her small hands still hold onto the ear pieces and she watches the trucks drive by. Posy on the other hand is watching in awe and waving to the people inside. 

“Lily and I made cupcakes yesterday that we’re going to bring over,” Ella tells you.

“Oh, that’s great. When will you be coming by?”

“After Vi’s nap, she’s been having a hard time sleeping lately. How’s our little man doing? I love his overalls, he looks like a cute old man.”

“I know right?” you laugh stroking over his nose. “He’s doing good, eating a lot and he’s at the weight he should be.”

“Mama look at all my candy!” Posy runs up to you with her candy tucked in her dress like a sack. 

“Wow! It’s just like halloween!” you smile. 

When the parade is over, Posy is starting to get fussy too because you won’t let her eat her candy because she hasn’t had lunch yet. 

“We’ll see you guys later,” Cory laughs watching you all leave. Posy is wriggling in Luke’s arms nearing meltdown mode. 

Ever since her birthday she’s been having more meltdowns and you couldn’t agree more that it’s the terrible three’s and not the two’s. She’s learning how to test her limits with you and Luke and when it doesn’t go her way, she screams and does all the dramatics. 

Posy is still whining in the car and Oliver starts to whine now too because he’s hungry. Lily is holding her ears because Oliver’s cries increase.

“We’re almost home, sweets,” Luke says and turns into the subdivision. 

You’re trying to console Oliver by letting him suck on your knuckle but he just spits it out. You hate hearing your kids be upset. Luke parks in the driveway and you both scramble to get the kids out and your belongings. Luke takes Oliver and you carry a wiggling Posy inside the house. 

“I’ll feed him and then we’ll have a quick lunch I made for them this morning,” Luke says, opening the fridge and taking out Oliver’s bottle. 

Lily runs to her room to get away from the noise and you set Posy down on the floor. She literally collapses onto the floor, her face red and wet with her tears. You settle next to her letting her get her anger out. In a moment, she’s sniffling and coughs wiping at her cheeks. 

“Are you finished?” you ask gently and she nods. “C’mere by mama.”

You help her stand up and wipe at her wet face, brushing her hair away from her forehead. 

“Deep breath,” you say inhaling and she follows, then you let it out and Posy does as well. You repeat that three more times until her breathing is back to normal. “After lunch you can have one piece of candy, okay? We can’t eat candy for lunch. How about you go pick one out and I’ll get lunch started.”

“Okay mama.”

You’re gathering the lunches Luke prepared, ham and cheese sandwiches with grapes and applesauce. Lily comes running out and asks if she can help you, she’s always such a big help to you. Posy is playing with her toys in the living room when Luke comes back downstairs. 

“Daddy look!” Posy jumps up from her spot holding up the red lollipop she chose to eat after lunch. “I picked this for after lunch!”

“You did! I think that’s a very good choice, do you want me to hold onto it until you’re done?”

“Yeah!” she hands him the lollipop and he pockets it, giving you a wink. 

Posy climbs into her chair just as you set her plate of food down. Lily takes her place and the girls start eating. 

“Is he down?” you ask Luke moving to pick up the toys Posy was playing with. 

“Yup, hopefully he’ll sleep until people start coming.”

***

Your friends arrive right on time and are more than helpful with setting the food up outside and Michael has set up his music stuff in the corner. Lily and Posy are occupied by Calum and Ashton. Posy is showing off all her candy and practicing her karate moves with Ashton while Lily is telling Calum all about the parade. 

“You had your headphones on right?” Calum asks and she nods. 

“Yeah, they are too loud.”

“Do you have them for the fireworks?”

“In my room!”

Luke and Cory are manning the grill again, you decided on having chicken for dinner. Halfway through the party you go get Oliver and Michael comes over to say hi. You ask him how he and Crystal are doing with trying for a baby and he said they’re taking a break right now. They don’t want to stress about it too much. 

When it becomes dusk, Luke lights the tiki torches and the yard is in a fantastical glow. Posy keeps asking when the fireworks will be and you tell her it will be when it’s much darker outside. 

“Hey mama,” Luke murmurs in your ear, his hands wrap around your stomach. Ashton and Michael brought out the sparklers and were helping Lily and Posy with them. He kisses your cheek. 

“Hey,” you smile leaning into him. 

“Want to try and finish what we started yesterday?” his lips move to your shoulder and his kiss makes the strap fall down. 

“Right now?” 

“I meant later when the kids are asleep but if you want to try when the fireworks are going off...they’d mask how loud you are,” he teases. 

“You don’t want to watch the fireworks?”

“You’re the only firework I need,” he squeezes you.

“If Lily and Posy are okay during the show, we can try and sneak away,” you promise and turn around in his arms. His nose and cheeks are a little red and you touch his face lightly. “You got sunburned today.”

“So did you,” he glances at your cleavage where you see a very noticeable line. “I’ll have to rub aloe on you later.”

“Mm, that sounds nice,” you mumble and lean up on your toes to give him a kiss, your fingers tangled in his hair. He tastes like perspiration, a shot of tequila and Luke, your favorite taste. You get lost in his kiss and his arms wrapped around you. “Wanna slip away now?” you whisper, pulling away before you get too carried away. 

“I hope we aren’t too late,” a familiar voice says behind Luke. 

You both look at each other before turning around to see his parents and brothers standing there. Your mouth opens in a gasp and then Lily and Posy are running to Liz shouting ‘nana!’

“Oh hello my loves!” Liz exclaims hugging them both. 

“Mum? What are you doing here?” Luke asks tugging you along.

You’re all giving hugs and kisses and there’s questions about Oliver and why they didn’t tell you they’d be coming.

“Who cares, what a great surprise!” You laugh hugging Liz again. “I’m so glad you’re here, how long are you staying? Where are you staying?” 

“We rented a house not too far from here and we’re staying for the whole Summer.”

“The whole Summer?!” Luke’s eyes widen and he hugs his parents again. 

Lily and Posy try to get their attention but Jack quickly intercedes and asks them to show him how the sparklers work. The rest of the group come and say high and you gather Oliver in your arms so Liz can get a look at him.

“This is Oliver,” you smile and there’s tears in her eyes.

“Can I?” she asks, holding her arms out. 

“Of course!” you hand him over.

“He’s just darling, and he’s so strong! You just couldn’t wait to come into the world, huh handsome boy?” Liz coos rocking him. “He looks just like Luke.”

“I think so, too,” you smile, looping your arm around Luke’s waist. There’s a firework that goes off behind you, a sign from the neighbors that their show will be starting in about ten minutes. Lily clutches to your legs, covering her ears. “It’s okay, honey, we’ll go get your headphones.”

“Already got them,” Calum grins coming out from the house with the headphones in his hands. “Do you want to watch them with me, Lils?”

“Mama can I?” she asks looking up at you.

“Of course you can, go get your blanket to lay in the grass,” you tell her. 

“Help me pick a blanket, Cal!” She takes his hand and he follows her inside. 

You’re more than happy for Liz to hold onto Oliver while the fireworks go off, Posy is close to her sitting in Ashton’s lap. She’s chattering about her karate class and what happened at Disney World and that nana should come with next time. 

“I think that’s a great idea, bug,” Luke pinches at her cheek when he returns with a beer. He points at you. “Stand up.”

“What?”

“Up, lovie,” he smiles, pulling you up himself so he can sit in your chair. You place your hands on your hips. “Okay, sit down.” he pats his thigh and you sit down on his lap happily. “This is your seat for every firework show.”

You press your lips to his balmy forehead, it smells like sunscreen and the hot summer day that was today. 

“Guess we can’t sneak away now with your family here,” you mumble.

“It’s okay. If they’re here the whole summer, I’m sure we can go away for a night just the two of us,” he pinches your hip. 

“Maybe we could do a whole weekend?” you raise your eyebrows.

“You’ll be okay leaving Olly for a weekend?”

“Apart from me and you, I trust your mom. She had three kids of her own, you know.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” he laughs and gives you a kiss. “It’s a date, we’ll set something up.”

“Your birthday’s coming up,” you trace your finger along his bearded jaw. 

“Mm, that’s the best birthday present I could ask for,” he smiles. 

The fireworks start to go off and you look in the grass where Calum and Lily are, she’s sitting in his lap gazing up at the sky. He points to the ones way up and her mouth opens at the big ones. Posy is in Ashton’s lap and her commentary makes everyone laugh. 

“That’s my favorite! I love that one! Look Unca Ash!”

“I see! These are all my favorites, too,” he comments back. 

Then you look over at Oliver in Liz’s lap, she’s kissing his head and rubbing his back talking softly to him. You turn to Luke last who is already looking at you, his face lit up from the colors bursting in the sky. 

“I’m so glad I married you,” you tell him, pecking his lips gently.

“I’m glad you married me, too,” he grins. 

You relax against him and enjoy the rest of the display. Life is good and full of love.  

Taglist: @calumance  @in-superbloom @calpalirwin @karajaynetoday @wiiildflowerrr @sunshineeeluke @littledrummeraussie @suchalonelysunflower @hoodhoran @Fobodob @thew0rldneedsmcreycghurt @sunshineeashton @ashtonsunflower @mymindwide @itjustkindahappenedreally @seanna313 @fivesecondsofonedirection @princesslrh @prentisswrites​ @mulletcal​

[prose-for-hire]

Wish upon a (dead) star

Pairing: Willow x fem!reader; Vamp!Willow x fem!vamp!reader

Request: Can you please write a Willow x female reader story where in Dopplegangland its revealed that wishverse!Willow is dating wishverse!reader (either by the wishverse reader showing up too or just by vampire Willow mentioning it) and it makes Willow and the reader realize they like girls, specifically each other? I know you’re working on a lot so take as much time as you need if you decide to do it 😃

Requested by: Anonymous

Warning: There is a brief part where it switches to reader being the vampire - blood mention. Violence.

A/N: I loved this request like absolutely LOVED it. I know you said take your time, but I’m still sorry this took so long !! 💖

You had never really thought much about your sexuality. It just wasn’t something that had ever made you question anything. Not until that day.

It was nearing Summer, the grass was being mowed outside and you could smell the very faint aroma of bleach. The janitor was cleaning some poor students remains from the halls again. It smelled distinctly of the summer arriving in Sunnydale.

You looked outside, it appeared like a normal day. The light breeze making the branches cast pretty shadows against the window pane. The sky was clear, a beautiful blue that made your heart feel lighter. Like you could begin to relax. The demons often started to slack off around this time of year too – might the shorter nights. Doesn’t really give them much chance for evil plots.

The bell rang and you slid all of your books back into your bag and slung it over your shoulder. It was the end of the day and everyone was filtering through the exits. But, rather than soaking up the sun you had plans.

You would be trapped in hell. Or, above hell’s mouth anyway. In the Sunnydale library. The weather was hot but the temperature in the library was sweltering. The AC didn’t appear to be working and everyone was sweaty and angry looking. You hadn’t arrived yet, you were taking the long route along the corridors. Soaking up the sun in a wholly unnecessary walk of the school grounds before you made your way to whittle some research books down or read an inscription on a stake or something.

You took a sharp turn, passing the janitor’s closet.

You heard something. Struggling. You frowned, but still pushed on the door, revealing Willow. Wiping her mouth after draining the janitor. You made a sharp intake of breath, rooted to the spot.

You became encased in her eye. Her lips curled into a devilish smile as she took in your entire form. You felt naked under her gaze. As if she had claimed you and explored every part of you before now (and yet still always wanted more).

She smiled at you although it came out as a grimace. Vampire. She was a vampire. Her eyes had been dark, almost blackened but when she saw you her face lit up a little in recognition. Her mate.

She tugged your arm into the closet, there was blood running down the side of her face.

“My girl” She purred into your ear, nipping at it as she always did. Your eyes widened you became dizzy from those words. Suddenly putty in her hands. She was used to this though.

She met your lips hungrily, crashing into you. Her need translated so easily against your lips. The way she easily slid her tongue into your mouth. Tasting you. Telling you that even your mouth was hers. She pressed you flush against her body. Her hand snaking up and weaving into your hair, pulling you in further. Her lips urgent, a passion that would never die.

She was in every sense of yours. You could feel her so intimately. Smell that distinct Willow smell. Even the lingering metallic taste on her tongue drew you in…

With that thought, you pull away suddenly, having been caught up in the moment for longer than anyone that had been so convinced they were straight could get away with.

“Willow! What’re you doing?!” You shouted; your eyes as big as dinner plates. She pouted at your words, disappointed. Eyes still scanning your form.

“Aw no, you’re wrong too... We’ll have to fix that” She nodded, her smile turning into the grimace again. Her face shifted. Forehead ridged and unforgiving, fangs protruding from her mouth painfully. You screamed and backed away, just shy of her grasp.

You turned and ran as fast as you could. Sweating out pure adrenaline as you quickened your pace. Making sure she wasn’t on your heels. You skidded into the library, screaming that Willow’s dead. That she was a vampire and… managing to not mention that you could still feel her lips on yours.

As you were shouting this, your Willow listened before stepping into your vision properly. In a different outfit, one that was more her. Relief washed over you and you didn’t think twice. You just launched yourself at her. Wrapping your arms around her and nearly scooping her off her feet.

“I was so scared I lost you” You whispered in her ear from your place by her ear.

“You always have me!” She insisted with a little whispered giggle that made your heart skip a beat.

You were so pleased that she was okay. That she wasn’t hurt. It meant so much to you. As you released her from the hug you had both been wrapped up in happily, something dawned on you. Realisation struck.

It hit you in the gut. This sudden thought you couldn’t escape. You liked that feeling. Any feeling so long as it was with her. Kissing Willow had felt so real. It made you feel alive, despite the fact that your dead friend had helped you discover this. You desperately wanted to be back with her lips on yours.

You liked women. You were in love with women. Well, a woman.

Just as you had this thought, Evil Willow appeared trying to attack you. Or… kiss you. You weren’t entirely sure which. You and Willow backed away and tried to hide. But she kicked you to the floor, taking your by the throat. Willow screamed and the vampire turned and scanned her eyes over her other self. She really was disappointed in the outfit.

As she paused, you grabbed a cross from the counter and thrust it in her face making her hiss and recoil from it. With this, Giles took his chance and hit her over the head. Sending vampire willow to the ground. Passed out. You helped Giles drag her over to the cage and lock her in.

Willow would have helped but she was still recovering from her vampire self trying to kill her. You sat beside her on the step as she recovered, sliding a hand around her shoulders. You rubbed her upper arm soothingly.

She turned to face you and your faces were so close. Your nose touched hers and you could feel her breath warm on your face. You wished to lean in further and caress her lips with your own. A much sweeter kiss than you had shared with her vampire counterpart.

Her eyes lowered to your mouth and you thought this could truly be happening. That she was about to kiss you. But instead she reached with her hand for the side of your face.

“Oh, uh, you have some…” Willow reached and wiped the corner of your mouth, “...lipstick”

You became so caught in the gesture you barely heard her words. Her skin against your mouth, that soft touch. You closed your eyes slowly, savouring the feeling.

That was, until you comprehended why she was doing it. Your eyes widened. You hadn’t been wearing any lipstick. It had been… the other Willow.

You moved backwards at her words, sliding from her touch. You opened your mouth to try and make some kind of excuse that she had never even asked for but you were luckily interrupted.

At this moment, Xander and Buffy ran in. They had retreated from from the Bronze after what they had seen. They had come back for reinforcements and to break the horrible news.

“Y/n’s dead!” Buffy shouted, her voice desperately sad. The tone in mourning.

“We tried to help but she’s a vamp-” Xander said, looking at the ground in horror at what he had witnessed. You had been turned and you definitely weren’t a carebear with fangs either.

“Guys… it’s okay, I’m here”

“Not now, Y/n, we’re talking about-”

Everyone’s eyes brightened and Buffy and Xander took it in turns to hug you tight. You had never been more grateful to have such caring friends.

Giles filled them in on what he suspected had happened and that they should either make sure they got back to their dimension or Buffy needed to slay them. You and willow glanced at each other uneasily, you weren’t so sure if you could watch them die. Even if you knew you probably weren’t going to get on with your vampire self.

“Well, dead-and-not-yet-buried has demands”

“What?”

“She wants a spell, to return her to her dimension and… Willow-”

“-Or she starts snackin’ on the Bronze… and we’re not talking buffalo wings here”

“Well, ah, that may be difficult as she is currently out cold on the floor over there” Giles gestured with his head as Xander and Buffy turned to look. There she was, another copy of Willow. It was so spooky.

Eventually, a plan was made. You had argued against it but became outnumbered. The plan was, Willow would dress up as the one vampire you wanted and hopefully convince her to leave the Bronze alone.

You worried - you didn’t want Willow to be harmed. You had seen what her counterpart was like you could only imagine what the vampire version of you would be like. You shivered at the thought.

“Please… be safe” You asked, your fingers trailing against the skin on her arm. You were trying not to scan her body in her new outfit. You wouldn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, she was already feeling strange. She insisted she would be fine and everyone else headed out. Leaving you in the library.

You were pacing as Willow tried to convince vampire you that she was also a vampire. You were scared for her safety. This revelation had come at a time where you needed to be with her, to explore your feelings. But instead you were thinking about her even more. Because you could lose her in every sense if she made one wrong move. You tried to distract yourself but it was no use.

You wondered what it could possibly feel like to be that way. A vampire…

You were there, in the Bronze surrounded by terrified humans. You were holding them hostage with the help of an ex-vengeance demon and some minions you had picked up on your travels. You wanted a spell to take you back to your dimension but only so long as you were reunited with her.

And then there she was. Finally, your love had been returned to you. You smirked at Willow hoping she would be pleased with you for the way you never stopped looking for her.

She walked towards you and you couldn’t help drinking in her form. Wishing to take her as yours. Right there. You adored her so. If you could breathe, she would have knocked the breath from your body.

You were so busy enjoying her walking up to you that you couldn’t sense that she was human. You pulled her into you and crashed your lips to hers. The usual greeting. She hesitated for a fraction of a second but then she kissed back just the way she always would. You smirked into the kiss until she was ripped from your arms again.

You hated being separated from her. You turned, snarling at the human that dared interrupt such feeling. It stirred the dead heart in your chest.

“She’s human! Look at her!” Anya insisted, pointing accusingly.

“Would a human be able to do this?” Willow panicked immediately and asked this before screaming as loud as she could. To which everyone replied yes.

“You’re not my girlfriend! You are some cheap imitation!” You seethed, glaring. Burning holes into this human. You wanted your lover to return.

“What happened to you?! With the creeping and the threatening and the grr…?” Willow asked, making claws with her hands as she said the last part. It made you tilt your head to scan her face. It really was strange that this sweet human could be your mate. She had too much goodness in her.

You wished to scare her. You grabbed the nearest human and took a bite, savouring every drop and wiping your mouth with your hands. This just served to smear more blood around your face.

“When you wish upon a dead star, your nightmares come true” You smirked, blood still leaking from the corners of your mouth as her face paled at the way you held enjoyment in the fear all around.

Luckily for Willow, her scream had raised the alarm and Buffy, Xander and Angel came as soon as they could. There was a brutal fight where most of the vampires were dusted.

Willow held a stake to your unbeating heart but she just couldn’t do it. They would have to capture you as well. Allow you to be reunited with your Willow and take you back to the wishverse.

You (the real you) and your friends were staring into the cage. Willow and the others had brought back… you. Well, you if you were evil. Also, it appeared that your fashion sense had died with you.

Both vampire Willow and you were now locked safely in the cage in the library. Just long enough for Giles to recite what was needed to send them back to their dimension.

They came to and smirked at each other. Faces contorted in a way that you weren’t even sure you could match despite her being you. They recognised that it was the other’s mate (the real ones) and they instantly pulled each other close. Lips crashing against each other, the kiss deepening so much everybody felt as if they needed some kind of privacy.

“I think… I’m kinda… a lot gay.” You said, eyes widening as vampire you started to stick her tongue down Willow’s throat.

“Me too” the Willow that was stood beside you nodded. Her voice just above a whisper.

Evil Willow moved a fraction to look at their doubles through the bar. She looked between you and your Willow and rolled her eyes, muttering something close to ‘bored now’. As if it was so obvious that you both liked women.

That was before she grasped vampire you into another obscene kiss that you and Willow looked away from… and looked into each other’s eyes.

Your eyes widened and you both felt a heat rising in your cheeks, eventually opting to drop to the ground. Even though you did this, you couldn’t bear to truly be apart.

You both silently reached for the other, clasping hands. Your hands were entwined as one. A silent show of solidarity. Your minds spinning so fast you couldn’t focus on a single thought. The only constant thing, the only real thing you could hold on to was each other.

The love that you shared.

[eivorsjawline]

tw: the usual blood and cuts visuals

Chapter 7: Turn Back Time

Reader’s POV

A crescent moon lit up the night sky and the grass remained damp from the recent storm, crickets and frogs sang nearby. The wet, muddy terrain on the hill worked my calves as well as ruined my shoes. My escort finally dropped me off at the stones. Though I know it's odd dropping a strange woman off at a landmark in the middle of the night, he never asked any questions. The atmosphere was dark and cold, part of me felt scared to go back. There is always the chance that the stones could send me to the wrong time period, or even further back. I found love here, and even friends of my own. At least what I thought was love, even if the feelings were not mutual. How could someone so sweet and loving towards me flip within an instant. I questioned if I truly knew Eivor at all in the time I spent here.

Everything changed through the years, but the stones remained the same. Unchanged by any shape or form of mankind. People have come and have gone as they have sat and watched patiently. I wonder whether people have even noticed my absence and how I would explain where I was. It's difficult bearing the truth but having no one to tell it to otherwise I’d be deemed insane. I was back where my journey started, in the same spot engulfed by the tall rocks around me. The standing stone I had touched previously stood directly in front of me. However, I couldn’t bring myself to touch it as if a magnetic force was pulling me away. My name echoed in the distance from a voice I could recognize no matter how far.

Eivor stepped down from her horse with caution and let out a groan. Her knees appeared weak as she stumbled towards me and her voice dry and tired. I still felt anger towards her and wondered why she didn't just apologize earlier.

“Y/n, wait!”

“Why, Eivor?” 

“Im sorry, I’m drunk and I can't think right now. Please, forgive my harsh words… You deserve more than what I can offer you. So I…”

She paused and placed her hand on her stomach before dropping to her knees. I quickly moved her hand and lifted her undershirt to reveal she had been wounded. Though I’m not an expert, It was clear to see the wound was deadly. Eivor reached her hand outwards towards me for support. I screamed out her name whilst the anger in my body was now replaced with fear.

“Eivor, get up!”

She could hardly keep her eyes open and her body refused to stand up. For once, I had no time to think of what to do next. Running on pure adrenaline, I reached behind her and grabbed underneath her arms in an attempt to drag her but she was too heavy. My panicking only worsened from that point forward.

“Eivor, I need you to help me please… Just for a moment.”

Her eyes flickered with what little fight she had left in her body. I placed her arms around my neck, holding her wrist. This allowed her to place less of her body weight on me as I led her to the stone. She groaned in pain and could barely support herself. I quickly pulled her free hand onto the stone alone with mine.

This is the only way… 

Eivor’s POV

Consciousness started to return to me as a bright light shined in my eye, I could make out the voices of other  people around me. Everything was colorless, only white. For a moment, I truly thought I had died. I looked up to strange sounds coming from a machine that had cords hooked up to various parts of my body. Men and women wearing white coats surrounded me and they seemed to somehow know my name. I sat up to get a better view of my surroundings and my jaw dropped, unable to fix the frown on my face. I began to tug and pull out the lines connected to me and a woman advised me to stop.

“Where am I? Who are you people?”

“This is a hospital and we’re trying to help you. I need you to lay back down.”

The lights around me were so bright and everything so foreign, I felt genuine fear forming in my body. They mumbled towards one another, words I could not make any sense of. The woman in front of me started to fidget with a set of tools near my bed until I grabbed onto her wrist and she flinched. She squirmed and tried to pull my hand off before I finally released her.

“Tell me where y/n is… Please.”

“She's waiting for you outside… Doctor, she's moving too much she needs to be put back to sleep.”

What does she mean put back to sleep?

Before any further thoughts could form I felt a pinch in my arm and my eyes started to grow heavy. I could not fight my drowsiness so I succumbed to it.

Readers POV

I waited outside Eivor’s room anxiously. Thankfully, I had been placed in the exact same time period I had left. Nothing changed and I knew no questions would be plastered onto me by anyone I know. The door to Eivor’s room opened and a doctor greeted me, papers in his hands of x-rays and tests. He was a tall freckled man with thick brown hair and his glasses kept falling from the bridge of his nose. I stood up to shake his hand and waited for him to tell me any news of her.

“So, the wound has been disinfected and is ready for proper healing. We’ve done a few tests on her brain activity and everything is functioning normal. However, she has multiple scars all over her body. They look to be battle scars, oddly enough. I understand you tell me she’s a new friend of yours but do you know anything else about her life?”

“All I know is that her life has been a rough one… Now, when can she be released?”

“Soon. She’s very confused right now, unaware of her surroundings. Perhaps, once she's awake you can help jog her memory.”

“Could I at least see her now?”

“I’m assuming you’re not family therefore, I can't allow that. Leave your number and we’ll let you know when she’s ready to be brought home.”

I jotted down my number with the black-ink pen the doctor gave me. He told me she needs to be aware of her surroundings before any further stimulation. Even if the doctor seemed suspicious, they know only so little. I felt bad on the walk to my car, I didn’t wanna leave her all alone there but there was nothing I could do about It. I feared she would be angry with me once I picked her up. I started up my car and pulled out of the driveway, the rain trickled onto the front of my window and I turned on my windshield wipers. The drive back home was somewhat rejuvenating, being back relaxed me, I didn’t have to witness war and blood every second of the day.

I neared the driveway of my parking lot and pulled in. On the passenger seat my keys laid, I grabbed them and shut the car door. When I unlocked the front door to my apartment everything remained just as It was before, like nothing changed. My cat greeted me with a meow and I replied back with a scratch on her neck before making sure her food bowl was filled. I missed my life entirely, though I hadn’t been gone terribly long, a feeling of deja vu still resonated within me. The night would be long as I waited for my phone to go off. I turned the television on in my living room and kicked back, my cat laying next to me.

Just like old times...

Traveling through time seems to tire me, so I laid back and let my mind drift away. 

Eivor’s POV

I awoke from my practically forced sleep. I knew my journey to her would bring me here, to her strange world. Some more clothes would have brought me more comfort rather than this sheet they have me in. My wound was healing nicely, the pain of it wearing away though still sore. Some good ale would help me endure this. The nurses treated me well, making me regret how aggressive I had been in the beginning. My knowledge of the world around me made them suspicious but they knew I was fully responsive. We discussed my release, and they gave me news that I should get ready to go home. One of the nurses placed a bag on the chair next to my bed.

“Your friend left some clothes for you to change into when she left.”

A simple shirt and pants, strange material though. Surely, for such an advanced time I would have thought the clothing would be more complex instead, It was rather minimalist. The shirt fit rather snug but the pants were fine and felt comfortable. No one bared any weapons or armor, I felt nude without anything to defend myself with. Everyone seemed content and relaxed, I envied the people around me and the sheltered lives they had always lived. They walked around completely oblivious, and so did I. The concept was foreign but trying to fit in with the people around me was easy, just act like everything is okay. I heard a knock on the door once I finished dressing and the doctor came in to consult with me. He shook my hand and smiled.

“Hello, Eivor. Your wound is healing wonderfully. How are you feeling?”

“Better than I was.”

“The severity of your wound was extreme, even I’m surprised you made it… Your scars, how did you get them? If you don't mind me asking.”

I threw my hands up in the air trying to spare some time, my voice became soft.

“Oh, you know. Used to be a troublemaker, got into some bad fights.”

“I assume you're still troublemaking since that wound is fresh.”

“This one was an.... accident.”

Reader’s POV

The familiar sound of my phone started to ring. I knocked out so hard, I’m not even sure what time it is. I wiped the corners of my mouth before clearing my throat, the hospital was calling me. Anxiously, I answered the call and It was the doctor I had spoken to prior. Finally, I can pick her up from the hospital. I never got up quicker, throwing on some clean clothes and grabbing my keys on the way out the door. I whipped out of the driveway and headed towards Eivor, I think I may have even been speeding. Upon arrival I made my way to the desk to check into Eivor’s room. I took the elevator and pressed the floor number I needed to go to. Ugh, I hate the smell of hospitals. Disinfectants and chemicals everywhere, yet the taste of nothingness in the air at the same time. I found myself at her room door, and knocked to make sure she was ready for my entrance. The door handle twisted and opened swiftly, my heart began to beat faster when I saw the way she looked at me. I wrapped my arms around her neck and gave her a warm embrace.

“I’m so sorry It happened this way. We’ll get you back, I promise.”

“There’s no need for apologies, you saved my life. These people saved my life, there would be no going back home if it wasn’t for your quick thinking. I will admit for the first time there is true fear in my body for what lies out there.”

I chuckled, sure enough she had the look of fear in her eyes.

“Eivor, there’s nothing to be scared of. Come on, let me show you my home. Oh, I just picked the shirt and pants out real quick, sorry if the fit is wrong. We’re going shopping as soon as possible...”

Eivor looked overwhelmed, perhaps the bright lighting and a bustling hospital was a lot to handle for her. We stepped in the elevator and made our way down, the buttons and how we dropped seemed to fascinate her. When we got outside to the parking lot she was surprised to see all the cars moving fast, faster than any horse could go. When we got to my car I made a short, “ta-da!” movement with my hands.

“This is my humble stallion, she takes me wherever I like.”

Behold, my silver car. A few years dated but in almost pristine condition, I seemed quite proud of myself somehow. I opened the door for her and had to remind her to tilt her head down when entering.

“More of those…”

She pointed at the numbers in my car.

“They're called buttons, love.”

I turned the volume dial on my car and played some tunes. The surprised expression on her face when she heard what we consider music, we shared a look before smiling and laughing at each other. The moment was short when she ran her fingers over the functions, the radio station changing repeatedly and the heater kicking on and off… Like a child in a candy shop, touching everything in sight. Though I was trying to contain my laughter, her face remained serious and extremely focused. I got on the road to go back home, making sure to play some of my favorite songs for her entertainment.

[chiafett-moved]

Gracious - Febuwhump 2021

To say that Knol’s not thrilled to meet Fay’s new pet project would be an understatement. He’s one of An’ya’s and Fay’s already warned her to be ‘gentle, Knol, he’s only a child.’ 

Yeah, he probably is only a child. A child with a deadly skill set and a hell of a lot of issues. Knol really doesn’t want to deal with teen angst on today’s mission. 

“You know, you were a teenager only a few years ago,” Fay chides, cresting the hill and approaching Knol. 

Knol very nearly startles. Fay has a tendency to continue conversations that never began, something which has never ceased to unsettle Knol. On this fine morning, she’s got company. Fay is being trailed by a tall, thin shadow in a dark robe that borders on ridiculous in its size. She can’t see the kid’s face but this must be-

“Knight Jon Antilles,” Fay introduces, stepping aside and ushering the kid towards Knol. He’s not having it, and Fay sets a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Jon, take that hood off, will you? You look like a wraith.” 

Jon hesitates, but reaches up to pull his hood back. He is young, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, but his face is cut through with several old scars. His dark hair is tied up in a sloppy knot at the base of his skull and he regards Knol like one might regard a particularly large bomb. “Hello,” he murmurs. 

“Hey, there,” she says, overly bright. He takes a half-step back, glancing quickly to Fay before aiming that stare back at her. Knol rolls her eyes. “I’m Knol. Why is your name Jon Antilles?”

Jon’s eyes widen and he looks to Fay again, clearly unsure of how to respond. Knol snickers. Fay doesn’t find her antics so amusing, though, and shoots her a warning look. 

“Alright,” Fay says. “Now that we’re all introduced, let’s talk strategy. We need to get into that warehouse and out again with the codes without being noticed.”

They’re noticed. They’re so noticed it’s not even funny. Knol deflects a shot back at the bounty hunter who fired it and grabs Jon by the arms, dragging him out the doors. Of course, the kid chooses now to start fighting her, thrashing and kicking and biting. 

“Kid, let’s go, we’ve got to get out of here,” she growls, yanking him out of the warehouse and dumping him on the ground just outside. He slumps into the grass and she kneels next to him, grabbing his chin and tipping his face up to look in his eyes. 

He jerks as soon as she touches him, trying to back up and panicking when he hits the side of the building. “Let go,” he snarls, trying to kick her again.

“Jon. Jon. Kid, it’s still me. Let me get a look at you.” She takes a foot to the knee and yelps. “Jon! Kid, you’ve got to calm down.” 

Finally, he relaxes enough for her to push his hair back and look in his eyes. They’re cloudy and unfocused, pupils huge and nearly swallowing the hazel irises. His nose is bleeding and he’s startlingly hot to the touch. Fuck. Myrilian bounty hunters don’t kriff around with fast-acting poison. 

“Fay,” she calls back into the warehouse. “We need to go now!” 

“A little busy, darling,” comes the reply, accompanied by a crash and a wave of Force that goes over her and leaves her fur standing on end. A bounty hunter screams. 

“Alright, Antilles, it’s just you and me,” she mutters, getting her hands under the kid’s arms. He’s barely aware right now; there’s no way he’s walking out under his own power. 

He might not be in such a bad way if he’d chilled the fuck out after he’d been poisoned, like Fay and Knol told him to, but he hadn’t. He’d spent the last twenty minutes doing his damndest to be everywhere at once, hopping from place to place with that weird-ass teleporting thing and taking down bounty hunters and droids left and right. He’d be spent even if he hadn’t been poisoned. 

Well, there’s nothing to be done about it now, Knol reflects, pulling the kid to his feet and dodging a clumsy punch. “Come on, Antilles, Fay’s about to blow the place and I don’t want to go down with it.” 

“Le’go,” Jon slurs, tumbling forward as soon as he’s on his feet. “Don’ touch me…” 

“We’re past that,” she says, scooping him up into a bridal carry. “Fay, any day now!” 

Right on cue, Fay comes sprinting out of the warehouse, blonde hair streaming behind her. “I’m here,” she says, not even out of breath. Show off. 

“Good,” Knol says, and starts running. 

They make it a hundred yards before Fay turns and raises her open hands to the warehouse, closing them to fists and bringing the whole thing down on itself. Knol barely notices, preoccupied with the way Jon has started seizing in her arms, labored breaths giving way to desperate, choking gasps. 

Fay steps to her, all business. “Set him down,” she commands. 

Knol does as she’s told, laying Jon down on the grass. Fay drops to her knees next to him, placing her hands on his head as he twitches and writhes and grinds his teeth. The poor kid’s pale as death and Knol balls her hands into fists as Fay pulls his head and shoulders into her lap. 

She closes her eyes and bends over Jon, dropping into a Healing Trance. Almost immediately, the convulsions stop, but so does Jon’s breathing. Knol bites her tongue as Fay sinks deeper, flattening her hands against his temples. “Come on, Jon,” she coaxes. “Come back to me.” Jon jolts and takes a deep, spasming breath. “There you go. Come on back.” 

Knol kneels next to them as Fay works, eyes closed and expression serene. She goes quickly, and Knol can feel the care with which she stitches Jon back together, expelling the poison and healing the worst of the injuries he’d collected. 

At last, after a few tense, silent minutes, Jon’s eyes slide open. He blinks up at Fay, disoriented. “Mm?” 

“There you are,” she says, smiling. She smoothes back a few loose pieces of his hair and takes his hand in hers. “I believe you scared Knol,” she laughs. 

“Ha, funny,” Knol scoffs, rising to her feet. 

To Fay’s dismay, Jon tries to follow her. When Fay protests, he gets an elbow underneath himself and croaks, “‘M fine, we should get moving.”

“Uh-uh,” Knol says, leaning back down and putting a hand on his shoulder. He starts, but she stays steady, pushing him back down into Fay’s lap. It doesn’t take much effort. “Stay down, kid. You’re exhausted.” And still warm to the touch. Even with Fay’s work, he’ll need some time to recover. 

Jon goes down, but the look on his face could kindly be described as panic mixed with confusion. He looks from Fay to Knol and back again and Fay sighs, setting her hands on his shoulders. 

“Rest, Jon,” she says. “Force knows you need it.” Then, to Knol, “Come here.” 

Knol obeys, stepping to Fay, and is rewarded with a hand on her hip and a rush of warmth that sets her broken finger and mends the bruises and cuts she’d accumulated during the fight. Knol nods in thanks, then turns her gaze to the smoldering remains of the warehouse. 

“I’ll go and get the equipment,” she offers. “We can set up camp here, stay the night, leave in the morning?” 

Fay nods, thanks visible in her eyes and tangible in the Force. Jon relaxes a bit. Knol still makes him nervous. 

She makes for the hills.

By the time she returns, backpack on and duffle bag in her hand, the sun is dipping below the mountains. Fay is sitting exactly where she was when Knol left, legs crossed, meditating. Jon is out cold with his head in her lap and his stupid cloak covering him like a blanket. Knol sets her things down a few meters away and begins assembling the tent. It should be big enough for the three of them, and she’s got rations and some firebricks as well. 

It’s quick, easy work, and by the time darkness falls, they’ve got a tent and a fire. Knol sits next to Fay, leaving some space in case the kid wakes up and decides it’s freak-out time again. He seems pretty dead to the world, though, so she hazards an attempt at conversation. 

“Where did you find him?” she asks Fay.

Fay hums, idly twisting a strand of Jon’s hair around her finger. “Lost,” is all she says. “He was lost and alone and hurting, and he agreed to come with me.” 

“Of course.” Why does she even bother asking direct questions?

Fay chuckles, turning to face her. Her hair looks unreal in the firelight, flickering and changing quicker than the flames. “What do you think of him?”

“He’s a good kid,” Knol admits. “Got a hell of a right hook on him.” 

Fay laughs again, clear and bright and short. “That he does. That he does.” She turns back to the fire, smiling softly. 

“Seriously, though. Who the fuck named him ‘Jon Antilles?’”

[bakubitch-minusultra]

Not Alone: Chapter Nine

-> an apocalyptic series with bnha characters but without quirks because im the writer and i can do whatever the fuck i want :P bruh its 3:45 in the morning and i have a softball game in six hours but fuck sleep right? This is the l o n g e s t chapter ive written and it took hours i was writing it while listening to true crime podcasts lol new characters unlocked

-> Word Count: 6.9k haha n i c e

-> Warnings: pervy doods, blood, sexual assault, violence, guns

-> Taglist: @5sosfckss @laudthingcat [if u wanna be added lmk <3]

The sunlight coming in the window blinded Y/n as she woke up disoriented. She shivered from the cold breeze that came from down the hall. She noticed she was lying on Kirishima still and smiled, thinking about the night before. But stopped when she noticed that his shirt was soaked in cold sweat.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, “No. No.” She pushed him and his body compressed against her push, but he didn’t stir.

“Y/n what is it?” Mina came running in the room.

Kirishima sputtered and snorted. He rolled over knocking Y/n off and onto the floor. She started to laugh, “He’s alive. I thought… He’s cold. Oh my god he’s alive. His fever broke. He’s going to live.” Y/n jumped up and grabbed the next vial of medication.

Mina rushed to his side and felt his face, “Oh fuck, I was scared. I thought for sure he was gone.” Mina hugged her when she came back. Mina smelt like Hades and Y/n smirked. They had traded sleeping partners for the night.

Y/n hugged her back, but noticed the difference in their bodies. Mina was melded into Y/n, squeezing her where as Y/n was rigid.

They gave him his next shot and pulled the bandages off his leg. The red lines had receded but the wound still looked red and angry. She knew they weren’t out of the danger zone, but she felt good knowing that they were one step closer.

He slept the entire day and Mina and Y/n hung out. They took turns keeping watch and playing with Hades. Y/n could see Hades’s affinity towards Mina getting stronger. She knew that even she felt different. She was getting closer to Mina and Kirishima.

“Y/n what’s for dinner?”

Y/n shrugged down at Mina from the window of the barn, “I can go kill a bird.”

Mina nodded, “Alright. I’ll start the fire.”

They sealed up the house completely and decided to cook in the bunker. It was gross and sweaty with a fire down there, but it made perfect sense. No smell escaped out into the wind.

She climbed down with her bow and quiver and headed across the grass. She slipped into the forest, but instead of finding a tree to climb she froze. She smelled them before she could see or hear them. She slid against the tree and waited to figure out where the smell was coming from.

“It was rude of you to leave without the escort we offered.”

Y/n turned to the voice but something smacked her in the forehead and everything went black.

Xxxx

“Wake up.” Pain overwhelmed her as she opened one of her eyes. She saw bars in front of her face. “Please wake up.”

In the muted firelight she could see a girl poking her with a stick. It made a small cut on her arm, but that wasn’t where the pain was coming from. She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again. It was dark, the firelight licked across the dark metal bars of her cage. She turned to the girl.

“Where are we?”

“The others have us.” The girl said. Y/n’s stomach fell into her bowels. Her heartbeat and breath quickened. She pushed the door to the cage with her foot. Her boots were gone.

“Where are we specifically?”

The girl frowned at Y/n, “What?”

“Our location.”

The girl shrugged. She was skinny and filthy. She made Y/n think about Mina, which made her panic. She wondered if they knew where Mina and Kirishima were. She saw her bow and quiver leaning against the tree near her.

“There she is.”

Y/n looked up at the filthy scumbag who had chased her into town. He was grinning again. He seemed very proud of himself. “You’re a pretty girl. What’s your name? I bet it’s something pretty like Jessica or Stephanie or Grace.” Y/n licked her lips and put a finger to the source of her pain. He winced as she touched the red sticky spot. “Sorry ‘bout that. I had to surprise you. Bet it hurts doesn’t it.” He kneeled on the ground in front of her cage. “Wanna tell me about how you got outta town?”

Y/n gulped.

He rattled the cage suddenly and started laughing at her horrified expression. “Jesus you aren’t mute are you? I like it when you girls scream.” He pointed to the girl next to Y/n. “I guess we can make her scream for you.”

The girl shied away from the bars and curled into a small ball. Y/n wanted him dead. Right now.

He pointed at Y/n again, “You’re going to fetch us a good price. I know it.”

Fear rocked Y/n. She didn’t have a plan. That was one of her rules. Her plans where capture was a possibility had never included a cage. She always thought the girls were grabbed and dragged to trucks.

He walked back to the fire and howled into the night air. She watched as he unzipped his pants and peed on the fire.

“Jesus Christ that’s disgusting you fucker.” The hot steam rose from the fire, polluting the air around it. A large group of men started to bitch and complain. Y/n looked at the girl who had a disgusted look on her face.

“I don’t know about you but I don’t want that inside me.” Y/n gasped at her language. The girl grinned at her, “Names Jirou.”

“I’m Y/n.” Y/n looked around for Mina and Kirishima but she didn’t see them anywhere. “How old are you, Jirou?” She asked softly.

Jirou spat on the ground outside of her bars, “Sixteen.” She was malnourished. She would be made to work the farms. She wouldn’t be a breeder.

Y/n wouldn’t let either of them end up that way. She saw a small silver thing on the ground and looked at Jirou.

“Poke that stick this way again.”

She slipped her skinny arm through the bars and passed it to Y/n. Y/n looked back at the men. They were getting drunk and the fire was starting to dim. She flicked at the silver thing and dragged it back to her with several small movements. It was an old rusty nail with a silver tip. She reached her fingers through the bars and grabbed it.

“How old are you?” Jirou asked, watching the men.

“Nineteen.”

“You look older.”

Y/n wanted to frown at her, but the nail in her hands felt too amazing to bother. She passed Jirou the nail, “Pick your lock.”

She eyed it smiling, “Wow you’re good.” She reached her hands through the bars. Jirou made funny faces and then Y/n heard the clunk of the lock. She picked the lock faster than Y/n did. Y/n had only ever picked a couple.

She nodded, “Mom says we have to do whatever it takes to not be a breeder. I will die before I go there.” Her words reminded Y/n of the girl in the back of the truck who screamed. She felt sick. She was even more determined to save Jirou. The rusty nail clanked in the lock. “Want me to do it?”

Y/n gave her a look, “They’ll notice your tiny arm slipping through to my cage.” She fumbled with it again. “Dipshit is coming back.” She pulled her arm in and sat on the nail.

He grinned at Y/n, “I think I wanna taste the merchandise before I give it away.” He pulled a key out of his pants and licked his lips. He got down on the ground in front of her cage and stuck the key in. “You’re gonna like this.”

Y/n felt like throwing up.

He opened the door and reached in lightning fast. His huge hand grabbed her thin wrist and clamped down. He dragged her from the cage. She kicked at him but he was too strong. He pinned her to the ground on her stomach and pulled her hair, whispering into her ear, “Scream and I slit your throat.” He let go of her hair with force and shoved her face into the pine needles and dirt. Y/n coughed and choked. Her eyes flickered at Jirou.

“Don’t do this in front of her,” Y/n begged.

He shoved her face in the pine needles again, “She needs educating. Where you two are going, you’ll both be needing to know how to make a man happy. Think of me as your teacher.”

Y/n felt him grind himself against her and threw up. She couldn’t stop herself. She didn;t have anything in her stomach but bile filled her mouth. She spat it to the side of her face, scared that he would rub her face in it.

He pulled her pants down and she felt his hands on her underwear. She wanted to scream and fight but her hands were pinned. If she screamed, he’d kill her. She made the snap decision that death would be better than this and opened her mouth to scream, only to feel him put all his weight on her.

“Shhh Y/n. Don’t scream. We need to go now. Before they find him.”

Tears sprung from her eyes as she looked back and saw his open eyes still staring at her. The rusty nail stuck out only a little bit from his head, next to his eye. Blood trickled down his face.

Jirou heaved him off of Y/n quietly. The fire was only twenty feet from them and she could see that the group of men had dwindled. They must have gone to sleep. Y/n pushed herself up and grabbed her pants. She saw her knife in his boot and took it, holding it tightly. She wanted to stab him so bad.

Jirou grabbed her hand and pointed to the woods.

They walk hunched over. Y/n grabbed her boy and quiver and followed Jirou into the forest. They ran fast, even though they were barefoot. She recognized the forest after a few moments. Even in the dark she knew where they were.

“Oh shit.”

Y/n stopped after hearing Jirou speak. She was preparing for the worst but instead it was the best. She saw yellow eyes glowing in the dark. She quickly dropped to her knees, ignoring the branches that cut her skin. His paws were around her neck within seconds. His warm breath was in her hair. She started to cry and Hades held her like a mother would a child, and she elt soothed.

“He’s yours?”

Y/n nodded through the tears, “Hades.”

“He’s a big dog.”

Y/n smiled, “He’s a wolf. A tundra wolf.”

“Well we better get moving before they find us.”

Y/n stood and ran toward the farmhouse. She knew it was through the woods and not far. They could hide there until the men were gone. Her brain couldn’t seem to make her own survival important. She needed to know if Kirishima and Mina were safe. Jirou ran as fast as Y/n did. Her footsteps were a whisper in the grass beside Y/n. Y/n burted through the door. The house was dark and silent.

“Mina? Kirishima?” The living room was empty. The blankets were gone. She didn’t know where to go. She didn’t know where Mina and Kirishima would have gone. She ran down the basement steps into the bunker. Nothing was there. She ran back up the stairs, “We need to go hide. They’re gone. They might be looking for me.”

“Who?”

“My friends.” The words felt funny in her mouth.

Y/n grabbed Jirou’s sweaty fingers in the dark and pulled her back out to the barn. They slipped inside the dark of the barn. She dropped to her knees in the hay and felt for the hatch. It had hay glued on top of it. It was impossible to find even in the bright of day. She only found it because it was open when she arrived.

“Hurry climb down here.”

Hades jumped down into the whole like he had before many times. Jirou felt for Y/n in the dark and then the hatch. Y/n climbed down after her and pulled the huge hatch back over the hole.

Y/n felt around in the silence for a stool. She sat and suddenly the pain in her feet was overwhelming. She knew they had been cut.

“Did your feet get cut?”

Jirou was closer than Y/n thought, she whispered right in Y/n’s face, “No. My mom made us walk and run in the woods barefoot all the time. They always take the shoes.”

“Smart.”

“Yeah mom was a warden at a maximum security prison before. She says she knows all the worst things people can do and she knows why they do it.”

Y/n shivered at the thought.

They don’t hear voices or any noises. Eventually Y/n fell asleep on the wooden floor against the warm fur of Hades. Jirou slept against her. Y/n’s feet pounded too hard for her to get a good nights sleep.

Xxxx

“It’s been five days Y/n. He walks to the same spot and makes weird noises. I have a hunting hound. He does the same thing when he wants me to follow him. We need to get following him in the woods.” Jirou had not stopped talking for five days. Mom this and Mom that. Y/n didn’t know what to do to make her quiet. She didn’t take Y/n’s silence as a hint. “Yup that wolf is trying to tell us the way to go to find them. Are your feet better?”

Y/n looked at the cuts on the bottom and nodded, “They have scabs.” She rubbed salve into the bottoms of her feet and pull her socks over the scabs. She pulled on the boots she had stored in the farmhouse bunker ages ago.

Jirou threw a huge bone for Hades. He ran to get it and chewed it in the field, “Not so sharp is he? My hound brings it back.”

Y/n looked at the bone and grimaced, “Is that a human bone?”

Jirou shrugged, “Does it matter?”

Hades picked up the long thin bone and walked toward the same spot in the field like he had for the past five days and whined.

“Okay let’s follow him then.” Y/n slung on her backpack and looked back at the farmhouse. She had left a note in the bunker under the barn. Mina knew it was her favorite hiding place. Y/n’s heart hurt and she decided to not look behind her. She didn;t run through the field. Hades trotted along like a real dog. He didn’t wait at the meeting tree.

Nothing was the same.

She opened the cabin door and suddenly her life felt lost. She knew she would regret opening that stupid door and helping Mina. But she never imagined her regret would be being separated from them.

Her heart hurt when she thought about the kisses she shared with Kirishima. Her stomach hurt when she thought about Mina being taken.

Hades picked up the pace as they entered the woods.She reached out and brushed her fingers along the meeting tree. Instead of going the way home to the cabin he cut a hard left and they climbed a different hill.

“So then when I was twelve she says she wants to try to go to the city. So we get all dressed up and I mean bathed and spiffy. We walk all the way to the city but they don’t just let us in. We have to go through a bunch of tests and other nonsense. The city was brand new. It looked like nothing I’ve ever seen. Anyway they come to us in the bright white clothes and make me take all my brand new clean clothes off. They burned them. Mom was mad then. My aunt failed the diabetes test they gave us and so if we wanted to go into the city we would have to leave her behind. No diabetes in the city. Mom said they could shove that up their asses. So we left the city. My other aunt got grabbed there. Mom thinks it was because she tested healthy they told the bad ones to take her to the breeder farms. They drove up in their trucks and held guns on us. They dragged her into the truck. She screamed and reached for us. Mom never moved. She just watched. I never saw my aunt again.” Her story was the story of thousands of women.

“I’ve seen them taken too. They always leave the kids behind.”

Jirou put a finger to her lips, “Shh you hear that?”

Y/n listened. All she heard was her own heartbeat and it dawned on her that as Jirou chatted on, she listened to the forest the way Y/n does. Y/n doesn’t hear them. No birds, no squirrels. She stopped walking. She pulled an arrow instantly and held the bow ready.

A branch broke to the side of them. She swung the bow with the arrow trembling in her hands. A huge black bear groaned and walked past them to the ridge below them. Hades growled and crouched. He looked at Y/n but she shook her head.

They didn’t turn their backs on it. They walked up the hill backwards until the bear was far enough away. Hades’s dark hackles stayed up until he started sniffing the ground again. He wandered in a circle for a bit.

“So then I was saying to Mom… hey look I think he has a smell. Not totally useless is he?”

Y/n glared at her.

Jirou put her hands up, “What? He’s no hound but I think he’s got the scent.”

They followed him through the thick woods until he suddenly stopped waking. They hiked for hours and that was the most animated she had seen him. He growled in his low town and crawled along the forest floor on his belly. They follow him low to the ground. Y/n was scanning the forest but she saw nothing.

“There.” Jirou pointed to a man wearing camouflage high up in a tree. He held a sniper rifle. There was no way they wouldn’t get around him. She pulled her bow out but Jirou stopped her hand and pointed to a man in another tree just behind him.

“We wait for dark,” Jirou whispered.

Y/n looked at Jirou and frowned, “Where’s your home?”

Her brown eyes look haunted. “It’s back closer to the town by the big river. Mom was taken when they were looking for some girl. They searched all the houses and found my aunt and mom hiding. They didn’t find me. I snuck out the back and over the pointy log wall. The others snatched me outside the gates. The hunters were long gone though, so they were gonna wait for them to come back.”

“It was me,” the words slipped from Y/n’s mouth. Jirou crouched in some larger bush and sat, waiting for nightfall. Y/n spoke after a while. She felt awkward in Jirou’s silence. She was never silent. “I can help you find your mom.”

“She never got taken.”

“Where’d she go?”

“Knowing mom she went to hell. She was a mean and spiteful woman. Full of piss is what my aunt said.”

It hit Y/n like a club to the face, “She died?”

Jirou glanced at her, “I told you what she always said. You do whatever it takes to not go there. They woulda put her in the fields anyway. Her insides were injured having me. She couldn’t have more kids.”

Y/n wanted to cry. Jirou had a mother. She had someone. Y/n felt like it was her fault somehow.

“I’m really sorry Jirou. Do you have anywhere you can go? Do you have other people?”

Jirou shook her head, “Nope. It was me, mom and my aunt.”

Y/n decided she wouldn’t ever leave her. No matter what she wouldn’t leave her.

The day faded to night slowly. Spring was further along and the days were longer. The cool air was still fresh and crisp but the sun was getting warmer.

Hades slept again Y/n and Jirou whittled a small piece of wood. She passed the finished product to Y/n. She didn’t know what it was.

“It’s a rook.”

Y/n raised an eyebrow.

“For chess,” she said it like Y/n was an idiot.

“The game?”

Jirou nodded and smiled, “I’m making the pieces for a board. I guess I have to start over. Mine were in our village.”

Y/n looked confused, “You have a village?”

Jirou shook her head, “Nope. Had. The others came last month and burned it to the ground.”

“Life’s hard, Jirou. I’m convinced the god that everyone talked about before, hates us.”

Jirou’s eyes hardened and she pulled her dark blue hair back from her face, “Don’t ever say that. No matter what we have to believe that he’s going to help us. The evil is us.”

Hades jumped but it was too late. As she heard the branch snap behind her she saw a blak hood go over Jirou’s face. Y/n jumped but the guns were on her.

“What’ve got here?” The man standing before Y/n was grinning. He held a rifle to her face.

Hades was ready to attack but Y/n put her hand out, “No Hades. No.” He looked at her face confused. She could see it in her eyes. She shook her head and then looked at the man. “We’ll walk with you but you can’t put that over my head. If he can’t see my eyes he’s going to lose it and kill at least one of you.”

He nodded, “You walk with the wolf. I’ll kill him if I have to.” He removed the hood from Jirou who looked at Hades. Y/n gave her a sharp look. She knew the desperation on Jirou’s face was trying to over take, Y/n felt the same way. But they couldn’t win the fight. They could die like her mom.

One of the other guys with a gun smirked at Y/n. He was young and bold looking. He spoke to Y/n and she could hear the smile on his face, “I’d ask if you were spies for the other but you’re girls. What girls would help them out? So that leaves me with only one assumption,” He grinned and nudged Y/n, “You’re lookin for a date.”

Y/n doesn’t speak.

Jirou snorted, “You wish. No we’re looking for our friends. The other had us but we got away.” Y/n shot her a dirty look and Jirou scowled. “Don’t give me that look Y/n. Mom says we need to remember some ways of the world before an manners is one of the things we all seem to forget about.”

The man with the gun grinned, “Her mom sounds like the kind of girl we are always looking for. Warm my bed, bake my bread and say please and thank you like a lady should.”

Jirou shoved him, “My mom never warmed no man’s bed. She wasn't no lady. She was a survivor.” The man shoved Jirou back and Y/n caught her.

“Easy kid.”

The leader got in Y/n’s face with his gun. Y/n looked into his dark red eyes angrily, “Her mom just died creating a diversion for her to escape the hunters.” He made a face that surprised Y/n, remorseful.

“I’m sorry Jirou, is it? Never speak ill of the dead, unless they’re the monsters who started all of this.” He held his hands out.”

Jirou sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm, “It’s nothing. She died the way she wanted.” Y/n knew the pain Jirou felt and the strength she hid behind. The leader's eyes told her that he did too.

Hades nudged against her. He was nervous and whined. She looked as they entered a huge camp. The fires were lit making the woods smoky and smelled of food. Her mouth watered as her stomach grumbled. She didn’t the last time she actually ate.

“New recruits?” A man asked, looking Y/n up and down and nodded his head. Hades lunged at him. Y/n seriously thought the wolf could read minds, and that man’s mind was not pure. He jumped back, “Holy shit is that a wolf?”

Y/n laughed, she couldn’t help herself. Hades was hovering over him snarling. The men who had escorted them laughed at the fallen men and Y/n called him, “Hades.”

He snarled once more and ran to Y/n’s side. He stood tall and proud with his chest out. He snarled at everyone.

“You have my friends here don’t you?”

The man with the smile frowned, “Who?”

“A girl and a guy. They’re really good friends.”

His eyes narrowed, “No one’s come recently. Except you.”

“Don’t lie to me. He’s tall with red hair and red eyes. He has an injury on his leg. She’s younger and about my size. She has pink hair and black eyes. They’re really close.”

He shook his head, “Look we don’t have anyone here. We don’t take prisoners.”

Y/n looked at the guns surrounding them and raised her eyebrows.

He laughed, “You were spying on us and have a huge wolf as a pet.”

Y/n didn’t laugh. She wanted Kirishima and Mina,”

Jirou gave Y/n a look, “Why would he bring us here if they’re not here?”

Y/n shrugged, “The smell of food.”

The guy with the gun in her face pointed at Hades, “Keep him under control and we can drop the weapons.”

Y/n patted Hades on the head and scratched his ears. He shook his head once. He was still agitated,

The camp was like nothing Y/n had ever seen. It reminded her of the band of merry men Robin Hood joined in the forest.

She heard a noise she had never heard before. She turned her head when she saw where it came from. A small boy with white blond hair ran past her. He had his arms stretched out. He latched onto Hades, making her jump to his rescue but Hades looked at her and lowered her body for the child.

“Andy no, Not the wolf. Oh my god I’m so sorry.” A dark haired woman walked up to Y/n. She looked older, maybe thirty. She was dressed in a long gathered skirt and a blouse. She was pretty in a simple way. She looked at Jirou and smiled motherly. “We need to get you cleaned up and get some food in that belly. You look like you must be starved.” She looked at the man next to Y/n, “Watch him for me while I get her taken care of?”

The man nodded and kneeled next to the boy who was shrieking and hugging her wolf. Hades panted, contented.

“His name’s Hades. Be careful, okay Andy.” The man put a hand out for Hades to sniff.

Jirou gave her a pleading look as she was getting dragged off. Y/n wanted to reach for her but she didn’t. The woman with the black hair had dark doe eyes that instantly made Y/n feel comfortable.

Y/n looked around and noticed that there were fires everywhere. Small tents lined the forest and lean-tos were staggered amongst them. She had never seen anything like it. Clothes hung from lines in the trees. The canopy provided the perfect shelter. She felt like she had entered a sacred site. Everyone was busting about, as if on a mission.

“This is like the Shire.”

“You’ve read The Hobbit?”

Her neck almost snapped as she looked back him,”Yeah, have you?”

He nodded and patted Hades once more.

“Wolfie wolfie wolfie.” The white haired angel cries into Hades’s dark fur. He looked down with the hug and struggled to escape.

“He’s done.”

The man pulled the boy off, making him make an ungodly noise, “Nooo Bakugo. I wanna hug the wolfie. I wanna wolfie. Miiiine.”

Y/n gasped, “Bakugo?” The eyes and the smile. He looked almost exactly how they described him. “Mina and Kirishima’s friend Bakugo?”

His face dropped, “Mina and Kirishima? My friends?” Y/n nodded. His face grew savage. He let go of the boy and gripped her arm harshly. He shouted in her face, “Where are they?”

Y/n pointed, “I thought they were here.”

Hades didn’t like the struggle going on. He lept in between them and knocked Bakugo to the ground. He had him by the scruff of his shirt and was making a noise she had never heard before.

“Hades.”

He ignored Y/n. She sat on the ground and made a whistle sound and Hades tugged once more on his shirt before backing away. He turned and sauntered towards her. He was overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed. He curls onto her lap and as she stroked his ears while he trembled.

Bakugo stood up and walked toward Y/n. Hades growled and snarled in her lap. She looked up at Bakugo.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you.”

His dark eyes played in the dim light of dusk, “They’re alive?”

“Last time I saw them.”

His jaw tenses up.

Y/n turned to see a rugged man walk up to where they were, “Bakugo I need to go over some things with you.”

The white haired boy saw the man and started his tirade all over again. He was stomping his feet and pointing at Hades who trembled. She wrapped her arms around him and glared at the young boy. She hated children.

“Stop that you little brat. You’ll get us all killed,” Y/n hissed at him. The noise would no doubt draw the others or worse.

Bakugo laughed at her but his expression was lost.

Jirou walked over to Y/n in a clean dress with patches. Her hair was slicked back and wet. She was holding a platter of sorts covered in meat and something white.

“Y/n thith ith cheeth. You have to have thum.” Her mouth was near bursting as she spoke. Y/n grimaced watching her stuff her mouth. She sat beside Hades and Y/n. He raised his face instantly and started eating from Jirou’s plate.

Hades was making his weird wolf noise that he made when he was happy. It almost sounded like a cat purring but lower and deeper inside of him.

The platter was empty and Y/n had had nothing. She couldn’t stop looking up at Bakugo, who was talking to another man. He glanced at Y/n every now and then. She could tell that he wanted to talk to her.

“The people I’m looking for, Mina and Kirishima, Bakugo is their friend.” She pointed to him subtly.

Jirou raised an eyebrow, “You think that’s why Hades brought us here?”

Y/n shrugged, “Maybe. I think he smelled the food.”

Jirou grinned with food in her teeth, “Thank god for Hades and his belly.”

“I’m worried about where they are though. If they’re not here, where could they have gone?”

“The farms,” Jirou said nonchalantly, even though Y/n knew that Jirou feared the idea of it whether he had met them or not.

Y/n’s skin prickled thinking about them in the farms. Mina was old enough to be put to ‘work’ and Kirishima was strong. He would be made to work hard labor.

Y/n looked up and saw people eyeballing them. They pretended to be working near them, but they watched Hades as he ate. It made Y/n smile. If only they know how much of a pussycat he was.

She felt fingers bite into her skin, “Wolfie mine!” He shouted in her face. The little brat was back. She hated him. His greedy little fingers were wiping an orange paste on her shirt. She leaned away from him.

“Don’t look so horrified. He’s just a kid.” Bakugo picked the little monster up and carried him back to the doe eyed lady. Y/n felt sorry for her. She thought that her life must be horrid. Y/n looked at the orange stain mixed with debris smeared across her sleeve

She glanced up at Bakugo, “Is there somewhere I can wash up?”

He nodded at the dark haired lady, “Mary can take you.”

Mary smiled, “Followed me.” She passes the evil beast with the white hair to a man next to her. Y/n looked at Jirou who nodded.

“Just don’t get roped into the dress and them brushing your hair. It’s a bad experience. Hades is fine here with me.”

Y/n walked away from Hades, she knew that he would see the fear in her eyes and follow. She didn’t want him anywhere near the little monster

“You’ve never seen a child before have you?” Mary asked sweetly as they walked past a grouping of tents and lean-tos. She led her down a steep narrow dirt path.

“Not in over ten years. Just the ones left behind when the mom’s get taken. I don’t hang around long enough to get to the know them though.”

“That’s horrible. You leave little kids alone?”

Y/n didn’t care if she judged her. She was alive, “I was a kid too Mary. I barely took care of myself and Hades.”

Mary crossed her arms, “He gets tired once it’s after six. He really is a sweet boy. Once you get to know him, you’ll love him.”

She tried not to be rude but spoke her mind, “He will get you killed with noises like that. The infected love noisy things that lead to food.”

Mary looked back aghast, “We never leave camp. None of the children do.”

“So you have an agreement with the infected and the others that they stay out of your camp so the kids can be as noisy as they want?” Her sarcasm was filled with more sarcasm.

Mary laughed, “You really don’t have any social skills do you

She shrugged, “I’ve made it this long out there, alone.”

Mary looked shocked, “How long have you been alone.”

Y/n sighed, “Since the beginning.”

The walls surrounding the water were high and rocky. Nothing could get to the massive lagoon of crystal clear dark green water. The only visible path was the one she was standing on. She pulled her boots and socks off. Her scabs stung on the dirt and rocks. She pulled down her pants and ripped off her shirt. She ran down the remainder of the path. She ran onto the huge flat rocks that made a platform and dived in. The cold ripped through her instantly but she had never felt this clean. She remembered her baths as a small kid. They were filled with bubbles and hard plastic mermaids. This was much better. The freshness of the water made her feel alive in a good way. She lied on her back and floated.

She looked over at Mary as she jumped off the rock. Y/n blushed as she entered the water with a big splash. Mary had been completely naked. Y/n had never seen another naked lady before.

Suddenly a noise ripped through the air. She turned as several people jumped into the water. The waves and splashes were taking over the lagoon.

“Oh my god it’s freezing.” Y/n saw a small blonde girl who was a little older than she was next to her. Her teeth chattered and suddenly Y/n realized that her teeth were chattering too.

In a split second a hand pushed Y/n underwater. She sputtered and coughed as she forced her head above the water.

“Hey are you okay,” a guy asked, Y/n assumed it was the one who had pushed her under. Everyone was staring at her and she ran.

She ran faster to get away from their voices. She felt like a freak. She made her way to the nearest fire. She was alone, until she felt the warm breath at her hip. His cold nose felt warm against her bare skin. Y/n went to go grab her dirty clothes but Mary was there, holding a pile.

“Here,” she said. She was dripping wet too. They stood looking at each other in the firelight. Mary was so beautiful in her soaked dress with the water dripping from her.

“Thanks,” Y/n took the pile and pulled on the shirt and pants over her soaked underwear. She pulled her bra off once the shirt was on and covered her.

Mary took it in her hand, “What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

Mary leaned in and kissed Y/n on the cheek softly, “Y/n it’s okay. You’re safe here. No infection and no others and no military. We take care of each other.” She took Y/n’s soaking bra and pile of dirty clothes and left. Y/n stood by the fire and realized she had kissed her. She had liked that Mary kissed her. It was a nice feeling. Not nice the way Kirishima’s was. Hers was sweet and soft. It made her happy.

She looked down at Hades, who had turned his face in the light of the fire and whined. She patted his head and looked to where Mary walked. She dropped Y/n’s clothes into a basket and pointed to a bright orange glow in the woods across the camp. “Come to the fire. We sing and play guitar.”

Y/n pulled on her dry clothes and wrapped her arms around herself. Hades and Y/n followed Mary through the woods to where a large bonfire is burning. She could hear the music faintly in the crackle of the flames and embers. It was folk music, but better. She hadn’t heard music since before. She felt like an outsider but the people at the fire smiled at her. Someone shoved over on the log in front of her to make space. Hades watched her sit in a crowd. He didn’t know how to respond to it and whined a little.

Heat waves rose from the huge fire making it hard to see across where the musicians sre. The logs were built higher than the people sitting. She could make out a man with a small guitar. He was old and had a beard. A man started singing with the small guitars. His voice was incredible. It was raspy and sweet. Y/n was in a trance. She sat and closed her eyes. The music brought back something soft and sweet that she never knew she was missing. The sweet voice sent shivers down her spine and her throat was thick with unfelt emotions. They sat in a huge circle, warmed by the fire and the raw human emotions inside of the song. It was about love and sacrifice.

This was the greatest moment of her life. She had experienced nothing like this, even before. Time passed, she didn’t know how much. Songs were sung. Whiskey was passed and drank and swayed her body like everyone else. Her guard was not only lowered but completely destroyed.

In the light Y/n could see Mary. She sang and laughed and drank. Her eyes sparkled in the orange glow.

Slowly people trickled away from the fire. Hades had crept up and was lying at her feet. The pile of logs and lumber on the fire had burned down to ash and in the embers she had seen something she never expected. Bakugo was the singer with the haunting voice that had lit her up. He felt the music, she could see that. His eyes were closed and his fingers gently stroked the guitar. He finished the song and Y/n couldn’t help but see him differently.

He walked over to where she was sitting and sat down beside her.

“You’re a good singer.”

“We need to talk.”

Sitting beside him made her insides crawl.. He didn’t look sweet and soft like Mary did. He looked annoyed and angry with her. She felt intimidated by him. He didn’t seem like the goof Mina described. He was intense.

“I know you.”

His long legs seemed huge compared to hers. His were thick and strong looking. His face was handsome like Kirishima’s, but more commanding. She wanted to listen to him for some reason. She felt like he could keep her safe, like he did with everyone else there.

“So where are they?”

She shook her head and tried not to watch his mouth. “I don’t know. They were at my farmhouse last time I saw them?”

“How did thg look?

Y/n gulped, “Great. Kirishima was hurt a bit but I got him medicine. They were fine when I left though.”

“Where did you meet them?

“First my cabin,” She stated the story at the beginning and tried to not stare at his lips as he processed what she had to say. She wanted him to sing to her more.

--

im so tired holy fuck

[walkerwords]

“Not Alone Anymore” Part 1 of 2 - Aaron & Sister!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT:  Gene Page/AMC

Request from @thanossexual​:  Hi, can you please write something about Y/n looking for her brother Aaron and after Sooooo many years that passed since the outbreak she never gave up, she meets Jesus in the woods and he helps her (he doesn't know that its Aaron) and then she finally finds him and they have a happy reunion. She meets Gracie and just lots of fluff

Word Count: 3894

Warning: None

Song I Wrote To: “Brother” by NEEDTOBREATHE ft. Gavin DeGraw

Note: This is going to be a 2 part story! Maybe three, but two for sure! I have a fun idea for the next part, but I wanted to get this up cause I promised I would! Thank you for the request!

-------

The air tasted stale on your tongue. 

It had been two days since you had eaten and one since your last drink of water. The last time you had found a stream, it was packed with water-logged Dead as they struggled to get out of the water and back to lumbering on land. The Virginian landscape stretched out before you as you walked along the grassy slope. A decade ago, these overgrown fields of nothingness looked very different and they didn’t feel as empty as they did right now. 

The sun beat down the back of your neck with a ferocity you had gotten used to over the years since the Turn. In the new world, nothing was safe; nothing was certain; everything took something from you. 

You had considered looking for a place to hold up. Maybe somewhere near the water or high up in an old building, but nothing ever fit. At times, you felt like Alice in the room with all the doors and no matter what you did, the key never fit.

The shaded tree line beckoned you ahead and you hoped to find some relief from the sun after walking for hours. Your feet dragged along the dead grass as you pushed yourself towards the shade. Eventually, the trees were surrounding you as your dehydrated mind struggled to stay focused.

"Look for high ground, find water, find shelter," you said to yourself. Looking for the sun through the canopy, you found North easily enough and began your hike in hopes of finding a stream. However, it seemed the world had other plans for you.

The Dead came out of nowhere.

Their sun-baked flesh crackled as they staggered toward you, reaching out with their bony hands. Drawing your knife from its sheath, you steeled yourself for the attack. The first one fell towards you and you managed to stab it in its skull before it could grab onto your jacket. The creature fell to the ground with a crunch.

Two more came after you as you backed up, trying to gain perspective. You were tired, hungry, and a bit disoriented, but you did what you always did: fought to survive.

Just as you went for the Biter on the left, your feet were knocked out from under you. You shouted in alarm as desiccated hands pulled you to the forest floor. You kicked out at the groaning assailant, but you were getting weaker by the minute and the fall hadn't helped.

You struggled as the Dead above you, fell to their knees, and tried to grab hold of your flailing arms and legs. You managed to kick one in the jaw, but it barely slowed down. As hands gripped your calf, you allowed yourself to scream as you awaited the pain, but then a rhythmic sound reached your ears.

Horse hooves pounded the ground as a man on horseback came barreling through the trees. From his hand flew a blade that lodged itself into the Biter that had your leg. Two more knives followed as the others were taken out.

Collapsing on your back, you had no fight left in you. If this man was an enemy, you couldn't bring yourself to care.

Boots touched down to your left as he approached. The man crouched over you and as you peered up at him, you were taken aback by his eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of blue you had ever seen. He was tall with his hair pulled back and he wore gloves and a leather duster. With the sun lighting him from behind, he didn't look real.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, checking over your body.

"No," you croaked, sitting up.

"Here," he said, offering you his canteen. You didn't hesitate at the sight of it. You took two large gulps from it before giving it back. You swiped at your mouth with the back of your hand.

"Thank you," you rasped. He smiled gently at you. 

"You looked like you could use some help," he said, his eyes glinting in the light. "I'm Jesus," he introduced. 

"(Y/N)," you said before the black spots returned to your vision. "I can't...I can't see," you muttered as dizziness took over. 

"(Y/N)?" You heard Jesus call, but he seemed too far away. Your adrenaline was fading and you tried to keep your eyes open, but everything was fading too fast. You reached a hand towards the stranger, but it fell at your side as you collapsed back onto the dying earth before succumbing to the darkness that eagerly awaited.

Jesus stared down at you and made a quick decision. You needed help and while he knew Michonne would have his head, Alexandria was closer.

Hiking you up into his arms, Jesus got you on the horse, draping you across the saddle before swinging his leg over as well. Once he was settled, he maneuvered you so she sat in front of him and he took the reigns, snapping them quickly and tapping his heels against the horse's side.

With a quick pull, Jesus rode towards Alexandria, hoping that you would make it. He didn't know what it was, but something was familiar about you and he knew he couldn't leave you behind.

He rode hard through the woods, keeping a tight grip on you as he tried not to jostle you too much. He could hear your labored breathing and occasionally, you would move as if you were trying to fight the fatigue that weighed on you. It didn’t take long for the walls of Alexandria to come into view. Jesus whistled as he approached, gaining the attention of whoever was on watch. Luckily, it wasn’t their head of security. 

Gabriel appeared at the top of the wall, looking down at the new arrival. “She needs food and water, please Gabriel,” Jesus pleaded. “I won’t leave her side and I take full responsibility for anything.” Gabriel hesitated, but only for a moment. He disappeared off the watch post and Jesus was worried, he would be turned away after all. He knew Michonne had rules about bringing in outsiders. He hadn’t gotten the full story, but from what Aaron had told him about Jocelyn, Michonne was right to be cautious. However, that didn’t mean he still didn’t have faith in what Alexandria once stood for. 

Jesus steadied his horse as the main gate finally rolled open. Gabriel ushered him inside and locked up behind them. “We need to get her to Siddiq,” Gabriel said as he helped Jesus get you down from the horse. 

“Her name’s (Y/N),” he explained. “Found her getting attacked by Walkers not too far from here. I don’t think she’s had anything to eat for a while.”

“Was she alone?” Gabriel asked as Jesus heaved you up into his arms bridal style. 

“I didn’t see anyone else and she didn’t seem to be looking for anyone before she fainted,” he explained. 

“I’ll have Laura and Scott be on the lookout just to be sure,” Gabriel said. 

“I’m sorry,” Jesus said, “I know you don’t take in strangers, but Hilltop was too far and I think she hit her head.” 

“It’s fine, Jesus,” Gabriel said, “I know what Michonne thinks, but I’m not Michonne.” Gabriel led him to the infirmary. The three of you got strange looks as you moved through the community and it was only a matter of time before word got back to Michonne. Jesus only hoped the resident doctor could fix you up before his Katana-wielding friend kicked you out. 

“Aren’t you going to ask why I was heading here?” Jesus asked as Gabriel opened the door for him. 

“Jesus, if you think some people haven’t figured it out yet, then you and Aaron a lot denser than I first thought,” Gabriel said with a sly smile. 

“Fair enough, Father,” Jesus said as he followed the other man towards Siddiq’s main set up. 

As soon as Jesus brought you into the infirmary, Siddiq was moving to clear a bed for you. “What happened?” Siddiq asked, not even caring to ask who you were. It didn’t matter to him right now. 

“Severe dehydration, lack of food, and I think she hit her head,” Jesus explained, laying you down on the bed. “I already checked for bites when I saw the Walkers attacking her, she’s clean.” Siddiq nodded as he took out his penlight and shone it in your eyes, gently lifting your eyelids. He felt around the back of your head for any bumps or bruising, but was satisfied to not find any. 

Gabriel had taken a few steps back to give the doctor room to work, but Jesus made sure to keep close. It helped when you slowly gained consciousness. Your eyes fluttered open and the first face you saw was the man who had saved you. Your hand blindly searched for him and Jesus was there, adding pressure to your sunburnt skin. “You’re okay, (Y/N),” he assured you. “You’re in a safe place and a doctor is taking a look at you.”

Looking around, you noticed you were in a room in some kind of house. Large windows brought in sunlight and the bed you lay on was the most comfortable thing you had felt since early on in the apocalypse. You let go of Jesus’ hand and tried to sit up. Another pair of hands, the doctor’s you realized, assisted you, placing a pillow behind your back. “What happened?” you asked, trying to get your bearings. 

“You passed out after I saved you,” Jesus told you, “I took you here to get help.” You nodded, letting all the information sink in. You knew there were places out there that offered sanctuary to travelers, but you hadn’t felt comfortable enough to seek one out. The words from someone you knew years before ran through your head as you remembered them asking to go with them to “build a new world”. You had been too concerned with looking for your family that you hadn’t taken their hand, but perhaps you wouldn’t be in this situation if you had. 

“My name is Siddiq,” the doctor said, “and that is Father Gabriel,” he said, gesturing to the man with the clerical collar that stood on the far wall. Still a bit out of it, you let out a small laugh. 

“A doctor, a priest, and a guy named Jesus walk into a bar…” you joked and Siddiq laughed too. 

“She had jokes,” Siddiq said with a smile. “Hard to find that these days.” Jesus nodded in agreement. “What’s your name?” he asked you. 

“(Y/N),” you said, rubbing at your face. Siddiq then offered you a glass of water that he poured from the pot by the bed. 

“Drink, (Y/N),” he said, “we’ll get you some food once your body is more hydrated.” You took the glass from him and drank half of it in one go. “You don’t seem to be injured so one we get you back on your feet with some more water and food, you should be good to go,” Siddiq said reassuringly. 

“Yes, I believe that would be for the best,” a new voice said. You all looked over to the doorway to see a beautiful and tall woman. Her dark skin glowed in the sunlight, but her eyes were hard as they stared at you. When you noticed the sword strapped to her back, you inched behind Jesus, reaching for his coat. Siddiq squeezed your arm carefully. “What is this?” she asked. 

“Michonne,” Jesus began.

“Don’t,” she warned. “I’ll talk to you later, Jesus.”

“She just needed water and food,” Father Gabriel said to her. “I saw no harm in helping her, Michonne.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Michonne said, approaching you. Jesus stepped away from the bed, giving the woman some room. Your hand fell away from his coat as you looked up at the warrior. “Who are you?” she ordered. 

“No one,” you said honestly. “I didn’t even know there was a community nearby. I was on my way to the city and I got attacked. Jesus saved me.” Michonne glanced at the aforementioned man quickly before returning her attention to you. 

“Where are you people?” she asked. 

“I don’t have any. Not anymore,” you said. “We got separated months ago in the blizzard and I don’t think any of them survived.”

“But you did?” she asked, her tone accusatory. 

“Barely,” you said, “it hasn’t been easy being on my own.” 

“What do you want?” 

“Nothing! I didn’t even know he was taking me here until I woke up moments ago. I’m not here to hurt anyone!” Michonne was quiet for a moment as she thought. 

“I want her gone,” Michonne said. “Blindfold her and take her someplace where she can’t find her way back.”

“Michonne, please,” Siddiq said, “she needs rest, she can’t go out there like this.” 

“That is not our problem, Siddiq. We have rules for a reason!” 

“No, you have rules, Michonne,” he snapped back. “I never agreed to them.”

“Then you don’t need to stay here, do you?” she returned with a glare.

“Enough!” Gabriel said. “I know we all different opinions on how to handle outsiders, but turning on each other is not the way to handle it.”

“I made myself very clear, Gabriel,” Michonne said. Gabriel went to argue again, but footsteps echoed through the room as someone else entered, ready to diffuse the situation. 

“We have a council for a reason, Michonne,” the new person said and the voice rolled through you like a wave. You couldn’t see them from your position behind Jesus and Michonne, but you knew that voice. 

“Not now, Aaron,” Michonne said and that’s when it hit you all at once.

Aaron. 

“Aaron?” you said, his name feeling foreign on your tongue. Slowly, a tall man with a beard and curly hair came around the corner and he froze. Nobody spoke, but the others kept looking between the two of you confused. Aaron stared at you as if he was seeing a ghost.

“Oh my god,” he gasped as he finally snapped out of his surprise. He ignored Michonne and the others as he walked forward, stopping at your bedside. Hesitantly he reached out his right hand to you. You noticed his left was now a prosthetic, but that wasn’t the only thing different about your big brother.

He seemed harder and his eyes looked almost ancient. As soon as his fingertips met your skin, you collapsed towards him. He grabbed you in a hug immediately, clutching you to him. “Oh god!” he cried, pressing kisses to the top of your head. “(Y/N),” he said as you held onto him, trying not to cry. He pulled back, searching your face. “You’re so big,” he said. 

“Last time you saw me I was fifteen, so yeah, that tends to happen, brother,” you said and at your words, Jesus’ mouth fell open. 

“Your Aaron’s sister?” he asked and Aaron jumped as if he just realized Jesus was there. “The one who lived in Massachusetts?” You nodded, surprised he knew that bit of information. 

“She stayed with my mom after the divorce,” Aaron explained and then looked back at you. “How are you here? I thought you were dead.”

“Jesus found me, he saved me. I’ve been heading South since everything happened,” you explained, unable to keep any distance between you and your brother. You held onto his hand, examining all the scars that marked it. 

“You found her?” Aaron asked Jesus who just nodded. Aaron reached out his left arm to Jesus and the latter walked into the embrace. “Thank you, Paul,” Aaron whispered, leaning his head on the other man’s chest. “Thank you.” Watching them, it wasn’t difficult to see that Aaron had a connection with your Savior. Jesus pulled back and gripped Aaron by the back of the neck, looking at him with something that looked a lot like love to you, but you kept your observation to yourself. Aaron then seemed to realize the confusion in the room. “This is my baby sister,” he explained to the others. “God, I never thought I would see her again.” 

“Aaron,” Michonne began softer this time. 

“I know the rules…” he said, but Michonne was shaking her head. 

“Rules don’t matter when it comes to family,” she said and the look in her eyes told you that she had lost people, someone perhaps she was still hoping to see again. Michonne carefully approached you. “I’m sorry.” 

“You have to be careful,” you said, “I understand.” Michonne nodded and then stepped away as Siddiq broke the tension again. 

“(Y/N) needs her rest,” he said. “I’m gonna keep her in the infirmary tonight so I can keep an eye on her.” The others nodded and Gabriel moved to leave and so did Michonne, but not before pausing by Aaron’s side. 

“I’ll take your guard shift and let the others know what happened,” she said. 

“Thank you, Michonne,” he said and Michonne gripped his shoulder before following Gabriel out of the room. Jesus stopped by the doorway and looked back.

“I’m gonna be around for a bit, Aaron,” he said, “if that’s okay?”

“Of course,” Aaron said, “I’ll come to find you in a bit.” 

“I can watch Gracie for you,” he offered, “She and I have some catching up to do anyway.”

“That would be great, Paul,” Aaron said gratefully. “Thank you.” Jesus smiled and then sent a wink your way before exiting the infirmary. 

“I’ll let you two catch up,” Siddiq said, placing more water on the bedside. “Make sure she drinks, Aaron. We’ll try food in a bit.”

“Thanks, Doc,” you said, grabbing the water glass again. He nodded to the both of you before leaving as well. Finally, alone, you reached for him again and Aaron took you in his arms. “I can’t believe I found you,” you said into his chest.

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N), I should have come for you, but I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t even know where you were.”

“Don’t do that,” you said, leaning back so you could look him in the eyes. “Do not blame yourself. I’m okay, Aaron. I survived, we both did. It took a long time to get to you, but I’m here now.” Aaron nodded, blinking back the tears as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“I have so much to tell you,” he said. 

“Me too,” you said with a weak laugh. “Though I have a feeling your stories are much more interesting than mine,” you said, tapping the metal arm. He scrunched his nose and lifted his prosthetic to his face. 

“Pretty cool, right? A couple of the blacksmiths at Hilltop made it,” Aaron explained. 

“Hilltop?” 

“The community where Jesus is from,” he said. 

“There’s another community?” you asked, surprised. 

“Four in all. We’re in Alexandria, then there’s Hilltop, Oceanside, and the Kingdom. I’ll take you to them sometime soon. Introduce you to my new family. Though, we may have to go a little deeper into the wilderness to find one of my best friends. He’s not really a sociable person right now.”

“And yet he’s your best friend?” you asked, smiling. 

“He’s...Daryl’s odd, but we love him.” You smirked as you drank more water, relishing in the feel of it cooling your throat. 

“Who’s Gracie?” you asked after Aaron filled your glass again. 

“My daughter,” he said and you nearly dropped the drink in your hand. 

“Daughter?”

“You’re an aunt, (Y/N),” he said with a beaming smile. “I can’t wait for you to meet her, she’s everything and more.” 

“How old is she?” you asked, trying to imagine your brother with a kid.

“Six,” he said, “almost seven and a total dream of a kid. I couldn’t have asked for better.”

“Well, I can’t wait to meet her too. If she’s anything like her daddy, I’m sure I’ll love her.” Aaron and you spent the new couple of hours, reminiscing about life before the Turn and what happened afterward. You told him how you tried to get to Virginia after the first outbreak, but got caught up in a group of people wanting to head West. Eventually, you had gotten away from them, but were on your own for months after until you found another group and stuck with them for at least a year. “I never really fit anywhere, you know? Couldn’t find my people. Though, it looks like you did.”

“Yeah,” Aaron said as he lay next to you, staring up at the ceiling. “It wasn’t easy, but we’ve all become more than family. Everything we’ve been through…” he trailed off, his hand fiddling with one of the straps on his left arm. 

“Mom died at the beginning,” you explained softly. Aaron nodded. 

“I figured,” he sighed, “I don’t know what happened to Dad, but he was sick the last time I spoke to him.”

“I know, he called me and told me about the cancer,” you said, “I just hope he’s not out there roaming around, you know?” 

“Stubborn man like him? Probably went out with a bang, (Y/N),” he joked. You both were quiet for a moment before you asked what had been on your mind since you woke up. 

“Am I safe here?” you asked. Aaron turned on his side, pushing the hair from your face. 

“Yes, I promise. Tomorrow, I will take you out of this room and show you everything this place is. We fought hard to keep Alexandria, and now it’s home.”

“Okay,” you said, stretching your hands out in front of you. “I still trust you, always will.” 

“Good,” Aaron said and then grabbed your arm suddenly causing you to jump. He turned your right arm over and exposed a large scar that ran from your elbow to your shoulder. “What happened?” 

“Ran into a herd about six or so years ago” you explained. “Fell down a short hill and got my arm all shredded by some razor wire.” Aaron cringed at the thought. 

“How’d you get away?” 

“Some guys actually hauled my ass through the woods and saved me,” you explained. “Weird guy, but he was strong and he protected me until I could handle things on my own again. Never saw him again, but I owe him a lot.” Shrugging, you pulled down the sleeve of your shirt. “What about your arm?”

“Lumber accident,” Aaron revealed and you laughed.

“You’re serious?” you asked. 

“It’s true, we were building a bridge and Walkers snuck up on us and some idiot let go of the rope that was holding the logs and it crushed my arm. Luckily, Hilltop has a badass field medic and she fixed me up good.”

“She still around?” 

“Yeah, still at Hilltop.”

“Remind me to thank her when I visit,” you said as you curled into your brother’s side, closing your eyes. “What happened to you, Aaron? What haunts you?” Aaron pulled you closer, leaning his head on yours. 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow, kid,” he whispered. 

“Don’t call me kid,” you mumbled and as you fell asleep, finally feeling safe, but not because of Alexandria, but because you finally found him. You finally found your family. 

PART II

TAGS: @thanossexual​ @felicisimor​ @yes-sir-hotchner​

[prurientpuddlejumper]

A Deep and Rapid River, Ch. 11

<- Chapter 10

Summary: The end of a journey and the start of a new one

The world was beautiful—bright blue skies stretched overhead with a few lazy white cotton puffs drifting unhurriedly through and topping distant snow-covered peaks. Insects fluttered and chirped in the afternoon heat from the tall grass that lined the dirt road at the center of town, where tiny white and yellow flowers bloomed. Inside the gloomy church, you hadn't even noticed what was waiting just outside.

It was not a peaceful summer day, however. Word travels fast in a small village, though not always well or with accuracy, and a general chaos turns in the air—villagers carrying buckets of water clamor toward the smoke and others, still screaming, clamor to get away. It won’t be long before men with muskets come to hunt the great beast who had caused the calamity and abducted a bride from her wedding.

A large but fast warmblood waits, loosely tied to post just outside the church door. You could swear you’ve seen it somewhere before.

The creature sets you on its back side-saddle, before climbing on behind you and spurring the horse to a gallop. Behind you, a handful of villagers stare after you in shock.

“We shall be long gone before they recover enough to come after us,” he says, a laugh brightening the edges of his voice. You grin into the wind, fingers grasping at a handful of chestnut mane. You’re both exhilarated, and can hardly believe what just happened.

As you continue down the road, reality has to catch up sooner or later. Fear creeps back into your mind.

“Where are we going? What will we do?!”

“Are you not happy? You came with me of your own accord...”

“Of course I’m happy! “Of course I’m happy! You rescued me from that nightmare.” You’re not sure how to show your affection while trying not to fall off a galloping horse, so you nuzzle your face against the arm he has wrapped around you. “Only, we still have the same problem we had yesterday,” you frown.

“In truth, I may have wallowed and wasted away in self-pity, doubting if interference on my part was wanted, but I was encouraged to action. There is something that may assuage some of your apprehension.”

He slows the horse and turns its reins down a narrow path into the forest, barely visible from the road. You ride for several minutes, ducking sharp branches that tug at your dress, winding through the undergrowth until it opens up upon a small clearing at the edge of the river. The water is cool and clear, far calmer than the angry brown churning that overflowed the banks in the spring.

“This is where we first met, isn’t it?”

He slides himself off the saddle and lands softly in the tall grass. Taking the reins under the animal’s chin, he leads you toward a figure waiting at the far side of the meadow, under the dappled shade where the forest line hangs just over the riverbank. A smaller horse grazes idly beside them. He raises a large hand and waves to them. The figure waves back, mahogany curls bouncing with the movement, the light catching on their long, fussy sleeves.

It couldn’t be.

“Stop where you are!” she barks as the creature approaches too close. “Fifteen feet, remember our deal?” She holds up a hand in front of her eyes and squeezes them shut as if to erase him from her vision.

“Bess?” you stammer.

She looks up at you with big brown eyes and smiles. “Sorry for missing your wedding. I heard it sucked.”

You jump off the horse and nearly knock her her flat with the force of your hug. “What are you doing here? How did? What? And you didn’t—” your mouth is running at a million miles a minute yet you can’t quite manage to articulate words.

“Alright, alright,” she pats your back. “I am astonishing, I know.” She steps back and gestures to a large leather saddle bag next to her on the ground. “While everyone was distracted, I packed everything you’ll need to survive. Baked some hardtack special for you, so you shouldn’t starve for at least a month, though I recommend foraging something to supplement it.”

“This… this was your idea?” Your jaw hangs open. “But I… But you...” Your open jaw wobbles in disbelief, your last memory of Bess wide-eyed with terror and screaming.

She tucks a hand on her hip and looks aside. “I saw what I saw, and I was shocked. Frankly, it would have been a lot to process even without a damned—whatever you call him—involved. I didn’t say anything of course, but it was distressing. I didn’t know what to think. That you were cavorting with the legions of Hell after all? Then I recalled your strange behavior of late—your distraction, your mysterious smiles and contented sighs. Always hiding away in that barn yet refusing any aid with your chores. After I could breathe again it was not difficult to put together. I’m not a dummy, dummy,” she smiles.

“Suddenly they were forcing you to marry Ferdinand. I knew you would never do so willingly, but I had no power to stop their machinations. I didn't know what to do, so on a hunch, I checked your barn and found this brute curled on the floor with ten cats, weeping into one of your chemises. Thus I recruited him to my aid.”

The creature steps forward and gestures a large hand toward Bess in a friendly manner. “It was she who secured the horse and supplies, and who suggested—”

Bess waves him away sharply, clamping a hand over her eyes. “I’m sorry, guy, I cannot even look at you.” She shudders deep and sickeningly to her core. “You are fucking crazy,” she says to you, “I don’t get it. But this fellow makes you happy, doesn’t he?” You nod. “Then I am happy for you. This town has been a prison for you ever since we were children; I watched it draining your life, your dreams. So take your scary boyfriend and get out of here!”

Tears sting the back of your eyes. The creature was right—all along, Bess would have understood. Instead of confiding in a friend, you let fear lead you by the nose into a trap from which the two of them busted you out just before the door could snap shut behind you forever.

“I should have told you.” You wipe your eyes, laughing softly. “I’m an idiot.”

“No…” she coos soothingly, with some hesitation. “Well, yes. A little. But we love you.” She makes a visor over her brow with her hand and points in the general direction the massive, ominously looming creature is standing. “He loves you quite a lot, you know.”

“I know,” you smile, blessing him with a gaze affectionately returned (though he keeps his distance from the flighty Bess, occupying himself by packing up the horse). “He’s wonderful.”

“It takes all types,” she shakes her head. “Alright then,” she clears her throat, steeling herself, “Ride as hard as you can until you reach the next town. Blake is our fastest, strongest horse and should be able to bear the weight for a sprint of that distance. That should be enough of a head start to then disappear on foot, especially if nobody knows your intended destination is Geneva. If you would be so kind as to return the horse to the livery stable there—it is run by my cousin, and he won’t ask any questions. When you reach your destination, I expect a letter or I’ll think you’re dead.”

“You’re not coming with us?”

Her eyes grow wet. “It isn’t my journey. This place is not so much a cage for me as it has been for you. Though one day, I hope, we shall meet again.”

“I will miss you.” Your lower lips quivers with unspoken sorrow. She hugs you fiercely and protectively one last time before pulling back with a sniffle.

“Now go on! You must hurry before they come looking for you.”

The creature reaches down a hand. You clasp it, warm and strong in its grip, and he pulls you up onto the back of the muscular horse. Bess waves, running after you on foot as he kicks the horse into a brisk canter. “Don’t forget that letter!”

Tears stream down your face as you turn in the saddle and watch Bess and the river grow smaller and smaller, and eventually be swallowed up by the forest. You inhale deeply and let out a long, shaking breath.

“Are you all right?” the creature’s question vibrates in his chest, pressed to your back.

“Yeah.”

He is silent for awhile. The wild exhilaration of your escape from the church has withered and been replaced by a mournful determination to move forward. To begin new lives. The reality is not so glamorous as you reminisce on all the things you are leaving behind—Bess, Edelweiss, your flock of chickens and barn cats, the moss-covered boulders that were your secret place since childhood—yet you are ready to build that new life, whatever challenges lie ahead. You’ll have the best help one can hope for.

You let your weight shift back so your head rests against the creature’s chest. His long black hair flutters around you in the wind. He leans down and presses gentle kisses on your hair and your shoulders, and a comforting warmth spreads beneath your skin. You feel safe and cared for.

“Do you hate me? You must hate me,” you murmur into the wind, but his sharp ears pick up every word.

“I love you,” his chest rumbles. “You are my life, as much as the air that fills my lungs. Why should I hate you?”

“I was useless. I gave up. I was so terrified, I gave up on us. How can you ever forgive me?”

“You saved my wretched life long ago, dear angel.” He holds the reins in one fist, and slides his other hand under your arm, caressing your side and splaying out his fingers over your belly, smoothing the fabric of the gown. The gesture is warm and possessive, and keeps you secure on the speeding horse as you melt into him, intoxicated by his touch. “You dragged me out of misery into the light—cared for me with patience and love I never believed myself deserving of. You stood beside me and tended my wounds of both flesh and of my soul. Your company alone is a gift of which I was made unworthy. I have always wanted to thank you for saving me.”

“Now we’re even, huh?” you laugh.

“No,” he replies softly and insistently. “I think I would like to continue paying you back.”

The hand he had rested on your belly glides up to tip your chin toward him, and he presses a precarious kiss to your lips. A small jolt of hooves over the terrain sends you clutching for mane, but his steady hand darts back around your waist to keep you balanced.

“I will have to exact more payment once we have arrived on solid ground yet again,” you promise sinfully, resting a hand over his and squeezing it. “I want to kiss all of the scars on your handsome face.”

His chest vibrates with an eager hum of anticipation.

As you ride away from your old life, you feel something changing deep in your bones. You are already farther from your home than you have ever been, and ahead of you is the wide horizon of blue skies speared by sharp mountain peaks. You look up at the closest mountain to the road. It is not one you think you have seen before, although its shape is hauntingly familiar, like the face of a childhood friend, after years of separation, as an adult.

“What mountain is that?” You point to it.

“It is the white-crested peak of the great mountain that overlooks your town. The one I greatly admired from the window of the hayloft. We face its west slope, now.”

A wave of excitement for the future surges through you like electricity. What will your life look like from a fresh angle?

[fandomsilhouette]

the heartbeat in her wrist (we’ll learn to exist)

Stories are marked up and worn on the tongue of the people who tell them, on the throat of the people who gather around and drink them down, on the arms of the people who bring them close and hold them tight. 

Felix sinks into the pages of a book that’s passed through the hands of a stranger and makes his home there. 

Happy @felixmonth​, y’all! 

Marinette doesn’t like bookstores. Oh, she says she does, and she’ll visit happily whenever Felix insists, but she doesn’t love it the same way that Felix does. 

“I do, I like them!” she insists, but she slinks away after school to the arts room, or the courtyard when the weather is nice, or to the infinite libraries she frequents instead. All Felix can do is follow her helplessly to her haunts. After everything he’s done around her, to her, he’s in no position to be making demands. 

The libraries she likes best are the ones with yellowing pages and dog-eared corners and marks scrawled on every other page. Donated books, gone around and around in circles. A futile thermodynamic exercise, really (Felix has learned the words since he’d first heard them). He misses the crisp freshness of a new book at a bookstore, and slumps down into an armchair that’s too worn out to support his weight. His knees hit his chest, and he sighs. He can see Marinette’s head bouncing in and out of view from over the shelves, and that makes him laugh at least. 

A child shrieks either in joy or indignance from a few feet away and Felix remembers the worst part of libraries: the children. 

The types of kids who went into bookstores were the types of kids who stayed quiet with a book in their hand and ideas in their heads and didn’t scream or shout or cause chaos. Bookstores might be loud, with kids playing outside them, but libraries invite that inside. Parents drag their reluctant children in to see if they can make them read, by promise or by punishment, artists put on events and fairs run amok in the grass behind the building. Children lay starfished  on colorful floors and leave books in the wrong places and cause smudged fingerprints on the fish tank glass, and it drives Felix crazy. 

But Marinette still likes it here, so here they shall stay. 

Her bun has managed to disappear from the tops of the shelves and Felix wonders if she managed to get lost, then decides against it. Marinette knows this place better than he does. Chances are she got distracted, which might be worse. 

Felix kicks his feet out and fights his way out of the deathgrip of the armchair-quicksand. Time to go get her. There’s homework to start, after all. 

He makes his way through the shelves, lingering whenever a cover catches his eye. He’s old enough to read whatever he wants now, and does his best to balance fiction with something intellectually stimulating (his father’s words for a textbook), but he still finds his attention caught at the bright covers of the children’s books he’s forced himself to let go of. 

Geronimo Stilton has released so many new books. Felix wonders what adventures the poor mouse has gotten dragged into, brushes his fingers over the spines, and then stiffens when he realizes what he’s doing and walks away briskly.

He feels dumb when he hears Marinette’s voice drifting behind him and has to make an awkward about-face, though. 

Felix winces as he does it, shame and awkwardness washing over him, and makes himself do it anyways. He’s seen Marinette trip over herself and laugh about it, make mistakes and fix them happily, and the things that eat her up inside are-- 

Real things. Things that matter, things that she can’t change and people she cares about getting hurt and Atlas’s weight on her shoulders for no good reason except that someone cruel and careless put it there. 

Felix worries about a three year old judging him for turning around in a library without prompting. 

The three year old stares at him, then tilts their head and drools. Felix isn’t sure they know how to judge, or even think. Why are they here again? It’s not like they can read. Either way, it’s reassuring to know no one’s seen him. 

“Why are you turning circles in the children’s section, Felix?” Marinette comes up behinds him and he startles, spinning and hissing at her in shock before collecting himself again. The shame  is back, trickling down his awareness like ice. Marinette is a full head shorter than him but reaches up on her toes to mess up his hair anyways, and all Felix manages to do is bend down to make it easier for her. 

“I was looking for you.”

“Oh! Actually, I was just about to come get you. There’s someone I want you to meet.” 

Felix’s heart rate immediately spikes, pulsing hard enough for him to feel it in his wrists. His head spins with the force of it. 

It’s not that he’s anxious, exactly. It’s more like… he didn’t-- he thought-- this was supposed to be time for him and Marinette. No one’s ever joined them before and Felix has never wanted them to, with the way he always feels left out when her friends flock to her. She’s never left him out, she gets-- Felix stumbles over his own thoughts, trying to be kind without lying about the way that he feels. 

She gets… caught up with them. She takes care of everybody, she loves everybody, and he feels-- it’s easy to feel special when it’s just the two of them. It’s a lot harder when he has to watch her juggle ten peoples’ priorities and watch his needs sink to the bottom of her list. 

He’s never thought she made the wrong decision when she does it. 

It’s just that it… stings, no matter how rational she is. 

Felix wanted, expected, this time to be their time, where he gets to be her friend and the most important thing in her life for the next three hours until the library closes and he has to walk her home. He just… doesn’t want that taken away from him. 

Not that it can be. Adding someone else to the mix isn’t taking away something he’s owed, and it’s not healthy to think that way, and she doesn’t owe him anything anyways. It’s not like she promised, or anything. A tiny part of Felix’s brain reminds him that he could always ask her to make this time his, but he balks at the suggestion and shove that voice under a pile of metaphorical pillows until it suffocates, or at least shuts up. 

His stomach churns and he’s watching his hand shiver, distantly, dazedly. Maybe he is anxious. Felix exists for a moment in this floaty space, savoring it, curious at the way it makes his body feel tense and relaxed at the same time. He kind of likes it except that he can’t feel his body at all, really. 

Marinette looks over her shoulder at him and he registers her eyes widening, face paling. He knows that means something important. He can’t seem to remember what it is. 

She’s reaching out, taking his hand. Felix is desperate to feel it, her skin on his, the softness of her grip and the warmth of her touch. That’s enough to bring him back to his body, still anxious, still shaking, and now he wishes he could leave again. 

Marinette squeezes, and he squeezes back. 

The person she wanted him to meet turns out not to be anyone Felix knew of. Marinette led him to a child sitting cross legged on the floor, surrounded by books. Surrounded by Felix’s favorite books, actually, piled up like the start of a fort where every brick was a memory held together by the mortar of sheer imagination and hope. Felix is baffled and concerned, because between the two of them Marinette is by far the better reader of intention and need, and Felix has never suggested he might want to interact with some child.

All that said, this child in particular might be the best one she possibly could have picked. It’s not appealing by any means, but… well. It’s Marinette. 

Felix settles down on his knees and waits. He’s sure there’s an ulterior motive and if he waits long enough, eventually…

“Felix, I wanted you to meet Ina. She’s five and a half, she’s already started reading a lot, and is great at climbing shelves for what she needs,” Marinette interrupts herself to stick her tongue out at the little girl, who does it right back and then clambers out of her fortress to squirm her way into Marinette’s lap. Ina keeps on climbing up Marinette even as Marinette finishes what she was saying, “which is where I found her about to fall and caught her. We started talking after that and she was telling me how much she likes being read to,” Ina corroborates this by nodding, having made it to Marinette’s shoulders where she can poke her head over, “and I thought you would like to read to her! These are some of the books I remember you telling me about.” 

Felix cannot even begin to imagine why Marinette thought he might like to do that. 

He does it anyway. 

Felix reaches out for whatever book he finds closest to himself and manages to drop it spine-side down on his knee in surprise when his fingers register the embossing on the cover faster than his eyes manage to. It’s the same book he gave to Marinette in the bookstore, this copy worn down and torn in places and pressed flat by years of usage but still the same familiar weight in his hands. He looks up at Marinette, who is managing to look smug regardless of the fact that the little girl perched on her head is now attempting to shimmy back down Marinette’s body. 

Alright, fine. Felix lets the book fall open to where the spine is most worn through and finds himself at his favorite part, sticky notes and ink stains dotting the pages. 

Ina has settled into his side, a steady weight to ground him, and Felix starts reading, trying to keep his voice from trembling. He feels suddenly, inexplicably connected to the world around him, eyes jumping from note to highlight to dog eared corner. Marinette settles onto the floor too, leaning into Felix’s other side, and he keeps reading. 

They stay until the library closes, and find Ina again the next day.

[power-of-plot]

Armin Arlet x Fem! Reader. Oneshot. -Strong-

The first paragraph is purely a small introduction, just in case you wanna go straight to the fic :)

First of all, thanks for reading this! So! i often considered posting but i'm insecure, today i somehow got the confidence and courage to post -definitely not due to watching anime motivational speeches-. I wanted my first post to be something special so i dived deep down into my thoughts for a couple hours, i'm pretty happy with my choice so hope you enjoy it! My apologies if this sucks.

WARNINGS: Some sadness ig? -Armin being a pure soul. Fluff

Summary: Armin suddenly gets an injury during ODM gear training. After Reiner and his protective nature lend a helping hand, you see beyond the walls of his stoicism, people around him made his lack of strenght clear as day and he seemed to accept it but you never wondered if that caused him any pain at all. He needs to know everything has more than one meaning including what is called strenght, you gladly stay by his side to remind him different doesn't mean wrong.

Year 848 three years after the Colossal titan's misterious appearance, in Paradis Island Keith Shadis trained and yelled his lungs out at what soon would be the 104th Cadet Corps. Like any other day, the young cadets rutinarily trained to master the ODM gear, it all would have been the same as other sessions if it wasn't for Armin Arlet, your close and femenine looking friend who in a reckless (and failed-) attempt of proving himself strong to his group discretly tried performing a complex manouver resulting in him crashing into a tree. The few people ahead of him who stopped momentantarily to admire the manouever slowly resumed their way to the target they've had been assigned, just after a couple minutes of trying to walk bearing the pain the silhouette of someone along with the sound of gas and wires pulling something was getting closer by the second at the injured male. "Who's t-.. oh no.." Being around that person for so long made his oceanic eyes know who that brawny body and short blond hair belonged to inmediately, his deep voice shouting erased all the doubt. "Armin!" Reiner said rushing towards him as soon as his feet touched the the grass. As he looked for injuries, finding a twisted ankle, scrapes and bruises; Armin confirmed his suspicions: Reiner had dropped on what he was doing again just to help a single person. Right when he thought the guilt couldn't turn bigger he heard another familiar voice, this one belonged to a female. "Reiner! I saw you going back, what happened? Wait- Armin?!" Your voice turned alarmed after your (e/c) eyes catched a glimpse of your friend's characteristic golden hair, as if that would magically heal his injuries you rocketed towards your comrades at full speed. The crash- landing was rather ungraceful but it was merely trivial compared to an injured friend "(Y/N) are you-" Reiner held out his arms as he walked towards you but you ran past him leaving him standing alone with his arms opened like a rejected boy "Armin!!" You crouched down to him as it seemed he couldn't stand up, worrying you even more "...Hey (Y/N)... what are you..." His glance went lower as the guilt and shame's hand pushed his head down "What do you mean what am i doing? I noticed Reiner was going back from the front and i couldn't find you!- Hey what's wrong?" You asked after noticing a hint of sadness in his eyes, tilting your head and resting your forearms on your knees "Nothing, i must have hit my head that's all.." -because i dared prove something even myself knew full well- He replied blunty, making an adition mentally. His analytic mind was acting as a double ended weapon, either overnalyzing each and every one of his flaws or making the weight his frail shoulders were already carrying heavier. "Armin get on" Reiner said kneeling down turning his back to Armin so he could get on "Hm? It's not necessary, i-i'll just take my time to- ah!" Without further asking the muscular soldier turned around scooping your friend up from the ground into his arms bridal style, his eyes fixed on the grass and his lips released a soft sigh as embarrasment was displayed on his face. In other situation you'd have joked about how he looked cute being held like a baby but a hunch plus his face kept you completely from doing so. "You want to recover fast, don't you?" Reiner asked preparing his equipment to propulse himself again "Y-yeah but why.." "You'll only worsen your condition if you try walking, bear with it just for a while. Besides, what kind of soldier would i be if i left a friend behind knowing i can help him?" His hazel eyes noticed you were about to say something so he remained still to let you get close "It's okay don't be so hard on yourself i just crashed on the ground a moment ago, how did you call it the other day..? You didn't make a mistake, it was a happy accident! (Armin is Bob Ross.) How did you even find out about that manouever anyway?" "I've been analyzing the instructor's movements for a while now..." You deduced Reiner would take him to the infirmary wich he confirmed with a nod after you asked and so, it didn't take a single second for you to decide you'd go with them. The three of you flew and swung across the forest though it seemed like it only was you and Reiner, Armin was so quiet for a moment you even thought he was asleep.

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

"..Thank you very much Reiner" The blond thanked him now lying on his bunk, his ankle was bandaged up and his minor injuries were treateed "No problem, don't do anything until you're sure it won't hurt you got it?" "Don't worry Reiner i'll keep an eye on him 'till he's good as new!" You said cheerfuly with a smile as you sat by Armin's side, not caring a bit you were of the few girls in there. Once Reiner walked to his own bunk with Bertholdt you turned to Armin with a curious look "So what're you thinking about, you've been very quiet so it must be serious. Any new interesting thing about the outside world?" "Not really." His response was blunt again, something was definitely on his mind otherwise you couldn't explain why he wasn't as talkative as always. As he quietly stared at the matress above him you tried figuring out what could be bothering the boy since it was a lost cause trying to make him say it, you learnt this after countless tries, thankfully you could always ask for some help with Mikasa; her skills at everything including reading people were so good it was almost frightening. She wasn't there at the time and you couldn't rely on the others forever, a small leap of faith wouldn't do any harm, would it? There was only one thing you could think of. "Armin you are not weak." Your (e/c) eyes looked straight into his blue ones, silence reigned between you two before he hummed softly as if trying to deny "Why so?" It was as you suspected, he was blaming himself for making a simple mistake (-rolling girl vibes- sorry xd). You sighed resting your back on the headboard as your hand gently grabbed his forearm "You know it's not a bad thing to make mistakes, it's an everyday thing" "If we do become actual soldiers we'll risk our and the other's lifes everyday. This training is hard to make us strong, to make sure we don't make a single mistake that could lead to a tragedy" "You are not weak Armin." Your voice reasured in a firmer but gentle tone, he believed in what he had proof of, you would give him the proof he needed. Before he had the chance to turn on his side your hand grabbed his shoulder, making you two lock glances again, for your surprise small tears were forming on the corner of his eyes "I'm sorry.." "D-don't apologize it's okay! Come on let me help you what are you..?" He sat up shaking his head refusing to let a word out even when the tears slipped down his cheeks, it was painful to see Armin weep yet not ask for help, you've had been told he was like this since his childhood but it still was hard to believe and who knows if his overthinking made dealing with things on his own easier, he wouldn't try comforting himself. You sighed placing your hand on his shoulder and moving your thumb caressing the skin beneath his clothes, small muffled sobs could be heard coming from him "After that day on Shinganshina.. hundreds of people were sent there as if they were able to fight the titans, they didn't care if they were kids or elders- my grandfather went in my place, i know it wouldn't have made much of a difference but" He made a pause to try making his breathing go back to normal and hold back his tears, leaving just a small trace under his eyes "But he raised me, he gave me a name.. and i simply let him go straight to his death- i didn't make any effort to tell him i would go because i was scared.." You had to lean closer to listen clearly to what he was saying since he didn't want to drag anyone's attention besides yours "Sometimes i wonder what kind of things must have he felt when he realised he'd die alone..? I want to become a soldier to keep that from happening again, even though i'm just one it'd make a difference if only i.. wasn't such a weak coward" As he spoke you could almost feel the weight of his guilt resting on your shoulders for a moment, had he always been hiding in a shell? Ever since he was a child? A tear sprouted from the corner of your eye imagining how many times he suffered silently. You put your finger to your lower lip as you analyzed what your next move should be, after all it was Armin you were talking about, not all words would have effect on him "Strenght... physical strenght is not the only important thing, YES it is important in a soldier but the mind also matters! I can't lie, you get scared easily but so do i!. What about the snake from the other day? Someone had to remove it from your leg after you paralyzed but you were brave enough to not kick or scream in panic" Let's accept it you sucked at motivational speeches, your attempts usuallly ended up making him chuckle but it was some progress taking in mind you had no idea how to comfort him at the beggining. This time was no exception, he grew a tender smile but it faded away in matter of seconds "Come on Armin, you may be a little slim but what you don't have here-" Your hands abruptly dropped on his arms specifying you refered to muscles, then, your middle finger poked his forehead making him flinch "You have it here" "..What was that f-" He was cut off by your finger presisng against his lips "Shush- you are smart, incredibly smart you just have to see it! We all fall on our butts and feel scared of small things sometimes but that is what makes us humans, if we didn't feel fear or anything at all we'd be just like the titans!" You felt impressed of your own words, the look on his face made it clear he echoed the feeling. You wathed him move with his hands towards you before pulling you into one of the warmest hugs you've ever experienced; he held you so close and tightly you could feel his heart beating against you. "Thank you." His head rested on the crook of your neck, the gold strings of his beatiful hair falling over his face and tickling your nape slightly. You corresponded the gesture by eveloping him into your arms, slowly moving your palm up and down on his back "No problem....... Christa-"

Oof! That was long, congratulations if you read the whole thing!

[yellowcanna]

Duo Heroes, Double Black

Summary:

“We are broadcasting this live above U.A High School and you won’t believe what we are seeing! Everyone, please take a look!”

In the middle of a no-longer-empty track field, were three black vehicles. The cars were parked in a straight line with the perfect distances apart from one another. In front of the line of cars was a table oddly standing out in the middle of the field with black sunshade set over it.

Men dressed in black suits stood in a perfect line between the cars and the table. They stood up straight, chin held high and hands folded behind their backs. It was obvious that these were well-trained bodyguards.

However, those weren’t what shocked the audiences sitting in front of their TVs. No…rather than the men and the cars...it was that single man prostrating on the ground, his attire making him stand out from all the black.

“ALL MIGHT! IT’S ALL MIGHT!” The reporter screamed, causing the microphone to ring from her sharp voice. “The former No.1 Hero who hasn’t been seen since the announcement of his retirement!! But…just what is this current situation?!”

What was the current situation?

That was what Toshinori wanted to know.

Rating: T

Genre: Crossover, comedy, fluff, shounen-ai (mild boy love)

Pairing: Soukoku (Dazai x Chuuya)

Author: Canna / Yellow Canna

Status: Complete

AVAILABLE ON AO3

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◅ PREVIOUS CHAPTER

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Story Beta’d by Nanami_ontheShore

Pain…

That was the only thing Dazai felt as he laid on the icy floor. His entire body hurt as he struggled to crawl up from the broken glass. He couldn’t care whether the shards would cut into his flesh. He needed to get out… he needed to see.

“Chuu… ya…” His hoarse voice called out the name of his former partner, his Executive, his right-hand man.

His back was still throbbing from where he had been harshly kicked, so much that he couldn’t get up. His hands fumbled to drag his body to the broken window.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

He was supposed to die.

He wasn’t supposed to live.

Why?

His uncovered eye widened at the body below, lying motionlessly on the ground. Dazai’s vision was blurring, but he could still clearly see the blood splattered all over the floor.

Half of the orange haired man’s head had been smashed into pieces.

“Ah…” Dazai wanted to shout, to scream, to cry…but nothing was coming out. His throat had never felt so dry.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

He had sent Chuuya out of the city. Chuuya wasn’t even supposed to be here, let alone flying towards him. He wasn’t supposed to save him in exchange for his own life.

Chuuya was supposed to become the next boss.

 “…!”

Dazai snapped his eyes open to the sounds of screams and explosions.

He blinked in the absolute darkness, alert and cautious.

What happened?

He was supposed to be dead.

How was it possible for a dead person to feel again?

“ERASER HEAD!”

Dazai tried to look towards the source of the sound, but he found that he couldn’t move.

The brunet reached out his hand to feel around the tiny space he was in and soon learned why. He was buried underground. He grasped a pile of moist dirt and felt it between his fingers. Then he reached for the heavy thing crushing his body.

He ran his fingers over the rough bumps. It was a tree bark…so this large thing was a tree. Dazai wanted to laugh at his typical failure to die.

It was such a pity. Had this soil not been so moist and wet, this tree would have successfully crushed his organs and spine. And what’s more, it was most likely due to this tree that this air pocket would exist underground. Although Dazai couldn’t see, the bark of the tree told him this was a healthy tree, not a dead one. Unless it’s winter, it should have plenty of leaves keeping the soil from filling this place in.

“ERASER!” The loud voice from before shouted again, sounding closer to Dazai’s ears. “YOUR EYES!”

“I’m fine!” A different voice answered. This voice was quieter than the first, but Dazai could still hear it pretty well, meaning they had to be close by.

The brunet opened his mouth, only to let out a hoarse, breathless sound. He coughed at how dry his throat felt before trying again.

“Hello?” Dazai blinked at the sound of his voice. It sounded off. As in, he sounded really young…like a kid.

He coughed before trying again, confirming that this was in fact his voice.

“LIKE HELL YOU’RE FINE!! YOU’RE BLEEDING OUT OF YOUR EYES!!”

“Whatever that is, I can’t erase it’s Quirk! We have to tell them to evacuate the city!”

Quirk? City?

“Hellooo?” Dazai called out lazily.

“But—” Loud mouth tried to speak again, but abruptly cut himself off. Just from this, Dazai knew they heard him.

“A little help would be nice.” Dazai called out calmly. He needed to know what was going on. Why was he alive when he was certain he had been dead?

Dazai could hear rumbling sounds outside. He closed his eyes and sighed as he thought of a certain petite mafioso. If only Chuuya was here, he would never get into a situation like this.

Just the thought made Dazai want to laugh.

What right did he have to think of something like that when he was the cause of his former partner’s death?

“So unfair…you wouldn’t even let me follow you to the otherworld?” Dazai mumbled softly to himself. Right at that moment, he heard the crumbling sound of dirt and the muffled noises were now extremely clear.

“SHIT! WE NEED REINFORCEMENT! THERE’S A KID CRUSHED UNDER A TREE!!”

Ahh, there goes Dazai’s eardrums. At the very least, it was mildly easier to breathe. Before Dazai could enjoy laying there a bit longer, the tree pressing down on his body was removed.

“All Might!”

Dazai felt large, warm hands grabbing him before he heard a weird poof.

“All Might-san?!” Loud mouth exclaimed.

“What is this?”

Dazai slowly opened his eyes and saw a blond foreigner lifting him out of the dirt and onto the soft grass.

The man stared at Dazai with shock all over his blue eyes. Dazai returned his stare. The brunet couldn’t help but notice how this man’s eye colours were strikingly similar to Chuuya’s. The moment this man’s hands left Dazai’s body, there was another poof and he was suddenly packed with muscles he didn’t have in the beginning.

Dazai blinked. He looked at the man up and down, taking in the blond’s expression as he examined his own body.

“A-All Might-san?! What was that?!”

“Forget about it, hurry and check his injuries!” To his credit, the now muscular man got over his shock and focused on the more important matters. “The tree might have crushed his organs! I’ll hold the enemy back and—”

“No, my organs aren’t crushed.” Dazai said calmly, slowly sitting up while wincing at the pain around his side. His organs were certainly fine, just not his ribs. He felt around. At least three of them were broken.

“Hey, you shouldn’t move!” That loud voice shouted again.

Dazai looked over and saw two young men looking in their twenties wearing…well, Dazai honestly had no idea what the heck they were wearing. All he knew was that the loud mouth was the blond, and the dark haired man with blood leaking from his eyes was the other person who had been talking.

If they weren’t speaking fluent Japanese, Dazai was seriously wondering if he had somehow landed in the West.

These strange men seemed to want to say something, but a loud smashing sound interrupted them.

For the first time, Dazai looked at his surroundings and stilled at what he was seeing.

Disaster doesn’t even begin to describe the sight. Debris were flying everywhere while the wind was blowing everything away. The air was contaminated by dirt and sand, turning this place into a literal sandstorm. If it wasn’t for the flying trees and rocks being tossed around in the sky, Dazai would have thought he was in a desert.

Being on the sidelines of the storm, Dazai could see multiple human silhouettes, flying around in the sky. They seemed to be trying to get close to something, but couldn’t.

Dazai stared at those figures curiously before he moved his eyes. And then, he stilled as he saw the chunks of land unaffected by the wind. These floating objects were all encased within a faint red light.

“Chuu…ya…?” Dazai whispered before he shot up. The loudmouth clearly hadn’t expected this from the brunet, so he wasn’t able to catch him in time and his dark-haired companion was busy wiping the blood out of his eyes.

Dazai had only taken a couple of steps before a large hand stopped him. This time, this hand was careful not to touch him. The brunet looked down to find himself on the edge of a giant crater. Where that crater ends, he couldn’t see from the storm around them, but that was enough. Dazai’s heart was beating fast and he couldn’t fight the smile from lifting his face.

“That way is dangerous, young man!” The muscular man said as loudmouth ran over to pull him back. Now that Dazai had the time to look at the bulky man, he found that his body was littered with blood and bruises.

“President Mic, Eraser Head! You two take this boy and alert the people outside! Whatever that thing is, it’s storing up power!” The muscular man said as his hands rolled into tight fists. “The next wave will undoubtedly destroy the city!”

“Alright!” The loudmouth nodded, picking Dazai up with one arm while his other supported his bleeding friend.

It was then that Dazai noticed something very wrong about his current height. His brow twitched, but remained calm as he observed his surroundings.

“Then—”

“Hey,” Dazai spoke up. Although his voice wasn’t particularly loud, they heard him. “You’ll die if you go.”

“Aaah-ha-ha-ha-ha!” The man let out a very distinctive laugh and turned to Dazai with the widest smile on his face. He struck a pose and even gave him a large thumbs up. “There is no need to worry, young man! For that I—”

“I can stop that creature down there.” Dazai didn’t wait for the man to finish. That made the blond froze and the brunet clearly saw his smile dropped by a couple millimeters.

He was right. Dazai had the feeling that was the case when these people kept referring to the person down there by it. This meant that Chuuya didn’t even resemble the form of a human anymore.

Dazai looked down at the arm of the loudmouth holding him. Then again, who was he to say that?

“Young man—”

“My power can stop that thing.”

“It doesn’t work like that, kid.” Loudmouth tried to convince him. “Eraser Head’s Quirk didn’t even work on that thing!”

“My Quirk nullifies everything I touch,” Dazai said confidently while testing the new word on his tongue. “Isn’t that right, mister?”

Dazai shifted his eye to the man that had just experienced his Ability first hand.

“Young man, are you telling me that you’ve stopped that thing before?” The muscular man asked him seriously.

Dazai didn’t reply and simply stared at the man. From their conversation, he could tell how dire their situation was. Just like he thought, it didn’t take long for the muscles man to agree.

“Just throw me to the center,” Dazai told him but was adamantly rejected.

The muscular man wanted to carry him, but found that there was no way to do that without making physical contact. They thought of tying Dazai up with the bandage-like thing on the raven haired man’s neck, but Dazai was injured.

The brunet honestly didn’t see any issues, but the way these people fretted over his broken ribs and battered body was quite funny to watch. Their behaviour wasn’t normal. At the very least, it’s not normal in the world of Ability users.

In the end, the muscular man came up with the stupidest idea Dazai had ever heard of. The brunet watched the man take off at a speed so fast that he was gone in a blink of an eye.

By the time Dazai blinked again, he was cradled within the blond man’s arms and flying at an incredible speed towards the center of the crater.

Yes, this man’s plan was to charge at full speed and grab him.

Dazai looked up at the man holding him tightly in his arms. As expected, his bulking power was gone, turning him back into an ordinary human with a bit more muscles than the average people. This was quite interesting. The power this man displayed looked nothing like any Abilities Dazai ever knew of...and he knew a lot of them.

Rather than an Ability, it was more like this power was part of this man genetically.

After observing the blond, Dazai looked down to his hands. He recognized these hands as his own, yet the size was way smaller than the ones in his memories. He mentally compared himself to the previous two men who looked like they had normal human proportion.

If he was to guess, he would say this body of his has been regressed to around nine or ten years old. It seemed like there was a lot he needed to find out, but first things first, he had to get Chuuya back.

Just the aspect of knowing that he would see Chuuya again made his heart skip. The brunet didn’t even blink as the man crashed into the ground. The blond held Dazai tightly against his chest to protect him from the impact. He grunted in pain as he rolled across the uneven ground before managing to scramble onto his feet. He didn’t even take a break and ran as fast as he could while avoiding the debris flying at them.

This man was completely battered, yet he still protected Dazai regardless. Every movement he made, he did with Dazai’s safety being the priority. 

An ordinary person might be touched by this kind of selfless act, but Dazai was far from touched. He simply took notes of every little movement this man made, be it consciously or subconsciously. From his behaviour and actions, he seemed pretty familiar with the aspect of protecting. It was obvious he was used to this.

Dazai couldn’t continue analyzing this man as at that very moment, a roar that was a mixture of human and beast resonated through the air. Dazai’s heart thumped and he hastily turned to see the dust in the air clearing away, revealing a dark figure standing on all four, roaring and snarling at their direction.

Multiple black balls of energy began to form around that creature.

“Shit!” The blond swore in English. He seemed to know what those were and dug his heels into the ground, prepared to change direction and dodge the incoming attack.

“Throw me!” Dazai shouted. “Those things won’t work on me!”

“But young man—” The man looked down and was shocked by the determined umber brown eyes. He gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to do this, but there were no other choices. They were running out of time. If they didn’t stop whatever this was, the city would be destroyed! He grabbed Dazai and hurled him with all his strength towards Chuuya.

Chuuya roared. Black energy globe around him grew in size, only to stop when Dazai saw those crimson eyes meet his. Then, those condensed gravity balls changed direction at the last second, narrowing missing Dazai.

“Stupid slug...you should know they wouldn’t work on my either way.” Dazai’s heart was filled with warmth upon knowing that even subconsciously, the stupid hatrack was looking out for him.

Taking his chance, Dazai opened his arms and smacked right into Chuuya.

“Ability: No Longer Human.” He wrapped his arms around the redhead’s neck.

A beam of blinding white light burst from between them, engulfing the two as Dazai watched Chuuya revert back to himself.

Fair skin, wavy pumpkin orange hair…

This was definitely Chuuya. Although further shrunken in size, there was no doubt that this was Chuuya.

“Chuuya.” Dazai sighed out the name, holding the boy firmly in his arms.

The storm around them came to an abrupt stop, causing trees and dirt to rain from the sky. Dazai didn’t care as he embraced Chuuya, exhaustion taking over him and lulling him into a deep slumber.

▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬

“No, I don’t agree with this.” All Might stated firmly as his hands rolled into fists under the table. “That boy can’t be older than ten! His Quirk going out of control wasn’t his fault!”

“Yes.” His sidekick, Sir Nighteye adjusted his glasses. “According to the information we’ve gathered, those two were most likely one of the kidnapped children used as experiments within the lab.”

“Is this what we are coming down to nowadays, arresting children as criminals?!” The Equipped Hero, Yoroi Musha slammed his palms onto the table so hard that it shook from the force.

“We understand how you all feel about this.” The government official sighed, looking extremely troubled by the Heroes stopping them from doing their job. “But you’ve all seen what that boy is capable of. You were all there in the front lines. Eleven Heroes are still in critical conditions—an entire mountain was blown apart in just a second. This is the largest destruction ever recorded in the history of Quirks! We were only fortunate that this laboratory was in the mountains. Had it been in the city, thousands would have lost their lives!”

“But that’s the fault of those bastards experimenting on him!” The young, newly debuted Hero, President Mic finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and shouted. “If they had never experimented on him, I bet his Quirk wouldn’t go all haywire like that!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that we need to move the child into an isolated place away from civilians.” The government official stated firmly. “The power of his Quirk is not normal. It may be the result of whatever experiment they were trying to run on that boy, but in my understanding, the Quirk was too powerful to even be erased by an erasing Quirk.”

At that, he looked over to the raven-haired youth that had been sitting quietly beside President Mic. His entire body was covered in bandages much like the other Heroes in this meeting. The only difference was that both of his eyes were heavily wrapped in bandages. Despite being pointed out, the raven kept his silence.

“I for one, agree with the government’s decision.”

All the other Heroes turned to stare at Endeavor in shock.

“Setting aside his identity as the victim, his Quirk is too dangerous to be left unsupervised. If it wasn’t for that other kid, we would’ve all died in that kid’s rampage.”

“Wait, don’t tell me…!” President Mic gasped as his head whirled back to the government officials on the other side of the table so fast that his neck almost snapped.

“Yes, we will be taking the other boy in as well, for safety measures.” The man said.

“ARE YOU STILL HUMAN!?”

“Calm down, rookie.” Yoroi Musha reprimanded. The older Hero expected as much, even though hearing the man confirming it didn’t make him any happier.

“We’ve looked into the database and we can’t find a single thing about these two boys.” The government official said, holding out the documents. “They have no records and none of the kidnapped children reported for the past decade match up with them. They don’t exist within this country’s database. I’m sure you all know what that means.”

All Might’s hands rolled into fists under the table. He knew very well what it meant. Either these two children were smuggled into this country which would be impossible given how tight securities are, or that they were born within that laboratory for the sake of the experiments.

If that was the case, then it was only natural for the government to take care of them.

“I think the boy should get a say in all of this,” Snatch said. “It’s only fair we make a decision after knowing the kid.”

Slidin' Go nodded. “Yes, why don't we all go speak to the boy?”

The government official frowned. It was obvious he didn’t see any point in doing that, but if this could make the Heroes back off, then so be it.

“Are they awake?”

“Midnight is keeping the orange-haired one sleeping just in case. The one with the erasing Quirk woke up just minutes before our meeting began.” Sir Nighteye replied. “Although to not frighten the boy, I suggest only three of us meet with him for now.”

It didn’t take long for them to decide who to go see the boy. As the person with the most interaction with the brunet, All Might was the most obvious answer. Since he was going, his sidekick would naturally be joining him,  along with the government official.

They walked through the practically empty building with the exception of police officers guarding the floors and the few doctors and nurses.

They came at the right time, as the doctor had just finished examining the dark haired boy.

All Might felt something inside him turn painfully at the sight of the boy’s bare upper body. It was covered in long thin scars, as if someone had repeatedly ran a knife through him. When he walked over, All Might noticed how the boy was absentmindedly rubbing the small dotted scars in his arms.

All Might frowned. Those kinds of wounds could only be left from needles. Just what were those Villains doing to these children?

The thought of how many children had died suffering at these people’s hands made All Might’s blood boil. However, they can no longer find the answers to that, as the laboratory and the people involved were all blown up when the other boy’s Quirk went out of control.

All Might heaved out a small sigh before he summoned the largest smile he ever had.

“Young lad! How are you feeling!” He practically shouted, keeping his tone upbeat in hopes that the child wouldn’t look so…empty.

The boy looked up. When All Might saw those lifeless eyes looking up at him, he felt a chill crawling down his spine. Never in his entire life had All Might ever seen eyes like those. There was no joy, no anger, no sadness… just void. Those were eyes that only the dead were capable of owning.

“Where’s Chuuya?”

All Might shook himself out of the trance and his smile was back on. “If you mean your friend, he’s resting.”

“I want to see him.”

“Look here—” The government official started towards him, but was stopped by Sir Nighteye.

“I won’t talk until I see Chuuya.” The boy said before looking away as if he couldn’t care less about the three adults here.

All Might could remember how desperately this boy had tried to reach out to his friend and save him. He crouched down by the boy’s bedside and extended a hand towards him.

“Young lad, I’ll take you to him.” He promised.

The boy looked back at him, then to his hand.

“Are you sure you want me to take your hand?” He asked with a light smirk.

It was then that All Might remembered this boy’s power. His smile twitched and he suddenly felt extremely awkward, not sure if he should pull his hand away.

“I’ll lead you then.” Sir Nighteye smoothly cut in, holding out a hand to the boy.

The brunet looked up at Sir Nighteye, but said nothing and took his hand. The sidekick noticed how weak and frail this hand was. The boy’s fingers were so slim that it was just skin wrapped around bone, much like the rest of his body.

All Might laughed in an attempt to ease the weird tension in the air.

“May I know your name, young lad?”

The boy looked into All Might’s blue eyes before a smile slowly lifted his lips.

“Dazai Osamu.” Dazai said before his eyes shifted to the other man that had been silent this entire time. “Are you a policeman, old man?” He asked in the sweetest voice he could muster.

“Old—” The man coughed, clearly not happy at being called old. “No, I’m not.”

“Hmm...I see.” Dazai turned away, hiding the mocking smirk on his lips.

Not a policeman and clearly not one of the doctors. The way he distanced himself from these two men meant he wasn't their companion either.

So the third party has arrived.

They walked out of the room and down the hallway. Sir Nighteye walked with Dazai in the middle with All Might leading their way and the government official quietly following behind. They took the elevator down, going into the basement of the building where there was only a single room down there.

There was a line of police officers standing around the room made of glass, giving no privacy to the people inside.

Seeing their arrival, the commissioner came over with a deep frown on his face.

He glanced at Dazai, then to All Might.

“What is this?” He demanded, obviously in a sour mood. “Even if you are Heroes, you can’t waltz in here unannounced.”

All Might explained the situation to him. The Commissioner didn’t look happy, but before he could reject allowing the kids to meet, Dazai spoke up.

“Do you think that will stop him?” The boy tilted his head towards the glass room.

Inside the glass wall, there was only a twin-sized bed. In the bed laid Chuuya, sleeping away peacefully while sitting next to the bed was a black-haired woman. She was practically naked, her outfit leaving little to imagination as she read a book. The room was filled with pink fumes and if one looked close enough, they could all see that they were coming from the woman’s exposed skin.

“Chuuya’s power can’t be stopped just because you put him to sleep. If it was that easy, how did you think he got out?” Dazai said with an almost mocking smile at the Commissioner.

“What do you mean?” The Commissioner demanded.

“Who knows?” The boy shrugged. “If you let us be together, then when Chuuya wakes up, I’ll tell you all everything you want to know.”

The Commissioner frowned, but didn’t reject the boy’s proposal.

Instead, he went over to the room. Through the intercom, he called the woman inside to stop her Quirk and turn on the fan.

“That won’t be necessary,” Dazai said, already walking towards the room.

“Wait, young Dazai,” All Might stood in front of the boy. “Midnight’s Quirk has filled the room, you’ll—”

“Don’t you want to see what my Quirk does?” Dazai glanced over to the government official.

“…Let him in,” The government official ordered.

All Might was about to protest, but Dazai was already entering. He walked through the double glass door and right into the room filled with the woman’s Quirk.

Midnight stood up in surprise when she saw the boy coming in, but froze upon seeing him perfectly fine. She blinked, looking over the boy up and down, then noticed this faint trace of white glow outlining the boy’s form.

She glanced to the Heroes and police outside, then back at the boy. She has heard about this other kid who had a Quirk just like Eraser Head, but erasing Quirks shouldn’t make him immune to Quirks.

“Boy, are you alright?” She asked, walking around the bed to face the boy.

“Beautiful mademoiselle, may I have the pleasure of escorting you outside?” The boy suddenly said, holding out a hand towards her.

“Oh my, you sure know how to sweet talk.” Midnight smiled, but the way her eye darted outside then back showed how cautious she was towards him. Nevertheless, Midnight reached out a hand to gently hold the boy’s. The moment their hand touched, blinding white light burst from their hands and filled the room.

When the light faded, everyone outside of the room stared at Dazai, then Midnight. None of them had any idea what happened, but those that were sharper instantly noticed how clear the air inside was.

Midnight’s Quirk had completely vanished.

“This is…” Midnight looked around the room in shock. She then looked down to her own body and tried to activate her Quirk.

Nothing was coming out.

She looked at Dazai with surprise on her face.

“Shall we go?” The young boy tilted his head, a light smile playing on his lips as he led the heroine to the door.

Midnight walked out, a little dazed as she tried to process just what had happened.

Everyone outside were in the same state.

“This isn’t just a matter of erasing Quirks anymore.” Sir Nighteye muttered quietly so that only All Might could hear.

All Might nodded with a grim look on his face. This was way beyond what erasing Quirk should do. Rather than calling it erasing, it was more like the boy himself was immune to the Quirks around him.

All Might snuck a glance towards the government official. Unfortunately, since the man was standing in front of them, he couldn’t see what face he was making. This wasn’t good, they were trying to get the children out of the grasps of governments, but now that they’ve witnessed how strong this other boy’s Quirk was, would they still back off?

The No.1 Hero watched as Dazai climbed onto the bed. He stared at his friend for a moment before slipping under the cover and curled up against the redhead. Despite being unconscious, the redhead seemed to know that it was his friend beside him. He shifted towards the brunet and leaned his head forward until their foreheads touched.

It was at that moment that All Might saw those lifeless brown eyes shined, as if a blind man was capable of seeing for the very first time. The smile on Dazai’s face touched somewhere deep inside All Might’s heart.

No, not just All Might. Every single adult present didn’t say a single word for a long time, as if afraid they would wake up the two children.

There really was no moment more beautiful than this…

BAM

…Or so All Might had thought.

The very next day, all the Heroes in the building received an emergency call from the basement. It seemed the orange haired boy had woken. They all rushed down and arrived just in time to see three police officers struggling to hold down a petite and scrawny child.

“YOU BASTARD!!!” The boy’s roar was so loud it even echoed down the hallway.

“Hold him back!”

“Damn, the kid’s strong!”

“Pull him back!”

Despite being grown men, the police were clearly at a disadvantage with how hard they were trying to keep the redhead down. In front of them, sitting against the wall was Dazai with a gigantic swell forming over the right side of his face where he was mercilessly punched.

“Fuck off!” With a snarl, the redhead flipped backward, forcefully twisting himself out of three adults’ hold. Then with a roundhouse kick, the three men were knocked down onto the floor in a blink of an eye.

“STOP!” All Might quickly intervened and grabbed hold of the young boy. When his arms locked around the boy, the redhead stopped thrashing. He seemed to know that it was useless fighting back against him. Yet when All Might thought this was finally over, he heard a low, nearly inaudible hum and faint crimson light shrouded his body.

His eyes flew wide, recognizing this power. Just as he was about to brace himself for what will come, the light around his body disappeared.

All Might looked down in surprise, thinking the boy had deactivated his Quirk, yet the boy in his arms looked as shocked as he was. Those large, icy blue eyes blinked a couple of times before they narrowed towards the raven-haired man walking into the room.

Eraser Head had tugged off one side of his bandages, revealing his glowing red eye locked on Chuuya.

“Looks like your power isn’t so strong after all.” The man smirked widely despite how his eye was shaking and unfocused. From so close up, All Might could even see veins in the young man’s eyeball expanding dangerously.

He was about to tell Eraser Head to stop when someone else beat him to it.

“Chuuya, enough.” The redhead jolted and looked back to his friend who had stood up.

Dazai used the back of his hand to wipe off a trail of blood dripping from the corner of his lips.

“Can you release him?” The brunet asked, looking up to All Might. “He won’t throw a tantrum anymore.”

“Who the hell’s throwing a tantrum, you suicidal maniac!!” The redhead shouted back, but indeed didn’t show any signs of lashing out.

From the corner of his eye, All Might saw Eraser Head snapping his eye shut. The boy must have stopped using his Quirk.

All Might carefully lowered the boy until his feet touched the ground before letting him go. He watched as the redhead moved to stand next to Dazai as if their dispute had never happened. The way the redhead stood close to the raven looked almost like a bodyguard, ready to protect his friend from any danger.

“Eraser Head, your eyes aren’t healed yet, you should go back out and get some rest.” All Might said to the younger man. The raven was covering his eye with one hand, giving him a nod as he walked away with Sir Nighteye guiding him.

All Might let out a small sigh of relief, glad that nothing had happened while noting down what the redhead had called the brunet.

Suicidal.

All Might gritted his teeth. He couldn’t imagine just what sort of hell these two boys had been through to make them behave as they did.

“Let’s put some ice on that!” Slidin' Go walked into the room with an ice pack. He crouched down, about to put the ice pack against the raven’s swollen cheek when the ice pack was snatched out of his hand by the redhead.

“Take another step closer and I’ll kill you.” He threatened darkly. Slidin' Go just smiled, putting his hands up to show he meant no harm and stepped back. They all knew what kind of hell these kids had been through. It was only natural for them to be wary.

Chuuya looked at the ice pack in his hand, then to Dazai’s bruised cheek. All Might watched his tiny face twisted into something he couldn’t quite figure out. Dazai seemed really happy all of a sudden, sticking his face over to Chuuya only to have the ice pack slammed into his face.

The blond let out a small snort. He couldn’t stop the smile lifting his face when he saw the two interact. There was no doubt in his mind that these two were very good friends. Then again, perhaps it was only natural. After all, these two children only ever had each other to rely on.

“Now then…” Dazai turned to the government official standing outside the room, observing them through the glass. “Shall we talk?”

Hearing that, the government official walked into the room and looked down at the two children. He opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out, Dazai spoke.

“Chuuya and I will go with you.”

“Young man!” All Might gasped. “Do you know what you are saying?”

Dazai paid All Might no mind and maintained his eye contact with the government official.

“Though you do realize that forcefully detaining children is a serious crime?” Dazai inquired. “If the media gets a word about this, how do you think that would reflect on you guys? There are many witnesses here. Do you think you can silence every single one of them when there are obviously so many people against what you are doing?”

The surprise on the man’s face melted into a deep frown as he looked Dazai up and down.

“Even if I willingly go with you, we’re still kids. They will just believe we’re kids that knew nothing of this world and that you tricked us.”

“…What are you trying to say?” The government official asked.

Dazai just smiled. “I’m helping you think of a solution.”

“Solution?”

“Solution that your higher-ups are clearly too inadequate to come up with.” Dazai chuckled. Although his tone was even and normal, the mockery in his words was as clear as day. Half of the Heroes and police force watched with their jaws dropped at the ten years old bargaining with the government official.

“Of course, if you were given permission to train us into Heroes by our dad, then it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

There were so many keywords in his sentence that no one knew how to react. Even if they did, their focus was all over the place.

“...Huh?” That was from a confused Chuuya.

“Dad?!” That was from a surprised All Might.

“You want to become Heroes?” The government worker looked between the two boys.

“What can I say? We were touched by these selfless Heroes that came to rescue us.” The brunet sighed, although his words were clearly weightless, without a hint of sincerity. If these people didn’t know any better, they would have thought the child was making fun of them. “Besides, if you go back to your superior reporting our desire to train under them to become Heroes, surely you’ll get a nice promotion.”

The man swallowed, already tempted. Yes, with the power the redhead displayed, he was undoubtedly powerful. If the two of them become Heroes, then not only would they not need to monitor these boys, they would even gain the strongest weapon against Villains!

“And by the permission of your dad?” He asked, shamelessly taking the bait.

“He’s right here, isn’t he?” Dazai looked over to All Might.

Chuuya followed Dazai’s gaze, also looking at All Might.

All Might…was dumbfounded—along with the rest of the people fortunate enough to witness this event.

“Wait, me?!” All Might shouted as he pointed at himself.

“All Might has kids?!” Midnight gasped from outside the room. Due to her supervising Chuuya the entire time, she missed out on the meetings between the Heroes and the government official.

“No!” All Might spluttered. “I don’t— I’ve never—”

The man was so flustered that he had to keep biting onto his tongue over and over, unable to come up with a proper explanation.

“We also want at least once a month visitation from our father and the right to call—”

“Hold on! Will you please excuse us?!” All Might jumped in and ushered the two kids to the corner of the room. He crouched down, his large body completely blocking the sight of the two boys and casting a dark shadow over them.

“Young Dazai! What is this about being your dad?!” He whispered with his large hands cupping the side of his mouth.

“Do you not want to be our father?” Dazai blinked innocently.

“No, that’s not what I mean, but it’s very sudden! I’m only in my thirties! To suddenly become a dad is a bit—”

“You’re in your thirties, what’s the problem?” The redhead retorted. “Or could it be that you don’t feel right to have kids because you’re a virgin?”

“Y-y-young man!! Who taught you that kind of language?!”

“You’re not a virgin?” Chuuya raised a brow at him. “Wasn’t that what you were going to say? I never had sex?”

“That’s not—”

“You shouldn’t do that, Chuuya~” Dazai leaned close to his companion. “And here I was trying to let him save face. Do you know how pitiful it is when a man in his thirties never even had sex?”

“I—”

“You should be grateful that we’re giving you the opportunity to start a family.” The brunet sighed.

“I—”

“Hey everyone!” Chuuya shouted for all of their attentions. He pushed aside All Might and headed to the other Heroes and police. “This old man here is a v—mph!”

The rest of Chuuya’s words were cut off thanks to a large hand covering his mouth.

“Of course I will become their father!” All Might shouted and let out his usual laugh, although it sounded weirdly strained - especially when large beads of sweat could be seen rolling down his face. “It would be my honour! AAAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!”

"All Might?!" All Might's sidekick gaped. His glasses slid down his face and clattered onto the floor.

“Let’s get the adoption papers, shall we?” Dazai walked out from behind All Might, smiling cheerfully at the government official.

The papers were brought rather quickly, much to everyone’s surprise. The government official was all too eager to hurry and finish the process so he could whisk the two children away. After signing the papers and a contract promising parental visitation once a month and unlimited calls, the job was done.

The Heroes watched the two children go, getting into the car and slowly vanishing from their sight. As the Heroes and police packed their things to leave, All Might finally found the time to go up to Eraser Head who was sitting in a chair. President Mic was there, tending to the bandages around his eyes.

When All Might got close enough, he could see the dried blood staining the man’s closed eyelid. It was the same eye he used to erase Chuuya’s Quirk.

“How is he?” All Might asked worriedly.

“He’ll be fine with a couple weeks of rest.” President Mic replied as he finished tying a knot on the back of his friend’s head

“That kid’s smart.” Eraser Head commented. “He knew I was trying to help him.”

All Might nodded. He noticed that as well. When Eraser Head activated his Quirk back then, he did it to show the government official that the boy’s Quirk was something they shouldn’t fear—that it was like any other Quirk that could be suppressed.

It was this action of the young Hero that made the government official lower his guard against the pair.

Even though All Might was flustered by the…virgin talk, he didn’t make his decision hastily. When he saw those two children lying together, he already felt the urge and desire to protect them. Although becoming a father hadn’t exactly been his plan, he also knew that it was something only he could do.

If he, the No.1 Hero, was to become those two children’s legal guardian, then he could become a shield for them. No one would dare to lay their hands on them as long as he was around.

But still...visitation once a month…

“I wonder what young boys like,” All Might wondered, not noticing the weird looks he was getting.

For starters, he should clear off a day in his schedule to see the boys!

▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬

“This will be your room from now on.” The secretary said, opening the door as Dazai and Chuuya strolled inside. The two now-kids looked around the room that was about the same size as a hotel room with two beds and a bathroom. There was no window for them to see the outside as they were once again underground.

“Remember to wake up and get yourself ready at 8 o’clock tomorrow morning. Your clothes have been prepared and are in the closet.” Giving them the short explanation, the woman left, closing the door behind her and the two children could even hear the clicking sound of a lock being turned.

“I call dibs on the bed on the furthest side.” Dazai strolled into the room, looking around to admire their new living arrangement.

“Like hell, I’m taking that!” Chuuya snapped as he followed Dazai inside. His eyes narrowed at the vents, then he ducked down to look under the bed.

“Chuuya’s so mean, even though I always let chibi sleep on the bed while I slept on the floor back in the lab!” Dazai whined as he opened up the closet. He looked over the clothes stacked inside and ran his hands over the fabrics.

“Hah?!” Chuuya snarled, patting the blankets. Then he turned to the nightstand between the two beds. “I took most of the experiments and tests! Of course I get the bed!”

“That’s not true, I remember getting cut open! It hurts so much I thought I would die~”

“Then go—” Chuuya wanted to tell the other to die, but stopped moving entirely. Dazai had also paused as well, breath hitched as he waited for his companion to finish his sentence.

After a long while, Chuuya turned and walked into the bathroom. He came out five minutes later, blue eyes shifting to the brunet.

“So?”

“Nothing.” Dazai shrugged.

“Same here,” Chuuya grumbled while holding back a yawn. He was tired. His current body was too weak, yet he couldn’t let himself sleep like this. At the very least, they need to change out of these hospital gowns.

The redhead strolled to the closet and started flipping through the clothes.

“To not even bug the room…either they’re overconfident in their ability to lock us in, or they’re underestimating us because we’re children.”

“And? Which is it?” Chuuya snorted as he grabbed a t-shirt and pants.

“The latter.” Dazai’s response was swift.

“I see.” Chuuya slammed the closet door shut before turning to Dazai with a murderous glare. “You better fucking explain after I finish showering.”

With that, Chuuya stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Dazai chuckled and called out, “Chuuya! I also need to take a shower too! Why don’t we take one together just like back in the lab?”

Click

The sound of the lock turning could be heard from the other side. Dazai wanted to retort about how a simple lock like this wouldn’t keep him out, but refrained from doing so. He leaned against the wall with a soft sigh and closed his eyes.

By the time both of them finished cleaning up, twenty minutes had passed.

They sat on one of the beds. Since their bodies had shrunk, the bed that was just big enough to fit a grown adult seemed luxuriously big to their current self.

Chuuya sat at one end, armed crossed over his chest while Dazai sat on the other.

“So?” Chuuya narrowed his eyes. “What’s with this lab? Where the fuck are we?”

“Didn’t chibi noticed?” Dazai pointed to the scars on his arms. “We’ve been experimented on. What’s the last thing you remembered?”

“After—” Chuuya paused before deciding to skip the unpleasant memory, “the next thing I know, I opened my eyes to your annoying face.” The redhead involuntarily glanced to the large swell taking up half of the brunet’s face. “Where the heck is this place?”

“The future.”

“…What?”

“When the doctor checked on me, I asked for the date,” Dazai replied. “We’re in the 25th century.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“If only.” Dazai smiled bitterly.

“Then what’s the deal with those people?!” Chuuya demanded, recalling some of the more…unique people. “Did the world get invaded by aliens or something?”

At that, Dazai burst out into laughter.

“Aliens!! Chuuya! I had no idea you believe in these kinds of things!”

“Shut up!” Chuuya yelled, face flushed in embarrassment as he too knew how ridiculous that sounded. But what other explanations are there for these alien creatures? “I’m being serious!”

“Well,” Dazai wiped away a tear that came out from laughing so hard. “Rather than invasion, I would say evolution. Do you remember that man with bloodshot eyes?”

“The one with the similar Ability as yours?”

“No, his power isn’t similar at all. You remember what his eye looked like, didn't you?”

“Yeah.” Chuuya frowned. When that man was using his Ability, his eyeball looked like it was going to burst, which made no sense. What kind of Ability strains the user like that? Sure, Chuuya’s was one of them, but that was only when he activated Corruption. Even when Ability users weren’t able to control their gifts,  they would only bring harm to people around them, never themselves.

“My theory is that something happened in the past that caused humans to change. Humans gained supernatural powers similar to Ability and it merged with them in their bodies, becoming part of them genetically. They call these powers Quirks.” Dazai explained. “Those people in weird costumes you saw are called Heroes.”

“Like those western comics?” Chuuya received a nod from the brunet.

“From how that government official acted around them, it’s safe to say that Hero is an occupation in this era. If supernatural powers are considered ordinary, then the current society should be filled with people with individual powers. Since there are functioning police force here, these Heroes only exist for one reason—to deal with criminals that misuse their powers. If the people that use their powers for good are called Heroes, then people that misuse theirs are most likely called villains.”

“Let me guess, we’re victims of these villains?” Chuuya huffed, not liking any of this at all. “But if these powers aren’t Abilities, how did that guy nullify mine?”

“While you were asleep, I did a small test. My No Longer Human can fully nullify their Quirks just like ordinary Abilities. Maybe it’s the rule of this world, or maybe these bodies of ours contained the genes of these future humans. Our Abilities can affect Quirks, and Quirks can affect Abilities, but the latter has a certain limit. You saw how that man acted when he tried to cancel your Ability.”

“Yeah,” Chuuya nodded. Even he could tell that if he didn’t deactivate his Ability or if that man continued to suprress his Ability, his eyeball would have burst.

“Their powers are connected to them genetically whereas ours are not.”

“In other words, their powers are restricted and can’t be used to control ours, is that right?” Chuuya pretty much understood their situation now. “So? How did we get here?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Dazai shrugged. “By the time I came here, you’ve already activated corruption and flattened a mountain.”

“I what?!” Chuuya gaped. “Wait, if you don’t even know, then how did you talk as if you knew?!”

“It’s no brainers.” Dazai snorted. “Those Heroes were dropping hints everywhere. Only idiots like chibi wouldn’t be able to pick it up.”

And then, the brunet swiftly moved to the side to dodge a kick aimed for his head.

“Who are you to call me stupid?!” Chuuya raged. “And quit calling me chibi! Now that we’re kids again, I can still grow!”

“You know, I’ve heard that phrase a million times now. Don’t you get tired of saying it? Besides, if I’m right, then these bodies of ours are our original bodies. The fact that we kept our Abilities is proof. Just accept the fact that you’ll forever be 160 cm, Chuuya~”

“SHUT UP!” Chuuya roared as he smacked a pillow right into Dazai, knocking the brunet off the bed and tumbling painfully onto the floor.

“I’m still fucking angry at you!”

“…Yeah.” Dazai made no move to get up. “I killed you, after all.”

Hearing that, Chuuya’s face distorted in rage. He jumped off the bed and landed right on top of Dazai. He didn’t even bother softening the impact so Dazai let out a pained grunt as the petite body landed on his stomach.

Chuuya grabbed the brunet by the collar to pull his upper body up.

“Let’s be clear on one thing here. You. Didn’t. Kill. Me.” He slammed Dazai down, knocking his head against the ground. “Like hell I would die at the hands of a weakling like you! What I’m angry about is that you abandoned everything!”

Abandoned me—was left unsaid.

“Did you ever think of what would happen to the Port Mafia if you were dead?!”

“I did.”

“No, you didn’t!” Chuuya snarled. “If you had, you wouldn’t have selfishly jumped off the fucking roof!!”

“You were supposed to become the boss, Chuuya.”

Chuuya froze, staring wide-eyed at Dazai. The brunet no longer wore his usual mask on his face. Right now, his face was completely blank. His lifeless eyes stared back at Chuuya, reflecting nothing of their surroundings.

If possible, Chuuya felt even angrier. He grabbed Dazai’s collar again and pulled him up until their noses were lightly grazing.

“Don’t you dare think you can plan what path I take!” Chuuya snarled. “Who the fuck do you think you are to decide how I should live my life? Did I ever tell you I wanted your stinkin’ seat? Did I ever tell you I want to lead the Port Mafia? I didn’t, so don’t act all high and mighty and think you can arrange people’s life however you like!”

“Yeah…” Dazai smiled a little. He leaned forward until his forehead rested onto Chuuya’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Chuuya stiffened, unable to believe what he heard. Did this bastard just…apologized?

“I’m so sorry, Chuuya.”

Chuuya was even more stunned when he felt wetness on his shoulder. This shithead was now crying? For the first time, Chuuya didn’t know what to do. This scheming bastard who happened to be his ex-boss in another life—was now weeping quietly on him.

Chuuya hesitated, but he leaned towards Dazai and wrapped his short arms around the other boy’s boney body. He frowned at how skinny the other was, though he himself was no different. He hugged him tightly, wordlessly providing his support as he looked up at the ceiling. He had no doubts that Dazai wouldn’t want to be seen in such a vulnerable state.

How did you die?—Chuuya wanted to ask Dazai, but he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer. Other than suicide, Chuuya couldn’t think of anyone with the ability to kill this slimy bastard.

“Hey, Chuuya…” Dazai spoke up around half an hour later. Chuuya hummed, letting the other know he’s listening.

“Let’s rebuild the Port Mafia.”

Chuuya’s jaw fell, not expecting to hear that.

“This time not as boss and subordinate, but as partners. What do you say?”

Chuuya looked down to Dazai, but he couldn’t see anything aside from the mop of brown hair. Very slowly, his open mouth morphed into a small smile.

Building the Port Mafia in a foreign era huh?

Suddenly, Chuuya didn’t feel so lost in this new world. If there was no place for them to return to, then they’ll just have to make one.

“The only partner I’ll accept is someone who will grow old with me. If you want to continue with that suicide of yours, then I’ll kill you right now.”

“Growing old huh?” Dazai nestled his face into the redhead’s neck, enjoying how Chuuya subconsciously tilted his head away to give him room. “Yeah…I think I can bear with that.”

Chuuya’s eyes flew wide in shock. Something inside him fluttered as he felt heat creeping up his cheeks. But soon, Chuuya remembered another major issue they had been overlooking until now.

“Wait…didn’t you tell those government dogs that we’re going to be Heroes?!”

▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬

Knock knock

Kouyou gently opened the door, her red eyes softening at the sight of Dazai, sitting on the edge of the black coffin with his right hand reaching towards the person lying within. She walked into the room, stopping just far enough to not intrude into her boss’s space, but close enough for her to see the person inside.

She stared at the body that had been changed into a new set of black suit, yet even the finest materials cannot beautify the corpse. Not when the man sleeping inside the coffin was missing a huge part of his head.

Yet Dazai acted as if he couldn’t see that and just stroked the man’s left cheek.

“Boss, it’s time for us to bury the coffin,” Kouyou announced. She looked at Dazai who continued to sit there in a trance. The Executive was too used to this behaviour. Ever since Chuuya had died, he had become nothing but a hollow shell.

It wasn’t until Kouyou saw her boss like this that she realized the suicide attempts he made in the past was nothing but a joke. In the past, Dazai’s suicide attempts were for him to search for a meaning to keep on living.

Right now…right now, Dazai was truly intending to die. With every ticking second, with every breath he took in, Dazai had nothing but death on his mind. Just being alive right now must be so painful for him who craved death.

��Ane-san.” Dazai suddenly spoke as Kouyou bowed. “…I leave the Port Mafia to you.”

“…I understand.” The Executive dipped her head.

With a sigh, Dazai sat up and stared at the ceiling. Despite how thick the walls around this room were, he could hear the faint pitter-patter sound outside.

It had begun to rain.

Dazai smiled and turned to Kouyou.

“Thank you for all these years, ane-san—no, boss.”

“Ane-san will be fine.” Kouyou chuckled. A sad smile played on her lips as she looked at the face that was not much different from the child in her memory. She walked over to join Dazai and peered inside the coffin. The woman lifted her hand and gently placed it upon Chuuya’s folded ones. There was no warmth in those hands.

They were cold and hard.

“Perhaps one day, you two will meet again.” She whispered softly, withdrawing her hand. Giving Dazai one last look, she stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Dazai climbed into the coffin. It was cramped, but it was also just perfect as he held Chuuya within his arms. He then pressed a button inside the coffin and the lid started to close in.

Once this lid closes, it can never be opened again, be it from inside or outside.

“Sorry for the wait, Chuuya.” He whispered, gently kissing a lock of orange hair. This was the only part on Chuuya’s body that didn’t lose its lustre after his death.

“It’s been unbearable every day, even if it was just breathing…” He sighed, leaning onto the body, as if that way he would be able to feel the warmth that had once been there.

He slowly pulled out a pill from his pocket. Without any hesitation, he popped it into his mouth and swallowed it dry. He held onto Chuuya tightly, not wanting to let go even as life slowly left his body.

“If there is another life…I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of it with you, Chuuya.”

▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬

Dazai opened his eyes and was greeted by the beautiful blue sky. It had been such a long time since he had dreams of the past—especially his past life. He stretched his arms over his head until he got some satisfying pops.

As he was trying to get his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight, he heard the galloping sound of hoofs digging into the earth.

The brunet turned his head with a smile on his lips. He stared at the beautiful horse with brownish-red coat running towards him. Just before the horse was about to trample over him, the reins were tugged and the horse threw its head back, letting out a loud neigh as it came to a stop.

“About time you wake up.” The horse lowered its head to nibble on Dazai’s cloth, revealing Chuuya seated on the saddle.

“Hmm, I was having a lovely dream.” Dazai yawned lazily.

“What? Finally found your dream partner for your double suicides?”

“Whatever do you mean, Chuuya? If it’s my suicide partner, I’ve found him long ago~”

“Like hell I’ll commit suicide with you! I told you—”

“That we’ll die together from old age, isn’t that right?” Dazai smirked, enjoying the way the colours blossom over his partner’s cheeks.

Knowing he lost the argument and not wanting to continue to look at Dazai’s smug face, Chuuya gave his horse a kick. The horse let out another whine before it hopped over Dazai and began to run across the lush green grass.

Dazai put his fingers to his lips and whistled. A black mare soon came sprinting towards him from the distance. Without even waiting for the horse to stop, Dazai grabbed the rein and hopped on its back with grace. In no time at all, he caught up to his partner and the two raced along the cliffs of Oki Island.

Below the cliffs, where the violet waves smash into the rocks…were twenty students.

Each of them were clutching onto the rocks with their dear lives. Around their hips were black harnesses, tying them to one another through wires that were only half a meter long.

“T-this is impossible!” Ashido shouted through shallow breaths. “I don’t have any more strength! Can’t we take a break here?”

“Hang in there, Ashido-san! We’re almost there!” Yaoyorozu encouraged, panting as she looked at the weights locked around her wrists. These were the same weights the U.A teachers had used back in the final exam. Each of these weights bounding their wrists and ankles were adjusted to double the weight of their bodies.

“My hands feel like they’re burning up.” Uraraka winced at the stinging sensation in her palms, but didn’t let go of the rocks.

“Mine too,” Sero said as he looked towards his reddening hands.

“Everyone! We can take a break after just one more step!” Iida shouted from the center of the line. “Look! Just one more step and we’ll reach the center line Chuuya-san drew! We’re halfway up this cliff! Sato-kun, Kirishima-kun, can you hear me?!”

“Yeah!” Sato shouted from one side of the line.

“Let’s do this!” Kirishima shouted from the other end.

“ONE!” Everyone shouted and reached up at the same time to grab onto a rock.

“TWO!” They raised one foot and dug their toe into the cracks in the rocks.

“THREE—”

“KYAA!” A scream came from the right of the line.

“Ugh!” Tokoyami gritted his teeth while Shouji clenched even harder onto the rocks. The two of them were feeling the pull on their hardness as the person between then—Hagakure, fell off the cliff.

“What happened?!”

“Who fell?!”

“Is everything alright?!”

The others shouted, unable to see due to all of them being in a perfect line.

“Sorry!” Hagakure shouted as she hurriedly grabbed onto the rocks and pushed herself back up.

“Are you alright?” Shouji asked.

“Yeah…my foot slipped.”

“Be careful, some of the rocks are moist and slippery,” Tokoyami said.

“Thank you Tokoyami-kun, Shouji-kun!” Hagakure panted from both shock and exhaustion. The two boys could tell how much the girl was shaking from the weights around her wrists.

“Wait, that one is—!” Before Shouji could finish, Hagakure grabbed onto the edge of a rock that had cracks along the side. The moment the girl applied pressure to pull herself up, the rock came loose.

Hagakure squeaked as she fell back down. Shouji, who had seen it happen, reached out to grab onto her by instinct. However, this made the rock his other hand was clutching onto broke from the additional force.

Tokoyami had already braced himself and was using all of his strength to hold on and not to be dragged down. Ashido who was beside Shouji didn’t have that luck. Taken off guard, she wasn’t even given time to react before the strong pull on her hip ripped her off the rocks.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Aoyama beside Ashido yelped as he too was pulled down.

“Ah!” The next to follow was Yaoyorozu.

Fortunately, the chain stopped there since Bakugou was the one beside Yaoyorozu. His face was distorted and veins were practically sticking out of his arms and neck as he gripped onto the rocky walls.

The pull on his hardness was strong considering five people had fallen but together with Tokoyami, the two boys held on.

“Hurry and get the fuck up!” Bakugou barked and the five immediately found their footings again and reattached themselves to the wall.

Everyone let out a loud sigh of relief.

They already lost count of how many times they fell into the cold, merciless water like this. They finally made it halfway up the cliff. If they fell here, then they’ll really be doomed!

A violent gust blew by and the students automatically pushed themselves against the wall to protect themselves from the force of the wind.

“I swear…this is the worst torture out of all of the tortures those two devils put us through…!” Kaminari wept.

“You want to go back to Mt. Fuji again?” Jirou mumbled with a dark look on her face. It was obvious that to her, she would prefer doing their current training rather than that time back at Mt. Fuji.

“Compare Kabukicho to this is nothing…compare to Kabukicho, this is nothing…” Mineta chanted over and over like some sort of mantra, causing Kirishima and Kaminari who were beside him to give him a weird look.

“Seriously, what happened back then?” Kirishima was really curious, but Mineta didn’t hear him and continued his chant. Exactly what could traumatize Mineta to the point where he couldn’t even touch girls without freaking out?

“Come on everyone! One more time!” Iida gritted his teeth.

“ONE!” They all shouted and reached out their hands.

“TWO!” They each raised a foot.

“THREE!” With a push of their bodies, they moved forward by a single step at the exact same time.

Finally, the group arrived at the red line drawn over the rocks. But before any of them could take a breather and celebrate, a particularly strong wind swept by.

Mineta yelped as he was blown into the air, his flailing hand smacking Kirishima right in the face and index finger stabbing into his eye.

With a pained yelp, Kirishima was knocked off balance, falling down together with Mineta. Kaminari screamed as he latched on, but since Kirishima was the end of the line, there was no other person to help the blond support the weight of two people (or just one person really), which in the end dragged him down as well.

“Gero!” Asui shouted as she too fell.

“Asui-san!” Midoriya tried to hold on like Bakugou had. He managed to do so for a few seconds, but the rocks he was holding onto ended up breaking and he followed his classmates. Just like this, the students fell one after another like dominos. Not even Bakugou could stop it this time as they all plunge into the sea.

On the yacht, a group of people in black suits watched the scene unfold. Their faces were blank, showing no expressions as one of them reached a hand up to their earpiece.

“The kids have reached the halfway line.” He reported.

Inside the yacht, countless people sat in front of the monitors, each displaying the picture of a student with detailed information on their current health conditions and heartbeat.

“Midoriya Izuku, normal!” The woman sitting before the monitor with Midoriya’s picture called out.

“Iida Tenya, normal!” A man sitting in front of Iida’s information was quick to follow up. And soon, the entire room was filled with echoes of various people reporting the students’ statuses.

“Mashirao Ojiro, normal!”

“Asui Tsuyu, normal!”

“Uraraka Ochaco, normal!”

“Kirishima Eijirou, normal!”

“Kouda Kouji, normal!”

“Kyouka Jirou, normal!”

“Shouji Mezou, normal!”

“Hagakure Yoru, normal!”

“Katsuki Bakugou, normal!”

“Tokoyami Fumikage, normal!”

“Hanta Sero, normal!”

“Todoroki Shouto, normal!”

“Yaoyorozu Momo, normal!”

“Rikido Sato, normal!”

“Ashido Mina, normal!”

“Aoyama Yuga, normal!”

“Kaminari Denki, normal!”

“Mineta Minoru, normal!”

“The halfway line has been reached!” The woman that was the leader of the team announced after the group finished their reports. “As per the boss's orders, we will now commence stage two! Activate the speakers and prepare the submarine!”

“Yes ma’am!”

Below the boat, the speakers that were attached to the bottom began to emit a high-frequency noise consisting of sharp clicks and whistles. The sound travelled through the water and into the far distance, attracting the attention of a pod of orcas that were swimming by.

Upon hearing the sound, these orcas changed their directions and began to swim towards the direction of the call…

Above the cliff, Dazai pulled on his horse’s rein, coming to a stop as he gazed out at the vast ocean and sky.

The brunet inhaled as a breeze of wind blew by, carrying the salty scent of the sea.

“Hey, Chuuya!” He called, looking over his shoulder to Chuuya who was directing his horse over to the black mare. “What do you say we set up our picnic here?”

Chuuya hopped off his horse and walked to the edge of the cliff, not the slightest bit afraid of falling off. His blue eyes reflected the ocean glittering in the sunlight.

Dazai stared into those eyes, mesmerized.

“Yeah,” Chuuya smiled, looking back at Dazai. “It’s perfect.”

The brunet’s eyes widened before a bright smile lifted his lips.

“Chuuya…” He reached out a hand and took Chuuya’s, giving his hand a small squeeze.

The redhead felt something inside him flutter at the other’s tender touch, but these fluttering feelings died away the moment he heard the jingling sound. Blue eyes shifted down and immediately landed on the familiar chains wrapped around his wrist.

“A good dog shouldn’t walk around without his leash!”

“Fuck you!” Chuuya threw out a kick. The mood was just getting good, but this bastard had to ruin it!

“I already did~” Dazai sang, skillfully dodging the kick and ran off with Chuuya hot on his tail. The long black chain bounding the two of them jingled with their movement.

They ran down the hill, their laughter and screams of bloody murder carried away by the wind.

The two horses that were left behind on the cliff chewed on the lush green grass. When another breeze came from the direction of the ocean carrying a set of different screams, their ears twitched. They lifted their heads, momentarily looking around before going back to enjoy their lunch.

Today was another perfect day.

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◅ PREVIOUS CHAPTER

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AUTHOR'S NOTE ON AO3

[bearsace]

the tale of yukimura, kami-sama, and the impossibly long year

Summary: “It’s the boar woman!” were the four fateful words spoken when Sanada Yukimura found himself offending a literal goddess. A life debt’s some pretty hefty business when someone's patiently awaiting their chance to kill you.

In her defense, patience is a virtue— she totally should have smote him for that.

Author’s Note: So basically this turned out a lot longer than it was supposed to be, but that’s probably no surprise to some of you. This was such a pleasure to write; I really enjoyed world-building and all the character development, as well as the romance, humor, and touch of angst. I hope you enjoy it! Special thanks to my beta for this fic, @juminly. You can also find this on AO3 here.

Pairings: Yukimura/MC

Genre: Romance, adventure, hurt/comfort

Rating: T

Word Count: 15k+

Read Time: 30+ minutes

Like all great legends about all great spirits, it began with a single sentence.

Well, something like that. If you asked Yukimura, it would definitely have begun because she provoked him, dammit! She started this— not him.

At least that’s what he’d say. But the history textbooks beg to differ because, as this humble author opines, any goddess would be offended if some hooligan selling women’s clothing came out of left field and said those Four Fateful Words:

“It’s the boar woman!”

—

Dear reader, perhaps I should take this moment to backtrack.

Meet our hero: Sanada Yukimura, modest merchant and part-time warlord. In this rewind, our beloved Yuki has found himself in quite the predicament. You see, he is atop a woman, atop a cliff, atop a heap of very, very bad luck.

She was quite lovely, he noted, because he was after all a man. Her skin was soft like a leaf, her lips prettily shaped like a flower petal that frowned up at him.

But also her hair looked like dirt and she appeared as if she woke up from a long nap. It was not a fetching look.

“You run like a boar,” he said.

Her nostrils flared like one.

“How insulting,” she proclaimed imperiously. “I should smite you for that, but I follow the old laws. Know that that is your first warning out of three.”

“Smite me? What is this, the 1400s? This is 1582. Stop using outdated language.”

“I swear, you’re really pushing it for warning number two.”

One thing to know about spirits (which Yukimura obviously did not know she was) is that they are particularly testy when it comes to their items of worship. This particular spirit had just had a spat with the actual spirit of boars who was, ahem… 

A bit of a swine, so to speak.

So to be called a boar woman? Yukimura might as well have burned down her shrine.

—

“Oh, now you’ve done it!” Yukimura yelled in front of the burning shrine.

Commander Yudai was objectively one of the worst that the Uesugi-Takeda forces could “boast.” This was made clear as the Uesugi-Takeda lords (and Yukimura and the brave, awesome Sasuke) took in the sight of the blazing shrine, wood screeching and popping like firecrackers.

It had been many months since Yukimura had last seen the strange woman. After a rustle from the leaves in which she simply got up and walked away (and also threw him a select few haughty glances), she sort of just… disappeared.

Like, into a tree.

That was weird.

Honestly? Yukimura tried not to think about it. Very much like you and me, his head hurt if he tried to think too much, but specifically if he thought about tree/boar women it would hurt A Lot. Unlike you and me he had no access to Excedrin Migraine Geltabs.

If he did, he’d be taking them by the spoonful right now because again: Commander Yudai could fall off a bridge and Yuki would not miss him.

Lord Shingen in particular seemed appropriately handsome-slash-irritated. Tall, proud— like an aspen— he stepped onto the charred grass in front of the shrine with his jaw tense.

Yukimura realized that of course Lord Shingen would take particular offense to Commander Yudai burning down this shrine. His best friend got his temple burned down by Oda Nobunaga.

Yukimura turned a scowl onto Commander Yudai and opened his mouth as if to scold him...

And then, a spectre in the distance— covered only in a dress made out of leaves as if she had grown it herself, barefoot, tear-stained—

It was her.

“What the hell?!”

Attention caught, two gazes— one charcoal, one mismatching— turned upon him. It was Lord Kenshin who spoke first.

“Be quiet, Yukimura. You’re spoiling my fun.”

The firelight was a crusade in her eyes. When they met his for a moment, his lips parted in time to call after her before she bounced back into the woods as if she were a doe in human form.

Lords Kenshin and Shingen turned to look, and Sasuke adjusted his glasses, looking pretty cool.

But Yuki was already in a sprint, leaving them behind and chasing after the willowy figure as she retreated deeper into the forest.

—

Never let it be spoken that this author has a particular bias for or against Yukimura, because it can safely be said that he’s totally about to deserve the branch to the face that’s going to happen in three… two…

“Ow! What-”

The branch was leafy and heavy and hurt bad. Like a poor sport at a limbo party, Yuki smacked his forehead right into it and fell to the ground.

“How dare you?!” Her eyes were flaming and she looked just as aggressive as she did the night that he first met her.

“How dare me ?! You’re the one who hit me! Hold on… you’re definitely her! What are you doing all the way out here?”

“My trees were crying because the land was aflame. And I discover when I get here that it was… it was… you! ”

“What was me, Boar Woman?”

Yukimura deserved the kick that came after. But in the spirit of bias neither for nor against Yukimura, one must admit that she could’ve at least waited till he got up.

He brushed himself off, scowling.

“What’s your problem anyway?”

“My problem is men like you who think it’s okay to desecrate my shrines like this. That worm didn’t even offer coins before praying to me! And you know what he said to me?”

“I don’t even know who you are.”

“He said, and I quote, ‘oh wow, I sure do hope that Lord Shingen promotes me!’ And right after? He set my shrine on fire.”

Yukimura winced. “Aw, man. I’m actually really sorry about that. I didn’t condone it. If it helps, we don’t like him either. I think that Lord Kenshin’s probably actually going to kill him.”

She crossed her arms and sniffled, and Yukimura actually felt bad. She was obviously distressed over the loss of her shrine. If there was one thing that Yukimura was not good at, it was consoling crying women. Or consoling women. Or women.

Gruffly, in some attempt to make her feel better, he grumbled, “So you… what. You live here or something?”

“You’re getting awfully close to warning number two.”

“I’m just asking! Jeez, don’t mind me trying to make you feel better. I didn’t even realize that boars like you hung around shrines like this.”

“That’s it! This is your second warning!”

—

If I may interject: there is a key feature to note about the spirits to which our beloved non-boar woman belongs. 

You and I would call it the “three-strike system,” but these spirits would call it the mercy-and-honor system. You see, as opposed to “three strikes and you’re out,” these benevolent spirits believed in “three insults and you’re smote.”

That is to say, Yukimura was really, really pushing it if he didn’t want to be turned into a lump of moss.

—

“Second warning,” Yukimura grumbled as he trudged back to camp, brushing dirt off his armor. They had quite a fight, and she had quite a swing. “Second warning my foot. Who does she think she is? Some kind of spirit or something?”

Here, I ask you to share a knowing glance with me.

“Ah, Yuki!” Lord Shingen waved at him from his spot at the campfire. “You’ve finally returned. What caught your eye? A fair maiden in the forest?”

“I’ll kill you,” Lord Kenshin said and sipped his alcohol.

Yukimura bowed his head to Lord Shingen. “Fair maiden… something like that.”

The brilliant and cool Sasuke handed him a portion of dried rice, and Yukimura thought that maybe he should ask his clever friend about the strange woman. People really were crazy these days.

—

“SANADA YUKIMURA… AWAKEN!”

And awaken he did. As most people would when feeling hot breath on their face and looking up to find a giant, grotesque woman with tusks around a leather belt, a white moustache, a gigantic bone-spear, and the head of a pig, Yukimura definitely, definitely awakened.

He also let out a scream that Sasuke would’ve teased him about, if he’d heard it.

“A-are you a ghost?! Are you here to kill me?”

“FOOLISH BOY!” The thing boomed. “I AM THE GODDESS OF THESE ROLLING HILLS, OF THE EARTH BENEATH YOUR TREMBLING FEET. I AM MOUNTAIN WHALE!”

(It’s a literal translation.)

“YOU HAVE PLEASED ME, SANADA YUKIMURA, BY BURNING DOWN THE SHRINE OF THAT wench WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED. SHE WHO BELIEVES THAT THE TREE IS MIGHTIER THAN THE BOAR, WHO THINKS TO STEAL MY POWER FROM ME.”

Silently to himself, Yukimura reasoned that if a boar ran into a tree, it would surely have at least a headache similar to the one he was having right now. Was it necessary to speak so loudly?

“YOU HAVE MY FAVOR AND SHALL BE MY IMMORTAL CHAMPION. NEVER AGAIN SHALL SHE LAY A HAND UPON YOU AS SHE HAS TONIGHT.”

And then— oh, God, and then— Mountain Whale leaned her pig nose down toward Yukimura and Yukimura actually whimpered — and she ordered,

“KISS IT, BOY.”

It should be noted that Yukimura was still trying to wake up. No— he hadn’t even woken up at all. He had been very rudely dragged back to the world of the living and frankly none of this comprehended. From his understanding:

There was… a whale? Of some kind?

The unnamed “wench” angered Mountain Whale… who now wanted Yukimura to kiss her?

Where was Lord Shingen when you needed him?

“S-sorry, but I don’t t-think I really wanna kiss you tonight— I-I’m sure you’re a very nice woman outside of my tent but I’m just not feeling the c-chemistry—”

“YOU THINK I WOULD ALLOW YOU TO LAY YOUR MORTAL LIPS ON MY DIVINE SELF? THE SPEAR, BOY. KISS THE SPEAR.”

His eyes flashed to the bone-spear in her hand. That wasn’t much better.

But Mountain Whale had this look in her eyes like she would absolutely be content to fry Yukimura over drinks and campfire songs, so with another whimper, he pursed his lips.

Chu-!

It wasn’t that bad, actually. The spear, despite being made of bones, didn’t invoke some dormant, loudmouthed half-pig within him. He felt a warmth spread from his lips to his chest and limbs.

Mountain Whale reared her head back and cackled.

“MY CHAMPION, MY IMMORTAL CHAMPION!” She cried. “FOREVER WILL YOUR OFFSPRING WORSHIP ME. COME, BOY, BE THE FIRST TO SING MY PRAISE.”

“??????” Yukimura said.

“IT IS WELL ENOUGH.” It appeared that even Mountain Whale also realized that this was about as good as it got when it came to Yukimura. “WHEN YOU NEED ME, BOY, LOOK TO THE SETTING SUN AND PRAY.”

With a flourish, she nodded at him and bopped him on the head with her bone-spear. She probably should’ve disappeared into thin air in a flurry of boar hair and tusks, but instead she whipped her ragged cloak and lumbered out his tent, across camp, and into the woods rather anticlimactically.

Yukimura sleep-stumbled like a drunken man to the tent flap and watched her wade clumsily across the river. The night guard at the campfire stared at him in horror.

“Don’t say anything,” Yukimura snapped. “I’m just as confused as you are.”

“I wasn’t,” the guard said, shifting uncomfortably. “But if I may, you certainly have an interesting taste in women, Lord Yukimura.”

—

“Oh, you mean Yama Kujira!” Sasuke looked very handsome in the early morning light, and Yukimura wondered if he woke up like this every morning or if he was just blessed.

They were on their way back to Echigo, the battle won and the shrine repaired as best as Lord Shingen could manage. The rest of the troops and their bosses had gone ahead while Sasuke and Yukimura decided to stop by a little teahouse in a town on the way there.

Yukimura didn’t particularly feel immortal, and he wasn’t entirely sure he believed Mountain Whale when she said that he was. If he was, it would kinda be a huge inconvenience, considering he didn’t particularly want to spend the rest of his life with only Mountain Whale for company. He imagined living life so desperately lonely that he relied on her for friendship— shaking the disturbing thought away, he addressed Sasuke.

“Yama Kujira? With the head of a pig?”

“And a bone spear?”

“Yeah, that’s her.” Yukimura affirmed. “Not that there’s any reason for asking, but I thought it was, uh… Mountain Whale?”

“That’d be the literal translation; the Japanese boar, ‘Yama Kujira’ literally means Mountain Whale. One of the famous nature spirits who cannot age, but can die like any of the rest of us. Fun fact, one of our soldiers actually claimed that he hunted down, killed, and ate Yama Kujira for dinner. Why do you ask?”

“Alright, first of all, that soldier was definitely lying. Second of all…”

Honestly, why did Yukimura ask? He was still somewhat in denial and figured that maybe if Sasuke looked at him like he’d grown a second head, it’d reinforce the idea that it was just a dream. Even if it was a legend, that was too close for comfort.

He glanced warily over his shoulder as if expecting to hear “BOY” and the clinking of tusks on a leather belt. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

—

For the months following, Yukimura was way too scared to look at the sunset just in case he’d accidentally summon Mountain Whale back to him.

So he made it a habit to begin packing up his shop a little earlier, then went back to the inn for some tea and dumplings before heading into the woods to report to Lord Shingen’s scouts. It was during this routine that he, for the third and final time, insulted that one weirdo from the cliff.

By now it had been nearly a year since he saw her last, and this was the first time he had ever seen her in daylight. On the outskirts of Azuchi, she looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

“Aren’t you-”

“It’s the boar woman!”

And these, dear reader, are the Four Fateful Words at which we left off when we first began our story.

The humble author would like to take a moment to emphasize that Yukimura does not particularly know how to speak to women, boar or otherwise. But one thing that he did learn was that boars were particularly scary, and when her eyes flared with anger, he felt his soul regress back into the Paleolithic era.

The phrase slipped out of his lips before he had the chance to remind himself that there were, indeed, boar women out there who were, indeed, waiting to be summoned.

“That’s warning three,” she said softly.

(Somewhere in the distance, Lord Shingen furrowed his brow, his brush pausing above the parchment of a missive.

“What is it, cousin?” Asked Lord Yoshimoto sitting across from him.

“I don’t know. I feel… a disturbance. As if someone, somewhere, is disrespecting a woman.”)

“That’s not fair!” Yukimura could not help but gnash his teeth in frustration.

“How is it not fair?” She snapped. “I warned you twice before this! Did your mother never teach you stories of spirits? The mercy-and-honor system? What did you think I was gonna do, go tattle on you to your lord?”

“Well, I definitely didn’t think you were a spirit! You look like a-” Wisely, he snapped his mouth shut. “Look— people don’t really believe in the old gods anymore. I didn’t even believe in them until a couple of months ago. And I dunno, you do run like a boar. Can’t we just start over?”

“No can do. Unfortunately, I began the process of mercy when I gave you your first warning. If I don’t deliver honor, then I’m a liar, unless you offer me something of equal or greater value. And you can’t. So hold still, please. I’ll try to make this as painless as possible.”

And then she closed her eyes, and her hands began glowing. She was a sight to behold as the trees seemed to sigh inward toward her, the setting sun silhouetting her against its harsh glare as willow vines lifted her towards him. As he drew his sword to fight back, the vines effortlessly disarmed him and sank his weapon deep into its foliage.

Oh God, he thought, a breath leaving him as she came closer, and he backed away. This is the end, isn’t it? Please, don’t let Lord Shingen suffer too deeply when he sees my corpse…

“SANADA YUKIMURA!”

—

...wait. He knew that voice!

He opened his eyes to find vines wrapped around his wrists, his legs, and the spirit glaring at something over his shoulder.

“Mountain Whale...?!” Yukimura groaned.

She was absolutely as ridiculous-looking as he remembered, but more importantly, the spirit drew Yukimura closer to and behind herself as the glow of her hands focused elsewhere. Her eyes narrowed on him.

“You know each other?”

“Yeah, I met Mountain Whale the day that our ex-Commander Yudai burned down your shrine-”

“RIGHTFULLY SO!”

“-and she showed up in my tent and made me kiss her staff. How do you know Mountain Whale?”

As he spoke, a certain… wrath lashed around the spirit’s splendid features. It was eerily beautiful, the way she seemed to blaze with furious light. It was like watching somebody realize something they desperately, desperately wanted to be untrue. She ignored his question in favor of a voice that boomed,

“Please don’t tell me you actually kissed her staff.”

“Well, what would you have done?”

“Not kissed it!”

“She was going to kill me, dummy!”

“I TIRE OF THIS CHATTER. wench, WHAT BUSINESS DOES YOUR WEAK AND PATHETIC SELF HAVE WITH MY CHAMPION?”

The spirit groaned. It took a second for it to click for Yukimura, but when it did—

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

“You? You’re ‘wench?’”

“Ignoring the sheer offense I take to that, yes. You must be her champion… figures. Mountain Whale, old friend,” she implored, her voice grated sweet. “It seems to me that there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. You see, you’ve claimed this man as your champion, but I’m afraid that I claimed him first.”

“I don’t belong to anyone-”

“Remember a year ago, Whale, when you and I had that little spat about whether Lake Biwa should be used as a breeding ground for your wild boars or turned back into a forest? I met him right after that, long before my shrine on the Usui Pass burned down and you found him. I think we can both agree that his life is in my hands, yes? Perhaps if I could humbly ask you to release your claim?”

“HMM… HMM…” Mountain Whale stroked her moustache. “AN INTERESTING PROPOSAL, wench. I AM AFRAID THAT I CANNOT HONOR IT, HOWEVER, AND MUST KILL YOU.”

“You cannot kill me. It is lawfully impossible.”

“SILENCE!”

“No, Mountain Whale, I mean it. You can say what you wish, but the old laws will not allow you to kill me.”

“NOR WILL THEY ALLOW YOU TO KILL MY CHAMPION.”

“You’re right. They will not— it seems we’ve reached an impasse. Unfortunately, if I kill this man, I will be murdering your champion. However, he’s reached my three warnings. If you keep him, it will be dishonorable. Both of us are a bit stuck.”

Yukimura had not thought it possible for Mountain Whale to actually be quiet, but for now she was, keeping her beady glare trained on the spirit whose jaw seemed to be working on instinct.

“I propose a deal,” she said.

“I object,” Yukimura interrupted. A warning glance from her was barely enough to shut him up as he scowled at her.

“As I was saying,” the spirit snipped, “You enjoy the hunt, yes, Whale? For longer than I can remember, you have enjoyed it. I propose that you hunt your champion for, say, a year, during which time I will protect him as my own and keep him at my side. If I fail to keep him alive, not only will you have a tasty warlord snack, but I will also allow you to kill me-”

“I ACCEPT!”

“-I’m not finished. I will also allow you to kill me, and you will be rid of me forever. However, if you fail to catch him, you will release him into my care where I will kill him as honor dictates. You will also personally build me a thousand new shrines across Japan.”

“...BUT I WILL GET TO KILL YOU?”

“If you succeed.”

“THEN WE HAVE A DEAL, wench. YOU HAVE SEVEN SUNSETS, AND THAT IS WHEN MY HUNT BEGINS.”

As the odd rivals shook hands, Yukimura couldn’t help but be impressed at how good of a deal-maker she was. Either that, or Mountain Whale just really wanted to kill her, in which case Yuki could kinda relate. On the other hand, though, he would likely not be human if fear did not grip him at how casually the two bartered whether or not Yukimura would be Mountain Whale’s dinner in a year’s time.

Yukimura happened to be human, so unfortunately he found himself quite troubled by his predicament and also irritated at how it came to be.

“Are you serious?” he growled as Mountain Whale lumbered back into the forest. “Are. You. Serious!”

“Don’t give me that,” the spirit sniffed. “Trust me, I pretty much just saved your life.”

“... how ?!”

“If Mountain Whale and I continued to fight over you, our Creator would have just smote you to keep the peace, and I’d still be dissatisfied because I was not the one to do it. I’ll be protecting you this next year, so you don’t have to worry about Mountain Whale killing you.”

“Oh, jeez, thanks. That’s one less thing off my plate. Now all I have to worry about is you killing me.”

“I did say I’d make it painless, didn’t I? Now, come on. We only have seven sunsets. I’ll say what I will about her, but she is a brilliant huntress; we need to get going this instant if we want to outsmart her.”

“Like hell I’m going with you!”

The spirit closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose like a high-schooler who had just won the senior superlative for “Least Likely to Strangle Yukimura on Instinct (Don’t Give In Now!!).” When she opened them again, she tossed him her sweetest smile.

“Yukimura,” she explained patiently. “Mountain Whale is not the spirit of boars. She is the spirit of the hunt. You will not survive even a day with her hunting you if you don’t come with me. Think about it this way: you would have died regardless.”

“Not if you just gave up this stupid three warning thing.”

“For the record, it’s not stupid. It’s how the old gods have kept promises for many years. Only a promise can break a promise. And you think that, what— if I’d just went on my merry way you’d have lived the rest of your life in peace as Mountain Whale’s immortal champion?”

His silence was rather telling.

She scoffed, “Right, obviously. Okay, here’s the run-down. Technically, you became immortal when you kissed that staff. The only person who can take it away is her. And the reason for that is because she wants you to essentially become her immortal boar for her to hunt. Unkillable. Always running. Forever. Think very long and hard as much as your sweet little mind allows; is that really what you want?”

Yukimura scowled. No, it was not what he wanted.

But on the other hand, at the end of this year it seemed that he would die no matter what— either by the hand of the spirit, or the hand of Mountain Whale. And perhaps if he had a year’s time, he could try to find a way out of this arrangement before it came time to kill him. Assuming the spirit could actually do as she said and protect him. He gave a frustrated yell and kicked at the ground before turning to face her.

“I have three conditions,” he said finally.

In this author’s opinion, it was a bit greedy of Yuki to demand, because she was the one protecting him and not vice versa. She thought the same thing but was a good soul nonetheless, so she waved her hand in a gesture to continue.

“First,” Yuki huffed, “You have to remain open to finding some way to forgive me for my three offenses. Only a promise can break a promise, right? You have to give me the chance to make a different promise you can accept that’s worth my life. Second, you don’t go making deals like that again! It’s not fair that I didn’t even have a say. Maybe I would’ve been down to being Mountain Whale’s immortal punching bag, you know.”

“I doubt it, but this seems reasonable so far. Your final request?”

“My final request...” Yuki took a deep breath. “My final request is that you find some way to heal Lord Shingen.”

She raised a brow. “Who?”

“I’m his vassal. And he’s… he doesn’t have a lot of time left, okay? He has trouble breathing, and coughs too much, and has some heart problems, and, look, I hardly even know who you are, or what you do, but you seem like you have the resources to find some way to make him better. I just want to see his goal achieved so that he can go home again. You do that, and I won’t argue for the whole year we’re together. And when it’s time to kill me, I won’t even make things hard for you.”

For a moment, the spirit seemed disbelieving before her lips pursed with something akin to a grudging respect. “I see… very well. I agree to this exchange of services, provided you hold up your end.”

And, gracefully, she knelt toward the earth and laid one lithesome hand upon it. Between her splayed fingers, stems sprouted, and they wrapped upward around her palm, her wrist, like a playful serpent. She stood again, the greenery uprooting itself to follow her, and turned her palm to Yukimura— from it, one brilliant silver flower bloomed.

The author has it on good authority that if Sasuke were there, he would have found it quite hilarious how Yuki’s mouth hung open. He looked like one of those wall plug outlets or something.

“Make a milk tea out of this flower, sweetening it only with honey,” the spirit instructed, plucking it from her hand and tucking the stem into Yukimura’s armor. “Make sure he drinks the whole thing then eats the petals. Your lord will find himself healing by the time we are hidden, and should he survive the next year, I will allow you to say goodbye and give him enough flowers to live a long life comfortably before I kill you myself.”

Yukimura gently touched his fingers to the delicate petals of the flower, then raised his eyes back to her— her gaze seemed almost sympathetic, and he scowled under the sincerity of it.

“Thanks. I— I’m gonna go—”

“We don’t have much time. Give it to someone you trust, and we will be on our way shortly after. I will meet you in your room when the moon is above the treeline.”

—

In the end, Yukimura gave the flower to Sasuke. Milk tea, honey, petals— he had been reciting the instructions in his head like a mantra and relayed them to his best friend, whom he knew he would not see for a year.

Of all people, it made sense that Sasuke so easily believed him. He informed Lords Kenshin and Shingen of the predicament as Yuki watched from the shadows while Lord Shingen sipped at the tea. He almost seemed to heal before their very eyes, each breath becoming lighter— heart and mind soothed, Yukimura made his way back to his room, where the spirit was already waiting for him.

“Hello, Yukimura. Are you prepared?”

“As I’ll ever be,” he replied, voice thick with emotion. “Let me just pack.”

“No need. I’ve done so already. I hope you’ll forgive me that.”

She was far pleasanter now than she had been before, nodding at a bag on his bed. If Yuki had been anyone dumber, he might have even forgotten how desperately she wanted to kill him. He gave her a wordless nod and slung the bag around his shoulders. It was an interesting texture— he realized that it was made out of woven branches.

“So, what?” He gruffed as they left the castle and approached the stables. “You going to ride too?”

“No, but your horse knows where to go. I’ll be with you the whole time; keep in mind that we have to reach a safe haven before Mountain Whale sets out for us, but we can afford a few rests if you need them. Just stop the horse and lay your hand on the ground, and I’ll be there.”

All this “look to the sunset” or “moon above the treeline” or “hand on the ground” stuff was really starting to grate on Yukimura’s nerves. Didn’t these people know how to send smoke signals or something?

He mounted his horse and watched, fascinated, as she took a step forward, and as easily as if she were swan-diving into water, leapt into the rocky ground and disappeared.

Moments later, his horse turned his head as if beckoned by an unseen force and began to gallop.

—

During this brief interlude, the author would like to thank you, dear reader, for putting up with the shenanigans of Yukimura and the spirit thus far, because both would be too stubborn to thank you themselves. Rest assured that our hero will spend the next seven Gregorian days kicking at the ground in anger, chowing down on tasteless rice, and overall bemoaning his situation that any theologist would be happy to find themselves in.

Aside from that, he had to warily hand it to the spirit; the horse really did know where to go. Many times was Yukimura nearly thrown off his mighty steed because it would suddenly change directions unbidden.

Every now and then, he would look at the ground and it would seem to ripple, or at the trees that seemed to point their branches and laugh. He figured that that was the spirit travelling beside him with the wind. He’d scowl down at her sometimes and could have sworn the leaves chuckled.

The days and nights that he travelled were both fairly uneventful aside from these, and so, because you are not here to listen to this respectful-yet-much-obliged author wax poetic about Yuki’s grumbling, we shall move on with our tale.

—

“Uh… this is it?” Yukimura asked groggily an hour before the seventh sunrise.

“Excuse you,” the spirit said, materializing for the first time in many days. As Yukimura dismounted his horse, it bowed its head as if in deference to the spirit then cantered away into the trees, disappearing into a thick veil of fog. The spirit walked up out of the ground, the soil parting for her as if she were a tree reaching skyward. He was a bit irritated at how perfect she looked literally rising out of dirt when the only bath he’d gotten was her pushing him into a river.

“Well, didn’t you say safe haven? This looks like a cabin or something.”

“It is. This is my home— one which Mountain Whale does not know the location of, nor will she know it for the next year at least. Until then, my home is yours. It has many wards set on it, so even if she does find it, she’ll never find you. You’ll be safe as long as you don’t cross the boundary of the pond. Come on, now; let’s go.”

The little cottage was situated atop a clear, pebbled pond with many types of fish and lilypads, the shore upon which he stood pleasantly overgrown with cattails. The pond itself was not much larger than what the little plot demanded, and wisterias intimately hid what the cattails did not. A bridge led into what Yukimura assumed was the main part of the home— from it, little floating bridges extended onto different platforms upon the water. One, a garden with all the growable plants and livestock one could need; another, a little space with a ladder dipping into the depths— perhaps for swimming or fishing? Then one more platform, where a small table and futon overlooked the dense forest beyond the water, a sheer canopy shading them from the sun.

The whole unit sloshed a little bit as Yukimura and the spirit padded across the main bridge. She swept aside a heavy cloth and beckoned him inside with a murmured, “Welcome to my home.”

Yukimura wasn’t entirely sure what he’d expected. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t how… normal it appeared. A futon pushed against a wall. A comfortable kitchen near the back, the door open to invite in fresh air. Handmade, clashing quilts littered the bed, the floor, the comfortable seats. Everywhere were trinkets that seemed to mismatch— a little satchel of konpeito by the hearth, a little iron dagger haphazardly tossed onto a desk. There were traces of many hobbies throughout many years, hobbies that a bored deity might pick up: half-finished paintings, flowers that were pressed and forgotten, books lying upside down on their spines.

Overall, it was difficult to make something out of it.

As if self-conscious, she scowled and turned her nose up.

“It’s no castle, but it’s done the trick. The futon inside is yours. Obviously I didn’t prepare for you, so… just sit down or something. Help yourself to some stew while I go wash your blankets.”

True to her word, she gathered up a lump of quilts in her arms and left through a door to the side of the house.

Yukimura meandered awkwardly to one of the large pots in the kitchen where an aromatic hunter’s pot was simmering. He could smell traces of venison, cinnamon, pears— the scent of it was so tempting he couldn’t help himself— he dipped a small ladle into it and took a tentative bite.

Delicious! His eyes watered at how flavorful it was, and he went in for another, before deciding it might be impolite to just eat right out of it and hunted around for a bowl. Her array of dishware was rather similar to the rest of the house.

By the time he chose a copper bowl that literally looked like she’d punched a sheet of metal until it would hold a shape, she had returned with a different set of warm-looking blankets.

“Set out a bowl for me, would you?”

Yukimura did as she asked; he supposed that, despite the situation, it was the least that he could do. They settled into chairs at the table by the window, and in the first moment of tranquility in days, Yukimura asked,

“So, where exactly are we?”

“Technically, we’re at one of my shrines in Northern Japan. In actuality, we’re in a world that floats independently of the world you know, a world created by the network of shrines that I have throughout the region.”

“Right. Obviously. Can’t believe I didn’t realize that before.”

“I don’t like your sarcasm, but I get it. It’s probably too much for your mortal mind to grasp. Just know this— the only ones who can enter this domain without my express permission are other kami, and if you leave, you will not be able to return unless I allow you. And you do not want to leave while Mountain Whale is hunting you.”

“Well then, what am I supposed to do during this year then? Just sit here?”

She actually appeared a bit sheepish for a moment, clearing her throat.

“I live a simple life. I understand that. But please try to find some happiness in it during your time here. In a typical day, I fulfill the prayers I receive at my shrines. Then I spend the rest of my time by visiting Earth taking care of the shrines I have left.”

“Huh? You do it yourself? Don’t you have followers to take care of your shrines for you?”

By now she looked horribly embarrassed, and Yukimura could not help but feel sorry for her as she stood and cleared her throat. “You have better things to do than to listen to me talk about my duties. Just… stay out of my way, and when you can, try helping me by taking care of things around the house. Gardening, cooking, cleaning… you’re not my prisoner, and I won’t harm you until the year is up, so do whatever you please.”

She took his empty dish and busied herself washing it while he looked around his temporary home a little bit longer. There was a small stack of prayers on a desk by the front window— he wondered why she didn’t have more, as he assumed a deity would. 

—

Life was rather uneventful with her. Aside from the bickering that they commonly found themselves embroiled in, she was easy enough to get along with and oftentimes downright friendly.

During the day, she left— apparently to take care of her shrines, and Yukimura would have the house to himself. He’d take a dip in the pond and float around, wondering how Lords Kenshin and Shingen and his best friend Sasuke were doing.

After his daily morning swim, he’d head into the garden and familiarize himself with all the plants she’d grown there, or he’d sit on the back porch and let his feet hang into the water while he watched the forest. Sometimes a deer or two would flit between the trees, and he passed the time by counting them. He’d also think— usually about a promise that might be able to convince her not to kill him when his year was up, or maybe some loophole that one of them had missed.

When she was home, she’d sit at that little desk and write in black ink on parchment that disappeared once she filled the page. Then she’d reach for another in her stack, and later, she told him that that was how she answered prayers.

It never took her too long to get through it.

Besides how terribly he missed his friends at Kasugayama, it wasn’t too bad. Her company was not intolerable; in fact, he found himself actively enjoying the nights when she came home from Earth, or even the days she didn’t have to leave at all. 

Over time, though, he found himself growing curiouser— oftentimes on war campaigns, he ran into zealots who told him that they were on their way to one shrine or another for their preferred deity. They usually carried with them brooms and pails to clean, and then flowers and coins as gifts. Why did she clean her shrines herself?

—

Around this time at Kasugayama Castle, rumor had begun to spread that Sanada Yukimura was spotted smooching a lovely young lady at the stables before his disappearance.

Sasuke wisely informed Lords Shingen and Kenshin of Yukimura’s unfortunate situation, and among them were quick to dispel rumors of Yukimura being some sort of deserter. But Lord Yoshimoto pointed out that if Yukimura actually was currently spending his days relaxing with a pretty woman, odds were that he’d be wooed off his feet in no time.

On an unrelated note regarding Yukimura’s love life: if Lord Kenshin had simply followed  Sasuke’s advice and agreed with Lord Yoshimoto, then maybe he and Sasuke would not have lost so much money to him and Lord Shingen.

—

But this author will admit that it was not yet quite time for that, because frankly, right now bickering was more common between the two of them than the moments of bliss where they could lounge together on the futon outside. Since he was sleeping on her futon indoors, she claimed the outdoor one for herself, which would have bothered him had she not smacked him for inadvertently suggesting she’d fall in the pond.

Birds and seasons flitted in and out of the little bubble in which her pond existed. This, for her, was good news, as she was excited for the company, and he felt a little sympathy for her that she was so lonely that she considered birds or autumn leaves “company.” Nevertheless, she wanted to make their guests feel at home, so on a day where she finished answering prayers early, they went onto the deck behind the house to build some birdhouses and feeders and baths for her to set up in the garden.

He was not a particularly incredible craftsman. Her bird feeder was supremely well-made, and frankly his looked kind of dumb next to hers. It was made all the more embarrassing by the fact that birds flocked to hers over his. He was attempting to set the walls of a birdhouse together when he asked,

“Can you tell me a little bit more about this whole promise thing?”

The sounds of her hammer against wood stopped, and slowly she set down her project, suspicious. “What would you like to know?”

“I wanna know a way out of this deal. Don’t think just ‘cause we’re getting along okay that I’ve forgotten you’re gonna kill me in ten months.”

“Ah, yes. I truly do look forward to it.”

“See?! See, that right there is so confusing. One second you’re totally reasonable, and then the next you’re actively wanting to kill me.”

“Look, Yukimura,” she sighed, leaning back on her palms. “I don’t actively want to kill you. I suppose the way to look at it is that, because I’ll have to anyway, there isn’t much to be done about it.”

“Except there is. You said that a promise can break a promise; you promised to kill me after three offenses, but can’t you just make a different promise?”

“Theoretically speaking, yes. But in order for me to maintain honor and respect befitting my station, it would have to be a promise of equal caliber to taking your life. Tell me, what can you offer me that matches your literally endless value on this Earth?”

She had a point. More importantly, he felt his face growing hot at the odd compliment. On one hand, she thought he had endless value… on the other hand, she had to kill him for it. But maybe she meant that he was valuable to her…? No, no, idiot. Don’t read into it.

Yukimura sighed, defeated for now, and cast his gaze out into the silent indigo forest before turning back to her with a wry, sour smile.

“Tell you what, I can finish making you this birdhouse. Then after that let’s talk.”

She tipped her head to the sky and laughed a brilliant, delighted laugh. Her eyes were sparkling when she looked at him. 

“No, I would say you’re worth a little bit more than that.”

“Just a little?”

“Just a little.”

—

Tonight she was teaching him how to make a boar stew, because the weather outside was freezing and they both agreed on some extra-comfort food. She’d decided that she’d had enough of venison and cleaned out their stew pot. When he said that he already knew how to make boar stew, she’d said “Not yet” and left it at that as if he was supposed to know what that meant.

If he were being totally honest, he’d gotten used to how vague she could be by now, and actually found it— though he’d never admit it, not even to himself— he found it a bit cute. He’d long since realized that it was simply a common habit among deities like her (see: Mountain Whale making him immortal in the middle of the night and literally not elaborating on the fact). It didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. Aside from the topic of her shrines or the small amount of prayers she got, she was openly forthcoming with any information he asked for.

“I’ve been making boar stew since I was a kid,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I know how to make it.”

“Not in the way that I do.” Her response came between the tap of her lips on the spoon, taste-testing their handiwork.

“Oh, yeah? Have you been living off boar meat since you were four?”

“Have you been alive for hundreds of thousands of years?”

“...no.”

“Ah. I see.”

Her smile, puckered and amused, was not condescending— almost teasing, and his heart did a little ba-dum! at the sight of it. 

“Yeah, well,” he couldn’t hide his dopish grin no matter how hard he tried. “Just ‘cause you’ve been alive for so long doesn’t necessarily mean you’re good at everything. For example, deal-making? You’re terrible at that!”

“Ha! If my deal-making skills are terrible, then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I threw you out of our home right now, see you deal with Mountain Whale.”

She dangerously held up the spoon and whacked the back of his hand with it as he barked a laugh, swatting her away.

“Is it too late to ask for mercy?”

“You ask me for mercy everyday— ‘ooh, please, please consider wrecking your honor as a goddess in order to spare my life at the end of the year!!’”

He couldn’t even bring it in him to be all that irritated with her for the horrible impression of him, or to be upset at the reminder that he might not find a way to barter himself out of her deal— he couldn’t be upset, not when she was smiling like that.

“Oh, yeah, whatever, you dummy. Guess I’m pretty lucky to have you then, huh?”

“Very much so.”

Here, Yukimura was incredibly lucky that he was not at Kasugayama Castle, for if he was, both Sasuke and Lord Shingen would have stood up and applauded, probably asked for an encore. Lord Shingen would have mockingly dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief. My little boy Yuki has finally flirted! And with an actual goddess, no less! he might’ve said as Sasuke solemnly bit his knuckle whilst on the verge of proud and manly tears.

Unbeknownst to Yukimura, he definitely did flirt just now, and it was even— dare it be said— well-received...?! The spirit threw him a coy smile over her shoulder and ooh, the way that Yukimura’s face turned red would’ve been absolutely HILARIOUS to see in person.

However, the only person around to see it was the spirit, whose attention was returned to the stew while our valiant hero, like, clutched his chest and hyperventilated in the corner or something.

“Here,” she said, politely ignoring the very obvious cupid’s arrow sticking out of his chest and the way that he was desperately trying to somehow both pry it out and ignore it. (Figuratively speaking, of course.) 

She held the spoon to his lips with her other hand below his chin as she fed him a taste, and at this point one must wonder if she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

If the venison stew was good, then this was… heaven. Yukimura made a noise of pleasure that would’ve made an elderly woman sweat in church. “That’s delicious!”

“I told you that you didn’t know how to make boar stew. Let’s have dinner by the fire tonight.”

So they settled in for some pleasant company while snow layered upon the pond, and in Yuki’s defense, he wouldn’t have started choking on the conversation halfway through if he hadn’t belatedly realized that she’d said “our” home instead of hers.

—

Ohohoho.

This is where it gets good.

Because there was only one bed.

To backtrack: it was so cold that night that the spirit’s futon outside (also, why was she the one sleeping outside when she was the one who lived here first?) was literally too cold to sleep in, and also ironically, this was the same night that Yukimura realized she was pretty damn cute when she was teasing him.

The author is well aware of how hilarious this is, and believe me, reader, that we all later had a good laugh at the way everything in the world seemed to be against our dear hero.

Yukimura barely even recovering from the revelation of him maybepossiblyprobably being more interested in his captorsaviorcrush than he’d first thought, and then that exact same night not even being allowed to have the bed to himself to think about it? Comedy gold. 

“Just— stop padding around like a lost donkey and go to sleep!” he croaked, face heated and hidden by the dim light. Small mercies.

“Fortunately for you, I can’t start your three offenses again. Fortunately for me, it appears I have been upgraded from boar to donkey. Perhaps I should stay up longer to celebrate.”

“You—!” He groaned. “Don’t keep me awake, please.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you you have somewhere to be tomorrow? I didn’t notice.”

With that snarky remark, she smoothly slid between the sheets, and with a wave of her hand extinguished the fireplace and nestled herself into the many pillows and blankets. Buried in the sheets, she sort of looked like some sort of adorable rice bowl, Yukimura realized as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He aggressively turned his back to her with a flustered huff. Before long, her breathing was deep, even, and when Yukimura turned back to peek, she was completely passed out.

What the hell? How did she fall asleep so quickly? It surprised the author, as well, because one would assume there would be some sexual tension there. Maybe some longing eye contact before both parties bashfully looked away. Maybe even… some under-blanket hand-touching?

But nope. She koala’d up to an oversized pillow that she placed between herself and Yukimura and was out like a light, leaving the boy to his many, many thoughts.

—

They slept beside each other the next night, and the night after that. By the time a week had gone by since they started sharing the indoor bed, Yukimura was five months into his sentence and up to his skull in frazzled thoughts.

Because God, was she pretty.

At around this point, for the sake of his own health, Yukimura grudgingly accepted that he really liked it when she smiled and especially liked it when he was the one who made her do so. He also liked the way her wrists looked so graceful and hold-able, and also how she looked like a cute little pastry when she bundled all the way up whenever she went back to Earth to take care of her shrines.

But it wasn’t a crush. Nope. Just a friend admiring a friend, is all.

He didn’t even realize when he’d begun calling her a friend— somehow, she stopped being the woman who held his life in her hands like a fragile bird. Somewhere down the line she became the woman who— for some reason— he got the feeling she’d find a way to spare him.

There was no basis to this hypothesis, is what Sasuke would have told him if he were there. One-sided puppy love was not a good enough reason for her to break the old laws, thereby losing the respect of an entire religion and also probably with many more consequences than the ones she told him.

And also, at the end of the day Yukimura was just a blip in her life. Even if Mountain Whale did actually make him immortal, he was probably just a pet to the spirit in the grand scheme of things… it was a real bummer to think about.

Tonight he had decided to maybe try making the stew himself, and oh, how pleased she had looked when he said that. He had begun simmering it in the morning, and now it was evening, so he was in the middle of adding last minute touches to it. At least, he would be, if he wasn’t so easily distracted by the sight of her on the floor, leaning against the loveseat by the fire, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she painted, hair in relaxed disarray and looking like it could be combed out with his fingers…

Oh, hell!

With a fierce clatter, he accidentally knocked the bowls out of the cupboard. All of them. Like, fifty. A home video of the moment would’ve been so good.

She looked up—had she always looked this good in the firelight?— and they made eye contact for a moment before he dipped beneath the table to pick up the dishes. When he reemerged, he chanced a glance at her. She was respectfully stifling a flattered, knowing smile, a pretty blush on her face, before she turned back to her art.

Ahh, that smile alone probably could’ve fed Yukimura for the next year… ahem. ABSOLUTELY not a crush. Once again, just a friend admiring a friend…

...and a friend’s lips that looked like they’d be so sweet...

...and the long, long legs of a friend sticking out through the slit of her sleeping kimono as she reclined in sensuous relaxation…

Dammit!

We want her reeeeeaaaal bad, don't we? sang his heart cheerfully.

Shut the hell up, he thought grouchily. It disobediently, delightedly thump!-ed before settling cozily into some lovestruck little corner of his chest. 

If she noticed anything of it, she did not say anything. Instead she remained as respectful with him as ever and went to sleep just as quickly as she always did and went about her day.

The snow had thawed out many weeks ago, but it seemed that neither of them were particularly in the mood to set out the outdoor futon again. So a shared bed it was, and eventually the deep and even sound of her breathing was like a lullaby.

For the past month or so, she had been home more and more often; Yukimura, bless his heart, was simply so secretly elated that he got to spend more time around her that he did not realize that this was very, very bad.

—

These past few months she had been much happier, and perhaps that was one of the reasons that it was difficult at first to spot her declining health.

It was something small at first; hardly a soul would be able to notice it, much less Yukimura, who didn’t necessarily know the signs to look for. But they were gardening together one day, their conversation as easy as it had so recently often been. She loved to hear about his mortal life, so he was regaling her with stories of Sasuke— when she froze.

“Is something wrong?” He asked.

When he finally looked away from the tomatoes he was planting, her left hand was limp in front of her, her face crumpled in anguish as she stared at the back of her hand. He hated to see her like this. Gently laying a hand on her shoulder caused her to jump and look at him.

“O-oh. What?”

“Are you okay?”

He was far too familiar with all the heartbreakingly lovely ways those lips of hers knew how to upturn. When she smiled at him, he knew it was not genuine.

“I’m fine. I think you need to mind your own business.”

She nudged him with her shoulder in an attempt to emulate their usual banter, and he mercifully let it go and played along. She kept glancing at her hand in dismay, however, and later that night he could have sworn that it took her longer than usual to fall asleep.

—

It became obvious by the time the seven-month mark rolled around:

Something was wrong with her.

It began with her hand, a small gray vein like the ripples in a marble statue. At first he thought nothing of it, but when it became painfully obvious that she was trying to hide it from him— that was when he became suspicious.

That vein made its way up her arm, and before long, another had appeared at the base of her throat, and another right behind her knee. The way those veins curled and wilted along her soft skin— they looked like desiccated roots.

Still she would not tell him the matter, even when, at the eight-month mark, the veins started appearing exponentially. Whenever a new vein appeared, so did a new problem. She began to lose control of her hands, her legs, and eventually, she could not even get out of bed.

She assured him that it was fine— it was nothing more than a god’s equivalent of the common cold. But the way her voice rasped around the lie— it was like watching Lord Shingen falter all over again.

On and on it went, Yukimura insisting that she tell him and her flat out refusing to. At one point he had even yelled at her, frustrated that he could not help… she had simply smiled a sad, sad smile, which Yuki decided was the one smile of hers that he never wanted to see again.

It was nearly summer when he began to hold her hand as he slipped beside her in bed, afraid that he would lose her.

One week after that, he woke up, and she was not breathing.

—

“No, no, no, no, no!” He stormed through the kitchen, leaving a hurricane of bowls and silverware and fruits and vegetables in his wake. “She has to have one…”

The flower. The flower that she had given to Lord Shingen— no way was she dumb enough not to keep one here! He already had milk and honey heating up on the stove, and if he had to force it down her throat then he would, dammit!

Not having any luck in the kitchen, Yukimura ran outside to the garden. It was so overgrown that in his time here he hadn’t managed to explore the sheer variety of it. He lifted up roots and vines and—

—oh, God, there it was—

—and, like a savior clad in silver, a full grove of that brilliant flower was hidden there within the tulips beneath the peach tree.

Yukimura snatched one up out of the ground, already tearing the petals off it in preparation.

Milk tea, honey, petals— the mantra that he had so religiously repeated to himself for Lord Shingen’s sake felt so long ago. But now it was for her, and the sight of her as the milk tea came off the stove at last was almost too much for him to bear. He strained the petals out and crawled into bed, taking her between his legs and propping her back against his chest.

“You’re going to have to drink now, okay? Oh, God, please drink…”

For one moment, he felt a piece of his heart die as he thought that she would not.

And then she stirred against him, and her throat bobbed weakly. Encouraged, he tipped the cup farther back, and when she was finished he placed the petals between her teeth and had her swallow them.

The effect was not instantaneous like it had been with Lord Shingen. Her head lolled backwards onto his shoulder as he hugged her around her waist from behind her, burying his face into her shoulder and trying not to let the tears fall. She was breathing again— that was all in his life that mattered right now.

“I hate you,” he muttered into the fabric of her kimono, holding her tighter. “I hate you so much.”

“How rude,” she breathed. “Saying such a thing to me warrants a smiting.”

“I don’t get how you can be joking at a time like this.” He extracted himself from behind her to cradle her in his arms at her side, pushing the hair out of her face. To his dismay, the flower did not seem to do much aside from immediate aid. “I’m going to get you another flower—”

“Stop.” Her hand darted out to grasp his kimono, the most movement she’d been able to manage in weeks. “Don’t. Stay with me— another flower won’t do anything. We don’t have much time left.”

Gingerly, he returned to her side. “You… what do you mean by that?”

Deep down, he knew what she was trying to say. Those gray, dead roots that had buried themselves in her skin— they had not released their hold.

But memories of her laughing, swimming in the pond, lazily twirling a vine in her fingers, settling in with a good book… the way she swung her legs when she was impatient, how she pointed out different types of plants… those memories hadn’t released their hold on Yukimura. Not yet. Not ever.

Those lips of hers— he’d once thought they might taste like honeysuckle. Now they parted weakly, and she said,

“I’m dying, Yukimura.”

Tears welled in his eyes as he gripped her hand tighter, pulled her closer. “Stop.”

“No. It’s true, and I’m sorry— I didn’t want you to worry. Lie down. Hold my hand. I’ll tell you everything.”

—

She spent the afternoon telling him of her many years. She told him of her many sisters, her many friends, her many once-great allies whose shrines had fallen into disuse, and eventually were reclaimed by the Earth.

She was one of the last few old gods left— her and Mountain Whale, and only a few others. The once-proud goddess of the land, her small pond was once a lake, her cottage once a castle. She once had followers across the Earth.

For the old gods, it was their followers and their shrines that were their lifeblood. And as their followers died and their shrines fell into disuse, so too would they. She told him of how she watched, helpless, as her friends faded away into the dead shells of what they once ruled, and once even those shells were obsolete, faded into nothingness.

And she— one of the last few— had no one but herself to care for her few standing shrines, no one to pray to her. Now an obsolete deity, she was forgotten like so many before her, and now it was her turn to die and let the energy she once embodied return to the universe and be reborn elsewhere.

“It doesn’t hurt,” she said peacefully, although her labored breathing suggested otherwise. “I should have told you sooner. But there was nothing to be done.”

“You said that about you killing me too. Don’t you even try fighting?”

“Oh, Yuki. I would never have lived long enough to kill you—” she broke off into a coughing fit while he quickly moved to action, tilting her head to pour some tea into her mouth. “I- I’m only sorry that I wasn’t able to live long enough to protect you.”

He couldn’t help himself— he pressed his lips to the top of her head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t understand,” he murmured into her hair.

“This place— I told you it existed as an embodiment of the power of all my shrines combined. That was true. But when I die, my shrines will be nothing more than interesting pieces of architecture on the side of the road. Mountain Whale is probably bored by now and not trying so hard to find you. She will continue to look for me first— my scent is more potent. Take a bath when you get home, and do not leave the castle for the next four months, and I doubt she will find you. This place will not be safe for you anymore— you must run.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not leaving you.”

“Well, that’s too bad, because you have to. I’ll live until the end of the summer at most— the wards around the pond will fade before then. if you’re still here when Mountain Whale comes, she will kill you.”

In a watery voice, Yukimura whispered, “And you… you were never gonna kill me, huh?”

“Not after the deal was made. I would have died before I could, and I was already dying anyway, Yuki. Protecting you from an immortal life of being hunted by Mountain Whale seemed like a worthwhile use of my time. What’s one last good deed?”

“It’s not your last good deed. I won’t allow it. I’ll never, ever leave your side.” And he kissed her jaw, her brow, watched how she closed her eyes and sighed happily before he kissed her knuckles, letting his lips linger there.

“You say that,” she said gently, “But I’ve seen this happen before with so many late friends of mine. I rolled my eyes at them and said I’d never follow their path, but I already know I will— at sundown, I’ll wave my hand and you’ll be home. I’ll go to sleep and won’t wake up, and before autumn, my heart will stop. You’ll meet someone, fall in love, and forget about me; I’ll be nothing more than the spirit who was a dream.”

“You’ll never be that.”

“But I will. Please allow me the courtesy of falling asleep peacefully in your arms. Just until sundown.”

He released a shaky breath and looked into those eyes that once held so much joy and curiosity. How could he deny her— deny the woman who so secretly helped him, who refused to worry him so that she might spend those last few months of her lonely life with somebody, anybody else? He tucked her into his chest, closing his eyes and drowning in the sound of her ephemeral heartbeat. 

“Just until sundown.”

—

When he opened his eyes right before sunset, he was alone in his bed at Kasugayama, taut fingers clutching the stem of a silver flower.

—

Dear reader, it is with the sincerest apologies that I continue to put you through this experience, for this author personally believes in relaying the story with utmost accuracy. I will spare you the particular details of how the castle was alerted to Yukimura’s return by the heart-wrenching sobs that came from his room, or how even Lord Kenshin was especially gentle for quite some time whenever he was faced with Yukimura’s tear-swollen eyes.

From what she had told him, she would be alive till the summer ended. So that meant another four months of her suffering before she died alone.

That thought hurt even worse, and following Yukimura’s return, it was tragic to sleep in a room near him and listen as his heart broke repeatedly.

Out of respect for Yukimura, I will not delve further into how he mourned, for that is for him and him alone. There are so few moments in life that one can keep to oneself; two of these are when one is in love, and when one mourns a loss. Yukimura experienced both of these so closely that the depth of his grief should be better left unsaid.

—

It had been a month without her, three months until the end of his sentence, when Yuki went to his first war council since return. The dark circles beneath his eyes were politely left uncommented upon.

It seemed wrong to return to life as he’d known it. She’d asserted that he’d move on… what a load of garbage. How could he ever move on from someone as amazing as her?

He hated the way that everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around him— as if saying the wrong word would set him off. It was half-true, considering he knew that somewhere out there she was dying alone, and there wasn’t even anything he could do about it.

He had not left the castle in a month. With Mountain Whale still out hunting for him and the fact that he could hardly even drag himself out of bed, there was not much reason to. He hoped that wherever she was, she was asleep and not suffering— it wasn’t fair that someone like her had to live so long alone, and then die alone too...

“Yuki?”

Yukimura jolted, realizing too late how miserable the look on his face must have been. It had been Lord Shingen who’d called out to him, dark eyes clever and searching as he nursed a teacup.

“Are you alright?”

He almost wanted to tell Shingen everything right then and there. But, almost greedily, he wanted to hold her close to his heart, afraid that she might fly away if he spoke of her too often. So instead, he said,

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Well, I am fine.”

The conversation had caught Sasuke and Lord Kenshin’s attention by now, though they carried on with their own in consideration for Yuki’s privacy.

“You’re not. I know that look, Yuki— it’s the look of heartbreak. What happened?”

Yukimura scowled down at the ground. Lord Shingen was far too perceptive for his own good— but he was also not malicious. He cared, he really did, and the look on his face was so concerned that just as Yukimura decided it might be better to tell him—

Lord Shingen finished off his tea—

—and ate the silver flower that had been resting at the bottom.

 Yuki was so floored that he forgot his words for a moment, and when they came, his voice was raw around them.

“W-where did you get that flower?” he rasped.

“The flower? There’s a little pot of them growing in the kitchen, you didn’t know?”

“Yes, but where did you get it?”

“Where…? Well, one of the maids, of course. I suppose you wouldn’t know her— she started here a little bit after you left and planted those, then started making milk tea out of them. It’s done wonders for my health. Speaking of, has anyone seen her lately?”

It was difficult to listen as blood rushed to his ears, the grief as fresh as the day he’d left her. It had been Lord Yoshimoto to answer Lord Shingen’s question, but Yuki didn’t stick around to hear the answer— he already knew it, and was fleeing from the room.

—

“Hey… hey, Yuki?”

By the time Sasuke arrived to knock gently on Yukimura’s doorframe, the room appeared to have a hurricane torn through it. Clothes strewn across the floor, a chair knocked over, and in the center of it all, Yukimura had already donned his armor, a determined look on his face as he stuffed various items into a bag.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you? You’re going to go help that girl,” Sasuke observed wisely, though by now he and the others already knew that they would not see Yukimura for a while.

“I am. And you can’t stop me.”

“I wasn’t going to try. And neither were Kenshin or Shingen; in fact, I’m here to say goodbye.”

“Sasuke, you dolt. I’m going to come back when I’ve saved her, and you’ll all meet her, and she’ll finally have friends and be happy again. I never should’ve let her send me back in the first place!”

“I see. We all figured that it had something to do with a girl.”

“She’s not just a girl,” Yukimura snapped like the disgruntled lovesick idiot that he was. “She’s just… amazing. And kind, and smart, and she put up with me for so long. And she’s really funny, and apparently she was helping Shingen this entire time and— and she saved my life, too, without wanting anything in return—!” He broke off, his face crumpling in devastation.

“I understand,” Sasuke affirmed, “And we all support you one-hundred percent. I won’t pry, but I have to ask: Yuki, what exactly happened?”

“I’ll let her tell the story once I save her. But what I will say is that I found myself in a really bad situation a long time ago, and she was the one who helped me without me even realizing it. I can’t just let her die alone— or even die at all. I have to do something. I have to at least try.”

“And try you will. In fact, Kenshin and Shingen wanted me to give you this.”

“I— what is it?”

“It’s a missive that declares you’ve cut ties with the Uesugi-Takeda forces— it should allow you safe passage even through Oda territory, though obviously standard disclaimers apply in that you should keep a low profile. Sure, it’s bending the truth a little bit, but this seems more important than that. Think of it like a passport of sorts.”

“A… paaaash-part?”

“Never mind. And because I’ve always wanted to say it,” Sasuke cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses, and like an absolute unit, said, “It’s too dangerous to go alone! Take this.”

With a bow, he offered the missive to Yukimura, who frowned but snatched it up anyway.

“You’re so weird. I’ll miss that while I’m gone.”

“How long will that be?”

“Well, hopefully before the end of the summer. Actually, no— it will be before the end of summer, because I’m going to save her, and that’s that. I don’t care about Whale hunting me, or about any stupid expiration date she set for herself, ‘cause I’m going to fight for her.”

“Once again, I have no idea who you’re talking about, but we’ll all be your cheerleader. Best of luck, Yukimura. Go get her.”

—

Yukimura had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He’d never cleaned a shrine in his life. He’d taken his horse and a cart— she’d seen to it many months ago that the horse had made it back safely— and headed in a general direction where he figured one of her shrines might be.

She’d mentioned that they mostly existed at the side of the road, so he decided to stick to the better-worn pathways, and after a full day, he stumbled upon a shrine with her tenets written down the side of it. Finally! Now what?

He figured that maybe refilling the cleansing basin was as good a start as any. He emptied it of dirty rainwater and replaced it with some freshwater from his own basin, then found an incense burner hanging from the ceiling, which he brushed the old ashes off of and lit a new stick. He polished and lit the hanging lanterns, too.

Next, overgrown vines had wrapped themselves around the walls and railings, and as small as the shrine was, he figured it didn’t have any business looking as run-down as it did. Not if it was hers.

When he was done removing the vines, he realized that the dust buildup wasn’t all that attractive. He’d borrowed a cleaning cart from the Kasugayama maids, so he took a broom and started sweeping away, reaching up to get the corners of the ceiling and swat away the cobwebs. And then, he decided, she might appreciate a clean floor, so he emptied some water and soap into a bucket and began to scrub away, then used the remaining mixture to polish off the archways.

It was pretty good, if he did say so himself. And didn’t she say that she’d become obsolete and die without any followers to care for?

Well, she wasn’t obsolete, and he definitely wouldn’t let her die. He found a patch of wildflowers nearby and placed it by the entryway before gently slipping some coins into the offering box. He knew it wasn’t protocol, but he had always wished he’d picked some flowers for her. Following two bows, two claps, and one final bow, Yukimura prayed silently— or rather, he asked her how she was doing, let her know not to worry about a thing, because he was going to be taking care of her shrines from now on. Maybe he’d even pay someone in the nearby village to keep this one safe and tidy, wouldn’t that be nice?

One shrine down. Who knew how many more to go?

—

It was pretty rough, especially because as time went on, it became painfully obvious that Mountain Whale was still a danger. He almost got gored to death by a boar once, and another time he swore he heard tusks rattling from a bone-spear while he was cleaning his fourth shrine— freezing, he hid behind the entryway, and his prayer went from him telling her about how much he missed her, to him desperately pleading that it wasn’t Mountain Whale.

The third boar he saw on the journey, however, froze and simply stared at him before scampering off into the distance. It was the middle of the night, but Yukimura did not want to risk the boar being a messenger for Mountain Whale— he packed up his things and rode through the night to the next town, where he got only a bit of sleep before hunting down another shrine.

Mountain Whale wasn’t the only danger. Many times he almost had run-ins with one or two Oda scouts, which was when he showed the missive and was fortunately let off the hook— for now. He tried to stay away from the heart of Oda territory when he could help it, but their hold on Japan was simply too massive. When he thought of that, he could almost hear her amused voice wryly whispering, “Well, I suppose there’s nothing to be done about that.”

And obviously, travelling by horseback across all of Japan in the dead of summer was sure to take a toll on a person. His journey was slowed when he had to stop in every town to hydrate and buy some bare necessities. One benefit to this was that innkeepers could often direct him to her next shrine, though many were curious as to why he was worshipping an old god at all. That kami, they all said, abandoned us long ago.

Bitterly, he couldn’t help but think that maybe they were the ones who abandoned her. She was the one who would religiously sit at the table and look so focused and thoughtful as she answered each and every prayer. She was the one who so vigilantly wanted to help others.

Despite the treacherous nature of his journey, Yukimura considered it his mission to help her and resolutely forged onward. It was in direct defiance of her command to stay put in Kasugayama Castle. She’d scold him for it later. He’d welcome it, in fact.

Ten months into his sentence and two months before he could stop worrying about Mountain Whale, bandits snuck into the stables of the inn he stayed at and took all the horses there— including his. Fortunately, his cart of supplies was safely tucked away in the mill, and the coins he was using to offer to her were always kept on his person.

That meant, though, that he had to spend precious change on a mule to haul his cart, and that the rest of the journey would have to be made on foot. He didn’t even think for a moment about stopping— he would go to the ends of the Earth for her, and if that meant blisters and sunburns, then so be it. He’d complain to her about it once he got to see her again. He wondered if she’d roll her eyes at him and tell him that he was lucky she let him step foot on one of her shrines at all.

Three months. Ninety-two shrines. Each one painstakingly restored by Yukimura himself. At one point, he’d written Lord Shingen and finally fully explained the situation, and despite the response politely implying that he was crazy for doing this alone, Lord Shingen assured that he would send a small group of men to go hunt down and restore some as well. That was another sixty-four shrines within only a month.

Often, Yuki would tell her about his day. Sometimes he would also tell her stories of his childhood— he knew how much she loved to hear about that. He assured her that she’d meet Lord Shingen, and that she better stay away from him, because she was so beautiful that he was bound to flirt with her. If Lord Kenshin found out she was a goddess, he’d surely want to test his fighting skills against her, and he figured that she and Sasuke and Lord Yoshimoto would get along famously.

“And also,” he added, voice hoarse from disuse. Prayers were supposed to be made quietly, but this one he felt the need to say aloud. “I’ve got an idea for a promise that can replace that stupid one that you made. You know, the one to kill me? But you’ll have to be alive to hear it, so I better be seeing you soon.”

He bowed once, straightened out the incense burner, and left the now-immaculate shrine.

That made ninety-three.

—

It was the final day of his sentence, and every shrine he’d come across in the past week had already been restored, either by himself or the small task force Lord Shingen had set aside. And then, in a correspondence with Sasuke, the brilliant and awesome ninja reminded him that the shrine that ex-Commander Yudai had burnt could probably use some TLC (Yukimura had to clarify, and Sasuke explained it meant “tender, loving care”).

That had been a week ago. Since then Yukimura had assembled new beams for the roof, polished off burn marks on the metal, reconstructed the floor, and bought some new incense burners and stain for the wood. It was practically brand new again, which he figured he owed her, considering it was his side that had burnt it down in the first place.

An hour till sundown. He was bowing his head to pray, though his heart was particularly heavy today with how achingly he wanted to be at her side again.

There were footsteps. Yukimura heard her before he saw her.

“THIS IS FINE WORK YOU HAVE BEEN DOING, BOY. MY SOUL CRIES FOR YOUR LOSS.”

—

He did not need to look, but he did anyway. He had long ago accepted that to save the woman he loved, he might be hunted down and killed, himself.

“Hello, Mountain Whale.”

“HELLO.”

Despite the ever-present volume of her tone, there was a pity in it that he had never heard before. That face looked sorrowful and sullen— as if she, too, had aged as much as Yukimura had in his grief.

“Are you going to kill me now?”

Mountain Whale did not respond. She lumbered up beside Yukimura and sat down on the stairs with a heavy thud, leaves huffing around her at the impact. She patted the spot beside her with one weathered hand, and Yukimura sat down there.

They watched the sun as it dipped closer to the horizon as she allowed Yukimura to come to terms with his impending death. This particular shrine was built near a cliff— it had quite a pretty view, and it reminded Yukimura of the first time he had ever met the spirit. Boar woman, he’d said, and his lips fondly quirked up at the irony of it. Together, Mountain Whale and Yukimura sat in contemplative silence.

“I HAVE MANY GRIEVANCES WITH YOUR LOVER,” Mountain Whale said at last. “SHE IS IRRITATING. SHE CARES TOO MUCH. SHE IS NOT HALF AS BEAUTIFUL AS I.”

“Oh, no, definitely not.”

“HA! YOU HAVE HER WIT. FOR MANY CENTURIES HAVE SHE AND I BATTLED WITS, AND BATTLED PHYSICALLY OVER LAND UPON WHICH OUR FOLLOWERS MAY BUILD MORE SHRINES. BUT WE MOURNED TOGETHER WHEN OUR FRIENDS FADED FROM HISTORY. AND I WILL MOURN HER WHEN SHE IS GONE.”

“Then why did you want to kill her so badly?”

“FOR… FOR SURVIVAL, BOY.”

He looked at Mountain Whale’s sorrowful face, melancholy understanding dawning on him. If there were more shrines to the spirit he’d fallen for, then there would be less to pray to Mountain Whale. He wondered if her life had been as lonely as the spirit’s.

“For what it’s worth,” he said, gruffly, voice thick, “I think that you deserve some followers of your own, too. I think I’d be okay with restoring some of your shrines if I come across them.”

“BOLD WORDS FROM MY PREY.”

“Mountain Whale, if you’re going to kill me, just do it. Enough with the talk. I’ll even make it a good fight for you, if you want.”

She observed him with a critical eye, then leaned back on her palms. She seemed to have come to a decision.

“I DO NOT HAVE TO KILL YOU QUITE YET. AS PER THE DEAL, I HAVE UNTIL SUNDOWN. I WILL SIT HERE WITH YOU— JUST UNTIL SUNDOWN.”

“Right. Just until sundown.”

So together they waited, and waited, and waited— and by the time the sun had dipped well below the trees and the moon had been hung from a string in the sky, Yukimura almost considered Mountain Whale a friend.

And by the time soft footfalls padded across the repaired wooden floor and a barefooted woman seated herself quietly, gracefully beside him, Mountain Whale had long since gone on her way.

—

The world was quiet as their eyes met, and the spirit laid her hand over his.

She looked reborn, in the same way that he was a weary traveler who could finally rest. She was just as exquisite as, if not more so than, she’d been when he’d last seen her four months ago. But this was the first time he’d seen her outside the pond in a year— her ethereal beauty, despite blending in perfectly with the surroundings of their home, was otherworldly in the halo of the mortal moon. She seemed to glow in the light of it, and he caught a lock of her hair and let the silkiness run over his palm— it felt like holding starlight. Tenderly, Yukimura turned his hand to lace their fingers together.

Words were not necessary. Though they always spoke, they never quite needed to. Every teasing moment, every playful remark, every lighthearted insult was little more than make-believe compared to this one simple truth:

Being alive together was enough.

And how well they knew each other, how well they moved in harmony to meet their lips along the threads that tied their souls together. She tasted like honeysuckle the way he thought she might— and she tasted like laughter, and prayer, and merciful hidden kindness.

“I missed you,” he whispered into the intimate space between them.

“And I you,” she murmured, the words brushing sweetly over his mouth. They kissed once more— twice more, before she pulled back enough to observe him as he settled his arms around her. “You disobeyed me.”

“You would’ve done the same. You did do the same.”

“The difference between you and me is that I did not actively put my life on the line to traipse around Japan, pointlessly restoring shrines while being hunted by a boar spirit. I was meant to die. Why could you not leave well enough alone?”

“It’s not pointless— it healed you, didn’t it? You’re here with me now. Anything’s worth that.”

She gave a frustrated little groan.

“Hey, dummy,” Yukimura teased softly. “You’re ruining the moment.”

“Oh, I am?” She may have tried to frown, but the mirth that danced in her eyes betrayed her. “Who’s calling who a dummy?”

She nuzzled her nose beneath his jaw, and he sighed in contentment, drawing her closer as a cool breeze roused the celestial silence.

“Why couldn’t I see you sooner?”

“Because I was asleep for four months— imagine my surprise, falling asleep nothing more than a tangle of withered roots, then waking up completely refreshed with prayers literally overflowing off my desk. It was our dear friend Mountain Whale who broke into the house to let me know that her champion was restoring my shrines like a madman. Oh, and by the way, we need a new front curtain.”

“Glad you enjoyed your nap,” he quipped with an amused little grin. The sight of Mountain Whale ripping their front curtain off its hooks to yell at her sure would’ve been a good one. “And, hey, I don’t think I’m Mountain Whale’s champion anymore, huh?”

“According to the deal, no, you are not. Which technically means that I am supposed to kill you, but I took a moment to read through some of those prayers, most of which were from you… it seems, Yukimura, that you have thought of a promise that might be worth the value of your life. I am here to listen if you did.”

“I did,” he said, eyes twinkling with mirth. With the back of his hand he caressed the contours of her face. “And wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I’m sure it is the only thing I care about.”

He chuckled and pressed his mouth to each corner of her serenely closed eyes, the tip of her nose, her soft jaw and the hollow beneath her cheekbone. “What if I promise always and forever to devote my life to loving you, teasing you, laughing with you... and when the incense goes out at any of your shrines, I can promise to be there to light it again. I’ll always be at your side to make boar stew and stupid remarks that make you want to hit me with a spoon, and if you ever need me to garden or clean or whatever, I’ll be there in an instant. Anything you want. All you have to do is ask.”

Her eyes finally opened, and he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his days reveling in the adoring warmth that steadfastly lighted them.

“Well, look at you. You escape being the immortal champion of one goddess only to find yourself becoming that of another one.”

“I can’t say I mind.”

“Very well, then. I accept— as your life is the most valuable thing to me, it only makes sense to allow you to remain at my side for however long you please.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. So are deals typically sealed with a kiss, or was that just some rule that Mountain Whale made up?”

Her laughter was a salve that healed the darkest corridors of his heartache. “She is odd, yes, although you are correct in that typically immortality is granted through a kiss. There are many other ways, but that seems to be a reasonable approach.”

“I can’t wait to get started.”

The world has a brilliant way of showing love to both the gods and mortals upon it. Tonight, it was in the way that time had seemed to still around them, the way that the birds were quiet. It was in the rustle of the dancing leaves, or the way that the wind breathed a sigh of happiness. It was the way that the spirit drew him closer with an enticing smile on her lips— the way that he cradled her face in his hands as he leaned in to accept her invitation.

And as Yukimura felt that familiar warmth course through his veins as their lips tenderly found each other once more, it is with a content heart that I leave our two lovers to their quiet, reverent solitude. May you, dear reader, live a long, happy, and prosperous life— one filled with love and joy— as our tale of Yukimura and kami-sama comes to its moonlit and timeless end.

finis.

[scripts4dreamers]

Not Your Hero.

Chapter one, Chapter two, Chapter three, Chapter four, Chapter five

AN: Life after the Hunger Games was a lesson in adaptation. Prologue. 

Characters: Finnick Odair, Coriolanus Snow, Haymitch Abernathy, Chaff Mitchelle Pairings: Finnick x reader Spoiler(s): None Warning(s): Mentions of blood, death, murder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, psychological manipulation, intimidation 

Prompt/Inspiration: No Next Time - Chasing Madison

Hey guys! So this is a prologue for the series I’m writing, the Not Your Hero series, just setting up the world, giving some context and introducing some important characters. I’m going to try to add a new moodboard with every chapter, some of which will have hidden clues as to plot points (like this one does). I’ll also include links to any songs, poems, pics etc. that may have inspired that particular chapter. Let me know what you think!

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You had good days and bad days. Well, no, not quite. You had middle days, bad days and worse days. On the bad days, you could barely get out of bed, food turned to ashes in your mouth (if you could stomach it at all) and you couldn’t keep from crying, just sobbing your eyes out for hours on end until someone came and sat with you. Usually it was one of your parents, sometimes it was James or Ivette. 

On worse days you felt like a coiled spring; panicked, alert, ready for danger at any moment. The slightest sound or smell could set you off and, when it did, weeks and weeks and weeks of work would vanish into the terror of the arena. On worse days you could forget about going outside. It was all you could do to not go crazy in the confines of your own home, let alone brave the world that waited beyond your front door. When you were like that, the outside world became a labyrinth of hidden triggers, just waiting to activate your fight or flight response and send you back into the dark, shadowy recesses of your own trauma. Ivette said it would get better. She said it would just take some time, that’s all. You weren’t sure you believed her.

Middle days weren’t so bad. On middle days, like today, you didn’t feel much of anything really. You dragged yourself out of nightmares, into waking and just felt...tired. On middle days, your continued survival was exhausting, but you could manage it so long as you followed a few simple rules. You had to get out of bed as soon as you woke up no matter how early it was; take a shower without flinching when the water hit; avoid looking in the mirror. You had to get dressed quickly, minimize the amount of time you had to be naked; never ever wear beige; brush your hair without catching sight of yourself; list three beautiful things you had seen since the last middle day. If you followed all these rules then, usually, by the time you made it downstairs for breakfast, the layer of glass that separated you from the world would have been beginning to crack, and you’d be feeling almost human again.

Today, you had managed to follow the rules and so were feeling almost happy as you took a seat at the kitchen island, watching your mother cook. Her dark hair was glossy and neat, falling down her back in a long, straight wave. She must have blow dried it, you thought, taking a small amount of pride in the fact that you could provide for her and your father now, just as they’d always done for you.

“Morning, sunshine,” you said, as always slightly shocked by the sound of your own voice, “you’re up early.”

Your mother turned and smiled, the scar running along the left side of her face just barely visible in the early morning light. She looked relieved to see you, just like she always did these days, as though she was worried you might have vanished some time in the night, never to be seen again.

“Yes, well,” she started, walking over, “you know I never was one for sleeping in. That’s why I always tried to get morning shifts at the plant” She raised her hand, as though to touch you, but paused, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

You gave her a sad, knowing smile, but nodded, letting her brush the hair out of your face and press a kiss to the top of your head, tensing your muscles to keep from flinching.

“But you don’t work at the plant anymore,” you reminded her gently, trying to regain some of your earlier happiness, “you don’t have to. I can take care of us now.”

“I know that, love,” she said softly, “old habits I guess. Maybe my body just isn’t used to...the way things are now.”

Your stomach dropped. There it was. ‘The way things are now’, that little innocuous phrase that had come to represent so much in your house. She meant the games, of course, your time in the arena. She meant that things had been different ever since that awful day, when your name had been read off a little slip of white paper and the silence of the crowd had doomed you to die.

Only you hadn’t died, you reminded yourself, you hadn’t died, you’d won. You’d come home, you were alive. You weren’t dead, you were alive.

You took a deep breath in, tried to clear your mind and nodded and searched the room with your eyes, desperate to change the subject, “What’re you making?”

“Porridge, the nice kind with fresh berries and honey.” your mom answered, following your lead, “Do you want some?”

“Yes please,” you replied with a semi-forced smile, “I’m starving.”

Your mom placed a steaming bowl in front of you and, without giving yourself time to hesitate, you dug in, savoring the sweet, heartiness of good food and letting it wash away the tickle of anxiety that had started making its way down your spine.

“That’s four days in a row now, Y/N/N,” your father said happily, appearing in the kitchen and walking over to give your mother a kiss, “good job.”

“Thanks paps,” you greeted, swallowing quickly, “been trying my best.”

“We see the hard work you’re doing, love, and we’re proud of you,” he smiled, “real proud.” he paused, taking a bite of his oatmeal, “Big day today, huh?”

You swallowed again but tried to smile as you nodded.

“What’re we proud of?” a third voice called, right as you opened your mouth to speak.

Your older sister, Alayah, appeared at the foot of the stairs, still wearing her pajamas and pointedly avoiding your gaze. At the sight of her, your chest pinched again, and you quickly clenched and unclenched your fists.

“Of all the work Y/N has been doing recently,” your dad explained, glossing over the palpable tension, “just letting her know that we’re all rooting for her, that’s all.”

“Oh,” she said in monotone, “yeah, congrats on eating breakfast I guess, Y/N/N.” she finished, sitting down three seats away from you, all the while still not looking you in the eye.

You sighed and swallowed another bite of oatmeal, feeling the anxiety start to work its way back in.

“Alayah-” your mother started, as your stomach started to twist with dread.

“What? What did I do now?” Alayah argued.

“You know things have been tough for Y/N since-”

“Stop,” you interrupted warningly, “stop it.”

“Since what, mom? Say it! We’ve all been tip toeing around this place like mice for months, just say what you want to say and let’s be done with it.” Alayah argued, her voice rising just enough to betray the depth of her anger.

“Alayah Y/L/N don’t you dare take that ungrateful tone, after everything Y/N has put herself through for this family the very least you could do is-”

“Stop,” You repeated as the warning signs of a panic attack began to spike in your head. 

“Y/N, I’m just saying, since the games your sister has been nothing but-”

“Stop it!” You demanded, pushing your chair back and standing suddenly.

The chair legs grated against the tile floors, making your skin crawl and effectively silencing everyone in the room. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you fought back the urge to lash out against an enemy you knew wasn’t really there and you clenched your fists, digging your fingernails into your palms, hard.

“Stop. Talking about it.” you managed to say, “Stop. It’s done.”

“Not really,” Alayah answered, even if her tone was slightly more scared than before, “they’ll all be here again later today to kick off the Victory tour, all the cameras and the capitol people...it’s not done yet.”

The Victory Tour. You’d been trying so hard not to think about it but, as usual, Alayah would never let you escape the reality of what you’d done. Things had been tense with her for months now, maybe it was time to accept that it would never be the way it was. 

You snorted as irritation sparked in your chest, “Thanks for the reminder, Ally,” you spat, trying to choke down your panic, “that’s real helpful.”

With that, you turned on your heel and stormed out, desperate to fill your rapidly tightening lungs with cool, fresh air. As the wind hit you, you gasped, but pressed on, breaking into a run. The snow slowed you down and made you clumsy, but you didn’t stop, sure that your parents must have been trying to follow you, even though you couldn’t hear anything over the sound of your heart in your ears. Your eyes stung from a combination of the cold wind and the tears that were building behind your eyes and you knew you couldn’t face your family, not now.  

You weren’t sure where you were going exactly, just that you needed to be away. Away from that house and all its looming grandiosity, away from your sister and her cutting words, away from the sound of screaming that you knew was coming from inside your own head.

You collapsed behind a dilapidated old house, far away enough from Victor’s Village to assure you some privacy, and let the tears flow over your cheeks hot and fast. You gripped the snow surrounding you tightly as your lungs tightened and tightened and tightened in your chest, forcing you to fight for every breath. Cognitively, you knew you must be cold, you knew the snow must’ve been biting your exposed skin and soaking you to the bone, but you felt none of it.

Instead, you felt the burning sun on your face, you felt the long grass brush your cheeks as you knelt over the blonde boy and tightened your fingers around his throat.

Dried mud along with fresh blood caked both of your skin, making it difficult to grip and hold, but you didn’t let go, squeezing tighter and tighter, even as he clawed at your fingers and gouged at your face with his nails. Hot, coppery blood filled your mouth, sliding down your cheeks and mingling with your tears from three deep gashes he’d left above your right eyebrow. Everything inside you was focused on this boy, this final obstacle, this last thing standing between you and home. Home, Home. Home. You engraved that word in your mind, letting it override your horror and disgust and shame.

“I’m sorry,” you sobbed, “I’m sorry, I have to-I have to-I-”

Suffocating someone is painstakingly slow but, after what felt like an eternity, you saw the last glimmers of life leave the boy’s eyes. His hands went limp on your wrist and his last, gurgling breath hung in the air like clouds. Still, you didn’t let go, you couldn’t. Not until you heard that final canon and Claudius Templesmith’s booming voice calling out through the silence;

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the victor of the sixty-ninth annual Hunger Games!”

You gasped and snapped back to reality, the vast grasslands fading away before your eyes, back into ice and snow. And you were alone. You were shaking, whether from cold or terror you couldn’t quite tell and your hands were going purple from gripping the snow. In the distance, you could hear people calling your name, and you fought the urge to run away and hide. You were safe, you reminded yourself. You hadn’t died. You were safe.

“I’m here,” you called out, hating the way your voice croaked, “I’m over here.”

The footsteps came closer and you stood, steeling yourself for the inevitable. Oh well, you thought, better to get it over with now.

Your stylist had nearly had a heart attack when she’d seen you, soaked to the bone with red puffy eyes and wet hair tangled by the wind. She had scolded you pretty thoroughly as your prep team worked, but softened when you apologized profusely and swore on your mother’s life to never be so reckless on a filming day again. You thought you’d laid it on a little too thick but, as usual, Arketia ate it up and, before you knew it you were practically the best of friends again.  

As the prep team bustled around, gossiping and gushing and just generally saying nothing of importance, you settled back into the routine, letting their words wash over you like a river and numb your panicked heart. Your hair was washed and combed, styled to look graceful and effortless, even though it had taken nearly an hour to do. Every unwanted hair had been plucked and waxed and stripped from your body, leaving you smooth to the touch under the outfit. Your clothes were form fitting, but warm, accentuating your curves as much as they could considering it was still the dead of winter, and your make up was done to make your face look more angular and striking. All in all, you were seductive without being salacious, a balancing act your team had perfected months earlier. With the clothes and the hair and the make up, you felt yourself sliding back into your alter ego, shifting your weight slightly to accentuate the fabric where it hugged your frame and tucking your real self away, to be brought out at a later date. You smirked at yourself in the mirror, or at least tried to, imagining how it would look to an outside observer. Oh yeah, now you were all shiny and new again, and ready for the cameras.

While the crew set themselves up downstairs, you observed yourself in the mirror some more, perfecting smiles and laughs and little movements that read as confident, strangely calm considering the state you’d been in only a few hours before. There was something comforting about being back in the spotlight, like now all your fears made sense again. With the cameras back on, and the games being brought to the forefront of everyone’s minds once more, your fight for survival didn’t seem so out of place. Everyone was in your world now and, in your world, you were the one that knew the rules. A faint knocking on the door brought you back to the present and you smiled when James Logan, your mentor stepped in.

He was a middle aged man with olive skin and a shadow of stubble across his jawline, neatened up by a capitol prep team for the cameras, you were sure. He had a stern face, and hard eyes, when he wasn’t addled by drink but, you knew, he had a kind heart and a real love for you and Ivette, the only two tribute’s he’d managed to save in nearly 26 years. He’d worked hard to bring you home, and even harder to keep you from wasting away once you were back and now, it seemed, he’d be accompanying you across Panem for your Victory Tour. 

“You ready?” he asked, his usually cloudy eyes clear and discerning.

You pressed your lips together and nodded, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

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