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theredhavendelegate · 7 months ago

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Iss. 8:

Terror On The Block!

The city begins to settle, but something may be lurking beneath the calm surface. Rumors have begun to spread concerning the presence of members of The Eudax Peace Corps in Redhaven. Informed readers may know that The Peace Corps was a branch of The Eudax Covenant’s military that specialized in infiltration, assassination, and (some whisper) even torture.

Special agents with the occupation force claim that some of these spies may still exist within the city, lying in wait to strike out against Confederation forces and government officials alike. A Frontline investigator and counter-terrorism specialist has been searching for evidence of these malefactors for several weeks and claims to have neutralized one such individual already… ---

It rains.

For the first time since the transit, clouds form in the sky and water falls in drops. The rain tamps down the dust, washes away the blood and ash, and beats against the windows of a brick building near Gerhardt Square.

A man sits inside and listens as windows and doors open outside and people step out onto the streets. They hoot and revel, voices echoing between the buildings and into the uncaring sky. Some gather up rain in buckets, wells having just begun to run dry. With all the terror and instability gripping Redhaven, a threat as complete and incurable as the water issue had seemed like the shadow of a noose, and now it was simply solved.

“A miracle by any other name,” the man mutters, rubbing the short, rough hairs on his chin and cheeks.

He wears a white button-up, suspenders, and a pair of sensible cotton slacks. His hair is short and messy, and there are bags under his eyes so old they’ve started paying rent. His skin is tanned, rough, and wrinkled, and his desk is a mess of papers, photos, and unlabeled folders.

There is a placard on the corner of his work top embossed with the phrase ”Det. Frederick Boyd, FC 1st Special Unit”. It is covered in dust.

The rain turns into a background din as Frederick reorganizes his investigation files. He places an old photograph of a young man in uniform, with a square jaw and a shining smile, next to a newer one: the same man, wrinkled and dead-eyed.

A folder ends up beneath the photos and the rest of the material goes into a stack off to one side. The detective pinches the bridge of his nose and pulls a notepad out of his pocket. He flips to one page covered in smudged chicken-scratch and focuses in on the words, ‘hangs out at warehouse 9, block 3’.

“Peace Corps,” he grumbles, rolling the words around in his mouth like the shells of sunflower seeds, spitting them out with disgust. He flexes all four of the fingers remaining on his left hand, the ghost of an index finger pulling taut around nothing.

He takes a deep breath, rises to his feet, and shuffles his files away into a locked filing cabinet. He draws a revolver from the drawer beneath it, then he dawns a coat and hat. He stares out the widow, looking over the square as a group of children run around the statue at it’s center. One rascal jumps in a puddle and then kicks a wave onto the kid nearest, laughing all the while.

“It’s a terrible day for rain,” Fred murmurs. “But not for everyone.”

---

It rains.

A man stands on a street corner beneath a faded blue canopy, situated across the street from a towering brick building. He is wearing a coat and hat, and his gaze lingers on the end of the road.

A figure emerges from around a corner, another man, this one in his late middle-ages. He is well worn, his broad build and sagging shoulders suggesting lost strength. Fred ducks back into cover as the stranger hurries along the sidewalk with a suitcase, then stops in front of a door. The man glances around and pushes his way into the massive brick behemoth.

Frederick waits, just for a minute, then crosses the street. The rain is thundering now and he’s soaked by the time he’s fully across. The door isn’t shut all the way, it’s cracked just a hair, and a shuffling sound echoes from deeper within.

The detective places his hand on the door and then stops himself from pushing it open. He glances up at the barest glint of light on glass, an empty bottle set on the top lip of the door. He pauses, takes a breath, then opens the door fully with one hand. The other snatches the bottle out of the air as it comes tumbling down and Frederick sets it on the sidewalk before allowing himself in.

The interior of the warehouse is cool. The air is damp and almost every surface is dusty or cob-webbed, clearly having been abandoned since before The Great Transit.

Fred moves slowly, the rubber soles of his shoes barely tapping as he works his way around a stack of crates to get a better view of the warehouse floor. The ground is strewn with detritus and the center of the space isn’t as dusty as the rest. The older man is working near the opposite wall, tossing pieces of broken palette wood into a barrel and pouring petrol in after. His suitcase is set to the side.

Frederick watches the man work for a moment longer, and then he lights the flame. The contents of the barely go up with a woosh that echoes around the warehouse and shakes the high glass windows, and Fred finally comes out from his cover.

He steps into the gloom, raising his revolver with his left hand, and clears his throat. “Step back and put your hands behind your head.”

The man turns around with his hands slightly raised. “What do you want,” he groans, his expression fearful. “I don’t have anything left to take.”

Fred answers, “I want to know what’s in the suitcase. It seems to me that you’re attempting to dispose of something.”

“Dispose of something?” the man whines. “People burn their trash all the time, toss things into ditches, who cares? It’s garbage, not a crime.” His demeanor has shifted slightly. The fear is giving way to something that’s harder to read, calmer.

Fred takes a few steps forward and says, “If it’s just trash, then you won’t mind if I take a look, just to make sure?”

The man doesn’t answer and the detective takes that as permission. He sidles over to the suitcase, keeping as wide a berth as he can from his target.

He places a hand on the suitcase, keeping the revolver raised with the other, and undoes the latches one at a time. He catches sight of a uniform as the lid swings open. Dark grey with dark green trim, and his eyes fall for just a second.

There is a crash, a heavy, metallic thunk-thud as the man throws the burn-barrel to the floor. Ash and debris blow out in a cloud and embers fly through the air, landing on every flammable thing in the space. Frederick raises his gun again but lowers it when ash lands in his eye and blinds him. By the time he can clear his vision and put his finger on the trigger again, the man is gone and the back door is swinging.

Fred takes off, across the room, through the door, and into the downpour, ash running off of his hat and coat as rivulets of clay.

He pounds down the alley and rounds a corner. His target is attempting to climb a fence. He pauses to aim. The man flounders. Frederick pulls the trigger with his middle finger and the shot rings out.

His quarry fumbles off of the fence and onto the ground.

The man clutches at his leg, dark, dark red seeping out and mixing with the rainwater beneath him. He watches the detective approach, old eyes sharp with pain, but mouth silent.

Fred doesn’t lower his gun as he approaches. At around ten feet, he stops. “Were you with The Peace Corps? Do you know about any other agents in the city? Have they really all been disbanded?”

The man coughs and shrugs. Fred pulls the trigger half way, engaging the hammer and drawing it partially back. The man slumps and says, “Yes, no, and I don’t know.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The man grits his teeth, “First: I used to be, second: I don’t know of any others in the city, and third: I don’t know if they’ve been disbanded. They kicked me out several years ago, dishonorable discharge.”

Fred tilts his head slightly. “What for? Crack too many skulls?”

The man laughs at that, then winces. “No, but that’s a funny thing to say. Exact opposite, actually. I went soft, disobeyed orders, and you wouldn’t believe some of the orders they gave. They took everything from me and sent me packing. I didn’t turn into a good man, but…well…” He waits for a moment, something stirring on his face. He looks up again sorrowfully and finishes, “I could’ve been worse.”

The detective keeps his target sighted, but he pauses now. As he stares, realization grows on the his target’s face.

The wounded man asks, “What happened to your trigger finger, southpaw?”

Frederick lowers the gun slightly, tightens his lips, and mutters, “Lost it to the same folks.” The detective lowers his gun further and raises a sympathetic brow. He sticks his right hand out and says, “Look, whatever you did before, you might be able to make up for it. Why don’t you come with me, sort things out?”

The man’s eyes have gone dark, his shoulders slumped and his clothing soaked through with rain and blood. He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I really am, but there are sins you can’t atone for, things that nobody can atone for.” He makes a sudden move, reaches behind himself and pulls up a dark object.

Frederick fires on reflex.

The object falls to the ground.

It’s an empty leather wallet. The detective stares at it, at the man, who seems to stare back with unblinking eyes. He can't tear his eyes away.

It’s a terrible day for rain.

---

First

#trd #the redhaven delegate #writing #writbrl #unreality #series #short story #drama #suicide #suicide by cop #gun violence #violence #TRD: Frederick Boyd #noir #detective #mystery #action

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zappedbyzabka · 1 year ago

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Johnny has this whole aging twink look and Daniel became such a daddy. I kinda like the idea of Johnny wishing that Daniel could have fucked him in his prime because they would have looked so good together

And then wishing Daniel had been his sensei instead of Kreese. And he's kinda sad because he thinks hot daddy Daniel deserves his younger self instead of this has been

(and then IDK he goes back in time and ends up becoming Daniel's student, and hits on Daniel and it just upsets Daniel became he thinks he's been leading Johnny on and he beats himself up about it)

Aww :( poor baby👀

Daniel thinks Johnny is absolutely beautiful, young or old, but Johnny has a hard time believing it. There were a few times Johnny caught Daniel red-handed stroking it to a photo of Johnny when he was younger, still wearing those soft sweaters and polo shirts he feels as if he couldn’t pull off now, though Daniel assures him that his body drives him crazy at any age, that he finds the extra weight and stretch marks sexy, and that he wants no one else—would choose no one else, not even the younger him.

And Daniel does mean it; yes, he likes looking at pictures of Johnny when he was more youthful, still a dainty minx, still such a brat with no shame about it. Yeah, he liked to picture fucking that pretty lithe thing and see how different he would have reacted to Daniel’s dick then, if he’d been even sluttier or a little more flustered. But that’s just a fantasy; he never wants Johnny to feel insecure or like he’s not enough.

Johnny is happy with Daniel, but he keeps thinking and thinking. He doesn’t feel like he has to quiet his steps around any place in Daniel’s (their) house; he doesn’t feel like he has to make himself smaller, he hasn’t flinched around Daniel in a year.

He’s accepted all of Daniel’s love and given so much, yet he doubts—but he shouldn’t. He stares at the sun in the morning and wonders if it would all get better if he couldn’t even see himself in the mirror.

Johnny spirals a little over it, keeps picturing/imagining what it’d feel like to seduce this handsome older man, tempt him so much that he just had to get inside Johnny (which is pretty much what he did already, just at the age they are now)

Daniel deserves that prettier version of him; he bets Daniel is lying to him anyway and does wish he was young (he isn’t). He works himself up so much over it that he decides to make it hot in his brain—imagine what Daniel would look like rutting into a young Johnny, who’s moaning "Mr. LaRusso" over and over again while Daniel fucks him like Johnny knows he’s been thinking about. He wants to be that boy; instead of watching it in his head, he wants to be saved by Daniel.

He stayed up all night wondering and sneaked out to drive to Miyagi-Do. He remembers doing the same thing as a kid—feeling so panicked he’d find somewhere outside to curl up and wait for it to stop—and he lays on the patio, focusing on the colors in the sky. Those breathing techniques don’t work as well as chewing on his nails does, but he promised Daniel he’d stop. Just like Daniel told him, Kreese should have kept his fists in his pockets and swallowed his tongue before hurting Johnny like he did.

( Johnny had told him the extent of Kreese’ abuse on a bad night, where he couldn’t stop crying no matter how hard he tried. Daniel never told him to stop. "I’d never do those things to any of my students. Johnny, you were only a kid. None of it was your fault.

"I was 17."

"You weren’t when it started. You were only a preteen—")

Johnny knows it was all wrong, but he still finds himself dreaming of Kreese's stories, the snakes vivid in his mind. He finds it funny to feel bad for him, Kreese would hate the pity, he would crush it in his hands and make Johnny look.)

Daniel called him when he realized, and Johnny felt guilty for not leaving a note—for making him put in effort instead of being easy.

“Hey, sweetheart. Where are ya’?"

Johnny still feels butterflies when Daniel talks to him like that. "I’m at Miyagi-Do. I couldn’t sleep, is all."

He heard Daniel moving the bedding around for a second, assuming it was him covering himself back up. He moved to Johnny's spot.

"Is there something wrong? You can talk to me, Johnny. You don’t have to, but you can."

Johnny turns his head, looking at the Koi pond. How much do they change when they get older?

"I can’t. It’s…it’s just stuff I’ve already bothered you about before, nothing serious."

“You aren’t bothering me, Johnny, I’ll always hear you."

Johnny chokes back a sob, holding his breath and waiting for it to pass.

"Sweetheart? Ti amerò sempre. Come home?"

He wants to. He wants to. He can always see the past in his peripheral. "I’m going to set up everything I think, not sure I can go back to sleep. You can go back to bed, Daniel; it’s okay."

Daniel stays silent for a moment. "Alright. Just….make sure you’re okay. Please."

Johnny feels like a waterproof shirt, Daniel’s words unable to sink in. Why does nothing feel like it’s for him? Nothing feels good, he just feels sick. He feels sick and ridiculous, and like no one will ever understand why. "I will, promise. I…I love you a lot."

"I love you too. Everything's going to be okay, y’know?"

Johnny feels his chest uncoil slightly. "Thanks, babe. I’ll see you soon."

He fell asleep, heart slowing with a pit in his stomach.

Maybe all the thinking about it is why he woke up in some other dimension, 20 years or so younger, on a beach, bleary eyed for a good minute before he manages to get his head on straight and sees Daniel, still old, with Anthony and Sam on a blanket—eyefucking Johnny like he thinks he’s still asleep, probably because Johnny’s wearing glasses.

Geez, Johnny must have drunk something really strong or something. He swears his hands feel….smaller, daintier—and they look it too. And his body is tighter, no chub at all. How the hell is he young again? How is he young and Daniel still old? Is this another dream?

He takes off his glasses and sits up quickly, and Daniel looks away like he got caught. He was sitting cross legged with his hairy arm resting on them, wristwatch glinting in the harsh sun. He looks so good, Johnny wants to go to him and be kissed, pulled close with a "Hey, sweetheart," like Daniel always does.

Johnny breathes through his panic, counting all the things he knows are real and rubbing his hands over the sand. Looks like where he and Daniel fought for the first time.

He takes a look at the shorts he’s wearing, they look like his old favorite pair but newer, red with a white trim. He flips the pantleg of them, and yep—there are his own various doodles.

He looks over at Daniel and feels satisfied to catch him staring again. This is weird, but he might as well use it to his advantage. Hasn’t he been wishing for this?

He stands up and dusts the sand off of him. "LaRusso!"

Daniel looks up immediately, eyebrows raised. His gaze darts from Johnny’s legs, to his chest, and to his face rapidly. "Uh. How do you know my name?"

Johnny looks to the side. "You have commercials on TV and stuff….don’t you?"

Is that different here?"

Daniel puts a hand on his forehead. "My bad. Long day. You want a photo?"

Johnny smirks a little. Mr celebrity over here.

“Nope. You run a dojo, don’t you?"

He tilts his head, looking at Daniel through his lashes.

Daniel stops breathing for a second, looking enthralled. Johnny holds back another smile.

Daniel blinks, then stands up and ushers Johnny to the side with a hand on his lower back. Johnny wants to know how much it covers. "Yeah, yeah. I do. You wanna join? Sam watch your brother, please."

“Daaad, I’m not a baby!"

Daniel ignores Anthony and stops when he and Johnny are just a little away.

Johnny finds his eagerness cute. He can’t imagine Daniel has given into lust so easily—he can’t imagine he’s legit already planning on fucking him—Johnny’s sure he feels guilty, probably convinced himself he’d behave, but his hand is on Johnny’s hip now, so is he behaving?

“Yeah! I would. I already have some experience too, Mr. LaRusso."

Daniel looks at his lips as he says it. "Oh, great. You can show me some time? Here I’ll give you the address."

He pats his shoulders, then drops his head. "I don’t have a pen or paper."

Johnny waves dismissively. "I already know the address. Are you letting me join or?…."

Daniel nods, smiling politely. "Absolutely."

——————————————————————————-

Johnny found his bike and left the beach. It was difficult to figure out where and what to do next. He found the mansion but didn’t want to go back; he was glad to know he had a place to sleep. He’d rather sleep at Miyagi-do—or in their bed.

He biked around all day and cried at the end when his situation hit him. How would he get back?

He forced himself to stop wondering what was going on in his reality, wondering if he was missing or somehow still asleep after the first week. It made it easier that he was with Daniel practically every day of it, training with him and trying to seduce him. Daniel’s always taking "breaks" and coming back a little disheveled and refusing to look at Johnny.

He was afraid he would be able to stop if he looked at Johnny. It was wrong to touch himself at the thought of Johnny’s pretty face and the curve of his ass, notice the way his thighs tanned slightly, and imagine what his cum would look like all over them. He shouldn’t have taken Johnny’s headband, for goodness sake. He’s being a creep—he doesn’t want to be a Humbert, even if Johnny is 18.

Just by the way Johnny acts at times, he can tell the boy has been through things, and he doesn’t want to possibly add to any of that. He’s sure all of Johnny’s damning flirtation is just in his head, he’s not looking up at him on his knees like that on purpose.

Johnny kisses him on day seven.

#lawrusso #russolaw #safety first #nsft #tw age difference #but not really #tw past abuse

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valentinehorrors · 10 months ago

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Casey's Fears Part 2

(TW: transphobia, bullying, death)

Cave mouth.

Not something new he's heard, and to those who ask what happened, he gives a simple explanation, a hockey accident.

Not a lie, but not the full truth. And when one talks with an expert in in lying, that doesn't fly.

He almost says he doesn't want to talk about it, but something about those sharp, ice blue eyes that stare through any farce he could ever muster up compels him to open up once again.

His second true fear, being found out.

No one in the area knows of his original birth gender, he's learned his lesson.

While he doesn't remember much of the events after he was locked in his room, he remembers all too well the days following.

Casey's mom was, justifiably, very upset. His dad tried to blame the alcohol, how he was raised, that he just doesn't understand. Every excuse under the sun, he threw all of them out, attempting to stay afloat. But there really was no excuse to keep a whole garbage bag full of rat corpses and then spread said corpses on his son's bed.

"If she wants to be a man so bad then she has to learn to man up!"

That one earned him a firm slap. It was the worst argument Casey had ever witnessed. He slept in his sister's room that night, even she didn't fully know what had happened.

The next day, Casey's mom had told both him and his sister to pack up, that they were leaving. Going somewhere far away from that horrible old man that she herself had been to young and too in love to see how horrible he truly was. He had just woken up and was only taking about every other word but he got the memo.

"When you fall in love one day... Please... be sure you know who they are, who they truly are..."

Something like that at least.

Next thing he knew, he and his sister had turned packing into a game, distracted as what was once arguing turned to begging, Casey's father begging to stay afloat in the boat that he had started sinking in the first place. Casey's mom was going out because she had... something to do before moving them out, he struggled to remember, he was young and his sister even younger.

She said she was going to be back for them at ten.

8:00 AM

He made breakfast for his sister, she didn't really want to eat it, but he managed.

8:30 AM

Their father started... sobbing? That was new... and caused Case's stomach to churn, he didn't feel like throwing up again. He convinced his sister to listen to music, drown it out, that would work...

9:00 AM

He started banging at their door, begging forgiveness. A grown adult, a bumbling, crying mess. Casey might've considered it if he wasn't using the same breath to throw more excuses at him.

"I saw some shit back in my day! Every man needs to see some shit to toughen up! That's just how it goes!"

And yet...

"I can't have my girls taken away from me please!"

Yeah...

9:55 AM

Casey was hugging his sister close, seemed like the old man had gone bac to drowning his sorrows, he could vaguely hear him trying to call his mom again...

Just a bit longer...

10:00 AM

Any second now...

10:10 AM

His sister was worried, he swore she was coming back any second now...

10:30 AM

Any...

10:40 AM

Second...

11:00 AM

Now...

12:27 PM

...

There were lights outside...

After his mother's death, things changed drastically. His father went back to being quiet, but he was... overwhelmingly supportive. Legal name change, hormones, all paid for. He figures it's in the form of some kind of apology.

So they moved, brand new clean slate. Casey Jones, a punk kid, always getting into fights, blood running a bit too hot for his own good. Your average rebellious teen boy.

He had promised his mom that he would live as himself and be damn happy doing it.

"..."

Casey sighed as he finished his story, leaning back until he was now laying down on the cold concrete rooftop, staring at the dazzling night sky, stars glimmering as though they could see him and wanted him to know.

Mikey didn't respond for a bit, allowing the silence to rest over them. But his eyes never left the human, his cold gaze never left his human.

Eventually, those cold eyes appeared in Casey's vision as Mikey looked down at him, "And your teeth?"

Casey paused before nodding "oh, yeah, that was the whole point of that." He chuckled dryly, "So, few years later, I'm fully me... 'scept some assholes caught me changing after hockey practice... saw my binder..." He huffed as he moved his hands under his head, his own eyes moving from the vibrant stars to those frozen lakes the turtle had for eyes. He got quieter, voice a hushed whisper as he spilled secrets he had never breathed to anyone else before. "They called me a freak... They beat me... Doctor said I was lucky, didn't swallow any of the teeth..."

It was a subtle change, it's not like Mikey's eyes shifted dramatically or changed color, but the way he held them always changed when he let his mask drop. They got sharper, more observant, and cold, so very cold. Mikey's gaze could freeze the ocean, he almost would feel as though his blood was freezing, crystallizing, every time he felt those icy eyes on him, sending shivers through him.

"Humans truly do amaze me at times..." His voice was different too, his true voice lacked any actual emotion or indication of tone, it was also slightly deeper, as the turtle lightly raised his voice when he had his mask up.

No one else got to see this Mikey, no one else got to see those true cold eyes. Not even his brothers, all living with a lie.

The real Michelangelo was many things, numb, cold, observant, apathetic, curious...

And dark.

He wasn't an idiot, there's a reason that whenever he saw Mikey's true smile, it made Casey's hair stand on end, his gut saying one thing:

D A N G E R

Casey had two main fears, rats, and being outed.

Casey has three fears.

#tmnt 2012 #tmnt #tmnt au #mikey x casey #teenage mutant ninja turtles #yandere mikey #obsession #sadistic mikey #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt casey jones #tmnt mikey #trans casey jones #unmasked Mikey

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randomwritingguy · 2 years ago

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The Myth of Y/N (Korra x Reader) Part 25

CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD

Korra’s POV

The slam of the door echoes across the dining room followed by an intense silence. No-one says anything for a few seconds.

I turn to Suyin, giving her a sympathy gaze. “I am so sorry for that. That was uncalled for.”

“Apology accepted!” Varrick replies, voice loud and booming. “Now, if you all don’t mind, I’m going to dive right in. I’m famished!”

Ignoring the businessman, I continue staring at Suyin. The anger that was present within her eyes has now diminished.

“Is your friend normally like that?” She eventually asks, voice now calm and controlled.

I shake my head. “No. They aren’t.”

Looking back at the now closed door, I narrow my eyes in deep concentration.

Where did all of that come from? What was Y/N’s problem? Suyin has been nothing but kind to us! What they said about her was just mean! What’s gotten into them?

Ever since we’ve left Air Temple Island, Y/N has been acting…off. Something’s bothering them. I’ve been so busy on finding the airbenders that I’ve neglected my best friend’s feelings. Still, that’s no excuse to treat Suyin like that.

Sighing heavily, I turn back to my food. “I’ll have a word with them later when they’ve cooled off.”

“Make sure you do.” The matriarch replies, also turning her attention back to her food.

I still stare at my food, untouched for the past few minutes.

First Lin. Now Y/N?

Can things get any worse?

Y/N’S POV

I storm through the corridors of the maze-like building, hoping to find a way out of this obnoxious place. My fiery rage from my debate with the matriarch still goes strong. If anything, the anger is amplifying.

Each step I take, the flames within grow. Each step I take, the dragon’s voice at the back at my mind becomes louder and louder and louder.

Suyin is corrupt. Just like the Earth Queen. Just like Tarrlok and most of the Republic City Council were. They are all the same.

No, stop it.

Stop denying. You know it’s true. Suyin puts on a noble façade with a fake smile, but she is just as bad. Maybe even worse.

No! Tarrlok and most of the City Council treated all non-benders like they were Equalists! The Earth Queen rules with an iron fist and treats her people like they’re objects! Suyin doesn’t do that!

Suyin’s methods are different, but her rule is the same tiresome, infuriating theme as theirs. Arrogant, self-absorbed egomaniacs who attempt to make their vision a reality whether the public like it or not. Tarrlok tried to be Republic City’s saviour and ended up as bad as his father, but he never sugar-coated his actions. He accepted them for what they were. The Earth Queen doesn’t hide her true self either. She is what she is and she’s proud of it. But Suyin? Either she’s oblivious and painfully unaware of who she really is or she’s lying to herself. She hides her true self. She phrases her actions as kindness and honourable. That is why she’s worse.

I said stop!

Suyin has the majority wrapped around her little finger.

Her family.

Her city.

Asami.

Bolin.

Mako.

Korra-

STOP!

The intrusive thoughts, the dragon, goes dead silent.

I slow down my steps, the door to the outside in my vision.

Suyin is flawed, hypocritical, and arrogant, but she isn’t as bad as the others. She’s trying to bring a positive force. She leads a beautiful city and has an amazing family. She’s flawed, not evil. Flawed, not evil. Flawed, not evil.

This time, the dragon is dead silent.

Good.

The anger, while still present, has diminished slightly.

I just need some fresh air. Yeah, some fresh air. Maybe I can leave the city and explore one of the nearby mountains. Go and walk around the natural environments. Yeah, that will be nice. Calm. Peaceful and relaxing. When, I’m done I will go to bed. Yeah, that sounds nice.

Taking a deep, long, breath and releasing it in a soothing exhale I open the doors, expecting to see the starry night sky…

Only to see metal surrounding the sky!

WHAT?!

Domes surround the city when its night?!

DAMMIT!

“UGH!” I groan loudly, throwing my arms into the air. “I can’t even look at the stars now?!”

First no secrets at all, then not allowing Opal to leave, then Varrick, and now I can’t even see the night sky?!

I march around the area, not really paying any attention to my surroundings, until I eventually reach to some sort of metal bench. Sitting down with a loud huff, I bury my face into my palms and rub them against my features rapidly.

I thought getting airbending was a dream come true. In my early childhood I longed to have bending. Now I get what my toddler-self wished for and everything goes downhill. First, my parents. Then, the Earth Queen and her corruption. Then this Zaheer and a bunch of criminals. Now this.

What’s worse is none of my friends even seem to care. Not even Korra, my best friend. Sure, we haven’t always seen eye to eye but our differences in our beliefs haven’t always been this stark.

There’s got to be someone who gets what I’m saying, right?

“Excuse me, are you all right?”

I whip my head upwards and see on of the Zaofu guards standing before me. She’s wearing big metal plates covering her form, her helmet with three dagger-like spikes on it covering most of her head. However, I notice her grass pupils and a tiny black mole underneath her right eye.

“Uh, yeah.” I tell her, dropping my hands back onto my knees. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

The expression on the guard’s face doesn’t change in the slightest. “Do you wish to be escorted back to the dining room of the Beifong Household?”

“No!” I rush out, causing the guard to jump back slightly in surprise. I regain my composure and respond in a more controlled manner. “No, I’m fine. That is the last thing I want to go right now.”

This time, I see a flash of curiosity painted across the guard’s face. “Is there a problem?”

I sigh. “To be blunt, I had an argument with your matriarch.”

Her expression, again, changes very little. All I see is a slight frown. “I see.”

Shit, did I make her mad? Oh, who am I kidding? Suyin is the city’s leader! Of course, her guards are going to be mad!

Rising from my bench and dusting off my clothes, I face the guard. “I hope I didn’t intrude or disturb you from your duties. I just wanted to have some fresh air but, much to my disappointment, I was greeted by the metal domes.”

“I understand your frustration.” She sympathises, her tone having no trace of anger or annoyance from my earlier comments. “However, they are a vital addition to the security of Zaofu. It helps keep the public protected.”

“Yes, of course.” I reply. “Suyin called it the safest city in the world. However, I fear she has sacrificed some freedom for maximum security.” Knowing who I am talking to, I raise my hands in an apologetic gesture. “Not to discredit your job and your effectiveness, I’m sure you and the rest of the guards are great, but surely you can understand what I’m saying, right?”

The guard doesn’t respond for a moment, her face neutral. I can almost hear the cogs turning in her head.

“I do.” She finally says. “However, I believe that it is necessary. Without that protection, our freedom can easily be taken away.”

Hm. An interesting perspective.

I nod in understanding. “I get that. Still, I just find it frustrating. Doesn’t help that Varrick is here.”

As soon as the name of the businessman leaves my lips, I notice it. A flicker of irritation in the guard’s pupils.

“The…inventor, right?” she asks, voice gruff.

I hum in confirmation. “After all the shit he’s done, he gets away with it all and ends up living the life here. It’s a misuse of justice. That’s what my argument with Suyin was about. She wouldn’t hear any of it. Even my friends wouldn’t listen. Not a single person agreed with me. It’s frustrating!”

Finishing my rant, I notice the guard staring at me with…curiosity? Familiarity? Something else entirely?

I let out a tense breath, scratching the back of my head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant to you. I’ll leave you back to your duties.”

“I agree.”

Huh?

I whip back to the guard. Her face is once again neutral.

“I’m sorry?”

“I agree with you.”

“Oh…”

I open my mouth but close it again having failed to find my words. After a quick swallow, I speak up once more with confusion. “I…I was under the impression you would have sided with your matriarch.”

Then, much to my surprise, a pretty smirk forms on her lips. “I may be Suyin’s guard, but I don’t believe in everything she does. I am a person, after all.”

Oh…well, that’s true.

Chuckling with a sheepish smile, I cross my arms together. “I guess so. And who is the person I am talking to?

Her smirk widens slightly, and she stretches out her hand.

“Kuvira.”

I take her hand.

“Y/N.”

“I know. Suyin had me do a background check on you and your friends.”

“Oh…yeah. Forgot about that.”

She chuckles. It’s nice.

When the handshake ends, I gaze back at the buildings at the edge of the dome.

“I should probably head to bed.” I tell her. I gaze back Kuvira and give her a small smile. “It was nice meeting you. It’s refreshing to find a like-minded individual.”

Kuvira smiles in return. “The feeling is mutual. Perhaps, we could meet again the following day?”

My eyebrows perk up in surprise. She wants to hang out? Well, it will be better than dealing with awkwardness with me and the others whilst meeting a new friend. Plus, maybe I can get to learn more about Zaofu.

“Sure!” I tell her. “Where and when?”

“Here at nine?”

“An early bird, huh?”

“That is required when you have a job like mine.”

“Indeed. See you at nine, Kuvira.”

“And I you, Y/N.”

We exchange goodbyes and, just like that, we head our separate ways. Kuvira is probably going back on her patrol whilst I walk to my guest room.

At least one good thing came out of tonight.

That good mood didn’t last long, though. Soon after I return to my room, I am interrupted with some pounding knocks.

“Y/N, we need to talk.”

Shit. It’s Korra.

Sighing heavily, I slowly but surely walk up to the door and open it and in front of me I see a very pissed Korra.

“That was out of order, Y/N. What in the spirits were you thinking?!”

Frowning slightly, I cross my arms. “What I was thinking was giving Suyin some rightfully deserved criticism. It’s about time someone gave her the harsh reality.”

My response only seems to anger Korra who places a hand on her hips. “What you did was humiliate her in front of her family. She was trying to do something good, and you threw it in her face.”

Something good? Seriously?!

“You’re telling me after everything Varrick has done you are okay with him escaping punishment?” I ask her. “You were there when he bombed the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. So many people could have been hurt!”

The features of my best friend’s face softens slightly. “I was confused initially and I see where you’re coming from. But Suyin is trying to better Varrick and Zaofu by-“

“-Don’t give me that!” I interrupt, throwing my arms up in the air. “She’s doing it for herself.”

The softness on Korra’s face hardens once more. “Varrick is leading her technology division that can benefit the city and its people.”

“Which will benefit Suyin and her reputation.” I counter smoothly. “I see through her act.”

“You think too lowly of her.”

“And you think too highly of her.”

We both go dead silent for an intense moment. The air is thick and suffocating.

I let out a deep and heavy breathe, rubbing my hair with my palm. “I don’t want to end our night in a fight.”

Korra’s face softens once more and her gaze casts downward. “Me neither. Things are already awkward with Lin and Suyin. I don’t want things to be awkward between us too.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let out yet another sigh. “Look, I won’t apologise to Suyin. I think she deserved it. However, I’ll try to tolerate her while we’re still in Zaofu. For you.”

Looking back up, I see Korra nod slowly and a tiny smile form on her lips. “Okay. Thank you.”

I smile back. “Don’t mention it. Have a good night, Korra.”

“You too, Y/N.”

Closing the door, I lean backwards on the door with the back of my head pressed against it, revealed that the moment is over. I can still feel the bittersweetness of the departure.

Let’s hope tomorrow is better.

TIME SKIP

I stand in the same place as the night before, five minutes before nine. I make sure to got up early to avoid any awkward meetings. I haven’t spoken to the others else since Korra and I don’t particularly want to join them at breakfast. Despite telling her that I’ll try to tolerate Suyin, I still fear that she will somehow get a reaction out of me. It’s best I stay out of the matriarch’s way for now.

“Impeccable timing.”

I turn to the source of the voice, and I pause.

There, in front of me, is Kuvira standing tall and proud. Now absent of her heavy armour representing the Zaofu Guard and replaced with the known green robes that typical citizens wear. No longer wearing her helmet, I can see her jet-black hair tied up into a ponytail. She’s stunning.

Feeling my cheeks warm slightly, I cough awkwardly. “Of course.”

Kuvira doesn’t react to the scene playing out before her. She tilts her head in a questioning way. “Have you had breakfast?”

I open my mouth to answer her question but instead of words, the answer is the growling of my stomach. Shit.

Kuvira smirks. “I guess not.”

With a sheepish grin, I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah, I decided to skip breakfast with the others. I didn’t want to risk causing another argument.”

Listening to my explanation, the smirk fades from her lips. Then, the guard turns and starts walking. “Come. I know a place we can eat.”

Huh?

Rushing forward to catch up, I walk side-by-side with her. “We?”

“I haven’t had the chance to eat either.” Kuvira explains. “I know a good place that serves good food. Besides, this will be an opportunity for you to see more of Zaofu.”

Oh…

That’s…sweet.

As she leads me to the train that leads us to another section of the city, I have more look at the intrinsic building. They scream of a utopia with signs of a bright new era on the horizon.

“I’m really impressed with the architecture.” I comment, turning my gaze to Kuvira. To my surprise, she is already focusing her attention at me with a curious glint in her cool eyes. “It’s so much better than what I saw in Ba Sing Se. Not a single inch of poverty and dilapidation.”

She smiles. “Indeed. Thanks to Bataar, the architect, Zaofu is the most advanced city in the entire Earth Kingdom.”

The mention of the architect brings a flash of memory in my mind with the image of a middle-aged man and his younger accomplice passing by the dining room, with the former apologising to his wife and telling her he had a major breakthrough in the tram system.

Despite my issues with Suyin, I cannot deny that her husband is a genius. This architecture and technology should be shared with the rest of the kingdom!

“Well, he should be proud of what he has accomplished.” I finally respond. “All of this is revolutionary! Why hasn’t this been shared with the rest of the nation?”

My question appeared to trouble Kuvira slightly as I see her rip her gaze from me to stare through the tram’s window with a frown present.

Uh oh. Did I make her upset?

“Unfortunately,” Kuvira begins with a trace of bitterness. “the sharing of Zaofu’s resources wouldn’t be possible.”

The phrase of her answer makes me perk an eyebrow and lean forward slightly.

“How come?”

The frown deepens on Kuvira’s face. “The Earth Queen would never allow it. She despises changes or, at least, changes she didn’t implement. She certainly wouldn’t allow a rival of hers to improve her kingdom.”

Of course. Why am I not surprised?

A frustrated groan erupts from me, and I slump down to the tram’s seat. “Typical. The Earth Queen has a chance to improve the lives of her people and refuses it because it would hurt her pride and ego. I met her when we visited Ba Sing Se and what I saw was despicable. Her people were suffering and she herself was vile.”

I hear a hum of agreement from my companion.

Sighing heavily, I glance away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant. It’s just been troubling me for a while.”

“There’s no need to apologise.” Kuvira assures me, finally looking back at me. “I had nothing to add. I agree with you completely. The Queen is a horrible woman who should never have been in charge of the Earth Kingdom.”

“Exactly!” I exclaim, relieved with being understood. “I told Korra and Tenzin the same thing! You know what they said? They said there was nothing we could do other than advise! How is that right?”

All I get from Kuvira are two words.

“It isn’t.”

Before I can respond, the tram reaches its to a screeching halt. We have arrived.

Leaving the transport, the guard leads me through the city for around twenty minutes or so until finally we reach a small establishment. It has a square-like shape with the windows revealing the green interior of the building. I notice a counter with all types of food displayed with a male cashier behind it.

I glance up to see the sign on top of the store. “Badger’s Borrow.”

“Is this a café?” I ask her.

“It is.” Kuvira confirms. “I sometimes come here when I’m not on duty or busy with my dancing. It is welcoming and peaceful.”

Humming in acknowledgement, I gesture to the store door. “Well then, shall we?”

My gesture brings a smirk out of her. “We shall.”

The following minutes were nothing special. All it consisted was us waiting in line and ordering food to eat. Kuvira paid for both of us before I could even tell her I had no cash. She must have know beforehand. Clever.

Now, we sat on a table by the window eating our food. The time it took for us to explore Zaofu, travelling on the tram, and walking to the store was long enough for sunlight to shine down on the city.

“The food is pretty good here.” I tell her, taking bites of the item I ordered. “I can see why you come here.”

“Indeed.” She agrees with a smile. “It’s relaxing.”

The softness in her voice as she compliments the burrow opens a door of revelation for me. When I first saw her, I thought she was all serious, tough, and no-funny business. Now, though, I realise there’s more to her than meets the eye. Heh, in a way, she is a lot like Korra.

Korra…

The image of Korra’s rage at my outburst to Suyin flashes to the forefront of my mind brings my mood down. Despite making up at the end of the night, arguing with my best friend always saddens me greatly.

Kuvira seems to have noticed the change in my mood. “You seem troubled.”

I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

Glancing upwards, I see curiosity and concern in her gaze. This time, however, I’m going to do ask the questions.

“Can I ask you something?”

Her eyes widen in surprise of the sudden topic change but relents. “You may.”

I lean forward to further engage in the situation. “You barely know me and yet you’re showing me around the city and taking me to a coffee shop you go to. Why?”

The guard’s eyes widen slightly in surprise of my bluntness but proceed to narrow in thought. She doesn’t respond for a while, as if she doesn’t know the answer herself, and I take a drink to act as a distraction to fill in the silence.

“You intrigued me.” Kuvira at lasts respond, though brief as it is.

Oh?

“Intrigued you?” I repeat.

She nods. “Your frustrations with Suyin, specifically.”

I frown. “You said you agreed with me when I talked about Varrick.”

“And I still do.” Kuvria confirms. “Even more so after given it some thought. When Suyin announced Varrick’s contribution to Zaofu despite his history I was troubled.”

Interesting.

I take another sip from my cup, my eyes still locked with Kuvira’s, and place it back down. “Did you say anything to her?”

She shakes her head slightly. “I did not. It is not my place. I’m the Captain of the Guard, not an adviser.”

“Captain of the Guard?” I repeat with surprise. “Adviser or not, that’s a pretty impressive rank to hold. You must be proud.”

She nods with pride. “I am. It is an honour to be given such a title.”

“Suyin must trust you pretty well.”

“I am her protégé.” Kuvira reveals to me, taking a sip of her own drink after the comment. “She mentored me since I was a child.”

“Interesting.” I comment. ��Your parents must be proud.”

As soon as that sentence leaves my lips, I know I made a mistake. Kuvira frowns sharply and gazes down at her cup. Her eyes have hint of bitterness and…shame.

“I’m sorry!” I speak up almost immediately after my previous comment. “I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”

“It’s fine.” The captain assures me sharply, though her tone betrays her. It’s clear she’s feeling uncomfortable now.

Despite the awkward silence that followed, I don’t feel any of it. Instead, a great wave of sympathy washes over me and also…familiarity.

An idea comes to me.

Should I do this? I mean, she’s a stranger. I haven’t even told Korra and Mako yet! Or even Tenzin, Kyuni and the others!

A stranger who seems to be like-mind as I. One who seems to be familiar with family troubles. Maybe this might make her feel slightly better.

“If it makes you feel any better…” I begin, trailing off slightly but then catch myself. “I have my own issues with my parents.”

At the mention of my situation, Kuvira immediately snaps her attention to me with her eyes widened. “You do?”

I nod solemnly. “I was gifted airbending too like Opal. I was so excited. I was always so interested in the Air Nation’s culture and to have the chance to be a part of it was…amazing. I remember feeling the rush as I went to call my parents. I told them and do you know what they said?”

Before Kuvira can even have the chance to respond, I chuckle sadly. “My father accused me of abandoning my tribe! Then, he tells me if that if I join the Air Nation I will not be considered as their own! Can you believe that? After years of loving memories, they were willing to abandon me!”

A single tear rolls down my left cheek and I quickly swipe it away.

“Sorry.” I tell her, gazing at my cup. “Didn’t meant to dump all that emotional shit onto your plate.”

Then, to my surprise, I feel a hand land on top of mine with a slight squeeze.

I look back up and I see Kuvira avoiding my gaze and instead focus it on our hands.

“I won’t sugar coat it by telling you everything will be fine.” The captain tells me, her voice hoarse. “It won’t be fine. It will never be. All I can tell you is following your own path. Don’t let your idiotic parents stop you from fulfilling your passions.”

My heart stops from Kuvira’s speech. When it concludes, it resumes.

Her advice is similar to Asami’s and yet…Kuvira’s seems the most…helpful? I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe it was her bluntness of it all. Maybe it was because she seems so familiar.

When she called my parents idiotic a brief spark of anger threatened to erupt but it quickly faded. After I gave it, some thought, she was right. I mean, after everything we’ve been together my parents are willing to cast me aside for wanting their child to follow their dreams and do some good in the world? What kind of parents do you have to be to do that?

“My parents abandoned me when I was a child.” Kuvira speaks up, her stature tense. “They dropped me with Suyin with a mere sack of my stuff and left me. Father told me it was for my own good but, really, it was to make their own lives easier. They abandoned their own daughter. They abandoned me.”

The sympathy that I already had for her intensifies in power and I place my own hand on top of her, now squeezing her hand gently.

Kuvira was abandoned as a child, but she overcame it. She was cast aside by the people she trusted the most and yet she rose to such a high position: The Captain of the Guard of Zaofu. It’s inspiring.

It has inspired me.

If Kuvira can overcome her past with her parents, then so can I. I can surpass this. I know I can.

“Your parents are fools.” I assure her. “From what I’ve seen, you’re so much better than them. Screw them.”

My own comfort brings a smile on Kuvira’s lips.

A smile forms on mine.

Then, in a tiny coffee shop with a stranger I barely know and yet feels so familiar, everything becomes clear. Everything.

“You were born in the Southern Water Tribe, you grew up in the Southern Water Tribe, and had practiced Southern Water Tribe traditions. And now you are abandoning your culture for another!"

“You are trying to abandon your tribe, and your mother and I will not tolerate such a betrayal.”

“The next time we talk, you better tell us you are not joining the Air Nation. If not, don’t contact or visit us ever again.”

The echoes of the past, once plagued my mind, are now only harmless afterthoughts.

I have made my decision.

I will join the Air Nation.

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

Hope you all enjoyed it!

Feedback is appreciated! :D

See you all in the next chapter!

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erimeows · 1 year ago

Text

And If You Close The Door, The Night Could Last Forever

When they’re working at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, Wilson and House are putting on an act. Why they do it, Wilson isn’t exactly sure. He knows that neither he nor House care about the opinions of their coworkers when it comes to what they do, but then again, that isn’t the problem. He supposes they’re more of admitting what they have to each other than they are to anyone else under the careful scrutiny of each other. It’s a game they’ve been playing for years.

At night- outside of the confines of the building where they work- however, things are just a little different. Neither of them acknowledge it, but they both know that the way they’re sitting on the hospital’s rooftop is not the way that two average friends would sit. They’re sitting on the edge, legs dangling off, nothing to save them but each other and their own hands gripping the railing.

Maybe they don’t want to be saved from this- from whatever it is that they are these days.

Wilson glances up at the sky. It’s a cool summer night and their usual view of the stars is shrouded by the dark, puffy grey clouds that float above them. It’s not quite as romantic as their usual silent star-gazing, though Wilson doesn’t mind very much. Those stars are always there and will probably be there for the rest of his life. He can’t exactly say the same about the man sitting next to him.

So, just like every other night they do this, Wilson quickly becomes distracted and trains his gaze on House.

The older man is still staring at the stars that aren’t even there, probably avoiding the intense eye-contact that Wilson is trying to make. It’s unsurprising- firstly because this is how it always goes, and secondly because Wilson is trying so desperately to see through House while Wilson is sure that House has always been able to see right through him. House already knows everything there is to know, so for him, there’s probably no point in looking anymore. Wilson wonders why House sticks around if he’s already figured him out. People are usually just cases to solve to him, after all, and House solved the case of Wilson more than ten years ago

“It’s weird to think…” Wilson starts, clearing his throat, which finally makes House look over at him.

“What is?” House responds, furrowing his brow.

“That there’s someone on this planet who knows everything about me,” Wilson pauses, then decides to clarify (even if House could’ve figured it out on his own, because House loves making Wilson admit every embarrassing thing he’s ever thought out loud). “You.”

“Oh, come on. I don’t know everything about you. That’d be ridiculous. It’s like I said before, you’re never boring. Surely, there’s something you haven’t told me about yourself; something I haven’t been able to figure out yet.”

“You really think that? I’ve always seen myself as an open book… You’ve been around me for so many years, surely you must’ve pieced everything together by now- or at least everything that’s worth getting to know about me.”

“Surely not. You’re more complicated than you like to make yourself out to be. Plus, it doesn’t matter how long you’re around someone…” House sighs, then shrugs and finishes his statement with- “People change.”

“Really? The House I know would never say that,” Wilson laughs. “People don’t change, they just become more of who they really are. Isn’t that what you claimed all those years ago?”

“...Same difference. I’d be lying if I said I thought you knew everything about me.”

“You think I don’t?”

House laughs back, shaking his head. Tears prick the corners of his icy blue eyes.

“I’m glad you don’t.”

“I’m sure you’re right, but try me,” Wilson challenges. Then, bracing himself, he reaches over and places a hand on top of one of House’s. House almost loses his grip on the railing, but Wilson quickly reaches over to hold his friend steady where he sits on the ledge of the hospital’s rooftop. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

House swallows tightly and averts his gaze, red dusting the top of his cheeks. It’s an expression that looks delightfully unfamiliar on such a cocksure man. Wilson can’t help but fall in love with it.

“How about ‘I love you’?”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” House says it plainly, almost as if he’s talking about the weather forecast or something of equal triviality. He pulls his hand away from Wilson, scoots back, and stands up on the roof to head towards the latch of the door that leads to the hospital’s top stairwell. Really, they’re not even supposed to be up here, but staff has access to the lock, so they’ve been frequenting this spot for years. “But we both know I’m not what you need.”

“But you are what I want,” Wilson quickly retorts because fuck, they’re finally talking about this and he doesn’t know when he’ll get the opportunity to bring it up again.

“Well, want and need are two different things.”

Wilson stands up and takes a few strides towards where House is standing. He pulls House’s hands away from the latch and peers up at him.

“Well, what if it’s both?”

“Then I feel bad for you,” House chuckles. “I’m a lot to deal with.”

“Don’t feel bad for me,” Wilson scoffs. “Or I’ll start to feel bad for you, too. I’ve consciously chosen to do this with you for almost a decade. You think I don’t know by now that you’re kind of a lot? I mean, you’re you.”

“Fair point, but… Are we just going to stand here like this, or are you going to shut up and kiss me?”

And, even if Wilson knows they won’t talk about this tomorrow, he double checks the lock on the roof’s door before pulling House into his arms and pressing their lips together- because maybe if he keeps that door closed, maybe if he keeps House close to him like this, tonight could last forever.

#hilson #hilson fanfiction #House #house md #House M.D.#House M.D #gregory house #Greg House #Gregory House x James Wilson #greg house x james wilson #james wilson x gregory house #james wilson #house x wilson #oneshot #oneshots #drabble #drabbles

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ghostinthewires · 2 years ago

Text

Mushy May Day 2 - I Made This For You + Crush

oops guess who already fell behind

credit for mushy may goes to @forlorn-crows and thanks go to my darling beloved @kroas-adtam for beta-reading

wc: 805 words

Sunshine really is the epitome of her name, Mountain thinks as he watches her dance across the room with Rain. Her laughter sounds like chiming bells, and the mango scent of her always fills the room wherever she’s been. She’s still new; he hasn’t been able to work out yet if it’s a shampoo or if she just naturally smells so beautiful. It’s intoxicating.

He notices when her smile falls too. Days when it’s rainy and overcast, when the sky is grey and haunting. She looks out the window with a pout, doe eyes looking up at the sky as if she can will the clouds away. Someone is always there to distract her. She’s grown so close to the other ghoulettes in such a short span of time and one of them will whisk her away from the window. Pull her down to run their fingers through her unruly curls and soak up her warmth. Satanas, he wishes it was him lying there under her.

She’s so charming, Mountain thinks later when they’re watching an afternoon movie. She’s distracted, probably not even hearing the old film playing on the tv. Her gaze is directed out the window, where the clouds have broken and beams of sun are pouring down onto the grass of the abbey gardens. Her freckles show up so well in the light that streams in, and his fingers itch to count them.

He wishes that he could bottle the sun for her, to see the way her eyes light up in happiness whenever it comes out from behind the clouds. He shares her same desire to be outside, and he does exactly that when the film ends and Dew clambers off of his lap to follow Aether to the kitchen.

He makes his way to the greenhouse. The earthy smell floods his senses as he steps inside and starts working on some pretty little saplings. He’s distracted by the task for a while before the sun hits the glass just right and goes straight into his eyes, making him step back and watch as the light dances across the greenhouse floor. And it gives him an idea.

He knocks on her door the next morning, anxiety rising in his throat and settling near his heart. He’s holding the gift in one hand; he’d worked on it the rest of the day before and into the night. He might cry if she doesn’t like it.

She opens the door and oh, what he wouldn’t give to wake up next to her looking like that. T-shirt and shorts rumpled, curls looking like she's been dragged through a hedge backwards. But her eyes are bright and he really could count her freckles from here if he wanted to and her voice is so soft when she says hi and lets him inside.

Her eyes catch onto the thing in his hand and they widen. “What’s that?”

He swallows and looks down, holding it up for her to see. “I made it for you. It’s a suncatcher.”

She brings a hand up to touch one of the hanging pieces of glass in wonder. She doesn’t need to worry about cuts; he’s meticulously sanded down every single fragment.

“It’s beautiful,” she says quietly, looking up at him with the widest smile and he thinks his heart might burst.

“Watch this,” he says in response, and moves across the room to hang it from her curtain rail. He can hang it properly later. The room is immediately lit up in a dazzling display of colourful light; the morning sun is coming through her window perfectly. Sunshine cries out in excitement and spins in a circle, bouncing on the spot as she takes in the display. There’s a small silence as she stares with wide honey eyes and then looks back up at him.

“Do you like it?” he asks nervously, before she can speak. “I know how much the sunlight makes you happy. I just… I wanted to do something…” He trails off nervously. This is so unfamiliar to him. He's the rock of the abbey, unshakeable and impossibly patient. And here he is, falling apart over a suncatcher.

She slides right up to him and clings onto one of his arms, and all he can smell is mango. “I love it,” she says brightly. “I love it so much. Thank you, Mountain.”

He doesn’t know what to say and just smiles, squeezing her hand as it slips into his huge one. She's so warm. Sunshine looks up at him and bites her lip endearingly. “Do you want to… look at it from the bed?” she says with a mischievous look. “I bet it’ll look so pretty from over there.”

And he lets her drag him over. She’s right. The view on the bed is beautiful.

#mountain x sunshine agenda RISE UP #they are the cutest #i love them so much #mountain ghoul #sunshine ghoulette #nameless ghouls #the band ghost #mushy may

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fandomfrolics · 11 months ago

Note

For the unwritten fics: 7 (for ted, obvs), 10, 15!

7. What are your plans for -character-?

Sorry, this is such a funny question out of context. I have many plans for that sad dad and some of them may even make it into published fics one day but off the top of my head, the gist of my plans are:

Ted gets laid (angsty)

Ted gets laid (happy)

Ted gets laid (emotional)

Ted gets laid (filthy)

Ted comes back to London and his old job

Ted goes on a road trip

and just to cover all my bases, Ted is sad.

15. Do you have any unwritten scene that you think about a lot?

Answered this here! But there's another unwritten thing I guess I think about once in awhile, which I had a vague idea for after the s3 ep where Ted calms himself down from his panic attack but I don't think I'll ever actually write so I'm just gonna summarise the whole thing in a long run-on sentence:

Basically Roy sees/overhears Ted chanting "he's okay" quietly to himself and surmises it's about Henry and he takes Ted outside to look at the moon because when he first went off to Sunderland he called his grandad crying about being so far away and his grandad told him to go outside and look at the moon because no matter how far apart they were they'd always be looking at the same moon and the whole thing is essentially just a conversation they have lying on the pitch while looking up at the sky.

10. If unpublished, can you show a sneak peek of what you've written?

This isn't actually from one of the 'plans' OR the idea mentioned above but it's another one I don't think I'm ever actually going to finish so thought I might as well share some of it. It's a Thanksgiving fic with Henry, Michelle, and Ted's mom all visiting London (established but background T/R iirc). I wrote most of it more than a year ago but surprisingly the Ted's mom characterisation still fits pretty well I think (except her name but that would be pretty cray cray if I guessed it right). Anyway! Here's a little Ted & Michelle part of it (behind a read more since this is already so long).

“Thought you could use this.”

Michelle glances up to see Ted holding a bottle out towards her. The corner of her mouth quirks up. She takes it gratefully, sipping lightly as he settles down next to her on the steps.

“So,” he says after a brief, loaded silence, “you gonna tell me what that was all about back there, or am I gonna have to try this beer tactic with my momma instead?”

Michelle doesn’t crack. “Don’t ask your mom.”

“Okay…” He peers at her. “You realize you’re making me more worried, right? Not less? You can see how you might be doin’ that? With this whole thing?” He gestures between them.

She sighs, holding the bottle to her forehead. “Ted, I’m sorry, but sometimes your mother can be a real—”

“Pain in the ass?” Ted guesses.

“I was gonna say ‘piece of work’ but hey, if you wanna go there…”

“Okay." She lets him tug the bottle away from her face, watching him put it carefully down on the step between them. "Michelle, what on earth is goin' on?”

She sighs again, then finally shifts to face him. “Ted, you know sending Henry to live here…you know that’s as much for him as it is for you, right?”

He swallows audibly. “Are you second-guessing this whole thing, ‘cos I know I’ve always been a bit of a soft touch with him but it’s only been like three months, you gotta give me more of a chance, I promise I’ll—”

“No, Ted, it’s not—” She shakes her head vehemently. “You’re doing fine.” She smiles. “More than fine. Henry seems to have really settled in well here.”

“Oookay…” He tilts his head. “Is that what’s botherin’ you? That he’s doing too well? ‘Cos I swear, he misses you like crazy. And I lied, I’m still a soft touch. I totally bribed him into eating those green beans earlier. But I swear to god, the kid is—”

“No, no, Ted, it’s not—” She cuts him off with a laugh and his mouth falls shut. She stares at him quietly for a long moment before she flicks her gaze away, back out to the long garden. In the dark it looks like it goes on forever.

“God, I’m going to have to tell you, aren’t I.”

“I think so?”

It feels like it’s always like this between them, the punctuation remarks reversed, and it used to be so exhausting, to be the one always carrying around the full stop, but she appreciates it about him more, now, that he doesn’t push. Now that she has some distance, she can fully appreciate the rarity of it, of the way he can prompt and give space all on the same turn.

#I feel like I'm actually not doing this right but oh well #I think I am no longer in my '10s of concurrent WIPs I'm actively working on' era #instead my google docs is riddled with half-written unpublished fics and idk who that person was who wrote them #ANYWAY #thanks for asking!!#ask game #asks #kittensittin

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kesouu · 2 years ago

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Unang sayaw - NOBITA

Kurona Ranze x fem!reader

Your hearts beating fast as you hear him laugh, you feel like from the joy you feel you're on your one way ticket to the heavens. Just seeing him look at you with so much love has you being putty in his hands. He grabs you by your hand and you truely think "this is love" as you slowly dance with him in the empty clearance outside the city you and him found a few months back that soon became your hang out spot, all of this with your favorite song playing softly in the background was just the perfect moment. You two are giggling like children and you face the part of the clearance that faced the city and yelled out how much you loved him, he laughs and does the same for his love for you.

You two soon ran out of energy running and screaming around so you two settled for lying beside eachother gazing at the sky, or rather at eachother. None of the two had their attention on the starry sky infront of them but instead focused on eachother, hands intertwined still, you get up as the music still plays in the background.

"May i have this dance?" You bow and hold out your hand inviting Kurona to dance "why ofcourse" as he puts his hand in your's and you pull him closer to put your other hand on his shoulder while his goes to your waist. You two look at eachother with so much love, you dont even realize it, realize that he really is all that you need.

_______

He stares at your lips from across the room thats a pretty shade of red, it reminds him of a rose. Kurona wishes he could stop time to just stare at how beautiful you are. You two have been exchanging glances the whole period and both have been admiring the other from their seat. The teacher finally dismisses and you two are out of the classroom as fast as you can yet again laughing as you grab his face and kiss him on the lips, he feels like he's in a dream, he never wants to wake up however, just having you look so pretty infront of him is all he ever needs.

________

You're in the same spot with the same person years later, the empty clearance outside the city with kurona. Now though, both of you are older, no longer the same teens you were back then but one thing never changed, that was your love for eachother. "Love, do you still remember?" Kurona starts and you tilt your head in confusion and he goes infront of you and holds both of your hands "when we startazed here as teens, instead of the stars, i was looking at you and you looked so beautiful" you blushed at his words "and when you asked me to dance? Do you remember that too? I felt so happy to be dancing with you, it felt so freeing to be with you. You are my rest from everything stressing. Kurona lets go of your hands and backs away "Everytime I'll close my eyes, and until our last dance, I know your the one I'll love for the rest of my life" he gets on one knee and opens a small black box displaying the most beautiful ring you've ever seen, you star tearing up as he says "Will you marry me?" You dont think twice to jump into his arms as you both fall to the ground, crying tears of joy as you repeat over and over the words yes.

Masterlist

About blog

#blue lock #blue lock x reader #kurona ranze #kurona ranze x reader #kurona x reader #bllk kurona #blue lock kurona #Spotify

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lamppostss · 8 months ago

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"Burning Questions" (Suits)

"The building was on fire and it wasn’t my fault. - Hyde, what is going on? He arrived quicker than I expected. The ringing in my ears perfectly masked the screeching of tires and the sound of opening doors. - It appears to have burst into flames, sir. – I answered, sitting on the ground like a concussed chimp, with my scarf slightly singed from the explosion. - How? Normally I would tell him to pack the stupid questions in and call someone to put the fire out, but that wasn’t a normal situation: - I think someone missed their mark… He sighed, standing behind me while I got up from the ground, both of us staring at the flimsy wooden structure being devoured by smoke and flame: - Get in the car. I think at that moment I finally got some of my brain matter back into place: - Shouldn’t we, you know, extinguish the place first? - What for? - These fields are made of corn. Corn, sir, is flammable. Highly so. I could hear him click his tongue behind his stupid toaster-looking mask. Probably rolled his eyes too. Cheeky prick. - People are on the job as we speak. Get in the car, Hyde. I raised my finger, preparing to send him to a nice camping holiday in “FuckYourselfVille”, but then, perhaps for the better, I stopped and silently got into his damned car. It was a better idea than standing outside and inhaling the presumably toxic fumes while arguing with my pseudo-boss. So there I was, dirty and tired, sitting next to a leader of a pretty influential group. At least in our district, anyway. We were speeding down the highway back into the City, with thousands of stars dotting the sky and hundreds of lamps lighting the empty road. - So, ugh, what now, number man? - You tell me. I froze. Punching Nine right now wouldn’t solve anything, though it would be an appropriate response: - Well, you get your head out of your ass, tell me about what we do next and keep your eyes on the road. And then I take your secretary out on a stake dinner, I don’t fucking know… A long quiet followed. I knew for a fact that he was a good speaker, but now he looked like he was getting back at me for all those jabs I took at him. Those long pauses were killing me. - Were the reports true? – Nine broke the silence. Finally. - Yep. Looked like a drug lab to me. Though I didn’t see any powder – only bootleg tonics and stacks of chemicals. - I see. Another pause. He was either absorbed in thought or really not in the mood to start making any sense soon. - You’ll still pay me, right? - After we get in touch with some of the offices. “Offices” was just a fancy name for smaller organizations, more often than not independent from all the families. On paper at least. In practice - most of them were definitely on some fat cats payroll. - Which ones? - “Hooks”, at the very least. - Those are House Clubs. - And? - Clubs hate Diamonds? - And Diamonds hate Clubs. But they know me and they know that lying isn’t my MO. An exchange of what goes on behind locked doors and in hushed whispers. Listening to him was like trying to solve a crossword while both high on acid and lights-out drunk. I dusted off some soot of the brim of my hat: - And then what? As we were approaching the city limit, we got stuck on the first red light. Nine turned to me, most likely frowning at me and my barrage of questions: - We investigate. Get more hands on the case, probably from all the Houses. I think whatever we stumbled upon isn’t a major threat yet, but it can quickly get out of control. Or perhaps we haven’t even seen the full picture… - Oh, how very lovely, sir Nine. I already see all the Houses working together, sure it won’t backfire at all. We’ll even have a nice little dance party afterwards, I am sure. I could hear him smirk behind the helmet: - We don’t need Houses. We need people from the Houses. - And you think you and your office buddies have enough of a pull to organize something like that, really? - You will see, mister Hyde. You will see."

#original character #original setting #writing #oc #oc writing #my writing #lampposts suits #short text

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starrysky28 · 2 years ago

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Time Heals All Wounds

Title: Time Heals All Wounds

Rating: T

Words: 1852

Warnings: None

Summary: Bennett accidentally injures Kaeya while sword training. Diluc later gets wind of this while working at the tavern and goes to see him.

It was a cool spring morning in the bustling, windy city of Mondstadt. Everything was business as usual. The sun was shining, the shops were just opening their doors for the day, and the clanking of iron swords rang out from outside the Knights of Favonius headquarters.

“Ah, it seems you’ve gotten stronger, Bennett”, Kaeya smiled.

“Sure have!”, Bennett huffed, catching his breath.

The two had spent the morning sparring and training, as Kaeya had promised him earlier that week. Unlike most people, who were often turned off by his streak of bad luck, Kaeya took quite a liking to Bennett and vice versa. Possibly because he reminded Kaeya of a younger version of a certain someone who he used to be close with.

”You up for another round, Sir Kaeya?”

”I would, but I should probably get to work before I get a scolding from Master Jean”

”Aw, please Sir Kaeya?”, the young teen begged.

”Well…”, Kaeya then remembered all the boring paperwork that would be sitting on his desk when he returned, and thought that one more short round of sparring couldn’t hurt.

”Alright, One more round”, he gave in, chuckling at Bennett’s persistence.

With that, the two held their swords out in front of them and backed up, then, they ran towards each other. Bennett really wanted to show him his full potential this time, of course, without his unluckiness getting the best of him.

His lack of luck, however, didn’t cross his mind at the moment. Initially aiming for the left side of Kaeya’s sword, Bennett shot forward, then swung. Too bad his aim wasn’t as accurate as he pictured.

“AGH!”

Instead of hitting his sword, Bennett’s sword missed, slicing right into Kaeya’s left side, just above his hip.

”Sir Kaeya! Are you okay?!”, Bennett shouted.

Kaeya did not respond. His sword immediately fell to the ground. His face retorted in pain as his hands clutched his left side.

He watched in fear as Kaeya fell to his knees, breathing shakily. His hands then unclenched the area where he’d been hit, which revealed a large, deep red bloodstain on his undershirt.

As soon as Bennett saw this, he gasped and began to panic. “S-Somebody! Help! Somebody help him!!”, he stuttered out.

Luckily, this got the attention of some nearby knights who were on guard, who ran over to help.

“What’s going on?!”, one shouted back.

Then, they got closer and saw what had happened.

”Captain!”

The two knights ran over to Kaeya, who was now lying on the ground staring up at the sky, his vision starting to blur.

“What happened to him?!”, one of them asked.

Bennett’s eyes welled up with tears. He didn’t know what to say or do. All he knew was that his friend was hurt.

”Quick, we need to take him to the infirmary immediately. Call the others to inform Master Jean”

“Yes, sir”

The two knights hardly watched as the boy’s sniffles turned into quiet sobs.

As one of the knights tried to lift him up, Kaeya felt as if the whole world began to spin. Then, his vision went dark.

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

"Sister Rosaria, you can't keep being late to morning prayer! You should know how important that is!", one of the nuns scolded.

Rosaria, who was a fashionable four and a half hours late, simply rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Geez, y’know it’s Saturday, right? And I just happened to oversleep that's all"

"Yes, but this is the third time this week! Besides, isn't it such a waste to sleep until ten everyday?"

"Doesn't waking up at six every morning tire you?"

Suddenly, a frantic Barbara bursts through the door, "Sister Rosaria, come quick!"

"What is it now?!", she groaned.

"It's the cavalry captain! He's injured!"

"Pfft, probably tried to climb up to the roof of the tavern again while drunk", Rosaria snorted.

"No, really! come see!"

Rosaria gave in and followed Barbara into the infirmary, where they found three or four nuns all huddled around the doorway of one of the rooms, and a sad-looking boy sitting in a chair just outside of it.

She shook her head in disbelief, "It can't be that serious"

She then pushed through the crowd of nuns, which revealed a barely-conscious Kaeya laying in a bed with a rather large bloodstain on the left side of the shirt he was wearing.

"What the...Kaeya, what happened?"

"He was stabbed. Apparently, it was completely by accident too", said a nun preparing bandages.

Rosaria was annoyed now, "No, I want him to tell me"

"You can try to talk to him, but we sedated him to numb the pain”

“Kaeya, what’s one plus one?”

“Nghh…It’s…April??”, he slurred.

Rosaria looked at Kaeya and sighed. There was no use in getting information from him in this state.

As she began to storm out of the room, she noticed a tall young woman, the acting grand master, Jean, kneeling down in front of the boy in the hallway.

“Bennett, please don’t cry. It’s okay, you didn’t mean it. You just have to be more careful in the future”, she soothed.

“Wait a minute! You mean this is the kid who did this to him?!”, blurted Rosaria, who had overheard the conversation.

Bennett then proceeded to burst into tears again.

”Oh, Sister Rosaria! Please don’t say such things!”, Barbara cried out, rushing to Bennett’s side.

”Don’t worry about a thing! Though, I’m afraid our dear Sister Rosaria can be a little…rough on others to say the least…”

Staying all peppy in even the toughest of situations was one of the many things she didn’t understand about Barbara. However, while deciding to ignore that last comment, she left the infirmary.

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

It was a late night at the Angel’s Share, but the tavern was still filled to the brim with people taking a load off after a long day of work.

While Diluc, the tavern’s bartender and heir to the Dawn Winery was hard at work himself preparing drinks for patrons, he couldn’t help but notice that a certain regular was missing.

However, as he was cleaning a few empty glasses, he overheard a conversation between two older men.

”Hey, so did ya hear?”

”About what?”

”About the Cavalry Captain”

It was at that moment that Diluc’s head perked up.

“Oh yeah, what about him?”

”Apparently he was stabbed this morning”

”Oh, really? And who did it?”

“Turns out some clumsy kiddo from the Adventurers Guild did it on accident”

“Huh. Who would’ve thought some kid could take down the cavalry captain himself!”

The two men shared a laugh. Diluc, on the other hand was not amused. He slammed down the glass he had been cleaning, the loud noise frightening the old men out of their laughter, and stormed out of the bartending station.

”Ah, now where do ya think he’s off to?”, one commented.

Diluc made his way upstairs to a much quieter part of the tavern, where Charles was sweeping the floor.

“Charles, I need you to tend the bar for the rest of the evening, can you do that?”, he asked, grabbing his black coat from the hanger.

Charles was confused. Diluc almost never let him tend the bar unless it was a day he wasn’t there.

“Yes, sir”, he agreed nonetheless.

Without another word, Diluc left through the upstairs door.

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

Many thoughts ran through Diluc’s head as he rushed through the dark, empty streets to the cathedral. How did this happen? And how did he not hear of it until now?

More importantly, why did he care so much all of a sudden? It was Kaeya of all people. Why was he running? It almost felt as if his mind wasn’t in control of his body.

Diluc soon reached the top of the staircase leading towards the church, and while he knew well that since it was late at night, the nuns had probably already locked up for the day, meaning that he needed to strategize a way to get in.

Lucky for him, he didn’t need one after all. In his first attempt to open the door, it appeared that it hadn’t been locked at all. Perhaps it wasn’t just the knights who were inefficient.

Upon inspection, however, the interior candles had all been blown out for the night. Even so, Diluc was on high alert just in case someone really was there.

He was able to sneak around the main room with no problem and eventually made his way into the infirmary. Maybe there wasn’t anyone here after all.

That seemed to be the case at least, until a soft snore interrupted Diluc’s thoughts.

He glanced over at a chair near one of the doorways, where he saw Bennett, who was sound asleep.

Thats when it all came together. “Clumsy kid”, “stabbing”, “accident”. Bennett must’ve been the one who did this. Diluc also knew how much he cared about Kaeya, as he talked about how cool he was constantly whenever they saw each other.

”Poor kid. Must’ve gotten left here all alone”, Diluc said to himself.

He then walked over to one of the shelves in the corridor, grabbed one of the blankets, and carefully wrapped it around him.

Diluc quietly entered Kaeya’s room and approached the bed.

He appeared to be asleep, breathing slowly, his long hair out of its usual ponytail and strewn across his pillow, his face somehow looking both pained and relaxed at the same time.

Diluc looked down and noticed the left side of his body largely wrapped in bandages.

He secretly hated seeing him like this, and he was sure Kaeya hated people seeing him like that even more so.

It was at that moment that Diluc couldn’t help but feel so guilty. He wished nothing more than to get over what had happened between them all those years ago, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t because he was so hurt by everything that happened on that fateful day.

Then, he realized he what he had to do. If he wanted so badly to improve their relationship, and to no longer feel the guilt of the past, he knew he had no other choice but to force himself. To apologize, that is.

But what about Kaeya? Would he accept his apology? Because Kaeya, like him, had changed too since that day. Still, he wanted things to change. So, he did what he didn’t have the heart to do for many years, and that was to apologize.

Diluc kneeled over next to Kaeya’s bedside, tears welling up in his eyes for the first time in years.

”Brother…”, his voice cracked softly

”I’m sorry”

…

”I’m sorry too”, a voice whispered back.

Diluc’s eyes widened. He looked up and saw Kaeya’s eyes opened slightly and smiled at Diluc.

”…You little sneak, you’re awake?!”

”I’ve been awake since you came in. You have very loud footsteps believe it or not”

“Kaeya…I-“

”Don’t say anything else…it’s okay now”

Kaeya carefully sat up, as so not to harm himself, and opened his arms up for a hug.

To which Diluc accepted.

The End

#genshin impact #fanfiction #kaeya alberich #diluc ragnvindr #ragbros #this got over 100 kudos on ao3 holy crap #I might share some other ones soon if I can

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