#the only thing my dad has told me in past few weeks was commands threats and insults💀

[gl00my-b0y-1]

"you have to do whatever i want or im gonna turn electricity off" okay can you shut the fvck up?🥺🥺👉👈🌸from the bottom of my heart im asking you to stfu and leave me alone pweaseee🥺😊😊💖

[griffintail]

hey, i love your storys and i was wondering is we could get a part 2 to Dad!Sam X Child!Reader. thanks.

Thank you!

In Training

Pairings: Parental! Awesamdude x Teenager! GN! Reader

Warnings: Mild Violence, Non-Descriptive Wound Mention, Past Manipulation by the Egg, Mentions of Kidnapping

Part 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/N) whirled around as their sword struck the training dummy, Fran barking in excitement. (Y/N) chuckled at the dog’s excitement before continuing their own imposed strict training.

Sam had been at the prison for days recently but, (Y/N) while sad, didn’t falter. They tried to improve! Sam said he’d around more if he had help but trust was a hard thing to get in the SMP, and Sam had to really trust someone to help guard the SMP’s only prisoner. It was taking longer than Sam and (Y/N) would have liked but Sam had to be sure and (Y/N) understood.

Striking hard against the dummy, (Y/N) paused when instead of excited barks they heard Fran growl. Looking around as they carefully lowered their sword. Fran smelled something foreign to their area.

“Fran, protect.” (Y/N) muttered and started to move forward as casually as they could, Fran on their heels.

Trying not to alert the foreign intruders, (Y/N) tried to be casual as they picked up their shield and went towards the house. Fran was still softly growling as she followed orders from the teen while looking around. Halfway to the house was when Fran started to bark furiously. (Y/N) followed Fran’s locked gaze at the two figures approaching entering their clearing. One in white and black robes and the other a hybrid with startling red eyes.

“Hello!” The one in white robes spread their arms. “You must be Sam’s child, right?”

“Yeah.” (Y/N) said slowly. “You seem to know me, but I’m afraid I don’t know you gentlemen, and my father has taught me not to talk to strangers.”

Fran was still barking and (Y/N) made no move to calm the dog.

“Sam hasn’t talked about us? We’re good friends of his! I’m Bad and this is my friend Ant!” Bad introduced themselves. “And now we’re not strangers!”

“Afraid that’s also not how it works. If you’re looking for dad, he’s currently feeling a bit under the weather and not taking visitors. So, if you don’t mind…” (Y/N) said going to move to the house again.

“We actually wanted to meet you!” Ant quickly said. “Sam talks about you so much.”

(Y/N) stopped, gripping onto their sword. “What does he say about me?”

“Oh, a lot of wonderful things! Like how much he loves you and cares about you, how good you are at sword fighting, how well you can build, and how much he trusts you to be home alone.”

“Damn.” (Y/N) whispered as they looked at Bad.

“Language,” Bad said but grinned.

They’d caught (Y/N)’s lie but (Y/N) also could hear the underlying threat.

“What do you want?” They growled quietly.

“We wanted to talk about the Egg!”

“Don’t care. Good day.” (Y/N) huffed.

“Now!” Ant stepped forward, making (Y/N) take a step back as Fran stepped in front of them. “The Egg has a lot to offer you. And Sam! We can talk about it if you can just calm down the dog and we just sit.”

“What makes you think I want anything? I’m pretty happy.”

“Even with Sam gone so much?” Bad threw out, making (Y/N) frown. “You must be alone so often.”

“You think that’s going to help convince me? That just makes me want to get farther from you.” (Y/N) laughed.

“Come now, let’s just try and talk.” Bad spread his arms.

“No. Now, get off my property.” (Y/N) held gripped their sword tightly to make a point.

Bad sighed. “We tried to do it calmly.”

Quick as a flash, Ant pulled a bow and shot at the teen. (Y/N) was luckily just as quick to block with their shield, growling.

“Fran, attack.” (Y/N) ordered before getting low to the ground as they raced behind the dog bolting for the two intruders.

Bad pulled a sword as Ant fired at Fran first, the dog managing to change direction out of the way. Bad yelped as (Y/N)’s sword rang against his with the strong force before his face went hard and he started to fight against (Y/N). The teen could pretty easily hold their own though, they had been training. Swords scrapped against each other and (Y/N)’s shield as not far away, Fran was taking bolder and bolder snaps at the cat hybrid, keeping him occupied.

(Y/N) doubled down against Bad before managing to disarm him and knock him over before putting a point of the sword to his neck.

“Fran! Heel!” (Y/N) commanded and Fran growled at Ant but moved no further as Ant watched the teen. “I suggest…you put that down.”

Ant looked at Bad then (Y/N) going to put the bow down before smirking as (Y/N) felt a hit on the back of their head. They fell to the ground, trying to get the world to stop spinning as they heard Fran give a pained yelp but then they felt another hit and they blacked out.

“Thank you.” Bad took Hannah’s hand. “Let’s get them to the Egg. Sam can’t deny us if the Egg shows his child the path.”

…

Sam struggled slightly as he ran with his little creeper in his arms to Church Prime with his wounded side as potions did so but damn it, he’d make it there. Fran ran beside him as they made their journey. Sam hated himself for all of this. It was all his fault.

He had been guard duty for weeks. He had no one to take over for him. Ender knew how long (Y/N) was with the Egg! If he had been there instead of only finding out from Tommy!!

He’d fix it now though and he wouldn’t screw up again.

“We’re almost there Fran and (Y/N),” Sam muttered as his side, burned but he saw the tower of the church and he’d make it.

Sam looked over (Y/N) again as he sprinted down the prime path. Their usual clothes were now a deep red but the vine-like lines that had been around their eyes were now gone. He’d reverse the damage.

He stood on the edge of the holy ground a few minutes later and went over, (Y/N) finally giving their first sight of movement as they winced as they went over the line. But it was good, (Y/N) was on the grounds. Rushing inside the church, Sam put them on the edge of the pool before using an empty potion bottle to scoop up the water.

“Alright. (Y/N). (Y/N), wake up for me little creeper.” Sam muttered as he shook the teen.

It took a bit of trying as (Y/N) had passed out earlier but he managed and (Y/N) blinked awake slowly.

“D-Dad?” They muttered, disoriented.

“Yeah, here, drink this quickly.” Sam quickly propped them up.

(Y/N) couldn’t think straight yet and took the bottle without question and took a drink before wincing. Holding their head, Sam quickly hugged them.

“It’s ok, you’re ok. It’s just trying to fight against the cleanse.”

“C-Cleanse?” (Y/N) questioned as they winced at the pain.

“Drink, just drink.”

(Y/N) looked at the blurry room around them as they didn’t want to drink. They didn’t want to feel more pain.

“Come on, drink kiddo.” Sam pleaded.

(Y/N) whimpered before chugging the drink to get it over with. Dropping the bottle when it was gone, they held their head with both of their hands. Sam hugged them tightly, whispering comforting words with Fran’s head in their lap, as he waited for the Egg to leave his child. Slowly, the deep red on their clothes disappeared, and ever so slowly, the pain subsided.

When the pain was gone, (Y/N) waited a few moments before looking at Sam, who smiled so happily as he held their face.

“There’s my little creeper.” He said.

“What-What happened?” (Y/N) muttered as they looked around at the church around them.

“What…do you remember?” Sam asked carefully.

“I…There…Those men!” (Y/N) sat up straight. “They-They attacked Fran and I!”

“Who were they?” Sam clenched a hand.

“I-Bad and Ant. And—” They put a hand on the back of their head, wincing. “There was a third. They hit me from behind.��

“I-I don’t know what happened after that,” Sam admitted. “But, you’re alright now. Let’s get you home and we’ll figure this out later.”

Sam stood up and took their hand, helping them up and letting them lean on him as they started the slow walk back home.

“I…I fought them off for as long as I could.” (Y/N) told him.

“You fought them?” Sam looked at them surprised.

“Yeah, but not well…I didn’t even know there was someone else and Fran helped me.” They muttered, the dog wagging her tail.

“Still. That’s really good, Bad and Ant aren’t weak fighters.” Sam mumbled, planning a long “chat” with the Eggpire.

“Not good enough to be a guard.” (Y/N) said under their breath but Sam caught it.

“What? A guard?”

(Y/N) flushed as they looked away from the father, Sam stopping their walk.

“(Y/N), I…I know haven’t been around a lot, what’s going on?”

“That was kind of the point.” (Y/N) shrugged. “I-I know you have a lot of work to do on your own with the prison and you don’t have help! So…I’ve been training to try and help you at the prison and then we can also be together more.”

Sam’s heart melted as he gently hugged his child. “(Y/N)…Ender, you have such a big heart. I love that you tried to get better so you can help me and we can be together more often, but I don’t want you in the prison. It’s a bad and dangerous place but I promise, I’ll get guards to help me.”

(Y/N) hugged Sam back tightly, tearing up slightly. “I just…I miss you so much and I just want to help.”

“And I’m so happy to hear that you want to help and I’m so, so, so sorry I’m not home more often, but I will be. I’ll find guards and I’ll be home. I love you so much little creeper and I’ve missed you too.”

He wouldn’t let something like this happen again. He wouldn’t screw up again…

[anime-alyssa]

princess alderaan - pt 2

one | two | three | four

tag-list: @ihavefailedyouanakin , @bitch-imma-head-out , @ravngers , @xxsirensong , @benskywsolo , @theroyalbrownbarbie

also on ao3.

“Just…don’t do anything stupid” “I’ll try but I can’t guarantee anything”

——

Leia had not stopped bragging to you for weeks about how she was right and how she knew you and Poe would be good together. She told you about how she threatened demotion, Chewie told you about how he threatened to rip his arm out of his socket (Poe didn't understand Wookiese, so you had to translate that for him, with laughter), and despite at least those threats (you also knew he definitely got more from other people, like Rey at least) he stuck around. He stole kisses from you in the corner of the Command Center, behind his X-Wing, and outside of your quarters.

You took late-night walks with him through the jungle almost every night. He told you about his life - his parents, his 'rebellious' phase after his mother passed and his job as a Spice Runner before going into the Resistance. You told him about growing up with Ben, the trouble the two of you would get into that drove your mother absolutely mad, and then living with your dad as a teenager on the Falcon and smuggling together.

Despite how the Resistance felt about your brother (the ones who knew what happened to him, that is), Poe let you talk about him endlessly. Which you were thankful for, because your mother got depressed whenever you talked about Ben or brought him up and you didn't think anyone else would care. But Poe did. He laughed at your antics and when you told him the story of when you two almost crashed the Falcon trying to get it to just lift off, resulting in two weeks worth of chores on the ship from your father as punishment. He really got a kick out of that one.

"I was 10 and he was 14 - he should have known better but how was I supposed to know better?" you said in your defense.

"Best pilot in the galaxy, huh?" he replied to you with a smirk, wrapping his arms around your waist in the moonlight. Poe didn't give you a chance to fight back because his lips were on yours in a matter of seconds. Every time you kissed, you felt butterflies in your stomach and felt sparks on your lips. He was a pain in the ass but he absolutely swept you off your feet, and you weren't complaining. His hand always found its way to your hair, gently knotting itself there as yours found the back of his neck, attempts to bring you two closer than before. You ended up flush against each others bodies - as flush as you could get with clothes on.

You and Poe had discussed taking things slow. You had never really dated before - who would even dare try to go near you with Han Solo and a Wookie for body guards in your teens - and Poe was just really trying to not screw things up. You only just got past the touching each other territory and exploring each others bodies in the darkened room of his quarters, and while he may seem like the type who would want to immediately move things to third base, he was ever so gentle with you and refused to do anything to you that you weren't comfortable with.

He made you incredibly happy, anybody with eyes could see that. And you did the same to him.

Currently, the two of you were laying on his bed, you in one of his shirts and him in just his boxers, dreading getting up for the morning. His arms were around your waist and his head was buried into your neck, sound asleep. You woke before him most mornings like these, knowing that you had to get back to your quarters with your mother to change and get ready. However, he didn't make it easy for you. The second you moved he would hold you tighter, grumbling about how you didn't have to leave so early.

"Only one of us can be late for the meeting, and it's not going to be me." you whispered to him after he finishing complaining. He let out a tired laugh as he rolled onto his back, bringing you on top of him. You softly kissed him, using this as your means for escape. He complained as you threw on your pants and your own shirt instead of his, getting ready to depart his quarters.

"One of these days, you're not going to need to leave to get ready." he said tiredly to you, slowly trudging himself out of bed to say goodbye until later. He wrapped his bare arms around you and kissed you again. "I'll see you later, babe."

"Counting on it. Don't be late!" you said, scolding him as you walked out the door. You heard him huff with laughter as you shut it behind you, making your way over to your quarters and walking in quietly, in an attempt to not disturb your mother if she was still sleeping.

"Why don't you just leave clothes at Dameron's quarters? You already sleep there almost every night." your mother asked you as you walked in. Of course, you couldn't get lucky and have her be sleeping. That would just be the kind of luck that you knew you didn't have.

"I don't sleep there that often." you mumbled, going into your bedroom to use your refresher and get ready. Leia scoffed, walking out the door and leaving you to get ready. Deep down, you knew she was right. You should just leave some stuff at his place, but your inner anxiety told you that doing that would be to much of a commitment between you two. You knew that you liked Poe a lot, but you hadn't even told each other that you loved each other.

Did you love him? Probably. But did he love you? You didn't know. A relationship was uncharted territory for the two of you. You knew that you had never felt feelings this strong for anyone else in your life.

Those were things you would have to figure out at another time. For now, you needed to finish getting ready to go to a meeting with your mother and the rest of the base. You slipped into some fresh clothes quickly, brushing your hair out as you went and putting it in a low, lazy braid before walking out the door. You realized you were probably going to be late as you walked out the door, knowing that you'd probably hear it from Poe as you arrived. Sure enough, he shot a smirk your way as you went and stood by him.

"Only one of us can be late, huh?" he said to you. You shushed him as Leia looked at you narrowly, beginning the meeting.

"As many of you know, not only are we low on supplies but our spy in the First Order has recently contacted us. They claim to have some information on the rumored return of Emperor Palpatine. I know we haven't heard any of this ourselves through our radios, but we need to take any crumb we can get on this matter." Leia said to the group. You sighed next to Poe, almost forgetting about the Palpatine rumors all together. He placed a hand on your back and spoke up to the group.

"General, I volunteer myself for this mission. Let me, Finn and Rey get the supplies and the information. As long as we have the drop points and coordinates, we will be fine." Poe said to her.

"And what ship do you intend to use for that?" she asked him. You felt Poe stiffen next to you, and you immediately knew that he was going to ask. Chewie made a low growl from behind you, signaling that he knew too.

"With General Solo's permission... the Falcon." he said slowly. Chewbacca put a paw on your shoulder and Finn looked at you from next to Rey and Rose, as did your mother. Sighing, you spoke up.

"Only if I'm allowed on the mission and Chewbacca and I fly." you proposed. Chewbacca growled out that it was a fair deal, Poe sighing next to you now.

"General Solo can go on the mission with you, and she pilots, Chewbacca co-pilots. Rey stays with me for training. You'll use R2 to save the transmission data, so he'll go as well." Leia said back to you. You nodded, as did Poe and Finn. Chewbacca roared that he would go get the ship ready for take off as the meeting concluded. You were just about to follow Chewbacca when your mother snatched your arm. "Be careful. And you - just.... don't do anything stupid." she said to you, directing her last statement to Poe.

"I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything." Poe said back to her. She slapped his arm and looked back at you.

"He meant to say yes." you said as you lead Poe away from her, Finn following behind.

"General, are you sure you're okay with coming?" Finn asked you.

"Yes, Finn. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have volunteered to come in the first place. Plus, I'm not letting Poe ruining my father's ship again." you said, walking onto the Falcon.

"I mess up the hyperdrive one time..." he mumbled as you made your way to the pilots seat. Poe slid into the seat behind you and Finn on the opposite behind Chewie. R2 beeped in encouragement from behind all of you, locking himself down as to not move. You plugged the coordinates in and with shaky hands, began to take off. You lifted off from the planet quickly, seeing the ground get smaller below you until eventually, you were in the stars and could see the planet below you.

"Prepare to make the jump. Strap in, boys. Lock down, R2." you said to them. Chewbacca gave you a roar of acknowledgment as you pulled down the lever to jump into hyperspace. The Falcon soared into it, leaving you a moment to catch your breath. Chewbacca called you out for your nervousness, and in this moment you were thankful neither could understand him. "I am not! Be quiet you." you scolded back to him. Poe and Finn looked between the two of you curiously - but said nothing to try and guess what was going on. "When we arrive, Finn and Chewie will get the supplies onto the ship while Poe opens up the top hatch to get the information from the spy loaded onto R2. I'll stay over here so incase we need to make a quick getaway, we can." you told them. Everyone seemed to agree, which made you feel better as you jumped out of hyperspace.

The second you did though, your heart dropped.

"Shit - cloak the ship now!" you cursed upon seeing a few TIE fighters in the area. Chewbacca roared as he did so and you sped up, buzzing past them. "Okay, we may need to make this quicker than we thought." you said to them.

"Chewie, go with Finn to the back and get ready for the supplies, I'll take over!" Poe said to him. Chewbacca looked at you for approval and when you nodded, he did as Poe said. "This isn't going to be easy, babe." he said to you.

"I know it isn't." you told him back, going in for your landing and lowering the ramp, also opening the top hatch in the process. "Get that information!" you told him. He nodded as he stood up, running with R2 following him to get the information from the spy. You were on edge, nerves kicking in as you just had a feeling that this wasn't going to go well, like Poe said. "Hurry up!" you shouted back to them. Chewbacca and Finn were back on the Falcon, ramp now sealed and waiting on Poe.

"It's almost there!" Poe shouted back. In the distance, you could hear TIE fighters closing in. "Got it! Close the hatch and punch it!" He shouted. Chewbacca closed the hatch as you hauled ass away from the location, TIEs now following you from behind.

"Finn get on that gun!" you shouted.

"Copy that, General!" he shouted back, running to the gun. Moments later he started to shoot as Poe made his way back to the cockpit, sitting behind you and Chewbacca.

"They're tracking us, you can't make the jump without them following." Poe said to you.

"No kidding?!" you practically shouted back.

"I can get them off our trail, but you might not like it..." he said to you. Chewbacca protested immediately as you took a quick moment to think. "Trust me." he said. Reluctantly, you gave up your seat in the pilot's chair and Poe took over.

"R2, lock down!" you shouted back to the astromech. He beeped in response as you heard him do so, strapping yourself in, nervous for what was to come.

"Strap in everyone, the only way to get them off our trail is to lightspeed skip!" Poe said.

"What?!" you nearly shouted at him. Before you could protest he already had made the first jump. You were thrown back in your seat as they escaped the first jump, flying through god-knows-where.

"They're still on us, Poe!" Finn shouted from the gunner.

"I know! Just trust me, we'll be fine!" Poe shouted back to him. He got ready to make another jump, but not before the ship ran alongside a cliff.

"Poe!" you yelled to him. You were ignored as you entered yet another world, TIEs still following you even as you made it out. You were fuming at him right now. Even if he was correct about this being the only way to get the TIEs off their tale, he was practically ruining the Falcon. You were thrown back into your seat as you made one last jump, through some sort of creature, and you were back in your normal system.

"They're gone." Finn said, running back up from the guns. You sighed with relief, desperate to get home. Poe turned to you with a small smirk after he landed the ship on the ground.

"Told you we'd be fine." he said to you.

"Yeah, at what cost to my father's ship?" you said to him, getting up and running outside to see the damage. Your heart sunk when you saw the outside of the ship was on fire, thankfully already being put out by some droids. In the corner of your eye you saw your mother and Rey, sad look on both their faces.

"Baby..." he said, reaching out to you. You turned on your heel and made way for your mother, tears in your eyes. He stayed behind and watched you go this time.

[crqstalite]

wip whenever.

just for me because i really, really got back into writing this weekend. should really get some more kaidan/kodee content out, makes me happy. especially fluffy stuff.

no content warnings. post...me1 i think? i wrote this months ago. i have no idea where it was going because i got burnt out towards the end of it.

-

Were flowers too much? Would she even appreciate them? Was she allergic to flowers?

Kaidan sighs, deciding against the carnations, and the attendant looks relieved when he steps away. Whether she was even the type of woman to like flowers, he didn't know. In fact, other than that she had an unhealthy tendency to get herself hurt and a possible caffeine addiction, there wasn't much he did know about her. Kaidan wasn't about to assume something that could make her like him any less. He gives the pink bundle a second look, before continuing to the elevator. He'd been checked out of the hospital within a week of the Geth attack, mostly minor injuries that ended with his forearm in a cast. The same had gone for the rest of the crew, worst being a suit rupture from Tali that gave her a fever. The same couldn't be said for Shepard, unfortunately. Taking the brunt of Sovereign's corpse when it'd come down, she'd been kept for observation and further treatment. She kept assuring him the whole time on their way out of the mangled council chamber that she felt fine, and that she was more worried about him and Garrus.

He'd remind her of that a few years from now, if they still kept in contact, how she'd passed out on the transport back to the hospital. And still, even with her floating in and out of even being able to see apparently (Anderson had to ask her three times how many fingers he was holding up, and even then it took her a solid two minutes to answer with 'four' instead of three), she kept asking where the rest of her crew was. That wasn't unusual considering the past few months aboard the SR-1, she'd grown close to everyone, but it proved difficult for the doctors who actually came looking for him and the others a few hours later. Apparently just to put her mind at rest and let her be sedated long enough for surgery. According to Dr. Chakwas, Shepard wasn't about to take no for an answer, even with shrapnel in her side. The woman was a trooper.

He steps out of the elevator, careful to check every number written beside each door.  He wouldn't lie, his heart had sunk so far when C-SEC officers and Anderson had come to find them after the fight with Saren's corpse and he hadn't seen Shepard. Maybe out of concern for his commanding officer, maybe out of devastation to lose a friend like her. More than a friend, he wasn't completely sure how she wanted him to recognize her.  Yes, there were regulations, but he'd never met someone quite like her. Someone who saw past his defective biotics, and instead saw someone she thought was worth her attention. Was worth spending a night together, was worth laying her life on the line to save over another soldier. To think she might've died before they got to know each other any better, he'd felt empty. Then she'd appeared again, clutching her side with a triumphant grin on her face, and everything had been set right again. She'd lived to fight another day, and after Chakwas had informed him she'd be ready for visitors in a few days, he'd been able to sleep a little easier.

He pauses beside one door, then backtracks three. Hesitating, he's not sure whether to knock or not, to do anything to announce his presence first. His hand hovers over the control panel, pressing open.

He's greeted by laughter, genuine laughter from Shepard and someone else sitting by her bedside. There are already flowers on her nightstand, bright yellow and pink in a glass vase. Kaidan thinks about leaving, wondering if he was intruding on a moment between friends or something more. He's not quick enough to make the decision himself, because Shepard's eyes light up as soon as she notices him, her tone soft but loud enough to carry, "Alenko, didn't expect you to drop by. Good to see you."

The other person still has the remnants of a grin on her expression when they turn to him, a curly mess of hair tied up in a bun at the base of their neck. Their eyes glitter green and blue, an eyebrow raising at his arrival. His words are caught in his throat before he responds, "Good to see you're awake and well, ma'am."

"Ma'am? Jeez, how old are you?" There's a giggle in the feminine voice as she gently jostles Shepard, only pulling another smile onto his friend's scarred smile. He strides further into the room, lingering closer to her bed so that the door closes behind him.

Shepard shakes her head, a loose afro of dark hair standing out against the stark white pillows. Other than just before Ilos, he'd never seen her hair loose from it's regulation bun before, nor had he actually seen a full smile from her. He sort of wishes she'd do it more often, "Oh shush, Lali. That's what you say when you actually respect someone higher in the chain of command than you."

"Just because you always had first pick of bunks when we were kids, doesn't immediately mean I'm gonna call you ma'am wherever I go, Dee." The other woman sticks her tongue out at Shepard, and she rolls her eyes, her attention returning to Kaidan, "So pretentious. Ma'am."

"Kaidan, I told you about my sister?" She asks, ignoring her sister for the moment, and he nods, "Citlali Velasquez. Citlali, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko."

"So you'll give him the title, but not me? I see how it is." Citlali crosses her arms, mock pouting at her older sister before he can greet her properly, "Flight Lieutenant, actually. Recently promoted."

"Flight Lieutenant Citlali Velasquez, then," Shepard deadpans, "Look, you've been here all morning, don't you have duties to get back to?"

"I'm on leave for the next two days, you really think I wasn't going to come check on you, my dear older sister?" Citlali asks sarcastically, pulling her jacket from off the back of her chair. Her eyes dart to Kaidan, looking him over surely, "Trying to get rid of me, huh? Here I thought I was funny."

"And you are, but I'm pretty sure you scared Tali and Liara off when they were here earlier," Shepard responds, reaching over for what he thinks is an omni-tool to hand to Citlali, "Stop forgetting this in here, would you? Pulled that up thinking it was mine the other day."

"Yeah, yeah," She snaps the band around her wrist, the orange UI lighting her face before she swipes it away, "Don't have too much fun without me, dad still wants to see you before you go back on duty."

"I'm still not going anywhere, not for at least another week, Lali. I'll see him then." With a sound of agreement, Citlali nods at him, and then leaves. Shepard looks nearly relieved, her features softening and gesturing for him to sit where her sister had been, "She's been here since I got admitted properly. My mom's still out on tour right now, my stepfather's trying to jailbreak me. At least Mason keeps his distance."

"Family problems?" He asks.

"No, far from it. I stay in here any longer, I'm either going to lose my mind, or this room is going to be filled with flowers. I don't hate the things, but this is like the sixth bouquet someone's brought me. I asked Mason to take a few, I'm not sure what he did with them," She acknowledges his confused expression, "Mason. My younger brother?"

"Right." He'd have to make a better effort to keep all the names in her family straight, "Feeling alright, ma'am?"

"Fine, honestly. Apparently they're just waiting to remove the stitches, then I can get out of here. Good thing, my stepfather might actually make good on his threat." She says, adjusting the pillow propped up behind her so she can face him, "What brought you all the way here? Not saying I haven't missed your company as of late, but I figured the crew was still recovering themselves."

She's eyeing his cast with a look of concern she really should've saved for herself, "It's fine, really. Just figured I'd come by when you weren't too out of it."

"Thanks. It's been a little lonely with only what I think are Citadel sitcoms. If my sister doesn't, they'll drive me crazy first," Shepard gestures to the set up on the wall, "It is good to see you, Kaidan."

[hellyeahomeland]

“Designated Driver”: an HYH recap

Disappointingly, this episode doesn’t pick up in Carrie’s hotel room after Yevgeny kissed her goodnight. It is the next morning, and she’s speed-walking down a street in Kohat. Her good buddy Arman, whom we met in the premiere, has driven all the way from Kabul to pick her up.

She races into his truck and starts frantically writing on the first piece of paper she can find. It is a real treat to see Claire Danes’ actual handwriting! ...Wait, none of you care about that?

Anyway, Arman is like, hello wtf?? Carrie explains it’s something she heard, evidence actually, and she needs to write it down before she forgets. That’s right, Carrie fucking Mathison was DRUGGED and woke up the next morning and still could recall the crucial climactic ten seconds of that cockpit recording even though right after she shared a steamy kiss with Yevgeny. She is brilliant, and we have no choice but to continue to stan. She asks Arman to drive her to Bagram Airfield back in Afghanistan, and off they go.

In the White House, Hayes, Linus, and Zabel are meeting with the Pakistani ambassador about the rapidly escalating situation on the border. Hayes is his typical uninformed self, Zabel is his typical racist warmonger self, and Linus is his typical silent “have I been swallowed whole by an alligator yet?” self. It’s all very… depressing, to be honest. The ambassador says they’ll defend themselves with all they have if the Americans invade.

Outside the Oval, the ambassador is verging on speechless. Linus says they have to be the grown-ups in the room but suggests that maybe as a show of good faith, they could get that special ops team released from Kohat. Remember? The one that Carrie tricked Jenna into giving up last week. Linus says they are thisclose to oblivion, and I have heartburn.

Back in Pakistan, Jalal is overjoyed that the government is protecting him. Balach, his father’s closest advisor, is like “coolio dude, congrats.” Jalal asks for some advice and Balach says he should gather men and weapons and lay low. Once again, Jalal is offended at the suggestion of hiding. Instead, he asks Balach to find a target (i.e., Americans) for them to attack. Balach refuses—he’s not afraid to fight, in fact he’s been doing it as long as Jalal has been alive. But he’s also not stupid, which Jalal most certainly is. And if this show has told us anything this year, it’s that the dumbest people in the room are the most dangerous.

A few hours later (but really, what is time?) Carrie arrives at Bagram Airfield, which is apparently like an open-air farmer’s market because she just walks right in, no issue. She finds Worley. Man, this episode is making us remember! He’s the mechanic from “Chalk Two Down” who had the pregnant girlfriend and whom Carrie initially suspected of being involved in the helicopter crash. She brings him her rough transcript and asks him to translate. He’s the third person after Saul who seems to give a shit about the flight recorder but confirms what it sounded like last week: the crash was an accident. Fluke mechanical failure due to metal in the engine oil. Carrie asks why they didn’t call in to tell someone what was happening. He answers: “Aviate, navigate, communicate. They never got past step one.”

Then Carrie finally rings Saul.

Saul: Thank God, I’ve been worried sick. Carrie: It was an accident, Saul. Mechanical failure. I’m at Bagram and they just confirmed it. Saul: Jesus. We need to get you and that flight recorder back to DC ASAP. Carrie: Oh, right… I don’t have it. Yevgeny stole it from me. Saul: What’s this transcript then? Carrie: I just Rain Man’d that shit.  Saul: First, I love you. But second, we have nothing. Carrie: You are getting on my last nerve. I’ve risked my sanity, my life, and my reputation for the truth on this fucking flight recorder. I heard it. The Russians have it. These are fucking facts. Don’t tell me that’s nothing. Saul: You have zero credibility, Carrie. You’re somewhere between a rogue agent and a national security threat. Carrie: Ok, Mr. National Security Advisor. Why don’t you do something? Talk to the Russians and figure out their endgame. I’m so fucking tired. Saul: Fine. You should probably turn yourse— Carrie: [click]

At Kabul station, Mike Dunne continues to be the most annoying person alive. He whines to Jenna about Carrie showing up at Bagram, and Carrie shooting down the helicopter, Carrie giving up the special ops team last week, Carrie this, Carrie that. He’s obsessed with Carrie is my point. Jenna tries very hard to Play It Cool but her anxiety about Carrie returning back to Kabul is palpable. It’s only a matter of time before Carrie starts talking and sells Jenna down the river, too.

The show continues to bring back ALL THE MINOR CHARACTERS. Saul meets with the Russian ambassador from last season, the one who couldn’t make anything happen with Carrie’s release. He tells him about Carrie and Yevgeny and the ambassador is like “they were supposed to stay away from each other! Those crazy kids!” It’s very much two dads meeting to talk about their rebellious teenagers and just what are we gonna do about them? Saul asks for his help locating the flight recorder. He says he’ll see what he can do.

He calls Saul later and tells him the Russians don’t know squat. Which Saul knows is a lie. I mean, they both know it’s a lie. We all know it’s a lie. Saul does his best angry, menacing whisper but the ambassador just says that the Russians have what they want.

In Kabul, Carrie is amping up to go New Car Smell on Yevgeny’s ass. She suspects he’s already back in Moscow devising new ways to fuck her over, but she sneaks into his apartment looking for some evidence or clue as to his whereabouts anyway. Surprisingly, the place is completely empty. Afterward, she and Arman wait out a traffic jam in the truck.

Arman: What next? You always know what to do next. Carrie: Not this time. I’ve dug myself a gigantic hole, but I don’t see a way out. Just a few days ago there was a moment where I actually thought I’d done it. I’d won. Now look at me. God, I’m so fucked.

Suddenly, Carrie is grabbed from the truck by two men with guns and thrown into an abandoned building where Yevgeny enters.

Yevgeny: I’m sorry for the ambush. Carrie: You’ve done way worse things to me. Yevgeny: That wasn’t personal. Carrie: Fuck you, it’s always personal. Anyway, you took something from me and I want it back. What’s the price? Yevgeny: Saul asked the same thing. For him, it’s not for sale. For you, I could make a deal. Carrie: Please be less cryptic. Yevgeny: Saul’s been running an agent in the Kremlin for years. Find that agent, and I’ll give you the flight recorder. It’s the only thing worth more to my country than the US self-destructing in Pakistan. Carrie: That person doesn’t exist. Believe me, after all these years, I’d know. Saul probably just made up the story to get you all paranoid. Looks like it worked. Yevgeny: No, he exists. It’s the only explanation. Carrie: Look, even if this person existed, Saul would never give them up. It’s his first and only commandment. You never give up an asset. Yevgeny: I never said it would be easy. Carrie: It’s not that it’s not easy. It’s impossible. I’ll do anything else, but I can’t betray Saul. Yevgeny: Based on recent events, I’d say you can do just about anything.

Back at Jalal’s base, Balach says he’s found a target. He asks Jalal for some men to place an IED. Jalal wants a driver instead. That would make a statement: that they’re not afraid to die. Once again Balach worns that they’re inviting more endless war, but Jalal won’t hear it. He orders Balach to prepare the car, and he’ll find the driver.

In Kabul, Carrie and Arman are parked outside the CIA station. Saul calls Carrie again. He shares the dead end with the ambassador and asks Carrie why the Russians would lie about it. She’s silent and then lies about the meeting with Yevgeny. “I found it, Saul. The truth,” she says. But the truth isn’t much use if no one will listen.

Arman tries to dissuade her from turning herself in. He can get her to Dubai and she can hide out. But she knows that’ll only delay the inevitable, and things are about to get much, much worse. Arman senses a shift—just a few hours ago it was Bagram this, Yevgeny that. Now she seems resigned to her fate. He asks what happened with those two men. “They made me an offer, knowing I’d have to accept.” She thanks him and tearfully hugs him goodbye.

She steps out of the truck then and spots two girls playing in the street. It’s an interesting moment: is she thinking of Franny? Or herself, that fearless little girl Maggie recalled last season? We can’t know for certain, only that she ditches her phone and walks straight  up to the gate at the station and turns herself in: “I’m Carrie Mathison. I’m wanted by the FBI. I’m turning myself in.”

Inside the station, a guilty Jenna has convinced Mike to let her supervise the handover of the special ops team at the border. Then Alan reveals that Carrie just turned herself in. There’s an extended sequence in which

Jenna looks like she’s about to throw up

Mike looks practically giddy at the recent development

Carrie looks like she wants to strangle every single useless person in the building

Balach is overseeing the assembly of the car bomb and notices that Jalal is sharing some food with his two young sons. He asks what the hell is going on and then Jalal tells him that he’s found the driver for the attack: him. Balach refuses.

Jalal: Fine, I’ll just kill your wife and sons anyway. Then I’ll kill you. It’s what my father would have done. Balach: Don’t hurt them. Jalal: They’re the family of a coward who wouldn’t agree with all of my dumb ideas! Balach: I can’t believe how completely terrible you are. Jalal: Look at it this way: you can drive this car and die a martyr. Then your family will be treated with honor. Or you can refuse and you’ll all die. Balach: Give me your word that they’ll be taken care of.

Jalal just nods.

In Interrogation Room #1, Jenna enters to give Carrie some water but it’s Jenna so she’s not able to hide her true motives for long.

Carrie: This little dance we’ve been doing all season has been amusing but it pays off now. Jenna: What? Also what the hell are you doing here? Carrie: I’m turning myself in. Jenna: Why now? By the way, the special ops team that you tricked me into giving up is being freed. Remember them? All that bullshit about a flight recorder— Carrie: It wasn’t bullshit. Jenna: Everything that comes out of your mouth is bullshit. Carrie: Just say what you came in here to say. Jenna: Are you going to give me up? Because I was dumb enough to trust you? Carrie: No. Jenna: How can I know you won’t? Carrie: I thought we already went over this. You can’t know anything for sure. If you’re looking for guarantees, you’re really in the wrong line of work. But I just promised you. Your bosses here will never know you were involved, and that’ll have to be good enough. Jenna: I lovehate you. You still put me in a terrible position. Carrie: Maybe I did. But in my own fucked up way I ended up teaching you a lesson. On the other hand, I have actual problems. And if this is the guiltiest you ever feel, consider yourself lucky. Now go, before the FBI catches you talking to a ~Russian spy~.

Vanessa Kroll—remember her, she’s the I Mean Business FBI investigator from “Two Minutes”—steps into the interrogation room for her turn. Jenna and Mike observe from behind the one-way mirror. She begins to lay out the facts in front of Carrie. Well, I should say “facts.” They’re really just statements about Carrie’s behavior, as told from another vantage point, that make her look really guilty. Carrie plays at the improbability of it all. Carrie singlehandedly convinced Beau Bridges to come to Kabul, then passed off the info to the Russians who passed it off to the Taliban who just happened to be waiting with an RPG.

Carrie is in deep shit and she knows it, but she is remarkably articulate and reminds everyone that she doesn’t fucking work for them and she can talk or engage with anyone she fucking pleases to, thankyouverymuch.

Vanessa: Not when you’re providing aid and comfort to the enemy. Carrie: If you’re talking about Yevgeny Gromov, it’s more like he provided aid and comfort to me. Sara: 😏 Carrie: Anyway, I want a lawyer. Vanessa: Fine, then you’re under arrest. Carrie: Peachy.

In the next room, Jenna is maximum confused. It’s almost like Carrie wanted to be arrested, which obviously begs the question of what she has planned when she gets back to America. Mike continues to possess a quarter of a brain cell and is all, weren’t you going to the border or something or other?

In Saul’s office, Linus gives him the lay of the land. Carrie has just invoked Saul in her defense, and he’s now on a fast track to the same amount of credibility that Carrie herself has: that is to say, zero. They bought some time with the release of that ops team but continuing to give Carrie cover is really bad optics. Saul reveals the whole deal with the flight recorder. Then he admits it’s pretty much all his fault. He was there when she was returned back from the Russians. She didn’t even recognize him. And he took her out of treatment when he knew she wasn’t ready, because there was a job to do and he asked nicely. He can’t turn his back on her now.

The episode closes with an incredibly-edited sequence. While Carrie is escorted out of Kabul station in handcuffs, Jenna arrives at the border where no one knows why she’s there or seems to give a shit.

Meanwhile, Balach approaches in the car and records a video for his wife, soon to be a widow. He’s going to die and he’s been preparing for that reality his whole life. He asks her to forgive him and to make sure that Jalal keeps his word about protecting them, lest he meet the fate of a vengeful God.

Carrie and Vanessa board an airplane headed back for Washington. Carrie struggles with her seatbelt before the zip ties around her wrists are removed. The bus with the special ops team pulls up to the border and the crew sits inside, waiting for the go-ahead. Balach readies the bomb. Carrie’s plane taxis, she exchanges looks with Vanessa. Everything gets very quiet. 

Then Balach starts driving.

He speeds toward the border as soldiers scatter. Someone grabs Jenna and she ducks behind another vehicle. The team in the bus stare out the window. “Move the fucking bus!” they yell. They are sitting ducks as Balach heads straight toward them. The soldiers on the ground fire rounds and rounds at Balach, missing each time. The driver of the bus hurries out, saves himself. Everyone stares as they prepare for the inevitable. Balach screams, moments away from oblivion. His crying sons flash through his mind. He’s doing this for them, remember? He’s giving himself up for them. Then: a crash, an explosion, a flash of white.

Carrie’s plane lifts off. There’s a look of resolve in her eyes as she stares out the window at this place. This place where she fled to escape her grief, so many years ago. This place where, more recently, she fled to escape her trauma. Now she’s leaving and never coming back. Is she a martyr, too? Has she given herself up, for her family, for Saul? Or is it the reverse? Is she about to give them up? She’s exploded her life, in her own way. I would rather you say I was dead. Darkness.

[juju-on-that-yeet]

Unravel, Chapter 9/20

Work Summary: Antisepticeye has a plan to destroy Darkiplier, steal his power, and take over everything - and he might just succeed. What starts with Yandereplier going missing evolves into a messy web of betrayal and grief, of blood and tears, of old wounds and new faces. However this ends, Ego Inc. will never be the same again. Chapter Summary: Yandere finally wakes up and learns what happened while he was away. Warnings: Descriptions of past torture and abuse, intense distress, needles

Read on AO3

Enjoy!

~

Two days after Damien wakes, Yandere follows.

Not much happens between Damien’s awakening and Yandere’s; the egos all meet Damien one by one, they hold a meeting about what can be done, what Anti might be planning. But the conversation is predictably fruitless, and the hope persists among the egos that Yandere might provide another piece to the puzzle, that his time with Anti gave him knowledge on the glitch’s plans.

But when Yandere finally stirs, when his eyes finally open, Dr. Iplier isn’t thinking about that. He can’t rightly think at all through the relief that breaks open his chest, the rush of love that flows out and consumes him. That love turns electric as Yandere’s head turns to look at him with clear brown eyes, eyes free of static, eyes wide with awe over the sense that his mind is his own again.

“…Dad?” he asks, voice small, wavering, hoarse from disuse.

“I’m here, sweetheart,” Dr. Iplier murmurs, only half-aware of the tears starting to drip down his cheeks. He reaches out from where he sits at Yandere’s bedside and cups Yandere’s cheeks, just as he did all that time ago when Yandere was still being puppeted. “You’re home, you’re safe now. Anti’s not here to hurt you anymore.”

There’s a long moment as the gears in Yandere’s mind turn and his eyes fill with tears. Hope simmers there, hope and fear, fear that he’s only dreaming, that he’s imagining Dr. Iplier in front of him. It spears Dr. Iplier’s heart, reminds him of that night so long ago when Yandere was new, when he’d been lost and homeless for a month, when he’d so desperately wanted Dr. Iplier’s kindness but didn’t know if he could trust it. He’s on the tail end of another month of strife, facing Dr. Iplier with that familiar doubt. Dr. Iplier strokes Yandere’s cheeks with his thumbs and offers him a gentle, watery smile.

The tears in Yandere’s eyes finally spill over as he starts to sob and reach for Dr. Iplier. Dr. Iplier in turn wraps his arms around Yandere, hugs him close, and Yandere hugs back, clinging to his father’s shoulders, weeping, loud and aching but full of cathartic relief. Dr. Iplier sobs, too, all his grief and worry and fear cracking him open and laying him bare. It’s all he can do to clutch Yandere to his chest, to stroke his hair, to keep an arm braced around his back, feeling his boy tremble with emotion in his arms.

His boy, his child, his baby, here and whole at last.

Dr. Iplier doesn’t know how long they stay like that. Time doesn’t matter to him now, not with Yandere holding desperately onto him. Eventually, though, they each spend their tears; Dr. Iplier first and then Yandere some minutes later. Dr. Iplier had expected as much: His baby has more to cry over than Dr. Iplier did even on the worst days. But after some time, they’re left still holding each other, looser but still close, still anxious to hold on. Dr. Iplier rocks gently back and forth, swaying Yandere with him, and they both relax as much they’re able, given what they’re both thinking.

“I’m sorry I never saw him getting to you,” Dr. Iplier whispers, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize anything was wrong.”

“I should’ve said something the first time I heard static in my headphones,” Yandere replies, voice still weak and rough. “But I just ignored it, and then suddenly I just…forgot it was something to worry about.” He pauses. “It happened over a long while. I don’t remember how long, but Guritchi…” Glitch. Yandere shudders. His grip gets tighter on Dr. Iplier’s lab coat as he continues. “Guritchi was patient. Then he came out of my TV like, like the fucking Grudge, and he told me to go with him, and I did.”

Dr. Iplier kisses the top of Yandere’s head, lets his lips linger there. He can feel Yandere vibrating with shame and rage, and tries to rock it away, gentle and slow.

“We didn’t see him take you,” Dr. Iplier murmurs into Yandere’s hair. “There was a storm going on, and a blackout…all the cameras showed was that you were there one moment and gone the next.” He closes his eyes, remembering that night, remembering Google coming into his clinic to tell him that his son was missing. “The others searched for you everywhere. They confronted Anti first, but they couldn’t find you at his hideout, or anywhere around it.”

“I was somewhere different,” Yandere says, calmer but not by much, “Somewhere new I’d never seen before. I don’t know where it was. Even looking back, there was nothing…nothing identifying in that place. It was just this shitty wood cabin with only a few rooms.” He stiffens in Dr. Iplier’s arms. “He mostly kept me in one of them.”

Dr. Iplier is quiet for a long moment. He doesn’t want to make Yandere relive his trauma, doesn’t want to ask what Anti did to him. But it could help Yandere to talk about it, for Yandere’s always been a talkative soul, always gained comfort from discussing his problems. After some silent moments, Yandere pulls out of Dr. Iplier’s loose and gentle hold to settle back in bed, sitting and wrapping his arms around himself instead of Dr. Iplier. Dr. Iplier, for his part, already feels a little cold without his boy against his chest, but he lets Yandere pull away, keeps his hands to himself for now. Yandere’s expression is one of numbness, one Dr. Iplier sees in accident victims as they process what just happened to them.

“I remember most of it,” Yandere mumbles. “Sometimes he’d do something to my brain that just…made static float in my head. I couldn’t focus on anything or pay any attention. Apparently I still listened to Guritchi when he did it, though. He’d do that to my head for a while, make me lose time, and ask me what just happened or what I just did. And he’d laugh when I couldn’t tell him. But most of the time, he’d just…He’d just hurt me.” Yandere tightens his grip on his own arms, nails digging in. His expression turns haunted. “He’d hurt me, and he’d make me thank him for it.”

“What?” Dr. Iplier, horrified, can’t stop himself from asking. Yandere answers, looking at him with round, terrified eyes.

“All the conditioning he did made me like him. I didn’t see him as a threat anymore, he was someone I wanted to impress, someone I…I wanted to serve. He became like a senpai to me, but…but not, because I didn’t love him, exactly. He was…shujin. Master. I only existed to do as he commanded. I wanted his praise. I didn’t care what I had to do to earn it.” Tears, no longer relieved but hot and angry, run down Yandere’s cheeks. “I didn’t think about anyone else. I forgot you, and my friends, my brothers, Yami, I forgot Yami…” He shuts his eyes. “I only knew Guritchi. He’d torture me and insult me and laugh at me and I’d love it because he was touching me and interacting with me. Sometimes he made me beg for him to hurt me. Sometimes he made me thank him. I never refused.” He pauses, opens his eyes. “Well, I refused him once. When I’d only been with him for a couple days, I think. He told me to drink something, I forget what was in it, but it was some sort of…pesticide, or something. I knew that, so I asked if I really had to.” He shudders, remembering. “So Guritchi grabbed me, slammed my head into a wall, and poured it into my mouth while I was too dazed to stop him. I was puking and convulsing for hours. After it wore off and I was just laying there, he left me in that room alone for…for a whole day, maybe. I don’t know how long. There weren’t any windows. But it was a long time. And I fucking missed him. And when he finally came back in, I just…I groveled. I begged for his forgiveness. He laughed at me, but he gave it, and the past however-long I’d been alone and suffering felt worth it.” Yandere glares into the distance, eyes red with rage. “It felt worth it if it made me worth something to him.”

“Oh, baby,” Dr. Iplier gasps. He lets himself reach out to Yandere, wipe away the nearest tears, sweep his hand around to Yandere’s hair, tangling his fingers there. His other hand goes to Yandere’s, smoothing his white knuckles, helping him ease the vice grip he has on his arm. After a few moments of attention, Yandere finally relaxes, leaning into Dr. Iplier’s chest, letting his father hold him again. Yandere doesn’t reach for him this time, merely stays still against him, eventually letting out a sigh.

“The last thing I remember,” Yandere murmurs, “Was Guritchi telling me we were going somewhere, and putting the static in my head. Then suddenly I was waking up here.” He cranes his head up to look at Dr. Iplier. His eyes are starting to fade back to brown, his angry tears have subsided. “How long has it been?”

“Well, a week, since Anti brought you back,” Dr. Iplier replies, “But you were gone for a month.”

Yandere closes his eyes, lets out a shuddery breath.

“But Guritchi just…brought me back?” he asks.

“As far as we can tell, yes,” Dr. Iplier says. “I was there, but I…I don’t remember much. But he…” Dr. Iplier takes a deep breath. “He did something else, too.”

The lie that Dr. Iplier doesn’t remember comes out so automatically, even in talking to his boy. But it’s not too late to tell the truth. Yandere can be the first person Dr. Iplier tells about everything, about Anti’s plan and how he helped it happen.

But Yandere’s eyes go wide and curious, but nervous, like he knows bad news is coming. Dr. Iplier’s boy, his baby, scarred up and down all over but still so sweet, so trusting in his father. Dr. Iplier is already about to break his heart, he can’t make himself break Yandere’s trust.

“What happened?” Yandere asks, voice small again, and a pit settles in Dr. Iplier’s stomach.

He won’t be telling the truth. Not now. Not today.

“Dark was in the clinic,” Dr. Iplier begins, “He’d gotten hurt in a fight with Infelix. He and Wilford confronted him to look for you,” he explains as Yandere’s brows furrow in confusion. “They didn’t find you, but Dark got injured, and he had to stay in the clinic for a while. But while he was here, Anti came.” He mentally braces himself for the lie he’s repeated a dozen times. “I don’t know what happened, I can’t remember, but he…did something. Something to Dark.”

“What??” Yandere asks, eyes going huge. He pulls away from Dr. Iplier again, sitting straight up with sudden nerves. “What happened to Yami!?”

Dr. Iplier takes a deep breath. He takes both of Yandere’s hands in his.

“Anti split him apart somehow,” Dr. Iplier murmurs. “He pulled Dark’s aura away from him and took it. He left Damien, Celine, and the DA’s body behind. The DA’s body crumbled away, but Damien and Celine are here. Celine’s in a coma, and Damien woke up a couple days ago. But Dark…Dark’s gone. He’s been torn apart. It’s more than that he died, he just…doesn’t exist anymore.” Dr. Iplier squeezes Yandere’s hands. “I’m so sorry, honeybee.”

Yandere stares at Dr. Iplier for many long seconds. His face is unreadable. Then his face splits into an awkward grin and he laughs, loud and strained.

“Haha, that’s so weird, Dad!” Yandere cackles, eyes too bright. “You’re not very good at joking. That’s just way too out there for anyone to believe! There’s no way something like that could happen. No way. Not to Yami.” There’s something hard in his gaze. “Not to Yami.”

“It’s true, baby,” Dr. Iplier tells him, squeezing his hands again. “I’m so, so sorry, but it’s all true. Dark’s gone.” He feels tears gathering in his eyes again. “Dark’s gone, Yandere.”

Yandere’s laughter dies, and the grin drops into a tight, sharp frown. His brows furrow, tears collect in his eyes. His irises are suddenly so red they burn to look at.

“No,” he gasps, “He can’t be gone, he can’t…I just got home, he was looking for me, he has to come see me, he–” His breath hitches. “He can’t be dead. He’s my senpai. He’s everything. He can’t just die, he can’t just be gone, I never–” He yanks his hands away from Dr. Iplier’s to grab his own head, tangle his fingers into his hair, eyes wild. “I haven’t spoken to him in weeks, I didn’t say goodbye, he can’t be gone, he’s senpai, he’s so powerful, he’s so much stronger than Anti, he – he – he–” Yandere starts hyperventilating.

“Sweetheart, shh,” Dr. Iplier murmurs, reaching for him again, trying to help him breathe.

But Yandere shies away, and then, all at once, throws back the covers of his hospital bed and dashes away.

“Yandere!!” Dr. Iplier shouts. He leaps up and runs after him.

Yandere runs all over the clinic, looking in every room as Dr. Iplier fruitlessly calls to him. Before long, Yandere finds Celine’s room, and he sobs to see her, because now he knows.

Celine and Dark could never exist separately. Dark has to be gone.

“No, no, no,” Yandere gasps, “Not Yami, not Yami–!”

Dr. Iplier watches his child’s heart snap in two, hears him wail, loud and haunting.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Dr. Iplier murmurs through tears, putting his hands on Yandere’s shoulders, trying to steer him out of Celine’s room and back to his own. “You shouldn’t be out of bed yet, you’re still recovering–”

Yandere shouts, wordless and agonized, and tears out of Dr. Iplier’s grip to bolt out of the clinic.

“Yandere, where–!” Dr. Iplier yells, not bothering to finish his question as he runs after him.

He can only barely keep Yandere in his sights; Yandere is much faster than Dr. Iplier, lighter and more agile, and he leaves the clinic in a blur. Dr. Iplier keeps after him, watches him rush down the hall, finding Wilford’s studio. Dr. Iplier wonders why for a moment, then realizes: Wilford, right now, must be with Damien. Wilford is so often in the studio, so there must Damien be, too.

Dr. Iplier mutters a curse and tries to run faster.

He bursts in just in time to see Yandere catch sight of Damien, who’s standing by Wilford and the Jims, talking amicably. They look up to see Yandere, and Wilford’s face breaks into a grin to see his little brother awake and well. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can–

“You!!” Yandere yells, glaring daggers at Damien. Damien shrinks back as though wounded. The Jims scatter, fleeing deeper into the studio, afraid of Yandere’s anger.

“Y–” Damien starts, but cuts himself off.

Because Yandere charges.

He rushes at Damien, sword out. Damien cowers, back against the wall. Wilford blips out of view, then reappears in Yandere’s path. He grabs Yandere before he can change direction. Yandere’s momentum sends him hanging over Wilford’s shoulder. He kicks and struggles but can’t break free. He screams in frustration and throws his katana at Damien. Damien jumps away just in time. The sword sinks into the wall where he used to be standing.

Yandere howls again, continues to fight Wilford’s hold, but Wilford is much stronger than him. Dr. Iplier’s heart hammers from the scare as he runs to Yandere and Wilford. Damien stays where he is, fear and concern mingling in his expression. Wilford is no longer so happy to see Yandere, now that he’s struggling to contain him, struggling to see his grief.

“Yanny, what in the–” he begins, but Yandere cuts him off.

“What the hell are you doing here!?” He screams at Damien, vibrant red eyes boring into Damien’s frightened brown ones. “Why are you here?? Where’s Yami? Where is he? Give him back! Give him back to me!!” He throws his head back in another wail. “Give me back my senpai!!”

He continues raving, mindless in his grief, and Wilford’s expression turns downcast, sad. Dr. Iplier imagines his own expression must be mirroring Wilford’s. There’s no talking to Yandere when he’s this upset, this much of a risk to others.

Dr. Iplier pulls something out of his lab coat pocket: A syringe, with a little bottle of sedative. In a place with people as volatile and violent as the egos, it never hurts to be prepared, and Dr. Iplier always has sedatives on him in case he needs them. He looks at Yandere, still wailing, and looks back to Wilford again. Wilford purses his lips but nods.

For all of Yandere’s struggling, Wilford’s grip is strong, and his position over Wilford’s shoulders means he can’t see Dr. Iplier coming. It’s not physically difficult to approach Yandere, to poke the needle into his neck. Yandere feels it and yelps, more out of surprise than anything else, and arches away. But Dr. Iplier’s hand is steady, and he follows Yandere’s movement.

“I’m sorry,” Dr. Iplier whispers for what feels like the hundredth time. But what else can he say?

He can’t help but think about the last injection he gave to an ego.

But this isn’t the same, this is for Yandere’s own good. Soon after Dr. Iplier removes the needle from Yandere’s neck, Yandere starts to tire. His writhing and raging subside into soft trembling and quiet muttering. Damien feels brave enough to approach as Yandere starts to fall into sleep. Damien’s no longer afraid, but astonished, maybe a little guilty. About a minute after the injection, Yandere finally succumbs to the sedative, going limp, draped over Wilford’s shoulder.

Wilford maneuvers Yandere off from over his shoulder and into his arms to hold him properly, face twisted up with emotion.

“You told him,” he says to Dr. Iplier.

“I had to,” Dr. Iplier replies.

Damien says nothing.

“Hey, why don’t you go find the Jims, Dames?” Wilford says to him, trying to smile. “The little scamps can’t have gone far.”

“I…” Damien has a hundred questions written on his face, but he settles for “Okay.”

Dr. Iplier and Wilford take Yandere back to the clinic, back to his bed there. Wilford goes to let the others know that Yandere is awake, and how he reacted to what happened in his absence. Dr. Iplier checks him over, making sure he hasn’t aggravated any of his old wounds. Physically, though, Yandere is still perfectly whole.

Dr. Iplier can only hope that Yandere will be more mentally stable when he wakes up.

~~~

Denial.

Yandere got through that phase of his grief as quickly as it came on. Seeing Celine and Damien proved without a shred of doubt that Dark was gone. Dr. Iplier, at least, knows that Yandere fully understands the situation…even if he doesn’t like it.

While he sleeps off the sedation, Chrome and Yancy come into the room to see Yandere, to be there for him when he wakes. Dr. Iplier sees Chrome’s eyes flicker to Yandere’s wrists and ankles, and he knows what Chrome is looking for: Straps. Were Yandere any other patient, Dr. Iplier would’ve put restraints on him by now. But Yandere is still his baby, still getting through something traumatic, and Dr. Iplier doesn’t want to hurt him further. Surely Yandere will be calmer when he wakes?

Anger.

He is not.

Yandere wakes screaming.

Before Dr. Iplier can reach out to comfort him, Yandere leaps out of bed and tries to run again, to hunt down Damien again. Chrome manages to catch him and wrestle him back into bed as Yandere spits and howls and sobs. He writhes too much for restraints to be put on and he won’t hear anyone’s words of comfort. Dr. Iplier is forced to sedate him yet again, and Yandere goes down fighting, his flailing and kicking dying down slowly, until his head sluggishly rolls back into the pillow and his strength gives in to sleep. Chrome bears it all with a hard grimace, like he couldn’t smile even if one commanded him to. Yancy watches in abject terror. He’s never seen Yandere so unhinged, so mad with despair. It reminds him too much of his own deep-set problems with anger, and he has to leave not long after for his own sake. Chrome stays, though, helping Dr. Iplier put the restraints on Yandere’s wrists and ankles, strapping them to the bed. Dr. Iplier still feels terrible for it, but it’s obvious they’re necessary.

When Yandere wakes again, he’s just as angry and loud as he was before. His back arches off the bed as he howls, desperately trying to kick, to free himself of the thick straps. Even at his full strength they’d be near-impossible to break, but after a month of being tortured and half-starved by Anti, Yandere doesn’t have a hope of breaking free. Chrome and Dr. Iplier both try to talk to him, try to pet his hair and wipe his tears, but Yandere hardly seems aware of them.

Bargaining.

Grief is not linear. Dr. Iplier has seen enough grieving relatives to know this. Even the so-called five stages mix and meld, sometimes happen out of order.

Yandere’s rage is not wordless: He’s hard to understand through the wracking sobs and the wails, and half his words are in Japanese, but he does still speak. Nor is his rage aimless: He does not solely curse the universe for taking his true love from him and beg for it to return him. He screams about Anti, too, howls out threats to ruin him for killing Dark, for stealing what was never meant to be his. But Yandere also rails against Damien, as he did before, rails against Celine, too. Spits horrific threats and insults, blames their existence for Dark’s nonexistence, demands they make this right, demands Dark’s life for theirs.

It’s not a rational anger, of course, but Yandere is beyond rationality now. It’s a disturbing side of him to see, especially for Dr. Iplier, someone who knows Yandere as his sweet, loving son. Chrome is perturbed too, but much less so. He’s spent many nights rolling heads with Yandere, he knows how far removed his brother is from normal humanity. But Dr. Iplier sees the injuries Yandere brings back from those fights. He sees the tears he sheds after nightmares. He sees the nervous way he twists his hands when he’s admitting to feeling useless. Dr. Iplier has always known, objectively, that Yandere has something wrong in his mind, something chaotic, erratic, dangerous. But it’s always hard to match it to the sweet boy he knows, and that’s never been harder to do than it is now.

Because his baby is distressed, traumatized from a month of torture and mind control, weeping from the loss of his greatest and only love. But he’s also writhing like a feral animal against his restraints, saying the vilest things against Damien and Celine, two people who didn’t ask for this either.

Eventually, Chrome is summoned away by the other Googles. Dr. Iplier has a feeling they don’t truly need him for anything; they just want to get him some space away from Yandere’s suffering. Even if the others haven’t been told about his waking, they must know about it by now with his screams ringing throughout the building. Dr. Iplier is left sitting by his child, unable to comfort or calm him, burying his face in his hands and crying too, sharing his grief.

Dr. Iplier doesn’t lift his head again until he hears Yandere’s wail uptick into a brief, pained yelp. He looks at Yandere to find that he’s managed to dislocate his own shoulder in his mindless struggling. Dr. Iplier tries in vain to get Yandere to lie still and allow him to pop his shoulder back into place, but Yandere merely continues to sob and howl and struggle away from the doctor’s gentle hands. Dr. Iplier has no choice but to put him under for the third time.

Not completely, though. It’s risky using so much sedation in such a short period of time. The third injection is mild enough to let Yandere stay half-awake, but strong enough to turn his muscles into jelly. He mumbles incomprehensibly, disoriented, and Dr. Iplier frees his wrist to push his arm back into its socket. He doesn’t want to restrain it again, lest Yandere damage his shoulder further, so he lets that wrist stay free and hopes Yandere won’t be able to escape.

It takes a few minutes for the partial sedation to wear off, and in the meantime, Dr. Iplier is finally able to offer comfort that Yandere can’t ignore. He strokes Yandere’s hair and whispers to him, promises to be there for him, to give him whatever he needs.

Depression.

When Yandere comes out of his sedation, he has no more screams left. His voice is hoarse and cracked, wheezy and rough. He cannot fling curses and threats any longer. He has no voice, so strength.

Instead, he cries.

Wordless, aching sobs, deep haunting wails from the depths of his skinny chest, weeping that seems endless. Dr. Iplier is intimately familiar with how much blood and bile can fit in a person. He’d thought he’d seen enough crying relatives to know the depth of tears, too, but Yandere’s weeping seem eternal. Wet spots appear on his pillow, on either side of his face, as tears pour out. He doesn’t struggle against the restraints anymore. Just lies there and cries.

Dr. Iplier can’t tell if this is better or worse than the Yandere who hollered and raged.

Eventually, when he’s sure Yandere won’t try to run again, he undoes all the restraints and gathers his boy into his arms to comfort him. Yandere doesn’t protest, just curls his fingers into Dr. Iplier’s shirt and burrows his head into his chest, like if he buries himself deep enough into Dr. Iplier’s embrace he won’t be able to feel the pain anymore. Dr. Iplier sits in Yandere’s bed, rocks Yandere back and forth, whispers and shushes, cuddles and kisses.

Dr. Iplier is crying, too, but he manages to keep most of the shakiness out of his voice. His boy’s distress rips open his heart like nothing has before. But it’s more than that: It’s the lie still sitting in his chest, still sheltered, kept behind his ribs, sharp against his cracked-open heart. It bleeds guilt into his chest cavity.

“I did this to him,” he thinks as he holds Yandere’s trembling, whimpering form, “I took the man he loves from him.”

But surely this is better than the alternative? Surely this is better than Yandere lying dead, rotting in the windowless room of Anti’s cabin?

Acceptance.

Dr. Iplier doesn’t know if Yandere will ever accept Dark’s death. He certainly hasn’t yet. This is proven after Yandere’s been crying for hours, into the night, and he finally, finally runs dry. He stays clutching onto Dr. Iplier, though, soaking up his comfort.

“Do you think,” he whispers, voice nearly gone from all his screaming and sobbing, “There’s a way to bring Yami back?” He looks up at Dr. Iplier with big, desperate, red-rimmed eyes. “Maybe if we get his aura back, can we make him again?”

“I…I don’t know,” Dr. Iplier answers truthfully, “Nothing like this has happened before. The DA’s body is gone, but maybe…” He thinks. “Maybe if we can find a new way to give Dark a body, all the other parts of him can come together again.”

Yandere relaxes a little to hear it, then yawns, snuggling into Dr. Iplier’s chest. Dr. Iplier laughs quietly, the first time he’s laughed in a long time. Love blooms in his chest as he gives Yandere a squeeze.

“Normally I’d have you sleep here alone, since you’re still healing,” Dr. Iplier says, “But…I think I’ll stay with you, if you want.”

“Yeah,” Yandere replies, smiling a little. His first smile since he woke up from his coma. “I’d like that a lot.”

Dr. Iplier leaves only briefly to put on sleepwear before turning off the clinic’s lights and climbing into the hospital bed alongside Yandere. The bed is warm from Yandere’s body heat, and not quite big enough for two, but they manage to fit together without much difficulty. Dr. Iplier holds him again, and Yandere holds on in return, tucking his head under Dr. Iplier’s chin.

“Love you,” Yandere mumbles, clearly already half-asleep.

“I love you too, so much,” Dr. Iplier replies, with a heart fit to burst. “I’m so happy you’re here again.” He kisses Yandere’s hair.

A pause, as Yandere thinks.

“What am I gonna do without Yami?” he finally asks, voice resigned and tired.

“You’ll be okay,” Dr. Iplier reassures him, “Me and the others are here for you. We’ll do whatever we can to get Dark back and…and you’ll be okay, no matter what happens.”

A kinder way of saying that life is still worth living, even if Dark can no longer be in it.

Yandere responds with a noncommittal hum before finally falling asleep.

Dr. Iplier follows suit.

[thedistantstorm]

Dawning Delights 04: The Sounds of the Season

Summary: Hawthorne invites her newfound family in the Tower to experience a City-Style Dawning with the family that took her in years ago. The holiday is not without it’s charm, or aggravation, and certainly has plenty of surprises in store. A season-inspired, trope-tastic story about a family forged by something greater than blood, finding reasons to enjoy the season - and cherish each other. Main Post

Pairings: Hawthorne/Zavala, Sloane/Amanda, Devrim/Marc

Updated every Tuesday/Friday & both holiday eve and days for Christmas and New Years.

-/

Something is different about the Tower. There’s usually some manner of ruckus, chaos, or conflict that puts the entirety of the wall on high alert, but this is nothing like that. Things are almost… tranquil. Guardians are running around as usual, but Zavala cannot discern any immediate threat or danger, only that there is a deviation beyond the decorations within the Tower proper.

He lingers a few minutes longer. Then, deciding not to press the issue, he heads to the Bazaar to speak with Ikora.

Upon his arrival to the other open air area of the Tower, he discovers that something seems off here, too. However, he’s distracted by Ikora’s presence beside Hawthorne, upon her ledge.  Whatever they’re conversing about, it doesn’t seem to be serious. Suraya’s shoulders are back, not raised and uncomfortable.

He strides up the steps to the tiny ledge, together the three of them are very nearly crowded together.

“Ah,” Ikora hums, stepping into the doorway that leads up to an upper patio. “Good morning, Commander.”

“Hey,” Suraya says, far less formal. “What’s up?”

“Do you notice anything strange?” He asks them both.

“Oh, we have,” Ikora nods. “I’ve heard that infuriating about a hula hoop five times in the last two hours.”

“Song?”

Hawthorne gestures to a speaker woven seamlessly into the bits and baubles that decorate the Tower. “Holiday songs. Golden age ones. I don’t know who this ‘Alvin’ or his ‘Chipmunks’ are, but they’re a special kind of torture.”

“I agree.” Ikora waves a hand. “Perhaps if we send our fireteams out with this heinous assault to the senses our enemies would give up and leave the system.”

“I don’t think a song would-”

The Warlock Vanguard interrupts, her voice stern. “Just wait. You’ll understand it, I assure you.”

-/

It's a catchy song from a dead religion. It takes two hours for him to hear the song on the Tower PA - apparently Ikora had sent Ophiuchus to intervene - but when he does, the strange, high-pitched quality of their voices is incredibly irritating. The melody is… something.

Before he knows it, it's stuck in his head.

Even his Ghost can't take it.

She appears before him, annoyed. "I'm going to see if Eva will turn this off. Or at least change it to something - anything else,” She says aloud, annoyed. “If we have to listen to this for the next two weeks, I don't know what I'll do."

He doesn't get a word in before she zips off, delicately drifting over the heads of officers and Guardians to seek out the celebration's mistress of ceremonies.

When she returns, he feels it. She does not linger in the physical realm.

"Apparently, the frames really like them."

"Like whom?" Zavala thinks back through their link.

"Those... chipmunks."

Zavala turns to look out over the City, and does his best to clear his mind. He has another hour before his lunch hour and the entirety of his afternoon are double booked with meetings and office appointments. Even with centuries of practice in meditation, he cannot seem to escape the abysmal melodies that play.

Across the way, Shaxx is shouting sharply, irked more than usual. Meanwhile, Arcite sways happily to the beat of a song about silver and gold that makes no sense.

He's nearly tuned it all out when:

"ARCITE, IF YOU SING THAT CHORUS ONE MORE TIME, I WILL THROW YOU OVER THE BLOODY RAILING!"

Zavala blinks his eyes away from the Core, white and shining in the distance. He knows that's an empty threat. Arcite is Shaxx's most trusted, unendingly loyal partner. But an outburst like that is bound to cause more harm than good for the Guardians in the Crucible, and, more importantly, Zavala needs to get him sorted out before-

"Nothing changes around here, I see," Comes a growl, further back. Shaxx falls silent, crossing his arms and scoffing.

"Arcite," Shaxx croons almost lovingly to the frame, "Forget I said anything. Sing, dance, enjoy the season." Quieter, he asks, "And see if you can't get the frame in charge of the PA system to play more of those offensive tracks with those squeaking rodents. I'm sure the old man will love them."

Zavala rubs his temples. He can already tell half of his afternoon will be mediating their squabbles. Between meetings in which he is also mediating other people's squabbles. At least his office does not have one of those speakers routed through it.

-/

Suraya returns home late. Nothing of issue, just much to do, and not enough time in the day. He's already in bed, but the sound of the door opening is enough to put him on alert and set aside his crochet. Unlike her, he does know when to set aside his projects before he falls asleep.

He hears the sound of her footfalls, quiet, almost silent across the wood floor. She brushes her teeth, washes her face, and returns to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. Then, he knows, she comes to the bedroom, quietly pushing open the door for fear of waking him on the off chance he's nodded off.

"Hey," She whispers, not needing to be loud.

"Hello." He pats the bed beside him and she begins shucking off her clothes.

When she's down to undergarments, she trades the top half for a shirt that doesn't belong to her and slips between the blankets he's peeled away to welcome her in. "So," She begins, grinning, "How much do you love me?"

He tsks. "That depends. How many laws have you broken?"

"None," She chimes brightly. "Changed woman." Her eyes search his. "Thought you knew that."

"Mmm," He hums indulgently. "And yet, when you ask me something like this, I can't help but wonder what fires I'll be putting out come first light."

"Again, none." He looks at her with the full weight of his gaze, every ounce Vanguard Commander. She doesn't back down, which comes as a relief. Instead, she yields, "I mean, the frames might be a little upset."

"The frames?"

She pushes herself against him, tucking her head against the pillow and looking up at him. He can see the exhaustion on her features from this angle. "I stopped by to see my dad. Grabbed an," She rolls her eyes but her lips quirk into a quick, tiny smile, "Alternative to what the frames have been playing all day. Should be just light enough to keep everyone from a murderous rampage, but also satisfy the frames and their very weird desire to hear bells jingling and whatnot."

"The frames can-"

She nods into his bare chest. "I also asked Ikora to help encrypt the files. They need her security clearance. I offered to add yours, but she's confident no one will get past her."

Suraya pushes his chest, and he rolls onto his back without protest. Despite her tiredness, she swings herself atop him. "So," She asks again, cheeky, "How much do you love me?"

Blue eyes meet hers intently. "You're incredible," He breathes, hands finding her hips. She tilts her head back, anticipating his response, but he flips them, letting her sink into the mattress. She does so bonelessly, eyes sinking shut and opening slowly a few seconds later. "Sleep."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"You know I love you," He rumbles, low and rough, pulling the duvet up and over her. He decides not to comment that she’d absolutely have acted outside of her jurisdiction and used his encryption codes if Ikora had decided it necessary.

"Mmm," She agrees, waiting for him to turn out the lights before scooching a little closer to him. "But how much?" She asks, her words slurring when he nudges his knees against the back of hers, pulling her against him in a loose, one-armed embrace.

"Enough to show my gratitude to you in the morning, Suraya."

"That's a lot," She decides.

He chuckles, soft and warm in her ear. "You have no idea."

-/

"I need to speak with you," Zavala bids him early the next morning. The fires crackle and pop, creating a thick heat that warms Saladin's entire area. Beneath them, Shaxx is already yelling, though he stops to holler a hearty greeting to the Clan Stewardess as she heads to her post for the morning.

"About?" Saladin is curt, but it does not bother Zavala. He's used to things being nearly terse and rather business-like within the confines of the Tower. Though the Iron Lord holds no actual title of power in the City, he is treated as though he does.

"A matter for the holiday." He lowers his voice. "Suraya is having everyone over to her family's home."

Saladin's stern nature is unyielding. "And she wishes to invite me?"

"We both would," Zavala intones. "It's hardly a secret that we have been seeing each other."

"And we're to celebrate with her family.”

"Yes. A casual affair. Food, drink, and found family, as she calls it."

He strokes his chin once. "Hm. That's all?"

"Yes," Zavala agrees. "We aren't doing gifts or anything like that."

"And?"

Zavala muses, "Shaxx is invited, but Amanda has dedicated herself to keeping him in line."

Saladin's eyes narrow. "Anything else?"

"Not that I am aware of."

"You're sure?" Saladin's right eyebrow rises almost imperceptibly.

The Commander shakes his head. "It may get out of hand, I was told these things do," He supposes to his old mentor. "Please don't feel obligated to attend, we just wished to extend the invitation-"

"Obviously I'm going to attend," Saladin interjects. The Iron Lord resists the urge to roll his eyes. "Tell her I would be honored." He turns Zavala around with a wide palm, and Zavala straightens when a large arm bars across his upper back to usher him away. "Let's walk and talk, shall we?" Saladin's usual growl turns lower. "You're sure there's nothing else about this gathering I need to know?"

"I don't believe so."

"No surprises?"

Zavala turns his head to regard his mentor's face, his lips pursing for a second. "I am working on bringing Devrim home, as a surprise for Suraya, but that is a secret. No one knows."

Saladin hums. When they're further away from everyone, overlooking the mountains beyond the wall, he releases Zavala, tucking one fist into the other hand behind his back. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. His head tilts, waiting. "And?"

"And what?"

"Try again, and remember that I speak to Tyra quite frequently."

"Tyra?"

"Tyra Karn-"

Zavala waves a hand. "I know, I know, but-" He stops abruptly, falling still. Those earnest blue eyes are blown wide, glowing brighter in momentary panic.

"There it is," Saladin mutters in his usual growl.

"Devrim would not have told her," Zavala hastily replies.

"He didn't have to. You came looking for him." He doesn't quite smirk back at Zavala, but his gaze is amused. "You may as well waved a flag with your intentions on it."

"I was cautious," Zavala points out.

"Certainly," Saladin barks, "But she doesn't miss a trick." He thumps the other Titan once on the back. There is a passing silence, then, "Well? Explain yourself this instant!"

Zavala jumps, quick to make eye contact and collect his thoughts so that he can comply with the request.

He's nervous, Saladin realizes, but he cannot help himself. As Zavala begins outlining his plan (taking great care to confirm no one is around to overhear), Saladin graces him with the rarest of smiles, proud and true.

"This is what you want?" He asks his former charge, when he's finished. It's a loaded question, but Saladin knows Zavala would consider every angle, even the less pleasant ones of a decision like this. It cannot be taken lightly.

"Yes," Zavala’s reply is immediate. "More than I have wanted anything else." Thoughtful, but without hesitation. Zavala is sure to meet his eyes, to hold Saladin's scrutinous gaze.

The last of the Iron Lords nods. His arm comes around Zavala's back again, squeezing once before releasing. He allows himself to feel that bittersweet feeling, let it honey the gravel in his voice. "Then make it so."

Back to Main Fic Post

[emma-nation]

Thinking Of You (Mona x MC Fanfiction) - Chapter 8

You said move on Where do I go? I guess second best Is all I will know

Summary: Years later, Allison has everything she wants, a brand-new internship as a doctor, a handsome boyfriend… but her first nightshift won’t go as expected…

Genre: Romance, Angst

Tag list: @zoe6111, @simsvetements, @mvrinettes, @whoinvitedalx, @scarlet-letter-a0114, @abunchofbadchoices, @kamilahmademedoit, @janurary, @talkinlikeateen, @eagle-one-1, @andreear17, @tia-bi, @monagf, @monahott, @fal-carrington, @crazzyplays, @honorablebicycle​, @teja-desai​ (let me know if you want to be tagged!)

Notes:

- English is not my first language, forgive me for any mistakes.

“Party, Allison?” Mr. Wheeler questioned. “This is how you intend to catch a serial killer? By taking her to a party?”

“Dad, first we need to get the seller,” she explained. “And what place is better than a party to catch a drug dealer?”

“I did not assigned you to the mission so you could hang out with her. You have a fiancé, don’t you remember? And besides, there will be alcohol, sex and...”

“We’re no longer teenagers, dad. We know what we’re doing, right Mona?”

Mona was not even paying attention. She was sitting on the couch, focused on Allison’s laptop. She wasn’t hearing a single word of the argument, she just kept a concentrated look on the screen, while she typed uninterrupted.

“What?” She finally asked. “In case the two of you haven’t noticed, I have an essay to finish.”

“You don’t have to worry about it,” Mr. Wheeler told. “Bring me more suspects, more evidence. This is what you’re supposed to be doing in college. Once the mission is over, you’re out.”

“Right, I forgot that wasn’t for people like me,” she scowled, closing the laptop. “Thanks for the reminder, Pops.”

Mona left to the bedroom, leaving Allison alone with her father.

“Dad, she has been so engaged with this college thing. Why did you have to ruin it?”

“I didn’t ruin anything, Allison. That’s the truth. They’re only allowing Mona there for the mission.”

“B-But can’t we arrange anything, after this is over? I mean, look at her essay. She’s so incredibly smart. All the teachers are commenting her performance in classes. It’s the first time I really see her finding pleasure in anything, other than... her past habits.”

“I’m sorry, honey. This isn’t my business and neither should be yours. She has made her own choices and there’s nothing we can’t do to change it.”

Allison went to check on Mona, but after the argument with Mr. Wheeler, she was no longer social or even accessible. She followed to the guest room, where she was supposed to have one final conversation with Griffin about their engagement. Though he was online, he took a long time to pick up the call.

“Allison, baby. Hey.”

“Hey Griffin,” she sighed. “Do you finally have a moment so we can speak? It has been days I’ve been trying to...”

“I’m sorry, I’m very busy right now. Yellow Fever epidemics. Too many patients to check.”

Another excuse. Allison rolled her eyes. It was almost like he knew what she was about to tell him.

“It’s only for a few minutes,” she insisted, losing her patience. “Come on, you had time to fly to Spain over the weekend, but you don’t have a minute for me?”

Griffin’s expression suddenly darkened.

“S-Spain? I’ve never been in Spain, Allison. I’m trapped here in this small village, without internet signal most of the time. Trust me, we barely have water to drink!”

“Well, your phone was displaying a different location a few days ago.”

“Oh...” he looked down for a moment, pensive. “I had to sell my old phone. That’s it, the new owner must have forgotten to disable my ID. Thanks for telling me.”

“No problem, now can we...”

A message of lost signal was displayed on her screen. Allison punched the keyboard, frustrated.

“You gotta be kidding me.”

----------

When Mona woke up in the morning, she was still in a bad mood because of the Detective, who was only using her to do the job he was unable to. Things only got worse when she had an accidental meeting with Allison. In the bathroom. When she had just finished. What lead them to be awkward around each other for the next hour.

"My bad," she was getting used to pronounce those words.

"There'd be no problem, Mona," Allison's cheeks went red again, "if you hadn't stared for so long."

"I was only appreciating the view. I hadn't seen it in a while, so..."

"No! Please, can we just forget it?"

"It'll be kinda hard, but I promise I'll try my best."

"Mona!" Allison's face was reaching a new shade of red.

"Consider it unseen," she spoke as Detective Wheeler arrived in the kitchen. "But I liked it," she whispered.

Allison's father interrupted them with another command. The University's basketball team would be hosting a 'Welcome Game', though Mona didn't have the smallest interest in attending, now she'd be forced to.

"Keep an eye on your suspect," he ordered, "and on this guy."

He showed the picture of a slender young male.

"He's the star of the team. Has been reported to be exhibiting abnormal behavior over the last few weeks. Watch who he speaks to, before and after the game."

She didn't have much work, as soon as they arrived in the University, the famous basketball star was casually chatting with Brian, who went back to his dorm carrying a small package.

"It'll be easier than I thought," Mona thought, snapping some pictures.

Later in class, she finished her lab experiment before any other students, so she took the time to search for places to take Allison after the game, as an apology for the morning incident.

"How do you even do that?" Her lab partner whined by her side.

His name was Leon, the leader of the RPG club, and only member too. He bonded with Mona for being rejected by the rest of their classmates as well. Later, they found out they had more in common than they could’ve imagined. He was in love with a med student, who was already committed to another guy.

"Using my brain?"

"I'm using mine, but it just... don't react!"

"Like this," Mona did all the procedure again, triggering the correct chemical reaction.

"B-But..." Leon stared at her in shock. “I followed all the instructions!”

"Now write your report, I'm not doing this for you either."

As they finished writing, they began to chat. She learned Leon had good computer skills, what could be useful at some point, in case they needed to hack Brian's phone to obtain proof.

"And how are things going with Allison?" He wanted to know.

"The same," she told, hopeless. "She hasn’t broke up with the douchebag yet. I guess I’ll just have to force him out of my way.”

"Are you bringing her to the game tonight?"

"Yes, I was kinda planning something special for after the game, but I don't really know what she likes."

"Bowling Alley," he suggested. "They have this fabulous milkshake and I've managed to achieve success with a couple of dates in there."

"Thanks for the tip."

---------

"So let's recap the plan," Allison said before they entered the stadium. "I'll seduce Brian, while you break into his dorm room and get pictures of the drugs."

"He's a bastard, Allison," Mona disagreed. "I couldn't let you do this alone. You're coming with me, I've assigned someone else to keep an eye on him. While he's distracted at the game, both of us will break into his dorm."

"D-Did you told someone else about the investigation? My dad said we should be as secretive as possible."

"We could use a hacker. Besides, Leon is like a fluffy unicorn. Loyal as a puppy."

Before they follow to the basketball game, Mona inhaled deeply, getting courage enough to ask.

"Hey Allison, would you like to do something after the game? Leon suggested we should go to the Bowling Alley, but he has been developing this stupid game, and... I don’t wanna go by myself."

She knew things didn't end well the last time they went out, but this time was different. Allison had clearly expressed she was no longer interested in keeping her engagement.

"No. Way." Allison frowned, scaring her a little. Then, her expression softened again. "You're not allowed to make such an effort yet, remember?"

"Oh, the doc's back," Mona smiled. "Anyways, he said they have a great milkshake. We don't really have to play it."

"So I'm definitely in!"

Leon was sitting in a strategic spot as combined between he and Mona. For her surprise, and displeasure, there was somebody else among the crowd, sitting in the VIP area, her father.

"What on earth is this guy doing here?" She angered. "He's clearly stalking me!"

Soon she got her answer. Before the game started, he was announced as the team's new sponsor. He looked at her and winked.

"I wish I could just go down there and pull this smirk out of his face!"

"Hey," Allison held her steady. "Focus! You said he's no threat. Let's stick to our plan."

Through his laptop, Leon sent her a message. Brian had arrived and was sitting only a few meters away, in the middle of a group of girls.

"We're good to go."

Leaving the stadium, they followed straight to the male dorm. The game was only getting started, what meant they'd have a decent amount of time to search for evidence.

"Do you have his room's number?" Allison asked.

"Yes," Mona answered. "It's right around the corner."

At the corridor, they bumped into another person. Krista. She was just leaving one of the rooms.

"Remember, Doug. Ezekiel 18:21 for our studies this week. See you there!"

"Hide me, please," Mona begged, but it was too late. She had been spotted.

"Mona, hi!" The girl greeted. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at the game."

"I... uh... Leon, my classmate. He forgot his wallet in his dorm room. I came here to get it for him."

"And this is...?" She looked at Allison.

"Allison," Allison introduced herself. "You look strangely familiar, have we met before?"

"Hmmm, I don't think so."

"Yeah, I'm much older than you anyways."

"Hey Krista," Mona decided to mess up with her a little bit, as a payback for the other day. "I've decided to get rid of my sinful car. I'd like to purchase one exactly like yours, how much did you pay for it?"

"Good for you, Mona," she looked a little bit unsettled. "I don't know how much it costed, it was a gift from my godfather. Anyways, I should go now. I have an essay to finish."

With a satisfied look, Mona followed to Brian's room where she started picking the lock.

"Remember, your dad said I could do anything to obtain proof. Right?"

"Yes," Allison confirmed. "I'm your witness."

As the door opened, they both covered their noses.

"Ugh, it smells like rotten cheese," Allison commented.

The room was an extreme mess, it was hard to decide where to start looking for evidence. Mona started by Brian's computer, where Allison opened opened some drawers.

"No way I'm touching that pile of clothes in the corner of the room," she told. "It stinks like something died under it."

"It can't be more disgusting than that," Mona pointed to the computer screen. "He's ranking the freshmen girls and... I've got a 10, for the tough girl attitude?"

"Not even Brian could resist you, huh?"

"No one can, babe. No one."

There was nothing on his e-mail, except for Football Newsletter and party advertising. Mona sighed frustrated.

"If you were hiding your drugs, where would you hide them?"

"Under the mattress?"

"Good one," Mona lifted up the mattress a little bit, to find... romance books. "Really?"

"Come on, he deep down he must be a softie! So, in the closet maybe?" Allison suggested, but before they could even act, the door opened. Brian was back earlier than expected.

“What are you two doing in my room?!” He shouted. “I’m calling campus security, right now!”

----------

“Will you, bad boy?” Mona teased, in a intimidating manner. “Because I’m sure the last thing you want are the cops here, in your room. Am I right?”

“Oh, do you think a little thief like you? I’d like to see you prove, before I get your ass expelled from the university.”

Allison stood frozen, looking at them both. Mona had that look on her face, from when she was ready to get in a physical fight with someone. That would jeopardize the entire investigation, besides getting them both kicked out from university. Without thinking any longer, she made a decision. This is exactly what a brainless moron like Brian would like to see.

“Actually,” she removed her shirt off, revealing a lacy violet bra. “We were preparing you a surprise.”

“Excuse me?!” Brian asked, staring at her features.

“Mona told me about you and how irresistibly hot you are...” she pushed him onto the bed, climbing on top of him. “I’m sorry she isn’t good showing her feelings. I decided to give her a little hand.”

“P-Please, go ahead...”

Brian was smiling broadly. Allison winked to Mona, who was in extreme shock, inviting her to go along with her plan.

“What would you like us to do now, huh?” Allison asked him, in a seductive tone. “Anything you want.”

“M-Make out. The two of you. Please!”

Allison looked at Mona, to see if she consented. She was too dazed make a move or gave her any answer. Instead, she took a step ahead, cupping Allison’s face between her hands carefully, before placing a small kiss on her lips. Allison knew that wouldn’t be enough. Not for Brian, and especially for herself.

She pulled Mona by the waist, bringing her closer as possible and deepening the kiss. For a long time, she hadn’t felt so much pleasure in her life. The softness of Mona’s lips devouring hers, their tongues moving together, it all brought her that burning sensation she had been desiring for years. She wished that moment would never end, prolonging the kiss as much as she could, until they were both out of breath.

“Now, take off your clothes!” Brian ordered, bouncing in excitement.

“Let’s finish this...” Mona grabbed a pair of handcuffs from her pockets and restrained him on the bed post.

“Hell yeah, baby! It’s gonna get kinky here!”

“Where did you get those?” Allison asked curious.

“I stole from your father. I thought they could be useful at some point. Now go, finish searching his desk. I’ll check to the closet.”

“Wait...” Brian was confused. “What’s going on here? Are you guys cops?”

“Sort of,” Allison answered, irritated, “and if you open your mouth again, I’m going to gag you!”

Mona emerged from the closet, with the package she had previously seen Brian carrying in the morning.

“The party is over, bad boy.”

“No, please,” he begged as she unwrapped it. “D-Don’t tell anyone, I-I... I’ll pay you! My dad has a lot of money.”

“Oh shit,” Mona exclaimed, staring at the content. Allison approached, noticing some familiar blue pills.

“Really, Brian?” Allison tried to muffle a laugh. “We thought you were a drug dealer and you...”

“Can’t get it to work properly?” Mona completed, bursting into laughs.

“I have a medical condition, okay?! And if you ever tell this anyone, I’m going to kill you both!”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.”

“As long as our secret is safe too. And stop harassing girls, I mean it.”

After uncuffing him, the three of them sat down to talk about their task and what had been going on. Brian assured he wasn’t involved in any kids of drug dealing and would warn them in case he noticed anything suspicious, as long as his big secret was safe.

“I felt bad for him in the end,” Allison said as they left the room.

“Yeah, me too. All this jerk act he plays is because he...” Mona started laughing again, “has issues down there.”

Suddenly loud screaming and a big commotion started coming from all places in the University. Mona and Allison’s phones started ringing at the same time. The basketball player had fallen unconscious in the middle of the game. He had been hospitalized in a life-threatening condition.

“Stay where you are,” Mr. Wheeler ordered through the phone. “We need to check his dorm for evidence.”

----------

The police wasn’t able to find anything at the young athlete’s dorm, every evidence had been professionally cleaned. Their only hope were the surveillance cameras footage, that could’ve been caught who last entered his room.

Mr. Wheeler asked them both to go home. There was nothing else for them to do in there. Mona remained silent inside her car, blaming herself for aiming at the wrong suspect. Allison insisted and they stopped at the Bowling Alley as planned.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she told Mona, as they shared a milkshake. “It happens all the time with my dad and he has been a high-skilled detective, for years.”

“I should’ve known better,” Mona shook her head in denial. “We’re dealing with an expert, Allison. A psychopath. They don’t usually show this dark side of them. We need to start aiming for someone more... normal.”

“Any suspects?”

“None yet, but I’ll be thinking about it.”

Allison let out a deep and weary sigh.

“Jeez, I never thought this could be so intense and emotional. Even if we were just faking all the time.”

There was something else that wouldn’t leave Mona’s mind. That kiss. Was it only part of the role or Allison had true intentions when she decided to go deeper into it?

“Were we faking all the time?” Mona asked.

Allison looked down, avoiding her gaze for a moment.

“Not at all,” she finally answered, biting her lower lip.

Mona approached her, lifting up her chin.

“Would you mind doing it again? Only to be sure it was real?”

Mona leaned forward, her lips only one breath away from Allison’s. She hesitated for a moment, then placed a hand on Mona’s chest and slightly pushed her away.

“Would you mind waiting only a little longer? I still need to break off my engagement. I feel bad for doing this to Griffin. While I no longer have feelings for him, we had an entire history together.”

“I’ve waited eight years,” Mona grinned. “What’s only a few more days, right?”

“Yeah,” Allison grabbed her hand, “until the weekend I’ll be free. I promise you.”

As soon as they got home, Detective Wheeler was already waiting for them with a scowl on his face. He advanced in Mona’s direction, pinning her against the wall.

“You! You’ve ruined my investigation!” He yelled. “I’ll assure you’ll get severely punished for that!”

“Dad!” Allison shouted, pushing him aside. “What are you saying? We followed the wrong lead, and so did you, multiple times!”

“Allison, she included a total stranger in the investigation. This kid named Leon. The security cameras’ footage is gone. Considering his computer skills, he’s our main suspect now.”

“L-Leon would never do that,” Mona argued, Allison could tell she was somehow scared. “I-I was in contact with him the whole time... he was sitting at the stadium, watching the game for us!”

“While he hacked into the security system and erased everything! Now, because of your irresponsibility, we’ll need to contact the company in charge of campus’ security and attempt to retrieve footage from their server. It’s going to take weeks! Do you have any idea of how many people will die until then?”

Mona stared at the open tab on the Detective’s laptop, the security company’s website and then she realized...

“Leon didn’t do it. This security system is 99,9% impossible to be hacked. And don’t worry. Until the weekend you’re getting your footage, Detective.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“My mom developed this security system and trust me, you don’t wanna mess with her tech skills.”

[nightwhip]

a planet ravaged by an unseen enemy.  survival is possible, of course, but it is not without difficulty.  once a gift as simple as sight becomes the difference between living and dying you realize how great the loss of it is.  as is the case for those that only have one set of eyes to rely on.  for nova and her fellow knights there is another way ; it takes great concentration, but do they have any other choice?  only those powerful enough with the force can take such a task on.

despite what information they had, they were tragically unprepared for what they landed on.  all they were told was that something invisible ( while some believe it is a weapon others think it is a monster ) was sweeping through a planet and destroying the civilization.  both humans and aliens have fallen victim to whatever it is, and continue to do so weeks after the chaos has begun.  any holovids of the carnage have been removed from the holonet to avoid having the entire galaxy’s population wiped out, and there is no one left to make reports.  the knights arrived after the silence ensued.

just a few days trying to figure out what had happened, what this thing is, and nova knew they were in a battle they couldn’t win.  how could they defeat something they can’t look at?  she’s got goggles on, the lenses black, and they are all reaching out with the force to navigate this planet.  but it isn’t enough - putting all their effort into sensing their surroundings leaves little room to prepare for a fight should it come to that.  weapons in hand, they trek carefully through the ruins that litter the planet as they move on.  finding survivors that know what is going on is proving to be difficult; the survivor they do find isn’t looking to be helpful.

“stop,” nova says, boots scuffing to a halt.  “someone is coming.”

as they all remain in place all she can hear is the buzzing and humming of their activated weapons, as well as the trudging of feet.  coming directly toward them.  eyes staring into the blackness of her goggles, she watches from within as someone approaches them : someone who has no protection on their eyes.  the grip nova has on her vibrosword tightens, knuckles turning white, as she falls easily into a battle ready stance.

“that’s close enough,” she warns, tracking the survivor.  “why are your eyes unprotected?”

“it’s so beautiful,” speaks a voice.  it sounds distant, almost trance-like.  “you have to see it.  let it cleanse you.”

“what does that mean?” another says.  “cleanse us?”

“it will cleanse and enlighten us all.”

what the hell is going on here?  still keeping herself aware of her surroundings, she reaches just a bit farther - reaches into the survivor’s mind.  they have seen it, whatever it is, and live to tell the tale.  to them it didn’t bring immediate death, but is something... freeing.

“you have to look,” the survivor says as they step daringly closer.

“i said that’s close enough.”

“what’s wrong with them?”

“they’ve seen it.

“they’re still alive, how is that possible?”

“i don’t know.”

“you have to look!”

being momentarily distracted could have ended quite badly - turning her attention away from the fellow knight, she is focusing again on the survivor just in time.  first she hears them lunge, then she sees how their hands are outstretched toward her, ready to tear her goggles from her head.  killing what little life remains on this planet isn’t their objective, but they were not warned that survivors could be a threat.  she dodges the attack with ease, twirls to face them again.  it doesn’t end there ; they just about growl as they make their next move.  not hers, but she can hear a blade tear through their chest, followed by the thud of weight meeting the duracrete beneath them.

“what have we gotten ourselves into?”

“we shouldn’t be doing this,” nova says.  she is returning to the tight formation they hold.  “we don’t know enough about what is going on and we likely never will.  the first order should ju--”

just destroy this planet and be done with it is what she was going to say.  her mind is going a parsec a second trying to understand what havoc they’ve walked into.  what is this thing?  are there truly any survivors or are they all insane?  how is it possible to see the invisible bringer of death and live?  she is swiftly interrupted by the startle of a hand wrapping around her ankle and tugging, sending her crashing to the ground.  assuming the wound killed them immediately, she hadn’t bothered feeling for them anymore.  again they scream “you have to look!” as her elbows scrape and bleed and her head bounces painfully.  her eyes close, squeeze shut, as the protective transparisteel shatters.  now she is frustrated ; looking down at the survivor, her fist clenches and shakes.  it doesn’t take long for their eyes and veins to bulge as the air is drawn from their lungs and their throat is crushed beneath an unbearable pressure.  she doesn’t release until she is certain there is no heart beat.

climbing to her feet, she removes the now useless goggles from her head with an exasperated sigh.  a gentle thump sounds as they fall from her grip.

“are you okay?”

“i am fine, but my goggles are broken.  i guess i will have to-”

MINERVA!

it is so sudden, so loud, that she can feel her pulse stop before beginning rapidly again.  she can hear it in her ears and feel it in her temples.  along with the fright there is the ghost of a broken heart weighing within her chest.  she shakily breathes inward, bumps rising along the flesh of her arms.  hairs stand along the back of her neck.  tears spring into her eyes.

“what?”

“what?  nova, what is it?”

“you didn’t hear that?”

“no.”

“there was a voice.  i heard a voice.  it sounded like...”

“nova, you should close your eyes.”

no, minerva, don’t.  keep your eyes open.  turn around and look at me.

around them, dirt and grass and leaves begin to flutter and float.  she can feel tiny, dead leaves brushing against her skin.  strands of her hair are defying gravity and floating upward, up and above her head.  chills and tingles coarse along her spine and she visibly shivers against it.  they can all feel it, but only she has the misfortune of having her vision completely exposed.  she is so taken aback by the creeping sensation that she almost doesn’t hear the knights speaking.

“i think it’s here.” “we should get inside.” “nova, close your eyes!”

turn around and look at me, baby.  it’s just me.  look at me.  look at me.  look at me minerva look at me look at me turn around and look at me.

“it sounds just like my father...”

“he’s dead!  it isn’t him!”

whatever voices they hear ( ghosts of their pasts, victims, even each other ) are dismissed as fake.  they know it is fake, only a trick meant to manipulate them into looking.  though part of her knows that to be true, it is too late.  it’s got a hold on her, and she knows she is going to give in.  like she is no longer in control, merely at the mercy of the unseen enemy.

tears spilling from her eyes, a knot forming in her throat, she begins to turn away from the knights.  away from them, toward the voice.  the voice that has soothed her so many times, the voice that said even after all she has done it still loved her, the voice that used to call her its little princess.  she just wants to see him one last time even if it isn’t him.  a choked cry leaves her lips, ignoring the pleas of the others, as she turns to look.

“nova!”

and there is but a second when she wishes she hadn’t.  what she sees isn’t the welcoming face of her father, smiling, opening his arms to her for a warm embrace.  his skin is decaying and there is a hole in his head.  where the blasters had fired and taken his life.  cut it short like it was nothing.  his smile is unsettling ; much of his lower lip is missing and not all of his teeth are inside his mouth.  fear flashes through her, burns through her like a fire, for just a second.  then there is sadness, acceptance, peace.  she shouldn’t have looked and she knows that, but there is nothing to be done now.  two urges, so overwhelming they almost take her breath away, surge through her heart and mind: she can either turn back and convince the knights it is okay to look, or she can end her life right now.  most of her is gone, lost to this horrifying version of what used to be her father, but part of her remains.  she won’t do this to them.  she can’t.

“dad... i am so sorry...”

commotion follows; they know she is gone.  there is panicked yelling, feet skidding along the duracrete in her direction and away from her.  they command each other not to look, not to try and save her, there is no saving her, and to get to safety.  nova’s wrist is turning, angling her sword at her throat.  her lips offer an apology once more ( i am so, so sorry ) as her blade meets her flesh and she drags it along.  it reaches the opposite side of her neck, drawing a fine red line that quickly pours blood, before her hold loosens and she is dropping to her knees.

[orangepunkwitch-blog]

Tsk, so...  A friend of mine and I plan to do a temporary banishing spell on someone.  I have a “keep reading” link posted in case you don’t wanna scroll through the story just to get past it on your dash.

Ever since September, my husband and I started hanging out with two of our friends we’ve known since high school.  We missed them dearly, and because of a lack of activity on FB, we didn’t even know we all still lived in this shithole of an area, and started hanging out.  It’s helped me get back into socializing, so I don’t feel anxiety anymore speaking to anyone outside of the immediate household here thanks to a few years of damn near social isolation (largely because I haven’t been feeling well physically or mentally and whatnot).  One of these friends grows and sells weed, and it was actually in September that I tried smoking it for the very first time.  Ever since then, I’ve been using weed for my period cramps---I don’t require very much.  Just enough to make it so my husband doesn’t have to stay home and help me go to the bathroom because I’m in too much pain to walk.  Seriously, having a buddy who sells weed has amazing benefits.  He gives me what he can for free because he’s just a damn good friend and wants to help me.  So we usually just went over and smoked weed, got me used to what it’s like (though it’ll be a while before I can finally build some tolerance for it because I’m a light-weight with like... everything), and we’d hang out and whatnot.

So now I have something to look forward to every week.  Several months later and we’ve become a little D&D group who has a blast with some other games like Cards Against Humanity, Liar’s Dice, and we watch some movies and anime if we got nowhere else to go.  My parents are fully aware of this and, despite their political views and whatnot, they don’t see marijuana as this evil thing (largely because back in the 70s, my dad grew it, smoked it, sold it, etc. but that was of course a long-ass time ago).  They knew the facts about it and told me to just be careful.  My mental health has improved greatly as has my husband’s, and we regret not finding out about them still living in the area sooner.

Welp, this doesn’t come without its downs.  You see, the good friend of ours who sells the weed?  He lives with his mom.  He did live on his own, got screwed out of some money, lived with the other friend mentioned in this story for a bit, and then his mom apparently made some sort of personal info legality threat against him (the dealer-buddy’s mom, not the other friend’s mom) and he ended up having to move in with her until he can figure something out.

This woman.... Holy shit...

She commands our friend around (from this point on, for privacy reasons, I’m going to refer to him as Buu and the other friend as Whis), making messes and commanding he clean it up.  It’s summer already, and this past Thursday, she turns off the air conditioner and opens the windows when it’s 80 degrees outside.  She claims it’s too hot, open the windows for some air circulation, etc.  Buu usually turns on the air with windows closed when she’s not in the house, but she’ll throw a fit because she wants to save on the electricity bill (she’s made it to where she only pays $90 a month or some shit like that because she’s cheap as fuck, meanwhile the company for my parents’ electricity overcharges us and we can’t do shit about it).

Now, while the area knows Buu grows and sells weed and doesn’t care or mind (and this, surprisingly, includes his mom), he would still like some form of privacy.  No, his mom wants the air conditioning off, all windows and doors open, etc.  She’ll barge in without knocking, too.  She’ll get nosy about what we’re doing or playing, and we’ll start throwing terms that confuse her just to get her to go away.  She will walk around the house bitching to herself about something, and she’ll talk on the phone with whoever while on speakerphone and talk loudly.  This woman will even walk in on you in the bathroom if the door isn’t closed and locked.  She did that to me once just so she could do laundry (the washer and dryer are installed in the bathroom---the house has a nice set-up but my only complaint is there’s one bathroom and I always lived in a house with at least two).  She’s walked in on her own son before, too, so it’s not just a personal thing against one of us or anything.

And if we confront her about anything, we have to walk on eggshells because Whis’ home (he also lives with his mother due to financial reasons but he’s saving up to move) is ridiculously small with missing or busted doors, and while we have a considerable amount of room here at my parents’, my parents go to bed at a certain time and we don’t want to wake them (ground-floor, not a two-story place).  At least, we can’t hang out here until the garages are cleaned out, and I’m working on that, but I need my mom’s help going through some stuff and she works 6 days a week, so...

Last month or the month before, Buu’s mom went to Mexico for a week for a vacation.  Buu had the whole house to himself for that week, and when we met up for that one day (my husband and Whis only had one day of the same day off that week), we played D&D in the dining room instead of his semi-cramped bedroom.  All of our health problems were pretty much gone because we weren’t under some sort of stress, and actually had the most fun we’d had in years.  Since then, we hadn’t had a day like that within Buu’s home.  Closest we’d have is when we’re out and about, but we’re not guaranteed to run into any assholes, and we have.

For some reason, since she’d returned from Mexico, she’d been yelling or screaming at Buu through walls and such to make him do things far more often than before she went to Mexico.  She doesn’t care he has guests over.  And she’s yelled at my husband and Whis before, too.  She’ll flip at the drop of a hat.  However, she won’t yell at me because I’m a woman, which is odd.  She actually calmed down when I first started hanging out, but that has since dissolved away.  Now she’s in full-on bitch-mode, and won’t flip out directly at me.

It’s to a point where we can’t exactly say we’ve hung out much because she keeps making Buu do things even though he has guests and even though most or half the things she makes him do is all because of her fucking shit up or making the mess or whatever in the first place.  But there was a straw that broke the camel’s back Thursday night that made me and Whis talk about in the car along with my husband on our way home.

Buu’s mom had a handgun on the island counter in the kitchen with the clip laying next to it.  We don’t know if she legally opens the gun or not (I can’t remember if Buu clarified this with us yesterday or not, my flare-up was distracting me heavily yesterday), but my husband asked her right before we left what the gun was for.  And she says that the neighbor’s dog likes to chase her on the ride-mower when she mows the lawn and she just fires into the air randomly to get the dog to go away.  And she laughed about it.  My husband, who is a gun-nerd knowledge-wise, said that you don’t just randomly fire a bullet into the air because that eventually comes down at high velocity (because bullets, believe it or not, tend to be heavy), and they could hurt or even kill someone or something.  She didn’t believe him and told him to leave.  He didn’t think to bring up the fact that people can trace the bullet’s serial-number to the purchaser and dust for her fingerprints until after we talked about it in the car on the way back.  The three of us on the way home all agreed that we may not be as safe around this woman as we thought we were, that she could one day snap.  But we need to buy some sort of time until I can get these damn garages cleaned out.

So Whis and I have decided we are going to have a ritual where we can have a temporary banishing spell.  Temporary because she brings in more money than Buu, and he wouldn’t be able to pay all the bills and whatnot by himself.  This will give us some time to have at least one day a week where we’re not going to be so damned stressed while the rest of my free week can be spent cleaning out the garages where I can by myself (there’s some heavy-lifted in the outer garage needed but the inner garage needs cleaned out, first).  Perhaps her visiting with a distant relative or something for a month or so would help.  Regardless, we have no other choice.

I’ve even done some divination and all signs point to the fact that Whis and I need to perform a banishing spell.  Buu’s been catching those shield stinkbugs (they’re annoying and he just catches them in a D&D dice container that he has so he doesn’t have to deal with their stench) and we’re gonna use them as part of the ritual.  This will have to take place after our trip to Pittsburgh, because there’s a metaphysical shop called Hocus Pocus that sells lots of ritualistic supplies, especially herbs, and Whis and I are gonna need as much stuff as we can get for this to work.  It’ll probably be a bit of a lengthy ritual, too.

Whis has more experience in witchcraft than I do, but I’ve been pretty damn successful in my craft so far, especially when it comes to protection as well as banishing my nasty maternal grandmother’s spirit from my parents’ home and sending her to my aunt.  So I’d imagine we should be good doing our own part in this.  I share this because I’m letting you know this will be my first ritual performed with another witch, and I will let you know how things went after the ritual and a while after that if it worked in case you are curious as to whether or not shield stinkbugs make for a good use in a banishing ritual.

Wish us luck that this might work, because we don’t know what else to do until we get these two garages cleaned out.

[casgirlwrites]

Mischief Managed

Request: Anon asked ‘Can you do a Loki x reader where he comes to her after the events of Thor 2 and she has to keep the secret about his "death"?’

Pairings: Loki x Reader 

Warnings: Slight mentions of abuse (might be triggering), some fluff (of course!) and a teeny weeny bit of angst

Word Count: 2000 words

Characters: Reader, Loki, Thor, Avengers (mentioned), Nick Fury (mentioned)

Summary: The reader was a victim of family abuse and one day she is saved from her drunk father by Nick Fury himself and he tells her that a great mind like hers could come in handy and offers her a position at SHIELD. Everything goes great till Loki’s attempt to take over the world with the help of the Chitauri where the reader gets captured by him.

A/N: Thanks for the request anon! I loved writing this as Loki is one of my absolute favourites! Hope I didn't disappoint and that you enjoy!

Out of all the things that intrigued you, the one that you thought about the most was the fact that Loki never held you under his mind control. Yes, he was harsh with you but he never let his sceptre touch you. Though that did not stop him from ordering you around and getting you to comply to his wishes. You had absolutely hated him and he was often annoyed with you. You never failed to back-answer him and defy his every command. But instead of getting more infuriated, he started getting amused at the thought of a mere human being able to defy him and not cower away. But you had had enough abuse from your dad to learn to stand your ground with other men.

But Loki was different. Behind the tough exterior shell, he was actually a broken man on the inside. You didn’t even need to use your experience as a psychology major to figure that out. Loki was scared and unsure. You could see that he still cared for his brother and that there was something - or rather someone - else who was pulling his strings.

The two of you start opening up to each other after a long time. You started trusting him with your rocky past. You told him about your father who used to come home drunk and beat you and your mom. You also told him that getting employed at SHIELD was a huge lifesaver - literally as your dad had one day come home completely wasted and had shot your mother and was going to kill you too if it was not for Nick Fury himself intervening.

Loki was a great listener. He listened to everything you had to say. When he heard about your father, his nostrils flared with anger and disgust and if you were not wrong, his eyes held a look of understanding. But even then, it had taken the god of Mischief a lot of time before he could open up to you. Soon you learnt that Loki was in fact not Asgardian and that the King of Asgard, Odin, who had adopted him was, in ways, as terrible as your own father. Loki always grew up in his brother, Thor’s shadows. You absolutely adored Thor but you couldn’t help but sympathise with Loki.

Loki never wanted your sympathy though, but not unlike yourself, he just wanted someone to listen. And that’s what you did. Soon you learnt about Thanos and you would be lying to yourself if you said that you weren’t a bit scared after listening to Loki.

Loki’s behaviour towards you soon changed. He was still intent on destroying the world, but he was much more lighter with you. The two of you stayed awake till late nights and you would tell him about various human cultures and he would tell you about the various Asgardian ones. But the best part? At times you could get the God of Mischief to crack a genuine smile and sometimes even get a laugh out of him. You stopped feeling like a prisinor and he stopped treating you like one. Soon you started falling for Loki and he for you.

You tried to convince him to give up his attempt to take over the world and that he should talk to Thor. But Loki felt that it was too late to back away and you felt hopeless as you couldn’t do much to help him. Soon the war against Loki was won and you talked to Thor about Loki. You never mentioned Thanos as you didn’t want to break Loki’s trust but you tried your best to convince Thor that it wasn’t Loki’s fault entirely. But Thor, though he wanted to help his brother, had to fulfil his duty as a would-be King. Loki had promised that he would stay in touch with you and that he would come back for you.

You now worked as a librarian in a small book store near your apartment. You were fired from SHIELD after the war as many had started questioning your loyalty after realising how close you had grown with Loki. But Thor still kept in touch with you - for the first few months, at least. He told you about how Loki had grown more arrogant and that he refused to speak to anyone except to his mother and to Thor… but only to ask him how you were doing.

Being so helpless hurt and you hated the fact that you couldn't convince anyone of how broken Loki really is. You had a suspicion that Thor knew, but he was still wary of his younger brother.  

After a few months, Thor’s visits stopped and everything was silent. You were unable to contact SHIELD anymore and you were left alone. You had no idea about what was happening in the Asgardian world and you wondered if Loki forgot about you. You were in the dark until a a few months later when the news announced that an extraterrestrial fight had broken out at London and right in middle of the whole ordeal was Thor himself. Even then there were no signs of Loki and you knew just as much as the others relying on the news channels.

A month after the occurring in London, you found Thor on your doorstep on a Sunday morning,

“Thor? Oh finally! What happened? I heard about the Convergence in London. Are you okay?”

“All in good time, Y/N,” Thor said with a light chuckle and let himself in.

“Thor what’s wrong?” You could sense that something was wrong.

Unlike usual, Thor’s laugh did not reach his eyes. In fact, if you knew better you would say that he was sad and the reason he was at your place did not hold any good news.

“Thor, answer me. Please,” You begged him as the two of you remained standing. “Is it Loki? Did something happen to him?”

“Y/N, maybe you should sit down.” Thor looked at you with a comforting smile and placed a hand on your shoulder.

You felt your mouth go dry and your thoughts turn to white noise. “No… no! This can’t be happening…”

“Y/N I’m sorry but - ”

“He’s dead isn’t he?”

Thor flinched at your abrupt question but he slowly nodded yes.

“He died a hero’s death. He got killed saving Jane and I. I owe him my life, Y/N. And I miss him terribly.”

“Oh don’t go around saying that! You did not care for him. You never did!” You felt tears sting your eyes and you furiously wiped them away.

“Don’t say that.” Thor’s voice took a dangerous tone. “I loved my brother and cared for him. So don’t you ever say that.”

You immediately felt bad. You knew that beneath all, Thor loved Loki and still yearned for the good old days when the two played together and did everything together as brothers.

“I’m… I’m so sorry Thor.” You meant it. “Did he say anything before… before he-?”

“Before he died?”

You nodded.

“He told me to take care of you.”

“Can we really trust the Avengers to keep our world safe? Are the Avengers our superheroes or are they the biggest threat to humanity?”

You turned off the TV in disgust. Why did people blame the Avengers? You knew all of them personally and they were all really good people. Most of them even dropped by regularly to check up on you. Thor came more often than the others.

Your thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. You frowned.

Thor had just visited yesterday. Seems unlikely that he would be back so soon.

“Hold on I’m coming,” You called out after the third insistent knock.

You opened the door and the person standing outside was the last person you would have expected to come knocking at your apartment.

Loki stood outside with a cocky grin.

“Miss me?”

And that’s when you punched him.

“That was a well placed punch darling, but why did you have to do that?”

Loki was now sitting on your coach and looking around your small apartment while you stood in front of him, with your arms crossed in front of you and sending him the worst glare you could possibly muster.

“Thor told me that you were dead!” You were shouting and you didn’t care if your neighbours heard you. They already thought that you were crazy.

“Ah I’m sorry about that. Well I am the God of Mischief,” Loki said with a full grin and you were caught between the urge to kiss him or throw something at him.

“I cried for you Loki,” You told him silently. “I cried every day for two weeks.”

Before you knew it, he was holding you in his arms. “I’m sorry darling. I was waiting for the proper time to talk to you.”

You hugged him back and realised how truly you had missed him. He smelt so familiar. He smelt of leather and as usual his body radiated cold - but not the harsh kind… the calm soothing kind.

“Why did you fake your death?” You asked, looking up at him. “Again?”

“They would have put me back in the cell once the war was over. I couldn't have that.”

“But…” You frowned. “Thor wouldn’t have done that. He was really broken over your ‘death’.”

“But he’s not the King, is he?” Loki said with a sad smile.

“Oh.” You slowly nodded. You knew that Odin would throw Loki back into the call again without any hesitation.

“And Y/N, there’s one more reason it took me a month to reach out to you.”

“And what’s that?” You asked slowly, sensing the pain in his voice.

“My mother… she was killed.”

“I… I’m so sorry…” You gripped Loki’s hand and squeezed it in yours. “Thor never told me.”

“He loved her too and is still mourning her death and so am I. But I realised that you might understand me.” Loki looked down at you with sadness in his eyes.

You felt oddly touched that you were the only one who was allowed to see him in his vulnerable state.

“I miss my mom too.”

You missed her everyday. You missed her jasmine scent. You missed the way she would laugh at your attempts at terrible jokes. You missed the way she would kiss your forehead before you fell asleep - even after you growing old, she never stopped doing that. You just missed her terribly.  

Loki pulled you into his hard chest again and the two of you stayed there for a while.

“So what now?” You broke the silence first. 

“I want you to keep my death as a secret for a few more day darling. Not even Thor can know.”

“Are you going to leave me again?”

“No.” Loki shook his head firmly. “Never.”

“So what’re we going to do?” You smiled at him.

“I realise that you lost your job at SHIELD and I’m sorry for that… I really am. And what I’m offering is not an easy proposition. It’s a life filled with danger and it’s just not easy and you could even die, I mean…”

You smiled on seeing the silver-tongued God stammer and you slowly went up on your toes and kissed him firmly. Loki was soon kissing you back and it was after a long time that the two of you broke apart.

“Wow your breath is still icy,” You chuckled. “And about your proposition, I’ve got only one thing to say.”

Loki raised an eyebrow at you and failed at holding back a grin.

“Yes,” You told him.

Forever tags: @whovian1077 @alittlebitofanna @a-very-british-me

Marvel tags: @oceansideopus  

(DM me or reply to this one shot or send me an ask if you want to be tagged! I would really appreciate it and it would mean a lot to me)

[kdinthecity]

Zutara Week 2017: Confessions of a Teenage Sugar Queen

The title is a throwback to a movie I liked when I was in high school, so that is the voice I’ve chosen for this AU. (Not Lindsay Lohan’s from the movie, just me trying to channel my inner teenage Katara...)

All of my @zutaraweek submissions will be part of one continuous story. Get ready for some slow-burn Zutara angst starting with Day One: Fire Lady.

“I can’t wait until summer!” A blur of orange brushes past me in the school hallway. “I’m gonna go hang gliding and kite surfing and eat ice cream for breakfast and donuts for lunch!”

That would be Aang. He lives with his head in the clouds on most days.

“Let me guess. Cream puffs for dinner, Twinkletoes?”

Toph is pretty solid for a freshman. She keeps Aang grounded when he starts to get too flighty. I like hanging out with them, but sometimes their immaturity annoys me. I can tell this is one of those moments. No one can eat dessert all day. Talk about a serious sugar crash.

“What about you, Sugar Queen?” Toph asks.

I don’t know why she calls me that. OK, maybe I suggested once that I could survive solely on fudgsicles and moon pies, but that was only after that bad breakup with Jet. Toph elbows me hard in the ribs, her usual gesture for getting my attention.

“Oww! I have plans this summer, alright? I can’t just goof off. I’m going to get a job and do something that matters for my future!” I hate how haughty that sounds, but I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. I hurry past them before I say anything I might regret.

“Geez, what’s with her?” Toph mutters. Aang sighs airily in response.

They just don’t get it.

I’m the only sophomore to participate in the school’s summer internship fair this year. My brother calls me crazy. Well, I think he’s crazy because as a junior, it’s his last opportunity to gain this experience for college applications. Yet, he’s blowing it off to go fishing in Alaska with Dad. Maybe Sokka will end up taking over the family business, but I know he’d rather pursue engineering than commercial fishing.

The truth is, Dad cannot provide for our college tuition with his income. Sokka doesn’t think about these things, but I do. I’m getting an internship this summer so I can help pay for stuff like clothes and school lunches. And then hopefully I’ll get a scholarship for a top tier school like Atlas University. I will not be a burden to anyone.

“But what do you mean I can’t get any of the paid internships?” I am nearly in tears as I approach Principal Pakku.

“I’m sorry, Katara, but you’re under the legal working age. You can apply for one of the volunteer positions.”

“I’m a hard worker! And a straight A student!” I want to add that I’d do a better job than half the junior class.

He folds his arms across his chest. “Rules are rules.”

The pale blue of his suit starts to blur in my vision, and my bottom lip trembles, but I refuse to cry in front of this man. “But I'm turning 16 this summer!” My birthday is actually at the end of August. Had I not gone to Montessori kindergarten, I would be an entire grade younger according to the age cutoff for public school.

Ms. Yugoda, the school nurse, senses my distress. “Katara, sweetheart, it will still look good on your college applications, and it will help you land a top notch internship for next year. You still have time.”

“But, I need… the experience.” I will not beg for money.

“There’s nothing I can do.” Principal Pakku claps his hands and rubs them together as if that settles the matter. “I’ll put in a good word for you. How about… the zoo?”

I brush the back of my sleeve across dampened cheeks and stomp my foot. “I do not want to be scooping up ostrich-horse shit all summer!”

The principal’s expression is scolding, but I can’t stand the look of pity Ms. Yugoda is giving me right now. Before I have a chance to apologize for my outburst, Ty Lee sweeps in from the adjoining door that leads to the nurse’s office.

She hooks a bandaged arm through my elbow and escorts me out into the hallway. “What’s an ostrich horse? Sounds… magical!”

Her high-pitched giggle grates on my last nerve. An ostrich horse happens to be an imaginary animal from this fictional world I created. Sometimes I write about characters with amazing abilities to bend the elements. For me, I've always wanted to control water—like command the waves, summon the tides. My earliest memories are of Mom at the beach, so…

“Katara?” The knitted brow and slight frown look out of place on Ty Lee.

“Sorry.”

“You can always join the circus with me!”

“Right.”

I should have asked her what happened to her arm, but apparently I am too self-absorbed today to care about my friends.

“The Marine Science Center has a few openings. Here, take a brochure and see if anything interests you. We are a non-profit organization, so we can’t pay our interns unfortunately, but sometimes our students come back to work for us after they graduate.” The woman has an almost ethereal look about her.

“So… I wouldn’t be cleaning up seal sh—poop? I mean, it’s OK. I just don’t want to do that the whole time.” I cringe, but she smiles.

“No, no. That’s not really a valuable learning experience, is it? I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Yue.”

“Katara. Nice to meet you.”

“So, we have a position that works with the medical staff. Most of the marine animals we treat are sick or injured, so we nurse them back to health, tag them, and set them free. Another position studies the water, looking for contaminants and identifying potential threats, like factory pollution, for example. Then, you can work on a government petition to shut those facilities down or enforce environmental safety regulations. And lastly, we have a group that goes to schools, summer camps, and museums to talk about all these things.”

I skim my fingers across the panels of the tri-fold brochure as she speaks. Rehabilitate. Advocate. Educate. I always swore I would never go into fishing, but this is different. I care about the environment. I even organized a beach cleanup day as a community service event for the honor society. (This is how I know the juniors are lazy dipshits.) And I want to be either a professor or a doctor when I grow up, so the experience would be relevant. I take an application, give her my best smile, and express my sincere interest in the positions.

I sign up for a few other things before deciding I’m done. There isn’t much interest in the unpaid internships, and my eyes are drawn to the crowd on the other side of the gym. The largest group gathers at the table for Future Fire Technology. I've heard quite a bit about the company because the CEO’s daughter is in the honor’s track with me. Azula talks nonstop about how the former weapons company has rebranded and now manufactures cutting edge robotics. I couldn’t care less.

Azula will undoubtedly secure a position at her father’s company for the summer. She’s ambitious like that. Her brother, Zuko, will likely work there, too. He strikes me as different somehow—not really the corporate type. He’s not one of the half-assed juniors, though. He’s still pretty intense. I’m a little intrigued by him, but Sokka warns me to leave him be. Well, Sokka can’t tell me who I can and cannot talk to… I just wish I could get up the nerve to… oh monkeyfeathers!

“There aren’t many sophomores here, y’know,” a voice rasps. Zuko is standing right here. Talking to me. Sokka says he never talks to anyone.

“I, uhhh…” I want to slap my forehead for being such a blubbering idiot.

“I saw you at the Marine Science Center table. Sounds cool, huh?”

He was… watching me? The pink that rises to his cheeks would indicate that yes... yes, he was. I'm dying to ask about that mysterious scar across his left eye, but I guess that won’t make the best first impression.

“Katara,” I say.

“What?” he asks, his single brow raised in confusion.

“I’m Katara.” I hold out my hand like a dork.

“Oh, right. Sorry. Zuko.”

We are now shaking hands. Like dorks.

“And yes.” I clear my throat. “The Marine Science Center looks cool. I hope I get it.”

The results are posted the following week. With everyone crowded around the bulletin board outside the gym, it feels like we’re clamoring to see who’s made the basketball team or the cheerleading squad. I’m the only sophomore and of average height, so it takes me a while to wiggle my way to the front so I can see.

There are three names listed for the Marine Science Center.

Me! I got the position I wanted!

Then, Hahn. I don’t really know him, only that Sokka hates him, which should be interesting.

And… Zuko?

I scan the crowd for his unmistakable face, but he’s nowhere to be found. I can’t help but notice the red-clad crew off to the right, however. Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai are all on our school’s beach volleyball team. Either they just came from practice, are headed to a game, or just want an excuse to wear their uniform. Two seniors, Ruon Jion and Chan, hover nearby, enjoying the view. Ty Lee offers a shy wave when she catches my eye.

“Congrats to the newest Future Fire Lady!” Azula salutes Mai.

The dark-haired girl simply huffs. “But Zuko won’t be there. He got some stupid job at a water park.”

I fight the urge to march right up to her and emphasize how respectable and meaningful the Marine Science Center internship is, but the look on Ty Lee’s face stops me. Her bottom lip protrudes in a full-on pout, and I remember that she told me about Mai’s childhood crush. Apparently it is one-sided, and everyone wishes she would just get over it. Mai's scowl confirms that I should let it go.

“Of course Father wouldn’t give him a job after the equipment malfunction last year.” Everything Azula says comes out like a sneer. “He’s such a disgrace to the family. We need someone who is competent and level-headed in the company, Mai. Not lovesick and forlorn. Should I retract my recommendation I made to Father?”

Even though she’s shaking her head, I swear I hear Mai mumble bitch under her breath. For some reason, I am mesmerized by the exchange. The crowd finally thins out as everyone heads to class. With only two weeks left of school, the summer will be here before we know it. And I will be nursing injured seals back to health with Zuko?

Toph nudges me with her elbow. “Hey Sugar Queen. Watch your back, will ya?”

“What? Why?”

She’s gone before I can ask what the hell she’s talking about.

Chapter Two: Underwater  |  Chapter Three: Steamy

Chapter Four: The Fall

[sterekloveaffairs]

HIC -Part 1 (Peter Hale)

Author: sterekloveaffairs

Characters: OFC x Peter Hale

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3.774

I straightened my skirt before picking up the tray with coffee and cups, and of course a plate with cookies, a bowl of sugar and some milk. I enjoyed the clicking of my heels when I swiftly walked down the corridor, towards the massive oak doors that were surprisingly easy to open. I balanced the tray on my left hand and knocked, not two seconds later a heavy voice granted me access. I opened the door and smiled when I walked into the office.

“Good morning, Mr. Hale,” I said while I put the tray on the table in the corner of the room.

“Good morning, Christina.”

“Two sugars and a bit of milk as usual?” He didn’t reply, but even without turning around to look at him, I knew he was nodding. Those were the kind of things you knew after working for someone for over a year. Usually, it meant that he was either reading something important, or thinking about something important. When I turned around with a cup of fresh coffee (two sugars, one milk), I indeed saw his eyes scanning over the file I left on his desk before I went home last night. The slight frown on his forehead did not make Peter Hale any less good looking. He was an extraordinary man, tailored suit, hair neatly done and cleanly shaven. And yet he had something raw about him. I knew what it was, but he didn’t know that I knew. Peter Hale was a werewolf, an alpha, and one of the most powerful in Beacon Hills. He kept up pretences, as there were several humans like me working for him. And even though werewolves and humans lived peacefully amongst each other -well, kind of- it was very unusual for them to mingle in a professional context. Mostly because there are much more distractions for werewolves, with their enhanced senses, but also because more than one complaint has been filed for intimidation and threats. But it was perfectly legal, although no one here talked about the (super)natural authority that Peter Hale seemed to radiate. I didn’t care. I was a very tiny woman, you didn’t have to be a werewolf to snap me in half. But I could defend myself. Kind of.

How I knew? My friend Scott had told me. He was bitten by a rogue alpha when we were in high school, so he knew most of the local supernaturals. When he heard that I had a job interview at HIC, he had warned me. Not because he thought Peter Hale was dangerous, but just in general. The same kind of warning my mother gave me for talking to strangers and hanging out with boys.

I liked working for the Hale Investment Company. Peter Hale was my direct superior, as I was hired as his personal assistant. It was a varied job, I did a lot more than just bring him his coffee in the morning. I planned his day, scheduled his meetings, answered phone calls, welcomed visitors and business partners before a meeting, did all sorts of errands for him and I supported him when there was a particularly difficult decision to make. He confided in me and I was very often the first person to hear about his frustrations and delights. I kept my mouth shut, confidentiality was key for someone in my position. See, hear, and shut the fuck up.

I put the cup on the table in front of him, then turned my attention to the flowers in his desk and started plucking out the ones that didn’t look as nice anymore. I could feel my boss look at me. He was wearing a navy-blue suit, with a white dress shirt and a matching tie. He looked handsome, and I had to admit that I did not mind working for such an attractive man at all.

“Don’t bother, Tina, they’re bringing a new bouquet this afternoon.”

“Doesn’t mean they don’t have to look nice for your 10.30 meeting with Mr. Cooper.” Mr. Hale raised his head, then rolled his eyes.

“Cooper? Again? I already told him no, twice. Why did you not tell me this?” I smiled, not impressed by his scowling tone.

“Mr. Cooper said he had something else to discuss with you, sir. And I did tell you, yesterday evening when we were going over your planning for today, and I also put it in your diary, both the paper and the digital one.” Mr. Hale frowned and took the leather book out his drawer, flipping the pages and smiling when he saw my neat handwriting that indicated the upcoming appointment with Mr. Cooper.

“Sorry, Christina. I had a bad night.” I know. It was a full moon yesterday. Mr. Hale was always a little off when it was a full moon. Very understandable, considering being a werewolf and everything. Scott found it very difficult in the beginning, and I had witnessed his struggle a few times. So when Mr. Hale said he had a bad night, I understood. And I didn’t ask questions. Somehow that was a trait in me that he seemed to appreciate very much. I wasn’t nosy like other people in my function and I worked on a need to know basis. If he wanted to talk to me about certain things, I would listen, but I would never open a subject uninvited.

“No bother, sir. Do you want me to go over your schedule once more?”

“If you please.” I took the diary from his hands, he leaned back in his chair and I placed the book on the desk so he could read with me. He was close enough for me to feel his body warmth on my skin, and I smiled when I felt his gaze linger on my skirt.

It was no secret to anyone in the company that Peter Hale loved women, and not being tied down into marriage or even a relationship, had several perks for him. The first one was that he could fully focus on his company. He worked up to sixty hours every week and it was very seldom that he was not the last person to leave the building. The second advantage was that he could shamelessly -but at the same time very respectfully- enjoy the company of nice looking ladies. I knew I was one of them, because his nephew and first in command, Derek Hale, had looked at me on my first day and asked his uncle if he had picked me for skills or just looks. I admit I looked very young, and my blonde hair made it seem as if that was indeed the way for me to get a well-paid job. But I had the required number of diplomas and certificates, and I had proven that in the past year. Derek had never apologised to me for his remark, but he had certainly opened up to me. As had every other werewolf in this building. I don’t know how, but they all managed to hide it pretty well. It was only after every full moon that I had been able to identify some of them, and it took me a whole six months before I knew about every one. And then it just took a few conversations with Scott to figure out what their story was. Just because I wasn’t nosy in my professional life, didn’t mean I was not a curious little shit in my time off.

There was Derek, Peter’s nephew and deputy CEO, who was a born werewolf like his uncle and also an alpha, the both of them descending from a family that seemed to enjoy an almost royal status amongst supernaturals. How Derek and Peter were able to work together without ripping each other’s head of, was a mystery to me, as they were both alphas and they both had very different views. It was not abnormal for me to be sitting at my own desk outside Mr. Hale’s office and hear them yell at each other, often accompanied by porcelain shattering on the floor, and I would wait patiently until their argument was over before I’d walk in and clean up the mess, again without asking any questions. I believe that is part of the reason that Derek appreciated me almost as much as his uncle.

Then there was Isaac, head of the accountancy department and so far up Derek’s ass that you barely knew where he ended and Isaac began. Nice kid, though. A little bit anxious, but very loyal and somehow extremely confident, smooth and charming when talking to the ladies. He had this cute little smirk that made me smile even when I didn’t want to. Isaac was a bitten werewolf, he had asked Derek for the bite to escape his home situation. When I asked Scott what that was about, he couldn’t tell me much more than ‘his dad was an asshole, I heard’ so I had left it at that. But that was probably the reason he was so fond of Derek, and why Derek was so eager to defend Isaac whenever Peter was looking for someone to blame when something went wrong.

I just said ‘head of accountants’ but there were only two of them, Isaac and Erica. Erica was a lovely looking young lady, with wavy blonde hair and a smile to die for. She was part of Derek’s pack, just like Isaac, and she had asked Derek for the bite because she suffered from epileptic episodes, and her medication could help her less every day. However, she was not nearly as close to Derek as Isaac was. She obeyed her alpha, definitely, but never without the usual defiance and snarky remarks. She was her own woman and she was not ever afraid to point that out. We got along very well, mainly because we shared a similar hair colour and hair care is a very important subject. So, when she saw my shiny locks when I entered their office for the first time, looking for Isaac, she immediately came to me and asked me about the products I used. Some casual chitchat later and we found out that we shared more than just our beautiful hair. To say we are friends might be a slight exaggeration, but we always had each other’s back at work.

Erica’s boyfriend Boyd, the last member of Derek’s pack, was one of the drivers. Peter and Derek had to attend a lot of business lunches and dinners, and more often than not, alcohol would be involved. That’s what they said, but I knew it was more about the wolfsbane induced drinks than the alcohol. It also saved them a lot of time if they could review their files and documents in the car. And to be honest, Peter Hale was just one of those cocky guys that liked to have his own personal driver.

Then there was Lydia Martin, not a werewolf, but a banshee if I had to believe what Scott told me. She was responsible for public relations and marketing, and it showed. She looked meticulous every day and somehow managed to get everyone to do whatever the hell she wanted even before she wanted it to be done. She was incredibly good at her job, and sometimes I’d be jealous when Mr. Hale complimented her excessively. Not that much, just a little bit. I often wished I’d get that much praise, but I would quickly forget it when my boss would look at me and thank me for whatever I had done that day. I think he knew very well that Lydia Martin’s existence was a direct assault on my confidence. She was just so perfect and so good at everything she did, it was difficult not to be jealous and insecure when she walked into the room. Then again, it was also very hard not to like her. Despite what her appearance might tell you, she was accessible and open to everyone, ready to give a helping hand if you needed it and she was friendly and patient. She often asked me to help her with certain projects, usually it would be small things, but I was always happy I could be of assistance.

Cora and Laura Hale were Derek’s sisters, and they had been even more sceptical of me in the beginning. They would be the ones looking out for new projects that seemed to be worthy of an investment from HIC. If Mr. Hale had to do all of that himself, he’d never leave his office. So Laura and Cora would lead the initial contact between whoever wanted their project sponsored by HIC and they would look out for major works distributed by the city council and interesting opportunities. They had eyed me up and down the first few weeks whenever they were waiting in front of my desk to talk to their uncle, but I never budged. I had no reason to be nervous, what you get is what you see. I knew they didn’t think too highly of me, but I also knew that there was a big chance that I would surprise them positively at one point, for that very same reason. And one day, after about a month, I had saved the day by finding a contract that was signed long before I was employed in the company, but it had prevented a partner from trying to cheat HIC and resulted in Laura and Cora changing their mind about me. There were no more scowls (it must be a Hale thing) and weary looks, only smiles and small talk, still distant, but very amicable.

My favourite person in the company -after Mr. Hale of course- was his sister Talia Hale. She was an alpha as well, but she was the nicest person you’d ever meet in your life. She was the contact person for HR, and she basically made sure that everyone was happy. It’s only normal that a large company like HIC has an HR-department, but Talia’s job was often more difficult because of the mixture in their employees. After all, the humans working here -except me- were pretty oblivious to all the supernatural creatures that surrounded them, so whenever something happened or whenever there were struggles, Talia had to fix them without revealing the secret. She had personally welcomed me into the company and I had instantly felt comfortable around her.

Then finally, there was also Theo Raeken, the only person in the company I was a bit weary of. I don’t know what it was about him, but I did not like him. He flirted a lot, which I didn’t mind at all, I liked flirting and I liked being flirted with, but there was just something about him that I disliked. He was sneaky and secretive it seemed, and I had never liked that. And yes, you can say now that my own boss was not being honest about being a werewolf, but that was much different. Or at least it felt different. Maybe it was because Theo had joined the company only three months ago, and it just seemed off to me to have him fit into the picture.

That was it for the supernatural part. There were many more employees, but they were all human. Or at least as far as Scott knew. There was Danny, assisting Lydia and then there was an intern for her called Mason, I think. There was also Lauren, Jessica, Ellen and Mary, they were the recruitment team (guess how sneaky Theo got a job). Then there were also two other drivers, Jake and Toby, a team of ten who did the gardening and maintenance around the company building, a tech team that never really seemed to talk to anyone besides their group of five and of course the cleaning team, that consisted mostly of older ladies that swooned every time they caught a glimpse of the handsome CEO. Or really any guy in a suit.

“There was a conference call planned at 09.30 this morning, but that was cancelled by Mr. Deucalion, he asked to have it on Wednesday, same time, instead, I told him if it was not convenient for you, I’d call him back.”

“No, no, Wednesday is fine.”

“Great. Then, at 10.30, so in 25 minutes, you have a meeting with Mr. Cooper about a new project he wants to pitch to you. I gave him the advice to go through Laura or Cora first, but he insisted that he’d speak to you. I can cancel him and tell him you’re busy if you want to.”

“We’ll see how this goes. I’ll give you the sign when you bring in the coffee if I want him out, you know the drill.” Ah, yes, our ‘sign’. Basically, whenever he was in a meeting he wanted to get out of, but he couldn’t flatly tell the client that he was not interested in their shitty idea, he’d have me call him up from my desk with an ‘emergency’.

“Of course, sir. Then you have a lunch meeting with Mr. Derek and Mr. Isaac at 1pm and in the afternoon Miss Lydia wanted to go through some of her social media campaigns, she said to just give her a call when you’re back from lunch.”

“That’s alright. Say Tina, when was the last time I took you out for dinner?”

“Me, sir?” I was a little bit surprised by his question. He tries to make it a habit of treating his employees every now and then, definitely on their birthday, but also some other days, when he felt like it.

“Yes, you. You have been working very hard lately, don’t think I didn’t notice, I asked you to prepare this file yesterday afternoon and this morning I found it on my desk already. I appreciate that, and I want you to know that.” I could feel a blush creep up my face, and I smiled shyly.

“Mr. Hale, don’t worry about that, I know you appreciate what I do here.”

“When?” He didn’t relent, and I thought back to the last time he took me out for dinner.

“I think that was two months ago, sir, right after you closed the deal with-“

“Two months already?” I wanted to tell him that it had been at least t four months since he took Erica for dinner, and if Isaac wouldn’t go for lunch today, it would be well over five months for him, but I knew that he would not take no for an answer. And I was honestly feeling very flattered that he wanted to take me out for dinner. I know it was purely professional, but somehow I was always beaming at the idea of people seeing us at a table together and thinking we were actually on a date. And it’s nice to be able to eat in such well-dressed, classy company, especially if they have a way with words like Mr. Hale did. He made me blush at least ten times during dinner and he seemed to never give me enough compliments. It was a real confidence boost if you had dinner with him, so I wouldn’t say no. So when one of his eyebrows popped up, I nodded to confirm.

“We should do something about that, are you free tomorrow night?”

“I am, sir, but you aren’t, you’ve got the dinner meeting with Mr. Argent.” Mr. Hale grumbled something that sounded like a very well hidden swear, and he rubbed his forehead. He hated the meetings he had with Chris Argent. The Argents had a private company that operated in service of the government, and they basically kept an eye on professional environments where there was a mix between humans and supernatural creatures. Like employment rights, but just for humans. And although Peter Hale made sure that every employee in his company was happy, he was simply disgusted by the way he would be investigated at least four times a year as if he was the biggest criminal in the country.

“Do you like steak?” I raised my eyebrows, turned towards him quick enough to see him hastily take his eyes away from my behind. Sneaky bastard, I thought endearingly.

“Steak?”

“Yeah, we’re meeting at the Golden Veal. Talia was supposed to come with me, but she has some carpenter taking a look at a leak in her roof or something. And I’ll be damned before I get stuck in a restaurant with Argent. I’d rather have some better-looking company.” Whoop, there comes the blush again! I smiled, but then I realised that if I was there, there was no way Mr. Argent could roast the hell out of Mr. Hale without giving away what the real purpose of the conversation was. And maybe that was his way of messing with the Argents.

“But, sir, I thought these meetings were extremely confidential. After all, they deal with the relationships between employees and supervisors, don’t you think it would be wrong for me to be there?” Mr. Hale stood up from his desk, he stood in front of me and took my hand in between both of his, then looked down to stare into my eyes.

“My dear Christina, do you think I would ask if I even slightly doubted your sense of responsibility? You are the only person I would ask, because honestly, the rest of them are looking for the next juicy rumour. I know I can trust you.” My legs nearly turned to jelly. Mr. Hale was a very intimidating man, even without trying, but not in a bad way. You just had to feel special if he looked at you like that. And boy, did I feel special. My heart was pounding and I felt myself glow when he told me once again how he trusted me. I knew what he was doing, he was sweet talking me into agreeing to this, and I had no reason not to, at least not in his eyes, I supposedly did not know about the werewolves and other creatures in this company. I had been told that Argent Investigations was simply a general employment rights guarding dog, like every other human working for HIC. I knew that being there would put me in a very difficult position. I knew I should refuse. But I was not very good at denying Mr. Hale when he asked this nicely. And he knew it so well.

“Steak sounds just fine to me, sir.”

“Perfect. Wear something nice.”

[jezzula]

Always and Forever Part 2

Summary: Jen comes up with a plan to get out of her dangerous home life, and keep an eye on her big brother in the process.

I’m trying to keep this close to canon time-wise and event-wise. Bear with me for historic inaccuracies :) Also keep reading with an American Southern accent for the Turner fam, and canon accent for Peggy.

Characters: Jennifer Turner (reader, OC), Anthony and Ethan Turner (older brothers of reader, OCs), unnamed father (OC), Agent Peggy Carter, Private Riley (OC)

Pairings: None this chapter

TW: Implied past physical abuse (no description except that there’s bruising), implied past and current emotional abuse (minimal description), threat of abuse, swearing, mention of slaughtering farm animals (no graphic details), that’s it I think? Let me know if there’s more!

A/N: Sorry for the slow build up, Bucky is coming soon! Single lines between scene changes. Italics indicate thought blurbs. Also JEEZERS this took forever to get down. Lot’s of personal issues and the like, but I plan on getting out another one shot and part to this fic by week’s end so yay. Enjoy and as always, feedback appreciated. :)

Like to catch up? Prologue Part 1

“My name is Jennifer Turner,” I reply. “Thank you for takin me Miss Carter.”

“Not to worry. Do you mind if I take you with me to see the colonel for a moment? It won't take long.”

“Um… Alright I guess. I just have to get back to my brother’s car as soon as possible. He uh, he don't know I'm here ma’am, and I don't wanna get left behind you see.” I duck my head and put my hands behind my back like a little girl, and start diggin into the ground with the toe of my shoe.

I wait to be reprimanded by this woman who can't be much older than I am. She's an imposing figure and I grow scared she’ll react badly to finding out how I got here, but all she does is place a gentle hand on my shoulder and calls over a young man in a uniform.

“Private Riley!” He comes running towards us. She turns back to me, “What is your brother’s name?”

“Anthony,” I mumble, still looking at the ground.

“Yes Agent Carter?” Private* Riley stands at attention before us.

“Find a Mr. Anthony Turner and send him to the Colonel’s tent straightaway.”

“Yes ma’am!” He salutes Miss Carter, and gives me a nod and a sweet smile before hurrying away to find my brother.

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

Miss Carter leads me to a tent off to the side. Her uniform looked just like all the uniforms the men were wearing, except she wore a brown skirt that matched her hair, instead of pants like the men.

Her gentle reaction from before gives me courage, and I ask her tentatively where she's from.

She glances over at me, givin me the side-eye before answering, “England. Though I've been in America since the war began.”

“Why? Why are you in the American army? Shouldn't you be in the British army?”

We’ve stopped outside the tent. She chuckles a bit, looking down before glancing back up at me, “Well perhaps like you, I wanted to experience all that life has to offer, outside the bubble in which I grew up.”

I felt like she had seen into my soul and spoken a truth I hadn't yet had the courage to consciously ponder. I felt a connection to Miss Carter, like somehow, we were meant to come together in our lives. I decided I quite liked her, and that I would try to keep in touch with her if I could through the war. Assuming I'd be able to join the Nurse Corps and get out of here.

She held open the flap of the tent for me and I ducked in and stepped to the side, waiting for her to lead me.

“Colonel Philips…” She trailed off when she noticed he was writing something.

Without looking up or ceasing his movements, the colonel barked at her, “What is it Agent Carter?”

“Sir, I’d like you evaluate this one for me. I think she may be a suitable candidate for the position.”

I look over at Miss Carter, tilting my head, confused at what she's talkin about. Position? What position?

Colonel Phillips finally looks up at this. First at Miss Carter, then over at me. “Her?” He gestures with the pen in his hand. “You think she's got what it takes?”

“Yes sir, I do.”

“Well now,” he rises, and walks slowly from behind his makeshift work station. He comes around to the front of the desk and leans back against it, crossing his arms over his chest. “What's your name missy?”

“Jennifer Turner sir.”

“Where are you from.”

“Here sir, my family owns a farm bout two miles from town.”

“You get an education?”

“Yes sir I graduated from high school near top of my class. I helped my brothers do their college homework too when I had the time.”

“How old are your brothers?”

“Anthony is 25 and Ethan is 23.”

“What about you?”

“Almost 21 sir.”

“Why are you here today?”

The exchange has been so quick and shallow up to this point that I haven't had to consider my answers before blurting them out. But this questions stops me in my tracks. Why am I here today? Am I here to serve my country? To play my part in the fight for freedom? Or is it less altruistic than that. Am I being selfish? Running away from home because I'm too scared to stay. How can I fight for my country if I can't even fight for myself?

Colonel Phillips clears his throat, “You lose your tongue on me Miss Turner? Why are you in my camp today?”

I glance nervously over at Agent Carter. She looks concerned, her brows furrowed, but she nods at me encouragingly and gives me the smallest of smiles.

I take a deep breath to steady myself, then I square my shoulders and raise my head to look the colonel in the eye.

“I'm here because I can't stay at home without my brothers being there and I figured if I gotta run away to save myself, I might as well try and save some other good folk along the way.”

The colonel just raises an eyebrow at me and nods, an invitation to elaborate.

Another deep breath. I open my mouth to speak and as soon as I utter the first few words, I find it harder to keep my mouth shut than to keep talking. I tell him all about my home life, all the way back to the beginning, the first incident I could remember, when my dad was beatin up on Ethan and I ran and begged him to stop, pulling on his arms. All that got me was a backhand to my face and being forced to watch what was happening to Ethan.I told him how the only reason I hadn't run away sooner was because Anthony and Ethan had always been there to protect me.

“But now Ethan is moving in with his friend at school, and Anthony has enlisted so I would be at home by myself. They won't let me try and find work here in town so I would literally be trapped out there with them. So that's why I thought I'd try to join Nurse Corps. Maybe I could get out and try and keep tabs on Anthony at the same time.”

Colonel Phillips crosses his arms over his chest placing a fist over his mouth as if in deep thought. He nods a few times and looks over at Miss Carter and cocks his head and closes his eyes as if to say, Yeah you were right about this one.

I look back down at my feet, nervous again. What if I said the wrong thing and they send me back? I can feel my heartbeat quicken, blood pounding through my head, making me deaf. Agent Carter breaks the silence, “Well Colonel? What do you think of her?”

“I think she’ll do just fine with you Peggy. If you're sure about her then I'm more than willing to allow it.”

I look up at Miss Carter with what I can only describe as a hopeful look. Hoping that whatever she said, whatever they were talking about, would result in me being able to leave. She looks back at me with a gentle smile, and a feeling of calm washes over me, like as long as I'm with her, everything will be alright.

“Jenny, how would you feel about coming to work with me instead of joining the Nurse Corps? You still get to leave, but you'll become my right hand man and help me out with anything I do. Would you be alright with that?”

Before I can answer, Private* Riley calls from outside announcing my brother’s arrival. They both enter the tent and Anthony looks nervous. And then he sees me and smiles, happy to see his little sister. Quickly the smile disappears to be replaced by confusion and then irritation.

“Jenny what the hell-” He notices Agent Carter, faltering. “Sorry ma’am, I didn't see you there. Jennifer Marie, what are you doing here?”

“I- I got in the truck and came with you.” I start to cry, knowing he’ll probably be angry at me. I am surprised then, when he comes over and wraps me in his arms, squeezing me.

“Why would you do that Jem? Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to come along?”

“Cuz I didn’t want to come along to be with you. I wanted to come here to try and find my own way out.”

“No,” he steps back, holding me at arm’s length. “You’re not leavin here, not until I get back. You’re safer here than in a war zone Jem, you have to know that! What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I didn’t want to be stuck at home fearing for my safety when I could out there looking after you and others while worryin’ about my safety! At least if I’m in the army I can help people while being afraid instead of just hiding!”

“What would you even do Jem?” He keeps using that nickname, the one only he and Ethan call me, trying to make me listen to him like when we were younger and I followed him blindly. “You can’t even handle when Pa kills the chickens and you think you’ll be able to survive the Nurse Corps?”

“WELL IT’S BETTER THAN STAYING HERE ALONE! I don’t know what you want me to do Anthony,” I look down, any fight almost drained out of me completely.

“I want you to be safe honey. And at least if you’re home I know where you are. And Ethan can keep an eye on you.”

Miss Carter clears her throat, “Or perhaps I could? You see Mr. Turner, I’ve just offered your sister employment as my second in command. I’m Agent Carter I work in the US Army.” She extends her hand to shake his firmly. “I can assure you she’d be perfectly safe, she can write to you and your brother whenever we’re able and she’d be under the direct protection of Colonel Phillips and myself.”

I can see my brother weighing the options in his head. He’s frowning and gnawing his lower lip, looking at me, Miss Carter, the Colonel and back to me again. He does this for what seems like forever. Finally he sighs shakes his head and says, “Fine. But both of y’all gotta come back so she can pack her things. Even I won’t be able to stop Pop on my own when he finds out about this. He gon’ be awful mad…”

Tags are wide open friendos and I’m finally making a concise list for them as well so if you do or don’t want to be tagged go ahead and let me know!

Tags: @mar-gega @softwintersoldier @papi-chulo-bucky @thatawkwardtinyperson @2boysandnewyork @kit-kat-coffeeworld @mcmuffinbaby @buckyappreciationsociety @thejamesoldier @sad-af1121@buckybarnesismypreciousplum

[hansoloscharizard]

Poison Rain - Chapter One

Heyho, welcome to my new, big Fanfiction-project! 

Poison Rain will be a multi-chapter- AU about Padmè surviving Mustafar and disguising for seven years until Vader finds her. 

This is the first chapter (you can also find it on AO3, if you wish: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9608513/chapters/21708230

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Padmè Amidala Naberrie leaned on the railing and looked down to the busy city below the palace of Alderaan. The sky shimmered in a deep orange and the clouds seemed to glow. She loved the peace of the sunset behind the mountains.

“Lysa? Lysa!” The voice of the young princess of Alderaan echoed through the wide corridor and Padmè turned to her.

“My princess?”

Leia Organa wrapped her arms around her belly and Padmès heart felt heavy for a moment. “Father says, I am done. I managed the whole day with the council and I didn’t complain even once.”

Padmè fondled Leia’s hair which was dark brown and curly. Just like mine. Even with blonde colored hair and the blue contacts her daughter looked so similar to herself, that Padmè sometimes wondered how anyone could overlook the truth. “I am so proud of you, my princess”, she said lovingly. “I know one day you’ll be a queen as good as your mother is.”

“First I’ll be senator as my dad”, Leia answered back. “Actually I think this is a position with much more power.” For her young age –she was nearly seven years old- she had a very good understanding of diplomacy and politics. She never ought to know who her real parents where, but Padmè couldn’t help to see herself in every word the little girl said. Except her strong temperament. I was a calm child, and she is always loud and demanding. She knew too well where that trait came from.

Leia dragged Padmè with her, still chatting about her day with the government. “And then that guy from Tatooine came again to ask dad to speak for him … You know, the anti-hutt-movement …” The mention of the desert planet felt like a stitch. She didn’t talk to Obi-Wan for too long but the Jedi was careful and rarely searched contact with her. “It’s too dangerous”, he said. “What has an Alderaanian employee to do with an old eremite from a forsaken planet like Tatooine?”

After she gave birth to her son Luke she had only seen him twice, the last time two years ago. Obi-Wan wouldn’t allow her to come and his reports where more than imprecise. He is a Jedi, not a father, and he lives far away from Luke. Anakin’s step-brother didn’t like Jedi and especially not one that could bring doom over his entire family.

Leia led Padmè to her playroom. It was big and colorful and full of toys and stuffed animals.

“What do you want to show me, your highness?”, she asked, still a little absent.

“You know, Master Morum told me about the Jedi and the old republic …”, the girl explained.

Master Morum was Leias teacher. “What did he teach you?”, Padmè asked concerned. In the official version all Jedi where traitors and the republic was a weak institution, helpless against threats from outside. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

“I know they say, they where evil, but they protected the galaxy for thousands of years, didn’t they?” Leia didn’t wait for an answer. “So I made this!”

She knelt down next to a little scenery of figures which where set up around the tiny model of a star destroyer. “I don’t think the empire is better than a republic. They do things, which are unfair and the senate can do nothing about it! So the Jedi fight. They will return and protect us, look!”

Padmè closed her eyes. Oh no, Bail, what did you think? Her old friend would better have taught her daughter conformity. She is too wise for her age. This will do her no good. In earlier days Padmè would have wished for a daughter that could think herself and fight for what she believed in. But the time changed and so did I.

   Darth Vader looked upon the skeleton of the unfinished death star. He had his hands crossed behind his back and observed, how it got bigger and bigger while the star destroyer came closer. He would supervise the construction for the next weeks, until the gravitation problem was solved. The completion of the space station was delayed for months again because the isolation- material for the core reactor behaved unexpected towards the attraction of the nearby moon.

“Lord Vader? We are close enough now”, one captain reported with a salute.

Vader nodded. “Give me seven TIE-Fighters. I will fly a Lambda-Fairy.”

“Shall I inform Grand Moff Tarkin on your arrival?”

“No.” It will make a better impact if it is unexpected.

The man saluted again, rushed towards the bridge and shouted a few orders while Vader left the bridge and walked down the corridor that let to the hangar.

He had to send the hand of the emperor, who by now sojourned in the basement on the moon to Alderaan to keep an eye on Bail Organa – Vader didn’t trust the senator’s loyalty towards the empire.

A low-rank- commander awaited him already. “We manned the TIE-Fighters and the fairy, my Lord.” He licked his lip nervously.

“That’s what I expected”, Vader commented dryly and the commander winced. “Yeah, of course, Sir, I am sorry.” He licked his lip again and Vader grimaced disdainfully under his mask. Cowards where everywhere around him and men who allowed fear to control their behavior had already lost.

 He greeted Tarkin and Director Krennic down on the moon basement. Tarkin was polite but Vader felt his bad mood- he was a man who rather worked on his own. Both had a lot of excuses for the problems which where only the newest in a long series of delays and unexpectancies. When the work started, Tarkin had estimated the construction time on five years, but now, six years later, they where still far away from even getting close to the finish. “Now that I have recruited Galen Erso, it will be much faster. He already worked on the original plans”, Krennic assured him. An ambitious man. He could be useful in the future.

“I hope you will work a little bit faster in the future, Director”, Vader replied harshly. “I have no time to deal with every single step you take.”

Grand Moff Tarkin saluted. “Of course, Lord Vader.”

“Director, am I right that Francine Vanli still lives here?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“I want to see her. After that I will return to the Executor to report back to the emperor.”

  It made Padmè sad to watch her daughter entering the dining room without her. Bail had offered her a higher rank, which would allow her to take part in all those formalities, but Padmè didn’t want to risk that. She was sure that the Organas where under observation.

And if Vader found out that I am still alive … She shivered. The look in his cold blue eyes still followed her into her nightmares.

She was so sentimental today, but tomorrow would be the seventh day of the empire, the seventh birthday of her children. They came more than one month too early, probably because of the internal injuries …

No. Stop thinking about that, she admonished herself. You won’t cange the past, no matter how often you think about it.

That night, she was back on Polis Massa. Far away from Anakin, but she could still feel the pressure on her throat. Every breath felt like she was inhaling fire and her skin was covered in cold sweat.

“From a medical point of view she is well”, she heard the droid tell Obi-Wan. And also: “For reasons we can’t explain … We are losing her.”

No, she wanted to scream. No it hurts so bad it feels like fire I am not well I can’t breath, please, make it stop … The droid told Obi-Wan, that she was about to give birth to twins. Twins? Oh no … She never dared to go to a healer, afraid that queen Camilla could release her out of service before the war was over. Then: It is too early, more than one and a half month, my babies will die and I will die too …

Then the scenery changed and she found herself in a mass of people, her face veiled while she attended her own funeral. She floated in the air and looked down into the hearse, saw her very own face so pale, so dead … It’s just a wax figure, something deep inside her flustered. A pregnant wax figure, hands crossed over the swollen stomach.

She awoke in a sea of sweat, the moon still shining trough the high window. Just a dream, she thought. It was just a dream. But it was not. It happened, only seven years ago. Leia doesn’t even know, that it is her birthday, she thought sadly and her hand wandered to her belly. Bail and Breha had made her a few months older to avoid questions.

My little girl. And my boy. She had to celebrate the birthday of her children alone.

  “She is on her way to Alderaan, my apprentice?”, the Emperor asked.

“Yes, Master.” Vaders voice sounded deep and synthetic in comparison to Palpatine’s croaking. He knelt on the floor of the empty conference room, one arm shored on his leg, his head lowered. The Emperor could feel challenged by even the slightest sign of disrespect.

“Very well.” Palpatine nodded. “When do you think will the new station be operational?”

“Grand Moff Tarkin estimated five more years.”

“That is not what you think.” Palpatine eyed him.

“No, my Master”, Vader admitted. “This mistake won’t be the last. Many things can just be done by try and error, we have no records about an equally ambitious project in the last two thousand years.”

“What is your estimation?”

“It will be at least a decade.”

The emperor nodded again. A dark hood covered his face. A pity. Vader served him six years and he knew nearly nothing about Darth Sidious. Even though I once thought I did. The cynical smile hurt in his burnt face, but Vader was used to the pain.

“I allow you to leave”, decided his Master. “I await your report on the building progress.”

“Yes, my Master.” The hologram disappeared and Vader got up. His time would come.

  “I am glad to meet you, Miss Aevan”, Padmè welcomed the new women friendly. She flicked through the application and smiled. “Oh, you where born in Theed?”

“Yes, Mylady.” The new was around Padmès Age, her hair was auburn red and she had dark blue eyes.

“Lysa, please. I am of Nabooian decent myself”, she told her – she and Breha had decided that more truth would make the lie more believable years ago.

“So call me Francine, please.” The women smiled shyly. “Where in Naboo do you come from?”

“Kaadara. Did you ever visit it? It is beautiful, so near the coast …” They chatted on. Padmè decided, that she liked Francine. She spoke basic with the melodic dialect that was characteristic to most Naboo- Native-speakers and she knew even a few words Gungan.

Padmè introduced the young women to her new job as servant in the royal chambers - due to the information in the application she was well trained and experienced in that field and one of the old servants had just left because of his age. She tried to hurry up now because she had an appointment with Obi-Wan who two days ago finally agreed to talk to her again.

They met Leia in her playroom – thankfully she had removed the Jedi-scenery days ago – and Padmè greeted her happily. Due to the day of the empire a week ago the princess was very busy with all the ambassadors and parades and she followed Bail to every single appointment, so she had rarely seen her.

“Your highness.” Francine sunk in a formal curtsy.

“My Princess, this is Francine, the new servant. You know, because Lucan left us.”

“Oh yes.” Leia grinned. “Hi, Francine.” She could be very engaging, if she wanted to.

Padmè left the young women with the elder servant Cary to introduce her further into her work and hurried to her own room. Puh, just in time.

She had an own holoprojector, which she now turned on. Only a few minutes later Obi-Wan appeared in the typical blue, flickering way.

He wore an old robe and she was shocked to see that light strings shimmered in his dark hair. The Jedi had always been a serious man – except for the never ending supply of one-line-jokes – but the deep wrinkles on his face let him look ten years older than he was. Padmè realized that it was nearly a year since she had seen him the last time. And with every year he ages a decade.

“Lysa”, he greeted her with a tired voice.

“Ben”, she answered with his assumed name. “How is Luke?”

“Oh, he is good. Blond hair, shiny blue eyes and always loud. I feel like I was a twenty-five year old padawan again.” He smiled sadly.

Padmè thought back to the Naboo-crisis and the time they spent on Tatooine. “Are you an angel?” where the first words Anakin ever said to her, a wild but so warm-hearted child. Maybe those words are what made me fall in love with him then years later, she thought cynically. These very words made her overlook the angry, young man in his twenties all those years ago. I could only see his smile, not the anger in his eyes.

“Owen tries to protect him”, Obi-Wan went on. “But if he is a little bit like his father this will never be enough to him.”

Padmé sighed. “What about … you know what?”, she barely dared to ask, but she had to know.

“It grows stronger.” Die Jedi shook his head. “I think he already uses it unconsciously. He needs somebody to train him, but Owen won’t allow me to get even near the boy.”

“I can understand him”, Padmè said absently. He is strong with the Force. Of course he is. How could he not?

“What about Leia?”, he asked gently.

“I don’t know. Not in an obvious way at least.” She frowned. “Or maybe she is just better in control of herself. Please, can you tell me more?” Her heart was hungry for every word.

“I saw him fly his uncles speeder a few weeks ago. Another little pilot I guess.” Padmè couldn`t help herself but smile. “Maybe he can be the little boy Anakin was meant to be.”

A shadow sank over Obi-Wans face. “Yes. Maybe.”

   “Why did you have to restart this phase?”, Vader asked coldly. The officer in front of him looked as if he was near a breakdown.

“It is like … I fear, the plans contained a mistake, Mylord …” Captain Rook had to supervise the casing of the station, but something went wrong and the removal and reapplication of a thousand tons of material would cost the empire months and many credits.

“A few … cable chutes and ventilation shafts where planned to small …”, he babbled on.

“And?”

The man whipped his forehead. “Mylord?”

“What did you do to correct this?”

“The plans have been rewritten and we … We’re gonna catch up to the timetable. I will take care that we do.”

“Who planned the casing?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure, Sir.”

“You’re lying. You remember, and so do I.” He lifted his hand and Rook sank down, hand at his throat. “You where responsible from the beginning”, he told the corpse. “A lie, and a bad one.” He turned around to the men at the bridge who had observed the scene.

“Lieutenant Veers!”

The man saluted. “Yes, Mylord?”

“You where involved in the work of this man, right?” “Right, Sir.”

“Your troops await you. I want the C-sector to be renewed by the end of the year, Commander.”

“Thank you, Mylord.”

Vader nodded shortly, then he left the bridge and rushed to his own rooms. He had to report to the Emperor.

  “Luke? Luke! Where are you going again?” The voice of uncle Owen echoed over the field.

The blond boy winced. “I am coming!”, he shouted back.

He stuffed the speeder he was building under the plans and ran to the house. “I am sorry, uncle”, he apologized, gasping for air.

Owen stroked his hair. “It’s fine, Luke. Come on, your aunt made dinner.”

Luke jumped down the stairs into the wide manhole, which contained the entrances to the different rooms and sheds as well as all the machines and droids the farm required. He rushed into the kitchen and shouted: “Aunt Beru!”

She turned around and threatened him jokingly with the wooden spoon. “Where have you been again, boy?”

“We fought the empire”, the seven-years old explained proudly. “Me and Biggs, you know.”

His aunt laughed. “So, that makes hungry for sure. I made stew.”

“Oh, not again.” Luke grimaced.

“Soldiers eat that every day”, she told him. “You have to get used to that if you want to fight the empire.”

“Really?”

“Oh, please Beru, don’t strengthen him anymore”, Owen sighed, entering the kitchen.

“I will be a great worrier!”, Luke claimed and Beru smiled lovingly. “Let him dream, Owen. Reality will come soon enough.”

[dragnews]

Thailand Cave Rescue Live Updates: 4 Team Members Are Out, 9 to Go

[UPDATED at 6:23 p.m. Eastern, July 8]

The Times has reporters on the scene and will be providing updates regularly. Go here to see maps and diagrams of how the rescue is unfolding.

• The first four rescued team members were at the hospital, military and local officials said. But it will be hours before other boys can start the trip. Divers are replacing air tanks and supplies along their route until then.

• In the town where the soccer team is based, the celebration was exuberant, even as families awaited word on the rest of the team.

• The rescues came as heavy monsoon rains returned to the area, after days of relative respite. Experts say the rain will not immediately make water levels rise within the cave, but it greatly increases the urgency of the operation.

‘Today, everything was smooth’

Four of the team members have safely made the harrowing underwater passage out of the cave and were at the hospital, the head of search operations, Narongsak Osottanakorn, said at a news conference on Sunday night.

He said there would be a delay of at least 10 hours until other boys were rescued, to allow time for more air tanks and gear to be replaced along their route.

Mr. Narongsak, who until a few days ago was also the provincial governor, said that 10 cave divers had accompanied the boys all through the journey. “They hugged the boys beneath them while they were wearing full-face masks,” he said.

The plan had been for the first team member to emerge around 9 p.m. local time, but things went more quickly: The first came out at around 5:40 p.m., he said. The fourth emerged around 7:50.

“Today, everything was very smooth,” he said. “We have been practicing for the past three to four days, rain or shine.”

The Facebook page for the Thai Navy SEALS announced that “Wild Boar No. 4 is out of the cave,” in a reference to the team’s mascot name, the Wild Boars.

[Read here about how the ordeal started: A team-building adventure to the cave after a regular Saturday practice turned into an emergency after monsoon rains struck.]

A Facebook Messenger group organized by some of the players’ parents identified two of the rescued players. One, Mongkol Boonpiam, was said to among those ailing the worst. The other player was identified as Prajak Sutham.

Others were reported to have made progress along the cave network. Experts said the journey from the boys’ cavern to the cave entrance, including long passages completely submerged in murky, rushing water, took even the best cave divers in the world six hours to navigate.

An earlier version of this article reported that the boys’ coach was one of the four rescued from the cave on Sunday. The identity of those rescued, however, has not been confirmed, and we are not certain the coach is out of the cave. We will continue to update as more information becomes available.

— Richard C. Paddock and Muktita Suhartono, near Tham Luang Cave

Jubilation in the team’s hometown

In the town of Mae Sai, where the trapped boys’ soccer team is based, residents and family members were cheering the sound of every helicopter and ambulance they heard, in an uproar of celebration at the news that boys were leaving the cave on Sunday.

“I am so happy!” said Kamon Chanthapun, an adviser to the team. “I was so worried because they are just children, stuck for so long in the dark.”

Young men rode in the back of flatbed trucks, cruising the streets and cheering.

Mae Sai is a town that thrives on border commerce. Some residents have relatives across the border in Myanmar, and thousands cross over from that country each day to work, trade or attend school in Thailand.

One of the boys in the cave, Adul Sam-on, is a student at the Ban Wiang Phan school here. Inside, students had written messages on heart-shaped sticky notes placed up in a big heart shape on a bulletin board with optimistic messages. “Hopefully our friend can come out safely,” read one.

Adul was the boy who spoke to British divers in English in the video that announced to the world that the team had finally been found, after 10 days stuck in the flooded Tham Luang Cave.

The head coach for the soccer team, Nopparat Khanthawong, who did not enter the cave with the others two weeks ago, said: “I’m happy that children are coming out. All I can do is to send my prayers and support to the children and rescuers.”

He added: “We don’t know the physical condition of the boys. Please keep them coming!”

— Hannah Beech and Muktita Suhartono, in Mae Sai

Rescue effort is underway

Divers pulling the 12 boys and their soccer coach from the cave were in a race against time, with the threat of rains making an already difficult rescue even more urgent.

Mr. Narongsak, commander of the rescue operation, said it could take days to recover the full team. The boys and their coach are being brought out one at a time by 13 foreign cave divers and five Thai Navy SEAL divers, Mr. Narongsak said.

He said the boys had been preparing for days to come out through long, flooded passageways that are challenging even for the most skilled cave divers, who must navigate openings so narrow that only one person can go through at a time. Each boy will have two divers trying to bring him out.

Further complicating the operation is that some of the boys do not know how to swim, said divers participating in the rescue effort.

Ambulances and helicopters are standing by to transport them to a hospital for medical treatment.

“Everyone knows exactly what they have to do, because any confusion in there would be really bad,” Mr. Narongsak told a packed news conference.

He said this was the best chance to bring out the boys safely.

“We believe there are no days when we have been readier than today,” Mr. Narongsak said. “If we don’t do the rescue on the day when we are readiest, we might lose the opportunity to carry out this mission.”

Mr. Narongsak announced that the rescue had begun after officials had cleared the area outside the cave of journalists.

Hundreds of journalists had been monitoring the rescue attempt from a base camp by the cave, and the number grew significantly after the boys and their coach were found safe on Monday night.

“Assessing the situation now, it is necessary to evacuate the area for the rescue operation,” Komsan Sa-ardluan, the local police commander, told reporters over a loudspeaker. “Those unrelated to the rescue operation, please evacuate the area immediately.”

— Richard C. Paddock and Muktita Suhartono in Mae Sai

Why can’t the boys swim?

A Thai official has said that some members of the boys’ soccer team trapped in the flooded Tham Luang Cave network don’t know how to swim, further complicating the rescue effort.

That may surprise people from countries where swim lessons are a rite of passage for most children. But in Southeast Asia, not knowing how to swim is normal.

A key reason is that many mothers in the region believe that teaching their children to swim will increase the risk of them drowning, said Michael Linnan, the technical director at the Alliance for Safe Children, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that has worked extensively in the region.

Dr. Linnan said it was not uncommon to see rates of swimming in low- and middle-income countries that is “well below” 20 percent, even among sailors, fishermen and others who earn their living on the water.

Drowning is a leading cause of death among children in low- and middle-income countries in Asia, Unicef said in a 2012 report. Unlike in high-income countries, the report said, the danger to children typically comes not from swimming pools but from daily exposure to water and “spontaneous actions that put them at risk.”

In Thailand, the Health Ministry reported in 2014 that drowning was the primary cause of death among children under 15. It said an average of four children in Thailand died every day from drowning, a rate five to 15 times higher than those for developed countries.

Dr. Linnan, a former medical epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, said Thailand has made “enormous strides” in the last decade toward preventing child injury and morbidity. For example, he said, the government established a national day care program, a move that helped to prevent drownings among very young children.

But he said he hoped recent events at Tham Luang Cave would be a “teachable moment,” highlighting a need on a national scale for further efforts to prevent drowning.

“I hope that will be the silver lining in this cloud,” he said.

— Mike Ives in Hong Kong

Letters from the cave: “I’ll be back soon”

One boy promised to do his chores when he gets home. Another asked for barbecued pork.

In letters home, written on water-stained paper and posted Saturday on the Thai Navy SEALs’ Facebook page, the trapped boys and their soccer coach sought to reassure their families that they were in good hands and in good spirits.

“Don’t worry about me,” wrote Ekkarat “Bew” Wongsookchan, 13. “I’ve been away for two weeks. I’ll help mom every day. I’ll be back soon.”

“I’m happy in here,” wrote Panumat “Mix” Saengdee, 14. “The SEAL team takes very good care of us.”

The boys’ parents had written to them earlier. The letters, carried by divers making six-hour trips in each direction, are the first direct communication between the parents and their sons. Attempts to establish a phone line to the cavern where the boys are trapped have not yet been successful.

“Mom, Dad, I love you guys, and little sister Toi,” wrote Pipat “Nick” Poti, 15. “If I get out please take me to a pork barbecue place. I love you Dad, Mom.”

The boys’ coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, wrote to the parents as a group, promising to take care of them as best as he could. The parents had written to him earlier, assuring him that they did not blame him for the situation.

“Thank you all for the support,” the coach wrote. “I deeply apologize to the parents.”

He also wrote to his own family members — an aunt and his grandmother — asking them not to worry too much about him. “Aunty, can you please tell granny to prepare vegetable juice and pork snacks?” he wrote. “I’ll eat them when I get out. Love you all.”

— Muktita Suhartono, at the Tham Luang Cave

Why a 15 percent oxygen level has rescuers worried

On Friday, a Thai Navy SEAL commander said the oxygen level in the boys’ cavern was about 15 percent and falling. That is a concern because levels below 16 percent can cause oxygen depletion, a condition known as hypoxia.

Under normal conditions, the air people breathe consists of about 21 percent oxygen, 78 percent nitrogen and one percent argon and other gases, including carbon dioxide. When the mix changes, humans can feel a range of health effects, subtle and otherwise.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration reports that hypoxia may cause headaches, nausea, drowsiness, rapid breathing, slurred speech and “diminished thinking capacity,” among other problems. It can also result in incapacitation or, in extreme cases, death.

Hypoxia can be a concern in high-altitude regions, or when a plane loses air pressure.

The air in caves tends to be good, and cavers would typically worry about high concentrations of carbon monoxide, not low concentrations of oxygen, said Dinko Novosel, the president of the European Cave Rescue Association.

But Mr. Novosel said an oxygen concentration of 15 percent or less in the Tham Luang Cave network would be “really problematic” for anyone trapped inside. It would allow them to survive, but make even basic activities difficult, he said.

Raymond Cheung, a professor of neurology at the University of Hong Kong, said the specific health effects would depend on a range of factors. Assuming the 12 trapped boys and their coach are healthy and not exerting themselves, “because they’re near sea level and the pressure is normal, then they should be all right” for the time being, Professor Cheung said.

But strenuous activity in such a low-oxygen environment could cause severe problems, especially for anyone with a pre-existing heart or lung condition, he said.

On Saturday, Mr. Narongsak, the official leading the rescue operation, said that at one point the oxygen level had been so low in a chamber where many rescuers were working that nonessential personnel were sent out of it.

He also said that rescuers were concerned about the level of carbon dioxide in the cavern where the boys are trapped.

People naturally release carbon dioxide when they exhale. Professor Cheung said that the carbon-dioxide concentration in air was generally no more than about 0.2 percent, and that a concentration of more than about 5 percent would cause a person to feel breathless. At about 10 percent, he said, a person would become unresponsive.

— Mike Ives in Hong Kong, and Richard C. Paddock at the Tham Luang Cave

Thai diver dies, running out of air in cave

A retired Thai Navy SEAL diver died in Tham Luang Cave when he ran out of air while underwater, the Thai authorities said on Friday.

The diver, a volunteer identified as Saman Gunan, 38, ran out of air while placing spare oxygen tanks along the route to the cavern where the boys are trapped.

Mr. Saman ran into trouble at about 1 a.m. on Friday, and efforts to revive him were not successful, said Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yookongkaew, the Thai Navy SEAL commander.

The operation to rescue the boys is now focused on delivering air and running a communications line to the group’s location from a nearby cavern known as Chamber Three. The distance from there to the group is about 1,700 meters, officials say, and one part of the effort now is to run a hose across that distance to pump air into the team’s chamber.

[Tham Luang Cave is especially hard to navigate, professional divers say, pushing their abilities to the utmost — read our full story.]

For now, the only way to communicate between officials coordinating the rescue effort and the group in the cave is by messenger, a journey of about six hours one way.

Installing a communications line would facilitate any rescue operation and allow the boys to talk to their families.

Four Thai Navy SEALs, including a doctor, are with the boys, ages 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old soccer coach.

A video message from a Chilean miner

One of the men rescued from a mine in Chile in 2010 sent a video message of hope this week to the trapped boys’ soccer team in Thailand.

“We are praying for each of you, for each of the families and for these children,” said Mario Sepulveda, who was the second of more than 30 miners pulled to safety in a specially built capsule after being trapped for more than two months, in a rescue televised around the world.

Mr. Sepulveda, who was nicknamed “Super Mario” for his exuberant exit from the rescue capsule, became a motivational speaker after the incident.

In the video released Wednesday, he said he wanted to send “a lot of strength to the authorities and the families of these 12 children who are underground.”

His message was echoed by others who went through the ordeal in Chile.

“They shouldn’t be ashamed to be scared,” Omar Reygadas, another miner, told The Associated Press earlier this week. “Because we were scared, too. Our tears also ran. Even as adult men, we cried.”

Mae Bua Chaicheun, a rice farmer who lives near Tham Luang Cave, wanted to help in the search for the missing boys. So last week, she volunteered for five days at the rescue center, delivering drinking water to soldiers and helping clean up.

When she returned home to her village in the flatlands a few miles from the cave, she found that her fields were flooded with water that had been pumped from the caves in the effort to reach the 12 boys and their soccer coach.

She had already prepared the soil on her five acres and was about to plant rice. Now she has to start over.

But she is not concerned about that. Most importantly, the boys were found alive.

When she saw the news that the boys were found, she said she put her hands together in front of the TV and thanked Buddha.

“I had goose bumps,” she said.

She is one of dozens of farmers downstream from Tham Luang Cave whose fields have been flooded by the surplus water pumped out to reduce flood levels in the cavern.

The government is offering compensation to farmers whose land was flooded. In her case, that would have come to about $430, plus seed and fertilizer. But she said she didn’t want to add to the government’s burden in the midst of the search, and did not register.

“I am more than willing to have my rice fields flooded as long as the children are safe,” she said. “The boys are like my children.”

— Richard C. Paddock, in Nong Oo Village

Experience runs deep for British divers

When two British divers first reached a trapped boys’ soccer team in a flooded cave in Thailand on Monday, they may have experienced some déjà vu.

The divers, Richard Stanton and John Volanthen, are members of the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team, one of 15 such teams in the United Kingdom. And this isn’t the first time they’ve been flown to another country for a cave-rescue mission.

In 2004, Mr. Stanton, a retired firefighter from Coventry, was involved in the successful rescue in Mexico of six Britons who had been trapped in a cave for more than a week — one of the best-known cave rescues in recent history.

According to CoventryLive, a local news site, Mr. Stanton helped persuade one of the British men in Mexico, who was scared of water and had never dived before, to make a nearly 600-foot dive as part of the escape.

Six years later, Mr. Stanton and Mr. Volanthen, an information technology consultant, were flown to France in an attempt to rescue Eric Establie, a climber who had gone missing in a cave. They found his body about 3,000 feet from the entrance.

Queen Elizabeth II later made Mr. Stanton a Member of the Order of the British Empire, or M.B.E., “for services to local government.”

“I was very surprised,” he told a reporter after the award was announced in 2012. “People would say in jest that I should have got an M.B.E.,” he said, adding, “but it’s not something I have really thought about.”

— Mike Ives

In videos, doctor reassures the boys

Video clips taken by a Thai Navy SEAL member show the 12 boys and their soccer coach in the cave, looking skinny but seemingly healthy and in good spirits.

Divers reached them on Monday night and have been taking them food, medicine and other supplies as officials and diving experts try to figure out how to extract them from the Tham Luang Cave.

In one clip, the boys are sitting, some wrapped in space blankets, as Lt. Col. Dr. Phak Lohanchun, an army doctor who has SEAL training, puts disinfectant on their cuts.

Dr. Phak mentions the rigor of that training and, holding the disinfectant, tells the boys: “I had wounds all over my body. I couldn’t take a bath. To heal the wounds, I had to apply this all over.”

The diver taking the video says to a boy who appears to be one of the youngest, “Show me your smile.”

The boy smiles shyly and holds up two fingers.

In another video, the boys speak briefly in turn to the camera, giving their names and saying they are healthy.

“What do the 13 of you want to say to your fans?” the doctor asks. “Everybody in this world has been following your news.”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: Divers Enter Thai Cave As Rescue Mission Begins. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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