#the symbolism of them being able to build a house together free from the past is also so good

[stagefoureddiediaz]

I’m not ok when I think about bobby literally breathing life back into Athena before collapsing himself and not breathing - man gave her his last breath

[cafeinthemoon]

Tobirama, Madara and Izuna with s/o who’s the last of the clan 💔

I was so excited when anon requested this one that I regret taking this long to finally write it! This time, we have Tobirama, Madara and Izuna with a s/o that reveals to be the last of her clan and besides infertile, which means that her lineage would be over with her, as well as their own. Let’s see how they would react!

To give this request a context, let’s imagine that they’re married for just some months and she never revealed this secret because she was afraid that they would leave her after finding out about it. Sm tension! Poor s/o 😭

Oh and Izuna's part ended up longer than I thought to be possible omg

Fandom: Naruto | Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha

Symbols: ◻ | 💜 | 💛 | ▶▶

Warnings: angst, not exactly happy endings, depression, tension, infertility, grief

Tobirama

It’s not like Tobirama didn’t notice something was wrong since you started living together: he did

He trusted you with his life, but he sensed you were keeping something from him, though he had no idea of what it could be

Maybe you did something shameful or something about your past has been haunting you since then, but you didn’t know how to tell him

Whatever the case, he never questioned you or tried to make you talk

He wanted you to take your time and only speak when you felt prepared, the best way for you to show how much you trusted and respected him

But months and months passed and your silence persisted, and it was hard for him to ignore it

One day, the answer to this mystery came in an unexpected way, during a casual conversation at home

Tobirama pointed out your circumstances were favorable: your routine together was settled, your house had enough space and he finally finished to work on some jutsu he has been developing for a while

You agreed and asked why he was talking about this now

It was when he said he believed that you both had proper conditions to have children

When you heard the word children, you couldn’t control your reaction: you started to tremble and covered your face to hide your tears

It took like one hour until you were able to speak again, and when you did, you begged Tobirama to listen to you until the end before thinking of what to do

You revealed that you weren’t lying when you told him you were the last of your clan, but that was not the whole story: you also discovered you were unable to get pregnant, which means your lineage would end with you

And if Tobirama kept married to you, the same would happen to his lineage as well

You explained you were scared to tell him the truth because you didn’t want to disappoint him or to see him leaving you

You also said you were sorry for destroying the trust he had on you and that if he wanted to step away from this marriage that wouldn’t bring him any benefits, you would understand

That was the moment when without a word you were remembered why you loved that man so much: he pulled you to him and involved you in a hug so tight that you thought you were going to suffocate

When he spoke, was to ask how you could think he would give up on you because of a child that you couldn’t bring to the world – a person who didn’t even exist

He married you because he loved you, not your bloodline

But you know, Tobirama is a man of actions and not just words, so once he understood how important this was for you, he started to work

He spent hours, days, weeks in research and tests with your genetic material to find the exact cause of your infertility, because with this information he could develop a cure

He also included the principles of chakra in his studies, which resulted in the cure being a type of healing ninjutsu

Tobirama didn’t like to speak about his techniques before he had proof of their efficacy, so he never talked to you about his discoveries. He was wise in not giving you false expectations

But one day, the jutsu was finally complete

He explained that he tried to improve the chances of success as much as he could, but they didn’t even reach 90% (an acceptable number according to him), so that the chances of failure couldn’t be ignored

You said that if the technique failed, you would learn to live with it and that all the effort he put on it was enough for you, for it was the greatest proof of love you’d expect to receive

Tobirama then explained how it would work and helped you with the preparations

You would take the healing treatment from him during a few sessions; after that, you would try a few times

All the procedure would take months, so you would have to be patient and reshape some of your habits: the healthier you would get, bigger were the chances of success

It’s been some time since you started the experiment, so there’s still hope

But you decided to use your time not just to rely on hope, but also to prepare yourself to whatever the future would bring to you ❤

Madara

Something unexplainable, a kind of sadness, were always present in you, in your voice, your gestures, and specially when you were quiet, distracted with your own thoughts

Since Madara met you, he had this strange sensation about you

Maybe it was a painful memory or something about your clan

You told him you were the last of it, so he was the only family you had now

He could say he understood part of you pain, for he lost his siblings when they were little, as well as his parents: he knew what it was like to be alone

But there was a part of the story you still hadn’t the courage to reveal to him: you were infertile, so you’d never be able to give him children

And you knew he wanted to be a father

Besides he was the clan’s head, so he needed an offspring

He noticed your used to get particularly quiet when children were mentioned

But he never questioned you about it

You, on the other hand, always knew that sooner or later, this would be discussed seriously in your house, yet you pretended it would never happen

But one evening, when you were sitting together, talking about the life you were building there and the future, Madara spoke again about his dream of becoming a father

This time, you couldn’t take it anymore

You said sorry to your husband, but you would not be able to make his dream come true

He didn’t ask how, or why: he just stared at you in silence, wondering what you were talking about

Then you finally confessed everything: you were not just the last of your clan; you were also unable to get pregnant. Having children were always a difficult theme for you, both because it was a dream you’d never reach and because of your lineage

You told him how you discovered your infertility, how your clan reacted to it, how you were rejected because no one would want a wife who wasn’t able to have children, how the world made your life gravitate around this instead of just let you live in peace

When you lost your family, your feelings were mixed: on one hand, you felt free from the burden of being infertile; on the other hand, you never felt so alone

You were determined to live only for yourself until you met Madara, who convinced you to do differently. And now things were about to get ruined because this shadow of your past

Your husband’s first reaction was to ask for a moment all by himself. He wanted to process everything he just heard before taking any measures

You gave him time and spent the rest of the night without seeing him

(You barely closed your eyes on the bed)

The next morning, he came back to talk to you

He said he was going to travel to seek for a solution and that he was not coming back until he found out something good enough for you two

You asked for details but he refused to give them. Sometimes he was so enigmatic that he would scare you

But you had to trust him, so you let him go even not knowing when he would be back

During his travel, Madara met some elder, wise people and asked for a jutsu, a medicine or anything that could help. He would pay any price for it

And they named their price, which wasn’t low. Still he paid

He would never speak about it with you, though

After weeks, he came back home with scrolls and artifacts and finally explained what he had in mind

You’ve never heard about those jutsu and didn’t trust those types of medicine

But you noticed he wasn’t the same man who left the house, so it was understood that he made some sacrifice to obtain those things

So that for your husband, you would try anything

If they would work, you weren’t sure

But you wouldn’t let all his efforts be in vain 😭

Izuna always had this positive, almost euphoric confidence in the future, in your love, in your success together, and didn’t accept anything that could contradict his vision of things

Izuna

The issue in this case started even before you got married

But to be honest, this was what first thing caught your attention when you met him

After living alone for years since you lost your family, he was the first person who convinced you to change your ways

He made you believe everything was possible, and to try and live happy again

Yes, even you, despite everything you’ve been through, felt the flames of hope waking up again inside your heart

Sometimes, you felt like Izuna had enough vital energy for you both

The sensation was such that after every meeting with him you needed some time by yourself to recover: his company was almost suffocating

He was also a man used to make important decisions quickly: he hated wasting time with deliberations, stating that this was a habit of old people

(Wasting time in his words, let’s be clear lol)

The idea of the marriage came from him, as expected

Of course you said yes: you loved him as much as you loved yourself, so the idea of being by his side forever was everything you could expect

And with your positive answer, Izuna has been more intense than ever

He made plans for you: the house you would share, the memories you would create in it, the life you would build there

Everything was fine, even when he forgot to ask your opinion

Until the moment he mentioned the children he expect to bring to the world with you

You knew that once Izuna got attached to an idea, it was impossible to make him change his mind, so things weren’t different with the fatherhood thing

In a short amount of time, this became the central theme of his dreams and his favorite thing to discuss with you

Well, to speak about with you, because you barely said anything during these conversations

Instead, you tried to appear as positive and supportive as you could

But as the days passed and the marriage came closer, it was getting harder for you to hide how much this was making you suffer

Because yes, Izuna knew you had no clan and no family, then being the last representative of your lineage, but you never had the courage to tell him about your infertility

And now that he seemed not to think of anything else than having kids with you, you couldn’t dream of ruining his happiness

(Fortunately Izuna was used to your quietness, so he never questioned your silence when he spoke about this)

You stayed strong until you could during the following weeks, but the day before the marriage had pushed you too far

You couldn’t – you simply could not ruin the life of the man you loved revealing that secret to him

So you decided you had to make a sacrifice, for the both of you

Early that day, before the sun appeared, you packed your things and left

You left no apology letter, no message of goodbye, nothing. You just left before anything could stop you or anyone could see you

You traveled alone during a couple of hours

You had no idea of where you were going, or what you were going to do when you had to stop at somewhere to rest, but you forbade yourself to think of coming back

At some moment, you looked at the sky and noticed the midday was close and felt hungry

You stopped under a tree and was about to unpack the food you brought with you when you saw you had company

You raised your eyes and, when you recognized Izuna standing there, staring at you with a look full of questions, you lost the last drop of balance you had in you

You cried so hard you thought you were going to pass out

He approached you was about to involve you in his arms, but you begged him not to touch you, claiming that you couldn’t marry him and that he must have not followed you

But Izuna was a persistent man, and after an hour trying to calm you down, he managed to make you speak

There was no point in hiding anything from him now, so you just told him everything

You explained that you’d marry him and make him the happiest man alive if it wasn’t for this dream with which you couldn’t help him

And that you couldn’t be so cruel to the point of bound him to you and deny him of this at the same time

When you finished your story, it was Izuna’s time to remain in silence

You could feel the rush of feelings stirring inside him as his eyes would go from one side to another, trying to assimilate all of that

You didn’t know if he was going to leave you there, to kill you or to burst in tears, and that was freaking you out

It was when you begged him to say something, anything, but not stay that quiet

And he spoke. But when he did, there was nothing but a restored passion in his tone

You didn’t understand that until he explained that he thought you were kidnapped or something worse happened, but he was glad that it was nothing like this

Before you could stop him, Izuna caught you in a tight embrace, telling you to never do that again

And that he was sorry for not letting you at will to take off this weight of you chest and that if he knew about this he would have never pushed you this far

You came back with him and the marriage happened as planned the next day

Some time later, you found about about a kid of an Uchiha couple that just lost their parents

You talked to each other and with the kid’s remaining family and came to the conclusion that they would live better with you

The family talked to the kid, and when you had your first meeting, you almost forgot about all the past suffering 🌹

[flickeringart]

Neptune in aspect with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and Chiron

(Read my other posts 1: Neptune aspecting Sun & Moon, 2: Neptune aspecting Mercury & Venus, 3: Neptune aspecting Mars)

It is always difficult to interpret aspects of generational planets to other generational planets because they are such big forces and encompasses such broad complexity that it would take a genius to accurately convey their impact through the Mercurial function; verbal and written communication. The social and collective planets are describing the bigger picture of what is going on a societal and global scale – but they do matter in the personal natal chart because they indicate the overall collective climate that one was born into and will inevitably color the personal life experience. When I refer to “collective tendencies” in describing these aspects I’m therefore also referring to “personal tendencies”.

Neptune in aspect with Jupiter

With the harmonious aspects this would translate into a time of deep collective faith and belief in the transience of the world as well as a faith in the ability to be redeemed through the correct attitude and positive expectations. This is a typical aspect of “follow your heart and your dreams” which is often considered extremely naïve by more “realistic” people. With this aspect forming at a point in time, there’s a greater collective tendency to take chances and put one’s luck in the hands of the universe. This aspect lends itself to big dreams and visions, a freedom to pursue spirituality and let go of inhibitions, to pursue freedom with complete abandon of boundaries, to enjoy culture and contribute to it in order to feel closer to the divine. In case of the hard aspects, belief systems may be dissolving and reconstructed, the future might seem obscure; the erosion of culture and lost sense purpose might cause people to pursue religion or spiritual doctrine more vigorously than ever. People could attempt to escape from it all through distraction and dissociation, to cling to illusions in order to cope, or take to drugs in order to numb the sense of meaninglessness and desperation that permeates the social-societal fabric. The hard aspects could indicate disillusionment and disappointment in religious doctrine, an abandonment of belief and collective spirit. People could feel betrayed and deceived by thought leaders and visionaries leading them astray instead of enriching their lives. In any case, these two planets together combine the yearning for something sacred and transcendent with the symbolic expressions of meaning in culture and social life.

Neptune in aspect with Saturn

With the harmonious aspects this combination of planets, the collective might try to create a system of protection for the less fortunate, to provide a container for the unformed and passive souls that are helpless in the face of existence. It might also lend itself to collective fantasies of the ideal state with an ideal structure. Hard work and duty might be glorified and seen as the height of goodness. There could even be a great sense of bliss in restricting and depriving in order to chip away at a distant goal. It could also mean that there’s romanticizing and mythologizing of authority, a deep need to idealize paternal figureheads and put faith in tradition. This aspect forming at a specific point in time could generate a tendency to expect to be taken care of by society, for the powers that be to provide and coddle its citizens. There could be an expectancy to be redeemed through putting noses to the grindstone and get rewarded in this (or the next) life for doing the right thing, for believing in the system. With the harmonious aspects this might not be such a disastrous preconception to live by but with the harder aspect it becomes another story. With the hard aspects, Neptune-Saturn might express ad deep guilt and regret in not pursuing worldly goals or becoming successful – there could likewise be a sadness of not being receptive enough to have dreams and longings because of too much realism. There might be great defensiveness collectively against chaos as to make people paranoid to not loose control. Counter to what is desired; this fear might cause more disorder and a collapse of defense systems through the very effort of keeping them intact. Saturn has to do with boundaries and Neptune has to do with dissolution, which might indicate collective experiences of trying to keep things in but being unable to. Avoiding the “swamp” whatever form it comes in, would be the dilemma of these people’s lives and for the greater collective at this specific point in time. Escaping responsibility causes guilt and disorder and taking responsibility will cause guilt and disorder, whether it’s mental or physical or both. There’s dysfunction present at both ends. There would possibly be an undermining of authority taking place and simultaneously a stronger defensiveness around authority in order to not fall prey to the temptation of chaos.

Neptune in aspect with Uranus

With the harmonious aspects, this set of planets will combine themselves to create a common experience of looking to the future for redemption. That which is new is idealized and welcomed with open arms – change might seem like an appealing concept. Dreams of a utopian society where every individual is accepted and harmoniously coexisting without the necessity of rigid rules and structure might be prevalent. Faith in humanity and its capacity for genius to solve all its problems might come with this planetary contact. In fact, Neptune is sextile Uranus at this point in time, pointing to a longing for change and the opportunity to create something new that saves humanity from the “dark” past and elevates it to new heights of spiritual and scientific excellence. This is a highly idealistic combo that can produce genius solutions that are in line with the yearnings of the collective. The hard aspects can create tremendous despair and incapacity to pursue progress, without feeling like there’s an abandonment of the potential for redemption. These are the aspects that will sabotage any new endeavor and model in favor of remaining in a state of nebulous undifferentiated potential. New discoveries and insights made during the time of the hard aspects might produce great hurt and disillusionment in the collective. The new discoveries will seem to threaten that which is perceived as pure and sacred, the romantic ideals of humanity will be crushed in favor of breaking free from the limits of the status quo. The collective might polarize into people who want to jump on the band wagon of more advanced thought and the people who can’t abandon the “way things are” because of sentimentality and feeling ties. Either way, with the hard aspects there will be a conflict of the glamorous, timeless and bittersweet and the push to break out of the confines of old society. Neptune often symbolizes the urge to regress or transcend to reach a state of unity; Uranus symbolizes radical rebellion and revolution. With the hard aspects, there’s no way to have both. Uranus is too aggressive and might push people into emotional chaos, Neptune is too receptive and might consume and confuse people as to what is really going on in terms of thought advancement to ever come outside of their current mental framework.

(Buy products with my art) 

Neptune in aspect with Pluto

With the harmonious aspects, the Neptune-Pluto dynamic expresses itself through experience of unity through crisis. This might sound scary, but Pluto is after all representative of destruction and rebirth. With this aspect the collective longing for redemption stimulates the impulse to protect something that is necessary for survival. At this point in time Neptune is sextile Pluto, which makes sense considering the state of the world we’re in at the moment. There’s a sense of a need for survival in order to be able to guarantee a blissful destiny of humanity. The collective feeling tone is certainly categorized by fear and paranoia at this time, but also of greater oneness because the whole world is going through this pandemic. With the Neptune-Pluto sextile there’s a need for drastic measures in order to survive the pressure that is felt. The way to Eden is through the darkness. Pluto is in Capricorn, which suggests the desire to protect and control the structure of society at all costs – hard work and endurance is necessary for survival on a collective level. To ensure integrity of the building blocks of society becomes more important than anything else.

With the hard aspects between these planets, the picture becomes less appealing. The urge to merge and retreat into the world of pre/post existence to find healing and peace inevitably causes chaos and violent destruction. The collective would find that the fear and pressure that is experienced is too much to handle. Taking control and exercising power destroys all the hope of beauty and love in the world. This aspect could indicate a time of heart-breaking vulnerability and a lot of fear and need to escape into a dream of how things could be. People born around the years of 1814-1822 seem to have Neptune square Pluto in their charts if you look it up on astrotheme.com. These people would’ve been born into a collective climate of hopelessness and despair to some extent, of power wielded over the weak. There would’ve been a necessity to surrender to the threat of death, to accept the unacceptable and either give up power or use it at the expense of sensitivity and compassion. Karl Marx is a good example of an individual with the square aspect because it falls across two angular houses, Pluto in the 1st  house of self and Neptune in the 10thhouse of public image. The conflict between Neptune-Pluto is consequently evident in his persona. Publicly he’s known for his ideas about how the ideal society should be run (Neptune conjunct Uranus in the 10th). He argued that class tension and antagonism that developed under capitalism was unsustainable – the ruling classes controlling the means of production and the working class offering their labor in exchange for wages would not work in the long run in his opinion. The working class would eventually develop class-consciousness and conquer political power to establish a classless communist society. In this case, Neptune symbolizes the working class and Pluto the ruling class - in Marx’s experience these were at odds with each other (as reflected in his chart). His opinions certainly came from his inner personal tension of needing to identify as powerful (Pluto 1st house) and to offer a recipe of redemption as a part of his life’s work (Neptune in the 10th). I’m sure he felt powerful in himself, yet despairingly at loss when having to contribute to society. Undoubtedly, he felt like he had to give up his power to serve at the feet of the ruling class, to “give himself up”, like Neptune often nudges us to.

Neptune in aspect with Chiron

The harmonious aspects would translate into a peak experience through suffering, a sense of being touched by the sublime through the unintended infliction of pain, whether it’s physical or psychological. Redemption is inextricably linked with the misfortunes and wounding that can’t be cured with current scientific method. Suffering is somehow a vehicle for finding a sense of unity with the remainder of life, it makes for a transcendent experiences that allows for ecstatic bliss in conjunction with permanent damage and disability. At the point in time of the aspect’s formation there might be an unusual acceptance and romanticizing of disability, even to the point of elevating it to something divine and sacred. Knowledge and methods of healing are pursued as a means of redemption, a means of returning to Eden. Technique and skill to remedy the wounds of the collective are sought with a deeper emotional hunger. Compassion and unconditional love might be seen as the key component to healing. Artistry, creativity, music, drug use, alcohol, meditation, hypnosis and emotional surrender might be sought in the name of healing. There could be an effort to collectively spread as much knowledge and insight as possible in order to cure a little bit of the ignorance that causes so much trouble in society. Living with a permanent wound unites people, it connects the souls of the world in mutual longing to go “home”, to return to oneness. The wound stimulates a longing for fusion, which might express itself through a deep understanding of people’s suffering. Princess Diana is a perfect example of someone with the trine; she saw the universality of suffering and wasn’t hesitant to shower “love” on people with severe sickness or disability. She saw herself in people’s pain.

The hard aspects are more gruesome, as always. Personal wounds conflict with the need for fusion and a sense of oneness with existence. At the specific point in time of this aspect there might’ve been feelings in the collective of being fundamentally flawed and damaged to ever be redeemed and brought into the light of the eternal. There would’ve been great struggle to save people from irretrievable damage, yet the longing itself could cause more damage and additional feelings of insufficiency. There could’ve been a tendency to cover up the wound, numb it out and avoid looking at it in order to have a chance at something beautiful, pure and elevated. However, the escape and dissociation from it would only make it worse. The resistance to hope would potentially make the healing journey difficult. Great sympathy could be present yet it would be frequently cancelled out by stone cold realism. Chiron is the wounded healer archetype. He uses the mind and his practical skills to cope. When he’s in hard aspect with Neptune there’s going to be tension in the face of the possibility of redemption. It might only be an illusion after all, and the dark abyss of disillusionment is nothing to gamble with– consequently people would stick to the difficult but nonetheless, real, experience of pain in front of them. However when the pain of life becomes too much and one succumbs to the sweet escape through drugs, alcohol, food, tv, spiritual practices or any other method, it might backfire terribly and cause total disintegration and victimization. A good example of someone with the square is Oprah Winfrey with Chiron in the 1sthouse and Neptune in the 10th house. She’s widely known as a person of great compassion and insight – on a public level she embodies the role of the redeemer to some extent. Her identity however is that of someone who’s been wounded yet has come to terms with the burden and has learnt to live with it. She’s generally perceived to be very wise, similar to Chiron in myth. However, in her need to heal people she makes it into a show and molds the narrative to her liking or preference sometimes. She’s deeply compassionate, yet she can also expect people to live with the permanent burden of certain pains. Her Neptune draws the public in – promises redemption, but in person, she expects people to be realistic and strip their issues down without glamorizing or mythologizing.

[teawaffles]

It Happened One Night: Chapter 1

T/N: Takes place after the Scandal in the British Empire arc (Chapters 17-23 of the manga).

Baker Street was full of people as usual. But in contrast to the hubbub, the entire street was enveloped in a vaguely unnatural, lonely atmosphere.

It looked like it was going to rain. That was what John H Watson thought as he walked down the street, gazing up at the heavily clouded sky.

“We should get back quickly, Sherlock.”

Saying that, he looked at the man beside him — Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock squinted and sniffed the air, as if trying to detect the smell of rain, and agreed with him.

“Right. And I also have some things here I don’t want to get drenched.”

Then Sherlock looked down at the items he was carrying. They each bore a large paper bag, stuffed to the brim with food and other sundry goods.

John furrowed his brows.

“Sherlock, haven’t you bought too many personal items? We’re even more broke than usual, you know,” he reminded.

But Sherlock wasn’t perturbed.

“They might be useless to you, John, but to me these are necessities of life. Please overlook this just once.”

“It’s no use, huh……”

It was better to avoid cigarettes at times like this, but John knew it was pointless to say that — hence instead of going on at length, he just gave a small sigh. Somehow, it felt like the bag in his arms had grown heavier.

As the two men walked on like this, they eventually drew near the flat where they lived. 221B Baker Street. This was the very place from which the great detective Sherlock Holmes, and his assistant, John H Watson, unravelled Britain’s mysteries.

However, they walked past their lodgings, not once slowing down. As they passed by, John glanced toward their flat.

There, remained the scars of appalling destruction. The building itself had retained its original structure, but the flat in which they’d lived had its windows all blown out; from what he could see through them, the walls and ceilings had been scorched to a miserable crisp.

They’d been unexpectedly drawn into the “Scandal of the British Empire” case, in which Sherlock had devised a bold strategy — blowing up their own apartment — in order to save Irene Adler.

They had achieved their goal, but at the cost of losing their home for the time being. As such, Sherlock and John, together with their landlady Miss Hudson, were staying in cheap accommodation a little ways from here until the apartment repairs were complete.

As they headed to their temporary lodgings, John’s shoulders drooped.

“Although all of us had agreed on it, in the end, it’s still tough to see the place you’ve gotten used to living in become like that.”

“Sorry about that. I had no other option back then.”

Sherlock kept his eyes forward as he apologised with sincerity. To that, John smiled gently.

“I don’t really mind — In any case, I’ve been put through many reckless situations like this before……. Oh—”

Right then, a drop of water splashed on his palm. Just as he registered that icy sensation, more raindrops came pouring down.

Sherlock looked at him.

“It arrived earlier than I thought.”

“Yeah, let’s run for it.”

Then, carrying their bags with both arms, the two men half-ran to their hotel.

When they arrived, they shook their heads slightly to rid the water from their hair, then walked past the front desk to their room.

After putting down their bags and opening the door, they found Miss Hudson standing in the doorway.

John tilted his head in confusion.

“Miss Hudson, what brings you here?”

As it would be improper for them to share a room with a lady, the two men chose to rent out a separate room despite the steep cost. Hence, John thought she would be in her own room now — why was she in theirs?

She smiled back awkwardly.

“Mr Mycroft’s here.”

“What?”

Instantly, Sherlock’s face morphed into one of displeasure. Without asking the details, he took up his shopping and walked into the room. Seated on a chair near the wall was his older brother Mycroft, looking out the window.

“……Damn you, Mycroft. Coming all the way to this hotel — what you do want?”

Distinctly uncomfortable dealing with his own elder brother, Sherlock spoke up first, his tone sour. But Mycroft simply turned to look at him, and responded without haste.

“That attitude again as always, Sherly. How about subverting my expectations sometimes and acting like a gentleman for once? Or rather, is it that you’re so frustrated by a case you forgot your manners?”

“Ugh……”

Mycroft looked around the cramped interior as he spoke, and the corners of Sherlock’s mouth twitched as he let out a groan. He didn’t regret blowing up their apartment itself, but hearing Mycroft’s calm, pointed comments forced him to remember his own helplessness back then.

“……Did you come all the way here just to make a fool of me?” he retorted, trying to defend himself. But Mycroft simply shrugged his shoulders in resignation, and got straight to the point.

“If you’re having trouble with accommodation, there’s a country house in the Cotswolds I can introduce you to.”

“……What’s this, all of a sudden?”

Country houses were often built by nobles and wealthy landowners as status symbols on their own land: it was ridiculous to suggest that someone would simply lend theirs out. Sherlock raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

“Isn’t it natural for an older brother to want to help his younger sibling in his time of need? Furthermore, although I’m sure they’d agreed to your plan, it pains me to think how Dr Watson and Miss Hudson have been caught up in it.”

“We don’t need your concern. We’ll do what we want, so just get the hell out of here.” Sherlock made a shooing motion with his hand, in a bid to chase Mycroft out, but was soon admonished by John, who’d entered the room afterward. John then calmly turned to Mycroft, seeming eager to listen.

“Do you mean that, you would be willing to lend us an apartment? Thank you very much for your offer — could you tell us more?”

Mycroft was smiling as he nodded.

“Actually, an acquaintance of mine — a noble — intends to stay in London for a week. They’re looking for someone to look after their mansion in the meantime, hence I thought it would align perfectly with your situation, Doctor.”

John nodded in understanding.

“I see. However, if that’s the case, why not ask their employees to stay behind?”

“From what I’d heard, they felt it would be a good opportunity to give their hardworking employees a vacation as well. Although if you aren’t able to accept, Doctor, they did say they would ask some of them to remain in the house……”

“In other words, if we were to take up the offer, then their employees would be able to take a break. Moreover, the three of us would be in charge of the mansion’s upkeep during our stay.”

“Not exactly,” Mycroft clarified, “They said you won’t have to concern yourselves with the maintenance and such. As long as it stays reasonably tidy, you are free to enjoy yourselves while keeping an eye on the house.”

It was a very generous offer, so generous it invited suspicion of an ulterior motive; however, since it came from Mycroft, perhaps it could be trusted. John wanted very much to accept — he couldn’t say he was entirely pleased with their current arrangement — but he knew his partner didn’t view it that simply.

As expected, Sherlock tutted in disapproval.

“This place suits us just fine: I don’t want to live in some boring mansion in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I wouldn’t be able to take on clients when I’m away.”

Sherlock himself did harbour some guilt at making the two of them endure their present lifestyle, but following his brother’s opinion was simply anathema to him. As such, he couldn’t help but bite back in reply.

John understood that, but admonished him regardless.

“Sherlock, you shouldn’t talk to your own brother like that. Mr Mycroft was just looking out for us when he made that suggestion.”

“Pay no mind, Doctor. He’s been like this for a long time.”

Mycroft gave them a wide smile. Then, he directed a question to Miss Hudson, who had been keeping an eye on them from behind.

“We’ve heard what my little brother thinks, but how about you, Miss Hudson?”

“Eh? A-Ah~……”

Having suddenly been addressed, she responded in a faltering tone.

“Well, um…… To me, I think, it would certainly be helpful.”

In an effort to consider Sherlock’s feelings on the matter, she ended up replying in a roundabout way — but it was clear that she was in favour as well.

Mycroft turned to John.

“How about you, Doctor?”

For a moment, John was at a loss for words, but when he heard the floorboards creaking underneath his feet, he made up his mind. He looked at Sherlock as he nodded slowly.

“I think, that the country house might be more pleasant, compared to our current circumstances. Moreover, we could always receive clients via post.”

“…………”

Both of them had answered in the affirmative. Now, only Sherlock remained.

Despite the apparent obstacles being cleared, he still had his reservations. But eventually, Sherlock looked at the ceiling in resignation.

“Ah, bollocks. It would just be selfish of me to refuse at this point, now wouldn’t it? Alright. Please let us stay at that country house until the apartment is fixed.”

At that reply, Mycroft smiled in satisfaction, and Sherlock turned away to hide his frustration from those eyes.

The three of them drew up some agreements on their new living arrangements, and with that, until the flat at Baker Street was fixed, they would proceed to stay at a noble’s mansion out in the country.

Footnotes:

[1] The Cotswolds is a large hilly area to the northwest of London, further than Oxford and dotted with villages. (Wikipedia)

T/N: After the angst from the last story, I just remembered how much I love the Baker Street gang 😉

[makeste]

I read the meta you reposted about anyone being able to become a hero, and I would just like to give some thoughts. I agree it is wrong to think in terms of good vs bad victims and measure everyone as the same. Just because Shoto never killed anyone in response to his abuse and Toya did doesn't mean that Toya was always an evil person looking for an excuse to break bad. Different people break from different things.

these are all good, well-reasoned points, anon, but I disagree with a few of them. let me try to explain.

so the thing about this whole atonement process is that it’s hugely complex, and there isn’t really any kind of roadmap for Endeavor to follow when it comes to trying to make things right. I actually appreciate that his arc is written in such a way that his epiphany doesn’t just happen all at once, and you can see how his approach gradually turns from one that’s still mostly selfish and centered on him, to one that’s actually focused on his kids and what they need. you can see the stages he progresses through as the series goes on.

1. I’d argue that it all starts when he first gets yelled at by Deku (“Todoroki isn’t you!”). he realizes that maybe this kid has got a point, and that treating his son as an extension of him rather than as his own person might just be sorta shitty. so he files that away, but we don’t really see much of a change in him yet.

2. then a few months later he gets thrust into the #1 hero role, which has the interesting psychological effect of forcing him to see past himself and his ego for perhaps the first time in his life. he suddenly finds himself in this position as the new Symbol, and starts to feel the responsibility of that, and it basically triggers the entire rest of his redemption arc. because once he starts looking outside himself, he starts to realize the impact his actions have on other people, including his family. for the first time, he starts looking at the situation with fresh eyes, and realizes how much he’s hurt them.

3. quick little detour here, I feel like it’s important to note that Endeavor -- like many abusers -- actually does love his family and never intentionally set out to hurt them. but the problem is that he is so self-centered for most of his life that he never stops to consider that his family and his kids don’t simply exist to serve his own purposes. he abuses Shouto during his training but I’ll bet you he himself never thought of it as actual abuse, just him being hard on him in order to toughen him up. he thinks he’s doing what’s best for Shouto by making him strong in the hopes that he’ll one day surpass All Might, because that’s always been his goal, and so he just unilaterally decides that should be Shouto’s goal too. he wants the best for him, but it never enters his mind to consider that his son is his own person who, gasp, might not actually want the same things that Endeavor wants. btw I should clarify that absolutely none of this excuses anything he does, holy shit. but I feel like it’s important to mention, because many people complain that the change in Endeavor happens too abruptly and is too unrealistic, but I don’t think that’s true at all. it’s just that people don’t like to acknowledge that abusers are still human (meaning that anyone can become one if they’re not careful to consider how they treat others). Endeavor’s actions are monstrous, but they stem from realistic places, and I think that it’s a very well-thought-out character arc.

4. and so basically, once that change finally starts happening, it’s not that he suddenly starts loving his kids all of a sudden out of nowhere. it’s that he finally starts loving them for their own sake, rather than his. for the first time, he starts loving them selflessly rather than selfishly. and it’s not a change that just happens overnight, because he is so used to everything revolving around him that even after he starts realizing what he’s doing wrong, it still takes him a while to break free from those patterns.

5. and so for example, he suddenly becomes wildly supportive of Shouto and his training and attempts to go full-blown helicopter parent. because clearly that’s what Shouto needs, right?? all those years he was trying to make him into his own personal mini-me rather than loving his son for who he was and supporting him as his own person. and so we see him hounding Shouto in texts to let him teach him his Ultimate Technique (but not because he wants him to surpass All Might, but because he just wants him to be the best hero he can be! it’s different now!), and attending his training sessions to cheer him on from the stands like an obnoxious soccer mom. and afterwards he tells him he’s proud of him, and that he wants to become someone Shouto can be proud of.

6. so you can see there’s some progress at this point, but at the same time he’s still making a lot of the same mistakes. his intentions by this point have genuinely changed! but he’s still looking at the situation from his own point of view, and not taking into consideration how his son feels about the forced attempts at reconciliation. he’s thinking ‘I was a shit father, I need to make it up to him by being supportive.’ but he doesn’t stop to consider that Shouto might not WANT his support by this stage in the game; that he might, in fact, not want anything to do with him at all.

7. and this doesn’t change until after his battle at Fukuoka, when he has dinner with his family and Natsuo blows up at him. he basically lays it all out on the table, but this is the most important part:

I am willing to bet that he did not, in fact, get it until pretty much that moment, actually. because up until this point, he’s been doing exactly as Natsuo said -- trying to make nice, trying to show that he’s changed, and to be a good father now. but he doesn’t stop to consider (a) just how much hurt he really has caused them, and (b) just how impossible it is to simply erase all of that. the pain Natsuo’s expressing here isn’t something people can simply get over. and I don’t think Enji realizes until this moment that he was still going about this in the wrong way.

8. and that, lastly, is what finally leads to this:

he finally realizes that it’s not about him. and apologizes, but makes it clear that Natsuo does not have to forgive him, and that he doesn’t want to burden him by making him feel otherwise. he acknowledges Natsuo’s feelings, acknowledges the pain he’s caused, and realizes that what he and the others need is space. and this is when he makes the decision to build the new home for them and Rei, so that they can finally start to move on -- without him, if that’s what it takes.

so this is basically the progression of Endeavor’s redemption arc up to this point. and I’m sorry it took so long to recap, I didn’t mean for it to lol, but there were a lot of parts I didn’t want to just gloss over. so now, here are a few last points I want to make about his arc.

1. first off, it’s important to consider the timeline here. when making your point earlier, you talked about Endeavor building the new home for his kids, but how “on the other hand” he kept trying to force his relationship with Shouto. however the order of these things is switched around. because Endeavor building the house is something that happens at the end of his arc. and in fact we have not seen him try to force anything with Shouto since then. this is important to acknowledge because it shows that he is learning and that it’s not just an insincere case of one step forward, two steps back. the progress he’s making here is genuine; he really is trying not to be selfish anymore.

2. I know I said “the end” of his arc just now, but in fact we have no reason to believe that this is the end of it. every time I see an argument about “well why hasn’t he done this yet, or why hasn’t he said this”, I wonder why people assume that just because he hasn’t done it yet, it means we’re never going to see it. for instance, he still hasn’t apologized to Shouto specifically for the way he abused him all those years. but just because we haven’t seen it yet doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.

3. fandom has this tendency, when it comes to characters they don’t like and don’t want to see redeemed, to continuously move the goalposts so that no matter what that character does and how much they change, they can continue to justify why it’s not enough. I’m going to take a quick break from Endeavor and use Bakugou as the example here instead, since I think it’s easier to summarize.

“Bakugou is such an asshole, all he cares about is himself, he’s definitely going to become a villain.”

[Bakugou refuses to join the villains] “well whatever, he’s still a jerk, just look at how he can’t even work together with others and refuses to help anyone.”

[Bakugou learns to Win and Save, and unlocks the Power of Teamwork] “well whatever, he still doesn’t care about anyone else. look at how he’s still an asshole to Deku even now.”

[Bakugou starts helping Deku train and learn how to control OFA] “whatever, that’s literally the bare minimum, there’s still no proof that he even cares about him.”

[Bakugou literally takes a life-threatening blow to save Deku] “whatever, it’s like he said, his body moved on its own so there’s still no proof he really cares.”

[Bakugou wakes up from a two-day coma, immediately asks about Deku’s health, and rushes to his bedside] “whatever, I don’t know why everyone is making such a fuss over it, he hasn’t even apologized to him yet.”

and so on and so forth. and I guarantee that once he finally does apologize, it will then shift to “well why couldn’t he just have done that in the first place.” but you get my point.

basically, there are certain characters whose redemption arcs fandom will actively continue to deny no matter what. Bakugou is one of those characters, and so is Endeavor. and I’m not saying that in order to call those people out, because everyone has their own boundaries of forgiveness, and I don’t have the right to dictate anyone else’s, just like they don’t have the right to dictate mine. everyone has their own line, and where it’s drawn is different for each person. like for me, the one particular character who can fuck off for all eternity as far as I’m concerned is Overhaul (although I admit I am still curious to see what Horikoshi has planned for him post-prison break in spite of all that). and there are a lot of other people for whom Endeavor crosses their own personal line. and you know what, that’s fine.

but here’s the thing -- if you actually want to debate his redemption arc with people, you should be willing to do so in good faith. meaning that if you really do think Endeavor is unforgiveable (and I’m speaking now in general terms, not addressing you specifically anon), just go ahead and say so! but don’t come up with an arbitrary list of criteria that he needs to meet in order to qualify for redemption, only to keep on adding more and more items to the list. and most importantly, don’t assume that your criteria are the only valid criteria and that you can speak for everyone else. and especially don’t act like you have a right to go around slapping people with labels like “abuse apologist” just because they don’t share the same opinions as you about a fictional character.

anyway! so as usual, a post that I originally meant to be only a few paragraphs long turned out to be a whole damn essay, I apologize. but anyways anon, basically I share the same opinion as you as far as the mindset that Endeavor needs to have for his atonement (i.e. that it’s not about him). however, I think he’s made more progress than this ask gives him credit for, and I don’t think any of it has been fake. that being said, it’s still a process, and his biggest tests are yet to come. whatever ends up happening, I hope the outcome ends up being one that the rest of his family can find peace with.

[fanficsrusz]

I WANT TO KI__ YOU - FINAL CHAPTER

Warnings: Kidnapping, Dub-Con, Non-con, Stockholm Syndrome, Being Restrained, Breeding, murder, everything bad.

PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. IF YOU FIND ANY OF THESE WARNINGS TRIGGERING, THEN DO NOT READ. BY CONTINUING TO READ FROM THIS POINT ON, YOU ARE AGREEING THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE WARNINGS. I DO NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU FEEL TRIGGERED BY THE FOLLOWING CONTENT SINCE THERE HAS BEEN PLENTY OF WARNINGS. IF YOU FEEL LIKE ANY OTHER WARNINGS SHOULD BE ADDED THEN PLEASE POLITELY DM ME AND I WILL ADD THEM.

Word Count: 2.7k

Summary: Summery: After failing to fulfill his contract, John takes a liking to y/n and his liking soon turns into a dark obsession

Aesthetic Playlist

A/n: After a billion years, a billion mental breakdowns and just about everything else, I have finally mustered up the courage to finish this series. I don't know how to feel.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I look forward to reading all your comments and feedback. If you liked this chapter then please reblog it. That is how writers like myself are able to spread out work to other people, especially because there have been a lot of issues with tags lately. Thank you ❤️

<< Previous Chapter

The taste of his lips was something that she should hate. It's something that she should crave to loaf. But even after everything he put her through, he was the sweetest poison.  

John was like an elegantly bound book but in a language she couldn't read. Y/n never thought she would love all the bad things about someone but there she stood, staring out into the openness of the forest through the front door. 

The door was there as if her dream had become solid, as if it had grown upon the hinges and blossomed into a comforting hue. An exit. A way out of the nightmare she found herself in. In all the time she had been trapped in the house, the door had remained a mystery to her. Not that she didn't know what laid beyond it, but the idea of what she would do when she saw the day it was held open for that long. 

She realised in the air that had been so still on the previous days had suddenly gained a slight movement, as if it had discovered its direction yet was content to meander at its own pace. The autumn breeze that carried fine drops, each one a promise of the rain to come.  Newly chilled air that moved the clouds, streaks of brilliance breaking through from a patient sun.

 Y/n let her eyes rest for a moment, feeling the ambiance of nothing, hearing the sounds, taking in the aroma, letting her brain process what laid ahead. 

John came behind, his lips grazing her hair as he pressed a chaste kiss upon her head. 

"I need an answer." 

His voice came as a whisper but had a firmness to it as he waited for their fate to be sealed. 

Choices were rarely a fork of two pathways, yet with eyes a little wider open, many pathways appeared before her. The right path for one person can be different from another and only the inner compass of love and passion could illuminate it for that soul to walk upon.

"I-" her lips parted, the single syllable falling from her mouth before she stopped. Her eyes clenched shut, images of her past life flashing through her mind, her heart thumping as the emotions of what she had lost pumped through her. 

Before she could even register her own existence in her new life, her feet had pulled her from John's hold. 

She could feel her heartbeat… every single pound in her chest. This great pounding, this great pressure; every beat. She could hear it, she could feel it. It remained steady with every step she took closer to the door, it remained through what little breaths she could shove down her throat. It remained when she stood and swayed at the threshold. That dark beating remained, as she waited for her own choice to take hold of her body. 

With a shaky hand she took hold of the new wooden door, a sigh leaving her as she pushed the door shut, sealing her inside the house and sealing her fate with no other exit. Just like that any glimmer of escape faded away coldly into infinite darkness. Y/n's skin shuddered and she could feel her brain starting to defocus, searching for new hope. She should have gone … out there, to the forest where the paths ran in every direction and she could be free. But one thing and one thing alone stopped her. 

Aurora. 

John's hand creeped up her arm, offering her a caring touch. 

"Thank you" he whispered, breath hot on the back of her neck.

"For what?" her voice came out hostile, sadness prominent in her tone. 

"You chose me -" he smiled, "you chose us. You chose Aurora. You chose love." his arms circled her waist, pulling her closer to his icy warmth. "I can't believe you finally recognised the importance of what we have. You've finally learnt to appreciate it all and that's all I ever wanted from you". 

Sadness sat an inch below Y/n's face, eyes remaining dry, expression impassive. She knew that if she even let a fraction out that the rest would follow, a never ending torrent of grief. She moved nothing but her eyes, her mind racing while every muscle stayed rock still against John's hold. 

"I just needed you to see it with your own eyes, to have you understand that this could be a wonderful life, that we can build a perfect, loving, family" John let his mind wander within the walls of his own fantasy. 

"Just think about it. Think about all the good things we can do together here. We can be happy, we can enjoy each other as much as we want without having to worry about the world out there and all the bad things it brings -" he placed a heated kiss onto her skin, his teeth nipping lightly. 

That warm, raspy voice that possessed his cords, sent nerves dancing up her spine. Normally his smile sent her mind into an uncontrolled, captivated spiral and his light touch lingered, it branded her soul with a simple mark: infatuation. To call it love would be a mockery of her heart, a symbol of her dying innocence. But every tempered word he spoke invaded her mind, like ivy tendrils seeking any point of weakness to enter; they wrapped her body in a blanket of comfort and consumed her soul in the heat of lust.

Y/n remembered that night John took her in a soft, painful haze. It was the night that taught her the difference between love and infatuation. Love is unconditional, eternal... Infatuation? It dies. 

Y/n had become infatuated with John to some degree. The sense of protection that he provided was something that she had never known. What else did she have other than John? But Aurora? She deserved better. Y/n loved her more than anything and she wasn't about to let her daughter live in four walls. Captive. Her beauty hidden away from the world. 

That wasn't a life she wanted for her. 

"-I only needed to know that you were convinced, that you had it in your heart" John continued, his lips peppering her skin with soft kisses. 

"well now you know" y/n whispered, eyes still glued to the closed door. 

"You know-" John gently turned her body, forcing her to look at him as his soft brown eyes studied her features for a moment, "-keeping you chained in that basement for the rest of your life was a possibility but that wasn't enough for me" 

Y/n felt the pad of his thumb rub against the wet skin of her cheek, rubbing away a few tears that had managed to quietly escape their fortress. 

"I wanted you to be here with me, so you could enjoy this life of ours without being kept like an animal." his eyes softened, eyebrows dipping kindly. "It was all necessary at first. Just a training process and I only kept you like that because you needed it" 

Y/n knew it was wrong what he did. But why did it hurt to know what she would do? 

"I understand" she whispered, her own hands wrapping around his waist as she buried her face in his chest. With a deep breath she took note of all the musky sweet notes of his scents. John rested his head on top of hers, his smile uncontrollable. 

"it was like the medicine you needed to take" John let out a small laugh as he thought back. "you were this small little disobedient puppy. It was cute honestly but it was just something you needed to go through to get stronger. And now look at you!" he pulled back, holding her at arms length so be count admire her perfect face. "you're so beautiful and So loyal" 

John kissed the droplets of tears from her lips, and she felt his lips smile against hers. He swept her hair aside and kissed her just over the collarbone. He nibbled at her ear, and then sank himself into her arms. She hung her fingers on his waistband, dragging him closer and he buried his face in her shoulder curve, his hands flexing around her back. John gave a reduced groan before whispering “I love you,” into her hair. 

"So do I" she mustered back. 

"I can't believe you finally see me for what I really am. Your family. Your soulmate. Your world. Of course that world includes Aurora. Her future brothers and sisters. We will have all we need right here" he placed another kiss onto her forehead. "we can build something new, something perfect and you are the one who made it all possible. You - you have no idea how special you are to me my love." 

John stepped back, extending his hand for her to take and Y/n slowly took it into hers. 

"I will never let you go. No matter what happens, I will always find you."

-

Three days later 

The perfect life for the perfect wife. That's what Y/n told herself daily, over and over. 

Y/n had been baking for a few hours and as the moments passed, tune by tune as the radio sang along, the piles of cookies, buns and breads grew. It was the same as mess, only the good sort she supposed, the edible sort that made people happy. That would make her happy. 

Aurora sat in her highchair, cooing softly as Y/n plated a few cookies and turned slowly, smiling as she watched her daughter stare up at her. 

She placed the plate on that table and kissed Aurora on the forehead. 

"No matter what happens. I love you" she breathed heavily and pulled back when she heard John step into the kitchen. 

"Good morning" Y/n smiled, wiping some of the drool from Aurora's face. 

John rounded the table and kissed y/n on the cheek before kissing Aurora's head. 

"Good morning my loves". 

For a moment there was silence in the large room and y/n shifted on her feet. 

"What are you going to do today?" John finally asked, pulling a glass from the cupboard and filling it with some water. 

Y/n shook her head slowly. 

"I don't know. Maybe clean. Play with Aurora. I baked some cookies already" John's eyes lit up as he walked over to the table, smiling as he picked up a warm cookie. 

"You made these?" he asked and y/n only hummed. 

"Mhmm" 

John kissed her cheek and Y/n savoured the feeling of his lingering touch before she turned around to face him. 

"Try it. Tell me how it is". 

John smirked before lifting the cookie to her mouth. 

"oh no. I've already eaten so many of them. I made them specially for you" 

"Such a good wife" John smiled. The cookie skimmed his lips before he shoved it into his mouth, letting the buttery goodness explode against his tongue. 

"Wow" he exclaimed, "This is really good". Y/n’s eyes lit up with excitement as she watched him eat a second cookie without hesitation. 

"Good. I'm glad you like them". 

John lifted his glass of water to his lips before he felt something wash over him. Something he hadn't felt… Ever. 

His hand extended towards Y/n as he tried to grab her, reaching out for support but she only pulled away, the smile she wore still on her face as she watched him intently. 

John breathed heavily but the air just wouldn't go in, like his lungs were surrounded by metal bands. Next came the rising panic, the dizzy feeling and the need to get low to the ground. The exertion brought on more breathlessness, like the air around him was devoid of oxygen. His ribs heaved up and down but no benefit came.

"Y.. Y/n…" his wheezing voice called out to her but she only stepped back. 

The poison was made to mimic an efficient virus, to kill the host fast. A few drops here and there and the decay set in, a sort of race to the bottom. The best part? She didn't even know what it was. She just read the bottle that John had stashed away and shoved it into the batter. If there was one thing she learnt from her mother was that love was the best blindfold for any plan. 

Y/n picked up Aurora, cradling her in her arms as she watched John gasp for breath. In his glassy eyes that stared up at her, she saw her reflection and she saw that what she was doing was the right thing. 

"You were and always have been a - monster" the words seemed to burn her tongue but she ignored the pain it caused. "You will never be able to find me or her again. Goodbye John" 

As the blackness finally began to consume him once and for all, he watched as his love pulled open the front door, her shadowy figure slowly fading into the darkness as he also did. 

-

3 months later. 

"Thank you, detective" y/n pushed the papers into her handbag before placing the bag back onto that handle of the pram. Aurora laid asleep in her arms and y/n slowly stood up. 

"No worries" the detective smiled kindly before reaching out over the table, stopping y/n from moving any more. "-and just so you know, I'm sorry. I know there isn't anything I can say that can fix everything that happened to you but You're safe now. We won't let anything else happen." y/n smiled softly and placed her hand on top of his reassuringly. 

"It's okay. You searched and you couldn't find me. There isn't anything anyone could have done. He… Was different. He was smart". 

The detective shook his head and pulled his hand away, burying them in piles of paper. 

"he was a monster for what he did". 

Y/n felt the tears well in the back of her eyes as she felt her throat turn dry. 

"I-" before she could even think of anything to say, Aurora began to cry and y/n laughed, shaking the pain of her aching heart away. "-I should really get her home". 

"Of course". He led y/n to the door, holding it open for her as they began to proceed down the corridor. 

"There's still quite a few reporters out there so it's best you take the back exit. Officer Hughes will swing by your place later on to check in" 

"Oh. Terry? He doesn't have to. He's been doing that everyday for the past three months -" 

"Nonsense. It's the least we could do". 

Y/n smiled and looked down at her watch. 

"Thank you so much detective. I'll see you later" 

"see ya". 

Y/n left the building and sighed as she heard the loud noise of the city and wind around her, the warm sun warming her body just as the first few drops of rain fell from the sky. 

"Let's get you home" she whispered to her daughter, pushing the pram towards home. 

-

The cafe that y/n lived above laid ahead, just around the corner and y/n couldn't wait to get her feet up. It's royal blue paint glistening under the closed sky was definitely a sight for sore eyes. She could just about see the large sign, decorated with droplets of water that hung on like glistening jewels. "Gloria's."

 Outside the sidewalk that would bustle in a few short hours was quiet, the concrete oblivious to whether it was midday or midnight. Y/n’s face smirked upward at the sight of the flower planter to the right, the city has put in new blooms that will give flashes of sunny yellows and hot pinks through the springtime. If she stopped walking right now she could almost hear the heartbeat of the city, quiet, like the ticking of an old Grandfather clock.

Her mind was too preoccupied with the world around her and y/n didn't notice the figure that hid under the umbrella that she nearly ran over. 

"Oh I'm so sorry!" y/n exclaimed, extending her hand to steady the person. Y/n waited patiently for the person's response, waiting to make sure she didn't hurt them. 

Then she heard it, the dark, low chuckle that made her spine tingle. 

"You're just as polite as the first time, Princess" 

The end.

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[blueskittlesart]

Do you have any botw Zelink headcanons?

YES ❤💕♥💘💖💞💝♥❤💟💕 but i 1. get way too much joy out of analyzing completely inconsequential pieces of media and 2. cannot for the life of me write concisely so im sorry if u actually try to read it <3

Zelda was one of the first people to see link as more than his destiny. (hear me out on this one.) 

Link had been training with the master sword since he was twelve years old. He was quiet before the training began, and almost completely mute afterwards. Aside from that, there had to be the general feeling that you can’t just walk up to the kid with the sword that seals the darkness and start a conversation. 

His status and his trauma surrounding it made him unapproachable, so most people in hyrule saw him not as a person, but as a martyr, a supersoldier trained with the sole purpose of defeating ganon when the time came. (there are exceptions to this rule, namely mipha and, in my mind, aryll, but both were people he had known from birth or very soon after. If you knew link before the sword, of course he would be more than the sword to you.) 

Zelda, at first, is exactly the same as every other person he’s ever met. She assumes his facade of perfection is genuine and even berates him for not being more than perfect (”can you hear it yet, hero?” (the fact that she calls him ‘hero’ in that cutscene is SO significant to their relationship but i wont get into that here)) She sees him as punishment (and perhaps he is. Why put the two of them so close together after keeping them apart so long, king hyrule? was it, perhaps, to guilt trip your daughter for not being able to activate her sealing power by placing the perfect specimen next to her at all times?) But if he was punishment, he backfired. Link got through to zelda, and Zelda got through to link. 

Zelda saw that Link was more than what she had been led to believe. she began to make a conscious effort to learn about him beyond the hero facade he displayed, to see him as a person and to care about his well-being. and that was new to link. No one who had ever met link, hero of hyrule, preferred link of hateno village. No one who had met link, hero of hyrule even wanted to know link of hateno village. But zelda did.

post calamity, link is zelda’s wilderness survival teacher. (My girl is very smart and very strong but also very rich and has never had to kill an animal and cook it in her life. Im fairly certain she does not know how to start a fire.) 

zelda knows how much link enjoys cooking and food and makes a real effort to learn his favorite dishes so she can make them for him. Her first few attempts are barely edible but he appreciates them anyway. 

they become known at the local stables as that couple who hog the cooking pot every time they stay, but the stable hands don’t mind because they always share whatever they’ve made when it’s done, and it’s almost always delicious. unless zelda tries to get creative.

Link knows how interested zelda is in the plants and animals of hyrule, and so for a while he takes her to every place he can remember that has pretty scenery or animals and plants for her to study. One night, he manages to get her to satori mountain in time to watch the lord of the mountain’s appearance. she nearly cries. He also tries teaching her how to ride a bear. She nearly cries again, for very different reasons. 

after everything is over, they move into the house in hateno village together. 

Hyrule has survived without a royal family for 100 years, zelda figures, what’s the point in declaring herself queen and causing chaos all over again? After traveling hyrule with link, she sees that the kingdom is growing, ever so slowly, over the ruins of her family’s old empire, and why destroy that progress for the sake of an old regime hardly anyone remembers anymore? She is known as Miss Zelda in the village, and no one calls her “princess” and bows as she walks past or whispers behind her back that she is heir to a throne of nothing. She likes it better that way. 

they adopt a dog, A black and brown hylian retriever. Her name is Epona, after Link’s first horse. She’s known throughout the village for being a menace to the local livestock, but they refuse to get rid of her and she refuses to be trained. 

Link finds work collecting meat and mushrooms for the local general store. He still travels occasionally, he has friends all over hyrule, after all, and there’s the occasional stray monster that wanders into the village, but it’s a generally peaceful life. it’s what he needs, after all the excitement of his last 17 (117?) years. Zelda finds happiness and fulfillment as a scientist at the hateno lab. For once in their lives, Link and Zelda are able to feel like people instead of symbols.

for the first time since link claimed the sword, for the first time since zelda’s mother’s death, the two are free to build their lives together as people, not heroes or legends or anything else. And that’s what drew them to each other in the first place; two people, barely people at all in the eyes of the kingdom that they were destined to defend, chose to love each other not as heroes or failures or weapons or gods, but as humans. And so with their magical destinies fulfilled, or at least abated for the next hundred years or so, they choose to live and heal together. 

and then botw 2 comes out and they get to go on another traumatizing adventure for my entertainment :)

[marvels-writings]

Angel

Soulmate AU with Wanda Maximoff

Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch Masterlist)

Prompt by: @omgopalsapphire​ 

Requested by: @ophelias-heart, @sananabdliw, @jadewestwriter, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx

Word Count: 3,943

You never believed in the idea of true love.

 Even though you lived in a world where everyone had a different way of finding their so-called ‘soulmate’. You never understood the idea.

Everyone told you about how special it was to be able to spend eternity with someone. You were never able to grasp the idea. Most people you knew had an easy way of finding their soulmate. Either their name is written across their skin. Or a thread connected them. Or their first words to each other is on their arms.

Your way is complicated. You felt the pain of your soulmate, you never understood why.

Throughout your childhood, you never felt pain. Until one day, you got surges of pain, it felt like you were being starved for days. Ever since you would feel a random needle in your side. The pain of knocking out, electric shocks, bruises. You pitied your soulmate, you tried to be more careful so they wouldn’t have to endure more pain.

It became harder once you’d joined the Avengers. Tony saw you fly out of a burning building. You had gorgeous white wings springing out from in the middle of your shoulder blades. You often tended to keep them under wraps. Folding them and wearing larger clothes. SHIELD helped you develop the ability to shrink their size so they were barely visible.

Every time you got injured, you murmured a silent apology to your soulmate for adding to their pain. Little did you know, Wanda apologized every night for the pain she put you through every single day.

After Ultron had manipulated the minds of the entire team, you’d gone with them to Clint’s safe house. A plan had developed. You went with Fury and Maria to get the helicarrier after everyone had been saved. You heard someone had been  left behind, a girl in a red leather jacket.

You instantly flew out of the helicarrier and towards the city. Vision gave you her location, unable to get to her since he was dealing with Ultron. You eventually found her, you quickly down to get her. Wordlessly, you picked her up and flew out of there. The girl wrapped her arms around your neck to keep herself from falling, but she couldn’t help staring.

You looked stunning. You wore a black body con suit, your face smeared with dirt but she could still see your eyes sparkling. What caught her eye was your wings, they were huge and beautiful, almost angelic.

After you set her down and verified she was okay, you introduced yourself. Wanda was a little hesitant to introduce herself since she saw the Avengers symbol stitched onto your suit. But you didn’t seem to notice her hesitation, instead offering to walk her inside.

You talked about the helicarrier while you walked. Gesturing to the planes and everyone else at the flight deck. You noticed Wanda staring at your wings and you flapped them a bit, startling her. You laughed at her stunned reaction.

“How did you get them?” Wanda asked, completely awestruck by them.

“Well, they were a sort of a mutation. I accidentally got caught up in a science room where they had a serum for growing wings. They decided to make me their new test subject, and the serum worked,” You pursed your lips at the memory. “But they injected me with the serum on accident,”

“I’m sorry,” Wanda apologized, wincing when she saw the hard expression on your face.

“It’s fine now,” You waved it off casually, “It turned out well for me anyway,”

Wanda opened her mouth to say something when something silver rushed over and pulled her in for a hug. You instantly went into a defensive posture. Flaring your wings and raising your fists. Your eyes widened when you realized it was just a person.

“Woah,” The blonde man gasped, Wanda laughed and pulled away from him.

You frowned at the interaction, still in a defensive pose.

“Calm down angel,” Pietro flirted. You rolled your eyes and pulled your wings back in after noticing his staring.

“This is Pietro, my twin,” Wanda introduced, she gestured to you. “This is y/n,”

“Great to meet you,” Pietro smirked, offering you his hand.

You raised an eyebrow at him and swatted his hand away with your wing. They laughed and waved you a quick goodbye before heading off to where Steve was calling them.

The next few weeks were interesting, to say the least. You felt drawn to Wanda, you weren’t sure why you constantly found yourself trying to spend more time with her. Eventually, both of you became close friends, which surprised the entire team.

Somehow, neither of you noticed that you were each other’s soulmate. Since both of you were off of missions for almost a month, you were only attending training. You didn’t notice that the bruises on your arms from training were also on Wanda’s arms. The redhead seemed not to notice your matching injuries either.

You weren’t the most open person, but you seemed to open up to Wanda about almost everything rather quickly. The witch found herself trusting you more and more as days went by. Both of you confused about why you felt drawn to each other.

“What are you thinking about?” Wanda asked, flopping down on the couch next to you, you shrugged and turned to face her.

The redhead wore grey leggings, a scarlet t-shirt, and a dark grey cardigan. Her arms wrapped loosely around her midsection as she sat down next to you, looking at you curiously.

“Just how we first met,” You answered casually, fidgeting with your sweatshirt.

“And Pietro called you ‘angel’?” Wanda jokes, you giggled and looked up to face her.

“He’s not the first person to come up with that,” You stated, the redhead raised an eyebrow.

“When you have white wings, everyone tends to think that. Especially the people who are almost unconscious.” You shrugged.

Wanda laughed at the idea of someone dying then thinking you were an angel coming to redeem them. You found yourself entranced by her laughter, you blinked to try to stop staring.

“When we first met, I-” FRIDAY cut her off and told them they were required for a mission briefing.

Wanda sighed and got up, holding out a hand for you to take. She was going to tell you that she thought you were an angel when you first met. You took it and let her pull you up, realizing she didn’t finish her sentence.

“You didn’t finish,” You commented, Wanda, shrugged.

You noticed that Wanda still held onto your hand. You chose not to tell her, instead slowly moving to intertwine your fingers with hers. The redhead blushed at the action but squeezed your hand gently on the way to the briefing room.

It confused both of you when the squeeze seemed to resonate more than it should have.

-----------

The mission was fairly simple, it was to take down an arm’s dealer’s base a few miles north of rural New York. The team consisted of you, Wanda and Rhodey. You were to fly over and make sure nothing was wrong .Rhodey was to fly the jet and stand by as backup. You were to fly over the base and act as a bomber since you were undetectable by most radars. Wanda could use her magic to manipulate them into surrendering or blowing the entire place to bits.

Nothing you hadn’t done a thousand times before. But this time, your crush was on the mission.

-----------

“Nice suit,” You glanced at Wanda, she blushed. The redhead wore a black leather jacket, a simple, body con top underneath it, a simple black skirt, and knee-high boots.

“Not so bad yourself,” Wanda commented, stealing a glance at you.

You wore your usual body-con armor, it was simple and sleek, completely black, except for the thin lines of gold adorning it to give it a nice touch. You could’ve picked a white suit, but after you got called angel too many times, you settled for the black one.

“There was a white one too, I liked this one better,” You answered, tucking a few knives into the thigh holsters and putting a gun into your belt.

“Too angelic?” Wanda jokes, moving closer to you and leaning her back against the wall in front of you.

Your breath hitched at how close she was, you nodded and retrieved one last knife. Trying not to focus on the way Wanda was looking at you.

“If you’re done,” Rhodey gestured to both of you. “I’d like to get this mission over with”

Your eyes widened, you clenched your jaw and nodded, walking away from Wanda towards the bay doors. The redhead walked up next to you. She reached for your hand and gently intertwined your fingers together. You released a breath you didn’t know you had been holding, you smiled reassuringly at her.

Rhodey told you that you needed to take off, you winked at the witch and let go of her hand, free-falling while facing her. You extended your wings, grinning as you stretched them. Wanda had a passing thought that you were beautiful, she shut it down before it could interfere with her capabilities.

You flew through the sky with ease, closing your eyes as the wind running through your hair and every part of you. You extended your wings as far as they would reach, finally feeling free. You took in a deep breath and started throwing the bombs for the mission, a small smile on your face from the euphoria of flying.

But she couldn’t help but stare as you flew over the building, throwing bombs through the roof. Wanda went inside, easily knocking out whoever came at her. Rhodey shouted a warning to you on the comms about their advanced radar. Wanda headed outside once she got all their info on a flash drive.

You were still flying over the base, but you were trying to evade their bullets. You had been succeeding so far, Wanda looked on intently. You easily dodged them and took out the gun, but you didn’t notice one of their men on the roof with a gun.

The gunshots resonated through the air, Wanda covered her face with a mouth at the sight. The bullet hit one of your wings. You fell, blood staining your white wings as you tried to regain balance. The wind flapped past your face, you could barely see as you tumbled through the air.

Wanda felt pain pulse in the middle of her shoulder blades, she gasped and touched where it hurt.

It was the same spot where you had wings. She could feel your pain.

Wanda sprinted to where she assumed you were going to crash.

You gritted your teeth against the pain in your wings, trying to regain your balance using one wing. You narrowed your eyes as you extended your left-wing all the way to try to regain your balance. You thought it was working when you started to stabilize.

But it was Wanda using her powers to save you. Once you were safely on the ground, she ignored the pain pulsing through her back and knocked out the man who shot you. She ran over to you, turning you over so she could see your back properly.

You groaned as she did so, the pain worsening. Wanda felt it get worse, she felt the headache, your spiking heart rate, the pain in your wings. She tried to use her powers to ease the pain, she felt it lessen and she knew it was helping.

“You’re going to be okay,” She assured, you tried to nod in response. You turned your head to face her, frowning when you saw her clenched jaw and gritted teeth.

“, what’s wrong?” You murmured, reaching out your good hand to brush your fingers against her cheek.

“I feel your pain,” Wanda whispered, holding your hand against her cheek tightly. “Don’t leave me.”

Your eyes widened at her words, she was your soulmate. She was the person you’d been searching for your entire life. You needed to stay for her.

You gritted your teeth against the pain and forced yourself to get up. Wanda understood what you were trying to do and supported your weight with one hand. Your injured wing dropped behind you as you made your way inside.

“What the hell happened?” Rhodey demanded, helping you inside.

Wanda answered for you as you laid face down on the gurney, blood still seeping from your wound. The pain started to fade once Rhodey gave you an anesthetic. Wanda breathed a sigh of relief and held your hand. You turned your face to look at her, watching her.

The redhead’s heart broke at the sight of you. Your white wings stained with your blood, both of them dropped at your side. Your entire suite was dirt and blood stained.

You looked like a fallen angel.

Wanda pulled your hand closer to her lips, she kissed your knuckles softly. She used some of her magic to try to ease the pain. Thankfully, it helped ease the pain. Rhodey eventually stopped the bleeding and started flying you back to the compound.

You never tore your eyes off of Wanda the entire time, you were still shocked that you found your soulmate. You hadn’t taken the opportunity to admire her before, she was gorgeous. Her soft emerald eyes flicked to yours as you stared, her auburn hair rested on her shoulders, she was gorgeous.

“Why are you staring at me, angel?” Wanda asked softly, surprised at how easily the nickname slipped in.

You smiled at her.

“You,” You answered, taking in a deep breath. “You’re the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.”

“You’re not disappointed?” Wanda asked, insecurity seeping into her tone. Her other arm went to hug her midsection as she hunched over.

“Why would I be?” You asked, brow furrowing. Wanda’s green eyes avoided your gaze.

“I'm a monster, you deserve better.” Wanda murmured. You frowned and used your good wing to gently tilt her face upwards to look at you.

“You’re all I ever want in someone,” You whispered. You took your wing away from her face, scared it was making her uncomfortable.

Wanda almost cried at your words, she moved to sit closer to you. You smiled softly at her, stroking her knuckles with your thumb. You noticed her staring at your wing, you gently moved it closer to her.

“Can I?” She asked, hand hovering over your wing. You nodded and moved it closer to her hand.

Wanda’s fingers glide delicately over your wing, stroking the feathers gently. She was in awe of how beautiful they were. She couldn’t stop running her warm fingers through the soft feathers.

You giggled at the sensation, no one had bothered to touch your wings in fear of making you uncomfortable. Wanda noticed and gently ran her fingers along them, soothing you with her touch and her magic until you arrived at the compound.

After transferring you to the medical wing, she couldn’t see you. She sat in the waiting room outside after washing your blood off of her hands. The rest of the team waited to hear how the operation went. Scared that you might lose your flight, they knew it was something that meant the most to you.

The doctor came outside after the operation was over. After whispering some things to Tony, he told the rest of them your condition.

“We’ve never operated on wings before, but the bullet hit a lot of the tissue around her wings. It also grazed the bone. Thanks to the cradle, we were able to regenerate the bone tissue” The entire team breathed a sigh of relief. “But we didn’t know how to regenerate the muscle, so she won’t be able to fly for a few weeks, but she would be fine eventually.”

“Can we see her?” Steve asked the doctor nodded.

“She is unconscious right now, but we think she should be awake in a few hours.”

They nodded and asked FRIDAY to notify them when you were awake. Tony and Natasha sat in your room alongside Wanda, waiting for you to wake up.

You were laying on the bed, face down, your wings by your sides. Your left-wing bandaged with a few blood stains on it.

Tony was eventually forced to leave by Pepper on account of the press. But Natasha stayed and talked to Wanda about you. Eventually, Wanda told you that she was your soulmate.

Natasha’s eyes widened in shock, Wanda felt her heart constrict in fear. She knew that Natasha was like family to you, and her disapproval could mean the end of everything.

“I’m happy she finally found the person she had been searching for all these years,” Natasha smiled softly at her.

“You, you aren’t angry?” Wanda asked, confused.

“Why would I be? The entire team was making bets on when you’d finally start dating.” She gestured to both of you. “Anyone could see from a mile away you are made for each other.”

Natasha took Wanda’s hand and squeezed softly, smiling at her. She told Wanda about how you’d apologize for getting injured every single time because you were terrified of adding to her pain. Wanda laughed, her heart swooned at how caring you were. Before she could say anything, you stirred.

“Look who is finally awake,” Natasha commented. You turned around groggily to face them, cautious of your injury.

“I’m okay thanks for asking,” You retorted sleepily. They laughed at your comment. Natasha got up and leaned over your ear.

“You’ve got a good one angel, don’t you dare let her go,” She whispered, pulling away and winking at you.

“I won’t,” You laughed, Natasha nodded and left the both of you alone. Wanda looked in confusion from you to Natasha but decided not to push it when you turned to look at her.

“So, what’s the result?” You asked Wanda, she chuckled at your joke and leaned forwards on her elbows.

“You would be able to fly again,” Wanda stated, reaching for your hand and squeezing it as you smiled. “But it might take a few weeks for it to heal completely.”

You breathed a sigh of relief which surprised Wanda. Confusion written across her face, you weren’t going to be able to fly for a few weeks, why were you happy?

“Don’t look confused, I’ll be able to fly again eventually, it’s not all bad.” You laughed at her expression, fingers stroking her knuckles.

“Can I ask you something?” Wanda asked you nodded.

“Why do you like flying? I tried it a few times with my powers but it scares me.”

You considered the question, giving it some thought before answering.

“At first, it was scary, like most things in life. But after you start it, it’s amazing. It feels like freedom, it feels like no one can control you and you can do whatever you want. It’s almost euphoric,” You answered, eyes momentarily closing as you imagined it.

Wanda let your words soak in, she never got past the fear of flying or using her powers.

“I know you’re scared of your powers,” You stroked her knuckles to pull her out of her thoughts. “, but if you trust yourself, you might find something you like

“How do you know exactly what to say,” Wanda laughed, leaning back against the chair. You giggled.

“It’s a gift,” You winked.

A comfortable silence settled into the room. You continued to mindlessly stroke over her knuckles, deep in thought. Wanda stared at your joined hands before her gaze settled on your face and your wings. You were beautiful.

“Can I kiss you?” She blurted, eyes widening at what she said. Wanda tried to get up and apologize, but you chuckled and pulled her back down with your hand.

“I’m sorry, that was-”

“Yes, you can kiss me,” You cut her off with a soft smile on your face.

Wanda smiled softly at you, she leaned forwards in her chair slowly. She watched your features for any hints of hesitation. Instead, your eyes fluttered shut when you felt her breath fan across your face. She gently touched her lips to yours, melting into you instantly.

You subtly tugged her closer using your joined hands. Wanda sighed into your mouth as butterflies erupted in her stomach. Her free hand gently settled on your wing, slowly sliding up your wing and to the back of your neck. She drew gentle patterns on the back of your neck, making you break the kiss with a soft gasp.

“Wow,” You breathed, eyes fluttering open to look at Wanda, whose eyes were still closed. You smiled and kissed the tip of her nose, her eyes fluttered open at the contact.

“I think I found that feeling you were talking about,” Wanda whispered, smiling softly at you as she searched for the word.

“Euphoria?” You offered, she nodded and leaned in again.

You smiled into the kiss, wishing you could stay there forever.

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

10 years later

“Alright kiddo, time to head off to bed,” You easily lifted your daughter in your arms.

The brunette protested, you laughed and started tickling her. Thanks to Tony, you were able to give birth to your and Wanda’s child. She looked like you but had Wanda’s eyes and hair.

Wanda laughed from the couch as she saw you tickle your daughter. She tried to squirm away from your grasp, eventually succeeding. Your eyes widened when you saw she was about to fall, but Wanda used her magic to keep her upright.

“Thank you, mama!” Your daughter thanked Wanda.

“Of course moya Lyubov,” Wanda grinned, scooping daughter/name up in her arms.

“Can we fly?” She asked you and Wanda glanced at each other with a grin.

“Last time before bed, okay?” You said she nodded eagerly. You bent over so you faced the ground, you extended your wings a little.

Wanda gently set her down on your back in the middle of your wings. Your daughter held on tightly to each wing as you sprinted into her room, making whooshing noises as you did so. Your wife laughed at your antics to try to put your daughter to bed.

“Careful angel,” She shouted as both of you went into her bedroom. The redhead smiled to herself and followed you in.

Eventually, you tucked her into bed and placed a kiss on her forehead as Wanda sat down on the opposite side of the bed. It was usually her job to tell her a story to fall asleep to.

“So, what’s the story for tonight?” She asked, gesturing to the large bookshelf in the corner of the room filled with storybooks.

“Tell me a different story,” Your daughter answered. You brushed the hair out of her face gently and glanced at Wanda who was as confused as you.

“About who?” Wanda asked, sitting down so she could see you and your daughter.

“About you and mommy!” She grinned, looking hopefully towards you and your wife.

“Should we tell her the story of how we met?” You asked, turning to face Wanda.

“Why not angel?” Wanda joked you laughed.

Your daughter squealed in excitement. You laughed and moved so you were lying down next to her. Your daughter’s weight supported on one wing as your other wing covered Wanda. You smiled as you watched Wanda weave together your story, the story of your family. You felt like you were flying, like euphoria.

A/N: I need to stop creating my own soulmate AUs, what do you think tho?

Tag List: @justarandomhumanhere, @versdan, @lesbian-girls-wayhaught, @lovebotlarson, @dhengkt, @5aftermidnight, @hstoria, @natasha-danvers, @veryfunnyal, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx , @ophelias-heart  , @never-didbefore , @justarandomhumanhere, @the-most-unicorn-of-them-all , @thatssocamryn , @lesbian-x-blackwidow , @marvelbbyx , @wlw-imaginesss , @hcartbyheart , @summergeezburr let me know if you’d like to be in any of my tag lists!

[metanoiamorii]

❛Falling for her wasn't falling at all. It was walking into a house and suddenly knowing you're home.❜

♧ Title: Coming Home [CH]

♧ Status: Drafting, honestly

♧ Point of View: Most likely third person, with two, three povs it can jump between

♧ Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

♧ Warnings: Nudity, violence, attempted murder, eldritch beings, gore, witch hunts, using religion to commit atrocities, deaths, tragic endings, star crossed lovers, tragic romance, mention of past abuse, mention of past torture; I'm sure I'm missing some.

♧ Featuring: A cottage witch and her two eldritch idiots for a good start.... Diverse LGBTQ+ characters, enemies to begrudging allies to friends to lovers to enemies, complicated relationships, morally grey characters, complex and complicated world-building, slow-burn relationships, plenty of symbolism, witches, fantasy religions, found family, cottagecore, character redemption arcs, character corruption arcs; I'm sure I'm missing some but you get the picture!

♧ Setting: Honestly? It's kind of ambiguous as I can't make up my mind where it's set. Overall it's a cute remote cottage these three share. With mention of other places.

♧ Tease: Just because you are feeling lost, it does not mean that you need to go back their way, even if they were the only home you've ever known. You left it for a reason, remember? It is best to stay lost and search for a better home than to return to the home that was never really a home. Build your own home.

♧ Synopsis:

Liraz lives a simple life. Her days are spent alone, with her companion Blodeu. Together they live in seclusion in a cottage in the middle of nowhere. It is as they prefer, for their own safety.

In the mornings, Liraz wakes. She cooks herself breakfast and plans for the day. Until noon she tends to her cottage and her gardens. In the evenings, with Blodeu she ventures into the woodlands nearby and enjoys nature and all she finds. Before she sleeps, she leaves offerings to the spirits and to the gods. She wakes. The cycle repeats.

One night, however, the cycle is interrupted.

First comes a hailstorm as never witnessed before. When she stirs from bed to investigate, the wind calls her by what she is: witch. The next night opposed to a hailstorm and wind, there is a fire that blazes across the entire mountain. The flames too cackle in greeting by what she is: witch. The next night, she meets the spirits that have been interrupting her sleep.

Or so, she had expected spirits. She may have bargained a bit more than she could handle. But she isn't a woman that rejects a challenge.

Ultimately, Liraz comes to an arrangement with the two. Soon, they all fall into a pattern that involves a reliance and acceptance of each other. The company they provide, the cottage is no longer quiet and lonely, and Liraz... Liraz doesn't mind it as much as she should.

♧ Excerpt:

[this is one of the few times I write first person, so enjoy it. This all started since I was writing a journal for this woman in a dnd campaign]

I admit, I must have fallen asleep waiting. It's to my surprise, it did not come during the Witching Hour, but after, in what could be in the early morn, before the suns and moons would chime five. And it was not an it, but a they. It would make far more sense, than it being one entity. Their presence, not such a show as the night before, stirred me from my slumber.

The first clad in dark with skin to rival ice. Off the ground they walked, glided I believe is the right expression, on the wind. And in hand carried a gnarled staff made of ice. The second donned the head of a bird (more a vulture than a raven, I would say), with eyes made of ember and cloaked in a dark mantle of feathers. And they carried a gnarled staff made of fire opal and flames. One singed the earth where they walked, and I knew it was the one that came last night; the other chilled the wind when they breathed, and I knew it was the one that came the night before.

At the boundaries, where the wards began, they stopped. To me, they greeted, in voices that tasted older than anything I have known, "hail witch."

As I moved forward, to stand within my safety, but before them, I returned their greeting. "Hail spirits."

And how they laughed a laugh, one that chilled the air and my very bones, and another that ignited the blood in my veins and sent my heart racing. "We are no spirits."

"Hail daims then." I corrected myself.

And again, they laughed that very very laugh. When they settled, they replied, "you have not a name for what we are… some would call us—"

Although they spoke, I caught not what it was. It felt like a blow that hit hard and forced me back a step. In I took a breath and my ground I stood.

"What do you want from me?" I asked them as I held their eyes.

♧ Characters: Surprisingly, I only have four main characters for you this time. Sure there will be others, but this is their story. Get a taste of simplicity with me.

Ekaterine Liraz, The Cottage Witch

Afab • Genderfluid • She/They • Witch • Asexual • Demiromantic

Liraz is the known witch who lives on her own at the top of the mountain. She lives around and comes to town only for supplies once or twice a month. Her only companion is the owl she keeps and she keeps to herself. She has secluded herself atop her mountain and in her cottage for her own safety, against the urge of he nature for adventure.

Blodeu, the Horned Owl

Male • He/Him • The familiar of Liraz

Blodeu is the faithful familiar of Liraz. He's moody and overprotective of his witch. With his unnerving eye, he keeps away any of the townsfolk who wish ill against Liraz. In return, he enjoys chin scritches, being able to fly the open sky, and being able to accompany his mistress on her endeavors.

Kregznic, or En for short, The Eternal Flame

Agender • They/Them [they will have days in which they will align She/Her and He/Him, but overall it's They/Them and you need permission for anything else] • Great Old One • Asexual • Aromantic

The Keeper of the Flame, En is well known amongst their own kind as a ruthless individual that holds no affection for anything except their other half. They're withdrawn and antisocial, and quick to set anything aflame. The few capable of becoming close to them get to see the unwavering loyalty and support they place, and their devotion to ensure the happiness and security of what they love.

Marzomme, or Moro for short, The Eternal Frost

Genderfluid • He/She • Great Old One • Asexual • Demiromantic

The Keeper of the Ice, Moro is well known by his own kind as a childish. He lacks the care to understand human concepts, but he does enjoy learning their traditions and cultures. Very airheaded, Moro carries a light attitude about him. He's immature and enjoys pulling pranks. Rarely does he share in En's indulgence of ruin and damnation, but when he does... most prefer the Flame.

Taglist: @little-boats-on-a-lake, @zielenbloesem, @cecilsstorycorner

If you would like to be added or removed, feel free to send in an ask, shoot me a dm, or reblog this! 💕

[k7l4d4]

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Crossover Episode 1 Part 4

Hello all, this is the last section of Midnight Striga, Episode 1. Feel free to let me know what you think! Everybody clap your hands!!

Luz and Eda looked at each other, neither bothering to fight off the smirk at King’s adorable attempt at being serious. As they followed him through the doors, Eda tugged King back before he could crash into the glowing barrier barring their way. “Up, up, up! We’ve got a human with us, remember?”

King chuckled sheepishly. “Oh yeah, I guess I got too excited.”

Luz arched an eyebrow. “Okay, what does my being human have anything to do with this?” She indicated the “this” in question, gesturing to the barrier. She had to admit, it was a pretty nice looking one, albeit not a very complicated one. She had an idea of what they needed her for, but getting confirmation was always best.

Eda grinned wryly at the girl’s question. “This barrier is how Wrath keeps the contraband under lock. It blocks out all magic, so no Witch or Demon can cross through. Because humans aren’t supposed to have magic,” Eda continued, ignoring the annoyed glare Luz sent her way, “I assumed you’d be able to cross it. But since you do have magic… got any ideas on how to get through?”

Luz snorted, shaking her head. Of course, what had she been expecting? “Yeah, don’t worry. This isn’t my first time having to dispel a barrier, and this one doesn’t seem like that tough a nut to crack.” Turning a discerning eye back towards the barrier, she reached forward, marveling as her hand passed through, mostly at any rate. The barrier seemed to cling to her, as if it recognized that she had magic, something it was supposed to keep out, but was confused by something.

Eda gazed impassively, her thoughts racing at the implications of Luz’s words. As far as Eda knew, unless it was broken by something it couldn’t block, dispelling a barrier wasn’t a thing, yet Luz apparently had done so before. When she saw the barrier stick to the girl’s hand, she felt a slight jolt of worry; the human had magic, who knew how the barrier would react to her? Her worry vanished as a cocky grin bloomed across Luz’s face. Her arm lit up along the area the barrier was clinging to, sigils, runes, and symbols flashing across it, before spreading out across the barrier. To Eda, it looked a lot more methodical than most forms of magic she had seen, but she couldn’t deny, it seemed to be working. As the symbols crawled across the barrier, it broke further and further apart; soon, in seconds really, the barrier was gone, a wide open passage in its place.

Luz felt the impressed stare of Eda burning against her, but brushed it off. While showing off like that was certainly fun, the quicker they got this done, the sooner she could trash this place. As Luz strolled into the room, she noted how it was almost overflowing with scraps, odds and ends, and numerous random bits and pieces; it looked like a hoarder’s paradise. As she grew closer to the center, she noticed a raised pedestal. When she got closer, she stopped and blinked, hoping her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. They were not. Grabbing the prize, and somehow keeping her temper in check, she wandered back to Eda and King, the two of them having made themselves at home amid the junk. As she approached King, she plopped his crown atop his head: a cheap piece of cardboard, the kind used to package boxes shipped within cities, arranged into a crude ring and cut into the shape of a crown with fake jewels drawn on it.

As King felt the crown fall atop his head, he paused, elation rushing through him. “YES!! I CAN FEEL MY DARK POWERS RETURNING!!!!” He roared with glee, turning to the toys scattered around him, before focusing on a stuffed bunny. “You, nightmare creature! I will call you Francois, and you will lead my armies!”

Luz turned a twitching eye back to Eda. “That crown doesn’t give him any powers at all, does it?” She knew it didn’t, but she really needed to know WHY.

Eda barked a cynical laugh. “HA! No, not even close.” Her cocky grin fell as she slumped, now seeming oh so very tired of it all. “Ah look at us kid. I’m a cranky old witch who lives in the woods, and sells junk to whoever’s gullible enough to buy it. He’s a mini-demon with delusions of grandeur. Me and him? All we’ve got in this world is each other, so if that toy is important to him, then it’s important to me. We weirdos have to stick together.”

As frustrated as she was about it all, that sentence rang with Luz. All her life she had been the outcast, and so were they. Who was she to judge how they decided to live? “Yeah, I guess you're right.”

“Of course I’m right, kid!” Eda crowed. “Now let’s get out of here before the Warden catches us.”

“Too late.”

An oddly flesh-like scythe cleaved through Eda’s neck, sending her head rolling across the ground. Luz screamed, not in fright, but in sorrow, sorrow at the loss of the woman who she had already formed a bond with, however fresh it may have been, and rage, the blistering rage at the man, the monster, responsible for them being here.

“It seems the Owl Lady isn’t as impressive as I was led to believe.” Wrath rumbled, reaching down to scoop up Eda’s head. Before he could touch her, however, Luz blocked his path, her face a rictus of hate. “Oh, a human? So that’s how she crossed the barrier. I had assumed she would’ve tried going around, rather than through. Still, how does a fragile thing like yourself hope to challenge the likes of me?” He rumbled, no he chuckled. This bastard was LAUGHING!! HE HAD MURDERED EDA AND WAS LAUGHING!!!!

“You…” Luz’s voice dropped, cold-blooded murder coursing through it. “I’m going to make you pay for that.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.

Wrath paused. Then, his shoulders started to shake. The guards behind him started to snicker. Then, they all burst into raucous laughter. Luz had been aware that those on the Isles didn’t really seem to have the highest opinion of humans, but this open display of laughter, as if the idea of a human hurting, or threatening, them in any way was only a laughable joke? That made the rage burn all the hotter.

Luz brought her hands together in the familiar pose of her favored magic, and as the light started building in her palm, the laughter started dying. She bit out a spell, anger scorching through every word. “Light-Make: Blazing Durendal!!!”

With a scream of rage, pain, and years of accumulated frustration, Luz unleashed the strongest Light-Make spell she was currently capable of without incapacitating herself. A shining sword, so large the just forming it caused the ceiling and the floor to tear up to accommodate its bulk, launched forward, catching Wrath on the chest. It was a testament to how strong he was that he didn’t die immediately, as that sword was very much sharp, and the sheer force of its movement made it hit like a landslide.  The guards screamed, scattering in panic as their leader was sent crashing through the walls. With a roar, Luz ran after the Warden, intent on making him hurt more, oblivious to what was going on not ten feet behind her.

After Luz jumped through the hole her spell had made through the walls, King tentatively approached Eda’s head. As he crept closer, he slowly pulled himself level with her face… and slapped her across the mouth, eliciting a pained yell from the decapitated head.

“OW!! King, what was that for?!?” Eda yelled, oblivious to her current lack of a body.

King, deadpanning, pointed to his left, where, following his arm, Eda’s gaze landed on the sight of her headless body flopping against the ground, trying and failing to move without her head.

Eda blinked. “Oh. Okay, so how badly did the kid take it?” Eda really hoped Luz wasn’t too choked up over this. Having her head cut off, after she got past the initial panic and horror the first few times, always amounted to her getting knocked out and her body flopping around until she rolled close enough to reattach after waking up.

Once again, instead of answering, King gestured, this time to the gaping whole in the wall. Eda blinked again. “Wow. Not sure how she did that, but help me get up so we can stop her from doing something stupid, okay?” King grumbled, but grudgingly agreed, carrying Eda’s head over to her body.

Back with Luz, she had finally reached the spot where Wrath had landed. Aside from his uniform being trashed to Kingdom Come, and some bruising all across his torso, he seemed none the worse for wear. He chuckled, “A good trick, human, and this will certainly leave a mark for some time, but I doubt you have anything left to give after that feat. I may not know how you imitated magic in such a way, but I doubt you can do so again.”

Now, Luz was well aware that battle banter was something you were supposed to leave in books, high-profile fighters notwithstanding, but she couldn’t keep the snark in check. “There is nothing imitation about my magic. Seriously, maybe do a little fact checking before going off outdated assumptions, asshole!” Normally Luz isn’t so coarse, but right now, she had every reason to be pissed off enough to curse.

“Hmph, then prove it, welp.” Wrath goaded.

“Light-Make: Lion Jaws!” Luz screamed. A blindingly bright Lion Head materialized before her, surging forward and clamping around Wrath’s torso. With a pained grunt, Wrath was once again sent flying back, only to brace himself against the ground. Digging in his heels, he grunted, and roared, ripping open the Lion’s jaws and the head along with it.

“Pitiful.” He grunted, tacitly ignoring the pain surging through his ribs. With a roar of his own, he whipped one of his arms back, reforming it into a mace, and rocketed it forward. With a yelp, Luz jumped back, avoiding the blow, but feeling part of her hoodie rip at the close shave. She grunted; she really liked this outfit, dang it! “But that is to be expected of one who allies with trash.”

Luz was incensed. A slight against herself, while frustrating, was something she could handle. Mocking the dead!? Yeah, she was gonna make this bastard pay dearly. Still, she needed to stall a little more before she could unleash her trump-card, so…

“Why’d you do it?” She asked. She genuinely wanted to know, but the more she could draw this out, the better. “What possible reason could justify killing her? She lived in the woods and sold trash!!!”

“The politics at play are more complex than your feeble mind could even begin to grasp.” Wrath intoned condescendingly. He raised his untransformed fist, beckoning her almost. “But I must admit, I enjoyed that far more than what is traditionally proper. Seeing the stain on my love’s perfection wiped out was far more satisfying than I ever anticipated. Now, she’ll have to accept my offer for a meal together!!”

Luz blinked, dumbfounded. Then, the confusion shifted. Now, it was boiling hate, even more intense than any of the rage and pain she had felt today, the likes she hadn’t felt since that day. “You mean to tell me… you murdered someone, an innocent woman, TO GET A DATE!?!?!?”

Wrath laughed mockingly, throwing his head back. “She is far from innocent! Her very existence is a spitting in the eye of our leader’s great vision! She should be honored to serve as a lesson to those looking to stray from the proper path!!”

With that, Luz officially snapped. “LIGHT-MAKE: DAGGER DANCE!!!” A swarm of blades manifested, each aimed to rip Wrath apart. To counter, he divided his arms into countless tentacles, whipping up the nearby rubble into the paths of the daggers.

“Light-Make: Wolf Pack!” Whatever attack Wrath had been planning to follow up on was quickly aborted, as he was forced to divert his tendrils to fend off the canine constructs currently attempting to rip him apart. As he busied himself with fighting the wolves, Luz took the moment to catch a breather. Keeping him distracted while setting up her finale was a LOT harder than she thought, and she just knew she was gonna be paying for it tomorrow. Still, she needed just a little more time…

“Answer me this then,” Luz began, eyes alert for any attack he may use. “What possible reason do you have for locking these people up?” She gestured in the direction of the cells, specifically the cells containing the trio of prisoners she met before. “What did they do that deserves all this!?” She yelled, gesturing to the imposing structure surrounding them.

Wrath snorted, wrestling another wolf into the ground after it made a lunge for his throat. “I locked them away because they are better for it. What possible use could society have for people like them? Worthless wretches who can’t even do what’s expected of them-” Anything further he had to say was cut off by Luz’s attacks. Abandoning finesse for raw power, Luz had traded her constructs for blasts of pure, concentrated light. As each blow hammered into Wrath, Luz screamed her fury.

“BEING YOURSELF IS NOT A CRIME!!”

Hearing the yells, Katya perked up.

“BEING DIFFERENT IS WHAT MAKES EVERY PERSON AMAZING!!”

Tiny Nose raised her head.

“WHO CARES IF THEY DON’T FIT IN? THEY AREN’T HURTING ANYONE!!!”

The Eyeball eater gained a tearful smile.

“NOBODY DESERVES TO BE LOCKED UP FOR JUST BEING THEMSELVES!!”

The prisoners shared a look.

“I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE!!! AS LONG AS I’M ALIVE, I WILL ALWAYS STAND UP FOR PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO BE TRUE TO THEMSELVES!!!”

With a roar, the three prisoners threw themselves against their cells. As the guards closed in on them, the eyeball eater grabbed them, slamming them against the bars, while Katya snagged their keys. With a battle cry, Tiny Nose proceeded to blast the guards with fire, incapacitating them long enough to lock them in the cells in place of the prisoners. Sharing a nod, they rushed off. As they rounded the corner, they saw Wrath powering his way through the Light Blasts, though he was clearly worse for wear. His body was coated in light burns, his clothing in tatters, even his mask was destroyed. As he reared back a scythe-arm to destroy the still defiant human, the three prisoners leapt into the fray.

“I Believe the Wowld is a Twiangle!!” Tiny Nose yelled, pulling at the corner of Wrath’s beady eyes.

“I like to eat my own eyes!” The eye eater growled, pulling at Wrath’s arms to keep him from swinging.

“And I practice the ancient art of fanfiction!!” Katya roared, swinging her arm into Wrath’s torso.

“””AND WE ARE DONE BEING AFRAID OF YOU!!!””” All three screamed.

Smirking in pride at how forceful the three, formerly meek, prisoners were being, Luz reeled her arm back, and unleashed one last blast, sending Wrath flying back. All four of them cheered.

“Luz!”

Luz’s ears perked up at the shout. It couldn’t be, could it?

Her eyes started tearing up. “Eda? You're alive!!” Indeed she was. Eda certainly looked ragged, but by all accounts, she was alive and well, and somehow her head was once again attached. Attached… Luz blinked, then slapped herself. She had totally forgotten about Eda’s detachable hand earlier!! Of course, she had no reason to believe that would extend to something as important as a head, but still!

Eda smirked, but it couldn’t hide the relief in her eyes. “And here I was coming to bail you out, and you had it all handled!”

“Yeah!” King shouted, trying to sound angry. “We were worried!”

Luz grinned. “Sorry to disappoint you guys.”

Eda patted a spot next to her on her staff. “Okay kid, let’s beat it before Wrath recovers.”

Luz groaned as the pain from her injuries and expended magic started kicking in. It was anything serious but it was exhausting. “Yeah, I’m not sure how long I could’ve kept that up. Let’s go!”

“Wait!”

“Huh?” Luz turned, catching sight of Katya, holding her hand out.

Katya bit her lip, nervous, before speaking. “I just wanted to say, thank you.”

Luz cocked her head, puzzled. “For what? You guys got yourselves out, didn’t you?”

Katya grinned at the memory. “Yeah.” Her expression sobered. “But we wouldn’t have been able to if you hadn’t inspired us. Nobody has EVER stood up for us before, or people like us before.” She gestured to the eyeball eater and Tiny Nose, both having the same expression of gratitude that Katya did. “I don’t know if we’ll meet again, but if we ever do, you can count on me for help, okay?” She held out a hand. Luz glanced at it, stunned, before eagerly shaking it in acceptance, getting a startled laugh from the Witch.

“As touching as this is,” Eda droned. “We really do gotta go.” In response to her words, the furious roar of Wrath sounded out again. With the reminder that he wasn’t down for the count, everyone quickly rushed outside, on foot for the prisoners, and by staff for Eda, Luz, and King.

“Wait!” Luz yelled, causing Eda to stall.

Eda turned around, surprised. “What for?”

Luz grinned maliciously. “For my finale of course!” She exclaimed, pointing up.

Eda snorted, following her finger. “What do you mean finaleeeEEEEEEOOOOOHHHH MY TITAN!!!!!!” Her question shifted into a shout of shock at what she saw; an absolutely massive magical circle floating above the Conformatorium. Each quarter of it was a different color, with a different style. The one closest to Eda appeared to be Brown, with a rock and stone motif, the next a rich blue, images of waves and water covering it, the third being a bright red, stylized flames scattered about, and the last segment being pale green, swirling gusty patterns that reminded Eda of windstorms detailed across. It wasn’t just Eda who was shocked. King was stammering incessantly, unable to form proper words. The little ball-shaped demon with the big nose was ranting something about a higher power. The one with multiple eyes was popping them out and gobbling them down as fast as they appeared in some sort of stress-eating trance. The girl Luz had talked to was just staring, wide-eyed. And Luz? She was currently putting on four rings, their designs matching the four designs on the circle above.

“The finale.” Luz intoned, pointing her ring-clad finger to the sky.

“Oh Mighty Earth, I Invoke Thee. Sunder This Land So That All May Fall.

Oh Blazing Flames, I Invoke Thee. Scorch This Land So All Shall Burn Eternal.

Oh Crashing Waves, I Invoke Thee. Wash Away All That Is So That Nothing New May Come.

Oh Howling Winds, I Invoke Thee. Rip And Tear This Unworthy Place So That Naught But Memory Remains.

Yee Four Catastrophes, I Invoke Thy Names Under The Authority Of Those Forgotten. Mine Name Is Fae And Let All Sing Thine Song Of Sacrifice!!

ABYSS CANON!!!!!!”

Nothing happened at first. The circle glowed, and vanished. Suddenly, a roar built up from above. A great light started shining. And then… a pillar of destruction descended, rending the Conformatorium apart, each floor dismantling itself under the force bearing down upon it. Yet, just as suddenly as it started, it ended. True, over half of the Conformatorium had been reduced to rubble and slag, but it wasn’t the total destruction they had been expecting after seeing the spell begin. A pained gasp caught Eda’s attention. As she turned, her gaze filled with horror at what she saw; Luz, blood hacked from between her lips, blood and tears seeping from her eyes, the four rings she wore cracked and charred. “KID!” Eda’s cries fell on deaf ears as Luz tottered forward, and fell

-

-

-

-

-

“uz. Luz. Luz!” Luz blinked her bleary eyes to find the worried gaze of Eda staring down at her, a crying King clinging to her chest. “Oh thank Titan you’re okay! You had us worried kiddo!”

Luz tried for a confident smirk, but had the feeling she failed at Eda’s unimpressed look. “Didn’t know you cared that much.”

Eda blinked, looking almost offended. “Of course I care, I’m not some kind of monster!! You stuck your neck out for me and King way beyond what was needed for the mission, and when you thought I was dead, however wrong you may have been, you jumped in to avenge me. That’s not something I’m just gonna write off. But I do gotta ask-”

“WHAT IN THE TITAN HAPPENED!!” King butted in, tears and snot dribbling from his face.

Luz blinked, mulling over memories, before realizing what they meant. “Oh you mean the spell!”

“”YES WE MEAN THE SPELL!!”” The force of the combined shout was actually enough to ruffle Luz’s hair.

Luz sheepishly chuckled, glad her laugh hid the wince of pain her body was feeling. “That spell was my trump card. A last resort that lets me totally obliterate a target, derived from one of the most dangerous spells ever taught, the Abyss Break.” She turned her gaze to the sight of her rings, ruined from the strain of helping her channel the spell. “Quick confession time, Eda, remember those elemental spells I used against you earlier?”

Eda blinked, wondering why she was asking about that. “Yeah, what about them?”

Luz bashfully rubbed her head. “I can’t actually use them normally. I’m only technically trained in Light-Make Magic. Those elemental spells were ones I knew theoretically, but lacked the training to actually use.” She gestured to her rings. “Those rings are focusing instruments, allowing me to utilize and channel elemental magic in its more raw state to make up for it. Normally I only need to have them close to my body, like in a pouch or something, to enjoy the benefits.” She turned her gaze, looking almost apologetic, back to Eda and King. “But for anything big or complicated, I need to properly wear them. The biggest drawback to them is that they aren’t very high-quality, so if I ever aimed too high for a spell, something too big for them to handle, they had a chance of breaking and for me to suffer a backlash from the spell breaking down.”

Eda looked shocked. She had genuinely not been able to notice that Luz hadn’t been using those elemental spells from before in any way unusual, sure she may not know anything about human-style magic but still, she knew plenty about magic in general! The fact that humans had tools that could compensate for lack of training and talent for magic use was honestly a scary thought. Before she could finish processing it, however, a thought came to her. “Okay, but what about that big spell from before, what did you call it, Abyss Canon? That wasn’t an elemental spell as far as I know of.”

Luz’s grinned shifted from sheepish to proud. “Abyss Canon is extremely complicated, it and its predecessor work by taking fire, wind, earth, and water magic together, and sublimating them into a total destruction attack. So, technically, it is elemental magic, it just isn’t one element!!”

Eda blinked. She snickered. She snorted. Then, she laughed. A deep, heavy laugh, the kind that came from hearing something totally surprising you couldn’t NOT find funny, especially when it completely challenged something you hated. “HAHAHAHAHHAOOOOHHHHH TITAN!!! That… that’s incredible, kid.” Her grin softened, looking almost wistful. “So, you ready to go home?”

Luz blinked. “Who said anything about me going home?”

Now it was Eda’s turn to blink. “But, I thought, wasn’t that why you helped us? To get you back home?”

Luz snorted. “No. I helped you because it sounded like fun! Also, because I thought if I helped you, you’d be more likely to let me stay here.”

Eda backed up at that. “WHOA WHOA WHOA!! Now I may like you, kid, but my place is not somewhere a child should be. I mean, wouldn’t your mom worry about you?” As Luz’s face darkened, Eda had the feeling she had stepped into something bad.

“I haven’t seen my mom since I was ten.” And there it was. Whatever resistance Eda felt about letting Luz stay just went up in smoke. Eda felt a tug on her dress, looking down to see King looking up at her with pleading eyes.

“Come on, let her stay! She could make us snacks!” King begged. “And… it gets kind of lonely with just us here.” He gestured to all the space they had for the four of them.

Eda groaned. “Ugh, fine! You can stay!” Luz and King both cheered, before she continued. “BUT! You’ve gotta work for rent, capiche? I’ve already got one freeloader.” She said, gesturing to King, who had the nerve to look affronted!

Luz smirked, taking Eda’s hand in her own, shaking it. “Well, Miss Owl Lady, looks like you got yourself a tenant. Plus, maybe we could trade some magic, eh?”

Eda smirked back. “You know, I think I might actually like having you around, kid.”

[dennou-translations]

Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Chapter 5

Please feel free to message me about possible corrections. If you can, consider supporting the creators by purchasing the official releases here.

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“The Military School of Leidenschaftlich’s Army does not inquire people’s social ranks. The gates are open to all youths, and anyone at least fourteen years old can devote themselves to it regardless of their gender. National defense means protecting everything you love.”

Where had I seen a bulletin with these contents again? If I was certain, it had been in front of our business partner wholesale store, when I entered and exited it on an errand for my family. One particular sheet had been standing out on a board where the townsfolk stuck anything they felt like, from job hunts to searches for people. While biting into an apple that I had received from the store’s owner as recompense for the errand, my thirteen-year-old self had gazed at it intently. It was a good-quality paper rendered perfectly straight, firmly nailed by thumbtacks in all four corners. Pushed into the paper at the end of the text was a gold screw, as well as red sealing wax, bearing the emblem of Leidenschaftlich’s army.

As a child, I had thought that was a pretty cool life choice. How stupid. Even I would want to laugh at myself for being so naïve. Back then, I had not yet come to know the meaning of granting and taking away lives. Truth be told, once I tried becoming a soldier, reality ended up crushing many delusions of mine, but that’s a tale for later.

Let’s go back to my current story.

There were many reasons why I had decided that “yeah, I’ll become a soldier”. One was that I’m the second son of a merchant household, and since my older brother was the one who would take over the inheritances, I wasn’t needed there. Another one was that, as I had been raised in a big family, I wanted to hurry and become independent so that I could have my own space. Yet another was that the name my parents had given me was “Claudia”, which had made me think of wishing to become manly. Lastly, well... my older brother’s fiancée was a beautiful woman just my type, so I had wanted to keep a distance from her. The most important was that I desired to protect the family I loved but wanted to depart from, I guess.

The war had been progressively intensifying back then. A resources conflict between North and South. It was that one messy Continental War of a few years ago, where a religious confrontation between the West and the East became involved.

Leidenschaftlich was the continent’s southernmost extremity. If we had been attacked at that point, our defeat would have been certain and my family would likely have lost their lives. Because I was fond of my town and my people, and because I was fond of Leidenschaftlich, enlisting had been an inclination from my spontaneous feelings. The many things that had happened to me at the time boosted them... and so, I decided to become a soldier. I applied without telling my parents, and as for the entrance exam, I took it after lying that I was going to hang out with friends.

When a letter of acceptance was suddenly delivered by a postman to my home, my Pops beat the hell out of me. I hit him back, though. Pops was surprised at that. So was I. Like, “Pops is surprisingly weak”. During childhood, people think that their guardians are damn huge existences...

Yup. My parents had probably been worried. Choosing soldier as profession earns you a higher mortality rate than from leading a normal life.

In the Military School, all officers living inside the dorms was something enforced, so no one had a choice but let go of their parents. Still, I was stubborn, so I took a photo of my family with me as I left.

Two years after that, I guess, was when it happened. I met Gilbert.

   Gilbert Bougainvillea and Claudia Hodgins

   Do you know the true meaning of that flowering tree’s name?

They bloom every year. They’re planted all over the country as roadside trees, and when spring comes, lovely white buds sprout on them. When the petals fall, they form a pure-white carpet that never melts away. During that time, the colors of the city disappear like in a snowy country. People who go abroad have their mouths agape when coming back. You don’t see that sight anywhere else. No matter where I go, I remember that scenery whenever spring comes about. It’s like an extraordinarily fine woman that you get to spend only a single night with. If you listened to the music playing while the two of you were sleeping together, you’d remember her. Just like that, I’d reminisce to it. Whenever spring arrives, my memories summon the past along with the white of those flowers.

Gem-like emerald-green eyes hidden under a deeply burrowed military cap. Lifeless fingertips from pale hands that would not move after reaching out to the person walking away on him. Whispered words not conveyed.

I’d recall over and over again the Gilbert Bougainvillea of that time.

Gilbert... Gilbert Bougainvillea. Right, I started this story in order to talk about him. I spoke too much about myself. Let’s discuss him.

Bougainvillea, Bougainvillea. A clan named after a flower. If you live in this country and ask about the Bougainvillea family name, you’d know that it’s a famous family of military descent.

Didn’t you know? Statues and things like that of his ancestors are all over the city. After all, Leidenschaftlich has a history of having fought other nations that attacked and invaded it since the distant past. It’s easy for brilliant soldiers to be treated like legendary existences. It went to the point where it could be said that a soldier come from the Bougainvillea family was someone sure to take up employment. Even at present, this hasn’t changed.

He’s the young master of a well-off house. Actually, his bloodline is a high-class one. It also had matrimonial ties with the royal family of the monarchy period from before the country was administered by the military. The royal family is used as a symbol nowadays, though.

If times were better, he’s a person who we would not be allowed to talk about so casually. Yup, right on. This is why you exist now. They have that much power. Why I became friends with Gilbert, you ask?

It all began in early spring at the Military Service School of Leidenschaftlich.

The Military School was located near the national border. So that it could become a shield at the very front in case something happened, you see. The way it started from an all-seeing tower surrounded by a sturdy fort was just like a fortress city. If you went inside, you’d be sandwiched by narrow stone walls in a pathway that went on for long, and after passing through it, you’d finally be able to get out at the square. The city of Leiden was made like that too, right? If there was an attack, we’d defend it at the entrance, and then engage in confront at an open space.

Did you know that there’s a height limit to the buildings of Leiden? Most buildings were erected to the same height. But public institutions built inside the country were pretty big. Yup, that’s right. High-rise buildings were intentionally constructed in fixed intervals. For the sake of long-distance snipers. That’s the kind of country we live in. Hearing it that way, you might imagine it as some ostentatious building, but it’d turn into a beautiful thing when spring came. The roadside trees in our country will bud with white flowers every year, right? Yes, that kind. Strangely enough, its name is “bougainvillea”.

I don’t know why his household has that surname, but surely it’s got something to do with the fact that those vines were planted all over the country.

The completely white carpet that can be made out of those tiny flowers falling little by little is a gentle beauty. That sight is enough to be sometimes praised as the “residence of angel feathers”. Those vines surrounded the Military School in rows.

A few years after having enrolled into it, my hobby was going on idle strolls during that time of the year, so I was taking a walk. I got greeted by a passing freshman. “The place you’re about to enter is hell~,” I thought to myself while greeting back with a smile.

It was warm and pleasant under the lively sunlight, and just as it was about to melt the insides of my head, I found an eye-opening person. What kind of person was it? He was a beauty. Yep, he was... the kind of beauty that you don’t see around so often.

It was about as lengthy as yours. His long black hair formed a lenient curve and his eyes were a deep green. He had handsome facial features that gave off an androgynous impression, but the long limbs that he was gifted with and his well-trained body looked pretty cool in the white naval uniform he was dressed in. That’s what people would say. He was the kind of man that other men would fall for on sight, so to speak. That was the kind of person he was.

He was arguing with someone. As the two were side-by-side, I could soon tell they were siblings. The big discrepancy was that the boy who was presumably the younger brother was the one with a more awe-inspiring look. The two had not noticed that a passerby like me was walking their way.

It was weird for a guy wearing a naval uniform to be in front of the army’s Military School in the first place. They piqued my interest, so I couldn’t help standing there to eavesdrop. I could hear what they were talking about in bits.

“Brother, you’re selfish.”

“It’s for your sake; understand it, Gil.”

“Why do you never tell me anything?”

“Then cut off our ties as brothers.”

“All I ever do is say yes.”

When the younger brother said so, I got sad and felt like siding with him. I was at loss, so I stayed as a spectator.

After a while, the two stopped yelling at each other, and the older brother deliberately took off the military cap that the younger one was wearing, reached a hand toward his head and patted it messily. The younger brother was making a face that seemed like he was frustrated from the bottom of his heart. As if to hide that face, the older brother buried the cap deep onto the other’s head, turned his back to him and left. He didn’t even turn to look at the younger brother, who was probably crying.

I felt bad for the boy and tried to go talk to him. But when I saw him raising his lowered head, I stopped. He wasn’t crying. As if none of the emotions that were there until just then had ever existed, his expression became cold and he went through the gates of the Military School.

That was the first instant I saw Gilbert. I had never seen a boy make a face like that before, so I just continued staring at his back as if I had grown senile.

It became the topic that a son of the family of national heroes had enrolled as the top student among the freshmen that year. I had skipped the freshmen’s entrance ceremony and didn’t see anything, so I had no idea, but thinking back about it now, that was him.

Despite all of us being fellow students, we didn’t get to interact with each other if our school years were different. Even if we had joined training, it was impossible to make a distinction since it was just men. What caused the occasion for us to properly meet face-to-face was a small incident.

The ratio of enrollment in the Army Service School of Leidenschaftlich was of seven men to every three women. The women’s duties were normally of telegraph soldiers or replenishment troops, so our curriculums were different, and of course, our dorms were separate too. Our curriculum? Running, running, running. Building muscle. Firing guns, firing, firing, running, running, running. A repetition of that. The rest was classroom lectures. We’d learn how to form strategies, set up camps and use communication equipment. There were also the subjects learned at ordinary schools like normal. The girls had it easier than us, but it didn’t change that it was hard for everyone.

Guys and girls who devoted themselves to national defense day and night getting into relationships away from the eyes of our demon-like instructors was something, well, natural. After all, we didn’t have any other form of amusement. Romance was an amusement.

I’d also played around with countless people myself, but I never had a love that went as far as making my body burn. In that point, I’m sure I might’ve never had a true love. I never stuck to only one person. I like all women, so loving just one feels weird.

No biggie for me. Romance was a diversion anyhow. But diversions can cause some pretty dangerous stuff to follow you around. There were times when it was just pleasure for me but the other person was betting their life on it.

Maybe due to that attitude of mine being the one to blame, one of the girls I had fooled around with pushed a letter of challenge onto me. A letter of challenge. Do you know them? Letters with contents like, “I hate you very much”, “I’ll send you flying”, “Be here on X day of X month”. That’s right. There are letters like those in the world too.

It seemed she was going out with me with the intention of getting married. I had no idea. No, really. I didn’t even lay a hand on her, y’know? Did we ever go as far as kissing? I’m serious, I tell you. Kissing is a greeting to me.

“I’ve got no choice but to apologize wholeheartedly for this in my own way.” Just as I thought so, when I went to the place I had been called over to, there he was. Who?

Gilbert Bougainvillea.

That boy I had seen on the day of the entrance ceremony, standing fleetingly in the middle of those white flowers with his head hanging down, was there. From the very start, he had been piercing me with a scornful emerald-green gaze as I walked over. He was fourteen, I was sixteen.

“Are you Claudia Hodgins?” was the first thing he said. Just like his face, his voice was gallant.

At fourteen years of age, Gilbert somewhat gave off the feeling of a small adult. His black hair was settled down in a way that not a single thread would dishevel. He had dignified facial traits even though he was young. From his voice tone to his gestures, the man named Gilbert Bougainvillea was already pre-made. He had come from a family of soldiers, so from his point of view, maybe the Military School was just an extension of his home.

Surrounded by trees under the shadow of the school building, those training barracks were a place that didn’t have any popularity, but other than Gilbert, the girl who had sent me the letter of challenge and quite a number of onlookers were there too.

“Don’t say ‘Claudia’ ever again. If I get called by this name, it’ll turn into a chronic toothache for me. And you are…?”

“I’m Gilbert Bougainvillea. I’m your junior, but in this situation, I’m in a position equal to yours as her representative in the duel that she requested. Therefore, I will be omitting honorifics and protect her dignity as just a man. I shall be your opponent in her stead.”

He was a kid with way of talking that quite reeked of seriousness, I thought. I was also a child with not too big a difference in age from him, but if a fourteen-year-old boy talked like that, you’d be surprised, right? More than anything, I was surprised at that fateful chance meeting. I had only seen him for a moment, but the Gilbert of that time and that scenery of white flowering trees had stayed seared into my heart, and he was a person remarkable enough to make you remember him unintentionally out of the blue.

I beckoned him with a, “C’mere, c’mere” and whispered into his ear, “Gilbert – can I call you Gilbert? Why’s an underclassman like you getting involved in the fight between me and that girl? Are you her new boyfriend and got mad after she told you about me?”

“I don’t mind being called Gilbert. You’re wrong about that. I’m not her lover. I just happened to come across her when she was crying by coincidence, and after I heard about her circumstances, I was put in charge of representing her in the duel. I’m also not willing to fight an upperclassman... one that I don’t hold a personal grudge against, to boot... but I have no choice. If she will be at ease with this, I mean. It seems you’re a pretty terrible man.”

I looked at the girl who was the source of that comedy-rather-than-tragedy over Gilbert’s shoulder. I didn’t have any memory of our relationship being anything other than drinking tea together a number of times.

“What’d she say I’ve done to her?”

“The kind of indecent things that I can’t say aloud at all.”

I was so embarrassed at being called “indecent” by that boy that I couldn’t bear it.

“I didn’t do it; I definitely didn’t do it. There’re girls who’ve slept by my side, but I haven’t slept with that one. We’ve dated. But I haven’t laid a hand on her. I guess I’ve so much as kissed her on the cheek. But relatives do that too, right?”

“Then, why would she lie to me?”

“‘Cause she wants to catch my attention, doesn’t she?”

“And probably yours too,” I added in my mind.

“If she tried to catch your attention with ill intent, it wouldn’t be effective, would it?”

At that statement, I felt the cleverness of the young Gilbert, but at the same time, I thought he was a child who still didn’t know what the crudeness of the world was like.

“Gilbert, you’ve never gone out with a woman before, have you? There’re two paths that guys and girls broken by love go through most of the times: to get attached or to hate each other. When one hates the other, they try to push the other down both social and materially.”

“Even though it’s someone they fell for?”

“It’s exactly because it’s someone they fell for.”

Gilbert furrowed his brows, looking troubled, and then turned his back to me, saying he was going to properly ask the girl once again about her story. He was a serious guy.

I grabbed his arm and prevented him from doing it. “Listen, Gilbert-boy, this is a fight that you got involved in because of some boring sense of justice. Act out your role until the end. If you don’t, you won’t get to protect her dignity, right?”

“It’s not ‘boy’. Are you... okay with this? If what you said is true, you’d be accusing yourself of a wrongdoing that you didn’t commit and fighting for no reason. And it’d mean that I’m being lied to and used by her. Seems so foolish...”

“With all due respect, Young Master, but there’s a limit to how much of a goody-two-shoes you can be to accept being someone’s duel representative in itself, and I think it’s also a foolish action, y’know?”

“It seems I’ll have to shoot your words back at you as well and I’m sorry for that, but there’s no way anyone could not listen to a lady’s story if they saw her crying along the way... even if the result of it weren’t something good.”

Gilbert had whispered coldly with a bitter expression, but I mostly got a positive impression from that reply. He was a young man with a will that you’d rarely see in recent years.

I took the hand of the arm that I had been holding and forcefully shook it. Perhaps because I swung it too broadly, his body rocked along with the swaying of the handshake.

“I agree with that. What, so you’re an appreciator too? A women praiser?”

“I was merely educated like that by my parents.”

He was just a high-pedigree dog. I felt let down.

“That so? Well, it’s fine. Anyway, from your words just now, the points that our interests have in common became clear. What’s important here isn’t the face-saving of guys who got rounded up for a fight, but the feelings of a girl broken by love. She wants to feel better by giving me a blow, right? Why don’t we do that?”

“You’re saying you’ll lose on purpose?”

“I committed the sin of making a girl cry. I can do as much as let my face lie on the ground and get some mud on it.”

The shade of disdain in his eyes of a rare emerald-green color disappeared and I could see a bit of admiration sprout in them. “By the looks of it, I’ve misunderstood you. My deepest apologies for speaking impolitely to you, my senior.”

“No problem at all. We’re the ones who got you involved in the conflict.”

“It’s my first time in a duel like this and I don’t know how it goes, so it’d be helpful if you could tell me.”

“We can hit each other however we see fit and I’ll fall down after they watch us roll over, so twist my arm or something and end it there. I’ll act in a way that the onlookers will know it’s your win.”

“Speaking of which, do you know who those spectators are?”

“Gambling customers I called over. I’ll get twenty percent of the earnings from the leader of the gamblers, so it’s half of that for you and me.”

“I take back everything I said before. I’ll knock you down.” I didn’t understand very well why, but Gilbert started referring rudely to me and clearly ruined the mood.

Then, the gong of the fight resounded with a “clang, clang, clang”. Having grown tired of waiting for us since we wouldn’t stop talking, the boss of the gamblers played a battle-start tune with a pot and ladle. My relationship with Gilbert began originally from that fistfight.

“You’d better regret starting this stupid wager,” Gilbert cursed upon me, letting go of the stand-up collar of his school uniform’s jacket onto the ground.

We both measured a chance for the first blow. In contrast to me, who firmly kept my arms glued to my sides and balled my fists, Gilbert shook his arms as if adapting them.

——What? I’ve never seen this stance before.

Since my older brother and Pops used to throw fists with me and I to throw back by way of playing around, and since there was also a time when I would do nothing but get into fights in the city, that type of fistfight was part of my lifework. I was totally thinking that my opponent would come at me with Leidenschaftlich army-style martial arts. After all, he was the son of a family of soldiers. If you were to talk about martial arts learned by men who lived in Leiden, that was it. But Gilbert’s stance was different.

My principle in fights was to first observe the other’s attitude with non-aggressive defense. Following that principle, I waited for my opponent’s move. Yet it seemed that the same applied to Gilbert, so we just sluggishly watched each other’s battle preparation. When the audience jeered at us to “hurry and start beating each other”, I clicked my tongue.

The performance was important for the gambling. Left without a choice, I struck him with a big kick after drawing my leg to behind my back as a test. He dodged once. I hit his tight the second time, but he acted as if nothing had happened. The third time, he grabbed my foot and knocked me down face-up just like that. He dealt me a series of consecutive straight punches to the stomach after dropping onto me. It wasn’t a heavy attack, given that he was a boy who still weighted light, but it could make even my eight-pack abs scream.

It’d be boring if I lost in that way, right?

Taking advantage of my flexibility, which had a favorable reputation with the girls, I squeezed his neck with my legs and twisted him upturned to the side. He was light, you see. Being light also means being astute. He escaped from my leg technique smooth and quickly. We both stood back up to readying ourselves once again.

“Hodgins, don’t play around! We’re betting on you!”

“You two, don’t get injured because of me!”

“That’s the spot! Do it, do it, do it!”

The spectators were loud, but even as I heard them, it all only came in from one ear and left from the other. That was because my senses of sight, smell and many others were directed at Gilbert Bougainvillea.

Maybe having finished studying my way of fighting, Gilbert started actively hitting me. Of course, I also counter-attacked and hit him back. Nothing to be proud of, but my fists are heavy and they hurt. An attack where I socked with all of the weight in my body, which was a congregation of muscles that I had polished, would usually cause my opponents to collapse after I hit them three times, but I didn’t manage to settle it on him straight away.

Gilbert had converted his battle style into one of simultaneous offense and defense. I hit him. While Gilbert covered with one hand, he at the same time shoved his other fist into my stomach. It wasn’t just that his movements were agile. His fighting method was something you couldn’t manage unless you had trained a lot. To top it off, even though that guy was getting hit, he had a face like he wasn’t feeling a thing.

“Gilbert, where’d you learn that stuff?”

Gilbert sleekly avoided both my kick and my question, “Well, where was it again?”

——You really fourteen?

Just as those words had come up to my throat, Gilbert said, “Let’s end this already.”

Gilbert’s fists suddenly became heavy. Annoyingly enough, it seemed he had been holding back until then. He came aiming accurately for my body’s vitals with a calm expression – so dirty of him. I became defensive-only and eventually fell on my ass. Gilbert looked down at me from above with a face that said, “Now, lose just like you wanted”.

“Gilbert, you’d better review your attitude towards your elders.”

By then, I’d forgotten that I had to lose on purpose. I surrendered my body to the blood going up my head, raised it from my position of having collapsed onto the ground, placed my hands on the soil, and rammed his beautiful face hard with a lateral kick using as much strength as possible. That was my favorite stunt. A tactic I didn’t use for just anything.

The one who had rolled onto the ground now was Gilbert. I merrily mounted him and punched his body. Enveloped in a swirl of excitement, the onlookers rose in whispers. It was also a pleasure for me to hold down the guy that had been scorning at me until just a few seconds before.

No, wait a minute. Stop judging me with those big eyes of yours! This is the past. A story about the past! Yep, yep, listen closely to the continuation, ‘kay?

While I became absorbed with self-satisfaction and beat the crap out of Gilbert, with no regard for appearances, Gilbert grabbed a handful of dirt from nearby and smacked it into my eyes. It also got in my mouth. Tasted of earth. I spat it together with saliva.

“Bastard, that was unfair!”

“Tell that to yourself.”

Unexpected, quite unexpected. Apparently, he’d do anything to win. I thought he had seemed like a more scrupulous guy.

He pushed me aside and made an escape, and after taking a large distance, he swiftly did an approach run and came back my way. What I could see with my field of vision clouded by the dirt were the shoe soles of his military boots.

First of all, his right foot sent a blow to my chest, and as my body rotated midair, his left leg kicked for the second and third times, then his right leg attacked me again after I had rotated once. Having received three kicks in a row in the span of an instant, I collapsed onto my back.

——What kinda attack is this?!

Above thinking of it as terrifying, irritating or anything like that, I honestly thought it was “cool”. Nowadays, I know there are people of superhuman fighting races such as you and Benedict, so I wouldn’t be too shocked if I were shown a feat like that. But back then, it was impactful for me. Yeah, it was impactful.

Gilbert Bougainvillea was to me a new type of human being who had suddenly revealed himself. His rotational kicks hadn’t overwhelmed just my body. He took my heart too.

What we did after that? Beat each other muddily without paying any mind to the observers. Tired of waiting for the outcome of the match, everyone gradually left.

It seemed the girl who was the center of the whirlpool at that time had attempted playing tragic heroine at the beginning, but one of the onlookers came to talk to her midway, and she hit it off with him and vanished. The only ones watching in the end were a friend of mine who the head of the gamblers had trusted with the task and people with too much free time.

“Hey, when are they gonna settle it?”

We didn’t settle it.

At last, it was decided that we were at a tie and both of us were sent to the infirmary. Our fight was found out too, so the two of us had to take penal regulations on cordial terms with each other from our group of instructors. As to prioritize the medical treatment of our injuries, the disciplinary measures were the light punishment of ordering us clean up the bathrooms of every facility.

I had done something bad to him. It would’ve been fine if I had just lost right away, yet I got serious... Well, he’d gotten serious too, so it wasn’t just my fault in that point. No, I’m sorry. It was my fault.

In a way, I apologized, but Gilbert said with a look of disdain that he never again wanted to be involved with me when we were cleaning the bathrooms. There was no helping that, since his brilliant school history, which had been about to start from there, ended up being tainted by the fight that he had with a senior as soon as he enrolled. We were of different ages and had different personalities too. The truth was that we were supposed to be alienated from each other.

You’re here now because this didn’t happen.

   Ever since the fight had ended, I stalked Gilbert. Calling it “stalking” is heavy-handed, but thinking back about how I was at the time, no matter how you look at it, there’s no way of wording it other than that.

“Gilbert, I’ll treat you. See, as an apology for back then.”

“Not necessary.”

“You’re reserved with others, huh. We both took the same punishment, right? No need for formal language. You using that at this stage of the game makes me feel itchy. I’ll introduce you to a girl, then. What’s your type? And the breast size?”

“I’m begging you, don’t follow me.”

I’d invite him for meals despite his unwillingness, have him learn the taste of adulthood through alcohol that I had managed to get my hands on in secret, and occasionally bicker with him. I was also the one who taught him how to smoke. He didn’t know most of the general forms of amusement, so even when I taught him card games, the reactions he’d show were entertaining. Soon enough, the guys from my year that I hung out with started doting on him too.

Gilbert was the type that older people got attached to. But what I’m talking about is a different way of showing affection. I mean, he wasn’t affectionate. I guess the right way to put it is that he piqued my interest.

From the get-go, I had been so, so interested in him that I couldn’t help myself.

About that, the same could be said of you. I’m not hitting on you, though. Huhu, not hitting on you.

It was different from that... In retrospect, ours might’ve been a relationship where I did nothing but chase after him. He was kind of... a hard-to-figure person. Though he had a strong sense of justice, he was rather cold-blooded, and if he had a reason that compelled him to gain victory in a given situation even if through an unfair move, he’d do it just fine. He had a man-of-character side to him, but he was also self-interested and prideful. He had a charm that drew people to him, but he himself didn’t have much interest in others. He was a man who only ever thought about how he’d tread the pure-white path towards his own future that had been laid out to him.

I once asked what had been best out of the things that I taught him. “Smoking. It’s not bad as a means of exchanging information,” was what he said.

I found out why he had turned out like that later on. It feels awkward to tell you about this, but it’s an episode that can’t be left out if we’re talking about his past.

Gilbert Bougainvillea had a fiancée.

He told me that when I was about to graduate. At the time, we were in a state where the two of us hanging out with each other was something that looked extremely normal to the people around us.

What happened? Well, nothing. Just a repetition of the same stuff. I’d follow Gilbert around, tease him, give in most of the time, occasionally apologize to Gilbert... We became normal friends.

The instructions had told me severely, “Don’t pay mind to the Bougainvillea heir” and things like that, but I didn’t listen to them. Gilbert had also seemed to warn me with a “don’t get involved with me”, but I didn’t listen to him either. In that point, I wasn’t a good kid. I probably knew him better than his buddies of the same age as him did. That’s exactly why learning such new information when I was already going to graduate had been so shocking to me.

He came to talk to me during a recess day in the Military School. Said he had a favor to ask.

“I’m going to eat out with my fiancée right now... Can’t you come too? We’re in a slightly complicated situation, so I want to request the help of a third party.”

“I’ll go. Of course I’ll go. Hah? Speaking of which, you up and got a fiancée behind my back? Since when? ‘Since six years ago’? You—How old were you back then? ‘Ten’? Why didn’t you tell me?! Could it be you’ve been going on dates with her or something during the holidays without me knowing? You have? Gilbert, you bastard!” I followed him while saying stuff like that.

We properly took written permission to leave campus, making meticulous arrangements. Even though he had intended to take me along from the beginning, the part of earning consent was just like him.

The meeting spot was a small café located halfway the road from the Military School to Leiden. I’d also gone there sometimes to have tea. The shop had a nice feeling to it.

Well, we met her there. Skip. All right, next topic.

Eh? What kind of person was she, you ask? Hm~, I don’t wanna talk about that. If I were forced to say it, she gave off the feeling of a Young Mistress from a fine household. Didn’t seem like she went out... I really don’t want to talk about her. Why...? Because I feel Gilbert would definitely get mad at me.

As for why he had called me... just like he had said, they were in a slightly complicated situation.

At the beginning, the fiancée wasn’t Gilbert’s. There’s that older brother of his, and the brother was the one supposed to take over the family inheritances, but – who knows what he was thinking – he had enrolled into the navy’s Military School as practically a runaway. That even though the men of their family are set to join the army.

Since you’re an ex-soldier, you know about it, right? Though both are national defense organs, there’s this unseen ditch between the army and the navy. Like in the ratio of defense expenditures and stuff. It’s an adults’ problem.

Yeah. Looks like the Big Bro didn’t get along well with his family. I heard he had a spontaneous personality. With that, it was doubtlessly painful for him to have grown up in an authoritarian household. Thinking about it now, the man that had been with Gilbert when I first saw him had been that very brother. And the Big Bro had run away from home, so everything was pushed onto the ten-year-old Gilbert, because both his parents had decided he was going to be the family head and made Gilbert take over the fiancée too.

This is rude to both of them, but they gave off a feeling of keeping a distance from each other. Unlike his brother, Gilbert was the kind of guy who wouldn’t suffer if pressured to live as the role model of the Bougainvilleas... so everyone around him naturally chose to place their expectations on him instead of rectifying his brother. It seemed that Gilbert was also cherishing the fiancée, in his own Gilbert way. But the fiancée had a wish, and Gilbert decided to fulfill it.

Eloping. The thing that men and women would do to oppose the flow of the world and escape from their status in the social ladder to satisfy their love.

Not with Gilbert. You see, the fiancée... had tried to fall for Gilbert, but hadn’t managed to. And then she fell for another guy. A butler from her house, she had said. It was romance, after all.

Making him listen with ridiculous earnestness while his own fiancée confessed this to him and then going as far as requesting him to help her elope had been insensitive of her. But Gilbert had acknowledged it with a two-worded response and summoned me for an assistance plan.

When listening to the story, I wondered if he actually had the function called emotions running inside his body.

I wanted to scold his fiancée. Like, “You go do as you please on your own”, “Don’t get Gilbert involved”. But Gilbert started studying escape routes into other countries with shit-eating seriousness.

“The access from the border is monitored strictly. Hodgins, your home was a store that also deals with imported goods, right? Of course, it probably also has permission from the government to ship them. Couldn’t you have them mixed in and get them out of the country? If it’s possible, we could change the migration route to water transportation afterward... and avoid the conflict zones, no matter how much of a detour it is,” he said, dispassionate and business-like. “How much can you spend? It’s better for you to convert into money every possession that you can manage freely while there’s time. This or you can make wheat into products of your preference... That won’t be enough. It’s uncertain whether you’ll be able to set up a basis for your livelihood right away. I understand. I’ll provide aid too. No, this much is just... There’s the whole matter with my brother, after all.”

The more level-headed Gilbert remained, the more rage bubbled up and erupted inside me.

The conversation that had my help as prerequisite came to an end. On the way back, I asked Gilbert if he didn’t like her. If he didn’t feel even just a little bit of sadness or irritation at those circumstances – they had been engaged for several years, after all, no matter whether it was something that their parents had decided.

Gilbert, who had been walking silently, looked my way. The flowering trees that painted the roads white in early spring had lost their petals and were dyed green. Yet even though we were in a world with a different scenery, as expected, Gilbert was reflected in my eyes as a remarkably exceptional existence.

With the corners of his lips curling up just a little, Gilbert said, “The fact that there’s no meaning in chasing someone who’s departing has been drilled into my body with my brother’s case.” Again, he was aloof. His mouth moved as if being made to speak borrowed words. “I can’t say I don’t have empathy for her, but... if I were asked whether I have attachment, I don’t. That person wasn’t mine from the very start.”

“‘Yours’, you say... You...”

“Bad way of wording it, huh. It’s not like I’m referring to her as a property because she’s a woman or anything.”

“No, that’s not it... You...”

Aah, so this is it, I thought.

——Since it’s you, you’re always...

I felt for the first time right then that I’d come in contact with the essence of the person named Gilbert Bougainvillea.

——That’s why, even if you’re surrounded by a big number of people, you’re always...

That guy didn’t have a sense of attachment.

——No matter how much positivity you get or how praised you are...

It’s possible that his brother who had left was the one he had some sort of attachment towards. But even if it weren’t just that, he was surely...

——You look alone.

...a person who had gotten used to giving up on things. That’s why he treated all sorts of matters and people in a measured way. Even if his true intentions weren’t so.

“To begin with, we’ve caused trouble for their daughter thanks to my brother. Doing this much is nothing.”

——But where do your feelings go?

“Our parents will certainly have something to say about it, but mine will just match me with someone new to become my wife.”

——Aren’t you disturbed by having the person that will accompany you for the rest of your life decided for you like a board game piece?

“The eldest son of her household is the one who will take over the inheritances, so there’ll be no problem for them other than their reputation. If they can continue being related to us through my generation, it’ll be solved with that.”

No matter how much Gilbert talked in order to convince me, I never said, “That’s right”.

The one by my side was a young man still in his teens. He was a child who, as a result of being demanded reasonability, didn’t look for meaning in his own existence other than just as something “convenient” for people. He saw himself and others as nothing but assets.

“I was... happy that you had a fiancée, still. I did get pissed at you for hiding it from me, though.” For some reason, I was the one who’d gotten sad and my voice broke into falsetto because of suppressed tears. Gilbert asked what was wrong, but I deceived him by pretending to cough.

You know, I had... seen Gilbert’s future. No matter how much glory he achieved, or how long he walked through a brilliant path without deviating from it, there’d be hardly anything left in the palm of his hands. Throwing things and people away when he had no business with them and not caring if he himself were thrown away, he would merely continue treading the narrow, risky, pure-white path that had been laid out to him in a world of complete darkness. But he’d likely cross it in an extremely beautiful way, more skillfully than anyone.

What his hands were holding onto was already nothing but guns.

I’m a selfish person. Which is why I was simply sad at the truth that, even though I thought of Gilbert as my number one friend, it was probably not the same for him.

   Yeah, the eloping was a success.

I have no idea where those two are or what they’re doing now, but they trampled over my friend’s dignity, so I hope they’re happy. The aftermath was full of trouble, but the problem with the Bougainvillea heir’s fiancée running away soon wiped out.

Gilbert’s Old Man had died all of a sudden.

Just as we pushed the rude lovebirds into my family’s business truck and the two of us came back with nonchalant faces like, “My, my, it’s over”, an instructor called Gilbert to stop him, his facial expression altered.

“Where have you been? What were you doing? We were looking for you. He passed away. You didn’t make it to his last moments.”

The instructor must’ve been panicking too. He bombarded the stunned Gilbert with a hail of words mayhem. Gilbert did get agitated, but not confused. He’s the kind of guy who can cut off his emotions and do what he’s supposed to do. He said he understood and immediately went back to his home.

I wasn’t allowed to accompany him, leaving the campus only with permission to go to the funeral. My relatives were mostly healthy people, so my first time attending someone’s burial was the one of Gilbert’s Old Man. As I nervously went to it, there he was before me, performing the role of chief mourner with a grounded appearance... Gilbert, who had become the head of the Bougainvilleas in both name and substance, was discreetly clearing his throat.

“Why, if I knew this would happen, they wouldn’t have had to elope... Now that their main obstacle is gone, I could have pulled out of it... I’ve done that person wrong,” he said.

He called his father an “obstacle”.

That was surely because of the way Gilbert had been raised, as a “tool” of the Bougainvillea family who would give continuation to the household. He had been treated in a way so that he’d live as a strategic arrangement for the prosperity of the clan. It had swerved him. People give back what others do to them.

The closer you are to him, the better you understand. He’s a kind-hearted but lonely guy. Even though he’s got a cute face when he laughs, he hardly does so. He knows it’s not something suitable of his role.

I thought that when I... when I... died... either this, or if I ever disappeared from before him... the only thing I didn’t want was for him to treat me like an object. I couldn’t take it.

Whenever the dices of fate rolled in his emerald-green eyes, he didn’t see anything other than a windingly stretched future. He’d just earnestly stare at a path that wasn’t the one of a human being.

Was there ever gonna come a day that a man like him would chase after someone? Somebody – anyone would do. Someone, someone. A person that he wouldn’t be able not to be affectionate with.

Would he ever get to have that?

   Hodgins cut the words short at that point, reaching out his hand. His fingertips touched the hair of Violet, who was tucked in her bed. He slowly ripped off a thread that had become sticky due to sweat.

“Then, President Hodgins, after you graduated... when... did you reunite with that person?”

Upon being requested a continuation of the story with long wheezy breaths typical of those whose bronchi were suffering, Hodgins gave a strained smile. He stood up from the chair he had been sitting on, placing the blanked that stopped at Violet’s chest securely up to her neck. “Let’s continue this after you’re cured from your cold,” he whispered with utmost tenderness and a soft gaze. The ends of his statement overflowed with an affection similar to paternity.

They were inside a room large enough for two people to live in. It had light blue flowery wallpaper and a chandelier decorated with violas. On a round table sitting at the center of the room, there were boxes, bags and fruits baskets wrapped in ways that made clear they were get-well gifts. The interior of the bedroom was not too cold, yet wood burned in the fireplace, popping into sparks with a snap. The windows, which had its curtains closed, shook clatteringly due to the wind. The needles of the room’s clock pointed an hour just before evening.

“This surprises even me. I wonder if it is because I have distanced myself from the battlefields... To think I would grow this weak. My apologies for not managing to keep control of my health.”

“What’re you saying? The reason why you had a fever was that the difference in temperature got to you, right? The place you were commissioned to was a northernmost land, after all... Sorry for making you push yourself. Don’t mind it and go to sleep, ‘kay?” while speaking, he gently caressed the slightly dark circles under Violet’s blue eyes with his index finger. It was not as if they would disappear with that at all, but it was a display of his wish for them to do so. “We’re keeping in touch with the clients that booked you, and most of them want to rely on you even if you’re late, so there weren’t any cancellations to the requests. Don’t worry about anything and take your time, Little Violet. You look pretty tired.”

“I shall cure myself soon. By tomorrow even.”

“No can do, no can do. Take at least three days to rest from work counting with today. ‘Cause I’ll come over after these three days to decide whether or not you’ll be in condition to go back. Sorry for forbidding visits from the others.”

“No, it would be terrible if they caught this. President Hodgins, you too... My apologies for having you talk about so many things in addition to making you come here... I have caused you to stay too long.”

“I’m fine. If catching it would cure you, Little Violet, then I’d rather catch it. After all... I was something like your foster parent, though for a short while. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

At that response, Hodgins smiled with his whole face. “The book that Little Lux asked me to give you is in the brown package. I ended up seeing the contents, and turns out it’s a popular romance novel. If your eyes get tired, make sure to stop reading immediately.”

“Yes.”

“The rest is from the members of the company. Benedict told me to say ‘take care’. Cattleya’s scheduled to be back tomorrow, but even if she comes here on her own accord, you shouldn’t keep her company.”

“Yes.”

“Tell the people here at home if there’s anything you want me to do. I’ll leave work and rush over.”

“No, Lux would cry, so please do your job.”

Hodgins bid his farewells and attempted giving her a kiss on the cheek, but his lips were blocked by the palm of a hand burning with heat. As he asked with a sad voice if she did not want it, Violet replied that he could catch her cold, so it was dangerous.

Intentionally making a noise, he kissed the palm covering his lips. “G’night, Little Violet.”

“Good night, President Hodgins.”

Silently leaving the room, Hodgins walked through the broad corridor with a quick pace. On the way, he informed a passing servant of his intention to take his leave. His aspect of haste also showed after that in the way he drove his car.

Perhaps because the residence he had visited was located away from the capital Leiden, the Sun was about to set when he arrived to the city. The madder red sky was gradually starting to envelop itself in dark colors.

By the looks of it, today was a day of strong winds. Hodgins’s classic car swayed unsteadily during the fear-inspiring journey.

The place Hodgins headed to was a lodging facilities district in a place a little out of the townscape of Leidenschaftlich’s capital, Leiden. Inside it, there were not only the types of inn that one could stop by unexpectedly without reservations but also inns that one could not pass through the gates into the site unless an inviter let them. The kind of inn that he rang the bell of was exactly the latter.

The first floor was the entrance for the residents, as well as the level of employees who carried out the administration of everything. There were five floors above it. Despite the single-storied buildings being tall and three-floor ones being mainstream, the building could be considered quite a high-rise amongst them. Only contractors could live in each floor. It was a high-class one-floor-rent inn, where the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. had all been designed in a luxurious fashion. Even just a one-night stay required quite a sum. Incidentally, the residents were chosen ones.

As he rang the bell of the top floor’s apartment, there were footsteps from the inside.

“Who might it be?”

Hodgins grinned at the well-mannered words. “It’s me. The little fox who saved you on that day.”

“I don’t have a fox for acquaintance.” The voice of the residence’s owner suddenly grew lower as he recognized the other person.

“Then, the one who threw fists with you in our first meeting on that day, Hodgins.”

“Wait there. I’ll open now.”

The chosen resident who opened the oak door with a gun at hand was a man past his twenties at the prime of his working life, as well as the head of a family that no one knew not of within Leidenschaftlich’s army. Despite it being the middle of the night, he was dressed in his military uniform. Only his collar was loose, unbuttoned at the neck. Perhaps due to him having no time to rest, his hair, usually combed down flatly over his forehead, lay disheveled and he had grown a stubble. He had also removed his eyepatch, displaying his lacerated eye.

“How’s Violet?”

Hodgins shrugged at the words said to him the instant their gazes met. “‘Hodgins, you’ve worked hard late into the night. Good evening.’ – Can’t you ask after you tell me that?”

“Hodgins, you’ve worked hard late into the night. Good evening... I’m exhausted.”

Unable to bear the look that said, “Just tell me the situation already”, he answered, “It’s just a cold. I told you not to worry, didn’t I? If you’re gonna visit her tomorrow, isn’t it useless getting a report from me?”

“I was concerned...”

Maybe because he had been reminiscing to the past, he felt that the current Gilbert had become quite amicable. To think that he, who used to be so prickly during his boyhood, now loved somebody. Hodgins bit down a laughter that suddenly came out of him.

“Hey, what was that? Why did you laugh?”

“I didn’t. By the way, it seems so expensive here... Did you finish paying for the place you were living in a while ago?”

“I’m renting it for a cheap price thanks to my household’s connections. I’m in the middle of looking for an apartment... so this is a temporary residence. I was... moving houses periodically so that Violet wouldn’t find me before, but the need for that is gone...”

After the train hijacking incident, Gilbert apologized to Hodgins and the Evergarden family, stopped hiding himself and continued interacting with Violet. The two were working things out with each other.

As one was a colonel of the army and one was a demanded Auto-Memories Doll, they had little time to meet. The moments and places where they could be alone with each other were valuable.

“Aah, no wonder you wouldn’t want to go back to the main residence where your honorable mother and sisters are.”

Gilbert nodded. “I don’t want to call her over there... Hodgins, you telling me about her situation directly has helped me out. Come in.”

He probably was truly tired. The words he uttered had frequent pauses.

Hodgins was let into the largest room. Perhaps because the lights inside said room were not properly lit, it was dark. Only a lamp sitting on a chest in a corner of the room illuminated the area around it.

“Don’t open the window. The papers will fly.”

The desk in front of the chair that Hodgins silently sat on had an awl, binding rope and piled-up documents. There were also other things, such as sealing wax, a fountain pen and stationery left half-written. A heap of letters tied with rope lay next to the stationary.

Showing a face of surprise, Hodgins quietly reached a hand toward the stationary. Gilbert had left him and gone to the kitchen. While reading the stationary, Hodgins asked with a placid expression, “Were you sleeping?”

The sound of a clock’s corkscrew ensued.

“Yeah, until just a bit ago. Hodgins, I’m going to make dinner, but will you eat it?”

“Huun, you were pretty worn-out, huh. It’s gonna be a feast. Gilbert, you gonna be having a drink while you cook?”

A sweet scent had suddenly drifted towards him.

“I’m not you... I’ll put it in the food.”

“So you do stuff like cooking.”

“I do it when my friend comes over at least.”

The eyes that had been reading stopped completely and Hodgins turned his head to the direction of the kitchen. Gilbert was not visible from that room.

“Liar. You’re simply hungry ‘cause you just woke up, aren’t you?” Hodgins spoke with a smile in his voice, yet he was by no means smiling.

“Then I’ll eat all this by myself.”

“Y’know, you’ve been calling me ‘friend’ out of the blue lately. What kinda service is that?”

“‘Lately’...? Is that so? But what other definition should I use? We’ve had this relationship for over a decade. Why is calling you my friend a service?”

The words smoothly replied to him pierced his chest.

“No, I mean, you... treat nice people like tools. You don’t show respect for me even though I’m older than you.”

“About the matters regarding Violet, I’m sorry. About not showing respect for you, why would I have to show respect due to age difference at this point?”

Silence.

“Hodgins?”

Despite being called, Hodgins wordlessly returned his gaze to the letter for a moment. It was his first time reading one of those, but Hodgins knew about them. After all, whenever Hodgins visited his room, there would be a sealed letter with no addressee somewhere. Hodgins knew one more person who used to accumulate letters without sending them.

“You’re an idiot.”

Just as Gilbert said, they had had that relationship for over a decade. They had also had a period of breaking contact. Within the letter that he was finally seeing again after those years, the feelings towards a certain girl that Gilbert had been unable to back from writing down were registered. He probably intended to throw away the old ones and hand over new responses. Written in them were his repeated apologies for what he had done until that point, as well as his words of gratitude thanking her for sending him countless letters.

Hodgins twisted his neck, observing Gilbert’s back as he stood in the kitchen. The same was valid for him, but Hodgins thought that both of them had aged quite some.

——To think that those two who had parted ways would meet again.

It was a common love story, which seemed like it could happen anywhere. But that was precisely why...

——...I think I want them to be happy enough to make up for their detours.

He and she. Both of them were irreplaceable people for Hodgins.

“Gilbert.”

“What?”

“Back to the topic... Y’know, I believe that friendships can also be unrequited.”

“Yeah.” Gilbert did not negate the exorbitant statement.

Hodgins felt he was giving an empty answer without actually listening to the talk. His feeling of discontentment accidentally seeped into his manner of speaking. “You say ‘yeah’, but do you really get it? I think you don’t... I’ve felt that way with you for many years. Gilbert, you can definitely make do without friends. But I’m not like that. Yet I really didn’t want us to be like... like this, with me being the only one... who wishes for you to stay that way, doing fine. Or who wants to see you every now and then to talk about trivial stuff. Like, ‘Is it just me who likes you?’... You’re a cold one, after all. That’s why I’ve been surprised with you lately. You... You probably don’t get these feelings of mine, though.”

Both knew of each other’s temperament and comprehended that their friendship existed. They also certainly trusted one another. The proof of it was that Gilbert entrusted Hodgins with the person he was currently attempting to protect by putting his life at stake. However, Hodgins nevertheless thought that, to Gilbert, he was not in the position that he had in mind. He had not once voiced it, for such attachments seemed foolish in male friendships.

After having said that, Hodgins soon regretted it. He regretted it, and yet...

“No, I understand. I don’t have any friends except for you.”

Perhaps because he had been holding the paper in his hands with force, it wrinkled a little. Hodgins desperately placed it on the desk and carefully stretched it. Still, he heard Gilbert’s footsteps approaching while he was at it and returned the letter to its previous spot.

The two remained silent once they faced each other.

Maybe finally having noticed the half-written letter, he mixed it together with his documents and quickly cleared it away from Hodgins’s eyes. Hodgins followed the letter’s trajectory from the corners of his eyes.

Upon sorting them out thoroughly, Gilbert exhaled a long breath that sounded like a sigh. “You said I probably didn’t get it, but even I understand,” little by little, his voice trailed off into silence. “You were always surrounded by a large number of companions. But you’re my only friend.”

——That’s a lie.

Even without companions that he had a relationship of associating himself with in the way he did with Hodgins, Gilbert was already a person who attracted those around him. He was not the type to act like a lone wolf. He would attend the class reunions and socialization banquets during their days in the Military School. He could flawlessly hold a conversation with anyone.

But before Hodgins was able to deny it with words, Gilbert spoke, “I have many acquaintances but you’re my only true friend. After you graduated... I thought it would’ve been great if I’d been born two years earlier for my student days.” His way of speaking seemed sulky.

The illusion of a fourteen-year-old boy overlapped with the figure of a battered man in his thirties. Hodgins felt that he himself had returned to when he was sixteen as well. Back then, he was always chasing after Gilbert and fooling around with him.

——We were always together.

The pain that had pierced his chest gradually tinged with warmth. A smile crept in his egoistic heart, unable to help itself.

——Gilbert, you...

The man named Gilbert Bougainvillea was not the kind to say such things at all. Over a long time, he had become able to show a side of himself other than being an “asset” that served for smoothly administrating himself and his surroundings.

——That side of you is unfair.

And strangely enough, the girl who Gilbert loved had also been a “tool” for his sake. Yet that “tool” was becoming able to gently undo the ropes firmly tied around her and show a humane face. Just who had been the one responsible for the biggest part of those achievements?

Claudia Hodgins, indifferent to his own deeds, merely rejoiced and smiled broadly at his friend’s bashful face. “Hu—Ahah, ahahahaha!”

“Hey, don’t laugh. You made me say something embarrassing. As if I’ll ever say that again in my life.”

“Ahahah, no... you’ve got it wrong. It’s not like I’m making fun of... Ah, Gilbert. Is the stuff you left in the oven okay? It’s kinda making a weird noise.”

“It’s not okay.”

Hodgins stood up and followed Gilbert as he clatteringly returned to the kitchen. A familiar quarrel flowed comfortably throughout the apartment, turning into a nightly tune.

And the same applied to time, no matter how much of it flowed. For two people who had a relation called friendship, it would go back to their bosom days regardless of there being a period where they had not seen each other.

“Move over, I’m gonna sprinkle the seasoning.”

“Fool, you’re mistaken, that’s not salt.”

“You’ve got no spices at all. D’you live off just salt and sugar?”

“I’ve had a long-standing habit of eating out. Hodgins, let’s stop it already. This isn’t food.”

“Don’t spout nonsense. There’s nothing that can’t be recovered.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s so. Don’t give up.”

No matter how many hundreds, thousands of years they lived, the two would go back to the versions of themselves from that time.

To the fourteen-year-old Gilbert and the sixteen-year-old Hodgins.

[multishipperlove]

cliche prompt list "would you run away with me" mollymauk and yasha platonic or Jester and Traveller platonic/romantic (feel free to choose and get weird)

(I chose Jester&Traveler platonic, because Jester as a kid is adorable and also, can you imagine the terror Artagan would feel when a five year old asks him to run away with her? Hilarious. Jester is probably a bit articulate for a five year old here, I honestly don’t know, but let’s just ignore that... Hope you like it!)

*

If there was one thing Jester never had to doubt in her life, it was the fact that she was loved. After all, in her five year old mind, the world consisted of nothing but one beautiful, hardwood decked hallway in the Lavish Chateau, and every person she met there loved her without the shadow of a doubt. Her Mama, the Traveler, and even the few servants that were allowed up there, no one had ever so much as raised their voice at her.

But even a child realises at some point that there is more to the world than they know. Jester could see the people passing the street outside her window, even though she had to stack five books on top of the little bathroom footstool to reach the window sill. When Nadine lead her past the stairs to get ready for bed, she could hear voices sometimes, and her Mama's beautiful voice singing for someone else, singing songs that sounded so different from the lullabies she usually sung for Jester.

And Jester loved her Mama, so much, she loved Nadine, but... what about all these other people? What would she find if she walked down the stairs, all by herself, without Nadine of Mama holding onto her hand or telling her to come back? She had so many questions, and none of them could be answered by being nice and staying in her room all the time.

She knew who she could ask though.

She was sitting in her room again one day, colourful hand prints all over the floor and the canvas she'd been supposed to paint still empty, when she heard him arrive. Her door didn't creak, there was no telltale sound of footsteps, but she heard his laughter. Clear as bells, chiming through the hallway before he materialised in front of her, seemingly out of thin air.

“Traveler!” She let out an excited shriek, before he could press a finger to his hooded face to signal her to be quiet.

But she knew he was smiling as well, could all but hear it in his voice when she spoke up to greet her. “Jester! It's so good to see you again. I have so many plans for today!”

“Me too,” she whispered back, wiping her hands on her dress before reaching for his hand and dragging him over to her bed. The Traveler wasn't always with her, at least not always with his body and stuff. Jester was sure he was always with her in another sense though, like when her Mama apologised for not being able to be there but she tapped the little spot where her heart was, and promised that she was always with her anyway. Maybe it was like that. Anyway, when the Traveler wasn't in her room, he had to be somewhere else. And 'somewhere else' was exactly the space she had so many questions about.

“Okay okay, what do you want to do?” the little green cloak asked, scrambling up on the bed with her. As they got comfortable, his fingers ran over the little symbolic doorway Jester had carved into one of her bedposts, and she was sure he was smiling at it.

But again, there were more important things than asking him if he liked the carvings and paintings on her bed, even though she really wanted to ask that right now. She held back though, instead getting his attention by giving the cloak a gentle tug. “I want you to tell me about outside,” she told him, resting her face in her hands as she gave him an expectant look.

“Outside?” he asked back, almost sounding confused. “Everyone knows about outside. The sky's blue, grass is green, blah blah blah..”

“No!” she interrupted him, something close to indignation in her voice. “I don't know about the outside, and you can't make fun of me for that. I mean, I know pictures and stuff, but that's not like the real thing. I wanna know about the real thing.”

The figure in front of her stilled for a moment, before she heard a quiet sigh. “The real outside, huh? Well, okay... I'm not from around here, but I'll tell you what I know.”

Jester settled in, lying on her tummy now and feet kicking in the air as she listened to him talk. The Traveler had always been great at telling stories, and he didn't disappoint this time. He told her about the beach, a seemingly endless mass of water stretching out until it reached the horizon, soft sand to bury your feet in, and the sky turning beautiful colours when the sun went up and came back down again. A hundred different shades of red, orange and yellow, more even than she had in her colour palette.

He told her about the market in town, with countless rows of booths and stalls all jammed together. One big place packed so full that it seemed small again, filled with all kinds of smells and weird sensations. More food, toys, and candy than anyone could ever dream of.

He told her about people, bustling on the streets. Adults pretending to be important and children knowing they didn't have to yet. Running, mingling, sticking their nose into things that were none of their business.

Jester loved every second of it. With every story, she discovered a new place she wanted to explore, another person she would have liked to meet one day. With each story, her own little world seemed to become a little bit more gray and boring.

An idea started to form, one of those that came with the slight thrill of doing something forbidden and just a little bit dangerous. “Hey,” she interrupted him, just as he was telling her about a big tree, a relic from the Gods somewhere far off in a country she had never heard of. “Hey, Traveler?”

He stopped, finally giving her his full attention. “Yeah?”

“Would you run away with me?”

There it was again, that- weird pause. Where he seemed to freeze for a moment, not moving, not even breathing. Jester stilled as well, her smile slowly slipping as she wondered if she'd said something wrong.

“Why would you want to run away?” he finally asked, the hood of the cloak tilting in her direction.

Jester shrugged slightly. “All the things you told me, they sound so wonderful. And none of them are in here, I want to see them.”

“Oh, but you would get bored so quickly,” he replied, and Jester couldn't help but feel like he was writing her off a bit. It hurt, it wasn't something she was used to. The Traveler almost never disagreed with her plans, usually he just found a way to make them better. “And look,” he continued, before she could voice any of that. “Wouldn't you miss your Mama? And even, what's her name, Nina?”

“Nadine,” Jester corrected him quietly, still feeling a bit pouty.

“Right, Nadine. You would miss them terribly. Some of the things I told you about are so far away, Jester.”

“Not the beach though,” she insisted. “You said the beach is right here in the city, we could totally go there!”

The hood started to shake from side to side, and she heard another huff from her friend. “I suppose... but the beach is still terribly far for someone as little as you.”

Jester wanted to argue that he was just as little as she was, but then again, he could do all kinds of fantastical things she couldn't do. Maybe size didn't matter as much when you could do so many magic tricks. “So you're not running away with me?” she asked, the disappointment still obvious in her voice though.

“Well, not to the beach at least,” he told her. “How about... we start a little bit smaller? Build you up for the big thing?”

She raised her eyebrows at that, definitely intrigued again. “Smaller like where?”

“Like down the stairs,” he whispered, his tone taking on a conspiratorial nature. “Don't you want to see what's down there? Or hell, even just in some of the other rooms up here! Or upstairs, for that matter.”

“You think that would be interesting?” she asked with a smile, feet kicking again as she started to think about all the possibilities just beyond her little hallway.

“Of course!” He sounded excited again now, like when he'd first come in. He liked it when Jester agreed to his plans, and so far they had never disappointed her either. “You know what Jester, first thing tomorrow, I'll make sure to show you around the house a bit. It's going to be so much fun.”

She nodded eagerly, but had to ask. “Why tomorrow? We could start right now.”

“Actually,” came the hushed reply, as he lifted a finger to his hood again, “We can't. I'll see you tomorrow, Jester.”

The last part was nothing but a whisper as he disappeared again, as suddenly as his entrance had been. A second later she understood why though, hearing her Mama's footsteps coming closer. With a bright smile she jumped out of bed, falling around the Ruby's legs as soon as she opened the door. “Mama Mama, guess what happened today!”

Marion chuckled softly and leaned down to pick her up, cradling the child close to her heart. “If you're that excited about it, little Sapphire, I'm sure it must have been something wonderful. Why don't you tell me all about it during dinner?”

“Okay.” Jester snuggled in, wrapping her little arms around her Mama's neck and enjoying the warmth that radiated off of her skin. It seemed like the Traveler had been right, actually. She would miss her Mama, terribly.

[multiverseforger]

The Legacy of Sabine Wren in the Rebel Alliance

02:41







BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

HOMEWORLD

Krownest[1]

Mandalore[2]

BORN

21 BBY,[3] Mandalore[2]

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

SPECIES

Human[4]

GENDER

Female[4]

HEIGHT

1.7 meters[4]

MASS

52 kilograms[5]

HAIR COLOR

Multi-colored[4]

EYE COLOR

Brown[4]

SKIN COLOR

Tan[4]

CHRONOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL INFORMATION

CLAN(S)

House Vizsla[6]

Clan Wren[6]

AFFILIATION(S)

Galactic Empire[7]

Alliance to Restore the Republic[8]

Spectres[9]

Mandalorian resistance[10]

MASTERS

Kanan Jarrus (lightsaber combat)[11]

[Source]

MORE 

I'm surprised to see you so swayed by Sabine Wren. You seem to be as impressed with her as I am."

"I had my doubts, Rau, but she came back to face her past and her bold initiative has impressed me. She has become a courageous leader. She reminds me of the best of who we were, and could inspire us to become more than we have been of late.FENN RAU AND BO-KATAN KRYZE

Sabine Wren was a human female Mandalorian warrior and revolutionary leader during the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Her artistry during the rebellion inspired the symbol of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and her claim over the ancient Mandalorian weapon known as the Darksaber made her a symbol to Clan Wren and the hopes of freeing her people's homeworld of Mandalore from the rule of the Empire.

Prior to becoming a rebel, Wren was a cadet at the Imperial Academy of Mandalore. She built weapons she believed would be used for peace but were instead used against her family and her people. Wracked with guilt, Wren left Mandalore and was branded a traitor by the Empire and her mother, Ursa Wren, leader of the clan. Wren worked as a bounty hunter alongside her friend Ketsu Onyo before being recruited by Captain Hera Syndulla and the Jedi Kanan Jarrus to join their rebel crew aboard the starship Ghost. Together, the crew fought against the Empire and used Wren's art as a symbol of hope. They became part of a larger rebel movement, with Wren's work continuing to inspire the fledgling rebellion.

In 2 BBY, while hunting down the rogue Sith Lord and former Mandalorian ruler Maul, Wren discovered the Darksaber on Dathomir. She initially wanted nothing to do with it, but Jarrus and Fenn Rau, a Mandalorian Protector of Concord Dawn who joined the rebellion, convinced her to wield it so she could unite the Mandalorian people and bring them into the rebellion. Wren returned to her family and convinced them of the Empire's treachery, helping to kill Gar Saxon, the Imperial Viceroy of Mandalore, in the process. After aiding her family in the Mandalorian Civil War, Sabine returned to aid the Rebel Alliance's struggle against the Empire. Wren and the Ghost Crew eventually returned to Lothal. During this time, Jarrus was killed, but she and the other members of the Lothal resistance group went onto fight to liberate the planet. While they succeeded, it was only after her friend Ezra Bridger disappeared into hyperspace with the Star Destroyer Chimaera. After the Empire's fall in the Battle of Jakku, Wren and Ahsoka Tano launched a search for their missing friend.

Biography

Early life

What happened to your real family?"

"The Empire. What happened to yours?EZRA BRIDGER AND SABINE WREN

A human[4]female, Sabine Wren was born on the planet Mandalore[2] in the waning years of the Galactic Republic, into Clan Wren of House Vizsla.[6] Her mother Ursa[12] was a member of Death Watch[6] during a time when Mandalore had fallen into chaos after the collapse of the New Mandalorian government, near the end of the Clone Wars.[13] She was raised in part on Mandalore[14] but also considered Clan Wren's ancestral home of Krownest[12] to be her homeworld.[1] Trained from an early age in Mandalorian warrior culture,[15] Wren forged her distinctive armor with her family,[6] and also inherited her Nite Owls[16] helmet from someone whose identity she was reluctant to reveal.[15] Her father, artist Alrich Wren, took Sabine to see the statue of Tarre Vizsla while her younger brother Tristan Wren was only an infant.[17]

After the Clone Wars ended, the Galactic Empire established a presence on Mandalore and opened an Imperial Academy, which Wren attended as a Imperial cadet. As a youth, she believed in the Empire[18] and, even as it put her through some "rough stuff,"[18] followed its orders blindly. During her time at the Academy, she studied the tactics of Twi'lek Resistance leader Cham Syndulla[19] and Mandalorian Protector leader Fenn Rau[6] during the Clone Wars. This would eventually put her at odds with the Imperial establishment there, and led to a nightmarish experience.[7]

Sabine Wren and Ketsu Onyo became bounty hunters after leaving the Imperial Academy.As a young and idealistic Imperial cadet, Sabine built an Arc Pulse Generator that she nicknamed the "Duchess," which reacted with the beskar alloy inside the Mandalorian armor, incinerating the armor and disintegrating their wearers. The weapon was regarded by many Mandalorians as an abomination because it turned their armor against them; Mandalorian armor held a sacrosanct place in Mandalorian culture since it was passed down from generation to generation.[10] As Wren witnessed the Empire subjugating Mandalore, she was wracked with guilt at her own role in helping the Empire build the weapon used to oppress her people.[11]

When she spoke out against the Empire, Sabine's mother, her father, and her brother sided with the Empire and cast her out. Estranged from her family,[11] Sabine Wren escaped the Imperial Academy with the help of her friend, Ketsu Onyo, and deserted the Empire.[20] Sabine's decision to renounce the Empire had serious ramifications for her family. Her father became a hostage of Viceroy Gar Saxon, the Emperor's Hand and the Imperial puppet ruler of Mandalore. Her mother Ursa was forced to prove her clan's loyalty to the Empire while her brother Tristan was forced to serve in Saxon's Imperial Super Commandos so that the family could remain in Saxon's favor.[11] Before fleeing Mandalore, Sabine also destroyed her weapon. However, the Empire was able to use her research to build another arc pulse generator.[10]

During her escape from Mandalore, Wren received no small amount of help from Wookiees, for which Wren felt she owed them a debt.[14] Wren and Onyo then became bounty hunting partners; the two were like sisters, though Wren was the softer of the two. Together, they dreamed of joining the criminal organization Black Sun, all the while doing things just for money and caring only about themselves in an attempt to survive.[20] Ultimately, they parted on bad terms[16] due to Onyo getting "greedy" and leaving Wren for dead.[20]

At some point, while on the run from an Imperial attempt to capture her after she had left the Academy, a man named Janard saved her life by knocking over a stack of freight containers to block the Imperials' path while she escaped.[18] Eventually, the brutal Imperial crackdown on her homeworld and the consequent loss of her family pushed Wren into open rebellion

[dailudannos]

Reverse Role P2!

I have more developed spreadsheets and character builds ready. So now I feel confident in sharing a part 2 of my very special AU.

{TW: This talks about causes of death; I'm incredibly sorry if anyone is not able to handle it}

(This is very long, working on mobile sucks)

Pariah Dark is a wild child and more of the wild card than what Fright Knight is

Peter Moore grew up as another rich kid next door to Arthur, and cherished his bromance with him in his best friend's time of need. But he acts more of a frat boy when it comes to high school

Freshman year and he already gets in detention for reasons he doesn't even know. No bad grades, just bad conduct is all. Arthur usually has to keep him in check when it comes to keeping a low profile as a ghost superhero

Before his halfa beginning trying to save Arthur from a house fire, he went inside and his eye was slashed by the bearer of the sword protecting Arthur's body, and has a scar on his left eye, trailing down his face

Sidney Poindexter is alive and well in this alternative universe. Very intelligent and extremely smart, he could've been a scientist, but instead became a high school teacher to help the other kids out

He's young in this AU, as he was young in the show. Only 25 years old and he can kind of relate to the kids. It's mostly forms of science that are best with the students

Penelope; human biology, Damien; botany & biology, Nicolas; study of atoms & molecule studies, Amber; Study of sound and soundwaves, Jeremiah; Biology & genetic mutations, Braden; Marine Biology, and Arthur/Peter are good test students to use for an experiment

Although he can be strict sometimes, he still helps his students to the best of his ability

Youngblood is all grown up as well, and has a lot to show as mayor of Amity Park

Taylor Elizabeth, aged 28, good-looking, and wishing for the well-being of the next generation of hard working citizens of Amity Park. He got “youngblood” as a nickname bc he’s lived in Amity for almost all his life. He loves it here, even if it is weird with its ghostly residents

The kids call him Mayor Youngblood, cause it’s just fun to say. Taylor doesn’t mind, because they’re only kids, you only live once (right?)

Lunch Lady is your every day, average...well...lunch lady! She loves her job as a chef at school. And enjoys having her time spent with the kids that she’s come to know over the years.

Lucille Landerman, just like a mother hen, she dotes on the boys when they compliment on her cooking. She’s not just MEAT MEAT MEAT, and makes meals for kids with specific allergies. She looks at JJ like the sweet little boy she thinks he is, and he smiles awkwardly as she pats him on the shoulder

Sometimes, when no ones looking, she give extra dessert to Damien and Braden, and cookies to the rest of the kids.

And she’s no granny, let me tell you. When she was younger, she use to fight on rooftops and be super big for her age. But when a ghost or attacker tries to hurt the kids she feeds, you bet she’s gonna hit them with an iron skillet on the head

Box Ghost is the same as Lunch Lady, very caring and usual easy going with the kids, even if they are having a bad day, he'll pull out a pun or two to cheer anyone up

Bejamin Boxmore; early 40's, school janitor/custodian. He likes having Damien around, especially when he needs help with a heavy load of boxes coming and going into the supply closet. At the end of the day, he'll give the good-natured boy a little gift-wrapped box, usually with a trinket or a tiny flower pot as a thanks

And he's not at all going to deal with the tomfoolery of some ghost that wants to hurt the good students of Casper High, so he always carries at least a broom or a mop with him at all times

He has a little girl from a past marriage named Lucy; he adores her everytime she comes over to his house on the weekends

Siblings Dorothea and Aragon are always by each other's side, stuck to one another like glue. They have their backs covered, and defend anyone who can't defend themselves

Dorothy and Alexander Pendragon come groom a long line of royalty, and their wealth says so. Born twins, Alex usually takes the lead as the older twin, but Dorothy takes charge with a plan in mind. They've both known Penelope and Arthur for a long time, and became friends based on their hatred for being the rich kids on the block

Dorothy is extremely intelligent when it comes to engineering and technical difficulties, which makes her a good study partner

Alex is the bronze of the two, thinking mostly with his fists rather than with his head. Dorothy usually has to keep him from getting into trouble, and even then that doesn't help

They both came into their powers when they inherited strange matching medallions from two great grandparents, that were also twins. When they finally put them on, they couldn't handle the powers the jewels possessed, and their lives were forever changed

In their ghostly forms, they have a reptilian appearance reassembling a dragonborn child, but with wings and a tail. They have abilities the same as a ghost, with fire breathing and a dragon form

They're referred to as "The Dragon Twins" as they're forms look exactly the same, except Alex is black and white, and Dorothy is blue and green

Clockwork is a teenaged genius with the mental capacity between a child, a teenager and a 42 year old man. He's the top of his class and an intelligent young man

His ADHD can leave him acting like the total opposite of what he normally acts like. First a mature, composed 15 year old child genius, to an adrenaline junkie for a taste of fun and cotton candy

His coming-of-ghostly-status resulted from multiple gunshots in the legs, which were almost fatal if the angel of death had not intervened. He woke up in the hospital, paralyzed to the waist down, and being able to slow down time at will

The name "Clockwork" was strung together by JJ, who insisted his time controlling powers were amazing, and he needed a name to match such cool abilities

Nocturne is the weird kid from middle school that turned the hot guy that can literally SHAPESHIFT FROM BOY TO GIRL-HOW DOES HE DO IT???

He's also really laid back and goes with the flow of things. He's known more as a gentle giant bc of his height. But he also loves to help some of the shorter teachers out in case they can't reach anything

Nova Lewis is one of the few very mysterious kids in school. Nobody knows if he is a he, a she, a they??? It's confusing to everyone at school, but only Nova knows that

They're great friends with Charlie and are exceptionally great with the other kids too. Arthur and Peter welcomed him with bear hugs when they found another ally in the ghost half team. The girls love to take fashion advice from them based on their own style, and being that he's tall and lanky, he helps JJ with annything taller than 5'9"

How they came to be was really twisted and horrible. Nova's parents had been in a cult for years, hiding from him in secret, worshipping to one and only 'dreamer god' who would whisper sweet nothings to make the pain of reality go away. One day, in order to 'summon' his great god, there needed to be a sacrifice; someone who was young, and free, and had the most innocence

Bingo! Nova was taken and blindfolded, deep into the woods, on a starry night, when the moon was full, and brought into a circle of concrete with symbols on it. The deed was done, blood had been spilled from the mouth of the young child, but nothing happened. The followers left, leaving the body behind, when Nova gasped once more for life

The very next day he went to the police and filed an attempted cult killing by his parents, and they were arrested for attempted murder; now he lives with his aunt in Amity

Omg I am SO gonna do origin story comics because I love doing every single back story for these characters

[imaginesmai]

Steve Rogers-Perfect

Requested by anon.

Plot: your date is about to get ruined and not even your perfect boyfriend might be able to do something against it.

With Steve, you never knew what was going to happen next. He had proved himself to be the perfect gentleman and boyfriend, planning perfect dates and bringing you the best gifts. Your favourite flowers, a necklace he saw you looking at two months ago, that teddy bear he thought you would like or the CD that reminded him of you. In his time, men treated women in a different way, and he liked to do that still.

Your favourite dates were when he would get you a cute little restaurant where there were tables outside and fairy lights in the trees, or perhaps picnics in a clearing of a forest. Sitting at home, showing him the most recent movies and facts about the world, was cool for you too; and if he decided he wanted to do one of those ‘Netflix and chill’, you were more than okay with that.

Lovely notes delivered to your work place, surprise pizza at the door of your apartment or a ticket to see your favourite singer were only a small part of what he had done for you over the years you had been together. And that night wasn’t going to be an exception.

“I’ll be there in about 15 minutes” you smiled into the phone, keeping your eyes on the road. “Sorry I’m late, Steve, you know how-“

“Hey, it’s okay” he cut you. “Be safe, I’ll be waiting for you, love. I love you.”

“I love you too”

You hung up and threw the phone in the passenger seat as one of your favourite songs came into the radio. Memories of you showing it to Steve came to your mind, him trying to follow the lyrics but finding no sense at all. He preferred those slow song where you two danced in the living room with the light low and barefooted.

The red light of the traffic light made you stop in the middle of a crossing. The road was empty, as it should probably be on Wednesday’s night. It was starting to get colder, and people had gotten to their houses hours ago. Not you, however, who had a horrible boss that had kept you working until she was satisfied with your pain.

It was worthy, because in five minutes you would see the lovely face of your boyfriend.

A big truck stopped beside you and waved at you. The light became green and he let you go ahead. Smiling at him, you pressed your foot on the gas; and didn’t notice how he did the same, speeding a little until he was by your side, and hitting the side of the car that Steve had so kindly gotten you some months ago.

Your scream died in your throat as your car flipped around. Your head hit the driver window and, next thing you knew, was that you were upside down with the airbag pressed tight against your chest.

“What the…”

Blood was falling off your nose, making it even harder to breath. You tried to blink the confusion out of your head, and the first thing you did was look for your mobile phone. Your hand touched the front part of the car, trying to find it; yet it must had slipped out of the car.

The sound of glass crunching underneath boots filled your ear and made your unresponsive body fill with panic. It was silent for a few seconds until the driver door was ripped off and your seatbelt undone. You screamed as your body tumbled to the roof of the car, and you hit your head pretty hard. Between the confusion, you noticed how you were dragged out of the broken vehicle and lifted into the passenger seat of the truck that had hit you. Small pieces of glass dug into your legs and arms, adding to the long list of injuries you already had.

“Let me go!” you tried to get away from the hands of the driver. “Let-Please, let me go! I-I don’t have anything!”

“Yeah, well, your boyfriend has” the driver scoffed.

Pulling out a syringe filled with clear liquid, he stuck it into your neck and you relaxed immediately. It felt as if you had just ran a marathon and had laid on the most comfortable bed ever. You felt how the little fight you had in you died, and soon you couldn’t keep your eyes open. The strange substance filled your body and made a weird warm feeling spread trough it; before you knew, the stranger was closing the door and you were falling into a dreamless sleep.

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

Steve’s greatest discovery would be, apart from the microwaves and massage chairs, were phone games. You had showed him probably most of them, and he had tried nearly everything. His favourite was the one with the ball; simple, he had to put the ball into the basket avoiding flying pigs, dogs and an occasional cat. He could spend hours sucked in that little world; yet it didn’t take his full attention. As a soldier, he was always aware of his surroundings. The people who walked past him. Possible threats disguised as normal objects. Hidden cameras. Time.

He had been very aware of the passing hours as he waited for you to show up in the restaurant he had chosen that time. Your boss had almost crashed your date, but you had told him that you were going to make it. So, why weren’t you there yet, two hours after the date?

“Hi! This is Y/N, sorry I couldn’t reach your call. Please, leave your message when-“

The voicemail was cut off as Steve’s frustration almost got the best of him. He gripped it until he heard the screen crack, to resist the urge of throwing it to the floor.

You were supposed to be there, apologising for something that was out of your control while he told you that it wasn’t necessary. He hadn’t wanted to call you too many times, because you were on the road. Still, he had; and you hadn’t answered any of his calls. Which led him to think that something might had happened to you.

The answer came quickly when his phone, broken then, lighted up with your name and a cute photo of the two of you. It was taken when you two had decided to take a break and go on a vacation; you were hugging him from behind and kissing his cheek, while he was smiling at the camera. He smiled at the memory, and decided that you would be doing one of those trips soon; as soon as he had finally get rid of the diamond that had been kept on his pocket for five months then.

“Hey, love” he said, relieved. “I was starting to get worried. Where are you?”

“H-Hey Steve” your voice was small, and he noticed something off. “I’m not going to be able to go.”

“What? Why?” he frowned. “Where are you? If your car has broken down, I can go and get you.”

“No, that’s-“ you stopped talking and listened to a voice that he couldn’t recognise. “That’s not the problem, baby.”

“Then? What’s the matter?” Steve looked around the restaurant to, maybe, get a glimpse of you and realise that it was all a joke. He didn’t find you. “Y/N, are you okay?”

You didn’t say anything for a while, and Steve felt his heart stop. He remembered the feeling of knowing that the plane was going to crash into the ice; the feeling of knowing that something bad was going to happen, and that he couldn’t avoid it. It came running back to him and, just as he knew back then that he couldn’t avoid being frozen for 70 years, he knew that your answer was going to rip his heart into pieces.

He repeated your name softly, as if encouraging you to saw whatever had happened to you. Meanwhile, he got up from the desk and left some money for the waitress. For the wasted wine and the lost reservation. Steve heard you choke out a sob, and someone rushing you to say something.

“He…Rumlow wants to meet you” you whispered.

“Okay, that’s okay” Steve tried to stay calm, for you and for him. “I’m, I’m going, alright? Everything is going to be fine. I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

“Okay” you said back. “He’s gonna, uh, send you the location through the phone.”

“I’ll be there. Is he with-“

His question was interrupted by a loud thud and your pained scream. Steve got stuck hearing your cries while he ran through the streets, not really knowing where. Before the call was ended, he could made out Rumlow telling him to hurry.

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

The wreak seemed like a dream, or a nightmare. The pain on your chest, dried blood on your lips and throbbing of your elbow were a reminder that it wasn’t. Pieces of glass were still buried deep into your skin, and you whimpered softly when Rumlow smiled at your discomfort.

“When he told me about you, I thought I would find something more” he teased.

Rumlow was sitting in front of you, in what seemed a much more comfortable chair than the one you were on. You had your hands tied behind your back and your legs anchored to the chair.

“Maybe a little more like Romanoff, hm?” Rumlow continued. “Damn, I would really hit that. She’s just, wow. But you… I don’t really understand what you’re doing with a guy as Steve. Thought you would be with a banker or a librarian. Someone boring.”

Steve and you weren’t what you could call match at first sight. He was big, strong and the symbol of a country and a generation. You, well; you had a boring job in an architecture office, with a tight schedule and a small work place. Even if you weren’t really alike, you had found on each other what you needed to be happy.

“He was your friend”

At your quiet words, something dark started on his eyes. And soon, your chest tightened until you couldn’t breathe. He placed one hand on your throat, squeezing until your vision was filled with black spots. His thumb traced the cuts on your jaw, inflicting more pain if that was possible. You tugged at the rope with pointless hope, the need to break free and away from his hands and horrible face causing you to try until your wrist were bloody.

His horrible face, if that could be called a face.

In his last encounter with Capitan America, a whole building on flames had fallen on top of him. And that wasn’t even the worst part; the remaining part of Hydra had erased his name from everywhere, a punishment for his failed mission. Since that moment, the rage he felt for the former hero had only increased. And he had the perfect opportunity to make him suffer and have glory shine on his name once more.

“Steve Rogers is a bitch” he spat on your face, seeing as it turned pale. “He could have done the right thing, but chose not to. And now he’s going to pay the price.”

“A-At least…” you tried to say, but it came out as a pained whimper.

“What?”

“At least…”you took a rushed breath when he let his hand a little loose around your neck. “…he’s no one’s bitch. Can you say the same thing?”

A final and hard squeeze was added and then he let you go, leaving you to cough up a little blood and choke down on air. As you tried to regain your breathing, he slapped you so hard that your head snapped to the right and your body fell to the floor.

The chair hit it with a metal thud and you cried out when your arm made contact with the floor. By then, your elbow would be probably broken, and the small pieces of glass were so deep that couldn’t be taken out with breaking skin.

Rumlow grabbed you by your arm and put the chair on its original position. Gripping your hair strongly, he mad you look up to his scarred face.

“Fact is, that Steve Roger is your bitch” he hissed. “And when your life is on the line, I bet-“

He was cut off by crashes and yells. The place where he was keeping you was probably a military base, old but strong enough to hold up a good battle. Steve’s shield hitting every door and wall in his way made you smile softly, knowing that you were getting out of there soon. Beside the pain, you hadn’t been that happy ever.

Rumlow let out a loud laugh and quickly covered himself behind your chair. You didn’t understand the heaviness of the situation until you felt a gun pressed against your temple.

“Cap”

Among the shadows, the towering silhouette of your boyfriend appeared, his shield ready on his right arm. He walked towards you with cautious steps, evaluating the damage that had been already done. Happy tears filled your eyes when you finally saw him in all his glory, and a small sob left your mouth. Steve gave you a small, reassuring smile; telling that everything was going to be just fine.

“Hey love” he talked, and his voice was like a calming balm for you. “I’m here now, okay? Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine.”

When he heard his words, Rumlow pressed the gun harder against your chin, making you turn your head to the side. Steve disappeared from your line of vision, and you felt your heart falling to your feet again.

“I don’t feel like making a small talk with the man that destroyed my life” Rumlow said. “So, you have it?”

“Yeah”

By the corner of your eye, you saw Steve taking something out of a bag and, immediately, a powerful blue light filled the building. You had to close your eyes for a second to avoid being blinded by it; still, you knew what it was.

The Tesseract had not been easy to get. Steve had had to beg Tony to give it to him, explaining him his plan multiple times to finally agree. It had been Rumlow condition; along with the location, he had sent the request. Either it was the Tesseract, or your brains painting the floor.

So he had no other choice but giving it to him. Even without a plan, Steve was sure he would have given anything to Rumlow to keep you safe.

“Oh, it’s amazing” Rumlow whispered. “Well, you know how this goes Cap. Leave it on the floor and one of my men will pick it. I hope you haven’t killed them all.”

“No” Steve gripped the object tighter. “Let her go first. Then, I’ll give it to you.”

The gun being fired made you scream in fear, and you closed your eyes awaiting for the burning pain of a bullet. Still, the only thing you felt was the hot barrel of the gun being pressed once more against your temple. You hissed at the high temperature of it, but did not complain; the movement had allowed you to return your face to its original position, and you looked at Steve.

His face was not comforting at all, even if he was trying.

He knew Rumlow wasn’t going to hit you, but when he had fired against the floor he had almost thrown the plan through the window. He looked at you with worried eyes, wanting nothing more than taking you out of there.

“Okay” Steve mumbled.

Slowly, he left the Tesseract on the floor and watched as a man appeared behind him and took it. Said man rushed to Rumlow side, and both of them started moving backwards; the gun still pointing at you.

“You can’t imagine how happy will Hydra be when I show them this” Rumlow chuckled. “I will make sure to write your name somewhere. Probably you will appear in the history books as the man who started the final war.”

Steve took one step at a time towards you, until Rumlow was almost out of sight and he could hear your soft sobbing and pained whimpers. It wasn’t his mistake, even if later he would spend nights thinking that it was. He couldn’t have stopped it; neither Tony or the rest of the avengers, who were waiting for Rumlow outside the building.

First, the sound. Then, Steve’s widened eyes. And finally, the pain in your stomach and being thrown backwards, until your head hit the floor. The last thing you heard was Steve shouting your name.

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

Cold air fell on your exposed skin, while the other half was covered in cool silk sheets, similar to the one’s you had fallen sleep so many times. Where you had woken up after a night of making love with Steve, sweaty and happy. The ringing that was once on your ears was replaced by a soft beeping and the sound of people talking and walking. But it sound too far away. It only took the disinfectant smell to know where you were.

You were safe.

Opening your eyes slowly, you smiled even when the sunlight flooded your vision and made your eyes heart. You half expected to not be able to move your hand to stop the light, yet you lifted it only with a slightly painful feeling.

Steve stood a few feet away from you, looking at something outside the window. He was leaning against the framing with a small frown, and his body showed the exhaustion and worry that he had been through in the last few hours. Because it didn’t take a lot to understand that Capitan America was in his 99% guilt.

“Baby” you whispered quietly, your voice harsh. He turned around so fast that it probably made him dizzy, but the moment he saw that you were awake, he was at your bedside.

“Oh, Y/N” he gripped one of your hands with both of his, kissing your knuckles lightly. “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry you had to endure that. I should be more careful, I should, I-I… S-sorry…”

He was interrupted by a strange sound that left his throat, and soon your realised that you had Steve Rogers crying in front of you. He had been through so much and, still, the thought of losing you made tears fill his blue eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. I don’t blame you, none does” you took your hand out of his iron grip and made him look at you. “I’m worried about you, though.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he frowned and dried the tears on his cheeks. “You were the one shot!”

“Language, cap” you let out a small laugh, seeing as he couldn’t resist the smirk. “I was hurt physically, Steve. But, when was the last time you slept?”

“That doesn’t matter right now.”

You let out a frustrated sigh at his response. Of course it didn’t matter; for him, his health was just a minor item. Something to look at just when strictly necessary. The bags under his eyes, his cracked lips and reddened eyes told you that it was more than necessary.

Moving wasn’t easy, since you had one arm wrapped in a big plaster and your abdomen hurt with any breath. Still, you managed to pull your free hand on the bed and pull yourself slightly to the left.

“W-What are you doing?” he asked, his voice alert and alarmed.

“I’m moving over so you can get it” you breathed out, stopping your movements and looking up to the ceiling. “It would be easier if you could help me.”

“You need to rest love” he sighed. “You have been-“

“Yeah, Steve. Shot” you looked at him. “But you know me, I’m not stopping until I get what I want. So, either you help or I burst open a few stiches.”

Years in a relationship with you let him know that you weren’t taking a no for an answer, so he scoffed but up. Treating you as if you were made of glass, he pushed you to the side and quickly got in the bed. You breathed his scent and smiled happily; you couldn’t describe what he smelled like, but probably like home.

There, both of you laying of your backs without looking at each other, just at the ceiling, you thought it was a good time to laugh. What started as a small giggle, turned into seconds in a full belly laugh.

“What’s so funny, love?” Steve turned his head to the right and looked at you with an affectionate smile.

“It’s just-I had imagined something different for our date” you let out a small laugh. “But, still it’s perfect. Even in a hospital room where I can only touch your shoulder.”

“You know, I used to think I would never love someone as much as Peggy” Steve mumbled. He took your hand and laced your fingers together. “But, I would scream to the top of my lungs that I love you. You’re the best thing I got.”

You blushed slightly and turned your head too, so that you could kiss his lips. He put the hand that wasn’t holding yours on your cheek, and traced a small circle in your cheek. When your teared apart, you kept your eyes on his smiling lips until he took the hint and kissed you again. And again. You probably kissed more times in that hospital room than in your own; but you were happy to be in his arms again.

Because, yeah, to you, Steve was perfect.

“I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry” “I’m not letting anything happen to you” & “I would scream to the top of my lungs that I love you.”From my prompt list Angst and Fluff

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[doingthejukes]

D&D Characters

This is my first post on tumblr, so I’ve gotta make it one to remember.

I present to you, Brook of Swift Water, the Tabaxi Way of the Four Elements (Homebrew version made by me to make it usable and interesting) Monk. A silver haired 5′10″ Tabaxi with black spots and blue eyes. He stands straight up when conversing with others but in battle he flows and strikes like a river, moving in and out of ones reach without them ever realizing what hit them. When he was a child, he grew up in a small Tabaxi village by a river, caring for his younger siblings and the crops that his family grew. Life was simple but he had no desire for adventure or a greater purpose, he was content to live in peace with the world he knew, a small village of his own kind. But one day, a terrible storm came from the north, bringing with it winds that knocked over the villages frail straw houses, and rain that flooded the river, causing it to rush along the banks and sweep over his entire village, and taking away his whole life with it. During the chaos of the storm he was separated from his family, and barely managed to survive by hanging onto a piece of drift wood, barely staying afloat. Battered and exhausted, he washed up on a shore many leagues away from any land he knew, and was found by a man in strange attire, sandals, something akin to a skirt, and a shirt that barely covered any of his chest. This man carried the broken boy to his home, where he would care for him till he recovered his strength. Brook told the old man of what happened, and begged him to help find his family. The man agreed, but before he left, Brook asked him his name, and he said it was Piez. Brook waited for weeks before the man returned, and in the mean time he explored the mans home, finding man strange things, like a wood staff with metal bands around it, and hundreds of books about all kinds of things, the elements, the flow of ones life force, strange picture books with what seemed like strange dances, and hardly any food, only just enough for Brook to sustain himself. When Piez returned, he carried terrible news, that nearby towns that had worried about the Tabaxi village nearby had searched for surviviors day and night for the past 2 weeks, and found nothing but corpses. Brooks life had been destroyed in one day, and everything he had ever cared about had been taken from him. He ran off into the forest, crying to his hearts content, unable to control the emotions racking his body, and the guilt he felt at being the only one to survive. Piez found him and spoke to him softly but firmly, stating that he understood, and that for now he could mourn. But there was a path Brook could walk if he wished to truly take back his life, the same one Piez had taken, the path of a monk. He would teach him the ways of nature and the elements, and the natural force that resides in all life, their ki. Piez taught him everything he needed to know so that he could control his own destiny, as well as the forces that had taken away his old life, water. After 2 decades of constant training and practice, Piez had finally taught Brook all he knew of the world, and in his last act as his teacher, and almost a father to the orphaned Tabaxi, he told him the location of a scroll that contained instructions on how to control the elements. After this, Piez’s age caught up to him, and he died at the age of 137. Brook set out to find this scroll, and upon acquiring it, he would train in a temple to master 2 of them, the Flowing Stance, and the Water Whip, to be able to both be one with the force that tore his life apart, and to control it. Having done all that Piez wanted of him, Brook was free to wander the world, seeking out his destiny and trying to do good in the world, helping those in need no matter what the source of their suffering, whether it be a man or the forces of nature themselves, or even demons. On his travels, he heard of a town in the kingdom of Humans that had not been heard from in weeks, so he went to check it out. As he approached the supposed location of the town, a heavy mist fell on the area, and he happened to bump into a Bugbear, who turned around and smiled at him warmly, and asked “Why hello there friend! Say, do you know where Roc Town is?” Brook answered with a smile of his own, and said “I have a map of its location, but it seems little help with this fog, let us find it together.” and so they walked deeper into the mist, and eventually found the town. But it was not as it once was. Roc Town was supposed to be a beautiful town of intricately crafted buildings and a symbol of craftsmanship and success across the kingdom, but all the walls were covered in vines, and dust and fog hung in the air, as did a deathly silence. As the two furry companions walked through the streets, they heard a horrible screech, and witnessed a blood red creature fly above them out of the town. “Was that... a fiend?” the Bugbear Gugur asked, with an expression containing both intrigue and worry. “I’m afraid it was my friend. It seems this town is truly in need of help.” -The End (Of the beginning)

This was the backstory of a character I made named Brook of Swift Water, who is now being used in a campaign homebrewed by one of my friends, and which I am currently playing through with another friend, the one who made the Bugbear Gugur. This was quite the backstory right? Very sad although pretty cliche. Wanna know how I came up with it?

*hue hue cat no like water hue hue funny*