#then he will give shadow a hug (which he bristles at) and run off never to be seen again. until like a week later

[infizero]

a single mom raising a family of four 💪😥💗

[oceanera12]

Linked Darkness

Four wanted to scream. All four of him.

So. Apparently something called “Dark Link” was behind their meeting or something or other. He was the one infecting monsters. And he looked like a Link. Most everyone didn’t even flinch at this revelation. If anything, most people were angry and threw their nearest weapon at the time in the general direction of the creepy red-eyed guy.

Dark Link just laughed, all evil like and made some comment about how they’d have to do better than that to catch him.

And then he ran off into a cave.

And everyone chased after him, sans Four. He was a little busy trying to keep his four selves from murdering something because for a brief second they had all thought...

Never mind what they had thought. This “Dark Link” gave a bad name for all shadows and by Hylia, they would not let that stand. And so they dashed, a bit late, after the group.

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

Warriors was hitting his sword against a stone wall, when Four finally found the group. Blue had to admire the angry yelling that was also being shouted. Legend and Time were panting from exhaustion from something and it seemed like they had all determined to leave Warriors alone. For now.

Time nodded at Four, “I was about to send someone to look for you.”

“Sorry,” Four shuffled, “Dink caught me off guard.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Dink?”

Vio smirked. It had been his idea for the name. It was every bit demeaning as that cursed shade deserved. Red had clapped politely for the name but Blue had expressed how proud he was of Vio for such an idea. Green had to be the “normal” person but he wanted to pat Vio on the back and determined to let Vio be heard by the other Links more often.

“I am not calling him Dark Link. It sounds wrong on so many different levels,” Four replied. “Dink is short, easy to remember, and gives him the right amount of respect. Which is none.”

No one spoke for a moment. Warriors began to laugh, soft and low. His sword stopped hitting the stone and he sank to his knees. Wind took a very hesitant step away from the Captain. “Guys, I think he’s lost it.”

Warriors turned around and rested against the stone wall. His laughter turned into a chuckle and he shook his head. “Four... don’t ever change.”

Vio frowned, puzzled. Green forced a stiff nod. Red bristled with pride at the compliment. Blue just rolled his eyes.

Twilight sat down in front of Warriors, “You okay?”

“Yeah... sorry. Dark is a touchy subject with me.” Warriors shrugged. “He taught me a very valuable lesson.”

Time nodded slowly, “I believe he taught all of us something.”

“I haven’t met him... at least, I don’t think I have.” Wild said.

“Consider yourself lucky, cub,” Twilight sighed loudly.

“We should get moving,” Time finally said. “Dark Link--

“Dink!”

“--is long gone.”

A chilly wind suddenly blew through the cavern, chilling every hero to the bone. “Be careful what you wish for...”

And that was when everything went black.

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

“Four!”

“Present,” Four grumbled into the darkness. “I think Dink decided a cave in was the best way to kill us.” At least he hadn’t crushed anyone... or even tried to. Four was worried about that last part.

Wild’s Sheikah slate was currently the only source of light, but he was working on getting some torches out.

“Only two,” Four had told him. “We need the oxygen as much as the light.”

“You been in a cave in before?”

“No, but I read about it.”

Vio was in charge at the moment. They had all determined the cool, calculating, smartie pants was the best bet at the moment.

Fire sparked and suddenly the cavern lit up a few feet. The torch was passed to Time, who held it aloft to get a look at everyone. No one appeared injured and satisfied with the well being of the group, he turned to the far wall. “We need to find a way out.”

“Great...” Legend grumbled.

The second torch flared to life, illuminating the group enough to see Legend’s displeasure. Wild shrugged, giving the second torch to Twilight. He fiddled with his slate for a moment. The eye on the front suddenly illuminated so brightly that Four shut his eyes for a second. “Wild! A little warning next time!”

“Sorry!” Wild turned the light outward. “This was something my Zelda figured out shortly before our journey. She called it a portable light or something.”

And with that, the group set out on their trek. The cave system was relatively safe, compared to other caves the various Links had gone into over the years. A few keese here, one wizzrobe there but nothing out of the ordinary. They were not even enhanced, which was definitely weird. Alarm bells were ringing through Four’s mind and all four of him were on the highest alert. 

They finally found the exit door after two hours of wandering into dead ends. And that was when Legend began to curse. Loudly.

“Language,” Time scolded.

“Don’t!” Legend hissed. “You don’t even know why I'm cursing.”

Siy asked, “Why are you cursing?”

“Because I know where we are. And we are not getting out.”

Dink’s cold laughter echoed through the cavern and everyone drew their swords, standing back to back to each other. “Enjoy your suffering heroes...”

Four bit back a few choice words. “Legend, where are we?”

“An old prison of some ancient tribe of something or other, I don’t remember. But here’s the thing: the tribe were traitors to Hyrule. They got a kick out of taking loyal citizens and soldiers and tossing them into this prison to fight and eventually die. The only way to open the door is to have the blood of a traitor of Hyrule.” Legend cursed again. “I’m many things, but a traitor isn’t one of them.”

Four felt Warriors stiffen to his right and heard Time utter his own curse under his breath.

Wind spoke up, a bit hesitant, “There’s another way out, right?”

Legend shook his head. “I have chased after traitors to this prison. They used it as a hideout. I searched for weeks for another entrance. Nothing I tried did anything. And I tried everything from magic to brute force.”

“But didn’t Dink cave us in?” Wild asked. “That was another exit!”

Legend shook his head. “I don’t think it was a cave in. I think he shut the door. Do you remember a large crash of rocks?”

No one spoke as Dink laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

Well, that certainly put a damper on the situation. 

Four looked about the room, glaring into the darkness, “Shut up, Dink, I’m trying to think!” He put his sword away and marched forward.

Dink stopped, probably from the shock of the name. Or maybe he just wanted to watch Four pace back and forth. When nothing happened to kill Four, the rest of the group relaxed (mostly) and began to run through options of how to get out.

Four had a different kind of debate. This one took entirely in his head.

Green was hesitant to start. Vio just sighed. “We have a way out.”

“But do we?” Green argued back. “No one knows about the whole ‘split situation’ and I don’t feel like now is a good time to show that off. And even if we were, you were not an actual traitor, Vio.”

“If I recall, you all called me such,” Vio argued back. “And I did nothing to deny the fact. And I did a few things that would be considered treason to many people.”

“But you were faking it!” Red yelled back. “You were not a traitor.”

“For once, Red, I need you to think I was,” Vio would have glared at his brothers. “It is our only way out of the cave.”

“We can find another way!”

“Blue, you have been awfully quiet. Something on your mind?” Green asked.

There was a pause. Then, “We can’t throw Vio under the horse.”

“... Aw, Blue does care,” Red sighed.

Vio growled back, “Now is not the time to be sentimental. This is our way out.” Vio paused. “It would be best to split. The group will see you as heroes and me as the traitor.”

“We are not just going to let you take the name traitor in this group!” Blue practically shouted.

“WELL ,YOU DON’T HAVE A CHOICE!” Vio roared back. He paused, collecting his thoughts. “It is fine. For once, being a traitor is turning out to be a good thing.”

No one spoke for a moment. Green then hesitantly asked, “Would it work if we did not split?”

“Why would we do it as Four?” Vio huffed. “No need for the group to hate all of us.”

“Would it work?” Green pressed.

Vio sighed, “It most likely would. We are one as Four. All our blood is the same.”

There was silence.

“No.” Vio growled.

“All in favor?” Gree asked. He, Red, and Blue chimed in. “All opposed?”

“I can handle this by myself!” Vio protested.

Red spoke up, soft and slow. “But you don’t have too. We do this together, or not at all.”

“They will see all of you as traitors. They will not see you as a hero.”

“You’re a hero too, Vio. You’re our brother and we stick together. Got it?” Blue demanded.

Vio was quiet for a moment. “It is illogical and sentimental and will be detrimental to the entire group.”

Green sighed, wishing for the ability to hug all three of his brothers. “But it won’t be to you.”

Silence.

“We love you, Vio,” Red said softly. “You did what you thought was best and it hurt you. And you were alone. You are not alone anymore.”

“... I still believe it to be a poor decision. But very well.”

“Alright,” Green sighed. “How are we going to do this?”

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

Four had been quietly pacing for over an hour. Warriors watched him out of the corner of his eye that entire time.

Most everyone had settled down. Dark Link had left them alone again, thank Hylia. The group had been listing off various actions that they considered “treasonous” or ideas on how to get through the cave. All of them had been shot down, one after another. The familiar feelings of despair had settled over the group.

Four stopped pacing.

Warriors looked over at him. He caught the blacksmith’s eye. For a brief second, he could have sworn it flashed purple, but then it turned back to it’s usual green color. Warriors blinked, but shook the situation aside. “Any ideas, Four? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

He really hoped their smallest warrior would have a better plan then throwing remote bombs at the door.

Four didn’t respond. He tore his eyes away from the group, looking down at his belt. A small dagger was produced and Four marched over to the door.

Time sighed loudly, “Four, we already tried that.”

And they had. Warriors had been ever slightly relieved that his blood hadn’t done anything.

Four ignored the group, making a shallow cut on his hand. The smallest bit of blood oozed out of his hand and Four pressed it against the door.

Nothing happened.

“See?” Time said. “We’ll need-”

The door suddenly flared red. The writing glowed of pure malice and the old magic hummed. The air felt “wrong” and Warriors found himself gripping his sword hilt as the door opened.

No one moved for what felt like a century.

The sun had set at some point while they had been in the prison. Four was illuminated by the night light outside.   His back was turned to the entire group. He was looking down at the blood on his hand, but Warriors was unable to see his face.

Four finally turned around. He appeared very nervous, but he squared his shoulders and stood as tall as he could. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He closed it, paused, then tried again. Nothing. Finally, the words came. They were cold, calculating, and felt hollow. “There was a moment in my adventure where I found it necessary to pledge loyalty to a dark lord, who was trying to overthrow Hyrule. Many people in my life, including my family, branded me a traitor of Hyrule. I turned against him in the end, but I did still do it.” He paused. “There were some... actions I had to take to ensure Vatti believed I was on his side. I do regret that I had to do them but I stand by my decision.”

No one moved.

Four shifted uncomfortably. “Think of it this way: if I hadn’t done it, then we’d all be trapped in here for eternity. So... yeah.” He turned on his heel and marched out of the cave, calling behind him, “You might want to move. I don’t know how long that door will stay open.”

There was another pause and then a mad dash for their supplies and for the door. It shut behind them with a grinding sound, leaving the prison dark and cold.

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

No one had spoken since they left the prison. Camp had been set up in silence, Wild had cooked without his cheerful humming, and no one was looking at Four.

Four tried to ignore it. He knew what he was doing. Vio was yelling at the others for being idiots and not allowing him to take the full force of eight heroes disapproval, but they paid him no mind.

This had been for Vio. Not for them.

It was Wind who broke the silence, with a question “What kind of actions?”

Everyone looked at him, clearly confused. Wind gestured vaguely at Four, “You said you took actions to ensure what’s his name thought you were on your side. What kind of actions?”

Four thought for a moment. “Mostly the passing along of information. Battle formations, dates and times of when and where Vatti’s enemies would be, etc.”

“So...” Warriors said slowly. “You were a spy.”

“Of sorts,” Four shrugged. “I also had to appear to try and kill some of my... comrades. I failed, obviously, but it looked real enough that they believed I actually turned against them.”

Warriors didn’t reply to that.

Time cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. He turned to Four, “It was very brave of you to admit that to us.”

Four shrugged, “I did not see another option out of there. It was the logical decision.” He paused. “I am unsure if Dink knew about my past or if he was just as shocked as all of you. I would like to think the latter.”

“Wait,” Hyrule raised a hand. “Wouldn’t Dink know about it if you know him?”

“Uh...” Four paused again. He was quiet for sometime. “I don’t know him.”

“But you have had some experience with something similar?” Time asked. “You did not like Dark Link. That hatred did not come from nothing.”

“... I told you that there were reasons I had to swear allegiance to Vatti,” Four wrung his hands, avoiding eye contact. “It is... complicated but the short version is there was someone who was like Dink. I called him Shadow because he... well, he came out of my shadow.” Four appeared lost in memory then snapped back. “Shadow was loyal to Vatti, but he would often seek me out to simply... talk. I found myself confiding in him and he in me. Being the hero was very... difficult on my mind. It was good to have a friend. 

“It was Shadow who asked me to join him and Vatti. I refused, at first. But the more time we talked the more... human, Shadow felt. It is hard to explain but I wanted him to be free of Vatti. To have a life of his own. So I told him I would help him.” Four looked into the fire for a moment. “He took my betrayal to Vatti... very hard. But something must have gotten through to him because he shattered the Dark Mirror, which was Vatti’s source of power. It was also... Shadow’s life force.”

Someone gasped softly. Four didn’t look up. “He gave his life for mine. Even after... I hurt him.” He paused, “I killed my own Shadow.”

No one spoke again for some time. The fire sputtered and turned from a roar to a crackle. Wild pulled a log from somewhere and placed it on the fire. The light caught and everyone watched the log slowly wither away.Another log was added some time later.

Warrior let out a heavy sigh, “You’re really something, Four.”

Four titled his head to the side. “I know.”

“That’s not... Four, your shadow turned away from the darkness it came from.” Warriors smiled bitterly. “Mine never spoke and killed many good men. It was born of my own pride and overconfidence. Yours was born...”

“I had to pull the Four sword to rescue Zelda. It was going to release Vatti, but I couldn’t let her die. When I pulled it, Vatti stole my Shadow.”

“Well, no wonder it turned to the light,” Warriors shook his head. “No matter what anyone tells you Four, you’re amazing.”

That was... not what Four had been expecting. “I’m a traitor.”

“Maybe,” Warriors conceded, “But I don’t think any of us ever gave our own darkness a chance to change-- or even had a chance to try. You are a hero in my book. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Four bent his head, hiding the tears pricking his eyes. Vio’s voice was shaky, but it carried. “I... you... what?”

Warriors moved across the clearing and pulled the smallest hero into a hug. “Four... don’t ever change.”

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

This got way to long way too quickly but eh. I woke up this morning with this idea and put off homework for almost three hours to write it so now I need to go work on that. Thanks brain. Thanks for nothing.

Warriors was the one who needed convincing. Everyone else can just accept Four’s actions with his explanation. Warriors is the one who needs the explanation and I will die on Warriors and Four being friends. I just love their dynamics with one another.

[starshine583]

New Girl on the Block (12)

(Are you guys getting tagged for these??? I’ve been putting all of the names on here, but it doesn’t look right.. anyway, sorry if the tag doesn’t work. I tried!!! Anyone else who wants to get tagged or asked but isn’t getting tagged, please contact me and let me know!!!)

Ch. 1 / Ch. 11 / Ch. 13 (ao3) (Journal Entries- a mini series connected to this fic)

Chapter 12: Quiet Conflictions of the Heart

Felix tapped his pencil against his textbook, staring blankly at the words that he wasn’t reading. The minutes ticked by on the grandfather clock that sat across the room next to the stairs, informing him of exactly how much time he was wasting by sitting there, and moonlight poured through the wide windows in front of him, signifying the beginnings of the evening. The fact that he started this assignment during the day and still had hardly anything done should have been frustrating, but Felix’s mind was too far lost in other thoughts for him to care.

As soon as Rosemary found out about his direct involvement with the akuma,  they sent him, along with Marinette and the others, home for the day with light homework assignments and instructions to “take it easy”. The procedure was meant to help them regain composure and process the traumatizing events, but it only gave Felix more time to think. 

And think. 

And overthink. About him hitting the ground with Marinette, about her pulling them behind the fence only to run right out again, about her shocked and panicked expression upon being picked up by the akuma. 

About her flailing body falling from the sky.

Felix set his pencil down and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh. That scream still rang in his mind even hours later, sharp and blood-curdling, like a constant echo of a bad dream. He couldn’t help wondering what might have happened had Chat Noir not arrived on time, how she might have felt hitting the pavement, or if she would have survived at all. The very thought left him gripping his textbook and forcing a deep breath to relax. It hadn’t happened, after all. She was fine. Everything was fine..

And yet, no matter how many times he tried to push the gruesome images out of his mind, they continued to worm their way back in, fueled by how tame Allegra, Claude, and Allan’s reactions had been towards Marinette’s incredible risk of self. The girl almost died multiple times over the course of a single hour, and the only thing those idiots did was hug her and tell her that her actions were justified. Who cares if they were justified! Justification does not equate to rationality, and doing something for a good cause doesn’t always mean that it’s the right- or wise! -thing to do. 

Normally, he could brush it off and ignore it. The experience had been daunting, of course, but he could accept it knowing that Marinette had learned her lesson, realized how stupid her decision was, and vowed not to do it again. The problem came with the little fact that Marinette hadn’t learned her lesson. Oh, she’d apologized and admitted that her actions weren’t properly thought through, but it was clear that she didn’t intend on waiting for the heroes any time soon. He couldn’t quite explain how he knew- maybe it was how calm she looked when she returned, as though everything had been in her control the entire time, or how she only smiled when he asked her not to do it again instead of fervently agreeing to his request -but he knew. Her entire demeanor gave way to her belief that her sacrifice had been both necessary and acceptable, and it disturbed him to think of how far she might be willing to go under that belief. What if she challenged another akuma that wasn’t nearly as polite or rational?  What if she was alone next time this happened and didn’t have Allegra or Claude or himself to help her when things inevitably got out of hand? Why was she so willing to throw away her own life without a second thought?

“Felix?”

Felix flinched, his eyes snapping upwards. His mother stood next to the couch with a frown, which was odd. He hadn’t heard any footsteps approaching. How long had she been standing there?

Bridgette shot him a concerned look as she sat down next to him. “Are you alright, sweetheart? You’ve been on that same page for half an hour now.”

It’s been longer than that. He thought to himself, plucking up his pencil and closing his textbook. There was no point in leaving it open if he wasn’t going to read it. 

“It’s nothing.” He muttered. “History homework just tends to be monotonous after a while.”

Bridgette narrowed her eyes at him, though her tone remained gentle as she said, “Oh, come now. You don’t expect me to believe that. We both know that you would sit and read every history book available if you had the time. What’s wrong?”

A small, bittersweet smile tugged at the corner of his lips. She could always read him well. Too well at times. 

“Is it about the akuma attack?”

Felix felt himself stiffen, and he silently chided himself for it. That would be all she needed from him to know the answer. 

It’s not that he wanted to hide his distress from her. He was simply unsure of whether he wanted to talk about it or not. The threat was over now, meaning all of this worrying was somewhat unreasonable, and Felix didn’t want to express irrational thoughts to his mother only for them to fade away by morning. It would just make this a bigger problem than it probably was.

Then again, watching your classmate casually wave off their jumping headfirst into an akuma and almost dying was a decently sized problem.

Bridgette lightly touched his shoulder. “Felix, honey, if it’s bothering you, then you need to talk about it. You can’t let things like this weigh on your mind unattended. It doesn’t have to be with me, but communicate with someone, please.”

The amount of earnestness in her voice caused him to avert his gaze, and he began tapping his finger on the arm of the couch. Her wording could almost be considered amusing, as he had no one else to talk to aside from her and Father. Allegra, Claude, and Allan clearly didn’t care as much about the subject as he did- not to mention, he’d rather spend his days putting up ad posters for Adrien Agreste than confide in them about anything personal -and Marinette was the cause of the problem. Besides hovering around those four, Felix was a common shut-in who proudly (and happily) hid himself away in the penthouse with his books and, on pleasant occasions, Mother’s tea.

Nevertheless, he knew that Bridgette was right. He needed to get these tangled ponderings off of his chest, but to do that, he’d have to unravel them first. Where should he start? The attack seemed as though it had happened within five minutes, yet it also seemed to drag on for hours. Time is a shaky illusion when your entire body is buzzing with adrenaline.

“I just don’t understand,” He said slowly, beginning with the thoughts at the forefront of his mind, “how they can all act like nothing happened. Marinette risked her life for no reason, and they all want to treat it as though it’s an everyday occurrence.”

“Who risked their life?”

Felix and Bridgette turned towards the stairs, where Felix’s father was now standing. The man’s eyebrows knitted together as he continued his descent, similar to how Bridgette’s expression had been a moment earlier, and in a few, long strides, he was standing in front of them. 

“Oh, Francis.” Bridgette greeted with a smile. “I thought you were still working.”

“I was,” Francis replied, leaning down to give her a light peck on the lips, “but I came down to get a drink. What’s all this about someone risking their life?”

“Apparently, Marinette did during the akuma attack today.”

A disapproving hum came from him as he settled on the couch next to Bridgette. “Isn’t that the girl from school that he’s always talking about?”

Felix bristled. “I don’t always talk about her.”

A soft chuckle fell from his mother’s lips. “You do talk about her more often than anyone else, though.”

“Can we get back to the point?”

“Of course.” Francis said, lazily wrapping an arm around his wife. She leaned back against him naturally. “Start from the beginning. How did you get caught up in this akuma business in the first place?” 

Felix sighed, letting his irritation quiet down before thinking back on the attack. Where were they when it happened again?

“I believe we were exiting the café.” He said. “Claude was telling some story as we walked to our cars, so we didn’t notice the akuma flying towards us until she was landing in this gust of wind that knocked us over.”

A ghost pain trailed up his back at the memory of skidding across the pavement. He didn’t get a chance to see it during the battle, but the prickling sting of the injury told him that his shoulders and back had been scraped up immensely, especially during the second blast. If the miraculous cure hadn’t healed him, he probably wouldn’t hadn’t been able to sit up straight now. 

“As you can imagine, we were all terrified, since we’d never seen anything like this in person before, but Marinette wasn’t. She grabbed all of us and helped us hide behind a fence within the first few seconds of falling. It was like she hadn’t been phased by it at all.”

“Perhaps she’s simply more level-headed during a crisis.” His father suggested.

“I’d assume so,” Felix replied, “but it’s strange considering she’s usually someone who would jump at their own shadow.”

“True, but people with anxiety can still flourish in a stressful environment.” Bridgette remarked.

Felix tilted his head in a nod. He supposed that was true.

“The akuma said she wasn’t going to hurt anyone, only the buildings to get the heroes’ attention.” He continued. “But Marinette didn’t like the thought of that, saying the people in the buildings might get hurt or killed. So she decided to counter the claim by running out to the akuma to lure them away.”

“That’s very noble of her.” Francis commented.

Felix tisked. How many times has he heard that now? 

“Noble and stupid. She was a powerless bystander running straight into danger. Am I the only one who sees a problem with that?”

“Sometimes you have to try to do what’s right even though you might not be able to succeed,” Bridgette said softly, “but I can understand why you would be distraught about her actions. You didn’t want to see her get hurt, and that’s not a bad thing. It proves you care.”

Felix’s gaze flicked to the ground. Admitting his recent attachment to Marinette hadn’t sounded irksome before. She was a kind and compassionate person who hadn’t failed yet in giving him a sense of satisfaction after each of their conversations. Anyone with half a brain would gravitate towards her presence. After everything that’s happened today, however, a part of him was starting to resent that sentiment. Why did he have to care for the one person who would openly throw themselves to the wolves without prompting?

“What happened next?” His mother prompted, tugging him from his thoughts.

Felix drew in a breath and continued again. “She told the akuma that she could lead them to the bigger, corporate buildings, since that was apparently what they wanted. I didn’t understand it at the time, because wouldn’t that bring more death? But looking back on it now, it was probably a ploy to stall time. I doubt she actually intended on leading the akuma anywhere.”

It was quick thinking, considering they’d all gotten attacked seconds earlier, but it hadn’t been quick enough to account for the consequences. 

“The akuma accepted the offer and used more wind to carry Marinette into the air with them.” Felix paused, Allegra’s horrified cry resurfacing in his mind. “It was.. nerve wracking. We didn’t know what was going to happen or what the akuma was going to do to her later on.”

Bridgette reached forward and rubbed his upper arm, giving her silent support, and Felix leaned into her touch as thanks.

“I ran after them. I’m not really sure how, but I did.” He said, gazing absently towards the windows again. His reflection stared back at him, along with the glittering stars and illuminated city behind it. How many alleyways did he run through? Five? Seven? He knew he couldn’t see the cafe by the time he stopped, nor could he hear Allegra and the others calling. 

“I followed them for a few blocks,” He resumed, deeming the exact number of alleyways unimportant. It was what came next that shook him to his core. “I thought I had lost them at one point, but then I caught a glimpse of Marinette in the air again. She looked like she was talking with the akuma again, but I couldn’t hear what was being said. Then..”

Felix briefly closed his eyes, once again trying to push the image of Marinette’s flailing body out of his mind. 

It didn’t work.

“..Then she fell.” His voice was quieter than he expected, but he kept going anyway. “I’m not sure what happened. All I saw was this silver pole that came out of nowhere and hit the akuma, and suddenly, Marinette was falling from the sky and screaming.”

And screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming. He had to stand there and watch her fall, knowing full well that he couldn’t do a thing to save her. The feeling of helplessness that overtook him in that moment had been overbearing. 

A classmate passing away was not something he hadn’t experienced before- accidents happened every year, and sometimes, those accidents involved Rosemary students- but he’d never witnessed their deaths personally. It was something you heard about over the morning announcements or from your teacher at the beginning of class, not something you stood there and watched in a daze, and he’d certainly never lost someone that he-- someone that was so-

“I heard later that Chat Noir saved her mid-air.” He added, if only to help his parents’ nerves. The anxiety crawling across their expressions was evident. “I wasn’t aware of that until after I went to look for her, though.”

Until after he scoured the dismantled streets and ever-increasing debris for signs of her. Until after he lifted boulder upon boulder by adrenaline alone and being torn about whether he’d want to see her under one or not. Until after he called her name till his voice was hoarse and searched relentlessly for some kind of clue, like a shoe or a purse or even blood.

Gosh, he looked for blood! Felix was out there, in the middle of a terrorist attack, looking for the lifeless corpse or the splattered blood of his classmate, and everyone wanted to act like that was fine simply because she came back alright. How could any of them be considered alright after that?

“She could have died.” He stated for the millionth time it felt like. She probably will die if she keeps doing this. “But no one seems to care. They all brush it off because she’s safe now, instead of worrying about the fact that she purposely decided not to be safe beforehand.”

Bridgette let out a breath and pulled Felix into a hug.

“I’m so sorry that you had to endure that.” She whispered, her voice full of emotion. It reminded him of Marinette’s apology back at the cafe. The way she carefully held his hand, the warmth of her palm against his- it told him, in that moment, that she truly was there and that she truly was safe again. That confirmation had admittedly been one of the things to keep him from unraveling towards the end of the fight. 

Felix felt the slender fingers of his father ruffle through his hair. “You went through something that no one should have to go through, but you also made it out alive. And so did everyone else. Remember that.”

Bridgette’s cheek brushed against Felix’s forehead as she nodded. “I know it’s scary, and you have a right to acknowledge it in your own way, but don’t let yourself get carried away with the ‘what if’s and ‘what should have been’s'. You’ll never be satisfied with them.”

Felix heaved a heavy sigh and allowed his eyes to drift shut. After a full day of almost dying, almost watching someone else die, and worrying about both of those subjects for hours on end, he was officially exhausted. Felix couldn’t remember the last time he’d put so much energy into a single event.

Maybe it was best to just let it go..

~~~~~~

By the time Marinette arrived home from Rosemary, her parents were beside themselves with worry. Apparently, they saw her on the news while they were working and spent the last hour and a half trying to reach her. Marinette had been either running around as Ladybug or talking with Allegra on the phone so she hadn’t noticed her phone ringing.

They doted on her and hovered around her for a good twenty minutes, with Marinette insisting that she was fine and apologizing the entire time.

“Chat Noir saved me before I could really get hurt.” She assured, plastering on a bright smile. “And the miraculous cure healed any scratches that I might have gotten. See?-” she held her arms up and did a small twirl “-I really am fine. But I’ll try to keep my ringtone on from now on.”

Her parents’ worried looks didn’t change.

“We were hoping that transferring schools would keep you away from akumas.” Her papa lamented. “How do you keep getting caught up in these fights?”

“I don’t know, Papa.” She replied honestly. Maybe some of her partner’s bad luck had rubbed off on her. “I was hoping I wouldn’t run into any more akumas too.”

Sabine sighed and gently rubbed her daughters back. “Well, as long as you’re alright.. Would you like to see the package that came for you?”

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, confused. “A package? For me?”

Tom nodded, a small smile returning to his features. “From a Mr. Claude Herolds. We put it upstairs in the living room.”

“Tried to.” Sabine corrected under her breath.

Marinette tilted her head slightly. A package from Claude? But what could he be giving her that he couldn’t give in perso-

“My fabrics!” She gasped, immediately shooting for the stairs. Her parents chuckled behind her, but she hardly heard them in her excitement. The fabrics finally came! How many were there going to be? What kind of fabrics? He hadn’t really specified when he talked about buying them, though she gave him as detailed of a list as she could. Oh, please, be the good ones-

Marinette threw the front door to their apartment open, coming to a dead stop as soon as she entered. The mere sight of their living room had her jaw dropping to the floor. 

Claude had indeed sent her a package of fabrics, but her parents happened to leave out exactly how much fabric he had sent. There were rolls upon rolls lining the couch and the floor, hiding in the corners of the room, sitting on the coffee table and the dining room table- it was too much to count. She was quite certain that she couldn’t see the floor!

Just- Just fabrics.

Fabrics everywhere.

Marinette turned to her parents, who had since caught up to her. They shared eager smiles as they waited for her reaction, and she quickly found herself smiling as well. In fact, she found herself down right laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Who needs this much fabric for three suits? How did Maman and Papa manage to bring it up in the first place? What did the deliverer think as he loaded this up into his truck to take to one person? How was she going to fit it all into her room?

Nevertheless, despite the insanity of the situation, she couldn’t help being ecstatic. This was more fabric than she could have ever dreamed of having, and it was all of the highest quality. So, with the help of her parents and her steely resolve, Marinette got to work on carrying the “package” up to her room in the attic. 

It took a while, as one would expect. They had to stop several times for Marinette to rearrange her room simply so she wouldn’t be completely swimming in fabric by the time they got everything up there. They also had to make sure she could reach her trapdoor to get out of her room, her stairs to get to her bed, and her desk to work with the fabrics in general. This resulted in her creating a sort of obstacle course with the few solid things in her room that she could stand on without the fear of breaking something. 

“I can’t even believe it, Tikki.” She said to her kwami once her parents went back down to the bakery. “Look at all of this! How am I even going to use it all? This is crazy!”

Despite her words of disbelief, she had the widest grin on her face, so wide that it was starting to hurt. Claude had told her that once she was done with his suit, she could keep any of the leftover supplies, since he supposedly had no use for it. She assumed it was his own little way of paying for the outfit, even though she’d told him that she would make it for free. 

Tikki zipped around the room, giggling as she inspected the different types of fabric. “You could make him ten different suits with all of this!”

Marinette laughed. “Tikki, I could probably make him thirty five different suits and still have some leftover.” 

She walked over to the piles of fabric in front of her and plucked up the first one that caught her eye. It was a deep blue silk that sheened under her bedroom lights, and she smiled at the mesmerizing display. Marinette had used silk before, but nothing like this. This was the type of silk that she imagined royalty to have, something smooth and soft and slick as butter. It was incredible, and she couldn’t wait to start working with it.

Marinette picked out a few more fabrics, the finest of the bunch, and brought them over to her desk to compare the colors and theorize how they might look together. If Claude was going to give her the best of the best, she was certainly going to return the favor by giving him the most regal and enchanting suit she could muster. Not to mention, this was an amazing, probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Fabric of this quality was something she could never get on her own without saving months and months of allowance, and that was only to buy one roll. The fact that she had piles upon piles of this fabric at her disposal now was a miracle in and of itself. She couldn’t waste a piece of it.

She rolled the blue silk out across her desk to begin measuring, but just as she pulled out her sketchbook for extra notes and other things, her phone buzzed next to her, informing her that she’d received a text.

DancingQueen: Hey guys! Mom said that February eighth would work well for the sleepover if you’re all free! I think it’d be a great way to celebrate winter break.

A soft, delighted gasp passed her lips after reading Allegra’s text on the group chat. With the whole akuma battle and receiving Claude’s fabrics, she’d completely forgotten about the sleepover that they talked about earlier.

She quickly switched the calendar app to check her schedule, and her smile widened at the sight of an empty time slot. She appeared to be free that day.

Marinette found herself beginning to wiggle with joy on her rolling chair as she switched back to the messaging app. This was going to be her first sleepover with her new friends! It would also be the first time going to one of their houses! What was Allegra’s house going to look like? Would it be a mansion like Gabriel Agreste’s? She hoped it didn’t have high walls. 

Another text drew her thoughts back to her phone, where a message from Claude had just appeared.

TheBetterShakespeare: works for me! What time are we gonna come over?

DancingQueen: I was thinking right after school like usual

TrebleChild: Sounds good to me :)

Marinette perked up when Allan joined the conversation. That meant most of them were going to be there! All they needed now was Felix.

She began typing.

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: February eighth works great for me too! I’ll probably stop by the house for my clothes and stuff first though lol

DancingQueen: Of course! I can send a car by to pick you up if you want?

TheBetterShakespeare: Woohoo! Mari’s coming! All we need now is Felix

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: Oh, you don’t have to! I don’t mind walking

DancingQueen: Are you sure? The walking distance is pretty far, and I totally don’t mind sending a car! (no pressure though. If you wanna walk that’s also fine!)

Marinette pulled her lip between her teeth in thought. Whatever the walking distance, she could probably just swing over as Ladybug within a few minutes. That way, she didn’t have to bother Allegra. If she got there too fast as Marinette, though, they might be suspicious.. Well, not suspicious, but curious because getting there faster than her legs could possibly carry her would be odd.

Ugh, just take the car. She told herself. It’ll be easier than carrying your luggage around while swinging through the air anyway.

TrebleChild: You think Felix is going to respond on here?

Marinette glanced down at Allan’s text and frowned. That was a good question. 

After the akuma, Felix seemed to shut down. He hardly uttered a word to anyone, even after they were sent home early from school. She supposed he tended to be quiet in the first place, but it just felt different. It was as though he were in some trance, lost in the distant corners of his mind. He wouldn’t even talk to her all that much. Not that she was someone special to him or anything. They just.. They normally exchanged more comments to each other than they did on the way out of the school. Either way, she’d be surprised if he actually texted them back that night.

TheBetterShakespeare: Oh he’s going to have to respond when I’m done

Claude’s reply caused Marinette to suck in a breath and cringe. Oh, what was he going to do to poor Felix now?

Allan and Allegra appeared to have the same thought, as they quickly texted back.

DancingQueen: Oh dear

Marshmallow Man: Uh oh

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: Claude, maybe you shouldn’t bother Felix. He already doesn’t like the group

TheBetterShakespeare: LET’S

TheBetterShakespeare: FLUSH

TheBetterShakespeare: HIM

TheBetterShakespeare: OUT

DancingQueen: Claude, please-

TheBetterShakespeare: I���M

TheBetterShakespeare: NOT

TheBetterShakespeare: STOPPING

Marshmallow Man: Dude

TheBetterShakespeare: UNTIL

TheBetterShakespeare: FELIX

TheBetterShakespeare: DECIDES

TheBetterShakespeare: TO

TheBetterShakespeare: SHOW

Rolling-Eye-Emoji: What do you want?!

TheBetterShakespeare: HIMSELF

TheBetterShakespeare: Oh hey Felix!

Although she felt extremely bad for the blond, Marinette had to purse her lips to avoid laughing. She could practically hear the growl in his voice, and the image of Felix’s signature glare flashed through her mind. He had to be so annoyed right now.

TrebleChild: I’m surprised you didn’t just delete the app again

Rolling-Eye-Emoji:You know, that’s a marvelous idea.

The BetterShakespeare: NOOOOO ALLAN SHUT UP

DancingQueen: lol we were wondering if you were free February eighth, Felix.

Rolling-Eye-Emoji: Free for what?

TheBetterShakespeare: Can’t you just tell us if ur free or not?

TrebleChild: for the sleepover at Allegra’s house

Rolling-Eye-Emoji: We’re still doing that?

TheBetterShakespeare: Absolutely!

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: If you’re up for it!

TheBetterShakespeare: Mari that statement was way too nice for Felix

TheBetterShakespeare: You gotta drag him kicking and screaming or he’ll never do anything!

Rolling-Eye-Emoji: Why don’t you take a guess as to why?

TheBetterShakespeare: because you don’t know how to have fun and it’s our job to teach you

TrebleChild: Claude, you’re never going to get him to the sleepover that way

Rolling-Eye-Emoji: Claude, you couldn’t teach a cat how to climb a tree, and I know how to have fun just fine.

Marinette snorted towards Felix’s reply. She often wondered how he managed to perfect his sarcasm and cutting remarks to a fault. Did he read a book on it somehow or was it just practice?

TheBetterShakespeare: RUDE

DancingQueen: lol Felix, are you free on the eighth or not?

Rolling-Eye-Emoji: ..I’d have to check my schedule.

TheBetterShakespeare: Don’t laugh at him Allegra!

DancingQueen: Hey, if it’s funny it’s funny lol

DancingQueen: Do that please, Felix

TheBetterShakespeare: Betrayal!! I can’t believe I was naive enough to trust you!

DancingQueen: Oh whatever. It’s not like you haven’t laugh at me before

Marinette chuckled as she continued to set up the silk fabric. She almost worried about using her sewing machine for it in case it ripped, but hand sewing it wasn’t an option either. That would take way too long, and she wanted to finish this for Claude as soon as possible. (without cutting corners of course)

“Oh!” She gasped, straightening in her chair. She hadn’t told Claude about the fabrics arriving yet! He’d probably want to know that.

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: Hey Claude, I almost forgot to tell you but your fabric arrived today!

TheBetterShakespeare: Really?!

Marinette smiled and stood up from her rolling chair to take a picture of the room. She then sent the picture to the group with an added message:

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: I could barely fit it all in my room!

The responses were immediate.

TrebleChild: WOAH

DancingQueen: CLAUDE

TrebleChild: you sent that much?!

TheBetterShakespeare: …

TheBetterShakespeare: I may have gotten carry away

Marinette giggled and shook her head.

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: PLEASE feel free to get carried away anytime you like, I’ve literally never been happier

DancingQueen: lol

TrebleChild: lol

TheBetterShakespeare: Will do! 😉

Marinette smiled and set her phone down again, before rolling her chair over to the other fabrics to pick another one out. Her phone buzzed as she rolled back, notifying her of the new additions to the group chat. 

Rolling-Eye-Emoji: Mother said that the eighth of February would work fine.

Marinette let out a squeal. They were all going! This was going to be the best sleepover ever!

TheBetterShakespeare: Aw yisss group sleepover!!

TrebleChild : awesome, so we’re meeting right after school?

DancingQueen: Yep! Except for Mari who needs to go get her clothes. Did you want me to send you a car Mari?

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: If you don’t mind :)

DancingQueen: Nope! I’ll make sure to tell you when it’s on its way.

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: Thanks 😁

DancingQueen: Of course! See you guys at school tomorrow!

TheBetterShakespeare: See you Al!

TrebleChild: Bye A

Our-Cinnamon-Roll: See you tomorrow!

Marinette set her phone down and let out another squeal of excitement as she kicked her legs back and forth. 

Her first group sleepover with everyone!

How do you make time go faster?

Tag List:  @artbyknigit @athena452 @nickristus-dreamer @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @arsaem @abrx2002 @neakco @pawsitivelymiraculous @too0bsessedformyowngood @nathleigh @lusicing @officiallydarkgeek @all-mights-asscheeks @tbehartoo @woe-is-me0 @raeuberprinzessin @lazuli-11 @miss-chaos27 @trippingovermyfeet @sadpotatoondrugs @ladybug-182 @jaggedheart11 @marinahrasauce @i-need-blog-ideas @thewheezingbubbledragon @crazylittlemunchkin @unabashedbookworm @moonystars14 @sunflowers-and-mooncakes @2confused-2doanything  @magnificentcrapposts  @moonnette @nickristus-dreamer @vixen-uchiha @casual-darkness @luxmorningstarr @jjmjjktth @kaithehero @itsme1598 @theymakeupfairies @xjaccyx @miraculous-ninja @miraculouspenta @swiftie-miraculer13 @justafanwarrior @all-mights-asscheeks @ira-sairain @lookatthestars1 @dahjokester

[ravenforce]

Stark Legacy 6

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Carol Danvers x Wanda Maximoff x Maria Hill x Reader but Natasha Romanoff x Reader centric for this chapter.

Summary: I have no words to summarize this one. I feel like this is a whole story on it’s own. Nat x Reader, with a few flashbacks.

Word Count: 4207

A/N: Please, let me know what you guys think. I poured my heart into this, Idk why I tend to do that whenever I write for Natasha. HAHA. Also, I deviated a little bit on the coma/death arc for the reader, sorry.

Previously: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

***

Natasha walks inside the gym a little later than she normally would and fully expecting her blonde girlfriend to be there since she didn’t wake up with her on the bed either. To her surprise, Carol’s not there too. She shrugged and went on her gym routine with a furrowed brow. The next day, without even meaning to, Nat woke up to Carol trying (unsuccessfully) to silently slip off Wanda’s embrace and off their massive bed. Nat gave her girlfriend a good fifteen minutes head start before tailing her. 

Nat tried not to think ahead but Nat being Nat, she was still prepared for all possible outcomes but out of all the scenarios she thought Carol would drive to, she never - not even once - thought that she’s driving to SHIELD Headquarters. Nat’s eyebrows furrowed while waiting a few blocks away for Carol to be cleared to enter the premises. She knows for a fact that Carol’s not due for her weekly meeting with Fury because they all maintain a synchronized calendar to keep track of everyone’s schedule. 

“What are you up to, Danvers?” she whispered to herself. 

Nat sat on the parking lot for another ten minutes before following Carol inside. Nobody in their right mind would ever question why she was there even without an appointment. Natasha went through the command center to see if Deputy Director Hill is on her station but, she too wasn’t anywhere to be found. 

What is going on? Where is everyone? She thought to herself while walking along a deserted hallway. When she rounded the corner, she roughly bumped into someone. The deep frown on her face was immediately erased when she saw who she bumped into. 

“There you are!”

“You’re here too?”

They spoke at the same time. Nat chuckled for a second before registering what Maria had said. Before she can ask, Maria spoke first. 

“Does the Earth mightiest heroes have nothing better to do on their free days than loiter around here?” Maria teased before pulling Nat for a quick hug. 

“I don’t loiter -” Nat grumbled on her girlfriend’s shoulder. When they pulled apart, Maria’s sporting a teasing smile. Nat rolled her eyes playfully. “I am not loitering. I’m looking for Carol.”

“Yeah, she’s here,” Maria confirmed while tucking a stray red hair out of Nat’s face. Nat bit her lip in an attempt to keep herself from blushing at the softness her girlfriend’s showing. 

”Didn’t she just met with Nick yesterday? What’s her business here today?”

At the mention of Fury’s name, Maria stiffened as she remembered that she’s already running late to her meeting with the man himself. She cursed under her breath, hurriedly plants a soft kiss on Nat’s cheeks before sidestepping the redhead and practically running out of there. 

“Carol’s in the gym with Agent Stark,” Maria said loud enough for Nat to hear from the other end of the empty hallway before she disappeared. 

Nat stood there frozen for a minute before she turned on her heels to see what you and Carol are up to. “Y/N Stark -” she whispered to herself as she walks towards the gym. Nat can’t deny the fact that her heart started beating wildly on her chest at the mere mention of your name.

It felt like an eternity has passed since Nat ever heard your name at all. So much has happened between then and now including your supposed death and the world literally ended, Nat didn’t really have time to dwell on all of her unanswered what-ifs. What if you didn’t die? Would she have had enough courage to feel she deserve you if you both were given more time?

***

Nat was enamored the moment she met you while she was undercover as Tony’s assistant. You were unlike no other she’s ever met before. A genius in your own merit was yet content to live peacefully behind your brother’s dark and long shadow. Funny without being obnoxious. She was sure she’s in love with you when you fought side by side while infiltrating Hammer Tech. 

“I didn’t know you could fight, princess,” she teased while trying to catch her breath after taking down most of Hammer’s security. 

You rolled your eyes at her, pretending to hate that stupid pet name. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Natasha Romanoff -” you fired back. Enunciating her name indicating that her cover was blown with you for a while now. 

“Let’s change that after we’re through with this -”

A new batch of security emerges that forced you to go back to kicking ass. “Are you asking me out right now?” You punched one man on the throat, knocking him out effectively. 

Nat’s chocking another on her side of the hallway. “No better time than the present, Stark. So what do you say?” She squeezes the guy a little harder, making him go slack on her arms. Nat was just catching her breath when another man appeared behind her. She almost doubled down when you threw a knife that you procured from your knee-high boots behind her. 

“Nice -” she said a little breathless, partially from being tired and also a little turned on. 

You walked up to her to give her a hand from the floor. She took the help gratefully. “Yes.” 

Nat understood immediately. “Let’s wrap this up quickly then,” she said with a smirk. 

***

A few days after sparring with Captain Danvers at SHIELD, you visited the compound one morning to make a quick delivery. The compound was eerily quiet for eight in the morning, making you wonder if you came in too early. Your wandering stopped when you heard the hopeless clanking of pans in the kitchen. You smiled, hoping that it is who you want to see that’s making all the noise. You leaned against the doorway, watching wild red hair rummaging through the cupboards. 

“After all this time, you’re still hopeless in the kitchen,” you said to announce your presence. 

Natasha stood abruptly, bumping her head on one of the open cabinets. She turned around with a frown while clutching the top of her head. “What the hell! You scared me!” 

Her frown only deepened when you won’t stop laughing. It’s not that you didn’t want to stop, you just couldn’t. She looks so adorable with her scowl and wild bed hair bathed in the early morning sunlight streaming through the massive windows in the room. You walked towards her. 

“I’m sorry but, this isn’t my fault -” you stopped two feet away from her. “ - no one’s supposed to sneak up on the Black Widow, right?” You teased while rubbing the top of her head. 

“No Black Widow business until I have my second cup of coffee, you know the rules.”

Of course, you do. You can’t forget anything about Natasha even if you want to. 

“I’m sorry,” you said sincerely. You didn’t really mean to startle her - that badly. 

Nat looked at you from under her lashes, and had your knees been human they would surely buckle under that look. “Kiss it better,” she demanded.

“What are you, five?” you teased to diffuse your nervousness but, Nat can see right through you. 

“Coward.” 

You huffed before pulling her towards you and kissed the spot where she hurt herself. “There! Happy now?” 

Nat smiled. “I am now.” 

***

Before you can say anything else, the rest of the inhabitants of the compound trudges in the kitchen including Maria, Carol, and Wanda. 

“Hey.” Everyone greeted monotonously indicating that none of them are fully awake yet. You just smiled politely to everyone to give them time to fully shake the sleep off their systems. 

Sam strode in last. He was sweaty and looking alert, probably from doing his morning jog. “Y/N!” he exclaimed when he noticed you. Everyone bristled at his volume, which probably won’t be acceptable regardless of the time of the day. “What brings you around? Not that we don’t want you here. Did you finally realize that you’d like to join our team now?”

“What?” Maria asked after registering Sam’s line of questioning. 

“No offense -” 

You decided to cut Sam off there. Any sentence that starts with no offense is often kind of offensive. “No, Sam, I’m not joining the Avengers.” Maria visibly relaxes at that while Sam deflated. “I just came here today to deliver you guys this -” You fished out an envelope from the inside pocket of your brown trench coat. 

Nat who was still standing next to you reached out and took the envelope. “It’s an invitation,” she mused. Everyone’s looking at you expectantly. 

“Yes. Pepper’s throwing me a homecoming party, and I don’t have the heart to tell her no,” you smiled. “Pun not intended.” 

The kitchen erupted in excitement while freshly brewed coffee was being passed around. “This is so cool, it’s been so long since we had a Stark party,” Bruce commented, earning a soft elbow from Bucky and poorly concealed side-eyes from the girls. Bruce opened and closed his mouth, unable to form an apology. 

“It’s okay Bruce but don’t expect it to be as grand as Tony’s parties,” you said smiling. “So?”

“Count as in!” Sam jumped at the opportunity to change the topic fast. Bucky sighed, resigning to his fate. “For you, I will be there, doll.” 

“Thanks, Buck.” 

While everyone was distracted about talks of the party and what to wear, you turned towards Natasha. “You’re coming too, right, Tasha?” 

Nat smiled at the use of her nickname. You’re the only one who likes to call her that. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, princess.” 

***

The party was in full swing when the Avengers arrived at the Tower. Aside from the team, Pepper invited a select few Stark Industries people, from investors as well as your old lab team. Nat didn’t expect anyone else aside from Maria to be invited. So she was surprised to see you standing amongst Agent Colson’s team. Nat’s sure that you saw them arrive but, you made no move to excuse yourself from listening to Agent Simmon’s surely interesting story. 

Pepper did excuse herself and greeted the Avengers. “Hey!” She gave everyone a quick hug. “Traffic? Come on, let’s get you guys some refreshments.” 

“Yes! Let’s get hammered!” Sam cheered too enthusiastically. 

A couple of steps though, Pepper turned back to see the girls still rooted in their place at the doorway. “Coming, ladies?” 

“Ah, I think we would say hello to Y/N first,” Maria and Carol answered at the same time without taking their eyes off of you.

Pepper followed their love-struck gaze and chuckled. She assumed it’s a pack thing, so she didn’t bother asking Nat and Wanda anymore and just followed the boys to the catering table. Nat watched Maria and Carol strode confidently towards you, and efficiently inserting themselves into the conversation. Nat watched her girlfriends, subtly inserting their bodies on both your sides, creating a barrier between you and Agent Johnson and Agent Simmons.

***

Natasha can deal with the fact that all her girlfriends have a crush on you. She doesn’t see herself having trouble sharing you with her pack if it came to that. It’s the others she’s worried about. You’re too bright that everyone’s gravitating towards you like moths to a fire, like Icarus to the sun. All night, Nat tried to get you alone but, every time she thinks she finally does, someone else would come over and make conversations with you. 

Nat thinks you’re too polite to tell them off. So she excused herself when Agent Simmons came over to talk to you again (for the nth time that night). You smiled at her before turning back to Jenna. The bartender put four tequila shots in front of her the moment she sat on the bar. Bucky then turned to her. 

“Thought you might need a stiff drink,” Bucky grumbled over the rim of his beer bottle. Nat downed one shot before glancing in your direction. Bucky didn’t miss how the redhead’s frown dipped a little deeper. “Didn’t think you’re one to walk away when vultures are trying to snatch your girl.” 

Nat downed her second shot and slammed the glass down the counter. She’s not my girl, she thought bitterly. She knows full well that you’re not hers to hate Agent Johnson for simply wanting to be near you or for laughing at something you said and her hand landing casually on your biceps. You’re not hers for her to be jealous, she knows that painfully. 

She couldn’t watch any longer. She downed the last two shots before turning towards Bucky. “I think I’ll get some fresh air,” she whispered, eyes downcast. “Thanks, Buck.” 

Bucky only nodded before Nat hopped off her stool and walked out of the party venue. Nat didn’t turn back to see you watching her leave. 

***

Nat snugged a bottle of expensive wine from a passing staff on her way to God knows where. All she knew was that she needed to step away to clear her head or drown her feelings and her regret.

You and Nat have been casually dating for a couple of months, even with your brother’s utter disapproval of the relationship. For the first time in a long time, you were standing against your brother on a matter but that was Nat you were talking about. You weren’t going to give her up without a fight. Eventually, Tony relented but without threatening Nat that if she ever breaks your heart, she’ll be the first person on his non-existent hit list. 

Everything was fine. You both were happy until Nat suddenly decided she’s not ready. You didn’t know what happened. All you know was one day, she came back from a mission and decided she’s not ready to be tied down to one person.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, but I’m not built for this -” she waved her hand. Indicating not only the domesticity of sharing the same living space but also everything that comes with it like building a home with another and shedding walls to letting people in. “I’m sorry.”

You didn’t cry, and Nat knew you were letting her go gracefully. Even when she was breaking your heart, you were still thinking of her. “It’s okay, Tasha. I understand,” you said simply. You gave her a small smile before kissing her one last time.

Nat took a long swig of the wine before acknowledging your presence behind her. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at your party?” she spoke without taking her eyes off of the city skyline. The view from the rooftop of the tower was spectacular.

You chuckled nervously. Nat only goes to the rooftop when she needed to think and breathe. You wonder if you’ve done something through the night that might set her off. “I saw you leave the party, I was looking for you.”

“Why?” She took another long swig, making her head spin a little bit.

“Why not? I’ll always look for you when you’re gone.”

Nat suppressed the urged to groan, opting to chug the wine, but you were lightning fast. You caught her wrist before her lips could touch the bottle. You fished the wine out of her grasp. “What’s wrong, Tasha?”

“Nothing,” she answered automatically. Her eyes are darting back and forth from your eyes and your lips. There’s a sad, hungry look on her face you couldn’t understand. You decided to ignore it for the time being and just confront her about it when she’s not one shot away from being drunk.

“Okay, if you say so. Let’s go back inside, it’s cold out here.”

You started to walk back towards the only door to the rooftop when Nat tugged you back roughly to her. “Tasha!” you exclaimed in your surprise when she pinned you between her and the deck railing.

Nat held your eyes for a second before she laid her forehead on your shoulder. “Do you enjoy it? Having everyone wrapped around your fingers?”

You can hear the hurt in her voice. You wanted to question her about it. You want to understand what she’s talking about, but the words wouldn’t come. Especially, when you felt her turn her head slightly, and her left hand caressed your cheeks.

“I can’t get you alone all night,” she whispered as she noses her way from your jaw through your neck.

“Tasha -” God knows you tried not to make it sound like a moan, but it came out exactly like that.

The rest of the words died in your throat as you felt Nat plant the softest of kisses on your neck and her right hand found your leg through the long slit of your dress. Suddenly, it wasn’t so cold anymore. The fire that is Natasha Romanoff warmed you immensely, and you were ready to burn for her again, still.

“You were mine first,” you heard her whisper before she pulled her head away from your neck and smashed her lips against yours for a minute. Then she’s running away, again.

***

MH: Meet me at SHIELD.

WM: What’s wrong, Mar?

Nat frowned at the demanding chat from Maria. She waited patiently for an explanation; she tried not to jump to a conclusion. But at the back of her head, she prayed it’s not another alien threat. She can deal with Hydra, but she doesn’t think she has enough to give to fight and lose people to another Thanos level problem. 

MH: Y/N’s down. Otw to the lab with Happy to get started with repairs. 

Nat paled, and for a minute, she couldn’t move. Fear gripped her, the past flooding back to her.

She rushed into the hospital when she heard about the accident. Relief flooded her senses when she saw Tony and Pepper alert and awake on their hospital bed. Steve and Rhodey were already there. When the group noticed her, Tony immediately averted his eyes while Pepper started bawling. 

“Is the baby okay?” Nat asked, worried that something happened to the baby.

Silence. Nat turned to Steve and Rhodey. Rhodey just frowned, lost for words too. Steve looked like he was trying to string a sentence in his head. “I’m sorry, Nat -” 

Nat became even more confused. “For what?” she asked. “Guys, you’re scaring me.”

Tony took an audible, deep breath, catching Nat’s attention back to him. This time, he held her gaze. “Y/N’s home, Nat,” he said. “When we found out that Pepper’s pregnant, we told her, and she came home.” 

Nat didn’t know that. No one told her that you’re home, which was understandable after she broke your heart. “Okay,” she nodded. Still, a tad confused as to where this conversation was going. “Do you need me to call her for you?” 

“She’s gone, Nat -” 

“Wha -”

“She’s dead.” Tony decided it’s better to rip off the bandage clean. Pepper started sobbing again. “She was with us tonight.”

Her phone vibrated on her hand again. She looked at the message from Wanda. 

WM: Breath, Nat. She’s inhuman now. 

And at that moment, Nat was so thankful that Wanda’s an empath. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding and closed her eyes for a second to center herself. When she opened her forest-green eyes, she fired a quick text to the group chat before nearly running out of the compound. 

NR: I’m on my way.

***

Nat was cursing in Russian under her breath as she power walk through the hallway of SHIELD towards the labs. She made a mistake of jumping on the first available vehicle in the compound’s parking lot, instead of using her MV Augusta F4 RR 312 motorcycle. It would have taken her to the HQ in no time. 

She was rounding the last corner before she arrived at the lab when she bumped into Happy. 

“Hey.” The man looked exhausted even though the machines in the lab did all the work, but Nat understood it completely. The idea that you got injured affects those who knew you before you were inhuman than those who knew you post-human. “I’m beat. I’m going to crash upstairs.” 

Nat nodded with a smile before adding, “thank you, Happy.” She hopes the simple words convey how much she appreciates the man for taking care of you after all this time. 

“Anything for Y/N,” Happy answered, smiling. He was almost on the other end of the hallway when he called for Nat again. Nat stopped in her tracks and look at him quizzically. “Be quiet when you get there.” 

Then he disappeared. Nat just shrugged and continued to the lab. When she got inside, she floated to the room where she knows you would be and found you sandwiched between Carol and Maria. 

“Shouldn’t you be the one sleeping?” she teased softly. You looked up when you heard her voice from the door and smiled. 

“I would if I needed one, but I don’t. You, on other hand, look like you can use a nap too.” You tried to speak as softly as you could as not to disturb your sleeping friends(?), but they still manage to stir and look at Natasha. Together they patted the only space available in the bed for her. 

Your lap. Nat quirked an eyebrow at the two before looking back at you. You smiled before raising your hand to beckon her to you. Nat decided to throw all her inhibitions to the window and gracefully climbed on the bed with you. It took a bit of squirming around to accommodate her on top of you, but you managed. Nat laid her head on where your heart should be. 

Suddenly, Nat felt exhausted. Like all the stress and emotions - the confusion, the disbelief, the longing - she desperately tried to run away from ever since she found out that you’re alive caught up to her then. Her eyes started to close as you run your fingers through her soft red hair. 

“I’m still yours,” you whispered, confident that Natasha has joined her softly snoring girlfriends in dreamland. It was quiet for a minute. The only sound in the room is the whirring of machines from the lab outside.

“I’m ready now,” Nat mumbled loud enough for you to hear before she completely went under.

[ootori-sibs]

Shadow boy

Day six of @ohshc-week : childhood friends/lovers or first/last kiss

Mrs Ootori was known for her love of fashion, every time there was an event, she wore a new, custom made dress. It just so happened that there was a huge event soon, with people all over the world, the who's who of the global medical industry- and top scientists too. Her only duty was to hang off of her husband's arm and look pretty, but she always made it her mission to show him up. Because of this, she'd enlisted the help of Yuzuha Hitachiin to make her a stunning new gown.

Yuzuha knew her well, having made previous gowns for her- they weren't friends persay, Mrs Ootori was too stuck up for that, but Yuzuha liked to bring her son's with her whenever she came. Mrs Ootori had many sons, one of which was only a year older than her boys.

The twin sought out the shadow boy out, they did this every time, they wanted to know more about him- he was a mystery. Today they'd found their way into the library, not being able to read yet, they ignored the books in exchange for searching for their favourite mystery. They found him in the fiction section, fitting for such a mystery.

The shadow boy never liked the light much, he preferred the darkness and shade. His hair was as dark as the woman their mother helped, but his eyes weren't brown like hers, they were a shimmering silver- the twins had almost thought he was monochrome when they first found him. The boy smiled when he noticed them, standing and approaching them, stopping on the border of the shadows.

The twins smiled back, they were holding hands, but let go to run forward towards their friend, "shadow boy! Hello!" He'd never told them his name, he'd never actually spoken to him either, he was silent in his friendship. He didn't let them touch him either, so they gave him an air-hug.

He showed them a ladder, and led them up on top of the bookshelves, it was dark up here, and the twins and their shadow friend had to crawl, he wanted to show them something- he always wanted to show them something.

He led the twins through a vent, it was a large one, big enough for all of them… they were only three, and their shadow friend was four… it didn't take that big of a vent to hold them all. When they got out of the vent, they were in an office, make-up on one side table, paperwork on another. The desk was a vanity, the computer was new and shiny.

The twins looked around, their eyes already adjusted to the darkness, but Kaoru had brought a torch, making sure to avoid getting the shadow boy with it. They couldn't read, but by the images and make-up, the twins understood that this was Mrs Ootori's office. They wondered why the shadow boy would bring them here, what purpose did they have here?

But the shadow boy grabbed a stool, dragging it over to a wall, reaching up and going to grab a book. He brought it down to show them, placing it on the floor. Kaoru carefully trained his torch on it, it was a book; a big, leather bound, storybook. Hikaru was the one who opened the book, "woah… this is awesome!"

Kaoru nodded, noticing how the shadow boy smiled, "yeah! Amazing! Do you want us to read the voices? Our maids do that for us." The boy's eyes lit up, and the twins both saw his hands ball up happily, he nodded at them, almost silently gasping- the loudest sound they'd heard from him.

The twins once again, couldn't read- it seemed the shadow boy hadn't realised yet. His surprised expression when the twins made up their own dialogue based on the images, making it much funnier then the stories actually were- at least in their opinion; they'd given the villain a horrible voice, made the princess sound like an old man, and their worst offence of all; they gave the prince charming the squeakiest voice they could muster.

This upset the shadow boy.

He'd stood up, turning and hammering on the door until a maid unlocked it for him, the maid asked him how he got in there, since the door was locked. This surprised the twins- other people could see their shadow friend? This was news to them, they didn't think he could be seen. But he didn't seem to see her, running past, completely ignoring the light he was so usually avoidant of.

The twins gave chase, they'd never see their shadow friend so upset- they've seen him cry, sure, but never run straight into the light, he hated the light. So they ran, calling out for their shadow friend to stop, trying to ask what's wrong. After a few seconds, and corridors, later, the twins realise that their friend is headed towards the room where their mother and Mrs Ootori were- and Mrs Ootori was famed for her temper, so they were scared what would happen.

He burst into the room, clearly more terrified than sad by how bright the room was, running to the side of Mrs Ootori and clinging to her, sobbing into her gown. The twins entered soon after, pausing at this sight. All eyes were now on them; their mother looked alarmed, and Mrs Ootori looked furious. "What did you do to my baby?"

She had asked them a simple question, commanding and demeaning- but the twins weren't listening, they didn't care about her dumb status. "That's not your baby, that's our shadow friend!" They huffed in unison, Hikaru hopping up to turn the light off as Kaoru switched the torch on.

Both adults were surprised by both the words and the actions of the twins, Mrs Ootori was even more angered by this. She stomped forward, knocking the shadow boy to the floor- who quickly got up and hid under a table, hands over his head. Mrs Ootori, she must have been around six foot, she towered over the boys, glaring, "how dare you! My son is no one's shadow!" The twins were shaking now, having never been yelled at like this by an adult before, the woman continued; "have you been bullying him?? Why is he crying?"

"Leave my sons alone!" Their mother snapped at her, "they haven't done anything to deserve getting screamed at, they're kids for heaven's sake!" The twins mother was an angel, she stood up to the demon woman, standing and glaring.

The demon scoffed, "oh no wonder they're such brats if you never yell at them! I yell at my sons all the time and they all turn out perfectly." The twins both bristle at the idea of this monster yelling at their poor sweet shadow friend, this demon was terrifying.

They'd blocked that day out of their memory.

Losing their first friend, being yelled at for the first time, their mother had gotten so frustrated she'd punched her mannequin… they didn't want to remember it; so they didn't.

Years later, they had friends, real friends- nothing like the ghost of that old mansion. They had Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai, who sat in the corner making tea and coffee. They had Haruhi, who was watching everything with a tired but lovable expression. They had Tamaki… who was being an idiot, he was floundering around, crying about something or other Haruhi had said.

"My darling daughter hates me! Oh woe is I!"

The twins snickered at that, rolling their eyes. Tamaki must have noticed that, because he gasped, looking at them, "how dare you mock my misery! What's so funny about a daughter hating her father?"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow at that, "oh come on boss…" he and Kaoru shared a glance, before looking back at Tamaki, putting on the fake whining voice used to mock stupid people; "ooh~ my darling daughter hates me! Oh woe- oh woe is I~!"

There was a scoff from behind them, from a table not far back, Kyoya was rolling his eyes, "what is it with you two and giving princes squeaky voices?" He had chuckled to himself, but the question had made the twins freeze… Kyoya was right, they did use that voice for all princes, and had since they were little. But there was no way for Kyoya to know that, only the twins' family had heard them read stories, family and- oh. Oh.

"Wh!" The twins span around at lightning speed, looking at Kyoya with wide eyes, "You were the shadow boy??"

This got the other hosts' attention fast, though Kyoya just raised an eyebrow, "you weren't aware? I did wonder why you started out just as distant to me as you were with Tamaki," he chuckled lightly, actually smiling slightly, "I know you were four but please; a year older than you, we were always at my house, your mother did the gowns for mine- what other conclusion could you have come to?"

The twins… felt a little stupid at that, but Hikaru admitted to their belief, "we honestly thought you were a ghost, hence the whole 'shadow boy' thing…"

"A ghost?" Kyoya seemed to find the whole thing amusing, and the twins noticed how the light reflected off of his her black hair, how the light made his eyes shine behind his glasses… why had he used to hate it so? "I suppose your little nickname fits now, what with people referring to me as the 'shadow king', seems I've gotten a promotion." He had paused, and the twins glanced around to see the confusion in the other hosts' faces, but they didn't matter right now, not in the face of their shadow friend. "Why did you believe me to be a spirit?"

"Oh that's easy!" Kaoru smiled, beginning to list of all the reason their shadow friend was different; "you always hid in dark spaces, never came out to play anywhere bright, we never saw you anywhere but the mansion, you were never there when we arrived, we always had to go searching for you, you always had something to show us, it was always a secret- plus you never once spoke to us dude, you didn't ever even introduce yourself the entire time."

Hikaru spoke up at that, looking thoughtful, "why did you never speak the whole time we knew you?"

Kyoya paused at that, "oh, well some people have- ...things, that they can't do properly, and sometimes those things are amplified by situations, but like a lot of things, they can be learnt from, and moved past," he stopped for a moment, before nodding to himself, "yes, I had quite a bit of trouble with speaking when I was younger, it's nothing to be ashamed of personally, but some people are ashamed of me nonetheless." Was that a joke..? That was a really sad joke, the twins didn't quite know how to take it.

They didn't have to respond though, as Honey hopped over towards them, "wow Kyo-chan! Do you have the same fear as Nekozawa-chan?"

Kyoya shook his head, "well I did when I was five, I grew out of it by the time I was around six or seven, I couldn't have been able to do all too well in school otherwise." He shrugs, going back to his book, "either way, you never answered my question about the voices, why do you insist on such dreadful voices for prince characters?"

The twins had to shrug at that, smiling, "we just think it's funny."

"Well I still don't, it's rather immature. But at least it isn't in a moment of vulnerability this time," and with that, the conversation was over, Kyoya clearly wasn't going to respond to further questioning, so everyone went back to how they were before.

But not Kaoru, Kaoru got closer to Kyoya's table, hands resting on it in fact, "out of curiosity, do you still have that book?"

Kyoya just nodded, "I've had it since I was a baby, it'd be a shame to throw it out now."

Kaoru nodded slowly, a mischievous smirk growing on his face, "and how would you feel if I read you the stories again, using proper voices this time?" He watched Kyoya pause, glancing up at him but clearly not wanting Kaoru to know he's looking, so Kaoru does something even more daring; he winks.

Kyoya chuckles lightly at that, "as long as we can have the lights off."

It was a funny feeling; Kyoya having been his first friend. The idea that this money grubbing mastermind was once his sweet shadow friend, the silent, always watching shadow king- he was once actually silent. He remembers first joining the club, looking at Kyoya and wondering why Tamaki hung out with such an asshole, before realising he and Hikaru were also assholes and that this must be, like, Tamaki's hobby or something. But about a month in Kaoru was wondering why Kyoya hung out with Tamaki, Kyoya was of a much higher calibre- and he knew it. Though it was clear he considered Tamaki to be superior, even though Tamaki's only real power was as club president- and family-wise too Kaoru supposed.

They were sitting in the dark now, Kaoru had a torch- it wasn't the same torch, that old thing was long gone- but it felt the same… yet somehow completely different. They were older now, they knew who they were a little more, Kyoya could speak now- he could audibly react to the things Kaoru was saying, he could laugh… Kaoru loved that laugh, he'd only ever heard Kyoya chuckle before, his laugh was wonderful; it was a full on villain laugh, but not a cackle, not anything malicious, just a genuine powerful laugh, the kind you'd see of a kid villain- but not the bratty kind. It was also different because Kaoru was here of his own accord, every time he'd visited the Ootori mansion before he'd been dragged there by someone else, this time he was he because he'd decided to be- and he was here without Hikaru.

Kaoru had just finished reading the third story in the book; Cinderella- but at some point, Kyoya had taken a pen, and changed all of Cinderella's pronouns to his own- he'd done that for every character that was his favourite in each story. The ending was always different if he wasn't the princess, his favourite always got a prince of their own- even when it wasn't the main prince. Kaoru found it amusing, if a little concerned, was it reflected of the chances he had with Kyoya? After all; they already had a prince character, and Kaoru wasn't charming at all.

He glanced to his side, Kyoya was completely relaxed, somehow having slid under the covers of the bed without Kaoru having noticed, he truly was a shadow wasn't he? "You're going to get cold like that, you should copy me." Oh, he wanted Kaoru to get into bed with him? Well Kaoru was never one to turn down an offer like that, especially if it was completely innocent- he loved a good cuddle.

Surprisingly enough, Kyoya had actually leaned into him halfway through the princess and the frog, mouthing the words along as Kaoru had said them, how sweet… But when Kaoru got to a line that read: 'but I'm only a small frog, who would ever kiss me?', he heard Kyoya mutter words verbally- but a little different to how it was written…

"...but I'm only a shadow, who would ever kiss me..?"

Kaoru paused, knowing he wasn't meant to hear that, but maybe he was meant to hear it… it sounded like fate. He did it without thinking; he tilted Kyoya's head up and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, before muttering back, "you'll find your prince someday…"

He knew there was no chance of getting with Kyoya, it was safe to assume the shadow had his eyes on a prince already- Kaoru was nowhere near being a prince. But just one kiss, a stolen one at that- if that was all he got, he was happy with that, he didn't need anything special-

"...I don't think I even want a prince anymore…" Kyoya hadn't moved even an inch from the position Kaoru had put him in, but the moment Kaoru looked down at him, Kyoya got up onto his knees. He looked at Kaoru with something Kaoru had only ever seen in girls before, just before their hearts were shattered… "I want to be a shadow boy forever."

Oh. It was Kaoru's heart that felt something painful, but it was a good pain- like his heart had taken a sharp gasp of its own accord. He smiled softly, putting the book down- but not closing it, and turning his torch off, it was pitch black now. "You… are so much more than a shadow boy now, Kyoya- you're a shadow king, it's not some dumb title. It's your truth… and I love the truth."

It wasn't a love confession, Kaoru couldn't do those, and neither could Kyoya- they were simply both too closed off and quiet to express themselves without the aid of their respective extroverts assistance, though Kaoru realised Hikaru was definitely more of an ambivert at this point. It might not have been a confession of love, but it was a confession of something alright, and they kissed, more than just a quick stolen one- this kiss was real, this kiss was warm, and it tasted of coffee…

They broke the kiss after a while, sitting in pitch black as they sat in silence. Neither of them wanted to speak, so they didn't. Kaoru wanted to know the time, but he didn't want to check his phone, so he sat there, wondering. It was clearly dark, from the little he could see of the outside, from the windows downstairs, so he could be forgiven if he fell asleep here…

The book had been moved, and so had the torch, Kaoru hadn't even noticed. He now glanced down at Kyoya who was laying down, looking up at him, and the little light present reflected in his eyes- though Kaoru couldn't see much else of him at all. Instead of seeing, Kaoru felt, realising how Kyoya was allowing him to touch now, the shadow boy would have always been too scared to even high five, Kyoya let Kaoru rest a hand on his hip as he lay down- Kyoya had let Kaoru kiss him. Soon, they were laying down next to each other; facing each other, Kaoru noticed how Kyoya shuffled closer, bowing his head slightly but leaving it to Kaoru to close the gap, to cuddle him.

Kaoru was the smaller of the two, but Kyoya was the one resting his head near Kaoru's chest, though the shadow boy had always been soft- Kaoru couldn't blame him, or complain in the slightest. It was strange to be sleeping next to someone other than Hikaru, but it was nice- completely different though: with Hikaru they'd squabble over who had the most cover, over who got to sleep what side, they rarely cuddled- contrary to popular belief, plus they only really held hands when they could do it comfortably. But with Kyoya, Kaoru found himself making sure Kyoya had enough blanket, he found himself almost cradling the taller boy as if was prone to shatter at any moment, he even found himself humming one of the many disney songs he'd learnt the tube to through osmosis, he was fairly sure this was a love song- either way it was relaxing and sweet.

He remembered being shown this room, though there was a fortress here then, made of cardboard and plastic and paint, a safe haven that the shadow boy had loved to show to the twins, though he'd gotten visibly upset when Hikaru had tried to climb over the walls instead of using the door. Kaoru remembered this fondly, glancing down to realise that said shadow boy had fallen asleep in his arms. Kaoru then allowed himself to stop humming, yawning and nuzzling Kyoya's hair before settling his head down on the pillow, quickly drifting off to a funny thought that made him feel fuzzy inside:

It was a funny feeling; Kyoya having been his first friend and his first kiss.

[karlnapity]

Welcome Home, Theseus.

Chapter 3: You’re a Conflicted Person, Not a Bad Person. [Tubbo]

(tws: emeto, rather graphic alcohol withdrawal. very mild injury (bruising).

Tubbo does not betray Schlatt.

It’s not like he doesn’t plan on it, at least in the beginning. He’s hesitant, going into Schlatt’s presidency. Exiling his best friend and mentor isn’t a great opening, not for any of them.

Schlatt doesn’t do much to improve this image, not at first. He’s aggressive and mean, barking orders and shouting when things don’t go his way. Not long into his term his drinking ramps up, only serving to make matters worse.

All the same, it doesn’t take Tubbo long to start second-guessing himself. Quackity sees something in the man, saw enough to marry the guy, and Fundy was willing enough to throw away his relationship with his own father in his favor. So… Tubbo is willing to try too.

It’s hard. Schlatt denies any attempts he makes to get to know him. Maybe once or twice, he gets a celebratory pat on the back or even a kind remark if he’s lucky, but Schlatt holds him at arm’s length without fail. But Tubbo doesn’t give up. Not on people, and not on anything.

… Which is why he’s currently holding back the jewelry hanging from Schlatt’s horns while the man hacks up what seems like his entire guts into a trash can. He’s not quite sure how he got here, but it’s not exactly what he thought he’d be doing with his night.

He’d been hoping to go and visit Wilbur and Tommy tonight, but what with Wilbur’s recent turns towards insanity he’s really not sure it would be any better than this.

Schlatt groans and Tubbo helps him lay down on the office sofa. He sits down on the carpet in front.

“On your side, I don’t want you choking,” he says gently. He’s only seen Schlatt this drunk a few times before, and it never becomes any less disconcerting.

He’s not sure why he starts talking. Maybe it’s to help distract himself, maybe it’s because he wants Schlatt to know.

“When you first showed up- not when you came to visit, but when you came to campaign- you were so threatening. Wilbur was so angry you decided to show up. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him that mad before, honestly.” While he talks, he gently pulls the jewelry from Schlatt’s horns. He chuckles a bit. “You were terrifying. You seemed like a genuine threat, when you exiled Wilbur. What happened to that?”

Schlatt coughs, wet and violent, but doesn’t answer. His eyes are closed, and Tubbo’s not quite sure if he’s even conscious.

Tubbo sighs. “I mean, it’s not really like I want to see that. But you had power, and authority, and it was cool as shit.” He draws his knees to his chin. “Now you’ve just left it to the three of us, and we’re not suited to run a nation at all.”

Schlatt sighs, and when Tubbo looks at him his eyes have slid open, just barely. His ram’s pupils are unfocused. Tubbo keeps talking.

“I guess… all three of us wanted to be involved in this. Quackity wanted power, Fundy wanted control, I wanted to be important… but now that we’re here, it’s not really that great.” He sighs, running his hands over his face. “Maybe it was like that for you, too. Is that it?”

Schlatt puts a hand on his shoulder, and Tubbo looks at him, smiles. “Thanks.”

Schlatt promptly passes out.

>

It’s not an epiphany or anything. Schlatt is still an asshole when he’s not passed out at his desk, Quackity still shouts 24/7, and Tubbo still tries his best to get out from under everyone’s feet and stay out of the way. Just because he understands the man a bit better doesn’t make him any less of a dick.

After the shouting at the White House threatens to make him pull his hair out, he decides instead to hide away at Pogtopia for the night.

 There’s a horse outside that he’s never seen before. He’s not even sure Tommy knows how to ride a horse. Whatever.

It’s only once he gets inside that he realizes. Sitting around a little fire is Tommy, Wilbur, and Technoblade. He grins.

“Techno?” He calls down to the group, and they all startle. Wilbur stands from where he was seated, looking incensed.

“Tubbo,” Techno greets as he makes his way down, giving him a small smile. Tubbo laughs.

“I didn’t even know you’d come to the server!” He exclaims. “Should’ve sent me a whisper.”

“Tubbo? Why’d you come?” Wilbur asks, eyes narrowing. The mood tangibly darkens. “Do you have anything?”

Tubbo holds up his hands placatingly. “No, I just wanted to visit, is that ok?”

Wilbur visibly bristles, hands making their way out of his pockets and into his hair. After a second, he leans forward and grabs Tubbo’s wrist, hard. “No, that’s not fucking ok! You put us at risk!”

He looks fucking crazy. Tubbo takes a step back, wrenching his wrist free. Thankfully, Tommy steps in.

“Woah, dude, it’s fine, it’s not like he comes very often. He knows to be careful, it’s fine. Don’t worry.” He almost seems to be saying it more to himself than Wilbur, who doesn’t look at all convinced.

“Don’t do it again,” Wilbur mutters, turning his back on the group and making his way deeper into the ravine.

Tommy sighs, visibly relaxing as the figure disappears. He shoots Tubbo an awkward smile. “Sorry. He’s been like that a bit, recently. It’ll be fine.”

Tubbo rubs his wrist with a placating smile. That’s going to bruise.

Techno, who’s been standing off the side, huffs and throws Tubbo a healing potion. He fumbles it in his hands a bit before catching it. He looks between it and Techno for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t really need this.”

The piglin shrugs. “Whatever, just take it.”

Tommy looks a bit concerned before shaking his head as if to clear it. He beckons to Tubbo. “Come on, I wanna show you Techno’s potato farm.”

 Tubbo sips as they walk. He doesn’t want to drink too much, only enough to heal the bruise. He’s not sure whether healing potions would work for alcohol poisoning, but he’s willing to give it up for a good cause.

“How’s the tyrant been?” Tommy asks, kicking at rocks while he walks. Tubbo chuckles.

“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” When Tommy shoots him a look, he rushes to defend himself. “I mean… it’s not too bad, right now. We’re managing.”

Tommy stops in his tracks. “When did it become ‘we?’”

“No, no,” he exclaims, motioning with his hands and threatening to spill the potion. “I just mean like. Me, Fundy, and Big Q, that’s it.”

Tommy’s eyes stay narrowed for a few more seconds before he makes an angry exclamation, hands finding their ways to his head. He groans, turning away from Tubbo. Tubbo frowns, a bit concerned. “Tommy?”

“I’m sorry, Tubbo,” he murmurs, whipping back around and pulling him into a hug. They stay like that for a few moments before Tommy pulls away. He motions for them to keep walking.

“Listen, Wilbur’s been fucking crazy lately. He keeps telling me I can’t trust anyone, and, like.” He shakes his head with a sigh. “I guess it kinda got to me for a minute. How are you doing? What’s it like in Manberg?”

Something pushes Tubbo to tell the truth. “It’s not too bad. I mean, Quackity and Fundy and I are basically running the country, but Schlatt’s been doing better lately.”

“What d’you mean?” Tommy asks, pulling out a loaf of bread and ripping it in half. He extends a half to Tubbo, who takes it eagerly.

“He’s drunk, like, most of the time,” Tubbo confesses quietly. “But he’s really been making an effort lately.”

“Huh,” Tommy says. He stares out at the sunset.

They’re quiet for a long, long moment, silently passing loaves of bread and apples between them.

“... Do you reckon Schlatt’s doing better than Wilbur?” He finally asks, almost whispering like he’s worried Wilbur will pop out from the shadows. He leans against a wall and wrings his hands in a nervous action.

Tubbo feels his heart stop. He stammers for a minute before he decides to be as honest as he can.

“Yes.”

>

“Promise me something,” Schlatt says quietly, one night. Tubbo jumps. He’d been puttering around the office while Schlatt laid on the sofa, and he hadn’t even known Schlatt was awake. When he turns around, Schlatt has pulled himself into a sitting position, his eyes strangely clear.

“What is it?” Tubbo asks nervously. Sure, it’s been months since he’s been frightened of Schlatt in any capacity, but it’s still worrying when he looks like this.

“Promise me you won’t drink. Not ever.”

Tubbo’s heart drops to his stomach. He nods, feeling strangely like he wants to cry. “I promise. Not ever.”

Schlatt nods back, chewing his lip. His ear flicks and he seems to analyze Tubbo’s expression for a few more seconds before he lays back down. Tubbo watches him for a few more minutes, listening to Schlatt’s breath even out. Every once in a while he lets out a wheeze and Tubbo stiffens again.

Once Tubbo is certain he’s asleep, he lets himself cry.

>

“Can we talk about the exile?”

It’s a bit of a spur of the moment decision. He and Schlatt have just finished with the paperwork and it’s reached the part of the night where Schlatt’s hands are shaking so much he’s having a hard time doing much of anything, where his eyelids have started drooping. Maybe it’s wrong of Tubbo to ask him when he’s already exhausted, but it can’t wait.

“What d’you mean?” Schlatt asks, barely tilting his head towards him. He’s staring at a spot on the desk, some sort of stain from a spilled drink.

“Um.” He fidgets with his hands a bit. “I want to let Tommy back in the country.”

That leads to a raising of the eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Not Wilbur, I won’t fight you on that one. Just Tommy. I know you don’t like him, but…” he chews his words. “I don’t think he’s safe with Wilbur.”

Schlatt seems to mull it over, and Tubbo’s not sure whether he’s thinking or out of it for a few seconds.

“Does this have something to do with your trips out of the country?”

Tubbo freezes for a long second, but after a few tense moments he regains his composure. “Um. What do you mean, sir?”

“I know you’ve been visiting them.” He catches Tubbo’s eye, strangely lucid for a man who was slurring so much a few minutes ago. He waves a shaking hand. “Well?”

Squeezing his fists, he decides to be honest. No point in pretending. “Yes. I’ve been visiting them. In the beginning, it was to betray you, I’ll admit.

But I’m on your side now. I am. Wilbur’s… He’s not doing well. And Tommy’s caught in the middle. I want to bring him here. Without Wilbur.”

Schlatt looks at him for a long moment. For once, he looks like a president.

“I’ll think about it.”

>

In the end, it isn’t much of a fight. Schlatt agrees, Tubbo talks to Tommy, Tommy talks to Techno, and they leave, Wilbur screaming at their heels.

Tommy’s shaking, but Schlatt and Quackity are waiting at the remains of the wall. Tubbo catches Schlatt’s eye and Schlatt fixes him with a soft expression he’s never seen before.

Tubbo grins. The president is proud.

>

Nothing’s perfect. Alcoholism isn’t solved overnight, and neither is a country built on nothing but pride. But sometimes, when Tommy and Tubbo are running through the White House after stealing some sort of way-too-expensive chocolate from a president, he thinks it’s ok.

[crystalirises]

Of Spies and Electricity

The one-shot in which I proceed to have two breakdowns while writing.

I apologize to the prompter if this veered off to the darkside. I saw the words "spy" and "find out" and just had to make it about Fundy's spy arc.

TW: Abuse, Animal Abuse (sort of), Execution, Major Character Death, Electrical Shocks (Torture to Death, Violence, Villain Wilbur Soot (minor mention, and not the cause of the aforementioned trigger warnings), and Mentions of Blood

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886223/chapters/79168267

He felt a hand scratch the top of his head, the fingertips sticky with alcohol and stained with smoke dust. He shivered, forcing himself to purr and lean further into the touch. Schlatt chuckled, patting him in between the ears before returning his attention to the pile of papers on his desk.

He let out a small yawn, feigning sleep before jumping down the man’s lap before skittering out the open door. Schlatt wouldn’t chase after him, the man was too drunk to probably even stand. He ran past the darkening hallway, the moonlight filtering through the tall glass windows that lined the wall. Quackity and Tubbo were both stuck in their respective offices, so there would be no one to stop him from leaving the White House. He ran around, looking for an open window or an open door to the outside. He finally found an escape route in the kitchen, an open window left open to let in some fresh air. He sniffed at the air, stomach  grumbling at the scent of bread.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a decent meal. Schlatt only fed him old sweet berries, and would try to make him drink alcohol when he was too lazy to get him actual water.

He shook his head, breaking himself from the stray thought of sneaking back to grab a loaf of bread. He couldn’t waste time, or risk getting caught. He jumped out the window, landing on a small flower bush that no one would really miss. He waited for a few seconds, nose sniffing at the air before racing out of his hiding spot. There were a few people milling the streets, but no one tried to stop him or give him a momentary glance. Some even darted out of his way the moment he appeared within view. Nausea curled up in his gut at the reaction, knowing that they probably recognized him as Schlatt’s pet fox. It didn’t help that the man had placed a collar around his neck, gold and easily seen underneath the shine of the sun. He wanted to burn it.

It was the first on his list of stuff to-do once Schlatt was dead and buried six feet under the ground, alongside giving his dad a hug, of course. He hurriedly made his way to the flag, growling at the dark flag that hung overhead like a shadow. He missed Niki’s flag, the real flag of L’Manburg. He sniffled, wiping his snout with his paw before racing behind the pole. He looked around, golden-flecked brown eyes scanning the area before he began to dig down.

He hoped nobody had found his little bunker. The earth seemed untouched… 

With one last sniff at the air, he quickly dropped down into the small hole that he had dug into the earth. His soft paws landed against the concrete platform below, his eyes adjusting to the dark. There were only two sources of light that lit up his path, the small beam that came from his entrance way and the glowstone at the bottom of the stairs. He backed away from the entrance, taking a deep breath before shifting. He heard the snap of bones, felt the sharp pain in his chest while his body morphed into a human form. He bit back a groan, fearful in the case that someone might accidentally hear him. He bit the inside of his cheek, bitter metal blooming on his tongue.

After seconds of burning agony racing through his entire body, he collapsed in an exhausted heap against the floor, gasping into his jacket sleeve. His throat felt like it was on fire, and his bones felt like someone had taken an axe to them. Fundy crawled towards the small beam of light, reaching into his inventory for a single piece of dirt. He needed to cover up his tracks. He couldn’t afford to be caught. His hand gripped at the block, forcing himself to stand and reach up towards the hole. He blocked it up, praying that nobody had noticed. His ears stood on alert, straining to hear a single noise that could mean that his cover was blown. All was silent. He sighed, reaching up to grasp the collar that was still wrapped around his neck. His claws scratched at the surface, a low growl escaping his throat. He wanted to get it off of him so badly, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk forgetting about the collar. Schlatt would find that suspicious.

He shook his head, heading down the stairs towards the room where he’d left the diary. Schlatt seems weaker today, nearly collapsing at one point if Quackity hadn’t caught him by the arm.

Fundy reached the bottom of the steps, reaching towards the button on the wall. This far down, nobody would be able to hear the clank of metal. The scent of stale air hit him, his nose twitching for a moment before he took step into the room. His bed was unmade, the same way he had left it that morning. He headed towards the small chest in the corner, opening it to reach for the diary. He sighed in relief, his fingers grazing the leather surface. It was in the same place he’d left it. No one had discovered him. He leaned back against the wall, flipping the diary open.

A glass shard fell out from one of the pages.

He heard the distinct sound of footsteps at the top of the stairs.

Fundy tossed the diary into the chest.

He didn’t have the time to shift.

Schlatt met him at the bottom of the stairs. The man smiled. “So. You’re Wilbur’s son, huh?”

 ---

  He sniffled, wincing when he felt a hand wrap around his ear and pull. Tubbo was doing his speech at the front of the podium while Schlatt held him tightly - enough to bruise - in his arms.

His fur bristled when he felt Schlatt stand up, a round of applause ringing through the air the moment Tubbo finished with his speech. He knew what was coming. Quackity followed after Schlatt, tossing Fundy a side-eye smirk that made him want to bite the man. With him trapped in Schlatt’s arms, the man began to make his own announcement about the festival, lacing his words with sincerity despite the clearly mocking tone in his voice. He wanted to growl, to bite down on the man’s arm and run away. But Schlatt had tampered with the collar, made it worse. Schlatt tapped on the mic, chuckling when it let out a high-pitched static noise. It was painful against Fundy’s ears “Before the festivities begin, I would like to make a very important announcement. A few weeks ago, we discovered a spy. Well we can’t have that now, can we?”

Without warning, Schlatt dropped him.

He whimpered, his head smacking against the wooden floor. His paws unable to catch him on time. A few people within the crowd cried out, the loudest being Niki. Fundy shivered, curling into himself when he saw Schlatt pull out a familiar remote. A little warning of what would happen if he tried to make a break for it. His tail curled around himself, ears pressed to the back of his head while he tried to put some semblance of distance between him and Schlatt. The man didn’t like that. Electricity coursed through his whole body, agony blooming everywhere. He let out a scream, bloodcurdling and downright terrifying to anyone who’s never heard a fox scream before. He whined, collapsing back against the ground. Schlatt had stopped the electric shock.

“Schlatt, what are you doing?!” He wanted to cry. Niki’s voice soothed him despite the pain. He forced himself to stand back up, casting Schlatt a hateful glare, which only caused the man to chuckle. The moment he got back up on all four feet, he felt a sharp kick against his side. He shrieked, falling back against the ground. The man’s shoe was pressed against him, keeping him down and unable to move. Schlatt was playing with the remote, fingers hovering mockingly over the dial. He bit back the low growl in his throat. Schlatt wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him again. He looked down, tamed. “This… This is outrageous! You can’t do that Schlatt! You’re hurting it!”

“Him,” Schlatt corrected, a sly grin on his face. “This isn’t an ordinary fox, Ms. Niki.”

Another stream of agony ran throughout his body, the pain worse than before. Schlatt had turned up the dial. He whimpered. Schlatt didn’t need to tell him what to do. He took a deep breath, shallow and tired. He wasn’t sure if he could even shift. His body was in too much pain, and the shift would be unbearable. But he had no choice. He trembled, willing himself to return back to his human form. His bones cracked, the noise breaking through the silence. He could hear screaming, or maybe that was him. He focused past the pain, trying to focus on his human form.

He finished shifting. He didn’t need to look at the audience to see their shocked gazes.

“Fundy Soot. Son of the currently exiled former president, Wilbur Soot.” Was that Quackity or Schlatt talking, Fundy wasn’t sure. His head felt heavy, like it could barely balance itself on his neck. There was a loud ringing in his ears, his whole body spasming. He was coughing, he thinks, warm blood spilling past his lips while he tried to force himself to remain lucid. Everything hurts. “He’s a fox shapeshifter and was probably sent to be a spy by his own father.”

That wasn’t true at all. He wrapped an arm around his stomach, the other grasping the bottom of the collar. He wished he was strong enough to rip it away from him. The pain would stop once he got the collar away from him. His gaze snapped towards the crowd, feeling slightly ashamed for getting caught. He thought… He thought he could do it. That he could be a spy for his dad, help save L’Manburg from Schlatt’s iron grip. He knew the last time people had seen was during his dad and Tommy’s exile. He wondered what people thought about his sudden disappearance. Did they think he ran away? He hoped they did. He didn’t want to think that they’d assume he’d… Fundy shuddered. It really didn’t matter anymore. He’d been caught. He looked up at Schlatt, shivering once the man’s golden eyes caught his stare. His fingers were on the dial. Fundy looked at the options. There were three. He had no doubt that the last option would be fatal.

“Shame, you were a great pet to have, Furball.”

Gods, that stupid pet name…

He looked up towards the sky, catching a glimpse of a familiar face on top of a nearby building.

He felt the sharp burn of pain around his neck.

Then all he saw was white.

 ---

There was a wet cloth pressed against his neck, phantom pain spasming through his body while he tried to push against the hand that kept the cloth in place. He heard someone shush him, a hand running gently through his hair before patting his ears. He whined, ears pressing themselves against the top of his head. A part of him was scared, terrified that those fingers would turn cruel and yank at his ears. The hand withdrew, a muttered curse following soon after. He would have laughed if it weren’t for the agony in his throat. It felt impossibly dry and like someone had raked burning coals against  the skin. Someone was talking to him, their words muffled and incomprehensible. He tried to latch onto them, groaning in frustration when he couldn’t seem to understand. He wanted to hear - wanted to answer - but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

He was lying on a bed, that much he can tell. It was hard, not quite comfortable but he wasn’t sure if he was in any place to complain. Someone had placed a pillow below his head, or maybe they’d placed his head on the pillow he wasn’t sure. He clung to the cushion, feeling his claws dig into the cotton. He could only hope that his caretakers wouldn’t be angered by that action.

Someone was trying to move him up, propping the pillow so that his back was resting against it. His eyelids fluttered open, a part of him sighing contentedly at the lack of light. He wasn’t sure if his head could handle any bright lights. The person next to him was still trying to talk to him, but he could barely understand anything. There were a few words here and there that he managed to pick up, but not enough to understand the person’s full meaning. He tried to roll over on his side, wincing when a pinch of pain rose from his neck. He shuddered, nearly collapsing if it weren’t for the arms that caught him. They gently placed him back on the bed, shushing him even when all he could do was whimper. His neck hurt. He didn’t know why it hurt. The hand was back in his hair again, this time he leaned into it. The person hesitated, but they began to scratch behind his ear, soothing him into a sense of calm. He purred, letting himself fall back into kind slumber.

Wilbur sighed, honestly glad to see his son go back to sleep. Fundy had clung to the pillow, like he used to do when he was a kid and he’d misplaced his plushie somewhere. He still felt nauseous, a part of him seething with anger while the other part of him just wanted to puke. It had been an awful display, watching an execution unravel before one’s eyes. His son’s execution. He hadn’t seen Fundy in so long, and he had been so terrified of what had happened to him. He didn’t know his son was a fox shapeshifter. Fundy had always been a fox hybrid, ever since he was a little boy. Wilbur didn’t know. He’d seen Schlatt pet fox and he hadn’t known. He felt sick.

He glanced down at his bloody and scratched fingers. When Fundy had been… killed at the festival, all hell broke loose. A few people - a lot, actually - had instigated a fight, causing complete and utter mayhem. He hadn’t had the time to press the button, too busy trying to find where his son’s respawn point was. Techno had aided him, which was a surprise since he thought he would want to partake in the chaos. They managed to track him down to a hidden bunker underneath the flagpole, that damned golden collar still around his neck. Wilbur had lost it.

He had clawed at the collar, desperate to get it off Fundy. Techno had been the one to get it off, the man keeping a level-head even while Wilbur was having a breakdown. They managed to get out of Manburg after that. Wilbur raced to get Fundy to safety while Techno guarded them from anyone who might decide to chase after them. He sighed, shaking while he rested his face in his hands. He couldn’t believe that he had thought that his son had run away, when all this time…

Wilbur held onto his son’s hand, thumb gently caressing the knuckles. His manic gaze settled on his son’s neck, gritting his teeth at the clear burn marks that marred his son’s pale skin. Gods…

Fundy whimpered the whole way back to Pogtopia and during unconsciousness, sometimes he would even call out for Wilbur. Those moments were the worst in his opinion. He couldn’t stand the thought of his son being in so much pain. He should have known. He should have fucking known that his son was a shapeshifter then none of this would be fucking happening. Wilbur clawed at his hair, tugging until the pain forced him to stop. That shithole of a country needed to go. This didn’t change anything. His hands curled into tight fists, nails biting into the palms of his hands, drawing bits of blood. Schlatt needed to pay. L’Manburg, Manburg, whatever that nation was, it needed to pay. Wilbur sat up a little straighter in his seat. The whole place was still rigged with TNT. All he needed to do was go back and push that damned button. Then boom!

“Bye L’Manburg.” He sing-songed himself, tone nearly giddy. Wilbur kept himself from racing to the button. His son needed him. Wilbur shook his head, pulling the chair closer to the bed. His whole being burned at the sight of his son. One part was still screaming that Fundy had betrayed him by running against him in the first place… but now his son was injured because of him.

“D-dad…? Dad, help me… please help me… I’m scared… Dad…”

He quickly reaches for his son, wrapping an arm around his son’s shoulders.

He holds him close, whispering words of comfort and assurance.

He still had a nation to destroy. But for now, he needed to care for his son, his little champion.

“I’m here, Fundy. I’m right here.”

He holds his injured son close, and swears, “He won’t hurt you again. I’ll make sure of it.”

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

Clarification: So Fundy pretended to be a regular fox to get close to Schlatt and spy on him. So as far as people know, Fundy disappeared around the time of Schlatt's win of presidency. Some people assume he was jailed (like Niki) for being Wilbur's son, while others think he ran away. Wilbur thought of both scenarios, thinking that both are possible, but he honestly preferred that Fundy had run away cause then he'd at least be safe.

[rocorambles]

Dark Desires

Pairing: Oikawa Tooru x Female Tanaka Ryuunosuke 

Genre: NSFW, PWP, Honestly just pure filth 

Warnings: Yandere, Rape, Non-con, Dub-con, Violence

Summary: Tanaka makes an agreement with Oikawa that she soon regrets

Co-written with @astrablossom    

Oikawa locked up the gym doors with an exhausted sigh. It had been a tough practice and he was looking forward to going home and collapsing on his bed. At the thought of rest, he happily hums when all of a sudden something collides with his head and he crashes face-first into the ground. The impact was hard and left him crouching on the floor, gingerly holding his nose. He scowls and whips his head around, ready to give whoever did this a piece of his mind, but stops and smirks at the sight of Tanaka Ryuunosuke glaring down at him, hands on her hips.

She stands above him and Oikawa whistles in appreciation. "White panties are my favorite, Tanaka-chan. How did you know?" It takes a second for his words to register, but then Tanaka is jumping back, hands clutching the hem of her short skirt down, while she furiously screams at him. But Oikawa isn't listening as his sharp eyes take in her flustered state. Cute, he thinks to himself. And so easy to get a reaction out of...I wonder what other reactions I can get out of her. And for the first time in a long time, volleyball isn't the only priority on his mind as a dark seed plant itself in his mind.

She sneers at the male beneath her with the most malice she could muster. Her eyes trail down to where the captain lies on the floor, cradling his nose from the mild pain. Tanaka is about to go off, yelling at him for being a disgusting pervert, but for once holds her tongue back and settles for getting straight to the point.

"Listen here you nasty boy toy!" she yells out, pointing her index finger accusingly at Oikawa. "If I hear about you trying to go after one of my friends again we're gonna have a little situation, ya hear?!" She punches her fist into her open hand to emphasize her intentions. Everyone knew Oikawa was smooth with the girls, always finding ways to lead one into his bed. They always ended up swooning over him and following him around the school. Even Tanaka wasn't that dense and she'd care less if it wasn't for the fact that she saw the ass trying to hit on one of her classmates earlier. Just the thought of one of them sleeping with Oikawa just to end up being brainwashed was enough to make her skin crawl.

"Ooo is Tanaka-chan jealous?" is the response she receives and she gapes at him bug-eyed at the question, a vein visibly popping up on her forehead. Nothing was stopping her from beating this clown up. Her fist tightens a bit at the thought, Oikawa could certainly use the lesson.

Just as she’s about to square up her shoulders and go through with her thoughts, the captain gets to his feet and at his full height, he towers over her, his broad frame casting a slight shadow over her smaller figure. Tanaka prides herself on her height and athletic build, but she feels minuscule compared to Oikawa. He starts to try to smooth talk Tanaka who is less than impressed.

"Listen, I didn’t make any of those girls do anything they didn’t want to. I’m pretty sure they very much enjoyed the quality time we spent together if you know what I mean.” Oikawa has the nerve to shoot a wink her way with those words and she opens her mouth to retort when a gentle touch on her lips has her freezing. Oikawa’s pointer finger is pressed against her lips and now he’s leaning down so that his mouth brushes against her earlobe. “Why don’t you give me a chance? Go on one date with me. I promise you’ll see that I’m not all that bad. Don’t you think it’s unfair to judge me without any firsthand experience?”

Her face blooms into a shade of red that would give Nekoma's team uniform a run for their money. Just feeling his breath against her ear was enough for her to take a step back. Tanaka stares at him, sharp eyes scrutinizing him until they widen at what he just said. Oikawa watches as a flurry of emotions run through the second year’s face and he can’t help but smirk when he notices her avoiding eye contact. "And what makes ya' think I'll say yes?" Oikawa observes how her shoulders are hunched up and suffice to say, Tanaka is like an animal. You need to approach her calmly to show her you mean no harm. And to show her who the boss is around here.

He bends his neck down a bit till he's eye to eye with her and he smirks at the red flush gracing her cheeks, confusion swimming in her sharp gaze. "You're always talking about equality, equal rights, fairness...Don't you think judging me without any evidence is against all that?" Tanaka instinctively latches onto Oikawa's shoulders in an attempt to keep some space between the two of them, but his words make her think which causes what was supposed to be a harsher push to be merely a gentle hold on him. Oikawa doesn't complain and opts for basking in the feel of her hands through his uniform. "Fine, you're right." She raises a brow and humors him. "It is unfair of me to accuse you without any real experience, even if I still think you're a shitty person. One date and don't try any funny business or I'll beat your ass."

A wide smile finds its way onto Oikawa’s milky porcelain skin. He places his own hands on Tanaka, who quickly pulls away. He doesn't mind...in all due time. Tanaka watches, a bit appalled as Oikawa bends down to reach for his fallen backpack. Accidentally her eyes trail along the outline of his shoulder blade poking through his uniform. The uniform fits him rather well...She shakes her head at the thought and tries to clear her mind. She was only doing this because she had to.

"Tanaka-chan!" Said person's annoying voice disrupts her thought. Oikawa wiggles his smartphone in front of her face. "Lend me your number! I have just the perfect place we can go to." The way he’s smiling and bubbling up about a potential date that could run amok makes her stutter a bit before she reaches for her phone, albeit with slightly sweaty hands.

Grabbing a hold of her device, she offers it thinking Oikawa would just grab it from her, but a firm grasp wraps around her entire hand and he is sidling up right next to her, a burning heat on her side as his other hand wraps around her shoulders to input his number. Tanaka freezes at essentially being embraced by Oikawa and she's too aware of the weight of his arm around her and the slight smell of sweat she inhales as Oikawa's chin rests on her head and presses the back of her head against his throat. She could feel his Adam's apple poking through her scalp. As soon as he typed the last digit of his phone number, she grabs his phone and practically leaps a safe distance away from the overly touchy boy before she hastily types her number in his phone, chucking the device at him from her safe spot. "I-I'm free this weekend. Text me what you want to do." And with that she is scrambling away, her chest filled with mixed emotions. Too bad she misses the practically feral predatory look fixed on her as she makes her escape.

The expression on his face darkens as he watches Tanaka's departing silhouette. "Tanaka-chan~♡" he hums in a sing-song tone. Just thinkibng about how the date will go makes him hug himself, shivering slightly. "Ah...I can't help myself." Tanaka is just too cute for him. To think that there was a girl resistant to his charm only made him more tempted to lure her into his trap. Yes, he thinks to himself. It'll be fun breaking down Tanaka's facade. As Tanaka leaves the gym with her mind muddled with thoughts on how to deal with Oikawa, she keeps thinking back to how his body felt overly warm against her own, how he didn't hesitate to wrap himself around her. Slowing her steps down, she touches her lip in the same place he did and she suddenly shouts out loud, scaring someone passing by. Two could play at the game. "I'll make sure to knock his ass off at how amazing this stupid date will go!"

Texts were exchanged and the weekend quickly arrived. Oikawa patiently waits in front of the dessert shop they'd agreed to meet at and plays on his phone until he feels a presence stop in front of him. Looking up he freezes at the sight before him. Tanaka's wearing a white tank top that isn't form-fitting, but it's snug enough that Oikawa gets a good look at the figure she usually covers under the school blazer. His eyes continue trailing down to the short denim shorts she's wearing and he subconsciously licks his lips at the sight of tanned, muscular legs completely on view. "Oi, eyes up here, asshole!" Tanaka is furiously blushing as she shoves Oikawa into the shop. "I thought you were supposed to be proving me wrong about you. Ya sure ain't doing a good job of it. Don't leer at girls, ya perv!" Oikawa chuckles as he shrugs his shoulders. "I can't help it, Tanaka-chan. You're just so beautiful and I never see you in anything other than our school uniform." Tanaka continues to rant and shove him forward, but her heart flutters at his praise.

"Y-Yeah?" she stutters slightly, running a hand through her hair and goes to look him up and down. He wore a simple short sleeve black shirt with the collar unbuttoned a bit with fitting jeans that showed off his athletic physique. His hair, like usual, was styled to curve at the side, framing his face. When he starts walking ahead of her, Tanaka rolls her eyes and replies curtly. "At least you don't look like a fashion disaster." It's a backhanded compliment but it is what she can muster in the moment.

"Was that a compliment. Tanaka-chan?" "Absolutely not!" She yells loudly and opts for smacking him upside his head. Oikawa merely laughs at her reaction before guiding her to the booth that he'd booked. "Ladies first," Oikawa almost purrs and Tanaka mumbles a “whatever” before plopping down on the cushion seat, sliding down to the end. She bristles a bit when Oikawa slides in right beside her, their arms touching. Oikawa holds up two menus in his hand with a small smile. "Who said you could sit next to me? Ya trying to get handsy under the table?"

Oikawa gasps dramatically. "How could you think so poorly of me, Tanaka-chan? I figured this was the easiest way to share our dessert. The portions here are too big for each of us to get our own, so I thought we could just sit next to each other and share one." Oikawa had a point...Tanaka's been here before and their ice cream floats are heavenly, but also overwhelmingly large. Plus it saved on money. "Fine! But I have my eyes on ya," she hisses at him as her hands rise in a karate chop form. Oikawa laughs and ruffles her long locks. "Have some faith in me." Tanaka flinches at the touch and moves to squeeze even further into the booth, but Oikawa just takes that as a cue to sprawl out and his thigh is now pressed up against her, his arm is spread out and resting on the booth behind her back, and she feels trapped.

Two could play at that game. Never one to back down from a challenge Tanaka retaliates. A bit aggressively, she spreads her legs as well, putting one on top of his own. Her lips pulled up into a smile of mockery when Oikawa cheeks puff up, a tinge of pink dusting them. Finally, she is gaining the upper hand of the situation, and after a few minutes passes she decides to strike up a conversation to see what the himbo was into besides volleyball.

"So what do you do besides play volleyball and sexually harass girls?" Oikawa shifts his gaze from the warm leg curled around his inner thigh.

"You might find it a bit silly, but Iwa-chan and I go out looking for UFOs and aliens a lot. Well, I'm looking for aliens and he's looking for Godzilla." There's a pause before Tanaka is letting out an ugly brash laugh. Embarrassed and irritated, Oikawa fully turns to her, his free hand gripping her bare thigh harshly as he leans forward until they're nose to nose. "It's not funny," he seethes at her. All amusement has flushed out of Tanaka and she lets out a whimper. Oikawa's grip is so tight and she's never been touched so high up her thigh before...so close to an area she doesn't want to think about.

Her thigh bucks a little in his tight hold and she freezes up, unable to think up an excuse for this predicament. "You're too close" she half whispers, pushing her back up against the wall. It does little to space herself from Oikawa who is leering over her with his eyes. "Oh? Is Tanaka-chan a bit nervous?" He squeezes his hand on her thigh, fingernails scraping against the fabric of her shorts and he moves closer till their noses touch. He can hear Tanaka breathing heavily and his eyes trail down to the pink lip gloss she decided to wear. Oikawa licks his hungrily before completing pulling off of her, the tension immediately leaving his face. "Kidding!"

Tanaka awkwardly laughs. Trying to get the ambiance back to where it was, she asks about the aliens and they proceed to exchange stories about aliens, her older sister, and her abysmal test grades. Just as they agree that it might be a good idea for Oikawa to tutor her in some of the subjects she's struggling with, their ice cream float arrives. Oikawa digs in first, scooping a generous spoonful of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on his spoon, but instead of eating it himself, he lifts it to Tanaka's mouth. "Open wide, Tanaka-chan!" Tanaka fights the instinctive urge to push his hand away from her and obediently opens her mouth as wide as it can go, eating the offered food. She is on a date and she did promise to show Oikawa that she could be as good on a date as any other girl.

Arousal stirs in Oikawa as he stares at her licking around her mouth, trying to clean up the spots of whipped cream that accidentally smudged her face and before he can even comprehend what he's doing, his thumb is wiping off the mess on her face and bringing the dirtied digit to his mouth. He sucks on it while staring into Tanaka's eyes. There's an unfamiliar coil in Tanaka's stomach as she watches Oikawa and she feels pinned to the spot by his gaze. Finger sufficiently licked clean, Oikawa smirks at Tanaka. "Tanaka-chan, you're so messy!" Tanaka splutters as she grabs her spoon and shoves it into the float. "You don't need to feed me. I can eat on my own!"

Oikawa watches the flustered girl shove the spoon into her mouth, eyes drawn to the little bump in her throat as she swallows the sweet treat. He can't help but laugh at her determination to prove herself to him, she is just far too adorable in her own right. Just as he is about to take a scoop of his own, Tanaka pokes his cheek for his attention. "Oi! Open your mouth." She wiggles the spoon full of ice cream in the air, waiting for him to eat it. When Oikawa gives her the same piercing look from earlier she returns it with a toothy grin, watching as he opens his mouth to lick the ice cream off the spoon. Tanaka watched as Oikawa's pink lips pulled off the spoon, his Adam's apple shuffling a bit as he swallowed.

"Ah!" He presses his hand to his cheek dramatically and Tanaka snorts at his antics. "Tanaka-chan feeding me this makes it sweeter!" Bemusement fills Oikawa's body as Tanaka shoves him a bit, laughing a bit too loudly at his corny joke. The girl couldn't help but feel her chest warm-up at the genuine laugh Oikawa gave her. It was nothing like during their matches. Shaking her head, she is unaware of the smile she wears. "Shut up and finish the food you himbo." And much to the second year's surprise, the date goes well.

They go on a few more dates, which also all go smoothly, but soon enough finals are around the corner, and Tanaka desperately needs to buckle down and study. Her coach had told her she might not be able to play volleyball anymore if she didn't pass the upcoming exams. The thought of not being able to do what she loved most has her frantically searching for any solution and she soon finds herself alone in her room with Oikawa as they hover over the multitude of textbooks and notes scattered all over her bedroom floor.

Oikawa and Tanaka are seated right next to each other as Tanaka intensely studies the papers in front of her and Oikawa leans over her, hovering right above her. But his attention is hardly on the text lying in front of them. Instead, he's focused on how small Tanaka seems underneath his hovering figure, the emptiness of her house (her parents and sister are conveniently away for the week on some business trip or other obligations), and how naive and trusting she is of the predator she's let into her room.

It was slightly embarrassing when she had asked Oikawa to help her study, he gave her shit for asking and she had to smack him upside the head again before he childishly accepted her request. Now she sat on the floor of her room in a loose white tank top and some basketball shorts, unaware of how Oikawa's eyes leered at the dip between her chest. The sound of the pencil scribbling in her notebook was the only noise in the silent room. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she fills in the blank equation.

"That's wrong Ryu-chan~" he plucks her pencil from her hands before erasing the equation and explaining where she went wrong with the calculation. The male felt his chest stutter when she punched her hand in realization. "Got it, thanks!" She plucks the pencil from his fingers, the male silently enjoying when their fingers meet. As she tries the formula again she pushes her hair back. "Oi. Can you get scrunchie from the drawer over there? Hair is driving me nuts," she asked, her eyes never drifting away from the notebook. It seems like she started trusting Oikawa a bit more after seeing how kind he was when they were alone.

Oikawa retrieves the scrunchie and settles behind Tanaka. "Let me tie your hair for you, Tanaka-chan. Focus on studying." Tanaka's focus is still on the notes in front of her and she just vaguely nods in agreement. Oikawa tangles his hand in her dyed locks, pulling and brushing the strands together. He uses more force than necessary as he grabs her hair from the roots, pulling Tanaka's head back with his motion and he feels his cock twitch at the guttural moan she releases at the harsh action. "Sorry, sorry! I'm not used to this," he quickly chirps out as he continues tying Tanaka's long locks into a ponytail. She just grunts in acknowledgment as she continues to study. Oikawa smirks at his work and he clenches his jaw at the thought of how easily he could control her movement with just a harsh tug on the long ponytail swaying back and forth with every nod and shake of Tanaka's head.

Silence falls over the two of them and unconsciously Tanaka begins to lean into Oikawa touch, his fingers grazing her scalp soothingly. She didn't realize that she was practically sitting in his lap. Watching silently, he coils her dyed locks around his fingers, pressing himself against her to smell the conditioner she used earlier. The older of the two couldn't help but wonder if Tanaka knew what she was doing to him or if she was that dumb to let him get so close. But it didn't matter.

"Mm...how's this?" When she twists her body to look up at her tutor, Oikawa could see right down her shirt, see how her chest is pushed together by the bra she wears, her face pretty close to him. Her eyes trail down to where he was staring and she started to raise her voice out of annoyance. "H-Hey." Upon realization of how close they are, she starts to pull herself away until the grip on her hair tightens. "Oikawa let go of my-" she grunts when he tugs her down into his lap, her eyes widening when she feels something long and warm pressing against her backside.

Oikawa hisses at the feeling of Tanaka unconsciously rubbing against his dick. He shifts her in his arms until she's fully grinding against the throbbing erection straining against his pants. His hands have snuck beneath the loose white tank top she's wearing and they are rolling, flicking, twisting, and pulling the sensitive nubs. Tanaka can't help but throw her head back against Oikawa's shoulder as she lewdly moans at the sensations she's feeling for the first time in her life. "St-stop, p- please- NGH-" She's never been with a man before and the foreign feeling she's experiencing in her core and sensitive nubs has her at Oikawa's mercy. Tears begin to brim in her eyes, but she can't deny the pleasure she feels as she bounces on the hardening shape of Oikawa's groin.

Oikawa purrs at how Tanaka's hips move against his erection. It’s amazing how warm she is against him. If he didn't know any better he would have thought they were already naked. "Oh..." he almost sounds sad when Tanaka starts to beg him to stop his ministrations. He lowers his head a bit to run his pink tongue against the edge of her ear, noting how she freezes up. She is so sensitive, thinks Oikawa.

"But Ryu-chan you're sending mixed signals. Are you sure you want me to stop?" He rolls his thumb around her hardened nipples, pinching as hard as he could. The groan Tanaka gives him almost makes him lose himself but he keeps it together. He waited far too long for this. "Just look at you Ryu-," he pauses to place a hand on the back of her shirt, pushing her back out till she arches. "Even when I do push you away you're still grinding against me. Do you know what that means? Hmm?"

Tanaka is unable to respond coherently with her mouth wide open, drool trickling out the side as her hips continue desperately shaking for more contact. "It means you want this...you love this, you pretty little slut. My pretty little slut . No one's ever made you feel like this before. Who's the only one who can make you feel like this?" Tanaka doesn't answer, too overwhelmed by the new feelings of lust and arousal rising inside her. Oikawa roughly pulls her head back with a harsh tug on her swinging ponytail. "Answer me," he snarls. "Y-you! Only you can make me feel like this," Tanaka practically wails. Oikawa smiles and with the hand not twisted in Tanaka's hair, he begins to push down her basketball shorts and panties along with his pants and boxers, his cock springing out. He slips himself between Tanaka, allowing her dripping pussy to soak his hard length with her juices.

Each touch and grasp from Oikawa feels like electricity running through her body. Never had she felt like this. Confusion is the first thing that came to her when she answered Oikawa. Did she truly want this? She lets out another wanton moan when he pressed his index finger just above her clit. Although her mind is beginning to muddle from hypersensitivity, she manages to place a hand on Oikawa's cock, squeezing to the point that it becomes painful. She smirks a bit when she hears him grunt in pain. "G-Get off!" She hisses lowly. She should've never trusted the bastard. The grip on her hair tightens and she holds back a groan, eager to get some footing and probably beat the shit out of him.

Oikawa is enraged at Tanaka's retaliation. "You fucking bitch!" He wraps both his hands around her throat, choking her with an increasingly tightening grip until Tanaka's hands release their hold on him and claw at the vice around her neck. Oikawa throws her down to the ground, one hand still firmly gripping her throat while the other hand works to completely remove all their clothing waist down. Tanaka continues her attack on Oikawa's hand, lashing out and leaving behind trails of scratch marks as she fights to breathe. Her legs attempt to kick him off of her, but Oikawa digs his knees into her sensitive inner thighs, effectively pinning her down painfully.

She screams out in rage, coughing due to her currently limited air supply. Oikawa hovering over her with such tenacity in his eyes is enough to make her keep jerking around in his hold. With a free hand, she claws at his cheek, eyes narrowed into slits. "T-The only bitch here is you!" She manages to growl out, her lips pursing together before she spits in his left eye. The sudden attack makes Oikawa loosen his grip around her neck and Tanaka's hand desperately scrambles against the floor for anything to use as leverage. She pauses when her fingertips come in contact with the math textbook from earlier and quickly she grips it, slamming it across Oikawa's head. The sound of the book colliding with Oikawa's head, him yelling out her name- the way he now lays on the floor with a venomous glare directed at her makes her stomach churn with disgust and something else she didn't want to admit. With no time to waste she scoots herself away from the teen, her bedroom door just inches away. "F-Fuck!" she cusses.

She doesn't care that she's currently half-naked. She doesn't care that she probably looks like a mess. All she cares about is escaping. All she cares about is making it out of the house where she can scream for help. She lunges for her bedroom door and her fingers graze the knob when a strong force slams her into the ground. Dazed from the impact, but still fueled by instincts, she blindly flails around in an attempt to dislodge the heavier figure on top of her. Oikawa grabs her by the base of her ponytail and slams her face into the ground and Tanaka moans in pain, but he doesn't let up his actions and continues to repeatedly slam her face into the hard ground until her nose is a bleeding mess and she is sobbing, all fight gone from her as she tries to curl in on herself and begs him to stop. She just wants the pain to stop. She just wants everything to stop.

He breathes heavily as he pushes her head once more into the cold, desolate floor for the proper measure. Just this action alone was enough for Tanaka to realize that something terrible would happen to her. And it's all her fault. As she curled up, cries dripping incredulously off her now bruised lips she feels a large warm hand encompass her face. Her body is aching, her head mostly, but Oikawa twists her upper part till she is looking him directly in the eye. The scratch from earlier is now welting on his cheek, the same for the ones littered on his arms. Oikawa stares down at her with eyes once filled with warmth, now burning with lust and anger.

"Ryu-chan...I can call you that right? It doesn't matter. Look what you made me do to your pretty face." His voice no longer held a playful tone, instead replaced with a flat and stoic tone. He trails a milky white finger down her bruising cheek, her eyes following him, before moving it to where blood drips from her. He visibly shudders as he admires how her blood looked on his fingers. Absolutely dazzling. "Ryu-chan. Ryu-chan. Hey, look at me." When her eyes, now wet with tears, connect with his, he smiles. "Do you think you can behave for me?"

Tanaka rapidly nods her head and Oikawa leans down to gently kiss her on the lips despite the blood still flowing down her face into their connected mouths. "Good girl, Ryu-chan. I can make you feel so good. You don't want to feel pain anymore, right?" He continues cooing gentle words into her ear as he guides her body until she's laying on her back underneath him. Tears still stream from Tanaka's eyes as she lets Oikawa position her as he pleases. Anything to keep him from hurting her anymore. Oikawa continues to softly kiss her as his fingers begin trailing all over her body leaving tingling sensations in their wake. And oh...this does feel nice and Tanaka closes her eyes as she enjoys the soothing sensations. Unseen by her, Oikawa smirks as he feels the tension exit her body and he almost moans in excitement when she hesitantly reciprocates the kiss. "That's right, Ryu-chan. Look at how good I can make you feel when you behave. I don't like hurting you, so just listen to me ok."

She looks up at him slightly dazed and frowns a bit at his words before carefully nodding. Her head is still hurting from the abuse inflicted by Oikawa and it is evident that if nothing went his way she would feel the physical aftermath of it. She watches as Oikawa runs his hands against her waist, thumbs jutting out to rub circles just under her stomach. A soft moan makes Oikawa continue his ministrations, fingers gliding across her body with skill. He is the grandmaster and she is the piano to be tuned to his liking. When he lifts her thighs apart, minding the blue welts he is happy to see that her pussy is indeed glistening with arousal. "Oh...just look at you." He shakes his head in disbelief. He looks at her with pity which makes her slightly annoyed and tempted to say something back. He coos. "You're a virgin. Aren't you?"

Tanaka flushes. "Y-yeah. So what?!" Oikawa smiles and lightly kisses a trail down her inner thigh until his face is directly in front of the dripping hole and teasingly blows. "H-HEY! Stop that! That's nasty. Get your face away from there." Tanaka reaches down to shove Oikawa away, but a bruising grip on her wrist makes her wince. "What did I just say about behaving?" Oikawa's voice is all venom and it makes Tanaka's bruises and wounds throb. She chokes back a sob as she lays back down, fingers clenched so tightly in a fist that the nails dig into her skin. Oikawa presses one last kiss to her inner thigh in approval at her obedience before ravenously devouring her soaked cunt.

She wasn't ready for how the flat of his tongue would feel against her folds, the bumps of his tastebuds creating amazing friction and she nearly keens. A broken high pitch moan is pushed out of her as she feels Oikawa's tongue getting busy. It is amazing how the warmth of his tongue is enough to make any tension in her body just disappear. Tanaka finds herself torn between wanting to push Oikawa off or letting him continue. She raises a hand to do the former but drops it when the volleyball player sucks on her clitoris, her thighs squeezing his head on both sides. "F-Fuck...stop it, man..." She is so lost and confused in the sea of lust and pain. Oikawa merely watches Tanaka's expression, enjoying how she struggles to fight off the inevitable. She starts to squirm when he begins talking against her folds. "You taste good Ryu-chan~ This must be fate. It has to be."

"Ah...fuck off ya little shit…," she all but groans out, her free hand covering her now flushed and humiliated face.

Something is growing in the pit of her stomach and Tanka pales. Shit, she's about to cum. No, no, no she doesn't want to cum...not in front of Oikawa and definitely not because of Oikawa. "Oi, st-stop it...It's too much..." She moves to push him away again, but Oikawa just grabs both her wrists in his hands as he continues his ministrations. He can feel her body tensing more and more and he can feel her pussy twitching...just a little more...he sucks harshly on her clit and that's all it takes for Tanaka 's spine to arch, her mouth to fling wide open in a silent scream, and her eyes to roll back as she orgasms.

But Oikawa doesn't relent and he continues to lick and suck, making lewd slurping noises as Tanaka writhes and screams in overstimulation. "Th-AH-that's enough. Pl-please -OH- no more! Please, please, please...." Tanaka's words start making less and less sense as Oikawa continues his assault. Only when Tanaka is in tears does Oikawa give one last suck to her throbbing clit and move away as he positions himself so that his cock aligns with her soaked hole.

Her legs are slack from her first orgasm and more so from the overstimulation. All her senses are on high alert as she gasps for air. Although she was already crying beforehand it was nothing compared to how she is sobbing now. Tears stream down her now extremely red face as she weakly tries to push Oikawa away from her leg. His erection looks far too intimidating and the worst part is that it’s going to go into her. "O-Oikawa...wait!" She weakly pushes herself against the back of the door to sit upright before giving him a small smile. "Can you...can you..." she looks away before gently caressing his hand. Tanaka exhales “It's my first time." She prays this will work. "I have some condoms and lube in my top drawer." Oikawa studies her face carefully with an unreadable expression and watches as she struggles to crawl close to him. The stutter in her words is evident, but she refuses to go down without a fight. This is her last chance. "Can ya get them for me? If we're gonna do this, we'll do it right." The drawer is only a few feet away from Oikawa.

Oikawa smiles and gently brings her in for another kiss. "Of course, Ryu-chan. I'll make sure your first time is perfect." He gets up and the instant his back is to her, she once again lunges for the bedroom door and this time successfully escapes. Oikawa's angry screams have her trembling legs moving even faster as she rushes to the outside door. She's so close, but fear ignites within her as she hears his heavier footsteps drawing closer and closer to her. Her hand is just about to unlock the front door when strong arms wrap themselves around her waist and spin her around. Any gentleness Oikawa had shown earlier is gone and all that remained was the fury in his eyes.

He brings his hand up and strikes her across the face so hard that she finds herself on the floor cradling her bruised cheek, but Oikawa's not done with his punishment. He cruelly kicks her in the gut and she gasps as she curls in on herself clutching the abused part. She's still coming to grips with all the pain when she feels a weight on her head. Oikawa is pressing her face into the ground with his foot and Tanaka sobs in humiliation. "You're being such a bad girl, Ryu-chan. Brats don't deserve nice things. You lost any chance of this being pleasant for you. But if you learn to behave, maybe next time will be better for you." Tanaka freezes at his words. "Next time? There's not going to be a next time, you sick fuck!" Oikawa presses his foot even harder into her face which silences her. "You still don't get it, Ryu-chan? Of course, there's going to be a next time. And there'll be the next time after that and on and on. This isn't just a one-time thing. This is your life now."

No. No. He couldn't be serious right? This had to be a dream. It had to. She wanted it to be a dream so badly, but the foot pressed into her face is indeed the reality of her situation. She grits her teeth in pain when he applies more pressure to her now bruised face and curls up more, cradling her aching stomach. She feels so powerless in this position, nothing she does will stop Oikawa and now it is dawning on her that his words are final. Oikawa pauses when he feels the edge of Tanaka's lips move.

"Speak up, Ryu-chan." She whispers just audibly enough for him to hear. "You're gonna rape me...you lied." Her eyes trail up to the now disheveled Oikawa. Just like her he only had a top on, but disgustingly enough his erection is awake. He is getting off to this, she figures. "You're a liar. I thought you would prove me wrong." She exhales deeply before pushing his foot off her face. The ponytail he made had come undone and Tanaka’s hair falls into her face, casting a looming shadow. Oikawa's eyes widen at the sudden display of intimidation. Even after being beaten up Tanaka still had the strength to talk back, to even glare at him. He watches stiffly as Tanaka weakly claws at his leg, nails sinking deep into his calves that would later leave red crescent marks. She is so beautiful.

"Ryuunosuke..." He breathes her name and he bends down to make eye contact with her, eyes staring deep into ones that reflect hatred. "This is why I like you." He places a hand in her hair, patting it gently before his grip tightens. "And now I'm going to show you. Whether you like it or not." He needs this, he waited far too long. Oikawa stands, enjoying the screams of pain and how Tanaka's body sounds being dragged on the wooden floor. There is a pink blush on his face, he is ecstatic.

He drags her back to her bedroom where he tosses her onto the bed and pins her down with his legs as he strips his shirt off. Now completely naked he reaches down to also remove Tanaka's tank top, but Tanaka uses her still free arms to stop him. Irritated, Oikawa backhands her across the face so hard her nose begins to bleed again and Tanaka lets him remove her top without any more fuss. "Ryu-chan, I really do hate hurting you." Oikawa is tenderly stroking her face, but there's only hunger in his gaze. He does hate hurting her, but he loves the way she looks painted red...Oikawa once again lines himself up with Tanaka's now dry pussy, but he could care less as he shoves his entire length into her, relishing in how tight she feels around him. "Fuck, Ryu-chan. You're so tight, so perfect. It's like you were made for me." He continues his sickening train of praise, but Tanaka isn't paying attention as she screams in pain from the forced intrusion. "Oikawa, stop! You're too big. Take it out. Please take it out!" But Oikawa is only spurred on by the desperate tone in her voice and he begins roughly thrusting into her at a rapid pace, his hands gripping her waist so tight she's sure to have finger-shaped bruises there afterward.

As soon as he thrusts into her for the first time, there is no joy. There isn’t anyone whispering in her ear lovingly like the stories her friends told her, there isn't any pause for her to adjust. Nothing feels good. He is too big for her tight snatch and the forceful intrusion leaves her feeling raw and disgusting. Her screams won’t reach anyone and she cries out Oikawa's name when the friction from his thrust hits her hymen. She didn't think she had any more tears, but they start to stream down her face, mixing with the blood as Oikawa takes her virginity. "I hate you...hate you so much." But Oikawa doesn’t hear, his mind is elsewhere in a frenzy, enjoying the tightness of her pussy, how she starts to bleed on his cock. She hates his pathetic face, it’s all she can look at. Her stomach starts to coil in familiarity and she releases a choked moan when he lowers his lips to her perky tits.

Oikawa continues his relentless pace as he takes a hardening nipple into his mouth and rolls the other in between his dexterous fingers. Tanaka hates herself for the way she starts to moan and how her pussy begins to coat itself with lubrication, but Oikawa's been around and he knows exactly what he's doing. She doesn't stand a chance as he continues sucking and twisting her sensitive nubs and...fuck...her eyes widen when Oikawa's cock drags across something inside of her. Oikawa smirks and aims for that same spongy spot over and over again. "Wha-what are you doing? St-stop that. Ah! Pl-please stop it." It's an unfamiliar pleasure for Tanaka and she wants to die from humiliation. How could she be feeling so good while she's being raped? How could she be feeling so good while Oikawa is using her as nothing but a sex toy to get off in? But the pleasure is so new to her that she can't help it as her cunt begins to tighten and she's reaching a peak higher than anything she's felt before.

"That's it, Ryu-chan. I want you to fall apart because of me. Come on. Cum for me." Oikawa uses his free hand to furiously rub her neglected clit and it's the combination of every one of her sensitive spots being stimulated at the same time that brings Tanaka to an overwhelmingly strong climax. Oikawa releases an animalistic growl as he plunges even faster and harder into her tight quivering walls. "Fuck, your pussy is squeezing so hard on me. It's like it doesn't want to ever let me go." All it takes is a few more thrusts and Oikawa is releasing his seed deep inside of her while he forces her to look him in the eyes.

Her mouth falls open in a silent scream, drool falling as she arches, squirting all over Oikawa’s cock. Everything leaves her feeling tingly inside and the feeling of being overstimulated starts to become unbearable as Oikawa chases for his release. Her eyes threaten to close but Oikawa's hand on her face makes her stay awake. It is strange how she finds his face so handsome, even as he is raping her. He is concentrating on her and only her. It mean someone likes her...right? The thought disappears as she grunts when she feels the hot sliminess of his seed filling her womb and silently thanks her sister for tossing a bottle of pills her way a few weeks beforehand. A silence falls on the two of them and Tanaka stares up at Oikawa with an unreadable expression. It was over right? He would finally leave her alone and never show his face. That's what she wanted to believe, but in the back of her head, all she wants is to kiss him. Her eyes trail to his now bruised lips and they linger there until Oikawa moves closer.

"Ryu-chan." She looks away from him.

Oikawa gently but firmly turns Tanaka's face towards him. She wants to hate him, she does, but she swears she sees a glimmer of affection in his chocolate-brown gaze, and that sets her heart aflutter. He’s so handsome and he made her feel so good...Her thoughts trail off when she feels his lips gently kissing her and she sinks into it. All she knows and feels is love for the brunette who’s caressing her. Oikawa smiles as he feels Tanaka wrap her arms around the back of his neck as she returns the kiss. “Ryu-chan, you’ll be mine, right?” Something deep inside of Tanaka makes her pause at his words and she hesitates, but then Oikawa is kissing her gently again and looking at her with such tenderness that she finds herself saying yes...and she means it. Yes, she loves Oikawa. He’ll take care of her. He’ll make her feel good. And with that last thought, she falls completely into his embrace.

@watermelonsugawara @thisisthehardestthing

[grim-faux]

2_2 _ A Stroll Through the Valley

First

  The kitchen received another thorough examination. It was the same as the countless other times he rifled through, prying open cabinet doors and ducking in to check the same drab contents. Boxes and filmy plastic containers, overpowered by the stale odor of discarded refuse. He thought again, perhaps he should try climbing onto the counter and risk checking those cabinets. He wrinkled his nose at the thought and scratched the back of his head. Hurt.

  He went into the empty pantry and spun around, his coat tail slapped against his knees. The food closet was empty, but it had a dark corner he should be mindful and check. One day the corner might disappear, and a dark, ugly thing would crawl along the floor. Rolling and swollen, blinking at the dull light.

  Static buzzed within the narrow space, but he ignored it. He pulled up onto the lowest shelf and crouched there, trying to decide if it was a good idea to try for the next shelf. They seemed sturdy, he could reach the next platform with his fingertips, but would he be able to pull his body up?

  “Mono.”

  He kicked his legs and tried to heft himself higher. And also, look across his arm to see the figure peering in the doorway. The Thin Man was hunched over, giving him a look. Probably thought he was being a dolt. With some effort he got one arm over the side of the shelf and used it to leverage the rest of his body up, and get a leg fully over the surface. He kicked his coat tail out of the way, or he’d risk sliding over its surface and to the floor.

  “We’re leaving.”

  “Leave,” he echoed.

  “We. You will come.”

  “Look,” he insisted, quietly. He didn’t like being confined in the pantry, with the Thin Man blocking his exit. He shuffled toward the wall, crouched low and hugging his knees. “Danger.”

  The Thin Man gestured the floor. “Then come. Stay with. No more to look. Leave.” He eased back, and the oppressive layer of static diluted.

  It sounded all right, to leave. It was the preferred plan, Mono mused. Before he was incapable of escape at all, and all the foods gone, and he would have to say farewell to the treasures he didn't know, nor wanted. This place was bad, it hurt. It made him hurt constantly - not like the Tower - but it wanted to be a Tower. But still, go while still hurt and the foods collected, was not good either. The Thin Man planned leave so Mono would escape. He wasn't sure if he could play the game the way the Thin Man did. He wouldn't figure this out, sitting in a closet.

  Mono scooted to the edge of the shelf and let himself down. Outside the door, the Thin Man was waiting. When the tall figure observed his emergence, he pivoted and ventured from the kitchen.

   “I don’t know where we will arrive, and have no plans to return here,” he stated. “If there is anything you feel you need, take now.” He situated himself at the entry and addressed the child, with a slight tilt of his hat.

  Mono looked from the Thin Man and then to the shut door, debating. Everything important he carried, his hats and everything. Oh, there was something. He went over to the end table and climbed up, to where the man in the hat left foods. He packed some of his favorite bits into his coat pockets, and a chewed away a few more scraps to curb some of his stomach ache.

  With this task shuffled away, he plopped to the floor and inched towards the Thin Man. Without a word, the tall figure took the handle and swept through the unfairly short doorframe. And Mono followed, feeling an odd sense of vivid familiarity with the scenario.

  Except this time, he was having a difficult trial of carrying after the Thin Man in the corridor. He's never turned the corner at the end, never ventured through the gloomy depths of this unknown. The resolve never existed, the dull lightening and the warped walls intimidating. Everything in the passage was massive, looming - the further he traversed, the smaller and smaller he became.

  The Thin Man waited when he stopped moving. Hat downcast, only his chin and the bright collar of his shirt visible - his outline intermingled with the shrouded fringes of the infinite void. "Come. Safe," the static whirred. Then, he was moving again. 

  This time, Mono hurried his steps after the man in the hat. And this time, the figure didn't flitter beyond reach or disappear.

  Eventually, the Thin Man led the way to an elevator in one secluded corridor. The door creaked open upon his approach, and in a flash and a whirr, he was within the lit interior. Only his legs visible.

  Outside, Mono dithered and paced side-to-side, checking the intercepting corridor one way, then the other way for potential dangers. Where should go? An open door was visible, not far from his point. If the Thin Man activated the elevator, he could hop onto the top and ride it down—

  “I’m waiting.”

  The scratchy tenure startled him. Mono inched back, confused and suspicious. He didn't know why. The metal door to much like the cages, and being confined in a space with the Thin Man didn't settle well with him. Odd as that was. There was no reason to be fearful now. 

  The Thin Man bent over, to see the child. “No stay. Come. Here. Here.” He indicator the floor, beside him.

  Mono crept into the lift, bypassing the threshold. Once he was positioned by the Thin Man’s fine shoes, the lift activated and dipped. Throughout the carriage the lights flickered, as the cables bumped and hitched above. Mono still didn’t like the sensation, but he managed not to fidget around too much. When the cage dipped to the final floor and the doors squealed wide, he wasted no time in darting out and grapple with the air. Heavy and choking.

  Where? He raised his head and examined the floor through, listening for shuffling feet or broken, distorted voices. The lift was loud, something would come. He withdrew to the doorway, eyes sifting at through vibrating shadows. Crushed furniture and a portion of the buildings interior overtook the ruptured floor, but his eyes hadn’t adjusted enough to see hollowed spaces. Gaps, a crack in the wall, or a hallowed out television - anywhere to hide if something came lumbering around, unexpected. 

  The dull thrum of static rolled from the elevator as the Thin Man paced by. Mono chewed his lip as he edged away. After a few of his short methodical steps, the Thin Man stopped and looked back. He made a short gesture with his hand.

  Mono tugged his hand up to his mouth and chewed on the bandage. It would hurt. But he learned not to be disappointed.

  “M'… follow?” he crooned, softer than the lashing rain outside.

  The Thin Man tipped his hat down. “Yes.” Then, resumed his path.

  It was still a challenge for Mono to detach himself from the digging frame of the elevator, where he pressed his back. His skin bristled and his muscles remained locked, painfully. All of this, he was uncertain why. Not even the thought of moving independent and dismissed from the idea of following the man in the hat, could overturn his reservation. The Thin Man wouldn’t stop, and he would be left. He wanted to escape anyway, but he was repelled to moving. Repelled from the world he watched from afar, dreaming of all the places he should go. The safety he should seek among the turbulence of warped, shattered fiends. He didn't want to languish in a corner, waiting for something obscene to stumble upon him.

  With some effort, he managed to scoot his feet across the damp floor. After more coaxing and the dread of being lost and exposed, where unknown creatures lurked, he was able to get his legs moving along quickly. He stumbled somewhat, his weight unfamiliar and the texture of the hard floor strange since however long he spent on ratty carpet.

  To his surprise, the Thin Man was waiting outside the collapsing entrance, holding the only viable door open a crack. His gaze was cast off, likely surveying the streets laced by endless threads of drizzle. Mono slipped through the opening and went across the sidewalk, to stand out on the side of the road. He was getting soaked already. With one a swift motion, he reached under his coat and slipped out a hat.

  When the roll of static began to subside from his nerves, Mono looked over and observed the Thin Man walking away. He continued to explore with his eyes, taking stock of his surroundings and some of the unfamiliar landmarks. The loathsome gurgle of a Viewer croaked out, but that could be from anywhere the way sounds carried in the soft weather. Further to his left, he spied an opening between two buildings which might’ve been an alley – if not for the side of one structure being completely decimated. The air carried the thick film of grease and oils, the lights pellets slipped a soft whisper through his ears. These things are familiar, he knows this place. This is where he lived.

  Turning back around, he saw that the Thin Man had paused in his stroll and was just watching him. Mono tipped his head and took a step back. Was flee now? Time for run?

  Rather give chase, the Thin Man pivoted and resumed his walk. Indifferent, casual, unhurried, and in the open without a care.

  Okay.

  Mono walked after him, his steps carried swiftly on the cold pavement. He hopped onto the sidewalk and hastened his pace, the footfalls noiseless under the sharp clack of the man in the hat's rythmic stride. The Thin Man did not move with haste, but he had a stride that stole distance without meaning to. The voice made him stall, when the Thin Man spoke:

  “I didn’t ask where you wanted to go.”

  Go?

  Mono thought to ask a question, but he wasn’t ready for the response. He strayed a safe distance from the Thin Man, now that it was an option. He was in the mood for space. Even if the tower of an adult blotted out some of the wind sheer and mist.

  First glancing for movement weaving among the mist, he hummed, "Not." He didn’t think the Thin Man heard him through the sweep of drizzle, but the figure glanced back.

  “Not? Nowhere?”

  That was the short of it. He did have somewhere he wanted to go, somewhere far away. Not until later. If Mono was to go anywhere, there had to be intent and a gain from it. Scouting was always a priority, to know the area and know the threats. Eats and foods came thereafter, the task stumbled upon if not sought directly, and harder still to manage. But to go anywhere without a reason, a very good reason, invited despair and dangerous risks.

  “Foods?” He prodded at his coat, hoping the water didn’t sleet too much down his collar and spread through his undershirt. Taunting was anticipated, but not the soft agreement.

  “Foods then. I will show where we find.”

  It didn’t invigorate Mono with much elation or optimism, though if he knew of a place or more that held foods he would be okay. He didn’t know where the Thin Man took foods from, but he clearly had a simple time of it. The loss of the food from the building was sad, but it was done now. He didn't leave completely empty handed.

  Despite how the water soaked his coat and the way the breeze chiseled his face, it felt right to be back out in the weather and on the street. He would rather be curled up and dry in some dusty crawlspace anywhere, but for some reason he missed the oppressive weather. And the Thin Man. At least for the time, he knew where the Thin Man was. For a short time, he wouldn't follow the tall thin man in the hat. He would chase him.

Next

[kuno-chan]

Sides of the Moon - Ch. 25, The Loyalties of Old Friends

Summary: Runaan and his team of assassins discovers that Rayla has defied him. Again. But when they find her, she’s bleeding out in the woods with precious cargo under her arm and face to face with the princes of Katolis running away from their own castle. They find that, upon this meeting, the die has already been cast.

Rating: T

–

Please consider reviewing on AO3

–

The caldera was strange, but the illusions were stranger still. Claudia wasn't deterred.

Once they'd realized the illusions were just that, nothing stopped her march to the summit. The trek took a day, maybe more, but getting to the top was more than worth it. An elven settlement. Here, in the human kingdoms, no less.

No elves, apparently. She gestured for Soren to follow. If the princes were here, they had to locate and dispose of the elves, quietly.

-:-:-:-

Hugging Callum was the highlight of her night; even if things weren't entirely fixed between them it put Rayla a little at ease. That trust would need to be rebuilt. Or maybe she was overthinking.

Callum held her hand and squeezed it. "You should go to bed."

Rayla rolled her eyes. "Oh? Since when were you in charge of my sleep schedule?"

"Since you were out here all day. Don't you think you should sleep?"

"No, actually," she said. "I'm going to patrol the perimeter for a while. Then, maybe I can go to sleep. You, on the other hand, should get some rest. You humans seem to love it so much, you sleep in every morning."

Callum laughed. She smiled. He said, "Not everybody can get out of bed at five in the morning. Are you saying all elves are up that early?

She thought about it. "... not all of us, I suppose."

"See?" he said, pleased with himself.

Too pleased with himself. She pushed him along. "Yeah, yeah, off to bed with you." Her voice softened. "I'll see you in the morning."

He paused. She almost asked him what was wrong, but he gave her a hug before leaving. Callum didn't say another goodnight to her, but he held her for a second longer than usual.

She didn't even hug him back before he left her standing there.

Strange, this human. Even if she considered him her favorite human. Tied with Ez, maybe.

The half-moon was high in the sky and she ventured that not all of the team were asleep. She hoped Runaan, at least, was resting because he needed to. Meditation was... fine, but he needed actual sleep. If she found him awake, she might have to enlist Andromeda's help to persuade him. Even Callisto.

Maybe Callum had a point about needing some rest if she got any of her habits from Runaan.

She was willing to bet on it. Hoped, anyway.

Walking the stone path, Rayla kept her ears and eyes open for any disturbances. She walked along, letting the moonlight ease her nervous heart. She was no fool to think Callum was entirely over the assassin issue. Not that she blamed him.

Sometimes, she questioned it as well.

Focus, she ordered herself.

She righted her mind onto the task at hand. A patrol was hardly useful if she wasn't listening for intruders who could slip by her.

The Nexus, she had to admit, made her miss home. It had all the hallmarks of Moonshadow architecture and the nuances the human towns and kingdoms simply didn't. They were different and they weren't home.

Sounds of home hummed in her mind.

Sweet music of The Silvergrove.

Rayla grew sleepy.

And sleepier still.

Her body drooped and her mind lit up just long enough to grab a rose and prick the thorn on her thumb before she collapsed to the ground.

Then, the voices. Two of them. The voices and the thorn embedded in her thumb stirred her. She roused from her sleep, but kept her eyes closed.

"... if we kill her and somebody finds her, they'll know we're here."

"Then, we hide the body. Soren, c'mon. Kill her. She's a Moonshadow elf. Are you honestly having second thoughts, now?"

"Claudia, I've never fought someone who's asleep like this. It feels like-- like I'm cheating, okay?"

Claudia hissed. "Cheating? We have to rescue the princes. This was even your idea--"

"To rescue the princes. Not kill the elves as soon as we got here."

"I saw an opportunity. How else are we supposed to search the grounds if--"

Rayla heard enough. She swept Soren off of his feet, then pointed her swords at Claudia.

Right. The Dark Mage's daughter.

She approached Claudia, ignoring the fear in her eyes and paying more attention to whether she would fight or fly. Rayla didn't forget the soldier. Soren picked himself up off the ground and unsheathed his sword. Cornered by two enemies, Rayla pointed a sword at each of them.

She thought of the bigger threat. On another day, in another time, she would leap for Soren and go toe to toe with him. She would let Claudia be. Claudia's fear would be enough to stay her.

Rayla leapt for Claudia.

Warrior or no, the girl used dark magic and more dark magic was the last thing any of them needed. A sword only did so many things, but Xadia only knew what the girl had in her bag of tricks.

Immediately, the boy tackled Rayla. She threw him off. He rolled.

The girl was rifling through her bag. Rayla charged her, throwing her sword in her direction. Soren interceded and jumped between her and Claudia. He smacked Rayla's sword away. Rayla caught it.

Alright, then. The boy first. Rayla and Soren circled each other, both of them with an eye on Claudia.

If Rayla couldn't stop her from performing dark magic, she could at least dodge. The thought of whatever macabre thing being cooked up made Rayla's stomach churn.

Soren jumped first. He leapt, Rayla dodged and came back with her own attack. He parried her and she moved out of the way. Leaping around him, she went straight for Claudia.

Rayla tackled Claudia to the ground. Whatever it was -- a paw, Rayla realized -- Claudia dropped it on the ground as the girls tousled, Rayla raised her sword--

Claudia screamed--

--and cut the bag from Claudia's body.

Soren roared and charged Rayla. He lifted Rayla off of Claudia. Rayla elbowed him and he let her go. She put distance between them, panting.

Rayla braced herself for another round. Her only saving grace was that Claudia was not apparently a warrior. She wouldn't fight like one. That was an advantage and a disadvantage.

Soren, closed in on her with his sword. Claudia picked up something from her bag and--

"Wait!"

Rayla's eyes widened. She twirled around. Callum ran at breakneck speed to come between them. His back to Rayla, he said to them all. " Stop fighting. Soren, Claudia, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad you're here, but--"

"It's okay, Callum," Claudia said, raising her -- it was a severed paw. Rayla was going to be sick. "We're here to rescue you."

"Wait, you guys don't understand. I don't even understand--"

Soren flexed his grip on his sword. "It'll all make sense once we're done here. Just get out of the way, okay, step-prince? And then we can take you home."

Something in Rayla spiked, but Callum extended his arms out and backed up into Rayla. "What? No."

"Don't worry. I know a good spell that will have her off our backs for good."

Rayla leaped at them, but Callum caught her around the waist with everything he had, whirling her in a circle and holding her against him with both his arms. "Everybody, wait a minute."

As if on cue, the trees rustled.

Andromeda dropped first. Then, Callisto. Then, Ram and Skor.

Finally, Runaan stalked from the shadows, into the moonlight.

They all had their weapons out. Ram and Skor were behind Claudia and Soren.

"You again?" Andromeda sneered.

"They're my friends," Callum answered. "I grew up with them-- please, can we all just wait a minute and figure out what's going on."

"Make it quick," Callisto said, his knives ready.

Callum looked at Soren and Claudia with a meaningful face.

"We're here for you," Claudia said finally. Gently. "You and Ezran."

"Claudia, I ran away. Remember? Why would I go back?" He demanded. "Your dad wanted to kill me."

"My dad's only doing what's best for us. All of us. I'm sure we can convince him that you and Ezran are okay. He's just... confused. It's a misunderstanding."

Callum held Rayla tighter. She said what he wanted to. "He killed Callum's stepdad. How is that a misunderstanding?"

"That's not true," Claudia retorted, glaring. "He would never do that. Callum, we need to talk about this."

Andromeda said to Runaan, "We should kill them. Silence them. If they leave, they run back to the human kingdoms with our whereabouts. No doubt there's a force waiting to ambush us."

Skor agreed. Callum immediately shook his head. "No, no! Wait, listen-- Everyone, this is crazy. You guys can't just kill each other at the drop of a hat. Claudia, Soren, you attacked Rayla without even seeing if I wanted to go. You knew I'd gone on my own and still did it, anyway." He looked to Runaan. "That doesn't mean I want them to get hurt. Runaan, please, give me a chance to sort this out and figure out what's going on."

Runaan bristled. "You expect me to trust them?"

"No, I'm asking you to trust me on this. You don't have to trust them... you don't really have a reason to, but please."

Runaan paused, blue eyes piercing the three of them. He glanced at Rayla.

Rayla sighed. "Runaan... they're his friends. We should..." She hated to say it. "We should honor it."

His face did that thing. The slightest twitch which meant he would relent. "Very well. But they will be watched. If they act on their ill intentions or I think they have become a danger to us all, they will be killed. I will not hesitate. None of us will hesitate. Is that clear?"

Callum nodded. "Thank you."

He glared at Soren and Claudia. After a moment, Soren sheathed his sword. Smart.

Claudia picked up her ruined bag as Callum let Rayla go.

Rayla looked at Callum. He put his hands up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"Don't worry about it," she smiled at him.

He smiled back, albeit apologetically. He went to walk with Claudia and Soren as the elves escorted them away.

To Claudia, Rayla said. "Don't do anything stupid."

Claudia's glare was frigid. The feeling was mutual.

Rayla only regretted the worry in Callum's eyes when he glanced at them.

-:-:-:-

The next morning, Callum brought Claudia and Soren breakfast to their room. Runnan kept them under lock and key until he decided when they could walk the grounds. Callum needed to talk with him about it, but otherwise things were fine...

He guessed.

As Callum looked in the mirror and rubbed his face he sighed. No, things were not fine on that front.

Claudia and Soren had sided with their father, who killed his father-- he would not back down from the fact -- and were now trying to convince him to take Ezran home. To the same father who wanted to kill them.

Whether or not Claudia and Soren could convince their father to let them live wasn't a risk Callum wanted to take. Not with his life. Not with Ezran's life.

Frankly, he was safer here.

That didn't mean he didn't want to hear them out. It didn't mean he didn't miss them and some semblance of his old life.

"Listen." Rayla shut the door behind her. "We can't trust them."

Callum was already tired. He nodded. "Right..."

"Why are they here? They want to rescue you? They knew you left with us. That doesn't sound right."

"Rayla, I get it. I agree, but I also can't just ignore what they have to say. What if they really are here to help?"

Rayla blinked at him. "Callum, they told you what they wanted: to bring you home. Do you really think they just came here, on their own, defying their father's wishes to bring you home so they can help you? And their father didn’t send them to capture you? You don't believe that, do you?"

Callum turned away.He rubbed his eyes and went back to the mirror. Worry lined his face.

"I don't trust anybody right now." He didn't look at Rayla through the mirror. "Trust isn't the easiest thing for me right now, okay?"

When he finally looked at Rayla’s reflection, her face told him enough about how his words made her feel.

Her ears drooped and she opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately closed it. When she turned to leave, he wanted to turn around and stop her. He didn't.

Callum plopped back on the bed. Why was his life getting so complicated?

-:-:-:-

"I don't understand," Claudia was biting her thumb and pacing. She'd had her hot brown morning potion and was ready to work. But hanging out with all these elves made her nervous. What's more, they were assassins. "Callum and Ezran would never act like this."

"I mean, we don't need to worry about Ezran. We're talking about Callum here," Soren said. "If Callum comes, Ezran will follow."

"But it’s Ezran too... he's so attached to that other elf. What if he's just as comfortable? What are we supposed to do?"

"Clauds, you're thinking way too hard about this."

Claudia stopped pacing and crossed her arms. "And how do you figure that? We have a tall order to convince Callum we're the ones actually on his side. He's been... brainwashed by these elves. He's spent time with them. You noticed how he was with that one elf from last night."

"We really ought to learn their names," Soren mused. "This is getting confusing."

"Soren, focus!"

"I am focusing. Look, Clauds." He stood up and put his hands on Claudia's shoulders. "We've known the Step-Prince and the Crown Runt--"

"Soren."

"-- for years. I'm sure we can figure something out. Normally, I'd say let's just pick them up and carry them home, but even I might have a hard time beating off a team of Moonshadow elf assassins. Though I'm good. Pretty good."

Claudia snapped her fingers and walked away from Soren. Sometimes... sometimes, Soren was brilliant.

"Clauds? Yoo-hoo, I'm over here. Mind telling me what's going on in Claudialand?"

"You are absolutely right."

"I am?" He blinked, then straightened up. "I mean, of course I am."

The'd been friends their whole lives. And Callum had, well, a special connection with her. Surely, that hadn't just evaporated, had it? Elf or no elf.

"Listen, let's just talk to Callum. No crazy stunts. No tricks. Like you said, he knows us way better than them, right?"

"Okay, I said that, but... you also made a good point. What about her?"

Right. Her.

What was her name again?

What did Callum call her when he brought them their breakfast?

Rayla.

Rayla was her name. "We talk to Callum without Rayla. You see the way she is with him."

"The way he is with her, you mean."

"The point is that we need him to remember we're his friends. Not them."

They could manage that. She was sure of it.

-:-:-:-

When Runaan gave the leave, Callum was admittedly relieved to be able to spend time with Soren and Claudia. Even if they did misunderstand the situation he and Ezran were in. Still, talking to them was nice. Surely, they'd come around and understand. Wouldn't they?

Nobody escorted them. Considering there were six assassins plus Lujanne around to monitor them, Callum was marginally able to convince Runaan to let them be.

Rayla hadn't bothered objecting. She hadn't even looked at him.

He squirmed when she didn't.

"... and this is the temple of the Moon Nexus. I've only been in here once, but it's pretty nice, huh?"

"It's amazing, Callum."

Claudia marveled at the inscriptions on the temple walls and what they might mean. Callum let her explore. He had forgotten so much about what home was like. Or around something that felt like home. Watching Claudia in all her beauty and curiosity… he missed this.

"It's alright."

He even missed Soren's interjections, maybe.

Part of him wished Ezran came along with them, but Ezran was more comfortable with Andromeda and Ram right now, looking after the egg. Lujanne was still trying to save the egg after all.

Watching Claudia, his face fell slightly.

He wondered when they might ask about the egg.

They hadn't thus far.

Since when was he so distrusting? Perhaps Rayla called it cautious. He never questioned Soren or Claudia once upon a time. Today, he did. The one blow that always came to mind was their refusal to listen to him about how Lord Viren had killed his father.

He'd seen the killing blow.

Nobody would tell him otherwise.

Whatever his face did, Claudia frowned at it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. "I'm alright."

"... how have you been, lately?"

Callum wasn't even sure how to answer that. He sighed and looked at the ceiling for a second before turning back to Claudia, his lips tight. "Okay? Not okay? Not as okay as I could be? I'm not sure if I'm happy. Some things make me happy--"

He thought of Rayla.

"--some things... make me sick. And angry. A lot's going on right now."

"I'm sorry... about everything. You... I understand you don't trust us because of what happened with your dad, but don't you think it's at least a little possible that the elves might have tricked you?”

"No."

There was that feeling again. Tight and miserable.

He knew what turned his and Ezran’s life upside down.

"Callum--"

"You weren't there. Neither of you were." Callum turned away from Claudia. His eyes stung. "I- I saw the flash of light. It was purple like all of your spells, and I saw King Harrow -- my stepdad -- fall. I heard it."

The twin sickening thud of Lady Eveline’s body echoed in his mind.

His stepdad's dying collapse also came back, fresh and ready to haunt him for a time, too.

"... can we talk about it?"

Callum clenched his fists. "What's there to talk about? You don't believe me."

A hand laid on one of his fists and he blinked his tears away. Claudia said, "No... I do."

Even Soren seemed... sorry. Apologetic, even. "I do, too. Callum, we're sorry."

"We're sorry about what happened. And... we're sorry about what our dad did. This... this doesn't make it right.But maybe there was a reason. They had a long friendship. Why would they just... why would our dad just do that to yours without a reason? I'm not saying you ever have to forgive him, but you can imagine, can't you?"

Claudia squeezed his hand.

Callum wasn't sure if he should be angry or sad. Relenting or resisting.

"I don't really have to imagine."

"What if he was sorry? What if it was an accident?"

Callum froze.

He'd never considered the idea that any of it had been an accident. From what Claudia had told him, dark magic went wrong sometimes. Still, he swore they were shouting. He swore they'd been arguing about the egg. His stepdad blamed Lord Viren.

"I don't know."

"Callum, you don't have to forgive my dad. And we can even deal with that later, but it's not safe for you here. What will happen when you get to Xadia? They’ll fix everything? You're still safer with us. Humans. Humans who care about you. Even if they lock my dad away forever for what he did to yours--"

Callum looked at her sharply.

"-- you still have Opeli. And all the other counselors. You have your Aunt Amaya."

If she forgave him, anyway. He ventured that she would want an explanation about what happened at the Banther Lodge. But Aunt Amaya was always reasonable.

Moreover... Claudia had a point.

"You'll have us, too," she added.

Callum squeezed Claudia's hand. He appreciated her.

That didn't completely set aside the unease in his belly.

"I missed you guys," he admitted. "But I... I can't just go back now. Things aren't that simple. So much has happened since then. They've protected me."

Claudia's face was crestfallen, maybe even a bit upset when he kept walking.

"Even if they're assassins?"

Claudia and Callum twisted to look at Soren. He said little during their walk, but he'd been listening.

"Yes, even if they're assassins."

Soren frowned. "Callum... we heard about Meraxia."

Callum froze. He must have been like an animal on the road.

The sick thud played in his head again and again and again--

"We were on the road when we found out," Soren said. "But what... What happened with you? How did you even get mixed up in that?"

How did he even answer?

With the truth, he supposed.

What else was there but the truth?

So, he told them. He told them everything and explained what happened, leaving out little detail. For the first time, he had someone to tell. Rayla had lived it with him. And nobody would ever sit above her in that regard.

But to finally have it off his chest with someone who wasn't there.

It gave him some relief. Some.

Even if Soren looked uncomfortable and Claudia a little horrified. It was their turn to be speechless and their turn to feel a bit of what he felt on a daily basis.

When Soren gathered himself, he said, "None of that needed to happen."

"It was my idea--"

"But you wouldn't have been in that situation if it weren't for them. They're assassins, Callum. All of them."

Callum sighed. "Yes. I've already had to deal with that."

"... she's an assassin, Callum."

Callum paused. A common fact, at this point. He wanted to tell Soren as much. Make him back off.

There was also a part of him who wanted someone to listen to what it was like adapting to a bunch of assassins and, well, caring about them. Not that Callum didn't care about a lot of people, but this situation was different.

On top of it all, it wasn't like he was entirely past the thing about Rayla and the guard from Meraxia.

"I know, okay," Callum said. "It hasn't been easy."

This time, Claudia put her hand on his shoulder. "You can tell us what happened."

Callum pursed his lips.

He told them.

He told them all about his fight with Rayla, how she killed the guard and why she did it. It was like he kept trying to convince himself or debate with himself about how he was coping with that bit of knowledge. There was a part of him still horrified by what she did. There was another part of him that remembered what Lujanne said and why Rayla had done it in the first place.

All of it made him hear Lady Eveline's death again.

Was that going to haunt him for the rest of his life?

He reckoned so.

"Callum... that's horrible."

"You see, it sounds horrible, and then I remember, hey, she did it to protect us--"

Soren shook his head. "That's not really an excuse."

"Yeah, but--"

"But nothing. You keep making excuses for her, but she murdered him. In cold blood. She's a murderer, Callum. That's her job."

Claudia stood with Soren on this one. "That's... all she'll ever be, Callum. Do you really want to be around people like that? Just like-- like everybody has always said. Listen, we're only trying to protect you, okay?"

Callum stopped walking. "Wait a minute, she's not a murderer. And it's not like that. Not even close. You weren't there. We were being hunted. We're still being hunted. Rayla did what she felt like she had to do to keep us safe. I don't like it, but I won’t judge her like that. You shouldn't either."

"Why are you protecting her?" Soren demanded. "You said it yourself. She killed a guard, then lied to you about it. Sounds like murder to me."

"Because it isn't like that. She had a good reason. I mean, she shouldn't have lied about it, but..."

"But what? Why are you defending them so much? Why are you defendingher so much?" Soren crossed his arms. "They're Moonshadow elves. She's a Moonshadow elf."

"Callum, I know everything seems confusing, but I promise if you just come home with us then everything will work itself out. It's like Soren said, she's a Moonshadow elf." Claudia said. "She's not worth your time."

"What? No, Rayla means the world to me." Callum shook his head. "I won't leave her."

Claudia and Soren looked at him, then they looked at each other.

He didn't know what they were thinking and, frankly, he didn't want to know.

-:-:-:-

When Callum found her, Rayla was sharpening her knives. Naturally, she was somewhere doing something sword related.

She was in her room and she didn't say anything when he came in. Okay, maybe he deserved that. He was supposed to be getting better at dealing with this thing that was still between them. Despite her lack of acknowledgement, he sat next to her and sidled up as far as he dared.

"Hey."

"... Hey."

Rayla kept sharpening her blades very pointedly, but he continued. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

She hunched her shoulders. "It's fine."

He reached out to her, then stopped. Maybe not while she was handling those things. "It's not. I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't trust you. I'm still not... okay with everything. But what I said wasn't meant to be toward you. Never toward you."

She paused and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Pouted slightly.

But she let her shoulders down and grumbled at him. "You're so... ridiculous."

He grinned. "You're right, but at least I'm ridiculous with you, right?"

Rayla smiled, she looked down at her swords, then back at him. "I suppose. So, how did it go?"

That immediately made Callum tired. "Okay, I guess. Claudia's always easier than Soren. But I also have a better connection with her. Magic and all. Speaking of which--"

Knock, knock

They looked up. Claudia stood at the doorway, smiling, her knuckles raised to rap at the door. "Hey, want to go for another walk? I could use another tour of the place," she said. Her voice was a bit easier this time. "Just the two of us?"

This was the Claudia he knew and could be around. Callum nudged Rayla, who was already frowning. "I'll be back, okay?"

Rayla grumbled, but otherwise nudged him back. "I'll be around."

For you .

She didn't need to say it.

One day, he'd tell her he appreciated her waiting for him.

-:-:-:-

"I'm sorry about earlier, Callum. Can we put it behind us?"

Callum couldn't be more tired of fighting with the people around him. "Yeah... I guess. Of course. I... I kind of want to give it a rest, too."

Maybe, things were okay.

Maybe, it wasn't all bad.

Claudia smiled. That bright, beautiful smile that made his stomach lurch and his heart leap. His face was warmer, too.

"So... the Moon Nexus temple was beautiful, but you never took us to the Nexus itself."

Callum stammered. "O-oh, yeah. Guess I got a little sidetracked about it, honestly. You seemed to love the ruins though."

"They were beautiful. So magical and full of history. I'd love to go there again, sometime."

Callum swallowed hard. Maybe...

Maybe this was his chance. Maybe things were kind of back to normal.

Back in Katolis, he never mustered up the courage to ask Claudia out on a real date. It was always a coincidence of Soren being around or just finding her when she was out. But asking her out on a date. An actual, hopefully romantic date.

He could do this.

Callum rubbed the back of his neck.

He could do this.

"How... how about tonight? I can take you there. And the Moon Nexus. Only if you want to, of course. If not, I totally understand and I can show you sometime in the day when it's not just the two of us. You know, I understand how that might--"

"Callum."

"--not be entirely comfortable and I totally respect that and--"

"Callum."

Callum froze. He dared to look at her directly.

"I'd love to go on a date with you. Let's say, tonight? Moonrise?"

He blinked. "U-uh, yes! That'd be great. If it's great--good, sounds good-- with you?"

Nervous should just be his middle name right about now.

Claudia laughed. He could have melted right there. "Of course it's good with me. Besides, I'd like to make it up to you. Everything, I mean. I just want to have a good time with you again."

Callum cracked a smile. "I'd really like that, too, Claudia."

She began to walk away, but not before brushing her hair behind her ear and smiling back at him. "It's a date then."

He was practically breathless. "A-a date."

When she was out of view, he almost collapsed right there.

A date. With Claudia.

He had to talk to somebody. Had to tell somebody. If Ezran was here, he'd tell him, but he was probably busy.

Callum was going to burst. With nerves or joy, he wasn't entirely certain.

-:-:-:-

When he came back to see Rayla, she had migrated to the tree outside and was just about done with her swords, putting them away as he approached her. Her face was already in question when he strolled toward her, his heart and face on fire.

He took Rayla by the elbows and sat her down again.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked.

"Date."

"... what?"

"Date. With Claudia."

Rayla froze. "With Claudia."

"I have a date with Claudia," he grinned. Her reaction was the exact opposite of his. He could do anything. Wanted to do everything right now. Rayla sat next to him, eyes wide and her mouth frozen.

"T-that's... yeah."

"We talked about things and, you know, we've been friends for so long. I guess good things can happen in crazy times, right?"

"... right. I'm, uh... good for you. "

Her face was still unreadable. He held her arms when they stood back up, but Callum was grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks for being so easy about this. I know you don't trust them, but everything will be fine. You trust me, right?"

Out of instinct, he held her hand to his chest.

Her expression was still weird, but he couldn't read it with so many things going on in his head.

"...of course, I trust you," she said finally. Her smile was small.

"Okay, I still have to tell you something, but I have to get ready first. We’ll talk tonight? When I get back?"

She only nodded.

Callum squeezed her hand as he let her go. Then, he left.

-:-:-:-

Skor watched from his place, a safe distance away. He saw Rayla.

Beside him, Ram did, too.

"You see that?" Skor asked.

"I tried not to, but yes."

"You realize that'll be a problem, right?"

"Yes, I do," Ram sounded tired.

Skor grumbled. Damned teenagers.

--

We're back! After a couple months, I know it was a while, but I did win Nanowrimo with 50k words of TDP fic. About 25k for both Sides of the Moon and Gales of Yesterday. I really appreciate the wait you guys and things are going to start picking up in terms of the thick of the plot for the first part of Sides of the Moon.

Other than that, I think I'll let you guys sit on what that means for future chapters (the next 4 will be coming on regular intervals).

I also just want to give a heads up that I am planning an original novel right now (in earnest) and would love your support on that. Follow me on twitter for any future updates! I'm kuno_12 on Twitter.

As always, I love it when you guys leave those reviews. They keep me motivated and keep me writing. Thank you for reading! Tune in for next chapter!

--

Please consider reviewing on AO3

[allyvampirelass29]

The Lost Boy

A NOS4A2 Fanfiction By: Allyssa J. Watkins

"Vicki? Where are you!? Vicki, come here!"

"You're scarin' her, Linda, all your damn screechin'! Brat? Baby, come back here."

"Yeah, sure, Chris, you're the one drinkin' and throwin' whiskey bottles, and actin' like a freakin' lunatic, but my voice is scarin' our daughter! GOD, Mister Hero, and I'm always the BAD GUY!!! Damn it, Vicki, I SAID come here!!!"

Eight year old Vic McQueen hugged her denim jacket with the pink sparkly stars on the shoulders, tighter around her, rolling her dark eyes, as her parents fought in the open doorway. Biting her lip, she snuck her way around the side of the house, climbing on her red bike, pedaling away, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder, to make sure she wasn't being followed.

"Do they always engage in so unsightly a row?"

Vic squeezed the brakes on her handlebars with a gasp, her unruly brown curls falling in her eyes, as she stopped short, swerving, just narrowly missing the older boy, standing in the street.

"Geeze, Pal, ain't your mother never told you not to play in the street? What? D'you want to get hit by a car or somethin'? What's that mean anyway, row?"

"Feisty for a girl, aren't you?" The older boy, about twelve chuckled, adjusting his red silk kerchief, and dusting off his black vest. Vic was sure she'd never seen him before, dark wavy hair, and them thick eyebrows, he sure didn't sound like he come from Haverhill.

"Yeah, what of it?" She shot back, raising her chin defiantly, balancing on her bike. "Girls can be just a tough as boys, y'know? Ask Danny Merckle, I popped him one good. And if row means raise the dead with a lot of damn noise, then yeah, they sure row a lot."

The dark, mysterious boy shook his head with a smirk. "Girls shouldn't curse, nor should they engage in fisticuffs."

"That mean scrappin'?" She asked, screwing up her little face. Geeze what an oddball, this guy.

"More or less," The boy shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, well, I ain't exactly the type to play with dolls," She shot back, and he smiled again, his head tilted.

"So I see...... Well, Feisty, to answer your earlier question, no. My mother practically told me to go play in the street, nor would she have batted an eyelash if I'd gotten run over like a stray."

"Man ALIVE, your Old Lady is worse than mine!!!" Vic gasped, and she couldn't help but notice how sad the boys eyes looked. Real damn sad.

"You have NO idea, he said with a sigh," And they both jumped as the front door to Vic's house slammed shut.

"That's my cue," She whispered, leaning forward to pedal away again, when the older boy, grabbed one of the handlebars. "Hey, watch it guy, cant'cha see I'm tryin' to make a break for it?"

"I'm sorry." He said softly, his eyes going all sad again. "I'm sorry, you have to listen to them fight, and throw things, but you don't have to be scared."

"I ain't- I ain't scared," Vic's shoulders bristled, and the boy watched unconvinced as her lip quivered, and the autumn light caught in her pink sequins.

"It's okay..... to be scared. I am, sometimes."

"Pshhh are you kidding me?" Vic scoffed, resting her arms on the handlebars. "What's a tall guy like you got to be scared of, huh? Yeah, your old lady sounds like a witch, but, c'mon she's still your ma. She might carry on, but they love us. They gotta, right?"

The boy smiled again, but it was very sad. "One can only hope, Feisty. May I....... accompany you, on your daring getaway?"

"If that's fancy talk for tag along, then yeah sure." Vic shrugged her shoulders. "Damn, you're sure different, most boys older 'an me just want to push me around, you know, pick on me."

Vic pedaled down the sidewalk, away from her house, the sun hanging low in the sky, as the boy in the red kerchief walked alongside her, fighting his smile.

"I can't imagine anyone pushing you around. You're quite the novelty to me too."

"Thanks....... I think," Vic looked at him, scrunching up her brow. "So you got a rough home life too huh?"

"Horrendously so...... Your father may take to the drink, but I have the great misfortune of living in a bar, surrounded constantly by drunkards, and my mother, let's just say....... has a lot of boyfriends."

"No foolin'? GOD, that's gotta be some kind of awful! Folks get bonkers when they're drunk, at least mine come home...... most of the time, anyways. Boyfriends huh? What about your old man? Mine's a drinker, yeah, but he ain't all bad. He makes me laugh, y'know?"

"I don't have one...... I mean, I do, of course, but....... his identity could never in probability be ascertained. Whomever he is, he sure did not want me."

"God....... That's real rough. Everybody needs a dad......."

Vic's front tire hit a rock, and she swerved, accidently slamming into the boy, and he groaned as he fell back hard.

"Yikes! Holy sh- Are you okay?" She yelled, leapfrogging off her bike, kneeling down beside him, reaching to help him up, when she saw them....... "Hold on, guy, there's something on your neck there......"

"I'm perfectly sound, just a little jostled, hey, stop that, what are doing?"

Vic pulled off his silk handkerchief, and his hands flew to his neck, nervously. "Give it back."

"Hey........" Vic frowned, pursing her lip, and the boy shuddered, as she leaned over him, and pulled down his shirt collar. "You're bruised somethin' awful....... Did I-?"

"No-" He snapped quickly, leaping to his feet, one hand still hovering over his neck, the other held out impatiently, wiggling his fingers. "That's mine, thank you very much."

"No." She shook her rebellious curls stubbornly, clutching the kerchief tight. "You're not getting it back until you tell me....... Who did that to you, huh? You get in one of them rows with somebody?"

"Something like that...... Now give it, before I take it from you......." He scowled, knitting his dark brow.

"Like to see you try it, Buddy," She snarked back, holding it behind her back. "Who whaled on you, tell me....... It couldn't have been your old lady, c'mon."

The boy tried to look angry, tried to hide the guilt, and shame in his eyes, but they pierced through the dark shine, and he sighed, hanging his head. It was then Vic noticed the cuff on his sleeve had inched up, revealing the dark circles of even more bruises.

She gasped, her little hand flying to her mouth, slowly handing him the kerchief, which he snatched back, and carefully re-tied.

"I take it back...... Your mother's a witch with a "b."

The older boy couldn't stifle his smirk, hastily pulling down his long, starch white sleeve, fiddling with it. "Quite so."

"My ma used to get mad, and slap me around sometimes when I was talking back, but....... she ain't never left bruises like that....... You got to get yourself the hell out of there.

"I will....... Someday." He shrugged, hands in his pockets, and Vic walked her red bike alongside him, the sun casting long shadows behind them. "Someday, I'll drive away, in a fancy car, somewhere no one will ever hurt me again.

"Sounds real good, guy. You ever need a friend, you got one in Vic McQueen."

"Who's Vic McQueen?"

"Me, Stupid!" Vic laughed, elbowing him in the ribs. "You got a name, Kerchief?"

The dark-eyed boy smirked, bowing graciously, with a flourish of his hand. "Charlie Manx, at your service."

"God, you are so freaking weird. Well, put 'er there, Charlie!" Vic beamed, holding out her little hand with a smug grin, and hesitantly, Charlie took it, with a firm shake.

"A pleasure, Victoria."

Charlie Manx awoke with a jolt, bolting upright in bed, his hands flying instinctively to his neck, and he shivered, the sweat cooling on his skin.

"What on GOD'S green earth was that......!?"

His palm slid slowly down his neck, and he felt the pale brunette slumbering beside him stir, but she didn't fully wake. He stroked her face, breathing heavy, envying her expression of heavenly peace. How perfectly dreadful....... How dare you, Victoria....... Damn you, invading my sacred dreams, unearthing my- my secrets and shames. He rubbed his neck again, finding it still bare, and free of bruises, his skin, of course, flawless.

The angry tears stung his eyes, and he wiped them furiously away, his thumb circling his wrist over and over........ He had to admit this miniature McQueen wasn't quite so irksome....... Little Victoria was so far removed from her scathing, impulsive, teenage self, that there was something almost endearing about her, fussing over him and his boyhood inflictions. “How odd to think of us together, Victoria, as children, the bruised yield of broken homes. What might you have thought of him, The Lost Boy without his Neverland? We might even have been friends.......... How's that for a scary thought?”

He slowly fell back back onto the bed, his silky raven head sinking into the soft pillow, and he froze as his sleeping beauty whimpered, and eased her body against his, skin melting against skin, laying her crown of shiny curls on his bare chest.

"This one......." Charlie breathed, flaring his nostrils in a sigh, his claws caressing her luxurious curls, letting them sift, one by one, through his fingers. "She had a much different upbringing than the two of us........ An ideal childhood, and I envy her, Vic........ I envied her, her happiness, yes, I watched her grow up, loved, cared for, precious in her mother's eyes, and I ached to know what that was like....... To flourish in a tended garden, instead of left neglected in the thistle........ Ironic, isn't it......? She would have had no need of me to come, and spirit her away to Christmasland, and yet you....... who despise it most of all........ were exactly the kind of girl I would have saved.

He ran his hands through his mussed coif, his obsidian strands damp with sweat. "Imagine us, Vic, as childhood friends, the feisty girl, and the dapper dan, creating together, walking worlds that others can't even imagine....... Look at us now, scrapping, as you so eloquently phrased it, for a chance to kill each other, and I feel the swelter of your hatred, but even you can't deny that we....... are not so different."

I'm going to have to kill you, there's no way around that, not now. And I'm going to enjoy it, have fun, get...... creative with your meticulous undoing. He chuckled to himself, winding one of Ally's ringlets around and around his finger, with a menacing smirk. But that does not mean I won't miss this, our delicious conflict, the obscene pleasure that comes in hating you, hurting you....... In a perfect world, I would have you both, my conflicting passions, satisfied, her pleasure, your pain, my ultimate fantasy. But this one....... She was made too tender, Vic. Where your parents' endangerment hardened you an edge, this one feels too deeply through another's heart, even yours. She couldn't love a man that inflicts pain with such indecent pleasure, courting her tenderly with the same hand that harms you. In time, she will beg me to stop, fling herself at my feet, sobbing bitterly while you bleed, and being so affected by her, I will grant her wish. I will grant yours as well, and finally finish it, quell your flame, waste all of that Creative potential, killing you in secret. Then I'll tell her, Vic, I'll tell her I let you go.......

Charlie felt his heart quicken, imagining Victoria's aghast face, as though she were listening to his thoughts, racing by in a frenzy. That's right, My Feisty One, I'll make myself the hero of our doomed fable, and say I've decided to give up our fantastic feud, all for her, because she's changed my heart, absolved me of my sins, and she'll love me for it, Vic, praise me, reward me, even while you lay dead in the frozen wilderness. He closed his eyes, with a dark chuckle, a sinful breath escaping. You'd hate that, wouldn't you, Victoria? ANSWER ME!!! Tell me how much you'd hate that.......

You're messed up, Pal. You do that, and you're worse than your slap happy old lady.

Charlie's eyelashes fluttered open as he heard Little Vic's angry voice linger in his mind.

That's enough out of you, Young Lady. Only good girls get to go to Christmasland, and you've long outstayed your welcome.

You want me to scram? Make me.

Oh, I intend to....... Consider yourself grounded.

He simpered, feeling blissful, pressed against his wife's womanly warmth, visions of battling Vic frolicking through his head, as he smelled Ally's hair. You make me so happy, the both of you........ In hating one, and loving the other, The Lost Boy became a found man. You might not be one to play with dolls, Vic, but I certainly am......... And I don't intend to share.

[lukatheselkie]

HMC - Candle in the dark (2/2)

@hetaliamondaychallenge

Pairing: Possible future South Italy x OC Alrik; Fika

Warnings: Fighting drowning, attempted suicide, serious conversation about attempt, characterized depression, brief mention of a previous death

    Lovino feels like he’s drowning. Maybe he is. It wouldn’t be a surprise to him, honestly. It’s been a weird few days. Weeks. Months. Years. Life. He sighs, letting out as much air as he can into the water on purpose. The people in his life would be better off without him. Of course they would. He only ever gets in the way. But there’s a tiny voice in the back of his head that tells him maybe, just maybe, someone cares about him. But that’s preposterous. ...Isn’t it? Whether he believes it or not, his mind catches on the words. Maybe somebody cares about you. It’s enough to get him to start fighting.

    First, he needs to get as many clothes off himself as he can. He can feel them dragging down on his body harshly. He kicks off his shoes, pulling his shirt over his head at the same time. His pants are going to have to stay, but he thinks he can toe off his socks. He struggles with that as he searches for the surface with his hands. One pops out for just a moment, but it’s enough to give him a goal. He stops trying to remove his socks since it’s not working well anyway, and focuses on struggling toward the surface. Toward air he can breathe.

    Both his hands are out now, but for some reason he can’t lift his head out. Just as he’s about to rest his flailing arms, his hand scrapes against something large and solid. That gives him a small energy boost, and he grabs hold of the thing. He tries pulling himself out using the solid object, but the waves around it are particularly choppy. He bangs his head into it quite a few times, but does eventually manage to drag himself up it. He pants heavily as he splays himself across the somewhat flat top. It occurs to him that he’s laying on a boulder somewhere at sea before his vision goes dark.

~

    Blinding white. That’s the first thing he sees when he opens his eyes. Within a second, two familiar faces pop into his vision as well; his brother and his crush. “Oh thank goodness! You’re finally awake! We’ve been so worried! I told you to be careful around the cliffs!” Cliffs? ...Oh. That’s right. He jumped off a cliff into the ocean as a sucide attempt. Why had he changed his mind? He closes his eyes tightly. “Did you trip on a rock or something?” His stomach twists painfully. He doesn’t want to tell them the truth. “Ah, it doesn’t matter! What matters now is that you’re awake.” Feli hugs him tightly. It’s almost crushing. It’s oddly reassuring. Someone squeezes his hand, and he opens his eyes to see which one of them it is. It’s Alrik, and his heart leaps into his throat at the sight and sensation. His eyes are filled with sorrow. Lovino wants to touch him, reassure him, maybe even say something. But when he opens his mouth to speak, nothing comes out.

    “Please don’t strain yourself.” His voice lacks its usual energy. He grips his hand tighter. “You’ve been in a coma for two months. Don’t try speaking yet. Let the doctors check that everything is alright.” He releases his hands, and shrinks into a corner. Lovino longs for the warmth of his hand back. He closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. Now he knows why he stayed. It’s such a selfish reason. Seeing Alrik for even a second is worth all the pain of existing. All the pain of being overshadowed by his younger brother, who seems worried to death about him. He doesn’t deserve a dead brother, especially since he’s not overshadowing him on purpose. It’s just something that happens. He nods, focuses on the sounds of the room, and eventually the sound of the doctors checking on him.

    When they finally leave, he moves the bed into a sitting position. Most of his injuries healed during the coma, but he got a concussion that’s still affecting him. “Lovi.” Feliciano pulls him into a gentle, loving hug. “I was so worried!” He crawls onto the bed with him. “We were worried.” He motions at Alrik, who’s still tucked into the corner. The Swede nods, then looks away. He’s acting strange. Why? “Does your head hurt? Do you need a drink? Maybe more medicine?” He nods, pauses, nods again, then shakes his head. Feli practically launches himself out of the room in an effort to get him water as soon as possible. Lovino looks over at Alrik.

    “Tack for not dying,” he mumbles, wrapping his arms around himself. There’s tears on his cheeks.

    “Are you okay?” His throat is a bit scratchy, and his voice comes out mostly hoarse. Alrik nods solemnly. “Come here. Please.” He scoots over a bit, so the man has a place to sit if he wants to be that close. He doesn’t, as he drags a chair to his side. “Can I wipe away your tears?”

    “I’d rather you not.” Alrik bristles slightly. Lovino sighs heavily.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “Nothing I want to talk about.” He wipes at the tears on his face hard enough to agitate the skin. An awkward silence falls between them. A few minutes pass before Alrik lets out a groan. “Fine! If you want me to talk, Feli, I’ll talk! And I know you’re out there, listening! Go away. Please. I only want Lovi to hear this.” He presses his forehead into the bed, and lowers his voice to a whisper. “I’ve lost someone important to me before. I thought I did again.” He lets out a bitter, shaky laugh. “Opposite elements,” he mumbles. This leads Lovino to believe that maybe there was fire involved in the last one, and it breaks his heart a bit.

    “I’m alive. I promise.” He lifts up his hand. “Can I run my fingers through your hair?” When he doesn’t get a response, he slowly lowers his hand into Alrik’s hair. He plays with his hair a bit, trying to be soothing. His breathing evens out after a few minutes, and he chuckles. “Feli, you can come in.” Feliciano pokes his head in, then walks over with a cup of water in his hand. He holds it out to Lovino, who gratefully downs it. “Thank you. That feels much better.”

    “Sounds better, too. You’re welcome.” He looks down at Alrik. “Is he asleep?” A nod. “Then I have something to tell you.” He doesn’t like the sound of that. “I know you love him.” Lovino stiffens immediately. “Relax. Please. There’s much more to be tense about.” Of course there is. He forces himself to relax, though he doesn’t want to. “I think he’s in love with me.” He feels his heart drop. “However, he spoke with me about growing feelings for you.” His head snaps up to look at his little brother. “When you were found, he mentioned that he would have thrown himself after you had he been there to see it. He would have tried his hardest to keep you from those injuries, and from the coma. Even if it meant putting himself through it. He seemed to surprise himself with those words. He told me he’s only ever felt like that two other times. One with a human lover, and another with one of us. Since the one of us is much more recent, he compared that to what he’s feeling for you. He’s the protective type. He couldn’t look at me anytime he was speaking about this mystery person, so I feel like it must be me. He loves us both. He didn’t realize his feelings for you until you went into a coma.”

    “Of course he loves you, Feli. Everyone loves you.” Lovino sighs.

    “Not everyone. But that wasn’t my point. He cares about you too.”

    “And he’s going to choose you. Go ahead and ask him out.” Feliciano shakes his head.

    “I’m not interested in him. I realize now I may have been leading him on, but I never meant to. Besides, the two of you fit together better. I want you both happy.” Silence. It’s so thick it almost seems to dull the sounds of the hospital. It stretches out for a few minutes before he can’t take it anymore. “I know this was a suicide attempt, Lovi. Someone saw you jump off. Why did you change your mind? Why did you do it to begin with?”

    “Sometimes it’s hard, living in your shadow. And I always seem to mess everything up. I just thought… Maybe without me, things would be more smooth.” He blinks rapidly, forcing the tears back. Felciano wraps his arms around him tightly.

    “Please don’t think that. I love you. You’re my brother. You’re so so so important to me! And our people! And others. So many care about you. I’m sorry I never noticed your distress.” Lovino takes a deep breath.

    “I’m sorry for not realizing the support and love I have. Or for seeking out help. I know it’s uncommon for us to…”

    “You don’t have to say it. I know what you mean. And I promise, we’re going to get help. For both of us. I didn’t know you felt overshadowed. There’s probably more to that. So much more. But we can tackle that another day. Was he the reason you started fighting the waves?” He shakes his head slowly.

    “Not entirely. I thought that maybe someone cares even a small amount about me, and it gave me enough hope to fight. I wasn’t thinking about anyone in particular. But he’s been the reason I’ve gone out before. Just seeing him for a second lights up my day.”

    “I’m happy for you. Not everyone finds their light.”

    “Their light?”

    “You’re at a dark point, right? But he, and I suppose to a lesser extent I, are lit candles in that darkness. There will be others. We may light them, or others might come to. It doesn’t matter either way. The most important part is that more and more candles are being lit, until you can’t see the darkness anymore. If you think he’s going to light more of those candles, I think it would benefit both of you to date. At least consider speaking with him about it when you’re released.” He smiles reassuringly. “I love you. So much. Try not to forget that. I’ll say it as often as I have to. Believe it or not, I love you.” He buries his face in the crook of his neck. “Others do, too.” Lovino rubs a bit of Alrik’s hair between his fingers thoughtfully. Maybe Feli’s right. He should at least give it a chance.

[myownworldstayout]

New Friends Ch. 14

Ch.1 / Ch.13 / Ch.15

(so this chapter is where I got “Prompt #17 Akuma!felix” from, but it’ll be a little different. Also, this is the last pre-written Chapter so there won’t be anymore daily updates. I’m gonna change to updating weekly for sake of sanity lol)

Lila was ticked. All of her attempts to take down the new dynamic duo in school had been futile. She had been so close, too! The class had turned on Marinette, including Adrien. True, the class never directly turned on her, but they all believed Lila over Marinette. That was the same thing in her book, and apparently, it was the same in Marinette’s book as well. 

Lila remembered feeling such triumph when the ravenette ran out of the room in tears, especially when the class only shook their heads and turned back to comfort her. But that all changed when Felix joined their school.

Lila scowled at the thought.

Felix. 

Ever since his arrival, not only has he refused to take her side, but has also challenged nearly all of her stories shamelessly. He didn’t care about the opinions of those around him, meaning he couldn’t be swayed by the backlash of going against her. That was a problem.

It didn’t help that he stood resolutely by Marinette’s side. The class’ opinion of Marinette sunk lower after that, which was a good thing, except now Marinette didn’t seem to care. Lila assumed it was because she finally had a real ally. 

Lila wasn’t blind. She knew that Adrien had figured out she was lying. He just wasn’t saying anything. Whether he didn’t want to cause more trouble or was just a coward, Lila didn’t care. It only made her cons easier to come by. 

“Morning, girl!” Alya greeted warmly, bumping her shoulder into Lila’s.

Lila forced a sweet smile. “Hi! How was your weekend?” 

“Annoying.” Alya rolled her eyes, her expression quickly turning sour. “I tried to get another interview with Ladybug yesterday, and guess who comes out of the blue and stops me? Felix!” The journalist huffed and crossed her arms. “Why was he even there?”

Lila knew she should be pleased. She hardly needed to do anything to turn the class on Felix. He was cold and blunt, easy to dislike. But how can you feel like you’ve won when the losers aren’t affected?

The answer is you can’t.

“Maybe he wanted to get his own interview?” Lila suggested.

Anger flashed across Alya’s face at the thought, and she smiled. The poor girl was way too predictable.

After a moment, though, Alya furrowed her eyebrows. “That can’t be why, because he didn’t talk to her. He just said her miraculous was gonna time out and she needed to get going.” 

Lila hummed, cocking an eyebrow. That was weird. Even though Ladybug was a superhero, Felix didn’t usually get involved in other people’s business. 

“Maybe he just didn’t want you to get an interview.” Lila then said, hiding a sly smile. 

Alya bristled and clenched her fists, drinking up Lila’s absurd idea. 

“Tch. of course he wouldn’t.” She glared at the floor. 

Conveniently, Felix walked past them just then, not even glancing their way. 

“Oh, there he is now. Why don’t I try to go talk to him?” Lila offered innocently, pushing back her growing irritation with the stubborn boy.

Alya scoffed, crossing her arms. “Don’t even bother. He’s not worth it.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings in class.” She batted her eyelashes, giving Felix a sympathetic gaze.

Alya frowned, shaking her head.

 “Alright, you can give it a shot if you think it will help, But I’m going to class.” the redhead sighed, walking off in the other direction. Perfect.

After checking for any “witnesses”, Lila slinked over towards Felix.

“Where’s Marinette? You’ve been her shadow for the past few weeks.” Lila taunted, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Felix didn’t acknowledge her, silently making his way to the library.

Lila glared at the stiff boy, thinking of what to say next.

“I heard you had a run in with Ladybug yesterday.”

Felix paused, brief but still. Lila smirked, pressing on the nerve.

“It makes me wonder what you were doing there, why you were so set on Alya not getting an interview. You didn’t even talk to Ladybug herself so I have to imagine there was some other reason for rejecting Alya’s advances.” Lila pulled a sly smile when Felix glanced in her direction. He was getting nervous. What secret was he hiding with Alya and Ladybug, she wondered.

“I bet you don’t want to see her succeed because she’s Marinette’s best friend, and you’re not, hm? Is the Ice King  jealous?”

Nothing. Felix became impassive again. If Lila didn’t know any better, she might even say he looked relieved. 

The girl clicked her tongue, trying to figure out which part she needed to backtrack onto. Unfortunately for her, the school bell rang just then, forcing her to go back to class.

Fine. She thought curtly. Guess I’ll have to settle for plan B.

~~~~~~~

Marinette practically skipped to class the next morning. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She didn’t have to hide being Ladybug anymore! 

Well, she didn’t have to hide being Ladybug from Felix anymore. Marinette would take what she could get, though.

“Glad to see you so happy, Mari.” Luka commented with a warm smile.

“Glad to be happy, Luka.” Marinette grinned in turn.

“May I ask what’s made you so cheerful this morning?” 

Marinette hummed. “Let’s just say, Lady Luck’s finally coming to pay me an overdue visit.”

Luka laughed at the metaphor, seeming satisfied with that answer.

“Think that luck is gonna leak into school?” He said lightheartedly.

“I’m hoping!” Marinette giggled.

She probably should have known better than to hope for the impossible.

 -

When Marinette entered the classroom, the screaming was already ringing through the halls outside. The entire class, aside from Felix, was huddled around a crying Lila, some attempting to comfort her while others glared and chewed out Felix. Felix himself was silently sitting in the back with book in hand, effectively ignoring the group as a whole. He only looked up when Lila called out her name.

“Marinette!” The girl blubbered. “Your friend, he- I was trying to ask him how you'd been doing since - since you've been so distant lately, but he..he..he said he didn’t want vermin like me near you! Or, or anyone for that matter! He said you were his- that he- that you only needed him.” A few more tears slipped down her cheeks, and Marinette vaguely spotted the eye drops Lila shoved into her purse.

“I tried to reason with him, but then he-” Lila choked back a sob. “He slapped me, Marinette!”

The class crowded closer, trying to provide the girl with comforting hugs and sweet words. Lila thanked them with a watery smile, hand pressed to her right cheek where Felix had supposedly slapped her.

“What did I tell you, Mari.” Alya growled, sending death glares to the indifferent blonde as she softly rubbed Lila’s back in support. “He’s nothing but trouble! A cold, heartless, obsessed monster!”

Marinette glanced up at Felix,wanting to know his opinion on this. Lila lies like she breaths, but she also over dramatizes the truth. Therefore, it wasn’t completely out of the question that Felix would call her vermin- or even slap her for that matter.

The blonde, however, simply looked her in the eyes for a moment, then shook his head. That was all Marinette needed to see. She smoothly slipped around her other classmates, heading for the stairs without a word.

“Marinette?” Nino frowned.

“What are you doing?” Alya shouted, even though Marinette was right next to her.

The ravenette coolly turned to face them, Her gaze flicking to Lila and briefly catching the triumphant, yet subtle smirk on the liar’s lips. 

“I’m going to sit with Felix. Class is about to start.” 

The class let out a few incredulous gasps and a few said “are you serious?”. Alya and Nino just stared, not really believing what they were hearing. Adrien cringed behind them all, a silent begging in his eyes for her to stop when she had the chance.

Marinette ignored him.

“How can you say that! Didn’t you hear what Lila just said?!” Alya was furious now, pulling away from Lila to clench her fists at her side.

Marinette raised an eyebrow, before turning her head slightly in Felix’s direction. 

“Felix, what happened?” Her tone was composed, almost distant, and eerily similar to Ladybug’s during an attack.

He hesitated at the sudden command, but quickly explained the situation. “Lila stopped me on the way to the library, asking about why I stopped Alya’s interview yesterday. She said I was jealous of Alya. I just ignored her until the bell rang and she left.” 

The class seemed to falter- just for a moment- looking back to Lila. Felix was brutal and harsh and cold, but he hadn’t told a single lie since he transferred there. He was a hard facts, no-nonsense person. Lying wouldn’t make any sense for Felix.

“So- what - you’re going to believe a stranger over your friends!” Alya fumed, discarding his words without a second thought. 

“Isn’t that what you did?” Marinette grumbled under her breath. Unfortunately, Alya heard her anyway.

She let out a laugh of disbelief. “Oh my gosh we are not having this conversation again.” 

“Guys, why don’t we just-” Adrien tried to defuse the situation, but it was as if Alya didn’t even hear him.

“You know what your problem is Marinette? You are so set that Lila is a terrible liar that you refuse to see the torture you’ve put her through these last two months. I’ve tried to help you, we all have, but you’re so dang stubborn and stuck up! You say Chloe is ridiculous?” 

Alya ignored the protest on Chloe’s part. 

“Well, guess what? You’re even worse than she is! You’re so selfish and self centered and if I weren’t so angry, I’d be heartbroken that you turned out to be such a cruel, pathetic bully.” She snarled, shaking with anger at this point. 

Marinette opened her mouth to snap back, but found she had nothing to say. What was the point of arguing about this? Alya obviously wasn’t listening to reason. And she had the gall to say that she was the one set in her opinions? As if. 

Marinette wasn’t angry- for which she was glad. The last thing they needed was another screaming match. -but she was extremely disappointed. In Alya. In everyone. Especially in Adrien, who claimed to be by her side despite that clearly not being the case. 

So, the ravenette simply sighed and shook her head, before walking up the steps and sitting in the back with Felix. He was the only person in her class that she could depend on at this point.

The class fell silent at the action, probably because they half-expected her to retaliate at this point. She always did. Even Alya’s anger had somewhat faded from the shock. 

Marinette didn’t pay them any attention, though, taking out her tablet and pulling up this morning’s due homework. 

“Alright, everyone, in your seats please!” Ms. Bustier suddenly ordered, causing the class to scatter to their assigned seats. Alya was the last to sit down, still staring at Marinette with a mix of confusion and frustration.

“Are you alright?” Felix whispered after a moment, leaning in so she could hear him but giving her enough space to feel comfortable. 

Marinette sighed. “I’m starting to be.” 

~~~~~~

Alya shifted in her seat to fix a glare on the infamous “Marinette group”. Luka and the others appeared to be comforting Marinette at the cafeteria table. Felix sat next to the ravenette, glowering right back at Alya.

“She’s such manipulator!” Alya huffed, wringing her hands through her hair in frustration. “Look at them! Giving her all of that undeserved sympathy while Lila’s the one that’s been suffering!” she added, gesturing to the brunette who was cheerfully chatting with Mylene and Rose. 

Adrien glanced towards Lila, not mentioning how happy she seemed despite “suffering” all this time. 

“I’ve known her since kindergarten.. How did I not see it?” Nino shook his head.

“M-maybe,” Adrien began cautiously, “Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding? You guys know Mari-”

“We thought we knew Mari.” Alya cut him off, turning her glare to him. 

“You saw what happened today, She’s a menace! Just like your cousin.” She added curtly, looking back to the group. 

Felix wasn’t glaring at her anymore, instead looking at Marinette with concern. She had her face buried in her hands with Luka and Aurore putting supportive hands on her shoulders. 

To be honest, it was odd seeing Felix show emotion for anything, let alone a person. It caused Alya to pause. To really, really study the blonde. 

Of course, she didn’t get to entertain the thought too much because a flick of purple caught her eye. Alya gasped.

It was an akuma, but it wasn’t heading for her, despite her anger. The akuma was flying towards-

“Marinette!” Wayhem gasped, standing up and pointing to the black butterfly. Students around their table began screaming and running for exits, Luka and the others tensed and took a step back, and Marinette..

Marinette just froze. She stared at the akuma in horror, yet acceptance, as if she had been expecting this for a while now.

Just before the akuma could touch Marinette’s earrings, however, Felix stepped protectively in front of her, holding up his book as a shield. To everyone’s mutual terror, the akuma merged with Felix’s book instead, creating a purple, butterfly shaped mask in front of his face. 

Alya didn’t know what happened next, all she remembered was seeing Marinette’s eyes widen and being yanked towards the exit by Nino.

~~~~~~~

Marinette tried not to think about Alya’s acidic outburst or Lila’s malicious smirk, but that was all Felix talked about during their lunch period. He was angry- understandeably so - and when the others heard what happened, they were infuriated as well. She held back the tears as they tried to comfort her. Marinette shouldn’t have needed comfort. None of this should have happened in the first place. Adrien should have stuck up for her. The class shouldn’t have believed Lila over her. After everything she’d done. After everything she’d sacrificed, they-

“Akuma!”

Marinette’s gaze snapped upwards. Sure enough, a black butterfly was heading straight for her. 

She needed to run. Ladybug wasn’t allowed to get akumatized.

Nevertheless, Marinette stayed put, watching the akuma grow closer. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be? She had already been nearly akumatized three different times now. Perhaps Marinette was meant to get akumatized. Maybe she could finally let out some of her anger and frustrations without being judged or at fault. Chat Noir would turn her back to normal, right? Felix knew she was Ladybug so he would be able to help out as well.

Yes, Maybe this was a good thing.

That thought was shattered in an instant, though, when Felix threw himself in front of her. He was protecting her. Again. Only this time as Marinette instead of Ladybug. 

Reality slapped Marinette in the face as Felix became shadowed in a purple glow, and her Ladybug instincts finally kicked in.

She shot to her feet, eyeing the boy warily. “Felix?”

At the name, Felix- or an akumatized version of Felix -looked up. He wore a blood red suit with his black, button up shirt and tie. His blonde- now turned pitch black -hair was slicked to the side, and his silver eyes had turned a dark, inky grey with flecks of bright red. 

“Marinette..” Felix breathed, immediately stepping towards her. 

Marinette took a slight step back, hesitating when Felix lightly cupped her cheeks. 

“Don’t worry. Everything’s gonna be fine now. You won’t have to deal with those idiotic classmates of yours anymore.” His voice was so soft and sweet that Marinette wasn’t entirely sure she was talking to the same, stiff classmate she knew.

“But Felix, I don’t-”

“My name isn’t Felix.” He cut her off sharply, though the gentleness never left his eyes. “It’s Karma, now. I’ll be back. Stay here.”

Before Marinette could say anything else, he was off, running in the direction of her other classmates. She stood there dumbly, bringing her hands up to touch her earrings. Felix never tried to take them. Did that mean he was still somewhat conscious in all of this?

“Marinette, let’s go!” Tikki whispered from Marinette’s purse.

Marinette startled, absently nodding her head and starting for the bathroom.

~~~~~~~

Chat Noir leaped towards the school as fast as he could from the place he transformed.

Why couldn’t Marinette just let Lila be? He warned her that someone would get hurt if she kept prying. This is exactly the reason they needed to let Lila go in the first place!

The cat heroine sighed as he landed in front of the back entrance to the school. Now he was going to have to fight Marinette when she could have avoided being akumatized at all. 

The walls around the door fell to decay and crumbled within seconds, causing Chat Noir to pause and hold his breath. Anticipation clouded the air as footsteps approached him in the wreckage. He tensed, slipping into a fighting stance as he unhooked his staff. 

“Marinette, please, I don’t want to fight you.” He pleaded.

“Well, that’s rather fitting then, isn’t it?” a cold voice responded as a man in a blood red suit stepped out of the smoke. “Because I’m not Marinette.” 

Chat Noir blinked, his stance slacking a bit. “Then who-” 

He was cut off by a sudden paralyzation that swept over his body, causing his limbs to feel rigid and stiff. 

“Chat Noir,” The akuma began, taking out a black book from his suit coat and opening it, “You constantly push your feelings onto Ladybug despite her protests and leave her to fight for herself. As punishment, you will no longer have any feelings to push onto her.” he informed with an icy glare, slamming the book shut. 

As soon as the akuma did so, a sharp coldness flooded into Chat Noir’s chest. Emptiness, numbness. He thought he would be angry towards the accusation, or scared of what the akuma meant, or even worried for Marinette, but he wasn’t.

He didn’t feel anything. He couldn’t feel anything. The thought would have terrified him had it not been for the circumstances. 

“Felix, you have to stop this!” 

Chat Noir barely registered the red blur landing in front of him. 

Felix? He was the one that was akumatized? What about Marinette?

“I’ve already told you, it’s Karma now.” The akuma said coolly, though certainly not as cold as when he spoke to Chat noir.

Why was that?

“Marinette wouldn’t want this!” Ladybug tried to reason

“No,” Karma agreed, “She wouldn’t. Marinette’s too nice to condemn those who’ve hurt her. She’s too kind to be this cruel. So I will be selfish for her.”

Ladybug looked pained towards the answer, and even Karma seemed a bit upset that they were fighting. Why were the two reluctant? Why hadn’t Karma attacked her with her own karma yet?

Chat had a hunch he would be angry if he could feel anything.

“My Lady, we need to cleanse the akuma.” He stated dryly, taking out his staff and lunging for Karma.

The akuma’s eyes never left Ladybug’s as he disappeared into thin air. 

Chat Noir stumbled, whipping around to try and find where Felix went, but Ladybug was already flinging out of her yoyo.

“What are you doing!” Chat demanded, frowning towards his partner.

Ladybug flinched, looking back at him with worry and exasperation in her gaze. “We have to find him before he hurts anyone!”

Chat Noir faltered at the urgency in her tone. Despite the hollowness aching in his bones, he knew he should be worried as well. So he listened to her as he always did and followed his lady.

~~~~~~~

Kagami wasn’t one to run away from fights. She didn’t mind getting her hands dirty as long as her mother gave her permission. When she saw that butterfly coming for Marinette, though, she genuinely felt fear.

Marinette was kind, gentle, too good for this world. If she was getting akumatized? who knew what kind of nightmare she’d become. 

Of course, Luka and the others didn’t want to leave Mari, either, but they were forced out of the school by the panicked crowds and worried teachers. Soon, they were all running from the building along with Marinette’s classmates, including Lila. 

Kagami knew full well this was Lila’s doing, and she wanted nothing more than to slice her to pieces with her sword. Unfortunately, now was the time for running, not revenge.

Or so she thought.

The group came to a screeching halt when a man in a suit appeared in front of them, black book in hand.

“Who are you?” Alya blurted out.

“Felix..” Kagami whispered, turning to look at Luka.

The blue-haired boy was equally as terrified. Of course Felix would get akumatized. He was infuriated at the class, a strong negative emotion. He was also extremely protective towards Marinette, and he would never have left her alone during the chaos.

But that begged the question, where was Mari?

“Alya Cessaire,” the akuma began, ignoring her question and opening his book, “you turned your back on your friend in need and instead believed a liar’s words over her own.”

She’s not a liar! Marinette’s the one who’s lying! That’s what Kagami expected Alya to shout, but the journalist, for once, said nothing. 

Then Kagami noticed how stiff the red head was. Not moving, not talking, almost like she was.. Paralyzed.

“Since you refused to see the truth, I, Karma, give you the punishment to not be able to see anything at all.” 

The akuma slammed the book shut, and Alya screamed. 

Nino asked her what was wrong, grabbing her flailing arms. Alya looked up, revealing her brown eyes to be clouded over.

She was blind. Felix- no, the akuma- blinded her. 

“Dude, what did you do!” Nino shouted in a fury. He had a right to be upset, Kagami reasoned. It was his girlfriend after all.

Karma calmly turned to Nino, and opened his book, causing the DJ to freeze. “Nino Lahiffe, you were told the truth and didn’t listen. Therefore, your punishment is you will not be able to hear anything.” 

The akuma slammed the book shut again, and Nino looked around.

“Alya?” he asked, slightly too loud. Then he said it again, this time louder. 

Then again. And again, each time increasing his volume.

Deaf.

Kagami stared curiously at the book, starting to understand. It was obviously the akumatized object. Anytime Karma opened it, it paralyzed the victim, most likely portrayed their actions, and, when closed, delivered their punishments.

“Please, there’s no need for this! Can’t we all just be happy?” Lila cried, burying her face in her hands. 

Karma snapped his gaze to the girl, rage exploding across his features. Kagami took an unconscious step back, not expecting him to get so upset. He’d been cool and composed until now.

The akuma flipped open the book with a new found determination, glaring daggers at Lila.

“Lila Rossi,” Acid dripped from his tone, “you’ve spread lies and deceit and filth throughout the world without remorse. As punishment, you will not be able to speak.” 

Karma slammed the book, releasing Lila from paralysis. 

The brunette immediately straightened and let out a whimper, clamping her hands over her mouth. She then doubled over, as if about to throw up, and spit something out. 

Kagami squinted, leaning closer to get a better look. When she realized what it was, her blood ran cold.

It was Lila’s tongue.

~~~~~~~

Marinette tried to level her breathing as she ran towards the direction her classmates had gone during the akumatization. She’d convinced Chat that it was smarter to split up, to search for Fe- Karma -since they weren’t sure where he’d go.

She knew, though. She knew he’d attempt to get revenge on Lila and the others. She also knew if she was going to appeal to Felix in any way, she needed to do it as Marinette. Ladybug wouldn’t know what Marinette does, and Felix was thankfully keeping her identity a secret. That meant she had to talk to him in civilian form. It could be dangerous, but after his speech right before he ran off, she was confident he wouldn’t hurt her. 

Well, she was pretty sure.

Marinette felt the confidence slip when she saw him facing down the class, specifically Lila. 

She felt a full on chill run down her spine when the brunette spit out her tongue onto the ground. Marinette knew akumas could be a bit aggressive, but this was plain morbid. 

“F-felix?” Marinette swallowed, trying to hide the fear in her voice. It wasn’t him- it wasn’t Felix. She knew that! 

But it was still a threat. If not Felix, then Karma. 

The akuma glanced up, instantly relaxing at her presence. 

Then he tensed back up. 

“I told you to stay out of this.” he said solemnly.

“And I told you I didn’t want any of this!” Marinette retorted, gesturing vaguely to the other classmates.

Karma sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m doing this for you, Mari.” 

“No.” She responded sternly. “If you were really doing this for me, you would do what I wished! You’re only doing what you wish!” her gaze then softened, as she took a step forward. 

“M-mari?” Alya gasped, feeling around the air to try to find her. 

Marinette’s stomach sank when she saw Alya’s blindness. How many others was Felix willing to hurt?

“Felix, you have to stop this, please.” She begged, taking another step. 

Remorse reflected in Karma’s eyes. “I can’t. Not until they all get what they deserve. Lila, Hawk Moth, everyone who’s treated you unfairly.”

Marinette shook her head. “They will, Felix. I promise they’ll get what they need, just-” she sucked in a breath as she held out her hand. “Just give me the book.”

She saw him hesitate, but he inevitably pulled it out of her reach. “I can’t. You’re always in trouble and hurting because of the jerks in this class. You always try to see the good in others, putting their feelings ahead of your own.” He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. “And I love you for it..” 

The declaration was soft enough that Marinette thought she might have imagined it, but the blush of embarrassment on his face proved otherwise. 

Before Marinette could respond, the akuma abruptly straightened. “That’s why I’ll do it for you.” 

It took a moment for Marinette to realize he was referring to his earlier statement about punishing the class, and her eyes widened. 

“No!” She cried, lunging for the book. 

Karma raised it higher into the air, getting ready to teleport, when a staff knocked the book out of his hand. 

“Not so fast!” Chat Noir shouted, landing a few feet behind them. 

Marinette looked on in relief, but Felix scrambled for the black book that had flown across the street. 

He can’t teleport without the book. Marinette noted as she darted after him. That was good. He had a weakness. 

Chat Noir followed the two, using his staff to trip Karma and get closer to the book. Miraculously, Marinette got to the book first, quickly tearing it in half before anything else could interrupt her. 

Karma let out a gasp, his entire form being covered in a purple glow. Then Felix reappeared, a very dazed and confused look coming to his face. 

“Felix!” Marinette sighed in relief, running over to him.

Felix blinked, looking up at her. “Marinette? What- where am I? What happened?” He clutched his head with furrowed eyebrows, clearly trying to remember how he’d gotten so far away from the school.

“It’s okay, Fe. you were akumatized, so you probably don’t remember what happened.” Marinette said softly, kneeling in front of him.

“Akumatized?” Felix frowned. “Where’s the akuma? Shouldn’t you be.. You know.” He gestured vaguely to her figure, silently referring to her Ladybug alter ego.

Marinette pulled a nervous smile. “Ah, well, probably, but you need-”

“It doesn’t matter what I need.” Felix cut her off. “If the akuma is still out there, I can wait.”

Marinette pursed her lips, knowing she couldn’t argue with the statement. Nevertheless, she tried. “But-”

“Marinette.” Felix stressed. 

Marinette huffed, standing up. 

“I’m coming back to check on you.” 

“I’ll be at the school.” Felix replied, standing up as well and brushing himself off.

With a final, weary glance, Marinette ran off to transform and capture the akuma.

Tag list: @unabashedbookworm @bluerosette23 @minightrose@kuroko26@im-here-for-the-content @angstyrastuff @clumsy-owl-4178 @fanboy7794@choaticneturcl @bigcheeseyboi @burntnugget-tae @ayuchan07@honorisfortheweak @knightrose15 @mjisntme@rhub4rb @simplythebestbug@wilhelmares@zebrabaker@dargeon-lissa @kristycocopop @alumneia @kaydenth3gayden @thornangelic727 @flirtshobi @whatamessofwords @book-r-the-best @naomi-from-paleontology

[labyrinth-runner]

Children of the Revolution

The Greatest Thing, Chapter 4

Moulin Rouge fanfic

Christian x OC

Read the rest here

Estelle stifled a chuckle as he grinned up at her from below.

"I'll be down in a moment!" she softly called down.

"I'll be waiting, darling," he winked.

She shook her head as she blushed. She gently picked up her shoes from next to her door and crept out into the hall. Carefully, she peered around to make sure the rest of the lights were off in the house. Her foot stopped at the top of the stairs. They would creak. They always creaked. It would give her away in a heartbeat. Estelle let a soft sigh pass through her mouth before letting her gaze fall on the railing. It wasn't proper by any means. She hadn't done it in years. But, desperate times called for desperate measures. Estelle bunched up her skirts in her hand before swinging her leg over the side of the railing. Then, she tucked her shoes under her arms and let go, sliding down the railing until her back gently hit the newel post at the end. A childish smile formed on her face at the sheer rush she felt from doing such a silly and small action. She'd been prim and proper for so long that she had almost forgotten what it was like to have fun. Christian truly did bring color back into her life after having seen the world in black and white for so long. She'd forgotten what it was like to dream. Estelle leaned her weight to the side that was on the outside of the railing before swinging her other leg over and landing soundlessly on the floor. She smoothed her skirts out before moving on towards the front door. Slipping on her shoes, she snuck out the door and ran around the corner into Christian's waiting arms.

Despite the fact that he had just seen her a few hours earlier, he hugged her close and spun her around. In the dark of the night, they could just be themselves. Hidden in the shadows, they could leave society behind.

"What did you want to show me that I couldn't see in the daylight?" Estelle asked curiously, resting her hands on his arms as he held her.

"Well, I wanted to show you some like minded people," Christian replied with a blush.

"Then lead the way," she smiled.

Reluctantly, he let go over her waist, offering her his arm instead to escort her through the streets. They walked in a calm silence until they were a few streets away.

"Earlier... after the dinner. You seemed upset," he ventured. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, not exactly," she murmured. "I suppose it was something the ladies said after you all left. We were discussing your song and questions turned to our relationship and something that they said sent me into a world of my own devising."

"They say that thinking is a dangerous pass time," he teased.

"They may be right," she chuckled.

"What did they say?"

"They seem to think I could anchor you," she replied. "But, I think they're wrong."

"How do you figure?"

"I would never anchor you. Not when you've taught me how to fly," she smiled. "I'd sooner fly with you than ask you to be anything you were not."

A funny smile came over his face as he looked down at her. "You are everything one could ever want."

"About that song earlier," Estelle started.

"What about it?"

"Did you pick it for a reason?" she asked, blushing furiously.

"Of course, darling."

"Which was?" she asked turning to face him.

"Sometimes when you feel a certain way, you can't bottle it inside," he murmured, reaching out to cup her cheek.

She leaned into his touch as his thumb rubbed along her bottom lip.

"You are so beautiful," he replied, skimming his eyes down her face.

"Would a Bohemian ever write about me?" she teased.

"Volumes," he replied earnestly.

She shook her head at him slightly and they started walking again.

"Where are we going, Christian?" she asked when they didn't seem to be stopping.

"Right... here," he said as they stopped in front of a building. "Darling, welcome to Grub Street, home to London's Bohemian scene."

Estelle looked around the street. It was lined with shabby looking buildings. Across the way was a coffeehouse, and next to it was a brothel. Well, at least a man didn't have to go far to satisfy all his basic needs, she thought with a smirk.

Christian made his way across the street to the coffeehouse. Estelle followed him, curious. She had never been to a coffeehouse before. She wasn't quite sure what to expect. However, she didn't get to see much since she was stopped at the door.

"No women allowed," a man gruffed as she entered.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I said what I said, lass," came the man's reply as he scratched his head. "This isn't the place for a lady. Run along now and get back to your sewing circles."

Estelle bristled at this comments. "Are you insinuating that I'm not cultured enough to keep up with the men in here?"

The man stood and towered over her. "I'm saying that you aren't welcome. Now get the hint and bugger off!"

She turned to Christian and he looked at her. "I just need to see if a friend is here, and then I'll be out."

Her face was hot with rage as she turned to wait outside for Christian.

"They kicked you out, Miss?" a woman leaning against the building next door asked.

"They said I wasn't welcome," she huffed.

The woman spat on the ground. "Lousy blowhards, that's what they are."

Estelle cracked a smile and went towards her. "You could say that again."

"The man with you ditched you to wait out here?" the woman asked.

"He's just looking for his friend and then he'll be out," Estelle murmured.

"If you don't mind me saying so, you seem to be in the wrong neck of the woods, Miss," the woman smiled.

"Estelle Devereux," she corrected. "And... perhaps? But, if we all belong to the Earth, then I don't think there could be a wrong place to end up."

"Spoken like one of the Bohemians in there," the woman chuckled. "Shame they didn't let you in. You could've taught them a thing or two."

"What's your name?" Estelle asked.

"Poppy," she replied.

"No last name?"

"Ms. Devereux, when you're a whore, no one cares for your last name. It's too much for them to scream when they're having a good time," she teased.

Estelle blushed. "I suppose so, Poppy."

Poppy gave her an appraising glance. "Someone like you could make a lot of money doing the work of someone like me."

"Y-yes, well, I..."

"You wouldn't have the first clue as to where to start," Poppy smirked.

Estelle cleared her throat. "I've never... I've never even kissed a man."

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad, sweetheart. I'm just teasing you," she said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Although, if you ever wanted to learn things... I wouldn't mind talking to you about it."

Estelle blushed even harder. "I... appreciate your kind offer."

Christian came out of the coffeehouse and called out to her.

"Well, some other time, then," Poppy grinned graciously before returning to her own building.

Estelle walked over. "That man was the rudest man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. How dare he think I couldn't keep up with them?"

Christian let out a sigh. "I should have realized that. The only ladies in this area are the women who work next door, and they have a tendency to steer clear of the coffeehouse."

"Now what?" she asked.

"Well, my friend wasn't in there, so he must be home. We'll just have to go call on him."

"Christian, isn't it too late to call on someone?" she asked as they started to walk again.

"Nonsense. William is always awake. In fact, he's probably hosting people tonight since it is a weekend," he grinned. "Come on, darling. This will be fun."

Estelle shook her head as he led her away and further down the road. The house was dilapidated, but the light was on in the upstairs windows. Without any pause, Christian entered the boarding house and up the stairs to his friend's home.

He knocked on the door and a gruff, "I don't want any tonight, Delilah!" came back.

"Well, I'm not Delilah," Christian called back.

The door swung open and an older, rakish gentleman came out. Estelle figured he had to be in his 30s. His shirt was half open and his waist coat hung open off his chest, suspenders hanging off his pants. His hair was a mop of sandy brown on his head, but his beard was well groomed.

"Christian, my boy! It's been a bit," William grinned. His eyes then fell to Estelle, sizing her up. "Who's your friend?"

"William, this is Ms. Estelle Devereux," Christian said before turning to Estelle. "Ellie, this is William Cavanaugh."

William nudged Christian out of the way to take Estelle's hand and kiss her knuckles. "So this is the little star you used to go on about back in school. I can see why."

Estelle raised a brow at Christian who was blushing.

"Please, come inside," William grinned, "my house isn't much, but the company isn't half bad."

"The gang is all here?" Christian asked.

"More or less," William shrugged.

Estelle and Christian followed William back into his smoky parlor. A small crowd was seated around the room. William pointed around the room to introduce them.

"The Abraham Lincoln imitation in the corner is James, the blonde woman in his lap is Luise, the man on the piano bench is John, and the woman next to him is his mistress, Jennifer. Everyone, you all remember Christian. This is his friend, Ms. Devereux."

James cackled, causing smoke from his cigar to puff out of his mouth. "Ms. Devereux, your reputation proceeds you."

"So I've gathered," Estelle smiled as she settled on a chair.

"What's the topic tonight?" Christian asked as he sat next to her.

"We haven't chosen one yet. Do you have one in mind?" John asked, leaning forward on his knees.

"Well, our dinner party had some thoughts on Paris," Christian said with an amused smile.

"All of them wrong, probably," Luise snorted.

"More or less," Estelle grinned.

William settled into his tall-backed arm chair. "Alright, my lovely ones and unfortunate bastards, the topic on the table is Paris. Unleash your floodgates."

Estelle did her best to keep up with the conversation as it bounced around the room. Everyone had thoughts, and they weren't the simple, polite thoughts that she had encountered at the Harper's. No, these were rich with ideas and dense with knowledge. While the dinner conversation would have been splashing around in the shallows, this was diving into the deep. Things were muddled until you could work through them and see the bottom. Nothing was off limits. However, she noticed the men were still dominating the conversation mostly. Whenever she contributed, they would look a bit startled, except for Christian, before taking her thoughts and running with it, expanding and building. Nothing was tangible. Disagreements were commonplace, but never heated. She had never felt more alive, yet, as they left, it was almost like coming up for air.

"Hold tight to that one, Thompson," William smirked as they were going out the door.

Christian looked over at Estelle, a smile on his face. "She is quite special."

Estelle blushed softly as they walked off into the night.

"Well, how did I do?" Estelle asked when they had left Grub Street.

"Splendid, darling. You kept up a lot better than I did my first time there."

Silence settled for a moment before Estelle bit her lip and formulated her question.

"Christian, do you talk to them about me often?"

"W-well... when it was relevant to the conversation," Christian murmured.

"What did you say?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing terrible, I promise," he grinned.

"Alright," Estelle blushed. "Keep your secrets."

"I'll tell you someday," he replied, nudging her shoulder with his.

"Write it in a book," she teased.

"Perhaps I will!" he laughed.

"So when do we go back?" she asked.

"Perhaps next weekend?" he suggested as they came to a stop in front of the servant entrance to her house.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Estelle smiled.

She heard the clock in the distance chime two in the morning.

"I should get going," she murmured, losing herself in his eyes.

A gravitational pull formed between them as they drew closer. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his breath against her face. His hand came up to cup her cheek. His lips were warm against hers. She wanted to melt into him, and that's nearly what she did, slipping her hands into the hair at the nape of his neck to pull him closer. His arm wrapped around her waist in response, pulling her flush against him. She'd never been kissed before, but she hadn't pictured the first one to be like this. She always thought it would be awkward, or that they would bump noses, but this was nothing like that. This was perfect. This was right. Her lips voiced thoughts that she wasn't ready to express with words, and with the way he was kissing back, she hoped that it meant that he reciprocated them. If they were in public, and not in front of the servant entrance by the garden, one might have considered it indecent. Her heart was hammering as she pulled away ever so slightly. He ran his thumb gently along her cheek as he smiled down at her.

"I would write volumes for you."

"And I would hang onto every word," she smiled.

"Good night, Ellie."

"Good night, Christian," she whispered.

Slowly, they entangled themselves from each other, distancing themselves into what was proper.

"Until next time," he smiled.

She nodded slightly and went in through the back door. Carefully, she took her shoes off and then snuck through her home and back to her room. Swiftly, she got ready for bed and settled in to sleep, but she couldn't stop replaying their kiss in her mind.

[oscararcane]

The detective’s got a band (part 1)

Oh man. So I wanted to write a small thing about another one of my detectives but it turned into over 5000 words of Adam being angsty, I guess. I’ll post it in 2 parts plus a bonus scene, since it’s so long. Hope you’ll enjoy it! It takes place during book 2, but there’s next to no mention of it.

“I have to get out of town tomorrow night.” Leslie’s soft voice suddenly breaks the comfortable silence that had fallen over Adam, Nate and him in the library, the trio deeply focused on their research. Adam stiffens in his chair and his gaze snaps up from his book to land sharply on the detective. “You have to what?” Disapproval makes his words harsh. Leslie glances at him sheepishly. “I have a concert, he says like it explains everything.” “A concert?” The word draws Nate’s attention who looks at him with curiosity. Leslie rubs the back of his neck, looking a little embarassed. “Ah, that’s right, I never told you. I’m in a band.” Adam stares at him. “You? In a band?” He has a hard time not letting disbelief seep into his words. It does not seem to bother Leslie however who just nods. “A jazz band.”

Well that made a whole lot more sense. Nate leans forwards, sitting on the edge of his chair. He closes his book, his focus now entirely on Leslie. A delighted smile stretches the lips of Adam’s friend. “So you do play the bass.” Adam remembers Nate pointing out to him the massive instrument sitting in Leslie’s apartment, wondering if it was decorative, a heirloom or if Leslie actually played it. Adam guesses Nate never got around to ask him. Leslie shrugs but smiles back. “Yeah. I sing a bit too.” “It must be hard to balance it out with your work, Nate points out.” “It is, but it’s fine, everyone in the group has a day job. We do it for fun really.” “Then it won’t be too hard to cancel.” Adam should have interrupted them earlier, but curiosity made him hold his tongue, even if he would never admit it. Leslie gapes at him. A frown slowly wrinkles his usually smooth forehead. “I can’t do that.” “He can’t do that, Nate confirms, also frowning at Adam.” The team leader crosses his arms on his chest defensively. “It’s not safe, we can’t have him run off on a road trip in the middle of a crisis.” He looks at Nate, avoiding Leslie’s stare as long as possible. “Please, Adam, I can’t do that to the band. The-the tickets are sold. It’s been a long time in the making and we don’t get to perform live often…” Hearing Leslie’s pleading voice, Adam is forced to look at him in the light brown of his eyes. Guilt twists his gut and he has to bite the inside of his lip to prevent his face to betray the emotion. “Alright, he snaps, interrupting him. But we’ll drive you there and you’re not getting out of our sight.” Leslie’s eyebrows shoot up. Once the shock wears off, he smiles soflty. “Thank you, Adam.” “It’s an excellent idea, Nate says standing up, obviously excited. We should take Felix with...” “Felix doesn’t need to know, Adam interrupts.” A flash of movement attracts all their attention to the door where Felix appears, leaning on the frame. “What do I not need to know?” He asks with a bright grin. Adam groans, bringing his hand to his forehead.

“Nervous, Leslie?” The quiet did not last long, to nobody’s surprise since Felix is sharing the backseat of the Agency SUV with Leslie. The detective had made a feeble attempt at suggesting his car instead, not wanting to attract too much attention, but Adam’s concern for Nate’s comfort was enough to cut it short. Leslie gulps. “Yeah.” A slow grin stretches Felix’s lips. “More than usual?” “Yes, Leslie freely admits. Knowing the three of you will be listening is a little nerve-wracking.” His chuckle sounds a little strangled. “And why is that? Felix insists.” “I’m not used to have people I know in the audience.” Leslie shrugs, the movement is stiff. Felix blinks at him, his grin disappearing. “Really? No friends, no family?” “It’s not really Tina’s scene. Verda came with his husband a couple of times, when they could find someone to look after the girls. And Mum… You know how busy she is.” A heavy silence falls inside the car. Felix does not let it linger, of course. “Well, you’ll get used to it then, I wanna go to all your concerts!” Leslie stiffles a laugh. “You do realize it involves a lot of sitting down, right?” Felix folds his leg, hugging it close to his chest. “I don’t know, I’ve never been to a concert. But I can sit down.” “For several hours?” Felix narrows his eyes at Leslie, pondering if maybe he is bluffing. But his expression is as open and as honest as ever. “Absolutely.” “Alright.” Leslie chuckles. Nate and Adam exchange a skeptical look. There is a short pause and Felix starts talking. Again. “Too bad Mason didn’t want to go.” He pushes out a disappointed sigh. Of course Leslie asked him. Everyone knew Mason would not want to come, but the detective did not want him to feel excluded. Always a thoughtful man, even if Mason could not care less. He did give Leslie an appraising look when he learned he was in a band though, seeing him in a different light. “We’re here, Adam announces while parking the SUV.” Leslie lets out a shuddering breath. The concert hall is a small unassuming building in a rather quiet neighborhood at the edge of the big city. It had not been too hard to convince the team leader to park at the back of the venue, although his reasons for accepting are quite different from the ones that pushed Leslie to ask. Adam is more concerned with safety matters than the detective’s modesty. Glancing towards the rearview mirror, Adam sees Leslie looking nervously around through the SUV’s windows, making sure no one is around before opening the car’s passenger door. The shadow of an amused smile plays at the corners of the team leader’s lips. He joins the detective at the back of the vehicle, opening the trunk and grabbing the bass’ case before Leslie has the chance to make a move towards it. “I can carry it, he protests.” Adam throws a narrowed gaze at his thin frame. “But I don’t mind you doing it, Leslie backpedals quickly.” Instead he grabs his pressed suit with a sigh. He walks with long strides to catch up with Adam who is already heading towards the back entrance. “You do realize I’ve managed most of my life without vampiric super-strength, right?” Adam glances at him. “A fact I still can’t wrap my head around.” Leslie blinks up at him. But when he sees the team leader’s faint lopsided smile, he chuckles and answers with a warm smile of his own.

“These are you friends?” Poppy stares at Adam, Nate and Felix with eyes wide open. Leslie always forgets how abnormally attractive Unit Bravo is. He sometimes wonders if it is a vampire thing. “Yes! Felix, Nate, Adam, meet Poppy, saxophone…” He points at the woman with the platinum pony tail. “... Damon, drums…” The ebony-skinned man with short coiled hair nods politely. “... Valery, piano and vocals…” The woman with her brown hair neatly tucked in a french twist offers them a friendly smile. “... And Cory, guitar.” They rub a hand over their short brown hair as Leslie points to the last member of the band. The three vampires’ eyes snap suddenly toward them, which makes Leslie frown a little. But the strange tension dissipate too fast for anyone else to notice. “It’s nice to meet all of you, Nate says with his most charming smile.” “Likewise, Poppy answers, drawing out the word in an attempt to sound suave.” “You should get ready, Adam says abruptly, shoving the bass’ case towards Leslie.” Nate and Felix take it as a signal for them to leave. “We’ll keep your seat, Nate tells Adam as he turns away.” “See you later! Felix shouts at Leslie, sauntering in the corridor and waving excitedly.” Damon, Valery and Cory are making their way towards the dressing rooms, but Poppy keeps staring at Adam who leans his back against the wall, folding his arms against his chest. “You gonna stay here, she blurts out. Next to Leslie’s door. While he changes.” Adam bristles. “Yes.” The saxophonist lifts a suggestive eyebrow at Leslie whose ears start to burn. “Alright, then.” “Detective Langford and us are currently working on a dangerous case, Adam is quick to clarify. It’s for safety.” Poppy grins, looking between Adam and Leslie. “Nice.” Unit Bravo’s leader’s whole body becomes stiff and Leslie tenses in reaction. Adam pushes himself from the wall, unfolding his arms, fists tigthly closed at his sides. “Leslie being in potential danger is not something I’d call ‘nice’.” Poppy weathers the icy green glare with impressive composure. “Very nice.” Adam takes a step forward. Leslie immediatly intervenes and grabs Poppy’s shoulders to direct her towards her dressing room. “You should go get ready Poppy, we’ll be late.” The young woman let him push her all the way to her door, giggling to herself. She stops before entering the room however, turning to face Leslie. “Your boyfriend looks a bit on edge. You should give him a massage.” “He’s not my…” “Later, Leslie!” Poppy enters the dressing room, not letting him finish. Leslie can feel his whole face turning beet red, painfully aware Adam probably heard the whole thing. Those damned hypersenses. He takes a steadying breath before turning around to join his own dressing room, avoiding Adam’s gaze as he passes him by.

Leslie has to start over his bow tie a third time before Damon finally takes pity on him and helps him out. “You’re awfully nervous tonight.” Leslie lets out a strained laugh. “So I keep hearing.” “You gotta impress those very handsome friends of yours, huh?” Leslie cringes. “I’ll be content not embarassing myself in front of them.” Damon gives a low chuckle and gently taps Leslie’s cheek. “Don’t worry, you gonna rock their ass off their seat.” “Damon…” The reproach is lightened by Leslie’s own chuckle. Damon works on his bow tie in silence for a moment. “It’s muscle guy, huh?” “Shhhh! He can hear us.” Leslie brings a finger to his mouth, glancing nervously towards the door. Damon raises an eyebrow. “I doubt that.” “You’d be surprised, Leslie mutters.” The drummer lowers his voice despite his reservations. “You’re crushing hard on muscle guy, aren’t you?” “Adam, Leslie corrects him in a whisper, his cheeks warming.” “Adam.” Damon nods after finishing up Leslie’s bow tie. He adjusts it a bit. “I’m sure he’s nice… He is, right?” Leslie gives him a lopsided smile. ”It is known to happen.” Damon gives him a long look. Leslie sighs. “Don’t worry, he’s not… he’s not Bobby.” It makes his friend snorts. “He sure isn’t.” There is another pause. “Wanna throw a… huh… impromptu love song in there? Serenade him a little.” Damon winks. Leslie’s face is now burning up. “What? No! That’s just… No!”

[bytheangell]

Second Chances at First Impressions

(Read on AO3) Square Filled: First Date // Ship: Clace // Rating: General // Tags: Christmas fluff, first dates, holidays, Post-Canon Summary:   Not wanting Clary to be left alone for the holiday, Jace invites her to spend it with his family - and Clary feels right at home though she doesn't know why her time with the Lightwoods feels so natural. Created for @shadowhunterbingo

—

It’s a dating auction for charity, but with a twist: several of the art classes at the local college are auctioning off paintings - and whoever wins the painting also wins a coffee ‘date’ with the artist after the auction. Obviously, as no genders or appearances will be known, it’s set up as less of a date-date and more of a chance to meet and talk with someone new. 

Jace has no way of knowing whether Clary’s even going to participate, but he’s willing to gamble on yes as he situates himself in the audience looking spectacularly out of place for an art auction in his ripped jeans and leather jacket.  Clary’s never turned down the chance to help people, he can’t imagine she’d stop now. 

He’s right. The moment the 9th painting is brought out he knows that it’s hers - he’s been going to her exhibits, watching the evolution of her work. He may not know much about art in general but he knows a lot about Clary’s art - her use of colors to give hints at scenes just beyond the canvas, the way the brush strokes grow thicker and the colors more prominent where her emotions take over and she gets a little too into the work, a little too heavy-handed. 

He wins the auction after a very strenuous back-and-forth with a middle-aged woman, and has to act surprised when he’s brought over to ‘meet’ the artist. 

“You again!” Clary says, smiling. “Jace, right?” 

“You remembered, I’m touched,” Jace says, smiling with just the right amount of teasing. 

“Yeah, well, it isn’t often someone runs away from me at my own exhibition,” Clary points out, joking just as easily. 

“No running away this time, you’re stuck with me for an entire coffee,” Jace promises, motioning for her to lead the way out. “Java Jones?” 

“That’s my favorite! How did you know?” Clary asks. 

“I didn’t. That just happens to be my favorite,” he covers quickly. 

“Huh,” Clary muses, but doesn’t comment on it any further than that. Instead they chat, about the crazy up and down temperatures lately, about Clary’s classes, about Jace’s work. He freezes for only a second before deciding on a whim to say it’s training in, and teaching, various forms of martial arts... which isn’t entirely off base.  

Soon they start talking about Clary’s artwork, and once Clary starts she doesn’t stop. Jace listens with his entire focus on her, asking questions and commenting here and there. He starts one too many sentences with “This girl I knew used to-” for everything he has to add, because everything he knows about art he learned from watching her during her time at the Institute, not that he can tell her that. 

The hour they’re scheduled for flies by, and the next thing they know it’s been two hours, three drink refills, and they’re still talking when the barrista comes around to warn them they’re about to close. 

“Oh my goodness,” Clary says, looking at the clock on the wall. “I can’t believe I kept you here so long, I didn’t realize how late it was!” 

Jace smiles and shakes his head. “I wasn’t exactly trying to leave, you know,” he points out. 

And it’s true. Even without having the Shadow World to talk about, it’s like falling back into stride with an old friend talking with Clary, where everything is so much easier than he ever expected. It’s a blessing and a curse because as nice as their conversation was he knows this is only for the night, and once he walks out of here she’ll probably never speak to him again. 

“I think I’m just starved for company this week. Everyone else went home for break, I think I’m the only one left on campus,” she says, trying to laugh off the statement though he can tell she’s at least a little bothered by it. 

He almost asks why she stayed behind when he remembers - she doesn’t have anywhere else to go for the holidays.  

His heart breaks, and before he can think twice the words are tumbling out of his mouth. 

“Why don’t you spend Christmas with me?” 

“What?” Clary asks, clearly surprised by the offer. 

“I mean, not just me. My family. It isn’t anything big but you’re more than welcome. What’s that saying? There’s always room for one more?” Jace ignores the voice in the back of his head telling him how terrible of an idea this is, especially when he catches the hint of

“I couldn’t. I barely know you-” Clary starts, but Jace cuts her off before she can completely turn the offer down. 

“Really, it wouldn’t be a problem at all. My mom always makes way too much food, and my brother’s husband makes the most amazing cocktails. And I have this feeling you’ll get along really well with all of them. In fact, right now I’m the only one not bringing someone along, so you’d be doing me a favor.” Jace pauses, realizing how that might sound. “Just as friends. And if you hate it you can turn around and leave. What do you have to lose?” 

He knows he might be trying a little too hard to get her to agree, but he can’t imagine a scenario where he walks away from her right now to leave her entirely alone for the next two days heating up Christmas dinner in a dorm microwave, or eating alone at a diner. 

Clary considers the offer for a very long minute or two before sighing. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. But if it’s awkward you have to cover for me leaving early.” “Deal,” Jace agrees immediately, pulling out his phone. “Give me your number and I’ll text you the address.” 

She does, putting her name in as ‘Clary’ with a little paintbrush icon. Jace immediately sends her a text with Maryse’s address. 

“I’ll see you then,” he says, resisting the urge to hug her goodbye. He doesn’t want to push his luck, and he wants to make sure she’s comfortable enough to follow through on the offer in two days.

To his surprise, Clary’s the one who takes one step to leave, stops, and turns back to wrap her arms around his middle for just a few seconds. 

“Thank you, Jace,” she says as she pulls away, and this time doesn’t look back. 

---

They do breakfast and presents with Simon and Luke who both leave before Clary is due to arrive. As far as Jace could figure out from his time with Clary, her memories of the two of them were altered in a way similar to Simon’s mother’s, so it wouldn’t do to have her completely blindsided walking into a room with the two of them. It’s enough of a risk with the rest of the Lightwoods and Lightwood-Banes - something Alec brings up one last time. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alec asks. 

“It’ll be fine. We just can’t let the wrong things slip out… we did it once before, you all managed that dinner with Charlie,” Izzy reminds him. 

“Does Clary think we’re jewelers too, then?” Alec asks with a slight smirk. 

“You can do whatever you want. I’m a martial arts instructor,” Jace reminds him. 

“Of course you are, blondie,” Magnus says, walking over with a drink in hand. “But Isabelle’s right. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” He doesn’t bring back up the contingency plan of being able to wipe this day from her mind and send her on her way if it backfires spectacularly, because Jace hates the idea and only bristles and insists they won’t need that. 

“Better than leaving the poor girl alone for the holidays,” Maryse agrees. 

“She might not even show. I mean, it’s a weird offer from a guy she only spoke to twice,” Jace points out. And when it hits ten, and then twenty minutes past the point Jace told Clary to come over they’re pretty sure she decided just that. 

Until the doorbell rings. 

Jace goes to answer it, beaming when he sees Clary in the hallway holding up a bottle of wine. 

“Happy Holidays,” she says. “I hope this is alright. I didn’t want to bring nothing, but I didn’t know what anyone liked…”

“It’s lovely,” Maryse says, coming up behind Jace. “Come inside, take your coat off, dear. I’m Maryse, by the way. We’re so glad you decided to come.” 

“Thank you for having me,” Clary says. “I’m Clary.” 

Jace watches Clary’s eyes dart around the room, taking in the number of people she doesn’t know and swallowing back a moment of nervousness. Jace wonders if maybe this is too much for her - perhaps he should’ve arranged to do something with just her rather than expose her to all of the Lightwoods all at once. 

But a moment later Izzy is bounding over with a bright smile. “I’m Izzy! So glad you could make it! I’m tired of being outnumbered by all the guys here,” she whispers conspiratorially to Clary who laughs and allows herself to be led off to grab a drink. 

It’s roughly half an hour later, with Izzy making her way quickly across the living room to grab something from her bag, when Maryse says, “I don’t know how you manage those heels on this carpeting.”  

“There’s nothing she can’t do in heels,” Clary chimes in, and Izzy and Jace share a look. Clary doesn’t even seem to realize she said it, turning right back to whatever she’d been discussing previously. 

It isn’t the only time it happens, either. Magnus calls her ‘Biscuit’ and Clary only smiles and says, “It’s been a while since anyone called me that.” Another time she brings up archery to Alec. 

“How did you know I shoot?” Alec asks slowly, eyebrow raised. 

“What? Oh. Jace must’ve mentioned it over coffee,” Clary says with a shrug. Alec looks over at Jace who only shakes his head slowly. 

Jace isn’t sure if it’s good or bad that Clary remembers more about them than just his name, but he’s certain that she has no idea she’s even doing it. Dinner is full of laughter and stories with just as much attention paid to Clary as to anyone else at the table, possibly more so as everyone - even Alec - goes out of their way to make sure she’s comfortable. They sit next to one another at the table, and more than once he catches himself getting lost watching her laugh over something Magnus said or blush over a compliment from Izzy. He also catches her staring at him a few times, too, though she’s always quick to look away once he does. 

Refusing to get his hopes up Jace does his best not to read into those little moments. He did invite her here as just friends, after all, and he’s sticking to it - if he can keep Clary in his life, even just as a casual acquaintance, it’s better than the total lack of her he suffered the past year. It’d have to be enough, and he’s determined not to scare her away and ruin even that. 

“I hope I didn’t impose too much,” Clary says at the end of the night. 

“Not at all, Clary,” Maryse promises. 

“In fact, we lost a good friend last year who you remind me a lot of… it was nice to have that energy around again,” Magnus adds, earning himself a warning glare from Alec which he pretends not to see.

“Oh, and it’s started to snow! ” Izzy announces from the window, turning around with a smile before Clary can read too much into Magnus’ comment and before the mood grows too somber. “We haven’t had a white Christmas since we were kids!” 

“Let me walk you back,” Jace offers, and Clary looks like she might argue for just a moment before giving him a small nod. 

“Alright,” she agrees, grabbing her coat and saying quick round of goodbyes to everyone before the two of them are out the door and on the snowy street below. It takes every bit of restraint Jace has within himself to not reach over to grab her hand as they walk, or move closer as they walk. He misses this. 

“I know I said it before, but thank you again for inviting me. Everyone was so welcoming, and honestly? I felt so comfortable around your family, like I’ve known them for months, not hours.” Clary says with a happy sigh.

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” Jace says. 

Once they’re back at Clary’s dorm Jace hesitates. There’s so much he wants to say but he’s afraid of scaring her away, of being too much too soon, that he’ll come across as too eager to have her back in his life for someone who should, as far as she knows, barely know her. 

Before he can say anything, still trying to figure out how to ask to see her again as casually as possible, Clary speaks first. 

“I know you said this was just as friends,” Clary says, carefully avoiding his gaze as she talks. “But… I wouldn’t mind if it was more. Unless I’m totally misreading this and you were just being nice, which is totally fine-” 

“Do I get to answer?” Jace cuts her off, unable to keep the smirk from his face. “Because I think this was a perfect first date.” 

Clary relaxes at his words, smiling back. “Me too. Well, almost perfect,” she adds, taking a step closer to him. 

Jace closes the rest of the distance between them, their lips meeting amidst a flurry of snowflakes. There’s an immediate warmth between them, the spark of a connection that’s still there. He doesn’t have to wonder if Clary can feel it too - he feels her gasp against his lips at the spark between them, so intense it’s palpable, just like that moment in the alley the night of her exhibit. 

“What-” she starts, but the words trail off. He knows she can feel it, their past just beneath the surface, but not enough to put words to it. Instead she falls contemplatively silent again instead. 

“Setting the bar pretty high for a first date, aren’t we?” Jace observes. 

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Clary counters, leaning up for another kiss, this time bringing her arms around his waist to pull him closer. “After all, this wasn’t even supposed to be a date - we weren’t even trying.” 

“Speak for yourself,” Jace says with a huff, and finds himself rewarded with a laugh Clary tries, and fails, to hide behind the hand she brings up to her mouth. “But you’re right. With a little planning I think I can arrange for us to go ice skating next time.” 

“I used to ice skate all the time when I was little,” Clary says with a soft smile. “I haven’t been in years, though. I’d love that.”

It’s obvious neither of them want to be the one to walk away first but as the snow continues to fall and the temperature drops they finally part ways with the promise to make plans again soon. 

Jace’s phone buzzes almost as soon as the door shuts behind Clary. 

Clary: Too soon to make those plans?

And with a smile he wastes no time in replying:

Jace: Free tomorrow? 

He already knows so much about her he doesn’t like lying to go along with this ‘first date’ label, acting like he doesn’t love her with everything he has and then some, but it isn’t like he can tell her. All he can do is start over and hope the pieces fall into place the way they’re meant to - the way they did once before and hopefully will again. Angels be damned, Jace thought their happy ending was lost forever, but now?

Now that he has his second chance he isn’t going to let another second go by without Clary in his life.