#they watch the holy part and ignore the brute work that follows it

[shoichee]

Phantom Thieves of Hearts in KNB

Persona 5 x Kuroko no Basket crossover

[knb x s/o reader]

Headcanons on how KNB characters find out you were a member of the Phantom Thieves + what they do afterwards

Warning: very very brief mention of harassment/assault | mild spoilers up to Haru/mild insinuations of Akechi | mild spoilers of KNB’s “Last Game” movie

Part 2 is here! Part 3 is here!

Kuroko Tetsuya

you two started dating for a while, but recently, Kuroko began to notice out how you always seem to weasel your way out of group hangouts or turn down after school dates with him or just altogether disappeared without a trace/word

“Um, do you want to eat together at Maji Burger after school today?”

“Wahhh! I’m so sorry, Tetsu!” you hugged your boyfriend with regret before declining. “I already have plans today…”

or that one time when school ended and right when he turned to ask you if you wanted to walk home together, you were just… gone

you were becoming a Kuroko and he was worried

he tried to ask you about your behaviors but you always brushed him off or deflected the subject elsewhere

while he figured that he should wait before you were ready to tell him, he grew antsier as you grew busier and busier and had no time left for the two of you to hang out beyond just class

one day he decided to follow you using his lack of presence and unknowingly walked into the metaverse along with you

but he then sees your attire changed,

then some other people in costumes,

and weird monsters—

he was just standing behind a pillar the entire time and was waiting for the perfect time to go and confront you when you and the strange group encountered a hostile group of shadows and started battling like pros

his eyes were on you the entire time like: 👁🕳👁

you were so graceful, yet so fierce, and so badass—

after the whole battle, he sneaked up to you and tapped your shoulder for you to whirl around in complete shock

the other PT members were just as baffled about where he came from

Ryuji: “Quick, he’s an effin’ enemy shadow!”

Ann: “Ugh, Ryuji! Be quiet!”

Futaba: “Stuuuuupid, if he was a shadow I would’ve already alerted everyone.”

after Kuroko explains how he came over because he was worried about you as your boyfriend, everyone was gushing (Ryuji was salty that he doesn’t have a girlfriend still, and Yusuke was elated to have found his next art models)

after being sworn to secrecy and lowkey threatened by Haru and Makoto, Kuroko supports you from the shadows (ha ha, get it?)

he asks Riko to teach him how to do massages so he can massage your sore muscles after a rough metaverse run

it gives him more excuses to be with you and touch you and pamper you to his heart’s content

he may or may not have used massage times as an excuse to cuddle and smooch your neck and back

he sometimes asks you what his own “heart” looks like, and you assure him that he doesn’t have a palace because he’s the purest being ever

he pays more attention to the news regarding the PT and gets really worried when even the politicians get involved (you had to reassure him constantly)

he vibes super well with Joker because they’re the silent protagonists™️ with a sassy streak sometimes

he definitely bullies Ryuji, I can feel it

you actually teach him some of your own signature moves to help Kuroko develop new trump cards in future games (especially against Touou Academy)

he teaches you how to diminish your presence to sneak up on shadows even better than Joker’s ambushing

Kiyoshi Teppei 

this sweet man is so attentive to you and your needs, even if you didn’t ask anything of him

so when you came to watch the game between Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi, you were livid

he did not deserve this

even if you hated to watch the game, you stayed until the end, and after, you rushed to the lockers to check up on him

“Teppei! You idiot!” you were already tearing up. “You’re okay, right?”

you were holding his limbs and checking out all the wounds he was sporting

even when your boyfriend assured you, it went in one ear out the other

you were boiling in anger

he pinched your cheek

“I’m okay, (y/n).”

you grumbled and hesitatingly dropped the subject but that didn’t mean you wanted to drop the matter entirely

especially since you had the power to change other people’s hearts and their actions

but you didn’t want to bring it up to your PT members, since at first seemed more of a personal problem within the basketball matches rather than a widespread societal problem

that is, until Ryuji brought up that their own school’s basketball team got extremely roughed up and injured a couple weeks ago, but there were finally news of it coming out because the school tried to keep it quiet (but several students finally leaked the news out)

you then tentatively brought up about Seirin’s recent match

all of you guys did further research on the Kirisaki Daiichi basketball team’s history and you all found out how every basketball team they went against had their aces severely injured or taken out

time to change some hearts

mainly, the Kirisaki Daiichi starter players

luckily for you, Riko ordered Teppei to stay home for at least a few days to rest up before coming back to school, so you were free to do some thievery

you still visited Teppei’s home once or twice and brought snacks and balms (his grandparents love you)

so off the Phantom Thieves went, and you guys all went to work changing five hearts back to back

holy shit, their shadows in Mementos were just as brutal, all of them having their own special foul play or bad attitudes in some type of way even in combat (Yamazaki was the one who didn’t use foul play, but he had brute strength)

the PT succeeded in changing their hearts but got dark bruises and deep cuts in exchange

you in particular had it the worst

you took it upon yourself to play decoy/bait for all the shadows’s battles separately to let the other members finish it all of with All-Out-Attacks for each of them

you chuckled to yourself at how deja vu it all was to you, and you now kinda see what Teppei was talking about when he was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends

Haru was trying to wrap bandages on your forearms and lower biceps while Ann was applying alcohol to cuts on your legs and a few on your face

when you were treated, you were mostly fine, save for a few blue bruises peeking through everywhere and the abundance of white wraps around your limbs and a bandage or two plastered across your cheek

Joker ordered you to stay home for the next week, and you were fine with it; it would be way too suspicious to show up to school looking completely beaten up

so you were just chilling on the couch, flinching every now and then when your skin brushes over the fabric a little too fast or when your wounds touch anything, to be honest

meanwhile, Teppei was still at home recovering, but he pushed himself to at least be able to go to school starting the next day

day 2 crawled by, and now you’re really feeling the injuries now; everything was beyond sore and that didn’t even account for the natural exhaustion your body felt from coming back after a metaverse trip

in other words, you got double whammied and your body ached to move

you weren’t immobilized but you really preferred to sleep it off all day

you knew that at this time, Teppei would probably push himself to go to school today to see you, so you sighed before you reached for your phone

you texted Riko to tell Teppei that you had gotten sick IF he asked about you; you didn’t want to text Teppei directly because you knew he would immediately come over to your house and then see you in your state, but not letting anyone know where you were would send your poor boyfriend in a panic

you also didn’t want him to worry about you when he had his own body to worry about first

second day passed by without much incident surprisingly, and so you decided to check your phone to see a text from Riko from earlier:

I told Teppei not to bother you or visit you because you needed to recover without any distractions, and him coming over or texting you would just make you not get the rest you needed. Hope you get better soon!

Riko, the MVP

today’s the third day, and your wounds were still so obvious; Joker was right, you were gonna need at least a week

but being absent for a week was also suspicious in itself for student attendance

you heard a distinct knock knock on your house door and you knew you couldn’t avoid Teppei any longer

you shuffled yourself to the door, muttering a few curses of pain here and there before you quietly clicked the door open

when Teppei saw you littered in injuries, he was at first shocked, then confused, then heartbroken that you hid this all from him, and then furious

“Who did this to you?”

“I—uhhhhhhhhh—”

“... Why’d you hide this from me?”

he pushed the door further and let himself in, ignoring your weak protests

he gently scoops you up, gives you a forehead kiss, and walks you over to your room to gently place you on the edge of the bed; he settles himself on the floor beneath you

he looks up at you imploringly to tell him, his arms reaching up with his abnormally large hands to cup your cheeks, thumbing the bandaid on your cheek

“Please… tell me.”

he never uses pleas in these sorts of contexts because he’d feel like he would be pressuring/coercing you into doing something you weren’t comfortable with, but when he did, you knew he was serious, and your resolve easily crumbled

so you spent the rest of the day telling about your double life as the Phantom Thief while he hugged you from behind with his chin on your head

when you finished explaining the basic concepts and the steps to change a heart, Teppei grew silent until he said:

“You still haven’t told me where you got the bruises from.”

“Huh? Didn’t I just tell you that we have to literally battle shadow monsters to change people’s hearts?”

Teppei hums but he taps on the bandaid on your cheek

“You sound like you’ve been doing this for a while, yet this is the first time where you went absent from school, let alone sustain injuries to this degree.”

Shit, you were going to leave out stuff regarding the Kirisaki Daiichi, but sometimes, you forget that Teppei is actually quite sharp despite his oblivious demeanor

so you shyly confessed the rest of the events you hid from him, afraid of how he’ll react once he hears what they did in combat

“I see…” he trailed off, and you held your breath

“And from what you said, they’ll change?...”

you nodded and said, “They won’t be terrorizing any more basketball teams with their dirty plays.”

“That’s a relief,” he sighed. “Although…

I don’t like the idea of you being hurt by their hands.”

“Glad to know our feelings are mutual,” you dryly replied.

he gave a hearty laugh for the first time that day

“I guess so.”

first operation of business once you mostly recovered was to tell the PT that your boyfriend knew and how he came to know about them; everyone took it rather well once you explained yourself and trusted you to keep Teppei in check

thankfully, you don’t get those awful wounds again, but once in a while, when you do come in with a nasty bruise or two, Teppei comes into your house with takeout food and applies a bunch of ice packs for you

Aomine Daiki

you were really good at sports

like... really good at it

sometimes during PE, you would do random trickshots with the ball in the respective sport for the day, or you would do a rather skillful maneuvering to dodge incoming balls from other players, and Aomine LOVED watching his little significant other wiping the floor with your classmates

he, being way too excited at the possibility that you might actually be a challenge for him, challenged you to a one-on-one in basketball

on the street court, you moved as if you were one with the ball, guiding its course as you ducked under his protruding arm, sidestep him as you predicted his change of pace, doing really elaborate spins as you avoided him with ease

were you striking flamboyant poses every time you made a hoop??

he obviously won, but you gave him way too much trouble for someone who he hardly ever saw play basketball

“hey, were you secretly practicing basketball for years and you just never told me?”

you just shrugged and said that you sometimes played for fun with your relatives, but even Aomine, who’s a general idiot, didn’t 100% buy that reasoning 

he first thought you were just a Kise 2.0 who had the natural talent to copy and learn from people really fast… but the more he thought about it, the more it didn’t make any sense

where the fuck would you copy a spin-duck-juke-flip combo move? those movements were nowhere close to the orthodox forms of any sport

one day, while he was still thinking about you on the rooftop, he called Momoi

“Oi, Satsuki, research up my (y/n), yeah?”

after being startled out of her wits that he directly asked her for a favor, she went right to work, closely examining you during PE for the next few days

meanwhile, Aomine has just been poking and prodding about where you learned those moves (spoiler alert: he was clinging onto you and draping his lanky arms all over you to get you to fess up)

Momoi’s results: you were extremely agile and nimble like Aomine but you had a huge streak in creativity and craftiness, especially when outsmarting your “opponent”

you were pretty good at balancing your phantom thief life, love life, and school life (you always finished up homework during school, Aomine always naps up the rooftop in the evening and you had the free time to leave for your PT time)

however, when Aomine started getting clingier because he was so damn curious about you, you were no longer able to slip away and use the excuse of “I have a particular schedule and curfew because of my family” because he’d insist he’ll walk you

you then had the idea to let him walk you to your house first, then wait until he leaves, and then go meet up with the PT gang

it worked for a couple weeks, but the added physical work of walking to your home, and waiting for him to leave, and then you dashing to the hideout to make it on time really leaves you beyond exhausted especially after you go on dungeon grinds

in other words, you started sleeping in class a lot and slept on Aomine during lunchtime at the rooftop (which he at first did NOT complain)

he only really started being suspicious when you out-slept him; he’d always wake up in the evenings just to see you still snoozing

you overslept one evening and when you straightened yourself awake and checked your time, you visibly paled and in a panic, grabbed your bag and booked it without a goodbye

you forgot about a confused Aomine who was right next to you

as you dashed to your destination, he was right behind you, worried about what exactly happened that got you so distressed

you headed to a particular coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya (don’t worry, Touou Academy is located in Tokyo as well), and when you sharply rounded a corner, you activated the metaverse app, accidentally sucking in a trailing Aomine

“Wow,” Aomine whistled, after recovering from his shock from seeing you in a more extravagant/raunchier attire. “Babe, you look great.”

you inwardly sighed

out of all things, the first thing on his mind was how you looked, and definitely not the fact that the atmosphere was all distorted

“Daiki, sit tight… I’ll be back.” you pushed a protesting bluehead out of the metaverse before you turned to your PT friends who were watching the ordeal silently

“This looks like deja vu, doesn’t it Mona.”

“Ugh, I still haven’t forgotten what you did, Ryuji.”

“Lady Ann, I would never handle you like that—”

“Liar.”

you all did business as usual, and you asked Joker if you could at least explain to your boyfriend the basic going-ons; he nodded

the next day after the information sunk into Aomine’s dense head, he still wanted to see you in your phantom thief outfit (you smacked his arm)

still, it finally explained why you were unbelievably nimble

from now on, every free time you had together, he drags you to the court to play one-on-one’s; he might even practice and pick up some of your own moves to use in his games

when you’re exhausted (quite often), he always offers up his shoulder for you to sleep on, or even better, lets you sit between his legs as you lean against his chest, cradled between his arms

after Aomine dumps off his old porn mags to Ryuji, they suddenly become best friends JWBWITBWJ jk, but in all honesty, Aomine was surprised to see Ryuji expressing the same level of passion (about track) like Aomine does for basketball (apparently Yusuke’s passion for art flies over Aomine’s head because “I don’t get it, they’re just scribbles”)

you guys may or may not teach each other different parkour moves, just for fun

Midorima Shintarou

when you first met him, he found it super odd that you didn’t find his obsession with oha asa off-putting at all

sure, you raised a brow when you first found out, but you never really joked about it nor did you seem to care right after

“Is that your lucky charm today, Midorima?” indicating to his ziplock of herbs

“Yes.” he adjusted his frames “Today is an average day for cancers like me, nanodayo”

“Okay”

“Okay?” he thought, caught off guard not only at the fact that you were the first person to bring up that it was a lucky item in a conversation, but you being so casually accepting as well

usually people ask him the more logical question what the hell he was holding rather than if what he had was a lucky item

he chastised himself for overthinking, he probably had a particular reputation and thought rumors spread to most people about his oddities, and that you weren’t an exception

in truth, you saw way more concerning things than some green haired boy holding a phone book around

in other words, the only way to really make you shook is to just pull out something scarier than all those shadows from the metaverse

besides, Joker has a few weird inventory items of his own: moonlight carrots, random accessories and weird trinkets as weapons and gears… you name it, he’s got it all

honestly, Midorima just reminded you of Joker in terms of both of them having the weirdest items but then turning out to be unexpectedly useful sometimes, and you’re just really amused

Midorima would probably start crushing on you once he was panicking because he thought he was careless when losing his lucky item (in reality: Takao decided to fuck around with him), and after you noticed his visible distress, you offered your dried squid (which you coincidentally packed for lunch today as a snack)

you heard him mumbling about where the squid was and so you handed him your package and asked him if this was the lucky item for today

once he quickly nodded, you tossed it him and said that it was his to take

Midorima was sputtering, oh no

he’s fallen and he can’t get up

after beating the ever living shit out of Takao, he’d reluctantly confess that he’s “interested” in you; Takao got the memo and cackled

next few weeks pass by with you two making small talk before class and during breaks, with a snickering Takao always nearby

Takao, being wingman, invites you to watch a Shutoku home game (cue Midorima staring daggers)

so you showed up, and boy you were SHOOK

no shadow would ever be able to do some accurate shots and aiming like that

so it kind of became a ritual of yours to go to the home games whenever you can (if PT activities didn’t interfere), plus you’d figure Joker would do something similar to learn skills useful for the PT

so you decided to observe the team (mainly Midorima) and maybe watch their moves to see if you can apply them to battle

oh, why is he so good-looking even when he’s especially sweaty and—

Midorima will never admit it, but he always looks for your face when he walks into the court before he relaxes 

“Shin-chan, looking for your lover?”

“Shut up, Takao.” 

but his blushing gives him away so badly and Takao keeps busting out laughs, holding his stomach

your presence kinda became Midorima’s new lucky charm for the games

and you two got closer now that you had new topics to talk about (basketball and other hobbies)

it was only until Midorima asked about what you did in your free time that you stopped and just went silent, caught off guard that he was interested in your life beyond school

“Uhhhhhhh…” you couldn’t tell him you steal hearts on the downlow

“I just… do a lot of volunteering”

“Is that so, nanodayo.” he didn’t deliver it as a question, as he narrowed his eye at your reaction (where you were generally normally collected)

one day after school, when Midorima went to go look for you, he found you with Joker

and you looked very close with him

jealousy as green as his moppy hair reared its ugly head and he didn’t know whether to approach you or leave you be… until Takao pushed him from behind

“O-oi!”

“Ah, Midorima! There you are! I was waiting for you!” you called him over, while Joker was silently assessing the green-haired man from the glint of his frames

he awkwardly headed over to you, and you introduced Midorima and Joker together and you told Mido that Joker was a really good friend and coworker

“You work, nanodayo?”

wait wait wait shit that was a bad slipup—

“(y/n) works with me sometimes on several odd jobs around Tokyo—”

“A-and I volunteer afterwards!...”

Joker gives you a look of exasperation and “you suck ass at lying, holy crap”

you wanted to slowly introduce your crush to your PT friends, so you did, every week, you’d ask each one/two to come to Shutoku where you’d introduce them to Midorima

Midorima is secretly happy that you’re opening up about your personal life to him, although he constantly gets a naggy feeling that something wasn’t right, especially when your “friends” kept acting weird sometimes when he asked the specific questions of:

“Do you guys always hang out?”

“Where do you guys even meet up if I never saw (l/n) with you anywhere near Shutoku?”

“How’d you guys meet?”

“How long have you been friends?”

oh no, this was gonna go south for you fast

thankfully, your friends were decent actors (Ann, not you) 

Midorima really vibes with Yusuke’s wavelength, and Yusuke praises Midorima for “his expression of art through the use of his lucky charms”

Midorima feels weirdly happy that someone for the first time is unabashedly praising him about his superstitions LMAO

anywho, so you and Midorima were kind of in the “more than friends” situation as time went on, but he was still frustrated that he wasn’t exactly “close” to you emotionally; he knew you were hiding something from him

one day, you stopped coming to his games for 4 consecutive games

Midorima is kind of dying

he’s dying and really scared that you’re not into him or he did something wrong, but he’d rather die than ever admit it

one day you approached him really nervously, and ask him to come with you to an area in Shibuya aND HE THINKS YOU’RE GONNA BREAK UP WITH HIM EVEN THOUGH YOU GUYS AREN’T EVEN OFFICIAL

you start apologizing at the fact that you couldn’t come to his games and Midorima insisted it wasn’t a problem (yes it was, he was so stressed)

actually, for the past few weeks you were hoping your PT gang would approve Midorima and later on you hoped to tell him about your thievery with your friends’ approvals

you bring him to your PT gang and from there all of you explained what you all did, confessed what you all were hiding, etc. (they trusted him as per your begging and pleas)

you told Midorima that you couldn’t make his games recently because of those PT activities

he thought you all just lost it and he thought you were mixed up with some crackhead junkies and tried to pull your arm to leave ASAP

but Joker just gives a smirk before he activated the metanav and sucked everyone in

Midorima’s reaction is like Makoto’s when she first witnessed the metaverse

after the whole ordeal and him digesting the information, from that point on, he gives you small lucky items/charms and makes you take them along in your inventories “just in case” but we all know it’s because he’s worried for your safety

oh and you officially became a couple ( ˘ ³˘)♥

bonus: you pester Midorima to teach you how to “shoot” more accurately/farther to help with your PT battles especially in throwing projectiles like *model* daggers and shurikens

he gets along best with Yusuke and Makoto

Akashi Seijuro

so in this au, the PT gang more or less goes to Rakuzan with you or at least goes to a school near yours in Kyoto

this headcanon also takes place shortly after “Last Game,” so his “Oreshi” side reigns

so since the o.g. PT originated in a Kyoto school (in this AU, rather than Shujin Academy), Akashi, as student council president, had more or less heard it from the principal to be wary of this similar “prank” with other kids, and to give harsher discipline if anyone was caught doing so

honestly Akashi thought these people were really over-reacting to mere rumors, but he’ll do what he’s gotta do to maintain order at school

nothing escapes this guy’s eye, literally

he noticed how you’re paying more attention to any nearby conversations that mention the key phrase, “phantom thieves”

“Darling, is something the matter?”

“Oh, sorry, I was just curious in what they were saying,” you said, tugging his hand with yours as you walked on ahead

you weren’t lying at the moment, his eye didn’t see any signs that you often did when you do lie

you knew being a phantom thief while dating THE Akashi Seijuro was a suicide mission but you literally prayed to fucking Igor that your acting skills were sufficient enough in getting past his radar (you asked Joker to help you with this; never ask Ann for acting tips)

Joker suggested for you to try to give half truths, and when you give whole truths, to make them vague and casual enough

for the next month, it was all fine, Akashi hadn’t suspect a thing and things were going uphill for the phantom thieves as well

your group was getting coverage from even the big news channels

but if something grows popular, there’s bound to be gossip, malicious slander, and lies

Akashi was just getting overwhelmed by requests from administration and faculty to try to control the students’ enthusiasm for the PT and deter their efforts in openly showing support

of course, you help him with his paperwork often 

you’re just reading all these papers and you’re trying to stifle your laughs

“What’s so funny, love?” he teased, eyes narrowing affectionately at you

“They’re just really ridiculous.” you were honestly dying at the fact that some kids think the PT members were super spy agents from abroad sent to undermine society

and he had to admit, they were, and he responded with a light chuckle of his own

the next day, while you two were cooped up in the student council room to sort through papers, a female student timidly walked into the room and asked for help specifically from Akashi

a PE teacher was allegedly touching female students, and she happened to be one of the victims; none of the adults took her seriously so she hoped Akashi would appeal to them

you were next to him, gritting your teeth and digging your nails into your palms as you were hearing this scared girl being forced to turn to another peer because she couldn’t get help from any adults around

Akashi vows to make her request his top priority and you swore you found another reason to love this redhead of yours

as soon as the student left, Akashi squeezed your shoulder to comfort you and you put your own hand over his, squeezing it back

“Don’t worry. Leave it to me, my love.”

you smiled, although in your head, you’re planning to tell this to the PT to settle this in a different manner

mission success, you changed the heart of the teacher and news spread like wildfire in Rakuzan once he confessed and turned himself in

everyone hailed Akashi as a hero, since the female student thought he must’ve did something

Akashi might’ve talked to some other teachers to convince them to speak out the other day, but he didn’t do anything to warrant such a drastic change in the perpetrator’s behavior

he frowned; you were the only one with him at the time the student asked for help

as more news of PT pop up, this incident was too convenient to call it a coincidence 

it’s time that the two you had a talk

as he walked briskly around campus, trying to look for you, he noticed you and the PT gang together; he’s seen them around with you for the longest time and knew they were your friends, and none of them raised any alarms in his head… until now

“Hey, (y/n), are you sure it was okay to change his heart right after you heard that student’s request?”

“Yusuke, I… know it’d look really conspicuous considering the surge in news coverage,” you started. “But the point of us starting this thing was to help others in need! If we’re just waiting around to keep a low cover just for our own convenience, then what’s the point of being Phantom Thieves?”

Akashi stopped in his place, amazed at your resolve

“... Shall we finish the rest of the Memento requests?” a deep voice rang out, belonging to a certain ravenette, Joker

everyone nods, a unanimous decision 

the metanav activates, and Akashi immediately noticed the change in atmosphere 

he tried to escape it but once it activated, it already pulled him in

the PT members don’t notice him and they walked a few meters ahead onto the tracks, until Futaba cried out that there was a strong shadow

“Guys, careful! Powerful shadow detected right at the entrance of Mementos!”

“Bwah?—that’s impossible!” Morgana hopped to try to look at Futaba’s screen

as everyone runs back to the location, you gasped

“A-Akashi?”

no… there were two Akashi’s, one of them the real person, and the other his shadow

Akashi looks completely lost; it was like facing his “other” dominant self again except it wasn’t in his mind

it was real

“I thought we decided to become one again,” Akashi calmly spoke to his other self

“We have… but a part of you is hesitant to accept the new side that embodies both sides of the same coin that is you.”

“Isn’t that your significant other, (y/n)?” Makoto whispered, and you could only nod as your throat became dry

“Shouldn’t we help him?—” Haru started

“No,” you quietly whispered

it was something he needed to confront alone

Joker nods in understanding as everyone continued to watch, ready to jump in to help in case something goes awry

“You’re still afraid,” his shadow continued. “You still feel the guilt from how you treated others when you were me.”

Akashi said nothing, not denying a single thing the shadow said

“You’re correct, and while I am still wary of you,” he began. “I’m no longer alone. I have friends and a special someone to protect, and they would do the same for me.”

“What if you end up hurting them again? Maybe you’ll hurt your precious lover,” his shadow taunted

“Then they can deal with me however they see fit,” Akashi spoke with resolve. “Until then, I will be someone who will carry himself with dignity and share kindness with others like a true king.”

long story short, Akashi became a persona user after the iconic “I am thou, thou art I” monologue

Akashi took the pain of attaining the persona like a badass with such calmness; the only indication that gave away the fact that he was in pain was that he collapsed onto a knee and winced as he held his head with one hand, the other hand on the floor to stabilize himself

his mask would be like an extravagant masquerade ball mask, with three long, pointy feathers attached to the right side of the mask to give Akashi the silhouette that he’s wearing a tiny crown on the side of his head

Akashi’s attire would definitely have a blazer cape and a simple earring similar to Howl’s from Howl’s Moving Castle; lots of mahogany/burgundy/scarlet + browns color schemes

imagine after an All-Out-Attack, Akashi’s finishing screen says “My Orders Are Absolute” as you hear his voice say “Lower your head” over that

at first, Morgana suggested the codename as “King,” and while it would make sense, Makoto was already “Queen” and you rejected that idea on the spot for obvious reasons

Yusuke was very occupied gushing dramatically over Akashi’s PT outfit and how the colors just worked so well together with his hair too, and he suggested the name “Crimson” or “Scarlet”

it stuck (you can choose which you like better)

while Akashi isn’t an official member of the PT, he’s informed just as much as the official members, and he goes when he feels like the mission is a bit more dangerous than usual in order to protect you ｡•́‿•̀｡

he and Makoto would get along well since they’re both student council presidents and both love to strategize

however, Akashi is different; while Makoto analyzes shadow weaknesses, moves, and potential item drops, he provides position strategies since he noticed everyone just kind of stands adjacent to each other and directly in front of the enemy shadows

he likes to apply basketball systems of defense/offense depending on the situation of ambush to fully utilize each member’s abilities (like how he does with Rakuzan’s team)

once Joker introduces Akashi to Akechi and Hifumi, he’s over the moon

Akechi and Akashi are so similar in wit and personality (Bokushi side though, not as much the current Akashi) that Joker thinks he made the mistake of introducing two formidable figures together

he’s very impressed with Hifumi, and although he’ll still win the shogi matches against her, he acknowledges her as the best challenge he’s had since a long time 

you were kinda jealous that he was spending a lot of time with Hifumi playing back-to-back matches but he made it up to you with cuddles

you and Akashi are the power couple™️

imagine yours and Akashi’s showtime together !!

End Note: howdy there! if you would like to see more persona 5/knb crossover headcanons, just submit over names of other knb characters you would like to see this particular headcanon for hehe

[xbellaxcarolinax]

Forging A Heart (Ivar the Boneless) 16- Free

Pairing: Ivar x Artemis (OFC)

Word Count: 3381

Warnings: None.

AN: Thanks for the love guys, I appreciate it sooo much 😊 For those who have read this on Wattpad, I have edited the hell out of this story, so some parts have changed. Anyway, hope ya’ll enjoy.

15- York

...

One thing Ivar loved to do was sing.

They were usually the old lullabies his mother would sing to him as a child on nights when the pain was impossible to ignore. It remind him of his father. It was his peace of mind.

"Just wait, though wide he may roam, always a hero comes home,"

Ivar's hand hovered over the chess board as he contemplated his next move. His voice was almost a whisper, the melody ghosting over his pink lips, haunting yet beautiful.

"He goes where no one has gone, but always a hero comes home."

He quickly moves his piece forward, snatching his opponent's piece from the board and into the small horde of his collection. His opponent, the bishop, was as surprised as Artemis, his eyebrows shooting up at Ivar's quick attack. Ivar continues to hum the rest of the tune while waiting for the bishop to make his move. Apparently he learned the game from Prince Alfred sometime ago.

"What do you think of the bishop?" He suddenly asks her, his blue eyes following the bishop's scarred hand.

"I'm more interested in the game, I think."

Bishop Heahmund did not seem like a pleasant man. He often shot her accusatory glares after noticing the cross about her neck. He didn't resemble a man of the clergy with his leather clothes and cropped hair, and even less so with a sword in his hand. He didn't speak often, but when he did, it was rough and strained, as if he'd been screaming for an entire lifetime.

"He fascinates me. He is quite an impressive fighter." Ivar comments, turning his body to look at her from across the room, "His sword, I'd like you to examine it. It is unlike anything I've seen."

"As you wish, Prince."

The bishop mutters something to Ivar in that Saxon language. It was so dissimilar to the other languages of the Mediterranean, so foreign and strange. The way his mouth would move and how his tongue shifted to make certain sounds was beyond her, but Ivar grasped it with ease.

The bishop gazes at her with scrutiny in his eyes before looking back at Ivar's amused ones.

"He asks of your origins. He can clearly see you're not of the north."

"And I can clearly see he is no bishop." Ivar snorts at her comment, beckoning her closer. She was much too far for his liking. Artemis was hesitant in taking the seat that Ivar offered beside him, but she complies. She kept her eyes trained on the pieces on the chess board, very elaborately decorated.

Ivar speaks once again in the Saxon tongue, repeating her words and watching as the bishop rolled his eyes.

"I am Greek." She tells the man, waiting to see if he understood her. She didn't know whether he spoke her language or not, but most priests and clergymen did. He must have, because he hesitated, completely caught off guard.

"Do you understand me?"

"Minimal." The bishop answers brokenly. Perhaps he really was a bishop. "You are far from home." He continues.

"I have his brother to thank for that." She discreetly motions toward Ivar, who watches their conversation in fascination.

"Your people do not follow the Holy Father in Rome." Bishop Heahmund grunts out in his terrible Greek, finally losing his king piece to Ivar. Artemis rolls her eyes.

"Right. It has been a pleasure." She stands, pushing the chair back with an unpleasant screech before marching off to where she previously stood.

"Why has he upset you? I thought you'd both get on well," Ivar waved his hand about to explain himself further, the king piece in his tight grip, "He even speaks your language."

"I am not Christian enough for him-" Ivar snorts at this, "The people of the east do not follow the pope of Rome."

"What? What is a pope?"

"A man who has power over all Christian men of the west, even the kings." Artemis tries to explain the petty rivalies of the church, making herself busy by sorting out all of Ivar's daggers and wiping them down with a dampened cloth.

"I do not understand," Ivar frowned, helping the bishop set up the board again for a new match, "Are you Christian's not all the same?"

"It is much more complicated than that," She says, "There are different rules and traditions." If she were facing him, she would have seen him roll his eyes.

"East, west, you are all the same to me." He says after moment, his eyes following Heahmund's first move.

There was a long silence that followed, and only the clinking of the chess pieces against the porcelain board filled the chamber. Artemis settled comfortably in her thoughts as she polished Ivar's daggers. It was a useless task, really, as they would probably be impaled into an unlucky brute soon.

"Are you his whore?" Heahmund's scratchy voice burned the insides of her ears.

She really didn't like him.

"Of all the words to learn, you learned that one?" The bishop shrugs.

"You learn the bad ones first." Artemis scrunched her face in displeasure, turning to look at him from over her shoulder.

"I am his blacksmith, bishop." Ivar looks between the two in confusion.

"It seems I will have to learn this language as well," Ivar grunts, "Did he offend you?"

"I believe you should ask him that."

Once again the odd sounds of the Saxon language filled the room unpleasantly until Ivar snorts again, a large smile breaking across his face.

"The man has humor." Ivar let's out the laugh he'd been holding in when he sees her obvious distaste for the bishop.

"I find no joy in his humor." Ivar sighs, but the annoying smile still plays on his lips.

"Then I shall put you at ease. You may go." She was glad for it, storing away his daggers in a leather pouch and setting them aside before turning and giving Ivar a respected bow. She didn't miss the bishop's glare, and she was quick to return the gesture.

"Artemis?" Ivar calls after her, "Do not try anything stupid."

What he meant to say was do not try anything stupid because I have a guard following you.

...

Ivar decided to have guards posted at every entrance way and anywhere he felt a need for them, reflecting his rising paranoia. He felt treachery at every corner and deception in every path. His anxiety escalated ever since he'd severed ties with his older brother.

When Ubbe left, he took a small fleet of boats with him back to Kattegat. He was in obvious disagreement with his youngest brother. He had no desire to venture farther into England for raiding. All he wanted was to live out their fathers dream and farm the land that was given to them by King Ecbert. Except, that land wasn't really rightfully theirs anyway.

It was sad to see such a family drift apart from each other, all because Ivar was ambitious and wanted more.

Hvitserk had hesitated, leaving with Ubbe aboard the ship until the very last moment, deciding to jump off and change his allegiance with Ivar. The oldest left quite solemnly, but it didn't deter him from what he felt was his duty. He didn't agree with Ivar nor his ideas or commands, and therefore he felt no need to remain under such leadership.

It was sad to watch Ubbe leave. He was the glue that kept the Ragnarson's together and was a good man with a heart of gold. Artemis offered him an apple before he left. It made the blonde smile.

Ivar felt betrayed.

Despite all the taunting he had done watching his brother leave, it hurt him so much more than he could express. Ubbe was his defender, the one who always looked out for him. Now he was gone.

Ivar did what he knew best, throwing things about in his fury. His anger lasted days, lashing out on anyone who dared to approach him. But the anger passed as it always did and the conquest in York continued.

He kept true to his word, having a guard monitor her whenever she was alone.

It was a trust issue at first, but then word spread that a slave woman was raped by one of his own men. In a different situation, Ivar wouldn't have batted an eye at that as it was no business of his what his men wanted to do with slaves. But then it had him thinking about his own slave. Not that the men would dare touch her for obvious reasons, but still, it was precaution.

She was safe, for the most part, but grew weary of such boring company. And she was sure this guard was bored of hers. If she wasn't followed by Ivar's guard then she was in the company of Hvitserk, who constantly joked about having to play caretaker. Artemis actually liked his company.

Spring was slowly beginning to transition into the summer heat, carrying with it the humid airs and more rain. Her hair didn't agree with the weather, the long strands expanding into disarray until she finally decided to sport them into mediocre braids.

It took Artemis some time to grow accustomed to the new city. She often explored it when she could spare the time, following the path of the river Thames's slow moving waters. She found herself admiring the English view.

But if anyone were to search for her, she could be found in York's forge. It was nothing like Ecbert's forge, but it was still impressive. The area was large and heated, made for multiple men to work at once, with a large pit for a blazing fire in the middle. She loved it.

She became aquainted with the technique of the northerners with Arvid's help, and now she strived to retain more knowledge from the Saxons, specifically the bishops sword. She had taken the sword to examine it as Ivar requested, and she understood why he was so fascinated by it.

It was forged of a stronger material, and she could already tell it was quite expensive to own. The long sword had a golden pommel, with precious stones embedded on the grip. There was something engraved into the blade, which only added to its mystery.

Heahmund was obviously once a rich man.

Artemis ran her fingers over the smoothness of the blade, working to shine it to perfection. She was reminded of her father, a master of crafting blades. She thought less of him. The less she thought of him, the less it hurt, burying it deep within herself as to not feel the emotional pain of having no family and being utterly alone.

...

Artemis had done a fantastic job staying away from Arvid.

She didn't speak to him, she didn't even glance in his direction. He'd catch her from time to time, speaking to his wife, sharing a laugh or two with her, inquiring on his health, but nothing more. He'd wondered how she managed to dance her way around him, despite them working together. He suppose he deserved it.

Arvid found a chance to speak to her, catching her sitting on the stool that Ivar sat on only days ago while enduring the painful pricking of a tattoo. Artemis hears his boots scuffing up the dirt, stopping in front of her. His handsome features were clouded with remorse.

"Do you hate me?" He asks bluntly.

"Hate is a strong word, Arvid."

"It was not my intention to-"

"I do not understand what your intentions were." She interrupts him with a sigh. Her small fingers held onto a whetstone, sharpening the bishop's sword. When Arvid steps closer for a better look at it, the guard he failed to notice made his presence known, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. They were part of Ivar's personal guard. The guard was quite a distance away, but he held a threatening stance. Arvid frowns.

"What is done, is done," Artemis continued to say, posture becoming more rigid the longer he stood there.

"Surely you have much more to say than that." Arvid insists.

"Not really."

Arvid runs a hand down his rugged face. He wanted to shout at her and elicit something from her, but he was better off steadying his tone if this guard was watching.

"Odin help me. You are infuriating."

"And you are a traitor. You do not value our friendship," She replied harshly, sheathing the sword and placing it at her feet with less care then she should have before crossing her arms. "You sold me out for your own selfish reasons, and now you want to reconcile?"

"I did not wish to see you make a mistake." His tone drops lower, and his blue eyes shone with regret. He didn't want to have a simple friendship, his passionate heart wouldn't allow it.

"That was my mkstake to make," Artemis remained with her arms crossed, but her anger slowly faded, leaving nothing but a frown in its wake, "He could have killed me, you know."

"Nonsense, he cares for you," Arvid scoffs with a roll of his eyes, "He even has that nice guard to watch over you,"

"Now is not the time for your petty jealousy," Artemis, stands grabbing the heavy sword in her hands, "I could have been home. I had a chance." A wave of emotion erupted in her like a storm out at sea, and angry tears blurred her vision. She told herself she wouldn't cry anymore, she refused to show such weakness, but her voice quivered terribly, and her skin flushed pink from the stress of tears.

She was emotionally tired.

Arvid felt terrible. His attempt at making amends was failing miserably. The last thing he wanted was to see her weep.

"Forgive me." He says dumbly to her, but he knew that wouldn't be suffice. He was pathetic, pining over a women that would always belong to Ivar. The youngest prince of Kattegat did not hide his feelings well, it was obvious. He cared for Artemis in his own way, even if he couldn't admit it.

Arvid had no right to be envious. He had a beautiful and loyal wife who cared for him as any wife should her husband, yet he felt the jealously tighten its hold on him. He should not have been so selfish.

"Artemis?" The sound of Hvitserk's voice made her quickly wipe her face free of any tears.

"Ivar is requesting your presence." His brows rose in silent questioning, but he says nothing, only watching with eyes of suspicion as she casts Arvid one last look before walking over to Hvitserk.

"Prince Hvitserk."

"You know, I tire of such formalities." He says with a small smile, draping his arm about her shoulders as he usually did when he was being particularly friendly. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the rare sunlight that poked through her wet lashes before turning her gaze to the Ragnarson.

"Hvitserk." She corrected herself, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand.

"What did he want?" Hvitserk looks over his shoulder. At least Ivar trusted him enough for the guard to slink away when he came around.

"He was seeking forgiveness." She mutters, clutching the sword tight.

"I should be seeking yours as well." He laughs, ruffling her already messy curls over the area where her wound should've healed by now. He did it to ease her discomfort, but only succeeded in making her feel like a child. She swats his hand away, offering him a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

"Can you forgive me?"

"I suppose," She begins, looking away from him, "What does Ivar need?"

"I am not sure, you know he refuses to disclose his plans." He was clearly annoyed about it. Hvitserk stayed behind with Ivar expecting for them to share the role of leader, but Ivar always kept his older brother out of the loop, leaving him in a foul mood.

"But he appeared to be in better spirits, so I'm sure he is up to something." He shrug, laughing when she playfully pushes him off before entering the church.

She wished she could have seen it in its glory, before it was desecrated. The walls were draped in Ivar's new sigil, a red banner with a circle of gold and black swirls. It was a sign of the future king he desired to be.

A blonde woman came skittering out into the hall, barely dressed and a large grin on her face. Artemis recognized her as Freydis, a pretty slave that roamed about the camp as a woman of pleasure. Freydis passes her, giving her a wolfish grin. She runs off in a flurry of giggles, pulling her tattered dress over her thin shoulders.

That was strange.

Artemis rounds the corner to see Ivar sitting on his throne with a blush dusting his chiseled cheekbones. He clears his throat when he sees her approach.

"Artemis."

"What can I do for you, Prince?"

"I have news." Artemis's brows knit in confusion.

"News?" He smiles, glancing at the sheathed sword in her hands.

"Yes, but first, how fair's the bishop's sword?"

"...It is impressive, made of superior steel, but surely not by any dwarfs." She jokes, which in turn makes Ivar smirk, resting his chin on his hand. He wore his metal legs, tapping a finger along the dark iron.

"You know nothing of the dwarfs, Artemis," He says with a chuckle, before straightening his posture, and suddenly he wore a thoughtful expression. He cleared his throat, bringing his hands together and lacing his fingers across his lap.

"I've decided to grant you what you most desire."

The words barely hit her, her mind slowly wrapping around the meaning. She opens her mouth as if to speak, but stops herself, not knowing what to say.

"I thought you'd be more excited," He was rather serious, staring at her with an odd intensity, "You have your freedom." His brow wrinkles as he awaited her response.

"I do not understand." She says, feeling her kneecaps shake, "Why did you not let me go with Bjorn?"

"...I did not want you to leave...under such circumstances, and without my consent," He hesitates, unable to meet her eyes, "I thought it would be the right thing to do." She had longed to hear him say such words. She lowers her head in disbelief, placing a hand to her brow as a weight lifted off her shoulders. It seemed too easy.

"No, none of that." Ivar says with a roll of his eyes. When she turns her eyes towards him he frowns, leaning forward on his throne as if to examine her features closely.

"Have you been crying?" Ivar grips his axe tightly, making movements to stand, "Has someone hurt you?" She shakes her head, biting her lip, but otherwise remains quiet.

"Are you hurt?" He urges, this time his tone was softer than she's ever heard it before. She sighs.

"Only my heart. I am homesick,"

"You are a free women now," His demeanor changes instantly, straightening his back against his makeshift throne, "You are free to navigate, but I cannot spare you any ships or men to help you, I need them all at my disposal." Artemis nods, keeping her eyes downcast.

"But," He continues, "I will offer to have you stay in my service as a blacksmith if you wish to remain loyal to me. You shall always have a roof over your head and food in your belly, if you choose to accept." She shifts on her feet, holding the bishop's sword to her chest in thought.

"You will be protected." He adds, noting the doubt in her eyes. After a few moments of silence, she nods, raking a hand through her hair. She hoped it wouldn't be a mistake.

"I accept the offer, Prince Ivar," He smiles at her, a genuine smile that could light every candle in the hall.

"Excellent choice," He says, "I shall like you to come back to Norway with me, to King Harald's lands. It is time to enact my revenge on Lagertha."

...

A Hero Comes Home- Beowulf

...

@heavenly1927 @didiintheblog @rastakami23

[migila]

NicoSashaWeek, day 1!

It’s started! Theme of day 1: Reincarnation

Day 1: Reincarnation

Sasha was exited. She wouldn’t have cared all that much about coming to the city, but Jean had promised to take her and Connie to a seafood restaurant. She had never eaten seafood before, but she knew what it was and was eager to try it. She was sure it’d be tasty!

“I want to eat already; Jean should hurry up!” she thought with a sigh “Just how hard is it to pick a necktie, anyway? Men and their shopping obsessions!”

“I’m telling you, this one’s better!” Connie said, holding out a necktie with a picture of a sun on it “Put that boring thing away!”

Jean was holding a dark blue tie in his hand, Sasha saw. She thought that the one Connie picked was funny, but it wasn’t really Jean’s style. Wanting to get this over with, she voiced her opinion, getting Jean to pick the dark blue tie. Finally.

“Food!” Sasha cheered. Finally, the best part of the day.

----------

Nikolo fought the urge to hum as he cooked; he had been made fun of for that before. He just couldn’t help it sometimes; cooking, especially seafood, made him so relaxed that sometimes he started to do it without realizing it.

“Gross” Nikolo glared at the man who had uttered the word on reflex; that was not a word that should be uttered by a cook in the kitchen. Just what was gross?

“Do you think she has no table manners in general or does she simply not know how to eat a lobster properly?” another one asks. Nikolo can see them staring out in to the dining space of the restaurant, making him realize that they’re simply speaking about the eating habits of a customer. That made sense.

Deciding that it had nothing to do with him, Nikolo returns his full attention to his cooking. However, he gets distracted as he notices that all of his colleagues’ peek in to the dining hall every now and then, some amused, others disgusted. Curiosity getting the better of him, he abandons his position the moment he’s sure nothing will be ruined, wanting to see what everyone else has seen.

Just like some of the others, he’s more disgusted than amused at what he sees. The woman in front of him has absolutely no table manners, that’s the only explanation he can think of, as he stares at the uncivilized being. Normally, Nikolo didn’t like using the word “gross”, but now it really fit.

…

So why the hell couldn’t he tear his eyes off of the woman? He’d seen what he wanted; he should just go back to work before he lost his appetite for the rest of the week from watching this brute. Cute brute, he would admit, or at least would be cute if she ate in a proper way, but still. She was by no means the first cute customer they’d had, yet she was the only one this had ever happened with.

And then their eyes met.

----------

Sasha felt like she was in heaven; the food looked, smelled and, most importantly, tasted just heavenly. It had gone beyond all her expectations!

“I wonder if whoever cooked this is good at making other types of dishes as well?” she thought, her eyes trailing off from the food for a while to peek in the kitchen from over the counter, locking eyes with one of the chefs looking her way.

And after she did, she could no longer look away.

She didn’t understand why; the guy didn’t look special… or did he? Why else would she get stuck like this? It’s just that… something about seeing him stirred something inside of her, something she couldn’t place. Like a memory she knew for sure was there, but had no idea from when and where.

“Where? Where have I met him?” she wondered, her meal entirely forgotten. Had they been classmates as kids or something? …No way; she’d gone to a very small school, she’d remember. Had he perhaps been starring one of the cooking shows she’d watched?

“Sasha?” she heard Connie say as he tugged at her ponytail lightly, getting her attention as she looked away from the man “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing at all!” she said quickly. Not that she was lying; there was nothing wrong, just something weird is all “Why?”

“You were staring off to the kitchen instead of eating; that’s not like you” Jean said, turning to look to the direction Sasha had been looking at “Did you see something interesting?”

“No” Sasha said, her eyes following Jean’s. The man she’d locked eyes with was gone “Nothing at all.”

----------

Nikolo’s heart was still pounding fast as he prepared to go home. After his eyes had locked with that woman’s, he’d been paralyzed, he hadn’t been able to move. He had no way to explain it, but somehow, he’d been taken over by this irrational feeling of longing when looking at her eyes. He’d wanted her, but not in the perverted way mind you. He’d just wanted to see her closer, hear her voice, perhaps touch her hand… and he had absolutely no idea why.

“Get a hold of yourself, idiot” he told himself “You’ll probably never see her again anyway.”

With that in mind, Nikolo walked out of the back door of the restaurant, ready to forget the whole thing-

Only to come face to face with the woman he’d been watching at in the restaurant. He almost got a heart attack as he yelped in surprise, taking a few steps back. Just what was she doing here!?

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you” she spoke. Her voice stirred something in Nikolo as well, something he couldn’t name. He hated the fact that he wanted to hear more. Shaking his head slightly, he managed to get out: “It’s fine. Can I help you somehow?”

“Ah no, it’s just…” Sasha stuttered, wondering how she should say it. She’d wanted to ask him if they’d met before, but now she was chickening out, so instead she said: “You’re one of the cooks here, right? I just wanted to say that your food is delicious! Especially the sauce on the clams!”

Nikolo blushed; he had made the sauce. He told her that, not intending to brag or anything, but he was glad he did when he saw the awe on her face.

“Really?” she asked “You’re a genius!”

“Mister Nikolo, you’re a genius!”

Those words jolted a memory in Nikolo’s mind, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember from when and where. Unable to help himself, he asked: “Have we… met before?”

Sasha’s eyes widened; he remembered something?!

“You think so, too?” she asked, adding hurriedly: “I mean, I felt like we’ve met before, but I couldn’t put my finger on it so I thought I was imagining it, but if you know- “

“I don’t” Nikolo interrupted, wondering if she’d been waiting here for him specifically. The idea should’ve been worrying, freaky even, but instead he just felt warm inside “I just felt like we’d met before.”

“Oh” Sasha let out. It was quiet, awkward. She didn’t know what to say and part of her just wanted to leave, but a bigger part of her didn’t. She needed to know more, needed answers. Sticking out her hand, she said: “I’m Sasha.”

Nikolo took the offered hand.

“Nikolo” he said, and as soon as their hands touched, a crying face stuffed with food surfaced in his mind. It was Sasha, but Nikolo had no idea when this had happened. Startled, he let go, surprised as he saw Sasha staring at him with wide eyes.

“…What?” he asked.

“We’ve met before” Sasha whispered “I remember you in a very old looking kitchen, working on pizza…”

She did? It’s not like he never made pizza, but he could only recall using modern kitchens-

“You idiot, it needs to go to the oven first!”

…What the heck was that? Why did he suddenly have a memory of Sasha, yes, definitely her, reaching out for an unbaked pizza? This was weird, too weird, Nikolo just wanted to go home and forget-

His eyes met Sasha’s again. No, he didn’t want to forget. Ever. He really had no idea why, but he wanted to be by her side, he wanted to be there forever.

“Holy shit Nikolo, you just met her!” he told himself, a blush raising to his face “The fuck are you thinking of a shared rest of your lives for already?!”

Or at all; he knew nothing about her. Unknown to him, Sasha had similar thoughts.

She wanted to hug him, hug and never let go. The desire was growing, but obviously she held herself back. Instead, she said: “You know… I’m kinda hungry.”

“Huh?” after how much she’d eaten? Really?

“Don’t look at me like that; I waited here for hours!” she said, defensive, puffing her cheeks. Again, what she said should’ve been alarming to Nikolo, make him think he had a stalker, but all he could think of was how cute she looked “So… can we go get something to eat?”

Sasha was afraid he was going to say no, she was pretty sure he would because he’d think it was weird, but she had to try. She had to know more.

“Sure” Nikolo said, ignoring the voice in his head that sounded oddly like his friend Grior that told him to refuse. But he couldn’t; he wanted to know more, wanted to know her “Any place in mind?”

“I’m not from around here” Sasha said, trying to hide her surprise to his agreement “Lead the way?”

Nikolo smiled, taking her hand on reflex, only realizing what he’d done after he was holding her hand. But to his surprise, she didn’t pull away. He could see her blushing, making him sure he was blushing as well. This situation just didn’t make any sense-

“Whatever” Nikolo cut himself off “Commonsense is often overrated anyway.”

He had no idea who this woman was but, with time, he’d get to know her… but oddly enough, he already felt like he never wanted to let go.

[trollhunter94]

Closer To The Truth

Paring: Castiel x Reader

Others: Sam, Dean, Dick Roman, Leviathans.

Words:  4.2K - No regrets

Warnings: Canon divergence, Interrogation/Torture, Swearing, Soppy romance, Kissing (Yahh guys, it’s finally happening) slight Grace action.

Summary: With your situation becoming painfully surreal, it’s all or nothing for Castiel. Will he convince you to stay?

A/N: Part 7 of the Castiel soulmate series. (Holy crap! This was hard to write, sorry for the wait.) Here’s Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

A flutter of wind sent a dust cloud swirling past Dean’s shoe, prompting his head to shoot round, finding an unsettled and wide-eyed Angel.

“Dean!” The impatient call instantly drew a sense of wariness and doubt, eyes sceptically searching the space around the trenchcoat for the newest member of the group.

“Cas? Where’s Y/N?”

“I lost her. The Leviathans... they took her”. The regret and sorrow in his rasped voice was quickly surpassed by a slither of fighting hope. “But she’s alive, Dean. I can feel her”.

“You can what?”

“She’s in pain” he stated without hesitation. “I can feel her distress. We have to go and save her before it’s too late”.

Sam stepped closer to the conversation, hands raised with unanswered questions. “Wait, Cas? You said you feel her, right? So, do you know where she is?”

“Chicago” was the simple but concerning reply.

Dean’s hand quickly appeared as a sign of caution, attempting to express a vital flaw with just walking straight into the lion’s den. “Yeah, Cas. Don’t worry. We’ll go and help her. But before we do that”-

“I’m going in” Castiel quickly interjected, refusing to wait another second and leaving the Brothers just as quickly as he arrived. A fist and boot swung up in a moment of frustration.

“Dammit Cas!”

With a flutter of wings, Castiel landed behind enemy lines; outside Dick’s office on the top floor. His eyes scanned the space before him with caution, instantly spotting you tied to a chair in the middle of the room. The confirmation of your continued existence lifted any remaining self-doubt of the connection that he shared with you.

With no other thought than to be at your side, Castiel pushed open the glass door with uneasiness, examining the state of you.

Now slouching over, dried blood painted your chin, shirt and fingernails. He called your name with a timid and anxious tone. “Y/N?”

The sound of his raspy voice cut through the silence, gaining your attention. You questioned him wearily, unsure if this apparition was a trick or a hallucination. “Castiel?”

“Yes. It’s me”. He instantly crouched down and placed a hand cautiously on your forearm. “Are you okay?”

Before you had time to reply, Castiel rushed to his feet, sensing someone else in the room. it wasn’t long until Dick Roman stepped into view, looking brash as usual.

“Ah, Castiel. I’m afraid the party started without you. Me and your lovely friend here have been getting to know each other”. The fury that now radiated from Castiel’s eyes was intensely aimed, causing Dick to smile proudly at his work.

If Sam and Dean were present, they would warn Castiel against taking on Dick Roman alone. It certainly wouldn’t end well. With gritted teeth, he shook the Angel blade from his sleeve and gripped it tightly. Reason was no longer on his mind.

Dick shifted onto his back foot, raising his hands with a provoking smirk. “Careful there, Angel. I believe you’re outnumbered”.

A Leviathan henchman appeared on Castiel’s left, taking hold of his shoulders. Confused by this, Castiel had little time to shake him before another enemy came into view, followed by a quickly propelled fist.

Falling down on one knee, Castiel reeled from the brute force of the hit, easily becoming restrained as the ancient creatures held his arms and head in a tight lock. Watching the Angel wobble hazily, you gathered the strength to speak up, reassuring him of your unyielding friendship.

“Don’t worry, Cas. I haven’t told him squat”.

Upon hearing those words, Dick paced the space between his two hostages, pondering what kind of leverage he was holding here. “True” he admitted willingly. “The technique was right. Maybe I was just asking the wrong person”.

His beaded eyes moved swiftly across the room with a dramatic flare. “So, Castiel. Wanna tell me what’s up? What you and your pesky Hunter friends are planning? And most importantly-” Swaggering to the side of you, he continued. “Why this Human is helping you?”

“Eat me, Dick!” you taunted rebelliously, using Castiel’s presence as a shield to buffer the undeniable fear of the situation.

“Oh, don’t tempt me” he retorted amusingly, using his bony hand to squeeze your shoulder, putting pressure against the broken collarbone. Castiel winced at the sound of your continuous wail. He struggled against the hold of the two Leviathans, using his weight to inch closer to you. “No! Y/N!”

Curious by the Angel’s reaction, Dick stepped closer with a tilted head, studying the emotion that spilled from the Celestial being. “Why is this so hard for you, Castiel?” He paused for a long moment, watching the way the Angel looked fearfully towards you.

“Oh. You’ve become attached to this Human, haven’t you? Why is that?”

Castiel reluctantly observed the sight of your suffering. The stifling sobs that made your nose twitch, only magnified the dried blood which trailed down from your features. The anger inside of him began to manifest again, calling for relief, justice or even a miracle. His sharp glare switched back to Dick.

“What a weakness to have” he continued to tease the Angel. “So fragile and easy to break”. Something in Dick’s voice changed, seeping a tone of insightful conclusion. “Well, it’s going to be harder for you to watch me break her”.

Within three seconds, he took hold of your right index finger and snapped it backwards until something popped. Muscles constricting and body jolting, your agonising scream filled every corner of the room as the pain overshadowed all senses.

The proverbial shoe had dropped for Castiel.

Using all the energy he could muster, a white light escaped his vessel as he focused on pushing everything out of his path, the path to you. Expanding outwards at a supersonic speed, all three Leviathans were knocked backwards, glass panes shattering from the force.

A self-righteous and creepy chuckle was heard as Dick quickly bounced back to his feet and straightened out his jacket. “Well, that tickled”.

Castiel’s eyes shifted, now noticing a distance between him and them, he took this opportunity to flee. This was not a fair fight and he knew how this interaction would inevitably end.

With one hand outstretched to hold the back of your chair, he chose a swift change of scenery. Eyes remaining open, the sight of the Angel’s trenchcoat blurred the change of location but did nothing to aid the lack of breath available.

Two chair legs landed on uneven grass before rocking backwards and tipping over. The impact against your back was worsened by deflated lungs, the broken collarbone and pounding migraine afflicting your senses.

“Owwww”.

This came out as more of an inhaled whimper as your head rolled to the side, seeing a pair of black shoes approaching. The beige trenchcoat came into view as he knelt down to grip the wood, quickly realigning you with the world.

A beautiful world you had forgotten about amidst all the terror and crazy. The sight of thick clouds that soaked in the purple sunset, bare branches of intertwining auburn bark that rooted alongside a majestic lake. Castiel approached from behind the chair, blocking the intake of scenery.

He took a firm grip of the rope and pulled it apart effortlessly, as if it were nothing more than paper. The freedom from your restraints led your hands to instantly drop into your lap, brushing the broken finger and sparking a harsh wave of pain down your arm.

Hearing your cry of agony drew his hand immediately to your forehead, eager to ease your suffering. He watched with soft features as the cuts on your face began to disappear, bones snapping back into place.

Stooping beside you, Castiel placed a hand under your legs and back, lifting you away from the wooden chair. With little energy, you leaned into him, content to let him carry you away from the wooden deathtrap. His swaying movements left you feeling encapsulated, his arms and broad chest being the only solid things in this dizzy world.

It soon halted as he stilled to inspect the perfect spot of grass. Knees bending, he lowered his body with yours, placing you down gently onto the earth. Castiel quickly backed away a few paces, allowing time and space for you to readjust.

Sitting there, feeling the silky blades of grass slide between your fingers, the grounding forces of nature began returning all frenzied thoughts to freethinking questions and reflections. It wasn’t until you decided to stand up, that he posed a gentle and simple question.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m not okay” you bellowed, pacing frenziedly across the grass. The memory of the experience still fresh, the pain and fear still echoing in your mind. Mid-pace, you stopped to voice the internal screams, clawing their way out with fervor. “That was torture, Cas. He tortured me! And it really fucking hurt”.

“I know. And I am so sorry” he confessed with sad eyes that tried to comfort through expression, whilst portraying his own fear. “I didn’t think that I would ever see you again. I thought you had died in the explosion”.  

“Oh my god” you spat with distaste, switching to a pessimistic mindset. “You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

The foundation of trust that you’d placed in the Angel had been demolished, replaced by doubt of his initial intentions. “So what was I? Just some disposable part in your mission to save the world?”

His countenance became awkwardly dismissive, stepping backwards slightly as he claimed ignorance on the matter. “Uh, no. I- I didn’t know”.

Castiel never thought you could see him so grimly. To be painted as such a person, capable of sacrificing innocent lives, it hurt him deeply.

You were hurting too. He could see it in the way you paced nervously along the edge of the water, head low and arms wrapped defensively around yourself. It made him feel guilty and ashamed, to see that your bright and positive view of world had diminished, replaced by melancholy and a morbid outlook.

He needed to fix this somehow.

“Y/N, please?”

“No” you dismissed abruptly, waving your hands vividly to swat away the hand that was reaching out. “This isn’t okay. I can’t-”

Feet propelling into motion, you stepped frantically, fighting against the strain of heavy emotion that consumed your thoughts. Castiel moved cautiously alongside you, arms raised with protective concern. When you stopped suddenly to grab fistfuls of hair, he instinctively moved in front and reached out, holding your shoulders gently.

“Please, relax. It’s alright”. Without thinking, you critically refused the reassurance. “No! This is all your fault!”

Palms thrusting forcefully against his chest, the anger radiated outwards and onto the closest thing available. The action caught him unexpectedly, forcing him to step backwards, with no more solid ground left to tread. Feet first, he dropped into the lake, dipping underwater.

You soon realized how hasty you’d acted. With wide eyes, you nervously scanned the surface, waiting for him to reappear. As the seconds passed, a nagging doubt began to spread. Could Castiel swim? Did you just accidentally kill him?

Mid-thought, a head sprang out of the water, hair flattened and features radiantly glimmering in the dimming light. Beads of water continued to drip as he gracefully moved through the water towards you.

“Oh god! Cas? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Are you okay?”

He silently reached the edge, waist-deep with hands now resting casually on the bank. Not even a frown was given as he stood there like a soggy cat, staring up at you. Where was the repercussion; the Angel-smiting fury?

Castiel reached outwards and within a swift moment, long fingers wrapped firmly around your ankles, lifting you up and into the water behind him. Head first, you became submerged in the icy liquid, body tensing from the dramatic temperature change.

Patiently bobbing on the surface, Castiel waited for you to emerge, eager to see your reaction. He was hoping that this would take your mind off the trauma of the last few hours. But most of all, he was relishing the fact that you are alive and safe right now.

It wasn’t long before your feet bounced off the bed of the lake. Legs kicking, you swam upwards and broke through the water, quickly taking a breath and wiping your eyelids dry. Your second breath was followed by a loudly-posed question.

“What the fuck?”

Castiel stepped deeper into the water towards you. With a quick skim of his arm across the surface, a wave of water splashed against your face. Eyes squeezing shut, your hands flew upwards to shield the attack.

“Stop it! Stop splashing me”.

He waited for you to regain your composure before swimming even closer, halting just inches away, face stern and eyes glued straight to yours. His stare was met with your firmly unamused expression, becoming aware of his  intimidating proximity and the tense energy that made the air thicker.

“I am not your enemy” he stated boldly. “If you could even think that I’d willingly sacrifice your life, then you don’t even know me”.

Your response was quick and loud. “I don’t know you! We only met two days ago. And you’re- you’re.... an Angel” you exasperated with open palms. “What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”

“Believe it” he responded calmly. “Like it or not, you’ve been exposed to the most feared of all the Lord’s creations. You’re not safe on your own anymore, they will track you down and they will kill you”.

“Well, I’m certainly not safe with you. Where were you when I was taken, huh?” The genuine interest of his whereabouts was overshadowed by the spiteful phrasing of the question.

His face scrunched in response. “I was there and I tried very hard to keep you safe.”

“Well that worked, didn’t it” you quipped sarcastically, happy to remind him of his failure.

His eyes squinted, lips tightening as he responded. “Yes. It did. You are alive, are you not?” The informative tone of his voice emphasized as he continued. “And completely healed, might I add”.

The whole ordeal flashed back again like a reoccurring nightmare. Even though Castiel had healed the physical wounds, the visual memories and emotional pain still lingered, leading to a cold and distant reply. “Yeah. Thanks for that”.

“You’re welcome” he nodded gratefully, hopefully no longer seen as the target for your anger. He wasn’t. All traces of ferocity had diminished, leaving only a lingering disappointment and deep-seeded feeling of failure and wasted time. Four days have passed since you left everything back home behind. Friends, Family, responsibilities. Was any of this a good decision?

Feeling low in energy, you began to swim for the edge. As you moved past Castiel, he pivoted and began to stir with a sense of unease. What if you had decided to leave him for good? He couldn’t let you leave this way.

“Y/N, wait. Please?”

Reaching the grassy edge, you stood and turned to face an approaching Castiel before using your arms to pull yourself out and sit on the bank. As he reached the edge and stood before you, the look on his face was a mixture of anticipation and unease. “Please, don’t leave. There’s so much more to say”.

Hand rising up to brush the wet hair from your forehead, a sigh seeped out with the last of your enthusiasm. “Like what, Cas?”

At this point, you were convinced that nothing could make this situation feel any different. The feeling of being used, made to feel special and then abandoned by this Celestial being. What could he possibly say to change things now?  

Given the chance to be open and honest at last, he couldn’t find the words to say. With his mouth open, he hesitated, letting out nothing more than a prolonged vowel.

“Uhh”...

His silent gaze caused your frustration to grow, coming out verbally and demanding. “Unlike you, I can’t read minds, Castiel. Please, just tell me what you’re thinking. Tell me I’m not going crazy. Tell me that there’s more to this, that you’re actually interested in me, and not what I can do for you”.

The power of your words compelled him forwards, one hand resting on the grass beside you, the other on your kneecap. “Of course I’m interested”. Your eyes looked down at his hand before flicking back up to see the fiercely intense gaze that was latched on you. 

“Y/N, you are my only priority right now. I can’t let you go, not again”. His outburst faded, leaving only calm emotion that drew him into your personal space. “I need...”.

He paused momentarily, confused by his own statement. Never before had he actually felt the need for something; a physical demand from his vessel. Nevertheless, he embraced the feeling and voiced it with a passion.

“I need you, Y/N. You don’t understand how much”. His face twitched scrupulously, searching to find the right words to explain the connection. Once they’d formulated in his mind, the determination of correct delivery was evident in the way his eyebrows aligned, focus directed on you, and only you.

“Y/N, you’ve given me something that I never thought was possible. I know it for certain now because I can feel it. Actually feel it. That surge, the intensity. It’s you. It’s always been you”.

“Me” you reply flabbergasted, overwhelmed by his sudden closeness and watching the delighted admiration that radiated from his face. The one thought remaining constant was that his hand was on your knee, the warmth seeping through the patch of jean to apply a sensitively distracting feeling down your leg.

Castiel could see the change in you, how your voice stuttered and eyes were widened with a sense of receptiveness. Using his thumb, he caressed the fabric on your leg and watched as your eyes closed for a second. “You do feel it, don’t you?”

Speaking with actual words was proving rather difficult as his small caress sent a glorious spark of arousal up through your leg, making the muscles in your groin tense. “Oh, I uh... I f-eel- Yeah” you mumbled in response, blinking at him with glazed eyes. 

Your reaction had triggered something inside of him; a thought of something so innocent, yet terrifying at the same time. Eyes sweeping to the distance for some sense of understanding on the matter, Castiel shifted back slightly as his tongue flicked across dry lips.

Kissing, or as he calls it: ‘the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles’, was such a Human concept. But recently, he had come to learn that it wasn’t the skin-on-skin contact that made the gesture special, it was the emotional intimacy created when the physical barrier is overcome. 

This gesture was guaranteed to assure you of his affection, but would you be receptive and willing to the intimate act? Only seconds ago, you were shouting profanities and showing signs of distress. What was right way to do this?

Slowly, he assured himself.

A celestial hand glided over the dewed grass, calloused fingertips tracing up the length of your slightly cold digits before encapsulating the whole of your hand. A thin sheet of static buzzed lightly between the touching skin, drawing your attention downwards.

His unprompted act of affection brought forth the imminent question: Is this really what you wanted?

Yes!

Of course it is. It feels amazing, the return of that encapsulating glow, soothing and sweet. But this was not a functional relationship. As tempting as it may be to get close, he was centuries older, with power and wisdom unfathomable. It was intimidating.

He, however, felt no hesitation.

In one smooth motion, his other hand left your kneecap and delicately traced along the curvatures of your jawline, raising your chin slightly as warm fingers advanced behind your ear and threaded into your hair. You felt the cold air prickle against the now-vacant patch of trouser, but instantly embraced the new feeling.

Eyes now making contact, something was visibly different about the shade of his blue iris’. They remained completely still underneath heavy lids, almost overshadowed by the thick abyss that was contained within his dilated pupils.

“I’m sorry” he repeated, this time with a deep sincerity. “I never should’ve left you. It was careless of me”. You had little time to reflect on his apology before his thumb lightly caressed the sensitive patch of skin behind your ear, fingers shifting in your hair to increase the grip.

An expression of unabridged honesty befell his face, desperate for you to believe his words. To emphasize the sincerity, he gave your hand a momentary squeeze.

“I promise, I will never let you down again”. His pale blue eyes searched yours for a reply, to which you just stared back, wanting to believe his promise.

Your silence provided no relief, prompting his head to dip ever so slowly, placing a soft, gentle kiss to the skin of your right cheek. You subconsciously yielded into the delicately inviting touch.

His next words came out as a strained whisper, full of neediness and surrender as he lingered by your ear, breath warm against your cheekbone. “I’m all in... I mean it, my little dove. Whatever you want. I’ll do it”.

His words definitely left an impression. Such romantic notions were scripted for novels or movies, not for you. But here he was, the hero of this story, pouring his heart out and confessing his devotion. To you.

Remaining close, his face aligned with yours. Nose-to-nose, a pair of chapped, rosy pink lips loitered within a tempting distance.

This was it, the ultimate scenario you could only ever imagine. He wanted to kiss you. Those beautifully hooded eyes bore into you with a fever, creating a thick static charge in the limited space between you.

The building anticipation was immense, drawing you inevitably closer. The need for him drastically outweighing all cation and commonsense, pulling you forwards to capture the moment.

His remarkably-shaped lips were perfectly big, enshrouding yours with a tenderness that stilled all possible noise and distraction. The world faded with a peaceful calm until the soft jab of his nose elicited the sole awareness of his presence.

Senses coming alive, your lips moved with a desperate urgency, bringing Castiel’s mind into focus. Breaking apart, his light exhale caused your eyes to open, noticing the scent of honey that lingered in the air.

A blissful smile crept onto your face, letting out a huff of astonishment over the thought that you’d just kissed an Angel. Instead of returning the gesture, Castiel studied your face. Only one thing regarded his thoughts.

Not enough.

Feeling unfulfilled, he dove back in for a second attempt. This time, more pressure was applied, pushing you into the grip of his hand. There was no other option but to surrender, to allow complete submersion into his hot and hasty approach, chests brushing firmly and mouths moving together in a sequence of constant exploration.

Each movement growing in intensity; the suction, the pressure applied against your lips igniting that feeling of knots in the pit of your stomach. The sign of your surrender.

Unaware of his own fading control, tidbits of grace began to seep through his vessel, passing through your head, hand and lips. A rush of helplessness spread down your body as you basked in the radiant, religious feeling. Your hand reaches up, grabbing his shoulder for some kind of stability in the whirlwind of erotic sensation. 

When the need for oxygen became too much, you reluctantly pulled back to inhale, feeling hazy as clouded thoughts tumbled around your brain.

In a frenzied desire to continue loving your body, he shifted to the right, peppering kisses lovingly down your neck, each one more stimulating than the last. It thrilled along every nerve you had, body shuddering sensitively against his touch.

His lips pulled away, leaning back to understand the nature of this quivering. At the vacant feeling, your hand left his shoulder, moving up to hold his face. This time it was you being the needy one, craving more of his touch.

“Cas?”

“Yes?”

Carting your fingers through his damp ebony hair, you studied the shadowed features of this heavenly being. A new sense of familiarity, maybe even infatuation now present.

Oh god. What kind of Pandora’s box did you just open?

Your disappearance had whipped up a storm in the office of Dick Roman. His two henchmen were left petrified at the repercussions of this slip-up.

Their fearless leader slowly turned and faced them, his stone-cold expression chilling the air in the room. They stood still and silent, hesitant to move for fear of being lunch, or worse, bibbed.

A voice soon broke the awkward silence. “Would anyone care to tell me how we lost our only leverage and that wretched Angel?”

After wearily looking at each other for some kind of shared excuse, one of his followers stepped forward. “We tried our best, Sir. We didn’t know he was that strong. We-”.

Refusing to hear anymore, Dick stepped closer and grabbed the sleeves of this bumbling idiot, brows scrunched with pure disappointment. Rows of sharp teeth came crashing down, swallowing the whole circumference of the minion’s head. The crunch of bone signaled a dramatic change in atmosphere.

A headless body toppled to the floor, black goo pooling neatly on the white reflective tiles. The remaining disciple stood wearily, eyeing his leader with obedient terror.

A finger was harshly aimed across the room, channeled ferocity exerted as a final warning was given. “I suggest you find them. I don’t care what it takes, I want everyone out and looking. That Angel is done!”

Thanks for reading. Did you like the kissing scene?

P.S - I need the help of you, fellow Castiel lovers, to decide the next part of the story. Please comment on whether you’d like the reader to travel to either Purgatory or Hell.

I eagerly anticipate your input. ^-^

Bonus: The perfect song pairing: Ashes Remain - Without You

Tags:

@eziggyra @fullmoonfairylight @superheavymetalunicorn @sumara62  @spookysculderfiles @doritoevansxwinterschildren @cabbitholeresearch @acheloishe @thespiritintheshadows @teaminvisible

[kaleenjackson]

Only One Love

Odnoliub - (Russian) Someone that has only one love in their life.

Summary: Thor dragging him to Stark Tower might just be the best thing for Loki.

Pairing: Bucky x Loki

Word count: 4,681

A/N: First off, thank you @howlingbarnes for letting me try. I actually managed to finish before the deadline. This is part of the Language of Love challenge. It is a Soulmate AU and very canon divergent. Thanks to my beta readers @reogni and @thegingerslytherin for their help and opinions.

Warnings: Some cursing, mild angst and fluff... I think

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He looked up from the book, wondering what was taking that idiot so long as he tried to ignore the terrible swirling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Checking to make sure he was still unnoticed, sitting alone on the park bench, he tried to adjust the strange collar he had hidden under his dress shirt. Waking up with that thing around his neck had been a shock. Almost as bad as the one he'd had a few years ago. If he regretted anything it was not escaping when he had the chance. Now he had to escorted everywhere, like a child. Glancing back down at the book in his hands he reread the translation for the strange word. Odnoliub, Russian, meaning someone who has only one love in their life. Of course it had to be love. Damn sentiment. Marks like the one on his left shoulder were rare. Some saw them as a gift, others a curse. It meant you would meet someone who would change you. Not something he was interested in. Love was a child's emotion, one he had never felt and one he certainly didn't want. He cared for a very select few people, but he didn't feel that urge to help, impress or even be truly kind to them. His eyes ones more surveyed the street. A man stood across from him, staring. An impulse to go to this man caught him off guard.

“Loki.” He nearly jumped at his own name.

“Are you alright?” Thor asked. “You seem unusually distracted.”

“I am fine. What did this sorcerer Strange know of my predicament?” His voice was cold as usual.

"He cannot help."

“Cannot or will not?” His tone sharpened.

“He cannot help Loki. If that collar didn't appear to be draining energy, perhaps he could but he would like to take it to utilize once you are free of it.” Thor placed his hand on the thin dark haired man's shoulder. “Now tell me, what has you so distracted that I surprised you?”

“It is nothing that concerns you, Odinson.” Loki looked to see the stranger had gone.

“You are not to be keeping secrets from me. That was your bargain with the Allfather.  You would make me aware of any and all things affecting you. I am well aware that you are displeased about this arrangement but-“ Loki cut the blond brute off.

“Seeing as I am no longer allowed to keep my own counsel.” He gestured at the book. “That cursed mark is from a Midgardian language. Now I know it's meaning and am trying to process what it means for me. The man who was staring at me from across the way then distracted me.”

“So, someone shall unfreeze your soul then.” Thor snorted a short laugh, reading the marked word. “I wish them luck as I do not envy their position.” He turned to leave.

“Are we not returning to Asgard? We have exhausted all those in this realm who might have had the skill to remove this infernal thing.”

“No. We have exhausted all of those you thought may have be able to help. Doctor Strange commented about it's mechanical appearance and an idea struck me.” Thor smiled. Loki didn't like that smile, it was too much like his own. “There is only one Midgardian who is capable of dealing with machinery like this.”

Loki stopped in his tracks. “No. Absolutely not. I will live with this collar, thank you.”

“Stark could help.”

“I am not going anywhere near that place. Heimdall! We are ready to return.” Nothing happened.

“You forget he cannot hear you because of that collar, and that you are still a prisoner Loki. I am simply trying to help you. You may not be my brother but that doesn't mean that the past millennium of being so didn't happen.” He looked like a kicked puppy. Loki might have felt a small pang of sympathy, of the desire to give in just to make him smile but he pushed it back down.

“They will kill me Thor. After what I did here and what they must go through everyday because of it, I doubt I would make it past the entrance hall.”

“Strange said the collar will likely kill you if not removed.” Now he had Loki's attention. “He told me that you are so deeply connected to you abilities that it draining that power is likely draining your very life force.”

“I do not like this, but if the choices are slow death or a quick one at least I have a small choice.” He spoke quietly.

Bucky sat quietly as the engineer poked at something in his metal left arm.

“Ok Iceman, what gives? Your freaking me out with this whole silent thing today.” Stark put his tool down and looked him in the eye. Well at his nose really but the intent was there and most people couldn't get past the strange distant look he had.

“I had a weird moment on my way back. Just trying to figure it out.”

“Well why don't you share with the class and maybe we'll understand.” Tony smirked as it was only himself and the decommissioned human weapon in the room. Well JARVIS and Dum-e were there too, but only one of them might have some insight. The other just had a fire extinguisher.

“Well, since I arrived here with my brain all fucked up and my arm seized I have had a quite a few things come back. One of those is that I have a soul mark on my back at the base of my neck.” He leaned forward so Tony could see it. “It's why I haven't cut my hair.”

“Is it a heart mark or mind mark?”

“I have no idea.” He felt his hair get moved and then a light finger move over the raised green symbols that hid just below the collar of his shirt. “I don't even know what language it's in.”

“So what about it has you so quiet then Barnes?”

“I'm not sure. I think I might have seen the person it connects me to on my way back from the coffee shop. Just some random guy, sitting on a park bench reading. Outta no where I get this crazy urge to go talk to him. I was about to move when it was gone. The guy had been startled by someone and the weird pull was gone.” Bucky looked at the other man with some confusion.  “I think it was my soul mark pulling me but I have no bloody idea.”

“Beats me. You're the first person I've known with one. So I have no clue.” Tony sat back. “You got anythin' J?”

“None of my searches have come back with any relevant information, Sirs. However Mr. Stark I should inform you that Thor and his brother are in the lobby looking for you.”

“The hell? Why'd he bring that psycho here?” Tony grumbled, getting to his feet. “Send ‘em to the common floor. I'm gonna find out what the hell he's doing here.”

“Tony. Wait! I'm still... strapped to the table.” Bucky watched as he marched out the door without ever looking back at the soldier.

“Anthony!” Thor bellowed cheerfully as Tony stepped out of the elevator. “It has been far too long my friend.”

Tony accepted the offer hug because, really, no gave better hugs than the Asgardian and sometimes you just have to accept affection.

“Hello again Stark.” Loki's cool voice quietly reminded them both why they were there.

“Reindeer Games. What the hell are you doing in my tower again? I thought you'd been locked up for the rest of eternity.”

“Indeed.”

“Loki has found himself in a bit of a situation. We were hoping you could help.” Thor stated.

“Okay, uh, why me?”

“Because, it appears to be a problem more in your skill set than anyone else’s.”

“Because no one else in this blasted realm seems to be able to help. Bunch of pathetic, feeble-minded, humans.” Loki snarled after Thor spoke.

“Loki, hold your tongue.” Thor snapped. Loki leaned against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

“So what's the matter with him?”

Thor looked at the raven-haired man who sighed and undid the top few buttons of his shirt. Around his neck was a rather mechanical looking collar that seemed to be attached to his skin.

“That looks painful. How'd you get that around your neck?”

“If I knew I might be able to get it off myself and yes it is quite painful.”

Tony immediately began looking the whole thing over. Humming and muttering as he did so. After a few moments he looked Loki in the eye.

“Getting it off may hurt, a lot. I think I can do it but why are you coming to me and not trying yourself?”

“Because it has dampened his abilities and we believe it may be slowly killing him.” Thor sighed.

“Holy hell. So this is sort of a right now kinda thing then eh?”

“Preferably, yes.” Loki rolled his eyes. All of this banter was wasting his time, possibly his life.

“Alright. I'm already setup in one of the labs. I think the tools there should work. Follow me you two.”

Bucky was playing on his phone when they arrived in the lab.

“What the heck are you still doing here Barnes?”

“Oh, I don't know Stark, maybe I'm still strapped to the fucking table.” Barnes snapped at the genius.

“Why didn't you say anything?” Tony asked but Bucky wasn't paying attention. That same strange pull had hit him again.

Loki felt the strong impulse to approach the man Stark had strapped to his work bench.

“Who are you?” Both asked in unison.

“Oh right, you were still being a murder puppet when Loki was here last. So uh, Loki this is Sergeant James Barnes, everyone just calls him Bucky and Buckaroo, This is Loki Odinson the guy who tried to destroy New York with creepy ass aliens. He's Thor's adopted little brother.”

“Laufeyson. Odin is NOT my father.” Loki corrected coldly.

“Well, I guess it's good to meet you Loki Laufeyson.” He offered his free hand to the pale man.

Loki stared at him for a moment before remembering it was a greeting. He shook the Sergeant's hand. “Yes, well, the same for James.”

Neither let go of the others hand right away.

“I prefer Bucky, if you don't mind Loki.” Loki raised an eyebrow. “Not a lot a good memories of my name rattling around in my brain.”

“Oh. I guess I understand that.” Loki's voice was quiet as he finally let go of Bucky's hand. “Why are you strapped to the table?”

“Oh. My arm's messed up and Stark's been fixin’ it for me.” He looked at the man mentioned. “Are you gonna finish with me before or after whatever you're doin’ for these guys?”

“After. He's kinda got a life sucking collar in that needs to get removed.” Stark finally unstrapped his arm. Loki was stunned when Bucky turned and revealed the metal appendage.

“Mind if I stay and watch? I've got no where else to be.” Bucky asked. Something about Loki was intriguing him. He really wanted the chance to talk with him.

“Well.” Thor spoke before everyone. “Loki is to be under supervision at all times so I can leave that to you Bucky. Think you can handle him?”

“Well, you have yet to beat me in sparring so yeah, I think I got this.” Bucky gave a charming smile. Loki looked away. He felt a now very familiar stirring, a strange pull towards the metal armed Bucky.

“I'm going to find Captain Rogers then. Loki, behave, please.”

Bucky watched as the black haired man rolled his green eyes at Thor as he walked out of the lab. He could still feel the pulling sensation. It hadn't subsided since Loki had stepped into the room. Bucky watched as Loki sat himself on the edge of the table.

“Okay asshole, I'm not that tall.” Stark glared at Loki who was now smirking. He was messing around with Tony and Bucky could see on his face that he enjoyed getting a rise out if the engineer. Loki slid off the table and sat next to Bucky.

“Is that more to your liking Stark?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Much. Now can we loose the shirt and get your hair up out if the way?”

Loki sighed undoing the shirt and slipping it off. He didn't look at Bucky until he felt a cold metal touch on his hand.

“Here. Use it to put your hair up.” Again Loki stared at him and the odd little circle he held between his fingers. “I can do it for you if you want.” He was trying not to sound nervous. Loki nodded and Bucky gently put his hair in a half bun, flip thing.

“Thank you.” His voice was surprisingly soft.

“You're very welcome.” Bucky let his tone match the alien man's.

“Great. So now look up and don't move. I need to be able to see.” Tony picked up the tool he'd been poking Bucky with just moments earlier and began to look for a way in.

“When did this happen?”

“About a month ago. I woke up in my cell with it on my neck. No one came in, no one went past and I didn't wake once. The only thing that changed was a power drop right before I awoke.”

“So someone magicked it onto you? That's gutsy. You're one of the most dangerous beings I know...” Tony looked at both men. “I have two of the most dangerous people I've ever met in the same room and they aren't trying to kill me or each other. JARVIS record this. It's a miracle.” Tony waved his hands in the air and Bucky snorted a laugh.

“Why would we be trying to kill each other?” Loki inquired.

“He's Cap's best pal from before he became all Cap like.”

“Stark, what are you raving about?” Loki was actually starting to worry that he was letting a lunatic near his throat.

Bucky was still chuckling. “I knew Steve when we were kids. He was a tiny, sickly, little fella with far to much aggression. He let a crazy person and a doctor experiment on him and he got all, well, big.”

“That crazy person was my dad Barnes. Just ‘cause you killed him-“ Bucky jumped in.

“And I knew him during the war. He's the crazy one who flew the dumbass behind enemy lines to see if I was alive.”

“You killed Stark's father?”

“He killed a lot of people.” Stark stated with a cold edge. He moved to a tool box across the room. “Go ahead and relax for a moment Loki.”

“Really?” Loki looked at the soldier with a sudden interest.

“I don't wanna talk about. Don't ask.” Bucky stood up and moved away from the strange man.

“I think the tool I need is in another lab. I'll be back in a sec ‘kay?” Stark knew neither man was actually paying attention to him, he just needed an excuse to leave. He didn't want to be a part of this conversation.

“Oh, but I am so curious about you. Who you kill or attempt to kill can tell much about who you really are.”

Bucky scoffed. “So you and the loud blond man are from Norse legend, or at least that's what everyone told me when I met Thor the first time. You tried to destroy New York with aliens and according to Steve, you’re at least kinda scared of thunder. I have heard you called a trickster, a silver-tongued liar, a war criminal, a heathen god and a psychopath. Even some sort of monster from a world different than you appear to come from. So why in world would I tell you anything about myself?”

“I am everyone of those things and yet none of them. I have committed patricide defending the one I once called my father, then attempted to stop a war by destroying the planet that the blond buffoon had provoked against us. I was made the rightful king of my world by a woman whom I called my mother only to have that ungrateful bastard who once claimed to be my father take it from me. In fact he took everything from me in a matter of seconds, simply by revealing that I was a monster, one from the very tales I had been told in  my childhood. I was given the choice of death or living without life. I chose death but even that was stolen from me.” Loki dropped his head, then laughed darkly. The impulse to tell this stranger everything began to drive his mouth. “I was forced to come here with that army. I was told to bring an item you should be familiar with, a glowing blue cube, back for someone who I fear may yet come looking for me. They tried to make me their puppet. Indeed I wanted revenge on Odin but I knew Earth wasn't anything but a stepping stone back to Asgard. I had never intended to actually attack New York. When I did realize it would have to happen I knew how to make sure I was found and stopped before I did to much. I have killed far more than you, mortal. Just on Earth I caused 154 deaths at least. I am the cause of my mother's death.” He stopped. Bucky could hear his breath shaking for a moment. “At least I sent the things that killed her where she was. She defended Thor's lover and he was only a moment to late. He watched her die. I was not allowed to mourn and though I did not try to have her killed, I was blamed. They were just going to leave me in my cell until I awoke with this collar on.”

Bucky watched the pale man for a moment. He too felt compelled to speak.

“I was never a willing killer. I was drafted into World War 2 from the reserves. Taken prisoner in Germany, experimented on, rescued by Steve, went back into service along side him until I fell from a train during a fight. I survived the fall, was taken prisoner again, experimented on and tortured. It took them along time to make me submit. Then I spent fifty years as an assassin. I have killed civilians and heads of state all without any reason other than following my programming. Steve eventually managed to break the program. I was broken beyond repair but slowly I have put myself back as best I can. I remember the names and faces of every person I killed. From JFK to Tony’s parents. He almost killed me the day I told him. I almost killed myself when I remembered who his father was to me. A friend. At one point all I could really remember was what I had done.” Loki watched as Bucky sighed, looking at his feet, then looked up. “I learned to live again. I ended up sneaking in a window at one of Stark's mansions and scarin’ the hell outta him. My arm had totally seized and I couldn't fix it. Once he stopped screaming, he helped me. He brought me here and when he found out who I was to Steve, made sure I was well represented in court.”

“I thought you didn't want to speak of all this.”

“Well, you told me more than I think you meant to. I know it's only a fraction of your tale but the past ten years have had more impact on you than the other, what, thousand years. I guess I felt it was only fair that I explain why I am what I am.”  Bucky sat back down on Loki's left side.  “Just outta curiosity why do you have the word odnoliub tattooed in Cyrillic on your arm Loki?”

“You can read it?” Loki whipped his head around to stare at Bucky.

“Wait. You have a tattoo you can't read? Why do people do that? That's how you get a tattoo meaning slut when you wanted it to say chastity.”

Loki snorted, trying to suppress a laugh. After a shaky breath he said. “You know Russian?”

“Well yeah. That's where I spent most of the past 70 years. They kept me in Cryo in Siberia. So why get a tattoo in Russian if you don't know the language?”

“It's not a tattoo.”

For a moment or two the just stared at each other. Loki trying to figure out why he had admitted anything to this man who he hardly knew, let alone that he had a soul mark and Bucky was trying to understand what all of it might mean. He could read and speak Russian, but Asgardians had that Allspeak thing they could do. Why couldn't Loki just read and translate it himself that way?

“Okay, I have to ask. I don't know all that much about you or Thor or any of it but, why couldn't you read it yourself? I've watched Thor read ridiculously coded messages without a single issue.” Bucky couldn't look him in the eye.

“Allspeak doesn't work on soul marks. If you can read the language without magical aid then you can read it. I don't know why but that's what I was told when I asked.” Loki smiled at him unintentionally.

“Well what languages can you speak then?” Bucky asked. Loki could tell he was leading to something that he had yet to find the words to ask.

“Well Asgardian, obviously, English, a smattering of Nordic languages coming from the old Norse, a couple of Runic…” Bucky jumped at the word.

“You mean like runes?” He asked with a bright eagerness.

Loki picked up a small screwdriver that Tony had left out. Using it like a pen Loki scratched 4 thin symbols in the metal table. “It’s my name in runes. It was one of the ones I had to learn in order to do what your people call magic.”

Bucky stared at the scratches. Then at the man who put them there. “Can you read the runes on my back?” He asked before his mind had comprehended what was going on.

“You have runes on you back?” Loki tilted his head fascinated. “I can try. I mean there are a lot of different runic alphabets.” He suddenly felt rather like a child. He knew he had to get this right. That this was his only chance. He felt a warm hand on his give a gentle squeeze.

“I'm pretty sure you'll know it.” Bucky sounded strangely confident. What did he know that made him feel that, Loki wondered as he watched Bucky pull his shirt off. He admired the other man's muscular back for a moment before noticing the raised green symbols.

The soldier shivered slightly as he felt Loki's thin fingers and cool breath on his neck. His soft voice muttered things Bucky didn't understand as the finger traced a line under the words. Suddenly he heard Loki gasp.

“That is just… I mean it can't… it's the exact same.” Loki muttered as he sat back down next to the metal armed mortal. He felt emotions clogging up the tightly wound and fine tuned clockwork of his mind. Images flickered past his eyes. Walking into the room, the man across the street, the rack of books at the newsstand outside the sanctum, his own green writing on the other man's back, the shade of the red letters on his own mark and how it matched the star now visible on Bucky's metal left shoulder.

“What does it say?” His voice was very gentle, almost scared. Maybe even sounding like he was anticipating bad news.

Loki's voice shook as he spoke. “Someone who has only one love in his life.”

They locked eyes. Both knew now but neither could ask the other if he understood. Voices stuck in their throats, Loki surprised them both by moving first. Though he played cold he had always been sentimental and if he was true to himself for a moment he would have to admit, he had always hoped it was a heart mark. That he was meant to find love, to not be as alone as he felt. He didn't realize he had kissed Bucky until he felt the bigger man pull him closer, returning the kiss.

“I feel like I'm supposed to be in love with you.” Loki's voice sounded small and unsure, even to his own ears. “But I don't know what being in love is supposed to feel like.”

“To be honest. Neither do I. I know wanting someone and liking someone but I've never felt  what others have told me love feels like.” Bucky didn't look away from his soulmates green eyes and they didn't shift from the cold blue steel gaze that met them.

“Maybe this is why?” Bucky could feel him trembling. It was a lot for both of them.

“I will never fear you James… I mean Bucky… I mean…” Loki stumbled over his silver tongue.

“And I will always trust you Loki.” Bucky said. “I think Tony is probably waiting to finish working in both of us. We can finish figuring this out after I think.”

Loki kissed him again. The collar pulled painfully as he turned his head to do it a third time. “Probably a good idea.”

“JARVIS, you mind telling Stark we're ready for him?”

“Of course Sirs, and congratulations,I believe.” The AI spoke and Loki stared at the ceiling.

“Is that a person?”

“Nah. He's the computer that runs everything from my house to my suit. Not that I should really be telling you any of this, Spaceman.” Tony smiled, holding a larger screw driver. “So are you guys done being weird and almost threatening?” He winked.

“You were watching on a security cam, weren't you Stark?” Bucky smiled, Loki still half sitting on his lap.

“Well lets just say watching the two of you kiss freaked Thor out more than anything. He said two people as frightening as you are either a match made in hell or fate playing a truly cruel trick on one of us.” He pushed the screwdriver into a hole in the back of the collar and it clicked loudly. “Alright, uh Bucky, you need to leave. One of the things I read while I waited basically said you don't wanna be the one to hurt a person in front of their soulmate sooo…”

“I'll be outside apologizing to a pair of muscular, possibly angry blonds. Be gentle Tony, and don't do anything stupid Loki.” Bucky touched his shoulder as he left.

“So what now Stark?”

“Now I hope you don't kill me.” Tony said as he adjust his grip on the metal ring. “Oh and don't hurt Bucky. I actually kinda like having him around here.”

Thor and Steve grabbed Bucky when they heard the scream. He didn't stop fighting them until Loki stepped out to throw Thor the collar.

“I'm fine James. It's Asgardian, I knew it the moment I saw the internal structures. Give it to Strange if you wish, or maybe find out why it was used to try and kill me.” He snarled.

“Bucky, you still wanna get me to look at that sticky elbow?”

“I'm coming Stark. I promise we'll talk more about this later Steve but really, there isn't much anyone can do to change this. I would rather love him and only him than be alone, sleeping with almost anyone just to feel a bit of what I felt holding Loki.” Bucky smiled as he passed the green eyed blushing man.

“Oh shut up.” Loki rolled his eyes at Thor's grin as he followed Bucky back into the lab.

[erizee]

@roguepythia you asked for it ;)

PREPARE FOR THE LONGEST COMMENT I HAVE EVER WRITTEN FOR A SHOW

How is gotham the only show I have ever seen that acknowledges mothers can be abusive too lol UHHHHM WTF what the fuck is going on with Pyg's face Seriously, every single villain on this show is trying to out-extra each other. Some wear glittery suits, others get hair so high it doesn't fit into the frame anymore, and some dramatically murder some random dude to the tune of ave maria. And you know what?? It doesn't even shock me anymore. I love this show. Harper is alive!! :DD And her name sounds so much like Harvey's holy shit MY WIFE IS WEARING HER RED COAT AGAIN Ajsjdkcksjah I love how she's acting around everyone she's manipulating??? Pretending to be in love with Jim (I will continue to see it like that no matter what happens) to prevent him from parting from her is such a badass move I love her so much LEEEEEEE!!!! She's running the Narrows like a boss and Grundy and Ed are her sidekicks!!! I sorta expected her to be Ed's but it works so much better this way?? Uhmmmm Ed made a smart suggestion!! That boy isn't dumb and we all know it. Oh also, letting her kill the guy is exactly what Oswald would probably have done which means!!.... I'm not sure what it means exactly but it's definitely good for my ship Lee is so caring and nice and badass and I want to cry ;-; first she settles a dispute that would have ended in death without her and a second later she asks about a kids health. I just love her so much, being away from Jim is helping her so much Aand can we please talk about how Ed and Oswald literally changed hairstyles?? Ed does it over his forehead for some reason and Oswald slicks it back/up. Bitch wtf that is some soulmate level shit right there Supportive Ed giving Lee really smart advice about ruling is giving me feels about the Lee/Ed brotp and early season 3 as well. Fuck me up Look at Lee being a better person than Jimmyboy ever was! Contrary to him, she's not a hypocrite ❤️ Oswald looks so sad :( He knows Sofia has been tricking him and even has proof, but he still seems to hope the one friend he still has isn't betraying him (I'm not counting Martin because he's clearly his son guys) Yoooooo this "perfect explanation against suspicion" is exactly what happened with Maroni and Oswald in season 1. With the difference that Oswald actually cares about Sofia while Maroni only liked Oswald for the profits he brought him Sofia is beautiful and adorable and I wish I had a girlfriend like her, pretty and adorable instead of no girlfriend at all She keeps lying and Oswald looks so damn heartbroken :( This is what happens when you take every single person someone cares about away, they become terrified of betrayal He cared about her so much, let her in on his business etc and it was all fake. His heart is probably actually breaking right now (in a platonic way) And in the middle of this actually heartbreaking scene that has me on the verge of tears (partially because I'm super gay for Sofia, partially because I feel so bad for Oswald), Zsasz makes me laugh by reciting a fucking meme. This fucking show. It hurts so much to see Oswald trying to hold back his tears and smile gleefully while it's obvious his whole world just shattered. AND YET it gets even more painful once Sofia admits she lied. He doesn't even have the energy anymore to pretend to be happy Oh my fucking god Zsasz's face at "foot rub" Sofia is so done and I love her Yo what the shit the Dentist is the creepiest fucking character on the show so far If there is one thing Gotham truly adapted from the comics, it's the idea of villains constantly making puns about their theme I just love how the three characters Jim calls first class villains are Jerome, Fish and Oswald. Mention Fish more often please!!!! What do all the villains of the show have in common? Correct! They all want to be remembered in one way or another That was the funniest southern accent I've ever heard. It's so southern, even me, a german teenager who has never been to america, realises it's southern Lee and Ed, the two Badass Bros, on their way to fuck her rival up. Hell Yeah. I had to play that scene three times because I never understood what the guy said until I finally turned on subtitles and I could have sworn he said husband instead of has-been. Ed would make a great husband for a certain flightless bird I can promise you that Ed is being super smart?? Oh godddd if I wasn't gay for Sofia before, when she acted all sweet and adorable, I am definitely HELLA gay for this badass, openly manipulative, top of the game Sofia. Holy FUCK SHE FUCKING MEMORISED EVERY SINGLE DETAIL ABOUT OSWALD AND HIS EMPLOYEES SHE'S SMART AS FUCK Sofia making fun of the guy who's about to torture her, laughing into his face and threatening his family while somehow still remaining adorable and sweet as hell is my sexuality You know what really gets me about this scene?? The way she coldly threatens a whole family, isn't even a bit scared of a horror-dentist but can't watch some random dude getting his brain drilled. She's so badass and incredible and yet she still has compassion YESSSSSSS THE CRIME GIRLS ALL TEAMED UP well they're enemies but they share a scene!! Selina is wearing leather gloves just like Michelle Pfeiffer did oh my fucking godddd this is amazing I'm so fucking gay for mastermind!Sofia MARTIN IS SITTING ON OSWALD'S THRONE AND OSWALD WANTS HIM TO INHERIT HIS CLUB WHICH MEANS OSWALD IS ALREADY PLANNING TO RAISE HIM AS HIS OWN SON AND BE A DAD WHICH HE ALREADY IS AAAAAAAAAAAH Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck I mean we all realised there was something fishy about the scene where Sofia catches Martin spying and suddenly the scene cuts off but I kinda hoped it was just weirdly shot BUT HEY at least it wasn't his decision!!! I feel so terrible for Martin :( He looks terrified to tell Oswald the truth, probably felt guilty as hell lying to him in the first place but ignored it to prove himself to Oswald, and he knows how angry Oswald can get. And he STILL tells him!! That's some father-son trust right there guys I love how Oswald collects himself before answering the phone. Martin really is helping him with his temper huh I don't know if I ever said it before, but I really love the new Barbara?? Probably my favourite version of the character yet. Calm, calculating, but still emotional and crazy. Love her Martin looks so fucking scared :(( Protect him please MORE SCENES FOR FOXY PLEASE Selina is literally the youngest in the room but she's the only one that notices they're about to die. Really makes you think And Sofia keeps playing Jim and Oswald against each other! She knows she'll probably die if she doesn't do something fast, so she pushes her plan along and asks Jim to finally take Oswald down. Even though this is about her victory, she makes it look like it's what Jim wants too (which it kind of is?) I'm almost amazed at how Jim is finally thinking with his brain instead of his dick or ego. Almost because that should be the logical thing to do I can't watch Martin cry :( He feels so terrible for Sofia using him, which isn't even his fault, and he apologises and cries and I just want to protect him forever :( I get why Oswald is pissed but you can't just threaten a kid with basically kicking him out of the family But still, I love that even when Oswald is pissed at Martin he is patient enough to let him finish writing his answer without interrupting. that's better parenting than most parents do when they're pissed at their kids AND even though Oswald calls Martin a "little spy" he still cares enough to keep him away from the actual violence. Oswald?? More like Dadwald. Sassy Oswald is still the best. Lol as if he needed to be there to have someone killed The way Jim's and Sofia's scene was cut off it seemed like he considers her plan and will probably follow it but??? I'm pleasantly surprised?? I love how done Oswald is with Jim when Zsasz leaves I mean same This!!! Is the only kind of Gobblepot I am happy to accept. They're still enemies and they threaten each other etc but they have a common enemy and they work together to defeat them. This is some good shit right there This is also the first time this season I actually like Jim. He should threaten people like that more often. Ed and Lee fucking turn to each other in the exact same second this is the best friendship on this show Ed is sassy and witty and Lee is just like "!! this is my best friend and we're sassing this dude together" I love their friendship so much Remember how I said how gay I am for Sofia?? Add Lee too please she's so amazing and have you seen how she looks in this episode?? This whole season?? fuck i'm so gay No matter how genuine Sofia looks just before she kisses Jim, I will keep in mind that she looked just as genuine in her friendship with Oswald and no matter what happens, I will keep holding on to my hope that she does not love him. She's too good for him anyways More female-female scenes!! Oh god I hope this doesn't mean Harper will die I don't want that OH FUCK MARTIN BETTER BE OKAY The scene with the sirens and Martin in the car perfectly show their most important character traits this season?? Selina is the one that observers and notices, Tabitha is the brute that doesn't really bothers with people unless she likes them and Barbara, even though she's calmer now, is still the emotional one. Did I meantion how much I love their team-up?? For one terrible second I thought Zsasz had been working for Sofia the whole time and came to rescue her. I'm SO glad I was wrong Oh Jimmy you should have known Sofia won't let herself be "put on a train" just like that. I'm so damn happy Zsasz didn't kill Harper I cannot believe Oswald was willing to let Sofia live even though she betrayed him etc but as soon as Martin is in danger, he flips and is prepared for a full on war against her Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck Oswald is so worried for Martin :( I am dying and I hope Martin isn't OH FUCK SAVAGE that was the sickest burn holy shit Aaaand I also just remembered how sweet Gertrud and Elijah were and I miss them so much OSWALD GIVES UP HIS POWER FOR THE THIRD TIME NOW FOR SOMEONE HE LOVES AAAAAH Dadwald ;-; he loves Martin so much and Martin knows it and I just want to cry Let himself say these things to Ed next please The melody is the same one that played when Ed threw away the pills in 3x15. Oswald better not do what I fear he'll do BITCH WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK MARTIN BETTER NOT BE DEAD OR I'LL LITERALLY SUE Eddie, honey, sweetie pie, you have always been at your best mental heights when you were a sidekick. Sorry to tell you buddy but you are literally the best at being a sidekick, even though you are an amazing villain when you're alone as well Ed's brain damage is psychological!!! It's psychosomatic!!!! It's just him not being able to cope with losing against Oswald!!!!!!! Boiiii this implies some amazing things for the future I KNEW Ed's suggestions were smart!!! And Lee knows it too!!! The fact that it's more important to Ed that Lee lied than the fact that he's still brilliant is so telling tbh. It perfectly mirrors the way he reacted when Isabella got killed: He didn't really care about her death in and of itself, but the fact that Oswald lied to him for weeks. Here it's the exact same thing, just with less death and suffering. Even Lee's response mirrors Oswald's motivation! She was afraid of him becoming the Riddler again, aka leaving her, and Oswald was afraid of Ed choosing Isabella, aka leaving him!! It probably won't happen, but I really hope this will lead to Ed reflecting on what really broke him and Oswald apart. This may be the first time in all four seasons someone tells Ed they like him the way he is now. Kristen wanted him to be more “manly” first and less murdery later. Oswald wanted him to be who he was with the added factor of being in love with him (which he was, come on) and maybe more murdery. Lee is the first person that likes Ed the way he is without wanting to change him in any way and even says so. This is what true friendship looks like guys. SHE CALLS HIM HER FRIEND AND HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S ABOUT TO CRY How long has it been since Ed had any friends?? A whole season for sure, right? Before Oswald, there was no one at all who was an actual friend for him. And now Lee comes along, supports him and lets him do what he does best and their friendship is so pure I want to cry. The "you didn't get told no a lot as a kid" thing from Barbara kinda fucks me up a bit tbh. Firstly, because Sofia probably got told no too much, since approval is literally the reason she does all this. Secondly, because I remember how terrible Barbara's parents were and how they called her a pig and all that. The both got told no way too often which is why theyre doing what theyre doing now This is the first time I could sorta analyse Barbara nice MARTIN IS ALIVE!!!! I'm so fucking glad holy shit HOLY FUCK WAIT A SECOND does this mean The Penguin's reputation as a gross soulless bastard comes from everyone thinking he murdered his own adopted kid??? BOIIII that means the thing everyone knows him for is actually fake and what really went down is Oswald saving the kid's life and giving up his dream of raising him just to protect him!! LOVE IS ABOUT SACRIFICE SUCKERS OSWALD CALLS MARTIN "MY BOY" OH MY GODDDDDDDD HE MIGHT AS WELL SIGN THE ADOPTION PAPERS NOW Oswald is about to cry and Martin is already crying and neither of them wants to be parted but Oswald cares too much about Martin to risk his death like he did with his mother by keeping him at his side. This shit is beautiful and I'm sobbing what the fuck FINALLY OSWALD GETS THE HUG HE DESERVES THEY BOTH LOOK LIKE THEY'RE LOSING WHAT THEY LOVE MOST IN THE WORLD So let me get this ‘straight’: Oswald is willing to give up the life he dreams of to make sure Martin is safe? He's willing to let someone he loves go to protect them?? BOY Oswald has grown so much over the course of this whole show HOWS THAT FOR "and you won't change" ED???? All the pieces for a renewed friendship between them are there! Ed is less obsessive, has found friends who can keep him from doing something rash like, I don't know, murdering his best and only friend and understood why Lee lied the same way Oswald did. Oswald learned to love even more selflessly than he did in 3x14 when he was already willing to sacrifice his life for Ed's by sending Martin away, thus proving Ed's theory about Oswald never being able to love that way wrong once and for all. NOW GET THEM TOGETHER INTO THE SAME SPOT PLEASE AND MAKE THEM TALK THEIR SHIT OUT My favourite plottwist is "we're raising the ratings with straightbaiting so we won't get cancelled and say someone will come into Oswald's life and change his view on love just before introducing Sofia, but actually Oswald will just adopt an adorable mute kid" Okay but where are my 20k word fanfics about Martin coming back to Gotham as an adult/teen to be a family again Zsasz is sceptical of sending Martin away but as soon as Oswald calls him is top man he agrees lol There was a guy called Laszlo/Lazlo at the beginning of the first season btw I'd literally die if Pyg was him You idiot, have you never seen Megamind???? If you don't see someone when you look into a cell, you don't open it and check wtf that's literally the easiest way to escape guys OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK ED'S HALLUCINATIONS OF HIS DARK SELF ARE BACK!!! I wonder if Lee accidentally triggered them by saying Ed is who he was before he went crazy fuck You know you spend too much time in school when you're too distracted by the missing comma in Pyg's blood message to find it scary

TL;DR: Sofia is hot as fuck Lee is hot as fuck and the best friend ever Lee and Ed are brotp forever and I'm so damn glad he finally found friends after all the shit he went through Oswald is heartbroken over losing Sofia's friendship and then over losing his son and so am I This season's women are sooo damn badass please let me marry them all Martin HAS TO come back!!!

[the-volatility-blog]

to let myself go; part 5 [gladio×ignis]

(( In which Mik learns how to use a cut tag to negate the Text Wall.  Nnnneat.

Naughty boys inc. ))

Gladio stood in place for a very long time.  He watched Ignis go from behind a haze of sultry heat and disarray; the sway of slim hips as he cut through the crowd, the lascivious glance sent back over one shoulder, just for him. The emboldened confidence was the nail in his coffin - he had just been waylaid by his own personal fantasy and it had shaken his world in the best of ways.  The din of the carnival drowned out around him as he replayed the previous scene over and over in his mind - Ignis, elegant and composed and utterly lovely, turned sly and deadly predator honing in on his prey, knowing exactly what he desired, how he would get it.  The blazing crush of their lips together, the ardent spark in the other man’s sea-blue eyes, each touch from deft and fervent fingers setting Gladio’s skin on fire in a covetous ache.

He drew his own lower lip between his teeth, subconsciously mimicking Ignis’ prior attentions, and forced himself to take a slow, deep breath.  The stage had been set, and where Ignis took the role of careful calculation it was now Gladio’s turn to respond, and that just wasn’t his style. He supposed that was one reason they made such a good pair, the yin and yang of action and reaction, he just wasn’t so used to being on the receiving end. Gladio stood up a bit straighter, running both hands through dark hair, trying in vain to quell the primal urges licking at his body, if only to get out of the public eye first.

Then, all bets were off.

× × ×

The crowds were beginning to die down as he returned to the Leville, although it was late, there were still some dedicated groups of late-night partiers keeping the revelry alive.  Gladio slipped in through the front doors and ascended the stairwell deftly - for a brute of a man he was decently skilled at keeping himself silent, sinuous muscles working in tandem to move him up the floors and through the hallways, undetected and catlike.  He came to their room and there was no hesitation or preparation as he reached for the knob, turning it quietly and letting himself in.

Noctis and Prompto slept heavily in their bed across the room, swaddled in an alcohol-induced dream state, oblivious to the world around them and emitting small complimentary snores. Prompto clung to his chocobo like a life raft, and Noctis was heavily buried under a mountain of blankets.  It could have been endearing, truly, if Gladio was in the mood for caring.

His gaze immediately honed in on Ignis, standing directly across the room, his back to the door and arms folded leisurely across his torso. Upon hearing the door open he turned a bit, glancing back at Gladio as he entered, soft light from the streetlights outside their balcony glinting briefly across the narrow frames of his glasses.  He looked incredibly complacent, like the cat that had caught the canary, and it set Gladio’s heart on fire all over again.

Hardly had the door fallen to click shut behind him; Gladio strode across the room, quick and silent, feeling a flush rise to his cheeks and a tightness grip at his chest as the two men locked gazes with a very intense understanding. Wordless as he approached, Gladio canted his head to one side as he slowed to a stop in front of Ignis, admiring him in a quick and hungry burst before he leaned forward, heels of heavy boots rising from the ground a bit to accommodate his posture. “What the fuck,” was all he could manage succinctly, the baritone rumble of his voice belying any potential aggression the words could have held on their own.

Ignis smiled, a self-satisfied gesture that sent a fervid spike of desire through the larger man’s abdomen, and one eye flashed shut in a fleeting wink as a slender index finger was placed firmly to Gladio’s lips.  “Ssh,” the strategist whispered, sending a cursory glance to the other end of the room, where their companions were heavily unconscious with sleep.  “Bedtime.”

Holy shit; the sentiment rattled through Gladio’s mind in some far-off wonder. How is he so good at this?  Gladio was not used to feeling not in control, especially in a very physical sense; he was the control.  It was his job, his skill.

He stared hypnotized at Ignis for a brief moment, unapologetically, the sensation of that finger pressed against his lips overriding any sort of reality that he wanted to care about. Gladio felt himself smirk briefly in return as he flicked his tongue, swift and firm up the length of Ignis’ finger, eliciting a surprised arch of brows from his partner.  He took his startled opening to lean forward, hungrily pressing his lips against the other man’s, leaning into him as Ignis’ raised hand came to settle aside Gladio’s jawline.

He pressed against Ignis possessively, the flat of one hand finding the base of his neck, holding the strategist strongly to him as he released a pleased hum from the base of his throat.  He felt Ignis’ hands on him - lithe fingers in a teasing dance over broad arms and shoulders, skirting the hem of his tank top, threading fluidly through the belt loops of his pants in a reminder of earlier this evening. Gladio’s senses flooded with a hot desperation and he opened his mouth against the other man’s, carnal and ravenous as he forced the kiss into something deeper.

Ignis mumbled his name against his lips and tongue - _Gladio _- and Gladio felt his entire body throb with an uncontrollable base need he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Strong hands found their way to the strategists slim hips - somewhere in the recesses of his mind it amazed him how easy it was for him to fit himself around Ignis - and fingers curled firmly into the small of his back as he held them fervently together, eliciting a soft choked groan from the other man. He felt Ignis shudder beneath his controlling grasp, and Gladio sensed his growing erection struggle beneath the sudden unbearable tightness of his jeans, pressing hungrily against the inside of Ignis’ thigh.

It was his turn to take over, and Gladio began to kick off his boots in a quick and practiced motion as one index finger hooked through one of Ignis’ belt loops, giving a firm tug towards their corner of the room. The two parted briefly, Gladio reveling in the lusty fog that had begun to infect Ignis’ gaze and flushed cheeks and gently mussed hair, and lips quirked in a wolfish smirk as he raised his free hand, calloused fingers nudging the top button of the other man’s shirt open before he stepped away, deftly shedding the rest of his clothes.

He sensed Ignis following him, the soft rustle of clothing sliding over skin and draped haphazardly on the chair, the metered control of quietly ragged breaths. Gladio stepped out of his jeans last, grateful for the rush of cool air and restrictive release, and the two of them slipped under the covers in one smooth synchronized motion, their bodies fitting together seamlessly as lips found each other once more with little hesitation.

Gladio felt like a live wire as his broad hands skimmed the flawless expanse of Ignis’ skin beneath his palms; across lightly muscled shoulder blades, down the sweet curve of his back, swirling around the outside of lithe thighs he felt tremble beneath his wanton touch. “Ssh,” it was his turn to murmur against his partner’s lips, one hand boldly moving to palm his very present arousal through the fabric of his boxers. He heard a shallow breath hitch itself in Ignis’ throat, and Gladio purred against his lips in soft appreciation as he felt the instinctual twitch of hips into his grasp. Slowly, gradually, hungry fingers began to stroke and massage Ignis’ cock, straining against the sheer fabric, eliciting quiescent mewls of need against Gladio’s lips that nearly made him lose himself. Rock hard and with his pulse pounding in his ears, it took everything that Gladio had not to let his feral appetite take over and just have his way with Ignis; loud, hard, unabashed and primal.  Instead he momentarily ignored his own need and poured all of his intensity into the task at hand - Ignis, drinking in the beautiful flutter of his eyelashes between kisses, the soft bow of his lips as he took in a quiet breath, the arch of his body as his hips jerked slowly, methodically, to Gladio’s touch.

Gladio steeled himself as the tips of his fingers slipped under the waistband of the other man’s boxers, sliding to fully grasp his aching length in one palm, and both men elicited a muted, choked moan against each other’s lips in time at the touch.  Gladio let his thumb drift across the head of Ignis’ cock, deliciously lightheaded at the amount of precum that coated his fingers, tightening his grip around the other man’s length as his strokes became firmer, tighter, covering the distance from base to tip in one slick motion.  He could feel Ignis’ composure dwindling beneath him, on the verge of losing it all as his hips bucked hungrily against Gladio’s rough touch, delicate hands fumbling to anchor themselves on broad hips. Gladio curled his body against Ignis at the contact, burying his nose deeply in the curvature of the other man’s neck, senses keening as he felt Ignis, overstimulated and on the brink of exhiliration,  slide one hand to fervently grasp at his own throbbing erection.

The sensation was sudden and made Gladio’s stomach go tight and hot in an instant, and he elicited a low rumbling groan into the side of Ignis’ neck as his cock twitched longingly within deft fingers.  That was all Ignis needed to hear to drive him over the edge, and Gladio felt his body tense against his own broad frame as Ignis came aggressively within his grasp, hotly coating Gladio’s hand and breathing heavily into the shield of his athletic shoulder.

He felt Ignis' body relent as he bathed in the wake of his climax, peppering the side of his neck with soft, lingering kisses - he could feel the other man’s waning pulse under his flesh, and Gladio pressed his lips to Ignis’ neck relentlessly, relishing the salty taste of his exertion beneath his lips, still wildly conscious of the feeling of Ignis’ fingers cradling his own erection. And in what seemed like the blink of an eye Ignis had moved; weaseling his way out of Gladio’s grasp, slipping under the covers, lowering his boxers in one smooth motion.

Gladio felt Ignis’ mouth on his cock and it took everything he had to quell the earth-shattering moan that threatened to rip from his chest.  An instant wave of aching bliss crashed over him and he gritted his teeth, hips undulating towards the sweet softness of his partner’s mouth, fingers tangling intensely within sheets and tawny hair alike.  Ignis took him fully with slow, measured motions, lips tight around Gladio’s aching width, tongue lapping cleanly at the sensitive underside of his length, thumb and index fingers of one hand gripped sturdily around the base of his erection and stroking in tandem with the ministrations of his mouth.  Gladio felt like his body was dissolving into a bright euphoria - he’d fucked people before but gods it was _nothing _like this - and he fought back another choked groan as his vision started to get dark and spotty around the edges.  Holding out any longer was a nigh impossible task, and Gladio let himself go as he came hard, lower back arched rigidly with exertion, Ignis steadying his cock in his mouth and stroking small circles on the larger man’s inner thigh through the waves of his orgasm.

They stayed like that for short while - Ignis resting his head on Gladio’s thigh under the covers, languidly stroking the inside of his thigh with the tips of his fingers, Gladio staring vacantly at the ceiling as he regulated his breath, one forearm draped across his forehead.  Neither really wanted to move it seemed, but it was Ignis who would relent first, stifled by the sheets and lack of fresh air.  Gladio captured his lips with one more charged kiss, the taste of himself on Ignis sending a secret thrill through him, and the two silently took turns tiptoeing to the bathroom to clean up and come back to reality before falling into an indolent and peaceful sleep, hands hidden and lightly twined together beneath the sheets.

[theajaheira]

Bravery (25/?)

so hey!!!!! i’ve finished writing bravery!!! which is pretty damn huge. i’m still fussing with the ending a little but i’ll be posting a chapter a day for the next two to three days (depending on wtf happens to the ending) and then. done. so that’s big. 

it’s also on ao3!!

“Oz!” Willow jumped up from the table, running across the library to fling her arms around her boyfriend. Jenny watched with amusement. “How are you? How was the family vacation thing? Was your aunt super weird? What was Jordy like during the full moon? Did you—”

Oz kissed the top of Willow’s head and said something that Jenny couldn’t catch. He was smiling, slow and easy. Jenny had always liked Oz; he had a comforting, calming vibe that she thought provided a nice complement to Willow’s anxious energy. Looking over Willow’s shoulder, he added to Jenny, “I get the sense that I missed a lot.”

“We’re working some witchy mojo!” Willow added excitedly. “Ms. Calendar’s teaching me how to—”

“Tranquility,” said Jenny patiently, “is the most important part of a magical environment.”

Willow stopped, blushing, and pulled away from Oz. “Sorry,” she said, only half sounding like she meant it. “I just—”

“It’s okay,” Jenny replied, and smiled. “Good to see you, Oz.”

“Good to be seen,” Oz said, squeezing Willow’s hand before he let go. “Xander around?”

Xander, who was now allowed to sit in on the magic lessons, raised a hand. “Drawing up a list,” he said with an amicable smile in Oz’s direction.

“Of what?”

“Ms. Calendar wants us to get inventive with our patrolling ideas,” Willow explained. “She says that since we’re not Slayers, we can’t approach patrol with brute strength and punching and stuff, even though it is important to know how to defend ourselves.”

“Consider all of our strengths and use them to our advantages,” said Jenny, and smiled proudly at Willow, who beamed.

“I always was the brains of the operation,” said Xander with a grin.

“Sure,” said Jenny. Willow giggled. “Listen, Oz—if you want to help Xander, that would be really, really great. I think he needs it.”

“I do not,” Xander objected. “I have three or four very good ideas.”

Jenny raised an eyebrow. “Can I hear some?”

Xander blanched, mumbled something about “don’t know why everyone’s bothering me while I’m working,” and went back to his notebook. Oz gave Willow a last smile before heading over to sit down next to him.

Jenny turned back to Willow, who hopped up on top of the table again. “So,” she said. “We’ve talked about how you need to feel the magical energy around you, and I want to make sure you understand how important it is not to cut corners here. If you—”

“Catapult of flame!” said Xander excitedly, and scribbled something down in the notebook.

“You know what? I think this should be a group discussion,” said Jenny to Willow. “If you don’t mind cutting the lesson short for today—”

“No, I think it’s important to make sure Xander doesn’t burn down a cemetery,” Willow agreed, sliding off the table to sit next to Oz. Jenny followed suit, pulling up a chair at the head of the table. “Xander, what do you have so far?”

“Uh,” said Xander. “Look. They’re very rough ideas.”

Willow peered over Xander’s shoulder. “Stake machine?” she said bemusedly.

“You said think inventive,” Xander replied defensively. “I’m going for inventions.”

“Oh boy.” Jenny took the notebook from Xander. “Xander, as much as I appreciate your, uh,” she glanced down at the list to see holy water rain of DEATH written at the top of the page, “creativity, we’re going to have to start thinking realistically about our strengths as individuals and not just what would work in battle.”

“Oz is a werewolf!” Xander pointed out. “Maybe he could bite the vamps?”

“Then we’d have vampire werewolves on our hands, and I feel like that might actually be worse,” Oz pointed out.

“You know what,” Jenny said, ripping three pieces of paper out of the notebook and handing them off to the kids, “everyone write down your three best strengths and your three biggest weaknesses, and then we can talk over what kind of plans will be best for those kinds of people.”

“This feels like school,” Xander objected.

“We are in a library,” Willow pointed out.

“Yeah, but this isn’t world-saving, this is just exploring our inner self or whatever.”

“This is strategizing,” said Jenny shortly. “And if you want, I can write yours for you.”

Xander looked up at Jenny and opened his mouth indignantly. Jenny fixed him with a firm stare and he shut it, looking back down at his paper and beginning to write. She wondered if the kids were starting to forget that she was their teacher as well as their friend.

“Ms. Calendar,” said Willow, elbowing her gently, “you should write one too, I think.”

Jenny was about to say something about her not needing to, but then she saw Xander watching out of the corner of her eye and decided that now was hardly the time to be hypocritical. “You’re right,” she agreed, and opened up the notebook to a blank page.

She wrote down WEAKNESSES in large capital letters, and scribbled down Impulsive and Stubborn. Then she paused, hesitant, before adding Not Always Honest, because it was technically pretty true. She liked to think she was getting better at it.

STRENGTHS was as far as Jenny got for the other column, at which point she sat and stared at the piece of paper for a good two minutes before Willow nudged her again and whispered, “Loving.”

“What?”

“You seem stuck.” Willow smiled shyly at her. “I think you should put down that you’re loving. And brave. And kind.”

“Not exactly tactical advantages,” said Jenny lightly, not feeling like pressing the issue.

“I could disagree,” Willow replied. “You were brave for Giles because you loved him, and you translated that ritual because you’re kind. That’s useful in battle, I think.”

Jenny glanced over at Willow’s STRENGTHS column, which was just as blank as hers. “Perceptive,” she said, with a slight nod to Willow’s paper. Willow blinked, then smiled, shy and bright. “Kind. And smart as a whip.”

Willow ducked her head a little. “I don’t know how that applies to battle,” she said.

“Shh,” said Jenny, and smiled at Willow before looking back down at her STRENGTHS column. Determined, she wrote, and was about to come up with something else when the library doors opened. Exasperated by the interruption, she decided not to look up at the approaching footsteps and instead wait for Snyder’s irritating drone to fill the room. All she could hear was stillness, though, which was unusual if Snyder was here, but if it was someone else—

Slowly, Jenny looked up into Rupert’s eyes.

 The silence carried on for a few seconds, and then Ms. Calendar said very loudly, “For god’s sake, Rupert,” got up, knocked over a chair, and stormed out of the library. Willow blinked, then hurried after her.

“Ms. Calendar—” she began tentatively, speeding up her pace to catch up with her teacher.

“Why can’t he just stay out of our lives?” Ms. Calendar demanded, swiveling in the hallway. She sounded angry, but her eyes just looked tired and sad. “He’s come in and he’s going to take charge of all the hard work I’ve been doing. I’ve been preparing, Willow. Researching and preparing, and now he’s going to scrap everything I’ve done and tell me he’s the Watcher and he’s in charge again. Because he feels like it. Or he wants to redeem himself for me.”

“You don’t know that,” said Willow carefully.

“I saw the way he was looking at me,” said Ms. Calendar. Her voice was razor-sharp. “He wants to bury the hatchet and come home.”

“Maybe that could be good?” Willow suggested. Because yeah, she had been mad at Giles on the beach, but it might be nice to have him back if he knew he had been wrong to go. Not that she’d tell Ms. Calendar that just yet, but— “If he wants to make things right with you, maybe things will be different this time.”

Ms. Calendar shook her head. “I don’t—” She looked down. “He can’t just show up and slap a Band-Aid on our problems and expect things to go back to normal.”

“You don’t know that that’s what he’s going to do,” Willow reminded Ms. Calendar. She smiled gently. “Put a little trust in me?”

Ms. Calendar looked up, and the anger and upset in her face dissolved into a small, reluctant smile. “You’re a good kid,” she said. “Fine. I’ll go talk to him, and I’ll make it very clear who’s in charge if he stays, and maybe he’ll listen this time around.”

“Maybe he’s ready to,” Willow agreed, and stepped forward, slipping her hand into Ms. Calendar’s. “You ready?”

Ms. Calendar made a face.

“Me either,” said Willow brightly, squeezing Ms. Calendar’s hand and pulling her forward. Ms. Calendar followed somewhat reluctantly.

Willow didn’t feel shaken or off-balance by the fact that she was the one leading her teacher; she guessed that all the weirdness of this summer had made Ms. Calendar seem more easily approachable. Not that Ms. Calendar had been an ice queen earlier, but Willow didn’t exactly hold hands with any of her other teachers. Her other teachers didn’t make her tea and tuck her in, either. Saying Ms. Calendar was her computer teacher didn’t really cover it anymore.

They entered the library. Giles was still standing there, looking somewhat awkward and out of place. Xander was very pointedly ignoring him, and Oz seemed to be following suit, though not as aggressively.

Willow nudged Ms. Calendar, hoping to spur her into action.

“Shh,” said Ms. Calendar, giving her a reproachful look without much fire behind it. She let go of Willow’s hand. “Rupert—do you want to talk?”

Xander looked up, eyes wide and bemused. It was almost comical.

“Yes, thank you,” Giles agreed with a hesitant smile, inclining his head to Willow in greeting. Willow set her jaw and gave him a pointed stare, trying to convey don’t screw up in one look. If he upset Ms. Calendar again, she wasn’t sure if she could handle it. Yeah, she loved Giles, but Ms. Calendar had been the one who stayed when they needed someone, and that counted pretty big in Willow’s book.

Giles’s smile faded slightly and he looked down at his shoes.

“Um, your office should be good,” Ms. Calendar said quietly, and stepped away from the group, heading towards Giles’s office. Giles followed her. Willow watched as they entered the small room, and only looked away after Giles had closed the door behind him.

 Jenny had a lot of things she wanted to say, but Willow’s words stuck with her. She should probably listen first, and then she would be honest and straightforward with Rupert. Or as honest and straightforward as she could afford to be. Same difference, she thought, even though she knew it really wasn’t.

The office was small, and they were standing quite close to each other. It was strange to look at Rupert and not feel that same fuzzy rush of affection that made her want to smile. She wasn’t sure whether or not it made her feel any better.

Rupert cleared his throat. Then he said awkwardly, “I came to apologize.”

Jenny nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said.

“I—” Rupert put down his suitcase before looking back up at her. “You’re right,” he said. “I didn’t talk to you about a lot of decisions I made regarding our relationship, and I should have discussed things with you. I just—I thought that you would want me to stay, and I thought that it would be better to handle things between us from an unbiased perspective.” He said the last part somewhat reluctantly, as though he was only now realizing how ridiculous it sounded.

“You do realize that the whole point of a relationship is an emotional connection, right?” Jenny said carefully, surprised at herself for not feeling angry anymore. She needed to remember to thank Willow for calming her down a little beforehand. “There’s no way you can handle any big decisions without bias.”

“That’s why—” Rupert chuckled ruefully. “That’s why I came back. To—tell you that you’re right, and I need to start listening to you more often.”

“Assuming that I’m going to let you be a part of our lives again,” Jenny pointed out. She was expecting Rupert to be surprised at this, but he simply nodded in agreement, which made her feel—something. It wasn’t a bad feeling, and she tried to pinpoint it, but decided that it was more important to continue with their discussion. “You can’t just come back in and take charge of the work we’re doing. We’re coming up with strategies of our own that don’t involve you, and I’m not going to scrap that work just because you’ve decided you’re good to go again.”

Rupert looked at her, and then he said, “Will you consider letting me help? I won’t take your authority away, but I do still want to be a part of this.”

“You left,” said Jenny shortly.

Rupert nodded. “I did,” he said quietly. “And I’m sorry for that.”

Jenny considered this. Rupert had left without much warning, and he hadn’t given anyone notice on when or whether he was coming back. And now he was here, and he seemed to want to make amends, but he was yet again throwing her plans and everyone’s emotions into upheaval. “You were careless,” she said. “You have to promise me you won’t do that again.”

“I—”

“And it has to hold weight, Rupert.” Jenny looked him in the eye. “This isn’t one of those promises to make me smile. This is something you need to do to keep the Scoobies functioning. Promise me.”

Rupert looked at her, and then he smiled, soft and proud. “I missed you,” he said quietly.

“Okay,” said Jenny, trying her best not to pretend that the warm fuzzy feeling had suddenly returned with a vengeance at the way he was smiling at her. “You can keep missing me until I see some concrete proof that you’re sticking around for the long haul. Promise me.”  

Rupert’s smile faded. Jenny told herself firmly that she didn’t miss it. “You’re right,” he agreed again. “I promise, Jenny.”

Jenny let herself smile. “Okay,” she said again, softer this time, and stuck out her hand. Rupert blinked, and she teased him lightly, “What, did they not have handshakes where you were?”

“I was in Los Angeles, and handshakes were few and far between,” Rupert replied dryly, and took her hand, shaking it. They both held on for a second longer than they needed to. Neither of them said anything about it.