#this and her blue thief outfit were so good and we never see them again 😔😔 tragic

[soulmate-game]

“Are you paw-sitive this is alright?” Selina half-purred half-asked. The slender cat thief was dressed casually— for her, anyway— in a floor length amethyst purple gown that swept just barely above the floor, accentuating her curves and coming down in a deep V neck that was just barely within the constraints of being acceptable for public appearances. Her companion, almost half a foot shorter even in her short heels, was a stark contrast. It was as if all the two women had in common was their hair color, a rich deep black that shimmered blue in the right lighting.

Marinette, with her hair done up in two buns and wearing a sensible pink-and-white cheongsam top with apple blossom embroidery paired with an ankle-length denim skirt that had a knee-high slit in the front, nodded even as she eyed her friend’s choice of outfit with a small frown.

“Of course. Bruce is in the media’s eye all the time, and he knows I don’t have a care for the spotlight. But you do,” Marinette stopped talking for a second, snapping her fingers and reaching into her purse. She pulled out a gorgeous inch-thick collar necklace that was made entirely of thick panels of flawless silver and high-quality diamond. At the very center of the collar necklace, where it would hang right in the center of Selina’s collarbone, was a diamond-and-obsidian cat face. “I knew I was forgetting something! Bourgeois owed me a favor for doing the outfit for her last magazine cover pro bono, so I asked for this as payment. It’s exactly what your outfit is missing.”

Just because Marinette didn’t like revealing clothing didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate someone else wearing one well, after all. And Selina wore her dress perfectly.

Selina quirked an eyebrow, eyeing the necklace with her expert gaze. Gently, she trailed her fingertips over the tops of the diamonds in the thick bands of the collar as a small smile flicked over her lips. She raised her eyes up to Marinette’s, light green eyes sparkling with mischief and knowing.

“You got this as a bribe for me, didn’t you kitten?”

Marinette smiled unashamedly. “I know you’re a proud lesbian, but would you mind playing the role of Bruce’s girlfriend, just for the media? And only while you’re single, of course. If you ever want out, you only have to say the word. Bruce already agreed, but he also doesn’t mind continuing to play the careless bachelor if you aren’t willing.”

Selina scoffed, rolling her eyes and grabbing the necklace. Effortlessly, she swung it around her neck and clasped it in place. “Please, darling. You and I both know it drives you up a wall when Brucie is hounded by gold diggers every time he steps foot out of that mansion of his. I’ll play the camera-girlfriend, but only for a maximum of a year. And you two can only call on me one a week at most, a girl’s gotta have some time to herself.”

Marinette nodded eagerly. “That’s fine! We probably won’t even call on you that much, Bruce is planning to play the ‘we want to keep our relationship pretty low-key’ card for now. Just an appearance once a month or two ought to satisfy those vampiric paparazzi.”

Selina just smiled. She had practically adopted Marinette years previous, during a trip to Paris where she had found out she apparently had a male doppelgänger. Now the two were sisters in all but official (Not-forged) legal documents. And because of that, Bruce had somehow become her brother.

Which Bruce later found out, meant that Selina would relentlessly tease him every time she needed to appear as his “girlfriend.”

Relentlessly.

But Marinette and Bruce had a Plan. She wasn’t quite ready to make a public appearance as his real girlfriend, mostly because of loose ends that still had to be tied back in France. She was making so many trips back and forth between the two countries that they couldn’t see each other in person much to begin with, so they also didn’t want their few in-person meetings tainted by greedy D-rate journalists.

But yes, they had a Plan. One year was the perfect time frame for the last stretch of said plan. Marinette would tie up the last few things she had to do in Paris, start an official branch of her fashion company in Gotham, and they would stage an entire break-up with Selina, a three-month “break” to “recover” and then a suitably dramatic, romantic “meet-cute” between the two of them to start what the media would see as a love-at-first-sight, fairytale relationship.

Nobody needed to know about Marinette and Bruce’s five-year pining session, or their one-year fumble through figuring out how to date one another before actually getting it right, or the most recent three-years of dealing with the fact that they were both highly experienced hero/vigilantes, the leaders of their own hero teams, and highly accomplished business people.

It was a hard relationship utterly riddled with drama, but they had finally reached the stable point where they were ready to commit. Sort of. They just needed Selina to fake-date Bruce in the public eye for a couple months, and then everything would be fine.

—*—*—*—*—*

One year and three months later.

Marinette shifted her purse on her shoulder. This would be her first time in over five years actually setting foot inside the Wayne Manor. She was excited to see Alfred again, and to hash out the last details for her and Bruce’s public “meet-cute.” But Alfred didn’t open the door this time, a short green-eyed boy with an all-too-familiar frown on his face did.

And once again, Marinette knew that Selina was not the mother. Her pseudo-sister was, as she had said so long ago, a very proud lesbian. But Marinette did know of a past fling of Bruce’s who did possess the proper genes to help create a child of this age.

Marinette smiled, pushing her inner rage at the thought of Talia Al Ghul out of her mind. She was still pissed beyond all rational thought when she heard about what Talia had done to Bruce. But this child was not at fault for any of it, only an innocent by-product.

“Hello. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Would you mind telling Alfred I’m here?”

“Tt. Why should I?” The apparently bratty boy asked, crossing his arms and glaring straight at her. Marinette felt her eye twitch.

“I am a close friend of Bruce— Would I be correct in assuming he’s your biological father?” Immediately upon her question, the boy’s eyes widened ever so slightly in shock before his glare intensified. Marinette chuckled. “He didn’t tell me that he adopted any new children, and he always tells me when he adopts. Which means he didn’t have to adopt you, suggesting you are related to him directly. You can’t be a cousin or nephew, he has no living blood family. And all his pseudo-siblings are alive and fine, so you weren’t left to his care in anybody’s will,” she deduced out loud for him. “Plus, the green eyes and tan skin— I know of exactly one of Bruce’s past… suitors… who happens to fit the timeframe and features necessary.”

The boy raised an eyebrow. “Most assume that I am that harlot Selina Kyle’s spawn,” he snapped, but it lacked the same heat this time around. He was now analyzing her face closely, and Marinette noticed. She was careful to keep her eagerness toned down. She really just wanted to see Bruce and be able to hug and cuddle him for the first time in almost a year, and this child was her only obstacle at the moment. A very stubborn one.

Marinette sighed. “Selina is like a sibling to me, don’t call her a harlot. If Selina was ever pregnant, I would have known. Hell, Selina would have given me her baby to raise because she doesn’t have any interest in being a mother. Now, the polite thing to do when someone introduces themselves is so introduce yourself back. Not interrogate or intimidate them.”

The boy huffed, straightening his emerald turtleneck and rolling his shoulders back. “I am Damian Wayne,” he replied imperiously. “And Father has never mentioned a friend by the name Marinette. Which leads me to believe you are yet another no good hopeful suitor, and Father is still recovering after he and Kyle finally split up for good.”

Marinette froze, and slowly her eyes narrowed. “He never mentioned my name? Ever?”

“Tt. I already said no.”

Finally, the shape of Alfred Pennyworth came into view behind Damian. He had obviously heard the last bit of the conversation, because he just sighed and shared a long suffering look with Marinette. It was that look that made Marinette’s eye twitch a second time.

“Alfred,” she said slowly. “Has he mentioned me at all to any of his kids?”

“He has not,” Alfred replied. “And furthermore, Miss Selina would not stop giving him a hard time whenever he had to call her out for an appearance. It seems all of the children mistook their relationship for actually being of a romantic nature.”

Damian spun to the butler, eyes wide and swimming with a multitude of emotions. “What do you mean, ‘actually’, Alfred?”

“He means,” Marinette began before Alfred had the chance. Her eyes were narrowed, matching storms of dark, furious blue. “That Selina was only pretending to be Bruce’s girlfriend so that the press and gold-diggers would leave him alone. And apparently I need to beat some sense into my stupid, idiotic boyfriend, who I should have known would do something like this,” she looked up at Alfred, jaw clenching. “That man would never be able to pass for a functioning human without either you or me keeping his head screwed on. Where is he?”

“Not at the manor currently, Mademoiselle Marinette.”

“Alfred.”

The butler gave Marinette a rather mischievous little grin. “Master Bruce has forbade me from telling you where he is currently, he wanted you to stay at the manor and sleep the jet lag off until he got back. But I can tell you that he is not currently on Earth or on a mission.”

“Alfred!” Damian hissed, shocked that the man would say something so revealing. Alfred was the perfect secret keeper, why would he tell someone Bruce had never mentioned something so telling?”

“Oh, calm yourself Master Damian,” Alfred soothed. “Marinette has known about Master Bruce’s nighttime activities since before you were born. If anything, I believe he rightfully deserves the wake up call he is about to receive.”

Marinette nodded, eyes still stormy and determined. “Alright, so he’s at the Watchtower. The Zeta tunes are still in the Batcave, right?” When Alfred nodded, Marinette wasted no time. She easily slid around Damian and stormed into the manor, finding her way to the Batcave on pure muscle memory and rage.

“Wait, Alfred! I demand an explanation!” Damian’s loud voice slowly grew quieter as Marinette stormed down into the cave, ignoring how Alfred began to calmly explain the situation to the boy. She just slid right in to the Zeta tube, and commanded the computer to send her to the Watchtower.

“P-001, codename LADYBUG, recognized.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Batman pinched his nose from where he stood at the head of the meeting room in the watchtower. The briefing was supposed to start over an hour ago, but Hal Jordan had been twenty minutes late. No surprise there. But still, SuperMan had insisted that they wait until everyone arrived. And really, normally Batman would too. Except that his long time girlfriend was going to be landing in Gotham any minute now, and he would rather be back at the manor to greet her.

And the asinine argument that had been going on for the past forty minutes was finally going to end, even if Bruce had to hogtie every last one of his insufferable coworkers himself and force them through the rest of the meeting strapped to their chairs.

“Okay, can we PLEASE begin the meeting now, or so help me I will break out my kryptonite restraints,” he threatened darkly. He might have only mentioned Kryptonite, but everyone knew that that threat was actually aimed at all of them. Batman knew every last one of their weaknesses and was not above being petty when they strained his last nerve.

Quickly getting the hint, the entire room rushed to fill their seats and at least fake at paying attention. But of course, nothing goes quite right in the life of Bruce Wayne. Right as he turned on the slideshow he had prepared and began the meeting, the sound of an enraged woman’s voice echoed down the hallway in a deafening roar.

“BRUCE THOMAS WAYNE, YOU ARE IN SOOOO MUCH TROUBLE!”

Batman felt as if someone had just shoved him into a cryogenic freezer, a harsh shiver of dread running down his spine. There was exactly one person who could terrify him with a single word, and it just so happened to be the woman he was hiding a wedding ring from.

For the past eight years, but that’s neither here nor there.

“Oh shit,” Bruce breathed, but found he was unable to move from his spot. Yes, he wanted to see Marinette so badly that it hurt. But he also would like to stay alive.

SuperMan leaned forward, not really concerned since Batman would have reacted much differently had the voice been coming from a real threat. Instead, the man leveled his old friend with a very teasing smirk.

“Why is your heart suddenly racing?”

Bruce could only glare daggers at Clark before the door to the meeting room swung open, a tiny French woman standing there in a long, formal white-and-pink knee-length gown with a cheongsam neckline and one of her leaf-green heels held in each hand threateningly.

“You absolute idiot! When I said I wanted to keep our relationship out of the public eye, I didn’t mean to keep me a secret from EVERYBODY!”

“But darling—“ Bruce cut himself off as he was forced to dodge one deadly-accurate piece of flying footwear. “You don’t understand. The boys cannot keep a secret to save their life.”

“They have secret identities, don’t they?” She slipped her other shoe back on. She had known that her shoe never had a chance of hitting, and with Bruce in full Batman gear, even if it had hit him the high heel would have felt like she had only thrown a pillow. Had it been otherwise, she wouldn’t have even joked about throwing her shoes at him. But as it stood, she knew none of the normal things she had on her would be able to so much as make Bruce say “ow.”

Marinette placed both of her fists on her hips, marching up to Batman and pulling him down the full foot it took for him to be able to look her in the eye. His resulting gulp was clearly audible, and visible, to everyone else in the room. “You absolute, emotionally dense moron,” her voice had dropped from a yell to a mildly fond, but still very annoyed, grumble. “Your kids are mostly adults now, you know. And you never told me about Damian either. Did you honestly think I’d be mad?” Bruce looked away from her, which was honestly all the answer she needed. Marinette sighed, letting him go and softening her voice. “You need to trust your kids more, Bruce. I never wanted you to keep me a secret from your family, or even your close friends. Just the annoying ass paparazzi. And trust me a little bit more, yeah? I know it isn’t exactly your strong suit, but I’ve known you long enough that you should know I’m not gonna run for the hills just because you have a biological kid that wasn’t with me.” Marinette risked giving him a slightly vulnerable, lopsided smile. And Bruce immediately deciphered what it meant. His shoulders slumped.

The cost of using the Ladybug Miraculous for so long was that Marinette had to give up her fertility. She could never have children of her own, and Bruce had felt guilty that he had had a biological child, even though he hadn’t exactly consented to it, without her. But now he could see where he went wrong.

Marinette was just happy to have another piece of him to take care of. She never would have resented him for what had happened with Talia. And, seeing all of those facts written on her face now, he felt more than a little blind.

“... sorry.”

Marinette just huffed out a short, soft laugh before grabbing Bruce by the bicep. She turned to look at the other heroes still in the room, half of them uncomfortable with seeing such an emotional display while the others looked like they were incredibly invested in a good soap opera. She shot them a grin.

“I’m stealing him for the next few days, okay? Don’t worry, I’m sure you can make do with making Diana read the slideshow. I know from experience that it has everything you guys need to know and more. Don’t call us, I’ll field all your contact to Agent A!!” With that, she dragged Bruce by the arm out of the room.

To be fair, he wasn’t exactly resisting. Even if the reunion was far from ideal, just having this little bit of contact was extremely relaxing for the vigilante. When they reached the Zeta Tubes, he stopped Marinette and pulled her in for a kiss.

When they inevitably pulled away for breath, he smiled at her. “As soon as we get back, I’ll call everyone in and explain the situation,” he promised. “And then, we can spend the rest of the night doing whatever you want.”

Marinette smiled back, shoving him into the Zeta Tube. “Then get ready, because I wanna sleep off this damn jet lag and I plan on cuddling you like a koala the whole time. No escape.”

“B-001, Codename BATMAN. Recognized.”

“Can’t wait,” he replied right before he was whisked off. The sound of the love of his life laughing followed him through until he reached the other end of the teleportation.

—*—*—*—*—*

@maribat-writing-and-prompts

[bokutoslittlebird]

As The Sun Sets

King!Oikawa x assassin!prisonser!reader

Warnings — implied noncon, implied smut, trauma and traumatic pasts, Bokuto’s back, Kuroo x Alisa ship, Ushijima x Yachi ship, chains, collar, leash, not pet play, I wrote this and haven’t looked over it since I wrote it so read at your own risk, implied past abuse, alcohol (champagne), arguments, cheating.. kind of

The loud noises around you never stopped; the switching of guards at every 6th hour, the occasional thief thrown into a cell near you and leaving within the same day after Kyōtani disciplined them, it never stopped. Each and every day, you’d sit down in the cell and wish Oikawa would instead cut off your arms and legs instead of his harsh touches and never ending conversation. Time had passed to the point, you weren’t sure if your own kingdom was waiting for your arrival back home, perhaps Bokuto actually spent time with his own queen.

Your thoughts were cut off by the familiar click of heels on the marble stairs. The time of arrival of Oikawa was sooner than expected, your dead eyes looking up to meet his bright and cheery ones. “How’s my favorite captive?”

“You seem awfully chipper. Is it time for my daily lashings?”

“Someone’s masochistic,” he shoots back, his grin turning to a smirk, before it washes off. “No lashings tonight.. if you’re good. I have a special dinner planned and you’ll be accompanying me as a plus one. It’s just me and my court, no one special,” he’s cut off by Hanamaki slapping his shoulder. “Okay, mostly nobody special. Just a dinner and then we can explore the castle. If you’re bad, however,”

“I’m sure Iwaizumi and Hanamaki would have me dead before I dared to lay a hand upon your precious skin,” you quickly reply. Oikawa seems to smile at that, enjoying your awareness of the situation. “That or I’ll be forced back into my place with an audience, which is it?”

“I’d rather have your blood staining my garments and splattered on my dish than have anyone have a glance of your skin, my darling,”

“That’s gross,” Hanamaki cuts in. Oikawa gives him a look, but he just shrugs. “I’m sorry, but you’re kind of weird. Do I need Iwaizumi to smack some sense into your head?”

“Can he even handle a smack from Iwaizumi? That guys had biceps the size of my head,” you interject, reveling in the pout on Oikawa’s face.

“If he holds back, yeah Oikawa can handle it. Then again—”

“Both of you, quit it! Formal invitation to a dinner with me, I’ll pick you up before the dinner. And Makki,”

“Yes, my king?”

“No cream puffs for you!”

“Now you’re just being mean.”

Oikawa and Hanamaki left right after, but their retreating footsteps made your chest ache. It’s better to be with someone, even if it’s the people you hate, you conclude. Hanamaki makes you laugh occasionally, usually with his quick retorts to Oikawa. Even when Kindaichi comes down, he’s actually talking to you when he delivers your food. Kunimi disapproves of it, but he doesn’t do anything. Kyōtani and Yahaba are still distant, but that’s expected when they have a stick up their asses. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi are hardly down here, but Iwaizumi is usually accompanying Oikawa for his late night activities. He never looks at you, turning to stare at the other side of the dungeon or leaving the dungeon completely while you suffer. Although he left the dungeons in the beginning, now he mostly stayed back to stare at the wall.

You wonder if it’s because his moral compass wants to help you. Oikawa invited him to join, but it was quickly turned down, claiming there was no joy in torturing prisoners more than necessary. Although he was always there and never talked to you, he was close to Oikawa. He didn’t stay down in the cells to hear your screams, but his hand on his sword said he was ready to move had Oikawa’s screams joined yours. Your restraints prevented your hands from doing damage, but he’s well aware your legs and mouth are able to do a bit of damage.

Laying in the cell, you watched as the guards switched. Kunimi and Yahaba were switched to Kindaichi and Kyōtani, complete opposites. Kyōtani was more animalistic than you originally thought, going off instincts first and he had sensitive hearing, eyes glancing to your form whenever you shifted. Kindaichi was there to make sure Kyōtani didn’t do anything he’d regret, that’s all. But you wouldn’t make any unnecessary movements.

Though the wait eats you up inside.

It is what feel like hours before the Oikawa comes down, the sun lowering itself in the sky as orange rays lay across your face. Oikawa clears his throat, disturbing your peaceful nap. “Time to get dressed. Hope you can walk.” Two handmaidens enter the cell, one holding a gorgeous aqua blue dress and the other holding silver accessories. Hanamaki is down there with him, ready to attack should you make a move. The diamond shackles come off, you releasing a sigh once your wrists are freed from the heavy confines.

Oikawa doesn’t seem scared, even as he stands beside you while his handmaidens strip you and dress you up. Your wrists ache and your legs are unstable, finding the lack of shoes to be a blessing in this state. The blue gown is not too elegant, but it’s strange to be in such a formal gown when your position in the kingdom is below a commoner. Silver accents line the bodice and litter the skirt, with some being simple sparkles while others shape into different flowers. Fabric is simple, mostly tulle as it feels lightweight and easy for your weakened body to handle. Oikawa himself places the remaining silver accessories to complete the outfit — the chains. Shackles are clasped to your wrists, leading to a silver collar that is secured into place. There’s another chain leading from the collar, but the end of it is a sapphire gem, secured in a diamond crystal. Extravagant and unnecessary, but Oikawa drops the crystal and you fall down with it, unable to hold your body weight up.

“Fantastic, everything’s in order,” he says. You growl as you try to get up, but the crystal keeps you from going too far. Oikawa picks it up and gently ushers you out of the cell, dismissing the handmaidens. He walks beside you, making sure you’re able to walk comfortably, with Hanamaki trailing behind. Supporting your weight as he guides you up the stairs and lets you go at your own pace. The cold marble on your bare feet is almost burning, but the ache in your legs is from not using them for so long. The chains don’t help, adding weight to your body while Oikawa holds the end of the metal leash in his hand. It’s a struggle to get up the stairs.

Making it above the dungeons, you’re practically hissing at the brightly lit corridor. Every nook and cranny is well lit, with soldiers standing guard few in between. One soldier gets your attention, however, who has a familiar frown you’re usually only blessed to see under glimmering crystal light. Iwaizumi comes over and nods, sending Hanamaki away and down the corridor, leaving the three of you alone. “I’m sure you remember Iwa-chan,”

“Yeah, he’s always down with you. I remember him,”

“Well, this time, you’re seeing him in a new light. He’s my guard and my best friend, so enjoy the new side of him while you can,” Oikawa speaks as if he’s talking to an old friend, waving his hands around as he leads you down the corridor. The aqua colored curtains and silver items seem to bring more light into the castle than before, even as the sun takes its final breath over the horizon and plunges the world into darkness. “You should take this opportunity to ask questions, my dear,”

“Iwaizumi, will you kill me?”

“Not unless Oikawa commands it,” he’s quick to reply, as if he was expecting it. You sigh and shrug.

“Okay, fair. Why do you stick with Oikawa?”

“We grew up together. Our fathers were friends, so it was only common sense for us to be so close. I’ve seen him in every kind of situation you can imagine. He’s usually crying over a girl, though,”

“Iwa-chan! You can’t be mean to me when we have a guest!” Oikawa immediately whines, covering your ears as if you can’t hear them still. “I’m the king, I don’t cry!”

“No offense, my Lord, but you cried when you tried to drink coffee in front of Lady Kiyoko, only to then sputter and cough because it was too bitter. She downed hers black and you requested hot chocolate. With extra milk.”

“Iwa-chan!”

“Oh, we starting early?” Another familiar voice spoke. Oikawa’s hands fell from your ears and you looked at Matsukawa. He’s as tall and imposing as the day he caught you running from the throne room. “Nice to see you’re still thriving. How are you?”

“I’d be better if I wasn’t caught by a horse,” you smirk, moving to cross your arms when the chains clink and stop you. “Suffering by the hands of your king, but still alive,”

“I’m sorry, but that’s a precaution,” he finishes, patting your cheek before turning to Oikawa. You have half a mind to try and punch him but Iwaizumi’s hand falls on your shoulder. “Everyone else is seated, my Lord. Is there anything you request?”

“Have Watari sitting next to [Y/N]. She should be close to someone nice,” Oikawa commands. The doors open after he speaks, Matsukawa holding the door open as he urges the group inside. Oikawa tugs you forward, with Iwaizumi following right behind you. Watari stands from his chair, bowing to you in a brisk meeting before pulling out your chair.

“Oh, thank you, Watari,” you bow to him. Oikawa seems to have his eyes fixated on you as you settle into the table. Looking around, you seem to notice how everyone seems stunned by your arrival, but their eyes seem to be trailed to the chains and collar.

Oikawa settles down next to you, clearing his throat. Holding up his glass, full of a shimmering golden liquid, he encourages everyone to do the same. The chains clink together, but you manage a weak hold on the glass, getting Oikawa to smile. “Tonight, let us toast to those who have lost their lives and those who have joined us. With that, we shall discuss the topic of the evening: the impending threat from Nekoma and Fukurōdani.”

“Eh?” You squeak out, drowned out in the cheers from the men around you. Oikawa gently clinks his glass against yours, putting your hand down after. You lean closer to him to whisper in his ear, “should I leave? This shouldn’t involve me,”

“Oh, don’t worry. Any news spoken of will never reach their walls. You’re stuck with me,” he chirps, patting your head before turning to Iwaizumi. “Any updates, Captain?”

“A group of ten went into the forest and only two came back. They’re being treated for trauma, but they won’t speak of much besides the ‘monsters in the forest’ and ‘they’re gonna die soon’, so we don’t have much.”

“I didn’t know Oikawa’s face was in the Dark Forest. Guess Lady Kiyoko showed it around town,” Matsukawa snickers at Hanamaki’s comment, who is grinning at a glaring Oikawa. “Speaking the truth, my liege,”

“We should decree a law where you don’t say the truth unless asked, Makki. You’re much to comfortable with loose lips,”

“Well, then who’s going to tell you you’re being weird or annoying? Matsukawa, would you?” He turns to the man sitting next to him, who has a large piece of meat stuffed in his mouth. He bites down and drops it, in a rather inelegant manner.

“I could never come up with good things like you. How ever would the castle live in Oikawa was unrestrained in his rule, never to be stopped?” He dramatically sighs, an eye opened to glance at a fuming Oikawa.

“You make me sound like a tyrant! I’m a good king! [Y/N], am I a good king?” With eyes on you, you pause in your eating of the mashed potatoes. Looking at him with no emotion whatsoever, you reply.

“You tie me up and force me in chains. Do you really want my opinion? If you’re looking to a prisoner to be on your side, I have a feeling you’re below a-” yet you stop, seeing Iwaizumi’s eyes boring into yours. “Below a tyrant, but not quite the kings I’ve come across.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he nods, sitting back down. “Anyways, Nekoma and Fukurōdani will be hard pressed to reach if we can’t bypass the Dark Forest,”

“Kuroo and Bokuto.. they’re strong, but are they smart enough to know we’re infiltrating?” Yahaba asks, downing the last of his champagne.

“We could ask Ushiwaka,” Matsukawa suggests, but it’s quickly overruled by Oikawa’s firm ‘no’. “With all due respect, you’re allies with Shiratorizawa. Use it to your advantage?”

“Ushiwaka bested Oikawa’s army and they signed a treaty to be allies so Aoba Johsai wouldn’t fall,” Kunimi interjects. “Why would Oikawa-sama want to call on him for help?”

“Because we keep losing soldiers? Let’s have the Shiratorizawa soldiers die at the hands of forest ‘monsters’ instead of our own,” Matsukawa said as if it was obvious. The talk of the allegiance between the kingdoms was good news. News you could take and run with. Not only that, Oikawa confirmed that he is looking to go to Fukurōdani and is going into the Dark Forest. This is vital information.

Now only if you could leave.

The bitterness of those words evaporates your appetite, you setting your cutlery down as you stare at the unfinished food. It’s the first real food you’ve gotten since coming here, yet you no longer want it. Oikawa seems to notice you’ve stopped eating, ignoring the remarks from his court as he scoots his chair back. The action has you turning to him, only to have your body moving into his lap as you squeak. Your noises have attention on you as Oikawa cages you in his arms. “You need to eat, you know,”

“I’m.. I’m not hungry,”

“Lies. Your stomach is growling,” he puts potatoes on his spoon and holds it up. “Say ‘ah’.”

“I’m not a—” he shoves the spoon in your mouth, humming in satisfaction as his hand holds over your mouth. If you had an ounce of common sense, you’d swallow and not spit. Risking a beating or worse over eating isn’t worth it.

“Good girl, look at you,” he coos, giving you another spoonful. “Eating so much,”

“He got weirder,” Hanamaki chimes in. “Remember you have an audience, Oikawa,”

“Makki, hush. She’s enjoying it, aren’t you?” You don’t respond, simply looking at him. “That look says yes,”

“Actually, how-” he cuts you off with more food in your mouth. He seems so happy, stuffing your face with food. It’s almost the only thing you’re focusing on, had it not been for the chains and the men talking around you.

Matsukawa’s voice, once more, catches your attention. “Wish that was you, huh? Need someone taking care of our big, strong captain?” He makes a heart with his fingers, with Hanamaki doing the same beside him.

“As if. If anything, Oikawa needs to be fed properly because he’s always off doing something weird,” Iwaizumi retorts. His eyes occasionally glance at the two of you, his eyes catching yours.

“Oh yeah, earlier Oikawa was fixing his hair in the mirror before going down to the dungeons. Making strange poses, like this,” Hanamaki tries to demonstrate, puckering his lips and winking while pointing at you. You giggle at his pose, although Oikawa seems to be fuming. “Or like this,” he winks and holds up a peace sign, putting the other hand on his hip. “It’s quite disturbing, actually.”

“Oh, did he do the kissy face?” Matsukawa then winks and blows a kiss to you, who’s now fully laughing at their actions while Oikawa puts his face in your hair.

“I don’t do weird poses! I have to make sure I look elegant and kingly!”

“You act like a woman who’s never seen themself in a mirror, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi interjects. Oikawa then pouts, but you pat his arm. He seems hopeful when you do, but his eyes fall as you grin at him.

“You always look at yourself in the diamond bars, too. You love yourself that much? Narcissistic king,” you snicker. Oikawa’s jaw drops as Hanamaki and Matsukawa start to howl, as if you said the funniest thing ever. Iwaizumi sports a small smile, but he hides it by chewing on his food.

“Well, someone’s comfortable,” Oikawa pouts, but he keeps you on his lap. You’re no longer being fed by his hand, but he does take care to check if you’re still eating.

The dinner is mostly uneventful after that, turning into a mostly political discussion that involves Aoba Johsai’s army and possible future cooperation with Shiratorizawa. Oikawa keeps you secured, perfectly perched on his lap the entire time. Eventually, a guard comes in to interject, telling Iwaizumi that there’s a problem he needs to go oversee. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi leave, with the rest of everyone eventually being dismissed.

Oikawa takes you on a walk of his castle. With no other guards, you find yourself more open to talk and Oikawa opens more to you, encouraging your own tale in exchange for his. He takes you to his throne room, the place you two technically first met. He tells you about his father, how he brought him into the throne room for the first time to watch a petty thief beg for his life. A horrible story, one that makes you feel like you have to give him another story of your own. Torn between telling him your secrets and telling him nothing at all, you tell him your parents abandoned you at a young age.

“Both of them?” He asks. You nod, but his eyes show the sorrow you don’t feel. “You’ve been on your own for so long, not even a childhood friend?”

“One. We were close, but things changed as we got older. He.. changed. His mission was to protect and mine was to attack. Opposing sides, yet you’d think our friendship would outweigh that.” The tale is true, but elements are missing. Oikawa doesn’t pry, moving onto another topic. The trail down the corridor is familiar — back to the dungeons.

Oikawa comes and visits you at random times of the day, now. He offers his hand to take a walk around his castle and orders his handmaidens to dress you in some gown of his own choosing. Each walk breaks down more and more walls, soon enough you’re looking forward to talking to someone. Oikawa doesn’t pry more than he needs to, but he does encourage you to vent all you want. He’s there for you and your secrets are sealed behind tightly shut lips.

Your secrets are brisk, hardly showing too much vulnerability and brushing over the kingdom you’re from, or even what king you work for. Oikawa has an idea, but he doesn’t ask for you to go into any details. Oikawa tells you of his father and how he was cruel, saying only those who carried out his orders without questions were loyal. The ripe age of 16 wasn’t kind to Oikawa, having to wake up and find that the captain of the guard had poisoned the king, then himself. Iwaizumi was almost tried for treason, but he had been out on a mission with other soldiers and was pardoned per Oikawa’s request. They grew up together and Oikawa trusts Iwaizumi with his life, even if Iwaizumi shall turn on him one day.

It isn’t until the last walk do you spill the secrets and the names. Aoba Johsai’s garden is gorgeous, with blooming white and blue flowers, white marble fountains that hosts swans and other living creatures, frolicking in the crystal clear water. Oikawa makes it unbelievably awkward, with his constant closeness as he journeys with you around his garden. He brings up that his mother was beheaded before his eyes and his father told him that women are only meant for childbearing and are cruel creatures, only because she didn’t love his father. Oikawa has no Queen because he focused on growing and securing his kingdom, yet now he is expected to marry and have an heir by the end of the month. It isn’t harsh, it shouldn’t have broken you, but him settling on a bench in front of a red rose bush and crying has your walls shattering like glass.

“It was my mother’s favorite flower. That’s why I made so many blue and white flower bushes. This was the last thing she gave to me,” he had said, through his sobs. It was heartbreaking to see a prideful man cry in front of you, so you hugged him and told him the truth.

Your mission was to kill him under King Bokuto’s orders, sent as his personal assassin. You’re under his rule because you failed a previous mission. Finding comfort in Oikawa’s tragic past, finding it to be something nobody should carry alone, you console him. An assassin and a royal mistress for Bokuto, you abide by each one of his orders lest you find your own blade turned on you. Oikawa turns to hug you, letting you cry into his own chest and just sit in the garden, under the setting sun, ranting about anything and everything.

“Bottling things up isn’t good, you know. That’s why I have Iwa-chan. He seems mean, but he’s never once attempted to hurt me,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Bokuto seems like a tyrant,”

“He’s a good guy, he’s just... he’s the best warrior in the kingdom and prides himself on being the best king to live. He used to be cruel and merciless, but he has his moments. He can be soft and has his down moments, he just hides them behind closed doors. He was cruel to me, but he’s changed,” you try to reason, but Oikawa looks at you. “Really.”

“What would you get if you killed me? Let me guess, freedom? He would let you go? After you killed the king with security tighter than his? If you managed to kill me, you wouldn’t make it past the entrance of my castle,” the confirmation of accepting a doomed mission is bitter in your mouth. “You’re valuable. Bokuto wouldn’t just let you go like that. He’s not planning to give you freedom,”

“No, that’s— that’s wrong, he promised-”

“But I can offer you salvation. It’s not freedom, you’ll be stuck here, but you’ll be able to be free of Bokuto’s clutches. Will you take my hand?” Oikawa leans back, showing you his hand. Looking st you, you don’t move.

“What.. what is it?”

“Be my queen, [Y/N]. Bokuto can’t reach you if you’re here with me. Can you honestly tell me you want to go back?”

The thing is, you can’t. Taking his gloved hand, he brings you into his embrace and presses his lips to yours. For the first time, your hands clutch his shirt and you kiss him back.

It’s only a promise in the garden, yet the next morning, you find yourself in Oikawa’s bed, laying next to the naked king. It’s a strange thing to wake up to, but Hanamaki is entering the room shortly, quickly covering his eyes. “I saw nothing,”

“Hanamaki, not to be rude but, you’ve seen me change like 20 times. Why the hell are you turning away?”

“I’m a respectful man! I wouldn’t look at a lady and my future queen with such indecency,” he says, only go and try to wake up Oikawa with closed eyes. His words stun you, having the previous night really settle in and Oikawa actually asking for your permission before indulging in your body. Then the questions pops into your head, remembering Oikawa’s offer. A look at your hands — chains are gone and a silver ring with sapphire is on your finger. That settles that dilemma.

“I’m up, I’m up! What is it?!” Oikawa shouts, popping up from his cocoon. Hanamaki sighs, eyes still closed.

“I know you had a busy night, seeing as we could hear you, but you have responsibilities. Tonight is the banquet with the other kings. News of you getting a queen spread like wildfire, so they’ll probably want to deal with that before anything else,” Hanamaki explains. Then he points in your direction, though it’s at the wall. “And you need to be ready for their onslaught of questions. These kings prefer political marriages over marriages of love, so you need to know how to defend yourself.”

“No need. They wouldn’t dare ask her any questions if I’m taking care of them. I’ll be down shortly, let me dress.” Hanamaki bows and leaves, letting you heave a sigh as the door clicks shut. “Don’t worry, my dear. Bokuto won’t be able to lay a finger on you.”

“Bokuto’s going to be there?! He probably thinks I’m dead, Oikawa!” You panic, getting out of the bed to dress yourself. “I can’t— Kaori will be there too, yes? I can’t do that,”

“You’re untouchable, completely safe in my arms,” he’s behind you, hugging you close. “I’ll have you seated beside me and put Ushiwaka’s queen next to you. She’s harmless and sweet, you’ll be fine. Bokuto will look, but not touch. Trust me.”

Trust him, you do. As the day passes, you’re thrown into different outfits and putting on heels that make your feet hurt. Your hair is done elegantly, as if you haven’t been living in a dungeon for almost two months. Make up is done to make your face look a bit more lively, compared to the dead inside look you normally have. By the time Oikawa sees you again, it’s time for the dinner. You’re brought to the doors of the dining hall, listening to the chatter from inside. Bokuto’s voice is loud and clear, making your insides churn. But Oikawa is right next to you, smiling and letting your hand rest of his arm. Iwaizumi announces the two of you and lets you both walk in.

Avoiding Bokuto’s eyes, you settle down in the chair, but you feel him staring at you. Kaori has a small gasp that is quickly overlooked, but you’re sure it’s because of you. Ushijima and Kuroo seem to be on edge, but another king you don’t know of seems at ease. Oikawa settles down and clears his throat, requesting the food to be served.

“Oikawa, what is this?” Bokuto speaks through gritted teeth, yet his eyes are on you. Oikawa grins, holding your hand for him to see. “She doesn’t look like anybody we know about.”

“Well, to tell you the truth, Bokuto-san,” Oikawa begins, ready to spin the tale of your meeting together. “We met as she was tending to my garden. She would offer me an ear and listen, then I would listen to her troubles. Soon enough, we were both falling in love. She told me her family is going to have to move soon and I offered her a reason to not leave. Her position is but a commoner, yet I love her as if she was royalty,”

“Oikawa, shouldn’t you focus on expanding territory or a political gain over love?” Ushijima interjects. His booming voice startles his queen, which prompts him to lay his hand on her head and apologize. “If you want love, there are mistresses you can take up,”

“Yeah, Oikawa, love isn’t the reasons we get married. You have options, you know? Some nobody gardener isn’t worth it,” Bokuto’s words cut deep, even if they’re based on the lie spun. Kuroo interjects, before Oikawa can say anything.

“I don’t see a problem. I married my queen for love, so it shouldn’t be a big deal?” He tries to ease the tension, smiling warmly. Bokuto’s quick to create more tension.

“Kuroo, you married Lady Alisa because you expanded your territory to the Northern continent and gained three new ports. Love or not, she came with political advantages,”

“Ushiwaka, didn’t you marry for love, too? Yacchan didn’t have much political gain, the Princess of a kingdom in the southern isles. You got a port and some handful of new citizens, not that great,” Oikawa says, folding his hands and smiling at Ushijima. Yachi mumbles to herself and twiddles her thumbs, but doesn’t do much else. You pay her arm and smile, trying to make her less uncomfortable.

“To be fair, unless you go to another continent, there aren’t any women who can stand up to the challenge of being a queen,” the strange king says, then gestures to his queen. “Mai was given to us as an offering by the previous Dateko tribe,”

“Futakuchi, I don’t think that counts as either political nor romantic reasons for marriage,” Oikawa says, but quickly dismisses it. “The point is, I’ll marry who I want to marry and I chose to marry this woman. She will be my bride and give me an heir. That is final.”

Nobody speaks against him, but the seriousness of the situation has you feel queasy. Leaning over to Oikawa, you tell him you’re not feeling good. “Iwa-chan, take my queen-to-be to her room, she isn’t feeling well,”

“Yes, your majesty,” he bows and helps you out of the chair. Guiding you out of the room, you take a quick glance to Bokuto, seeing him still watching you. It makes you feel even worse. The doors shut behind you and Iwaizumi leans down to whisper to you. “Do I need to walk you to your room or do you need fresh air?”

“Some fresh air, please. I don’t really want to go back,” You mutter. Iwaizumi nods, then gives you directions to the garden. “Thank you, Iwa-chan,”

“Don’t push your buttons,” he growls out, waiting for you to leave before entering the room again. Seeing as you’re mostly alone, you sigh and take in shaky breaths. You’ve never felt so helpless before, unable to do anything or save your pride. Kaori and Bokuto expected you to be dead, not sleeping with Oikawa. But now they— no, he knows. He will find you and use honeyed words to bring you back, but you must be strong.

A throat cleared behind you has you whirling around. Expecting someone you’re familiar with is a given, but you didn’t expect to see Bokuto standing at the entrance. “Hello, my little bird,”

“Go away, Bokuto. I don’t want to deal with you,”

“I told you to kill Oikawa, not sleep with him. Now you’ll be his queen? Do you not want your freedom? Or is this an elaborate plan?” His arms are wide as he moves towards you. You back up, watching his face drop and pout. “Not a plan, is it?”

The lack of care in his words make you think he’s gotten rid of any guards nearby. Deciding your life is better than telling the truth, you lie. “I’ll come back. I got caught my first day, so I need to wait for an opportunity.”

“That’s my girl,” he’s close enough to hug you, pressing your body close against his. “I’ve missed this. You next to me. Me inside of you,”

“That’s vulgar and very gross, sir,” you cringe. He laughs, but it’s short. Then, he’s tilting your head up by your chin. “Boku-” he cuts you off with a kiss, pressing his tongue against your lips. Wanting him to leave you alone as soon as possible, you let him kiss you and bury your fingers into his sleeves. His grip on you tightens, a growl from his throat as he lets his hands brush against your ass. Feeling his intentions go beyond a simple kiss, you retreat and look away so he doesn’t pout. “Not here. Not now. You have to wait.”

“Then I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you to be with me once more and I await the news of King Oikawa’s lifeless body. Remember what I can give you. Oikawa wouldn’t grant you freedom, only I can,” he murmurs the last bit in your ear, pressing a kiss against the shell before leaving. The wind blows as you retreat further into the garden, feeling your cheeks wet with tears.

With only the sun setting as your companion, you find yourself wondering if you made the right choice.

[matthewtkachuk]

how to be a heartbreaker: rule two - rafe cameron

Rafe Cameron’s privileged upbringing has let him get away with far too much, for far too long. Between his tormenting of the pogues, running his mouth without consequence, and arrogant attitude, it’s time someone knocked him down a peg. Breaking his bones didn’t work, but maybe you can break his heart.

co-authored with my love, freya @rekrappeter

pairing: Rafe Cameron x reader, unrequited!JJ x reader

warnings: angst, starting a relationship under false pretences, drinking and drug use

word count: 5.2k (sorry not sorry there’s a lot of plot here my dudes)

a/n: here’s rule two, let us now what you think!! low key we finished writing this badboy this morning (freya’s evening lol)

“Okay, that seems relatively easy…” you hummed, your elbows rested on your knees as you held onto every word JJ spoke. An underlying unsureness hung over your voice, and judging the expressions on Kiara and Pope’s face, you knew you weren’t alone in thinking that this wouldn’t work. John B backed everything that JJ said up with an example, somethings made sense but the majority of what they brought up was lightyears away from real life. They were living in their own fantasy world.

“And that’s just rule one,” JJ announced, causing you to cover a groan with a fake cough, “It’s almost the most important rule, you have to make a good impression. You need to be seductive, sexy-”

Kie interrupted JJ, “What’s the most important rule?”

“Rule number five,” he smirked.

If you weren’t confused beforehand, you definitely were now. “Which is?”

“We’ll get to that one later, be patient.” You huffed at JJ’s dismissal.

Pope stood up from the couch, stretching his arms above his head. “Are you actually going to take part in this?” His eyes were focused on you, ignoring JJ’s arguments.

You shrugged your shoulders, feeling the heavy stare of your friends on you. “What do I have to lose?” JJ praised you for your answer, earning a glare from Pope but that didn’t shut him up. “Pope, it’ll be exciting. It’ll be something for us all to do together and focus on.”

“We’re not the ones that are going to have to be alone with Rafe Cameron,” your friend muttered, you gave him a soft smile, appreciating how caring he was towards you. Despite always being associated with JJ and being his best friend, you and Pope had a relationship like none of the other pogues. He wasn’t just one of your closest friends, you would classify him as a ‘brother from another mother’. He cared immensely about you, and you cared for him just as much. You both pushed each other to thrive and be the best possible version of you, he had your back through thick and thin.

He was also the only one that knew about your hidden feelings towards JJ. He picked up on them one night, when you were giggling at a stupid joke the blonde had said and how the carefree and outgoing version of you disappeared when you noticed JJ getting intimate with some random girl later on that night. But he promised to keep it a secret, and so he did, he constantly supported you and let you rant and rave about it whenever you needed to. He was a breath of fresh air.

“Rafe Cameron never did anything to me personally, he leaves me alone when y’all aren’t with me,” you said, leaning back on the couch.

“Can we stop calling him Rafe Cameron? We only know one Rafe,” Kie chuckled, running her fingers through her tangled dark hair.

“Can we move on please? It’s getting late,” JJ informed the group, everyone’s attention leaving you and turning to the tall boy.

“You’d make a great teacher, JJ,” you hummed, your heart jumping at the smirk he sent you.

“Rule number two: have fun, but be the first to run.”

Three days pass by since you spoke to Rafe at the boneyard and if it weren’t for JJ pestering you every chance he got about it, you wouldn’t have noticed how many days went by. But your best friend was adamant on putting this plan into motion quickly, you tried to argue with him that you didn’t want to come across as desperate but he wouldn’t listen. The ending events of that night were history; you woke up the next morning and JJ acted like nothing happened, treating you how he usually would.

There was no point in arguing with him or holding a grudge, it was something you were used to at this stage in your friendship. JJ Maybank never did know how to express his feelings properly, unless it was with his fist. When you fought, he would mutter a quick apology and move on from it, never dwelling on the aftermath his words or actions made you feel. You pushed those feelings to the back of your mind, putting a smile on your face and moving on. It’s what you were best at.

A quick knock on the changing room door interrupted your thoughts, rolling your eyes as JJ opened the door anyways, not even waiting for you to answer. “Please tell me what’s the point in knocking?” you snapped playfully, buttoning up your white blouse, ignoring the flushed feeling you felt when his eyes lingered on your exposed breast.

JJ shrugged, throwing his bowtie at you and leaning against the wall, he waited patiently for you to finish getting ready. He was dressed similarly to you; your work outfits clashing except instead of the black, tight skirt you were wearing, his legs were covered with crinkled slacks. You were the one that managed to get JJ a job at the island club, your boss was reluctant to hire a known thief but you pleaded and begged, promising to keep him in line. So far, JJ has behaved himself, only missing one or two shifts.

When you finished getting ready, ensuring that your makeup was touched up and your hair was neat, you picked JJ’s bowtie off the floor and gestured to him to come over to you. You lifted it over his head, ignoring the butterflies that swarmed your stomach when he stepped into your personal space and placed his hands on your hips. “Tell me why I took this extra shift,” you cried, trying to separate your mind from your body.

JJ’s blue eyes scanned your face and you avoided looking into them, your focus solely on your fingers trying the material around his neck. “Because we need the money, plus you love working shifts with me.” JJ grinned exposing his slightly crooked teeth.

You pucker your lips, pretending to be deep in thought, “You’re right, I do need the money.”

JJ swatted your hands away from him, turning to look in the floor length mirror in the female changing room. You couldn’t help but look at your figures next to one another, you suited each other. JJ’s eyes connected with yours through the mirror, “I also peeked at the guest list, we’ll be able to work on the plan tonight.”

“Rafe will be here?” you asked.

“Rafe and his goons, so if I’m missing for more than ten minutes, come look for me.” He winked, running his fingers through his blonde locks to try tame it to some extent.

“JJ,” you sighed, reaching for his arm but he took a step back, out of your reach.

“I’m kidding,” he chuckled, but the smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes, “I’ll be fine, I can handle myself.”

“But it’s always three on one, and it never works in your benefit.”

This time JJ did smile, his blue eyes twinkling and he stepped closer to you, placing his hands on either of your shoulders. “But we have a secret weapon this time around, they’re not going to see this coming, y/n.” JJ referring to you as his secret weapon sent an unwanted chill through your skin, making you look away from his intense eyes. “Come on, let’s get the party started.”

Precariously balancing four whiskey neat on a flimsy tray while also balancing on your unsteady feet strapped into four inch heels was not an easy feat. It was even more difficult when coupled with the harassment you received as a pogue in kook territory. The only thing that kept the polite smile on your face as you suffered through backhanded compliment after backhanded compliment was the knowledge that a sweet payday was waiting for you at the end of the shift. You hated the Island Club and every stupid, perfect, spoiled person in it, but you made more in one shift than you did your other two jobs combined.

The spoiled Island Club member you hated the most though, hands down, was Rafe Cameron. Despite never targeting you personally, you couldn’t forgive the numerous times your boys had suffered at the hands of Rafe and his cronies. Unfortunately, you also found him attractive, discreetly staring at the way his golf shirt accentuated the muscles in his arms, and the way his tight pants accentuated his ass, every time you passed by. Some baser instinct within you had you considering what it would be like to squeeze his ass, and the distracting, intrusive thought made you miss the step leading to the greens. Your heart fell into your throat as you felt yourself lose your balance, your other hand rising to attempt to steady the tray but it was hopeless as you started to tumble to the ground. As you braced for impact, the tray was lifted from your arms and a steadying hand on your waist kept you from eating dirt.

Your heart pounding in your chest, you looked up to thank your rescuer, the words dying on your lips before you could utter them as Rafe Cameron himself stood there staring back at you. For a moment you were lost in his blue orbs, every intrusive thought you had washing over you until his mouth opened and he spoke, “You alright there?”

Staring at him for a moment longer, you blinked twice and shook your head in confirmation, “Yeah, thanks for that.” You smoothed down the front of your shirt, Rafe’s eyes following the movement of your hands, before you reached for your tray again, “Sorry, duty calls.”

As you went to move past him, heart pounding in your throat, he called out, “Wait,”. You spun around to stare at him, confusion in your eyes. He scanned the crowd for a split second, his eyes landing on your figure again. “Do you maybe want to get out of here?”

Scoffing, you roll your eyes, “I’m working Rafe, I can’t just ‘get out of here’. I really need this job.”

Rafe closed the gap between your bodies, leaving just inches keeping you apart. He reached for the tray in your grasp, taking it and turning his back to you. “Hey, you,” he called to someone dressed in the exact same clothes as you, “Take this to table number…” He glanced over his shoulder at you, waiting for you to finish his sentence.

“Five,” you mumbled, shrugging your shoulders and shooting an apologetic smile to your colleague.

“Perfect, now you’re free,” Rafe smirked, dismissing the girl.

“No, Rafe, now I’m not free. I have other tables to serve.”

Rafe exhaled loudly, his chest heaving, “Look, y/n, I know people, I can keep you out of trouble.”

“Yeah, and how do you propose to do that?”

Rafe sent you a cheeky grin, spreading his arms out wide as if he was going to hug you but his thumbs turned inwards, pointing to themselves, “I’m a Cameron.”

Chewing on the inside of your cheek, you thought over his words. The Camerons did practically own the club, and the stupid outfit you were wearing was beginning to feel tight and uncomfortable. Not to mention, it was exactly the kind of opportunity that JJ had been hounding you to take in order to further the plan. Plus, the little voice in your head whispered, maybe taking off with Rafe would stir up some reaction from JJ, maybe the one you’ve been searching for.

Looking up at him, you shrugged with one shoulder and replied, “alright.”

“Alright?” He asked, a little shocked as he clearly expected to have to fight you a little harder. Truthfully, he wouldn’t have been able to convince you at all if it wasn’t for the plan. Despite your intrusive thoughts, and boy were they intrusive, you didn’t have a particular want or need to spend any time alone with the privileged kook.

“Alright,” you repeated, “What’s the plan?”

“Get out of that stupid waiter get up, and I’ll tell you,” he laughed, causing you to glare at him. He wasn’t wrong though, the outfit was stupid and you hated wearing it, but dresscode was dresscode. You quickly snuck back inside and changed back into your short little jean shorts and top, quickly running past JJ’s confused facial expression. You returned to Rafe, satisfied when you saw the way his eyes trailed your body taking in the change of clothes.

“Have you ever been to a driving range?” He smirked when you looked at him like he had suddenly grown a second head.

“Do I look like the type of person who goes to a driving range?” You asked drily, causing his smirk to widen. He grabbed your hand and all but dragged you to another part of the club, where an out of use driving range sat.

“Are we going to get in trouble for using this?” You asked nervously, all thoughts of Camerons and bets aside you did actually need this job.

“Don’t you trust me?” He asked, rolling his eyes when you gave him a look that screamed ‘hell no’, “Okay well, trust me this once, we’re fine.”

Your eyes land on the golf bag with his initials embroidered on the front and you look at him confusedly, “Did you plan this?”

“Did I plan on sneaking away to use the driving range? Yes. Did I plan on you joining me? No, never in my wildest dreams would I think that you would be here right now with me.” He admits.

Remembering the bet, you smile flirtatiously at him and remark, “So you have wild dreams about me?”

His split second hesitation before rolling his eyes and telling you off has you wondering what role you played when you starred in his dreams. Gulping, you turn back toward him and clear your throat, “So we’re here to what exactly? Hit balls around all day, real fun.” you state sarcastically.

“You can go back to your shitty bowtie and silver tray if you want,” he offered back sassily, causing you to bite your lip. JJ would be pissed if you let this opportunity go to waste. But little did you know, JJ was going to be pissed either way

“Alright, let’s hit some balls I guess,” you replied back half-heartedly and motioning to the golf bag, “I don’t even know what each of these clubs are for,”

“Watch and learn,” Rafe smirked, running his hands through his perfectly slicked back hair, allowing for some hairs to become loose. He reached for the largest club in the bag, ripping the glove off and stepping up to the box. He placed a ball on the standing tee, doing his rituals before swinging and belting the ball nearly two hundred yards.

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” You asked, a single eyebrow raised.

“Here, you give it a go then,” Rafe replied, handing you the driver. You gladly accepted, an aura of confidence washing over you as you recited exactly what he did, he placed the ball on the tee for you and stepped back, allowing you to prep.

You felt his stare on your ass as you lined up the club to take a swing, causing you to pause your motions and glare at him over your shoulder. “Stop staring at my ass, Cameron.”

“Caught you staring at mine first, babe.” He smirked, and you felt the colour drain from your face at the knowledge that you got caught.

Swallowing nervously, you quipped back, “Yeah well I was just wondering why you bought your pants a size too small, thought they were going to split at the seams.”

He threw his head back and laughed, genuinely laughed, the sound booming around you. You couldn’t help but join in, soft giggles mixing with the timbre of his voice. As his laughter faded, he stared at you intensely, calling your bluff, “that’s not why you were staring, and we both know it.”

Coughing slightly to hide your reaction, you turned back toward the little ball on the tee and took a swing, missing by a long shot. “Shit, that’s harder than it looks,” you admit, having wrongly assumed golf to be a simple game of hitting balls with sticks.

Rafe chuckles shaking his head at your poor stature, and you suddenly feel a presence behind you, jumping slightly as his hands rest on your forearms. “Trick is to keep your eyes on the ball, okay?” he hums into your ear, the sensation running down your spine. You nod, swallowing back the lump in your throat, eyes focusing on the ball. He places his arms on your wrist, bringing your arms up, “now keep your front arm straight, tilt your wrist, like this,” he gestures the club up, “and then just swing, keep that arm straight,” he reminds you.

You glance over your shoulder, your orbs connecting with his blue ones that were glistening under the afternoon sun, you offer a small smile and feel yourself getting lost in them, “eyes on the ball,” he reminded you, smirking.

“Is this just a way to get close to my ass?” you retaliate, sucking in your bottom lip to hide the smirk that wanted to erupt on your face.

“This is just me helping a shit golfer,” he replied, stepping back and out of your swinging range. “Try again,” he urged you. He watched you take another shot, cringing when you miss it again. “Keep your eyes on the ball, front arm straight,” he repeated.

“Okay, okay, I got this,” you mumbled mostly to yourself but Rafe nodded at you, hyping you up silently. You focused on the little white ball, following the steps that Rafe told you before swinging the club and successfully hitting the ball, you watched it bounce along the grass about fifty yards in front of you. “Yes!” You cheered, grinning at Rafe.

Rafe placed another ball on the tee, urging you to go again and you did, each swing getting better and each time the ball went further. “But how come it isn’t coming off the ground like yours?” You pouted, leaning on the club and looking at him.

“Come back to me when you’ve been playing golf for ten years,” he smirked, taking the driver off you and replaced it with a five iron. You watched him hit ball after ball, and you wouldn’t admit it but you were impressed, especially at his back muscles that flexed with every shot he took. You made small talk in between the shots, filling the silences which surprisingly weren’t awkward, you expected them to be uncomfortable and that you’d be pulling blood out of a stone to find something in common but the conversation flowed easily.

It was your turn to take a swing again, and you decided you weren’t going to walk away from the driving range without hitting it at least one hundred yards. You reached for the driver again, stepping up to the tee with a face of determination. “See you, you are going through the air this time,” you muttered to the ball, Rafe had to bite on his bottom lip to stop from tumbling over with laughter. You grasped the handle tight, swinging the club with all the strength you had in you and the sound of the ball hitting the face of the club echoed around the empty driving range.

You watched open-mouthed as the ball soared across the air, pass the fifty marker, pass the one hundred marker and landed midway, bouncing until it halted just by the two hundred yard marker. You gasped, dropping the club, and tossing yourself into Rafe’s arms in your excitement. He grunted softly, clearly not expecting it, stumbling back slightly as his hands gripped your hips. “I did it!” you cheered, “I fuckin’ did it!”

Rafe doesn’t protest with having you in his arms, he matches your excitement but he notices the thrill vanish from your eyes as you scramble out of his grasp, “sorry about that,” you mumble, hiding the embarrassment.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” he mumbles back, and you think you see a flash of disappointment behind his blue eyes but it’s gone as quick as it arrived.

“Uhm, anyway,” you wrack your brain for something to say to ease the awkwardness that had come between you for the first time that afternoon, an image of the chalkboard that JJ brought into the chateau living room crosses your mind, making you remember rule number two, “I better actually head back,” you mumbled.

“So soon?” Rafe can’t stop the words from slipping past his lips, and he cringes inwardly at sounding so desperate wanting you to stay. He doesn’t even know where this sudden interest for you came from, of course he knew who you were and he had spoken to you during some events, but he never paid little mind to you until last week. When he and Kelce were joking about drunk one night, you came up in conversation.

Kelce spoke vulgarly about you, painting pictures in Rafe’s mind and it was like after that night, he saw you everywhere he went. He paid more attention to you, he resisted the urge to go and talk to you in the street, and when he caught you staring at him at the boneyard, he made the decision to approach you. It wasn’t like him to turn to a pogue of all people, but there was something about you that drew him in.

“I had fun today, but like I’m sure you should be getting back to the event, your dad’s probably looking for you,” you said, leaning against the railing that separates the tee boxes.  

“Nah, as long as Sarah’s around, he doesn’t have a lot to do with me,” He pauses seeing your face fall the slightest bit, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“I dunno, like that,” he shrugs, running a hand through his hair again.

“Okay, sorry” you reply defensively, not sure what his problem is, “I won’t look at you at all then.”

He laughs at that, a smirk gracing his face once again, “Sure, I’d like to see you try. You can’t help but look.”

You scoff, “Oh yeah, I just can’t help myself. Oh my god, Rafe Cameron you’re sooo hot,”

“Relax, babe, you don’t have to throw yourself at me,” He laughed.

“Shut up!” You gasp, pushing yourself off the railing, stalking over to him and smacking his hard chest.

“Wait,” he muttered, grasping at your wrist, stopping you from stepping away from him. His tongue runs across his bottom lip and you hated yourself for allowing your eyes to follow the pink tip. You looked up to his eyes, watching the smirk flicker across his face. The rule flashes through your mind again, and you know you should be running, but... something about the look in his eye as he leans in has you locked in place waiting for his mouth to meet yours. His hand comes up to cup your face, and you suck in a breath, holding it as his thumb gently brushes under your eye before he pulls away from you entirely. “Eyelash,” he mutters quietly and you feel your heart reactivate again.

“R-right,” you stutter, moving to step back from him. Maybe this was a bad idea agreeing with this stupid plan that JJ and John B claimed they put so much thought into it, maybe they underestimated the effect that Rafe would have on you. You most definitely did.

Something else was still bothering you, though. “I have to ask,” you took in a deep breath, suddenly nervous of what you were asking, especially considering the fact that you were just about to let Rafe Cameron kiss you, “Why take an interest in me now?”

“Why have you suddenly taken an interest in me?” Rafe countered, causing you to gulp. “Two weeks ago you wouldn’t take a second glance at me.”

Glancing up at Rafe, you plastered a cunning smile on your lips and shrugged your shoulder, “I asked you first.”

“We’re not in kindergarten, y/n, those rules don’t apply here.”

“Who said I wasn’t taking a second glance when you weren’t looking.”

“I knew you liked my ass,”

You roll your eyes, “Well it’s not your humble personality. Now answer my question.”

“Thought it would piss Maybank off,” he shrugs nonchalantly, but you can tell he’s trying to appear that way. Besides, JJ isn’t even here right now and you tell him so. He just shrugs again.

“What don’t you want to tell me?” You asked, hoping you weren’t projecting your own nerves.

Rafe sucked in a deep breath, running his hand over his face as if he was trying to make you forget about everything, but when your eyes gave him a pointed look, he let all walls crash around him. “Honestly, y/n, I don’t know why. I-I just see you on the beach, you’re always laughing, always smiling, nothing ever seems to bother you and it’s what I need. I need someone to make me feel happy again, make me feel alive.”

You listened intently to his words, holding onto every gasp of breath he realised, the aching in your heart making your palms sweat. “A-and that person is me?” your voice was merely a whisper, your mouth gaping open at the honesty in Rafe Cameron’s voice.

“I don’t know if it is, but what I do know is that I had a good time today, and wouldn’t be opposed to doing it again,”

Your heart aches in your chest for someone you once considered an enemy. He wasn’t a friend now, but something had changed in the dynamic somewhere between him saving you from an embarrassing fall and showing you the right way to swing a golf club. You couldn’t help but think to yourself that Rafe Cameron might not actually be that bad, and you might have actually enjoyed yourself this afternoon. Against all odds, spending the afternoon ditching not only your shift and JJ in order to ‘hit balls around’ as you so eloquently put it earlier had been a lot more fun than you gave Rafe credit for.

Your nose scrunches up as you consider your thoughts, what is wrong with you? He is the enemy. One afternoon where he’s not being a complete dick and you forget the bruised and battered state of your best friends only a few days ago? The vulgar words that dripped so easily from his mouth like venom, where he had treated you like some possession to be won, all for the sake of getting a rise out of JJ?

Biting your lip and swallowing, you tell him briefly, “I have to go,” before fleeing back to the club. You hear him calling out to you from behind, but you keep your head down and make the trip back, trying to slip into the Club undetected.

“And where have you been?” JJ is standing on the other side of the door you’ve just successfully snuck through. You gasp, hand flying up to cover your now fast beating heart.

“Jesus, J. You scared the shit out of me,” you harshly whisper, “I was with Rafe working on your big plan.”

“You could have warned me, I had to cover for you!” JJ snapped. “Rafe said he would handle it,” you tell him.

Rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation, he turns on you, “Oh Rafe said?”

“Yes, Rafe said,” you repeat, “What’s crawled up your ass, I’m working on your stupid plan.”

You couldn’t help but feel angry towards your best friend, and you weren’t sure if it was because he was getting annoyed with you or if it was what Rafe had disclosed to you previously, but there was definitely an underlying feeling of frustration.

“What’s crawled up my ass is you left me hanging, we’re meant to be in this together.”

“No, JJ, I’m the one doing it all. You came up with some rules, I’m the one that’s putting my feelings on the line,” you snapped, watching his face contort to confusion.

“Your feelings? What feelings?” He’s taken aback by your words, head jutting as if you had just slapped him across the face.

“You know what, it doesn’t even matter. I’ll keep playing this stupid game for you, but don’t come and attack me just because you had to wash a few extra dishes.” Frustration seeps from your voice, unsure of why exactly he’s coming at you sideways. This was his plan, and you’re just doing your part to make it happen. At least, that’s what you told yourself this afternoon with Rafe had been for.

“I-I wasn’t attacking you, y/n, I was worried about you,” his voice softened, you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the way his bottom lip jutted out, he knew you had a weakness for his puppy dog face. But with the simmering of frustration and anger growing within you, you wouldn’t back down right now.

“Well it didn’t feel like that.” You tell him harshly, hoping you’re properly conveying the swirling mix of negative emotions you’re currently experiencing.

Truthfully, JJ isn’t mad about washing a few extra dishes. He batted his eyelashes at your coworker who was more than happy to take on his dishwashing duties. He was mad that you weren’t keeping him in the loop, the two of you told each other everything. Well, everything except your feelings for him. He knew you found him attractive, and he honestly did love you with his whole heart. It just probably wasn’t the way you really wanted him to. JJ was mad because the girl he thought he had on lock, the one that would always be there waiting for him, just told him that her feelings were on the line for a plan to take down his most hated adversary.

JJ sighed, pushing away all his bravado and looking intently at you, “I’m sorry I made you feel that way, I’m sorry I make you feel a lot of things, but please just keep me in the loop, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“JJ, I feel like we’re going around in circles at this point, and if I’m being honest, the only person hurting me right now is you,” you ignored the painful look on JJ’s face and continue, “Every evening you have to apologise for something, whether it’s something you say or something you do, we argue, we make up and then it happens again-”

“It’s not every evening,” you groan at his interruption, throwing your hands in the air.

“If you’re not ready to have a serious conversation, I’m not ready to continue speaking with you.” You tell him harshly and push past him, ignoring his weak attempts to get you to stop.

“Wait, you’re still coming over to John B’s tonight, right?” he asks, and you turn and glare at him over your shoulder.

Maybe Pope was right, this was a bad, bad idea and you had no idea what you were getting yourself into.

Tag list:

htbah taglist (link to add yourself to the google form on the series masterlist!): 

@solllaris @drewswannabegirl @starrystarkey93 @httpstarkey @sweetlysilent @drewstarkey @dontjinx-it @ultranikilove @spencereidbasis @meaganjm @starlightstarkey @thortheestallion @jiaraendgame @idocarealot-not @tempestuousjj @pink-meringues @dpaccione @arianabrashierstuff @softstarkey @loveylangdon @xenagzb @teenwaywardasgardian @prejudic3 @nxsmss @canibeoneofthepogues @nqbmf @outerbanksbro @obx-direction-sos @digniteas @annedub @colorful-queen-of-the-roses @yesp0ny @loveniallandharryonedirection @fantasticpsychicfanfish @girls-breaking-hearts @beautyandthebleh @casper17 @parkershoco @unfortunatekiwitrash @loverofmineluke @slutforjjmaybank @skiesofthesketchy @sugarcoatedcalum @amorisxx​

(the rest of the taglist will be in a reblog to hopefully not piss tumblr off this time!!)

[sakurabutterflyart]

Hugfia Week, Day 3 AU

The Princess and The Prince of Thieves

Sofia was known to be the Princess of Enchancia. She used to be a village girl in the village which is why she has a closer relationship with the villagers. Even if she's now the princess of Enchancia, she still enjoys being there. 

As she grew older. Since she's not gonna be the heir of the throne, she'd decided to train as a protector of her kingdom. Just like her brother. 

Nobody in her kingdom knows about it except her family and friends, cause she thinks that it's best to remain a secret. And it did. 

When she was just having a secret patrol in her village and decided to go home with some ice cream, that's a bit far away from other houses. There are currently only few people since it's already closing. Which is a perfect opportunity for thieves to attack. 

Sofia was about to eat her favorite flavored strawberry ice cream, she heard loud noises behind her. Before she could respond what's going on, she saw a guy with black hair and dark green eyes knock her out.

The thieves who are called Black Ice, have been known to be constantly stealing banks, restaurants, and shops. They are known to be the kingdom of thieves, for they can't be easily caught and it's been years but it's still an active thieves group. For they are being well trained and well strategize by their leader named Hugo, who hides behind the name the Ice Prince. For he is the prince of thieves. He used to be a beggar who was about to loose his life, since he still has his fellow brothers in the streets who needs to be fed. Which is why he has no choice but to live his life this way in order to provide all of them.

"Is everyone knocked out and tied." He asked his men.

"All down brother!" Desmond answered. Gently placing the citizen and checking the tied ropes to make sure no one's gonna go after them.

"Let's better hurry, before the village guards finds out we're here. We have to take something home for our guild." He ordered and everyone is taking the things that they will need. They were here for the money but Hugo thinks that he should take something special for his family and that is ice cream.

"Hey Hugo look!" Hugo heard his brother called, waving him to come.

He took off the cloak of the stranger I knocked out earlier, revealing she was a lady. She has soft white skin, She is wearing something like a hunter or a high position knight clothing that is very unusual for a girl to wear. Caramel brown hair that's tied into a ponytail. But what really stand out the most is her tiara and her pink amulet, that I can tell right away that this girl is the princess of Enchancia, Sofia. 

"She's a princess Hugo, what are we gonna do?" Desmond ask, a little worried like we're in big trouble. 

"What's with that tone Desmond? Isn't this a great thing? We can just hold her as hostage and demand the king for a fortune of money and treasures." Axel joined in, squeezing the knocked out princess's cheek.

Hugo's POV

"I don't think that's a great idea big brother. If we do that the king is gonna order all his soldier as they hunt down our home, including other kingdoms that is allied in Enchancia. It's best to leave her alone." I spoke, making sure the action we take don't get us into trouble. 

I look at the princess who is out cold and I gotta admit, she's very pretty. I scanned her looks wondering why did someone from the castle go to the village and with this outfit? 

"How about we'll take something expensive from this princess..." It seems like she brought nothing. The only thing I found valuable is her crown and her... "This necklace looks very expensive-"

I was about to grab it until I was surprised that a very strong grip stopped me. I look at the owner of the hand, it's not my brothers nor anyone around this room but the princess.

I looked at her as she got up, revealing her fierce ocean blue eyes burning in rage towards me. "Don't. You. Dare. Touch. My. Amulet. My father gave it to me, this is too precious!" 

She speak in a low tone expressing anger, but before I can even react she punch my face that took me flying across the room to the walls. It must be her pay back for knocking her out earlier. I manage to stay conscious, when I looked at her amulet it was glowing revealing that it's magical.

While I'm still trying to get up. My brothers are going after her to stop her from attacking me. But she managed to spar them with her sword that seems to be magical, even her punch and kicks are strong to make someone fly. She even gets to shape shift into an animal that is strong, she can even fly as a fairy. As few minutes past, she manage to defeat all 50 thieves from the Black Ice. 

"Now it's your turn." She pointed her sword towards me with anger on her eyes. It was threatening but I somehow find it attractive. She charge at me with full speed, and my brothers cried out in worries. I managed to draw out my weapon. Both of our sword clash that creates a strong wind. 

We were glaring at each other and staring at each other's eyes. The longer I looked to her, her glares may be scary, but she was darn cute. I smirk at the thought that this lady is really... My type.

"You... You're this famous prince of thieves who leads the Black Ice." She grumbled, but it fails to scare me but it made me smile.

"Yep, the one and only Ice Prince. But you can all me Hugo my lady. And I'm guessing you're this famous Princess Sofia of Enchancia, the hero of this Kingdom." I get up and manage to recover from  the pain of her punch. Giving a peck on her hand as greeting. She raised a brow, confuse at my response. "Even though you're known to be in dresses and staying at a castle, what are you doing here in this village?"

She pulled her hand away from mine, still glaring at me. "Don't be so casual to me Ice Prince! I've heard so many rumours about your recent attack through every villages, you've given so many problems in our kingdoms! I'm here to arrest you."

She spoke to her amulet, "Amulet, I called James to bring soldiers to the village's ice cream shop. The Black Ice are here..."

Her amulet glowed. As she continue to draw out her sword and charge after me.

Third POV

They were battling, their sparring took longer with Hugo flirting with her and teasing her. Until the fought ended with Sofia's sword skills and traping him to the ground. 

Hugo's POV

"Hugo the Ice Prince and the leader of the Black Ice. You are under arrest for stealing shops and banks, kingdom to kingdom. You bring enough harm to all of us." She declared, pulling the collar of my shirt and pointing a sword to my throat. 

Our face were so close and I can hear my heart is beating faster than ever before. It was a love at first sight with this girl, even though I never believe in those things and think it's a ridiculous way to fall in love. She's just so beautiful and strong, there's something about her that is so special when I look at those eyes. I just can't take it anymore. 

I smirked at this beautiful sight and also pulling her collar towards me, before she could asked and form a sentence, I silenced her with my lips. I can her hear yelp in surprise between our kiss. She was trying to pull away by letting go of her sword and push me, but I also do the same with mine and hold her hands tightly. Deepening our kiss.

I have never thought of myself as being forceful to a lady before. I promised myself that even if I'm a thief I'll still keep my good side especially to a girl that I will like. But she's a different story, I'm a thief and she's a princess who's gonna arrest me, and I also don't wanna let her go.

After enjoying her touch, I finally let go and let her breath. She looked at me in shock.

"Sorry about that, you're just too cute princess" I smiled at her, and I can see her face slowly turning red in embarrassment. "If I'm really going to prison, then I will never regret kissing a strong pretty lady like you."

"Y-you.. you jerk!"

I winked but I met a very hard impact to my cheek, though it doesn't really hurt cause I really meant what I say to her. 

She was gonna slap me with my other cheek, though this time I caught her hand and pull her closer, whispering through her ears with my lowest voice. "I like you, you're going to be my most precious treasure princess, you're mine now. I won't allow anybody, not even another prince to take you."

I let her go and we stare at each other. Her eyes looks confuse, not knowing what to respond. I sigh, as much as I wanted this moment to last forever, I can't afford me and my brothers nor my family to get arrested.

I snapped my finger and shouted, "Now Derek!"

The ceiling opened with our guild's magic. Revealing a bunch of dark carriages, I can see all of my guild mates, which is also my family, throwing rope ladders for my brother's to retreat to.

"What the! What's going on!" I can hear Sofia shout in anger. 

I whistled with my fingers, loud enough for my horse Electra to come to me. I hop on her and look at the princess. She was about to charge me with her magic sword, but this time I manage to catch her sword with my magic. 

"I'm called the Prince of Thieves for a reason Sofia, I use magic too and I never get captured that easily." I gave her a victorious smile, I can see her face looking very angry and also disappointed.

"You tricked me with those dirty moves and pick up lines. Is this what you use to any girls you fought with?" She ask, clearly disappointed being taken advantage of being girl.

I caress her face as I give a quick peck on her forehead, and patting her. To assure her. "Nope, you're the first lady that I ever treated this way. Even I don't expect to feel this way towards anyone."

Third POV

He smiled and suddenly flew away with his horse, when he saw the Commander James charging at them with arrows and chasing them down. "Stay away from my sister!"

As Hugo flew away, he smiled and shouted to her.

"Goodbye Princess, I'll see you again soon! If other prince tries to steal you away from me, I promise I'll steal you first!" He left, revealing he also steal her tiara. "If the amulet is too precious to you, I'll take this one instead dear! Goodbye for now my lady!"

He left and Sofia gritted her teeth, but she was completely flustered. She doesn't have the will to fight and go after them, leaving it to James. But they weren't able to catch them.

She was completely angry as she walk home with her brother, not being able to capture the greatest thief of the kingdom. She felt her heart tingling and beating just by thinking about him.

She felt dizzy at the feeling. She touched her lips, remembering the pressure he placed on her lips. Feeling frustrated about it. 

"How dare he... Out of all people, why him?"

Not only did he steal her first kiss, he also steal her heart. 

(A/N: This is from my wattpad. In Hugfia Week I'm a bit busy but I'll try joining in.)

[queen-ofsunflowers]

DadWorth AU: Part 4 (Trials & Tribulations)

Unlike the previous parts, this is mostly just shenanigans since Kay and Miles at this point are starting to work on bettering their relationship after their reunion in Farewell, My Turnabout. So it’s fun and kind of angsty times because Phoenix still falls off a bridge. Miles is present for most of the cases, excluding Stolen, but his appearances mostly take place in the background.

< Part 3 | Part 5 >

Turnabout Memories

Kay’s junior year at Themis starts and the students are given a chance to look into previous cases for a project that they have to do. Kay decides to do the one that inspired her to be an attorney. Or at least, for her to start following Mia’s career. Which if anyone remembers from part 1, was the State v. Wright 2014.

At the time of the case happening, Kay didn’t recognize the defendant’s name. But now... Now she knows who it is. So she goes directly to Phoenix to get an explanation. In front of just about everybody.

Today is Embarrass Phoenix Wright Day.

If you’re wondering, Kay is absolutely stunned by the fact that Phoenix ate the necklace. She knew it happened, but it’s only now hitting her that the defendant who swallowed the bottle and the amazing attorney who so far has been the only one to beat Miles and her semi-mentor figure are the same person.

The Stolen Turnabout

With Miles out of the country, Kay (and maybe the boys klavier and sebastian too, I’m not sure) is dragged down to Lordly Tailor by Maya, and that’s where things go from there. She’s kind of surprised that it was the urn that got stolen, picking up pretty quickly that it wasn’t worth that much in the first place. (Though this might be due to her involvement in 2-2, so she knows that it has been broken before.)

Kay stands with Phoenix on the matter of whether or not Ron actually stole the urn. According to her, the guy “couldn’t even pickpocket a blind man”. Pearl kicks her in the shin before running out of the detention center. Maya and Kay have gotten pretty close to each other because of the events of Farewell, since they were kidnapped and that’s some strong bonding there. So, Maya’s hurt by both of them believing in Ron’s innocence, but with Kay’s involvement, she quickly starts to think that they might be right sooner rather than later. Still, since it hurts, Kay takes Maya’s place temporarily on the first day of investigating.

Things that happen here are Kay starting to steal stuff herself. For example, she swipes the blackmail letter on the first visit to the DeLite’s apartment. (”kay, we’re defense attorneys. we don’t steal.” “but you take evidence all the time. how is that not the same thing?” “...moving on--”.) 

Kay can’t stand Atmey, especially when he starts rambling on the way he does. She both states that Gumshoe’s a better detective than he is (some of that being bias, but still) and calls him out when he claims that Miles has called Godot the best prosecutor in the country. Miles doesn’t even know who he is. Phoenix finds her interactions with him slightly hilarious (it’s a sixteen year old girl tearing an eccentric a-hole a new one, after all.)

Kay’s able to stand co-counsel for the entirety of this trial due to it taking place completely on a weekend. Which means she also gets to meet Godot. He’s... To her, he’s flat out weird. He’s Cyclops with a caffeine addiction. And he’s not able to avoid her snark either.

She gets really happy when they get the Not Guilty verdict on the first day, and her relationship with the Feys gets patched up, too. And then all that goes down the drain when Ron is arrested for murder. More investigation is needed.

When it’s revealed that Ron is actually Mask ☆ DeMasque, Kay feels kind of bad over the remark she made the day before since most of those thefts were kind of impressive to her after she read about them. That’s about as much as what happens during the investigation. She really gets into the whole phantom thief stuff, much to Phoenix’s dismay.

When it comes time for the trial, Kay feels so much satisfaction in catching Atmey. She hates him so much. She doesn’t, however, like the fact that Godot keeps throwing coffee at the defense team.

I should note that Kay thinks that Godot’s voice sounds familiar, but she can’t place why at this time. It’s been YEARS since the events of Beginnings, and they didn’t even interact. Kay just watched the trial and heard him speak. So, that whole mystery is still under wraps for now.

Recipe for the Turnabout

Kay, Klavier and Sebastian are at Wright & Co. when Gumshoe bursts through the door, scaring the crap out of the three of them and Maya in the process. She, much like Phoenix, is confused as heck as to what he’s talking about when he tells them about the phony trial. She can also vouch for what happened and the fake Phoenix. (I have plans for what happened there, i just need to watch/play the game there myself...) So everyone is confused, and this warrants some footwork.

Phoenix Wright ends up being followed by a group of teenagers during his investigation. This has been going on for a while. He’s accepted it. It’s part of his life now.

When it comes to Tres Bien, Maya’s not the only one who gets roped into working there. Through misunderstandings, Kay gets pulled in as well. The guys kind of just run off, leaving the girls in their unfortunate situation for now.

Phoenix is stuck with the boys for the time being, which leads to some pretty fun and interesting interactions, including their reactions to meeting Tigre for the first time. Sebastian’s just confused because Tigre is taller, older and the only thing about Phoenix that he shares is their hair style. Klavier verbally voices this, just going off on how the hell anyone could mistake the two. (and loses his shit at the cardboard badge. from a distance, yeah, but seriously?!)

When they eventually come back to the restaurant, being the stupid teenage boys that they are, Klavier and Sebastian find the situation Kay is in hilarious. Klavier takes a picture of Kay in the Tres Bien outfit because “everyone needs to see this”. (Everyone mostly being Ema, whose in Europe.) Kay tackles him to try and get him to delete the photo, but he doesn’t. It becomes Kay’s contact picture in his phone.

whether or not kay continues to work here after the case is still up in the air. her and miles’ financial situation is pretty good, but kay’s also the independent type, so i feel like she’d want to save her own money for things instead of having to ask for it.

It’s lucky that at this point the girls are saved from their forced jobs, and Phoenix brings them down to the park, where things go as they do in canon with Maya channeling Mia to get information out of Kudo. Phoenix just kind of pushes Kay behind him while Mia does her thing, because if Miles ever found out he let Kay do something like that, he would never forgive him. It does lead, however, to this interaction here:

“and what have we learned today?” “take what you got and exploit the men who think with their di--” “okay! let’s get back to the investigation, shall we?!” “...klavier, why are you looking down at your chest?” “huh? just thinking.”

listen, klavier doesn’t button up his shirt all the way for a reason, and this is why.

Kay gets a bit ticked off that the prosecutor is Godot again (something that the guys predict because she complained about her hair smelling like coffee for days after being in the splash zone of the last trial). Fortunately, she doesn’t have to be here since the trial primarily covers school days. However, the Themis Trio does help out with the investigation when they’re free, taking a look at Blue Screens while Phoenix and Maya handle Tres Bien. They regroup when its time to head to Tender Lender.

Things go pretty much the same from there until the end with the confrontation with Tigre at Tres Bien. There’s another change here since Tigre and Armstrong are outnumbered. Phoenix still gets punched, but its not Tigre who grabs the medical papers. It’s Sebastian in a moment of panic. This basically leads to them playing keep-away with the papers as they try to get out with them and get away from Tigre. It doesn’t work out, though, because eventually as the papers are returned to Phoenix and the gang goes to flee, Tigre grabs and pulls an off-guard Kay back. It’s an exchange -- the papers for the girl. (think that one situation in ablaze but without the threat of getting shot.)

But that’s not what happens because like in canon, Gumshoe comes to the rescue. And he is more pissed off than before because that’s his pseudo-niece. Phoenix and the kids run out of there as soon as they can. Later that night, Miles asks about the bruises on Kay’s arm from where Tigre had grabbed her. She’s not sure what to say.

Miles gets involved in the background of this case due to Kay’s injury, helping out Gumshoe when it comes to getting the bottle analyzed (and getting assault added to the list of crimes Tigre is charged with.) Both him and Kay are pleased when Tigre gets arrested.

Turnabout Beginnings

We already covered this case in Part 1. Kay was in the audience watching. Primarily, this is mostly skipped aside from Kay mentioning it to Phoenix very earlier on. I’m talking like... last part early during Reunion. Thinking about that while in the hospital sparks his interest in taking a look at it via Mia’s case files.

Bridge to the Turnabout

With Miles out of the country, Kay is free to kind of do whatever. Because she’s friends with Maya, Pearl drags her up to Hazakura, partially against Kay’s will because its cold and she hates the cold.

She faintly recognizes Iris because as said before, she sat in on Beginnings. She knows what Dahlia looks like. However, because it was so long ago for her, she doesn’t quite remember why. She does play into Larry’s whole artist thing, but refuses to call him Laurice. (”okay... good for you, larry.” “laurice!” “i’m not calling you that.”)

As for Elise, the most that Kay knows about her is that she’s an author. Though, unlike Maya, she does take note of how similar she looks to the painting of Misty, as well as Maya and Mia. (maya must’ve noticed some similarities herself, but why she didn’t say anything is a mystery to me.)

Kay’s starting to think that this trip might not be so bad... until everything goes to shit when she’s woken up by a scream. As a result, both she and Phoenix head out to the courtyard and discover Elise’s body. Unlike Phoenix, however, Kay has her phone on her. She’s not able to tell him this, though, because Phoenix is already running to the bridge. She gives chase, trying to catch up.

Things go on as normal. The bridge is on fire, they meet up with Larry. And Phoenix runs across the bridge. He falls. Kay screams.

Kay and Larry both find and pull Phoenix out of the river. Larry calls the police while Kay is trying to calm herself down and keep Phoenix from possibly dying. The only person she can think of to call is Miles. So yes, in this version of the story, Kay handles the phone call to Edgeworth, so things are a bit more well explained on that end. Not entirely, because Kay’s freaking the fuck out, but a bit better.

The police arrive, Iris is arrested and Phoenix is taken to the hospital with Kay riding in the ambulance as well (after some heavy persuasion.) She’s at the hospital all night, and is there when Miles arrives. He’s relieved that she’s alright, especially after the phone call he received from her last night. It’s pure luck that Phoenix survived the fall with minimal injury and a cold. Kay calls him stupid in at least seven different ways when they’re finally let into his room.

Kay is still freaked out over everything that happened the night before, so she sticks by her dad’s side. She’s there to straighten out Larry at the detention center and explain the magatama in a bit more detail than a fever-hazy Phoenix since she’s seen him use it multiple times before. Alon

Basically, Kay is the Maya to Miles’s Phoenix here. Miles doesn’t want her to be on the case with him, but she does so anyway. She claims it’s because she’s the defense attorney in training and she knows more about it than he does since she was there, too. During the investigation, Kay finds out about Pearl and Maya being on the other side of the bridge and gets worried as heck for their safety.

She’s also the one who handles getting Franziska to prosecute. Kay lies and says that Phoenix had a pretty big case on his hands that still needed a prosecutor, and Franziska took the bait. Needless to say, Fran’s a bit ticked off when she discovers the truth.

But the best part about this is father-daughter standing at the bench together. It is a lot of fun banter between them and Franziska, too. And Kay gets another Larry-Induced headache when he testifies on the stand. Though, due to what happened with Goodbyes, she trusts him to some extent and his trying to figure out what the heck actually happened.

When the trial gets out and Phoenix is back in the saddle, Kay calls him stupid again for investigating while sick. She works in tandem with both him and Miles for this part of the case. Yeah, she’s part of the investigation team.

She’s relieved when they finally find Pearl on the other side of the bridge (Kay gets a small hug from Pearls, have that visual.) She, like everyone else, is confused about why Godot is there. Unlike the others, however, Kay is incredibly close to fighting a man about twice her age when he starts going after Phoenix for his involvement in Mia’s death.

When the earthquake hits, the first thing Kay’s mind goes to is her dad. She races to find Miles first before anything else. She’s lived with him since she was ten years old. She knows about his fear of earthquakes.

After discovering the locks on the door, Kay does follow Miles out to the garden. He does get a hug from her, since she’s not sure what else to do at the time. Compared to last year, it shows that they’re doing a lot better. She’s also there when Phoenix comes by and manages to figure out the Hawthorne connection pretty quickly. She leaks the information to Phoenix, despite Miles’s protests. (”i’m not a prosecutor, so i don’t have to keep my mouth shut.”)

When it comes to the trial the next day, Kay’s in the gallery with everyone else since Phoenix claims that he has to do this alone (another thing that Kay calls him stupid for.) She’s on the edge of her seat the entire time -- watching as Phoenix unmasks and stands before the spirit of the woman who tried to kill him. And after exercising her from Maya’s body, Kay claims that she’s no longer phased by anything weird that happens in court.

Though, she is surprised when Phoenix accuses Godot of the crime. She doesn’t like the guy as much as the next person -- he’s a huge jerk -- but what? As the mystery begins to unravel, she starts to see how he got there, she’s kind of awestruck. She never expected Phoenix to come into his own like this. In the end, though, Godot confesses and things go pretty much the same way as they do in canon.

After all is said and done, Kay promises that she’ll become a defense attorney as great as both Mia Fey and the amazing Phoenix Wright. Phoenix will deny that this ever happened, but he did start to tear up a little upon hearing that. He becomes her mentor after the events of this case. It’ll become an important factor in Kay’s decisions later on that year... right around April.

And that’s it for the trilogy! There are some more parts that I want to add on, such as the ripples all this has created in the later games -- the investigation games especially.

[off-in-the-moors]

Joseph Kavinsky analysis, part 2

aka no voice and no dream pack

Warnings: spoilers for the whole Raven Cycle, mentions of: drug-use, abuse, death, s*cid, xenophobia

Part 1 // Part 2

Before starting, I wanted to thank for likes and support, not only on part 1 but also on my other posts. I was writing this more for the catharsis, after months of seeing and not really speaking about a lot of stuff. It’s nice to know, somebody read it. Some say, Kavinsky is their comfort character and, well, he will stay with me for a very long time. But enough of that. Let's talk about the point of view, xenophobia and the Dream Pack.

PoV

The running motif in TRC is, all antagonists get PoVs. No matter if they appear in one book (like Whelk) or reoccur (like the Greenmatles). The reader gets multiple chapters with their backstories, internal thoughts and goals. This move by the author is a double-edged sword, on one hand we get a better understanding of them but on the other, by knowing them better they become less effective antagonists and the air of mystery and surprise of what they're up-to/what they know is lost. E.g. In TDT we are first told about Colin Greenmatle and what is he capable of, making him a good threat for our main characters. But when we finally meet him in BLLB, with his attitude and scenes like dissing Ronan's Latin grammar or making cheese crackers while his wife is held at gun-point, he becomes more of a comedic antagonist than a villain to fear.

But here's the thing: I already lied to you. In TRC, all antagonists get PoVs, except for Kavinsky. It's a odd exception from the rule, considering Gray Man in TDT and The Wasp Demon in The Raven King, also got PoVs. But why? There are two things to look at. One I already mentioned. By giving a character PoV, the reader gets better understanding of them. By not giving Kavinsky one, Margaret didn't give anything to make K or his actions clear or understandable. By not knowing his motivations, K is left to pure interpretations, but how the reader will do it mostly will be influenced by his demonetization. Of course, not everybody will just accept what the book tells them without thinking for themselves but most fans don't.

"Bang", he said softly, withdrawing the fake gun. "See you on the street."

Alone, this single line can be interpreted in many different ways. Is it K being angry and threatening Ronan? Or maybe Joseph breaking inside because he was proofen, he really has no one? It all depends on the reader.

Second, when asked on her tumblr, if she'll ever write anything from K's pov (in 2015, before The Raven King was published), M*ggie said she won't, because: she already explored that type of character ("the thoughts and motivations of a powerful, suicidal, creative person with few inhibitions") in Sinner (2014, spin-off/companion book of her older series, The Wolves of Mercy Falls, 2009-2011 for the main three) with Cole St. Clair; that writing through PoV of such character is emotionally and mentally draining for her (which is understandable); and even if she wanted to explore it again in the future, she would through a different character's lenses than K's.

Let's talk about St. Clair.

The characters of Cole and Kavinsky have some similarities: both are drug addicts, who are rich.

That's where they end.

Cole was a famous musician, having the stereotypical rock-star life (drugs, alcohol and sleeping with fans included) with good family relationships, while K was a son of a mobster who tried to kill him and a mother who was a drug-addict herself. While their perspectives would have similarities, there is also other problems. Cole St. Clair already got PoVs in his series and a stand-alone book, Joseph Kavinsky got nothing and will get nothing. Cole had friends that cared for him and helped him, Joseph Kavinsky had his Dream Pack (which whom we don't know what type of relation he had) and his customers who we can safely say, only cared for what he can provide them with, he tried to befriend or start a relation with Ronan who rejected even the idea of it and no one even reached out to him. Cole got his happy ending and (hinted at) a girl he loved, K got rejected by everyone and committed public suicide. (Now, I heard a opinion that K didn't commit suicide, because the dragon killed him. Here is the thing, K could move out of the way multiple times, even Ronan shouted to him to move. But he didn't. He watched the dragon fly towards him and just said "The world is a nightmare.". He choose death.)

People wanted K's PoV, because they wanted to know, what pushed him to do what he did in TDT. But, in my opinion, even if M*ggie gave K pov, she would use it to further demonize him than to make the reader understand him more. She already did write a whole post exaggerating and straw-manning the canon, just to also say "Kavinsky has a very logical backstory that leads him to this place". A backstory we as the reader never truly see and one she forgot to write into her book. At the end, she truly cared only about Ronan.

Xenophobia

The Raven Cycle is a very flawed and problematic series, there are already many other posts taking about racism, misogyny, lack of diversity and many other issues with it, but in regards to Kavinsky, I'll only touch on the xenophobia. (I could talk also about portray of metal-illness, but I'm not the person to talk about it and I would feel comfortable with it.)

Kavinsky is a stereotype of a Slavic person, one we see in American media since the Cold War, especially in 80s movies. The Evil Russian trope. The son of the mobster, drug-addict, forger who can get you anything even illegal stuff, a thief.

When describing Kavinsky, one of the things Ronan mentions is: "refugee's face, hollowed-eyed and innocent". One could argue, "refugee" has many meanings, but boiling it down, is a person who came to the country to escape and seek a refuge. Many people moved to America to find a better life, in the believe of the American Dream, and many of them where driven to do that, especially from ex-Eastern Bloc countries. Kavinsky's Bulgarian, unknown if an immigrant himself or a son of immigrants, but the point still stands.

About Blue’s comment "import from somewhere else" I don't need to say much. First, obvious: You don't import people, only foreign goods, like cars. Second: this shows, he is "the other" in the eyes of the characters.

There is more to it, then just the physical description. We need to look at the outfit he wears. White tank top, white sunglasses, a small earring in one ear and a gold chain around his neck. This gives two images: one of a typical douche-bag, party asshole and the rich kid; the second of a Slavic stereotype, especially of a Russian criminal. If Margaret wanted to make K even bigger stereotype, she would dress him like a dress/gopnik, in a tracksuit.

The thing is: M*ggie could had saved the situation if she had subverted the stereotypes. E.g. K didn't wanting anything to do with the crime live, his family was forced into by circumstances or K being the guy to get stuff from, but he isn't doing it for any gain.

The truth is, K being Bulgarian doesn't add anything to his character, except for xenophobia. (Personally, I tried to find where the surname "Kavinsky" came from. It is Slavic, that much I can tell you for sure, but the rest is my speculation and searching. My best guesses are: Russian (it appears most commonly in Russian, after USA and a use in Russia set novel) or Polish (because it has uncanny simulates to the surname "Kawiński", if it was anglicized like e.g. "Kamiński" into "Kaminsky"). This isn't a common surname and with Peter from the To All the Boys trilogy and the musician, it's hard to find any information.)

But for now, K's portray is one of the many issues.

The Dream Pack or the lack of it

The Dream Pack is the unofficial name for K's group, with whom he parties and races (the canon name is "Kavinsky's Pack of Dogs" which is ugh). They're unfortunately, a non-characters. It's bolt to even call them background characters. Their portray, or again, lack of it, leaves them as props, their only role is to be K's followers and to show K as a leader on a equal ground as Gansey. We're lead to believe, they are like Kavinsky, yet another raven boys, and to make are main characters so “not like the other raven boys”. Problem rises in connection to the previous point, out of four members, only one has an English surname.

Prokopenko is a Ukrainian surname and for his description, we get "ears like wingnuts", "crooked shoulders" and his voice as "milky with drugs". It's said he had "recently attained official crony status", and was noted being in close desecrate to K for a while. Later we discover Proko is a forgery, a dream creature like Matthew and Aurora. It's heavily implied the real Prokopenko is dead, but if K had something to do with it, is unknown. He is the only character to "chortle", which Margaret said she hates and also "fratty boys and the chortling men they turn into". From this we can deduce, that not only the Dream Pack and people at K's parties but all raven boys (with the exception of the main characters) were writen like this on purpose as the personification of everything M*ggie hates. We are also informed, he drives a Golf.

Skov, who according to a deleted scene, full name is Blake Skovron, is polish (or at least anglicized version of it). In said deleted scene he's described as "major asshole, minor bigot" (unfortunately I couldn't find it to confirm it). The only canon stuff about him is: he drives a RX-7 (Mazda RX-7).

Jiang is Chinese, making him one of three canon Asian characters we see in the series (not counting Henry's father, because he's just mentioned, same goes for the Vancouver crowd). Like Proko, his role is a little bigger. In the Raven King, after Ronan finally returns to school after a long time of skipping, he tells him: "Hey, man, I thought you'd died". Ronan doesn't respond, but tells the reader he doesn't want to see Jiang outside of his car, racing. The only other thing we know about him: he drives a Supra (Toyota Supra).

Swan is the only one with an English name, but all we know about him is: he drives Volkswagen Golf, one that matches Proko's.

(For future writers: what car a character drives, isn't a personality trait.)

With the already minimal diversity, this shows the non-Americans as the antagonists or at least "the worst". On the opposite side, we have our main characters. Richard Campbell Gansey III, who has the whitest and British name I ever saw; Adam Parrish, born and raised in Henrietta, Virginia; Ronan Lynch, son of a Irish immigrant, whose Irish identity starts and ends on tit-bits; Blue Sargent, who is half-tree and ambiguous, but was drawn as white by the author multiple times (Yes, I am aware of the Instagram post, but Margaret herself said, she isn't confirming anything that isn't already written in her books. She couldn't even confirm Adam's hair color and made a joke out of it.) The only exception is Noah Czerny, whose surname is Slavic (probably Czech), but this bares no effect on his character.

The Dream Pack are the whole communities babies, created by head-canons and fanons, their relations with Kavinsky and themselves are explored, who they are as people, their appearance, their interests... This is beautiful how many different versions and interpretations of non-existing characters is there. (I, myself also made a version for a rewrite, based partly on the fanon.)

But at the end of the day, the fans did the author's job of creating believe friend group and in the end, their only function was to show, Kavinsky is a king, just like Gansey.

[itawonka-creates]

This Jewelry Will End Up Killing Me - CH 1

So this Konosuba AU actually got attention and I love this dumb fleeting idea so I’ll run with it. It’ll be short and the chapters won’t be super long, but - by god’s name - there will be a story arch. [Prologue] [Chapter 2]

“What are your parents’ names?”

“Talia and Bruce.”

“Siblings?”

“Too many.”

“Pets?”

“Is this going to be the whole trip with you?” Marinette pouted and he rolled his eyes, “You don’t get out much do you?”

“Nope. Alya’s the adventurous one. I get kind jealous of her and Nino’s travels.”

“Alya?”

“Alya’s my best friend and Nino’s my longest friend. They make a very effective couple.” He hummed in acknowledgement. Keeping her talking meant he didn’t have to answer any more questions. “Do you have a best friend?” Of course it didn’t last.

Damian thought about it for a while before shrugging, “Jon. He’s one of the only people who can keep up with me and we work well together.” He scowled and pointed at her, “Never tell him that.”

Marinette blinked and shrugged, “Okay?”

Right, she didn’t know Jon. She didn’t know anything. Tikki tapped his shoulder and he looked around, “Are we close?”

“Very.” She looked at the bustling crowd in front of her and grabbed his arm, “C’mon.” Damian allowed himself to get dragged around the unfamiliar town and simply took in the scenery. As big as it initially seemed, he figured it wasn’t too hard to navigate. He looked around at the peaceful atmosphere and found himself feeling a bit envious. He thought back to his city and to the state he left it in. This world had literal monsters, yet his city was the one in tatters. “Damian?”

“Hm?” He brought his attention back to an odd looking building with large doors. If this was an RPG, this place would be begging to be interacted with. “I’m assuming this is the place.”

“Yep.” She stood there for a moment and motioned for him to open it. Damian sighed and pushed through the entrance and was immediately greeted by a man sitting by a bar. He looked rugged and almost stereotypical in his appearance. He was an adventurer for sure, but the leering put him on the defensive side. He was about to say something when Marinette gasped, “What are you wearing?” The man blinked and looked down at his clothes. She didn’t hesitate to run to his side and pull him to his feet, “Who told you this was a good look?”

“What?”

Damian widened his eyes once he realized this girl had a death wish. “Marinette-”

She didn’t even acknowledge him. She had the same look in her eye when she first looked at his costume. It was starting to give him the creeps. “This bulky armor doesn’t compliment you at all! I mean you look like a weird puffed up bird! No figure or anything!” She shook her head, “You need something leaner. You have broad shoulders but a small waist. This just hangs off of you and makes you look huge!”

Damian smacked the back of her head, “Marinette!”

The man towered over them and almost glared at her. Damian pulled Marinette behind him and tensed. This girl had death wish being so forward and insulting a man clearly used to fighting. He stepped forward and Damian reached to grab a weapon before the man frowned, “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes!”

“What?” Marinette pushed forward and continued talking to the man, giving him tips even. “What?” She shushed Damian and pushed him away as she continued to give the adventurer tips. “What?”

She finally turned and snapped at him, “What, Damian, what?” Damian really wanted to strangle her, but that would be against his father’s code. He opted to drag her away from the entrance and further into the building, “Hey!”

“You are incorrigible.”

“What?”

“Seriously? How’d you make it this far?”

Marinette narrowed her eyes and shook her arm out of his grip, “That’s not nice!”

Damian scoffed, “Not nice? What are you? 5?”

“I’m 17 thank you very much.” She looked him up and down, “And you?”

“We’re the same age.”

“I don’t know. Many of the men around here are taller than you.”

Damian growled and turned away from her, “Just show me where to register!”

“Fine! Fine.” She looked around and pointed, “Over there.” He looked over and saw a wall with clerk windows. There was a woman wiping the outside table down in a less than comfortable looking outfit.

His shoulders fell and he walked over, “Excuse me?”

She looked up and smiled, “Yes?”

“I’d like to register.”

“Oh? Do you have the registration fee?”

He pulled out the bag Chloe gave him and plopped it on the table, “This enough?”

The woman blinked and pulled a few coins from the bag, “Thank you?” She grabbed a very unique object and motioned to it, “Go ahead.”

He examined it. It looked like something out of a dumb manga Jon read. It looked like a large shiny blue orb being held in place by the brown iron mold and some gears. The space between the bottom and the needle sticking out of the orb was a fair size, but looked intimidating. The whole thing screamed magic.

The woman noticed his hesitation and simply smiled, “Allow me to explain how this all works.” Damian nodded, grateful for the woman’s kind nature as back home he’d expect nothing less than 26 hours of teasing for not knowing something. “Adventurer is a generic class and your skills are important.” She pulled out a card and pointed at it, “This brings us to your registration card. It keeps track of your level based on all the monsters you’ve killed! When your level increases, you’ll gain points that you can trade to learn new skills.” She looked at the two and gave them a thumbs up, “Work hard and you’ll raise your level in no time!”

She motioned back to the device, “On to the next step! Would you please hold your hand over the crystal, sir?” She put the card on the bottom and stepped aside.

“Sure.” He took off his glove and held his hand over the orb, “Like this?” The device lit up and gears started rotating. Light from the crystal orb funneled down towards the needle. After concentrating on the tip for a moment, the light burst out into a steady stream and started writing on the card. “Woah.”

“Once it’s finished the evaluation process, you’ll get your current stats. Based on those, we’ll know which class suits you best!” After a moment the device stopped and the light died down. Damian pulled his hand back and the woman pulled the card out, “Alright! Let’s see your stats.” She read over the card, “Damian Wayne? Interesting name. Huh?”

“What?”

“Your agility and dexterity is incredibly high! Your intelligence isn’t anything to scoff at either! Strength is above average as well as well as your health. Your luck is terrible and your magic is low but still!” Damian smirked and put back on his glove. “Your magic is low, so you can’t be an arch priest or a mage. However, you could probably be a crusader or swords master – Oh! I know! You could be in the assassin class!”

Damian flinched, “Assassin?”

“Yes! Either that or a thief could be a great pairing for your level of dexterity!”

Damian’s eye twitched, even in this new world he couldn’t escape his past. Marinette gently placed a hand on his shoulder brought his attention back to the present, “Hey, if you don’t like the class you can choose to be an average adventurer class for now. We can always decide after you level up some more.”

Damian relaxed a bit under her touch and shook his head, “No. Give me the assassin class.”

“Are you sure? She’s right you know. You can always come back later.”

“Yes. Trust me when I say that’s the best class for me.” Marinette frowned and he shook his head, “Your turn.”

“What?”

“Your turn.”

Marinette looked between him and the woman patiently waiting by the window, “Me?”

The woman smiled, “If you’d like.”

Marinette jumped back, “No! No! No! I couldn’t – I mean, there’s no way!”

Damian quirked a brow, “Are you serious?”

“I couldn’t!”

“Of course you could, just go.”

“No!”

Damian reached for her hand and she drew it back. He frowned and stepped forward, making another attempt to snatch her arm. Again, she evaded. They looked at each other for a moment, a beat passing between them before both pounced. “GIVE ME YOUR HAND!”

“NEVER!” The two ran around the tables, completely ignoring the other patrons who simply watched amused and confused. Marinette slammed her hand on a table and Damian stopped on the opposite side of it. “No!”

“C’mon!”

“NO!”

“You just talked about your friends’ adventures-“

“They’re real adventurers!”

Damian rolled his eyes, watched her for a second before mumbling, “Screw it.” He jumped on the table and threw himself at her. She screamed her dropped to the ground and crawled under the table. The yelps from the women she crawled past to get to the other side were completely ignored as she ran. “MARINETTE!”

“NEVER!” The patrons were getting a kick out of this. She could tell and she glared at all of them. She grabbed the arm of the man she met when they first walked in and hid behind him, “Stop!”

Damian merely saw the man as an obstacle, a pillar between the two, and made a grab for her. “Just register!”

“Damian!”

“Marinette!”

Marinette pushed the man forward, making him stumble into Damian, and scrambled. The other bar patrons cheered her on as she made her escape. “Damian, no!”

“You are being too dramatic here!” He looked around the bar. Simple. Bunch of tables. Not a lot of hiding spots. She can’t outrun him, only evade him. Good. He watched her and she looked like she was going to turn right. He took the opportunity to shove a man out of his seat, running and jumping on the table tops as he did his best to avoid food and drink. He was gaining on her this way, but he was surprised to find that he was pushing himself in this chase. He dove off the table and toppled her over, both rolling on the ground until he pinned her down. The men and women cheered at the escapade as two struggled to catch their breath.

Marinette blew her bangs out of her face and pouted, “I don’t wanna.”

“Stop acting like a little kid. You know you idolize these people.” He pulled her to her feet and kept a firm grip on her wrist. He took a step towards the registration desk, but she didn’t budge. She shook her head and he narrowed his eyes at her.

A moment passed before she gasped, “You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

“Damian, no-” She shrieked as he flung her over his shoulder. She kicked and screamed, “DAMIAN!” Some of the men laughed and whistled at the two while she hid her red face. She groaned, “No…”

One dared to yell out, “She’s a feisty one!” Marinette and Damian both glared at the man, making him cough and look away.

Damian walked over the desk and set her down in front of the device, “Register.”

“Damian-”

“Register.”

“But-”

“Re-“

“C’mon-”

“-gi-“

“But-”

“-ster.”

She stomped her foot and looked at the device hesitantly. She held her hand a safe distance away and groaned, “I don’t want to.”

Damian rolled his eyes and sighed, “You’re like a little kid.”

“Thank you.”

He placed his hand over hers, exposing the palm and dragging it to the device. Damian wondered if she was still reeling from the chase because her face continued to stay red as it printed on a blank card. She stopped struggling in his grip, though he didn’t think he was clutching too hard. When it done printing, Damian tried to pull his hand back but she grabbed it again and gave it a squeeze. He was about to ask her why when he noticed she was staring intently at the woman reading her card.

“Let’s see. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Ah! The baker’s daughter!” Marinette smiled, but he could tell it was a bit forced. The woman hummed as she continued, “Average across the board. Your intelligence is high, that’s good. Oh wow! Your luck is way above average! Unfortunately, that’s not an essential stat for the adventurer class. With this much luck I recommend you be a merchant instead.”

Marinette sighed and frowned, “I knew it.”

The woman noticed her disappointment and was quick to do damage control, “L-Like I said before, you can choose to be an average adventurer class for now. We can always change it later or-”

“No, no. It’s fine.” Marinette shrugged and forced another smile, “I’m just the baker’s daughter after all.” She looked at the card in the clerk’s hands and mumbled, “Of course I’m just average.” She sighed and there was a clear melancholy in her eyes, “Just a normal girl with a normal life.”

The woman continued to do her best reassure the girl in front of her, “Merchants can make a very good living and with your luck you’d be very well off and-”

“She’s an adventurer.” The two snapped their heads to Damian and he repeated himself, “She’s an adventurer.”

The woman nodded, “A-Alright.”

She handed over the card and Damian snatched it out of her hand. He grabbed the coin bag off the counter, “C’mon.” Marinette struggled to say something, anything, but the sound of a strangled cat was all she made as he dragged her away. She noticed how he kept looking forward and she wondered if something she did offended him. Marinette stuttered a bit before sighing and squeezing his hand again.

“I’m sorry.”

“No I am. I got caught up in the moment.” It was the first apology he’d given her and from the little time they’ve spent together she could tell it was a rare occasion. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“What’s not a bad thing?”

“Being average. It’s not a bad thing.” He pulled her in front of a bulletin board and looked at her, “It means you’re well rounded. You have potential to be anything and everything. Besides, with your luck you could probably find yourself doing whatever you want.”

Marinette relaxed and she smiled once more. This one wasn’t forced, instead it was a soft expression. There were a few wrinkles around her eyes, telling him that it was genuine, and he was surprised to see it. He’s seen her embarrassed, he’s seen her worked up, he’s seen her hyper fixated, and he’s seen her sad but this was different. It was something authentic and sweet. He suddenly felt the need to pull his hand back and instead shoved the card into her hands. “Here.”

She looked over her card, “Thank you.”

“I’m assuming I look here for jobs and monster quests?”

She looked up at the bulletin, “Yep.” She looked around the board and tapped on one of the fliers, “Let’s hunt toads outside the town. It’s breeding season for them so they tend to be around a lot.”

“What’s wrong with a few toads?”

“They eat the goats off the farms and sometimes kids go missing.” Damian’s eyes widened, he wondered if she was messing with him. Her matter of fact tone told him otherwise, “Their meat will sell well.”

Damian groaned, “Alright.” He pulled his mask out and looked it over. No matter where he went he had to fight something. He frowned as he put it over his face, adjusting it until it was resting comfortably. He pulled out one of his swords, briefly looking it over and he caught his own reflection. He narrowed his eyes before looking over at Marinette. “Let’s go.”

When he usually gets ready to go, people follow. It was a routine occurrence when with team and his family. Hell, even if he wasn’t with them anyone took it as a sign to roll out. Based off of Marinette’s expression, he was doing something unusual. She bit her lip in a miserable attempt to hide some snickering. Damian frowned, “What?”

Her snort made him glare, “What was that?” Damian’s shoulders fell as Marinette hid her grin behind her hand, “Was that supposed –“ She giggled, “- was that supposed to be cool?”

Damian sighed and lowered his sword, “No.”

“I mean the cape, the dramatic turn –“

This type of thing is so mundane in his world, but replaying the scene through her eyes was telling. “No.”

“- the mask, the sword –“

He knew Dick was dramatic at times, but he figured he took after his Father. Was his father this theatrical? “No…”

“- the frown -”

“Marinette-”

She licked her lips and did a dramatic turn, purposefully lowering her voice and narrowing her eyes at him, “’Let’s go.’”

He ran his fingers through his hair as his eyes widened, “Oh my god, I’m becoming Grayson.”

“Who?” Damian shook his head, she had no idea who he was talking about. Marinette licked her lips and grinned, “You know for an assassin, you really stand out.”

Damian sighed and put his sword away, “Okay, fine.” He looked Marinette in the eye and took a deep breath as he forced his next comment out, “Tell me something. What should I wear then? Clearly, I stand out here.”

There it was again, the same look in her eyes as before. She examined his expression, hesitant to jump on the chance in case he wasn’t serious. When she found no hint of deception, she gulped. “Really?”

Damian wondered just how many times she was denied the chance to display her skills. Clearly she knew what she was talking about and had a passion for it, but she was so afraid to take the chance. It was as if he would laugh at her or take the opportunity away once she grabbed for it. Damian filed that train of thought for another time. For now, he could feel the stares of the other patrons watching them and he was growing more uncomfortable by the second. “Yes?”

First was the spark in her eyes, next came the ever-growing grin, then bouncing. She could’ve bounced off the walls, instead she grabbed his arm and headed for the nearest exit. She started rambling about the different aspects of his uniform. “Why does an assassin need those loud colors? You are asking to get caught. And what is with that mask? Your name is on your adventurer’s card! Don’t get me started on the cape!” She continued on as they made it outside and she looked towards the shopping district. She held him close as they weaved through the crowds and she expressed more of her ideas.

Damian didn’t know what to make of her. He snuck a peek at Tikki for any type of guidance, but she provided no help. Only a knowing smile and quiet giggle. He looked around and noticed a girl on a rooftop watching them closely, but before he could say anything Marinette pulled him into a shop. She was in her element despite the residential chaos surrounding them in the market. It was like watching a different person.

“-his one?”

Damian shook his head, “What?”

“What do you think about this one? As an assassin class you’ll want darker colors and clothes easy to move in.” She pushed a shirt into his hands, “Tell me if you like anything.”

“Aren’t you the expert?”

“I’m not going to force you to wear things you don’t like.” She held up a red shirt resembling the top of his uniform. She smiled and handed it to him, “I want your input too.”

He looked back at the rooftop and noticed the girl was gone. His nerves stayed with him, but he still looked around the shop. “This isn’t exactly my scene.”

“Well, that’s why I’m here isn’t it? Guess you’re just lucky to have me around.” He raised his brow at her and she giggled, “It’ll be fun. I swear.”

He highly doubted it. Still, standing out could just make him an easy target in the long run. He needed to integrate himself here. He’s playing by different rules and right now his only real ally is the girl in front of him. He rolled his eyes, “Give me the dark green one.” She gladly handed it over and he bit the skin in his inner cheek. Even if he was getting help, he was already tired of this mission. He whispered to Tikki, “You are going to owe me big time.” Tikki giggled as another shirt hit his face.

[i-needa-nap-please]

Friends and Food

Summary:  

Usagi invites Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki over to celebrate New Year's.

Notes: 

This takes place before Usagi knows the Three Lights are the Starlights.

This was written for @docholligay’s same prompt party. 

The prompt was Usagi Tsukino and "New Year's Fireworks".

It’s also on ao3, if you’re interested. 

“Why did you drag me here?” Yaten, who was currently wrapped under five layers of blankets, bitterly muttered under her breath. “I could be home and sleeping right now, but instead, I’m freezing my damn ass off.” 

“Maybe, if you stopped being a bitch for five seconds, you could actually have a good time.” Seiya snapped back.  Currently, Seiya was sitting on one of those cheap folding chairs that were usually only used by parents at rec-league sporting games. A warm, big fire smoked in front of her - which was the only thing preventing Seiya from leaping out of her chair and tackling Yaten to the ground. Taking a deep breath, Seiya tried to remember she was here to relax. Even if Yaten kept acting like a huge ass, she should just brush it off and enjoy herself. She had to. For Usagi. “Bunhead’s really excited to do this with us - so please, try to be less of a bitch. I know that’s hard for you, but try.”

“Whatever.” Yaten grumbled, curling into her own shitty canvas folding chair. 

A silence overtook the two as they patiently waited for Usagi and Taiki’s return. Bits of ember crackled in front of them, illuminating the otherwise dark night. Noises drifted in from outside the Tsukino’s backyard. The Tsukino’s neighbors were also outside, eagerly awaiting the - firewalks? Firewongs? Fire-somethings. Neither Seiya or Yaten could remember what word Usagi had been bambling to them about earlier. But whatever it was, it was certainly a big event. It seemed everyone in Tokyo was outside with their families, just waiting for them to start. 

“It’s snack time!” Usagi’s loud voice broke the lull between the two, making them both look over their shoulder towards the girl. Usagi, outfitted in some cozy-looking bunny pajamas, bounced over to Seiya and Yaten. In her hands was a single, already-half-eaten chocolate bar. Behind her, Taiki had her arms full of various different treats: chocolates, chips, sodas, and more goodies than four people could possibly hope to eat in one night. “Help yourself! But don’t touch the peanut butter cups! Those are mine!” Usagi plopped into her own chair before taking another bite out of her chocolate bar. “Oh!” She perked up in her chair, speaking while loudly chewing. “And don’t touch the barbeque chips either! Those are also mine!” 

Taiki unburdened herself by carefully setting the large haul of junk food on the ground, out of the fire’s reach. With a sigh, she plopped into another chair, while simultaneously grabbing a bag of cookies for herself.

“Thank you again for having us over tonight, Miss Tsukino.” As always, Taiki spoke like she was giving some lecture. So methodically and evenly. Like a teacher. 

Usagi hummed and nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, sure! It’s no problem! Fireworks are better with friends! And food!”

“Ah, yes. Fireworks.” Taiki nodded while opening the bag of cookies. “I was hoping-.” 

“Wait!” Usagi lunged forward, interrupting Taiki and ripping the cookies out of her hands. “Those are mine too! Sorry!” She certainly didn’t sound sorry, though. The Starlights watched as Usagi then shoveled a few cookies into her mouth - which was already full of chocolate - without a care in the world. As if she hadn’t just rudely yanked them out of Taiki’s hands. 

“Jeez, can we eat anything you brought out?” Yaten spat, giving Usagi one of her more menacing glances. It was wholly ineffective on Usagi, who just continued to stuff sweets down her throat. 

“Yeah,” Usagi simply responded. “You can eat the stuff that’s not mine.” 

“Well it seems like everything you brought out is for you.” Yaten retorted.

“That’s not true…” Her sentence trailed off as she stared at the pile of snacks. Slowly, Usagi got off her chair and kneeled besides the pile. She stared at the pile with a level of concentration that looked downright disturbing on Usagi. Eventually, she set aside about five different bags of chips and candy - and a few sodas as well, because Usagi was a kind and generous host (according to herself, at least). “That’s all for you.” Usagi gestured to the small pile before gesturing to the big pile. “And that’s for me!”

Yaten looked ready to burst, so Seiya quickly cut in. She let out a hardy laugh as she reached out and stole a piece of candy from “Usagi’s” pile. Usagi tried to stop Seiya’s theft, but Seiya was far too quick for her. In mere moments, Seiya had half a candy bar down her throat. 

“Y’know,” Seiya started conversationally between bites. “Being stingy isn’t good for you.” 

“Being a thief isn’t good for you either!” Usagi retorted, but didn’t attempt to steal the candy back. Instead, she plopped back into her seat and angrily nibbled on the cookie’s she stole from Taiki. “Imagine what the headlines will say when I tell the press about this! Popular Idol Steals From A Defenseless, Pretty, Cute, Amazing, and Beautiful Girl!”

Yaten snorted. “I doubt the headlines will look like that. More like, Little Brat Gets What She Deserves.” The shade of red in Usagi’s cheeks matched the fiery red of the flames in front of them. Yaten truly did have a talent for making people angry.

“Anyways.” Taiki pointedly interrupted before things got out of hand. “As I was saying earlier, I was hoping you could tell us a bit more about these… fireworks, Miss Tsukino.”

“Wait.” Any anger from before was completely gone as Usagi looked between the Starlights with wide eyes. “You guys don’t know what fireworks are?” 

“Er, no?” Seiya hesitantly replied. Nervous glances were exchanged between the Starlights, but Usagi didn’t seem to notice them. “We used to live in the....countryside, so - um, we don’t know much about...fireworks. Or New Year’s celebrations in general. So, um, yeah.” That had to be the worst lie Yaten or Taiki had ever heard, but Usagi seemed to buy it. 

“I guess that makes sense.” Usagi hummed, tapping her finger against her chin. All of the Starlights let out a relieved sigh. “Fireworks are kinda hard to explain. Like, they’re really loud and can be scary - but at the same time, they’re so pretty! It’s like, like, seeing glowing flowers in the sky! They come in all different shapes and sizes! You’ll never see the same firework twice! Kinda like snowflakes.” Gesturing to the sky, Usagi finished her mini-speech. “That was a bit confusing. But trust me, once you see them, you’ll know what I mean!” 

“Huh, they sound really cool.” Seiya commented, leaning back in her chair and staring out at the sky. “Can’t wait to see ‘em.” A silence - which really wasn’t a silence, because they all were eating so loudly - overtook the fire as all four of them looked towards the sky. “So where are the others, Bunhead? I’m surprised your little posse isn’t here.” “Rei’s busy at the shrine. Shrine’s get really busy on New Year’s.” Usagi licked some chocolate off of her fingers. “Ami is spending New Year’s with her mom. And Mako likes to do a deep cleaning for New Year’s - so she’s at home doing that.” Pausing for a moment to think, Usagi licked the excess chocolate off her lips. “As for Minako, I think she mentioned something about a party? I asked her about it and she told me it wasn’t a party for kids, so I couldn’t come. I bugged her about it all day at school but she still didn’t tell me. Oh! And then Haruka and Michiru are doing something special - I think.” Usagi’s brows furrowed in concentration. “They didn’t actually tell me their plans, but when I asked them about it, Haruka just got all red! And all Michiru said was ‘we have big plans’, so it must be something fun!”

Seiya almost spit out the drink she had opened while Usagi was talking. “Oh yeah, I’m sure those two have some big-” Seiya emphasized this word with an obscene gesture “-plans, alright.” She doubled over, snickering to herself, shoulders shaking with laughter. Taiki and Usagi, who had missed the gesture, stared at her in confusion; while Yaten, who had seen the gesture, dramatically rolled her eyes. 

“Oh, grow up.” Yaten scoffed. “You act like a damn twelve year old.”

“Shut up! Nobody asked for your opinion, dumbass!” 

“Will you two both be quiet? That’s no way to speak in front of Miss Tsukino!” 

A loud noise - a bang - followed by an ear piercing whistle cut off the budding argument between the Starlights. All three of them jumped up from their chairs and quickly turned towards the noise, ready to fight. Still in her chair, Usagi let out an excited squeal and pointed to the sky, where a single, green flare soared. 

“They’re starting!” 

Another loud bang occured when the green flare reached its peak and then burst. It lit up the sky, like a great, huge, verdant flower. Rooftops were illuminated, people from other yards oohed and ahhed, and the bright lush light slowly faded back into the black of night. The Starlights stood, frozen to the spot. They stared with wide eyes, expressions changing from one of panic to one of wonder. Soon, more flares were shooting up to the sky. Each of them banging loudly as they exploded in brilliant, dazzling colors. 

It was absolutely memorizing. 

Slowly, each Starlight sat back down, eyes still glued to the display in front of them. Usagi, oblivious to the Starlight’s absolute awe-struck astonishment, continued to grin and giggle in her seat, all while shoveling in more cookies. The fireworks show began in earnest after that. Firework after firework was fired, repeatedly lighting the sky in beautiful hues. The night sky went from a warm red to a deep blue and everything in between. It wasn’t until the fireworks show finally stopped for the night, that the Starlights were able to break free from their trance. 

“That was…” Taiki, who was usually so good with words, sat there speechless. She stared at the now empty sky, her brain desperately trying to find some way to describe what she felt. “...amazing.” It was a wholly inadequate description. To Taiki, that firework show was beyond amazing, it was one of the best things she had ever seen before. But it was the only word that came to mind. “They do this every year?” 

“Yep! Every year!” Usagi cheerfully replied. “And they do a bunch throughout the year too! At festivals and stuff!” Reaching down into the pile, Usagi pulled out another candy bar for herself. “We can go, if you want! There’s a festival with fireworks next month! You have to promise to buy me cotton candy, though.” 

“No problem…” If Seiya and Taiki weren’t still so awe-struck, they would’ve gotten shocked at what Yaten just said. “I’ll buy you all the cotton candy you want if we can see these again.”

“Really? Great! We’ll definitely go together then!” Usagi seemed more than happy with the deal, grinning to herself in her chair. 

Seiya was eventually able to pull her gaze away from the sky and to Usagi. “Thanks for inviting us, Bunhead. I mean it. That was one of the best things I’ve ever seen.” Her voice was full of an honest, raw sincerity. A tone she usually only had when it came to senshi business, but the fireworks had cut right into Seiya’s very soul. Each burst of light seemed to implant itself into her heart. 

“I’m really glad you all liked it so much!” Usagi reassured Seiya, nodding her head along with her words. “This was really fun. Seeing you guys get all excited about the fireworks made me love them even more. Hopefully the festival’s fireworks will be just as good.”

“Hopefully.” Seiya agreed.

“Well, now that the fireworks are done.” Standing up and clapping her hands together, Usagi drew the attention of the rest of the girls. “It’s time for the super, extra fun time to start!” All three of the Starlights were snapped out of their post-fireworks bliss as they realized the peaceful tranquility the fireworks had brought them was about to be ruined. The smile Usagi had on her face looked innocent, but there was some unlying current about it that made all their stomachs turn. It could only mean trouble.

“Super extra fun time?” Seiya asked. 

“Yep! Now that the fireworks have happened, the next New Year’s event is to watch the first sunrise together! So, in order to stay awake until then, we’ll have to play lots of fun games!”

Taiki seemed taken aback, sputtering in her chair. “The sun won’t rise for nearly six more hours!”

“That’s why we play games!” Usagi chipperly reminded her. 

“No way! No way in hell!” Yaten did a complete one eighty. The serene calm she had been feeling after the fireworks was completely gone. “I’m not staying up for another six hours. I’d rather die!”

“Oh! Good idea, Yaten!” Usagi sat down, completely ignoring Yaten’s rage as she grabbed a bag of chips. Her barbeque chips. “The first game we’ll play will be Would You Rather!” From her seat, Yaten let out a distressed scream and buried her head under her multitudes of blankets. “Taiki, you’ll go first!” A bewildered looking Taiki turned her head to Usgai. “Would you rather date Ami or Mako?”

Taiki’s face became a deep shade of red as her mouth became a thin white line. Seiya was barely holding it together in her chair, trying so hard not to burst out laughing in that very moment. Yaten was curled under her blankets, cursing Seiya for making her come tonight. Usagi - pointedly ignoring all of their reactions - eagerly awaited an answer, all while continuing to munch on her chips with a wide grin. 

New Year’s was always better with friends. 

And food. 

New Year’s was always better with friends and food. 

[reinabeestudio]

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I wrote a humble one-shot featuring Phantom Thief Karamatsu and Detective Shinshia, inspired by the Phantom Thief set from Hesokuri Wars lol.

It is very simple, and I did it just to cater myself LMAO. But maybe some of you find it cute✨. As a small fact, I titled the story “Alone Together”.

Story under the cut!

Finally, February was here! Heart-shaped decorations in every store, roses of different colors were seen over different parts of the city, cute sweets… last but not least, there was the romance. For a long time, this was a sour month for the sextuplets. They were phantom thieves of renown, yet they never got a single chocolate in their whole lives by their fans! It was truly demoralizing, almost as bad as Christmas.

Tradition said that women were the ones that gifted chocolate for the men they had chosen. This year, however, the blue phantom thief had a mission. An important gift to give.

Karamatsu tried so many times in the past to convey his feelings to the new detective: Shinshia Doremi. She acted rough and distant at first. “We are enemies,” she declared coldly. But in the rare moments they could spent together, her behaviour softened and the real Shinshia Doremi was exposed: a warm, yet shy girl. Sadly, everytime he tried to tell her about what he felt, someone or something would interrupt their moment together. Often their separate duties, as detective and phantom thief. 

Oh, Cupid, how cruel was he! Keeping the hearts of this couple in the scale of Lady Justice, its pans so close but never together! Such a tragic fate!

Well, perhaps the vision he had of their love inside his head had evolved into something more dramatic than what it actually was in real life. But it added some excitement to whatever their situation was.

Karamatsu was no fool, either. He knew there were others interested in the girl… Mostly, his boisterous, shitty eldest. He noticed the way that idiot looked at her, and it wasn’t love. At least, not the the type of love he felt inside. The blue thief decided it was time to strike while he still had the chance, and ask her out. Subtly.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♡ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Once more the young detective ended up being one of the few remaining people in the department. Rookies got so much paperwork, it was just ridiculous. She had to keep a dictionary close to her, too. Some of these characters looked like an amalgamation made of nightmares.

To keep boredom away, Shinshia started singing, the words echoing throughout the empty office. A soft duet, the name of which she could not call to mind at the moment. However, she did remember that it was a popular love song. It was one of the first songs she heard when she first arrived to Japan.

The sun goes to sleep once more

In this lonely time, I wonder

Is your heart dreaming of me?

The detective finished with the paper she had in front of her, and grabbed the next one in the pile. “How tedious,” she thought. She kept singing to herself.

Stars twinkle above our heads

And the moon gives us her best glowing smile

But tonight, I’ll be yours...

“... And yours alone.” 

Another voice joined in with her song, singing along. Shinshia went silent and turned around, but she saw nothing besides empty desks. She went back to her paperwork, along with her song.

However, before she could sing another word, Shinshia stopped entirely when suddenly a pair of hands covered her eyes. “Who is it?” a familiar male voice asked in a sing-song tone.

“The sweet release of death, I hope.”

She resumed her work when she regained her sight as the infamous phantom thief, Karamatsu, casually leant against her desk with a subtle smile. “Long day, I presume.”

“You have no idea,” she sighed and tucked her hair behind her ears . “You should leave before someone sees you. Unless you want me to handcuff you.”

Karamatsu laughed quietly. “Heh, being helpless at your mercy sounds like a very tempting offer, darling. ” Shinshia’s face immediately flushed and he laughed again, genuinely. “But I am here to steal you away.”

“Steal me away?” Shinshia asked, not even looking away from the papers. She put some loose locks of hair behind her ear again. She was often pulling hair away from her face lately. “Sorry Karamatsu, but I have a ton of paperwork left to do. I can’t be stolen right now.”

“C’mon, Shia-chan! It won’t be for long. I’m just asking you to take a break.”

“I told you, I’m busy right n-”

The phantom thief put a hand over the paper she was writing on, and the scowling detective finally looked up at him. It was in that moment when she noticed that he was wearing casual clothes, and not his usual garish outfit filled with blue glitter. The only part that did stand out was, perhaps, the black eyepatch on his left eye. He felt triumphant over this, how she looked at him.

“Tonight, be mine alone ♪.”

After a minute of silence and a staring competition that was perhaps getting a bit too intense for the situation, Shinshia got up from her desk grumbling. “Fine. A short break.”

With a triumphant spring in his step, he suddenly scooped her up in his arms effortlessly and left the office. His plan was working so far.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♡ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Now this was strange.

Karamatsu dragged Shinshia out of the office. That was not the strange part, but instead of avoiding crowded places like he always did, they just… kept walking. Out in the open. Walking didn’t bother her, it was just unusual. He was a famous criminal, after all. It was a miracle they left the building so easily. Or maybe the author was just too lazy to think of something smart.

Wait, author? What author? That makes no sense. Just ignore it.

It was snowing outside. Snow wasn’t common where she was from, so she still marvelled at the sight of it everytime. Despite how much she enjoyed watching the snow fall, it was still cold in the streets. So smart was she, that she forgot to grab her jacket before they left, and now she was constantly rubbing her hands together.

Karamatsu laughed. “You’ll end up setting them on fire, Shia-chan.”

Shinshia snorted. The comment was lame, yet she snorted, like the fool she was. Karamatsu took her hand on his own and blew on it, before he decided to put both of their hands inside his coat pocket. She glanced at him, noticing that he was actually doing the same at her. However, as soon as he noticed her eyes on him, Karamatsu quickly looked away and instead focused on the cars that passed by.

After spending their evening with an impromptu stroll, they finally headed back to the building. Karamatsu spent most of the time silent, which was even more unusual that this whole situation. Usually, he loved doing long monologues filled with inscrutable flowery words that probably sounded cool only in his mind. But during that evening, Karamatsu seemed focused in whatever was going through his head at the moment. Then again, Shinshia didn’t talk much herself.

The poor detective couldn’t help it! He was a man that had to be put behind bars for his crimes, she knew this. However, everytime they were together, her mind just stopped working properly. This had been happening since she actually caught him once: Karamatsu, one of the six-colored phantom thieves that stole valuable pieces of art all around the city. He was pretty popular among the youngest members of her department, some of them even called themselves his fans. That was done in secret, of course.

Shinshia knew little about the man next to her. Truth be told, she wanted to unveil that air of mystery around him by herself. Not as a detective, but as… something else. Maybe as a friend. Or maybe as something deeper. Only the author knew.

Hold on, what-- you know what, nevermind that.

First she thought, maybe she was just starstruck. After all, as soon as she arrived to that building, she was assigned to the case of the phantom thieves. Shinshia was in a country that was so different  to her native Spain, and she knew no one, besides this guy. A criminal. But he kept coming back when she was alone, giving her advice and listening to her troubles… And then a bond bloomed between them. So sudden, yet so natural, as if it was destined to happen.

“Shinshia,” Karamatsu called to her softly, pulling her from her thoughts, “I have a little present for you.”

“A present? Why?”

“Just a little something I got for you! It’s fine, I promise.”

Shinshia sighed. “Well, fine.”

His eye glittered as he clasped his hands happily. Gosh, what a big baby. “Good! Close your eyes, and don’t open them until I say you can, understand?” He said that last part in English, for some reason.

Strange request, but Shinshia did what he told her anyway, and closed her eyes. She could hear Karamatsu fumbling with something- not sure with what, but it was small, she supposed. He did say it was a little something, after all. Suddenly, she felt his hands on the sides of her head, playing with the locks of her hair. He put them back, and then she felt those same hair locks being slightly pulled back by something. She feels his warm hand linger on her chin, delicately caressing along her jawline before pulling away.

“Open your eyes.”

Shinshia opened her eyes, feeling really curious about what Karamatsu did. He took out a round pocket mirror and then he showed her: a blue hair bow was holding back her hair.

Karamatsu smiled at her softly. “Your hair is growing long, Shia-chan. It keeps getting in front of your eyes, doesn’t it?” She nodded, impressed. When did he notice her annoyance at her hair? It was such an insignificant detail. “Now I can see your cute face again.”

Shinshia looked down, feeling her face warm up. “T-Thanks.”

After he put the small mirror back in its place, he took an envelope out of the same pocket. He gave it to her. It would have looked like a normal letter, if it wasn’t for the small heart on the back… And the blue glitter. So painful.

“What is this?” Shinshia took the envelope and opened it. Inside there was a single piece of black paper with text in gold letters. “An invitation?”

“Observant as always! It’d make me very happy to see you there.”

“I’m not sure, Karamatsu… this is very sudden.”

“But, Shia-chan! It will be so much fun!” Karamatsu looked at her with puppy eyes. Uh, eye. “Do it for me. Please?” 

How was that working so well, what the hell. Shinshia sighed in defeat. “I will think about it.”

Feeling victorious yet again, Karamatsu took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Good night, Shia-chan. I hope to see you there.” Those were his last words before he turned around and walked away, quickly melting into the crowd. Now Shinshia Doremi was left alone at the doors of her workplace with her heart beating incredibly fast.

The detective looked down at the sparkly envelope. This thing was so shiny that it hurted to look at it for too long. It was so painful! It was so tacky!

“You're so troublesome.” she said to no one. She released a deep sigh.

She was in love with the blue phantom thief called Karamatsu.

Shinshia decided to attend to the party, after all.

She didn’t go to parties often… mostly because she wasn’t invited to any of them. But, if she was being honest with herself, the promise of meeting him again was too tempting to resist. Also, free food and drinks.

Woah. She really had to have a deep crush on the man of strange monologues, if she was going to ignore her insecurity just for him. What a guy, he was making miracles happen even when he wasn’t present.

So she got ready, donning the prettiest dress she could find inside her closet. She wore the blue bow he gifted her, and after checking herself in the mirror, she grabbed her clutch purse and left to the party.

“Even if Karamatsu isn’t there, it’s better than to be alone during Valentine’s day,” she thought as she locked the door of her house behind her.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♡ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

It was a Valentine’s dance party. It should have been obvious, considering the day it took place. But she wasn’t aware that Valentine’s Day parties existed at all. Of course they do, why wouldn’t they? Maybe the host was single as hell, and this was their attempt in trying to find a partner. Or maybe it was a Jay Gatsby trying to find their Daisy Buchanan. Yikes, hopefully not. 

Also, every celebration needs a party, obviously.

Somewhere, someone in the world will throw a party for Cat Day. Maybe they will put a silly little hat on top of their cat’s head, followed by the confused pet trying to swat it away with its little paws and failing as the owner was in the floor laughing to tears.

That turned to be a very amusing thought, after all. It’d be so funny if someone celebrated Cat Day like that. She didn’t even know if Cat Day existed at all, but now she really hoped that it did.

Back to reality, Shinshia grabbed a glass from the nearest table as she looked around, moving between the many guests that were having fun together. Where in the world was Karamatsu? How could a single man wearing a black eyepatch be so difficult to find among so many colorful outfits? Pretty sure his full name was Karamatsu Sandiego. A famous thief whose signature look features a blue, glittery matching top hat and long cape. Of course, it all checked out, she just solved the case.

The detective was so into her own dumb line of thought that she didn’t notice the carpet, and her shoe caught. There was barely time to react; carpet veered up, her drink tipped forward, and suddenly the floor was very close. Extremely close. However, she hadn’t bit it, and that didn’t quite make sense. Gravity existed, and through gravity, she should have hit the floor.

There was something holding her up. A hand, which connected to an arm, which led all the way to a well-tailored suit. A delicious, familiar fragrance reached her nose.

“Well now,” a voice purred so slowly, and hands turned her to face upwards. Karamatsu’s face slowly turned into a tender smile. “I see you decided to come after all, darling.”

“Ah, well…” Shinshia really couldn’t say much with her waist held so enticingly by those hands, as warm hands brushed up against her skin and tickled. “I... I had to make sure that you didn’t steal anything! There are many people here wearing valuable jewelry, I’m sure you’d manage to steal something.”

“Heh, it seems my plans were ruined by the great Shinshia once more!” Karamatsu continued onwards with that smile just deepening at her sight, and somehow, he seemed to be leaning a bit closer. The room rang with cheery laughter, and the party carried onwards without a single glance towards the thief and the detective.

“You always seem to be,” one hand caressed its fine way up to her shoulder, “Stumbling around me. I’m starting to wonder if you are tripping on purpose now, hmmm?”

He knew well she wasn’t doing it on purpose. But before she could complain about that, he pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her completely. The hand on her waist pulled her just a little closer that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. He laced his fingers with hers. “I enjoy our moments together, darling.”

The orchestra struck up a mesmerizing waltz, and Karamatsu’s eye perked up enough that Shinshia could practically see the lightbulb above his head.

“Let’s dance!” he invited her without a second thought, and Shinshia stumbled as Karamatsu guided her to the dance floor. A violin hummed and a key plucked, and then his hands were on her waist, a smile beaming away. 

Unexpectedly, he was good at the waltz. What the hell, that was not fair. Shinshia found herself tripping quite a lot, and the phantom thief just chuckled everytime she crashed into his body. It didn’t seem to phase him either, he just grinned all the wider and adjusted until she fell back into rhythm. 

Finally, somehow the rhythm came to Shinshia. Maybe it was the guiding steps of Karamatsu. Maybe it was the smile he gave her as she fumbled along. Or, perhaps, it was the hand he still had on her waist, caring as it kindly led her along despite her inexperience. Whatever it was, it had her steps synchronize with Karamatsu’s, and suddenly she started noticing other things: how his rings glistened in the light as Karamatsu led both of them through the swarm of couples, or how his brown eye never looked away from her face. Small details, yet they were such lovely little things that made her heart beat wildly inside the detective’s chest.

“Say, Shinshia.”

“Yes?”

“You said you came here to make sure I didn’t steal anything, right?”

Shinshia raised an eyebrow in confusion, but she nodded. Where was he going on with this? Was he actually going to do that? She told it as a joke, she didn’t want to work tonight.

“Heh, well, my beloved Shinshia... ” Karamatsu leaned down slightly and whispered. “I believe I already stole something.”

Shinshia didn’t really notice the song grew faster until a violin screeched in delight and suddenly Karamatsu was really close. When the song was over, he had dipped her just as the last violin ended with an exaggerated flourish. 

Karamatsu leaned forward, his lips brushing hers, and perhaps it hadn’t been such a bad thing, tripping over her own shoe. Not when she could feel him gaze at her in rapt adoration. Not when Karamatsu had her so lovingly wrapped in his hands, and clutching as if she was the most fragile, most precious thing in the world that had happened to him.

No, perhaps it was for the best.

[akizumy]

Guilt

Sooo- I hadn’t planned to write anything for Halloween, but then I got this idea and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I know I’m a day late (typical me), but since it is done I might as well post it, right ? This One Shot is part of the Varitas AU (basically an evil Varian ahah), and I fear I got inspired by the rp blogs : @royal-engineer-of-corona and @v-a-r-i-t-a-s TW !! Amber, knife, death (there is no graphic description except a mention of blood)- if there is anything else that you think I should tag, don’t hesitate to yell at me in the comments. Takes place between Be very Afraid and Cassandra's revenge !

If most people had to describe Varian, they would use the word 'dangerous' because of what the kid could do, and what he had already done. Although the alchemist had saved Corona and been forgiven by the royal family, everyone still saw him as the criminal who kidnapped their queen, who attacked the kingdom with automatons and a mutant raccoon. Everyone still saw him as the threat he used to be and could still be, even Varian himself : if the alchemist couldn't forgive himself, why would others act any differently ? But Eugene saw things differently. Unlike the rest of the Coronans, the former thief spend most of his days with the young alchemist ever since the latter got out of jail; he had of course been wary of him at first, the memory of Varian attacking Rapunzel and the kingdom still painfully fresh in his memory like in everyone else's. But day after day, he had soon come to accept that the kid was very different from this idea that everyone had of him. Everything about him, whether it was his actions or his words, illustrated his regrets about his past actions; and Eugene could see how hard the kid was trying to make amends. That was why the word he associated with Varian was not 'dangerous', but 'guilt'. It was both an observation of the alchemist's behavior, his doubts and culpability, and also a protection against others' judgment. Varian had regrets. Varian had changed. Varian was no longer dangerous. He wanted nothing more than for everyone, the kid included, to see that and to be able to move on; for people to realize all the good Varian could make, and for Varian to see that as well- that it wasn't too late for him to be who he wanted to be. That he could still be happy. Such a shame that he had to be proved wrong. It had all happened really fast : the automatons, attacking the island one morning. They were numerous, and more just kept coming in an endless flow; even though they had no idea what was happening or why, Rapunzel had focused on going and protecting the Coronans first, getting answers after that. That was the plan. Pretty easy, hard to mess up- or, it should have been. Because now as the cold, metal hand of the automaton was firmly holding Eugene prisoner, the latter having no choice but to face the woman he loved encased in amber and surrounded by two other automatons, the former thief was left wondering how could things have possibly gone this wrong. "Well, it looks like Corona no longer has her beloved leader- if she could even be called that in the first place." And of course, how could he possibly forget the one whose satisfied tone was awakening in Eugene a deep hatred, one like he had never felt before. Varian was standing in front of the statue, looking absolutely triumphant, and how could he not be after taking over Corona and defeating their princess, their Sundrop ? The broken wall of the throne room, the latter being only a remnant of what it used to be, only added to his glorious victory, offering an heartbreaking view on the completely destroyed kingdom. His eyes were shining with an eerie joy, and a wide grin appeared on his lips as he admired the consequences of his actions; encased in amber, Rapunzel's painful and horrified expression was a terrible contrast with the alchemist's ominous one. "Don't worry, Eugene," the alchemist said after some time, finally looking away from the amber to the former thief, trapped in an other kind of prison, "She's not dead. She doesn't deserve such a fate." The alchemist confidently walked up to him, leaning against the metal hand. "No, she deserves a sentence far worse than that." The alchemist's voice was dangerously low as he stared at Eugene, watching his every reaction. The former thief didn't look away in return, instead glaring at the kid who had taken so much from him and went as far as to laugh about it too. He just- Eugene simply couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing. Varian- Varian had made amends. He had apologized, and they'd forgiven him. He had been working ever since to help Corona, to fix his mistakes and stop Cassandra. Varian had changed- he had. Hadn't he ? But then, why would he go back on that ? Why did he all of a sudden attack Corona with these- these automatons, destroying the island, trapping Rapunzel in that same amber that destroyed his life once before ? Why would he do that to his friends, to Team Awesome ? Was it all just a wicked scheme to fool them ? Eugene stared at the kid in front of him. He was exactly like Varian- same outfit, same black hair with this odd blue stripe, same blue eyes. No, not the same. Varian's eyes weren't merciless, mocking and cold, so cold. Varian's eyes were warm, friendly and guilty. "Who..." Eugene hissed, glaring all the more. "Who are you ? What have you done to Varian ?" Varian wouldn't do something like that, Eugene was sure of it. The other half of Team Awesome, the kid who liked ham sandwiches and often forgot to take care of himself when working was not the same as the one who encased Rapunzel in amber. The alchemist who fought his fears in order to save Corona, that kid would never do something like that. Still, he didn't expect... him, to simply smirk, that same threatening smirk he thought -he hoped- he'd never see again on this face. "You know, I never thought you were right when you said that people don't give you enough credit. You are clever, aren't you ?" "What does that mean ?" He was just done talking when the door of the throne room opened with noise. Eugene tried to look behind him to see the source of the noise, in vain : the robot's grip was keeping him from making any movement. However, he had a really good view of Varian raising his head in surprise, before cautiously taking a few steps back, furious eyes staring at... whoever just came in, Eugene guessed. Said person walked closer, as Eugene could tell from the footsteps sounds, before stopping right beside him; turning his head to the side, Eugene saw... Varian. It took his mind a minute to process the information. "Wait wait wait," Eugene narrowed his eyes, "Am I seeing 2 Varians ? Is that- is that some sort of evil twin story, or...?" Varian number 2 didn't react, but Varian number 1's smirk only widened. "I guess you could say that." He did a mocking bow in front of the other two, "I am Varitas, 'the mean one'- because someone has to take the blame, and who's better to replace Varian at it than Varian himself ? You Coronians aren't really creative, you know : get yourself someone else to blame, or even better, an actual justice system." It took all of Eugene's might not to give in and harshly tell him that he was absolutely guilty for what he had done to everyone; he barely restrained himself from doing so, realization hitting him hard. That was what that Varitas guy wanted. He had been provoking him since the beginning, trying to push him to his limits; and although Eugene wasn't really one to give in to anger, what could that kind of behavior do to someone who would, someone whose guilt would make them an easy prey ? For example, someone who definitely would be the target of his own double... Oh no. "I'm so-sorry..." Varian whispered, his voice cracking. His glassy eyes were filled with tears that streamed down his cheeks, highlighting how unusually pale he was, or how dark and big the bags under his eyes were in contrast. "It's all my fault..." "Kid-no. This is not your fault, none of it is." Eugene insisted. Varian clearly seemed exhausted, on the verge of breaking down, and with all of that accumulated guilt ready to burst free, he was basically an emotional time bomb. A really, really unstable emotional time bomb that could possibly become a problem if nothing was done to calm him down before. When did that start ? Why hadn’t he noticed before, why hadn’t he done anything to protect Varian ? Varian didn’t react, clearly not believing him; it broke Eugene’s heart to see him in such a state. Of course, that's the moment Varitas chose to speak up. "You're right, Eugene : it's not his fault nor is it mine, but it is actually yours, it has always been. I know how talented you are all in the field of lies and deceit and breaking promises, but you have to be incredibly good to make him believe that you actually care about him and are his friends without him ever questioning it. Again." Varian shivered, looking down at the ground, and Eugene could only imagine the thoughts going through his head; anger and guilt and feeling of betrayal and self-loathing, all of them feeding a dangerous hatred that was definitely what Varitas was planning to use. Oh, how much Eugene hated that Varitas kid. He hated him for taking Rapunzel away, for torturing Varian; he hated how powerless he felt. "If you know us as well as you say you do, then you should also know these are not lies." Eugene growled, but Varian once again didn’t react. Varitas only rolled his eyes, fully aware that he was in control of the situation. "Oh, you are good- but thank you for proving my point." He then turned to Varian, and Eugene tensed up. Whatever he had planned, Eugene feared the kid wasn't in a good enough state to fight against. "I'm sorry I started without you," Varitas smiled, something almost warm, outstretching his hand towards Varian, "but you can still join me and serve justice, like we wanted to." Unlike his kind words, his tone was very clear : obey, or face the consequences. Varian stared at Varitas' hand for a moment, before his glassy eyes moved to the hole in the wall and the destruction beyond, then to the amber and finally, to Eugene. Eugene's heart ached as he met Varian's eyes. The raging storm of the kid's emotions was frightening, and Varian seemed completely lost. Eugene wanted to reassure him, to tell him that these were all lies, that none of it was true, that they did care about him- but he also wasn’t stupid. “Please, kid... Don’t...” Was all Eugene said, because he saw in these eyes that Varian... Varian would not believe him, or anything else he’d say. That Varitas's poisoned words, playing with Varian's deepest fears and guilt, had already had their effect on the kid. Where was he when Varian needed him ? Why was he stuck, unable to help when the kid needed him the most ? Varitas was right- just like before, he couldn't give Varian the help he so desperately needed. Varian stared at him for a while longer, before looking back at Varitas. Extending his hand, he took the other's in his own. Then, harshly pulling Varitas forward, he threw in the latter's face a green ball that exploded in a flash of blinding light. Varitas immediately shoved Varian away, rubbing his eyes with his hands; his hiss of pain morphed into a low chuckle. "Alright, looks like you've made your choice..." Eugene felt his heart drop as the two other automatons -the ones not currently holding Eugene- walked toward the alchemist, responding to Varitas's order. He knew his friend hardly stood a chance; above all, he knew Varian was fighting a losing battle, because he himself didn’t even know what he was fighting for, or if he wanted to. It was clear as day that Varian was fighting back like a wounded animal, with the energy of despair, and that this would end very badly. Eugene tried once again to free himself, even if he knew there was no way he could get out. Varian acted quickly, trapping the first automaton's feet in goo, effectively stopping him. Varitas threw at him a green ball that Varian barely managed to avoid; not fast enough to recover, the alchemist couldn't dodge a hit from the second automaton that made him fall to the ground. Not wasting any time, Varian sent a pink ball on the second automaton, trapping him the same way; he however didn't see the third ennemy attacking him from behind. "Watch out !!" Eugene stopped struggling a moment to yell in alarm. Varian startled and turned around just in time to catch Varitas's wrists, keeping him from using his knife- because yes, he had a knife, a real one. "Why are you fighting for them ?!" Varitas shouted, furious. "They are responsible for Dad being encased, for all of our woes- you should want to serve justice ! You used to want that, so why would you believe their lies again ?!" Varian didn't answer, simply staring at the knife held right between the two of them. "It was the price to pay to become their friend again, wasn't it ? Ha- you're pathetic. They will betray you just like they already did, and the worst of all is that they'll be right : you'll have no one to blame but yourself, for being stupid enough to trust them again." Varitas's eyes were filled with disgust, sadness. No answer. Varian's grip loosened a bit, his face reflecting some hesitation. “Varian, no- don’t listen to him ! He’s trying to get in your head !!” The alchemist no longer seemed to be able to hear him, his attention entirely focused on Varitas. Eugene’s voice was only a quiet noise, drowned out by Varitas’s own voice and Varian’s thoughts. "I hope you're happy. I hope you'll believe their lies that make you think that this is what's best for you, this is what you have always wanted. You won : enjoy your golden cage, Varian." "Kid !!" Eugene shouted, alarmed, and that finally snapped Varian out of it. Kicking his opponent, the alchemist made Varitas fall backwards; the latter harshly hit the ground, his grip loosening on the knife. Eugene watched with horror as the alchemist quickly took the knife from Varitas and held it at the other's throat. "Don’t do that Varian ! You are angry- we all are kid, but killing him isn't the solution !" "He's right," Varitas added, "You can go ahead and kill me, but that won't change anything. You know that I'm right, and getting rid of me won't change the truth." Varian gritted his teeth, his grip getting just the tiniest bit firmer on the knife, and Varitas let a vicious smile appear on his lips. "You and me, we're just good for destruction, hurting others, taking the blame. I know it, they know it : that's why they let you down, and will let you down again. There's no denying it anymore, Varian. If you don't kill me, I will just keep destroying everything, and you'll be to blame for not stopping me when you had the chance : but if you do stop me, that you dare kill me if you’re even able to, then you will become the villain, the murderer, the mean one, because neither of us are part of the people whose faults are all forgiven. No matter what you choose, you will lose, just like I kept telling you." Varian stared at Varitas as he was talking, unable to stop listening to him. He knew he shouldn't listen or even consider his words, but something in them struck a chord within him, reaching doubts he tried to muffle, thoughts he tried to get rid of and amplifying them to the point that he could no longer ignore them or bury them again; and even though he thought he could hear Eugene's voice, he couldn't actually hear his words. Varitas smirked, knowing that despite the appearances, he had the upper hand. Reaching in his pocket, he got out a purple ball. "It's over, Varian." The alchemist's eyes widened in realization as the ball hit the ground, exploding and covering the whole room in a cloud of purple smoke. Eugene felt his blood froze in his veins as he heard fighting noises, the sound of metal clashing against skin and a cry of pain, then a body hitting the ground; and after that, nothing. In the heavy silence that followed, the cloud slowly escaped the room through the hole in the wall, joining its peers in the sky. Eugene then saw with horror a body lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. Standing next to him, its double was panting, holding without trembling the knife stained with blood. At that single moment, a terrible truth dawned on Eugene who felt his heart come to a stop. Even if it was impossible to distinguish the twins, one thing remained certain : one of them was now dead, killed by the other. And therefore, it didn't matter which one came out a winner in this battle, because the result was the same either way. Varitas had won, and their Varian was gone.

[sinner-as-saint]

Bad Guy.

Mafia! Bucky AU

Requested by @millennialdisaster a.k.a my Baseball Bat Anon who sent a cute request a while ago.

I’m sorry this took so long, love. I hope you liked it! ily

 Run-through: The world is a bad place, cities and town alike are now filled with violence and bad people. And in the middle of it all, Bucky Barnes finds love where it wasn’t supposed to be.

 Themes: smut, violence, slight gore elements, fluff

 The night sky, an obsidian tapestry, acted as a witness to all the sin that went down in the city. At night time, all the sinners prowled, lurked in the shadows – hunting.

Deals sealed among gang members. Mobsters killing away anyone who opposed them – protecting what they swore to protect; be it family, or just pride.

Drugs. Money, sex and power were all people cared about. The world was a bad place.

During daytime, the city was somewhat safe. However, at night; it became a playground for all the devils who inhabited the city.

Among those devils, was Bucky Barnes. Powerful, filthy rich and feared – he was the ultimate King of the underworld.

A mob, mafia, gang leader – he had many titles.

Bucky had everything he ever wanted; wealth, power, loyalty from those who worked with and for him. Yet, the one thing he never got was the true love of a woman.

After all, the King needed his Queen to complete him.

However, his wish was soon granted.

 ---

 It was a regular night for Bucky. Having sealed a promising deal with his ally – Wilson, and little bit of alcohol in his system; Bucky made his way home.

He would probably stop by some brothel and find a beautiful woman to warm his bed for the night. However, no matter how pretty, they could never fill the void he experienced.

 He walked to his car, which was parked a little far away from the club he was stepping out of, surrounded by three of his guys, when he heard a few shouts – followed by the sound of metal crashing on the concrete ground.

At first, neither him nor his guys thought much of it. They thought that it was probably some drunkard being kicked out of one of the many shabby pubs.

However, Bucky stopped in his tracks when he heard the voice of a woman. A young one at that. It sounded like she was in pain, or in trouble.

Bucky couldn’t walk away knowing a woman was in danger, so he signaled his guys to follow him. Two of them cocked their guns and held it at the ready while one walked behind him.

Bucky’s hand lingered on the gun at his waist as him and his little crew approached the source of the voice.

 “In that alley way, boss. Right by the dumpster,” one of his men spoke in a hushed voice.

A sound of something hard hitting the dumpster could be heard, followed by the grunting of a male voice. Whoever this woman was, she was surely being manhandled by a man.

 Bucky sure was a practitioner of evil but he wasn’t entirely heartless. Having being raised in a family where his ruthless father used his mother as a punching bag; Bucky was not one to allow violence against women.

And whoever this man was, Bucky and his men would surely teach him a lesson of a lifetime.  

 As they neared the alley, they could hear the pants and groans of someone being in pain. One of his men ran to the dumpster and lowered his gun immediately – as if there was no need to shoot someone. He motioned for the others to march forward.

Bucky frowned at the weird gesture and walked towards him anyways.

 Upon reaching where his guy stood, Bucky could not believe his eyes.

The situation was the opposite of what he thought it’d be. Being mercilessly beaten with what seemed to be a baseball bat, was a man – on the concrete ground, writhing in pain and groaning as he was being repeatedly hit on the head.

And the one standing above him, beating the shit out of the man, was you. Your hair fell around your face, so Bucky could not see who the badass chick was.

He studied your form. Legs clad in dark jeans, a simple white t-shirt – with a few drops of blood on it. Upon seeing the blood, Bucky was concerned.

He took a few steps towards you, but since you were busy beating someone with a baseball bat, you didn’t notice.

 “…I swear if you ever steal from my pub again, I will shove this bat so far up your a-,”

 “That’s enough, doll, he’s unconscious already,” Bucky cut you off, approaching your agitated frame with caution and watch how you slowly looked up at him.

Panting, you stared into his blue eyes with your e/c ones. And once you did, he could’ve sworn the world around him got a few shades brighter.

He noticed you didn’t recognize him right away. He wondered why.

 “Fucking deserved it, this piece of shit walked in like he fucking owned it and took my entire day’s earning,” you panted as you complained to him.

While stepping away from the thief’s bleeding body, you kicked his side and his body laid limp on the ground.

Bucky held back a chuckled as his brain registered your colorful speech. You were something else. Most women he knew always pretended as though they needed to be protected and kept like a glass figurines, but you – you seemed like you were used to fighting your own fights.

And he liked that. Very much.

 Bucky watched how you bent down and searched the thief’s pockets for the money that he took from you. He watched how you smiled in triumph once you found a thick bundle of notes in the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

Bucky was about to say something, but then a certain mark caught his eye. Right at the base of the thief’s neck was a tattoo. A skull, below which were six tentacles spread out.

Definitely not a random tattoo. This was a criminal mark – to show one’s loyalty towards HYDRA.

HYDRA; a notorious organization who only acquired power by snatching it and ruining lives of the innocent, and they were Bucky Barnes’ most flagrant rival.

 Bucky didn’t know how to react. A girl just took on a HYDRA goon, alone; with just a baseball bat. Damn.

 “Step away doll, this is no regular thief. This guy’s a HYDRA goon. You’re lucky we found you, if it were HYDRA, you would be in their dungeon by now,” Bucky spoke and watched how realization slowly hit you.

 You looked at him for a moment then at his men. Your eyes slowly trailed down to where his metal was, at his side and he saw how fear flashed in your fiery eyes.

 You clutched the bundle of money to your chest and started backing away, slowly, from him and his crew.

The dimmed lights of the streets allowed him to get a good look at you. You were pretty. Very pretty.

Then he noticed the blood trailing down your chin. He furrowed his eyebrows at you.

 “You’re bleeding, doll. He hurt you?” Bucky asked, while his men grinned as they picked up the limp body of the goon off the ground. Of course, they had finally found a member belonging to the rivals – they were just happy that they would get to torture him and get every secret out of him.

 You froze to the ground as Bucky approached you. He walked in your direction until he was standing right in front of you, not far from his men.

He extended his metal arm and touched your face, the cold metal against your warm skin felt oddly soothing, and you stuttered when you tried to talk.

 “You’re B-Bucky Barnes, aren’t you? I-I’m sorry, you can have the money, sir. Please don’t hurt me, I-,” the flows of your weak words came to a halt as he traced the skin around the cut on your lip.

You watched how intently he observed the cut on the side of your lip, and how lazily his eyes roamed your face while he caressed your skin.

Dressed in a dark suit, tall and power flowing around him, wrapping him in an invisible cocoon – he sure as hell looked intimidating. Yet, his touch was gentle.

You had heard about him several times before. The city you lived in was more or less entirely a terrain for men like him. Rich, powerful men who only knew the language of violence.

 There were stories about how he got his infamous, prosthetic metal arm. Some believed his lost his arm in an accident. Others said that he was once captured when he was young, and tortured in the basement of his enemies. Then when his family got him back, the arm was attached to him, and he had no recollection of what had happened to him.

And many more.

No one knew the truth. Few people ever saw him in person. And now, you were among the few.

 The man chuckled at your words. It was the only audible sound apart from your heartbeats which rang in your ear.

 “I don’t want the money, doll. You’re bleeding, you should get it cleaned before it gets infected. Come on, let me drop you home. You live around here?” he asked, lowering his hand back at his sides as he realized that he had been cradling your face for too long and it was beginning to get awkward and weird.

 Your eyes widened at his suggestion.

 “I- no, sir. There’s no need. I’ll manage, I-,”

 “I wasn’t asking, doll. It’s not a safe area for a girl to be on her own. Although, you definitely are very capable of looking out for yourself but I insist, let me drop you home. Or your pub, whichever you prefer,” he spoke again, a faint smile on his face.

You dared to admit that the man the news called the ‘King of the underworld’, was rather handsome. With some of his long, dark locks pulled back into a little bun, and his perfect beard – he looked like every girl’s dream.

And his eyes… the darkness of the night and of his outfit complimented the ocean blue eyes he had.

 You mentally scolded yourself for admiring such a man. But you couldn’t help yourself. He was, indeed, very dreamy.

But, still, you couldn’t accept his offer. People talked a lot in this city, and every girl who was seen with men of Bucky Barnes’ caliber, were often given labels. Bad labels.

 “Really, I’ll be fine. I could walk home, I don’t live far from-,”

 “What’s your name?” he abruptly cut your rambling off.

 “Y/N,”

 “Listen, Y/N. You just beat the hell out of a HYDRA goon. Who knows, maybe he was keeping an eye on me for a while now. You just saved me so much trouble, doll. Plus, you’re hurt. The least I can do it see to it that you reach home safely. Who knows, maybe HYDRA is even keeping an eye on you,”

Okay, he totally exaggerated the last part. But he only did it just so you would agree to his suggestion. Bucky was enchanted. You were beautiful, strong, kept your calm and were a total badass.

You were the kind of woman he hoped to have by his side. And he was not letting you go just yet.

 Your eyes widened as he said the last words.

 “So, please, let me escort you home,” you noticed that the three men turned their heads at the same time to look back at the two of you.

They were, shamelessly, eavesdropping.

 You nodded. You feared HYDRA just like any other civilian of the city, and now, having injured one of them – you were very scared.

  “He’s not dead, is he?” you asked as you watched how the men carried the limp body of the goon and walked in front of you and Bucky.

You held the baseball bat in your hand and the bundle of money in the other hand as you walked alongside Bucky on the pavement.

The night was getting a bit cold, and your t-shirt was barely keeping you warm.

 He chuckled.

“He’s not, doll. Not yet. Thanks to you, I now have an enemy in my grasp. I should thank you,” he spoke, a playful tone lacing his words.

 “Oh, well, you’re welcome, sir,” you spoke as you neared two black cars.

 Bucky ordered two of his men to take the goon to his mansion and told them to have their ‘fun’ but keep him ‘alive’ until he got there. They walked away and threw the goon in the back and drove off in the first car.

The third guy sat at the driver’s seat of the second car and waited for you two to get in.

 You watched how Bucky opened the car door for you and you immediately rushed inside as the air got colder.

Once you settled against the leather seat, you dropped the baseball bat at your feet and tucked the bundle of money in the pocket of your jeans.

Bucky walked around the car and got inside as well. He sat beside you and you noticed how he very subtly inched closer to you.

 “Where to, miss?” the guy in the driver’s seat asked.

 “Uh, drive straight and take the next right. Then another left and my pub should be there,” you gave him the directions and he nodded in understanding.

Once the engine purred, you leaned against the leather seat and shivered. You were cold and the man beside you noticed.

Without a word said, he removed the dark jacket of his suit and held it in front of you.

 “Oh no, I’m good, sir. I don’t-,”

 “Okay one, call me Bucky. And two, I can tell you’re cold, doll. Just take it,” he watched the slight tremble in your lip as you hesitantly accepted it.

You leaned forward and slipped your arms through the sleeves and once it was around your body, you immediately snuggled into it.

Bucky watched you with a faint smile on his face. Seeing you in his clothes did things to him, and he didn’t know how to explain it.

It felt…right.

 You subtly sniffed his jacket. It smelt nice. Fresh, strong and powerful. Exactly what you thought mob bosses smell like.

 Soon, with a few turns, the car stopped right outside your pub. It was still lit, which meant that even after you took off running after the goon, your friend was still working.

You didn’t get out of the car immediately. You slowly removed the jacket and handed it back to him. You smiled politely as you did so.

 He took it back and gave you a small smile.

  “Go on, I’ll be waiting. I’m gonna drop you home after,”

 You opened you mouth to tell him that it was fine and that he shouldn’t bother but he beat you to it.

 “Again, I wasn’t asking, doll,” he spoke again, a smirk on his gorgeous face.

 Good lord…

There was not a single flaw on the man’s face. Everything about him was perfect. The crinkles by his eyes, his beard, his tired yet dreamy eyes – he was beautiful. And equally as dangerous.

 You shut up, and made your way out of his car. As you walked up the couple of steps and walked inside the pub, you felt a glare on your back. And surprisingly, you didn’t mind.

 Walking inside the pub, you were immediately tackled by your co-worker. She held you tight in her arms and told you how worried she was after you took off running.

You narrated the entire story to her, while the two of you gathered your stuff and prepared to close down.

  Through the glass windows, Bucky watched how you gracefully moved across the pub; securing your bag on your shoulder and your jacket in your hand.

In the dimmed golden lights, you looked divine. Bucky watched in awe how you hugged your friend goodbye.

 “Never seen you look at a woman like that before, boss. She’s special, I believe,” commented his guy who was in the driver’s seat.

Bucky chuckled and lowered his eyes for a moment before looking at you again.

 “She’s not like the rest,” he said, smiling and watched how you made you way towards his car again. Wind blowing through your hair and he caught the bruise which was forming around your soft lips.

 Bucky sighed. And his heartbeat quickened when you got in beside him and gave him a polite smile.

   That night, after he dropped you off. Bucky somehow managed to convince you to let him in so he could tend to the cut on your lips.

At that point, the two of you knew that he was doing all this to be close to you. And while his heart did a little victory dance when you agreed to let him help you; you wondered why a man like him would even want to be around an ordinary girl like you.

 Bucky followed you to your bathroom, and stood in front of you while he examined the cut on your lip. Your lower back pressed against the counter as his body was merely a few centimeters away from yours.

He grabbed a cotton pad and wet it with water and cleaned the wound gently. Normally, you would wince at the sting but since all you could do was focus on how close he was, you didn’t make a sound.

 “You live here alone, doll?” he asked, eyes on your mouth and face frowning in concentration. His warm hand was placed on your cheek while his metal hand cleaned the cut.

 “Me and Colby,” you whispered as his eyes flicked to yours and then quickly back to the wound. His body inched forward. And suddenly, you had trouble breathing.

 “That’s your guy? Boyfriend?” he asked again, placing the cotton pad down and picking up the antiseptic lotion from the kit. He picked up another cotton pad and squeezed some of the lotion onto it.

 “No, that’s- Colby is my pit bull,” you watched how flustered Bucky got when you cleared his misunderstanding. Guess that’s what happens when you give your dog human names.

 “Oh,” was all Bucky said before getting back at cleaning your wound. He leaned in closer to your face and applied the lotion very gently.

You tried to look away from his face because he was making you breathless. So, you stared downwards. Bad idea.

His lower body was merely inches away from yours and it might’ve been your brain messing with you but it seemed as though there was a bulge forming in there.

You found yourself fantasizing about him again.

Given his reputation, there’s no way that he enters people’s home and cleans their wounds often. Then why was he so concerned with you?

Would he ask for something in return? Like the other men in his profession did?

 You were aware of how the society had become. You had heard the stories of how certain mobsters granted women favors; jobs, money, or save them from any trouble. But then in return, they would ask them to-

 “…suck on it,” you heard his voice and your eyes immediately moved from staring at his lower region. He was now staring at you – his face just inches away. He was so close that you could see the flares of grey in his eyes. He must have noticed that you were staring at his- well, down there.

Did he just-

“Pardon?” you must have misheard him, right? Unless…

 “I said, get an ice cube and suck on it. It’ll reduce the swelling,” he completed his sentence and had you feeling like a desperate idiot.

 “Right. Yes, I will. Thank you, for everything,” you thanked him and he just smirked; but didn’t moved.

He leaned in and placed both of his hands on either side of you, leaning slightly against the counter behind you – trapping you between his muscular body and the counter.

You looked into his blue eyes and your thoughts were a hot mess. Jesus, why did he have to be so handsome?

 “Take care, doll. I’ll have my people make sure nobody messes with your pub again. Good night,” he whispered, leaned in and kissed the other side of your mouth. Lips dangerously close to yours, your heartbeats shot up when he allowed his lips to linger on your skin. His beard stabbed your skin a little bit, but weirdly, you liked it.

He smirked when he saw how hot and bothered you got just by one simple touch of his. And he knew this wasn’t the last time his lips would be on you.

  He bade you goodbye and walked out of the house. As soon as you heard his car driving away, you also heard your puppy finally coming out of his hiding spot. For a pit bull, he sure was shy.

He ran to you in the bathroom and you picked him up, kissing him carefully on top of his head.

 “He’s so dreamy, isn’t he? Oh my God Colby, am I falling for the bad guy?” you asked your pup and he just stared at you.

  Turned out, you were.

 ---

 For the next few days, you couldn’t get Bucky out of your mind. He even stopped by a few times, at the pub. And one of his men were always keeping a watch over you.

It was weird in the beginning, but then you got used it. it made you feel safer.

He would order one pint of beer and spend the next hour talking to you. He was a big flirt, and he even told you about how they ‘handled’ the goon.

Then one day, while taking casually, he finally dropped the bomb.

 “Can I take you out on a date, doll?”

 You stared at him in disbelief. Then laughed. And agreed.

 ---

 The date went by just fine. And as cliché as it was, you found yourself falling for the bad guy.

 While casually talking about the recent activities in the city, Bucky made a suggestion.

 “It’s a tough world out there, why don’t you let me teach you how to defend yourself? I mean, the baseball bat is not really that handy. Maybe guns, fighting techniques and all that,” he sipped on his glass of red wine and watched you intently.

You smiled.

 “What makes you think I would want that?” you questioned, a spark in your eyes.

 “Because I see who you truly are. You like danger, there’s this excitement in your eyes every time you stared at my revolver. Y/N, you weren’t afraid to take on a HYDRA goon in an alley way, all on your own. That’s pretty impressive. You have skills, you’re a natural,”

Seems like he was quite the observer.

Bucky noticed how your eyes would linger on the shiny metal of his gun each time he was around you.

You chuckled.

 “I did that because I didn’t know he was one of HYDRA, believe me, all I did was hit him in the head repeatedly, until he passed out. How did you even know he was one of HYDRA’s goons?”

You liked his idea, but you were also a bit hesitant.

People normally tend to stay as far away as possible from men like Bucky. But here you were, on a date with him – in his kitchen; having dinner which he made for you.

 “The mark, on his neck. The HYDRA mark. See, I could teach you all that. If you let me,” he spoke again, leaning onto the kitchen island.

You sat up straight in the stool and faced him with a smirk.

 “Then? You teach me all that then, what? You’re gonna make me become a bounty hunter?” you asked, smirking still.

By now, it was probably the wine speaking.

 Bucky chuckled and shook his head.

 “No, of course not. But all that will help while you’re with me,” he raised an eyebrow at you.

You didn’t quite get what he meant.

 “Okay you’re amazing, but the last thing I want, is to be part of your gang Mr. Barnes. I’m fine with bartending, really,”

 Bucky smiled, and placed his metal hand over yours on the surface of the counter.

 “Not part of my gang, sugar. Mine. I want you to be my girl,” he corrected your misunderstanding. There was a promise in his eyes as he spoke, along with a sense of playfulness.

He was serious, and he needed an answer.

You thought it over for a while.

Then agreed.

 ---

 Initially, you were over at Bucky’s place every few days. Days filled with excessive flirting, lingering touches and training.

He taught you the basics; how to spot HYDRA goons, how to fire a gun, and self-defense moves.

You learnt all about his past, and how he was practically forced to become who he is. He initially wanted to become an artist, but his father crushed his dreams and handed him a shotgun when he was only 12.

 Then later on, your training shifted to more intense stuff; handling blades and sparring. Your relationship with Bucky morphed into something much more stable as well. And the lingering touches turned into steamy make out sessions.

 Then one day, Bucky couldn’t take it anymore. While training and sparring, he had you under him so many times that the hard on in his pants started to hurt.

So when you went upstairs to use his shower; he followed you.

  ---

 You sighed as soon as the warm water fell on your skin, washing away the sweat and the dirt. You were worn out, and some of your muscles hurt and your body was sore. So, when you felt two large hands on your hips pulling you into a muscular torso, you allowed it with a smile.

 Bucky’s hands wrapped around your waist and he pulled you into him, placing his chin on your shoulder and turning his head to the side to kiss your jaw.

You tilted your head back and relished the feeling of being in his arms.

“How classy of you, sneaking up on a woman while she’s in the shower,” you mumbled and he chuckled while he peppered your skin with kisses.

You sighed in comfort.

 “My woman,” he corrected and turned your body so you faced him. And not an ounce of shame could be seen on his face as he allowed his eyes to roam around your bare chest.

You did blush for a moment, but the moment you felt his lips on yours; nothing else mattered.

 Soon, your back hit the cold tiles of the shower and you moaned into Bucky’s mouth while he pulled you up and wrapped your legs around his waist; hands on the curve of your ass holding you firmly between him and the wall.

His lips moved against yours feverishly; eagerly.

Stealthily, one of his hands dipped in between the two of you and lazily rubbed your wet folds. You gasped at the sudden caress of his fingers.

His lips moved from your lips to your neck and he nibbled along the side of your throat while his fingers slipped past your entrance with ease.

Your arousal coated his fingers as he pumped them in and out of you. A series of moans, mewls and cuss words escaped your lips as you felt a familiar warmth wash over you.

You felt a certain firmness pressing against your thigh and excitement coursed through you at the mere thought of him being inside you.

 “Don’t come yet, baby,” he whispered in your ear as he felt your walls pulsating around his fingers. You groaned at his words and just as you tried to grind against his hand, he abruptly removed his hand from you.

You whimpered and cursed again while he smirked against your skin. Your hand held on to his shoulder while the other cradled his face gently, guiding his lips over to yours.

Your dripping core throbbed as it rested against his lower abdomen, pressing against his pelvic area. His erected length stood proud and tall, lightly touching his Adonis belt.

He looked tempting, and the hunger in his eyes didn’t help at all. Your hand slowly left his face as you trailed down his torso.

His muscles tensed under your touch; abs tightening and his cock twitched as soon as you wrapped your hand around it.

You smiled into the kiss as your hand started stroking his velvety skin. Your thumb rubbed the slit at his tip lazily and he moaned into the kiss; tongue diving into your mouth while you pumped your hand up and down his length – taking your sweet time as you brought him on the edge.

 He pulled away and tilted his head back, cussing as your quickened your pace around him; eyes shutting while his face frowned in pleasure. He moaned and bit his lip as you pumped him faster; watching how his tip started leaking. He was close, you could tell.

His fingers dug into your skin as he got closer and closer to his release. Subtly, he moved his hips forward, thrusting into your hand while he mumbled incoherent words in your ear.

 You leaned in and kissed his neck, biting and teasing his skin while he slowly rocked his hips against your hand.

You felt his cock twitch again, while he moaned against your cheek; you internally admitted that it was the hottest sound you ever heard.

However, to give him a taste of his own medicine, just as he was about to come undone; you abruptly stopped stroking his length.

His eyes flew open and it was his turn to groan and look at you as if you had stabbed him in the back. You smirked as he stared at you in the eyes; his eyes so blue and clear that you felt like you were in a trance.

 “Such a fucking tease,” he whispered and tugged on your lower lip.

If someone had told you a few weeks ago that you would find yourself in Bucky Barnes’ bathroom, in his arms, kissing him soon, you would never have believed them. But here you were now, and you wouldn’t change a thing.

  You whimpered when Bucky filled you up with his cock, stretching you to your maximum and grunting occasionally while mumbling how good you felt.

Slow and steady at first, then gradually building up his pace; Bucky rocked into you, stroking your walls with his thick cock.

His thrust quickly grew rougher and with each one, your back slammed against the wall behind you. Your legs tightened around him as he bit down on your shoulder, muffling the sinful moan which escaped his lips.

The sound of the water falling down on the tile beneath you suppressed the obscene sounds of your skin slapping against one another and the moans which left both your mouths.

 You felt his grip tightening on your hip and thigh; promising to leave behind a loving bruise.

Bucky fucked you against the wall relentlessly until your thoughts were a mess. The only things you could focus on while his length slipped in and out of you were the sounds which escaped his lips and the words he mumbled in your ear; accompanied by his ragged breaths.

 You felt the pressure forming in between your legs, hot and fiery; a need flowed between the two of your connected bodies. You had spent most of your life on your own; fighting and struggling to get rid of the loneliness.

Yet, there in his arms, you felt a sense of belonging. A comfort which you had been craving for so long.

 All it took was a few more strokes of his cock against your walls and you were a mess. Walls clenching around him, you came undone and felt the pleasure wash over you.

You whispered his name incessantly as he kept rocking into you until he reached his release. Warm seeds spilled in you as he leaned against you to catch his breath. Yours arms wrapped around his shoulders as you placed your forehead against his.

His warm breath fanned your face. And when he finally opened his eyes, he gave you a genuine smile. And suddenly, everything around you was a shade brighter.

You smiled back and stared into his oceans eyes.

 “I could get used to this,” he whispered against your mouth; lips brushing against yours gently. He was still a little breathless.

 “Me too, actually,” you replied, caressing his cheek with your thumb. Bucky leaned into your touch and exhaled.

 “Move in with me,”

 Nothing more had to be said. You felt safe with him around, and he felt complete with you.

You agreed, because you were hopelessly falling for the bad guy.

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[solalunar-eclipse]

Scars You Can’t See - Chapter 4

Chapter title: Infiltration

Word count: about 3100 words

Author’s Note: Aaaand this is where everyone finds out that I’ve watched the first three Mission: Impossible movies.

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Shadow had learned about emotions early on during his time on ARK. Maria explained them to him as they came up- happiness, sadness, anger, fear and all the rest.

But Shadow really felt that there was no good word to describe his feelings at the moment. Everything was just...strange.

He and his friends were still trying to keep a low profile, since G.U.N. would absolutely have put out a search warrant by now. The team was planning to commit a second heist, with even larger consequences for everyone involved than the first one. They were going to do this with absolutely no backup and no supplies, equipment, or up-to-date inside knowledge.

And he was watching Rouge eat multiple pancakes drenched in syrup as though everything was completely normal.

Omega wasn’t with them, having been told to wait in the car (again). He didn’t need to eat, though, so he wasn’t too irritated this time. 

Shadow had barely touched his waffles, only able to poke at them quietly with his fork. Any time he considered eating even a small piece, he would remember the mission and lose his appetite immediately. He pushed a small piece around in the sticky mock-maple syrup, staring at the golden square.

“You need to eat something, hon,” Rouge told him around a mouthful of food. “Get your strength up for the mission- don’t want your body giving out on you.”

He groaned, eyeing the food with distaste. “I know, I know…”

“Shadow. Do I have to tell you again?” she asked, her voice becoming more stern- almost parental.

The hybrid ate a forkful reluctantly, forcing himself to swallow. He barely tasted it at all, the sticky sweetness only vaguely registering.

Every few seconds, Shadow’s hand drifted to his phone, dying to turn it on and see what texts were being sent. Was Silver searching for clues accidentally left by G.U.N. in the news? Could Knuckles be drafting battle plans he knew would never be used? Was Sonic cracking jokes to lighten the mood?

Or were they even thinking about this at all?

How he wished he knew…

“Hon. Stop it.” Rouge said, dragging him out of his reverie. “I know what you’re thinking, and I’m sure they’re fine and talking about all sorts of things, including us. I promise.”

“I just hope that we got our message across and they’re being careful. At least half the members of the other teams only have a single brain cell.” Shadow muttered.

The bat laughed. “I will bet you an all-you-can-eat meal that Tails has knocked out either Sonic or Knuckles at least once, and that Silver is pitching wild conspiracy theories to Blaze while Amy tries and fails to maintain her sanity.”

Shadow smirked, before cringing as the reality of what they were about to do crashed back onto him with all the force of a tidal wave. This mission could very well be their last.

Rouge must’ve seen his expression shift, because she took his hand and smiled at him gently.  “It’s going to be fine. We’ll get the evidence, send it to a couple newspapers, get G.U.N. to finally do something about...well, everything, and then we’ll all be fine. You’ll never have to touch a gun again, we’ll never have to worry about people getting hurt, and then we can go to that movie night, alright?”

The hybrid smiled faintly, feeling his weakened resolve start to return. He was fully aware that his friends were the only reason he was maintaining his sanity at this point. He hated to burden them this way. That was why he was really looking forward to the end of this wild experience. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.

Thankfully, before long, they were back in the car and on the way to the G.U.N. storage building, and Shadow was able to force himself to push such thoughts to the back of his mind. Now that they had begun, this kind of distraction could be downright deadly.

The team had to make a stopoff first, though. Specifically, at the uniform warehouse for G.U.N.’s main electrical repair company- the perfect excuse to get into the facility. Omega drove the sedan up to the security gate, but everyone knew to let Rouge do the talking.

“Hi there!” she said brightly. To anyone else, the bat would’ve appeared to be the picture of sincerity. Shadow knew better, though.

He had enough experience to see the calculating glint in her eyes and the steady size she held her smile at. Not meek, but not crazy either. Just outgoing enough for the guard to quickly wave them through after she offered up an apology: “So sorry, mister, we seem to have misplaced ours and we’ve got a big job coming up, you know?”

Shadow was incredibly thankful that nobody questioned the two of them as they walked through the warehouse, either. He snatched two uniforms in their sizes (hopefully) from the near-endless racks, trying to look busy while Rouge covered for both of them. Nobody ever even thought to wonder who that bat and that hedgehog were, or why they were there.

They walked out with no trouble, the two uniforms, and even a polite wave from the security guard.

The hybrid felt nothing but a small hint of relief as Omega drove their car out of the industrial area where the warehouse was. They headed down the winding dirt roads towards the G.U.N. facility, and he busied himself with struggling into his outfit. He worked his way into a navy blue jacket and loose matching pants, pulling down a company-issued baseball cap to complete the look.

Shadow glowered over at Rouge, noticing that she had completed the entire process both quickly and effortlessly, not even messing up her hair in the process.

“How in the name of chaos did you manage that?” he growled.

“What?” she asked innocently, smiling at him.

“Your hair.” he snapped.

“Oh, it’s all experience, Shadow! I’m used to quick costume changes- it comes with the job, you know.” Rouge replied pleasantly. 

Shadow was certain that she enjoyed torturing him like this. He scoffed, irritated, and chose not to dignify that statement with a response. Instead, he stared at the rear view mirror and pushed his skewed quills this way and that until he was satisfied.

The team was there within the hour, parked a ways down the road. They didn’t get out, though- they just...stared at it for quite a while. The structure was situated in the middle of the fields with no other buildings for miles around. Perfect for a place people shouldn’t know existed. Shadow silently thanked the stars that Team Dark had needed a high level of clearance to do their job- and for Omega’s pride.

The facility was made of cold, dark steel, shaped like a perfect rectangle. It had no guard towers, no large, automated weapons systems, yet it still appeared incredibly large and imposing. The few guards visible were stationed at the gate and patrolling the perimeter. 

It almost seemed like G.U.N. didn’t expect an attack.

The apprehension in the car was suffocating. Shadow got out first, forcing himself to move. If he didn’t, the hybrid doubted he’d be able to go through with the plan at all. “So where to now?” he asked, checking his appearance one last time in the reflection on the car door. It still didn’t look like his reflection. That was good.

“Through that big door.” Rouge said confidently, pointing it out. She’d gotten Shadow to slice two slits in her shirt, making sure her wings were available at a moment’s notice. “Then we let Omega in at the side- I’ll be the one to disable the camera.”

They walked cautiously towards the door, but there was no need for worry. The guards waved them right through. Shadow forced a small smile onto his face, despite the motion feeling incredibly fake. He had to sell it for this to work.

The moment the two got through the door, they rushed through a maintenance hall to the side door. Rouge took a deep breath and let it out quietly. “Game face, Shadow.”

He acknowledged her with a nod, pushing his thought processes fully into ‘mission mode’. He couldn’t remember exactly when he’d learned how to do this, but his suspicions were that having to steal a Chaos Emerald for a supervillain had played a pretty big role.

Rouge flew up to the camera and disconnected it from behind, with a practice that revealed her many years of experience as a thief. Omega was difficult to spot, but Shadow saw him hunched down in the long, golden grass. The robot looked both ways before blasting across the field to the opening. 

Once he was inside, the three headed back towards the main corridor. “Let’s go.” Rouge whispered, her voice utterly serious.

Team Dark made their way through the halls slowly, ears (and auditory receptors) searching for any kind of noise. They made sure to avoid all the security cameras, too, moving slowly but staying out of sight. 

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps made all three freeze. Low chatter reached their position, the words unintelligible but signifying danger all the same. The noise was getting closer.

And closer.

Shadow shoved Rouge and Omega roughly into a nearby supply closet and shut it silently- there wasn’t enough room for him too. He jumped up to the ceiling and clung to the ducts there, making sure to hide in one of the darkest parts. As the voices approached, he felt incredibly thankful for his strength.

The guards appeared at the end of the hallway, and he held his breath, not daring to move a muscle. They spoke loudly, utterly unaware of their secret audience. 

“Ugh. I hate it when these lights short out,” one said as they walked through a dark patch of the hall. 

“I know, right? This is like the third time this week.”

“...”

Shadow waited, bracing his feet further against one of the larger pipes….

“I like it better in the security room. These walking shifts suck.”

“Yeah, you can just chill and eat there. We’ve got that shift later, did ya know?”

“Oh, sweet. Then I can finally eat this sandwich. Got it off that new restaurant…”

“...”

Evidently, they were too wrapped up in their conversation to notice the hybrid’s presence in between the lights. Once the guards were long gone, all three sighed, relieved.

The next set of patrollers were much easier to avoid, thankfully. All they had to do was hide around a corner out of sight, and then it was a straight shot to the video storage rooms.

Each entered a separate room, making eye contact one last time before heading in. Shadow turned the cold handle cautiously, slipping around the corner of the doorframe and staying in the darkness. He allowed the lock to slide silently into place, looking around for security cameras. There were none...interesting. He supposed that G.U.N. didn’t want any record of what was stored here, either.

Shadow stalked amongst the shelves for a minute, but froze in place when the handle rattled and the lock clicked open. He stood utterly still, holding his breath again as the guard shone his light around the space. When they left, he remained still while they checked the other storage rooms, only letting himself move once they were gone.

The hybrid began to walk again, his face blank and cold. He scanned the shelves methodically, gaze flicking among the white plastic boxes stacked row by row. He couldn’t afford to waste a single second, so he moved quickly.

Perfect Chaos...the Master Emerald...Big the Cat?

There.

Shadow spotted the box labeled ‘ARK Files’....but it appeared that there were multiple of these. He pulled them out and onto the floor, searching for the right dates. There were tapes stretching all the way back to the construction of Space Colony ARK, in ‘39. After an agonizing minute, Shadow found the tapes from ‘51 in the third box, so he returned the other two and exited the room as silently as he came.

He tapped out the team’s special code on the wall: one, one-two, one-two-three. It was, of course, based on Omega’s series numbers.

Rouge and Omega left their rooms, and the bat smiled darkly at him once she saw the container in his arms. Good, she mouthed. Now out.

They were nearly caught as they hurried through the halls, since carrying a decent-sized box significantly limited Shadow’s maneuverability. When a pair of voices started up again, he was the one shoved in the same closet as last time, along with Omega. Rouge, too, chose to hide on the ceiling, but hooked her knees around a duct first; after all, she was a bat. Hanging on tightly to another pipe with her hands, she watched as the guards passed right underneath her with no trouble.

Nobody ever thought to look up for people hiding. 

Team Dark finally made it back to the hall they’d started in, and the two ‘organics’, as Omega put it, removed their uniforms and left them in a pile on the floor. The E-series robot himself, meanwhile, added the box to his ever-growing stash of G.U.N. blackmail inside his compartment. 

Shadow pushed open the door carefully and the three rushed outside. They pressed themselves against the building (or made a valiant attempt to do so in Omega’s case) to hide from any potential guards.

As they began to make their way across the tall fields of grass, Rouge’s ears flicked up. “Guards. Four o’clock. Get down.”

Shadow’s special agent training kicked in and he hit the dirt, turning his head to see Omega doing the same. One last rush of adrenaline flooded his system, his body shaking slightly with energy and almost numb at the exact same time.

He fought for control of himself despite this, refusing to give in to his exhaustion. Shadow wasn’t out of danger yet, and he couldn’t afford to let anything slide.

The guards passed by quickly, honestly, but it seemed like hours. The location of the team’s car was in the front of his mind, almost pinging as though he had a radar system inside his head. The hybrid practically felt each individual step of the two humans, even as he ached to get up and sprint away as fast as possible.

As soon as the guards were gone, all three blasted across the fields, jumped into their car, and reversed out of there at top speed.

They couldn’t return to the motel- of that everyone was certain. Shadow would have to be extremely careful about using his alias again, too, since G.U.N. would be onto them in a matter of minutes. The team was already preparing to find a new place to stay. But they had the files, and they had each other.

They were close now.

…

Back at G.U.N. headquarters, the commander returned from vacation to find about twenty different memos on his desk, as well as hundreds of emails demanding to know what was going on. 

He sighed, looking at the mess. “What is going on?”

The words rogue agents and secrecy compromised caught his eye, making the commander sit up a little straighter in his seat. This kind of situation could be downright dangerous for the organization as a whole, depending on who the agents were and how big the breach was. He continued reading.

Agents Shadow, Rouge and Omega removed classified files from the premises and evaded capture later that day…

The commander swore under his breath, significantly more worried than before. Rogue agents were one thing, but rogue agents with superpowers and incredible resources on their side? That was another entirely. But why would they want to betray G.U.N.- he’d thought that they were committed to working on the right side of the law now!

Files stolen: Personal File on Maria Robotnik.

Oh. 

He supposed that this made a little more sense. After all, the commander had acted rather rashly based on his memories of her as well. But what in the world could have set Shadow off so badly that he’d act against G.U.N.? Especially if he knew the commander’s past….

He called in a squad leader on the spot. When the middle-aged woman appeared at his desk, he looked her straight in the eyes. “I presume you’ve heard about the security breach.”

“Yes, sir.” she replied.

“I need you to send out two of our best recon agents. If Team Dark really has decided to betray us, then I need to know everything about why and what they’ll do next. Do everything you can to get some time with Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles Prower. They’re close with the team, and they might have some answers for us. Got it?” 

“Understood, sir!” she said crisply, before turning to leave his office. 

Once he was alone again, the commander heaved a sigh and stared at his computer screen, preparing to type out an email sending the entire organization into a Level 3 Alert. What in the name of Chaos was going on here?

…

If the commander had followed his subordinate, he might have begun to understand what was happening.

He was not an unjustly cruel man- for the most part. The Shadow issue had been an emotional time, and that was an anomaly. However, this violent tendency was not an anomaly in and of itself.

In the end, G.U.N. was a military organization. They did have a history of resorting to violence too quickly (Maria’s death was a glaring reminder of that for the commander). They had jurisdiction that was far wider than most would expect. And they were often called in first during uncertain situations, before any other government agency.

So when the squad leader returned to her team’s office, she told them about their mission: to get as much information as possible about Team Dark’s motivations, behaviors, and potential future movements….with full authorization, from her, to do so by any means necessary.

After all, this was a security breach, and a danger to the entire organization. It had been classified a Level 3 Alert, and was likely to go up at any moment. 

They had authorization to do whatever they needed. 

What could go wrong there?

[raisondetempete]

Monochrome Obsession (Yandere Wu Chang x Female Reader) Part II

Link to Part I

Link to Part III

If you like my writing, check this out

Story under line

(y/n) - your name

(o/c) - outfit of choice

(h/s) - hairstyle of choice

Character Index:

Wu Chang - Black and White

Fan Wujiu - Black

Xie Bi’an- White

Fiona - Priestess

Kreacher - Thief

Eli - Seer

Naib - Mercenary

Mike - Acrobat

Martha - Coordinator

Norton - Prospector

Patricia - Enchantress

Servais - Magician

William - Forward

Tracy - Mechanic

William - Forward

Emma - Gardener

Helena - The Mind’s Eye

Aesop - Embalmer

Emily - Doctor

Kurt - Explorer

You don’t know how long its been since you were imprisoned. The only way you could keep track of the days when you were in the Survivor’s side of the manor was that there was a match every day, so you could just the count the number of matches there’s been. However, as Black and White weren’t the hunters in every match, you have no way to keep track of how long its been.

As for how the two hunters were treating you, it’s been as if you were a high-security prisoner at a very luxurious resort. There are two conjoined rooms that make up Wu Chang’s sleeping quarters as there are two hunters in one body. It was decided when you first were imprisoned that White’s room was to become the bedroom while Black’s room was to become the living room as both men were sleeping with you.

Originally, you were accompanied everywhere by at least one of the two men, always having a hand on you. The only time they would not have a hold on you was when you used the bathroom. However, much to your protesting and extreme embarrassment, one of them had to present in the bathroom with you (with their back turned of course).

When they were in a match, you were chained up by your hands and legs to the bed, barely able to move an inch, until they returned. Along with the discomfort of being tied up, you were incredibly bored.

Your head wound from where Black hit you needed stitches, which were provided by an apologetic Black. It’s mostly healed but it’ll likely leave a scar on your temple.

You haven’t tried to escape while you were imprisoned. Even if you could move while Wu Chang was in a match, that would leave twelve hunters (eleven if there was a 2v8 match). It’s impossible for one person to be able to escape undetected by themselves.

You are waken up by the feeling of two harsh stares on you. You open your eyes only to let out a surprised gasp. Black and White are both staring down at you, White on the left and Black on the right, love shining in both of their eyes

“Sorry, darling, for scaring you,” White apologizes.

“We just thought you would be excited to hear what we have to say to you,” Black continues.

“What is it?” you cautiously ask.

“As you’ve been so good,” Black begins.

“We’ve decided to let you have more freedom,” White finishes.

“Really?!!” you exclaim, almost not believing your ears. Black lowly laughs while White beams at your excited face.

“We have a match today,” White starts.

“And we know how bored you’ve been…” Black trails off.

“And?” You were practically dying from suspense.

“Why don’t you get changed first, angel,” Black replies as both males get off the bed. You leap out of bed, dash over to your dresser filled to the brim with clothes that perfectly fit you. It always disturbs you that they knew your exact size. Pulling out an (o/c), you sprint to the bathroom.

You close the door and lock it.

‘I wonder why they didn’t follow me? Well, I’m not complaining,’ you think to yourself. You pull on your clothes before hurridly into a (h/s) (Ignore this if you don’t want to put up your hair or don’t have long enough hair). Unlocking the door, you step out to see Black and White perching eagerly on the bed. You put your pyjamas down on the dresser before walking over to the duo.

“What is it?” you question.

“You’ve been so good since we started dating,” Black begins. You internally cringe at the last part of the sentence.

“We thought that you must’ve been bored while we’re away,” White continues.

“We’ve decided to let you be free to walk around while we’re gone,” they conclude in unison. Standing in awed silence, you say,

“Really?!!” Thank you!” Not being able to control yourself, you hug both of the taller men in appreciation. When you did so, you’re unable to see the deep blush that appears on both of their faces. You’ve never reciprocated any of their acts of love, much less initiated one yourself. It’s a pleasant surprise for them.

“There’s one condition, however,” White says. You pull away from the hug, much to the dismay of the two hunters.

“What’s the condition?” you nervously question. Black only gives you a smirk before walking over to the closet both males shared. You eye him as he shuffles around in the closet before grabbing something and turning towards you. Eyes widening, you shudder as Black approaches you with a long chain.

“W-What’s that for?” you splutter.

“You’ll be chained to the leg of the bed while we’re in matches. The chain will be long enough for you to be able to go to the living room and the bathroom,” Black answers you. He walks over to the corner of the bed closest to the living room and leans down to put one end of the chain around the leg. Black stands up and advances towards you. Crawling backward on the bed, you keep your eyes on Black. A sense of déjà vu hits you as White grabs you, more specifically your left leg. Continuing to struggle, you push your hands against White’s firm chest, but to no avail. 

“Do you want to be chained up to the bed that badly? How lewd of you,” Black smirks before cuffing your ankle to the bedpost. Once he does so, White releases you.

“We have a match in about five minutes so that gives us a few minutes to see if the chain fits you,” White explains.

“It should. We had it custom made for you,” Black replies. This creeps you out even more. You walk away from the two hunters into the living room—not bothering to close the door due to the chain— and sit down on the grey sofa with a huff. You fiddle with your hands in your lap, thinking. Yes, your situation now was breed than your original situation, but that doesn’t mean you like still being chained up.

White and Black come into the room and sit themselves on either side of you, Black on your right and White on your left. Noting your anxious form, White reassuringly pets the top of your head.

“Love, we’re sorry. We want to let you be free but we can’t trust you not to escape,” White soothingly whispers into your ear. In response, you move your head away from him.

“Looks like she likes me more than you Xie,” Black smirks. White shoots him a murderous look. It isn’t joking.

“It was a joke for fuck’s sake!” Black says, putting his hands up. Hugging you possessively, White scowls at him. 

“Umm… don’t you have a match today?” You question. Both men sneer at the thought.

“Well, I suppose we should be going. Fan, let’s get this over with,” White sighs. Black groans.

“I guess we should. Bye then, doll,” Black says. Both men kiss you on either cheek, with White on the left cheek and Black on the right cheek, like they always do before leaving for a match. You blink once, acknowledging their affection. Black and White frown at your lackluster reaction, before leaving the room through the living room door that leads to the rest of the mansion. You hear a click come from the door behind them and footsteps to the bedroom door before another click is heard. You’re locked in.

With a growl of frustration, you stalk over to one of the bookshelves and grab a random book, not really caring what the book is about. You sit back down on the couch with a groan before opening the book.

You try reading the book for a minute but one thought keeps reoccurring in your mind.

‘What if the doors aren’t locked? Maybe they were trying to trick me,’ holding your chin in your hand, you ponder. ‘It doesn’t hurt to try…’ You walk over to the living room door only to be stopped a yard away from the door by the chain around your right ankle. You strain your arm out to reach the doorknob. However, no matter how much you reach, you can’t reach the doorknob. You run over to the bedroom door and try reaching for the doorknob, but you still can’t reach it.

You growl and stomp your right foot in anger, ignoring the harsh tug of the chain. Those damn hunters! Always one step ahead of you. You stomp back into the living room and collapse into a heap onto the sofa, hitting your head on the book abandoned on the sofa.

“Oww…” you moan as you clutch your head. Luckily, it’s the back of your head you hit and not the gash on the left side of your forehead.

That’s when you get an odd feeling, like a calling throughout your body. It feels familiar, reminding you of someone. You walk over to the nearest wall and touch it. As soon as you touch it, a faint blue outline of a circle appears. You take a step backward and wait for the portal to finish forming. After a couple of seconds, the portal turns mostly navy except for a glowing cyan eye.

Fiona emerges from the portal, clutching her metal ring close to her chest. When she sees you, a triumphant smile appears on her face.

“It worked!” she cheers. “Wait here for a second.” Fiona turns around and goes back into the portal, leaving a faint white outline of herself. She quickly returns again, but this time she’s with others.

Kreacher is the first to emerge, his shifty eyes darting anxiously around the room as if he expects all the hunters in the mansion to suddenly burst into the room. Eli’s next, blindfolded face staring towards you.

“Hi (y/n),” Eli greets, putting his hand up as his owl, perching on his shoulder, hoots softly. Naib appears behind him, deep eyes peering suspiciously at his surroundings. Mike is the second to last person to come out. He shoots you a grin before heading to both doors leading to the rest of the manor to set up his muck bombs. Martha is the last to appear, twirling a flair gun in each hand as she casually saunters into the room.

“How did you get two flair guns?” you question.

“Wu Chang breaks the rules, I break the rules,” Martha replies with a smirk. Turning to the chain around your ankle, she orders,

“Kreacher, pick the lock and quick! We don’t know how long everyone can keep them occupied.” Kreacher grumbles as he crouches down by your ankle.

“Margaretha, Norton, Patricia, and Servaisare keeping them occupied,” Mike explains to you.

“I’ve been sending my owl to keep an eye on you since you’ve been captured. When I saw they relaxed on your security, I knew it was time to strike,” Eli continues. A clicking sound is heard as the shackle around your ankle falls off.

“Thanks, Kreacher,” you beam at him. Kreacher only mutters before turning away from you. You, however, glimpse his burning red cheeks before his face is fully turned.

“Let’s get through the portal before-” “Before what?” An angry voice cuts Fiona off. You all wheel around to see a very pissed White appear from a shadowy corner, rage flaring through his eyes. Naib instantly reacts, putting himself between you and the White Guard.

“How are you here? You’re supposed to be in the match?” A very confused Norton asks.

“Fan is in the match. We had a feeling something like this would happen,” White sneers.

“This is no time for dawdling!” (y/n), get through the portal! Now!” Matha yells before pointing one of her flair guns at White. White only tsks as a glowing turquoise ring appears around the room before Martha could shoot him. Everyone is replaced by Whites, all coming closer to you. You make a dash for the portal, only to find you can’t go through with your soul siphoned.

You’re grabbed from behind as White hauls you into his arms.

“Tsk-tsk, darling. Did you really think you could get away that easily?” White coos.

“(y/n)! Duck!” Martha shouts before a flair gun collides with White’s body. He lets a groan of pain as he drops you. Mike throws a firebomb at the hunter as Eli’s owl hovers protectively in front of you. Naib harshly grabs your arm and throws you into the portal.

You fall through the portal and collapse onto the floor on the survivor’s side of the mansion. You look up to see all of the rest of the survivors looking down at you.

“(y/n), are you okay?” Tracy’s shy voice asks you as William hoists you up from the ground.

“I-I think so. Just shaken up,” you reply, fatigue evident in your voice. You take a step away from the portal just as a panic stricken Kreacher and Fiona appear. Kreacher dashes away, obviously spooked.

“Is everyone okay?” you whisper, afraid of the answer. Fiona nods.

“I think so. They should be through in a second,” Fiona reassuringly smiles, yet there’s a hint of fear in her eyes. You reach out to hug her but she’s suddenly pushed to the ground as Naib, Marth, Eli, and Mike sprint through the portal.

“Ouch!” Fiona moans under the pile of survivors.

“Sorry,” they all murmur as they get off of her. Fiona stands up and rubs her head. It’s then that the portal disappears with a hiss.

“What happened?” Emma asks, curiosity glittering in her eyes. Eli lets out a sigh.

“When we got into Wu Chang’s room, (y/n)’s ankle was chained to the bed. Kreacher was able to pick the lock but White interrupted us before we could leave.”

“White? He’s supposed to be in the match,” Helena’s shocked voice speaks.

“He can separate,” you explain.

“I knew that he could separate, but I thought they would both be in the match. I’m so stupid,” Eli groans.

“It’s okay. You had no way of knowing,” you pat his shoulder. He in return smiles at you.

“Anyways, White siphoned all of souls and picked (y/n) up.

“But I shot him,” Martha proudly beams.

“Naib threw (y/n) through the portal. That really made White mad. It was terrifying,” Fiona shudders at the memory. “Kreacher and I knew we wouldn’t be much help so we left.”

“White tried killing us,” Naib simply says. Guilt instantly floods your system.

“Are you okay? You shouldn’t have come to save me,” you babble. Martha shoots you a smile.

“It’s fine. We were worried about you,” Martha reassures. You shoot her a dubious glare, making her laugh.

“I used an mud bomb to slow down his movements,” Mike cheerfully grins.

“I shot him with my remaining flare gun, giving Naib time to grab me and Eli and elbow padded us through the portal,” Martha continues.

“I guess Naib doesn’t care about me,” Mike pouts.

“I don’t,” Naib deadpans. Martha and Eli restrain Mike from launching onto the Mercenary, much to the amusement to everyone else. Your eyes scan the group to find someone, only to find them absent.

“Umm, where’s Aesop?” you question. The laughter dies down as everyone becomes grim-faced again.

“...He’s in a coma,” Emily sighs. Your eyes widen as your mouth goes agape.

“Oh god… this is all my fault,” you murmur, clutching your head in your hands. “Where is he?”

“He’s in the infirmary. I can…” But you aren’t able to hear the last part of Emily’s sentence as you’re already sprinting in the direction of the infirmary

When you reach the infirmary, you practically break the door down with how fast you’re going. Looking around, you see a pale Aesop lying on a hospital bed. He had a wide gash on his forehead that looked like it was made by the end of a pole. Multiple bruises and cuts are all over the visible parts of his body. Wu Chang seems to have hit Aesop over the head and beaten him into a state of unconsciousness if he wasn’t unconscious already. Someone had removed Aesop’s surgical mask, making him look even more broken.

You crouch down by his bedside and clutch his right hand, before resting your head on his barely-moving chest. Feeling helpless, you begin softly sobbing. A hand on your shoulder interrupts your wallowing.

“It’s not your fault,” Emily whispers into your ear.

“What d-do you mean? It’s all been m-my fault,” you cry, hiccupping as you speak.

“No, it’s not,” Emily soothes you, rubbing your back tenderly. “You didn’t choose to be targeted by Wu Chang.” You numbly nod, not knowing what else to do. That’s Patricia bursts through the doorway.

“Emily! Wu Chang surrendered! We need to get (y/n) before- Oh,” Patricia cuts off her rant when she sees you. ‘That’s odd’ you think. ‘Black doesn’t know what happened... unless they can communicate while separated!’ Your heart stops and, judging by Emily’s suddenly tense body, she came to the same conclusion.

“Patricia! Tell everyone that Wu Chang is coming! (y/n), come with me. We need to find somewhere for you to hide,” Emily commands.

“What’s going on?” A very confused Patricia asks.

“Everyone else will fill you in,” Emily hurriedly responds. Patricia nods, knowing not to question Emily’s authoritative behavior. Patricia rushes out of the room while Emily turns to you.

“(y/n), do you have your book? It’ll be helpful for knowing Wu Chang’s future actions,” Emily questions. Sadly, you shake your head.

“When they first kidnapped me, they took away my book and destroyed it in front of me,” you sigh, remembering how they tore it to shreds before burning it, saying that there was no longer a need for it when you had them. Emily groans.

“Let’s go find Kurt. You can use his book to hide,” Emily suggests. You nod your head in agreement and you both go to try and find the Explorer.

When you find Kurt a minute later, you find him and the rest of the survivors in the entrance hall, the farthest point in the survivors’ side of the mansion from the hunters’ side. Martha and Naib are barking orders at everyone while everyone else solemnly listens. Emily quickly finds Kurt in the crowd.

“Kurt, may we borrow your book?” Emily asks. Kurt looks uncertain. He usually hides with his book from the hunters the second he gets a heartbeat.

“We thought we could use it to hide (y/n),” Emily continues. Kurt sighs, the kind side of him winning over his scared side.

“Sure. Keep it as long as you need it,” Kurt replies, handing you his book.

“Now, to decide where to hide,” you mutter. Emily puts her hand up to her chin and hums in concentration

“Why don’t you hide in the infirmary’s closet. That way I can keep an eye on you without looking suspicious,” Emily suggests. “I can be ‘healing’ Patricia so she can guard you.”

“That’s a great idea!” you beam. Emily offers a small smile before turning to Martha and Naib and tells them her plan. Martha nods before sending Patricia to assist you.

The three of you return to the silent infirmary. Aesop hasn’t moved an inch since you left.

“(y/n), go into the closet and hide somewhere. We’ll be right outside,” Patricia orders. You nod nervously. Emily shoots you a calming smile.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. They won’t find you,” she soothes, but the uncertainty in her eyes says otherwise. You turn and go into the closet. It isn’t that big, just slightly bigger than a broom closet. Stacks of medical equipment and boxes of medicine are on the shelves and in piles on the floor, making the already small closet smaller.

You decide to hide in the far left corner behind a stack of boxes containing who knows what. You open the book and immediately feel yourself shrink. Easily maneuvering through the small crooks and crannies between the boxes, you reach the corner of the wall. Sighing, you lean against the wall, waiting to see what the future holds.

You wait in silent darkness for what feels like hours before a feminine scream pierces through the night.

‘Tracy!’ you internally shout. There is silence before there is a sound of slow footsteps echoing in the hallways.

“(y/n), where are you?” Black coos. “I won’t punish you that much if you come out now.” You let out a small whimper as you press yourself further against the wall. There is a minute of tense quiet with the only sound being agonizingly slow footfalls. Suddenly, the infirmary door slams open.

“Where is she?” an angry Black growls. Even though you’re certain that he doesn’t know where you are, you still that you’re going to be discovered at any moment.

“She’s not here,” Patricia drawls.

“That’s odd. I thought I felt her presence here,” Black cooly responds.

“You’ve must have been mistaken then,” Emily replies. Although her voice is steady, it’s obvious that she’s nervous.There’s the sound of footsteps coming to the closet door before it’s slammed open, dousing the dank room in light. You don’t dare to even move a muscle. There is a tense moment of silence.

“Tch,” Black clicks before the closet door is shut with a bang. You inwardly let out a sigh of relief. There are more footsteps leading away from the door.

“W-What are you doing?” Emily stammers, the weak facade of calmness gone.

“Just getting rid of a pest while I’m here,” Black hums. There is the sound of a long object scraping against the floor.

“Don’t hurt him!” Patricia shouts. Your mind quickly puts the pieces together. Aesop! You grow big before bursting out of the door.

“Get away from him!” you scream. Black smirks down as you as Emily’s eyes widen while Patricia glares at the tall hunter.

“Knew it~” Black purrs. He rings his bell, making everyone fall to the ground before stabbing Aesop through the chest with his umbrella. Blood blossoms from his chest like a crimson flower opening its petals as scarlet trickles down from his mouth, creating a red river of death. Aesop exhales sharply, then falls still

“NO!!” Emily cries out.

“You bastard!” Patricia snarls as long stuns him, too angry to move from where she’s rooted in place. You fall to the floor in agony, tears seeping from your eyes. No. Not Aesop. Not your best friend. No. It’s not true. No. Black laughs cruelly, the stun already over, as he walks over to your fallen form.

“Oh no you- AHHH!!!” Patricia screams as a loud crack rings through the room. A menacingly smiling White grips on the Enchantress’ arm, forcing it to bend it at an impossible angle, rendering it useless. Her monkey skull falls from her grasp and rolls to the side.

“Good job, Xie,” Black smirks as he scoops you up. Emily tries to come to your aid, but White stabs her in the left leg before she could do so. She falls to the ground with a cry. 

“Please! Let them go! You have what you want,” you beg.

“Darling, although I adore seeing your begging face, you didn’t come out when we called for you, so you need to be punished.”

“Plus, you only came out when I threatened that embalmer, Black snarls. Both men’s eyes darken.

“Hold her for a second, Xie,” Black requests. White nods and you’re put in his arms. Black cackles as he walks over to the fallen Patricia.

“You’ve had this coming for a long time, bitch,” Black spits before positioning his blood-soaked umbrella over Patricia’s head. Aesop’s blood drips onto her sweaty face as she closes her eyes in defeat.

“No!” Surprisingly, White accompanies Emily and your cries of protest. 

“Fan,” White continues. “The owner said we can only kill the embalmer as punishment for the survivors coming to the hunter’s side of the manor. If we kill another, we can’t keep (y/n).” Black growls before stabbing Patricia in the right leg. A loud crunch sounds as he stabs straight through the bone as blood spurts like a geyser from the crater in her leg. Patricia lets out a blood-curdling scream. 

She’ll never be able to use that leg again.

You resist the urge to throw up as Emily limps over to help the fallen Enchantress. Black and White sadistically grin at the sight.

“Shall we leave with our love?” White beams.

“I believe we should,” Black agrees.

“I’m sorry. This is all my fault,” you sob as you’re carried away from the two women and the corpse of Aesop.

“Shh,” White breathes into your ear. “It’s their fault for taking you.”

“We knew something like this would happen, so we took precautions,” Black explains from his position on the right side of you. “They’ll never be able to steal you away from us,” they say in unison. You cry harder at the thought. They both try to comfort you as you’re carried to the other side of the mansion, but to no avail. You quickly fall asleep in White’s arms from fatigue and see your best friend’s life taken in front of you.

You awake to heavy breaths hitting your face. Your eyes shoot open before they widen. Black and White have their faces inches from you, intentently observing you.

“W-What are you doing?” you stutter. You try to push them away, only to realize your arms are chained to the headboard of the bed. Scared, you try to kick them but they’re also chained wide open to the bed. Both of the hunters chuckle at your panic-stricken face.

“You tried to run from us,” White coos, his eyes glowing sinerstily despite the sympathetic look on his face.

“Plus, you didn’t come out when we called for you,” Black purrs with a sadistic grin, not even pretending to be sorry for your current predicament.

“Your punishment will be harsh so that it will forever be ingrained in your mind that you’re forever be ours,” they hum as they grab at your clothes. You weep as one thought echoes in your mind.

You will never escape this living hell.

[ladyblastexecution]

☽Cold City☾ |Todoroki Shouto|

A/N: Man... i don’t know how i feel about this one.

The clock flashed three a.m, and you were sitting in the balcony of your apartment once more with a cigarette burning in between your fingers.

The hot smoke entering your lungs was the only thing combatting the chilling air that started to appear in the city. Summer was walking away, and the cold was bothering you once more.

Your phone was once again turned off, forgotten on top of the lonely chair next to you. What was the point of having it turned on? There was no one to apologize for not responding, anyway.

The bright lights of the streetlamps took a toll on your tired eyes, and you wondered how everyone lived their life, if someone was feeling the same heaviness in their chest caused by the loneliness that haunted you. You were used to it already, your heart and stomach constantly coiled tight, as if someone was squeezing them in a fist.

The whole day you spent it on bed, doing nothing more than to watch sappy tv that promoted an idealized version of loneliness that you could not relate to, because, yes, your days were spent alone, but it wasn’t because of a mean girl pushing you to the sidelines, or a traumatic experience that changed your ways.

The reality was fairly more simple and unamusing

Ever since graduating the U.A and joining an agency where no one you knew worked, and you found yourself drifting apart from your friends more and more. Your texts were ignored because they were busy saving the city, just like yourself, and there was no free time to hang out like you used to when you shared a dorm.

A year later, you were a loner. No more close friends or family. The only thing that kept you company was the cloud of smoke exiting your mouth drag after drag of your cigarette. The nicotine entering your veins gave you the solace you so desperately needed, warming up your insides in a similar way a hug from a loved one would do.

Sighing, you threw the butt of your cigarette into the ashtray and leaned on the railing, allowing for the wind to brush your face and erupt goose bumps in your flesh. Tank top and shorts were not the ideal outfit to wear on those ocasions.

Glancing back at your bed, you pondered on forcing yourself to sleep. There was no use in staying there, exposed to the cold, imagining someone was coming to pick you up and you were just waiting for them to arrive. There was no one to do so.

Why your brain kept torturing you with those scenarios that would never happen? It was a mystery to you. The sweet oblivion of a dream might be just what you needed.

you could almost feel the softness of the sheets and the warmth caress your skin, but a panicked scream on the street made you jump, startled.

Looking to your right you saw a woman struggling to keep her hold on her purse while a thief was pulling with all his might on it a block away from your building

Without thinking, you jumped from the balcony, climbing down from the third floor with the dexterity of a pro hero and ran to where the assault was taking place. You felt needles on the skin of your bare foot as the freezing pavement made contact with it, but the adrenalin rush coursing through your veins helped you focused, as well as the cries of help of the girl that was now being dragged to the floor, trying to break her hold on her possessions.

The back of the thief was to you. And without thinking too much about the possibility of a gun or knife you threw your body, flooring him with a force that reverberated on your bones. A cry of pain came from him as you pinned his wrist behind his back and tried to avoid his claws. Apparently his quirk resembled a tiger, with fangs and claws and night vision.

Your grip was steel hard as you trapped his body against a wall, hating his trashing around.

“Stay still tough guy.” You warned, flashing your quirk to intimidate him. You looked back to the girl and noticed her torn appearance. Scratches were all over her face and a nasty cut was on her cheek. She trembled like a leaf and tears and makeup were dripping down her face. “Don't worry honey... You're okay now.” You assured, tightening your grip out of anger, earning a hiss from the scum on your hands.

She nodded her head and hugged herself for some sort of comfort. You took in how thick her coat was and the fluffy scarf she wore, making you realize that the wind was merciless on your skin, the cold making your lips tremble and your fingers numb from the pressure and the temperature.

“I- I'm going to call the police if you can restrain him...?” She offered.

“Yeah, that's a good idea.” You sent her a curt nod and a small smile.

She dialeld and as the first ring sounded, a slide of ice came down from your left, lowering the temperature. You didn't even need to look far to know who it was, and your pulse fluttered. Todoroki Shoto was to the rescue, only a little too late.

You both were classmates, and even if you were not best frieds, you were on good terms, an acquaintance of some sort. You admired him for his strenght and resiliend, and even if he oly spoke a few words to you, you apreciated the stokic teen you shared classes with. You hadn't seen him for over a year, since after graduating, you both were busy with your new jobs and different locations. You even had a small crush on him for a while, but after noticing how impossible it was for him to see you in another way than a classmate, that small infatuation died down.

But now that you saw him again, ice particles shining around him as the wind blew the hair out of his face, you felt your heart pang with something that resembled that old feeling. You felt like you were fifteen again, fangirling all over his gorgeous face and shiny hair.

He skidded to where you were and landed right in front of you, taking in the scene in front of him.

You were pinning a guy to the wall dressed in a thin tank top and short shorts, barefoot and with messy hair. He couldn't fight the confused glance he had on his face, head slightly tilted to the side as he tried to figure out how in the two minutes it took him to get there you reduced a guy in that.

“(Y/N)?” He asked, “Why are you so lightly dress when it's this cold outside?” His question was dumb, but the cute way he uttered it made you want to squeal. An involuntary shudder traveld your body as you sent a sarcastic smile his way.

“Well, Shoto” You said his Hero name and hoped it didn't sound too awkward since you never called him anything besides the usual Todoroki-kun “The agency changed my attire to hopefully get more popularity.” You joked, but judging by lack of smile or laughter, it was safe to say he didn't get it.

“I Never thought you'd agreed to be an R- rated hero like midnight, but you still look good...”  He said taking you by surprise.

A blush rose to your face, making you forget momentarily how cold it actually was. He didn't seem to notice the small compliment, and you felt dumb for letting something so tiny fluster you..

In your moment of distraction, the robber twisted away from you and slash at your arm. Sharp blazing pain throbbed, and your torn skin screamed. A sting of curses flew from your lips and in a heartbeat Todoroki grabbed your bare shoulder and pulled you protectively to his side, sending a blast of ice to your attacker, encasing him in an coldshell.

Your back was pressed to his left side and the heat from his body seeped into your cold one, soothing you locked muscles and taking your mind away from the injury. You looked up at him and the air was almost knocked out of you. He looked fraigthening with fire burning in his eyes and a murderous scowl on his face, eyebrows pulled together and white teeths showing.

“Are you okay miss?” The girl you helped asked, getting a step closer, and just ike that the spell that  was upon todoroki broke.

As if noticing the position he was in, his warm hand gently grabbing your bare skin and you pressed tightly against him, he cleared his throat  and he let go, taking a step back, and watching carefully as she got over and examined your wound.

“Please, allow me to help you.” She said, searching for consent on your face, and when you were about to dismiss her concern, stating that you had worse before and that it was just a scratch, she hovered her hand above the gash. A blue light emitted from her fingers and you watched marvelled as the wound mended back together, as if there was nothing in the first place. The pain receded, and it left you startled. “I'm not as strong as recovery girl, but I Can manage minor cuts and bruises...” She said sheepishly.

“That's an awesome quirk to have, thank you so much!” You praised a small smile dancing on your lips.

You glanced back at Todoroki, only to notice him already looking at you, a soft smile on his lips, and the contrast from the previous expression he wore surprised you.

The faint sirens could be heard in the vecinity, and relief washed over you. In a few minutes you could be in the warmth of your home, snuggled on your bed, back to being a loner, and preparing for an early day of work with little to no sleep. You know, the usual.

As you waited for the police to arrive, you scooted closer to Todoroki, standing by his side and observing the girl calling her friends to pick her up. A wave of longing hit you on the chest, but you tried to forget it by starting up a conversation with Todoroki.

“So... It's good to see you, Shoto. It's been... What, Nine months?” You asked, with a light tone, that didn't match the feeling on your chest.

“Eleven actually...” He said, surprising you once again. You turned to him and he was piercing holes in the villains figure, whose lips had turned blue from the cold and his body thrashing to break free from his enclosure. “It was at the reunion Deku Organized  after we graduated, remember?  You had that black dress...” He trailed off turning to you, and when he noticed what slipped from his mouth, he adverted his gaze, scratching the place below his ear and coughing lightly.

“Yeah, I remember... How everybody doing?” You asked, sparing him the embarrasment, but you couldn't deny the weight on your shoulder lifted a bit.

“They're fine. We try to gather as much as we can. Deku and Ground Zero are getting along better, and Red Riot and me often work out together... What have you been doing? You kindoff disappear suddenly...”

“Oh! Um...” You hesitated, now it was your turn to be embarrased, how could you confess that your days were spent patrolling, and eating junk food on your couch, and smoking a worrying amount of the time? That wasn't something you were proud of. “I've been working a lot, and recently I moved to that building...” Your answer felt vague and you worried he might think you were avoiding him, wich you were, but it still made you fidget with your hands.

Looking down at your finger, you noticed how blush the tips looked, and when the wind picked up again, a shudder recorded you from head to toe once more. Now that you were reminded of how cold the weather was getting, you noticed the sharp stabs of cold on your feet. You had been jumping slightly from one to the other without noticing, trying to make the bite slightly better.

“It wasn't the smartest decision to change your suit to something lighter when the autumn is around the corner (Y/N)” He said, concern lacing his voice.

You laughed at how dense he was, and he frowned, getting closer.

“I was joking, Todoroki.” His eyebrows went up and a small 'oh' slipped past his lips  “I was awake and I heard her asking for help and ran here. “

“With no shoes on...”

“Yeah, with no shoes on” You laughed at how irrational you had been, and now you were trapped in the cold with no shoes on until the police go your statement.

Todoroki looked at you and with a straight face he grabbed your arm and pushed you flushed to his side again, not meeting your eyes as if it was the most normal thing to do. You noticed how he increased his body temperature a little more to warm you up faster.

“Your lips are blue, and you are shivering” He stated, looking to the police car turning the corner and tightening the arm that was circling your shoulders.

Your face was snuggled into the fabric of his suit and a hint of his cologne made it into your nose, taking you back to highschool when he would sit next to you and the breeze from the open window would carry his perfume. Your boy was warmer, whether it was from his quirk or your embarrassment it didn't matter.

None of you spoke and only when the slam of a car door and the voices of the police were heard you took a step back from him.

Two policemen were talking with the girl that made the call, and she was explaining what happened. When she got to the part when you showed up, the attention of the three went to you, and the policemen opened their eyes at how naked you were. One of them, the younger one that couldn't be too much older from the both of you, got closer, only two feet away from where you were standing.

“Damn miss...” His eyes wandered over you and you gave them a sheepish smirk while Todoroki kept quiet, staring at him. The guy shrugged off his jacked and hurriedly tried to place it around your shoulders. “Please take my...”

Todoroki's hand slapped the fabric away and silence fell. Everyone around was stunned at his action.

“That's very kind officer, but it's fine. I'm taking her home right now and I'm going to warm her up personally... I would hate for you to be cold and get sick.” With no time to respond you felt the floor underneath your feet disappear and Todoroki's arms lifted you up, carrying you bridal style as your mouth flopped around like a fish trying to articulate something.

“What was that?!” You asked in a hush tone when you were far enough to not be heard. “I could've just walk home, you didn't need to go nuts there for him offering me a jacket.

“You didn't know the guy, why would you accept his jacket?”

“Uh... Because it was freezing and I'm not really dress for it?” You countered.

“I can warm you up faster and more effectively,” He said again. Apparently he didn't realize how bad those words sounded together. “You can't trust someone just like that.”

“It's a police officer, Todoroki, I think we can trust them just fine”

He didn't respond after hat, but if you weren't as perceptive, you would0ve missed the way his fingers pressed harder on your thigh or the way his eye twitched with annoyance at you arguing with him about it.

Your apartment door came into view faster than what you expected, and you wished you lived far away to enjoy Todoroki's warmth a little bit longer.

He carefully put you down and stared at you, waiting for you to open the door, only to realize that with those pocketless shorts, there was no way you had your keys on you. You noticed this too and smiled reassuringly at him.

“I left my balcony open, I can climb the side of the building and get there in no time.” You smiled at him, but the doubt swam in his eyes.

“That sounds dangerous... You should lock your windows.” He said.

“I live in a third floor...?” the confusion laced on your voice, and his frown deepened.

“Villains can climb.” He said, face straight and serious tone, only for you to laugh.

“Good night, Todoroki...” You smiled at him “See you around”  You slapped his shoulder lightly and walked to the side of the building, expertly climbing the stairs, avoiding making too much noise to disturb the neighbours, and landed on your balcony without breaking a sweat.

You looked down one last time, only to notice Todoroki still standing there, looking at you with his arms crossed. You waved at him and he smiled, lifting his arm up in a small salute. He definitely had changed since the last time you saw him. He was a man now, completely rough, but his voice was still gentle, and his hand was soft.

As you turned on the shower to wash the grime that got stuck to your feet, you couldn't help but to think about the girl talking with her friends about what happened to her, and asking them to pick her up at the station. If you ever were on that situation, you had no one to call. And the realization of it sunk your heart like a rock on the sea.

There was not much you could o about it now, you didn't get along with anybody on the agency, and the ties with your classmates were far too severed. It was you against the world, and yourself had to be enough.

The next sunday you had off was spent exactly in the same way the previous one had. Phone off balcony and lit up cigarette between your fingers. The whole week you spend it staking your former friends Instagram and regretting you forgetfulness that pushed you away from them. Pictures of them eating pizza together and watching cheesy comedy movies from the early 2000s  made you wished you had something like that with someone, ideally with them, but the anxiousness you felt every time you opened up your chat with Deku, that you had left on read almost six months ago. What if he hated you for it? It was partly your fault, but you just had the tendency to shut yourself away from the world, you weren't consciously ignoring them.

Photos of Todoroki on sweat pants as he plays a videogame with Uraraka that  Deku posted to one of his stories made your stomach flutter, an awestruck expression on your face. Thankfully, your coworkers were having lunch togheter, and they left you alone to thirst without shame.

Getting up from one of the chair from your balcony to go and get a glass of soda from the kitchen, you heard the faint sound of raindrops hitting the pavement. A small drizzle was pouring, and the clouds turned everything darker. Thunder resonated in the distance and you sighed. Once the storm broke out on full blast, you wouldn't be able to sit on the balcony for much longer.

Glass in hand, you returned to your usual spot that overlooked the busy street below, and you saw everyone scattering around trying to take cover from the first storm that happened since the summer ended. You lighted up another cigarette and took a drag.

As your eyes travel from one person to the other, your attention was drawn to a couple walking in the street with no care in the world, as if the cold and the rain couldn't pop their bubble of happinnes. The people gave them odd looks for not having an umbrella, or raincoats, their clothes getting soaked, but they paid no mind, eyes trained on each other. 

 A fantasy in your mind started brewing.

What would it be if someone looked at you in that way? Like you were their ray of sunshine and when they were with you, a gloomy day couldn't turn your light off.

You imagined you were there, in your balcony, wearing a cute dress and your favorite shoes, with pretty makeup and your hair just the way you liked it. Counting down the seconds for him to arrive. The guy you loved and had a date with.

He would come, not caring about the threat of rain, and the knock on your door would send a wave of excitement through you, limbs buzzing with happiness, and you would open the door, and there he would be... Bi color hair wet and sticking to his forehead, hetorocromatic eyes gazing into your face as yours took in his damp, blue shirt that clung to his chest and the droplets glistening in his neck...

A heavy knock on your door ripped you from your daydream, and you cringed at how you pictured Todoroki. You were seriously starting to sound like a creep, more than a girl with a crush.

Sighing, you suffocated your cigarette and walked to the door, smoothing your hair down with your hands in case it was too frizzy from the humidity in the air.

The door swung open, and for a moment you though you were still dreaming, because right there, in the hallway, Todoroki was standing.

He was just as you imagined, but the only difference was that his shirt was white, and with the rain it was almost transparent. Words escaped you, and you just stood there, stunned into silence.

“Hi.” He stared, hands clenching by his side. “I would ask you to patrol with me today, because I enjoy your company, but since it's raining, they gave me the rest of the day off...” He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Oh... I woul've liked that. I always end up wasting my day off, so it would've been a nice change of routine... It's a shame really... Maybe next time?” You proposed, and Todoroki relaxed, hands going limp at his sides.

“Yeah, I would like that.”

Both of you stayed there, just looking at each other with gentle smiles and shiny eyes.

It took you a moment of that comfortable silence to notice he was still outside, wet and probably cold.

“Oh, god... Come in, Todoroki. Please don't mind the mess.”  You took a step aside, and he got inside, brushing your shoulder together. “The city is getting cold and I don't want you to get sick.”  

You walked him to the couch and took a sit beside him.

“it's fine... My quirk keeps me warm.” As if to prove his point, he rose his body temperature and a wave of steam rose from him, the water that clung to his body evaporating.

“Oh man, I'm so jealous... When the city gets cold, my fingers turn to icicles.” You presented both of your hands to his eye level. The tips of them were redder than the rest.

Todoroki looked at them and almost on instinct he gently grabbed them, his left one, trapping them in between his chest and palm

Warm tingles went up your arm, and you looked dumbfounded. He was so casual about it, his thumb casually caressing your knuckles, his eyes never once leaving your hands.

“Is that better?” He asked in a whisper.

“Y-yeah... Thank you.”

“Don't ask anyone else to help you warm you hands...”  He asked, almost timidly, and the meaning behind his words had your heart doing flips on your ribcage.

He needed no answer.

When he glanced back up and noticed you smile, any concern he had dissipated like smoke in the air. He scooted closer to you, pressing his left side to your right, and the heat transferred to the rest of your body.

The city was indeed getting colder, but having a Todoroki willing to be your personal furnace might be just what you needed to fight off the bothersome cold.

[kathyprior4200]

Fallen (post episode 4)

 Cletus, Keenie and Collin broke down in heavy tears as they surveyed the area around them. The audience lay slumped and dead in their seats after being shot with arrows and bullets. Metal scaffolding lay bent and wrecked on the wooden stage where Blitzo, Moxxie and Millie were moments before. The former opera singer now lay dead and crushed underneath a stage light that had fallen on top of her. And underneath a broken piano lay the dead crushed body of Lyle Lipton, the elderly inventor they had tried to save.

 The scene was eerie and empty. The nervous well-dressed piano guy had promptly fled the scene, traumatized after the events. And those accursed imps had jumped through a portal back to Hell in triumph.

 As Cletus cried some more, fountains of tears sprung from his eyes. Keenie and Collin rushed in to comfort him. The trio had never felt so vulnerable before.

 “I…I can’t believe this!” Cletus wailed. “We were so close to helping out that man…even though he was shitty and old…”

 “Language,” chided Keenie.

 Cletus continued. “We did everything right, but now we can’t get back through.”

 “It’s not…completely your fault,” Collin said, putting a hoof on his leader’s back in comfort. “It was all an accident.”

 Cletus raised an eyebrow at his comrade. “What do you mean ‘not completely?’”

 “Well…” Collin began.

 “You’re right, it was those imps’ doing!” Keenie interrupted, her white lacy wings flapping in frustration. “If only Deerie had seen what they were doing to us.”

 The three took some deep breaths and sobs as they slowly calmed down. With a wave of his hand, their fancy dresses and tuxedos clothes were replaced by their regular outfits: reddish overalls for Cletus, a light blue shirt and white bow tie for Collin and a yellow dress for Keenie.

 “What do we do now?” Collin asked, almost in a whisper.

 “First thing’s first,” said Cletus. “We find a safe place to stay for a while. Who knows how long we’ll have to stay on Earth?” The others nodded in agreement.

 “Urgh,” Keenie scowled. “First those filthy demonic trash decide to mock us and now we have to live among these…messy mortals?”

 “Oh come on,” Collin gave a small smile as the three left the theater. They looked again sadly at the deceased humans and made crosses with their hands before flying away through an open window. “Things will work out. We’ve helped humans all the time. Surely they can’t be that bad!”

  The three of them later gasped in sheer horror on the streets in a nearby town. A homeless man sat on a corner smoking a cigarette, while his comrade vomited alcohol down a sewer drain. A large man with a mustache ripped off a woman’s shirt as she leaned into him with a messy kiss in an alleyway. A skinny thief snatched a woman’s purse before he was brutally shot in the head by a man with a baseball cap. Two men were fighting each other and swearing, one of them landing a punch that toppled the other to the ground. As a policeman dragged a body away, a nearby band blared on bloodstained instruments. The logo on the drum read “Hail Satan!” in red messy paint.

 A group of men sitting on a bench glanced at the cherubs hungrily.

 “Anyone want mutton chops tonight?” The others laughed and displayed sinister grins.

 C.H.E.R.U.B. stood with open mouths for several seconds. Cletus laughed nervously and made a motion with his arm and fist. “Let’s go check out someplace else!”

 The three took to the sky, trying not to look at the watchful eyes of passerby.

 Collin’s fluffy light indigo ears perked up. “Hey, I know what we can do! We can keep doing our job like before, helping people in need! Now that those imps are back in Hell, we are free to do what we like.”

 Keenie shook her head. “As much as I want to, I don’t think we should just yet. I’m worried that we’ll just cause more deaths.”

 “I might have to agree as well,” said Cletus. “I mean, how can we tell anyone about our accomplishments if we aren’t in Heaven anymore?”

 “I miss my mom and dad,” Collin whined. “How will they react when they find out about what we’ve done?” He gasped. “What if they already know? What if all of Heaven knows and now sees us as…one of them?”

 The others gasped.

 “You don’t mean…” Keenie began.

 Cletus rapidly shook his head. “No, no, no, no! I refuse to believe that our one mistake would lead us into becoming demons!”

 “What if…it’s already too late?” Keenie wondered in fear.

 Collin imagined all three of them trapped in long black demonic hands, their wings and halos gone. Flames turning their eyes red and their skin a charred black. The pale face of Lucifer towering behind them and letting out a maniacal laugh.

 “Oh my gosh, oh my god!” Collin cried, his eyes wide as he shook his head free of the fear.

 Keenie slapped him hard on the head. “Hey, I told you to not use the Lord’s name in vain!” Collin sobbed again and rubbed his large white wool of hair as he flew beside them.

  The setting sun turned the sky a brilliant orange as the three cherubs searched for a safe place to stay the night. Their white feathery wings and halos glowed and flickered in the fading light. Their silhouettes followed the setting sun before they landed in a quieter part of town. Neon signs were already humming in the twilight. From inside nearby windows, several woman were wearing dark lace and high heeled boots, pole-dancing to upbeat music. The cherubs huddled close together, staying under streetlights to avoid the dark unknown. Their wings flapped silently as they moved forward inches off the ground.

 “I miss Heaven’s comforting light,” Keenie sighed. “And God’s light most of all. It seems like this place is devoid of it.”

 “There’s always good somewhere in the world,” said Collin with a hopeful expression. “You just have to know where to look.”

 “The only thing I see are shabby buildings and humans indulging in their disgusting desires,” Cletus remarked. He mentioned to a nearby man who burped loudly after stuffing an entire pizza into his mouth. “The sooner we get home, the better.”

 Collin took a piece of cheese he bought and popped it into his mouth. He grumbled. “The food here is prison food in comparison to what we have back home. It just tastes so…bland and heavy.”

 Keenie munched half-heartedly on a carrot. “It’s still edible at least.”

 “Demons eat nothing but raw meat,” Cletus added. “Back up above, we could enjoy all the vegetables, holy fruits, and drinks we wanted. Every day was an endless buffet…”

 “Stop making me hungry,” Collin remarked. They fell into silence as a nightly breeze ruffled their clothing and wooly fur.

 “I think we should get human disguises soon,” Collin later mentioned as they hovered over the sidewalk.

 “Yeah, like those hideous costumes worked out well for those imps,” Cletus rolled his eyes. “Relax, Collin. I’m sure some of the humans will notice and treat us with the respect I…um, we deserve.”

 Collin huffed. “I sure hope so.” He clapped his large front hooves together nervously as if trying to say something. As they continued hovering past some alleyways, a low growl was heard. Keenie paused, her hair stood on end.

  “Guys…what was that?” Keenie asked, looking around.

 “Probably just Collin’s stomach,” Cletus mentioned.

 “No, I swear it wasn’t me,” he said. “Through I am very hungry.”

 The growling grew louder…it seemed to be coming from behind them. The three slowly turned around and spotted a figure in the shadows. It was a large gray canine with beady black eyes…and very sharp teeth. Drool dribbled onto the ground by its paws.

 The cherubs screamed and scattered away in flight. The dog barked loudly and raced after them. The cherubs zoomed up ahead, avoiding passing cars and maneuvering around figures of people. They zoomed over black trash bags as the dog barreled through them at high speed. The dog raced on all fours, snapping its jaws as it moved closer to them.

 “Get back!” Keenie called, moving her yellow hooves in a frantic kick, just missing its face. The beast just grabbed at her dress with its teeth and yanked.

 “Aaaahhhh! Get off, you beast!” she cried.

 Cletus yelled in fury and raised his hand in the air as he flew. He then glanced upward in sheer shock.

 “I can’t summon my golden crossbow!”

 Collin flew nearby, muttering a prayer while shaking. He took a deep breath and speed toward the dog. He landed a punch to the dog’s eyes…and with a yelp, the dog let go of Keenie’s dress with a rip. Keenie gasped and shook herself. “My dress!” she cried as she stared at the torn slobbery hole. “Look at my dress!”

 “Be thankful it’s not your backside,” Cletus mentioned. Keenie seethed at him as Collin came flying back toward them, the dog at his heels. Keenie shoved Collin backwards toward the dog, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground.

 Cletus and Keenie flew as fast as they could until Keenie spotted a beacon in the distance. A tall brick building had a large white Christian Cross on top of it, appearing golden as the sun continued to set. Several stained glass windows showed images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary surrounded by golden backgrounds. Even more spectacular was a nearby towering Christmas tree decorated with gold and silver ornaments and a six pointed star at the top.

 “A church!” she called. “Hurry!”

 They landed in front of the large wooden double doors, catching their breath.

 “My wings are sore,” Cletus groaned.

 “No more flying for a while,” Keenie agreed.

 Cletus knocked politely on the door. “Hello? Anybody in there?”

 So far, no answer.

 Just then, they heard panting from behind them. They whirled around…only to find Collin hunched over, his clothes torn up. There were several scratches all over him.

 “Oh Collin, thank goodness,” Cletus sighed in relief.

 “Keenie…” Collin began. “What was that back there?! I’m lucky I escaped at all!”

 “I had to distract the dog so we could get away,” she said.

 Collin glared and stomped one of his cloven feet. “That’s the second time you pushed me in harm’s way! And the first time was with a whole pack of wild animals!”

 “You’re still fine, right?” she asked.

 Collin let out a “ha!” followed by a “no.”

 “Don’t ever do that again,” he said, folding his arms. The cherubs waved their hands and their clothes and skin were repaired.

 Just then, the door solely opened. A woman dressed in a black robe stared into the distance. “Hello?”

 “Down here,” said Cletus. She looked down with surprise in her eyes.

 “May I help you?”

 “Hi,” said Cletus. “We got lost from our home and now we have nowhere to go. May we stay for a bit?”

 The woman peered closer at them, narrowing her eyes. “You three look familiar…”

 The cherubs gulped. Seconds dragged on.

 “Do I know you?”

 “Um…” Cletus began, sweat trickling down his forehead.

 “Of course!” she called, standing up. “You’re those guardian angels who go out and save people, yes?”

 Cletus stood proudly. “Yep, that’s us!” The other two let out soft gasps and looked at Cletus in worry.

 The woman looked around. “Hurry, inside now,” she said. “The world is full of people willing to take advantage of you savior children.”

 The cherubs bowed in thanks before heading through the door.

 “Technically, I’m twenty-four,” Cletus muttered.

 “I thought we were hundreds of years old,” wondered Keenie.

 Collin grinned, redness briefly spreading to his cheeks. “You’re so beautiful, you don’t look a year over two-hundred.”

 Keenie “bahed” at him in annoyance before they made it into the main chamber. The high vaulted ceiling made even the cherub angels feel small. The sky was a dark indigo through the opening above. Rows of arched gaps circled the area near the ceiling, and stone pillars held the ceiling on either side. The floor was in a black and white checkered pattern while a few Greek inspired designs caught Cletus’ attention. The rows of seats were polished and clean, and several white candles were lit in holders, emitting a peaceful glow.

 The woman made way for them and came back with a bowl of fruit and grass. Collin munched on blueberries, Keenie on pineapple slices and Cletus started on red apples. Cletus stared into the apple’s red surface. “Just like the Garden of Eden,” he said to himself. “When Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, she had disobeyed God’s order. She gave the fruit to Adam who then ate one. God banished them from the Garden, cursed them to grow old and die…thus began the fall of man…”

 Cletus stared closely at the apple’s surface, the red morphing into the face of a red goat. A grin of sharp white teeth, red eyes surrounded by black, a glowing black Ring with a Roman numeral five on it…

 “Are you okay?” Collin asked.

 Cletus whipped his head to Collin. “Oh yes, I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said, forcing a grin.

 Cletus turned and set the apple aside.

 “I sure hope we don’t age too,” Keenie added in concern. “I don’t want to lose my pretty face and looks.”

 “That inventor managed to survive for a while,” Collin said.

 “Barely,” Cletus mentioned.

 “We’re still angels,” mentioned Collin. “It is very rare for us to be erased from existence without good reason…”

 “Please don’t say such things!” mumbled Keenie.

 The woman went up to the ornate alter and poured in some herbs into an incense burner. The smell of frankincense and myrrh calmed the cherubs down after a while.

 “I’ll leave you to it,” said the woman. “Stay for as long as you need but stay out of sight more often than naught. If you need anything, just let me know. Be careful dear sheep babies.”

 “Bless you miss,” said Cletus.

 The cherubs bowed in thanks as she left.

 “Sheep babies?” Cletus scowled. “I’m not a freaking baby!”

 “Don’t worry about it,” said Collin.

 Keenie walked up to a stone basin nearby as Collin and Cletus bickered for a bit. Gazing in a small pool of holy water, Keenie thought she saw a ghostly face of a pale woman with long blonde hair, a black crown and large curved horns. The face briefly shifted to another white face with orange eyes and flaming wild auburn colored hair. She blinked a few times and it was gone. She only saw her wide-eyed reflection faintly on the surface. She turned away and arrived beside her comrades.

 The altar before them was made of gold, as was the ornate cross situated on top.

 Keenie, Collin and Cletus knelt down in prayer, tears falling from their faces.

 “Oh mighty Lord, please have mercy on us,” Cletus said. “Please forgive us for the mistakes we made here on Earth.”

 “Father…we only tried to help a broken man get onto the right path,” Keenie said. “We didn’t mean to kill him.”

 “We just want to go home,” Collin added. “We’ll take whatever punishment you give us but please…tell us if there is anything we can do…”

 More moments passed as night fell. Stars and a moon were visible through the glass windows.

“God help the outcasts,” Collin chanted softly. “God help our cherub people. We look to you still. If you can’t help us, nobody will.”

 “I ask for glory. I ask for fame. I ask for redemption to shine on our name,” added Cletus.

 Keenie continued the chant.  “We ask for your guidance, a way to get by. Help us right our fate, listen to our cry.”

 Cletus finished, “Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, please watch over us.”

 All three said “Amen!” before a colorful portal of clouds opened above them. The cherubs each looked up.  

 “Lord Gabriel?” asked Cletus. “Is that you?”

 A sound of clapping hooves greeted them, followed by a haughty laugh.

 “My my, what a marvelous…pitiful performance!”

 The brown furry face of a winged deer cherub came into view. A sense of smugness and superiority was clearly reflected in her eyes.

 “Deerie?!” the cherubs cried, their faces morphing into angry scowls.

 “Wow, I’d expect a more proper welcome from deferential devotees such as yourselves. The human world getting to you so soon?”

 “What are you doing here?” Keenie asked. “We called for Gabriel.”

 “Gabriel sends you his best regards, and says that you guys can rise again and be fully redeemed after a while…”

 The cherubs smiled until she added, “heheh, yeah, no.”

 Their faces fell.

 “I’m afraid you guys can’t re-enter Heaven, like I said before. Nothing you can do about it. Rules and all.”

 Cletus turned red in the face. “But it was an accident! The imps fought us off. They were the ones trying to kill Lyle Lipton!”

 “But they didn’t, correct? Based on what Heaven has seen, you three not only killed Lyle unintentionally…but you caused much more death and suffering.”

 “What?!” all three cried out.  

 Collin thought back to all the dead audience members. They had been so involved in fighting off their rivals that they didn’t even notice them.

 “It was I.M.P.’s fault!” Keenie argued.

 “Yes, but you also played a role in it,” Deerie explained. “You blindly shot your arrow, which later caused the piano to crush the old man. We see everything, you know.”

 Cletus then turned to Collin. “About that time earlier when you said it ‘wasn’t completely my fault…’”

 Collin stood his ground. “It was though. It was all our faults.” He jabbed a hoof into Cletus. “But you were so adamant to kill off those imps that you didn’t consider who else would be at risk. We should’ve taken the fight outside! I tried to tell you guys earlier!”

 “You’re a literal sheep,” Cletus replied, getting into Collin’s face. “You never said a word; you just followed my orders like you were supposed to.”

 “Those imps are nothing more than dirt that the dead tread on,” Keenie added. “We may be angels, but we never go down without a fight. Surely you’d do well with being less of a wimp, Collin.”

 Collin scoffed. “I’m sorry. I thought we were supposed to be the good guys. The loving guardians who actually help those we meet. I just realized that we didn’t let Lyle Lipton learn his little lesson.”

 “Five times fast,” Cletus snickered, but Collin ignored him.

 “We didn’t tell Lyle how sinful it is to be so immersed in his own greed. He really could’ve used his riches for good if we had stayed to help him like we were supposed to! We should’ve explained to our victims why any of their bad behaviors were wrong. But instead we just left them all behind!”

 “What did you think we were trying to do?!” Keenie yelled. “We showed him nature, childhood wonderment, young love and the arts. And it would’ve worked if it weren’t for those meddlesome…”

 “You done?” Deerie casually asked in the air. She finished filing her hooves and had a bag of popcorn with her. The cherubs turned back to her.

 “Far from it, bitch!” Keenie yelled.

 “Language!” Collin warned.

 “You three have learned nothing, huh? You see scraps, I was briefly summoned here by you guys and I gotta get back soon, so I may as well elaborate on your consequences. Let’s see…”

 Deerie summoned her clipboard and her reading glasses. On her notepad, she had drawn cats and Invader Zim characters. A side note read “more musical episodes?”

 “Not only did you kill one human, but you also killed multiple mortals in the theater. This has made Azrael, the Angel of Death very upset. There are many people that are chosen to die at certain times and let me tell you, having to cross and uncross multiple names can get pretty irksome.”

 The cherubs stood silent.

 “In other words, you’re also in trouble for simply…oh I don’t know…doing a business and going to Earth without the permission from your superiors! A big no-no.”

 “But we were saving people’s lives, and teaching them God’s true path…” Cletus began.

 “…or more than likely, saving humans just to boost about your company accomplishments.”

 “I knew it!” Collin called, glaring at Cletus. “Our main purpose is to help humans because it’s the right thing to do. I knew I should have stayed at my record-keeping job.”

 “You and Keenie thought joining C.H.E.R.U.B. with me was a good idea and it was!” Cletus protested.

 “Cherubs are supposed to do various record keeping for soul count, religions, sins and choices made by humans etc.,”Deerie said. “Just proves that I do my job better than you three after all!”

 Keenie smirked. “You sure you’re still not jealous because we got to go on exciting adventures? That we became more famous than you?”  

 Deerie chuckled. “More like infamous now. Cletus especially, you gave into your pride and wrath during the fight. You cherubs are supposed to help spread the holy word of God, and not go into the human world unless necessary.”

 The cherubs lowered their heads a bit.  

 “Not to mention several people you saved ended up as criminals. You know, the kind of people who abuse their children, scam others into giving them money, enslaving citizens in other countries…”

 “How were we supposed to know all of that?!” Keenie cried. “We saved their lives at the request of their loved ones in Heaven!”

 “Which, in turn can cause more global suffering and even an altering of history itself,” Deerie explained. “Lyle was destined to die and go to Hell anyway. Your actions are not befitting to your titles as cherubs in the first place. I’m surprised no one has managed to sell you on the black market yet. I guess you can be referred to as…black sheep now!”

 Deerie burst into laughter, slapping her furry knees.

 “Get out,” Cletus muttered.

 Deerie laughed some more, wiping tears from her large eyes. “Oh dearie me, I’m so clever!”

 Cletus thought he saw a grinning man’s face with red eyes and licking his lips behind Deerie.

 Cletus shook the vision away before yelling, “No I’m serious, get the fuck out!”

 “Language!” the other three shouted, their voices echoing in the vast space. The silence was deafening. Or the noises were hearing.

 “Well then, I wish you three a fun time on Earth,” Deerie said. “Feel free to not call me again. I have no use dealing with fallen sheep anyway.”

 “Can you at least tell us what will happen to us next?” Collin asked.

 “Oh that’s actually pretty simple,” Deerie explained.  “I.M.P. will be dealt with in due time. But as for you three…”

 She pointed her hooves at Collin, Cletus and Keenie, who each gasped in turn. “In Gabriel’s words: ‘You will still redeem and protect human souls but this time under closer supervision. You will learn to live among them for a while in the hopes that your arrogance toward those different from yourselves will subside over time. Only after your true redemption may you return to Heaven. I have the utmost faith in you.’ End quote.”

 The three cherubs sighed in relief.

 “Oh one last thing,” Deerie grinned. “I forgot to tell you the best part.” Collin and the others did not like the look on her face.

 Deerie continued. “Now that you’re here on Earth, you will all be vulnerable to human emotions and sins. Pride, greed, lust, anger, you know it.”

 “Not gonna happen lady,” Keenie spat with her hands on her hips.  

 “Everyone save for God has flaws. You didn’t think that redeeming yourselves would be a stroll in the clouds did you?”

 The cherubs looked at each other.

 “Yeah, so basically you all have a limited time to prove yourselves on Earth. A couple days at the very least?”

 Collin whimpered with droopy ears as his white halo above him briefly flickered.

 “Yeah, so if you don’t complete your mission in time…it’s a one-way trip down for you!”

 The cherubs yelled while grabbing onto each other.

 “Yes indeed!” Deerie said. “I can see you three reluctantly joining up with I.M.P.’s rivals to enact your revenge, turning into the winged devils you were destined to become!”

 “Nooooooo!” they cried in horror.

 Deerie then let out a childish laugh, waving her hoof. “But hey, that’s just a theory! I look forward to hearing about your…pandemonium adventures in the next few episodes!”

 Deerie waved and called, “That’s a wrap! Bye!”

 Cletus charged at her again, but she vanished through the portal and it closed.

 “No, no, no!” Cletus sobbed again, his co-workers comforting him.

 After several minutes, the cherubs stared at the stars and moon through one long window.

 “You know guys,” Collin admitted, “Though you might be a pain in my behind at times, you’re still like my family. Whether we’re in Heaven, Earth or Hell…we can get through anything as long as we stick together.”

 Keenie gave Collin a comforting side hug. Cletus soon joined in and he sighed. “That’s one thing we can all agree on.”

 After staring at the heavens, Cletus said, “We’d better rest up…we have lots of work to do.”

 The three cherubs huddled together underneath another Christmas tree, sleeping on a comfortable red rug.

 Though the mighty had fallen, they could only hope that the meek could rise.

[crackimagines]

Take Over (FE: Three Houses Short Fic)

Part 1

Part 2

With the Adrestian Empire declaring war on the church and moving to invade Garreg Mach, the Phantom Thieves move to steal the heart of Archbishop Rhea.

The clock is ticking for the Phantom Thieves, because if the invasion fails, then all their classmates are doomed to perish from the might of the Church.

---

When Akira opened his eyes again, he was greeted with a familiar blue sight.

Getting up from the ground, he realized he was still in his Phantom Thief outfit.

(Lavenza) "Hello, Trickster."

(Akira) "What...happened?"

(Igor) "A friend we did not expect to see again was what happened, Trickster."

Igor motioned his hand to the left and Akira saw who they were referring to.

(Sothis) "Hello again, Akira."

(Akira) "Sothis! I thought you were gone!"

(Sothis) "In a sense, I still am...This will be the last time I can communicate with you for a while. Talking to the child was a fruitless effort, seeing as they didn't recognize my voice..."

(Akira) "Wait, where is everyone?"

(Igor) "There is no need for alarm, you are still asleep in the real world."

(Sothis) "In short, you are all alive thanks to my intervention. Though there has been a...side effect."

(Akira) "What kind?"

(Sothis) "...Five years have passed since your last battle."

(Akira) ?! "Five years?!"

(Sothis) "I...don't have full control over my powers, and I can't really explain it, but I'm afraid thats all I can do for now."

(Akira) "I see. I'm also assuming you don't know the state of the world either."

(Sothis) "Afraid not. Whatever comes after this is up to you Phantom Thieves and Byleth."

Sothis started to fade away.

(Sothis) "I'm glad I was able to say a proper goodbye to you, Akira. I didn't have the chance to say before, but thank you. Say hi to Byleth for me, will you?"

(Lavenza) "It is time, Trickster."

(Igor) "What fate awaits you, we shall soon find out! Until we meet again!"

...

Akira opened his eyes and saw a crimson colored sky.

Raising his head, he noticed everyone had washed ashore from a river and was starting to wake up as well.

(Ryuji) "Ah shit, that hurt!"

(Ann) "We're alive...? WE'RE ALIVE!"

(Makoto) "Ow...D-Doesn't feel that way!"

(Yusuke) "Is everyone accounted for?"

(Akechi) "Shit! Yeah yeah, I'm here."

(Kasumi) "H-here! Ow my leg!"

(Futaba) "Mona, get off me!"

(Morgana) "MRAOW!"

(Haru) "I think we're all okay!"

(Akira) "Byleth?"

(Akechi) "Hey, he's still in the river!"

Ryuji's Persona floated on the water and picked up Byleth with its freehand, laying him on dry land.

(Ann) "Alright, stand back!"

Ann's Persona healed Byleth, making him open his eyes.

(Byleth) "Ugh...what happened?"

(Kasumi) "It seems that we've fallen into the river from Rhea's attack."

(Ryuji)  "Crap, that's right! We need to get back to the Monastery! The Imperial forces might be struggling to retreat!"

(Byleth) "Damn, that's right! Class we need to get mo-"

(Akira) "Everyone."

Everyone turned to Akira.

(Futaba) "What's up, Joker?"

(Akira) "...The battle is already over."

(Makoto) "What? But we only just fell! With my bike and Mona-"

(Akira) "No, thats not what I mean...You see-"

Akira then explained what happened in the Velvet Room, and that 5 years have passed since their disappearance.

(Ryuji) "For real, five years?!"

(Yusuke) "The war started without us..."

(Haru) "Then, is everyone still!?-"

(Akechi) "ENOUGH! We won't get anywhere bitching and crying over this, we need to get to the Monastery and form a new plan!"

(Ann) "Bluntly put, but he's got a point."

Everyone nodded then turned to Akira.

(Kasumi) "Awaiting your orders, Joker."

(Akira) "Well, Byleth?"

(Byleth) "...Let's go."

When they finally reached Garreg Mach, they saw the wreckage of the battle littered all over.

The most important thing they saw however were the Imperial soldiers occupying Garreg Mach.

(Byleth) "Thank goodness we took it."

(Ryuji) "Think they'll let us in?

(Imperial) "Stop! Who goes-?! Professor?! And...who?"

(Akira) "We are the Phantom Thieves. We fought alongside Emperor Edelgard during the Invasion of Garreg Mach."

(Imperial) "Then the Emperor will be pleased to see you all are okay. She's up in the Goddess Tower at the moment. Come in."

Once he said that, the Phantom Thieves clothes transformed back to normal.

(Makoto) "What the?!"

(Morgana) "I don't think they see us as threats anymore."

(Futaba) "Questions for later, he just confirmed Edie is okay!"

(Ann) "Let's not keep her waiting anymore then."

Everyone nodded and went back into Garreg Mach.

(Edelgard) "Five years to the day. If things had continued on as they were, today would have been the millennium festival."

(Byleth) "Then I'm glad we managed to make it."

(Edelgard) "WHO-...It can't be!"

Edelgard spun around and saw Byleth with the Phantom Thieves.

(Byleth) "Sorry for uh...vanishing."

(Akira) "Kept you waitin', huh?"

Edelgard was at first at a loss for words. She uttered a few sounds but they were of shock, then joy.

(Edelgard) "Is...Is it really you?"

(Akechi) "For the love of Christ- YES. It's us."

(Futaba) "Come on, no need to be a spoilsport!"

Akira and Byleth were taken into a hug by Edelgard. Though she was so small, their backs were starting to hurt with how strongly she was holding them.

(Edelgard) "It's...It's so good to know you're all safe. But...where did you go? I searched every nook and cranny for a trace, but found nothing!"

(Akira) "We'll tell you everything once everyone is assembled. Where are they?"

(Edelgard) "Everyone is currently inside the Listening Hall where Rhea's room was."

(Haru) "So they're all still okay!"

(Kasumi) "I bet they'll be excited to see us again!"

(Yusuke) "Edelgard appears to be the most excited of all, seeing her reaction."

(Edelgard) "A-ANYONE WOULD BE IF THEY LOST THEIR DEAREST FRIENDS FOR FIVE YEARS!"

(Byleth) "Hah, I'm happy we mean so much to you then."

(Edelgard) "I-I...SHUT UP!"

Edelgard lightly slapped Byleth on the shoulder and forced them out of the room, forcing them to head to the Listening Hall.

Byleth opened the door and saw the Black Eagles class all grown up.

(Bernadetta) "PROFESSOR! AKIRA! EVERYONE!"

(Petra) "Welcome to the back all of you...Er, welcome back!"

(Caspar) "Hey hey! Took ya long enough!"

(Dorothea) "My heart feels so relieved to see all of you safe!"

(Ferdinand) "5 years didn't do too much to them, I see!"

(Linhardt) "About time."

(Hubert) "Welcome back, professor, and the Phantom Thieves."

(Ann) "Oh right we...never told you guys about that did we?"

(Edelgard) "While its good to see everyone back once again...We need to discuss what's happened in the past 5 years with your absence."

...

(Akira) "So, a stalemate?"

(Hubert) "Yes, but now that we have you lot back...We're going to be turning the tables."

(Edelgard) "Do you remember the question I asked before we went into the fight at Garreg Mach? Will you still stand by that statement of walking with me? Do you still feel the same?"

(Everyone) "..."

(Byleth) "I promised that I'd stay by your side, Edelgard. I do not intend to change that mindset."

(Edelgard) "And Akira. This fight...was not yours to begin with. This is our world, and our problem. We will not hold it against you if you turned away now to find a way back."

(PT's) "..."

(Akira) "...Back when we first formed the Phantom Thieves, we made a vow to help those who are weak against those who are corrupt."

(Morgana) "Yeah...turning my back away from this violates the core rules of being a Phantom Thief!"

(Ryuji) "This whole crest and noble system can go to hell!"

(Ann) "People need to live by their own merits, not some birthright!"

(Futaba) "Not the first time we've killed some Godlike figure either!"

(Makoto) "You have my hand."

(Yusuke) "And my sword."

(Akechi) "And my gun, I guess."

(Haru) "And my grenade launcher!"

(Kasumi) "You have the support of all of us, Edelgard!"

(Edelgard) "Everyone...thank you."

Her smile transitioned to a more serious expression.

(Edelgard) "The day we invaded Garreg Mach, that marked the beginning of the end.

The road till now has been a bloody and hard fought one, with no end in sight.

However, we now have the greatest assets and friends to help us turn the tide of the Adrestian Empire.

With the help of Byleth, and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, we will finally put an end to the reign of terror that is the Church of Seiros!"

Everyone began cheering, as Akira and Byleth stood beside Edelgard.

(Akira) "So Edelgard...Give the Phantom Thieves our first target!"

[Colors Flying High - Persona 5 Royal]