#this sounds like ive been keeping tabs i have not. i simply am on this app too much w a memory of dumb shit like a steel trap

[oysterie]

unfollowed the popular blog whos writing i rly like but is unbearable to follow please clap for me

[blorbosondeck]

fic rec masterlist

canon divergent/finale fix its

Anamnesis

THIS! FIC! this fic lives in my head rent FREE it is so good and it makes so much sense in the narrative that the shitty finale concocted, as to why they wouldn't mention cas or anyone else and its just. so good and they write chuck in the most villainous way that i love!!!

"Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be. Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19."

Sunset Sound: Stairway to Heaven by @adhdeancas

GOD FUCKING CHRIST this is so good and sweet and im such a sucker for team ups and reunions!!! its 3:30 am rn and i just finished it and i love it SO much it made me laugh a lot and the last few chapters i had the stupidest grin just plastered to my face

The Closer the Star, the Greater the Parallax by @rocksalts​

repressed bastard dean submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known and receives the rewards of being loved but only after some miscommunication i LOVE this i read it last night and it’s a fast favorite. my interests have overlapped and i am INTO it

“When Dean sits down to watch some bullcrap Discovery Channel episode with Cas, he doesn’t expect to actually learn anything. Except, with Cas explaining, he makes an effort to connect the dots.”

Don't We All Deserve To Be Happy?

VERY sweet and a VERY good pick me up. all around feel good fic!!! 

"Post-canon fix-it, divergent from 15x19 where Jack stays and Dean doesn't die and Cas comes back and everyone is happy. Take a shot every time I'm salty about the finale."

Keep Your Love Alive

okay. okay okay okay this may be my favorite finale fix it just because of how well reasoned it is. like this feels what should have happened i love it SO much

"Dean gets to spend eternity sharing beers with Bobby on the Roadhouse porch and riding around in his Baby with Sam. He’s at peace… or he feels like he should be. But a few things nag at him: Where is Cas, and everybody else Dean had been hoping to see in Heaven? Why does he feel like he’s stuck in a loop, reliving the same memories over and over again? And who are the strangers wearing Sam’s and Bobby’s faces?"

The GoldenRod Revisions by @aethylas​

this is one of the most well written things ive ever read. the script format DID make it feel more real and honestly? this is better writing than this show deserves. the finale that could have been ♥️

“A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.“

Ascend by @wanderingcas​ 

THEE finale fix it fic!!! written by the AMAZINGLY skilled and talented @wanderingcas !!! it’s 50k of angst and hurt/comfort and pure bliss

“Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?”

Things Happen (They Do, And They Do, And They Do) by THEE @sobsicles

i KNOW everyone has already recommended this and likely you’ve all already read it. but it has to go here bc REPRESSIOOOOOOOOON i LOVE this so much it is one of the most perfect things i’ve read. are you bisexual? did you have a kind of weird relationship with your best friend and not realize that how you felt about them wasn’t necessarily how other people felt about them and you were maybe a little bit in love with them but were too repressed to realize it? you’ll feel seen. maybe a little too seen

Closer (isn't close enough)

are you a sweet and sappy yet horny bastard? do you like cas exploding light bulbs? you will like this.

“the one where they finally talk about what cas said before the empty took him”

You and Your Husband

it is exTRMELY sweet!!! repression dean strikes again <3

"Five times Dean corrects someone about his relationship with Cas, and one time he realizes he doesn't need to."

Tall Grass

miscommunication and a slowburn! despite being written in 2017 and finished in 2018, it feels like a fix it. ft. plant obsessed cas <3 

Invictus

a LOVELY and short (relatively) finale fix it

“They saved the world. They're free. It's done.

Except it's not, and carrying on is the last thing any of them are thinking about.

They still have someone they need to save.”

Unchained Link

post finale- it’s a great case fic and i am compelled i want more!!!

"It's after the end of things. Life continues on while Dean is "livin it up" in heaven. But it's never that simple, is it? A freak occurrence sends Dean into another time stranded back on Earth. And he thought his hunting days were over. But, no worries. His knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. Hijinks, therefore, ensue."

fun and time unspecified

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Love Potion No. 5

very funny and sweet! miscommunication at its finest ♥️

"Cas gets drenched with a mystery potion from the ‘love spell’ shelf and... Dean has a sneaking suspicion, angel or no— the spell may have taken effect. And Cas might be in love with Sam."

The Way We Were

Y'all. It is so good its a great mix of funny and serious- extremely fun to see dean as like a base bisexual

"Dean and Castiel pose as a couple to gain access to a gated community known as 'The Glen', a pleasant if secretive location that the boys believe might be linked to several dead bodies showing up over the years bearing signs of ritualistic sacrifice. All seems well until Dean's memory is affected from an incident during a solo exploration, leaving Dean convinced that their cover story is true. Castiel is left trying to resolve their case without taking advantage of an increasingly enthusiastic Dean"

While You Were Sleeping

this is basically just the movie but replacing sandra bullock with cas. this is my comfort movie and imo, one of the most perfect rom coms. the fic isn’t finished but i still have the tab open on my phone and i will straight up go back and re read it when i need a pick me up. 

aus/rewrites

The Harvelle Gospels: Offscript

i know everyone ever ( @jewishcharliebradbury ) has recommended this fic. and for good reason go fucking read it

“The Apocalypse is averted, the angels are in Heaven, and Jo is free from the threat of possession. Somehow it couldn't be farther from a happy ending.“

absolute riots

An Ineffably Profound Bond

i honestly would have put this in the finale fix it section! look. i know. i know you've been burned by crossover fics before. but this is Thee good omens/spn fic you want. its funny as hell and immensely satisfying. im weak for everyone working together tropes and that is this

"After Chuck sets 'The End' in motion, the remaining members of TFW make a miraculous escape. Not willing to waste any time, Castiel comes up with a plan to travel to one of the other worlds to try and get help from the angels there, but after a fight with Dean, it's the hunter who gets sent into an alternate universe,with seemingly no hope of return.

When a mysterious human with a heavenly weapon shows up in Aziraphale's shop, he and Crowley learn that their world is not the only one. Now it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to join forces with the human and help him save his world or simply find a way to send him home."

Somebody Up There Likes Me by @lafilleredige

cas is hit with a spell that turns his vessel into a woman, hijinks and sexuality crises ensue etc etc sam is a supportive and bitchy little brother and its all SO fucking funny and also. horny as hell i love it i love it i LOVE it

“’Dean doesn’t want to talk about your breasts, it’s making him uncomfortable because he hasn’t acknowledged the complex fluidity of human sexuality.’“

Stray Cat Strut

a long crack fic that IS one of the funniest things i’ve ever read and i can’t explain why. it’s so ooc but its so funny that i don’t care. if you need a laugh you gotta read this

"Sam and Cas are immediately in love with the adorable kitty they find outside the bunker door, and occupy their time planning how to convince Dean--who they believe is off sulking after a botched hunt--to let them keep their cat. Along the way, Dean learns to use a litter box and hears some confessions he maybe wasn’t supposed to hear, all while realizing just how much he loves Castiel.

Now all Dean has to do is convince Cas and Sam their new pet cat is actually him before they do something crazy--like neuter him!"

canon compliant or slight canon divergence

Give

by @doublestuffedimpala post season 7 episode 7, kind of ambiguous ending but truly a cas is happy to bleed for the winchesters fic

Punch Like Bones 

short, post 5x04 homoerotic moment that i wish we’d gotten

[eleanor-devil]

Boruto: Sacrifices [Remade] | Chap.14 - Tears of Regret

Written by: Eleanor-Devil & @mirage-05​​

Prologue | Chap.1 | Chap.2 | Chap.3 | Chap.4 | Chap.5 | Chap.6 | Chap.7 | Chap.8 | Chap.9 | Chap. 10 | Chap.11 | Chap.12 | Chap.13 | Chap.14 - You’re here

Naruto was reading the complete report on the interrogations, Shikamaru standing beside him, neither of them speaking. With each word he was reading the blond was feeling his heart getting heavier. "I... absolutely, completely messed up..." he mumbled finally, shaking his head. "Naruto..." his advisor began with a sigh. "Don't be so hard on yourself..." "And how can I not?!" he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and began pacing back and forth. "It was my responsibility to keep that child safe! And I failed, I couldn't protect him from those bastards..." There was a pause before the Hokage painfully added. "Or from the villagers..." "You couldn't have known..." "Shikamaru." Naruto gave him a knowing look. "Lame old excuse, and you know it." The Nara didn't say anything else to that. Naruto paced for some more, and turned again to look at him. "I want to hold a second meeting. Inform the clans and tell them that attendance is mandatory, we will tolerate no excuses." Shikamaru nodded. "Any preferences of when?" Naruto thought about it for a minute. "I would've loved to have them dragged out of their beds right now, but let's have it at sunset. Everyone will be present by then."

"On it." Just as Shikamaru walked towards the door, it opened suddenly, making him come to a sudden stop. Seeing the person standing in the doorway, Naruto immediately walked over. "Sasuke..." "Lord Seventh." Shikamaru bowed his head slightly before walking out. As soon as he was out, Naruto asked in a low tone. "Where is Orochimaru?" "I followed him, like you wanted." the Uchiha said seriously. "He went to his son's apartment, and he didn't come out." The Hokage was still tense. "That means he saw those graffitis..." "Oh, he did." The look in the obsidian eyes hardened. "He stared at them for a good while, too. He decided to take no action, but I don't know for how long this silence will continue." The blond closed his eyes for a moment and let out the breath he didn't know he was holding until then. "We have to keep an eye on him. If he decides to strike..." "It is not like he doesn't have good reasons." At the look his friend had given him, the man huffed. "But in any case, I am going to keep close tabs on him. I will keep you informed." The Hokage nodded. "We will have another meeting at sunset." Sasuke didn't say anything, simply nodded. When he opened the door, he almost bumped back into Shikamaru. "Naruto..." the advisor said, almost breathless. "The trackers are back." The blond's eyes widened for a moment, and before he knew it, he was already pushing through his advisor to get out of the room. In front of the office building, he found out that already a dozen people had gathered. And indeed, the trackers were approaching, Konohamaru in the lead, carrying an... unconscious...? dead...? He couldn't be sure, but he was carrying a woman, and something about the look on his face... made Naruto almost cringe. There was also another prisoner as far as he could see... He walked forward to meet them, his eyes on the woman who was on her feet. "Is she...?" "No." the answer came from Konohamaru, and hearing his voice... the blond now knew that something was indeed wrong. "Yoshida Suzume was this person." he indicated the woman he was holding. A moment of silence fell upon the gathered. So many questions came to Naruto's mind, but he didn't voice them just yet. Instead, he turned to one of the jounins. "Take that woman to the hospital." Then another one. "And take the other down to the interrogation rooms." Then he turned to the trackers. "I expect your reports to be delivered tomorrow at the latest." "Yes, Lord Seventh." they said in unison. "You may leave." As they turned their back to go, Naruto spoke once again. "Konohamaru... I would like to speak to you for a moment." The young man nodded and turned around to follow him into his office. The Hokage was watching him intently as he closed the door. "What is wrong?" he asked at last when he turned around properly to face him. "Excuse me, Lord Seventh?" the brunet asked, sounding genuinely confused. "I can see it in your expression... What happened there? Something is troubling you..." There was a pause. "I... I’d really rather not get into this right now." "And I’d really rather not have you in this state of mind.” His look softened. “You know you can tell me.” Another pause. Naruto just waited patiently, hands clasped beneath his chin. "You know, Lord Seventh..." the brunet said at last, not looking up. "We are trained as ninjas, capable of withholding our emotions. But sometimes...  sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. For me especially, tonight..." Naruto didn't say anything for a moment, but felt a small lump forming in his throat. "Konohamaru..." "That woman said he... h-he..." the jounin gulped, it was only too clear that he was having a hard time to continue. "She told me that in the end, he was crying..." Shock reigned supreme on the blond's face as he registered the jounin's words. "H-he... what...?" He was trying, hard, to regain his composure, but it had become a hard job... almost impossible... "She told me a lot of things... Just to bring me down, I guess, but I knew those words were lies... but... When she said that, I knew it was true... What they did to him... What we did to him..." "Konohamaru..." Naruto sighed as he brought two of his fingers to pinch his nose... Honestly, it was all that took him to remain calm... He could understand only too well what could have gone through the poor boy's head... How many times had he felt so heart-broken that he just wanted to run away and never look back? How many times had he felt like he was suffocating under the weight of all the hatred? He had promised himself... the moment he had accepted the boy into Konoha, that nothing like what he had gone through would happen again... That was exactly why he had put up a decree even before the child arrived, forbidding anyone and everyone to cause him harm... He felt like he was falling apart to see that he failed... and not just only a little, he had failed miserably... Trying to ease his mind out of those thoughts, he concentrated his attention on the young jounin again. "You can't let this get to you." "Can’t I?" Konohamaru continued, and his voice came out tired, strained... even with a bit of self-loathe if he had to guess, which made the Hokage frown slightly. "How was I any different toward him compared to the villagers? Did I treat him right, did I make him feel wanted?" His voice faded away as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "What good am I as a sensei...?" The blond sighed again and closed his eyes for a moment before getting up and walking towards the jounin. "You are the best sensei I could ever think of for them," he said firmly, causing the brunet to look up at him. "There were no other options. And I never regretted my decision." He grabbed his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "So you made a mistake, everyone does. All you have to do is keep believing in yourself and get right back up." "Some mistakes are not easily reversible though, are they?" Konohamaru said, with the hint of a bitter smile himself. Knowing that no words he said would help and only being sure that time alone could ease the heavy burden on his shoulders, the Hokage let him go and stepped back. "We will have a second meeting at the sunset..." "I will be there." the jounin said, almost in a cold tone. Then he sagged a little. "Lord seventh, if you may... I'd like to... go see him..." Naruto nodded. "You may leave." ... The raw rays of sunshine embraced the hospital building, as if to completely cover what the darkness of the night brought, to right the wrongs. The man's steps were neither too slow nor too quick, he was just striding forward as if a divine order was directing his steps. He quietly made his way to his student's room, his heart thumping loudly. Was he still there? He had to be there, right? He had to hear the news, he had to know he wasn't forgotten, he had to know he was cared for... He stopped for a minute before the room and gazed inside, just to make sure. Their positions weren't changed. Mitsuki was still lying motionless on the bed, the only thing reassuring them being the steady sounds. Boruto sat with his back to him, straight and unmoving. Sarada was sitting by his left side, facing the sensei, her head on the bed, although Konohamaru could see her eyes were open, just staring at their friend. It was a surprise to him that Shikadai was still there too, sitting next to Sarada, but a pleasant surprise. Gathering the courage that he didn't know had suddenly vanished, Konohamaru grabbed the door's frame and slid it open. The three pre-teens turned at the sound. "Sensei..." whispered Sarada. "Hey..." it was all he said as he approached them, pulling out a chair and finding a spot to sit next to Boruto. He stared at his youngest student for a long while, the night's events playing in his head, marveling at how brave this boy had been... reckless too, yeah, there was no denying that... But to face those monsters, completely isolated... He put his hand over Mitsuki's, careful about not touching the IV. A broken smile etched on his face and he had to gulp before he whispered, "Hi there, kiddo." "I…” he heard Shikadai say, and the boy paused for a second before continuing. “I will just be waiting outside…” He could only very clearly hear the reluctance in his voice, even when the Nara started to rise from his chair. Konohamaru was surprised for a moment but that quickly went away as the soft expression returned. He smiled a bit at the young boy before shaking his head. "No..." he said. "I want him to know that we're all here." Shikadai relaxed back in his chair while his students didn't utter a single word, simply staring at their sensei and then back at their friend. The look in the jounin's eyes hardened a little as his gaze, too, drifted to the unconscious boy. "You better prepare yourself for a good scolding when you wake up, Mitsuki." The children were clearly taken aback, both by his words and tone, he could see the shocked expressions on their faces. "W-what do you mean, sensei?" Sarada asked, gulping. "Why...?" "He was attacked..." Shikadai said cautiously, eyeing the sensei wearily. "It's not like..." "It's exactly what it sounds like." the brunette explained simply. "Your friend here thought it was a brilliant idea to engage five jounins in battle for the safety of the village." There was a deafening silence. "...five...?" the Uchiha mumbled finally in a tiny voice. "But that... was he...?" the blond wasn't even able to put together logical sentences. "You mean to tell me... What kind of stupid logic was that?!" he finally burst out. "Why would he do that?! How could he even believe he could win against such odds?!" "That's something only he can tell us... I can't wait to hear the whole story from him, either." Konohamaru went silent again as he looked back at Mitsuki, trying to gather his thoughts. "We did it, kid," he continued. "We got the last member of that damned squad..." Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the kids shifting, now interested. Sarada's fingers curled a little more around Mitsuki's hand. Konohamaru tried to choose the right words, just gazing at the blue haired boy's face. "I'm sorry..." he whispered after a second. "I am sorry we weren't there soon enough. I am sorry you had to face them alone, even when you shouldn't." He sighed. "And I'm sorry... that you ever felt you were truly alone..." This certainly caught their attention. "Sensei...?" whispered Sarada, curiosity but also worry filling her ebony eyes. Shikadai also shifted in his seat, sitting up straight, a frown in his features. "What do you mean... he felt truly alone...?" The young man looked between their faces sadly, this was going to be hard for them. He closed his eyes for a second as, unwelcome as it was, the woman's words about how Mitsuki was... crying... came back to him. He opened his eyes again, looking at the child lying on the bed and lightly squeezing his hand. "One of those damned ninjas..." he began, his voice broken. "She had the power to block sounds. Together with a strong genjutsu they trapped Mitsuki in a place where we couldn't even hear him... couldn't even know he was fighting for us..." He heard the three slightly gasp as their attentions immediately drifted towards their sleeping friend. Konohamaru had to sigh before continuing. "But it seems that he didn't... know about that trap… so they taunted him... about how no one was coming to his rescue, even though he was so close to us..." He felt his lip tremble for a moment but he quickly regained his composure. "Mitsuki... believed that no one was coming to help him... that he was completely alone..." “Damn…” the Nara mumbled, forgetting momentarily the presence of the jounin. Sarada brought a hand to her mouth, the other still tightly grabbing her friend's hand, and tears began to fill her eyes. "No..." she whispered, unable to truly comprehend how that must have felt. They had completely ruined him... The villagers, those ninjas... No one coming for his help... She started shaking with sobs. What did Mitsuki ever do to deserve these...? Boruto was trembling, and tears filled his eyes as he tried to gulp. "How could you ever think we would leave you alone...?" he whispered, so quiet that his voice barely reached his own ears. For a moment Konohamaru let go of Mitsuki's hand before wrapping one arm around Boruto's shoulders and extending the other arm to touch Sarada's hand. He smiled brightly at them. "That's why we need to stick together, to let him know that we're all here for him. Alright...?" "Mitsuki..." Sarada began, trying to pull herself together. "We... we are all here. We are with you... We will see this together..." Her voice trembling, she couldn’t go on . "We will always be here for you..." Shikadai supplied, finally finding his voice again, although the mere effort hurt as he spoke. "Even if you get bored of us at one point, we will stick by you anyway," Boruto said with a strong determination, also trembling a little. It might have been their imagination... but the moment they said that, it felt like the heart rating machine's beeps rose for a moment before returning to normal. Had Mitsuki heard them...? Had he felt that? The sensei gave a small laugh at that, gazing fondly at his younger student. "That's right, kiddo... You are never alone." He didn't know how much time passed, but after a while, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and got up. "Get some sleep, you three." he said, but he wasn't sure if they would listen. Boruto couldn't help himself as a small, sad smile adorned his lips. "Sensei..." he said, not taking his eyes away from his best friend's face. "Thank you." ... Hanabi was preparing to greet the new day, her mind smoothly, effortlessly going over the daily ordeals she expected to face with the Hyuuga. Not long before Himawari had dropped in - not that she stayed long, only long enough for a quick breakfast with grandpa, and then she was off with her friends from the clan. She really didn’t expect anything big to happen today. The general atmosphere in the clan was pretty mild considering the past few days, and she was content that none of her brethren betrayed her decree about obeying the Hokage’s orders regarding the recent hostility around Konoha. She really didn’t expect any visitors either. That was why the knock on the door came as a surprise. She walked briskly to the entrance, and for a moment was at a loss of words when she saw who it was. “Konohamaru…” she mumbled, still not knowing what exactly to say. It had been precisely three days since they last talked. She knew it wasn’t really a big deal, their brief disagreement in the meeting was just that… brief and insignificant. It had been on her mind for a while actually to make things up with her lover. But the blank expression on his face now, one that sent chills down her spine, made it clear to her that that wasn’t his purpose right now. The jounin raised his head barely to meet her eyes. “I didn’t want to go anywhere else…” And then he began to slump forward. “Konohamaru!!” the woman exclaimed, now truly alarmed as she adjusted herself to support the weight of the brunet so she could carry him inside. That was when she got a good look at his back, and a gasp escaped her lips. She didn’t know he had been on a mission… the cuts didn’t look too deep but definitely needed some disinfection. The jounin didn’t react much as she carefully carried him to the sofa. It was when she made to get up and get some supplies that his hand grabbed her wrist, gently but enough to make her stop. “Stay… I’m fine…” “You’re hurt.” she tried to reason, but didn’t pull her hand back. The look in his eyes was so… tired, so lost that the woman started to get restless… just what was going on…? “This is nothing.” Konohamaru mumbled finally, and then averted his eyes. “Nothing compared to…” “Konohamaru…” “He very nearly died… they didn’t even care he was just a child… He was so severely injured… he almost died…” the man had begun shaking, while Hanabi found it almost impossible to breathe with each one of his words. “And now the medics don’t even know whether he will wake up or not…” The Hyuuga was so shocked that she couldn’t even find her voice. “W-what…” she gulped. “Who are you talking about…?” “And all because he decided to fight…” he continued as if he didn’t hear her. “Mitsuki… as always, he put everyone’s safety before himself and decided to fight… even when we made him run away…” His voice caught, and his next words were almost lost. “Even when I made him run away…” “Oh my God…” Hanabi whispered, bringing her hand to her mouth. She didn’t know the full scope but… what he was telling was horrible… And Konohamaru was still not meeting her eyes. Instead, his gaze was fixed on his trembling hands. “Hana… what have I done…?” And just like that, the woman couldn’t hold back her tears. Sitting gently next to him so as not to hurt him more, she put her arms below his and hugged him tenderly. “Sorry… Oh my God, Konohamaru, I’m so sorry…” After just a heartbeat, the Sarutobi put his hand over hers. Neither of them said anything, they didn’t need to. They just let the still morning serenity engulf them. “I don’t know how to live with that… I should’ve protected him against even the village but I did the exact opposite…” Hanabi’s hands tightened a little more. “Don’t… don’t be so hard on yourself, we all made some hard decisions… But I never thought it would actually come to this point…” “I don’t think any of us did.” was Konohamaru’s soft reply. The Hyuuga snuggled a little more to her lover as silence once again dominated the space in between them. “Is… is there anything I can do for you…?” she finally whispered against his back. “Just stay… please...?” The jounin’s voice sounded so fragile then, almost like that of a frightened child’s. It was almost hard to watch the ever so collected Konohamaru crumble like this… Knowing him so well, Hanabi could see that what he had witnessed had really ruined him… Feeling like her heart was breaking into pieces, she leaned in gently to place a kiss on his hair. “Always.” Pulling back slightly to tend to his wounds, it became unnecessary to talk any further. After a short while, she felt him beginning to relax and lifted herself from the sofa, making him lie back down so that he could sleep off the night's events. ... It was about two hours later that Himawari came back. The young woman was shocked when she heard the door bang open and stomping footsteps made their way inside. She quickly looked at her boyfriend but he hadn't even flinched, out cold. She quickly made her way out of the room and silently closed the door just as she heard Himawari's angry yell. "And don't you ever come back! I don't wanna play with any of you anymore!" Hanabi winced when the door slammed shut, loudly. When she got there, she saw her niece was literally fuming. "Hima! What happened?" "They are all a bunch of idiots!" the eight-year-old cried out in frustration. "I never want to see them again!" And with that, she stomped to her room. After a moment of stunned silence, Hanabi decided to follow her. The youngest Uzumaki was sitting on her bed, arms crossed and a serious pout in her features. The young woman slowly sat on the mattress. "Hima... what is it?" "It is those boys! Like they know anything better!" "Why don't you tell me from the beginning? But it's better if we try to keep it down, okay? Konohamaru-san is here and he is sleeping..." "Oh..." Himawari blinked, and bit her lip. "I'm sorry... I just thought, seeing that onii-chan is never around nowadays... they had training or something..." Hanabi gulped inconspicuously, not knowing what to say. The dark look returned to the blue eyes of the girl after a moment, and she began to speak. "It's about Mitsu-nii... It was all good at first, we were just playing some games, but then that stupid Shoji came and asked me whether or not we were still speaking with Mitsu-nii and I swear, auntie, I didn't think anything of it! I said of course we are, me and onii-chan regard him like a brother, and that was when another one laughed and said we should better say goodbye to him then!" For a moment, the Hyuuga felt her blood running cold. "W-what did they mean by that...?" Surely, the news shouldn't have reached yet... If they did, though... "Some nonsense about how he should get out of Konoha, how he doesn't belong here! Ha! As if!" Her voice had risen again. "And I told him to shut his mouth, that Mitsu-nii does belong in Konoha and a brat like him has no sat in it anyway!" Her look became even darker. "That's when he said... they already had their say in it." "And by that..." "They boasted about how some of the older children ganged up on him yesterday night and how that was what he deserved!" The girl was so angry that she was shaking now. "And I didn't mean to... Well I did, but... I hit one of his chakra points. Serves him right, though." She frowned again, deep. "Don't worry about that now." Hanabi was angry... really angry... Yes, they had agreed for the exile but not for these despicable harassments, she had made it very clear! How dare any Hyuuga disregard this?! But she couldn't let her emotions show now... "I wish I could go see him now," the girl continued, oblivious, sadness in her tone. "He must be feeling really down... He will need some cheering up, and I know I'm the only person!" The woman now had a lump in her throat. "Himawari..." "I know, I will go find onii-chan, I'm sure they're just hanging out somewhere... It's so unlike onii-chan to pass up a chance to visit you though, auntie, so I wanna know what's keeping him, too..." Then she smirked a bit. "Maybe he's just busy helping Mitsu-nii against those jerks." Finally, Hanabi just reached and pulled her in a hug, burying her face in her hair. "You will know soon, sweetheart..." But it would be best for Himawari to hear it from her parents. ... The sun had lowered its position in the sky, dying the heavens in shades of crimson and pink. The people who entered the hall were talking to each other in hushed voices, gazing at the front to where Naruto sat behind his desk, his head bowed a little forward, resting on his hands clasped in front of him. Even from a distance it was clear that he was wearing signs of weariness, and a grave look adorned his features, making him seem older for his age. The serious and sad aura he seemed to be reflecting was almost contagious, as every single person standing around him kept their silence, too, almost as if the scene was not a meeting, but the gathering by someone's deathbed. The people looked at each other curiously, but didn't say anything more as they sat down. Honestly, the young Nara couldn’t help but admire Lord Seventh for his near perfect composure. Yes, they were all trained to keep their emotions bottled. That was the first rule after all if you wanted to become a ninja. Still, after yesterday's events, a night that almost ended up in a tragedy, even his father had asked him not to attend the meeting, just like how Sarada was excused. But no... Shikadai especially wanted to come. He needed this, he needed to look in the eyes of each and every one person who had been so supportive of his friend's exile, of the countless harassments that drew him very nearly to his death. He needed to look at them and remind himself his reasons to become a top-class ninja. His reasons to protect these people because otherwise... it felt like he might as well quit right then and there. “Hey there, loser,” he then heard a voice, signaling that his resolve was going to be put to test much sooner than he expected. “You really wouldn’t want to mess with me now.” the boy muttered in a low and tight tone, so that only Ichiro and his teammates could hear him. “Awww, and why is that? Don’t tell me your girlfriend dumped you? Where is she anyway?” "Is that really all you can think about right now?" His snarl was so unlike him as he turned to face the Sarutobi, who was visibly taken aback by his hostility. "You are a chuunin, your village just received an attack and all you can think about is harassing people and making petty talk? While people put their lives on the line?" He turned his back with a disgusted sneer before folding his arms. "What a joke." Seeing that Ichiro was about to make a very angry comeback, and a few people sitting nearby turning around, his other teammate, Namida, stepped in between the two boys and put her hands on the older boy’s shoulders to restrain him. “Enough with this. We’re obviously here for a very serious reason. Don’t turn this into a mess.” Well, at least his teammates were smart girls, Shikadai should give them that. Naruto looked at all of the people who had gathered over his fingers, having a much despised dejavu as he took in the faces. A couple of minutes passed in silence. He lowered his hands. "How was your day?" he asked in a low voice, a voice which was almost devoid of emotions. His words were met with an even denser silence. Naruto stood up slowly, and walked to the front of his desk. "How was your day?" He repeated, this time loudly. "Was it sunny? Windy? Was there rain? Tell me." Everyone looked at one another, completely taken aback. Why was the Hokage asking that kind of a question all of a sudden? "It was... nice, I guess." someone said finally. "It rained almost non-stop from the night though." "Well the sun did come up - I think it was generally a nice day." Naruto nodded to himself while people kept murmuring. "I'm glad you, at least, can see and feel how beautiful the day supposedly was." He said and stopped, while the people in the meeting room just kept staring at him. "Because..." he continued, and his voice took a softer tone. "One of us was not able to see it. Not today. Maybe... not ever." There was a silence in the room, most in it not understanding a word at all. “What…?” Namida started to say, the first in her team to react. Before she could continue, though, her gaze caught the expression on Shikadai’s face. It was sad, so sad… almost heartbroken… His words floated back to her, people put their lives on the line… What did the Nara know that they didn’t…? "What... pardon me for asking my lord, but what is it that you mean?" Naruto opened his eyes and the look was so cold that it caused almost everyone's blood to freeze right there and then. They... had never seen such a look in their Hokage's eyes... so cold... so distant... "Konoha... made a very, very grave mistake..." Naruto whispered, in a voice which wouldn't be heard normally if it wasn't very quiet in the room. "The price of which was almost too high for us to pay." The villagers were more confused than ever now - the Hokage was sure speaking in riddles. The people exchanged glances, none of them daring to question what their leader's words meant. "The child... that more than half of you," he gestured to the clans present. "wanted me to exile over something beyond his control..." he continued before he faced them again. "Is, in this exact moment, in a deep coma after he nearly lost his life trying to protect our village from a barbarian attack." The silence was abruptly broken as once again, murmurings filled the room. Only a limited number of people in the room knew about the events of the evening, for others, it was a big shock. "An attack?" One of those among the Akimichi asked, baffled. "By whom?" In spite of himself, Shikadai couldn’t help but feel that his disgust only grew. The attack, it was all they can still think about… Not the boy who, no thanks to them, almost died to prevent it... "Rogue ninjas of the cloud and survivors of the sound," answered Kakashi simply, knowing Naruto had very little patience right now. "And the attack, like your Hokage said, was stopped by a thirteen-year-old boy." Naruto immediately cut in. "Who, if I might remind... left the village in the first place because of your clans' constant harassments." "Excuse me, Lord Seventh..."  Naruto immediately recognized Sarutobi Kichiro's voice among the others, and he instinctively stiffened with the strong feeling of dislike. "But how is it exactly our fault? We didn't force that child to leave." His tone was practically indifferent, no regard for the child who was in such a critical condition... Naruto hit with his fist in such force against the table that it left a crack. "Not your fault...? You, Kichiro, have a big nerve in talking... because I have gathered proof that at least the Sarutobi were under YOUR direct orders to make that child feel unwanted!" He punched the table again, another crack... "Despite MY strict orders that Mitsuki was to be left ALONE and out of this matter!" “They… they have no proof my grandfather started all these,” Ichiro started in a simulation of his old cocky, superior tone, but it was all too clear that he was feeling uncomfortable. “We weren’t the only clan to-” “You were the most vocal though, weren’t you? Even right now.” It was still pure venom in the young Nara’s voice, no mercy, as more and more people turned to stare at their small group. Konohamaru was trying to keep his temper under control until this very moment, when his clan leader decided to speak, and right then, he just snapped. "My student..." He whispered, his tone so cold and hateful that Kichiro actually did a double take. "...just almost died right before my very eyes... They were about to announce him dead... So, by any right, tell me who has been mercilessly harassing him, so I know exactly who I will never have the misfortune to speak to again." Kichiro was sweating... hard... the frown on his face clearly gave away how guilty he was in the matter... Before anything else could be said, a clear, female voice rose in the room. "Lord Seventh," Hanabi spoke. "I was one of the few people that knew about what was happening yesterday and therefore, I have taken measures. The Hyuuga involved in those despicable harassments will be given the proper punishment, it does not matter if my clan voted in favor of the child's exile, I would never allow such a thing to go unpunished." She bowed. "I apologize for what distraught my clan caused to the child." "Excuse me, Lord Seventh, but... rogue nins? What business would they have, attacking a village as strong as Konoha?" It was a pretty valid question, although the subtext was clear enough. Kakashi felt the need to intervene before Naruto could say anything. "They aimed to disrupt the peace and assassinate Lord Seventh, therefore creating chaos in the village." Gasps rose in the air followed by whispers and mumbles. "Assassinate someone as strong as Lord Seventh? They wouldn't make it!" "Perhaps... but until they reached Lord Seventh, how many innocent people would have been lost? How many children would have died in a clearly planned out killing?" said Kakashi. "We have more than enough strong ninjas who would defend the innocent... It seems to me like the child's intervention was unnecessary..." "Not when you couldn't even hear their screams, you wouldn't be able to protect people." Kiba growled, his eyes hard as steel. "Correct me if I'm wrong, because I really... really hope for your sake that you are not trying to call the child stupid in front of me." "And what makes you SO sure that the child was not involved in the attack and was betrayed?" someone suggested. "You said yourselves, some were ninjas from the sound village, found by none other than Orochimaru, who, oh so coincidentally is the parent of that child." "You bastard..." Konohamaru was about to make his way over to the low life who had just said that, and two people, one of them being the Yamanaka in his own team this morning stopped him before he could move. Ryu turned to look at the person who had just spoken, a great distaste in his eyes. "I interrogated the two rogue ninjas that were captured myself. I hope none of you will ever have to experience such a thing happening to your child... How that boy was mercilessly taunted, beaten even after he was defeated and on the ground... and even then he wasn’t afraid to do what it takes to stop them." Having watched Shikadai all this time and noticing how almost all the color drained from his face, the haunted look in his eyes… Namida couldn’t help it anymore. Leaning forward, she put her hand on the young boy’s shoulder, just a reminder that he wasn’t completely alone here. She didn’t know the scope and extent of his suffering but in her eyes, no one should suffer such a big burden alone. At the unexpected touch, Shikadai flinched and turned back to look at her. His stiff posture relaxed just a little when he saw the intention was friendly, and although he turned back to the front of the room to continue and watch the unfolding of the events, he didn’t shrink away from her touch. "Well anyone betrayed would-" The phrase wasn't even finished... there was a huge "CRACK" which scared everyone in that room, what had that been?! "ENOUGH!" They heard a strong, female voice yelling. The faces slowly turned towards the direction to face a very angry Tsunade... hell, maybe very angry wasn't the correct way to put it... she was beyond pissed! Some even gulped... they knew well the former Hokage's temper... "I was there, I saw that child's life almost slip away between my fingers, I KNOW the gravity of those wounds and I guarantee you that if I could, I would make each one of you idiots, who keep mistreating a poor child, have those wounds for the rest of your lives!" The woman was seething, literally trying to calm herself but it was hard. "If anything... Show some respect for a child who almost give away his life so that you ungrateful morons could rest at your homes safely instead of fighting for your lives on a hospital bed! Be grateful for each one of your breath, because a child was selfless enough to take the brunt of a vicious attack that could've turned into a village-wide catastrophe!" Her fist was shaking, but she quickly controlled it. Naruto's eyes were hard as stone, his lips set in a firm line, he hadn't even flinched for a moment at the woman's outburst. Quietly he stood up. "I believe we have all made our point clear here." He started to walk away before stopping in his steps. "I don't think I need to say that those involved in the harassments will be punished for breaking the decree..." "H-Has..." There was a moment of hesitation which caused Naruto to turn and face the one who had talked. "D-Does Orochimaru know what happened...?" "Heh... so now you're scared..." mumbled Kiba under his breath. "He's the kid's parent, of course he was informed." The restlessness in the meeting hall was now perfectly tangible. Naruto felt sick that these people were more concerned about another possible threat rather than the well-being of a dying child. "So for all of our sakes... Pray for the child to be safe and for Orochimaru to not find out for what particular reason his son ended up in the hospital." And with that Naruto left the meeting hall, followed by the others. Leaving behind restless clans whose voices soon started being heard in a mix of confusion but which Naruto refused to listen and completely ignored...

[flutteringphalanges]

Summary: It is public knowledge that Zoe Van Helsing is the last of her blood line. Not to mention that, in a sense, Count Dracula is too. However, after an unexpected night of passion, both their lives dramatically change when Zoe becomes pregnant. Two unconventional parents, one extraordinary pregnancy. What could go wrong?

Rating: M

Pairings: Zoe Van Helsing/Dracula implied Agatha/Dracula

Read on FFN and AO3

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter! Feedback is greatly loved and appreciated! Love you all! -Jen

                                                  Chapter Eight

It was the blaring of a car horn that brought Zoe back to reality. Her head was spinning as she blinked wearily around, trying to gauge her surroundings. The events that led to this moment had yet to resurface as she realized that she was oddly strapped into the backseat of someone’s car. Trying to sit up, the doctor squinted at the tall figure who sat almost hunched in the driver’s seat. It was dark and the heat was blasting at an ungodly, uncomfortably high level. Where was she and what the hell was going on?

“La naiba!” The familiar voice hissed, hitting the steering wheel hard. “Ticăloși englezi!” 

Zoe’s brows knitted together as she eyed what was causing such a fuss. The red glow of a light. A stop light. They were stuck in traffic. Fighting her dizziness, she managed to prop herself up on one of her elbows. When the back seat creaked in response, the man suddenly whipped his head around. Dracula. He frowned deeply, his expression almost frightening. Try as she might, the doctor couldn’t discern the vampire’s current emotion. Whatever the case, he was less than thrilled. 

“Stop moving and just stay still.” He finally spoke authoritatively. “We’ll be at the hospital in just a few minutes if all of these damn cars get out of the way!” He slammed his fist against the wheel and Zoe could almost swore she heard something crack. “Lay back down.” 

“Hospital?” She mumbled, brows knitting in confusion as she tried to piece together what happened. When she suddenly remembered, her stomach sunk. The pain was indeed gone, but she felt nothing. Was she supposed to feel something? “I fainted…”

“You’ve been out cold for over five minutes.” Dracula replied, faint anxiety lacing his tone. “I didn’t trust the emergency medical services to get to the Foundation fast enough. It seemed only fitting I do so myself.” When the light turned green, the vampire hit the pedal hard causing the car to lurch. “What happened?! Are you in any pain?! I don’t smell blood. But I’m not writing anything off simply because of that.”

Being bombarded with the man’s questions only aided in her growing headache. Not to mention she wasn’t fond of his probable “well intended” kidnapping. She placed a hand on her stomach and focused hard. How she wished they were big enough to where she could be put at ease feeling them move. But he smelled no blood and she didn’t feel wet. Weren’t those obvious signs of miscarriage? If she had only experienced pain, maybe…

“I feel fine.” She managed to muster out a reply. Surprised by how weary her voice sounded. “Just...out of it.” 

“Evidently.” Dracula muttered, rolling his eyes. “Were you feeling ill at all today? Did something happen at your oncology appointment? I knew I should have had Frank gather intel--” 

“Intel?!” Zoe said, her voice suddenly gaining volume. “How...you’re having your dotting lawyer follow my every move now?!” She attempted to sit up, but the motion made her nauseated. “You and I have an agreement, but that doesn’t extend to you spying on my every move!” 

“Technically, you’re keeping tabs on me.” The vampire shrugged. “And I’m only concerned in the well being of yo…” He paused, lips pressing into a firm line. “I’m just taking an interest in the safety of my children and their development.” 

“Oh, I assure you.” Zoe snapped as they pulled into the mostly empty parking lot. “When it comes to them, I take everything into account!” 

“Well if that were the case, maybe we wouldn’t be here.” Dracula said coldly, taking a parking space close to the building. “Stay here while I get you a wheelchair. Try to walk, and I’ll carry you inside. Your choice.” 

The doctor’s jaw dropped as the Count stepped out of the vehicle and slammed the door shut. Unbuckling herself, Zoe’s eyes watched as the glare from the street lights lit up his figure as he walked towards the hospital. Even though she knew it was him, it still was a little eerie. His size was intimidating. Part of her couldn’t help but wonder if the babies would inherit that. That was, if they were still okay to begin with. 

“At least you came to your senses and decided to wait.”

Zoe jumped in surprise at the sound of Dracula’s voice. Apparently, her mind had wandered far enough to where she hadn’t even realized his return. Reluctantly, she allowed him to help her into the wheelchair. Perhaps in any other circumstance, this display of obedience would’ve amused the Count. Yet right now, he felt anything but. 

“If you’re not going to let me get up, at least take my license and insurance card to the front desk and sign me in.” The scientist frowned from their position in the lobby. “And don’t threaten anyone to get me seen faster. If you get kicked out, I’m not going to argue your case to get you back in.” 

“No one could remove me from the premises if they tried.” And for the first time since she awoke, a flicker of a smirk crossed his features. “Public places don’t require invitations.” 

“That’s a real pity.” She snorted, folding her arms over her chest. “I would’ve liked to see what would happen if they did. Would you burst into flames if you weren’t fast enough? Fly backwards…?” 

Dracula gave her a lopsided sneer before taking a hold of her identification cards. Zoe watched him from afar, her hands now resting on her stomach. The longer she sat there in the clinic, the more concerned she began to grow. Before she had tried to push the worry aside, but now it felt real. She sucked in a breath as Dracula approached, her cards in one hand and a hospital bracelet in another. 

“Hold out your wrist.” The vampire said, undoing the sticky side of the band. “They’re going to bring you back in a minute.” When Zoe opened her mouth, Dracula rolled his eyes. “I didn’t threaten them. Based on your medical history and symptoms, they want to get you checked out sooner rather than later. And,” he added lightheartedly. “It just happens to be a slow night. Just our luck.” 

“Right…” She pursed her lips. “Luck.” 

There was something unsettling being in the emergency ward at night. As she was strapped up to machines, an IV placed into her arm, Zoe found herself staring up at the ceiling trying to count the many tiny holes in the tiles. She could feel Dracula watching her from his seat. But much to her relief, he didn’t say anything. When the doctor entered the room--not her usual one, accompanied by a very tired looking resident luggy an ultrasound machine, they both perked up. 

“Dr. Sahli.” The man smiled, reaching out to shake both of their hands. “I hear you had some concerns about your pregnancy?”

“Yes.” Dracula cut in before Zoe could. “There was an incident at work. She fainted for a few minutes.” His eyes flickered onto the scientist. “I thought it best we come here due to the circumstances.” 

“I see.” The doctor nodded, beginning to set up the equipment. “I’ve pulled up your file, Dr. Van Helsing. I think you made a good call coming in.” He muttered something to the resident that Zoe couldn’t pick up. “Any other symptoms besides the fainting?” 

“Just sharp pain.” Zoe admitted, inhaling as her abdomen was exposed. “That’s gone away, but the dizziness is still there.” She stiffened as the gel was squeezed onto her stomach, eyes unable to meet Dracula’s. “Do you think...something could be wrong?” 

“Let’s not try to get ahead of ourselves and worry.” The older man smiled, placing the probe against her skin. Carefully, he began to move it around until the most reassuring sound in the world filled Zoe’s ears. Heartbeats. “Just what I was looking for.” 

The scientist watched in awe as the two little humanoid beings moved about on the screen. At times, she almost swore they were kicking each other. She yearned for the moment where she could feel the movements back. But there they were. Wiggling. Alive. Still blissfully unaware of the world outside. 

“I don’t see any fetal distress and amniotic fluid levels look fine…” Dr. Sahli mumbled, panning across the monitor. “I’d say this was nothing more than a scare. But based on your high risk pregnancy, I’d like to run some tests and keep you overnight.” The man stated, setting the probe down. “Overexertion and dehydration could have some part in what happened. I just want to make sure everything is fit as a fiddle before sending you off.” 

“Am I allowed to stay with her?” Dracula inquired, Zoe throwing him a glare. “I am the father.” 

“I don’t see why not.” The innocent doctor smiled, not noticing the furious stare the expectant mother was giving the vampire. “I’ll let the nurses’ station know once we get Dr. Van Helsing settled.” 

“Oh, and one more thing.” The Count said, causing both the doctor and resident to glance up. “Is it too much to request a room without windows? I have rather sensitive skin, a rare condition, and I think Zoe will rest better with less light anyway.” He gave a wide smile. “I’d much appreciate it.” 

                                                    XXX

“I don’t want to be here.” Zoe grimaced from her hospital bed. “And I don’t like you being here.”

“You’ve expressed that several times now.” Dracula sighed, flipping the page of the magazine he was reading. Family Life. She recognized the title from her visits to the doctor. Cast aside on some table with the hopes that someone would pick it up for a peek. “But as I have clearly stated each time, I have no plans to go anywhere. I’m staying put.” 

“I need to tell Jack what’s going on and let him know I won’t be in tomorrow.” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “And somehow explain that you won’t be. Not to mention that somehow someone is going to have to bring my work to me.” 

“You will be doing no such thing until you’re cleared by a professional.” The vampire replied coolly. “The doctor said you need to take things easy. While I find science positively fascinating, you scrutinizing over papers about lab work you can’t actually go in and physically see doesn’t excite me. You’ll only stress yourself further by fixating on what’s out of your hands.” 

“Since when did you become a psychologist?” The scientist snorted, looking bemused at the vampire. “And a simple laptop would suffice for me to do what I need. I’d just need the proper clearance to gain access to the files and contact the laboratory for a digital copy of the test results…” The more that she thought about it, the further she realized how tedious this all was. “I just need my work computer. That’s all.” 

Dracula stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes fixed on her face. Then, without a word, he picked his magazine back up and started flipping through it again. It was as if their previous argument had never occurred. In retaliation, Zoe beamed an empty, plastic cup in his general direction. Without even looking up, the vampire gracefully dodged her attack. 

“I should have never told you I was pregnant in the first place.” She grumbled, glowering as he seemingly ignored her. “Then I wouldn’t have to put up with any of this.” 

“I would have found out eventually.” The vampire shrugged, still focused on one of the colorful pages. “I have a way of discovering secrets. A talent if you will. You learn as much when it comes to yourself.” The corners of his lips twitched into a small smirk. “We all have skeletons in the closet, Dr. Van Helsing.” 

“And yours are supposed to be released from their confines!” Zoe shot back. “We have a legal binding contract to work together, and I don’t like games.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Especially right now.”

“Your great, great aunt would be so disappointed.” The Count chuckled. “She was rather talented at chess...well, in her mind.” 

The scientist stiffened at the mention of Agatha. In a way, she felt as if saying the name would summon a demon. Or a ghost to say the very least. Glancing around quickly to make sure they were still alone, she turned back just in time to notice Dracula eyeing her oddly.  

“Are you alright?” He inquired, any reminences of mocking having left his tone. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“Fine.” She answered curtly. “Just tired.”

“Then try to sleep.” Dracula suggested, setting the magazine aside. “There’s no telling when your lab results will come back and the time of your discharge. You might as well rest as well as you can.” He paused, before adding. “If anything, sleeping will make the time seem to go by faster.” 

“Am I to assume you’re just going to sit there and watch me the whole time?” Zoe inquired, her tone unpleasant. “That is possibly the least relaxing thing you can do for me right now."

"You won't even know I'm here." The vampire assured her as he readjusted his position. "Besides, I think you'd prefer I stay here with you rather than roam the halls of this fine establishment." He gestured to the air. "Who knows what smells might capture my attention. Why, if I remember correctly, I do believe we are over an operating theater. Surgical procedures can be rather bloody…"

Zoe narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

Dracula gave her fake, sheepish grin. "...Well now, knowing what I can and can't do, I suppose there is no harm or foul taking a quick trip to the blood bank. Technically I wouldn't be harming anyone so there goes any concern for breaching my contract."

"I should've let them destroy the house with you in it when I had the chance." Zoe spoke, fingers digging into the thin fabric of the blanket. "Fine. Be that way if you really are so desperate."

"Oh, there is no desperation." Dracula said with a content smile over his victory. "Just...well intentions…"

"Bite me." The scientist grumbled, letting her head fall onto her pillow.

"Not something I would advise you to say to a vampire." Dracula chuckled, his attention now on a new magazine. "Goodnight, Zoe. Get some rest."

If it weren’t for the twins and today’s exhausting events, Zoe would’ve tried her hardest to retaliate against the Count’s insistence. But her body betrayed her. The tendrils of sleep wrapped around her in a vice like grip. 

No longer could the good scientist fight it as she found herself pulled down into the deep, dark abyss of unconsciousness. So far gone that not even her dreams could reach her. A place lost to her mind. A place lost to her. Only uninterrupted slumber. Something she truly needed. 

                                                      XXX

Uninterrupted. If one considered a few hours of shut eye that. Zoe awoke to the sound of two people quietly talking--which clearly wasn’t soft enough as it woke her up. Blinking back sleep, she made out Dracula standing in the doorway speaking to Dr. Sahli. The vampire’s expression was unusually serious, similar to that of someone trying to absorb a lot of information at once. She noted the file folder in the doctor’s hand, the papers waving inside whenever the man made a gesture. 

“So everything came back normal?” Dracula asked slowly. “No abnormalities?” 

“None.” The doctor reassured him. “We ran multiple tests. It isn’t the cancer or something else. Just as I explained earlier, I think that after ruling everything else out, we can safely assume that what happened to Dr. Van Helsing was as simple as dehydration and overexertion. Does her job have a tendency to be stressful?” 

“Only when she makes it that way.” The vampire replied, rolling his eyes. “So they’re all healthy? Her and the twins?” Even though Zoe was pretending to be asleep, she could feel Dracula’s gaze on her. “These are unusual circumstances.” And he wasn’t referring to her cancer or other risk factors. “Both babies are well?”

“Perfectly fine.” The doctor smiled. “I took the liberty of taking a few extra tests just to confirm. One I noticed hadn’t been done on her files was NIPT--a noninvasive prenatal testing. Since she’s high risk, I wanted to just check a few things out…” He paused. “There were a few things I noticed though.”

Dracula frowned. “I thought you said everything was fine?”

“It is, it is.” The doctor said, gesturing with his hands. “Just some of their genetics...well, they were a little odd. But nothing that seemed amiss. I could do further testing, put in an order for her to have an amniocentesis procedure done in a few weeks. But that carries some risks. And while I didn’t go into depth, nothing I saw was linked to any known diseases or disorders.” 

The vampire nodded his head thoughtfully, processing every word the man said. After hearing the doctor speak about the twins’ DNA, Zoe decided it was time that she woke up. Forcing a yawn, she propped herself up in the bed. Both men turned to face her, the doctor looking rather surprised while Dracula seemed unimpressed. Evidently she wasn’t as good at playing pretend as she thought.

“I’m sorry if we woke you, Dr. Van Helsing.” The doctor apologized. “I was just discussing with your husband--”

“We’re not married.” She interrupted quickly. “Anyway, if these are my results, I’d like to be the one to hear them first hand.” 

“Right. My apologies.” The man nodded, moving over to her bedside. Like the leech he was, Dracula followed close behind. “I’m not sure how much you heard, but all your test results came back clean. I ran some extra labs and saw some unusual genetic...well, I’m not sure what you’d call it. But it doesn’t seem to be anything harmful. I offered to run more tests--”

“That won’t be necessary.” Zoe said curtly, eyeing the folder as if she planned to snatch it at any given moment. “But if I could have a copy of the file, I’d much appreciate it.”

 If there was an oddity in her children’s genetics, it wasn’t anything any medical professional would know about. Vampire DNA hadn’t been written into any textbooks. Zoe wasn’t concerned about them having a condition from these unknown markers. No. She needed to know what she was dealing with. What they had apparently inherited from Dracula. 

“I can have one made.” Dr. Sahli promised. “...There was one other thing I was able to take a look at if you had any interest?” Dracula and Zoe looked at each other before the doctor continued. “I was able to determine your twins’ gender.” 

Zoe looked taken aback. “This early? I didn’t think it was possible.”

“Well, when I ran the NIPT, it allows you to determine the gender based on what DNA found in the bloodstream. Or rather, their DNA found in Dr. Van Helsing’s blood. It’s more complex than it sounds, but that’s besides the point.” He smiled at the two wholeheartedly. “Are you interested to hear?”

Dracula and Zoe looked at each other once again. For the first time, it almost seemed as if the vampire was waiting to hear her opinion. She was tired, but Zoe felt a sense of eagerness begin to bubble up in her stomach.

“I suppose if you have them.” She said after a moment. 

Dr. Sahli grinned. “Then, in that case.” He glanced from one parent to the other. “I’m pleased to inform you that you’re expecting boys.” The doctor chuckled, shaking his head. “And identical ones at that. Quite a handful indeed.” 

And then, like a tsunami, a new wave of emotion hit her.

Anxiety. 

Identical twin boys. 

Two babies with unidentifiable genetic traits gifted to them by their vampire father.

Oh God. 

[theninjamouse]

Title: Wisdom

Summery: It’s time for that dreaded procedure. 

(Hi, this is a silly little thing that I’ve wanted to write for ages and last night I stayed up way too late finally writing it. I’ll put it up on ao3 as well but for now, have this)

-

There comes a time in many people’s lives when they must face against a truth. A truth that cannot be avoided, nor ignored in the intensity of its pain. You had hoped against hope that perhaps, you would be spared this fate but alas!

Your time has come.

~~~~~~

Grillby stares at you, blinking slowly. “They’re going to…what?”

You sigh. “I just explained it through dramatic monologue!”

“Give me a summery.”

Pouting, you monotone, “My wisdom teeth have grown in and it’s making all the rest of my teeth shift and it really hurts so they’re going to knock me out and remove them.”

Your explanation has not eased Grillby’s perplexion at all. “But…why would you grow them in at all just to have them removed?”

You shrug helplessly. “I didn’t choose to grow them in! It’s just a thing human mouths do sometimes!”

“Why?”

“Why does the human body work at all? It’s a mystery, honestly.”

Grillby scrubs at his face. “Okay so…afterwards?”

“Afterwards I’m going to be extremely out of it. The medicine they give you is uh. Well, it depends on the person but usually it makes you really loopy. There’s tons of videos online, I’ll have to show you some.”

“Will you be okay?”

Aw and there he is. The soft and caring boyfriend that you love so much. “Yeah, I’m gonna be fine,” you assure him, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. “I uh, I feel awkward asking but, I’m gonna need a few days to recover and I’d feel better if I was at your place. Please?”

A few sparks lift from his head, the equivalent of silent laughter. “You know that you don’t even need to ask.”

Sheepishly, you look down at your feet. He’s right but anxiety is still twisting at your gut. Whenever you got sick growing up, you didn’t exactly receive a lot of loving care, even though a part of you longed for it. The first time you came down with a cold, Grillby’s constant and gentle attention was almost too much for you and you had hidden under the covers and cried the moment he left the room.

This isn’t quite the same as getting sick but you’re still a little concerned about how you’re going to act after the procedure. But you’re going to need help, that much you’re sure of and there’s no one you trust more than him. “Just a warning, I really have no idea how I’m going to act after the surgery. I had a friend in high school that bit her mom when she tried to change the gauze.”

“Gauze?”

“Oh, it’s a sort of cotton sponge. To soak up the excess blood.”

He pales to green at that. But he quickly shakes his head. “I’ll be fine, it’s not like you could hurt me if you bit me.”

“Don’t I know it.”

He makes a noise in the back of his throat, blushing. “Anyway, I’m more than happy to take care of you.”

That stupid, choking emotion is already grabbing hold of you, so you hug him tightly, pressing your face into his chest. “Just warning you, I take no responsibility for my post-surgery actions.”

He scoffs quietly. “I think I can handle whatever you throw at me.”

~~~~

The surgery center is bustling with activity. You rub anxiously at your thumb, the soothing motion doing very little to calm your building nerves. Grillby puts a hand on your knee. “It’s going to be okay,” he murmurs. The assurance is a little less effective thanks to the anxious green and white flashing across his face.

“GRILLBY IS RIGHT HUMAN!” Papyrus’ voice booms over the hushed murmuring of the waiting room. Every head turns towards him and he waves his hands enthusiastically. “THOUGH I MUST ADMIT, IT SEEMS A HUGE OVERSIGHT IN THE HUMAN DESIGN FOR THESE ‘WISDOM TEETH’ TO CAUSE SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM!”

Grillby, for all of his support, only has his rarely used motorcycle sitting in the skeleton brother’s garage. Seeing as how you wouldn’t be in any shape to drive after the surgery, you had reached out to those with licenses and cars for a lift. Papyrus had responded so eagerly and loudly that you simply couldn’t turn him down. He did have a sweet car after all.

In the seat next to him, Sans scuffs his foot against the worn linoleum. He looks far more uncomfortable than Papyrus, but he had insisted on coming along. At first, you had been touched that he cared enough to help out.

Then he had pulled a camcorder out of his pocket.

He turns it on you now, little red light blinking. “any final words before enlightenment?”

You fix the camera with a stare. “If I don’t come out of there, I want my full tab transferred to Sans.”

“GRILLBY! YOUR GIRLFRIEND HAS A TAB?” Papyrus tuts loudly and Grillby sighs.

A nurse steps out from the door leading into the back of the facility. She calls your name and your heart leaps into your throat. You scramble to grab Grillby’s hand and give it a final squeeze as you stand and hand off your bag. “Well, see you on the other side I guess?”

Grillby nods, still rather pale.

“GOOD LUCK HUMAN! YOU’RE GOING TO BE FINE!”

“that’s the tooth.”

“UGH!”

You follow the nurse back into a room that smells strongly of disinfectant and climb into the chair. You’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be just fine, it’s a common surgery, nothing’s going to-

The nurse, smiling gently, sticks the needle attached to an IV in your arm and tears immediately start pouring down your face.

You! Hate! Needles!

It’s a few minutes later when the doctor comes in to find you still sniffling. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

You try to smile, blubbering out, “I j-just don’t l-like needles is all, I’m f-fine!”

He smiles gently and gives your shoulder a pat. “You don’t need to worry, everything-”

His voice suddenly warps and fades away as his hand suddenly shifts to a gentle push. Without being really aware of falling, you suddenly find yourself floating along a river. It’s cool and pleasant to the touch. When you look at it, it shimmers like gold and you realize that it’s not water at all but golden coins carrying you along and oh, this is actually kind of nice! The river rocks you with a gentle motion and you could almost fall asleep, cradled in the gentle hold of gold which actually, that’s a little strange now that you think about it but oh, thinking is hard right now and everything just feels so warm and nice…

“…op rocking okay?”

You blink blearily. The river of gold is gone but the rocking continues. It’s nice. Everything is so nice!

“Shore, you have to stop rocking, okay? You’re going to make yourself dizzy.”

You’re already dizzy! You’re gonna keep rocking cause it feels nice!

There’s a blurred figure in front of you, holding a patch of white. “Here, wipe your eyes,” the garbled voice continues.

Oh! You’re crying still! Huh, that’s weird! You reach for what you assume is a tissue and miss. The figure takes your hand and places the tissue in your palm and the tears rush out even faster. “Fank you, fat’s so nice!”

“You’re welcome Shore.”

You lift the tissue to your face and miss your eyes, dabbing your mouth instead.

You’re not sure how long you sit there, watching the blurred shapes of people moving back and forth. It’s nice to just sit and rock. Eventually though, another lady-oh she’s so pretty, that’s so nice!- approaches you with a wheelchair and helps you ease into it.

You’re wheeled down a hallway and you wave at the blurry figures passing by. What nice people, taking care of you like this!

You hear a whoosh of automatic doors opening. The cool air of the surgery center gives way to sunny warmth. You turn your face to it, smiling blissfully.

The nurse brings you to a stop. “Okay Shore, here’s your ride,” she says in a bright and cheerful voice.

You look forward, delightfully surprised to see Grillby, Sans and Papyrus standing there. Oh that’s right, they’re here to take you home! You point, “Look, thaaaaaat’s my boyfriend!” you crow proudly.

“Oh wow, that’s awesome!” the nurse answers. She helps you to stand and fortunately keeps her hand on you because your legs don’t bother buckling; they simply refuse to work, and you nearly slide to the ground before she catches you.

“uh…doc is she actually ok to leave?”

“Oh yes, she’s fine, here you are.” The nurse hauls you up and pushes you forward into Grillby’s arms. He’s so warm! This is so nice!

You snuggle into the warmth, humming happily.

“…ore? ….kay?”

“PERHAPS WE…CAR…MEDICINE!”

Their voices dip in and out but you’re too concerned with keeping your face pressed against Grillby’s chest to really listen because good heck he smells amazing.

You blink again as Grillby very gently pries you off him and guides you into the car. The moment you sit down, a wave of exhaustion takes over and you close your eyes, thumping your head back against the headrest. If the Earth would stop swirling that would be wonderful.

Your head rolls loosely when you feel the warmth of Grillby’s body next to yours. Your eyes feel like they’ve got sandbags attached to them, but you slowly peel them open.

Oh no, he looks so concerned! He’s pale green, very gently cupping your cheek with his hand. Smiling as best as you can with your mouth currently crammed with fluffy clouds, you reach for his cheek, miss, and bap him in the center of his face.

“I’m okay!” Your voice sounds funny, all stuffed up and slurring. “Don’t…don’t cry, okay?”

“I’m not crying.”

“Don’t cry.”

“I won’t.”

“you’re the one who’s crying, tibia honest.”

You pull your gaze away from Grillby to Sans. He’s in the front passenger seat, mostly turned around to look back at you. He’s got that camcorder going. “Why didnja use your phone? It has a…a, a camera y’know.”

“i do know but let’s not talk about me. how’re ya feeling?”

“Good!” you slur brightly. And it’s the truth! You’re still feeling super floaty and stuff. It’s nice. “This stuff’s like maaaaagic.”

“magic huh?”

“Mmmyup! Am I still crying?”

“YES, IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE DISGUSTING,” Papyrus chimes in from the driver’s seat.

Disgusting?! You’re disgusting!?

“aw paps, you made her cry again.”

Papyrus looks back at you through the rearview mirror. “I’M SORRY SHORE! IT’S A HUMAN THING, NOT A ‘YOU’ THING!”

That’s…that’s fair. “Yanno what’s…what’s gross they, they puta thing in my nose and like, I was crying, and stuff and the snot got all caught in the tubes. It was groooss.”

Sans has a hand over his mouth and his shoulders are quivering a little. “oh my god this is amazing.”

“S’not amazing…” Hey, you made a pun. “Heh, snot.”  You giggle and choke a little.

“you ok?”

You hum, leaning on Grillby’s arm. “I’m…good. Where’re we going?”

“THE DOCTOR TOLD US TO GET YOU A MILKSHAKE WHEN WE GET YOUR MEDICINE! IT’LL HELP YOUR CHEEKS TO NOT BE SO PUFFED UP.”

Oh right. Yeah, that’s the usual thing to do after stuff like this. Right? “I gotta stay on liquids and stuff. ‘Member that!” You poke Grillby. “No chewing stuff. Cause like, I’m all…” You pat your swollen cheeks lightly. “Nuh uh.”

You can hear Sans doing his best to muffle his cackling.

Looking back up at Grillby, you say, “You got the good stuff right? Lotta…lotta um….”

Grillby runs his hand over your head. “Soups and ice cream and jello.”

“What about pudding?”

He frowns. “You told me you don’t like pudding.”

“Oh yeah! I don’t really like pudding. Well, the chocolate stuff’s okay. But not banana. It’s gross.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

You nod, contented. “And…where are we going?”

“To get your medicine and the milkshake.”

“Oh yeah.” You smack your lips together a few times. They’re starting to buzz and tingle. “There’s bees in my mouth.”

That draws a huge bark of laughter from Sans. “bees?”

“Mmmhmm.” The tingling brings with it the feeling of bubbles. You’re not leaking blood, are you? You don’t want to make a mess. “They’re making it bubble. Am I bubbling?” You open your mouth as wide as you can at Grillby, leaning in close.

Somehow, he pales even further. You hear a soft thunk as his head hits the window.

“uh…paps i think grillby just passed out.”

“HE WHAT?”

Sans leans into the back a little bit more. “hey bud, lemme see your mouth.”

You oblige him, opening up. “Is there blood? Am I bubbling?”

He makes a face. “yeah, that’s uh…that’s getting kinda nasty. Maybe you shouldn’t talk so much?”

Your lip quivers a little, more tears spilling down. “’m sorry.”

“ah, no, it’s fine, don’t cry uh…here.” He fishes in his pocket and pulls out a rumpled napkin. “it’s clean so uh, maybe wipe up a little before grillbz wakes up?”

You take the napkin. “Sans you’re so n-nice and Paps you are too. You guys are the best.” You dab at your lip, or what you hope is your lip and look to Grillby. His eyes are shut. “Is he taking a nap?”

Sans snorts. “something like that.”

You poke Grillby. You wanna ask him…something. You can’t remember what actually. Maybe what he needs is a kiss to wake him up, like Snow White. You try to lean over to him, but the seatbelt stops you. You fumble with it, whining quietly. Since you can’t seem to figure it out, you settle for kissing your finger and pressing it against his cheek.

He stirs. It worked! “I’m Prince Freaking Charming,” you say proudly to San’s camera.

“yeah ya are.”

Grillby sits up, looking so utterly confused that you start snorting, which makes you choke and sputter on the bubbling sensation in your mouth. “You don’t like the sighta blood huh?”

“No, I really don’t,” he says faintly.

“Walking Dead eat your heart out!” you crow, sticking your bloody tongue out.

Grillby groans loudly and hunches over, head in his hands. “Please don’t do that.”

“You big baby. When we get to…” You look back to Sans. “Where’re we going?”

“to get a milkshake.”

“Yeah! When we, we get to the milkshake, you can get one too to make you feel better.” You pat his back.

“Thanks.”

“You’re sooooo welcome!” You lean on his back, head resting on his shoulder. “I love ya so much. So, so much.”

He tinges blue and takes your hand. “I love you too.”

“Am I a good person?”

“One of the best.”

You giggle quietly, eyes slipping shut. Maybe it’s time to take a little nap before you get to…wherever it is that you’re going. “You’re a good person too,” you murmur. He says something in return but you don’t catch it, already slipping away into unconscious bliss.

~~~~~~

It takes you many hours and several naps to completely come out of the haze of post-surgery. Most of that time is just a blur, though you do recall Grillby nearly passing out again when he helped to change the bloody gauze out of your mouth. Papyrus had stepped in, loudly tutting and complaining about how Grillby should have a stronger stomach given how much greasy food he works around.

When you finally wake up for good, that wonderfully light feeling is gone, replaced by an awful heaviness that makes it hard to even form a coherent thought, let alone move. You’re on Grillby’s bed, propped up by many pillows and blankets. Grillby himself is just visible through the open doorway. At your low groan, he quickly puts down whatever he was doing and comes to your side.

“Hey,” he says gently, taking your hand. “How are you feeling?”

You blink slowly and blearily. “Like I got hit by a train. How do I look?”

“Like you got hit by a train,” he says, grinning weakly.

“…Did you pass out in the car or did I imagine that?”

He ignores that, which you take to mean that yes, yes that did happen, and instead says, “Do you feel up to some broth?”

“Not really but sure,” you breathe.

He pats your hand and leaves, returning shortly with a bowl of broth. “It’s not hot,” he says apologetically. “But it shouldn’t hurt this way.”

“Mkay.” You reach up to pull out the gauze and he blanches again. “Wow, big strong elemental really is a baby when it comes to blood.”

“Only when it’s yours.”

Oh, now that’s just sickeningly sweet. “Well good news is I think it’s stopped.”

“Thank the stars.” He takes a seat on the bed and spoons out some broth. Carefully, he spoon feeds you. Normally such a thing would have you red with embarrassment, but at the moment you’re honestly too weak to really care. He’s patient and gentle, never pushing you. He’s…he’s so nice and good to you and-!

You sniffle. He flashes pale, pulling the spoon back. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

You shake your head, blinking out tears. “You’re just so nice to me and I don’t feel like I deserve it.”

“Oh, hey, hey it’s okay.” He sets the bowl down on the table and climbs into the bed next to you, very carefully pulling you into his arms. “Of course you deserve it.”

You lean against him, letting the gentle warmth of his soak into your aching body. “No, I don’t.”

“You do. And I’m going to keep being nice to you, even if you don’t think you deserve it.”

“Cause you love me?”

He smiles and presses a kiss to the top of your head. “Because I love you.”

“Even with the blood and big old chipmunk cheeks?”

“Especially with the chipmunk cheeks.”

You chuckle quietly, closing your eyes and letting yourself bask in the security of Grillby’s embrace.

[unfortunatematchups]

(Hello is this blog dead because I haven't seen you post since February)

nope, this blog aint dead. i have it open on a browser tab as long as im online to check on any new asks and messages. im going to leave a short explanation here for those who dont want to waste their time.

weve been busy with other interests and ive gotten something like a writers block. matchup block? since im the primary writer here, theres pretty much no activity as long as im not writing. thats it. no reason, nothing to do with personal problems. just a block. 

keep reading for the real reason. you might not like it, but here it is.

im going to use these john sprites to convey my emotion so it might clear up any doubts on how im feeling. lets start with the process of how i write a match.

this is what a draft looks like. i write out how i would rant about this pairing, errors and all, then i leave it for the next day to come back to this and clean this draft into a polished, three-pointer paragraph. the thing is, im the only one doing this, so its obviously going to take long. i dont mind, i love to type and see something spawn from my effort. 

the problem? these rants are people-specific. right. whatever im rambling about in the draft, its about the ask and the ask only. it wouldnt fit if you crammed it into another ask, it wouldnt make a lick-a-sense if it was used to answer someone else. but, when i start to polish it up with clear and coherent sentences, suddenly it becomes… static. it becomes plain and simple, uninteresting and linear. think of it like youre hearing about a book from someone you know and trust versus a review. the person you know describes why the book is great with a lot of passion and love, but theres a lot of errors in delivery and some awkward bits they havent flushed out yet. 

nevertheless, its enjoying and persuasive, because you can see how they love it so much to the point where it gets them like that. they dont plan out how theyll describe the book to you word by word, because theres no need to. seeing how it gets them excited gets you excited, so you buy their faith in the book. 

what about a review? its clean, its cut, its perfect in delivery. it has a flow, introducing you to the story and overall appeal, then maybe it digs down for a spoiler or two. it gels with you in a simple fashion, doesnt quite have that connection a passionate ramble has. because its professional. 

thats what ive been making this blog to be. professional. i answer the request with a polished, pretty and perfect answer. theres no personal connection. i could take a match, swap out a couple of words, maybe cut out a bit, and it would be clear for another match. it feels static to write those paragraphs, and it progressively gets worse each time i repeat the process. im chipping away at something so close, so personal and unique into something dull and professional because i want it to look clean.

but thats my end of the problem. i dont like how it comes out, so what? people enjoy it. they must be, seeing how theres fifty three fucking asks for matchups and 73 followers. 

i wont show all the asks i have in the inbox, but ill tell you what majority, if not all of them, sound like. 

“I’m bi/pan”, “I have brown hair/eyes”, “I’m chubby/short”, “I like art/gaming/reading/writing”, “I’m shy around people I don’t know, I’m crazy around people I know”, “I’m a nerd”, “I have ADHD/Anxiety”. 

of course, there are some exceptions. not everything i say is as is, but from 50+ asks, these are what about three quarters of them sound like. there are personal differences, like music tastes and obscure hobbies, but the general gist is there. 

im not going to say anything about the sexuality orientation, because im in a friend group where majority, if not all, are not cishets. yes, people like art and gaming. 

but thats it? these descriptors are such shallow answers. i can personalise a match for you, sure, but does it feel like its right? you like gaming. so what, do you like ALL games? from FPS to Dating sims to Horror games to Sports games to Adult games? do you like ALL art? Surrealism, sculpture, comics, abstract, even those where they splash paint and call it a day? really? i dont think im asking for a lot when it comes to being specific. some asks literally just go ‘im a bi female, 5′3, i like gaming and drawing, im sometimes shy but i can be sassy at times’. 

with everyone being so similar and vague, how am i supposed to give a match i feel is right? i might as well take everyones favourite boy david elizabeth strider and talk about how he likes your art and how he likes gaming and oh isnt it so great that you two like music. 

there are some unique ones, and its pretty obvious which ones they are because ive put in more love into them. and i havent been able to do that to many asks. 

and the physical descriptions. while im sure some of the characters do have types and preferences, i dont care for appearances. i dont care if youre fat or skinny, i dont care if youre tall or short, brown hair or blonde. you being morbidly obese or morbidly skinny may affect the match depending on how i feel the characters might respond to someone with those physical traits, but they shouldnt matter. 

i dont need how you look. i dont want how you look. its shallow and unimportant. it takes up space in the ask, because you could be using it to describe your personality or interests in detail. not that youre limit to one ask, you can send in an entire fucking fourteen page essay and id match you, as long as youre telling me something i can pair you with. 

telling me youre ‘chubby’ or ‘blonde’ doesnt help visualise shit. this shouldnt be new information to you or anyone else. writing shit like ‘he loves your curves!’ or ‘she likes how short you are because it makes you cute’ is bullshit and is simply self-serving nonsense. yes, its an additional bonus if your lover likes how youre short or fat, but that shouldnt be why theyre in love with you. a paragraph based on how much they like to hold you are appreciate your body is utter fucking nonsense. you appreciate your own body, and thats it. 

i dont feel inspired when i look at some of these asks. i dont feel like i should answer any of these because a) im not obligated to, this blog is just a side hobby and b) id be writing something i dont enjoy for people who might also not enjoy it. i dont deserve to sit at my laptop and write something i feel doesnt represent my work or ideas well, and the person who im matching doesnt deserve the half-assed boring paragraph of nonsense im pulling out of my ass just to clear the inbox. 

ive taken some time away from this blog and upon receiving this ask, i wanted to use the same old excuse every other blog uses: ‘we’ve been busy, so we went on an unannounced hiatus’. 

but thats not true. with the pandemic forcing lockdowns, theres essentially nothing else for us to do. if anything, this would mean that we have more time to write. 

so there it is. my truthful answer as to why nothings coming out of this blog.

part of this is my fault. i thought that maybe i could force myself to match all those vague asks that feel like theyre about the same person, just with a couple of changes. but i cant. i wont. im not going to keep writing shit i dont like, and im not going to keep giving half-assed matches, giving characters people are at the very least sure to be okay with. 

i want to write exciting, unique and adorable relationships. i thought that with the homestuck fandom being so vast and creative, maybe i would get the chance to meet and write for a couple of people who were just so different it would make pairings id never thought of. 

but nah, it looks like everything is the same. all the anon asks start to bleed together. the responses start becoming the same. im given descriptions that sound so tame, so generalised. like somehow, youre afraid of letting me know who you are as a person. or not, perhaps you just struggle with expressing yourself. thats why youre using anon to send in your ask, isnt it? 

i turned anon on because i wanted to respect privacy. i wanted people to be able to send in each and every detail about themselves while remaining behind a mask so they could get the best match without exposing every inch of themselves on a blog. maybe that was my mistake. 

ill leave the matches open, but im only going to do the ones that interest me. but if you decide that you dont give a fuck about the quality of the match, tell me or something. i have drafts that i can just post. maybe youd like that. 

-pretty obviously, mod olio.

[peachywise]

nullify

an umbrella academy fanfiction // klaus hargreeves x reader 

- part i: the introduction || part ii ⋆ part iii ⋆ part iv ⋆ part v ⋆ part vi ⋆  more parts to be released 

- synopsis: A child and a ghost whisperer walk into a diner. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but really it’s just the start of an odd, slightly painful night. Turns out they need you and your power to do something, and Klaus seems way to thrilled and fascinated by you and what you can do. (takes place after the events of the first season) 

- notes: lmao how long has it been since i wrote a fic?? too long thanks anyways the reader is they/them pronouns and everything is pretty vague description wise for inclusivity and shit!! also even though this is klaus x reader focused ~romance~ wise i’ll be writing a shit ton with the reader interacting with the other guys like this part is deadass just as focused on number five as it is klaus. let me know if you guys want this as a series??? i won’t write more parts if people aren’t down but i left it open-ended so it could be a series but honestly, it’d be fine as a one-off too so read what you will k love you bye. tw for swearing

link on ao3 

________________________________________

“Isn’t that a health code violation?” 

Looking up from your book you'd been reading for the past half hour, you heaved a heavy-handed sigh. Sitting on the back counter of the dead dinner you worked at was the least of this shitty establishments problems. “I’ll be sure to let the rats in the kitchen know of your concerns,” you replied simply. 

Dog-earring the page of your book, you set it down beside you. Hopping off, you stepped forward towards the counter as the kid who just entered sat down on one of the stools, planting himself with a look of clear repugnance as he eyed his surrounding subtly. Resting your elbows on the counter, you propped your head on your hands and gave a friendly grin, “I’m sure they’d be happy to whip up some Mickey Mouse pancakes, special just for you.” 

His face though perfectly deadpanned couldn’t hide the slight tick of annoyance in his eyes. “Just get me a black coffee,” he muttered. 

“Coffee will stunt your growth.” 

“You’ll be stunted if you keep up this horrible customer service.”

“Ouch,” sarcasm dripped from your tone as you raised your hands up in mock defeat, “the kitten’s got a bit of a bite there, doesn’t he?” 

Quite honestly, your day was now veering on to a particularly delightful route you hadn’t expected when you first woke up this morning. You suddenly believed some sort of divine karma was finally rewarding you with some quality entertainment. He could banter— a bit on the aggressive side, but you would take what you could get out of the interaction. You knew it wasn’t going to last long. 

“Look, are you going to give me the coffee or are you just going to stand around all day uselessly taking in the air that could be breathed in by more deserving people?” 

Oh, so he’s got knobby knees and wit to match. 

Letting a slow amused smile cross your face as you gave a lazy curtsy, you casually made your way over to the fresh pot and grabbed one of the porcelain white mugs, giving him a knowing look as you poured a good ‘ol black cup of joe. Setting the pot back down, you sauntered your way back over still holding the smile. The kid rolled his eyes, reaching out a hand as he impatiently said, “thank you,” in a refined and expertly practiced condescending manner. But you didn’t hand it to him. No, instead you casually leaned back against the back counter and took a long sip of the burning hot liquid. 

Well, the little tyke certainly did not like that. 

In what was an actually flash of blue light before your eyes, the kid vanished from his place on the rickety red vinyl stool and was beside you a moment later, ripping the mug from your hand with such force that caused the liquid to spill over the sides, scorching your hand and splashing it on your already grease stained, 50’s themed uniform. So, he was words and action. You could respect that. 

“What, no screaming? Not even another smartass comment?” He half-heartedly asked, his eyebrow quirked slightly as he studied you. It was like he was waiting for some sort of delayed reaction from his little magic trick. While yes, it was a little jarring to see it in the flesh for the first time, the moment he had walked through those glass doors you expected a bit of a ‘powerful’ confrontation.

You knew he was Number Five. You knew he was a part of that Umbrella Academy. 

“You know who I am,” he stated in his all brilliant glory. Well, look at that. Seemed he was a real Sherlock as well as a tiny space hopper.  

Easily taking the cup of coffee back, wincing slightly as the cold air pressed against the new burn you tried to seem unfazed about, you took a sip and mumbled against the rim of the cup, “I’m a bit surprised you’re here and actually alive, but it’s easy to remember a face that hasn’t aged a day." Setting the mug down on the counter, you pressed a hand to your hip and questioned, “how is that exactly? Did you run from home just to make yourself immortal? Found yourself an Edward Cullen to bite you or something?” 

Now, you’ve had people look at you like you were stupid before, but no one with a talent such as him. Even though he was looking up at you, he still mastered that beady squinty little look that read ‘you’re the joke of the earth’. Precious. 

“I don’t know who Edward Cullen is, but I’m not immortal, and I don’t have time to explain the whole story to you in detail. Let’s just say I got stuck in time.” Doing his little magic flash again, he appeared back on the other side of the counter, continuing to speak as he added, “Is anyone else here? I assume you’d rather show me what you can do without anyone else around.” 

Ah, yes. What you could do. So that was why he was here. Part of you wondered if someday it would happen. That’s why you knew who he was when he first walked in after all. You kept tabs on all of them, at least a bit. Yeah, the whole “Umbrella Academy” was famous for a little while when you were a kid, but most people had since forgotten them and the kids in the academy had grown up and had become almost unrecognizable. Well, apart from Five. And maybe Allison, but hell, she was famous for a while different reason now. 

Like the others, you were born October 1st 1989 to a completely unexpecting mother who got the shock of her god damn life. If you were 9 months pregnant in under a minute flat, you’d probably be pretty shocked too. However, you were just stunned that something as odd as that could actually happen and result in you getting powers.

Unlike the others, when your parents were approached by professor evil monopoly Reginald Hargreeves, your mom rejected anything he offered in favor of her miracle baby. She was certain she was the new Virgin Mary despite absolutely not being a virgin and refused to give up that title up. At least at that moment, she didn’t want to anyway.  

“You managed to figure out where I worked, and I assume at this point you know my name,” you started, “so why don’t you just tell me what I can do and let me know why you're here so I can turn you down and get back to my book.” Gesturing your hands around the extremely empty diner, you breathed, “I’m a very busy person as you can see.” 

Five didn’t say anything, instead just giving you an almost thoughtful look. You didn’t trust it one fucking bit. 

Quicker than you would have expected out him, he reached over and picked up one of the plates on the counter and threw it your way with such force you wondered for a second if the reason he'd been missing for so long was because he’d taken up a passionate love affair with baseball. On instinct, damn the treacherous thing, your body chilled as a static feeling pushed out of you, surrounding you in a soft, nearly invisible blue bubble-- your force field. The plate bounced right off and landed on the floor, shattering lamely and loudly. 

It was legal to kill a kid who had been missing for years, right?

“Can’t you play a game of catch with the poor kid?” Came a new drama-dripped voice in the door, the little bell ringing softly as he spoke. “His father was a sociopath who didn't pay him any mind, he’s very stunted as you can see. So desperate for the affection and attention of strangers.” 

Klaus. He’d been harder to track over the years, but from the feather collared jacket and lack of shirt, you could spot the eccentricity of him miles away. 

Taking on a protective stance, you moved from behind the counter and positioned yourself in front of Five, stage whispering to him, “careful, looks like one of the kitchen rats got out. They’re very diseased.”

Klaus tilted his head to the side, his mouth snapping open and his eyebrows rising up in stunned amusement. Pointing at you, he turned his attention towards Five and stated, “I’m wounded! This seems to be going on spectacularly, don’t you think?”

Shaking your head with a slight grin, you started to speak to ream five out for throwing a freakin’ plate, but your words died off on the tip of your tongue when your gross ass boss pushed open the doors to the kitchen, his loud, gritty greased voice shouted, “what did you break out here?” His spine went rigid a bit when he seemed to finally note the presence of two other people, but his eyes quickly glanced at the shattered plate and his face continued to get splotchy and red. “Is that your kid who broke it? Jesus, that’s coming out of your paycheck.”

Wow, that 50 cent shitty plate? How would you ever survive? 

Hands slipped around your neck in a hug as Klaus propped his chin on top of your head, his attention fully on your boss. “I’m so sorry sir, you know how it is with kids, gotta get all those angst and deep-seated feeling out somehow. Yesterday we found out he’s been pretending the family cat was his girlfriend. Had to take him to the hospital to get those scratches on his little friend checked out, if you know what I mean,” he smiled, moving away from you to pat the clearly seething Five on the head. 

Before the kid could say anything or do something that would get you in more shit, you plastered your own happy little smile on and bent down beside him, wrapping your arms around his shoulder as you continue to address your boss. “He was just upset because he found out I told his teacher about his little bed wetting problem.” Five ripped your arm away with incredible force and stepped away from you both. Sighing dramatically, you rested the side of your face on your palm and slightly shook your head, adding, “It’s so hard, I just don’t know where we went wrong!” 

Klaus snickered behind you, while your boss looked properly petrified and regretful about having walked in on the whole ordeal at all. 

“Just uh-- forget about it. Clean it up okay?” 

Giving him a wink and you stood back up, you flicked your wrist in a lazy salute. “You got it, Boss Man.” He couldn’t turn back around and get back to the back room fast enough. 

Turning the face the two once again, Klaus grinned as he said, “brilliant work,” raising his hand for a knowing high five. You happily obliged. 

“Was that really necessary?” Five ground out from between his teeth, as you shot him back an incredulous look. “Was it necessary to throw a plate at me?” you retorted, fully not expecting him to reply with, “Yes. It was the only way I could make sure you had a force field.” 

Smartass.

Running your hand through your hair tiredly to get it out of your face, you crossed your arms again and didn’t bother to argue anymore. “Just tell me what this is about.” At this point, you were tired and really just wanted to get back to your quiet night. Klaus was also giving you a once over every thirty seconds and you weren’t quite sure what he looked so bloody excited and anxious about. 

“I have a theory, and I’d like to test it out,” Five said. Klaus quickly interjected with, “and I’m one of the test subjects,” wiggling his eyebrows as he did. 

Narrowing your gaze, you questioned “one of?” 

“Well, it requires you, but before I explain, to what extent can you use your powers? Have you done anything more than just deflect things off your field?”

You shook your head, confusion still clouding your words. “That’s all. Some guy tries to knife me? He bounces off. Sometimes I get lucky and he stabs himself in the process. It’s a simple thing. 

“How many times has someone tried to knife you?” Klaus asked with a small snort, but Five cut him off with a great little bomb of information. “I’ve done some calculations on how your power works, and I think that if someone like us was in the field with you it might nullify our powers.”Huh.

“And... math makes you think that?” 

Five rolled his eyes. You got the idea he did that a fair bit. “I want to test out to see if that’s true, so if you will,  please conjure up your field around you and Klaus and we’ll see if it works on him.” 

Flashing your eyes to Klaus who almost seemed to jitter with excitement, your eyes got slightly wide when you asked, “wait, there’s a ghost here? Like right now?” You swiveled your head around like you would actually be able to see it.  

Klaus nodded his head. “Ben, meet Y/N, Y/N meet our brother Ben.” Pressing a hand to his heart, he added, “forever in our hearts and forever by my side. I am his saving grace.” Turning his head abruptly, he quickly said, “shut up,” to the air-- or Ben, rather-- slicing his hand in a silencing sound. 

Raising a hand hesitantly, you gave a flick of your wrist in that direction, squeaking out a small, “Hi Ben.” 

“If you two idiots are done,” Five muttered, but you stopped him as you said, “three idiots. It’s rude to dismiss Ben’s presence. You're his brother, be respectful.” Five ignored you. “The sooner we test this, the sooner we can leave.”  

Oh, now he was speaking your language. 

Shaking out your shoulders, you widened your stance and clapped your hands, saying, “alright, let's go.” Klaus gave some excited little claps as he stepped to your side, telling Five, “field trips are always so much fun!” 

Taking in a deep breath, you let the energy seep out of you until that familiar snap surrounded you, this time entrapping not on you, but Klaus as well. 

The smiling man quickly went silent. 

“So,” you started hesitantly, turning to study his face. “Did it work?” 

Multiple emotions seemed to cross his features, and it revealed to you certain hopelessness and vulnerability that was so unfamiliar to you and what you had known about him. It dawned on you at that moment that you had no idea what this meant. To him. To Five. Christ, nerves started to wrack through your body when you realized they could be having you do this just to try and kill you because they see it as some sort of ridiculous threat. Still, that seemed unlikely. No, they needed it somehow. 

And as Klaus turned towards you, looking at you as if you were some wonderous figure and not just some crappy diner waiter working two jobs just to get by, you realized that whatever they had been searching for, they had found. Whatever Klaus had been searching for, he had found. 

“They’re gone.” 

His voice was just a fraction above a whisper, but it sent a chill across your skin as his intense gaze once again studied you with incredible fascination. But as he took a step forward, his hand oh-so-gently reaching for your hand, your focus went away and the force field fell, all the sounds and senses of the real world hitting you all at once. 

Five was staring at you both with an odd look you didn’t quite know what to think of. 

“Alright."

Clearing your throat, you took a small step back as the fog cleared out of your head, stating back a dull, “huh?” 

“We’ll be at your apartment in the morning. Get ready to meet the others.” 

Wait, what the fuck?

“My apartment? You guys haven’t even explained what you guys want from me!” You blurted, moving your head rapidly as you looked back and forth between the two. 

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow,” was all Five said, as both him and Klaus began moving towards to door, clearly content with what they came here to do. Well, that was nice for them. They could sleep soundly as you sat up in bed all night looking up fucking umbrella academy conspiracy theories to try and convince yourself what happened here was actually real. 

“There’s no way in hell you’re getting those Mickey Mouse pancakes now!” You shot back as he exited the door, huffing as you turned around to go clean up the plate.

Then something smacked hard on the back of your head, landing on the ground with a little rattle. 

“Oopsie.”

Spinning around, gripping the back of your head, you were about to yell obscenities at Klaus who’d just thrown a spoon of all things, but he was already halfway out the door calling behind him, “I thought your little bubble would just appear like a party trick, bye!” 

Idiots. Idiots had just taken over your life. 

[ronyxfic]

Educating the Victim - Act VI, Chapter IX

Pairing: Yellow Diamond/White Diamond, Yellow Diamond/Yellow Pearl

Rating: Mature

Warnings/Tags: mentions of kidnapping and violence

Read it on AO3! - Support us on Patreon!

Educating the Victim Masterpost

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CHAPTER 9: Marina and the Diamonds

  It was dark, but not too dark to know whose arms Marigold was lying in. They were cuddling on the narrow single bed that Marigold remembered from her childhood.

Claire kissed her face, touched her hair, childlike wonder in her eyes.

“We’re just friends,” Marigold heard herself say.

Claire laughed, her laugh carefree and clear. “Oh Mari,” she said, “keep believing that if you want.”

They were children, and the air smelled of sleepover. Marigold didn’t remember ever having a sleepover.

“Are my parents okay with you being here?” she asked Claire.

“Do you want to go and ask?” Claire asked. “We could just lie here for a little longer.”

Marigold returned to her arms. Claire kissed her. Marigold kissed her back, suddenly crying, but she didn’t know why.

And then she realised that it wasn’t Claire she was holding. It was Aurora.

“Do your parents know I’m here?” Aurora whispered.

“Shhh,” Marigold said, “they can’t know.”

“Don’t you think we should ask them?”

“No, no, they’ll know,” Marigold said, getting nervous.

“I can ask. I’m good with people.” Aurora got up. Marigold realised they were still both children, just having a sleepover, just wanting to have a good time.

“No, don’t,” she told Aurora. “They’ll ruin it. They’ll ruin everything.”

She was crying again.

“It won’t take long. Mari. Trust me. I can do this.”

Marigold watched Aurora open the door. The corridor was dark and empty and looming. Everything felt wrong.

“Don’t,” she said, her voice muffled, as if her mouth was filled with cotton. “Please... Rori... bad things happen when you go there.”

“It won’t take long.”

“Bad things happen when you go there,” Marigold repeated, filled with dread and fear, “bad things happen when you go there.”

Her phone rang. Marigold started awake, her dream fading from her mind as if she was trying to cup water in her hands.

Bad things happen when you go there.

Her phone was still ringing. She blinked. Light came in through the window, and for a brief moment, she panicked, thinking she was late.

She was then rather pissed when she caught the time, but her expression shifted at Azure's name. She finally, on the fourth ring, picked it up. "Do you have any idea what time it is, or does the blue court not have semblance of what a sensible routine is?"

 “I’m perfectly aware what time it is,” Azure said. “I’m sorry to wake you, though surely you should already be getting ready for work. Never mind that. I need you to come to the university hospital as soon as you can.”

 Marigold caught her mid yawn by frowning. "Oh, shit. What's happened?"

 “Marina, who I sent to investigate the takeover at Claire’s vineyard, got kidnapped and shot. She survived, and she’s been stabilised, so I’ve got her on a plane here right now. I... whoever’s behind this, Marigold, isn’t afraid to kill. We’re lucky Marina survived at all.”

 Marigold couldn't find it in herself to reply for a minute. "Do... do we know who did it? Is she going to be alright? Yes... I'll... I'll be on my way right away. Send me your location."

 “French police are investigating right now, but whoever did it is quite thorough. Though the Topazes have informed me they have one more piece of evidence that they wanted me to see before they gave it to the police.” Azure gave a deep sigh. “I have my suspicions, but I’m not going to jump to conclusions. But... I know how personal this is to you, and... it is to me also. I don’t want to face this on my own. Blue is out of the country...” She fell silent.

“I will send you the details and meet you there.”

 "Alright." Marigold nodded, feeling herself settle into an odd numbness. "I'll grab a coffee on the way. Want anything?"

 “Thanks, but I doubt I’ll be able to have anything. I’ll see you soon.”

The line clicked.

 Marigold waited a moment before moving, thoughts of Claire and Roxy and Azure dancing through her mind.

Wouldn't it just be wonderful to go back to the way it all was?

 --

 Once making it to the hospital, Marigold found her phone and looked for the location Azure had sent. Just the other side of the car park.

A small crowd, rowdy and seemingly arguing with hospital staff, had formed outside the entrance.

Marigold checked her clock, quarter past seven. The press? Already?

She turned and walked to Azure's spot. "Good morning."

 “Thank you for coming,” Azure said. “She just arrived. I can’t believe the vultures are here already. How did they even hear about this? Let’s go in.”

She didn’t wait for Marigold’s reply, but started walking towards the entrance, heavily leaning on her cane.

 Marigold had to jog behind. Azure could powerwalk when she needed to.

She sipped at a drive through cup. "I wonder if they got tipped off."

They were spotted when a yard away from the entrance. Immediately, several flocked to Azure.

Marigold watched with a little envy. To be famous.

   “No comment,” Azure said, barely looking at any of the journalists. “No comment.” Once inside the foyer, and safely away from the press, she let out a deep sigh and immediately seemed to shrink by several inches.

“I wish they could leave me alone. I’m just a tired old woman trying to make to make sense of the fact that one of my employees got shot.”

She headed straight for the elevators. “She’s on the fourth floor.”

 Marigold simply nodded as she followed, immediately feeling guilty for her envy. "Does she know who I am?"

 “I don’t think so, but I’ll tell her the truth. If she got shot for this, she deserves the whole story.”

They got to the fourth floor, and Azure seemed to know the hospital well enough to know exactly where she was heading. A few minutes later, they were outside a room. Two women stood flanking the door.

“Ashleigh, Hunter,” Azure said gravely. “It’s good to see you. You’re... not on duty, you can be at ease.”

“It’s hard to be,” Hunter said, her voice slightly shaky. “She’s asleep, but the doctors say she’s stable, and you can probably wake her.”

“Thank you,” Azure said. “This is Marigold, a good friend of mine.”

 Marigold gave them a little wave. "Can someone tell me some more details? I kind of got it from Azure but I don't want to say anything insensitive."

 “Of course,” Azure said, “go ahead and fill her in.”

“We... Marina got an anonymous tip to come to the vineyard on her own,” Ashleigh said. “She insisted on going, so we kept tabs on her remotely... she didn’t make it back by the agreed time, so Hunter and I went to her location, and found her. The paramedics said if we’d been there ten minutes later it would have been too late.”

“Here,” Hunter said, reaching into her pocket and giving a pen to Azure.

“Ah, the mighty pen,” Azure said. “Marigold... sorry, this pen is both a tracking and a recording device that I gave to Marina years ago. It seems it’s finally come in handy.”

“And we’re lucky, too,” Hunter said, “if you listen to the recording, she almost had it taken away from her. ... you need to listen to the recording, Azure.”

 "Oh goodness, it's like something out of a spy movie!" Marigold laughed and then realised no one else seemed to be laughing.

Marina, had, indeed been on an undercover operation. Marigold swallowed, "Um, is she awake?"

 “Let’s find out,” Azure said, taking the pen. “If she isn’t, we’ll listen to the recording first.”

She gently knocked on the door and opened it.

Marina lay sleeping, almost peacefully. She was paler than usual, making the mole on her cheek stand out starkly. An IV drip was laid into her arm, and a monitor behind her head showed her heart rate and blood pressure.

“Marina, dear? It’s Azure,” said Azure, stepping close to the bed.

   Marina didn't stir, or show any signs that she had heard Azure.

"I take it that she was awake earlier?" Marigold whispered.

 “Hunter said she was, but I haven’t spoken to her yet,” Azure said softly. “Let’s head back out and look at the recording.”

 "Alright." Marigold nodded, eyeing the device. "It looks just like a normal pen."

 “It’s probably what saved her. Hold it for a moment.” Azure pushed the pen into Marigold’s hand. “Let’s find somewhere private.”

Hunter and Ashleigh had, it seemed, already taken precautions. A nurse’s office opposite Marina’s room was available. Azure shut the door behind her and Marigold and took out her phone.

“I wrote the software for this myself,” she said. “Here we go, it can connect via the tracker. You ready?”

 "As I'll ever be." Marigold swallowed, listening in.

The recording began with some footsteps, wind. It was echoed and eerily quiet until two voices piped up.

"Huh. English."

 Azure nodded, but kept silent, only listening.

’We’re on to you, and we’ll send a clear message to your boss.’

“They... knew I sent her?” Azure couldn’t help tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

She could barely stand the sounds of Marina struggling. “But she said she’d let it go... why would they take her?”

 "So, they know of you." Marigold looked at the pen wide eyed and winced as the cries and struggle eroded to nothing. "Sounds like they're getting into a car."

 “Ashleigh did say they found her in an empty warehouse, a few miles from the vineyard,” Azure said, her voice hollow. She was crying, tears flowing down her face silently, unstoppably. “This... this is my fault, Marigold. I sent her there.”

 "Hey, hey now." Marigold hated it when Azure cried. It made her own heart ache all too much. "There's no way you could've known this would happen. You sent her those bodyguards, the sisters, yeah?"

 Azure paused, stared at Marigold, and then, through her tears, gave an amused snort. “They’re married, Marigold. To each other. Don’t call them sisters where they can hear it, they don’t like it at all.”

 Marigold looked aghast. "My God. Us lesbians really are everywhere."

 Azure smiled and patted her shoulder. “I still can’t believe you spent years going to a very obviously lesbian bar and still never realised that everyone there was gay, including you. It’s good to see you embrace the gay side of the force.”

 "Listen. Listen... No wait, listen to the tape, I think something's happening."

 Azure concentrated on the tape again.

’She actually came? What, is she stupid? That was such obvious bait, I can’t believe she took it.’

’No, she actually did, and she was on her own as well. She’s far too keen for her own good.’

Silence fell in the recording for a long few seconds.

Then, a new voice spoke.

’I can’t believe this is who Azure would send to investigate,’ it said.

Azure straightened up, instantly alarmed.

“I know that voice,” she whispered. Tears flowed again, unbidden.

’She’s getting old.’

 Marigold choked on her spit and stared at first the pen, and then Azure. Wide eyed.

"No. No, it can't be..."

 “It is,” Azure said, her voice shaky. “I’m sure of it, Mari.”

The recording played on. Azure listened for the voice, that voice...

She started sobbing in earnest. “It can’t be, but I know it is. I lived with her for years, I know her voice. It is, I don’t want to believe it...”

 Marigold found herself disassociating as she tried to carry on listening. The voices swam through her. Marina's terror, fear and humiliation were the only things she really registered.

And Roxy. No. There was no denying it. It was her.

 “Roxy,” Azure said, her voice thick with tears, “Roxy... I wanted her to come back for so long, but not like this... not like this.” She covered her face in her hands, sobbing helplessly. Barely paying attention to the recording anymore.

Until the tone changed. Roxy and Marina were alone now, it seemed, and Roxy was...

“No,” Azure whispered, “no, she wouldn’t... she would... God, Marina... I’m so sorry...”

 As the tape carried on, Marigold only found herself more horrified. "She's... she's gotten worse. What is she even doing?"

 “Sh-she’s...” Azure couldn’t bring herself to say it. Her sobs sounded strangled. “This is my fault, Allah forgive me, Marina, forgive me, this is my fault, this is my fault...”

She reached out for Marigold, desperate for comfort. “Please,” she whispered.

 Marigold flinched but then surrendered herself to embracing Azure, tightly holding her as she cried. She managed a hand around her back, which she slowly rubbed. "None of this is your fault. We didn't even know for sure that Roxy was involved until just now."

 “I sent her there,” Azure sobbed into Marigold’s blazer. “I sent her to get... abducted and... assaulted and nearly killed... by Roxy... of all people... this is my fault.”

A gun shot. It made Azure flinch, and cry even harder. “She could have died, and it’s my fault. In so many ways it’s my fault.”

 "Is there a way I can turn it off?" Marigold sighed. What was the use in in crying about it?

She needed to be kind. "You can't blame yourself. That's just what she wants."

 Azure looked up briefly to tap her phone and turn off the recording.

The silence was deafening. Azure couldn’t stand it. She clung to Marigold, her sobs muffled.

 Marigold couldn't find it in herself to let go. She held Azure for a good while. It took her a few minutes to calm down.

"You know, I've been thinking about it all a lot recently. Us." Her voice cracked. "Bridge club."

 Azure nodded. “Me too,” she said, her voice hollow. “I wish Claire was here.”

 "She would know what to do. She'd find Roxy and drag her to jail, kicking and screaming." Marigold smiled, but it then faded. "I... we need closure on all this. I'm not letting her get away. Not after this."

 “How are we going to find her? We have no leads... she could be anywhere.” Azure closed her eyes, tears still flowing. Her eyes felt puffy, her head sore. “Claire was the only one who could ever control her. I... I wish I could’ve learned how.”

 "Don't we all. I think she prefers keeping it the other way round." Marigold gave a sigh. "Listen, dear, it's at times like these we need to look into ourselves and have faith. It's very hard to commit a perfect crime these days, there's bound to be some kind of lead. Besides, we're yet to even talk to the girl."

 “Yes... yes, you’re right.” Azure slumped, wiped her eyes. “God, I must look like a mess. Could you help me with my hijab?” Without waiting for her answer, Azure took off her scarf and ran a hand through her hair. “I should at least try to keep it together for her... she’s the one who got shot, after all.”

 "That might be a good idea." Marigold looked away. "I wish I knew where she was... but what would I even do? What could I even do?"

 “I don’t know. I don’t know.” Azure was close to tears again. “I should have gone myself, I shouldn’t have sent her. I... I... we should talk to her. I need to apologise.” She sniffed, then looked around. “There isn’t a mirror here. You... can look, Marigold, I’m sure you’ve seen my hair before.”

 "I have." Marigold glanced back up. "You look fine. Let's not overwhelm her, okay?"

 “...okay.” Azure got up, fussed with her hijab, then held out a hand to Marigold, her gaze begging her to take it. “Let’s go,” she said.

 Marigold was hesitant, but then gently gripped it. "Alright. You should probably get to her first. "

 Azure nodded. They left the nurse’s office.

Ashleigh looked at her, concerned.

“Are you okay, Azure?” she asked.

Azure gave a hollow laugh. “No,” she said, “but I have to be. I’ll... take this to the police myself. If you want to leave, I can call in someone else as security for Marina.”

“It’s okay, honestly,” Hunter said. “We... don’t really want to leave her side right now.”

Azure nodded. “We’re going back in to talk to her, if she’s awake.”

 Marigold, followed, looking at the two. She mentally kicked herself for not realising the two guards were together. 

"Oh, it looks like she is," she whispered under her breath, spying Marina now sitting up.

 Azure had seen it too. She closed the door behind them and hurried to the side of Marina’s bed. “Marina!” she said, her voice flooded with worry and relief. “It’s so good to see you awake... I’m so sorry about what happened.”

 Marina looked even more frail now that she was awake. "Azure! I heard you flew me all the way back. Thank you... would've freaked out waking up in France."

 “Of course,” Azure said, taking Marina’s hand tenderly. “As soon as I heard what happened, I had to get you home... how are you feeling?”

 "Rough," Marina replied and didn't really look like she wanted to say more. "How about you? Who's this?"

 “Marigold Diamond. She’s my old friend... she’s involved in this as well, she knew Roxy and Claire as well.” Azure sighed. “We listened to the recording. I... I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for you.”

 Marina's face turned. "Man, I really screwed that up, huh. We even lost the car."

 “Please don’t, Marina,” Azure said softly, “don’t blame yourself, this isn’t your fault. You did what you could, and it nearly got you killed. It’s not your fault.”

 "Sure. I won't, as long as we can all agree to blame that bitch instead of ourselves."

"I concur." Marigold couldn't help but to give an encouraging smile at that.

 Azure hesitated, then gave a weak smile as well. She couldn’t stop the tears. “You’re right, of course,” she said softly, “it’s hard not to blame myself but – it’s Roxy, it’s all her. And... we have French police and Interpol looking into it, looking for her. We’ll find her.”

 "I thought so. She seemed awfully determined to find out what I knew about her." Marina sighed. "Which wasn't a lot."

 “She wouldn’t have been any easier on you if you’d known more,” Azure said with certainty. “If you want, I can tell you everything. You deserve that much.”

 "Well. I can't say I'm not invested after all this," Marina replied weakly.

 Azure nodded. “Do you want to hear it now, or do you want to wait until you’ve recovered a little bit more?”

 "I've got all the time in the world for the next few months. Go on."

 “Alright.” Azure swallowed heavily. “I’m sure you’ve already guessed that this has nothing to do with the company. Roxy is... my ex from long ago, and a few years ago, she just vanished. Nobody knows where she went, and we had some... suspicions as to why but nothing was ever confirmed, and we didn’t hear anything from her for ages. And Claire... the vineyard belongs... belonged to her. Her and Roxy had a long-standing rivalry, and the vineyard was a very important place to Claire. She’s buried there. She always wanted it to stay in the family.”

 "Ah, I kind of gathered that last bit from the case file. You think she's targeting the wineyard to get at you?"

 “Both of us, most likely,” Azure said, nodding towards Marigold, “and also Claire’s memory, her legacy. I don’t know why now... and I’m so, so sorry that you got mixed up in all of this. I never thought she’d actually go as far as to want to kill anyone.”

 "If she's so ready to murder strangers, I'd be extremely careful if she's actually got a vendetta. Leave this one to the police, Azure." Marina coughed, ragged.

Marigold watched her, a little frown marking her face.

 “I should, yes.” Azure’s face betrayed nothing. She sighed. “Are you okay? If there’s anything, anything at all that I can get for you, I will.”

 "Well. There is one thing." Marina gave a weak smile. "I've been craving blue fanta since I got into europe. You're rich and influential. You wouldn't mind tracking some down?"

 Azure was taken a little by surprise, but laughed. “Oh, that shouldn’t be too difficult. My fiancee knows where to get it, she’s crafty like that. I’ll get you your blue fanta, don’t worry. Is there anything else?”

 Marigold stopped paying attention as she realised her phone had received a message. Multiple, actually, from Aurora.

"Hold on, ladies. I just need to sort my work out."

Shit.

She'd barely had time to even think about letting Aurora know.

 Azure cast a sidewards glance at Marigold. “I’m sure there’s someone waiting for you there, hm?”

She turned back to Marina. “Ashleigh and Hunter are still here, they’re guarding your door religiously, but I’m sure they’d be very happy to provide some company if you would like them to. I should probably go, I have...” She sighed, then yawned. “A lot of things to do,” she finished. “But I’ll definitely be visiting later.”

 "Oh, God don't tell me you've been up all night trying to figure my situation out." Marina looked at her, worried.

 “Please don’t worry about me. Just focus on getting better.” Azure squeezed her hand. “I’ll be fine, I’ve been in this business for years.”

  Good morning, Marigold!

Did you get stuck in traffic again? I’ll get started with work!

You have a meeting at nine. Are you going to make it?

I’m getting a little worried... did something happen, are you okay?

 Azure stepped outside the room with Marigold. “Everything okay?”

 "Yeah just... my secretary." Marigold said, stomach sinking as she went through the texts. Aurora would understand. "Forgot to tell her about any of this."

 “Aurora? She must be getting worried. I’m glad that you two are on good terms again.” Azure gave Marigold a soft smile. “Feel free to call her, if you want to.”

 "Thanks. I really should. Are you going to be okay?"

 Azure sighed heavily. “I’ll have to be. I have a company to run. And a criminal to catch. ... A criminal I used to date and live with.” She hung her head. “I’ll probably try to catch up on sleep. Use some of Blue’s stash. I’m in so much pain... early mornings aren’t good for my joints. But don’t worry about me. I’ll keep you updated.”

 "Let me know if you want someone to take care of you. Drugs can be wild," Marigold replied.

 Azure gave a tired chuckle. “You’d know all about that, huh? Thanks, I’ll be okay, I’ve navigated chronic pain and all the drugs that help me with it for decades.”

 "I suppose so. Let me know if you want company in general, then."

 “I might take you up on that later. It’s been a while since we just spent time together as friends.” Azure leaned in and kissed Marigold’s cheek. “I’ll talk to you later. Thank you for coming with me.”

 Marigold blushed at this and then nodded. "You haven't done that since bridge club."

 Azure closed her eyes for a moment. “I haven’t missed bridge club this much in a long time,” she said. “It’s been an interesting few weeks.”

She leaned heavily on her cane as she left the hospital. Her chauffeur was waiting for her, helpfully shooing the curious journalists away, and Azure looked back and blew Marigold a small kiss before getting into the car, rolling up the tinted windows, and leaning back.

[mangled-dreams]

Sins of the Mother: 5

Chapter 5: Accidents

Previous chapters:

Collection  Agreement  Terms  Truth

Pacing back and forth in the living room Ollie remarks you’ll wear a trace track into the flooring. You apologize and tell him to go clean his teeth before heading to bed pausing just long enough for Ollie to disappear from your sight before pacing again. Trinity hasn’t called or checked-in with you since she left in the morning around six AM.

It’s unlike Trinity to not even shoot you a text or emoji letting you know she’s okay. You’ve tried calling her a few times through out the day and sent her a few messages that she hadn’t returned or answered. It worries you, scares you really!

This isn’t normal behavior and you fear that something bad happened or he had a reaction to her medication. Looking at your phone you groan a little and try calling her again. It rings a few times before going to voicemail.

“Hey, Trin, it’s your favorite hovering sister. I haven’t heard from you at all today and I’ve left you a few messages now, please call me back. Let me know you’re still with me, okay?” You say trying to walk the fine line of casual and overbearing. Hanging up you sighs, pocket your phone, and look at the front door.

Thankfully you haven’t seen Dark since the uncomfortable discussion nearly two months ago, but that doesn’t stop you from worrying about your future. Even as you haven't seen Dark he has left--what your sister calls love notes and gifts. You pretty much disregard them until you're alone.  

You’d talked with Trinity as you’d promised, but left out the more… horrifying details of your reality. She’d been distraught as you’d expected, but after reassuring her—and yourself, she calmed down and things returned to relative normality.

You haven’t been worrying to much about Trinity’s behavior as its greatly improved and she seems back to her pervious self. She told you her medication seemed to be helping a lot and in combination with talking with the councilor she’s feeling better than ever. You applaud her, telling her how proud and happy you are for her.

Mid thought your phone rings and you pull it quickly from your pocket answering it would looking at the contact name. “Hello?”

“Hello, is the guardian of Trinity Scarlett available?” A male asks and your heart drops. He sounds too emotionless and precise to be just a random person asking.

“Th-that’s me. I’m her guardian.” You say already blinking back your tears. You just know this is bad, so very bad.

“My name is Officer O’Neil; we need you to come down to St. Rose Memorial Hospital. There’s been an accident.”

Covering your mouth your mind goes blank. He could be telling you the secret to the universe, the meaning to life, or directions to an ancient Aztecan city and you wouldn't hear a damn word.  Calling your neighbor, Cassandra Whittle, she agrees to watch Ollie and Fern until you or your father arrives home allowing you to race down to the hospital.

You have no idea what happened but you fear the absolute worse case scenario. When you get to the hospital, and after you quickly put your car in park, you rush into the building making a bee-line for the receptionist’s desk.

“My name is Y/n Scarlett. I’m Trinity Scarlett’s older sister. I have power of attorney for her. Her birthday is…”

The older looking woman behind the desk holds up a hand halting you before you can say Trinity’s birthday. “Miss Scarlett, please, I understand you’re scared but take a few deep breaths. You look ready to fall over.” Her tone is warn and soothing, and you follow her suggestion.

“Please, I need to know if Trinity is alive.” You say looking to the one way locked doors leading to where your sister is.

“I need you to sign in first. I’ll have an orderly take you to her.” She says calmly handing you a book to sign into before paging one of the floor orderlies to come collect you. Within minutes you are escorted into the back, a small slip of paper wrapped securely around your wrist tethering you to Trinity during her stay.

“Oh, God!” Your hands cover you mouth to keep from sobbing out loud. Nothing in your wildest nightmare equate to this horror. Rushing forward you hovers just beside Trinity’s bed your hands hesitating to touch even an inch of her. A respirator tube is shoved down her throat, breathing vital air into her lungs for her. IV lines are jabbed into both arms, red and clear liquid being pumped into her body.

You want to touch her, to feel her skin beneath yours as reassurance she’s there, but nothing in you can make that final touch.

"Miss Scarlett? I'm Officer O'Neil. I need to speak with you."

Holding your phone to your ear you wait. You feel numb all over, yet again. Your sister's recovery will be short of a miracle at this point.

She had bleeding and swelling on her brain, she's suffering from over seven broken bones in various locations, mainly on her right side, she had internal damage to her intestines, and the worst of it all, it was all caused by her so-called best friend Helen who'd been driving under the influence of drugs. To make things worse, Helen didn't get nearly the same injuries as Trinity and had left the scene and ran home.

She'd been caught because it was her car and Trinity had been buckled in to the passenger side front seat. Even when Helen had been caught she tried to blame Trinity. Her parents had brought her into the hospital at the same time Trinity had been brought in.

They tell you if Trinity does survive and manages to wake up that she won't be the same girl. She's suffered too much brain damage to make a complete recovery to the person she'd been. You didn't realized just how much one heart could break in a matter of two days.

"Hello?"

You don't respond instantly. Biting your lip you finally force yourself to speak. "I need you."

"As you wish."

It took everything in you to finally make the call. You guess it finally had to happen when you saw the looks of despair in the eyes of Trinity's care team. No one believes she'll make it.

Within moments Dark arrives in the hospital. With his wide stride it takes only a few seconds for Dark to reach you. He doesn't reach out to touch you but that means very little. The moment he's within rage you rush into his arms.

You haven't been able to reach your father and you need someone to hold you, even if it's from a cold demon like Dark. "She's going to die, Dark. I couldn't protect her." You sob into his chest. Your tears are hot and sting your eyes as they race down your blotchy face. You've been crying so much you didn't think you could shed any more tears and yet here you are.

Dark stands ridged. You surprised him yet again. He never would have thought that you'd call him here to simply have him hold you. He already aware you're father isn't in the hospital; why else would you call upon him to be your support? He'd never given the impression he'd be one to come to for such things.

The death of another human means very little to him unless it's you. Now that he's claimed you he cannot replace you with another Scarlet decedent, and on a much more personal level he's plagued with a kind of affection for you. You're tenacity and ability to over come your fears has solidified his choice in you, and had endeared you to him.

Looking over your head Dark sees your sister lying on the bed, near deaths door. Of course he knows what happened and whose fault it is. Just because he’s chosen his bride doesn’t mean he’ll stop keeping tabs on the others.  

In no way will he allow some over sight to steal away his claim. However, right now his claim is sobbing against his chest, your heart crumbling under the decision you’ll have to face sooner or later; whether to continue to allow Trinity to live as she is, on a ventilator and fluid IVs for nourishment, or to pull the plug and allow her the grace of death.

It’s already very obvious by the faces and emotions surrounding Trinity’s room that she’ll end up dying either way. “Why did you call me? Do you wish me to save you sister?” Dark asks. He doesn’t mind being used in such a way if it benefits him, but it would be unlike you to simply cave in.

Lifting your eyes to his, you shake your head. “No, I…” Your words escape you. Dropping your gaze you answer honestly, “I can’t ask you to save her, no matter how much I want too. Trinity wouldn’t want me to do that if it means losing more of my freedoms. I needed someone emotionally detached from the situation.” It feels shitty to admit you don’t want your family around you, but their kind words and added emotions will just cause more pain than you need.

Dark understands. You’re family would do the family thing and try to tell you everything will be okay, but very rarely does someone recover from these kinds of injuries without repercussions. Wrapping his arms around you Dark pulls you to his chest.

“Despite what you may think of me I am sorry you are going through this. I am fully aware how precious your sister is to you.” You melt a little at the sincerity in his tone. He may or may know his words would affect you, but apart of you believes he is actually sincere in his words and actions.

“Thank you.” You whisper burying your face into his chest again. Silently Dark nods his head, wrapping himself around you tightly. He presses a soft kiss to your crown as you cry.

[your-dietician]

Best 4th of July sales from across the web 2021

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Best 4th of July sales from across the web 2021

Yahoo Life has received compensation to create this article, and receives commission from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Stand up and salute! The biggest sales of the summer are here — and we’ve gathered all the best deals for you. (Photo: Getty Images)

It’s 4th of July weekend — a time to celebrate freedom. This year, it has a special meaning, as we all emerge to hang with friends and family, exchange hugs and high-fives, and launch a summer of appreciation and joy. 

Before you fire up the grill or head to the beach, take a minute to benefit from the celebratory sales. No need to open a thousand tabs and peruse sites of countless retailers — we did the legwork for you, combing through the options and pulling together one list of can’t-miss opportunities below. 

As for the sales themselves? They’re absolutely massive. You’ll find amazing discounts on tech, small appliances, home goods, and more. There’s no shortage of steals and deals this holiday weekend.

So let’s get to it: Here are the July 4th sales you absolutely can’t afford to miss, from across the web. 

Best TV sales

We have seen the future, and it’s this Sony 4K TV. (Photo: Amazon)

This Sony X80J 65-inch 4K Ultra HD LED Smart Google TV is the latest from a manufacturer that’s long been at the forefront of top-notch home video. No shocker, then, that the display on this set is dazzlingly vivid and detailed. Originally $1,000, this beauty is available for only $898 for the 4th of July.

Sony’s state-of-the-art Processor X1 is the power behind its true-to-life visuals, while HDR (High Dynamic Range) settings make sure colors stay bright and black levels are dark. Get ready: It’s going to feel like you’re sitting in the middle of all the action.

This 4K TV includes Google TV with instant access to hundreds of popular streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock and much, much more. It even has built-in Chromecast for slinging videos and music from your phone or tablet to the TV. Also: The remote has a microphone that lets you use Google Assistant for voice search and hands-free navigation. And shoppers just love it too.

Story continues

“In one word: Awesome….,” raved a five-star reviewer of this Sony. “It can be adjusted to give you absolute black even in a dark room; 4K and HDR are amazing…”

Check out more 4th of July TV sales below:

Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 32-inch Smart HD TV — Fire TV, $150 (was $200), amazon.com

Insignia 55-inch NS-55F301NA22 F30 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV, $400 (was $500), amazon.com

Toshiba 32-inch Smart HD TV — Fire TV Edition, $160 (was $200), amazon.com

Toshiba 43-inch 43C350KU C350 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV, $320 (was $370), amazon.com

Sony 55-inch Class X80J Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Google TV, $750 (was $950), bestbuy.com

Sony 65-inch Class X80J Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Google TV, $900 (was $1,150), bestbuy.com

LG 65-inch Class 4K Ultra HD NanoCell Smart TV, $997 (was $1,200), walmart.com

LG 65-inch Class CX Series OLED 4K Ultra HD Smart webOS TV, $1,900 (was $2,200), bestbuy.com

LG C1 65-inch Class 4K Smart OLED TV, $2,100 (was $2,500), qvc.com

Samsung 70-inch Class 7 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Tizen TV, $680 (was $750), bestbuy.com

Best headphone and earbud sales

Save over 40 percent on these Beats beauties. (Photo: Amazon)

On sale for $199 — an incredible $151 off! — the Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (in Matte Black) mix style and performance in one sleek design. These are Beats’ premium noise-canceling headphones that work seamlessly with just about any Apple device, including the iPhone, iPad and MacBook. The way they sync to your Apple products, thanks to Apple’s W1 chip for instant pairing, is magical. And Amazon shoppers are hooked.

“These are the best headphones I’ve ever had,” shared a delighted Amazon shopper. “I travel 99 percent of the time for work and am on planes twice a week. I am exhausted and don’t want to talk to people. These are perfect for when you’re feeling anti-social on the plane, in the airport….hell, anywhere! The 22-hour battery life and noise cancellation are mind-blowing. Definitely worth the money!”

Check out more 4th of July headphone and earbud sales below:

Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones, $145 (was $200), amazon.com

Beats Solo Pro Headphones, $149 (was $300), walmart.com

Beats Flex Wireless Earbuds, $39 (was $50), amazon.com

Bietrun Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds, $26 (was $130), walmart.com

Apple AirPods (wireless charging case), $160 (was $199), amazon.com

Apple AirPods Max, $490 (was $549), amazon.com

Philips Wireless In-Ear Headphones, $30 (was $60), walmart.com

JBL Tune 115TWS True Wireless Headphones, $50 (was $60), kohls.com

Beats Flex All-Day Wireless Earphones, $40 (was $50), target.com

Samsung Galaxy Buds+, $100 (was $150), bestbuy.com

Meidong Bluetooth Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones, $35 (was $70), walmart.com

Best smart-home sales

Start building the smart home of your dreams with this bundle — save nearly 35 percent! (Photo: Lowe’s)

For the 4th of July, Lowe’s is giving you a chance to score the Google Nest Mini (second generation) and GE Smart Plug for just $40 (was $60).

The next-gen Nest Mini packs the Google Assistant into a sleek design with really great sound. Enjoy crisp vocals and balanced bass while you stream songs from Spotify, YouTube Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Apple Music and more. Want a smart home? Now’s the time! If you have a phone in your pocket and a Wi-Fi network at home, you’re well on your way to building a smart home.

Plus, the bundle includes the GE Smart Plug (a $15 value), which can easily pair with the Google Nest Mini. Simply plug into a wall outlet, then plug in anything like a lamp, a TV or even a coffeemaker.

Then connect the plug to your Wi-Fi network and use your phone to sync to the Google Home app (for Android smartphones and Apple iPhones). That’s it! Now you can control just about anything in your home with your phone or just the sound of your voice via the Google Assistant. Fun!

“I am amazed at how much sound can come out of this little bitty device,” said a five-star Lowe’s reviewer. “The ease of setting it up via Wi-Fi was a breeze…I would recommend this little device for not only sound, but also ease of use. It can make your life simple and up-to-date if you carry a busy workload. Set a reminder and it will remind you even with a little music.”

Check out more 4th of July smart-home sales below:

Kamep Wireless Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Camera, $65 (was $130), amazon.com

TP-Link N300 WiFi Extender (TL-WA855RE), $17 (was $30), amazon.com

Moen 7594BL Arbor One-Handle Pulldown Kitchen Faucet, $289 (was $500), amazon.com

Govee Smart Light Bulbs, $11 with on-page coupon (was $22), amazon.com

Google Nest Mini, $35 (was $49), lowes.com

Google Nest Learning Smart Thermostat, $199 (was $249), lowes.com

Google Nest Hello, $149 (was $229), lowes.com

Google Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera, $130 (was $200), walmart.com

Honeywell RLV4300A1005 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat (renewed), $10 (was $35), eBay.com

TP-Link Wi-Fi Mini Smart, $10 (was $18), target.com

Beats Pill+ Wireless Bluetooth Speaker, $140 (was $230), kohls.com

Philips Neopix Ultra Projector with Wi-Fi Screen Mirroring, Bluetooth & Built-in Media Player, $380 (was $400), kohls.com

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential, $30 (was $50), lowes.com

eufy Security eufy Wireless Smart, $170 (was $200), lowes.com

Brookstone PhotoShare Digital Picture Frame, $110 (was $130), lowes.com

Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness & Activity Tracker, $100 (was $130), kohls.com

Defender Ultra HD 4K Wired Outdoor Security System (1TB), $260 (was $450), walmart.com

Monoprice Wireless Smart Outdoor Dual Socket, $25 (was $38), target.com

XODO Smart Wi-Fi HD Video Doorbell, $90 (was $150), walmart.com

DHcamera Wired Spotlight Cam HD Security Camera, $150 (was $230), walmart.com

Garmin Vivosport Fitness Tracker (renewed), $70 (was $200), eBay.com

Love Spotify and Pandora, but still want to play your beloved CDs? Bose is here to keep physical media alive. (Photo: HSN)

If you can’t let go of your old CDs and love listening to the radio, the Bose Wave Music System IV is the ticket. And for the 4th of July, HSN has temporarily dropped the price of this gem from $500 to just $300. That’s the lowest price we’ve found on the web right now — a savings of 40 percent.

This Bose speaker system projects crisp sound, and comes equipped with a Bluetooth receiver add-on, so you can wirelessly sync your smartphone or laptop to it. The design is elegant, minimal and slim, making it a seamless addition to your entertainment center or on its own in a bedroom, kitchen or living room. It also comes with a remote. If you enjoy waking up to the sound of music or the radio, you can program the system’s timer to sync up to your preferences too.

“Perfect sound system for the home,” wrote a five-star Bose reviewer. “The sound is simply stunning and fills the entire room. The radio reception is superb and the ability to play Internet radio via TuneIn brings this product firmly in the 2020s!”

New to HSN? Score an additional $20 off with promo code HSN2021 at checkout — and bring the price down to just 460 bucks. And if you’d rather not pay all at once (we get it), HSN lets you opt for five “FlexPays” of just $60, with no interest at all. Plus, free shipping!

Best smartphone and tablet sales

Forget the Apple iPad! This Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is a better bargain — and it can do more too. (Photo: Amazon)

On sale for $170 (was $230), the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 weighs just over a pound and features 32GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD card). That’s got it all over Apple’s entry level tablet, which isn’t expandable. And unlike the iPad, the Tab A7’s 10.4-inch display has a full HD widescreen for immersive viewing.

Also out-Apple-ing Apple? The A7’s camera set is better than the one that comes with the iPad. It has an eight-megapixel selfie cam with a five-megapixel rear shooter on the front for video calls. “Mostly use for mobile gaming. Tried to play PS4 remote play, and it worked,” reported a satisfied gamer. “Sound is great and build quality is better than iPad. Speed is seamless.”

Check out more 4th of July smartphone and tablet sales below:

Apple iPad (10.2-inch, Wi-Fi, 32GB), $299 (was $329), amazon.com

Apple iPad Air (10.9-inch, Wi-Fi, 256GB), $699 (was $749), amazon.com

Linsay Android 10 Tablet with Marble Case, $98 (was $325), macys.com

Moto G Stylus Smartphone, $180 (was $218), qvc.com

Linsay 10.1-inch New Quad Core 32GB Tablet Android, $100 (was $169), macys.com

Core Innovations 7-inch, $54 (was $70), bhphotovideo.com

onn. 8-inch Tablet Pro, $79 (was $99), walmart.com

Samsung Galaxy A11 (Net10), $99 (was $149), walmart.com

Lenovo Tab M10 Plus, $170 (was $200), bestbuy.com

Visual Land Prestige Elite 10QL 10-Inch 16GB Android Tablet, $90 (was $120), kohls.com

Best gaming sales

Half price: The Last of Us Part II for PlayStation 4. (Photo: Walmart)

On sale for $30 (was $60), The Last of Us Part II for PlayStation 4 is set five years after the first game and follows Ellie and Abby as they continue to survive in a post-apocalyptic United States. This is one of the best games of 2020 and it’s half off at Walmart.

“I have played it three times now,” shared a delighted gamer. “On each play through, I found something new, which I most likely missed because of the insane attention to detail in this game. It all started to make sense after my second play through. I think that The Last of Us Part II is one of the best storytelling masterpieces out there.”

Check out more 4th of July gaming sales below:

BioShock: The Collection, $19 (was $50), amazon.com

NBA 2K21 (Xbox Series X), $20 (was $70), amazon.com

Mafia: Definitive Edition (PS4), $20 (was $40), amazon.com

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4), $15 (was $40), amazon.com

The Sims 4 (Xbox One), $5 (was $50), cdkeys.com

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Xbox One), $13 (was $35), cdkeys.com

Minecraft (Xbox One), $10 (was $30), cdkeys.com

Outriders: Day One Edition (PS4), $40 (was $60), walmart.com

Microsoft Xbox Series S 512GB with Xbox Game Pass and Accessories, $636 (was $700), qvc.com

Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition (PS4), $20 (was $60), walmart.com

Madden NFL 21 (Xbox One), $20 (was $60), walmart.com

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Xbox One), $30 (was $60), walmart.com

The Pillars of The Earth (PS4), $29 (was $45), walmart.com

Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled (PS4), $34 (was $40), walmart.com

PlayStation Plus Membership (12 months), $38 (was $60), cdkeys.com

Playstation Plus Membership (three months), $20 (was $25), cdkeys.com

Best vacuum sales

This vacuum sucks…and that’s a very good thing — save nearly 30 percent! (Photo: Walmart)

Do you have hair-shedding pets? Do you want to keep a clean home but are just too busy during your week to make sure it stays neat and tidy? If your answer is yes, then you need the EcoVacs Deebot U2 Robot Vacuum Cleaner. It’s on sale for an impressive $179, a sweet $71 off at Walmart.

The robovac makes it easy to keep your hardwood floors or carpet clean, even if you’re not at home. Just sync the vacuum to your smartphone via the Ecovacs app and let the Deebot do the rest. This vacuum uses “Smart Navi 2.0” technology to map your space, so it can keep your home free from crumbs, debris, pet hair and other icky things.

“Meet my new maid,” chirped a savvy Walmart shopper. “This mop and vac saves me a precious hour each evening I spend with my family after work instead of cleaning my floors. Easy to fill and I hand wash the mop attachment each night and air dry it for the next evening. Attractive design. Thorough cleaning. Can’t beat the price. It holds a charge for at least 110 mins. I’m completely satisfied.”

Check out more 4th of July vacuum sales below:

Dyson V8, $350 (was $450), dyson.com

Lefant M210 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $140 with on-page coupon (was $400), amazon.com

OKP Life K2 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $124 (was $300), amazon.com

roborock E4 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $210 (was $300), amazon.com

Kenmore 31510 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $150 with on-page coupon (was $259), amazon.com

iHome AutoVac Eclipse G 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop, $179 (was $400), walmart.com

Shark RV2001WD AI Robot VacMop Pro, $480 (was $799), macys.com

Shark ION Robot Vacuum RV750, $149 (was $299), walmart.com

Trifo Maxs Robot Vacuum, $400 (was $667), macys.com

iRobot Roomba E6 Vacuum Cleaning Robot E6198, $200 (was $380), eBay.com

Eureka Groove 4-Way Control Robotic Vacuum, $129 (was $200), walmart.com

Simplicity Sport Portable Canister Vacuum Cleaner, $109 (was $277), macys.com

Mighty Rock Robot Vacuum and Mop, $73 (was $130), walmart.com

Best home office sales

Take note of the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 — and save $164 during 4th of July weekend! (Photo: Amazon)

For the 4th of July, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 convertible laptop is on sale for just $386 — that’s 30 percent off for a model so popular, over 800 reviewers gave it five stars.

The sleek, incredibly thin Samsung Chromebook is actually more than just a laptop. It has a brilliant 12.2-inch HD touchscreen display (at 1900×1200 resolution) and flexible 360-degree hinge, so it can rotate to any angle for use as a tablet.

“I wanted both a tablet and a computer. I love that you can download apps and use them for both the computer and the tablet form,” reported a delighted five-star reviewer. “The stylus makes using Lightroom and other creative apps a breeze. Being able to use the cloud is a must because the storage would fill up pretty quickly…The large screen is also a good thing for activities like editing photos, drawing, and taking notes. Start up, web browsing, and apps are quick. The battery life is really great for everyday use…”

Check out more 4th of July home office sales below:

Cloud Massage Shiatsu Foot Massager Machine, $240 with on-page coupon (was $340), amazon.com

Renpho Neck Shoulder Massager, $30 with on-page coupon (was $50), amazon.com

Vybe Percussion Massage Gun, $150 with on-page coupon (was $200), amazon.com

DamKee Massage Gun, $69 with on-page coupon for Prime members only (was $110), amazon.com

WorkEZ Rise Aluminum Laptop Stand, $30 (was $33), qvc.com

Samsung 27-inch Smart Monitor, $300 (was $329), qvc.com

HP OfficeJet Pro 8035e All-in-One Printer, $220 (was $249), qvc.com

Asus Chromebook C223, $265 (was $340), hsn.com

Bell & Howell Adjustable Laptop Desk, $32 (was $50), hsn.com

Embassy NanoShred 8-Sheet Paper Shredder, $100 (was $124), hsn.com

OttLite Wireless Charging Desk Lamp, $35 (was $61), hsn.com

Apple MacBook Pro (mid-2020), $1,099 (was $1,299), bhphotovideo.com

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 (renewed), $540 (was $800), eBay.com

Ousgar 47-inch White Desk, $100 (was $266), walmart.com

Hemu Fashion Bamboo Laptop Lap Tray, $38 (was $80), walmart.com

Best kitchen sales

Make smoothies, soups and more. (Photo: Amazon)

When anything Instant Pot goes on sale for over 50 percent off, it’s time to take notice. The Instant Pot blender is a kitchen hero you’ll love at first sight. It easily whips up smoothies and soups, plus it can make delectable chunky dips and salsas, too. Love nut butters? This machine will turn out the creamiest toppings ever. It has over 10 presets, so you’ll find no shortage of uses for this whip-smart blender.

“This is, by far, the nicest blender we’ve ever owned,” one shopper shared. “Motor is powerful and blades have perfectly blended everything we’ve thrown in it. Almond nut butter was creamy and smoothies were the smoothest. Glass pitcher is, as advertised, professional quality. Big fan of the tamper as I have ruined more than my fair share of spoons with other blenders.”

Check out more 4th of July kitchen sales below:

Vitamix 5200 Blender, $390 (was $550), amazon.com

Farberware Millennium Stainless Steel Cookware Pots and Pans Set, $104 (was $260), amazon.com

Staub Pure Grill, 10.5″, $120 (was $243), surlatable.com

PowerXL 5.3 Quart Power Air Fryer, $91 (was $180), wayfair.com

Cuisinart Cordless Rechargeable Mini Chopper, $64 (was $80), bedbathandbeyond.com

Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Air Fryer Oven, Stainless Steel, $200 (was $280), wayfair.com

15 percent off orders over $100, ninjakitchen.com

Lodge Enameled Cast Iron, $57 (was $93), wayfair.com

CRUX Artisan Series 7-Speed Blender, $40 (was $100), bedbathandbeyond.com 

Ninja FD401 Foodi 8-Quart 9-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker, $150 (was $250), amazon.com

SodaStream Sparkling Water Maker (Rose Gold) Bundle, $88 (was $111), walmart.com

Three-Piece Heart Cake Pan Set, $20 (was $30), walmart.com

The Pioneer Woman Sweet Rose 3.2 Quart Baker with Tote, $19 (was $26), walmart.com

Best beauty sales

Reveal your megawatt smile! (Photo: QVC)

Dreaming of white teeth but don’t want to invest hundreds of dollars into getting them professionally whitened? This kit will help. It comes with two toothpastes — one charcoal coconut and one packed with B12 — to eradicate stains and leave your pearly whites…white. 

You’ll get 28 whitening strips (that’s two weeks’ worth of treatments!) for just 50 bucks. Simply leave the strips on for 30 minutes, then remove and brush away the gel. Check out incredible before-and-after photos here.

Check out more 4th of July beauty sales below:

Obagi Medical 360 Retinol Moisturizer Cream, $40 (was $74), amazon.com

Tan-Luxe Hydra Mousse Self-Tan Mousse Duo, $55 (was $98), hsn.com

Up to 50 percent off select items and free shipping on all orders with code FREESHIP, sephora.com

Up to 20 percent off select items and kits, charlottetilbury.com

Calista Perfecter Pro Heated Round Brush with Embellish Spray, $94 (was $131.50), qvc.com

Clinique Almost Lipstick Black Honey Duo, $20 (was $32.50), qvc.com

Korres Body Firming Serum Spray, $20 (was $36.50), hsn.com

20 percent off NuFace, skinscarerx.com

Items up to 60 percent off, nordstrom.com

Beauty finds starting at just $9.50, marcjacobsbeauty.com

Up to 75 percent off clearance, skincarerx.com

BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Lightweight Ionic Hair Dryer, $65 (was $85), walmart.com

Elizabeth Arden Red Door Eau De Toilette, $38 (was $72), walmart.com

Better Not Younger Lift Me Up Hair Thickener, $25 (was $34), hsn.com

Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Max Moisturizer, $43 (was $53), amazon.com

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo, $20 (was $24), walmart.com

Best style sales

You’ll never want to take these off. (Photo: Amazon)

Whether your summer plans include traveling, hikes, or strolling around town, comfy shoes are a must. Pick up Amazon’s No. 1 bestselling sneakers while they’re on sale, and you’ll be good to go. Adored by podiatrists and nurses alike, the slip-ons have a chunky, supportive sole and feel absolutely divine on your feet. Choose from 28 colors and sizes 5.5 to 11.

“These shoes are so great for nurses who stand on their feet for long periods of time,” a shopper declared. “Better than my $150 pair of shoes…medical professional healthcare providers, these are worth trying! They are like walking on bubble bouncing cushions.”

Check out more 4th of July style sales below:

Up to 50 percent off sitewide, oldnavy.com

Extra 40 percent off markdowns, gap.com

Up to 50 percent off styles, stuartweitzman.com

60 percent off apparel with code GEARUP60, reebok.com

30 percent off select styles, vionic.com

1/10 Carat Diamond Solitaire Necklace, $28 (was $300), walmart.com

Extra 30 percent off sale items, spanx.com

Extra 15 percent off, coachoutlet.com

Skechers GOwalk Joy Washable Slip-On Sneakers, $52 (was $63.50), qvc.com

Dresses starting at $10, target.com

Tees and tanks, two for $14, target.com

Avia Women’s Summer Romper, $7 (was $14), walmart.com

Athletic Works Women’s Active Racerback Tank, $9 (was $15), walmart.com

10 percent off select styles and free shipping, newbalance.com

Up to 70 percent off sale, jcrew.com

Extra 25 percent off sale with code EXTRA, toryburch.com

HUE Short Sleeve Tee & Modern Classic Skimmer PJ Set, $38 (was $46), hsn.com

OURS Women’s Summer Dress, $22 (was $40), amazon.com

Up to 50 percent off hundreds of styles, adidas.com

Leggings Depot High Waisted Solid Yoga Leggings, $13 (was $20), amazon.com

Up to 50 percent off summer collection, aerosoles.com

Up to 50 percent off select styles plus extra 20 percent off, colehaan.com

Best mattress and bedding sales

If your mattress alone isn’t doing it for you, this topper might help. (Photo: HSN)

If your mattress is feeling a bit blah but you don’t want to invest in a brand new one just yet, try this Concierge Collection topper on for size! The high loft fill is dreamy, and it’s quilted, which keeps it from bunching up — plus a stretchy skirt ensures the topper stays nice and snug. Can it get any better? It can! The moisture-wicking fabric stays cool on even the hottest nights. And it’s treated with an antimicrobial coating, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and other nasties.

Check out more 4th of July mattress and bedding sales below:

Rest Haven 2 Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper, $55 (was $80), walmart.com

2 Pack Plixio Shredded Memory Foam Pillow, $40 (was $50), walmart.com

4earth 2-Pack Eco-Friendly Organic Cotton Standard Bed Pillows, $15 (was $25), bedbathandbeyond.com

Farm to Home Organic Cotton Waffle Knit Comfy-let with Shams-Full/Queen, $100 (was $170), qvc.com

Scott Living HygroCotton and Tencel 400TC Sheet Set with FlexiFit, $62 (was $99), qvc.com

Casper Original Mattress, $931 (was $1,095), casper.com

beegod Pillows for Sleeping, $33 (was $58), amazon.com

Casper Sleep Pillow for Sleeping, $55 (was $65), amazon.com

AllerEase Cotton Euro Pillow, $13 (was $19), walmart.com

Extra 25 percent off select home items, nordstromrack.com

25 percent off sitewide plus $250 gift set, bearmattress.com

Best pet sales

Your cat is going to love this scratching tower. (Photo: Walmart)

Tired of pleading with your cat to stop scratching the sides of your couch? This pole just might be the temptation she needs to stay away. It’s covered in thick sisal rope, and has a wide base so it won’t topple over as she digs her claws in. At the very top, a rotating feather (or mouse, or ball — the scratcher comes with plenty of options) ensures she’s fully engaged. You can even adjust the height of the pole, so smaller cats and kittens can get in on the fun.

“Our cats have been obsessed with this thing since I set it up!” a shopper shared. “They immediately went crazy for the toys it came with and are now scratching the post instead of my furniture! Amen!”

Check out more 4th of July pet sales below:

Buy three, get one free — toys, grooming and more, chewy.com

WAG Dental Dog Treats, $10 (was $23), amazon.com

Up to 50 percent off food, treats, furniture and more, petco.com

Animals Favorite New Rectangle Pet Bed, $33 (was $45), amazon.com

EMME Dog Bed for Small Dogs, $35 (was $55), amazon.com

Morpilot Pet Travel Carrier Bag, $31 (was $40), walmart.com

Kadell Professional Quiet Electric Pet Hair Clipper, $27 (was $54), walmart.com

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[ninjakitty15]

Chapter 6: The Plot Thickens (Loki X OFC Pairing)

"Loki, have you seen Nell, she's not in her room," a voice on the outside of Loki's room called in, waking me up from my much needed sleep curled up next to him.

"Tell him I'm not here," I whispered.

"You know he could just have that automated voice system Friday tell him you're here," Loki mused next to, already wide awake and apparently reading something while he waited for me to wake.

I groaned and buried myself deeper under the covers. "No Nell esta aqui!"

"As far as I'm aware, no one here is Hispanic, especially not Loki, nice try though," Tony responded.

"Chingate," I cursed and begrudingly pulled myself up into a sitting position. "Whaddaya want?"

"Breakfast is ready, I'm told you favor pancakes which lucky for you are the main dish so hurry up before Thor and Clint eat them all."

"Pancakes you say?" I perked up, "Why didn't you start with that?" I didn't even care that I couldn't find my own shirt as I grabbed one of Loki's long green ones that sufficiently covered what I didn't feel like flashing to the team. Loki himself grabbing a tunic and leisure pants before leading me out of his room to where the smell of much needed food teased my senses. I could feel at least one pair of eyes on me and what I was wearing and all I did in turn was arch an eyebrow in challenge.

"Getting a bit cozy with Loki, I see," mused Nat, offering me bacon as I snatched a stack of pancakes.

I shrugged and drenched everything in maple syrup. "I've only known him less than a week and if anything were to happen to him, I'd kill everyone in this building and then myself."

Tony choked on his screwdriver drink while Nat just laughed at my declaration. "Is that even possible? I mean I looked at your dna samples and you weren't wrong, it matches a dead body's sample exactly, nothing to suggest it came from someone that can still walk and think and live. You can't kill something already dead."

"Medically speaking, you are correct, but they say there's more than one way to skin a rabbit."

"I thought it was a cat," Clint piped up.

"No one's skinning cats as long as I'm still moving."

"So how does one end something already dead?" Tony spoke up.

"For most things you simply destroy it, just remember, what is dead can never die."

"Settle down there, Yara," teased Clint.

"Go on and make me, Euron," I retorted.

"Why am I Euron?"

"Theon wouldn't treat me that way."

"How many of you necromancers are there?" interrupted Tony.

"Not as much as there were before I was caught," I replied glumly. "We're becoming  the next Siberian tigers, if we reach white rhino status we're fucked."

"Is it just the ability to cheat death and create your own army that would make you a good hunting target?"

I shrugged and finished my breakfast. "They certainly have a certain appeal, could be any number of reasons why we're sought after."

"You said nothing would come of them taking stuff from you, I'm just thinking, if I couldn't steal what makes you a necromancer to use myself, my next plan of action would be to somehow make you do it for me since the power stays in you and only you."

I arched an eyebrow, not a bad point there. I looked over at Loki who was probably thinking the same thing.

"Your friend said they were found as husks, shells empty of everything. Do you think they did that on purpose or maybe were forced into it?" he asked me quietly.

"That makes more sense than the theory I came up with before where they burnt themselves out to make them inaccessible even in death. They could've just gutted themselves with their blades to do that."

"Hydra are many things," noted Nat. "And mess many things up, but they know how to make a person bend to their will."

"I know about Steve's super soldier boyfriend, Bucky and how he was brainwashed by them. I don't know if that would work on us, if it's how I think they do it, it wouldn't work on me."

"How do you think they do it?"

"Rewrite your past in your mind so the memories that come up are edited to fit them as the good guys and their enemies as the bad guys."

"And that won't work because..."

"A lot of my past has already been erased from me, it was part of a deal to gain more power, I had to sacrifice something of myself to get it. I don't remember any of my family, they in turn don't know I even exist, they can't be used against me if we don't know each other. Imagine the bad guys finding my mom and threatening to kill her and we just look at each other like we literally just met, kinda kills the mood...pun intended."

"So brainwashing is more or less out of the equation then. Would there be another way to control a necromancer?"

"It would depend on the necromancer I guess. One thing I can tell you though is that no matter what you do to us to make us bend, the dead don't have to listen or respond. You also need to have a lot of power to make the dead do your bidding if they don't want to. For instance, if you were in a Jewish community and asked if anyone wants to fuck up some Neo Nazis, you'd have an army larger than China. But if you were in say Texas and asked who wants to march for the Pride Parade and fight for equal rights, you'd have barely enough corpses to make a difference and youd need more power, more effort to raise more when they've already voted no."

"You're saying they aren't just mindless corpses doing what they're told then," Nat spoke up.

"The living are far better puppets than the dead, its all about physics here, a body alive, in motion can keep going in motion in any direction, a body in rest prefers to stay in rest." That's when something clicked in my head again. "That's why they were burnt out dead, they were forced to do what Hydra wants but none of the dead wanted to follow..."

"Hydra as I understand them, don't usually take no for an answer and probably just made the necromancers suffer more till they were all used up. Did they do anything like that to you?" Loki asked.

"They seemed to think pain was the best way to break me, no one else thought to ask nicely in the five fucking years they had me."

"They had you for five years but you mentioned to Strange that there were missing ones before you were even caught. To me that sounds like they gave up on using up necromancers that didn't give them the results they wanted and focused on you and how to get you to do their will since you didn't burn out like the others."

That for some reason gave me chills. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Oh and once again I've become the sloppy second. What else is new? There's still the issue of a turncoat among them too. I told one person I would be flying back from England, I didn't even tell her which airline or what time it landed so in the extremely unlikely event she was the rat that sold me out, she still wouldn't have known where to find me. Someone had to have kept tabs on me or my aliases and sold me out and I want to know who."

"Could it have been another necromancer? Someone that wants you out of the group or jealous of your power?" offered Loki beside me.

"Outing another death mage isn't unheard of but its usually downhill for the rat bastard that does it. The dead are always watching, if they see something unfavorable like a backstabbing they'll be less likely to follow the one with the knife which means more effort is needed to get an army going. You need to have a lot of strength and power to force your will upon things that would rather stay still than help you. Imagine trying to wake up a hungover teenager for school who's clearly not over their rebellious streak and has no friends to look forward to there. Then amplify that by like a 100. Necromancy is a natural form of magic and to wield any kind of magic there must be a flow to it, natural magic requires you go with the flow rather than force it the way you want it to work."

"So whoever did it to you, they are either pretty strong or pretty worn out and probably not in the habit of wielding their magic unless necessary."

"Could be either or, I might be among the most powerful but that doesn't mean everyone else is at level one here, hell they could even be my level in the time ive been locked away, lots can happen in five years."

"How does one get to your level exactly?"

"There's certain tests you need to pass with flying colors, a sacrifice to prove you're all or nothing for it, the bigger and more meaningful the sacrifice the more power you're likely to get."

"Who or what determines all this? You make it sound like you don't just get it yourself."

"I didn't and I can't answer that question either, it disturbs the natural order. If you don't know then you aren't meant to know unless something decides otherwise."

Everyone including Loki was quiet for a moment, absorbing what I had told them before Tony spoke up. "What kinda tests?"

"A situation or scenario happens that determines if you can handle yourself and your surroundings, you don't know its a test until probably much later if at all but it happens regardless. You can't prepare for it either, either accept or fail."

"Are people just randomly chosen or is there some sort of telltale sign?" asked Nat suddenly more interested.

"You ever see things, hear things as a kid, things you were certain of being there but no one believed you when you told them?"

She was silent for a moment, probably attempting to recall that far back before shaking her head. "Not that I can recall."

"Then probably not for you, it starts with being an open mind and a clean slate as a kid and not letting anything or anyone put doubt in you. That's the problem though init, a child sees a sad wailing women at the foot of her bed and usually they go running to their parents in fear, parents come in, say theres nothing there because most of the time adults can't see them regardless and eventually the child starts to listen to their parents over the clearly upset woman that just wants to be listened to herself. Tony probably isn't compatible, those with too much knowledge leave little room for the possible but improbable, scientists usually are."

"What about your lover beside you?" asked Tony. "A god itself is possible but improbable and he wields magic as well."

I turned to Loki curiously. "What did you see when we were fighting Hydra the other day?"

"What you mortals would call zombies? What else would I see?"

I studied him for a moment, curious if he was bluffing or not as he was still very much a God of Lies. "You might be a wildcard on this. You sure that's all you saw?" He nodded stiffly. "Tell me if that changes at any point."

"What else would he have seen?" asked Nat.

I beckoned her to come closer and leaned into her ear. "The dead comes in more than one form, spirits are always nearby, everyone has a few at least. Victims, loved ones, depends on the person."

"What was he supposed to see then?"

"They told me to take his hand when he put himself between me and Strange and they collected the spirit of an agent that almost shot me down on the battlefield."

"They can do that?" she asked louder and pulling away from me.

"If poltergeists can wreak havoc in someone's home, a bunch of vengeful spirits can get even with the one that outed them first."

"Why wouldn't they do that beforehand though?"

"They didn't have me."

"You give them their vengeance," Tony started.

"I give them what would bring them peace, they linger as their bodies rot for a reason. The sad wailing woman isn't whining for attention like some teenage drama queen, she's hurt and needs closure. The ghosts linger because there's unfinished business and I'm their business woman for the job, except unlike the psychics and mediums of today's age, I do it for free and not for entertainment purposes."

"So if someone got wind you can commune with the dead and wanted to know something about their deceased what would you do?"

"Tell em to bugger off unless in that moment their deceased makes an entrance, I'll relay a message only that person would've known about and then tell em to bugger off and let the dead rest. They'll get the same kind of response as a misogynistic man telling me to smile, I'm not here for your entertainment so you can kiss the southbound end of a northbound horse."

[inkbrusher]

maybe it’s dramatic of me to say, but i often think i’m intrinsically lonesome by nature and am destined to stay that way.

i dont know what’s wrong with me, or if there is anything wrong with me, though i always feel like i’m cursed in that aspect... i feel like it’s impossible for me to get genuinely close with people. i am shy but i’ve learned to be personable to get by. but i dont know what it is i dont have that just does not allow me to make proper friends

i’m probably thinking about this a lot because lately i’ve just been so around people i wish i could be better friends with or seeing people be far more successful at making friends than me

namely my sister. i’m sure it’s evident i love her to pieces and i harbor no ill-will against her in any way, especially on this front, but it just strikes a cord with me to see her come into college and make so many friends immediately. even outside of that, in general she gets so along with people, far better than i ever could... anyone who gets to know both of us always ends up closer with her. its funny that people used to always say she was the shyer one. again i dont hate her or even dislike her for that but i can’t help but always just observe the difference between us and try to think about what is different with me. what am i missing

i suppose growing up with her, being so incredibly close, i felt maybe it was ok i was never really able to make friends bc i’d always have her. we’re always on the same page and sometimes i almost feel like we’re practically the same person. so to witness her excel at being so personable was just... made me realize it really is just me here. having these problems. my lack of competence in socializing is not exactly a universal experience

this isn’t all about my sister tho... its just a lot of that triggers these thoughts im having lately. watching her get along with people so well kills me bc i wish i could be like that. and then it makes me look at people i do talk to and wish i could do better with them. im a pretty low maintenance friend, though maybe too much so. ive grown away from people simply because i never initiated, and once they stopped, we never really reconnected. 

i think about this and i dont know if this is because of my lack of experience with having real friends or if the first few friend circles i had online were founded on such passive aggression that it enabled and fed my tendency to shy away from confrontation or even just outright communication, which is actually really important. i had messy falling outs about a year ago, just because i couldnt choose who to side with, and i feel perhaps that is still affecting me.

and maybe i feel like i can never have that because i felt i had friends in high school, a best friend, even, but the fact that i no longer keep tabs on any of them anymore speaks to that point. i see now that the best friend was only one because we shared most of our classes every year. we’d hang out yeah, but that started falling apart in our senior year, and by the end i’d heard about how many times she’d had big hangouts with our other friends without inviting me. i mean in the end i see i did not share much in common with any of these people but even so... she called me her best friend and pulled that stuff... i know that sounds like petty hs drama because it is, but it’s that stuff that’s become so rooted in me that i feel like i’m incapable of ever having or being a good close friend 

i am about to finish college and i haven’t made one real friend... by real friend i mean someone you go out of your way to hang out with... someone it doesn’t feel too painful to be one-on-one with... i have a lot of acquaintances tho. like im friendly enough with a lot of people, especially with animation floor people just bc im there so much and we all kind of assist each other, but i never hang out with anyone. a lot of them are friends, but i just feel strained with them. is it me? i think it is. i dont know why i can’t

four years of this has done its work on me, it really does drive me crazy at times. ive always been told ‘youll find your people!’ like in hs i looked forward to college for that but look where it’s left me... nowhere really. and then that goes back to seeing how my sister has had a completely different experience immediately coming into college so i know it is me

i’m a human being i crave social interaction yeah. i just want to know what its like to have that again. what is it like to have a real ass best friend??? to talk about stupid mundane shit like how was your day or literally anything. i hardly remember what it feels like to be so insync with another person on that level and yet i find myself missing having a feeling like that so bad... so so bad... i guess thats why i think about love so much too but thinking that far is laughable considering i am mediocre at just socializing

obviously ive supplemented this with my online presence... the reason i am Constantly online is obviously a testament to this. im lonely so i have to find a way to fill that in. ofc it’s been that much easier to make online friends but i still feel there’s an imbalance. for one, i know i’m hardly ever the one initiating. most of the ppl i talk to are ppl who talked to me first bc they got to know me thru my art (god knows where i’d be if i didnt have that thing going for me at least). i dont mean this to offend any of my online friends but i just think about how one sided even those friendships can be. i know i never initiate and i feel bad that i probably make it difficult for you. i just have no idea what to do anymore

and obviously this loneliness is why i post so much. why i wrote this whole god danged stream of consciousness for no reason. why i get so personal in posts or what have u. i got no one to talk to anymore or feel like anyone cares to listen and i feel like i can’t just use pals to ramble insecurities like this anymore and not give anything back... it’s not fair to them

but simultaneously i feel stuck in this limbo and as nothing has ever really gotten better as years go on, i feel i will be for the rest of my life

[overwatch-chatroom-blog]

Overwatch Chatroom: Overprotective Family

Requested by a lovely anon!! Scenario: Can you do a chat between like the crew following the reader who is the youngest of the team on a date with someone who they met in a bookstore and they keep pestering them. -cracks knuckles- hERE I G O also pls be nice to my overwatch OC, Grayson :’^))

yIKES I GOT CARRIED A WAY THIS IS THE LONGEST THING IVE WRITTEN FOR THE BLOG SO FAR Also it got a bit angsty??? What’s up with me and turning something that’s supposed to be happy and funny into angst omg. It’s probably not what anon had in mind when they requested it iM SORRY

- Forest

-

Looking yourself over in the mirror, a smile found its way on your lips. Nodding in approval at your appearance, you grabbed your wallet and phone. And just in case, a pocket knife. Everyone was taking a break today from missions, and it gave you a good excuse to go on the date you’ve been waiting for since you’ve met Grayson. You accidentally ran into him in a small bookstore once, causing you to attack him Keith apology after apology. He simply smiled at you, calming you down, telling you it was alright.

After introducing yourself, you two chatted for a while, mostly about books, and your favorite authors. He was a lovely eighteen year old boy, with a head full of red hair, freckles scattered about his fave and exposed arms, stunning blue eyes that were filled with joy. Ever since your little encounter at the bookstore, you two exchanged number and kept in contact.

Until a month later, you went on a mission with Bastion, Mei, and Tracer. You were split into two groups, you being with Bastion, the unit became your friend, sharing a love for nature. Bastion protected you in battle, causing some harm to come to the unit, which upset you. Scolding Bastion about how you can take care of yourself.

Scolding him at that moment wasn’t a great idea at the time. Both of you were in the open, talon agents closing in. And when one managed to knock your weapon of your hands, a voice in your head told you this was your end. Bastion was overwhelmed as well. You held onto the units robotic hand, closing your eyes, awaiting whatever was to come.

What came next was the pained screaming of the talon agents, and the sound of fire. Opening your (e/c) eyes you were met with the sight of flailing, and burning talon agents. Apparently they didn’t know what stop, drop, and roll was as they fell to the ground, lifeless. A figure dressed in all black, a white mask with black eyes came into view, flamethrower in hand.

Bastion beeped out a warning to the stranger, standing directly in front of you. Instead of him starting his flamethrower, a familiar voice called out; “Y/n?” Walking to stand next to Bastion, the one dressed in black removed the mask, a pair of blue eyes met yours. His name left your lips, “Grayson?!” Smiling sheepishly he rubbed the back of his neck, him having to explain everything to you, while Bastion stood protectively next you you, making Grayson uncomfortable.

That was was six months ago, and not too long ago he asked you out on a date. With a smile you accepted it. Bastion was the only one who knew of Grayson, keeping tabs on your relationship with him, like a strict father watching his child fall in love. The unit watched you walk out of your room, dressed in your nicest clothes. But first you had to tell Winston where you were going, what you didn’t want was him telling everyone what you were doing.

-

Winston has started a chatroom. 76, Reaper, Zarya, Hanzo, Genji, Tracer, Mei, Lucio, Roadhog, Junkrat, McCree, Phara, Ana, Symmetra, D.Va, Mercy, Widowmaker, Zenyatta, Reinhardt, and Torbjörn has logged on.

Winston: Just to inform everyone. Y/n is going out on a date.

Torbjörn: WHAT

Reinhardt: They are far too young.

Winston: Y/n is seventeen.

D.Va: BUT THEY DIDNT TELL ME?!

McCree: WHO EVER IS GOING ON THIS DATE WITH THEM BETTER NOT HURT THEM.

Tracer: AND YOU DIDNT QUESTION WHO THEY WERE GOING ON A DATE WITH?

Winston: And why would I ask them?

D.Va: BECAUSE WHAT IF THEYRE DATING A WANTED CRIMINAL!?

Junkrat: OI

D.Va: whoops, sorry Jamie, Mako.

Roadhog: it’s fine.

Winston: It was non of my business.

Mercy: Why did y/n tell you this and not everyone else?

Winston: Remember the rule.

Mercy: Ah, right. If anyone is ever leaving the base for any reason, we tell you.

Lucio: OKAY BUT WHAT IF Y/N’S DATE IS A TALON AGENT POSING AS A YOUNG GUY!?

Zarya: Calm down. I am sure they are fine.

Widowmaker: He does have a point.

Tracer: WINSTON THEYRE ONLY SEVENTEEN

Winston: I feel attacked.

76: Did y/n tell you where they are going?

Winston: Yes.

McCree: TELL US???

McCree: THATLL BE USEFUL

Winston: I do no feel comfortable telling you guys their date plan..

Zenyatta: If I may interfere. Y/n tells Bastion everything. I could ask Bastion if they have mention anything about a date.

Zarya: What if that chunk of metal is lying?

Hanzo: There is no time for this, Zarya.

Zarya: fine.

D.Va: wait how is Zen typing?

Winston: I modified the phone I gave him.

D.Va: oh

Zenyatta: Bastion says y/n is going to the new cafe in the middle of town. I believe it is called Rainy Day Cafe.

D.Va: I’m hurt.

Genji: Why?

D.Va: bECAUSE Y/N DIDNT TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT THIS MYSTERIOUS BOY?!?!?!?

Reaper: I’m already at the cafe.

Lucio: I thought you didn’t care about y/n?

Junkrat: Aw, you do care!

Reaper: Shut it. Both of you.

Tracer: DO YOU SEE THE GUY!!

Tracer: DOES HE LOOK SUSPICIOUS?!

Reaper: I don’t see them yet.

Widowmaker: I’m on my way out.

McCree: So am I.

Symmetra: Do not bring your weapons.

Widowmaker: Just to make sure.

McCree: If he’s part of talon, then it can’t hurt.

Reaper: I see them now.

D.Va: WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE

Roadhog: is he a threat?

Reaper: Don’t make y/n go on dates.

D.Va: Why?

Reaper: They’re seventeen but this boy doesn’t look like a teenager.

Zenyatta: Bastion told me that he is a teenager.

Genji: Has Bastion met him?

Zenyatta: It appears so.

Reaper: He’s a red head.

D.Va: We need more details

Hanzo: No we don’t.

Reaper: He’s wearing a tight shirt. Probably showing off his muscles to Y/n.

Symmetra: Or he’s trying to intimidate our dear sunshine.

Junkrat: Want me to throw a bomb at him?

McCree: He’s right next to y/n.

Roadhog: y/n is too close to him.

Junkrat: So what I’m getting is that it’s alright to throw a bomb at him, but he needs to be far away from y/n. ‘Aight.

Genji: Don’t throw a bomb at the boy.

Reaper: He looks like he’s hiding something.

Ana: I’m by the cafe.

76: so am I.

Genji: did all of you just leave?

Torbjörn: I am concerned about my little y/n, but I stayed.

Reinhardt: This is a serious matter.

Genji: Y/n is not going to die.

Zarya: The boy could be a talon agent.

McCree: and if he’s a talon agent?

Widowmaker: Just to make sure he doesn’t pull out a gun at y/n.

Mei: I could freeze him if he pulls anything dangerous and stupid.

Mercy: REAPER I CANT BELIEVE YOURE WEARING YOUR GEAR, THEYLL SEE YOU.

Reaper: And you’re not?

Mercy: If he’s a talon agent then we call all take him down.

Zenyatta: He’s not a talon agent

Ana: I KNEW IT, LIGHTS OUT FOR THIS PUNK

Phara: WAIT MOM.

Ana: WHAT

Phara: Zen said he’s not a talon agent

Ana: Oh.

Zenyatta: Grayson saved both y/n and bastion on a mission some months ago.

Zarya: Y/N WAS ALONE WITH THAT BASTION UNIT?

Tracer: No! Mei and I were there!!

Zarya: THEN WHY WERENT YOU WITH THEM?

Mei: We decided to split up into two groups!

Hanzo: If it wasn’t for Grayson they could’ve both died.

Mei: We were also cornered, we didn’t know they were in danger until we got to them.

Tracer: The talon agents were burned to a crisp.

McCree: Burned?

Reinhardt: What kind of weapon could burn someone?

Symmetra: Does he have some kind of power?

Zenyatta: He owns a flamethrower.

D.Va: ANOTHER REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT TRUST HIM

Mei: Yes. Y/n only told us about someone saving them. They didn’t tell us it was Grayson.

Tracer: We didn’t want to say anything else because they were pretty shaken up about it.

Mercy: Let’s just follow them for now.

Phara: They’re ready to leave the cafe.

Mercy: This part of town is always busy, don’t lose sight of them.

76: I’ll always have them in my sights.

McCree: They’re going into an apartment building???

Widowmaker: They’re at his apartment door.

Roadhog: I’ll throw my hook at him.

Symmetra: what if you hit y/n with it?

Roadhog: hmm.

D.Va: NOPE HES NOT GETTING INTO MY BEST FRIENDS PANTS

Symmetra: Don’t jump to conclusions, Hana

Lucio: BUT WHAT IF HE IS??!?!

D.Va has added Y/n to the chat.

D.Va: BOI IF YOU DONT LEAVE THAT BOYS APARTMENT RIGHT N O W

Mercy: Y/n if that boy is planning to do some cruel things to you, you better get out of his apartment this instant!

76: Young Lady!

McCree: Explain to us, right now.

Reinhardt: GO BACK TO THE BASE, Y/N

Ana: WHO IS THE BOY AND WHY HAVENT YOU MENTIONED HIM?

Widowmaker: Are you sure he is not a talon agent?

Reaper: I’m coming to get you.

Genji: Gabriel, leave y/n alone.

Hanzo: You didn’t have to actually forcefully grab them.

Mercy: OH MY GOD HE HAS THE FLAMETHROWER.

Genji: Guys don’t attract attention!

Ana: HES THE ONE WHOS ATTRACTING ATTENTION!

Hanzo: To be honest, it was Gabriel.

Reaper: I did not.

Mei: HE IS ALSO THE ONE WHO PULLED OUT THE FLAMETHROWER. HE MELTED MY ICE WALL.

Zenyatta: Oh dear.

Junkrat: IM THROWING THE BOMB

Mercy: JUNKRAT NO

Tracer: oh my god Zarya knocked out Junkrat

Tracer: OH MY GOD HE ALMOST BURNED ME

Mei: Hanzo summoned his dragons.

Genji: You could’ve left them alone.

Tracer: oh my god Jack knocked him out.

Reaper: WHAT THE F UCK IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!?

Reaper: This is y/n by the way.

76: where did Gabe take you?

Symmetra: And why are you using his phone?

Reaper: BECAUSE HE TOKE MINE AWAY. AND HE TOKE ME BACK TO THE BASE???

Reaper: When I planned on telling you guys about Grayson I was expecting something less vIOLENT THAN YOU YOU GUYS PULLED.

Mei: You’re the youngest one on the team! And I guess,, we got a bit carried away.

Reaper: A BIT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

Zarya: I get that you are mad but we are overprotective of you.

McCree: We had to make sure.

Reaper: AND YOU COULDVE DONE A SIMPLE BACKGROUND CHECK KN HIM ON THE COMPUTER!?

Reaper: I get it, bUT OH MY GOD HE WANTED ME TO MEET HIS PARENTS, HANA

D.Va: Yikes™

Reaper: Edge lord wants his phone bakcishifhf

Reaper: She’s grounded, no questions.

Reaper has left the chatroom.

Y/n: He has shitty hiding spots.

Y/n: and I refuse to be grounded fOR SOMETHING AS STUPID AS THIS

Y/n: JACK HOW BAD DID YOU HURT GRAYSON

76: I just knocked him out.

Y/n: Honestly guys, I’m part of overwatch, why can you trust me when I go out alone? I can take care of myself. And I did plan on telling you guys.

Y/n has left the chatroom.

Genji: They seem upset.

Zenyatta: Young Y/n is arguing with Gabriel right now. And I expect you to apologize to them. Also bring young Grayson home and explain everything to his parents.

Zenyatta: Bastion will be in front of y/n’s door for the rest of the day, and maybe the night.

Zenyatta has left the chatroom.

Ana: I can’t believe we acted so childish.

Ana has left the chatroom

Reinhardt: Y/n is seventeen, almost at legal age to live in their own, we should have trusted them for just one day.

Reinhardt has left the chatroom. Torbjön has left the chatroom.

Zarya: Hardt is right.

Zarya has left the chatroom. 76 has left the chatroom.

D.Va: before everyone leaves!

D.Va: we have to make it up to both Y/n and Grayson.

Lucio: what do we do?

D.Va: set up an actual date for them. Everyone has to pitch in though.

Hanzo: That could work.

D.Va: we should also stay with them.

Genji: Why?

Lucio: It’s a date, Hana

Junkrat: Kinda ruins the idea of a date, mate.

Roadhog: Why?

D.Va: They wanted us to meet Grayson right?

Mercy: that’s a wonderful idea, Hana!

Mei: Oh!

Tracer: This is our chance to make things right!!

Phara: well for the ones who started attacking Grayson.

Symmetra: you almost released your missiles.

Phara: ..Alright everyone should help plan this.

McCree: It’s settled then.

McCree has left the chatroom. Tracer has left the chatroom. Phara has left the chatroom. Symmetra has left the chatroom. Mei has left the chatroom. Junkrat has left the chatroom. Roadhog has left the chatroom. Lucio has left the chatroom. D.Va has left the chatroom. Hanzo had left the chatroom. Genji has left the chatroom. Zarya has left the chatroom. Mercy has left the chatroom. Widowmaker has left the chatroom.

Winston: Why do people always make everything so difficult?

Winston has closed the chatroom.

[bentnotbroken1fanfiction]

War Ficlet Series Part II (Part I) (Part III) (Part IV)

Draco was writing a proposal for the new Minister for Magic, the fourth one in three years, when the owl arrived. At first, he thought it was just one of many inquiries he’d received from Nott Sr. regarding his son’s place in the ranks, but when he saw his name scrawled across the top his heart stalled. He’d recognized the handwriting anywhere.

Draco,

I hope this letter finds you well. It’s been so long since I’ve written you, and for that I’m sorry, but I’m sure you are very much aware of the dangers that come with our correspondence so I hope you don’t begrudge me for it.  I didn’t want to jeopardize your position and I couldn’t afford my location being exposed if the letters fell into the wrong hands. I made myself a promise that I wouldn’t contact you until this whole mess was over, but I have no other choice. I’ve run out of options and I need your help. I know it’s rather unfair of me to ask anything of you, after all, I turned down your offers in the past, but I am in a desperate situation. If this letter reaches you, and you can find it in your heart to forgive me, please meet me in the back room of the place that used to be Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes at 10 o’clock in the evening on the fourth of March. I can’t disclose any more information than this. The rest will have to wait until our meeting. I truly hope to see you there. 

H.G.

He stared at the parchment and reread it until all the letters blurred together. There were no traces of enchantments, curses, or spells on the letter itself so he knew he could trust what it said.

It had just been so long since he’d heard from her. Sometimes he’d wonder if she was still alive, but then he’d remember that if she were dead The Dark Lord would most likely be holding a celebration revel in her honor. But this was the absolute and undeniable proof that she was alive. She was alive and she needed his help.

***

He showed up to their meeting place two days later, and twenty minutes early. The blonde had tried to go about his business like usual and he mostly succeeded, but he hadn’t been able to curb the nervous energy inside of him. He’d have thought his feelings for her would have waned, but obviously, that wasn’t the case. As soon as that letter dropped into his lap all the thoughts and feelings he’d ever had for the woman flooded back.

Despite their history, meeting with her still posed a risk, he knew that. It could possibly be a ploy to get him alone, allowing him to be ambushed. but he highly doubted that. He was more worried about being tailed on his end. He’d been extremely thorough in covering his tracks and making sure no one knew what he was doing tonight. He couldn’t afford to get caught fraternizing with the enemy, not when he finally had a foot in the Inner Circle.

When the sound of a back door alerted him to another presence, he turned around and stood perfectly still, wand at the ready just in case he’d fucked up and had been followed. There was a soft click and then the shuffling of feet on the floor. His heart raced in anticipation. This was it. He was going to see her for the first time in years.

When the witch finally rounded the corner, wand also raised and as cautious as a mouse, he had to stop himself from rushing forward and taking her into his arms. She looked so….small…and tired, so unlike the vibrant Hermione of the past. The woman in front of him wasn’t the shining book lover, the spirited fighter and spellcaster he’d come to know and love, this woman was war torn and defeated.

Her hair was shorter than he’d ever seen it, her curls tangling just below her ears, and her cheeks were a bit sunken in as if she was half starved. Which….she probably was. The very thought of her hiding somewhere cold and starving made his heart twist uncomfortably.

“Hermione?” He winced at how gravelly his voice sounded.

She gave him a tiny forced smile. “Hello, Draco.”

He pocketed his wand and raked his eyes back over her body, cataloging how thin she was. “I’d ask how you’ve been, but it seems that it would be incredibly pointless.”

“The same could be said about you.” She replied simply.

He knew she would have been keeping tabs on him. She was one of the very very few that knew where his true allegiance lied, so she would know most of the things he’d been doing. The sometimes despicable things he’d been doing in the best interest of this long con. It still made him feel dirty when he thought about it too long.

“So, what’s this about, Granger? Your note indicated that you seemed to be in some trouble.”

“It’s something like that, yes. I just….” She paused and bit her lip, something she always did when she was thinking about what to say. “This is extremely hard to ask. We…we are estranged,”  When he opened his mouth to protest she threw up her hand to stop him. “And that is my fault. You tried….you tried to help and I didn't….I ignored your worries and spit on our relationship and….I’m sorry for that.”

“Don’t do that.” He said, frowning down at her. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

She gave him an incredulous look but didn’t respond to his statement. “This is a big request, Draco. One you may not be able to, or even want to, fulfill, but I’m desperate.” She closed her eyes tightly and breathed through her nose. “I’m so desperate.”

“What is it?” He hated how eager he sounded but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to help this woman. He had loved this woman and wanted to just reach out to her and tell her he would take care of everything. His fingers twitched uncertainly; he had not been within touching distance to her since that last day. “I will do whatever I can.”

She regarded him with an expression somewhere between hopeful and heedful. “Wait here.”

He did as she asked and watched her walk out of the room. A moment later she was back, but he was surprised to see that she wasn’t alone. She held the hand of a small child. He couldn’t see them clearly because of the, most likely Weasley made, knitted hood with bear ears concealing their head, but something strange settled in his gut.

“This is my daughter Rhea.” She told him quietly.

Eyes widened. “Your…daughter…” A spike of jealousy ran through him at the admittance, but he quickly schooled his features, not wanting to give himself away. Of course, she’d have moved on. It had been years.

The witch nodded. “She’s the reason why I’m here. I’m sure you know the state of things in the city, in the slums. It’s worse for those of us in the resistance and I can’t just wait around for something bad to happen to her….or me when I'm with her…” She patted the child’s shoulder. “So, I swallowed my pride and came to you. You’re the only one that can help her.”

Confused, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Me? How am I the only one that can help? What is it, exactly, that you want me to do? Smuggle her out of London? I can’t say it would be easy but it is possible.”

Hermione shook her head. “No, I don’t want you to smuggle her out, at least not at this time. There’s no one outside of the city that could take her yet and I honestly don’t trust she’d be any safer out there than by my side.”

He furrowed his brow in confusion.“Then I really don’t know what we’re doing here.”

Again she bit her lip. “I was hoping you would take her. You’re the only one I could trust to do it. Just take her with you and protect her. Watch over her. Eventually, take her to France, make her your heir, or whatever it is you have to do to keep her safe.”

“What?” The request was even stranger than he’d first assumed and it left him blinking with his mouth hanging open, all pretense of calm completely gone. “Have you gone barmy? I can’t…it would be one thing to sneak her out but..to do that?  I haven’t the foggiest clue what to do with children and don’t you think it will seem incredibly suspicious if I just show up with a child? Besides, why in Salazar’s name would I even want take your daughter into my home, risk everything, and pass her off as mine?”

Hermione sighed in that way of hers that always made him feel like he was being scolded, and pulled off the girl's dark hat, causing a cascade of curly blonde hair to tumble out of it. “Because she is yours.”

His world stopped for a moment as he stared down at the little girl. He’d been so focused on Hermione that he hadn’t taken a second glance at the child. She looked to be around four years old which would definitely line up and when he met her eyes it was like he was staring at his mother. She had sharp features that were associated with his family too and the only thing that looked like the woman behind her was her curls, her nose, and her mouth, which was now turned downward in a frown.

The little girl, no Rhea, he chastised himself, did not make a noise as she regarded him suspiciously.  “She’s…” he swallowed, “mine?”

“Yes, Draco, she’s yours. And I realize how confused and angry you might be at me for hiding it from you, but we really don’t have the luxury of time to have a good row about it right now.”

The urgency in her voice reminded him that she needed his cooperation and help. He had no interest in the “why’s” before, but now? She needed him to protect her ch-…to protect their child and he needed to know why. “What happened, Hermione?” He asked, taking a tentative step forward. “Why come to me now?”

Her frail looking hands gripped the girl’s shoulder. “That's….people are being snatched off the street. People not in the resistance. Harry’s sources in the city have been concerned. Children have been disappearing too, at a rapid rate. We’re scared of what that means.”

Draco frowned. As far as he knew nothing like that had been sanctioned, at least not in an official sense. He knew there were plenty of things that happened under shady circumstances but he couldn’t keep track of them all. He should look into that.

“Mummy?” The soft, fairy-like voice nearly startled him as it filled the silence. She’d been quiet this whole time. “What’s wrong? Who is that?”

He watched, mesmerized, as Hermione dropped down in front of her daughter and ran her fingers through her curly hair. “Grown up stuff, baby. You remember mummy telling you that we were leaving Uncle Harry’s?”  The girl nodded. “And that we were going to meet your daddy?” Blue eyes shot up from her mother’s face to stare at him, mouth parted in awe. Hermione nodded. “Yes, Rhea. That’s your daddy.”

Hearing the words out loud was jarring and he felt something inside him crack. He was a father. Honestly, The whole world could have crumbled beneath him in that moment and Draco wouldn’t have noticed.

[swiftwidget]

Control - Chapter Four

On Track

Cowritten and Proofread by @aoimikans

“William Howard Wright,” he flashed his pass to the evidence technician, “I need the Yagi-Rishi case files and evidence.”

The young evidence technician adjusted her large, round glasses and squinted at the pass. After a moment of consideration, she nodded and pressed the lock release with a polite smile.

The lock clicked with a loud buzz, and William yanked the heavy door open.

“Noriko Shuuka,” the technician introduced herself, bowing slightly. Her shoulder-length, tightly curled brown hair bobbed about her face, “You’re with the visiting team?”

“I am,” William echoed her bow.

“I figured,” she said, “You all are the talk of the precinct.”

“Oh?” William quirked an eyebrow at the small young woman. “Do I want to know?”

“It’s not that interesting,” Shuuka deadpanned with a shrug. “We just don’t get international teams often, and people enjoy a fresh conversation topic.”

William huffed but smiled politely. His quirk, Aura Sight, pulsed pleasantly at the back of his eyes. The black aura of truth overlaying the image of the woman remained constant.

A refreshingly honest person, he thought as he followed behind her.

“Just over here,” Shuuka said, turning around the last set of shelves, “Yagi… Yagi.. Ya- Ah, here.” She reached up, standing on her tiptoes, and pulled down a white, cardboard box. Something metallic inside rattled.

“You think you can hold two of these? There are three boxes total,” Shuuka passed the heavy box to William.

“I can manage,” William said, shifting the box in his arms lower so the technician could stack the second box on top. “Thank you.”

Shuuka pulled down the last box and lead William to the front. Gently placing her box onto a dolly, she gave it a pat.

“You can use this to take the boxes,” she said, taking the top box from William and placing it beside the first, “Let me grab the proper forms, and you can be on your way.”  

William signed the boxes out of evidence and rolled the dolly toward his team’s office. Ringing phones and conversations buzzed in the background as he passed through the police bullpen. One officer led a woman handcuffed toward her own desk.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know how trigger got in my purse!” the young woman exclaimed, wriggling against the officer’s firm grasp. “It’s not mine!”

William grimaced at the woman’s lies. White light swirled around her, growing brighter as she spewed falsehood after falsehood. Pain prickled at the back of his eyes as he hastened away. Gritting his teeth, he dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out an orange pill bottle. Shaking out two pills, he tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them dry. He stuffed the bottle back in his pocket as he shoved the conference room door open.

“Welcome back, Will,” Vera Lang said cheerfully. Her fingers danced back and forth across her braille terminal as she read the digitized files on her laptop.  

William grunted in reply, making a beeline for the coffee pot. He poured himself a mug, sighing into the pleasant steam rising from its contents.  

Bellamy shot him a concerned look, “Are you alright? You’re irritated.”

Snorting and taking a long swig from his mug, William nodded.

“A criminal playing dumb,” he said simply, rubbing at his eyes. The prickling sensation always lingered after witnessing a falsehood. On the bright side, there had only been one. Had there been more or, God forbid, a roomful, a little prickling would be the least of his problems.

Bellamy nodded in understanding, lifted an evidence box and removed the lid. He shifted through its contents and passed a couple files to Alba and Mary.

“Find anything from the digital files?” William asked, setting his mug down at his place at the table.

“An estimated timeframe of the abduction which matches with our information regarding the presumed mugging, a link to another case involving the homicide of one Hibiki Genji,” Vera listed, patting the Genji casefile box sitting beside her, “and a record of operations that took place with pro-heroes searching for All Might. Most of the heroes were his co-workers from U.A. Hero Academy.”

“Makes sense considering they wanted to keep things close to the vest,” Mary chipped in. “Especially with all the bad press the school has been getting recently.” At the odd look she got from Alba, she shrugged, “I like to keep tabs on U.A. Watching the Sports Festival is kind of a tradition in my family.”

Alba clicked her beak thoughtfully, “I suppose close friends and peers would help keep news from getting out. There was enough uproar in reaction to his retirement alone.”

William nodded absently, “So, no mention of anything that would imply Big Bad was involved?”

Bellamy shook his head, “So far, no.”

Damn it. William sighed, brushing his hand over his breast pocket, right above his heart, and the small photograph tucked inside it.

“There’s no such thing as a dead end, Wright.” His mentor’s laugh echoed through his mind, “Maybe a split end, but if you look hard enough, you’ll find a connection.”

“Keep looking,” William said, earning a chuckle from Vera and smiles across the table. Returning his attention to the box in front of him, he dug to the bottom. Curiosity piqued, he pursed his lips  and pulled out a handheld recorder. Sitting back and plugging in his personal set of earbuds, he prepared a notepad and pressed play.

“If at any point you need to take a break -” Detective Tsukauchi’s voice sounded tinny in William’s ears. There was a rustling of cloth and faint background noise… Beeping?

“I’m alright.” A man’s voice, low and a bit raspy. So different from his hero persona, All Might. “I’m not as fragile as I look, Tsukauchi.”

The detective in the recording snorted with humor.

So, this is Yagi. William thought.

He jotted down quick notes as the interview continued.

“...Was she the only person you saw?”

“No. There were two others. All for One, the villain from the Kamino Ward incident, and this young man, Isamu Sato. He was coerced into working with his supervisor, Inoshita, and the villain, who Isa- ah, Sato- only knew as,” A slight pause, “Sensei…”

The tape continued to roll, but William wasn’t listening. He was staring at the words written on his notepad.

ALL FOR ONE.

A title only heard in whispers of fear or reverence. Old. That name is old.

A shudder ran down his spine, and he shook himself, pressing rewind. He hit play and heard the detective continue.

“What were the roles of the three?”

There was a shuffling movement, a quiet thump.

“To be brief, All for One provided the quirks forced -”

William’s brows furrowed as he tried to focus in on the background noise during another long pause. Forced? Quirks?

“Do you need a moment?” Detective Tsukauchi asked softly, a slight crackle muffled the speaker.

A hand brushing over the mic, perhaps.William pushed against the earbud, listening intently.

“Just growing pains. All for One provided the quirks forced into my system. Inoshita personally administered one and regularly changed my IV solution. Nurse Sato was made to deliver meals and ensure that I survived the quirks that put a greater strain on my body.”

William blinked, pressing pause.

What?

He pulled out an earbud, “Mary, pass me the photos we showed Tsukauchi.”

Mary raised an eyebrow, setting aside her papers.

“Sure thing, here,” she said and passed along the folder she pulled from her bag.

William stared at the photos, and the detective’s pitch black aura resurfaced in his mind’s eye, “There’s been a misunderstanding. The man in the first and last photo is Toshinori Yagi.”

“Quirks…” he muttered softly. He hadn’t really believed…

“Got something?” Bellamy asked.

“I might… One moment.” William said, almost breathless. A shaky smile pulled at his lips as he pressed play.

“Survive?” Tsukauchi sounded… worried.

William gripped his pen tightly as he waited for Yagi to reply.

“The tail quirk-” His eyes shot to the second photo, “-added a significant amount of body mass… Without that young man, I would not have lived through the change.”

William grinned, “We have him.”

Genji looked up, pale, “Are you sure?”

“I’m certain,” William nodded, predatory glee bubbling in his chest, “Big Bad was here. And - And Montgomery's quirk theory was correct. We have our living proof.” He smacked the second photo as a laugh escaped him.

Eleven goddamn years… He pat the photo in his breast pocket, But you were right.  

He carefully pulled out the earbuds and set the recorder on the table, speaker up.

“Listen to this.”

The whole dorm smelled of curry. It brought a smile to Toshinori’s face as the elevator door opened to the first floor. Adjusting the strap of his gym bag on his shoulder, he looked down at his phone as it buzzed.

Power Loader sent his reply:

[Yes, I can meet you at the faculty gym. Let me just gather some measuring supplies.]

[Fantastic!] Toshinori quickly texted back, [I’m on my way now.]

He looked up just in time to see a green mop of hair disappear around the corner and into the kitchen.

“Midoriya, my boy!” Toshinori called out. He chuckled at the sudden thumping scramble of footsteps as the boy rushed back around the corner.

“Yes?” Izuku asked. He was dressed in his running clothes, much like Toshinori was now.

“Heading to the training fields?” Toshinori asked, approaching him.

“Y-yeah! I was just grabbing my water,” the boy gestured to the fridge with his thumb.

Toshinori nodded, “I’m headed that direction myself. Why don’t you grab your water and walk with me?”

Izuku blinked up at him, brows raised, and nodded, “Sure!”

Toshinori could have sworn he saw the telltale light of One for All as Izuku dashed to the fridge and back, water bottle in hand. He smiled and led the way to the front doors.

The day was bright despite the thin layer of overcast clouds. Blue sky peeked between great swaths of grey. A cool wind brushed over Toshinori’s skin, rustling his sweatpants and t-shirt.

I should have grabbed a jacket, he thought before remembering none of his jackets were tailored. Regardless, being outside felt … He didn’t have the words.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, smiling at the cool, crisp air filling his lung.

He opened his eyes, blinking in the sunlight, and movement caught his attention. Izuku stretched his left arm and rubbed at his neck.

“How’s your shoulder doing, my boy?” Toshinori asked quietly.

Izuku quickly pulled his hand away from his shoulder, “It’s fine! Really,” He took a deep breath and sighed, “It just tingles, but that’s Recovery Girl’s healing side effect really. Um, but you’d probably know that.”

Toshinori chuckled, “Oh, would I?”

Izuku’s face flushed red, and he bowed his head, “I- um-”

Toshinori ruffled the boy’s hair, grinning at his stammering.

“I’m teasing,” he said with a laugh.

“O-oh,” a small smile twitched on Izuku’s face before it faded to something more serious, “How’s your - um - How’re you feeling?”  

“Well,” Toshinori adjusted his bag strap again and smiled down at Izuku, “I’m walking again, and I’m pleasantly full from earlier. Definitely a positive turn of events, considering...” His smile fell, and he looked the boy in the eye, “I want to apologize. You should have never seen that… I was hoping you - and your classmates, for that matter - would never have to see that side of my… condition. I,” he traced the uppermost spike on his neck, “I should have taken proper precautions. If I had, you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

Because of me… Again.

Toshinori glanced at the scars lining Izuku’s hands and arm, “For that, I am sorry.”

Izuku looked up at him, a pensive frown on his face. Then he bowed and shook his head, “Thank you. It’s really not your fault though...”

A small smile softened Toshinori’s expression, and he clapped a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “I also want to thank you for listening this morning. Everyone’s acceptance,” he paused, searching for the right words, “It helps.”

Izuku grinned, eyes a little watery, “I’m glad to hear it!”

For a short distance, they walked in comfortable silence. Toshinori’s tail found its way around Izuku’s waist, giving it a small squeeze before swinging back into place.

Rubbing his stomach, Izuku laughed, “Does your tail still have a mind of its own?”

“Of course,” Toshinori said, swatting the boy’s back with his tail. He darted to the side with a laugh when Izuku attempted to catch it. The boy righted himself too slow, and Toshinori snagged him, holding him against his side with the crook of his elbow.

Izuku sputtered and hopped along with Toshinori’s long strides, and Toshinori shot him a cheeky grin, suppressing the laughter bubbling in his chest.

“So…” Izuku said between a small hop and a skip in his uneven gait, “What’s on today’s training menu?”

A sudden overwhelming sense of familiarity brought a wide smile to Toshinori’s face.

“What have you worked up to?” he asked, looking down at the boy trapped against him.

Izuku smiled proudly, “A mile warm up, no quirk. Six mile run at five percent. Three miles at eight percent. A mile cool down, no quirk. Weightlifting with and without One for All. Cementoss built a fairly simple obstacle course, and I try to complete it three or four times as fast as I can. It changes every week, and sometimes he’ll offer to change it while students run it. Adds adapting and quick thinking elements to the course.”

Toshinori nodded as Izuku counted off the parts of his regimen on his fingers, smiling with enthusiasm. He hummed thoughtfully, and Izuku quieted. The boy looked up at him expectantly, and Toshinori playfully ruffled his hair earning himself a small squawk of protest.

“Not bad, my boy,” Toshinori’s tail swung cheerily as Izuku sputtered and squirmed his way out of Toshinori’s headlock, blushing to his ears.

“Sounds like you’ve got your own menu in order,” Toshinori grinned as they reached the training field and gave the boy a small push from behind “Go on then, I’m off to meet Power Loader. Your warm up and cool down are important, so make sure to do them properly.”

Izuku nodded, smiling wide, “Right! See you later, All Might!”

The tip of Toshinori’s tail flicked with his amusement as the boy dashed off.      

The faculty gym was large, much like the rest of U.A. The building had once been an armory and used for training young military officers before the founders of U.A. bought the property around it. Its rectangular base and high, curved roof was large enough to house a small blimp, though it never did in its history - at least, not to Toshinori’s knowledge.

He pulled open one of the many doors lining the sides of the old brick building and stepped inside. Immediately, Toshinori was greeted with the smell of rubber, dusty heating vents, linen-scented cleaning solution, and sweat. It was warm, familiar, and sent a pleasant rush of renewed energy through his long limbs. He chuckled at himself as his tail swung excitedly. Dropping his gym bag and slipping the prototype sandals from his feet, he jogged onto the track.

Toshinori carefully sat and stretched as Recovery Girl showed him.  

“All Might!”

Twisting in place, Toshinori raised a hand in greeting, “Good morning, Power Loader.”

Higari Maijima was out of his mechanical suit, instead wearing his casual clothes, a grey shirt and a pair of thick, tan work pants dotted with welding burns. Behind him, he rolled one of his mobile tool cases.

“Good afternoon,” he said, rolling his case up to a bench by the track. Maijima grinned as he came to sit near Toshinori, giving him enough space to swing his long tail around to stretch it, “You’re looking better.”

“I’m getting there,” Toshinori said with a grunt, nearly folding himself in half to touch his clawed toes. New muscles pulled, but he couldn’t help grinning at the familiar ache. “Working my way up to running again.”

Maijima hummed thoughtfully, “The prototype shoes working at all?”

“They’re a bit loose,” Toshinori admitted, “Slides a bit.”

“I see,” the inventor tapped his chin, “Maybe something more form fitting. May I?” He gestured to Toshinori’s feet. “I want to do some more measurements.”

Toshinori nodded, shifting to face Maijima. Pulling Toshinori’s foot into his lap and starting from his hock, Maijima stretched measuring tape across each joint.

Maijima muttered under his breath, “Your claws present the biggest issue, but one I’ve worked with before…” he wiggled his own fingers, blunt iron claws flashing in the sunlight streaming through the large windows. He pressed the pad on the ball of Toshinori’s foot, watching as his toes curled before spreading each and examining the partial webbing between them. “In warmer weather, I would say your pads would be fine barefoot - though etiquette demands footwear. Hm. Do you have a preference where style is concerned?”

Toshinori shrugged, “Just something comfortable that won’t overheat. So, breathable material. That may be too much to ask, though.”

“Not at all,” Maijima replied, “Breathable material that’s strong enough to withstand pressure from your claws. I may have just the thing back in my workshop.”

Toshinori grinned, “Only if it’s not too much trouble.”

Maijima moved to wave him away, but he paused, “Ah, multiple pairs are a given, but having a separate athletic pair will definitely be useful. If you don’t mind, would you allow me to observe how you run? To see how flexible the material will need to be.”

Toshinori’s ears perked, and his legs itched to move. Running.

He nodded.

Maijima pulled his gear from the track and dusted off his pants, “Alright. Whenever you’re ready.”

Toshinori pushed himself to stand, shifting from all fours to two as quickly as he could.

He walked to the starting line, the rubber path felt rough against his toes. The track stretched out ahead of him and he took a slow, deep breath. His legs tensed and his tail whipped behind him. Claws digging against the track, Toshinori leapt forward. He started at a fast jog, feet thumping against the track and getting a feel for his stride. It was longer, bounding and pressing forward. His heart pounded, strong in his chest, as his body warmed to the movement.

He sucked in another deep breath and let it loose, charging ahead.

His mind felt so clear.

Grinning, Toshinori sped up, arms pumping at his sides and tail curving as he made the wide turn of the track. His breath puffed around his face, blood roaring in his ears.  

Faster.

He ducked his head, pumping his arms - almost leaping through the air.

Faster!

His chest burned, and his back muscles pulled. Bending forward, he relieved the strain, grinning ear to ear.

He loped along the track, wrists and arms bending - softening each impact. The sidelines blurred with his speed. Focusing on his breaths, his steps fell into an easy rhythm - One, two, in. One, two, out. Nice and even.

Reaching the turn and digging his right hand into the ground, he -

He blinked, noticing the track inches from his nose, and jerked back.

Shit!

His tail thrashed as he stumbled through the turn, hands and feet scrabbling for purchase.

Shit-shit-shit!

His foot crashed against the back of his arm, and he tumbled to the ground. Toshinori grit his teeth as he ducked into a roll and slid across the track. When he came to a stop, he coughed, tasting copper.  

Rolling with a groan, Toshinori sat up on his haunches and rubbed at his scarred side.

“Ahh,” he hissed through his teeth, “That smarts.”

A sharp pain pricked the back of his neck. He quickly brushed through the mane and felt around his third spike. It was still there - loose, but still there. Toshinori breathed a sigh of relief. He would hate to have to tell Isamu he’d already knocked it out.  

“All Might!” Maijima jogged across the track and came to a stop beside him, “Are you alright? That was quite the tumble. Not used to running on all fours, huh?”

Toshinori’s ears drooped and he rubbed his palms together, grateful for the thick calluses on his palms built up over years of hero work.

“I-uh, no,” he frowned at his claws. A few of the caps had slipped off.

Just different, that small mantra repeated quietly in the back of his mind, Just different.

“All Might, it just so happens that we have several students who do the same. One of which walks and runs as a quadruped full-time,” Maijima smiled down at All Might and held out his hand.

Toshinori took it and let his peer tug him up to stand.

“I’ve got something for you,” Maijima said, beckoning Toshinori to follow. He led him to his tool case, opened it, and dug through it. “Recovery Girl mentioned the dual nature of your stride, and I figured you might be able to use a pair of these.”

From the case he pulled a pair of fingerless gloves. Maijima handed them over, smiling as Toshinori curiously turned them about and prodded them with his claws. Thick, tough pads were sewn into the palms of the gloves.

“They’re running gloves,” Maijima explained simply when Toshinori gave him a questioning look. He grinned a toothy grin, eyes sparkling from behind his long, shaggy bangs, as Toshinori carefully slipped them on and flexed his fingers.

“They’ll help grip the ground during those turns,” Maijima continued, “There are also a few running videos I know of that could help you figure out how to steer with that long tail of yours. If you’re interested, that is.”

Toshinori’s tail swayed thoughtfully, and he nodded, “I think I’d like that.”

Maijima smiled contently, then suddenly jolted, “Oh!” He bent and dug into his tool case, “Nearly forgot. I noticed you used to do a fair amount of boxing in here, but I imagined your claws would make it difficult to make a fist.” He pulled something from the case, “And I made something for that.”

Toshinori stared down at the gloves Maijima held out and grinned.

Since listening to the taped interview, William’s team worked with a feverish energy, searching for any and all mention of All for One. The Emperor of Darkness whose name was only whispered by the few foolhardy enough to cave during interrogation.

Their “Big Bad.”

Arch Montgomery had been one of many to go after the man called All for One.

“Yes,” Montgomery had said so often, looking at William over his thick-rimmed reading glasses, “All for One is as much of a man as you or I.”

William still remembered the late nights searching for whispers of his name on the wind, pouring over books and police records, following the trail of bodies he and his subordinates left behind.

For a retired history professor, Montgomery had a surprising number of contacts and more energy than men half his age. He kept in near-constant touch with dozens of investigators, private detectives, and police worldwide.

It had been a woman from Uruguay who theorized that All for One was merely a title, passed down from person to person. While some quirks provided longevity, it seemed unlikely that such a quirk would make the man live for generations. Especially not with the horror stories from scant witnesses. They spoke of a man in a suit with a highly destructive quirk, though the exact nature of said quirk was never consistent.  

“So, naturally, Lucia believes that there is no consensus on All for One’s quirk because there is not only one quirk - There is not only one man,” Montgomery had said in his London office, reading the email Lucia had sent him. “All for One is both a man, or perhaps a woman, and a legacy. A title.” He gently tapped his bourbon glass, leaning back in his wooden desk chair, “An interesting theory.”

A theory William - a man in his early thirties at the time - was quick to accept as the most obvious answer to the mystery of All for One’s apparent longevity.

Montgomery… had not been so quick to accept that answer. His own theory was born of the mad ravings of a quirkless man.

All for One was a man who stole quirks away.

“There are too many different stories.” He rambled, pacing the floor of his library and leaning heavily on his cane, “Distinctly different accounts with contradictory quirk descriptions!” Montgomery ran a hand through his usually impeccably combed white hair. “Think, Will! Think! There are at least forty descriptions of the same man with different quirks.”

“Maybe you should lie down,” William had cautioned, holding out his hands.

“I’ve not gone senile, Will! Do not-” Montgomery collapsed then, cane slipping and clattering across the floor.

William had to keep him in the house and using his oxygen tank, not that the retiree thanked him for it.

Stubborn old man.

“Wright?”

William blinked, looking up and tucking the small photo into his breast pocket. Bellamy stood beside him, another file in his hands. His kind face crinkled with worry, but he kept his empathic observations to himself.

“Detective Tsukauchi is here,” he said, giving William’s shoulder a covert squeeze.

“Thank you,” William said quietly, sending a significant look to Mary. She quickly flipped through the small pile of papers and pulled out the transcripts of the Yagi interview.

“Good morning,” Tsukauchi greeted them with a respectful nod. His dark eyes swept over the room and halted at the boxes of evidence. “Already hard at work then?”

“We took the liberty of going through the Yagi case files to better familiarize ourselves with them,” Vera Lang said, smiling in the direction of the detective.  

Mary handed William the transcripts, and he turned to Tsukauchi.

“I do have a few questions regarding your talk with Yagi,” William said, moving to stand beside the detective. He tapped down on the name in question, asking, “This nurse, Isamu Sato, he was integral to keeping Yagi imprisoned. Why hasn’t be been detained?”

Detective Tsukauchi frowned slightly at the page before moving to the coffee machine and filling his mug, “He was integral in Yagi’s escape, and as per Yagi’s request any charges against him have been dropped.”

William hummed, turning to look at his own case files. He pulled out a stack of photos, spreading them across the table, “Nurse Sato was in an out of that building the most. Here, we have several pictures and videos of him carting supplies into the building - and yes, I made sure to double-check his identity. In fact, he’s the one who drew our attention. Are you certain you have all of the facts?”

Tsukauchi glanced over the photos, sipping from his mug.

“I trust Yagi’s judgement,” he said simply, the black aura around him unwavering, “However, I still intend to question him. He suffered grave injuries at the hands of Yagi’s captor, and I’ve been waiting for his doctor’s approval.”

Trust him? All Might, the man who shined the brightest.

William frowned at the clear, black aura, “And you believe this nurse is without guilt? After what he put your friend through?”

Tsukauchi’s shoulders stiffened.

Mary sighed as her plant withered in its jar on the table, and Bellamy shot William a stern look.

Then Tsukauchi straightened and turned, “I am sure Sato is convinced of his own guilt. He freed Tosh- Yagi. A man who did not feel guilt or acknowledge the wrongness of the situation would not have acted.” His voice was even, expression firm, aura unchanged.

The corner of William’s mouth twitched. Touché…

“Fair enough. I would like to be present when you interrogate Sato,” William said with a pleasant smile, moving to the coffee machine and refilling his own cup, “Along with Genji, if you don’t mind.”

Tsukauchi took another sip of his coffee, eyeing William over the brim of his mug, and for a moment William envied Bellamy’s insight.

Tsukauchi’s stare remained blank, a well-practiced emotionless mask, “Alright. Prepare a list of questions you would like addressed, and have them ready by 4:00 sharp. I have business to attend to this afternoon, and I’ll see if Sato is ready to be released from his doctor’s care on my way back.”

William nodded, “Sounds reasonable. Thank you.”

BAP! Toshinori’s gloved fists sent the punching bag swinging on its squeaky chain,  Bap-bap! Bap-bap! Bap!

Shifting his stance with a couple featherlight steps and a sway of his long tail, he threw another hard punch. Bap!

Toshinori panted. Drenched in sweat, his shirt and ridged mane stuck slick to his back. Every fiber of his body ached and burned, and his scar twinged with effort.

He’d never felt better.

Shaking his head and blinking sweat from his eyes, Toshinori whipped his tail from side to side and struck the bag again.

“Your form is shit.”

Toshinori jolted at the gruff voice and turned -

“Gloves up!”

Toshinori twisted, arms up in a block. He stumbled back at a sudden impact on his forearms, claws digging into the padding on the floor, but he did not fall. He dropped his arms and looked down in surprise.

“Torino?!”

Gran Torino frowned, giving Toshinori a careful once-over and leaning to the side to look at his swaying tail. Toshinori’s tail stilled and hesitantly tucked closer to his legs.

“Reflexes are fine,” Torino huffed, crossing his arms, “A bit slow.”

“A bit- ?” Toshinori’s hackles bristled a little apprehensively, but he grinned, “Are you sure you’re not the one slowing -oof!”

He landed on his side in a tangle of long limbs and wheezed, clutching his abdomen.

Gran Torino stood above him, a stern frown on his masked face, “I’m sure.”

“Go easy on him, Torino,” a familiar voice called out.

Toshinori grunted and waved weakly to Naomasa, who raised his hat in greeting.

“You couldn’t have warned me?” he shot an accusing gaze at the detective, though his tail thumped happily against the mat.

Naomasa shook his head with a grin.

“He knew better not to,” Torino waved his hand carelessly.

Toshinori nodded, conceding to the fact. Rolling and pushing himself up, he sat back and stretched out his legs. His tail swung around and draped across his lap, tufted end flicking nervously.

“What brings you to U.A.?” he asked, not missing the hard glare Torino was giving each change.

“I can’t check on my dumbass student from time to time?” Torino grumbled.  

Ah… Toshinori’s eyes widened marginally, He was worried.

“Tsukauchi and I were here to see Nedzu. Don’t get any ideas!” Torino scolded, pointing sternly at Toshinori’s wagging tail tip.

But you didn’t have to visit me here.

Toshinori grinned, tail wagging faster, “Good to see you too.”

Torino bristled and stalked away, “Yeah yeah, you’re fine. Don’t know why I bothered dropping by. I’ll meet you by the car, Tsukauchi.”

Toshinori quirked a lopsided smile as his old teacher exited the gym, griping about youngsters giving him cheek.

Naomasa sat beside Toshinori on the mat, grunting softly as he did, “Torino’s getting soft in his old age.”

Toshinori whipped his head around, hackles bristling nervously.

“Don’t let him hear you say that!” he said in a hushed voice, gesturing downward with his gloved hands.

Naomasa chuckled, leaning and bumping Toshinori’s shoulder with his own. His laugh and the gesture soothed Toshinori’s nerves and hackles.

“Feeling better?” Naomasa asked.

Toshinori nodded with a contented smile, “I was able to speak with Midoriya and his classmates about everything - well, nearly everything. They didn’t need any gorey details. They’ve got enough on their plates as it is.”

Naomasa hummed in agreement, “I’m glad.”

“Me too,” Toshinori’s tail shifted and wound its way around Naomasa’s abdomen.

Toshinori cleared his throat awkwardly, “Sorry, it does that,” he said, the tips of his ears heating a little, “And you? How’re you doing?”

Naomasa huffed a laugh, absently resting his hand on Toshinori’s tail, “I’m alright. Doing better now that I’ve seen how much you’ve improved.”

Smiling, Toshinori pulled off his boxing gloves and flexed his hands.

“You were right,” he said.

Naomasa shot him a cheeky grin, “When am I not?”

“Shut up,” Toshinori elbowed Naomasa, “I meant about the restlessness.”

“That so?” Naomasa asked, tone suspiciously innocent, “So, just another thing I was right about then?”

Toshinori scoffed, then jolted when Naomasa gave the end of his tail a playful tug.

Naomasa grinned, but coughed when Toshinori gave his abdomen a squeeze. Dramatically flopping his back and patting Toshinori’s tail, he wheezed, “I tap out!”

Toshinori snorted and unwound his tail from Naomasa’s waist, “That tap out was too fast!”

Naomasa laughed, hat falling off, and rubbed at his belly, “Maybe I’m the one going soft.”

Shaking his head, Toshinori barked a laugh, “You’re fine the way you are.”

Naomasa shook with laughter, rolling a bit on the mat before sitting up and pushing at Toshinori’s shoulder.

“Hey! I mean it!” Toshinori grinned wide, “If you disagree, you could always train with me like old times.”

“I might take you up on that,” Naomasa said seriously, smiling.

For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence. Then Toshinori shifted, pulling up and resting his arms on his knees.

“So,” he paused, rubbing at the back of his neck and tracing the spikes there, “What were you meeting Nedzu for?”

Naomasa sighed, picking his hat up from the mat and tapping it against his leg, “There are rumors that the Villain Alliance is on the move, preparing for something. We just had a standard, be on the look-out, meeting with Nedzu,” he frowned, “Especially with the recent spike in media attention. I’m assuming you’ve seen the news?”

Toshinori grimaced, “I have. I need to write a press release to publicly address,” he gestured to himself, “this. Though I am certain Nedzu already has something prepared.”

“It would be like him,” Naomasa said with a small nod. Then he glanced at Toshinori, a small frown pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“What is it?” Toshinori asked.  

Naomasa’s frown deepened and he furrowed his brows in thought, “Wright - he’s with the international team - he went through the evidence, and he wants to interview you and nurse Sato. I’m here to pick up Sato, if Recovery Girl gives her leave, but… Something’s off with Wright.”

“Gut feeling?” Toshinori asked.

“Yes,” he replied, dark eyes far off in thought, “I’m still not sure what his motives are.”

Toshinori hummed, “Can you ask him?”

Naomasa snorted, “Oh, I’ve probed. He and his team are a rather secretive bunch, but Tsuragamae trusts them. They’re not bad. Just… I suppose single-minded would be the word.”

Toshinori nodded, “Do you know what they would want to question me about? Ah,” he frowned, “More importantly, you will be the one to interview Isamu - ah, Sato - I assume?”

“Yes,” Naomasa said, “I still lead the investigation, and the international team is technically under my supervision. Though Wright asked to sit in with one of his subordinates. I thought it’d be best to see for myself what they’re after, so I agreed.”

Naomasa shrugged, “That’s all I have for now. I’ll save your interview for a later date,” he paused, glancing at Toshinori, “Unless you have more to add right now.”

Toshinori shook his head, “No. Nothing you don’t already know about.” He paused, furrowing his brows and looking down at his claws, “There is something...”

Naomasa quirked an eyebrow, “What?”

“You remember the USJ Noumu? There were multiple sets of DNA in its body,” Toshinori rubbed his palms together, then asked, “Would there be a way to find out where, or rather, who my quirks came from?”

Naomasa stared at Toshinori, looking a bit taken aback.

“I know where my spikes came from. Nurse Sato,” Toshinori continued, gaze fixed on his claws as he fidgeted, “A student asked where the others came from. I suppose it piqued my interest, and…” he furrowed his brow, “I need to know, Naomasa. They’re victims of All for One. I need to know their names.”

Who they were… He ran his thumb over the claw on his forefinger. If… if they’re still alive.

“Okay,” Naomasa said.

Toshinori’s ears perked as he turned to his friend, “Okay?”

Naomasa let his hand fall roughly on Toshinori’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“We’ll find them,” he promised, “If you come with me to pick up Sato, Recovery Girl could draw some blood I could take back to evidence with me. We can run it through our system and the quirk registry.”

“Thank you,” Toshinori sighed, a small smile brightening his features. He rocked back and pushed himself up to stand, pulling Naomasa up after him.

Naomasa paused, brushing off the seat of his pants, and gave Toshinori a cheeky smile, “You should probably hit the showers first. You reek.”

Toshinori sputtered, and Naomasa barely ducked in time to avoid being swatted by Toshinori’s tail.

Canvas 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Catalyst 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Control 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Collapse 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Contained 1 / 2 (WIP)

Find the whole series on Archive with fanart at the end of each chapter HERE!

Check out Aoi’s and my sideblog @toshinoumu for more series content!

[livingwithmental-illness]

So I have seen online, various you tubers and bloggers doing this thing called “Bullet Journaling”. I know it isn’t a new thing over all but it is definitely very new to me. I saw it originally just after christmas, so using a voucher I got for amazon as a chirstmas gift, I got my supplies

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Note Book

Pencil Case, Pens and Coloured Pens

Tab Stickers

It took about 2 weeks total for most of it to come, I am still waiting on a couple of bits but I thought I should start the journal anyway.

For those who haven’t heard of it, who like me was completely in the dark, it is in my opinion a fantastic way to organise your life.

++You just take an empty notebook and take it from there, you create pages that will be helpful to you. For example, a few of my pages are a page that has everyones birthdays listed, simply because my memory is awful and I ALWAYS forget stuff like that, which in turn makes me feel rubbish. ++Another example is a blog writing ideas 2 page spread. Which i personally find very helpful. I mean the amount of times I have thought of an idea, not been able to write it down and then thats it, its gone. So now I have a specific place, in a notebook that I will always carry with me to write these ideas, which can only improve my blogging standard, right? Maybe not. But its still very helpful either way. ++Last example would be my habit tracker. Over 2 pages, i make a spreadsheet style layout, with various headlines down the side. Then at the end of the day, before I go to bed, I fill it out in relation to the day. As someone who has mental illness, and should probably keep track of various things, such as moods, the amount of sleep I get, whether I am tired during the day etc..It is very good. And for me to to this I have to do it a month at a time, So currently I am writing in Januarys, then once I reach the 31st, I will create februarys.

General Savings

Online Shopping Tracker

Spending Log

Index

Christmas Saving

Gift Ideas

Blog Writing Ideas

Birthdays

2017 Calendar

2017 Calenday

January Habit Tracker

Now, what I have found that is very good with this whole bullet journal system, is that you do it to your own life. You create pages that are helpful to you. That will help you in your daily life. And there is so much more freedom that a bog standard two thousand and whatever diary that you buy in shops.

There is the ability to be as creative as you want, using colours, fancy writing etc, anything really, its yours to design how ever you desire. The best part is, you don’t have to be massively creative or goo at art to do so. I know I defitnitley and not very good, but I still love what I have done with mine.

It is such a great way to have fun, and get organised all at the same time! What could be better? Ive only had it for a few days, and this will sound silly, but just creating the journal, coming up with various ideas for pages has really boosted my mood. It has give me something to focus on, something fun to do that doesn’t require a massive amount of energy. I have felt productive, without the need to actually be productive. For me it is a win win situation.

Now, for those who might be interested, I will list some of the products I have used in the creation of my bullet journal

Lechtturn 1917, 249 Dotted Pages with back pocket Cat style sticky notes Durable sticky index tabs Lechtturn 1917 pen loop Multicoloured tape Sharpie fine line pens Pencils Rainbow Ball Pens

Now of course, everyone has their own preferences for products they would like to use, those are just mine. There are hundreds of ideas online if you need a suggestionBu

  Bullet Journaling.. So I have seen online, various you tubers and bloggers doing this thing called “Bullet Journaling”. I know it isn’t a new thing over all but it is definitely very new to me.