#tosses this here and runs away as if i were being chased by a hostile creature of the night

[babygirlalaura]

so uhhh catboystandaily went down the shitter due to unforeseen circumstances and

[savage-rhi]

Mending Shadows // Chapter 30

Summary:

Y/N was a simple Scavenger of Lucis, until meeting a deadly blow at the hands of an infected creature. At the crossroads of death, they are found by Niflheim’s cryptic Chancellor with his own agenda. Now bonded to Ardyn Izunia, and tossed into the world of Niflheim, Y/N struggles to cope with their new life as an Imperial Icon all the while battling their feelings toward their fate and that of Ardyn’s.

Click here to read on AO3

A stampede of Accordo citizens came barreling down the road. Running for their lives like a stranded group of Anak uncertain where danger lurked. As the crowd trampled toward Ardyn and Y/N, he stood in front of them protectively; shielding them away from being lost to a sea of panicked humans. He looked over each every scared face with disdain, finding their cowardice barely palpable. Ardyn wasn’t above running away--especially if an altercation didn’t suit him--but he held his ground for Y/N’s sake. 

Y/N shuddered at all the noise. The screams seemed to grow with every second as did the rumble of feet. The sensations reminded Y/N of a time they had been scavenging far too close to a battleground between Lucians and Imperials. It was near the ruins of a Crestholm village. One moment they were picking up pieces to an old radio, and the next, running for their life when gunfire flourished the landscape. 

Y/N remembered two other Scavengers making a beeline out of the area, with the younger not escaping without injury. His knee had been shot. Taken out from a bullet ricocheting off debris. They never knew what became of him nor the other gentleman. It was probably for the best Y/N didn't know the outcome, although they had a strong inclination that the young one perished.

As the intrusive thought of a gaping wound manifested, Y/N felt the scourge lurch in their stomach with a menacing glee. The excitement was akin to a dog pleading with it's master to throw a ball; desperately wanting to give the toy a chase before sinking it's teeth into the rubber material. There were no words to describe how disgustingly uncomfortable it made Y/N feel as they studied Ardyn. He was shouting into the crowd at this point, demanding that someone answer for what was happening. His call fell on deaf ears, and frustration became evident with the steady rise of his voice. He was growing hostile, and it seemed to egg the scourge on further. 

“Ardyn, they’re scared. They don’t know better.” Y/N interrupted, hoping redirection would change the course. “We should get out of here while we have a chance.” 

Ardyn growled. He didn’t like being left in the dark, but alas Y/N was right. In the distance he could see a couple hundred more people fast approaching. At this rate, he wouldn’t be surprised if both Y/N and himself were pushed off the edge and into the ocean. The streets had little to no room at this point. 

“I think that’s a splendid idea.” Ardyn said. He grabbed Y/N's hand and sprinted into the flock, shoving people out of the way while trying to make space for an easy retreat. "Whatever happens, don't let go of me!" 

“Ardyn, wait! I think we need to head another way!” Y/N exclaimed.

A woman suddenly slammed into the pair, causing Y/N to be forcibly pulled from Ardyn. The pain took Y/N by surprise, and they screamed when Ardyn was no longer in their sight. His voice called out desperately, and Y/N tried to raise their hands above everyone to flag him down. The sound of his yells grew faint. Y/N felt their body being carried off like they had been caught in a riptide and dragged out to sea. Noise from all the yells and profanities disintegrated into gibberish against their ears. All they could do was relinquish control, and pray that at some point the ride would stop.

Suddenly, it became too difficult to keep their head above the masses. Y/N was being pulled under by the horde, and the thought of being stomped to death frightened them to no end. They shouted Ardyn's name repeatedly to no avail, and their lungs began to feel deprived of air and reason. That was when Y/N felt a pair of strong arms wrap around them from behind. Within a fraction of a gasp, Y/N witnessed the world split into multiple directions. Ardyn's scent was the only comfort they held onto as their body levitated. 

From head to toe, Y/N felt a numbing shock that was on par with the tingling vibes one would get before their foot would fall asleep. A cloud of darkness enveloped them as time and buildings merged into a paradox of colors and shapes. Although their brain was overwhelmed, they weren't terrified. If anything they felt relief despite the urgent compulsion to throw up. 

Within a matter of minutes, the fleeting moment was over. Y/N let out a deep breath, and swayed. 

“Easy, easy now...” Ardyn purred. His arms moved from Y/N’s waist to their shoulders as he stabilized them. "Are you alright?" 

“I think so,” Y/N replied. They basked in how Ardyn's touch grounded them to reality, and closed their eyes to avoid the hit of vertigo that arrived. "Gods, I feel drunk."

“Shadow stepping has that effect!” Ardyn chortled. 

“Have you ever done that before with another person?” 

“No, and I dare say I’m astounded you aren’t regurgitating breakfast.”

“Don’t jinx my luck.” Y/N sarcastically quipped. Their pulse had risen from being at the mercy of Ardyn's fingertips as he cupped their face. "Where on Eos did you take us?"

“We're near the heart of the capitol, lurking in a back alley." He turned his head to see several Accordo Troopers sprinting toward the commotion that had everyone fleeing like ants. "I got us as close as I could to the hotel. And of course, to the fun that awaits." 

“The fun?” 

“I need you to follow my instruction,” Ardyn turned back around. His eyes peered into theirs with an authority that Y/N recalled witnessing at Outpost 98. Although his touch had been gentle, his body radiated a dominance that near felt foreboding. He wasn’t messing around. “Take the alley here, and head East. It’s a straight shot to our lodging. I want you to find Tummelt--or another Imperial--and tell them to escort you to the airships if they haven’t been compromised. Tell them Chancellor Izunia commands it, or there will be hell to pay.” 

“What are you going to do?” Y/N furrowed their brows and shook their head. “You’re not seriously going to run into whatever is happening, are you?” 

“Unfortunately, I am.” Ardyn said as a matter of fact. He gave a squeeze to Y/N’s face, and let his hands fall from them. “I don’t intend to fight, but merely observe and find out who is responsible. If it’s that anti-imperial cult pulling another publicity stunt, I'll consider it Madam Secretary's qualm and fall back."

“And if it’s not, what then?” 

“I’ll stand my ground, and keep observation.” 

“Maybe having another pair of eyes would be beneficial. I can help with that.” 

“Y/N,” Ardyn breathed. “Foreign protocol dictates that all Imperials are to leave Accordo should more than one major act of violence occur. Right now, everyone from Niflheim is in danger. Yourself included.” 

“That also means you too! You’re the damn Chancellor!” Y/N protested. They nearly jumped as another explosion went off in the distance. 

“And as Chancellor, I have a duty to protect the empires interests. Therefore it’s imperative I find out who we are potentially dealing with.” Ardyn said in his defense. He frowned upon seeing his words did little to sway Y/N of their opinion. “I’m counting on you to be my eyes elsewhere. Retreating safely is just as important as venturing into the fray. You might even witness something important that I and the other ambassadors can’t attend to.”

“Ardyn, I can’t let you do this on your own. Not after what you told me about Ifrit. It doesn’t feel right, none of this feels--”

“Y/N, I’m serious.” Ardyn interrupted. He clasped his right hand around theirs, holding it tight, and raised his voice. “I need you on an airship departing for Niflheim, now. Can you keep your word?” 

Y/N’s mouth parted, but alas they didn’t have the strength to fight him. Not when Y/N thought about how moments ago, they were nearly trampled to death by a hundred people. They would just get in the way. The realization hurt as they nodded. 

“It’s settled then,” Ardyn let out a sigh of relief. 

“I have a stipulation.” 

He raised a brow at Y/N’s remark, more or less amused as he huffed. “And that would be?” 

“When we return home, you’re buying me something.” Y/N teased. 

“Something?” 

“Yep!” 

“I don’t suppose you’re alluding to anything in particular?” 

Y/N shrugged, shaking their head with a faint smile. “Surprise me.” 

“You drive a hard bargain,” Ardyn scoffed before he let out a laugh. He almost couldn’t believe himself given the circumstance. He quietly regarded Y/N with a smirk, and made his decision. "I can agree to your terms so long as you adhere to mine." 

Ardyn brought Y/N's hand to his lips, and planted a longing kiss to their knuckles.

“Stay safe darling," He let them go, and motioned forward with his chin. "Now go." 

Y/N hesitated, biting the inside of their cheek before they turned and sprint. From the corner of their eye, they witnessed Ardyn once more shift into shadows and disappear into the buildings surrounding them. Y/N kept their eyes forward, and felt relief the further they got away from the main attack site.

Ten minutes passed before Y/N exited the alley. They cursed at themself for not having the foresight to wear normal clothes for it made running strenuous. Then again, no one was expecting a terrorist attack at dawn after a party. The sooner they could get on pants and a shirt, the more secure they’d feel.

“I don’t have time for this,” Y/N muttered to themself while catching their breath. “I gotta find Tuti and Loqui.” 

Y/N glanced around, noticing more and more people beginning to appear on the street. They couldn’t tell if these were the same faces from before, or a new group entirely. Everyone was downright terrified with no sense but to find cover. Shouts exclaiming everything from Lucians to Imperials being responsible flew past Y/N’s ears. They couldn’t make sense of anything from clouds of gibberish passing through, and decided to keep their focus on Tuti and Loqui. If only for their sanity. 

As Y/N searched the street signs for familiar names, they frowned upon taking heed that people were getting the idea to use the alley as an escape route. Y/N understood there was no chance going back the way they came, and tried to make peace with that as they sprinted through pockets of crowds. Their travel came to a grinding halt when they saw the hotel straight ahead. Y/N’s heart sank at the sight before them as their eyes widened. 

The building was engulfed in a flurry of flames. Oranges and yellows peppered windows and columns. The fire swayed in a manner that would suggest it was downright enjoying its dance of consumption. A mixture of burnt plastic and wood infiltrated Y/N’s nose accompanied by a nauseating scent. It was putrid, like fresh leather being tanned over a flame. Even their tongue could taste the richness as Y/N came to the horrifying epiphany they were smelling burnt flesh. 

As Y/N stood in horror, they witnessed several people attempting to put out the fires with buckets and hoses. Imperial soldiers, both human and magitek frantically escorted people away. A powerful crunch echoed as one of the lower floors collapsed, taking two stories down with it as fire snacked upon the entry doors. Y/N jumped back, feeling the heat despite being at a far distance. The wails and screams louder, and Y/N trembled knowing right now people were burning alive and there wasn't a damned thing they could do but watch. A gust of wind sent a plagued cloud of smoke in Y/N's direction. They shielded themself with their arms, and began to cough while ash infiltrated their throat. 

The smells suddenly triggered a flashback that nearly sent Y/N to their knees. The haunting screech of an alarm from Outpost 98 traveled for what felt like miles, reverberating deep under Y/N’s skin as if Leviathan herself called out from the darkest depths. Each time they blinked, it felt as if Y/N was drifting between two worlds. Two worlds plagued by fire and darkness. Porcelain white coats were covered in saturated reds as the metallic scent of blood reeked throughout the main lab. Bloodied handprints covered windows and other mechanics. The dull wisp of a man on his last breath disappeared among a crowd of painful groans and desperate pleads. Y/N was fighting themself. Fighting a part of their being that found the carnage enthralling like a wild beast. Their conscious was screaming at the top of its lungs, but had no mouth and therefore, no living soul would hear the plead for mercy. They had no control. 

“Gods!” Y/N yelled. Their hands gripped either side of their head, nails digging into their scalp to alleviate the pressure that knocked their senses into an overload. They could feel themself growing lost further and further into the past as they desperately tried to hang on. The smoke continued to waft in Y/N’s vicinity, further clouding their vision. 

“Y/N! Y/N!” 

That voice…Y/N held onto the frantic squeaks of Tuti as the noise increased and was accompanied by another familiar voice. 

“Y/N! Stay right there, we’re coming to you!” 

“Loqui!?” Y/N exclaimed as visions of themself slaughtering various people ventured in and out of their head. “Tuti, guys! Where are you?!” 

“Dear, I’m right here! Y/N, I’m here!” 

Through the fog that had overtaken them, Y/N felt Tuti’s small hands grip either side of their shoulders and gave a firm yet powerful shake. The strength behind her touch had Y/N open their eyes and gasp as if they had been struck by a bucket of ice water. They stared at Loqui and Tuti with bewilderment as the pair helped Y/N to their feet and rushed away from the scene. 

As fresh air and blue sky came into view, Y/N coughed as their senses began to return to normal. They glanced between Tuti and Loqui, quickly looking them over for any sign of harm. The pair were covered in grime, sweat, and soot. Patches of Loqui’s uniform was burnt, but otherwise he looked unscathed. Tuti on the other hand had a bruise forming near her right eyebrow, and was near sobbing as she threw her arms around Y/N and hugged them. 

“By the Gods mercy, I’m glad we found you!” Tuti exclaimed. 

“You don’t know how happy I am to see you both! Thanks for getting me out of there!” Y/N smiled. They couldn’t help but grimace, feeling the whiplash that Tuti had unintentionally caused moments prior. 

“And likewise from us!” Loqui coughed. “We’ve been looking for you and the Chancellor since this morning. Where is he?” 

Y/N shook as they pointed toward the main street. “He’s near the House of the Courts to see if anyone needed help. He told me to find you guys and evacuate to an airship. I don’t know what’s going on, do you? What the hell happened to the hotel?"  

“It was awful, Y/N! Just awful!” Tuti sobbed, interrupting Loqui before he could speak. “Everyone was at breakfast and then in a blink, there was fire and smoke! I thought I wouldn’t make it out Y/N! It all happened so fast, I had no time to process! I tried to help the staff but they---they’re---gods, Y/N, so many are dead!” 

There were a handful of times where Y/N had seen Tuti angry, but they couldn’t recall a moment where she had been plagued by madness and despair. Her voice was hoarse, riddled with guilt and sorrow. Tuti let out a scream while aggressively wiping away her eyes. Y/N was at a loss for words. What could anyone say to somebody who watched a massacre happen before their eyes? 

Loqui pulled Tuti into his chest. One arm went around her waist while the other pat the back of her head as she cried hard into his uniform. Y/N never felt more at ease than knowing he was here. If anyone could give Tuti stability, it would be someone like him. 

“Shh, there was nothing you could’ve done differently. Look, we found Y/N. That’s what matters.”

“I know and I’m grateful! I’m grateful!” Tuti shouted. 

“And no one is saying you’re not!” Loqui raised his voice. He remained firm as he softened the blow. “I need you to be strong. The Chancellor is counting on us to make it to safety. You heard Y/N yourself! I need you to stay with them while I help evacuate the ambassadors from the House of the Courts.” 

“Wait,” Y/N furrowed their brows as Loqui’s eyes fell upon them. “You’re not coming with us?” 

“No,” Loqui shook his head. Unlike Ardyn who seemed eager to jump into the drama, Y/N noted how Loqui was very much reluctant.  “I have orders from the second battalion to aid in battle. I don’t know all the details, but it was probably those anti-imperial bastards that caused this mess. Go figure they’d take advantage of everyone having a hangover after the wedding! I’ve already heard rumors they’ve planned this stunt since their first attack was thwarted.” 

Tuti let out a gasp, pushing herself back from Loqui as the fire at the hotel began to ensnare a few of the buildings next to it. Glass exploded from the heat being so hot, and shattered along the pavement and cobblestone. The trio looked at one another cautiously, unable to anticipate what would come next. 

“Loqui,” Tuti swallowed, seemingly coming back to her senses. “Where did you say the airships are docked again?”

“Right,” He was tense as the hairs on the back of his neck stood while the smoke subsided a bit. Loqui realized most of the evacuees from the hotel were long gone. Either having perished from the flames, or they were led to the evacuation cars. Alas there were no more vehicles to spare, and he could see magitek soldiers making their descent toward the main highway, leaving the hotel and everyone else who wasn't an Imperial to their fate. 

“Looks like we’re going to have to go with plan B,” Loqui cleared his throat. “The airships are stationed at the docks where the large import carriers come and go into Altissa. You guys have an hour to get there before they take off.” 

“Only an hour?” Y/N was beside themself. “What about everyone else?” 

“I’m assuming someone up the chain of the command already called for a back up ship that’s stationed on one of the smaller islands. Right now we don’t know what the enemies motivations are, and we don’t want to give them an opportunity to kidnap and hold one of our own for ransom. Hence, the time limit. Don’t worry about me, the Chancellor, or anyone else. Please get to safety, and we’ll meet up with you before you know it!” 

If Y/N had the opportunity to clock both Loqui and Ardyn upside the head for playing the hero, they would’ve taken full advantage of it. Frustration with the two was a minor concern in the grand scheme of things as they could see Tuti was growing scared by the minute despite getting her bearings. 

“Be careful, alright?” Y/N cautioned Loqui as he grinned. 

“Aren’t I always?” He turned his head, hearing shouting in the distance. A fellow Imperial soldier was gesturing for him to get a move on. “That’s my cue! Stay off the main road, cut through the smaller districts! Follow the escort vehicles if you see them!” 

In a matter of seconds, Loqui was no longer in sight as he charged. Letting out a deep breath, Y/N gathered themself and motioned for Tuti to follow them. The pair quickly made haste, getting out of the area as more smoke drifted in. 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to help you,” Y/N said in between breaths, pushing past people to get ahead. Fire vehicles drove past at blinding speed Y/N followed Tuti down a smaller road. 

“Y/N, please don’t blame yourself! I’m relieved you didn’t have to witness the travesty first hand. After everything you’ve been through, I think you’ve done enough time on the Gods behalf.” Tuti sniffled while she ran, occasionally wiping her eyes when possible. “It’s not like I knew anyone personally. I keep telling myself that. Loqui said I tried, and I did, so…I can’t look back.” 

Easier said than done…Y/N thought. Tuti was handling this far better than one would expect, but it was quite obvious she was numb. Her voice was splintered, making her natural squeak sound condemned. She must've screamed her heart out. The guilt of that thought ate Y/N's spirit. 

“Are you certain you didn’t see what happened?” Y/N asked. 

“Positive,” Tuti replied. “One moment I was eating bacon and eggs, then suddenly the gentleman sitting across the table was on fire and the ceiling tumbled. I thought we were having an earthquake until someone screamed we were under siege. I heard something else that was peculiar, I can’t be certain but I thought I heard--” 

“Hold that thought, Tuti!” 

Y/N and Tuti came to an abrupt stop as a swarm of citizens arrived from the left. Seeing that there was an opening to the right, Y/N grabbed a hold of Tuti’s arm and led them both through the crowd. They were careful to brace for impact, not wanting a repeat of what happened with them and Ardyn earlier on. Once in the clear, the two darted down another road. 

“Thank you!” Tuti exclaimed. 

“Don’t mention it!” Y/N kept their eyes forward, not wanting to be taken by surprise anytime soon. “You were saying?” 

“Oh!” Tuti looked behind, seeing more smoke and flames from afar. Although Y/N and her were putting distance between themselves and the danger, she felt like it was still right on her tail. She shivered at the thought of being burned alive while trapped under debris, and started tearing up again. “I could’ve sworn I heard someone yell, ‘Adagium!'. They were looking for Adagium! Whatever that means!"  

“They?” 

“Heavens to Betsy if I know who they are!” Tuti yelled. She whispered a thousand apologies toward Y/N under her breath. Her face flushing red with embarrassment at her own anger. “I didn’t mean to sound so horrid!” 

“No offense taken!” Y/N hollered, darting off road as a few cars zoomed by. “It’s alright to be upset, Tuti. I'd be surprised if you weren't!"  

“I feel like a coward!” Tuti confessed. “You make it seem so easy dealing with traumatic events!” 

“Trust me, it’s not!” Y/N admitted, thankful that Tuti had nothing to else to say.

Between panic and the information she had dropped, Y/N felt adrenaline and concern take the plunge together. So many what ifs flooded them, and they felt their pulse drop in their throat at the thought of MedZin being behind the onslaught. No, it had to be them. Hearing that the invaders were seeking out ‘Adagium’ was too on the nose as far as Y/N was concerned. MedZin were very specific when it came to Ardyn's true identity. If there was anything Y/N could remember from Outpost 98, it was how obsessed the men and women were with saying that name. 

Y/N winced as they felt their head pulse painfully. They stopped to catch their breath, right hand instinctively rubbing at the sore spot. Tuti nearly collided into their back, and took a moment to breathe as well. She was used to running around palaces, but nothing like this. 

“Y/N,” 

“I’ll be okay Tuti. Promise.” Y/N hissed in between grit teeth. “Son of a bitch…” 

“Are you flaring from the scourge right now?” 

“No,” Y/N shook their head. They calmed themself, feeling the wave begin to subside. “I mean, I don’t think so.”

“Y/N,” Tuti hesitated before placing a hand upon their shoulder. “When Loqui and I found you, what was going on? You looked off more than usual.” 

“I’m not even sure to be honest,” Y/N said sincerely. They grimaced a final time, and then the searing throb departed for now. “I felt like I was…glitching?” 

“Glitching?” Tuti let out a breath. 

“Yeah,” Y/N nodded. “That’s the best I can describe it. It wasn’t like the flare when we dined with the Serpent Society. I thought I was losing my mind. That I was becoming something else." 

The two remained in silence, letting thoughts and contemplations drift. Tuti let go of Y/N, and faced them. The way she glared reminded Y/N of Ardyn when he was angry at something external, while his eyes were soft for them. 

“Y/N, this ‘Adagium’ thing…is that you? Is this why Chancellor Izunia has protected you, aside from finding a cure for the scourge?" 

“I don’t--” Y/N paused. They found it odd how they couldn’t answer Tuti, even though they knew better. Even though it was the truth that they weren't the accursed daemon that would bring Eos to its knees. No. That title alone belonged to Ardyn. Yet with how connected Y/N had become to him, they felt an equal responsibility to the burden of the name. Especially with the sins Ardyn and they committed. 

They felt their stomach twist in knots. The bodies in the lab, and the corpses of the three they had killed after the goblin attack seemed to twist and meld together. Y/N wondered if these were Ardyn’s memories of Outpost 98 blending with their own crimes. It explained the sinister aura, but it didn’t account for just how personal it was.

Experiencing Ardyn’s memories of the past had an intimacy that couldn’t be described, and this held a different signature. A different energy. Y/N realized they were starting to sound like one of the devotees of the Hexatheon, believing in superstition, but with everything they had come to know about the world through Ardyn, perhaps it wasn’t so crazy. 

“Y/N, look out!” Tuti screamed as she pointed behind them. What looked to be an explosive orb was flying straight toward the pair. By the time Y/N turned their head to register what had startled her, it was too late. The events unfolded so painfully quick that Y/N’s mind felt like a photographer trying to capture every second of an experience out of desperation. 

All oxygen in the vicinity temporarily ceased before it expanded in pulsation, like ripples in a pool of water after tossing a rock into it. Then came the shock wave. It hit both Y/N and Tuti with a smashing force that sent either flying in opposite directions. Y/N felt the wind knock out of their body as ribs cracked. The sphere then exploded into a blinding light, as if the sun itself fell from the sky. Y/N’s vision was trapped in a warm white light with nothing but the sound of ringing in their ears. The world beyond this didn’t exist. Nothing did. But the pain--oh by the Gods--the pain was unbearable. The surface level of skin hadn't burned, yet the layers of tissue and muscle underneath the flesh might as well had been doused in magma and flayed. 

Y/N remained lost in that white light long after their body crashed. They didn’t feel the shrapnel embed into their arms and legs. Nor did they register how parts of the building they had crashed into beat them further. Their conscious was trapped in that white void, and not a damn thing could break through. Eternity seemed to pass, as Y/N had no concept of time. They had no concept of anything, but the hot light and how they felt like fire itself. 

The shrills of Tuti’s voice drowned out the white noise. The ringing ceased, and Y/N’s eyes sucked in the worlds colors as they gasped aloud. Their voice cracked, tasting bile and blood in their throat. As they came to, they fixated on Tuti who was crawling through a hole in the wall from the outside world, trying in vain to reach them. 

“Y/N!” Tuti screeched. “Y/N! Gods damn it! Y/N!” 

Then the men came. Four of them. Their uniforms were blurred, but Y/N could see the signature black that marked Lucians. Then there was the fuzzy color of the MedZin patch. 

Oh no... Y/N gargled on their own spit, choking on the copper taste of their blood. 

“Let go of me! Let go of me you fuckers!” Tuti exclaimed. All Y/N could do was watch as the men hauled her away. Distorted voices made proclamations and demands. Y/N couldn’t make sense of any of it. It grew worse as another voice made itself known in the back of Y/N’s skull. A horde of monstrous spirits that had been yearning to come forth and do what it knew best: survive and spread.

“The target has been compromised,” One of the men said, shaking his head with disappointment as he communicated further into his radio. “Yes, the Adagium is still alive. I’m looking right at it.” 

Adagium…? I’m not… Y/N was slipping away into the backseat of their own head. The scourge began to slink it’s fingers around the wheel, and Y/N felt their body wanting to split in half as their vision became pixelated and dark. 

“We need to move! The distraction at the House of the Courts is unfolding! The Imperials are fending off the men we sent!” 

“Wouldn’t it be better this way? If Adagium is dead, that means the world is safe.” 

“We have orders to bring it in alive, at least until we can figure out how it’s spread the scourge. We can’t let emotions interfere with our mission.” 

“Guys, what about the Imperial, what do we do with her?” 

“Kill her. We got what we came for.”

“That seems like such a waste. She didn’t do anything!” 

“If you can’t do your job, then I’ll do it for you! Now get to it, and hurry!” 

With those words spoken, fates were sealed as Y/N’s body fell high to a rush of adrenaline that would’ve killed the average man in seconds. The scourge burst like a sewer pipe, flooding every pore and organ. Muscles quaked violently as Y/N’s senses sharpened like a steady knife being polished. Pain was an illusion as they rose from the ashes and let out a scream so loud, their chest felt too small for their lungs. Their skin began to turn a pale purple, as if their blood had fully retreated from their veins. The black spider webbing of the scourge tattooed every pore and crevice. Their eyes were consumed by a pitch black void, save for the ember yellow around their pupils. 

What was left of Y/N’s humanity in that split second succumbed to the dark passenger within their mind, and they were filled with a deep and terrible rage. An instantaneous image of Ardyn’s point of view flashed behind Y/N’s eyes, indicating he was greatly disturbed, and then they charged from one person to the next. The sound of screaming was the last thing Y/N heard before their body acted upon its own will. 

[too-gay-for-marvel]

christmas chaos

a/n: alright everyone, here is the final day of the 12 Days of Fluffmas! I'm so glad y'all stuck around with me and @hopingforromanoff while we got to write these for you. Make sure to check out all of her fluffmas fics on her blog! I hope y'all have a wonderful christmas eve and christmas!

Word Count: 802

Warnings: language

Pairing: Kate x Yelena x Reader

The chaos of your apartment was impressive. You were a professional, career firefighter, and you were still amazed. Lucky and Fanny were chasing each other, grabbing tinsel and ornaments off the trees, snatching treats, tearing wrapping paper, trying to grab their stockings. The only saving grace was that they weren’t barking at each other. Yet, at least.

Then there were your beloved girlfriends who you were borderline about to murder. They had been drinking all day while you had been finishing up your shift, and now they were wasted. Instead of resting up and helping you with the Christmas cookies that they had wanted, they were now wrestling in your living room.

And if they broke one more of your decorations, they were going to be a duo for Christmas.

“Don’t you dare!” You shouted right as Yelena hoisted Kate over her shoulder in an attempt to slam her into the couch.

“We’re not doing anything!” Kate shot back even though she was very clearly doing something.

“Why would you even say that?” Yelena asked, giving you a look of complete shock.

“If you want cookies then get over here,” you ordered. “I’m not doing all the work for nothing.”

Yelena tossed Kate off her shoulders, leaving her to slam onto the floor with a loud *thud* before they both came running into the kitchen. You tried to give them a stern look, but their adorable puppy eyes were too much. You were weak.

“Just get the icing,” you sighed, silently berating yourself for letting them get away with their bullshit.

“I’ve got it,” Yelena said as she darted to the other side of the kitchen. You could practically hear the mess she was already making.

“I’ll set the mood,” Kate said next, trying to give you a suggestive look but you weren’t buying it.

“If you don’t help, you don’t get any cookies,” you threatened.

“You have no faith in me,” she argued with a look of shock.

“No I don’t, now hurry up so you can help,” you said, pointing at her with your oven mitt hand.

Kate grabbed her phone and started getting to work “setting the mood.” Meanwhile, Yelena came back with the bag of icing, and you started placing cookies in front of her for her to decorate. Not once did you think to tell her what should go on the cookies because it should have been obvious, right?

Unfortunately, no.

“What is that?” You asked after you finished your dozen, pointing to the cookie Yelena was currently decorating.

“What does it look like?” Yelena asked.

“Is that a dick?” You continued.

“He’s wearing sweatpants, so yes,” Yelena said with a completely straight face.

“These are Christmas cookies, Lena!” You argued. “No one wants to see a dick print on a Christmas cookie!”

“He’s a gingerbread man, Y/N, and it’s cold in New York, why wouldn’t he be wearing sweatpants?” Yelena argued.

“She’s right,” Kate butted in right as she started blasting what had to be the most annoying Christmas song you had ever heard.

“She most certainly is not,” you said in indignation. “And get off your phone and help.”

“You’re so hostile,” Yelena said defensively. “We are helping.”

“You two are the greatest joys in my life, but I’m this close to being single on Christmas,” you threatened.

“Wait no, you can’t do that,” Kate said as he rushed forward to wrap her arms around your waist and gave you the most pitiful pout in existence.

“It’s Christmas and we love you,” Yelena said next, wrapping her arms around you from the other side until you were trapped in both of their arms.

“This is love bombing and it’s an abuse tactic,” you said simply, doing your best to not give in and hug them back.

“You love us,” Kate said, looking up at you and giving you a cheesy, drunk grin.

“I do,” you sighed in defeat. “I love you both.”

“And we love you too,” Kate continued. She stood up on her toes and gave you a quick kiss on the lips before Yelena turned you around to give you her own kiss.

“Please just finish the cookies,” you urged.

“Only if we get a reward after,” Kate said quickly.

“If you don’t finish the cookies, I’m sleeping at the station,” you said with a raised brow.

Yelena and Kate looked at each other for only a moment before getting started on the cookies, moving so fast that you just knew they were going to be hideous. But you couldn’t help but chuckle at their newly found enthusiasm to finish the cookies.

And as you watched them make a mess while the dogs continued to destroy your apartment, all you could think was that it really was a very merry Christmas indeed.

[redorich]

Eventually the Hermits get their hands on the one shulker box. They give it back a day later, filled with goodies as an apology for stealing, because they just needed it briefly so Doc could set up a shulker box duplicator.

(2/2) To expand on the shulker box ask I sent: It's cheating. They know it's cheating. They debate for a while over wether or not they should build it. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and dammit they need shulkers. Mules and Llamas can only get them so far.

---

(this takes place before the fic where puffy finds zedaph.)

---

The Hermits put up with mule highways and caravans of spitting llamas because they think they have no choice. At least one person complains about the lack of sophisticated storage transportation daily. Mumbo tries to create a system which will ferry items between bases, but it turns out to be more of a Rube Goldberg machine than anything, considering the items only travel at the speed of the water which carries them. Zedaph creates an actual Rube Goldberg machine for item transportation, but the only people who use it are himself and his neighbors, Impulse, False, and Tango. It’s more for prank transportation and snail mail anyway.

Things change when Stress, on a covert surface run, comes a bit too close to other humans on accident and catches sight of a blond man in a hoodie furtively checking his surroundings. Stress immediately does as she’s been trained, hiding herself behind tree cover and checking how long her invisibility potion will be in effect for. It says four minutes. As long as he leaves soon, she won’t have an issue.

The man surveys the muddy clearing with a keen eye, keeping watch for any evildoing interlopers. He places down an Ender chest, reaches his hands into it, then looks around once again to make sure no one’s there. Stress’s heart beats like a drum-- not the style of drums she usually plays, but rather the percussion of one of Xisuma’s favorite black metal bands. As the man’s gaze passes right over her, she feels the machine gun fire of her heart against her chest peak, breath catching in her throat.

He doesn’t see her. Quickly, he pulls something out of the Ender chest. A shulker box!

Stress’s breath stops for an entirely different reason. The things the Hermits could do with even one shulker box..! Item dupers are a thing, right? If anyone knows how to make an item duplication machine, it would be Doc. And a shulker box might be useful for an item duping machine! 

She’s getting ahead of herself. Should she steal from this person? Can she steal from this person? Even disregarding the moral dilemma, the members of the Dream SMP are fighters through and through. She’s got the advantage of surprise because she’s invisible and this man doesn’t know she’s here, but how long will that last? Even if she manages to take it, what if the blond man (Punz, she thinks is his name) kills her and takes the shulker box back from her?

As Stress weighs the risks and the rewards, she knows she’s running out of time. Punz breaks the shulker box. Right as he’s about to put it back in his Ender chest, Stress, who can see the window of opportunity closing, springs into panicked action.

She sprints right past Punz, hoping with every fiber of her being that her invisibility potion will be enough to save her. Snatching the box right out of Punz’s hands, Stress takes off running. Punz shouts, swinging his sword wildly at the air. He’s so close that a few strands of hair, just barely the tips, get sheared off of Stress’s fluffy mane and become visible as they flutter to the ground.

Punz’s eyes narrow, tracking the potion particles that he can just barely see. Unfortunately for him, the invisible thief takes off into the mob-infested forest. He gives chase, but the thief gains on him every time he has to stop to fight a mob.

Stress knows she can’t outrun Punz. She’s not bad, but he’s really good. Stress absolutely cannot lead this man back to the canyon. Allowing the hostile mobs of the forest to buy her time by slowing Punz down, Stress looks around rapidly, searching for something, anything she can do to lose the hunter on her trail.

A lone cow catches her eye. Thinking fast, she bites her lip as she dumps her only water bucket out into a nearby pond where it won’t be noticed, then milks the cow. In the distance, a zombie groans as Punz takes it out. Stress hyperventilates, frantically digging at the ground beneath her feet with a silk touch shovel. Once she’s created a hole just barely big enough for her to hide in, she hops in and puts the grassy dirt she dug up just seconds ago above her head and immediately downs the milk, so that there won’t be any potion particles to track her by.

Slowly, carefully, and as quiet as she possibly can, she digs up the dirt beneath her feet in absolute darkness. Logically, Stress knows that Punz won’t be able to see the light from her torch, but she’s too terrified to think logically. What has she done?!

Her shovel stills as angry feet stomp above her. Dirt crumbles into her hair when Punz walks directly above her. Caustic mutters faintly reach her ears through the loamy earth, fading farther and farther away as Punz searches in vain for the invisible thief. Stress waits with bated breath for minutes on end, hands shaking like leaves in a hurricane. 

Tentatively, she digs up the diorite block below her with a pickaxe. A mob shifts aboveground and Stress, paralyzed with the paranoia that it might be Punz, spends another five minutes in immobile silence. Burying her face in her hands, she sucks in a breath and continues digging. Once she hits a decently low y-level, she digs forward, taking care to place all her blocks behind her exactly as they were before she mined them.

After a solid three hundred blocks, she begins to staircase back up. On one unfortunate swing of her pick, water floods into her staircase. She must be under a lake or a sea. She can make out some kelp, though, so hopefully that’ll be enough cover for her to go up and check her surroundings.

Stress takes a deep breath and plunges into the cold water. Swimming up, she catches sight of wood-- no way. There is no way she’s made it to the docks just outside of the canyon. Eagerly, she swims back down into her staircase for a breath of air and the chance to down an invisibility potion, then back up to the surface.

On the entire journey from the bottom of the sea to the elevator on the other side of the canyon, she expects someone to catch her, to notice the water she’s dripping on the ground, to somehow sense the guilt emanating off her in waves. It doesn’t happen. Stress makes it to the elevator and pushes the down button eagerly. Every foot the elevator descends down is another thousand pounds of weight off her shoulders. She’s exhausted, and so close to home base. If she can just make it into the Atrium, she’ll have succeeded.

The elevator dings, rousing Stress from her daydreaming. “I really am dead on my feet, ain’t I?” she murmurs to herself.

She makes her way into one of the village houses, avoiding the pressure plates and tripwires which she knows like the back of her hand by now. In the house, she presses a button, which opens a door which leads to a tunnel. Sagging in relief, Stress practically melts across the floor as she traverses the short tunnel and finally makes it into Atrium 1-- a large circular room with a rounded ceiling and plenty of light.

“Woah, Stress!” Ren exclaims, running to support her. The dark circles under his eyes make him look as exhausted as she feels. He’s been working round the clock at the tree farm to churn out enough wood to meet the demands of twenty-four Hermits.

“Stress?” Ren asks with concern in his eyes, gently shaking Stress’s shoulders.

She laughs, high-pitched and wild. She’s done it. She’s really gone and done it!

“I got a shulker box,” she breathes.

Ren gasps. “What?! No way, they’re not even a thing on this server!”

“Yes they are,” Stress sing-songs, “because I have one.”

She tosses him the cyan shulker box with a look of pride on her face. Ren looks at the box in his hands, then back up at Stress with wide eyes.

“We gotta go show Xisuma, my dude.”

---

The Hermits convene in the small meeting room in the residential district, then realize that the room is in fact small and twenty-four Hermits aren’t going to fit in it. Xisuma’s having a good day, so he decides to hold the meeting in Atrium 1.

There are many different opinions on the acquisition of the shulker box, which sits innocently in the center of the room. Some people like Wels believe that even if it’s a great boon, it was stolen and therefore the Hermits don’t have the right to use it. Things were different when they first arrived in the canyon; they stole small things in order to survive. A shulker is nice to have, but the Hermits won’t die without it. On the other hand, there are people who side with Grian, who believes that since the Hermits already have the shulker box, they might as well use it.

Doc rumbles a deep hm, indicating that he’s debating with himself whether he should say something or not. Finally, it seems that the side of him which wants to tell his fellow Hermits wins out.

“Have you guys considered shulker box duping?” he says. Immediately, there is a clamor of outcries, both for and against, as well as just plain disbelieving.

Tango speaks up: absolutely not. It’s cheating. False tentatively rebuts, though, that sometimes cheating is acceptable when it's for a good cause. After all, part of her season 7 base was dug out using TNT dupers. Mumbo awkwardly raises his hand and waits for someone to acknowledge him, which Grian does.

“Er… what if we give it back after we’re done with it?” Mumbo says. Tango still looks unhappy, but the idea seems to appease Wels.

“Friends,” Xisuma says softly. Everyone quiets down immediately. “Should we have a civil vote, or shall I decide?”

Immediately, everyone gets shamed into behaving. “We can vote,” Bdubs says. “Everyone in favor of not cheating?”

“Wait, what are our options?” Grian asks.

“Er,” Scar speaks up. “Keeping the box but not duping it, giving the box back, duping it then giving it back, or duping it and not giving the original back. Is that right?”

Bdubs nods. “Yeah! So, all in favor of keeping the one original box?” A few hands go up, maybe five or six.

“Giving the box back?” More hands go up.

“Duplicating the box, then giving it back?” Nearly a dozen hands go up.

“Well then,” Bdubs says, “I guess I don’t have to finish the options; dupe-and-return wins.”

Doc strides into the center of the room and mines up the shulker box before anyone can change their mind; Tango grumbles good-naturedly at having lost the vote. Meanwhile, while everyone discusses the vote, Joe ferries Xisuma off to his quarters.

“So who’s going to give the shulker box back when we’re done with it, my dudes?” Ren asks the room at large.

“I will,” Stress says immediately. “I stole it; it’s only right that I give it back.”

---

Two days later, Punz wakes up to a noise in his house. He reaches for a knife under his pillow; just because there is no one to be seen doesn’t mean that no one’s there, as Punz is well aware given the theft of his shulker box, which he is still smarting over.

He gets out of bed, treading softly. Right there, in the doorway, is the same shulker box he lost! He looks around. This has to be a trap. No one is around… Punz might as well spring this trap.

He opens the box. Nothing is missing. In fact, there are more items inside than there were when it was stolen from him! A totem of undying, four diamond blocks, two ingots of netherite, and a note which reads, Sorry I stole your box! I only needed to borrow it, but I felt bad so I left some extra goodies in. xoxo

“...Huh?” Punz says to himself. This is the weirdest prank ever.

He puts the box back into his Ender chest and resolves to think about it in the morning.

[legaciezzz]

Hello Sister

Part 1

Hope & Cain

Genre: Chapter fic

Synopsis: It was always believed that Hope was Klaus’s only heir and the tribrid, but things change when Cain strolls into town and claims his title as a Mikaelson. But just how much of a Mikaelson is he?

A/N: Here it is Finally! the first chapter! I know it took forever but I really hope you guys are not disappointed with this series!

Cain came to Mystic Falls to look for Hope, but instead found himself in a cell guarded by some guy named MG according to the bearded man. Not that he was upset about it, he seemed to be in the right place, judging from the way they reacted earlier they knew Hope Mikaelson.

Cain leaned himself against the metal bars and watched MG, a smug grin on his face.

MG looked anxiously back at him for the sixth time now, it was obvious that the staring was making him uncomfortable. Then Cain's attention shifted as heard voices nearing.

"I don't understand. If he's not another monster then who is he?" he heard a girl say through the walls.

"I don't know, he won't say anything other than he's looking for you." the man he met earlier replied.

"Dr. Saltzman, thank god," MG said as the bearded man walked in with three girls: two brunettes and a blonde. "He's really starting to creep me out."

"Thanks, MG. We can take it from here." the bearded man, Dr. Saltzman, told him and with that he didn't waste any time getting out of there.

Cain straightened up. "So which one's Hope?" he asked, looking at the girls.

The brunette with the blue eyes stepped out from the middle, arms crossed.

He looked her up and down, a slight arch to his brow. "Hm. Thought you would be taller."

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" Hope said, unamused.

That question made him smile, which combined with the look in his eye was a little eerie. "The name's Cain. Mikaelson."

"Mikaelson?" the other brunette echoed softly. "I thought you didn't have any other family."

"I don't." Hope responded.

"Actually," Cain began, dangling his arms through the bars. "You do. Hello, Sister."

. . .

"That's impossible. I can't have a brother." Hope said aloud, pacing around.

They were now in Alaric's office, discussing what was just discovered in private. Being Hope's sibling was such a bold claim, plus there was something about Cain that seemed off and they were wary of whether or not they should trust him.

"Are you sure none of your family has mentioned anything about this?" Alaric asked from his desk.

"Yes."

"Maybe Klaus got somebody else pregnant." Josie suggested.

"I highly doubt it."

"Hope, relax, okay? We  can just do the lineage spell and then we'll know if he's telling the truth or not." Alaric said.

"Do we really need another tribrid?" Lizzie pointed out, she had been rolling her eyes and checking her nails during the whole conversation. "One Hope is already enough."

"Thanks." Hope said, unconvincingly.

All of a sudden, MG came barging in which grabbed everyone's attention. "Uh, Dr. Saltzman, we got a situation out here."

They all rushed and followed him outside where a bunch of students crowded around a corpse of a now former student, head severed and a small pool of blood. Shocked gasps, murmurs and a little fainting crying fueled the tension in the atmosphere.

"Guess we can check off vampire." Josie said softly, it was no coincidence that as soon as Cain arrived at the school someone ended up dead.

Then they saw Kaleb appear, "Mystery Dude's not there."

"Thank you." Alaric said to the two boys before turning back to everyone else. "Alright, everyone head inside," and as the students started to do as told, he started to look around. "Where's Dorian?"

And on cue, Dorian emerged from the herd of teenagers frantically making their way inside. "Ric, what's going on?"

"We need to find Cain." Alaric told him before deciding to correct himself when he saw the confusion on Dorian's face. "Long story, just make sure everyone's situated inside."

Dorian then noticed the body. "Is that--"

"Yeah, do you mind taking care of that too?"

"So what do we do now?" Josie asked.

"We," gesturing to him and Hope, "are going to look for Cain before someone else gets hurt. You and your sister stay here."

Alaric and Hope quickly set out to look for Cain god knows what he was up to. Even though they just met him and barely knew anything about him, a dead body was hard not to see as a red flag.

"Where do you think he went?" Alaric asked, walking alongside Hope.

"How am I supposed to know?" Hope replied, a bit bitter. All the sudden she apparently has a brother and she's automatically supposed to know all about him.

A minute passed and they didn't seem to find any sign of Cain, until he popped up out of nowhere. "There you are," he said walking towards them with a smile, blood dripping from his lips.

Hope looked like she was about to attack him with a spell, but Alaric lowered her hand. "What the hell?!" she said.

There was a moment of confusion on his face before realizing that they were probably talking about the body. "Right, yeah. Uh, you left. I got bored... And hungry, I guess-- it wasn't that hard to get out." Cain rolled his eyes when neither of them responded. "It could've been worse. Trust me, one person won't be missed."

"We don't feed off of people here." Alaric said.

"My bad. It won't happen again."

"Why were you looking for us?" Hope said.

"Well you walked out in the middle of our conversation. That was pretty rude."

"Well why don't we get back inside and we can finish that conversation." Alaric said which caused Hope's head to snap towards him.

"Are you serious? He just killed someone and you want to let him back in the school?"

"You think just letting him go is a better idea? We need to know more about him."

"You know I can hear you, right?"

Hope huffed. "Fine."

The three made it back inside to Alaric's office. Alaric and Cain sat at opposite sides of his desk, while Hope leaned against it, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"So, headmaster, huh?" Cain said, casually looking around the room, trying  open with  a little  small  talk.

"What are you doing here?" Hope asked, cutting  straight to the chase.

"What? Small family reunion is not a good enough answer for you?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Is it really that hard to believe you may have a brother?" he asked, that smug look appearing on his face again.

"Why don't you just cut the bullshit and tell us why you're actually here."

Cain opened his mouth but Alaric stood up to intervene. "You know, maybe tomorrow's a better day to discuss this." he said, looking at Hope. It was obvious her hostile tone wasn't helping get answers. "Hope, why don't you take him back down."

Hope sighed before reluctantly walking Cain out. With each step he took, it got quieter, aside from a few whispers. He glanced around at everyone's face. They all seemed to be scared or angry, either way he didn't care. If this was after one body, just wait until they saw what he really was capable of.

They reached the cell and once he stepped foot in there, he heard the door close, lock and hope speak some Latin-- which made his head turn.

"Boundary spell." she said.

He nodded. "Hm."

She turned to leave without saying anything.

"What? No goodnight?" He asked playfully.

Hope flashed him an obviously fake smile, "goodnight," then rolled her eyes before officially leaving.

Once the silence settled in, Cain walked around in circles. Eventually he got bored and decided to lie down on the bed, staring at the ceiling before falling asleep.

The next morning Cain woke up. He sat up, back resting against the wall, and waited patiently. By the way the sun shone through the little opening. It was probably around mid morning, but it wasn't like he was awake for long either.

Soon enough, Hope entered the room and with a wave of her hand brought down the barrier. "Get up," she said, the blatant indifference in her tone.

The smugness returned to Cain as he walked to the bars. "What? Is there a morning drill or something?"

"Tests," she corrected. "All the new students have to go through them. So if you want to stay you're going to have to pass all of them. If you really are who you say, that shouldn't be a problem." That was a lie. Technically he only had to pass one, but she couldn't let him know that. "Give me your hand."

Cain put hand through the bars, slightly confused, before Hope grabbed it, taking a knife out from behind her back and running the blade across his palm. "The hell?"

She watched the wound close almost immediately. "Well test number one is complete."

"And what test was that?"

"Healing factor."

"I thought yesterday would have hinted at my abilities."

"Can't be too sure." she said with a passive aggressive smile that only lasted for a second. Keeping the knife in her hand, she opened the cell. "Let's go."

They exited the chambers and made their way to the school yard, passing by Alaric whom she gave the bloody knife.

The tests went into noon and Cain passed everyone of them with flying colours, adding the flair of cockiness which Hope rolled her eyes at. The rest of the student body steered clear of the testing field, especially when he hurled a log across campus.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked, turning back to him.

"Are we done now?"

"Not yet." She noticed he had redirected his attention to the twins who were walking in the distance and smiled at them. "Hey. Eyes over here."

"You really don't like me, do you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"You know. I actually always wanted a sibling. I don't know about a twin but anything's better than being alone. I just think  you're  having  trouble  accepting  that you're not that special anymore." He clearly took pleasure in telling her that last segment. He then turned to walk away.

She put a hand out. "Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm hungry."

Hope walked to a cooler that Alaric traded her for the knife, and took out a blood bag. "Here." she said, tossing him it.

Cain examined the rich red fluid before actually drinking. He decided to take a seat on the cooler as he took his lunch break.

He handed her the bag to offer it to her, which she turned her nose up at. "I'm good."

He looked at her with a slight squint to his eyes, wrapping his lips around the straw like tube once again.

A moment later Landon appeared with a brown paper bag in his hand. "Hey. This is for you." He said, giving her a peck on her temple as she accepted the bag with a smile.

"Who's this?" Cain asked, almost immediately making her return to her previous demeanor.

"He's no--"

"Boyfriend." Landon said, puffing his chest in a way that failed to be subtle or intimating.

Cain grinned. "And what are you? I mean you have to be special to get into this place, right?."

"Phoenix." the boy said proudly.

"Okay, lunch is over. Go jump in the lake." Hope cut in, she obviously didn't want Cain getting close to anyone she cared about, especially since his motives were unclear.

Cain scoffed. "Really?"

"Yes." she said, quickly dismissing him with her hand.

He playfully rolled his eyes as he directed himself towards the lake, stripping down to his underwear when neared closer to the water.

Hope sent Landon off to get towels while she ate her bagged lunch and waited. Once Cain was finishing swimming and drying off, Hope noticed something on his shoulder blade, glistening from the remnants of the water. A birthmark.

As he finished drying off, Landon came back around. "The spell is done."

"Spell?" Cain echoed, putting his shirt back on. "What spell?"

Hope sighed before following Landon inside, Cain walking with her. "Lineage spell."

Cain paused for a second. "So if all you needed was a lineage spell then why all the other trouble?"

"We agreed that it was better to keep an eye on you by making you do all the tests since clearly just keeping locked up didn't go that well."

"Hm, smart. Actually, No, it was kind of obvious. You know, I easily could have slipped away."

“So why didn’t you?”

“I wanted to get to know my sister.” he said with a smile that made her eyes roll. "Hey, Boyfriend, is she always like this?" he asked Landon.

Landon turned to Cain then glanced at Hope who gave him an intense look. He hesitated, but when he opened his mouth he stammered until Cain chuckled.

They went back to Alaric's office where he, Dorian and Emma were. Dorian seemed the most guarded, he had his eyes locked on Cain and his jaw clenched.

"So what is it?" Hope said, sitting down with Cain.

"Well it was a little hard with the amount of blood, but we managed. He's telling the truth, he's your brother." Alaric said.

"That's what the knife was for? If you needed my blood, all you had to do was ask."

"Well excuse us for not trusting you," Dorian spat.

"But now that we know you're telling the truth," Alaric said, giving Dorian a stern glance, "hopefully we can establish some."

"You're just going to let him stay here just like that?" Hope asked, completely shocked by his decision.

"There are conditions though."

"Of course there is." Cain said, handling a book from Alaric's desk until he took it back.

"You're not to leave school grounds without permission, you'll attend class as scheduled, you'll be under close watch-- especially by Hope who will be in charge of you and you'll stay in the cell until we're sure you're no longer a danger to the student body. And if any-- and I mean if any-- harm is to come to any students, I deal with you myself. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," he said with a cheeky smile. "Who's she?" he then pointed to Emma.

"This is Emma. She's the school counselor."

"Thanks, but I'm already well adjusted."

"I meet with all the students." Emma stated.

"Well then I'd like to consider myself a guest."

"Dr. Saltzman, can we talk for a minute?" Hope said.

. . .

Cain was now in the library, Dorian watching him like a hawk, while Hope talked to Alaric about what the hell he was thinking. Cain was contently browsing through a book, legs up on the table. His focus, however, drifted as his ears picked up a conversation MG and the twins were having as they huddled near the library doors.

"Do you think Dad is gonna let him stay?" Josie said. "I mean they must have decided something."

"Hope hasn't told you guys anything?" MG asked.

"No, and by the looks of it she isn't too happy about this." Lizzie commented.

"They can't actually let him stay, right? I mean he killed one of the students."

"Like no one here has killed anyone." Cain interjected with head still down in the book, causing the three to go quiet. He then set the book down and got up to walk over to them. "I mean this place is filled with werewolves and vampires, I think it's highly hypocritical of you to judge me as though I'm the only one that has taken a life."

Despite his smile, there was a certain intensity to his eyes that made MG swallow hard.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Lizzie said boldly.

"It's kind of hard to ignore when people are talking about you." Cain turned to her, there was something about her attitude that stood out to him. "I'm Cain, but you know that already."

"Lizzie." she said, unimpressed.

"And the shy one?" he asked, looking at Josie who seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

"Josie." she said meekly.

"And it's MG, right?"

MG nervously nodded.

Hope walked into the library, obviously looking displeased, and they all looked at her.

"And I'm guessing that's my cue." Cain said. "It was nice meeting you."

As he followed Hope back to Alaric's office yet again, she flashed him a look. It was clear that she didn't trust him, especially around her friends.

"So, do I finally get to talk now? Or are you two going to keep having side conversations?" Cain smugly asked as he rested against the back of a chair.

"Why are you here?" Alaric bluntly asked.

"Well I won't bore you with the details, but basically I was raised by a cult that I thought was family, then found out that was a lie along with my entire life and that I have a sister."

"And how exactly did you know where to find Hope?"

"I asked around. I had no idea our family was so popular."

"What do you want  with me?" Hope asked.

"I already  told you. Is wanting to know  your family seriously that much of a crime?" he said, laughing with confusion.

"Forgive us, we've haven't been getting a lot of friendly visitors lately."

Cain sighed and stood up, dropping the smug expression. "Look, I know I didn't make the best impression yesterday, but I've spent my whole life thinking I was alone and now I'm not. Wouldn't you feel the same way?" He stared at her earnestly, waiting for a response.

She looked into his eyes and the longer she did, it got harder to say no without seeming completely heartless. She glanced over to Alaric before sighing and softening her tone. "Fine."

"Great," he said,  smiling  wide as he pulled his sister for  a tight side hug. "I promise you we are going  to have  so much fun together." he whispered  into  her ear, sending chills down  her spine.

. . . 

The next day, it was time to tour the school  and mingle with  the factions. Hope was unenthused to say  the least and only gave a brief explanation to all the rooms they came  across while Cain took a deep interest  in everything. As they came to the end  of  the tour, they crossed  paths  with  Emma who was letting  a student  out of her office.

"Hope," she smiled, pleased  to see her face. "I see you're  giving  tours now."

"Actually, we're  just  finishing  it."

"And I'm glad we ran into you when we did," Cain  jumped  in, "because  I've been  thinking  about  what  I said to you  and  I've changed my mind. I'd love to talk to you."

"I'm delighted to hear that. I don't have anything right now,  if you'd like to come in." Cain nodded and walked  inside, Hope followed  him but was  stopped at the  door.

"I know Dr. Saltzman told you  to stay with  him, but you know the rules. Plus it seems  to  me like you could use a break from him...Don't worry, I can handle him." 

Hope relaxed her shoulders. "okay," she breathed out, forcing  a small smile. 

"And don't  forget, you and  I are scheduled for  Thursday." Emma  closed the door  behind her and  went  to seat herself  across  from  the newcomer. "So, Cain, what would  you  like  to  talk about?" 

"You said that you meet with  all the students.  Do you  keep  files on them?"

She immediately  tensed  at the question, so caught  off  guard. "Those are strictly  confidential."

He leaned forward  and  smiled, looking  intensely into  the depths of her eyes.  "Surely you  can make an exception  for  family."

Compelled, Emma  rose up and  walked out  to her filing  cabinet. 

"And while you're at it, get her friends' too. I should know  what  kind  of company  my sister keeps."

She put a small  pile of files on the table  in the seating  area and  Cain kicked his feet  up as he started to browse them. He took time reading  the files, almost  analyzing them  like  characters  in a book. After he was done, he tossed  the  last file back  onto the  pile.

"My sister  has some  interesting  friends, doesn't  she?" he said, sitting  back up straight. "Oh-- and  I guess  I should  probably give you something  to write about  me in return. But, you know, I think  I'm pretty  well adjusted so there's nothing really  to talk about. I mean I was a true prodigy, I was amazing  at everything  I was taught, I was worshipped. It  wasn't  like  I had  a bad childhood, it's  just  that it was all a lie…" He started to  drift off and  zone out when it came to that last part but then quickly  snapped  out of  it. "Anyway, do with that what you will. This was a nice chat. I know this  was  only our  first time sitting  down  with  each other but I've  learned  so much  from  you."

They rose up together. "No problem," she said, putting  on a smile  to hide the underlying  uneasiness.

Right before walking  to the door, Cain  smiled back and  placed  a hand  on her shoulder. "Oh and just to be sure, no one needs to know about  this. You know, confidentiality and all." he said, using his compulsion again.

He was let  out and  wandered  the  halls  until saw Hope  again in the student lounge with  Landon  and Rafael. 

"There you are, and I see you're  with Boyfriend  and  Friend." he said, walking  over to them.

She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"It's  Landon, actually." Landon said. 

"Good  to know," he said before  turning  his attention  to Hope, "So what else is on the agenda for today?"

"Meeting with  the  factions. And since you're here, Raf, I guess  we should  start  with  the  wolves."

"Sure."

The two said  their byes to Landon, Hope  giving him a kiss on the  cheek  before  leaving.

"So when he said  he was a phoenix  did mean it as in the bird or is that some code word I don't  know about?" 

"I'm not  talking about  my boyfriend with  you."

They spent the next few minutes in silence until they reached the gym where the pack were playing a small game of kickball.

"And here's the pack.” Rafael said, as the pack suddenly stopped the game and went to huddle around them. “Guys, this is Cain."

Jed, with his chest puffed out, took a step in. “Isn’t he the dude who killed Tristan Gorecki?”

“That was an accident.” Rafael said to which Cain in the background had his own reaction to the comment that made Hope shoot him a dirty look. ”And Dr. Saltzman said we have to give  him a chance to fit in.”

“How are we sure he’s not gonna hurt someone again?”

“Jed, do we really have to remind you of how  many fights you’ve been in?”

 Hope said, “he won’t hurt anyone. I’ll  make sure of it.”

Cain looked around at each of the werewolves. “So, who’s the alpha?”

“I am.” Jed and Rafael said in unison then looked at each other.

“I mean I did fight you to become Alpha.” Rafael said.

“Then you were a wolf for the summer and someone had to take over.” Jed rebutted.

“But I’m back now.”

The other tribrid huffed a faint laugh and smiled. “This is great. A pack who doesn’t even know who their Alpha is. If you guys are so unsure, I’m more than happy to step to the plate.”

Jed stepped up to him and growled. “You think this is funny? You come in here, kill one of us and--"

"Okay, that's enough," Hope said, stepping  in and pulling her brother away. "I think we found out how well you get along with the werewolves. Cain, let's  go."

Then while walking  in silence, led by Hope  of course, they ran  into MG, Kaleb and  a couple  of vampires who were standoffish to him. The new kid that single head managed to create  tension  between  them and  the rest of the factions.

But then MG, being  the  diplomat, decided to  be the first to engage Cain in conversation even though just  his presence made him nervous. They sat and  chatted-- which felt more like an interrogation  on Cain's end, talking about the ups and  downs of being a vampire.

 "You think we can trust him?" Kaleb  asked Hope  as  they  both  stood by and  watched the other two.

"Hell no." Hope said  bluntly. "But Dr. Saltzman  says until  we find  out  he has a M.O. besides  yesterday he hasn't  really  given us a reason  not to trust him."

"What if he really doesn't have a game and  just wants to be your brother?"

"Trust  me, I know  my family."

MG and  Cain  talking until  MG's discomfort finally  reached  its  peak.

"I do have another  question," Cain  began, leaning  forward  with  his eyes even more on MG than  they were. "Do you get any rippers here? I mean with how many  vampires  that are here, there has bound  at least  one  loose canon."

MG immediately  tensed  up but tried to hide under a nervous  smile.

"Have you met with  the witches, yet? You can probably catch them at the mill, they hang out  there all the time." he said, quickly changing  the subject.

And  with that cue Hope got up from  the wall. "MG's  right. The sooner  we're  done mingling  the sooner  I can get you back  downstairs  and  do some studying."

And  again  She dragged  her brother off to somewhere  else. The witches were at the mill as they socialized amongst  themselves, then all heads turned as soon as the two Mikaelsons stood  at one of  the entrances.

They walked in some more and  just as Hope assumed  there was going  to be tension  like the other two factions, the witches started to gather around them. Although  some witches kept their distance, the  others seemed  to want  to meet  the newcomer.

"So you're  Hope's brother?" Alyssa Chang said, being  the first  to speak.

"Lost and found." Cain replied.

"Well, let's just hope being  a buzzkill isn't hereditary.”

His lip twitched with amusement. "I can assure  you I'm lots of fun." he said, his eyes glancing  over at Lizzie.

"Does this mean you're also a tribrid?" another witch asked.

"Yep. I'm the whole  package."

The witches brought him over  to sit down as they continued  to ask him more things, fascinated  by  him as if he was an exotic animal  or something. And Cain  very much  seemed to be enjoying the attention. Hope looked a little confused as they pulled  him away. 

"They're  acting  like  they've  never  met a tribrid  before." she said  to herself. But on the plus side she knew  she didn't  have  to watch  him as closely anymore. 

After a while, Cain managed to slip away  from the witches  and  found his way to Lizzie  who was on the staircase.

"So you're a witch." he said, pleased.

"How'd  you  figure  that out?" she said, oozing with sarcasm.

"I was just wondering  why you were with  the others."

"I already  met a tribrid. Wasn't  impressed by the first one, not gonna be by the second  one."

"I think  I can  come  up with a few other  ways  to impress you."

She looked over at him. "Never gonna happen."

They sat in silence for a moment  until Cain glanced  over to his sister and  Josie.

"I can't  believe  you and  my sister are friends."

Lizzie looked at him confused.

"I mean  from  what  I've… heard  you two had quite the rivalry. But I can relate, my parents did spend  way more  time  with  her than  me too."

"My dad actually knows I exist. It's  different."

"Is it really?"

The blonde clenched  her jaw right before walking  off. "Your new brother is annoying."

"Tell me about it," Hope said.

That led to a  rant about  how  this whole situation and  Cain showing up out of nowhere felt like  an inconvenience to her. While Cain went back to the witches.

After, Hope  realized how much time had  passed and  decided it was time  for  Cain  to get back  to the cell.

"Alright, time to go."

Cain looked up at her from the couch. "Come on, I just  started  making  friends."

"And  I have  to study for  a class  tomorrow." That and she'd been around him enough for  the day.

Cain let out a little sigh before getting up. Although  he was a little  disappointed  it was time to  leave, he figured if he wanted to get in his sister's  good  graces going  against  her wasn't  the way to go.

They walked  together  in silence again  because the last  thing that Hope  would  want  to  do with  some sketchy stranger  is have  a friendly  conversation or share her whole life story.

"I like the witches," he said, "especially your  friend, Lizzie."

Hope couldn't  help  the snort. "Good luck  with that."

"You take after Mom, don't  you?" he said, catching  her way off guard. "Based  on the things  I've  heard  people  say about  her. I also  came across  a picture  this  one time. You look like  her too." This made her  pause for  a second. She knew  that they were  family but  somehow actually talking about their  family-- key alone  their parents-- seemed  to be the last thing she'd  expected. "Do I look like either of them to you?"

After that, the moment  she looked  into  his  eyes, a bunch  of images of Klaus  raced through  her mind. 

"You have his nose," she said softly before quickly turning  away and  going back to walking.

[cockasinthebird]

Forever ago I talked about writing a “kiss cam au” that I never got to finish, and perhaps never will, but I’m still actually very happy with what I’ve got! So here you have it, three pages worth of Kiss Cam 

-

The fact that she didn’t say yes right away should have been a clear enough sign of her reluctance to go, but Steve was far too overcome with excitement of having won the tickets to really consider her hesitance as anything unusual. And looking back it wasn’t even the first time she “needed time to think”, but Steve was in love, and he thought that she was too. 

To be fair he did ask Tommy first if he wanted to go to the game, considering how obsessed he is with their college’s baseball team, but he and Carol were going on a roadtrip with her parents, leaving the day after summer break started, and Robin hates attending sports events unless there’s a promise of cheerleaders.

And maybe the fact that Nancy wasn’t his first, or even second, choice should have made everything clearer for Steve, too.

“You sure you don’t want anything?” he asks, a slight waver to his voice that he’ll claim is from excitement, but truthfully he’s starting to feel a bit… bashful, as he carries his pretzel, bag of peanuts, and large soda away from the concession stand.

“I’m fine, I have my water bottle,” comes her response with a shake of the mostly full bottle. She meets with Steve’s gaze for barely a second with a strained smile, before returning her look to the sticky floor.

“Really, whatever you want, I’m paying-”

“Steve, I-... it’s ok, I’m still full from lunch,” she sighs, heavy and edging on irritated perhaps, or at least that’s the way Steve hears it. She barely even finished her scone at the café earlier.

“Alright, just tell me if you need something- anything, ok?” he tries, smiles and looks her in the eyes as she finally offers more than a slight glance.

And she smiles back, softly, like she really cares about making Steve happy, even if baseball isn’t her first idea for a date. Or at least that’s how he interprets it.

“Ok.”

There’s a roar echoing through the tunnel, the sound of thousands and thousands of fans hyping up for the game, San Francisco Giants versus Los Angeles Dodgers, Steve himself in a white Dodgers jersey, and even from here he can feel the energy, like an electric charge shooting through him, bringing forth goosebumps and raising the hairs on his arms from pure excitement of being in a stadium again for the first time in who knows how many years. His cheeks hurt from smiling so wide, and truthfully if it wasn’t for the group of people in front of him and Nancy, he might have run out with a near child-like glee, not a care for how other people would have stared.

You’re gonna love it, he recalls telling her during the one hour drive here, It’s like being at a concert, but so much better. The camaraderie is just… so… I don’t even know how to describe it, but you’ll know it when you feel it.

Yet as they near the end of the tunnel leading to their seating area, he looks down at her and catches the way she’s chewing on her lip, hands strangling the plastic bottle till it crinkles, doubt written in between the lines of her furrowed brow. And he thinks about turning back, about telling Nancy that they can just go to the movies instead or look for a nice restaurant, whatever might make her feel better and look less dismayed, like a good boyfriend might do. You have to make sacrifices in a relationship sometimes to make it work-

But there’s a definite point of no return, as they step outside again, the faint stench of piss and beer dissipating as fresh air fills their lungs, well, fresher air - there’s still a lingering scent of sweat and musk and beer, too, but it’s lighter and less offensive, less in your face, and Steve feels invigorated by it all. Left and right he sees rows and rows of people in jerseys, foam fingers, caps, greasy food and beverages, smiles as big as his own.

This is it, the feeling of belonging, of fitting in. Despite the pushing and shoving and elbowing people do in attempts to get to their seats faster, there’s joy to be had, elation shooting through his bloodstream at just the sight of the field before him. It’s everything he remembers from the one game his dad brought him to too many years ago, and while Steve himself doesn’t care to participate in sports, it’s a feeling he’s been chasing ever since with high school baseball, and now in college he still attends every single game he can, but there’s nothing that can compare to all of this.

He inhales till it feels like his lungs might split and tear, wanting to engrain every impression of this moment into his soul, in case he’ll have to go just as many years till he can stand in such a loud and crowded space again.

Unable to look away from all the excited faces, he asks, “So, what do you think?”

“There’s… a lot of people,” Nancy says loudly in an effort to get through the horde of Dodgers fans. “Very noisy!”

“Yeah!” Steve needs to almost shout it back at her, and doesn’t deem it important to mention that that’s part of what he loves so dearly too; the inability to hear himself think, to never be alone again for as long as the game is on. 

Hell, even going to the bathroom here is a group activity surrounded by strangers that might or might not take a gander at your dick at the urinals.

“Come on, we’re just up here! Row f.”

Despite the inevitability of it, it’s still considered courteous to apologize when awkwardly making your way down the row in search of your seat, and both Steve and Nancy seem adept at it as they struggle to avoid stepping on shoes or knocking over beverages, one “Sorry” after another.

When Nancy puts a halt to the expedition. “Steve…” her voice a shy little thing only to be heard by Steve standing near flush to her back.

Steve doesn’t even need to ask what’s wrong, when looking over the top of her head is enough for him to understand why she’s this hesitant now. Loud, brash, unruly, a whole row of frat boys acting like they own this entire section, marking their territory with spilled beer and popcorn tossing. Truth be told, even Steve’s a bit intimidated just by their presence here, but refuses to let it ruin his day.

“Yeah… Yeah, you sit here and I’ll take the seat next to them, ok?”

The relief in Nancy’s strained smile is brief before falling back into the very unimpressed, very uncomfortable expression of malcontent, but this time Steve doesn’t find time to worry about her; rather he’s worried about the old, brown leather jacket thrown over his seat.

There’s a certain painfully anxious throb in his chest. From his own vague experience of the frat guys back at Purdue, they’re rarely the kind of people he’d hang around with, all that childlike pestering some just never left behind in high school. But what’s seemingly more dangerous here - sitting down on a buff stranger’s jacket, or asking him to remove it just to be told to “fuck off”.

“Excuse me, your jacket is in my seat.”

Before this stranger has even turned around Steve is already planning an exit strategy that leaves him the most dignity and preferably without getting punched, better safe than sorry and all. Between the clear tension in those broad shoulders, the way his hand grips his beer tighter, and the glare he carries as he turns to look at who dares interrupt his festivities, Steve would say it isn’t unfair to expect some unnecessary hostilities next. Yet when those refreshingly crystal clear eyes meet his, the anger furrowed in this stranger’s brow smooths out, and the way he so suddenly smiles all charming beneath that mustache, Steve fears he might blush as his heart trips over itself.

“Oh, sorry pretty boy, wasn’t sure if anyone was gonna show up.”

[neonthewrite]

Washed Up Winchesters 8 (Final)

The mystery is solved and the case closed! It seems the Winchesters didn't quite expect things to go this way, but when there's a giant involved, all kinds of things go differently!

Cowritten with @nightmares06, the writer behind the @brothersapart multiverse!

( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 ) ( 7 ) -8-

Story Tag

Read Time ~10 minutes

~~~~~

Chase pushed himself up and shook his head. He was more used to being swept up in a giant hand, but toppling over a few times had winded him. He frowned over the edge of the hand, then over at Sam. “What?”

Jacob’s other hand lifted to be level with them. Minnie was clinging to his thumb and scanning the flock of sheep warily. They were all still milling around, keeping a tight group, several of them aiming disdainful baaas up in the air. Dean’s defiant stand over their heads certainly had not gone unnoticed. Minnie had never seen sheep act like that, certainly not in the shadow of a giant. “Sam?”

"Th-the sheep!" Sam gestured in the direction of the hostile flock. "We're chasing skinwalkers, not werewolves! They can be any type of animal, so long as it's what the pack started out as!"

The confusion on Dean's face cleared. "So you're saying this flock is the people we've been chasing the whole time?"

Sam nodded at the silver knife in Dean's hand. "One way to find out for sure."

Jacob frowned pensively. Even after hearing about how dangerous the skinwalkers were, he could hardly imagine the flock of fluffy sheep before him causing much trouble. Mostly they milled around among each other, all keeping tabs on Dean with his glimmering knife. It was weird that they didn't even want to run from Jacob, but he hadn't made any moves against them.

Even Chase and Minnie had been mostly spared. Chase had only fallen over because he kept trying to pull Dean up.

Jacob decided to throw in his two cents. "I mean, they're… they're not really doing anything," he pointed out.

"Except yelling at us," Chase agreed, waving a hand at a ram that bleated insistently up at him.

"Wait," Minnie chimed in, her brow pinching with confusion. "Do they understand what we're saying when they're in their whatever-form?"

Sam circled a hand through the air aimlessly, trying to gather his thoughts and what he knew of their current enemies. "Skinwalkers aren't like werewolves, who give in to their more... animalistic side when they transform. They maintain their regular consciousness and memory. The main danger is that they can transfer their ability with a bite, increasing the size of their pack... or flock." Sam gave the flock of sheep a strange look. He'd never encountered supernatural creatures in the guise of herbivores like the sheep. This case was shaping up to be unique in more ways than one.

"That means," Sam continued, "they know just who we are, and anything we said while we were here. Which is why they were so quick to lunge at me and Dean. They already found us once on the ship, when they were in their human forms. We couldn't stay under cover, and ended up tossed overboard."

Minnie frowned critically over the side of Jacob’s hand, even as the giant lifted everyone slightly higher. If those sheep really were skinwalkers, and at this point they certainly weren’t acting like normal sheep, they’d just let the group wander among them. She’d patted their heads and tried to click at them like she did with her lambs back home and everything. The feeling that wormed into her gut was something like betrayal.

“So these guys might be the reason I found you floundering out in the waves,” Jacob echoed, a disapproving frown on his face.

“Well what do they--” Chase began, asking Sam first before looking over the side of the hand at the nearest sheep bleating up at them. “What do you want in Lilliput then?!”

For a long moment, it appeared as though Chase's demand would go unanswered. The sheep milled restlessly around, giving Jacob's feet a wide berth as they bleated.

Then, the ram that had given Dean a runaround when he was on the ground stepped out into an opening that formed in the flock. It cocked its head, fixing one eye on the hand that held Chase, Minnie, Sam and Dean. Its expression was impossible to read as it looked them over, one by one.

There was a shift, and then the ram's horns appeared to melt away. Several cracks could be heard as its back shifted to an upright position, and the hooves split into four fingers and a thumb.

After less than ten seconds from when the shift started, the ram stood there as a regal and distinguished looking man, dressed in a simple white shirt and dark pants. He frowned at the people in Jacob's hand, then up at the giant himself.

"As I recall," the man said, "you were the ones to smuggle onto our ship when we had done nothing to you in turn, stinking of silver and gunpowder."

Seeing the transformation had been more than enough to leave Jacob, Minnie, and even Chase speechless for a hesitant moment. Jacob’s mouth opened slightly, as amazed as he’d been the first time he met Chase. He had never really thought about tiny people existing anywhere before. He definitely hadn’t imagined them having the ability to turn into tiny sheep. “Uh. Wh… what,” he muttered.

“I mean. I guess that’s technically true,” Chase finally admitted, sending an uncomfortable sideways glance at Sam and Dean. He frowned down at the apparent leader of a flock of sheep skinwalkers. “So … are skinwalkers usually dangerous, or not? ‘Cause I feel like that would clear up a lot, knowing what you actually plan to do in Lilliput, right?”

The man’s lip curled in disgust. “Oh, please,” he said disparagingly. “Unlike our more… wolf-ish cousins, we have no interest in anyone’s hearts.”

Next to him, a second sheep transformed back. This one was shorter, and he had very mousy features in comparison to the ram’s dignified look. “But we like Romaine hearts,” he stuttered out insistently. “Right? Right?!”

“Please, Jerimiah,” the ram said. “This situation is delicate enough without your help.” He turned to look up at the Lilliputians and Blefuscians held in the giant’s hand. “Haven’t you ever heard ‘The grass is greener on the other side?’ We are here in search of better pastures. Nothing more.”

Chase’s mouth opened in a delighted grin over the bad pun. Before he could try to chime in with his own, Minnie slapped his arm with the back of her hand. In her opinion, she had enough to deal with without her brother adding to the pile. She’d thought this was a poor lost flock of sheep. Not an intentional group of … magic shapeshifting squatters. “So are Sam and Dean the only ones you hurt, or …?”

Jacob heaved a slow sigh. Minnie had a point. If they had left behind more than just Sam and Dean, it would be dangerous having the shapeshifters around Lilliput too. “Yeah, I mean. I’m pretty sure I can outrun you guys, but what’s to stop you from sneaking along later and trying something again? Are Chase and Minnie here in danger because they know your secret?”

The ram’s mouth twisted in annoyance. “All we want is green fields and calm waters,” he explained. “Any Blefuscans that we ran into, we ran off, nothing more. These… hunters that followed us were the most persistent, and I couldn’t risk the safety of my flock. Throwing them off the ship was only done as a last resort.”

Looking over the rest of the flock, and a brief glance at the twitchy Jerimiah, the ram shook his head in doubt. “Perhaps it was merely a pipe dream to find a place free of warmongering, but we had to try.”

“So…” Sam tentatively leaned forward. “Your main plan is to get as far from civilization, and stay there?”

“Sammy…” Dean started, but was ignored.

The ram nodded. “It seemed like a more likely situation to find in Lilliput compared to Blefuscu. Such an idyllic land…” He turned to Chase and Minnie. “No one here is at risk from my flock, I give you my word. Even if we get sent back to Blefuscu.” The last statement was said with a sideways glance at Dean.

The guy seemed genuine enough. Having lived in Lilliput for a bit, Jacob knew the locals to be fussy but harmless. They would likely be too caught up in their own drama to notice an extra flock of sheep up past the hills, especially since no one really wandered this far anyway. He decided that he believed the stern little guy.

It wasn't really up to him, though. He lowered his hands a bit, not enough to put his passengers at risk but at least to bring them more level with the ram. "Whatcha think, Chase? Minnie?"

"It's weird," Chase said, practically bursting for an opening to speak up. "Sheep-people .... sheepshifters!"

Minnie smacked his arm. "How is that helping?" she scolded, before addressing the ram again. "I don't think anyone uses these pastures so you won't get anyone upset. But will you even be safe out here? From wolves and things, I mean?"

The ram looked down his nose at her. “Wolves have been our problem since the start,” he said with a sharp look sent in Dean’s direction. “We haven’t been able to shake them yet.”

Sam stepped between Dean and the ram with an arm to separate them, before thoughtless words could be thrown. “If we leave you be, does this mean you’ll leave the Lilliputians alone?” he asked, trying to keep the focus. “We’re only here to deal with threats.”

The ram sighed. “We won’t bother a soul, you have my word. So long as we have our pastures.”

Sam put his arm down. “I think our job’s done then,” he said. “They’ll just need a safe place to call home now.”

“This works,” Chase agreed, gesturing at the current pasture. Aside from Jacob looming over the field with several people standing on his hands, it was a simple, idyllic view. The area was lush, if a bit wild, and unbothered by Lilliput or Blefuscu. “We even have Jacob here to come check on you sometimes if you need anything.”

Jacob rolled his eyes at being volunteered so easily. It was his lot in life anymore, to have Chase suggest him for any task that needed doing. “I have a pretty easy time getting over here,” he agreed anyway. “If you need supplies.”

Minnie glanced over at Sam and Dean. Sam seemed mollified, though Dean looked as ready for a fight as ever. Looking back at the sheep, she gave them an exaggerated shrug. “Looks like everyone’s okay, so … it all worked out? This time?”

The ram gave Minnie a stiff half-bow, looking uncomfortable with the unfamiliar gesture. “We will hold up our end of the bargain,” he promised.

With a quick shift, the man again turned into a ram. Large, curving horns came out of his forehead first before he fell forward onto a new set of hooves. By the time he hit the ground, he could have blended in with any herd of sheep and proceeded to walk amongst the others. Jerimiah followed suit next. Then, a slowly stirring wave expanded throughout the herd until they were all heading in the same ambling direction.

Sam sighed, blowing out his bangs. “Case closed.”

“Weirdest case ever,” Dean complained. “Almost as weird as running into the actual giant in the lands.” He sent Jacob a side-eye. “Maybe next time we’re in Lilliput, we can enlist some extra help again?” Despite his usual gruff tone of voice, the interest in having a giant helper shone right through.

Chase drew himself up proudly, though he still stood notably shorter than either brother. “We’re totally ready to kick some ass, anytime we’re needed.”

Minnie rolled her eyes. “Preeeetty sure they were asking for Jacob,” she pointed out, nudging Chase with an elbow.

“Hey! I helped!”

Jacob smirked. He’d gotten somewhat used to the surly attitude from Dean. It seemed the little folk over in Blefuscu could be just as excitable as the Lilliputians he’d come to know. Chase and Minnie’s antics were practically a given. “I’m basically a glorified taxi,” he warned. “But I’ll be here.”

[nastybuckybarnes]

Mr. & Mrs. Barnes  -  Five

Pairing: Spy!Bucky X Spy!Reader AU

Summary: James and (Y/n) Barnes live the perfect apple pie life. Or so they think. In a marriage as close as theirs, secrets are bound to be revealed at some point, it’s only a matter of time. What will the other do when the secrets threaten their lives?

Warnings: Language, Fighting, Violence, Smut, Fluff,

Word Count: 2.8K

A/N: Bruh it’s been over a year. But here is the second last instalment of this series. I’ve got the ending planned out and it’s a little different than the movie, but I like it and I think it fits nicely. Me posting this is part of my New Year, New Series personal challenge where I finish the stuff I’ve started to make room for new stuff in 2021!

Masterlist Series Masterlist

SORRY IF I MISSED TAGS

~*~

“James I can’t handle this. You keep not dying when I think you’re dead.” He scoffs from the other line and you hear a car engine revving in the background.

“Stop trying to kill me then. I thought we were having a moment,” he says. You wipe your eyes and sigh. “We were. And I had to do what was necessary.” He exhales deeply. “I guess we’ll just… deal with this when we get home.” Your stomach drops at his tone, knowing exactly what’s gonna happen when he gets home.

“I guess so. I’ll meet you home then, James. And I love you. I really, truly do.”

~

You race home, obeying a grand total of probably three traffic laws on the way, determined to get home before your husband.

And you succeed. The house is empty and dark when you get home, you make sure of that. And you make sure it stays that way by locking all the windows and doors and arming yourself with as many guns and weapons your body can physically carry.

You situate yourself on the staircase, back against the wall while your eyes and ears stay peeled for any sudden noises or movement that would indicate that your husband is home.

Bucky has to break into his own house.

His own goddamn house.

That pisses him off. But, he does it and manages to do it silently, breaking in through a window in the dining room, clock and silencer in hand as he stalks around the house, looking for you.

When he approaches the wall by the staircase he stops, trying to figure out if you’re there or not. Eventually, he grabs a picture frame and decides to check for himself.

He carefully angles the picture frame towards the stairs, trying to see if you’re there in the reflection on the glass.

Just as he sees you, you shoot the frame out of his hand. He ducks down as you start shooting through the wall, each bullet missing his head by only a few inches.

When you stop shooting you wait, listening for any indication that he’s still alive.

“You still alive, Baby?” You ask almost teasingly, ignoring the tingling in your chest when you hear him groaning and his gun dropping to the floor.

Huffing out a breath, you loosen your grip on the gun, until you’re suddenly being shot at through the holes in the wall.

You roll down the stairs and into the corner, shooting at him through the wall again, pissed off.

You hurry down the rest of the stairs as he walks down the opposite hallway. You round the corner on your knees, gun raised and sliding towards the couch while he rounds the other corner, shooting at you. You shoot right back until you’re safely behind the couch, switching the magazines on your guns.

Taking a deep breath, you round the corner again and back up against the stairs, looking around for Bucky.

Meanwhile, he’s walking along the other hallway to the stairs, trying to catch you by surprise. It backfires horribly, however, when he knocks a mug off of the counter in the kitchen, sending it falling to the floor with a loud crash.

You shoot through that spot in the wall and he runs the opposite way, diving into the kitchen as you shoot at him through the doorway.

He throws open the fridge door, blocking your rain of bullets, and you grind your teeth in frustration.

He hides behind the counter, reaching up under the stove and cutting the gas line, hoping this does the trick.

He peaks his head out and, as suspected, you start firing. He holds the hose and you gasp as fire bursts and explodes towards you. You dive to the floor, backing away as fast as you can while trying to grab your gun.

That’s when he emerges from the kitchen, sleeves rolled up and ready to fight.

As you’re standing up, he knees you in the chest, sending you stumbling back into the wall. He knees you twice more in the stomach then tries to elbow you in the head, his arm connecting with the wall as you duck and swing your own elbow to the back of his head.

He stumbles away from you and down the hall, forcing you to follow him. You shove him over a vanity, making him fall to the floor with a loud grunt while you grab a lamp. He raises his arm just as you bring it down, breaking it over his elbow instead of his head like you wanted to.

He grabs your shoulders and all-but throws you into the wall, cracking the wall with the force of your fall. He grabs onto your arm and slams you against the doorway and, while you try to catch your breath, he pulls you into the dining room and shoves you over the table.

You end up falling over a chair and onto the floor, bringing many things from the table down with you.

You push yourself onto your knees weakly, the breath knocked from your lungs for a moment. He saunters around the table, no doubt with a cocky grin on his handsome face, and your own face contorts with anger.

“C’mon baby, come to daddy.” You grab your antique metal flower vase and wrap it in the table cloth, fury filling you at his taunts.

You get up onto your feet, spin around, and smack him across the face with the vase.

He’s momentarily stunned, and you use that time to wrap the cloth around the back of his neck and tug on each end. He leans towards you involuntarily and you slam your forehead against his, sending him back a step. You kick him in the chest and he falls into the liquor cabinet, bottles of expensive booze shattering around him as he falls to the ground.

“Who’s your daddy now?” You ask with a smirk, running out of the room.

You hear him stumble to his feet and chase after you as you approach the living room where your gun lies on the ground. Sliding to your knees, you grab it, only to have him kick it right out of your hands.

He tackles you to the ground and you use the momentum of the fall to roll him onto his back, you straddling his waist.

You raise your fists and lay into him, hitting him over and over again, mostly on his arms when he raises them to block your blows, but a fair amount hitting his face.

He blocks your punch with one arm then uses the other to grab you by the side of the neck and pull you onto the floor, switching your positions quickly.

Before he can hit you, you wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, slamming his head into the ground.

He groans then grabs you by the hips and stands up, stumbling a step as you stay clinging to his figure.

He runs you into the wall, and when that doesn't shake you off he slams you into the mirror on the opposite wall. You let go of him, sliding down onto the decorative stool and struggling to catch your breath while glaring at him.

You grab two heavy crystal decanters from beside your legs and bring them up, crushing them against either side of his head then diving forward onto him, legs around his waist again.

Your elbow finds purchase where his shoulder and neck meet, and you hit him there time after time, trying to find the spot of nerves that will make him collapse.

You eventually manage to get him on his back again, but before you can hit him he’s grabbing your hair and tossing you onto the floor beside himself.

He smacks you across the face and scrambles to his feet, then starts kicking you. You curl your knees to your chest to prevent him from hitting anything major, but he’s already landed a few solid kicks to your ribs and stomach.

You kick your own foot out and it hits its target between his legs, sending him crumpling to the ground.

The two of you struggle to your feet at the same time, and he stares at you, panting with his fists raised, and you do the same. He waist for you to make the first move but when your eyes dart a few feet to the left then back to him quickly, he drops his hands and dives over to where your guns lay strewn on the floor.

You grab yours and aim it at him while he grabs his and aims it at you.

Everything comes screeching to a halt and the house is silent, save for the panting coming from the two of you.

You slowly rise to your feet and he does the same, blue eyes trained on yours as you point the gun at his head.

He lowers his gun after a moment, glances down, then shakes his head and looks back up to you.

“I can’t do it,” he whispers. You shake your head, tears falling down your cheeks.

“Don’t! Come on, come on!” You shout, desperate for him to make the next move.

“You want it?” He asks softly, eyes never once leaving yours. “It’s yours.” He tosses the gun to the ground and you feel your bottom lip tremble.

He watches the tears, the sorrow in your eyes, and sighs when he realizes the anger and the determination are gone.

He takes a careful step forward and when you make no hostile move he pushes the gun out of your hand and tosses it to the floor.

His hands come up and cradle your face and you grab at his neck, pulling him in for a searing and passionate kiss.

His hands move down to your ass and he hoists you up, groaning against your lips when you wrap your legs around him, accidentally grinding against him. He pushes you to the kitchen table, sitting you down on it while his lips move down your throat, you gasp as he bites down, no doubt leaving a mark, and he kisses back up to your lips while his hands shove your dress up away from your legs, giving him access to what he wants.

You grab at his shirt, desperate for it to be off so you can feel the comforting warmth of his skin against yours.

He gets the hint and tears it down the middle, letting the shreds fall to the floor around his feet.

“James,” you whisper, gripping his shoulders and pulling him closer to you.

He pulls your dress off of your shoulders and lets it hang loose around your waist, his hands tearing your bra off then pulling your chest tight against his.

He groans at the feeling and kisses down your neck again before shoving his pants down his thighs and freeing his cock from the tight confines.

“You ready for me, baby?” He asks softly, voice a breathy moan in your ear. You nod, desperate to feel him in your already soaked heat.

He grabs your hips and pulls you to the edge of the table, sliding his cock through your folds a few times and hissing at the way your cunt soaks him within a matter of seconds.

“Please, James, please,” you beg, tears prickling your eyes. All you want is to feel him, every inch of him, against you.

He nods, pressing his forehead against yours as he slowly pushes himself into you. You moan lewdly, basking in the feeling of him pressing against your walls and stretching you so perfectly.

“Fuck,” he hisses. You lean up a bit, lips meeting his in a kiss that’s all teeth and tongue and fire. He slowly starts thrusting and you inhale sharply, moaning into his mouth and digging your nails into the meat of his shoulders. He grunts against your lips, hips moving faster while his hands grip your thighs tight enough to bruise.

You throw your head back, a loud moan tearing its way out of your throat, and his chest rumbles with a growl. He pushes you down flat on your back rather roughly, one hand coming up to grip your throat, his fingers flexing and squeezing around your neck.

Your mouth drops open, eyes closing as the pleasure builds between your legs.

“M’gonna make you cum for me, baby. Gonna make you cum nice and hard. You want that? Yeah?” You nod, prying your eyes open and gazing up at him, nothing but pure love and absolutely unfiltered need in your eyes.

He picks up speed, hammering into you with enough force to have you sliding up the table. The hand on your thigh pulls you back into him, forcing you to meet him thrust for thrust, and your pussy clenches with each thrust.

The intense feeling of him hitting every sensitive spot inside of you mixed with the overwhelming emotions flooding your body has you nearing the edge in record time,

He feels the fluttering of the walls, can see the way your eyes start rolling back, and he knows you’re close.

His fingers squeeze the tiniest bit harder on your throat while he pumps into you faster, angling his hips in such a way as to allow his pelvis to rub against your clit with every thrust.

Your back arches at the new stimulation and your walls convulse around his cock. He doesn’t stop, instead, he fucks you through your climax, determined to fill you up with his cum.

The spasming of your walls and the way you’re squeezing him so fucking tightly is enough to send him over the edge. His thrusts get sloppy as his muscles clench, his orgasm crashing over him in waves.

He cums inside of you in hot bursts, painting your swollen walls white with his release, marking you up and leaving his claiming mark inside of you.

A small part of his mind thinks back to the IUD you had packaged for him, and the thought of you getting pregnant makes him groan and lean down to kiss you, his hand moving from your neck to cradle your face.

He plants soft kisses across your face as you catch your breath, caught in your post-orgasmic haze. The hand on your thigh moves up to his shoulder, prying your nails out of his flesh and interlocking your fingers with his.

You pull your other hand up, fingers raking through his hair and massaging his scalp gently. He looks up at you, a grin on his face and you can’t help but giggle.

“How’s that for hate-fucking?” He asks. You roll your eyes and give his hair a tug.

“Shut up.” The two of you lapse back into silence, and this time you can’t keep the intrusive thoughts out.

“They’re gonna expect a body,” you murmur, eyes focused on a bullet hole in the kitchen ceiling. He hums his agreement, pushing himself up to stand straight and slipping his cock out of you. You whine softly, but follow his lead, sitting up and trying to ignore the feeling of his cum dripping out of you.

He leans back, not bothering to pull his boxers on properly, and looks at you. “So what do we do?” He asks. You take a deep breath and shake your head.

“If I don’t bring your head in on a silver platter then I’m sure I’ll be the next target. And there’s only so much running we can do.” He nods, pursing his lips before raising his eyebrows.

“Why don't our companies merge?” The idea seems so obvious that it’s ridiculous. “Maria would never agree to that.”

“Wait... Maria Hill?” You nod, looking at him curiously as he rubs his chin. “Maria and Nick have been butting heads for years. I’m not surprised we were sent to take out the same target. They’re always trying to one-up each other. Some fucking stupid falling out.” You raise your eyebrows.

“Nick Fury is your boss? Jesus Christ the man is ruthless.” Your husband chuckles then shrugs.

“C’mon. Let’s get you some clothes and then we can talk business.” You nod, hopping off of the counter and heading to the stairs, Bucky following close behind.

“Well... maybe getting dressed and talking business can wait. We’ve got some lost time to make up for,” he says from behind you, eyes focused on your ass. You shake your head, a smile on your face as you glance over your shoulder at him.

“You, James, are insatiable.”

He chuckles, slapping your ass and smiling at the squeal you let out. “Yeah, but you love it.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

[all-hallows-evie]

I will never be on freaking time for anything, lol, have I mentioned that yet?

I am ABSOLUTELY garbage with deadlines...unless I'm getting paid for said deadlines, ANYWAY...

I don't have anything done for Tech Tuesday this week so have some sneaks at stuff I'm working on below!! (everything is still a rough draft, no beta, we die like men blah blah...)

HONOR AMONG PIRATES:

Omega covers her giggle behind her hand, "When you sleep do you have pirate dreams?" She snickers, catching on to the game.

"Well, I guess I do now that you mention it!"

Tech rolls his eyes and makes a disapproving noise with his mouth before he turns and walks off to the side of the hill top, his helmet disappearing behind the tall grass.

"Oh." Omega’s eyes go wide, "Maybe we went too far?"

Nox sighs, "Stay here kid, I'll go get him." She chases after him, "Wait, Tech, I'm sorry! I was only teasing, I didn't mean any harm-"

"I've gotten enough teasing regarding my curiosity from my brothers to last me my lifetime, I don't need it coming from you as well."

"I know, I get it and I mean every bit of my apology," she catches up to him, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him to stop before he treks out further into the jungle that they are surrounded by.

He stops and turns to her, eyes scanning her face behind his goggles but when he doesn't see any trace of a lie his rigid stance turns a bit more neutral. "During the war we were not fortunate enough to encounter many species outside of our own, and our main points of contact were either Jedi or other clones. You can't fault me for wanting to learn more about you with the same veracity as Omega. To put things bluntly, you are much kinder to her line of questioning than my own."

She blinks back her surprise, "I didn't know you were genuinely interested."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I-" She's at a bit of a loss as to how to properly put say what pops into her mind, the sudden need to sugar coat things around him catches her off guard as well, "It's been my experience that the only thing about pirates that anyone ever wants to learn is how to be rid of us."

"Yes, well, disruptions of the status quo are never looked upon with any fondness."

"I- wait, are you calling me annoying?"

He chuckles behind his helmet before he turns away and continues his walk down the steep side of the terrain, "Quite possibly."

"Where are you going?" She calls back as she follows behind him, carefully picking her way through the dense undergrowth so as to not trip.

"Primary scans of the planet upon our rough entry indicated a large water source just under 3 klicks North, I was going to go investigate."

"Do you usually do these things alone?"

"Not frequently, no, but apart from our bounty hunter friends from earlier there doesn't seem to be any other hostile beings in the area. Why shouldn't I go alone?"

"What if you are wrong?"

"I'm never wrong." He replies simply, she hangs back a few steps behind him.

"Oh, well...I'll see you back at the ship then."

"You've already traveled this far," he continues to walk, "You may as well accompany me the rest of the way."

A happy little zap of excitement runs up her spine and she scrambles to catch up to his long strides.

-----

UNTITLED IMPERIAL!TECH X READER:

Tech stands at one corner of the barracks, staring down any recruit who dares to look his way. He knows he's not as intimidating as Crosshair is, especially when he's hidden under his new Imperial helmet. He smirks to himself, something about the new armor (or maybe it was the sudden power over these nat borns) really turned Crosshair into a new kind of monster.

"Pathetic." Crosshair chides, "Absolute bottom of the barrel." He stops, the edge of his boot crushing your toes as you try to stand still, "Especially you." The room is silent as he singles you out, "What's your TK number?"

"Uhm.." you can't help the tremor in your voice, a mix of terror and pain as he presses more weight onto your toes.

"Your call number girl." It's almost a growl and for a moment you swear there is no man under that black helmet but an animal.

"I don't have one?"

Your sad whimper of a response catches Tech's attention, he looks over towards you now, a slight tilt to his helmet the only giveaway of his sudden curiosity.

Crosshair grabs you across the collar and yanks you forward until your forehead is pressed against one of the valves at the bottom of his helmet, "Everyone has a call number."

You are sure he can feel your body shake through every fiber of your thin undershirt.

"Not necessarily everyone …" Tech pipes up through their private comm channel.

Cross looks back to him, "What are you playing at now?"

"Just a little side project." He replies and without another word he turns and leaves.

The room is still silent except for your labored attempts at holding back a cry. You hear the clone growl again, so close to your ear that the sound will forever be imprinted in your mind.

He tosses you aside, throwing you to the ground as he storms off after the other clone. You fall to your hands and knees but no help comes as the other recruits return to their quiet chattering before crawling into their racks for lights off.

------

taglist and people I just want to bother cuz I caaaaaaaaan 😋: @themarvelbunch @agentwhiskeysdarlin @ashotofspotchka @pascalisthepunkest

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 41

THE ROAD SO FAR

One step closer to the end.

FIVE Seconds

John 'Soap' MacTavish

Task Force 141 Base - Infirmary

We overcame Ultranationalists, chopper crashes, danger close with gunships but a goddamn dog is what'll get me into an infirmary? Rabies, ridiculous. What a waste of time. 

John wrote down his anger in his black journal. It housed all his thoughts ever since being recruited at the Task Force regarding mission briefings, regrets and training schedules. It was his outlet on all the things going on around the world.

He noticed that Captain Price also slept by the other bed, his eyes looked tired from staying up late, he never gave up on Volt that he tired himself out.

He winced at the pain of the bruise the rotten dog gave him. He was never really a fan of them as most dogs tend to chase him wherever he went. Yesterday was another proof. Luckily, France seemed to catch up on his body language, how he didn't want anyone to know that a dog was the reason he's in the infirmary. The way she knew it without telling her was starting to convince the Scotsman that he got himself a keeper. Someone who understands.

Speaking of which, the same gorgeous blonde girl entered the infirmary, greeting Soap with a very genuine smile of relief. 

"Hi." She smiled quietly as Price was still asleep. 

"Aye. Hello there." He greeted, his voice was low and rough as he attempted to catch the lady off guard. She may look tough wearing her 141 training uniform, but Soap knows how to make her lose her composure. 

"How's the wound?" She asked, her face was already turning red as she approached him. She looked so cute right now, Soap won't mind kissing her amidst the Captain being there along with some CCTVs.

"Getting better. Hopefully enough to join the fight. How about you?" he replied, smiling at the female soldier. The general mood of the room quickly shifted and the two of them were pretty aware about it.

"I'm fine. I'm just here to thank you for saving me back then. But you didn't have to… I deserved that bite for not being careful." She muttered.

Soap sighed. 

"Eh, you know full well that I care for you, France. For once let me be the hero." He chuckled and France laughed.

"You already know that you are my hero, dummy." She winked as she started to leave.

"I gotta go. It's my turn to clean up the comms. Wish you'd help me though, Hero." she teased as she left the room, Soap was left staring at her beautiful figure exit the room.

"You sure got yourself a tough lass there, lad." Price grumbled as he woke up, commenting on the two.

"Aye. She's definitely a keeper. I just hope I don't mess up. Because I think she's the one." Soap finally admitted, to Price of all people. The captain just chuckled.

"Yeah. My word of advice. Go with what your heart and mind says." He said with full sincerity, as if he didn't want Soap to regret everything. There was flavor in his words that made Soap wonder if such advice came from experience. Though he did hear rumors that he and Laswell had some sort of history, and he got that from France.

"Aye, Captain… Will do." Soap nodded and Price got up.

"I'm giving Volt a final visit." He grumbled and went off, leaving Soap alone in his thoughts once again.

The next day, Soap was cleared from the infirmary and was immediately tasked on the mission. Last night, Nero started his assault on the capital and thousands of rangers were struggling to keep them off the country. With Volt finally given up, he relayed information regarding one of Nero's allies.

They were going to Havana, the home base of the mind manipulation and the command center of Nero's forces. How it managed to stay hidden, nobody knows but the team was eager to find out soon. Especially that another nuke is ready for launch.

Abandoned Building, Cuba, Havana

Soap could hear France hum the song Havana quietly as she crossed her arms just before the plane started. She was nervous and Soap knew that so he tried to hold her hand in secrecy, showing him a face that assured her that everything will be alright.

In this mission, time was of the essence so stealth wasn't an option. They were headed to the base guns blazing, all in hopes to disable the second nuke launch.

The helo flew dangerously low as metal clanged on it's base as soon as enemies fired at it. It was a risky move but the squad needed to drop by the rooftops to get a clear vantage point.

Soap immediately seeked for cover by the edge of the rooftop, eyeing the door that led to the lower floors where the command center should be.

"We'll hold them off! You go!" Alex yelled as Soap, Price, Roach and France breached the door, descending to the second floor of the building. 

The place was abandoned and very open, enemies' footsteps echoed across the halls, making the team aware of their positions.

"Soap, focus on getting to the control room. We'll take care of them. France, cover his six. Roach and I will make a grand distraction." Price said, popping a grenade on the main hall and Roach assisted him, drawing all the attention towards them.

"Alex, when you're done sweeping up the yard, I need your team down here asap." Price muttered over comms.

"Roger that." he replied.

"Looks like it's you and me against the clock now." Soap managed to chuckle at their situation. France just chuckled and cleared the location so Soap could advance. This was her forte. Stealth and close quarters.

"You're good to go, John." She said as she took the stairs down. Soap cautiously followed as he heard gunshots from France's location.

"Two tangos down." She declared, clearing the staircase to the basement.

"Multiple tangos in the basement. Looks like we're in the right place." France nodded and Soap followed, pulling the pin of a grenade and tossing it to the narrow hallway.

"GRANADA!!" One yelled and an explosion followed, signaling the couple to press on the narrow hallway while they're dazed.

They shot down the enemies until more emerged from behind, trapping the two of them.

"Shite! At this rate we'll never push forward. We're pinned!" Soap called for help.

"Someone's escaping! Reinforcements are arriving!" Alex warned as the team was now overwhelmed with hostiles. Time was running out.

"John! Watch my six and I'll clear a path for you." France said and left without letting him reply. This worried Soap but he had to trust her and so he covered her six. Shooting at enemies dumb enough to dive on to the narrow hallway. He did his best to retaliate by firing back and tossing any grenades back to its source.

It felt like the longest two minutes of his life. France fought her way to the command center and him, defending the entrance while his ammo slowly ran out. Then after what seemed like forever, he heard her go signal.

Soap ran as fast as he could, and just before he lost sight of the entrance, he saw Price immediately follow him. They did it. They cleared the entrance.

He fished out his journal for the cryllic translator, decoding every letter just so he could stop the launch. They only had five seconds left. 

Soap furiously typed the code Volt gave them and pressed enter as soon as it's done. The launch didn't stop. Soap figured that they were too late, but Price's face never looked worried.

"Captain. The launch didn't stop! What are we going to do?" France said, worried.

"It's all according to plan." He muttered as he signaled his head to head back to the rooftop.

"Let's burn this place down." He added and they all ran back to the rooftops for exfil.

"Dropping the skyhook now! Latch yourselves in!" Eagle Two Four yelled as the thick rope dropped from the sky, Soap quickly latched himself in and looked behind him. France was a few meters away from the final hook as a stray bullet grazed her thigh.

"France! Hang on!" Soap quickly detached himself almost automatically, without thinking. The rest of the team were already being hoisted up when they noticed the two members still on the rooftops.

Soap's body felt the rush as he quickly carried her up and held her tight, running toward the last hook and quickly attaching himself in, all while holding her tight in his arms.

"Why didn't you call out to me? You know I'm going to save you whatever it takes." he whispered as he felt France already in tears. If it wasn't for him always checking out on her, she would've been left alone in that abandoned building.

"Is she going to be fine?" The worried Scotsman asked the nurse. His voice was almost loud enough to disturb everyone else.

"She got hit twice. One on the chest and one on the thigh. They're both minor but she just passed out from the panic and exhaustion. We found this on her chest. The thing practically saved her life." The nurse handed over his journal. Soap's eyes widened at the hole that pierced through the whole book. He must've left it when he typed the abort codes and she must've grabbed it from there.

"The bullet barely pierced through her armor thanks to that book." She said as Soap looked up and silently thanked that she was safe. He quickly flipped through the pages until he found the page where he drew her. The bullet hole on the page was where her heart was. It was funny because it was the other way around. That woman was the one that fired a bullet straight to his heart. And he wasn't a big fan of metaphors at this rate.

"So is she okay?" Roach quickly ran to Soap's side, a worried look on his face. Alex and Price were behind him.

"The journal saved her." He said, raising the pierced black book as proof.

"She's lucky enough you got her on time. I couldn't think of any other way she could be saved from there." Price commented as she looked at her through the glass.

"She's a tough lad. But sometimes she needs to understand that she isn't alone." Price added and Alex nodded. 

"She'll wake up soon." Alex tapped Soap's shoulder and he nodded, as they left the infirmary for another briefing.

On the way to the briefing room, they caught up with Ghost and Alexandra bringing an unknown man to the interrogation area, which prompted the team to follow.

Inside the interrogation room's observation area, the team sat while Price and Jack talked to the man.

"Nice to see ya, Jack. Thought Nero got rid of you." He smugly said with a wide annoying grin on his mouth.

"Who is this prick, anyway?!" Roach hissed.

"That's Gabriel Lannister. CIA's Research and Development Head." Alex said nonchalantly, Soap could see the disbelief in his eyes. There was more than just one mole in his previous department.

"He was the one in charge with the mass manipulation of the missing persons cases." Ryder added.

"While you lot launched the nuke, he went off running with four convoys of protection. Luckily we were able to intercept them by the bridge." Ghost informed.

"What about the nuke?" Soap asked, completely forgetting about it. It was his responsibility, as he typed the whole command on it.

"Blasted at Nero's fleet not too far from the White House. If you were five seconds later, the war would've ended differently." Ryder supplied the information.

"And the capital?" Roach asked.

"Mostly damaged, but it will recover. Turns out Nero did really burn the place down." Ghost answered. 

"What about Nero?" Alex asked, eyes not leaving the whole interrogation.

"No one knows where he is. We were hoping this guy would give information about him." Ryder pointed to Gabriel, who was having a fun time at the interrogation.

The tension inside the room was different. Each person had their own little realizations and this pushed them to end the war as soon as possible.

Soap immediately exited the area and went back to the infirmary.

"Hey." He was greeted by France, who was already up.

"How are you holding up?" He asked, his tone more concerned than ever.

"Well, It doesn't hurt right now but… I'm… I almost died out there, John… What if I died?" Her voice croaked and tears started falling from her eyes. John quickly approached her and hugged her gently close to his chest.

"Don't say that… What's important is you're alive… I got you and you're safe…" He whispered.

"Thank you." She croaked. John just rubbed her back assuring her everything will be alright.

"No. Thank you. You changed me, France. You made me realize a lot of things. I know that this isn't the most perfect place right now, but… Will you be my girlfriend? Because I can't help thinking about how every single day of my life since I met you, I can't stop thinking about you. Your smile, your face, the things you say, the way you hide what you really feel. I want all of those and after that last mission, I realized that I shouldn't have left you waiting. There was no better time than as soon as possible." He said, offering his notebook as replacement for flowers.

France nodded with tears in her eyes, accepting the journal with confusion.

"Turn it on the last page." Soap said as she did it, showing a sketch of her and him together happily smiling. She wore the clothes she wore when they were out together in that coffee shop.

"This is beautiful." She said, tracing a finger on the paper.

"I love you, John MacTavish." She said as she leaned in for a kiss, not letting him reply.

Next Chapter : FOUR Weeks of Silence

Notification Squad my Beloved

@smokeywhalee @enderio @samatedeansbroccoli @ricinbach @whimsywispsblog @bumblingbee1

[itsuki-minamy]

“KINGDOM OF RED": Chapter 2 (Pages 93 to 146)

TRANSLATION & RAWS: NARU-KUN

The wall was badly broken.

Suoh, who dropped out of school after completing the supplementary lessons, was sitting on the bench at the bus stop. He wasn't waiting for the pass. It was a hot and humid day in which the sun was raging even though it was June. So on the way home, he buys ice cream on a stick and sit on the bench at a cabin-style bus stop in the shade to eat ice cream.

The bus stop is no longer in use (at least Suoh has never seen a bus stop here), and it seems like it has been left unattended and has forgotten to check out. The roof and walls to prevent rain and wind are made of wood and have corroded over the years. However, it is useful to avoid the sun. The road was up a hill and the bus stop was near the bottom of the hill.

Moist, gentle heat envelops his body. It was windy, but the wind direction was bad. The wind blowing from the side is blocked by the wall and does not hit Suoh. This stop was good for umbrellas, but it was also a windbreaker. There is no choice but to look at the state of the tree swaying in the wind.

Quiet early summer afternoon. The first to notice it were his ears.

From a distance, he hears the sound of a bicycle's wheels spinning at tremendous speed. He wondered if he was getting closer, "Ooh!" He hears the voice of a child screaming.

And the wall was broken.

The corroded wooden wall was completely destroyed by a bicycle that rushed down with tremendous force, and a child riding on the tattered bicycle appeared in front of Suoh. He was thrown from his bicycle, fluttered in the air for a moment, rolled on the ground, hit a wall opposite the wall that his bicycle had destroyed, and stopped.

"What the hell..."

The boy frowns painfully, almost upside down from the impact of rolling.

He meets Suoh, who was sitting on the bench at the bus stop and eating ice cream. The boy opened his eyes and said, still in an upside down position.

"Are you hurt?"

"You're…"

Even if he thinks about it, the questions are absurd.

The boy, groaning, finally gets up from a prone position and checks his body. Then, he squeezes the brake on the bike that fell and jerked.

"I thought I was lucky because the bicycle was thrown in the dumpster, but it looks like the brakes were broken. I'm sorry for the surprise. I'm glad I didn't hurt you!"

The boy said that with a smile on his face. A cool breeze blows through a large hole in the wall of the destroyed bus stop. The child's pale hair ruffled fluffy.

Is he a high school student? He was a childish boy with a well-organized face and a slim figure.

"Well, it wasn't the case since you were relaxed. I'm going!"

The boy suddenly seemed to remember something, but as soon as he stood up, he frowned and stopped moving. Apparently his leg was injured.

"Ugh. No use. Sorry, can I hide for a bit?"

The boy hid behind the bench without Suoh's consent. Suoh wasn't particularly interested, so he left him alone and ate the rest of the ice cream.

Before long, he hears several jerky footsteps. Three bad-looking men run. At first glance, they are wearing a fashion that spared no effort so that they could be recognized as bullies. The dangling gold accessories make a jarring noise.

"Hey."

A man with a shaved head calls out to Suoh.

"Has a high school boy come this way?"

Suoh didn't reply. Perhaps that attitude was annoying, one of the men clicked his tongue.

"Hey, answer what I ask you!"

When Suoh was still silent, he was touched from behind on his back. The boy hiding behind the bench. It seems to be a sign to do him a favor.

Suoh opened his mouth, thinking it would be troublesome.

"I do not know."

"You lie! It's the kid on the bicycle that fell over here!"

From behind the bench, he hears a faint, impressive sound. Apparently, he did not know that he would be caught on a bicycle. It can be silly.

Behind the terrifying bully before Suoh, the other two compare the bicycle to the destroyed wall and turn their necks, saying, "What happened?" "Is that child okay?"

"I do not know."

When Suoh told him that, the shaven-headed thug got enraged and grabbed Suoh.

But before his hand grabbed Suoh's chest, the boy hiding behind the bench came out and stopped the bully. The child, holds the bully's hand, shakes his hand and smiles.

"Sorry I was here."

Suoh was amazed.

Didn't he want them to hide him? No, he really didn't want to hide behind Suoh, but he wondered what to do if he hid and came out later.

The man who was about to grab Suoh also grimaced in frustration. After exposing a face of direct surprise for about two seconds, he felt relieved as if he had returned to himself, and forcibly pulled on the hand that was paired with the boy. He slides the back of the bench and forces him to tip over, and the boy is dragged in front of the men.

"Uh..."

"You can't run anymore. Where did your father go?!"

The bully held the boy with his hands and pressed his rough face closer to the boy.

"I don't know. Like I said before, my uncle often goes on a trip, so if I go on a trip, I don't even know where to go."

Even if it's scary, he doesn't seem scared at all. He is used to this situation or he is just nervous? However, even though it wasn't sexual harassment, he seemed to be in trouble.

"Liar! I wonder if you became a decoy and let your father escape!"

"Well that's correct."

"So you're admitting that you let him get away!"

"That's right. If you ask me, I'm in trouble when they ask me. No, I'm still in trouble, right?"

Apparently, it is not exactly this child who is being persecuted, but the child's father.

Suoh grabbed the wooden ice cream stick that he had finished eating and tossed it in the trash next to him. A dirty, rusty metal trash can with the sound of a wooden stick falling and a clicking sound.

The men turned their eyes as if the sound reminded them of Suoh's existence.

"Hey, who are you? Do you know him?"

"I don't know. He was there when I got rid of my bicycle."

The boy said before Suoh answered. It seems like he is trying to get involved without permission and the child doesn't want to get him involved anymore.

Suoh sighed and looked at the men. Ignoring their faces, if he looks at each one, he can see a tense atmosphere running between the men. The shaved man, who was holding the boy in his hand, gulped and released the boy's hand. He can see the child blinking as if surprised.

"What are you doing?"

The words thrown at Suoh were terribly devoid of content.

"It is a demon."

Suoh said in a low voice...

"Get lost."

The air sways. In the movement of the air, he realized that these men would not approach. He can tell by the smell that he is willing to fight.

"What, cheeky..."

One of the guys said in a silly voice, maybe he couldn't retreat. Another person touches his elbow.

"No, don't waste it here. It's not our job to deal with an unrelated child."

With that word as a hint to retreat, the men returned the brilliance. "Next time your father goes somewhere, ask him where he's going!"

Suoh stayed behind with the boy and somehow looked at his face.

The boy's eyes were wide and he was looking at Suoh.

The two brown eyes reflect a lot of light and shine. His focus was on Suoh's eyes, direct enough to look like a prisoner.

For a moment, Suoh was a bit confused.

He feels like he hasn't been able to face such a straight line of sight from a non-hostile opponent these days. Most of the people who come are those who are trying to sell a fight, and most of the people who are not, look away as if they thought they would be bitten if they looked directly at Suoh. Even people, like Kusanagi and Honami, who try to communicate with the surrounding people, rarely look directly at this point.

The child's eyes, which pierce his gaze from the front in an attempt to identify the other person without any intention, are like when a child observes a person. He felt that uncomfortable straightness.

"King?"

The boy said, looking at Suoh.

It was an oddly cautious tone that he could tell that he was afraid to bow his head.

"Ah?"

When he frowns without understanding the meaning, the boy tilts his neck, which had been tilted to the left, again to the right, giving him a thoughtful look.

"Hmm... It doesn't feel right..."

He can't see what the story is. It was okay to throw him out, but he was a little worried about what this kid would say next, and he look forward to the next words.

The boy suddenly seemed to have some inspiration and said.

"King!"

As soon as he said that word, the boy became confident and nodded.

"Yes, King is the best fit."

"What are you talking about?"

"The story of your name."

The boy said with an innocent smile.

"Can I call you King?"

"Do what you want."

Amazed, this time he left the boy and began to walk. The boy came out to chase him and yelled, "Ouch!" It seems he forgot he had an injured leg and moved.

"King, wait a minute! I can't walk!"

He stopped and looked back reluctantly. The boy laughed happily. With a simple smile like that of an old friend, he approaches Suoh.

"Sorry, but could you give me a hand?"

In the end, Suoh was replaced by a child's cane.

He didn't have the righteousness or the kindness to keep up with him, but for some reason he was caught up in the boy's rhythm. There was no such thing as listlessness in the way the boy spoke and interacted, rather it was not strangely clingy.

Speak frankly and dryly, with no signs of compassionate or intrusive appeal. The ease with which the boy would not get hurt or angry at all, even if he declined his request, on the contrary, may have made Suoh feel like he could get a little more involved.

The boy grabs Suoh's high shoulder as if he is dangling and walks so as not to put his weight on his injured leg.

“The people I mentioned above are debt collectors. My uncle loves gambling and just got into debt."

"Uncle?"

"Oh, that's my dad."

When he was skeptical about some of the words spoken by the boy and repeated like a parrot, the boy complimented.

"I think those debt collectors aren't bad people either. They don't normally blame me, but I helped my uncle escape today, so I think I pissed them off."

"Where did he go when you let him get away?"

"I don't know. Like I told those people, I haven't asked."

While lending his shoulder to the boy, listening to his words, he finally came to a small apartment.

It's an older, two-story apartment that's rare these days. The inner door to the first floor was open.

"That open door over there is my house. I ran away in a hurry, so I left the door open."

The metal door that seems to make a cheap noise when knocked is wide open. Next to the door was a name tag with the words "Ishigami". What hides the back of the room is a thin, hand-made piece of fabric that looks like it was made by joining pieces of fabric together. Beyond that, there was a small tatami room that integrated with the kitchen. It's messy, but not crowded. Daily necessities and messy and unclear sundries are boxed and decorated as a small display, and it can be seen that the owner of this room is living happily as is. However, as a sign that he had run away, he saw a container of hot water lying on the ground.

When the boy removed his hand from Suoh's shoulder, he entered the room, believing that Suoh would naturally approach, and without a doubt, he said, "King, is it okay with Gobocha?"

"What is Gobocha?"

"As the name suggests, it seems to be gobo tea. The neighbor told me it was good for my health and she bought it, but I didn't like the taste. She gave me a drink, so when I told her it was not delicious, she gave me a lot."

The child takes a teapot with tea from the refrigerator, stirs the drink and pours it. He put two cups on the table and looks at Suoh with a smile.

Suoh walks into the room, takes the drink in one hand and drinks it. The flavor hasn't changed much, but the scent that comes out of the nose is definitely that of Gobo.

Hydrate his throat with a very cold tea with an unusual flavor. At first glance, the house did not appear to have air conditioning, but a cool breeze was blowing in through the open windows. There is a clink. When he rolled his eyes, a wind chime that looked like handmade was hanging from the curtain rail.

It's still good now, but he thinks it's hard to spend time in this house when summer comes around, but this kid laughed that he didn't have a cooler and enjoyed the little tricks to avoid the heat. It felt like this.

"It was incredible what happened a moment ago.", said the boy with a smile.

"A moment ago?"

"When you got rid of the debt collectors. King, you saw them and they all ran away."

Suoh snorted a bit at the comment. The boy also narrowed his eyes in a funny way at Suoh's appearance.

The boy drank his tea in one sitting, took a breath, stood up with his crooked leg elevated, dumped tap water into a plastic bag, threw in some ice, and tied it up. He wrapped it in a towel and put it on his ankle. Keep talking gently while quickly treating the affected area.

"Keep in mind that there are colors, shapes and temperatures."

"Ah?"

Suoh frowned at the sudden comment. The boy still has a slight smile.

"No, I could see the sign, I'm not saying I'm like an expert or something."

After trying to apologize, the boy looked away, perhaps trying to remember what he had just seen.

"I could see King's signal growing in the narrow space. I think they could see it too, so they ran away. I didn't run away simply because I wasn't afraid of King's eyes."

The boy continues talking while looking at him.

"It doesn't mean I feel the line of sight, you don't emit a beam from your eyes, I'm not talking about that. But it's true. It's the first time I've seen a person's intentions so clearly. It's like I've seen a ghost although I shouldn't have been inspired."

Suoh glanced at the boy. The child smiles vaguely and looks down to bite into something.

"Is there color, shape or temperature?"

"There was. King's sign is... the temperature is high and it feels red. Then it grows like a glow."

It was like listening to a children's poem. The boy shook his eyes as if trying to find a suitable expression.

"Yes, it was like a flame. Everyone knows that if you touch it you will get burned, that's why the King sign scares everyone. But, although I know it is scary, fire attracts people."

Once, the child removes the ice pack from his leg and observes. Suoh looked at him and said in a low voice.

"What is that?"

"Huh? What?"

"What is King?"

The boy slowly blinked his big eyes a few times, and after a while, he bowed his head.

"Because you are like a King."

"What do you mean?"

The boy changes the tone that seemed calm until then and speaks like a child.

"When King looked at them and made a great sign, I thought you were a king! You were like a great king!"

"It was like a flame from a little while ago."

"The flame looked like a king."

"Was it even covered with a crown?"

"Well maybe it's a little different..."

The boy also made a pensive little face and made his eyes shine.

"You are a lion. You are like a lion with strong fangs. A lion would be the king of beasts."

Suoh sighed and stood up.

He couldn't keep up. Or rather, he had been with him long enough.

The boy didn't try to stop Suoh, who was about to go home, and said, "Oh, are you going home? Thank you for today."

"See you."

The boy responded to Suoh's miserable greeting with a bright smile.

"See you again, King!"

See you, the words were not just greetings.

Then the boy appeared many times before Suoh. He appears casually as a dog or cat that you often run into during a walk, and when he thinks he have been following him for a while, he easily disappears.

After repeating such a thing several times, Suoh got used to the boy's existence. He come to accept him as a familiar dog or cat.

Those who have been close to Suoh so far are those who fear him, or those who have a sense of hostility. There are even those who borrow Suoh's power, try to use him as a shield, or feel the illusion that they became stronger when they were close to Suoh.

With the exception of Kusanagi, who never entered Suoh's territory, even when he was near Suoh, and drew a refreshing, clean line. Kusanagi's way of taking a distance was refreshing to Suoh, probably because most of the people who sided with Suoh were the ones who stepped in and hit him, or the ones who came up and tried to lean on him.

In comparison, that boy enters this area, both physically and mentally. However, if he want to lean on him, he don't and disappears. After all, he looked like an animal without human thoughts or speculation.

Suoh himself is called a beast and is used to being treated like an animal. Such a beast got acquainted with a friendly dog ​​and cat.

++++++++++

It doesn't make sense for Suoh to wander around town.

He does not have a positive desire to play, nor does he want a place to stay. Like a fish swimming in a tank of water, just walking around town.

Suoh has never felt a clear inconvenience in his life. Although his parents died early, he had a legacy he could live with. It was his eccentric grandfather who became Suoh's guardian after his parents died, and did little to interfere in Suoh's life with minimal discipline when he was young.

There is no shortage and there is no particular bond.

Still, Suoh felt that this world was narrow.

A world in which people are crowded and various emotions intertwine, as if walking is going to hit their shoulders. There was always a vague feeling of obstruction, no, a strong feeling of irritation.

(Your parents were laid back and nice people.)

His grandfather once said while drinking. He wondered why a child like him was born to such human beings.

(But it may have been unusual for me to freely accept a child like you.)

He was a stubborn and silent grandfather. He became ill and was strongly recommended to be hospitalized, but refused to decide where he would die. He hated hospitals and terrible treatments that would only postpone death, with a force that could be said to be hatred.

(I live freely and die. You also live freely.)

His grandfather stretched his back and looked at Suoh, even though he was thin from illness and had black, depressed eyes.

(You decide how to deal with that annoying thing in you.)

His grandfather's finger pierced the middle of Suoh's chest. He doesn’t hear what his grandfather said was a nuisance. However, he intuitively felt that it was related to this vague sense of obstruction that constantly envelops Suoh.

Suoh swim in the city like a fish. A town called Shizume where he was born and raised. People crowd and cross, it looks beautiful, it is also like a sweep.

Suoh doesn't hate humans like his grandfather. If the horses meet, they will meet each other and there will be no feeling of revulsion towards each other. Sometimes he finds it fun to hang out with Kusanagi.

Still, as Honami said, he certainly thought it was easy to be afraid of the people around him.

He doesn't hate humans. However, the intertwined human thoughts and feelings strengthened Suoh's sense of obstruction.

The "troublesome thing" in Suoh is probably why people around him are afraid of him and call him "beast", and that boy calls him "King".

"Oh, it's King."

Suddenly, he hears a bright and familiar voice.

Suoh, who was walking through the city smoothly, stopped. There is only one person who calls Suoh as King.

As expected, see the boy sitting down. The boy was in a circle of friends in front of the play center.

Suoh tried to pass by with a glance, but the boy was quick to say something to his friends around him.

There was no reason to wait, so Suoh continued without loosening his legs. The boy takes a brisk step and stands next to Suoh, looking up with a loose smile.

"It's the first time I've met you at night, King."

The boy said that, in a tone that was funny.

Suoh doesn't respond in particular and stomps on the dirty street surface.

By the way, Suoh vaguely thought that this boy would appear only at certain times of the day.

After school, he was playing near the place where he first met him, which is also Suoh's school route, and he was waiting in front of Suoh's high school while being nice to the students. To Suoh, this boy was a creature that haunted bright places.

"Did you go out at night to party despite being a kid?"

After saying that, he realized that it is surprising that this boy plays in Shizume at night.

The boy smiled after blinking his big eyes.

"A child is not much different from you, King."

"I'm going."

"Totsuka."

He thought he was a boy who was 12 years old at the most and had just entered high school. He's probably lower than average, and he has seen him in uniform multiple times, but didn't feel like he was wearing it.

However, there is not a big difference between twelve and fourteen, and in that sense, the difference between Suoh and this boy is not that great.

"Where are you going, King?"

"Separately."

Suoh candidly replies to the listening boy as he walks with a step that seems to bounce slightly beside Suoh. The boy was a guide.

"Does that mean it's not destiny?"

"That does not exist."

"So why are you walking?"

"There is no reason."

It is like a fish swimming in a tank of water. The boy looked at Suoh again for a while and laughed softly.

"After all, King is like a lion."

Eat, sleep, just walk around the place. Certainly animal behavior.

The boy doesn't want to know about Suoh, even though he follows Suoh. They meet in town, move on, and then go home.

Suddenly, Suoh realized that he didn't even know the boy's name. He was a bit surprised and speaks in the first person. He hangs around and talk nonsense, but he never asks for a name.

"Your…"

The boy looked at him as he spoke.

"Name is…"

It blinks, clicks and blinks twice. Then the boy also grimaced that he finally realized the fact that they did not know each other's names.

"Tatara Totsuka."

Totsuka rubs his nose. He felt stagnant for some reason.

A boy who calls himself Tatara Totsuka says with an impulse...

"I don't know King's name!"

Suoh simply called himself Suoh, while looking at the surprised boy.

"Suoh Mikoto."

The boy spoke the name in a tone like singing a spell, and his eyes were round.

"It's amazing that I have heard about the name and the rumors, King is Suoh."

"Did you know? Hmm, didn't you know?"

It seems like he didn't know he was the same person, even though he called him King and knew about Suoh's rumors.

Suoh was amazed and glanced at Totsuka, and tried to remember what he was caught up in.

"Name plate."

Suoh said, remembering an earlier event.

"The name of the front card is different."

Totsuka made a surprised face.

"Do you remember well?"

When he found him, he met this boy with an injured leg and brought him home. At that moment, he saw the front card of the house. He didn't want to remember it, but it seems like it stayed somewhere in his head.

"Uncle's last name is Ishigami. But I'm a collected kid, so my last name is different."

"Eh?"

Totsuka revealed the origin in a light tone, which seems heavy from the point of view of general sensibilities.

"Was I three years old? I don't remember much, but it seems like I was dropped off at the park. I knew my name and I was carrying a small backpack with some money."

"Didn't you change your last name?"

"Yeah. Well, it doesn't mean I can't find a father. Until then, I thought I could live in that house for now. So it looks like we're living together."

That's probably why he calls his father "uncle." Considering how he met Totsuka, his father does not appear to be a legitimate type of adult, and may be living with him with the intention of having a small presence rather than as a father.

The slight freedom, kindness and somewhat dry atmosphere of the child, despite his original personality, can come from his birth and upbringing.

"Totsuka."

Say the name for the first time. Totsuka replied lightly.

"Yes?"

"Because you follow me?"

It is a new question. Totsuka looked lightly and crossed his arms to think.

"Why is it exciting?"

"Exciting."

Involuntarily returns the word like a parrot. He frowns and sees Totsuka walking beside his.

"There's a lot of fun in the world, but that's definitely not the case, is it? But there's something I can definitely say when I'm with King. I feel like it's there."

It's an awkward and fluffy answer.

"I do not know what it means."

"Well, in a nutshell..."

Totsuka thought for a moment and nodded aloud.

"I will be a servant of the king."

Suoh had a very strange face. If Kusanagi were here, he thought he would have an astonished face.

"Servant of the king?"

"That's correct. Who is there besides King?"

Totsuka smiles and says it as something natural.

After a while, he realized that Totsuka is a person who is very interested in various things. It seems that the interest in Suoh is only temporary. Suoh took a deep breath, wondering if it was useless to take him seriously.

"The king's servant is faking his current pastime?"

Totsuka also put on a serious and thinking face. The silence this time is unexpectedly long. This child, who usually speaks firmly, takes time to respond only when he thinks deeply.

After spending a long time thinking, Totsuka said...

"I feel different."

"What?"

"I can't explain how I feel, but it's not my hobby. I like to try different things, but this is not the case."

Despite the irrelevant reply as usual, Totsuka's tone was unwavering. He thinks he's a funny guy. He looks like an idiot with a lack of screws in his head, but there are times when he seems to be looking at something different.

"Then…"

Totsuka said in a serious tone. He always speaks in a soft tone that seems to include a smile, so the mood changes when it becomes serious.

"I wonder if I want to stay away."

What? He tries to ask, but before that, he notice a sign of the way to go.

He turns his gaze to him. Three men stood up. It is a trio of a large man, a man of medium height, medium back, golden hair tied behind him, and a tall, thin man. Although the face and body were not alike at all, the atmosphere created was exactly the same. They are the ones who often intimidate their environment with their appearance and attitude. They seem to be floating in the surroundings, which the general public would avoid if they walked, and they blend into Shizume city at night as a background.

The men's eyes caught Suoh directly.

Suoh stops and ignores those who get in the way.

There was a distinct smell of hostility in them. For Suoh, the smell he got used to. The aggressive will is exposed in the eyes of the men to whom it is directed.

"King."

Totsuka calls Suoh. It doesn't seem awkward, but it is a voice with a soft color.

"Go somewhere."

He told him in a low voice, but there was no sign of Totsuka moving.

Suoh didn't look at Totsuka, he just looked at the ones standing in front of him and waited for the next action.

"You are Suoh Mikoto."

A large man standing in front of him said that. The upper arm muscles extending from the black tank top are tight and swollen. More than a threatening act, it was more like an unconscious force at the signs of battle.

The men look at each other as if they are talking to each other.

"Do you know Mitsuha-san?"

Mitsuha. Suoh looks for the name in his head and remembers it. He remembered him because he was a strange guy. The man who knew Kusanagi. Suddenly he came and got into a fight with Suoh. He's used to getting into fights, but he's never done it like that.

Was the full name Mitsuha Kurayama? It seems like he was a famous guy in Shizume. Kusanagi said he was rampaging almost like a street demon, equivalent to suicide.

Suoh remembered Mitsuha Kurayama's eyes.

Behind the dull color, there is something that burns violently, the eyes that glow black.

That eye had a reminiscent color. The irritation and resignation the man had were familiar to Suoh.

"What did you do to Mitsuha-san?"

Says a big man with a grumpy voice. To call him Mitsuha-san, they must have been members of Mitsuha Kurayama's group. After losing to Suoh, Kurayama obeyed Suoh's words to disappear, and disappeared from this artistic district. Are the remaining subordinates looking for the missing team leader?

Perhaps he was frustrated by Suoh, who was just looking back without answering, the big man distorted his face. However, he doesn't grab it in frustration, but licks his lower lip in a hasty gesture.

"Did you kill him?"

Suoh is momentarily absent when asked a tense question despite being intimidating. A peaceful voice echoed before Suoh understood its meaning.

"Ah, I've heard that too. It is rumored that Suoh Mikoto killed a person named Mitsuha Kurayama."

Suoh saw the owner of the voice that did not fit the content at all. Totsuka makes a smiling face without feeling tension by removing the poison.

"But you didn't kill him, did you?"

In a noisy situation, Totsuka is creating a loose atmosphere by himself. Suoh clicked his tongue.

"What if I killed him?"

"What should I do? But you didn't kill him, did you, King?"

Totsuka says that with a face that seems to respond to a test of confidence. The men around him also seemed crazy because they did not adapt to the situation.

Suoh gets tired and opens his mouth to end the matter quickly. "I faced him because he sold me a fight... So after I hit him, I told him to disappear, and he disappeared."

The men mutter under their breath at the explanation.

"Did you beat Mitsuha-san?"

"Don't be silly, why would Mitsuba-san listen to you?"

The men said that. Suoh no longer responded. Just be quiet and look at the men in front of him.

The men were ready to attack Suoh. There are no signs of quitting. The hostility and aggressive will that emanate from them smell stronger. It is the smell of a beast that rises at the signs of violence.

The big man in the lead in a black tank top stepped forward. After that, a flashy blond man and a tall, thin man spread sideways as if trying to lock Suoh up. All three are in a combat pose. Suoh warned Totsuka who was behind, "Go away.", Without turning around.

"Damn. How dare you say you beat Mitsuha-san!"

The big man said that while raising his big arm. A powerful fist slices through the air and hits Suoh's left cheek.

He hears a buzzing in his ear for a moment. The hit part is hot.

A momentary sensation of shaking the world and the heat.

It was permission for Suoh to break free. A sign that he, who is forced to live in a small world, will rush to the front.

The edge of his mouth lifted. A smile comes naturally. The big man who hit Suoh looks into Suoh's eyes.

He shook his shoulder. The flashy blonde in the back yells and jumps up in a hurry, as if grabbing his foot for a moment and taking it in. A tall, thin man pulls a knife from his back pocket and raises the blade with just a snap of his wrist.

Hostility and targeted harm. It is a familiar feeling. Sparks that continue to fall punishing. It is annoying and frustrating. However, it was also true that he feels liberated from the narrow world only at this moment. He knew it was just a momentary illusion.

Suoh stabbed at his fangs and giggled, stepping out of the tight little place that was pushing him inside.

++++++++++

The big man, turned into a big lump on the street and spread conspicuously. The black tank top is damp with blood from the nose. The skinny man is crouched on his stomach, and a blond man with a puffy face is trying to provoke the large man to pass out, with a sigh.

The deal was completed in five minutes.

Suoh has a fist with the blood of one of the three men, wiping it loosely on the waistband of his pants.

The passing heat is easily removed, and he suddenly remember it with a cool head.

What happened to Totsuka?

Before the fight started, he was aware of him, but after it started, he completely forgot about his existence.

"Hey, help me!"

When the blond man managed to lift the large man's body, he hysterically called out to the other thin man. The skinny man looked down the street, holding his stomach with one arm. Find the knife that fell and try to pick it up. He can no longer see the fighting spirit anywhere. He guesses he's just trying to collect it.

But before that, a slim hand reached out and picked up the knife lying on the street.

It was Totsuka.

He has a slightly embarrassed look on his childish face and slowly bends the butterfly knife to close the blade.

"Put down the knife!"

Totsuka said that, thinking that he would pick it up as it was, simply handed the well-bent knife back to the thin man. The man looks great.

"Oh."

The blond man called again in a voice mixed with irritation and impatience. The skinny one grabs the knife with a complicated look, and when he puts it in his pocket, he stands up and goes to his friends. The blonde and the other grabbed the tall man by the arms and dragged his body.

Suoh didn't say a word and sees the men's backs.

"Hey, you're strong." Totsuka said.

The admiring voice is a bit old-fashioned and feels relaxed.

"If you stay with me, you will get hurt."

"Hey. I'm running away fast. More than that, take this."

Totsuka gives him a soda. It was a can of cola that was sweating a bit on the surface.

"What?"

"Your face. Put it on while it's cold."

He seems to refer to the cheek that received the first blow. In other words, when Suoh started fighting and was beaten, it appears that Totsuka went to buy a cola from the soda machine.

He thought he was a fuzzy guy, and that he was scared and lost.

Suoh receives the can of cola that Totsuka offered him and puts it on his cheek. Feel a little tingling and a pleasant coldness on his cheek. However, it got troublesome in a few seconds, put the can down and grab the tab.

"Oh, if you don't cool it down yet, will it swell later?"

"Shut up."

"Is it good? Is it really good?"

Suoh caused a jerk, even though he was skeptical of Totsuka. Immediately after that, a column of brown bubbles stood in front of him.

It's bright enough to be inadvertently overlooked, with cola bubbles gushing from the open can.

Shining in the light of the city center at night, the tail sprouted out with a refreshing sound and fell on Suoh's head.

"……"

Suoh stared at Totsuka's face, glue dripping from the tip of his chin.

Totsuka was also blessed with the cola and his face was drenched.

"Fu."

Totsuka laughed as if he couldn't bear it. He shakes his wet head like a dog to get rid of the water, holds his stomach and laughs.

"Ahahahahaha, I didn't think it'd gush out until now. Wow, I got wet too."

"I shook it."

"It would have been safe if you had cooled your face properly. Anyway, I've never seen such a good way to release. Unsurprisingly, King has something!"

Suoh was in awe of Totsuka, who laughed and wanted to take a picture.

He has never seen anyone approach Suoh like this ordinary stupid student.

After all, this is probably stupid.

"Fu."

Suoh laughed inadvertently. Certainly the current way of squirting glue was quite wonderful. Is a carbonated drink something that spreads great?

Something was wrong with something that didn't matter. It felt cold and a little comfortable when it came down, and it was slimy with peripheral skin and was sticky. When he rubbed his lips, it was sweet.

It's rubbish, it's not good, but it's kind of weird.

When he saw it, Totsuka had round eyes.

Looking back to see why he made that grimace, he smiled more than ever.

"Haha, King laughed!"

Totsuka laughs happier than before.

Suddenly, Suoh hit Totsuka's head lightly with his fist. Totsuka held his head as if it had hurt, but was laughing.

Suoh pointed with his mouth and capped the glue that was left in the can. When he tried to walk with Totsuka who was still laughing without discipline, he felt the signals of several people approaching him.

"Totsuka, what are you doing?"

"That person is Suoh Mikoto, right?"

They were the guys who were with Totsuka at the game center a little while ago. The smell of hostility isn't even dust. Just a little fear and a little curiosity mix and get closer.

Totsuka finally laughs and looks at the guys who seem to be friends.

"Ah, yes. Suoh Mikoto."

He said the name they just said, and after that, Totsuka…

"He's King!" Totsuka added.

"Why King?" "It's a nickname?" The boys mysteriously bowed their heads and Totsuka responded with a smile. Inevitably, he was dressed to be surrounded by boys even with Suoh.

While standing in the center of the children and drinking cola, Suoh suddenly remembered his teacher's words.

(When someone who can easily break through the walls that seem to surround you appears, you will become a central figure among the people. As if the things of now have never happened.)

It smelled of annoyance. But for some reason it wasn't unpleasant.

++++++++++

Nogi played with a butterfly knife in his hand as he endured the tingling of his lean body huddled and beaten.

Rhythmically, the metallic sound of the knife opening and closing sounds soft. The blade and handle of the knife flap like a butterfly and rotate as the wrist is moved slightly. After practicing a lot, he has been able to do it without being too conscious of his hands.

"Damn it, what is that 'Mikoto Beast'!"

Sakata angrily hits the table hard with his fist. The boastful muscles that stretched from the black tank top trembled. Suoh fainted him, but he woke up while being carried. It seems like his pride got hurt because he was suddenly stretched out, and his face was still bright red from a while ago with embarrassment and anger.

Kyosuke was cooling his face with a wet towel. The hair in the back is untied, and the blonde hair sticks to the face. This man in parentheses was worried that his front teeth had been broken and he had been silent for a while. The blood-soaked front teeth are carefully tucked away in the breast pocket.

The three were in a bar, where an acquaintance worked part time. The interior, which was based on black, was dark, and not very clean. The store was empty, with just a couple drinking cocktails and a hooded man sitting with his back to the back table.

Glancing sideways at the wild trees spreading negative aura in the wind after the fight, the pair secretly exchange words with a disgusting face as if they were planning to go home. The single male guest didn't even turn around.

Nogi, Sakata, and Kyosuke were members of Mitsuha Kurayama's team.

Kurayama was strong, bad, and cool. They even felt that they could take over the world if they followed him. He felt like Hidekichi Toyomi, who was a peasant who followed Nobunaga Oda.

Nogi has been crazy since he was a kid. His house was poor and his parents were not interested in Nogi. His face was not ugly, but there was nothing to see, and the slim body was somewhat ugly. Still, he was good when he was in elementary school. He had athletic nerves, so if he could play sports, he could rank high in elementary school and among the neighborhood kids.

However, since he was in high school, he has been ridiculed a lot. At best, he had no passion or patience to pursue a sport, and he immediately threw it away. Nogi, who was used to being treated as mere leftovers, joined the bad group. When it came to bad luck, few people were stupid in front of him. Being a feared man didn't feel bad. Even with a face that had nothing to do with it, if he dressed in street fashion and behaved appropriately, he could play with a woman who roamed the city. It got even more fun after he started dating Sakata and Kyosuke, whom he met in town. Sakata, who is big and proud of his power, is a bit fluffy to ruin the leader's style, but his fighting strength is good, so if he was riding that horse, Nogi could also dominate. Kyosuke, who is proud of the number of women he has, is annoying and conceited, but if he stayed with him, he could get along with a woman.

He kept chasing only the funny things in front of him. He felt that if he followed Mitsuha Kurayama, he might see more funny eyes. So one day when Mitsuha suddenly disappeared, he was confused.

It is said that Mitsuha Kurayama was crushed by Suoh and disappeared as Suoh ordered. What a fucking brat.

And although the three attacked together, they suddenly lost.

Crash, crash, crash.

The opening and closing of the knife Nogi is playing with becomes violent with irritation.

Suddenly, Nogi remembered the high school student who was on Suoh's side. In fact, he met him before. From the above situation, it seems likely that he does not remember the other side.

Nogi and Totsuka met while hanging out at Shizume. The guys who were walking together at that time knew each other. In other words, the relationship is from acquaintances to acquaintances. Acquaintances started talking to each other, so somehow everyone in the place knew each other. He forgets what they were talking about, but Nogi showed Totsuka a knife action.

With just a slight snap on his wrist, he can instantly open and close the bent knife. Seeing the knife spinning with a slight metallic sound, Totsuka's eyes twinkled, "It's amazing!" It was just nice to be respected. He was in a good mood and told him the various heroic stories that he had lived through so far. He talks about the kind of fight he experiences, what kind of bad things he did, and how scared he was. Totsuka didn't spew out the words of respect that he had when he saw the action of the knife, he just said, "Hmm. If you do that, you're an ordinary person."

It was a bit stuffy. He felt as if a painful part had been hit. Nogi is an "ordinary person", as Totsuka says, when he is not with anyone. He was only strong when he was with someone and he could be great.

However, Totsuka's words were so clear that he was sick, but not angry. Somewhere in his heart he had the feeling that he was convinced it was so.

When he remembered that moment, his feeling of frustration spun and he calmed down. He means, it doesn't matter.

Nogi closes the blade of the knife and stops his hand.

"Now it is okay."

Mitsuha Kurayama is gone. He respected his with a strong feeling of admiration for being a dark hero, but he lost to Suoh Mikoto, abandoned the team members, and ran away somewhere.

It may be time to return to the "common person." Nogi is already eighteen years old. He can't avoid it forever and has to find a job to eat.

Sakata looked Nogi in the eye.

"Will you withdraw without revenge?"

"Ok. Mitsuha lost to him and ran away with his tail between his legs. What does it mean for us to get revenge?"

"One, even if I put Mitsuha-san aside, the truth is that he beat us! Let's just leave it at that!"

Even with that, Nogi inwardly thinks that they can't beat him. Kyosuke was silent and compared Nogi and Sakata with sullen eyes.

Nogi searches for a reason to be okay with Suoh, and as if he had guessed it, he sharpened his mouth and said carelessly.

"Did you see who the Beast Mikoto was with? It's a boy. Is the beast with a boy like that? Let's throw he away. It's worth it."

It is a vain defeat. Still, it was better than admitting that he couldn't get his hands or legs out. Sakata still has an angry red-black face, and even if he is looking for a counterargument, he moves his mouth.

"It's worth it, isn't it?"

Suddenly, he hear a voice behind Nogi. The hair on the neck is erect.

He turned around to repel it. The bent butterfly knife slips from his sweaty hands and rolls across the floor with a thud.

A man stood up.

It has a slim but strong body. How to lose weight with firm muscles, which is different from normal weight loss. He wore a hood over his eyes, but he took it off. Sharp, deeply carved features and golden hair were exposed. And the upper half of the right ear, decorated with five piercings, does not exist as if it were torn off.

Nogi pursed his lips. The breathing and heartbeat are faster.

"Mitsuha-san…"

It was Earless Mitsuha.

This man who was a wolf made a team and quickly made it huge. Fearful of being violent, he suddenly abandoned his huge team and disappeared.

Mitsuha Kurayama is right in front of him.

Nogi swallowed the words. The other two are also amazed. Sakata, who had turned his face red and black with anger until a while ago, now has a fair complexion, and Kyosuke, who was worried about his broken teeth, is also opening his mouth.

"Suoh is it worth the effort?"

Kurayama said again. He bows his head with an innocent look like a child.

He was afraid of the innocent gesture. He felt anxiety throughout his body that he did not know what to do in the next moment.

Kurayama has a 500 ml bottle of Deutsche Beer in one hand. He moves with a slight movement.

If he weren't good at drinking or were already drunk, beer that overflows from the edge of his mouth runs down his chin.

"Mitsuha-san… you are here. Why until now…"

He says with a shaking voice. Originally, he was a bloody person. Even his assistants did not know where he usually lives, and in the end, Nogi was unable to contact Kurayama directly.

He does not recall exchanging words face to face except for greetings.

Kurayama picked up Nogi's knife that had fallen under his feet and started to play with it in his hand.

With an insecure hand, it looks like he is about to cut his hand. He is apparently not used to handling knives.

"I had to disappear a bit, so I hid."

Kurayama opened his mouth lazily.

"Why?"

"I promised."

Kurayama said in a completely confused childish tone. Sakata asks intimidatingly with a confused face.

"Who did you promise?"

"To Suoh Mikoto."

Nogi and his colleagues instinctively looked at the name. It bothered them that the name, which was heavily wrapped as a cause of Mitsuha's pain, anger and abandonment, was emitted from Kurayama's mouth.

"Did you fight Suoh Mikoto?"

When Sakata asked that question, Kurayama nodded.

"And I lost. I promised to hear what he said if I lost, so I had to disappear. That's it."

Kurayama says while playing with the knife. Although he was slow a while ago, he improved in no time and the speed of opening and closing the knife increased steadily.

Nogi swallowed the words. Kurayama seems sincere. Still, he didn't understand why he was bound by the promise to Suoh. Kurayama looked at Nogi's face. It makes he feel like he has read his inner feelings in his expression. Kurayama actually seems to have read his heart.

"I was looking forward to keeping my promise to Mikoto. That guy is interesting, isn't he?"

He had no choice but to nod at Kurayama from a distance. Nogi and the others tug their jaws awkwardly.

"Suoh Mikoto it's worth it, isn't it?"

Worth it. Nogi's spine chills when he remembers his words, which he said as a loss. He nodded deeply again, trying to get into Kurayama's mood.

Kurayama returned a smile. The hands that turn the knife are becoming more and more sophisticated, almost the same as those of Nogi, who has been practicing for a long time.

"I promised to disappear, but now I am free. Please ask me about my entertainment."

Kurayama intimately fixed the knife he was playing with like a sword. He throws it out suddenly. Nogi's entire body stiffened.

He immediately thought it would kill him.

Kurayama threw the knife. Fly straight into Nogi's face. Nogi couldn't react and suffocated.

The knife grabbed right next to Nogi and flew back.

"Oh, in the middle."

Mitsuha Kurayama said happily.

Looking back, the knife was stuck in the center of the dart board at the back of the tent.

Sweat trickled down his armpits. It hits so hard it hurts his heart.

Kurayama smiled innocently and said, "So, will you ask me?"

++++++++++

"Oh, Tatara. Isn't that funny to you?"

As soon as he opened the door, Mikio Ishigami, Totsuka's father, said. When he returned for the first time in a week and the first greeting made Totsuka, who was preparing a meal in the kitchen, a little surprised.

"Welcome back, uncle. For the moment, don't say it now."

"Yes, I'm home. And... sorry, I had a light when I ran away."

Ishigami looks uncomfortable and has a shy smile. Apparently, when he escapes from debt collectors, he feels guilty for Totsuka.

Totsuka's uncle Mikio Ishigami is a bastard.

The look is medium in size, and while he's not particularly cool, he does look like someone not unpleasant, and he looks quite young thanks to the naturally permed fluffy hair that doesn't seem too bad. He has a friendly personality and is not a bad guy. However, he was a selfish person and could only do what he liked.

What's worse, gambling makes up a large part of his "favorite". The Ishigami family were poor to a level that felt life-threatening at times, as they only worked when they felt like it, and the money they put in quickly melted into the gamble. When Totsuka was a child, he used to gather wild grass and cook because he ate alone while Ishigami was away. Thanks to that, Totsuka is still familiar with edible herb.

"Yeah. Debt collectors wouldn't even catch me and sell me."

"If they sell you, I'll buy you back correctly."

"Should I thank you?"

"It's okay if you think you're on a big ship. I've made money and paid the debt."

"Oh, did you win? Horse racing? Boat race?"

"The horse listened to my wish."

"Hey, then I have to thank the horse."

After making a slight exchange, Totsuka remembers his uncle's first words and bows his head.

"By the way, did I look happy? I'm crazy about potatoes."

"No, I don't think it's fun to do it now..."

Ishigami sits in front of the chabudai and puts on a thoughtful face. Totsuka returned to his frying pan. The potatoes are starting to brown nicely. The oil entwined with the potatoes made a delicious sound.

"You always manage to live without leaving me fragile and without coming home for a while, and I always find something fun."

"You should have fun, right?"

"Of course, it's better to have fun."

Ishigami nodded and then looked at Totsuka more closely again.

"However, I feel like something is a little different from the usual "it seems fun". I think it seems like you've found more "cool stuff"..."

Totsuka opened his eyes. He never thought this guy would say such a thing.

"Uncle, isn't it amazing?"

"Is that true? After all, I am you..."

Ishigami said it with a good face, and along the way, he looked like he was in trouble and made him cover his mouth. He tries to say, "I am your father", but it seems like he got scared along the way. This person wants to be Totsuka's father, but runs away to avoid facing the role of a father. No, he knows that a parent's position of responsibility just isn't right for him in the first place.

"I've been living with you for a long time."

"Yes."

Totsuka smiled at Ishigami. Ishigami also laughs like he's relieved.

"So what happened?"

"I met a great person. Maybe the world will change."

"A woman?"

"Is a man."

"What?"

Ishigami was disappointed, and easily shifted his interest from the subject to the issue at hand.

"What are you doing anyway?"

"Potatoes."

When he came home from school today, the neighbor shared the potatoes that her relatives sent her. She is a person who usually cares about Totsuka and gives him (the last time she gave him gobo tea).

"Potatoes? In other words, is it a potato?"

"Yes. I can't make meaty potatoes because I can't buy meat. But the seasoning is meat-potato-style, and I use the potatoes with no waste. When I bake the skin-on potatoes until golden brown, they are fragrant and delicious."

His face glowed as he lifted and displayed the contents of the pan that was on the stove in the kitchen.

"Relieve me. I have money today. If it's meat, I'll buy the best. Marbling."

"Man, I don't use marbling for the beef potato."

"Well then what should I buy?"

"Okay, I'll buy it."

When Totsuka smiled, Ishigami nodded and took the crumpled 10,000-yen bill out of his pocket and presented it.

"You can buy whatever you want."

"Are you really rich today?"

When Totsuka laughs and receives the money, he goes to the front door and says he will go.

"Tatara."

"Yes?"

When he was called and looked back, Ishigami also had a shy and awkward smile on his face.

"Sorry, for several things."

Totsuka had trouble answering for a moment, but immediately thought that it was not a word for an answer, and left the house saying, "Meat, but wait for it."

The days have gotten longer recently. It is almost night, but there is no sign of sunset and the sky is a beautiful blue.

The weather is unstable at this time of the season change, and while it looked like a summer production before, it was a bit chilly today.

Totsuka walks down the path to a nearby supermarket while looking up at the sky. When he reached into his pocket, the ticket he received from Ishigami made a loud noise.

Ishigami is the type of person who has no money to transfer. Even if he does get money, he will spend it immediately, so there is basically no way to raise his standard of living.

However, Totsuka had no complaints. He thought it would be nice if Ishigami had fun, and he is not dissatisfied with living with Ishigami. Even in a slightly difficult life, he can enjoy the ingenuity of living there and living happily.

However, generally speaking, Totsuka was an unhappy child. The person who picked him up when he was abandoned, was divorced (the person who was Ishigami's wife was drawn to his kindness and joined, but became desperate over his inability to live). Totsuka lives alone with his uncle, who does not earn much money and leaves Totsuka, who is still a child, alone at home and is out for days.

Once, Totsuka's living conditions were judged, he was deemed to have suffered abuse and was about to be protected.

It was a bad situation for Totsuka, so he survived with his own ability, and Ishigami also survived by acting like a real human being.

If Ishigami was burdened by Totsuka's existence, it would have been safe to go to another sheltered place, and he would be sure that he could live happily again. However, as Ishigami was willing to live with Totsuka as always, he was not convinced that they would take him out as a poor child.

He think he should escape from a difficult place. Totsuka is by no means a patient child. It doesn't feel like he is enduring a difficult life. So Totsuka is not sure that the place is difficult.

It should be difficult due to this situation. He is sorry for him and for this situation. It was calmer for Totsuka to have such a frame than unrelated people trying to cover him.

Ishigami doesn't seem to have such a "frame".

Suddenly, Totsuka thought of Suoh with someone.

Usually, he doesn't "frame" anyone. No, he himself exists as a natural thing in the world, he hates "frames" that try to fit all humans.

When Totsuka met Suoh, he thought he was like a lion.

Those who live instinctively without being bound by the human framework.

He really felt that he could see the aura coming out of his body. In words, it's just a feeling of intimidation, but the moment he sees it, Totsuka is big and strong.

He felt that he met a beast that lived in the desert. But in fact, this is not a desert.

In the city where many humans live pushing "marks" against each other, the beast seemed terribly difficult to live there.

Looking at the beast that walks through the city in search of a desert that does not exist, Totsuka wanted to show the beast that there is also something fun in this city.

He still doesn't know what to do, but he follows Suoh as he is driven by that urge.

He would like to show "fun" to Suoh, who seems to be crouched, stiff and frustrated, and see where he goes.

(You one day...)

When the words that a person said to Totsuka when he was a child crossed his mind, it had a strong impact on his back.

Something slammed into his back with force, and Totsuka choked and flew forward. He hit the street and rub the asphalt hard. The impact on his back was so strong that he felt nothing immediately, but when he got up with his arms raised, he felt a hot tingle on his rubbed cheeks.

"What…"

Totsuka looks back.

What he saw there was the silhouette of three men. One of the silhouettes carried a long stick that looked like square wood in his hand. Backlit, the sprayed stick looked like a black shadow.

"Eh?"

Unaware of the situation, Totsuka watched the stick go down.

The stick was knocked down on the left side of Totsuka. The impact to the limbs and severe pain tore through him.

A crushed voice escaped from the back of his throat.

When the sight that had been torn away for a moment returned from the shock, the struck foot felt hot and painful, and, on the contrary, the body felt terribly cold. Sweat breaks out.

Scared by severe pain, Totsuka raised his face as he curled up on the ground as if he was holding his injured leg. Look at the faces of the three men around him.

It was a familiar face. The other day, a trio who sold a fight to Suoh and got beaten up. A large, muscular man, a man of medium height with long blond hair down his back, and a tall, thin man. There was a uniform smile on their faces. A face that seems to be afraid of something, but is undoubtedly drunk with the uplifting sense of violence.

There was only one possible reason for them to attack Totsuka. Finding an outlet for anger with a weak man who was on Suoh's side, despite the pain and shame at having lost to Suoh.

(Hey, I get away fast.)

He remembered his words to Suoh. The escape leg was crushed. He can't even stand up, not just run. Most of the time he has a hard time.

Then he should try talking to them. Even when entangled with someone, Totsuka was good at removing damage from that person by speaking.

But now the pain is distracting him, and nothing comes out of his mouth except a harsh, rapid breath.

The big man let out a laugh like a sigh.

"If you have a grudge, face Suoh."

At the same time, he kicks Totsuka's shoulder who was lying on his back.

The blond man also gave a tight laugh and jumped on Totsuka's belly and stepped on him. He could not breathe due to the strong shock and pain. A feeling of fear that internal organs are about to explode hits him.

From there it was already spoiled.

Picked up, hit, rolled and kicked. When he held his arm to protect his body, they kicked him severely and stepped on his finger.

Severe unconscious pain and greasy sweat. The body is shocked by excessive pain, and the stomach turns upside down and vomits.

Totsuka was shaken with pain, but when the surprise of the sudden pain subsided, he felt a part of his head go quiet and his thoughts returned.

This is "violence".

He believes that, as if he realized it in his soul.

So far, he has seen the "violence" up close. He has seen the fight scene and seen Suoh defeat these men in front of him with violence. To some extent, Totsuka has been mistreated by others.

However, now that he has been exposed to an assault that destroys the human body, he has realized for the first time that the core of Totsuka's body is "violence".

These people were completely drugged. They laughed, uttered dirty swear words, almost meaningless. Atrocities make people nervous. Fall into a milky state due to violence.

Unlike the men who were excited by violence, Totsuka, who understood violence and began to move from the turn of confusion and fear to the turn of patience, was calm.

A bit of discomfort was reflected in the men's eyes.

The men are intoxicated and excited by the violence. However, at the end of that expression, there was certainly a color of "fear".

Are you afraid of getting here? Do they feel guilty, even slightly? He tries to find out, but cannot make up his mind.

When he was looking at the men with his body curled up to reduce the damage even slightly, he recognized the thin man. He took a deep breath and said with his lips without cheating.

"I don't want to see sore eyes!"

Saying that as an excuse for something, the man's leg kicked Totsuka in the head like a soccer ball.

His consciousness darkened, as if the lights in the room were off.

[mysterioh]

hey! this is for the drabble prompt request. Mafia!Bucky, enemies to lovers, “is that the best you can do?” so excited to see what you can come up with!

Lex! thank you for this awesome prompt. I hope you like it! I’m kinda iffy about this one tbh 😣

Mafia!Bucky + Is that the best you can do?

The tinkle of glass on glass as the bartender mixes a cocktail is lost under the sluggish yet bright notes of the saxophone that jump up and down the smoky cavern. Your dress hangs off your shoulders, hugging your curves as you stare at the swirling liquor in the bartender’s hand. 

Another roar of cheers erupts from the poker table, making your head turn to see who had won this time. 

Of course, it was Tony. 

A childish smile decorates his face, mouth open, gums showing. He sends a flying kiss your way. His lucky charm was what he called you. 

Returning the gesture with a soft, shy smile, you turn around towards the bar. You could care less if he won or lost. As long as he wasn’t angry, nothing he does matters to you. 

The bartender pours the margarita out in a glass then sticks a slice of lemon on the salted rim. He slides it towards you. You lift the glass and bring it to your lips for a sip. A hit of salt in the beginning slowly blends into a perfect balance of the four tastes on your tongue. 

The door to your left opens wide, your head turns again to see a man enter. His presence stills the room but doesn't stop whispers from running through the bar. 

“What the hell is he doing here?” 

“He’s here to get his ass kicked that’s what.” 

Your eyes remain on him as he makes his way to your husband’s table. 

He had tousled brown hair which was thick and lustrous. Mesmerizing deep ocean blue eyes. His face was strong and defined. His brows sloped downward in a serious expression as if determined in a goal. His lips ripe for the kissing. 

James Barnes was a gorgeous man. Enough to make anyone stop in their tracks to admire or at least acknowledge him. 

As a married woman, you shouldn’t have been ogling him, but you were. Unabashedly, but secretly with a nonchalant side-eye. 

“What the hell are you doing  here, Barnes?” Tony grumbles from his chair. 

Bucky smirks. “What’s it look like? I’m here to play a game.” 

Tony huffs through his nose. He stands quickly making his chair slide roughly against the tile. “Get the hell outta here before I—”

“Woah, woah,” Bucky chuckles with an easy smile and hands up in defense. “I’m just here for a game and nothing else.” 

Tony examines him for some time with a speculating eye. A brow raises upward and he tilts his head. “Just a game?” he asks. “And why is that? Got nothing to do in Brooklyn?” 

“I was in the neighborhood,” he informs. “Felt like having some fun and what’s more fun than a game of poker with the best?” 

You bite your lip, trying to stop a smile from rising on your lips. He’s bluffing and you had to be dense to fall for it. 

“The best huh?” Tony grins. 

Your shoulders slump. Of course Tony would be the one to fall for it. 

“Fine, I’ll let you play,” he nods. “I’ve been on a winning streak all night and I’d love to finish it with kicking your ass.” 

Bucky slides the chair back and takes a seat. “We’ll see what happens.” 

“Y/N,” Tony calls you from your spot at the bar. “C’mere, sweetheart. I want you to see me win.” 

You give him a sheepish smile. “I can see fine from right here.” 

He gives you a stern nod, warning you to not test him. Bucky’s eyes wander from Tony over to you, taking note of the tension between the couple. 

You stand up, taking your drink with you and saunter over to the table. Tony pulls you into his lap and gives you a quick kiss that makes the lingering taste in your mouth turn bitter.

Bucky clears his throat. “Let’s get started.” 

They clear the table for a fresh game. The first few rounds were conservative betting, the players testing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, everyone waiting for the other to make a mistake. 

Tony’s arms are wrapped around you securely, periodically whispering sweet nothings into your ear. Your eyes remained on Tony’s cards and his men, only once or twice flitting over to look at Bucky. 

His gaze meets yours when he lights up a cigarette to add to the hazy cloud, spiraling in the stagnant air. You fold one leg over the other, dangling your high heel, showing more leg than may have been appropriate; yet your face stays aloof; disinterested. 

Your hand brushes along your collarbone and over the diamond necklace dazzling under the dim lights. 

Bucky smirks before dropping his eyes back to the cards in his hand. 

“Something funny, Barnes?” Tony questions. 

He shakes his head with a chuckle. “No, just happy.” 

Tony furrows his brows in confusion but lets it pass. 

The game carried on at its own pace, growing tenser with each turn. Your head rested against the curve of Tony’s neck. He smiles and presses his lips onto the side of your head. You're numb to his caress as your thoughts drift to another time. 

“Is that the best you can do?” Bucky eggs on, ducking as you send a punch his way. 

It’s the same thing every day. He finds you somehow, somewhere and then you chase him down the streets like a madman. It’s a game of cat and mouse you two have been playing for years initiated by the enmity between your families. 

“You’re too soft," he teases when you lunge at him. 

Growing irritated by his commentary, you lift your leg and kick him hard in the gut. He falls back from the impact and hits the brick wall of the alleyway. 

He slides down to the ground, eyes closed and unresponsive. 

Is he dead?

There’s no way he’s dead. You didn’t hit him that hard. But he did slam into a brick wall. You slowly approach him and crouch down in between his legs to examine him closely. 

You’re hesitant to touch him. 

“Boo!” he scares, jumping towards you. You jump back in surprise. Bucky laughs heartily, clutching at his stomach. “Got ya!” 

“Why I oughta,” you grumble and swing at him. 

Bucky catches your fist in the palm of his hand with a sly grin on his face. He pulls you into him and lands a kiss on your lips. 

You pull back quickly with your nostrils flaring and a blushing mess. You raise your hand to slap him, but he catches it midair and holds your hand like he did your wrist. 

He gives you a toothy smile which you know is fake. He's only doing it to piss you off.

You yank your hands out of his violently and leave. 

“Aren’t you getting married to Tony Stark?” he shouts behind you while standing up. A thin layer of jealousy laced his words. You stop in your tracks. “You’re gonna be set for life. Heard he’s got more bank than the entire city.” 

“Money isn’t everything.” 

“Right, of course, it’s love,” he scoffs while dusting off his pants. 

“Not every marriage is out of love,” you snap at him. 

Bucky blinks in confusion. “You’re being forced into this?”

Another circuit in your brain pops. “What else would you expect?” you yell, “Don’t you know who I am? Who my father is? My life was given away before I was even born!" And now I’m here proclaiming my woes to the man I hate! What the hell is my life?” you question yourself, before turning down the alley and walking away. 

“Hey slow down,” he catches hold of your arm. 

“Let go of me.” You pull out of his grasp. 

“Woah, don’t get hostile,” he stands back with his hands in front of him. “I was just—”

“I don’t need your sympathy,” you interject. You turn back on your heel. 

“You’re not like them,” he calls, “You try so hard to be but you’re different.” 

“What the hell are you going on about? More importantly, why do you care?” 

“Because we’re not that different from each other,” he answered with confidence. “Me and you.” 

You grit your teeth and ball your fists. “Don’t compare me to you,” you pointed at him. “I’m the daughter of the kingpin. You’re just the bastard child of a whore.” 

“But we’re both trapped,” he replies firmly. “We both want a way out and we can’t find one. Doesn’t that make us the same?” 

You’ve never seen him like this before. His form is relaxed, unwilling to pick a fight. His voice strains as if he’s struggling to get the words out. His eyes hold something far greater than what he shows. 

You pull out the switchblade you kept in your jacket pocket and extend it. Without giving him a chance, you slam him against the wall and bring it to his neck. 

“I’ll cut your throat. That’ll shut you up!”

Bucky looks down at you with his back pressed against the wall, chin lifted. The cool metal pressed gently against the soft skin of his neck as his eyes dug into the depths of your soul. 

You stand firm in your stance and bold in your appearance, but your eyes are soft. They’ve always been for him. 

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers. 

Your eyes grow wide at his words and retreat quickly. The switchblade slips out of your hand and falls onto the cold ground. He takes you by the wrist and pulls you into him, wrapping an arm around your waist. 

A dangerous spark ignites when your eyes meet his. Your hot breath mingles with his as his lips hover over yours. The gap between was small enough to imagine everything, but not enough to satiate your deepest desire. 

He hates you. You remind yourself. 

“Kiss me,” he asks with words, but his eyes do all the work. They plead for something he knows he can never have. “Kiss me until I'm sick of it.” 

"The bet remains at ten thousand," the dealer says, "Your bid, Stark." 

He smirks, breaking character for a second. You look at the cards in his hand. He's a lucky man tonight. An Ace of Spades, two of Spades and three sevens. 

He looks at you with a wicked grin and you return it smaller in length. 

Stop showing off moron. 

"I'll match," he nods, jostling you in his arms to make you giggle softly. 

Rhodey rolls his eyes and you can't tell if it's because of you or his cards. “Too rich for me, I fold,” Rhodey placed down his cards. 

"I fold as well," Happy sighs, tossing his cards. 

With four out, only two remain. 

"I raise another two thousand," Bucky pronounced, throwing the chips into the pot. 

Tony was back to smirking and to take it a step further he started to goad him. "Must be a pretty good hand, Barnes. Of course, if things keep up at this rate, I doubt you'll be able to keep up," he states. Bucky remains stoic, watching his cards as he takes another long drag of his cigarette. Tony frowns at his unresponsive behavior. "I'll match," he grumbles, "and just to see you sweat, I'll raise it by five thousand." 

He pressed your back, motioning you to take his chips and place them in the pot. As you reach for the center of the table, your eyes meet Bucky's and instantly falls to his lips. They curve upward and there's nothing you wouldn't do to have them against yours again. 

If you weren't a damn coward that is. 

You sit back in Tony's lap, warning Bucky with fearful eyes. You desperately wanted him to win. 

Bucky merely nodded and matched the raise. "Call." 

Tony burst out laughing and barked. "Read 'em and weep, Barnes! Three Sevens, Ace of Spades and two of Spades." 

You bite your lip, hoping he'd have something better. 

Bucky sighs disappointed, but without a care. 

"Guess you got me," he shrugs, "Pair of Kings. All Hearts and Diamonds." 

Tony bursts into boisterous laughter as his counterparts griped and groaned. You pouted at Bucky.  

Why didn't you just fold? I warned you. 

Bucky smiles with a sweet chuckle. He swears you look prettier when you're angry. He doesn't care much about the loss. He wasn't really here for the game anyway. 

Tony stands and brings you up with him. With his new earnings in hand, he pulls on your hand, walking towards the door. 

"C'mon, sweetheart, let me buy something real nice for you," he grinned. 

You turn back to look at the poker table, inhabited only by Bucky as the others have left to mourn. 

Your lips curved down in a disappointed frown. He gives you a wink paired with a smile before mouthing a "s'okay, baby." 

His silent words were enough to make you smile. 

Bucky may have lost the game that night, but he knows he's won something far greater. He knows later in the night when Tony leaves you for another woman, he'll have you in his arms. Listening to the beat of your heart as he relishes in your caress. 

And only fools will lose a treasure like that. 

A/N: there's a part in here that is based off one of my favorite movies. If you catch it, you're a sick dude.

[kprciffdw]

Ratchet and Kim Possible Chronicles: The Lombax Secret-Part 10

They ran from that place as fast as they could. Ratchet: "That was a close one!" Ron: "Tell me about it! We barely made it out of there without getting caught!" Kim: "Good thing Talwyn showed up when she did otherwise that would have ended badly." Ratchet: "You can say that again!"

They received another transmission from Talwyn. Talwyn: "Ratchet. Kim. Can you guys still hear me?" Ratchet: "We read you loud and clear." Kim: "Thanks for helping us out of there, Talwyn." Talwyn: "It was my pleasure. I just want to let you know that I managed to snag the artifact during all of that confusion. Cronk and Zephyr will be landing their ship at that Skull Radio Tower." Kim: "Got it! We'll see you there." Ratchet: "Let's go."

They darted off immediately. They did not go far before hearing Cap'n Slag on the loud speakers. Cap'n Slag: "Attention, ye worthless swine! A Lombax and his friends just stole our treasure! Snap to it and bring me their heads!" Kim: "Geez, he sounds really angry!" Ratchet: "Well, we did steal from the pirates." Ron: "But they stole from Talwyn and her dad!" Ratchet: "That's…also true."

As they rushed through, the pirates were a lot more fierce and vicious than they were earlier. They really had it in for the group. Regardless, they fought through onslaught after onslaught. It was a long and perilous run through, which really does go without saying, but they were able to make it out of all of it unscathed.

Eventually, they were able to reach the radio tower. They kept on going until they found Talwyn, Cronk and Zephyr waiting for them. There, she and her 2 robots were struggling to get the artifact to work. Ratchet: "Hey. Having trouble?"

It didn't take long for Talwyn to notice them. Ron: "Um…perhaps you should let Ratchet have a crack at that thing since, you know, he's a Lombax?" Ratchet: "Uh, yeah, why don't I give it a try?"

Talwyn hesitated for a bit. Talwyn: "OK, genius, you figure it out."

She tossed the artifact directly towards Ratchet. Immediately after he caught it, it began to react. Ratchet: "Uh…how do you…"

He touched one side of the artifact and at that moment, it displayed a holographic image of a planet directly from its top. Ratchet: "Whoa!" Ron: "Whoa…what is that?" Kim: "It looks like a holographic image of a planet. But…what planet is that?" Talwyn: "Wait a second…that's Rikon V; that must be where the secret might be hidden." Kim: "Then that's where we need to go next." Talwyn: "I agree with you on that, Kim. I'll send the coordinates to your ship. Meet us there as soon as you can."

She departed from the planet with Cronk and Zephyr on their cruiser. The group stood by for a bit. Ron: "Huh, I wonder why that doodad reacted when Ratchet touched it." Kim: "Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he's a Lombax." Clank: "Hm…it would make sense, considering that the device consists of Lombax technology. I would surmise that they have built much of their technology to respond to their kind only." Kim: "Yes, that would make sense." Ratchet: "Come on, guys. Let's go."

They returned to their ship, got back in and left the planet.

They made the long flight to Rikon V. Along the way, they flew through the Rakar Star Cluster, where they were ambushed by the space pirates. Kim: "What!?! They followed us!?!" Cap'n Slag: "Avast, you mangy bilge rats!!! This be Cap'n Slag, scourge of the galaxy and runner-up of the Suzy Sweet's Homemade Butterscotch competition. Return our artifact at once or face the gallows." Ron: "Uh…he seems really angry, you guys." Ratchet: "Don't worry, Ron, we can handle this."

They flew through the system of stars as they fought many of the pirates and dodged their attacks. They also made strides to dodge solar flares of some of the stars that they flew really close to. Ron: "Whoa! Must you fly so close to these stars!?!" Ratchet: "Oh! Sorry, Ron."

They kept fighting until they managed to defeat a lot of them, chasing them away. Kim: "Finally! Thought we would never ditch those heaps of salty rust buckets." Ratchet: "Come on, let's get to Rikon V."

They then managed to fly away from the star cluster and continued on towards Rikon V.

They took on another long flight until they arrived at Rikon V. Shortly afterwards, they were flying through the skies of the planet. Zephyr: "Uh, oh! We're picking up multiple hostiles on the spaceport. Ha ha! You rookies got the stones for a HALO jump?" Ron: "Uh…HALO…jump? What does that mean?"

Ratchet pushed on a few buttons on the dashboard. Ratchet: "It means we're going to have to free fall from here."

The window of the cockpit opened up. Ron: "Oh, no, not again…!"

They were ejected from the ship. Ron screamed as they fell all the way down. Soon enough, Cronk and Zephyr were seen falling nearby. They then landed on the ground safely and began fighting through the ground area. Talwyn: "Ratchet. Kim. I've pinpointed the coordinates from the holo-map. The location that we're looking for is just ahead of you, just past the spaceport, but Tachyon's got the port surrounded, so be careful." Kim: "Got it! We'll keep our guard up."

They fought through many enemies as they made their way further up. Cronk and Zephyr fought along side the group, blasting away at the many enemies that were in their way. Ron: "Oh, yeah! Let's stick it to that tyrannical Cragmite brat! Booyah!" Rufus: "Booyah!" Ratchet: "Heh, couldn't have said it better myself, Ron."

As they continued fighting through, Cronk and Zephyr made one comment after another about the "good old days" of the many battles that they have fought in the past. Despite them being old war bots, they really did put up a good fight against the enemy forces. They were indeed very formidable. Kim: "Huh, these 2 old robots are actually pretty good, for a pair of chatty, metallic geezers." Cronk: "Hey! I heard that, little missy!" Zephyr: "Mind your elders, young lady!" Kim: "Oh, sorry." Cronk: "Well, rude comment aside, we do appreciate that first bit that you mentioned." Zephyr: "Yeah, you're not half bad, yourself and that Lombax is also really good. Although…your blonde friend? He's…" Cronk: "He doesn't seem like much of a fighter." Ron: "Hey! I'm doing the best that I can!" Ratchet: "(sigh) Oh, Ron…"

[varian-and-the-seven-skies]

Cor Meum | Chapter Two: Pieces Set, Start

Synopsis: In a world of floating cities and steamships, Captain Rapunzel runs the fastest ship in all the skies. But this rowdy crew is not without its secrets—or its treasures— and Hugo, newly-hired, is ready to discover them all. Now if only Varian, the whip-smart lead engineer, would get out of his way.

A TTS & 7k AU of epic proportions, featuring cool fight scenes, steampunk machinery, and an inevitable romance. Written by @littlemisslol-fic and @izaswritings.

Notes: Thanks so much for all your guys’ support for this new fic! Your comments were a joy to read, and we’re so excited that you guys are excited! We have a whole lot in store for y’all— we hope you guys enjoy!

Warnings: There is mild reference to implied child abuse—nothing explicit or graphic, but please be wary! If there’s anything in this chapter you think we missed, let us know and we’ll add the warning up here.

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AO3 Link is here!

Fic Playlist can be found here!

Chapter One can be found here!

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Chapter Two: Pieces Set, Start

. . .

Standing in the burning midday sun, hand half-shading his eyes, Hugo stares up into the shadow of the Aphelion and thinks: This is too easy.

He almost feels bad about it, honestly. Like stealing candy from a kid—not that it’s going to stop Hugo from robbing them blind, blah blah blah should have held onto it better—but still. The fact remains that this will be painfully easy. It’s been maybe two hours since he set foot in Corona, and he’s already been hired and secured a place on the ship. Fastest infiltration he’s ever done.

“She’s perfect,” he says, with a smile that maybe shows a bit too much teeth. Oh, well. Hugo’s probably fine. What does this kid—Var-something, Varitas, Varian?—know of threats and dangers anyway? The cotton-weave shirt, the brass cuff bracers, the worn work-pants and even the shine of his boots; given all that plus the oil and grease streaking his face, and the way he barely even notices, Hugo is almost positive that this kid has never even stepped three feet outside of a workroom.

Hugo doesn’t have a good opinion of this kid’s instincts, either. After all, it’s taken everything Hugo has not to laugh in his face from the moment he got hired, pint-size here being his new ‘boss’ or no, and the other teen hasn’t even noticed.

“So?” Hugo says. “Do I get the grand tour?”

Varian (Hugo is, like, 85% sure it’s Varian) doesn’t react. He seems distracted, staring hard at the ground with a furrow to his brow. He jumps at the sound of Hugo’s voice, and shakes his head hard as if to chase away his own thoughts. At his feet, that creepy little rodent automaton chases circles around them. “What? Oh. Um, yeah. If you want.” He gestures, listless. “It’s, uh… just up the ramp.”

Hugo eyes him, just a bit—where’d the fire go? The sass? The really annoying attitude?—but he doesn’t actually care, in hindsight, so he shrugs and dismisses it, heading up for the ship ramp. The closer he gets, the more impressive the ship looks: Hugo hadn’t been lying, at least, when he’d called her perfect. She’s a mish-mash of colorful cloth-weave and metalwork, and even from here Hugo can tell she’s a labor of love. The Aphelion is… beautiful isn’t a strong enough word for what she is. Stunning, maybe. Ethereal is closer. He can’t even imagine what the work inside looks like. What sort of pipe system do they use? What model are the engines?

By the Maker, Hugo is almost excited.

He just barely keeps from bouncing on his feet—he’s not a child, he knows how to control himself—and when he reaches the deck, he takes a moment to step out and turn around, taking it all in. It's huge, wide open and two-tiered, with heavy metal chains and cables of thick braided wire trailing up to the sails and envelope high above. The railing is a mix of shiny brass and dark, reddish wood; the whole deck is varnished with a nice coat of gloss that keeps the wooden planks waterproofed even through the heaviest of storms. Hugo slams his foot down, just to be sure, and—yep. That heavy thunk tells him all he needs to know. No leaky roofs on this ship, no sir.

Gods above, she’s fucking gorgeous. Hugo might be a little bit starstruck.

“Where to first?” he calls back, still staring up at the sails. Is that embroidery? Holy shit, it totally is. This ship is ridiculous, and Hugo hasn’t even seen the inside yet. “Engines? Captain’s quarters?” A thought strikes him. He keeps his voice casual. “Cargo hold?”

He can hear Varian step up behind him, still quiet. “Well,” the other says, a little dryly. He holds out one arm, and that raccoon automaton of his runs one last time around his feet and then jumps up on his shoulder. Varian rubs at its ears. “I have to find Yong, and you’re stuck with me, so… probably going to start with the library and work our way from there.”

Hugo clicks his tongue, disappointed, but knows better than to argue. He’ll see it all eventually, he knows, and has to bite back another mean smile at the thought. When Varian makes his way for a massive door of intricate iron,Hugo follows him.

“Yong,” he echoes to himself. “Assistant to engine-man, right?”

“Xavier.” Varian looks up at him, half-hidden in the shadows of the sails, his eyes flashing bright and burning. “Yong is— fire prone, so it works out pretty well for him. You’ll see.” He scowls. “And learn people’s names, would you?”

“Hm.” Hugo makes a show of thinking about it. Leans back on his heels, resting his chin in his hands, humming—and then grins. “No.”

“You—!”

“Varian!”

Varian’s eyes snap away from Hugo, and he’s almost sad to see them go. Hugo looks towards where the voice had come from, seeing a younger teenager standing in front of them with her hands on her hips. She’s tall, taller than Varian even which is hilarious. Her curly black hair ripples in the gentle breeze of the dockyard, pulled up in a perfect little up-do that Hugo can already tell takes her way too long in the morning to perfect. She’s got dark skin and amber eyes, and she’s fixing them both with a scrutinizing look, mouth pulling into a low frown when she notices Hugo. She’s wearing a purple tunic cinched tight around her waist by multiple brass-buckle belts, a sash of dark brown silk tied overtop, and dark leggings that look almost black in the sunlight. Her little heeled boots are purple as well—Hugo can sense a bit of a theme with her—and they click against the polished deck as she impatiently taps her foot.

“Nuru!” Varian says, ignoring her pointed glare. “Haven’t seen Yong by any chance, have you?”

“Afraid not,” she says, eyes flicking from Varian to Hugo. Hugo can’t help but feel the need to size her up, maybe due to the suspicious look in her amber eyes. It’s obvious she doesn’t trust him; if Hugo wasn’t absolutely certain his true identity was still secret he might even feel nervous. Ah, well— something to work on.

She finally tears her gaze away from scrutinizing Hugo, looking to Varian once again. “Why, are you looking for him?”

“Xavier is—” Varian shrugs. That creepy little automaton on his shoulder makes a mechanical chitter, a puff of steam fluffing out from between the mismatched plating making up its body. Varian doesn’t acknowledge it, his voice strong over the steam. “—and I’m giving our new junior engineer here a quick tour while I look for him.”

The title boils Hugo’s blood, it really does, especially in the self-satisfied way Varian says it. It’s like an insult, this idea that this pipsqueak is suddenly better just because he has some fancy position handed to him by his beloved Captain. As if that makes the fact that Hugo is older, smarter, and better than him null and void. Honestly, infuriating, but Hugo grits his teeth and bears it. Once this is over, once the target’s acquired and the money’s made, Hugo’ll just pitch the annoying little shit off the edge of the ship and watch him fall. It’ll be like a present to himself, a reward for a heist well heist-ed.

Hugo’s so wrapped up in the delightful image of Varian screaming as he’s tossed over the rails of the top deck, he nearly misses the conversation continuing on in front of him.

“Are you going to introduce us, then?” Nuru says primly. Her glare flicks back to Hugo, who straightens his spine a little under the scrutiny. Something in her makes Hugo wary; he’ll have to keep an eye on her.

“Oh!” Varian shakes his head. “Duh, obviously. Nuru, this is Hugo, Rapunzel’s new hire for the junior engineer position.” At least this time Varian doesn’t say the title in a way that makes Hugo want to punch him. “Hugo, this is Nuru, our assistant navigator. She’s usually up on the bridge, but you’ll see her around. Aphelion isn’t that big a ship, after all.”

Understatement of the year, really. The Aphelion is minuscule when compared to basically every other ship in port. Just a tiny trading ship, small and unassuming. Kinda like the brat who built it, Hugo snickers to himself. She might be a well made, ethereally stunning machine, but she’s small. Fast too, from what Hugo’s heard. Fast enough to outrun a band of pirates, even—

“A pleasure.” Nuru’s nose wrinkles in a way that makes it obvious this is anything but. Hugo schools his face into a delighted—it’s always so much fun making new friends—and locks eyes with her in a challenge.

“I’m sure it is,” Hugo smirks. Nuru doesn’t back down, the two of them glaring over Varian’s head. From the corner of his eye, he can see Varian scowl at being ignored, before the younger boy bodily shoves his way between them.

“Okay, enough of that,” Varian says, putting a hand out to either side, pushing Hugo and Nuru apart. “We’re all going to have to get along if we’re going to be stuck together for six months, right? Can we at least try to be civil?”

Hugo wants to retort with the obvious fact that Varian has been nothing but borderline hostile since they met, but Nuru speaks before he can, taking the stage with ease. She nods once, and steps back, almost diplomatic.

“Of course,” she says, giving Hugo one last once-over before turning back to Varian. “Have you tried the dining hall for Yong yet? Lance said he was making ginger molasses cookies, and I think Eugene was trying to rope some people into helping him steal some.”

Varian nods in thought, already moving forward. “Good enough place to start, I suppose.” He gestures for Hugo to follow, and they walk together across the polished deck of the ship, towards the back end where a large portion of the deck raises up into a second level. A large door of iron and brass stands centered on the wall, twin staircases spiraling up on either side. It’s embossed with faint carvings, suns and moons and the occasional star, all winding around a large, interlocking wheel made of solid brass in the very center. The whole thing almost looks like a square bank vault door. It’s certainly over the top, in Hugo’s humble opinion, but it’s also becoming increasingly obvious that the Aphelion, and the crew that sails her, are decidedly over the top in basically everything they do.

Ruddiger slips off Varian’s shoulders, the little automaton chittering in excitement as it hits the polished deck. The raccoon is gone in a second, scaling up one of the large chains with its weird little metal claws. It looks down on them with neon green eyes, the aperture clicking open and closed as if it were blinking. By the Maker that thing’s creepy; Hugo hates it on principle.

Varian grunts as he grabs the wheel, turning it with no small amount of effort. The spinning wheel retracts a series of pistons, a small plume of steam puffing out as the door swings open, revealing a long hallway made of the same polished wood as the deck. Large copper lights line the hallway, emitting a cheery glow that bounces off the glittering pipes of metal tucked away near the ceiling, running through the Aphelion like veins through a body. Hugo could almost call it homey, dare he say quaint, with a maroon carpet running down the length of the floor, and redwood walls lined with strips of warm brass.

It seems Aphelion is just as immaculate on the inside as she is on the outside. Hugo can’t help but grin. There’s nothing better than a ship that’s obviously been loved from her very conception.

Varian leads him on through the narrow halls, deeper into the labyrinth of the ship, roughly gesturing to the occasional doorway. “Library,” he says, pointing to a set of double doors, not faltering a single step.

“Crow’s nest.” An iron spiral staircase, spinning up into the ceiling above.

“Navigation room,” Nuru butts in, gesturing to another door. Varian smiles at that, nods.

“Navigation room,” he repeats, as they reach the end of the hallway. There’s another door like the one outside, with the same locking mechanism. Varian turns that one as well, and the first thing Hugo registers when the door opens is heat. Both Nuru and Varian continue like there’s nothing wrong, Hugo forced to follow or else get left behind. Through the door lies a metal catwalk, level with the wooden floor. 

The ground, however, dips right away, the catwalk hovering at least three stories high as it crosses the length of the large room. In the very center is a large main engine, quiet for now, but Hugo knows that once Aphelion takes flight it’ll be near deafening. It’s so big Hugo has to crane back his neck to see the top of it, surrounded by a string of metal scaffolding, catwalks and ladders and stairs, an intricate mess of pathways. The heart of the Aphelion is a large monstrosity of iron and brass, a mess of metal panels and pipes, dials and gauges, all covered in the slightest sheen of grease. It’s obvious the heart has been well loved, shined clean and immaculate, but she’s a working thing. There’s dust in her corners, grease and oil in all the little nooks and crannies, dents in her panels and places where her casing is mismatched.

She’s the most beautiful thing Hugo’s ever seen.

The room below them is a mess of pipework and wires, weaving down through the many catwalks spider-webbing the large space. They cluster and split at random, and for a second Hugo’s truly shocked. He’s seen main engine rooms before, but never one so… busy. Hugo can’t help but feel awed at seeing an honestly perfect machine, one designed from the ground up with love and dedication.

Varian strides forwards into the room with the confidence of a man three times his age, and Hugo follows slowly, almost dazed.

“Main engine room,” Varian says with an air of pride, his voice echoing against the metal walls.

Hugo finds himself following in their footsteps, sandwiched between Varian and Nuru. He doesn’t get the time he’d like to stand and stare; the tour must go on, it seems. The engine block is in the direct middle of the Aphelion, from the looks of it. Across the catwalk they go through another iron door and Hugo once again finds himself surrounded by wood panels and vaulted ceilings. It’s almost like most of the living quarters surround the engine block in a ring, an odd design for a ship. Usually engines get tucked away in the back, closest to the rudder and turbines, hidden from sight. In Aphelion, her beating heart is on display like a piece of art.

Hugo’s sad to see it go, but he knows he’ll be elbow deep in the guts of that machine soon enough. The thought is enough to tide him over, as they continue Varian’s tour.

“Cassandra’s office, for the sky guard,” Varian says, passing a large wooden door. Ah, they’re back to the list. “By invitation only.” There’s a few marks that could only be made by throwing knives that are deep in the wood. Hugo thinks that maybe it would be a good idea to avoid that particular door as they move on.

Finally they get to the end of the hall, and Hugo knows they must have walked the majority of the ship’s length by this point. They come to the final set of doors, a double wide pair of solid redwood with intricate hand-painted flowers decorating the woodwork. There’s the sound of clinking kitchenware from inside, muffled but distinct.

“Dining hall,” Varian says, with a sense of finality.

Varian pushes the door open without preamble, gesturing for the other two to follow. Nuru does so without question, and Hugo follows only a step behind. Always good to know where the food comes from, after all. Beyond the door is a large room, decorated in the same style as the rest of the living quarters of the ship; large redwood panels of wood and perfectly polished floors. A large rectangular table takes up half the space, and Hugo can count almost thirty chairs surrounding it. Small ship, small crew, Hugo supposes, though really why anyone would want to eat with their crewmates, he has no idea.

The whole back wall of the room is made of windows, from floor to ceiling. The sunset is just beginning, painting the sky a bright, cheery cherry color. Red sky at night, Hugo thinks to himself, watching as the sunset plays off the brass panels of the rudder peeking up below the large windows. Varian moves further into the dining hall, peeking over to the other side of the large space.

The other half of the room is a wide open space with couches and side tables, a sitting room of sorts. A large carpet covers the floor there, the mismatched furniture looking well worn but comfortable after years of use; it’s the kind of place where one could sit to read a book and accidentally fall asleep. A large galley window is beyond that, embedded into the wall. Hugo can see the kitchen through it, the sounds of clattering pots and pans coming from within. He logs that information for later, just in case.

Large pillars of iron support the high ceiling, the paneling almost seeming to curve, and when Hugo looks straight up he can see a perfect dome of glass in the center of the roof, held up by large iron trusses in the ceiling. The fading sunlight streams through it, bright and cheery, casting the whole room in a warm and reddish glow.

“I guess Yong’s not here,” Varian grumbles, looking around the space with a sigh. “We’ll have to keep— hey!”

Hugo only just sees Varian get tugged behind a couch, the flash of a small hand around his wrist. Nuru lets out a small laugh, gesturing for Hugo to follow as she too disappears behind the ornate velvet backing of the couch. Hugo doesn’t do hiding behind furniture like a child, so instead he opts for leaning over from the side. He bites the inside of his cheek, seeing Varian, Nuru, and a smaller boy all giggling like a bunch of idiots, sitting on the floor without a care.

“Eugene said to wait for the signal,” the boy says, red eyes alight with mischief. “And then I’m supposed to cause a distraction!” With that the kid reaches into his red vest, drawing out—

Holy shit.

“Is that dynamite?” Nuru chokes out. “Yong, we told you after last time that you weren’t allowed that anymore!”

“She’s right,” Varian says, gently taking the dynamite from the kid— Yong? Hugo’s pretty sure this one’s Yong. Little pyro— Hugo likes him already. Everything from the kid’s wide smile to his wild hair, black and nearly standing on its ends as if he’s been caught in an explosion, is eye-catching. He’s short, laughably so, shaped like a little bowling ball with all that baby fat. He can’t be older than fourteen, Hugo thinks— just an infant, really. His big eyes are red too, as vivid and bright as maraschino cherries, an oddity in Hugo’s experience. Hugo’s noticing a trend here: apparently the crew of the Aphelion all seem to be colour-coded. The kid, for example, wears a red vest and pants, only just accented by golden buttons and trim. A white shirt puffs out from under the vest, the sleeves billowing in a way that makes Hugo think it’s a hand-me-down, one the kid’s supposed to grow into. Would make sense, as it’s not like there’s many places to buy clothes for a growing boy while out in the open space between the cities.

Varian’s hands are gentle as he takes the stick of dynamite off the kid, holding it out of reach.

“There are better ways to make a distraction, ” Varian says with a smile, reaching into his tool belt. He pulls out a small, hollow ball of glass, filled to the brim with a glowing green mixture. Yong’s eyes go wide at the sight, his chubby face splitting into a grin. The kid reaches for the ball, but Varian closes his hand around it, snatching it back. “Do you promise to go help Xavier after this?” Varian asks, fixing Yong with a warning look.

The kid nods quickly, making grabby hands towards Varian’s closed fist. “Yeah, of course!”

Varian rolls his eyes, but still hands the glass ball over. Yong snickers in glee as he holds it, the green glow lighting up his face in a way that seems almost manic. Nuru bites her lip like she wants to say something— but sighs, instead, as a quiet whistle echoes through the dining room.

All four heads snap around to look across the room. Hugo raises his eyebrows. Across the dining hall, a man is poking his head up from behind a large, wingback chair made of a dark wood. He’s handsome, Hugo will admit, in a pretty-boy kind of way. He’s got a rogue-ish kind of charm to his face, with large brown eyes and tousled brown hair. And… wait a minute.

His eyes narrow. No, there’s no mistaking him. Hugo knows this one. And how could he not? Everyone in the Seven Skies knows the wild tale of Eugene Fitzherbert, former-pirate turned to a life of good, praised for helping free the lost heir to the City of Corona…

Hugo lip curls at the thought. What a disgrace, really. Flynn Rider had been a legend, the peak of the profession, and he’d thrown it all away for sickly saccharine love.

What a fucking waste.

Eugene brightens when he sees them, probably excited to see more co-conspirators, before his eyes land on Yong. He gives the kid a thumbs up, gesturing towards the window to the kitchen. With a sudden yell, Yong lobs the ball through the window, sending it flying in a perfect arc across the room. Varian tugs Hugo down by his sleeve as it explodes in a shower of smoke and glitter, and three angry voices scream from inside the kitchen. Hugo goes willingly, ducking down behind the couch as a large man comes barreling out of the kitchen through a nearby swinging door.

“My eyes!” he cries, bringing two hands up to his glitter coated face. He’s covered head to toe in green dust and glitter, the colour making him nearly monochrome. He’s big, and Hugo’s suddenly glad he’d followed Varian behind the couch.

The big man isn’t alone. Two small girls, children almost, come sprinting out from the kitchen as well, covered in the same heavy dusting of glitter. The difference being that these two look downright furious, and they’re scanning the room in rage. Hugo shrinks down further behind the couch, just in time for the shorter one’s dark eyes to land on Yong.

Yong pauses, takes in the situation, tilts his head— then straightens, grins, and gives the girl a cheerful wave. “Hi Kiera!”

“Yong!” the girl yells, her black hair flying in a flurry around her face as she charges. The other girl, a redhead, follows right behind her, borderline snarling. Yong takes one look and then yelps, turning tail and sprinting for the double doors leading back to the hall. Hugo presses his back against the back of the couch as Yong bails, the two girls following close behind as they all rush from the room. Yong’s terrified screaming gets distant and small as he tries to escape, the sound getting progressively higher pitched until a sudden series of loud bangs echo through the halls and cut him suddenly and terrifyingly silent.

The large man finally gets the glitters off his face, revealing dark skin and brown eyes. “Girls!” he wails, giving chase as well. “Girls, please, we promised no more collateral damage!” He disappears into the hall after the children, and the doors fall shut behind him with a final and echoing slam.

There’s a beat of silence, as everyone involved in this debacle waits to see if the big man will come rushing back, but after a moment it seems safe to say he’s otherwise occupied. Crouching down next to Hugo, Varian sighs, finally rising back to his feet.

“So that was Yong, Xavier’s assistant,” he says, wincing as another crash echoes from somewhere outside the dining hall. “And Lance—the big guy—and his two daughters, Keira and Catalina. They run the kitchens.”  

Hugo doesn’t really care, but he nods to pretend he does.

“Fun bunch,” Hugo says, standing as well. Nuru looks torn, her eyes flicking between where the chaos is obviously reaching a crescendo outside, and then back to the two engineers. Varian grins and hands her the dynamite, passing it like a torch.

“Maybe you should go check on them?” Varian asks, and her face lights up in a grateful smile.

“I should,” she says. Hugo would even say her tone is nonchalant, if not for the way she seems drawn to follow the sound of chaos. Busy-body, Hugo thinks, busy, busy, busy-body, and he almost laughs as Nuru spins on her heel and follows after the sound of chaos, leaving without another word.

“Hey kid!” comes a loud voice, and Hugo groans. Right, Fitzherbert. Hugo had almost forgotten.

Varian’s face splits into a grin as the man in question sashays from the kitchen, shouldering into the room with a plate full of ginger molasses cookies in his arms. Eugene already has one cookie shoved in his mouth, chewing obnoxiously, and he tosses another to Varian. Eugene is grinning around his mouth-full of pastry, and as Hugo watches, a chunk of it slips free and splats on his shirt. Gross.

“Thanks for the help!” Eugene says, though it sounds more like fanks fer dah hemp by the time it makes it through the sugar. “Couldn’t have done it without you, kid.”

Varian laughs as he catches the food, snagging a second one when Eugene offers him the tray. With a small motion he offers one to Hugo, holding it up. Hugo eyes their ill gotten gains for a second, before shrugging and taking it. He’s never been one to turn down free food, really, even if it does come from such an irritating source. Eugene seems to notice Hugo then, eyebrow raising in question. He swallows down his big bite of pastry, gasping for a second before shaking himself and looking back to Hugo. “Ah, did you finally make a friend, kid?” he asks Varian, smirking as Varian lets out an offended noise.

“Not particularly,” Varian says, crossing his arms. He’s pouting, but when Hugo glances at him, one eyebrow raised in amusement, he’s quick to turn it into a scowl. “This is Hugo. Rapunzel hired him on as a junior engineer.”

Eugene’s brows shoot up for the sky, and he looks over to Hugo. “Really?” he says, “just like that?”

“Just like that,” Varian mutters. Eugene purses his lips in thought before shrugging and sticking a hand out to Hugo.

“Eugene Fitzherbert, helmsman,” he says with a grin. “Welcome to the crew, then. Don’t let my vertically challenged friend here scare you off, I swear we’re nice.”

“Hugo,” the blond responds, ignoring Varian’s offended noise. “And don’t worry. All he’s done is try to sass his way out of admitting I was right and he was wrong about an engine part.”

Varian boreline screams at that, the offense clawing its way out of his throat as Eugene cracks up laughing. Hugo smiles at a job well done. At least someone on this crew had a good sense of humor. The man merely ruffles Varian’s hair, moving past them with his plate of ill gotten goods.

“Make sure Yong goes to Xavier!” Varian calls after him, crossing his arms. Eugene offers a thumbs up, casually shoving another dessert in his mouth.

Varian rolls his eyes and waves Hugo forward, back into the hall. “Come on. Captain’s this way. She’ll want to talk to you before we set off.”

Hugo hums, unbothered, but behind his back his fingers tighten. The Captain. Right. Okay, then— showtime. He pulls himself taller, and sets his shoulders. He’s sold them the lie, and they’ve swallowed it, but now he has to keep it going.

There’s only one room down this end of the hall— a wide curricular door with a crossed little porthole window and a brass handle. Varian knocks twice, waits until a voice calls back, and then pushes it open. He doesn’t walk in, though, instead pressing himself back against the door and then gesturing for Hugo to go first.

Oh, so it’s like this then. Hugo grits his teeth a little and then forcefully relaxes, stepping inside. He resists the urge to shoulder-check Varian as he passes— this isn’t the time for it; there’ll be other opportunities.

The Captain’s room isn’t what Hugo expects, first stepping in. It’s smaller than Donella’s by far, almost cozy, with tapestries and scarves hanging across the ceiling and hand-painted artwork scrawling the walls from floor to ceiling. There’s a wide open window deck and small personal balcony, like Donella has, but even that is smaller than Hugo expects.

Beyond small, it’s also breezy— every window open, every door thrown wide, as if trying to make the room seem bigger than it is. Hugo can practically see the whole sky sprawling out her window, the distant horizon and even the slight glint of the copper-panel lightning shields that make attacking Corona so troublesome. A small door on the side looks like it might lead to the Captain’s personal quarters, and in the center of the room is a huge desk overflowing with paper and ink and half-open books, ship logs and journals and one bizarrely placed cookbook.

Captain Rapunzel is standing at the balcony, flipping through loose papers; when Hugo enters, she tilts her head with a smile. She’s still dressed in that fancy noble’s gown, like the filthy rich kid she is, though the shoes have made a sneaky disappearance entirely. On her shoulder sits a strange chameleon-looking automaton made of some fascinatingly reflective material, looking almost mirror-like but without the fragility of glass. A little ways away, a tall woman with curly bobbed hair and sharp eyes leans against the far wall, absently flipping a knife through her fingers.

Hugo glances between them, taking in every detail in seconds before he straightens and gives both ladies a smirk. “Captain,” he says, nodding at Rapunzel. He turns his attention on the sharp-eyed woman next to her, and forces his smile wider, giving a second jaunty nod. “Random stranger.”

The woman snorts; Rapunzel laughs aloud, one hand rising to hide her smile. “Hugo,” she says, sounding delighted. God, she’s peppier than most puppies— how on earth did she get to captain of a ship like this? “It’s good to see you again! Sorry, I’ll introduce you—this is Cassandra, leader of our sky guard force.” The woman gives a short, disinterested wave with the knife. “Cass, this is Hugo— our new hire.” She turns back to Hugo, beaming. “Have you been taking a look around? What do you think?”

“She’s lovely,” Hugo says, honest for once. None of you deserve her, he thinks, also, but that comment is better left unsaid. “Aphelion is a beautiful ship.”

“She flies like a dream, too,” Rapunzel says, with a little sigh. “Ah, I’m so happy you like her! You’ll be working closely with her, so—” She pats the wall next to her head, almost fond. “Well, it’s always good to know ship and engineer agree with each other.”

Varian snorts loudly. Hugo stills at the disrespect, shoulders going stiff and hands curling so tight his fingers ache— but all Rapunzel does is wrinkle her nose, giving the other boy a swift evil eye before turning back to Hugo with an apologetic smile. “Anyways, I just wanted to check in. I know I said you’ll be starting as a junior engineer, but unfortunately you’ll be on probation for a while before you can start properly. Aphelion’s engines and pipework can be… delicate, and we want to make sure you can handle her before we throw you into the fire.” She presses her hands together. “I hope you understand?”

Hugo wrestles with himself. Probation? He hasn’t been on probation since he was ten years old, and the demotion stings worse than that goddamn junior title. He can hear Varian snickering behind him, and that burns too— that this pipsqueak gets to deal with those burning, beautiful engines, while Hugo spends fuck-knows-how-long screwing in loose bolts? Fuck that.

But this is the Captain, her orders, her word, and Hugo thinks of Donella and the job and the payoff, and in the end he shoves his fury back in the corner of his mind, smiling wide instead.

“Of course,” he says. “Sounds… lovely.”

“Only for a little while,” Rapunzel repeats, sympathetic. The silver chameleon on her shoulder trills softly, and she runs her finger down the length of its spine almost absently. “Oh, thank you, Pascal. I almost forgot.” She looks back to Hugo and claps her hands. “Room assignments!”

“Yay,” Hugo says, dryly. He takes a breath, shaking off the disappointment about probation more firmly, and holds himself a little taller. It’s fine. The worst news is over with, anyway. Hugo doesn’t really care where he ends up; Hugo has never been picky about these sorts of things. So long as it’s quiet and he’s away from the annoying pipsqueak, Hugo won’t complain.

Behind him, Varian chants, in a very poor attempt at a low whisper: please be next to the boilers, pleaseeeee be next to the boilers, please please please—

Rapunzel’s smile grows wicked. “You’ll be in the empty room next to Varian’s.”

...Wait, what?

There’s a muffled thump as Varian dramatically falls over in shock.

“Also, the room isn’t ready yet—” Rapunzel adds with a grin, “—so tonight you’ll be sleeping on Varian’s floor.”

Hugo opens his mouth. Hugo closes his mouth. Hugo grits his teeth very hard, and reminds himself that mutiny two hours after being hired is not, unfortunately, part of the plan.

Behind Rapunzel, Cassandra is laughing so hard she’s starting to wheeze. Gods damn her.

Varian is still face-first on the floor. His answering “Fuck!” is muffled into the wood.

Rapunzel frowns at him anyway. “Language,” she says, but— holy shit. Is that a smile?

It is. They’re being mocked. By the Maker, she is laughing at them. What did Hugo do to her? He thought their first meeting went fine! What the hell!?

“Is this because I ate the last slice of pie yesterday?” Varian asks the floor. “Because I am sorry. For that. So sorry. Please have mercy.”

“Oh, c’mon, up— off the floor,” Rapunzel sighs at him, still laughing, and walks by Hugo to help drag Varian up to his feet again. The boy goes reluctantly, looking despondent. “I’m not doing this as punishment, Varian, please. He’s your assistant and you two are going to be working together very closely, so he’s your responsibility. That’s all.”

“But I—” Rapunzel gives him a look. Varian visibly deflates. “Fine, fine.”

Cassandra, Hugo notes, is grinning. He narrows his eyes. That’s all, hah, he doesn’t think so. They’re being played. Hugo can sense it.

Rapunzel draws away from Varian with one fond tuffle at the other boy’s hair, then moves back towards her desk. “That’s all I really had to say, I think… Eugene will drop off a spare blanket and pillow for you in Varian’s room, Hugo, and with luck we’ll have your lodgings prepared before tomorrow night. And… yep, that’s all! Unless you have any questions?”

“No,” Hugo says, a little stiff.

“Great! And just in time for dinner… well, I won’t keep you two.” Varian is already turning away, heading for the door without so much a salute; a moment’s pause, then Hugo reluctantly follows, unsure how to deal with this odd relationship between Captain and engineer.

“I actually hate you,” Varian says with a scowl.

Rapunzel laughs. “Save me a seat!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Wild.

They’re halfway through the door when Cassandra calls out after them. “Sleep well tonight, lovebirds!”

Hugo rolls his eyes, and he grabs for the doorknob even as Varian whips around ahead of him, face flushed and eyes wide. “Cass!” Varian shouts through the door, right in Hugo’s face. “Come on! I have STANDARDS!”

Hugo chokes on a laugh, ducking his head quick to muffle it in his arm. Rude! he thinks, almost grinning at the offended face Varian makes at his back, and then pulls the Captain’s door shut with a heavy thump.

Through the door, he can hear both Cassandra and the Captain laughing. Varian is still shouting.

Six fucking months of this. Supposedly it’ll all be worth it in the end, but…

Ugh.

Hugo squeezes his eyes shut, pinching at the bridge of his nose, and refuses to admit he’s smiling too.

Dinner that night is… interesting, to say the least. Most of the crew is taking advantage of their last night on land, so the dining hall is decidedly empty. Still, there’s enough people to call the room cosy, the lot of them lining up to receive their food. Hugo’s used to a certain system: grab your plate, get your ration, and fuck off. Easy peasy. Varian doesn’t seem to want to chat too much, but he still shows Hugo where the large stacks of plates and cutlery are so he’s not totally lost.

Hugo’s surprised when Lance dramatically unveils a spread of food across the whole of the wide window between the large room and the kitchen. He must be pulling out all the stops for the last night before they set sail, Hugo muses, watching as those before them pick and choose at random what to put on their plate. It’s odd. Usually with ships you’d be lucky to get something that wasn’t freeze dried or hard as a rock. There’s actual food here, chicken and roast vegetables, and— by the Maker is that actual, honest to god cheese? Hugo can’t help but get a little excited. Rapunzel’s money must be good for something, he guesses.

The Captain isn’t there, probably off eating in her own quarters like Captains usually do. No point in associating with the common rabble, after all. Varian scoops food onto his plate, idly passing a large spoon to Hugo when he’s done with it, the motion happening without any thought. It seems that’s how it works, Hugo scooping food of his own before he passes off the spoon to Eugene, standing behind him. This is so goddamn weird, Hugo thinks to himself as he scoops more food onto his plate. Who the hell actually eats food like this on a working vessel?

The weirdness doesn’t end there, either. The way Hugo’s used to things is simple: after you win the scramble for rations, most people tend to immediately piss off to their own isolated corners of whatever ship they’re on, hiding away to eat in peace.

The crew of the Aphelion do it differently, because of course they do. When Hugo goes to leave the room, Varian grabs him by the sleeve, dragging him over to the large table he’d noticed last time they were in the room. Yong and Nuru are already there, as are Cassandra and Xavier, and a few others Hugo doesn’t have names for yet. Not that he cares, of course, because none of them matter in the grand scheme of things anyways, and why is he bothering to remember their names again?

Varian greets them with a smile, setting his food down and taking a seat. Hugo stands awkwardly for just a beat too long, holding his plate just a little too tightly, before Varian takes pity. The younger teen kicks out the empty chair next to him, gesturing for Hugo to take a seat. He does, looking around as people fill in about a third of the chairs, the lot of them clustering around one end of it. The head spot is empty, probably because it’s so close to the wall with the way the table’s jammed into the dining room. The gentle lull of conversation takes over, only growing when Lance and his daughters join as well, once everyone’s sat down. Another oddity, the kitchen staff eating with the rest of the crew.

“I just have no idea where they went!” Lance moans sadly, “I swear I made three dozen ginger molasses cookies, but now I can only find two dozen.”

“That’s rough, bud,” Eugene says, playing with the tines on his fork. “We haven’t even taken off yet and you’ve already lost your mind.”

Yong snickers from his place across from Hugo, as does Varian to his left. Hugo has to bite his lip to keep from laughing too. He’s got a reputation to uphold, after all.

Cassandra glares at them all, and they sit up a little straighter under her stare. The giggles stop, but then she smirks. “You guys tell me if he snaps,” she says, leaning back in her chair. “I need an excuse to toss him in the brig.”

Lance makes a dramatic gasp, clutching at his heart. “You wouldn’t!” he wails, “I am a single father, and you would throw me in the brig?”

“Absolutely,” Cassandra says blandly. “And your kids would help me.”

“We totally would,” Keira pipes up from her place next to Lance. “If you’re not around, bedtime is never.”

They all let up a little as Lance begins to blubber into his dinner, wailing about ungrateful children into his peas. They muddle through a little more awkward small talk, everyone dancing around the fact that Hugo doesn’t seem keen to join the conversation, until one of the doors flies open with a loud bang.

“Sorry I’m late!” Rapunzel crows, Pascal on her shoulder. “Got lost charting some stuff for tomorrow.”

She borderline skips past the table, grabbing a plate and humming as she loads it with food from the spread. Hugo nods to himself, ah that must be what the chair at the head of the table’s for. They all watch her spin around and come towards the table, and Hugo waits to be proven correct.

Therefore, when Rapunzel sets herself down to Hugo’s left, he’s left a little confused.

What kind of Captain eats with their crew? The absurdity of it throws Hugo for a loop, the sheer oddness confusing at best. Varian snickers by Hugo’s other side, watching as Rapunzel begins to shovel food into her mouth like she’s been starving for weeks. When she breaks for air she turns to Hugo, leaning an elbow onto the polished wood of the table and balancing her chin on her hand. She looks at him with excitement, bouncing in her seat. What an actual lunatic.

“So,” she says, her grin getting wider, “how was the rest of your afternoon?”

“Fantastic,” Varian says, answering for Hugo, but Rapunzel flicks a pea at him.

“Wasn’t asking you,” she says as Varian throws another pea back. She slaps it out of midair, obviously used to this. “I was asking Hugo. So?”

“Nah, it was good,” Hugo says, trying to school his face into a smile. “Very… educational.”

“It’s a lot at first,” Rapunzel nods. “But you’ll get used to it— I promise!”

Varian snorts, but doesn’t say anything. The conversation drifts then, easy and light like they’ve been doing this for years.

Hugo realizes with a start that they probably have.

He shuffles food around on his plate, unseeing as he begins to think of a game plan. It’s obvious that he’s going to have to tweak his original idea. It seems as though skulking around like he usually does is only going to seem more than a little suspicious with such a tightly knit crew. A bit of a wrench in the engine, but nothing he can’t handle. Donella’s counting on him, after all; it wouldn’t be due to let the boss down.

Xavier seems to be going on about some legend or another, the whole table politely tuning him out. Eugene seems to be almost asleep, borderline leaning on Cassandra as he balances his chin on his hand, elbow planted firmly on the table. Hugo can see a shimmer of something on his shoulder, startling when Pascal shifts into view with the faintest glimmer of shifting colour. God what a creepy thing to make. The chameleon shaped automaton wiggles on Eugene’s shoulder before letting his tongue fly, catching Eugene right in the ear. He wakes up with a shriek, loudy screaming as he jolts upright.

The whole table erupts into laughter, even Xavier. Hugo can hear Rapunzel gasping for breath through the loud laughs, cackling at her husband’s expense. Hugo can see Varian out of the corner of his eye, the shorter boy nearly face first in his dinner as his shoulders shake with giggles. Hugo fully turns to him, ignoring Eugene’s howls about goddamn awful frogs, and sees Varian just as he snorts on his own giggles, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. Hugo stares for just a second, caught up in the sight of it—

Cute.

—Oh. Oh, fuck no, he is not going there. Even if Varian isn’t half bad to look at, he’s still a certified pain in the ass, not to mention part of the crew Hugo is here to rob. No amount of sass or big, baby blue eyes will ever change that. At the end of the day, Varian’s merely an obstacle between Hugo and his prize, and there is no way Hugo is letting anything stop him. Hugo tears his eyes away from Varian, shaking himself. Think of the money, stupid, he tells himself, think of the fortune.  

The laughter dies down after a few more seconds, Eugene finally getting Pascal off his shoulder and onto the table. The little automaton scurries back to it’s master, Rapunzel scooping him up and petting along his metal back with a coo. It reminds Hugo of Varian and that stupid raccoon, the way she treats the automaton like it’s a pet. Strange.

Dinner settles into a companionable silence after that, everyone too busy stuffing their faces to really make conversation. This, Hugo can already guess, is probably the quietest they ever get on this ship. Hell, he’d even put money on it. They’re nothing if not a lively bunch, to say the least. Not really Hugo’s style of people; the whole peppy, loving-life, sappy crew that children dream to be a part of someday.

It’s disgusting, is what it is.  

Rapunzel doesn’t try to loop Hugo into any more conversations, thankfully, the Captain disappearing from dinner just as abruptly as she’d entered. “Sorry guys!” she says, borderline tossing her plate into a square bucket by the kitchen window. “Can’t stay long, lots to do before tomorrow!”

Everyone calls their goodbyes, but she’s out the door in a swish of purple fabric before many of them can even speak. Varian just laughs and gathers his own dishes, holding a hand out for Hugo’s as well. The blond stands when Varian gestures with his chin, following across the room to a strange set of three pipes, all embedded in the wall. They’re brass, blending in with the warm wood well enough that Hugo hadn’t noticed them until now.

“Forks, knives, spoons,” Varian says, gesturing to each one. He holds a fork up in display before putting it into the tube labeled forks in looping, whimsical blue-painted script. The other pipes are labeled as well, and under each label the pipes have a small metal button in the center. Once the fork is in Varian taps the button with his thumb, the tube making a little shwoop-ting noise as the fork is dropped down into it. There’s the tiniest puff of steam before a little piece of metal pops back up as Varian releases the button, blocking the pipe once again.

“I made Lance an automatic dishwasher for his birthday last year,” Varian explains, “It’s not… delicate enough for anything made of glass, but for silverware it’s great.”

Hugo snorts, his brain running a mile a minute as to how to make it work for glasses and the like before he has to stop himself. He’s not here to make friends, and he’s certainly not here to be helpful. Hugo tries the knives chute for himself, delighting as the cutlery disappears into the void below. He might have to ask Donella about getting that for their own ship, really, not that Hugo would ever give Varian the satisfaction of Hugo asking how he made it.

They’ve only just made it out of the dining hall, before Varian is nearly bowled over by a frantic man with red hair. The new guy— tall and gangly and looking one good breeze away from falling right over the edge— is the throes of panic, half-way ranting even as he grabs at Varian’s shoulders. Varian holds up his hands  and backpedals, nearly falling into Hugo, shying away from the frantic energy of the man in front of them.

“Woah, woah— Feldspar, what’s happened now?” Varian asks, not-so-subtly trying to inch away as the redhead gets closer.

“It’s water pipe eighteen!” Feldspar— Hugo doesn’t even know where to start with a name like that— crows, nearly tugging his own hair out. “It’s popped again, I don’t know what happened!”

“Again?” Varian mutters. “We’re not even in the air this time!”

Feldspar only nods, grabbing at Varian’s wrist. The short boy sighs, looking back to Hugo with a scowl. “Stay here,” he says, already letting Feldspar tug him away. “I won’t be long.”

Hugo nods, smiling and giving him a thumbs up. It’s obvious that Varian doesn’t believe the false innocence for even a second—Hugo can tell by the way his eyes narrow and Varian’s head cocks to the side—but Feldspar is already screeching about water damage and oh by the Gods it’s everywhere, and so Varian has no choice but to follow the hysterical man back to whence he came.

Hugo keeps his grin in place until they round the corner. The minute Varian loses sight of him, Hugo drops the grin like it’s wronged him, pivoting once on his heel and walking right away.

“Stay there, Hugo,” the blond mutters to himself, pitching his voice to be deliberately wheedling and annoying. “I’ll be right back... buncha bullshit.”

The halls of the Aphelion are long and winding, but nothing Hugo can’t handle. He skates his way through with ease, eventually finding his way back up to the deck. Hugo steps out from a different door than he’d come in from, this one decidedly smaller and more unassuming than the one Varian had shown him earlier this afternoon. It’s still in the vault door style Hugo’s noticed they like to use, a great iron door embedded in the wood with a spinning wheel for a handle.

Hugo slips out onto the deck as quietly as he can, cautiously closing the metal door behind him. It ghosts along on perfectly oiled hinges, silent in the inky black of the late evening. The deck is empty, save for Hugo, but he still takes his time. He needs to find where the cargo hold is, and soon—

A sudden bang comes from the dock below. Hugo drops to the polished wood of the deck on reflex, dipping down so he’s nearly pressed up against the boards. He chances moving towards the edge of the deck, peeking over the immaculate railing and down to the dockyard below.

Four large figures stand on the copper panels that make up the docks, all of them wrapping chains around… a very large something. Hugo perks up with interest when he sees it. Bingo, something in him whispers. Donella had never told him exactly what the Aphelion had been transporting, only that it was incredibly valuable. From the shady way Varian had dodged Hugo’s questioning earlier in the day, Hugo can hedge his bets: it’s the kind of thing that can make a man rich beyond their wildest dreams.

The box seems to be a containment chamber of some kind, a five foot squared box of metal panels all bolted together with perfect accuracy. There’s a single porthole of glass bolted into one of the sides, and Hugo can only justsee a neon green light filtering through… is that ice? Sure enough the window is frozen over, and Hugo can even pick out the beginnings of hoarfrost crawling up the corners of the chamber.

Puffs of frozen air seep slowly from the seams in the metal box. Liquid nitrogen, Hugo thinks to himself, sinking down a little deeper as the side of the Aphelion slides open, a great door in the outer wall of the ship. The men wrapping the containment chamber finish their work, and a metal crane extends from the guts of the Aphelion. This is pretty standard for larger pieces of cargo, of course, to bring it directly into the cargo bay from the outside, but in the dead of night? With minimal crew to get it in place?

Suspicious.

Hugo watches as the great metal box is lifted into the air, lifting off the cart the men had brought it in, the Aphelion reeling it in like a caught fish—

“Hugo?!” a frantic voice calls behind him, and Hugo whirls around, half-rising from his bannister hiding spot to see Varian, standing right behind him and looking undeniably pissed. “Hugo, you’re not supposed to be up here!”

If anything Varian looks spastic, and when he hears the commotion being made from the cargo being loaded onto the Aphelion, he outright blanches, going pale in the face. He grabs at Hugo’s sleeve and starts to pull.

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” Varian says, dragging Hugo away. The blond thinks about putting up a fight, but logic tells him that would end badly. Or, at least, with Hugo being fired before he can even get what he came for. He lets Varian drag him away, chancing one last look back.

He gets one last glimpse of the box, finally in the Aphelion, the doors beginning to inch quietly shut. In the next instant Varian has pulled him out of range, but the damage is already done.

Bingo, Hugo thinks again.

Varian bullies him off the deck, forcing him down into the labyrinthian hallways of the ship. “Why the hell were you up there?” Varian demands, stopping them once they are well and truly away from the deck. “You were supposed to wait for me near the dining hall, why did you wander off?”

“Got bored,” Hugo says, shrugging. Varian’s eyes narrow, as though trying to intimidate him. It’s adorable. “Needed some fresh air, goggles, is that a crime now?”

“It is when I told you to stay put,” the shorter boy snaps. “That cargo’s confidential; you weren’t supposed to know about it.”

“Need-to-know-basis?” Hugo asks with a smirk, remembering Varian’s words from earlier that afternoon. If anything, Varian’s scowl deepens, his teeth gritting just a little tighter.

“Exactly,” Varian hisses, “and you weren’t supposed to know, so you’d do well to forget everything you saw up there.”

Hugo holds his hands up in a placating gesture. “Sure, goggles, can’t be that important.”

Varian huffs out a frustrated noise, and Hugo smirks. Better to feign nonchalance now that he’s been caught; if he tries to dig now Varian would be more suspicious than he already is. Varian can’t prove Hugo was snooping, and that’s enough to keep Hugo safe… in theory.

The shorter boy looks ready to punch Hugo, but he can’t, and it’s so delicious. Hugo would laugh, if he weren’t so irritated.

Varian finally settles for clenching his fist in the air with frustration, then motions for Hugo to follow him further down the hall. This is a new part of the Aphelion, one lined with doors on every side of the hallways. Varian leads Hugo to one of the doors near the end, opening it and gesturing for Hugo to follow inside.

He does, without question.

“Your room’s not done until tomorrow,” Varian mutters as they walk into a sparse bedroom. Hugo makes a face at the room: the automaton, Ruddiger or whatever, is already sitting on the bed, fast asleep. So creepy. “You’re bunking with me, like Rapunzel said.”

Yeah, Hugo knows; he hasn’t exactly forgotten that he’s going to have to share a room with this pain in the ass. He steps inside and stands still in the center of the room, hearing Varian close the door behind them.

Despite himself, his hands curl into fists, half-hidden by his sides. Irritation bubbles bitter and acidic in his chest. He knows better, he knew going in this job wouldn’t be that easy—but still. They were loading the stupid thing right in front of him, and if it weren’t for Varian, Hugo could have…!

Damn it.

He lets out a thin breath through his teeth, a low hiss— then turns and meets Varian’s narrow gaze with a bright smile. Varian looks annoyed to see it; Hugo smiles harder in retaliation. Behind his back, his fists clench. It’s been a long day, a tiring day, and Varian is the cause of most of the bullshit. Hugo is allowed to be pissed about it, okay?

“So?” Hugo says, and if it takes more effort than usual to keep his voice light, well. “Where am I sleeping?”

Varian’s expression sours at the reminder. “Right,” he mutters, and makes for the far wall, towards a small bolted dresser with shuttered doors. “Eugene should have put some blankets in here somewhere…”

The room is cozy, Hugo notes, almost absently; sparse and clean and rarely used, the bed made and sheets crisp. Something tells Hugo that Varian doesn’t spend much time here—wherever his workspace on this ship, Hugo would bet good money it’s a disorganized mess with a cot under the desk for all nighters.

Still, the room isn’t shabby—a nice size, with a dresser and side table and a wide bed. There’s a large porthole window looking out the right side of the ship, into the dockyard, and a copper lantern hangs from the ceiling like a droplet, swinging faintly with the sway of the ship. A heavy shag carpet takes up most of the floor, a dark gray turned multi-colored from past experiments. The rest of the walls are taken up by shelves, stuffed full of books and materials and spare parts. The smell of oil lingers faintly in the air. If Hugo hadn’t been so irritated, he might have even found it nice.

Instead he finds it vexing, and as Varian shakes out the extra bedding and lays it down, Hugo rakes his eyes down the walls and feels a sneer curl his lips. “Homey,” he says, mild as the weather, and makes it sound like half-an insult. “I bet it’s real fun to fix those shelves up again once one rock sends them sprawling, hm?”

“They’re locked in with magnets. My design.” Hugo scowls; Varian looks up, grinning a little. “Also, all furniture is bolted down, too, to avoid exactly that.”

It’s clever. Hugo hates it. “Lovely,” he says dryly, as unimpressed as he can make it, and wanders across the room with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. His eyes catch on the dresser. There’s only one thing on it: a metallic frame with a small sepia photograph, faded and worn with time. The photo is of a young boy, obviously Varian given the matching stripe in his hair, and a man—tall and broad-shouldered with deep set eyes, smiling wide and fond at the child sitting up on his shoulders.

“Who’s that?” Hugo wonders, looking at the frame, picking it from the dresser. The magnet sticks a bit, but he pries it up pretty easy. “Daddy dearest? I don’t think we’ve been introduced. What’s he do— swab the deck?”

Varian’s voice is very quiet. “Put it down.”

Hugo looks back, mocking. “What—”

He goes silent, his mouth snapping shut. Varian isn’t even looking at him. He’s staring at the photo, pale and a little wild-eyed, hands clenched. “Put it down,” he says again, and there’s nothing in his voice at all.

Hugo’s irritation flatlines; something in his gut drops. Shit. He’s crossed a line, somewhere, without even knowing it. He puts down the photo at once, stepping back, hands raised and empty. “I didn’t mean to—”

Varian shoulders past him, dead-eyed and cold. “Good night.”

“I—”

“Good night.”

Hugo takes the hint. He edges towards his bed roll, lips pressing thin, uncomfortable. He’d just wanted to push some buttons, not—this. He’s not sure what this is, or why he feels vaguely ill. Is this guilt? Oh, shit.

Varian shucks off his coat, under the covers before Hugo can even blink. Hugo settles on his own blanket pile just as the light snaps off. It’s dark.

Hugo looks down at his hands, staring until his eyes adjust and he can see the shape of them in the dark, listening to the ragged drag of Varian’s breathing. He doesn’t move, not yet. He just sits, and listens, and watches his hands.

And he waits. Just to see. Just in case.

But Varian doesn’t speak to him again.

Hugo opens his eyes to a dark morning.

A headache pulses behind his eyelids almost at once, and Hugo grits his teeth and presses a hand against his temples. He hisses a breath between his teeth as silently as he can. He’d planned for this, when he’d finally laid down last night to sleep—there’s no better time for snooping on the ship then in the dead-hours of morning, after all—but still. He’d had a long day yesterday, and a late night, and something in him despairs at the dark sky he sees outside Varian’s window. The sun isn’t even remotely up yet.

Ughhhhhhh.

He climbs to his feet, silent as a grave, pulling up his coat and boots to take with him. He stands, listening intently for any change in Varian's breathing, and once satisfied he moves noiselessly to the door. It’s time to get to work at his actual job.

He slips out the door, and eases it closed; it clips shut with only the slightest of thumps. So far, so good. Hugo pulls on his coat as he pads his way down the hall, boots still dangling from his hands. The hallway is dead silent, and dark, only one out of every four lanterns still lit. Hugo takes his time, listening, but no one else seems to be awake yet…

No, wait. Hugo stills mid-step, eyes widening. Because there, if he strains his ears…

Footsteps, high above him.

The deck.

...What was it Varian had said, yesterday? Leaving tomorrow, and I mean tomorrow. Which means—a morning lift off.

It’s ass o’clock in the morning, and the rest of the crew has apparently chosen this to be the time to trope on back indoors. So…

Hugo closes his eyes and rubs at the bridge of his nose, tired all the way to his bones. Oh, he thinks. Fuck me.

Well. He’s awake now, no changing that, and there’s no way he’ll be getting back to sleep anytime soon. Hugo scrubs his hands through his hair and kneels down to put on his boots. He won’t be able to go to any of the places he needs to check out, but he can still take a look around. And if anyone asks, he’ll just say he couldn’t sleep.

Still: so annoying.

He steps up onto the main deck already frowning, and squeezes his eyes shut at what he finds—people, not enough to be loud but definitely too many to hide from, walking silent across the ship, carrying crates and tying down final shipments. They speak in muted, hushed voices; soft laughter drifts across the deck. Far-off over the edge of the deck, he can see sparks of lightning hanging in the air, Corona’s floating shields up and running even in this early hour.  It’s still dark, but this high up Hugo can see the thin line of blue starting to band the horizon, the gold hue creeping into the distant clouds: dawn, slowly but surely on its way.

Hugo looks away, and beelines for the stairs leading up to the upper deck; if he’s going to be out here, he might as well get a view. He gets half-way up before he realizes the deck isn’t as empty as first thought—there, in the far corner, elbows resting on the railing and her eyes turned towards a slumbering Corona, is Rapunzel.

Hugo stills, preparing to back away—but it’s too late. She turns to look at him, and catches his gaze. Hugo doesn’t move.

After a long pause, Rapunzel smiles at him, something hushed in her expression. She gestures him to her, and Hugo, though reluctant, goes.

He steps up beside her, gingerly resting his elbows on the railing in a mimicry of her pose, and turns his face to the city too so he doesn’t have to look at her. He’s not sure what to make of this Captain, all things considered; she’s childish and naive and preppy, too genuinely cheerful by half, and these are all things Hugo holds in disdain. And yet, at the same time, the paradox: she is Captain of the Aphelion, the fastest ship in all seven skies, the jewel of the northern skyline. She is a legend.

He doesn’t understand her at all.

Hugo turns his face up into the wind, taking comfort from the cold. Corona is a dark blot on the slowly lightening skyline, as asleep as cities ever get, the lamplights burning a distant orange and the trains all silent. It is a dark city lit only by faint, distant dollaps of light like fireflies, but as Hugo watches, a thin band of gold haloes the highest point, the first spire of the Sun’s temple, a thin circle of sunlit glow like a crown.

The silence stretches, and Hugo shifts, a little uneasy. “What,” he says, for lack of anything better. “Homesick already?”

Rapunzel laughs quietly. “Do I look homesick?”

He glances at her from the corner of his eye and falters, because— no, maybe not homesick. Hugo doesn’t even know what that would look like. But there is something muted in her, something sad, a strange sort of melancholy as she looks out over the city.

“I don’t know,” Hugo says, and looks away, discomforted by his own honesty.

Rapunzel is quiet again. Then she sighs, soft, a heavy exhale. “No,” she says. “No, not homesick. I never really miss Corona, though I probably should.” Her smile twists, goes funny at the edges. “But no. Aphelion, this ship, she’s home to me. Corona is… just a place.”  

Hugo makes a face at that, utterly involuntary, and turns away too late. Rapunzel hums, thoughtful. “You don’t agree?”

He thins his lips, fingers curling on the railing. He shouldn’t—it’s stupid and he knows better, never antagonize a Captain, and especially not her; Hugo can’t afford an enemy this early into the game.

But he’s tired, and his head hurts, and he’s so sick of it, this goody-two-shoes crew with their sweet sayings and friendship bracelets and lack of anything resembling a sense of reality, and his fingers are digging into the wood before he can even think to stop himself.

“What’s the deal with that?” he asks, unable to keep from sounding snide. “With all that ‘the ship is home’ shit. I mean—come on.”

Rapunzel tilts her head, brow furrowing. “I… I don’t know what you mean.”

“I mean— ” He gestures, expansive, to the ship, something tight and angry winding in his chest, like laughter, only cruel. Because home? The Aphelion is beautiful, yes; Donella’s ship is lovely too, in its way. But Hugo has never been so stupid as to call a ship home. Ships are fallible, breakable, and crews shift like the tides; it’s a place of commerce and trading and battle. Not home, whatever home is, whatever that sort of thing looks like. Home stays on the ground; home is just Hugo, and all the riches in the world; home is—not necessary. Not needed.

“Look, I don’t mean any offense, Captain, but—how can a ship be a home?” He scoffs, scornful, and shakes his head, laughing under his breath. “It’s a place of employment. It’s a job.”

Rapunzel is staring at him now. She’s turned away from the city entirely, looking right at him. Her eyes are pale green and sharp as glass, and all at once Hugo realizes what he’s saying, who he’s saying it to, and he clenches his jaw and braces himself and waits for the verdict. Gods, if he gets fired over this, before liftoff, just because he couldn’t resist being mouthy, Donella is going to kill him. Hugo won’t even blame her. This was such a bad idea, in hindsight, so fucking stupid—

But after a moment Rapunzel blinks, and instead of going cold, or angry, or commanding, she does the most baffling thing she’s done yet: she smiles. At Hugo, directly at him, and it is a warm smile, a fond smile, a little crooked. As if he has said something funny, instead of something cruel.  

And all she says is: “Give it some time. You’ll see.”

Hugo stares at her, utterly floored, for the first time unsure of what to say or what’s happening. And Rapunzel shakes her head, still smiling that strange, soft smile, and before Hugo can move she reaches out and pats his shoulder, once, twice, and then she takes her hand away and heads back to the stairs.

“I didn’t say it earlier, so I’ll tell it to you now, I think,” she says, face turned up to the wind. She’s smiling soft and small, and looks at him from over her shoulder. “Welcome aboard, Hugo. I really am happy to have you.”

By the time Hugo can even think to answer, she is already gone.

He stays there for a long time, just staring, not sure of what to do, or what to think about it all. For the first time in his whole life he feels—he’s not sure what this feeling is. Like being seen, or being known, like something Donella did at times, very rarely. Those brief snatches of a moment, when she’d look at him and her lips would curl into the smallest of smiles; those rare, rare times when she would reach out and ruffle his hair like he was her own. Something bizarre and strange and—

Warm.

He feels shaky. It unsettles him. He doesn’t like it—Hugo draws into himself, rubbing hard at his arms, turning back to the railing. He exhales, watching his breath mist, and shivers for a moment in the morning breeze. He—

He doesn’t know what to think.

Down in the dockyard, people are starting to shout. Dock workers are crossing to and fro around the shipyard, tossing ropes and chains, beginning to unbolt the line. The ramp up to the main deck begins a slow, laborious journey of being rolled back up for storage. The ship is waking up, getting started. He can feel the rumble of the engine starting to buzz beneath his feet with a distant hum. They’re going to fly, soon. In a few minutes’ time, they’ll be in the sky.

Hugo doesn’t move. As the blue line of the horizon turns golden with sunrise, he watches as the Aphelionslowly but surely awakens into life. The chains holding the balloon down fall first; next the fires of the engine, filling up the envelope. Muted yells are traded  across the deck, and in the distance Hugo can hear Rapunzel calling orders. The sails are hoisted tall and high; in the back of the airship, the great copper turbine starts to spin. And little by little, bit by bit, the Aphelion starts to rise.

Hugo stares down at the city, unmoving. He can see the puff of steam rising from the first morning train; the wind is starting to pick up, a comforting howl in his ears. The ship rocks beneath his feet as she settles into the wind currents, and Hugo grips tight at the railing, riding out the first fits and starts of a ship finally waking up.

And just like that, they leave Corona behind.

It takes almost no time at all to leave the dock. Even less to pass the lightning shields, those chained-linked copper panels shining bright in the sun, a loose circle around the city. After all the work it took to get here… leaving Corona takes only a moment.

As the first bit of sun crests the distant hills, Corona is already falling into silhouette. It’s beautiful. Hugo has never put much stock in cities, but… even he has to admit it. The flying city is shadowed and soft in the early morning light, outlined in shining gold, and for a moment he can truly, honestly understand why it’s named for the Sun. There is something ethereal about it. Something fragile and light like a dream, a glow that exists only now, in these in-between daybreak hours.

He watches as Corona fades away, swallowed up by the clouds, and it is only when the city is at last out of view that Hugo lets up on his grip, exhaling hard.

He bows his head over his arms, feeling a tension he didn’t know he’d had ease away from his shoulders. He laughs, a little, then remembers the Captain and her words and—that, whatever that was, and feels the smile falter and fall off his face.

He exhales into his elbows. He lifts his head, staring blankly into the clouds. What had she meant by that? You’ll see. He thinks of last night’s dinner, of Varian’s hiccuping laughter, of the way Rapunzel looked at the dawn, and—

And he thinks: Does it matter?

Does it matter what she meant? Does it matter what she wants? Does it matter that Lance has two kids and Varian snorts when he laughs; does any of it actually matter at all? Of course not. Of fucking course not. Hugo’s not here to play games or play at being their friend—he’s here for a reason, for a job, for the money at the end of the journey. Their words don’t hold any meaning. They don’t hold any meaning, not in the grand scheme of it all.

Hugo’s expression firms. His eyes narrow. His fingers curl. He shakes his head, inwardly marvelling at his own stupidity, because—seriously. What a joke. That he’s hesitated at all, that he’s wasting time on this… he knows better than that. Or, he should.

The Captain—he’s underestimated her, he thinks. He understands a little better how she came to command the ship. For a moment, despite everything, despite all logic—

Hugo shakes his head again, shakes the last echoes of that conversation away, and straightens up to his full height, yawning into one hand. Stupid, really. He knows better, he always has; at least he’s gotten one good thing out of that odd, odd conversation. He’ll have to keep an eye on the Captain after all— she’s more of a threat than he first thought, and that means… Hugo’s going to have to watch his step.

He has a job to do. He has a treasure to steal. Corona is gone and the Aphelion is in flight: six months left, now, till they touch down in the City of the Moon. Six months to plan—to prepare—to pull off the best heist this side of the northern sky.

Hugo closes his eyes, and inhales deeply, and his conviction settles hard and cold in his chest. He’s ready. He has to be. The board is set—the pieces in place—the main players chosen. Hugo versus Aphelion; Hugo versus Captain Rapunzel. Everything is as it should be. All that’s left is to play the game.

All that’s left is to win.

Hugo opens his eyes to the first dawn of many to come, and grins.

“Game on.”  

[crystalninjaphoenix]

MerMay Day Ten Beach Day

The boardwalk was wildly busy that morning. Tourists were bustling about, ooing and awing at the open ocean and the boats lined up along the docks. They’d take pictures of themselves standing in front of the stores, buying souvenirs and eating treats. The locals in their boats were well-used to this, and went about their business.

Nobody noticed two heads poke out of the water at the end of the pier.

“They’re not looking this way,” Chase said. He grinned. “C’mon.” He ducked back under the water, swimming closer.

“Chase! Hey!” Jackie hurried to catch up. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course!” Chase nodded enthusiastically. “The only ones who’d be looking directly down at the water are kids, and the adults aren’t gonna believe them.”

Jackie didn’t quite look convinced. “What if they think we’re big fish? What if my dorsal sticks out of the water? I’d freak them out, wouldn’t I? They’d think there was a shark, and who knows what they’d do when they’re scared?”

“Just stay down a bit, it’ll be fine,” Chase said reassuringly. They’d arrived at the end of the pier, and he was now circling around one of the dock’s supports. “I’ve been people-watching for a while, it’s not too hard to avoid them.” He smiled. “C’mon. You wanted to do something fun. This is what you get for letting me choose.”

Jackie sighed. He peeked out of the water, eyes scanning the boardwalk. “What’re they doing?”

Chase poked his head out as well. “I think some of them are on vacation.”

“Vacation?”

“Yeah, they take a break from work and go see places they’ve never seen before, to do new things. Some of these guys must live further inland, so they’re coming to see the ocean.”

“Ohhhh.” Jackie nodded. That he could understand. “So we just watch them?”

“And listen.” Chase watched the tourists stroll across the dock. “I like to guess what they’re talking about, where they’re from, what they do…” He dropped a bit lower in the water. “That’s not...creepy, is it?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, what else are you gonna do, watch the fish instead? At least you can understand these guys.” Jackie backed up a bit, looking at the pier. “Besides, some of these guys are doing that anyway.” He pointed out groups of people sitting on benches, clearly watching the other passerbys.

Chase looked a little reassured for that, regaining his enthusiasm. “Alright, if they’re doing it.” He bolted, swimming along the bottom of the pier. “Oh! You can see their shadows under here!” 

Jackie laughed, easily catching up. It was nice to see Chase so happy, even if he didn’t quite understand why.

The day passed. The two merms darted about the water, hiding in the shadows under the dock. Chase would tell Jackie the names of the human stuff he seemed curious about, and they’d make up stories about the humans passing on the boardwalk. Occasionally one would toss bits of food in the water, trying to attract fish, and once they’d lost interest, the two merms would snatch it up, (though Chase always said it tasted better dry.)

But still, Jackie wasn’t the type of person to stay idle for very long. He grew restless, and started playing a game with himself. Hover on the surface of the water just behind a human who was looking away, and then duck back down just in time to dodge their gaze. Over time, he got more bold, sneaking up closer to the docks, splashing about to draw their attention just before vanishing underwater. 

Chase noticed this when Jackie decided to pull himself halfway out of the water, practically half-climbing up one of the dock’s support pillars. “Jackie!” he hissed, poking his head out of the water. “What’re you doing?”

“Dude, they’re totally oblivious,” Jackie chuckled.

“I mean, yeah, but they have cameras!” Chase said.

“They have what?”

“They’re these little devices that can take a photo—which is, like, a drawing that’s super real and captures all the details.” Chase glanced up onto the boardwalk. “They’re getting smaller, I think they started to combine them with cell phones so now everyone has one.”

“Combine them with what?” Jackie shook his head. “Look, I’m being careful.”

“Are you?” Chase asked. His eyes darted about. “Because I don’t think you—” He turned around. And immediately froze. “...fuck.”

Jackie looked behind him as well. There was a boat drifting in the water, a name written on its side in human lettering. And peering over the side of the white boat was a human, who was very clearly staring at them and gaping.

“Abandon ship!” Chase gasped, ducking under the water.

“What?” Jackie looked down at him, then up at the human, then started to follow Chase.

The human shook their head. “Wait!”

Like an idiot, Jackie paused. He looked back up at the human.

“I-I’m sorry, I just—oh my god, i-is this some publicity stunt?” The human laughed. “Like, are you going to be putting on a show later? Or…?”

The words were confusing Jackie, and he froze as he tried to process them. He knew a few human languages, but there were a few weird words in those questions, and he couldn’t quite grasp their meaning. But he understood that the human wasn’t being hostile. They seemed more confused than anything. Curious, and perhaps being a bit too bold, Jackie swam closer to the side of the boat.

“Oh my god…” The human gasped. They leaned back, running a hand through their curly blonde hair. “No way. No fucking way. You...you’re really a…? Oh my god.”

Jackie felt a tugging on his tail. He looked down to see Chase trying—and failing—to pull him underwater. He flicked his tail, easily shaking him off. And then he reached down and pulled Chase to the surface by his arm. Chase yelped. “Chase, c’mon, don’t be a guppy.”

“Shut up, I’m the one that introduced you to that phrase,” Chase muttered. He tried to dive back under, but Jackie pulled him back up. “What are you doing?! Seriously! We need to get out of here before he tells someone!”

“I think if they—I mean, if he was gonna do that, he’d be doing that already.” Jackie looked back up at the human. “He’s just kinda staring at us.”

“He’s in shock, let it kick in. Then he’ll start screaming.”

“You don’t know that! She didn’t start screaming, did she?”

Chase stopped trying to go back under. He glared at Jackie wordlessly.

“...sorry, low blow, I know,” Jackie admitted. “But my point stands. They don’t all freak out. Why are you so worried? You speak human.”

“I’m out of practice,” Chase muttered.

“Hey, um…” The human cleared his throat. “This is...kind of a lot to take in, I won’t lie. And I, uh, can’t understand your weird fish language.” He laughed nervously. “Can...you understand me?”

Jackie nodded. Chase shook his head.

“...both of those answer my question. Anyway, hi, I’m Ollie. I, uh…” The human—Ollie—looked behind him, grabbing something. “I was supposed to meet my...my friend, um, Isabelle, here...but…she cancelled on me just now. But I got her this.” He held up a small plastic bowl full of some kind of food, a plastic spoon shoved in it as well. “I don’t like vanilla, so I was just gonna throw it away, but do you guys want it or something?”

Chase’s eyes widened. “Nevermind, we are staying.”

Jackie laughed. “Sucker for food, huh?”

“Bro, take it. Try it. You’ll understand.”

Jackie shrugged, and reached up out of the water. Ollie leaned forward awkwardly, and passed him the plastic bowl. Jackie looked it over, holding it in both hands as he treaded water. He pulled the spoon out, and looked at Chase, who made a scooping motion. Catching on, Jackie scooped up some of the food with the spoon, taking a bite. His eyes lit up. “Oh my gods…”

“I know, right?” Chase grinned. “It’s called ice cream, it’s literally the best thing in the world. One of the things these guys do right is the food.”

“You guys like it?” Ollie asked. Jackie and Chase nodded in unison, and he, strangely enough, relaxed. “Alright then. You guys can chill here, I won’t bother you.” He backed away from the edge of the boat, sitting down.

Jackie and Chase, meanwhile, swam back underneath the pier, taking turns finishing the ice cream. Once they were done, Jackie swam back over to the boat and tossed the bowl and spoon back onto the deck. He heard a noise of surprise from Ollie, who looked back over the edge of the boat in confusion. Jackie laughed, backing away. Ollie shook his head, smiling, and returned to his seat.

“Still so eager to leave, Chase?” Jackie asked.

Chase considered this, though not for very long. “Nah. He’s cool.” He glared at Jackie again. “No more trying to get spotted, though.”

“Aw, alright.”

They hung around the boardwalk until the afternoon, and went home smiling and laughing. Somehow, they didn’t think anyone would be finding out about them today.

[samthemarvelfan]

Graveyard: Prologue

Summary: Waking up on a trash heap is never ideal. Getting imprisoned on a planet you’ve never heard of? That’s way worse. Ella was one of Asgard fiercest and most cunning protectors, but when Loki’s rebellion threatens her people’s safety, she’s made it her mission to do one thing and one thing only; kill him. By any means necessary. 

Pairing: Loki Odinson x OFC

Warnings: Imprisonment, fight scenes, general calamity, canon typical brouhaha. 

A/N: So idk where this is gonna go just yet, but here’s a lil tasty morsel. This is my first non-Bucky fic! and it features my first Marvel love--Loki <3 Tags are open :)

The acrid smell of rust and filth surrounded you as you woke.

Sitting up, you realize that, once again, you’d awoken in your cell. Wishful thinking kept alive the hope that this was all a dream.

“Raaagg!” The guard with the tentacles shouted as he chucked the tray of mush under your door.

You grimaced at the sight of the chunky grayish-blue mush. “Thanks a lot.” You mumble as he walks away.

“...asshole.”

The substance jiggled when you poked it. Begrudgingly, you spooned some into your mouth. How could something this color taste like rotten carrots?

“Morning, Ella.” Korg said through your bars.

You smiled halfheartedly at him. “Hi Korg. Where’s Miek?”

“Ah, he’s part of the welcome wagon today.” He said cheerfully. “I guess a special guest arrived last night.”

You nod, eating your mush. “Really? Who is it this time?” You didn’t care, it was just nice to have a conversation with someone who could actually speak your language.

“Not sure, you know. But rumor has it he’s a King.” He said.

Rolling your eyes, you looked to him, “Aren’t they all.” The words dripped with sarcasm.

“No. Not everyone.” He said plainly. Korg was a...simple guy, sarcasm often escaped him.

“I know, Korg...I—forget it. I’ll see you tomorrow?” You ask.

“Actually, rumor has it a few prisoners are being released to the work shed to make room for new ones. I put a good word in for you!” He said happily.

Your head perked up. “Really? Thank you, Korg!”

“No sweat. Well, I have to go draw and quarter some Skartelians. Bye-bye, then!”

When Korg had left your cell front, it was once again just you, your slop, and the first glimmer of hope you had. A chance to finally be out of this fresh hell.

You’d forgotten how long you’d been in this place; a week? Maybe two? A month?

The days were long and they all blurred together. Your only solace was plotting your revenge against that repulsive megalomaniac who put you here in the first place.

The day before your capture:

“We must get to Heimdall.” Sif whispered to you. “The people need to leave this place before he enslaves them all.”

Your bloodshot eyes scanned the area. The sound of the riots outside grew louder, and guards patrolled every exit.

Almost every one.

“Sif, look.” You said, nodding to the archway just off the main corridor.

Your stealth is something you were known for. Being as clever and cunning and careful as any warrior before you. Not only that, but Sif had been the one that trained you for battle. You were just as fierce and skilled as she was.

The cold stone of the pillar pressed against your back, “I’m going. One of us needs to tell Heimdall to open the bifrost.”

Loki had cloaked the palace in a spell, blinding those in and around it from Heimdall’s sight.

She nodded, “I’ll give you as much cover as I can.”

You crouched and rolled a ways to get to the next pillar. Your steps and movements were so light, not even you heard them.

The palace guards had just done a rotation to the next corridor, and that’s when you made your breakaway.

You slipped through the archway with ease and began running down the stairs. The cobbled flights of steps were your last hurdle, then it was just a long, but mad dash down the bridge to get to Heimdall.

“Going somewhere?”

You froze. Your foot had just touched the last step, but it was too late. You’d been caught...he had caught you.

“Hm, it looks like you are. Perhaps running to that golden eyed oaf to tell him what I’ve done?”

Loki.

You swallowed thickly.

“What’s the matter, darling? Cat got your tongue?” He smirked.

“Another cheap trick? Had to conjure up a spell because you couldn’t find me yourself?” You spat back at him.

Loki began circling you. When he was right behind you, he spoke next to your ear. “Why don’t you make a run for it and see?”

It was a test. But you knew Loki would never be out here, so close to the riots. The ‘scourge of the kingdom’ rebelling against his reign and rule over Asgard.

“Alright.” You turn quickly on your heel and sprint.

You made it 20 feet when a log appeared out of no where right under your feet. You hurdled forward, stumbling and rolling on the ground.

The slam of the dirt knocked the wind clean out of you.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk...” Loki tutted. “Next time toss a pebble. That’d be a much wiser test.”

You stood as quickly as you could, and charged him. “I’d rather toss a dagger.” Your blades dropped from your sleeves into your grasp.

Slashing at him, the blade narrowly missed his throat. He stepped back smoothly, circling himself around you, before casting his duplication spell.

Suddenly you were surrounded by dozens of him. Each of them taunting you.

“Come and get me.”

Slash

“I’m over here!”

Slash

“Did you miss me?”

All attempts futile. The God of Mischief certainly was worthy of the name.

“You coward! Fight me!” You shout.

In a snap, the copies disappeared. Loki stood behind you, and cleared his throat. “Would you really kill your King, Ellaria?” He asked, using your full name.

“I’m not loyal to a throne, nor am I loyal to a murderer.” You seethe breathlessly.

Loki’s jaw clenched as he took a step away from you.

“Guards?” He said simply.

Suddenly, a dozen Asgardian soldiers surrounded you. “Please escort this little minx to the dungeons.”

You were trapped. The golden men circled you as Loki watched, enjoying the torment.

“Ella! Now!” You heard Sif shout. She had her crossbow at the ready, and fired on the guards. At her fastest, she could fire 30 arrows a minute, plenty to take out a dozen guards.

In an instant, their shields went up, and Loki crouched behind them. “Stop her!” He shouted, staring at Sif.

“Loki...” you called.

He turned quickly, and you slashed you dagger across his face, leaving a small gash on his cheek bone.

His fingertips went to feel for blood, and sure enough, it began to drip.

Loki laughed, his teeth chewing on his lip.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” You smirked.

You planted your boot on the shield of the guard next to you. They were all crouched so it was easier than expected. Backflipping out of the circle of them, you ran as fast as you could down the bridge, praying Loki’s spell didn’t cast that far.

“Heimdall! Heimdall!” You scream.

A quick glance over your shoulder confirms your wonder if you were being chased yet.

“Heimdall! Open the bifrost!” You’re screeching now.

Suddenly, the bridge shakes. He’d heard you!

“Ellaria, stop!” Loki shouts from behind you. You glance to see he’s on a horse, riding fast.

Your lungs expand once more, but before sound escapes you, you see a tidal way approaching you. Angry water pulled from the sea beneath you barreling down from behind you.

“Heimdall! Open the bifrost! Please!” You’re desperate. The maniac chasing you had indeed cast a spell; one to end your life. 

You watched as the bifrost began to spin, he’d heard you at last!

Suddenly the wave over took you, launching you down the length of the bridge towards Heimdall.

You were rolling and churning in the waters Loki had cast, running out of air fast.

You’d gotten sent so far by the massive wave, somehow you been forced past Heimdall and into the still-turning stream of light that was the bifrost.

The surge of energy sent your body into a whirlwind. You were soaring through the universe in an iridescent ray of light made of enough energy to light up a continent.

After what seemed like mere seconds, you felt yourself enter and atmosphere. Shortly after that, you’d landed on a pile of...trash?

The tingles rushing through your body drained you. You’d never been in the bifrost alone before, and it was clear your body couldn’t handle the amount of power surging around it.

Clicks and pops made you open your eyes. Shielding them from the sun with your hand, you found yourself surrounded by humanoid creatures of every size and color. 

They were speaking. Communicating to one another.

“Help me. Please help me.” You begged, hoping feigning weakness would stop any unwanted hostility.

The orange creature reached his hand out--a hand with eight fingers, and you took it. He hoisted you up to your feet, and gave you a half smile. 

“Thank you.”

He nodded, “Mezbanjala fo tutu.” He clicked his tongue quickly.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t understand you.” You said, shaking your head.

The group of creatures eyes suddenly widened, and the lot of them began shouting and running away.

“Hey! Wha--”

You felt a sharp pain in your neck, and then everything went black.