#varian different types of smiles

[purplewilmon]

Varian Fry - Transatlantic

for @imgonnagetkilledbynutstink

[maccreadysbaby]

Project: Killcode

batfamily + oc insert

tw: nothing really

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

a wee bit short but i felt like this moment deserved its own chapter

part twenty-seven

❝ COMMUNICATION ❞

SATURDAY — JULY 28 — 3:26PM

WHEN BENTLEY AND ROCKIE MADE IT BACK TO THE DORM, EVERYONE WAS IN IT.

As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by a myriad of loud sounds — one of them was Valor, who standing at the kitchen making a disgusting looking brown sludge in his deafening blender again. The other sound, a repetitive loud slam! was Koa, Varian, and Asten at the table paying what looked like slapjack. Bellamy was the only one being quiet, sitting on one of the couches with a notebook in his lap that he seemed to be sketching on.

There were several heys thrown their way when they walked in, and Bentley made eye contact with both Koa and Bellamy and smiled sheepishly. Rockie made for his bedroom on the immediate, and Bentley, with an exhale, closed the door behind them.

He wondered if anybody else knew about Rockie’s medicine. Surely Valor did, since they were roommates? Or did he keep it hidden? Surely not, since he was so open to taking Bentley with him to get it. The whole thing kinda confused him, if he were being honest…

Bentley turned back around, eyes flicking from Valor, who was holding down the blender lid so it didn’t come off, to Bellamy, who was drawing with his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth in focus, then to Asten, who-

Who was looking at him. No, not looking — glaring, like Bentley had just said something rude. He glanced around the room, then back at Asten. It was the same kind of look Damian had given him that night he told him off, and it sort of made Bentley want to crawl into a hole and die.

Was Asten… mad at him?

Bentley absolutely wracked his brain for anything he’d said or done that Asten would get upset about, but he repeatedly came back with nothing, which only freaked him out more. Why would Asten be mad at him? He ended up standing by the door for five whole minutes like an idiot trying to figure it out. Nothing. Bentley hadn’t done anything. Had he?

He glanced back at Asten just in time to see him subtly hold up his own phone — as a signal, telling Bentley to check his. 

With an anxious breath, he dug his phone out of his pocket and clicked it on. There were a few different notifications on the lockscreen, but the ones that made him cringe the most were the texts from Asten. Five of them.

When he opened them up, the first one said: where did you go? And it made him cringe even more than he already was. The second was merely three question marks, the third one was five arrow emojis pointing up at the other texts, the fourth one said did you go somewhere with rockie? And the last one was dude, where are you?

Bentley glanced up at Asten, but he was looking at the cards in their deck, so he cringed and quickly typed back: I’m sorry, my phone was on silent.

Asten glanced at his phone when it lit up, tapping on the new text to read it. Then he suddenly said something to Varian and Koa (Bentley didn’t hear it over his own panic.) and stood, making for their bedroom. He sent Bentley a look that made him feel like he was about to get lectured by Bruce.

Nevertheless, he shuffled along behind him looking the human equivalent of a dog with its tail tucked. Surely that wasn’t what made Asten so upset. What did he do? What did he do?

Bentley followed him into the bedroom and shut the door, turning to face him not a moment later. Asten was messing with something on the desk, maybe his backpack? Bentley wasn’t sure, because he didn’t actually seem to be doing anything more than fidgeting absentmindedly. “… Asten?”

“Dude, you’ve gotta text me back when you disappear like that,” Asten started, brushing his blue hair back out of his eyes and turning to face him. He looked jittery and irritated in a way Bentley hadn’t seen in a while. Had he really annoyed him that bad? “I had no idea what was going on. You’re lucky Valor texted Rockie or I’d have told Bruce you were missing in New York City.”

Bentley immediately started closing in on himself, his gaze falling to his own feet. Rockie had asked and they had left so suddenly, he didn’t even think to tell Asten…

 “I’m sorry,” Was his reply.

Asten huffed lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I had to learn from Summer that Tyler Abbott punched you in the face on the first day and you didn’t tell me.  Not to mention that Varian just told me about that Chloe girl that’s been harassing you, and your anxiety attack about Dr. Keene’s brother being your teacher, which you also neglected to mention to me. Do you suddenly have some kind of personal vendetta against telling me stuff, or what?”

Bentley took a step back, suddenly overwhelmed and already drowning in his good old friend guilt. “I didn’t… I didn’t want you to worry about me. I didn’t want to be in the way. I had someone with me, it was all fine.”

“No, you just didn’t want to deal with me having a reaction,” Asten spat in a way that made Bentley take another small step back. Asten’s arms were crossed tight, his body language closed off, and his green eyes were cold, a harsh glower Bentley had never had aimed at him until then. Why was Asten so upset? “Avoiding conflict at every turn only creates more conflict later. It doesn’t make anything better for anybody.”

Bentley looked down at his shoes, exhaling lightly. He had been doing pretty well not being a baby and stuff recently, but if there was one single thing in the whole world that could break him like no other, it was someone he cared about being mad at him. He guessed it was his fatal flaw — that every time someone got the least bit irritated he backpedaled and shut down so hard sometimes it caused more issues. He didn’t want to be a disappointment. He didn’t want to be a disappointment so bad.

Bentley brought his arms up and around himself slightly, tugging at his own sleeves. “I’m sorry.”

Asten let out an exasperated sigh. “This whole what happens at school stays at school thing only works if we actually know what happens at school. If I can’t trust you to tell me stuff, how can I trust you to keep stuff?”

Asten didn’t trust him?

“I’m sorry,” He repeated, bunching up his sleeves in his hands. Had Asten really just said he didn’t trust him? To his face? But they were brothers, what was Bentley going to do if Asten didn’t trust him?

“Stop apologizing!” He suddenly half-shouted, and Bentley flinched hard. “This is exactly the shit I was talking about. Stop trying to be Fix-it Felix and just have a damn conversation with me!”

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, is actually what Bentley found running through his mind. He was thirteen, he wasn’t a baby. Thirteen year olds didn’t cry when someone raised their voice. They didn’t.

If Asten didn’t want him to apologize, what did he want him to do? Argue with him? Wouldn’t that just make him more mad? It didn’t make any sense... What was the point in arguing if he was right? If Bentley couldn’t apologize he… didn’t really know what to say. He tried explaining himself but Asten had shot it down.

So he just sort of stood there. He wanted to say he was sorry, because he was, but Asten was mad at him for saying that, and he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. He was overwhelmed and empty and sad and guilty and he still just kinda wanted to go home.

And, to make the situation even better, Bentley Whittaker did what Bentley Whittaker did best.

Started crying.

He turned away when his eyes started to burn, but no matter how much he fought, he couldn’t get the tears to dry up and go away. He brought a hand up in an attempt to hide it to no avail.

“Shit,” He heard Asten sigh behind him. “Shit. B, I’m sorry.”

Bentley said nothing, just furiously scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeves in an attempt to make them stop watering. He wasn’t a baby, he wasn’t supposed to cry over stuff like this anymore.

“Hey,” Asten’s hand landed on his shoulder, and much to his own dismay, he found himself flinching away like he was about to get shot.

When he turned back to Asten, he was looking at him with this sort of appalled look on his face.

“I’m sorry…” Bentley mumbled before he could stop himself, using his sleeves to wipe the stupid tears off of his face that he hated so much. He didn’t look Asten in the eyes. “I didn’t… I… I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Bentley…”

“I’m sorry,”

“Bentley,” Asten stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder, gently tugging him forward until Bentley relented and wrapped his arms around him. “I’m sorry, B.”

“I don’t know why I’m crying. I… don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Bentley muttered, resting his forehead against Asten’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you, I’m sorry,” Asten replied, rubbing his back lightly with a sigh that seemed more at himself than Bentley. “I just… I’m not…”

Bentley didn’t say anything, just sort of gathered the back of Asten’s t-shirt in his hands to make himself feel better. 

“We just have to communicate better. Secrets just end up hurting people. That’s all,”

…Asten didn’t want them to keep secrets?

Bentley pulled away from him, glancing up at his face that seemed totally genuine and totally unbothered. He furrowed his brow, wiping at his eyes. “But… you keep secrets.” He replied, confusedly.

Asten creased his brow, digging his hands into his pockets. “Bentley, you know everything about me.”

“You lied to me about the party. You were planning to keep it as a secret,” Bentley replied, sniffing lightly as his tears began to dry up thanks to the shift in conversation. Why was Asten telling him not to keep secrets when he knew good and well he was keeping secrets himself?

“But I told you after,” He defended, stepping back, crossing his arms again. “And I said I was sorry.”

“The only reason you ended up telling me was because you drank yourself sick and couldn’t hide it. You wouldn’t have told me if not,” Bentley replied, crossing his arms, too.

The sort of cold look started creeping back onto Asten’s face. “You have no idea what I would’ve done. I went back, and I told you, and I apologized. Maybe I was going to keep it, but I didn’t, so why does it matter?”

So Asten was allowed to be upset but Bentley wasn’t? About the same thing?

Bentley huffed lightly, turning away from Asten and heading toward their bathroom. He mumbled: “As if that’s all.” To himself, but it seemed that Asten heard it, because he piped up:

“What?”

Bentley turned on his heel. “Were you planning on telling me that Georgia cheated on Rockie with you? Or were you just going to keep that a secret and lie to my face about knowing everything about you?”

Asten’s face fell, and a myriad of emotions flashed across it in quick succession — shock, fear, guilt, anger, one that looked like he might start crying, a moment of being offended, some kind of terror, and then settled on…. something subtle, and sad. He took another step back and crossed his arms tighter, closing up like Bentley did. He opened his mouth and closed it about six times.

Bentley didn’t say anything, and immediately regret began clawing its way up his ankles. He hadn’t been planning to just say it like that (or at all), and now that he had he… didn’t know what to do… so he just stood there. (Shit.)

Asten’s eyes fell to the floor, and he backed up until he was leaning against their desk. Bentley stepped forward once because it sort of looked like he was about to pass out. “Who else knows?” His voice was quiet, nearly inaudible, and he didn’t bring his eyes up.

“Just me and Summer,” Bentley continued, fidgeting with his fingers in front of him, glancing at the floor. “… Georgia told her and… I overheard by accident. Is… that what you were crying about the other night?”

Asten didn’t say anything, he just continued to look everywhere but at Bentley and slid down until he was sitting in the desk chair.

Bentley took a deep breath. “Asten?”

“She didn’t tell me,” He said hoarsely, shaking his head. “She didn’t say anything about Rockie. And I didn’t… I told her to stop, and she…”

Bentley watched his expression change a few times before it settled on one that looked freakily close to crying. “I don’t… I…”

He tried to struggle through more words, but it seemed like he didn’t know what he was trying to say. He just sort of fiddled with his fingers and ran his hands through his hair and looked all-around the most anxious he ever had. “I didn’t… I didn't tell you because I… I can’t talk about it, B.”

And for some reason, despite the facial queues and body language and the sensitive topic, Bentley was still caught off guard when Asten looked away, covered his face, and subtly rubbed at his eyes.

Well, dang. Now they’d both made each other cry. 

Bentley exhaled lightly and moved forward until he was next to the chair. As if that would make his predicament any better. Asten Evans crying about the same thing twice meant it must’ve been hurting him bad bad.

Asten didn’t move. “I can’t deal with this shit, B,” He choked out, burying his face in his hands so his next words came out thick with emotion and muffled. “I can never stop thinking about it. Every time I see her… every time I see him… every time I see something that relates to either of them, I... I don’t know what to do, I…”

Bentley didn’t say anything, because what was he supposed to say?

“I spend every second of every day in dread, and I… God, Bentley, this is just… it’s ruining me. I don’t know what to do,” He cried softly into his own hands, and tentatively, Bentley lifted a hand and rested it on his shoulder. “I hate it here, B. I just wanna go home. High school is shit. Everything here is shit.”

Bentley exhaled lightly, rubbing Asten’s shoulder slightly. “Bruce will take you home.”

“So I can tell him I snuck out, got drunk, and made out with someone else’s girlfriend on, like, the second day?” He asked, voice cracking. He flicked a glance Bentley’s way but immediately looked back at the desk. “Hell no.”

“It’s not your fault,” Bentley tried softly. “I heard Georgia and Summer talking about it. She knew you didn’t want to and she did it anyways… She’s been cheating for years. You’re not the bad guy.”

“I let her kiss me. I should’ve set her on fire,” He sniffled lightly, lacing one of his hands in his hair. “What… what the hell do we do, B?”

Bentley breathed in and out. “Maybe we should… I don’t know. Maybe you should… call Dick. I don’t know any details for sure but I… think something like this may have happened to him before.”

Asten tensed just at the suggestion.  “Absolutely not. Telling Dick is a one-way ticket to telling Bruce,” He shook his head. “And full-paid trip to new foster home land.”

“Bruce won’t get rid of you,” Bentley replied, squeezing Asten’s shoulder. “All the crazy crap and lying and nearly getting killed that we’ve been through and… he hasn’t gotten rid of me. He said he never would.”

“But you’re his kid,” Asten replied, glancing up at him. “I’m not. I just live in his house.”

“He loves you,”

“He loves me because I live with him. If I didn’t, he wouldn’t,” Asten sniffled, looking back down. Bentley didn’t miss the flash of pain that rippled across his red-tinted features at the statement. “I’m such a screw up. Not even a week and a half into public high school and I’ve gone and made everything into a shitstorm.”

“You’re not a screw up,” Was all Bentley found it in himself to reply.

“I can’t go anywhere without screwing something up, B,” He shook his head. “It just follows me around like some kind of plague.”

Bentley knew all too well how that felt.

“I don’t know what to do,” Asten finalized, resting his elbows on the desk and digging his head into his hands. “It takes everything I have just to act normal. I don’t know what to do.”

“It’s okay. We’ll figure something out,” Bentley mumbled, wracking his brain for any kind of solution that didn’t count telling their family. Or Rockie. He assumed that was off of the list, too. “I promise. It’ll be okay.”

“We can’t say anything,” Asten sniffed. “Right now, we can’t tell anybody.”

“Okay,” Bentley sighed. “Okay. We won’t say anything. We’ll act normal.”

Asten said nothing, and for a while, he just stayed shut in their room and cried.

(If this was how all of high school was, Bentley wasn’t sure he wanted it anymore.)

--

tag list that never works lmao

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun

@xiaonothere

@skylathescholarly @flyrobinflyy

[virianhaven]

virian hcs please

( excited noises 💬 )

♡ virian headcanons ! ♡

Violet thought having a crush on varian was kinda stupid on her part. she didn’t think he was the type to do relationships, but more so the “married only to his work” type. so she was completely astounded that her feelings were even reciprocated at all

They have very different baking habits. varian is all about precision, following the recipes and instructions to a T so things come out perfectly with the right consistencies and textures, while violet will rebel a bit against the recipes and add more of certain ingredients to get it to her personal liking. this baking rebellion can include overcooking or undercooking just a bit as well. there’s lots of frantic backseat driving from varian, while violet nonchalantly explains why the recipe is “better” with her adjustments.

They’re gossip buddies, they spill tea together while drinking hot chocolate in science beakers

They had a brief debate that varian would grow to be taller than violet, counting on quirin’s tall genes. but both of violet’s parents are on the tall side, so she knows she has a higher chance and is confident varian will always remain shorter than her. ( she likes it that way lol )

I imagine varian’s hands get cramped up a lot when he works ( mostly with inventing stuff ), so violet does thorough hand massages when she sees him, as well as guiding him through little hand and finger stretches

They both like to talk, and therefore will simultaneously have something to say at times. when they recognize this, it’s a constant back and forth of “you first” and “no no you go first”. they’ll both accept the turn to speak and end up speaking at the same time again, which just results in them laughing and possibly forgetting what they needed to say in the first place

Varian collects any merchandise that’s made for the incredibles family ( mostly violet’s ), and has a little place for them much like with Eugene

They both get really irritated when things aren’t working out for them, and usually try their best to calm each other down in those events. sometimes a project isn’t going the way it should and varian will lose his mind when he can’t figure out how to get it back on track, even with the blueprints in front of him. violet will take this as a sign of burnout and do one of a few things ( or all, it depends on what works and what doesn’t ):

- Back hugs, followed by swaying from side to side or just straight up breaking into a silly little dance with him in her arms. an attempt to make him laugh or smile at least

- Taking him on a walk. letting him talk, yell, swing at the air, whatever he needs to do. maybe they stop at a few places on the way

- Hold his hand, intertwine their fingers, breathing in and out, guiding his eyes away from the currently annoying project

- The more destructive option, encouraging him to make something explosive at his chemical station. no thinking, just pouring and mixing and letting it rip.

They’re both pretty prone to mental drainage, at which point they don’t really exchange many words at first, it’s just flopping down somewhere comfy and cuddling. sometimes they’re too tired to even get into a cuddling position and will just pile like a couple of pancakes

They both autonomously start playing with each other’s hair if the opportunity is there

[vulpes-fennec]

Pumpkin Fields Forever (Part 5) 🎃

Summary: Where are all the pumpkins? On the lake, of course! Elain and Lucien’s eventful day ends with floating pumpkin lanterns. Also, Happy Halloween! 

**I got inspired by the Elucien Tangled-inspired fanart by hachandraws (commissioned by @cascadingmoon) [Tumblr] [IG] and wanted to make a fall eco-friendly alternative for our nature-loving couple.**

Read: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | AO3

“I want to visit the pumpkin field before leaving,” Elain announced, breaking the silent spell. Farmers milled around the faelight-lit pumpkin field, snipping gourds off the vine for those who were purchasing. 

Elain didn’t realize just how many pumpkin varieties existed: dusty gray, orange, white, knobbly green, yellow…she took note of the spacing, the type of dirt, the drainage system, and the pruning. Perhaps growing vegetables would be her new project after she mastered the herb garden! It was only when Lucien tapped her shoulder that Elain realized she was crouching on the ground in her inspection, getting her orange dress dirty. 

He pointed to the lake at the edge of the festival grounds. Small lights floated on the inky black surface. Elain squinted, pushing her Fae senses to their limit. She gasped. “Are those…floating lanterns?!?” Elain took off for the lake excitedly, oblivious to Lucien’s affectionate smile at her bright expression. 

“Ohh, look! They’re made of pumpkins!” she cried. A booth by the water was selling mini pumpkins that had been hollowed out and fitted with small beeswax candles. Lucien elbowed Elain good-naturedly as she eagerly fished for her coin purse, but he did not object to her paying for two pumpkin lanterns. 

Elain protectively cradled her pumpkin in the palm of her hand. A small crowd had gathered on the boat dock to light and launch pumpkins into the lake. Amren, Varian, Mor, and Emerie were all standing there with their pumpkins. Elain frowned in disappointment. “Shall we launch the pumpkins over there?” Lucien asked, gesturing to the secluded end of the lake. 

“Alright.” Elain couldn’t believe she readily agreed. Single ladies and gentlemen were not to be alone together, unless they were courting, and dark corners were certainly forbidden. But the Fae have different rules, and it’s not TOO dark with the moon out, she tried to convince herself.

Elain and Lucien picked over shrubs and rocks with their pumpkins in hand. When Lucien finally undid the bun holding his hair, Elain was entranced by the red, wavy locks falling over the sides of his chiseled face. The moon’s muted light still cast a faint radiance that made his hair seem like liquid fire.  

“There’s a wooden bench we can sit on over there,” Lucien suggested. The lights of the festival were far away, the only sounds being the rustling wind and lapping water. Elain gingerly sat down. We are truly alone out here. Her concerns were not of wild animals lurking nearby, but of how the male would have her undivided attention.

“Is something wrong?” Lucien asked, concerned. Elain stared down at her mini pumpkin, panicking at his straight-forward question. Yes, something is wrong! She wanted to shout into the night. I allow myself half a day with you and now I don’t want this night to end. And I don’t WANT to feel that way…

Especially when I don’t know if you entertained my whims today simply because I’m the advantage you have over the Inner Circle. And I’m confused about how you feel towards me, what you think of me… 

Chaotic thoughts typically triggered Elain’s habit to hide. To make herself as small as possible, to avoid dealing with the thoughts and emotions. But if she managed to be somewhat functional in Lucien's presence today, perhaps she was also capable of confronting other issues with him. “I don’t know how to trust you.” Her voice was a nauseated whisper. 

Lucien’s neutral countenance shifted to alarm. “I shouldn’t have taken you so far out, we can go back—”

“No, it’s not that,” Elain quickly said. “It’s because you’re an emissary. A courtier. You know how to manipulate people.” 

“So you think I’m manipulating you,” Lucien ventured slowly. 

“No! Well, a bit.” Frustration stung at Elain’s nose, threatening tears. How am I supposed to explain myself!?! How does he always misread the simplest things while understanding my complexities? Nevertheless, she continued. “When you bought me that pear crumble…I was confused. Whether you were acting by the mating bond or whether you were being kind. I wanted to believe the latter. But then y-you sprang those questions at me, and it made me think you gave me the dessert to soften me up before you could—” her voice rose higher with hysteria. 

“Oh gods, no,” Lucien sighed as he rubbed his forehead. “I didn’t mean to interrogate you, my lady. I impulsively asked the questions because I was curious. You were willfully oblivious to your own feelings. It had nothing to do with the pear crumble…I got it because—” he blushed “—I thought it would make you happy.” 

Giddy warmth soothed some of Elain’s anxiety. “So you weren’t being nice to me…to provoke me later? Or to gain information on the Night Court?” 

“I do like to tease people, but if you don’t want me to do that to you…”

“No, that’s alright. I mean…I don’t mind your teasing, I suppose.” Elain looked away awkwardly. People hardly ever teased sweet Elain. They were only nice, courteous…and often boring. Sure, Lucien was a bit infuriating earlier, but his teasing made her blood run hot. In a good way.

“Well then. You’ve given me the stamp of approval to tease you mercilessly,” he smirked. Elain allowed a small smile, wondering what she’d gotten herself into. Lucien’s voice then grew serious. “I may tease you, but I would never manipulate you, Elain.” 

Elain shuddered slightly at the sound of her name in his rich voice. Not “my lady”, but “Elain”. The first time he’s ever said my name. “Alright,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to t-think badly of you.”    

“Don’t feel bad. I’d rather you be honest with me than be stressed trying to spare my feelings.” He said I was willfully oblivious…is he referring to my avoidance of the mating bond as well? He doesn’t want me to spare his feelings…so does he want me to reject the bond because he THINKS that’s what I want…or because he doesn’t want ME as his mate?

The relief she felt from their conversation about trust evaporated into anxiety. “A-are you referring to the m-mating bond?” she stammered. How does Nesta just bluntly say things left and right…I feel sick trying to talk about this. Being agreeable and keeping situations light is SO much easier. 

Lucien hesitated, his gaze darting between her face and his hands. “I don’t want to ruin the night,” he muttered. Frustration bubbled up in Elain. The one time I try to put a foot forward with him, he takes a step back. Was this what it felt like to interact with me during the last two years? 

“Who’s sparing whose feelings now?” she tried to tease, but her voice was shaky. Please respond, please respond, please… 

Lucien gave her a wry smile and cast his eyes towards the night sky. “Alright, you got me there.” His metal eye expanded and narrowed as he considered how to phrase his following words. “I thought today was a massive improvement from the last few years, but I don’t want you to feel…obligated to be around me. And if we are being honest, well…your concerns are valid. I struggle to differentiate between what’s real and what’s caused by the bond.” 

Real or fake, Elain thought sadly. He knows what’s real because he loved Jesminda so dearly. And Graysen…my love for him was real too. Unlike my sisters and their mates, Lucien and I are stuck comparing each other to our past loves. “Me too,” Elain confessed. “Differentiating between real emotions and the mating bond.” Lucien looked at her, surprised. 

“Give me an example?” he asked. 

Elain bowed her head, hoping her curls shielded her flaming face. There were too many moments, each more embarrassing than the last. But now that I think about it, the mating instincts have been quiet for the majority of the day. I only felt it when I was at the petting zoo and when I was playing the game. The realization that the majority of her thoughts and feelings were her own was discomfiting. “When I was playing the toadstool game…I was angry about Amarantha,” she explained. “I was furious, but it felt more than that? Like the bond had intensified my feelings and senses.” 

“What did you feel?” Lucien pressed.

Elain shuddered. “I wanted to destroy her for hurting you.” 

Lucien’s expression was guarded. “No one has ever fought her for me,” he said, more to himself than to Elain. “Even your sister only gave up her name and completed Amarantha’s horrid tasks because my life was held hostage.” 

Elain was aghast. “I didn’t know that,” she whispered. She thought Amarantha had only taken out Lucien’s eye. The Hybern general was more sadistic than she’d initially thought, seeking to harm her mate again and again Under the Mountain. The idea that he’d come so close to death before she even met him…angry tears threatened to spill over her doe brown eyes, but she clamped them down. “But what if it’s just the bond talking? Does that invalidate the act for you?”

Lucien took a moment to respond. “You said the bond had intensified your feelings and senses, so if you were already angry at Amarantha for what she did to me, then there is some grain of truth in the act.” His eyes perked up. “Besides, I thought you looked quite impressive smashing the toadstools. And that’s not the bond talking.” His full lips quirked in the corner as he looked at Elain. 

Was this what he meant by teasing me mercilessly? Does that include flirting? The gears in Elain’s head screeched to a halt at Lucien’s moonlit perfection and crooked mouth. She clutched her pumpkin tightly, trying to contain her nerves.  

Lucien gestured to her pumpkin with his own. “Want to launch these now?” He got up, walking to the edge of the water where dark waves brushed at the shore. 

Elain started. “We don’t have any matches!” 

Lucien chuckled. “You’re with somebody who has fire powers and you’re worried about matches?” He lifted his calloused hand, and a tiny orange flame leapt to life from his index finger. Elain gasped in appreciation; this was his first display of powers in front of her. She was fascinated by the orange and yellow hues dancing harmlessly on his tanned skin. “Come here,” Lucien said in a soft voice that sent delicious tingles down her spine.

Elain crept closer, allowing him to dip his flame into her pumpkin. It was real fire—she could feel the heat emanating from the candle. For a moment they both stood, pumpkins in hand, basking in the warm glow. Elain inhaled his scent, the fresh apple and soft earthiness of dried leaves. She noticed Lucien was doing the same thing to her, though he was trying to keep it discreet. The notion that a male was trying to smell her would’ve sent Elain fleeing, but right now, she was wrapped up in how Lucien’s scent made her feel safe and heady.

Lucien broke away abruptly to set his pumpkin on the water. Elain blinked, reeling at the loss of his solid presence near her. “Don’t push me in,” he warned teasingly, not looking up at Elain. 

His teasing brought out the mischievous side of Elain, for she primly replied, “I wouldn’t dream of doing that…for now.” Elain crouched down and gave her pumpkin a slight push to get it going on the lake. 

The two of them sat back down on the bench, though Elain kept a foot-long distance between her and Lucien. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the bite of the autumn night through her dress. 

“Are you cold?” Lucien asked. 

“Yes, but I’ll be alright,” Elain assured. Give me your jacket, give me your jacket, she mentally chanted. Of course, a lady would never demand a man give her his jacket. So she could only stare at the lake silently and wait for him to offer it to her. To her disappointment, Lucien did not put his burgundy jacket over her shoulders. But a few moments later, she felt the air around her warm precipitously to a comfortable heat. 

Elain looked around in wonder. “It’s a warming spell,” Lucien explained. “I’m the only one in my family who’s able to perform these spells.” There was a hint of a cocky brag in his tone, but Elain didn’t mind. His family, with the exception of his mother and Eris, treated him like shit. It serves them right that Lucien has special gifts. 

“I like it,” Elain commented. She allowed herself to glance at the male sitting beside her, feeling her heart skip a beat. Lucien caught her gaze and held it, the long scar and intricate golden eye lending to his otherworldly beauty. 

Elain understood the myriad ways men and women employed discreet glances and gentle manners in human courtship. In fact, she and Graysen had danced around the pillars of social propriety before falling in love. 

This was different. The tension between her and Lucien was thick, like honey. His scent still making her head spin, his eyes shining bright in the moonlight. And her heart beat so fast Elain was sure he could hear it. Lucien kept a respectful distance, but his face was filled with such longing and softness that it made her throat close up with emotion. Please, let it be his true feelings, Elain prayed to the Mother. Not the bond.

Elain’s eyes traveled to the uneven lock of hair that hung over his broad shoulder. She inexplicably reached out and touched it. Lucien’s hair may have looked like fire, but it was cool and silky to the touch. He shivered slightly when Elain’s slender fingers brushed it, just inches from actually touching his shoulder. “Lucien,” she said slowly, her pink lips forming the shape of his name. “Thank you…for spending the day at the festival with me.” 

“There’s no need to thank me, my lady,” he said gruffly, trying not to let too much emotion show. “Though I wish it didn’t come at the cost of my hair.”

Elain gave the stuffed sheep plush in his lap a little tap on the head. “These pesky sheep.” She smiled down at it. 

“I liked how you were really good with Daniela earlier,” Lucien said admiringly. 

She shrugged. “It’s the least I could do while you were fixing my mistake.” She paused and said, “What you said earlier about me feeling obligated to be around you. It’s true…I was…u-uncomfortable for a while.” She gulped nervously, clenching her fist. “I’m more comfortable after getting to know you today, b-but…I don’t want to mislead you…I still don’t k-know what to do with bond. I’m sorry.” The incoherent words were necessary honesty, but Elain felt horrible for putting more distance between them. She hung her head. 

Lucien wore an expression of simple understanding. “Please don’t apologize, my lady. I know you’re telling me not to get my hopes up. I also need time to sort out my feelings...” He trailed off, trying to gauge Elain’s reaction. Elain was pleasantly surprised at how Lucien was taking her hesitation in stride. She’d expected him to be upset, frustrated, or even sad. So she nodded encouragingly. “I suppose we are both very confused,” Lucien continued, “But regardless of what the future holds, I thought today was fun. And it’s safe to say you’re not as much of a stranger as before.” He smiled broadly at her. 

“Likewise,” Elain replied, glowing at Lucien’s pure expression with a smile of her own. It was the first time she’d ever seen him smile like that, and a selfish part of her wanted to be the reason for it. 

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching as their two pumpkins floated out to join the congregation of other lanterns on the lake. The Harvest Festival lights glittered on the other side of the lake, the night was crisp, and she was content. 

Later that night

Lucien winnowed back to the Band of Exiles manor silently, bypassing the intricate network of wards he’d set up. He had just winnowed Elain back to the River House in Velaris, making sure she’d safely entered and closed the door before leaving. He had been tempted to stay in his dusty apartment, but decided against it. As if Elain would be that eager to see him again so soon. Keep expectations low, and you won’t be disappointed. That had been his mantra for most of his life. Still, he couldn’t help but entertain the bud of hope that maybe, just maybe, Elain was open to him. As a mate, a friend, or just another Fae—he didn’t care.  

The icy cold water of his bath failed to keep him from replaying Elain’s giggles in his head. In the almost three years he’d known her, Elain had only offered the barest of smiles in his presence. So even though her laughter was at his expense, Lucien resolved to tease her mercilessly and snarkily crack jokes just to hear it again. 

Lucien flopped onto his bed, holding the sheep plush against his bare chest. Is it creepy if I cuddle this stuffed animal thinking it’s Elain, Lucien contemplated. Yes. Yes, it is. His mind drifted to how beautiful she looked in her creamy orange dress, her brown waves long and loose, her eyes bright and assessing. She was especially charming when she had gotten a bit dirty inspecting the pumpkin field. Lucien hadn’t allowed himself to appreciate her beauty at the Harvest Festival, lest she scent his arousal and run away screaming. 

Lucien tossed and turned, trying to lull himself to sleep. It was unlike him to be so unsettled. He’d met plenty of females before, had courted and bedded them in all ways imaginable. It was different with Elain, though. Most beautiful female I have ever seen. But it was evident today that her beauty was more than surface level: she was beautiful in how she empathetically chatted with Daniela, how she tried to understand the intricacies of gardening and baking, and how she wanted to defend him. 

The last few years, Lucien had mulled over the mating bond with literal crumbs of information he’d gleaned from Feyre and awkward interactions with his mate. Because I barely knew Elain, every feeling I felt, every thought I had of her felt shaky, built on forced mate instincts and speculation. But now. Now that he’d seen the female, understood the good and the bad, his heart only warmed towards her. 

The bond in his chest hummed and glowed. Lucien yawned. It had been a long day. As he drifted off to sleep, hugging the sheep plush, his thoughts were only of Elain. My mate. I am yours, I am yours…

***

Elain had let out an unladylike screech the moment she walked through the front door of the River House. And Mor was standing in the front foyer with a wine glass in hand and a scrutinizing expression. Elain had mumbled an embarrassed “Hello, Mor” before dashing up the stairs to her room. 

She’d gotten ready for bed in a daze, replaying the events of the day in her head. Lucien struggling with the sheep. Lucien reliably leading them out of the corn maze. Lucien’s unmatched skill at darts, but also his clumsiness with the toadstools. 

Her skin burned as hot as his flame when she recalled the way his broad shoulders hovered over her, or how his muscles flexed in his jacket when he threw the darts. Or how his genuine smile made her feel on top of the world. The images burned into her memory. 

It wasn’t just Lucien’s looks or mannerisms, though she’d always known the male was courteous. He was humble, based on his interactions with others who were in awe of him. He seemed to keep his personal problems to himself, like her. But when she opened up to him, Elain felt much better. Like she was being heard. 

It’s like he genuinely cares about me and wouldn’t hurt me. Elain felt the sun pendant weigh on her chest, warm against the beating of her heart. But I need to wait. I gave Graysen my heart too soon and look what happened. Any male would put on his best face in the pursuit of a “worthy” female, just to abandon them after conquest. 

Elain finished brushing her hair and got into her comfy bed, hugging her large stuffed bear. It was perhaps a childish purchase during the postwar months, but the bear’s soft body soothed her during sleepless nights. The autumn night was chilly; Lucien’s ability to create warm air pockets would be handy right now. 

What if…what if I pretend the bear is Lucien? Elain’s breathing picked up as she dared to imagine what it would be like to snuggle in a bed with Lucien. Preferably with his spells—or his body—keeping her toasty warm. Oh gods, she buried her head against the bear. I am undeniably attracted to Lucien Vanserra. Aaaahhhh!!! I can’t jump to conclusions. He’s just a handsome male. Doesn’t mean that I like him, or love him. I need to gauge our next interaction carefully, to make sure it’s not just the bond speaking, Elain resolved. 

Surely he would come to the Solstice party this year. But that was three months away, and far too long to wait. Maybe he would give his weekly emissary reports in Rhysand’s office instead of sending them by letter. Or he could visit Velaris on a whim—he had an apartment here, right?

Gentle waves of sleep began to overtake her. A thread, golden and alive, pulsed inside her chest with the beating of her heart. Before her eyes closed, Elain could’ve sworn she reached for the shimmering bond. 

And that’s a wrap! If you’ve stuck it out towards the end of my very first fanfic, I appreciate you beyond words. I hope the ending wasn’t too much of a let down. I tried to keep this pretty canon-compliant with Elain and Lucien’s personalities, and as much as I love to see them make out in a corn maze or kiss goodbye, I suspect the two angsty lovers wouldn’t rush into the fluff without working through emotional stuff first. But I will definitely be exploring more non-angsty ideas for Elucien in the future!

[kazoosandfannypacks]

I'm imagining episodes for if Tangled had continued but they started doing basic sitcom plots for episodes instead. [If this gets enough notes I might just write a bunch of fanfics based on these *hint hint*] Consider:

Season premiere begins with a Eugene narration explaining that this is after happily ever after, Raps and Eugene have been married just a couple months, and everything would be going back to normal, except that their friends are anything but normal. It cuts to Rapunzel's paintings of Pascal and Max trying to retrieve the rings like in the tangled short, Lance, Kiera, and Catalina trying to decorate the wedding cake, and Varian and Ruddiger having firework antics. Then it cuts to Raps' room, which has much of Eugene's stuff in it now, and he's saying how much better this is than his old room and whatnot. Faith is introduced as Rapunzel's handmaiden for real this time, even though we don't see her for the next few episodes and she only shows up when it's relevant to the plot. This epsiode will be a full half hour, meaning they only air it when that's convenient, but it will feature Rapunzel and Eugene trying to figure out how to balance their differing ideals, work responsibilities, and love for each other. However, Raps and Eugene will actually be a B plot- the main focus in this episode will be on Lance learning how to parent and Varian working on some important project.

A "class president" type episode where Rapunzel, Eugene, and the King and Queen go away for a few days but don't actually leave anyone in charge, so Varian and Lance run for "Ruler for the weekend" or something meanwhile something chaotic is going on with Euegne trying to impress Frederick and whatnot. The episode ends with Kiera and Catalina counting the ballots and either there's some big lesson about friendship and they either lead together OR the royal fam gets back before they can lead OR Shorty somehow got elected and there's some callback to the Piggy Bank from Pascal's episode.

An episode where there's this little girl (whose working name is Hensu) that Rapunzel meets who wears goggles and pigtails and has a red stripe in her hair and a dress that looks similar to Varian's apron and she's his biggest fan and Raps introduces her to him and he's like "uh okay but Rapunzel I'm not good with kids!" but Rapunzel's already gone by then. Gradually through the episode, Varian realizes she's an evil mastermind but no one believes him because she's so adorable! Ya know, until she tries to use Varian's inventions to take over Corona. Then they get it. Hensu also has an animal sidekick who Ruddiger falls for in a comical animal way, and it's unknown if the other animal had similar feelings or was just going along for deception's sake.

A basic shop class episode- Varian's failing at only one of the classes that he has, and he has to learn to accept failure. I hate these epsiodes, but I guess Disney loves them (see for example: Smart Guy, Suite Life, and Even Stevens.) Nonetheless, this episode won't even rank above Freebirds in my book unless VERY well done. I should also point out that this is the only episode where Varian is ever mentioned to be in school, and that Hensu is also a student in his class and is passing with flying colors. There is no mention of why she is no longer seen as a villain and is almost just a side character now.

An episode where Rapunzel and Catalina see Angry and Varian sneaking around and Rapunzel gets their entire friend group convinced that they like each other, which doesn't make Catalina as excited as she could be. In the end, we find out they were simply planning Catalina's birthday party. Catalina can't say why she would've been sad if Rapunzel was right about them, but then she smiles at Varian and he smiles at her as fanservice to the Catalarian shippers, and as a potential for a future plot they'll never use. Faith appears once or twice in this episode, and she and Catalina form a close bond.

An epsiode where Rapunzel sets up the ultimate team for a sport (herself, Eugene, Varian Lance, Kiera, and Catalina.) but then finds out the opposing team is Stalyan, Brock Thunderstrike, Hensu, and three random people specifically made up for this episode, or maybe a previous side character who just has two daughters that parallel Kiera and Catalina. It's an intense rivalry, but in the end, I guess it ends like every sports movie ever and they learn friendship is more important than winning any day. This one gets a fun musical number that's the two teams singing about how they'll absolutely crush each other. Also the animal companions get in on it. Pascal, Max, Ruddiger, and Hemuel are ready to win, until they find themselves up against Hulk Lightningclaw, Axel, whatever Hensu's animal sidekick is, and some bird of some kind specifically created for this episode. This will also involve everyone using their unique skills to their advantage- the four former theives use stealth as well as teamwork, Varian uses alchemy to his advantage, and Catalina even uses her wolf powers a little bit.

A sequel mystery episode to the one with Monty and Attlia, and Faith proves to actually be a good mystery solver.

Cassandra returns home for a Christmas episode, but her friendship with Rapunzel makes Faith feel a little left out. Then, they have a secret santa gift exchange following the following list (brought to you by Rapunzel's HAT invention from the lost treasure of Herz De Sonne):

Rapunzel gives a gift to Faith

Faith gives a gift to Cassandra

Cassandra gives a gift to Eugene

Eugene gives a gift Lance

Lance gives a gift to Rapunzel

Catalina gives a gift to Varian

Varian gives a gift to Angry

Angry gives a gift to Catalina

In that episode, Faith is at first a little annoyed with Cass' popularity among the group, and after she gets a present for Cass she either hides it away or destroys it, and doesn't show up for the gift exchange, and everyone goes looking for her. Cass finds her a heartfelt conversation that has a lot to do with feeling like waiting in the wings. Then Rapunzel and the rest of the gang find her, and Rapunzel gives Faith a really sweet gift that's a painting of them together or something, and then Faith does give her gift to Cassandra.

I've mentioned this before, but a father-child bakeoff, in which Lance and Catalina make some amazing thing because they've been cooking together since before she got adopted, Varian and his dad also make something pretty great (baking is just alchemy with extra steps anyways,) Rapunzel and her dad make something that involves fried eggs, ext. The main point of the episode is bonding between Eugene and his dad, because Eugene is bound and determined to win, but his dad is just so chaotic that there's a lot of fighting, but in the end they have a good time, I guess. Kiera and Arianna commentate the event together, since neither of them are allowed to judge due to partiality.

The obligitory seasonal "Animals get character development episode" is one in which they need to solve some kind of mystery together.

An episode where Eugene makes Lance and Varian his deputies and they have to learn to work together despite their differences.

Kiera is peer pressured into throwing a party in the tree house while Lance is away, despite much dismay from Catalina over it. At some point Catalina goes outside to just bs by herself and Varian happens to be stopping by to drop off a book he borrowed from them, and Catalina explains to him her left out feelings and whatnot and it essentially it strengthens her friendship with him and with her sister.

It's Corona Day, where they celebrate the founders of Corona, and as Xavier tells the legend of the founding of Corona, they picture themselves in the settlers' shoes- with flashback-esque scenes of old-timey them in an imaginary reenactment.

Everyone in the gang is cast in a play. While no official plot is discernable or ever stated, it seems to contain dialogue, props, scenery, and costuming from every Disney princess movie in existence except Tangled (though it contains lines from one or two other Disney movies, and their existence in the script makes the fans unofficially cast those movies as Official Disney Princess Lore.) Varian gets cast as the lead, and when Faith literally breaks a leg partway through, Catalina is pressured to take the stage as Varian's leading lady.

An episode where Quirin keeps asking Varian to help him with the harvest and chores and whatnot and Varian keeps brushing him off and doing other important things, until Varian realizes some angst about his mom and the amber and stuff and that his dad just wants to spend more time with him, and in the end they do spend more time together.

Two parter crossover episode with The Owl House. I've never seen Owl House so idk what would happen, but I know the fanbase has overlap, so the studio execs assume the fans would go nuts over it.

Rapunzel and Eugene get into their first real arguement as a married couple which annoys them both because they love each other but are mad at each other still. Their friends try their best to help them, but eventually they start taking sides themselves and everyone gets mad at each other. In the end though, everyone makes up and is happy friends again.

An episode where Varian gives Ruddiger the ability to sing just so they can sing duets together and for reasons I need Ruddiger to be voiced by Ben Fankhauser.

Catalina gets two tickets to a sold out concert or something that both Varian and Kiera want to go to and accidentally promises a ticket to both of them, and then in the end Catalina lets them both go without her and Rapunzel's like "sis, I'm the princess of Corona, I can score you an extra ticket," and then all three of them get to go.

[crosswindtakeoff]

Hugo and Varian both get nightmares, and they cope in very different ways.

For Hugo it's very simple. He wakes quietly- always has, always will -with maybe a jolt at worst. After that? It's just a matter of cuddling close to his sleeping boyfriend, who he Does Not Wake and honestly? Doesn't need to. He just needs to be close and snuggled and remind himself that /he's safe, Varian's safe, they're okay/. He usually falls asleep pretty quickly after that.

With Varian, he's generally the opposite- though it really depends on the nightmare. He's the type to toss and turn, to wake up shouting or crying. Sometimes when he comes out of these nightmares, he's 14 again and very, very scared, and needs the comfort that Hugo is (luckily, as he's a light sleeper) already awake to provide. Most times, though,...he's his actual age, and needs thinking space. He tells Hugo with a shaky, gentle smile to go back to sleep while he takes a walk to clear his head.

(Rarely does Hugo actually do this. Ruddiger showed him how to make hot chocolate the way Varian likes it so Hugo can make it while Ruddiger accompanies Varian on his walk. It's a rare moment of alliance between them, and there's always something warm for Varian to come back to.)

(-🦝)

AWW YEAH!!! I LOVE THEM...

[mardereads19]

Elriel Month 🌸🦇

Day 3:

Azriel followed the carriage silently, winnowing from tree to tree, his shadows informing him Elain was in position and ready. He didn’t feel comfortable in letting her do this, but he also trusted her to do her part well. She was more than capable, more than prepared. He had trained her, after all.

Well, he hadn’t been the only one. Elain had revealed to him that she had been training in secret for a while with Nuala and Cerridwen. They’d done a good job. He made a mental note to give them a bonus come Calanmai.

Also to reprimand them for keeping secrets while being his spies.

The sun had already set and there was no moon tonight, giving Azriel the perfect cover from the males Elain had to distract and dupe into giving away what they knew.

“If these males are being controlled by Koschei, will it even make sense to kidnap them?” Feyre had asked on their meeting in Rhys’s study this afternoon. Azriel had been quietly observing and listening to the plans his High Lord had been piecing together. “At least, when Briallyn had control over Eris’s males—”

“And me,” Cassian had supplied from where he stood next to his mate, his arms crossed over his chest and face contemplative. Az had noted the way Nesta’s jaw clenched and her eyes shined silver for a second. The need to kill. The drive to eradicate the threat against her mate. Az had looked away.

Feyre had nodded. She’d looked tired, an expression that’d been mirrored in Rhys. The baby kept us awake all night. He wouldn’t stop crying, Rhys had told him earlier, but there had been light in his eyes, a quiet happiness even as he’d yawned.

Az had not seen his brother yawn in a while.

“And Cassian,” Feyre had added, a spark of anger in her eyes, “they would not talk.”

Az had agreed, “When we brought them to the Hewn City, they hadn’t given anything away.”

There’d been a silence for a moment. They had all, save for Nesta, witnessed Azriel’s administrations to the males of Autumn. No torture had gotten them to open their mouths, to reveal who had sent them after the mask. Feyre had pointed out how wrong it was to do that to them when they were not themselves.

Nesta had sat up straighter in her chair in the study before saying, “But what if they are being partially controlled?”

Rhys had raised his eyebrows.

Nesta had stood, Cassian reaching for her hand. Nesta let their fingers intertwine. It had brought a small pang of envy into Az’s heart. He’d pushed it away. “Bellius,” she said with disgust, “that male from the Blood Rite. He constantly mocked us, tried to rile us up. Sometimes I wonder if he gave too much away.”

Rhys had frowned. “Perhaps he wasn’t being controlled. He was only in on the plan.”

“He was being controlled,” Nesta insisted. Her gaze had been unfocused, as if lost in the memories. Cassian’s wings shifted. “He had that glassy look in his eyes that were on the Autumn Court males. I noticed it from the first time I met him. I thought he had been drunk at first.” She had blinked and, as if remembering where she was, had turned to Cass. He had pulled her closer to him, his eyes reassuring her.

Amren’s lips had twisted upwards in what might have been a smile before she turned to Rhys. “So there is a possibility that Koschei only partially controls these Fae, especially if they are far away from where he is located now. His grasp on them through his power may be less strong, perhaps allowing them the freedom to speak, like that male from the Blood Rite. What would you plan now?”

“I’m still not sure about this,” Feyre had contributed. “The Crown may not work the same way Koschei’s powers could. He could still have full influence over them.”

“Koschei is a death god,” Rhys had said, “I don’t think his power excels in controlling others more than it does in killing them. The crown’s whole purpose is to control living beings and, if it has that limit, then I’m willing to bet Koschei does, too.”

“I wouldn’t place a bet on a thought, Rhys.” It had been clear Feyre was worried. Her fingers had kept tapping on the table. Az wondered if it came as a result of being a mother, that worrying. That caring for the well-being of others. “If we brought them here, could you guarantee they’ll break?”

“I don’t think Azriel could get them to sing for us.” Rhys inhaled. His eyes roamed the map of the continent, focusing on the coast of the human territory. “If Bellius spoke to rile Nesta and her friends up, then only their own arrogant boasting will get them to talk. They have to feel like they are giving the information out of their own free will. That they’d be gaining something by it, even if it’s admiration or applause.”

Azriel had tilted his head, analyzing what Rhys was implying. “There is no one in this room that can convince those men to speak.” Feyre and Rhys were recognizable to all the Fae. Cassian and Az were Illyrian, which would raise suspicions. There was no reason for an Illyrian be on the mortal lands of the continent. And Amren and Nesta had as much chance of charming those Fae as Bryaxis had of calming people.

Mor would have been their best choice, but she was on the Fae side of the continent, too far away to reach in time for tonight.

Rhys had met Az’s gaze. There was a shine on them that often told Azriel that Rhys had an idea. Something in his gut had told him he wouldn’t like it. “No. No one in this room can do it. But I know who.”

“Stop your games and just spill it, boy. I don’t have time for this.” Amren had said, narrowing her eyes at Rhys.

Cassian had rolled his eyes, “What could possibly be more vital than this right now?”

“I have a date with Varian to taste different types of meat and I’m starving. If I stay here any longer, I might eat yours.”

Cassian had barked a laugh. “I wanna see you try, tiny ancient one.”

Azriel had kept his focus on Rhys. Waiting. Fear making his heart beat faster. He knew what was coming.

Finally, Rhys had asked, “How has Elain’s training gone?”

And now, Azriel was following the carriage to where she would be waiting for the Fae. Where she would pretend to be a victim of a robbery. A female riding a wagon on her own in the lonely road when a thief took advantage of the solitude to steal the resources she was on her way to sell in the market and make a coin. Az was to stay in the shadows. He was only allowed to be here in the case the Fae males wanted to take another type of advantage out of her.

Azriel fisted his hands. He had half a mind to destroy the males now and claim a freak accident had killed them rather than find out what they’d intend with her.

He stopped a second, telling his breathing to calm, waiting for his rage to subside. He couldn’t make decisions when his mind was violent, he needed a clear head.

He kept moving only because the carriage did, but he still wanted to spill blood.

A noise caught his attention. There, just beyond the curve of the road, was Elain kneeling on the floor crying as she held a few pieces of the wagon’s wood. Azriel fought the impulse to winnow to her, to console her, to hold her. Tell her everything was alright. That he was with her and no one would hurt her.

She’s pretending. Her cries aren’t real. She knows I’m here.

But it was difficult. His wings twitched, his shadows scattered towards her, but still hid from view. They were ready to strike at his command. Anyone who got near her.

Stand down, he said to them.

The carriage had gotten close enough to to see Elain on the road, see the mess of the wagon, and notice the horse that led it missing.

“Ho!” The rider called to his own horses while pulling on the reins. They stopped next to the wagon’s destruction. Pieces of wood lay around it and Elain. Rhys had taken care of that.

“Cover your face,” he had told Elain before sending a wave of his power to the empty wagon. Elain had covered her face, but noticed it hadn’t been necessary. Azriel had secured a dome of his own power around her. Wood struck a blue wall and jumped off harmlessly. Rhys had narrowed his eyes at him, “Disperse the wood, Azriel. Otherwise it will be weird indeed that the wood landed all around except for that clear demarcation of a dome.”

Azriel looked down. Right, there was a clear difference between where his power had encircled Elain and where it hadn’t.

She had sucked on her lower lip to hide her smile. Azriel felt hot in the face, but he didn’t care that he had made a foolish mistake to protect her. She met his gaze and he saw a promise there that he tucked away before his scent gave away the direction his mind had gone off to.

Elain turned to Rhys, her pale pink dress looking white in the dusk light. Rhys had estimated the Fae would take this road and would be here in half an hour. It was an isolated enough road, one Fae loved to use to stay hidden inside the mortal lands. It was surrounded by forest on both sides, the smell of pine was strong here, but it was a scent Azriel liked. The wagon was brought here by both males in their winnowing.

“Was it really necessary to destroy the wagon like that? Wouldn’t it have sufficed to simply break a wheel?” Elain had asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Rhys studied the mess in the road, his brow furrowed in thought. “A thief would have no need to go to all that trouble.”

“Perhaps not,” he had answered throwing her a wink, “but it just contributes to your woeful story. Make sure to cry extra loud.”

Elain had shaken with laughter and Azriel had taken a step closer to her impulsively. He wanted to lay a hand on her waist, to feel her laugh reverberate through him.

Now, he watched her shake in sobs instead. One of the males from inside the carriage stepped down and walked closer to her. He was dressed in cheap armor, dirty from use, and his brown hair was tied at his nape. The male surveyed the wagon, the destruction and lack of a horse, and finally glanced at Elain. His eyes roamed her body, but Azriel couldn’t tell if the glassy look in his eyes were from the control the male was under or for a different drive.

Azriel felt that hunger for violence stir inside him and fought with everything he could to keep still.

Stand down, Azriel repeated to the shadows when he noticed how they were risking exposure by getting closer to Elain. Hesitantly, they skittered back into the dark.

“What happened here, dear?” The male asked, though his voice didn’t drip kindness.

Elain put on a good show, sobbing and wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her simple dress. She had to look the part of a Fae in hiding, so the dress was akin to the human clothes this area donned, her hair was arranged over her ears, and the glow of her High Fae beauty had been glamoured to an acceptable degree.

“Good, Sir.” She stood and curtsied. “I was riding on the way to the market—” a sob “—when a thief came by.” Tears flowed down Elain’s cheeks so effortlessly Azriel wondered if she was hurt. Did she twist her ankle again while he was away? Perhaps with one of the wood planks he himself had dispersed.

Not real tears, one of his shadows assured him.

He didn’t relax.

“When were you attacked?”

“This afternoon.” She sniffed. “I’ve been here hours, seeing as how hidden this road is. I have no way of getting home.” Elain covered her face in her hands. “I live too far away, and I have an injury in my right leg that makes walking for long periods unbearable.” She wiped away her tears. “I stayed here hoping someone might come around and help me get to a place where I could sleep the night and hopefully rent a horse during the week.”

“Did the thief not take your coin?” The male sounded skeptical.

She nodded, “They did, of course, but I could work for a few days and make the money. I just need a ride.” Elain fidgeted with her dress, successfully looking devastated and scared.

The male gazed back at the carriage and the others, considering his options. Azriel held his breath as the male regarded Elain once more. His face revealed he felt superior, a male who knew he had control of the situation. Exactly what they needed him to think. He also looked like he wanted to impress this lovely female he happened to rescue.

He inclined his head to the side, a smile spreading over his face. “Alright, sweet face. We can take you.”

After a few teary grateful expressions from Elain, the male opened the door of the carriage for her with all the satisfaction of a savior. She climbed the first step, pretending a limp, and as she did so, she glanced over her shoulder.

To the male, she was looking back to the destroyed wagon and up to the trees in sadness. But her gaze met Azriel’s. She had know exactly where he was. He hoped she could read in his eyes what he wanted to tell her.

You’re not alone. I’m right behind you. You’re doing great, lovely fawn. You’re doing great.

Her head dipped in the smallest of nods and then she was inside and the male was closing the door behind him.

Azriel clenched his jaw.

Now the real work begun.

[rocksandrobots]

Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 43 - Finale (Pt. 5)

"Okay, what if we used some nitrocellulose and mixed it with an oxidized ethanol?" Varain asked.

Honey Lemon pursed her lips. "Uhmmm, wouldn't that just make the chimball explode?"

"Uh, yeah. That's the point."

"I don't know….It sounds kind of dangerous."

Varian and Honey Lemon hovered over the chemistry set inside Big Hero Six's new lab.

As soon as Chief Cruz and Megan had left the Lucky Cat this morning, Hiro had called everyone together to meet at their headquarters. He had to pick up a new set of armor, and he wanted to tweak everyone else's suits to help prevent Supersonic Sue from disarming them again.

While Hiro worked on that, Varian was taking this time to build himself a new arsenal of alchemical orbs with Honey Lemon's help.

"Relax," he said as he reached over to pick up a test tube full of some green liquid  "I won't throw it at anybody. It's just in case those robot ninjas show up again."

"Yeah, but you don't want any fire to accidentally spread." Honey Lemon argued. "What if we made something more contained? Like, oh, like what if we compressed some air inside the chimball?" She held one of the empty shells up. "That way when you threw it and it exploded, it would only hit the target with a concussive blast. There's no chance of that catching on fire."

Varian tilted his head in thought and took the shell from her.

"Yeah, that could work; on one of them. What if there's more than one? What if they gang up on you?" He asked as he poured the green liquid into the shell, sealed it, and clipped it to his belt.

"Well then we can just use the ice bombs to freeze them all at once." She replied.

"Yeah, I guess so." Varian agreed, and pulled out the liquid nitrogen to make the ice bombs with.

As they were finishing up this task, and Varian was hooking the last of the chemical orbs to his Saporian belt, Honey Lemon said, "You know this was fun. You should help out more often. Oh, we could go on patrol together or, maybe come up with new-"

"Oh no, no, nope, I'm not a hero." Varian interrupted as he shook his head.

Honey Lemon pouted at this.

"I'm just here cause I'm worried about Hiro." Varian explained.

Honey Lemon eyes went wide as she realized what Varian was getting at. She had been there when Hiro first found out about Callaghan's role in Tadashi's death; and she had been the one to stop Baymax from attacking and killing the professor.

"I don't know what good I'm doing though." Varian went on.

"You're doing a lot of good." She assured him.

"Am I? Cause, like, I'm not one to talk about 'being the bigger the person' or how 'you need to take the high road.' Honestly I don't even agree with this whole superhero thing. I mean, yes what y'all are doing is great, and yes, I'm all for helping Abigail, but… Callaghan…"

Honey Lemon mulled over his words. "But if we don't help, who will?"

Varian threw up his hands in defeat. "Yeah, that's what Hiro said…. but you didn't see him. You didn't see how much just having that one little computer chip destroyed hurt him…. I just don't know how this is all going to play out if we keep doing this."

"Are you worried Hiro might do something he'll regret?"

"No, I'm worried about what I might do." He turned to look her dead in the eye. "I can live with regrets, but I can't live with myself if something happened to him, or you, or anyone else."

Honey Lemon shivered at those words. "So you, what? Just want us to all stop?"

"No. I don't know. I just want everyone to be safe, and happy… And that's not happening so long as we have to keep dealing with Callaghan and whoever this Bosu is."

Honey Lemon lowered her head. Usually superheroing was fun. Even the more challenging villains were just attention seekers out to beat them, as if it was all just some friendly competition. Very few of the foes they faced were actively malicious. But there were times, like now, when it became very hard to ignore how dangerous their chosen hobby could be.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Varian laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't listen to me." He soothed. "I'm not a superhero, remember. What do I know?"

Honey Lemon gave him a small smile. "Well, maybe not, but you are a good friend, and I get it, about your concern for Hiro. It's only natural to be protective of your siblings."

"Siblings?"

Honey Lemon had to only laugh at the confused face he made. "Oh come on, you and Hiro totally act like brothers."

"No we don't….do we? I don't know how brothers act. Is it any different from just being friends?"

Honey Lemon snorted with laughter again. "Yeah, a little different. For one you usually don't wrestle for control of the tv remote with your friends, fight over who does what chores, or prank each other with megaphones."

"I thought that was just Hiro being Hiro."

"No, it's 'cause you live together, and have the same guardian. I don't know how to explain it, but it's just different with little brothers, that's all."

"But I… I don't know how to be a brother. Let alone how to be the 'older, more responsible brother'. And I doubt Hiro sees me that way, anyways. I mean, he already has Tadashi… had… I mean…."

He trailed off and Honey Lemon eyed him with worry once more.

After a few moments he whispered, "I'm not trying to replace anybody."

"Well, of course not. No one said that you were."

"Then why do I feel like I am?"

Honey Lemon blinked. What did he mean? Where had this even come from?

Before she could press further though, Hiro walked into the lab.

"Hey, we're heading out soon. You might want to start suiting up." He said.

"Okay. Just give us a minute to gather things up and we'll meet you in the briefing room." She answered.

Hiro nodded his acknowledgement and left.

"Well, looks like we'll have to save the heart to heart for later." Varian snarked as he scooped up Sirque's portal magnets and grabbed the controller he had built for them. After placing these in his pockets, he turned around and asked, "What do you think? Do I look 'heroic' enough?"

He was dressed in his full Saporian garb, complete with bandana and his usual goggles, and along with the new chimballs they'd just made, he appeared exactly the same as he did the first night he'd arrived in San Fansokyo. Well almost, he was slightly taller now, but only by a few inches.

"Hmmm… honestly Sparkles was right, you do kind of look like a bandit, or maybe even a pirate?"

Varian huffed. "See, I can't even look the part."

"Well I still think you'd make a great superhero." She encouraged as she straightened the collar of his jacket.

"Ha ha," he snorted, then more seriously said "We'll be lucky if we can even find the bad guys again. Let alone take them head on."

Honey Lemon refused to let Varian's pessimism get her down.  

"Well then here's a hug for good luck." She cheered and flung her arms around him.

Varian tentatively returned the hug. "Th-thanks… I feel more lucky already."

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

"So how's things going, Teach?" Sue barked as she skated into the makeshift lab.

Callaghan rolled his eyes in annoyance as he tightened the bolt on the portal.

He had been up all night assembling the frame. Somehow the pair of villains had all of the needed parts all ready to go, along with some pre-programmed software and a few prototypes to work off of.

Whoever this boss they were all working for was, they were clearly well connected and apparently had other people continuing his research in his absence. A Dr. Celine Simard had provided most of the equipment and had emailed him blueprints to her own miniature portal designs. They had only conversed briefly through a heavily monitored chat room, but it was a relief to speak to someone who wasn't as thick as a bag of bricks. Celine seemed like such a bright young woman. It was a shame she was selling out her talents to such an obviously unscrupulous organization.

Though he couldn't fully blame her reasoning… "Krei Tech, Government, the Black Market; it's all the same. They're all corrupt. Might as well go with the one who pays the highest."

"Even if they might kill you afterwards?"

"I don't look a gift horse in the mouth. If you play along nicely they won't hurt you. I would just take the money and passport if I was you."

Callaghan had stopped trying to reach out to her after that. One day this life of crime she was living was going to catch up to her, but he couldn't waste time trying to save her from herself. He had his own daughter to worry about.

"How's Abigail?" He asked as he stood up and put the wrench back inside the tool box.

Sue shrugged. "She's fine. Same as the last fifty times you've asked."

Callaghan walked over to the computer terminal, typed in some code, and read the read out that flashed up on screen.

"You never did tell me where you got my notebook." He said.

"Don't ask me. Those two boys who tried to bust you out yesterday had it. Where they got it, I don't know."

Callaghan frowned and opened his notebook again. He had discovered handwriting that wasn't his own inside, fixing his calculations and expanding upon some of his more 'out there' theories. He had assumed they were done by others in the villains' gang but apparently that wasn't the case.

He still didn't know how Hiro's little friend had come upon his research, but the kid apparently knew a thing or three about theoretical physics. The boy's new equations could potentially stabilize the portal, preventing it from breaking down.

He wouldn't need them though. Callgahn sat the notebook back down and returned to the computer terminal. He didn't want this particular portal to work.

"I'm about ready to perform the first test;" He said coolly, "turn on the power generators."

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

"Any luck?" Wasabi asked as he joined the rest of the group on top of a skyscraper.

"No." Sighed Honey Lemon.

"We must have scanned the whole city by now." Hiro said.

"What if this Bosu has the same bio-dampening tech that Momasake had?" Fred suggested. "He could have snagged it off her when she got captured, and handed it off to Sue and her grandson."

"That's possible." Gogo admitted. "Especially since they now know that we can track them."

"So what do we do now?" Honey Lemon asked.

Varian cupped his chin in thought as he walked towards the ledge of the building where Baymax stood, still scanning the city. "Baymax, are you able to scan for other things besides just bio-readings?"

"Yes. I am capable of scanning thermal, infrared, radiation-"

"Energy spikes? Like electrical surges." Varian interrupted.

Hiro walked over to join them. "What's your idea?"

"Why would this Bosu kidnap Abigail? She's not actually a scientist."

"Because she's Callaghan's daughter," Wasabi said as he pieced together what Varian was getting at, "and they'll use her to blackmail him into building them a portal."

"Exactly, and they've got to find a way to power it up. There might be unusual energy spikes once they get it up and running."

"So we, what, just wait around?" Gogo asked skeptically. "If Callaghan builds another portal and it's just as unstable as the last ones we've dealt with, then we might be too late to stop it from imploding if we wait till it's turned on."

"Yeah and who knows how much damage that'll cause." Fred agreed.

"Still it's the best idea we have right now; only we don't want to go chasing after every electrical surge in the city. We need a way to narrow the search even further." Hiro mulled over this new dilemma, then a new idea hit him. "Baymax, scan Varian."

"Wha- why?" The other boy asked in confusion as Baymax looked him up in and down.

"Scan complete." The robot said.

"I'll show you." Hiro grunted as he removed the chest plate off of Baymax's armor. "Baymax, show us Varian's readings."

The screen on the robot's chest lit up and displayed a silhouette of the time displaced teen.

"Okay, now show us his radiation levels."

The screen changed again to showcase a graph and Hiro pointed to one of the spikes that was higher than the others.

"There. See that? That's some sort of low energy electromagnetic radiation. Don't worry, it's non-ionized so it's harmless, but it's not anything that's been seen on earth. Not this earth anyways. I suspect it's from traveling through the portal unprotected, the same way astronauts risk GCR when they break through earth's atmosphere."

"Ooookaay… and outside of me apparently being a freak now, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Don't you see? If they turn on the portal it's going to emit that same form of radiation."

"Then we could track it faster and easier than we would just looking for any random energy spike." Gogo interjected.

"Yeah, but that still requires us just waiting around hoping that the bad guys do get the portal working." Wasabi said.

"Oh, they'll get it to work." Hiro said. "This isn't the first time Callagan's built a portal. The question is how long will it remain stable?"

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

Callaghan flipped a switch on the dashboard and the portal roared to life.

Sue shielded her eyes with her arm as she squinted at the glowing blue circle that hung in the air. The wind was picking up as it was being sucked into the void.

Something was wrong.

Suddenly the power shorted out and the portal shut down as sparks flew out from the sides.

"Blast it!" Callaghan yelled. "I need more power. These generators aren't enough. We'll have to connect to the grid."

"Now hold on there, sugar cakes." Sue interjected. "I thought you didn't want this thingamajig to work."

"I don't, but you've left me with no choice. Call that boss of yours. Get them on the line. I can't finish my work without a direct connection to the city power supply."

"Alright. You need more power? I'll get ya more power. Just hold on to your britches and sit tight. My… uh, associates here will keep an eye on you while I go out and fix this."

She pointed to the two ninjas who were stationed on the catwalk above them. Callgahn didn't know how many were in Sue's employ, but he had the sneaking suspicion that the abandoned factory was crawling with them.

"Okay." Challghan nodded and Sue skated away at top speed.

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

"There is a radiation spike coming from there." Baymax said as he pointed northward.

"How far out?" Asked Hiro.

"Along the river, about 20 mil--- the signal is gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Varian asked.

"There's no longer any readings."

"It must have been a failed test." Hiro said. "Let's just start following the river north. We may find something as we go."

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

Abigail paced back and forth inside her cell. Well it was actually an office with a larger window looking out onto the factory below but it might as well have been a jail cell. The ninjas threw her in here and locked the door behind them. She had tried to bust the door down, smash the handle, and crawl into the vents to escape. Nothing had worked so far.  

As she nursed her arm from her latest failed escape, she saw one of her captors coming her way. It was the big bulky dude on roller skates. She banged on the window to gain his attention.

"Let me out!" She shouted.

The guy stopped, turned to look at her, pulled out two earbud headphones, and yelled, "I'm sorry, what did you say?!"

As the man leaned closer to the window and cupped his ear Abigail groaned in frustration. "I said 'let me out'!"

"Oh, sorry, no can do! Nana said you needed to stay put until your dad finished working on the portal!"

Abigail pouted and hugged her arm once more. Well, what did she think would happen?

"Do you need anything else?!" The guy shouted at her.

"No!" She stamped her foot before turning away from him to sulk as she tried to rub out the soreness in her arm.

"Hey, are you hurt?!" The guy asked, suddenly full of concern.

Abigail didn't answer. Why did he care?

However, to her surprise the guy opened the door and poked his head into the office.

"Did those robots hurt your arm?" He asked once more.

She looked back at him blankly. "Robots? Is that why those ninjas are so strong? They're robots?"

"Yeah." The large guy confirmed as if barely acknowledging how crazy that sounded. "Do you need an ice pack?"

"Sure." Abigail replied dumbfoundedly. Seriously, why was this guy being so nice?

"I'll go get you one. I'm Stu by the way." He flashed her a huge grin.

"Abigail." She replied still dumbstruck.

"Nice to meet you. I'll be right back." And with that he shut the door again and walked away.

Abigail got up and ran to the door. It was locked once more. Either the guy was smarter than he looked or it locked automatically.

Abigail bit her lip in thought. This Stu person could be her means of escape if she played her cards right.

"I'm back." Stu cheerfully said a few minutes later. "I got you an ice pack and some Tylenol."

He opened the door and handed Abigail the small little package containing the pills.

"Where'd you get this?" She asked.

"Oh, in the vending machine down the hall." He explained as he wrapped her arm in an ace bandage so as to better hold the ice pack in place. "I didn't have any money so I had to headbutt it a couple times. I got a free bag of Cheetos out of it as well."

He finished applying the bandage. "There! Man those robots are so dumb. Not to mention careless. Sorry you got hurt like that."

Abigail plastered a smile on her face. "It-it's okay…. Uhmm…I don't suppose you happen to have anything to drink these down with do you?" She said as she held up the pack of Tylenol.

"Oh sure. I'll go get you a bottle of water. Hang tight."

He left again and Abigail got to work. She removed the bandage and placed the ice pack on the floor in front of the door. Then she took the bandage and tied it between two desk chairs that were seated in the office. She placed these further out in front of the ice pack; spacing them far enough apart the rope laid taunt next to the ground right at ankle height.

Then she heard Stu's return and she jumped into the seat; placing her hands in her lap and slapping on a huge smile to look as innocent as possible as he skated in.

"Here ya, gooooo-woah!" He slipped on the ice pack and stumbled forward.

Abigail jumped up, grabbed the water bottle in his hand to sling him around, and with a well placed kick, Stu went rolling backwards into the tripwire. As he toppled over, Abigail sprinted out the door, locking it behind her.

"Hey! That's not very nice!" He yelled as he righted himself and ran up to the window.

Abigail paused in her getaway. "Yeah, and neither's kidnapping people and holding them hostage!"

Stu looked stunned for a moment as he thought over her words. "Yeah, okay, fair." He finally admitted as he hung his head. Then just as quickly he perked back up and smooshed his face to the glass. "Oh, but Nana's not going to like that you escaped."

"Yeah, well, Nana's just going to have to deal. Where's my dad?"

"Uh, on the first floor I think. Take the stairs down the end of the hall and then turn left."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Oh, but watch out for the robot ninjas!" He shouted after her as she ran away, opening the pack of pain pills as she went.

As Abigail neared the stairs she heard banging and the sound of glass cracking. She looked back and saw Stu slamming himself against the window repeatedly; and he was making a lot more headway then she had. She needed to find her dad fast.

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

Supersonic Sue was hooking up the last of the electric cables to the power lines when she spotted Big Hero Six flying towards the power plant.

"Looks like those do-gooders found our hideout. Better give them a welcoming party." She said to herself with a smile as she pulled out a remote control and pressed a button.

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

"Looks like there's a building up ahead!" Hiro shouted at his companions, who followed close behind, but stopped short when Baymax came to an abrupt halt.

From out of the woods stepped a robot ninja, who stood in their path.

"Yeeeeessssss!" Laughed Fred. "Finally I get to fight a robot ninja! My life is complete!"

"Be careful! Those things are deadly!" Varian warned.

"Oh come on. There's only one of it and seven of us. We can take...him?"

Just as Fred finished his boast another stealth robot appeared, and then another, and yet another, until the superhero team was surrounded by thirty or more of the killer androids.

"You were saying?" Wasabi snapped at Fred.

As if taking that as a cue, the robots jumped them and all hell broke loose.

Wasabi slammed the gas on his car and plowed through five of the droids, before hitting the brakes and jumping out as the robots dog piled the vehicle. He righted himself and whipped out his laser blades to start hacking away at the enforcers and the deadly shurikens they threw at him.

As he fended off the horde, Gogo skated around dodging their attacks and knocked the snipper robots out of the trees with her discs.

"Woo-hoo!" Fred shouted with glee as he bounced on top of robot after robot, just barely escaping their grasp as they lunged for him. "This is awesome! Terrifying, but awesome!"

Varian rolled his eyes at his friend's enthusiasm as he threw an ice bomb down below at the coming onslaught. He then had to grab hold of Hiro's waist as Baymax decided to do another barrel roll, knocking two more ninjas out of the trees.

When they righted again Varian's heart jumped to his throat when caught sight of Honey Lemon. She was several yards away, cut off from the rest of their friends and pinned down by one of the robotic assassins.

He shouted at her to hold on and Hiro drove Baymax towards her; only for the three of them to get jumped on by another robot. As they fought this new foe, Varian feared they wouldn't reach their friend in time.

Fortunately Honey Lemon was able to wiggle one arm free and grabbed a chimball from off her purse strap. She shoved it into her attacker's abdomen, lodging it in between some exposed gears, and with all her might she kicked the robot off her.

The android stood back up and started to stalk towards her once more, but suddenly stopped when the chimball ruptured and began to encase him in a pink crystal like substance.

Honey Lemon didn't have time to rejoice though as another ninja came up from behind to grab her arm. She threw another chimball at it and this time the robot let go and dubbed over as a shockwave from a small explosion sent the thing crumpling in on itself. Her concussive grenade had worked.

"Are you okay?" Varian shouted as they finally reached her.

"Yeah." She nodded as Hiro repelled another robot away with his electromagnets.

"I have found Supersonic Sue." Baymax calmly stated as he shot his rocket fist into the oncoming horde.

"Where?" Hiro asked, but soon saw the fading streak of dust traveling at high speed towards the abandoned building up ahead.

"We have to go after her. That building must be where they're keeping Callaghan and Abigail."

"Don't worry. I got this." Honey shouted as she ran ahead and shot down another wave of robots with her chempurse's bazooka setting.

"You three go on, we'll hold off the ninjas." Gogo spoke into the intercom before slicing off one of the androids heads with her frisby.

With that Hiro directed Baymax to follow Sue, only for them to be surrounded by a new group of ninjas lying in wait for them, just a mile down the road, even larger than the last horde.

"Where is she getting all these robots from!?" Hiro shouted in frustration.

"I have an idea!" Varian said and he pulled out the portal magnets.

Hiro saw what he was getting at. "Guys," he warned over the intercom, "Varian and I are going to use the mini-portal to break in, but be on your toes cause a new wave of robot ninjas are going to head your way soon."

"Oh you gotta be kidding me." Wasabi complained over the other end.

Varian ignored their friend's protests and typed a command into the portal's remote control. He then tossed the magnets into the air. With a flip of a switch, the magnetic balls began to link up and spin as a portal started to form in the air.

Hiro commanded Baymax to fly to it, and helped to maneuver the android to avoid the ninjas' attacks, as the robotic assassins tried to stop them from leaving.

They dodge one that tried to jump them, and Hiro kicked another off that had grabbed hold of Baymax's armor and was climbing up towards them. Meanwhile Varian threw one last alchemical orb at the swarm of robots as they flew into the portal. Hiro heard an explosion behind them, but ignored it as he focused on the upcoming confrontation ahead of them.

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

"Okay Callaghan, I siphoned off electricity from the city's power grid. You should be good to go." Sue said as she entered the lab.

"Good, now just stand there and hold that lever down while I turn the machine on." Came Callaghan's terse reply.

"Why? What does the lever do?" Sue asked in suspicion.

"It keeps the fan on the turbines going and prevents the portal from overheating." Callaghan lied.

Sue raised an eyebrow at him, not fully buying it. "You want me to stand next to a giant, untested, potential death machine that may explode at any moment?"

"I assure you it works, and I thought you could order one of your 'associates' to do it, but looks like most of them have left the building save for the one you kept on lookout there."

Sue gave him a death glare.

"Or hey, don't do it and don't get the portal working. See if I care. I didn't ask to get dragged into this."

Sue finally relented at this and walked over to the base of the portal and pulled the lever down. "Like this?" she asked.

"Yeah, just like that." Callaghan said as he walked over to the computer terminal to turn it on. Then under his breath, where Sue couldn't hear, he said. "Just like that you rancid cow; stay right there and be the folly of your own demise."

But before Professor Callaghan could turn on the device and suck his hated captor into the void, another portal opened up overhead and in flew Hiro, Baymax, and Varian; knocking out the one remaining guard as they did so, who fell to the ground in a crumpled heap of frayed wires and busted gears.

"Step away from the portal, Callaghan." Hiro ordered at him.

For his part, Callaghan did as he was told and backed away, hands raised.

"Why you little scamps." Sue said. She almost sounded impressed. "You got persistence and gumption, I'll give ya that, but ain't half as clever as you think you are."

With a nod of her head another ninja jumped from the shadows above them and grabbed Varian by his jacket collar.

"Seriously, where are you getting all these robots!?" Hiro asked.

"Oh, just from an old buddy of mine." She nonchalantly said as she made her way to the door.

"Kensei?" Hiro spat as he finally threw the robot off them.

"Ah so you heard," Sue said, "and they say kids these days don't know their history. Yeah, I thought the ninja aesthetic was a little hokey myself; Kensei's gimmick was always centered around lame karate stuff, but hey, who am I to judge?"

And with that, as quick as a wink, she tossed one of the now defunct robot's weapons at them. Only instead of the usual shuriken, it was a metal ball that opened up and released a weighted net that was difficult to dodge.

As both boys struggled to pull it off, Baymax fell to the ground below under its weight and Supersonic Sue tried to make her getaway.

Only to stop when Stu burst through the door.

"Nana! I am soo, so sorry, but Abigail's escape!"

"What!?" She shouted.

With this news, Callaghan raced to the computer terminal while everyone was distracted and turned on the device.

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

The ground rumbled and soon a heavy wind picked up as the unstable portal began to suck things into it.

Abigail wandered around the abandoned building utterly lost. She had deviated from Stu's directions in order to avoid running into those ninjas again. She hadn't seen any more of them around for awhile, but now she couldn't find her way back.

Suddenly the ground shook as if there was an earthquake. Abigail ran under a door frame for shelter and held on tightly.

As the tremor subsided, Abigail began to wonder if it was a natural occurrence at all.

Portals, that was what this was all about, apparently. The bad guys had wanted her father to build them one, but if he did, it could blow up in all of their faces, literally.

Then she heard yelling down the hall, as a wind picked up.

"Dad!" She shouted and knowingly ran towards the danger.

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

"Are you crazy!?" Sue shouted over the howling wind.

"No, desperate!" Callaghan shouted back. "I rigged this portal to implode in on itself!"

Sue looked at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"There's children in here, ya dang fool!" Came her reply.

"I'm not a child!" Varian protested as he struggled underneath the net.

Both villains ignored him.

"Oh, says the woman who attacked them with a bunch of deadly robots!"

"Oh please, their weapons were set to stun. I wasn't going to hurt a bunch of snot nosed brats... much."

As if to counteract this statement another robot ninja jumped out at them and shot a laser out of it's wrist right at Callaghan. The professor ducked out of the way as sparks flew around him. Then the wind from the portal sucked the android right into the void.

Sue, for once,  looked embarrassed at being called out in her hypocrisy.

"In my defense I don't know anything about programming robots." She said.

"Call off the bots, let everyone go, and I'll turn the portal off!" Callaghan said.

Just then the wind picked up even more, the net over the two boys flew off and Varian and Hiro would have been swept away into the nothingness had Baymax not caught them.

"Fine!" Sue relented as she pressed a button on a remote. "It's no skin off my nose if the portal doesn't get built or not."

Another robot, that had just entered from the upper level, suddenly collapsed and fell down to the floor in a heap as it was deactivated. Then it's remains along with the other destroyed robots got sucked into the portal as well.

Satisfied with her compliance Callaghan turned around to shut the terminal off, only for the computer to explode which led to the rest of the machine to catch on fire.

"Well what did you do now?!" Sue shouted.

"It wasn't me! That robot of yours must have damaged the controls!"

Just then, Abigail shoved past the doors.

"Dad!" She called to him desperately, choking back the smoke that started to fill the room,  and that was when Callaghan realized how badly he had screwed up.

Sue rolled her eyes. "Oh I've had enough of this! Stu, make us an exit! I'll salvage what we can here!"

"Right Nana!" Stu saluted. Then he revved up his skates, curled up into a ball, and basted himself at the concrete wall on the opposite side of the room at top speed.

He busted through three walls before coming out the other side and Hiro could just make out the glimmer of sunlight on the other end.

While Stu was busy with that, Sue skated right up to Callaghan and slugged him in the face. The professor fell backwards, clutching his jaw.

"Dad!" Abigail shouted again and ran to his side.

Sue skated over to the desk next to where they stood, or what was left of it. After finding what she wanted she turned to leave; only stopping long enough to give the murderous professor a sneer of pure disdain before skating away in a blur after her grandson.

As soon as she was gone a squeal of metal scraping against metal was heard. One of the portal's legs collapsed under The heat of the spreading fire and the gaping maw of the void turned at an angle towards the roof. The ceiling started to cave in from under the strain.

Everyone had to dodge out of the way quickly from the falling debris. One particularly large steel beam nearly fell right on top of Callaghan and Abigail, and he had to push his daughter away quickly. She stumbled back and was almost sucked into the void again until Baymax pulled her out of the way.

As the robot and the three humans huddled behind a concrete slab, Abigail tried to break away from the android's grip.

"Dad, no!" She sobbed.

"I'm alright!" Came Callaghan's call. "I'm just trapped on the other side!"

Abigail cried with relief.

"We're coming after you." Hiro shouted back.

"No, don't! You three get out of here! Take Abigail to safety."

"But what about you?" Varian yelled.

"Don't worry about me, I'll find another way out."

Soon they saw Callaghan start to climb up a ladder to the catwalk above.

"He must be trying to go around." Hiro said. "He'll never make it that way."

As if to confirm this, more debris fell from the collapsing roof, blocking their view of the professor. Hiro came to a decision.

"Baymax, take Varian and Abigail and get out. I'm going after Callaghan."

"That's crazy!" Varian protested.

"I do not feel that is a very safe option." Baymax agreed, but Hiro was already halfway finished climbing up the other side of the concrete slab.

"Don't worry, I got my gear! Just go on! Now!"

Baymax gave in to Hiro's orders and scooped Abigail up in arms. He then took off and flew away before Varian could crawl off his back.

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

Varian casted a fearful look behind him as he watched Hiro run through the smoke. Then as they made it to the tunnel he watched in horror as the portal fell completely and the rest of the building started to come down.

"No stop!" He yelled. "We have to go after them!"

Either Baymax didn't hear him or the robot ignored his pleas; too set on following his previous commands.

As they neared the exit, Varian gathered his courage and jumped off the robot and onto the grassy ground that opened up below.

It took a moment for Baymax to realize what had happened. He turned around to see Varian running back into the burning building.

"No! Don't!" Abigail screamed after him.

"Baymax, get Abigail out of here, and have the rest of the gang fall back!" Varian yelled over his shoulder. "No telling what the range of the blast radius of the portal will be once it finally implodes in on itself!"

Then he dove out of sight into the tunnel.

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

Hiro coughed as the smoke burned his lungs and stung his eyes. He searched for a way through the flames to the back of the former power plant, where the catwalk hung over head; dodging the debris that rained down around him. Then when he was directly under the service ramp, he used his electromagnetic whips to grab hold of the catwalk and pull himself up.

No sooner did he make it to the top, then did the portal fall down completely and along with it the rest of the roof.

A large hunk of the ceiling fell right on top of the walkway, snapping the metal railing into two. Hiro held on to the side desperately as the severed catwalk now shifted as it's structural integrity was compromised. Fortunately for him he had magnetic gloves on. Callaghan wasn't so lucky.

The professor went falling over the side as the ramp broke. He only just barely managed to grab hold of the bottom railing before falling into the void below. However he wasn't safe as the wind kept trying to suck him in and shook the broken catwalk ever which way.

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

Varian pulled up his bandana over his nose to block out the smoke. He also pulled down his goggles to protect his eyes. Still there was little he could do about the insufferable heat nor the falling hunks of metal and stone.

Somehow though he managed to make his back through to the former lab. As he entered the flame filled room the first thing he did was to look up. He noticed Callaghan and Hiro hanging from the broken catwalk right away, but how was he to get them down?

He spotted a ladder near the wall and next to it a long linked chain. He ran up to it and with a few tugs he broke the chain free from the pulley hook it hung from. He quickly wrapped it around his shoulder like you would a rope and then started to climb.

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

Hiro gauged the distance between him and Callaghan. It wasn't far, he could make it…. Or miss it completely and go tumbling into the void forever.

He gulped as he dared to look below him.

Just then the wind picked up speed once more and the catwalk bent under the force of the portal's suction.

"W-woah!" Callaghan screamed as he held on for dear life and Hiro himself gripped the railing beside him even tighter. He then threw out one of his whips to wrap around the end of the other catwalk leveling it somewhat.

"C-can you climb up?!" Hiro grunted.

Callaghan tried to, but failed. He was getting on in years and could no longer nimbly climb up the side of things like Hiro could. There was also the ever increasing pull of the portal to fight against.

"It- it's no use!" Callaghan called out. "Get out of Hiro! Save yourself! I don't want your death on my conscience as well!"

Those words hit Hiro deeper than Callaghan knew, and for a moment Hiro seriously considered following his advice and just leaving the man to his fate.

After all, there wasn't any obvious way to save him. Hiro would only be risking his life for nothing the longer he stayed. It wasn't murder just to save your own skin, not really, and well, Callaghan had brought this onto himself. All of it, the portal, his imprisonment, the fire…

Hiro gave the pathetic old man a cold glare; one that cut through even the inescapable heat of the rising flames around them.

Oh how he hated Callaghan!

He took a deep breath and retracted his magnetic whip, leaving the other side of the catwalk free to twist in the wind.

Still he didn't immediately turn to leave. Never taking his eyes off Callaghan, Hiro watched his brother's murderer flail about as he struggled to maintain his hold on the railing. Time felt like it had slowed to a crawl for Hiro as his mind was racked with indecision.

It would be so easy, he thought. So easy, and no one would blame him. His breath shallowed as he waited for the inevitable; his eyes fixated on Callaghan.

That's when Hiro noticed a foot fall behind him as the walkway shifted beneath him once more.

Varian was right behind him with a length of chain in his hands. The other boy said nothing, nor did he hand Hiro the makeshift rope.

Their eyes met and Hiro silently pleaded with him. Varian knew. Varian knew exactly what Hiro was going through. He knew the pain. He knew the desire. He knew what was happening, and he wasn't going to do anything to stop it.

It was Hiro's choice and Hiro's choice alone.

Hiro gulped once more as his heart pounded in his ears and angry tears stung his eyes.

No, Varian wouldn't judge him, but what about himself? What did he want? What was he willing to give up to get it? How could he face himself in the morning, or the next day, and everyday after that?

Hiro shook his head as everything suddenly became clear. There was no choice. Not really, as there was only ever one choice Hiro could live with.

He grabbed the chain out of Varian's hands and threw the other end to Callaghan. Once the professor had taken hold, both boys pulled him up. Then all three ran down the catwalk, slid down the ladder, and then dove through the hole in the wall.

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

As the two teens and professor ran away from the collapsing building, they heard an explosion go off behind them. Callaghan grabbed them both and pushed them to the ground; using his own body to shield them as best he could as the shockwave passed over them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hiro could see the trees around them bending backwards till their top branches nearly touched the ground. The earth trembled beneath them and a loud noise that made his ears ring sounded around them.

Finally, once Callaghan had deemed it safe enough, Hiro sat up to view the damage. Below them was a crater where the former power plant had stood. Not a sign was left of the portal.

"There they are!" Fred shouted behind them and Hiro turned to see his friends running towards them.

Abigail was also with them.

"Dad!" She ran up to her father first and wrapped her arms around him.

Callaghan broke down crying as he returned the hug. He kissed the top of head, and held her close, before cupping her face in his hands and nuzzling her nose the way he had always done when she was young.

It was the first time he had held his little girl in over five years.

"I missed you too, Dad." Abigail said as she snuggled closer to him and wrapped him another hug.

Hiro broke away from the celebration and the cheers of congratulations from his friends, as he watched Callaghan and Abigail reunite. Instead of joining in their merriment, he went and sulked underneath a tree overlooking the spot where the power plant once stood.

They all gave him space, except for Varian who walked over to join him. The other boy didn't say anything. He just rested a hand on Hiro's shoulder and sat beside him as everyone waited for the police to arrive.

"I still hate him." Hiro whispered as tears ran down his cheeks.

"Yeah, me too." Varian agreed.

And that was all that needed to be said. Hiro didn't regret saving Callaghan, but neither could bring himself to forgive Tadashi's murderer; even after all that happened; and that was okay. One didn't need to forgive in order to do the right thing, and in a small way that brought Hiro a little peace, even if the loss still hurt.

Still he couldn't help but smile a little bit, in spite of himself, when Judy also arrived along with the police. Krei had given her a lift as soon as they'd received  the text that Abigail had been rescued.

After the two girlfriends reunited, Abigail introduced her significant other to her dad, who was overjoyed at the news.

As Callaghan pulled both girls into a group hug, even Hiro had to admit they made a sweet family. Enough so, that Hiro almost felt sorry for them when Chief Cruz walked over to re-arrest the professor. Almost.

"I love you." Callaghan said as he entered the back of the police van.

"I'll see you next Tuesday; on visitor's day." Abigail sobbed. "We both will."

Callaghan tried to say something encouraging in response but the words caught in his throat as he choked on his own tears.

The police shut the door, and Abigail broke down again as she watched the police van drive away. Judy hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek, as she wiped her tears away.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride back to your apartment." Krei gingerly stepped in and gently encouraged the two girls to follow him to the car.

"And don't worry about coming into work tomorrow. Take all the time you need." He told Judy as he opened the car door. She flung her arms around him in a grateful hug, to which Krei awkwardly returned. Judy wasn't known for being affectionate, not to him anyways.

"Uh, yeah, don't mention it." He said before breaking away and walked around into the driver's seat.

As the car drove away Cruz walked over to the superheroes. "I got a few questions for you."

"Yeah?" Hiro said as he got up walked over to the police chief.

"Do you know where Sue and her grandson are right now?"

"No."

"Do you know who was funding their portal research?"

"No."

"Then what do you know?"

"Callaghan didn't escape. Sue kidnapped him and blackmailed him." Fred offered up.

"So you said over the phone, but why?"

"Have you heard of the new crime lord running things since Di was arrested?" Gogo asked.

"Maybe. Were they behind this? Why are they after portal tech?"

Hiro shrugged, "We don't know."

"Do you know who they are?"

"Have you ever heard of an old supervillain called Kensei?"

Curz's eyes went wide at the mention of that name. "I'm going to need you to come down to the station with me."

The team of superheroes was startled by that.

"Sorry, but no, can do, officer." Hiro shook his head as Baymax flew up beside him.  

"Wait! You're not under arrest; I promise,  I just need more information!" Cruz pleaded as the heroes took off running, their enhanced gear allowing them to move faster than his men.

Cruz took off his hat and threw it to the ground in frustration as the last of the supers disappeared.

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

Supersonic Sue watched from above as the police departed. She had hid in the trees in order to spy on the gang of do-gooders.

"What now Nana?" Her grandson asked as they climbed down.

"Now, Stu, we go weasel some, I mean 'get paid', some money from my dear old friend, and then we high tail it out of here and laid low for awhile till this whole thing blows over."

"But we didn't get the portal, and the professor escaped?"

"Now don't you worry, none, hun. Nana's got everything under control." She said as she whipped out her cell phone.

"Hey Kensei? Yeah, got some bad news about that portal you wanted…. Now, now, don't go getting your knickers in a twist; I got something that still might interest you." Sue chuckled as she pulled out the blue notebook from her pocket.

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

Wasabi pulled up to the gas pump and got out of the car.

"Do you guys want anything while we're here?" He asked the two boys riding in the back seat.

Hiro and Varian shook their heads no, and Wasabi left to go pay for the gas.

Once they had all safely gotten away from the police, it was decided by the group of teenagers to ditch their superhero gear and ride home normally.

Fred had called Heathcliff to pick him and the girls up, while Hiro and Varian volunteered to walk back with Wasabi to his car.

Baymax was currently in the trunk and had powered down into sleep mode in order to save on energy. It wouldn't do to have a 'drunk' robot running around the cafe on low battery, when their aunt came home.

Aunt Cass had texted them not too long ago to let them know she was leaving the hotel. Apparently Tracey's car had had a flat tire and they were getting a late start.

Thus far, on the ride back, neither boy had said much to the other. Each was lost in their own thoughts as Wasabi obliviously carried on all the conversation. It was mostly about opera as he had had the radio on.

Though without Wasabi's singing to distract them, Hiro started to grow uncomfortable with the silence.

"Hey, thanks, for helping out back there." He said.

"You're welcome." Varian replied in a tired manner.

"You know, I… I don't know what I would have done had you not shown up when you did."

Varian just shrugged. "Probably just save the day, like you always do." He then turned to look at Hiro. "I knew you wouldn't go through with it."

"How? How can you be so sure?"

"Cause, you're not me." Varian said as he looked away. "I would've let him fall. No hesitation."

Hiro didn't know what to say to that.

"I told you. Unlike you, I'm not a hero." Varian admitted as he felt Hiro's eyes on him. "I honestly don't know how you do it."

Hiro mulled over these words. "I guess… because I have good friends who support me and people to look up to. Who'll stop me from going too far."

Varian gave him a disbelieving smile. "People like your big brother I guess?"

"Yeah."

Varian shook his head. "Must be nice, having people around to help you when you need them. I'm not sure it'd make a difference in my case. I don't if anyone could have talked me down; not… not after what happened."

"Well," Hiro slowly said. "You never had a brother with you."

Varian nodded but didn't look at him, so Hiro contunited.

"Yup, it's a good thing my big brother was there today to help me out."

Hiro rested his hands behind his head as he said this and tried to act nonchalant, but he peeked out of the corner of his to watch Varian's reaction.

The other boy slowly looked up as realization dawned on his face.

Hiro smiled. "Thanks for being there for me."

"An-anytime." Varian answered with his own smile.  

Hiro held out his hand for a fist bump. Varian returned it, the way Hiro and Baymax had taught him to do it. Then both boys wiggled their fingers and went "babalala", imitating their robot pal.

They couldn't keep a straight face when doing so though, and broke down into giggles.

"What's so funny?" Wasabi asked cheerfully as he entered the car.

"Oh nothing." Hiro snickered.

"Hey, hey, Wasabi, how about a driving lesson?" Varian pestered.

Wasabi rolled his eyes. "After the sport's car incident?"

"Not me, Hiro."

Wasabi turned back and looked at Hiro thoughtfully. "Well, alright, get on up here."

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

Hiro was finishing tidying up his room when he heard the familiar tune of La Cucaracha blaring down from the street below.

"Hey, Varian! Aunt Cass is back!"

He called to the other teen as he ran downstairs.

"Ok, all I got left to vacuum is the bathroom rug!" He called after before switching on the machine once more. "Be down in a sec!"

"Bye Tracey, see ya later." Aunt Cass called after her friend as she entered the cafe and her friend drove away.

She dumped her bags on the floor and let out a sigh of relief.

"Wooh, vacation will wear you out." She said as she leaned against the door.

"Hi Aunt Cass." Hiro ran to give her a hug. "Did you have a nice time?"

His aunt ignored the question "Oh Hiro, how are you, sweetheart?"

"I'm fin- ... I'm doing better."

"Did you hear about Callaghan?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was on the news today. They caught him."

"Yeah, Cruz texted me about it."

She stroked her fingers through his hair and pouted. "Do you still want to talk… about… well, you know?"

Hiro seriously considered it.

"Maybe later," he said, "I talked to Varian about it earlier today and I'm feeling a lot better now."

"Really?"

Hiro nodded his head.

"Well, I'm glad you two can open up to each other like that, and be there for one another. I'm also glad you two didn't burn the house down while I was gone."

Aunt Cass laughed at her own joke and Hiro joined in, but soon he weighed in with one more question, before moving on from the whole ordeal.

"Do.. Do you still hate him? Callaghan, I mean?"

Aunt Cass looked at him thoughtfully before answering.

"Yes." She nodded. "Do you?"

"Yeah." He sniffed.

Both aunt and nephew shared a silent moment for their grief as they came to an understanding before wrapping each other in a hug once more.

That was when Varian came down the stairs to join them.

"Hey!" He greeted, before embracing Aunt Cass in his own hug.

He practically lifted her off her feet as he did so, and for the first time Aunt Cass noticed that her adopted child was now taller than herself.

"What?" He laughed as he caught her giving him a funny smile.

"Nothing, I'm just glad to be back home." She said before wrapping both teens onto a group hug. "Oooh, I missed my boys sooo much, both of you!"

"We missed you too Aunt Cass." Hiro said.

"Yeah, next time you should just take us with you." Varian joked. "That way we can skip out on chores too, am I right Hiro?"

Hiro rolled his eyes at Varain's teasing. "Yeah, anything to avoid washing your dirty socks."

Even Aunt Cass couldn't help but laugh at that.

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

"Such a happy family." A woman's voice said as she peered at the Hamadas through her crystal ball. "Pity, their time is coming to an end."

Notes:

And Finally We Are Done with the Last Chapter! Woot!

But that's not the end of the story.

Be on the look out for season two, Ghosts of of the Past, where we'll meet more characters from the Tangled series, new villains, finally learn who this mysterious Boss is, and gain a new member of the Big Hero Six team!

You can find up dates at both the Rocks and Robot's discord https://discord.gg/yfVVrXjFW8

[emilia3546]

Shadowsinger -Part 19

ACOSF Spoilers! Do Not read this unless you have finished ACOSF and the Azriel bonus chapter*

Masterlist with all previous chapters

*****

With Azriel double checking their plans to get into the Mortal Palace, Gwyn was free to help Nesta and Emerie in designing a training program for the Illyrian females. Most of them had clipped wings, only the youngest did not, so any training would be land-based, and there wasn't enough time for aerial combat for those who could fly anyway. Gwyn hadn't even considered them being on the front lines, but they could perhaps form an auxiliary force, the last line to break, the surprise that the rebels weren't expecting. Still, not everyone wanted to train, and not all of them could bear to fight, not when they might face fathers, husbands, brothers, sons on the other side of the battlefield. Even those who could not, or would not, fight could still be helpful though. It had been Emerie who had suggested that Madja and Velaris' healers run some medical training for those who preferred to help in that way. Nesta's eyes had darkened with rage at the thought of the grievous injuries that would undoubtedly be sustained when the fighting broke out, and Gwyn threw an arm over her shoulders, knowing that she was recalling Cassian's injuries from the last war.

"The most important thing will be on the battlefield," Gwyn mused, "The issue with our healers is that they are based at camps, so casualties can't reach them. If we can get a group of medics on the battlefield, at least trained to defend themselves if necessary, but with the key skills to keep casualties alive until they can be seen by a healer, we'll be in a much better position. Especially if those medics are female, they'll be ignored and overlooked." Nesta nodded her agreement, and Emerie suggested a few females that she knew who might be interested in such a role.

"Every Illyrian female knows some basic healing skills, but nothing that would work on a battlefield, we'll have to get word out quickly, and hope that the males don't object." Nesta grinned, 

"Oh, they won't object, not if I personally send out invitations to classes. They think I'm a witch, and they're scared shitless of me, my presence on a battlefield might hopefully convince the rebels to think twice, although, perhaps not, if they're willing to rebel against their High Lord and Lady."

"Oh they'll definitely think twice about fighting you, sweetheart," Cassian chuckled, starling all females as he strode through the open door and kissed the top of Nesta's head, she shrugged, 

"I'll just have to make them think that I'll cast a spell to cut their balls off," Cassian laughed again,

"Such a beautiful, violent female," he murmured, casting his gaze across the training plans,

"Any changes you suggest?" Gwyn asked, keen to break up the way both Nesta and Cassian had looked at each other just then,

"It's pretty good, but I'd focus a little more on hand-to-hand combat, we don't have time to fully build up to swords, perhaps fighting knives would be better. They're lighter, and females are smaller, quicker, lighter than males, knives would allow them to use that to their advantage in a fight, even against a male wielding a broadsword." Gwyn noted down Cassian's suggestions, leaving the final decisions to Nesta and Emerie, it would be them, after all, who oversaw the training, Gwyn would be working with Azriel to remain one step ahead of the rebels, and the queens.

Gwyn noted the room slowly filling up, but it didn't bother her, it didn't bother her that with Amren was that dark-skinned male whom she hardly knew. She merely acknowledged his presence with a nod, her attention fixed on finishing her portion of the the plans, leaning back in her chair, and stretching. Azriel was the last to arrive, automatically making his way across to Gwyn and resting a hand on the back of her chair. She tipped her head sideways to slightly touch that hand. Azriel would never be one for public affection like Cassian and Nesta, but, like Cassian, he needed that contact, needed the contact he had been denied for so long to remind himself that she didn't hate him, that she loved him, that he was worthy of her love, had always been. Even Amren had stifled a smile at Gwyn's subtle display of affection, and Theia was practically beaming with joy at the way Azriel had relaxed at Gwyn's touch, the tension in his muscles releasing before he spoke,

"Gwyn and I have finalized a way into the Mortal Palace. We will have to go alone, and ordinarily, I wouldn't even suggest bringing her at this point in her training, but she has contacts within, and outside the Palace. She is our way in, and our way to send reports back here. We'll spell the reports, but only to one person, I can't work a spell more complicated than that." He looked to Rhys and Feyre, "Who do want me to spell it to?" Feyre shuffled in her seat,

"Rhys." Rhys made to complain, but Feyre raised a hand, "He has more experience, and will know the key things to look for, especially with reports from you, you know each other's way of working better than me, I'm still learning how to be High Lady. And," she added with a sigh, "I have to feed Nyx several times every night, I'm tired, I might miss something." Rhys sighed but nodded,

"Spell the reports to me then. When can you expect to get in?"

"We'll leave tomorrow," Gwyn answered, "There's only a few final preparations needed, Azriel can winnow us onto the continent, but we'll have to travel the rest of the way on foot, by air it'll be too visible, and to winnow any closer might set off wards, besides, some of my friends live a few miles out. We should be able to get into the Palace within a week, unless we come across something unaccounted for, I'd expect the first update about a week after that, give or take." Azriel nodded, 

"I'll only be wearing two siphons most of the time, and we won't be in full armor, the aim is to get in disguised as a rebel warrior and his wife." He paused for a moment, and Gwyn nodded, encouraging him to continue after a moment's hesitation. "Gwyn will be noticed at once as out of place," Azriel turned to Rhys, "Can you glamour her to appear Illyrian? You only need to give her wings." Still, wings were the most difficult part of that request, if he couldn't make a glamour look realistic, Gwyn had already agreed to allow them to attempt to shift her into an Illyrian body. Rhys pursed his lips,

"I can try, but I don't know if I'l be able to make them move naturally if I'm not there, the innate magic may not be enough." Gwyn knew that, but she still asked him to try, and closed her eyes at the touch of night-flecked power on her. "Just move about a bit, Gwyn, let me see if it works without me actively moving it around." She got up, walked a couple of laps on the room, threw a couple of punches at the air, turned around quickly, but her face fell at the silence around her,

"It's not working is it?"

"No, I'm sorry," Rhys muttered, "The only other way would be to shift your body into that of an Illyrian. I can definitely do that, and then reverse it when you're back, but it would involve me changing your body." He said carefully, slowly gauging her reaction

"I know." Gwyn said, her chin held high as the glamour lifted, "Az already warned me, and it's okay. I trust him, and everyone in this room," there was a moment of surprise in Rhys' eyes as he glanced towards Varian, "Even him. He has been nothing but kind and respectful, and he has already earned all of your trust, I would be foolish not to trust him as well, if all of you do, he must have proved himself several times."

"That he has," Rhys mused, and offered Feyre a questioning glance, falling silent for a moment before Feyre broke the silence, 

"We think it'll be better if I do this, I have more experience with different types of shifting, and I have shifted myself into an Illyrian form many times. I've also seen, and felt the magic's imprint, when Tamlin shifted others into different forms, Rhys has only ever shifted himself into his beast form. Gwyn nodded, altogether more comfortable with Feyre's magic, as a female, it somehow felt familiar, less alien and frightening. "This will probably tingle a bit and feel odd, but it won't hurt." Gwyn mentally braced herself, almost flinching at the tingle in her shoulders, then expanding across her whole body. She opened her eyes once the tingling had faded, she felt the same, but the moment she moved something felt wrong, different. Her balance was off, something pulling her backwards. She flexed her shoulders, and a whoosh of air alerted her to the wings now flaring out behind her. She flinched at the sound of breaking china,

"Sorry," she muttered, and wriggled the wings around a bit before figuring out how to close them. The one thing that she had expected to bother her didn't, the weight of the wings was less than she'd thought it would be, and her training had built up her muscles so that she could carry them easily without worrying about dragging them on the floor. 

"You could fly if you wanted to," Feyre said, "I've made them look clipped as that's what would make sense, but the tendons and muscles beneath are normal, and I don't expect there'll be much time for you to learn to fly anyway, but in an emergency you will be able to." Gwyn nodded, "You should get used to moving around with them, and fighting, it feels a bit different to usual, your center of balance is shifted backwards, so it just takes a bit of getting used to." 

"I'm sure it will, we have until lunch tomorrow to get ready, so hopefully I'll be re-balanced by then. It should definitely be before we reach the Palace at any rate."

*****

Gwyn had adjusted to the wings remarkably quickly, the walk to the training ring seeming to be long enough for her to figure out how her balance needed to shift. She warmed up normally, albeit a little slower than usual, but she didn't seem to have any issues, not ones that she needed Azriel's help with anyway.

"Okay, just practice unfolding and folding your wings for now, we can do something more once you're comfortable with that." Gwyn nodded, and flared out her wings, faster than before, and stumbled backwards, Azriel stifled a chuckle at her surprise, but she folded them in, then out again, and kept her balance. She kept going until she could do it while walking around, sitting down, drawing a weapon. She cursed Azriel's name soundly when he made her practice doing it while running and drawing a weapon at the same time, a wooden practice sword. Gwyn had questioned what the point was in using a practice sword, but as she clipped the corner of a wing and tripped up, rolling to regain her feet she just glared at him. "Go again," he chuckled, "Any child can do this,"

"Any child can do this," she mimicked, glaring at him, and he laughed,

"I do not sound like that," She just huffed, but did as she was told, falling several more times before she fixed her timing and drew the sword from a sheath at her side consistently without falling. The moment she was confident with that, Azriel switched the sheath to one down her spine. She could do it standing still on the first try, but the moment she started moving, her wings moved a bit, and she kept hitting them, sending her sprawling onto the floor. She groaned, but kept getting back up, slapping away Azriel's hand when he extended it, a multitude of profanities falling from her lips each time. He could barely hold back his laughter at the sight of Gwyn, usually so balanced and elegant, falling on her ass, and swearing enough to put even Cassian to shame. Still, a beautiful rosy blush was now staining her cheeks, and she was panting slightly in the sun's punishing heat. "One more." He called, and Gwyn flipped him off before taking off at a sprint, and whooping in delight when she drew her sword without incident, looking back at him and grinning with undisguised joy. "Take a break."

"No. I want to fight," she complained,

"Break. Once we start combat training we'll go until you're ready to drop, break. Now." He left no room for argument, but Gwyn still rolled her eyes as she nudged past him to get to the water he'd brought out. She'd made a hundred such gestures, but each time he couldn't help the rush of delight that washed over him that she was able to be this comfortable whilst alone with a male, let alone that male being him. She was still experimenting with the position of her wings, but stopped when she noticed Azriel's attention, muttering something about overbearing busybodies before practically bouncing up to him and demanding that they move on to combat. Azriel couldn't help but match her energy, not as she grinned and almost danced on the spot when he agreed, but he did make her walk through her patterns first, demonstrating them so that she could see what he did with his wings. He did warn her not to think too much about them though, with the muscles at the base, they would re-balance subconsciously, even though she hadn't been born with them.

As with almost everything he had ever thrown at her, Gwyn took back to fighting with surprising ease, enough that he was confident to agree to spar at the end of their training session. He moved a little slower than usual, his blows lighter than usual, giving Gwyn a little extra time to balance to parry each blow and then retaliate. She, however, did not hold back, and at times it felt like she was trying to knock Azriel's head off, and very nearly succeeded at one point, with Azriel only just dodging the blow and ducking under her blade to force her to turn. As she spun round, the momentum forced her wings out, and she struggled to balance, flaring them out further, and Azriel yelped when she smacked him across the face, having failed to step far enough back. Gwyn froze at the sound, finally regaining her balance and whirled to find Azriel taking a few steps back to a healthy distance,

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She rushed towards him, and pulled his face down, inspecting the slightly reddened skin of his cheek, and tutted to herself, "Sorry," she whispered again, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, "There. That's better," she said, "I think we'd better call it a day there, I'm getting tired, so I'll just end up doing that again otherwise." Azriel nodded, then gently caught her wrist, turning her back towards him,

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just, I don't know," she shrugged, "I'm fine though, I'm fine," he raised an eyebrow at that, she seemed to be convincing herself more than him,

"Pre-mission nerves?"

"I guess," she sighed, "I'll be fine once we've got there."

"I want to show you something, how I always got over it." Gwyn smirked at that,

"And what would that be?" 

"Hold on," that was the only warning Gwyn got before he scooped her up and launched upwards, leaving her screaming and throwing her arms around his neck. Azriel flapped again, rising up and up and up, until Velaris was just a mosaic of lights below them, he leveled out and Gwyn whooped in delight, before smacking him on the arm,

"Asshole!" She hissed, but Azriel just chuckled and pretended to drop her, making her squeal again, and cling on to him tighter, burying her face in his neck, "I hate you," she mumbled, but still relaxed into him, and pressed another kiss against the cheek her wing had smacked, 

"Really hold on now," Azriel murmured, this time waiting until she was clinging on before offering her a cocky smirk, and falling out of the sky. A scream tore from Gwyn's throat as they fell, tumbling through the air, his wings blowing up around them as the wind rushed past, whipping Azriel's hair around his face. Quickly Gwyn's screams turned into shouts and whoops of delight, the wind tearing her hair out of her braid, sending it flying out behind her, and Azriel laughed, truly laughed, pulling her in for a kiss. He clutched her tighter against his chest, flipping over so that he could see the ground, and Gwyn screamed again as it approached,

"Pull up!" She screamed, "We're going to crash!"

"Trust me," Azriel murmured in her ear, and she trembled at his voice, almost imperceptibly arching into him at that little reminder of last night. She buried her face in Azriel's neck again, not even opening them at the rush of wind as he flapped hard, mere feet from the ground just outside the city. He circled lazily upwards, cruising over the city, and Gwyn finally opened her eyes, and smiled,

"Can we do that again?" Azriel grinned, 

"Going to keep your eyes open this time, Valkyrie?"

"Going to try and kill me again, Shadowsinger?"

"Never," he murmured, but gave no warning before folding his wings in again and plummeting towards the earth, holding Gwyn so that the wind rippled against her own newly formed wings. The look of wonder on her face as she felt the wind was unrivaled in beauty, and Azriel clutched her hands, "Do you trust me?"

"Always," she hesitated only a heartbeat before taking his hands and turning onto her belly, holding Azriel's hands in front of her, 

"Wings out," she did as he said, and he did so at the same time, the wind slowing as it caught their wings. Azriel angled towards an updraft, and Gwyn laughed with joy as she was pushed up in the air, with her wings automatically catching the breeze. She whooped again, and let Azriel guide her through Velaris' winds and currents, leaving them both wind-chilled but laughing uncontrollably when he pulled her into his chest and dove through their bedroom window. "Nest step, flying on your own." He whispered, and Gwyn shook her head disbelievingly, 

"That's a big step."

"Need me to hold your hand?" Azriel teased, and Gwyn's competitive gleam reappeared in her eyes,

"I'll be flying better than you in no time." She declared, sweeping off to the bathroom before he could respond. He chuckled to himself, still staring after the female who had made him open his heart to the world, who had seen the shadows and the person he sometimes had to be and had decided to love all of him, flaws and all. It made his heart ache with love, greater than he'd ever felt, he didn't need a mating bond, he didn't need what Rhys and Cassian had, he just needed her. He just needed Gwyn.

[inkedstarlight]

I Put A Spell On You

Summary: Nesta and Cassian hated each other. Ever since freshman year of college, he'd been nothing but a pain in her ass. Their conversations always ended in screaming matches, and they couldn't agree on a single thing. So why was Nesta so angry to see him with another girl at a Halloween party one night? Cassian quickly picks up on her jealousy and teases her about it, only further infuriating Nesta. Sexual tension, unresolved feelings, and an intense game of truth or dare ensue. Warnings: explicit language, NSFW Read it here on AO3

Lana Del Ray’s “Season of the Witch” was playing quietly in the background as Nesta put on the finishing touches of her makeup. Tossing the mascara on the counter, she took a step back to assess herself in the mirror.

Her lips were a deep red, so dark it was almost black. A golden crescent moon was painted on her forehead, her daring brows arched on each side. Stormy grey eyes were heavily lined with midnight kohl, streaks of black running down her cheeks as if she’d just dragged her acrylic nails down her face. It looked like dripping blood. A golden arm cuff in the figure of a snake curved its way around her bicep, and it was quite possibly Nesta’s favorite part of the entire costume.

And her dress? Her dress was the most elegant thing she’d ever worn. Nesta didn’t even know how to describe it, the layered fabric falling down to the floor, the sleeves black and sheer. All she knew was she felt fucking powerful.

She smirked devilishly at the reflection staring back at her. It was like looking at Hecate herself.

To put it blatantly, Nesta was a whore for Halloween. She loved everything about spooky season: witches, full moons, candy, costumes, horror movies. The frightening, dark atmosphere that ensconced her throughout the entire month of October. Not to mention it was the one of the few holidays that didn’t revolve around family-oriented activities. Needless to say, Nesta was in her element.

Emerie peered her head into the bathroom where Nesta was getting ready. Her smile was wicked as she took in Nesta. “You just took fashionably late to the next level.”

Nesta laughed at her friend’s reaction. “You’re one to talk.”

Emerie was wearing a silky, burgundy robe. It was untied, leaving her tiny black slip in full view. The delicate fabric fell just inches below her waist, and she stood impossibly straight in glittery stilettos. To top it all off, bunny ears protruded from her waves of dark hair. She was a Playboy Bunny, and she looked fucking fantastic.

“How late are we?”

Emerie checked her phone. “About an hour.”

Nesta shrugged and shot her a wink. “It’s always fun to make a bit of an entrance.”

Nesta and Emerie had been close friends since freshman year. Nesta’s roommate was seldom in their room, and Emerie’s roommate was always bringing hookups to her respective room. So, when the two became aware of each other’s unfortunate (albeit convenient) situations, Emerie began staying over at Nesta’s. She would sleep over several nights a week, and it eventually became her room too. It worked perfectly.

Now, as upperclassmen, the duo lived in on-campus apartments. Just them and Minx. AKA the tiny but fierce black cat they rescued just a year prior.

“Guess who I heard is coming?”

Nesta dropped what she was doing to look at her friend. She knew that tone. That tone was always followed by a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach.

She threw Emerie a look. “I swear to the gods if you say Cass –”

“It’s Cassian!” Emerie sang smugly, jazz hands and all.

Nesta groaned. Cassian Bechalot was the bane of her existence. He was a senior, Nesta a junior, and he’d been a pain in her ass from day one. The first day of classes in her freshman year, Nesta had been sitting in her biology lab waiting for the class to begin. Ten minutes after class started, Cassian rushed through the doors in a dramatic entrance. To Nesta’s dismay, he sat next to her. The professor then proceeded to review the syllabus, mentioning the fact that they will be assigned semester-long lab partners. By “assigned,” she meant the person sitting next to you. Nesta had barely held back her groan when Casssian smirked at her and said, “I have a feeling this is going to be my favorite class.” For the next four months, he made Nesta hate biology. Purely because she now associated it with him. Cassian made it his personal mission to annoy the living hell out of her.

Skip to sophomore year. Cassian was adamant on sitting next to her in a lecture they were both enrolled in. Nesta was minding her damn business when he’d looked over her shoulder to catch her reading fanfiction on her laptop. And of course, it wasn’t some innocent story. No, with Nesta’s luck, it had been a smutty-ass fic that was basically porn without a plot. Cassian was unable to contain his laughter, the immature child he was. The professor stopped midsentence to narrow her eyes at his disruption. Nesta remembered it clear as day.

“Is there something you’d like to say, Mr. Bechalot? Since it’s clearly a matter important enough to interrupt my class.”

“Oh, I’d love to,” Cassian had grinned. He nodded his head at Nesta, the latter of whom was red in the face from both embarrassment and anger. “But I don’t think the Mrs. would be very happy with me.”

The class had whopped, some applauding Cassian’s antics.

“Enlighten me.”

He’d shrugged given Nesta a look that said, There’s nothing I can do to stop what’s about to happen.

What a fucking liar.

“Nesta was just getting in her daily dose of fanfiction. It happened to be a particularly…” Cassian paused. The bastard paused for dramatic effect. “… risqué.”

And queue the laughter.

So that was one of many reasons Nesta couldn’t stand him. After that fiasco, countless others followed. Some fiascos were of Nesta’s doing.

What? Nesta couldn’t let him win every time. She had a couple tricks up her sleeve, too. And it’s not like she was going to let him off the hook without facing the consequences.

Emerie was convinced it was some sort of star-crossed lovers shit. She dubbed them an “enemies-to-lovers” slow burn. She was the biggest (and only) advocate for a romantic relationship to blossom between them.

But Nesta? Nesta saw it for what it was.

Pure, unadulterated hatred.

And now he was crashing the party Nesta had been looking forward to all week.

The party was at their friend’s off-campus apartment. There were going to be a lot of people there, but Nesta had seriously doubted he would be invited. At Pryth U, there was an obnoxious division between athletes and the rest of the undergraduates. Nesta loathed the cliquey dynamic. But while the athletes certainly had a reputation, she had many friends who were on the college teams. It was really only the men’s lacrosse team that lived up to their reputation, and Cassian just so happened to be the captain. Who’s surprised?

Cassian had a way of getting in her head, of fueling her already hotheaded temper. Their interactions typically ended in a screaming match. He would tell her to loosen up, and Nesta would tell him to fuck off. He’d make some raunchy joke of it, and she would go off on him. They’d have a staring contest for a couple minutes before continuing to yell obscenities at each other.

Yeah… it wasn’t pretty.

But Nesta was determined to not let it bother her. Tonight was going to be great, Cassian or not.

“Is you-know-who going to be there?” Nesta turned the conversation around, stealing a glance at her roommate.

She scowled. “I don’t know. Even if she was, she doesn’t know my fucking name.”

“You don’t know that,” Nesta countered.

Emerie gave her a pointed look.

Nesta sighed. “Okay, so she doesn’t know your name. Doesn’t mean you can’t introduce yourself tonight.”

Emerie mumbled an incoherent response.

She’d had a crush on a girl named Mor for several months now. Mor had recently transferred from a different university, and she was a fellow junior. Emerie first saw her when she was working one day at the on-campus Starbucks. Whenever Mor came in for a drink, Emerie was sure to be the one to get her order. And she always made Mor’s drink (a medium mocha latte). It was quite adorable when Emerie came home from work to gush about how Mor’s hair was particularly beautiful that day. Adorable and obnoxiously frustrating.

Nesta wasn’t big on love. Sure, her guilty pleasure included romance novels and smutty fanfiction, but that was fiction. In her own life, she hated romantic gestures, declarations of love, and physical affection. She’d never been the type to have crushes or pursue a potential suitor. After watching her parent’s marriage crumble right before her eyes, Nesta didn’t put much thought into romantic relationships. To her, it was work. It took too much effort and from what she’d seen, the outcome was never worth it.

Sometimes, Nesta wasn’t sure if she knew how to love. Sure, she loved her sisters, but that was the extent of it (with the exception of Amren and Emerie). The thought terrified her just as much as it empowered her.

There were rare moments when Nesta would see Amren and Varian laughing together and something in her would ache. For what, she wasn’t sure. Affection, love, trust, acceptance, peace, comfort. All of the above.

“Okay, are we ready to go?” Emerie called to back to Nesta, shaking her from her thoughts. She took one last glance in the mirror before turning the light off.

“Let’s do it.”

The apartment was decorated perfectly. The lights were dim, the atmosphere enticing. Nesta was impressed but not at all surprised at Amren’s immaculate skills as an interior design major. They were friends from high school, and they’d remained thick as thieves since.

The place wasn’t huge, but it had enough space for dancing and drinking and that’s all that mattered. There were probably twenty people in there. The music was dark and thrilling, the bass reverberating in Nesta’s chest as she maneuvered her way through the bodies in the basement.

She recognized most of the people here, only a few unfamiliar faces in the crowd. Amren’s boyfriend, Varian, was in a mermaid costume as he walked around offering people drinks. He caught Nesta’s eye and shot her a grin, his hands gesturing to the coconut shell bra on his chest. She shook her head and chuckled before swiping… candy corn Jell-O shots?

With a grimace, Nesta tilted her head back and swallowed the damn thing.

It was disgusting.

“Nesta!” a familiar voice yelled from behind her. She didn’t even need to look to know who it was.

Rhysand approached her, his strut a little less smooth than normal thanks to the many drinks he must’ve had. But when she saw him, she could barely stop herself from laughing out loud.

He was dressed as an angel. Rhysand fucking Elvert was an angel.

 I’m not drunk enough for this.

He wore a white toga, his tanned chest bare for all the women and men to drool over. Cheap translucent wings protruded from his back, and a golden halo in the form of a headband hung over his head. He was giving her a cheeky smile as he stopped in front of her.

“Nesta, my best friend!” Well, that confirmed his inebriated state. “How are you? More importantly, where’s that sister of yours?”

Nesta rolled her eyes. She should have known he was going to ask about Feyre.

Her younger sister had visited Nesta several times since she started Pryth U a couple years back. They had the unfortunate luck of encountering Rhysand while Nesta was showing Feyre around campus. And of course, as Rhysand does with every living, breathing woman, he tried to woo her with his fuckboy ways. Feyre held her own, but that changed when Nesta brought her to a small dorm party later that night. When Nesta was returning from the bathroom, she found them dancing. Well, dancing was putting it nicely. There was a lot of hip movement to say the least.

After ripping them apart, Nesta threatened Rhys that if he got near her sister again, he was a dead man. Feyre, thoroughly embarrassed, had no other choice but to follow Nesta back to her dormitory. Once in her room, Nesta chastised Feyre for “fraternizing with the enemy.” Nesta had told Feyre stories about Cassian before, so she was up to date on that situation. Feyre didn’t seem to care, claiming that she didn’t even think Rhysand was that attractive.

And though Nesta knew that was a flat-out lie, she let it go.

So, when Feyre visited a semester later, Nesta was careful not to mention her visit to anyone, especially not Rhys. They weren’t friends per se, but her rivalry with Cassian made Rhysand a fixture in her life (one that she never asked for). They would chat during class or in passing, and their relationship was lighthearted. Nothing like the tension between her and Cassian. After the first time Feyre had visited, Rhysand always managed to find a way to bring her up in conversation.

But to Nesta’s dismay, Rhysand had miraculously found out about her visit. Ignoring Nesta’s threat, Rhys shamelessly tried to pursue Feyre for the second time. Even though Nesta was careful not to mention her visit, Rhysand had miraculously found out and pursued her. That time, he blatantly flirted with her right in front of Nesta. But it was more than flirting. Nesta could tell that Rhysand was acting differently than when he flirted with other girls. Nesta had been around him long enough to watch him flirt and seduce many women, and it was different with Feyre. This behavior continued every time Feyre visited, which was just five instances. Yet Rhysand seemed strangely attached to Feyre. Nesta never asked him about it… Gods forbid Rhysand Elvert becomes her brother-in-law.

“She’s great,” Nesta said truthfully. “Just started dating a new guy.”

His face fell for a fraction of a second, so quickly that Nesta could have imagined it. “Does he treat her well?”

“I’ve never met him, but from what she’s told me, yes.”

He seemed to consider this before merely nodding in response.

“Where’s that annoying friend of yours?” Nesta changed the subject.

Why do you care? Nesta could practically hear Emerie’s voice in her head. She ignored it.

“Cassian? That bastard’s somewhere in here.” Rhysand chuckled before he suddenly got excited. “Oh! You’ll never guess what he dressed as.”

Nesta gave him an unamused look. “Let me take a wild guess: the devil.”

Rhysand’s shoulders dropped and he pouted. “You take the fun out of everything.”

“Or perhaps you’re more predictable than you think.”

“Bet you can’t guess what Azriel is.”

Nesta didn’t even have to think twice. “Azriel dressed as Sherlock Holmes because he has a shred of self-respect. As opposed to you two buffoons.”

And because he told me a week ago, Nesta thought to herself.

Rhysand opened his mouth to retort, but he was quickly interrupted.

“Did someone say Cassian Bechalot?”

Nesta’s fists balled tightly at the mere sound of his voice. She plastered on a sickly-sweet smile and turned to face Cassian.

She did her best not waver at the sight of him. Even Nesta couldn't deny that Cassian was an objectively attractive man. She would never admit it, though.

His long hair was disheveled as always, a couple loose strands framing his annoyingly sharp jaw. He wore a deep red dress shirt, and the fabric looked soft as satin. Several buttons were popped to show off a broad chest and his signature golden chain. The sleeves were rolled up to reveal his inked forearms, the collar popped to show off the thick columns of his neck. And of course, red horns stuck out from the obnoxiously inflated head of his.

But what Nesta wasn’t expecting was the woman on his arm. She looked to be about their age, maybe a year younger. She too wore a devil costume but this time it was a small red dress and a face full of beautiful makeup.

Nesta’s fists tightened even more.

Cassian stopped a couple feet in front of her, his eyes slowly dragging up and down her body. Nesta crossed her arms impatiently until his piercing gaze finally met hers.

“So glad I ran into you, sweetheart," he purred at her. Gods, him and that insufferable nickname. She could choke him. "What do you think of my costume?"

“It suits you,” Nesta replied sarcastically. Then she added, “You guys make quite the couple.”

Cassian frowned, but Nesta paid no mind to him.

“Oh, we didn’t even come here together!” piped in the woman. She gave Cassian a seductive look. “But I certainly hope we’ll be going home together.”

Nesta didn’t bother to hide her distaste. It wasn’t directed toward the friendly woman, rather at the bastard at her side. The obnoxiously sexy bastard.

“Let me guess…” Cassian tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully. Nesta made a show of rolling her eyes. “Hecate?”

 What?

She hadn't expected that.

Nesta did her best to contain her surprise. “You know who Hecate is?”

“Ouch, you didn’t have to say it like that. You wound me, sweetheart.”

She raised a threatening brow. He chuckled deeply and raised his hands in surrender.

"Maybe I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

Nesta snorted. “That’s highly unlikely."

He tilted his head to the side, peering closer at her. “You’re particularly feisty today, aren’t you?”

“I swear to the gods, Cassian, I will rip your head off.”

All he did was laugh her off. If he only knew how serious she was...

Nesta was just about to walk away when Cassian turned to the woman at his side. “Arlia, can you leave us alone for a second?” he grinned mischievously. “I’ll find you after.”

Arlia giggled and nodded, dragging a finger down his arm as she walked away. Leaving Cassian and Nesta alone.

 Great.

Cassian didn't waste a second, closing the distance between them. He loomed several inches above her, something Nesta detested about him. He was large, tall, purely male. Nesta got a whiff of his scent, and she hated how much she loved the smell of him. He always wore the same cologne, not enough to overwhelm but enough to leave Nesta wanting more.

Ugh. He truly was the devil incarnate.

“Is that jealousy I sense?” Cassian clicked his tongue, humor flashing in his hazel eyes.

Nesta choked at his words. "As if."

It was a weak comeback, and she knew it.

He got even closer, their bodies just inches apart now. “Why do you even care who I spend my time with, Nesta? You hate me on a good day.”

“Maybe,” Nesta countered, “that’s because you do nothing but make my life as miserable as possible.”

The temperature in the room seemed to increase several degrees as Nesta stared up at him in contempt. Something unreadable crossed his face as he raised a hand and caressed her cheek, the warmth of his fingers sending tingles to her feet.

“Why do you insist on pushing me away?" Cassian asked, searching her eyes. She was frozen, her throat constricted.

 Because you terrify me.

Nesta shoved that thought deep down before she could even comprehend it, as far as it could possibly go.

"Tell me," Cassian breathed, pushing for an answer. "Is it so hard to admit that maybe I'm not as bad as you want me to be?"

 Yes.

Nesta was nearly trembling, her mouth unable to form a single word. She could only stare up at him with wide eyes and parted lips as he pushed her limits.

"Is it so hard to admit that maybe, just maybe, you actually like me?"

 Enough.

Nesta snapped.

“Like you? Fuck that, Cassian! You walk around campus like you’re the most desirable man on earth,” Nesta fumed, just the sight of him enough to boil her blood. “You treat women like shit, you humiliate me at least once a month, and you’re only at Pryth U thanks to some athletic scholarship.”

Her voice had gotten louder and people were definitely watching them, but she didn’t give a shit.

Cassian’s eyes darkened at her words, and he got another step closer, forcing Nesta’s back against the cool edge of the table behind her. He rested both hands on each side of her body and caged her in. She didn’t dare back down, levelling his hard glare.

“Do you think I’m desirable, Nesta?” he asked menacingly, his voice low. Quiet enough for only her to hear and demanding enough to get an answer.

Nesta suddenly became hyperaware of Cassian’s body so close to hers. She could see his chest moving up and down, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. His bicep brushed against her arm sending a shot of electricity through her body.

Nesta didn’t know what to say. She could only stand there and watch as Cassian huffed out a humorless laugh after a couple moments passed.

“Do you know how hypocritical you are?” Cassian asked, pulling his body away from hers and leaving Nesta with a cold feeling. He raised his voice with frustration. “No one knows who Nesta Archeron is. No, they only know you by the ‘Ice Queen.’ You sit on your damn throne and look at everyone like they’re below you. What’s so great about you, Nesta, huh? Because I’ve known you for years and still haven’t been able to find a single redeeming quality.”

He practically yelled the last sentence. She wanted to cry, throw something at him, walk away, scream until she lost her voice. But she didn't do anything. Nesta just stared at him as everything in her shut down until she just... stopped. Numbness overtook her.

Cassian was watching her, his chest heaving. Something like regret flashed over his face.

Nesta blinked, shattering the little world her and Cassian were in, looking past him and into the adjoining room.

Everyone was staring at them with wide eyes and open mouths. The entire apartment was silent, and it was painfully clear that every single person had just heard them fight.

 Just my fucking luck.

Nesta didn’t pay attention to anyone as she stormed off. As far away from him as possible.

She heard Varian tell everyone to mind their own business before blasting the music. The onlookers were happy to oblige and just like that, they were dancing without a care in the world.

Amren was leaning against the glass door that led to the outdoor patio when Nesta rushed outside for air. She heard her friend follow her from behind.

It was calmer out here, the loud bass of the music fading into the background. The moon was full, and that gave Nesta a small piece of solace.

She collapsed onto a plastic chair, her body sinking down. She didn't have to say a word as Amren held out a bottle of Tito's.

Nesta took it from her and didn’t even think as she took several gulps of the vodka. Her throat burned with every swallow, eyes watering. She took a final swig and gave it back to Amren, wiping her mouth and grimacing.

“So…” Amren started, glancing over at Nesta who was looking down at the ground. “Should we talk about what just happened in there?"

"No."

Amren got quiet and the two simply sat in silence. Nesta closed her eyes, relishing the cold breeze that washed over her face. She could smell the remnants of a bonfire from Amren's neighbors next door. After a few minutes, Amren straightened and held her hand out to Nesta.

“C’mon. We’re gonna dance.”

It wasn't a question. And Nesta wasn't about to say no and risk getting into an argument with Amren. Gods knew how taxing that would be. Anyway, the alcohol was already beginning to course through her blood. She would be on the dance floor in the next twenty minutes either way.

As Nesta took Amren's hand and retreated back inside, a feeling of euphoria began to enter her body. She happily invited it.

Nesta didn’t know how long they danced for. Long enough for her hair to stick to the back of her neck and her throat to be parched. Long enough for "Toxic" by Britney Spears to have played enough times and gotten stuck in her head.

But not long enough for her to forget about the events that took place just minutes prior to downing that vodka.

She signaled to Amren that she was going to get some water. Her friend only nodded her head and continued rolling her hips to the beat.

As Nesta poured herself a cup of water, she scanned the room. She scanned it until she found who she was looking for.

Nesta locked eyes with Cassian from across the room. She hadn't been thinking of him much as she and Amren danced to every song that played. He was on the outskirts of the dancing crowd. Him and Arlia. The song was loud, fast. And yet his hands were snug around Arlia’s waist, hers stroking his chest as they swayed slowly. Not an inch separated their bodies.

She couldn’t read the emotion in his eyes. His face was blank.

Nesta held his stare until he broke away.

To kiss Arlia.

And he didn’t just kiss her. It wasn’t an innocent peck. He pulled her into him, capturing her lips with his own. Nesta watched as Arlia gripped the collar of his shirt and molded her body into his, their hips grinding together.

Cassian opened his eyes even as he continued to kiss Arlia. He looked directly at Nesta as his mouth moved against another woman’s. Nesta fought the urge to go up to him and smack him across the gods-damn face.

She failed.

But before she could even take a step, someone grabbed her arm from behind. She looked behind her shoulder.

Amren.

“You don’t want to do that, Ness,” Amren told her with a hard tone.

“But – ”

“But nothing,” Amren interrupted Nesta, her words final. “How about we do something to take your mind off it?” She didn’t even wait for her answer before calling over her boyfriend. “Varian!”

Just like a loyal puppy, Varian appeared at her side in a second, the end of his mermaid tale dragging on the floor. “What’s up, love?”

“Nesta needs a good distraction,” she explained, gesturing not-so-subtly to where Cassian stood. “Thoughts?”

Varian’s eyes brightened and he didn’t even hesitate before miraculously yelling over the deafening music, “Truth or dare!”

Amren threw her hands up with a groan and gave him an exasperated look as if to say, Are we thirteen years old?

But it was too late. Everyone around them was already cheering and chanting Varian's name.

Nesta levelled a look at her best friend.

Amren raised her palms up. “Hey, it’ll keep you from strangling Cassian to death,” she pointed out the silver lining.

Nesta couldn’t argue with that, so she begrudgingly followed her friend to the couch. A big group of people followed them from behind.

Five minutes later, everyone was situated into a large circle. Some were sprawled on the furniture while others sat on the floor. All of them were happily drunk and way too enthusiastic to be playing truth or dare.

“Truth or dare?” Amren started, her question directed at Azriel who was sitting a couple people away from Nesta. He was dressed as Sherlock, just as he’d told her he would.

“Dare.”

Thus began an entertaining game of truth or dare. Azriel had to do a body shot off of Rhys. Rhys had to give Helion a lap dance. Helion was forced to let Lucien do his face makeup. Lucien had to take off Mor’s socks with his teeth. Mor had to make an obscene call to a random phone number. Emerie chose truth and was forced to reveal her wildest sex fantasy (a drunken Mor offered to make that dream a reality).

Halfway into the game, Nesta had shed herself of her gown, leaving her in only a small black dress she'd put on underneath in case she got warm. It was a combination of the body heat, alcohol, and tension between her and Cassian.

The entire game, Nesta did her best to avoid eye contact with Cassian. He was sitting directly across from her in the circle, Arlia at his side. Nesta was doing fine, enjoying their childish antics until it was Emerie’s turn to ask someone.

Nesta wasn’t completely surprised when her friend turned to her and asked, “Truth or dare?”

Nesta saw the mischievous look on Emerie’s face as she proposed the question. She had no fucking idea what she had planned, but there was no way Nesta was falling into her trap.

“Truth,” Nesta decided to play it safe.

But then Cassian had to open his fucking mouth.

“Boring,” he said loudly, faking a yawn.

Nesta turned her head to face him for the first time during the game. Her heart pounded at the sight of him. He was sitting on the edge of the sofa, holding his chin in his hands as he scrutinized her. His eyes were glossy, and he was clearly drunk like the rest of them.

“It’s in the name of the game.”

“Or maybe you’re just scared,” Cassian countered.

“I’m not,” Nesta gritted her teeth, staring him down.

Cassian merely raised a brow as if to say, Sure, you aren’t.

No one said anything.

“Fine,” Nesta snapped just to spite him. “Dare.”

Cassian smiled triumphantly and sat back as Emerie clapped with excitement.

"Give her a good one!" someone called out.

Emerie turned back to Nesta with a troubled look and mouthed, Forgive me.

Forgive her? What the fuck was she talking about –

“I dare you to kiss Cassian.”

Nesta stopped breathing.

The entire room was silent as everyone stared at Nesta, gauging her reaction. She felt Cassian's eyes on her.

Nesta broke the silence and burst out laughing, a snort leaving her nose. A very unattractive snort. “You think I’m going to kiss him?”

Others around the circle laughed nervously, unsure where this was going to go.

She looked across the circle to see Cassian staring at her. But where she was expecting a smug smile was a clenched jaw and burning eyes.

You’re not scared, huh? he mouthed at her silently. He was mocking her.

In your dreams, she snapped back.

Cassian crooked his finger to draw Nesta closer. "C'mere."

She snorted. Again. “If you want to do this dare, you’re the one coming to me.”

Only a couple feet separated them from opposite sides of the circle. It was petty, but she didn't care.

He looked at her incredulously. “Really, sweetheart?”

Nesta shrugged. Cassian narrowed his eyes in response.

“No.”

He was just as stubborn as her. A couple people around the circled groaned – they knew the beginning of a Nesta-Cassian stand-off when they saw one.

“Are you guys really fighting about who has to walk the five steps it takes to get to each other?” Emerie asked, astounded. Neither of them answered.

“Why don’t you meet in the middle of the circle?” Varian suggested meekly.

“No,” they both snapped at the same time, glaring at one another when they realized they said the same thing.

Another minute passed of them staring each other down.

Cassian was the first to speak again. “If you don’t come over here, you won’t finish the dare.”

Nesta gritted her teeth. He was right. She fucking hated when he was right.

 Just get it over with.

“Fine,” she seethed, standing up from the floor. She turned to Amren. “Give me another shot. I’m not drunk enough for this.”

The last thing Nesta wanted was the memory of kissing Cassian tomorrow morning. She shuddered at the thought.

“Make that two,” Cassian added.

Amren returned just a second later with a full shot glass in each hand. Neither Cassian nor Nesta hesitated as they downed the drink.

Nesta willed her legs to move, her stride confident despite the overwhelming feeling that she was going to fall thanks to her wobbly knees. Cassian’s feet were flat on the floor as he sat on the edge of the sofa. Nesta didn’t allow herself to falter for a second as she straddled Cassian and sat on his lap, their faces just inches away.

The crowd whooped and whistled. Nesta ignored it.

Nesta was already intoxicated by his scent, but she did her best to ignore it. Cassian gripped her hips to keep her balanced on him, his touch burning into her skin. She was eye-level with him, their faces inches away. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek, and chills went down her arms.

Something in Nesta ignited when Cassian subtly rubbed his thumb over her hip under the fabric of her dress. He seemed to sense the change in her, his nostrils flaring as he moved his thumb over her skin again, leaving a burning trail in its wake.

The world fell away. It was just them. Nesta’s lips involuntarily parted when Cassian’s other hand rested on her bare thigh. His fingers inched higher and higher, and Nesta opened her legs slightly wider. Cassian exhaled a harsh breath.

The spot between her legs was molten hot, her legs numb with pleasure. She slid her hand over his shoulder, and she traced the thick columns of his neck with her manicured nails. He tilted his head for her, and Nesta wanted nothing more than to lick and bite and suck his bare neck.

 What the fuck is he doing to me?

All of Nesta’s reservations fell away as she grinded her ass in his lap, unnoticeable to anyone watching, but enough to feel Cassian’s hardness slide under her core. His eyes flashed to hers. Nesta had never seen a man look at her the way he was.

Then, so fast that he didn’t even know what was happening, Nesta leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Cassian tried to deepen the kiss, but Nesta pulled away and was out of his lap before he could do anything to stop it.

She threw her hands up and threw a smirk over her shoulder at Cassian. “I did it!”

Everyone cheered, laughter filling the room as Nesta started walking back to her respective seat.

But she didn’t get far.

“Are fucking with me?” Cassian seethed from behind her. She turned around to face him.

His jaw was clenched with anger. His whole demeanor had changed, his presence threatening. Nesta watched as his fists clenched and unclenched, Cassian's telltale sign that he was not happy.

“Aw, were you expecting a date too?” Nesta cooed at him sarcastically.

 Point for Nesta.

People laughed, but Cassian boomed, "That's it," silencing everyone else. Including Nesta.

He walked straight toward her with purpose. Nesta gasped as he carefully but firmly grabbed her by the nape of the neck, his other hand splaying across the small of her back to bring their bodies together. Their lips brushed together, and Nesta's long golden hair provided a small curtain of privacy from the onlookers.

Cassian's breath smelled of whiskey, and it nearly consumed her. She looked up into his eyes and let out a breath of air. A growl released from his throat.

"Fuck it," he murmured before crushing his lips to hers.

Nesta's hand instinctively reached for him, her fingers curling in the soft tufts of his dark hair. Cassian moaned into her mouth, opening his lips and deepening the kiss. Nesta could barely stand, her tongue moving against his in a seductive, wet dance. She tasted the alcohol on him, and she became further drunk on him. Cassian curled his arm around her waist to hold her up, consequently pressing their bodies harder together. Nesta's nipples pebbled through the thin fabric of her dress as her breasts ground against his broad chest. He nibbled on her bottom lip, teasing her, driving her mad with need. She let out a whimper, and she felt Cassian's lips turn up in a satisfied smile as they continued to kiss roughly.

A loud cough had them pulling away from each other.

Nesta's cheeks turned bright red when she realized they were still standing in the middle of the circle, their friends looking up at them with horror and confusion and excitement and disbelief. She looked back at Cassian whose lips were swollen from their kisses. He didn't seem to care that there were people around them, his eyes locked solely on her.

"So... uh, I think it's Nesta's turn to ask," Rhysand said dumbly, staring up at her like she had two heads.

The last thing Nesta wanted to do was sit back down and play truth or dare. No, she wanted to drag Cassian upstairs and finish what they -

"No can do," Cassian said plainly, grabbing Nesta's hand and pulling her with him as he made his way to the stairs. "We have some unfinished business."

Well, at least Cassian was on the same page as her for the first time.

Nesta didn't even look behind her as she willingly followed Cassian up the stairs and into a more private room.

He opened the first door they passed by, revealing the guest bedroom. Nesta walked inside, and he closed and locked the door behind them.

Nesta's mind was racing. What did they just do? Why did she let him kiss her like that?

"Stop."

Nesta looked up from her hands to where Cassian stood. He had a determined look on his face.

"Stop what?"

"Overthinking this."

Gods, he saw right through her.

"We shouldn't have done that," Nesta said quietly.

"Why?" Cassian pushed.

"We hate each other." Why did it sound like she was trying to convince herself of that?

"Do we?"

The question hung in the air as neither one of them said anything. Nesta sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms.

"Maybe not hate, but... we can't even stand each other," Nesta let out. She glanced over at him. "It's not like we have feelings for each other."

Cassian didn't say anything. She scoffed.

"You're telling me that you can honestly say you've thought of me in that sort of way?"

"Every fucking day, sweetheart."

Nesta's heart stopped. "I'm serious."

"Me too," he told her. His lips were set in a straight line, his eyes piercing into hers.

"Please, Cass," she said, using the nickname she so rarely used for him. "You fuck other women every week. You've despised me since day one. There's no way in hell."

"I don't hate you, Nesta," he said quietly. She watched as he walked over and took a seat in the rocking chair that faced her. He hesitated before continuing. "I hate how much I fucking think about you. I wake up and my first thought is, 'I wonder what Nesta's doing right now.' I go through my days hoping to run into you." He dragged his hands down his face and laughed at himself. "But you fucking infuriate me, woman. Our conversations are never pleasant. You're the most difficult person I've ever met."

 Oh Gods.

"And as for the women..." he sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe I'm telling you this."

Nesta waited for him to continue.

Cassian raised his head from his hands and looked her straight in the eye. "I only fuck other women because I can't get you out of my damn head. Because I've never felt this passionate about anyone. Because you confuse the living hell out of me."

He had to be lying. It was Cassian. There was no way he cared for her. She'd seen him look at her all these years, and there had never once been an indicator of such feelings. And of course he was passionate about her: he hated her! Passion wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"What do you possibly think could happen between us?" she asked with an exasperated look. She didn't wait for him to answer. "The only time this," Nesta gestured between them, "could ever happen again is a year from now."

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "This," she moved her hand around. "Halloween. The one day you can pretend to be someone you're not."

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"You and I would never work, Cassian." The words cut through her as she choked them out.

"Why do you keep lying to yourself?" Cassian asked.

"I'm not! We know nothing about each other. We treat each other like shit. It would explode in our faces."

“We don't know anything about each other?" he echoed quietly, a small laugh leaving his lips. "How do you think I knew you were Hecate?"

Nesta didn't say anything. Where was he going with this?

"Maybe,” he started, “it’s because I’ve heard you mention her more times than I can count. Maybe I looked her up one day and read all about her. Maybe I think she's a fucking badass.

"You think we don't know anything about each other? Here are some things you don't know about me: I started that web comic you never shut up about. I finished it in a week, and I wrote down all my favorite parts in case we ever talk about it one day. You have a black cat named Minx, and you even have custom made socks with his picture on it. You want to study creative writing, but you're scared you won't make it as an author." He paused. "You try to hide everything inside, but I can tell how much you feel, Nesta. You aren't heartless, you aren't insensitive. You're just... scared. To trust."

Nesta hadn't told him any of that. Not directly, at least. But he listened. He'd always been listening. Her heart was pounding in her ears as Cassian finally met her gaze with soft eyes. She was terrified, but she held eye contact with him, refusing to look away. This man... he didn't hate her. He never had.

Nesta didn't realize tears were running down her face until her vision blurred and Cassian's face was out of focus.

Fuck. She hated crying, especially in front of people. Especially in front of him.

She dropped her face in her hands to hide her tears. She couldn't see what was happening but just a second later, she felt the bed sink down with another weight. Warm hands grasped her body, pulling her into a hard body. Cassian leaned down to brush his lips against her ear.

"Sweetheart," he whispered. Nesta didn't say anything. "Look at me."

His gentle voice melted something within her. She tried to inconspicuously wipe her tears before lifting her head up and meeting his gaze.

His lips turned up in a small smile, and he brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Cassian put two fingers under her chin and lifted her face up until their lips touched in the gentlest kiss she'd ever had.

This time, Nesta didn't hesitate as she kissed Cassian back.

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

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[one-winged-dreams]

How about 💕 with Varian???

Adriel was always small in Varian's eyes, but standing next to the massive wolf, he looks positively tiny.

Beast had been big enough to ride for quite some time, yet the stark difference in size between him and the priest was still mind-boggling. Varian blinked, watching Adriel rub Beast's ears.

Small.

As if reading his mind, Adriel turned to look at him, and Varian perked. He was offered a warm smile and felt his heart melt. If it wasn't how small he was, it was always those beautifully sad eyes that got to him.

"I think Beast has had enough attention for one day, you'll spoil him at this rate," the king walked over to offer the wolf a contradictory pat on the head.

"Oh, do you think so?" Adriel smiled up at him sweetly before cocking an eyebrow. "Or is it another wolf that wants my attention?"

Varian was not the type to blush, but he did chuckle and ruffle his husband's hair. "Perhaps. Maybe he just wants some of that same special care that you oh so graciously offer."

Adriel, who WAS the type, blushed at the hair ruffling, much to Varian's amusement. "Well I can barely reach you so maybe you should make yourself more accessible."

Varian was charmed as always. "Alright," he began, seeming to start to lean down. He could tell Adriel was ready for him to kneel, and then took great pleasure in the sound the priest made as he was promptly lifted, that yelp of surprise chiming in his ears.

"Varian!" he giggled, and the king's heart could have skipped a beat from how endearing it was.

"How's this my little lamb?" he offered, bringing Adriel down enough so that priest could put his hands on either side of his face. The touch was singular in responsibility for Varian's utter contentment.

"Better," Adriel grinned.

As their faces drew closer and Varian's heart swelled with emotion, it was then that he offered his payment in return.

[kingreywrites]

And it all comes undone

Fandom: Tangled

Word Count: 2816

Rapunzel Appreciation Week Day One: Birthday

Summary: For the first time in a very long time, Rapunzel had yelled at someone angrily. Not someone, no; her dad. The King, who wanted to order her to stay behind and hide. Rapunzel had yelled, because she knew that if it was her or Arianna who had been kidnapped, the King wouldn't hesitate - but it was Eugene, and, apparently, he wasn't family enough for him.

Or what if, in Secret of the Sundrop, Varian hadn’t kidnapped the Queen but Eugene?

Note: This doesn’t really fit the prompt for any other reason than taking place during Rapunzel’s birthday, oops :’)

Read on ao3

@s-vnshiine

Lost in the fog, her entire kingdom in danger because of what she did to - or, worse, didn't do for Varian, Rapunzel felt somehow detached from reality. There was… some kind of monster, chasing them and hurting people, and she couldn't determine what it was. People were yelling - yelling orders or yelling for someone or yelling in pain - and her heart was thrumming with anxiety and- and-

If she had helped Varian, none of this would have happened. The guilt was here, an ever-growing monster pressing inside her chest and taking the breath out of her lungs as her hands shook at her sides.

Suddenly, Eugene was behind her, his hand on the small of her back as he pushed her out of the way. He was frowning, trying to take a look at the thing hiding in the fog, but he still took the time to check her over, a small, worried smile on his lips. And just like that, she could breathe again. She- she wished she had helped Varian. She wished she had been there for him during the storm. And maybe if she had gone with him, none of this would have happened, but not because she would have saved his Quirin - because Corona would have been destroyed by the snow, and a lot of her subjects would have died.

In another world where she had helped Varian during the storm, who knew how many other newly orphaned kids would have attacked Corona in his stead, because she had failed as their Princess and let their parents die?

The guilt stayed there, warm inside her heart, but it quieted, becoming less smothering when confronted by logic. She should have done better after the storm, should have helped him then, but she couldn't have changed the initial situation. She… She would try to make things right. She set herself free again, she wouldn't let her dad manipulate and imprison her in a tower again, and she would help Varian, one way or another. But for now, he was a threat, and she needed to act. She couldn't allow herself to be submerged by her feelings.

A sudden movement to her right startled her, though not as much as the sight of her mother, sword in hand in the battlefield, did.

"Mom?" Rapunzel called, a mixture of feelings preventing her for saying more.

"Rapunzel!" Arianna ran to hug her, and even if it wasn't quite the time, Rapunzel melt into her embrace anyway. A growl from the fog made them jump back quickly.

"Mom, what-"

"I wasn't going to hide while my family and subjects risked their lives," she answered, raising her sword with a confident smirk on her lips. Rapunzel laughed, and went at her side, ready to protect her kingdom too.

Once they understood that the creature was playing hide-and-seek with them, it was pretty easy to defeat it - Rapunzel was used to finding a chameleon, big monster here was an easy job. She ordered Pete and Stan to drive it one way, and Eugene and Lance the other, to try and make it fall into her trap. Lance had said something that she couldn't hear over the noise, but the work was done anyway and soon, they had caught the creature, which was none other than Rudigger. Seeing the destruction that was left behind, the wounded still moaning in pain as others helped them to their feet, Rapunzel felt a cold anger building inside of her.

Varian went too far. She might feel guilty about her role in all of this, but it was no excuse for this, no excuse for Varian risking the lives of everyone. She knew she would have to make her mistakes up to him, but for now, and as long as he persisted in this path, he was a threat that needed to be stopped. It all needed to end. And now her dad was telling her that she shouldn't have left her room, and her mom was arguing with him, sword in hand, and Rapunzel only wanted all of this to stop. It was selfish, perhaps, but she was tired of being manipulated and hurt by those she loved on her birthday.

"Princess," Lance interrupted, voice too choked and nervous for her comfort. "Eugene's not here."

She swirled around so quickly she startled him. "What?"

"He- I didn't see him when you told us to distract Rudigger, and I still don't see him now," he explained. Her mind flashed back to his inaudible voice some minutes prior, that she had dismissed so easily. Another mistake. "I- I think someone took him."

It's funny, in a way, how she had wanted everything to stop mere seconds ago, only to regret it when time froze as dread washed over her. She… She hadn't seen Eugene since he had smiled to her earlier, hadn't even heard him and- How could she have not noticed? No matter how focused she was, she should have- she should- Lance shouldn't have had to tell her, because she knew he never would have had to tell Eugene if she disappeared. People were talking around her, but her heart was beating so loudly that she couldn't focus on any of it; couldn't focus on anything else than her guilt, slowly trickling into her growing anger.

Someone took Eugene.

Varian took Eugene.

"I'm getting him back," she growled, her nails biting into her palms as she tightened her fist. The King was already fighting her on it, telling her that it wasn't safe, but she didn't care - she would get Eugene back, one way or another.

One year ago, Eugene had given everything to save her - and Rapunzel was ready to do the same for him today. He was her dream and no guilt, no parents, no kingdom could ever make her give up on him.

------

For the first time in a very long time, Rapunzel had yelled at someone angrily. Not someone, no; her dad. The King, who wanted to order her to stay behind and hide. Rapunzel had yelled, because she knew that if it was her or Arianna who had been kidnapped, the King wouldn't hesitate - but it was Eugene, and, apparently, he wasn't family enough for him.

She bit back the scathing answers on the tip of her tongue, bit back the desire to tell her father that Eugene was more family than anyone else here, bit it all back because that was counterproductive and they didn't have time. Eugene didn't have time.

Finally, they came up with a plan. Rapunzel knew they couldn't impulsively burst into Varian's home, because he was too smart for it to work, but waiting and talking and thinking seemed to take an excruciating time. She didn't want to imagine the worst, didn't think that Varian was the sadistic type - he was, despite everything, a hurting kid that had resorted to anger out of desperation, as hard as it was to remember in this situation. But the fact of the matter was that Eugene was in his clutch. At the very least, he had to be knocked out and restrained, and that mental image only made Rapunzel want to be sick. Imagining Eugene being hurt and helpless, on her birthday… It brought back memories she tried hard everyday to forget.

She was supposed to sneak in accompanied by Lance, who had insisted on helping get Eugene out. Her parents, the guards and Shorty, disguised as her, would offer Varian a distraction while they freed Eugene. They had been proud of this strategy but, not even five minutes in, her and Lance had been captured, feet stuck on the ground by Varian's  weird purple goo.

"Welcome back, Rapunzel," Varian laughed, his eyes hard as he took in her appearance.

It was all so different from their first meeting. The guilt was roaring its ugly head again, because Rapunzel knew that the eager kid she had met back then shouldn't be so bitter and angry today, but her growing fury made it hard to sympathise.

"Varian," she growled, more poised than she thought she could be, "where is Eugene?"

He smirked, condescendance dripping from his voice. "Princess, I know it's hard for you to understand, but you are in no position to demand anything," Varian said, and Rapunzel had to fight the desire to tell him just how much she understood. She had never been allowed to demand anything, never had anyone truly listen to her wishes except-

Except for Eugene. And for him, she would bit her tongue and play Varian's game.

"In the spirit of compromise," Varian singsonged, going towards curtains she hadn't seen before, "how 'bout I meet you halfway?"

Nothing Rapunzel had imagined could compare to seeing Eugene, gagged and hands chained to the wall behind him as he strained against it. She called for him and she could hear him call for her back, his voice muffled by the gag and- and- Was he as horrified as she was right now when he found her again in the tower one year ago? In the split second he had to register the situation, in that split second before being stabbed, did he also feel like the entire world lost its focus except for her eyes, a sick feeling creeping up his throat? His hands were hung low behind his back, forcing him to kneel awkwardly, and she couldn't understand what he was yelling angrily under the gag, but she guessed it was unsavoury. Eugene, forced to be captive and silent was an unnatural sight that she instantly hated, and she only wanted to free him.

Rapunzel felt Lance's arms going around her as she tried to go to Eugene, felt Varian's solution anchoring her to the ground anyway, but she didn't care. She didn't care and she couldn't care, not when the love of her life was helplessly looking at her, fear evident in his gaze.

If Eugene could talk, she would have no doubt that the fear was for her and her alone. But he couldn't - and so, Rapunzel let this image burn itself inside her mind and harden her heart.

"Let him go, Varian," she ordered, but he ignored her.

"I will, but first, I need you to do something for me," he explained lightly.

"What do you want?" Lance intervened, more serious than Rapunzel had ever heard him. His gaze was hard and angry, but she didn't notice, eyes still meeting Eugene's as he strained against his bounds. She knew he hated this - knew the guilt he would feel because he had been used against her, had put her in danger by being captured. She knew he would think that, and that she would fight him on it because it wasn't his fault, but Eugene wouldn't see it the same way. He wouldn't care about what happened to him, but what had nearly happened to her because of him, because he was more self-sacrificing than anyone else.

Well, Rapunzel was too.

"Now you care about what I want," Varian exclaimed, drawing her focus on him again as he grew closer to Eugene. "All it took was threatening the things you love the most."

His hand went to pat Eugene's hair lightly, and he didn't even flinch at the death glare his former idol sent his way. Rapunzel did, though - she did when Eugene turned his gaze towards her again, and begged with everything but his voice that she didn't listen to the kid. Varian was explaining his plan, going on about how her unbreakable hair should be able to shatter the amber, but she was barely listening.

Earlier, she had wondered if Eugene had felt the same horror and fear when he found her bound and gagged in the tower. Now, she wondered if he had felt the same peaceful clarity, as he chose to give up his life and cut her hair so she could be free. She would do anything to keep him safe.

And, seeing how Eugene was fighting even harder to break free, he knew that all too well.

"It's not your choice, Lance," Rapunzel sighed when he said that she wouldn't risk her life for Varian's plan - but she wasn't looking at him, or at Varian for that matter. Only Eugene. His eyes seemed to be shining in the darkness, intense and pleading, but she couldn't listen to him, not this once.

Especially not when Varian poured his solution on the black rocks, to speed things along as he said. Watching the amber growing and Eugene having to scoot back towards the wall, with Quirin's shadow hanging over them all - it only fed Rapunzel's resolve. It's not your choice, and Eugene knew it, and was fighting his manacles so hard as she let down her hair that she worried he would dislocate a shoulder.

She wouldn't let him die near her birthday again. She wouldn't let him die nearly one year after he made the ultimate sacrifice for her - she had always been ready to do the same for him. Rapunzel wouldn't let Eugene die because she loved him, more than he would ever know.

Varian started his machine, and her entire body hurt. Eugene's screaming got louder behind his gag, but she could barely hear him, her entire body vibrating with pain. Her head felt like it would explode, pain pulsing behind her eyes as she fell to her knees painfully, trying and failing to be quiet. It hurt. It hurt, and Varian said it could shatter her but she was doing it for Eugene, she-

"Rapunzel!" Eugene yelled, pure panic in his voice - he had managed to get the gag off with his frantic movements. "Sunshine!"

She raised her head, mind cloudy with pain, and there he was, looking more scared than she had ever seen him. More scared than when he had decided to give his life for her - and she understood, really, because despite everything, she wasn't as terrified as when Eugene died for her. She didn't care about the pain, not when it could save him.

"Varian, please," Eugene begged, tugging on his bound arms again, "you're hurting her!"

She tried to say that she was okay, like he did when he was the one bleeding out in her childhood home, but she was too breathless to do it. Varian was talking but she couldn't make sense of his words, couldn't make sense of anything but the pain in her bones growing and growing and growing. Then, everything stopped. Her heart was still fluttering in her chest, her entire body still felt numb, but her hair stopped glowing and the pain reduced to aches. She didn't see Lance move after Pascal helped him; didn't see him raise his sword and break Eugene's free, didn't see Eugene run across the room.

But she certainly heard him when he called her name desperately, and she certainly felt him when his hands cupped her cheeks how so softly. His eyes were wildly checking her over, a little damp, and his wrist were red from the chaffing but, overall, he seemed okay - and the weight in Rapunzel's chest lifted with this realisation.

"Sunshine," Eugene breathed, something akin to tears in his voice, "I'm so sorry, I- Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she murmured, and it wasn't a lie - Eugene was fine. Eugene was safe, and touching her, and now he was hugging her, his embrace warm and tight as they both trembled. She was okay, because he was too.

And when they had to stop Varian - when she had to rescue Cassandra and her mother, when she chose to face her destiny and grab the black rocks, Rapunzel wasn't afraid. She was thinking about her kingdom, her friends and family, Eugene, and she knew exactly what she had to do. She wasn't afraid of pain, if it was to save them.

Eugene had been scared, however. She could hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes, feel it in his shaky hands. She kissed him, to try and tell him that she was fine, but even when he softened, she could see that his anxiety hadn't completely left him. They would both need to heal from this.

"We have got to find better ways to spend your birthday," he laughed, eyes wet, and she could only smile sadly. A birthday where none of them were chained up or risked their lives sounded good, that was for sure.

However, seeing the new path drawn in front of her by the black rocks, Rapunzel wasn't certain they would have a peaceful birthday for quite some time. But, a long as they were fine - as long as Eugene held her hand tightly in his like he was doing now, as long as she knew he was safe and sound - Rapunzel knew it would be okay.

[littlemisslol-fic]

Summary: Two years after the events of Barviel Keep, Varian has tried to adapt to the expectations brought by being a King’s Ward, with mixed results. Haunted by ghosts, Varian is forced to face the demons he tried to leave behind in Bayangor when his abdication is forcibly stopped by a third party, out for revenge against the Bayan Royal bloodline. On the run, with few allies left to turn to, Varian finds himself chasing a ghost through a series of tests that only a true heir of Demanitus could ever hope to pass.But the shadows are ever present, looming and dark, and not everything is as simple as it might seem.

Notes: Varian find himself among unfriendly faces. Rapunzel and Eugene have their own issues.

Eugene hadn’t even heard the kid scream.

Varian had been there one second, panicking and pale but there, and the next he was gone; the boy snatched away from them again. It made his skin crawl, the creeping feeling of failure taking hold in the brief seconds since Varian had disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was a nightmare, one Rapunzel and he had both shared for years after the events of Barviel Keep— that their kid would be taken from them, and this time there was no bringing him back.

Eugene snarled as he ducked under a swinging sword from one of the ghosts. He assumed these were Geldam’s descendants; all of them shared the same hair stripe and eyes that Varian had, the marker of their bloodline. The same stripe he’d caught Varian trying to chop off, those few weeks ago in Corona.

The sickness in his gut only got worse at the thought. The kid had seen something; Eugene had caught sight of the way Varian had nearly tripped over himself in fear, and the idea of the boy having one of his episodes while in the company of Merrick and his goons wasn’t a good one.

Speaking of. Eugene noticed with a grimace that the Bayans were almost completely gone, their ranks whittled away with brutal efficiency of the spirits. They’d surely give the royalty of the Dark Kingdom a run for their money, seeing as this was probably a similar type of spell. Lord, can the magic please just give it a rest, Eugene thought, dodging around another ghostly blade.

The Bayans had been nearly destroyed. Only one remained, backed into a corner by the ghosts and shouting curses as they descended on him. Eugene started forward to try and help— even if they were enemies, no one deserved that— but swiftly stopped when the ghost with the large war hammer ended the man’s life in one fell stroke. Eugene flinched; it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before, but it was still gruesome. The noise of a skull crushing in was wet thump, brutal and cringe inducing to even the most stoic of warriors.

He caught sight of Rapunzel weaving through the ghosts, avoiding every swing with the grace of a dancer, and reached out to her. She grabbed his hand, the two of them making a run for the dais in the middle of the room. High ground would help, seeing as they were firmly out of options other than to make a final stand.

The stone under their feet was still rumbling, gentler now but still enough to make him wobbly as he ran up the few stone stairs to hopefully get the high ground against the spirits. Rapunzel was to his back, her frying pan at the ready. Eugene’s grip on his sword tightened; he hefted it high and got ready for a fight, one he wasn’t sure they were about to win.

One spirit, one that looked almost the same age as Varian, drew close to the altar. Eugene’s stomach rolled as the spirit quietly blinked up at him with Varian’s eyes; there was something about seeing a mirror image of his little brother covered in ghostly, black blood from a large slit in her throat that made Eugene feel ill. He swallowed bile, shaking his head and holding his sword higher. The spirit didn’t flinch, tilting her head.

The room around them went quiet.

Eugene’s teeth grit; you could have heard a pin drop, in the agonizing silence left. All of the ghosts were focused on the last two humans, but none of them made a move. They were at a stalemate, it seemed. Eugene’s heavy breathing thundered in his ears; his racing heart threatened to beat right out of his chest. Behind him, Rapunzel was sucking in air like she’d never get it again.

The spirits were all still. It was unnerving, seeing all of them like statues. It was chilling, the way they all just… stopped. Like a series of statues, frozen in time. None of them even blinked. None of them breathed. Eugene felt like he’d stepped into a painting, with how still everything was.

The little spirit drew closer, inspecting. Eugene met her eyes— not Varian’s he had to remind himself— and refused to break her stare. She blinked once, then twice. Pursed her lips. Paused.

And then, she spoke.

“Coronan.” Her voice was like cracking bone. It drove a chill up Eugene’s spine, and from the way he could feel his wife shiver behind him, she felt the same.

The ghosts shuffled all at once, like a ripple on a pond. Eugene flinched at the move, ready to fight, defend, something— but froze when the ghost in front of him seemed to disintegrate. They all vanished in one fell swoop, their bodies turning to blue tinted smoke and disappearing into thin air without so much as a by your leave. Rapunzel gasped at the sight, and Eugene had half a mind to copy her.

Within seconds the spirits were gone, nothing left but a final swirl of smoke in the darkness. Like a shroud being lifted, the tomb felt lighter, less oppressive the second they were gone. It was like night and day, the difference those few seconds made. He could hear water again, the soft drip, drip noise of it leaking through the cracks.

Eugene took a breath and let his shoulders slump. That had been close— too goddamn close. He shook his head slightly, bringing a hand up to rub at his face. Gods, he just couldn’t catch a break, huh? They’d made it out of the frying pan, and into the fire. It had been a hell of a week, and wasn’t this just the cherry on top? Trapped in a glorified pit, no way out, and Varian in the hands of the very guy they’d been trying to keep him away from.

Bloody wonderful.

“Are you okay, sunshine?” he asked. Deal with the moment first, the rest could follow. He turned to Rapunzel, meeting her shell-shocked gaze.

“I’m… I’m fine,” she stuttered out, “But, Varian—"

“We’ll get him back.” They had to. “We will, we’ll figure it out.”

Rapunzel shook her head, a hand over her mouth. “This can’t be happening again.” She looked close to tears. “Not again, not after all this— Eugene, we don’t even know where he is!”

Eugene was at a loss. She was right, he knew this, finding Varian could be like a needle in a haystack; they had no idea what Merrick was capable of in terms of distance and speed with his magic. The thought alone terrified Eugne; Ori had gone across an entire town in the blink of an eye, if Merrick wanted Varian to never be found, then hewouldn’t be. They were potentially across the island, maybe even out of the country— the thought filled Eugene with dread, the idea of his little brother trapped and alone with those people for a single second more. It was like pulling teeth, the way he didn’t know where the kid was, but it wouldn’t do Varian any good if they just sat here and moped about it.

He looked up to the glass dome above them. Momentary issues first.

“We’ll never find him stuck down here,” he told Rapunzel. She looked close to snapping, one wrong move and she might completely tip over the edge. He chose his words carefully, trying to flex the diplomacy he’d been working on. “We need to get to the surface and see what we can do. Maybe Ori could help us.”

Rapunzel followed his gaze. “…Of course,” she mumbled. “Yeah. Get out first. One step at a time.”

Moonlight flooded in from the dome, bathing the room in a soft, white glow. Eugene looked up at the iron struts keeping the glass in place, calculating. They didn’t have any rope in the bag— he should know, he packed it— nor any kind of grappling hook or anything like that. They’d have to get creative.

He pursed his lips, thinking. Maybe if they started stacking some of the coffins, got Rapunzel on his shoulders… they still might not be tall enough… hm.

“What I wouldn’t give to have my hair right now,” Rapunzel said, her voice flat. Eugene side-eyed her, huffing out a laugh.

“I don’t know if it would be worth it, sunshine,” he replied. “Could you imagine trying to get the dirt out after being down here? We’d be cleaning it for hours.”

Rapunzel smiled slightly, shaking her head. “But maybe I could have kept Varian safe,” her eyes flicked down, staring hard at the stone under them. “And we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Eugene looked over to her, reaching out an arm and drawing her into a one-sided hug. “Hey.” His voice was soft. “Don’t think like that. Hair or no hair, you’re still Rapunzel. Merrick may have won this round, but we’ll find him and give him the ol’ Corona greeting, right?”

Rapunzel still wouldn’t look at him. Eugene sighed, gently cupping her chin, and meeting her eye. “I know things look bleak. But I alsoknow that when you set your mind to it, you can do things that would be impossible for anyone else. Once we find them, Merrick won’t know what hit him.”

Rapunzel made a small noise, not quite a laugh but close to it. Eugene would take it for a win. He pressed a small kiss to her forehead, trying to impart how much he believed in her, how much she should believe in herself. They’d faced terrible odds before, and they’d come out on top. They could do it again. When he pulled back he could see the starting of a smile on her face. It wasn’t entirely there, but it was more than enough for now.

Tap-tap.

Eugene looked up at a small noise. He was still on edge— anything breaking their little bubble could be a threat, at this point. He peered through the gloom, focusing on the edge of the dome where surely the ground was outside. Brown eyes focused on a dark figure standing there, a hand splayed on the edge of the glass and tapping at the surface with a long, thin finger.

Eugene let go of Rapunzel, subtly shifting so he was between her and the figure above them. The person, a male, traced a large circle into the glass pane, leaving a trail of orangey-yellow light behind his fingertip. Rapunzel tugged Eugene back as the person finished their circle, the glass inside immediately falling into the tomb. It hit the top of Geldam’s coffin with a shattering noise that echoed through the chamber, ridiculously loud after the muted quiet. Glass chunks sprayed everywhere, bouncing off of corpses and getting stuck in the pools of fresh blood. Eugene grimaced at the sight, instead turning his face skyward to their visitor.

The figure above waved to them, peering in. Without the glass to hide behind, Eugene could see the familiar face above them and let out a sigh.

“Ori!” he called up, drawing the crazed man’s attention to them. “I don’t suppose you have any rope on you?”

Ori’s face broke out into a smile, the man holding up a thick rope with a large loop tied on the end. “Don’t you worry, friends of Varian!” he crowed, “I came prepared!”

He threw the end with the loop down; it landed in front of the couple with a thump. Rapunzel was the first to approach it, slowly picking it up and stepping through the loop so that it became something of a seat as Ori began to pull. Eugene caught her eye as her feet left the ground, her face a little nervous.

“I’ll see you up there,” he assured her, forcing an easy smile onto his face. She disappeared over the edge of the dome, her purple dress slipping out of the hole in the glass and onto what was probably solid ground. The rope came back down; Eugene couldn’t help but breathe a little easier as he thought about finally leaving the oppressive darkness of the tomb behind— it had been almost half a day since he’d seen the sky, or breathed fresh air, and it was starting to wear on him.

He paused for a second before crouching and clicking his tongue like he’d seen Varian do a million times. Sure enough, Ruddiger emerged from the shadows, obviously nervous as the raccoon worked around the bodies strewn around the room and into Eugene’s waiting arms.

Animal secured, Eugene tugged on the rope, two quick yanks without any real power under him. The rope went taught under him, pulling him up the two-story drop. He pulled himself through the hole in the glass with help from Rapunzel and Ori, each of them grabbing one of his arms to yank him through. Eugene nearly bent down to kiss the silky grass under his boots, but paused when he caught sight of where they were.

They’d left the graveyard entirely, winding up on what looked like some kind of tall hill. The dome stuck out behind him, jutting out of the grass like an arrow from a target; it was nearly overgrown with weeds and grass, clearly having been left to time. The rain had abated for now, but the clouds still loomed overhead, dark and angry. Eugene could see over the tops of the trees and down into the valley where the town was; the glow of lanterns was a small speck of orange in the inky blue of late-night moonlight, and in the distance, on the water…

“Is that a ship?” Rapunzel asked, obviously seeing the same thing Eugene had. Ori looked out to the water, nodding.

“It’s flying Corona’s banners,” he said. “I saw it from the town— is that where the crow is?”

Rapunzel flinched, immediately deflating. Ori tilted his head when she did, obviously confused. Eugene sucked a breath in through his nose, shaking his head.

“Your brother was here,” he admitted. It didn’t take a genius to notice when Ori violently flinched, as if Eugene had slapped him. “He tricked Varian, got him to open the tomb— there was a staff, in the coffin. He wanted it.”

“You… let him open the coffin.” Ori sounded absolutely horrified. “You let him open the— ”

“It wasn’t by choice!” Rapunzel snapped. Even she looked stunned at her own outburst, the woman shaking herself. “Merrick tricked Varian into opening the door. They were going to kill Eugene if he didn’t open the coffin for them.”

Ori was shaking his head. Eugene couldn’t help but feel nervous at how concerned he seemed— if the only guy who knew anything about magic was panicking, it seemed like more than enough reason to panic along with him.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Ori asked them. When Eugene and Rapunzel looked at each other in question, he only got more insistent, stepping into their space. “Did you have any idea what was in there?!”

“Hey, you’re the one who helped Varian find the place!” Eugene said, unwilling to put up with the accusations. Ori brought his hands to his head, tugging at greasy, black hair.

“I thought he just wanted to see the tomb!” the man said, shaking his head. “I never thought he’d actually open it— and to give the Staff to my brother?!”

“We were tricked,” Rapunzel said again. “He thought… he hoped someone was in there. He didn’t even know what it was until Merrick stepped in. It wasn’t his fault.”

Ori’s eyes were wide, looking at them in abject concern. “And… what of our young friend?”

“Gone.” The word was bitter on Eugene’s tongue. “Merrick took him— there was a trap, after the coffin opened. We couldn’t keep track of the kid in the chaos.”

The mage’s face crumbled into an obvious sorrow. “Merrick will want the crow as a prize,” he said grimly. “I know my brother, he’s the type. There are other places like this one, little treasures left behind with the same curses. If he kept the fledgling alive, Merrick could use him to rob every secret from the Bayan royal line. Even I have to admit, they had a way with weapons of mass destruction.” He shuddered, eyes haunted. “It would be a bloodbath.”

Rapunzel was pale. “But that would mean he’d want Varian alive?” she asked, hopeful as always. Ori nodded, but he didn’t look very enthusiastic about it.

“Only as a tool. Even with just the Novis Staff, Merrick’s already strong enough to cause major damage against whoever he turns it on. He’s basically a bomb at this point.”

Eugene raised a brow at the mention of the staff; he was honestly curious about why it was this important to risk so much over.

“What’s it do, this staff?” he asked. “It looked nice enough, but even I wouldn’t have thought it was worth much in my thieving days.”

Ori blinked at him. “What does what do?”

Ah, right. The kid had mentioned this. “The nova… staff… thingy,” Eugene crossed his arm. “I’m just saying this was a lot of work on Merrick’s end for a stick.”

Ori paused, closing one eye as he thought. “Oh!” he chirped, “Yes, right.” He face broke into a small grin, looking content with himself. “It summons the dead.”

Eugene choked on his own spit.

“It what?!” Rapunzel had gone pale as a sheet. “Why would Merrick ever want something like that? Why would someone make something like that?”

Ori scratched at his face, distracted, but perked up when she asked. “Well, it’s fascinating, really, you see—“

“The short version, please,” Eugene cut in, “We still have to find Varian.”

Ori blinked, nodding. “Right, yes, of course. The Staff will essentially summon spirits from the eternal garden and back onto earth, so that they can be ordered into doing the holder’s bidding. It’s fascinating, really, they had to—”

Eugene coughed roughly, bringing Ori back to earth. The man looked sheepish, but continued.

“When Cyrillus and Geldam used it, they summoned great warriors from their bloodlines, brought them to the mainland, and took the land that would become Bayangor for themselves. Back when the families weren’t in the middle of a revenge-death-cult, of course.

“They worked together to establish Crowshaven together, but when it came time to decide who would be king… well, Geldam proved to be the more cutthroat, between them.”

“And that’s why your families have been fighting?” Rapunzel seemed impatient, a rarity for her. Eugene sighed, looking back out to the ship. They had to get moving, and soon, if they wanted a chance in hell of ever catching up.

“Exactly,” Ori didn’t seem to notice her tone, nodding with a smile. “With the Staff, my brother could level cities by this point, depending on his mood. And between us, he’s in a bad mood a lot.”

Eugene grimaced. This was only getting better and better, wasn’t it? “Guess you don’t have any idea of where he’d take Varian, hm?” he asked, not expecting an actual answer.

Ori hummed in thought, catching Eugene’s line of sight and looking out to the water. “I thought the ship was yours,” he said, “But… I think that’s where they’ll be. Even as a child, Merrick was always awful at stepping between the veils— his range was easily the worst out of all of us. He’d have to expend a lot of effort to get anywhere off the island, let alone with another person in tow.”

Eugene nodded, already planning. “Alright,” he huffed, “So we get back to the Oracle, we get to the ship, we sneak on, we get the kid, we get the hell out. Easy peasy.” He turned to Ori, arching a brow, “Don’t suppose you have anything else to be doing, this afternoon?”

Ori frowned, wringing his hands. “I’m afraid I can’t be much help,” he said, and he did legitimately seem upset by the fact. “My brother would sense me coming a mile away. Magic’s like shining a torch in the dark, it’s hard to miss if you’re aware of things. If you want to have a chance of stealth, you’d be best to leave me behind. I’ll be rooting for you, though!”

Eugene huffed a small, exasperated laugh. “Thanks, man,” he muttered.

Rapunzel came up to stand beside her husband, gently touching Ori on the shoulder. “We really do mean it,” she said, more diplomatically than Eugene had. “Thank you, for your help. Today and yesterday. I don’t think I’ve seen Varian smile like that in years— whatever you said to him, I think it helped.”

Ori shrugged, something tired. “Sometimes all it takes is a kindred spirit,” he said. “To not be alone is a great gift, indeed. But you’re wasting time.”

He set a small hand on both their backs pushing them gently forward. “The fledgling needs help, and you don’t have much time before they inevitably try and go back to Bayangor. You’d best get a move on.”

Eugene looked to the man one last time, catching how Ori’s hands shook. He sighed, taking Rapunzel’s hand in his own. “Alright, sunshine,” he said. Rapunzel looked to him, her eyes nervous. A storm was brewing on the horizon, thick clouds blotting out the stars above. Eugene tried for an easy smile. He may have failed, from the way her expression didn’t change, but Eugene refused to let it drop. His family needed him to be strong. He looked out over the water, focusing on the ship.

“Let’s go get our kid.”

>>>><<<<

When Varian woke up, the first thing he did was turn on his side and vomit.

He groaned at the pounding in his skull, the persistent thump thump of his heartbeat that rattled through his brain, jostling his thoughts and making his vision swim. Everything hurt, his head, his chest, his arm, where the stitches had probably been jostled about. Brutal. He cracked an eye open, groaning at even the soft light that he was met with.

He was… somewhere. Inside. Maybe. There was wood paneling on the walls, that was a good indication of being indoors at least. He was for sure on a bed of some kind, the plush surface tugging on his weary bones. It begged him to sink back down, to close his eyes and go back to sleep. Gods he was tired; his very bones felt like they ached; what he wouldn’t give to just lay back down and deal with things in the morning.

But he didn’t have time.

The room rocked gently— was he on a boat?— which only made the nausea worse. The reek of bile from his empty stomach was rank enough to nearly make him sick again, but he managed to keep it together by gritting his teeth and forcing himself to scan the room around him.

Wooden panels, as stated before, with a thick door of oak in the middle. The polished floors were also wood, and with the way they also seemed to rock, Varian could deduce that he was, in fact, on a ship. Why he was on a ship, he had no idea; he’d expected Merrick to just murder him outright, now that he’d gotten what he wanted out of Varian. Hm, right. Merrick was probably skulking around, but at least the mage wasn’t in the room with him.

Small victories, he supposed. Varian was still alive, for now, and he had to take that as a win. The alchemist slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, noting that whoever had put him in this room had just chucked him onto the bed, fully clothed, and not bothered to actually put him under the covers. Even Aldred had thought to do that, he thought wryly, looking over the room from the new vantage point.

There was a single desk pushed against one of the walls of the small room, its surface empty. A wardrobe was on the other wall (also presumably empty), and finally the bed Varian currently occupied. That was all there was, the room was otherwise barren; it had a horrible similarity to his room in Barviel Keep, the illusion of comfort while remaining a prison.

A small window was right above his head. Varian looked up to it with a stubborn sense of determination— he had to get out of here, back to Rapunzel and Eugene. He needed to find them, had to make sure they were safe; all of those ghosts, faces he’d only seen in the hall of portraits… and in his nightmares… his stomach rolled again, more insistent, and Varian shook himself.

He needed to get back to his family.

Varian pushed himself up and onto his feet, wobbling slightly with the rolling waves rocking the boat— a boat, where the hell did Merrick even get a bloody boat— but regaining his balance by whirling his arms. He peeked up and through the window, seeing the Wildshore Isles off in the distance. He felt a well of despair at how far away he was from shore; even if he was a strong swimmer, he wasn’t sure about that far a distance. Rain had begun to patter at the window, gentle for now, but from the look of the clouds above they didn’t have much longer before an angry storm began. He sighed, stepping off the bed and onto the wooden floor. Out the window was out, then, he’d have to find himself a lifeboat or something to get back to shore.

Varian hummed in thought as he muddled through the rest of the room, giving the patch of sick on the floor a wide berth. The desk was, predictably, empty, as was the wardrobe. A cursory test of the doorknob showed it to be locked as well. Brilliant.

He sat down on the bed with a huff; he couldn’t help but worry about his friends, still on the island. Were they okay? The last he’d seen before Merrick had grabbed him was the spirits attacking anyone who moved, sprays of gore flying every direction— had Rapunzel and Eugene been caught in the fray? And… father, he had been there. A spirit, maybe, but he’d been there. He’d spoken, to Varian, called him son.

Varian clenched his fists, and willed his hands to stop shaking.

He had to get back to Rapunzel. She could make things better, she’d protect him from father. But he had to figure out how to get out of the room, first. There were no fire pokers dropped into his lap this time, no blankets to scale down a tower with. He’d have to get creative.

He inspected the door, directly across from him. It was solid oak, he certainly couldn’t smash it down— and Eugene had only just started to teach him some tricks, he doubted he could pick the locks. Varian sucked in a breath through his teeth when he heard voices up above, shouting, accompanied by footsteps. He wouldn’t be left alone in here forever, not knowing Merrick’s need for an audience. He scanned the door again, noting something. The hinges, made of thick, wrought iron, were on Varian’s side of the door.

A grin crossed his face, sly and conniving. He could work with this.

Plan already made, he reached down to his boot. With a quick motion he removed the decorative buckle— thanks Rapunzel, for picking these ugly things— and began to pull at it with his hands. The buckle was made of thin silver, but the welds were weak; they snapped under a little stress, and soon Varian was left with a thin, flat piece of metal. He smiled to himself, getting up and moving to the door.

With a quick movement he shoved the metal shiv into a small gap between the pin and the rest of the hinge. He wiggled it experimentally, delighted to see the pin begin to shift up and out of the hinge. Before long it clattered the ground with a ping, leaving the top of the door unconnected to the wall. He hunched down over the second hinge, doing the same, until the second pin popped out just as easily.

Amateur, Varian thought to himself, if this is the future of the kidnapping game, I was right to retire.

He stood, gently pulling the door toward himself. It came easily, no longer attached at all to the frame, and freely followed him as he tried to gingerly lean it up against the wall. He carefully took his hands off of the door, and when it didn’t seem to move he grinned to himself. The satisfaction at escaping all on his own was more than a little motivating. He turned around, intending to make a break for the hallway, only for his hopes to be dashed when he came face to face with the very person he was trying to escape from.

Merrick looked honestly confused, looking at the empty doorway with raised eyebrows. “Did… did you take the door off?” he asked, looking at Varian like the alchemist had grown a second head.

Varian looked from Merrick to the door, still propped up against the wall. “Mmmmmaybe,” he admitted, refusing to feel sheepish over the fact. Merrick seemed truly at a loss, blinking a few times before shaking himself.

“Lunatic. Okay, Crow, I want to talk to you,” he said, “Follow me.”

He didn’t offer much choice, holding his metal hand up in silent threat. Varian sighed, marching forward and allowing himself to be corralled through the halls and deeper into the ship. He tried to remember where he was, but all the hallways looked too similar; it was worse than trying to remember his way around a library.

Eventually they came to a large, carved door. Merrick pushed it open, gesturing for Varian to go in first. He did, seeing a large room beyond, filled with a large center table and two couches on either side. A sitting room, it seemed, and a luxurious one at that. From the looks of the giant windows panning across the entire far wall, along with the ornate furniture, the ship was obviously one made for royalty. No prizes for guessing who Merrick had stolen it from, then. The mage in question flopped down on the couch in closest to the door, gesturing for Varian to take the other side.

The boy did so, cautiously sinking down. On the table between them was a large bottle of some kind of alcohol, mead, if Varian were to wager a guess, and two tumblers. Once Varian was seated, Merrick reached over and roughly popped the cork on the mead and poured himself a generous glass. He gestured to the other one with a questioning look to Varian, expectant.

“I uh… don’t really drink,” Varian stuttered, confused. Merrick rolled his eyes, bringing the bottle down.

“Why am I not surprised, the Crow doesn’t have any fun,” he muttered, before taking a long swig of his glass. He seemed to swirl the thoughts around in his mind for a moment— just long enough to set Varian on edge— before he began to speak.

“Do you know why you’re still alive?” Merrick asked, tilting the glass in his hand and idly watching the drink swirl. His face was carefully blank. This was a test, Varian knew it. But what, exactly, was Merrick looking for? The alchemist felt himself cringe at the question. the same one he’d been asking himself since he’d woken up. He tried to force his brain into thinking of something clever, but since waking up he’d felt sluggish. Off.

“I assume I’m still useful for something,” is what he eventually said. “Or else you would have just killed me when you had the Staff already.”

Merrick snorted, nodding. “You’re not wrong,” he admitted. “You’ll have your uses no matter what. Once we get you back to Bayangor, we’ll have a lot to deal with.”

“Like what?” Varian’s fingers fidgeted on the cushion of the couch. Despite the luxurious veneer, he had no misgivings about how much danger he was currently in. He had to play this smart, lest Merrick turn on him.

“Like your abdication.” Merrick took another swig of his drink. “I’d rather see the country burn than under Coronian rule— they’d run it right into the ground like they almost did their own kingdom.”

Varian’s brows shot up at the audacity. “And what?” he asked, “Sign it over to who?”

Merrick didn’t bother replying, blinking slowly. Varian scoffed, crossing his arms and sinking back into the plush couch.

“Not likely,” he said, “Something tells me you wouldn’t look very good in a crown.”

“Ha, you do think you’re funny.” Merrick’s glass was empty, he poured himself another. This time he did fill the other glass without prompting. When Varian didn’t take it, he nudged it forward.

“My sister said we owed you a drink,” he said, “For killing the King Crow. I might as well honor it, even if you killed her the same way.”

Varian shuddered at the reminder of what had happened the day he’d been rescued from Barviel Keep. The alchemist had tried not to dwell on it, opting instead to bury the entire day in the back of his head and never think of it again. He’d tried to push it from his conscious, the feeling of silver in his hands and the wind in his hair. The ghosting memory of skin giving way, and blood on his face. Fire, and smoke.

He reached over and he took the drink.

“It was what he deserved,” Varian muttered, trying to be vague. He took a sip of the mead, wincing at the taste. The alcohol was a lot like the mead he’d had back in Corona, which would make sense if they’d stolen the ship from the capital city. He took another sip, letting the warm feeling settle in his stomach.

Merrick laughed, tilting his glass. “Cheers to that,” he said. “Your father was a blight on the country.”

And a blight on Varian’s life. The alchemist scoffed. “I still won’t help you,” he said firmly. “You got the staff, isn’t that what you wanted?”

Merrick paused, mid sip, and let his glass lower. “It was,” he focused on Varian intently, making the alchemist squirm under the scrutiny. “But then, I had a thought. Why settle for one artifact, when I could have all of them. Your family had a thingfor squirreling away weapons behind spells. I bet if we worked together, we could find them.”

“And why would I want that?”

“Because I’d keep you alive.” It was blunt. Firm. Varian knew Merrick was telling the truth, and it made an ice-cold feeling crawl up his spine. Merrick’s face was like stone. “I don’t needthe rest of them, but I’m offering you a chance, here. You hate him as much as I do, that much is obvious. Why not help ruin the last of his image?”

Varian refused to be cowed. “No deal,” he hissed. “I’ve already had someone force me into making a weapon of mass destruction, I won’t have it happen again.”

Merrick rolled his eyes. “Alright, let’s start small, instead.” He leaned forward, meeting Varian’s eye over the table. “Tell me how to activate the Novis Staff, hm? That should be easy, all the Crows know how to do it.”

Varian blinked, brows furrowing. Why would Merrick think he, of all people, knew how to work the bloody thing? Between the two of them, Varian thought the mage was the one with the plan here; he felt a slight twing of dread at the thought of his usefulnessrunning out already.

“I don’t know,” he said, honestly. When Merrick’s face darkened, Varian shook his head. “I really don’t!”

“How do you not?”

Varian scowled and took another sip to avoid answering. Merrick didn’t seem to have patience for anymore dancing around the subject. He leaned forward and focused on Varian with a single-minded intent that would have been worrying, if the alchemist had any more concern to give. Varian sighed, rolling his eyes.

“I was only in Bayangor for a month,” he spat, “And a majority of that time I was kept in a cell to keep me from escaping back home. So I’m so sorry, but f-Aldred didn’t exactly get the chance to force me into history lessons.”

Merrick scowled. He leaned back, out of Varian’s space, but he didn’t look pleased about it. He seemed to take Varian’s word, at least, but the change in subject that followed did nothing to settle Varian’s fraying nerves.

“I don’t know why the hell you thought I would know,” Varian was playing for time, and he knew it. “I don’t think he even knew.”

Merrick pursed his lips, the grip on his tumbler getting a little tighter. The glass gave a worrying creak, Merrick’s metal fingers tensing around it.

“You’re still his blood,” the mage said, firmly. “If you’re telling the truth, then justice must be served, instead.”

“Is that really what it is?” Varian asked. “Justice? Or is this just a revenge quest?”

“Can’t it be both?” Merrick looked smug. “I don’t think you understand how much Aldred destroyedBayangor, he decimated entire trading towns by throwing his tantrum—”

“Ori told me what he did to your family.” Varian cut in, blunt and to the point. He tried to ignore how his enemy flinched at his brother’s name and kept going. “And I am sorry for what happened, really I am—”

“You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to say you’re sorryafter everything your father did.”

“Well, I am. Saying it. But I’m also saying that this, the feud, the fighting, all of it, needs to end.” The irony of this didn’t escape Varian; if he’d been anywhere near this bad during the amber incident, he owed Rapunzel flowers. “He’s… he’s dead. Gone. We should let this die with him.”

Merrick scoffed. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he muttered. “Seeing as youare the last piece of his legacy.”

Varian flinched, trying to ignore the stab of dread that statement caused. “I’m not his anything,” the alchemist pressed, “The man who raised me was my dad, not him— never him.”

“As cute as that is, that’s not now this works.” Merrick poured another drink. Varian felt a little concerned at how quickly the man was going through the alcohol, but also if Merrick got too drunk to stop him from leaving… well, that wouldn’t be an unwanted circumstance. Merrick took his filled drink back, scowling. “You, no matter what, are his blood. Since he’s gone, Bayangor will get its pound of flesh from his heir.”

Varian bristled at the heir comment; he could feel his patience running out, the anger he’d buried away swelling to the surface. He put his mostly full glass on the table, crossing his arms and glaring at the man in front of him. Fine,he thought bitterly, let’s play hardball. His next words were biting, raw.

“But only after you get what you want, right?”

Merrick’s grip when white. “I,” he hissed, “Am the champion of Bayangor. It’s my right to see the King Crow struck off this earth, including anything he left behind.”

Varian flinched when the glass in Merrick’s hand shattered. He could hear the whirr-tickof the metal limb reacting, the gentle noise of delicate gears. He held his breath when Merrick didn’t respond to the shattered glass, flexing his metal fingers in an almost curious motion.

“Did you know,” he murmured, watching how glass shards fell from his hand as he moved it, “That the day your father attacked my home was the day I lost my arm? Aldred had our home set on fire. I was pinned under a beam. They had to cut it off with a saw.”

Varian shuddered, feeling ill. “I…” he trailed off, unsure. The anger in his chest abated, not gone, but subdued. This was so far beyond his capabilities; he didn’t know what to say. Ori had said that Merrick would have been only three, at the time. It wasn’t something he’d doubt father did— it was right up that bastard’s alley— but hearing the specifics put a special kind of ill feeling in his stomach.

“Hm. Suddenly speechless when faced with the details, eh?” Merrick flexed his metal fingers once more, shaking off the last of the mead. “Coronians, all the same. So crankywhen you hear the gritty reality. Your father was—”

“He wasn’t my father,” Varian snapped. He regretted it the second it was out of his mouth, but he wasn’t able to take another second of being connected to… to that animal. The alchemist was on his feet in a second; his knees slammed into the table and rattled his abandoned glass. Varian didn’t even notice as mead sloshed across its polished surface. The couch was shoved back by the force of him standing as well, the legs unable to stay in place.

“He was, and he took everything from me!” Merrick snarled back. Varian tried not to back off when the mage stood as well, throwing the table across the room with a single arm as he did so. Merrick stepped into the sudden gap, towering over the shorter teenager. “He ruined my country! He starved thousands! He caused the largest depression in over a thousand years by throwing a tantrum! He murdered my siblings— children!— burned my home, killed my father!”

“And he killed mine!” Varian gnashed his teeth, shoving Merrick away from him with a solid hand. “He murdered him just to get to me! He cut him down in cold blood because he tried to protect me!”

Merrick paused, honestly looking thrown, but Varian wasn’t done. Something in him, something frail that had always been boiling under the surface, had snapped. The words refused to stop, rolling out of his chest in a torrent of half-baked fury.

“And then!” Varian’s voice went shrill, “Then, he decided to kidnap me! He tore me away from my home, my family, and tried to force me into being his perfect son! He had to force me, to curse me, to get me to do what he wanted, and he still wasn’t happy! He was going to murder everyone I cared about just to make sure I stayed with him!”

Merrick looked about to roll his eyes— the scared part of Varian, the sadness and the fear and the agony he’d been carrying around since that fateful day, finally curled up and hardened into pure rage. He was over trying to be reasonable, to be quiet, and calm and reticentfor the sake of other’s comfort.

“You think I want to have any sort of connection to him?” Varian felt unhinged, out of control. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. “You think I wantto see his ugly face in the mirror? To have everyone look at me and see him? You think I ever want to think about him again? If it weren’t for you and your revenge shit, I wouldn’t be here!”

Merrick didn’t back off, looming over Varian. “He was nothing but a murderer—”

“And I killed him for it!”

Varian’s voice rang through the air. Time seemed to slow, the admittance of what he’d done, what he’d tried to shove down in the bottom of his heart, making the room feel horribly overwhelming. Varian’s mouth was moving before his brain could catch up, the rotten little core of his soul coming to the surface at long last.

“He took everything from me.” The alchemist’s voice was nearly begging, pleading with Merrick to see just how wrong he had this whole situation. Varian tried to ignore how it warbled with tears. “He took my dad, my freedom, my home— and if my sister hadn’t come to get me he would have taken everything else. “

Varian leaned closer, meeting Merrick’s glare head on. “And you know what I did?” he asked, “To the man who tried to take everything away from me? I killed him.”

There was a pregnant pause. Varian could see a spark of fear in Merrick’s eye. Good.

“I killed him, destroyed his machine. And do you want to know what happened next?” Varian couldn’t help but laugh; something about admitting exactly what he’d done, the blood he’d shed, was oddly cathartic. Varian felt his next words deep in his chest, deeper than anything he’d felt before, bitter and angry.

“I burned his castle to the fucking ground.”

Merrick seemed to finally get his act together, scoffing and pushing right back. “And I’m sure you’re very proud of that,” he sneered. “Stealing my kill—”

“If he was your kill, then why was I the one who actually got the work done? Or were you too busy hiding and feeling sorry for yourself in whatever hole you were in? Maybe if you were better at this, we’d both still have people left!”

The candles on the walls burst into angry flames, the fire licking at the ceiling. “You’re one to talk!” Merrick snapped, his eyes flashing green in the sudden light. Varian backed off a little, nervous about the clenching grip Merrick’s metal arm had at his side. “You act like taking down the King Crow makes you innocent!”

“I am innocent!” Gods, Varian was getting sick of trying to beat that fact into Merrick’s skull. “I’ve never done anything to you! The first time we talked was when you attacked my home and tried to kill my family!”

The fire got even worse— Varian felt a pulse of fear at the fact that it might catch to the rest of the ship at this rate. Things were getting out of hand, that was obvious. Something was going to break. It could be Merrick. It might be Varian. But they both were reaching the tipping point.

For a second Varian felt ridiculous. Merrick wasn’t much older than he was— they were just a pair of children screaming at each other. They probably looked insane, to anyone else. But he was too deep now, all that was left was to antagonize and hope for an opening to escape. Diplmacy had long since failed; the next trick was antagonism.

“You killed my sister!” Merrick’s voice nearly cracked. Varian sucked in a breath through his teeth. Ah. Seems Merrick blamed him for something else that hadn’t been his fault. Cerise’s death hand been… regrettable, but—

“I didn’t kill her. She fell,” he said, “I tried to pull her up, and she fell.”

“Sounds likely.” Good Sun, give him patience, “How convenient for you!”

“Well, maybe if she wasn’t insane—”

Pain.

Varian’s head snapped sideways as Merrick’s fist met his cheek. He cried out, collapsing to the wooden floor and nearly smacking his head off the upturned table. The stabbing pain of broken glass slicing through Quirin’s cloak and into his skin was a perfect match to the burning fire spreading from his face. Varian curled up the second he hit the ground; prison instincts never truly went away, it seemed. He brought a hand to his cheek, cupping the place he was punched gingerly, before looking up at Merrick with wide eyes.

The mage seemed almost as surprised as Varian, breathing heavily and staring at his closed fist in shock. He blinked once, toxic green eyes flickering, before looking down from his fist to Varian’s aching face. His expression curled into a smug smile. Merrick flexed his hand, the human one, out of the fist, and huffed a laugh.

“Not so fearless now, are we?” he muttered, taking in Varian’s stunned expression. “One good hit and you crumble. You may have killed the King Crow— but I intend on finishing the job.” He turned, leaving Varian speechless on the floor, and walked back to the door they’d come from. He knocked on it once, the oak opening to reveal two of the Bayans standing in wait.

“Take him to the actualbrig,” Merrick ordered. “And search him for any tricks.”

Varian scrambled to his feet, but wasn’t quick enough. He grunted when his arms were grabbed, the Bayan soldiers holding him steady and beginning to drag his dead weight out the door. Merrick stopped them just before they left. The mage reached over, ignoring how Varian flinched away, and grabbed his chin, forcing Varian to meet his eye.

“There’s something almost poetic about it,” he mused, “A pretty little bird in a cage. Maybe I’ll teach you to sing for me, once we’re back in Bayangor.”

Varian shuddered, trying to lean away. The grip on his chin kept him facing forward, dredging up memories he’d prefer would have stayed buried— but now that they’d been brought up, dragged to the surface, he knew at long last that there was no sealing them away again.

The hands on his arms began to tug him out of the room. Merrick let his grip drop, the man giving him one last parting wave, a sarcastic wiggle of fingers that made Varian’s blood boil. His teeth grit. Merrick was smirking, smug as the door closed between them. The boy tried one last time to lunge for Merrick, seeing red, but a rough yank to his arms put a stop to that.

The alchemist tried to dig his heels into the wooden floor, but he couldn’t seem to find purchase. He was dragged deeper into the belly of the ship, moonlight quickly becoming scarce the further down they got. When the guards opened a thick, iron door, Varian tried one more time to dead-weight his way out of their grip to no avail. One pulled a ring of keys from their belt, guiding Varian into the room beyond.

He paled at the sight of jail bars, a horrible familiarity taking over at the sight.

“No,” he muttered, “No, no, no, n—”

“Get in, Crow.” One of the guards opened a cell, and before Varian could protest more he was shoved inside. He hit the back wall with a thump, hands splaying out to catch himself; by the time the alchemist turned around the door was already slammed closed, locking him inside. He grabbed at the bars, watching the guards walk away with something akin to panic.

“You know this is wrong, right?” he asked, a desperate attempt. “You have to know he’s insane?!”

They didn’t even reply to him, stepping out into the lit hallway. Varian felt dread creep in as they slammed the door shut, leaving him in near darkness. He could barely see a foot in front of him through the shadows, memories of Corona’s dungeons coming to mind. He sucked in a breath, trying to keep himself together even as everything was crumbling around him.

He let go of the bars, forcing himself back until his spine hit the wall. Varian sank down with a shaky breath, curling up and hugging his knees. He hurt so much— a soreness that permeated every bone in his body. His arm was throbbing, the stitches nearly pulled from the flesh. His face was a combination of fire, from the bruise surely developing on his cheek to the stinging trail of salty tears in the cuts littering the skin there.

In the quiet of the brig, the only sound was his own stuttering breaths, and the soft pounding of the surf outside. He sniffled, rubbing at his face now that he was finally somewhere alone. All the bottled emotions, the fear, the anger, the concern over his friends, the stress— it all bubbled up, latching onto him now that he wasn’t in front of something dangerous.

Alone in the dark, Varian finally let himself cry.

[disneymiraculousefandomsblog]

Hey guys!! So I know I was taking a break from writing stories but I just couldn’t help myself so I wrote a story and I was really wanting to write a story with angst. This is not a Hugo/Varian ship story. Also thanks to @dangara2610 for helping me find a title for my story:)

Summary : Hugo is staring to get attached to Varian and the gang so he is wanting to get out of the mission Donella gave him but it does not end well for our boy.

TW: Donella, Cutting, Electrocution

AO3: link is here

Switching Loyalties

Donella had sent Hugo on an assignment to infiltrate the group and remain on good terms with Varian so he can lead him to the totems she needed. Hugo and Varian were always arguing and teasing each other like they were brothers. It had been about a week since Hugo had been undercover with the group. Varian and the gang had found the first totem and were on their way to get the second totem. Hugo was trying his best not to get attached to Varian or anyone for that matter he was on a mission to find the totems and give them to Donella that’s it. He was not there to make friends.

They stopped in the forest to camp for the night they were close to the kingdom with the second totem. They would go and get it in the morning.

Varian was the first to set up camp, “Alright guys, this looks like a good place to camp for the night” Varian stated.

“Really Hairstripe! You want us to camp out and sleep here where there can be bears or wolfs that could attack us!” Hugo said with a doubtful tone.

“For your information Hugo, there are no bears in this part of the woods. And wolfs don’t attack you unless they feel threatened so we should be fine.” Varian said sarcastically to Hugo.

“If you say so Hairstripe whatever” Hugo answered crossing his arms.

Varian rolled his eyes, “I’m going to go and get some wood to make a bomb fire to keep us warm” Varian stated.

“Maybe Young should go with you just to be safe” Nuru said with concern.

“I’ll be fine Nuru, I’ve been camping before” Varian answered.

“I know but still, and besides you can’t carry all that wood by yourself.” Nuru answered.

“Young would you like to go with Varian and help him gather wood for the fire?” Nuru asked Young.

“Sure i would like that” Young said with a smile.

“Alright If you insist” Varian said giving up.

Varian and young went to gather the wood while Hugo and Nuru stayed with the caravan. Nuru and Hugo never really talked much with each other because she felt a bit sketchy with Hugo she didn’t trust him, he never said why he was even helping Varian and he surely wouldn’t gain anything from helping him.

Nuru saw her chance to try and get to know Hugo and why he wanted to help Varian find the totems.

Nuru walked over to Hugo, “Hey Hugo, Are you ok?” Nuru asked him.

“Yeah I’m fine thanks” Hugo answered with a chuckle.

“So I know we don’t really talk much and that we don’t know each other that well, but in would like to change that. May I ask how you found Varian? and why you want to help him find the totems?” Nuru asked Hugo.

Hugo could not tell her the truth of why he really wanted the totems he had to come up with a believable story. “Well..I met Varian when he was trying to get the first totem, I the fire kingdom, I took it before they could, I mostly wanted it because I thought it would be worth something and maybe to use it for my alchemy potions. Anyway I wanted to know why Varian wanted the totems so badly. It was kinda funny to see him get upset when I took it. Once he told me why he wanted the totems and what he is going to do with them i knew he would needed my expertise to get him passed the other challenges even if he doesn’t admit it.” Hugo said with a chuckle to Nuru.

Nuru didn’t know if his story was true or not and he didn’t answer her question of what he would gain helping Varian. Hugo saw that Nuru was hesitant, “Look Nuru I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t expect you too but I’m not here to hurt Varian, I can tell you that truthfully” Hugo said with a half smile.

Nuru still didn’t trust him, but he seemed to be telling the truth. “Ok Hugo, it may take me awhile to try and trust you but I can see that you really do care for Varian so I will do my best. Thank you for being truthful” Nuru answered with a slight smile.

Varian and Yong came back with the fire wood,

“Were back! And we brought the wood for the fire” yong said with a smile.

Varian looks at Nuru and Hugo, “what happened? Did I miss something?” Varian asked.

Nuru and Hugo exchanged glances, “No we were just having a little chat” Nuru answered nervously.

“Oh what was is about?” Varian asked placing the firewood on the ground in a bundle.

“Eh, it’s nothing Hairstripe” Hugo answered.

“Oh-Ok” Varian answered hesitantly.

Varian grabbed two rocks and clicked them until sparks came out and lit up the wood. “There that should last us till morning” Varian said proudly.

“Heh thanks Hairstripe” Hugo said with a smile.

They sat around the fire and Varian made them some s’mores as a light snack and they went around telling different types of scary stories they have heard. They laughed and Hugo teased Varian with his puns and nicknames. The sun had finally set and the moon came out by the time they finished their s’mores and telling their story’s. Nuru was the first one to go to bed, “Alight guys I’m calling it a night, see you in the morning” Nuru said heading inside the caravan.

“Yeah me too I’m kinda tired, see you guys in the morning” Yong said walking behind Nuru.

“Goodnight” Varian answered.

Hugo never had fun before this was the first time experiencing fun, he enjoyed it, he never had any friends or thought he would even have any with Donella. Hugo had this weird feeling inside his stomach like he was actually starting to care for them and he could feel himself getting attached to Varian and the gang he didn’t like it. Hugo was lost in his thoughts when Varian snapped him out of it . “Hugo?” Varian asked.

Hugo snapped himself out and turned to looked at Varian, “yes Hairstripe” Hugo answered.

“I think I’m going it call it a night you coming?” Varian asked him.

Hugo wasn’t really tired and he really wanted to take a walk and clear his head.

“That’s fine Hairstripe, I’m gonna take a walk, I’ll be back later” Hugo answered nervously.

Varian knew something was up with Hugo but he went along with it. “Besides if he does not come back after awhile he could go check up on him. Ok” Varian answered with half smile.

“I’ll be back soon” Hugo said with a smile. He got up and walked into the forest, Varian stood at the door watching Hugo leave and he turned to go inside the caravan. Meanwhile someone is lurking in the darkness watching from afar. Hugo walked around pacing telling himself, “get it together Hugo!, what are you doing?, you can’t start having feelings, your on a mission!. You know what would happen if Donella found out your becoming soft...” All these thoughts flooding his mind. He saw a nearby tree and sat down under it. It had been 15min since Hugo left and Varian was getting worried but also because he couldn’t sleep either a walk would probably do him good, Varian left the caravan to look for Hugo. Hugo sat under the tree looking into the distance looked around when he heard a noise, “Hello, is someone there?” Hugo said getting up looking around seeing where the noise was coming from. He sat his eyes on a bush that was moving he got closer to get a better look and fell backwards with a small yelp.

Varian popped out from the bush, “Hugo! Oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you heh” Varian said embarrassed. Varian put out his hand to help Hugo up, Hugo Gabe him his hand and Varian pulled him up. “It’s ok Hairstripe” Hugo answered dusting himself off. “So what are you doing out here? I thought you were sleeping?” Hugo asked Varian.

“Heh well I couldn’t really sleep and I saw you weren’t in bed so I thought I come check up on you and see if you were ok” Varian answered with a half smile.

“Oh I-I’m fine...just lost in thought I guess” Hugo answered with a half smile.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Varian asked.

Hugo stayed quiet he could tell Varian the truth and then once Donella Finds out that he betrayed her they would all probably get killed or he could just lie like he has been this entire time. “Uh, it’s just stupid stuff from my past it’s not really important heh” Hugo answered with a small chuckle. Varian didn’t know Hugo we’ll but he knew how it felt to not want to talk about personal stuff or your past for that matter. “Oh ok” Varian answered. There was silence for awhile then Varian broke the silence. “Hugo, I just want to say... Thank you, for helping me get the totems it means a lot to me, I know we don’t always get along and we tend to fight a lot heh, but thank you for coming along with me to find the totems.” Varian said sheepishly rubbing his hand behind his head.

“This mission really means a lot to you huh” Hugo said with a half smile.

“Hehe, yeah it does I mean I may have never met her and I don’t even know If she is alive...but I’ll at least complete her mission and find out what this secret library is and why it’s so important. And make my Mom and dad proud” Varian answered with a smile.

“Hmm, it must be nice to have parents that love you” Hugo said with a bit of sadness in his voice.

“What do you mean?” Varian asked.

“Well, I Don’t have parents like you have your dad, My Mother died giving birth to me..my dad was so angry he blamed me for killing her he said it was my fault that I should have been the one to die instead of my mom. My dad hated me so much and wanted nothing to do with me so he put me in an orphanage when I was born. At least that’s what he told the orphanage. The orphanage closed down when I was 6 and I was left alone to fend for myself. I know you don’t know what it’s like to be by yourself for so long without anyone to help you. Hugo said with a heavy sigh.

Varian sat there quietly, he knew exactly what Hugo went through because he went through the same thing when his dad was encased. Varian didn’t like talking about his past he wasn’t proud of it, but he knew Hugo needed to hear it.

“No Hugo, I know exactly how it feels to be alone for a long time. I wasn’t always a Royal Engineer I had to really work for it, I’m not as innocent as I seem I’ve done some pretty bad things that I’m not proud of” Varian said with a sigh.

Hugo looked at Varian, “pff you no! You couldn’t have done anything bad” Hugo said with disbelief.

Hugo saw Varian’s face was serious, “oh you really mean it, what could you have done that was so bad?” Hugo asked Varian.

Varian shut his eyes and remembered, “Corona was being attacked by these magical black rocks that were unbreakable no one knew where they came from or why they were sprouting for the ground, I was 14 at that time and I really wanted to get to the bottom of these black rocks so I used my alchemy and did experiments on them with different type of compounds. Anyway one day my dad came Into my lab and he didn’t really like me studying the rocks and experimenting with them because he said they were dangerous, I didn’t listen he startled me and I tossed this yellow compound all over the black rock. This yellow rock started sprouting from the rock I was so upset at my dad that he didn’t understand that I just wanted to help the people and find a way to stop the rocks, before I could tell my dad he pushed me out the way of the yellow amber and he saved me. It ended up trapping my dads arm, I told my dad that I would be back and bring help, so I went to go get the princess and she refused to help me because of the snow storm she couldn’t leave her kingdom. I was so desperate I guess grabbed her by the arms pleading to help me but I guess it looked like I was attacking her so they tossed me out into the snow...when I went back to Telly dad he was....already encased completely in the amber..” Varian said tears starting to form in his eyes.

“After that I had to fend for myself for a whole year. I was so focused in finding a way to free my dad that some days I didn’t even eat or sleep. In my fit of anger I tried taking over corona and making the royal family pay for not helping me save my dad, so I ended committing treason, kidnapping, almost killing the princess, and...just some other stuff I’m not proud of. In the end the princess managed to find a way to free my dad and I was pardoned thanks to her.” Varian said wiping away the tears.

Hugo couldn’t believe what Varian just told him, how could a young kid like Varian even be able to do that. “I’m sorry Varian, I didn’t know” Hugo answered with guilt.

“It’s ok it’s not your fault, I’m over it anyway hehe” Varian answered nervously. Varian was lying he still had nightmares about his past and what happened but he didn’t want to tell Hugo that.

Hugo looked at Varian and smiled, “Well I guess we are kinda alike in a way” Hugo said with a chuckle.

“Hehe yeah who knew right” Varian answered with a smile.

Hugo gave a half smile he started to feel guilty for what he was doing to Varian, He had already been through so much. “Ugh Hugo! Your getting soft again!Maybe if I start being mean to him he’ll stop trying to be my friend.” Hugo though you himself.

Varian saw Hugo lost in thought again and pretty quiet, “Hugo, I just want you know your not alone anymore, you have friends now, we care for each other and we help each other.” Varian said with a smile.

Hugo didn’t know what to say he never had any friends or anyone who cared for him like Varian did. “You really think we’re friends? But you don’t even know me that well, how do you know I’m not just trying to use you to get to the totems, how can you trust me?! Hugo said with aggravation. Hoping this outburst would turn down Varian from wanting to be his friend.

Varian was stunned at the sudden outburst, but Hugo was right he didn’t know him very well yet and he didn’t why Hugo was really helping him. For all he knew Hugo could be working for Someone else that wants to get to the secret Library too. “Well are you just using me to get to the totems?” Varian asked with a sigh.

Hugo stayed quiet for awhile, he probably just blew his cover, he has to think of something fast. “No.. I’m not.. but how can you call us friends if we don’t even know each other that well? You don’t know what I’ve done in my past, how can you want to be friends with someone you don’t even know? Hugo asked confused.

“Because I can see that your a good person, if the princess taught me anything it’s that every person has a good side, your a good person Hugo. I know you have had a rough past, your right I don’t know what you did in the past, But the past does not define who you are you are who you choose to be right now. I’m still learning that lesson myself hehe.”Varian answered with a chuckle.

Hugo tried his best to not ponder the words Varian just told him but he have o successes. “Maybe he’s right, maybe I can change this, I’ll just tell Donella that I don’t want to do this mission anymore and to send someone else. Maybe if I tell Varian the truth he’ll forgive me.” Hugo thought to himself. He needed to know if Varian would forgive him if he told him the truth.

“Hairstripe what if I did do something to you that seems really hard to forgive, would you forgive me anyway?” Hugo asked waiting for his response.

Varian was surprised at that Hugo would ask a question like that. He really must be going through something that he obviously does not want to talk about. Varian understood thought. He put his hand on Hugo’s shoulder, “Well it depends really... but of course I would forgive you, that’s what friends do, we all make mistakes because no one is perfect. If I have learned anything though is that everyone deserves a second chance no matter how great the mistake is. Varian answered with a smile.

Hugo was surprised how could Varian after everything he been through be so nice and forgiving he just couldn’t understand it.

“Thanks Hairstripe, I appreciate it” Hugo said with a smile.

“Heh your welcome,”Varian said with a chuckle.

“You know you are starting talking like the princess, I’ve never met her but from the stories you have told me it seems that’s something she would have said” Hugo said with small laugh.

“Haha, yeah your right, you can tell that I hang around with her to much, but that’s a good thing, if anything I need to learn more from her” Varian said with a smile.

“Hey, uhh..Thanks for...you know listing, I don’t really like to talk about my feelings heh but thanks” Hugo said trying not to make it awkward.

“Hehe it’s ok I’m the same way, I don’t like recounting my past, but sometimes it’s good to talk to someone about it. I’m glad we talked your like a brother to me Hugo and It makes you feel so much better after you know?” Varian said with a half smile.

"Heh...T-Thanks Hairstripe... I’ve never had a brother before but I do consider you as a brother too”Hugo answered with a chuckle.

Varian smiled and bumped his arm. “Well I’m going back to the caravan, you coming?” Varian asked him.

“Yeah I’ll be right behind you” Hugo answered with a arm bump.

“Ok” Varian answered walking away.

Hugo got up and dusted himself off to follow Varian when a familiar person came out from the shadows. “Hello Darling!” The women said sarcastically.

Hugo felt a chill run down his spine as he turned around to look at the women. “H-Hello Donella! What are you doing here?” Hugo asked nervously.

“Well you know I just wanted to see how the mission was going and to make sure that your doing your job. From what I just saw It seems like you have that boy wrapped around your finger he trusts you good job.” Donella said with a grin on her face.

Hugo wanted to tell Donella that he wanted to back out from the mission but he couldn’t seem to find the right words. “A-Actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Hugo said trying not to sound nervous. “I don’t want to do this mission anymore I want out, I can’t do this to Varian! he’s already been through a lot he deserves those totems!. Hugo said with aggravation.

Donella wasn’t surprised at Hugo’s aggression, she knew this would happen, Hugo was becoming soft and to attached with Varian. “Hugo are you becoming soft?” Donella asked walking around him.

“No! It’s just that...we’ll...” Hugo was having trouble figuring out what to say. He was getting soft and getting attached to Varian and the gang he knew it.

“Tsk.Tsk.Tsk. You are becoming soft you actually care for him don’t you?. Hmm, you see him more of like a brother than a friend right...someone you can trust and tell all your problems too.” Donella said shaking her head.

Hugo remained quiet, but he knew Donella was right he saw Varian as a brother he never had.

Donella walked around Hugo, “isn’t that true Hugo?” Donella asked. Hugo still remained quiet. Donella was not a very patient women you did what she asked you or she would make you pay for being disobedient.

Donella turned around and grabbed Hugo but he arm and sent electricity through his arm, Hugo whence in pain, “I said isn’t that right Hugo, you think of Varian as a brother?” Donella said bitterly sending another shock through his arm.

Hugo yelped In more pain and answered, “yes I do!” Hugo answered in pain while the shocks were still gonna through his body.

Donella let go on Hugo’s arm, “that’s what I thought” She said with a grin. “Now Hugo you are going to finish this mission whether you like it or not. You really don’t have a choice. I need those totems and your the only one that can get them for me because Varian trust’s you” Donella said rolling her eyes.

Hugo grabbed his arm trying to stop the pain still going through his body. “Your wrong Donella! I do have a choice. I can tell Varian the truth.. he would believe me, once he knows the truth we would get to the totems first. You wouldn’t have anyone to get those totems for you, you would have lost!” Hugo said angrily.

Donella cringed, she hated people who talked back and were rebellious against her. She grabbed her dagger and swiftly cut Hugo on the cheek. Hugo groaned in pain putting his hand on his cheek blood filled his fingers. “That was just a warning darling, don’t ever talk back to me or I will do stuff so much worst and more painful.” Donella said angrily.

Hugo face was I shock Donella did torture him but never with a dagger this was a first. She usually sends electricity in his body, or put him in the water room, Hugo thought that was the worst.

“You May think you have a choice but you don’t Hugo, I am the one that rescued you, I gave you a place to stay, I taught you everything you know, you owe me.” Donella said with a grin.

“And just in case you forget your place.” Donella grabbed Hugo by his arms and used both her hands to send electric shocks all over his body.

Hugo tried his best to break free from her grip but the electric shocks going through his body were making his nerves weak. He started yelling In Pain, the cut on his cheek didn’t seem to hurt anymore with all the electric shocks running through his body. Donella kept doing this till she felt satisfied. After a few minutes she finally let him go. Hugo fell to the ground he couldn’t feel anything his body was completely numb, he could still feel the electricity running through his body.

“Now I hope you learned your lesson. I quiet enjoyed it but know that was just a warning remember darling I can do so much worst.” Donella said with an evil grin on her face.

Hugo was trying to pull his body up, he managed to move it up an inch when Donella came over and pushed him back down to the ground with her foot.

Hugo grunted, “Listen Darling I don’t care if you tell your little friend the truth, just know that you are putting him in danger as well, because I will the same thing to him what I have done to you maybe even worst. So I say it’s best if you keep doing your job or your little friend will be in worst pain than you are now.” Donella said with a evil chuckle.

Hugo knew Donella meant it she would go after Varian just to get back at him, if he wanted Varian and his friends to be safe he had to do what she said. He would have to find another way to stop Donella without hurting his friends.

Donella saw Hugo on the ground still groaning in pain, “Before I go I need you to answer one more question, Are you going to finish the job? Or should I go after your little friend.” Donella asked him with a grin.

Hugo grunted in pain while pulling himself up, “N-No I’ll do it...I’ll finish the job.” Hugo answered in between grunts.

“Good Darling that’s what I like to hear, Remember thought that I’m watching your every move so don’t try and do anything stupid because I will find out” Donella said with a chuckle walking away back into the shadows.

Once Hugo couldn’t see Donella he tired to stand up, it took him a minute but he finally picked himself up and stood to his feet. Hugo didn’t know how he was going to explain his injury’s to Varian but he would have to come up with an explanation. He couldn’t tell Varian the truth it would put him and everyone in danger he had to continue his mission until he can find a way to stop Donella some how. He walked back to the caravan hoping Varian and the others would be asleep. Unfortunately that’s wasn’t the case Varian was awake he barely made it to the caravan as well.

Varian heard movement and turned and saw Hugo badly hurt. “Hugo! W-What happened?!” Varian rushes to his side and puts his arm around his shoulder helping him to get to the caravan to sit down on a chair.

“Nothing Hairstripe I just fell” Hugo answered trying to make it sound believable.

Varian analyzes Hugo, he had bruises on his arms and he had a cut on his cheek he know a fall could not have done that. “Hugo you have a bunch of bruises all over your arms and you have a cut on your cheek a fall does not do that... what really happened?..” Varian said with concern.

“Ugh! it’s nothing ok! I’m fine!” Hugo answered with aggravation.

“No Hugo it’s not! Your hurt and I need to know why! Did someone do this to you?.” Varian snapped back.

“It’s none of your business If someone did do it! I’m Now just leave me alone!” Hugo snapped back.

“I’m tired and I’m going to bed” Hugo said with a sigh.

Hugo got up and went to bed. Varian didn’t know what happened that had a very nice conversation while ago and now they were fighting something was up and Varian was going to get to the bottom of it somehow. Varian went into the caravan and got on his bed too. He would have to figure it out tomorrow.

The End

I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this:) I’m not really good at writing angsty stories this is like my second time writing a Fic with angst so it won’t be that great 😐. Your Feedback and Reblogs are much appreciated I love to read your comments 😊

[sonicgetsrawed]

Put it on Repeat, Don’t Let it Stop

Basically a fic with the boys as exes in a ghost hunter au!!! Warning for blood, violence, temporary character death, emotional angst, actual death but in the past it’s a ghost hunter au someone had to be deaded!!!! There is a happy ending though!!! Enjoy!!!!

It had been six months, two weeks, and three days since Varian left. Five months, one week, and four days since Yong returned to school. Four months on the dot since Nuru accepted an internship at some tech company and quit. Three months and five days since his last case. And back to six months, two weeks, and three days since it all fell apart.

Hugo dragged his feet across the floor as he poured himself another cup of coffee before promptly sitting back down at his desk. The sunlight barely shining through the blinds on the windows of the dingy studio apartment. It was a temporary arrangement he kept telling himself, just until he could get back on his feet, but that temporary arrangement somehow quickly turned to half a year. Hugo sighed as he propped his feet up on the desk, scrolling through job searches as he sipped at his coffee, still hoping his work phone would ring, the outdated phone sitting on the corner of the desk, the screen covered in a thin layer of dust. His lips curled in disgust as he scrolled past yet another add for a dog walker, just how many dogs were there in this god forsaken city? He reluctantly clicked on it, he was almost out of money and he was fairly certain Donella wouldn’t excuse his rent again. He was halfway through the application when he heard his work phone ring.

“Fuck.” Hugo cursed under his breath, jumping at the sound, some of his coffee spilling from the mug and onto his shirt. He eagerly reached for the phone that had remained dormant for the past three months, his breath hitching when a familiar name and picture flashed across the screen. Babe, with hearts on both sides of the name, Varian’s freckled face and buck tooth smile staring back at him, his blue eyes captivating even in the picture. Hugo’s heart stopped, his finger hovering over the answer button, he hadn’t heard from Varian since they broke up. He’d pretty much erased all existence of the boy from his life, burned photographs, deleted pictures off his phone, he’d even gone as far as to delete his contact information, the only thing he didn’t have the heart to toss out was that stupid plush raccoon Varian had somehow left behind, which now was stuffed into a box and shoved underneath his bed. He thought he’d purged Varian from all places except his head, heart. Obviously the only thing he missed was clearing out his work phone. But this had to be a work call or else Varian would’ve just called his personal number. He wasn’t petty enough to scream at him through his work phone, and as much as Varian could hold a grudge it wasn’t likely he was calling to argue after six months. With only another moment of hesitation Hugo accepted the call, shakily bringing the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” He could hear the sharp intake of breath on the other side of the line. It made his heart stop, all the memories he had since locked away of their two years together came rushing back, the nights they spent together, the arguments they had, the tears they shed. Even the small moments they shared, Varian starting his day with a cup of hot chocolate instead of coffee, the way he’d pack Hugo’s lunch with two apples because he always seemed to skip breakfast, and the random kisses to his cheeks whenever Varian got particularly excited about something. He almost missed it, but it was all tainted with the memory of their breakup. The hurtful things Varian said, the things he said in return, when Varian packed his things and left with nothing more than a slam of the door. How he spent day after day waiting for a call, a text, anything that might hint at there still being a chance at salvaging their relationship, but nothing ever came, and as many times as he typed out his own apology, his finger hovered over the call button, he never had the guts to actually go through with it, so the best thing to do, the only thing to do was to move on.

“Hi.” Varian answered, his voice soft, hesitant, shaking slightly from what had to be nerves. Hugo bit his tongue fighting back the urge to both comfort him and yell at him for the things he said. Varian spoke again before Hugo could calm himself enough to address the call rationally. “I, uh, I need your help.”

This time Hugo’s breath hitched. They had worked together once upon a time, Varian knew just as much about this kind of stuff as he did, if he was asking for his help it must be pretty serious. “What did you do?” Hugo asked, not caring that his annoyance slipped into his words. Varian always seemed to push the boundaries further than he should, it was only a matter of time before it bit him in the ass, and now Hugo had to help clean up the mess.

The silence on the other side stretched out longer than it should’ve, Hugo’s patience wearing thin. He was about two seconds from just hanging up the phone when Varian spoke again, something odd in his voice, was it fear? “It’s probably best if I show you.”

Hugo pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh. He didn’t really want to see Varian in person, but he had to if he wanted this case, if he wanted to get paid. “Okay.”

*******************

Two hours and a lot of cleaning later, not that there was a lot of cleaning to be done, it was mostly surface cleaning and trying to hide the peeling paint, the hole in the floor that he’d thrown a rug over, although there was nothing he could do about the terribly outdated appliances. He was just trying to make it look like his life hadn’t fallen apart the moment Varian walked out of it. A soft knock rang out through the apartment. Hugo mentally cursed himself for not changing out of his pajama bottoms and coffee stained tank top. Reluctantly he swung the door open, the creak of its hinges almost deafening, the cold air biting his exposed skin.

He felt sick, it was almost like he was looking at a ghost, ironic given his line of business, but Varian looked the same as the day he walked out. Those infuriatingly adorable front teeth sticking out from his slightly parted lips, the splash of freckles along his nose and cheeks, his dark hair sprinkled with white from the snow, that odd blue streak sticking out amongst the dark locks, and his eyes, his eyes, the same beautiful blue that he could easily get lost in, even though they had lost some of their sparkle, their wonder.

“Can I come in?” Varian asked, his voice sending shivers down Hugo’s spine. It was so different seeing him in person, hearing his voice loud and clear without the static of the phone line. The younger shaking slightly as he pulled his too big coat tighter around his frame, the patchwork on it making Hugo think it had to be a hand me down from Eugene.

“Yeah.” Hugo answered, his throat feeling unusually dry all of a sudden as he stepped out of the doorway to let Varian in. Hugo quickly shut the door before anymore warm air could escape, taking a moment to examine his ex a little more closely. He looked thinner than he already was when they were together, his ribs poking out slightly against the fabric of his shirt, he looked paler too, his dark hair only making it more evident, and then there were the dark circles underneath his eyes, it looked like he hadn’t gotten a good night's sleep in six months. The more bitter part of him was happy that Varian seemed to be doing as poorly as he was, but the more compassionate side wanted to see Varian thriving, doing better without him, to come back stronger.

“Nice place.” Varian said, startling Hugo out of his thoughts, his eyes narrowing at the comment. Although he wasn’t entirely sure if it was a jab or not, Varian’s tone even and neutral.

“Thanks.” Hugo replied flatly. His eyes momentarily locked with Varian’s, something flashing across Varian’s face before he shook his head, settling in the seat across from Hugo’s. Hugo frowned, taking his seat and pulling out a notebook to write on. “So, why does the great Varian need my help?”

“Can we please not do this?” Varian said with a roll of his eyes. He was hunched in on himself, defensive, nervous, spooked even, Hugo refused to believe it was solely from having to come to him.

But ever the asshole he was Hugo feigned innocence, curious as to how far he could push Varian’s buttons. How much did he actually need his help? “Do what?”

“Thi- never mind.” Varian sighed in defeat, slumping back in his chair, eyes closing for a brief second. He looked downright exhausted, guilt welling in Hugo’s chest at trying to push him. “You know the castle my dad was hired to renovate?”

“No shit. I’ve been trying to get in there for years.” Hugo said. He remembered Varian showing him the blueprints he sketched just a few weeks before their breakup, he was surprised they hadn’t started renovating yet. The castle was a major tourist attraction, and it was rumored to have supernatural activity through the roof. Hugo had never gotten to see it though, the castle had been closed to the public for the past five years, which just so happened to be when he moved to New Saporia. There had been a tragic accident at the castle, the public was told, someone died and it needed to be shut down. However it seemed that time was coming to an end. He knew the tourist industry had taken quite the hit when the castle shut down even though the main island was still open, the castle had been the main attraction.

“Well, today’s your lucky day. A few of the workers complained about some odd activity and my dad asked me if I could check it out and, well-“ Hugo raised an eyebrow at Varian’s unexpected pause, the younger rolling up the sleeve of his jacket and presenting his arm.

“Shit.” Hugo mumbled underneath his breath, his fingers ghosting over the angry red mark on Varian’s forearm, a crudely drawn Coronan sun etched into his skin by what he assumed to be a nail. It was strangely warm to the touch, almost as if he were sticking his fingers close to a flame. There was only one way he could’ve gotten that mark, only one spirit that was known for using the last symbol of the Coronan reign. “Varian, what did you do?”

“I summoned the Princess.”

Hugo’s breath caught in his throat, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. It was no wonder Varian needed his help, this was way out of his league, hell it was way out of Hugo’s league. There were books, a shit ton of books, on the history, the legends, of the last princess of Corona. On how her life ended unexpectedly and it led to the fall of Corona, and more importantly how she never seemed able to move on from the castle, left wandering the halls waiting for her loved ones to return for all eternity. Which is why he moved here in the first place, to catch a glimpse of the Princess, if he could prove her existence he’d finally be taken seriously for once. It was a dangerous task, the few people that had supposedly gone looking for her turned up dead, all sporting the mark that Varian now had on his arm. And apparently his stupid ass ex-boyfriend had decided it was a good fucking idea to do the same.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Hugo ground out, his jaw clenched in anger, frustration, definitely not concern.

“I thought I could handle it. I thought I could help her.” Varian shot back, pulling his arm out of Hugo’s grasp.

“Help? You can’t help her! She’s a fucking ghost! This is why I always have to clean up your messes! This is why you can’t handle it!” Hugo shouted, slamming his hands down on the desk. He hadn’t even realized when he stood, but he was damn well aware of when Varian did. The chair he had been sitting in clattering to the floor, the shorter’s lips pursed, eyebrows furrowed, the small twitch of his nose that happened only when he was particularly worked up over something. They were nose to nose, so close he could feel the soft puffs of Varian’s breath. It was enough to send him spiraling, forcing him to take a step back, his expression softening when he realized Varian was more than scared, he was terrified.

“Fuck off! I was just- forget it. I don’t have to explain myself to you!” Varian huffed, turning on his heel, a determined look on his face as he marched towards the door.

“Varian, wait!” Hugo protested, grabbing Varian’s arm before he could get any further. He released him immediately, a burning sensation shooting up and down his arm as soon as he came into contact with Varian’s skin. Varian pulled away as well, tugging his sleeve down, his eyes wild in fear. Hugo looked down at his hand, the tips of his fingers an angry red as if he’d touched a hot stove, but the rest of his hand fine due to the gloves he wore. He frowned at it, it was an odd effect but they could figure it out. If the Princess really had been the mythical Sundrop he supposed it made sense for her mark to burn.

“Hugo, I’m-“ Varian started, stopping himself before he could say that word, the word they both had trouble saying, because if he said it now, here, why couldn’t he say it then? When he needed to hear it.

Hugo swallowed thickly, placing a fake smile on his face as he waved his hand through the air. “Don’t sweat it, Goggles.” Hugo froze, Varian stiffening at the nickname. He hadn’t meant to say it, it was a stupid slip of the tongue, but he’d said it nonetheless. It could’ve been worse he could’ve used an actual pet name. At least Goggles he could work with. Still, it didn’t help the already awkward situation, Varian seemed more on edge, his ears tinted pink from embarrassment, anger, annoyance? He wasn’t sure which, but none of them would do him any favors. And they needed to be able to somewhat work together to figure this out.

“This was a bad idea.” Varian said finally, an odd look crossing his face as he took a step back, looking ready to run. Hugo’s stomach flipped as he was hit with the overwhelming feeling of deja vu, it was so much like that night, so much like it. Every part of his mind was screaming at him not to let Varian go again, he couldn’t lose him again, he wouldn’t let him slip through his fingers, he couldn’t, he couldn’t.

Hugo took a deep breath, it wasn’t the same, it wasn’t like that night, this was strictly business. He had to push aside personal feelings and do his fucking job. “Varian.” The name felt odd on his tongue now, bitter almost, but Varian seemed to take more kindly to it than nicknames, relaxing just the smallest amount. “I’m- let me help you. This isn’t something you can do on your own, obviously.”

He expected an argument, something to hint at that attitude that he used to love so much, but Varian simply nodded, and maybe that was the scariest of all. “Okay. I- thank you.”

*******************

Varian’s car was exactly as he remembered it. The beat up leather seats peeling, the scratch on the left side from that particularly bad accident Varian had been in last year still had yet to be patched up, the car still taking three turns of the key to actually turn on, even the passenger's seat was adjusted just the way Hugo liked it, so if he had to guess Varian hadn’t had anyone in the passenger’s seat since their breakup, or at least anyone that cared to adjust it. Hugo scrolled through the radio stations, looking for something to fill the suffocatingly awkward silence, it was an hour drive and he really didn’t want it to be miserable. Hugo froze, an eyebrow raising as he realized all the preset stations were still to the ones he liked, and he knew for a fact Varian did not like them. They always had vastly different music tastes, usually sticking to instrumental music when they were working on projects together.

“I haven’t had time to change them.” Varian said, casting a sideways glance at Hugo, his shoulders tense.

“Naturally.” Hugo said, settling on a station and sitting back in his seat, eyes focused on the passing buildings.

“I’ve been busy.” Varian explained, his grip tight on the steering wheel.

“I believe you.” He didn’t.

**********************

“We’re here.” Came Varian’s soft voice, Hugo jolting awake.

“Fuck.” Hugo mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A lot of good that coffee did. Hugo unbuckled his seatbelt, scrambling out of the car, Varian already out and unlocking the gate that surrounded the island.

“We’ll have to walk to the castle.” Varian said, pushing the gate open. Hugo nodded, grabbing his equipment from the backseat. “I don’t think you’ll need that.”

Hugo frowned at that, pulling his bag closer, the chill of the night air sending shivers down his spine, or perhaps it was something else. “I’d like to be on the safe side.”

“Suit yourself.” Varian shrugged, gesturing for Hugo to follow him to the other side of the gate, locking it behind them, a strange feeling washing over Hugo. For better or for worse things were going to be drastically different once they left.

The walk to the castle was just as quiet as the car ride, perhaps more so. There was something bone chilling about the empty streets at night, just the two of them, the echoing of their shoes on the cobblestone, and the white puffs of air in front of them. It stopped when they got to the castle. Usually spirits gave off a colder aura, but it was strangely warm the closer they got to the castle, Hugo even shedding his winter coat by the time they reached it.

“Why is it so fucking hot?” Hugo groaned, trailing behind Varian as he led them into the castle, their flashlights their only guide.

“You’ll see.” Varian said, his eyes darkening. He had opted to keep his jacket on, shivering even in the overbearing warmth of the castle. Hugo placed his jacket around Varian’s shoulders, averting his eyes as soon as it was on. Varian didn’t say anything but he could tell he was grateful by the way he pulled the jacket closer.

Something was very wrong and it was affecting Varian.

Hugo moved his flashlight around, looking at all the various paintings that lined the wall. He recognized a few from history classes, stopping briefly at the portrait of King Andrew the first ruler of New Saporia. His rule hadn’t lasted long, the man dying an untimely death somewhere in his first year of rule. There was something disturbing about the man, much of the history before the rise of New Saporia had been erased, no one but the man in the picture knowing the truth. He wondered what secrets he kept, what the truth actually was about this place. Why had Corona actually fallen?

“This way.” Varian called, Hugo tearing his eyes away from the portrait and following the sound of Varian’s voice. Varian was half sticking out of the wall, a large tapestry covering the hole in it.

“Of course there’s a secret passage.” Hugo huffed, quickly making his way inside the dark tunnel. Somehow it got hotter still. Hugo could feel the sweat starting to form on his brow, Varian shivering more intensely. He was really starting to get worried. As much as he’d claim that he hated the younger for breaking his heart he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him, he didn’t want him to die.

“This is it.” Varian said, stopping in the middle of a circular room, various items lining the walls as if they had been put down here for storage. One item in particular caught Hugo’s eye, another portrait but this time of the last Princess of Corona. She sat in a chair, her parents on either side, one side torn, the other faded to time, only the Princess really recognizable. Her smile was bright and kind, her green eyes welcoming, her long blonde hair done up in an intricate braid. There was nothing that screamed wrong about her, and yet she was the source of all their current problems.

“Hello!” A female voice called, the painting suddenly lighting up as a golden transparent figure came out of it. Hugo let out a yelp, dropping his flashlight as he scrambled back, not that he needed it anymore, the whole room lighting up at the Princess’s arrival. “Oh, I see you brought a friend!”

Her laugh filled the room, bouncing off the walls in a tone that was far too high to be human. In fact she looked almost nothing like her portrait. She glowed a golden yellow from her chest, the color fading the further it moved away from the center, her hair was loose, the strands moving through the air as if she was under water, her feet not even visible, not that she needed them she hovered in the air, dangerously close to Hugo’s face. He couldn’t help but stare into those soulless golden orbs she had for eyes, her smile stretching her face too wide, her lips too thin, just the edges of her sharp teeth visible in her smile. And she was warm, so terribly warm.

“He’s not a friend.” Varian said, sounding weak. Hugo would’ve turned to look at him but he was terrified to let the Princess out of his sight.

She frowned as she tapped her nails together, her too long nails, almost as long as her fingers themselves. In fact it didn’t even look like there was a separation from her fingers and her nails. “Oh, dear.” She said, a pout forming on her face as she gave Hugo a once over, clicking her tongue in distaste before she flew over him and to Varian. “Did he hurt you?”

She floated upside down, watching Varian with a sick sort of amusement in her eyes. The gold aura pulsing in time with the mark on Varian’s arm, which was now glowing. Hugo cursed under his breath, so that was how she was killing them. She was draining their energy until they dropped dead, for what he didn’t know, but he didn’t really care to find out. Hugo swung his bag around fully intending to pull out the ghost banishing plasma gun they had developed early on in their ghost hunting careers, but a small shake of Varian’s head stopped him. Hugo froze, listening for now. He could watch wait for a better moment to blast the bitch to hell.

The Princess’s head snapped towards Hugo, the rest of her body not even moving with it, a questioning look on her face before turning back to Varian. And then she laughed, it was a different laugh than before, while it previously had an almost playful tone to it, this one only spoke of ill intent, almost like nails on a chalkboard. Every inch of his body screamed to run to leave Varian to the fate he chose, but he stayed, this time he stayed.

“He did hurt you, didn’t he?” She asked, her nails dragging along Varian’s face, his complexion getting paler still. He looked like he might drop at any second, the only thing keeping him upright being her clawed hand and her golden locks cocooning him. He watched entranced as her eyes glowed brighter, Varian’s taking on the golden hue for just a second, a gasp escaping his lips, a tear rolling down his cheek. What the fuck was happening? What the fuck was she doing? “I won’t tolerate people hurting my friends.”

In an instant it felt all the warmth was sucked from the room, leaving nothing but the biting cold air as her hair started to change from golden to pitch black. She let go of Varian and he dropped like a stone, his knees hitting the cold floor with a thunk, blood dripping from the newly acquired cuts on his face from the Princess’s sharp nails.

“Varian!” Hugo called, running towards the younger, the mark on his arm glowing a bright blue, the middle of the Princess’s chest matching. Hugo threw caution to the wind as he pulled out the gun, fully intending to put himself between the ghost and boyfri- ex, he meant ex. He didn’t get the chance, the Princess intercepting him before he could reach Varian, her soulless black eyes staring into his terrified green ones.

“Wither and decay.” Her words rolled off her tongue, her hair filling the entirety of the room, blocking Varian from his line of sight, the air draining from the room. He couldn’t breathe, as much as he tried he couldn’t get any air into his lungs, the steady drip of blood coming from his nose, it felt like his insides were being torn apart and rearranged. And if this is what he was going through he couldn’t imagine what Varian was.

“You’re the one that’s hurting him, you bitch!” Hugo shouted, pointing the gun in her direction, his finger on the trigger. He didn’t pull it faster enough, the Princess surging forward her claws digging into the flesh of his arm, the gun clattering to the floor, Hugo slamming into the nearest wall. Ice spread through his veins, his chest throbbing with the effort to breathe, to get any intake of air into his lungs. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t fucking breathe. She smiled that wide toothy smile, all her sharp teeth on full display, her hand raised poised to strike his heart. Hugo squeezed his eyes shut as her hand soared through the air, he didn’t want to see it, he knew the pain would be unbearable, he just hoped it would be quick and Varian got out alive.

“Stop! Princess, please, stop this!” Varian shouted, and to Hugo’s surprise she had stopped, her claws just centimeters from his chest, but stopped nonetheless. She screamed, ear shattering, blood curdling, more shrill than anything he’d heard before.

“No!” She shouted, trying to move her claws closer, but she couldn’t, some invisible force holding her back. Her hair dropped to the ground, gravity affecting it in a way it hadn’t before, clearing the way enough for Hugo to see Varian standing behind her, his arm with the mark outstretched like hers was, the other holding it back, blood coating his hand as the mark freely bleed. Hugo gasped as he was suddenly able to breathe again, greedily gulping in air as the Princess put all her effort into fighting against Varian’s hold on her. “Let me go! Let me help you!”

“This isn’t helping! This isn’t his fault, I walked out, I broke his heart, I was selfish, I was stubborn, I refused to apologize. This is my fault, all my fault. So, please let him go. Please, Rapunzel.” Varian cried, tears mixing with blood as they rolled down his cheeks. Despite the situation Hugo’s heart soared, Varian still cared about him, enough to admit that he was wrong. It was almost as if a switch flipped, all the pent up rage and anger melting away into relief, happiness, at the fact that after this was over they had a chance to properly fix things.

“You called me Rapunzel.” The Princess said, her hair flickering back to gold for a second as she turned to face Varian.  

“Yeah, yeah I did.” Varian said, his voice rushed, desperate, his eyes darting between Hugo and the Princess. Hugo taking the opportunity to inch closer to the gun.

“So you remember?” Her voice was low, dangerous, deadly. Varian’s mouth opened slightly as he fumbled for words, only able to provide a shake of his head. “You remember how you tried to tear my family apart? How you tried to kill my mother? How you tried to kill me and anyone who stood in your way?! I apologized to you and still you threw my apology back in my face! Do you remember that?!”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Varian stuttered, stepping back as the Princess moved closer, her hair swirling around her again. Hugo’s fingers brushed the gun, trying desperately to get a hold of it with his slick blood coated fingers.

“Of course you don’t! But I won’t let you hurt anyone else, you don’t deserve my friendship, you don’t deserve forgiveness! Why did I have to die when someone like you got to live?!” She screeched, lunging towards Varian just as Hugo grabbed the gun and fired a shot.

He was a second too late, an inch off his mark, her claws digging deep into Varian’s chest, a strangled gasp escaping from his lips. The Princess removed her bloody claws, as Hugo forced himself to move. And for the second time that night, Varian dropped. Hugo discarded the gun, skidding on his knees to catch Varian before he hit the ground, blood already bubbling from between his lips. Hugo shook as he cradled Varian close to his chest, tears blurring his vision.

“‘M sorry.” Varian forced out, his eyes glassy, unfocused, his hand clinging tightly onto Hugo’s as his body jerked in pain.

“No, no, no. You have nothing to be sorry about.” Hugo said, smoothing back Varian’s bangs. His own voice shook with tears. “I should’ve called, I should’ve gone after you, but I was scared you didn’t want me to, I was scared you didn’t love me anymore.”

“I wanted you to.” Varian said, looking like he wanted to say more but a bloody cough wracked his body. “I-I-“

“Don’t strain yourself. You need to save your strength. I’m going to get you out of here, we’re going to get out of here.” Hugo reassured, placing a shaky kiss to Varian’s knuckles. He glanced around the room looking for something to help, he wasn’t sure if he could carry Varian with his torn up arm, hell he wasn’t even sure if the Princess was still here.

“Hugh.” Hugo turned his attention back to Varian, the younger’s voice softer than he’d ever heard it before. There was something strangely peaceful in his eyes, a soft lopsided smile on his lips. “‘S okay. I love you too.”

And with one more jerk of his body Varian’s eyes went dull.

“Varian? Please, I need you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I- I can’t lose you, please don’t leave me. I love you, I love you so much.” Hugo pulled Varian’s body closer, sobbing into his shoulder. “Come back, please, come back.”

“You really did love him. Why?” The Princess asked, her feet padding against the cold stone floor for a second before she dropped to sit across from Hugo.

“Why?! You- you want to know why?” Hugo snarled, pulling Varian’s body as far away from her as possible, nothing but hurt and sadness in his green eyes. “I loved him because no matter how shitty life got, no matter how shitty people were, he always saw the bright side of things. Sure he was stubborn as hell about it, but he never let people down. He was selfless, kind, he had such a wild imagination, and his dreams, damn they were impossible, but he made you feel like anything was possible.”

“Dreams?” She repeated, testing out the word as if it were something completely foreign, something long forgotten.

“Yeah, dreams. Haven’t you ever had a dream before? ‘Cause Varian he was mine.” Hugo said, wiping a few stray tears away, not caring about the blood he smeared on his face.

“I didn’t know. I guess I spent so long here, alone, I forgot all about my dreams. Thank you, for reminding me.” The Princess said, her face softening as she stood, her teeth becoming less pointy, her smile more natural, her claws shrinking into normal fingers, her gold eyes turning a bright green, she became so much more human.

“Where are you going?” Hugo asked, watching her as she smiled at the ceiling.

“To find my new dream. I’m sure he’s out there waiting for me.” Rapunzel said, her hands clasped over her heart, her golden hair separating from her choppy brown hair. “Tell Varian I’m sorry.”

Hugo’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, the gold swirling around the two of them. “I don’t understand.”

Rapunzel simply smiled, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she started to fade into the golden light. “Flower gleam and glow.”

************************

“Hugo? Hugh, are you okay?”

Hugo forced his eyes open, Varian’s blurry face coming into focus. “Hey, Sweet Cheeks.” Hugo drawled, a lopsided smile on his face.

Varian laughed, a few relieved tears rolling down his cheeks as he wrapped Hugo in a tight hug. “I was so worried about you.” He mumbled into the crook of Hugo’s neck.

“I was worried about you. You’re the one that died.” Hugo said, holding Varian as tightly as possible, for once not questioning the logic of how Varian was alive, just grateful that he was.

“What happened?” Varian asked.

“I don’t know, but I think she’s in a better place now.” Hugo answered, placing a soft kiss to the top of Varian’s head. “And I think we are too.”

“Yeah. Hugo?” Varian lifted his head, his eyes searching Hugo’s, a thoughtful look on his face. “Did you mean what you said? When you thought- when I-“

“Every damn word.” Hugo interrupted, smiling widely as he cupped Varian’s face, pressing their foreheads together.

“I’d like to give us another try.” Varian said, his smile matching Hugo’s.

“It’s going to be a hell of a lot of work. I’m not that easy to get along with.” Hugo said, stroking Varian’s cheeks, trying not to question how every injury he had acquired was now gone.

“I know.” Varian responded with a small laugh.

“Then me too.” Hugo closed the distance between them, capturing Varian’s lips in a passionate kiss. It wasn’t going to be an easy road to repair their relationship, but this time he was going to fight for it.

[fletchphoenix]

A Change Of Heart

BOOM CHAPTER 6! Hope y’all enjoy this and im SORRY you had to wait so long for it!! :( Its just been really busy at the moment but ive finally had time to update! Thank you for all your support and Onwards with the chapter!!!

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  Hugo was acting weird and Varian didn’t like that one bit. 

  Ever since their beach incident on Saturday, Hugo had been...way too awkward around him in classes or when they went out. Maybe it was him being dumb - but he couldn’t call it ‘mixed signals’ when Hugo had literally kissed him on the beach in the most romantic way he could’ve. A sigh left his lips, blowing his hair out of his face as Hugo, once again, kept his eyes on the laptop and ignored Varian’s attempts to hold his hand while they worked on their chemistry project. He groaned and leaned back into the pillows on his bed, moving his feet to Hugo’s lap who pushed them off and kept typing. 

  Why was he being like this? Did Varian say something to him to upset him? What was so wrong about him wanting to show affection to his...hm. He wasn’t really sure what to call his relationship at this point. They weren’t boyfriends but they certainly weren’t friends, the kiss having blurred those boundaries between them. Had Hugo changed his mind about his feelings towards Varian and he didn’t want to date or anything? It confused him to no end as he stared at the other boy, now leaning back against his green wall, his head resting directly under the shelf housing his prized possession - the Flynnigan Rider books. 

  “What’s going on?” Varian asked, propping himself up to look at the blonde with a frown on his face and his head slightly tilted. He didn’t get what he did wrong. What had he done in the past few weeks? He racked his brain to think of everything he'd done. He’d tried to kiss his cheek in the cafeteria, only to be shoved away. Maybe that put him off? He’d attempted to hold his hand under the table during chemistry, but Hugo had pulled his hand away almost immediately. Was that the problem? “You’ve been kind of...off at the moment. I don’t know if I’ve upset you or..” his voice trailed off as emerald eyes met his, his stomach filling with the all too familiar butterflies as a slight smile graced his features. Just the sight of Hugo got his heart racing a million times a minute. 

  “You haven’t upset me. I just..” Hugo bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes breaking away from the little battle they were having much to Varian’s disappointment. “I’m not out yet. Not to the school. And after the whole Zander incident and him getting beaten up..I don’t want to risk that happening to you, V.” he confessed, taking Varian’s hands in his own and rubbing the back of his hands gently. It almost sent Varian into a trance, the blonde raising his hand to place a kiss to his palm. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I can protect myself, Hugo-” 

  “Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to. I like you, Varian, but I don’t want you to get hurt.” he whispered as he moved away from Varian. “Anyway, we should get back to work on the project. As much work as we’ve done, we kinda need to do a bit more than just a thesis.” His signature smirk fell onto his face as he looked at Varian, and Varian felt himself melt and all of his worries drift away as he nodded in agreement to Hugo’s proposal. 

  As they worked, Varian simply couldn’t focus. All he could really focus on was the sharpness of Hugo’s jaw, the glint in his eyes. Were his eyes always that green? The way he clicked his tongue in thought for a few seconds, before continuing to type whatever he’d conjured in his brain onto the laptop that shook in his lap. The laptop which had little stickers placed at random all over the back of it - little chemical symbols such as aluminium, bismuth, gallium, yttrium and test tubes along with some that referenced TV shows Varian hadn’t even heard of in his life. And he’d had A LOT of time to watch television during his break from school. He subconsciously propped his head against his hand, gazing at Hugo with nothing but love in his eyes. He really did have one of the most beautiful boys in the work to be his...whatever they were, huh?

  “What will it take to get you to work?” Hugo groaned in annoyance, turning his head to look at Varian. 

  “A kiss.” Varian bluntly stated as he grinned up at Hugo, who merely scoffed and rolled his eyes. 

  “Using my own trick against me, are we, Ruddiger?”

  “Yep.” Varian replied, popping the ‘p’ at the end as much as he could and leaning in closer to him. “You gonna do it or not? Because if not then...good luck finishing your project!” He declared as he rose to his feet, sauntering over to his desk with a smirk on his face as he heard Hugo’s frustrated groan from behind him. A shuffle sounded and before he knew it, a hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back onto his bed, shoving him to lie on his back before Hugo captured his lips in a rough kiss. 

  This was...very different to their kiss on the beach, Hugo nipping at Varian’s bottom lip and Varian’s hands threading through Hugo’s hair while the assault on his lips continued relentlessly. Slowly, Hugo broke the kiss, bruised lips meeting Varian’s as both their chests heaved to take in as much breath as they could.

  “You little shit-” Hugo growled breathlessly before proceeding to initiate another kiss. His cheeks were on fire as his legs wrapped around Hugo’s waist, desperate to pull the other as close as he could. He didn’t want this moment to end ever, Hugo’s weight pressing down on him. However, after a while, their rough kisses slowed into lazy, slow ones and Hugo shuffled down beside them. 

  Varian moved to rest his head on Hugo’s chest, the other’s flesh arm wrapping around him and his hand playing with his hair, strands twirling around his fingers as he placed gentle kisses to Varian’s forehead. “Hey..do you ever..think we met before this? Like..we met in another life I mean.” Hugo asked, his eyes focused on the ceiling as Varian tilted his head up to look at him with a confused look. 

  “I...I mean I’ve thought of it. You mean like soulmates, right?” He received a nod of confirmation. “I don’t know..it seems nice though. Thinking we were destined to be together.” He smiled as he kissed Hugo’s jawline, his hand reaching to cup Hugo’s cheek as he did so. “I like that idea quite a lot...sounds perfect.” He whispered against Hugo’s skin, him shivering at the sensation as Varian reached to take his prosthetic arm and intertwine their fingers. 

  Silently they sat, cuddled into each other before Hugo propped himself up slightly. “I should go.” he muttered, “My mom will want me back.” He kept trying to stand, Varian pushing him down gently and looking at him quietly.

  “Please stay.” he pleaded, his hands pushing down on Hugo’s chest and a look of desperation in his eyes. He wasn’t ready to let this go yet - he didn’t want Hugo to leave. Hugo simply nodded and hummed a quick ‘okay’ as he settled back into his position on the bed, Varian following suit and snuggling in closer to Hugo as he slowly fell asleep.

 ---------------------------

  When Varian woke up the next day, Hugo was nowhere to be found. He’d presumably left during the night, leaving Varian in an empty bed. Well, mostly empty other than him and Ruddiger, the fat raccoon snuggling onto the pillow beside his head which was a less than welcome sight when what he expected was the beautiful face of Hugo in a deep, deep sleep. He should’ve known.

  What if Nuru was right?

   He’d heard about Hugo’s reputation, but he was sure that the other wasn’t playing him at all. He couldn’t be. Everything he did seemed far too genuine. Far too affectionate to be something that wasn’t true. But...but what if it was? What if he really was messing Varian around and was just trying to put another notch on his belt? He reached out to grab his phone and search for a text from Hugo, but his eyes met a blank home screen, a frown moving on to his features. Maybe he really was as bad as Nuru had told him.

  Nuru, speak of the devil, sent him a text right at that second, the usual emojis and all caps typing when she was excited or wanted something from Varian. It was funny really, that him and Nuru had gotten so close in the small amount of time they’d known each other.

  Nuru : LETS GO TO TOWN!!! I’M BRINGING MY FRIEND YONG!!! TELL HUGO TO COME!!! 20 MINS!!! WE CAN WATCH THE FIREWORKS SHOW TONIGHT!

  Varian : Damn, okay. Calm down. Meeting in the town square?

  Nuru : YES!!!! SEE YOU SOON!!! <3

  Varian rolled his eyes and clicked onto Hugo’s contact, smiling at the sight of his name at the top of the screen happily. 

  Varian : Hey, Nuru’s told me we’re going to town today and we...kinda don’t have a choice but to obey her every demand. 20 mins at the town square. You wanna come?   Hugo : heh. sure i’ll come and bless you with my presence, hairstripe. Oh, by the way, sorry for leaving. Didn’t want your cop father figure to come and like,,,castrate me or something.

  Varian : Aha! It’s fine. I’ll see you later <3

  Hugo : Byeeeeee <333333

  Varian grinned and smiled widely, laying back on his bed with a happy sigh before he stood up and began to pack everything he needed for their day out. He yawned, shrugging the bag onto his back and trailing downstairs happily. “Bye guys! I’m meeting up with Nuru, Yong and Hugo!” he yelled out as he began the long walk to town.

  He couldn’t wait to see Hugo again.