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gallavictorious · 3 years ago

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Gallavich Week Day 5: Fix-It / Rewrite

Right, so fix-its aren’t so much my jam, but there is this one weird, weird, weird thing that I’ve (so far) been unable to meta into any sort of sense. Namely, Mickey looking like that in season 11 while apparently not working out. It’s just… uh… he… what? At one point I hypothesized that he’s been bitten by a radioactive spider or the like, leaving him magically super buff, and to be honest, that’s still the most reasonable explanation I can think of, soooo…

Today I'm back at my nonsense to bring you, everyone and especially our dear @gallavichthings, 2,711 Very Serious words about Mickey being a secret superhero. Well. Except for the hero bit.

Read it below or on AO3.

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In Which Mickey Milkovich Does Not Save the World

Afterwards, he would always refer to it as the radioactive motherfucker bug from hell, but the truth is that Mickey never saw the thing that got him.

He was going about his business (namely poking around the Gallagher basement for any forgotten shit he could sell for beer money now that all the cash from the wedding had been surreptitiously replaced with I.O.U:s) when he felt a sudden, sharp pain just above his ankle. Cursing up a storm, he desperately waved his foot around and lost his balance and stumbled straight into one of the many piles of boxes that littered the basement. By the time he was back on his feet whatever creature that had dug its nasty little teeth/pincers/claws into his tender flesh had scurried off, leaving Mickey with a throbbing ache and a halfway impressive puncture wound on his left leg.

Muttering darkly about fucking Gallaghers being so used Frank they didn’t know how to keep goddamned monster vermin out of their shitty house Mickey limped up the stairs to pour some Jamison on the wound, and then pour some down his throat because he had the bottle out already so he might as well. He borrowed one of Franny’s colourful pirate-patterned band-aids, and when his nosy as fuck ex-EMT of a husband asked about it later that evening Mickey said he’d dropped a can on his foot, it’s just a scratch, man, no you don’t need to take a look at it, just put your fingers back in my ass, please.

Mickey didn’t make a habit of lying to Ian, but he figured that telling the truth would lead to all sorts of questions about why he was in the basement and having to come up with plausible explanation for that when he should just be focusing on getting railed wasn’t part of his plans for the evening. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Ian, who’d been getting so worked up over money lately, to distract him with that sort of unimportant stuff while they were banging. Mickey was a considerate spouse.

Thankfully, Ian dropped the subject and proceeded to do his husbandly duty. Mickey went to sleep deeply satisfied.

He was almost as satisfied the next morning when he woke up to realize that the pain in his leg was gone, as were all traces of the wound itself. Mickey had always healed pretty fast, but this was quick enough to have him questioning whether or not he’d really been bitten/stung/whatever at all. Maybe he’d had more beers than he thought and imagined the whole thing… ?

It didn’t really matter, and if that had been the whole of it Mickey was likely to soon have forgotten all about the radioactive motherfucker bug from hell. However, in the next few weeks he started noticing stuff, weird stuff. For instance, it wasn’t just the (possibly imagined) bite/sting that healed far more quickly than normal; it was all the little cuts and scrapes he tended to acquire. A big bruise from running into the table while playing with Franny; faded to nothing the next morning. A cut from the razor; gone within the hour. For the first time he could remember, Mickey looked at his naked body in the mirror and saw not one single wound (though there were still scars aplenty). It wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but it was weird.

Then there was that thing with his muscles. Mickey had been in decent shape for most of his life and whenever he got locked up for extended periods of time he made a habit of hitting the gym on the regular. Really wasn’t much else to do in the joint, and having a decent bulk reminded the other inmates that you weren’t someone they could push around; letting people know that you could beat the shit out of them often meant you didn’t have to actually do it, which saved everyone a lot of time and energy and trips to the prison quack. But on the outside, exercise wasn’t very high on Mickey’s list of priorities, meaning he tended to slim down a bit after a while in freedom.

Not now, though. Almost a year after being out of prison, and he was still as built as ever; if anything he seemed to be developing more muscles, in spite rarely engaging in anything more taxing than vigorous fucking. (Okay, so there was a lot of vigorous fucking, but still. If anyone ought to be building their biceps from the sex they were having, it should be Ian.)

Mickey didn’t mind being inexplicably ripped, though. He felt great, looked great – and Ian seemed to be pretty into it, too. Then again, Ian seemed to be pretty into Mickey whether he wore dirty clothes, sported a beard, sported a dress, or hadn’t showered in a week, so maybe that wasn’t saying a lot.

But even given all that, maybe Mickey still wouldn’t have thought too much about it (he was, after all, very busy being on his honeymoon, which required lots of determined sleep-ins, dedicated beer-drinking, and – obviously – lots and lots of banging) if there hadn’t one day come a knock on the front door. At first he ignored itm in the hopes that someone else would get it, but when it became apparent that a, he was alone in the house, and b, whoever was at the door wasn’t giving up anytime soon, he grabbed the family baseball bat (even big soft ass Larry would react to Mickey opening the door with an extremely illegal gun in hand) and went to answer the insistent knocking.

Outside stood two women, looking an unsettling mix of sober and apprehensive and eager. One of them reminded him vaguely of Angie Zago; the other was taller and darker and quite possibly brooding.

“Can I help you?” he demanded, not quite as rudely as he might have. He didn’t think they were social workers, but one never knew; they’d been checking up on Debbie and Franny ever since Debbie pleaded guilty to statutory rape.

“Mr. Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich?” Not-Angie inquired in a polite sort of tremble.

“Who’s asking?” Mickey demanded, feeling a little thrown by the use of his full name. The only people who pulled that out was law enforcement, and neither of these ladies had that feel about them. Especially since they seemed to be… excited to meet him, which wasn’t a reaction Mickey was used to getting. Particularly not from ladies looking like they ought to be out collecting for the fucking Red Cross.

They better not be asking for donations for the Red Cross.

“I’m Tania and this is Dreamweaver,” Not-Angie said. “Can we come in? It’s really best if we talk in private.”

Mickey didn’t move. “Dreamweaver? You kick your mama too many times in the kidneys before you were born or something?”

The women glanced uncertainly at each other. “Mr. Milkovich,” the one improbably called Dreamweaver began, but Mickey cut her off:

“You with the police?”

They quickly shook their heads. “No, we— “

“You here to give me money?”

“No, you see, it’s— “

“Okay, thank you, bye.” But as he moved to close the door, Tania – displaying more spunk than he’d have given her credit for – took a step forward and blocked the entrance.

“Have you been experiencing any strange body phenomena lately, Mr. Milkovich?” she blurted. “Wounds healing very quickly, perhaps, or increased muscle mass?”

Mickey stilled, eyes darting between the two women. Small, small smiles on their faces now, as if they knew they had him. There was a hint of hunger to those smiles, making Mickey feel uncharacteristically uncomfortable. The urge to push Tania back and slam the door shut was strong, but…

“Fine,” he said at long last. “Come on in.”

They better not be fucking cannibals either.

---

They called themselves The Guardians, and they wanted him to save the world.

Mickey asked what numbers they were talking and, after getting bored of their uncomprehending stares, clarified: “How much is it gonna pay? What’s my cut?”

Dreamweaver frowned. “You mean… money? As in a… salary?”

“Yeah, sure. What’s my salary?”

“Mr. Milkovich, saving the world is a higher calling and a duty, it’s not something that– “

“Uh-huh. So, just to be clear, you’re not gonna pay me?”

They weren’t. Mickey laughed in their faces, stood from the couch, and told them bye and good luck with that and don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.

They reasoned with him. They pleaded. They explained, again and again, that after the evil society USCH destroyed The Guardian’s headquarters in a devastating attack, the two of them–and Mickey–was the only thing standing between the world and utter destruction. Surely, he must understand that it was nothing less than Fate that had brought the one remaining Bestower Bot into the Gallagher basement and his path? Admittedly, injecting Mickey with the bio enhancer might have been the result of a malfunction – Tania and Dreamweaver had found the bot dead down the street a couple of nights ago – but didn’t he see that he had been called to serve as a warrior in the fight against evil?

“Yeah, no thanks,” Mickey told them, and then he picked up the bat and waved it around until they took the hint and left.

When Ian returned home a few hours later, Mickey carefully didn’t mention the curious visit or any of what Tania and Dreamweaver had told him. Ian was pretty into saving people and had all these lame ideas about service and honor, and Mickey found it more likely than not that his husband would both be upset that Mickey, rather than Ian himself, had been called as a warrior (it’d be Lip and West Point all over again, Mickey just knew it), and demand that Mickey answer the call and run off like some loon to get himself killed by evil technomancers.

Mickey didn’t particularly feel like dying and he didn’t like the idea of hurting his husband’s feelings either, so he kept his mouth shut and skillfully derailed all of Ian’s attempts at asking about his day by giving him a blow job, teasing him about being a grunt, and allowing himself to be wrestled to the floor when Ian decided he’d had enough of teasing. It was a good evening.

As he lay in bed that night, back against Ian’s chest and with those strong arms wrapped around him, Mickey wondered if it would be worth risking Ian’s reaction by going public. Okay, Tania and Dreamweaver had mentioned how he’d probably gotten a pretty small dose of the bio-whatever-the-fuck, lending him nothing more exciting than enduring muscle mass and enhanced healing, but that should probably be enough to turn him into a cut above the rest, right? He could hire himself out to the highest bidder and make a fortune doing private security or collections or stuff like that. Fuck, he’d even consider taking on jobs for The Guardians, if they just agreed to pay him.

It was a fun thought to play with, but in the end a long life in the shadows made Mickey wary of putting himself out there like that. Besides, he’d seen enough movies to know that it’d probably wouldn’t be long before he mysteriously disappeared to some secret government facility to be experimented on. He’d had enough of the state’s hospitality to last him a lifetime, so thanks, but no fucking thanks.

And that could have been it. Should have been it, but of course Tania and Dreamweaver wouldn’t leave well enough alone. They started showing up at the Gallagher house at all hours, whenever they knew they could get Mickey alone. They accosted him on the way to the Alibi, they sat down next to him on the L, and they left him pictures of puppies with little notes saying stuff like “Only YOU can SAVE him from BURNING. Have a HEART”.

It was exhausting. Fearing the retribution of the cartel hadn’t anything on fearing seeing Tania and Dreamweaver’s disappointed-yet-still-somehow-hopeful-and-terribly-determined faces appear in a crowd, or round a corner, or on the porch when he went out for his evening smoke.

Mickey began to lose sleep. He’d spend the nights tossing and turning, which led to him staying in bed half the day to catch up on much needed rest, and he was often so tired he couldn’t bring himself to put on proper clothes or go outside the door the whole day.

Ian was on his ass about getting a job; he didn’t get that Mickey had a job, and that job was not getting lured into sacrificing his life for the greater good. If Ian didn’t like the prospects of being a prison widow, how offensive wouldn’t he find the prospect of being an actual widower, after his husband got blown to bits by some big bad villain?

It got to the point of Ian initiating a sex strike to force Mickey to get “a real job”, which struck Mickey as really fucking unfair, considering how all he was trying to do was make sure Ian even had a husband to refuse to fuck.

Enough was enough. Something had to be done. Fortunately for Mickey – and unfortunately for Tania and Dreamweaver – Mickey had a guy for everything. As annoying as The Guardians were, Mickey didn’t have the heart to see them killed, but he figured that having them kidnapped and shipped off to some sweatshop on the other side of the world would serve the same purpose. He felt a little bad about it, sure, but he had given them plenty of chances to fuck off. Not his fault they couldn’t respect a fucking boundary.

Mickey called Johnny, told him the score, and a few night later Johnny called Mickey to tell him it was done.

It was done. Over. Mickey would finally be able go about his life in peace again, giving all his attention to his husband and doing his outmost to make him the happiest man alive every single day, even when Ian was annoying as hell and started asking pointless fucking questions about how Mickey was in such great shape even though he never did as much as one single curl up.

I see. So… you’re telling me that you have secret superpowers.

Yeah. Except, not actually secret anymore. ‘Cause, you know, you told me we shouldn’t have secrets.

… yeah, that was three months ago.

Guess it must have slipped my mind, huh.

Must have. But let me get this straight: you couldn’t get a real job because you were busy dodging secret agents, and your muscles are the result of you getting bitten by some magic robot—

Radioactive motherfucker bug from hell.

—and not you sneaking down to the basement to do weights and cardio almost every day?

… oh.

Yeah, oh. Carl told me about it, asshole. He noticed you using some of the stuff down there. Don’t get why you’d wanna keep that a secret though?

…

Mick. We have to be honest with each other, remember?

Jesus Christ, I don’t know, okay? I don’t know.

Okay.

Guess the first time was back when you had that dip a couple of months after the wedding. Few times after that, if we had a fight or whatever and I needed to let off some steam. Then you started working and sometimes I got bored watching TV all day but you were all mopey about your shitty job and me not having any and you have this thing about your body—

I don’t have a thing about my body.

—so I didn’t really wanna rub your face in me having all that time to work out when you could barely squeeze in dozen push-ups in the evening. And I guess I didn’t really want anyone to know that I… cared, or whatever.

Cared? About what? Being healthy? Looking good? Being strong?

Whatever, man, I told I don’t fucking know. Anyway, it doesn’t matter, ‘cause it was a radioactive motherfucker bug from hell that did it.

Of course it was. Come here. Show me what that bio enhanced body of yours can do.

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Ahahahahahaha, would you look at that. I tried to meta it anyway. 😭😭😭

You might reasonably ask about Mickey’s visit to Kev Fit – how does that fit? WELL, I rather imagine that whatever Mickey does in that basement is enough to keep him fit but still not SUPER hardcore? So when he starts worrying about Ian thinking him weaker than, he decides to take it up a notch and do it properly in a real(ish) gym? And his comment about “not remembering how much working out sucks” is part of the whole “not wanting anyone to know this is something I care to do on the regular”… Yeah, it’s pretty weak. All in all, I’d say the radioactive motherfucker bug from hell is still our best bet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is probably the last time I have one of them tell the other a story this week, but I make no promises. These little ficlets don’t tend to go as planned. (Ha! She said, as if there was a plan to begin with. Oh, well. I guess it’s working out so far.)

#gallavich #gallavich week 2021 #gw2021 #ficlet #my stuff

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redswanned · 4 years ago

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Always Together pt 1; Porco x reader

Porco Galliard x reader

childhood friends to lovers, canonverse

word count: 2,510

no warnings, some minor swearing

omg this is my first aot fic ever ahhhh!! I didn’t mean for it to be this long haha but here we are. I hope you all like it!

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A life without Porco Galliard was a life you couldn’t imagine living. Ever since the two of you were in diapers you’ve been the best of friends, which was a pleasant outcome considering both of your parents were close. Every Sunday night you and your family would have dinner with the Galliards. While you played with Porco and Marcel, both of your parents always talked about moving forward in life.

You realized early on that this meant both you and Porco’s parents shared the dream of becoming honorary Marleyens, which was common amongst Eldians. However, in order to achieve that goal, both of your parents as well as Porco’s signed you all up for the warrior program. They were too caught up in the dream of living a life where they were not oppressed, at the cost of their own children.

The training was brutal for mere children, and you felt like you were training harder than actual soldiers. Sometimes it was just too much. As hard as you tried, you noticed yourself falling behind the other kids in training. Hell, even Reiner was better than you by a long shot.

One day, you injured your ankle during the running exercise. Ironically, you weren’t crying from the pain of your swollen ankle. The thought of being ousted from the warrior program and disappointing your parents scared you more. Unlike Porco, you were an only child so your parents were depending on your successful completion of the program entirely to become honorary Marleyans. At this point, you didn’t even bother to reach the finish line. Instead, you wandered off to a more secluded part of the training grounds, an all too familiar tree stump inviting you to rest after a long day. Warm tears flowed down your flushed cheeks as you heard laughter amongst your fellow warrior candidates.

“They’re probably happy that they’ll be selected for a Titan,” you thought sadly to yourself. You sighed as you realized they probably didn’t notice you were even there. As you tried to hold back sobs, you noticed the sound of running footsteps.

“Hey, Y/N, why didn’t you complete the race? Even that dumbass Reiner beat you!” Called out Porco.

Upon hearing his comment, you began to cry more which stopped him in his tracks. Sure what he said was kind of rude but he didn’t want to make you cry!

“Whoa, calm down! Why are you crying?” He yelled out of concern as he kneeled beside you.

“It’s nothing,” you replied as you wiped your tears.

Porco only stared at you frowning slightly. “Y/N, I’ve known you my whole life I know that something is up when you cry.”

Despite his concern, you didn’t feel like telling him the truth behind your tears. “When I was running I tripped and hurt my ankle,” you said as you sniffed back some tears.

Though he didn’t completely buy your reasoning, he did notice how inflamed your ankle was. He’d ask you about the true reason why you were upset later, his first priority was to get you some help.

“Here,” said Porco as he reached his hand out to you, “let me help you get to the clinic.”

You took his hand and felt yourself blush as he wrapped it over his shoulder. “Don’t put pressure on that foot,” he warned as the two of you trudged towards the clinic.

On the way there you saw your fellow warrior candidates conversing amongst themselves.

“Y/N! Are you alright?” Asked Marcel as he and Pieck quickly ran up to the two of you.

“Yeah, I just hurt my ankle back there,” you said sheepishly.

“That doesn’t look too good Y/N, it’s already so swollen. Are you sure you’re okay?” Asked Pieck.

“Um, yeah I’m fine!” You quickly replied through the pain.

“If you were fine I think you would’ve crossed the finish line by then,” said Reiner, more concerned than anything.

However, Porco took this as Reiner insulting you. “You know damn well Y/N would’ve beat you on a normal day!” He spat back.

“Hey that’s enough Porco, go help Y/N to the clinic,” said Marcel trying to diffuse the situation.

Porco just frowned at the crowd and pulled you along. You knew he would always defend you, but lately, he’s been getting more mad at Reiner for even talking to you.

“Porco it’s okay, I don’t think he meant it in a bad way,” you said as you cling to him since he started to pick up the pace after that incident.

“You never know these days Y/N. We’re all competing against each other. He probably feels lucky that you got hurt today since him beating you only boosted his score,” he said as he held the door open for you.

You decided to let it go as you trudged towards the bed and sat down. The burning pain in your ankle wasn’t getting any better as you slipped off your shoes. Definitely sprained, broken at the worst. You sighed at your predicament, knowing that you’d never become an honorary Marleyan like your friends and their families. Porco ran off to tell commander Magath, who then told Zeke to deal with you since he had some experience patching up wounds and since he was the oldest candidate.

“Hey Y/N, Porco told me you hurt your ankle?” Asked Zeke as he began to gather some bandages to wrap your injured ankle in.

You simply nodded before Zeke examined your ankle.

“Ouch!” You squeaked after he tried to move it sideways.

“Sorry, but I think it’s definitely a bad sprain at this point. It looks like you’ll have to use crutches for the next few weeks,” he said as he frowned slightly. He knew the selection of the candidates among the younger bunch was coming up soon, and this injury didn’t rule in your favor.

“Are you sure Zeke? Can’t you just wrap my foot back up and I can resume training?” You asked tearfully.

The older teen felt sorry for you as you were still determined to work hard for the selection. There was no way you could continue training like this, and your physical test grades weren’t even that high, to begin with. There was no doubt you would not be receiving a Titan.

“That will only set you back, just focus on healing, okay? The Marleyan trainers were kind enough to give you a break from training to heal,” said Zeke as he finished wrapping your ankle and grabbing the crutches for you.

You didn’t say anything after, the pain in your ankle was nothing compared to the disappointment and hopelessness you felt knowing you had no chance to improve your training scores. Zeke pat your head as almost a condolence and left the room. As you sat there contemplating your situation yet again, a familiar boy opened the door and took a seat next to you.

“I know you’re not okay and it’s not just about your ankle,” said Porco bluntly as he faced you. You didn’t dare look him in the eyes.

“Y/N, you could tell me. Please?” He said as his face softened.

You might as well get it over with. “Porco, at this rate I am never going to be chosen for a Titan. You know this too. I’ve tried my hardest but I am nowhere on your level or anyone else’s! I’m pretty sure my marks are the lowest out of us. And I’m going to disappoint my parents by not inheriting a Titan! They will never become honorary Marleyans because of me,” you cried.

Seeing you cry was difficult for Porco. He always had a soft spot for you and he immediately pulled into a hug. It was rare that he gave out hugs but you were an exception.

“Hey, don’t cry Y/N, okay? You never know what could happen. You’re way stronger than you think and I mean that. You’re even stronger than that loser Reiner! Don’t give up just yet. You heard Zeke, you need to rest. An injury like that proves you’ve been working hard so maybe those in charge will notice that too,” said Porco as he tried to comfort you. A part of him knew that there was a chance you wouldn’t inherit a Titan, neither would Reiner since there were only five titans available to inherit. Still, you could always work your way up as a soldier and earn merit that way. It was rare though since Eldians are not allowed to order Marleyans. There had to be another way.

His words comforted you a little. It was nice to see someone have faith in you for once. Maybe he was right, there could be another way you become an honorary Marleyan.

Several weeks passed by and the selection for inheriting Titans was revealed. It stung when you realized you were not selected a Titan, but you had prepared yourself for this revelation for the past few weeks. Your jaw dropped when you heard Porco was not chosen either. You stood with the rest of the group as Porco lashed out at Reiner, him yelling in disbelief that someone who he believed performed worse than him was chosen instead. Marcel pried his brother away from Reiner as Porco sobbed in defeat. The whole scene was heartbreaking to watch. You knew how hard Porco worked all these years, but you were also surprised that Reiner was able to get a Titan. That factor made you think that you had some of the necessary skills to inherit a Titan since you were not that far from Reiner.

All of the other chosen candidates left the room for the festival and left you and a sobbing Porco. It was now your turn to comfort him. “Hey Porco, I know you tried your best out there. It’s okay though, you still get to be an honorary Marleyan because of Marcel!” you said trying to cheer him up.

“It’s not about that,” he sobbed, “I can’t believe I’m this weak! I thought I was so strong but clearly, I’m not!”

“Remember what you told me the day I hurt my ankle?” you asked and he looked up, “You told me that I am stronger than I think I am and I think that also applies to you. Don’t give up hope just yet, I think you should stay in the program. You have what it takes to inherit a Titan in the future!”

He wiped his tears and simply nodded, listening to your words. Maybe they’ll hold some truth one day, but he will keep training to get stronger. This time, you brought him into a hug which he returned. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“What are you going to do since you also weren’t chosen today?” asked Porco.

“Be a disappointment to my parents,” you said sarcastically with a small chuckle.

“Don’t think that way, Y/N. There’s always so much more than their opinion of you,” he said frowning.

“Oh I know, it’s just I’m prepared for the guilt I’m going to be feeling. But I’ll probably try studying to become a nurse. At least then I can be useful on the battlefield,” you replied.

Porco’s eyes lit up as you told him of your prospective plans, “I wouldn’t mind having you as my nurse one day,” he said as he blushed.

“I hope for your sake that you aren’t my patient, because well, that would mean you got hurt,” you chuckled blushing as well.

Unfortunately, that was one of the last conversations you had with Porco for a while. Since you didn’t have Marleyan citizenship, you were moved back to the internment zone which showed you how hard life was for your kind. Your parents didn’t help either, they seemed eternally disappointed in you since they relied on you for Marleyan citizenship. You spent your days working at a small restaurant, which was tough since the management was pretty rude. Not to mention that the pay wasn’t great either but it was more than nothing. However, the shunning you felt from your parents was unbearable. Every time you were in a room with them the overwhelming feeling of your failure haunted you. All you wanted to do was to see Porco, but he was too busy continuing training.

Occasionally, on both of your rare days off, Porco would come to visit the internment zone where you caught up on life. You both confided in one another about being perceived as failures, which was not true at all. Without the other trainees around, you and Porco became much closer over the years. You’ve never been able to open up to anyone else and vice versa.

One day Porco came to you and tearfully informed you that Marcel had died early on in the mission to receive the founding Titan. It was one thing losing a friend, but you understood that Porco was suffering the most since Marcel was his one and only brother. Your arms became his safe haven as he sobbed away, missing his older brother and wondering why he had to leave this world so young. You cried with him, you had known Marcel since childhood too and he was suddenly gone. As much as Marcel’s death hurt both of you, it brought you two even closer. Recounting the good times you both had with Marcel was healing for both of you. And when Porco found out Reiner and Bertolt brought back the girl who had inadvertently killed him, Ymir, he knew that it would be his duty to consume her in order to obtain the Jaw Titan. You could not be happier for Porco in that aspect; his dream of inheriting a Titan was finally coming true. At the same time, this also meant he would have to leave you for military duties. As much as you hated that harsh reality, you were happy that his skills were put to use. The news broke out about the new war with the Mid-East Alliance, and you knew it would be a while before you saw him again.

After his parents said their goodbyes to their only son left, you approached your best friend tearfully and embraced him.

“I’m going to miss you Porco, please stay safe,” you cried into his chest.

“I will don’t worry about me Y/N,” he said as he returned the embrace.

You pulled away from him and he frowned at your tear-stained face. “Come on Y/N, you know I hate seeing you cry,” he said with a slight blush.

“I can’t help it,” you giggled in between tears, “Promise to send each other letters?”

“Of course I will,” he said as he grabbed your hand and squeezed it comfortably.

That was the last time you saw Porco Galliard for four years. You didn’t know it at the time you stood on the dock, but your life would change drastically in a way that would change you and Porco forever.

#attack on titan x reader #aot x reader #porco x reader #porco galliard x you #porco galliard x reader #aot x y/n

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90slevi · 4 years ago

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Don’t Die on Me {Levi x Reader}

TW: Gore, Angst

The screams of your fallen soldiers were enough to keep you going, and the sharp outline of the letter you held close to your chest caused papercuts across your fingers. Tears streamed down your face as the wind whipped across your face, pricking your eyes and blurring your vision. Rain pelted down, stinging the small slithers of skin that were visible and causing you to not know where you were going. Your legs ached but the adrenaline kept you going.

Where was your horse? You had no idea, and that made it worse. You'd been bucked off when the abnormal titan had grabbed its back legs, causing you to fly off and roll into the muddy grass, hitting your head on a tree stump that allowed a trickle of blood to form on your forehead.

The rest of your team was presumably dead, leaving you alone amid the horror you were facing. Your heart pounded against your chest, and you were sure you'd vomit again if you hadn't done so four times before. The letter in your hand was something you read to keep your spirits up and to remind you that you'd always be protected, but right now, you felt more vulnerable than ever.

Why did you hold that letter so closely? It was the confession from your boyfriend, otherwise known as Humanity's Strongest Warrior Levi Ackerman. Your relationship was strictly private, hidden from everybody except for Hanji Zoe, who kept her mouth shut in fear of being brutally murdered by your true love. Commander Erwin would never accept his strongest warrior being in love with and distracted by a woman such as yourself, so you kept it secret to protect not only yourself but Levi's reputation too.

That didn't stop the letters coming and going, and the sweet treatment you received from him behind closed doors, however, and the only thing that kept your mind at ease was that he'd be in the comfort of his room again in a few hours. All you cared about was his safety, even if he could get out of anything. You should be more worried about yourself, as he'd mentioned plenty of times before, but you couldn't help it.

You loved him, after all, and he felt the same towards you.

A high-pitched scream rang throughout the forest, shaking you to the core, and you could only assume that the same titan from before had found someone else to feast on. There was only a matter of time left for you, and you were pretty much waiting to be scooped up by the monstrous hand and dropped into its gaping jaws. The mud splashed around your ankles, making the journey even more difficult, and the trees and masses amount of rain made the landscape impossible to see. You didn't even know how long you'd been running.

Uncontrollable sobs escaped your mouth, and you tried to keep quiet in case you exposed yourself, but it was impossible at this point. You almost fell to the ground in exhaustion, but you kept your wobbly legs up and trudged on. The mission had become a disaster quickly, the previously-sunny weather turning sour and stormy before being ambushed by titans - most of which were abnormal.

The one that'd eaten your Squad was, at a guess, 10 meters tall and could jump to extreme heights and lengths. Its arms were insanely long, allowing it to reach out and grab within a five-meter radius and, although not intelligent in the slightest, had its own gruesome way of killing the victims. Crush their ribs so they can't move and then eat them. Disgusting.

When you heard the loud crunching of leaves and twigs behind you, your heart began to pound even louder. You were sure anybody could hear or even feel it, and your crying got worse. That titan was right behind you, and there was no way you'd be able to kill it. Your Squad Captain and Squad members had tried before you, but the titan had managed to smack them or grab them before their blades could even touch the titan's skin. Levi had given you enough confidence in the past year for you to know that you could kill a regular old titan, but after seeing everyone you once knew get killed by such a monster, you simply couldn't face it.

What was so cowardly about saving your life?

"Help me," you managed to blubber out into the open air, before shrieking as you saw the titan's hand loom above you. You'd nearly ran out of gas, using most of it to kill two previous titans and the rest to escape the one that was currently chasing you. For a while, you'd accepted that you'd most likely die as a Survey Corp, and you were unafraid of it. However, when death is staring you straight in the face, all your confidence seems to disappear and suddenly, life becomes precious. "Please!"

Your cries for help were useless, especially in these conditions where the rain and wind drowned out your voice. The titan took another leap into the air and using the last of your gas, you shot yourself forwards, clinging to a tree and hoping that if you hid for a while, the rain would go and you'd be able to get home.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

As the titan came shooting back down, it knocked into your tree, causing you to fall out. You screamed, landing into a bush that thankfully cushioned your fall, but before you could get onto your feet, that disgusting creature was running over on its hands and feet, its gormless expression torturing your last moments. It had huge, beady blue eyes and showed off its yellowing teeth through a forced smile with its tongue hanging out. There was barely any hair on its head, and somehow it moved on an unhealthily-skinny naked body. You shuffled backwards, fear evident in your eyes, but it didn't care. Its left arm reached forward and grabbed you, and you swung your arms violently, hoping to chop off its hand and let you go.

But it was pointless.

Instantly, it clenched, and you screamed out in pain as you felt your ribs and other bones in your body to break and do god-knows-what else. Tears streamed down your face as you felt the end coming, and the disgusting breath of the titan ruined your nostrils. You dropped Levi's letter on the floor, hoping he'd find it and know that your death was here. You knew that if you were to die (there was a slim chance you would survive, so you'd lost all hope), Levi would want as much information as possible, especially if he could find your body.

Clenching your eyes shut, you tried to regulate your breathing. The warmth of the titan's mouth engulfed you, and everything seemed to go in slow-motion. Lips trembling and eyes becoming painful, you awaited death. If the rest of your squad went like this, then it was only natural that you did too.

I'm sorry, Levi.

That was until you heard a loud yell from behind, and your eyes widened when you felt a gust of something swoop past you. Blood began to pool from the titan's chin, and you noticed that its jaw was stuck open due to someone slicing it open. Another gust of wind passed, and you noticed that its arms were being sliced. The hand holding you dropped open, and you fell to the ground, only just being caught by a second person. Your eyes widened to see Hanji Zoe, her eyes wide in panic as she looked from the titan to you.

Squinting up at the titan that'd just been brutally killed, you saw an all-too-familiar figure standing on top of it, his black hair shading his emotionless grey eyes. His mouth was agape as he breathed heavily, and he turned his face to you, making eye-contact.

It was Levi.

He jumped down instantly and ran over as fast as he could, the anger in his expression replaced with worry as he dropped both weapons in his hands and knelt down. Hanji placed you on the floor in the wet leaves, the rain pelting down on you. But you didn't care. Even if you were dying right now, which you were, at least you were surrounded by people you loved and not in the mouth of a titan. Pain and exhaustion shot through your body like drugs, and you winced with every minor movement.

"Y/n," Levi whispered, his eyes wide and full of emotions you couldn't begin to explain. He placed his hand gently on your forehead and brushed your hair out of your face, stroking your cheek with his thumb in the process. You reached upwards, cringing due to the intense pain in your abdomen, and took his hand in his. He looked down at your face and body, his breath hitching in his throat. "Your alive."

"For now," you muttered, your voice hoarse from the screaming. As soon as you spoke, though, you coughed up blood, and Levi, panicked, tried to get rid of as much pressure on your chest as possible. This included taking off your cloak (he covered you with his own so you didn't get wet), trying to pull off your gear and harness and loosening your brown jacket. However, he froze when he saw the large red stains scattered across your white shirt, and he bit his lip nervously. He didn't want to imagine the pain you felt, and he certainly didn't want to face the undeniable fact that you were dying.

You were going to die.

"I'm so sorry," he said quietly, his grief being replaced by a wave of anger you'd only ever seen once before. He squeezed your hand tightly and looked down, his nose wrinkled and eyes filled with rage. "I'll kill every single one of those fucking bastards, and if anyone gets in my way, I'll kill them too. You don't deserve this. Why can't this shitty world be fucking kind for once?"

"Levi, stop it," you said softly, your hand leaving his hand and cupping his face. Hanji stood up and turned around, letting the two of you have a moment. Said before, she was the only one who knew of your relationship with Levi, having accidentally walked in on the two of you asleep together. However, it was clear something was going on between the two of you; Levi was never the type to do this to his 'regular soldiers', so it was clear you were something special.

Erwin, used to people dying all the time and becoming very desensitised, was confused at first as to why Levi was so bothered about another scream in the distance, but when the smaller man shot off on his horse, he guessed instantly that there was something going on between the two of you. He wasn't stupid, and he'd suspected a relationship behind his back for a long time, but this confirmed it.

"I don't want to hear you ranting and raving about killing the titans while I'm about to die," you chuckled, coughing up more blood as you stared up at the sky, the rain beginning to slow down a little and finally allowing you to breathe. "I'd prefer something a bit more sentimental."

"How can you joke at a time like this?" Levi questioned, his face a mix of disgust and pain as he tried to come up with a plan that'd get you out alive. The only thing he could think of would certainly be painful for you, but it was the only thing left.

"Who said I was joking?" you asked, a small, painful smile appearing on your lips as you tried your best to stop him from worrying. The last you wanted was him to go mad with grief. You knew just how much he cared for you, and it was obvious at this moment that he'd sacrifice the world if it meant saving you. Sighing as gently as you could without penetrating a lung (if that hadn't happened yet), you blinked away your tears and hoped that your fear wasn't showing through that fake smile of yours. "Levi, please don't become a monster. I know what you're like. Once someone you truly, truly care about dies, you don't realise what you're doing and eventually, you go on a rampage. Let Hanji take care of you if you need it. I'll always be with you, after all, and the last thing I want is for you to go insane. I love you lots, and you know that."

"And I..." he began, his eyes welling up with tears. He didn't want you to die. How would he live with himself without you? "I- Goddamn it brat, how do you get me like this? I can't even say what I fucking want to say. Why?!"

"You don't need to say anything," you said, brushing a tear from the corner of his eye. "It's okay. I know."

"But you don't, that's the thing!" Levi exclaimed, trying to keep in his anger. However, if he kept holding it in, he was sure to burst into tears, and he didn't want to do that. Especially in front of you in your last moments. The blood-loss was evident, creating a pool of red on the ground, and if the wagons with the bandages on didn't arrive soon, you'd die. Erwin had already set off a colour-coded blast, alerting the others where you were, and they all hoped that there was a wagon left. There was no way you could get home on a horse; the jolts would cause your ribs to destroy vital organs, and then there was no saving you. "You don't know how much I care, because I haven't had enough fucking time to show you. You don't understand how much I... how much I love your shitty ass because I don't have the damn strength to tell you! If I had been here ten seconds quicker, we'd be on our way home by now!"

"Don't you DARE blame yourself, Levi Ackerman," you hissed through gritted teeth, the pain in your torso becoming so unbearable that it was difficult to stop yourself bawling. You let out a few broken sobs before continuing, trying not to choke on your tears. "It was not, is not and never will be your fault. For once, I'm giving YOU orders, and that's to not blame yourself. Understood?"

"Understood," he muttered, before whipping his head round to face Erwin. "Oi, eyebrows, where the fuck are the wagons?"

"I think they're all destroyed," the blonde-haired man stated calmly, and Levi's intense, stabbing glare was shaded by his black hair. "It appears that we're the only survivors."

"Go back home and get a fucking wagon," Levi muttered through gritted teeth, and all the other soldiers were silent, in case they were killed by the man. However, no answer was worse than a wrong answer, and he stood up, his stare destroying any dominance or confidence any of the men or women felt they had. "Are you shitheads deaf or something!? I said to go get a wagon!"

"There's no way we can get her home, Levi," Erwin said into the emptiness. On second thoughts, maybe no answer was better. "By the time we've got a wagon, she'll be dead."

"Oh yeah?" Levi asked threateningly, staring bullets into the commander's body. His voice was gradually getting louder, and you winced. Hanji sat beside you, trying her best to fix you up. She sliced off half of her cape and tried to wrap it around your body. Broken ribs weren't easy to fix - in fact, bandages barely did anything to help, but this was to stop the blood loss. The cloak wouldn't do much to help in the long run, but it slowed it down a little. Worse, the usually-stoic man was completely losing it. "We're fucking trying it anyway. If she dies on me, then so are you."

"Levi, you're being irrational," Erwin said, furrowing his eyebrows. "You saved her life from a worse fate. You were too late to save her for good, and that's it. That's life."

"It wasn't his fault!" you exclaimed, a little too loudly and quickly for your body's liking. You coughed up even more blood, and tears streamed down your face. It was definitely a painful death, but you'd rather go out this way than being eaten. Levi rushed back over, squatting down. Tears were visible in his eyes again and he bit his lip to stop himself from breaking down. You gave him a quick smile, resting your head against the tree roots again as you tried to come up with good last words. Before you knew it, you were shivering, and you wanted to be back home more than anything.

"Y/n, I can get you home, I promise," he said, kneeling into the ground and pressing his hand to your cold face. "I'll try anything, even if it gets me dead in the process."

"Don't say things like that, Levi," you whispered, taking his hand into yours and kissing it, hoping it'd calm him down. "And don't make promises you can't keep."

"I'm just trying to convince myself you won't die," he admitted quietly, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. By now, he'd given up trying to hide his emotions. It was impossible. "I can't stand seeing you like this."

"I wouldn't be able to if it were you," you replied, playing with his fingers as your breathing became shallow. "Levi, I'm uncomfortable."

He nodded, knowing just what you wanted. He sat in the ground (much to his dismay) and shuffled beside you before planting your head and upper body into your lap. Although it hurt to move around, you were still happy and you rest your head against his stomach. He wrapped one of his arms around your shoulders and the other very carefully around your waist, and he held you close. His face was buried into your hair, and it was at that point where he just couldn't stop crying. Tears fell from his eyes like bullets from a gun, and they continued pouring out of his eyes. His lips trembled as he tried to keep his composure, but a strangled breath escaping his lips alerted you of his crying. You reached up once again and cupped his face, beginning to cry yourself.

"L-Levi," you whispered out, glancing up into his eyes. He averted his stares, the tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to ignore fate. "Look at me! Please!"

He bit the inside of his cheek, finally looking down. His hand brushed your hair from out of your face and he placed a small, sentimental kiss on your forehead before letting you speak.

"I don't care what happens next, but promise me this," you began, linking your fingers with his and squeezing as tight as you could, which wasn't as near as strong as it had been before. "You'll still be that man I fell in love with ten years into the future. You won't become a man that I would fear or dislike. You'll remember me, but you won't cry when you do. Instead, you'll smile. Promise me this. Please, that's my only wish."

"I-I promise," he said, gulping back his tears as he pressed a kiss to your lips, holding you as tight as he could without hurting you. You bought your arms up to his shoulders, gently wrapping them around his neck as you pressed further into the kiss, not wanting to let him go. You had no family back home and barely any friends; the only person you cared about deeply was Levi, and you just prayed and hoped he'd be safe. "But what if I can't keep it?"

"I'll be there by your side to help, don't worry," you said with a smile, tiredness washing over you. Your vision slowly began to go blurry, and your eyes started to flutter shut, but before you lost all your senses altogether, you heard someone shout something about a wagon.

"Y/n, please, stay alive," Levi begged, his body jolting up. Your eyes widened as much as they could, but you were so weak that it was becoming difficult to even keep your heart beating. Glancing upwards, you noticed that a few others had returned with a single wagon. There was nothing in it, and half of it had been destroyed, but it was enough. Levi delicately picked you up, and although it hurt a lot, you were placed inside. Your mind was whirring, trying to keep you alive, and you tried to focus on the others talking. Although it was difficult to tell what they were saying, you still tried your hardest. Levi knelt down beside you inside it, the wagon getting attached to the horses before being trailed off. Every jolt and movement was painful, and you started to cry again.

Levi was terrified. He hated seeing you in agony, and if he was certain you were to die, he'd have put you out of your misery long ago. But he was certain there was a way to keep you alive, and thank god he'd tried.

He just hoped you'd stay awake for the journey home. It would take 30 minutes at least, so he had to watch you sit in pain for that long. It was agonising, and he knew that one wrong jolt could kill you. Sitting closer to you than you expected, he gently tapped his fingers across your scalp and forehead, giving you something to focus on. Never had he been good at romance, yet somehow you fell for him and he fell for you. He couldn't lose that, and he definitely couldn't lose you.

"I love you, Y/n," he whispered, leaning down and planting another kiss on your forehead. You gave him a small smile, glad the others were respectful enough to look away. Hanji, however, watched, just to make sure you were alive and to make sure Levi didn't do something stupid. He was Humanity's Strongest for plenty of reasons, but she knew that when it came to you, he could go on a rampage. He remembered what happened with Isabel and Farlan - she was only a young cadet back then, and seeing him so upset and angry was something she could never forget. Losing you would be just as bad, probably even worse.

"I love you too, Levi," you said, before closing your eyes and going to sleep.

#levi ackerman #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #it's very sad #levi #fanfiction

199 notes · View notes

kyber-crystal · 4 years ago

Text

Be Careful

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~2.7k

Summary: You patch up an injured Captain after he comes back from a rather rough mission late at night.

Warnings: mentions of blood, violence, soft steve, cocky steve :)

A/N: this was one of my older oneshots...so it sucks

"Thor, it's 3 in the morning. Why are you trying to cook Pop-Tarts in the toaster at this ungodly hour?"

"My apologies, Lady Y/N. I did not mean to wake you," the Norse god gave you an innocent smile. "I heard toaster Pop-Tarts are quite delicious, so I decided to try my hand at making some myself."

"No no, it's fine," you waved him off, "I've been awake for a while, anyways. You can just carry on if you want, but try not to blow anything up, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am."

You'd been waiting for Steve to return from his solo mission, and currently, you, Thor, and Sam were the only ones awake in the compound. Not wanting to fall asleep without knowing if he was alright and returned in one piece, you were planning to stay up for as long as necessary. Fatigue was tugging at your eyes for a while now, but you couldn't care less. You'd handled worse things than sleep deprivation.

Just as the Pop-Tarts finished cooking and Thor took them to his room to eat as he watched Gossip Girl by himself on his MacBook, you decided to watch TV to fill the silence that had settled in around the lounge.

Around half an hour later you heard the elevator doors slide open, revealing an exhausted-looking Steve Rogers. His face was streaked with dust and debris, dried blood sticking to his dirty-blonde hair and a tired look in his icy-blue eyes, but you still thought he looked perfect regardless.

"Hey," you greeted him as he stepped forward, setting his duffel bag off to the side.

"I made it," he exhaled, "it was a bit of a pain trying to escape, but other than that, it ran pretty smoothly."

"That's good," you nodded. He inhaled deeply as he sat down at the edge of the couch.

It was only until you looked down and saw he was clutching his side that you realized he'd been severely injured.

"Shit shit shit shit, Rogers, what the hell happened," you muttered frantically as you tried to pull him into a more upright position to examine his wound. "Who hurt you?"

"HYDRA. And language," he croaked out, laughing lightly before being overcome by a coughing fit, wincing in pain. "Ow, that hurt. But I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine!" you whisper-shouted. Blood was seeping through his uniform and gushing out of his wound at an alarming pace. "You think you can stand and walk for a bit? I need to get you down to the lab to treat your wound. Bruce is asleep so I can't get him."

"Maybe?"

You let out a sigh of disbelief, slinging an arm across his shoulders and helping him down the hall to the lab, sitting him down in a chair you pulled up next to the examination table. You quickly grabbed all the necessary medical supplies and set them down next to him.

Steve took his hand off his stomach and you tried not to faint at the sight of it coming away covered in blood, making bile rise up in your throat.

"That bad, huh," he joked, but grimaced when he tried to move slightly.

"Stop moving!" you scolded as you came forward, "you're gonna make it worse if you do! I need to take the bullet out, so don't move."

"I'm fine," he reassured you.

"No, you're not. Now shut up and stay still."

"What's with the hesitation?"

"Um...you need to...remove your suit..." you spluttered.

A smirk came across Steve's face. "Sure."

"Not here!" you raised your voice. "You know what...just...take off the top...part..so I can get to your wound easily..."

"If you wanted a piece of this, you could've just asked," he grinned cheekily.

"Shut up!" you squeaked. "Just...take it off."

You sucked in a breath as he slid the top part of his suit off, revealing his toned shoulders and torso.

"I'm sorry for making you all flustered."

"Shut! Up!" you whisper-shouted as you began to treat his wound, flinching at the spark you felt running up your body when your skin came in contact with his during the process. "I'm not flustered!"

You almost cringed as he hissed in pain when the metal tweezers came in contact with his skin, trying to keep your fingers from shaking as you removed the bullet. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, this'll only take another minute..."

Letting out a breath of relief you didn't know you'd been holding inside, you dropped the bullet onto a tray off to your side and wiped your hands before grabbing the thick roll of bandages to wrap up his wound.

"There," you dusted off your hands, "it's over. I'm gonna clean up your face now, and then you're going to not overwork yourself by not sparring four hours a day for the next week."

"Y/N..."

"Listen to me, Steve. You aren't gonna get better if you keep overworking yourself, so you're gonna do as I say and rest."

"Aye aye, Captain," he mock saluted you.

"Now," you sighed, "if you aren't tired, I can go make us some coffee if you want."

"That sounds nice," the super-soldier agreed.

"Try standing up on your own now," you said, "if you can't I'll help you over there."

"Y/N, I'm fine," he reassured you as he gripped the edge of the table and stood up, "see? Stop worrying. I can handle myself perfectly well."

You sighed again. "Alright, fine. Let's go, then. Get changed first, then meet me in the lounge once you're done."

You headed to the kitchen and as he sat down at the couch, now changed into a soft white T-shirt and grey sweats, you plugged in the coffee maker and got out the pods from the pantry. Hopefully, Tony wouldn't mind you using a few of them.

God, you really needed to stop staring at him so much.

But it's not my fault he wears tight shirts all the time! another voice yelled back inside your head.

"You okay, Y/N? You look kinda pale," Steve commented as he looked back to see your now-pale face.

"Yes, what, huh?" you blinked several times, shaking your head and snapping out of your momentary daze. "Yeah, I'm okay. You want your coffee black, or with milk?"

"Black," he replied simply, rubbing his forehead and yawning, stretching his arms up in the air.

You poured the coffee into two separate mugs once they were ready, putting milk in one and handing one over to Steve before taking a seat next to him on the sofa. "Now, will you tell me how the hell you got hit? I should know that, at least."

"Caught in the crossfire," Steve replied simply. "Got unlucky, and took a hit, right as I was getting the data files downloaded."

"Sounds like a repeat of Montpellier," you raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion, "except that time, it was me."

"Trouble always seems to find us, huh," he hummed, taking a sip of his drink.

"When I was the one to get hit, I knew what I was getting myself into. I jumped in front of Peter to take a bullet meant for him. You, on the other hand, decided to just jump into the fight without looking at the possible outcomes."

"Wow, sounds like you actually care about the great Captain," he smirked. "Thought you had no heart."

"You're funny. I'm not completely heartless, you know. I care about people."

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," you heard someone clap slowly from behind you and when you turned around, there stood a rather smug-looking Pietro. "Heartless warrior and Cap finally getting some action. Nice."

"Since when were you awake? I thought you were sleeping," you were now confused.

"I was playing against Sam in Mario Kart this entire time. I think that's a solid enough reason to stay up," the speedster explained. "Steve, when'd you get back?"

"Fifteen minutes ago."

"You didn't die?"

"I'm here right now, so no."

"Oh, Y/N, when you were patching him up did you get to see his abs? He's totally ripped, you know, I hope you didn't get too carried away staring—"

"Pietro!" you snapped, cheeks going bright red, much to his amusement. "Really?"

"What? I'm curious!"

"I had no choice but to see!"

"You make it sound like you didn't enjoy it."

Steve chuckled as your cheeks grew an even deeper shade of scarlet. You groaned loudly, gulping down your coffee in just three more large gulps to save yourself from having to reply to his comment.

“Okay, Speedy, I’ve had it with your comments, now shoo,” you waved a hand at him. “Go to bed.”

“Need I remind you I’m no longer a teenager and I don’t have a bedtime,” he scoffed before walking away. “Also, ship it!”

You sighed and let your head fall into your hands.

After several more minutes of the strained silence, Steve cleared his throat. “Thanks for fixing me up back there. I would’ve bled out if it weren’t for you.”

“That’s not reassuring at all,” you mumbled into your hands.

He chuckled again. “I’m sorry. I’ll try not to get shot next time.”

You lifted your head to glance up at him. “You said that when Fury sent us on that mission to Montenegro and I had to drag you back to the jet because you got shot, twice. And I did it with a concussion, dislocated shoulder, and a severely sprained ankle. Wanda brought me breakfast in bed for four days after that.”

“You’re making me sound a lot heavier than I really am.”

“Yeah, you outweigh me by sixty pounds at least. Of course you’re gonna feel heavy to me.”

“I thought you could bench press 300? That’s over twice your weight.”

“That’s not an actual human being.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that someone like you who’s so light can lift so much.”

“I’m lightweight?”

“Compared to 300, or in my case, 180, then yes. But hey, most of that’s muscle,” he winked at you, rolling his sleeve up slightly and flexing his bicep. “So how’s the view, Y/N?”

You rolled your eyes. “Showoff.”

“You love me.”

“That’s debatable.”

“Seriously, though...” Steve’s voice softened, as did his gaze on you, “thank you.”

“...For?”

“For staying up late to wait for me, even though you don’t like doing so. It’s nice to have someone to look forward to when I’m coming back home.”

“I never said I didn’t like staying up.”

“Y/N, I know you like the back of my hand,” the corners of his mouth turned up in a small grin, “I’m pretty sure I know you better than you know yourself.”

“Bet. What’s my favorite color?”

“That’s easy. It’s blue. But like you consistently remind everyone who asks, it’s not just plain blue. It’s the blue only found in the deepest corners of the ocean that are furthest from the shore. You had the highlights of your suit changed from grey to this shade, after Fury forced us on that vacation to Sicily and you refused to leave the beach because you’d fallen so in love with gazing at the horizon. When we returned, Clint kept teasing us because it looked like we were trying to coordinate our stealth suits with one another.”

You were shocked and taken aback, not expecting for him to memorize what you’d told him word for word. “Okay...what’s my biggest fear?”

“Failure. Failing to protect those you love, failing to succeed in your job as an Avenger,” he said softly, “Ever since Phil gave word of your parents’ passing four years ago, you grew extremely overprotective over what family you had left, which happened to be the team. You refused to let your mission partners out of your sight and if they did, forced them to stay on call at all times. You couldn’t afford to have whatever happened to your parents happen to your teammates, because bearing that burden would be too much for you to handle.”

You swallowed hard, blinking back tears. “Yeah...um. What was my job before joining the initiative, and what made me join the team in the first place?”

“A brilliant student, you graduated two years early to become a trauma surgeon for the next four years. At first, you were reluctant to accept Fury’s offer because you’d dedicated your life saving people instead of doing the opposite. Violence was the very last thing on your mind so the Battle of New York was rather difficult for you to cope with after it ended. Continuing to be able to save people in your new line of work and seeing thousands more look up to you was what pushed you to keep going; you didn’t want to let them all down.

He laughed to himself, recalling the memory. “I didn’t expect you to be so relentless on the battlefield. You never told any of us you were also training under SHIELD at the same time you were going through med school, so Nat and I were blown away when we saw you fight. I’m pretty sure Clint fainted when he saw you shoot out electricity bolts. Thor was insistent on seeing if you could lift Mjolnir afterwards.”

“I offered to be SHIELD’s lab rat because nobody else was willing to step up, so here I am,” you chuckled lightly, “those powers ended up coming in handy in the operating room sometimes...during emergency surgeries.”

“You’re amazing,” Steve exhaled. “I can see why so many people look up to you as a role model.”

You laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck. “I’m not that special.”

“You are. You’ve impacted millions of lives, Y/N. The world owes you a debt.”

“You know me so well, Captain. I’m surprised you remember the little details...Tony sometimes forgets my birthday and here you are, listing off every little thing easily.”

“I’m just observant, that’s all...” he hummed, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“If you answer this question right, then you’ve won it all,” you challenged. “What’s my opinion on finding love?”

“You always claim to be opposed to falling in love, but I know you better than that,” he explained. “You’ve only started showing the signs of being in love a few months ago, but your heart was stolen many years prior by one man.”

Was it just you, or did Steve look almost...hurt as he spoke?

“Who’s that one man?”

“You’re asking me?” he raised an eyebrow at you, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position that wouldn’t put too much pressure on his abdomen. “How would I know that?”

“Because you know me better than anyone else in the compound,” you stated.

“Why don’t you describe him for me, then.”

“For starters, he’s extremely loyal. Always sticks by your side and will stay loyal to you until the very end of his days.”

“Sam?”

“No. I’m not finished,” you held up a finger to interrupt him. “He’s a great leader and the slightest bit cocky, but he’s got a great sense of humor and at the same time, he can be very serious. He always knows how to make you feel better even when you’re in the worst mood, and gives the best hugs known to man. My favorite color isn’t just because of the ocean, but his eyes...I think that’s what made me start loving blue in the first place.”

Your eyes widened and you immediately shut your mouth, realizing you’d gone off on a mini tangent. Steve didn’t look all that surprised, but rather amused.

“You’re in love with me?” A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Don’t let it get to your head, Rogers,” you muttered.

“If you’re in love with me, then that’s good because I’m in love with you too.”

Now it was time to be taken aback a second time. “W-what?”

“You heard me right.”

“I think the medication I gave you is making you a bit too loopy.”

“I’m being honest. This is the real me talking here, Y/N.”

A red light going off in the corner of the ceiling made you both look up and groan.

“Well done for finally fessing up, kiddies?" Tony’s smug voice came over the intercom. “When’s the wedding?”

You flipped off the camera before standing up and walking away. Steve just shook his head and chuckled.

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clonewarslover55 · 4 years ago

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Memories AU Verda Tal Rose in Triple Zero

Part one(1) out of five(5)

Part two Part three Part four Part five

Summary: Random drabbles based off of parts in the Republic Commando book Triple Zero where Etain interacted with Walon Vau! @just-some-girl-92 wanted to know how Etain would react to Rose, so here’s a new series lol

Notes: If you have no idea who Rose is check out Memories here! And her many many character notes on my masterlist!! Please do, I’m really proud of Rose and Memories!!

This is the part where Etain meets Walon, adding Rose of course!

The formatting, plot, dialogue, etc! Are not mine!!! This is all from Republic Commando: Triple Zero, chapter nine. Written by Karen Traviss. So none of this is mine but the Rose parts!

If you haven’t read Triple Zero or Memories then I suggest you don’t read this until you do!!

Warnings: Canon violence, Rose is a bitch ngl, Walon Vau is polite, Rose is not,

+Safe house, Brewery zone, Coruscant Quadrant J-47, 1000 hours, 371 days after Geonosis+

Vau, sitting at the table, looked tired. He still seemed like a professor who wasn’t very happy with his class, but the physical effort showed in deeper lines from nose to mouth and the way he was drumming his fingers on the table in front of him. It was his trick for staying awake.

A woman sat beside him. She was leaning back in her chair, an ankle propped on her knee. Her dark auburn red hair, which was greying, was in a messy braid, her emerald green eyes half lidded. She blinked slowly and glanced at Etain, a bemused expression on her beautiful face. The woman was around Walon’s age it seemed, her freckles and frown lines prominent.

The man who had his head resting on the same table in front of him didn’t look awake at all. Vau leaned forward and lifted the man’s head by his hair, peered into his face, and set him down carefully again. The woman sighed, Vau glancing at her. Both were clearly exhausted and irritated.

“You’re the relief watch, then, Jedi?” Vau got up and stretched extravagantly, joints clicking, and indicated the empty chair. “All yours.” The woman sat there a little longer, looking Etain up and down. She clearly did not like Jedi it seemed. When she stood Etain noticed she was tall, a few inches taller than Skirata but still shorter than Vau.

Etain looked surprised. Skirata had expected her to register horror at the blood spatter on the otherwise pristine cream walls, but she just looked at Vau like she was expecting to see someone else.

She looked back at the fellow redhead. “I thought I was only meeting-” The woman cut her off, she was very rude. “I’m Verda Tal Rose, which means Warrior Blood Rose. You may call me Rose, I’m Walon’s wife. I help him with these kinds of jobs.” Kal sighed, “She wasn’t supposed to be here.” The woman, Rose, rolled her eyes. “I don’t need your fucking permission Skirata. You know I can keep my mouth shut.” She spat the words, Kal glaring back at her.

Etain was even more shocked. How Skirata described Vau he didn’t seem like the man to take a wife. Let alone one who was incredibly rude. Kal quickly cut the tension by directing his attention to Walon.

“Where are the other two?” Skirata asked.

“Nikto number one is M’truli, and he’s secured in the small bedroom.” Vau was perfectly polite: this was just business after all, and even Skirata felt too centered on the task at hand to resume their feud where it had left off. His wife on the other hand, was not. Rose despised Kal more than her husband did, but not because of the feud between the two men. “Nikto number two is Gysk, and he’s in the study.” Rose spoke this time, irritation in her voice.

“Your tunics could use a wash.”

“It’s the little horns. You can’t punch a Nikto. Had to use something else.” Rose nodded in agreement with her husband, a little smirk coming across her face. Etain looked at her and swallowed thickly. Rose seemed quite unhinged, and she had just met her.

Etain sat down in Vau’s seat and placed her hands flat on the table, still looking puzzled. Skirata leaned against the wall. Vau wandered into the ‘fresher: water tinkled into the basin. Rose stood near the table, watching Etain with an eyebrow raised.

“You want to tell me what you know,” Etain said soothingly. “You want to give me the names of the people you operate with.”

Orjul twitched. He raised his head from the table with some difficulty and stared into her face for a second.

Then he spat in it. Rose pulled a dagger from her boot and snarled. Kal grabbed her shoulder and held her back, “She can handle this Verda.” He whispered, Rose only sneered and yanked from his touch. She was wound up, Orjul must have spat on her a few times already as well. Rose was easy to piss off though….So Kal was scared to guess what he had said so far.

Etain jerked back, visibly shocked, and wiped the pink-stained spittle with one hand. Then she composed herself again.

“Keep your stinking mind tricks to yourself, Jedi,” Orjul hissed. Rose glared at him, the man not looking at her out of fear. Rose dropped the blade back into her boot, crossing her arms.

Skirata didn’t expect her to break at that point. And she didn’t: she simply sat there, although he knew it wasn’t blank inactivity. She had been trained from childhood just like the clone army, except the first weapon she seized would be her control of the Force and her ability to read it like clamoring comlink signals.

Darman had told him. “She could tell us apart right away by how we felt and thought, Sarge. Wouldn’t that be a handy trick to have?”

“Can I see the Nikto?” She asked suddenly. Etain looked at Rose who just gave a half shrug letting Etain know she wasn’t in charge.

Vau came out of the ‘fresher, wiping his face with a fluffy white towel. “Help yourself.” He gave Skirata a “you-know-best” look and unlocked the doors for her. “They’re securly trussed. You know we keep them from talking to each other, don’t you?” Rose spoke, walking to her husband.

“I worked that out,” Etain said.

Rose gave her a tired smile, it was the smile of someone who had been up for hours. It nearly looked like a mothers smile, and for some reason it made Etain’s heart ache. There was just something in Rose’s smile and force signature. Odd.

She looked back at her husband, “You missed a spot.” She mumbled, taking the towel from him to wipe some blood from his neck. Walon glared at her like an embarrassed child. Rose only pecked his cheek, a loving smile on her face. Vau sighed, looking like he hated the attention. Only a blind man would miss the love and admiration in his golden eyes though.

Etain laughed to herself at their antics, she couldn’t wait to have that with Darman. The small cute moments in the future. She shook the thought away and disappeared into one room for a minute and then came out and went into the other. When she emerged again, she walked up to the three Mandalorians and lowered her head.

“I’m pretty sure those Nikto have no information, and know they don’t have it,” she said quietly.

“People have useful information all the time and don’t know it,” Skirata said. “We piece together apparently useless stuff together and come up with connections.” Verda Tal Rose snorted loudly, “We??” Vau elbowed her, he was too tired to listen to her and Kal argue. Rose glared at her husband, Walon looking at Etain to avoid his wife’s murderous gaze.

They had clearly been married for quite a while.

“What I mean is that they have this distinct sense that they’re just afraid of dying.”

Vau shrugged. “So much for Nikto grit, eh?”

“Every creature avoids death. The difference is that Orjul is afraid of breaking. It feels different to me. It’s not animal dread. It’s not as deep in the Force.” Etain had her fingers meshed in that Jedi way that made her look as if she were wringing her hands. “I might as well concentrate on him. He has information he’s afraid to reveal.”

They watched her walk the few meters back to the main room and settle down at the table opposite Orjul again and stare at him.

Vau shrugged and put an arm around Rose’s waist. “Oh well. At least we can have a nap while she’s minding the shop. Then I can get back to work with more tangible methods.” Rose smirked at him and chuckled. She pulled away, nodding at Skirata before walking into the bedroom, leaving the two men alone.

There was a sharp gasp from Orjul and Vau looked around. Whatever Etain was doing, she wasn’t even touching him. Just staring.

“Kal, those people scare me more than Orjul does,” Vau said. “Even more than your wife?” Walon snorted in that royal way of his, “I have yet to find something scarier than my Blood Rose.” Kal could agree with that.

“I’m just going to get my head down for a couple of hours. Wake me if she gets anywhere….Or kills him, of course.” Kal nodded and waved his old friend off. Vau’s golden eyes stayed locked with his blue ones for a moment before he left the room.

~Some Jedi interrogation and Orjul having a mental breakdown later!!~

Skirata grabbed Vau’s shoulder and shook him awake. “Get in there. She’s broken him down enough for you to finish the job.” Rose sat up and rubbed her eyes, unbraiding her chaotic hair. Vau stayed down for a moment, he was clearly exhausted.

Verda suddenly grabbed Kal’s hand that was still on her husband's shoulder, yanking it towards her so she could see his chrono. “Not bad.” She spoke, her voice still groggy. Walon looked at Kal once Rose dropped his arm.

“What’s up? Don’t want to let her face the real consequences?” Vau spoke.

“Just do it, will you?”

Vau swung his legs off the bed and stalked into the main room to usher Etain from the chair and steer her and Skirata towards the doors. “Go and have some fizzade, Jedi.” He turned to Orjul, who was staring after Etain with wide-set eyes. “She’s just stepping out for some refreshment. She’ll be back later.”

Walon spoke like a teacher, his accented voice helping him sound even more regal and in control. Rose walked out of the bedroom, twirling a dagger between her fingers with skill. Etain blinked, Rose’s hair was now in a perfect braid instead of a messy one. She’d have to ask her secrets for controlling crazy red hair later.

Skirata led Etain out by her elbow. He sat her down on a little bench at the back of the landing platform and took out his comlink to call for transport.

“No, I'm going back in,” said Etain.

“Only if Vau calls us back.”

“Kal….”

“Only if he really needs you. Okay?”

They were still waiting for Ordo to collect them when Etain flinched and then looked back at the lobby doors.

They opened and Vau wandered out, rubbing his eyes. There was a distinctive tang of ozone clinging to him, like a discharged blaster.

“Retail zone, Quadrant B-Eighty-five,” said Vau simply. He held out his datapad with the coordinates. “But he hasn’t given me a date, if he knows one. He was supposed to drop the explosives off in the warehouse, and someone would be along to collect it. He never knew who.

Skirata sniffed the ozonic scent again and switched to Mando’a, although he was sure Etain had flinched because she had sensed what had happened. Rose walked out just as the men began to argue, quick to distract Etain.

“Gar ru kyramu kaysh, di’kut: tion’meh kaysh ru jehaati?”

Translation: “You killed him, you moron: what if he was lying?”

Vau made an irritated pfft sound “Ni ru kyarmu Niktose. Meh Orjul jehaati, kaysh kar’tayli me’ni ven kyramu kaysh.”

Translation: “I killed the Nikto. If Orjul’s lying, he knows I'll kill him. Orjul would be dead sooner or later anyway.”

No prisoners: not on this run. It was amazing how many people overlooked the inevitable while hoping for a way out.

Kal knew Etain couldn’t speak fluent Mando’a, but he was still happy Rose was there to distract Etain from picking up any of the words in the conversation that she might know. “Seriously it works wonders Etain.” Rose spoke, smiling a little at Etain. She’d definitely listen to her hair advice.

“Darling.” Walon spoke, motioning to the doors. Rose winked at Etain and walked to her husband, walking back inside with him.

Etain looked at Kal, “She’s a rude one…..but I think she likes me?” Kal chuckled, “Yeah, which means you’re lucky.” Etain frowned at that, “They’re an odd pair, but they somehow work. Just wait until you see them in action….or arguing.” Etain wasn’t sure if she wanted to see any of that.

Etain almost bolted to the speeder when Ordo settled it on the platform.

~Back inside~

Walon hugged Rose from behind, both procrastinating moving the corpse. “That girl is smart but naive. She’s too reliant on Skirata, which is never good.” Rose suddenly spoke. Vau sighed, he agreed with her.

Tags: @the-arctic-violet @crimson-dxwn @cherry-cokes-world @thealluringsink @seafoamandlilliesinthesea @leias-left-hair-bun @catsnkooks @royalhandmaidens @simping-for-fives @valkyrieofthehighfae @mxndalorians @colorfulloverbatturkey @peacefulwizardfox @ahsokatano-thetogruta @hounding-around @julyzaa @feathersforclones @chr0nicbackpain @fyrepen33 @ct7567329 @mistflyer1102

#walon vau #walon vau x original characters #verda tal rose #walon vau x verda tal rose #delta squad #walon vau’s boys #kal skirata #omega squad #The Null's #Null Arcs #Republic Commando #republic commando novels #republic commando: Triple Zero #republic commandos #republic commando game #repcomm novels #repcomm game #repcom #repcomm

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voidstilesplease · 4 years ago

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The Mission To Bring Lydia To Camp Half-Blood Because Her Demanding Poodle/Rottweiler/Hellhound Insists On It a.k.a Theo's First Quest part 1 of 2 [part 2 here]

a demigod au :)

---

"Theo,"

Stiles's voice makes the few people still puttering in cabin five turn to the source of the call. It's not surprising that Theo's siblings' initial reactions are eyebrows shotting to their hairlines, pinched faces, and warning growls at Stiles's unexpected - and rather unwelcome - presence in their territory.

The scornful behavior doesn't discourage Stiles from lifting his chin and stepping further inside. After all, Stiles has always displayed impeccable guts. It's one of the things that attracts him to Theo. And even with aggressive denials, Theo knows his cabin respects this quality from the children of Athena. Of course, it angers and provokes them first, but that's a given. After three weeks in the camp, Theo can confirm that the lot from cabin six can come as intimidating even without trying.

A loud crunching noise disturbs the quiet tension in the cabin just as Stiles takes another step. The Athena boy pauses and looks down to find his feet partially inside a bag of flaming hot Doritos, open at the center of the package like a bowl. He quickly hops off it, looking appalled. "Why do you put food on the floor?"

One of Theo's siblings sighs in annoyance as he picks up the tragedy that is his snack. He glares at Stiles, "I was doing push-ups when you came in - one chip per downward stroke. Do you know whose ass I had to kiss to get this?"

"I'd rather not," Stiles deadpans, bobbing his head soberly, then turns to Theo. With pursed lips, he announces. "I wish to talk to Theo, please."

A moment of silence follows the statement. Stiles remains in his pose, although Theo has noticed the clenching of his fists and tick of his jaw - the only indications that he is also as uncomfortable as everyone else in the room.

Finally, Fred steps away from a bunk post, crossing his arms. "I hope that wasn't a request for us to exit our own cabin, Stiles."

Stiles slides his brown eyes to him, looking slightly desperate.

Fred's head drops with a resigned sigh, "All right," the councilor lets his arms fall. He picks up a helmet and turns to Theo's siblings. "Cabin five except Theo, to the training grounds."

Grudgingly, Theo's siblings trickle out of the cabin, glowering at Stiles and muttering under their breaths. When Theo's sibling, the one who lost his chips to Stiles's foot, passes him, he sneers before going out. "You're replacing my food, smart mouth." Stiles only scowls back before giving an acknowledging nod to Fred behind him, along with an awkward murmured "Thanks."

When everyone has left, Theo walks around the large wooden table meant for war plans (but the Ares cabin utilizes as monopoly area) that is separating the two demigods, and leans his lower body against it, crossing his arms and ankles, "So," he begins, lips tugging on one side. "You accepted my invitation to come here after all, and now you got me alone in my cabin." He splayed his arms open to gesture around them. "Whatever shall we do with all the available bunk beds, son of Athena?"

Theo's grin broadens when heat quickly rises up Stiles's face, turning his pale color into a pretty deep red. Theo observes in amusement as Stiles's facial muscles contract. After a brief pause, Stiles narrows his eyes, grinding his teeth. "That's not why I'm here."

Stiles takes out a sheathed knife from the holster around his hips, and Theo shifts in alarm, picturing the accuracy of Stiles's aim. But Stiles only moves forward calmy, unsheathing the hunting knife and extending his hand to offer the weapon to Theo. Dubiously, Theo accepts and looks down to examine it.

Straightaway, Theo notices its lightness, and when he closes his fingers around its handle, he feels a low hum of power concentrating at the point of contact - a small vibration that feels as if the object is communicating with him. Theo brings it closer to run a finger to its shiny bronze blade, double-edged with slight curves and a threatening sharp tip. Unclenching his fingers, he transfers his attention to the silver handle where the engravings are a figure of an owl and the goddess Athena's name in Greek. Theo looks up to Stiles, "This bears marks of Athena."

Stiles nods. "Yes, and quite literally." Stiles unconsciously moves closer to Theo to trace the etchings on the handle. The nearness immediately steals Theo's scrutiny from the object in his hand to Stiles's face. His eyes drop to the boy's lips when Stiles starts explaining. "There is an actual Silver Drachma bound in the handle. My mother used to give these coins to her children, her chosen warriors, before the Second Giant War. As for the blade, it's celestial bronze - it easily disperses a monster's physical form back to Tartarus, but it can't hurt a mortal." Stiles looks up, and Theo meets his brown eyes. This close, he can actually see the little gray specks around the ring of Stiles's eyes - a trait that most children of Athena shares. It's fascinating. "My mother gave it to me as a present for my first quest."

Theo doesn't look away from him, "And you're giving it to me?"

"I'm lending it to you," Stiles corrects. "For your first quest."

They spend a few seconds just staring at each other before Stiles remembers himself and averts his eyes, taking a few steps back and clearing his throat.

Theo straightens, wetting his lips to point out the obvious. "This is a weapon for the children of Athena, though. What use is this to me?"

Stiles nods, rubbing his pink cheeks, choosing to lock his vision on the knife. "It is, first and foremost, a possession of Athena. But it's forged to manifest its power to any demigod who has telekinetic control over any weapon." When his statement meets dead silence, Stiles looks up to find Theo frowning in confusion. He rolls his eyes, "It means it blesses any child of War. Athena, Ares, Minerva, Mars, Bellona."

Slowly, Theo nods, considering it explains why he can feel the weapon's power under his skin. He looks down to the knife again in contemplative silence. Theo recognizes that the gesture is kind, but the timing of Stiles volunteering to come with Theo in his first quest and even lending him a weapon is suspiciously right after the boy knowing about the reason for Theo's wrath on the cyclops half-brother of the Hales.

"This is why I hesitated to tell you about the cyclops," Theo tells him, raising his head. "I don't want your pity."

A hard expression crosses Stiles's face, "This is not pity, Theo." Stiles replies. "This is an apology. For Capture the Flag, for the week of hostility following that, for all that I've said to you."

Theo shrugs casually, "I get it. You only want to protect the cyclops."

"I do," Stiles nods earnestly. "But I'm still sorry."

After another period of wordless communication where Stiles tries to convey his sincerity through an intense look, Theo laughs, dissipating the charged atmosphere. "You never thought you'd say that to a child of Ares, did you?"

Stiles scoffs, his stance relaxing. "Don't get used to it."

Theo grins, closing their distance again with a couple of steps. "So?"

Stiles's eyes shortly flicker down to Theo's lips, swallowing when he says. "So, I'll meet you in Half-Blood Hill with the hellhound in three hours - sunset, when it's safe for shadow-travel. Then, we save a demigod."

Theo's lips twitch playfully, "Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

Stiles's response is to hit him square in the chest with the knife's sheath before marching out of the cabin with a teasing edge to his smile.

~•~

#steo #steo fic #steo ficlet #demigod au #teen wolf #stiles stilinski #theo raeken #fics tag #well i struggled #but i need sleep so i won't read this again till the morning #so for the mistakes you might find i apologize in advance #im not coherent at the moment #demigodseries

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secretlysheikah · 4 years ago

Text

Man and Mongrel

Looming Shadows chapter 2

It is finally complete! This chapter gave me some troubles, but I wanted to share before I talked myself out of posting it. I really hope you all enjoy!

As always I do not claim any ownership over the Linked universe that honor belongs to @jojo56830

I am but a humble writer who lives in an angst pit.

Start here:

They were gone, just gone. Sky had sunk into the cold spring water and Wild was tossed into the portal like a rag doll and Twilight was barely aware of the world around him. All he knew was the portal, Dark and the cold spring water that soaked his clothes and helped weigh him down. Once Wild had disappeared Twilight had forced himself to his feet with an energy born from desperation.

“Where are they?!” Twilight yelled from his place in the spring. No matter how he tried to move forward on his weak legs he could barely manage two steps before he would sway and stumble. But he tried, there was nothing else he could think of to do except try. Blood still dripped from his neck where the sword had sliced him and his whole body felt little better than a lead weight. His mind was a confused jumble of skittering thoughts and mindless exhaustion. He was fueled only by the need to somehow, someway get his lost brothers back.

“Don’t worry wolf boy, I will make sure to take great care of your friends!” Dark called from his place facing the portal. He didn’t even bother to turn around and look him in the eye.

“Who knows, maybe one of them will even be alive when I’m through. One can hope right?” Dark laughed as he made to walk through the portal. Breathing heavily and without a second of thought, Twilight scooped up a rock from the spring bed below and with all the strength he could gather hurled it at Dark’s head. To his immense surprise, it connected with a crack and Dark spun to face him. Twilight stood as straight as he could and balled his fists at his side as he called upon all the rage and frustration that had built up in him over the last week.

“Bring them back,” Twilight snarled, a little breathlessly. Dark glared back in kind and cracked his neck, his glare slowly turned into a devilish smile. In the blink of an eye, Dark was standing in front of him, his hand shot forward and wrapped around his bleeding throat and began to squeeze. Twilight choked and clawed at the iron grip as he was lifted from the water. Twilight heard Time cry out his name, heard him begin his unsteady way over to them but one quick hand motion from Dark had Time crashing into the water. He heard Warriors shout as well but another gesture from Dark had Time howling in agony and suddenly there was no more sound, no more signs of movement. Twilight’s vision was beginning to fade around the edges, but he could see the pointed grin plastered all over Dark’s face.

“I know I promised myself that I’d kill you all slowly, but I’ll be damned if you aren’t making it hard to keep that promise,” Dark snarled his eyes blazing with bright red hatred. Twilight could barely draw breath, let alone speak but he made due with spitting in Dark’s face. Dark roared his displeasure and tossed him away with ease. He landed hard in the spring, his head colliding with the rocks that hid under the water, his lungs dragged in a slightly water logged breath and he coughed and gasped as black specks burst in his vision. Darkness continued to flood his vision and he drifted in the water, dazed as the world around him spun in slow motion, his limbs relaxing against his will.

As he drifted he felt his hand brush against metal, his brain turned over the thought for a moment before it clicked. It was the metal of his discarded sword, in a moment he snapped back to the present. As Twilight rose from the water he shook his aching head to clear it and he scrambled to find the handle. Just as his fingers found the hilt of the sword a foot connected with his side with enough force to bruise his ribs. He gasped in pain and he clutched at his side and tried to rise but another brutal kick sent him sprawling back into the water.

��You are really testing my patience pup.” Dark snarled as Twilight lifted himself up shakily on his elbows.

“Fuck... You,” Twilight coughed out and Dark let out a bark of laughter. He felt Dark grab at the back of his neck and he had just enough presence of mind to suck in a quick breath before he felt his head being forced under the water. He struggled against the hold only to feel the grip tighten. His lungs burned with the need to breathe and he felt his body give an involuntary spasm. He could feel himself fading quickly, felt the water replace the air in his mouth and just as he was about to take a deep breath in he was pulled out of the water. He gasped and choked as he took in desperate drags of the air around him. It tasted like metal and wet leaves but the air that filled his lungs was the loveliest thing he had ever experienced.

“What’s the matter pup, you look a little pale.” Dark cooed as he let go of his neck. Twilight fell into the water and rolled to his side, every ounce of energy spent. His lungs burned with each new intake of air and his body shook with cold and overtaxed muscles.

“Aw, come on wolf boy, where’s that defiance? That can do attitude?” Dark pouted and Twilight felt him punch his shoulder playfully. If he had the energy he would have decked him, but as it was all he could do was glare.

“Don’t give up now, you really had me on the ropes,” Dark’s voice was full of false encouragement, like he was trying to build up his confidence again. Twilight swallowed painfully and he felt more coughs rack his body as he expelled some of the water that had made its way into his lungs. Dark chuckled lightly as if laughing at the silly antics of a child, it made Twilight’s burn with an imputant rage. Dark stretched a lazy hand toward him again but stopped when an arrow zipped past his fingertips and buried itself between him and Twilight.

“Touch him again, I dare you,” Warriors shouted, eyes blazing with so much anger that Twilight was sure that if looks could kill, Dark would be a smoldering pile of ash. Warriors stood in the ankle deep water, his narrow frame poised protectively in front of the collapsed heroes on the sandy bank. His arm was raised, bow in hand and another arrow nocked and ready to fire.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Dark asked, his voice dripping with contempt as he stood from his place next to Twilight. Warriors snarled and drew the arrow back just a bit farther. Dark took a half step forward having seemingly lost interest in Twilight all together.

“Leave this place now shadow, or else I will skewer you with arrows,” Warriors commanded, and Twilight could see the barest tremble in his hand that held the bow.

“Come now, you aren’t even going to demand I bring your little friends back?” Dark groused and put his hands on his hips.

“Why bother, we all know you consider this whole thing to be a game. You must think it entertaining, you bastard,” Warriors spat and Twilight noticed that the slight tremble was starting to grow more noticeable.

“Not as stupid as you look.” Dark said as he gave a light stretch and a smile. Twilight thought his tone almost sounded bored if it wasn’t for the undercurrent of excited energy that colored his voice. “I should be on my way, I have left my guests alone for far too long as it is.” He finished and he began to stroll forward easily. Twilight felt his soul freeze over. No, he couldn’t leave, not now. With a superhuman effort, Twilight worked to get his tired body to obey his will.

“No, Wars, don’t let him leave!” Twilight cried from his place in the water and he clawed desperately at the stones beneath him. His heart raced in panic, the only link connecting them to the others was standing right in front of him and they couldn't just let him leave.

“Be quiet Twi,” Warriors hissed, his eyes never leaving Dark. Dark for his part seemed to be enjoying the attention.

“Wars, please, that bastard is our only chance to get Sky and Wild back,” Twilight pleaded but Warriors face only hardened more.

“Enough! Stop begging like a dog, it’s what he wants,” Warriors spat and Twilight recoiled, stung by the rebuke. Warriors refused to look his way and Dark laughed openly at the exchange.

“So callous! I expected something better coming from a captain of the royal guard.” Dark’s voice had a trill of amusement winding through his words.

“Leave now, I will not give you another chance.” Warriors sneered, openly ignoring the jab that had been sent his way.

A bright defiance filled Twilight’s heart and he worked all the more to get his feet under him but it was no use. He was too weak from the near drowning and from whatever poison Dark had cursed them all with. Dark didn’t say anything, just gave a little bow to Warriors before he walked off towards the portal. Twilight just managed to get to his knees when Dark reached the portal, turned and addressed them all.

“It has truly been a pleasure, I can’t wait to see you all again, very, very soon. I’ll send your regards to your friends. Ta for now!” And with one last jaunty wave and a wink towards Twilight he stepped backwards into the portal and both man and doorway disappeared.

******

Once the doorway disappeared Warriors dropped his arm, relaxed his tense grip on his bow and sucked in a deep breath of the metal tinged air. He didn’t want to admit it but he was glad that the shadowy bastard was gone. At that thought Warriors felt guilt tingle at the edge of his heart. That bastard had turned Sky against them, had toyed with and then kidnapped Wild and he had just let him go, and he was glad? Warriors forced the thought away, it wasn’t helpful to their current situation. Rising above the silence left behind by Dark’s exit, Warriors heard a soft, half choked voice rise from the spring just in front of him.

“Wars, how could you?” Twilight whispered from his place in the water. Warriors couldn’t look his way, couldn’t face the pain and betrayal that laid there. He felt himself shutting down, locking away his emotions until later when he had time and quiet. The group didn’t need emotions, they needed a direction and a new plan. Slipping easily into command mode he turned away from Twilight and addressed Four who was in the process of standing.

“Are you able to help the others into the spring?” Warriors asked tersely and at Four’s slow nod Warriors put away his bow and strode over to Wind who still hadn’t moved. He squatted down next to the boy and brushed his bangs away from his face. His eyelids twitched as he slept and Warriors didn’t want to think about what dreams Dark had forced on him. In one smooth motion he scooped up Wind and walked back into the cold spring water. He heard stumbling footsteps behind him but he didn’t turn around.

Warriors could feel Twilight’s hard gaze on him but he didn’t acknowledge the glare. Instead he walked Wind over to Time and knelt down. Time looked rough, his breathing was labored and he was shaking hard enough that small ripples formed in the water around him. Warriors wasn’t sure if that was due to the cold water or from pain but either option had him grinding his teeth. This shouldn’t have happened and Warriors felt the cold shard in his heart grow.

“Time, can you hold him for me? I need to help the others into the spring,” Warriors whispered as he swallowed back his hateful thoughts. Time took a steadying breath and sat down fully in the water, holding out his arms expectantly. Warriors hesitated for a moment before he carefully handed Wind over, keeping hold of him until he was sure Time had a proper grasp on him. When Wind settled in Time’s arms and came fully into contact with the cold spring water he gasped and jerked awake.

“Oh, ah, what... What the fuck,” Wind muttered as he grabbed at the sides of his head and curled in on himself.

“Language,” Time sighed softly but there wasn’t any real rebuke behind it. He just sounded tired and sad.

“How do you feel?” Warriors asked carefully and Wind cracked an eye open and gave him a flat look.

“Like sunshine and ocean spray, what do you think?” Wind said with so much sarcasm and spite that Warriors couldn’t help but be impressed that he was able to muster the energy for it.

“Good to know kid, I’ll be right back,” Warriors said with a forced laugh as he ruffled Wind’s hair. Wind grimaced and batted at Warrior’s hand irritably as he made to sit up but fell back against Time with a moan. Four and Hyrule came splashing up next to them shortly after and they both landed in the water with weary sighs, clearly spent.

Warriors bit back his grimace, and forced his face into a stoic calm as he splashed over to where Legend was struggling to stand on the sandy beach. Once he was close enough he grabbed Legend’s arm and helped him stumble his way into the water. Their progress was slow and Warriors could see just how much Legend was struggling. Even with his support Legend seemed to stumble over every stone. His thin frame shuddered with the effort to stay standing and his breathing was distressingly labored. It would seem that the Vet had gotten a larger dose of magic than the others. Warriors grimaced to himself as he puzzled out why that would be.

He supposed It made sense in a way, considering Legend had acted as the main healer for Wild, he had a lot of contact with that tar. It was a devilish plan, aim for the healers while also weakening and ultimately destroying the group when the healers are down and out? It was damn clever, and thinking about it, it’s a plan he would have considered using as well if he was in Dark’s shoes. Warriors footsteps faltered slightly as they walked, a bad taste filled his mouth as he realized he was in some odd way congratulating Dark on his plan. Warriors ground his teeth, he hated himself for even thinking that way. At the very least he should have seen this coming, he should have guessed that Dark would have no qualms about using a tactic as barbaric as this. He shook his head, poisoned pawn indeed.

His mind worked ceaselessly as he and Legend hobbled through the deepening water and finally made it to the small group. Twilight had finally stumbled over to the group as well, he was bloodied and soaking wet and looking absolutely furious. Warriors lowered Legend into the chilly water as gently as he could before he straightened and faced Twilight, readying himself for the blow up.

“You let him go,” Twilight accused, emphasizing the words with sharp jabs of his finger towards Warrior’s chest.

“And what should I have done? Fight him? Gotten hurt in the process then let him leave? Please tell me, I’m curious” Warriors steamed as he clenched his fists at his sides.

“You could have tried to stop him! You could have...” Twilight cried out and Warriors snorted loudly, interrupting the tirade.

“Okay, lets say I could have stopped that crazy fuck? Then what?” Warriors shouted and it took all his will power not to shake Twilight. He drew himself back a step and pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few steadying breaths before continuing.

“I would have had to have somehow over power him, tie him up and then somehow keep him in line while also giving you all the time to heal up. All this is in the vague hope that I would also have been able to somehow get him to comply with our demands,” Warriors said, feeling exasperated and frustrated. Frustrated with Twilight and his refusal to think logically, frustrated at Dark, at himself for not being able to do more. After a steadying breath he lifted his eyes to look at Twilight, he could see the pain that was swirling in his tired cobalt blue eyes.

There was silence for a beat as they locked eyes and he waited for Twilight’s response. He had expected more yelling, or maybe even stony silence but what he wasn’t expecting was Twilight to suddenly lurch forward and take a swing at him. It was clumsy and slow and clearly not well thought out. Warriors blamed the poison he had been exposed as well as the stress of the past hour, but that didn’t mean he was going to take the blow sitting down. Warriors shifted his weight and easily knocked Twilight’s arm to the side before grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm up and behind his back. Twilight struggled in his grasp but Warriors didn’t let up, he wrapped his free arm across Twilight’s chest and held him close.

“Stop, just stop Twi,” Warriors growled deep in his throat. He really didn’t want to hurt him but Twilight continued to struggle. Warriors grimaced and hiked Twilight’s arm higher up, forcing him to stop squirming.

“Listen to me Twi, I know you’re hurting but I will not hesitate to knock you flat on your ass, you need to calm down.” Warriors said as calmly as he could manage. Twilight was still trying to struggle but it was a failing endeavor. He was just on the edge of gasping for air and Warriors could feel the way his constant struggling was weakening as the seconds ticked by.

“As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not good enough to single handedly fight, capture and force a psychopath to follow our demands,” Warriors said furiously when after another minute of silence only offered more stubborn struggling.

“Let me go,” Twilight said in a breathless hiss and even though Warriors knew he wouldn’t be able to see it he shook his head.

“Not a chance, not until you calm down,” Warriors said, his voice came out in a desperate whisper as he continued to hold Twilight close. After another few seconds of struggling Twilight gave a howl of rage that quickly dissolved into a choked sob. Warriors felt Twilight’s legs finally give out and he had to adjust his grip in order not to drop Twilight into the water.

In one quick motion he spun him around and encircled him into a tight embrace. Twilight made no move to reciprocate the hug but Warriors didn’t mind. He could feel Twilight holding back his misery and Warriors felt woefully unqualified to offer any sort of emotional support. In war you had little time to process anything, let alone emotions when in the midst of battle. Even after the battle was done and he was back at camp he often would disappear into his tent safely out of view of his troops so he could process the day in peace. When you were looked up to lead it didn’t do anyone any good to see you crack.

So when he joined up with this little band of heroes from the past and future alike he found he had little experience in comforting others. He would often leave that up to Sky or Hyrule but given that Sky was now gone and Hyrule was barely conscious and unable to help, Warriors was on his own. He felt distinctly out of his element and he silently cursed himself for having the emotional awareness of a potato. All he could think to do was squeeze Twilight a little tighter and hoped it would be enough for now.

“Come on soldier, let's sit down,” He whispered quietly into Twilight’s ear and he could feel the barest nod against his shoulder. Carefully he lowered them both into the spring and he felt a shiver run through his bones. The day was coming to an end and the spring was bathed in the last dregs of golden twilight. He could feel the air around them growing cold and he hoped they didn’t have to wait too long in the quickly chilling water. Still Twilight said nothing and when Warriors pulled away from the embrace to look at his face all he could see were dull blue eyes. Twilight it appeared had shut down and that worried him. He had seen it happen in war before and the outcome was rarely good.

“How long do we have to sit here?” Came a shaky voice from just behind him and Warriors turned to see Wind sitting next to Time, his teeth were beginning to chatter. Stealing himself he turned his attention back to Twilight.

“You know this spring better than any of us, how does it work?” He asked and was met with a dead eye stare and a slow blink. He paused and tried again.

“Do we have to pray? Do we just sit here and wait? What do we do?” Warriors persisted and when he still got no reply he felt his temper running short.

“Come on! Snap out of it! We need this spring to heal and you’re the only one who knows how to use it. Please we can’t sit here all night.” Warriors said and he gave Twilight a little shake for emphasis.

“He’s right pup, you’ve got to come back to us,” Time ventured cautiously and Twilight sighed and closed his eyes. A visible shudder racked his frame and he slouched ever so slightly before opening his eyes once again to stare at his own rippling reflection in the water. Warriors thought his eyes still seemed faded and dulled but now there was something sharp, mean even, in the glare that Twilight gave himself.

“They’re gone, and I allowed the one person who could bring them back to escape. I might as well have just tossed them through that portal myself,” Twilight whispered bitterly as he bowed his head and prodded at the edges of the slice on his throat.

That quiet whisper was so full of pain and self-reproach that he felt himself flinch slightly. Warriors didn’t know how to even begin to respond to Twilight’s comment. Anything he could have offered to him now would best case scenario be ignored outright, or worst case scenario get him a punch to the mouth. He looked to the others to see if they had anything to offer but it was apparent they hadn’t heard exactly what was said. Warriors leaned in close, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I promise, we will get them back. But we need to heal, rest and regroup first. Just...” Warriors started but he didn’t know how to continue. He had given more than his fair share of rousing speeches to embolden his troops when the going got tough, but this was different. He wasn’t trying to convince a battalion, this was his brother. His brother, who was clearly struggling and hurting in a way that he couldn’t even properly express and Warriors didn’t have the slightest clue how to proceed. He didn’t know how to convince a broken man to keep on moving.

“Just one step at a time,” Warriors whispered imploringly, and squeezed his shoulder ever so slightly. There was a moment when he thought Twilight had just ignored him once again. He hadn’t made a move to acknowledge his words, so he was shocked when Twilight met his gaze. Warriors could see something new sparking in his eyes and Warriors wasn’t sure if he entirely liked that spark. Twilight gave Warriors a tight nod before he slowly got to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Warriors asked as Twilight wobbled slightly.

“I’m going to ask for some help,” Twilight said in a monotone, before squaring his shoulders and walking deeper into the spring without another look back.

********

The air was indeed growing chill as the night crept in around them but Twilight still felt numb and empty. The water grew colder the further into the spring he went but he paid it no mind, it didn’t matter. He could feel eyes on his back, knew they were watching him closely but even that knowledge couldn’t shake the numbness. One step and then the next and before he knew it he felt the thrum of magic at the heart of the spring rumbling through his boots.

Head bowed, he waited for the spirit of the spring. During his adventure he often would call upon the spirit of the spring for advice or help. But after his quest had ended, the spirit appeared less and less and oftentimes not at all.

Honestly he was surprised that it had manifested enough to heal Wild at all. Twilight swallowed hard as he remembered how the black smoke poured out from his protégé and his subsequent collapse into the water. He stopped himself before he could tread back over the events immediately afterwards, he couldn’t bear to look at his own failure again just then.

He watched the water darken with the fading light. The spring seemed lifeless in a way, cold and dead, and his mind pondered the fate of the spirit that resided there. Would it fade into oblivion, or was it merely sleeping? But that was a question to ponder another day. He gave himself a light shake and rolled his shoulders before he spoke quietly into the open air.

“Ordona, can you hear me?” Twilight ventured timidly, as he waited for a response he feared would never come. The wind whistled through the trees, leaves broke away and landed in the water around him. He could hear the other’s shifting in the water behind him. It took a few minutes for the response to whisper through the air and he was both relieved and terrified in equal measures.

“Little hero, you have seen better days,” Came a gentle voice from all around him. He didn’t lift his head, he couldn’t even bring himself to respond. His heart gave a painful beat and he had to swallow down the lump that formed in his throat.

“I apologize for today’s events. Truly if I had had another choice I would not have bothered you then or even now for that matter,” Twilight said thickly, his throat felt raw and tight.

“Why do you apologize? Your calls for help are not a bother. Nor did you have control over the actions of the shadow and his conniving plans,” Ordona’s voice placated gently and Twilight wanted to recoil at the gentle tone. He did nothing to earn their patience, their kindness. There was a weight in the air around him and he felt a pressure building softly all around him. It was gentle and warm and oddly comforting, like a hug.

“You place too much weight on your own shoulders, you are not responsible for the actions of others, and I hold no ill will towards you or the other heroes,” Ordona soothed and Twilight could feel hot tears streak down his cold cheeks. He didn’t deserve this kindness, he didn’t...

“That will be enough of that, little hero.” The voice interrupted his downward spiral with ease. Twilight took in a shuddering breath as he tried to bring himself back to the spring, instead of throwing himself down a rabbit hole of despair. He dug his fingernails into his palm in order to ground himself back in the present. The pressure around him built just a little more and he felt himself calm slightly.

“Do not lose heart and do not allow your courage to falter for you and your fellows are stronger than you realize.” Twilight lifted his head at that last statement but made no move to interject. He could feel the tingle of magic filtering in from all around him. There was a pale glow in the water around him just as it had done for Wild, but it was noticeably dimmer than before.

“I may not be as powerful as I was, but I shall heal you and your fellows to the best of my abilities,” Ordona’s voice became a whisper on the wind. All Twilight could manage was a weak ‘thank you’ as he felt the warm glow of healing magic gently wash away whatever poison lingered in his veins.

“I am here whenever you are in need.”

And just like that the spirit of the spring was gone, and the group was left alone in the dying light of day with only the whisper of wind to fill the air around them. Twilight turned around slowly and he felt the world spin causing him to catch himself as he stumbled. He was so incredibly tired and sore, and he supposed it was a mixture of stubbornness and spite that kept him on his feet at this point. He could see the glow in the water around the others, they all had their eyes closed as they each received the divine healing Ordona gifted to them. Warriors looked over from his place next to Legend, as he helped him stay in a sitting position. Twilight held his gaze and offered a small nod which Warriors returned stiffly before he turned his gaze back on to Legend. Twilight sloshed his way back over to the group at large, taking care not to slip on the slick rocks under foot.

“How are they?” He asked Warriors as the healing light began to fade. The others looked about the same as before but he did notice that some tension had bled away from all of them. Warriors opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Legend.

“I feel like I’ve fallen off a cliff,” Legend slurred from his place in the water as he opened one eye to look around him. When he noticed who was supporting him he made an effort to sit up on his own, before he paused and flopped back onto Warriors, thinking better of his choice to move. Warriors lifted an eyebrow towards Twilight and he offered a small shrug in return.

“Well how about the rest of you?” Warriors called out and received varying replies claiming the same thing. They felt beat up and tired but otherwise better than before. Twilight supposed it could have been worse.

“What about you Twi?” Warriors asked, his crystal blue eyes searching Twilight’s own cobalt blues as he waited for his response. Truthfully, he felt like he could sleep for about a week straight if he had the chance, and he knew that in the morning he was probably going to feel a more prominent ache. But that was something for him to deal with later, the others were more important.

“I feel fine, I’ll be fine,” He answered blandly and Warriors offered him a squint in response. It was clear he wasn’t buying it but it seemed like he wasn’t going to call him out for his lie either.

“Is everyone okay to move?” Twilight asked tiredly and was met with a chorus of equally tired nods and groans in affirmation.

“Perfect, let’s get out of the water before we all freeze,” He said, rubbing his hands together to regain some of the heat he had lost.

“Good idea, I can start a fire and if we find a relatively safe spot we can all rest without...” Warriors began but Twilight was already shaking his head. A low tired chuckle worked its way free from his throat.

“I have a better idea, follow me.” He said as he bent down and helped Four to his feet. Twilight shot Warriors a glance from the corner of his eye as he moved on to help Hyrule to his feet. Warriors had a skeptical look plastered across his fine features and Twilight fought down a stab of annoyance that bloomed his chest.

It took a few minutes to get everyone on their feet and moving away from the spring and down the road. Before heading off on their way Twilight took stock of the group. By far the ones the worst for wear were their healers Legend and Hyrule. They both looked dead on their feet and Twilight worried they wouldn’t make it the short trip down the road. He apparently wasn’t alone in his assessment because Warriors took one look at them and shook his head.

“Alright, I’m going to carry one of you. Who will it be?” Warriors asked with a steely look in his eye. Legend raised a brow and jerked his thumb towards Hyrule.

“Take ‘Rule, he needs it more than me, I can manage,” Legend said pointedly ignoring the glare Hyrule sent his way. Warriors nodded and knelt down in front of Hyrule and waited for him to climb on his back. Twilight nodded easily and moved to stand in front of Legend.

“Come on Legend, you’re up,” He said and Legend balked.

“I’ll be just fine, I’m not a child,” He sneered and Twilight leveled a stern look at him. Without another word he gently poked Legend and watched as he stumbled and nearly fell.

“Yeah, just fine. Quit being an obstinate ass and let me help you.” Twilight snapped and after a few more minutes of tired arguing Twilight was hefting Legend up on his back. Once everyone was situated comfortably Twilight lit his lantern and took the lead as he led them down the pathway.

It was only a matter of about ten minutes of walking to get to their destination. Nestled amongst the trees of the clearing was the treehouse Twilight called home. A wave of nostalgia crashed over him at the sight as he looked at the roughly carved wood of the ladder. Memories floated in and out of head as he took in the sight of his home. He remembered when he had to fix some of the rungs on the ladder after one of the kids had used it as a springboard of sorts and broke it. He shook his head as more memories flitted around his tired thoughts and began walking towards the ladder.

As they approached Twilight had the ridiculous feeling of self-consciousness settle on his shoulders. He had left in a hurry and he didn’t quite remember how he had left the place. He hoped it wasn’t too messy. It had been months since he’s been home and he was both excited and nervous at the same time. Once they reached the base of the tree he turned to face the group.

“Welcome to my home, it’s small, but there should be enough room for everyone,” Twilight said as he hung his lantern on a hook next to the ladder. Its light was enough to illuminate the rungs before them. Time eyed the ladder carefully as if he was worried about it supporting their weight. Twilight caught his eye and offered a wan smile. Time offered his own encouraging smile and gestured for him to lead the way. He nodded and jostled Legend to get his attention.

“Alright, I’m going to climb up, make sure you have a grip,” Twilight warned as he faced the ladder. He waited a moment and heard a tired sigh from Legend and the distinct feeling of hands being buried in the pelt on his back.

Twilight made quick work of the ladder and pushed the door open to the darkened room. The hinges gave a low moan as if they too were tired. The house smelled lightly of dust and earth and the floorboards creaked with each step. Twilight walked over to a chair covered in blankets and as gently as he could dropped Legend onto the plush surface. Legend gave a light sneeze as dust puffed out from his landing but made no other comment. Twilight grimaced but forced the urge to clean to the back of his mind. He could hear the others making their slow way up the ladder and he wanted to get the fire started.

He walked through the darkened house with ease and grabbed some wood from next to the fireplace and struck a match. The fire was slow to build and he nursed it as he called out for the others to make themselves at home. He could hear the others as they fanned out through the dimly lit bottom floor of the house. Someone collided with the edge of the table just behind him and he snickered as that was followed by a string of curses. He forced his amusement down but didn’t bother to turn around, instead he gave instructions on where to find more blankets and to where the pantry was.

After about ten minutes the room was filled with light and warmth and various sleeping spaces were set up all over the floor. When Twilight was satisfied that everyone had changed clothes, had some food and were resting comfortably he gathered up all the wet clothes and hung them up to dry by the fire.

“Twi, come and rest. You look like you’re about ten seconds away from collapsing,” Four called out to him from underneath a pile of spare pelts one of them had found in an old chest in the basement. Twilight offered him a smile and a little shake of his head.

“I’m fine, I just want to get some fresh air before it gets too late,” He said easily and Four gave him a quick once over before he nodded and laid down. Everyone seemed to be in different states of rest and sleep. Legend hadn’t moved from the chair that he had dropped him in when they first arrived. Hyrule had somehow managed to squeeze himself next to Legend on the chair, and then someone, Time probably, had draped a thick blanket over them both. They were sleeping peacefully, Legend had an arm thrown over Hyrule’s shoulder and Hyrule was curled up as best he could with the space provided.

Time was slumped over where he leaned against the wall nearest the fireplace, arms crossed over his chest and head leaned up against the wall. His slow breaths ruffled the hair that fell over his face. Twilight walked over quietly and laid a thick blanket across his mentor’s shoulders and surreptitiously checked his forehead for any signs of fever. Time had spent a fair amount of time in the water and Twilight wouldn’t be surprised if he fell ill. Hell if Time did get sick, he would probably go on to deny it too. Twilight didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry at that thought, he couldn’t bear it if one of them got sick on top of everything else that was happening.

He turned to face the room again and scanned it finding the dark corner where Wind and Warriors were laying against a small pile of blankets. Wind was wrapped up in the Captain’s scarf and breathing steadily, the occasional twitch signaling that he was dreaming. He couldn’t see the Captain’s face, but judging on his body language it appeared that he too was fast asleep. Twilight let out a small huff of relief and very carefully slipped out of the tree house.

He didn’t go far, just a little ways out into the woods where he could see the light of familiar stars above him. The forest around him was quiet, the only sounds were his feet crunching of leaves, small rocks, the splash of water as he trod through puddles and the hoot of an owl. Before too long he found a place to rest and he sat down gratefully. The fallen log wasn’t the most comfortable place to rest but he didn’t much care just then. He just wanted to be left alone, just for an hour and then he would go back.

He leaned down resting his upper body on the tops of his legs and let his head dangle. He was tired, so very tired but he felt like he couldn’t rest. His brain while feeling empty and numb was also a buzzing bee’s nest. However there was no variety in his thoughts just the same loop on repeat. No time to waste, find and destroy Dark, get the other two back, better hurry. He stared blankly at a puddle at his feet, the dark water reflected the stars above and he watched them flicker and spark in endless twinkling.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that but he was sure it wasn’t an hour when he heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming his way. He sighed, he probably should be concerned but at that point he almost wished a bokoblin would show up just so he had something else to focus on rather than the endless looping thoughts.

“So this is where you disappeared to,”

Twilight tilted his head to the side to look at the newcomer with bleary eyes. It took a moment but it didn’t take long for the slender figure standing before him coalesce into a bedraggled Warriors. Twilight eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. His hair was mussed, shirt rumpled and missing his blue scarf as well as looking as exhausted as Twilight felt.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Warriors asked as he rubbed at his eyes. Twilight just offered him a snort in response before letting his head fall forward again to resume staring blankly at the puddle between his feet.

“So what, you’re just going to sit out here and mope?” Warriors pressed, his voice holding a forced levity that rubbed against Twilight’s frayed nerves. He could feel Warriors weight settle on the log next to him. A tiny bubble of anger threatened to burst in his chest and he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

“What can I say I have a lot on my plate,” He said bitterly, he could feel Warriors stare on his back but he refused to lift his eyes.

“You aren’t alone you know,” Warriors said softly and Twilight balled his fists in his pants.

“Could have fooled me,” Twilight muttered, his stare so intense he was surprised that the puddle hadn’t boiled away.

“That’s not fair Twilight,” Warriors said reproachfully “We did our best, there wasn’t much for us to do. We will get them back. Honestly what is the matter with you?” He asked and Twilight sat up fully and finally turned his way. He desperately wanted to snap and yell at him, but one look at Warriors tired eyes stopped him. He took a steadying breath and focused on keeping himself calm.

“I’m sorry, I guess I’m feeling, Goddess I don’t even know,” He sighed and put his head in his hands.

“I guess it’s like I’m a dog worrying away at a bone...” Twilight said, feeling as Warriors shifted uncomfortably next to him. Twilight couldn’t look his way, a strange mix of anger and sadness pulled at his thoughts and he just wanted to be alone.

“I need to apologize to you Twilight. I should have never addressed you like that,” Warriors said as he too leaned forward on his elbows and stared out into the forest. Twilight felt an odd sense of surprise at the apology, he never thought he would get one. They didn’t speak for a little while, the only noise that filled the space between them was the wind whistling softly through the trees.

“You know, I don’t make it a habit of telling people what I can do.” Twilight said softly, lifting his head so he could rest his chin on his hands. Warriors said nothing as he waited for Twilight to continue.

“The few people that have found out, either through the grapevine or rumors or what have you, have without fail have made subtle jokes about me being nothing better than a dog.” Twilight began emotionlessly. He could feel Warriors turning to look his way, but he didn’t want to look at him. Instead he continued.

“Some have openly called me a mongrel. Hell, I’ve even had rocks thrown at me.” He paused for a moment when he heard Warriors soft exclamations of anger but only shook his head.

“Don’t hold it against them, they associate me with a beast, a mindless killer that decimates livestock and makes their lives difficult.” Twilight said softly.

“That doesn’t make it right,” Warriors continued hotly and Twilight could only nod slowly.

“No it doesn’t, but I have come to terms with it.Sure I feel free when I allow myself to transform, but I tell no one about it if I can help it. This ability of mine, it is my burden to bear alone. Or it was until I met this little band of misfits.” He said with a sad little chuckle.

He glanced over at Warriors and noticed that he was biting his lip. He could see Warriors running through the early months of their adventure where he would disappear on ‘patrols’ only to have a wolf wander into camp, and watch until he would ‘return’ from his ‘patrol’. It had taken a lot of courage and a nip of alcohol, but eventually he had finally come clean about his ability. Twilight remembered how he couldn’t meet eyes with anyone in the group for days. Now with this new information out in the open it was clear that Warriors understood why now. Twilight’s throat felt dry and he swallowed roughly but found he couldn’t continue.

“I’m sorry, I truly am. If I had known, what you’ve been through… Well, I just hope you can forgive me for my poor word choice. I also hope you understand that I will do everything in my power to get our brothers back. I wish there could have been more I could have done, but, I...” Warriors started but Twilight leaned back and gently clapped him on his shoulder, stopping him mid sentence.

“I do forgive you, it’s not like you guys were aware of that particular part of my history. And I hope you can forgive me for acting poorly. They’re my brothers, but they are your brothers as well. I shouldn’t have insinuated that you stood idly by,” Twilight said with a soft smile that slowly morphed into a little grimace.

“I also shouldn’t have tried to punch you in the face, I’m sorry about that too,” He finished lamely as he coughed lightly into his hand. Warriors couldn’t hide the small smile that turned the corners of his mouth up.

“We will get them back, but first we need to rest. You especially Twi,” Warriors said firmly, his hand coming to rest on Twilight’s back. He felt himself sag forward slightly, Warriors was right. He felt completely drained and he would be lying if he said sleeping in his own bed didn’t sound nice. His eyes drifted to the puddle again and he watched the starlight flicker and dance.

He watched curiously as he saw something shift in the water. He squinted and he thought he could see a faint outline of a silhouette deep in its depths. He leaned closer to get a better look but just as he thought he could make out a flash of bright blue eyes, ripples suddenly burst across the surface of the puddle and obscured the image. Twilight pulled himself to his feet before he knelt next to the puddle and waited for the ripples to subside. Warriors made noises of curiosity but Twilight waved him off. After a minute the ripples finally calmed but all he could see in the still water was twinkling stars.

“Twi, are you okay?” Warriors asked tentatively as Twilight slowly got to his feet. He wasn’t sure himself to be honest. He wasn’t sure what he had just seen was his mind playing tricks, or if, somehow, he had just seen cub in the puddle. Twilight shook his head, he must have been seeing things, but still the thought lingered.

“I’m fine, I just thought I saw... I don’t know, I must be more tired than I thought.” Twilight said dismissively. Warriors gave him a skeptical look but slowly nodded his head.

“Alright, how about we head back to your house. I think it’s time for us to get some rest,” Warriors said with a yawn. Twilight offered his own yawn and nodded as he stumbled forward slowly. Warriors wrapped his arm around his shoulders and together they made their slow way back to the others who were slumbering peacefully back at the house.

#the sheikah writes #Looming shadows #tower troubles #linked universe #twilight linked universe #warriors linked universe #loz #fanfic #linked universe fanfic #dark link #dink #the linked universe #angst #linked universe angst

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hollyhomburg · 5 years ago

Note

so y/n can’t conceive anymore in empireverse? how sadddd 😭😭😭

i never said she couldn’t conceive- only that she hasn’t had her heat yet. her heat is connected to her omega- as is her inability to speak- the mental blockage caused by her trauma and the fact that she hasn’t fully healed yet. once she reconnects with her omega- she’ll be able to conceive again.

let me remind you that omegas can’t shift in this au- or at least- they shouldn't be able to. (Also tw: for more implied assault, sexual language, violence, and gore, also murder? but like- y’all will be glad abt it)

I think it’s like a good day for you when it happens- you’ve recently taken to exploring out into the outer compound- tired of being in the same gardens as always. and it’s not like it should be dangerous, because you’re just walking with Jimin through the taller older trees when you happen upon them- they’re the sons of some royal family, not too high up in the social ladder of the city but not far off either. they’re the kind of boisterous Alphas that take first and ask questions later, their status only making them more inclined to do so- because which omegas could say no to them.

the second they see you and jimin they start whistling and saying explicit things that would make most omegas blush. jimin pulls you closer- and tries to ignore them. but when they pass they step in front of you to stop both of you on the woody path- wondering where you’d be going- surely two omegas in the royal compound didn’t have anything better to do than entertain a few high alphas. “you should be honored- pretty things like yourselves” jimin slaps his hand away, “let us pass- or- or I’m warning you”

jimin tries to bow out- tries to bring attention to his priestesses gear but that only makes things worse- then they’re gearing- talking about how jimin should let them show him how a knot feels like- they swear the experience is heavenly- they swear he’d turn into a stupid cum slut the second he had a taste of alpha cum. one of them tries to grab you- and you look up at jimin so scared- and jimin sees red- steps up toe to toe with the alpha and snarls, shoving you behind him- using his body as a sheild between you and the alphas.

because jimin- jimin knows he can survive whatever they could do to him- but you- he knows you’ll never come back if they carry through on their vulgar threats.

he’s deathly calm when he whispers, “I need you to run okay? go back and get the others and make sure you’re safe before they come and find me alright?” Jimin hears you turn, hears the crinkle of leaves as you dash through the woods. one of the alphas snarls “always did like a chase” and tries to run after you but jimin elbows him in the stomach sending him sprawling. The others regroup as he wields his hidden dagger, a tiny thing- ceremonial and dotted with sapphires- but it will have to do- holding it out in front of him to defend himself as the alphas circle him. “you bitch- you’ll pay for that-”

jimin swipes with the dagger- misses, and takes one hit to the stomach before he finds himself sprawled in the autumn leaves, heaving for breath, the wind knocked out of him. He’s scrambling back, the alphas stalking towards him and yanking him closer by his ankle when he hears the sound- a growl that seems to shake the forest floor.

Jimin looks up and his blood runs cold,

The wolf in front of him must be an alpha- there is no other reason for their size. only the strongest betas and alphas can shift- the larger the wolf the more deadly. jimin has only seen namjoon shift once- and even this wolf with it’s white fur wirey and matted with blood- seems larger than the leader of the empire.

The wolf dwarves even some of the trees, rising taller than Jimin's head when he stands. whats more is that it looks mauled- great rents torn in its side. scars lacing over its muzzle. it’s underbelly look like it was shredded at one point- now scared over. it’s missing part of its tail, a black and bloody cavern where one of its eyes should be. Some of its wounds even seem fresh- spilling black blood onto the forest floor.

the wolf shouldn’t even be able to stand with how injured it is- and yet- it growls, and Jimin sees his assailant's faces go pale. One of them tries to take a step backward, and the massive wolf zeroes in on its first prey- pouncing- leaping clean over Jimin who tucks his head and hides in the leaves, keeping one eye open on the carnage.

The wolf bites the head of one of the alphas clean off- felling the other with a quick lunge breaking his spine with a crack and the third- barely gets his knife out- managing to slash once at the wolves face before he’s being shaken like a rag doll in its maw- sending blood splattering everywhere- even over jimin, The warm liquid hitting his face. Only then- only after that does the wolf turn its eyes on jimin, eyes full of furry, chest heaving, panting into the open air.

Jimin starts to hear feet running through the woods and thanks to his lucky stars- you’d made it to safety because the others are coming- Jungkook and his elite assassins can’t help but make noise walking through the leafy forest floor.

The wolf might be bearing down- about to kill him but he knows at least- you’re safe, and an eerie calm hovers over him as the wolf walks close- and jimin closes his eyes- feeling peace settles over him- because at least he’d saved you- even if he’d never been able to tell you how he feels- he’d saved you from this. He waits for the flash of pain, taking in a final breath, the wind whips his robes- carrying Jungkook, Yoongi’s, and Namjoon’s sent on the wind, as the men shout when they see the wolf, swords drawn

but also your scent- it’s so strong- it’s almost like you’d never left.

jimin opens his eyes, and the massive wolf is face to face with him. it licks at his face gently, letting out a low whine, cleaning him of the blood. wet nose nudging his cheek, “Jimin” it’s Jungkook’s voice, “I need you to back up very very slowly okay?” Jimin can see in his periphery- one of his assassins cocking an arrow in his crossbow. “don’t shoot- Jungkook it’s- it’s” you look up- making eye contact with your pack, it’s Yoongi’s voice that punctures the silence, half worry and half disbelief

“Y/n!?”

and in the next breath, you're shifting with a pained whimper, bones, and tendons cracking, more blood spilling onto the forest floor with the force of the shift. jimin is surprised there isn’t more on your clothes when you finally fall forward into Jimin’s arms, he rises despite the pain in his side to catch you. his hands are urgent- little sobs hurling out of his lungs as his hands search in your blood-stained clothes- only to find not a single wound on your body- all except for a small scratch on your cheek.

his body sagging over yours when he realized- you’re not mortally wounded- not like your wolf- that could only have been your omega and now- now that he’s seen your omega face to face- he can’t imagine how you survived your trauma if that's what your soul looks like.

he teeters- unsteady, and namjoon rushes forward to catch you both.

it’s only namjoons hand on the back of his neck shouting jimins name has him looking away from you, the alphas crowding around both of you clinging to each other- “Jimin- are you hurt? did they hurt you anywhere?” and then jimin is shaking his head, tears spilling over his cheeks, his limbs shaking,

“yes- they just- they were going to-” “I know baby I know” jimin barely lets himself shiver at the pet name before he’s pulling back, jimin can’t let go of you- won’t let go of you but that dosent mean Yoongi dosent lean in close cupping your cheeks and checking you for injuries. Jungkook shouting at the warriors as the rest of the pack runs through the woods accompanied by more soldiers, he looks panicked as he cups your cheeks, you rub at your eye (you’d gotten blood in it) “are you hurt my love? are you okay?” “I’m fine my head just hurts” you answer.

and everyone- even Jungkook’s soldiers- turns and looks at you.

“What- what did you just say?” Yoongi says, words stressed, his shoulders slumping, you seem to realize it- your hand reaching up to touch your mouth opening it, tasting the words- eyes wide, “I said-” you giggle at the sound of your own voice- kinda a little rough after so many months- but all the others laugh too, all of them pressing close. Yoongi pressing his nose to your cheek and crying, “Jung-kookie- yoongi- Namjoon” you say, and he honestly starts sobbing, all of them do because- you’re here- you seem more lucid than you’ve been in months. you make eye contact with jimin, a small smile playing on your lips, “Jimin i-”

Jimin almost wants to sigh- your voice- he’d often wondered what it would sound like- if he’d ever hear it- and now he can, and it sounds better than music, better then bird song in the morning, better than hymns spoken on the holiest day of the year.

You make eye contact with jimin, a small smile playing on your lips, “Jimin i-”

they think you’re going to be completely okay- until you suddenly grip your stomach- leaning over and vomiting into the leaves. Your eyes rolling back the next second as you pass out- Yoongi supporting your body, the next few minutes are tense and scary- Jimin too- is a little too in shock to make the walk back to the compound but Namjoon carries him- Jimin's head lolling to look at where you lay in Yoongi’s arms,

the shouts of the others as they join- Namjoon yelling for them to bring the doctor. Seokjin’s panicked words “what happened to my pups” Jimin passes out from stress sometime after namjoon leans down close. “we’ve got you- you’re both going to be okay”

when Jimin blinks open his eyes, he finds you curled up tight close to him and a sharp stabbing pain in his side, The doctor informs him that he’d broken a rib, and is on stiff bedrest for the next few weeks. you’re fine as well- as far as they can tell- you’ve only stirred since you’ve passed out- but the doctor gathers that the shift must have taken a lot of energy out of you. the shift- it barely hits jimin- a shifting omega- he asks the others- and yes- you’ve never shifted before today.

The rest of the pack files in. all of them bowing before jimin, he’s barely sitting up before Seokjin is dashing forward and folding himself in between the two of you- “thank you Minnie- thank you so much- you saved her- you saved her twice and we’re never going to be able to repay you” the older omega is sobbing and all jimin can do is comb his fingers through his hair as he presses close. the elder scent marking him.

namjoon- the leader of the empire- presses his forehead to the floor in front of jimin, “we will forever be in your debt, there is no limit to what we will do for you park jimin” jimin is tired, feels his heartthrob with the knowledge of the day, before jimin can respond, you turn, blinking your eyes up at him, and Jimin’s attention is diverted, glad he has another focus other than the alphas devoted looks that make a blush rise to his face.

“Y/n- are you- can you” you blink your eyes and open your mouth you get out a single syllable before your throat is closing around the words and Taehyung is jumping forward, “don’t strain yourself- they’ll come back when they come back” but it is better- “I want- can we all sleep in here tonight?” jimin asks, looking shyly at namjoon- it’s bold for him to ask, even though he has actually slept in the same room as most of them before- he’d been well on his way to integrating the alphas back into bedtimes with you before today- the only one he hasn’t slept next to is Jungkook and Hoseok. and the others easily agree when you turn, nodding your head up and down rapidly.

“well I guess we don’t have a choice” yoongi giggles, hand coming out to run down your hair and through it- you leaning into his hand, you try to talk again only getting out “yoon-” before you break off again- making a frustrated noise before taehyung is leaning forward to press a finger to your lip. “don’t strain yourself baby, you haven't talked in almost a full year-” taehyungs smile is boxy and happy as he stands up “I’ll get you some tea for your throat- and call for dinner”

dinner is a sleepy affair, somehow, jimin ends up with his back up against jungkook’s shoulder, the young alpha supporting jimin and his broken rib with a thick but gentle arm around his waist. You sit across namjoon’s lap and letting the alpha feed you pieces of sweet meat and hot vegetables. you leaning over sweetly to feed Taehyung and Seokjin and each of them- Hoseok shouting loud when you accidentally drop a piece onto his expensive silk robe, and that night- jimin gets to curl up in the middle of a pack pile, his nose pressed to the nape of your neck, Yoongi’s nose pressed into Jimin's hairline the same as yours, his body in line with jimin hot and steady behind him, your nose pressed into Jungkook’s chest, the hand of the young alpha resting over your body to hold Jimin’s softly.

Jimin wakes late into the night, pain licking up his side, he hears the soft voices, the sound of kissing and dosent shift to listen but hears regardless- it’s Seokjin and namjoon, kissing in the candlelight. jimin hears the shifting of cloth, a low chiding noise, “when you offered that to jimin this afternoon- did you hope he would ask to stay?”

“I did” namjoon sounds like a scolded pup- and Seokjin’s answering giggle makes the fear ease out of Jimin’s chest- he looked like he was about to combust puppy- wolves court for a reason silly alpha” Jimin’s eyes close so quickly as he feels Seokjin’s stiff fingers comb through the curls on the back of his head. “let him rest- before you give him any more anxiety okay? now he’s healed her- I have a feeling we’re going to need to heal him.”

“You really think he’s going to be apart of our pack one-day Jin?”

“I’d bet my life on it Joonie”

Jimin's heart feels like it’s going to jump all the way to the moon.

(only after this happens- can she have her heat again and therefore get pregnant)

#packtan au #bts omegaverse #abo #bts abo #bts werewolf #Anonymous

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atariince · 4 years ago

Text

Anathema - Chapter 14: New Strings

You can find the complete fanfiction on SWG or AO3 (and a bit late for the Fëanorian week, but oh well)

The Fëanorian lords shamelessly play with their influence in Nargothrond… Finrod, and to a lesser extent Celebrimbor, are confused.

He could already hear the echoes of their cheering.

Already the smell of mirth and relief. Of gratitude and of something that resembled hope.

And he knew it was real, not the fruit of his delusional dreams.

“Hurray ! Hurray! May the glory of the Sons of Fëanor shine !”

And as they got closer, their horses’ hooves carefully and slowly finding their way between the heaps of grass that stood between them and the Gates of Nargothrond, Curufinwë glanced at his brother beside him. There was a wide smile on Tyelkormo’s face, and on his cheeks, wrinkles of pride seemed to merge with the spots of dry blood. A thick, black blood which was not his own.

“Are you ready, brother?” asked Tyelkormo as soon as he caught his little brother’s gaze on him.

Curufinwë turned his head to look in front of him again, his eyes falling on the crowd standing in the pale daylight. His fingers tightened on the reins, his mare slew down and came to a halt.

“Not now, Curvo…” mumbled his brother, and the few steps between them couldn't keep Curufinwë from catching the slight irritation in his voice.

He tightened his thighs, and the mare instantly set forth, a slow trot to catch up with Tyelkormo, who whistled a couple of times. The hounds, who had been lazily following them since they had left the fields of Tumhalad and the tinkling melody of the waters of Ginglith, gathered around them. All but one. Huan, at his master’s demand, was taking a few steps ahead, running happily towards the gates and barking loudly as to announce the arrival of the lords.

Useless, as the people in front of the Caves had caught the sight of them many miles before, and since then, the crowd had never stopped growing, bringing together both dignitaries and servants, Ñoldor and Sindar. And amongst them, standing proudly at the midst of this joyful group, his son.

Tyelperinquar moved forwards to welcome the giant hound, patted his huge head with a smile, and when his eyes moved back on his approaching father, this same smile hadn’t left his lips.

There was a pang in Curufinwë’s chest. His lips trembled a little, but he couldn’t keep his own smile hidden any longer.

“What a glorious idea you had Curvo, to send Tyelperinquar ahead so he could tell them what happened and announce our return.”

“Not my idea, Turco. His.”

The only idea he could be praised for was that of this hunting party. His primary feat had been to convince his son to join them. Yet now that he looked back on it, he wondered if Tyelperinquar had really needed to be convinced in the first place.

Beneath the leather of his gloves, his own skin was burning. Thousands of needles piercing the severed flesh as he tightly held the reins.

But he was used to it now.

“Hurray! May the light of Arda shine upon our lords !”

The cries of bliss didn’t dwindle, and the excitement and relief in their eyes was becoming clearer as the two brothers got closer.

They dismounted, and Tyelperinquar walked up to them, closely followed by two of their people who immediately caught the reins of their horses and took them to the stables for a few well deserved cares.

“You are late”, laughed Tyelperinquar. “The whole of Nargothrond has been expecting you since last night.”

“Your uncle needed his ankle to be tended”, answered Curufinwë. “We had to make one last halt before we left Tumhalad for good.”

“My ankle is perfectly fine!” retorted Tyelkormo, circling them with a few strides. “See? not a single limp.”

Curufinwë and his son shared a conniving look.

“I am glad to see you, father.”

A slight bow of his head, that was the only answer he managed to give. And already, the people of Nargothrond were gathering around them, their cries of joy turning into songs.

O fell wolves who roam the wood

Beware the blow of their mighty blade

Doomed demons see their dark mood

For their fiery force shall never fade.

No fiend the kin of Fëanor shall fear,

Lords of light in wrath shall lead

A hopeful hunt in a haunted sphere,

For their famous feat we pour some mead !

“I could do with some mead, indeed!” cried Tyelkormo who seemed to delight in the praises.

And as he stepped amongst them, accepting the grateful pats on his back with loud laughter, Curufinwë stepped aside the euphoria, although he too could feel the waves of a new warmth caressing the edges of his heart.

Tyelperinquar hadn’t left his side, nor had his smile left his face.

“Where is the king? ”Curufinwë asked quietly.

The only answer he received was a questioning look, followed by a shrug. But Curufinwë barely noticed it, his mind already picturing the frustrating face of his noble cousin. His jaw relaxed and the severity of his face decreased, giving way to a peaceful lustre as he joined his brother amidst the crowd.

“I really do not understand what all this fuss is about”, said Tyelkormo, raising a brow between two sips, “after all, we simply slay a dozen of beasts, which had not even reached the neighbouring lands…. Nothing exceptional.”

Curufinwë was watching him, fingers dancing on the edge of his goblet. And so his brother continued:

“Mind you, Curvo, I am not complaining about the praises and whatnot, a well-deserved acknowledgement of our strains, at last ! But, still…can we call that our greatest feat… ? besides, it is not like we never hunted down those fiends before…”

Cooped in a small and comfortable room, happily away from the blissful agitation that reigned in the caves, the three Ñoldor were enjoying the evening. After a long bath and a longer moment of deep meditation, alone in front of his mirror, Curufinwë had eventually joined the festivities of the main hall where he had vainly expected to see the king. Without the satisfaction of seeing his reaction, there had been nothing much tot do but to find a quiet place where he, his brother and hi son would be able to put the situation into perspective.

“They do not care,” he answered, resting his elbows on the table. “They only want to know they are safe, nothing more. How we keep them safe, the dangers we face, or even the true nature of the threats… it interests them little. They just need to know they can breathe light-heartedly. And I cannot blame them… most of this people has already seen too much–”

“And have we not seen too much as well…?” asked Tyelperinquar hastily, cutting off his father’s speech.

The young Ñoldo had been quiet the whole evening, and although he was still bearing a genuine smile each time his gaze met that of his father, there has been something in his eyes which Curufinwë couldn’t decipher. The shadow of a doubt, perhaps, the distant echo of suspicion.

“Indeed”, his father replied, “yet we are their lords, and as such we are expected to shield them against such evils.”

“But most of them are warriors too, most of them can fight.”

“Tyelperinquar is right, Curvo.” Tyelkormo had finally put down his cup, obviously decided to take part in the discussion. “The people of Nargothrond fought before, they can – they will – do it again.”

Curufinwë’s eyes travelled from his brother to his son for a moment. He had a head start on them, but they didn’t know it. And that was for the best.

“They do not want to,” he simply said, rubbing his palms together. “And that is precisely where we step in, for their unwillingness to fight is both our chance and our bane.”

“What do you mean, father?”

The cloud in Tyelperinquar’s eyes seemed to thicken, and Curufinwë looked away. He laid back in his chair and managed to smile. A trembling smile, but a sympathetic one.

“Nothing. At least, for now. There is a lot of work to do.”

Tyelperinquar frowned a little, but he said nothing more. As for Tyelkormo he seemed lost in his own thoughts, eyes fixed on his goblet.

The light around them flickered a bit, as a deep and strangely peaceful silence fell over the room. They could hear the voices behind the door, the singing and hand-clapping. The caves felt warmer than ever, at least since the Fëanorians had settled in, more than eight years before.

“How is Huan?” Suddenly asked Tyelperinquar. “I did not see him tonight.”

“My boy is resting, too content with the large leg of lamb he had for dinner to bother himself with us.” Pride was cheerfully dancing on Tyelkormo’s eyes as he answered. “The hounds are exhausted, but none of them is seriously hurt.”

“Thank Eru,” smiled Tyelperinquar.

“Tyelko,” called Curufinwë with a gentle voice, “do you remember that hunt with Tauros’ host, when Huan called you on your eagerness ?”

A loud laughter escaped his brother’s lips, and he tossed his head backward and shifted on his seat.

“If I remember it? He would not let me go after that boar!”

“You lacked precision, and patience.”

“Huan taught me patience.”

“Did he really?” Asked Curufinwë, raising a sceptical brow.

“Oh come on, brother! I was still young; don’t you tell me I have not learned from those mistakes!”

Tyelperinquar was eagerly listening to the joyful recollection. His father was watching him from the corner of his eyes when he saw his son’s smile getting wider and the clouds in his eyes getting thinner. He carried on with the easing memories.

“Even Irissë would blame you for losing tracks of the beast.”

“Irissë would have blamed her own mother if only to avoid questioning her own skills.”

“There was not much to question about her skills.”

A pause. The two bothers looked into each other eyes, nostalgia, affection, and playfulness mingling in their gaze And suddenly this acrid pang again, right in his plexus, like a harsh blow in his chest. Curufinwë held his breath.

“She used to be a mighty hunter,” said Tyelkormo after a moment. “She would always manage to get the better of me.”

Finally, Curufinwë took a deep breath. It was painful, the air running through the tensed throat and reaching his stiff chest.

Tyelperinquar had lowered his head, and from where he stood, Curufinwë could only see his frowning brow behind the dark curtain of his hair.

He couldn’t let this happen. Not now. Not when all seemed to go so well.

“Tyelperinquar, you know this lovely necklace you made for the celebration of her begetting day?”

“What about it ?“ he whispered, slowly raising up his gaze. “I was but a child then, there was nothing lovely about it…”

Curufinwë gave a gentle smile. “It was one of the first pieces you actually completed. And she loved it.”

“Did she?”

“Oh yes!” barked Tyelkormo excitedly. “Even your mother was jealous for not getting a similar gift.”

Curufinwë winced. Why?

He closed his eyes a few seconds, and this time, the silence that swallowed the room was painfully awkward. When he looked again, Tyelperinquar had lowered his head, hiding again behind the thick, dark threads.

“I know for sure that Aulë himself was impressed,” tried Curufinwë, his voice but a soft and quiet murmur.

No reaction from either side. He sighed.

Tyelkormo picked up his glass and hide his nose into it as long as he could.

I meant not to mention her, Curvo… forgive me.

The thought was coming from Tyelkormo. Curufinwë did not even begin to give the semblance of an answer, but he didn’t want to believe that all that he was building would eventually crumble like this. His life couldn’t become a mere heap of ruins. Not yet.

“May I go, father? I… am exhausted.”

Curufinwë gave a slow nod, and soon after his son had left the room. Now, he could see his brother was avoiding meeting his gaze, although he had lost nothing of his confident countenance.

Any reproach would be useless, Curufinwë knew that; a dirty compress on an infected wound.

“Curvo…”

“Not now.”

“No, I mean… you did a great job.”

He froze, unsure and confused. His questioning look didn’t bring any answer; no matter what Tyelkormo was referring to, he seemingly had no intention to make it clear.

Curufinwë grasped his goblet and emptied it with one quick sip, the warmth of the mead softly tickling his stomach.

“I did my best.”

“Good day, my lord.”

“The light of Varda be with you, lord Curufin.”

“Please my lord Curufin, take this with you, it will bring you much luck and happiness.”

“Enjoy your day, lord Curufin.”

So many bows, so many praises and respectful acknowledgements. Just like before, in Himlad. Just like it should have always been here, in Nargothrond.

His fingers toying with the trinket received from the hands of this young Elda with the lovely dress and the kind smile, he kept walking along the main corridor of the caves, and the shadow of a smile was floating on his lips. His chin was high, his eyes scanning the faces around, his senses sharpened by the lack of sleep. Only an occasional twitch of his left eye. Nothing to worry about. Nothing that would betray him.

As he opened the large door of the King’s office, he knew what to expect. And he was not disappointed.

Felagund was sitting behind his desk, aloof and grave, both of his hands resting flat in front of him. As soon as Curufinwë stepped in, a pinched smile appeared on his lips, but his eyes said nothing.

“Good morning, king Felagund… cousin,” said Curufinwë spiritedly.

“Curufinwë… I was not expecting you so early. Good morning to you.”

“I was told you expected to see me.”

“Indeed, indeed. I… I just believed you would have preferred to rest this morning, after those straining adventures of yours… about which must have been said since your return.”

Curufinwë sat down in the chair appointed for visitors, and relaxed a little, his eyes never living the king’s face.

“Oh, really?” he breathed. “And may I ask what was said.”

The king gestured vaguely, shaking his hand as to discard the question. “Mostly rumours, I guess. I would prefer to have first-hand information… from you. What news from the North, cousin?”

“Have you got no scouts to bring you this sort of information?” asked Curufinwë, arms now crossed over his chest.

“My scouts do not cross the limits of the realm, and I was told you fought in the fields far beyond the crossing of Narog and Ginglith. Is that true?”

Curufinwë didn’t bother answering. He took a deep breath and smiled. And so the king continued:

“I suppose I should thank you. This is why you came here so early… am I wrong, cousin?”

“Who am I to tell the king what to do?” Answered Curufinwë with a playful smirk.

The king gave out a loud sigh, in which Curufinwë could detect both frustration and confusion. “Listen, Curufinwë, I appreciate your effort to keep the realm safe, but there was no need to hunt beyond those borders… the beasts of the North never cross the fields of Tumhalad, and there is a good reason for that: they know my people would greet them with as so many arrows. Your feat may be impressive, and admirable… but I am afraid it was useless, cousin.”

A sharp laugh broke through Curufinwë’s lips. He would have clapped his hands if decency wasn’t keeping him from such sarcasm.

“Ooh, Findaráto… I greatly doubt your people is of the same mind. To be fair, O royal cousin, they all look profoundly relieved, and grateful to us for having rid the realm of those threats… at last!”

“Be careful, Curufinwë,” said the king quietly, looking down at his own fingers dancing slowly on his desk. “You are still a guest here, no matter how potent your words might ring over the council table.”

“A guest, indeed,” nodded Curufinwë gleefully, “but one who is not afraid to execute a duty the king should have contemplated long ago. And your people know that.”

“Did you not listen to me? “ Spat the king, suddenly standing up. “There was no real threat in Tumhalad!”

The shot had reached its target. Curufinwë was delighted.

“How do you explain then, the sudden contentment of your people, and the new lightness of their heart ?” he asked slowly, gently even, plainly enjoying the situation.

“They know nothing of what happens beyond the limits of their eyesight.”

Curufinwë gave a loud hiss, accompanied by a slight wince. “That is not a way to talk about one’s own people, O king.”

Felagund looked confused. He was obviously straining to pull himself together, but Curufinwë could not tell if his cousin had been expected the conversation to take this turn. The Fëanorian at least, was prepared.

Bringing his hands together, Felagund walked around his desk to stand behind his cousin’s chair, looking down at him as he would have done with a mongrel. “You can enjoy your fame while it lasts, Curufinwë, and delight in the little influence it will grant you. But do not expect much of it, for this will not endure. I know those lands, my lands, and I know our enemies. You have challenged the power of the north by trespassing those limits...”

“Do you really believe the enemy cares about your limits?” retorted Curufinwë, now serious again, a new severity imbuing his voice.

The king looked away, obviously pondering those words.

“Listen, Findaráto, all I wish for is the safety of this realm, and the happiness of our – your people. And what do you think they want?"

Felagund, it seemed, had noticed his cousin’s slip of tongue. Curufinwë could tell from the sharp light that sparkled for a second in his eyes.

“They want to protect their home….” mused the king, slowly walking back to his ornate chair and sitting down.

“And they already know about the fell beasts roaming around the borders of those lands, Findaráto. They know some actions must be taken; they know we cannot hide forever. They want to protect their home, instead of watching us blatantly lazing around in our gold.”

This was going too well. Much too well. Unless it was but another of Felagund’s tricks. Curufinwë was on guard, but showed nothing of it. His hand instinctively reached his pocket where he found that trinket again, and he fingered it absent-mindedly, waiting for the king to make up his mind.

“What are you really suggesting here, Curufinwë?”

“Nothing you cannot do, King Felagund,” he asserted with a smile which he kept as friendly as possible. “Give them a reason to believe that the king is ready to fight, that he will not hide any longer. That he would sacrifice anything to defeat their fears.”

Felagund was watching intently into his cousin’s eyes, his own fingers toying with his rings, mirroring Curufinwë’s movement.

“Do you really believe they no longer count on discretion? That they would actually fight again?

“Discretion is crucial, but what happened yesterday proved that they expect a more active involvement in this war… And in the meanwhile,” continued Curufinwë, preparing his last blow, “my brother, my son and I will keep on enjoying that little fame you mentioned earlier. That fame that stemmed from the acknowledgement of those who really wish and actually try to protect those lands.”

On that, he stood up, leaving the king at a loss (that he knew) and caring little for the silent resentment which had invaded the room.

“Curufinwë, wait,” came the king’s voice as he was opening the door, and there was nothing but silence and stillness for a moment. “Perhaps… you may be right.”

Curufinwë turned around and their eyes met again, intense and stern from both sides.

“Perhaps it has to do with… that foresight, the powerful feeling I had that I would…”

Curufinwë was all ears, still and waiting eagerly.

“I only told my sister about it, but now… I feel it is getting closer.”

He let Felagund talk, he had to let him reveal what was in his mind, what he had been hiding for so long. He could see the words dancing silently on his cousin’s lips, hesitating. But Felagund swallowed them back.

Curufinwë sighed.

“Thank you for your advices, cousin, be they genuine or not,” said the king, taking a deep breath. “I will think about it. You may go.”

Curufinwë closed the heavy doors behind him and waited a few seconds, if only to make sure no more words would escape the king’s study.

A foresight?

“Look father, a young child put this lovely drawing on the threshold of you study. They did very well with that portrait of you. Do you see? They even included your sword here, and… is that a smile on your face ? how creative!

Curufinwë chuckled, and peaked at the child’s drawing. There was indeed a smile on his face.

“Be not so sarcastic, my son.”

“You are right, I am unfair; you have been smiling a lot more lately.”

“Have I?”

Tyelperinquar sat down beside his father, and he silently watched him rummage through the many scrolls covering the desk.

“You should take a break, father. It seems like you have not stepped out of this room for a whole week.”

Finally finding the parchment he was looking for, Curufinwë unrolled it, picked up a quill and started to amend it carefully.

“People are looking up to me. This is not the moment to disappoint them.”

“Perhaps”, answered Tyelperinquar thoughtfully, “but it does not mean you ought to accept duties which are not supposed to be yours. You do not need more influence in here, and you already have enough responsibilities.”

“You do not understand, Tyelperinquar.”

“Explain me then. Tell me why it is so important for you to control everything.”

Curufinwë froze, the tension in his shoulders waking up and sending flashes of pain along his back.

“Who talked of control?” he asked quietly, putting down the parchment. “I am barely trying to carry out all the things the king has been ignoring in the past few years.”

His son shook his head but gave no reply.

“Listen Tyelperinquar, I am covering ourselves here, that is all.”

“Stop treating me like a child!” he finally exploded, his fist hitting his father’s desk. “Artaresto is younger than I, and he has been appointed vice regent of this realm! why can you not trust me? Why can you not let me know about your plans?”

“Is that what you want ? To become the vice regent of Nargothrond?” asked Curufinwë, an eyebrow raised, midway between sarcasm and sheer interest.

“I do not fancy this sort of power, father. You, more than anyone else, should know that by now.”

“What power do you fancy then, my child.”

“Enough, father!”

Curufinwë bent forward, moving slightly closer to his son, who would not look at him.

“I am serious, Tyelperinquar. You used the word power, and I would very much like to know what you put behind it.”

“This is not the point.”

“Knowledge.”

“What?”

“The power you seek. It is knowledge, is it not?”, asked Curufinwë, as in confidence.

There was a short silence, only troubled by the song of the fountain that adorned and refreshed the room.

“And you will not let me have it,” said Tyelperinquar, now looking straight into his father’s eyes.

“It is a dangerous power, son. Cruel even, to those who yearn for it.”

“How cruel was it to you?”

Curufinwë leaned back, and looked up at the ceiling, thoughtful. There was so much to say, and yet there was nothing he would say.

“Father, you always tell me I have much more to learn, but you keep on refusing to teach me more… pretending some sort of danger. Why? What do you fear? Tell me please!”

Caught by the trembling of Tyelperinquar’s voice, his gaze left the ceiling to fall back on his son’s pleading eyes. He was right: he was no longer a child. There was strength, cunning and wisdom in him, and nothing in Arda would ever match the power of his fëa. Bright and fierce, a crystal piercing the darkness crawling around. Too bright maybe, for his father to behold.

What did he fear… ?

“Son of mine, I…” he marked a pause to take his breath, and at this very moment, Tyelkormo burst into the room, caring little for the interruption.

“Excellent news, Curvo !” he cried joyfully, striding to his brother’s desk. “Oh hello, dear nephew, how are you doing ? haven’t seen you for a while.”

“I am… fine”, answered Tyelperinquar. “Father and I were discussing his responsibilities.”

Curufinwë relaxed a little. Not enough, apparently.

“I see”, mused Tyelkormo, giving his brother a questioning look which Curufinwë preferred to ignore. “Well, I guess this is a perfect timing to tell you what I have just learned, since it might eventually affect our responsibilities.”

Curufinwë suddenly sat up, all ears. “Did Canyorë learn anything?”

Tyelkormo answered with a nod, and a smile which was more meaningful than it looked.

“Wait… what has Canyorë got to do with all this?”, asked Tylperinquar.

Catching a chair and hastily straddling it, Tyelkormo started to speak with a low voice, but excitement sparkled within each words.

“There has been rumours among the people, Curvo...” he said, ‘rumours about the king and ooooh, I would not like to walk in his shoes right now.”

“Father, are you using Canyorë to spy on the people? Uncle, is that it? ”

“He is part of our people, Tyelperinquar. This is no spying…” answered Curvo calmly, slowly.

“Indeed”, Tyelkormo added, “he is just like any of them, like any inhabitant of Nargothrond listening to his neighbours, exchanging thoughts and opinions about…”

“He is one of your must trusted henchmen, uncle. Your friend.”

“And so what?” grumbled Tyelkormo. “What does it exactly change.”

“Everything!”

“Tyelperinquar, please,” called Curufinwë, now tired of the continuous interruption. “Your uncle has something to say.”

No reaction from his son, not even a frustrated sigh. Only this cloud, back in his eyes.

“Rumour has it,” whispered Tyelkormo, apparently glad to deliver the information at last, “that the king is hiding shamefully in his chambers, cowardly sneaking away from his people as to not face a truth he would be unwilling to face. Not my words, of course.”

The tension in Curufinwë’s shoulders vanished. Not that he was truly surprised, but he would not deny himself the warmth of a certain relief. He gazed at his son: still no reaction, but Curufinwë could tell he was listening carefully.

“Besides”, continued Tyelkormo, “our names might have been floating on many lips lately: comparisons might have been made between our reactivity, and the king’s…how did they say again? oh yes, his lethargic handling of the situation.”

Curufinwë managed to keep a neutral expression, but the flame of victory was already bubbling in his stomach.

“Well,” murmured Tyelperinquar after a moment, “I suppose it secures our presence here, which is… good. Although, it is all but fair for King Felagund. He did nothing wrong.”

“Did he not, really?” chuckled Tyelkormo.

Curufinwë didn’t say anything, but he noticed the confusion on his son’s face.

“It also means more work for you, father… you must be glad.”

“I shall do what I have to do.”

His answer didn’t seem to satisfy his son, but Tyelkormo looked delighted:

“Felagund had it coming, had he not, Curvo? One only reaps what ones sows. ”There was confidence and determination in his voice, and pride too. “As for ourselves we have nothing to be ashamed of; we took actions, we were successful, and that was exactly what they all expected.”

Curufinwë gave a nod, followed by a discreet but no less confident smile.

“I wonder yet,” began Tyelperinquar, his hand rubbing the tip of his chin, “Those rumours… where are they coming from ?”

“From the people, I suppose,” answered Tyelkormo genuinely. “I mean, they must have stemmed from their weariness, their worries, and were comforted by what we did in Tumhalad.”

Curufinwë kept silent. He grabbed a few scrolls in front of him and started to tidy up his desk. But Tyelperinquar wasn’t done with the subject.

“Those words they say about the king… they ring so harshly… too harshly maybe for a people who had so strongly believed in him. The flame of their angst must have been kindled somehow… by someone.”

Busy with his documents, inks, quills, and files, Curufinwë pretended not to notice the severe gaze that fell upon him.

“Who ever did this”, said Tyelkormo standing up and stretching his arms, “they surely had legit reasons. They were dissatisfied, and they spoke their mind.”

“Did they, really?” insisted the youngest Ñoldo, still staring at his father.

Curufinwë closed the box containing his favourites quills and stood up as well. He would not look at his son, not now, but he couldn’t keep on ignoring the tension. He smiled.

“Alright, let us see if there is anything we can do to assuage this imminent uproar“, he said. “We do not want those rumours to go gangrenous, do we?”

On that, he picked up his cloak and headed to the door, well-aware of his son’s intense glare upon his shoulder. They left.

“How did you do that, Curvo?” Asked Tyelkormo eventually as the two brothers were walking down the aisle that opened on the main hall, followed and greeted by kind and respectful faces, by words of trust and admiration.

“Do what?”

And Curufinwë smiled.

#curufin #celegorm #celebrimbor #finrod #feanorians #silmarillion #silmarillion fanfiction #feanorian week #anathema #my fanfics #fanfiction

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drabbledragon · 4 years ago

Text

Linktober: Forest

It’s been a while since I had some free time to write and since exams are done and over with, I can now keep having that free time. So I present to you all, two months late, day 9 of Linktober. Also, please be cautious of the warnings: it does get a bit gory at parts and of course if you get too uncomfortable, you can always just skip this chapter.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749021/chapters/68583117

Summary: Nearly every one of the heroes' Hyrule is peaceful. Just nearly.

Warnings: Minor (teenager) character death, description of (teenage) character burning to death, and swearing.

Day 9: Forest

The group looked curiously at the folded pile of cloaks Hyrule was offering them.

“If we’re heading into town, then you’re gonna have to wear one of these.”

The traveller didn’t miss the baffled glances he got in return, nor did he miss the hesitance they each displayed when reaching for their own part of the share.

“Why do we need to wear a cloak? We haven’t worn one in any other part of your Hyrule.” Sky questioned as he pulled the tattered piece of cloth over his head. The aforementioned apparel hung loosely around his body, falling just low enough to reach the top of his boots.

Hyrule opened his mouth to answer, thought better of it, and then just shook his head. “ We’ll need it here, trust me. Make sure you wear the hood on the back and whatever you do, don’t take it off until we’re alone.” He then proceeded to pull the hood of his own cloak up, and the others were quick to follow suit.

They wandered into town soon after, and they could immediately feel the hostile dread in the air. The place itself was a sea of uncontrollable weeds and messy dirt pathways, with abandoned buildings and makeshift homes placed haphazardly in crooked lines. Almost all the people they saw outside regarded the group with nasty and distrustful looks, with many of them going so far as to place a hand readily on the weapon hanging from their hips; they were anticipating some sort of attack, Twilight recognised, but he didn’t understand why.

The Hero of Hyrule eventually led them towards one of the bigger buildings in the back, and the broken door he opened wailed with a high - pitched creak. It appeared to be a run - down inn, and the young traveller promptly made his way to the front desk where a middle - aged woman eyed him with scrutiny.

“Hello, ma’am, four rooms, please.” Hyrule’s voice was soft and polite, and if he was unnerved by the woman’s gaze, he didn’t show it.

The tension in the air was nearly palpable, and the Links did their best to not let the innkeeper’s piercing gaze intimidate them. Once the woman had finally focused her attention back onto Hyrule, she questioned, “ What are you nine doing here?”

“We’re travellers, ma’am; we just came down from Darunia Town.”

“And your occupation?”

“We craft and sell instruments we make, ma’am.”

“Take off your hood.”

The group was nearly taken aback by the command, and a few of them were even ready to protest just based on the rude tone alone, but Hyrule didn’t care, and his fingers lingered at the edges of his hood for a moment before pulling it down. All of the heroes’s eyes widened at the sight before them: Hyrule’s usual brown hair had been colored a fiery orange and his eyes now shone with a light blue hue; his long and pointy ears had become rounded around the edges, making him appear more like a human and less like a Hylian. The hero looked to the woman expectantly, and after a few long seconds, she scoffed.

“20 Rupees for the rooms then.”

And so Hyrule paid, placing the gem delicately on the desk and accepting the keys. He led the group towards one of the rooms and locked the door without a word, and once he was sure that the nine of them were completely alone, he allowed his appearance to fade back to its usual self with a long, relieved sigh. He was bombarded with questions just a second later.

“Hyrule, what was that?”

“Seriously, what just happened?”

“Why’d you change your ears and eyes and hair, ‘Rule?”

“What’s that old lady’s problem? Why was she treating us like garbage?”

“What’s up with the people here? How come everyone’s looking at us weird?”

“Boys, enough.” Time had finally sounded over the fray, and when the rest of the heroes finally settled down, the eldest hero turned to the traveller and politely asked, “ Hyrule, what happened back there?”

The Hero of Time could tell the question bothered the other, if the sudden bite of his lip and darting green eyes were anything to go by; but after a few tense seconds, he finally piped up with, “ We needed a few rooms, so I got us a few rooms.”

“You need to elaborate on that. Why did you change your appearance? And why did you have us all wear cloaks?”

“Oh, well that’s, um ...” He struggled for a moment, and looked nervously to the floor as if the wooden boards would give him a sound answer. He could feel eight pairs of eyes boring right into his very being, and he couldn’t help but shrink under their anticipative gazes. “ It’s just a thing we need to do to … y’know, keep a low profile.”

“But why would we need to?” Warriors questioned next, taking an assertive step forward. “ Hundreds of other heroes have passed by here without any issues, correct? So with the exception of you, there really isn’t a need to go through the trouble of hiding ourselves; to them, we’re just ordinary Hylians looking for an overnight stay.”

“I know, I know, but it’s just -”

“We found another Hero of Hyrule!”

Their interrogation was abruptly cut short as a deep voice from outside suddenly caught their attention, and eight confused faces turned to look through the sole window in the room. From what little they could see, they were able to discern a large gruff man standing in the middle of the supposed town square, shouting the same message through cupped hands over and over again as he turned in all sorts of directions; just a few paces behind him stood three men, one of which was just a young boy with floppy brown hair, easily in his teens, and tightly bound around the wrists and ankles while the other two grown men supported him under the arms. Behind them was a slightly larger group that worked together to dig a large wooden pole into the ground, while others began piling sticks and wood around the structure as if to make a bonfire.

The heroes stood still, trying desperately to wrap their heads around the scene in front of them. That man … What did he keep calling out? ‘Another Hero of Hyrule’? But that made absolutely no sense: the Links all knew of one Hero of Hyrule and that was, well, Hyrule; but the man outside kept yelling out the title like it was something more than that - like it was some kind of breed rather than just one very specific person; couple that realisation with the strange structure the townspeople were setting up and that just released a whole new set of questions: what was so special about that one person versus everyone else in this town? Why was he tied up? What were the other people creating behind him? Why was there such a strong sense of bloodlust in the air?

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Twilight finally said, being the one to break the silence. “ But I do know that that guy needs help.”

He was about to take a step towards the door when a sudden hand clung fiercely to his pelt, and when he turned around, he was quietly surprised to find that it wasn’t a stoic Time stopping him, but rather an alarmed Hyrule.

“Twi, you can’t go out there right now.”

The ranchhand knitted his brows together. “ Huh? Why not?”

“It’s -.” He held his breath for a second before continuing in a small voice, “ It’s not safe there right now.”

“Well if you’re that concerned about safety,” The two heroes watched as Legend casually walked over to them before coming to a stop by Twilight’s side. “ Then I can stick with Farmboy here. One of us can make a distraction and the other can get the guy out; shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.”

The traveller only frantically shook his head in response, fixing his predecessor with a desperate look as he quickly said, “ No, the both of you can’t go either! It still won’t be safe!”

“Alright then,” Warriors added slowly as he made his way to the Ordonian in the same fashion. “ What about the three of us, then? Surely we’re enough to save that man now.”

But Hyrule only denied the group once again; and again when Wild offered to go, and again when Four offered to go, and again and again and again. Three faces had now become eight as the remaining heroes all looked to the Hero of Hyrule with a mix of confusion and impatience, each one of them asking a myriad of questions about what was so dangerous about the situation and why Hyrule of all people was preventing any of them from going. It was Wild who finally asked the key question with,

“‘Rule, are you hiding something?”

Those words made the traveller freeze, causing him to fall silent and fix the champion with a wide - eyed stare. It appears that the group had finally struck a chord in him, one that somehow instilled fear into their resident hero, and a few of them were starting to become worried at how quiet Hyrule had suddenly become at such a simple yet pivotal question. After what felt like hours, the traveller finally answered back:

“I’m sorry.”

Oh no.

That was all the Ordonian needed to hear before he was suddenly sprinting out of the small room and down the cramped hallway, ignoring the sudden shouts of surprise and alarm from his fellow heroes. He knew it - he knew from the moment he saw that young boy being dragged across the worn dirt by those men that there was something deeply wrong. He should’ve said something sooner - maybe something about how much Hyrule seemed to be dodging their questions - but he stupidly played along with this pointless game like he was some dog chasing its tail.

He just hoped he wasn’t too late to save him.

He felt the rotten wood press against his shoulder as he barged his way through the inn door and out into the cold night air, stumbling as the terrain suddenly switched from wood to dry dirt and overgrown weeds. He silently thanked the goddesses when he was steadily back on his feet in an instant and rushed towards the crowd centered around the square at a breakneck pace. He suddenly felt his stomach plummet as he heard the gruff man from before shout out:

“Death to the Hero of Hyrule!”

That was it. That was the only warning Twilight got before a torch was haphazardly thrown into the pile of wood and the flames started to climb the stake. Everything became unbearably bright, engulfed in a swirl of bright orange and blinding yellow as brown wood burned to black ash in an instant and the fire climbed higher up the pole without any bit of hesitation, right up to the poor teen who was bound to the very top. It only took mere seconds for the agonised screams to fill the air, and even less for Twilight to smell the distinct scent of burning flesh as the flames mercilessly engulfed the body. Once - pale skin turned into blistering red, and the light - brown hue of the boy’s hair started to disintegrate and leave nothing behind but a memory of what used to be there. The Ordonian’s instincts told him to get over there and do something because he was supposed to be a hero - he was one of the few that Hylia had chosen to protect everyone - but all he could do was watch helplessly from the back of the crowd, his stomach churning threateningly as it promised to expel everything he had eaten in the past week.

Goddesses, the crowd. The crowd was thrilled at the sight of one of their own burning helplessly from where he was bound, his agonised screams appearing to be music to their ears. They watched him writhe and scream and plead to be released but they just watched him with some sort of maniacal fascination that only a true cold - blooded serial killer could have. The crowd was smiling, cheering, even echoing the same phrase of “ Death to the Hero of Hyrule!” as they watched someone burn to death, and perhaps what terrified Twilight the most was that some of the people in the crowd were literal children, and they seemed to be entirely fine with watching someone their own age burning right in front of them.

He jumped when he felt a rough hand gently touch his shoulder, and he quickly spun on his heels to find the source, relaxing just a bit when he saw his mentor’s face staring back at him.

Time looked pale. Had he just witnessed the same thing Twilight had just a moment ago?

“Let’s go.” His mentor said after a moment, nudging his head towards the direction that Hyrule was leading the rest of the heroes towards. Twilight wanted to protest - to firmly tell Time that “no, we need to do something” - but the only thing that came out was a shaky sigh. His whole body felt numb, and the remaining rush of adrenaline from before seemed to have sapped him of all his strength and left him with a hollow feeling in his chest, so he didn’t refuse Time’s firm grip around his wrist, and he didn’t protest as Time led him forward.

It didn’t take long for the group to reach the outer edges of the town, and it certainly didn’t take long for them to disappear into a nearby forest. They wove their way through overgrown bushes and drooping trees, and treaded through murky waters and destroyed campsites, and didn’t stop until they reached a dark and desolate clearing that was far from any type of civilization. It was quiet here, and it was a welcomed contrast from the deranged cheers that filled the small town.

Four was the first to speak up as he shakily asked, “ That … That wasn’t real, right? It was just some - some stupid trick, r - right?”

The only immediate response he received back was a heartbreaking whimper from Wind as he dug his face further into Warriors’s scarf.

“I’m sorry.” Came Hyrule’s eventual answer, but the sound was barely above a whisper and his throat strained to keep his voice level. Any hint of anxiety or desperation from before seemed to have been completely wiped away, his tone now a clear reflection of the guilt and regret that was no doubt plaguing his mind. A few heroes opened their mouths to respond, but Legend beat them all to the punch.

“No. No, all of this is bullshit.” He claimed, anger and disbelief clear in his features. “ There’s no way in hell that a bunch of townspeople would just pick up a random kid off the street and burn him alive just for fun. He must’ve been a monster in disguise or - or a traitor that’s killed innocent people or just … just something.” He looked to his protege for some kind of assurance, but felt his resolve start to fall apart when Hyrule refused to meet his eyes. He took a shuddering breath as he said, “‘Rule, tell me this isn’t what people are really like here. Tell me that these are just some sick fucks who get a kick out of torturing people.” His voice took on an uncharacteristically small tone as he continued, “ Tell me this isn’t what I left behind for you.”

The traveller ducked his head even lower and hunched his shoulders as he repeated even quieter than before, “ I’m really, really sorry -.”

“Hyrule, I believe you owe us an explanation.” Time cut in, but instead of the stern and demanding tone the group was expecting, they were all surprised to hear his request as a quiet and gentle one. Perhaps he did it because they were all in shock, or perhaps he did it because Hyrule looked like he was one second away from a complete breakdown, or perhaps he did it because he was just so morbidly curious and he didn’t want to scare away the resident hero by forcing the answer out of him. Regardless of the reason, it got Hyrule talking.

“The people of my Hyrule want me dead.”

He let the air of initial shock settle for a moment before continuing.

“They’ve been hunting me down ever since they knew I was the Hero of Courage here because they all knew the legend: one drop of the hero’s blood on Ganon’s ashes will revive him. At first it was just a silly old wives’ tale that got passed down from generation to generation, but a group of villagers broke into Hyrule Castle one night and found out it was true through one of the books we have in the Royal Library. Word spread from person to person and that’s when people started to get … scared of me.”

The traveller bit his lip for a moment, the memory of first hearing that news all those years ago playing fresh in his mind.

“They thought I was a ticking time bomb - one slipup when fighting a Moblin or a Zora and the entire kingdom was pretty much doomed - so a few people started to hunt me down in order to lock me up or something like that; they just wanted me far away from danger - a place where no monsters would be able to get me. They found me eventually and told me about their plan, but I just ignored them because Zelda was in trouble, and if I didn’t reunite the Triforce in time, then the whole kingdom would be taken over by some prince. I needed to travel across Hyrule; I couldn’t just hole myself away somewhere when the whole kingdom was in danger, so I kept going. Weeks would go by without anyone seeing me, and the number of people that feared I was dead started to grow. More groups started to form in order to find me quicker, and they started to camp out in forests and by rivers just to keep a lookout, but they kept coming back empty - handed and that just made everyone more terrified. Eventually those groups just started locking up people that looked like me just to get rid of a potential Hero of Hyrule, so that’s why I -.”

“That’s why you changed your ears, eyes, and hair with magic earlier, and why you made us wear cloaks: to throw people off our trail.” Legend interjected, and Hyrule nodded in confirmation.

“Right. They knew the Hero of Hyrule was Hylian, had green eyes, and brown hair, so they just locked up anyone who fit the bill, but they wouldn’t even look twice at a human with orange hair and blue eyes. So I was taught how to change my appearance from a magic - user I met in a cave one day, and although that kind of magic took a lot out of me at first, I eventually got a hold of it and was able to pass under everyone’s radar. I travelled from town to town, learning whatever I could from other magic - users and getting whatever I needed to survive in the wild in order to look for Ganon. But because I was so good at hiding, the people that were trying to find me were getting more desperate.”

“They were tired of locking people up and asking if they were the Hero of Hyrule or if they knew where the Hero of Hyrule was, and as more monsters started to surround the villages and kill those who dared to travel, things started to become more serious. The groups started to kill Hylians that looked like me, skipping the whole interrogation part and going straight for the quickest and painless kill they could do in order to remedy a little bit of their guilt. Of course they regretted killing innocent people; nobody wanted to kill someone that was just living their lives and had nothing to do with being Hylia’s Chosen, but they justified themselves by saying that it was either the life of one potential ‘Link’ or the entirety of the Kingdom, and of course they would want to save the kingdom. But months went by, and the monsters kept coming closer, and the real Hero of Hyrule still hadn’t been found, and those villagers got to the point where they were too scared to harvest crops or go hunting or even step outside of their houses. They felt like they were living in a nightmare, and they needed to get out there and kill me or else they would never be able to live a normal life ever again.”

“People started to come out of their houses, daggers and swords in their hands, and got to killing any ‘me’s they could find. The killings weren’t painless anymore: people who were scared of Ganon coming back to full power again started to release all their frustration and fear on innocent people by killing them in the most gruesome ways possible; it was an outlet to them, and now all that guilt from before was starting to turn into satisfaction. To them, it was just getting revenge on the Hero of Hyrule for all the pain and suffering I’ve caused them. Every person, even if you were a salesman or a farmer, started to have weapons by their side just in case I happened to walk into town, and everybody started to become more suspicious of any travellers because they knew the Hero of Hyrule was one. Whether you were a little kid or an old man just passing through, as soon as people saw that you had brown hair and green eyes, then you immediately became a target. They’ll stab you to death, drown you, burn you alive - whatever they needed to do to get rid of the Hero of Hyrule, just so they could make sure that Ganon never comes back. It’s been like that ever since.”

It was a terrible story, the other heroes had silently agreed - like a morbid fairytale gone wrong. It was ironic: the very people Hyrule was chosen to protect were now actively out to get him just for the sake of quelling their own fears.

“...So you’re just letting this happen?”

Eight startled faces all turned to the group’s ranchhand, who looked to the traveller with a deep frown and crossed arms. His lip curled upwards as he snarled out, “ You’re just letting innocent people die because you’re too much of a coward to go and save them?”

Twilight wasn’t actually sure what compelled him to say something like that. Maybe it was because the thought of innocent people dying struck a very strong chord in him, or maybe it was because the people dying were those as young as Talo and Malo and Colin, or as old as Rusl and Mayor Bo; maybe it was a combination of both, and just the knowledge that Hyrule was refusing to do anything about the situation made his blood boil.

The resident hero looked to the other with a mixture of confusion and hurt, but an underlying wave of anger made his tone a little more clipped than he wanted it to be. “ I know I’m a coward, but I’m not just letting them die because I want them to. The people here are aggressive: once they think you’re the Hero of Hyrule, there’s no way you can back yourself out of that situation. Having someone to come and rescue you will only make things worse, and there’s a pretty good chance that you’d be the next one to die.”

“Well if you know all of that, then why aren’t you doing anything to stop all of that from happening? We saw you change your appearance, and you gave us all cloaks to - what? Be less suspicious? - so why aren’t you doing any of that for the people passing through town? You could’ve saved hundreds of lives here, Hyrule, but you’re just staying quiet and watching people die in front of you.”

“I’m not!” Hyrule answered back sharply. His nails dug painfully into his palms. “ I always try to help them when I can, but I can’t be in a hundred places at once. It’s not just Nabooru Town who’s doing this, but literally every other town in this kingdom. People will be dying whether I’m there or not, and there’s no way I can rescue everyone who’s been accused of being me and protect Zelda and the castle.”

“Then think of some other solution!” Twilight threw his hands up, letting all of his pent up rage and disgust finally get the better of him. “ Have your Hyrule Castle give them a safe place to live or create some group to find the people that want you dead and put them in prison! I don’t know, kill them if you have to! Those villagers there are no better than monsters, so there’s nothing left to salvage.”

The Ordonian said that last bit with complete and utter conviction as his subconscious flashed him that same memory of that boy burning to death, and the villagers around him smiling and cheering as they watched the scene with absolute glee. They really were no better than monsters at this point, were they? Cold, cruel, heartless monsters.

“They’re not monsters.” The traveller replied just as firm. “ They’re only the way they are because they’re scared. They know the Hero of Hyrule is still out there - that I’m still out there - and they know that one little slip up could cost them and their entire family their lives, so if they have the chance to control that, then they’ll try everything in their damn power to do so, even if it means killing innocent people. It’s not their fault that they think like that; it’s because they’re all - because Ganon’s - I’m just -.”

“It’s because of mass hysteria.” Warriors interjected, and when the group’s collective attention was brought to him, he hardened his features and explained. “ Consider this: the people of this kingdom know that Ganon could be revived at any second as long as his followers had Hyrule in their possession. If you were a simple villager who hasn’t seen your Hero for weeks on end, wouldn’t you start to panic and fear for the worst? Like the traveller said, a single drop of blood on Ganon’s ashes would be enough to bring him back to life, and even more would bring him back to full power, so I understand the people’s worry for having Hyrule wander alone in a territory riddled with monsters. One wrong move, and their entire livelihoods would disappear, and they most likely won’t have a hero to protect them if Ganon does go too far.”

Hyrule nodded with a grim look on his face, and then redirected his attention to the ranchhand. “ They’re not monsters, Twilight,” He repeated, his voice softer and more controlled than before. “ They’re scared. They’re scared because they don’t have any control over anything, so they do whatever they can to make them feel in - control, even if it’s something as horrible as killing their friends. I know I’m causing this, and I know I’m not doing anything to stop this, but the sooner I get to Ganon and defeat him once and for all, the sooner things can get back to normal.”

It was strange to hear one of their own so conscious and accepting of the horrors around them. Twilight knew that Time and Wild both have regrets about the past and refuse to accept it, and he was sure that Legend and Warriors were both hiding something as well based on all those times they woke up screaming in the middle of the night, but to hear Hyrule, a meek and timid teen that rarely spoke at all, so readily admit that his land was nearly beyond saving and that it was all his fault, was something breathtaking in and of itself. The traveller knew that monsters and his own people were constantly after him, and he knew that if he let himself relax for just a second, the chances of him getting captured and killed would skyrocket to an unbelievable level, but despite all odds, he still chose to defend a kingdom that didn’t even show him an ounce of gratitude. To press forward when the whole world is against you takes a great deal of dedication, and perhaps Hyrule was more of a selfless hero than he made himself out to be.

The Ordonian let his shoulders sag with defeat. “ You’re right: I don’t know anything about what you’re going through, and it was wrong of me to be angry at you.”

Hyrule’s features softened, and any indication of outrage melted into quiet understanding. “ It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean any of it; you were just upset at what you saw and I don’t blame you, but there’s more to the story than whatever you see on your first night in one of the towns here.” He met the ranchhand’s eyes and tried for a tiny smile. “ Things will get better - I know they will - but until then, I have to do what I need to.”

The group had decided to set up camp for the night, all of them silently agreeing that a spot among the trees and dirt was the only safe place left in Hyrule’s era. Most of the heroes turned in for the night without a word, and barely any of them had the courage to look at the dancing flames of the small campfire they had started. It was ironic: how could a thing that brought the group warmth and light and a place to sit and chatter every night kill an innocent person without hesitation? Would it bring them that same sense of comfort ever again, or would they constantly relive that memory of their night in Nabooru Town, watching an innocent child burn to death at the hands of those he considered family?

In the end, it was just Time and Hyrule left at their makeshift campfire, both of them silent as they were lost in their own thoughts; that is, until a success of long howls filled the night air.

The traveller tensed, breath catching in his throat for a second, before realisation dawned on him. “ That’s Wolfie, right?” He questioned, and when he received a nod of confirmation from the other, he knitted his brows in worry. “ But he sounds … really sad tonight ...”

“I think he’s crying.”

Hyrule turned to the elder hero with genuine confusion. “‘Crying’? Why would he be crying?”

Time stared absently at the bright orange flames in front of him. “ I think he’s crying for all those who’ve lost their souls to such a cruel fate.”

#linkeduniverse #LU Hyrule #LU Twilight #fanfic #linktober2020

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queenof-literature · 5 years ago

Note

I know that you just posted your Rito story and I loved. I can't wait for more! I noticed it mentioned Wild blushing when asked to sing one of Kass's song. I am pretty sure it's Kass's final song, and thought it would be cute if one of the other Links hears Wild singing under his breath (maybe while cooking) and the story and song get dragged out of him.

Hi! Thank you so much! I wasn't quite sure what you meant by song and story, but I used Kass' final song with the story of Wild's death and the story with Kass' teacher, so it got a little angsty. I hope that all is okay. If not, please let me know and I wil l write a different one! Thank you for the request!

It had been a rough day. The group had landed in Hyrule’s land, and had instantly been attacked by groups of monsters with insane amounts of bloodlust. Luckily, there weren’t any injuries that couldn’t be fixed with a potion or two. Some scrapes here, some sprained ankles there, physically they were fine. But they were absolutely exhausted.

Wild was making a hearty stew for his friends before they turned in early that night. Four was leaning against a tree, book in hand. Warriors and Legend were playing a weird card game that involved slapping each other’s hands as hard as possible while Wind and Hyrule watched and made fun of them both. Time and Twilight were chatting and laughing softly, while Sky was already dozing off on a tree near Four’s. Overall, it was a tired peace that made Wild’s heart swell.

He never really got this peace before he met the other heroes. It was always sleeping in trees away from monsters, or riding through the night to discover new shrines, or pushing forward to save Zelda and other villages infected by the Calamity. This was peaceful, something that Wild wasn’t used to, but didn’t really hate like he thought he would when he first met them.

“For fierce and deadly trials await. To regain his strength. Fulfill his fate.” Wild didn’t really notice when he began to sing softly as he was stirring his stew. He also didn’t notice the rest of camp slowly getting quiet, or Four elbowing Sky in the ribs. His eyes had grown distant as he continued to sing softly. “To become a hero once again. To wrest the princess from her den.” The rest of the Links looked at each other silently. Wild had a pretty voice from what they could hear. Pretty in a way that it was unique, and rough from lack of use, but also soft and comforting. He almost looks like he doesn’t notice what he’s doing. Should they tell him?

“The hero, the princess-hand in hand-Must bring the light back to this land.” Wild finished just as soft as he began, like he had sung the song millions of times before. But he realized he felt eyes on him. He looked up to see the entire camp staring at him, even Sky, all with confusion and a bit of awe. Oh dear Hylia. Wild yanked his hood up to find his bright red face as he realized what he had done. ‘I am so sorry.’ Wild signed ‘Sometimes I do that without noticing. I didn’t mean to interrupt you all I promise. I’ll stop. Just let me know when I do it in the future, sorry I just didn’t notice-’ Twilight and the rest of the boys had gathered around Wild, but still gave him space. Twilight gently put his hands over Wild’s. He didn’t like doing that if he didn’t have to, Wild sometimes expressed himself only through sign and he never wanted to get in the way of that. But if he let Wild continue too far, he would spiral into a dark place where it was harder to pull him from. All of the Heroes of Courage had that issue. Sometimes it was better to stop the train of loathing and questioning before it got too far off the track.

“Don’t apologize about what you do while you make us dinner, Cub” Twilight teased gently, taking his hands off of Wild’s. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, we all got our habits. Besides, ya got a pretty singin’ voice.” Twilight smiled, while Wild simply flushed further into his hood, at this point his face was the most red thing Twilight had ever seen.

“Yeah Wild! I knew you would have a pretty voice!” Wind exclaimed. The group couldn’t see Wild’s eyes at all, but they could see his lips twitch upwards slightly at the younger’s enthusiasm.

“Ummm… thank you.” Wild said softly, still not coming out of his hood.

“Can you sing us the whole song? If you’re comfortable of course.” Wind asked hesitantly. He wanted to hear the rest of Wild’s song, but he didn’t want Wild to feel forced into anything. The group looked at Wind in slight shock. They hadn’t expected anyone to ask the blatant question no one else wanted to ask, but Wind was good at that. The shy boy somehow managed to get even more flustered, his face so red he looked like he was about to explode.

“W-well.” Wild was slightly stuttering again, not that the group minded. It wasn’t just nerves, Wild couldn’t talk very well when the group first found him, so he mostly signed like he did to others in his Hyrule that needed help. Through sign, they discovered that he was actually very witty and fun, but it turns out not using your voice for more than a hundred years and having rough scars around your neck made it a little hard to talk.

“My voice isn’t very good, maybe Kass could sing it to you? It’s better with the accordion anyway.” Wild said nervously.

“Your voice is very good Wild!” Sky urged.

“If you’re okay with singing it we don’t need the music Wild.” Time stated. “But no one's forcing ya. We would love to hear it, but only if ya want to sing it.” Wild pondered these words. Ever since he started talking verbally again, he tried to push himself out of his silent shell with help from the other heroes. Maybe singing was the next step?

Once again, Wild felt weak. He could take down entire camps of monsters, defeat Calamity, and kill Guardians with a single ancient arrow to the eye, but he couldn’t talk to people properly. He had relayed those thoughts to Twilight before, how useless he felt sometimes that he could be strong except in the face of normal, everyday people. Twilight had told him that it was perfectly okay, and that everyone had their struggles and fears, but Wild still felt stupid sometimes.

“I guess… If you really wanna hear it…” Wild emerged from his hood slightly. Maybe it would prove he wasn't as weak as he thought? Wind cheered and put his head in his hands, waiting. The rest of the group smiled, and Twilight patted his arm for encouragement.

“An ancient hero. A calamity appears. Now resurrected after 10,000 years”

The other heroes are surprised when Wild starts singing. It’s still soft, and it’s still rough, but Wind is right. Wild’s voice has a nice comfort in it.

“Her appointed knight, gives his life. Shields her figure and pays the price.”

Wait, what? Wild’s death is part of the song? And the words, shielding her figure, did Wild take every Guardian laser for Zelda? How did he make it to the Shrine of Resurrection? Oh Wild…

“The princess’ love for her fallen knight, awakens her power and calamity cowers. But the knight survives in the Shrine of Resurrection. He sleeps. Until from his healing dream he leaps.”

Anger fills the group at this. It was known that Wild was in the Shrine? Why did no one check on him? Why did no one keep guard so he wouldn’t be alone and scared when he woke up? Sure it was 100 years, but did no one get suspicious? Especially with elders who saw the fall of Hyrule!

“For fierce and deadly trials await, to regain his strength, fulfill his fate. To become a hero once again. To wrest the princess from Evil's den.” Wild finishes his song while looking around the camp with nervous eyes. Some of the boys looked troubled. Was he really that bad? At Wild’s nervous look, most of the boys snapped out of their stupur and began applauding, Warriors whistling at an ear piercing volume while the others whooped and hollered. Wild, who had kept his hood on to feel a small amount of security at revealing his voice in such a vulnerable way, hid within it once again, except it was a different embarrassment this time, he was relieved he had done it and gotten through it. But the group could see a smile threatening to break out. It was a sweet sight.

‘Thank you’ Wild signed with fingers trembling from the adrenaline of singing in front of all eight heroes.

“No problem, Buddy.” Twilight clapped his back.

“Yeah Wild! Thanks for trusting us enough to sing that song!” Hyrule smiled across the campfire. A smile that Wild returned instantly. Hyrule and Wild related to each other in this way. They spent so much time away from civilization and traveling the woods, it was sometimes scary to go back. All of the boys were smiling at him, except for Time. He looked solemn and serious.

“You okay, Old Man?” Four questioned. Time turned to Wild, look serious. Wild hadn’t been this intimidated by Time since he had first met the man.

“Wild… how many times did those things’ lasers hit you?” Time said the word ‘things’ with such malice the entire group got chills.

“Time.” Twilight whispered urgently. Wild didn’t like to talk about his death one hundred years ago.

“It says you shielded the princess. How. Many. Times?” Time asked coolly. On the inside he was livid. He was trying so hard not to take it out on Twilight’s protege, because it wasn’t his fault. None of it was, no matter how much he blamed himself, Wild was sent into the situation to die. He took blast after blast with his own body, and he still didn’t make it to Ganon. His friends all died except Zelda who he shielded with his own body.

“U-um. I don’t remember. I-I guess. Maybe five? Six? I-I’m sorry Time. I-I don’t remember.” Twilight put a hand on Wild’s shoulder when the boy’s breath hitched slightly, jolting Time out of his external anger. The rest of the camp were looking at him in confusion, or in some cases, (Legend), anger.

“I’m sorry Wild I didn't mean to spring that upon you. I was just mad. Not at you.” Time rished the last part in when he saw Wild open his mouth to apologize again. “I was mad at your situation. Wild… you didn’t deserve that. No one would ever deserve that but Hylia, not you kid.” Wild tilted his head in confusion. It would have been slightly cute if the next words hadn’t come out of his mouth.

“But I failed.” Wild said like it was the most natural thing on the planet. There was an uncomfortable silence in the group, then a descent into chaos.

“Failed?”

"Wild, no!”

“How the fuck was Calamity’s shit actions your fault? He’s the fucking monster that fucked up Hyrule!”

“Dear Hylia, Wind. Language. He’s right though Wild, it was Ganon’s fault.”

“Wild it wasn’t your fault, it was Ganon’s.”

Wild appreciated the support, but all their voices began blurring together. Tears pricked at his eyes, Twilight’s hand on his shoulder burned hotter than a Guardians laser. It all became too much too fast.

“It was my fault!” Wild yelled. That halted the group in their tracks. Wild yelled sure. When he was in his environment he would yell while shield surfing, or talking about a crazy plan he had, but this was in anger and despair. Wild harshly brushed Twilight’s hand off, trying to ignore the slight hurt in his eyes.

“I doomed Hyrule! By the time Zelda unlocked her power I had collapsed. My body quit on me! I quit on all of Hyrule! The other champions died! Why am I the only one left? Kass told me the story of his teacher! He was Zelda’s age and he fell in love with her, but she loved me! I don’t even know if I loved her back! She doesn’t deserve what she was put through! No one does! I did that to them, that was all me! I failed! I got hit with laser after laser after laser but I had to keep going! But I couldn’t, I didn’t even make it the castle! Kass’ teacher was mad I wasn’t a noble or royalty, and he was right! Zelda deserved better! She and I are the only ones left! All the other champions died because of me! Why am I the only one? Why am I still here? Why am I-” Wild choked on his last words on a sob. His entire rant, tears began to cascade down his face as the group looked on in horror.

Wild couldn’t hold it in anymore. He cried and he grieved and he yelled. Wild didn’t feel the white and burning rage anymore, he just felt the despair and sorrow he had been keeping in for years, only releasing a couple of times in small doses. When Twilight reached out to gently touch his hand, it didn’t feel like lava from Death Mountain anymore, it felt warm and loving and Wild simply leaned into it, silently telling Twilight it was okay.

“Oh, Cub.” Twilight murmured before pulling Wild to his chest. Wild curled up in his mentor's arms and allowed himself to sob over all the losses he had felt. His sobs grew harder and he felt like a child, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t breath, his sobs overlapping and clogging his lungs. One of his hands was pulled away from where it was curled into Twilight’s tunic and he whined.

“Just me kiddo. You gotta breathe with me.” His hand was led to a different chest. Legend, Wild recognized in the back of his mind. Legend exaggerated his breaths for Wild to copy. The first time he tried, he simply choked more and shook his head. “That’s alright, you can do it. Another try.” Legend said gently. Wild would be laughing in a different situation. The word gentle and Legend wouldn’t be put together when he had first met the snarky hero. Wild tried again with a little more success. Legend kept helping him as another hand went through his hair. Four.

“I’m so sorry, Wild.” Wind said from across camp. The younger felt guilty that he had started this when asking if Wild could sing. Wild wanted to reassure that this wasn’t his fault at all, that this had just been building, but he couldn’t talk. Luckily, Warriors and Hyrule were there to cover for him, talking quietly to Wind on the other side of camp. Wind shook it off though, Wild needed them more.

Wild had calmed down slightly. Still crying, and still curled up in Twilight's arms and getting help from Four and Legend. But once he was sure he could hear him, Time spoke up.

“Wild, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to grill you that hard. That was my mistake.” Wild opened his mouth to tell him that it was okay, he knew Time had no malintent, but Time continued on. “Wild. I need you to understand something. What happened wasn’t your fault.” Wild opened his mouth to correct Time, but Time was having none of it. “No, it wasn’t your fault Wild. I’m not saying that to comfort you or baby you. What you were sent into was an execution Wild.” Twilight's wolf instincts got loud in his head and he almost snapped at Time for being so harsh but stopped himself. He remembered Time told him once after he took Wild under his wing, that mentoring wasn’t just about kind words and support. It was also about knowing when to state hard facts. Sometimes that’s all people understood.

“No one knew what Ganon had planned, and you had no time to prepare because of the mistakes of those before you. You had nothing to do with their ignorance, Wild.” Time’s face was set in stone, but his eyes showed a fiery passion for every word he was saying. “Wild. Look at me please, bud.” Wild peeked out from Twilight’s shoulder and looked into Time’s eyes, which softened as he met the younger hero’s sky blue eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, because you couldn’t control anything around you. You are not a God. You have the limitations of a Hylian that you already find ways to exceed. Wild, you were so brave. You took hit after hit to protect Zelda. And her powers awakened right before you collapsed. Do you blame her for not unlocking them sooner.” Instantly Wild’s eyes became hard, and he opened his mouth to bite into Time, who could see where this was leading just by the expression on Wild’s face. He held up a hand. “I’m not saying you should. I’m saying that she also had limitations that were out of her control, just like you. If you don’t blame Zelda, why do you blame yourself?” That one stumped Wild a bit. He wanted to say because Zelda was born into a family she never asked to be in, and worked hard everyday to fulfill their expectations… but he was in the same situation. Did Zelda feel the same way he did when he sorrowfully watched her blame herself? Time saw he struck a chord.

“I understand feeling like a failure. I lost battles too. But you did what you could do with what very little of the situation you could control. You said it yourself, you took laser after laser for her, and you only collapsed after you were sure she was safe. The safety of others is the only thing that kept you going, Wild. I’m not saying I approve of you taking lasers for others, but do you realize how much of a hero you are?” Tears flowed from Wild’s eyes once again, but for another reason entirely. Time really cared. He really thought Wild was a hero, even after he heard the song, the stories, the death. He heard it all, and the Hero of Time still thought Wild belonged with them. Wild whispered a quick thank you, and the rest of the group sighed in relief. Wild’s sobs had turned to hiccups as the rest of the group told him similar things to Time. It didn’t feel suffocating this time, it just felt like his eight brothers were trying to comfort him. Wild felt a weight lifted off his shoulders he had felt for so long. Time knew Wild would still struggle with his feelings of failure, one night wouldn’t change that, but he hoped he got through to Wild for the long run, at least a little.

Wild realized how absolutely exhausted he was before this whole ordeal even started, which only increased tenfold now that he had cried. He was embarrassed that he had lost his shit that much in front of all eight heroes, and realized with a jolt how exhausted they had been too.

“Um. I’m sorry, I know you all were really tired. I didn’t mean to have this happen-” He was cut off with a flick to his unscarred ear by Legend and a small yank on his ear by Four while Wild yelped.

“What did we just talk about you idiot?” Legend hissed, but it lacked the usual bite he had.

“Yeah Wild! Don’t be sorry. Everyone needs a good cry once in a while! It’s healthy! I’m a medical professional, you have to listen to me.” Hyrule added with a joking glare. Some snickers rang through the group at Hyrule’s proclamation. Time looked over and smiled in pride at Wild, which Wild returned with red dusting on his cheeks. Hearing all his brothers laughing and fighting, and feeling the comforting arms around him, Wild slowly dozed off into a deep sleep, feeling lighter than he had in years.

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lady-sci-fi · 4 years ago

Text

Classic Who Whumptober #14: Branding

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

“I yield! I yield!” Alistair shouted, hoping it would get the alien being off of his back and stop twisting his arm in a very painful manner. He wasn’t going to win this contest with a broken arm, certainly.

The alien woman got off him, and Alistair cradled his arm close as he glanced around the other aliens who had formed an impromptu ring around the pair. “Satisfied?” he asked, hoping the submission would be enough for them to let him go.

“You fight well,” one of them, the leader, Alistair presumed, complimented. He smiled slightly, showing sharp teeth. “But not well enough.”

Alistair cleared his throat. “Yes, well, now that that’s over with-“

The leader stepped forward, and the others began chanting wordlessly. Alistair suddenly felt very trapped in the middle of them all. The leader stated, “You are our captive now.”

Alistair grimaced. “I’m afraid that’s not acceptable.” He let out a groan of defeat as three of them seized him from behind. There was no way he was going to fight off three of them, let alone the twenty or so total, especially since he couldn’t defeat one in fair combat.

They half-dragged him over to where they had set up a fire near their spaceship and shoved him down to the ground to sit. They tied his hands behind his back and around a post, securing him effectively.

“Now you must be marked.”

“Marked? What do you mean, marked?” Alistair certainly did not like the sound of that.

The leader nudged at the end of a metal stick half in the fire.

Alistair’s eyes widened. “You can’t mean you’re going to…” He swallowed heavily.

The leader lifted his sleeve to show a circular patterned burn on his skin. “All warriors captured and defeated by a person of another clan must be marked.”

“But I’m not part of your society!” But his protest didn’t seem to matter to these people.

“Lower right leg would be a good place for it.”

“Don’t you dare!” Alistair hissed, struggling to fold his legs underneath him. The effort didn’t matter either, as three of the aliens pulled his right leg out and pushed the trouser leg up to his knee. Two held him back against the post, not that he could escape that anyway. The third pinned his leg to the ground by his ankle. A fourth held down his other leg to stop him from kicking.

Alistair could see the smoke emanating from the brand, a V shape with a semi-circle underneath it, as the leader picked it up out of the fire. “Y-you really don’t have to do this.”

“It is our custom.” The leader approached him.

“Not my custom!” But Alistair could do nothing, and he closed his eyes tightly.

He clenched his jaw together as hard as he could, but his attempt at composure completely broke as the red-hot brand touched the outside of his calf. He yelled and thrashed and squirmed, the smell of his own burning flesh overwhelming everything except the intense and searing agony.

Despite all his movements, the leader kept the brand still, pressing against his skin.

Finally, the brand was pulled away, but the intense flaring pain stayed for several seconds after. Alistair’s body shook as it slowly dissipated to something barely more tolerable. His head dropped to his chest and he breathed raggedly. He made the mistake of opening his eyes, and immediately felt sick to his stomach at the sight of the burned-in mark on his calf. He quickly averted his gaze to the ground to his side.

No doubt this would be permanent. That was the point of branding something. He didn’t even care what it symbolized. All that mattered was that he would be stuck with this thing.

All Alistair could do was sit there, trying this hardest to breathe through the lingering pain.

********

Alistair jolted awake at someone prodding his arm. He quickly saw why they had wakened him. The leader was coming with the Doctor behind him. “Doctor!” he called out, so relieved to see him, and hoped he was here as rescue instead of another captive.

“He is your warrior?” the leader asked when they stopped near Alistair.

“Yes, yes he is,” the Doctor responded without hesitation.

“Then we release him back to you.” The leader crouched down next to Alistair’s leg, and lifted the trouser covering the brand. “We marked him, because he lost to one of ours.”

The Doctor swallowed heavily. “I-I see…” He briefly ran his hand over his mouth.

The leader made a gesture, and the others untied their captive. Alistair pushed himself up to very shaky legs, and limped to his friend, unable to mask his winces of pain.

The Doctor put his arm around Alistair. “Come along.”

Each step sent intense bolts up his leg, and his clenched his teeth. Once far enough out of earshot of the alien camp, he asked, “Aren’t we going to…” He swallowed past another wave of nausea. “To take care of them?”

“All in good time. We’ve set up a perimeter to stop others accidentally encountering them.” The Doctor stopped and looked to his friend. “I’m carrying you.”

“Wait, I can walk. I-“ He sighed as the Doctor swiftly picked him up in his arms, bridal-style. He clenched the front of the Doctor’s shirt as the Timelord’s arm accidentally brushed across the brand.

“Sorry, old chap. I’ll be careful.” The Doctor took a couple seconds to get used to the weight, and continued on. “Yates is in charge of the perimeter. Liz and Benton are in a truck not too far. I thought it best to be seen alone.”

Alistair nodded. With those concerns out of the way, he asked, “Do you… do you think this… this mark can be gotten rid of?”

“We’ll see.”

#classic who #Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart #whumptober #Fic

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echoes-of-the-clockwork · 4 years ago

Text

Book Four: War (Gladiolus x Reader) Chapter Nine

(Y/n) and Gladio enter the Crow's Nest. They spot Cor sitting at the bar with a cup of coffee. Hearing them approach, he places his warm beverage down. "'Bout time." He looked at the shield as he sat down, but his attention was diverted to the Horseman standing behind him. "Never expected your friend was a Horseman, Gladio."

"You two know each other?" The brute asked.

"We've meet a couple of times, nothing more." He turned around and gave his full attention to the redhead. "Nice to see you again, War."

"You as well, Marshal," (Y/n) replied.

One of the servers behind the counter walks over to take Gladio's order. "What'll it be?"

"Just a water's fine," Gladio said. "Thanks."

"And what about you, miss?"

"I'm fine," the Horseman replied.

The server walks away. Cor focuses his gaze forward, pushing his cup of coffee aside. "Allow me to ask you once more: are you sure you're ready to take on the Blademaster?"

(Y/n)'s eyes narrow as she listened to the conversation. She decided to keep her lips sealed, wishing to support his decision.

"I went up against the high commander and got my ass handed to me. I didn't stand a chance. And I never will unless I get more power," Gladio explained.

"Then answer my question: are you ready or not?" The marshal asked.

"You think I would've called you here if I weren't?"

Cor turns his head and looks Gladio directly in the eyes. "So you're ready to face death?" Both men are silent for a moment before the marshal continues. "Gilgamesh awaits challengers in the deepest recesses of those ruins. It's been thirty years since we uncovered the caves. We've sent countless expeditions, but all of our efforts have afforded us no rewards...and no survivors."

"Except for you," Gladio corrected. "You undertook the trial, and you made it back alive."

The marshal said nothing for a long moment. Finally, he casts his eyes down as he speaks, "Barely." He gets up from his seat. "Let's move."

(Y/n) and Gladio follow Cor out of the Crow's Nest. They left the rest area and headed towards the location of the path leading into the Tempering Grounds. During their trek, the marshal was the first to break the silence. "Never in my entire life would I see the one Horseman who hates mankind traveling alongside the king's sworn shield."

"(Y/n)'s been with us for a while now," Gladio explained.

Cor was perplexed at the name, having never heard it. "(Y/n)?"

"My name," the Horseman clarified. "I'm the only Horseman who refuses to let go of their true name. Guess I never told you that, marshal."

"You haven't told me much, War," Cor retorts. "Out of all the Horsemen I talked to the day before the empire attacked, you clearly didn't want to talk. I could tell how much you abhorred the idea when His late Majesty asked you and your sisters to help evacuate the city. You've changed."

"Good," she stated. "Change is what I was hoping to achieve."

Cor then changed the subject of the conversation, his next question being directed at Gladio. "Did you tell your friends why you were taking off?"

"Just said it was "business." Didn't want 'em getting all worried about me," Gladio said.

"Or knowing your pride took a beating," Cor remarked. "But you're fine telling a Horseman."

"Yeah, well, she would've found me whether I told her or not."

The crimson-haired girl lifted her head and glanced at him. "You seriously think I would've tracked you down?"

"No, but if one of the guys were to ask, you would've," he stated.

She looked away. "Can't deny that..."

Proceeding into the Tempering Grounds, they're almost immediately greeted by the sight of corpses of long-dead warriors littering the gorge. Some were impaled to the stone walls with weapons, hanging lifelessly. Walking past a few, they stopped for a brief second when witnessing smoke-like azure-colored energy float down into the corpses. As the strange aura flowed into the dead warriors, they slowly rose to their feet.

(Y/n) glanced around at the undead warriors as they stalked towards them. "My kind of people."

Gladio was shocked by the reanimated corpses. "They're alive?!"

"Not for long!" Cor leapt into action, cutting down one of the undead warriors. Gladio summoned his greatsword while War conjured her own crimson-bladed sword. They sliced through the reanimated corpses, continuing forward.

Enemies fell one after another. Cor, Gladio, and (Y/n) used their combined strength to cut a path through the reanimated corpses. The moment War yanked her blade out of an undead warrior's chest, an unfamiliar voice rang out. "Have you come to prove your might?"

For a split second, Gladio ceased fighting to question the voice. "Who are you?"

"One of many who haunt these grounds, following our leader in death as in life. Naught but our souls remain, clinging to the vestiges of our past."

"Why?"

"To test those determined to become the King's Shield, and prepare them to inherit the power they pursue."

"The Blademaster's men have sworn their loyalty both before and beyond the grave, scaring off the unworthy," Cor stated, slicing another walking corpse in half.

"Then they'd better prepare for disappointment. I don't scare easy." Gladio swung his greatsword around, striking down a pair of enemies.

(Y/n) switched to a bow, finishing off the last undead warrior with a single arrow to the head. She dematerialized her weapon with a huff. "Looks like that was the last one."

"Keep on your guard," Cor warned.

They proceeded deeper into the Tempering Grounds. They made their way through a crevasse, where they soon came to a cavern entrance requiring them to crouch to gain entry. A short distance within, they come to a rapidly running brook streaming down a slope. Gladio stared at the rushing water. "Only way to go is down..."

Gladio gets into the water and lets it carry him down into the depths of the cavern, landing in an area filled with water slightly higher than ankle-deep. (Y/n) and Cor followed the shield and rode the water down the slope, landing beside him in the shallow pond.

Sensing a threatening presence from the water, War summoned her sword. "Prepare yourselves. We've got trouble."

Suddenly, an enormous snake called a brunnrsomr emerges from the water and targets the trio. Gladio armed himself, not frightened by the creature's size. "He ain't going down without a fight."

They faced off against the large brunnrsomr. The Horseman remembered her tactics when she fought against the midgardsormr in the Cleigne region. Although the snakes were different, their movements were nearly the same and she easily was able to slice off its tail. It wriggled around in pain, but it was soon silenced by Gladio and Cor.

"Well done, War," the marshal commented. "Your quick thinking made what could've been a lengthy battle a short one."

"Yeah, well, this isn't my first tango with a large snake," she stated. "Once you've fought one, you've fought them all. Only difference is their scale colors."

While the two were chatting, Gladio noticed the cavern began to take on an eerie green hue. He looks around when he could no longer hear (Y/n) or Cor to find himself alone. Then, he noticed a hooded humanoid silhouette materialize from azure smoke. The figure wields a katana in its right hand, its left arm missing. "You come to prove yourself worthy of my mantle?" The figure questioned.

"I do. I am here to undertake the Trial of Gilgamesh," Gladio replied.

"And what is it you hope to glean?"

He raises his hand and clenches it into a fist. "Power-and you're gonna give it to me."

Gilgamesh dispells his katana. "Is that so?" He replaces the katana with a large broadsword, then quickly charges at Gladio.

"Ready or not!" The shield shouts, conjuring his greatsword. He faces off against the Blademaster, swinging his sword and dodging attacks. However, Gilgamesh was powerful and easily absorbed the brunt force of Gladio's attacks. Nothing could stun him and he was able to knock the brute over time and time again.

Eventually, Gladio finds his sword locked with Gilgamesh's in a recreation of the position he was in when he fought Ravus. The Blademaster was unfazed as he looked down at the shield. "Brute force alone does little to impress. Only he who possesses both muscle and mettle of equal caliber deserves the honor of fighting beside the Chosen King as his sworn Shield."

Gladio briefly flashes back to his confrontation with Ravus before questioning the entity in front of him. "You saying I don't?"

Gilgamesh breaks their sword lock, knocking Gladio to the ground. "A great evil threatens the people of your world. It is but the King of Kings and his Shield who can safeguard their lives. All those unworthy or unwilling to rise to the task meet their end here, by my blade."

"I ain't meeting mine any time soon. This "trial" hasn't even begun," he spat.

"If you do not fear death, then go forth with reckless abandon and prove your worth." The Blademaster turns and vanishes in a cloud of azure smoke. The lighting of the cave returns to normal.

After a silent moment alone, Gladio speaks aloud to himself, "You are ready for this."

"In that case, let the trials begin," Cor said.

The shield turned around and found both the marshal and (Y/n) standing a few feet away. He walked over to them, amber eyes focused on the man. "So, the Blademaster..."

"He's a master of blades," Cor responded. "What-were you expecting something profound?"

Gladio looked over at the Horseman. "You've ever heard of him?"

"These caves were discovered thirty years ago, right? There's no way I would know anything about Gilgamesh. This is the first time I've heard of him," she said. "Thinking back, I never even read about someone named Gilgamesh in the books Vanaheim had to offer. But who knows? Maybe my people did know of his existence."

Cor's brows knitted together in bewilderment. "Vanaheim? The last time I heard that name was years ago. How do you know about it?"

"We have one helluva story to tell you, marshal," Gladio said. "Let's find a place to rest before we go into any details."

The three continue on, scaling a small ledge and ascending a stone stairway that begins to lead them up out of the cavern. Before long, they come to a campsite. They sat down and decided to rest for a short while.

"You wanna tell him?" Gladio asked the Horseman. "Or should I?"

(Y/n) met Cor's gaze. "Vanaheim was my kingdom and I was once its queen nearly a millennia ago. Of course, my title of queen rings hollow and holds no meaning. You mentioned an expedition. What was King Regis hoping to find?"

"The Crystal," Cor answered. "Our hopes were to locate it and bring it back to the city. However, our expedition team never returned."

"Hate to break it to you, but no one will be able to find Vanaheim or the Crystal," she said. "Not even the empire."

"So it isn't a myth..."

"No. If it was..." She summoned a dagger, admiring the scarlet crystal shards that appeared. "I wouldn't be able to use its power. Even if you were to find Vanaheim at the bottom of the ocean, there's no way you'd be able to extract the Crystal. It remains in the throne room of my palace, untouched by the erosion of the current and time. It shall forever remain out of grasp. Not even the Tidemother would help."

"Sounds to me like it's safer at the bottom of the ocean," Gladio chimed in.

"It is."

"The damned soul of a queen accompanying the soon-to-be King of Lucis," Cor chuckled. "Not even the craziest person could make that up. Even I'm having difficulty believing that."

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't change the fact that it's the truth," (Y/n) remarked.

"I'm sure you'll have me believing before this trip is over with."

The three rested for a little while longer at the campsite before deciding to continue their trek. Cor warned Gladio and War to be wary of their surroundings as they left the campsite located in the Alcove of Reprieve.

Continuing to make their way through the cavern, the disembodied voice they first heard when facing against the undead warriors projected its voice once again to Gladio. "Your skill is impressive. You may have the strength to defeat the darkness...but do you have the spirit to survive these trials?"

"For a departed soul, it sure has a lot to say..." (Y/n) mumbled.

"You mean like you?" Gladio smirked.

The Horseman was silent for a few seconds before replying, "...I walked right into that one."

The shield guffawed at her response. "Couldn't pass up the opportunity."

Deeper into the cavern, they encountered more enemies. They fought against the powerful adversaries, but they proved to be more challenging than the previous battles. Cor and Gladio remained on the front lines while (Y/n) backed away to provide healing. It was minimal and only healed the minor scrapes and bruises from the fight. She remained on healing duty for a time before switching to offensive magic. Using a fire incantation, she fried a few enemies that were trying to attack her allies from behind.

With the way now clear, they proceeded forward. They come to a wall made of rock formations curved inward on one another. It also appeared to be sealed by a magical talisman consisting of a sword stuck in the ground with several ropes tied to it. What caught their attention the most was the blade of the sword radiated with cerulean energy.

"Ooh, fancy," (Y/n) blandly stated.

Gladio admires the sword. "What's this?"

"A trial chamber," Cor explained. "The hand-holding stops here-good luck."

Without wasting a second, Gladio grabs the grip of the sword. The ropes vanish in a flash of light and he pulls the blade from the ground. The entire weapon then vanishes in a burst of light. The rock wall crumbles away, revealing a small cave. He enters, leaving the marshal and the Horseman behind.

Cor watched Gladio enter the trial chamber before turning his gaze towards the redhead. He crossed his arm with a stoic expression. "So tell me-what do you hope to gain by traveling with His Highness?"

She glared lightly at him. "You make me sound like I have an ulterior motive. Do you believe I'd hurt Noctis or any of his retainers?"

"His late Majesty believed you and your sisters were trustworthy and I would never second-guess his judgement," the marshal responded. "I only want to know why you made such a decision to travel with them. You're clearly capable of handling anything or anyone that comes your way."

"My sisters brought up a couple good points. Speaking honestly, they're the ones who convinced me to travel with His Highness. They said it could possibly help my hunt and they were right. The bunyips are dead and the only monster that remains is the dullahan. They also mentioned I could teach Noctis a thing or two."

"And how'd that go?" Cor asked out of curiosity.

"Well. He's a fast learner, I must say. I thought it would've been a pain in the ass to teach him."

"Never expected a Horseman to aid His Highness on his journey. I know whatever you teach him will be invaluable."

"Let's just hope he took my teaching to heart. I'm not the best of teachers..."

Their attention was drawn to the trial chamber when they heard a strange sound. Entering the chamber, they follow after Gladio when the stone wall recedes, revealing a hidden path.

"Stand tall, for the Shield of the King must kneel in subjugation before no man," the disembodied voice said to the shield.

"Thanks for the advice-and for the pick-me-up," Gladio remarked. Making his way down the passageway, he came across the campsite located at the Cliffs of Calm. There, Cor and (Y/n) regrouped with him.

"Well, you made it out alive. Your first trial may have ended, but many more await you on your road to an audience with the Blademaster. Prepare yourself," Cor said.

Due to their recent battles with powerful enemies and Gladio facing his first trial alone, the trio needed to recuperate their strength. They opted to rest at the campsite for a short while before heading to the next trial chamber.

While Cor and Gladio chatted with one another, (Y/n) got to her feet and wandered to the ledge near the campsite. Her eyes focused on the darkness of the deep abyss below. The deeper they delved into Taelpar Crag, the less sun that reached the lower levels. Haphazardly, she stepped closer to the edge. The top of her shoes hung over the ledge as her upper body tilted forward. Her entire body began to fall forward, but someone grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the ledge.

Turning her head, War saw Gladio had been the one to keep her from falling. She blinked in surprise at seeing him glare at her, staring into his amber eyes. "What's with the scary look?"

"You weren't seriously expecting to fall, were you?" He questioned, his voice lower than usual.

She casted her (e/c) eyes down at the ground. "Maybe I was. I'm no stranger to the cold embrace of death. Sometimes I even prefer it. Why stop me? You know the fall wouldn't kill me."

His grip tightened on her arm. "You may not be bothered by death, but I am. Seeing your lifeless body every time I close my damn eyes is too much for me. And don't even get me started on when you died from blood loss that day in Malmalam Thicket. If you think I'm gonna let you fall to your death by throwing yourself off this cliff, you've got another thing comin'."

She freed herself from his grasp. "You just need to focus on the trials. You're here to get stronger, not deal with my issues. I can handle those myself." She stepped away from the cliffside and walked toward the pathway leading up. "If you're done resting, we should head out."

Gladio didn't want to spark an argument with the Horseman in such a dangerous place. He decided to drop the subject and focus on the task ahead. "Right... Let's get going."

#ffxv #ffxv x reader #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv x reader #gladiolus amicitia #gladiolus x reader #gladio x reader

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