#whenever is say ‘so apparently’ I do the Wendy voice in my head

[ohello0]

So apparently people’s dogs are getting sick with a “mystery virus” that actually looks to be bacterial pneumonia with connections to covid. People are spreading the word about not taking their pets to large gatherings and distancing them from other dogs…

It is a lil crazy seeing people all of a sudden understand and take covid precautions seriously for pets but not people??? Like yes protect nibbles but guys what about meemaw or that cousin with asthma?? People that are at risk, immunocompromised, and/or disabled do not get this much effort and care from abled community members.

[animezing-fandoms]

Making Love

Masterlist

Warnings: Smut! 

Relationships: Nalu

Summary: Now that they've found the white wizard, it's time for them to leave Edolas and head off to Elentir. But Edolas Fairy Tail offers to let them spend the night first. But Natsu and Lucy are stuck sharing a room, and there's only one bed. And for some reason Natsu's been acting strange around Lucy. And that night Lucy finds out why and sees a side of the man she loves that she's never seen before. My take on what I think would be cool to have happen after FT 100 YQ chapter 67 but I know it probably won't happen lol.

A/N: Here’s a Nalu smutfic based off of the recent 100 YQ chapter. I hope it turned out as good in words as it did in my head lol! Enjoy!

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“Thank you again for letting us stay the night.” Lucy says as her Edolas counterpart walks her up the stairs. 

“Sure thing! Letting you guys borrow some clothes to sleep in is the least we could do after all you’ve done for us!” Lucy Ashley says as she brings Lucy up to the door. “But unfortunately we don’t really have that many spare rooms so you’re gonna have to share.” 

“That’s fine. I’ve shared rooms with Erza and Wendy before, it’s no problem.” Lucy assures her alternate self. 

“Oh uh…well, you’re not sharing a room with either of them.” She says and twirls a lock of her hair. 

Lucy’s heart began to beat faster, her mind immediately jumps to the worst case scenario and sure enough when the door to the room she’ll be staying in opens up, there’s Natsu sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with Nasha on his lap. 

“Natsu?!” Earth Lucy shouts.

“Nasha!?” Edolas Lucy shouts. 

“Mama!” Nasha shouts happily.

“Lucy!” Natsu shouts happily.

“Nasha what are you doing in here? I told your father to watch you.” Lucy asks.

“He had to go out somewhere and so he left me with the other papa and said that counts because he’s technically still taking care of me.” Nasha explains.

“That unreliable little...” Lucy grumbles to herself.

“Wait, Lucy why are you here?” Natsu asks. 

“Because we’re sharing this room tonight.” Lucy says. 

“Wait!? We are?” Natsu exclaims. 

“Yep. Apparently so.” Lucy says and scratches the back of her head. “Just the two of us, alone, and there’s only one bed...” 

“Oh...” Natsu says. 

Wait a minute...was Natsu blushing? Lucy thinks to herself as she studies his reaction to the news. She expected him not to care, but now it would seem like he actually cares a great deal...

“I thought I’d be sharing this room with Gray.” Natsu says.

“Yeah well given how much you two fight and the fact that we don’t have a ton of money for repairs, we figured it’d be best to keep you two separate. So the girls are sharing a room, and Gray is sharing a room with the Exceeds.” Edo Lucy explains as she holds out her arms for Nasha. 

Natsu lets her go back to her mother and seems sad that he can’t hold onto her for longer. It was amazing. She wasn’t even really his and yet, he treats her like she’s his own. In fact, it seems like ever since he found out that Edo Lucy was her mother, he’s acted fatherly towards Nasha. Again, Lucy didn’t dare think too much into it, but a little bit of hope couldn’t hurt. 

“Besides, after spending some time with this little one, I think it’s clear the two of you could use some one on one time.” Edo Lucy adds with a wink, making the other Lucy’s face turn bright red with embarrassment and anger. 

She planned this! But unfortunately she left the room with her daughter before Lucy could point that out. So now here she was. Alone, with Natsu. Well, joke’s on her because it was late anyway so Lucy was just going to change into some sleep clothes and go right to bed. 

“So uh, you were playing with Nasha?” Lucy asks as she goes over to the dresser and pulls out a sleep top that looked similar enough to the ones she wore to bed. 

“Well I wasn’t playing with her...” Natsu says and his voice trails off when he sees her unbuttoning her top.

To Lucy’s surprise, Natsu turns away. Normally Natsu couldn’t care less if someone was naked or not in front of him but now he was actually trying to give her some privacy? What’s up with that? 

“She wanted a bedtime story so I told her a story about the time Igneel took me to the forest to teach me how to hunt. I think she likes dragons.” Natsu says.

“Well she is your daughter, sort of.” Lucy says and finishes changing into her sleep clothes which consisted of a silk top and silk shorts. 

Natsu must have heard her finish changing because he turns around as she’s putting away the outfit she borrowed from Edolas Lucy and blushes when he sees how little she’s still wearing. 

“Natsu, are you okay?” Lucy asks.

“Yeah I’m fine!” He answers quickly and runs to the bathroom. “Just gotta pee!” 

That was strange... Lucy thought. And it would only get stranger once they have to figure out their sleeping situation. 

——————— 

They both took turns using the bathroom and when Lucy came out she noticed that Natsu was making a makeshift bed on the floor in front of the fireplace. 

“You’re not going to take the bed?” Lucy asks. 

“No you can have it. I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.” Natsu says. 

“Alright, as long as you’re okay with that.” Lucy says and climbs under the covers. 

She was about to lay down and go to sleep when she heard Natsu grunt as he tries to find a comfortable spot on the floor. 

Lucy bites her bottom lip and considers her options. Given how weird he’s been tonight, asking him to share the bed with her probably wouldn’t go over well. But then again, she’s also curious about why he’s acting so strange. So maybe she should ask. You know, for science! 

“Natsu, do you want to share the bed with me?” Lucy asks. 

Natsu stiffens and turns to look at her.

“Uh, are you sure you want to?” He asks. “I thought you would want it all for yourself.” 

“I thought so too at first but...it’s cold and you’re clearly not comfortable down there so... Natsu, come to bed with me?” Lucy asks and cringes the second that sentence leaves her mouth.

Did she really just ask him that? It’s not like she didn’t want to but, she never thought she’d be in a position where she had to ask Natsu to come sleep with her. He usually just made himself at home whenever. Sometimes in her bed! 

So when Lucy sees the worry on his face as he climbs under the covers and stays on the far side away from her, she has to ask. 

“Natsu is something wrong?” Lucy asks. “You seem really nervous around me tonight. Did I upset you somehow?” 

“Well you didn’t do anything but it’s just that, earlier today...Erza told me where babies come from.” Natsu says. 

“Oh.” Lucy says and blushes, trying to process what that means if having that knowledge makes Natsu suddenly avoid her. 

“So now I understand why you were so upset when I asked you to make Nasha with me when we get back to Earthland. I really should have known just what I was asking you to do before I asked it. If I had known I’d have to have sex with you in order to have a baby with you I definitely wouldn’t have asked you for it so casually. So you have every right to be upset with me. I’m sorry.”

Wow. Erza must have really knocked some sense into him! Then again, it’s Erza. If anyone was capable of knocking sense into someone, or just plain knocking them out, it was her. 

But the level of maturity Natsu had right now, and the seriousness in his gaze, and the fact that he was shirtless, she couldn’t help but find it all insanely attractive. If only he felt the same way she’d take him right here right now! 

“Thanks Natsu. I’m glad you’re learning about the world and respecting me by giving me more privacy because of that. But you don’t have to be so shy around me and refuse to share a bed with me because of that. You’re allowed to touch me and be close to me.” Lucy explains to him.

“No I can’t do that.” Natsu says. “It wouldn’t be right because...it would turn me on.” 

Lucy’s heart froze and she could feel the blood pumping in her ears. Did Natsu just say...

“Natsu...you’re attracted to me?” Lucy asks softly.

“Yeah. I’m in love with you Lucy.” Natsu admits and Lucy starts internally screaming. “And I’ve been attracted to you for awhile now actually. I just didn’t realize it until Erza explained everything. I mean, I knew that I liked you and thought of you as more than a friend and wanted to spend my life with you. But now that I know why my dick gets hard every time I see you naked or in some skimpy outfit, I don’t think it would be right for me to be in a bed with you or change in the same room with you, knowing that while that’s happening I’m thinking about how badly I want to shove my dick in you.” 

Lucy can feel herself clench at the thought of having Natsu’s penis inside of her. She wanted it. She wanted him. Bad. And now that she knew he wanted her too, why wait any longer than she already has! 

“And you think that I haven’t been thinking about that too?” She asks before she can stop herself. 

Natsu looks at her in shock. 

“When you asked me if we could make our own Nasha back in Earthland I told you we could. And I knew exactly what you’d have to do to me in order for that to happen. And I still said yes. I wouldn’t agree to that if I didn’t want it.” Lucy explains. 

“Wait Lucy, do you really feel the same about me that I do for you?” Natsu asks. 

Lucy’s heart was pounding. This was every dream she’d ever had come true. She looks up at Natsu with her darkening gaze and reaches for him. Seeing his pupils dilate just like she knows hers are only fuels her conviction to bring his face down to hers and kiss him deeply. 

Natsu instantly reciprocates, climbing on top of Lucy as she shifts to lay on her back so that they can kiss easier. 

Lucy spreads her legs to let Natsu lay comfortably on top of her as they kiss. They both smile as they break for air. 

“Does that answer your question?” Lucy asks. 

“I can’t believe it.” Natsu says. “You’re really in love with me? I thought you only saw me as a friend and thought I was too annoying to love.” 

“Well you thought wrong Natsu. I’ve been dropping hints that I like you for awhile now. And I always thought you were too dense to think about romance so it would be impossible for you to be in love with me.” Lucy says. 

“Well I guess I am pretty dense if I didn’t figure out your hints.” Natsu agrees. “But I definitely love you Lucy. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

“Then kiss me you big dummy.” Lucy says and flips them around so Natsu’s on his back and she’s laying on top of him as they kiss. 

As they made out, Lucy could feel an ache between her thighs, so she decides to roll her hips against Natsu’s to get some sweet friction to satisfy herself. Natsu grunts against her minstrations and mutters her name as she releases her lips from his. 

Both of their eyes had grown darker with lust, and their gazes remained locked on each other as Lucy sits up and lifts her top off over her head, letting Natsu get a good look of her ample chest. 

He couldn’t help but stare at her in awe. The glow from the fire was shining off of her pale skin, making her shine like a star as she gently began to grind her hips against the tent in his pants, making it grow even more. She let out a soft whine as she felt him hardening against her and Natsu shudders as she looks at him with those pretty doe eyes as she begins to rotate her hips, making him reach out to hold them, needing to feel her soft skin under his rough palms. 

“Lucy, you’re beautiful.” He moans and stares at her. 

“Thank you, Natsu.” Lucy says and blushes under his gaze. “But why are you surprised, this isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.” 

“I know but every other time I’ve seen you like this was by accident and it made you mad. Now, you want me to see you, and now I finally know how to appreciate what I’m looking at.” Natsu says and Lucy feels hot under Natsu’s smoldering gaze as he looks her over. “Now I know what those other guys at the guild and Sorcerer Weekly are talking about when they say you’re sexy. But they haven’t seen you like this.” He says and runs his hands up her hips and along her waist, tracing her hourglass figure in his hands. “I’ve seen girls naked before. Hell Erza and I still bathe together sometimes. But I never reacted to her like I’ve reacted to you. Just getting glimpses of you like this made me want you before I even knew why I wanted you. And that’s how I know that you’re the sexiest woman in the world Lucy. And I will never want this with anyone else.” He sits up and cups her cheek in his hand. “There’s no one from the past, future, or any other world that could ever compare to you.”

“Oh Natsu…” Lucy whispers as she tears up and cups his face in her hands and kisses him deeply. 

She presses her body to his, needing to feel as close to him as possible, and Natsu reciprocates by holding her tightly in his arms and running his hands along her back. She moves her hands down his torso to the waistband of his sweatpants and begins tugging on the strings to loosen them and pull them down to free his stiff erection from his clothes. 

Natsu feels what she’s up to and grunts, pulling her closer to him and releasing her mouth to press kisses along her neck and fondle her right breast in his hand to make her moan as she pulls him out of his pants and underwear. So he brings his mouth down to her other breast and takes her nipple into his mouth and sucks.

“Natsu…” Lucy moans and wraps her hand around his manhood and squeezes.

Then she gasps at the animalistic growl that he emitted from her touch and he releases her breasts and looks at her with a dark gaze that makes a shiver of pleasure run down her spine as he presses a kiss directly under her breast and hooks his fingers into her shorts and panties. 

He continues to press kisses down her torso as he lays her on her back on the bed and pulls the last of her clothes off of her, spreading her legs open as his mouth makes his way down towards her-

“Oh!” Lucy exclaims and arches her back as Natsu presses a kiss to her soaking slit. 

She looks at him with a mixture of pleasure and surprise. Did Erza tell him about oral, or did he think this was something new that he was making up on the fly or was he being driven by instinct? Either way, Lucy didn’t care. She was already wet for him and now having his mouth against her was only turning her on even more. And then he starts using his tongue and she just can’t contain herself. 

“Yes Natsu!” She shouts and arches her back. 

He swipes his tongue against her clit and she practically squeals in pleasure and grabs his head. But as much as she loved his tongue, she desperately needed something inside of her aching channel, and luckily, Natsu’s member was aching to be inside of her. 

“Lucy…” Natsu moans and looks up at her with a dark gaze. “I need to be inside of you…” He begs and Lucy gulps and bites her bottom lip. 

“Good, because I want you inside of me.” She replies breathily. 

Natsu quickly climbs back over her, pulling his pants and underwear off the rest of the way in the process and Lucy spreads her legs wider for him. He braces himself with one hand beside her head and uses the other to line himself up with her entrance. They lock eyes and both gasp as her pussy opens up and the first few inches of his dick slides in. After getting over the initial shock of being joined, Natsu finishes the job with a gentle thrust of his hips and Lucy moans as he fills her completely, her hands flying to his shoulders to hold herself steady as their hips meet. 

Both of them were looking at each other with wide eyes and gaping mouths as they took in this new feeling of being joined to each other. 

“Natsu…” 

“Lucy…” 

“You’re so…big.” She moans and smiles at him and he smirks. 

“Maybe that’s why you feel so tight…” He replies. “Wait this doesn’t hurt does it?” Natsu asks, looking at her with concern. 

“No.” Lucy says. “It doesn’t hurt at all…it feels really good actually, having you fill me like this. And it makes me wonder how Gajeel didn’t split poor Levy in half when he did this with her since she’s so much smaller than him!”

“Maybe she’s bigger than she looks? Or Gajeel’s smaller than he thinks? Yeah, it’s probably Gajeel being secretly small. But enough talk about them. Lucy, what should I do now?” Natsu asks. 

“You can start thrusting. Just drag your dick out of me a bit and then push it back in.” Lucy instructs. 

Natsu gives it a try and they both moan as their hips slap together again. 

“Lucy that felt so good, do I just keep doing that?” Natsu asks.

“Yes Natsu! Just like that. Keep going!” Lucy begs and moans as he sets a fast pace. 

The only sounds in the room were the sounds of their skin slapping together, and the occasional moans that weren’t swallowed by each other’s mouths. 

“Lucy, you feel so good around my dick. If only I had listened to those dumb talks when I was a kid, we could have gotten around to this sooner!” Natsu exclaims and Lucy smiles. 

“Yeah, maybe.” Lucy says. “But I’m so happy we’re doing this now. And you feel so good inside of me-oh Natsu I think I’m close!” 

“Me too.” He breathes huskily. 

He brings his mouth down to her neck and kisses it to find her weak spot. Once he does he bites it and she arches her back into the hand that was fondling her breast. 

Considering how wet she was already, when combined with the neck biting and breast squeezing, once her fingers found her clit she was coming in no time and screaming his name as she hit her peak. 

Natsu came soon after, having been pushed over the edge by the feeling of her walls clenching around him and milking him of his release. 

He rolls off of her to keep from crushing her and collapses next to her. 

“Wow Lucy that was, amazing.” Natsu says and runs his hand through his hair. 

“Yeah, it really was.” Lucy says and smiles as Natsu leans on his side to cuddle her and she does the same.

“Am I supposed to be this tired afterwards? I feel like I just finished a fight with Laxus.” Natsu says and Lucy laughs. 

“Well you lost a lot of fluids so I’m not surprised. Just go to sleep, you’ll feel better in the morning.” Lucy tells him. 

“Okay then. Goodnight Lucy. I love you.” Natsu says. 

“I love you too.” Lucy says and gives him a quick peck on his lips before turning to face the other way to go to sleep. 

Lucy sighs in contentment as Natsu presses himself against her back. She really did this. She lost her virginity to...Natsu Dragneel. Natsu...Dragneel. Natsu Dragneel. She just fucked Natsu freaking Dragneel!?!

Was she really so head over heels for him that the day he found out what sex was she spread her legs and let him have his way with her. Yes. She really did just do that.

And now her womb was full of his semen, and the rest would drip down her thighs during the night. Not to mention her neck and chest were covered in his bites. 

It was a little embarrassing to say the least, but she couldn’t be happier. She’d been wanting to do this with him for awhile now. And now her dream had finally come true. 

But Natsu still sensed that she was feeling tense so he had to ask. 

“Hey Lucy, are you sure you’re okay that we did this?” Natsu asks. 

“Natsu there’s no way I would have ever let you do it if I wasn’t.” Lucy laughs and Natsu smiles and runs his hand through her hair. “I mean, I was always taught growing up that I should save myself for the man I marry but I rejected those rules the night I ran away from home. Besides, you’ve already seen me naked so many times and now that we’ve done this, I don’t think I could get married to anyone else but you. Especially since we’re going to be together forever.” Lucy laughs and Natsu looks at her softly. 

“Well, then if that’s the case then, Lucy, after we finish this quest and get back to Magnolia, will you marry me?” Natsu asks. 

Lucy’s heart skips a beat before warmth spreads through her chest. She always dreamt of hearing a man ask her the most romantic question she could think of. And she never thought that Natsu would be the one to ask her, even now that she knew she wanted him to. But she knew exactly what her answer was. 

“Yes!” She exclaims and kisses him deeply before pulling back. “Yes Natsu I’ll marry you and be your wife and then we’ll make our own Nasha and be a family together forever.” 

Natsu kisses her deeply and they both have tears of joy streaming down their cheeks as their lips part. 

“Lucy, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.” Natsu says. “I really don’t know much about romance and stuff but I want to make you happy. So if there’s anything you want me to do to be more like those guys in the books that you read, just ask and I’ll try my best.” 

“Oh Natsu…” Lucy says and rubs her thumb against his cheek. “You don’t have to be like the characters in my books. I fell in love with you because of who you are. Denseness and all. I mean normally when a guy proposes he’ll give the girl a ring to wear so everyone knows she’s engaged but that only happens if the guy plans on proposing. A spur of the moment thing like this doesn’t need that and it’s still just as romantic.” 

“Wait, that’s what the ring is for, so people know you’re engaged and don’t flirt with you?” Natsu asks. 

“Well I mean it’s also a sign of love between two people but, yeah it works for that too.” Lucy giggles. 

“Damn, I wish I had one on me then.” Natsu says and pouts. “Or I wish I could use my magic here. Then I could just pull one of the nails out of the floor and use my fire to make you one right now.” 

“Well, if you really want to give me something, sometimes in my books when a guy proposes to a girl and he doesn’t have a ring, he’ll give her a string to tie around her finger until he gives her a real one later or at their wedding.” 

“A string…” Natsu thinks then sits up excitedly. “I’ve got the perfect one!” 

Lucy sits up, pulling the blankets up over her chest, not for modesty but to keep warm because it felt drastically colder to be naked in bed without Natsu, and she watches as he picks his scarf up off of the ground and finds a loose thread. 

“Natsu!” She gasps, shocked that he’s about to ruin the most precious object he owns. “Don’t do that you’ll ruin Igneel’s scarf!” 

“Don’t worry about it, this thread’s not an important one and it was loose anyway.” Natsu explains as he tugs on it then bites it off with his teeth. “And maybe this is why, because I can’t think of a more perfect string for you.” He says as he comes back over to her and she holds out her hand and shows him which finger to tie it around. 

“Why is it perfect?” Lucy asks. 

“Because Anna made this scarf with Igneel’s scales. That scarf was made by two members of our families. In a way it represents both of us. So what better string to use to show everyone you’re mine?” Natsu explains as he ties the string into a bow around her finger. 

Lucy tears up as she looks at it on her hand. The same hand that bore her guild mark that she was only able to get after meeting the man that was now going to be her husband. 

She holds up the back of her hand to show it to him, just like she did all of those years ago when she first showed him the guild mark on her hand. And once Natsu made that connection he reaches for her and kisses her deeply. 

“You know you’re still a weirdo.” He says when they pull apart for air. “But you’re my weirdo now, and I love you.” 

“I love you too Natsu.” Lucy says as Natsu climbs back under the covers and kisses her forehead once before they fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

———————

When Lucy woke up that morning, for a moment she worried that last night was all a dream, and that she hadn’t made love to Natsu and gotten engaged to him. But then when she picks up her hand and sees the string tied around her ring finger, and feels Natsu’s warm body shifting behind her, she’s overcome with joy that it was all real, and he felt the same.

She woke up to see Natsu smiling at her and they kissed each other for as long as they could before they had to get ready for their journey to Elentir.

But first, they had to say goodbye to Nasha.

“Thanks for the dragon story and dragon scale!” Nasha says as she holds up one of the scales from Igneel’s scarf that Natsu decided to give her. 

“Dragons sound cool! If I ever come to Earthland will I get to meet one?” Nasha asks. 

“Well uh...they’re not really around anymore.” Lucy says and Nasha pouts.

“Awww...well that’s okay I guess. I’m still going to get to meet Earthland Nasha sometime right?” Nasha asks and Natsu and Lucy look at each other and smile before looking back at her. 

“Yeah. We’ll definitely bring her with us next time.” Lucy promises. “Goodbye Nasha, and be good for your parents.” 

“I’ll do my best!” Nasha says. “And I’ll practice breathing fire every day until I can do it like Earth Papa!”

“That’s my girl.” Natsu laughs and waves goodbye to her as they set off on their journey. 

As they all walk together, Erza notices that Natsu and Lucy were holding hands, and something instantly clicks in her mind. 

“I bet if we ever come back again, Nasha’s gonna have a sibling.” Erza says. 

“What makes you say that?” Lucy asks. 

“I heard the Edolas Natsu and Lucy in their room last night making some pretty obvious noises.” Erza explains. 

Lucy stops dead in her tracks and a blush forms on her cheeks.

“Oh yeah I heard that too!” Gray says and laughs. “It was kinda weird hearing Natsu and Lucy shouting each other’s names like that but at least that’s something you’ll only ever hear in Edolas. It’s not like we’d ever catch you two doing something like that.” 

“Yeah...well uh...” Lucy says and taps her fingers together.

“Wait what’s that string for?” Gray asks, noticing it on her finger. 

“It’s from my scarf.” Natsu explains.

“Why would you tie a thread from your scarf around her finger?” Gray asks.

“Because after we had sex last night I proposed to her and we’re gonna get married when we get back to Magnolia.” Natsu explains casually. 

“Oh okay.” Gray says and then it hits everyone except for Erza and Faris all at once. 

“Wait...WHAT?!” They all collectively exclaim. “YOU GUYS HAD SEX?!?”

“And we’re engaged.” Lucy says and blushes as she holds up her hand with the string.

“My heavens when did all of this happen? It couldn’t have been just last night?” Carla exclaims. 

“I THOUGHT YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FUCK!” Gray exclaims, still trying to process what’s happening.

“Erza told me yesterday.” Natsu says. 

“Erza why did you do that!?” Gray asks. 

“Because he wanted to make Nasha with Lucy back at home so I figured now was the time to tell him.” Erza explains. 

Poor Wendy was cowering off the path. 

“So those noises I heard last night, wasn’t Edolas Natsu and Lucy but...our Natsu and Lucy!?” Wendy shudders.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Faris asks Touka.

“How should I know? I’ve only known these people for as long as you have.” Touka replies. 

“Fair enough. It is rather interesting to watch anyway.” Faris says. 

“What the hell did Natsu and Lucy do to each other last night? And how could he have proposed without me!” Happy whimpers. 

“Way to go flame brain you broke Wendy.” Gray scolds Natsu.

“She’ll be fine in a few hours. Or days. Besides, I know you’re just jealous because I slept with a girl before you did!” Natsu retorts.

Gray fell silent and his face went pale. A man who didn’t even know what sex was until yesterday, had just lost his virginity before him. Juvia was going to become an extremely happy woman once Gray gets back to her. 

“Now now, that’s nothing to make fun of. We all find love at our own pace. And I’m happy that my two closest friends have finally found theirs.” Erza says and hugs them. 

“Thank you Erza.” Lucy says. 

“You’re welcome. But I need to know, am I going to be the maid of honor at the wedding?” Erza asks. 

“Uh...” Lucy says. “Honestly I didn’t think I’d get this far so soon. But I’m happy I did.” She says as she smiles at Natsu from over Erza’s shoulder. 

Being on an adventure with friends and now the love of her life too? What couldn’t be better? 

[bluepenguinstories]

Remoras Full Chapter XXXVI: Winds of Change

I

Early spring, the rustle of the reeds against a gentle breeze. An indentation made among several rows of them as I lay, pressed into the damp soil. Arms under my head, eyes closed, thoughts floated away, just as they ought to. There were many reasons to worry, many wrongs to correct, and many mysteries to solve. But none of those things could happen unless I allowed myself a moment’s rest.

What of the others? Did I abandon them? No. But I wasn’t meant to stay for very long, it just wasn’t who I was. By nature, I was a drifter. By trade, almost, if such a thing were possible in the current age.

Ray gave me a phone so that he could call whenever things got bad again. It was like an ebb and flow, little tremors. Sometimes the activity would quiet down, but not long enough for anyone to think that the nightmares were over. Then they would build back up and people would show up with gashes, scrapes, bruises, all over their bodies with no explanation. Some reported whispers and little shadows that resembled people, but not quite. Whenever it slowed down, I went away again and found some place to hide out.

Why? Well, let’s just say I had my suspicions that I was just as much a target as were Ray and the others. Just the simple fact that an anonymous letter requested my death was enough to warrant such a suspicion. Ha. If whoever was behind that note wanted me so bad, they should have just fought me themselves. No games, no beating around the bush. My time could come any day now, but if someone wanted to take this life from me, by all means. But they ought to expect a fight.

Speaking of notes, there was one which was left for me that night when I met Remora in that abandoned building (well, not so much “abandoned” now, as I managed to get the electricity working before I left. Tragic as it may be, that was all I could do before I left and things turned south for me. I guess too many tip offs and “authorities” grew suspicious. So I bailed, as I often did, and I could only hope that those homeless friends I met weren’t so homeless, even if there was so much more I could have done had I managed to stay). It had Ray and Sunny’s address, as well as the phone number of the one who killed Rhea.

When I awoke, the piece of paper had been next to me, and curious, I picked it up. As soon as I looked over the contents, I scoffed, let out a little laugh.

“She’s really insistent, isn’t she?” I shook my head as I mused to myself. On the back of the paper was a further explanation of the events which transpired between ‘Ves’ and Rhea:

“Ves told me the story at the bar. Not that I needed to know the details from her, I already had an idea. Her original name was Etna Modelo. If that name rings a bell, it’s because she was part of the original ‘ETNA’ project. She had begun to grow unstable as the part of her that housed the angel of happiness clashed with the part of her that was human. Such a clash had adverse effects on those around her. The other ‘R’ and Douglas Fir were tasked with removing her from the world. Both met their end, although Ves seemed rather mournful of ‘R’ when we met, and although cured, it’s evident that the ordeal still effects her.

As I wasn’t there, I don’t know the full story, so I would still recommend asking her yourself. Your call, though. I’d just like to move on from it.”

Remora probably wrote that figuring I wouldn’t want to contact Ves myself. Yes, ‘Etna’, I’ve heard of her before: the girl on the run, the experiment, the artificial doctor. All of her incarnations. Hotheaded, explosive, short-tempered were all words that were used to describe her in reports and between eavesdrops of idle gossip from those who were aware of The Flashbulb’s pet project.

I considered contacting her, but felt it best not to. We were strangers, and she probably wanted to move on from such a thing as well. Besides, that was all I needed to know. Maybe whatever angel was with us now came here because they sensed one of their kin? Who the hell knew?

Rather than solve some cosmic mystery, some existential threat, I was instead relaxed in the fields of a small town in Idaho. As of late, I’ve been staying with this middle-aged man named Cleaver in his little shack. Two hammocks hung inside, he slept below, I above. Next to him was a wolf who he named Mange. Not my first choice of names for a wolf, but it wasn’t my place to judge.

I got up and stretched.

Still early in the day; a crisp air, a cerulean hue in the sky. Everything was early, yet not. As I made my way back to the shack, I caught a glimpse of cleaver with his sagged, sunken face and his potbelly hanging low out from his white T-shirt. Scruff all over his face, gray hairs all over.

“Fancy day for a squirrel barbecue,” he scratched his chin and announced in a low voice.

“Ha. You and your meals,” I replied as I brushed aside some tall grass. “You do realize there’s a restaurant nearby, right?”

“Bah! You just don’t get it, Zephyr: that shit costs money. You know, our ancestors got by just fine without money.”

What makes you think your ancestors are my ancestors?

“Sure, but are you really gonna subsist on corn and rodents?” I retorted.

“Hey, if it tastes good and it doesn’t kill me, what does it matter?”

I put my hands in my pockets and shrugged my shoulders. Fair, I guess.

My swords were laid inside his shack. Mange knew better than to knock them down. When it came to food, I had two options: The Garage Cafe, or run 8 miles to the nearest city and get some Wendy’s.

“I might be gone for a few hours,” I mentioned, “so see you later in the afternoon?”

“You know I don’t care where you go,” he waved off. That was something I liked about staying with him, is that neither of us ever minded the other’s business. He reminded me of an old man I once knew who I also crashed with. Rather literally, but I’d rather not get into that. He was kind enough, and I might not have survived without the help, but it was clear he wouldn’t last. I was just glad that I got to see off that old man. That was a few hundred years ago, but memories were funny that way, how they didn’t care how long ago something was, just how important they could have been.

Before I could depart to Wendy’s (let’s be real, while I knew it was junk food, I couldn’t help but love that place because of its name), I heard the sound of shoes against soft soil, someone running, and their short breaths.

Sounds of Mange’s growls could be heard from inside the shack. I scanned the area until I spotted the source of the running: a young woman, about a foot shorter than I, with messy, shoulder-length blonde hair. Still, there was no denying that I recognized that face.

“Fi...finally,” she huffed and hunched over to catch her breath once she approached me. “I found you. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it was to find you.”

Tell me about it.

I blinked. I opened my mouth, then closed it. It took a while before I could figure out what I wanted to say.

“How did you find me?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“I asked some of your friends in Chicago. Otis, I think was his name, told me how you said you were headed to Caldwell, Idaho. So I went there, asked around, and apparently an employee at the Wendy’s there says she’s seen you head over toward Notus.”

“Dammit, Otis,” I cursed under my breath.

Really, it’s my own fault for telling anyone where I’d be heading. I just figured after I returned from Ray’s diner that I’d check in on how some of those folks were doing.

“You know this girl, Zephyr?” Cleaver called over.

“Yeah. She’s fine. Tell your dog to knock it off,” I called back over to him.

“MANGE! SHUT IT!” Cleaver yelled to the shack. There was a low whimper, then nothing after that.

“Zephyr?” She asked.

“Yeah. That’s my name now. Demetria, was it?” I asked right back.

“Mm-hmm. That much hasn’t changed.”

I studied her but nothing looked all that different from when I met her. If she had an air about her that was different, I didn’t sense it.

“So, Demetria, what can I do for you? It’s clear you wanted me for something, but for what, I don’t know.”

She straightened up her stance and looked up at me, a more resolute expression took hold on her face. One which said that she was ready to get right down to business.

“I want you train me,” she stated.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me: I want to hone my skills with the blade.”

I puffed up my cheeks, desperate not to break into laughter.

“What?! You think I’m some wise, old master? Do you expect me to take you on as a pupil, and at the end bow and go ‘you have done well, my student?’ Is that it?”

“If that’s what you want to do, go ahead. But I’m serious.”

That much was obvious, but it still didn’t make sense to me.

“Why do you think I’d be a good fit to train you?” I questioned.

“Because our weapons of choice are similar. The way you fight, act, react, every movement has a purpose and it’s like you’re ready for anything. You don’t leave yourself with openings. If I had to pick someone whose style of attack was similar to my own, it would have to be you. Meanwhile, I’m reckless, less refined, and don’t know what I’m doing half of the time.”

“OK. But is there a particular reason why you want to be trained so bad?”

“Because I want to learn restraint.”

That still wasn’t good enough. I felt like I was missing the full picture, and despite how plain her answers were, it was like she was holding back, or avoiding giving anything away.

“Restraint, huh? And you think me, the cop killer, can teach you that?”

I glanced behind me. Cleaver didn’t seem to react to what I said. Strange, I thought that he would have. But I guess he figured it just wasn’t his business.

“You’re right,” she replied, “but I never said I wanted to be you, nor did I say what I meant by restraint.”

“Indeed. You didn’t.”

I paced about and thought it over.

“You use knives, I use large swords,” I pointed out, “each blade is different, with its own style and use. You don’t use a kitchen knife the same way you do a hunting knife. You don’t use an Oodachi the same way you use a Kodachi. Catch my drift?”

She nodded.

“What I can teach you, and let me be upfront, I’ve never taught anyone, may not help you.”

I continued to pace. While I explained such things, my mind was yet to be made up.

“That said, I do have some experience with small blades, but they’re not quite like the knives you’ve got,” I thought back to that night when we fought, “throwing knives and a hunting knife, right?”

“Yes. Although I’d like to broaden my horizons a bit.”

“Mm...I see. Short sword may do, then. But let’s not rush anything. Because if I’m going to train you, you’re going to need to learn more than just how to use a short sword.”

“Of course. So does that mean you’ll accept?” Her words were ones of excitement, anticipation, but her voice was flat. As for me, my smile widened and I let some teeth show through.

“Under one condition: every day, I want you to buy me Wendy’s.”

“Okay, sure, there’s one eight miles away, I can just take Cybele’s plane and head right back.”

“On foot,” I clarified. While I didn’t know who this ‘Cybele’ was, taking a plane would have defeated the whole purpose of such a training.

“What? Really? Do you know how long that would take me? Your food will get cold by the time I bring it back to you.”

“Then learn to get faster,” I shrugged. Wasn’t my problem, so long as I had my grub.

“Hey, don’t mean to butt in, but I got a solution,” Cleaver hobbled forward and chimed in.

“Oh yeah? What?”

“You and this girlie here should run together to the city, then you both can eat once there.”

“Ooh, like a race?” I liked the sound of that.

“Something like that. I’ll even take you back home in the back of the truck by the end of the day, since I can already tell she’s just starting out.”

“Hey! I bet I could run right back here!” Demetria protested.

“Go ahead and try, but I’m doin’ you a favor. Trust me,” he replied. He was right, of course, too, and that gross overconfidence of hers was all the more reason why she needed training.

“By the way, if you’re going to be running, you’re going to need a bottle of water,” I advised, then went into the shack to grab my water bottle: a nice and thick tin thermos. “Take this. We can stop at the Garage Cafe on our way to the city so you can fill it.”

“What about you?” She asked.

“I’ll get water once we get into the city. Plus, I can always get another thermos.”

“All right, all right, so when can we start?” She tapped her foot. Ever so impatient to be tortured, I see.

“Now,” I answered.

“What? Now? I just got he –”

Nope. Wouldn’t hear it. Especially after she begged. I took off toward town, then toward the highway right away. I’d glance back to see her in the distance, and it was clear that she was trying to run.

Okay, when we get to the city, I’ve got to teach her proper form.

Down on the highway, she was still quite behind, but she started to speed up.

“How...how much longer?” She huffed, short on breath, and still early in.

“Like, seven more miles?” I guessed. Really, we weren’t even a quarter of the way there. More like a quarter of a quarter.

She stopped and hunched over to catch her breath.

“You’re not going to get very far standing still,” I stopped too. Even though I was ahead of her, the training would have been moot if I just ran off without her. “It’s not about speed. If you try to sprint your way there, you’ll tire out fast. It’s about sustained motion.”

“How is anyone supposed to keep running for eight miles?!” She gasped out and threw her hands up.

“I just told you. You will get faster, eventually, but what’s important is to build up stamina and use up as little energy as possible. You can walk every now and then if you have to, but you need to keep moving.”

She gasped a few more breaths, then straightened up her posture.

“Okay. Let’s keep going.”

Throughout our run, she’d stop to walk for a few seconds, or take a sip from the thermos, then she kept going for a short burst before walking again. It wasn’t ideal, but I suppose she had to start somewhere. When we finally made it into the city, and Wendy’s, about two and a half hours have passed. Again, not ideal, but I suppose it wasn’t too bad.

She was collapsed at a booth in the Wendy’s, all huffing and puffing and complaining about feeling sick.

“You should get yourself something to eat,” I looked down at the suffering apprentice.

“I can’t. I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” she wheezed.

“Yeah, that’s how it is at first. But hey, I’m amazed you made it at all. It’s a good start. But seriously, some food will help you feel better. Plus you need the calories to replenish your energy.”

“...I’m...vegetarian…”

“Okay? So? Get a freakin’ salad. Go to another restaurant. But eat something.”

Her hands shook as she grabbed on to the edge of the table and struggled to sit up.

“I suppose I can do a salad,” she heaved out the words. I gave her a heavy pat on the back, which made her bellow out, “oof!”

“That’s the spirit!”

A few minutes later, she returned with a box salad, a large thing of fries, and refilled her water.

“Fries, huh?” I pointed out.

“It’s not meat,” she shrugged. Eh, fair point.

I myself had one of those big burgers, large fries, large soda, large chicken nuggets, large everything. Again, it was junk, but considering the name, I was biased.

“So, I should tell you this upfront: if you’re going to train under me, you need to have a reason. I don’t need to know what that reason is, but I won’t accept it if you don’t have one.”

“Trust me, I do,” she responded, not quite focused on me, and more looking listless as she dipped her fries in a pile of red sweetness.

“By the way, do you have a place to stay?”

“No, but I can check into a hotel. It’s not like I don’t have money.”

“If that’s what you wanna do, sure, but while you’re here, you can sleep over at the shack. It’s not the most comfortable, and you’d have to sleep on the floor, but it won’t cost ya anything. More convenient, too. Cleaver won’t mind.”

“Cleaver, huh? You sure seem to make friends easily,” she observed.

“Heh. It’s not quite like that, but I try to form connections where I can. I think you’ll find that it’s practical, pragmatic even, to get on someone’s good side wherever you go. Doesn’t matter if you think you’re stronger or weaker,” I shook my head and smiled, “it’s a lonely world. Universe, even. But there’s things you can do to make it less lonely. I’m a loner, both by trade and nature, but we’re all here on this Earth to help each other.”

“That’s a good philosophy. I’ve never given such things any thought.”

“You probably never needed to. It’s better if you don’t have to give it thought, but when you’ve lived as long as I have, with as many experiences as I have, you get plenty of moments to think. Reflect.”

“Huh?” She looked my way, as if I had caught her attention with my little musings.

“Huh what?”

“Oh, I thought you said my name.”

“What? ‘To think’? I guess that sounds like Demetria…”

‘My hearing’s probably off because of all that running,” she shook her head and groaned, “seriously, my ears won’t stop popping.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“How long do we have to keep this running for, anyway?”

“Until you can manage to do it without stopping to walk. Stopping for water is one thing, but even then, it shouldn’t take long. As I said, it’s not about speed. It’s fine if you run slow, just don’t stop running.”

We stretched outside after our meal and wandered around.

“I’m taking online classes, actually, so I may have to pass on your offer,” Demetria mentioned as we walked through the city.

“There’s Wi-Fi at the shack. I’m an engineer, it wasn’t too hard to do.”

“Oh, okay. You really think of everything, huh?”

I denied such a claim.

“I just try to see what’s possible. So tell me about these online classes of yours.”

“There’s not really much to tell. I’m studying marine biology, but I don’t really care for it. I’m just doing it to finish what I started,” she gestured toward me and I caught a glimpse of her reflection through the glass of an electronics store. She looked so animated, even as she told me how little interest she had in her studies.

“That’s still impressive in its own right,” I replied. It got me thinking about how many projects I left unfinished, how many times I had to leave a place and its people behind, how many missions went abandoned when new information made me see a different perspective. Even the times when I just abandoned a project out of a loss of faith or desire to see it complete. What could have come of them had I completed them?

We wandered around town for a little while, then sat at a park, although little was said. Just before sunset, Cleaver’s rusty pickup truck sputtered and screeched as it arrived at the base of the park. Both Demetria and I hopped in the back and we let the gentle breeze of early spring overtake us. Soon we were back at the shack and once we landed on the soft soil, I broke down the plan.

“While she’s training with me, can she stay here?” I asked.

“I don’t see a problem with that, but she’ll have to sleep on the floor next to Mange.”

“Who’s Mange?” Demetria leaped out from the side of the truck and landed on her feet with a thud.

“Eh, just my dog. He’s friendly. Might growl at ya. Might even bite your arm. Might even rip it off. But he’s friendly.”

She squinted.

“It’s a lone wolf he found,” I explained instead. As it turns out, Cleaver wasn’t very good with this stuff. “I think as far as Mange is concerned, as long as you don’t actively pose a threat, he’ll probably consider you part of the pack.”

“Hold up. Why do you have a pet wolf?” She turned to Cleaver. He scratched the back of his head.

“Helps keep away the cougars,” he answered all matter-of-fact.

“Why do you need to keep away older women for?” She questioned and I almost spat out the soda that had already been digested three hours ago.

“I like this one,” he pointed his thumb to her, “she knows what’s up.”

“Actually, I think it’s the opposite,” I refuted.

“So while we’re training, what if we practice sparring right outside the shack?”

Then it would get interesting, I thought the devious thought. Of course I wasn’t going to disclose that.

“We’d just have to keep the door closed, I guess,” I said instead.

We all made our way inside, a very cramped space. There was a bathroom in the back, complete with a shower, but aside from that, it was a bedroom with little room to house one person, let alone three plus a gray wolf. Besides the bunk bed hammock and the wooden planked floor, there was a dresser on the left end once we entered, and on the right was where Mange slept (when he wasn’t sleeping outside).

“You don’t mind if I have my laptop open while you sleep, do you?” Demetria asked Cleaver as he was already headed up to the top hammock to get some shut eye.

“Do what you want, but if the bright screen wakes Mange, don’t come cryin’ to me when he bites ya.”

“Here, I’ll sleep on the floor across from you,” I offered to her, “so don’t even worry about it.”

“Thanks,” she turned quiet and looked down to her side.

“She’s working toward her degree!” I cupped my hands to tell Cleaver. “Her studies are very important to her!”

“Really, now?”

“How the hell should I know? They’re her studies, not mine,” I hissed out the words, trying not to be too loud as to wake Mange.

“Bah, you know it’s all a scam,” he grumbled.

“You’re a scam,” I mimicked back.

“Are you gonna be okay sleeping on the floor?” Demetria seemed puzzled at my offer.

What about you? I bet you’re more used to sleeping on a bed than I am.

“I’ll be fine. I don’t care where I sleep. I’ve slept just about everywhere,” I reassured her.

“Bah, there she goes again. ‘Look at me, I’ve slept in penthouses and castles and trash cans alike’. We’ve heard it all before,” Cleaver started up again. I ignored him, and leaned in to whisper to Demetria:

“That’s him on his good days. Now type away.”

Sleep never came easy for me, if much at all. That’s always been true, or at least as far back as I could remember. The dim glow of Demetria’s laptop didn’t make much of a difference. Mange for his part stretched during a couple of intervals, but other than that, didn’t seem to pay Demetria any mind. Not even as she was leaned up against the back of his fur.

There wasn’t much else to do but watch. After a while, she started to yawn and her eyelids started to droop down. There were a few more clacks against the keyboard, then she pulled the laptop screen down slow and closed it before setting it aside. She didn’t seem to notice me at all. All the better for it. I wasn’t fixated on her, but my surrounding as a whole. It was a quirk of mine which I attributed to countless years of pursuit. Always alert, always looking forward. If someone were to try to kill me in their sleep, they would be left disappointed.

If somebody managed to kill me while I was asleep, I’d like to live long enough to thank them.

Still, for what it was worth, I was still human. Tiredness was still a thing. Sleep came eventually. Even if just a single wink, I would have liked that. An hour must have passed, and I felt ready to nod off when I heard Demetria mutter something. It was faint, but I had peachy keen ears, and was able to make out what she said:

“Games? Like having a snowball fight? Building a snowman? Then again, it doesn’t have to be a snowman…”

“Snowman?” I mouthed. I had to think about it, because it sounded familiar. I soon began to hum a little tune.

“Isn’t that...from a movie?” I asked myself in a low mutter.

Not something I ever watched, but I’ve probably passed by TVs in display windows playing that thing. Those kind of animated films with songs are inescapable, regardless of the quality of said tunes. Well, I’m not going to speak on the quality of something I’ve no interest in. It’s just kind of amusing that she’d be reciting such a song in her sleep. Despite her moody exterior, maybe she’s just a kid at heart.

Demetria started to stir and then her eyes crept open.

“So, Frozen, huh?” I asked, my voice a little hoarse. Likely due to my lack of sleep.

“Mm...what?” She yawned a sleepy little mumble.

“You were talking in your sleep. I think you were singing a song from Frozen,” I pointed out.

“Huh. The only Disney movie I like is Finding Nemo. So what song was I singing?”

“Hmm...’do you wanna build a snowman?’ I think it’s called.”

“Oh wow. Asleep me has poor taste. Can’t say awake me has any better taste, but still.”

“Whatever. Just let it go and get back to sleep.”

She nodded, then closed her eyes again and leaned back. Soon it seemed that sleep had taken her once more, though I did hear her mutter one more thing before departing to a soundless rest:

“Not like I plan on being around much longer, anyway.”

Heh, I leaned my head back against the dresser. You and me both.

In the morning, I stepped out of the shack and took in the crisp morning air. It was bliss, it was serene, it was –

“Ugh...so sore…”

Behind me, a shambling zombie-like figure groaned. Almost as if someone had raised the dead.

“Right. I should have taken that into consideration,” I groaned as well, realization of who was behind me set in.

“What are we going to do?” She scratched the back of her head and a look of general displeasure possessed her face.

“We eat some food, we do some stretches, we do some heavy lifting,” I ran through the check list.

“Heavy lifting?! I thought we’d be taking it easy today since I’m so worn out!” She was flabbergasted and most devastated.

“This is taking it easy. We’re not going to be running to the city today. Instead we’ll work the upper body.”

“What happened to ‘buy me Wendy’s every day?’” Demetria mentioned, something I didn’t expect to get brought up.

“Eh,” I shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be every day. How about just every time we go into town? Now, I’m going to make it so you hurt in other places, so are you ready?”

She gulped, being given an answer she didn’t expect, herself.

“If at any time you want to quit, just say the word,” I offered. “Because it’s not going to get any easier from here. You’ll just need to get better.”

She gulped, being given an answer she didn’t expect.

“If at any time you want to quit, just say the word. Because it’s not going to get any easier from here. You’ll just need to get better.”

Another gulp, then she shook her head.

“I’m not going to quit. I can’t afford to.”

Her determination was commendable. I had to give her that. If I didn’t end up breaking her spirit, she could very well end up a force to be reckoned with in her own right.

So it went: we stretched. We walked around the fields near the shack. Our day came and went with little word save for what was spoken on her resolute face. Another night. Another dim glow from her screen as she typed away at whatever project she had.

Dusk turned to daylight; we ran once more the following morning. There were still some stumbles, still some hurdles. She steadied her movements more, and with only being the second run, it was a startling improvement. Maybe minuscule in the grand scheme of themes, but I would have thought it would take longer for her to show any signs of improvement.

Two or three miles in, she stopped, slowed to a walk, then a few minutes later, built back into a jog. This happened another mile out, as well as the next. During the second half, however, whether it be a high or just having found a rhythm, she managed to keep pace the whole way through.

After our meal, we found a nearby park and wandered into a deeper portion of the park, less populated, with the thicket of trees concealing us from the potential misunderstood eyes of passerby.

“All right. Now it’s time to fight.”

She was slumped over as she had followed me into the park already worn out. However, upon the word ‘fight’, she perked up. That, or it was a look of shock. Either way, I had her attention.

“A...Already?! It’s only the second time running here and I’m still a little worn out.”

“Your enemies aren’t going to care if you’re worn out. Hell, they’ll use that to their advantage,” I corrected her. Not that she had enemies. Maybe I was just drawing from experience with that example.

“You’re right,” she agreed, something which took me by surprise. However, as poised as she looked, it was little more than show, and her knees wobbled before the fight even began.

I swerved my left leg to the side and dragged my foot against the soft grass, which tripped her and she fell before she could even attempt to avoid it. She landed right on her butt and struggled to get up. Before she could bring herself up, I stomped down, and that time, she reacted well enough to roll over.

“While the idea does turn me on, some things are more important,” she remarked with a grimace.

...What?

She hurried up that time and I swung my right fist in a slow and deliberate manner, slow enough that it would have given her enough time to do any number of things in response. She chose to block it with her left arm and although she reacted in time, I soon overpowered her. In spite of that, she tried to hold her arm up. As she was distracted, I once again swept my leg to the side and knocked her down.

“Don’t try to block if you can’t withstand the hit. Dodge instead. Also, don’t leave yourself open. Your enemy could find an array of maneuvers to attack you if you leave yourself an opening.”

She winced and gave a short nod.

II

Further days passed; what was one week turned to two. Run, stretch, block, dodge, react. After two weeks, she managed to run the whole way through. From Notus to Caldwell with a reserve of stamina left over. At the park, she jumped when I did a side-sweep. Either a short jump, or jumped back. When I swung my fist, rather than block it, she would either duck down, or lean back.

Another week went by and on the third week, I introduced weapons into the mix.

“Dodging, avoiding hits, all that’s well and good, but you’ll also need to fight back,” I instructed.

“Of course,” she replied.

I knew she had her knives on her. I also gave her a short sword to use. For my part, I had my signature katana, though to make it more fair for her, I pressed a button on the blade’s scabbard and split them into two kodachi-type blades.

“Wha – how did you do that?” Her eyes widened and she blinked, astonished at the sight.

“It’s not an ordinary blade. It came with my old profession, you could say.”

“You mean as a janitor? Did everyone have weapons like that?”

“Some. I’m sure you’re aware that Remora’s rifle can split into two smaller, pistol-like guns which fires off a wave of energy. My blade, or blades, are coated in an oil which repels a certain kind of creature.”

“Angels,” she answered.

So you know? Whatever the reason, I’m sure it’s not a good thing.

“That is one way to call them. But not angels in the biblical sense. No, more like the ‘beings beyond comprehension’ sense.”

“Yet we comprehend enough to craft weapons to deal with such things,” she added.

“Sorta. It’s hard to know when these weapons will be useful, or even how useful they will be. Especially when dealing with beings that are unheard of.”

Like what Ray and Sunny were dealing with up in the arctic. Whatever was behind it, I had little to go off of. If they even wished to stand a fighting chance, I would need to know more, but I didn’t know how to learn further.

What was known wasn’t comprehensible, either, as it didn’t seem to fit a specific pattern or intention – creatures that were an amalgamation of other creatures, contorted to a strange shape. Shadowy mass filled with various materials and limbs, like rope, wire, legs, and tentacles that could cause others to lose their sense of self. People whose limbs grew out from their backs, who could control such strange hybird creatures. Then the latest addition – a fog which blanketed the area near Ray’s diner and gave injuries to passerby. Some reported shadows of strange shapes, others reported voices.

What exactly did it feel? What did it embody? How did all of those phenomena correspond with what the source embodied?

At any moment, one of the diner’s proprietors would call me up to tell me that things got bad again and I’d have to cut the training off there so I could hurry to their aid. Remora’s rifle more than likely protected the diner from the inside, but the surrounding area was fair game for the entity and the beasts it produced. For now, however, I could focus on training Demetria, who still had a great deal to learn, even if she picked up on things at an alarming rate.

We clashed with the blades, and that time, she was able to block well. At one point, I swung down only for her to block it with the scimitar I let her borrow. When I swung the other blade to the right, she side-stepped to avoid the swing. Then the left, and the same. However, she kept up the block the whole way and even if she managed to dodge in spite of the openings she left, she was still overpowered when I swung both blades down against the scimitar. She tried to bend her knees and apply more pressure, but it wasn’t enough, and both blades were but a hair’s breath away from her face.

Without any more strength to give, she fell. I put aside my weapons before they could cut her down, then I scolded her.

“Again, don’t block if you know you can be overpowered. You did good blocking one blade, but you left yourself open. If the enemy starts adding more pressure and you can’t keep up, release and get out of the way.”

“Right…” She sounded wiped out. I couldn’t blame her, and she was improving, but she needed to know where her weak spots were.

“We’ll call it a day for now. Tomorrow we’ll spar by the shack.”

“Right on! I’ve been wanting to do that since the beginning!”

Are you that excited to get beaten up?

“What’s so special to you about training near the shack and training in this park?”

“Well, for starters...I’m always worried someone’s gonna show up and get concerned. It might scare someone and they could even call the cops!”

“Let the cops come. I’ll skewer them all with glee,” I dispelled any unease she had.

“It’s not just that! The field by the shack is really secluded so we can go ahead and go all out!”

Ah, yeah. That is a good point.

Our training continued the next day at Cleaver’s shack. We had an open dirt clearing where we weren’t as hindered by tall grass. Both of us stood on far ends of the circle with our weapons in hand.

“Come at me, bro!” She shouted.

I had a moment of weakness. As in, I hesitated, hearing such a ridiculous statement. Or phrase, rather. It only took a moment, though, and after that moment washed away, I rushed in.

Our blades clashed once more and she dodged the attacks, struck when she saw an opportunity, and timed her blocks well as well. Although I could also block and dodge each of her attempts, it had more to do with my experience.

You really are a fast learner, aren’t you?

However, another weak point showed through once more as soon as I struck with a side-slash. No, she managed to dodge it. That wasn’t the problem: the problem was that she pushed her legs in and jumped up. If she didn’t manage to jump high enough, or didn’t move in time…

“Wrong!” I shouted as I stood in place.

“What’s wrong?” Her voice squeaked and she scowled. To her it must have been just a disagreement of ideas, and she looked ready to protest my scolding, but it had to be done regardless.

“You dodged it, but the way you did so was way risky and took up more of your energy that it should have. You’ve built up a lot of stamina, but in a fierce battle, every bit of energy counts. It would have been less risky and have used up less of your energy to have stepped back, even jumped a little backward, than to try to jump over it.”

“Yeah...I see what you mean now,” she looked down and shook her fists, obvious shame written all over her.

“I’m not saying this to be rigid. If you didn’t jump high enough, you would have gotten slashed for sure.”

“I’ve been slashed in the stomach already,” her voice turned low, and a sullen look took over. She then lifted up her shirt, which made me take a step back. Across her stomach was, indeed, a long thin scar. “So it’s not so bad, right?”

“It’s true that slashes are generally less harmful than stabs. It’s said that in old wars, soldiers would slash rather than stab their enemies so they wouldn’t have to bear the weight of killing another person. But a slash can still be very harmful depending on how much force is placed, and the proximity. If you get a deep slash, like say you strike a vein, expect blood to spray out. An endless flow that you wouldn’t be able to stop, and if unable to be treated soon enough, death. Given enough force, one could even slash a limb clear off or cut someone in half.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Sheesh. Such gory imagery,” she made little “ack, ack” sounds to accompany her statement so that she could further express her disgust.

“It’s just muscle memory is hard. I know the right moves but sometimes I do the wrong one because so used to a particular pattern,” she added, something which I understood.

“Which is why we need to take it from the top until you get it right.”

We continued through the afternoon until sunset hit. After we called it good, Demetria headed back into the shack.

“Well, this thesis isn’t going to bullshit itself,” she told me as she waved before entering the shack. I waved back, but sat out for a while, letting myself bask in dusk’s chill.

“Is this what I’ve been reduced to? A mentor? An escort?” No, such thoughts weren’t good, especially not when spoken out into the air.

It was too late, of course. Once those words were spoken, the rest of the thoughts followed. Like, was I ever alive at all? What did it look like when I had a life? What was I now but a ghost, a shade, a wandering remnant? It wasn’t even that I didn’t want to help others or be a mentor, but that the only semblance of a life I had was one that would never leave. Violence was ingrained in me, ran through my bloodstream as I lived and breathed. There could be no help without it and the only justice I knew was an unshaken, violent justice.

For a while longer, I let myself sit beside the comfort of darkness. Close to silence, with the only sounds to fill the air being the crickets and the frogs which hid out in any given direction.

With a sigh, I allowed myself back inside. Demetria sat there, as she had many nights, with her face glued to that laptop screen. However, when she saw me enter, she closed her laptop and addressed me.

“How are you feeling?” She looked up.

I sat down and crossed my legs. I smiled, for I knew no other way to express anything.

“Just how I always am,” I shook my head, it sounded like such a carefree dismissal. Part of me expected her to be satisfied by such an answer.

“And how is that?” She asked instead.

That was a more difficult thing to answer than it should have been. It wasn’t a sense of monotony, but something else. Loss of life, or a loss of humanity.

“Forgive me if I’m unable to give a straight answer,” I replied after some thought.

“That’s okay, I’m gay.”

Fine, but just know that you brought this on yourself.

“Some say that ghosts are just memories, so in that sense, nothing ever leaves, does it, so long as the memory is there?” I posed the question. As I said, I couldn’t give a straight answer.

“Are you saying that you feel like a ghost?”

I shook my head.

“Not quite. I told you once that I considered my old self dead, right?”

As well as my current self. But only in a different sense.

“Yeah. How you were accused of –”

“I told you what my original name was back then. It was a lie. Not the story, but the name. Considering how long ago it was, my name was more than likely a simple one. Like Kuso Gozen, or something. There were bits and pieces of that life, that girl, that I remember. Being accused of an assassination, being put to death...but much of the details are lost. Forgotten. Hell, it’s enough for me to question if what I remember is real or made up,” I let out a deep breath. I was doing this again, wasn’t I? And who was I to say that was to confide would be any more real than last time?

“It could have been that I did murder someone. That I was given due punishment, and chose to evade such punishment. Based on what I know of myself, I wouldn’t put it past me to take out a corrupt official. But that’s beside the point.”

“What is the point?”

I shook my head.

“Ha. If I knew...well, I suppose the point is: maybe it’s better that I don’t remember. Maybe it’s better to be forgotten. To be more than dead, less than a memory.”

“I think I can relate with that. I suppose most people would prefer to be remembered, but I suppose to some, it may be better to forget. Like if you did something bad.”

“Mm...that’s not quite what I mean. As for that old self, yes, she’s forgotten. But my current self? I don’t mind people knowing my deeds. But this life I’ve had...I don’t want to preserve it.”

“What? You mean you’re going to let yourself get killed?”

No, that wasn’t quite right, either. But then, what ever was?

“Hell no,” I refuted, “I wouldn’t go down without a fight. But I’m just waiting for my time. Some say I’m like a cockroach, the way I’ve survived so much and had so many lucky breaks. But for the sake of my own sanity, I hope that’s not the case.”

“Why live your life that way? Why are you so eager to die?”

“It’s not like that. Maybe it’s a curiosity. How it will end and when. Will it be a quiet one, or a roaring crescendo? Will I be remembered afterward? Talked about? Or will I be forgotten, not even a passing name.”

“I’ll remember you. I already met you. Plus you’ve got all those homeless friends,” she pointed out.

“Ha! I guess you’re right about that one. It’s easy to call anyone a friend when you know you’re just passing through! We form a connection, make small talk, and then I disappear into the wind. It’s not really any different than how life was like with that company – I’d visit different places in different timelines, meet some people, do my job, and then go onto the next one. That’s just how it was. I suspect everyone who worked there, it didn’t matter what their personalities were or how big of a heart they had, got that way: just passing through, not really being alive. If any of us ever were in the first place.”

“How do you even know others were like that?” concerned dripped from her lips. Despite her stoic front, she really couldn’t keep all of that in, could she?

“Let’s call it an observation. I’ve seen how others were: some cope by indulging in their vices. Sex, drugs, booze, you name it. Some go numb, others break down, unable to find a sense of calm. Some can try to settle down, live a quiet life, maybe try to start a family, but it never leaves them. That feeling, like life, death, it may as well be the same thing. I think it’s the job, it does something to you. To all of us. Maybe that’s why I think that the ones who died were the lucky ones. Otherwise you just end up like me, waiting for your time to come.”

I gave a hearty laugh and smiled, not caring who I would wake up.

“I guess that’s why it’s so easy to talk to you about all this, because it doesn’t really matter. I may as well be talking to myself.”

She turned her head, puffed up her cheeks, and scowled. I thought she was ready to blow up at me, talk about how unkind that statement was, that I shouldn’t have had that mindset, but when she finally spoke again, it was about something else entirely.

“Do you know how Rhea died?” She asked, a fun topic for the whole family.

“Yeah. Was assigned to get rid of someone who was possessed by the embodiment of happiness. It was a pretty big task: potential world at stake scenario. Anyone could have lost to something like that.”

“Are you sure? Because I’m not so sure.”

“Why do you say that?” I stroked my chin, eager for her explanation.

“Ves is my cousin’s wife. She’s still mournful about the whole thing. She never wanted to kill her, and in fact, I think Ves was the one who could have easily been defeated. Apparently the two actually talked, tried to work out a compromise. Rhea actually showed her mercy, and in the end, I think Rhea was holding back because she wanted to be the one to go.”

How interesting. Mercy. Well, I suppose I would have at least tried to figure out what all of the options were before going in for the kill. So it’s not too surprising if it happened to be the same way.

“Did your cousin’s wife tell you all that?”

She nodded.

“It may have been the case that she was holding back, who’s to say?”

“But why would she do that if she knew the world was at stake? Did she just forsake the world?”

I remember the first time I met up with Demetria, she said that she had little interest when it came to Rhea. So now the sudden interest struck me as a little odd. But then again, maybe there was something to spurn such interest and I just didn’t know it.

“It’s doubtful the world ever mattered in the first place. After all, it was just one instance of the world, out of an endless amount of instances.”

“Yeah, but it’s my world! It’s the only instance I have!”

I leaned over and pressed my finger to her lip.

“Shh. Others are sleeping.”

After I released my finger and returned to my original position, I continued.

“She didn’t have a world she belonged to. While I’m sure she understood the risk, the stakes weren’t the same for her as it may have been for you. Maybe she was just done, and knew of no other way to go but through a fight.”

“But why did she show Ves mercy? That’s just not like her, is it?”

“Maybe she had a last minute change of heart. It’s possible.”

“Do you think she was infected by the entity? Is that why?”

I shook my head.

“It’s a possibility. There’s no way to know that for certain, though. As much as it’s natural for many of us to speculate, the bottom line is that the only person who knew what was going through her head was herself, and she’s not around to give us any answers.”

“You’re right...I was just wondering: what would you have done if you were in her position?”

I thought it over some.

“I don’t think I would have done anything different,” I concluded.

“Do you think she was lucky as well?”

Ah. So maybe that’s why she brought it up. I had to close my eyes for that one, lest the piercing glare give anything away.

“What do you think the answer to that one is?”

There was a pause, and there was something serene about such a pause. The heavy breaths of the wolf behind her, the snoring of the middle aged man at the top hammock. It carried with it a peaceful wind.

“I’m worried about you,” she said at last.

“Don’t be,” I shook my head and smiled, “the student has no need to worry about the mentor. You should get some rest.”

When we picked up on the following day, her growth was more than apparent. I’d strike down, but she’d sidestep, then do a sweeping slash, which I blocked, then did a slash of my own. She surprised me next, by sliding down, then struck up. I had to react fast just to block it.

“Ha. You’re getting better at reacting, but you’ve yet to land a hit,” I remarked.

“Just you wait,” she shot back with a smug smile.

Such confidence. I wonder if it will last.

In an effort to show that it wasn’t just a bluff, she rolled once, did another side step, which made me turn around as she made her next strike. Again, our blades clashed, and I still had another blade in my other hand. However, this time, she pulled something out from her pocket and I leaned my head back just in time not to get hit by what turned out to be a knife.

When I realized what she just tried, I couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t a condescending laugh, in fact, I was quite impressed. All the same, I was as amused as I could ever be.

“Ha, good one. You fancy yourself a ninja or something?” I gave a hearty chuckle.

“Not quite. I just need to learn all that I can,” she dispelled any such idea. She didn’t look any short on energy, either. That was good.

We’ll have to hone that aim of hers, but she seems to already have some sort of grasp. Force and precision, two things to work on.

“Let’s make things more interesting, shall we?” The proposal slithered out from my mouth as I slipped a cunning grin.

“MANGE!” I called out.

She looked over, a sharpened glance. It wasn’t even so much of a reaction, but more of an acknowledgment.

Has she adopted some of my traits? Is it from the training? Or did it just come with the confidence?

Busted out through the door of the shack came Mange, all fired up. That tired old wolf may not have been much but a heavy sleeper on his good days, but he could still be tricked into thinking there was trouble.

“Now you’ll have to dodge both of us.”

Before, I’d have expected her to react like, “really? Wolves are much faster than people! And they’re huge!” But instead, once again, a single nod of acknowledgment.

We clashed further, clangs of our blades as we maneuvered around each other. But soon, Mange gave chase, and as expected, darted toward Demetria. She stepped back, but he was quick to turn. She stepped to the side, but that didn’t stop him in the slightest. It was getting to the point that she was backing further away from me without even realizing it.

Panic seemed to set in and she turned her head from side to side and noticed how much further she had gotten. Mange was seconds away, and Demetria rolled forward, which seemed to do her little good. I charged toward her, like a little nudge to remind her who her target was, and I watched as she knew she was cornered on both ends: Mange behind her, and I about to strike her down in front.

So in a twist of events, she crouched down, then when Mange got close enough, she leaped into the air and launched herself off of that poor wolf’s nose, which propelled her further. I watched as she tossed a knife down in my direction, and I blocked it with the sword at my right. However, she then swung her blade down from over her shoulder, and I reacted just in time, with the blade at my left hand overhead. However, the force was strong enough that I needed both arms free, and before I could lift the other sword, she swung her legs together and flung herself forward against my abdomen, knocking me to the ground.

With her on top, the blade raised against my head and her head close, I could feel her warm, heavy breaths on my face. They weren’t breaths of exhaustion, but excitement instead.

I wonder if that’s what she meant when she said she wanted me to teach her ‘restraint’.

“Well, you’ve got me pinned down. What’s next?” I flashed a sharp-toothed grin.

No answer. Mange didn’t seem so interested in pulling her off, despite the image present. So it was up to me: I grabbed her by the wrist, even with that sword firm in her hand, and tossed her off of me.

“Waah!” She squealed, caught off guard.

I got up and brushed off any dirt that had gotten on me.

“Good job. That was a risky move, but it paid off. To think I had just tried that today and you had already figured out a counter,” I commended her. However, she walked off and seemed to have brushed aside every word.

“It’s still not enough,” she grumbled.

“What is enough?” I demanded. As much as I hated to admit, her attitude got to me.

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll know when I get there,” she huffed out a reply.

“Hey,” I called her out. That time, she turned around. “I know I said you didn’t need to tell me the reason, but what is it that you’re after, anyway?”

“I need to improve my aim when throwing knives, I need to improve my reaction time. My reflexes still aren’t enough.”

“Bullshit. What more do you need?”

“I need to be able to dodge a bullet,” she replied with such conviction that despite the absurdity of the statement, I had no choice but to take it seriously.

“If that’s your goal, you should give up right now. It’s never going to happen, no matter how good you get.”

“I need to.”

“Nobody’s fast enough,” I shot down once more, “you think I can dodge a bullet? You think I’m faster than what comes out of a gun? I just have to get lucky and hope there’s something I can shield myself behind. That, or hope that I’m faster than the one with their hand on the trigger.”

“Fine. Then I need to be able to block a bullet,” she was adamant, which only served to irritate me further.

“With what? A sword? Even if you could react fast enough, it’s more likely that the bullet will break the sword. What then?”

“I’ll…” She grit her teeth, “I’ll think of something.

How stubborn. Looks like I’ll need to compromise.

“Fine. How about this? For the next few days, or however long it takes, I’ll borrow your throwing knives, toss them your way, and you’ll have to dodge them. I’ll paint some targets on trees and I’ll have you keep throwing until you can manage to hit the middle. I’ll make sure you’re using proper form. Does that sound good?”

She gave it a few seconds pause, then signaled her approval with a single nod.

“Good. Now, let’s practice some sprinting. Run around the field for a while until you get worn out. Mange will chase you around, but don’t worry, he won’t actually hurt. He may knock you down, and he is heavy, but he’s friendly enough.”

With a sprint, she took off. As she went busy with that, I returned to the shack and decided to lay down for a little while on the bottom hammock. For whatever reason, as I lay, a smile formed, then plastered its way onto my face. Above me came the gruff voice of Cleaver:

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Maybe I am,” I replied, “who’s to say?”

“You’re not fooling anyone. You’re getting a kick out of this.”

“Of course,” I gave in, “I’m most alive in a fight. Not to mention, it feels refreshing. Both to fight without such high stakes, and to be a mentor. It feels like I’m passing on my knowledge to the next generation.”

“I don’t really get it, but I could tell there was something up with you ever since you first showed up.”

“Oh?” Consider my interest piqued.

“I mean, c’mon, some tall Japanese swordswoman just shows up looking for a place to crash? Like, what time period do you think this is? Obviously there’s something up with that, either that, or you’re just a weirdo.”

To be honest, I’m more of an oddball than I’d care to admit.

“But you know,” he went on, “I never pried, I never asked about what your story was, because I just didn’t care. As long as you’re going to help me out and mean no trouble, then it’s none of my business.”

“See? That’s why we get along so well. I’ve never asked you what your deal was, either,” I threw at him. If it wasn’t clear, I was a little cheeky.

“You wanna know something else? When you and that girl are talking late at night, I can hear you. You’re not as quiet as you think you’re being.”

“Aw, Cleaver, at your age, you need your beauty sleep.”

“Guh,” he grunted, “you’re one to talk. What with your talks. I’ll be honest, I don’t understand most of it, but your whole ‘I’m just waitin’ for my time’ bullshit like you’re some old woman about to croak.”

“Heh. I am. I’ve lived a long life, Cleaver.”

“You’re younger than I am. I bet you haven’t even hit forty.”

“I bet you’re right. But I’m past my expiration date, so to speak. With the kind of life I’ve lived, I’d say I’m past the average life expectancy. It’s a little strange...just to exist at all.”

Large breaths of air lingered just before the last few words were uttered. It was as if I had gone speechless, starved of oxygen.

“Well, if you’re havin’ fun, that’s gotta count for something,” he seemed like he was trying to make some sort of attempt at encouragement.

“Never said it didn’t, but thank you for the sentiment.”

“Another thing, uh, for what it’s worth, what does it matter if you’re just passing by? Doesn’t mean it don’t got meaning. Plenty of people are just passing by, having chance encounters. But it still has value.”

“I agree. Try not to put too much stock into the things I say,” I advised him. Selfish as it may have been, part of me wanted to know what kind of life he had lived, and why he lived in a shack out in an open field. Was it choice or circumstance? Was there another option? But just like him, I was fine with not knowing.

I think it’s always been that I’ve gotten along most well with older folks of a certain kind. Lost souls, or those who were destitute, vagrant, fallen on bad luck and hard times. Hermits whose own lives had become a distant memory. There was nothing to be fascinated by it, nothing romantic. It was just a certain kinship I felt. I in no way ever wanted to just scrape by with whatever I could reach for. It was just what I developed into, and now I felt as if I could live no other way. If I could even live at all.

III

Even as the days passed, and another couple of weeks flew by, it proved not to scratch that itch she so desired. Despite every throw closer and closer to the bullseye, every projectile avoided, every knife caught in the grip of her gloves (that one surprised me the most. Another risky move, but one I allowed, despite the trouble that could have caused. It seemed like less of a mistake and something she wanted to do. Still, I made sure to drill in her head not to try that with bullets, because all that would do, best case scenario, is give her a bloody hand), it wasn’t enough.

Throughout the training, I had wondered what her reason was. Although I told her she didn’t need to tell me, it was still important enough to her that she sought me out. She could have sought out anyone, a professional trainer, for example. But no, it was me. There had to be something specific there, and I had my suspicions as to what it was.

“Satisfied?” I inquired after she had managed to hit the target, square in the middle.

“Not quite,” she shook her head. That all but confirmed it; no more beating around the bush, I had to ask:

“Are you trying to be like your crush?” I drilled to the center of the matter, hoping to find gold.

“Excuse me?” She asked in turn.

“Remora. You haven’t mentioned her since you got here. You mentioned Rhea, which is surprising in of itself, but she never mattered much to you. As I’m sure you’ve thought, yourself, her and your cousin’s battle had nothing to do with you. But it was Remora who you were interested in, wasn’t it?” Her brows creased, and I could tell she didn’t enjoy such a topic.

“I’ve just had nothing to tell. Feelings can change,” she replied, her voice lowered, guarded in its response.

“Indeed. So it was a falling out?”

“Something like that. It’s a period in my life that I’m done with, so I don’t need to think about it anymore,” she flat out stated. Still, she didn’t echo the same confidence that she did in our spars.

“So that’s just it? Yet you came here, to someone you knew worked the same job as her, and talk about wanting to dodge bullets. Even if you don’t feel like you don’t need to think about her, you either have her in mind, or something similar.”

That time, her defensive face relaxed, and she changed her expression: a smile took hold and stretched to a smug grin.

“Something similar, you could say that. You could say I want to be just like her.”

I figured as much, although a part of me hoped it wasn’t such a case.

“Or rather,” she added, then turned away, “I’d like to be strong enough to be able to kill someone like her.”

Such confidence. This could be interesting, if also disconcerting.

“Someone like me?” I suggested.

She shook her head.

“I’d rather not kill. That was the whole reason why I wanted to learn restraint. But if my suspicions are correct, then I may need to. Which means I have to make sure I’m strong enough to do so, even if it means becoming like one of you guys.”

“Suspicions? What are you talking about?”

It sounded like some delusion of hers, although I knew better than to think such a thing. If there was even a chance of someone else like Remora or I, even alive and out there, then what did she want with someone like that? Did she have some personal vendetta? Did someone kill someone close to her? What could have prompted such a desire?

“I think I’m ready to show you,” she paced about, then brought out her phone.

Yes. Please. Show me.

I watched her put her phone up to her ear, then speak into it.

“Hey Cybele. It’s me. I’m ready for you to pick me up. Oh, and I’ve got someone with me. There’s a place I want to show her. Both of you. I might be able to get you your money, there, too.”

There was a short pause.

“Cool, see you soon? Cool.”

She ended the call, then turned back to me.

“You can take your sword with you, if you want.”

Was planning on bringing it, anyway. I’ve got some bad vibes from all this.

“What is it you want to show me, anyway?” I asked her.

“You’ll understand when we get there,” her smile held as she assured me.

What was left in me was a sense of confusion. Before me wasn’t the same Demetria that showed up a couple of months ago, but then, she must have had such a thing planned out. So either she had been masking how she really was, or it was an alarming determination. Something which she was driven to see through.

“By the way, you should get that dog back inside. I don’t think my friend would like seeing them,” she advised.

“Mange is a wolf,” I corrected, then stuck two fingers in my mouth and whistled. “Hey Mange! Get inside!”

Mange let out a whimper as he slowly walked toward the shack. He looked over at me, let out a soft, “awoo,” then pouted and went inside.

“Yeah, yeah. Awoo to you too.”

About fifteen minutes later, a woman with a blonde ponytail and wearing a blue blouse and a pencil skirt walked approached us. At first, she stood up straight, but as soon as she saw us, she slumped over.

“Ugh, lemme tell you, it’s so hard to find parking when you fly a plane everywhere,” she bemoaned. Then she stood right back up and looked over to me. I raised an eyebrow and gave a short wave.

“Hey, who’s this?” She asked Demetria, who looked up at both of us.

“Cybele, this is Wen...err...Zephyr,” she introduced.

Cybele then smiled a big smile and held out her hand.

“Heya, nice to meet ya! Nice muscles,” she greeted. I took her hand and shook it, then tilted my head.

“Thanks, I made them myself?” I replied.

She let out an awkward laugh, then turned to Demetria.

“So, what’s this place we’re going to?”

“You’ll see,” was all she said in response, then made her way toward the plane.

“Oooookay. Looks like we’re off,” she strutted off. I followed behind.

Aboard her plane, I just realized that I had heard Cybele’s name before.

“I think Ray’s talked about you,” I mentioned to her.

“Oh?” She sounded curious.

“Yeah. He’s really serious about this thing that’s been going on.”

Demetria scowled and sat across from me, her arms folded.

“So you know what’s going on too? Was I the only one who didn’t?” She accused and stuck her nose up.

“Of course I know what’s going on, girl. I showed up at the diner a little after you left. You would have known too, had you stayed.”

“I was under no obligation to stay,” she rebutted.

“You’re right, but I take it you would have, had you known.”

“No shit.”

“Still, she knows now,” Cybele butted in.

“She found out?”

“Ray told me, then I told her. She seems pretty serious about saving them.”

My ears perked.

“Is that so?” I turned back to Demetria.

She shook her head, arms still crossed.

“Finishing up school is more important. They can handle themselves.”

“Wow, cold,” I reacted.

“Not as cold as the arctic,” she shrugged.

“Well, you’re right about one thing: there’s no reason for you to get involved. If it gets to be too much, Ray will call me back over there.”

She didn’t say anything after that. By the looks of her, she seemed disappointed, as she hung her head low, but she didn’t make any objections.

“Say Cybele, you got any drinks on this plane?” I called over to her. She walked over and got into stewardess mode.

“Yes, what would you like?”

“Got any alcoholic beverages?”

“We have spiced rum,” she offered.

“Cool. I’ll take it.”

“I’ll be right back with your drink, miss,” she did her best to sound polite, then raced off to the back of the plane. I leaned back and awaited our arrival to the mystery destination.

We landed a few hours later in a clearing through a forest. Demetria got out of the plane first, followed by myself. Demetria looked up to Cybele, who was still next to the door of the plane, then addressed her:

“Cybele, can I ask you to stay there? We’ll be out soon, promise.”

“Trust me, that place looks foreboding enough as it is. I’m totally cool with staying here,” she assured.

Demetria gave Cybele a thumbs up, then we walked toward the building in question: this long and high marble building with few windows. Around the perimeter was a barbed wire fence.

“Apparently this place used to be a prison,” Demetria explained. Not that I was interested in the building’s origins. My interest was more in what we were doing there in the first place.

She opened the door inside, then motioned me to follow her in. As if that was really necessary. I would have done so anyway.

Once we stepped foot inside, I noticed the thin tunnel-like corridor, many rooms on the floor above us, and an absence of sound. Another thing of note was that the lights were on, which made it appear less abandoned than it really was. Demetria looked around, then remarked in passing:

“Looks like she took care of the dead bodies like she said she would.”

That caught me off guard, and also made me take note of the floor. Indeed, there wasn’t any hint of bloodshed or anything of the sort.

“She?” I inquired.

“I encountered someone who wants to kill Remora. She said that Remora killed her father, so I take it it’s personal.”

Figures. That frosty bastard wasn’t as good at taking care of loose ends as she thought she was.

“Do you know whose father she might have killed?” Demetria asked.

“No idea. I never shared any missions with her, and I don’t know what kind of jobs she took on. Could’ve been anyone’s father.”

“That makes it difficult,” Demetria shook her head. I wonder, do you still have some concern for her?

“What is this place, anyway?”

Our journey took us to the end of the hall, where two flights of stairs to the upstairs were situated, and we stopped at a door along the back wall.

“There was this organization. They were trying to revive the janitor company. Don’t worry, though. I took them all out, so it’s not going to happen.”

“You mean, you killed them?” Was my first question, although there were many others which could have taken precedence. Like why anyone would want to do such a thing, let alone how they knew of such an organization in the first place.

“Their turret killed them,” she corrected. “They were too heavily armored for me to have done anything on my own.”

She opened the door, then stepped inside. I followed suit, and my jaw just about dropped at the sight of stacks of cash lined up along shelves on the walls. Aside from that, there were several guns strewn about the floor, and alongside those weapons, there was something else quite peculiar: minerals which appeared to change shape and color without end, going from smooth to jagged to crystalline. Brown, gold, blue, purple, green, black, white. No specific consistency, and yet at the same time as it made those constant changes, it was as if the ‘minerals’ or whatever they were, were still objects and objects which made no such movements to warrant such a change.

“Concentrated celestial aura…” I heaved out the words. Demetria turned to me as she shoveled stacks of cash.

“You know it?” She asked.

“They’re the materials created from the essence of angels, made solid. They were used to forge the weapons we use. What they’re doing here...no, how they got their hands on…” I was just about speechless.

“Yeah, I don’t have an explanation, either,” Demetria echoed my sentiment. “There’s many things I don’t know, but I figure with this, I’ll have a fighting chance.”

“Fighting chance? What are you talking about?” I snapped.

“I want a new weapon of my own created from this stuff. I’ve already got an idea as to what I want, it’s just a matter of finding someone who could forge with these.”

Astonishment turned to irritation, and I held my fist against the wall.

“That’s not what I mean! What do you expect to do with a weapon like that?”

Her face turned sullen, and her voice lowered.

“I have an idea of what’s causing these phenomena that Sunny and Ray have been dealing with at the diner. If my suspicion is correct, then I need to make sure I’m prepared.”

“Prepared? How the hell could you possibly know what’s going on up there?”

“Because I’ve dealt with it already!” She snapped right back. “There was a man who ate two people alive, two people who I tried and failed to save! Who claimed to serve an indescribable creature, and even though I burned that place down, I know it didn’t take care of anything! There were still monsters in the arctic, strange things that went on, and they’re still going on! I have to put a stop to him! It’s my responsibility!”

“No, it’s not. You need to stay out of it. I get that you’re worried about them, but you don’t have the experience that I do. So just go back home to your family, live a quiet life, and let me deal with it.”

She didn’t budge.

“I know I lack the experience, that’s why I had you train me, so I could be strong enough to take them on. Like it or not, they are my family just as much as my biological family, and you better believe that I will protect them.”

“So you were planning to go there after all? Was the education thing a lie?”

“Not at all. I’m graduating at the end of the month. After that, it will take another month or two to forge the weapon. Then, I’ll find a way to get there. Mark my words. I just hope that I’m not too late by the time I get there.”

I pulled out my sword.

“Maybe she no longer matters to you, but do you think Remora ever wanted you to be like her? What about me? We went through hell to become the kind of people we are, and you’re saying you want to be like that too?”

“You’re right: I wouldn’t want to go through the same things you guys did. I can’t even imagine how you dealt with it. But I’m willing to put myself through hell if I have to for those people, because damn it, they’re worth hell. So we can fight right now if you want to, but I’m not backing down from this. Not when their lives are at stake.”

I let out a single heavy breath, then eased my nerves as I sheathed my blade.

“Fine. I did tell you that I didn’t need to know your reason, but you better understand that there’s no guarantee of success and if you’re not careful, this will cost you your life. Are you still willing to proceed?”

“Without a doubt,” she answered without hesitation.

“Very well. We’ll take these materials with us,” and before we could get ready to do so, I spied something beside the boxes of celestial auras. “Hey. You said you wanted to be able to block a bullet?”

She nodded. I picked up the small devices and handed them to her.

“These are miniature bounded fields. I’ll train you how to use them.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

“I still don’t like the idea, but I can tell that your mind’s made up.”

So I grabbed a couple of boxes of the minerals while she carried stacks of cash and the miniature bounded field devices. My load was heavier, but I could take it.

“By the way,” she spoke up while we hauled the items back to the plane, “I don’t remember if I’ve asked, but did you know any janitors named Cronus?”

“No,” I replied, “do you think someone by that name is behind these attacks?”

“Yes. Or someone using that name as an alias. What about someone who ate people alive, or had a big mouth. Anyone like that?”

I had to think back a little, there were so many others, now lost to time.

“There is one person who comes to mind, but I don’t know much about him,” I suggested.

“Who?”

“He had the codename ‘Tarrare’. Apparently his specialty was more akin to a true janitor...as in, he cleaned up messes, all right. From what I heard, the higher ups would find jobs that had to do with disposing of dead bodies, and they’d send him out to devour the corpses. It’s kind of gross to think about, but I guess he had the stomach for that sorta thing.”

“Anything helps. It’s hard to believe there’s any other janitors alive, but I’m not going to rule it out.”

Just a few minutes later, we arrived back on the plane and took off. Demetria handed Cybele the cash, Cybele hugged Demetria tight, and few was spoken after that. In fact, I stewed in my thoughts.

I can’t believe I’m letting her do this. She must have been planning this a while, but how will she manage? For that matter, will she be okay with who she becomes? Or was it who she already was, and she just needed the resources? Then I considered that it must have been the latter.

We returned to the field later in the afternoon. Demetria waved goodbye to Cybele.

“How will you get around without me?” Cybele wondered.

“I’ll figure something out. Besides, I’m sure we’ll meet again soon enough,” Demetria assured Cybele.

“Okay. Stay safe, and remember: you’ve got friends!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Demetria waved off and dismissed. “You take care, yourself.”

As soon as Cybele took off, I turned to Demetria.

“What’s next?” I inquired.

“We keep training, I go to campus to get my degree, and then I take off to get my weapon forged.”

“I see. What kind of weapon do you have in mind?”

She flashed a smile.

“I dunno. I was thinking a sword,” she gave a little wink. So much for originality.

“All right, so we’ll train a bit more, you’ll graduate, but do you even know a blacksmith who can work with this stuff? For that matter, how will you get back to the diner? In case you aren’t aware, normal flights aren’t going near there, and if Ray knew you were coming, he’d try to pull out all stops to keep you away.”

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure it all out.”

I couldn’t help but smile in response to all that.

“Now I’m curious as to what you’ll come up with.”

She shrugged. Looks like I’d just have to wait and see.

The end of the month came, so too, did the end of spring. Demetria rushed out the door of the shack that morning, laptop and backpack in hand, and woke us all up.

“What’s the rush?” I turned to her, voice all hoarse and groggy.

“It’s my graduation. I’ve gotta get my degree in person. I think it’s dumb, but rules are rules. So going to take a Greyhound bus a few states over. See you in, like, a day at most.”

I clapped.

“Well good for you. It’s like you’re growing up and everything.”

“Oh, shut it,” she laughed. “Anyway, bye.”

“Have a good time,” I waved to her, then she was gone.

Cleaver sat up from his hammock and looked down.

“That kid gone?” He looked around.

“Yeah, but she’ll be back,” I informed him.

“I can’t believe it’s been three months already,” he shook his head. “Crazy, huh? She turned from a pipsqueak to a powerhouse.”

“She was already a powerhouse, she just needed for that power to come to the surface,” I corrected him, “now I wonder if she’s something more than a powerhouse.”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” he climbed down. “I’m going to find some possums to barbecue. Wanna join me in the hunt?”

“I’ll pass. But send my regards to Mange, will ya?”

He grumbled an incomprehensible grumble, then walked out the door.

“I suppose all that’s left for me to do now is wait,” I spoke into the air. Wait for Ray to send me that call, telling me that the place was in danger, or wait for Demetria to return. Wait for so many things, up to and including the prospect of an eternal rest.

So I went around town, I rested in the fields, I swung around the sword, but for the most part, I just sat and waited. On the following afternoon, Demetria returned running toward the shack, with plenty of stamina in tow.

“Hey, welcome back,” I greeted.

“Thanks!” She replied, and there was something different about her, as she was grinning and a glow seemed to surround her.

“You seem in a good mood. How was it?”

“Oh, you know, boring stuff. But you wouldn’t believe who I saw there. It was an old friend who I thought I’d never speak to again, let alone see! I guess we’re really still friends after all. It’s hard to believe,” she seemed to wipe a tear from her eye, and she continued to smile.

“Who was it?” I asked.

“Not who you’re thinking!” She backpedaled, and I was a little confused.

“I wasn’t thinking of anyone in particular,” I argued.

“Well, it’s not who you weren’t thinking of in particular, I can tell you that much! It was just an old friend from college. We used to be roommates.”

“Look at you! Being all social and stuff!” I congratulated.

“Stop it. I doubt I’ll see her again. My life’s just heading in a different direction and I probably won’t be able to have as many bright and cheery moments as that one. I have to accept that.”

How unfortunate.

“You should at least allow yourself the moments of happiness you can find,” I advised her.

Her smile lowered down until her face turned more serious.

“Yeah...you’re right.”

Before either of us could say anything else, Demetria’s phone rang, and she answered.

“Would you look at that, perfect timing,” Demetria remarked as whoever was on the other end must have greeted her, “been a while, hasn’t it, Hera?”

Hera? Was that the friend Demetria knew back at her university? I didn’t know, but I continued to listen in.

“Oh my. You want me to come over? Gee, I’d love to do that, but I don’t have any way to get there. I don’t have...how do I put it...the coin.”

You need a coin to get...well, she was probably talking of transportation money. But still, doesn’t she have plenty of money considering what she took at that building?

“Wait. You’ll come get me? Well this changes everything. Okay. Hold on. Slow down. I’ll meet you in Caldwell, Idaho. You can probably find me at a coffee shop. Thanks so much,. Bye.”

She then hung up and looked down where I sat.

“Well, time for me to run down to the city while carrying rocks in my backpack,” she announced, then tossed me her phone.

“Why did you give me this?” I looked down, confused.

“Can you hold onto it for me? Where I’m going, it’s best if I don’t have this.”

I was still confused.

“What am I supposed to do with it? I’m a homeless old bat!” I griped.

“Oh, come on. You’re not that old. Just pretend to be me if anyone texts.”

I shook my head and sighed.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but what the hell?”

“Thanks! So I’ll see you around!” She rushed out the words and was in such a pose that suggested she was ready to run off then and there.

“I just hope you know what you’re doing,” I cautioned.

“Ha. Do I ever?”

We both allowed ourselves a little bit of a laugh, and then she ran off inside the shack, then ran back out with the backpack on her shoulders. Without so much as looking back, she ran off at once. Before long, her image faded from view. Then I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the shack.

“I think if fate will allow, I’d like to live at least long enough to see how this plays out. If not a little longer,” I sent my wish out into the air. It wasn’t so much of a wish as it was a certain sentimental idea. I wouldn’t have minded if my time came tomorrow, or that very instant.

[lassluna]

Swan’s Hourglass (1/?)

Emma Swan had a mission. Find a place to start New Hyrule, her kingdom apparently. It was her mission as Princess or Savior or whatever. It’s going terribly if she’s honest. No one ever gave her Princess or Savior lessons growing up. She really has no idea how to be a Savior. She doesn’t even really want to in the first place.

But when the Demon Ship kidnaps her son and she gets stranded on a strange island with only an old woman and peppy fairy for help, Emma will have to do what she has to do to rescue her son, even if that means putting a certain self-proclaimed pirate captain in his place.

Legend Of Zelda AU

AN: I am SO EXCITED to start posting this. This has been in my documents for YEARS and I can’t wait to share what it is become. Thank you SO much @cssns​ for giving me a reason to commit to writing this. Thank you @spartanguard​ for being a fabulous beta and making sense of this thing, it would not be what it is without your fabulous input. Thank you @eastwesthomeisbest​ for creating such an amazing image, I love it to pieces!!!! 

FFN Ao3

Prologue 

“Our story begins not long ago; there was a young man, head to a band of lost boys, thieves of the kingdom. His name was Baelfire. Baelfire was cunning, smart and mysterious. They wanted to explore the unfamiliar land.

One day Baelfire met a young girl on her first adventure outside her parents’ home. She was young and curious and ready to make her own destiny.

After a series of strange events, the girl began traveling with the group as she’d become smitten with Baelfire. Through many adventures, they found old ruins, hoping to make off with treasure. Instead, however, light enveloped the girl, revealing that her lineage wasn’t just sheep farming as she once thought, but that it traced back to a line of legendary heroes known to their time as The Saviors. She was the lost princess prophesied to save her people from a terrible fate.

When her identity was revealed, a wicked witch appeared and carried the princess away from Baelfire as she knew that the Savior was destined to destroy her. Instead she sought to take her power for herself. She used her power to destroy the kingdom many years before.

Baelfire chased after the princess in order to rescue her. He crossed mountains and ocean, slayed terrible beasts in order to be reunited with his True Love. When he finally found her, the princess was not alone as she had been with child when she was taken and bore his son while in captivity.

They used their power to become true heros and slay the Wicked Witch once and for all, and the princess and her infant son were rescued at last. However, during the battle to rescue her, Baelfire sacrificed his life to ensure the safety of his family.

The princess decided to honor his memory and find a new land to restore her kingdom to what it once was, surrounded by her new family of Lost Boys…”

There is a loud sigh coming from a mop of dark hair.

“Come on, Henry? What did you think?” insists a voice. It’s the same voice as the one who told the story. He is tall and skinny, dressed in traditional sailor’s wear with hair a slight shade darker and freckles all over his face.

She always enjoys listening to her friend’s storytelling from a distance. 

“Boring,” came the reply, much to her amusement.

“What? How?” the story teller says again in surprise.

“Johnnn,” Henry groans. “You tell the same story every time,” he says in exasperation. “You don’t even add to it.” He looked up at her from the lower deck as she stood on an upper section watching him. “At least Mom sometimes tells me of Dad’s adventures,” he insists, standing up from where he’d been sitting and stretching. “You were there, shouldn’t you know more than Mom about this?” he asks skeptically. “Mom was captured when all the exciting stuff happened.”

She watched as the man looked up at her, exchanging a careful look with her. She keeps her gaze firm. 

It was a very direct, don't you dare.

“I’m forgetful,” John retorts to her son. 

“You’d forget years of your life?” Henry asks, yet again. “I still don’t buy that.” 

She could tell that Henry was starting to get around John’s story, as he always was. Ever since Henry was a toddler, he’d always been so curious. Now that he was growing up, he’d become desperate for more details, more information, more of anything interesting, especially details of his father.

Her kid was growing up so fast…

“Henry,” she calls out, making him notice her for the first time. She stands overlooking the lower decks. “Aren’t you supposed to be on lookout?” she asks. “You know the Captain wouldn’t like it if her first mate is slacking on the job,” she teases. 

Henry’s eyes light up, all thoughts of the story gone from his head.

Well, not that fast. She muses silently.

“Oh yeah!” he says excitedly, “We’re looking for the Demon Ship,” he reminds her, grabbing John’s hand and darting off towards the edge of the ship. She could hear him rambling about it from the other side of the vessel.

“You know Emma,” says a new voice. Emma had had a suspicion she had been listening too. “You’re going to have to tell him the truth eventually.” Emma didn’t look back at her.

“What I tell my son about his father is my business,” Emma reminds the Captain. “You promised me you’d honor that,” she reminds her. The last thing she needs is someone telling her how to raise her kid. 

“I just think that Henry’s a smart kid and will figure it out. Shouldn’t it come from you and not when Michael and John have conflicting stories?” she presses. Emma turns towards the brunette sea captain, looking her straight in the eyes. Captain Wendy Darling did not waver. 

“We’ve been over this a dozen times Captain,” Emma says as politely as possible. “I will protect Baelfire’s legacy, Henry’s hero until I see fit to tell him otherwise,” He’s her kid, and the last thing she needed was for him to dwell on the past; lord knew she dwelled on it enough.

“I just think—“ But Emma cuts her off.

 “Bae’s already dead; what good will the truth do any of us?” she snaps. Wendy raises a brow.

 “Maybe it would let your son see you less as a damsel and more as a hero, Savior,” Wendy replies with an almost whimsical sound at the word ‘Savior’ and it fills Emma with dread. “Maybe it would let you see yourself that way too,” she adds.

“I am no Savior,” she says sternly, barely resisting another snap. “If I was, Baelfire wouldn’t be dead. He saved us from the Wicked Witch and that’s all I want to hear on the subject,” she says firmly. 

Wendy shrugs slightly, conversation over for now. It’s a common argument for them. It feels like they have it every day. She’s supposed to be some Savior, but she doesn’t feel like one, she never has, even after years free from the Wicked Witch. All Emma’s been was the daughter of a sheep farmer, and after the death of her parents before she met Bae, she was lost. She never meant to save the world; she never meant to be the one destined to find some new land for her people.  

Emma doesn’t want to be the Savior. She wishes she could just hand off the job to someone way more qualified.

Emma watches Wendy look up at the sky, face stern. Emma never really understood why Wendy has been helping her for all these years; at first, it was some obligation to Bae, but yet she’s been talking about telling Henry the truth about his father since Henry was old enough to hear these stories. She doesn’t understand it; Emma would think she’d want to protect his image.

Emma doesn’t think she’ll ever truly understand her. “Besides,” Emma continues, “Shouldn’t you be trying to find a way to avoid this Demon ship Henry keeps talking about?” she asks, still eyeing the brunette.

Henry had taken up talking to other sailors whenever they reached port. At first, he wanted to try to trade some of his treasures for different things, and then it turned into him hunting out stories from dock workers or deckhands. He was always very excitable when it came to adventures so Emma was barely surprised when Michael came to her that first time he caught Henry wandering off to engage in a conversation with a stranger. 

 Wendy takes the change of subject gladly. Wendy rolled her eyes. “There is no Demon Ship,” she insists. “It’s just some pirate gang or something, an urban legend to scare people.” She crosses her arms and she looks insulted by the accusation. 

“Are you sure?” asks a voice from the hull; Emma recognized Michael, slightly pudgier than his younger brother holding the wheel of the ship, looking at Wendy in uncertainty. “What about all those ships that have gone missing?” he asks nervously. “No survivors or ship remains were ever found.”

Wendy sighs in annoyance, but Emma can see it’s barely contained outrage. “We’re going to be fine,” she says again. “These seas are protected,” she reminds them.

Emma raised a brow in disbelief. “Protected?” she asks. Emma didn’t see any royal colors on this piece of the map; she thought this area was uncharted.

“By the Ocean Queen,” Wendy retorts as if it’s obvious.

“Ocean Queen?” Henry asks, being drawn in by the talk of adventure and stories. His eyes lit up. “Who’s she?” he asks. 

“No one’s told you?” Wendy says in disbelief. “She’s a benevolent ancient ruler who protects all sailors in this area of the ocean,” Wendy replies. “Legend has it that she rules with three helpers, but not much more is known.” It makes Henry’s smile widen at the thought. Emma was sure her son’s head was filling up with ideas of meeting this ruler one day.

But at ten years old, Emma was not having it.

“You believe in an Ocean Queen and not a Demon ship?” Emma asks. It seemed a little one sided to her.

Wendy snickers. “Of course I don’t!” she exclaims. “I only believe in the wind and the stars; everything else is just fairy tales,” she says with a laugh. “That’s just an old story my mother used to tell me. She grew up around here,” she informs them. “A little place called Molida Island.”

Henry groans. “Aunt Wendyyyy,” he says with a sigh. “That’s mean.”

Wendy sticks her tongue out at him, looking like the kid Emma had met all those years ago. “That’s what you get for slacking off on your duties, mate.”

Henry sticks his tongue out right back at her. It wasn’t often that Wendy acted her age, only barely being 23 herself; but when she did, it was refreshing to Emma. It reminded her of the fierce Captain who could see them all through any storm in the sea and yet still had a soft side.

Emma’s relaxation was short lived, as before anyone realized it, a dark and thick fog rolled over them.

“What the—“ Wendy cries in surprise. “Everyone get to your stations,” she snaps at her two younger brothers. “We’re taking a detour from this place,” she orders. Emma looks around unsure. She has a dark feeling in her gut. She feels tingling in her soul, but she blocks it out. She doesn’t need more to deal with right now. She just needs her kid.

“Henry?” she calls out. She wanted her son with her while the crew worked on getting them out of here.

“Wind’s dead, Wendy,” John calls out.

“How can the wind be dead when a fog literally just blew in?” she snaps back.

“Mom, look!” she hears Henry say. He was sitting on the edge of the ship pointing out. “A ship.”

Emma looks over and realizes that Henry was right: there was a ship heading towards them and fast. “Henry, get away from there,” she orders, rushing down the steps in her dress. She barely reaches him as the ship descends upon them.

Emma sees its superior size loom overhead and dark wooden hulls cast a shadow upon their smaller vessel. Its ornaments are all a faded ivory color looking almost like bone. It looked like death itself had come for them.

“It’s the Demon Ship!” Emma hears Michael cry out. “These waters really are cursed!”

“It’s just a ship,” Wendy snaps at them. “Emma, Henry get below decks; let us handle things,” she orders. Emma nods in agreement, reaching over to gather Henry’s hand in hers and hide below deck. This was dangerous and Emma needs to keep Henry safe. 

She just wants to take her son where it’s safe.

Henry pulls away from her. “It is the Demon Ship!” he insists. “And there could be a lot of treasure on board.” He reaches up for a stray piece of rigging, much to Emma’s horror.

“Henry!” she shouts, trying to grab him as her son swings over to the ship. “Henry get back over here!” she calls out once he lands safely. She is going to ground him for life for this.

“It’s fine, Mom; it’s—“ Suddenly as if possessed, the fog around them gets much denser and it is hard to see Henry at all. Then she hears a piercing sound that shakes her to her very core.

“Mom!” Henry screams. He screams for her.

“Henry!” Forgetting every ounce of her fear, Emma grabs the rigging, same as Henry had, and attempts to swing over to the other side. She needed to get to her son now.

However, the Demon ship started to move away from them so Emma’s leap of faith lands her clutching to the side of the ship.

“Emma!” She hears a chorus of voices call out in dismay. But she doesn’t care; she does her best to scramble upwards, trying to find something to catch the edge of her feet, anything to just hold on.

She hears a snickering laughter, sees a flash of dark hair and then someone uncurls her fingers from around the edge.

“Henry!” she shouts helplessly as she splashes into the water. Both the sky and the water were dark and grey and she couldn’t seem to make out either the Demon ship or her own ship in her confusion. 

“Henry!” she cries one last time before the water swallowed her whole.

Tagging:

@phiralovesloki​

[aki-natsuko]

Frelu + “It’s cold, you should take my jacket.” and/or "Dance with me." ? :)

FreLu + ‘It’s cold, you should take my jacket.’

   Magnolia was alive tonight in a way that it hadn’t been since the war had ended. Lacrima lights strung amongst the trees and long shopfronts, and over the market stalls that had sprung up along the main streets. It gave the town a warm glow, as evening fell, the sky above dark and clear of any cloud, as an autumnal chill slipped into the air. It hadn’t discouraged people from coming out though, and the streets were bustling with activity, both locals and visitors, and the air was filled with chatter and music, several musicians having set up at various points through the streets, while children gathered around street performers.

   Lucy and Freed had paused for a moment, watching as a juggler entertained a small group of children. There was no magic involved, and yet the children were enchanted, whopping and laughing as he added more and more item, each stranger than the last. Eventually, Lucy squeezed the Rune Mage’s hand and pulled him away, joining the flow of people moving through the stalls and entertainment, pressed together to stop themselves from losing the other in the crowd, as they had already lost the others. Although Lucy had caught the sideways glance, Evergreen had shot them before pulling Bickslow away, and she had a feeling that Erza might have done the same with the others, and she made a note to pick up some cake for the other woman while they were out.

“It’s strange,” she murmured, finally breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen.

“What’s strange?” Freed asked, looking at her with a frown, having caught the almost wistful tone to her voice. She didn’t look sad, her eyes bright as she looked around them, and he recognised the expression on her face as the one she wore when she was working out ow to add something into her writing.

“Looking around it’s almost like nothing happened,” Lucy replied, and he could see her other hand was clenched, fingers trembling slightly. A lingering aftereffect from when she had rewritten the book of E.N.D., it was fading, happening less and less and Porlyusica had told them she expected it to disappear entirely over time, but Freed knew that it bothered her. “As though it was a bad dream, but…”

“It wasn’t,” he finished for her, pulling her off to the side and out of the flow of people, turning and reaching out to take her other hand too. Smoothing out the clenched fingers and tangling their fingers together, absorbing the trembling without flinching. “It will fade eventually,” he murmured, not meaning just the trembling, but the memories, the feeling that it had been too close that the entire Guild shared.

“I know,” Lucy murmured, moving closer and Freed smiled, releasing her hands to pull her into a hug. “And I don’t want to forget, it’s just… I’m a little jealous, I think?” Freed hummed, resting his head on hers so that he could watch the people moving past them. It was easy to think that the rest of Magnolia had forgotten what had happened. Still, there was a subtle tension in the air, people staying a little closer than usual, parents more watchful than they had been during previous festivals. They were further towards moving on than the Guild was, but the shadow was there, lingering. He didn’t say that though, didn’t want to dampen her mood any further, and instead, he squeezed her lightly, kissing her forehead before releasing her.

“We shouldn’t forget what happened, not completely,” he agreed, smiling down at her. “But, for tonight, we can afford to let it go a little.” He shrugged off his coat, draping it around her shoulders, his smile growing when her fingers came up automatically to catch it and hold it in place, the tremble easing from her hand. “Let’s go find some cake for Erza, and I should get Ever something too, and then we can find a good place to watch the fireworks.”

“How…?”

“I might have heard them plotting earlier,” Freed admitted, and Lucy giggled, the shadow banished for the time being as she clutched his coat with one hand and held out her other. He took it without hesitation, giving no sign that he realised it was her affected one, and she squeezed it tightly.

“Let’s forget about what happened, just for tonight.”

FreLu + ‘Dance with me?’

   The ballroom had settled down after Natsu’s antics and the King’s speech, the guilds mingling together in groups that Lucy could never have believed even at the end of the Games. Apparently facing Dragons and nearly losing was more than enough to lay aside those previous tensions, and she’d had fun chatting with Yukino before the other woman had been stolen away by her own Guild. She’d danced briefly with her friends, before finding herself drifting off to the side. It felt odd being here, dressed as she had while growing up, and yet wholly different from the person she had been back then. Or maybe it was everything that had happened that had left her feeling odd, as though she was slightly out of step with what was happening. More than once, when she’d closed her eyes, all she had been able to see was her Future-Self leaping in front of her.

    Trying to keep the memories at bay and wanting to enjoy the celebrations she had taken to watching the others from the edge of the dancefloor. It helped to see everyone looking so happy and relaxed, to see the last seven years finally melting away now that Fairy Tail had proven itself again. She smiled as she watched Alzack and Bisca dancing with little Asuka in their arms, demanding that they go faster even though it was a slow dance that was playing. Wendy and Chelia were still working their way along the dessert table, and that made her nostalgic remembering how she had sneaked into her father’s parties to do the same. Wondering if she should warn them about the stomach ache that would follow, before deciding it was better to let them have her fun.

   After a while she realised that she wasn’t the only one watching proceedings, her eyes caught by a flash of green on the far side of the dance floor, blinking at finding Freed stood alone rather than with Laxus and the Raijinshuu as he usually was. He looked more at ease with their surroundings than most of their guildmates, and she wondered if he had previous experience of situations like this, it wasn’t really something that had ever come up in conversation before, and now she was curious. However, it was the longing in his eyes as he watched people whirling past on the dancefloor that caught her attention, and she found herself unable to look away, even though she told herself she didn’t want to be caught staring.

   Freed was good at hiding the longing she realised, watching as he masked it whenever someone came to talk to him, Bickslow and Evergreen trying to drag him off to do something, and then Levy pausing to speak with him for a few minutes. He would talk with them easily enough, but as soon as he was alone again, his attention would return to the dancefloor, and Lucy found herself fidgeting with the skirt of her dress. She knew what she wanted to do about it, but did she dare? Her interactions with the Raijinshuu and Freed had been somewhat limited. However, she had spent some pleasant afternoons talking about books and writing with the Rune Mage after Levy had introduced them. But talking about books and asking someone to dance were very different things… especially when she hadn’t really let herself admit how much she had started to look forward to those chats, to spending time with Freed.

Protect the future.

  Her hands stilled as the words echoed for a moment, and she took a deep breath. They had protected the future; she had protected the future. Now… it was time to seize the future they had protected, and gathering her courage, smoothing her fingers over her guild mark she slowly made her away around the edge of the dancefloor. Skirting around a conversation that sounded a little too close to becoming a brawl.

   He had seen her coming, and as she reached him, the mask slid back into place. The longing replaced with a smile and casual interest, and Lucy decided there and then that she wanted to know why he was hiding it. But not right then, when she could do something better, and so she moved right up to him and held out her hand with a smile, that grew as she saw the flicker of hope in his eyes that he couldn’t entirely hide. “Will you dance with me, Freed?” The flicker became a spark, and then he was taking her hand with a smile.

“I would love to.”

[vanaera]

You Will Feel A Flash of Red

Synopsis | Seokjin colors your life with his outrageous ideas and unnecessarily wild adventures, along with his stupid mission to always scare you whenever you run into each other. Against your better judgment, you’ve already started to entertain foreign feelings in your heart concerning the certain boy. And it doesn’t help you already get scared easily without him adding his shenanigans in the mix. You just want Seokjin to stop…making you feel too much all at once. Genre | Fluff, semi-crack Characters | Seokjin x Reader (College!AU bc I’m soft and my uni life is mundane af) Wordcount | 2.7k A/N | Hi hons, this is something short and fluffy I came up with while I’m resting from my recent 21k-wordsmash-work Daffodil Rings. Hope you like this!

               Everything can be colorful if you will them enough to. Grocery shoppings can be filled with oranges and greens that warm you up as you push past the cold airconditioned mart. Laundry days can be cooled with the tranquility of blues and whites that coax your eyes to relax from such a fast-paced week. You learned to make this your coping mechanism ever since you started associating colors for everything that lived in your grey, mundane life.  

               Your study table and work station are your usual pliant canvases to your color imageries. However, your biggest coloring book has to be the people that surround you. For instance, your bestfriend, Park Jimin, is a golden drizzle of yellow for his unfailing optimism whether it be finals week or rush hour dashes. Meanwhile, your other friend, Kim Namjoon, is an inky indigo for his strange concurrent displays of placidity and chaos wherever he goes.  Your roommate, Wendy Seon, is an easy magenta for her innateness to attract attention wherever she goes. Unlike her, Min Yoongi, your batch representative, was a hard-to-determine cream white for his introvertedness and tough-bitch acts. But among these people you have met, there is one who stands out like a sore thumb: Kim Seokjin.

               Kim Seokjin is a friend of Namjoon and you only knew about it when you shared a general education film class with him in sophomore year. He was easy to say…a different story from anyone you’ve met.  

               “You’re Y/N, right?”

               Your eyes flit to your left to meet the eyes of the boy seated next to you and you nodded slowly. How did he know you? Much more your name? You’re sure you’ve never met him before and you’re much surer you’re someone everyone can easily miss.

               “Namjoon told me your name when I asked him about you. I’m Kim Seokjin,” he offers a hand. You shook it slowly, your head tilted to the side, still bewildered as to how he knew you. Unfazed by your questioning stare, Seokjin grins. “I didn’t know you’re also taking this class.”

               “I…I like films so yeah,” you shrug.

               “Me too!” Seokjin chuckles. He leans closer to your seat. “You’re in the biochemistry program right?”

               Your forehead furrows. “Excuse me?”

               “Oh, I am in the biology program and I saw you going out of the lab when our class was about to start in the same lab. Your blue scrunchie gave you away.”

                Your hand deftly reached up to your ponytail and Seokjin laughs. “Don’t worry, you look cute with it,” he waves off and the furrows on your forehead only grow deeper. What is this man spouting about? Is he outright hitting on you–  

               The door swings open and the professor barks the usual morning greeting. Your thoughts were immediately halted. A few minutes is all it takes for everything to settledown into a metronome of students whispering across each other and pens scribbling notes. You wouldn’t have found yourself bothered again by the strange man sitting beside you if Seokjin didn’t just open his mouth to say the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard in your entire life when the professor asked everyone what names they would like to be called in class.

               “Señorita. Call me señorita.”

               Needless to say, the class erupted into a hysterics and you’re left wondering for days (and oddly irritated) why everyone finds it so funny to bring that scenario up again and again until the next two weeks.

               Such small timeframe is also enough for you to say Seokjin’s a mess.  But oh, everyone will disagree. They will say “Oh my God, how can Seokjin be a mess? He’s like the university crush and he has damn good grades and have you seen him wearing those goggles during lab hours?! He’s the only one handsome enough to pull it off as a fashion statement! ” in their wistfully annoying voice. First of all, you don’t care whether he’s good in what he does or he has a really good-looking face. What else but a mess will be someone who’s all-over-the-place?

               Some days, Seokjin is a calm sky blue you can actually have fun with talking about film what-ifs and chemistry memes.

               “Yo Y/N, imagine if The Princess and The Frog was remade and instead of a frog, the prince is a pterodactyl.”

               “I don’t want to imagine that.”

                “The solution of the plot will still work though. You can’t kiss pterodactyls though, but guess what?”

               “I don’t want to guess.”

               “C’mon, just play along!”

               “Fine, what?”

                “They will peck you!”

                 “Have you ever wondered what Australia will be called if it suddenly finds itself abundant of silver.”

               “No. Leave Australia alone.”

               Seokjin doesn’t hear you and bursts out “Agstralia!” He guffaws at his own joke and you can’t help but snicker at his priceless face and laugh at yourself in pity for finding it even remotely funny.

               When his laughter dies down, Seokjin goes again, “Then what if it’s filled with copper?”

               You don’t want to answer him, already biting your lip in silent laughter.

               “Custralia!”

                 Most of the days, Seokjin’s a fiery orange of fireworks who drags you into the wildest rides of your life with his ever loud, but oddly inviting, “Yo, Y/N!” Like that one Monday afternoon he coaxed you (in some goddamn way you dumbly agreed to) to scavenge for some specimen of Bermuda grass to see it under the microscope and check if it has any semblance to the Bermuda Triangle (of course it has none). You accomplished nothing that day but run around like cockroaches with no heads when an old woman chased you for trampling on her “garden” which is just a plain expanse of grass. Or that one Wednesday morning he asked you to accompany him in his dorm just in case he managed to summon a demon when he tries to cook using an old Latin cookbook he found in some thrift store. You didn’t summon anything that day but you ended up with you two getting summoned by the condominium’s landlord because Seokjin accidentally set off the unit’s fire alarm.

               There are also times when Seokjin’s an endearing bloom of pink. Like those days when his hand casually brushes against yours as you walk side by side to your film class and he’ll send you one of his goofy smiles. Or those weekends where he’ll accompany you to study in the library, helping you make flash cards for your upcoming long quizzes.   Seokjin makes you feel warm at the slightest of stares and lingering gazes. Especially in those nights where he lays his head on your shoulder as you watch required films, and he’ll stare at you while doing kissy faces when you tell him his head is too heavy.  You never knew you would be able to fill something, no someone, in such a delicate color you know you have already started to reflect on your cheeks just at the sight of him.

               But all of that gets ruined because Seokjin always, always, makes you see blazing scarlet everytime he carries on  his life mission to scare you whenever you meet. It started when your professor assigned your class to watch The Shining for a horror genre essay and you, like the scaredy cat you are, begged Seokjin to watch it with you. Of course you didn’t tell him you’re not too fond of horror films, afraid of being called out. Obviously, it only takes one stare at your curled up form for Seokjin to put two and two together and realize you’re such a…coward. And of course, like the obnoxious boy he is, Seokjin takes advantage of such knowledge and decides you need a little spice in your life–a spice you didn’t really need, nor will ever need in your entire life.

               Whenever you’ll meet him on the corridors of your film class, Seokjin is now nowhere to be found. Instead, he’ll demand you to answer a quick survey first, a condition for him to show up, and you, like the exasperated idiot you are, answer it just to get on and over with it.  Like always, you end up screaming at a scary video mid-answering the questions and you never learn your lesson.  Everytime you’ll pass by each other in hallways, Seokjin bellows a loud “Boo!” with a thunderous clap of his huge ass hands and you always jump in shock like a cat on her hackles.  You never knew how to expect the shits he pull up because Seokjin always changes his patterns. One day, he even pulled up a Scream mask by your locker just right after you closed it shut, making you scream as you fall on your bum.

               At the end of the day, Seokjin always makes sure to apologize and assure you that it’s just his way to bond with you. “I just can’t get enough of your priceless face” he snickers and you start to chuckle too at his attempts – because even if you’re scared, his shenanigans actually helped you, in some way, get less scared of horror film jump scares.

               However today–today is a different straw.

               It was nine o'clock in the evening and you just got out of your building after an org meeting. The campus gate you usually take in your commute home was already locked closed at eight so you have no choice but to take the other gate–the one on the far left boundary of the campus. All would have been fine about that gate if you hadn't read the Facebook freedom wall post concerning it yesterday. Apparently, some student was jogging around the route towards the gate every night before he goes back to his dorm. In the entirety of his jog, he hears footsteps behind him that he didn't mind at first– until he passes by a guard who greets him and asks him what's he's doing alone so late. When he glances to the left, there was actually no one following him.

               At the thought of the Facebook post, you grab the straps of your bagpack tighter. All is well. You just have about twenty meters to go before the gate and after that, you'll get on a bus. Just a little bit more and–

               Step. Step. Step.

               Jesus fucking Christ. You bit your lip and walked faster. Your steps are frantic and you could feel cold perspiration start to form on your nape. You could feel yourself tripping on your shoes anytime soon but the only thought running in your mind now is outrunning the thing behind you.

               However, the steps behind you also quickened its pace.

               Fucking shit. You break into a run. You don't care about social conventions nor how ridiculous you probably look right now with your eyes teary, mouth dry, and hair frazzled. All you know is that you have to get OUT of there.

               But your effort is not enough because just five steps in, a hand shoots out behind you and you have nothing to do but scream. Scream, drop down, and cry.

               “Leave me a-alone please. Just let m-me go home. I'm to-too young to die!”

               “Yo Y/N. It's me, Seokjin.”

               You cried harder.

               In the next second, you feel him squat down and gesture toward your arms, tightly corded around your knees with your head still buried between them. But you didn't move. You can't move. Your fingers are still shaking, and your heart won't stop pounding too fast. And you feel like any second right now, you're about to explode.

               “Y/N, I'm sorry I scared you. I just saw you going out and I have something to say to you before you go home.”

               You couldn't hold it in. You pin Seokjin with the meanest glare you can muster. “WHY DO YOU HAVE TO COME AT ME LIKE THAT THEN?!”

               “I was just running after you! You were walking too fast and you didn't see me so I–”

               “I thought you were a ghost! Jesus Christ!”

               “A ghost?” Jin sputters before breaking out into a loud guffaw. “I'm so handsome to be a ghost. Seriously, Y/N–”

               “It's not funny anymore you know,” you whisper. Seokjin's chuckles immediately die down. “Can you just stop,” you hiccup, “scaring me everytime we meet? It's not good for my heart.”

               “I...I didn't know you felt like that,” Seokjin mumbles and he looks down, rubbing his nape. “I...I thought you were also having fun because you always laugh after it.”

               “It was fun,” you admit, “but it's also scary. I'm a coward you know. I have my limits.”

               “I'm sorry,” Seokjin mumbles. But before you can reply that it's alright as long as he doesn't do this shit again, he has already cupped your face in his hands, leaving you no choice but to look at him. Look at him in all your snotty glory.

               Seokjin however, doesn't seem to care. “I'm sorry I scared you that bad. I would not have started doing this scaring thing if I knew it will end up with you breaking down. I'm sorry I didn't know you get scared this bad. I don't like...making you cry.” At this, you feel his thumbs pressing on your cheeks and wiping away the tears that have streaked down in your panic. You can't move, this time for a different reason. You can't feel anything but the presence of the boy in front of you. His warm, beautiful eyes that only look like that when they meet your eyes; his much warmer hand that feels too big on your face–big and secure enough for your hand to hold with an assurance he’ll never let go. His cheeks are rosy, just like his ears and you feel oddly elated it has grown pinker just in five more seconds of staring at his eyes. And his lips–pink and plump and looking so soft–fills your senses into sensory overload that you honestly feel you're heating up like a boiling kettle by now.

               Good for you, Seokjin doesn't question your frozen stance and silently helps you up on your feet. “Sorry’s not enough. I'll make up for what I did. C'mon.”

               Before you knew it, he's already steering you away from the gate and back into the campus. And now at ten thirty, you find yourself munching on a strawberry ice cream cone with Seokjin beside you, your knees bumping into each other.

               “Why do you do it anyway?”

               “What do I do?”

               “Scaring me,” You answer, wiping your lips.

               “Are you...still angry about it? I'm sorr–”

               “No,” you wave off, “I'm just...curious, yeah. I've never had someone doing that to me and you're probably the only one crazy enough to do that. I'm just curious why you do it in the first place.”

               “Well, you already said it," Seokjin chuckles. “No one has ever done it to you yet. So I did.”

               Your brows raise, your forehead furrows. "Wh-why?”

               “Because I want to be different when it comes to you. I've seen you goofing off with Jimin on hallways and–I don't know why, I just get this feeling that I have to be unique when it comes to you.”

               “Why? I mean," you sputter, "I don't require you to be…different to be my friend.”

               “I just want to. It feels good that I get to be the wild adventure of your life. It feels good that I get you to look only at me like that–begrudging but curious, skeptical but willing, and," he smiles, "cute. Especially when I get you to laugh.”

               You look at him, mouth agape, but Seokjin just laughs and gestures you to eat your ice cream because it's starting to melt. You oblige, but you can't help but let your eyes linger on the boy next to you. The boy you didn’t know was like the biggest hotshot of your batch but was the one to actually remember you from the crowd just by your favorite scrunchie. The boy who used to be your greatest dilemma but now the best highlight of your life. The boy that annoys you to no end but oddly makes your heart flutter at the same time. Seokjin, the boy you can now begrudgingly admit you're definitely crushing on. Because you know there's no other answer to the overwhelming, warm flash of soft red you feel on your chest whenever you're with him.

               You know you're right because after that night, you start to associate Seokjin mostly with red. Fresh roses, picnic dates, heart-shaped promises, sweet laughter, cherry kisses–a plethora of everything your heart started to long for.

 A/N | HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST GIRL @sophrosinn!!! Thank you for being a stable shoulder I can lean on in times of problems, for being a great listener to everything I rant about, and for being one of my bestest friends who never failed to support me in my dreams.  (Thank you for also comforting me when I broke down in our live news presentation in our media literacy class. I’ll never forget that). I never imagined you’ll be one of my few friends I get to keep ‘til now since it’s only two years ago we got to really, really talk with each other. Remember how we just used to pass by and greet each other in our freshman until 11thgrade year in high school? Such a great plot twist. Time sure flies fast when you’re with the best people. Meeting you is surely a blessing. I wish you more amazing years ahead of you and may you accomplish all your endeavors. I love you!

P.S. I hope you liked this fluffy fic hehe this idea started to bother me ever since your birthday started to near. And yeah, I HAVE to include the pterodactyl joke because it’s your and Jin’s trademark uwu

All Rights Reserved © Vanaera. Reposts, modifications, and translations of content are not allowed without direct permission.

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 144

[Dear readers there’s a couple of trigger warnings for this chapter which include a suicide attempt, physical violence, wounds involving blood and burning, and people being ordered to hang themselves. Not in gratuitous detail for any of these things, but still there. Kilgrave territory is the worst. Please be safe and happy!] It was intensely hard to focus on work and Tony at the same time. Mostly because all you wanted to do was sit by Tony’s bedside. Talk to him. Comfort him. Wish none of this was happening. But thankfully after a couple of hours the nurses came in and gave him something for his fresh wave of pain as the anesthetic was completely wearing off. That knocked him back into woozy and drifting territory, so that made it easier to make a few calls. Set some things up. 

When Happy appeared in the doorway, Tony was completely down for the count. It didn’t feel right taking off. Leaving him here without a word. Even now you could still feel that simmering worry he was holding onto. Worried for you. Worried how this was going to end. What lengths you would go to to force that hand. Even unconscious, he was still worrying. 

But your mind was made up. And even still waiting for the next ping on the map, you had to go clean up. A small team from Damage Control was going to meet you at the defunct CDC facility. You’d wanted Maria to go but she was apparently on leave helping Coulson with something- a conversation for a later date. It was obvious that she probably didn’t really work for you, and was just biding her time in the position until she could branch to something more meaningful to her. Probably something with Fury, you wouldn’t doubt. Whenever that moment came. 

Either way. There was no use dwelling on it. Happy was a little hesitant as he waited by the door, cat carrier in hand. You had to physically invite him in with a gentle pull of his arm. Already he wanted to leave, it was easy to sense that. So you had to force him to stay. “I have to go.” Stated as calmly as possible as you took the carrier from him, knelt down, and opened the door to allow Dvahli out. 

The second she padded onto the floor you picked her up in your arms, crushing her close without hurting her. Hoping she understood how sorry you were for the mess. For the loud sounds. The terrors. And for disappearing immediately after all of it. Maybe somewhere in her she understood. She started purring up a storm. But maybe that was also her just shaking with the need for security and love after what had just happened. 

As you stood up and set her on Tony’s bed, Happy shuffled nervously. “Sure. I’ll stay. How long has he been out for?” Asking simpler questions probably in an attempt to delay you from going somewhere neither of you wanted you to go. 

“Only a little while. He’s been in and out. He’s also fine. He’ll make a full recovery.” Not fine just yet but he’d get there- and also probably argue that he was. Even now. But the point of saying it was to calm Happy so that he’d stay in the room, not just guard the door. And hopefully have a talk when Tony woke back up. Because they desperately needed to. This could not go unchecked. 

“Glad to hear it.” A hot flash of self-made disappointment spiked through him, along with a heavy fall of gloom. Things he was quick to shove aside. “Where are you going?” 

“I have to clean up the recent mess Kilgrave made.” There was no need to mention after that you’d have to go on the hunt. To end this.

Happy stopped you at the door, just as you reached to open it. His hand covered yours and his gaze was serious. “When’s the last time you slept?” 

The question surprised you, almost as much as that touch did, but as you lifted your hand you understood why. And then suddenly wondered how long your hands had been shaking for. “I honestly don’t know.” Truly. You truly could not remember the last time you laid down in a bed and closed your eyes for a little bit. Two days? Three? 

Adrenaline, fear, and responsibility were the only things powering you now. ...and maybe a little bit of an animalistic need for revenge. But you were scared to admit that even to yourself for more than a couple of seconds. Happy frowned. “Can this wait? Can you just take a few hours?” 

Already you were shaking your head. “No.” Firm. Not needing to give him an explanation as to why. You had to go to work. You had to keep moving. Otherwise this was going to get further and further away from you. 

In that moment, as he looked at you, he just seemed so… sad. Sad for you. What life had become. And perhaps sad over his lack of control, his inability to do anything to help you. He could no longer whisk you away and keep you safe inside a house. How long ago that lifetime was. “Just- be careful, okay? And come back. Soon.” He couldn’t do anything else but serve these platitudes. 

“As soon as I can.” This at least you could promise. You wanted this to be over, for sure. 

All you had to do was make it happen. 

                                                                 --- 

Despite not being able to sleep you did head home for a quick shower and to just… take in the place. Happy had done his best in trying to clean up, by picking up overturned furniture and… wiping blood spatters off the wall and floors- ...it was something, but not enough. Though that wasn’t his fault. There was just a lingering hopelessness that seemed to permeate everything. It was hard to ignore as you took the quickest shower of your life and changed clothes. 

Eager to not only get out of there but to be on your way to hopefully closing the rest of this out. It seemed premature to hope for that but… you were foolish, you supposed. It was hard not to hope. 

Damage Control had blocked off press from the building and had already begun cleanup by the time you got inside. The room looked so much different, considering you’d only been away from it for what- you only just realized your sense of time had slipped. You really had no idea. Better not to dwell on it.

 One of the panels of Kilgrave’s cells had been shot out, broken glass and dirty water were all over the floor. Not to mention puddles of blood on the floor of the cell, as you stepped closer. A pair of scissors had been barred off with an evidence marker. 

There was a body bag on the floor near the upturned desk. The computer was trashed- but the camera on its tripod still stood. Going over closer you checked the tape. One of the agents came over. “We watched it back. It’s pretty clear what happened.” 

“Mum, for every year that you left me alone, stab yourself.” Kilgrave’s voice was so eerily calm as he commanded her. You had to turn your head down. No use in watching it- in watching him murder another person. The whole room erupted into panic on the tape. Jessica tried to push the shock button- it failed- she went in to get them- Trish shot the glass out- 

God what a fucking mess. If you’d just stayed… if you’d only just stayed here… the body in that bag so close to your feet would be alive. Maybe Kilgrave would be dead. Maybe this would all be over by now. But at the cost of Tony’s life? 

...that was it, wasn’t it? That was the conclusion that had been drawn here. You’d picked Tony’s life over someone else’s. There had been no way for you to know that Jessica would have gone to these lengths, that this would have fallen apart this way- but if you’d just stayed in that room- if you’d just finished it a little sooner… 

“I want-” Your voice was wobbly as it came out, and you cleared your throat to stand a little sturdier. “Hold all evidence right now under A-files. We’ll hand over to the police when we’re finished. We have an enhanced running around, and nothing is to be released to the public until we bring him in.” 

The agent gave you a small nod. “Yes, ma’am.” 

“Anything else for me?” You needed to get on the move. This helped you paint a clearer picture of the severity of the situation, but really… you hadn’t needed to come down here to see all this. 

“The police were called to Wendy Ross-Hogarth’s apartment a couple hours ago. From the chatter we pulled, it seemed like she’d been killed by Pamela Romeit- self defense. Wendy was attacking Jeri Hogarth.” 

What a fucking mess. There was your ping on Jeri. Okay. So… Jessica apparently thought Jeri had something to do with Kilgrave’s release. So Jeri had brought Kilgrave somewhere. Kilgrave turned on her, probably commanded Wendy to attack her- for what reason? There were too many blanks- but. They’d been caught. Pam- whoever that was- Jeri’s life was also a fucking mess. At least the two of you had that in common. Though maybe not in the same way. And you didn’t have enough time or energy to spare pulling the threads together of who did what or why or who was important to Jeri in what way. 

No use thinking about it now. You just nodded weakly. “Okay. Any mention of a male on the premises?” You doubted it. The situation over there had spiraled into chaos. He’d turned on Jeri, even if she’d brought him there for whatever reason. He was definitely not there anymore. But you still had to ask. 

“No, ma’am.” At least you were prepared for this disappointment. 

There was a sudden commotion in the hallway. Just about every agent in the room drew their guns, yet all heads turned your way to look for direction. On edge as you were, you double tapped the Reactor and led the small squad outside. Someone behind you started giving orders. “Hands up! Now!” 

Two men you’d never seen before- no, scratch that. “You were outside Jessica’s house.” The same tall man- blond you could see now in proper lighting- projecting some very dangerously angry energy. The other man you’d never seen before. An older gentleman, graying hair, grizzled- 

As you inspected him he started speaking, “My name is Oscar Clemons. I’m a detective with the NYPD, 15th precinct.” On closer inspection he looked pretty hurt. Not that that made you trust him. However, “I came here with Jessica Jones.” 

“Oh.” It was more a breath than anything. “You’re her cop.” The one she’d been trying to get. You held a hand up to signal your agents to lower their guns and then you pointed at the other man. “What’s your name? All I know is that your a friend of Trish’s.” 

“Will Simpson. Where is Trish?” He was avoiding looking at you. Frantically he was looking around. “Trish called me- I need to see her- where is Trish?” 

Nodding to your agent closest, “Cuff him.” 

“Me? Are you out of your fucking mind, lady?” That explosive spark lit up as he gnashed his teeth your way. 

“You brought three men with you to kill Kilgrave the first night I saw you. You’re still hunting him.” This was the only thing that made sense. And he’d only get in the way of what you had to do. 

As two agents approached him he held a gun up. “You can’t just arrest me- you don’t have a charge- you’re not even-” 

“I am an official member of the Avengers and this entire debacle is now under our jurisdiction.” Projecting as much authority as you possibly could. “We’re dealing with an enhanced. That falls into our territory.” 

Will scoffed. “Make that two.” Said about as swiftly as the reel back of his arm to punch one of your DC agents right back into a wall. Would this ever fucking end? 

Now that he’d cleared himself you held both hands up to get a repulsor blast off, sending him straight down the corridor and through the wall. With a quick lift of your jets you flew the rest of the way down to meet him, yanking him so that you could wheel him around onto his back and smash him onto the ground. “That’s assault with a deadly weapon.” Pinning both his wrists in one hand and putting your other one between his shoulder blades to keep him down. Even with his struggling. 

He had a little extra strength, but he was no Jessica Jones. No Captain America. That was for sure. An agent came to a running stop, uncapping a syringe and injecting it into the side of Will’s neck. His raging and screaming died down in a matter of seconds. Turning him over onto his side, the agent gave him a patdown. You were almost surprised at the sudden rattling of not one but three pill bottles behind held up your way. “Ma’am.” 

You took hold of them, examining the clear bottles. No labels. Just red, white, and blue pills. Nothing like you’d ever seen. And… probably not good news. Did this trail ever fucking end? Jessica Jones’ world was just… too full. You shook your head. “Bag them and have them brought to the labs.” 

“And this guy?” 

“Put him in our holding cell.” He’d have to be questioned. And maybe charged. It would entirely depend on how you felt once he came to. Or what you were dealing with. Going over to the agent he’d slammed against the wall, you knelt down. “You alright?” 

She held a hand to her head, bleeding from her temple, but god bless her, “I’m okay, ma’am. Sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry. Just go get checked out. You’re done for the day. For as long as you need.” It wasn’t easy. Doing this work. Being this close to danger almost constantly. 

It seemed like she wanted to fight but she just wilted. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am.” Her superior officer had relieved her. There was no fighting against that.

Standing up you eyed down Clemons. “You got something for me too?” Tired as you asked.

He held one hand up- and you noted he was cradling his other bandaged one to his chest. “No. I’ll be glad to wash my hands of all this. This case belongs with your people.” 

“You were here. When Kilgrave escaped.” Explained why he was still lingering around. Why he was surprised to see your people here. And why he was hurt. 

“I was. Yes.” At least he was forthcoming. Any more interference and you really might have just collapsed. Or imploded. Not sure yet which. When you waited in silence for him to expand he just sighed. “Jessica took off with his father. They want to make a vaccine.” 

“Vaccine?” ...for Kilgrave? To nullify his powers? Was that possible? 

“Yeah. They think it’ll stop the guy. I don’t know about all that. I just know that I witnessed a murder. And have been made to realize I’ve been dragging my feet. But. Now that you’re here…” 

You couldn’t help the long sigh that escaped you. “Yeah. I’m here now.” A better debrief had to be had, but your phone started ringing. Probably not a good sign in all of this. Turning away from him with a finger held up, panic touched up your chest as you saw it was a number associated with Hope Shlottman. “Hello?” 

Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised you anymore, to hear Kilgrave’s voice on the other end of your phone. “Puppy. I think we have a lot we still need to talk about, don’t you?” 

“If you hurt that girl-” 

“That’s the thing of it, puppy. I’m trying to show you I’m not such an irredeemable monster. I’ve released Hope. For you. And for Jessica. It was such a big sticking point for the both of you and now we can be done with it. Does that make me less worthy of cold-blooded murder, I wonder?” 

You allowed yourself to freeze over, just to avoid the other feelings trying to crawl through you. “Why don’t you tell me where you are. And we’ll talk about it.” 

He chuckled. “So like you. But I’m feeling very generous. Tell you what. You can join us for dinner. You and Jessica both. She knows where I am. Pity she didn’t invite you like I asked. Had a feeling she wouldn’t.” His delighted laughter continued until the line cut. 

Jessica would not answer her phone right now, of this you were sure. She hadn’t wanted Trish to contact you, either. She no longer wanted you involved. But you had to figure out where she was- you had to get her to talk to you- your brain started scrambling. The clock was ticking. Waving your hand at the gaggle of agents still taking statements and cleaning up you started making quick commands, “I need a squad deployed immediately-” 

“Where to, ma’am? What level of force are we dealing with?” 

“The threat level is high- mind control- this is a DNE until my signal-” You started texting Jessica. Eventually, quickly, settling on: Kilgrave just asked me to come to dinner. Where is he? Where are you? 

You had to ignore the stares of everyone in the hallway, waiting for you to give an answer while you stared at your phone. You just had to hope. Hope she was figuring out going alone was not in anyone’s best interest- 

And, finally, you were rewarded with an answer: 

Niku. 

That was it. Just that one word. So you rolled your arm up. “I need a squad directed at the restaurant Niku. Clean up team on backup.” The strong answer drowned out underneath the boost of your jets as you jumped down the stairwell again and took off. This was the second time you’d flown this particular coop with just as much urgency. LUNA already lit up a path for you. Niku was located in the Nolita- and it took you too long to get there. 

You were sweating in your suit. Drenched in fear. You’d make it there before your agents would but even then you felt like that still wouldn’t be enough. The restaurant was not as empty as you thought as you came in for a landing. But it was the way the heat signatures were positioned that brought you on a crash course through the back wall of the restaurant. 

Four people were standing on top of the bar, nooses around their neck. Kilgrave was within ten feet of you- obtainable. You could end him now- he had an older man in a half hug- his father you barely recognized from the tape. Jessica was standing on the other end of the table- 

And Hope- 

Hope had just shoved the broken stem of a wine glass into her neck and promptly yanked it back out, blood splashing everywhere as her knees gave out. Kilgrave lit up in terror- you were here and you could end this. “STEP FORWARD!” 

Your mind started a dizzying rush. Kilgrave was running. Running away with his father. Hope was bleeding out. The people on the bar stepped off and started struggling. And as you half turned, mind made up to go after him and finish this, Jessica shouted, “If you let her die you’re just as much of a monster as he is!” 

How? How had it come to this? How did Jessica Jones have any right to ask you to save one life over the lives of hundreds of others? 

Yet there you were. Dropping to an immediate kneel. Commanded by her guilt almost as much the same as when Kilgrave had yanked you around by your proverbial leash. “LUNA what are my options here?” Trembling as you held her in your arms, pressing your hand over her neck. She was gurgling. 

“She’s losing too much blood. We can heat up the repulsor plate without launching to cauterize the wound-” “Just do it.” Resigned to this. To doing what you had to do. Hope’s arms reached up, wildly trying to hold on to anything. “Keep still- hold on-” Hearing the charge of the repulsor. 

“We’re at sustainable temperature, ma’am!” 

The sizzle of flesh and her screams were probably branded somewhere inside of your brain forever. But you sat through them. Sat through her struggles. Through welding her skin shut so she wouldn’t bleed out and die. Because that’s what you’d been told to do. 

You’d been ordered to save Hope Shlottman instead of going to end Kilgrave. 

She passed out a few seconds in. About around the same time Jessica had gotten everyone down from hanging, by yanking the pipe they were tied to and letting them slide off onto the floor. Damage Control erupted on the scene as you sat there, a little empty. Their guns were drawn. They were barking orders. Hands up. Back away. And then… 

“Ma’am.” Kilgrave had taken his father. Kilgrave had escaped. Tony was in a hospital bed. A woman was in a body bag in a messy room. What was it all for? “Ma’am?” Someone put their hand on your shoulder. 

It was a weak snap to, but you managed. “Take her- she needs medical attention. Immediately. Take her to our wing of the hospital.” 

“Ma’am, is the enhanced still on the property?” 

You looked up. Jessica was holding to herself tightly, arms crossed, staring back at you. Her heavy guilt might have made this okay. But there was just a small light of triumph. So you couldn’t help the glare when you answered, “No. He’s not.”

[hank-mcdankblade]

I Know A Bottom When I See One Princess (Part 1)

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary 

Chapter 1: You and Dean have been pals for as long as you can remember, practically raised together. Are things still the same as you remembered when you reconnect with him after a couple years apart? Well there is one thing you see differently and you’re about to call him out on it.

Chapter 2:  After you flirt back with Dean you start to rethink all of your life choices. Why did you flirt back instead of making fun of him? God it would be so much easier if you were just a genderless blob. Hopefully the new supernatural case a friend of your mom’s gives you will distract you from all this romance mumbo jumbo.

Chapter 3: You and Dean both start to realize your feelings are not what you both originally anticipated them to be. If only you two could actually talk like adults instead of bantering like childish 8 year olds. The case picks up when you see a certain someone’s name over every case, a certain boomer’s name.

Chapter 4: You and Dean do some sleuthing into Chrissy’s apparent death. After learning the truth your trip to Wendy’s/Jack in the Box gets interrupted by Chief douchebag. Rick takes the three of you on a nice drive to the mountains to introduce you to his daughter.

Word Count: 2,393

Warnings: Touch of heavy flirting? Many swears

 ______________________________________________________________________

       Sounds of clinking glasses and chatter bounced off of the wooden walls of the bar and created a small echo. The tables and counters were moderately filled with folks who had only been there once and patrons who looked like they were completely at home. The latter of the two were the people who only knew of the bar by the nickname they had given it decades ago. It was easy to tell the two crowds apart from each other. Pictures of smiling people littered the walls along with other knick-knacks like license plates and light up neon signs. All in all the place felt very cozy, comforting almost. As odd as it was this place felt like a safe haven, welcoming every customer in as if they were related to the owner by blood.

        If someone told you that every inch of the floor was mopped with liquor, you would absolutely believe them. Nothing against it, if anything it tied together the atmosphere of the establishment. Your eyes flitted to every corner savoring the looks you could get. The weight on your shoulders was starting to roll off and sink to the floor making it easier to breath deeply. 

        “Hey.”

        The moments were melting together to create one color, smooth like silk.

        “Dude.”

        If they rented out the back you would pay top dollar for that, man this place was calming. It was calming like a god damn koi fish pond.

        “(Y/N)!” Your attention was grabbed by your partner in crime, none other Dean fucking Winchester. If there was anyone you could count on to get a drink with or do hooligan shit with, it was him. He was looking at you in that special way that let you know that he’d been talking for the past five minutes and you didn’t hear a word of it. Although in your defense, the two of you had been up for the past couple of days with no sleep so he could sue you.

        “Sorry what?” You turned your head towards him with a brow quirked, your lips barely resting against the mouth of a bottle. Dean smiled looking to the ground.

        “You’re being spacey, you thinkin’ about my pretty face again? It tends to have that effect on women.” He winked at you with a certain glimmer in his eye. Dean would claim he was subtle, but as they say the eyes are the windows to the soul. And through his windows you could see clear as day that he was vying for your special attention.

        You mirrored his smile and responded. “Ya caught me, I was just thinking about how I’m gonna to propose to you.”

        “I will take nothing less than ten cows as a dowry.” The banter between you two had always been like this, light and breezy with Dean being a smug little shit head and you dishing out just as much sarcasm as him. Although ever since you two reconnected and started hunting together again something about the playful banter shifted. Dean would take moments to look at you more, he was always right next to you leaving barely any space between your bodies, and whenever he had an opportunity to touch you he would take it. When you were kids, sure he would flirt with you but that was back when you were stupid kids and didn’t know what you were doing. The first time he tried a pick up line on you he stuttered so hard it barely came out as a sentence. But Dean was an adult now, a man, and he knew exactly what he was doing when he gave you the up down look every so often.

        “Someone thinks highly of themselves.” You didn’t mind the attention, but you did find his big macho man act hilarious. For years you saw him strut around proudly showing his feathers to the hens nearby, but you knew deep down that this was all an act. You knew what truly laid beneath the mask of a dominant man who topped every woman he’d been with. It was impossible to not see it. Dean’s eyes lingered on your neck whenever you put your hair up. And on multiple occasions you saw his jaw clench in moments when you had to assert yourself.

        This boy was a bottom, and a sub nonetheless, and no amount of puffing his chest out was going to hide that fact. You went along with the harmless flirting trying your best not to show your cards just yet.

        “Are you saying that to hurt my ego or because you don’t have the dowry? Cause I’m sure we could find another form of payment.” There it was again, that look that Dean wore so well just begging for you to come closer to him. His tongue wetted his lips as his eyes drifted off to your lips. Your mouth twitched upwards, tongue poking out slightly to stop yourself from laughing. 

        “I’m not selling you any of my organs, I already did that once and let me tell you waking up in a tub full of ice is not my kind of Saturday morning.” You thought that maybe with a joke you could evade his advances and diffuse the situation, but Dean’s smirk didn’t let up. You really didn’t want to call him out just yet, maybe let him have his fun a little more, but he was coming close to breaking your will power. Dean leaned closer to you, if possible. It was close enough that you could feel the fabric of his shirt and smell his cologne. His heart was beating frantically, you didn’t have to be the Slayer to figure that out since you could practically see it jumping out from his chest.

        “You know that’s not what I mean sweetheart.” Dean’s voice came out rough and low. It was quiet like his words were a secret to keep between just the two of you. A secret that would be sealed with a kiss. 

        Another twitch of your lips had you done for. The giddy feeling in your stomach was bubbling up into your throat, forcing laughter to break through. You turned your head away from him with a hand over your lips to muffle your giggles. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! This act is just too funny!” You couldn’t help but smile brightly at Dean’s confused face, probably having no idea why you were laughing at him. He took a step back sitting more in his bar stool chair carefully watching you, possibly as a defense mechanism.

        “What act?” He asked, voice coming out gravelly. Dean’s eyebrow twitched, his eyes unreadable at the moment no doubt from watching his partner giggle like an idiot in her chair. You leaned against the table with your elbows on top looking like the most smug piece of shit.

        “This whole top dom act you got goin’ on, it’s cute.” You shrugged taking another sip from your drink. Your lips curled into a devilish smile at Dean. His face was on fire, cheeks blazing red. You knew you had him squirming in his seat and you were loving every moment of it.

        “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Dean’s words came out quick. He was being defensive, not sure how to respond but you knew from his outburst that there really was some truth to your accusation. You pushed the exact right button to drive him up a wall. Really it was adorable how riled up the hunter was about his threatened title.

        “Oh really?” You hopped off your stool and put a foot on the bottom bar of Dean’s chair, putting a knee in between his legs. Your hands rested on his thighs, making sure to give a gentle squeeze to them jolting them awake. He quickly glanced down and back up at you, refusing to break eye contact to prove to you what he knew he was. 

        “Baby boy, I see the way you tense up whenever I’m a little rough with you. Or the way your eyes follow my hands when I clean my knives. And you can pout all you want, but I know what you are.” Your face stalked closer to his, Dean was losing his grip on the situation quickly but refused to back down just yet. The less space between you two there was, the more Dean was aware of the tingle beginning to grow in the back of his neck and down his spine. He was internally battling what he really wanted, and what he thought he wanted. For all of his life Dean was this big bad hunter who could kill anything, drink as much as he pleased, and sleep with any woman of his choosing. But in front of you he felt a switch flip. Now he was the vulnerable one. Looking into your predatory eyes made him feel anxious but turned on. He was no longer the alpha, the strong man, or the best hunter out there, because in front of him was you. The Slayer, a woman gifted with superhuman abilities from the essence, soul, and heart of a demon in order to fight against the forces of evil. (Courtesy of the Shadow Men)

        Fuck, no. He was not a bottom. There was no fucking way. He was Dean motherfucking Winchester, an unbeatable hunter with an attitude. But fuck did he melt when you trailed a finger under his jaw, tilting chin upwards to meet your gaze. Dean lost sight of your dark eyes as your cheek softly touched his. “I know a bottom when I see one princess.” Your lips against his ear and breath on his neck was making him more aware of his body, and more precisely where he wanted you next. Dean swallowed thickly desperately trying to ignore the way his knees wobbled slightly, or the surging heat that started where your hands met his thighs and traveled inwards only to get more intense. The craving to just feel your naked skin on his was unbearable. His skin felt like it was on fire.

        But there was also a pin of fear poking Dean’s heart that knew full well if you wanted to completely dominate him you could, and strangely enough it was hot as fuck. You could use him in any way you wanted and there was nothing he would be able to do about it. It was a cliché fantasy, but damn did it get him revved up. Dean’s seen you lift cars and fight five demons at once, surely he wouldn’t be much of a fight to you. God why did this make him needy? Why did knowing that you could overpower him turn him on so much? All he could think about was you riding him into oblivion, your hips coming down on him hard enough to rock the mattress.

        Fuck you, he was not a bottom.

        As quickly as it came, your touch left him as you sat back down in your chair. You looked pleased with yourself. “I am not- you are- I don’t even.” He wiped a hand over his face as he tried to sputter together a sentence to throw back at you. Dean sighed before trying to speak again, putting his game face on with stoic eyes and slight smirk. “This isn’t an act, if you wanna see a top dominant man I’ll gladly show you sweetheart.” Dean took a moment to compose himself as you laughed at him again, trying to quickly compose a witty come back or smooth line in order to conceal his new change of heart when his eyes caught something. 

        “Alright if I’m such a bottom then how come I have that fine girl over there checking me out?” Dean countered with a smirk. You glanced over to wear his eyes guided your direction. The girl couldn’t have been much older than you. You guessed that she was here with her friends judging from the crowd around that section of the bar. Once you met her eyes you shook your head looking down at your drink with a smile and then back at your partner. Dean’s eyes narrowed at you. “Why so smug?”

        “Cause she’s not lookin’ at you princess.” Dean’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. There was no other place her eyes could be, she was looking straight at him. 

        “Bullshit.” 

        “Oh yeah?” You challenge setting your drink down. “Watch this.” Dean’s eyes switched from looking at you and the girl from across the bar wondering what the hell you were getting at. You looked over to the mystery girl and put on your predatory eyes, stalking her from afar letting her know that if you wanted to you could mark her right now. You knew she could see you staring at her. The sudden spotlight made her shoulders shift. Her fingertips fidgeted with the hem of her top as a way to cope. When she knew she could no longer fight back against your gaze she lifted her head to meet your eyes. They couldn’t get any darker. Your eyes looked her up and down, ending your interaction with a wink. The unknown woman blinked her doe eyes and quickly looked away again, a heavy blush noticeable on her cheeks. 

        “Told ya sweetheart, I’ve got top energy.” You looked over to Dean who sat in his chair dumbfounded. His lips were pulled thin, brows creased, and eyes choosing to focus on a part of the wall that did not look like you. Did the world suddenly flip upside down? How did you suddenly became a player and Dean Winchester lose his mojo all in one night? Dean blinked a couple times trying to piece everything together before clearing his throat.

        “Well I think I’ve enough of this dive bar for one night, see ya.” Dean stood up from his chair making his way to the entrance of the bar. The farther away he was from you and his feelings the better.

        “Wait Dean come back! Don’t be mad!” You rolled your eyes with a light smile following after him. With this new found angle, you had a lot of material with which to tease him. Something told you that this was just the beginning of a whole new chapter.

[sweetmemories2606]

Emergency (Gruvia and NaLu Fanfic)

Wrote this one-shot for @jfangirld​ since today is her birthday. 

Sorry this is a little late. I hope you've had an amazing day!

Title: Emergency

Pairings: Gruvia/NaLu/Luvia brotp

Summary: Everyone believed that Lucy had been saved by Wendy and Chelia, but the truth was much more complicated than that. 

Warning: IMPORTANT!! This story is the prequel of If They Knew, so you gotta read that one first if you want to understand what happens.

Word Count: 2.000 

Happy reading, everyone!

                                            ___________

                                         January of X791

Juvia watched the unconscious man below her, relieved that he was breathing normally again. “There you go, my love.”

Gray stirred, but didn’t wake up. She assumed he would remain unconscious for a while after having been knocked out by the leaders of the cult they had come to arrest.

The mission had seemed rather simple when they had taken the flyer a couple days before, but as it turned out these people were expert magic users and they were light on their feet.

They had made defeating Gray look easy, although Juvia knew that the only reason they had done so was because he had been distracted when she was injured.

When she had screamed in pain, he had glanced at her and in that one second they had hit him hard in the head, knocking him out.

To make it even worse, they had started beating his unconscious body, which led Juvia to increase her magic power in order to trap all of them in her water lock.

Thankfully, her plan had worked, thus all the cult members were now scattered across the sunflowers field behind the church where they operated.

Once they were defeated, she had immediately come to her beloved’s side and that’s when she had realized the extent of his injuries.

The blow to his head had managed to draw a lot of blood and someone had stabbed him in the lungs.

Even if Juvia had known that Gray was strong and would probably be fine, she hadn’t wanted to take any risks.

“You’ll be okay now.” Leaning down to press a soft kiss to his forehead, she was worried by its coldness.

“You didn’t have to heal him.” Now that voice was unmistakable.

The water mage straightened herself and turned around to face her oldest friend. “I know.”

“I thought we agreed that you shouldn’t use the Fairy Heart anymore.” Mavis sternly said.

“And I haven’t used it in years.” Juvia replied before glancing at Gray again. “But this is different.”

Mavis followed her gaze and sighed. “This is dangerous, Juvia.”

“I know very well how dangerous love is.” The water mage sincerely said. “But it’s also worth it.”

“Is it worth constantly lying to him?” Fairy Tail’s first master inquired.

“What choice do I have?” Juvia stood up and crossed her arms. “He can’t know about the Fairy Heart, so…”

“So you should stay away.” Mavis interrupted.

“No.” The former shook her head. "I spent decades living in loneliness. I want to live this life now; with Fairy Tail.”

“I understand.” The latter nodded. “But I still think that you shouldn’t use the Fairy Heart anymore."

“I’ll try not to.” Juvia conceded. “Unless there’s an emergency.”

Before Mavis could say more, Gray stirred again and groaned; signaling he was about to wake up.

She gave Juvia one last pleading look before walking away. Once she was at a safe distance, she looked back at them.

Watching as Juvia wrapped her arms around him and Gray hesitated before hugging her back, Mavis sighed once again. “I hope that at least their story will have a happier ending."

                                                   ___________

                                                 July of X791

“Lucy!” Natsu’s scream resonated throughout the stadium once he rushed to catch the celestial mage.

Juvia watched him, noticing the familiar pain and desperation that Zeref had shown so many years before.

Can anyone else tell that he absolutely loves her?

It was clear as day, but not clear to all apparently.

Soon her attention was caught by Gray, who rushed after Natsu. He seemed tense; which was understandable after having been forced to watch one of his closest friends be tortured.

Though Juvia knew that’s why he didn’t spare a glance at her,  it still hurt to be ignored after she had just declared her love for him in front of everyone.

Although; if she were to be honest; it might be best if he says nothing. She had a feeling that his response might not be positive.

Everything with Gray was so complicated. There were times when Juvia was sure he felt the same, but during others it seemed he didn’t even think about it.

It had become rather irritating how he could ignore her one moment, then become sweet and caring in the next.

It specially didn’t help that he acted like a jealous boyfriend whenever Lyon interacted with her.

Juvia had never encountered someone as confusing and complicated as Gray Fullbuster in her 100 years of existence, but somehow that only made her fall for him even more.

“Come on, Lucy, please say something.” Hearing his voice, her attention went back to the present situation.

Noticing the fear in his eyes once he tried to awake their friend, her heart squeezed with sorrow.

“What in the hell is your problem?” There was an unmistakable yell. Natsu. “You went way too far!” Juvia followed his angry gaze towards Minerva and frowned.

How could someone be so cruel and ruthless?

“Hang on, I need to give her emergency treatment!” Wendy yelled and Juvia realized that she was rushing towards the celestial mage.

I should do the same. No time to get distracted.

“I’ll help you.” Chelia offered; she was running closely behind the water mage.

Good. With the two of them helping Lucy, she'll be fine.

“Just hang in there, Lucy.” Having reached the celestial mage, Juvia stood behind Chelia as the two healers combined their magic.

Her attention shifted between Lucy’s concernedly pale face to the rest of team Natsu, who were facing off against Minerva and her pals from Sabertooth.

They traded dirty looks and threats, with Erza reminded them that making an enemy of Fairy Tail was a decision that they would regret.

Juvia knew just how true that statement was. She hoped they would face the consequences soon, but for now her focus was on Lucy.

It was truly worrying that the celestial mage’s injuries didn’t seem to be lessening despite being healed by both Wendy and Chelia.

Why wasn’t their magic working?

Soon two guards came with a gurney, so Juvia and Wendy began attempting to lift Lucy up until Natsu rushed to her side.

Understanding that he wanted to do it himself, they stepped away and watched as he carefully took the celestial mage into his arms; dismissing the gurney with a shake of the head.

Fairy Tail Teams A and B plus Chelia followed him to the infirmary, where Porlyusica was already waiting.

                                        ___________

Juvia followed Team Natsu closely, keeping an eye on Lucy to see if her condition improved.

Once Natsu gently placed the latter on the first bed and sat on the chair beside it,  the water mage smiled softly.

He’s not going to leave her side, is he? He’ll stay here until she wakes up because he needs to know if she’ll be okay.

Her thoughts were confirmed a moment later when Porlyusica began scolding the dragon slayer and trying to persuade him to leave.

He refused to, claiming he wasn’t leaving until Lucy was awake. Thus Gray and Erza had to half drag him to the waiting room that was being filled with Fairy Tail members.

Juvia watched from her chosen spot by the window as the latter tried to comfort him. “She's going to be okay, Natsu.”

“She was hurt pretty bad.” Gray muttered, ignoring Erza’s glare.

“At least she managed to get second place.” Gajeel said and Levy frowned at him.

“Is that really all you care about?” His face hardened.

“Of course not! Do you really think I’m happy that blondie is hurt?” Juvia chose to intervene before this turned into a fight.

“No one thinks that.” Gajeel glanced at her and already knew something was wrong. “What's wrong?”

“Are you okay, Juvia?” Mirajane asked. Now all eyes were on the water mage.

It’s taking too long. Lucy should be better by now.

“Yes.” She offered a weak smile. “Just worried about Lucy.”

“She's going to be fine.” Erza repeated.

“I don’t understand.” Wendy whispered, exasperated. “Chelia and I joined our powers, so why didn’t it heal her?”

“You did a great job, Wendy.” Mirajane reassured the young girl.

“That is a good question, though.” Levy frowned.

Something isn’t right. Wendy’s magic has never failed before.

“My guess is that Minerva’s magic power is stronger than we had imagined.” Makarov suggested. He had been deep in thought ever since entering the room.

“There's something strange about it.” Erza said, crossing her arms.

“I don’t care what her magic is, I just want to take her down!” Natsu yelled and many people nodded in agreement.

Minerva’s magic. It did feel strange; different. What if Lucy was in more danger than they'd assumed?

It was decided. Juvia had to check up on the celestial mage and make sure that she would be alright.

“Excuse me.” Natsu frowned when the water mage tried to move past him.

“Where are you going?” Gray asked and she tried not to look at him.

Why is he always so distracting?

“I’m going to check up on Lucy.” His confusion was clear once she avoided his gaze. After all, she had never done that before.

“But Porlyusica said…” Natsu started.

“I don’t care.” Juvia firmly said, catching him off guard.

Seeing an opportunity, she slightly pushed him to the side and managed to move forward to reach the infirmary.

Thankfully, it had been spelled to be soundproof so no one could hear what happened inside.

Closing the door behind her, Juvia’s eyes were drawn towards the nearest bed.

Lucy was still as pale, lifeless and injured as before. It seemed no matter what anyone tried, she wasn’t getting better.

“What are you doing here?” Porlyusica yelled as soon as she spotted the water mage.

“Her condition isn’t improving.” Juvia whispered, taking another step until she was in front of the bed.

The healer sighed. “Something is preventing her wounds from being healed.”

They could try to figure out what that was, but time was running out. Saving Lucy was the most important thing and Juvia quickly realized that there was only one way to guarantee her friend’s survival.

This is an emergency.

She looked in Porlyusica’s direction. “I can help her.”

“How?” The healer frowned, confused.

Lucy drew in a long, deep breath and her body trembled. She seemed to be in pain and Juvia wanted that to be over and fast.

“No time to explain.” Any explanation would include revealing secrets that were reserved only to masters of Fairy Tail.

“Alright.” Porlyusica nodded before stepping away.

Juvia sat at the edge of the bed and placed a hand on the celestial mage's forehead. Closing her eyes, she concentrated and soon enough felt magic power coursing through her.

A bright green light spread across her body, then the glow was transferred to Lucy’s. Miraculously, the latter’s injuries began disappearing one by one until her skin was once again flawless, the color returned to her face and her breathing returned to normal.

It was like she had never been injured at all.

“How?” Porlyusica watched this in amazement.

“There you go.” Juvia whispered after the light had disappeared. Briefly glancing at the healer, her expression turned serious. “You can’t tell anyone it was me. Please, promise me.”

“Why not?” Porlyusica was genuinely confused.

“It's complicated.” That didn’t even begin to cover the truth.

The healer assessed the young woman in front of her. After a few moments, she concluded that this was serious, so best to keep the secret. ”What should I say, then?”

“Wendy and Chelia’s powers were delayed because of the extent of Lucy’s injuries.” Juvia suggested.

“Alright.” Porlyusica nodded again and the water mage gave her a thankful look.

Juvia watched as she moved towards the door, opening it and walking outside. Then her voice resonated throughout the building once she explained that Lucy’s condition had finally improved thanks to Wendy and Chelia’s efforts.

I don't know why you agreed to keep my secret, but thank you.

[arissayoo]

Neverland -> Ateez AU

Chapter 5 

Warnings: Mentions of violence, blood, cursing, dark/horror themes, fem!reader

Word Count: 2.6K

A/N: okay we are stepping it up! Neverland is going darker than before and we finally get some of the very mysterious Pan.

Note: This chapter will be mostly in third person pov. all future pov changes will be noted.

Chapter 4 | Chapter 6

- 24 hours earlier -

The sound of his steps echoed through the trees, the shadows that followed him clouded up the blue sky above. He always hated the lagoon, the melodic laughter of the sirens irked him despite him not actually being present.

“Well, well, well, look who came to visit. To what do I owe the pleasure?” The queen, Alcyone, purred in delight at the new presence. It wasn’t often for the shadow men to be sent here by Pan, visits from the latter being almost nonexistent.

“I came to ask a favor.” The distorted version of Pan’s voice rang out from behind the shadow man’s mask. Alcyone gazed upon the figure clad in all black, amusement clearly displayed on her face.

“Isn’t that something. He asks for a favor but refuses to show his face.” Her laugh was silk flowing from her red lips. “You honestly don’t expect me to answer to a ghost, do you?”

“There are matters that prevented me from coming in person. I hope you can understand why I sent one of my soldiers.” The figure remained still while the scratchy noise of Pan’s words filled up the air. “I didn’t come just to ask a favor empty-handed.”

“Mm, please go on.”

“I need you to seduce someone for me. A girl. Her name is Wendy. I heard the news that she is with that lost boy you despise so much. You are free to do whatever to them, and in return, I ask that you send her to me after.”

“While that sounds delightfully appealing, may I ask why I get the pleasure of seducing her?” Alcyone shifted on her perch, her tail lightly splashing in the water.

Pan looked away, causing the shadow man to do the same. “I cannot connect with her telepathically. Whenever I have the chance she vanishes from everything.”

The queen thought the proposition over carefully. “Alright, you have a deal. Though next time, do visit in person. I will not make habit of associating with such lowly spirits.”

- Present hour -

“Wendy. Wake my child.” The words flowed through your head, light and airy as the voice from the lagoon earlier. Your eyes opened quickly, your body feeling light as it raised out of bed.

“Good. Now I need you to bring me something. Can you do that?” You involuntarily nodded, waiting for the response. “Bring me Hongjoong’s head.”

“They will kill me before I have the chance.” Your mouth was responding without you thinking about it first. 

“Then you must bring him to me, whatever it takes. Dead or alive.”

“Dead or alive.” You repeated, grabbing a knife from the dresser and walking out of the room. At the same moment, Yunho and Wooyoung walked out of Hongjoong’s room, seeing you stiff body standing outside your room.

“Y/N? Is everything ok?” Wooyoung was the first to question, barely dodging the knife you swung at him. “Woah!” 

“Hey! What’s wrong with you?!” Yunho grabbed your wrist to prevent you from swinging the blade around. He noticed how your gaze never landed on him as if you weren't focused. He was about to comment on it but you interrupted him.

“Hongjoong. I need to bring Hongjoong. Dead or alive.” You recited, pushing him off forcefully before continuing towards the room. The boys stood there watching, quickly snapping out of their shock when you twisted the handle.

“I’ll deal with her, hurry and bring Seonghwa,” Yunho told Wooyoung, running after you. Hongjoong’s room was brightly lit, as he sat at the table facing away from the door. He was calmly recording the information gathered today, unaware of you stalking towards him, blade held high. Right as you went to plunge the blade into Hongjoong’s shoulder a hand gripped your wrist tightly, halting your actions and making the knife clatter to the floor. 

“Y/N, Yunho what is-” Hongjoong spun around in time to witness you elbow Yunho in the stomach. 

“Ugh, watch out-” Yunho groaned while falling to his knees as you managed to land a kick to his groin. Hongjoong thrust his leg out, effectively swiping your legs out from under you. He swiftly captured your arms, locking them in his hold so you couldn't move.

“I don’t think this is her doing this,” Yunho panted, trying to stand. “Her eyes aren’t focused almost as if she’s still sleeping.”

“It’s mind control,” Seonghwa appeared in the doorway along with a frantic looking Wooyoung. 

“Hongjoong, I need to bring Hongjoong. Dead or alive.”

“She keeps repeating that and it seems to be the only thing she says.” Wooyoung alerted Seonghwa and Hongjoong, who was still restraining you. It became silent for a couple of moments before Wooyoung clapped in realization. “I think I know what’s happening. When we had a run-in with the sirens today, one of them kissed Y/N. Even though she might have escaped them, the mind control spell still might be active.”

The boys looked from him to your still body. It didn’t make perfect sense but nothing on this island proved to thus far.

“Okay, how do we break the spell then?” Wooyoung questioned, despite having the most experience due to his power. “I’ve never dealt with a situation like this before. “

Seonghwa blocked the exit, hesitating before saying his next words. “If she wants Hongjoong, let her have him.”

The other three boys stared at their leader, shock apparent on their faces.

“What?!”

“She keeps saying she has to bring him dead or alive so we will just have to keep him alive.”

“Ok let’s say this plan isn’t crazy, why would the sirens want Hongjoong specifically?” Yunho asked the obvious question.

“Seonghwa got seduced by a siren back when it was just us two on the island. I killed her to break the spell and save him.” Hongjoong spoke, revealing the clear motive.

“So we will have to kill the siren that seduced Y/N in order to break the spell then?” Wooyoung asked his hyungs.

“Not necessarily. There has to be something allowing Y/N to be controlled. Hyung, do you have an elixir to eliminate poisons in the body?”

“Yeah, I think so. I might need a few ingredients to make it work for her though.” Seonghwa thought over, planning on gathering what he needed on the way to the sirens.

While the boys continued to discuss, the siren’s voice grew louder in your head.

“Why are you wasting time, my child? Do whatever it takes to in order to bring him to me. Now!”

“Now Wendy!” You grit your teeth, your body pushing up against Hongjoong’s weight.

“Hongjoong,” You started up again, thrashing around under his hold. His grip became tighter on you, bruising into your skin.

“Ow!” Hongjoong’s hands recoiled back, a screaming red line present on both of his hands. “Did she just burn me?”

You raised to your feet, grabbing the person closest to you, which happened to be Wooyoung, pulling him with you towards the exit. “Hongjoong.”

“I don’t think she actually knows which one of us is Hongjoong. It’s like she’s totally unconscious.” Wooyoung looked around to the remaining boys.

“Wooyoung, stay with her then since Hongjoong can’t anymore. With you filling in as Hongjoong and the rest of us following, we will have the upper hand.” Seonghwa instructed, looking towards Hongjoong, who was trying to mask the pain of his burns. “Yunho start heading out with Wooyoung and Y/N. I have to wrap Hongjoong’s hands up really quick and we will catch up.”

Yunho nodded, following the pair out the door. Seonghwa ran to his room to grab the supplies before coming back to inspect the injuries. He breathed in sharply, noting how the red skin started blistering already.

“How did she even burn you?” Seonghwa questioned, dabbing a cool towel over the area and spreading the cream on top of both hands.

“I don’t know, one second she was still and then she started thrashing around and her skin became hot.” Hongjoong winced as Seonghwa wrapped the light bandage around his hands. “It was like I was holding my hands in a flame.”

Seonghwa thought over the possibilities, “do you think it could have been a projection of Y/N’s powers?”

“She doesn’t have control over her actions right now so it’s possible.” Both boys started towards the door, breaking into a sprint to find the others.

-

“Wooyoung, make Y/N slow down.” Yunho jogged up next to the pair, worrying that the hyungs wouldn’t be able to catch up to them.

“Easy for you to say when you don’t have to worry about her attacking you.” Wooyoung tried to pull against your tight grip, only making your hand squeeze harder on his wrist. “Ow, ow!”

“Well, you must have done something.” Yunho retorted, watching as you stopped and looked off into the distance. A crack of a branch was heard nearby, the dark path only illuminated by the moon. Yunho tossed Wooyoung a blade, before arming himself.

In the distance, the faint outline of a person was visible through the trees. You cocked your head to the side, looking directly at the person.

“Wendy, come to me.” It was a different voice this time, a man’s words echoing in your head. The figure walked forward, the shadow of him blending in with the trees and vanishing from sight.

“Whatever it takes.” You repeated the siren’s words from earlier. You narrowed your eyes at the place where the man had been. A strong breeze tore through the trees, blowing your hair around violently. All three of you were on guard for any unwanted visitors.

The bush closest to you rustled, someone walking out from behind the trees. Yunho was quick to react, lunging forward until he caught a glimpse of the familiar face.

“San?! Are you fucking kidding me? Do you have a death wish?”

“Yeah, but before I die can I know why everyone is being so secretive?” He looked at the three of them, trying to analyze the situation.

“Just go back to the den.” Yunho rolled his eyes, checking on your still frozen body. 

“Nah, I don't want to. We aren’t allowed out at night but as soon as she shows up our rules go to shit apparently.” 

“San? Why are you here?” Hongjoong and Seonghwa joined the group, their breaths ragged from running. 

“You guys left at night. Why wouldn’t I be here? And before you tell me, I’m not going home.” San crossed his arms, finally glancing at Wooyoung in your grip. “What are you doing Wendy?”

“Y/N isn’t conscious right now. She’s being mind-controlled by the sirens and has to bring me to them. We are going to kill the siren to break the spell.” Hongjoong tried to explain.

“What? Then why does she have Wooyoung?” San turned to his hyung, seeing the bandages on his hands. “And what happened to your hands?”

“Y/N burned me. She can’t tell who I am but can recognize my voice.” As if to prove it, you turned your head in his direction. “Wooyoung is filling in for me until we get to the lagoon.”

San looked from Hongjoong to Wooyoung, who was struggling against your grip. “I’ll do it.”

“Huh?” The other boys voiced together.

“You said she only recognizes your voice, right? So I can use my powers to impersonate your voice to make it more convincing. You can’t even use your hands anyway.”

It was a good idea for sure, but Hongjoong looked skeptical.

“C’mon! Let me finally use my powers!” San whined, taking his hyung’s silence as a yes. San stepped in front of him, clearing his throat. 

“Let’s go,” It sounded exactly like Hongjoong’s voice, drawing you closer. You dropped your hold on Wooyoung’s wrists, grabbing San’s outstretched one. 

“Hongjoong. I need to bring Hongjoong. Dead or alive.” You turned, yanking San behind you while the other boys followed. 

The trees started to become less dense, the lagoon becoming visible through the clearing.

You dragged San behind you, the latter quickly stuffing his ears to avoid the compulsion of the sirens.

“Ah, Wendy, did you bring my prize?” Alcyone hummed, welcoming you both. The moonlight reflected off the water, only illuminating the view right before you.

“Hongjoong.” You voiced, your eyes reflecting the bright moonlight.

Behind you, the boys watched looking for the signal to attack.

“Well done. You will fit in perfectly with all my other children.” She beckoned you closer to her. Once you were close enough to her, San would give the signal to the others. “You’ll be safe here, Pan will never even find out.”

San, although they weren’t clear, picked up on the words spoken. He was curious as to what she was talking about but figured it wouldn’t matter once he cut off her head. A series of arrows whizzing past your heads drew San’s attention away from his murderous thoughts. 

Alcyone released a blood-curdling screech, the head of an arrow piercing her chest. Blood gushed from her wound, some trickling down the side of her mouth as she wailed in pain. As more arrows flew through the air, many of them cutting into Alcyone’s flesh, another strong gust of wind surrounded San and you. It formed a protective wall against you two and the sharp tips of the incoming arrows. San pulled your body against him, retreating back to the trees amidst the loud screams. The other boys were taking cover, calling both of you over to them. A final scream echoed through the air, indicating Alcyone’s death. 

“What just happened?” Seongwha questioned San, whose face mirrored their confusion. 

“I-I don't know, someone started shooting and-” San started, interrupted by the sound of your body hitting the ground as you collapsed. 

“Y/N!” The boys screamed your name, shaking your lifeless body. 

*Y/N’s POV*

Black. 

Everything was black around me, my head feeling fuzzy. I didn't know if I was dreaming but I felt like I was awake. Muffled sounds flowed through my ears, only one voice coming through clearly. 

“I am the only one who can have you. You will be mine one day.” The words echoed, the male’s voice from earlier sounding in my ears. I shook my head, blinking to stir away from the fog that had settled there.

“Wake up.” Another voice, a familiar one this time rang through my head. I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the surroundings of my room and five familiar faces. 

“What’s going on?” My voice sounded hoarse to my ears. My body felt weak, as I struggled to brush off the sweat running down my forehead. It felt like someone was burning fire in here. 

“Don't move, you're already weak enough,” Seonghwa informed me. “Here, drink this, it’ll help with your fever.” 

The bright purple liquid sloshed in the bottle as it was guided to my lips. I swallowed it, willing to accept anything to solve the fiery heat that ran through my blood. I coughed immediately after finishing it, leaning over the side of the bed as the contents of my stomach came back up my throat. The sounds of me gagging on my own vomit filled the room, a few of the boys looking away.

“What did you give me?!” I panted, remnants of bile on my mouth. 

“It was an elixir to eliminate the poisons in your body.” Hongjoong drew my attention to him. 

“Poison?” My gaze landing on the white bandages covering both his hands. “What happened to your hands?”

“Wow, she put us through all that trouble and she doesn't even remember anything,” San scoffed. 

“San,” Seonghwa warned, dissolving any chance at a possible argument between us. I didn't think I had enough energy in me to go off on the boy right now.

A loud crash from downstairs sounded, followed by an inhumanly howl, the door to my room flying open to reveal a sweaty, panting Yeosang. 

“Uh, guys-” Another ear-splitting howl came from downstairs, interrupting him. “We have company.”

[superfreakerz]

TDS 5

"The Dragneel Scrapbook"

Rated M for smut.

Summary: They've loved each other every step of the way, from becoming partners to getting married, and now they get to experience raising kids. Snapshots of the Dragneel family life.

Wonderful art made by @ccrispy :D It's one of my favorites for this story so far lol I love it.

Chapter 5

Insatiable

Lucy should've known better that pregnancy was no walk in the park. In the back of her mind, she'd known that. After all, she'd seen Levy go through much pain during her pregnancy. But in her excitement of having a child, the girl had conveniently forgotten about the downsides that were soon to come.

And when those downsides did come, they hit her like a brick.

It all started with soreness. A month into her pregnancy, Lucy's breasts were tender, aching as they began to swell. Then, the rest of her body followed suit, aching from head to toe. Her most problematic areas were here back, head, and breasts. Her stomach also cramped, but it wasn't as bad as the others.

Luckily, Natsu was right there at her side, offering to do anything she asked for. Whether it was to get her food or rub her back, the boy would always happily oblige with a huge smile plastered to his face.

And now, her body had a new symptom to surprise her with.

Cravings.

Lucy was a little excited for this part of her pregnancy. Watching Levy crave the weirdest foods, some that she didn't even like before, made her curious to see what she would be craving. Would she prefer salty snacks? Or perhaps meat? What if she only wanted to eat pickled plums? Poor Wendy would pass out just watching her.

In the end, Lucy's cravings came in waves. Some were longer than others, lasting for months, while others only lasted a few days. She knew that she'd entered this new round of pregnancy when all she wanted to eat were pickles. Dill pickles, to be exact.

Lucy quickly realized that her cravings were also oddly specific. During the pickle wave, Natsu had rushed to the store in the middle of the night to get her a jar. When he returned, he proudly held up a jar of sweet pickles, which she turned down immediately. Apparently, her stomach required dill pickles only. Whether it was the whole pickle, slices, or even frozen like a popsicle- which was actually Lucy's favorite version- so long as they were the sour kind, she would devour them all.

That wave lasted for about a week. The next was ice cream. But not just any kind of ice cream. It had to be sherbet. She'd woken up at four in the morning with an insatiable hunger for the damn ice cream but seeing Natsu so peacefully asleep- he'd been exhausted throughout her pregnancy as well- she knew that she should let him get her rest.

And that was how Lucy, at three months pregnant, took a lovely stroll in the middle of the night to get a whole tub of ice cream and scarf it down while sitting on the kitchen floor. Natsu had woken up the next morning, scared when he saw she wasn't in bed with him and went out to the kitchen to find her laying on the floor, hugging the empty carton to her chest.

The worst craving of all, however, was the spicy food. One day, Lucy had watched Natsu stuffing his mouth with the guild's famous fire chicken. Before, she would never even dream of taking a tiny bite of it, knowing that it would set her mouth on fire. But seeing her husband enjoying it, she wanted some for herself.

Lucy wanted anything spicy she could get her hands on. Peppers, hot wings, that blasted fire chicken, she wanted it all. And while Natsu was excited about this, exclaiming that nobody ever ate spicy food with him before, she wasn't looking forward to it. Even though her pregnant belly demanded to be fed spicy food, her mouth still couldn't handle it. So, every time Lucy ate something spicy, she would also have to chug down a glass of milk while tears clouded her eyes. Yet she found that she couldn't stop eating it.

Unfortunately, that wave lasted the longest, three months to be exact, leading the way to the next craving.

Despite being pregnant, Lucy refused to stop going on jobs. She had more of a sideline duty now, and everyone was more adamant on keeping her away from the enemies, but at least she got to be there with her team.

On one of their jobs, she'd watched Natsu fight some robber. Flames lit up his fists as he delivered fiery punch after punch. Usually, Lucy's eyes would be glued to his toned, tanned arms and the way his muscles would be flexed, but she found her gaze occupied with something else.

Natsu's fire.

Drool gathered in the corner of her mouth as she watched, mesmerized by the way the fire flicked around his hand. It was so bright, so inviting, it had her mouth going dry. She'd seen her husband eat fire countless of times and she always wondered what it tasted like. And now, her curiosity had grown to a desperate need.

Once they apprehended the criminals, Lucy walked over to Natsu and the rest of their team. Grabbing his wrist, she gained his attention.

"What's up, Lucy?" he asked.

"Use your fire," she ordered, to which he quickly obliged. He took any chance he could get to use his magic.

Lucy's eyes sparkled at the sight of the orange fire dancing over his fist. The drool that had collected in the corner of her mouth now dripped down her chin, but she didn't bother wiping it away.

"I'm going to eat it," the girl said.

"Wait, what?" Gray asked. "Are you talking about Natsu's fire?" She nodded.

"Lucy, you can't eat that," Erza said, sweat-dropping. "Only Natsu can because he's a dragon slayer."

"I don't care. I'm going to eat it."

"Oh no, Lucy's having another weird craving!" Happy cried, flying all around them. "What do we do!?"

Natsu awkwardly chuckled while studying his wife. Cutting off his magic and ignoring the glare she gave him for doing so, he wrapped an arm around her. Honestly, pregnant Lucy was a bit scary. Saying no to her was worse than saying no to Erza. But eating fire would only hurt her, and he didn't want to see her hurt.

"Sorry, Luce. No fire for you," Natsu said, his face growing pale as she gave him an icy glare.

"I want fire," she replied, lifting his hand to her face. "Give me fire."

"Luuucy, that'll only hurt you!"

"We don't know that for sure."

Gray went to shove his hands in his pockets, realizing that he'd discarded his pants somewhere along the way. "Shit, where'd my pants go? Anyways, we do know that for sure, Lucy. You aren't a dragon slayer. You can't eat fire."

The team watched as angry pregnant Lucy turned into something much worse.

Crying pregnant Lucy.

In seconds, the blonde was bawling her eyes out, falling to her knees and covering her face with her hands. Her wails were loud enough to startle the birds from their trees. Everyone shared a worried glance, unsure of how to fix it.

"D-Don't cry, Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, his voice higher-pitched in his panic. "You might not be able to eat fire, but I can get you a substitute! How's that sound?"

"A substitute?" she questioned, peeking at him through the cracks of her fingers.

"Yeah! I can give you something that fire tastes like!"

"What does fire taste like?"

Natsu opened his mouth to reply, but the words died in his throat. What did fire taste like? Honestly, he didn't have a clue. Fire tasted like fire, there really was no substitute. He just said that to get her to stop crying. But if she found out that he lied to her…

He was a goner.

Thinking of something quick, Natsu shouted, "S'mores! Fire tastes like s'mores!"

"S'mores?"

"Yep!"

"Why does it taste like s'mores?"

"I have no idea, but it does! Wanna go home and make some?"

The rest of the team watched, sweat dripping down their foreheads while they bit their fingernails. If Lucy didn't believe him, they were screwed.

Luckily, the girl's lips curled into a wide grin.

"Yeah! I love s'mores!"

And that was how they were able to save themselves that day.

Once the fire craving ended, it was time for the last wave. Similar to when Lucy craved Natsu's fire, now all she craved was Gray's ice.

She was in the third trimester of her pregnancy now, her belly bulging out as if she had stuffed a watermelon underneath her dress. With all of her symptoms hitting her at once, nobody had it in them to say no to the girl.

So, whenever she walked up to Gray, asking for ice, he would always oblige, making her a small chunk of ice she could munch on. She would always thank him and walk off with a pleasant smile on her face, informing the guild that the beast had been sedated for now. The process repeated multiple times throughout the day.

And it didn't stop outside the guild, either. One night, during the middle of the night, Gray's door was being banged against nonstop until he opened it to find Natsu and Lucy, the former's hair disheveled as he looked utterly exhausted.

"Gray…" Natsu croaked out. "Ice."

"Right now?" the ice-make mage asked, cracking a yawn. "It's like two in the morning!"

"The cravings don't stop for sleep. The cravings are forever."

Lucy held a hand out, demanding to be fed. Gray obliged, making another chunk of ice for the girl before opening the door wider.

"Why don't you guys sleep here for the night?" he suggested. "You're already here and I have a feeling these cravings aren't over just yet."

Natsu thanked him, taking a step into the house before collapsing on the floor, knocked out immediately. Meanwhile, Lucy sat beside Gray, humming as she munched on her 'meal.'

It only got worse from there. Every night after that, the two showed up outside their house, asking for ice. It got to the point where Natsu asked Gray to move in with them during the last month of the pregnancy so that they didn't have to walk to their house every night.

And so, after asking Juvia if it was alright, Gray found himself sleeping on the Dragneels' couch for the rest of the pregnancy. It turned out that even Juvia could be apart from him so long as it meant being apart from Lucy as well. With them banging on their door every night, Juvia wasn't getting any sleep either.

Lucy stepped out of the bedroom, holding a hand out.

Gray sighed, making her a Happy-shaped ice cube. As the girl thanked him and went on her way, he prayed that the cravings would end soon.

[aurorasmitty]

‘cause there’s a beauty in being broken, i’ve been seeing it || aurora & hook [closed] {part 3}

Current day...

As Aurora paced her room, she made the choice to go and talk to Hook again. What was the worst that he’d do? Yell at her? Hit her? He’d broken her once, and she vowed never to let that happen again. She dressed herself in black tights, and a flowy, flower-printed dress with long sleeves, and looked in the mirror. Some days, she felt very cute, but others, like today, she felt quite small and unattractive. 

Harkins had made a pass at her as she moved down the hall; he must have just come from Hook’s decanters, as he was holding a couple of empty jugs under his arms. She couldn’t even afford a fake smile in return, and he muttered something under his breath as they passed each other. 

Her knock on Hook’s door was quieter now, with less accusation in it some how. 

“Come in,” James’ deep voice called out. Rory took a calming breath, and entered, shutting the door softly behind her. “Ah, Rory. What do I owe to this pleasure today, eh? Come to chastise me about my choice in porrige this morning?”

Aurora gave a weak smile, and shook her head. 

“No, not today. I’ll pencil that in for next week,” she joked, which brought his smile. He was in a good mood. “I just wanted to talk,” she added, standing with her hands clasped together below her waist. James motioned for her to sit across from him, and she took her seat. 

“What’s going on?” He asked, setting down a compass he’d been examining. 

“I’ve been thinking--” 

“Oh dear,” he laughed, and Rory gave him a look. “Yes, go on.”

“I’ve been with you for nearly sixty years. I feel like we’re friends. You’d say that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, of course Smith. I hope you don’t think our last conversation changed that,” he commented, the line between his brows becoming more prominent. 

“I wonder sometimes,” she replied, crossing her legs and leaning forward. “I wonder what you might think of my position on the ship. About my activities with your crew.” A pregnant pause filled the room, and Hook moved a book away from him atop his desk.

“What you do in private is no concern of mine,” he stated, a little ice in his tone. “What’s brought this on?” James asked, surveying her curiously. 

“Any time I try to talk to you about anything personal, you deflect and lash out. It never used to be like this,” she spoke somberly. “I just want to know what’s changed.”

James leaned back in his seat, sighing.

**

In truth, James didn’t know what had changed. He used to be more candid with her over anyone on the Roger. They would lay about for hours, talking about anything and everything, discussing hopes and dreams, and what they might do after Pan was defeated. Something had changed between them in the last few months, but James couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“There’s just been a lot going on,” he finally replied. Aurora rolled her eyes, and James chuckled. “Okay, there’s always a lot going on, I know, i know.”

“Want to talk about it at all?” Aurora asked gently, and James sighed. He did want to talk about it.

**

“You’re kidding.” Aurora stared at James, jaw dropped. “Wendy. Wendy Darling, the one that was with Pan. His little mother that you told me about. The same one?” James nodded, dragging his fingers down his face, groaning. “Are you insane? Or is your ego really that big?” She crossed her arms. 

“It was a moment of passion. Ego had nothing to do with it.”

“Oh, so we’re going with insane, then?” Rory asked, an impertinent look on her face as she pointed a finger. “You can’t expect me to believe that she being a friend of Pan’s had no play in the apparent ‘passion’,” she said, arching two fingers as quotations. 

“Alcohol may have been involved,” he added, and Rory shook her head. “Okay, so maybe a small part of me liked the idea of making Pan suffer, at first. But that night, it wasn’t about Peter, or Neverland, or anything like that. It was just two broken people coming together to comfort one another.”

“James, when you want to comfort someone, you say a kind word, or give them a hug, not a--”

“It was a sort of a hug,” James interjected, turning his hand as he spoke. 

“Don’t get smart,” she muttered. “When was this, before or after Queenie?”

“After,” he sighed, and couldn’t meet Aurora’s gaze. “It’s not some big plan, you know?” He told her, voice a bit dejected. 

“I know, I know. Some things just happen,” Rory sighed. 

“Yes. They do. And I am not tied down to anyone. I can be with whoever I want to; I’m the bloody captain for God’s sake,” James muttered, rocking in his chair a little irritably. “Hell, you sleep with whoever you want, without having to explain yourself every five minutes,” he added bitterly. 

Aurora looked at him, hurt. It seemed whenever anyone wanted to hurt her, they latched onto the one thing they all loved about her; her sex life. 

“Yes, because I’m just the ship’s whore, right?” She asked, and stood quickly, scraping the chair back. “So what does that make you then, hm? A man slut with a title?” 

“Rory--” Hook started with a sigh, as though he had seen this argument coming a mile off. Which, to be fair, he had. He stood as he had spoken, looking as though he was going to come to her. 

“No, fuck you,” she growled, and stormed out. There would be no sweet talking today; no touching, no screwing her into submission, no promises of being better. 

[eleanor-devil]

The Awakening

This one-shot was a written collab between me and @mirage-05 and is part of a future long fanfic centering the Sabertooth guild.

Rin is @mirage-05‘s OC and is currently the same age as Wendy Marvell, thus making her Sabertooth’s youngest mage!

Eleanor is my OC and is about three years younger than Sting and Rogue!

This one-shot is a sequence to The Rescue Mission

Feedback is appreciated!

—————————————————————————————— 

It was already the third day ever since the joint mission with Lion Heart had ended - not exactly well but at least they had gotten Milo back safe, although the same couldn’t be said for two of the Sabertooth members- even on the third day, Yukino wasn't showing any sign of waking up despite the healers having told the Sabertooth Master constantly that she would eventually wake up.

Sting guessed he was just a little impatience... but really he just wanted her to wake up, despite the fact that he too should be resting, he had been refusing to leave her side until that happened.

Sleep however was getting the best of him no matter how much he tried to fight it, he too was still recovering after all - from a broken leg nonetheless despite Seth Lightstone having used his...healing but extremely painful magic to restore the bones back in place.

"Sting-kun..." Lector sat up on Yukino's bed, rubbing one of his eyes, sleepy after his nap. "You should get some sleep, I can keep a watch on Yukino-kun if you want."

He hated to dump the "responsibility" of watching over their fellow guild member on Lector but he could barely keep an eye open for more than a few minutes. "Yeah... thank you Lector..." 

That said, it didn't take long for the Dragon Slayer to lean his head against the cold wall and fall asleep.

Lector waited a few minutes to make sure Sting had really fallen asleep before spreading his wings open, grabbing a blanket and putting it around his friend's shoulders the best he could.

He didn't suppose a lot of time had passed since Sting fell asleep, but the minutes seemed to drag on forever. When the news had first reached the guild that the mission the Twin Dragon Slayers and Yukino went to had gone wrong... well, the Exceed hadn't known another day in his life when he had been so scared - well other than when the previous Master of Sabertooth had attacked him. The thought of losing his best friend had been like a physical pain. Thankfully Sting was in a good shape but Yukino... Lector's weary gaze took on a sad hint as he kept looking at the white haired mage's unconscious form. Not only was he worried about the girl but also about what this was doing to the Dragon Slayer...

"C'mon Yukino-kun..." he mumbled, putting his paw on the girl's hand. "The whole guild needs you, y'know..."

Much to Lector's, actually to the entire Sabertooth Guild's concern, Sting hadn't been eating as much as he should be so that he could recover fully from the mission; he also refused to leave Yukino’s bedroom despite the healer of Lion Heart constantly nagging him about it, he really didn't care, he just wanted Yukino to wake up. 

Rogue on the other hand was asked by his Twin to take over the guild while the two of them were recovering in Shirotsume and while the Shadow Dragon Slayer didn't like the idea of leaving them behind, he was also aware that Sabertooth couldn't stay too long without the presence of a Master in it.

As about another hour passed, Lector was just sitting by Yukino's bed looking out the window to view the stars when his big ears twitched upon what looked like a soft murmur; the Exceed immediately looked at Sting but he was still sound asleep so his attention moved to the Celestial Mage and Lector was happy, very happy, when he saw not just Yukino's fingertips moving slightly but also her eyelids fluttering.

In a quick jump, he stood on his foot and moved towards the girl but before he could even say a word, Yukino abruptly sat up on the bed  - and made the Exceed roll a few feet away-, eyes fully open as she yelled "Sting-sama...!"

And with that voice, in an instant Sting's eyes shot open too, and he promptly jumped to his feet...or at least tried to, since his leg was still healing. What resulted was that he stumbled, tried to balance himself by grabbing a hold of the wall but that didn't work that well and Lector had to look away as his friend basically plopped down right onto the girl's bed. Thankfully, it was just the edge of it, so Yukino wasn't crushed by the Dragon Slayer's weight. Although...given the girl's sitting position, their faces were now extremely close to each other.

Well... Sting wasn't really known for thinking before acting, but the Exceed would cut him some slack now. 

"I-I'm sorry, I..." Sting's apology came short as the blue and brown eyes met, and slowly, gently as not to hurt her even more he took the girl's hand in his own. "Y-Yukino... you're back..."

"Sting-sama..." Yukino's eyes started to fill with tears and slowly spilled to her cheeks. She blinked a couple of times, and a soft smile came upon her features. "I-I'm so... glad... I didn't... I thought..." she couldn't complete the sentence.

And suddenly the Dragon Slayer was half sitting on the edge of the bed while his arms hugged tightly - not too tight to not hurt her though - the Celestial Mage. Yukino, at first, was surprised by this action of the young man but then wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back as tight as her body allowed her to.

"I'm so glad..." she mumbled. "You are okay Sting-sama..."

"It wasn't me who took most of the damage..." he replied as he released the girl from the hug. "You... you were asleep for three days, they... said you would heal but you just wouldn't wake up."

Lector hated to interrupt the moment between the two mages... but he did anyway. "Sting-kun actually broke his leg." He probably shouldn't have said that out loud and so soon after the girl’s awakening, actually he knew he shouldn't have, but as happy as Lector was with Yukino finally waking up, he hoped that the girl, knowing the truth of Sting's state, would knock some sense in the Guild Master that nobody else had succeeded in doing so.

"Lector...!" he heard Sting hiss.

"Your leg...?!" Yukino's reaction was as expected.

"It's nothing big," Sting said immediately - but almost defiantly -. "Seth Lightstone from Lion Heart helped... quicken the healing progress." He couldn't help the somewhat bitter tone in his voice, which made Yukino giggle slightly. 

"You sound like you would've preferred not to."

"Believe me, if you had experienced it while awake..." the Dragon Slayer shivered just as he remembered it. "...actually I really hope you won't ever get to experience it again..." and as he finished his sentence, his eyes took a serious and sad glint. "I'm sorry... we shouldn't have tried the Unison Raid..."

"Why are you saying sorry? It resulted in this, because... because I'm not strong enough..." Yukino looked down on the mattress, gripping slightly the sheets in disappointment.

Sting shook his head and placed his hand above her clenched fist, which actually made the Celestial Mage surprised and her cheeks heated up slightly, her feelings for the Dragon Slayer after all were still there and kept getting stronger.

"It's not your fault at all Yukino... Unison Raid is a very complicated technique... not even Rogue and I have mastered our own, we take a big risk whenever we do it. We shouldn't have done it, not because you aren't strong but because I put your life at risk, I should've sealed that demon myself."

Yukino's head snapped towards the blond, eyes widened. "No...! Sting-sama, you would've died!" She moved her free hand to cup the Dragon Slayer's cheek in it, taking him slightly back at how her gentle touch contrasted her fierce brown eyes. "Please... don't treat your life so lightly... you are needed, Sabertooth wouldn't be where it is if it wasn't for you."

Sting felt his heart skip a beat under Yukino's touch, something about it so... reassuring and soothing, so warm that he was close to lean into it. He shut his eyes, gulping back the emotions that were threatening to come to the surface. "It wouldn't be half of what it is if we lost you..." he whispered, and squeezed her hand under his a little tighter. "I..." He didn't know if he should be saying it now, or even if he should be the one who relayed the news... but knowing how great of a bond Yukino had with her Spirits, he thought she had a right to know. "I will... forever be grateful to Draco..." 

The Celestial Mage's hand slowly dropped to the side as she processed those words. A moment passed in silence, Yukino apparently gathering all her courage as she prepared to ask what she had to although she couldn't understand why she was suddenly so afraid. "Draco... where is my key... w-what happened?"

"Unison Raid or not..." Sting started but his eyes were no longer staring at the girl in front of him. "None of us would still be here if it wasn't for Draco, he protected us from most of the damage of the explosion... the fact that I escaped with just a broken leg and you... well... with some internal damage is thanks to him, I guess he must have created some sort of barrier to do so."

Yukino felt her throat going dry, he wasn't telling her everything but the young man soon moved slightly to behind him to pick something from the small table beside the bed; she heard something clicking together, creating a soft echo and she recognized the sound immediately. Sting turned around and held out the pack of her keys but was holding especially carefully what looked like Draco's key… except... it looked now very damaged, cracked in many places; the girl felt new tears resurfacing to her eyes.

With extreme care, Yukino took the keys from Sting, and she began sobbing even harder... the key of the Dragon constellation looked so fragile, as if it would completely fall apart with the slightest touch. She remembered it like yesterday, the moment Sting-sama offered her the key, the time she made the contract with Draco… all these hadn't happened too long ago, but somehow...somehow... the Spirit was so attached to her that it almost threw away its existence. As she silently continued crying she wondered what happened to Draco... hoping against hope that he was back in the Spirit World, healing... counting days, as she surely would, until the time they were able to be reunited again. 

Sting remained silent as he watched the girl, not wanting to intervene in this moment. Finally, when the white haired girl looked up at him, her eyes were brimming red. "I'm sorry... this was a gift from you, Sting-sama..." she bit her lower lip "My bad luck just affects anything I care for…"

"Nonsense. This has nothing to do with good or bad luck, Yukino..." If anything, the shop owner had been right to classify it as a guardian key... and Sting wasn't going to complain about that. "That key protected you..us...on its own will. I'm sure Draco knew the risks.."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. A nurse popped her head in, a bright smile on her face. "Glad to see you finally awake, sweetie," she told Yukino, and then looked at Sting. "I need to check up on her, but I urge you to please contact the cafeteria so they can bring something up to you. You aren't doing yourself any good starving yourself all these days."

"Sting-sama did what?!" Yukino's voice rang, and Sting could feel himself sweating... he would have to evade her for a good time when they were finally able to go back to the guild.

...

A couple of days later, as well as many exams to make sure both mages were healing fine and that no more damage had been done during the explosion, both Yukino and Sting were given release from the hospital nearby Lion Heart's guild. Before they had left, the two had decided to stop by that very same guild in order to thank them for everything they had done for them and also to check if Milo was doing good considering the sealing of the demon inside him hadn't been completed.

Sting had also taken this chance to attempt to talk to Seth about Eleanor, he had refused to go into details regarding everything his fellow guildmate had gone through, as it wasn't his place to speak about it without the girl's permission, but did drop the hint that Eleanor could use her brother's support.

Now the Sabertooth Mages were on their way back to their guild - putting of course aside the fact Sting nearly had decided to go by foot instead of going by train, only to have Lector drag him inside the transportation, his leg still wasn't ready for such big lengths of walks -. During the whole trip, Yukino had held and stared longingly at Draco's key in her hand while her free hand patted softly Sting's back as he laid on her lap -like many other times before- to soothe the motion sickness.

"Finally home!" exclaimed Sting as he jumped out of the train, already seeing the guild from afar.

Yukino's eyes shone brightly longingly as she too looked up at the guild. She felt a warmth engulfing her broken heart, and despite everything a small smile lifted the corners of her lips. Home... for her, no other word could describe how her guild seemed to her for the past year and so.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," she mumbled, but didn't see how Sting's face lit up by her words.

"Do any of you need me to carry you?" Lector asked, worried.

"Nope." they both answered. The day itself was beautiful, sunny but not scalding, perfect for a walk.

And so they were in front of the guild’s doors fifteen minutes later. When they got inside though... they froze in place.

"What...?" Sting started to say, but was interrupted with a loud squeal.

"Sting-nii! Yuki-nee!" And then something or rather someone small collided into both, hugging them tight.

"Ow, ow, ow," Sting winced a little as he came to realize who had bumped into them. "Careful Rin, we're not all healed yet..."

The girl didn't move at first and the two mages could feel her light shaking, eventually the shaking came with a soft sob and the youngest mage of Sabertooth finally raised her head to reveal the big tears that filled her green eyes. "I'm... I'm s-sorry but I... I was just so worried about you two...!"

Yukino was the first to snap out of the surprise of seeing the girl like that, a soft smile spread into her features as she bent down enough to reach the girl's height and placed a hand right on her blonde hair, rubbing it softly. "It's okay Rin-chan, we are sorry to have made you worry so much."

"If only you knew what it took to keep her everyday in the guild..." Rogue's voice joined the group. "Good to see you two back though, you know it's not the same without Sting's loud and annoying voice ringing everyday in the guild hall."

A vein immediately popped into the blond's head. "What was that?!" He hadn't been home for more than a minute and his patience was already being tested...seriously?!

"Oh for god's sake, don't start fighting already!" Now it was Orga joining them, followed close by Rufus and Minerva, and before Sting and Yukino could even say anything, the Lightning God Slayer took both mages and Rin in his arms in a bone cracking hug, lifting them all from the ground. "But we're so glad that you are okay!!"

"Orga..." Sting managed to say in a tight whisper and squeezed voice "Can't... breathe...!"

"I hope that will teach you not to scare us like that."

The Master rolled his eyes at Rufus, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't smiling from ear to ear. It was indeed very good to be back to friends who received them with open arms. 

Holding Rin close for a minute more as Orga finally put them down, he frowned in confusion as he once again took in the hall's... appearance.

"What... did you guys do to the guild hall?" There were banners, balloons, any kind of party stuff one could imagine everywhere, complete with a banquet table and - god help him - a big cake. Yukino being the best cook in the guild, he shivered to imagine who got to all the trouble...okay there was also Minerva, who was a very good cook herself so maybe it was safe "I just left the guild to you for a few days..."

Rin took a step back and wiped her eyes, only partly successful to prevent the tears. Then she gave Sting and Yukino a big smile. "This is your welcome party!"

"Well... we needed to get creative to keep her here." Rogue supplied.

Sting didn't really know what to say, on a hand he was happy to see that they had gone through all the trouble of decorating the guild hall and even to just create this party in general, on the other he didn't want to know how much money was spent to do this - not that he could say much considering he spent a fortune to just have that marvelous pool in the backyard of the guild -; so the Light Dragon Slayer just sighed and smiled before ruffling the young girl's head. "Thanks for this guys."

Minerva then showed a cup with sticks inside it. "Also we are going to play this."

"Nope, no," Sting had immediately recognized what that cup was. "That game is banned!"

"We make it friendly this time so that Rin can play too."

All the while they were enjoying the meal - which was surprisingly very good, although none of the members were willing to tell who was the mastermind behind it, but Sting was sure it had been their Milady - Sting tried not to think too much about the game - he had thought that as he was the real master, his orders would be listened to every once in a while. Apparently not, and the whole guild was enjoying it way too much if he had to comment anything about it.

He actually expected the first "Master" to be the Princess or Orga - who were both known to pull off some real nasty tricks - so... it came as a surprise when it was their youngest mage instead. Rin whooped in joy as she drew the stick with the Master's crest.

"Okay..." she thought for a second, tilting her head to one side. "I order number 3 and 7 to kiss each other...on the lips" she added the last part with a devious smile.

The blond Dragon Slayer tried his best not to turn beetle red as he realized he was number seven. He dreaded to look around for whoever was number three... when his eyes fell on an extremely flustered looking Yukino.

'That little devil' Sting thought, of course she would know which number was his, how did she know though he had no idea. 

"Come on you two, if you don't do it we'll have Orga force you to." Rufus teased with a grin and he looked unbothered by the glare Sting shot him.

"No! Nobody is going to force anyone to do anything!" The Master said as he walked to the flustered girl, he sweated a little as a small light pink blush made its way to his cheeks again. "Sorry that you keep getting dragged into this stuff, Yukino."

The girl continued blushing but shook her head. "I-Its alright, S-Sting-sama... b-but I guess we sh-" before she could even finish, Sting's - extremely soft she must add- lips were on hers, it was a delicate and gentle kiss nothing too forceful and as short as it was, Yukino was still able to taste the Light Dragon Slayer's lips... and his breath was a mix of mint and the booze he had been drinking earlier.

It was almost enchanting.

When Sting released the girl's mouth from his own, he opened his blue eyes only to find Yukino completely unresponsive, blushing hard and eyes spinning.

"O-oi Yukino??" He shook gently the girl but only got a not understandable mumble from her.

"Wow are you that much of a bad kisser?" he was so close to kill Rufus for that one.

"No, of course I'm not!" the blond said indignantly, though he obviously couldn't tell. It was the streak in him that wouldn't accept that he was bad in anything. Their friends all burst into laughing.

"Why are you even watching this?" Sting rounded on the culprit behind this little show, who was also giggling. "You're a minor, act like one!"

"Awww, but you were so cute!"  the girl cooed dreamily, clasping her hands in front of her. The blond could swear that the brat was very much enjoying it. Some innocent game this was turning to be...

 "Okay, so who's the next Master?" Minerva said, gathering the sticks from everyone, putting them in the box and giving it a shake.

The - awful, in Sting's opinion - game continued for large hours, with dares, that although weren't that extreme as the last time they had played it, were still a little... weird and awkward sometimes; they even had moved the game to the pool area so that some dares could be done in the water. Minerva swore it was the last round of the game, although she was already a little drunk, much to Sting's relief, as he was getting tired of the game.

They all took their sticks and Eleanor raised her own in victory in the air. "I am the Master!" Then she looked around and before making the dare, she bent down to Rin's height and whispered in her ear - blatantly ignoring Sting's protest on how that was against the game's rules - "Are you number 5?" to which the girl shook her head before whispering in the other girl's ear who it was - somehow she always managed to know and nobody could understand how -. 

"Alright!" The new "Master" had this smirk on her lips that already made Sting sweat, Eleanor and Rin could be terrible when put together... "Number 5... I dare you to drink a whole bottle of booze!"

"M-me?!" The gasp came from none other than their Celestial Mage. "But I don't drink..."

"Oh, you will for this game." Eleanor said serenely, with a smile that no one really trusted. "And it's our last bottle, it would be a shame if we throw all that money to the trash."

"Guys..." Sting was doing his best not to face-wall by this moment. He closed his eyes in a bid of patience before letting his breath out. "We just got out of the hospital, remember? Why don't you cut us some slack?"

"Did your doctors specifically banned alcohol? Because you've been drinking too."

"Well no, but-"

"Alright then." Eleanor shoved the bottle to Yukino. "Master's orders."

...

And that was how Sting found himself accompanying Yukino back to her house half an hour later. Not that he hadn't done it before but...

"That was fun fun fun!" the white haired mage said with a giggle and a big blush spread across her cheeks. "We should play this game more often!"

Hell no if I'm gonna help it, Sting thought grumpily. No, scratch that. He wasn't even sure if he trusted his fellow guild mates in throwing a decent party next time either.

His thoughts were suddenly cut when the girl next to him threw her arms around his neck and pretty much put nearly all of her weight into him, Sting had to sustain himself to a nearby bench with one arm and the other around Yukino so that none of them would fall straight on the floor, his still healing leg made him wince in pain but he tried not to show it in his expression.

"Yukino, what are you doing?"

"Kiiiiss!"

"Eh??" The Master had his eyes widened.

 "Yukino wants to kiss the Master again!" She had such a cute and adorable look on her face accompanied by the blush on her cheeks. "Yukino wants to please the Master!" 

Sting didn't really understand why she was suddenly talking about herself in third person, his only conclusion was that it was the booze's effect. "No, what you need is to rest." He definitely wasn't going to take advantage of her.

Then Yukino pouted and she removed her arms from around the young man. "Yukino's kiss was bad wasn't it?"

The direction this conversation was taking had become all too awkward all of a sudden, more than what Sting would've liked. Damn, the whole guild - Eleanor and Rin especially - owed him big time for putting him through this... "Look, this is not about the... kiss at all..." He couldn't explain why he was suddenly feeling hot in his ears or had trouble putting the words out there. "You're not yourself, I'm not gonna let you do something that you'll regret-"

"Knew it," the girl said in a broken, shaky tone, and tears started filling her eyes. The blond right out panicked when he saw those tears, not knowing what to do. "Yukino can't ever... please the Master, can she...?" Then, without any warning, she started to take off her blouse.

"H-hey Yukino, what-"

"If that's the case, Yukino shall remove her guild mark. Yukino doesn't deserve to be a Sabertooth Mage."

"No!" the answer from the Master was almost immediate as he quickly grabbed the girl's wrists to stop her from continuing to take off the piece of cloth. "You are not going to do such a thing, you are a Sabertooth Mage and more than anyone you deserve it, understand?" Maybe he sounded a little too harsh but he wanted to make his point through Yukino, Sting didn't like this subject and he knew Yukino didn't either, clearly it's one that the girl would only touch when she wasn't in her normal state like now.

"Sting-sama..." the girl murmured still blushing, but now from both the alcoholic drink and the man's words.

"No one is going to take off that mark from you as long as I live." It actually had been Sting himself who had proposed to put the new mark on the girl's skin, as some sort of...repay for what Jiemma had forced Yukino to do upon her banishment, and he had been surprised when Yukino told him that she wanted the insignia on the same place the old one used to be - however this time in white instead of blue - and though he had done it without complaints, he always wondered why she didn't want somewhere else to indicate the new start.

Before things got more awkward, Sting sighed and flipped the girl on his shoulder so that she wouldn't go and run off somewhere else where he would have to chase her, his leg was screaming a little in pain but he choose to ignore it. Getting Yukino home became more important.

Floating not too far away from them, Lector wouldn't stop laughing at what he had seen.

[rosettahart]

Glass-says: Chapter 8

Chapter 1, Chapter 7

Ao3 link

Summary: Its opening night, but Roman is not exactly feeling like his fabulous self.

Warnings: Mentions of Disownment, Homophobia, Loneliness, Feelings of Inadequacy and Self Doubts.

Chapter 8

It was opening night tonight. The weekend had left Roman exhausted after the countless hours of work and studying he had done. Sustaining himself wasn't going too well. On the weekend he worked as a server at a fancy little restaurant in the city and for his second job he worked for this grocery delivery app service in which he would buy and deliver groceries. He could take on orders whenever he had the time to and maybe it didn't pay as well as he would have liked, but he could take on as many orders in a day as he wanted to as long as he completed them in a timely enough manner.

Currently, Roman had no running water or electricity at the house as his parents had called the companies only a few hours after they had disappeared over a month ago with his siblings. All the furniture remained and the house hadn't been put up for sale until last week after they had finally come back for everything and moved it out.

Roman came home last week after school to an eerily empty house. Even his room was left with hardly anything other than his clothes scattered all over the floor. Some of them were torn. Then there was the mirror. The full length mirror he kept in the corner of his room. It was different, though. He used to feel confident when checking out his reflection in it or going over his lines for whatever play his school was performing in front of it, but now?

Vulgar and hateful words and slurs were scribbled all over it. There was no doubt in his mind that it had been written by his own Father. And maybe Roman didn't have as good as a relationship as he had wanted with his Dad, but he never could have imagined that the fact that he was gay would be able to twist his Father’s love for him into hate in an instant. Luckily, he hadn't been there when he had found out or Roman very well could have been beaten to death right then and there.

Roman had come out to his Mother first, on a day he had been feeling a little extra confident in himself. Her expression quickly turned grim and serious. She told him to leave and take his car with him and not to return to the house until she texted him. He ended up staying in a parking lot that night. He didn’t get any sleep with his brain going a mile a minute about what would be waiting for him when he did return to the house. He should never have believed for even a second that he would still be loved and accepted by his family after revealing his sexuality. How had he been so naive?

For a while now, Roman had been struggling to save up money; what with his monthly cell phone bills, gas and food, and as it was becoming colder outside and he had no heating, he had invested in some heavier blankets. He had gotten an inflatable mattress with what extra money he had when he had been left without a bed last week. Luckily, Roman could use the school's locker room showers to freshen up during the week, but he would have to suffer through the weekends. Now, however, he was finding himself in a tough position. He was pretty much squatting in a house that could be sold at anytime. If his comfortable shelter was taken away, then what would he do? He could stay in his car for a while, but how long? Would he be able to find an affordable place to rent that would also be close enough to the school with what he was making? Or would he have to get another job? Would he need to dropout of school in order to support himself? He was only sixteen and he already had to worry about financial stability. Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut!?

Roman let out a frustrated sigh as he shifted his car into park. The tank was running low on fuel so he would have to refill it soon. More money he would have to spend. He collected his bag from the passenger seat that held a change of clothes and some essentials to freshen himself up with after the performance.

Leaning back against the seat, Roman took a moment to compose himself. He glanced over at the school. He would have to go in there and pretend everything was fine, as usual, but he was just so tired. So very, very tired. Tired of working, studying and practicing. Tired of lying and having to put on a fake smile. Tired of waking up screaming in a cold sweat. Tired of being alone… He missed all his younger siblings, but he didn't know if they missed him. Why would they, when they had each other? What was there to miss?

Roman shook away the thoughts as best as he could. He really needed to get changed and warmed up for the musical. There were less than two hours until the curtains would open and the play would begin. It would take about an hour to be made up in order to look the part of the character he was to portray. Even then that was just a rough estimate with how hectic backstage could get with upwards of twenty people needing to be made up to fit their roles running around.

He got out of his car. He could do this. All he had to do was think happy thoughts. Just like Wendy, John and Michael in Peter Pan. Except you know, it wouldn't be so he could fly off to Neverland and forget his problems and possibly hang out with Peter and the lost boys… That would be heaven though, especially if he found someone who swung in his direction… His life wasn't a Disney movie. He dreamed it could be, but it just wasn't. He had to think positive thoughts, even if those seemed to be in few supplies these days. Roman needed to act like everything was okay and what better way than to ignore his current situation? If only it were that easy.

“Hey, R! You excited about our first performance?” Paris asked cheerfully, coming up seemingly out of nowhere from behind Roman and immediately going to wrap her arm with the other thespian's. “Cause I know I'm especially excited to perform that one scene together in front of an audience. What about you?”

“Of course, I am! We've been rehearsing for hours upon hours and now we're finally going to entertain a live audience, who are paying to see us perform!” Roman gushed, casually escaping Paris’ grasp to gesticulate animatedly.

It was almost like a switch was flipped the moment someone interacted with Roman. It had grown too easy for him to fake a genuine smile for others and seemingly turn his energy from a one all the way to a ten. But he had to, because he didn't need help. He could take care of himself and his own problems! He was strong and he needed others to see him that way, even if most days he didn't actually feel like he was… Because most days there would be this tiny voice in his head just begging him to reach out to someone, anyone that could make things alright again. For someone to take him in and take away his problems. To hold him tight, whispering reassuring words into his ear that he'd never have to be alone ever again. To feel alone ever again.

“-R?” Paris’ arm was intertwined with Roman's again, when he returned his attention to the world around him.

“Hm?”

“You coming to my party this Saturday or not? The hot tub will be running and there will be plenty to drink.” Paris persuaded, pulling Roman down a little so she could bat her eyes at him, a mischievous smile on her face.

Roman turned his gaze away uncomfortable with the look in his classmate’s eyes and staring instead at the theatre's doors. “This Saturday?”

“That's what I said.”

“The cast party's that night though…”

Paris rolled her eyes. “So? The cast parties aren't mandatory. Beside my party is going to be much more exciting than a lame hangout between cast mates.”

“Cast parties are not lame! They celebrate a productions end and everyone who worked on it, no matter what their role in the play was! Without every member of our company, whether it be the main actors or the people who work the lights and sound, we are all a team! Putting on a musical or a play takes a team, Paris! So sorry, but I think I’m going to the cast party this Saturday and I’m going to have a lot more fun with the crew than I would if I were to hang out with you and a bunch of drunk strangers.” Roman retorted, heading into the theatre.

“Strangers? They're your friends, Roman! But maybe you've forgotten that since you've found new ones. You know what, I don’t even know why I have a crush on you anymore!” Paris argued, drawing everyone's eyes to the pair with her raised voice.

“My friends? Really!? Since when? Because last I knew they've only ever been your friends, not mine!” Roman challenged back.

“Well, that's your fault! And are you really going to just ignore the fact I'm interested in you!? I thought we had a connection, but apparently I just imagined that, huh!”

“I don't know where you got that idea from. I have never been interested in you that way, Paris… Look can we just-”

“Never been interested in me? That's hilarious, Roman. Next you're going to tell me that you're gay for Virgil and that you'd much rather get all gross and freaky with him than be with the hottest girl in school.” Paris chuckled darkly, gesturing up by the soundbooth at the frozen emo.

Roman immediately tensed at Virgil's startled expression, his eyes averting to the floor. The words gay, gross and freaky, repeating themselves in that vicious tone, making him feel disgusting and wrong.

“Well go ahead! No one's stopping you! But I'm not going to just stand around and act all in love with a filthy jerk like you!” Paris snarled, slamming the theatre door behind herself.

The room filled with an awkward silence that quickly turned into harsh whispers as Roman made his way backstage to get ready. Looks like he'd be acting opposite Amara instead.

Roman dropped his bag next to a stool and took a seat in front of one of the mirrors. He ran his hands through his hair, leaning his elbows against the counter for a minute. He just needed a minute. One minute was all he should need to compose himself and his thoughts. Taking in and letting out a deep steady breath, he opened his eyes to look up at the mirror.

A minute wasn't going to be enough.

Roman could practically see the words written over the reflective surface, reminding him of how disgusting he was. He stood abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair. He needed out now!

“Roman? You o-”

“Yeah, just need a minute.” Roman cut off his castmate, hurrying away while also trying not to come off too frantic.

He needed space. He couldn't break down in front of everyone. He was stronger than that!

Roman had just about reached the exit of the theatre when the director called after him.

“Ro-”

“JUST A MINUTE!” Roman wailed, pushing through the door and taking off in a sprint towards the stairs, his vision blurring.

No one would go looking for him in the bathroom upstairs.

At least Roman hoped no one would...

Author's notes: So this chapter was fairly heavy... It was going to go in a different direction and end on a better note, but it would've been like twice the size of a normal chapter. Don't worry though the next chapter will be a much softer one! Anyways thanks for your patience and thanks for reading! -Danielle

Chapter 9

Taglist:

@kittiebrick

@absolutesandersidestrash

[writer-and-artist27]

Soup for the Sick

Note: …At this rate, this is already a series. One Piece and Naruto mixed. Never thought I would be getting into it. But @unlucky-marine’s art is something that always brings a smile to my face, and considering @langwrites writing the My Hero Academia-CYB crossover of Shell Game, well…

Yeah, I have no excuse. CP and S&S are still going on, but these little side stories starring the civilian pianist with her older Marine sibling-caretaker are adorable and I like giving something back to Eli. :) So there. Eli got me on the Tomo-Davy sibling train, and I can’t thank them enough for that. I’ve never had someone so outspoken in loving kid!Tomoko whenever I talked to them, so I think the appreciation goes miles now. ^_^

Of course, I don’t own anything except Tomoko and Hisako. Davy belongs to Eli, and Wendy to @ask-lieutenant-wendy.

The theme for this story is inspired by the sea, being SaphiraLynx’s piano cover of Mizuiro no Senritsu from Mermaid Melody. Or, as the translation calls it, the Aquamarine Melody, originally sung by the Aquamarine Mermaid Princess herself. :) The original song works just as well if you want to pull it up~

Please enjoy!

Oh, and Eli? You don’t have to feel pressured in making art for every part of this series, by the way. Only do it if you feel like it. I only write this whole thing because your art brought a lot of happy juice for me in these last days of summer and seeing you on Twitch and talking with you only helped fuel that. Friends look out for each other, and well, considering your theater job? A nice read is something you more than deserve. ;>

The words felt foreign in my mouth. “Jackie-nee’s sick?”

Wendy-nee gave me a sad smile as she sat down on her knees, a hand reaching over to rest on the top of my head. “She’s just resting in her barracks, Tomoko-chan. But yes, Jackie’s sick. It’s a cold, thankfully, so the bad sickness won’t be here forever.”

“How?” was already escaping my throat, and I found myself covering my mouth with both of my hands out of politeness and shock. My caretaker wasn’t the kind of person who found themselves sick so easily. At least, from what I could tell. When feeling more masculine as Jack-nii, he could easily kick someone’s ass if he wanted to, more so when I heard him mutter once on how he could break all 206 bones in a body. That was cool and kinda scary. When feeling feminine as Jackie-nee, she could then smash a womanizer’s face in with her heel and look beautiful doing it.

Being genderfluid was still something I didn’t know much about, more so considering I was a cis-female, but my caretaker was awesome. Simple as that.

I never thought I would hear the news that they would be sick.

But, alas, Tomoko-chan, my dear. Hisako swirled her glass of…lemonade. Okay. She was doing it while sitting in an armchair like Giovanni from Pokémon or something. All she needed was a Persian. And she was doing The Voice. Woo. We all are mere mortals.

Ugh.

I couldn’t help but find my heart sinking when Wendy-nee’s smile turned a bit more forced, as if frustrated. “I don’t think you want to know, Tomoko-chan. Let’s just say a Flamingo got a bit too angry and leave it at that, okay?” The minute crack in her voice was already enough for me to nod and accept it. I was still 10 in this life, so in Wendy-nee’s eyes, of course I was still a kid. An innocent kid, probably.

“Okay,” I said softly, but I still found myself gently tugging on her shirt collar to pull her in for a hug. It didn’t feel right going about this conversation without doing it. She looked troubled enough already, and my arms could wind around her neck, at least. “I’m sorry for prying, Wendy-nee.”

To my surprise, the blond Marine only laughed softly, arms coming around me to hug back. Aaaaah, she had a similar grip to Mama when she was excited. Tough muscle, but still snuggly. “It’s okay, Tomoko-chan, you were worried. It’s okay.”

I was not expecting her to lift me up anyways, essentially letting my sandals hit air as she pulled away from the hug to grin cheerily up at me. Somehow, I was sitting in her arms, close to her shoulders. Somehow! Aaaaaah, awesome strength. Also, Wendy-nee being 7 foot 2 and being carried that close to her height made everything in the near vicinity feel small, and gosh, being tall feels so cool! Fluttering skirt be damned.

…Don’t judge me on this. I’m still trying to gain height by drinking milk.

Wendy-nee’s purple eyes were now sparkling with something soft as she looked at me with that same grin. Her one curly hair sticking out from her hat tickled as she continued to beam. “Still, Tomoko-chan, what do you want to do now? Do you want to visit Jackie?”

The offer was tempting. Very tempting.

Hisako only swirled her cup of lemonade before chugging it in a few seconds flat. Once all the liquid was gone, she tossed the cup away, the motion accompanied by a small mental CRASH that was of the glass breaking in the mind library somewhere. Hm, she mused. It’s nice, but you’re thinking of something else, aren’t you, dear?

Yep. My Nobody was already reading my thoughts.

“Not now, Wendy-nee,” I shook my head while smiling anyways. “But could you carry me to the kitchen? I wanna cook something first!”

Those same purple eyes blinked at me slowly.

“Huh?”

“Here again, Tomoko-chan?”

The Marine chefs, despite bustling around with food and plates in almost every corner of the kitchen, all seemed to notice me as soon as Wendy-nee dropped me off in the doorway. She had work to do, unfortunately, but at least the big bear hug and bright smile in my direction before she left was a nice send-off.

Still, I was a 10-year old girl in a Sylveon-themed kimono dress, standing in the kitchen doorway, and at this point, the Marines weren’t even fazed. Huh.

Adjustment period is officially over, Hisako mused dryly.

I nodded at the nearest chef who asked with the politest smile I could muster. “Yep! Jackie-nee’s not feeling well, so I thought of cooking!” And then the Embarrassment was coming back in. Why, heart, why. “I-Is that okay?”

Said chef only shrugged with an exasperated smile before pointing to a nearby corner. Almost immediately, some of the chefs cleared away, leaving a small cutting board, knife, oven, and stove in the space left behind. “Go ahead, Tomoko-chan. That counter there’s all yours.”

The bright smile on my face was just as sudden as the swing of Embarrassment from earlier. “Thank you very much, Chef-san!”

The man only scoffed softly in a way reminiscent of Vy’s old Dad, almost in disbelief judging by the noise. In the end, he still nodded in acknowledgement at me as the other staff slowly moved away enough so that I could walk over.

For a corrupt military, the staff’s surprisingly sweet.

Maybe they don’t have a lot of kids around?

My Nobody only shrugged. Then I started hearing whispers while walking past.

“That Jack sure is lucky.”

“Of course it’s the paperwork guy who gets a cute girl looking after them.”

“Why can’t I get someone to drop through a hole in the ceiling to love me?”

Ohhhh! Hisako was smirking. Oh no. My, my, my! Tomoko-chan, you’re popular!

I still ran through the kitchen as fast as I could to get to that corner, because the heat on my face wasn’t going to go down otherwise. Aaaaaaah.

What was wrong with loving a caretaker like a sibling when you didn’t have any? Well, I technically had Kei and Hayate, but there was something different about older siblings than younger ones. In a past life, I was the younger one, and that was a mixed bag. Actually having that memory when it came to my Marine caretaker was the main seal to the deal. I could at least help out without looking like a brat doing it.

Reincarnation had benefits when it was botched. Apparently.

Still, once I got to my corner and got a good stare over everything, my head blanked. Um. “I know I said I wanted to cook something, but what’s good for a cold…?”

Soup? Hisako offered helpfully. Chicken Noodle? Clam Chowder? Gumbo? Or, heck, curry? Anything warm should do!

Those were all good suggestions. Especially since Jackie-nee was said to be resting from her cold.

I looked around. The kitchen staff were currently using a lot of seafood judging by the nearby lobster platter, so the clam chowder was a bust. I wasn’t even sure if I could do gumbo at my age, but chicken noodle soup sounded nice.

Only problem.

The only chicken I could see in the entire kitchen was a big frozen one sitting in the nearby freezer, and the staff were pretty crowded over there.

Ummmm.

Run?

No. This is a kitchen, Hisako.

Point. Fast-walk and try to wing carrying it?

It was an idea.

I tried. I really did. But being a short little girl in a crowd of tall chefs kinda meant being squished. Think any anime/gaming convention, where you would bump shoulders with someone every 5 seconds. It was like that.

“E-Er, excuse me? I’m trying to get through?” Even with my voice cracking, getting stuck in a crowd of moving people meant elbowing, and I was not good at that. Even if Kei had taught me self-defense, this was not the time to be throwing hands! “I-I’d like to get that chicken, please!”

Ignored. Because there was so much hustling and a pre-pubescent voice was hard to make out.

Aaaaah.

And then hands were sliding under my arms and effortlessly lifting me up, and I found myself squeaking. I could already tell that this wasn’t Wendy-nee’s grip, so who���

“Hey, you guys really should look out when in the kitchen. This little lady would’ve gotten hurt.”

Huh?

I looked behind me and met the stare of someone clearly new. I don’t know if he was ever in this kitchen staff before, but with his curly eyebrow, greyish-blue eye, straight blond hair falling down to brush the left side of his face, and muscular arms in spite of the Marine chef uniform, he definitely looked like someone that Jackie-nee would want to take a picture for when it came to bounties. This new person was definitely something. “You alright, ojou-chan?”

He grinned while still holding me up in his hands, and I tried not to squirm. Wearing a skirt in the kitchen and being lifted all the while was…yeah. “I-I am, but um, Chef-san?” I gestured to the ground while trying not to inwardly panic. “C-Could you please put me down?” I pointed to my corner. “Over there?”

The new Chef blinked at the direction I was pointing at before grinning again and nodding. “Whatever the ojou-chan wishes~!” I didn’t miss how he hummed before he literally slid over to my corner, ignoring chefs passing him all the while, and I tried not to focus on the sensation of my stomach churning. Motion sickness would be motion sickness.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to think on the stomach butterflies longer than necessary, because he was quick to put me down, still grinning all the while. “Now, ojou-chan.” I was not expecting his smile to turn into a more solemn expression. “What were you doing there? This is a kitchen, and not exactly the best place to play around.”

Aaaah. Another adult. I tried not to pout. “I was trying to get the chicken from the freezer. My older sibling who’s in the Marines got sick, and I was thinking of trying to make Chicken Noodle soup for them!”

He only blinked that same grey-blue eye at me before pulling on a more amused smile. “Oh?” he said softly, before turning his head around to look towards that far-away refrigerator. “Do you at least know how to make it, ojou-chan?”

…Um.

Uh.

I squeaked, “No?”

We did not think this through.

He only pulled on a more confident smile while tossing something into the nearest trash can. Was it…a cigarette? “Well then! Let this cook help you out, ojou-chan!”

I blinked. “It’s okay?”

With that same confidence, he turned to me while twirling a — holy crap, he was twirling a knife. I only blinked once, and then he was brandishing a small bowl of diced…diced onions? When did he— “I’m a cook, ojou-chan. And when a lady is in trouble, it’s natural to help out.” He then sat down on his knees, looking at me with that grey-blue eye, now sparkling. “I’m Sanji by the way, ojou-chan. What’s your name?”

Ah. He reminded me of Leo, at least a little. “I-I’m Hoshino Tomoko, Sanji-san.” Out of habit, I took a bit of my skirt to curtsy. “It’s nice to meet you, and I hope to work with you!”

Sanji-san only grinned. “And I you, little lady.”

He then brandished a bowl of cut carrots. Wow, that was a lot of skill.

Chicken Noodle Soup was, surprisingly enough, simple. Even though I only had Vy’s experience to call from when cooking, Sanji-san was quick. It only took an hour for him to prepare homemade chicken and vegetable broths for the soup, and by the time the chicken hit the soup pot, a warm homey smell was wafting around the kitchen, and I could’ve sworn some chefs were drooling while walking past.

“So, ojou-chan,” he said while stirring the soup with a ladle, “who’s your older sibling?”

Aaaand Sanji-san had to ask just when I was putting dishes away in this little corner. “Davy Jack-san! Currently going by Jackie, but I call her Jackie-nee! I think…” my voice cracked while recalling Wendy-nee’s words. “A Flamingo got angry and gave her a cold? Or something?”

The words were silly, but I didn’t miss how Sanji-san tensed. It almost looked like a shiver went up his spine before a nervous chuckle sounded. “D-Davy Jack, huh…? That’s interesting, ojou-chan.” He then muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t hear, but all I could make out was, “that explains things.”

Hisako wasn’t having any of it. He’s nice, but I dunno, Tomoko-chan. That reaction wasn’t the best.

Did my caretaker know this guy?

I ended up voicing it. “Do you know Jackie-nee, Sanji-san?”

Immediately, the cook turned to me with a warm smile, turning down the heat to the soup pot while doing so. “Kinda, ojou-chan. It’s a long story. But the soup’s almost done!”

Yep. That was a sudden subject change. So something did happen between them.

And was it just me, or did Sanji-san look sad for a moment?

I blinked, and as soon as I thought that, the glint in that grey-blue eye disappeared. “Still, ojou-chan, wanna go serve this soup to your sibling then? I have to be somewhere, so I can’t stay long.”

Already, I was feeling disappointed. It had only been a few hours but having a cooking companion aside from my Nobody did something. “Will I see you again?”

Sanji-san then turned off the heat entirely before turning to me fully and sitting down on his knees. “Of course, ojou-chan.” He then grinned, reaching over to poke my forehead through my bangs, and I tried not to wince. “Just look for a sail with a skull and a straw hat, and you’ll find me.”

Skull and a straw hat? What the hell is that supposed to be? A pirate flag thing?

I still nodded in spite of Hisako’s incoming rant. “Okay.”

Of course, I would jump on Sanji-san for a hug too. He deserved it, at least.

Jackie-nee was sitting up in her bed at the barracks, reading what looked like a book when I was finally able to pop in. Wendy-nee was still at work along with the other Marines, so it made sense that there was no one else around.

I did my best to balance the soup bowl tray in my hands while hiding it from view. “Jackie-nee?”

She blinked before looking up from her book, and of course I could see that familiar spark that I grew to love so much. “Tomo-chan,” she murmured happily, then coughed softly into one of her hands. “Sorry, I can’t hug you right now. Still — hack — sick. Wendy told you that, didn’t she?”

Even then, I couldn’t help but smile back. “Wendy-nee did say that, but I do have something for you!”

“What’s that, sweetie?”

“Well…” I tried not to run over to her bedside and instead walked over as gently as I could before brandishing the tray for her to take. “Chicken Noodle Soup. To help make the sick go away?”

I still wanted to ask myself how and why I reverted to childish talk when it only came to my caretaker, but the warm smile on her face made the thought process stop in its tracks. “Oh, Tomo-chan.” She looked down at the warm bowl before taking the spoon and blowing at it. “You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to!” Another pout was coming up on my face now. “I missed you and you deserve something to help you rest better! You work too much!”

At that, Jackie-nee suddenly snorted before laughing softly. “Yeah? I guess so.” The warmth in her voice said everything as she finally took a sip, and then the color was returning to her face as she smiled. “Whoa. Tomo-chan,” she gave me that same warm smile, “did you make this all by yourself?”

Nope. Hisako said for me.

“Nope,” I repeated with a more sheepish shrug. “I had help.”

Now Jackie-nee was confused. “Who helped? Wendy?”

Should I say the name…?

No harm in trying, dear. Hisako only patted my head.

“A new chef in the kitchen?” I found myself raising a pointer finger. “His name was Sanji-san!”

I was not expecting Jackie-nee to nearly drop her spoon mid-bite. “S-Sanji?”

Oh dear. Bombshell.

“Um, he was nice,” I filled in instead, because the sudden silence and the shock in Jackie-nee’s gaze was kinda hard to deal with all at once. “He helped me cut chicken and taught me how to make vegetable broth for next time! He also kept me out from being trampled by crowds and called me ‘ojou-chan’!”

“…What next time?” Jackie-nee said incredulously, but the simple fact that she was still eating was a good sign. At least, I was hoping so. “And, pffft.” I wasn’t expecting her to snort into her free hand. “‘Ojou-chan,’ huh.” But, oh.

She was smiling again.

I sat down at the foot of her bed, trying not to show my confusion. “Jackie-nee?”

She gave me that same warm smile. “It’s nothing, Tomo-chan. Nothing at all.”

And this time, I could believe it. Somewhat. At least while sneaking in one hug.

Hey. I have pride in my immune system, and screw colds! Soup keeps the doctor away!

“T-Tomo-chan, I’m sick…!”

“Just lemme hug you once, Jackie-nee, I missed you!”

Her only response was an exasperated laugh. I could settle for that. It kept thoughts of asking about Sanji-san away for another day.

[autumn-pines]

Eh, Who Needs Love?

Time and time again romance has failed for both Stan and Wendy. But hey, who needs love when you can just have fun stealing a diamond and picking some locks?

EDIT-This fic now has a sequal-When You Can Steal Diamonds?

  Today was turning out to be rather strange.

It started out alright, it was only when Wendy was just hanging out with her friends before heading out to work and be fashionably late did things start to become a little weird.

Wendy had been listening to Robbie chatter on about his new album until suddenly Robbie paused. Wendy glanced over only to see that he was staring at Tambry, who was standing next to Nate and Lee as they tried out a new handshake.

After a few seconds, Tambry looked up and smiled at Robbie, who instantly smiled back, his cheeks reddening.

Wendy blinked in confusion, wondering how a simple glance could make Robbie blush. She tilted her head, trying to think if there was a time when she blushed and smiled from Robbie looking at her.

Nothing came to mind.

On her way to the Shack, she couldn't help but ponder how Robbie and Tambry were actually in a good relationship and happy.

She had dated like what, at least six guys and none of their relationships lasted beyond three weeks, tops. They just never felt right, plus awkwardness always hagged at Wendy whenever the guys tried to have an intimate moment or kiss her.

She just...didn't want it.

But wasn't she supposed to?

"Something on your mind, kiddo? Or do you like staring at the wall for ten minutes straight?"

Wendy flinched as the voice intruded her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. She turned her head and saw Stan leaning against his 8-ball cane, his eyebrows pointedly raised at her.

Quickly, Wendy allowed a casual look to slide in and for her body to relax. "Oh, hey, Stan."

"That's Mr. Pines for-" Stan began, his voice firm until he stopped, his expression considerate, and then shrugged. "Eh, you know what? I don't care. I've been called worse things."

Wendy rolled her eyes loosely, but then squinted at her boss as a thought struck her. Has Stan ever been in a relationship that has lasted longer than any of hers? She couldn't recall a time where he had not been slapped or getting a blank stare after trying to flirt, but still...

"Heya, so, Stan." Wendy started, trying to phrase the question in a non-weird manner. "Have you ever been in a relationship that lasted longer than a few weeks?"

"Um," Stan leaned back a bit, looking confused at the sudden turn in topic. "Whaddya' mean? Like, a romantic relationship?"

At Wendy's nod, Stan's eyes traveled to the ceiling. "Uhhhh. Yes. I had girlfriend about forty years ago. That lasted for about a month, though. But hey, I did get married!"

Wendy gave him a skeptic look. "I don't think that creepy statue counts, Stan."

Stan slapped a hand to his chest, giving her an offended look. "I'll have you know that Goldie is a fantastic money-maker! But nah, I wasn't talking about that. I got married to a gal once, until she tried to steal my car less than an hour later. Why are you asking sudden personal questions anyways?"

Wendy bit her tongue, unsure on how to answer, or even if she should answer. Eh, this probably wouldn't cost her job. "Uh, so you know my ex-boyfriend, Robbie?"

"Ya' mean that creepy teen with black hair and skinny jeans?"

"Um, yes."

"Then sure, what about him? Do I have another reason to punch a teenager?" Stan cracked his knuckles, his face eerily eager.

"And that would be a no. Sorry." Wendy denied, a large part of her amused. "But um, anyways, Robbie and Tambry have started dating like a few days ago, and they're so happy? Like, they smile and touch each other a lot and I just don't get why?"

She sighed, frustrated with her lack of understanding. "And just-I don't know. None of my relationships were like that and I've dated a lot of guys. It seems so weird to me for someone to just blush if another person looks at them. And it never felt right when someone tried to kiss me or something."

"Plus, everyone at the high school keep talking about who they like and whenever I say I don't like someone I get these looks. I don't see why I have to be with someone when I could just have some fun with my friends."

Unable to think of anything else to say, Wendy fell silent, and then started when she realized she just ranted to her boss about her confusion with relationships. Welp. At least it wasn't Mabel.

"Hm. Yeah, I see where you're comin' from." Stan spoke up nonchalantly.

"Wai-really?"  Wendy asked, surprised. That...was not quite the answer she'd been expecting.

"Yup."

"Okay, nooo offense, Stan, but you like-flirt with a lot of ladies. And didn't you try to hook up with Lazy Susan once?" Wendy questioned, confused on how Stan out of all people could understand her.

"Uh, yeah. But um, I'll admit, kid. I kinda always found it strange, too." Stan admitted rather haltingly, his eyes looking at everywhere but her. "Back in my day, uh, a lot of kids were talkin' about their girlfriends or boyfriends too, and I just was never interested in it. I did try it, to try and see what everyone was yappin' about, but it just didn't work out."

He shrugged, "And well, I guess I still do try every once and awhile. Habits die hard, y'know? But honestly, I don't care for that mushy romantic stuff..." He trailed off, his expression steadily growing more and more awkward.

"So you've, never enjoyed being in a relationship?" Wendy cocked her head, interested.

"Well, it was nice and all being around someone I liked. But that someone always just expected something else from me that I guess I don't have." Stan reflected, shifting his hands on the cane.

“But, arn't we supposed to like someone?” Wendy scratched at the wood with her nails, frowning.

“Meh. People are supposed to like a lot of things, but some people don't. I’m supposed to like obeying the law, but I don't. I can’t see why just wanting some friends would be wrong. You do you.” Stan rubbed the back of his neck.

"Huh. Wow-that's, that's pretty cool." Wendy grinned, feeling relief that she apparently wasn't the only one that felt uninterested in being in a relationship. And to think that it was her boss she was relating to.

"If you say so, kid.” Stan coughed. "But enough of this weird talk. I've already taught you how to pick high-quality locks right? 'Cause I've heard that there's a diamond in the bank downtown, and I think it's about time for you to move past shoplifting and onto committing a real crime."

Wendy's grin only stretched wider. "Sounds great to me. But I am not going to be the one to pay our bail."

"Bail?" Stan's eyebrows scrunched together. "Who said we were going to get caught?"

Later, while definitely driving more than sixty miles per hour away from the bank and wailing police cars, Wendy glanced over at Stan, who was laughing about how they managed to escape, and cleared her throat. "Hey, Stan?"

Stan stopped and looked over at her with a mischievous grin. "What's up, kid?"

"Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever, kiddo. Anytime."

And I’m going to tag @mistrel-fox and @knights-in-two-dreams since they wanted a fic like this. Hope you guys enjoy!

Anyways, this was fun to write! The diamond theft is based off a cut storyline involving Stan and Wendy, and I thought why not. I decided not to include the diamond-stealing scene, so that this was kept at a reasonable length, but I'm considering writing that part out in a different fic if anybody's interested!