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findingjoynweirdstuff · 4 years ago

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Dream SMP Recap (March 1/2021) - Breaking Point

Sam has been unable to find a cause for the security breach, leaving Tommy trapped. A heated argument in the cell escalates to a horrifying end.

As the rest of server mourns, the Eggpire celebrates. With their biggest obstacle in the way of their objective gone, it’s time for the next step.

It’s the start of the Final Stage.

---

VOD LINKS:

HBomb94

Ponk

Tommy

Tubbo

Ranboo

Jack Manifold

Connor

Badboyhalo

Captain Puffy

---

- HBomb hosts Foolish and Jack Manifold’s episode of L’Cast!

---

The Prison Stream

(This portion of the recap will be more detailed than normal since it’s one long conversation and there are many important lines here, including a couple that were hard to hear during the stream)

---

- Tommy’s stream starts with him making sounds and singing “Roadtrip.” Dream tells him to stop, he’s trying to write a book.

Tommy: “What are you writing, Dream? What are you writing?”

Dream: “None of your business.”

- There’s a little gray and white cat sat on the chest. Tommy says it’s annoying.

Dream: “No he’s not...he’s actually the best thing that’s happened to us.”

Tommy: (Trying to lead the cat away) “Come with me, come with me...you know what I named him, don’t you? Pussboy, Pussboy!”

- The cat returns to its spot on the chest

Tommy: “Oh, Pussboy, you are so ugly.”

Dream: “C’mon, you’re being mean!”

(Tommy punches the cat)

Dream: “Tommy! Stop!”

- Tommy starts singing “Roadtrip” in autotune. Dream tells Tommy that if he can be quiet, he’ll give Tommy more potatoes.

Dream: “I think that...the cat is the best thing that’s happened to us.”

- Sam joins the call to say hello and ask how it’s been going. He’s come to drop more food into the cell. Tommy also picks up a new clock.

- Tommy asks to be let out, but Sam says he still hasn’t found out what the security issue is. Dream asks how long Tommy will be in here for. Potentially for a while, but not forever.

- Tommy protests about how bad the prison has been. He threatens to get lawyers on Sam, he knows Big Law.

Tommy: "Sam...you know I don’t deal very well in...close quarters situations for a long time, Sam. Sam, you remember when you visited me in exile, Sam? Alright, this is worse than that, Sam...let me out. I don’t like this. Let. Me. Out. Sam.”

- Sam insists he’s doing the best he can and leaves.

- Dream tries to say that it’s not that bad. He’s been in there for a long time, but now it’s better! Tommy writes a book to Dream, signs it and throws it to him.

Dream: “I have company. I have a cat -- I mean, technically it’s not my cat, technically it’s your cat, but still! It’s just as good, keeps me company when I write and everything, we talk sometimes -- ‘cause you’re annoying a lot of the time--”

- Dream throws away the clock in the lava, saying they don’t need it. Tommy punches the cat again.

Dream: “Tommy, hear me out, hear me out...what if...we get out together, okay?”

- Tommy is not a fan of the idea, Dream shouldn’t be let out too. He goes over to the cat and shouts at it for being in his spot. He punches Pussboy twice.

Dream: “Tommy...TOMMY, STOP!”

Tommy: “Excuse me! Come this way, come this way, excuse me Dream I’m trying to right-click Pussboy--”

(Dream moves to get in front of the cat)

Dream: “Tommy.”

Tommy: “Come here, come here! Do you like this cat, Dream?”

Dream: “Yes, I do.”

Tommy: “Why?”

Dream: “Because he -- Tommy, he keeps me company --”

(Tommy punches Pussboy again and leads him towards the lava)

Tommy: “Pussboy, this way. Pussboy, this way. Let me show you the light--”

Dream: “He’s probably low, he’s probably low!”

Tommy: “Oh what, you love him? Do you love him? Do you love him?”

Dream: “Yes, I do...Tommy, he’s made things better in here -- okay listen! When you leave, can you sit him down and leave him here?”

(Tommy goes over and punches Pussboy again. He tries to lead Pussboy away again, but when the cat doesn’t come he punches Pussboy twice more, killing him)

Tommy: “Yeah. And that’s what happens when you love something, bitch.”

...

Tommy: “See, now when I leave, when I leave, you’ll have nothing! ‘Cause you are lonely, and you’re m-m-manipulative, you’re a fuckin’ twat, and I mean that.”

Dream: “Tommy...I’m gonna get out! And you just motivated me -- you motivated me all the time, you just -- that was hope, right? The cat was hope -- the cat was hope that I could live a nice life in here--”

Tommy: “And now it’s dead, now it’s dead.”

- Dream insists that he’ll get out, and when he does, he’ll get his revenge on everyone who wronged him. Tommy asks if he’d kill Tubbo.

- The subject goes back to Dream’s plan of escape.

Dream: “I have a plan. And the thing is, Awesamdude’s never gonna believe you that I have a plan because he thinks it’s unbreakable, unescapable--”

“I have a plan. And you know, there’s a certain someone who owes me a favor, but -- that might be a part of it, but...I do have a plan.”

- They argue about the conditions of the prison again.

Dream: “I’ve been in here a for hundred times longer than you, and you sit there trying to tell me that it’s so horrible, that it’s so bad -- yeah, it was! But guess what, we have each other to talk to, and we had a cat until you fucking killed it!”

Tommy: “Dream...Dream, and listen to this -- fucking engrave this on you, write this into your arms, Dream...You don’t have me. You’ll never have me. We don’t have each other, alright? I am me, and you are this fuckin’ loser who goes around manipulating people, lying to get what he wants. You are a fuckin’ no one, man, alright? And when I’m going to leave here, you’re not! You might have a favor -- you think, who is it, Technoblade’s gonna be able to come in here to let you out -- Technoblade, he doesn’t like governments, but he likes self gain! You think he wants to piss off the owner of the most POWERFUL building on the entire server, just so that he can get a video that BARELY scrapes the five million view mark -- NO, Dream, alright? You’re a fuckin’ asshole, you’re deluded, you’re delusional, and I fuckin’ hate you.”

Dream: “Okay...yeah, but I have something Techno would want, so...it means knowledge, alright?”

- Dream says that even when he’s in here, he’s more powerful than Tommy outside. Tommy replies that if he wanted to, he could kill Dream right now. The only reason he doesn’t is because they need the revive book.

- Dream says that he will never use the revive book to help Tommy or his friends. Ever.

Dream: “So kill me. Go ahead, come on.”

- When if Tubbo dies, Dream says, they’ll come begging for Tubbo to be revived, and Dream will ask to be let out.

- Tommy then says that this isn’t worse than exile, because in exile, Tommy thought Dream had all the power, and Tommy knows something...he thinks the revive book isn’t real. Jschlatt was just a drunk, why would he have this book?

Dream: “Jschlatt gave me the book -- why else would I switch to Jschlatt’s side?!”

...

“I’m not lying! Jschlatt gave me a revive book after...before he died....because...he said--” (he cuts off here)

- Dream asks why he would be lying about that.

Tommy: “You’re a liar! You’re a liar, and really, through your Netherite armor and skin, I look at you and you know what I see? I see a sad little man who’s insecure about the fact that this server has gotten so far ahead of him that his only little glimpse of power in this world is gone. And I see an insecure, sad little man. So fuck off. You stupid green lad.”

Dream: “Your life...is literally in my hands. Does that piss you off? Does that make you mad? Does that make you so mad that I -- if you kill me -- I MIGHT AS WELL BE A GOD, TOMMY! YOU CAN’T KILL ME, AND I CAN KILL YOU! So what does it mean, that you can’t kill me because of the revive book -- what does that mean? If you can’t kill me, does that make me some kind of god?”

Tommy: “No Dream. I could kill you right now. If I wanted to.”

Dream: “Okay. But you won’t. But you won’t! I could kill you if I wanted to! I could kill you right now, actually.”

...

Tommy: “I don’t think this revive book is real. Schlatt? He’s fuckin’ dead. I’ve seen his grave! His grave is real, his corpse is there!”

Dream: “Okay...Why don’t you go see him then?”

Tommy: “NO -- stop it stop it stop it st--”

--- ---

CANON DEATH: TOMMY

Cause: Punched to death

--- ---

End of stream.

---

- Tubbo, Ranboo and Jack see Tommy’s death message in game chat.

- They go to the prison and Sam is there to tell them what happened. Sam couldn’t get there in time. He didn’t think Dream would actually kill him. They’re all in shock.

- Tubbo and Ranboo think Tommy will be back. There’s no way he’s actually dead, right?

- Jack Manifold is in celebration. He got what he wanted! He thought Dream would want Tommy alive, and killing Tommy himself would be an extra jab in the chest for Dream, but apparently not? And now he has a hotel!

- He decides to check on Tubbo and makes sure he’s okay.

- Jack walks down to the shore and looks up at the prison, and...it hits him. He’s spent months plotting to kill Tommy. Jack realizes his victory feels hollow. Even now, Tommy and Dream have managed to take away this from him.

- Of Ze Haus, he says that this place no longer means anything to him. He gets a flint and steel and sets it alight, watching it burn.

- He passes by Tommy’s house and finds Ranboo planting red and white flowers outside.

- Jack switches into his L’manburg uniform and walks along the Prime Path.

Jack: “I remember the day I joined the server. The day after the first war. L’manburg was still a big hole, and we built it up. And Tommy invited me to join. And I betrayed him (laughs), so really this has all come full circle.”

“Maybe I was always really just upset because I always felt like he cared more about the discs than...anyone. And I guess I just enjoyed it when we were friends...and...I’ve not really had any friends...since...then, really. Never really wanted any.”

- Jack later speaks with Foolish and tells him that Tommy’s never coming back from prison. Foolish didn’t know him too well, but he’s still a bit sad. When anyone passes, it’s sad.

- Jack heads back out into the wilderness, wandering to the beach area at the edge of the forest where Quackity had his argument with Badboyhalo a while back. There’s something just beyond the hill.

- Quackity meets him there and escorts him back home, telling him he was heading too close to something, could have gotten “a nice view of it.”

- He’s been thinking of writing up a draft of their contract. He also sees the new McPuffy’s.

- Jack tells Quackity that Tommy’s not in the prison anymore. Quackity says they need to talk to him and make sure Jack keeps his hotel. As the rain pours, Jack tells him. Tommy didn’t make it.

- Quackity and Jack have a moment in front of Tommy’s house. Though upset, Quackity says it’s time to get back to work.

Quackity: “Jack...don’t let this affect business. The train doesn’t stop.”

Jack: “No, it only goes faster.”

- Jack also speaks with Antfrost. Antfrost gives his condolences, and says he’ll put together a celebration “of life.”

Ant: “Bad and Sam will be happy...to attend, of course!”

- Afterwards, Jack heads down into Karls nightclub and ends stream there.

- Connor speaks with Sam Nook at the hotel.

- Bad meets Ant at the Holy Land. Ant asks if the church would be a good place for a celebration. Ant sits Bad down to tell him. Bad is overjoyed.

- Bad says that now, they don’t even have to do any preparations:

They can move into the Final Stage.

- They get milk for the cake and decide to throw the party at Tommy’s house!

- They meet with Sam at the prison entrance. He sounds dejected.

Sam: “I didn’t think Dream would ever actually...try and kill him”

Bad: (laughs) “Is this the same Dream we’re talking about? It’s Dream, Sam.”

Sam: “I mean...Dream had...I thought I had...broken the will out of him, to do something like that. But he...he did.”

- He says they need to find out what it was -- he wandered around the prison several times and couldn’t find any sign that someone had done something.

- Ant and Bad try to reassure Sam that Tommy signed the waivers, he went to see Dream, and Sam shouldn’t blame himself. Sam doesn’t see it that way.

- They say they’ll talk to Sam later and leave the prison. They see Sam Nook at the hotel. Sam is excited about the new upgrades for the hotel! Tommy will be so excited to see them!

- They return to Tommy’s house and speak with Punz as they make a party floor and sing the Crab Rave song in dudududus.

- Meanwhile, Captain Puffy is grieving, feeling like she failed Tommy. As she logs on, Bad and Ant decide that Puffy might want to join them for the party!

- Punz meets them there, and they tell him that Tommy’s dead. Punz isn’t sure how he feels, it’s bittersweet.

- Puffy arrives and angrily tells them to leave. What’s wrong with them?!

- The Eggpire sees Sam Nook at the hotel and goes up the floors to find a place to party. Puffy comes up and tells them to find another place to party. They argue again.

- Foolish arrives to visit his room in the hotel. Puffy leaves them. They quarrel about who has the room for the night.

- Puffy mines down the Eggpire’s meeting room. She’s noticed that being a hero hasn’t worked. Sparing people, being merciful, it hasn’t worked. She might need a change of perspective.

- The Eggpire decides to visit the Egg and break the news to it. They see the wreckage, but Puffy is in the Nether by the time they get there.

- Puffy visits Logsted.

- The Eggpire goes down to the Egg Room and finds the pathway blocked up with obsidian...is this why the Vines have been slower to grow lately?

- They break the barrier and find the Egg drenched in water. They wake up the Egg and it speaks.

“This world is mine. It belongs to me.”

“No no no, I know, but we’ve got something to tell you!”

“I see all...I...am...all...”

“Oh so you--”

“I know all.”

“You know then! Guess -- well, we’ll tell you anyway in case you don’t know -- but guess what? Tommy’s dead! Dream -- the green guy, you met him -- killed him in the prison! I guess Tommy got stuck there, and Dream killed him! Are you happy?"

“Feed me...I require nourishment.”

“No no no, don’t worry -- that’s coming soon! We’ll take care of that! We’re already gonna begin the preparations, right guys? Yeah, we’re gonna begin the preparations, and we’ll send out the invitations, we’ll let everyone know...and the final stage can commence! This is wonderful!”

- Once on the surface, Bad announces that with a little more preparation, they’ll all get exactly what they want. The final stage is about to commence.

The day of celebrations, the day they’ve been preparing for, the day the Egg has been preparing for, is about to happen...

- Bad goes down to the Egg Room one last time and stands at the Egg to give a final speech.

“Everything leading up to this point, EVERYTHING, all the way going back to the discovery of this...beautiful, luxurious Egg, okay...we had it all planned. As soon as we found it, we knew what was gonna happen. We knew the objective...”

“We may have forgotten what it was, forgotten the ultimate goal as soon as we boxed the Egg up in obsidian. But guess what -- that didn’t stop the Egg! Boxing it up only made it STRONGER, and LARGER, and more powerful! And the Egg’s been storing up that energy, okay? You may have been thinking the Vines have not been spreading...but that’s because we haven’t WANTED them to spread. We have been working, storing energy, storing power...in preparation for the final plan. The final objective. And there were only a couple people getting in the way. But guess what? One of the biggest obstacles -- Tommy -- is no longer in the way...now that he’s not in the way, we can commence with the final stage...the final party...before it all comes to a conclusion...”

“Brace yourselves...everybody on this server, prepare. Anyone who is anti-Egg...you guys better get ready, because we know who you are. And at the end of the day, the Egg is gonna be victorious. And there’s nothing ANYBODY can do to stop it.”

“Good luck.”

#dream smp #long posts #dream smp recaps #prison arc #i apologize for not including a lot of puffy's stream :(#it's really late and this post's a mile long as is #if you see any typos no you don't /lh

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toraodwaterlaw · 4 years ago

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Heart to Heart

Part 1 of a four part AU fic set just after Marineford. In this AU, Doflamingo discovered Law and kept Rosinante alive as a way to force Law into his service. Law becomes the third Corazon while Rosinante lives as a prisoner in the palace on Dressrosa. Hopefully this makes enough sense on its own. 😅

1365 words, angst with an eventual happy ending

Law slid to the ground and let his eyes close to the stable metronome of the twin pair of heart monitors. He hadn’t been this exhausted since the final days of his fight with Amber Lead. This time there was no poison in his blood. He was no longer a frail child but a healthy adult in peak condition. Doflamingo would accept no less of his second in command. However, there was no amount of training that could prepare him for keeping two patients alive through little more than sheer force of will.

Straw Hat Luffy and Jinbe, knight of the sea, would live. It would have been a difficult operation even with proper support. On his own, with only the powers of the Op-Op fruit to back him up, it had been a nightmare. He’d needed to keep a Room up for over twelve hours straight. There was still work to be done but he didn’t have the energy to stand, let alone continue a delicate operation. They were no longer careening toward death. That would have to do for the time being.

Law would have liked nothing more than to slip into unconsciousness himself. Ideally he would go to his quarters and slip into bed. It was one of the few places in the world where he felt secure enough anymore to fall into a deep sleep. At this point, though, he would have happily settled for passing out on the floor in the operating room. But what he might want would have to wait. It always did, when it came to Doflamingo.

He groped blindly at the shelf behind him until he found his den den mushi. He allowed himself one bracing breath before dialing.

“You’re alive.”

Law suppressed the shudder he felt at hearing that voice. After all these years it shouldn’t have affected him the way it did. “I am.”

“That was quite the show you put on.”

Law’s mind raced immediately in response, looking for the right response. Doflamingo was all about theatrics. His whole so-called Family was. So, there was a chance he approved of what Law had done. It would all depend on how this reflected on him. It would definitely cause a stir. Law had known that from the moment his small submarine surfaced at Marineford. He’d gone in knowing it was likely to be a disaster but, for some reason, he hadn’t cared. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d acted without first considering how Doflamingo would feel about it. What could Law say? If Doflamingo didn’t approve, Law was certain there wasn’t an explanation that would please him, regardless.

“I’m sorry.” The apology tasted like ash on his tongue, like the bile building at the back of his throat. “I—”

“I don’t really care,” Doflamingo drawled. A hint of amusement tinged his voice. With him, that could be genuine or it could be a sign of something very dangerous. He didn’t sound angry, at the very least, but that meant very little. Law knew the venom that could hide behind a smile. “I still have business to take care of but we’ll have to have a good talk as soon as you’re back in Dressrosa. Come home the moment you’re done playing around.”

The line went dead, leaving silence that rang in Law’s ears.

Home. It stuck out to Law, like a nail in the floorboards. Doflamingo couldn’t be so self centered that he thought Law actually felt that way about the palace on Dressrosa, even after nearly a decade. Or, actually, Doflamingo could very well be that delusional. The fact was, it could be the rest of Law’s life and he would never feel that way about it. Not that it mattered, in the end. Home or prison, it was where Law would always return. So long as Cora was there, Law would be, too.

He didn’t have to be, though, a dark voice inside him whispered. He could leave. There had never been a better opportunity for Law to slip away and never return. Doflamingo wouldn’t be expecting him back for weeks. He could have a real head start. He could finally be free.

“Dammit.”

He banged his head back against the metal cabinet behind him and jabbed another number into the den den mushi. A tap on the other end let him know that Cora was there and that it was safe to talk.

“Cora-san, I...”

Guilt tightened Law’s throat. He’d done nothing but betray Cora. His hand tightened around the receiver so that it creaked in his grip. He heard another tap from the other end of the line.

Yes?

Law swallowed hard. The less Cora knew of how Law had failed him, the better. Let him think that Law was in any way worthy of the sacrifices he’d made. But Law couldn’t leave him completely in the dark. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine coming on. It was hard to think through the pain and haze of exhaustion. He was certain he was going to say the wrong thing.

“I did something stupid. Doflamingo already knows. I don’t know if it’s in the news already. Maybe you’ve already seen. I wanted you to know, though, in case Doflamingo— I want you to be safe.”

He counted heartbeats as he waited. Finally there were a series of taps. It was part of the communication they’d worked out over the years and a phrase Law had probably heard more than any other from Cora.

Are you okay?

“I’m fine.”

That lie came easily. He could have been asleep and the same words would have come out. He should have left it at that. That was safe. It might not satisfy Cora, but they were both used to conversations ending there. But then his roving eyes landed on the blood that was now splattered about his ordinarily spotless operating room. It was a mess. It was all a giant mess. Law bit down on his lip as it started to tremble. It wasn’t enough to stop him from venting everything that had built up. The entire story tumbled out, from waiting in Marineford’s harbor like the obedient dog he was to his snap decision and rushed escape as he struggled to drag two terminal patients back from the brink.

It all seemed to come out as one long jumble of words that left him breathless by the time he was done. “It was stupid,” he said, more to himself than to the man on the other end of the line. “I knew while I was doing it that I shouldn’t. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

He’d watched as the brother Straw Hat had come to save was murdered in front of him. The oppressive weight of fire and death had nearly been enough to choke Law. It had struck something deep in him and shook loose long buried memories of Flevance.

Law’s hands started to shake as he waited for a response. There weren’t any more taps but a sharp inhale. Cora was upset. He’d said too much.

“I shouldn’t have done it,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry. Take care of yourself. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He hung up. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes until they hurt and he cried. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d let tears fall but he didn’t have the strength left to stop them.

He had to hope that one stupid act in ten years of service wouldn’t be enough for Doflamingo to decide to do something drastic. Or, if he did, let it fall on Law’s own head. This had nothing to do with Cora. Law was officially the third Corazon. It was time Doflamingo started punishing him directly for acting out.

Maybe he could make that argument. Or, if that didn’t work, he could beg. He would beg, if he had to. If it would save Cora, he would do anything. Hadn’t he shown that by now?

As he considered his options, Law slid further down onto the cold metal floor and fell into a fitful sleep.

#one piece #one piece au #corazon!law #trafalgar law #trafalgar d. water law #donquixote doflamingo #doflamingo #donquixote rosinante #donquixote rocinante #corazon #fic

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yandearest · 5 years ago

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May The Odds Be Ever in Your Favor (Hoseok x Reader Hunger Games AU) Chapter 2: Training Day

Summary - Living in District 4 you never thought you would have to worry about being selected for the Hunger Games. With a training centre right near the dock of the houseboat you lived and fished from, your district was known for volunteers who trained their whole lives for a shot at glory and riches. But at age 18, your name is called and no girls volunteer to take your place. Your devastation is answered when Kim Namjoon volunteers for the males shortly after. Tall, muscular, highly intelligent and charming, the years of diligent preparation have bestowed Namjoon with the expectation of being the next District 4 champion after Finnick Odair last won 3 years ago.

Fishing for a living has granted you skills with a knife but, as your mentor Finnick is quick to describe, your beautiful face may well be your best asset.

Upon arrival in the Capitol you are quickly faced with the reality that Namjoon may not even be the biggest danger inside the Arena. Especially when you capture the obsessive attention of District 2′s own volunteer, and killing machine, Jung Hoseok. Hope soon fades from ‘survival’ to ‘the mercy of a painless death’ but Hoseok certainly has other plans.

Pairing - Hoseok x (fem)Reader

Genre - thriller, angst, yandere

Word Count 7.2K

Warnings - [in later chapters] major character death, graphic depictions of violence, swearing, obsession, dubcon-smut (smut will be marked so reading is optional), gore, unrealistically beautiful oc because I’m a sucker for that shitty trope and want to live vicariously through my writing (sue me)

The following is a dark fic featuring a yandere character, violence, obsession, and coercion. By no means does writing about this in a fictional setting condone any of those behaviours, much like Stephen King writing horror doesn’t mean he approves of psychotic killers in reality. Please avoid reading if any of these warnings makes you uncomfortable.

Previous Chapter: 1

Cross posted on A03 so people can subscribe for updates/notifications

Training began the following morning at 10am, although when you woke for breakfast at 8 Namjoon was nowhere to be found in your living quarters. Finnick informed you that Namjoon had left to begin early as you elected for a bowl of cereal instead of the array of foods presented on the dining table. To anyone else the spread of pancakes, syrup, pastries, bagels, bacon, eggs, sausages and other delicacies you weren’t even familiar with would have appeared mouth watering. But in your state it all just looked like cardboard. You didn’t trust yourself to be able to keep anything down but knew you had to at least eat something so you wouldn’t pass out later.

You tried to make the most of the one on one time with Finnick, listening as he talked about the range of stations that would be inside the gym. For the most part he seemed to suggest being a shadow to the rest of the careers, “play along and act dumb so they think you trust them and are too stupid to make plans for yourself”. Your best bet of survival relied entirely on them underestimating you and you being able to correctly time when to stab them in the back (literally) before they disposed of you.

Once you finished barely eating, you dressed in the capitol provided athletic wear; a fitted black T shirt with decorative panels of silver and gold along the sides and the number 4 emblazoned on your sleeves, along with a pair of just-below-knee-length black leggings that also featured the same silver and gold design as a strip on the sides. After tightly lacing up your sneakers, and tying your hair into a high ponytail, you took the elevator from the floor of your living quarter down to the basement where the gym was located.

You had no idea what you were expecting, perhaps something similar to the warehouse gym back in 4, but the spacious room that you arrived in was definitely not it. To start with, despite being under ground beneath an apartment complex, it looked like it could easily fit at least five warehouses inside the space. There were so many stations set up you wondered how it would be humanly possible to even attempt all of them within your three-day time limit. There were more weapons here than you had ever seen in your entire life combined; what appeared to be a parkour racing course, a rope climb, fire making equipment, a knotting station, something that looked like a paint set up, a tablet with symbols (what use that was supposed to bring you had no idea) and many other things you weren’t sure of. A large digital clock was mounted in the middle of the wall at the back, near a rock climbing wall, displaying the time as 9:45AM. You tried to swallow down your nerves as you scanned across the room looking for Namjoon. You found him easily at the weight section, bench pressing a large barbell you didn’t care enough to read the weight on. It seemed like a pretty basic scare tactic of trying to intimidate the other districts with his strength, but it didn’t have any impact on you because you were already aware.

“What’s muscles over there trying to prove?” a sudden voice at your side caused you to start, whipping your head to see Krystal next to you. She didn’t quite smile but there was an amused look to her eyes and a little quirk to the corner of her mouth.

“Holy shit please don’t sneak up on me like that in the arena, I will literally die of a heart attack” you exhaled with an awkward laugh at the end.

“Wouldn’t be the most painful way to die in there,” Krystal retorted with a shrug. She looked different compared to last night, but you supposed you could say the same for everyone if you compared them in an elaborate costumer to their gym wear. Her sleek black hair had been braided into two French plaits down the back of her head and secured into twin buns on the bottom.

“Touché,” you agreed but quickly moved to shift the topic away from you dying. “To answer your question Namjoon’s probably trying to intimidate some kids into thinking he’s going to bench press them to death.”

Krystal gave an amused hum before gesturing towards her fellow district mate Yoongi who was lazily sitting against the wall nearby. Training hadn’t even started yet and he looked like he’d much rather be asleep. It was hard to think of him as the confidently spoken cape wearing tribute from yesterday when he was now slumped against a wall. If anything he looked quite adorable.

“We just got here, have you seen 2?”

“No, I just got here myself, Namjoon came early to get extra training in”

You looked around the warehouse again trying to spot a familiar head of copper hair or Athena’s cropped blonde pixie cut but couldn’t see either of them for now.

“If he wants to wear himself out before we even get into the arena that’s his business, but if he pulls a muscle or drops a barbell on his head, I’m not carrying him,” Krystal muttered as Namjoon grunted lifting his weights up a final time before slamming them back on the rack.

“Agreed.” You murmured whilst Namjoon finally spotted you were here and nodded towards you and District 1 in recognition, before walking over. Krystal and yourself both gave half hearted waves in reply, Yoongi looked like he had actually fallen asleep and didn’t do anything.

“Hey,” Namjoon greeted wiping his forehead on his shirt sleeve and taking a drink from his water bottle. As much as you had made light of his workout before the fact he was barely out of breath after lifting more than twice your body weight was pretty intimidating. “Have you seen 2 yet?” You were about to tell him what you had just told Krystal when a raspy voice spoke from behind you

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

Turning around you saw Hoseok and Athena walking out from where the elevators were nearby. Athena looked almost unrecognizable in comparison to her warrior outfit and smoky make up from the night before. Her short hair was pushed back with a headband and her face much rounder. She was definitely shorter without her heeled shoes and her body type much curvier than what her costume showed. Whilst Athena, Yoongi and Krystal all looked softer without their costumes and make up Hoseok somehow still managed to radiate the same aura from the tribute parade. His form fitting T-shirt and pants (in the same design as everyone else’s) accentuate his lithe build. The tights he wore showcase the definition of his calves and thighs, along with how long his legs were. The definition of his abs could be seen through the black shirt and his biceps were on display. It appeared he didn’t need any bronzing powder or contouring make-up to sharpen his facial features; his high nose and cheekbones were still just as prominent and his jawline just as sharp. He ran a hand through his hair, which was disheveled from not being styled, but somehow still managed to look good anyway.

When you make the mistake of looking into his eyes you can see that there was definitely no make up involved in the intensity of his stare from yesterday, it’s still just as unnerving this morning. The corner of his lip pulls up into a smirk as he sees you assessing his appearance and he has no shame running his eyes over your body.

“Nice of you to show up,” Namjoon grunted, clearly not impressed with the way Hoseok was staring at you again.

“Relax we’ve still got five minutes until we’re officially mean to start” Athena said as she stops beside Namjoon. She strikes up a conversation to try and distract him like Hoseok had told her to do. Why exactly she was following his instructions she didn’t really know, but she didn’t particularly care to upset him at this point so she simply played along. Namjoon was easy enough to engage, all she did was ask him what he had been doing to work up a sweat and he immediately leapt into a description of the circuit he had been training.

Hoseok moved to take the spot between Athena and yourself.

“Morning love,” he whispered under his breath, touching your elbow gently and leaning down slightly in a way that’s only intended for you to hear. You shudder at the feeling of his warm breath ghosting against the shell of your ear and curse your body for it’s unconscious reaction.

He pulls his hand away just as quickly, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention, but wishes he could maintain some form of physical contact. ‘There’ll be plenty of time for that in the arena,’ Hoseok assures himself watching as your cheeks flush that same rose color they did last night. He can’t explain why, but something so simple as your blush makes him feel ecstatic. Oh the things he would do to you to see what else makes you flush that pretty color for him again.

“Hey,” you reply, trying not to break the eye contact out of fear it could be taken as a sign of weakness. He’s tall so you need to look up, but you’re not that short either so it’s not a high angle. You’d estimate the top of your head reaching around his nose if you had to guess.

“I’ve been dying to ask this since seeing you yesterday, but what is an angel like you doing at these games?” his voice is still low, but not as quiet as before, as Namjoon continues to elaborate on his morning work out whilst Athena pretends to care.

“Uh same reason nearly everyone else here is, my name got pulled out the bowl,” you tried to casually respond with a shrug but knew the devastation would have been showing in your eyes. There were some things you just weren’t capable of hiding, and your fear at your situation and imminent death was one of those things. “And you?”

Hoseok frowns and you wonder if you somehow said something wrong but then he softly shakes his head.

“Volunteer,” he states and you swallow with a nod, unconsciously shifting backwards a little. His very appearance is lethal so it really shouldn’t be a surprise at all that he’s signed himself up to slaughter people like you, just the same way Namjoon had.

“Right, I mean you’re a career,” you shrug again looking across at Krystal, Athena, and Yoongi, wondering if they were volunteers too.

“Hey,” his hand was back on your elbow again, he didn’t give a shit if the others saw him. The feelings he was already experiencing towards you had just been intensified immeasurably by the fact you were innocent in these games. He didn’t know how to possibly describe it; all he knew was that from all the words that existed, in all of the languages in the history of mankind, there would never be a way to explain it.

He saw the tremble in your body whenever he looked at you, the shudder earlier when his breath met your ear, surely you had to feel something towards him too. There was no possible way that these emotions he was experiencing could be contained in just one body, you had to be sharing this experience. Was this a ‘soulmate’ that he had only read of before in passing regarding outdated literature? He had never been the kind to believe in fate before, as far as he had trained his whole life to believe, his only destiny was to win the games and bring honor to his family. But as you stood before him, for only the second time in his life, he just knew that you had been preordained for him.

At his age of eighteen he had experienced love in some capacity before, his parents, his sister, a few close friends and a couple of girlfriends here and there but none of those emotional connections compared to you. Surely you would feel the same way about him too, but of course as the poor reaped tribute that you were, you were too afraid to be able to focus on him right now. He was furious you were even here, how dare none of the other female trainees from 4 volunteer to save your precious existence. How cruel the forces of the universe were, for gifting him with an angel only for her to be so close yet still so out of reach. These intense emotions were far too much for one person to ever experience alone, so somehow he must be possessing part of your emotions for him, because you weren’t capable of focusing on anything more than survival right now. His poor defenseless angel, how much you needed him right now.

That must be it. A trial from beyond these games where he would have to earn not just this victory but a way to make you experience your love. There had to be a reason why you were here, it’s because it was for him to prove himself worthy of you. Oh how he wishes you could have met outside, after his victory tour when he went to 4 and he could just pick you from the crowd and make you his. But that would’ve been too simple. Yes, a love like this only came once in a lifetime, he was certain, and he would need to move heaven and earth to somehow save himself and you. But there had to be a reason that the universe had put you together right at this very moment. There had to be a way for him to save you both, and he knew he would kill anyone and everyone who got in his way.

“I promised you last night, I won’t hurt you, and I meant it,” he said, squeezing your elbow – not tight enough to hurt – as if trying to implore you to believe him. His hand felt warm and his hold was firm, shooting a tingling sensation down your spine. You tried to suppress the physical affect his touch was having on you, knowing nothing good could possibly come out of any attraction. You hated just how strongly your body was reacting to him, wondering why the hell he was trying to flirt before he would inevitably try to kill you, and why your body was liking it. But even though you were a tribute, ultimately you were still only human.

“Hoseok, you literally volunteered to kill me, it’s fine,” you began as a small voice internally added ‘well it’s not fine really but that’s besides the point’. A look you couldn’t read flashed in Hoseok’s eyes and he opened his mouth to say something, but you continued on before he could speak.

“I’ve seen enough of these games to know how the career pack works. I’ll help you guys and when it comes down to the end I’ll just try as hard as I can. There’s only one winner and look at you,” your eyes were on his torso because you couldn’t bring yourself to maintain the eye contact as you spoke. The outline of his pectorals and abs that were visible through the fabric of his shirt, compared to your barely toned figure in comparison, did all the speaking in that regard anyway. Looking down at his grip on your elbow, you could see how the fingers on his large hand nearly wrapped all the way around your arm. His own biceps would easily be twice the size of yours.

“Look at Namjoon,” you subtly gestured to your much larger district-mate, “and then look at me.” You weren’t exactly unfit, all the years of physical labor from working on your family’s boat had helped give you some muscle definition, but it was nothing compared to a trained killer.

“You don’t have to lie to me.”

“I’m not lyi-”

Hoseok’s objection was cut off by an announcement coming from the other side of the room. It was now 10 am and everyone had to attend a briefing in regards to how training worked. Hoseok scowled at the interruption before quickly dropping your arm to avoid suspicion from the others.

“This isn’t over,” he whispered, as you followed with the others to where a dark skinned woman stood in the center of the room. She introduced herself as Atala and ran through the basics of how the next three days would work. Her commentary about dehydration and infection being as much of a danger in the arena as the weapons was particularly interesting to, you wondered if Namjoon had spent as much time on his survival skills as he did on his fighting in the old warehouse back at 4. You doubted it. You also noticed a window on the wall that your back had been facing when you entered the room, where a room of mostly men in suits with eccentric beards and wild colored hair styles were sitting on lounges. Atala introduced them as the game makers who were here to observe, sending a shiver of disgust throughout your body.

Before being allowed to focus on the stations of your choice there was a tribute wide assessment on four of the obstacles: Monkey bars, a fire making station, a memory game (which explained what that strange tablet thing was) and a one on one physical combat match with a Capital trainer. The monkey bars were first and tributes were to perform in the order of their district numbers. You were mildly surprised by how Yoongi went from appearing lethargic to swinging across the bars with ease, but as a career it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Krystal and Athena both had no trouble and Hoseok flew across the rungs twice as fast as the others. You swallowed a nervous lump in your throat when your turn came, feeling the pressure of being in a career district and having all eyes focused on you. Upper body strength had never been your strong point, and you knew the furthest you would probably be able to get was around the half way mark. The girl from 3 had struggled and fallen off nearly immediately but you still didn’t want to fail, especially not with Namjoon breathing down your neck behind you. Back at home you had needed to climb around the boat before in order to make repairs, which suddenly gave you an idea.

Jumping up to reach the bar, you used the momentum to swing your legs through and up onto the next bar in front. Hooking your ankles under you pulled your legs through the gap until you were hanging by your knees. With your weight now more evenly distributed you were able to pull yourself up and awkwardly climb over so you were then on top of the bars. From there you tried not to look down at the long fall onto the thin mat below and crawled your way to the other end before lowering yourself back down when you reached the other side.

“Unconventional, but effective” the person who was responsible for measuring the times and taking notes muttered as they scribbled down something on their clipboard.

“Not bad, spaghetti arms” Athena nodded her approval, her own arm muscles were probably close to the same size as Yoongi’s.

“Gotta know your own strengths and weaknesses,” you smiled back with a shrug. Your time was much slower than the others – Namjoon racing across the other side in a speed to rival Hoseok, right after you were done – but it was still better than not even being able to complete the course at all.

The other assessments were pretty much non eventful with predictable results. You performed decently in comparison to other reaped tributes but were definitely lacking compared to the rest of the careers. You could also detect a bit of rivalry beginning to brew between Namjoon and Hoseok as they tried to one up the other. Hoseok was the faster of the two to light a fire but Namjoon was quicker in being able to solve the memory puzzle. Both of them landed ‘lethal blow’ scores against the capital trainer in their sparring match (you had managed to land a simulated hit of the heel of your hand to the capital trainer’s nose which had counted as an ‘incapacitated blow’ – not a bad score).

With the mandatory grading over you were then given individual feedback along with suggestions on recommended training stations before breaking for lunch. After all the exercise you couldn’t help but feel much hungrier than you had before during breakfast, and helped yourself to a sandwich, along with an apple and a bottle of water from the provided catering. The feedback had been handed out on a card, in order of the district number, before you were dismissed for lunch, and you didn’t pay attention to where 1 and 2 had walked off to. Wanting to be alone anyway you walked around a corridor into an empty hallway and took a seat on the floor against the wall. Leaning back, you raised your knees and rested your elbows on your legs as you scanned across your feedback card. You noted there weren’t any grades or scores, but merely recordings of the time it took for you to complete the activity and a short written assessment next to each. At the bottom were the suggestions for which areas to focus on over the remaining days.

Your evaluation had described you as ‘a dark horse’. The Capital had picked up on the career’s alliance and noted that you were the physically weakest of the six members, however they gave you commendation for unconventional problem solving during the monkey bars. The primary suggestion was focusing on weapons based training in order to stand a chance of survival when the time came for the careers to turn against one another. There was also a suggestion to train more on agility based exercises that played to your existing skills, rather that bothering with weights or physical strength stations that would be impossible to build in such a short time.

“How did you go?”

The sudden voice and presence at your side, whilst you were intently focused on reading your card, caused you to jump and nearly swallow your last mouthful of sandwich down the wrong way. You managed to just catch it with an awkward choke, reaching for your bottle of water to swallow it down properly. To your absolute humiliation, you looked up to see Hoseok standing above you with an amused look on his face.

“Uh, fine I guess,” you muttered, fiddling with the card in your hand as he sat down beside you. “You?”

“As expected,” was all he replied with. You nodded awkwardly. You had seen him perform before you in all of the tasks and sail through each of them with ease. ‘As expected,’ meant nothing less than perfection for him. You couldn’t help but wonder if your death was going to be by his hand, and if that would just be ‘as expected’ for him as well.

“Let me see your card.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but the words were caught in your throat (much like your previous mouthful of sandwich) as Hoseok easily pinched your card out from your fingertips and passed you his along the carpet in return. Frowning, you picked his up, to at least pretend it was a mutual exchange.

“Did you swap cards with the others?” you asked, wondering why he was interested in your report. You skim read across his, finding commentary about Hoseok’s speed, skill and lethality, along with a note stating him as a lead contender, nothing that you weren’t already aware of.

“Nope,” Hoseok dismissed, lips pursed as he read your card much slower.

You frowned at this, passing his card across the floor and reaching over to try and grab yours back, only for Hoseok to lazily lean to the side away from you, with a hint of an amused smile. You let an annoyed huff of air out.

“So why are you reading mine then?”

At this Hoseok paused to raise an eyebrow and make eye contact with you over the top of your card in his hands.

“Because I don’t care about the others.”

He found the stunned look of confusion on your face to be absolutely adorable.

“But…” you paused, not even knowing what to say. Shouldn’t he at least care for his own district mate? Granted you didn’t care much for Namjoon but you were at least somewhat going along with him for the sake of presenting a cohesive alliance. And if he didn’t care about the alliance then what was he doing here with you? The implication of his statement was quite clear that he somehow cared about you, so what had you possibly done to warrant his apparent attention.

“Why?” was all you could eventually ask.

He lowered your card to the floor and slid it back towards you, leaning across with it. You predictably reached to pick your card back up and he instantly took the opportunity to put his hand over yours. You flinched and attempted to pull back, but his grip only tightened, forcing your hand to remain below his much larger one.

Your pulse began to rapidly accelerate. You knew he couldn’t harm you, not until you were in the arena. But to be alone and so easily caught and toyed with, by someone much more powerful than you, was frightening. You looked up from his hand to his handsome face, trying not to tremble as Hoseok stared back with a lazy smirk in place. The thumb on his hand over yours was softly stroking the skin around your wrist and you could swear your heart was pounding so fast he had to be able to feel your erratic pulse.

“Because I need you to be with me at the end.” His husky voice was a low murmur, as he leaned in closer again. Your hand remained clasped tightly below his

“So you can have an easy kill, because I’m weaker than the others?” you frown, knowing your assessment would have told him as much. But Hoseok was quick with a denial.

“No.”

“Then why?” You pushed, growing frustrated with his indirect answers and your hand still trapped in his. Hoseok only tilted his head to the side and released a sigh, looking highly amused.

“Don’t you trust me? You know I’ve promised not to hurt you darling,” his low voice grew quieter still, barely above a whisper, causing you to lean in so you could hear him better.

“Darling?” You balked at the endearment. Whatever answer you could possibly imagine coming out of Hoseok, it definitely wasn’t that. “Hoseok I don’t know what kind of game your playi-”

“You’re not a game to me.” He cut you off before you could even finish your sentence. Undeterred you rushed to speak again.

“But we’re literally in The Hunger Games and one of us is going to have to kill the other. And you and I both know how much easier it would be for you to kill me, than the other way around.”

“Oh so you find the thought of killing me unbearable?”

He quirked his eyebrow with a smirk and again you tried to yank your hand back in annoyance, but he only moved his grip further up to clasp tightly around your wrist. His long fingers easily wrapped all the way around, as he then pulled your arm back towards him, causing your upper body to lean further forward. Unconsciously you let out a breathless whimper in shock, your faces now so close you could feel his breath fanning across the side of your cheek.

“I… I don’t even know how I can kill anybody. You’re the volunteer here and clearly the better fighter between us so you would easily kill me in a final two,” you whispered, trying to turn your head away from his, only for the side of your face to press against the wall.

“Oh but darling you’re wrong, to kill you would be to kill myself.”

The hand that wasn’t pinning your wrist to the ground moved to cradle the side of your face, his fingers threading into your hair and thumb running along the top of your cheekbone.

“Hoseok, stop.” You raised your free hand to push against his chest, but he was solid as a rock and didn’t even budge. Instead he only curled his torso in towards you, pinning you in place against his body and the wall. You whimpered in fear, eyes scanning the hallway trying to find a way out, only for Hoseok to press his nose against your temple and lips to the shell of your ear.

“You may not even know it yourself but I can feel it in your pulse how your heart calls for me. Every beat I feel beneath my fingertip sings to my own, that already belongs to you. If you were to die, my heart would have no need to beat without the one it beats for.”

His deep voice was a seductive purr as his breath against your ear sent a shiver throughout your entire body. His hold on your face forced you to look back into his eyes once more, which held the same intense passion you had seen in them last night.

“How c-can you even say something like that, it hasn’t even been a day s-since we met?” you choked as you felt tears beginning to sting in your eyes.

“Because I felt it the second I laid my eyes on you, and seeing you again this morning only made me feel a hundred times stronger.

“Please stop, I’m going to be dead in a week so can you please just not turn my life into some sick joke,” it was all you could do to beg as the first tear spilled from the corner of your eye, his thumb below easily wiping it away.

“I’m. Not. Joking,” he hissed, each word punctuated by his fingers burying into your hair and clenching tightly at the roots, causing you to gasp as more tears spilled out.

“You’re hurting me,” you whimpered, the hand on his chest reaching up to try and pull at his hand that was holding onto a fist full of your hair. His grip instantly released, his hand moving to grab onto yours and thread his fingers in between your own, before squeezing tightly.

“Not as much as you hurt me whenever you try to deny me,” he retorted, pulling your hand to his lips to place a kiss upon the back.

“What do I possibly gain from a game perspective to choose you as my final partner? You said it yourself that you’re the weakest so that means I’ll need to protect you from the other four when the alliance turns. And believe me princess, I will. I’ll slaughter every one of them in cold blood. I’ll snap the neck of anyone who so much as harms a single hair upon your head. I’m going to kill them all for you baby, and I’ll make you watch so you can see just far how far I’ll go for you.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” you whispered brokenly, tears spilling freely from your eyes now.

“Because,” Hoseok dropped your hand to grab ahold of your chin as his lips moved in closer. When he spoke you could feel them brushing against yours “you’re mine.”

But before Hoseok could firmly press his lips to yours in the kiss he longed for, a sudden shout broke the atmosphere he had worked so hard to build.

“YN!”

You never thought you’d be relieved to hear the sound of Namjoon’s angry voice barking in your direction, but his appearance around the corner and into the hallway caused you to exhale a long breath you didn’t even know you were holding.

“What are you both doing here?” Namjoon growled, angrily striding towards you as Yoongi, Krystal, and Athena followed behind him.

Hoseok, who had his back turned to their direction, scowled in anger at the disruption, before quickly masking his face to a neutral expression. The sudden change in demeanour causing you to flinch.

“I found this one here having a bit of a breakdown over her report card,” Hoseok said, lazily getting to his feet and shooting you a wink as your jaw dropped in shock at his smooth and blatant lie.

“No! I- I…” You immediately went to protest only for the words to be caught in your throat. It would just be Hoseok’s word against your own. And who would believe you? His words were so insane you could barely even believe what he had just been saying.

“It’s ok YN,” he purred, as the others walked over towards you. You angrily got to your feet wiping your eyes, not wanting to be a crying mess on the floor in front of the whole group. “I was just telling her there’s no need to worry. First day freak outs can happen to the best of us.”

“I’m fine,” you scowled, crossing your arms and glaring at the floor and seeing the damned report card laying on the carpet.

“I just wanted some time to myself and if anything having someone around only made it worse” you bit back.

“Very well then,” Hoseok smirked raising his arms in a mock surrender gesture and waving his hands theatrically. “Excuse me for trying to be a good teammate.”

“I didn-” before you could rip into him, you were interrupted by another.

“Can you all give me one minute to talk to my district partner,” Namjoon grunted at the others. He didn’t bother waiting for an answer, grabbing a hold of the top of your arm and dragging you further back up the hallway. You didn’t know what was worse between him bossing you around since the train ride or Hoseok’s crazy confession, but what you did know was that if anyone else tried to manhandle you again you were going to take your chances on your own in the arena. It had only been one day and you were rapidly growing sick of this alliance. You’d rather die with dignity on your own than be dragged around like a dog’s chew toy.

“Let me go,” you hissed, when you were far away enough not to be overheard, grabbing his hand and ripping it off your arm. Namjoon just rolled his eyes before staring down at you from his tall height.

“What the fuck was that about?” he asked.

For a moment you breathed a sigh of relief. Trying to convince Athena or District 1 about Hoseok losing his mind would be one thing, but Namjoon was your own team mate. You vaguely knew each other from growing up in the same town. Maybe he might actually believe you. Glancing back to the others you saw them chatting amongst themselves, Krystal was now holding your report card and Yoongi gave a dismissive shrug to something Athena had just said. As if sensing your gaze, Hoseok glanced across to make eye contact. The corner of his lip curled up and he cocked his eyebrow smugly as if to say ‘go on and tell him, see if he believes you’. You scowled at him before turning back to Namjoon and grabbing a hold of his arm (missing the way Hoseok’s nose twitched in annoyance at you initiating the physical contact with another man).

“Namjoon, please, you have to believe me,” you began, instantly lowering your voice as you squeezed his bicep imploringly – your hand didn’t even wrap halfway around the much stronger boy’s arm.

“What happened?” he asked bluntly, eyebrows narrowing into a frown.

So you told him. Speaking as quietly as possible and trying to rush through the details as fast as you could, you hurriedly told him about how Hoseok had found you alone and stolen your card, before pinning you against the wall, claiming you were his, and threatening to kill all the others. You finished by telling him how it was only through the rest of the group showing up when they did, that had stopped Hoseok from kissing you.

“It was humiliating,” you hissed out, trying to choke down the lump in your throat that had built up as you were recalling what happened.

“I don’t want to be in the career pack anymore, I can’t do it, not with him.”

You looked up at Namjoon, begging him with your eyes to believe what you had just said.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?”

You dropped his arm and visibly recoiled as if his words had physically hit you. As far as you were concerned he may as well have.

“Some pretty boy spouts some Romeo and Juliet bullshit so you want to leave the best chance either of us have for surviving this thing? How can you actually be that stupid?!”

You were fuming. How dare he just dismiss what had happened to you like that. You had taken a leap of faith, hoping that as your own team mate he would believe you, and instead he had virtually spat in your face as a response.

“I’m not stupid Namjoon!” You sneered. “The one year my name gets called out is the one year no girls volunteer because they knew that you were going to. If the girls who have spent their whole lives training know they can’t beat you, how the fuck do you think I feel right now? Maybe it’s easier for you because you’ve actually got a chance in these games, but I’m going to die. And none of this is my choice, you actually chose to be here! You were the one who said on the train that you wanted us to join the career pack, so I did! And now I’m the one being harassed, not you! Stop treating me like a child because I’m not just a pawn you can tell what to do until you decide to kill me.”

“If you don’t want to be treated like a child then stop acting like a pathetic fool over the first boy to give you some attention. Do you think your pretty little face is somehow special enough for Hoseok to actually fall in love with at first sight?”

“Of course not!”

“You should be thanking me for pulling your head back in from whatever deluded little fantasy he’s trying to spin. Are you that stupid you can’t tell he’s just trying to divide us so you want to work with him instead of me by the time we get to the end game? At the very least you and I know each other and I guarantee you, in that arena it’s better the devil you know”

You wanted to point out how you were the one to tell him about Hoseok, and clearly were trying to work with Namjoon instead, only for him to berate you, but logic was out the window by this stage.

“Is it? Cause it sounds to me like you’re just keeping me around until you decide to break my neck when it’s convenient for you,” you snapped instead.

“That’s how alliances work sweetheart. You watch my back in the pack to make sure 1 or 2 don’t just slit my throat in my sleep. I drag your ungrateful ass around and make sure you aren’t taken out by some amateur who wouldn’t know the difference between a liver and an intestine. Is that how you want to die? Bleeding out for hours after being stabbed by an untrained idiot and spending your final moments in agony? Would you rather die by someone beating your head in with a rock because that’s the only weapon they know how to use? Let’s see how beautiful you are with your skull smashed in huh. Or do you want to go from starvation or hypothermia because you’re lost and all alone?”

You were absolutely stunned. He was expecting you to just follow him around the arena like a little puppy, where the only incentive for doing so would be his definition of a merciful death? Before you could tell him where he could shove his alliance, your argument was cut off by the approaching voice of Athena.

“I don’t know what kind of little lover’s quarrel you two have got going on here” you could swear you heard a warning growl from Hoseok “but get your shit together. We can’t have infighting in the alliance, especially before we even get into the arena. You,” a point at Namjoon, “stop treating her like shit. And you,” a point at you, “Stop looking like you’re about to cry. You’re a career for fuck sake, a cold blooded killer. Even though you’re obviously not, you at least need to look like one to scare off the other tributes otherwise you’re going to be the lowest hanging fruit they try and pick off first.”

You stared blankly back as Athena kept talking. The other tributes. You had been so preoccupied thinking about Hoseok and Namjoon’s cruelty, you hadn’t even considered your position without them. By now you were established as a career in the eyes of 18 other tributes, regardless of if you wanted to be one or not. From the past years of the games you knew that the other districts would take any opportunity they could to eliminate a career that somehow wound up on their own.

You were completely and utterly ruined no matter what direction you chose to go.

“Hoseok, Namjoon, you two are coming with me to the obstacle course run for a few hours. We need to do some teamwork after you two had your little dick measuring contest before in the graded courses. You two need to do something to make it look like you’re unified because right now because that’s something other tributes can exploit. Krystal, YN, and Yoongi will go to the rope tying station so YN can help us with knots and show off that she’s actually needed in our alliance to the others”

Namjoon nodded curtly whilst Hoseok clearly looked more annoyed at the idea of being split from you and having to work with the Namjoon. However, he quickly covered his expression and nodded as well. Athena gave each of them a shove on the shoulder to get them moving and they walked off out the hallway and back into the training compound.

You took a deep breath, grateful to have a break from either of their presence before looking between Yoongi and Krystal. They didn’t seem particularly interested in you, their sharp eyes and beautiful features were relaxed into a neutral expression that only suggested boredom. That was perfectly fine with you. As a fisherman’s daughter you were indeed well versed in knots and grateful for the reprise which would allow you to spend some time on something you were actually confident with.

“Alright, show me where the knotting station is”

Note: This story was originally a one shot in my mind and has now reached a planned 6 chapters. Aha. I suck.

Ideally I wanted the 'before the games' section to just be one chapter, but found it was starting to get too long after this reached over 7000 words and I still have the other training days, final assessment/grade out of 12 and the interviews with Caesar to cover (those will be in the next chapter, with the games starting in the update after)

The concept of the assessment came from the 1st movie where Atala (the woman who does that ‘in 2 weeks most of you will be dead’ speech in the training centre) mentions a mandatory assessment, so I just worked with an idea from that.

This chapter hopefully showcases more of Hoseok's Yandere nature along with establishing just how much or a horrible character Namjoon is (I swear I'll do a better fic of Namjoon as the lead soon).

#yandere hoseok #yandere bts #bts x reader #dark bts #dark jhope #y!hoseok #hoseok x reader #yandere bts fic #HUNGER GAMES AU #hoseok fic #hoseok au #hoseok x you #yandere jung hoseok #dark bts au #yandere

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thathopelessromantic · 3 years ago

Text

Reckless Good (3/?)

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia

Fic Rating: Explicit

Chapter Rating: Teen+

Pairing: Todoroki Shouto/Midoriya Izuku

Note: Thanks so much for the great response so far! And if you haven’t already, please check out some of the other great pieces for the TDDK Big Bang this year!

Todoroki Shouto had accepted his fate as a public figure when he became a pro-hero, but there are some parts of his private life he would like to stay private. When he gets invited to be a speaker in a college lecture series, he goes to the meeting with one goal: to give the coordinator a piece of his mind and finally put an end to people hounding him for information about his family.

The last thing he expects is the curious, and quirkless, hero- and quirk-study professor, Midoriya Izuku, who has no interest in his family’s history, and, somehow, even more ties to the hero industry than Shouto. Intrigued by the professor, Shouto tentatively agrees to the lecture series, unknowingly intertwining their futures.

But the more Todoroki sees of Midoriya, the more questions he has. When a villain attack leaves them living together until the culprits are apprehended, maybe he’ll finally get some answers.

AO3: (x) Chapter One: (X) Chapter Two: (X)

Shouto is, regrettably, not unfamiliar with the process of checking into the hospital, or the protocols in the burn unit, but things seem to go surprisingly quick with a doctor at his side, explaining not only the extent of his injury but the cause. Just a few moments after they’ve arrived, Shouto is whisked away from Dr. Midoriya and Kou to have his burn cleaned and dressed. They run the usual battery of tests, poke him for blood what feels like a dozen times, and after about half a dozen reassurances to various doctors and nurses that, yes, he does know how to care for a burn at home, he’s told he might be able to go home later that night.

The room he’s put in is, admittedly, one of the nicer hospital rooms that he’s visited. It’s part of a private wing made specifically for pro-heroes to get a little peace from fans and the media while recovering, but it doesn’t make him hate it any less. He’s only been alone in the room for twenty minutes or so, but he’s already contemplating a prison break. Let Momo handle the paperwork for his unconventional discharge on her next day at the office and call it good. But the risk of being put on some extra mandatory leave is too great. His doctor and Momo have been on his case about taking care of himself properly for months now and they’d love any excuse to bench him for a few extra weeks, instead of the couple of days he’ll need for the burn to heal enough that he can cover it securely and get back to work.

There’s a short knock on the door. Shouto starts to mentally prepare himself for another argument with a doctor when the door inches open and Kou peeks in. Surprised, Shouto waves to her. Kou smiles back, turning to motion at someone behind her. A moment later the door opens the rest of the way and Kou rushes in, followed by Dr. Midoriya.

“Dr. Midoriya and I are on a secret adventure.” Kou announces in a whisper. There’s a Uravity-themed spacesuit sticker on her cheek and she looks as if she’s recovered from the evening’s events, but her clothes have been replaced by a colorful hospital gown and fuzzy bathrobe.

Dr. Midoriya hasn’t changed his clothes, but he has a white lab coat on over top.

“Oh? What is your secret adventure?” Shouto asks. He shifts to the side and makes room for Kou to climb onto the bed besides him.

“Visiting you!” She announces, happily. “It’s a secret because I’m not supposed to leave the quirk ward, but Dr. Midoriya snuck me out. This is for you. Dr. Midoriya said you were friends!” She pulls two more stickers out of a pocket in her robe and hands them to him; a music note that says Earphone Jack and a nesting doll in Creati’s costume.

“Thank you,” Shouto says genuinely, though he has no idea what he’s going to do with the stickers. But his mind is distracted by Kou’s other words. The quirk ward? Obviously there was a reason the villains had targeted the girl, but that detail had gotten buried in the chaos of everything else. Now he’s reminded of the villain’s words…something about her being the key.

He looks up but Dr. Midoriya meets his eye with a subtle shake of his head.

Shouto lets the subject drop for now, but he’s determined to stay a part of this investigation. He’ll get his answers eventually.

Turning back to Kou, he tries a hesitant smile. “Would you still like that autograph?”

Her whole being lights up. “Really?” She reaches into the pocket of her robe again only for her face to drop. “Oh. I forgot my notebook.”

Dr. Midoriya taps her on the shoulder, holding out a small, heart-shaped notepad and a glittery gel pen.

Kou gasps, taking the items from him with excited thanks. She flips through the notebook quickly looking for a blank page, and Shouto is surprised by how many signatures she’s already amassed. Satisfied with the location, she hands the notebook and pen to him. She’s practically vibrating in excitement as he writes a quick note to her, trying to make it sound a little more personal than his usual scribbled signature.

Just as Shouto finishes his note, there’s another knock on the door. Yet another doctor steps into the room, reading through something in a folder. Her long, silver hair is draped over her shoulder in a thick braid and there’s a sharp horn coming out of her forehead. She seems faintly familiar to Shouto but he can’t place why he would recognize her. At the very least he doesn’t think he’s ever had her as a doctor before. She stops in her tracks when she sees Dr. Midoriya and Kou gathered around his hospital bed.

“Izuku!” she scolds, crossing her arms over her chest.

It takes Shouto a moment to remember Izuku is Dr. Midoriya’s first name. He glances up at him.

Dr. Midoriya leans close to Kou, covering his mouth with one hand to stage whisper to her. “I think we got caught.”

Kou copies him with a quiet giggle. “Oops.”

Shouto closes her notebook carefully and slides it across the bed. Kou covertly slips it into her robe.

“What are you even doing here?” The new doctor asks, exasperated. There’s no way she didn’t hear the two of them whispering, but she seems to be ignoring it.

“Kou just wanted to thank Entropy for saving her!” Dr. Midoriya insists, apparently choosing to take no blame in their “secret adventure.”

“Dr. Aizawa has a quirk kind of like mine,” Kou tells Shouto in a hushed voice while the two doctors argue. “She and Dr. Midoriya are really nice. And funny.”

Dr. Aizawa makes it all click. The light hair and the horn. She was the same little girl Aizawa had adopted during Shouto’s first year.

“We were just leaving, Dr. Aizawa!” Kou chimes in suddenly, sliding off the bed and grabbing Dr. Midoriya’s hand. “Bye!”

Dr. Aizawa shakes her head as Dr. Midoriya is pulled out of the room by a girl a quarter his size. “This isn’t over just because you have a patient protecting you, Izuku.”

Dr. Midoriya sends a bright smile back at her just as the door closes on the two of them.

“I hope they weren’t bothering you too much,” Dr. Aizawa says as she comes over to Shouto’s bed.

He shakes his head. “No, I’m glad I got to see her again. I was worried she’d be a little more upset after everything.”

“Kou’s a strong girl. She’s going to be okay.” Dr. Aizawa says with certainty. “Anyways, I’m Aizawa Eri, I’m part of the hero staff here.”

“Aizawa, er...Eraserhead’s daughter, right?”

Dr. Aizawa smiles and it looks so shockingly like Dr. Midoriya’s, Shouto can’t help but wonder about what their connection to each other is. Especially with how casually she spoke to him. Could they be related? It seems like he would have known if his homeroom teacher had also had or adopted a son his age, wouldn’t he? “That’s right, you were one of his students! Nice to see you again.”

Shouto bows his head in acknowledgement. He knows he met the young girl Aizawa adopted a few times, but his memories of her are fuzzy at best.

Dr. Aizawa checks him over again, asking him a few questions about how he’s feeling and what’s been done already. Finally, she gets to why she’s here to see him. “I’m not sure if you would remember, but my quirk is Rewind. It’s delicate but helpful for healing, especially for many pros. If you remember about how long ago you were burned, I should be able to heal your arm so that you can get back to work without too much fuss.”

“Really?”

Dr. Aizawa nods. “I can rewind your body back to before it happened, but it will rewind your whole body so the closer to the exact time it happened the better, otherwise too many things could change. Do you have a good idea of when it happened?”

“What time is it now?”

Dr. Aizawa glances at her watch. “Almost ten.”

Shouto is briefly surprised by that information. He hadn’t realized how long he had been in the hospital already. “I left the agency after the first alerts came in around 6:30, so it was probably around 7 that I made contact with the villain. I can’t be more exact than that, unfortunately.”

“That should work alright. Would you like to be rewound, or would you prefer to let it heal naturally?”

Shouto shakes his head. Anything to speed up the process. “No, please rewind it if you can.”

She smiles. “Okay, it will be just a moment then.”

Dr. Aizawa pulls on a pair of gloves and takes his arm in her hands, gently, mindful of the injury and the loose bandages protecting it.

A moment later the horn at her temple begins to glow, Shouto has to look away as the warm light grows brighter and then, just like that, it’s over. When he looks back at the doctor, her horn has shrunk a little, losing some of the sharp edge at the top.

“Okay! You should be good to go. How does it feel?”

Shouto moves his arm a few times, relieved that there’s no pain as he moves it. Carefully he peels off the bandages. It looks as if he was never injured, not even a small scar left behind.

Dr. Aizawa looks pleased with the results. “Perfect. Unfortunately it doesn’t work on non-living things so you will have to have your costume repaired separately.”

“That’s fine,” Shouto says. He was more worried about being forced to take some sick leave than repairing his costume to begin with. “Thank you.”

Dr. Aizawa smiles again. “Of course. I’m happy to help.” She pulls a few papers out of her folder and hands them to him. “If you are ready, you can take these to the desk out front and you’ll be discharged.”

Shouto hesitates as he takes the papers from her. An hour ago he was ready to run at the first chance, but now…she was someone who might have some answers…

“Kou mentioned that the two of you had similar quirks,”

“I’m sorry. If you become a part of the investigation I’m sure you’ll find out more information, but for now I can’t disclose a patient’s information.” Dr. Aizawa says before he can even finish figuring out exactly what he wants to ask.

“Right. Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I don’t blame you for being curious, not after everything that’s happened.”

Dr. Aizawa looks ready to leave, but there’s one more thing Shouto has to ask. At least while he still has a chance.

“Can I ask about Dr. Midoriya, then?”

Dr. Aizawa stops with a puzzled look. “Izuku? What about him?”

Shouto's mind goes blank. Everything doesn’t seem like a plausible response. At least not one that would get him anywhere. “Uh, I…I was just surprised to hear you call him Izuku. Are you close?”

Dr. Aizawa studies him for a long time as if she could determine whatever ulterior motives he had for asking just by staring him down. Maybe she could if even he knew what he was doing asking these questions.

“I’ve known Izuku for a long time,” she finally says. “He’s like family.”

The answer is careful, guarded. With the slightest undertone of a threat.

“…Right.” Shouto replies awkwardly. “Thank you.”

Dr. Aizawa inclines her head to him. “Have a nice night, Entropy.”

After checking out with Dr. Aizawa’s discharge papers, Shouto heads back to the agency. Sunspot practically tackles him in the lobby.

“Entropy! You’re okay! I thought you were just going to check on the kidnapped civilian, but then Ingenium told me his friend was taking you to the hospital and that I had nothing to worry about so I should just go back to the agency but I didn’t know why you were going to the hospital or what was happening,” she stutters over her words for a moment, taking a breath. “Was it okay to leave? I didn’t know what else to do but I didn’t know what hospital you went to or why. Were you injured? You don’t look hurt. Is that how you damaged your costume?”

Shouto lets her run on while he goes to his office. He knows she’ll follow. And that it’s pointless to try and get a word in until she runs out of breath.

Sunspot sinks into one of his office chairs as he goes to turn his computer on. He lifts a brow at her slumped form in the armchair.

“Are you done?”

She opens her mouth to speak again but after a moment shuts it again and nods.

“The villain who took the hostage burned me. I hadn’t realized the extent of the injury until later. I’m sorry I didn’t contact you personally so that you knew it was okay to come back, but it was fine that you came back. It wasn’t serious.” Shouto explains calmly. “You said Ingenium told you to come back?” Shouto thinks back to Dr. Midoriya texting in the ambulance and he wonders if the two know each other.

Sunspot nods again. “He came and found me and told me a friend was taking you to the hospital. I assumed he meant one of the paramedics. I didn’t know he was friends with the paramedics. Was that part of U.A. training? Getting to know first-responders closely? Or just a coincidence?”

“I think it’s just a coincidence on Ingenium’s part. Not something you’re missing out on.” Shouto says. “You did good tonight. Go home and get some rest.”

“But-”

Shouto gestures to her before she can argue. “You expended a lot of your reserve helping the rescue crews with civilians trapped under the rubble and then helping me melt the ice. It’s okay.”

Sunspot looks down at herself. The faint glow she normally gives off as a result of having excess energy saved up by her quirk is almost completely extinguished. At the late hour, she wouldn’t be able to get any more energy even if they needed to go out into the field again. Not until the sun was up again.

Sunspot pushes herself out of the chair. “I’m sorry I can’t be more help tonight.” She says with a short bow.

Shouto waves her off. “It’s okay.”

“Good night, Entropy.”

“Good night, Sunspot. Good work tonight.” Shouto says. He catches just a glimpse of her relieved smile as his office door closes quietly behind her.

Alone, Shouto settles into his desk chair, already mentally preparing for a long night. He considers going against doctor’s orders and getting some coffee but just barely resists the temptation. Caffeine might end up making him too jittery to focus and this is important. Writing up a more in-depth report of the event for the police and the agency records is the first priority of the night. But after that, Shouto has some research to do.

Momo finds him like that in the morning. Sometime in the night the combination of the late hour and bright computer screen got to him and he went in search of his rarely-worn glasses to take some of the stress off. His final report and the accompanying paperwork are tucked in a folder for safe keeping, but the rest of his desk is a disaster zone of scattered pages, printed news reports of the attack last night with any information he might have missed, any police reports on the matter he could get his hands on with his current clearance, his own compiled notes.

He doesn’t even realize someone else is in the office with him until Momo clears her throat, placing a paper to-go cup of tea in the middle of his desk, on top of the latest piece he’s reading.

“Shouto,” she says seriously, crossing her arms over her chest. “ When did you last take a break?”

Shouto tries to come up with an answer but his brain is fuzzy at best, street names and potential identities floating at the forefront of his consciousness. “Uh, what time is it?”

Momo sighs, rubbing at her temple with one hand. “ Go home, Shouto.”

“I just need to-"

“No.” Momo comes around the other side of his desk, pulling him up and out of his desk chair by one arm. “It’s almost eight o'clock. You need to go home and go to bed.”

Momo might have had a point, his shift was supposed to end at six that morning and he hadn’t even noticed the time, but he digs his heels in, resisting being dragged from the office to the best of his ability. Unfortunately, Momo is stronger than she looks, and has the advantage of a full-night’s sleep on him.

“Go home. Go to sleep. Don’t come back until Saturday.”

“But-”

“You were injured! You should have called me as soon as you were taken to the hospital,” Momo scolds.

“I got better.”

Momo looks at him curiously. She comes to a stop, scanning him over. Shouto’s sure he looks a mess, still half-dressed in his damaged hero-suit, the top unzipped and tied around his waist. His hair has started to escape the braid he had it in for work and he can see the loose hair floating in his peripheral vision. Not to mention how exhausted he probably looks after spending the whole night scouring the police database. But – he’s not injured.

“What do you mean you ‘got better’? You weren’t really injured?”

Shouto sighs. “No, I was. There was a doctor at the hospital with a quirk who fixed it. Aizawa’s daughter, actually.”

Momo’s brows shoot up in surprise. “I didn’t realize she became a doctor. That’s wonderful.” She pauses. “But not the point. You still should have called someone. Though I suppose I should be grateful you went to get help, at all.”

Shouto rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well…there was a doctor on the scene when I was talking to the girl who was targeted who saw my burn.”

“A doctor?”

“Uh…Dr. Midoriya.” Shouto explains. He isn’t sure if Momo will recognize the name, not entirely sure if he wants her to remember or not.

“The professor from the lecture series?” Momo asks in surprise. “What was he doing there?”

“Apparently he’s not just a professor.”

Momo studies him for a few moments, trying to figure something out. Shouto doesn’t blame her. He’d like some answers about his behavior too. He just hopes she comes to an easy conclusion, like Shouto cooperated with Dr. Midoriya because he sort-of knew him, and not anything else ridiculous. Or revealing. Or uncomfortable.

Finally, Momo shakes her head, brushing off whatever conclusions she may have come to. “I don’t care. Go home. Sleep. Eat something. I’ll finish submitting your reports to the police and I’ll make sure they know you are interested in joining the case searching for the villains who escaped last night, but other than talking to anyone who contacts you about the case, I don’t want to hear about you working again until this weekend.”

Shouto wants to keep arguing, he’s not even hurt anymore, but he knows this is the best he’s going to get from her. He is also unbelievably grateful for all the years they’ve known each other and how Momo knows exactly what he needs to hear to relax, even just a little. “Okay. Thank you.”

Momo nods. “We’ll get whoever it is, Shouto. But you don’t have to do it alone. And you can’t do it in one night. So please take care of yourself. I’ll see you on Friday for dinner.”

Momo waves to an intern, instructing them to escort Shouto to the exit. Shouto wants to protest being babysat the rest of the way to the door, but Momo pins him with a hard look before he can even open his mouth and he lets it happen. Admittedly, now that he’s not pouring over his research to keep himself moving, he can feel exhaustion settling over him.

Though he could still find the way to the damn door himself.

Shouto stumbles into his dark apartment twenty minutes later. He leaves the lights off as he comes through the entrance. The morning sun has started to fill the front room with light, and its enough for him to make his way to the bedroom without tripping over anything. His bed is cool, the sheets still ruffled from the previous morning. Shouto just barely remembers to strip off his ruined hero-suit before he drops into the bed, using his left side to warm up the sheets quicker. In a minute, he’s asleep.

When he wakes again, warm golden light pours into the room from his half-open window. He runs a hand over his face, trying to will away the strange, disorienting feeling of waking up. He reaches to his bedside table, knocking a few things to the side until he connects with his alarm clock. Pulling it close, he squints at the lit screen. It was almost five in the afternoon. Shouto tosses the offending thing away. He takes just a few moments to reorient himself before he forces himself out of bed and into the shower.

He only remembers after stepping into the spray that half of his hair is still twisted into a braid. He swears as he tears the now-wet strands free of the stubborn rubber-band, tugging at the knots there unhappily. He doesn’t mean to stay in the shower for long, but after fighting with his hair for who knows how long, the heat and relaxing pound of the spray against his shoulders eases some of the tension from his body and he wastes time under the comforting water until it starts to run cold. The temperature change doesn’t bother him much, but he figures he’s wasted enough water like that and climbs out.

After drying off a little, Shouto brushes his teeth, and that, combined with washing off the grime of the previous day, helps make him feel a little more awake. A little more human.

Shouto dresses in casual civilian clothes. He finds his phone, dead, in a pocket of his hero-suit before tossing the ruined thing in a bag to give to the support team. They’ll probably just have to make him a new one, but he feels bad throwing it away without trying to salvage it.

His charger is plugged in near the bed, so he goes to grab it so he can charge his phone in the kitchen while he makes something to eat. But in fumbling around looking for the charger, he spots his forgotten glasses in the mess of sheets and pillows on his bed. The ear piece on the right side is bent at a strange angle and one of the lenses is cracked. Shit. Well, he supposes, that’s what he gets for wearing them for the first time in months while running on fumes. He tosses the damaged glasses on his side table and leaves for the kitchen.

Finally, he switches on a few lights.

His apartment is mostly bare, plain white walls with just a few basic pieces of furniture, mostly just there to fill the empty space. The occasional dirty glass or dish that gets left behind if he’s in a rush on his way to work are the only signs of the life in the otherwise dull place. Those, and the three picture frames hanging on the wall in his living room; one of his mother and siblings, one of his graduating class with their teachers mixed in with the colorful crowd, and one of the day he and Momo started their agency. They’re the only decoration he needs. They represent all the important people in his life.

There are a few containers of leftovers in the fridge, and while it would be easier to warm something up and leave it at that, Shouto takes the time to pull out some fresh ingredients. Washing off the vegetables and prepping them while rice cooks is a simple, familiar routine and it helps ground him.

He starts a simple stir fry with chicken just as his phone finally comes back to life, chiming with a number of missed notifications. Lowering the heat slightly, Shouto lets it simmer for a minute while he checks his phone.

A few of the notifications are basic news reports he usually dismisses, though today he saves any about last night’s attack incase there’s been any updated information. There are two texts from Momo asking if he got home safe and if he ate anything. He shoots of a quick reply to her, apologizing for not letting her know right away and reassuring her he’s making food now. He takes a picture of the pan and sends it as an after thought, just in case she doesn’t believe him. There are also a few texts from Kyouka telling him to stop worrying her wife and to stop being an idiot. He responds to those with a few choice emojis and nothing else. She’ll get the message.

Finally, he looks at the emails he missed. There’s one from an Officer Uchida he doesn’t recognize, confirming he (Momo) submitted the right paper work to join the case against the villains from the night before and once the task force has been officially formed he would be contacted with more information. Relieved, Shotuo saves the contact information and sets it as a priority so he’ll be sure to get any future notifications right away. The only other missed email is from Dr. Midoriya.

Shouto goes back to checking his food, stirring it for a few minutes and adding a few more ingredients. His attention goes back to his phone a few times, but he resists going back to it. He’s not sure why, he’s been waiting for this stupid email basically since he left the professor’s office, but suddenly he’s nervous about opening it. He’s not sure what to expect once he opens the list of the professor’s topics. What if he imagined all of this and the professor still wants him to talk about his family? What if Shouto can’t answer any of his questions about how his quirk works? Is it even a good idea for him to talk publicly about how his quirk works? Couldn’t someone use that against him?

Shouto turns his phone upside down, hiding the blinking notification.

He’ll look at it after he eats.

He finishes cooking a little while later. Scooping out a generous serving of rice into a bowl and getting a plate for the stir fry he settles in the living room. He has a perfectly good table he could eat at in the kitchen, but there’s something satisfying in breaking the rules and eating on the couch. Out in the open, casually. He hasn’t lived with his father since he was a first year, but he still takes satisfaction in all the ways he can defy him and the rules he kept in that house.

Shouto turns on the local news channel to watch while he eats. Unsurprisingly, the attack from last night is still the focus of the station. There’s a reporter discussing the widespread damage through downtown on the screen. In the background, heroes and clean up crews are still working to clear the rubble. Shouto recognizes Uravity’s bright pink costume amongst all the grey and black. She’s moving two giant pieces of concrete overhead, some kind of broken metal rods coming from one look particularly dangerous.

A scrolling banner runs across the bottom of the broadcast, asking anyone who might have information about the villains to call in to a hotline, and a separate call for anyone with quirks that might help in fixing the damage done to the roads. There are also short headlines for stories meant to air later that night and a small graphic with the weather.

The camera view changes suddenly and the report comes back into view with a police officer, answering questions about the attack.

What did they know about it? Not much yet, but they don’t think it was random.

Was anyone seriously injured? Thankfully most casualties were only minor injuries and the paramedics on scene took care of most of the civilians who were hurt.

Who were the villains? No one in particular. They don’t think this is an organized group starting attacks. Not like in the past. No one needs to worry.

All safe answers that tell them basically nothing about what happened. Shouto learned more in the two minutes he spent on the radio before pursuing the villain than the news report. He changes the channel. A talk show re-run is showing an old interview with Hawks. Shouto hesitates changing the channel again.

“So, Hawks, it’s no secret that you’ve been a fan of Endeavor’s basically since your debut, and the two of you made a good team as Number 1 and 2 for a while,” the interviewer says in a fake cheerful voice. Hawks gives a stiff smile, placating but revealing nothing about how he actually feels about the subject. “What are your thoughts on the rumors brewing about a civil trial after the allegations against Endeavor from his family?”

‘Tis the season.

Shouto clicks the TV off before Hawks can reply.

Not hungry anymore, Shouto puts his plate down. He ate most of what he had taken anyways. The rest will be fine for leftovers.

Getting up from the couch, Shouto goes back to the kitchen for his phone. The same ignored email is still waiting for him with that mocking, blinking notification light. Taking a deep breath, as if preparing for a fight, he opens it.

Entropy,

I hope you are doing better after Dr. Aizawa’s visit with you at the hospital. Sorry I couldn’t see you off. Here is the list of possible topics we discussed the other day. This is just an abbreviated list of some basic things to talk about. You can obviously go into more detail about anything that might interest you or that you think might be important information for anyone with two or dual quirks to consider.

Thank you for considering being a part of the Hero Talks Series.

Thank you, also, for your help with the attacks last night and with Kou.

Midoriya

Shouto isn’t sure what to focus on first. The dropped title from the professor’s name? Midoriya thanking him for doing his job of all things?

Making the executive decision to focus on none of them for the time being, Shouto opens the attached document with the lecture topics. Dr. Midoriya’s “abbreviated list" is still two pages long.

Somehow, it’s exactly what Shouto was expecting.

#bnha #mha #tododeku #tddk #todoroki shouto #midoriya izuku #tododeku big bang 2021 #fic #rita writes #6.24.21 #fic: reckless good

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ngame989 · 5 years ago

Text

“Friends” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 12

Writing: @ngame989

Art: @toxicpsychox

Editing: @ubercelloczar, @seddm

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: Ludo needs help making friends and turns to Star and Marco for help, but things quickly spiral out of their control.

Comic Page

Masterpost

It's been an incredibly trying month for me and I'm unsure about a lot of things in my personal life now, but this isn't one of them. I'm so happy to finally be getting back to my feet so I can make more of the Starco content I want the world to see. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for your patience. (Also, fair warning, there’s one ever so slightly steamy Starco scene here)

“Have you ever wondered why heart thingies are hearts?” Marco stopped chewing on a bite of his burrito as he turned his full attention to Star. It wasn’t the most confusing thing she’d ever said, but it was up there. “Like, why does this symbol mean hearts and love and stuff?” she clarified, holding up a piece of heart-shaped candy from the post-Valentine’s Day shopping spree Eclipsa had taken her on weeks ago.

“Dunno,” he responded. “Maybe it’s what people used to think hearts looked like or something.”

“None of the hearts I’ve seen on hunting trips with Dad ever looked like this. Although one was made of chocolate.” She shrugged and popped the treat into her mouth, dumping some more from the bag into her mouth soon after. Her cheeks were puffed out, stretching her heart marks wide and Marco couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. “What?” she mumbled, still chewing. He pantomimed the sight in front of him, pointing to his own puffed-up cheeks. Star quickly grabbed two more candies, licking the backs of them before sticking them to Marco’s face, smiling quite smugly at her handiwork. “Now we’re heart twinsies!” She scooted around the table next to him and leaned in, snapping a selfie. “The kids will love this one.”

He swallowed the last bite of his burrito, thanking the heavens for the new Taco Baco location on campus. The other food options there were… lacking, to say the least.

“The Valentine’s Day Chocopalooza was a smash hit, but I have no clue how to follow it! I can’t have peaked after half a year, Marco!” The memories came flooding back: brownie batter as far as the eye could see, melted chocolate inflicting its goopy wrath on every surface in the kitchen, and so much frosting that he still didn’t want to even look at the stuff.

“I think they just like spending time with you. You’re really good with kids, Star. Besides, the only other holiday coming up is Easter, and you’re terrified of it.”

“It has a giant rabbit that lays eggs, Marco! How do you not see how horrifying that is?”

A loud cough from the bushes behind them might normally have only caught Marco’s attention for a passing moment, but another voice frantically shushed it. “Dennis, quiet! The giant bunny schtick is too good!”

“Ludo?” Star and Marco said in unison.

“Hello, Star and Marco!” Ludo exclaimed with an emphatic wave. “So wonderful to see you again! How’s your kid?”

“She’s not… she’s fine,” Marco relented, estimating that it wouldn’t be worth the hassle. “So… how’s it going?”

“Things are fine, family’s good. Bird and Spider told me to say hello.” He seemed even twitchier than Marco remembered. Dennis prodded his brother with a wing, clearly trying to be surreptitious about it and failing spectacularly. “Ahem, well, there is one teensy tiny issue… I ran into Bearnicorn a few days ago. I totally froze up! Things were pretty awkward last time I saw the whole gang and I think I’m finally ready to try again, but I have no idea how to do that. You might not know this, but I have some issues getting over things,” he stated earnestly. Star and Marco exchanged a bewildered glance - he couldn’t be serious, right? Wait, what were they thinking, Ludo could totally say something like that seriously. Ludo took a deep breath and continued, “But Dennis suggested that I come to you two for help, since I had actually managed to work everything out with you.”

Star munched on another chocolate heart as she mulled over what he was saying. “So you want our help to… make friends?”

The edges of his beak-mouth turned up in an ecstatic smile. “I would like that very much!”

***

“You’re sure about this, Star?”

“He’s not hurting anything, Mom.” Star didn’t glance up from the piles of clothing she was rummaging through at the sound of her mom’s wary question; it wasn’t an unfair one, considering the history involved. Even though he was friendly now, Ludo was too much of a wildcard to completely discount as harmless. Still, though, Star saw no reason to suspect any tricks up his sleeve (though there were probably some bugs there). The nostalgia of reconnecting with Ludo was oddly calming for Star, and considering how quickly Marco agreed to help Ludo with his issues, despite the craziness of midterms approaching, she guessed he felt the same. Drawer after drawer bore no fruit in her quest to find the sweater for Marco’s all-important psychology ensemble - the book and glasses had already been secured.

“Though I didn’t say anything, I admit I was initially hesitant about you two sharing living quarters like this, but I must say Marco’s organizational skills seemed to have rubbed off on you,” Moon said with a snicker. She bent down and checked under the bed, pulling out stray bags of cereal and bottles of soda that Star recognized from her and Marco’s late night movie marathons slash cuddle sessions. “...somewhat.”

Think Star, think! When was the last time you saw that dang sweater? Let’s see… he wore it on our Valentine’s Day date so it can’t be that hidden - it was a bit snug on him which made it extra adorably handsome. He’d said he’d wear it more if I wanted, and I fell over laughing when he wore it just last weekend before we… oh corn. Star now recalled where the sweater would almost certainly be as a wave of horror washed over her. She slammed the dresser drawer and whipped around for a mad dash to the nightstand, where- pegasus feathers. Moon had just found the sweater, which was great, and with it was the exact last box she wanted anyone else (and especially her mom) to find, which was... greeeeeeat. Star generally felt she had a solid, trusting bond with her mother, but she’d never been - and still wasn’t - the first person Star blabbed to about her personal affairs.

“Mom, I can explain-”

“Star, sweetie, I’m not upset. What you do with Marco is none of my business, you’re a grown young woman who is more than capable of making her own decisions. If anything I’m simply relieved that you’re taking such sane precautions. I may be old, but I’m not ready to earn my place in the Grandma Room quite yet.” Despite her embarrassment, Star had to admit she was eased by her mom’s understanding,. “And don’t worry,” Moon said softly, “I’ll handle the subject with your father for you, if you’d like.” And just like that, any comfort was washed away by a tidal wave of beet-red cheeks and incoherent sputtering.

Marco poked his head in, causing Star to yelp and jump off the bed. “Hey, you almost ready?”

“Yep! Totally, totally, totally ready and not discussing anything about our personal lives with mom!”

“Uh-huh…” Marco responded. “Well, I’m ready down there if you are. Oh hey, there’s my sweater. Good, we’ll need it... I, uh think we have our work cut out for us.”

Star was worried, but also kinda happy to have an excuse to leave the current conversation as soon as Mewmanly possible. She handed the sweater from her mom to Marco, who put it on as they walked downstairs to where Ludo was curiously poking around the living room.

“Oh, hello Star! I was just admiring your lovely castle. Bit small for my tastes, but what do I know, haha!”

“Yeeeeeeah…” She then leaned over to whisper to Marco. “So, like, what did he say so far?”

“He said that he tried practicing talking to people with garbage dolls.”

“Weird.”

“I don’t even know where to start, really.”

“Hey Ludo,” Star called out, walking over and sitting on the couch next to him. “So, bud, whatcha need us for here, exactly?”

“Ah, yes, well… I’d like to be able to talk to my old friends again without being their boss. You know, the whole scheming to defeat you… steal the wand… take over Mewni and rule it with an IRON FIST-” He had gotten so worked up that he was on his feet jumping up and down on the couch, but stopped and took a deep breath before chuckling. “Aha, see, there it is again! It’s usually not like this, it’s been months since I’ve even once brought up the wand in a game of cha-rads…”

Yeah, this might be a liiiiiiittle tricky. She tented her fingers as she came up with a plan. Could I… nah. Would it…? Mmm, no go. Wait, Star, duh! “ Alright, Ludo, it’s time for some patented psychomological work from Star Butterfly, H.P.D. We need to see what’s going on in your head.”

“Ooo, sounds fun! So for starters I think there’s some lice-”

“No, no,” she responded calmly, “I mean we need to find what’s making you tick.”

“Yup, I’ve got ticks too!”

Marco put a hand on her shoulder, his worried expression clear even to her peripheral vision. “Are you sure he should be in the same house as Mari-”

“Not now, Marco,” Star hissed, swatting his hand away while keeping her gaze trained on Ludo. “Why are you having trouble talking to your old friends again? What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say ‘Boo Fly’?”

“Messenger.”

“Buff Frog?”

“Excellent spy.”

“Lobster Claws?”

“Putting his claws on the wand- oh, wait, I see now! This is like cha-rads but with just words! You almost got me!”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re getting it! OK, one more… Toffee.”

“Candy! It’s so delectable with chocolate-”

“You know what, that one’s probably for the best,” Star murmured. “Well, Ludo, it seems to me like your biggest problem is that you aren’t even thinking about your old crew as regular people. Try this. Think of doing something you’d normally do with your brother.”

“Picking the worms out of our feathers to eat-”

“Yeah, no,” Star cut him off. She wanted to help, she really did, but she had a million other things on her mind and now was just not a great time for endless Ludo shenanigans. “I was thinking something less gross…”

“Basketball?” he cheerily offered.

“Sure. Imagine yourself playing basketball with your brother…” She paused a moment as he started miming out dribbling in his seat. “Now imagine doing the same exact thing but with Bearnicorn there instead of your brother.” His arms twitched a bit.

“Keep dribbling, man!” Marco called out encouragingly. Ludo shut his eyes in concentration and after a moment got back into his awkward, gawkish basketball form.

Ludo’s bulbous eyes snapped back open, frantic with glee. “Aha, yes! I think I see it now! Oh, thank you, Star and Marco! I’m off to go find my friends again!” With that, he bolted out the front door and scurried down the road until he was out of sight.

“You think that’ll work?” Star asked hopefully.

Marco sighed and hugged her from behind. “Not a chance.”

***

“Alright, we have a few minutes left in class so if anyone has any questions on the graded midterms I just passed back, let me know. Otherwise you’re free to leave. Have a good weekend!”

Marco hunched over in his chair as he quickly scanned through the multiple choice questions and short answers. A few stupid mistakes here and there, but still an A - he’d even gotten a smiley face next to his essay assessing some example personality type or another. All in all, things felt right. Karate, sword-fighting, and adventuring were important to him but he’d always felt the most fulfilled helping others with their problems - psychology just seemed right.

A high-pitched, squawking voice interrupted him. “Hey, dude, what did you get for number 12?” Marco looked up at another student - Matt, if he was remembering correctly - who was hovering over him at an uncomfortably close distance. Even with how much life had changed in the past few years, his academic reputation stayed the same.

“Uh, C,” Marco responded absentmindedly.

“Oh, that makes sense. And what about 13?”

“B.”

“And… 14 through 35.”

“Just talk to Mrs. B, man,” Marco irritatedly replied, shaking his head. Normally he enjoyed helping classmates if he could, but he had promised Star he’d helm the planning for the daycare’s Easter party on account of her phobia - well, that, and he’d heard Matt bragging about how he’d blown off studying to play the new Super Slash Sisters game all night long. He looked back down to check over one last page and grinned to himself. The final essay prompt hadn’t been for a grade, but instead asked a simpler question: Why are you here? Without context, it might have seemed odd or downright rude, but the teacher had spent the first few months of the semester encouraging all the students to reflect on their goals and what they hoped to gain from the psychology program. The blunt prompt had caught him off guard, but after realizing what it was asking, he’d spent probably about as much time as he had on the rest of the exam combined describing his experiences and motivations on Mewni that drove him to help and support others.

Of course, he couldn’t help but talk about Star at length as part of that. His adorable, brave, compassionate best friend that inspired him to be more. Where would he even be now without her? He could still be at college, he supposed, but that wasn’t saying much. It was humorous to imagine: waking up, being driven to college by his mom, waving hello to Jackie every day (his foolproof plan to woo her had involved eventually moving past nodding, after all), getting straight As, working fruitlessly towards a red belt after classes, then… what? The world had so much more to offer him, and vice versa, and Star was the one who’d helped him realize that. The words had just flowed right out of his pen, paragraphs and paragraphs of glowing praise and affection, enough to leave his chest feeling as warm as it did when she was physically there.

“Hey, Marco, I have a question-”

Stirred from his contemplative state, Marco wheeled on the figure that had just tapped him on the shoulder, ready to tell Matt off for interrup- oh.

“Ludo? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well, I was in the neighborhood and I thought I’d just drop in! But also, please help me. I did what you said but then I dribbled Boo Fly on the ground and he got really upset and-”

Marco sighed. Hope Star’s fine with me being late.

***

Most days, Star loved everything about her job. It was hard work, but it was so satisfying bringing smiles and warmth to the faces of the kids in her care and seeing them light up with stories to tell their families at the end of each day. Her hours were flexible, she got to spend time with Marco, and Antonio was a wonderful boss.

Today, however, was not most days.

Of freaking course Easter was Antonio’s favorite holiday.

The kids seemed to be enjoying his antics as he pranced around in a bunny costume, but for the life of her she just couldn’t understand why. Is it a normal rabbit or a person-sized one? No one even seems to know what it is! Does it lay bird eggs or rabbit eggs? Both are pretty horrifying if you ask me! If you get chocolate eggs in your Easter basket, does it lay them too? I’m not eating any soft brown rabbit droppings, Marco! They didn’t even get any days off for it, so Star was convinced the best thing to do was ignore its existence as a holiday entirely. Her incredibly valid concerns had largely been met with amusement, even by Marco, but Antonio had at least offered to let her keep her distance and work behind-the-scenes for the party they had planned, which was now going on in the main playroom.

Packing baskets with candy was easy enough. Chocolate, gummies, cookies, donuts. Candy corn for the humans and candied corn for the Mewmans - as much as the humans liked Mewman corn, they hadn’t quite accepted it as a valid dessert yet. There were a few special ones marked down as well. Some marshmallow mice for the Septarians, a ribeye steak for the Johansen - her third cousin or something like that, she wasn’t even sure exactly whose kid he was - and some dried bugs for the kappas… wait, since when were there any kappas at the daycare? She yanked the full list out from underneath the pile of sweets and quickly scanned it. 105? Aren’t there only 104 kids in the program this semester?

She almost missed it at the very top of the list: “Manudo Avarius”. She vaguely remembered hearing about a sibling with that name at some point… maybe they just joined? Something still seemed off to Star but she pushed it aside and finished the last of the baskets just in time for the end of the party. As the kids left, Star cheerfully handed out the baskets to the tune of joyous squeals from the kids and careful warnings from the parents to not eat too much at once. Pffftt, come on, I eat cake for breakfast and I turned out fine!

Curiously, she hadn’t spotted anyone that resembled Ludo yet even as the remaining crowd dwindled to almost nothing. Antonio had already begun to put away decorations when she finally spotted the figure, taking the basket over to them. But when they turned around, showing a braided beard… oh pegasus feathers.

“Star Butterfly! So good to see you again.”

“Hey Ludo,” she said. “Are you picking up Manudo?”

“Why would Menudo be here?”

“Well the paper said Manudo-”

“No, no, that’s not how it’s spelled, but besides, I’m here by myself. A large man with a magnificent beard asked me for my name and told me I was missing a party with lots of sweets! He kept calling me a child and I said I was a man and that my name was Ludo, but who cares when there’s free chips, am I right?” He reached into one of the five chip bags in his arms and stuffed a handful into his beak.

Man-udo. Dangit, Antonio. “So… good to see you, but what brings you here?”

“Well, I talked to Marco just the other day because it still just wasn’t working, but then I tried something else and that still didn’t work, so now I need your help again. It all started on Tuesday-”

Star slumped down into a beanbag chair and reached into the basket, deftly avoiding the bugs as she searched for cookies to nibble on. This is going to be a while.

***

“So what did you say this place was?” Tom asked as he glanced around the restaurant. The vibrant cherry-red booths and soulful singer crooning over the speakers created a very different atmosphere than anything in the Underworld, but he liked it.

Sitting across from him, Marco downed another fry and took a sip of his water before responding. “Diners are the best places to go for comfort food. Burgers, onion rings, waffles, all that kinda stuff. Emilio’s is the best in town.”

Next to Marco, Star was wolfing down onion rings by the handful. “The secret is that he hired a bunch of Eclipsa’s old chefs, so they make great Mewman and monster food too. Don’t tell Mom but their Mewnipendence Day pies are the best I’ve ever had - though they don’t call it that anymore.” She was still chewing when she spoke, but after so many years of knowing Star he had no trouble understanding her garbled words. “It’s really cool that Emilio was able to get back on his feet after the incident.”

“What incident?” Tom asked, eliciting an irritated groan from Marco.

“So basically, a few years ago, Ponyhead and I-”

“Oh boy, a Ponyhead story,” Janna sarcastically said, rolling her eyes, and Tom elbowed her side.

An older man with olive skin approached the table. ““Does everything taste alright? If your dining experience isn’t absolutely perfect, please let me know, I can get you anything. More to drink, dessert, maybe some mushrooms...”

“It’s great, Emilio,” Marco mumbled.

“Good, good…” Emilio was smiling a bit too hard as he backed away, his eyes lingering on Marco’s meal.

Marco caught Tom’s curious gaze and buried his head in his hands. “Look, it’s a long story. There was this pizza, then spiraling alcoholism, then a bit of arson…”

Janna’s hand, resting on Tom’s leg, unconsciously twitched as she perked up. “Woah, OK, now I actually do want to hear this.”

“Too late, no take backs.”

“Aww, you’re no fun.”

“So anyway, we picked the restaurant this time so have you two decided what we’re doing after?” Oh crud, we forgot to plan. Tom’s initial instinct was to claim a beginner’s mistake, since it was only the second of their monthly double dates and their first time planning the after-dinner entertainment… except the actual reason was that he and Janna happened to get into their first major makeout session the night they had set aside for planning, burning thoughts of accomplishing anything else to a crisp in the process. Star and Marco were the last people that would be squicked out by romantic affection- that wasn’t the problem. After years of slacking on responsibilities and having any kind of social life at all in a misguided attempt to chase after Star, he couldn’t help but feel extra guilty over this specific lapse.

Janna leaned in, whispering in his ear. “Can’t we just hit up the Sands of Eternal Torment?”

“For the tenth time, Jan, no,” he hissed through his teeth. “There’s, like, a 25% chance you’d all have your souls violently ripped from your bodies.”

“Only 25? Ew, nevermind, just let them pick.” She leaned in even closer, her breath hot in his ear. “If it’s somewhere boring, we could always just sneak away and-”

“Good evening!” Tom squeaked and quickly turned his head at the sudden boisterous call from his other side, almost smacking Janna in the temple with his horn in the process. It was an incredibly short bird creature with a thick grey beard - a kappa, if Tom was remembering correctly. It wasn’t their same waiter from before, but hey, what did he know about how Earth restaurants worked?

Tom held out his glass, but the supposed waiter ignored it. “Yeah, can I have a refill on the demonade, please?” Star and Marco glanced over at the waiter, their eyes opening wide before they both groaned and smacked their faces on the table in unison. Alright, maybe he’s not a waiter then.

***

“Star...” Marco uttered. Star removed her wandering lips from his neck and propped herself up to look lovingly at him, shivering slightly as she abandoned the warmth of his bare skin. It had been probably over a year now since they’d first become more intimate like this, but the fire still burned just as hot. Heck, it was better now than those first forays, Star reckoned; with time came confidence and experience that let them enjoy themselves and each other to the absolute fullest. They’d both had busy lives the last few months or so, and with the end of the semester fast approaching Star knew they would be even busier soon, but none of that seemed to matter in this time they’d taken for themselves. Even after a break for a shower and snacks, their present cozy state under the blanket with nothing between them still felt as radiant as any proper afterglow could.

“Mhmm?” A devious thought crossed her mind, but she tried her best to feign innocence as she slowly slithered down his body, leaving fiery trails of kisses down his chest and sweet, sweet abs.

“Not that I don’t like, you know, doing this but I don’t, uh, know if I have it in me for another rouuuuuuuu-” His voice shot up an octave and his whole body jolted as she blew raspberries on his belly button and snuck her arms up to tickle around his armpits. “Star, please- I can’t- I’m- can’t breathe-” he sputtered out between hysterical bouts of laughter.

She was laughing too by the time his flailing pushed her off of him. Before he’d even collected himself, he lunged forward, trying to catch her with a determined-but-still-goofy grin on his face. Star dodged and backed away from the bed entirely as Marco grasped at her limbs. He finally gave up, lying on his stomach while resting his head on his chin and staring up at her. Even though his tush was right there for the ogling, Star was instead captivated by his enamored gaze and dopey smile.

“Dangit, Marco, you know I can’t resist that look,” she huffed, allowing him to take her hands and pull her next to him on the bed.

“I know,” he said smugly. “You’re not the only one who can weaponize being all lovey dovey.”

“The student has become the master,” she quipped, their hands still joined between them as they lay on their sides.

“But I do mean it, Star. I love every single part of you, and that’s not gonna change. Things have been hectic lately for both of us, but stuff with the daycare, what you want to do for a living, Ludo… we can figure that all out. Just reach into your pocket if you need me.”

She gently patted his head, running her fingers through his freshly shampooed hair. It was alluring to smell, to hold, to feel brushing up against her. Though the problems they faced now were of a different kind than the forces of evil that they’d spent their earlier years tackling, his presence was still what she needed most to ground her and make everything feel alright. Her face dipped in for a kiss, initially short and sweet but quickly succumbing to a familiar hunger. She pounced on him but miscalculated her momentum, rolling the whole way over him and pulling him with her so he lay on top. Not complaining, she thought as she hugged him close and indulged in the sensory bliss of his skin on hers.

He lightly rested his forehead on hers. “Do you, um, mind if we maybe don’t, y’know…” he trailed off sheepishly.

“Marco,” she crooned, holding his face in her hands. “How many times do I have to say it: I don’t want to do anything if you’re not comfortable with it.”

“I-I can try that, um, thing again, though, instead if- if you want?” Oh sweet, sweet Marco. Even after years together, he still couldn’t rest until he was sure he’d done everything he could for her.

“Yeah,” she implored, breathy with the mounting anticipation as he began a trail of kisses downward.

“What thing are you two talking about?” Time seemed to stop as any building pleasure completely evaporated. Marco grabbed the crumpled bedsheet and pulled it over the two of them as the couple stared at the window in complete incredulity to where Ludo was standing on a flapping Dennis’s back. “Well, anyway, I need some more advice-”

“GET. OUT!”

***

Marco rested his chin in his hands while Star paced in front of him. Three months. Three months of Ludo showing up at the most inopportune times, three months of Star trying and failing to feel satisfied with her efforts at the daycare, three months of a semester so intense that they were both at their wit’s end with all of it. Ludo had once again come to the college for advice after his 26th attempt to regain his old friends failed just as catastrophically as the previous 25. He was persistent, Marco had to give him that, and the old monster crew had even been pretty supportive when Star and Marco had tracked them down themselves and explained the situation. The issue seemed to be entirely from within Ludo’s own mind, which made it a dozen times harder to solve. It was the last day of the semester and they’d been haunted by thoughts of every minute of summer vacation spent throwing themselves at the brick wall of Ludo’s psyche, so they’d made a pact that today was all or nothing. Neither wanted to ditch Ludo, he wasn’t a bad guy, but enough was enough.

“Any ideas?” Star piped up, sounding entirely lost and uncertain as her gaze kept nervously darting over to Ludo who was brushing his beard and snacking on its droppings in the empty playroom. “We’ve tried psychology, reverse psychology, pep talks, reverse reverse psychology, all-you-can-eat chips, ygolohscysp-”

“Which still isn’t a thing,” Marco interrupted.

“Well I’m sorry, I’m not the one with a fancy degree, Marco!” she growled, tossing her arms out. “Ugh, sorry, this is just so frustrating. Doesn’t he have, like, a thousand brothers and sisters he could hang out with? If he can’t relax around the monsters, why does he always have to pester us when he could-” Her pacing instantly halted as her eyes opened wide. “Oh crud.”

He stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, unsure whether her apparent epiphany was a good or bad thing. “Star?”

“He came to us for help becoming comfortable around his old pals again because he already was comfortable around us.”

“Way too comfortable,” Marco muttered with a wince that Star mirrored. They were still a little bit traumatized from the shower incident. “But that means-”

“He never needed his monster pals, he just needed… friends,” she said just as he had the revelation on his own.

Marco smacked his forehead and sighed. “And he spent so much time fixating on this one thing, and we spent so much time just trying to solve his problem and shove him out the door, that we never tried just… being his friends.”

They both looked through the little window into the playroom, where Ludo saw them and waved with a giant smile.

Star buried her face in her hands, messing up her hair like she was prone to do whenever she was feeling frazzled. “Ugh, I feel terrible.”

“Same, but… we can’t be his only friends, though. I feel bad for him, but I don’t know if I have it in me to be his BFF.”

“You’re right, you’re right, but who else could even handle that? Who? The guy’s so hyper and weird, ugh, he reminds me of me as a kid, except way less cute.”

“...a kid.” They both mumbled simultaneously. It was as if a single lightbulb had gone off above both of them at once as all the pieces fell into place. “That’s it!”

Star bolted out the door to gather the handful of children that hadn’t been picked up yet while Marco got Ludo. A few minutes later, they met up at the rec center basketball court where Antonio helped them set up some kid-sized hoops. It took a bit of coaxing, but after a few minutes Ludo was having the time of his life tossing the ball around. The kids seemed to enjoy it, too, as he regaled them with tales of his adventures on Earth (and a few about a space princess with a cyclops and robot for friends that Marco was pretty sure he made up). Star and Marco had joined for a few games but both decided to just step back and watch from the bleachers for a while.

As they observed the scene, listening to the ecstatic wails of everyone on the court as they ran around with the ball, there was a smile on Star’s face that was more content than Marco had seen in a while. “See? You made their whole week just by giving them someone fun to play with,” Marco said, lacing his fingers through her hand. “They like you a lot more than they like balloons and candy.”

“Even I don’t need candy with you here being so sweet,” she cooed, nuzzling into his shoulder, neither taking their eyes off the courts. Ludo passed the ball to Trevor, who spun around and passed it back in a fluid motion that allowed Ludo to score. The blissful, carefree sight was soothing after the intensity of Marco’s life lately. Just some kids and a small bird man having fun playing a game together… life didn’t always have to be so complicated. The serene moment abruptly ended when Ludo’s beak caught on the rim, leaving him dangling above the ground and shrieking for help. As Star squeezed Marco’s hand, sighed, and stood up to go help the poor kappa, Marco knew it could never be truly simple either.

#starco #svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #tgg svtfoe #jantom

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entering-mymind · 5 years ago

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Chapter 3 - The Sin

This is the third episode of the series where I have inserted my OC character (Mando’s daughter) into the Disneyplus television show. With her addition I believe this helps the viewers understand the choices Mando makes in the series. Would love to hear feedback! I do not own these characters and the story and dialogue goes to the respected credit of the screenwriters and creators of the show.

The cockpit stayed silent while Mando flew, his daughter slept in the lower deck as the child watched on from its pod. Suddenly a transmission beeped when Greef Karga appeared in a hologram.

“Mando. I’ve received your transmission. Wonderful news. Upon your return, deliver the quarry directly to the client. I have no idea if he wants to eat it or hang it on his wall but he’s very antsy. Safe passage. You know where to find me.”

Mando shut off the holo, turned and noticed the child right beside him with the nob to the Razor Crests accelerator, unscrewed and in its mouth. The little creature gnawed on the metal ball as if it was teething, but Mando quickly seized it declaring it wasn’t a toy. Sad the child hung its head low as it was placed back in it pod.

The Razor Crest finally landed on Nevarro making port outside of the city, Mando lowered the platform preparing for departure when he was met by his daughter.

“Thank you. I can’t believe all of my supplies are back,” she said knowing she didn’t deserve them.

“I’m happy that you’re happy,” Mando said.

“Why are we back on Nevarro?” she questioned.

Mando stared at his daughter a bit bewildered but answered vaguely, “You know why we’re here.”

“Wait, we’re actually going to hand over a defenseless child to a client we know nothing about, his intentions, his morals.”

“That is not our concern. We track, we obtain, we deliver…”

“Criminals, scum of the galaxy, not an innocent child. We can’t hand it over its not morally right.”

“Morals is not apart of the job, you must set yourself apart.”

“Why is this so easy for you, is it because the baby is a creature and not human? If this were a human child would you feel different? What if this was me, would you just hand me over to a complete stranger whom you didn’t know their intentions?” she was getting worked up, something Mando couldn’t afford.

“You have to separate yourself form your bounties. From all of our years of missions you have witnessed a plethora of encounters, even ones you didn’t agree upon but we still had to fulfill our task. That is our job, our only job, a bond can not be formed with the asset, you must learn that quickly,” Mando made his way down the ramp and programmed the pod to follow, he waited on his daughter who activated the security system and stood behind her father.

“You have no heart,” she said softly with her head down as the hatch closed behind them.

All Mando could do was look down upon his daughter and say nothing, he knew this wasn’t easy, he didn’t like the situation any better than she, but once a task had been accepted through the Guild the mission had to be completed.

Like some of their past assets, Mando knew in time she would forgive him eventually, somehow this child had really made an impact on her when he noticed it might have made one on him too.

He couldn’t allow his emotions to interfere, it had happened once before, a decision he never regretted, but would he become a repeat offender?

The three made their way through the town, silent, young Mando walked a few paces behind hoping her protest would register with her father but he didn’t seem to be bothered. Before they reached the end of the market, Mando turned to his daughter handing her some credits to purchase a few supplies and an item, he knew, she had her heart set on.

“You gave me to many credits,” she said in a dull tone.

“Use what’s left so you can purchase that bind of paper you were wanting.”

“You’re trying to buy my affection? Divert my attention from what’s clearly wrong. You can’t…”

“Enough!” Mando shouted and grabbed her upper arm pulling his daughter close. He never yelled at her, he always tried to keep calm but she was questioning his judgment, “You will go to the covert and wait for me, do you understand?”

Her whole life she had never feared her father, she had tested him many times but he never lost his temper like this, she clearly crossed a line. All she could do was nod her head in agreement and put her head down in shame.

Mando sighed in disappointment with himself and wanted to apologize, but instead let her go as she made her way directly towards the Mandalorian covert.

* * *

Wanting to forget the whole ordeal, Mando pushed the incident from his mind and continued with his mission. He made his way back to the client’s quarters and knocked on the door. The same droid from before emerged from the wall and scanned his chit card allowing him access. Waiting for him this time were two Stormtroopers who escorted him and the child in. They walked down the corridor when one of the Troopers grabbed hold of the pod violently upsetting the child inside.

“Take it easy,” Mando unintentionally said.

“You take it easy,” the Trooper replied appalled that someone was telling him what to do.

They entered the room when the client approached the pod with a fob beeping wildly.

“Yes,” the client said relieved as the doctor scanned the child with a device.

“Very healthy. Yes,” the doctor informed the client in pleasure.

“Your reputation was not unwarranted,” the client said.

“How many fobs did you give out?” Mando asked.

“This asset was of extreme importance to me. I had to ensure its delivery. But to the winner go the spoils,” the client placed a camtono container on the table pressing a few buttons and revealing stacks of Beskar bars inside. Mando approached pulling a few to inspect when the client continued, “Such a large bounty for such a small package.”

Suddenly Mando’s attention was brought to the child one last time, he watched it softly cry as the pod followed the doctor in another room. Again the repetitive memory crashed through his mind, acting like an instinct, trying to remind him of the previous scenario, but he couldn’t act, not this time. Maybe he could get some information so when he saw his daughter he could give her some ease.

“What are your plans for it?”

“How uncharacteristic of one of your reputation,” the client appeared annoyed, “You have taken both commission and payment. Is it not the Code of the Guild that these events are now forgotten?”

A door opened as several Stormtroopers circled the room, Mando could tell he was pushing limits.

“That Beskar is enough to make a handsome replacement for your armor. Unfortunately, finding a Mandalorian in these trying times is more difficult than finding the steal,” the client reminded Mando of his creeds practical extinction.

* * *

Mando collected his reward and left, not wasting time he made his way towards the covert to find his daughter and hand over the Beskar. Meandering his way down Mando knew he would always find his child entertaining the little ones, but not in this case instead she sat alone.

He approached her slowly, unable to read her body language, but her slumped shoulders and bowed head said it all. In a caring attempt Mando out stretched his hand for her to take, symbolizing that their argument was water under the bridge.

She still didn’t know how to feel, especially seeing the camtono in her father’s other hand, she was an accomplice in his crime, she felt ashamed in wanting to know how much was in the camtono, so she took her father’s hand as he lead them to the Armorer.

The two walked side-by-side catching the glimpses of admiring Mandalorians, they continued their journey and sat in front of the Armorer who awaited their spoils. Mando opened the camtono revealing the stacks of Beskar as Mando’s daughter gasped in surprise.

“This amount can be shaped many ways,” the Armorer stated.

“My armor and my daughter’s have lost its integrity. We may need to begin again,” Mando said as his daughter turned to him in silence, surprised he was giving her all new armor as well.

“Indeed. I can form two full cuirasses. This would be in order for both of your stations,” the Armorer continued counting bricks.

“That would be a great honor,” young Mando said to both her father and the Armorer.

“I must warn the both of you. It will draw many eyes,” the Armorer stated as one overly sized Mandalorian picked up a Beskar and scoffed.

“These were cast in an Imperial smelter. These are the spoils of the Great Purge,” the male Mandalorian began drawing a crowd in the Armory, “The reason that we live hidden like sand rats,” he threw the brick on the table, furious.

“Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength,” the Armorer reminded.

“Our strength was once in our numbers. Now we live in the shadows and only come above ground two at a time. Our world was shattered by the Empire, with whom these cowards shared tables,” when the Mandalorian grabbed Mando by his helmet and the two began to fight, Vibroblade to Vibroblade.

Young Mando quickly sprung to her feet ready to fight and defend her father when she unclasped his pulse rifle from his back, mid-fight, and pointed it over his shoulder directly at his attacker. The fight had come to a draw when Mando and his assailant held their positions with Vibroblades at each other’s throats.

“No fair,” the Mandalorian said when he was looking down the barrel of the rifle.

“The Empire is no longer,” the Armorer began, “And the Beskar has returned. When one chooses to walk the way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey. How can one be a coward if one chooses this way of life?” She turned to Mando, “After your reinstate, have you ever removed your helmet?”

“No,” he replied.

“Has it ever been removed around others, excluding your kin,” she included.

“Never.”

“This is the way,” she ended.

“This is the way,” all the Mandalorians repeated while the three in battle stood down.

“What caused this damage?” she overlooked Mando and his daughter’s armor.

“A Mudhorn,” young Mando informed.

“Then your father has earned the Mudhorn as his signet. Yours will be revealed in time when you reach your age of independence young one. Now I will craft one for your father,” the Armorer said.

“I can’t accept,” Mando stopped her, “It wasn’t a noble kill. I was helped by an enemy,” Mando vaguely explained.

“Why would an enemy help you in battle?” the Armorer was baffled.

“It did not know it was my enemy.”

“Since you forgo a signet, I shall use the excess to forge Whistling Birds.”

“Whistling Birds will do well. Reserve some for the Foundlings,” Mando pointed out.

“As it should always be. Our kin and the Foundlings are the future,” the Armorer glared at young Mando as she felt a chill go down her spine.

Mando could sense his daughter’s unease and placed his hand on hers hoping to bring her comfort.

“This is the way,” the Armorer ended as the group repeated after her.

“This is the way,” they shouted.

“This is the way,” when Mando and his daughter followed suit and repeated the motto, but his daughter had a hard time speaking the words because was this way of life the way?

Was what they did morally right by handing over the child? This Beskar she was about to wear was forged out of a dishonest bounty, what was she to do?

“Whistling Birds are a powerful defense against multiple enemies. Use them sparingly for they are rare,” the Armorer informed when she went to work.

The two sat quietly basking in their own reflections of life, one haunted by the past, where the other haunted by the present. At last their new armor was placed upon them when they made their way out of the Armory and ventured towards the surface, but his daughter lagged behind.

Concerned he closed the gap between them hoping she would confide in him, “What’s wrong?”

“This armor is to heavy,” she said metaphorically.

“You will get use to it.”

“No, I mean this armor is dirty, not a noble reward,” she stated.

“Are you still upset?”

“How is this not riding on your conscious, on any ones? How is this the way, when did our creed lose sight on what’s right instead of what’s owed to us?”

“We must be grateful, they took me in and then they took us in,” Mando reminded.

“No, we were forced back in. Our lives were perfectly fine before they came into the picture.”

“We both knew the day would come where you would get sworn into the creed,” Mando reassured.

“A day I’m starting to regret more and more,” she said in honesty.

“Don’t speak such words. We owe the Mandalorians our lives.”

“Why did they have to rescue you as a child,” she blurted out not realizing the underlining context she was implying.

“What did you say?” Mando couldn’t believe what he just heard, his own daughter wished for his non-survival.

Finally realizing how she spoke her sentence she tried to rectify her words but the damage was done, “No, no, no, Papi,” she reached for his hand when he retracted, for the first time ever, “Please I didn’t mean it in that way.”

“Regrettably I think you did,” Mando said broken.

She knew the damage was done, once again she wasn’t learning from her mistakes, and she was paying the ultimate price.

“I think its best you stay at the covert for awhile,” Mando said a bit heartbroken.

“No, no, please, I’m sorry, Papi, I’m sorry,” she blubbered trying to keep control of herself.

Mando could see her suffering and didn’t want that, no matter how bad her statement hurt him, he couldn’t leave her in turmoil, “I know you are. I’ll come for you after my next job,” he was about to turn away but couldn’t leave her in this state. She would be a danger to others and herself. Showing a sign of his affection he placed his hand on the side of her helmet acting as if he was caressing her cheek.

Young Mando raised her head in hopes because her father always did this as his sign of love, she stood there with a hint of relief but with continued guilt in her belly.

* * *

“Look, I told you. I’m not interested in your excuses!” Greef Karga laid into one of his bounty hunters, “You had your shot, dust breather, but you failed. No pucks for you. Now get outta here,” Karga ended when the door to the cantina opened as everyone watched the upgraded Mandalorian approach Karga.

“Ah! Mando!” Karga greeted while laughing, “They all hate you, Mando. Because you’re a legend!”

“How many of them had tracking fobs?” Mando asked annoyed.

“All of them. All of them! But not one of them closed the deal. Only you Mando. Only you and I assume your daughter. Where is the kiddo these days?” Karga peered around Mando wondering if she was close behind.

“Watching the ship,” was all Mando cared to revel.

“Well I’m sure she is as shiny as you because this has to be the richest reward this parsec has ever seen. Please sit, my friend,” Karga waved his hand for Mando to take a seat opposite of him.

Accepting his gesture Mando sat and wanted to get straight to business.

“They’re all weighting the Beskar in their minds, but not me. No, I for one, I celebrate your success. Because it is my success as well. Hell! Even I am rich,” Karga pulled out two bars of Beskar he kept hidden in his chest pocket, “Now how can I show my gratitude to my most valuable partner?” Karga said loud and eager for the other failed hunters to hear.

“First I don’t appreciate secretive gifts given to my daughter,” Mando pointed out.

“Come on, I knew how you would react, think of it as an early Date of Existence present for her,” Karga tried to explain himself but Mando’s head tilted wondering how Karga knew her day was approaching.

“Don’t give me that look Mando, she revealed nothing, the conversation was vague enough for me to guess that’s all. Come on, the kid has to be one sometimes,” but all Mando did was glare at Karga in silence, “Alright you have my word. No presents unless I get your approval first, message received. Anything else?”

“I want my next job.”

“Next job? Take some time off. Enjoy some quality time with your daughter or I can take you to the Twi’lek healing baths,” Karga suggested believing it had been years since Mando had any other type of affection from another.

“I want my next job,” Mando stated not wanting to repeat himself again.

“Sure. Fine. You hunters like to keep busy, right? Well these are all far away.”

“The further, the better but not…” Mando was cut off as Karga knew Mando’s one stipulation.

“Yes, I remembered, no bounties in the Tolarian system,” which always made Karga curious on why Mando wouldn’t step foot on that planet.

It had become desolate where only the scum now made their secret dealings, but Karga wouldn’t push the matter. He laid out three pucks for Mando to inspect.

“Take your pick. You’ve earned it,” as Mando ignited one, “Ah. That’s the best one of the lot. A nobleman’s son skipped bail. Looks like you’re headed to the ocean dunes of Karnac, I’m sure the kiddo will love the scenery there. Inspire her creatively,” Karga envisioned young Mando taking in the view and replicating it in her own interpretation with his paints, but Mando stopped in his tracks as he got up to leave.

His daughter’s words echoed through his mind, What if the child was me, would you hand me over? The answer was simple, he would die protecting her, so why did this feel similar, he had to see if Karga knew anything.

“Any idea what they’re gonna do with it?” Mando asked.

“With what?” Karga played dumb as Mando faced him.

“The kid.”

“I didn’t ask. It’s against the Guild Code. Is that why the kiddo didn’t show, is she upset?”

But Mando diverted the question stating the obvious, “ They work for the Empire. What are they doing here?” he couldn’t have them meddling.

“The Empire is gone, Mando. All that are left are mercenaries and warlords. But if it bothers you, just go back to the Core and report them to the New Republic.”

“That’s a joke,” he knew to well.

“Mando, enjoy your rewards. Buy a camtono of spice. By the time you come out of hyperdrive, you will have forgotten all about it.”

Understanding he would get know where, Mando left the cantina pondering over many issues inside his mind.

* * *

Mando made his way to the Razor Crest, sadden that he was leaving his daughter behind but knew it would be the best. She believed he didn’t have a heart by allowing the child to be obtained, if only she knew.

Mando powered up the ship, igniting the engines to life when he reached for the accelerator noticing the top knob was missing. The child had been intrigued with the shiny object. The child. No, he couldn’t allow it, but his decision was already made. He powered down the ship and ventured his way to the client’s quarters.

* * *

With ease Mando found his way but knew he needed a plan, he went around back when he noticed the child’s pod vacant in a dumpster. Immediately this angered him, he knew what must be done.

Mando climbed a top the opposite building and pointed his pulse rifle at the client’s occupancy. He was able – through comms - to intercept the client and doctor’s brief conversation.

“I don’t care,” the client could be heard, “I order you to extract the necessary material and be done with it.”

“He has explicitly ordered us to bring it back alive, to Tolarian,” the doctor added.

“No, we will finish the business here, but quickly, as I no longer can guarantee your safety,” when Mando shut off his comms, they confirmed it for him, it was happening again.

* * *

Mando knocked on the client’s door forcefully, the door droid popped out but lost its head in the process from Mando’s grip. Walking off, two Stormtroopers emerged declaring to check the perimeter.

Mando made his way around back creating his own entrance by blasting a hole in the wall. He was met by several Stormtroopers, but nothing he couldn’t handle, one by one he took them out as he made his way through the facility and then came across a locked room. With one shot of his blaster to the controls the door opened revealing an armed guard and Dr. Pershing. The Trooper got off one lucky shot but it hit Mando in the Beskar, he quickly reacted blasting the Trooper back when he pointed his weapon at the frantic doctor.

“No, no, no, please, please, no, no, no,” the doctor pleaded while an interrogational droid flew towards the unconscious child.

Instantly Mando became furious shooting the droid happily while buried emotions surfaced, again he turned his weapon at the doctor as he continued pleading.

“Please, no, please, don’t hurt him, he’s just a child,” the doctor shielded the little one with his own body but Mando shoved him aside as he fell to the floor.

Mando overlooked the device the child was strapped into and questioned the doctor, “What did you do to it?”

“I protected him. If it wasn’t for me, he would already be dead. Please,” the doctor painted a picture, but once he looked up the Mandalorian and the child were gone.

* * *

Mando began his journey back but it wasn’t easy, he had to take out several Troopers in the process by either blaster, electric shock, or flame thrower. Silently he found his way back to the very room the negotiations took place but was met by four Troopers who wasted no time and encircled him.

“Freeze. Don’t move!” one of the Stormtroopers commanded.

“Hands up! Drop the blaster,” another shouted.

“Wait,” Mando said with his gun upright to surrender, “What I’m holding is very valuable. Here,” Mando kneeled, placing his blaster and the child on the ground when a Trooper demanded for Mando to face him, but instead the Troopers were met by Whistling Birds.

One by one each Trooper was taken out by a missile and sent to the ground, Mando gathered his blaster and scooped up the child when he stood and exited the premises.

* * *

The Guild cantina was lively, everyone busy with chatter and enjoying their drinks when suddenly one fob began beeping, then another, then another, suddenly everyone’s fobs started blinking red as Karga stared at the one Mando turned in with distain.

* * *

Mando attempted to make his way to the covert so he could obtain his daughter, but yet the heat on him would be too great, should he put her through that exposure? He was conflicted when he began to notice a tail on him, he quickly dodged the covert’s entrance and instead beeped a secret code through his comms. Their range should be close enough for her to hear when he requested her to meet him on the Razor Crest.

With out hesitation she beeped back but could tell by her father’s distress call something went array. Deep down her inner voice commanded her to inform the Mandalorians of her father’s situation and the fact that they needed the Tribes help.

Mando walked cautiously, he had the child in one arm and his blaster in another. One by one, hunter after hunter encased Mando in the street as Greef Karga blocked his way of exit.

“Welcome back, Mando!” Karga greeted sarcastically, “Now put the package down,” his hand went to his gun.

“Step aside. I’m going to my ship,” Mando demanded.

“You put the bounty down and perhaps I’ll let you pass.”

“The kid’s coming with me,” Mando declared.

“What kind of example are you setting for your own child, think of her Mando. Now if you truly care about the kid, then you’ll put it on the speeder and we’ll discuss terms,” Karga hoped he would get through to him if he spoke about Mando’s own flesh and blood.

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“Because I’m your only hope.”

Truly thinking about the outcome Mando felt torn, he had his own kin to protect, but all his daughter wanted was for the child to be safe as she was. Mando made his way towards the speeder and glared down at the child. It’s tiny frame cradled in his arm reminded him of when he use to hold his own, so trusting she was of him, still with him and she trusted her father to make the right decision.

Without hesitation Mando flipped into the speeder blasting a few hunters, he set the child down and declared for the R2 unit to drive. Fearful the droid beeped “no” when Mando threated to blast it himself, not wanting to be destroyed the R2 unit followed orders and drove off. Along the way Mando continued shooting and taking out anyone in his path.

Finding his window of opportunity, Karga followed the droids path with his blaster and took the shot, the droid ignited in sparks and immediately powered down.

Trapped Mando pulled out his pulse rifle and began disintegrating anyone in his scope. Quickly taking cover, the bounty hunters took refuge behind anything that would shield them from the others fate.

“That’s one impressive weapon!” Karga shouted.

“Here’s what I’m going to do,” Mando started, “I’m gonna walk to my ship with the kid and you’re gonna let it happen.”

“No. How about this? We take the kid, and if you try to stop us, we kill you and we strip your body for parts,” Karga said cynically.

Unable to answer, Mando got ambushed from behind but took them out by electrocution, seeing the hunters circle closer Mando fired his flame thrower sending them back a few feet but the flames didn’t last long. Realizing all hope was lost, Mando glared down at the sleeping child apologizing to it internally, he then apologized to his daughter for the inability to save this one.

The firing of guns continued all around him, seeing no window of opportunity to escape Mando would go down fighting but then, from above, blaster fire rained down. A dozen Mandalorians – on jet packs – maneuvered their way through the sky taking out their targets below.

The bounty hunters realized they were fish in a barrel when Karga strategized a new plan and left the scene to take matters into his own hands.

“Dad!” a voice called for Mando, “Dad!” she repeated in worry looking anywhere and everywhere on where her father could be.

“Here!” Mando exclaimed while covering her as she made her way towards him.

“Papi you’re alright, you’re alright,” she wanted to hug him but definitely knew this was not the time, “What I said, I meant none of it. Honestly, I am blessed that the Mandalorians found you and no one else, because otherwise I wouldn’t be one. I realize that now. This is the way. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, plus you have the biggest heart of anyone I know.”

“I appreciate this moment we’re having but now is not that time, here,” Mando scooped up the child and handed it for his daughter to safe keep.

“Get out of here! We’ll hold them off,” the male Mandalorian, whom Mando had gotten into a scuffle with in the Armory, said.

“You’re going to have to relocate the covert,” Mando informed.

“This is the way,” the Mandalorian replied.

“This is the way,” Mando said back as him and his daughter ran for the Crest while the battle continued behind them.

Young Mando ran ahead to unlock the ship and open the hatch, quickly she made her way to the cockpit to fire up the engines as her father followed. Going unnoticed another climbed on board and made his presence known.

“Hold it, Mando,” Karga pointed his blaster at Mando ready to fire, “I didn’t want it to come to this, but then you broke the Code.”

“I’ve broken Codes before,” Mando had enough, with the release of his grappling hook it triggered the carbonite device filling the ship with blinding smoke. Taking no chances, Karga shot rapidly hoping to hit his target. Mando waited patiently and took his only shot, hitting Karga in the chest and out of his ship.

The Razor Crest wasted no time and took flight, the impeding battle below started to break apart while a disgruntled Karga awoke to examine his wound, but to his surprise he pulled out the bars of Beskar which took the blow.

The cockpit door opened when young Mando moved so her father could pilot, the Razor Crest was his ship, she wouldn’t be surprised if he loved it more than her, but she knew that wasn’t true. Maybe someday she would get her own form of transportation, but for the mean time she was content co-piloting whenever he needed her assistance.

She took her usual seat as the child was placed in the other, the Razor Crest flew high in the sky when they caught a glimpse of the Mandalorian, who lead the charge, soaring with his jetpack outside their window.

The Mandalorian saluted the two and then flanked out of sight, Mando spoke unknowingly out loud, “I gotta get one of those,” when his daughter heard him and added.

“With a rocket, no jetpack is complete without a rocket.”

He turned towards her able to envision her smile; his smile. Her attention was quickly turned to the little hand that was reaching up for something, knowing exactly what the child wanted Mando unscrewed the tiny metal ball and dropped it into the child’s hand. Not understanding the context, young Mando shrugged off the interaction as she watched her father take them into orbit and then directly into lightspeed.

#starwars #the mandalorian #din djarin #oc character #the child #baby yoda #mando #fan fiction #sci-fi fantasy #pedro pascal #jon favreau #gina carano #cara dune #ugnaught #mandalorians #greef karga #carl weathers

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thatsaltybobcat · 5 years ago

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Jealous Type (part 4)

I wanted to write at least one more exchange. I couldn’t help it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21975085/chapters/53553532

(heres the ao3 link if you wanna comment.. leave hits or kudo’s. It’d mean a lot!)

~~~~~~~~

Vaggie didn’t want to come back to the hotel, not after everything. She was no fool, Charlie had chosen who she wanted to be with, and it wasn’t her. And, Vaggie was still too upset to try and talk to the blonde demon, quite frankly she didn’t think Charlie deserved the closure of talking things out. Let her stew in whatever regret or remorse she had, she deserved it.

However, there reached a point where Vaggie really needed the rest of her clothing and belongings. And, since everything was back at the hotel, it meant having to go back at least once more time, to pack everything at least.

Luckily for Vaggie, she worked around everyone long enough to memorize schedules, who went where at what times, and who generally just wasn’t around the lobby at certain points in the day. So, she waited until she could slip in, get what she needed, and slip out before she was noticed.

Getting in was going to be easy enough, Vaggie thought as she quietly slipped through the front doors to the hotel, ever so carefully closing it behind her. Husk was fast asleep at the var and wouldn’t wake up for at least another hour, and Angel Dust actually went off to do some ‘work’ around this time since Husk wasn’t available to flirt with. As Vaggie carefully climbed the stairs up towards the hotel rooms, she could hear Niffty humming loudly as she cleaned the kitchen. Vaggie couldn’t stop herself from visibly flinching at the mere mention of the kitchen, memories rushing back to her before she could stop them. “Dios mio… there’s no point in thinking about that anymore. What’s done is done,” She said to herself as she wiped a single tear from her eye. Fighting with the residual memories that flitted in and out of her mind, producing images that made her stomach churn.

Shaking her head, she continued to walk up the stairs. Finding new gusto to just hurry and get the hell out of there and never come back. Thank Lucifer that Charlie was always out trying to recruit demons to join the hotel this time of day, or out in a meeting with a potential sponsor. And, wherever Charlie was, Vaggie was fairly certain that damn Radio Demon was with her. They were probably talking with some crime lord now, Alastor doing most of the talking as he used his manipulative charm to sway the demon into helping with the hotel.

He probably had an arm around Charlie’s waist, holding her to his side during their meaning. She was probably leaning into him with a hand against his back. Just comfortable with each other’s presence, Vaggie couldn’t help but remember when they would use to sit together like that-

“AARGH” Vaggie hissed as she reached the top of the stairs, grabbing fistfuls of her platinum hair and tugging at it in a vain attempt to kick the thoughts from her head. Hoping the pain would jar her enough out of her own intrusive thoughts. But, she couldn’t help but wonder if they’ve said ‘I love you’ to each other yet…

Vaggie tried to ignore the tears continuing to brim in her eye as she made it to the penthouse floor, walking straight over to their old room. The door was unlocked, as it always was. Walking quietly into the room she leaned against the door, fighting a sob that bubbled in the back of her throat. “Get your clothes and get out.” She mumbled to herself, look up from her feet to scan her gaze across the room.

Things were different.

Firstly, the bed was made, with the pillows perfectly placed against the headboard. The blanket- which was now a deep maroon with silk black sheets- was smoothed out across the large mattress, tucked underneath it for a seamless appearance. The bed frame was now a deep mahogany set, with decorative carvings of flora and fauna along the top of the wood headboard. With unmistakable scratches etched against the float surface of the wood that sat right behind the pillows.

Not much else was different, besides the room being spotlessly clean. A few pieces of furniture were changed and moved around. There was now a coat rack next to the door, holding a few suit jackets in a familiar pinstripe red.

Everything that Vaggie had left here was gone, and Alastor had moved in.

She was about to just turn and leave, it was all too much to bear. Charlie has pushed Vaggie out of her life so quickly, had moved on like it was nothing. That was abundantly clear now, and it killed her. But, as she reached for the door handle, the all too familiar sound of static filled the room as a door open and closed from behind her. “Vaggie, what a surprise! It’s been a while hasn’t it? Almost a week! I suppose I’m most surprised to see you in Charlie and I’s quarters.” The way he emphasized his words, the static peaking in such a way that made Vaggie’s skin crawl.

She turned to face him, there was no way he was going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flee from him in defeat. He was fresh from a shower, it appeared. A blood-red towel was wrapped securely around his narrow waist, with one of his hands holding onto one of the sides for extra support. His hair was still wet, dripping with water while his ears flicked droplets away every few moments scars crisscrossed his chest and arms, most looked quite old. Though a few choice scratches along his shoulders and bites against his collarbone appeared fresh. Almost like he’d received them the night before. Vaggie knew their origins all too well, and it made her want to retch. Locking her gaze with his, she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him with all the hatred and disgust she could muster. “This was my room,” she hissed.

He only chuckled at her attempt to appear threatening, looking her ruffled appearance up and down before a wider smirk grew on his features. “Oh I recall, this was your room. Back when you were with Charlie… my things have changed though, haven’t they?” He turned his back to her, walking over to one of the tall dressers and beginning to go through one of the drawers for clothing. Before Vaggie had a chance to respond to his jab, he cut her off. “You must be here for your things, Charlie had packed them all away for you so it was easier for you to gather them. Here you are,” with a quick snap of his fingers, two large boxes appeared beside Vaggie in a puff of red magic. They were neatly sealed with tape, a “V” written on them in red ink in Charlie’s unmistakable handwriting.

Vaggie knew it was going to take two trips to get all the large boxes down to the lobby, but there was no way she was going to ask anyone here for help. But, she wasn’t done yet. “Why aren’t you with Charlie right now? Here I thought you’d be following her around like a puppy.” She asked coldly, leaning against one of the boxes with a scowl. “That’s all you’ve been doing since you got here, after all.”

Alastor didn’t even glance up at her, picking up a pair of slacks from a drawer and setting them neatly down on top of the dresser for him to wear. Casually opening the drawer above the previous one to find a shirt next. “She had a meeting with her parents this afternoon, she decided it was best to go on her own. Lucifer doesn’t care much for me if you remember.” He hummed as he pulled a salmon-colored dress shirt out to sit beside the chosen slacks. “But, in any other situation I’d accompany her, she’ my darling Sheba after all.” The Radio Demon finally looked up, watching Vaggie from the mirror in front of him. “What’s the matter doll, jealous that you don’t get to be on her heels anymore?”

That grin caused Vaggie to sneer, the cross over her eye flashing red as she looked away with a low growl. She hated that he was right, despite not wanting to admit it. What she wouldn’t give to be with Charlie again, to go back to before this demon came into their lives. Before he effortlessly swept Charlie off her feet, stealing her heart away from Vaggie without even trying. Before she had to walk in on them-... she shook her head, looking back up at the Radio Demon to see him still look at her through the mirror. Watching her with a satisfied grin on his face.

“How do you sleep at night…” she breathed, trying her damndest to keep her composure. “You come here, ruin everything. And still have the balls to stand here and smile like you were just told some shitty pun.” She started pushing at the two boxes in front of her, trying to get them both out the door having been satisfied with what she had said. And, if she stayed any longer she was certain another fight would break out, one that she knew she wouldn’t win.

But, of course, Alastor had to have the last word, because all of this was quite entertaining. “I sleep like a baby my dear! I have Charlie by my side, after all. And, I’m sure you're aware that some of the activities she likes to get into at night. All the excitement tuckers a fellow out!” He paused running a hand over one of the bites that were still rather raw on his shoulder. “But, I think I manage to tucker her out as well… I can’t remember ever seeing such a mark of triumph on you though.”

The spear materialized in Vaggie’s hand before she could stop herself, whipping around with a snarl she glared daggers at the Radio Demon. Who had turned away yet again to gather a dress coat from the closet, but she could still see that damn smile on his face. Reeling her arm back, she made to throw the spear at him, hoping a quick enough action would be enough to catch him off guard.

But an inky shadow was wrapped around her arm before she could even try to throw it, holding the spear into her hand and keeping her arm extended back. Holding her in place as Alastor turned to face her, spinning dials flickering in and out of his gaze. “Oh, I wouldn’t try that again my dear. You remember how that went for you last time, don’t you?” With a snap of his fingers, he let the shadow go, allowing Vaggie to drop her arm and let the spear melt away. “After all, Charlie isn’t here to stop me this time. And, I can assure you, I have no problem with squashing a stupid moth who gets too close.” He regained his composure with a chuckle, smoothing out his hair as he watched Vaggie rub her arm with a low grunt.

“You know… that isn’t even the worst of it.” Vaggie sighed, catching Alastor’s attention as he pulled a deep maroon vest from the closet. Staring at her inquisitively as she leaned against the boxes yet again.

“Oh? Then by all means. Tell me what you believe is the worst about this situation,” Alastor chimed in a condescending tone, draping the vest over his forearm.

“You don’t love Charlie, that much I am certain of. You have some ulterior motive in all of this.” Vaggie mumbled, looking Alastor dead in the eye. “And, I don’t know what that is, but I do know you aren’t in this for romance. You don’t care if you hurt her, and hurting me to get to her was just a plus.” Vaggie’s hands were balled into fists, she was fighting tears as she continued to growl out her words. It oddly felt so good to finally be able to say all she wanted to say since the day she left the hotel.

“Charlie really really cares about you, I can see that because I actually know her. And, her love is pure and unconditional, so to see it centered on someone like you… I can only hope you know that whatever you have planned will absolutely destroy her. And, that you’ll be able to be okay with knowing you’re going to lose what was undeniably the best part of either of your lives.” Vaggie has stared down at her feet, not want to see the grin on Alastor’s face. He was probably getting a kick out of her knowing his plan, because who would believe her? He was the savior of this hotel, the love of Charlie’s life. Everyone would disregard anything Vaggie had to say, and she didn’t doubt Alastor would have her killed if she even tried.

When she finally had the courage to look back up at Alastor, she was taken aback by what she saw. Alastor’s smile had dwindled to an almost neutral expression, which one would consider a frown for the likes of him, and the sight of Alastor in anything other than a wide grin made her take a step back. His eyes flashed with an emotion that phased in and out too quickly for Vaggie to read. In the next moment, his usual smile was back on his face, though it didn’t reach his eyes- which were narrowed in almost a glare. He cleared his throat, as static crackled dangerously around the noise. With a quick snap of his fingers, the boxes disappeared from beside Vaggie, causing her to almost fall. “The boxes are in the lobby, I suggest you get them and leave me to change. I have things to do besides listening to you try and pester me, I’m a busy man after all.”

The door slammed open behind Vaggie, causing her to jump back in surprise as the sheer force of the door caused the entire room to tremble. Light fixtures shuddered and a few knick-knacks fell from their spot on the bookshelf. As she watched Alastor turn away from her back towards his clothing, she noticed his shoulders tremble in anger. And, it was more than enough to cause Vaggie to turn tail and run out of the room, staggering when the door slammed shut just as she crossed the threshold. Nearly catching on her hair as she stumbled to a stop in the hall. What in hell was that? She didn’t want to dwell on it, jogging down the stairs back to the lobby and leaving with her belongings without another word.

#charlastor #its implied but charlie isn't in this chapter #alastor #vaggie #salty stories #hazbin hotel

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cryptid-bloodhound · 5 years ago

Text

The Pride of Life

Ao3

Words: 2.4k+

Characters: Bloodhound, Arthur, Bloodhound’s kid, Unnamed Security Guard

No Warnings, it’s just pure old fashioned FLUFF.

I said I was gonna write it and I did. Special shoutout to @ajays-lullaby for the term ‘ada’. That was a lifesaver.

Summary: They may often find peace in the bloodied valleys of battle but they’ve learned that the hunt is not the only place to find tranquility.

Or: Bloodhound has a kid and keeps forgetting that people don't usually show up to said kid's school in full battle gear.

---

Life in the Legends’ compound was always interesting just after the conclusion of a game. The contenders tended to their wounds, cleaned the blood from their suits and weapons, and chatted quietly amongst one another. Exhaustion weighed heavy on their shoulders as they waited for the ‘all clear’ from the higher-ups. Some liked to find the ever-present paparazzi and bask in the fleeting limelight before limping to their quarters. Others couldn’t wait to make a break for the city and revel in their victory - or drink to their sorrows.

In those tenuous moments between work and freedom laid a razor-thin tension. It lined their bodies, drawing them stiff as they dabbed their wounds. Friendly grins were always just the tightest bit strained at the very corners as they chatted with their friends. Jokes and laughs were traded as the phantom pains of bullets and blades shifted like a nightmare in the backs of their minds. No matter how close they are, it’s hard to look in the eyes of the person who put a gun to their head and pulled the trigger without thinking twice.

But the wondrous thing about Legends is that those moments of bitter pain and loss were so very fleeting. They were a rare sort, able to place those memories of death and torment to the wayside. To not take it personally. At the beginning of the day, they’re competitors and at the end they’re family. It was the sort of lifestyle that few could handle. Even rarer was the ability to be a Legend and have a life outside of the games. Between the fame and fear garnered for their feats that seemed to separate them from the rest of society and the strain of competing at all, it was nearly impossible. The veterans of the game, Legends who had truly been through the wringer, have learned to cope with those brief, insidious emotions and the struggle with the duality of their lives with stunning expertise. It would take far more than a bad game to truly bring them down.

Sitting by their self was a Legend who seemed just outside of the norm. As they meticulously wiped blood from their hunting knife and hatchet, they felt a sense of serenity only ever present after a game. The threat of death and pain at the hands of their friends never really bothered them. If they were to fall by another’s hands then that is simply the way it was meant to be. If they had to fell a friend in combat, then so be it. Bloodhound found peace in the carnage that combat brought with it. If one listened close enough, they could even hear the faint sound of a soft battle hymn hummed under their breath. Perched just to their left was their faithful companion, Arthur. The large raven busied himself with cleaning the game’s grime from his feathers and preening.

They took this brief reprieve as an opportunity to send a silent prayer up to the Gods. All they could hope for was that the day’s kills pleased the Allfather. Then, when their worship came to a close and their blades no longer ran a deep crimson, they rose from their seat. A few heads turned at the unexpected motion before that lull in conversation picked back up. It was not uncommon for the enigmatic hunter to disappear post-battle for hours or even days at a time. Still, as they neared the exit they gave a parting farewell. They could grant their brethren that much.

“Fara vel, I will return shortly.”

After a chorus of well wishes and waves, they departed the facility. Once upon a time, they would have made their way to where the wilderness called their name. Since they had a child, however, they found their priorities shifted. Instead of heading for the forest, they made their way deeper into the city to their kid’s school. Never would they have guessed something could rival their sense of wanderlust let alone beat it. But these moments with their young one proved them happily wrong.

As they approached the school, the astonished looks and whispers of other parents didn’t go unnoticed. It was something they’ve learned to live with. At first, before they truly grasped the scope of their fame thanks to the games, they were understandably shocked to see people wearing eerie replicas of their mask and nervous fans approach them for autographs. It was uncomfortable at first but as the years rolled on and victories mounted, they’ve adapted just as they always do.

So, the shocked stares and high whispers didn’t faze them. Though, perhaps it should have. If they had paid attention to what was being said and just where it was that people were looking, they would have picked up on the problem. Or, if they had made a mention to the other Legends where they were going, someone could have spoken up to stop them. But no, that was not how it was meant to be.

The problem for Bloodhound is simple. Their way of life - constant hunting and battle - is so utterly ingrained in them that traversing a city armed and armored was normal in their eyes. Just as one puts on a coat to leave the house, they don a mask and combat gear. It’s as natural as breathing to them. Approaching a grade school fresh from a blood bath just wasn’t something that rang alarms in their head. That’s why when they approached the doors and were stopped by a visibly uneasy security guard they just tilted their head in confusion.

“Uh, I’m- I’m gonna have to ask you to uh, to leave your weapons in your vehicle. They aren’t permitted on school grounds.”

It all suddenly made sense to the hunter. The horrified whispers, the beads of sweat dotting the guard and rolling down his face… They could hardly fault the others for being wary. After all, it is just the nature of prey to grow anxious in the presence of a predator - especially when that predator is baring its teeth and claws. This was not their prey, however, and so they gave a slight apologetic bow of the head.

“Ahh, my apologies. I was veiðr and forgot. One moment.”

Disarming was quick and easy since they carried scarce more than their varying blades when outside of the arena or away from a hunt. Still, there was a degree of amusement to be found in seeing the wide-eyed looks of the few parents approaching the school as they removed one large blade after another from their sheaths. They knew it wasn’t simply the weapons but the one who wielded them that upset the populace. At this point, Bloodhound would have thought they’d be used to it. After all, they could openly admit that this was far from the first time they forgot to leave their weapons behind.

As they neared the doors once more, a raven’s call caught their attention. Reflexively they lifted their arm for Arthur to perch upon it. Once more the guard blocked their way. Bloodhound frowned ever so slightly at the motion. They had relinquished their weaponry, was that not enough? This time, the man rubbed the back of his neck and looked for the world as if he wished he was anywhere but here.

“Your bird-’

“Artur comes with me.”

There was a firm note of finality in their voice. It was clear they would entertain no negotiations on this front. Arthur was their oldest and truest friend. Where they went, the raven went. That authoritative tone sent a jolt through the guard. Eyes widened and stance stiffened, he seemed at a loss for a moment. Then, he gave an unsteady grin and a nod that was just a bit too enthusiastic to be natural.

“Of course! That’s totally what I was gonna say. Nice ta have you back!”

The tightness behind his clenched grin and the minute tremor in his hands was all the evidence needed to know that was decidedly not what he was going to say. However, he seemed to have weighed his options and found that complying was the best way to go. Not wanting to cause the poor guard any more undue stress, Bloth gave another polite nod and made their way inside. As they passed the threshold, they could just make out the faint crackle of the guard’s radio as he spoke into it.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do? …...No, YOU tell them their bird isn’t allowed inside! ..….I am not telling Bloodhound that. I do not get paid enough for that! …...I like my life more than this job, dickhead. …...Hnng, fiiine but that’s it!”

They shook their head slightly in amusement. A faint, breathy laugh left their lips at the - in their opinion - entirely unnecessary commotion. This was rather routine for them by now. They took an empty spot in the open corridor and casually folded their arms as they waited for the children to be released. After losing his perch on Bloth’s arm, Arthur made the short journey to sit on their shoulder. Once more they ignored the blatant stares of the others around them.

It wasn’t but a moment after settling in their spot, stance wide and exuding that quiet pride they’re known for, that the guard made his return. This time, he tried to be as unassuming as possible as he stood back and to the right of the Legend. The forced casual display didn’t fool the hunter but they made no motion to acknowledge the man. He was simply doing his job and keeping an eye on the obvious threat. Bloodhound could certainly respect that. But, to their surprise, the guard coughed a little awkwardly and tapped their shoulder. They half-turned to give the still perturbed guard their attention.

“Uh, you...you got a little..somethin’ right there.”

He made a faint little gesture toward Bloth’s shoulder and, after shifting a bit, Bloodhound could see the ruddy stain he spoke of. It was initially hidden from their gaze due to the shoulder guard blocking it from their perspective. They hummed as they ran a finger over it and scraped the flaking substance off.

“I thought I had gotten all of the bloth off. You have my gratitude.“

At the confirmation of the substance, the guard looked just a tad paler and nodded a bit too quickly.

“Yep! No problem, any time!”

His voice was pitched an octave higher, belaying just how daunting this entire scenario is for him. After that, there was a lapse in conversation. It lulled into an uncomfortable sort of quiet - at least on the guard’s end. Bloodhound just went back to their casual stance, seeming entirely at ease despite the awkward tension filling the air. Arthur busied himself with staring almost menacingly at the guard from his perch.

It wasn’t much longer until the pitter-patter of hurried little feet caught their attention. Moments later, a bustle of kids rounded the corner and elated cries filled the air as they happily made their way to their loved ones. All it took was a cursory sweep to spot their own little one. With a head of wild curls and bright eyes, they came running to Bloth with wide open arms and a large, gap-toothed grin.

“Ada!”

A consuming, aching warmth spread from their heart throughout their body at the unabashed affection in their child’s voice. This was a brand of love they never fathomed they would have but they thank the Gods each day for it. Without hesitation, they dropped down low and opened their arms invitingly. Just before their child jumped into their waiting grasp, Arthur flew up and circled around the pair. It was an easy affair to lift the young one up and settle them on a hip as they hugged their parent. After planting a kiss on the cheek of Bloodhound’s mask, the smiling kid leaned back to look into the goggles.

“Hi! Did you win your game? Did you?”

The child had an accent much like Bloth’s but not quite to the same degree. It was there, in the curl of the syllables and pitch of the words. There was no denying where they picked up the rather unique manner of speech from. It didn’t matter how many games Bloodhound was in, their child always eagerly waited to hear about it. They gave another soft chuckle and a little nod.

“Indeed. The Allfather graced my and my brethren’s spirits.”

That earned them an excited clap and wiggle. They had to tighten their grip ever so slightly to keep their child from squirming right out of their grasp. A call from Arthur caught both of their attentions. The circling raven was getting impatient and needy. He was quite the little attention hog. Shifting their grip, Bloth held out their arm once more for the bird to land. Once he did, their kid immediately cooed and started petting the bird. If they didn’t know any better, they’d say Arthur was nuzzling into the affectionate strokes.

“Hello, Artur! Did you help ada in the games?”

As if he understood them, the bird squawked and ruffled up his feathers proudly. After taking just another selfish moment to watch their two loves, Bloodhound spoke up.

“Do you wish to visit the others?”

It was a silly question as their child adored the other Legends - and the Legends adored them right back. After more excited wiggling and affirmations, Bloth lowered the kid back to the ground and took their backpack from them. It was almost comically large on the young one and hilariously out of place against the pristine white and gold armor of the hunter. Still, they slung it over their shoulder opposite to their quiver and gently gripped their kid’s hand. Then, they made their way out of the school, completely unflustered by the gawking people around them. The guard from before still looked rather anxious but the smile on his face was much warmer and more genuine than before. They gave a polite nod as they left. On the way to the vehicle, their child rattled off one story after another with a little skip in their step. Contentment filled their chest in this domestic moment. They may often find peace in the bloodied valleys of battle but they’ve learned that the hunt is not the only place to find tranquility. Once more, they sent a silent prayer to the Gods, thanking them for their blessed fortune.

#Apex Legends #Bloodhound (Apex)#Blothhundr #Bloodhound's kid #My Writing #2k+#Bloth Jr?#idk what to tag them lmfao #I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO WRITING IT #its my first fic for this fandom #(and the first thing I've written in like 1 - 2 yrs shhh)

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kuriquinn · 5 years ago

Text

And We Run

General Disclaimer

Rating: PG 13

Author’s Note: As promised! I blame this one entirely on my Batfam obsession lately. It’s the first thing I could think of when I saw the prompt ^_^.

Not edited at the moment. I’m thinking I’ll probably edit all of these when I finish the prompts...

⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂

Sakura dangles precariously in the middle of the room, suspended by a cable above a glass display. She has already cut a small hole in the top and disabled the motion sensors, so it’s no difficult thing to carefully remove her prize from its pedestal and replace it with an equally weighted bag of sand. Then it’s only slipping the scroll into the protective capsule.

“The Museum of Cairo is going to be happy to see you,” she tells the ancient papyrus. She disabled all of the security cameras before breaking in, so she doesn’t have to worry about being overheard as she studies the scroll. It depicts the Egyptian god Thoth and apparently gives a treatise on surgical practices of the time. The museum is paying her a lot of money under the table to get this artifact back to its home.

Uncurling in midair, she places the container in her backpack and rappels back upward.

Who says cat burglars have gone out of style?

She makes no noise as she moves upward without even a flutter of fabric, a shadow among a world of shadows. Her clothing is fitted, but not in the absurdly provocative manner of traditional cat burglars. Her gear is aerodynamic and sleek, the bulkiest thing on her version a thick, bulletproof vest; she had to make that change after a few too many encounters with angry mob bosses that didn’t take to her liberal views on ownership.

She hoists herself over the skylight and onto the roof of the museum and then takes a moment to breathe in her victory. The city lights dotted across the horizon beckon to her; it’s been a while since she did some sight-seeing. Maybe once she delivers her package, she’ll come back here and—

Sakura isn’t sure what tips her off that she’s not alone; he is, if possible, quieter than she is, an actual living shadow.

She ducks before his gauntleted arm can clamp down on her shoulder, tucking and rolling until she’s back on her feet, crouched over and taking his measure.

Like her, he is dressed all in black, fitting but flexible fatigues and heavy boots. It’s summer, so he’s not wearing the usual plated armour; just a chest plate and gauntlets, his arms bare.

He’s probably not too happy about leaving himself exposed like that, but heatstroke is as much a killer as a bullet in this weather.

She takes in the dark hood, heat-vision goggles and mask covering the lower half of his face. Even so, she can imagine the expression beneath it—exasperated, resigned and a bit of amusement.

“Nice night for it,” she says innocently.

“Hand me the scroll, Lioness, and I’ll let you go.”

“Oh, darling, when has that ever worked for you?” she purrs. Secretly, she’s kind of glad for the mask, because she knows if he was looking at her without it, she might just give him because of his damn eyes…

They size each other up for a further moment.

She knows he’s stronger than her, better trained, maybe even faster—but she’s flexible, smart and just a little reckless.

Sakura bolts then, vaulting toward the edge of the museum roof and he gives chase.

The narrow high wire she strung there earlier is still attached between the museum and the building across the street—she’s surprised he didn’t cut it, which means he probably came up the other side. She darts across the expanse with a tightrope walker’s grace, knowing that she’s got him beat in this particular talent.

She gets three-quarters of the way across before the line goes slack and she’s falling—oh, he’s playing dirty tonight!—and she just manages to grip the line before she starts to fall. She slams into the face of the other building, just managing to turn her body so she doesn’t crush her backpack, but the force of it causes her to lose her grip on the line.

The slide downward is faster than she’d like, more of a fall, but not so abrupt that she can’t land on her feet—albeit painfully—and instantly start running. Seconds later, his boots hit the ground as he grapples from the roof, and he’s back in pursuit.

Sakura laughs, breathless, vaulting through the alley, tossing trashcans and cardboard boxes behind her, not looking back to see if he’s avoiding them (he probably is). In the distance, she sees a fire escape and takes a running leap, grabbing onto the suspended ladder and scrambling upward, charging up the stairs two at a time until she’s back on the rooftop.

Where I belong.

She’s got enough momentum to propel her forward faster, launching across the gap between buildings, tucking and rolling so as not to hurt herself sticking the landing, and then getting up to do it again. It’s an easy rhythm, one she’s practiced for years, but she’s still glad for the extra padding of her vest.

As she flies between rooftops, there is an explosion and the sky erupts into colours and light, forcing her to squint through her night vision goggles, but she knows these rooftops well and doesn’t need light to find her footing. She’s found her way across the city rooftops even during severe blackouts.

The thunderous sound of the fireworks masks the sound of their race, while the colours paint them like moving shadows. She’s not sure how long they run, her only just a hair ahead of him, their hunt stretching across the cityscape. The white sparklers shimmer across them, and it’s like every individual movement is separate, as if they are surrounded by a strobe light in a club rather than the wide-open sky and stars.

There’s a lull in the sound, then, the fireworks in the distance tapering off into nothing more than a glow on the horizon, no doubt gearing up for the big finale.

It’s the only reason she catches the grunted curse from behind her, the one that sounds a hair more panicked than she’s used to.

It’s a split-second decision to turn around, sacrificing precious seconds of time, but then she sees he is no longer behind her.

Frowning, Sakura creeps back to the edge of the roof, half-expecting him to appear in front of her or jump out from somewhere, but when she looks down, her heart clenches.

He’s lying sprawled on the concrete ground of an alley, the slack line of his grapple gun loose in a way that suggests it didn’t latch on where it was supposed to.

He isn’t moving.

Sakura wastes no time vaulting affixing her own line and sliding down, skidding to her knees beside him. “Hey, Vigilante.”

She shakes him, and there is no movement.

“Vigilante, get up.”

There is no rise-and-fall of his chest to suggest he’s breathing, no air escaping his mouth or nose. She can’t feel anything through her gloves, tosses them off, and then after a moment, scrabbles at the catch of his mask. There’s a noise, like air decompressing, and she hauls it off him.

“Don’t you dare die on me,” she commands, trying to find the latch for his chest-plate beneath the t-shirt; if she needs to start CPR, it will be in the way. “There’s no way you die this way, do you hear me, Sasuke-kun?”

His eyes shoot open.

“No names in the field,” he growls and then flips them both. There is a thunderous crack as the fireworks finale begins, blues and whites and reds exploding in the sky overhead, illuminating the alleyway as if it were daytime.

He pins her to the gravel, thighs pinning her down, hands pressing her wrists above her head. Red and white light stretches across the sky, casting shadows across his face.

Sakura blinks at him, surprised, and then smiles. “Sneaky.”

Something in his face twitches, an attempt to suppress emotion.

“So, are you going to bring me to jail now?” she hums and shimmies her hips against him as well as she can.

His left hand immediately snaps downward to still her hips, and she takes advantage, sliding her newly freed fingers against his jaw and into his hair. At the same time, she lifts upward to capture his lips with hers.

He freezes against her mouth for about five seconds, before hesitantly kissing her back.

And then, soon after that, it’s not so hesitant.

His mouth is open against hers, tongue questing and a little punishing, making her gasp and wonder if he’s trying to reprimand her through the kiss. (In which case, she hopes he reprimands her a lot more in the future.) The hand on her thigh moves, sliding downward and then lifts her leg until it’s settled around his hip, pressing them close together.

Bright sparks rain down in the sky above them, and for a while it’s just the movement of their mouths and the grasping of their hands. Only the need for oxygen makes them pull away; he looks dazed for a moment, and then something like doubt flicks across his black eyes.

He pulls back, releasing his hands but still straddling her. “I shouldn’t—”

But she follows him upward, sitting and threading her fingers into the material of his shirt, nipping his chin. “I missed you in Paris.”

“You stood me up.”

“You were late.”

“Your partner nearly destroyed the entire Champs-Élysées.”

“It’s not my fault whenever you and Flame Fox end up in the same city bad things happen,” she replies, innocent. “You know as well as I do he doesn’t do well with thinking things through. Besides, I was promised lights for my birthday, and at least he delivered.”

“While you could sneak into the Louvre and swap out a painting or two?” he raises an eyebrow.

“Well, I was upset about you missing our date.”

“Hn.” He snorts, looking upward at the sparks raining through the air, then raises an eyebrow at her. “You’ve got lights now.”

“Mmm… I do,” she sighs happily, pretending to pick lint off his armour and gives him a seductive smile. “Are you going to light up my life?”

He blinks at that and then scowls. “That was awful.”

“Hah! What can I say? Bad puns are genetic,” she laughs, and then her eyes narrow in interest. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

The last burst of light illuminates his eyes, and she doesn’t even need him to.

栗

#sasusaku #ssm19 #ssm19day4 #prompt: city lights #kuriquinn #one-shot #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #vigilantes #flirting #romance #fanfic #fusion?

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overwatchworks · 5 years ago

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McGenji Week, Day 7: Unfamiliar Territory

Sorry this is so incredibly late! I finally got around to finishing it though, because by the Iris I was not about to let it sit as a wip forever!!

You can read it here on Ao3 if you want!

Being back around people he used to work with a lifetime ago felt strange. They had all changed so much, everyone older, some wiser, some hardened with time. Genji himself had gone through quite the journey to get to where he was now as well, and he knew it was throwing some people for a loop. People who had known him in Blackwatch, and the early days of his Overwatch recruitment. People who had seen him at his worst, now staring at him at his calmest.

Jesse had been one of those people, his face lighting up whenever he saw Genji, those pretty, honey brown eyes still filled with so much warmth, though, caution was there too. It had been difficult at first; lots of late night talks on the roof up by the comms towers and stories shared between them were needed to earn Jesse’s trust back. Genji had left without a word, after all.

But Jesse, as always, had been understanding, still as kind as ever as he listened raptly to the tales of Genji’s journey to find inner peace. He then would tell Genji about what disasters he had found himself mixed into—more caused by him than he let on, from what Genji could gather—and it became pretty clear why he had a bounty of sixty million on his head.

The gunslinger told him about his meeting with Ashe one evening, explained why he did not come sooner and sent Echo in his place. Genji in turn shared the story of his latest encounter with Hanzo, how he was trying to recruit him to Overwatch as well. Jesse had not been happy about that. He had gone all quiet, brows furrowing low, eyes darkening.

“You remember what I promised, right? Bullet between the eyes as soon as I get ahold of him,” Jesse muttered, Genji shaking his head and taking the gunslinger’s hands.

“Jesse, I understand why you feel that way, but we are both changed from that time. That was when I still held all that anger and hatred, when I could not see past my own pain. Now, I am whole, and I have forgiven Hanzo. He has done more than enough punishment to himself as it is. I want him to heal,” Genji assured him, pressing a kiss to the back of Jesse’s hand.

The gunslinger stared at him, eyes flicking over his face, open to the night air. He no longer had issues with anyone seeing it, but Jesse had always been a special case anyways. He had already seen the worst of it, and still fell in love with him.

“Please, just be civil with him. It was hard enough convincing him to come in the first place.”

“He’s actually comin’? When?”

“I am not sure. He just sent me a message earlier this week saying he would. But once he makes a decision, Hanzo sticks to it.”

Jesse dropped his gaze to the metal rooftop below them, thumbs rubbing over the back of Genji’s hands absently.

“I’ll do it for you. But, if I see him step even a toe outta line—”

“Jesse. I appreciate it, but please, let my brother have a chance first. It took me a long time to realize he had never gotten one, and that my actions when we were younger led him to no other choice, in his mind. I want him to let go of the chains he is still carrying with him, the grief that has plagued him for so long. So that we can heal together and be brothers again. I just want my brother back,” Genji whispered. Jesse cupped the ninja’s cheek in his palm, pressing their foreheads together.

“Okay. Okay, darlin’. I won’t interfere, I promise. This is your decision, your brother, your journey. I’ll honour that.”

Genji smiled, pressing a kiss to Jesse’s cheek.

“Thank you.”

“Wanna go on to bed, now? Sleep on it a bit?”

“That’s a good idea.”

Jesse stood, holding out his hands for Genji to take, the ninja grabbing them and hauling himself up. He took a deep breath, looking up at the stars. Wondered how many times he had done the same thing in Nepal, thinking about the man standing beside him. Genji took Jesse’s hand, leading them back inside and to his quarters.

They had separate rooms, but only one was ever really used. The ninja had spent too many nights away from Jesse to let him go again now that they were together again. Jesse had assented to rooming easily when they talked about their relationship and how they wanted to go about things again, hugging Genji close that night and murmuring into his hair about how much he had missed him.

Genji kissing all the little scars Jesse had acquired over the years, mapping out the gunslinger’s body again with his hands and mouth. Reacquainting with the old and memorizing the new. Letting himself be stripped down to his most vulnerable; no armour, no metal, no faceplate. Just skin and synth, Jesse running his fingers over both just like he used to.

Adoration in every touch. Love in his eyes when he looked up at Genji with a soft smile. Tonight was no different. When they got back to the room, Genji took off his armour while Jesse undressed, slipping into bed together and fitting against one another like they had never been apart. Jesse had always made things feel easy.

Hanzo showed up at Watchpoint: Gibraltar one evening later that month, silent and alone. He had nothing on him but a small bag slung over one shoulder and his bow on the other. Even dressed casually, he stood out, eyes alert and form tense. Waiting for a trap.

Genji walked over to him, watching the way his brother’s gaze locked on him and did not leave his form. Cautious, distrusting. Like he still did not truly believe it was Genji standing in front of him. The ninja would not have been surprised; their meeting before had been strained, Hanzo still raising his weapon after he knew in anger. It was an old friend to both of them.

Genji did not truly blame him for being angry, because he knew at his core, Hanzo had been upset. Confused. The past ten years of his life he had spent mourning and grieving, everything he had thought he knew and molded his pitiful way of living around now torn away.

Proven wrong, turned upside down.

Genji had felt the same, many times, and from his brother’s hands as well. But now, he was coming from a standpoint of peace, with himself and his brother, hoping for healing. He just wanted to heal the last of his wounds, and perhaps start on fixing the gaping ones still eating Hanzo alive.

“Hanzo. I am glad you made it safely,” Genji greeted, starting things off formal and simple.

Hanzo was going to take a lot of work, by the looks of things. There was silence for a long moment, Hanzo simply nodding back to him before turning his gaze to the facility.

“What is this place?”

“Watchpoint: Gibraltar. I was stationed here before, when I was an official Overwatch operative. It is very beautiful.”

“Is it safe? Out in the open like this?”

“Athena has top of the line security and protection set in place for us. I assure you, no one will find it without us knowing a while beforehand. That is how I knew you were here, after all,” Genji explained, motioning for Hanzo to follow him.

His brother regarded him darkly for a second, face slipping back into impassiveness quickly.

“You. Were with Overwatch, then. All these years.”

Stilted, the words cold and halting, as if Hanzo truly did not know what to say, mind still wrapping around everything. Or trying to push it away, disbelieving.

“Not all of them. I served my purpose here, then moved on to better myself. To find peace. And I did, in Nepal, with my Master, Zenyatta. That is actually where I have spent most of my time, and traveling, of course.”

“Oh.”

“I am glad you came, brother. There is much I hope for in the future for us,” Genji told him with a pat to his shoulder.

Hanzo did not quite flinch, but he certainly tensed all that much more. The ninja internally frowned. Perhaps this job would be best shared with someone who had already taught one Shimada. He would talk with Zenyatta tomorrow about it.

“I will show you to your room, then let you rest. I am sure there’s a lot you want to think over, now that you’re here.”

“I...Yes. Thank you,” Hanzo nodded.

Again with the struggle to find words. Genji had never known a Hanzo that had this much difficulty finding something to say to him. Then again, they were both so different, and this was a lot of unfamiliar territory. Hanzo, stuck in the past, and Genji hoping for the future.

Not much had truly changed about that.

Genji led his brother to a room a few doors down from his and Zenyatta’s, just enough space between them to ensure Hanzo’s relative comfort.

“If you need anything, I’m just down the hall.”

Genji hesitated, Hanzo staring into the empty room, eyes a hundred miles away. The ninja placed a hand on his shoulder, voice soft when he spoke again.

“I hope that this place will help give you purpose and healing, Hanzo. I really am glad you came.”

Hanzo blinked and turned to him, brows furrowed, an unbearable sadness in the fine lines of his features.

“Do you truly believe that I deserve it?” He murmured, barely audible.

“I do. Now, get some rest, brother.”

Hanzo gave him the barest of nods before slipping into his room silently, the door shutting behind him. Genji let out a sigh, then went to his own room. Jesse looked up from where he was stretched across the bed, book in hand.

“Hey. How’d it go?” He asked, folding the edge of the page and setting the book aside. Genji took off his faceplate and sat with the cowboy, smiling tiredly.

“It went okay. He is still very much on guard, which is expected. I just did not realize how hopeless he is. It’s like...He’s just the shell of the person I used to know. The old me would have reveled in seeing him like that, would have thought he deserved every moment of misery and despair. Now, it just hurts, and I can’t help but wish none of this had ever happened to us. We did not deserve this,” Genji murmured, eyes downcast, fingers fiddling with the bed sheets. Jesse took his hands, squeezing them lightly in reassurance.

“No, I don’t think you did. I don’t think many people deserve the pain they gotta go through sometimes, but life’s always got a way of makin’ it turn out the way it’s supposed to. I mean, look at us. We wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for our respective fucked up pasts, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Genji laughed softly, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against the cowboy’s.

“I suppose you are right. And I would not change it either. I’m so glad you’re here with me, Jesse.”

“I’ll always be here for you, darlin’. And I got a gut feelin’ that everythin’ will turn out just fine.”

“Well, I can’t argue with gut feelings, now can I?”

“Nope! You always trust your gut,” Jesse teased, poking at Genji’s stomach.

The ninja smiled, pressing into a kiss, eyes falling shut. A sense of peace settled over him as Jesse’s hands slid up his back to hold him, warm and comforting. Things would be alright. It might take lots of time, effort, and patience, but Genji had all that in plenty.

He trusted in it, and he believed that with help and in time, he and Hanzo could become brothers once again.

For now, the journey ahead of him was one he looked forward to taking.

#mcgenji #jesse mccree #genji shimada #hanzo shimada #mcgenji week #day 7 #extremely late entry sorry lads #WhiskeysWorks #post-recall #I love exploring this idea #how Hanzo joins and things progress from there #the way the other characters would react to him #so exciting

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rax-writes · 6 years ago

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Title: The End of Us

Fandom: Game of Thrones

Characters: Margaery Tyrell x Reader [featuring Loras Tyrell, Petyr Baelish, Olenna Tyrell, and Mace Tyrell]

Word Count: 2,065

Warnings: None

Notes: Request from anon for “Margaery x female reader with the prompts ‘have you lost your mind?’ And ‘please don’t go’ ?”

You could only describe the atmosphere within the tent where Renly Baratheon’s body laid as the calm before the storm. The prospective king you had all been fighting for was now dead. His men remained in limbo in the yard, presently between kings as they awaited Stannis’s arrival, knowing that the moment he arrived, they would flock to him. Meanwhile, your husband kneeled beside the corpse of his lover, and your lover – his sister – paced nervously about the tent.

You had wed Loras, to be closer to Margaery. Being that Loras was always nearby Renly, Margaery had wed Renly, to be closer to you. The setup was absolutely perfect for the four of you, although it would have seemed very peculiar to most – had you four not adamantly protected the joint secret. Renly and Loras did a piss poor job of concealing their affair, as everyone in the kingdom knew of it. But you and Margaery were much smarter about it. No one suspected a thing of the time you spent in one another’s tents, brushing it off as a close bond between sisters in law. If they only knew….

“We need to go home,” Margaery stated, finally stopping her pacing to face Loras, and sufficiently breaking you free from your misguided train of thought. When he didn’t respond, she called his name, but Petyr Baelish entered the tent before she could continue persuading her brother.

Lord Baelish warned you all of the fact that Stannis would be arriving at the camp in an hour – far too soon for anyone’s liking. He also pointed out that Renly’s bannermen would join Stannis upon his arrival, throwing the present Tyrells into further danger. You and Margaery were both momentarily dumbfounded when Loras drew his sword to Baelish, before telling the pair of you to return to Highgarden. Instinctively, Margaery attempted to calm Loras, but you knew it was no use. You could only imagine how distraught you’d be if, gods forbid, anything happened to Margaery.

Much to your surprise, it was Baelish who managed to talk sense into Loras, advising him to be smart about how he goes about seeking revenge on Stannis. Margaery further encouraged him to leave, pleading with him to bring the horses so you all could flee. Finally, Loras gave one last longing look to Renly, before stomping out of the tent.

“I should go assist my husband in preparing our departure,” you stated, standing from your seat in the corner and moving to leave, but not before resting your hand on Margaery’s shoulder and giving it a comforting, gentle squeeze. The two of you had always been remarkably skilled in communicating without the use of words, and she knew that your gesture was done with the intent of reassuring her that everything would be alright. Upon seeing her small smile in response, you took your leave.

It wasn’t long before you, Loras, and Margaery were heading to Highgarden, a handful of House Tyrell soldiers in tow. Travels with your husband and your lover were usually very upbeat, filled with lighthearted conversation and laughter, but this trip was far from buoyant. Loras stared straight ahead, his normally warm blue eyes appearing cold as they struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill at any given moment. You knew that he was heartbroken, but trying desperately to pour all of that heartbreak into his rage. When your horse neared his enough, you’d place your hand over his, thankfully seeing his grip on the reigns relax enough that his knuckles were no longer white. He’d give you a forlorn smile, attempting to show gratitude for the kind gesture, then return his attention to the road.

Margaery was a bit more difficult to read. You knew what she was feeling, simply by knowing her well. You knew that she was upset to have lost her potential to become Queen, and also upset for her brother’s sake. You also knew that she was sorrowful that Renly died, for a variety of reasons, none of them being because she loved her husband. Primarily because it put a significant dent in the setup the four of you had established, although there was much more to her expression than just that. To the naked eye, she simply looked like a grieving widow, who was still in shock from the newness of her husband’s death. However, you knew that her look was more of deep thought than grief or shock, and you brushed it off as simply wondering who she may be wed to next. In contrast, that was a thought you were actively trying to keep far, far away from your own mind.

When you all returned to Highgarden, finally safe within its walls, Margaery wasted no time in declaring, “I need to speak with my family in private.” She nodded at you to follow her, then guided Loras by the arm to the meeting room, where she knew the remainder of her family awaited you all.

“I propose that House Tyrell fight alongside King Joffrey in the next battle, allowing him to win against whatever odds he may face. To show his gratitude, he will offer House Tyrell a favor in recompense for our aid. At which point, we will request that I marry King Joffrey, securing House Tyrell to the crown and assuring our prosperity.”

You were certain that your heart skipped several beats upon hearing Margaery’s words. Before her grandmother, her father, or her brother had the chance to weigh in, you blurted out, “Have you lost your mind?”

Your voice came out far more broken and distraught than the incredulous tone you had been aiming for, and Margaery’s confident expression turned to one of sadness when she looked to you. She knew that her proposal would not be well received by you, and that the prospect of her marrying anyone else – especially someone as vile as King Joffrey – would wrench your heart. But she knew that this was her family’s best chance, and her best chance at becoming the Queen.

“It’s not a bad plan,” Lady Olenna declared, breaking the poignant silence between the two lovers with a shrug. “Margaery certainly has the looks to win that little prick over, and she’s not the child of that Stark traitor, so I’m sure it would be easy to convince Joffrey to marry her. Regardless of how legitimate or not his claim is on the throne, it’s best for us to side ourselves with whoever’s ass is currently seated upon that iron monstrosity.”

“This is true,” Mace agreed – although he was essentially mindless, and quick to agree with whatever his mother suggested.

You then looked to Loras, hoping that your husband would talk sense into Margaery, and tell her that there’s another way to provide House Tyrell security. But he just sat there, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. You suspected that he had barely heard a word of the conversation, and you were certain that he didn’t care what happened next. He was still too immersed in his grief.

Before you even realized it, you were standing and storming out of the room. You couldn’t bear to hear another word of their plan to marry your sweet Margaery to some blond buffoon, who would only bring her pain. The last thing you heard was Margaery calling after you, “Please, don’t go!” But you ignored her, slamming the large wooden door to the meeting room shut behind you.

The sun had long since set before you heard the familiar sound of a gentle knock on your door. You knew that it would be Margaery. You’d been expecting her since you left the meeting.

“Come in,” you called, but she was already opening the door. The two of you had never had much care for privacy when it came to one another. In fact, it was rare that either of you knocked when arriving at the other’s quarters. You guessed that she only did so because she knew that you were upset.

Margaery found you leaning against the large window in your room, which looked out over the vast, prosperous fields of Highgarden. She joined you, although her gaze fell upon you instead.

“Talk to me,” she pleaded softly, and you couldn’t help but sigh.

“You shouldn’t marry someone like Joffrey. Out of all of the whispers I’ve heard of him, not a single one has been good. Some of them are simply appalling. He’ll only cause you pain, likely mental and emotional in addition to physical. I do not doubt your strength, and your ability to handle even the most horrid of men, but you deserve more than to suffer for the rest of your life, Margaery.”

“I know that Joffrey is horrible, and I know that I deserve someone better. In a perfect world, I’d just marry you, and we’d live happily ever after,” Margaery said with a smile, although you did not return it. “But he is a man, and any man can be manipulated. From what I’ve been told, he isn’t invariably evil; he’s tolerable, so long as everyone is doing what he wants. So, I’ll just do everything in my power to make him happy, and he’ll be bearable.”

“You’re willing to bet your happiness for the rest of your life on that theory?” you snapped, shooting her a stern glance before exhaling slowly and returning your eyes to the field.

Margaery was silent for a few moments, before adding, “Highgarden isn’t far from King’s Landing. You’ll be able to come visit me often, and I’ll come whenever I can.”

“We won’t be able to be together, Margaery! Don’t you get it?” you cried out, pushing off from the windowsill to begin angrily pacing around your room. “I don’t care how often we’ll see each other, it won’t be the same! I won’t be able to see your face every day. I won’t be able to kiss you whenever I want. I’ll see you once – maybe twice a year, if I’m lucky. This… this is the end of us.”

Margaery stopped you with a pair of delicate hands on your arms, and she stared at you for a long time. Her eyes seemed to look right into your soul, and her hands slowly slid down your arms to intertwine her fingers with yours. After what seemed like a brief eternity, she finally spoke.

“I won’t deny that you’re right – this is the end of us. But we’ve both known it was coming since the day we first kissed…. Do you remember it? You’d been in Highgarden for less than a month, and you’d been stealing glances at me constantly. You had no idea that I had been doing the same. So, the moment we were alone in the gardens together, I took a chance, and I kissed you. I still remember how you smiled at me afterwards, and I knew right then that I was already falling for you,” Margaery recalled, a warm smile on her lips. This time, you returned the smile. You couldn’t help but grin every time you remembered that day. Margaery’s smile slowly faded, and she grew serious once again. “I love you more than anything else in this world, but the hard truth is that love isn’t enough to keep us together. All we can do is make the most of our time together – now, and whenever we see each other in the future.”

You could only nod, not trusting your voice to remain steady if you were to speak.

Margaery kissed you then, tenderly cupping your face in her hands as she did so. The kiss was brief, as she then pulled away to murmur, “Let’s start making the most of it right now, yes?” The smirk on her lips was enough to ease your mind instantly, and your hands fell to their familiar place on her hips, allowing you to pull her closer. You kissed her again, this time much deeper, before breaking the kiss just enough to respond to her previous question.

“Yes.”

Love may not be enough to keep the two of you together, but you knew that enjoying whatever time you had with her, whenever you were lucky enough to have it, was worth whatever distance may be forced between the two of you.

@whoabrekker @alexsunmners @pyppenia

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dammitadolfnomorecake · 6 years ago

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🏰⚔️ DMODT- 13 update

Sneaking around the castle, Levi felt young again. All of Marley had been surprised to see him up and about after the tournament, especially Zeke. The man had been propped up during dinner, favouring his left side, while trying to hide his pain. Levi had no such problem. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed, or refreshed. If this was what sex with Eren was like, he could see why the alphas of the court never looked displeased with their omega charges. It was slightly thrilling to have a younger lover, and slightly thrilling to let himself have said lover. It was so completely out of character for him, that even if their "secret" was to get out, no one could possibly believe it. Over the next few days, each time they met in the library, Levi would steal a few moments for himself with Eren. Whether it be brushing the teen's hair back, so he could read over Eren's shoulder, or covering him with his jacket as Eren hadn't worn warm enough clothes, it all made him feel at peace. For a purely sexual relationship, it was tough to remember that... especially when they seemed to be so compatible, now that he'd finally allowed Eren in. It was now the night of the Ball, and Levi was surrounded by young women and men professing their loved. Each hoping for the elevation of status wedding a "royal" would bring, yet none of them prepared for what being a "royal" truly meant. Eren was different though. He showed him respect, but wasn't after money or title. He didn't suck up to him, nor ask for favours, and most importantly, he had no expectations of more than what they had. He'd seen Eren at the opening of the Castle for the event, the brat's magic shining brighter than every other mages, but he'd soon lost sight of him once the sky show was complete. It'd been at least an hour, and Levi couldn't rid his gut of the feeling something was wrong. He couldn't move though. Zeke had once again occupied the kings throne, and was entertaining his own circle of blushing women. While Levi was flittering around the Ball room with his crowd, attempting to find Eren, and attempting to avoid a rather persistent thorn in his side. Somehow, Zeke had met Petra Ral, an accomplished female soldier of the Eldia army, and somehow, Zeke had managed to make her think that Levi had an interest in her. Petra had always been pleasant enough to deal with. Her and the squad she worked with were stationed down as dock security, to the south of the island. They'd been summoned the castle by Erwin to discuss the discrepancies in shipping, and had stayed to compete in the tournament. Unfortunately for Petra, Levi really couldn't be bothered with her. Petra didn't know that he wasn't the crown prince, or that he was now a package deal with Eren. They'd only had sex twice, that day of the tournament, but they'd stolen small kisses in the hall, and Levi's heart had leapt each time. Sidestepping Petra, Levi nearly walked straight into Olou, another member of the dock squad. The man's goblet of wine spilling as Petra pushed him out the way, and grabbed Levi's arm in the process. Could she be anymore obvious. Her touch against his sleeve completely unwanted "Oh no. You didn't get any on you, did you, Erwin?" "No, though I can't say the same about you, Petra" Olou's wine had spilt down the side of Petra's deep green dress. It was barely noticeable, but Petra looked upset "Olou!" "You should have been watching where you were going. You're a soldier and need to conduct yourself as such" Right. Olou was annoying like that. If the man stepped back, and stopped trying to sound like the perfect soldier, he'd be more pleasant to deal with. Not that the man wasn't an exemplary soldier. That's why he was in the dock squad "Petra, why don't you have one of the mages see if they can lift the stain. Olou, why don't you accompany her? I am sorry, but I do need to greet others" "It's fine..." "No, no. I insist" Pulling his black sleeve free from the woman, he brushed it off as he practically ran from her. Women could be scarily persistent. When he saw Hanji, he actually sought her company out in order to save himself from Petra. Reaching Hanji and Moblit, Hanji pushed a drink into his hand as she smiled "You look like you need it" Nodding, Levi drained it. He was so done, and the party had only just begun "You have no idea. Have either of you seen Eren?" "Lose him already?" Levi scowled. Shitty Glasses should know better than that "It's not like that. Zeke is planning something, and Eren has gone missing. I can't go find him, thanks to Zeke" "Oh... No. I can't say I've seen him. Have you, Moblit?" Moblit shook his head "Would you like me to go have a look?" "No. No. Just keep an eye on Zeke's people... I can't help feeling like something..." Levi's sentence trailed off, the alpha turning as he felt Eren's presence. The teen was clutching his robes awkwardly, while looking panicked "Is he ok?" "I don't know..." Eren didn't seem ok. Levi could put his finger on what it was, but it was just... something was off "What do we do?" "Take him to my quarters and have the guards make sure he doesn't leave. Something's not right" "Your quarters?" "Even if I'm not in my room, there are still guards in the hall" "Ok. We'll stay with him" "Thanks. But make sure you don't put yourselves in any danger..." "Pfft. I'm careful as can be" "Says the woman who once blew her own lab up. Moblit, I'm trusting you to keep them both in line" "Whaaa... you're so mean!" Why didn't Hanji get that if Zeke was moving, things could go from bad to worse in a heartbeat?! Pushing between the pair, he angrily snapped "Hanji. This isn't a joke!" * Eren had had an eventful night, and now he was stuck waiting for Levi to return to his room. It'd all started with sky show. He'd been intending to join the crowd in the Ball room, when he'd caught sight of Zeke's men walking the castle halls. Naturally, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he'd found himself creeping through the castle until he'd found himself in an area he hadn't been in. Watching the soldier entering the room, the castle had been left understaffed with all the attention being on the Ball. It was only a few moments later, that two trunks were moved out the room. Eren growling to himself over how easily all of this had been. There was a reason guards were supposed to be stationed throughout the castle, and it was to prevent blatant disrespecting this. Whatever they were retrieving had been prepared by someone before time, the soldiers laughing to themselves over how clueless Eldia was. Both trunks were the kind that all the Marley party were using, and the kind stacked near the servant's entry to be packed in the morning, before Zeke's party headed out. Concentrating his magic, Eren tried to get a read on the contents, but he hadn't mastered any of that yet. Walking through the steps as he thought a book would, he came up with nothing... and it was rather frustrating to realise that everything he'd been learning since "bonding" with Levi, came up short. He was trying his hardest. Levi couldn't teach him, the man far too busy, but he supported him the only way he could, by making sure he didn't over do it. He'd been proud to see his skills slowly growing. Each small spell that worked, made him want to rush to Levi to show him. To show him that the faith he'd placed in him wasn't misplaced, and that he really was working hard to be useful around the castle. Following the soldiers carrying the trunk, Eren didn't even think to silence his moves, or to do something about the rustling of his stupid robes. All he was focused on was solving the mystery of what Marley had been up to. He was young and he was stupid. He was one mage, in a part of the castle he didn't know, thinking himself smarter than four trained soldiers with a plan. Losing sight of them as they moved the trunks around the corner, he rushed forward. The blow landing across the face dropped him before he knew what was happening. His magic flaring around him, as he became a human kicking bag to the laughing soldiers. Silently he cried out to Levi, but at the same time prayed the alpha wouldn't come. He didn't want to be the cause of an international incident. He was just a mage, and not someone worth jeopardising hundreds of lives for. At some point he must have passed out, his magic working to heal him while he was unconscious. Angered, he dragged himself off the floor, definitely feeling the throb of still healing wounds, as he pushed himself forward. Marley had made the wrong move thinking he'd take his beating then move on. He wasn't going to let them steal from anything else from Eldia. Evidently the Marley soldiers didn't think Eren would be missed, or would wake any time soon. By the time he reached the trunks, the smell of the alphas had grown faint, but that may have also been because it'd taken far longer than expected to de-lose himself in the never ending passages. There had to be a trick to it all, or no one would ever get anywhere. Finding the trunks, he then had to open them all to find what Marley had attempted to steal, and that sent his anger nearly over the edge. Thrown in with no padding or care, the first trunk contained a fossilised dragon egg, while the second contained a nasty looking sword. He had no idea why Marley wanted both items, but Zeke was going to be in for a nasty surprise when he got home, Eren not even pausing to think as he awkwardly hid the pair in his robes, knowing full well that if Levi or Erwin knew of the items existence, they'd do the right thing and return them to Draecia. He'd fucking suspected dragon items were in the castle. There was too much talk of them in the royal books for there not to have been. Still, he didn't know if they were approved items, which meant seeking Levi out and clearing things with him. Being a magic user, Eren had never really swung a sword around before, but the sword beneath his robes felt as light as a feather, it was just the length that made it awkward. The real bitch was the weight of the dragon's egg. It was only about as big as his head, yet felt like it weighed a horse. If his previous attempts to be stealthy had been clumsy and misguided, he hated to think what people thought as he made his way to the Ball room, trying to stay on the edge of halls and doorways, lest those idiots from Marley figure out he was conscious. Reaching the Ball room, he called out mentally to Levi, praying the man would notice him. His heart leapt the moment he did. He knew things with Levi weren't supposed to go into the realm of feelings, but Levi made him feel better about everything... which lead to a moment of disappointment when Hanji and Moblit started towards him, and Levi walked away. The man was the "prince", of course he couldn't just drop everything and come to him. Escorted by the pair to Levi's quarters, Hanji was pestering to know where he'd been, while Moblit kept apologising, and hovering at his side. Yes, Eren was exhausted, and barely still on his feet, but he didn't want to create a scene with the pair over magical items. Hanji would wish to experiment, and Moblit would pull and Erwin, scolding him in that dad tone that hurt to hear. It was a long and awkward wait for Levi to return to his quarters. Hanji had gotten bored and started going through Levi's things, while Moblit sat at the dining table, with the look of "I shouldn't be here", on his face. Sweeping into the room, Levi let out a feral sounding growl. Hanji immediately frowning at him "Is everything alright?" "It's fucking fine. Just... prince shit. Thank you both for watching over Eren" "Um... ok?" "The party is still going, feel free to go enjoy yourselves" "If..." "Hanji, I am so not in the mood right now. Zeke sicked Petra onto me, for the whole fucking night. He's finally drunk enough not to notice I'm not there. Go enjoy yourselves" Hanji opened her mouth, but clearly thought better of it, as she cast Eren a sympathetic glance "Hanji, we should go" "Yep. We're totally going. Eren, don't let him boss you around" Levi growled, causing Hanji to give a nervous laugh as she walked almost comically fast towards the door, grabbing Moblit's arm as she did. When the door closed, Levi's anger seemed to deflate. Eren growing nervous about talking about his find. Both item still hidden in his robes "Do I want to know what happened tonight?" "Um... I'm not gonna lie. It's going to make you mad" "Great. Just... let me get changed, then we'll talk" While Levi was in his bathroom, Eren moved to place the sword and the egg on the bed, before covering both with Levi's furs, and hoping Levi had calmed by the time he'd come out. Pulling off his boots, he hissed at the few bruises his magic hadn't healed. He was dying for a drink of water, but too nervous to move. When Levi came out, his face grew angry as he marched over to him, grabbing him by the upper arm "Someone hurt you" "Y-yeah..." "Eren. Did you see a healer?" "My magic healed what it could" "What do you mean, "what it could?"?" "I... I'm sorry" "Show me" "It's just a few bruises" "Eren, show me" Levi helped him out his robes, the alphas fingers soft as they ran over the bruises on his back and stomach "What the fuck happened?! Who did this?" Levi's anger moved him to tears. He'd had no one ever be angry for him when he'd been beaten on the streets "I'm sorry..." Wiping at his face, he felt pathetic. The anger in Levi's scent turned to concern, the man guiding him down to sit "I couldn't let them get away with it. You're going to be so mad..." "Hey. Stop crying..." Moving to sit next to him, Levi promptly shot back up. The man pulling back the furs to reveal the sword and the egg. There was a strain in Levi's tone as he tried to keep his voice even "Eren, why the fuck is there a sword and a dragon egg in my bed?!" "I... I couldn't let Marley take them" "You better explain everything right now" Eren couldn't help but react to Levi's anger. The man's hands had been so soft, and now Levi sounded as he was nearing apocalyptic rage. After being beaten by four alphas, his nerves were shot now he was safe "C-can I please have a drink of water?" "Shit, brat. Hold on. I'm trying not to be mad, but at the same time, these are dragon relics" Eren nodded quickly, his voice muffled as he tried to hold his head high "I know" Levi moved to pour him some water from the jug beside his bed "And they look to be royal relics" "I think they are..." Draining the glass of water, Eren nodded to Levi when he was ready to begin. It was scary to watch Levi's anger grow as Eren explained everything that had happened since the sky show. By the time he was done, he didn't know just what Levi was going to do. The man had started pacing half way through Eren's retelling, and was still pacing when he'd finished. Another few moments passed, before Levi stopped "I don't know what the fuck to say" Drawing his knees up, Eren waited to be struck. A whimper coming from the teen as his mind went to less than pleasant places "No. Fuck. No, Eren. I'm not mad you at. Well, I am. But there's other people I'm fucking mad at. Zeke dared come into this castle, to steal from us. The guards were supposed to be on fucking duty. Me. I knew something was wrong, but Zeke was watching me and I guess we fucking know why. And those fucking Marley pigs who bashed the shit out of you. And fuck, fucking Fluffybrows. I'm proud of you trying to stand up for Eldia. Marley has taken too much for us. But I have no idea what the fuck comes next. Are you sure you're healed enough to be up and moving?" "M-my magic has been better since we... you know..." Walking back towards the bed, Eren flinched as Levi raised his hand. He didn't expect Levi to place his hand on his shoulder as he squatted down to look him in the eye "I'm not going to hurt you. They really did a number on you, didn't they" "I think my magic hurt them, which only made them angrier. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble" "I know you didn't. No. You didn't cause this, or deserve this. Do you want to take a shower or a bath might be better?" "May I please have a bath?" The idea of the warm water and bubbles sounded amazing, given how sore he knew he was going to be "Sure. You know where everything is. I'm not going to use a command on you, but I need to know what you told Hanji?" "Nothing. I hid them egg and the sword on in my robes... the stupid thing finally had a use" "Ok. I'm going to send a guard to get E-Levi. Have you eaten?" "I'm not really hungry" "You should still eat. I'll have something brought up. It's safer you stay in my room for now" That was good. He really didn't feel like dragging himself to his own room "Thank you. I'm really sorry" "Stop apologising. Tonight, you were as brave as any soldier. Well. The ones who do their fucking shitty jobs" Eren snorted through his nose. Kind of feeling proud again.

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atiyasworld · 6 years ago

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The Criminals Regret

Summary: No many people think criminals have any human feeling. After all, they are criminals, they are known to steal, murder and kidnap. But that is not for Catherine Robertson, a member of the most wanted gang in New Mexico, she has feelings, she didn’t choose the life she has, she is a criminal that regrets being one.

Catherine Robertson sat the cement concrete of the floor, listening to her leader babbling on about their next mission. She rolled her eyes, they have been told nonstop about this next mission. Her leader’s waffling wasn’t really noteworthy. Catherine lifted up her head and her gaze fell on her best friend, Sebastian Ricardo, a nimble-looking Hispanic man. He was doing an imitation of their boss, making everyone hold their laughs. Catherine sat, faintly amused for a second. Her gaze fell back on her feet, fiddling with the material of her pants.

“…After we possess the gems we will recede back into the door and set the alarms on purpose…” Catherine’s leader, Alexander, droned for the millionth time.

Can’t she have a better life than this?

Catherine Robertson is a seventeen-year-old woman. If one looks at her, they would assume she was like one of them. But no, Catherine belonged to the most wanted gang of the whole of New Mexico, United States. They have committed countless amount of robberies and murders. But Catherine wasn’t always like this. She didn’t find it pleasant to destroy or take someone else’s life.

Catherine used to be the daughter of an ordinary family in Los Angeles, but then, her family decided to move to New Mexico. Here, her family began to fall apart, her parents became distant to each other, then, they started to be cruel and loud. In the end they decided to get physically abusive towards each other. Catherine was ignored most of the time, but sometimes her parents let out their frustration out on her. When she was twelve, all of this was too much for her, so she decided to leave. They probably didn’t care that she left.

She spent days begging in the streets, but nobody cared. One day, a strange man came to her and offered her a place to live. That man was Alexander Verlac, her now leader of their gang. Since Catherine didn’t have any other option, she gladly agreed. From that day one, Alexander trained her personally, transforming her from a poor and homeless girl to a cold blooded killer. Alexander’s gang became the most dangerous gang of all time.

Since their gang committed so many robberies and murders, they became luxuriously rich. Obviously, Alexanders is the wealthiest, but he does give Catherine and the other members a fair share of money.

Alexander Verlac is the leader of their gang, which is called the Black Deaths. He is well known man among New Mexico, having made provisions by donating millions of dollars to charity and for the poor. He didn’t actually care about making the state a better place, he just wanted to be a good figure, so he won’t be suspected for the crimes that he committed. He is also a very successful businessman, the reason he was able to form the Black Deaths.

“Catherine, are you listening?” Alexander said, irritated.

Catherine’s head shot up, disrupting her from her thoughts. “Forgive me, sir. I got carried away.”

Alexanders didn’t not look impressed. “Catherine, you have been rather distant lately, I sure hope everything is alright.” His voice suddenly went icy cold. “Whatever it is, girl, you better get your head in, or I will cut off your monthly allowance.”

Catherine was mortified. Alexander has never spoken to her like that. She didn’t know that she has been seeming distant, if she does it again, she really is going to lose her monthly allowance, and that is not going to be good. The gang members get all their items and food from the allowance they get from Alexander. If Alexander stops giving them money, they are going to be starving, unless they rob by themselves.

“Meeting dismissed,” said Alexander with a careless wave of his hand.

“finally,” Catherine muttered under her breath. The relief of the people in the room could visibly be seen. Nobody likes to stay for long with the company with the likes of Alexander. Catherine couldn’t wait to get out of this murky room, which is a room in an abandoned building. Her cosy warn apartment waits for her…

………..

Her apartment was the first place Catherine went after Alexander’s dull meeting, even though Sebastian insisted they explore the abandoned building where the meeting was held.

Not in a very good mood, Catherine snatched last night’s homemade avocado egg from the fridge and placed it in the microwave. Tonight, Sebastian was coming over for dinner at her place, making Catherine not very happy. It’s not that she didn’t like Sebastian, he was her best friend, but sometimes she doesn’t want to be a heartless person like him. Unlike Catherine, he was not the type of person that would regret taking another man’s life.

“Hello sweetheart.” A mellow voice whispered in her ear.

Catherine screamed and was about to snap the persons neck, but stopped when she heard Sebastian’s bark-like laugh. “You piece of crap! How dare you!?” she growled, making Sebastian laugh harder. Deciding to stop over reacting, Catherine calmly asked,” How did you get here anyway? I used the strongest locks and I have a security system.’

Sebastian smirked. “I have my ways, darling, and anyways, sneaking into peoples houses is what we do for a living. Did you actually think that you could keep someone like me from entering your apartment?” He sneered

Catherine eyebrows furrowed and tried to look tough in front of Sebastian, she even smacked him behind his neck, but that didn’t even make him flinch. In the inside, Catherine felt frightened and helpless around this almost 7-foot male. Sebastian might think that his actions are funny, and he considers himself her best friend, but Catherine can’t help but feel intimidated by him. She looked straight into Sebastian’s hazel eyes and began to mull over the times when Sebastian murdered innocent people without any regret. To her horror, Catherine’s eyes began to tear up.

The Hispanic man’s smirk disappeared, and he looked confused. He gently put his arm around Catherine “Hey…I didn’t know that that will make you upset. I am sorry,” he apologised sincerely.

Catherine pushed his arm off her and ungracefully wiped her face with her sleeve, wiping snot on it. “Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t crying about that,” she muttered.

Sebastian took a deep breath, grateful that she stopped crying. “I came here to tell you what Alexander talked to me about after you went.” That attracted Catherine’s attention. “He is worried that you might not be fully committed to our cause, but I don’t have to worry about that right?” he looked at her, silently asking for her approval.

Catherine didn’t say anything for a while, yes, she was against these murders and robberies, but she will never tell anyone that, not even Sebastian. She was horrified that Alexander is suspicious of her, if he decides that she is guilty, he will murder her, just like he did to countless others. “No, you don’t have to worry about that.” She lied.

Sebastian looked relieved, “I came here to warn you that Alexander is suspicious of you and is looking for some fault in you. He will probably give you a task and will expect you to betray him.”

Catherine thought long and hard. If Alexander finds that she is not dedicated to his gang, he might kill her or spare her. If he spares her, she is going to have financial problems and her apartment would be take away. Her only dependent would be Sebastian, but he might turn her away. Catherine didn’t think that she ever did anything that would doubt her loyalty to the Black Death, but Alexander can practically read minds. That snake.

“Whatever Alexander thinks, I am sure that you won’t betray him,” said Sebastian, but he didn’t look that convinced. He brightened up. “Hey, I have a soccer match tomorrow. I am playing quarter back, you want to come? We are against Brisbane.” he said cheerfully. He said it as if he wasn’t part of a murderous gang that kills innocent people.

Catherine was grateful for the subject change. “Sure…I will come.”

Sebastian grinned. “Well, I will be on my way now. Good to finally talk to you properly, Kitty Cat.”

…………

Pulling her blanket up to her chin, Catherine closed her eyes, trying to sleep. She should have never accepted Alexander’s help when she ran away from home. She imagined the life she might have had if she didn’t join the Black Deaths. She might have had a normal life, she could have found a job and lived peacefully by herself, never having to worry about getting murdered every second by Alexander.

She is a criminal that regrets being one.

#criminal #murder #gang #member #regret #crime #oneshot

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readyplayerhobi · 7 years ago

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Part Of Your World | 01

; Merman!Jimin x OC

; Genre: Little Mermaid!AU /Angst / Fluff

; Word Count: 2.5k

; Synopsis: Jimin has always longed for the wide-open skies of the Above Sea. After saving the life of a beautiful human woman, he seeks to find her and finally live in his dream world. But young mermen should be careful what they wish for.

Next Chapter;

The ocean is a vast place, full of wonders and terrors that most of humanity will never see or experience. For the merpeople, this is more than enough reason as to why Under The Sea is far superior – a merperson could swim for their entire life and never see even a quarter of the ocean.

But for Jimin, it’s not enough. While speeding along the ocean currents with his brothers is fun, and discovering new caves or crevices is both dangerous and intriguing, it’s simply not enough. When he swims to where the light sparkles and shimmers down from the surface, close to the edge between his home and the beyond, he craves a life on the land. For him, humanity is endlessly fascinating.

The ocean is full of many interesting things, but there is nothing more interesting than the species who inhabits and controls the Above Sea. They are intelligent beyond belief, showing mastery over metal, wood and fire, something he cannot even imagine.

He has heard of fire described by other merpeople who have witnessed it but he cannot comprehend it, for obviously fire cannot exist underwater after all. But what he craves the most is the freedom that Above Sea offers, the ability to be and do what he wants.

Under The Sea he is Prince Jimin, the fifth of seven princes to the Thalassa Kingdom, one of the five Sea Kingdoms that stretch across the world. His life was planned out and deviations were unacceptable as far as he was concerned.

Jimin would admit that being the fifth prince provided him with some leeway; there was less stress or trial on him than his elder brothers, in particular the crown prince, Seokjin.

It also meant that they were happier to indulge in some of Jimin’s more flighty habits; the way he disappeared for days at a time only to come back with some obscure human relic he’d found in a shipwreck. This did not mean that they approved, in fact it was a sore point between himself and his family.

But despite that, he felt that his life was still not his own. He was required to take education lessons in what his parent deemed important, not what he enjoyed. His father required him to sit in on political meetings that bored him, he was never going to rule so why did he have to bother?

There was even rumours going around the kingdom of a potential marriage soon for him, which caused his stomach to cramp with upset at the thought. Particularly given none of his brothers were even married yet. It may be just a rumour but he accepted it as ‘yet another reason to hate the sea’.

His brothers had long ago accepted their place in mer-society, understanding that they were important figures that would provide peace and future prosperity, but Jimin railed against it.

From what little he had seen and heard, he knew that humans on land were allowed to marry for love when they wanted, or they could even separate because they fell out of love. They could spend years learning specifically about what they were passionate and interested in; perhaps even create a career out of it instead of being forced to do something they hated.

Jimin was jealous of humanity and how it always seemed to move forward, while mer-society seemed stuck in stagnant waters. He let his opinions be known frequently to anyone who would listen, something his brothers were all too aware of.

His recent argument with his elder brother, Namjoon, about the dangers that humanity posed to merpeople and the sea after Jimin’s latest shipwreck explorations had sent Jimin swimming away in a temper. As a result, he was currently skimming the edge of the sea in an attempt to calm himself down.

Facing the endless sky that covered both sea and land, he could see the bright and luminous light of the moon along with the sparkling dots of distant and faraway stars lighting up the entire sky. Everything looked so close and yet when Jimin reached forwards, his fingers grasping desperately as they broke through the waters surface he found that, just like his dreams, they were untouchable.

He told himself that while they loved him, they didn’t understand him; they didn’t understand his mind and so they didn’t care about what he thought. Jimin let out a sigh as he admitted to himself that perhaps he had been a bit brash with his argument, Namjoon was simply worried for him.

He knew that all his brothers worried about his supposed ‘innocence’, they told him frequently that he saw the world through pink sea glass. In normal terms, this meant that he wasn’t always aware of the danger to himself.

Jimin simply did not see the danger - he had never met a human nor had he even seen one up close. His time was spent exploring the wreckages of humanity, the carcasses of great ships that had succumbed to the perils of the ocean.

They would be angry at him for doing just this - swimming so close to the surface of their world, so close to the perils that could await. It was considered taboo to swim so close to the human world in mer-society for the chance of being discovered increased.

But Jimin also didn’t see any problem with what he was doing here either. It was nighttime and humans were infamous for their poor vision. His skin may be pale and bright against the darkness of the sea, but it could easily be disregarded as a trick of the moonlight.

His tail was almost made for swimming close to humans, with the scales below his hips blending from silver into a deep, royal blue before ending in a black so dark it actually gleamed iridescent with the blue of the Deep Sea. At night, his tail was basically invisible to humanity.

It was while Jimin was lazily swimming just below the surface - the boundary between what he considered his prison and the world he desperately wanted to be a part of when the event that would change his life happened.

The water current he was floating along suddenly ripped him forward, causing a yelp of surprise to leave him as his world sped along with no meaning. With a flick of his strong tail, he managed to spin around to find what had interrupted his brooding.

What he saw caused him to freeze - a human ship was sinking, and it was sinking fast. For all his bravado with his brothers and his staunch advocacy for humanity in his recent argument, he suddenly found himself unable to move at the potential prospect of being seen.

The merpeople were myths on land, fancy stories that they told their children or warnings that sailors told each other. Every merchild learns this, learns the dangers that humanity could pose if a single merperson was caught– but Jimin was not sure that he could float by and let people die.

In his moment of indecision, he found himself briefly considering what his brothers would do. He had no doubt that his younger brothers, Taehyung and Jungkook would not hesitate to try and save people. In fact while Jimin was frozen, he would likely be seeing Taehyung and Jungkook’s tails right now, matching colours of brilliant gold and burnished bronze.

He also had no doubt that his elder brothers; Seokjin, Yoongi and Namjoon would be screaming at them for being idiots. Hoseok perhaps was a mystery; the merman with the dazzling tail full of jade, shamrock and emerald green could go either way.

Shaking his head suddenly, his inky black hair floating in a halo around his head, Jimin resolved himself to overcoming his fear, as he knew he would never forgive himself if he didn’t at least try. With a powerful beat of his silver, black and blue tail, he propelled himself through the churning and dangerous waters.

His heart sank upon seeing that he was already too late; some of the humans were already gone from this world, sinking to the depths of the ocean. Jimin couldn’t think about them now, instead he focused on zipping around wreckage as quickly as possible to potentially find a survivor.

He slowly began to lose hope, as all he could see were either humans or ship wreckage falling to their doom, with no sight of anyone alive that he could help. Moving closer to the surface, a cry left him as a jagged piece of metal pierced the water, leaving a gash along the side of his tail as it cut through the scales into his muscle.

Gritting his teeth and ignoring the burning pain that radiated out, he sought to pay more attention to his surroundings and actually managed to avoid being hit by a falling barrel. Maybe his brothers had a point about danger. As he thought this, his attention was distracted by a figure crashing into the sea in front of him.

Without even thinking he swam over and grabbed hold of them, hoisting them back up to the surface as quickly as he could. There was surely no chance that they were dead already given that they had only just landed? Jimin couldn’t be sure - he’d been told humans were fragile creatures.

While he had no knowledge of what had caused the ship to sink, he could only hope this human was still alive. Upon breaching the surface, he took a moment to breathe in the air of Above Sea. His gills automatically stopped as he began to use his mouth and nose, causing his breathing to become laboured for a few seconds as his lungs acclimatised to this new method of receiving air.

Looking around the area, Jimin was thankful for his superior vision in the dark as he spotted a piece of wreckage that looked large enough to hold his precious cargo and set about hoisting them up. It was only once he was positive that they were safe, secure and alive that he stopped to look at who he had saved.

Almost immediately Jimin gasped softly, his jaw dropping slightly as his eyes skimmed over the face of the human woman he’d saved. This was the first time he’d ever seen a human up close and he was pleased to say that he was not disappointed.

Despite the pale cast to her skin from the cold of the ocean and the shock of sinking, she was possibly the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. He could hear her gasping breaths and was relieved that he had managed to save someone. She appeared to be unconscious for some reason and because of that, he could not bear to leave her alone to die - something that would happen if he simply left.

Looking up at the sky, he sought out the correct stars and using the ancient mer-method of travel, he orientated himself to what he knew was the closest shore. He was very aware that he was going to be in serious trouble when he returned home, but right now what mattered was saving this human. Bracing himself against the broken wood, he began to push his tail in powerful beats that allowed him to move the wreckage and woman along.

As they moved across the ocean, Jimin fighting against the waves and the throbbing pain of his tail, he kept telling himself that knew how humans worked. If he could simply get her to land, or even close enough to another ship then they would save her.

That was the plan that ran through his head while he swam tirelessly throughout the night, his eyes glued to the human woman in front of him. For a while he even sang to himself as a distraction from the pain, his voice crystal clear and light in a song that would send shivers down the spines of any humans if they heard – a true sirens song.

Jimin began to finally tire as the sun finally broke over the horizon, his breathing laboured from the distance he’d had to travel in a night along with the unfamiliar way he had to breathe. He had realised quickly that merpeople were simply not designed to travel so far breathing like humans!

Exhaustion was creeping along the edge of his senses, his tail sluggish and his wound numb at this point. He tried to focus on the magnificent sight of the sky, currently awash with colours he never got to truly experience Under The Sea, streaked with pinks, oranges and yellows that would speak to Taehyung’s artistic soul.

He almost cried with relief at the sight of land approaching quickly. The water was calmer here, which made his job of swimming easier and he renewed his efforts. Despite feeling like he had no energy left to give, Jimin gritted his teeth and managed to push the wreckage onto the shore of a golden beach, the sand already looking warm. For a moment he is distracted, touching it and letting the dry grains run through his hand with awe. He’s touching land for the first time, dry land that is alien and hostile to his species.

Lifting his head, Jimin takes the time to enjoy the awe-inspiring sight above him, for on top of the sheer white cliffs that have been edged away by the might of the ocean over millennia lays an imposing and grand castle. He takes a moment to admire its structure and how it seems to reach into the sky endlessly before his attention is brought back to the human.

She groans softly, movement slow and sluggish from the trials she has suffered at sea. Jimin can’t help himself as he slowly moves forward as far as he can; as far as he can go without getting stuck in the sand, his tail lying in the shallow water to allow a quick getaway.

His hand reaches out of its own accord to see if she is truly as soft as she looks, even though a part of his mind is screaming at himself to stop, when he suddenly hears shouting from afar. Head jerking up, he spots what looks to be guards in armour running towards the beach, shouting about something about a princess.

Terror filling his veins at being seen and caught, he does not hesitate a second before spinning around and vanishing into the sea with a perfect dive, his caudal fin shimmering black and blue in the early morning sun. If he had taken the time to spare a glance at the human he’d saved, then perhaps Jimin would have noticed her eyes finally open.

A/N: This was supposed to a be a one shot, then it felt like the perfect place to end here. It will be multi-chaptered…and it will probably not go how you expect it to. I’m mostly writing this because I just love the idea!

#bts fanfic #jimin fanfic #jimin fluff #jimin angst #bts angst #bts fluff #jimin scenarios #jimin imagines #bts imagines #curious merman jimin is <3 #bts fic #jimin fic #jimin au

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